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I am honored to be a member of the Warrior Nation, a team comprised of all LFO Warriors, both past and present, as the principal of LFO High School. Last year, we received our first ever 5-star climate rating, outpaced the district and state in academic growth, and had the highest graduation rate in our school's history! We also won our 9th Academic Decathlon STATE Championship, hosted our first STATE football playoff game in 15 years, and won the regional cheerleading championship! There has never been a better time to be a Warrior!
There is a popular acronym for the word team that showcases my philosophy regarding education and LFO High School: Together, Everyone Achieves More. Unlike a group, a team has a common mission. The Warrior Nation is a TEAM comprised of phenomenal students, parents, and educators, and our common goal is the safety and success of LFO's students. Being a part of the Warrior Nation is a special privilege; it means you belong here and you are a part of something greater than yourself. The next time you see a fellow Warrior, you can proudly say, "Feathers up," and know that you share something that only a Warrior can understand and something that will identify you as part of the TRIBE who supports and encourages each member to be his or her best in everything.
Feathers up!
About the principal:


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Socoder -> Off Topic -> The Sporty Topic
|Posted : Thursday, 22 March 2018, 13:25
@Poll... I'm torn between football or golf!
Intel Core i5 6400 2.7GHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (8GB), 8Gig DDR4 RAM, 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD, Windows 10 64bit
|Posted : Thursday, 22 March 2018, 13:25
Only sport I bother with is F1.... and tbh I'm getting bored shitless with it.
|Posted : Thursday, 22 March 2018, 14:20
If I'm in the pub, and F1 comes on, I tend to watch the first 10 laps or something, and then, meh...
Footy, I love my football, I wasnt the greatest at it by no means, but I enjoyed playing, especially Sunday league footy, out till 3am on a saturday night, then trudging Sunday morning out onto the field, as rough as a badgers arse. But it was proper footy, getting stuck in, some bastard floor me with a shit tackle... I'll see you in 5 mins matey... 5 mins later, bosh, returning the favour!
All fun... Not like you see on the tele today, pfffft, another 10 years they'll be dressing the soft gits in ballet dresses!
But alas, I couldnt keep on going, I was hurting myself by playing, or being hurt, and I got tired of going to work aching, and I got tired of dragging my arse out of bed on a Sunday morning, so I quit, but I do miss it mind.
And then we have golf, I love my golf, I've actually been to the driving range tonight, start prepping myself for the warmer rain, where I'll get out... I love the game, but its the outdoors bit I like mostly really... 4 hours in the outside, generally swearing, but there is some beautiful courses out there and its just nice, and you have time for plenty of chinwag with your mates!
Also, you burn around 1500 calories playing a leisurely round of golf (Walk+carry, which I do), you burn roughly the same playing 90 mins competitive football, so, me, nearly hitting 40, I'll stick with the leisurely pursuit thank you please! hehehe
Intel Core i5 6400 2.7GHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (8GB), 8Gig DDR4 RAM, 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD, Windows 10 64bit
|Posted : Thursday, 22 March 2018, 14:23
The only ball games I like are the ones where you type ball a lot, as you're coding a game with balls in, and use the word ball as a variable, and have to type it lots.
That is the only one worth watching.
''Load, Next List!''

subset: commoncrawl


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A picture is worth a thousand words
Posted by ESC on January 07, 2003
In Reply to: A picture paints a thousand words posted by James Briggs on January 07, 2003
: : : hi,
: : : I am looking for the meaning and eplaination about the following quote:
: : : A picture paints a thousand words
: : : Bye
: : Simply put, it means that a picture will be far more descriptive of something than words can ever be, or, to put it another way, no matter how hard you try, you can't beat a visual presentation.
: : Having sat through far too many Powerpoint-rich presentations from Microsoft worker ants in my time, I have to entirely disagree. The acolytes of Saint Bill of Seattle manage effortlessly to be meaningless, no matter which medium they choose to present in.
: And allegedly first made by Confucius, I believe.
PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, A -- One reference says "a picture is worth a thousand words" is ".a Chinese proverb long ago. The Russian writer Ivan Turgenev wrote (in 'Fathers and Sons' in 1862): 'A picture shows me at a glance what it takes dozens of pages of a book to expound.'" From "The Dictionary of Cliches" by James Rogers (Ballantine Books, New York, 1985).


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Baldur's Gate was originally released for PC back in 1998 and critics claimed that it was responsible for the revival of the RPG genre on PC. The highly customizable game had features that few games had and put it in a world that was huge and expansive. Now, an enhanced edition has been released for Android. Can it hold up to the original? Let's take a look. As always, you can watch it above if you prefer.
Game play
If you've played Baldur's Gate before a lot of this won't feel new to you. However, the last time you played it, you probably played it with a keyboard and mouse which allowed for a lot of action at once. In this version, you'll be playing with touch controls and believe me the experience is vastly different.
You can do pretty much everything you used to be able to do. Attack, cast and learn spells, pick up and use items, switch between characters and all of the other things you're used to being able to do. For those who have never played before. Your character and another character named Imoen are lifelong friends who embark on an adventure to save Baldur's Gate from sinister forces. It is a very long adventure.
Along the way you meet new friends and digest a lot of story. The game can go for well over 40 hours even if you're a quick game player. For first time players, it'll likely be much longer than that. Comparatively speaking, Baldur's Gate is one of the largest, longest, and most complex games ever to be released on Android.
That's really it for the game play. You start the game, you play the story, and the story ends. It is worth mentioning that there are 2 additional characters available as in app purchases along with a voice set and a portrait set. You can use these to augment your experience and customize your characters a little bit.
The mechanics are where things start to get tricky. Where there were once hot keys, keyboard commands, and mouse movement, there are now touch controls. Admittedly, things are a lot slower on mobile than they were on PC. You tap on areas to navigate to them or on objects to interact with them. This includes staircases, doors, chests, traps, people, enemies, and general navigation.
On the left side there are icons that open various things such as your spell list, inventory, journal, character sheet, as well as buttons that let you rest and pause the game. Resting of course also doubles as the way you learn spells and pausing the game is an essential element to get your party in order during intense moments of the game because touch controls simply aren't fast enough.
On the right side is your party list where you can switch between characters as well as a few buttons that do things like raise and lower character names on screen and show objects. On the bottom is the action bar where you choose what special abilities, attacks, spells, and items you use.
Pretty much everything in the game is tapping. You tap to move, tap to attack, and tap to select things. So there really aren't any weird swipe or gesture commands. In the journal you can take down your own notes and use the device keyboard for that.
Long and complex story means a lot of game play.
Graphics and music are above average.
In app purchases that are actually worth buying.
Multiplayer support.
Loads of character and story customization.
No Google Play Services.
Can be buggy for some.
Complicated controls can overwhelm new players.
Mechanics can be tedious for some people.
Overall, whether or not you will like this game or hate this game depends on what kind of gamer you are. If you're strictly casual like Angry Birds or even Clash of Clans, you may not like this title. If you're a PC or console gamer looking for that level of game on Android, you very well may like this title. If you get to play it without most of the bugs that are being reported, it's a long and amazing game that pretty much any RPG enthusiast will enjoy.
It does have its problems but fans of the series and the genre can likely get passed them to enjoy the game. It's $9.99 which is a little steep but in all fairness this isn't your standard $1 game. If you want to try it out, we'll have a link posted in the written companion which is in the video description.


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Information Technology industry is advancing at breath-taking pace. New trends such as Big Data Analytics, Linked Data, Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud are significantly shaping and influencing the IT landscape.
At Geoeng we have embraced the new technology. We offer consultancy in state-of-the-art information technology solutions and services such as Docker, Kubernetes, cloud, software development, big data analytics, mobile data, linked data, IoT among others.
We utilize the new technology to simplify our business processes, as well as for our customers. For instance, we routinely use mobile-based research data collection tools commonly known as Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI). Over the years we have carried out a number of projects and capacity building using Open Data Kit (ODK), SurveyCTO, Google App Engine, Google Maps API, and related technologies.
We also implement a range of innovative projects, especially those that cut across our three primary activities. For instance, we use web database and map services employing python, Django and OGC standards (e.g. WFS, WPS, WMS and WCS) to stream live responses and photos collected using using the technologies mentioned.
The range of IT services we offer include: IT and Management consultancy, Software Development (for the web and mobile), Cloud computing, Big Data Analytics and Linked Data, Mobile data capture, and many others. We develop mobile and web-based software based on android, IOS and Java. We also offer out a range of courses to empower staff and employees of various companies.
Some of the services we offer are:
- Cloud, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Services (Compute Engine, App Engine & Container Engine)
- Mobile App Development
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
- Big Data & Analytics
- Software Development
- IT & Management Consultancy
- Training & Capacity Building.


