text:
The following excerpts are taken from Water Canada's March/April 2013 article, "UNDERGROUND NETWORK – From sensors below the surface to satellites somewhere in orbit, groundwater monitoring is becoming more sophisticated", by Erin Pehlivan.
Helen Apio is filled with joy as she collects clean water in her Northern Uganda village. When she didn't have water, she would walk to the nearest well—2.4 kilometres away—and wait in line with hundreds of other women, clutching two empty five-gallon water cans, anticipating stock.
Charity: water has helped women like Apio by introducing a unique water technology that detects groundwater in developing countries. Founded in 2006, charity: water's first project was to install six wells in a Ugandan refugee camp. They bought a GPS for $100, took it to Uganda, visited each project location and plotted six points on Google Maps, making the information and images public on their website. Six years later, the charity has funded over 6,994 water projects in 20 countries serving over 2.5 million people with clean drinking water. They have recently been allocated US$5 million for a pilot project via Google's Global Impact Award to develop remote sensor technology specifically for groundwater.
So far, the charity has mapped each of its water projects to see how they function in real-time. The remote sensor technology will help keep them posted on whether water is flowing at any of their projects, at any given time, anywhere in the world.
The efficient design of remote sensor technology means that individual community members don't need to visit every project physically to ensure constant water flow. These sensors manage time, budgets and resources with ease, allowing more time to be spent analyzing the actual water sample itself in the lab.
Below the surface: While real-time technology is growing more common throughout the water industry, groundwater applications are scarce.
Richard Kolacz, president of Global Spatial Technology Solutions Inc. (GSTS), observes smart sensor capabilities that connect to groundwater sensors in Canada, allowing people to collect information from the sensors remotely.
One Ontario conservation authority is already using one of GSTS's water sensor prototypes on site. Initially, conservation authorities collected information manually. Now they're able to collect it remotely. "We've developed an interface – a means of connecting to a groundwater sensor— to collect information in a format that the conservation authority likes," says Kolacz. "Rather than waiting six months or more to collect data, they could have it back instantly."
The data coming from groundwater sensors to conservation authorities allows them to monitor water quality and quantity, and helps them understand the health and use of the water.
What's so important about monitoring water data? The data could help First Nations communities in northern Ontario, according to Kolacz. "We would have the ability to monitor key data points on potentially clean or waste water treatment plants, and provide opportunities to monitor the health and status of those facilities remotely," he says.
Much like charity: water, the difficulty with GSTS's prototype comes from having to train staff to manage facilities. The data still has to be analyzed, and the quality of that analysis depends upon a certain level of knowledge.
Please note: I found the following YouTube video, published on Mar 27, 2013, that is directly related to the above information. Mr. Kolacz speaks about GSTS's most recent application regarding goundwater monitoring. His presentation dealing with this topic runs from 3:20 to 7:30 on the video:
Meanwhile, charity: water's goal is to develop and install 4,000 low-cost remote sensors in existing and new water projects globally, all of which will transmit real-time data to the charity, its partners, and eventually to donors via status updates. Canada can learn from this model. According to the 2010 Review and Assessment of Canadian Groundwater Resources, Management, Current Research Mechanisms and Priorities by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, practitioners in the field need access to organized groundwater data. With projects like the ones charity: water and GSTS are piloting, that access can skyrocket.
Groundwater is a valuable resource, but it is poorly understood and expensive to investigate. Incentives to effectively manage the resource are low. But respondents of the aforementioned review demand significant effort from the provincial government databases to provide up-to-date groundwater information accessible online. And once we embrace the new insights of cloud-based collaboration and networked sensor arrays, science-based policy will develop and advance, leading to more responsible water resource management and investments – especially when it comes to the murky and mysterious water that flows beneath us. Erin Pehlivan is a Toronto-based writer.
Related links ~
for Charity:water ~ http://washfunders.org/Blog/(offset)/30


text:
On dreamers: "Passion. They are passionate about what they do. Belief. They believe in what they do. Commitment. They are committed to what they do. Courage. In the face of situations where other people would lose heart, they take heart. Perseverance. Through the discouragement of failure, rejection, and criticism, they persevere and keep at it, always staying focused on their goal and dream."
Matthew Kelly
"I have told you all this so you may have peace in Me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."
Jesus, John 16:33
"The thief's purpose is to steal, and kill, and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life."
Jesus, John 10:10

subset: commoncrawl


text:
December 2007
Release Date: December 12, 2007
Warm Weather Doing Deer Hunters No Favors
While some hunters are pleased with this fall and winter's predominantly warm temperatures, many are fondly recalling the "old days" when deer hunting meant spending early mornings shivering in a deer blind.
This year's mild and wet spring and summer have helped produce a bumper deer crop for harvesting. But, according to Dr. Cody Scott, professor of animal science at Angelo State University, the continued warmth of December has made life decidedly harder on deer hunters.
"Early in the season, particularly bow season, there were some really good white-tailed deer killed," Scott said. "The problem has been that throughout most of the rest of the hunting season, particularly on weekends, we've had hot and windy weather and the deer just didn't get up and move. That has made it difficult to find that trophy animal."
The recent cold snap has the deer up and moving again, but with the predicted quick return of milder conditions, hunting will once more become an even greater challenge.
"If you were fortunate enough to go out these last couple of weekends where we had some cooler weather," Scott said, "there were some exceptional deer killed. There still have been more throughout the season, the warm weather just makes it more difficult."
For hunters that are lucky enough to be in place while the deer are moving, there is no lack of quality animals available. Scott said this year's deer crop is much better than last year's.
"Their body condition is exceptional and we see a large fawn crop," Scott said. "Antler formation this year is also above average. Last year it was very dry during the spring and summer and antler quality was off because of it."
So, while Christmas shoppers are enjoying the warmer weather, many deer hunters are avidly checking the extended forecast hoping for days when they can trade in their camouflage T-shirts for fleece jackets, coveralls and gloves and get back to shivering in the deer blind.


text:
Get an early start: A smart $100 deposit from state for college saving | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Pennsylvanians need to start saving more money for two of life's milestones, college and retirement, because costs for both are ever on the rise. State Treasurer Joe Torsella and other officials have rolled out a program to help with the former, and children in six counties will be the first beneficiaries of this worthy venture.
For the next two years, every child born or adopted in Westmoreland, Delaware, Elk, Indiana, Luzerne and Mifflin counties — estimated to be about 28,000 in all — is eligible to receive a $100�"starter deposit" on a college savings plan. Parents can enroll their children in the Keystone Scholars demonstration program at pa529.com/keystone. Invested by the state, the $100 is expected to grow to as much as $414 by the time the first beneficiaries are old enough to use it.�


text:
We spent the first half of our spring break in Tennessee visiting family. Sunday night as we were relaxing in our hotel room, my oldest daughter came across a Peep Topiary and immediately showed it to me as we usually give my sister Peep themed gifts!
After looking at the store bought one my daughter showed me, we decided to make our own Peep Topiary to give to my sister for her birthday. It was so easy that we were able to make it in our hotel in under 30 minutes. We did have to make a run to Michaels for supplies, however, if we had been home, we could probably could have made this for a fraction of the price.
Here's what you'll need:
7 boxes of Peeps
Styrofoam Ball
Dowel Rod (We used a knitting needle since we couldn't find the size rod we needed)
Tooth picks
Floral foam
Piece of fabric to wrap floral foam in
Container to place Topiary in
M&M eggs or jelly beans (We used M&Ms because they're tastier) 🙂
To start off with, place one end of your dowel rod in your floral foam and the other end in your styrofoam ball. I wrapped my floral foam in a piece of scrapbook paper to make it look prettier.
Next place your floral foam into your container.
Now you'll want to pick the front of your topiary. I used 3 toothpicks to mark our starting point.
Now start adding your Peeps. We chose green to start off with and placed 3 green peeps on our toothpicks. We then did a row of yellow Peeps around our green Peeps and worked our way out from there.
Keep adding circles of Peeps in alternating colors.
While you're adding Peeps, if you find your tree gets top-heavy, add some M&Ms or jelly beans to your container. I didn't want to add too many in the beginning because I didn't want them spilling all over the place if I tipped the container over.
Once you're completely finished, add the rest of your M&Ms or Jelly Beans and VOILA! You've got a beautiful Peeps Topiary. This will make a fun Easter Centerpiece.
Here's what it looks like from the back!


text:
Latest report now online.
Last summer we launched our first email cloud security test and, while it was very well received by our readers and the security industry as a whole, we felt that there was still work to do on the methodology.
This report shows the results of six months of further development, and a much clearer variation in the capabilities of the services under test.
The most significant change to the way we conducted this test lies in the selection of threats we used to challenge the security services: we increased the number and broadened the sophistication.
Whereas we might have used one fake FBI blackmail email previously, in this test we sent 10, each created using a different level of sophistication. Maybe a service will detect the easier versions but allow more convincing examples through to the inbox?
We wanted to test the breaking point.
We also used a much larger number of targeted attacks. There was one group of public 'commodity' attacks, such as anyone on the internet might receive at random, but also three categories of crafted, targeted attacks including phishing, social engineering (e.g. fraud) and targeted malware (e.g. malicious PDFs).
Each individual attack was recreated 10 times in subtly different but important ways.
Attackers have a range of capabilities, from poor to extremely advanced. We used our "zero to Neo" approach to include basic, medium, advanced and very advanced threats to see what would be detected, stopped or allowed through.
The result was an incredibly tough test.
We believe that a security product that misses a threat should face significant penalties, while blocking legitimate activity is even more serious.
If you're paying for protection threats should be stopped and your computing experience shouldn't be hindered. As such, services that allowed threats through, and blocked legitimate messages, faced severe reductions to their accuracy ratings and, subsequently, their chances of winning an award.
Intelligence-Led Testing
We pay close attention to how criminals attempt to attack victims over email. The video below shows a typically convincing attack that starts with a text message and ends stealing enough information to clean out a bank account.


