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Pat Blythe- Catch up…..Christmas kiboshed…..and music

This week’s column is a bit of a mish mash. It’s been six weeks since my last writing and so much has happened (or not happened)! Where to begin?? Let’s see….another variant tanking Christmas and New Year’s Eve for so many of us; a giant roast turkey all dressed up with nowhere to go; dating my couch; a quiet but lovely New Year’s Eve; Christmas decorations still hanging about, and the storage bins to put away; the closing of “indoor damn near everything”; back to dating my couch, but now we’ve got a threesome going with the fridge…..yep, so much has happened!

….or with

I did splurge on a great pair of little portable speakers by Anker. My large Bluetooth speaker is showing its age and is not quite up to snuff these days. The baby Ankers produce a wonderful bass sound (my fav) without too much thumpa thumpa overriding the highs. So, between Christmas songs and checking out new tunes, I managed to fill my home with music…..very important!

The non-holidays

With the new variant swirling around and a few close friends testing positive, I remained in Toronto from Christmas Eve day right through to first day of 2022. Staying with my 92-year-old mother was not an option. So many people were unexpectedly alone after excitedly planning to spend Christmas with family and friends. The anticipation build-up had been mounting for weeks when Christmas was abruptly cancelled, virtually overnight. Falling apart like a house of cards, plans were dashed and hopes shattered, while families and friends were left stranded (literally and metaphorically). Many didn’t know what to do or how to cope. Some stuck with their plans anyway. The world knew what to expect leading up to Christmas 2020. Gatherings were verboten so we planned around them, keeping to our own little bubbles. We were more mentally prepared. Christmas 2021 was a total, unmitigated mind fuck.

Omicron struck with lightening speed. Its spread was rapid and catastrophic. I managed to make it back to Canada just two days before everything at the Canadian border changed. The tiny window of 17 days I managed to squeeze my trip into, shut pretty quickly on both sides of the ocean. So what do you do with a thirteen pound turkey, stuffing, mince tarts, the best gravy EVER, three huge jars of soup…..basically dinner for 10…..when it’s just you? Thank gawd I don’t own a set of scales! I’ll just let that one sit there……….

Over the pond

The cat is out of the bag (so to speak), as many of you now know I’m planning a change of scenery. Yes indeed, across the pond to England. Something I’ve always wanted to do since 1970, it now seems to be a good time to forge ahead. This damnable virus may have other plans, but I’m hoping to skirt those and get my ass over there. I’ve a lot of planning and preparation over the next few months, but I did manage to find a wonderful 2-bedroom flat while I was over in November. The house is called The Grove, the flat is in an old three-storey, Georgian home built in 1750. Called The Castle (the view faces Richmond castle), I stayed in the flat with my sons during Christmas of 2013.

I’ve always loved The Grove and admired it on many previous visits to Richmond. Formerly holiday “lets”, the flats are fully furnished, which is exactly what I was looking, and hoping for. Walk out the back door of The Grove and through the garden to one of the larger local, dine-in pubs. The house is only a three minute walk into town and, conveniently, right across the road from the home of one of my cousins. What’s most important…’s only steps away from the local gin bar!  Perfect!

Montage shows (top) Richmond Marketplace & Richmond Castle, (middle) The Grove& Green Bridge (bottom) Easby Abbey

Richmond is a town of 10,000 and is pretty much situated right smack dab in the centre of the island. I’m about 2.5 hours south of Edinburgh and just over three hours from London, both by train. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is considered the largest arts festival in the world. I’m not far from York, Leeds (Leeds and Reading Music Festivals) and a short train ride to see my lovely niece in Manchester. Moving from a city of three million to town of 10,000 is a definitely a big change. However, I know Richmond fairly well, it’s my comfort zone and I’m not far from major centres by bus or train. The biggest plus…..I have sooooo many wonderful cousins over there. Come on over for a visit…..just not all at once.

Trivia piece #1…..every single town, city, village and suburb around the world named Richmond after Richmond, North Yorkshire. Trivia piece #2…..for my friend Peter Montreuil, Richmond is right next door to Catterick Garrison, the largest British army base in the world.