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Another Coffee Perk? Reduced Risk of MS
Drinking coffee may reduce the risk of developing multiple sclerosis, according to a new report. It's the latest in coffee's growing list of health perks. Continue reading →
Brew up another pot of joe: Drinking coffee (and a lot of it) is associated with a reduced risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study finds.
Compared with people who said they never drank coffee, people who reported drinking large amounts of java were nearly a third less likely to develop MS, according to the study.
"We observed a significant association between high consumption of coffee and decreased risk of developing MS," the researchers, led by Anna Hedström, a doctoral student in environmental medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden wrote in the meta-analysis study, published March 3 in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.
Creatures That Have Sex In Your Coffee: Photos
The results of the study were previously presented in February 2015 at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, but this is the first time they have been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
In the study, the researchers looked at the results of two large case-control studies, which included 2,779 people with MS and 3,960 people without MS. The researchers found that those individuals who reported the highest levels of coffee consumption (more than 4 cups [900 mL] a day) had a 29 percent lower risk of MS than those who reported drinking no coffee. [Coffee's Perks: Studies Find 5 Health Benefits]
The study showed an association, and not a cause-and-effect link between drinking lots of coffee and a lower risk of MS. But it's possible that caffeine has a protective effect on the brain and spinal cord, the study said. In people with MS, the body's immune system attacks the protective covering, called myelin, that surrounds nerve fibers. This damage makes it difficult for the brain to communicate with the rest of the body, resulting in symptoms such as muscle weakness, poor coordination, blurred vision and pain.
No More Instant! Espresso Machine Heading To Space Station
However, the researchers cautioned more studies are still needed. The scientists also noted that their analysis does have limitations, including that people were asked to recall their coffee intake, which could lead to errors.
Although previous studies looking at the link between coffee and MS have had mixed results, with some studies showing a benefit and others showing none, the current meta-analysis is notable in part for its large sample size and international group of participants, said two neurologists who were not involved in the study, but wrote an editorial accompanying it in the journal.
There are "well-known challenges that exist in untangling the nature of associations between dietary factors and disease risk," and therefore, "these inconsistencies are not surprising," wrote José Maria Andreas Wijnands and Elaine Kingwell, both neurologists at the University of British Columbia in Canada.
Coffee Genome Reveals Secrets Of A Good Brew
"Although it remains to be shown whether drinking coffee can prevent the development of MS, the results of these thorough analyses add to the growing evidence for the beneficial health effects of coffee," the editorial authors wrote.
Indeed, the once-maligned beverage has been linked to numerous health benefits in recent years, including a lower risk of heart attacks, melanoma and even early death. Coffee has also been linked to improved liver health.
More From LiveScience:
10 Things You Need to Know About Coffee 6 Foods That Are Good for Your Brain 5 Experts Answer: Is Caffeine Bad for Kids?
Originally published on Live Science.
Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Kinky sex takes place in many coffee beans before they are roasted, suggests a new study on coffee berry borers, which are the most serious pests of coffee plants worldwide. These small beetles, native to Africa, live much of their lives in coffee beans, according to the study, which is published in the Journal of Insect Behavior. It's little wonder that the fast-living beetles,
Hypothenemus hampei
, have the nickname "Ferrari." Weliton Dias Silva of the University of São Paulo and his colleagues determined that females of this tiny beetle "have to be copulated by their sibling males before leaving the native coffee fruit to improve their chances of successful colonization." Females are about .07 inches long, while males are only about .06 inches long.
Home for the coffee berry borer are the seeds of coffee fruit, which are commonly known as coffee beans. Dias Silva and his colleagues report that the insects find their coffee bean homes after sniffing out chemicals released by coffee plants. Like many gourmet coffee drinkers, they prefer beans of
Coffea arabica
Males are always much smaller than females, so they are referred to as "dwarves." "After copulation with their few dwarf, flightless male sibs,
H. hampei
females often leave the coffee berry in which they developed," Dias Silva and his team share. Females sometimes don't even wait around for males. In addition to their incestuous sex, they can also reproduce all on their own. This phenomenon, also seen in certain snakes, sharks and other animals, is known as parthenogenesis.
The telltale sign that a beetle has been in your coffee are minute holes that females bore into beans. Usually the beans will be eaten away by larvae, which hatch from eggs laid by the females. Another clue is a coffee bean that seems hollow inside.
Video: Goodbye Plain Joe, Hello ... Buttered Coffee?
Worldwide, the coffee berry borer causes an estimated $500 million in losses among coffee growers, according to the USDA. The coffee industry has an economic value exceeding $70 billion annually, with over 20 million coffee-farming families producing coffee in more than 50 countries. "The insect can cause coffee farmers to lose up to 20 percent of a crop and reduce the price by 30 to 40 percent," said Ted Lingle, executive director of the Specialty Coffee Association of America. He continued, "Damage from the borer fruits hurts every coffee-producing country in the world."
Genes Determine How Coffee Affects You
One of the major findings of the new study is that females are 15 days old when they leave their coffee bean homes, flying away to colonize another plant. Males don't leave, so one of your roasted coffee beans could have one or more burnt-to-a-crisp male coffee berry borers in it. Clearly these insects are bad news for coffee growers, so researchers are constantly seeking ways to control the pests. Vega mentioned that one technique is to "fight back with fungi" that the beetles hate. Another method is to introduce nemotodes, which are microscopic simple worms. The minute worms parasitize female coffee beetle borers, preventing them from laying many eggs. "Nonparasitized insects laid an average of 10 eggs, but parasitized borers laid just under 2 eggs on average," Vega explained.
While most infested beans are removed from the market, some invariably wind up in the roaster. Close inspection of most roasted beans reveals that they have been affected by coffee berry borers and possibly other insects.
Coffee plants attract a wide variety of insects, and not all of them are as damaging as the fast-living coffee berry borer. Richard Zack and Peter Landolt at Washington State University are studying biodiversity associated with coffee plants. They traveled to Guatemala and found an incredible number of bugs happily living on and around the plants. Zack and Landolt spotted 900 species of moths, yellow jackets, aquatic insects, cicadas, gigantic horned Goofa beetles, brown jewel beetles prized by collectors in Japan and Europe, and more. So the next time you enjoy a cup of coffee, consider all of the insects that interacted with the beans, including some that associate coffee with fast and furious sex.


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Pros: Details in the sculpt
Cons: Colors a little too bright in the windows
The Bottom Line:
Ed Seale leaves us
And Candlelight ServicesWith one more good church
Ed Seale Contributes One Last Ornament with the Fieldstone Church
When you take the time to really look at a series of ornaments, you can begin to see an artist's style and signature come through. That's certainly been the case for me with the Candlelight Services series. Ed Seale sculpted five of the first six in the series, and Fieldstone Church is his last ornament in the series. It has some touches that are all his.
The church itself is once again a small, one room affair that is fairly rectangular. From the front of the ornaments, you see stairs leading up to the front door. There's a tower off to the right, and only the steeple goes higher than the roof of the main part of the church. There are a couple of evergreen trees on either side of the front door, and you can see 2003 in a large stone in the tower, representing the year this ornament first came out. There isn't much around the church on the sides, and in the back you will find Ed's initials in the snow base the church sits on.
The church itself, like the rest of the ornament, is made out of plastic, but it is carved to look like stone. There are various sizes and shapes in there, so it isn't anything uniform. The roof looks like wood shingles to me; you can even see the wood grain if you look closely.
As with the rest of the series, the base is large and flat, so if you want to display them on a bookcase, you can do that with no problem. The brass hook to hang the ornament is just front of center at the peak of the roof. The ornament actually tips slightly to the right; the tower must be heavier than the rest of the ornament. However, if you stick a string of lights into the ornament, it will change things.
And that's the entire purpose of this series. The back has a hole in it designed for a bulb from a traditional string of lights. The new, energy efficient lights don't produce quite the glow that these need to fully light up. When you stick a light in there, you'll see that most of the windows are made from a thin, almost clear plastic and light up.
This is where Ed's signature really comes through. The windows are bright colors, mostly yellow with some reds and greens thrown in. To me, they look a little too bold and give the ornament a slight cartoony feel. It's actually toned down from some of the earlier ornaments in the series, but it is still there. I do still like the ornament, but when compared to some of the later ornaments, it's not quite as good as it could be.
This is sixth in a series from Hallmark, you'll find the number six in a Christmas tree on the bottom of the base as well as copyright information and the ornament's serial number.
Since an artist usually sticks with a series until it ends or they retire, I suspect that Ed Seale must have retired at this point, making the Fieldstone Church part of his swan song year. While not the best in the series, I do still enjoy his final entry for Candlelight Services.
Be sure to check out the other ornaments in the Candlelight Services series.
Be sure to check out the other ornaments in the Candlelight Services series.
Original Price: $18.95


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|Learning Circles General Information
The purpose of NSPA Learning Circles is to facilitate dialog and exchange of good practices among NSPA members who are working in similar organizations or have common interests and/or challenges. These groups will contribute to a body of knowledge for the wider NSPA community. Learning circles meet virtually as a group each quarter. If you are interested in joining a Learning Circle, please email Maggie Brubaker.
NSPA Learning Circles are a benefit of membership in our association. Members, please log in to get more information and join the Learning Circle Group. If you are not a current member of the NSPA and are interested in membership, please click here for more information.


