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Monday, February 19, 2018
Six Sigma Heretic The Mystery Measurement Theater

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Determining sources of variations

if you can’t trust your measurement system, you can’t do anything with the data it generates. Last month, in “ Letting You In On a Little Secret,” we talked about the purpose of measurement system analysis (MSA) and I gave you a neat spreadsheet that will do MSA for you, as well as some data (repeated after the jump) from the gauge you want to buy, the Hard-A-Tron. I also left you with a mysterious statement that this study was trickier than it appeared. This month I’ll start off answering a question I received, and then we will see how well the Hard-A-Tron did—and what mysterious thing was going on in the data. After that, if you are good, I’ll give you another set of data to further test a measurement device.

The question I received was, “Why don’t you use a standard hardness coupon instead of production material?” It boils down to two words: external validity. Let’s say I'm testing my Hard-A-Tron on these standard, traceable to NIST coupons, and the gauge passes. What does this tell me about my ability to measure the cylinders I fabricate?

Well, not much if anything, actually. The coupons are flat—I just drop them onto the measuring stage. The cylinders are, well, cylindrical, so I might have some sort of a fixture to place them in to hold them while I test with the device. Does the fixture have some springiness to it that might affect the reading? How about the extra height above the stage—could that change the reading variability? And the fact that I'm measuring a curved surface rather than a flat one—how might that change the as-measured hardness? Well, we don’t know—that was not part of the study using coupons. Using similar reasoning, I want to perform the MSA in the environment in which the device is actually used (perhaps dirty and poorly lit) and by the people who actually use it, instead of me alone in a nice clean, bright lab. My research question is not, “How well does my device measure coupons?” but rather, “How well does my device measure my cylinders in the production environment?” And to do that, I want to replicate as much of the actual process as I can.

OK, back to our Hard-A-Tron device. Recall that one of the main purposes of MSA is to determine if a measurement system will correctly classify something as conforming or nonconforming to your specification. If you used my spreadsheet, it does all the calculations for you so that you can answer this question. Recall that we have two operators (Jack and Jill) measuring the hardness on the same bars. First Jack measures all 10 in a random order. Then he measures all 10 in a different random order. Then Jill measures all in a third random order, and finally measures them again in a different random order. (Phew!)

Here were the results I showed you last time:

So let’s think through our sources of measurement variability here.

• Each of the samples we are measuring probably has some different “real” hardness, so we have part-to-part variability. We don’t want to count this as part of our gauge variability though—it is inherent in the parts.

• The same operator measuring the same part does not get exactly the same number, so we track that with the range within part within operator. We will calculate an average range within operator for an overall indicator of this. This range will allow us to estimate the variance due to repeatability. (We want to keep an eye on the ranges within part though—that might indicate a problem with the part—perhaps it got damaged during testing or there is something making the measurement difficult to do on that part.)

• Each operator might have a different bias off of the “real” number. Regardless of the fact that the different parts could be totally different hardnesses, the average of all the parts should be a particular number, right? So we will take an average across all the readings for each operator. If those numbers are statistically different, then the operators are biased compared to each other. (A repeated measures t-test would be the way to statistically test that, but that is a little beyond the scope of this article.) The difference between the two averages will give us an estimate of the reproducibility variability.

• … and there is one more “mystery component” that I am not going to tell you yet.

You might have memorized the formula to estimate the standard deviation from the average range when you learned about statistical process control. Here it is again:

Because we have two operators as well as two measurements, we use an expanded table to look up d2. Thankfully, that table is built right into the spreadsheet. We have two different ranges—the average of the two operators’ ranges, and the range between the averages for each operator. Dividing by d2 gives us the estimate for the within-operator and between-operator variability, repeatability (σRPT) and reproducibility (σRPD) respectively.

To estimate the total variability (σe) including repeatability and reproducibility, we need to add together the variances (you know we aren’t allowed to add standard deviations) and take the square root.

Umm, why do we care about σe again? This is the overall variability that this measurement system will produce, across operator, for the same part measured again and again. This in turn will be essential in answering the question, “Can I use this measurement system to determine if the product is conforming?”

Here is the output from the spreadsheet:

So Jack averages a little lower than Jill (without a known “real” value for the parts, we don’t know if either Jack or Jill has the right hardness). Jack has a little bit more variability on average within part than Jill. (Note again that for our simple MSA we have not shown that these differences are statistically significant.) We have used those ranges to estimate the variability due to reproducibility and repeatability, and added the variances and taken the square root to get the overall variability of the Hard-A-Tron as used by Jack and Jill.

The reproducibility variability is higher, indicating that the major source of the variability is from operator to operator. This points us to how we can improve our measurement system—we need to figure out how to get Jack and Jill to agree with each other better. Maybe we look at the standard operating procedure used with the measurement device, maybe we watch how they set up the measurement. Or maybe… but that would be giving away the mystery; and I haven’t even assembled everyone in the drawing room.

I know what you are thinking, “That is all well and good, but I still need to answer my question—can I use the dang thing to determine conformance to spec?”

Now for a simple question, there is a lot of confusion about how to answer it, so I am going to walk through this to make sure you understand why we use the metric we use. I need you to keep focused on the question we are trying to answer, though.