Just released, another wonderful tune by Suzi Kory. Inspired by one of Suzi’s closest friends, the song is about a touring musician who suddenly finds himself off the road in 2020. Taking the time to reflect on his life and making some life altering changes, he finds he is in a much happier place. Suzi felt it was the right time to put out this song, that although this was her friend’s personal story, many could relate. She calls it a message of hope….things can and will get better and you can make positive changes in your life.

A Better Man – Suzi Kory

The cover song interpretations We The Crooked have produced are fantastic. I’m not sure which one is my favourite (they have done a few) but this one is fabulous! You guys have done Stevie Wonder proud! J.C. Sandoval has the perfect voice for this song.

Pastime Paradise – Stevie Wonder (rock version by We The Crooked)

Wicked Game – Chris Isaak (Crooked Cover)

Fallen Leaves – Billy Talent (Crooked Cover)

Released just four days ago, “Anymore is the newest single off The Redhill Valleys upcoming two-part EP scheduled to be released this spring (2022). Songwriters Chelsea McWilliams and Tim Allard received worldwide recognition this past summer for “Anymore”, winning 1st place in the American Songwriter Magazine Lyric Contest. The track also went on to receive honourable mention as part of Top 50 songs in the 2021 American Songwriter Song Contest.

Anymore – The Redhill Valleys

Wow! This just popped up while perusing YouTube. Classic Deep Purple playing one of my favourite songs. Might have something to do with that Hammond & Leslie!! Such a contrast between the band members and the look and dress of the audience. The latter look so out of place and somewhat bewildered. What a set of pipes Ian Gillan had! I remember when these guys performed at Wonderland Gardens in London, Ontario.

Child in Time – Deep Purple (live)

…..and yes, I will continue to write, photograph and podcast. If you know anyone who is looking to purchase a house in The Big Smoke……

Pat’s column appears every Wednesday.

“Music and photography….my heart, my passions.” After an extended absence —  33 years as a consultant and design specialist in the telecommunications industry — Pat has turned her focus back to the music scene. Immersing herself in the local club circuit, attending the many diverse music festivals, listening to some great music, photographing and writing once again, she is eager to spread the word about this great Music City of ours…..Toronto.

Together for 34 years, Pat also worked alongside her late husband Christopher Blythe, The PictureTaker©, who, beginning in the early 70s, photographed much of the local talent (think Goddo, Frank Soda and the Imps, BB Gabor, the first Police Picnic, Buzzsaw, Hellfield, Shooter, The Segarini Band….) as well as national and international acts. Pat is currently making her way through 40 years of Chris’s archives, 20 of which are a photographic history of the local GTA music scene beginning in 1974. It continues to be a work in progress. Oh…..and she LOVES to dance!

2 Responses to “Pat Blythe- Catch up…..Christmas kiboshed…..and music”

  1. Great read my friend. 🙂

  2. Wow!! That’s exciting news! All the best on your move!

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Gabriella Dress

Gabriella Dress is a stunning, modern dress with ruched long sleeves and a turn-down collar. It has a bodycon silhouette which creates an hourglass shape to the dress.

Material: Polyester Blend
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Licensing and accepted use

What is a license?

A license is a paid acceptance, from one side, to use in this case, a software (font).

How does your licensing work?

Our licensing is based on the different devices and platforms on which the font files are used: a personal computer, a website, a mobile app, etc.

Licensing can be made for Computers, Unique monthly web-views, and an app. Remaining platforms can be covered by sending an email, where we’ll happily help to make sure the licensing is correct for you and us.

Download our EULA

What is a Desktop License?

The Desktop License covers, for example, a designer sitting at one desk, making a poster. So this one user, simply put. If you’re ten designers on your team, then the license needs to be for 10 users.

What is a Web License?

The Web License is defined by how many unique users the website has on a monthly basis, and therefore how many visitors the font will be exposed to. As any font, with a bit of effort, can be stolen from a website, the license cost acts as our guarantee for the potential loss of revenue.

The font files for Web Licenses are different from files Print Licenses. It’s not possible to install the files on a desktop. It’s only possible to embed the font on a website.

If you're designing a website on your computer, then you'll need both a Desktop (to cover making the design in the software of your choice) and a Web License (to cover the use of the typeface on the final website). A programmer developing the website will typically not need a Desktop License as well.

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Corporate Licenses are tailored with you, for your specific use case and scale, to ensure fair terms for both parties and to make sure that you pay what's fair, in accordance with the mark you leave on the world as a corporation.