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I have been drinking soy milk for quite some time. For most of my life before I became vegan, it was my milk of choice. My favourite has long been the Yeo's soy milk. I know that some people don't like how sweet it is, and that's what lead to its 'now with less sugar' rebranding, but I have quite strong brand loyalty for Yeo's, it's what my mum buys when she's buying popper packs of soy milk and chrysanthemum tea, and I love it.
My least favourite has been vitamilk, since that fateful day four years ago when I was sitting in Sparrow's, eating a perfectly delightful satay and lontong (not vegan), and it was the most disgusting soy milk I'd ever tasted. The texture was awful, the flavour was not pleasant at all, and I didn't finish it. Since then, I have been suspicious of any soy milk in a similarly shaped bottle, irrational but still a suspicion.
D and I were served vitamilk at a restaurant this evening. I frowned, but was resigned, and I had it in my mouth when D said "it has milk!" I felt disappointed and guilty and a little astonished, and my mother's displeasure at the idea of anything other than sugar and soybeans in soya milk was clear. The bottles were open, if we sent them back (we didn't, but we didn't drink them) they would be wasted but there on the front under the brand it was clearly printed, 1% whole milk solids.
At least now, my mother said, you know why it has always been your least favourite.
Saturday, 13 September 2008
vitamilk: not suitable for vegans
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Hilarious and Kind of Scarring; Deadpool 2 Review
May 25, 2018
After the disheartening end of Avengers: Infinity War, Deadpool 2 is exactly what Marvel fans need to lift their spirits. Deadpool 2 was even funnier than the first movie (although this might be attributed to the fact that I actually got a lot more of the references made), definitely more violent than the first movie, and was overall a fun and high spirited film. SPOILERS AHEAD!!
Let's start off with the best aspect of the character of Deadpool and his movie; the humor. I never thought I'd see Deadpool disguised as a stripper murdering people to Dolly Parton's "9 to 5," but here we are. That entire opening sequence was full of laughs, action, and a ton of violence. I have to say that I never covered my eyes, but I did cringe a lot at the violence at times. Like when Wade fell off the side of a railing and his body was contorted in a disturbing manner and when he choked Cable with his own broken arm and you could hear his arm continue to splinter. I busted out laughing when Juggernaut told Deadpool that he was going to rip him in half and proceeded to do so. Deadpool's quick whips were non stop throughout the film, and surprisingly, I never got annoyed by them. One of the funniest scenes in the film is also the most scarring (ha) scene. This is of course, the baby legs scene. The hilarity of seeing a grown man with smooth tiny baby legs was enough to keep me on the verge of tears alone from laughing so hard, but then he went and crossed his legs Basic Instinct style and I lost it. That is an image that will both make me giggle and haunt me for the rest of my life.
I loved all the characters that were introduced in this sequel and Deadpool played off of all of them so well. One of the cutest interactions was whenever Yukio and Deadpool would see each other and say hi. I loved how Deadpool and Domino would constantly argue about whether or not her being lucky was actually a super power and the entire X-Force, however short lived the team was, was a delight to watch. I loved how gentle Wade was with Peter and how encouraging he was of the team, even though they all met a pretty gruesome end with the exception of Domino. Wade's gleeful outlook and excitement also played off of Cable's dark demeanor excellently. I also loved the idea that all the really big X-Men hide from Wade whenever he comes to the X-Mansion. Deadpool and Colossus's relationship was also beautiful. And of course, I can't forget the father-son dynamic between Deadpool and Russell. Right away, Wade could tell that Russell was being abused and did what he believed was right, looked after him in prison and advised him to seek out help when he couldn't protect him, and refused to give up on him. I loved how dorky Russell was and I loved his character growth.
A CGI Juggernaut was also perfect for this movie. Juggernaut is a character that's had some trouble finding his place in the Marvel movies (we won't talk about his depiction in X-Men: The Last Stand and the subsequent memes that came from this portrayal) and I was happy with this version of Juggernaut, I especially love the fact that he's voiced by Ryan Reynolds. Colossus and Juggernaut's CGI fight was great to watch and I loved seeing Yukio and Negasonic Teenage Warhead in action. I have to say that I wished we got to see more of Negasonic Teenage Warhead though. Dopinder at least got some great scenes and got to be a hero at the end.
Now onto the pitfalls of the film because as much as I loved it, it was weak where the first Deadpool movie succeeded. This is, the emotional aspects. In the first movie, we see Deadpool struggle with his self hatred, we see him want to be with Vanessa but get in his own head, and we see him be tortured during his time with Weapon X. Vanessa's death felt very much like a plot device used solely to give Deadpool his emotional arch, that's why I wasn't mad when she was brought back in the end because I feel like Vanessa deserves her own character development and I didn't really mourn her death. Yes, Deadpool did fall into depression after her death, but the movie moved on so quickly that I didn't really have my heart strings tugged on that much. The only time I felt anything significant over Wade and Vanessa was during their reunion with the lovely slowed version of "Take On Me" by a-ha. Of course, I realize that Deadpool 2 is mainly a comedy and action movie so I can't be too hard on it for this downfall, but I feel like there was a better balance between the humor and the more emotional moments in the first Deadpool movie.
Overall, I give Deadpool 2 a solid 9/10 stars. It's extremely funny, definitely doesn't take itself too seriously, FULL of references, has a wonderful cast with great chemistry, and has fantastic action scenes. I would recommend this movie to anyone feeling at a loss after Avengers: Infinity War or to anyone who's looking for a good laugh. Have you seen Deadpool 2? What did you think? Let me know and thanks for reading!


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The nose is smoked nuts and marmalade with loads of Christmas spice and fruitcake, candied cherries and butterscotch. Basically, there's a lot going on here, and I'm happy to be a part of it.
All that came before on the nose follows through on the palate, but moreso. It's extraordinary. Fat, sweet caramel with figs, honey coffee grounds, roasted oranges, cloves and nutmeg all rounded beautifully, with a touch of saddle leather and dusty oak drifting into the long and ephemeral finish. It all happens in check - the structure's remarkable; sweet but never gooey, as some of its PX cousins can be. Delightful.
Tasted often, but most recently 23/2/2008 at Luvians Bottleshop


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Do Laundry…Use Caution
I had already started to write this evening's blog this morning, as it was not intended to have anything to do with today's events. It has more to do with some overall themes of travel that I have experienced. My friend Eileen may know the issues to which I am referring, however the rest of you will have to wait another day because one of today's events just can't go unmentioned.
Today was all about the water. It was an adult focused water morning, followed by a kid focused water afternoon. This morning we drove to Hamat Gader hot springs, which is right on the Israel/Jordan border just Southeast of Lake Tiberias. Before I describe our adventure, I have to tell you about laundry.
As I was packing up stuff for the day, I heard a shriek from the laundry room, followed by "Scott you need to do something about this!". As I turned the corner I found Rachel gingerly holding the lint filter from the dryer, and this little fellow was clinging along with the lint.
Needless to say she was a bit disturbed by this, and I must admit that I was slightly concerned as to how it got into the laundry in the first place. Thankfully it was not found by one of the kids putting on his boxer shorts and getting stung in the frank and beans (that what we call "the private parts" in our house…LOL).
I knocked on the door next store. That's where the care taker lives. I asked him a few details about the scorpions here, shook out the rest of our clothes and continued preparing for the day's events.
After I pealed Rachel and the kids away from the internet where they were googling the hundreds of scorpion species to find out how many of them are deadly, and whether or not doing a load of laundry in Israel can kill you, we finally hit the road to the hot springs.
Getting there was quite interesting in itself. The ride took us along the boarder, where bunkers and look-out towers were obvious on both sides. Although there is a friendly treaty between Israel and Jordan, it was clearly not always that way, and you can still see the remnants of conflict from years gone by. It was rather striking to be at the pool at the oasis under the watch of the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) from the tower above.
Although this pool above is for kids, just to the other side of it was a mammoth size pool of natural hot mineral springs for the adults. Rachel spent a few minutes soaking in the healing waters before we made good on our promise to go to a more kid friendly place, so we hit the road toward Tiberias and stopped at Gai Beach Water Park.
They had been begging to go there since the first time we passed it as we drove along the shores of Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee). It looked quite nice from the outside, which is clearly not the case for all the beaches along this stretch. Gai Beach, however, looked clean and had bathrooms and shade….a perfect combination!
The kids had a ball here!! We found a vacant umbrella to make our home base for the afternoon, and off we went. There were swimming pools, 5 water slides, and of course the Sea of Galilee from which to chose. The boys loved the slides and I loved the people watching…though a few trips down the slides with the kids was clearly a highlight of my day.
As the people watching goes, it was once again a reminder to me of the stark differences between the various cultures in this region. It was also another reminder of my previous comments related to peaceful coexistence…..Jews, Muslims, and Christians all sharing a swimming pool in the place where it all began….where each of the roots of those cultures emanates from a common beginning. Makes one think just a bit!
This woman stood cooling herself beneath the water for almost half of an hour. Every so often she would look up, glance and smile, and then go back to her solitude beneath the cool water. We stayed at Gai Beach until it was time to head home to get ready for dinner.
Herb and Adrianne had gone to Tel Aviv for the day, so as soon as they got back it was off to Deck's! Decks is a Kosher BBQ restaurant, and I must say that it rivals any of the places that I have been in Austin, Memphis, or Kansas City!! The BBQ Lamb Ribs grilled over a bed of hickory embers imported from the US were out of the world!!! I have to give thanks to Rabbi Levine back home in Mount Laurel for urging me to go there….it was well worth the trip!!
Ryan developed a low fever this afternoon, so I think tomorrow will be a low key day in order to give him the chance to recover. That will also give me the chance to complete the blog entry that I had started this morning….uh oh…Matt just came out of bed and his blood sugar is almost 400….gotta go figure out what's going on…
Stay tuned for more of our adventures in Erezt Yisrael (The Land of Israel)!