Determining if something is in or out of spec is an action near and dear to many of our hearts, I am sure. So let’s make a drawing.

Let’s assume for this discussion that the average between Jack and Jill is the real hardness. If Jack and Jill measured the part a whole lot of times, and the part’s real hardness was 70, we would see a distribution of measurements that looks something like this:

Figure 1: Hard-A-Tron measurement error on a part that really measures 70

Now, this is the same part with the real average right in the center of the spec. With this much variability, a part that is smack in the center of the spec would be scrapped or reworked about 12.754 percent of the time due only to our measurement variability. That is not so good.

Consider a part that is still really in spec, but not right in the center:

Figure 2: Hard-A-Tron measurement error on a part that really measures 67

This part really has a hardness of 67, so it is in spec, but 31.128 percent of the time we would say it was out of spec. Even more amusing, we would actually have said it is out of spec on the high side 0.5546 percent of the time.

Last one—what would happen if it were actually out of spec at 65?

Figure 3: Hard-A-Tron measurement error on a part that really measures 65

The good news is that we would actually recognize that it is out of spec about 56.7875 percent of the time. (Remarkably, 0.0648 percent of that is shown as over the upper spec.) The bad news is that 43.2125 percent of the time, we would think it was in spec, and send it off to our customer. Oh no! Can you spell “termination with cause”?

As a side note, we know what will happen if something is measured and is categorized as out of spec—we remeasure it, right? Maybe it will “go back in.” But as you can see in this case, due to the high measurement error, we should be remeasuring even if it is inside of the spec.“Quick—we are in spec—remeasure it.” How many times do you think that happens?

Anyway, let’s sum up and show a graph of the probabi lity of incorrectly classifying a part of a given hardness:

Figure 4: Probability of the Hard-A-Tron incorrectly classifying a part as conforming or nonconforming

A crazy graph, I know, but for any given hardness, we can read off how likely it is we will come to the wrong conclusion about its conformance to spec. The worst case is when the part is really on the spec, which is (for a symmetric distribution anyway) always going to be 50–50. The further from the spec, the easier it is to make the right decision. But with this system, we are always running a pretty big chance of mischaracterizing our part.

So clearly, this is a measurement system that has real trouble accomplishing what we need it to do—correctly determine if a part is in or out of spec. Whatever metric we end up using has to reflect this inability.

There are two measurements that are commonly used for determining gauge capability, and they are both pretty similar. The one that has come into vogue is the %R&R metric:

That 5.15 gives you the width of 99 percent of the measurement error.

The one I prefer is the P/T ratio:

Here you are taking the natural tolerance of the measurement error instead of 99 percent of it. The difference is small, but this one makes more sense to me. Plus 6 is easier to remember than 5.15, but maybe that is just me. On the other hand, everyone uses 5.15 so I have pretty much given up that fight.

Here are the spreadsheet’s calculations for %R&R.

What does this number tell us? Dividing by the width of the spec gives you the proportion of the spec eaten up by measurement error alone. The smaller this number, the less likely you are to categorize something that is in spec as out, or out of spec as in. Or, as in our case here, if your measurement error itself takes up more than the whole width of the spec, the %R&R clearly tells you so by being stupidly big.

What would you want this number to be? A really nice %R&R would be 10 percent. Here is that goofy Twin Peaks graph with a %R&R of 10 percent:

Figure 5- Probability of a measurement system with a %R&R = 10 percent incorrectly classifying a part as conforming or nonconforming

Well, this is about as silly as before, but in a good way. Unless I am reeeeeeealy close to the spec limit, I am almost certainly going to make the right decision about the conformance to spec for that part.

The %R&R of 10 percent should not be an acceptance criterion, though. Whether a measurement system is acceptable or not is a function of how costly it is to mischaracterize a part and of how many times you are willing to remeasure. All the above graphs are showing you what you would get if you measured each part one time in order to make a conformance decision. If your %R&R is a little too high, you could decrease the effective gauge error by measuring more than once and taking an average, and then base your decision on that. How many do you need to measure? Remember this equation from basic stats when learning about the random sampling distribution of the mean? Of course you do:

You can back-calculate the standard deviation you need in order to get a %R&R of 10 percent. For our Hard-A-Tron, we would need a standard deviation of about (0.1 ÷ 5.15) * 9 = 0.1748. Putting that in the equation above on the left, using the 2.953 as the sigma on the right, we solve for n and get 286.

Umm, I don’t think we will be measuring our little bars that many times. Looks like we need to reduce that measurement error some other way.

Here is where I finally solve the mystery. Did I distract you with enough stuff to make you forget there even was one?

Go back and look at the data and follow the readings for a single part through Jack 1, Jack 2, Jill 1, and Jill 2. With a few exceptions, the numbers increase through time. The potential study we did gives us no direct information of stability though time, but this is a pretty gross change that is visible across each part. Could it be that the real values of hardness were changing with time and the operator-to-operator difference we saw was actually due to that? Well, as the metallurgists in the audience can tell you, that certainly can happen. Either the metal itself gets harder with time (it ages) or the force exerted on the sample for each of the hardness measurements actually hardens the material nearby for the next test.

