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Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Alabama Tornado plus 14…
Alabama Tornado - EFCA TouchGlobal Crisis Response from EFCA ReachGlobal on Vimeo.
Rumor has it that a lot of relief agencies and volunteers are packing it in and heading out of North Alabama. I hope that is not true. The EFCA TouchGlobal Crisis Response is staying for awhile. There is still much to do here. I am proud of my pastor and of my church and the EFCA and their continued resolve to carry on the relief efforts. My hope is that God will continue to raise up volunteers from all over to come and help with the clean up and rebuilding of our community. Our church building has become an outpost for mission relief to our neighbors. If you are still hoping to volunteer when you aren't working your job please come out to Hope or give us a call. 256-830-5544. We have jobs to do and people to help.
Speaking of Rebuilding check out this effort some friends of mine are putting togetherREBUILD +he South
Saturday, May 07, 2011
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Nicaragua Day Five – Alabama Tornado Plus Seven
Some thoughts and observations regarding today:
Steve covered Counseling Unbelievers this morning. There were many "Amen!'s" from our brother Eddie. An interesting thing Steve shared with me this week has been that when Hope started teaching in Nicaragua, Eddie was very adverse and contentious with the theology being taught. This week, which may be our last teaching time here, Eddie has been our "Amen! guy." He shouts "Amen!" after nearly every scripture verse. He shouts "Amen!" in the afternoon, sometimes to just wake people up from the lunch and heat induced drowsiness. But today was special, especially for Steve. Eddie informed us that he would be unable to attend Friday's last session. He must return to his home about two and a half hours outside of Esteli. He had received a phone call that he needed to return home. He thanked us for coming and teaching and then he said, "I will pray that Hope Church will return to Nicaragua." For Steve, it was a very monumental moment. We had won over a brother. Eddie, in the beginning of Hope's involvement here had publicly argued with the teachers. And now, he was hoping that we would return again one day. That is Jesus stuff.
<----Eddie is the man sitting in the corner of this picture.
Today was also The Marriage Counseling portion of the teaching. We were able to put in their hands a notebook of one hundred and seven pages of Marriage Counseling material in Spanish. Steve and I will only be able to cover two sections of the material, a total of about eighteen pages. However, the students were so grateful for the material and were eager to follow along as they have everyday. There was a buzz in the room when I began my session on marriage. It seemed they were eager to hear how to have stronger biblical marriages.
A Side Note: I have struggled to keep my portion to just teaching the material. I have slipped into "preacher" mode on several occasions, however. There is just something about articulating the gospel of Jesus that I have to "throw down" and exhort and not just calmly go through the material. Today was no exception. In fact I think it happened more so today than any of the other days. End Side Note
Our translators had shared how marriage has been eroding in Nicaraguan culture and how the church here has similar problems even with the pastors (we aren't that different after all). So, I exhorted the men, especially the pastors to love their wives, to honor them, to cherish them and to care for them as Christ loved the church. I could not help but riff a little Mark Driscoll and call out the men to stop abusing the women. I challenged the young singles to grow up and take responsibility for themselves if they wanted a wife. It was a really great session. Chico shares his thoughts on it in "Back of the Truck Report" so, make sure you check that out.
When I taught the section on sexual purity in marriage, we had several questions during the break. One that we were unable to answer in mixed company. Some of the young men gathered a translator and myself for a private pow wow on the subject matter and soon Steve joined us for the little informal Q&A. It was good that the men were thinking the matter through and we offered the best biblical answers we could. At dinner tonight Steve remarked that this was a first time in all the years he has been teaching on marriage hat he got a question with a particular phrase that he had never been asked regarding sex. This is a family blog so you'll have ask him personally.
I got so worked up preaching, er I mean teaching that I was over heated at lunch time and couldn't eat my lunch. However, I was really feeling full from the encouraging "Amen's" that I was receiving. So I drank my water and prepared for my next session with prayer and thanksgiving. Chico, one of the translators, said that the students enjoyed my passion and intensity. Glory to God.
Most of the students are women and the sisters are encouraging with their attentiveness and laughter at my jokes about myself. However, there are a handful of younger men (twenty somethings) that have really encouraged me this week. To see them eager to understand Biblical Counseling and to have a better understanding of God's word has been awesome. To see young men nod and smile in agreement with God's Word has been uplifting. They are the future of the church in Nicaragua and that is exciting.
Jesus is in Nicaragua and His bride is radiant here.
I flew through the rest of my material in under an hour after lunch so that Steve could get into the Conflict Resolution session that he will finish in the morning. We then held a graduation ceremony for last year's students and it was a blessing to shake the students hands and see the joy on their faces as they received their certificates. Each certificate has a picture of the student (this is often the only picture they get taken and printed each year), their name and the teacher's names. I was glad Cairo was calling the names. Most of them were a mouth full. But each person who cam forward was smiling with gratitude and what seemed like an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.
My time here in Nicaragua has been brief but it has been rewarding. The people here are friendly and pleasant. The believers are filled with joy and radiate Christ. The translating team has been fascinating. I am wore out at the end of the day and I am only speaking and thinking in one language.
The thing that has stood out the most to me is the way the city has been full of life. There are always people walking from somewhere to get somewhere. The cars and trucks and buses, while fast and always beeping seem to have a system in what feels and looks like utter chaos. There is constant merging and vehicles are always moving here. Motorcycles and buses share skinny one way streets and Cairo seems to know his city like the back of his hand. I have been impressed with our translators, especially Cairo. He loves his country and he loves Jesus. He seems to love serving the gringos through translation and handling the ins and outs of us being here.
The Coca-Cola tastes the same, btw.
The pastor of the church where the onference is held has an unusual pet:
The Rocks Cry Out
Nicaraguan recess
Melvin's name
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Nicaragua Day Four – Alabama Tornado Plus Six
Today I taught for the first time. On Monday, my teammate, Steve took the load of teaching and it lasted for all of the sessions as he taught on the introduction to Biblical Counseling. Today I carried much of the load as I taught on Secular Psychology and it's influence in the church. It was a very difficult morning. The history and views of Secular Psychology were more of information transfer and it was difficult to tell if I was engaging the students. However, there were parts of the teaching that were more Bible centric as we began to contrast the views of Freud, Skinner, Adler, etc. with the model of Biblical Counseling supported by God's word. It was excellent to be able to share about how secular worldviews have crept into common life and everyday thinking of the church. We are teaching that God's word is sufficient to solve man's problems and that God's people, especially pastors are called to use the word to treat man's problem - sin. Tomorrow, I teach on Understanding the Heart. It will be a full day again, I am sure.
At HOME
My church family back home has begun to have electricity again!
Someone posted this Google Map of the path of the tornado... Tornado Map
The F5 tornado that ripped through my community was about 2 miles at it's closest point to my house. I have reflected several times since being here in Nicaragua, that my house and my family could have been one of the ones devastated by the violent winds. It is a sobering thought. Even as we were huddled in our closet we could not imagine the devastation that was taking place so near to us. After seeing the images and driving around last week - I was humbled by the destruction. I keep thinking, for all our advancements in modern science and technology, we cannot control the weather. Specifically, we cannot control an F5 tornado. However, for those of us left in the wake of it's destruction we have to be shaken and comforted that there is one who controls the winds. When He speaks the wind obeys. So, even though lives have been lost, there have been many more lives spared. And those of us who have been spared from the wrath of the tornado, need to adjust our thinking and praise the One who was gracious that not all of our community was destroyed. Those of us that are left have hope to rebuild and we should be thankful that even in the midst of this tragedy, God is working all things together for our good and His glory. I have seen and heard of the good that is coming out of the recovery efforts. Churches and communities working together to serve and love their neighbors. That is a good thing. To those who have lost all of your worldly possessions - do not be anxious for God knows what has happened and He will take care of you. Humble yourselves, therefore under God's loving provision. He has spared your life perhaps this is a new start for you to truly live for His glory. For those who have lost family members and friends - there is still hope for you to know Jesus - you are still alive.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
What is the Gospel?
Nicaraguan praise
Sunday, May 01, 2011
Nicaragua Day Two Alabama Tornadoes Plus Four
Awoke with Alabama still on my mind.
I am trying to focus on where I am and what I am doing. However my thoughts and prayers continue to linger on my friends and family back in Bama. Please pray and help where you can.
So back to our regularly scheduled program.
I am in Nicaragua. I keep having to tell myself that. Today I got the honor and the privilege to preach to Christ's body here in Esteli. Melvin, a very humorous member of our translating team, translated as I preached this morning. I loved it. It was a bit unnerving at the beginning trying to establish a point of contact with a culture I am so foreign to. So, as I usually do back home, I used sports. Dennis Martinez was a pitcher for the Cleveland Indians from 1994-1997, he also has a stadium named after him here in Nicaragua. So, I explained that we have common ground in that we both have cheered for this famous Nicaraguan.I told them of my life before Christ and then told them that I repented of my unbelief and trusted Jesus when I was a senior in High School. I told them that I did not come all the way to Nicaragua to talk about me or Dennis Martinez. I came to talk about Jesus. So, I then preached six of Jesus' "I am" statements from the gospel of John. It was fun and I hope that God was glorified. I only spoke for twenty minutes. They had allotted us one hour. There were no worries though, as the pastor cam and filled up the remaining time, as pastor's are known to do. Pastor Miguel preached for 15 minutes from Genesis 12. I have no idea what he preached on other than he said "familia" a bunch of times.
We found out last night that some churches in a nearby village were told that the conference wasn't taken place this week and Cairo had to do some damage control as he called pastors and informed them that we were indeed a go this week. Sunday was fun and full.
I got to call home from an internet/communications cafe. I was never so grateful to spend 5 cords or 25 cents.
At dinner, Melvin said, "I am as full as a tick." He has spent some time in the Southern most United States. :)
Although he has also been to my birth state, OH-IO!
We traveled over to the church where we will hold the conference and set up the new screen that we will use to project our teaching slides. I will have to take a picture and post it for Vern stork. There is some Alabama/Nicaragua engineering going on with the screen.
The food has been delicioso! We do eat a lot of Gallo Pinto (beans and rice).
We learned of Osama Bin Laden's death on Facebook of all places.