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The NEC PA803U - the "multi-tool" installation projector
If extraordinary visualisation, brilliant colours and superb dynamic contrast is key for your business, then the NEC PA803U should be your first choice.
The compact 8,000 ANSI lumen LCD projector with WUXGA resolution not only trumps the competition with its unique colour processing technology, but also in its outstanding installation capabilities where motorized lens shift, focus and zoom makes setup effortless. The unique HDBaseT-out interface enables multiple projector daisy chaining via cost efficient network cables to a single source helping to reduce installation costs. Like a multi-tool, the essential features continue with management of the latest copyright protocol to play 4k and Ultra HD Blue-ray content whilst the long lamp life and even longer filter life earn a most attractive Total Cost of Ownership.
All in all the NEC PA803U projector is perfectly suited for meeting-, lecture- and seminar-rooms in corporate and higher education installations.
· Cinema Quality Visualisation – enjoy excellent picture quality even in bright ambient light conditions with unique picture & colour processing technology (up to up to 4K/60Hz) based on the latest NEC scaler chip.
· Hassle-free remote adjustment – motorized lens shift, focus and zoom allows easy and flexible setup without the need for cumbersome physical access to the projector.
· Incredible visualisation capabilities – impressive free tilt and portrait installation capability, unique geometric adjustment, picture in picture, tiling, 3D support and camera based blending/stacking up to 4K.
· Cost conscious & powerful cabling – with just CAT6 network cabling, transfer content over up to 100m using HDBaseT connectivity standard. Supply multiple projectors with one source and benefit from the unique HDBaseT-out daisy-chain interface.
· Impress with brilliant colours & contrast – astound your audience as the projector processes a wider colour space with Rec2020 to Rec709 colour conversion and higher dynamic contrast supporting HDR10 standard via HDMI interface.
· Peace of mind copyright protected content – let the projector manage copyright protection and present 4k and Ultra HD Blu-ray content via the HDMI interface.
Special Features:
4K/60Hz interfaces; Active 3D; AMX Beacon; Built-in Display/Multiscreen Splitter; Cinema Quality Picture (CQP) Processing for best image quality; Contrast Ratio 10000:0 with Iris; Crestron RoomView; DICOM Simulation; Digital 3D Reform™; Direct Power-Off Function; Edge Blending Function; Free Tilt; Geometric Correction; HDBaseT-out signal connection; HDR10 Support; High Altitude Mode; Hollywood Quality Video Processing for best image quality; HTTP Browser Control; Keystone Correction (H=±40°, V=±40°); LAN control; Lens Memory; Lens Shift (vertical +0.5 max/-0.1 max, horizontal ± 0.3 max.); Light Source Adjustment; Long Life Lamp; Manual Wall Color Correction; Multi-Screen compensation mode; NaViSet Administrator 2; Optional User Logo; OSD with 27 languages; Password Security System; PIP/Side by Side, HDMI - Input; PJ LINK; Portrait Setting; Rec2020 to Rec709 colour conversion; RS-232 Control; Seamless Switching; Stacking Function; Test Pattern; Timer-Function; UHD player support; Up to 5,000 hrs lamp life; Virtual Remote for direct PC control
Optional Accessories - 8 optional bayonet lenses; Air Filter (NP06FT); Cable Cover (NP10CV); Ceiling Mount Kit; Lamp (NP42LP); MultiPresenter Stick; XpanD 3D Glasses (X105-RF-X2); XpanD 3D RF Emitter (AD025-RF-X2)
Lenses Motorised - NP40ZL (0.79-1.11:1); NP41ZL (1.3-3.02:1); NP42ZL (2.99-5.93:1)
Lenses Manual - NP11FL (0.81:1); NP12ZL (1.16-1.56:1); NP13ZL (1.46-2.95:1); NP14ZL (2.9-4.68:1); NP30ZL (0.79-1.04:1)
|8000 lm
|Native Resolution
|Display Type
|Large Venue
|Aspect Ratio
|3 motorized lens options; 5 manual lens options
|Image Size
|(best performance range); Maximum: 12.7 / 500"
|Throw Distance
|0.7 – 50.9
|Throw Ratio
|depending on lens selection (std. option NP41ZL a
|Keystone Correction
|+/- 40° manual horizontal / +/- 40° manual vertica
|Projector Dimensions
|499 x 163.7 x 406 (without lens and feet)
|Projector Weight
|Power Consumption
|542 (Normal) / 376 (Eco) / 1 (Network Stand-by) /
|Audible Noise
|33 / 39 (Eco / Normal)
|Lamp Life
|3000 (5000 Eco Mode)
|Items Included
|IR Remote Control (RD - 466E); Power Cord; Projector; Quick Setup Guide; Users Manual on CD-ROM
|Projector Warranty
|3 years pan-European service


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New Website – New Start – What do you think?
We are currently in the process of revamping the website, as a result we have very few of the workshops/events prior to this date advertised. Rest assured all future events will be advertised here, so keep checking back with us.
If you have any comments or suggestions about the new website please let us know by commenting below, we appreciate your feedback both positive and negitive. We want to be better so let us know! The website was written by Michael Aldridge using WordPress and the Kingsize theme by Themeforest.
Also incase you were wondering what the old website looked like, check out the vintage pictures below.
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No creatives found in last month for this app
"Pinocchio - The Cool Tale" is a modern retelling of the classic tale with some innovative details that make the story more appealing and contemporary! This "new Pinocchio" is an animated book that features synchronized text and sound as well as animated features that will immerse your kid in this wonderful story. We all know kids tend to learn more when they are playing, so this new contemporary version allows your kids to enjoy the story and learn more about it, as they play with the animated features in it. This classic story of children's literature done in a modern style will teach children the importance of obeying your guardians, doing good deeds and also that reading can be fun! Targeted to ages from 3 to 10 years old. Features: - Synchronized reading so the children can better learn how to read; - Each page has interactive behaviors; - Sound effects; - Touch, tilt, move events to animate the story; - 16 pages of fun, so your kids can play with the story again and again
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No review found in last month for this app


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The final cast has been announced for Kill Me Three Times, the new crime thriller from Kriv Stenders (Red Dog, Boxing Day). Principal photography began this week in and around Perth and the southwest region of Western Australia. The film stars Simon Pegg, Sullivan Stapleton, Alice Braga, Teresa Palmer, Bryan Brown, Callan Mulvey and Luke Hemsworth. With an original screenplay by James McFarland, the film is produced by Laurence Malkin and Share Stallings (the team behind Death at a Funeral and A Few Best Men) and Tania Chambers, the former CEO of Screen New South Wales.
Kill Me Three Times takes place in a sundrenched Australian surfing town, where a young singer, portrayed by Alice Braga, is the thread that binds three tales of murder, blackmail and revenge. Simon Pegg plays a mercurial assassin, who is hired by her wealthy husband (Callan Mulvey), but there is more than one person gunning for her. Sullivan Stapleton has been cast as a gambling addict that attempts to pay off his debts through a risky life insurance scam, whilst Teresa Palmer plays a small town Lady Macbeth who masterminds the scheme. Bryan Brown, a corrupt cop, also tries to get his cut and Luke Hemsworth portrays Braga's love interest, a local surfer who hopes to rescue the young woman from Pegg's telescopic sights.
Director Kriv Stenders said, "I am absolutely thrilled with the dream cast we've assembled. It's a real gift to have so many wonderfully talented and respected actors in one movie. I can't wait to begin collaborating with them and bring 'Kill Me Three Times' to vivid life."
"'Kill Me Three Times' is a great script and the chance to work with Kriv Stenders in Perth made the whole thing an opportunity I did not want to miss out on," added Simon Pegg.
Sullivan Stapleton concluded, "I am a fan of this script and character, and look forward to coming home to Australia for this film."
"We've been searchingfor a film like 'Out of Sight,' where flawed but human characters manipulate, murder and make love to each other in really fun and suspenseful ways," said Malkin. 'James' script struck just the right chord, surrounding the emotional core with action, romance and dry humor. We're thrilled that Kriv and this impeccable cast are going to breath life into an immensely satisfying and universal story."
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)