That is what happened here, and that is the last source of variability—the hardness of the material itself was changing with time. In this case, it is impossible to isolate the change in hardness from the change in operator. (By the way, this is exactly why we do Jack 1, Jack 2, Jill 1, and Jill 2 in that order. If we had randomized across operator, we probably would not have noticed the time effect. As it was, this effect was confounded with operator, so while we might have spent time trying to figure out why Jill was different than Jack, we had a better chance of eventually catching the time effect.) It turns out that in this case, hardness measurement is a Class III destructive test—the true value changes with time.

And that is the end of the Mystery of the Maltese Hard-A-Tron.

Now if I get a %R&R of 10 percent in the real world for a potential study like this, I would be happy—but not “I’ll buy your gauge” happy, since I have yet to really put it through its paces. To do that, I go and gather 25 parts that span the expected range of measurement, and have one or more operators measure each part five times or more. This will give us a little bit of information on the stability of the gauge, at least for the short-term, and so this study is cleverly called a short-term study.

Here are some data from a short-term test. In this example, we are weighing a plastic preform before placing it into a compression mold. The weight specification is 465 ±50 grams. We are assuming that the measurement is independent of operator, so we only have one operator do the test. Each row is one of the 25 samples, measured in random order. Each column is the repeated measures, which were done in different random orders.

We have been using this scale for years—and it has a digital readout. On the other hand, we have had a lot of defective parts for years too, and the area the scale is in is pretty contaminated with phenolic dust.

What do you think? Is the mass balance capable of measuring that specification?

Tune in next month to Mystery Measurement Theatre to find out.

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Sunday, May 16, 2010

Giants In the Land of Canaan - well yes but not this find

Sadly another fake story
A friend sent me the email exactly as described here
Giants in Greece - Nephilim - Giant Skeletons [Analysis]
Above is page 6 with comments on how photos were faked - previous pages have all the photos

Here is site with above photo
Archeologists Discover The Ancient Bones Of Biblical Giants-Fiction!

It is so sad that people do this
This is worth reading and has photos of an actual very tall man.

The Bible is true - these fakes stories are not needed. I've started a new category of FAKES

Thursday, May 06, 2010

Our Garage Sale

Garage Sale - Saturday 8 May - North Epping | Garage Sale & House Clearance | Gumtree Sydney

We have some some Linen and new Giftware ideal for Mother's day
Cheap Furniture - stools - kitchen steps - computer desk – cupboard
Bird cage - aquarium - mouse house Videos - books - Fax machine
We decided late and missed Hornsby Council and Northern District Times cut offs

Still made Gumtree and they are great and free unless you want a highlight on front page etc and they have lots of categories and I will be checking them

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Best Roofing Company Los Angeles

A Roofing company Los Angeles helps you to re-roof the roofs of your residential or office premises. They help you fix problems that you might have due to ice damps, chimneys, siding or windows on the roof. When there is leakage or a damage on the roof you call a roofing contractor, he inspects the work and gives you an estimate for the charges he will take to fix the roof. Roofing companies in Los Angeles CA has been a growing business s field and competitive one as well.

Click Here for Roof Repair Los Angeles

Roofing company Los Angeles  have quality work men who cater to your needs around the clock and are very committed to their performance. Some of the Roofing company Los Angeles  have been in the market from 1980’s. Before hiring a Roofing company you have tomake the decision wisely as a poor job can cost you even more expensive roof repairs and leaks and holes in the future.

The first step would be to check the contractor’s liability and compensation insurance, this will make sure that the service that the company is providing Is secured.

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Roofing Company Los Angeles CA | Best Roofing Company
Roofing Company Los Angeles CA | Best Roofing Company

Thirdly, compare the price quoted by different roofing companies for the job required by you and select from the best, which provide the best value for work. It is not always wise to choose the company which quotes a low price as sometimes these companies tend to use cheaper products which lead to damages in the future. So, the wisest option is to go for a good contractor with a reasonable cost.

Lastly choose from a local roofing contractor, so if you are Los Angeles the best pick would be from the oldest local roofing companies.

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  1. The registered company address: a company without a registered address should be of some concern
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Having work done in your home is a big and a challenging step a person takes. In the end a satisfactory work by the roofing contractor is all you want so that your house is protected from all calamities.

For More information:   Roofing Experts in Los Angeles , Residential Roofing Contractors Los Angeles ,

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Who we represent

Rotaract Club of Santa Cruz County was formed in 2008 and was officially charted in 2010.

Rotary International is a global organization. We are assigned specific areas and districts based on our location. District 5170 consists of us as well as San Jose and the Bay Area.

We belong to Rotary Area 7, and Interact Area 7. We also belong to Zone 26, which includes the southern half of California and Arizona.

As part of district 5170, we represent the 7 main Rotary Clubs in our area! We take time each quarter to visit them and update each other on events, socials, services, and conferences!

Sponsor Rotary Clubs

Rotary Club of Santa Cruz

Sunrise Rotary

San Lorenzo Valley Rotary

Watsonville Rotary

Capitola-Aptos Rotary

Scotts Valley Rotary

Freedom Rotary

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District 9400

2017 - 2018 Theme Calendar

IT Tools & ApplicationsMembership and New Club DevelopmentBasic Education & Literacy
Economic and Community DevelopmentRotary FoundationDisease Prevention and Treatment
Vocational ServicePeace and Conflict Prevention / ResolutionWater and Sanitation
Maternal and Child HealthYouth ServicesRotary Fellowship

ASk me

The District spans four countries:

Northern parts of South Africa, Southern Mozambique, Swaziland and Botswana.

