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Is Twelfth Night Still Funny To A Modern Day Audience?
Extracts from this document...
Amanda Dunnington AS English Literature Coursework Twelfth Night Is Twelfth Night Still Funny To A Modern Day Audience? Comedy should entertain a general audience. It is usually a dramatic work that is light, and often satirical in tone. Horace Walpole once said that "life is like a comedy to those who think, and a tragedy to those who feel." This can be said to be true in as we tend to laugh at comic characters, particularly comic double acts, but "feel" with tragic heroes. The audience at a comedy is likely to feel itself to be slightly superior to, and therefore distant from, the comic figures, even the romantic leads, if it is to laugh at their follies. Comedy can be defined in three main types; visual, verbal and situational. Visual humour is usually accessible images, pictures and the obvious. Verbal humour is the spoken satire, word-play and stories. Situational humour takes place around a plot created by an author. The cynic who stated that "laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone" was possibly a theatre fanatic. In Shakespeare's plays, this distinction has the effect of isolating the characters at the end of his tragedies, and uniting them at the end of the comedies. Byron may have been misogynistic when he stated that "all comedies end in marriage" but the ceremony operates as a mark of unification and social harmony in the closure of a comedy. ...read more.
His almost-fierce smile also brings great mirth, as he is characteristically known for his solemn face. This appearance comes shortly after Maria's announcement that Olivia detests the colour yellow. Verbal humour also plays a huge part in this scene. Malvolio's repetition of the letter, which he clearly knows by heart, leads to Lady Olivia's extreme confusion. Her perplexed state of mind leads to an even greater farce, particularly when her concern generates a confused Malvolio to misinterpret her intentions. When Olivia requests that he "go(es) to bed", he assumes Olivia's intent is to join him and he reacts with such obvious glee that one can feel nothing but hilarity to the absurdity of the situation, yet possibly feel some sympathy for Malvolio, even though he is a truly detestable character. This show of supposed madness leads to the darker humour in Twelfth Night. Sir Toby locks Malvolio into a dark damp cell, and labels him "a madman". Malvolio's increasing fear can be said to be funny, as he is designed to be hated, and the final punishment of such a character can fill and audience with delight. Feste the clown dresses as a priest and talks to him, giving his standard nonsensical responses to Malvolio's questions. The said responses make Malvolio wonder at his own sanity, and this uncertainty again can lead to comedy. Although this scene can be classed as funny, as the visual humour of Feste's disguise, verbal humour of his riposte, and situational of the circumstance Sir Toby has put them in is present, the humour is morbid, and the audience is aware that they should not really find it amusing. ...read more.
His profound comic aspect comes from his astuteness. In one example he proves Olivia to be a true fool by asking her what she was mourning about. The point Feste tried to make was why was Olivia mourning for a person who's soul is in heaven? In Twelfth Night, the fools control the comedy and humour in the play. They assist in the make believe game and fool around with characters who "evade reality or rather realize a dream". Feste, Maria and Sir Toby are the fools that make the comedy work in many senses. They create the confusion through humour. Confusion is also brought from disguise, knowledge of character and basic malice. However, the main characters bring in their own comedy with self-devotion, masquerades and love for others who cannot return their passion. It contains all the situational, visual and verbal elements of comedy, along with satire, perplexity and commotion. Twelfth Night is, without a doubt, still funny to a modern day audience. It comprises all three main elements of comedy: visual, verbal and situational, and combines them with the follies of the comic double act, confusion of disguise and the ultimate love of all the characters. To any audience, 1601 or otherwise, Twelfth Night is an amalgamation of satire, confusion and fervour, ordained to entertain and interest a general audience. Today, a modern audience will still find the exploits of Sir Toby, Feste and Maria hilarious, still find the jokes droll, although some have lost their meaning over the centuries, and still revel in the visual aspect of Twelfth Night. Amanda Dunnington English Literature Coursework 5 ...read more.
This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Twelfth Night section.
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"Shame-free, frequent sexual pleasure is every man and woman's birthright"
– Susan Bratton
Susan Bratton a "Trusted Hot Sex Advisor to Millions, speaks openly about oral sex, and how women can utilize a man's dick as a wonderful tool to enhance their pleasure journey. She said that there are benefits in sucking dick, and that you should want to suck dick in a skillful manner that grants sexual energy in both men and women during sex.
Susan Bratton is a champion and advocate for all who desire passionate relationships. Considered the "Dear Abby of Sex," Susan's fresh approach and original ideas have helped millions of people of all ages and across the gender spectrum transform sex into passion.
"Susan's straight-talking, fearless approach is rooted in her personal experience of watching her sex life wither while she and her husband pursued dynamic careers. Susan is CEO and co-founder (with her husband) of Personal Life Media. Through her company, Susan has authored 20 books including Relationship Magic, The Passion Patch and 30 Romance Tricks That Work Like Magic, as well as her International #1 Amazon best-seller, Sexual Soulmates: The 6 Essentials for Connected Sex."
"Susan has also created and published numerous online courses including her wildly popular Revive Her Drive and Steamy Sex Ed® DVD Collection, as well as programs such as: Seduction Trilogy, Expand Her Orgasm Tonight, The Multi-Orgasmic Lover for Men, Female Liquid Orgasm, and Keep Her Coming."
"Millions of couples and singles have been touched by her TV appearances, and Better Lover YouTube channel. Through her Insider's Club newsletter at Personal Life Media.com, Susan gives away, free of charge, countless MP3 audios, videos, articles, and ebooks."
"After 25 years of marriage, I know from experience that deep, passionate intimacy with my partner is priceless: a priority that tops my list of must-haves alongside good health and the love of family and friends. I have made it my mission to aid anyone who wants the kind of lovemaking that improves with age."
Podcast Interview with Susan Bratton

subset: commoncrawl


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As described on the ACHE website, ACHE is a dynamic network of diverse professionals who are dedicated to promoting excellence in continuing higher education and to sharing their expertise and experience with one another.
Dynamic is only one word of many to describe the 78th Annual Association for Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) conference which was held this past October in New Orleans, LA at the historic Hotel Monteleone. The theme this year was "Innovation, Transformation, and Service in Continuing Higher Education: Creating Pathways to the Future." Topics included: research and strategy, transformative roles and responsibilities, practical application of theory, effective learning/teaching tools and environments, impactful marketing, and more. We had 127 universities, colleges, exhibitors, sister associations, and other organizations represented as part of the 2016 conference. Individuals from all around the country and Canada attended traveled to New Orleans (the furthest distance was 2,612 miles). Of those attending, over 70 were first time attendees!
There were 43 concurrent sessions to choose from in addition to our keynote sessions. Our keynotes included: Dr. King Alexander, president of Louisiana State University, Mr. Zach Stone, co-founder of Red Kite Consulting, and Ms. Kim Weitkamp, a humorist, coach, producer, and singer/songwriter.
Prior and during this event, fun'raising events were held as part of a fundraising drive to raise money for grants and scholarships. We surpassed our scholarship goal and collected $3,735. In addition, there was an ACHE service opportunity with the New Orleans Kids Partnership (NOKP) to "Fill the Bus" with school supplies for the children in the area.
This summary was written by Dorothy Williams, a director at large for ACHE and a director and professor at Regis University.
Regis University
College for Professional Studies
(719) 264-7052
423.439.6192 | email@example.com
Association for Continuing Higher Education
Copyright © 2017, All Rights Reserved