text:
There�s an old joke I plan to get away with by virtue of being of partial Irish descent myself: �Whiskey was invented so the Irish wouldn�t rule the world.�
Playwright and poet J.M. Synge had more on his mind than stereotypical wacky drunken leprechauns with �The Playboy of the Western World,� in production at the University of Alabama department of theater and dance. But as with many pointed jabs, there�s poignance in the joke, just as there are barrels of world-weary sadness at the heart of Synge�s �Playboy.�
Why do people become overly fond of drink? Jolly seems always on the surface of the proto-red-faced drunk, but what lies underneath? Chances are it�s not the fulfilled man who seeks all pleasures at the bottom of a glass and requires chemical oblivion to reach a personal nirvana.
Sorrow floats, goes another axiom. And it bobs to the surface again and again, threatening to engulf the laughter in �Playboy.�
It�s an Irish tall tale, lyrical, given to flights of poetic fancy and wildly heightened emotion, full of music and the slightly hysterical sense that all jollity caps a keg that�s been shook and might blow at any time. What makes it stand apart from the typical blarney is the yearning that�s revealed when the laughs stop for breath.
We start in a pub � a nicely detailed set by Murdock Lucas, with fine realistic touches, but graced by enough light and openness to give it air � peopled by the usual suspects: barmaid Pegeen Mike (Sadie Magadanz), her roisterous father/pub owner Michael James Flaherty (Joel Ingram), and his drunken pals Philly Cullen (Jon Chapman) and Jimmy Farrell (Patrick Winegar). Pegeen is resigning herself to settling down with the intense, but rather priggish, Shawn Keogh (Taylor Bridges).
Then Christy Mahon (Jake Boyd) blows through the pub door, right out of a nighttime horror story, blathering a tale of murdering his oppressive father and becoming a man on the run. As he tells and retells the tale, Christy grows drunk with his own boldness. The townspeople, by not only accepting but actually encouraging his flights, show not their forgiving nature so much as a burning need for a break from tedium.
Christy supplies it, quickly becoming the king of County Mayo, winning the respect of the men and the hearts of Pegeen, the Widow Quin (Jacqueline Wheeler) and other single ladies of the village. Shawn alone seems immune to his charms, but he isn�t given much credence on any account.
Bit of a spoiler ahead, so if you like your shows unsullied, skip a few paragraphs: The old man/Old Mahon (Steve Burch) isn�t dead. But his head is bloodied, and boy, is he peeved.
When Christy is seen as a liar and coward, he falls out of favor. Desperate, he tries to win them back by attacking the old man a second time. But, as Pegeen notes, �There�s a great gap between a gallant story and a dirty deed.�
And there are a few gaps in this telling, although the production, directed by Rory Ledbetter, strikes the right notes overall.
Because it�s so obvious, start with the Irish dialect. It�s lovely, and the actors have all obviously worked hard to get it right. But it�s like opera. You know they�re hitting the right notes because it sounds right � but sometimes you can�t make out the words for all that technique.
It�s not a matter of that click at which it all begins to come clear � although it does get easier after the first few scenes � because some things get lost even later. Perhaps it would have been best to scale back the authenticity a bit in favor of clarity. After all, it�s a century-old play from another country. No one today does Shakespeare in the dialect of 16th century England, and with good reason: No one could follow it. Poetic language has its own twisted logic, which can take the brain some time to untangle. Cut the knots for us.
Music by Raphael Crystal and Cynthia Miller fits the scenes nicely, flowing mostly when a storyteller begins to weave a spell. But on the technical side, a little less volume would have been best in spots where the dialogue is in danger of being lost.
The cast is uniformly engaged and engaging, with special kudos to Magadanz, Wheeler and Bridges, who found many unscripted moments of levity and tribulation. Boyd plays his winning and boyish sides with ease and glides into desperation with something less than ease, but draws your focus as a Christy must.
Burch rumbles on like a steam engine, cut with a dangerous charm, and the assembled fine bits from Ingram, Chapman, Winegar and giggly village girls Erin Hutson, JaneMarie Bobilin and Crystal Kohl could make a rollicking comedy all in itself.
The director�s hand in this is nearly invisible, which in the case of mingled repartee, combat and slapstick is a very good and mature thing. Ledbetter�s �Playboy� seems effortless and natural, which is a bit of magic.
Technical expertise shines from Playboy's sadness
There�s an old joke I plan to get away with by virtue of being of partial Irish descent myself: �Whiskey was invented so the Irish wouldn�t rule the world.�


text:
Canaryware Pitcher with Greek Key Border and Grapevine Decoration
Profuse Decoration, Excellent Form
Circa1820: Measuring 6" in height and 7 1/2" in width, this beautiful and rare canaryware pitcher is highly decorated on the outside and even has more hand painted silver on the inside rim! Condition is excellent with one small glued chip on the base rim. Canaryware was utilitarian and therefore was used heavily. It is uncommon to find a pitcher like this in such good condition, and this lovely piece will fit well in any collection of early americana or ceramics.


text:
Looking to Join a group for a canoe trip?
Join a Guided Group Trip in 2020
Let us share its beauty and make all the planning easy for you. Come alone, with your special someone, or as a group. It's a perfect way to check the Boundary Waters off your bucket list as everyone is welcome. These trips have a limited number of openings so sign up soon and get ready for a special canoe camping experience.
Call Drew or Adam at 800-223-6565 to sign up.
Group Trip Reservation Form Group Trip Reservation Form (PDF)


text:
The government in Romania continues to persecute people for the use of minority community symbols – stated Csaba Sógor during the European Parliament's Strasbourg plenary session on Monday, October the 3rd.
The RMDSZ MEP explained that the United States' ambassador to Romania experienced this himself when the media published a photograph of him and local authority leaders holding the Szekler flag.
"The photo stirred a scandal in the Romanian media, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs needed to issue a statement emphasizing the importance of respecting the sensitivities related to the subject." – explained Csaba Sógor. The MEP also noted that not all community symbols cause such an uproar in Romania, many regions have their own flags, which they can use freely. Romanian authorities only prohibit the use of the Szekler flag, a symbol of the Hungarian community in Romania.
In the opinion of Csaba Sógor this is discriminatory, even if we take the so called sensitivity of the subject into consideration. He also reminded his colleagues in the European Parliament that a court in Romania has ruled against using the term Szeklerland as a tourist destination. "In other words, it is forbidden to call a region by the name that its inhabitants have called it for centuries. Would we consider this a sensitive subject in Europe?"– asked Csaba Sógor.


text:
04/14/2011 // WPB, FL, USA // Personal Injury Lawyers News // Nicole Howley
John D. Cooney of the law firm Cooney & Conway in Chicago has co-chaired the 2011 Asbestos Bankruptcy Conference, which will be holding a judicial roundtable on asbestos compensation. "Asbestos compensation-which has featured prominently in several recent bankruptcy cases-remains a significant and often difficult issue decades after the dangers of asbestos have been proven scientifically," reported Cooney and Conway.
Media Information:
Phone: 561-247-1646
Url: West Palm Beach Personal Injury Lawyer News
Watch the full story on:Asbestos Conference to Feature Judicial Roundtable on Financial Compensation
Legal Education 2011 Asbestos Bankruptcy Conference, asbestos compensation, bankruptcy cases, cooney and conway


text:
Formal wear has actually transformed a whole lot as numerous fresh designs have come into existence. Informal business wear has given a brand-new interpretation to official wear. Nevertheless, if you intend to get an ideal official look, absolutely nothing would work far better compared to suit coats. These suit jackets are a wardrobe staple for every single man as there are several celebrations when guys wish to take hold of formal appearance. Well, official tee shirts and also pants would certainly be enough for the refined guys of India but to get a perfect company appearance, suit coats are the best selection. Like females fashion style, guys fashion style adjustments periodically following the most up to date trend of fashion. In this modern period, formal dress for guys shows up in numerous ingenious designs and also concept to adore. Although the difference of males' formal dress recently does not considerably alter from the past, we are still able to see at the very least a little change on the formal men clothing lately.
When we discuss woman's stylish wear the only thing that comes in mind are the sophisticated gowns and outfits that we see in the movies on those magnificent figures. The most favored of females' dress is the little black gown that appears to be the excellent choice for all official occasions and special events. These elegant dresses are readily available on the market to be marketed in many elegant materials like chiffon, jersey, taffeta, silk and many more. Now days the shade in trend for these elegant dress is the different colors purple. Some other shades ruling the marketplace are navy blue, wine and teal, golden and different other pastel shades that offer a lady's body an abundant planning to offer the formal dresses an ultra elegant look wear serape or bolero on the top of the gown. If you have hefty buttocks as well as hips after that go with line gowns that expose the breast as well as placed a lot of concentrate on the midsection.
The neck lines of the formal dresses been available in several ranges. From deep neckline to long necks as well as jumping necklines, the choices are numerous. These dresses are made to fit on your body as well as show off the contours of your waistline and also hipline. To make your number look added curved these dress have zippers in them that provide you a snug fit. You can discover dress in several sizes from thin to additional huge. If you're trying to find evening formal dress then look for the one that has a stylish trail affixed to it, these dress are astonishingly beautiful. These formal dresses also include many embellishments like trails, belts, bows, crystals, shoelace as well as a whole lot much more. All these extra devices give the dress an exceptionally tempting appearance and also several you stand out in the crowd effortlessly. Primarily the outfits are divided in two parts, to start with the bodice as well as second of all the skirt. For such outfits a crochet shawl need to be worn to provide it a complete look.
As soon as you are performed with determining your official wear, you have to determine the kind of device, hairstyle and make-up will opt for it. High and thin figured lady should put on high heeled heels. Other women can go for any sort of shoes having diamonds in them. Constantly put on some form of accessory to offer your dress a much better appearance. Devices can be anything from pretty earrings to attractive bracelets. Ruby or pearl fashion jewelry is very in among women. Makeup is off utmost value in providing you a total and also attractive appearance. Constantly, examine the net or the journals for the most up to date makeup fads and then apply appropriately. Just put enough to conceal the problems on your face like pimples and also acne marks. Eyes ought to be highlighted and also apply a delicious looking lipstick. With official evening dresses the make-up done is usually much less as you wish to provide on your own a stylish look.