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Part 1: While You're Busy Making Other Plans
After a few minutes, the cat pawed furtively at the door and gave a few pleading meows. There was no comforting sound of acknowledgement from his master. Slowly, the low mewling turned to a rhythm of anxious yowling. Claws scraped futilely at the metal door. Clearly, the power of the aroma and the established routine were powerful enough to keep Achilles at the door, waiting for the precious moment when the panel would slide and the treasures beyond would be open to him. Yet, for all his struggles, no one seemed to care about Achilles or take notice of the small creature's incessant racket. The door remained closed and the halls were void of activity.
After an hour or two of pawing and wailing, the cat tired and curled up beside the stubborn door, a black spot on an otherwise pristine white hallway. Its chest heaved and pink tongue lolled from exertion as the air began to thin around it. But the cat had not surrendered. His eye stayed fixed on the crease at the bottom of the door and only left it momentarily when the lights flickered ominously in the hallway and then began to dim, as if a power source was beginning to lose strength.
Finally, spurred back to action by gnawing hunger, Achilles returned to his regimen of clawing and wailing. This time, it was less about desire and routine and more about survival. Achilles didn't know where else to scavenge for food and he'd never had to worry about it because the door always opened to him before. And, yet, hours later, the door stood unmoved. Days later, when even the hardened blast doors of the Mercury-class spaceship bore the numerous marks of cat claws, it would still be so.
Achilles, emaciated and starved, held a single paw against the door long after his strength to claw and speak had left him. He couldn't fathom why his master had forsaken him and everyone had left him alone on the ship millions of miles away from their home planet. But his attempts to get through the door had become perfunctory. The door was not going to budge and the smell of the chicken had gone from ripe and sweet to stale and rancid. More disturbingly, another scent mixed in with the spoiled food and it too was a smell of decay and putrefaction. It crept through the door crease and also permeated the hall from throughout the ship. It was the smell of death and rotting bodies.
Oedipa knew something smelled funny as soon as she turned from the refrigerator. She had been so distracted in dissecting fresh pumpkin from seed for the pie, she had lost track of the stuffed peppers. She opened the oven door and was greeted by billowing black smoke.
"Dear, do you need help?" Joe coughed as he waved the fumes from his face. "Is something on fire in here?"
Oedipa gave a squeal of frustration. "Just the sides of my temples. This dinner is ruined." She doused the smoldering peppers with water and then dumped them in the waste disposal. "And since the turkey is still frozen, I guess we'll have to just move on to dessert."
"Which is currently pumpkin guts and raw flour?" Joe said, pinching the squishy orange pulp between his fingers.
"Don't tease."
"I'm not. Eddy, you're the best biophysicist the company has… and an athlete… and an artist… and have great taste in antiques," Joe said. "Why do you seem hell bent on becoming a gourmet chef all of the sudden? You didn't have to make all this from scratch."
"But I'm a biophysicist who can't cook. There should be some overlap in skill sets there. I just want to be able to do this for you, Joe," Oedipa said, pushing him away from the counter. "Also, you've told me that your parents are pretty conservative. I want to show them that their son is in good hands."
Oedipa saw Joe momentarily blush.
"Sorry, I pushed." she said. "But I didn't mean—"
Joe interrupted her with a kiss.
"—to make you feel uncomfortable."
"Oh, I feel comfortable now," Joe said. "And it's okay to push. But you're perfect the way you are, more than enough to impress the Casta family. You're the One, you know, and we've got time not to rush ourselves."
"Thank you, dear. It's good to hear that every once in a while."
"In the meantime, I hope you don't mind—I ordered Chinese."
"You jerk! You anticipated my failure?"
"The food should be here in fifteen minutes," Joe said. "Why do you think I set out chopsticks for turkey?"
"Fine, I'll make some tea then. I can't imagine how I could ruin that—or burn it."
"Well, you could put salt water in the tea kettle and then expose it radio waves. Freeing the oxygen atoms would allow the water to burn, as I recall you told me once."
"Now you're just being an ass!"
Oedipa was about to smack Joe on the butt in mock rage, but Joe hopped out of the way. As he did so, he knocked over a salt shaker and several bottles of dried herbs. With a sweeping gesture over her right hand, Oedipa collected them all before they could hit the floor.
"Nice catch, honey," Joe said.
"Enhanced reflexes," Oedipa said. She could remember when she was younger, such displays caused her embarrassment in school and ridicule from her classmates, who called her a "tube worm" when they learned she was genetically modified before birth by her parents. "They come in handy sometimes."
"Sometimes when I'm flying I wish my parents had given me some enhancements," Joe said, and Oedipa became withdrawn. "Just sometimes, Eddy. Most of the time, I'm happy just being Plain Old Average Joe. And there's no shame in being enhanced. Your parents' hearts were in the right place when they did that. They just wanted you to be the perfect daughter."
"My mother demanded that I be the perfect designer daughter. It was always the prerequisite for being loved, or what passed for love in her mind. That's why I love you, Joe. You love me unconditionally."
"You don't make it hard," Joe said, with a sly smile. "Unless you burn dinner."
The faint ring of the door chime could be heard.
"Dinner must be here. That was fast," Joe said.
Oedipa followed him into the dining and living area. It was the only room in the apartment where it was apparent the unique location of the Aquarius building. The furnishings were all neutral beige of a bachelor pad but the wall was translucent, opening to the vast undersea diversity of the Gulf of Mexico. Almost hidden against the backdrop of kelp and fire coral, a brown shark was gliding cautiously by the reinforced window, inspecting the couple as the approached the door. Joe grabbed a few bills from his wallet.
The door slid open, but instead of a delivery man, a tall man in a tweed suit who appeared to have stepped out of a Sherlock Holmes story stood at attention.
"Craven—Dr. Giles—what an unexpected pleasure… on a Sunday," Joe said.
"Yes, well, I apologize for the abruptness of my visit but I have matters of some urgency to discuss with you—and Ms. Maat, specifically. May I come in?" Dr. Giles said in a clipped but well-manicured London accent.
"Certainly," Joe said. "We were just about to sit down for dinner."
Dr. Giles stepped awkwardly through the threshold and sniffed the air suspiciously. "Is that actually turkey?"
"It was—or perhaps could be some day if the center ever thaws before the outside burns," Oedipa offered. "I was trying my hand at manual cooking, not very successfully. We're having Chinese sent in so no worries."
"Ah, yes, well, best let the experts handle that. Fresh turkeys cost an arm and a leg these days."
Oedipa shrugged nervously and looked anxiously at Joe.
"So you've met my girlfriend Oedipa before?"
"Of course, we met at the convocation last year. Her presentation on cooperativity in host-guest biochemistry was quite remarkable."
"Thank you, sir. I didn't think anyone would remember that. It was more than a year ago—two, if I recall."
"Your ideas made quite an impression on the senior partners. That's not easy to do," Dr. Giles turned serious. "But that's not why I am here."
The three sat down at the dinner table. Giles removed his wire-rimmed glasses. "What I'm about to tell you is of the utmost confidence."
"You can count on us, Dr. Giles."
"As you may know, last year, a ship called the Intrepid was sent on a mission to resupply and check up on our colony on Tempest. We received automated confirmation via buoy that the Intrepid had arrived on schedule and returned through the wormhole as planned and then nothing. The crew made no attempt—or perhaps we unable—to contact us with their coordinates. We feared an explosion shortly after the Intrepid made the wormhole transit. However, a few weeks later a listening post in the Outer Asteroid Belt picked up a transponder signal. It was independently confirmed as the Intrepid by our observatory on Mars. As best we can tell, the Intrepid is still on course but losing power.
"Though not officially in the purview of the Research and Development branch, I have been tasked with coordinating the cleanup team that will intercept the Intrepid. We need to keep this quiet, but, more importantly, we need to find out what happened. SETECH's exclusive rights to planet, the wormhole and the entire shipping lane between Earth and Tempest depends upon the perception that our operations are smooth and incident free."
"I can understand the importance and secrecy, Dr. Giles, but where do Joe and I fit?" Oedipa said. "Surely they don't want Joe—"
"It's okay, Oedipa. It'll only be a year or so," Joe said, putting a calming hand on hers. "It's an important mission. They're going to need an experienced pilot."
"Actually, Joe, your considerable suborbital flight experience and your unquestionable talent notwithstanding, this is a deep space mission. You weren't chosen," Giles' eyes turned to Oedipa. "She was."
"I was? But what use could I be? My skill sets aren't exactly compat—" Oedipa looked at Giles suspiciously. "You suspect foul play?"
"We can't rule it out," Giles said. "And don't shortchange your skills. I've had my eye on you for quite some time. Whether there was foul play or not, your knowledge and experience could prove to be useful. While we don't know much about the Intrepid's disposition apart from its whereabouts, initial indications don't suggest any catastrophic mechanical failure of the ship. Whatever happened to it, there's a good chance that it was chemical or biological. That's still a fairly broad spectrum of possibilities."
Oedipa saw the look of disappointment in Joe's face. "But couldn't I analyze evidence from here? Why would you need me to actually go with the team?"
"We can't risk transmissions leaked. It's happened in the past and contributed to the loss of one of our Jovian colonies. This must be self-contained as possible with as little communication with Earth as possible," Giles said. "Which is why I will be going as well. But this is strictly voluntary, so I won't force you to go."
"I don't know—it's a great opportunity, but a long commitment," Oedipa said. "I have projects and Joe—"
"Don't worry about Joe," Giles gave a slight smile. "I said he wasn't selected to the team. But as I realize this is a serious commitment on both your parts and his absence might make you hesitant to leave, I have already requested that Joe be assigned as co-pilot on the mission."
"You could've mentioned that earlier," Joe growled.
"What do you say, Oedipa?" Giles asked. "I wish I could give you both time to think and consider, but our ship leaves first thing tomorrow. I've made arrangements with your supervisor to allow you some leave and I can do the same for Joe."
Oedipa glanced at Joe. His eyes glistened with excitement. Oedipa wondered a moment if she should be excited too. Even though manned exploration of space had established bases on Mars and even tourist spots on the moon, the vast majority of humanity never got to tread the surface of another planet or moon except through virtual tours or see their home planet from outside the cocoon of its atmosphere. In fact, most people lived in squalor, scraping together just enough resources to make their next meal. Oedipa should feel honored to be invited on a mission that offered adventure and career advancement, except that she didn't. "I guess we should start packing, Joe?"
"I'll clean up the kitchen and get the Chinese to go."
Giles smiled and stood. "Good show."
"Two paths diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler," said Chatty Cathy Charles, Oedipa's neighbor. Oedipa could tell Joe hated being stuck in the lift with this woman. He always made a loud obnoxious clucking noise with his tongue. "Are you two going to be away long? Oh, I love long trips. My ex-husband once took me on one of those old style cruises to Alaska and then surprised me with a horseback ride through the mountains. Of course, the trip made me sick to my stomach and the food gave me explosive diarrhea, so the horseback riding didn't really happen, but it's always the thought that matters, I always say. I'm sorry, you were you going to tell me about your trip."
Oedipa was most certainly not, but it was a nice try, and she certainly didn't want to squander a rare opening in the conversation with the dowdy purple-haired woman to hopefully conclude the conversation. "I'm afraid it will be a fairly long trip," Oedipa said. "I have business in the Seychelles."
"The Seychelles? That sounds Greek, isn't it? My other ex-husband—husband number two—planned to take us on a cruise through the Greek Isles. Oh, the magnificent ruins. Or so I'm told," the lady said. Joe clucked. "Of course, that was during my cancer scare, so we couldn't go. By the way, I've always wondered why Joe always calls you Eddy. It doesn't bother you being given a boy's nickname, dear?'
"Uh, no," Oedipa cleared her throat. "It's an old nickname my father gave me."
Joe gave her a knowing look. "You know, you explained it to me once, dear. How your mother only allowed your father to use the nickname because she thought he was referring to the fluid dynamics concept of how current reverses flow when a liquid encounters an obstacle. I thought it was a cute story so I took to calling her Eddy as well."