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Tuesday, October 19, 2010
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Kronic in 2006
|Participation Information
|Other Names
|Kronic the Wedgehog
|Team Information
|Team Members
| Alan Young
Dave Young
Mike Young
Anne Young
Adam Henderson
|Other Entries
|Robot Statistics
|0.73m x 1.37m x 0.93m
|2 x 750W Electric Motors
|CO2 powered flipper
Robot statistics correct as of its most recent appearance on the show
Kronic is a blue wedge-shaped robot that competes in the robot combat events today. Its weapon is a full-pressure flipper that has the power to throw opponnents sky-high or out of the arena from anywhere in the arena. It is basically an improved version of Kronic from Robot Wars TM that always had horrendous luck in the wars. Since Robot Wars, Kronic has been a robot to avoid and has won the 2005 Winter Tour and the 2006 International challenge throwing some well-known faces out of the ring like Behemoth and Terrorhurtz.
Since 2006, Kronic had been taking a break from going to RR events and was in a bit of retirement from the robot combat scene since 2008. But in 2010, it came out of retirement as it was sold to Team MAD were in the same year it won the Team Bud Challenge. It recently entered the UK Championships in 2012 as the 5th seed, where it ultimately came 4th.
2004 UK Championships (Winter Tour)Edit
Kronic took part in the first Winter Tour and also the first UK Championship for the spec that it is in just now. It was beaten in its first qualifier match at Newport after it got flipped out the arena by Ripper but came back as it won its qualifier match at Kings-Lynn against Terrorhurtz by flipping it out of the arena which enabled it to qualify for the finals at Doncaster. In round 1 it fought Ripper again who kept flipping Kronic around the arena until Kronic ended up out of the arena and also lost its loser's melee battle to Ewe 2.
2005 UK Championships (Winter Tour)Edit
Kronic came back for the 2005 UK Championships as the 6th seed as Mute had been forced to withdraw. It won its first qualifier match at Portsmouth against 8645T as it flipped it out of the arena and won its next fight at Birmingham without any difficulty as Ripper's flipper wasn't working and it ended up out the arena. Both of these wins gave Kronic qualification into the finals at Folkestone where in round 1 it fought a nail-biting fight with Robot Wars World Champion Storm 2 as it got shoved around, but Kronic always fought back flipping it over and at one stage nearly out the arena but it won the judges decision after Storm 2 failed to work properly upside-down. Next in the quarter-finals it met Behemoth who it missed its attacks on and ended up flipping itself instead. Kronic then got manoevered into the corner upside-down and had problems with its own flipper meaning it couldn't self-right and was beaten. But it managed to beat the dutch Tough As Nails in the loser's melee after it died due to a loose battery connection. It took advantage of 8645T in its semi-final battle as it had problems with its own flipper and was flipped into the pit. In the grand-final, it met reigning champion Terrorhurtz who gave Kronic a few axe blows and Kronic always fought back flipping Terrorhurtz. Eventually, Terrorhurtz got its own axe caught through the wall and was stuck there meaning Kronic had claimed the 2005 UK Championship title.
2006 UK ChampionshipsEdit
Kronic also signed up for the 2006 UK Championships as the top seed and reigning champion at Wicksteed theme park in Kettering. It shared its pod with Iron-Awe 3, dutch robot Spike and newcomer Turbulence. It won its first fight against Iron-Awe 3 where both robots threw each other around the arena until Kronic threw Iron-Awe 3 into the pit. Next it took on Spike who never got its axe to any good use on Kronic and also ended up out of the arena. Next it took on newcomer Turbulence who had won both its fights. Kronic never got the oppertunity to use its flipper on it as Turbulence quickly got under it and immediatly threw it out of the arena meaning that Kronic had lost its title early and was out.
After losing the UK Championships, Kronic was also offered a chance to represent Britain in the International Challenge along with other robots from Holland, Belgium and even America. It met Hard from Belgium in the first round where it threw it around the arena where eventually its own flipper broke off and was elliminated. Next it fought American Sewer Snake who was thrown repeatedly around the arena before eventually being thrown out of it. In the final, it met Tilly 1O1 from the UK and Kronic used its only flip of the fight to throw it out of the arena which allowed it to win the competition.
2006 Winter TourEdit
Kronic also came back for the 2006 Winter Tour where it won both its fights at Portsmouth and Birmingham which allowed it to go through to the finals at Folkestone. Here it got beaten by Ripper after it got flipped over near the arena wall and in an attempt to self-right, flipped itself out. This was also the last Roaming Robots event for Kronic.
2010 UK ChampionshipsEdit
After a long time of being in retirement, Kronic participated in the Team Bud Challenge during the UK Championships. It challenged the holder, Weird mAlice at Portsmouth on the 3rd of October. It got the first flip on Weird mAlice throwing it in the air, but it landed back on its wheels. However, the battle had to be restarted after John Findlay had forgotten to activate Major Damage and leaft the transmitter in the arena. In the rematch, Kronic got a lot more flips in on Weird mAlice in trying to flip it out before it eventually did taking the trophy off Weird mAlice. Next at Robots Live!'s event in Kidderminster on the 16th & 17th October, Kronic fought St Hammer , where St Hammer bashed at Kronic, but it wasn't long before it ended up out the arena. In the final of the Team Bud Challenge, it took on 8465T in Maidstone on the 7th of November. Beast got flipped by Kronic but it didn't go over and retaliated with a big flip on Beast who self-righted but Kronic flipped Beast around the arena continously until eventually, Beasts side panel came off before flipping it out the arena claiming the Team Bud Challenge Trophy for 2010.
Kronic also took part in the Annihilator contest against Stinger,Scorpion,Toon Raider & Meggamouse also at Maidstone. It was flipped by Toon Raider, but it self-righted and carried on. It threw Meggamouse accross the arena floor before attacking Toon Raider in the corner. After Meggamouse drove into the pit and Stinger got stuck on the arena wall, Kronic was looking as if it was having problems with its manoeverability and got flipped by Toon Raider, but Kronic showed it still had enough energy left and self-righted before flipping Toon Raider out the arena and toyed with Scorpion until it landed in the pit. Here Kronic had won the Annihilator contest as well as the Team Bud Challenge.
Win/Loss RecordEdit
Wins: 18
Losses: 7
- Roaming Robots - 2nd at Denbigh 2005
- Roaming Robots 2005 UK Winter Tour Champions
- International Challenge 2006 Winners
- Robots Live! - 4th at Leicester 2008
- Robots Live! - 3rd at Burgess-Hill 2008
- Team Bud Challenge Champion 2010
- Fighting Robots Annihilator 2010 Champion
- Fighting Robots Annihilator 2011 Champion
- 4th in UK Championships 2012


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Ghana's PFA Relocate
Ghana's PFA Relocate
Ghana's footballers have a new home in their national stadium.
The Professional Footballers Association of Ghana (PFAG) has opened its new offices in the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium, in Accra, where the Black Stars gather on match days. It is the culmination of a project that the union's founders Anthony Baffoe and Solomon Torson had been pursuing for eight years since they set up its first headquarters just a few steps away in the same stadium.
Back then, Baffoe led Stéphane Burchkalter and Stéphane Saint-Raymond, respectively Secretary General and Director of Communications of FIFPro Africa, to what looked like a derelict space in heart of the arena. "While we were discussing the future, Anthony took us by the arm and led us to this place: it was full of balls, packed up and deflated, a grant from FIFA as part of the Win in the Africa with Africa programme," Burchkalter said. "Before our astonished eyes, with infinite enthusiasm, Anthony sketched out the offices where the PFAG would take up residence one day."
Eight years later, through perseverance, that day has arrived. The fully-equipped new premises were unveiled in the presence of Theo van Seggelen (FIFPro Secretary General), Frederique Winia (FIFPro Director of International Relations) and FIFPro members attending the recent 11th FIFPro Africa congress.
source: fifpro.org


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Industry requires a solution for secure and trusted remote communication that is modular, advanced and infinitely scalable. Communities of users need a holistic application that ensures security and privacy via simple hands free operation.
TETRAD VKID 4-Factor Security
Based on more than a decade of research and development in forensics and biometrics, VoiceKeyID™ (VKID) is your key for unlocking your device. It's your voice for signing onto email and services. It's your voice to purchase items, hands free from typing on a small keyboard. VKID™ is your "heads up" authentication log-in voice while driving.
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WELLESELY, MA Porticus officially releases its new VoicekeyID™ 2.0 Patented four factor authentication system today. Unlike network based systems that can be hacked, this program runs completely on device, is light weight (low computer memory use) and delivers an...


text: This wrap almost makes the impossible plausible.Spotted in the Victoria Park district: the distinct tartan of a certain luxury goods clan. Tarted up by Ink'd Graphics, a Cochrane company that specializes in creative car wraps, I could almost imagine driving this Cadillac of minivans though the Scottish moors. But then I got ahold of myself and realized my Highlander fantasy makes much more sense when it involves more Burberry, less van. That buckle almost makes me want to take a look under the hood. Some things just make my engine purr.


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Items you'll need:
- 8 oz of Vinegar
- 8 oz of Dish soap, Dawn or other brand
- Spray bottle
- Mix ingredients into spray bottle and mix well.
- Spray shower walls, tub, ect… and clean!
Items you'll need:
Having children always lead to clean the floor constantly and was expensive always buying new floor cleaners. Not only is this cheap but you probably have these items already at home.
Items that you'll need:
I hate using chemicals to clean my oven! So when I went online to find a DIY cleaner I found a few and now I am sharing them with you.
Baking Soda and water:
Sprinkle a thick layer of baking soda onto the bottom of a cool oven.
Using a spray bottle, spray the baking soda down until it is damp, not saturated. The water and baking soda together will help break down the food particles.
Every few hours spray the baking soda down again to keep it moist. Continue this process over several hours, spraying water as the baking soda begins to dry out.
Scrape out the baking soda, I used a spatula.
Rinse the bottom of the oven out thoroughly.
This method does work, a little time consuming but overall, I am pleased with the results.
Salt and vinegar:
Set the temperature to about 125 degrees.
When the oven is warmed up, dampen the caked on areas with vinegar, then pour salt directly over the grime.
Then, turn off the oven and let it cool down.
You can then scrape off the salted areas and wipe down with a wet towel to get the crumbs out.
My reviews on this was mixed. After following the steps completely, I still had grime in my oven. And, I didn't like that I had to turn on my oven risking the chance of burns.
Baking Soda and vinegar:
Spray down the oven with vinegar.
Sprinkle baking soda over the affected area.
Let it sit for several minutes. It will react with the vinegar and may get bubbly.
Gently scrub until you've removed the gunk, then wipe down with warm soapy water.
I loved cleaning my oven this way! What I did different was I didn't just spot clean it I cleaned the complete oven.
Simple way to clean your microwave.
Items needed:
1 cup of vinegar
1 cup of hot water
1 microwaveable bowl
Step one:
Mix water and vinegar in bowl
Step two:
Place bowl in microwave and turn on for 10 minutes.
Step three:
Wipe out microwave.
Step four:
Repeat if needed.