text:
|Top Online Data Backup Rankings
IT solutions providers can now easily add Storage Guardian to their suite of value-added services, and manage all cloud backup activities via the ConnectWise PSA. Pricing starts at $50/TB/month and includes training and comprehensive ongoing support from Storage Guardian.
TORONTO, ON, CANADA, April 16, 2012 –/BackupReview.info/– VARs and MSPs that use the ConnectWise Professional Services Automation (PSA) software can now boost their bottom line by adding Storage Guardian value-added cloud backup solutions. The Storage Guardian cloud backup integration with ConnectWise is now available, giving IT solutions providers a fast and convenient way to enhance the range of services they offer their customers.
Storage Guardian's ConnectWise integration enables customers to quickly add cloud backup monitoring alerts from Storage Guardian to their ConnectWise PSA service board. Managed service providers (MSPs) can gain enhanced visibility into their clients' backup activities, eliminating the need to review backup and server logs. MSPs that currently resell Storage Guardian's cloud backup services can license the ConnectWise PSA product and take immediate advantage of the enhanced backup reporting and timesaving efficiencies.
Through the integration, Storage Guardian can tailor the structure and frequency of ConnectWise reports to meet the varied needs of different solutions providers. Storage Guardian's cloud backup services start at $50/TB/month, providing an attractive recurring revenue stream for its reseller partners. "We're getting a very positive response from MSPs that have signed up for the service, and we'd like to schedule evaluations for other ConnectWise customers who want to add Storage Guardian to their current suite of services," said Dave Minns, client services manager at Storage Guardian. "Also, this year, we're providing 24x7x366 support for ConnectWise partners."
Fully integrated solution streamlines backup monitoring for managed service providers
"Storage Guardian for ConnectWise facilitates streamlined monitoring and support for our customers. The data accumulated in our Asigra-based datacenters can be shared with a solution provider's ConnectWise system," said Minns. "Our detailed and event-driven reporting lets you take a proactive role in the management of your clients' data backup activities, and deliver better service. It's easy to get started with one or two clients and then add more clients and backup sources as you go."
Avi Bitterman, VP of business development at Insite Computer Group, now gets updated reports that report any backup anomalies in their ConnectWise system: "We currently manage online backup for more than 150 customers, each of whom is counting on us to ensure their data on numerous computers and laptops is safely protected. The new Storage Guardian ConnectWise integration with ConnectWise means we can offer our customers enhanced monitoring and reporting, and saves us the time we used to spend checking error logs of hundreds of backup jobs."
Storage Guardian offers a complete range of cloud backup solutions for MSPs and VARs priced to grow an MSP's bottom line, including Storage Guardian Mobile Client, a comprehensive remote data backup and recovery solution for businesses that need more than typical mass-market backup products can offer. Designed for businesses with several desktop computers, numerous laptops and some network-attached storage units, Storage Guardian Mobile Client provides an all-inclusive backup and recovery service that ensures all crucial data is safely backup-up to a secure, offsite datacenter.
Storage Guardian is the leader in value-added cloud backup
Storage Guardian and SAS 70 (Type II)
About Storage Guardian
General Tags: software as a service, online backup providers directory, backing up online, online backup news, online file backup, SaaS, CEO interviews, online file storage, top rated online backups, compare online backups, cloud computing, online data backup, data storage, online backup, online backup companies, online backup services, data security, online backup reviews
Like us on Facebook
Related posts:
Tags: Storage Guardian
RSS feed for comments on this post · TrackBack URI
Copyright © 2004 - 2018 Backup Review.info | Sitemap


text:
I'd like to start by introducing myself. My name is Nick Schiavi and I recently joined the Detterbeck Wealth Management team in the hopes of learning wealth management and becoming a Certified Financial Planner. As I approached the end of my college days, I thought I had everything figured out. I was about to graduate from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor's degree in Finance, Marketing Minor, and a Professional Sales Certificate. I studied these subjects with the intent of pursuing a career in wealth management. This seemed like a fairly straight forward career path at the time with the thinking that strong advisors are good with numbers, comfortable with communication and receive the proper training. I had no idea there were so many different routes this career path offers.
Out of school, I accepted a job with an insurance company and thought I was on my way to becoming a financial planner. On the first day of training, we were required to cold call and set up meetings with the goal to sell life insurance. The company did a great job selling the in-training representatives on the idea a whole-life insurance policy is the best place to put your money for retirement. The other trainees and I were impressed when learning a policy and reinvested dividends grow tax free and can (somewhat) diversify a portfolio. It made me wonder how many other/better approaches there are in the field. If a whole life insurance policy is the answer to everyone's long term financial needs, then why doesn't everyone just do that? Why is the field so complex and difficult? Why do hundreds of books and dozens of TV shows analyze this topic to no end? I knew there was more to it and I wanted to learn. So… I decided on a new path and set out to interview at as many financial services companies as possible, and this time, do as much due diligence as I could before making a decision.
I started my search by applying to all of the major wirehouse and brokerage firms with the assumption they were the best at what they do and train their employees to be the best in the industry. That is what I had heard and believed. However, the more I interviewed, the more it dawned on me all of these companies are similar in practice to the insurance company that first employed me. The business model they use is to have their employees pass the licensing test, start selling the products and achieve required sales goals to keep their job. Many times I was told I could give it a shot, but it would be better to get a sales job for a couple of years and come back when I was ready. Why would I get a random sales job to become a better financial advisor? If anything, it seemed I might forget most of what I just spent four years studying in school.
What I really felt was most important was to find someone to mentor me in the industry. I was ready to work long and hard to learn the complexities of investing, planning and overall comprehensive wealth management. I wanted to believe there are advisors who succeed by being investment experts and wealth managers, instead of being great salesmen. Don't get me wrong, sales is great and arguably the most important aspect to any business. I just felt a financial planners' best skill should be financial planning, not sales. The tides turned when I received the advice to look on NAPFA.com and search fee-only advisors in my area, ultimately leading me to exactly what I had been looking for at Detterbeck Wealth Management.
Since starting at DWM, I have learned a lot and now respect how many different hats a strong wealth management team must wear in order to best serve clients. One of the first things I learned is how little people know about the industry and how easy it is to believe that the big firms are the best place to invest your money. It reminds me of golf, it is a game of opposites; if you swing left, the ball curves right- swing right, the ball curves left. Wealth management is similar. It is normal to think having your money with a big firm is a good idea, it makes sense to think they are the best at what they do (given all the marketing dollars they have to convey that message). In reality, it is the RIA (Fee-Only Advising) firms who typically have the best client-centric culture rather than a company-centric mentality. At DWM, it's about providing value to customers. These are the advisors who place their clients' interests first in a fiduciary manner and do not make commissions on sales. RIA firms like DWM bring clients on slowly to fully understand their needs and create the best possible plan.
All in all, the start to my career has been great. Coming out of school I wanted to learn this industry and had no interest in "faking it until making it." There is no faking at DWM; every time I am given an increase in responsibility it is because I have been trained and fully understand what I am doing. I'm new to the real world, but this seems like the proper way to run a business – especially one focused on helping people achieve their personal and financial goals.
Editor's Note: Please join us in welcoming Nick Schiavi to our DWM team. Nick joined our firm in late April as a service associate and is training/learning/working toward becoming a junior advisor. Welcome aboard, Nick!


text:
Fractured Visions Film Festival Comes to Tramshed Cinema in Cardiff (UK) 29-30 September
Fractured Visions Film Festival – a celebration of all things horror – is headed up by filmmaker Phil Escott and genre academic Dr. Mikel J. Koven. The festival was designed to help spotlight both emerging talent within the horror genre and those who have helped build it. Over two days, Fractured Visions will be showing eight new feature films and two classics along with ten new short films.


text:
Choose your room
Property Location With a stay at Zenith Hotel in Hanoi (Hai Ba Trung), you'll be convenient to Vincom Center and Hoan Kiem Lake. This hotel is within close proximity of Hanoi Opera House and St. Joseph Cathedral.Rooms Make yourself at home in one of the 29 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and minibars. Relax and take in city views from the privacy of your room. Complimentary high-speed (wired) Internet access is available to keep you connected. Bathrooms have shower/tub combinations and hair dryers.Rec, Spa, Premium Amenities Make use of convenient amenities such as complimentary wireless Internet access, concierge services, and tour/ticket assistance.Dining Enjoy a satisfying meal at a restaurant serving guests of Zenith Hotel. A complimentary breakfast is included.Business, Other Amenities Featured amenities include currency exchange, dry cleaning/laundry services, and a 24-hour front desk. A roundtrip airport shuttle is provided for a surcharge (available on request).
Reviews: Zenith Hotel
Useful information:Other names for Zenith Hotel:
May De Ville Boutique Hotel


text:
My name is Kate and this is going to be my ninth year teaching (Yikes! Where has the time gone?!) and my sixth year teaching Early Childhood Special Ed.
I am going to share my Preschool Handbook with you all. I think I FINALLY finalized it. Every year I change it. Throughout the school year I keep a copy out and mark the changes I am considering or ideas that may work better.
I always share this with my parents at our Open House and go through each topic so I can answer questions and clarify anything they have questions about it.
You can view it here.
An InLinkz Link-up


text:
FPHE's Amazing Race
Sep 28, 2014 10:31AM
By Jennifer Neys
FPHE & Magoo's Grill Support PH Education
The Foundation for Pleasant Hill Education (FPHE) invites you to join the 3rd annual Amazing Race of Pleasant Hill on October 12, noon to 4pm, beginning at Magoo's Grill of Pleasant Hill. Based on the popular TV show, this fun event challenges participants of all ages with interesting clues and activities occurring at various locations throughout Pleasant Hill (activities will resemble those on the TV show, "Minute to Win It"). Test your skills in activities suitable for all ages.
Registration is $50 per team. Teams consist of a group of four or less. Invite your family, friends, and business associates to form a group! Learn more and preregister at www.fphe.org. Teams are encouraged to show their spirit with matching outfits. At 4pm, all teams will meet at Pleasant Hill City Hall, 100 Gregory Lane, to determine the winner. Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, as well as for Most Spirit.
Prior to the race, teams and observers are welcome to enjoy brunch at Magoo's Grill, 1250 Contra Costa Blvd., from 10am-noon. Purchase tickets at www.fphe.org. The Amazing Race is co-sponsored by Magoo's Grill and the City of Pleasant Hill. Proceeds benefit the 2015 FPHE school grant program. Since 2009, FPHE has raised over $186,000 for the eleven Pleasant Hill public schools. To donate, visit www.fphe.org or mail a check to FPHE, P.O. Box 23851, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523.
FPHE is a volunteer-led, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to working in partnership with the community to enhance the quality of education and provide enrichment opportunities for students in Pleasant Hill public schools. For more information, visit [email protected] or www.fphe.org.