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We are one of the global leaders in drilling services, as well as in the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of pipelines and complex projects, onshore and offshore, in the oil & gas market. We have distinctive competencies in operations in harsh environments, remote areas and deepwater. We provide a full range of services with contracts on an "EPC" and/or "EPCI" ("turn-key" basis) and we have distinctive capabilities and unique assets with highest technological content.
We approach each challenge with innovative, reliable and secure solutions to meet the needs of our clients. Through multicultural working groups we are able to provide sustainable development for our company and for the communities in which we operate.

subset: commoncrawl


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Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
- Yield
- Serves 2
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon cuminseed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup couscous
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced scallion
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
- In a small saucepan combine 3/4 cup water, the oil, the cuminseed, and the salt and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir in the couscous and let the mixture stand, covered, off the heat for 5 minutes. Fluff the mixture with a fork and stir in the scallion, the parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.


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Operating System: Windows 10, 8.1, 8
Browser: IE8 or above (preferred) or latest version of Firefox or Chrome
Applies To: faculty and staff paid by UB, students
Last Updated: March 17, 2020
Do not use drives such as E:\, or the Desktop, which are temporary and will not be there when you log out.
Click Sign out at the top of the My Virtual Computing Lab window. You will be signed out of My Virtual Computing Lab. All programs will close, and any unsaved work will be lost.
Never save your work to the E:\ drive or to the Desktop. Both are temporary drives, and will not be there when you log back in. Save your work to either your UBbox space or the S:\ drive instead. It will keep your work in your UBbox or UBfs space, and you can access it anytime.
No. However, some programs allow you to export and import personal settings in a separate file, which you can save to your UBbox space, S:\ drive, or any other removable media. Refer to the software vendor's website for more information on importing and exporting program preferences.
To print to a public computing site printer from your personal computer, use iprint anywhere.
To print to your own printer, make the printer available when you first connect to My Virtual Computing Lab.


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Breaking News: Cprime Joins The Alten Group
Cprime looks forward to a bold new era after this strategic merger FULL Alten Announcement wistiaEmbed = Wistia.embed(\"y5ley8tvbb\"); We are thrilled to announce Cprime\'s merger with the ALTEN Group, the €1.2 Billion European leader in...
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Project Management
cPrime Names Paul D'Carpio Consultant of the Month – March 2012
Dr. Paul D'Carpio works as a Program Manager at GAP with the IGP Infrastructure Team. The purpose of the team is to support and enable the delivery of the 2012 International Growth Program's Portfolio Assets....
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There are almost no occasions in which beating a spouse to death is an appropriate response. But for one father in New Hampshire who returned to find his children seemingly murdered by their mother, it kind of makes sense.
Last year, Christopher Smeltzer returned home one day to find his 4-year-old son strangled to death, his 7-year-old daughter seemingly also strangled (though she was only unconscious), and the guilty party -- his wife, Mara Pappalardo -- trying to hang herself.
Understandably, the man lost control. And what he did next may make him spend the next decade in prison. He picked up a flashlight and he beat his wife to death. Is it bad that I don't even blame him?
Beating someone to death is never the rational, intelligent way to handle a situation, but Smeltzer wasn't in his rational mind. Other reports claim he was using cocaine, which, admittedly, would make a person a bit more irrational. But even if he were completely sober, can any parent really believe they wouldn't do the same?
Putting myself in his shoes is a sickening task, but the idea that I might return home one day to find my children strangled by their father is almost too painful to bear. Would I kill him? Maybe. It's hard to say.
The rage I would feel would be unbearable. Can you imagine? No one could suggest that he was in his right mind. He had just found his tiny son cold and lifeless and the murderer was standing right in front of him. Spouse or not, it's hard to imagine a person who wouldn't do the same.
Our children are everything to us if we're good parents. I love my husband, but in that moment, I could see being so blinded by rage that good sense and love flew out the window.
This wife clearly had major, major problems. And yes, he handled it incorrectly. But who can really blame him and who can say how they would react given the same scene? I have to think that seeing my two children dead would make me want to kill, too. Was he right? No. But was he wrong? Maybe not that either.
Do you think he was wrong?
Image via labormikro/Flickr


text: Three sandy beaches are perfect for a day's respite by the water at this family campground on Eagle Lake. Come for a swim, try some fishing, go for a paddle. Or follow hiking trails through pine, birch, maple and hemlock forests, home of chipmunks, squirrels and raccoons in this little piece of wilderness.


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As mentioned in an earlier post we had a raccoon inspection in Flint, MI. Then we received a call in Northville, MI for a bat in the register vent. Bats getting into the heating and cooling system is often mystery, even to a bat removal professional. Bats sometimes end up in mysterious places. Quite frankly there isn't always a reason or an answer why a bat ends up where it does. I was beginning to wonder myself how did this bat end up in a floor vent?
Bats will end up into basements quite often during the winter season and especially during the middle of summer. Typically bats in the house or basement during the winter means there are bats hibernating in your attic and ending up into your home. When bats end up in your register vent I often times can't explain it. I inspected the furnace, duct work, filters, attic, and roof. Upon further inspection of the chimney I was able to locate a construction gap in the soffit next to the chimney. The chimney is where the furnace and duct work is networked into. My only answer to the home owner was the bats were networking down the back side of the chimney and possibly getting into the heating and cooling system that way. It's still a mystery to me how these bats are ending up in peoples vents. I get this call quite often and I'm still trying to figure it out.
Having a HVAC specialist as dad I asked him what he believed was the source of the problem? The only thing he could come up with is a fresh air inlet which extends to the outside of the home. However this had a screen on it and was very low to the ground. 99% of the time bats let us know how they are getting into the home, but there are always homes like these that become a mystery. In our line of work we call these "mystery houses", houses in which there is no evidence of bats living in the attic, entering into the home, or any evidence of a colony. One day we solve this mystery and maybe you can help. If you have experienced bats in the furnace or duct work let us know so we can fix the problem. I will update you in the future if we solve this problem.
Thanks for reading,
Joe Willis
Michigan Bat Control Inc.


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This article originally appeared on our sister side, TabTimes.
LG has announced the LG G Pad III 10.1 tablet in South Korea. The new tablet comes with a 10.1-inch, 16:10, Full HD display (1920 x 1200) and will go on sale for 429 Korean Won, the equivalent of around $360.
The LG Pad III runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and also arrives with a kickstand, allowing the tablet to be used at a 70-degree angle. Further, the G Pad III 10.1 features LG's "time square" software which allows the tablet to be used as a clock, photo frame, or calendar when positioned upright.
The device is backed by an unspecified octa-core processor running at 1.5 GHz, and features 5 MP front and rear cameras and support for LTE data.
Here are the key specs:
Size: 256.2 x 167.9 x 6.7 to 7.9 mm
Weight: 510 g
Network: LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac
Processor: Octa-core 1.5 GHz
Display: 10.1-inch Full HD IPS (1920 x 1200)
Camera: 5 MP (rear) / 5 MP (front)
Battery: 6,000 mAh, USB Type-C
Memory: 2 GB RAM, 32GB ROM, Micro SD card slot (up to 2 TB)
OS: Android 6.0.1 Connectivity
Bluetooth: 4.2, GPS,
Extras: Kick Stand, Time Square UX, Monitor Mode
The LG G Pad III 10.1 is now available in South Korea but LG hasn't announced availability details outside of its home nation. LG did reveal, however, that a stylus version of the device would follow sometime next year.


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Our Company
GCB Cocoa Singapore Pte Ltd is a young trading company set up in April 2010. The company is principally engaged in trading of cocoa butter and cocoa cake. It is established strategically in operation as an arm of procurement and marketing center for our 2 grinding factories – Guan Chong Manufacturer Sdn Bhd and PT Asia Cocoa Indonesia. This company is a member of the Global Trader Programme under the International Enterprise Singapore.
Guan Chong Manufacturer Sdn Bhd is a well established company since 1989. With added to our newly established factory in 2010, PT Asia Cocoa Indonesia, we are considered one of largest cocoa processor in Asia. We proudly have a team of leaders with in depth experience, expertise, passion and full commitment, which drives to make us as a global trader leader in Supply Chain management of cocoa products.
We produce full range of cocoa products, namely Cocoa Liquor (Cocoa mass), Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Cake and Cocoa Powder. "FAVORICH" is our brand – "High in Flavour" and "Rich in Colour".
Food Safety and Quality are always our main focus and concern. We practice Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and we are ISO 9001, HACCP, HALAL and KOSHER certified.
We are committed to produce quality and niche product to suit our customers'desirable expectation.


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The University of Massachusetts Center at Springfield offers an emergency messaging system, Emergency Alerts, available to faculty, staff and students.
The program sends a text and/or email message to all enrolled cell phones and e-mail accounts in the event of an emergency at the University of Massachusetts Center at Springfield. The system is only used during an emergency or closing of the University of Massachusetts Center at Springfield.
You must opt-in to this service
Students, faculty and staff are not automatically entered into the system and must register their cellular phone number and e-mail address. The service is provided at no additional fee from the University.
The system does not charge subscribers to send or receive SMS messages. Standard or other messaging charges apply depending upon your wireless carrier plan and subscription details. Once registered, you can opt out of SMS messages at any time by texting STOP to 67283 or 226787. Use of Emergency Alerts is rare as they are activated only in emergency situations.
Please Click Register to sign up to receive Emergency Alerts.