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|Current 504
Interest Rate
|Current 504
Interest Rate
|Current 504
Interest Rate
Providing Financing for Growing Businesses
Cascade Capital Corporation is an economic development finance company providing dependable financing options for growing companies primarily in Greater Akron and Northeastern Ohio since 1983.
Accredited by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a Certified Development Company, Cascade Capital Corporation provides SBA 504 and SBA 504 Refinance Program funding throughout Ohio. Cascade Capital Corporation is also an Administrator of the Ohio 166 Regional Loan Program and provides funding throughout Ohio. The SBA 504, SBA 504 Refinance and Ohio 166 Programs are available to companies seeking fixed asset financing for operating facility, equipment and business purchases.
Cascade Capital Corporation participates in funding fixed asset expansion projects, through its primary SBA 504, SBA 504 Refinance and Ohio 166 Loan programs, in partnership with local/regional commercial banks.
Cascade Capital Corporation has funded numerous projects since its inception in 1983 with a total dollar value of these projects approaching $1 billion.
Cascade Capital Corporation is an equal opportunity lender. Business decisions are made based on merit, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, marital status, handicap, national origin or age.
Contact Us
Success Stories
Positive & Energetic
We have been involved with Cascade Capital for almost 10 years. They have always been positive and energetic when talking with the entire staff and I never had a bad experience with them. Along with honoring us with 9 Cascade Capital Awards and 6 Weatherhead 100 Awards, they also did everything possible to help make our SBA-504 loan process quick and simple. That loan allowed us to reduce our down payment and allowed us to borrow more, while also providing security for our bank because of government backing. I cannot think of any institution I have worked with so easily.


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Lovely makers, we're still taking orders. Stay safe and keep crafting. Thank you for your support.
A chunky 13.3oz light blue (dyed with indigo) organic cotton denim with ecru selvedge. It is a batch dyed denim, meaning that it is the same shade on both sides from the overall dyeing. As this method is done by hand, the hue is almost mottled with a softness in tone. At 68.5cm wide, it is a true selvedge fabric, produced by hand on small looms.
With a strong weave, but soft hand feel due to its handwoven nature, this denim is the perfect weight and softness for jeans, trousers, skirts, heavier dresses and workwear styles along with accessories. It will soften over time both in handle and in colour due to the nature of the low impact dyes and handweave.
We also have this fabric in dark blue and black, a bleached white and our undyed cream twill is a similar quality and weight.
The spinning of the organic cotton into yarn, the weaving of the fabric on power looms and dyeing of the finished fabric is all done in a female-led co-operative in rural India, certified Fair Trade by the WFTO (World Fair Trade Organisation). Organic cotton itself if cotton grown without pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilisers, and is picked by hand to retain the integrity of the cellulosic fibre. Non-GMO seeds are used in organic cotton cultivation, ensuring that the farmers are not caught in a web of debt with large companies. This organic cotton is non-certified, being more of a transitional crop to help support farmers and small communities who cannot afford the certification.
It is without doubt that denim uses a lot of water and chemicals in its production, however, this denim is created using rain-fed organically-cultivated cotton, spun and woven with little electricity, and with low impact dyes. The fabric itself is biodegradable under the right conditions. However, due to the authenticity of the weave and fabric hand feel, you'll want to cherish this fabric.
Please note, as this is a handwoven and hand-dyed fabric, woven using organic cotton fibre that is hand-picked and processed, there is likely to be small irregularities in the weave and colour. These should be taken as part of the charm, unless of course a considerable amount. It is also likely that each batch will have a different tone due to the nature of batch dyeing. If you are buying wholesale and need to match the blue, please request to send a swatch that can be sent to our producers. This will however add on to the timeframe, so bear this in mind.
Suitable for the washing machine and tumble dryer. Iron med-hot temperature on the reverse to prevent 'shinyness' from occuring.
Turn the machine down to 30 degrees for a more environmentally friendly wash. In Europe alone, if every household turned its washing temperature down to 30°C, we could save 12 million tons of CO2 a year.
We also recommend line drying as this reduces energy usage and looks after your textiles for longer. Use a mild detergent, light botanical refresher or even just steam the item you've made in your bathroom after a shower. This denim is classed as 'raw' because it is unwashed and without any chemical finishes - for this reason, try not to wash the item you make with it too often for the most personal textile connection.
Note, it will also shrink around 3-5% due to its unwashed and handwoven state.
Aprons, Bags and Accessories, Belts, Blinds, Curtains & Pelmets, Embroidery, Hand Sewing, Jeans, Machine Sewing, Shirts, Soft Furnishings, Skirts & Dresses, Tops and Tunics, Toys, Trousers & Shorts, Upholstery
Interested in wholesale? We offer reduced pricing on orders of 25 metres up. Please send an email to email@example.com with your desired amount and time frame, and we'll give you more details. See our full guidelines here.


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Cottagekaren's Profile
About me
Hi everyone! Karen here..starting a new garden with a new account. My old account was karensusan63.
This garden is in a very windy exposed site, with beautiful uninterrupted views of the Angus farmland around us. A hill to the south, but not high enough to block the low winter sun. Hills to the north as well, but not high enough to shelter us from the cold winds. We are 122m above sea level, 2miles from the beach at Monifieth.
In my garden I like lots of structure and colour all year around. I love small trees, flowering shrubs, roses, Bulbs and small or tidy growing perennials. I dont like perennials that only flower for a couple of weeks, messy growing shrubs and perennials that flop everywhere. I do like wildflowers and herbs and colour-themed areas. I love Hellebores. I don't like plants that die badly. I do like things that repeat flower but I also love bearded Iris. I enjoy growing veg, but not to any serious extent. I have a few raised beds and a greenhouse for them.
From 2018 I will be opening my garden for charity under 'Scotland's Gardens' scheme. I will be open every Monday in June and August.
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Joined in Sep 2013
Country: United Kingdom
County: Angus


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Register for the Waco Wild West 100Ride and then get a helmet full of Skittles
October 10, 2020
Get this date on your calendar now! Check back for more 2020 information.
The bicycle tour that has made a tradition of great rest stops and super rider support will return for 2019. This is one event you don't want to miss! There is a tour for everyone. They don't call us the Sweetest Ride in Texas for nothing…Fill your helmet with Skittles and other candy at the finish line!
All ride distances are $35 for Early Bird Registration
Youth (12 and under) – $15
Regular Registration – On July 23rd, it will increase to $40
Late registration – On September 1, it will increase to $45
Online reg will close on Thursday 9-19-19
Ride Day registration will be $50
Groups of 10 or more contact us for a discount code.
***The first 1000 riders will receive a finisher's medal!***
Register EARLY to Guarantee you get a T-Shirt. Late Registration T-Shirts will be first come first serve.
The first 500 registrants receive our commemorative pilsner glass that, like Skittles, are in the colors of the rainbow!
Check out our 2019 jersey. Pre-order with your registration. Only jerseys ordered by August 20, 2019 will be guaranteed to have in hand by ride day. We will order extras but if you want to get your jersey for the ride, order by the deadline.
Virtual Ride Option
Can't be there on October 10th? Or don't want to ride the distance all at once? Do it on your own time and your own schedule and still earn your finisher medal!
Virtual Ride, Any Distance. Includes Finisher Medal and Shipping – Ride registration has current prices.
The bicycle tour will take place rain or shine.
Ride for FREE in 2020
How to earn a free entry through fundraising
- Create your fundraising team, set a goal, and fill out the race entry form.
- Share your fundraising link via social media, email, etc.
- After you meet the minimum goal or after your card has been charged for the entry due to an unmet goal, your entry will be activated.
- ONLY YOU, as fundraiser team leader, get a free entry if the goal is met. Your fundraising team members will NOT receive free entries.
Important Details for Fundraising
- Fundraising Deadline: 11:59pm October 10th, 2020
- Some races have optional selections with extra costs beyond your free entry.
- The checkout price is the amount you will be charged if you don't raise the minimum.
Included with your 2019 Registration
- Refreshments and support throughout each of the rides
- A custom designed 2019 Waco Wild West T-shirt
- Fill your helmet with candy after you finish your route
- First 500 to register get a commemorative colored Pilsner glass
- ***The first 1000 riders will receive a finisher's medal!***
Days till the Waco Wild West
How Far Will You Ride?
Packet Pick Up and Ride Registration
Pick up your packets and register at Heritage Square, Downtown Waco. This is near the fountain on the south side of the Waco Convention Center near the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce.
Friday, October 9, 2020
- Registration and Packet Pick Up – 4 to 8 pm
- Annual Marrow Drive – 4 to 8 pm
- Pre-Ride Party – 6 to 9 pm
Saturday, October 10, 2020
- Registration and Packet Pick Up – 6 to 7:45 am
- Pancake Breakfast – 6:45 to 9:00 am
- Annual Marrow Drive – 6:30 am to 3:30 pm
- Ride Starts – 8 am
About Us
The Waco Wild West Bicycle Tour has made a tradition of great rest stops and super rider support. This is one event you don't want to miss! There is a tour for everyone.