text:
Garage Door Repair And Installation in West hollywoodIf this pertains to your home the Garage is probably the biggest significant accessibility areas at your residence. Garage door repair YPT is working all-around ones timetable not to mention deliver a tremendous services with a smile. Garage door repair YPT offers various door and gates repair services and features the largest insurance policy in West hollywood. We repair residential and commercial garage doors, Garage door opener and remote control service. You can potentially trust our expert and experienced techs to present you with the perfect job. Do not wait until your vehicle is stuck in the garage since your door is out of service. Contact us now at (626) 238-0887. What ever garage door replacement you need Garage door repair YPT is prepared to work with you. You may reach out to us at any time and we assure you that our professionals are capable of dealing with the job for you personally with the rate designed to suit your price range. Services: Electric Gate Openers, Genie Garage Door Opener, Residential Garage Door, Garage Doors Repair, Broken Springs, Torsion Spring, Cheap Garage Door Opener, New Garage Doors, Decorative Overhead Door, Garage Door Track Repair, Overhead Door Spring Replacement Cost, Insulated And Non-insulated Steel Doors, Replace Garage Doors, Garage Door Off Track, Overhead Garage Door Repair, Replacing Damaged Garage Door Sections, Garage Door Spring Repair, Garage Door Openers, Metal Clad Garage Doors, Garage Door Replacement, Garage Door Opener Repair, Fast Garage Door Opener, Out-of Track Doors, Garage Doors Residential, New Garage Openers, Garage Door Opener Replace, Garage Door Extension Springs, Cheap Garage Door, Local Garage Door Experts, Garage Doors, Minor Garage Door Repairs, Local Garage Door Companies, Overhead Door Installation, Opener Sensor Issues, Automatic Garage Doors, Universal Garage Door Opener, Overhead Door Repair Company, Tambour Wood Rollup Doors, Garage Door Opener Safety, Low Cost Garage Door Service, Overhead Garage Door Spring Replacement, Overhead Repair Parts, Garage Door Spring Adjustment, Garage Door Repair Company, Repair Genie Garage Door Opener, 24 Hour Emergency Garage Door Service, Replacement Garage Door, Garage Door Lift Springs, Torsion Spring Replacement, Reliable Garage Door Service, Traditional Style Garage Doors, Wood Carriage House Type Doors and more.
West hollywood Garage Door Repair & Installation SupportGood value and affordable garage door service around you A lot of our high quality technicians have lots of experience with giving a lot of methods to your garage door. We have got very quick answer, and our staff will show up just about everywhere you will need us. Call now for rapid services. We now have 24x7 of garage door services throughout West hollywood, so you can call us anytime of your day and we will be more than happy to assist you. Garage door repair YPT will send a proficient garage door repairs technician to your home in order to solve your door in your timetable. We help our people to assure they are satisfied with the maintenance done to their particular garage door.
You may look through the list of the zip codes below:
Arturo Allred - Google+