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I got myself one of those P5 data gloves and straight away i had issues with it on win 7. Only things that work on win 7 are fingers, no mouse movement and none of the tools run.
i googled for about 2 hours and read thru those yahoo groups who claim to have drivers and stuff, but none of it works on win 7, they instantly crash.
I tried using some GlovePIE scripts that i was able to pull off of internet, but they crashed the whole GlovePIE tool .. bah .. how typical. some numbheads blabbering crap and don't know what they say.
However good news is that im 100% sure it does work on win 7. i have seen people use it on win 7, so there must be something i missed.
I tested it on win xp and works great, its plug and play, however for calibration and mouse movement i need to run the tool and enable mouse movement, im sure there is some registry entry that tells if mouse is on or off, if i find that, i can activate it via registry in win 7.
I've made some tests and used the P5 Sandbox program (see below, its attached) to test it out. it's quite amazing, it knows exactly how your hand is positioned (distance from receiver, height and angle and ofcourse fingers).
Some of the tools might run on win 7 under win xp compatibility mode, i tried the p5 calibration and it still crashed, haven't tried the p5 sandbox tho.
anyway i will run more tests and see how i can get it going under win 7


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National Treasures: Monuments & Museums
Experience the past and present of the Capital Region as you explore these famous monuments in the USA.
The Capital Region has shaped a nation and changed the course of world history. Experience iconic national monuments in Washington, DC; world-class museums in Virginia; and cultural attractions in Maryland.
National Monuments & Memorials
Explore Washington, DC's most famous monuments along the National Mall, a park-like promenade in the heart of the city. Admire the towering Washington Monument and get up close to the massive marble statue of America's 16th president at the Lincoln Memorial. Neighbouring monuments honour Thomas Jefferson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and, most recently, Martin Luther King, Jr.
The pillars and fountains of the World War II Memorial, the lifelike statues of the Korean War Veterans Memorial and the dramatic Vietnam Veterans Memorial offer moving tributes to those who lost their lives in each.
Just across the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia, the green rolling hills of Arlington National Cemetery are the final resting place for more than 400,000 American patriots, including John F. Kennedy. Don't miss the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is guarded by the U.S. Army 24 hours a day, 365 days a year regardless of the weather.
A short drive away in Emmitsburg, Maryland, the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial salutes firefighters who died while serving. In Sharpsburg, Antietam National Battlefield commemorates the most violent one-day battle in American history, which took place on Sept. 17, 1862.
Cultural Treasures
While it honours the past in grand fashion, the Capital Region also celebrates its ever-evolving art and culture.
Be entertained and inspired in the Washington, DC metro area, where the world-renowned Smithsonian offers 17 museums; the American Art Museum, Natural History Museum, and National Air and Space Museum are popular stops. Other interesting museums include the interactive International Spy Museum and the National Geographic Museum.
For concerts and live theatre, visit the historic National Theatre or the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Both the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera perform at the latter.
In Maryland, explore downtown Baltimore's Inner Harbor, a cultural hot spot known for street performances and historic attractions. Tour the Civil War-era ship USS Constellation and take on the same duties as those who served on board, and learn about baseball legends and the lore of America's favorite pastime at the Babe Ruth Museum. Nearby, the American Visionary Art Museum and Walters Art Museum offer thought-provoking art for all ages.
Virginia's notable art attractions include the ultra-modern Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke and the glass collection of the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk. In Richmond, visit the Virginia State Capitol, designed by Thomas Jefferson, and the American Civil War Museum.
Free Things to Do
Smithsonian Institution museums in Washington, DC, including the ones named above, offer free admission. Take in a performance at the Discovery Theater, the Smithsonian's theatre for kids. Nearby at the National Archives, research family genealogy, historic documents and more.
In Baltimore, the Mount Vernon Cultural Walk winds past beautiful architecture, art and antiques, Historic Charles Street, America's first Roman Catholic cathedral and more. The Pennsylvania Avenue Heritage Trail explores a historic African American neighbourhood known for art, music, entertainment and civil rights history. Visit Edgar Allan Poe's Grave if you appreciate the master of literary macabre.
In Richmond, the expansive Virginia Museum of Fine Arts features everything from ancient Egyptian works to Faberge eggs. Look deeper into local history at the Virginia Historical Society, where exhibits span 16,000 years.
To explore more of America's history, visit our History & Culture page. For more family-friendly things to do, check out our Attractions & Family Fun page. And sign up for our enewsletter to get the latest Capital Region USA news delivered to your inbox.


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This works with only Android Studio – Android's new development environment.
Get the source code to make your life easier. Simple edits and you can personalize this as your own! StartApp is here to make revenue for you. StartApp has generated $10 Million to its developers!
This will not work with Eclipse.


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I don't even know if I'm getting one yet, but now that it's come up I'm a little obsessed with the idea.
how did it come up, you ask?
well, Brandon and I have a little mouse friend who joins us in our apartment from time to time. it was very rarely that he was spotted, but in the last couple days he's become very...friendly, shall we say. I was watching tv on the couch and looked up, and there he was- sitting next to me on the blanket. I saw him a total of five more times that day, and he is less and less afraid of me! you know how mice usually stick to corners and move along walls? well this little guy is perfectly comfortable scurrying about the open kitchen, crawling onto furniture and generally scaring the crap out of me.
I don't really want to kill him, but this is two apartments in a row with mice issues, so I thought a kitty might chase them away.
but for now, I must escape the clutches of this brazen mouse by leaving my apartment to stroll about town with my tripod in hand, stopping for hot chocolate and park poses along the way.
and that's exactly what I did!
romper- Modcloth
cardigan- H&M
tights- American Apparel
booties- Aldo
necklace- gift fr. my sister
this is my first ever romper, and I have to say; I love it! I think it is so darn cute, and I got a lot of compliments on it! I love the pattern, the colour, the buttons up the front- and that it actually fits me. of course it's a little difficult to pull over my slightly bulbous hips, but that seems only logical since I'm trying to fit the waist of something over my thighs.
it also might be a little scandalous in the back for bare legs, but I don't have to worry about that right now. now I just love it.
I also found one little coloured leaf on my wanderings. autumn has been slow to come to St. John's this year. so far we're getting all of the nippy weather and none of the fall colours! I think Bannerman park will be even prettier once the leaves change and start to fall.
and now I'm off to wander the city again to escape our little rodent visitor.
oh, and happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving!
playing- Bloodbuzz Ohio- the National


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Why "No Man's Sky" Wasn't a Success
No Man's Sky has gained a large amount of traction over the last few months leading up to its release. It impressed in its various showings at gaming events across the globe and everything seemed as if it were going to impress upon release.
When the upcoming title was a no show at E3 people started wondering what the situation was. Shortly after this the owner of Hello Games (Sean Penn) told fans the news they were dreading, the game was delayed until August. Penn told a fan on Twitter that he had the choice of attending E3 with his title or taking the time to work on the game and of course he chose the latter. Its never easy to win over fans after a delay but Penn did a great job in reassuring fans that it was in the best interests of the game to delay the release. Fans and me included were generally understanding of this due to the fact that No Man's Sky is a project of epic proportions for any studio to complete let alone a small one.
The confidence that Penn projected throughout the process calmed the fans of the game and everything was looking back on track for the title to be a success. August came around and after another short delay by the developers the game was released. Along with many other players, I enjoyed my experience in the universe of No Man's Sky… for about 3 hours. The opening to the game is genuinely beautiful and the lack of direction the game gives you is different but appreciated. Being told to forge your own route throughout a near infinite number of planets is one of the best ideas of any game. Unfortunately that's all the game is, an idea. Its a really great idea that Hello Games gave a great attempt at translating into the game everybody wanted it to be. Sean Penn and his studio genuinely deserve a lot of credit for their work on this title and I honestly believe they did a good job based off of their resources. The issue with this is that it still doesn't fix the way the game is from an unbiased and neutral perspective.
The premise of mining and crafting your way to power and riches has been around for a long time and with games like Minecraft pioneering this style of game. The main problem with this genre is the fact that it is difficult to keep the player coming back to the game without getting tired of it. No Man's Sky definitely falls victim to this, I have around twenty hours logged in the game and I wish I could say that it was over a small number of sessions. However it was not, the biggest issue with No Man's Sky is the massive lack of new things to do. I've spent my time going from one planet to the next and mining the bare minimum resources needed to go to the next planet and do the exact same. The game does have an end goal which is to reach the center of the universe however this is also an incredibly repetitive task. This works using the same mechanic as travelling planet to planet, you mine the resources and craft the necessary tools to fuel your hyperdrive and you travel to the next section of the galaxy to do the same thing. The repetitiveness of the game really feels like its empty and lacks content when of course the situation is the exact opposite.
The game boasts a few features however when looked into its quite clear that these features lack the content behind them. The first feature of the title is the fact that it contains over eighteen quintillion planets. On the surface this seems like an incredible feature which will bring each player unique experiences that they can share and compare. The issue with this is that when you actually play the game you quickly realise that whilst no two planets are the exact same, they are basically a few different templates that are made up of different colours. I've been to multiple planets that really didn't feel any different to each other and the lack of content on the surface of them feels like they were rushed. The various resources although categorised well feel like they are either too abundant or too sparse to enjoy collecting. Trading with the various life forms and space stations in the universe feels like its the same experience being copied and pasted. The aliens speak a line of text that you cant understand at first and then they make way for the same trading experience over and over again. The one redeeming part of this is that you can slowly learn the various languages throughout the universe by discovering old ruins on different planets, but even this feels repetitive and in all honesty boring.
The UI of No Man's Sky looks good aesthetically however if you are playing the game on a console as opposed to a PC it feels slow and at times unresponsive due to the fact that it works like a cursor and not by simply selecting each element. This coupled with the fact you always have to hold down the key or button for a good second to perform any action makes the whole UI experience feel slow. This coupled with the fact that you have an incredibly small amount of inventory slots for both your ship and your exosuit means that your rewards for going out on an exploration and mining session usually result in you bringing back about half of what you set out for. I get the idea Hello Games were going for here I really do, they wanted you to be careful and have to really think and compromise about what you keep in your inventory at any given time however it just comes off as an annoyance. Landing on a planet and having a full inventory within five minutes of being there really discouraged me from wanting to stay and explore this new world I had literally just discovered.
All in all No Man's Sky is a great idea and a bunch of wishes. I wish I enjoyed it more, I wish it had a better looting and crafting system and I wish the vast universe that I have been exploring didn't feel like an empty mass. But unfortunately that's what No Man's Sky is. Sean Penn and Hello Games really only scratched the surface of what this game really could've been and I hope that one day they find a way to do themselves and their fans justice in making No Man's Sky the game it deserves to be.
By George Richens
Questions & Answers
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Downton Abby?
Tonight Season 3 begins on PBS. I'm going to try and work on my hexagon flowers but I'm not too sure I'll be able to concentrate on anything other than the show.
I can hardly wait....
Will you be watching too?
Block 6 of The 23rd Psalm BOM...
3 hours ago