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Find certified driver agencies, recommend agencies or if you are a driver agency, get involved today...
Driver Agency Excellence is a voluntary initiative which has been developed alongside operators and driver agencies. It aims to recognise, encourage and promote best practice within the sector. Driver Agency Excellence is managed by FTA and steered by a Governance Group, made up of specialist driver agencies.
To support agencies, FTA has developed a standardised knowledge-check assessment for drivers and a course for agency staff, to ensure that the office team putting drivers on assignment are also kept up to date with transport legislation.
Within the recently launched DVSA Earned Recognition scheme, there is a requirement for operators who use driver agencies, to not only have a formal contract, but also audit their agencies. Driver Agency Excellence satisfies that requirement and is referenced within the DVSA standard.
The vital and temporary requirement for an agency driver means compliance risk can be introduced into a transport operation. The Driver Agency Excellence scheme is a way for operators to mitigate the risk within their supply chain.
"We have been part of the FTA DAE Scheme since its inception and are proud to be members of the Governance Group. The spirit of the scheme is for it to be the standard across the sector in respect of agency driver provision. The principles of Driver Recruitment, Core Business Standards and Driver Management within the DAE form the basis of our procedures and each of our locations operate to this framework. The benefits of compliance, best practice and training consistencies across the group brings added value to our Clients and those within our business who perform recruitment functions for Transport Operations. We are wholly committed to the development and ongoing expansion of the FTA DAE."
If you are a customer of one or multiple driver agencies then you can recommend your agency for certification.
Once you apply for the scheme you will be taken through a six-step certification process.
Take a look at our Online List of Certified Agencies
View our Advice on Agency Drivers
To join the scheme, please complete and return the application form by fax to 01892 552360 or post to Driver Agency Scheme, Freight Transport Association, Hermes House, St John's Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 9UZ
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Get DVD Talk Feeds
The Movie:
Thank god for Paul Verhoeven. Nobody makes movies like he does, though many have certainly tried. For those who would argue that even the best director is nothing without a good script, just look at what the crazy Dutchman made from Basic Instinct, based on a completely idiotic screenplay that megalomaniac writer Joe Eszterhas had already sold once under the title Jagged Edge and would recycle again later for Jade. Broken down to a story level, these are all basically the same movie with only superficial changes in detail or character names. Yet Basic Instinct stands head and shoulders above the others, as well as above its own wretched sequel and countless imitators. It's the best (some would say the only good one at all) film in the entire "erotic thriller" genre, and the credit belongs wholly to Verhoeven. The man is an auteur of trash. He elevates garbage to the status of art.
Michael Douglas stars as San Francisco homicide detective Nick Curran, the type of cocky asshole the actor specialized in throughout the '80s and '90s. A (supposedly) recently sober boozehound with a coke problem and anger management issues who's still on the outs with Internal Affairs over shooting some tourists (Whoopsies!),
Curran is assigned the grisly murder of a retired rock star icepicked to death during the throws of sexual orgasm. "He got off while he got off", Eszterhas has one of the other detectives insightfully explain. The investigation leads to the rocker's girlfriend, a blonde sexpot and seemingly amoral authoress whose last book was about a woman who icepicks a retired rock star to death during sex. Hmmm, what a coincidence. To top it off, Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) has a fondness for playing mind games with cops, and practically dares Nick to find her guilty of something, anything at all, which he would gladly do if only there were any evidence. In the meantime, even though he's certain Tramell is the murderer, Nick decides to let her screw with him all she wants, in both the mental and physical senses. The two knock boots all over the place, the threat of his own possible death bringing a special thrill to their torrid affair.
Since Eszterhas is fundamentally a sexist jerkoff, the Basic Instinct screenplay takes a dim view of the female gender, all of whom are depicted at a minimum as deceitful whores if not outright evil murderous bitches. In another director's hands, the film's misogyny would be unbearable, but Verhoeven embraces the movie's own basest instincts and turns them on their ear. In his view, Tramell is the hero of the story, using her omnivorous sexuality as a weapon against a male-dominated world. She plays the traditional male role of aggressor, making Curran her bitch. She's smarter than any man in the movie, and proves worthy of earning her own sort of happy ending, even if that means getting away with murder.
To that end, the plot's mystery is basically irrelevant and the mechanics of getting to its conclusion patently absurd. Apparently, in Eszterhas' bizarre alternate universe,
there are no such things as fingerprints or DNA, because if there were this case would be closed within the first 10 minutes. What police department would let people this screwed up lead investigations that they blatantly have conflicts of interest with? Fortunately, Verhoeven recognizes that logic or common sense have no place in this story. The director has fun winding his way through a series of red herrings involving Tramell's lesbian girlfriend (the sizzling Leilani Sarelle), as well as Nick's own former girlfriend, who just happens to be the police psychologist tasked with profiling the villain (Jeanne Tripplehorn, tramped up in big glasses, an inappropriately short business skirt, and fishnet stockings like something out of a porno), but in the end the identity of the killer doesn't even matter, a point hammered home in the fake-out ending. Right from the opening scene, we all know what really happened, and everything leading up to that revelation is just smoke and mirrors. Basic Instinct isn't a mystery at all; it's a sexually charged fever dream, pure style over substance.
And what a glorious, gaudy dream it is. The movie is entirely ridiculous but insanely entertaining. Playing up the San Francisco locations, Verhoeven directs the picture like Hitchcock on steroids, turning it into a cross between Vertigo, gritty '70s cop thrillers, and lurid Cinemax After Dark softcore porn, envisioned through his own distinctly European outsider's view of American culture. The men are all chauvinist pigs and the women monstrous whores. The movie's visuals and rhythms are sleek and seductive. Its dialogue, never the type that real human beings might speak, revels in its artificiality. Sharon Stone delivers a true star-making performance, vamping it up as the brilliant, soulless Tramell and fearlessly jumping into the steamy, no-holds-barred sex scenes that Verhoeven stages with animalistic passion. Basic Instinct is scorching hot, totally preposterous, and entertaining as hell. If ever there were a masterpiece made from the detritus of America's pop art wasteland, this is it.
The Blu-ray Disc:
Basic Instinct has been released on the Blu-ray format by Lionsgate Entertainment. The disc contains the Unrated Director's Cut previously released on laserdisc and DVD, which includes a smidge of extra gore (one cheesy mannequin effect shouldn't have been put back in) and smutty sex action (that notorious close-up of Sharon Stone's vagina truly does belong in the movie, however). The disc automatically opens with two Lionsgate trailers that can thankfully be skipped but are a nuisance.
The movie was also released on the HD DVD format in November of 2006 by Studio Canal in Europe.
Blu-ray discs are only playable in a compatible Blu-ray player. They will not function in a standard DVD player or in an HD DVD player. Please note that the star rating scales for video and audio are relative to other High Definition disc content, not to traditional DVD.
The Basic Instinct Blu-ray is encoded in High Definition 1080p format using MPEG4 AVC compression on a single-layer 25 gb disc. The movie is presented in its theatrical aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 with letterbox bars at the top and bottom of the 16:9 frame.
Basic Instinct has had a pretty checkered history on home video.
The movie has very stylish photography but previous laserdisc and DVD editions have ranged from downright awful to barely mediocre. The Blu-ray continues that tradition, sadly. It's the best-looking home video release of the film that I've seen (note that I have not viewed the European HD DVD), and some scenes are relatively nice, but on the whole the High-Def transfer doesn't much impress. The picture is a bit soft and has rather dull colors. Flesh tones are nonetheless frequently an unnatural shade of orange. Close-up shots tend to look pretty good, and the image is indisputably High Definition, but medium and wide shots look dupey and lose detail. The diagonal lines over the opening titles exhibit jaggies, and the natural film grain in the photography has been DNR'ed into oblivion, with an obvious loss of detail in the process. It's not a terrible transfer, but definitely not a great one either.
[Update: The HD DVD is reviewed here.]
The Basic Instinct Blu-ray disc is not flagged with an Image Constraint Token and will play in full High Definition quality over a Blu-ray player's analog Component Video outputs.
The photo images used in this article were taken from the DVD edition for illustrative purposes only, and are not intended to demonstrate Blu-ray picture quality.
The movie's soundtrack is provided in DTS-HD High Resolution 6.1 format (not to be confused with the lossless DTS-HD Master Audio codec) or in standard Dolby Digital-EX 5.1. The mix is a little dated and features mostly shallow bass and little to no surround activity. The musical score does have nice front channel separation, however. The opening theme sounds a little thin and even warbly, but musical fidelity improves as the movie goes along. Jerry Goldsmith's shrieking violins remain quite effective. The dance club scene is the movie's auditory high point, with the most aggressive use of surround activity and a thumping Euro house beat.
Subs & Dubs:
Optional subtitles - English or Spanish.
Alternate language tracks - N/A.
The bonus features on this Blu-ray title are duplicated from the DVD edition. All of the important supplements from the 2001 Special Edition DVD (the one in the silly icepick packaging) have carried over.
Final Thoughts:
A classic trash art masterpiece, Basic Instinct remains as entertaining as ever. Sadly, the Blu-ray has a mediocre transfer and sound, much like every other home video edition of the movie, but the bonus features carried over from the last Special Edition DVD are fun. The disc earns a qualified recommendation.
Related Articles:
Basic Instinct (HD DVD)
Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction (Blu-ray) - Awful sequel
Black Rain (HD DVD) - Michael Douglas
RoboCop (Blu-ray) - Paul Verhoeven
Traffic (HD DVD) - Michael Douglas
HD Review Index
Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray Player