text:
Here is the promotional artwork for the fourth annual Ana's Advent Calendar! Feel free to grab one and use on your social media.
All artwork provided courtesy of Lynn
Here is the promotional artwork for the fourth annual Ana's Advent Calendar! Feel free to grab one and use on your social media.
All artwork provided courtesy of Lynn
Writing has been erratic lately. I can whip off a freebie in an hour or two, but I stare at Indigo for hours to write a few hundred words.
I started a Wooden Spoon Challenge a few days ago to encourage Stephanie Beck to write. She wrote an amazing story with a hint of kink, posted here. Then Olivia Starke joined with a sweet-as-sugar story here. Mm. I want some chocolate now. Next, Dominique Eastwick introduced her Wiccan Haus series with this shifter story. Anyone feeling a bit paranormal yet? Dominique challenged none other than our beloved Evil Mistress Kate, aka Kate Richards. Kate put up her story today, a scrumptious sneak peek of her next cookie club story.
Who's next? We wait with bated breath.
These were my original terms:
I wrote a freebie story for readers, my first Christmas menage featuring Mira and Hana from Desire in Any Language and Mira's Miracle. I'm passing on the challenge to Stephanie Beck. Stephanie, you have 24 hours to produce a 2K freebie story (using one idea, theme, sentence, or image from my story for inspiration) or face the penalty. What penalty?
–Public admission of your naughtiness!
–Listening to "Let it Go" on endless repeat
–Forfeiting your knitting needles, wild rice, and jello!
–Having to compose a public ode to wooden spoons!
–and more! Depends on my mood!
What is the reward for successfully completing the challenge?
–Public adulation as a Freebie Girl!
–A hand-engraved Anastasia Vitsky wooden spoon!
–Your choice of an Anastasia Vitsky book!
–and one entry on either Mrs. Claus' nice or naughty list for 2015, your choice
See? It pays to behave! Now sit your bottom on a chair and get writing, missy! Mrs. Claus will know if you've been bad or good. Get cracking! The clock starts NOW.
When you finish, post your freebie story link and tag me. Challenge one or two author friends to do the same thing. And go!
Everyone's tweaked the rules as we go along. It's been fun to see the excitement. We even had T-shirts made! Want to see? Thanks to Dominique for making the logo.
I can't wait to see who's next for the Wooden Spoon Challenge.
The Advent Calendar cards are headed toward a post office near you! Finally!
Eight new Kindles are in various stages of preparation to be shipped to Ali Forney, Outside In, and Trinity Place. Yay!!
Tonya Ridener gave me this lovely Secret Santa surprise in an event organized by the wonderful Sara Gomez. It was an unexpected and sweet way to brighten the holiday. THANK YOU!
Curious why I'm learning Hindi? Find out in this post from the Advent Calendar, Choosing to Believe.
And finally:
Sanitizer with glitter. Because sparkly vampires aren't enough.
You heard me.
In other news, THANK YOU for your sweet thoughts yesterday. Boy, you are all smart cookies. Smart, I tell you. Maybe smart and need to be smart…ING. Hehe. It reminded me of a post I wrote a long time ago about letting myself sink emotionally into my writing. I hate it sometimes. I love the fun and games, and I love the freedom of a spur-of-the-moment story, but Indigo is serious business.
To write Indigo, I have to respect her.
To respect Indigo, I have to know her.
To know Indigo, I have to love her.
As I wrote over two years ago:
I realized why Kat and Natalie have been fighting me so much and why I've hated Kat 2 for the past month. I wasn't willing to cry for them. I wasn't willing to cry with them. I wasn't willing to be Kat and to be Natalie. I wanted to write about them without becoming them.
Kat gripped me by the collar today, and she yanked me to sit down next to her.
Listen to me, she demanded. If you're going to write my story, you have to know me first.
The thing about someone quiet like Kat? If she decides to stick to her guns, well…it's a lost battle. I listened. I wrote. I cried.
And then she let me tell her story.
Dear Katling? I'm sorry for holding you at a distance. I'll listen better from now on. You have a right to have your story told in a way that honors you, not in a way that is fun and easy.
Indi, you suck. I hate the devastation you will wreak on my heart and soul. I hate the tears I will shed as I write your story. I hate the pain you will endure before finding your happily ever after.
Because, after all, a happy ending means nothing unless it's earned.
Indi, you did things that make us both ashamed. You made bad decisions, you put yourself in danger, and you believed someone you shouldn't.
Guess what? So have all of my other main characters, and I still love them.
Come here, Indi. I'll listen to you this time. I'll listen without the judgment, and I will love you.
If you haven't already, you'll want to read the first two parts of this series.
Creating Something Good, Part 1
Creating Something Good, Part 2
Before I go any further with my story, I'd like to give a shout-out to those who helped create Something Good:
Less Than Three Press: Megan Derr, Samantha Derr, and Sasha Miller donated money for Kindles, sponsored my travel to Atlanta, and donated their entire catalog (minus erotic books). Less Than Three has been part of Something Good from the beginning, and they have been huge supporters.
Harmony Ink (Dreamspinner Press): Unbeknownst to me, Elizabeth North had already sent six Kindles filled with books to the residents at LNF last year. Because of that, she jumped at the chance to support a second year's incarnation. Nessa Warin, the head of Harmony Ink, donated their entire catalog of YA LGBT stories. Plus, Elizabeth sent an additional financial contribution to buy more Kindles.
Ylva Publishing: Ylva was the only lesbian publisher to respond to Something Good's invitation to participate. Astrid Ohletz and Nikki Busch donated eight of their lesbian books to the project and expressed excitement to support LGBT homeless youth.
We can always use more lesfic! If you are an author of lesbian fiction, please contact Something Good and/or your publisher to make inquiries.
Decadent Bono: The mainstream/YA imprint of Decadent Publishing donated eight of their books toward the project.
Witty Bard Press: Anna Victoria Jones donated all of her anthologies.
Dark Hollows Press: Michelle Williams provided financial support to buy Kindles and accessories.
Damnation Press: Kim Richards provided financial support to buy Kindles and accessories.
Vagabondia Creations: Jay Odon provided eighteen sets of earphones for the first shipment of Kindles.
Carina Press donated copies of Cathy Pegau's book.
Countless authors donated copies of their books from small and independent publishers. I was particularly excited to receive the When Women Were Warriors trilogy from Catherine M. Wilson.
We also had donations from individuals and other groups:
In addition, I received administration help from Myra Swintz, Sarah Bennett, Cat Hopkins, and Anne Ferrer Odom. I also received countless hours of support from Amazon as well as our sales representative. When a person buys 26 Kindles, she receives outstanding customer service. 🙂 Thank you to Ashley of Best Buy who matched Amazon's charitable discount pricing and the countless other people who cheered, supported, and gave much-needed advice. Thank you to Renee M. for her suggestions on forming a non-profit organization (our hope is to do so next summer, assuming that the project is still sustainable). We are in need of legal advice/expertise in doing so. If you either have the expertise or know someone who does, please get in touch with me.
If you have contributed to Something Good, please find me on Facebook. You will be added to the business group so you can receive all of the updates in real time. I do ask that you keep the updates, especially financial information, confidential.
Do you remember my original goals for this project? I hoped to raise $69 to buy one basic Kindle and have each author donate a book or two. Instead, I went to LNF equipped with 18 Kindles, 18 screen protectors, 18 cases, 18 sets of earphones, and approximately 7560 books. (Not to mention the mountain of baked goods and the sackful of gifts for Heidi, the girl in rehab.) All told, the donations added up nearly $40,000.
One idea.
Six weeks.
30-45 supporters.
$4,000 in cash.
$40,000 total donation to LNF.
Did I mention that this took six weeks? As I checked and re-checked every detail of the Kindles (I had the supreme pleasure of installing software updates. Eighteen times.) and prepared for the staff training, shock reverberated through my sleep-deprived body. We'd done it. After six weeks of worry, preparation, organization, and mind-numbing tedious work, the Kindles were ready.
At the Friday evening holiday party, I met "Sister Glitter and Be Gay," a novice in the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. It is an organization founded in California that has worked for HIV and AIDS awareness and activism. When a runaway teenage boy found refuge with the sisters only for his homophobic parents to legally compel his return, he committed suicide. The sisters sainted him as Saint Lost and Found, and LNF carries his name.
The sisters continue supporting LGBT homeless youth. ("They are our future," said one gentleman.) I also met Mark, a guard who is part of the organization but serves as backup. He provides physical protection ("We attract attention," said Sister Glitter and Be Gay. "We attract all kinds of attention."), assists with photos, and helps with crowd control.
Rick Westbrook, the director of LNF, also is a sister. We had a few minutes to chat, in which he emphasized the need for people to care about the kids.
I also met Angelica D'Paige, one of the nicest employees I've ever met. I bought a few items at the LNF thrift shop, and she showed me the hilarious sides of the sign. "One is for regular," she said. "The other is for when the drama queens come in."
"Tell us about your books," said people throughout the day.
"Well, my newest book, Taliasman, is about a queen," I began.
"Do you mean a drag queen or a real queen?" came the answer.
"Just to give you a heads up," Sue told me the next day as we prepared to enter the rehab center. "This is where people in poverty go. It's a sad place."
"Do you think she would like some soda?" I asked. "Kleenex, apples, vegetables..?"
"I think she'd love it," Sue said. She'd already packed a few treats that I'd brought to the center the day before.
As we walked in and met Heidi, Sue expressed surprise at seeing her in a wheelchair. "You made it!" she exclaimed.
"I'm going to get out of this," Heidi promised. "I'm working hard in physical therapy."
Sue bent down and rested a hand on Heidi's shoulder. "Do you know why we're here?"
"To give me a Kindle."
Sue's shoulders lowered ever so slightly. "How did you know that?"
"Kim snitched," Heidi admitted. "She blew the secret."
"I thought it would be nice to be a surprise," Sue said, disappointed. "This is Ana. She's an author, and…"
"There are as many lesbian books as I could get," I said, holding out the purple tote bag.
"Purple!" exclaimed Heidi. "My favorite color. People keep giving me pink, and I don't like pink…"
Sue and I exchanged rueful glances. So much for the pink Kindle, pen, scarf, earphones, and other gifts.
"Er. Everything's pink," I said.
"No, no, what I meant is that everyone keeps giving me pink, so it grows on me." Heidi grinned, taking out her gifts. "Smarties. My favorite candy!" She popped one into her mouth.
"I didn't know that," Sue said.
"A scarf!"
"Ana made it," Sue explained, drawing up a chair for me and sitting on Heidi's bed.
"Here's the Kindle," I said, too excited to wait. "If some jerk tries to steal your Kindle again, we can deactivate it."
Sue, Heidi, and I visited for over three hours. Afterward, Sue and I chatted for an hour in the parking lot. "Do you see why everyone loves her?" she asked.
"Yes," I answered. To have been through so much and to remain so positive…it's a lesson we should all learn.
"Sue has told me so much about you," I'd told Heidi. "She speaks of you as if you were her own daughter."
I'd glanced at Sue. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she couldn't say a word.
As I prepared for my trip to Atlanta, something unexpected happened.
Amazon dropped the price of Kindles by 20% for Black Friday. In a mad scramble, I contacted all of the donors who had wanted to contribute after we reached the goal of 18 Kindles plus accessories. I had told everyone to wait, but the price reduction changed everything.
Overnight, I received enough money to buy 8 more Kindles. Plus the promise of additional funds at a later point.
I contacted a few other LGBT homeless shelters/youth centers to see if they were interested. Here are the preliminary results:
Lucie's Place in Arkansas offers counseling and help, and they are raising money to build a residential shelter in the next year or two. While they couldn't use a Kindle now, they were interested in one for the future.
Trinity Place Shelter in New York City offers shelter and support for LGBT youth who are predominantly ethnic minorities. They will receive two Kindles (for now) and will also appear on Governing Ana next year for an interview. To make Trinity even more special, I was able to meet a former member of their board who has now relocated to Atlanta.
Ali Forney Center in New York City is the oldest and most well-known organization that supports LGBT homeless. They will receive at least two Kindles within the next few weeks, possibly more. They will use the Kindles in their career and educational program which includes instruction in reading and reading comprehension. Also, they will make the Kindles available for pleasure reading during drop-in hours.
Outside In in Portland, Oregon serves all homeless youth but has a special Queerzone for LGBT youth. They have a number of different programs and are debating where best to make use of donated Kindles.
The San Diego LGBT Community Center provides help for all LGBT. We are in conversation whether the Kindles would be an appropriate fit for their programs.
If you would like to nominate your local/favorite LGBT homeless youth organization, please let me know! At the moment (due to Amazon restrictions), we need to stay within the US. We would like to include international sites, but country-specific technical support along with exorbitant shipping costs are a steep impediment for now.
Jared, whom you met in Part 2, touched me so much that I spoke with the staff afterward. "I'd like him to have a Kindle, if you don't think it will cause problems for others in the center," I said. "Use it as positive reinforcement for achieving a goal he sets for himself, so it feels like an earned reward rather than charity."
I heard later that Jared liked the blue Kindles, and he and the staff will work out the details on their own. I also went home to find 57 books that contained plays and essays by and about Shakespeare, as well as Sophocles and a few other classics. I'm not sure if I'll see Jared or hear from him again, but he will always hold a special place in my heart.
Not everything about my trip went as planned. There were unexpected hiccups along the way, and communication did not always flow as it should have. However, as we move forward, I will remember Jared.
Supporting an individual organization is nice, but human beings don't support businesses (even if the Supreme Court has decreed their personhood). We support individual people, and for me it will be Jared. All of the rest is noise; getting to meet Jared made everything worthwhile.
For you, Jared. May your life be a string of better tomorrows. Dream your dreams. We're dreaming them right with you.
And for us, may we continue to create Something Good.
For more information, visit the following:
For donations of books, cash, or in-kind support, please read the FAQ before emailing Ana at email@example.com. Subject line "Something Good" plus your specific donation (books, money, etc.).
The post about my recent trip delivering Kindles to Lost-N-Found for Something Good has been postponed due to some unexpected personal difficulties. I hope to have it ready for you by tomorrow or Friday at the latest. Instead, I've moved a perennial favorite forward a few days.
One of my favorite events for last year's Advent Calendar was the Christmas Carol Sing-a-long. Take a look, but be prepared to wait several minutes for the links to load. It's a HUGE post with massive comments. We will follow (or flout) the same rules as last year. If you know songs for Hanukkah, Solstice, or other December holidays, please include those.
A repeat of the rules, with a few slight modifications:
PLEASE ONLY POST ONE LINK PER COMMENT. Otherwise, WordPress flags your comment as spam. If you want to put up multiple songs/lyrics/translations, post multiple comments. (You can comment as many times as you want.)
Example A:
Nantes per nives
in aperta traha
trans agros imus
omnes ridentes.
Tintinna tintinnant
animose sic,
laetissimi nos canimus
canticum hac nocte.
Tinnitus, tinnitus,
semper tinnitus!
O tantum est gaudium
Dum vehimur in traha! Ha!
(The next person should guess the language or the English title of the song.)
Example B:
Come, they told me pa-rum-bum-bum-bum.
(The next person should guess the title of the song or give the next line.)