The Northern part of South Africa includes four provinces: Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Northern parts of North West province. Covering such a vast area is a daunting task for the District Governor and therefore systems were put in place to assist the Governor.

The District was divided into 9 regions and the Governor appointed a Personal Representative (DGR) for each region.  Each DGR has his or her allocated assistant governors (AG,’s) for their specific region and finally the club presidents.


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Sound Preview Lab | Record Label Lounge | Homage to the Artist
Search band by name: ABC | DEF | GHI | JKL | MNO | PQR | STU | VWXYZ
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Bringer of False Light
Tentacle Wizard
Full Review and Video Clip
Rotation Radar
by Blue Cheese
Stoner rock, Hard rock
Sound Preview Lab
Sound Preview Lab
On The Road
Edmund Welles
(Tooth & Claw)
Staff Rating: Crank this to 8 of 11
Chamber Music
Sounds Like:
No One
What a cool find, a four piece bass clarinet quartet from California. Our expectations were not high going into this one, thinking perhaps this would be interesting and novel for the first two songs and than quickly become tiring. Shockingly, not the case here as the foursome perform various genres of music touching upon metal, jazz, ambient and progressive rock.

Edmund Welles', lead clarinetist, Cornelius Boots, is the creator and mastermind behind the quartet. The bass clarinet is known for its tremendous four-octave range, providing for some of the darkest tones to the most vibrant pleasures as it is often a standout amongst a large band. Tooth & Claw features twelve songs that are original works filled with both disturbing and very moving moments. For example, "The Butcher of Andalusia", creates a vision of unrest and unsettling movement. The layers of staccato are expanded and melody revisited to perfection almost taking you to another dimension. "Seventh Furnace" and "Trap Panel" are the most disturbing cuts of the lot, painting pictures of very dark places, almost harkening the underscore for an epic Tool track. "Passive Illumination" is a wondrous track of spacial importance well-suited to be placed inside a major dramatic motion picture.

The four clarinetists are at times brilliant in their technique and interplay, gelling superbly at many different levels of solo accompaniment that balance both melodic and rhythmic attention. The result is a very unique album that does not tire or bore providing for an original sonic experience your speakers will enjoy.

We found it an enjoyable break from requisite percussion and really found ourselves wrapped up in the unique texture and tonal spender. We are excited to have come across Edmund Welles, as we have nothing anyway near this in our expansive collection... a true outlier.

Standout Tracks: Passive Illumination, Elsie's Rain
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November 2017 Newsletter!

It’s November, which has been cold, flu and general ickiness season for us here at Round Mountain Fibers. So, without further ado, I give you November’s Club colors which have all shipped out to participating LYSs! Check here to see if your local yarn shop carries our club colors! And if they dont, click here, Scratch Makerspace offers a monthly yarn subscription with our club colors through their website!

November’s club draws its inspiration from a warmer climate: National Park Gorongosa, in Mozambique. When the weather gets cold, and the hard frosts come, and everything is just a little bit too cold and windy for my taste, I like to snuggle up with Bunny and watch documentaries about warmer climates. I found a delightful series on youtube complete with a compelling soundtrack, intimate portraits of beautiful creatures, and the droning voice of the narrator that painted a picture of incredible hope and rebirth in a country ravaged by civil war. If this sort of thing appeals to you, you might want to check out the trailer  And to learn more about this incredible national park, go to

November’s Ornithology Club:

Colorway and Fade Collection: ‘Violet Backed Starling’

Semisolid: ‘Starling Pink’

violet backed starling.jpg

November’s Botany Club:

Colorway and Fade Collection: ‘Black Tacca’

Semisolid: ‘Tacca Blue’

black tacca.jpg

November’s Entomology Club:

Colorway and Fade Collection: ‘Bush Grasshopper’

Semisolid ‘Grasshopper Purple’

bush grasshopper.JPG

Our Trunk Show has begun it’s journey around the country! It made it’s debut with Wildfibers at Seattle Vogue Knitting Live, and is now en route to The Knitting Post, in Santa Clara Utah. Click here to see where the Trunk Show is heading next!

Well, it is time for us to curl up with some throat coat tea, and weather this nasty cold.

Meanwhile, we are pretty well stocked, and encourage you to place an order for the holidays! Check out our retail shop for mystery bundles, roving, art batts, and more!


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Monday, January 10, 2011

Day 4 30 Days of Truth

Day 04 Something you have to forgive someone for.

I'm generally very quick to forgive most things. I hate to have tension between people especially people that are close to me. I'm like a firecracker when it comes to fights, there's a spark, a lot of noise, and it fizzles out fast. I can get very heated when something bothers me, but it fades just as fast.

I searched my brain trying to find something or someone that I've yet to forgive and honestly it's difficult to come up with anything. The one thing that I can come up with, is that my "Father" basically dropped out of my life when I was about 15 and has had little contact with me since. But, I have such a wonderful step-father and I actually hate to call him that because to me he's just Dad, that it's hard to complain. I do get a little bitter when I think of my biological as I'm his firstborn and he makes no effort. I suppose that's something that I need to forgive and move on.