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Looking for ways to bring the spark back to your relationship? Over time we can all settle into our relationships and forget what made them special to us in the first place. We take care of each other but can get complacent in how we treat our special someone. We should always remember to be faithful, communicate, and please each other in bed, but sometimes life requires a bit more, too.
Here are seven ways to make love last, even when your relationship seems like a big challenge:
- Praise your partner before criticizing. Humans remember more negative situations, words, or feelings than we do positive ones, so we need more positive affirmations to make up for life's negativity. When it comes to your partner, make sure you are praising them for the things they are doing right rather than nagging them about the stuff they get wrong. We all make mistakes, but they don't always need to be pointed out. Be detailed in your praise and easy in your criticism.
- Be passionate. When discussing things you care about, be sure that you aren't shutting down. This can be taken by your partner as not caring or being aloof. Work on having clear, civil conversations with your partner that don't dissolve into knockdown, drag out fights. You can argue and be passionate without harming one another. Listen and learn with your partner as you communicate.
- Don't avoid difficult conversations. We don't want our partner to think negatively about us, but not having these challenging conversations can be detrimental to the overall health of your relationship. Don't wait for the pot to boil over; it's best to get things out in the open rather than losing your temper later on.
- Know yourself. So much of our relationship is spent trying to smooth out the rough edges that we forget that our differences are what makes our relationship special. Work on making yourself someone worth being in a relationship with; grow your own emotional, mental, and spiritual lives so that you can be truly yourself, with another person.
- Don't let the negatives get you down. So often we get caught up in the negative parts of our relationships that we forget the good things that keep us together. When problems arise in relationships, we might try to fix them right away. While some problems are easy to solve, others require acceptance. You should love your partner for who and what they are, good and bad.
- Listen to your gut. Your intuition will tell you when something is up with your partner, if things are wrong, or if you should be worried about something. We tend to rely on others to tell us when things are wrong, but in a relationship you are the expert. You need to determine what you can do to make your partner happy, what to let go of, and what problems to pursue.
- Be the example. We don't always take on the role of the bigger person easily. However, this can be the best way to smooth over the rough edges of a relationship. Be the first to let go of resentments, anger, or conflicts that don't matter; remember that you love this person above all, and you want what is best for them. You alone are responsible for your happiness, and your partner isn't supposed to be the solution to all your life's problems.
Relationships take a lot of work, and they don't always work out. There are lessons to be learned from every person we come in contact with throughout our lives, romantically or otherwise. Relationships are all around us, and its up to us how much effort we want to put into them.
Love Psychics Online Right Now – Talk to a Gifted Psychic Today!


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What is SDH?
SDH is an all-volunteer home education network serving homeschoolers throughout Tucson and Southern Arizona. We were founded in January of 1999 by a group of committed parents. We have families of all different homeschooling philosophies, and we like it that way! Some families choose a curriculum based model and others choose unschooling as their model, as well as everything in between. The journey away from schooling is vast, and we know that people's methods change as time goes on. In SDH, we believe that our similarities far outweigh our differences, and we choose to support each other in the fact that we have all walked away from mainstream schooling.
The backbone of our organization is our weekly Park Day, which is held on Tuesdays at either Brandi Fenton, McCormic, Rio Vista, La Madera or Ft. Lowerll Parks from mid-August through May. Park Day provides families with a chance to get to know each other in a casual way - trading tips, sharing food, and allowing for hours of unstructured play time for the children and oftentimes much needed adult conversation for the parents. Many families schedule their plans around Park Day, and many children say it is the highlight of their week.
Depending on the year, SDH has had recurring scheduled activities, such as Trampoline Day, Parents' Night Out, Archery Club, Survival Skills Club, Horseback Riding Camp and Minecraft Club. We also have field trips such as tours of Old Tucson, the Tucson Botanical Gardens, Sleeping Frog Farms and the Tucson Children's Museum. We regularly reserve group tickets for live theater events around town such as Shrek, Oliver, and the Nutcracker, many of which star members of SDH. Many families also organize classes or events for the whole group when their child is interested in something in particular, such as Japanese lessons, tours of the U of A science labs, camping trips and drama classes.
Why Join SDH?
By joining Sonoran Desert Homeschoolers you will become part of a diverse and supportive group as you travel on your homeschooling adventure. You will be included in our group of currently over 100 families of all ages, sizes and philosophical bents. Once you join SDH you will be included in our Facebook group, where the majority of our communication happens. It is private, and is only available to people who have met us in person at a park day. We valued our privacy, and that of our children. Our FB group is incredibly active and has many discussions, resources, and events that are active every single day on FB. By joining SDH you will get to participate in and/or help organize SDH group activities for both you and your child and other SDH families. We are a dynamic, inclusive group, and we are always excited to welcome new members.
How To Join SDH?
To join, come to Park Day on any Tuesday - you can submit the membership form plus the fee (cash only) to a Newcomer Liason or to the Treasurer. It only costs $10.00 per year to join! And we have scholarships available for those who need them.
More Questions?
Fill out the contact form on the left side of the page or email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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The pace of change in modern football can often be breathtaking. What was once novel is now commonplace, and this is certainly true of the First Team Analyst… but what does someone in that role actually do? Bury's Jimmy Dickinson reveals all…
You've been a fan of Bury since you were just four years old. What are your earliest memories of the club?
My first ever memory as a Bury fan was at my first ever game away at Radcliffe in pre-season. I nipped to the burger van with my dad and uncle during the match, and as I was just handed my chips, the ball had been cleared into the stand and hit me right on the head, knocking me over! Luckily, I'd just put my chips down. Looking back, it was probably a warning sign of things to come as young Shaker!
What would you say is your favourite moment or match from any time before working for the club?
It has to be Chesterfield away (in 2010/2011). The day we got promoted. That is what I class as my first promotion as a Bury fan, as I still a bit too young to remember the promotions under Stan Ternent in the 90s, and wasn't going regularly then. So from the time I started properly watching, I only really saw struggling seasons and relegations apart from the odd year, so to witness a campaign and a day like that was very special for me.
Did you always have aspirations of working within a professional football environment growing up?
As a lad growing up, my main passion was football, like most kids. I was always into stats of players and clubs, and my knowledge of players at all levels has always been in-depth. My interest for analysis didn't spark until university. I took the module in my second year, and enjoyed it so much that I carried it onto my third year, where I went on to do a season placement at Rochdale.
How did you find balancing your first degree with your work under Keith Hill at Spotland?
It was hard at times. With all my uni work, a part-time job, and a placement at Rochdale, I had to manage my time well! Fortunately the analyst I worked under at the time (Dan Fradley) understood the situation after recently graduating himself, so that helped. But it was all worth it in the end.
How did the opportunity at Bury in 2014 come about?
At the time I was studying for my Master's, and had extended my placement at Rochdale for another season. Around October time, I saw through an advert through my uni that Bury had advertised an analysis placement for the first team. I applied for the placement and got invited down for a trial game for the FA Cup against Hemel Hempstead. That afternoon when I arrived, I got talking to the then manager David Flitcroft, and we had an in-depth chat about how we could improve and utilise analysis at the club and after a couple of weeks of the placement I was offered my first professional role in football.
How would you describe your role to someone perhaps unfamiliar with what a First Team Analyst actually does?
I would say one of my main roles at the club is opposition analysis. Along with Steven Schumacher and Ryan Lowe, we will study our next opposition with great detail. Putting together a video report on them, involving different aspects of the match that we show to the players during the week leading up to the game. On a match day, you will find me in the gantry that sits at the top of the south stand. Up there, I will film and live code the game into stats and video analysis, so we have the match already dissected for straight after the game for the gaffer and the coaching staff to review, as well as for the players to watch their individual clips from their performance.
Has there been much difference to you personally working with the various managers in the past four and a half years?
Every manager is different and likes things done and presented in a certain way. For me, it's just about adapting as quickly as I can and forming relationships with each member of staff, so I can get my job done as efficiently as possible.
What factors do you think have driven the growth of analysis within professional clubs, especially those below the top two tiers?
I think football these days for managers and staff has become so intense and highly pressured. You see examples of managers losing their jobs after only a few bad results. So from an analysis point of view, if something is there to be utilised that can be used to help or improve how you see things, either in training or on a match day even, if it only helps improve something by a small percentage, that could be all the difference. It's like that in other aspects of football too, not just analysis; sports science being a prime example.
Has there ever been an instance of something you've seen whilst analysing the opposition that's had a big impact on how Bury have then set up against them, and if so, is there an example you can share?
As staff we look at every area and aspect of the opposition. Defensive weaknesses and strengths, attacking weakness and strengths, set pieces defensive and attacking, penalties, style of play, goal keeper distribution. We look at every aspect to try and give us the edge on the opposition.
Given the number of academy players that have been in or around the first team at different points this season, have you had much chance to collaborate with Hannah Burgon (U18s Analyst)?
Yeah, I speak with Hannah everyday. We work closely together on a lot of things. I oversee all the analysis that goes on at the club and will involve myself in as much academy analysis as my schedule allows me!
What do you want to achieve in the short and long-term in your role and career?
I love working at this football club, as you know I've supported them as a kid and all my family are massive supporters. We have a great group of players and staff and it's an brilliant place to work every day. There's no hiding that the last two seasons in league one were difficult for me personally and the football club as a whole so the short term goal is obviously to get where we want to this season and keep picking up those wins! Long term for me I want to work at the highest level possible like everyone does in their careers, I want to work with and learn off the best in my field every day.
Have you been surprised at how well this campaign has gone so far?
No, I've not been surprised. I've seen at close quarters the work and dedication the gaffer and Schuey have put in since taking over last season, and all the planning and preparation that went into this season. Everyone at the club is just taking it one game at a time, we're in a decent position, but nobody is getting carried away. We know the job we all have to do…