Please get in touch, if you'd like to purchase fonts under this license.

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The social media reach of companies can be rather large, and so the license must reflect that. If, for example, the ad is seen by a million, then it must reflect a website that might get seen by a million.

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It’s prohibited to use a desktop file on your website unless permission has been given in writing.

I work for a non-profit, do you sponsor such organisations?

We do, but it depends on what it promotes. As a rule of thumb, we support anything that promotes understanding and equality.

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We do! Please send a valid proof of study and an indication of which fonts you need, and we’ll figure it out.

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Can I see examples of your custom work?

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Yes we do, albeit the foundry as such is a highly internal platform, we’ll love to help you get your work published where it belongs.

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Yes, we offer trial files for downloading and testing in your projects. Simply go to the trials page to request the needed files and you will receive an email with the files attached.

What can I use the trial files for?

The purpose of offering trial files is to make it easier to select the right fonts for your project. They’re for internal testing only and are not allowed to be used for anything public.

I need more glyphs, than what is available in the trial font, to test the font for a project, is there anything we can do?

Please get in touch and we’ll find a solution. It’s important for us that everything looks as it should when pitching projects to clients etc.

Can I pay with anything else than a credit card?

You can pay by manual bank transfer. Which we also recommend on large payments.

We will soon cover a wider range of payment methods, please get in touch if you're missing a specific payment method!

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Orders are unfortunately non-refundable.

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The check-out process generates a tax-official valid PDF, which is included in your order.

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Do you accept interns?

Please check Instagram or Twitter for announcements. The foundry might be operating from this or that place from week to week, and so it is not easy to take responsibility for the education of a young designer.

Do you hire?

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Select the typefaces you want to trial

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The Love of Williams 733

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WME President Ari Greenburg Says Many WGA Members Are Afraid Of Their Guild – .

WME President Ari Greenburg told a federal judge today that many members of the WGA fear their own guild. Greenburg said so in a supplemental statement in support of the agency’s request for an injunction to halt the guild’s ongoing boycott of the WME and CAA pending trial.

“Many guild members have shared their beliefs with me and / or other WME agents that the rules of the WGA are intentionally vague, have changed over time, and could be used against them by the guilds if they partnered with WME in any way “, he said US District Judge André Birotte Jr. under penalty of perjury. “In addition, the WGA has told different WGA members different things – differences that the guilds use for their own benefit – about the application of their own rules. Members were also concerned about guild courts, the loss of their health insurance, and the blackout – severe penalties for (allegedly) violations of guild rules that were vague and constantly changing.

CAA accuses WGA of running a “revenge campaign” to cease business

“Not surprisingly, because of this fear of discipline and retaliation from their guilds, many guild members have also terminated WME for non-writing services that do not fall under the minimum basic agreement. Attached as Appendix 2 is a non-exhaustive list of guild members including many of the showrunners I have represented who have terminated WME for all services. Some have signed with managers, others with competing agencies. “

The names of the authors and showrunners listed in the exhibition are marked in black and under a seal with the inscription “Very confidential – only for the eyes of outside lawyers”.

The litigation and boycott began in April 2019 when the WGA ordered its members to fire their agents who refused to sign the guild’s code of conduct, which banned packaging fees and agencies from affiliation with related manufacturing companies. Since then, every major agency except CAA and WME has signed a modified code that phased out packaging fees and reduced manufacturing companies ownership to just 20%.

“I understand that the guilds have argued that their members need to terminate WME only in connection with written work that falls under the minimum basic agreement,” Greenburg continued. “This ignores the fact that the guilds have specifically” encouraged “their members to be represented by a franchise agency for all of their work, and praised those members who” went beyond “by creating a non-guild franchise – Agents had been fired for the provision of services. “

His statement accompanies the agencies’ response in support of their motion for an injunction to end the boycott.

According to WME:

• For the facts, the guilds do not deny that (i) more than a thousand showrunners and writers with non-fungible relationships have fired WME, (ii) the boycott prevents WME from attracting new customers, and (iii) the boycott is WME loses agents.