Oedipa had told him no such story, but she could help but smile as he gave her a devious wink.
"Well, now, that makes sense. Of course, it's hard to go against the current, now isn't it, dear?" Chatty Cathy exclaimed. "Oh, you'll write, honey, won't you? And we can still chat through vidphone?"
Oedipa glanced anxiously through the portal. The blue-green surface of the Caribbean was clearly visible. She sighed in relief.
"Oh, I don't know. Seychelles is pretty remote," Oedipa added her own lie. "Lack of modern conveniences and all. But we'll keep you in our thoughts, Mrs. Charles."
"Oh dear, what a pity."
The lift doors promptly opened onto the brightly lit atrium of Aquarius' surface hotel and spaceport. Joe quickly shoved Oedipa and their luggage out of the lift and onto the people mover that crossed the bulk of the atrium. "Goodbye, Mrs. Charles. Don't let anyone rent our apartment while we're gone," Joe called back over his shoulder and leaned to whisper to Oedipa.
"Remember all the things I told you that I'd miss about Earth? And how none of them were that insufferable woman?"
Oedipa lurched forward to catch her balance on the people mover under the weight of two suitcases. She suddenly wished she hadn't taken any medication to calm her jitters for the flight. "Joe, she's just trying to be nice. She's just someone who's not comfortable with awkward silences and feels she has to, you know, fill the void with talk. Although, I have to admit, between her incessant prattling and your clucking, it's a wonder I could think enough to keep our cover story straight."
"I don't cluck."
"Yes, you do."
"It's more of a click. I do it when I'm annoyed—or nervous. It's sort of a nervous tic click. It's part of the idiosyncrasies you love about me."
"Honey, you cluck," Oedipa said. "And no, not so much." She kissed him on the cheek.
The Aquarius Atrium was cavernous, branching off into numerous tunnels which ended in massive platforms dotted with towers and gardens. From space, the whole SETECH facility unfolded like a leaf on the ocean with Atrium and its sprawling complex of hotels, restaurants and security facilities as its palm.
Oedipa and Joe made their way through the central tunnel to the middle of the frond. There, a sleek, small sub-orbital spaceplane sat perched on its pad. Robotic baggage handlers took the couple's luggage, scanned it, processed it and whisked it away to the belly of the ship. Oedipa looked past the palm trees and out onto the ocean. Dolphins, ever curious about the human activities at the Aquarius spaceport, frolicked among the waves. The roar of engines could be heard briefly behind her as another spaceplane, one of the larger, dowdier passenger airliners, streaked towards the heavens. Oedipa wondered if she could see the white twinkling day star of the Asgard Space Station against the expanse of blue sky above, but realized it would be in someone else's sky right now.
"I'll miss it too. One of the reasons I prefer suborbital flight. Mother Earth always fills my cockpit window," Joe said. "I'm sure the year will fly though and we'll be back here laughing like we never left."
"I wonder if we'll get a full briefing before or after we're headed off into deep space," Oedipa said.
Joe leaned in close. "Given the stakes that Dr. Giles suggested and the fact that he doesn't want to be seen together with us on this flight, I would say we're not going to get the full scoop until we reach the destination. You know how the company works—protect trade secrets at all costs."
Oedipa glanced around. "Speaking of which, do you remember where Mrs. Charles said she was going?"
Joe shrugged. "You think I didn't zone out after the first monologue?"
"Well, I could have sworn that I just saw her board our flight."
"Seriously?" Joe asked. "Are you sure? She wouldn't be going up into space, would she? That's woman's all hat and no cattle."
"Cattle? Are you calling Mrs. Charles a cow?"
"Sorry, honey, that's probably an expression I picked up from living in Texas. I mean, she talks about long trips and then always winds up in south Florida. That couldn't have been her," Joe said. "Besides, with her bad hip, how would she have gotten ahead of us."
"I know, I know," she said. "It's just my nerves talking. Let's just get on the plane."
Oedipa took one last look about the platform, took in a lungful of sweet sea breeze and climbed the stairs into the spaceplane. Inside, the cabin was all sterile whites and beiges like the Atrium. Crew members scurried about as passengers found their seats. One of the co-pilots greeted Joe on their way past the cockpit—one of his old buddies from flight school, but Oedipa didn't recognize him. They found their seats towards the middle of the plane. Still nagging her from the back of her mind, Oedipa began cataloging the crowd of passengers milling about. Though a small craft by spaceplane standards, it was still large with three columns of four seat rows. She spotted Dr. Giles five rows behind them in an aisle seat, conspicuously ignoring them with his nose buried in what appeared to be an old leather-bound book of some sort.
A man with sandy brown hair and a thin scar across his eyebrow sat down across the aisle from Oedipa. His fingers twitched nervously on the armrest as he leaned over to stow his carry-on under his seat.
"Pardon me, miss, but this is my first trip off-planet and I tend to get a little airsickness when I fly," the man told Oedipa. "I just wanted to give you fair warning."
"It's okay. My first time too."
A small army of what appeared to be fresh United States Space Corps soldiers marched down both aisles and filed into the rows in front of and behind Oedipa and Joe. Oedipa wondered if they had mistakenly booked in a special military section of the plane. To Joe's left, two small girls—sisters most likely—squirmed into their straps as a steward helped them settle in. Joe tried to help the closest girl with her clasps but was having a hard time getting around the child's restlessly shifting body.
"Let me get that for you, darling," Joe told the girl. "My name's Joe. What's yours?"
"Gwen," the little girl said. Oedipa guessed she was about ten years old. "And my sister's name is Stacy."
"Both pretty names," Oedipa said. "Are your parents aboard?"
"Our parents are at home. But our aunt and uncle work at the Lunar Colony," Gwen said. "We're supposed to go live with them for a while, while our folks get separated. I'm sad because I'll miss summer vacation with my friends. The moon is so boring."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Gwen," Joe said. "But the moon has some cool stuff—low grav jungle gyms, lunar putt-putt. Plus, you'll still be able to see home from the window of your aunt and uncle's place. Give it a chance."
"I heard there's dust everywhere," the other girl—Stacy—said. "That it gets into your clothes and into your hair—and even into your nostrils."
The girl poked a pink finger under her sister's nose causing Gwen to flinch and there was a short scuffle while Joe and the stewardess separated them. Finally, the last strap made a satisfying click.
"There," said Joe. "All settled it. That puffy red jacket you're wearing is what's the problem. You know, the moon is cold, but I'm sure that your aunt and uncle have the heat turned on to a comfortable level."
"I told her that," Stacy said. "But Gwen hates being cold."
"Thank you, sir," the steward told Joe.
Oedipa smiled as Gwen pouted at her sister's remark, pulling her puffy red coat sleeves tightly against her chest in defiance. To her right, Oedipa heard an old couple bickering in French about meeting relatives at the Lunar Colony. The man, wearing scruffy suit and fedora stood and motioned emphatically with his hands while the lady tried to put a calming hand on his shoulder. Apparently, the spat was brief, because it ended with the gentleman kissing his wife on the forehead and then the two took their seats at the behest of the Oedipa looked wistfully back at Joe and wondered if they would be bickering about relatives in 30 or 40 years. At least, they wouldn't be bickering over her relatives. She had none close enough that she kept in contact with.
The aisles began to clear as boarding found their seats. Apart from the stewards, the only passenger that Oedipa could see was a tall man in a black trench coat moving steadily up the left aisle. He was ruggedly handsome but apart from that and a spiky coif there wasn't much remarkable about him—except that he stared back intently as ambled two rows behind her into an aisle seat. He seemed to pay no attention to the steward's directions and only averted his gaze from her when he at last past them, his coat brushing casually against Stacy's knee as she fumbled with a talking doll's hair. Oedipa peeked over the back of her seat and then flinched as her eyes met his again.
"Joe, that man in the trench coat. Did you see him?"
"No, I'm afraid I didn't. Why, Eddy?"
"He's been staring at me since he boarded the plane. It's creeping me out."
"Maybe he knows you," Joe said. "Did he look familiar?"
"Where is he now?"
"Two rows behind. Aisle seat."
Joe peered behind him and then turned back to Oedipa. "You mean the really attractive guy with the lame hairdo, with a brooding, angry look on his face?"
"That about sums him up."
"What do you want me to do about him?"
"I don't know," Oedipa whispered. "Do you think he's a government agent? Or a corporate spy?"
"For starters, I don't think Mrs. Charles is on this plane," Joe said. "Second, we can't assume stalker boy is anything more than a garden variety pervert who wants to check out my girlfriend—a very beautiful woman with soft black hair to die for and eyes and a smile to match."
"Third," Joe's voice softened. "I think we should perhaps discuss sensitive matters like this in a less public location."
Oedipa sighed. "You're right. I'm letting my imagination get the best of me. First time off-planet is making me a little nervy."
About this time, the stewards were going through the pre-flight routine. Joe tried to comfort her by explaining what the crew was doing in the cockpit and what she could expect to feel as the suborbiter shot away from the pad.
"Just a slight kick really," Joe said. "These babies are so automated these days that they almost drive themselves as well your own car back on old Ohio freeways—and just as safely. Soon, a trained amoeba will able to be flying to the moon."
"Sweetie, are you saying that a trained, experienced pilot like you isn't needed anymore? Are you talking yourself out of a job?" Oedipa said, then added. "I'll be okay. The pills kicked in. The paranoia's probably just a small side-effect."
Oedipa rested her head on Joe's shoulder. A few minutes later, she felt the rumble of the plane engines, then the sudden kick and the ground through the portal windows sped away. She glanced over to the sandy-haired man in the aisle seat. He was hunched over, gagging into an airsick bag. Oedipa wondered if she should have offered him some of her meds.
They weren't in flight more than a few hours when Asgard came into view. Oedipa remembered when it took two or three days for Joe and his crew to make the trip to the station. Now, planners had figured out how to arrange it so the launch windows of each spaceport were maximized so that most flights caught up with Asgard's orbit on the first pass.
Joe seemed pleased that Oedipa was handling the transition to weightlessness well—at least better than the sandy-haired man—except for a pesky ebony curl that kept snagging on the corner of her mouth every time she turned her head. She wished she'd thought of bringing a hairclip. Space adaptation syndrome was rare because medication and patches doled out to the passengers pre-flight but there were a few who still complained of mild—or occasionally severe—nausea and the stewards floated about checking on and caring for those cases.
A small viewscreen was lowered in the front of the compartment to allow passengers to watch the plane's approach towards the station. As Oedipa recalled, Asgard was the ancient abode of the Viking gods, where Odin ruled over feasts and drinking parties, a celestial palace at the end of Bifrost's ethereal bridge. Oedipa had to admit, the space station, which looked like sea foam washed up on some ink-blackened shoreline, was as close to heavenly as man could hope to achieve with his own hands. But that's where the comparison ended. The place of Viking myth had been devoid of the radiancy of joy. It was a grave and solemn place because the gods were doomed to ruin. The cause the forces of good were fighting to defend were hopeless and even the gods were helpless against evil. The human Asgard was pleasure dome, a hub for human travel off-world but also a destination, decked out in lights like a flying Las Vegas.
At the center of Asgard's bubble cluster, a giant dark rested amongst the smaller glowing ones, a black pearl in the foam. This was the renowned headquarters of all SETECH's off-world divisions—the envy of its competitors, who by law were allowed to using docking facilities and repair stations, for a stiff fee, but were never able to breach its formidable security perimeters and various firewalls.
The plane maintained geosynchronous orbit with the station until it slid easily into a docking bay cradle. Clamps snapped down on the nose of the flyer and, with only a slight shudder, crawl tubes slithered out like large suckers from the recesses of the station and latched onto the side of the ship. The stewards released the passengers from their seat harnesses, leaving them free to float about the cabin for the first time. Gwen and Stacy were first to spring from their seats and do somersaults towards the ceiling.
"Be careful, girls," Joe called after them after Gwen nearly kicked him in the head. "They pad that area for safety but still a good thump on the noggin won't feel so go so ease up on the backflips, huh?"