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Contributors—June 2008
Michael Lenehan, Jennifer Tanaka, James L. Merriner, Ana Castillo, Elizabeth Crane, Stuart Dybek, Joe Meno, and Bao Ojikutu
"You gonna kill some pigs?" a farm worker asked Michael Lenehan, the writer of Hello, Beautiful. He received the invitation in the slaughterhouse at Gunthorp Farms, a pig- and poultry-raising operation in northeast Indiana that supplies several upscale restaurants in Chicago, including Charlie Trotter's and Topolobampo. In the end, "[a pig] goes from being an animal to being a piece of meat very quickly," says Lenehan, who declined the guy's offer. Nevertheless, he participated in a frigid feeding of the pigs last winter and took home some pork and duck to taste-test. "I had two dinner parties with this stuff, and I regaled my guests with stories of where the meat had come from," he says. "I probably overcooked the pork." Lenehan's work has appeared extensively in the Chicago Reader and The Atlantic Monthly.
Almost two years ago, Jennifer Tanaka spent five days working at the top-tier restaurant Alinea, researching a story on the cuisine of its chef, Grant Achatz. Last July, Achatz was diagnosed with advanced oral cancer. The recommended treatment, which would sound like formulaic fiction if it weren't true, was surgical removal of most of his tongue. A senior editor for Chicago, Tanaka wrote Burned, returning to Alinea twice to interview Achatz after a successful new treatment spared his tongue (so far), and she saw the same dynamo she knew from her time in the kitchen, only slightly changed in appearance. "I do think he has this kind of superhuman drive," she says, "a monofocused ambition."
In Chicago's March 2006 issue, James L. Merriner wrote the cover story, examining whether Barack Obama would run for president. This month, Merriner looks at the now candidate's Chicago associates in The Friends of O. "I talked to a lot of the same sources," Merriner says, "and some sources who said in '06 that there's no way he could run in '08, they've had to do a little bit of reassessment." This month's story limns an underreported aspect of Obama's past: how Hyde Park incubated Obama's early career. "The national media are doing roots-of-Obama stories," Merriner says, "but they're still hung up on Daley and Rezko and they don't understand Hyde Park." Merriner's book on former governor George Ryan, The Man Who Emptied Death Row, is scheduled to come out in September.
Chicago asked five writers to pen reminiscences about Lake Michigan for this month's cover story, Our Lake. Ana Castillo writes poetry, essays, stories, and novels—most recently the novel The Guardians. About her essay "On the Way," she writes, "The idea for the piece came instantly to mind when I thought of my earliest memories of Chicago's beaches." She is currently working on a new novel from her home in New Mexico.
The short-story writer Elizabeth Crane recalls a stay in Chicago before she moved here in "The Turning Point," a moment when she was discovering her kinship with the lake and the city. "I was definitely in the right place," she says. Her 2003 book When the Messenger Is Hot was adapted for a Steppenwolf Theatre production last year. Her most recent collection, You Must Be This Happy to Enter, was published in February.
Stuart Dybek began what would become his essay "The Seiche" by listing lake stories he still wanted to tell and selecting just a few details to develop from the long list. "When you've written a book titled The Coast of Chicago, the lake is not a foreign subject," he says. After writing for Chicago, he fictionalized and expanded "The Seiche" for his upcoming collection of stories. Dybek is a 2007 MacArthur Fellow and a distinguished writer in residence at Northwestern University.
"The lake is the great equalizer," says Joe Meno, the novelist and author here of "Absolute Amateurs." By his lights, it's a place where Chicagoans mix with one another and balance their individual experience with the community. In August, Meno releases his new story collection Demons in the Spring, with 20 stories, each accompanied by the work of a different artist. He teaches at Columbia College.
"I don't think anyone has really explored what the lake means here in the city," says Bayo Ojikutu, writer of "Water Color Lines." His own memories are clear and profound: "I always recall the power of the lake." He is the author of the novels 47th Street Black and Free Burning. His next novel will deal with contradictions and hypocrisies in the upper economic classes.
Photography: (Lenehan, Tanaka) Joe C. Moreno, (Merriner) Brittney Blair (Castillo) © Robert A. Molina, (Crane) Ben Brandt, (Meno) Joe Wigdahl, (Ojikutu) Mylowe Wooley
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Leading the Way in Serial to Ethernet, Fiber to Ethernet and Reliable Device Networking Hardware
Perle Systems is a premier provider of reliable, full-featured and competitively priced serial, I/O, Ethernet and fiber connectivity solutions. Businesses around the globe have come to trust Perle to deliver superior connectivity technology for their mission critical applications.
Perle's products include: Serial to Ethernet Adapters, Terminal Servers, Console Servers, Device Servers, Ethernet I/O Device Servers, Serial Cards, Ethernet Extenders , Media Converters, Serial to Fiber Converters, Surge Protectors and Industrial Ethernet Switches that are ideal for organizations that need to: establish network connectivity across multiple locations; securely transmit critical and sensitive information; remotely monitor and control networked devices and appliances, and more.
Console Servers / Data center management
Perle's IOLAN Console Server, sometimes referred to as a serial terminal server, provides data center managers what they need most - secure remote management of routers, switches, firewalls, servers (Solaris, Windows, Unix and Linux), PBXs or any device with a serial console port. Give your IT professionals and network operations center (NOC) personnel the only serial console server product on the market with all of the advanced security functionality needed to easily perform secure remote data center management and out-of-band management of IT assets from anywhere in the world. And, to make your choice easy, Perle IOLAN Console Servers have advanced functionality across the range.
Perle's IOLAN Serial Device Servers easily web or network enables existing equipment with RS232, RS422 or RS485 serial interfaces, quickly and easily. These advanced Serial Device Servers are the best choice for connecting async devices such as modems, POS, printers and industrial equipment to serial based COM port, UDP or TCP socket based applications.
Perle's IOLAN Terminal Servers easily connect any device with serial ports over Ethernet for access to network server applications. And, with innovative TrueSerial® technology, a Perle Terminal Server is the only product to guarantee authentic serial communications. These advanced serial to Ethernet solutions are your best choice for networking async devices such as Cisco console ports, POS terminals, servers, modems, card readers and a wide range of industrial equipment to TCP/IP Ethernet.
Perle's advanced media converters transparently connect copper to fiber, multimode to single mode and multimode to multimode fiber. Media converters provide an economical path to extend the distance of an existing network, the life of non-fiber based equipment, or the distance between two devices. With a broad choice of full-featured Fiber Media Converters, Perle has the right Unmanaged or Managed Media Converter to meet the needs of your fiber integration project.
When you need to extend Ethernet services beyond the general IEEE 802.3 limits of 328ft / 100m, and new fiber cabling is cost prohibitive, Ethernet Extenders are the perfect solution. Perle Ethernet Extenders transparently extend 10/100/1000 Ethernet connections across copper wiring. Use single twisted pair ( CAT5/6/7 ), coax or any existing copper wiring previously used in alarm circuits, E1/T1 circuits, RS-232, RS-422, RS-485, CCTV and CATV applications.
Perle Industrial-grade Ethernet Switches stand up to extreme temperatures, vibrations, and shocks found in industrial automation, government, military, marine, rail, oil and gas, mining and outdoor applications. 5, 7, 8 or 10 port Industrial DIN Rail Ethernet Switches. Fast Ethernet or Gigabit. Optional fiber ports with ST, SC or SFP connectors. PoE/PoE+ PSE capable models that are fully compliant to IEEE 802.3af/at.
Protect CAT5/6/7 data lines, PoE equipment and SHDSL telecommunication interface from lightning, RFI, ESD and transient surge. Largescale equipment failures and data loss are far more expensive than the cost of installing a Surge Protection Device (SPD).
Serial Extenders:
PSI-MOS Serial to Fiber Converters transparently connect RS232, RS422 and RS485 devices to fiber optic cable. By transmitting data over optical fiber, these serial media converters provide an economical path to extend the reach of serial devices.
The PSI-MODEM-SHDSL/SERIAL to Copper Extender transparently extends serial data transmission up to 20 km [12.4 mi] across single twisted pair ( CAT5/6/7 ), coax or any existing copper wiring previously used in alarm circuits, E1/T1 circuits, CCTV and CATV applications.
Interface converter for the electrical isolation of RS-232 interfaces
The PSM-ME-RS232/RS485-P bi-directionally converts RS-232 interface signals to the RS-485 2/4-wire and RS-422 standard.
Boost, or amplify, RS-485 signals to cover longer distances with the PSM-ME-RS485 Repeater.
The Perle PINJ30 is a single port, high power PoE+ mid-span injector. It acts as an intermediary device between a non-PoE switch and a PoE device to inject fully compliant power over the Ethernet cable.
Perle's Ethernet I/O technology (IOLAN DS I/O Device Servers) enables comprehensive access and control of remote digital I/O, analog I/O, pulse I/O, relays and temperature sensors as well as connections of remote serial equipment on any IP network. The IOLAN DS I/O has the ability to monitor environmental alarms, intrusion detection, relay contact closures and equipment failure. Through remote operator or application control, opening and closing of integrated relay contacts or activation of digital output signals can be incorporated into any response of a critical event.
Perle's Remote Power Switches (RPS) enable you to remotely power on/off/cycle Data Center equipment to reduce downtime, service costs and resources. Operate as an integrated solution with Perle IOLAN Console Servers or as a standalone device over Ethernet.
Perle's Serial Card lines enable you to easily add RS232, RS422, RS485 serial ports to your PC or server. Compatible with PCI, PCI-X or PCI Express bus slots, Perle serial cards are the only products that support all major operating systems including Windows, Vista, Linux, Solaris, SPARC as well as SCO.
Perle's Parallel PCI card family enables users to add parallel ports supporting the full IEEE 1284 parallel port standard to their PCs or servers. These universal PCI cards meet the PCI and PCI Express standards that have been adopted by PC server manufacturers and are available in standard and low profile form factors. Serial-parallel PCI combo cards are also available for those applications that require both serial RS232 and parallel ports on a single PCI or PCI Express card interface.