1 comment:

  1. What you need to realize is that he's the one that is missing out and that one day he's going to regret it all.


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Welcome to Royal Gasho Hotel

Hotel Royal Gasho is a budget accommodation in Kargil offering free internet access to its patrons. Kargil Bus Stand is 1 km, whereas, Kargil City View Point is 5 km away from the premises. This 3-storey property comprises a total of 50 spacious rooms. In-room amenities offered are air-conditioner, room heater, satellite television and attached bathroom with 24-hour hot/cold running water facility. Hotel Royal Gasho features a multi-cuisine restaurant that serves a range of delicacies. Conveniences such as 24-hour front desk, power backup facility, luggage storage space, currency exchange, car rental, round-the-clock room service, laundry and doctor on call are also provided. This hotel in Kargil is located 10 km away from the Kargil Airport. Points of interest include Suru Valley Project (3 km) and Kargil War Memorial (53 km).

3000Per night

Deluxe Double Room

This double room has a tile/marble floor, seating area and soundproofing.

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Why Book With Us

Location – Centrally Located in Baroo Khana Road, Kargil- Royal Gasho Hotel is Centrally Located in Baroo Khana Road in Kargil. If you are looking for Hotel in Baroo Khana Road in Kargil, Royal Gasho Hotel is the best Option for your comfortable stay in Kargil.

Modern & Art Deco Designed Hotel - Royal Gasho Hotel Kargil is the Modern Art Deco Designed Hotel in Kargil. We offer your comfortable stay in Kargil as well we guarantee for comfort and world class hospitality service. Hotel is built in Architectural Design so that it can suit your Personality & Business Comfort as well.

Best Restaurant – Royal Gasho Hotel Restaurant - We at Royal Gasho Hotel have a Best Restaurant in Kargil. As the food is always preferred for both business & leisure travelers we served delicious foods. We also care for your health so that we prepare food like your homely food.

Health, Hygiene & Cleanliness - We at Royal Gasho Hotel believe that “Cleanliness & Godliness”. Our Hotel is Neat & Clean. The Room we offer for your stay will be Neat & Clean. We double make sure that before giving you room we check for Health, Hygiene & Cleanliness. We have 24 hours quick responsive Housekeeping Team for your service.

A True Concept of " Atithi Devo Bhava (अतिथिदेवो भव) ". - We at Royal Gasho Hotel Hotel believe in “Atithi Devo Bhava (अतिथिदेवो भव) ". It is our Culture in India where we believe that Guest is equivalent to God. Our Hotel is the Perfect "Home Away from Home" for you.

24 Hours Pick up & Drop Service for Airport & Railway Station - We provide 24 Hours Airport & Railway Pick up & Drop Service. We have our own fleet of cars for your service. We value your time; you can ask us for our Car Rental Service for your any kind transportation requirements while you are in Kargil. Our Cars are new, neat & clean, equipped with safety and security.

Buffet Breakfast in Multi-Cuisine Restaurant - Healthy & Tasty Breakfast is the always preference of everyone. Good Breakfast not only fill our appetite but also make our day and health.


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Bernice Three Column

Monday, May 14, 2012

Winner Annoucement! Olasonic Speaker Giveaway

Here are the Two Winners of the Olasonic Giveaway

Congratulations are in order for

Pauline M. Winner of the Black Olasonic Speakers

Tami F. Winner of the White Olasonic Speakers

My thanks to both for entering!

Blog Archive


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Roy Roberts

Roy 1967

Roy Roberts became hooked on music while growing up in a small town in Tennessee, listening to blues and R&B on radio stations WLAC out of Nashville. Jimmy Reed’s “Baby What You Want Me to Do” was the clincher and at the age of 14, Roy worked on a nearby farm to earn the money for his first guitar, a mail order Sears Silvertone.

When he turned 18, he moved to Greensboro, North Carolina to live with an uncle. There he had another inspiration to become a professional musician, when he and a carload of friends happened upon a nightclub where Jerry Butler was performing and making quite an impression on the ladies. Roy sharpened his skills while playing in makeshift bands until he landed a job with local hero Guitar Kimbers’ Untouchables. Before long, Roy was backing up major artists who came through town. One of those artists, Solomon Burke, took young Roy under his wing after letting him sit in as a bass player during a local gig. He was soon handling the guitar chores behind the future soul legend on tour. Roberts subsequently picked up touring gigs with such luminaries as Eddie Floyd, “Little” Stevie Wonder, Dee Clark, and Otis Redding, while fronting his own band, The Roy Roberts Experience, on the regional club scene and Southeastern beach town circuit.

Roy began to cut records in the mid-sixties, staying mostly behind the scenes as a session man. The tragic death of Otis Redding inspired him to step up to the microphone with a song dedicated to the late crooner. The record was released on Nina Simone’s NinaAndy label and backed by an ace studio band. Roy followed this successful effort with a string of 45’s that carried him well into the seventies. During the disco years, Roy turned his talents to country music, touring with the great O.B. McClinton and releasing a number of country records. After a brief hiatus from the music scene, Roy built a recording studio in Virginia in 1989, where he produced records by regional gospel artists and cut a gospel record of his own.