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Colleges team up to train nurses
Connecticut colleges graduate about 750 nurses per year. The problem is, the state needs about 500 more than that.
Now, Western Connecticut State University will play a role in bridging the gap. Under a plan announced Monday, WestConn will team with two other institutions to provide a seamless program that will take nursing students from community college through graduate school.
The plan will be particularly helpful to people in the western part of the state, who for years have had to go all the way to UConn-Storrs if they wanted a master's degree in nursing.
Under the new program, students will receive associate's degrees in nursing at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury, bachelor's degrees in WestConn's Waterbury classrooms and master's degrees at UConn-Waterbury.
The master's degree offering in Waterbury is new. So is the overall curriculum. Under the initiative, called the Nursing Pathways Collaborative, the three schools will offer a seamless program that eliminates duplication of courses for students moving from one degree program to the next.
All three partners will also coordinate recruitment, admissions and advisory services for students.
"This builds a collaborative relationship between the community, state and university systems for the first time in the state," said Lynne Clark, WestConn's dean of professional studies. "It's a real career ladder for students in nursing. This program will be more attractive for students because they know they can move steadily forward."
WestConn campuses in Waterbury and Danbury already offer a bachelor's degree in nursing. The program usually has about 35 to 40 students each year, Clark said.
According to the state Department of Higher Education and state Department of Labor, there is a greater demand for nurses than any other occupation in the state. By 2010, an additional 6,180 nurses will be needed for new positions and to fill retirement vacancies.
Last year, the number of nursing degrees awarded in Connecticut fell 5.3 percent. In the late 1990s, Connecticut produced an average of 939 nurses in a year. In the past four years, the average dropped to 755, well below the projected annual need of 1,235.
The Nursing Pathways Collaborative was created to fill a need to offer more education to nurses in the Waterbury area. St. Mary's and Waterbury Hospital both were "crying out with need," said Jonas Zdanys, associate commissioner for academic affairs for the Department of Higher Education.
Zdanys added the agreement among the three colleges will pay dividends beyond the nursing field. He said it may be a springboard for similar agreements that address work force needs in other fields.
"I think it's going to be a model," Zdanys said. "WestConn is playing a leading role in the way our institutions are working together."
UConn's master's program will offer degrees in advanced nursing care, community health care, acute care, gerontology, neonatal care, primary care and patient care service system administration.
Patricia Bufford, dean of learning and student development at Naugatuck Valley Community College, said the program is unique because students can complete all their nursing training in Waterbury. She remembers commuting from Waterbury to Storrs for her master's degree.
She said hospitals that wanted to upgrade training for their nurses found the lack of degree programs in the region to be a barrier.
"We always try to push the students to continue their education," Bufford said. "Nursing is complex. The associate's degree is (only) a first step. Having the convenience of everything here will help students continue and not let life get in the way."


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Man wanted for child abduction
EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County State's Attorney Tom Gibbons filed child abduction charges Thursday against a Collinsville man, and is asking for the public's help in locating him.
Tchaka M. Spiller, 24, is accused of failing to return a 2-year-old child believed to be his daughter to his mother last night as previously agreed. He is facing one count of child abduction, a Class 4 felony, for taking custody of Khalia Harper without her mother's consent.
A spokesperson for the state's attorney's office said no threats to harm the child had been made.
The Collinsville Police Department reached out to Spiller in an effort to get him to return the little girl, however, he has not been cooperative. Gibbons and the Collinsville Police Department are asking the public to contact them, or their local police department, if they have any knowledge of the whereabouts of Spiller. Investigators believe he is currently in the St. Louis area, however, he may be headed to either Chicago or Kansas City. He is thought to be driving a 2004 black Hyundai Sonata with Illinois license plate Z352747.
If convicted, maximum penalty for a Class 4 Felony is 1-3 years in prison. His bond was set at $100,000 by Circuit Judge Richard Tognarelli.
This charge, as well as the statements made herein, is based upon probable cause. The defendant is
presumed innocent unless proven guilty.


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Posted by Scott Marsden on October 25, 2000
In Reply to: He changed into his brown trousers posted by BabySilver on October 25, 2000
: Do anyone know what this means, "He changed into his brown trousers"?
: I need to know for my project!
: Thank you
: Babysilver
Long ago lived a seaman named Captain Bravo. He was a manly man's man who showed no fear in facing his enemies. One day, while sailing the seven seas, a lookout spotted a pirate ship and the crew became frantic. Captain Bravo bellowed, "Bring me my red shirt!" The First Mate quickly retrieved the captain's red shirt and while wearing the bright frock he led his mates into battle and defeated the pirates.
Later on, the lookout spotted not one, but two pirate ships. The captain again howled for his red shirt and once again they vanquished the pirates.
That evening, all the men sat around on the deck recounting the day's triumphs and one of the them asked the captain: "Sir, why did you call for your red shirt before battle?" The captain replied: "If I am wounded in the attack, the shirt will not show my blood, and thus, you men will continue to resist, unafraid." All of the men sat in silence and marveled at the courage of such a man's manly man.
As dawn came the next morning, the lookout spotted not one, not two, but TEN pirate ships approaching. The rank and file all stared in worshipful silence at the captain and waited for his usual reply. Captain Bravo gazed with steely eyes upon the vast armada arrayed against his mighty sailing ship and, without fear, turned, and calmly shouted: "Get me my brown pants!"


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ROCK ISLAND -- New Year's Eve revelers will be able to take advantage of a special late night service from MetroLINK in the Illinois Quad-Cities on Dec. 31.
The late night service will operate two special buses on MetroLINK's Route 10 between downtown Rock Island and Moline between 10:30 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. All other fixed routes will operate on their regular schedules throughout the day.
Riders can visit the MetroLINK website for additional maps and schedules. There will be no bus service on Sunday, Jan. 1, with regular service resuming on Jan. 2.


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This past weekend my husband and I went first home football game of the season for the Iowa Hawkeyes. I was excited about the game until I saw the forecast for this past Saturday . . . every day on the news it seemed like the high temperature for the day kept creeping higher and higher. Finally, on Thursday of last week the air temperature was forecast to reach 94 degrees and the University of Iowa athletic department began posting tips on now to start hydrating now for the game on Saturday.
I called my husband and work and our conversation went something like this:
Me: Did you see the forecast for Saturday? I think its supposed to be dangerously hot . . .
Husband: Are you trying to bail?
Me: No! I'm just worried about the heat . . . they said to start hydrating today.
Husband: You're a fair weather fan!
Really?!? A fair weather fan?
We went. We had a great time. The Hawkeyes won. I didn't melt. All in all it was a successful Saturday.
But my experience on Saturday got me thinking about a little thing called the heat index . . . I always thought it of it as the wind chill of really, really hot temperatures. So, I decided to do a little digging to
- Find out about the heat index.
- Prove to my husband that I am not a fair weather fan.
According to the National Weather Service, the calculation of the heat index is a regression equation . . .which quite frankly seemed a little complicated for this blog (but if you'd like to see it, look here).
But, I did think that it was interesting that there was an important note when reading the heat index table . . . the NWS warns that the heat index can only be accurately calculated when the humidity and air temperature are represented on the chart. In other words, this is a domain and range issue.
There are many situations in mathematics when we'd like to model a particular phenomenon. . . (heat index, racing times, time-lapse modeling) just to name a few. And in those situations it does not make sense to have the domain and range be all real number. Sometimes it doesn't make sense because the situation represented doesn't make sense (i.e. negative time) and sometimes it doesn't make sense because the function will not fit the data as closely if we allow the domain to be all real numbers (as in the case of the racing times).
This past Saturday the temperature at game time was 90 degrees with about 60% humidity . . . we stayed until the end of the third quarter when the Hawkeyes were winning 31-0. So, what say you . . . am I a fair weather fan?
P.S. If you're new here, let me let you in on a little secret . . .I love to think about the weather. Don't all midwesterners? Check out a few more weather related posts here and here and here.