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On Friday, June 15th, The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce announced finalists at the 2018 Frank G. Berlin Sr. Small Business Awards held at the Hyatt Regency in Sarasota. This event recognizes the hard work and success of small businesses throughout all of Sarasota.
After enjoying a wonderful lunch and listening to the extremely amusing Les McCurdy, a very successful comedian and owner of McCurdy Comedy Club, the awards ceremony began. All of the finalists had their videos displayed on the large screen showing accomplishments, aspirations, and the culture of these exceptionally successful businesses.
Tandem Construction is honored to be the recipient of the Professional Services Business award. Tandem has had many recent successes that helped bring this award back to the office. Some of the projects displayed include the Sarasota High School renovation and expansion, Sarasota Ford, IMG Academy, Sarasota Yacht club, and the Atlanta Braves. The future is looking bright for Tandem as they strive to continue producing top quality results in their industry.
Read more about the Award Ceremony HERE.
See Tandem's video HERE.


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Just saw this in an email post by someone who didn't leave their name. But I loved the quote anyway!
"Increase fluency and confidence by writing every day." Margaret Turley
On another note, I'd had to take a hiatus from blogging for the past few months. But I'm back now with little snippets of various interests of mine. :0)


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But there's no estimated time provided by them. Android Authority reports that the update will be released in June and will gradually roll out across all the countries.
Finally, there' some good news for the owners of G4 Play as they have been waiting for the update since ages now. Motorola might release the soak test build next month. So, wait for that.


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"I'm So Fat!." This exact line (and lines similar to it) are spoken daily by millions of girls throughout the Western World. Girls that are not even overweight in the slightest have been under a huge misapprehension because they believe this line to be true and as a result, there has been a dramatic increase in development of eating disorders in the female population in the United States and Canada.
Imagine being a fifteen-year-old girl, flipping through the pages of Cosmopolitan and being constantly bombarded with airbrushed images of size 0 models and actresses with huge, bleached smiles on their faces surrounded by gorgeous, buff men. After viewing the images its not that hard to believe that the only way to acheive happiness is by being that thin.
There has been a huge rise in female adolescents developing some sort of an eating disorder in the past 20 years can be traced back to the media's influence on society.
While there are a number of psychological and biochemical factors that play a role in the epidemic, the media contributes greatly to onset of eating disorders in young women by distorting their body image, glamorizing sports that require a trim physical appearance and the portrayal of success among thin women.
Some General Information about eating disorders:
Anorexia Nervosa is a disorder of self-starvation. It is an extreme aversion to good. It is a huge problem with deep psychological roots. This is perhaps the most popular or at least more commercialized eating disorder around since most of the general public has a general idea of what anorxia is. Bulimia Nervosa is the repeated cycles of binging and purging (consuming large amounts of food and attempting to get rid of it, by means of laxatives or vomiting) and it a predominately female disease.
A person with bulimia faces feelings of guilt, depression and self-condemnation after binging and will do whatever necessary to prevent weight gain while a person with anorexia will have similar feelings but instead of binging, they do not eat at all and many do excessive exercise to get rid of unwanted weight. They view themselves as fat even though they may be grossly underwieght. Eventually an anorexic may desire food so badly that they will start eating and purging. It is no surprise that 50% of anorexics become bulimic. Some factors that cause eating disorders include:
-family history of eating disorders
-low self-esteem
-childhood trauma
-feeling of a loss of control in ones life, etc.
Anorexia and Bulima typically affect adolescent, Caucasian girls from middle-upper class families however there are sufferers from all walks of life.
Compulsive Overeating is the repeated cycle of uncontrollable eating without the purging of food and is again, a predominately female disease. It is typically overlooked as an eating disorder but because there is a love-hate relationship with food it is a very dangerous eating disorder, and it is also the most common among the North American population.
The Media has a fine way of distortion a young woman's body image. Just look at the models in fashion magazines, who are so perfectly made up, so perfectly gorgeous, so perfectly thin... so perfectly AIRBRUSHED! Underneath the picture is a caption which states: 'Get this look in 4 easy steps'... even though there is no possible way the look has been obtained in four easy steps. The models do have professional hair and make-up artists creating the look and afterwards, layout editors airbrush out all the various "imperfections" (like blemishes, fat bulges, etc) that the models have.
The Majority of models/actresses are thinnger than 98% of North American women but many people don't seem to realize that television and movie actors spend hours a day to acheive their perfect look through layers of makeup and hours of exercise. Society throuws out a very unrealistic idea about what the 'perfect body' is. Movie stars and models are idealized in our culture more than any other group of people so everyone wants to look like their favourite star. Even children under the age of ten are starting to become preoccupied with dieting abd body image thanks to this obesssion. But actors are usually 20% thinner than the average woman and are typically very underweight for their height due to extreme malnourishment!
The sad part is that throughout history the image of the ideal woman has become very slenderized. In the 1950's, the bodies of voluptous celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russel were highly sought after. Men drooled over Ms. Monroe's body while women wanted to be her and she was definately not a skinny woman by today's standars considering she was a size 14. It she had been around today she would have been told by numerous casting directors to lose weight or be forced to play the overweight sidekick for the rest of her life. Why can't a curvy woman still be considered sexy by todays standards? What is so wrong with the western world that they can't see past and individuals weight and onto something more important... intelligence perhaps?
Secondly, the media tends to focus in on more body conscious sports such as gymnastics which require a trim physical appearance. Even Olympic television networks really show the sports where the typical female is thin and feminine. Does one often see the female body builder's events? Probably not, because no one wants to watch a female with huge muscles who looks almost masculine. A female must be delicate, dainty and sweet. It only the mass public knew that 62% of girls in sports like figure skating and gymnastics are anorexic. This definately has to do with the great pressure that is put on the athletes by their coaches and the rest of society.
Males tend to become bulimic in sports like wrestling, which demand a low weight class. There is a common misconception that only females have eating disorders but male eating disorders are vastly overlooked in the sports world even though 10% of bulimia sufferers are male.
The Media likes to glamorize the fact that it is easy to acheive the athletic look just by working out even though many male athletes take steriods to get the 'buff' look. No wonder so many people are ashamed of their bodies! Just by taking a look at all the health magazines out there, one can see that there is rarely an average sized model on the cover because it is usually someone who is perfetly toned and most likely spends all of their free time trying to look the way that they do.
The media has immaculate effects on many people due to stereotyping of body shapes and lifestyles that are ideal and promotes complicated diet and exercise plans despite the fact that the obesity rate is constantly increasing in the current generation. The U.S industrial outlook 1993, indicated that the exercise and fitness sector of the sporting good industry has been the fastest growing sector since the end of the 1980's.
Lastly, the media tends to portay only thin and beautiful woman as successful. Just by watching a television show or movie, one can figure out that the popular successful girl is the one who is thin and beautiful or highly profitable business woman is the one who looks the best in a mini skirt. An overweight person is ually a depressed 'freak' on television and movies, so why would anyone want to be a depressed freak? If one can avoid becoming depressed by being thin, why wouldn't they take the opportunity to do so?
Thinness can give a woman access to a number of important resources including self-confidence, a greater sense of femininity, and male attention or protection. Diet commercials constantly tell people that if they lose weight they will be happy. Americans spend billions of dollars per year trying to look the way the media wants them to. The Diet industry, which never existed 30 years ago, has become the most successful industry in North America. Plastic surgery has become a $5 billion a year industry in the past 20 years. It is even considered part of the natural order of things for a woman to do. It is done as a self-improvement for unhappiness with natural physical appearance.
So whatever happened to age being an attractive quality in women? People from non-Western cultures find it extremely strange how women of the Western world want to acquire an elusive, eternally youthful body. In some cultures, wisdom is acquired with age and therefore, so is beauty.
Even some musicians in today's society are famous only because of their image and not based on talent. It used to be that music was a way to expressive onself creatibely, looks did not matter but now looks are a highly important factor to the music business. One must have a certain 'look' in order to be considered for a record deal, thus becoming successful.
Overall, as girls enter adolescence they struggle for an identity that separates them from their families and feel a need to control something unstable in their life. As a result females develop eating disorder because their bodie are the only things they can control in a chaotic world. There will probably never be a way to completely abolish eating disorders in society because it the media's unattaible standards. However people can stop the growing numbers as soon as they stop believing all the lies the fashion and dieting industries bestow upon them. No number on a scale or being able to squueze into those tight leather pants will make a person happy because happiness can only come from within oneself.