One day in the early nineties, he heard a young Robert Cray singing the blues on the radio. “That cat’s got my style,” he declared, and got the blues fever once again. Besides recording his own material on Rock House, Roberts has produced albums for the label by Priscilla Price, Lou Pride, Chick Willis, Skeeter Brandon, Floyd Miles, Eddie Floyd, and many more. Roy continues to record and produce records for his label, and tours the U.S. and Europe regularly. After receiving numerous awards, Roy has earned his place among the finest artists playing blues today.

   Reggie "Guitar" Kimber and the Carolina Untouchables, 1962-63                                             The Thunderbirds, 1962

                           Roy Roberts Experience, late 60s                                                 Roy Roberts and his band at the Chicago Blues Fest 2010

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Artist materials provided by Roy Roberts. Some photos provided by Doug Mokaren.
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text:
Raman Festival of Innnovation is being organised at Raman Science Centre from 15 to 17 February 2018

The festival can be participated by School Students, Science College students UG, PG, Polytechnic, Engineering Colleges and also hobbyist Innovators.  Read More >>

7th Science Expo is being organised at this centre from 17 to 21 January 2018

in collaboration with 15 scientific organisations in Nagpur & other places. These organisations will be showcasing their research achievements in this expo.  Read More >>

Orange City Science Fair- 2017

Raman Science Centre has organised Orange City Science Fair during 20 to 22 December 2017. Few activities are linked to the subject Aviation.  Read More >>

Inter School Science Quiz Contest-2017

Please download the brochure of Inter School Science Quiz Contest to be organised at Raman Science Centre, Nagpur. Last date of registration is 11th December 2017.  Read More >>

National Standard examination in Junior Science

National Standard examination in Junior Science

Innovation Center Membership:

Students of any school, college or individual can become a member of Innovation Centre.  Read More >>

Swachhata Pakhwada Observation

at Raman Science Centre Nagpur

Result of National Mathematics Talent Contest-2017 organised at Raman Science Centre on 26th August 2017.

The list comprises the students who are 10 percent top scorer in each category. They are eligible to appear for the Final test to be held on 28th October 2017 at Raman Science Centre Nagpur. Time: 01.  Read More >>

Registration for National Standard Examination started. Last Date 14th September, 2017.

Forms are available at Raman Science Centre, Nagpur  Read More >>

Launching of New Planetarium Show

Click here for Invitation

National Mathematics talent Contest 2017

Registration for National Mathematics Talent Contest starts

Science Circus programme

for school students, teachers and Science Communicators

World Environment Day celebration

Click her for Invitation

An Exhibition

Collections Make Connections on the occasion of International Museum Day  Read More >>

Inauguration of a Traveling Exhibition

- Statistics at Work

Vacation Creative Science Workshops

are being organised at Raman Science Centre from 01st may 2017. Registration starts from 8th April 2017. Click here for details  Read More >>

Result of various competitions

held during national Science Day & Anniversary Week Celebration. Prize Distribution will be held on 7th March 2017 from 12.00 noon to 2.00 pm  Read More >>

Innovation Centre

is being inaugurated at Raman Science Centre and Planetarium, Nagpur. membership is given to the students of Class VI to XII. Schools can also arrange the visit of their students in a group of 30 to 4  Read More >>

National Standards Examination:

Students may note that IAPT has issued new Roll Numbers which will be valid for NSE 2016. These roll numbers will have be written on the OMR Sheets. Students are requested to take note of these roll n  Read More >>

National Standard Examination in

Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Astronomy, & Junior Science.

Result of Screening Test of NMTC Exam

Result of Screening Test of NMTC Exam

National Mathematics Talent Contest

Notification for National Mathematics talent Contest 2016

World Environment day Celebration

Various programmes are being organised on 06th June 2016 at Raman Science Centre on the occasion of World Environment Day  Read More >>

Results of various Competitions

held during National Science Day & Anniversary Week celebration  Read More >>

National Science Day Celebration:

Mega Drawing Contest and various other activities and contests are organised at raman Science Centre  Read More >>

Nagpur Science & Engineering Fair is being organised from 18 to 20 February 2016

Nagpur Science & Engineering Fair is being organised from 18 to 20 February 2016. The students of Engineering colleges, B.Sc. M. Sc. can participate in it.   Read More >>

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Fresh Science Graduates in Physics, Chemistry, Bioscience or Computer Science (passed B.Sc. on or after 2015) may walk-in for Aptitude Test & Communication Skill Test to be held on 27th June, 2017 at 10.00 a.m. at the above address for induction of 02 nos. of Trainees (Education) on a consolidated stipend of `11,000/- per month. Duration of the Traineeship is one year, which is extendable by one year subject to satisfactory performance. The candidates are required to bring one passport size photograph, originals and attested copies of their certificates in support of qualifications and date of birth, failing which they will not be allowed to appear in the Test. No Travelling Allowance will be paid for attending the Test. Duly filled-in Application Form may be submitted at the time of Test.

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19th February, 1473- Birthday of astronomer Nicolas Copernicus who proposed the theory that the Earth and the other planets revolve round the Sun.