Joe and Oedipa helped the girls collect their carry-ons and then Joe helped them all learn the basics of weightless locomotion. While the passengers were slowly filing towards the exits—some more clumsy than others—Oedipa kept the spiky-haired stalker in the corner of her eye while she scanned for anyone who might have looked like Mrs. Charles. She shuddered as the man made a move towards them and unconsciously grabbed Joe's elbow as he passed. But the man passed without incident and Oedipa noted that this time he was conspicuously ignoring them as he exited the plane. Perhaps I was wrong, she thought to herself. Maybe it was just the side-effect of the pills and they had worn off early. Oedipa had never had good reactions to medication anyways.
"Watch your head, Eddy," Joe said. "You ready?"
Most of the passengers had left the cabin, including Dr. Giles, who also ignored the couple. Oedipa slung her bag over her shoulder and found the nearest handhold to stabilize herself. Joe already had hold of Stacy's hand so she grabbed Gwen, who was still squealing with excitement from her last pirouette. Through the intercom, the pilot's voice introduced them to the station facilities, admonished them to heed the rules and policies and explained that the central "pearl" were marked as artificial gravity areas.
"Okay," Oedipa. "Let's go."
When the couple emerged from the plane and station umbilical, they entered one of the smaller outer bubbles. Yet, Oedipa was astonished at the contrast with the sterility of the plane. Asgard was an oasis, with lush green sprouting from every corner. The air seemed light and a faint aroma of cinnamon permeated the air and Oedipa recognized the small waxy leaves of one of the original cultivars of basil—cinnamon basil—edged the flower beds of marigolds and vincas. Each bed was protected by a transparent dome, permeable, Oedipa deduced, to allow the aromas of the plants and their oxidizing effects to benefit the station inhabitants.
Stacy and Gwen were first to notice the enlarged open space and pulled at the adults hands feverishly. Even Gwen's earlier glumness had dissipated and she told Oedipa she wanted to spin. The stalker from the plane was nowhere to be seen.
"You mean like this?" Oedipa said. She let go of Gwen's hand so that she could float a safe distance to a bare patch of wall and then pushed off with one foot. She raised her right foot and slid it gracefully against her other ankle. She held her chin up, folded her arms against her body and began to spin.
Gwen gasped at the spectacle as Oedipa pirouetted several times and then pulled her arms out to slow her spin. She felt a sudden rush of adrenaline and satisfaction. This was something she couldn't really do in the cramped confines of her apartment and labs under the sea. She thought she must have looked ridiculous because she heard Joe give a muffled chuckle behind her.
"You are full of surprises, Eddy," he said.
"I took ballet classes when I was younger," Oedipa said. "One of the by-products of having your parents overschedule your childhood. Should we escort the girls to their connecting flight? I don't see any attendants available at the moment and I don't feel right abandoning them in the station."
"We're big girls, Ms. Maat," Gwen said. "We can find our way."
"Still, it won't hurt us to help you, Gwen," Joe said. "I'm sure you two are hungry anyways. I can show you where to get the best space dogs on Asgard. And you wouldn't want to miss any impromptu dance performances."
Joe winked at Oedipa. He obviously knew his way around the station as well as any native did and easily led them through a labyrinth of chambers and tunnels until they reached the "Pearl." It was this huge facility which contained the largest area covered by the artificial gravity. It was also the largest man-made structure orbiting the Earth. The Pearl featured a four-star hotel, three restaurants, crew facilities, a variety of shops and an atrium that rivaled the one on Aquarius with all the flash and glitz of Las Vegas or Times Square. Just as it took Oedipa a few minutes to adjust to zero gravity on the plane, it took just as long to find her balance to move about after they passed through the airlock.
"It feels weird," Gwen said, stumbling into Oedipa. "I feel dizzy."
"That's probably the Coriolis effect," Oedipa said and then she noticed Stacy's blank expression. "It doesn't look like it, but this part of the station is rotating three times every minute. It's what helps make the artificial gravity that ensures you stay on the ground, which, in this case, are the walls of the station. What you're probably feeling is your inner ear having difficulty adjusting to the Coriolis forces."
A hologram advertisement fluttered by on cartoon butterfly wings. A cheery voice promised spectacular views of the original Apollo lander from a lunar orbiter. "It's a marvelous night for a Moondance, with the stars up above in your eyes," the voice sang as Gwen hopped on one foot trying to catch the cartoon rocket ship. "So fly Moondance tours tonight. Located at docking bay Zeta Alpha."
"That's where you girls need to go," Joe said. "The outbound flights to the Lunar Colony leave from Zeta Alpha. But let's grab a bite to eat first, eh?"
Joe found the corndog vender he'd been talking about and got hot dogs for himself and the girls. Oedipa wasn't yet feeling up to eating, so she found them a place to sit in a tiny garden that she guessed was supposed to be a version of Versailles in miniature. Asgard was an engineering miracle, but understatement was not its strong suit, Oedipa assumed. Though open to all, most people who were not wealthy, important or employees of the company in some capacity or their relatives would ever see the inside of this space station.
After their brief repast, they made their way round to the other side of the Pearl where another airlock took them through another maze of Asgard's outer bubbles. Joe had no trouble leading them to the waiting area, where the lunar lander was docked but had not yet begun to take on passengers.
"We're here," Joe said.
Gwen gave Oedipa a quick hug. "What do you say, Stacy?"
"Thank you for the hot dog, Mr. Joe and Ms. Eddy," Stacy said.
Oedipa stifled a giggle. "You're welcome, ladies. Have a good trip to your aunt and uncle's. Send us some pictures when you get the chance."
"Goodbye, girls," Joe said, and then turned to Oedipa. "Shall we?"
"Certainly," she said. "We don't want to be late for our rendezvous. By the way, where are we supposed to meet the others?"
"Zeta Gamma. But we'll have to go back through the Pearl to get there. Our rendezvous is at six hundred hours. We shouldn't be too late though. It should only take about fifteen minutes to get there."
Oedipa and Joe returned to the Pearl. A small lift skirted the shops and wall gardens which took them two thirds north of its equator. They were halfway to the next airlock when Oedipa felt eyes on them.
"I know, Eddy. I think we're being followed. Someone—" Joe winced. "Someone just put a gun to my back, I think."
A large hand clamped on Oedipa's shoulder and steered her towards a darkened alcove. She was able to turn her head enough to glimpse the stern face of the stalker from the plane.
"Lady and gentleman, if you'll please step this way, please. I'd like to have a word with you both," the stalker said in a low growl.
He shoved the couple into the alcove. They turned to face him. The stalker had seemed imposing on the plane, but his frame was even larger than Joe's and his clenched jaw promised a violent temper. Yet Joe's face turned from concern to anger.
"Hey, that's not a—"
"Gun?" the stalker said. "You nitwit! You really think I could smuggle a weapon onto a domestic flight? Clearly you aren't part of the Espionage Division."
"Who the hell are you and who do you think you are?" Oedipa said.
"Mr. Arthur Radley," a voice called from behind the stalker. Oedipa recognized Dr. Giles' voice though she couldn't immediately see around the large stranger. "I assumed I'd find you here."
"You know him?" Joe asked in disbelief.
"Of course," Giles said, glowering at the three of them. "However, a public place may not as good a venue for a reunion as, say, our rendezvous on the Icarus."
"Giles," Radley said, wheeled around to face the SETECH director. "Glad to see you, sir. Which is more than I can say for these two stool pigeons."
"Mr. Radley, don't forget that we are all on the same side," Giles said and then addressed Joe and Oedipa. "I thought I mentioned while we were Earth side that discretion was a paramount requirement for this mission."
"I'm sorry, Dr. Giles," Oedipa said. "I didn't know he was part of our team."
"Then why did you stare at me during the entire flight?" Radley said. "Were you aware that you probably made me and put all our lives in jeopardy?"
"Hey, you stared at me first! I thought you were a creeper, stalking me. How was I to know you weren't planning to kill Joe and me? I'm not sure that I don't still think you are a stalker."
Radley tapped his ear. "I have a chip in my inner ear that taps into my optic nerve. I can isolate sounds with it and listen in on conversations. I was staring at you to calibrate the chip, not ogle your lady parts."
"Now I'm sure you're a stalker."
"What are you supposed to be?" Joe asked. "Some sort of spy?"
"Counter-espionage, actually," Radley said. "I'm the guy the spies fear. Or I would be, so long as the girl and her boy toy didn't ID me for the nice lady spy from Global and Galactic."
"Boy toy? Really?" Joe said. "This from the man dressed like a psycho interpretation of a teen pop star."
"Children," Dr. Giles interjected. "Could we really continue the insults somewhere else? We are behind schedule as it is. If we miss our launch window it could be days before we get a chance to leave again—days which could mean the difference between life and death for the crew of the Intrepid."
"Right then," Radley said. "The next twelve months are just going to be peachy."
Oedipa glanced over at Joe, concerned that his testosterone and pride might get the better of him. The muscles in his jaw clenched and his fingernails dug into her arm, but he was keeping himself in check.
"We better follow them," Oedipa said. "It'll be okay."
The group left the alcove and made their way towards the Zeta Gamma airlock. Oedipa noticed several of the soldiers from the plane congregating at a bar near the opening. The bar was dressed up in fake palm trees and grass-skirted women served unnaturally colorful drinks in strange-looking glasses. The bar must have been specifically situated in a dead spot in the Pearl's artificial gravity, because one soldier bobbed for an amber bubble apparently made of beer while his mates watched and laughed. Oedipa hadn't questioned why a whole unit would travel on a commercial flight to Asgard when there were military stations they could have used. Were they on leave? If so, why were they in uniform? Were they a security detail come to provide extra protection for some reason? Oedipa felt a pang of panic and knew this time it wasn't the chemical variety, but the soldiers continued to carouse without noticing Dr. Giles and his secret team.
As they approached the airlock, Oedipa prepared herself from the transition to zero gravity. The floor seemed to tremble a bit and she caught herself before a stumble but then the whole station seemed to shudder and shake. Oedipa completely lost her balance and fell into Joe. Apparently, not all of her ballet training had prepared her for life in space.
"Sorry," she said. "Still getting the hang of this no gravity thing."
Joe gave her a concerned look. "I don't think that was gravity, sweetie. It felt like—"
Suddenly, the lights flickered and then the entire station darkened momentarily. With the light, all sound exhaled from the Pearl. They all stood motionless from shock as the station violently shook for several seconds. Finally, a siren rang out and the Pearl was bathed in emergency red.
"What just happened?"
"It felt like something hit us," Joe said. "Something big."
People began to panic around them. The soldiers had fled the bar area and without apparent orders began traffic control to help the local security teams flow like ants from the various corners of the station to wherever the source of the emergency was unimpeded.
"Maybe we can see what's going on. There's an observation at the northern pole of the Pearl," Joe said.
The lifts were inoperable, so Joe led them to a ladder that swarmed with people. Eventually, they made their way to the observation deck, a large cupola of windows that gave a panoramic view of the station from its core. People had already started to gather there or stopped as they passed by, mesmerized or puzzled by what they saw. The effect was eerie.
Initially, Oedipa couldn't see out the side of the cupola that was drawing all the attention. Radley helped clear a path through the crowd and she followed his lead.
"What's all the hubbub abou—" Radley said. "Oh."
Looking to her right, Oedipa scanned the outside of the station. Three other bubbles looked like giant red-speckled eggs nesting atop the blue arc of the Earth. It was hard for her to judge distance, but he lights in the right bubble flickered and Oedipa thought she could see movement through one of the bay windows which she guessed made it the closest. Nestled in the middle, the smallest and furthest of the station bubbles was almost completely dark, except for a flickering on the exposed side of its north pole. What appeared to be a geyser of confetti had shot a plume across the sky as though someone had uncorked a bottle of cosmic champagne. Oedipa pointed out the geyser to Joe.
"What's that?" she asked, but even as the words left her lips she had her answered. That wasn't confetti; there were people out there—bodies.
Did you enjoy my ongoing story so far? Please let me know what you think by leaving a review! Thanks, Dan R. ArmanWrite a Review