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Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Still here in Romania (plus pics)
This weekend, I'm off to the Dacian capital of this area (that's Roman era for the uninformed!). It should be great, but it's a long hike (6 hours). I'm looking forward to swimming in the waterfall (and avoiding the snakes that are supposedly on the surrounding rocks... it's sounds like some kind of myth or ancient quest!).
For those who want more info on my dig site, here's the website: http://www3.sympatico.ca/gonciar/
Anyway, here are some recent pics.
So this is Bran castle. Here is the courtyard I love (except you can't really see it!) and all the millions of tourists parading through.
Here's the outside of Bran castle. It's pretty ordinary, but still has mystique. It's not like there are actually any castles in New Zealand anyway, so any castle is still fabulous.
This picture is the view from Rasinov castle... you can see some of it in the foreground. In the distant mountains is where Bran castle is... but what a fabulous view, eh!?
This is the amazing Peles castle I mentioned in an earlier blog. This is just the outside--it truly is such an amazing place--exorbitant and ostentatious, just the way new castles should be!
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Ayuthaya Photos
Here I am climbing up one of the temples that was not in the main complex. This is a Burmese style of pagoda, but I forget why!
At one edge of the site there was an area where tourists can ride elephants. What can I say, but Thailand has almost perfected the tourist industry, and everywhere is about making money. For example, this baby elephant has been trained to squat so you can rest on his leg, then bow and hold out his trunk for the cash. I felt awkward sitting on him... I thought I'd squash his leg!
This is now in the main complex. It's a pretty neat place. At least it's not swarming with tourists yet. There are hundreds of stupas like this, in crumbling brick and stone. An interesting fact: it is nearly impossible to find a statue in Ayuthaya that still has its head. When the Burmese sacked in whenever, most of the people had gone, so they decapitated all the statues instead to vent their anger. Talk about the need for stress management!
Here's another view of the site--this one's just a little stupa.
Here's another view, with a slightly more intricate shape, and more intact outline.
What's fantastic is that all the buddhas have modern fabric robes in varying shades of yellow... it really adds some color to everything. They're simple, but they prove the Thai's continuing beliefs in the sacredness of the monuments. I love the fact that in the open air, they prove their faith and belief.
Thailand's largest outdoor reclining buddha. This has to be one of my favorite positions of the buddha. It's so ungodlike and yet still peaceful and relaxed. It almost seems contradictory to meditation... too easy to fall asleep. And would you look at the fabric on this one!
This is the famous image from Ayuthaya of the decapitated head with the tree that grew around it over time. Unfortunately what you cannot see from this is the fence that is cropped very close around it and the swarm of tourists all taking the same image!
Romania photos
Here's me standing in a Medias with the fortified church behind me... Yes, the clock tower is on a lean. This church is perpetually closed unfortunately. Medias is the closest decent sized town to us at our dig in Mosna. It takes 2 hours to walk to. Believe me, I checked!
This is the view from the Council Tower in Sibiu, which is the biggest town in our province. You can see the church (which was the center of the oldest form of the city--Hermanstaddt), and then the second city's border. That's not a fish eye lens, but I wish it was.
This is the view from the top of the church tower you can see in the previous picture. They have a beautiful tile arrangement on the roof.
This is the church door of the hilltop church in (oh I forgot the name, I'll get it later and check back to you!) near Sibiu. We ate lunch in a lovely little German style restaurant here after the long walk up to the top of the hill (which had no toilet!!!!)!
This is a typical Saxon home. They were fortified in a way which Romanian homes were not (a big sign of the class differences). Our village has heaps of these quaint homes. They were really long sections that reached all the way up the hills behind where all your crops grew.
This is taken among the ruins at Slimnic, halfway between Sibiu and Medias. It had spectacular views of course, but the best part about this castle church was the little old Romanian guy who lived inside in the open courtyard. He had cats, chickens, goats, and even a fat bunny roaming around inside amongst the grape vines, washing lines and other homey things. Could you have a more perfect place for your house? I want that house!!
This is the view of the village of Slimnic from the fortified church/castle. It looks similar to my village, Mosna (which I don't yet have a picture of to post). But you can see the typical houses, rolling hills and peaceful lifestyle and landscape.
Searching for Dracula in Transylvania
Before we got there however, we visited Sigisoara, catching a downpour out in the open (never ever does it fall while we are in a museum). It had a lovely old city which we wandered, and we climbed the 172 steps (much to my companions disgust!) to the church, listened to the peaceful humns and organ, and wandered the serene cemetary behind. The church clock tower was neat, with it's odd little characters jumping outside at the chime of the bell. All Romanian towns have beautiful red tiled roofs, and the landscape from above is absolutely enchanting.
The first castle on the list was Bran castle, also known as Dracula's castle. The biggest irony is that Dracula never even lived there, and possibly, never even visited there either (though the hopeful do say that he possibly passed through on one retreat from the advancing Ottomans). Bran castle was more of a big house, that the owner decided to post on top of a high hill instead of on flat land. It doesn't have the drawbridge, and while I love the multi-level rooms and winding corridors and staircases, it was small and quite simple. Apparently this is where Bram Stoker based his novel from, but I didn't see any evidence that he'd been there either. I was instantly attracted by the idea that it would make a charming hotel (isn't that a horribly capitalist concept!!). What can I say? It had an ideal little courtyard with overlooking balconys in wood. It was oozing charm (and that is such a cliche). It was overly whitewashed, and we were guided through the castle like sheep behind enormous, obnoxious Romanian tour groups. There were ropes directing you where to go, and the desire to wander aimlessly was severely ruled out. It was a disappointment to some. Rachel and I decided to climb the hill behind the castle (foolishly thinking that the path would lead to some fantastic lookout over the castle). It led us to a lovely hill top pasture, but no view through the trees.
The second castle was in a place called Rasniov. Now this was a castle!! High atop a mountain overlooking the entire village and surrounding plains, it was in delightful ruins, but had enough civilization to allow for an ice cream and beer botique (that combination is common in Romania). There were rooms left open for the elements, as well as a museum with frightening-looking torture and detention equipment. I even found a stable with donkey poop everywhere just to ensure I never left the Romanian reality. They had a skeleton in the floor that make the Romanian children shriek, as well as the fairground-type put your face in a painting for the obligatory 2 euro. We spent an entire afternoon there, and explored the little pathways up and down the hill because our tour bus didn't realize there was a closer parking lot!
That evening, we watching disco lights, shooting stars and two randomly grazing white horses from our hotel balcony and discussed the problems of ourselves and the world. It was very romantic, and I'm not sure if I'm glad or not that it wasn't winter.
The next day we promoted ourselves to the 19th Century and visiting the spectacular Peles castle. The tour there was even more restrictive (not even any photographs allowed on this one!) but seeing the inside was utterly worth it. It was such an amazing inside, although I can't decide if the owners had fantastic taste or ostentatious spending habits. Rooms of wood, weapons and wilderness pictures (the queen wanted paintings of her poetry, so naked nymphs cover one room's walls!). We were a bit disappointed that we saw only one wing, but considering you have to wear these silly slippers to cover your shoes (that never fit and never match), perhaps it is decent of them to make you put them on only once considering the many entrances. It was in such a superb locations, in the rolling forested hills at the carpathian foothills (with a stupendous view of course). There was a quaint little hunting lodge (of course, still bigger than most mansions) of the son of the Romanian king of the time. Queen Marie had her way with this place, and I must say she likes pastel and awful lot, though the gold room of leaves is just surreal.
We ended the weekend with Brasov (actually, it was technically our second visit there), where we experienced the most instantaneous change of weather (sunshine, two drops, then a litteral second before an enormous rainfall). They had a charming square with the necessary church (which of course was shut!) and a lovely pedestrian street (being repaved of course--they seem to be doing that in every Romanian city). We wandered, people-watched, listened to the music festiva for a bit, caught up on email (bringing us back to the 21st century reality), and ate some delicious food.
A great weekend.
Tribute to my girls
Kate from Oz, Hayley from Taranaki, and me. I have no idea where the crowns came from.
Syria photos
Here's me with my mum on the Jordan-Syria border (that's why the background is so boring). This is one of the only photos where I'm not wearing an enormous camera around my neck.
Here's mum and I in the Damascus market. These are my dad's pics, which are pretty much the only ones I have where I'm in them (otherwise I just take em). That's a stupid travel phenomenon, but it always happens. Anyway, we're standing at the formerly Roman gates and behind my dad is the famous mosque.
Here we are in Palmyra. It really is as hot as it looks. That Muslim castle behind is also as fabulous, mystical and inspiring as it looks.
Here's me in the middle of the Damascus souq, with the guy on the camel, the other tourists, and my grandma handbag. Don't ask me why, but this picture amuses me.
I'll add some more here later when I've got around to resizing them.
Romania dig photos
Here I am in Sibiu at the museum that we're doing the dig through--Brukenthal Museum. I'm standing with a statue of a mideval knight. Each of his "scales" was sponsored by someone in the village.
This is the dig team minus the director, Andrei, and a couple of others. Right after this it poured with rain and we got very soaked!!!
This is part of our dig site... what you see exposed are pieces of structural clay, pottery and bones. Thats the dig director, Andrei, and Olya, another volunteer.
Here is the coolest thing I found, a flint blade. I know, I know, not really a very big deal! Now you can see how the insignificant becomes very important.
This is the dig site from above (where we all hide behind the bushes for the loo). You can see how small and insignificant it is in relation to the area (imagine how many house sites we are NOT excavating!). Look at the lovely rolling hills, and imagine the sunshine, puppies frolicking and shepherds all around us!
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Digging and Voyaging
During the week we're in a little village away from internet and phone signals, and during the weekends, we're madly dashing around the country on organized tours, so have barely had time to read all my emails, let alone reply or write a blog. Rowan in NZ and Kate in Oz both had babies, Kate from Myanmar's in Ladakh with her mum (what a fantastic place that sounds like!), most of my colleagues are around the US, Omar's just been back to Morocco for the first time, Rebecca from D.C. and Rachid are both getting married (but not to each other, thank god!), and my ex, Soufiane got married (now that is weird!), Rita's doing a hike for discovery to raise money for Leukemia, Tim's in Monrovia, Beth Dougherty's in SE Asia for the first time, Julie's back in France and over the moon and others are all over!