Raman Science Centre & Planetarium is open every day from 11.30 am to 7.00 pm (March to October) & 10.30 am to 6.00 pm (November to February). Closed only on Diwali & Holi.

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text:
The salons of Europe may be a thing of the past, but that kind of ambiance is still something many of us covet. For the vivacious Italian owner of this feminine apartment, the idea of creating a home for herself inspired by her penchant for old-world charm was something she could only achieve with the help of interior designer Sasha Bikoff. Both knew exactly what this space should be–a jewel box filled with feminine design references from Marie-Antoinette to the roaring twenties and the sexy seventies.

With her children already grown, the home-owner wanted the apartment to be about her enjoyment. She wanted a glamorous home with hidden spaces and luxurious details. The transformation of the original apartment, bland and basic, began in the bedroom–the space that was most important for the client. To give it even more of a jewel-box feel, Sasha tiled the ceiling with antique mirror and lined the walls with ivory silk. Pieces like the Murano glass chandelier, the antique Renzo Rutili dresser with the star hardware, and a dress-form with vintage Chanel, served as a tribute to feminine glamour of the last century.

The real show-stopper of the apartment, however, is without a doubt the sofa–Sasha took the risk and made a bid that went over budget to secure this vintage piece. “I knew that I had to have it,” she said, “it made all the difference to introduce an interesting shape in a rectangular cookie cutter shaped room.” It isn’t just the shape that sets this sofa apart, the taupe mohair and brass base tie in luxury to this coquettish piece. Finally, to bring in a contemporary element, Sasha included a large painting of an ice-cream cone by Donald Baechler–that along with the pastry upholstery are a toungue-in-cheek reference to Marie-Antoinette’s ‘let them eat cake’ quote.

All in all, this bachelorette pad is the expression of a feminine fantasy, filled with glamorous details that make it larger-than life. We love to see someone with such a clear vision collaborate with such a talented designer to bring us something that is truly unique.


text:
Friday, November 29, 2013

Truly blessed & a year older.

Okay confession time, I betrayed my blog a little by micro-blogging at the new social media platform, Dayre for the last few days which explains the lack of activity here!

Dayre was initially boring for me, then I realised the convenience to micro-blog on the go, jotting down thoughts, posting pictures and all, something different from instagram. It's like the kind of posts I post last time, what-i-do-today, what-i-think-now.. more casual/"bo liao" while this special space here serves as a recap of events, outfits, travelogue etc and more formal. I will be updating both space concurrently since the contents are pretty different haha! (Follow me at

November is ending really soon and this month, I'm over-whelmed by the love from my dearest friends, family and love. Thank you so much for the thoughts, birthday wishes via wa/sms/fb/ig/twitter, presents, emails and love. I'm really, really loved and blessed!! :)

I don't usually think much of birthdays since it's another day of growing older. However this year, it marks my last year of being a "single" so it was more meaningful. I can't wait to celebrate it next year as a Mrs Sue!
Started the birthday celebrations early with the dearest BFC who have been around for the last 12 years. There's always some telepathy going on with the scorpio babes with our common traits for being passionate, stubborn and mysterious.
Switch: By Timbre
NTUC Trade Union House #01-01
 6336 7739
The must order for the place was of course, the famous duck pizza! It's a lovely place to chill and listen to a live band who plays mainly Chinese songs!
The super pretty cake baked by the birthday girl, Rene for the three of us. She's super talented and she managed to put our favourite items into one cake, so much love! Kuromi to represent Mel, My Melody to represent herself and a Balenciaga Bag & Heels for the shopaholic me.
(Order your yummy and customized cakes from The Cream Confection.)
So in love with the cake and my buddies!

Nana's Green Tea Cafe
#03-80/81/82, Plaza Singapura, 68 Orchard Road

Personally I feel that the mains are pretty average as what takes the cake was its delish desserts like its name suggest - green tea! Must order.
With the favourite sec sch pals, love it that we are meeting up so often!! :)

Roast  (Bangkok, Thailand)
2/F Seenspace, Thong Lor Soi 13
Tel: 02 185 2866
BTS Thong Lo

Very happy for our girly trip that finally maternialise this time round and G bought me a cake at Roast, a must-visit in Bangkok! The food costs us $25 per pax for two mains, two desserts, two drinks and one side. It is a must-visit for coffee lovers and has a comforting vibe with its decoration and location.

We had a egg-benedict each and it was extremely good. Let the pictures do its talking.

Our duck salad which came in such a huge serving that we couldn't finish!

Extensive menu.

The birthday chocolate souffle cake!

Super like this picture the waiter took for us :)

He offered to take a picture of us in the cafe as well!

Will defnitely be back for its food and ambience during my next trip!

The Tiramisu
 121 Tyrwhitt Road

First time trying out this place after hearing so much about it on instagram, all thanks to Vanessa's recommendation. We had so much fun taking pictures in the pretty cafe even before we entered. To be fair, I feel that the mains are average but the desserts definitely made up for it. From the decoration to every detail in the cafe, it's evident that much effort and love have been invested in this place by the two owners.

We started cam-whoring even before dinner all thanks to this cute little mascot head!

This is Sir Antonnio's OOTD!