• The guilds claim that WME was “free” to sign the ICM / UTA franchise agreement, but at the same time they do not deny that David Young told WME on October 16, 2020 that it had to sign an additional “side letter” subject to one unprecedented surveillance, sanctions and a de facto scrutiny of its investors.

o It is important that the criminal provisions for “surveillance” and “sanctions” were not included in the franchise agreements of UTA, ICM or any other agency.

• Guild negotiator David Young affirmed that “it was important to understand the complex structure of WME” – particularly with reference to Endeavor’s “private equity shareholders” – and that “these were new issues for the guilds “That require an external management consultant to be retained at the end of September. If understanding such investors was a “new problem” for the guilds in late September, then they must not have investigated UTAs, ICMs, or outside investors from other agencies before franchising them, which clearly evidences the guilds’ inquisition by the investors of WME (and CAA) were given “special treatment” to make it impossible for the two largest agencies to conclude franchise agreements.

• The guilds falsely claim – four times – that WME sought an inadequate, “undefined period of time” to comply with the guilds’ partner rules. The truth, however, as WME and negotiator David Young testified, is that WME was seeking a specific deadline for transitioning to comply with these rules: June 30, 2022, the same date the guilds made the transition from packaging to franchise agencies gifts.

o Critically, the guilds claim that there is an “obvious conflict of interest” in every packaging fee agreement and that packaging is systematically illegal. In contrast, the guilds have never claimed that an agency’s affiliation with a content company is illegal. However, the guild’s negotiating committee is not going to agree to the exact schedule that the agencies have set for expiration packaging for WME to meet the 20% ownership cap.

* Therefore, the only plausible explanation for the guilds’ flexibility towards a packaging transition and the inflexibility towards a content business transition is that the only two agencies affected by the latter restriction are WME and CAA.

• WGA does not deny that more than a thousand showrunners and writers with non-fungible relationships have fired WME, the boycott prevents WME from attracting new customers, and the boycott results in WME losing agents. However, WGA argues that “lost contracts, customers or business are not enough to support injunctive relief without demonstrating the plaintiff is critically endangered”.

At the same time, the WGA is now petitioning its own injunction, claiming that the Court has no jurisdiction to grant the injunction requested by WME.

• A franchise talent agent confirms that the guild’s main negotiator, David Young, has admitted that the guilds are ignoring managerial conflicts “because the guilds must use the managers as leverage against the WME and CAA” – an admission the Bei Boycott is not about conflicts of interest, but about the self-proclaimed “takeover” of the trade unions.

• The guilds are boycotting WME for the benefit of their rivals by franchising other agencies that are not available to WME and agreeing to compensate managers who take clients from WME. Young has admitted that WGA is turning a blind eye to conflicts of interest from managers “because the guilds must use managers to leverage WME and CAA” in WGA’s self-proclaimed “power grab”.

• The guilds previously admitted that this is “not a labor dispute”, have never brought up their newfound NLGA defense (and thus waived) and are only seeking injunctive relief in this dispute. You can’t have it both ways.

o When the guilds threatened to claim their own boycott, they wrote in a letter to their members: “The ATA is not a trade union and actually admits that it is involved in“ contract negotiations ”. [and] not a “labor dispute” and therefore not subject to any collective bargaining process. “

• The guilds were right when they said this case is a “contract negotiation” between the guilds and the talent agencies and is “not a labor dispute”. WME does not employ writers. And the guilds have set the terms under which partners and packaging of agency content are allowed as core dispute – not arguing with studios over the terms of employment of writers. “

CAA filed a similar response today in support of its motion for an injunction.

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Comics/Graphic Novels

Things We Like: Journey Into Misery

Comics can be daunting to get into, especially ones with 75 years of continuity, hundreds of different versions of the same character and more retcons than you can shake a universe-shattering punch at… and that’s before you even get to talking about Hawkman.

That’s where Journey Into Misery comes in. Kieran Shiach of the Have A Nice Day Podcast has recently launched Journey Into Misery in an effort to share his love of of comics and weird continuity quibbles with his girlfriend and relative comics beginner, Helena Hart.

JiM is perfect for anyone with even a passing interest in the weirdness of superheroes. If you’re well versed in Big Two continuity, it probably sounds like you can give it a pass. I’d say give it a shot. You’re going to learn some things, no matter how much time you’ve spent on wikipedia or poring over the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe. If you’re new to all this and want to dive in, this is the show for you.