Example C:
Silent Night
(The next person should give the first line or a translation in a different language.)
If you have a blog, feel free to add to the fun! Put up:
Challenge: How many languages can we represent in today's sing-a-long?
Today I have a special treat for you! Everyone who has visited Governing Ana before knows I write stories about women who love women. At first, I felt as if I were the only person who read and wrote these stories. Fortunately, I've been proven wrong on numerous occasions. Nancy Heredia introduced me to Sandra Moran's wonderful book, Letters Never Sent. She gave me enough recommendations to make my head spin, so I immediately asked her to write a post for you today. I'm often asked to point people to new lesfic, but I'm surrounded by a lot of m/f and m/m authors. If you ever asked for a new author to read, Nancy's the resource for you.
P.S. Can we all take a moment to appreciate Nancy's bibliography written in MLA style? 😀
Beginners Guide to Lesfic
Like many of you I am a beginner when it comes to reading contemporary lesbian fiction, which I have been reading more or less exclusively since the spring of 2013. I don't specifically recall the circumstances but I believe it had something to do with some love letters I found during spring cleaning. They were the most ardent and romantic love letters any woman could write to another woman and it called to mind the past when written letters were the main form of communication. The romantic letters exchanged between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West are legendary. But it was these letters I had in my possession from a long lost lover that made me want to read more romance between women, something I had abandoned years earlier. For some reason I chose a collection of love letters written by Radclyffe Hall, the author of The Well of Loneliness, a novel many of us love to hate but nevertheless is an immensely important book in the culture of lesbian fiction.
The journey that brought me to this point though really began when I was a teenager…Let's set the scene…
I'm a native New Yorker, born and raised in NYC in a small Hispanic and very Catholic family. It was the 1960's and my parents had separated. My mother, older sister and I went to live with my mother's brother Ramon and his wife my aunt Georgina and their 2 children, my cousins Jose and Jenny. It was a grand time, the best time of my childhood. I was about 13 years old and I loved being the youngest of the kids. Even then I loved books and reading was my favorite pastime. I read everything I could and loved stories about myths and heroes, about Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses. I was also very aware by this time that I was different, I knew in what way I was different, I knew what it meant, the word lesbian. I knew I was one and I understood instinctively why I had to hide it. I will never know what direction my life would have taken if this one singular thing had not occurred. It was only this; One day I was looking through the dresser drawers in my aunt's bedroom, with the curiosity of a child, not looking for anything in particular when I found it. In the bottom of a drawer, a paperback book, the cover a silhouette of 2 girls I think but it was the title that arrested my attention. The Evil Friendship by Vin Packer. Without thinking why, I took it and hid it in my book bag and began reading it surreptitiously any chance I had. It was a terrible story but I didn't care about that. All I cared about was the few scenes where the teenage girls kiss and express their love for each other. I just didn't care that their mothers took a dim view of their friendship and planned to separate them by sending them away to a different school. I didn't care that the girls reacted by planning to murder their mothers.
I kept this book in my possession for a long time and when my mom found us another apt. we left the extended family and then it was just the 3 of us. I was 14 and old enough to work part time after school and I got my first job in a little neighborhood secondhand book and magazine store. I loved being in that store! And now I could buy the books I wanted to read like Dashiell Hammet, Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. I loved the movie magazines and was forever gazing at pictures of glamourous movie stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardner. My duties in the store included unpacking boxes of donations that arrived frequently. It was during this process that I came across a copy of The Well Of Loneliness and soon after encountered for the first time what we now call lesbian paperback pulp fiction.
Naturally I was not supposed to see these let alone buy them with the money I was making working in the store but I was clever and from time to time would make several purchases hoping the store keeper would not look too closely at them. I tried to mix them up with comic books, magazines and the like. Only once did he look at a book for a long time and looked at me for a long time before slipping the book in the bag with the others. I didn't think I could pull that off too many times so I had to think of another way. In the mean time I was stashing these books in my room and it helped that my mother was indifferent and uninterested in what I was doing. I seemed very much to be a good Catholic girl, went to school, and did my homework and chores without complaining. I went to church when I was supposed to. I never talked back. I quickly had a collection that included Ann Bannon's books like Beebo Brinker, and Odd Girl Out. Once again I didn't especially care about anything but the love scenes which I read over and over and over again. I could not get enough. I felt almost compelled to acquire them. I would have been happy to buy them outright and while I was mature for my age, it was obvious I was a kid. There was a drug store in the neighborhood that had books similar to these but again I had little hope of buying them. What else could I do? I had no choice. I began to steal them. First from the drug store and then from that other store in the Port Authority bus terminal for I was loathe to steal from my employer. Ultimately I did steal from the store where I worked and in very little time had amassed a collection of around 30 of these pulp fiction novels. I hid them in a large suitcase under my bed and as long as I kept my room clean, my mother had no reason to examine the contents of the suitcase.
Then one day she did. I was sitting on my bed reading and she came in to vacuum. Before I could do anything she had pulled the suitcase from under the bed and opened it. The covers gave me away of course but the titles were hard to miss. Spring Fire, Women's Barracks, We Walk Alone, I Prefer Girls… Without saying one word to me and with a look I still cannot describe, she hauled the suitcase out of my room and threw it all away. I was powerless to stop her. I was 15 and she was not someone to argue with. I was afraid then, afraid what she would do to me. She had already thrown my sister out of the house for being pregnant her last year in high school so what could I expect? But she neither said nor did anything. I sat there, shocked knowing I could not do anything to get those books back. I sat there; rather numb I think and thought to myself 'I can't stay here…" I knew I would not be able to leave until I was 18 and would have to wait. It was as close as I ever came to hating her. She never really spoke to me again. I left upon graduating high school and didn't see or speak to my mother again for years.
So when the spring of 2013 came around I realized I had no idea where to begin or what I should read first if I wanted to read a lesbian novel. What to read first seemed rather important to me and I organized a list on Amazon. This was after finding a list on GoodReads of the best lesbian novels-over 500 books long! In first place was Tipping The Velvet by Sarah Waters which I hadn't read along with dozens of others I had read like Patience & Sarah by Isabel Miller. Since I love romance I aimed for romantic themes and here the book's blurbs became my guide. I organized my list alphabetically by author and so by that scheme Lynn Ames should have been first but I chose a novel by Kiki Archer called But She Is My Student. I was curious to see how a lesbian affair between a teacher and her student would be handled and so I began….I now have 100 books on my wish list and I buy as many books as I can as often as I can with the limited means I have. Since then I have acquired 100 books in paperback and do you know why? Can you understand why I am buying print when ebooks are less expensive? Can you guess? I am making it up to myself as best I can for the loss of my paperback collection in the only way that is left to me. What is gone is gone and can never be replaced but I'm trying. I'm trying very hard to make it up to that 15 year old girl which in many ways I still am.
We loved our aunt Georgina, my sister and I and years later, when the time came to have that conversation about how we were treated growing up, we both said it. How we wished Georgina had been our mother. You may wonder now why she had The Evil Friendship hidden away. To this day I do not know how it was discovered but when my mom and sister and I left, my uncle also departed because it became known that Georgina was having an affair with another woman, a friend of the family who I always thought of as a distant cousin. Her name was Naomi and she lived in the same building as we, and spent a lot of time with us. She was great with us kids and totally got who we each were. I remember she gave me a portable record player because I loved music so much and I could spin my Beatles 45's. I never saw them kiss, embrace or do anything that might indicate an intimate relationship. I guess everybody thought they were best friends. Only once did I see them exchange a look I could not at the time interpret. We were setting the table for dinner-I remember that. Their eyes met and held each other's gaze for what seemed like a long time to me. I don't know why I noticed this but I could not look away. There was something being communicated in that look they shared. I would not know what it was until I was an adult woman but it was chemistry. And love.
After the discovery, we left and Georgina was banned from our lives. I learned years later that after a time both Georgina and Naomi left NYC for Puerto Rico and shared a home for the rest of their lives. But I never saw Georgina again.
Here are some links you may find useful as you begin your journey to lesfic.
http://www.indielesfic.com/ a good compilation of indie authors.
http://www.goldencrown.org/ an excellent source for books which have been nominated for the Goldie award.
http://www.autostraddle.com/lesbian-authors-in-the-80s-139495/ lesfic has a long and rich past. Find out about it here.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/229491.Chloe_Plus_Olivia a wonderful anthology of lesbian literature from the 17th century to the 20th Century.
I love romance, historical fiction and mysteries and I've read quite a bit in these areas however I have not read speculative fiction, paranormal or anything zombie related so I don't have recommendations at this time.
Some contemporary romantic fiction I've read recently and highly recommend:
Ames, Lynn. Eyes on the Stars. Phoenix: Phoenix Rising, 2010. Print.
Beers, Georgia. 96 Hours. New York: Bywater, 2011. Print.
Brayden, Melissa. Heart Block. Valley Falls, NY: Bold Strokes, 2012. Print.
Kallmaker, Karin. Love by the Numbers. Tallahassee, FL: Bella, 2013. Print.
Rizzo, Cindy. Exception to the Rule. N.Y. Self-published. 2013. Print.
Rizzo, Cindy. Love Is Enough. N.Y. Self-published. 2014. Print.
Spangler, Rachel. Does She Love You? Tallahassee, FL: Bold Strokes Books, 2013. Print.
Winters, Jade. Faking It. 2014. Print.
For historical/romance I recommend:
Henderson, Patty G. Passion For Vengeance. Blanca Rosa Publishing. 2013. Print.
North, Linda. Wind And Dreams. Salinas, California. Sapphire Books Publishing. 2013. Print.
Saracen, Justine. Waiting for the Violins. Print.
Thomas, TT. A Delicate Refusal. Bon View Publishing. 2013. Print.
For thrillers, mysteries these are excellent reads:
Aptaker, Ann. Criminal Gold. Tallahassee, FL: Bold Strokes Books, 2014. Print.
Bradshaw, R. E. The Rainey Season: A Rainey Bell Thriller. Print.
Powell, V.K. Haunting Whispers. Tallahassee, FL: Bold Strokes Books, 2012. Print.
For literary/dramatic fiction:
Martin, Marianne K. Tangled Roots. Bywater Books, 2014. Print.
Moran, Sandra. Letters Never Sent. Fairfield, CA: Bink, 2013. Print.
Samuel, RJ. A Place Somewhere. Createspace. Independent Publishing Platform. 2014. Print.
Here are a few publishers for a comprehensive look at what is available:
Above all, read what YOU want to read. Follow your heart's desire and read the stories you want to immerse yourself in. Happy Reading!
–Nancy Heredia
Ami Starsong. Oh, yes. That Ami Starsong, she of the knicker fetish. She won't admit how many pairs she owns, but she will admit that she loves to shop for them. Last year, amidst much hilarity, she offered to donate a pair of knickers as an Advent Calendar prize. (Oh, all right. I suggested it.) After discussing possible titles, she came up with the idea of St. Knickerless day as a pun on St. Nicholas Day (which is today, December 6). You can read all about the hilarity here.
Remember, everything is Ami's fault and she deserves what she gets. 😀
I'm very pleased to be asked to join in with the fun of Ana's Advent Calendar again this year. A great deal of planning, preparation and hard work go into this event, and with the huge variety of different contributions there is plenty to interest everyone.
All this and mega prizes too!
So I put on my 'Elf hat' and my woolly socks, together with the little red shoes with jingly bells on the toes, and went shopping for my St Knickerless Day Prize. The people on the bus cast me sideways glances, but I didn't care. I was intently perusing what type of knickers to purchase for this year's lucky winner.
I had flagged my intention with Dan. "Oh, not again!" was his reply. Luckily he knows by now that once I have my mind set on something there is very little that will deter me.
You would suppose that an Elf on an English High Street would cause at least a few titters, but the English are so stolid and stalwart. I stood in the Knicker Shop for ages, rifling amongst the high-legs, thongs, shorts and tangas without raising a single eyebrow.
All I can tell you is that the lucky winner is in for a treat this year! And I'm not even telling Ana what the prize will be!
This Advent I am not asking quiz questions. I don't think I could better last year – both the participation and comments were brilliant!
So in order to contribute to the atmosphere leading up to Christmas, I hope you will enjoy to reading a short excerpt from my book in progress – raw first draft. The title is Walking with Shadows.
People mostly like a good ghost story – some of the ghosts in this story are real!
He stood watching down the lane, the night had no hint of rain or dreariness. The air was frosty; the heavens clear and spangled with stars.
The diamond glittered on the first finger of his right hand.
He had waited such a very long time.
She was coming. He knew it. He could feel her nearby.
The Landrover hit a patch of ice, spun round facing the way we had come, hit the opposite verge, bounced in a water runnel and wedged itself between a large oak tree and a fence post.
"Fuck!" Hal slammed both fists down on the steering wheel.
I tried to extricate myself from my seat belt which had pulled tight on impact and now threatened to cut off circulation to my right boob.
"Fucking black ice!"
"That's country life for you."
"Give it a rest." Hal was wearing his mulish look. He opened the door and gingerly climbed out, managed to avoid the ditch but snagged his coat on an enterprising bramble.
I heard him stumbling around the back of the car, then felt the entire vehicle shudder as he gave one of the back tyres an almighty kick.
He wrenched my door open.
"Back nearside's flat as a pancake. I'll have to phone David to come with the tractor and pull me out before I can change it."
His festive bow tie with the holly design was up round his left ear, his shoes looked squelchy and there was mud on his evening trousers.
"Are you okay, Issy?"
"Bit late to ask me that." I hitched up my long skirt, grabbed my clutch bag from the foot well where it had fallen, and scrambled down into the long wet grass.
My strappy shoes were about the most unsuitable I could have worn for such circumstances, but then, I hadn't known the quick detour to the candlelit midnight service would take such an unfortunate turn.
I stood on the roadside looking first at the stuck Landie, and then at my brother. He was busy on his mobile phone, fingers raking nervously through his hair, his clipped sentences cutting through the icy air.
I pulled my wrap more closely around my shoulders and shivered. I couldn't see what time it was; the dial of my watch was far too small. I had so wanted to attend the midnight service. I had dragged Hal away from the Holton-Smythes' party, much to the annoyance of Felicity Holton-Smythe who was draped all over him at the time.
My first Christmas in the depths of the English countryside was set on reinforcing the sagacity of the Chaos Theory.