Romania and the dig are great. We plod along at our own pace and I must say that I'm really enjoying myself and all negative feelings are gone. The weather has improved in the last week or so, and now we have scorching hot days, which means we almost pass out in the trenches digging! We take our first photographs of the things unearthed tomorrow... mainly just bits of broken pottery and structural clay. It's interesting that so much effort goes into such insignificant bits and pieces, but I'm enjoying it nevertheless. Andrei, the dig director, gets so excited when we find a pottery shard that has paint or an etched design. We're going to put one pot back together next week! The site is neolithic. It's part of what's called the Petresti culture, which I think was pretty much limited to Romania. We spend some afternoons washing pottery in freezing water from the well behind the dig house--my first time ever using a well. I'm no longer the oldest on the dig, as some have arrived and others have left... the dynamic is very different depending on the week!
The food here is good but very simple... we've had lots of meat and potato type meals, very traditional, but good. My favorite swings between the cabbage wraps and the beans! They all have homemade wine here and a hard alcohol called moonshine (as I'm sure you can imagine). Three younger diggers have already had incidents of alcohol abuse throwing up and the like! It's evil stuff. Andrei complains that if Romania ever enters the EU, the homemade wine will disappear as the olive groves in Spain did because they form too much of a competition for businesses. Sad, really. All the home farm animals will also be eradicated for mass farming. No more cows passing us on their way out to the field each day, or chickens squawking in the back of the house.
We're in a little village called Mosna, in between Medias and another mideval city called Biertan. Every little hamlet and village had a fortified church once, built by the Saxons in the middle ages, who themselves were invited by the Hungarians to live here to protect from Ottoman and other raids. The Saxons left as soon as Ceausescu was out of power, but their legacy is still left in a strong German prescence. Mosna has a church, but not much else as most Saxons left and now it's 60% gypsy (much to our dig director's disgust). There are two shops, houses and that's it! It's charming but very simple and rural. The countryside is lovely.. rolling green hills and forests, and very few fences in sight. This is a place where the shepherd still takes his flock out each morning. We have a shepherd that hangs around our trench singing to himself each day accompanied by his sheeps baas.
We've also adopted a stray puppy that lost his leg somehow... he's all fixed up and one volunteer is going to take the dog back to Canada (which has much more animal liberal laws than ours). I was very amused to watch the vet patch him up with scissors that fell into two parts and a blunt blade to saw at the extra bandage! He has a "satellite dish" around his head to stop him knawing on the leg and tail (which he bit off in fits of agony!). Andrei was very amused to hear that he had 8 canine teeth which means that he would surely have won in any fight against the village dogs! He has gone from a whiny old man to a playful puppy, and has amazed everyone with his progress!
Well, must go now as I'm late for dinner! Oooops!
Thursday, June 08, 2006
But for now, Romania. How's the digging, going? For the first two hours of the first day, I asked myself over and over again: What have I got myself into? Why did I sign up for FIVE weeks of this? Do I really find this interesting? This was as I used a small trowel to put small holes in a square meter of dirt, pick through the dirt so that it is in small pieces, then put the dirt in a bucket. Over and over and over again. Occasionally, I would find a shard of pottery about an inch across, or a small piece of earthen clay (neolithic building material) and dust it off and put it aside, but for the most part it was very monotonous. My back aches, my fingers get dry from sifting dirt, my arms, knees, and legs are sore from trying to stand in the correct positions.
However... as the time passes and my hole gets a little bigger, as does the pile of things I find, the monotony bothers me less, and I enjoy the sun shining (in the few seconds it does, the rest of the time I shiver in my 50 layers of clothing), the birds chirping, the lack of fences, the puppies mingling around us, the shepherd and his flock on the paddock next to us. It will be a long 5 weeks, but I am glad that I have done it. Perhaps if I do it again, I'll choose something where a little more is likely to come out of the ground, but this Petrich culture is interesting even if they really didn't leave us much. And even though I'm doing one square meter in a million, and with all of us we'll only do 20 squares in a million, and even though I have a reputation in the group for always finding nothing in my plots, in the whole scheme of things, I am doing something. And it's interesting and relaxing and I'm happy.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
In Medias
I'm back in civilization again.... and after only two days out of it, I really noticed it. I go from one place without email to another one without email!! I'm in this tiny little village where the power goes off for half a day, there are stray dogs everywhere, and I can't speak the language, there's no phone, internet or any shops whatsoever... it sounds too familiar!! We've come to the closest town, Medias for the afternoon mainly for the others to let family know that we're alive!
We had our first "dig" today.... I'm the oldest one in the group...all young North American uni students... a very strange sensation for me, as I'm usually the youngest. The head guy is hilarious... he talks proudly of selling his Canadian passport for $2000 in France, getting court marshalled for swearing at higher ranks in the army, sleeping on park benches, smuggling knives through US customs, etc, etc!!!
The weather's been miserable and I haven't got enough clothes... it's like NZ in mid winter. Hopefully the sun will come out!
Anyway, troops are moving on, so will write more later.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
In Bucuresti
What's different... here things are still obviously recovering from communism. Things have a shabby appearance, and signs for shops still look as if they were erected yesterday. Things are dirty and run down. I love all the cobblestone streets that are left, but they are obviously left, and not deliberately. Trams and busses are rickety, people's fashion is just not up with the trends (still tight, boob showingly scandalous at times), and women's makeup is still very overdone and way too 80s and pink! I'm very surprised at the amount of English that's spoken in random places (why am I so arrogant as to expect it, require it, need it, seek it?). I went to the main square, where, elsewhere in Europe there would be souvenir shops and street cafes. Here, there were certainly people, but it was disorganized and more of a place of passing through, than hanging out and enjoying being social. To be fair, there was a huge festival (with lots of beer and meat on sticks), and many were heading down to that.
Get nothing wrong, I don't disagree with the statement that Bucharest is just awaiting a mass exodus of travellers from across Europe, but it's still not really ready for them. My own archaeology leader advises us not to pass through the "awful" Bucharest airport (I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was---these people need to go to Baku or Yangon!!), and the busses and trams were positively alien in terms of how difficult they were.
Let me give you an example: I spent half an hour standing in the puddle of water that was dripping off my trousers (which it had soaked up from the splashes of water of passing cars, not to mention getting rained on with no jacket, umbrella or convenient tram-stop shelter), waiting for the tram that took forever, only to be unable to pay for it (silly clicking machines don't work), and then told that it didn't work (I'm assuming) by random Romanian guys laughing at me for even trying. I got out at what I assumed was my stop (only the observant who had walked the route before would have had any idea that it was the right place as there were no a) signs, b) street lights, c)indications of it being a tram stop, even!) only to try and cross the road (remember, no street lights, so cars are very likely to run me over!) and get hooked up on ginormous puddles and almost run over, while slimly escaping being turned into a drowned rat by the cars speeding and the said ginormous puddles. Then I turn around and seconds after the very-long-in-coming-tram, the tram-I-waited-forever-for-in-the-rain-tram that had dropped me off, another tram passes by. Talk about annoying timing!
Okay, time to sign off... I'm getting evil looks from the other hostelites... that hermaphrodite (random!) sitting over there seems to want on this gloriously fast connected (and free) machine.
Friday, June 02, 2006
From Vienna
Copy of post from Beloit Blog:
So I'm here in Vienna and now I can be just a tourist instead of having to worry about all the little details... those finally appear to be out of the way. Got the visa, got a place to stay, am ready for Romania. Now Vienna... let me just put you in the right mind frame: I arrived and it was 10 degrees centigrade (that's probably 40 or so) and this is meant to be SUMMER... me coming from 100+. So I'm wearing every single piece of warm clothing I brought with me and still shivering. Dreary cloudy weather just doesn't do much to make me appreciate the palaces and my photographs of the sites look much less interesting!
I had a group of high school kids (I can't get away from them) in my hostel romping around till 3am last night (I suppose I am going to have to stop being cheap and not stay in hostels if I want to avoid this, but honestly, all I do is sleep there so why shell out for more?). Now I'm sitting in an internet cafe... the people around me are all smoking (ash trays provided, which makes this feel so seedy), it took me forever to even find this place to be able to check my email. Now, this freakin keyboard keeps spitting strange letters out at me... I was used to the French one and now they give me this one... switch the z and y, move the @ and the ' and the ( and ).... just to make my life difficult. Why do people feel so strongly about moving only some things around to prove a point about individuality and nationality? Did you know that even the American and British keyboards are not the same? There's another one... I have to look everywhere for the question mark! I haven't even mentioned that hotmail, blogger, gmail and every other site I've logged into is in German (even up there it says Titel instead of Title and 'Post wiederherstellan'... I'm assuming that means 'publish post' or something. Oh, no, that would be 'Als Entwurf speichern'). And I do not speak any German. I spent half of yesterday thinking the letter ß was a B... its not, its an ss.
But the coffee here is great, the palaces amazing, and I truly love all the Schiele and Klimt, though the Viennese (Ger: Wieners) must get tired of seeing 'The Kiss' everywhere on everything. Some other cultural things I've noticed (so help me, this is what I do when I travel-- observe) Everyone seems to be dressed like Americans (coming from Asia I suppose they must), there is no walmart, tesco, carrefour or any other mass stores (Austrians don't shop that way, and instead trot off to their local store with a little wheeled bag like little old ladies), but there is Mango, H&M, Levi's, Guess, Starbucks, and other worldwide stores... they truly are conquering the world, it's quite disgusting! Now I must go off to climb Stephansdom, walk the Graben, wander the Hofburg Palace and listen to some Mozart in the Schlosspark. Have a lovely day all!