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Shingles! TADA!8
May 22, 2012 by Marj Hatzell
I have shingles. And I don't mean the roofing kind.
Because my life isn't hectic enough, last week I felt like crud for a few days. I had a school event this past weekend and was up to my eyeballs in meetings and such last week, too. In fact, last week was one of the busiest EVER. Something every night of the week. Naturally, that meant I felt like I was getting the flu for about five days straight. I figured I was coming down with it since The Guy I Live With had it the week before.
And you know, we have to outdo each other on stuff like that.
But after five days of feeling like crud, I woke up and it felt like I had scratches all over my chest. And when I felt them, well, they felt like pimples. But they itched. But if I touched them it hurt like a mofo.
Do you know what a mofo hurts like? Kinda like a thousand needles stabbing you all at once. THE MORE YOU KNOW.
Anyways, I was smaht enough to get my arse right to the doctor and get it checked and as expected, SHINGLES! TADA! I know how to do it right, yo. I can't just have a virus, I must have a really sh*tty one. One that hurts and itches and makes me feel lousy.
The good news? They gave me good drugs. And they help me not feel like crud. And honestly, shingles aren't THAT bad. Except for the part where I am crawling out of my skin and want to stab someone basically ALL DAY LONG.
Yes. They suck.
And the meds? Well, they make me sleepy and I seem to have lost cognitive ability. As in, I cannot seem to put two coherent thoughts together. Or two sentences. Or heck, two words. In other words, I have absosmurfly no ability to do anything that requires brain function. Like blogging and writing. Or planning. Or going to the next room and remembering why I went there in the first place.
I know, I know. It's my body's way of saying SLOW THE EFF DOWN MUTHA TRUCKA.
And the docs and what not all tell me I need to be less stressed out and relax. And rest a ton.
Because THAT is so easy to do with what I have going on.
If you believe that I have a fabulous business deal in Nigeria that I require your assistance with.
PS – if you really love me and want to make me feel better, help a sista out and go read my stuffs at Aiming Low. Especially the current one because I worked my arse off on that and I'm a delicate flower and I'll cry if no one likes it. And you don't want to see me cry, right? Of course you don't. So go read it.
8 thoughts on "Shingles! TADA!"
Oh, I'm so sorry! Shingles are the pits! The pain feels like it's plucking away on your nerves. I hope this gets better quickly. I've heard there's a vaccine out now – maybe you can get it later to stave off a recurrence. Good luck!
The husband came down with Shingles two weeks ago. Poor guy! Poor you! Hope you are feeling better soon!
Ugh! Hope you feel better soon. Right before I read where you said your body was telling you to slow down, that's exactly what I was thinking. But yes, it's so hard to actually find the time to do that.
Like I said, you shouldn't have run over that kitty in your former life.
Feeling your pain, almost literally. Shingles hurts like the Dickens (imaginary torture device made from red hot needles, patent pending) because it's nerve pain, and that sucker ain't gonna quit for no normal painkillers. My body told me to slow down by giving me the mother of all nerve pain crap. I'm no longer on speaking terms with my body.
I hope you get better soon so you can go back to just having regular amounts of crap 🙂
(Awesome post on Aiming Low, btw!)