And that’s just the first episode. Map by Rian Hughes.

Hearing Helena’s reactions to certain parts of Flash continuity (the main focus of the show so far) puts a lot of things into perspective. As comics fans, we take a lot for granted. Helena’s quick to call out any ridiculous BS or broken logic while simultaneously being really excited about little details that most comics people probably don’t even think of as being different. It’s awesome and has made me personally take a look at how I digest and talk about this stuff. I make a lot of assumptions when non-comics people ask me questions about the movies or whatever. Even just hearing her roll the word “Skrull” around the first time she hears it is great. That is a word I use far too often and have never, ever questioned.

Sharing the things you love with the people you love can be a daunting, complicated experience . Journey Into Misery is a glorious experiment in enthusiasm and I can’t wait to see where things go and which character they cover next. It’s enlightening, entertaining and Kieran and Helena are downright charming as all hell. Journey Into Misery is a worthy contender for your weekly podcast regimen, but only after you finish the latest episode of Oh, Comics!

They’ve done only a handful of shows so far which means now’s the time to get in on the ground floor before you’ve got 50 plus episodes to work through. They’ve also just launched their patreon if you like what you hear.


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The Plays of William Shakespeare [...]

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Tuesday Tunes

This is how it starts, little bit of wine

Fire in my heart, gonna make you mine

Gimme something real, something more than love

Something I can feel, I want to suck your blood

A-Z Book List: D for Dracula

Not the one that Johnny Depp plays in ‘Dark Shadows’. Nope… This is the one that made Francis Ford Coppola adapt it to a movie with Gary Oldman playing the role of Count Dracula. I am not sure how many of you have watched that movie. Such an amazing one. I remember scaring my friends in the hostel with that movie. Made sure the room was dark with not a single light on and played the movie on a computer (had bought the CD version of it), I can still hear their screams 😉 I think I am jumping the guns here. Let us go in order.

Name: Dracula by Bram Stoker

Genre: Paranormal, Horror, Fiction, Gothic, Classics

When I started writing the genre of this book is when I realized that this is the first book I read in paranormal. Twilight series was the second. The fact that this Vampire belonged to the same genre totally skipped my mind 😛 Wonder why. I saw the movie first and was so enthralled by the screenplay, the cinematography and the acting, that I wanted to relive it through the book. A big mistake. In this case, I loved the movie more than the book. Of course the movie did take some artistic liberties and moved a little hither tither from the story, which is usual, but that sort of added some glamour to it. Made it more spooky and scary. And I am not a horror genre fan. I never watch horror movies, if I can help it. Again, no spoilers out here. So without going much into the story, let me tell you that I felt the book a little bit boring and the ending quite exhausting. I felt totally disappointed and to help me get back to a good mood, I had to watch the movie again. I gave it only three stars in Goodreads. Gary Oldman as the Dracula was so mesmerizing (can’t think of any other word). The book Dracula wasn’t so much. May be I was constantly trying to picture Gary Oldman in the  book and it didnt quite fit and that made all the difference ? May be. Not many movies outdo the books, according to me. This one definitely did. Did you find this book better than the movie? If so, let me know. Would love to know why? What did I miss?

PS: Check out the rest of the A-Z Book list here

A-Z Book List: B for Bella

I know, I know. If you are a person who reads a lot of books or watches movies, you know who Bella is. If you don’t, well….don’t bother unless you like some paranormal romance. Even then, just don’t go and watch the damn movie of that series.

After all that I am yet to say the name of the book….

Name: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Romance, Young Adult, Teen

And yes, I do have the whole series in paperback with me. This was my first (and if I remember correctly, my only) paranormal romance. So obviously, I was so enthralled and enamored by Vampires, Werewolves etc. The only character which got on my nerves was Bella. Edward of my imagination was way better than the one portrayed in movies (This post will end up being a rant if I start on that…so totally avoiding the movie adaptation part…in short…The movies of this book series sucks!) My friends keep making fun that Edward is a pedophile! And everytime they bring that up, my friends and I have a small fight. They can’t go spoiling my imagination with lines like that now, can they? But as much interesting and enthralling the first book was, once the series got into the depth of it, it became the usual ‘when will this finish’ feeling. It was still exciting  because this is the book where she decides if she wanted to go to the dark side or not (remember Vampire Diaries?) and the consequences of the same, she had to endure. The book was much bigger than the rest and even though that was sort of putting me off, I still had to complete the series. Can’t leave it just like that without reaching the completion now, can I? Also recently, when I told one girl in my gym that I like Twilight to some extent, she appreciated me saying that it took courage to accept that out loud… Seriously? It isn’t that bad. There are much trashier stories and books. And since I haven’t read any other paranormal romance, I don’t have anything to compare either. And after all, it is for Young Adult. All that hormones and pheromones and such stuff along with some fancy vampire and daring werewolf will cause our brains cells to scatter hither thither, at least a little bit 😉