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- Elizabeth Spayd, incoming NY Times public editor
Happy Monday, June 27th, 2016
Today's blog is very personal.
I hope that all who see this had a great PRIDE weekend. I'm not talking just about GLBT Pride, but PRIDE in whomever you are. This is my first blog in a few weeks. I have really been down for the past few weeks. The massacre in Orlando really depressed me on a level that is hard to put into words.
When someone shows you who they are
Believe them the first time.
-Maya Angelou
' The Voice' singer Christina Grimmie which had happened less than 24 hours prior to The Pulse Nightclub shooting.
I had already posted my response to that the day before. I have been speaking out against the NRA for years and will continue to do so until they no longer have power.
When the news started coming in regarding the Orlando shooting, I could not stop crying and grieving.
It put a pall on everything happening that day. We had three friends come over to watch the Tony Awards that night, a night that I look forward to yearly.
A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances.--James Allen
I stayed up watching the news till 2AM not knowing where to turn. I have had this experience every time there has been a mass shooting.
I went to bed and I kept thinking of a lot of events that were upcoming that were swirling around me. My brain just would not shut down all of the conflicting thoughts.
I was scheduled to do a show on the 20th. My heart just went out of. There were several factors, but this was the final straw.
I chose to cancel all shows till after the summer and to put my focus on overturning this insane gun laws. A dear friend of mine, Jason Hayes, started working towards a march on Washington for
Then I thought about the Heritage of Pride march coming up and called them. Even though the deadline had happened, because of what had happened in Orlando, they were extending the deadline period.
A friend told me that he had read about another group with a similar mission marching. I once again reached out to Heritage of Pride and they put me in touch with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and specifically with Kim Russell. I feel like I made a new friend. She was thrilled that I reached out to her. There were several groups that was going to march together under the banner of Disarm Hate. We also formed the hashtag LGBT4GVP and created a Twitter account and a Facebook page. When I contacted Heritage of Pride, they were thrilled that we would be joining forces.
|Photos courtesy Karen Oberlin
I want to thank all that acknowledged my efforts. Each response truly did go a long way.
When I reached out to some of my Facebook "friends", with some, there was little or no response. A dear friend of mine, Carly Ozard, immediately stepped up to the plate and volunteered to help out in any way she could, as did Julie Budd, Sue Matsuki, and Daryl Glen, and Karen Oberlin.
|Carly Ozard (used with Carly's permission)
I will say they are all stand-up people in a sit down world. However, with some, I began to feel invisible and that I didn't matter which added to this immense feeling of aloneness.
I was even lied to by people that I reached out to.
It hurts when someone tells you one thing and you see the opposite of what they are telling you on another page.
I was so disappointed at the lack of response, that I even contemplated leaving social media.
Several close friends talked me out of it. I began asking friends and colleagues if they were experiencing and/or feeling the same thoughts. I have been overwhelmed by the numbers of people who are feeling what I'm feeling.
When someone tells you they are "too busy" to respond after numerous attempts through email and private messages, how are we to respond? Especially after you see all of their postings on Facebook around the same time that you are reaching out to them?
My goal with this blog is not to put fingers but to ask why.
No man is an island. We ALL are in this together. What happened in Orlando is not something that happened elsewhere. It is something that affects all of us.
|Mr. Varon, Leah Gunn Barrett (New Yorkers Against Gun Violence), Charlie Allenson (photo used by permission: Leah Gunn Barrett)
Right now a lot of people are hurting, I implore ALL that read this to reach out MORE on a human level than a technological way. Hitting a LIKE button or SHARE is not always sufficient.
I remember when I reached the 5,000 mark with "friends" on Facebook. I think it should be changed to "contacts" which is a more apt description.
I was thrilled. I felt, "There are 5,000 people out there who LIKE me."
As time has gone on, I have come to realize that it gave me a false sense of importance. Many that are "friends" don't even interact...even after I reach out to them! Have we really gotten so busy, that even a 'hello' is no longer acknowledged?
I used to feel hurt when I found
|(photo used by permission: Leah Gunn Barrett)
Then I thought, if they don't feel that I'm adding to their world, I guess they are doing the right thing. Facebook has become our own individual kingdoms.
"If you agree with ME, you are allowed to stay. Otherwise, you are banished."
I hope that we are more than narcissists posting another selfie every time the light changes. I hope that we feel that the most important news of the day is that you have decided to have a cup of coffee.
I hope that the people that you are "friending" are being friended because you feel you have something to add to their lives instead of the fact that you think they have something to offer them.
I truly do want to be there for you. I want to be your friend.
I want to support all that read this to the best of my ability.
When I was thirty, I was going through a difficult time and I ended up going to therapy. My therapist at the time brought me an address book and told me to go through my previous appointment book with the following thoughts in my mind.
If they didn't, ...well, you know the rest! Perhaps it is time to start doing that again...for all of us.
Let me be your friend and you have my UNDIVIDED support to the best of my ability.
Everywhere you go and regardless of what you do, there will always be those obstacles that put to the test how bad we want to achieve our goals.
At the end of the day it is those obstacles that separate those that want from those that do. Remember, it ALL could be gone in an instant.
Ekaterina Walter
Pride events around the country paused for a moment of silence this weekknd to honor those lost in Orlando
To save the greatest number of lives it's the everyday violence, not just mass shootings, that we need to prevent.
My heart is heavy My foundation rocked to its very core So much hate whirling around the news today My mind can't process anymore .
Back then, we called it the Golden Rule When did we start ignoring such a moral tool? I will never understand the hate But will fight to disarm it So my children don't have to suffer the same fate. -Jamie Lee Farrar
Hi Richard. Re the last 2 weeks, I've noticed people are really wound up tighter than a rubber band, even at my workplace. People are short tempered.
I've noticed more insanity. More mood swings. i include myself in this. It's very hard to take in and process the evil that has happened and continues to happen.
I haven't felt this disjointed since 9/11.
-Craig Witham
|Ellen Easton, a True Friend
The value to be a loyal friend bears little currency to those who are apparently happier living in cyber space than in reality. The phenomenon of the self interested in obtaining 'friends and followers' but haven't a clue how to behave in a real person to person situation is a puzzlement.
-Ellen Easton
I am posting the following from Leah Gunn Barrett
I've lost a brother to gun violence and I also have a brother who is gay. Every act of gun
violence is personal to me as it should be to all of us.
What happened in Orlando was a hate crime committed by an American-born male who
was an angry, homophobic, wife-abusing, wannabe cop, twice interviewed by the FBI
and despite all of that, was legally able to buy an AR-15 assault rifle and high capacity
ammunition magazines. We have no monopoly on these kinds of individuals in America.
What sets us apart is we make it dead easy for anyone to get their hands on a gun.
AR-15 was designed by the military to kill
as many humans as quickly and efficiently as possible on the battlefield. AR-15s have
been used time after time to slaughter Americans in our schools, houses of worship,
movie theaters, malls and night clubs. Any shooting, whether it is deemed a mass
shooting or not, is an act of terrorism to the person being shot, to their friends and
family, and to their communities. We need to restrict the lethal means to carry out acts
of hate.
After Sandy Hook, Congress said NO to everything. So we worked at the state level and NY took action.
We need to keep up the pressure on the state but also go back to
Congress – and demand that our feckless leaders do what we've done in NY: restrict
assault weapons and high capacity ammo magazines, pass criminal background checks
on all gun sales and prohibit people on the Terrorist Watch list and No Fly list from
buying guns!
And there is a lot of unfinished business here in NY. Just because NY is safer than
other states is NOT an excuse to slack off. We ask the Governor to waste no more time
and develop and implement the Point of Sale ammunition background check system –
that was part of the SAFE Act - and get the legislature to step up and fund it. And we
ask Mayor de Blasio and the Governor to use their executive authority and the
|Mayor de Blasio
for the NYPD and State Police.
I want to share an email I got today from a mother in NY. I hope it will serve as a call to
action to each and every one of us:
It was a horrible what happened in Florida but right here in the New York City we have
parents losing their children.
Just over the weekend a mother was killed in the Bronx
and another man was killed. We cannot ignore any shooting yet a lot of the families right
here in NY feel they are being ignored.
When we label these deaths - mass shootings, hate crimes or any other name it
diminishes and ignores the every-day gun violence that afflicts our communities. I lost
my son in 2011 - his case is still unsolved and way too many other parents have
unsolved cases. It feels like no one cares about our loss. When you look at the big
picture all gun violence is rooted in hate. My son's life was just as valuable and my pain
from his loss is just as real.
Mass shootings grab our attention as they should – but don't forget that today another
92 Americans will die from guns and tomorrow will be the same unless we do
Leah Gunn Barrett
Executive Director
Fight the Good Fight, March the good March!" I marched twice in the New York Pride Parade Yesterday, first with the New York Loves Orlando group, one of the lead groups of the March, right after the grand marshals. Before we stepped off at noon I got to speak with a number of reporters including Kimberly Richardson from ABC Eyewitness News. I told them I am a long time marcher, and that I have witnessed a great deal of progress in our suffrage for Equality over the years, but that we still have a long way to go as we remember Pulse Orlando today.
The New York Pride marchers and the spectators were just amazing, my ears are still ringing from the resounding chants and loud cheers. After we finished the long march, I went back out on Christopher Street where I got to see Hillary Clinton, Andrew Cuomo, Al Sharpton, Mayor DeBlazio, and many more, and then I watched a good part of the March and cheered the marchers on. I got to shake hands and share a few words with Senator Chuck Schumer and I thanked him for marching with us. He in turn thanked me and smiled broadly. I then joined with and marched, for a second time with the Disarm Hate group, chanting "Disarm Hate", "No More Guns", and "We Are Orlando". We reached the end of the March after 7:30, and it was still going! One World Trade Center and The Empire State Building were lit in rainbow colors as the sun set. It was a remarkable and sublime day of activism for me, and I applaud all those who participated and observed. We share a plethora of love, pride, and Disarmed Hate, at least for the day. "Fight the Good Fight, March the good March!
-Tommy Thomas
|Photo used by permission from Tommy Thomas
Thank you, to all mentioned in this blog for the gifts you have given to the world and continue to give!
With grateful XOXOXs from YOUR pro-active friend,
Check out my site celebrating the legacy of Dolly Gallagher Levi!
|In Loving Memory of Gordon Connell, who passed away this past week.