Hal had warned me about the dangers of hiding myself away in such a rural area, but the first time I had seen 'Bays' I was lost. Within two months I had sold my flat in Islington, and relocated to the old timber-framed farmhouse nestled amongst the green swathes of meadowland rimmed in oak and field maple.
Bays had sat there for centuries, roots firmly entrenched in the clay soil of an England that the centuries had left undisturbed. Even though the chimney smoked when the wind was in the north, bindweed grew in the downstairs shower room, and the draughts whistled through the old mullions requiring extra thick curtains, I loved it.
I even loved the ghosts.
Yes, even the distant sound of music when you were very quiet and stood listening at the bottom of the old oak staircase that curved round the inglenook. Even when you went to pick up a book you had dropped on the floor at the bedside before dropping off to sleep, and found it across the room placed carefully on top of the chest of drawers. Even when you were making the bed and heard someone in the room along the landing, yet you knew you were the only one in the house.
Even then.
"Look, Hal. I'll walk. It's not far. I've got an old pair of flatties in the back I keep for driving in." I tugged open the back door of the Landrover and leaning against the bumper undid the clasps on my sandals and pushed my feet into the comfortable old shoes that had been hurled up against the back seats when we slithered off the road.
It was a beautiful night, the sky full of stars; the sliver of a new moon had just climbed above the horizon, and a severe hoar frost had decorated everything in glistening, frilly white.
Hal knew better than to argue. Sometimes being the elder sister has its positives. At least I would feel warmer walking than standing still, and heaven only knew how long David would take to arrive with his tractor on a Christmas Eve.
"You've got your mobile?"
"Yes." I checked it was switched on and popped it back in my bag.
"You be careful. I hope this service will be worth it." Hal plainly wasn't convinced. "Ring me when you get there."
"It's only half a mile along the lane. Give me some credit."
"Ring me. Okay?"
I nodded.
"As soon as I get towed out and we've changed the tyre I will join you. Stay in the church and wait for me if the service finishes and I have not arrived. I don't know what kind of signal you will get there, but give me a ring if you get any bars."
I huffed, turned on my heel and marched off into the relative darkness of the tree-lined lane.
In flat shoes the going wasn't too bad, but I did have to hold up my skirt and it kept getting clogged round my ankles. I slipped once or twice, but managed to keep my feet. My breath came out in fluffy clouds, and once or twice I heard owls calling in the trees ahead.
The air smelt so crisp and clean I felt quite enervated as I approached the small dark outline of the medieval church. Stepped back off the lane it was reached by a small wooden bridge that led over a drainage ditch.
There were, however, no cars outside. Everywhere was in complete darkness; just the flickering of candlelight through one or two of the south-facing windows. I just hoped the door had been left unlocked so that I could wait in relative warmth instead of having to sit and wait in the porch. If that were the case then I would have to retrace my steps – that or freeze.
I padded quietly over the little wooden bridge and slipped through the lychgate. The night was silent, even the owls had disappeared. I turned the large iron ring in the ancient oak door and felt relief as it swung inwards. I glanced back and the shadows seemed to gather behind me causing me to catch my breath. I moved forwards.
The church was warm from the candles and smelled redolently of beeswax, winter jasmine, arum lilies and incense. I closed the door behind me to keep the warmth in and the shadows out.
Fat, creamy white, church candles sat in their sconces to hold back the darkness and the shadows. More were perched along the deep stone windowsills and there were two in large brass candleholders on the altar itself. But only three were still alight, and they were considerably burned down.
The church was ancient and very small. Simple wooden pews extended towards the altar rail on both sides, a curved wooden door led to a small vestry tall men would have had difficulty with. Immediately in front of the main door, across the chancel, an intricately carved oak chest stood. On top hymn books and service sheets had been piled neatly together with some printed booklets detailing the history of the church, and a small empty box with a slit in the lid for payment or donations.
I wandered over to the booklets and browsed through one. They not only detailed the church history, but also the history of the family who had lived for generations in the great house next to the church. However, the house had burned down in the fifteen century under suspicious circumstances. It appeared that the Master of Horse to his Majesty King Richard III had once lived there.
The hairs stood up along the back of my neck. Richard III? Didn't he kill the princes in the Tower? I put my head on one side, deep in thought. Didn't Richard get his Master of Horse to do the deed for him?
I went and sat quietly in one of the pews in the second row from the front of the altar. I checked my watch. This time I could see the hands. 12.45. Christmas morning. I looked up quickly. The shadows danced around the walls, the stained glass dark, the air stuffy and oppressive.
Goosepimples had risen along my arms and my wrap had come loose. I snatched it around me once again and stood up, making my way to the altar, the candles flickering, the shadows alive, following me.
I put my hand out stroking the stone, touching the lace of the altar cloth. The air full of static. The shadows waiting.
The door to the church creaked.
I couldn't turn round. Daren't. I stood still as a statue, trying to breath, trying to inhale and exhale. Heart hammering.
"Hal?" My voice came out as a squeak. "Hal? Is that you?"
Silence greeted me as I had known it would.
Compelled to turn round, I hesitated.
The shadows drew back.
The voice did not belong to my brother.
It was a voice I knew. A voice I loved.
At least so it seemed to me. I couldn't recall where from, but icy tremors ran up my spine.
The man was tall. His eyes dark. His nose long. His cheekbones high. Glossy dark chestnut hair. Arched brows.
"Isabel? Is it really you?" His voice cracked with emotion.
The shadows hummed around us. I put out my right hand and clasped the velvet of his shoulder. My eyes met with his. He took my left hand and held it to his heart, pulling me close so his chin rested gently upon my hair. I could see him, touch him, feel him. The pain was exquisite.
"Oh, Isabel." His arms were tight around me. "You've made me wait so long."
I bit my lip and leaned into his chest. The shadows pushed forward again, crowding, pressing. It was difficult to breathe. I raised my head and gazed into the face of the man I loved.
The man I love.
"Richard," I said.
Hal's voice came from a distance.
"Issy, Issy?" Then to someone else, "I think she's coming round."
My eyelids were lead weights. I forced them up and stared blearily at the sea of faces looking down at me where I lay slumped on the cold stone floor. With Hal's help I struggled into a sitting position. My head hurt where I had bumped it on my way down.
"Hal? I thought…"
"Come on, let's get you to your feet. What the hell happened? I was only about ten minutes behind you. David decided we should abandon the Landrover till after Christmas. It's his hedge it's in after all. He dropped me off at the church. Everyone else followed hot on my heels. We haven't missed the service after all. Did you feel faint? Did you trip on your bloody skirt?"
My head felt full of cotton wool or sawdust, or both, but I could focus better now.
I frowned. As soon as they had seen I was still in the land of the living, and totally uninjured, the people who had turned up for the midnight service had begun to fill the pews. Hymn books and service sheets had been handed out, and a subtle smell of mulled wine and mince pies had invaded the atmosphere.
"I'm fine, Hal. Really I am." I studied my watch. 11.25. Christmas Eve.
"Funny. I thought…" My voice trailed away. "I thought I had arrived after the service had finished. The pews were empty. There was no-one here."
"Were the candles lit?" Hal looked resigned to having an idiot for a sister.
"Yes, but only three, the rest were burned down. The church was empty, Hal. It was nearly one in the morning."
He dragged me to the back pew and thrust me in ahead of him, fencing me in at the end. He checked his watch again.
"Issy, you must've hurt your head more than I thought. I'll take a look at it when we get home. The Tates said they would give us a lift on their way past, so if you can manage to cope with the service?"
His voice trailed off. He looked anxious, but I had recovered sufficiently to stand and join in with the first hymn, which was the carol "Once in Royal." By the end of the service I had improved sufficiently not to need the help of his hand on my elbow, though I didn't shake it off.
We stayed for a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine (transported in thermos flasks) before following the Tates out into the frozen air, Christmas greetings and good wishes pressed upon us.
At the lychgate I paused. The church was quiet once again, nestled in the shadows of the trees. Someone inside was extinguishing the candles.
I turned slightly to the left, my eyes going to the north door. A shadow had detached itself from the rest. I caught the flash of a diamond and my heart jumped.
"For goodness sake, come on, Issy!" Hal was getting impatient. He held the gate open for me.
I started to follow him through, then stopped. The flash came again as if a hand was lifted in farewell.
All went quiet.
The shadows had gone.
I smiled into the darkness and lifted my own hand.
'Not farewell', I thought.
I do hope you enjoyed this. I was inspired to write this story not only due to certain 'factual evidence' where I live, but because in our ancient, simple, stone church, there is a small but elaborate tomb with the words "To the woman I love, until we meet again" inscribed on it. No-one knows who is buried there, but underneath the words is the Rose of York.
All who read the story and comment will have their names written down in a piece of paper and put in a large pudding basin. Dan will draw the winning name.
If the winner is willing to let me have their initials and address, I will post the St Knickerless prize to them as soon as they let me know their size.
I can be contacted at email@example.com
Many thanks to Ana for all her hard work and for making our lead up to Christmas so enjoyable.
Tracey is one of the funniest people I've met, and (with the company I keep) that's saying something. When I first got to know her, I posted a cute picture of Elf on the Shelf. She proceeded to give me ideas how to bake poor Elfie in the oven. On a cookie sheet. At 400 degrees, for 30 minutes. When I protested, she asked, "Too much? Too crispy?"
When I threatened to spank her, she dismissed said threat. "Promises, promises."
What could I do? I invited Tracey here to share her vendetta against the poor, defenseless Elf. Please torment her for me. I mean please enjoy her post and…oh, I give up. Just remember: No elves were harmed in the writing of this post. I hope. Tracey…Tracey!!
Elf Hate: The Hate which Dares not Speak its Name
There are two good reasons to hate The Elf on the Shelf.
The reason should be obvious:
Antagonizing Ana is a calling I answer. We can't choose who we are, but we may choose to follow through—or not—with our instincts.
And right now my instinct says: Corner, Missy!
Oh wait, that's the lovely Ana.
Infesto ergo sum.
I antagonize therefore I am.
In brief, I hate the Elf because it's my nature. I could control my loathing, but I would have to deny myself my authenticity.
And besides, irking Ana is fun.
Another reason I hate the Elf isn't quite so clear, but my reason must be glossed a tad with the following (although following from Roland Barthes and his essay The Death of the Author, I know I can only control this discourse so much {ok, I pulled that out of hammerspace and my authorship of this blog, my hatred, and my "knowing" of the Elf are limited by the following}):
My Elf is different than yours. Mine is no more or less real than yours. My Elf is not mine as such. But he dogs me at every turn. Like his faux-capricious fictional-fictional counterpart whom I've never seen in film, only on FB pages, my Elf like my hatred of him is unique to me, and never leaves. EVER. Lurking little piece of…
Sorry, I was swept away by my bad rhetoric. Let me gloss again.
The Elf and I crossed paths years ago, quite innocently, or it seemed to the untrained eye. My Momfia friends (my birth club) were discussing the ugly beast (aka The Elf) and wanted to know who was going to use him to surprise and delight their innocent children (and one apparently sentient pot-bellied pig named Sit—no, I didn't ask).
Now I'm a good 15-20 years older than many in this group (surprise baby at 45) so I'm a bit out of touch with this Elf on the Shelf thing.
I had to consult Brother Google. Always an odious task because I know I'm doomed to Elf on the Shelf ads for the next six months.
What greeted me has haunted me till this day. Evil grinning little "googly" eyed (yeah, think about it) intrusive snitch feeding on the souls and slight misdeeds of sweet children. Hovering about their day-to-day spying and ratting them out to the Fat Man himself.
Wherefore forgiveness?
Alright. Three reasons.
Another reason to hate the Elf: I hate snitches. Remember, I haven't seen the film, so The Elf may be a benign snitch, like your SuperEgo just doing its job. In the film he may be delightful and friendly, helping the wayward and knitting fashionable hoodies for puppies and kittens. There to protect you by keeping you in line from the Dark Forces of your Id.
Ok, I've slipped from Semiotics to Freudian. Sorry. I just want to appeal to Ana's fabulous lit crit erudition (spoons scare me).
It's reward-based, penalty-focused, like most good things in life.
Be good, you get treats. Be naughty, you do not.
Now for Ana, either way one wins. Be good, you get a spanking (maintenance perhaps?), be naughty, get a spanking.
Or give spankings. I don't judge. Always better to give than receive, unless you have bilateral carpal tunnel as I do. Either way, I lose.
Maybe this is why Ana and I don't get along so perfectly. Like tree bark and Nerf balls. Chalk and laminate flooring.
It's the snitchery. Sneaky snitchery. Mistrust. You think Elfie is all lollipops and unicorn laughter. Well here's my thoughtful reply:
We thought that about Google too. Remember ye the innocence of 1998 when we ran to Google, offering flowers, peace and grooviness, our full names, colour choices, shoe size, and ultimately marketing demographic information?
But Elfie's not. He's prying and sticking his nose in where it doesn't belong. Being whimsical with his hanging-from-the-kitchen-light antics.
Ok, four things.
The Elf scares me.
The Elf reminds me of Chucky, and that psycho clown from Poltergeist. Who likes clowns, I ask rhetorically (not counting Steve-O who is a different sort of clown whom I kinda like). I don't think I need to gloss Chucky.
The Chucky Elf is what happens when Santa eventually downsizes. Elves go Chucky. And they know where you live and what you bought online from Walmart this festive season.
I think the last thing I or my wee'uns need is some SuperEgo manifest floating about the house strategically placed to surprise and delight, or instill fear and paranoia.
I don't need Big Brother or little Elf reporting my misdeeds or good conduct to the Powers. I do my good deeds quietly and expect no reward (except self-administered).
I do my naughty things equally quietly, and pray for forgiveness, assuming I remember the misdeed (I am menopausal and suffer from Menopausal Moments).
Some Snitch ratting me out kinda goes against all that I work towards: self-restraint, impulse control, random bursts of Nutella, order and discipline.
He is creepy, as most mannequins are. He snitches, looks like Chucky, has no feet, and sports the eyes of a crazy horse. He reminds of the other darker nature of Brother Google, always watching distracting us from our suspicious minds with his adorable, sharable antics while he makes notes and reports them to unverifiable sources of power.
The lighter side are the Google doodles. Those, I like.
Is that 5 things? I forgot. But the most important:
Ana loves him. Therefore I must give in to my nature and antagonize the Mistress of the Spoon. I am an Elf Hater. I sing it loud and proud.
I know I know. From the corner. Yes Ma'am. I will sing it from the corner.
About Tracey Gee
Aside from my coveted role as a thorn in Ana's side, I'm the "editor" (code for owner/operator/chief bottle washer) of LOVExtra.com. I love cats, the Oxford comma, and zombie-killin'.
And Ana. I love Ana, even if she does love the Elf.
UPDATE: Please note that Tracey is having some difficulties with her internet today. She will comment as she is able, but it may take her a while. Elf's revenge for being so mean to that poor sweet innocent boy.