PS: Check out the rest of the A-Z Book list here

Friday Link

Thanks to Brian for posting this. This version of ‘Twilight’ looks SO very interesting. It was so very well made that I couldn’t help but share. Watch and Enjoy. Comments disabled here

Brian D. Buckley

Buffy vs. Edward. Funny, and pretty good video editing work too.

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Kite surfing in Florida (or kiteboarding) is an amazing sport that can take you to places in the world that you have never imagined. Of all the places to kite surf, Florida must be one of the very best. It is often seen on Florida beaches, but it isn’t just a fair-weather pass time. It can be done alone or in a group and it’s an exhilarating experience which is not affected one bit if the weather is cold and by the fact that you or the ones with you are fully clothed.

Kite Surfing is a Way Of Living

There are just so are many places you can go to kite surf in Florida. The locations of which are unique to each one of them. You can get the information about kite surfing from travel guides, surf camp instructors or from others who have gone there before. There is no specific equipment that is needed to learn how to kitesurf. There are several pieces of equipment that one would need though. These are the kite, the line and the surfboard.

What Equipment Do You Need To Kitesurf?

A kite is a piece of equipment that you can buy or rent. The ideal kite will be shaped like a wing in the air. Kite surfing is more fun when done with a disc-shaped kite. Kite surfing can take place in a canyon, a ridge, a sea or in a big wide open space. Generally speaking, a sheltered bay is the best place for novices to do it since waves are not that big and the water is warm. However, you can do it anywhere where the terrain is wide open.

Kite Surfing in Florida is for Wind Chasers and Wave Hunters!

In beach kite surfing in Florida and elsewhere, the waves tend to come in groups. Depending on the location and weather conditions, you can count on getting a couple of wave cycles every few minutes. But this is not typical. The waves that will come into your cove may be unpredictable. But, that’s part of the fun – anticipating a great wave!

Do you need to be Athletic?

If you have a surfboard, you can still learn a lot about kite surfing by practising on a surfboard before your first outing. If you are a beginner, this can be a great experience. Since the waves can vary, you will not get familiar with the swell direction. So you will have to guess the direction. It is a great way to learn since if you get it right, you will get to go out and do it again.

If you go in the morning, go early enough to fit in the surfing session. Ideally, if it is sunny Florida, it will be warm even at 9 or 10 am. Most people like to do their kite surfing in Florida in beautiful weather. That is why it is important to go to a place that is sunny and has a warm breeze. The warm breeze cools down the water so that you can get in a session with the waves that will come.

Sun Protection While Kite Surfing

As it is usually going to be sunny, it is important to take a sunblock product with you onto the beach and use it copiously. There is no better way.

You need to protect every spot of your body that will come under direct sunlight. Ignoring that fact could cause problems for your skin. The other problem is, once you are out and surfing, you have to take care of yourself. So it is better to go early and late in the day.

Image text: "Kite Surfing in Florida".

Packing Your Surf Board and Kite

Before you leave, pack your board. If you have a surfboard, pack your fins since you cannot set them in the sand since the surf can dig them out. But you can bring your surfing shoes for rocky beaches. Also, pack your goggles since you will be wearing them.

As it is often a hot day, bring lots of water and lots of sunscreens. And just think of bringing a first aid kit in case of trouble.

Kite Surfing and Wind Blown Sand

If you will be surfing off a beach backed by dunes and dry sand, on days with very strong off-shore winds, then cover your nose and mouth as sand can get in them.

Take care to look out for sand in your eyes. Beach sand can get inside your goggles. Take great care not to let sand in your goggles fall into your eyes and cause eye inflammation.