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May 20, 2015
The trick is to keep breathing
"What the fuck?" seems to be most people's reaction when I tell them I have cancer. Fair enough: that continues to be my over-riding response, too. To add injury to insult, I've got myeloma, typically the preserve of people in their seventh decade of life, and with no convincing environmental risk factors. Myeloma is considered treatable, but not curable. It's a blood cancer, or more accurately an immune system cancer, affecting cells that by their very nature proliferate and then lie dormant, so it doesn't respond well to the cell-division-smashing sledgehammer of typical cancer treatment.
That's the bad news. The good news (in the circumstances) is that people don't typically die of the myeloma itself, but rather from its complications. It causes anaemia, calcium mobilisation from bones, immune dysfunction, renal failure. I've got none of those; in short, I'm not the median patient, and thanks to an eagle-eyed GP I've been caught very early (albeit, as it turns out, still with around 75% of my bone marrow affected).
Treatment for myeloma is no walk in the park. I'm currently in the fourth week of low-dose chemotherapy that will continue for for a couple more months. Then I get the big guns of modern medicine. My bone-marrow stem cells harvested to keep them safe, then intensive chemotherapy that will make my hair fall out and my immune system disappear. The stem cells go back in after that, and everyone treats me with kid gloves while they grow back and reboot my immune system and a number of other physiological processed that I've grown to be fond of. Hopefully, along the way, most of the cancer cells go pop. Statistically, the chance that ALL of them will vanish is practically nil. Clinical data for myeloma is heavily biased towards people in the aforementioned seventh decade of life. Less than ten percent of patients are even close to my age (indeed, I'm apparently the youngest person ever treated for it at Waikato hospital), so judging exactly what all this means for me personally is quite difficult. I incline towards accepting the balance of risk and benefit for various treatments, but taking survival rates and specific prognostications with a pinch of salt.
I'll probably never know what antigen first made this particular line of cells proliferate, or what combination of environmental factors, bad luck and thermodynamics caused them to lose the instruction sheet on when they should stop, nor will I ever know why my immune system didn't head them off at the pass. I've crawled under houses in the dirty old Dickensian part of Sydney, breathed plenty of filthy unregulated traffic fumes in Auckland, and been variously up to my elbows in epoxy resin, filthy combinations of oil and grease, and a wide variety of solvents, over the years. None of which makes me at all unusual for a Kiwi male. I don't think I've had any blood tests that would have picked this up since I was about 19, so maybe it's been bubbling away for years. Or maybe my exhaustion during several bits of 2013 was a symptom of this roaring into life, rather than long hours of work and a young baby as I put it down to at the time. I'll probably never know, there's nothing I can do about it, and it wouldn't make any difference if I had known at the time.
I'm determined to give this the awesome respect due to a cancer that's considered incurable, but I refuse to be scared of it. I've alway been a pragmatic existentialist: one day I'm going to die. Given my family history, I might have quietly expected to live into my eighties or even beyond, but I couldn't rely on that. Nobody can. I feel like I'm on the right side of enough clinical factors to push me out beyond the median ten-year median survival that the most recent reviews are quoting for this disease, and that puts me into the realm where treatments that aren't even in clinical trials at the moment will be becoming mainstream. I'm playing a numbers game, and while I may not get to collect my Kiwisaver money, I do hope to see my son grow up.
I'm profoundly grateful to be living in a country where nobody is going to ask if I can pay for this, where nobody's ego or quarterly return is reliant on me getting a particular treatment, rather than the most appropriate one. I'm also profoundly grateful for the support and love that's come my way from friends and family all over the world, as they've gotten hear the news. Some of you may feel like you're a long way away, but hearing that you're concerned for me and thinking of me really does make a difference. Thank-you.
March 15, 2015
The cyclone comes
For the last two days a tiny but metronome-steady groundswell has been breaking across the mudflats of the lower Firth. Last night, a bank of cloud over Waiheke island glowed purple and orange long after the sun had set. This morning, the lower clouds came tearing across from the east while the high cloud raced across from the northwest. We don't get easterly winds it our house tucked in against the hills of the Coromandel ranges, but every so often a southeast gust will sneak around to blow early leaves out of our poplar trees and scatter them across the rest of Tararu.
Out in the Firth, you can see the gusts touching down on the otherwise still-calm sea. The offshore breeze is making the tiny but continuous groundswell stand up and break in feathers of white water on the point. Since the sun rose, the low cloud has spread into a continuous layer of battleship grey and the sea is gradually darkening with wind out towards the open ocean. Our barometer has finally noticed what's going on and is dropping by the hour. Tiny drops of rain fall and then vanish, and the air is humid. Pam is on her way.
December 19, 2014
Coming out of the climatic closet
I have a confession to make, and it's something that not everyone in the community would be comfortable talking about.
I quite like droughts. Actually, let me rephrase that: I quite like New Zealand droughts. Because let's face it, New Zealand droughts are fairly non-threatening. Three months of no rain? In some places, they call that summer. In New Zealand, for those of us not dependent on tank water for our daily needs or intensive agriculture for our livelihood, it still just seems like an unusually extended spell of pleasant weather. Subject to all speculation about shifts in El Nino frequencies, Southern Ocean oscillations and the vagaries of long-term climate patterns under the increasing incidence of radiative forcing in a anthropogenic world, the thought of the coming summer being long and dry makes me, if anything, quietly anticipatory.
I felt no such sense of celebration about the drought that Australia experienced while we were living there. A drought that lasts for years, that kills drought-adapted trees decades or even hundreds of years old, that's not much a meteorological pattern as (indeed, I called it at the time) a slow-motion natural disaster. It is, frankly, a bit frightening, a reminder that "the weather" is monstrously large and utterly, callously, unregarding of any tiny lives it might squish as it grinds out its latest whim.
But the prospect of a few months of warm sun, albeit purely spectulative at this point, and based solely on the resemblance of the last six weeks to the end of 2012 in this part of the country… That prospect, as I sit on our deck watching a northwesterly that finally looks like a proper seabreeze turning the Firth of Thames green and brown, surrounded by deep-rooted trees that will cope just fine and a selection of weeds that will be easier to kill if they're stressed by a water shortage… That prospect I can easily live with.
September 9, 2014
Striking images of a drowned village in Spain
My Spanish doesn't give me much of a hint as to the article's content, but the photos speak volumes:
Pueblos que yacen bajo las aguas
Apparenlty it's from one of many villages flooded for a "hydrographic scheme". I guess we'd have similar momentos in New Zealand, if Cromwell had taller buildings.
July 4, 2014
Who remembers this?
June 14, 2014
Notes from the parenting diary #1
There were four in the bed and in was 5 in the morning. The little one had just come into bed for an early feed and was very lightly asleep between us. The furry one was snuggled against my other side, safe in the knowledge that it was dark and no-one would see him cuddling. At this point I realised that the alarm was still set for 6:30am, not a time I had planned to wake up this morning. Thanks to the contingencies of moving into our new house, the alarm lies just out of arm's reach on my side of the bed. Very, very, quietly, I squirmed far enough to turn off the alarm without waking the baby. There was nothing I could do about the cat, however, who decided that activity early in the morning was synonymous with it being his breakfast time. The better to expound this point of view, he came and sat on my head. I am not fond of having a cat on my head at any stage of the day, and particularly not at 5am. I have explained this feeling to the cat before, and attempted to remonstrate with him now. Very quietly. Finally failing in these efforts, I resorted to the same langauge that I've used in previous discussions of this nature: throwing the cat as far off my head as I can. Being a considerate pet owner, I prefer not to throw him off the side of the bed, where he might land amongst sundry spiky items of furniture and hurt himself (or worse, wake the baby). Instead, my technique is generally to hurl him towards my feet, where he may attempt a controlled, nay cat-like landing. On this particular occasion, irked by the thought that I might otherwise be getting a sleep-in today, I hurled him perhaps a bit too hard. All the way onto the floor at the foot of the bed, in fact. This was particularly unfortunate given that he had his claws sunk into both of my pillows at the time, and took them both with him to the floor. At the foot of the bed. Where I couldn't reach them without waking the baby. Who was asleep.
Our mattress is rather on the firm side, and being rather bony about the neck and shoulders I really can't sleep on it without a pillow. I expressed the horns of this dilemma very quietly to my beloved, who graciously gave me her spare pillow. Which is possibly the thinnest pilllow in our entire house. I couldn't tell you at what point in this entire proceedings the baby stirred and started complaining, but I do know that I hadn't managed to fall back to sleep by then, and nor did I fall back to sleep afterwards, until the inevitable proper waking-up and the enthusiastic squirming, climbing on Dad and attempting to grab the (still head-orbiting) cat that accompanies it. I love being a father, but sometimes I do miss sleeping in!
April 8, 2014
Two new things to read
"Stop, Thief": The Commons, Enclosures, and Resistance
The Power of Just Doing Stuff
December 6, 2013
Knowing that something is coming doesn't make it any better
October 4, 2013
Summer reading list
Courtesy of the ever-informative but terribly hard to keep up with BLDGBLOG. Some books to read.
Actually that list is too long for all but the most dedicated bibliophile's summer, so if anyone would like to split it up and compare notes, say the word in the comments. I bags Beyond the Blue Horizon for start.
July 9, 2013
Testing the WordPress app for Android
Coming down of the shoulder of a drought, into a winter that just isn't taking itself seriously.