text:
Theater company organizational structure
A theatre company must be organised before a play can make it into an actor's eager hands. The organizational structure of a theatre company depends on the company's approach to crafting the production. However, most theatre companies have similar structural foundations.
Features of a theatre company include an artistic director, who represents the vision of the company while the executive director manages the business end of the company. A theatre company must have a board of directors to be recognised as a 501(c)(3) non-profit. The ensemble is the core group of actors who work with the company. The company may also have a managing director who organises finances.
A production usually begins in the imagination of the artistic director. The artistic director reads a play and wants to produce it. The play is brought to the executive director and the board of directors, or for smaller theatres the entire company. The artistic director and managing director choose a time frame for the production and start scheduling auditions, production meetings, rehearsals and performances. The executive director and managing director begin planning marketing, fundraising and budgeting.
Theatre companies structure their organisations differently based on their needs; for example, a small company and a Broadway production have different needs and thus structure their organisations differently. A standard theatre company structure begins with a directorial head: an artistic director, producing director or executive director. The middle rang of the company's organisation is balanced with business functionaries such as a managing director, marketing director or financial director, who work closely with the artistic staff on funding for a production. Below the second rang of decision makers are educational directors and production managers and finally the actors, resident directors, designers and stage managers. When a production is in rehearsal production managers, directors and stage managers take on major leadership roles.