Whether windy or just a breeze, do always bring your surfboard.

Safety When Kite Surfing – The Importance of Lifeguards

One of the most important things that you will notice on the best kite surfing beaches is the lifeguards. The lifeguards will monitor the beach from the day’s beginning to its end.

For kite surfing in Florida and how the local lifeguards approach it, there is always a big emphasis on safety. They may try to improve safety by going from beach to beach checking that there are no unregistered kite surfing kids on the beaches. Kites come in many shapes and sizes, and some can be dangerous. If local rules apply and there are unregistered kite kids on the beaches ignoring the requirements, then they can summon the local law enforcement to go bust them.

Lifeguards Can Are Your Friends

All regular kite surfers in Florida are encouraged to get to know the lifeguards. They can help protect you from having accidents and will you help if a mishap occurs.

You do not need to say hi to them when you first get there. There are no rules like that. You can kitesurf up and down the beach and then when you take a rest they may come up to talk to you.

Then you can talk to them. And when they are talking to you, you may pick up some local tips about great places and times for kite surfing locally.

Lifeguards Know A Good Kitesurfer when they See One

If you brag about your surfing prowess though watch out! Make sure you are telling the truth. They will know whether or not you are lying or telling the truth. The false claims some people make will make the lifeguards laugh. If you are a novice kitesurfer you won’t kid them! They spend all summer long watching kite surfing and they know the best from the novice in a flash of the eyeball!

Kitesurfing at the Evening Beach Closing

One of the most enjoyable kitesurfing times you can have at a busy beach is just the closing time. After the closing time, it will be closed to all surfing for the rest of the day.

But while all the other bathers are leaving the beach, there are a few minutes of the almost empty beach when the kitesurfer can let go of all caution and surf with gay abandon. Most people will be packing up and changing their clothes and will watch your antics as well so if you like an audience that is your moment.

Florida Lifeguards do a Wonderful Job

At this time of day, the lifeguards will want you to stop all your surfing and come in. You may not want to do that.

But you have to be extra careful about what you say to the lifeguards. You have to be especially careful about not being rude to them. Never tell them they are spoiling the fun of all the kids that are at the beach.

Lifeguards have a job to do. If you lie to them about how you will come back onto the beach in 5 minutes and stay in the surf you may be banned for several days on some beaches. That is not a good thing to have to happen. So be extra cautious about what you say to the Florida lifeguards.

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Slated for completion in summer of 2021, Grace on Border is a collection of sixteen luxury two-bedroom condominiums. Units feature Bosch appliances, white and grey shaker cabinetry, oak hardwood flooring, and quartz countertops. Building amenities available for residents to enjoy include elevator, garage parking, and a common roof deck. Conveniently located to all East Boston has to offer!

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Book review: Coming to my Senses by Alyssa Harad

Something interesting is happening. Passionate perfume lovers are getting themselves into print.

For some years now the internet has provided an unprecedented opportunity for perfume consumers to exchange ideas and perfumes, to buy and sell, to talk, listen and dream together. But books about perfume tended in the past to be about the history and production of perfume, rather than its consumption. The love, strength and inspiration that perfume provides us on a daily basis was not a subject for a book because there was no community to read it. And now there is.

You will recognize Alyssa Harad even if you have not read any of her posts on Now Smell This or Perfume Smellin’ Things because she is one of us. Many of us know the sensation of ‘falling down the perfume rabbit hole’. Perhaps we wore perfume in our youth, or our mothers did, but it was just a casual thing. Then something happens that makes us pause and smell again. The ground gives way and we fall down a rabbit hole of deep and abiding love of perfume.

Alyssa’s book is essentially about this. It is her own perfume story told with candor, passion and wit. ‘Perfume tells a story on the skin’, she writes in her opening sentence. She became seriously interested in perfume not actually through perfume itself but by stumbling accidentally on her first perfume blog and noticing the vivid prose she found there, ‘written simply for the joy of it’. After that, she says, she was hooked on the stories people told about themselves and what perfume meant to them.

Alyssa had been a ‘Birkenstock-wearing feminist’ who preferred her ‘chocolate bitter dark and her literature even darker’, and it embarrassed her to discover that perfume made her happy. Her dilemma, and it is surely a familiar one, is that perfume for her had signified conformity to unrealizable feminine ideals, ideals she had rejected as a young woman. When perfume-induced happiness crept into her life unexpectedly, it forced her to ask some questions about herself. ‘Who am I? What do I want?’