text:
The primary school in my 'hood has a no uniform policy. I dunno how I feel about that. The kids seem happy but I find it disconcerting. I grew up in the era of compulsory uniforms with a childhood involving the never ending chore of polishing my school shoes and sometimes ironing my uniform (a task I was more than happy to let Mum do though). Looking back I reckon it taught me a certain discipline in orderliness and pride in my appearance, all of which I am grateful for. I still remember the time when school uniform was made non-compulsory. I was in High School by this stage and while everyone was rejoicing at all the surfer inspired gear they could now wear, inside I was cringing. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a total nerd that didn't appreciate a little fash freedom but suddenly this chasm opened up between who could afford the latest stuff or not. A super intelligent classmate who came from a struggling family of seven now stuck out like a sore thumb with his hand-me-down shoes, shorts and too small shirt. And many of the guys never let him forget it, teasing him mercilessly. From a young age I've always stuck up for the underdog and would never hesitate to go into bat for this young man. It broke my heart to receive a message inside a Christmas card one year from him that simply said 'thank you for always being so nice to me'. No kid should have to go through that over what they wear. Ever.
September 16, 2009
uniform state of playPosted by Bespoke Portraiture under I remember that time... | Tags: Clifton Hill, kids, mum, school dayze |
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August 21, 2009
finders keepersPosted by Bespoke Portraiture under I remember that time..., today is | Tags: Clifton Hill, dog, family, Melbourne, mum, Paloma nee Rosealine, Willow nee Roxanne |
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When I was about 6 years old I was roaming the grounds of the Agricultural College where we lived (my Dad was a lecturer at the time), wearing a borrowed, and much too big, pair of overalls and having a grand old time on my own. It was the late 70's in rural Australia and the place was as safe as houses, but I still don't know why I was on that adventure so far from my own front door. I fondly remember the sun was shining, there were no training wheels on my bike and I was all set with a screwdriver in one pocket and a biscuit for later in another. Life was good and I was feeling uber grown up. Imagine how much better the day got when I stumbled across a $5 note in the gutter! Five bucks when you are only 6 years old is akin to finding $2,857,453,409!! I couldn't believe my luck and quickly put it in one of the many handy pockets I had on me. There was nothing to spend it on nearby so I got on with the business at hand which most likely involved bugs, or dirt, or bikes or other imaginary distractions. When it was time to head home I remembered the money but to my horror I couldn't find it. My instant fortune had evaporated, and with it my dreams of taking the whole family to Disneyland! Tearfully I headed home and told Mum, who gave me one of those hugs only a mum can give. Later Mum actually found the money in one of the tricky side pockets on the leg, and Disneyland was back on!!
Cut to last night when I took the dogs for a walk to the local pet shop Zac's to buy some creepy dried kangaroo offal that they seem to love. I put the change in my pocket and we legged it to the park. There we met a lovely, very exuberant puppy called Junior and they all chased each other madly in circles while his owner Kim and I chatted. It was great as they were tiring each other out and we were just standing still until it was time to head home. It wasn't until I reached into said pocket to get the front door key that I realised my $45 change was gone. Thinking back to when I was 6 I frantically searched every pocket on me in case I was mistaken but alas, no. I dropped the dogs home and went back to the park with a torch. I think I spent about 40 minutes combing the off-leash area like they do on the cop shows on tv, slowly sweeping in long parallel lines. All I got for my troubles was numb toes and a cold nose! I just hope whomever finds my money either puts it to good use or that it went to someone who could use it. Reckon MacGyver might be safe after all…
July 22, 2009
one cooking mojo, foundPosted by Bespoke Portraiture under Home sweet home, I also heart | Tags: also heart, Clifton Hill, cooking, Electric Legs, family, flatmate, Master Chef, Melbourne, mum, new home, renting, slow food, Winter |
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Don't get me wrong, I heart food and I appreciate anyone with great cullinary skills – especially all the women in my family who cook! It's just that I have never really been motivated to commit to cooking well on a regular basis, preferring instead to buy cookbooks full of pretty pictures or watch tv shows making gorgeous food I'm unlikely to attempt. It even got to the point where I had to self-impose a ban on any more books full of pretty pictures! Cut to the recent series Master Chef and all that has changed. I know my Mum will be pleased that I now regularly bust out the slow cooker on the weekends and make a meal or two to share for the week ahead. Sometimes I even go so far as to make two courses. Sometimes. Now that Master Chef is off the air I feel kinda lost without my tutorials and idea sessions. I'm not alone, we no longer race to the office in the morning to make comparisons of the previous night's episode anymore either. But I did learn an important lesson from the winner Julie. Cooking can be a great way to show love, to heal, to nurture and to say thank you for the big things and the little things. You may recall an earlier post where I mentioned Electric Legs has been sick, well one of my first instincts was to cook some food to make him feel a little better. It seemed to do the trick for now, but he tells me I can't have a 10 out of 10 for my first meal! I just like that he thinks there will be a second one, ha ha!!
June 26, 2009
No more pinkPosted by Bespoke Portraiture under Home sweet home, I also heart, making a difference | Tags: also heart, budgeting, debt, mum, Neradine Tisaj, new home, pink, shopping, stress |
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Like author Neradine Tisaj I like shopping, no I love shopping and I'm good at it. Unlike me, Neradine is incredibly sensible when it comes to shopping. But it wasn't always so. In her book How to Give Up Shopping she speaks as a true reformed unconscious shopper, and I think I have found my people.
Many years ago I used to work in finance and the hours, workload and pressures were often unbearable. I recall one time, quite possibly at my lowest, I just bolted from the office and went out and bought a $400 lolly pink, two piece suit by a prestige lable, among many other things, all within 30 minutes. That was the sale price by the way, and I remember at the time I was feeling incredibly stressed, like my head would explode and I bought it to try and make me feel better.
Now I could rationlise that purchase any way you needed me to, and did. 'I can wear it to the races', I said to my bemused colleagues and 'it will be perfect if I need to go to a wedding' I told my strategically single, gay friends. Did either of those things happen?? No.
Last year as I was preparing to downsize I culled my wardrobe and worldly posessions pretty hard. I agonised over what to do with the as-yet-unworn lolly suit. It was so expensive, it was well made, it was a good brand… and on and on it went. Eventually, I was very firm with myself and donated the suit to my Mum and asked her to find it a good home. But I'll just die if I see it on a bag lady in the park!!
Following Neradine's sound advice will now be my new mantra, you can borrow it too if you like so that you don't buy a lolly-pink-never-to-be-worn suit!
– shopping per se is not bad, it's over-shopping and getting in to debt that is
– gather your receipts and work out what you spend money on and how you are feeling when you do. Build awareness of your weak moments
– don't shop when everyone else is, the frenetic energy is very contagious
– don't go to the mall because you have nothing else to do, find a new hobby instead
– write a list of 20 things that you enoy doing, keep it in your wallet and refer to it when you're stressed, bored, sad or feel like spending money you don't have!


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Character Posters Released For Disney/Pixar's 'Inside Out'
Disney released brand new character posters for Disney/Pixar's upcoming animated film "Inside Out." Check them out below:
Watch the official trailer of Disney/Pixar's 'Inside Out' here.
Check the individual character posters of Joy, Anger, Disgust, Fear and Sadness below:
Watch the official trailer of Disney/Pixar's 'Inside Out' here.
"Inside Out" was directed by Docter ("Up," "Monsters, Inc."), produced by Rivera ("Up"), co-directed by Ronnie Del Carmen ("Dug's Special Mission") and executive produced by Lasseter ("Toy Story," "Cars") and Andrew Stanton ("Finding Nemo," "WALL•E"). The screenplay was penned by Docter, Meg LeFauve and Josh Cooley from an original story by Docter and Del Carmen. Academy Award®–winning composer Michael Giacchino ("The Incredibles," "Ratatouille," "Up") was called on to provide the score.
Opening across the Philippines on August 19, "Inside Out" is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.