Sound familiar? Then this is a book for you.

The ‘who am I’ question might have been less urgent had not Alyssa and her partner of ten years decided to get married. Her perfume explorations coincided with deciding what sort of ‘bride’ she would be and, and this journey gives momentum to the much of the book. Along the way are some magnificent ‘set piece’ descriptions: her attendance at sessions run by a natural perfumery laboratory in Austin, Texas; a hilarious visit to Bergdorf’s in New York to sniff perfume; some nerve-wracking shopping for bridal wear; and a ‘bridal shower’ held for her by her mother and her mother’s friends – ‘the aunts’ – just before her wedding.

To my mind this shower, more than the wedding, is the climax of the book. Alyssa had asked the aunts to contribute towards gifts of perfume, and invited them to share their own perfume stories. I won’t say any more about this gorgeous-sounding event – you just have to read about it for yourself.

The final chapter brings us back to Alyssa’s mother, who had mostly been in the background until then. We hear Alyssa’s mother’s perfume story (her signature had been Rochas’ Femme, pre-reformulation). That led me to reflect that so often the very first person to tell us a story with their perfume is our mother.

Coming to My Senses is not a technical book, or a history of perfume, or a book about the perfume industry, although there are snippets of those things for the non-perfume wearing reader. Generally Alyssa avoids mentioning the names of the perfumes she discusses, except where it is crucial to the story, so that she can emphasize the emotions they conjure for herself and those around her. Once the book is published we can hop on to Alyssa’s website – – to get the detail.

There is a delicious intimacy about this book. In telling her story Alyssa allows the stories of others to flow into hers. Perfume is all about intimacy, and sharing, after all. I’ve been calling the author ‘Alyssa’, even though academic detachment normally forbids it, because I feel I know her. I don’t – and yet in a small way I feel I do. I have certainly shared aspects of Alyssa’s perfume story and I suspect readers of this blog will have too.

My thanks to Danielle for the chance to review Coming to My Senses. The book will be published on July 5* and you can pre-order from Amazon. So look, put your perfume purchases on hold and go grab a copy. It will cost you much less than that bottle of Le Temps d’une Fete you have been eyeing off, and make you just as happy.

*date changed by publisher (editor update).

20 thoughts on “Book review: Coming to my Senses by Alyssa Harad

  1. Thanks for the review, annemariec! I love Alyssa’s writing (her writing/perfume articles are probably among my very favorites from the perfume blogosphere)..looking forward to the book!

  2. This is a wonderful review, Anne Marie! You should be a pro. (Or maybe you are?) I’m incredibly excited to read this, and your review has just confirmed that it will be a good read.

    1. Thanks Natalie! Ha! No, not a professional reviewer, but I have written a few book reviews. None have been as pleasurable write with as this one. Yes, this book is a guaranteed a great read.

  3. Thanks for the review. I’m intrigued by her decision to avoid naming the fragrances and instead focus on the emotions engendered. Looking forward to reading it.

    1. Yes, that drove me nuts at first, but by the end I thought it was working. I found myself caught up in the strength of the story-telling, and less interested in the individual fragrances. However, she does name a few.

        1. Thanks Cheryl. I’m rather keen now for Alyssa to reveal more about the perfumes on her blog, as she promises to do …

  4. What a beaufifully written review, annemarie! It’s funny how the ground does indeed just give way one day and we’re suddenly in Perfumeland.

    The book sounds wonderful but I’m a bit worried that the not naming of the perfumes will frustrate me, though I take it they’ll be listed on the website, is that right?

    1. Thanks Tara. Yes, there is an explanatory note at the beginning of the book in which Alyssa says that she has named the perfumes only where doing so is crucial to the story; otherwise she wants the emphasis to be in the emotions the perfumes evoke. She adds that she also wanted to avoid recommending perfumes that may be discontinued. She says that all will be revealed on her website once the book is actually published, which will be in a few days.

  5. Great review, Anne-Marie. As someone who understands the transformative power of perfume, I’m really looking forward to reading this. (Just checked, and I can get this through an inter-library loan. It’ll be winging its way to me very soon!)

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