Here's the main and my favourite was the baked rice and fish!

Thanks to the dearest pinkies for the cake, present and the long friendship!!!

New pink cap!

 On the day that I flew back, TC brought me out immediately for a precious weekend date for an early birthday celebration at Vivo. He was extremely sweet to wait hours for me to get my hair done though we were running late for a movie. Simpe things mean the most sometimes! :)

Serenity Spanish Bar & Restaurant (VivoCity)
#01-98/99, VivoCity
 Phone 63768185
Sun - Thu: 11:00 - 23:00
Wed - Sat: 11:00 - 00:00

It was our first time at this place despite us walking past all the time. He picked Serenity because of the romantic ambience and the good reviews. It was a quiet afternoon without much diners and we had a quiet spot to ourselves which oversees the scenic view of Sentosa.

We ordered two mains to share and an appretizer. The authentic Spanish food was not bad but I found it to be rather pricey for its proportion and quality. Favourite dish that day was the paella as per the raves!

My date

And the chocolate birthday cake that they served after dinner <3

Parting shot at their outdoor seating area

Wearing my new lace maxi dress from bangkok with the melissa shoes

5 years of celebrations and more to come! :)

Second year of birthday celebrations with the intimates who surprised me at Saveur. Thank you girls for the surprise, love, cupcakes and the effort! <3

Saveur (Far East Plaza)
#01-07B, Far East Plaza, 14 Scott's Road
Mon - Sat: 11:30 - 21:30 Sun: 11:30 - 21:00

This place requires no introduction for its great French food and mad affordable pricing. A place that I keep returning and my favourites are the duck leg confit and foie gras.

The customized cupcakes that the girls got for me which were super yummy and tastes even better than it looks!

messy hair picture

The group picture and missing jane!

Strangers' Reunion
37 Kampong Bahru Rd, 169356
6222 4869

It was my first time at this lovely place which was a stone throw from Outram MRT. The mains didn't disappoint though I expected much due to the raves from the bloggers. Three of us shared a cup of coffee while we chatted for hours as usual! The must orders were the truffle fries & waffles with icecream.
We shared the beef burger and it tasted really good as well even though the chips were really disappointing without any tinge of crunch.
Because Japanese food never fails :)

Sun with Moon Japanese Dining & Cafe
Wheelock Place
All thanks to Mel that I managed to cross paths with another fellow Scorpio, Joy!

That's all for now for the lengthy picture post!
 I will be conducting a couple of give-aways in December on the blog for some sports, make-up stuffs as well as Whisper pads. See you at dayre and instagram, have a good weekend! :)

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text:
Something Like Faith, Chapter 1

PHOTO: Laura Kranz

“What are you doing after rehearsal?”

I ask, then jam my tongue between my teeth. She doesn’t study her Docs or check her smirking bando friends. She doesn’t smile or frown. She watches my eyes. I’m staring into two of those blue runway lights. She’s stopped on the first step of the music room so she has to tilt her head down. Not how I planned it. One sarcastic comment would cover my butt, free her to laugh off my question, and guarantee I’d never ask again. I bite my tongue harder.

“Guinevere, come on!”

“Go ahead, I’ll be a minute,” she tells Mandy and Therese without looking up. I’m ignoring the audience. Trying to. Their giggles make the waiting torture instead of terror. Everyone else has gone. I feel them hesitate.

Why won’t they leave?

Finally, she says, “We’re done at six o’clock, so I’m just going home to have dinner with my family,” like she’s answering a rhetorical question. I picture a mahogany table with green cloth napkins, crystal and china, my cousins’ house on holidays back when we still visited them. My face burns as if from flames jumping out of my collar. I could still quit this conversation and walk away, singed but intact.

“What are you up to after that?”  Or I could splash on a little gasoline.

Then she smiles. Amused, but also…? The gigglers can’t see it. I loosen the grip on my tongue.

“I’m doing my homework, of course,” she says, shaking her head, making her white-blonde ponytail brush against her left cheek. But still she watches me. What else can I ask, “after homework?”  Why not just “want to go parking?”

“Oh, sure, well maybe I could call y—”

“Would you like to come over for dinner?”

I want to freeze my life here, her invitation in the air I just inhaled, before I have to consider meeting her parents or dealing with mine, before I have to form any more words with my now-bleeding tongue. I would also enjoy calling her friends over to hear me accept, but gloating might not make the impression I’m after.

“That sounds good. Sure.”  Ask her a stupid question now or risk humiliating myself? “Is it…I mean, is your family more, um…”

“Is my family more what?”

“Are they more formal?”

She smiles again, then laughs like tiny wind chimes. I can stand to have her laugh at me now. She can laugh at me all night.

“Than what? No, not really. A coat and tie will do,” she waits to see if I bite. “I’ll be home by six fifteen. We eat at six thirty. Don’t be late.”  She laughs again—why?—then goes up the stairs. Her friends have disappeared. Just as she reaches the doorway, she looks back.

“Thanks for asking, Paxton,” she says. “Don’t forget to move.”

She closes the door.

I sprint down the hall, across the gym, and through the emergency exit. No alarm sounds, of course.

“YES!” I scream at the sky.

“YES!” I shout at the cherry Thunderbird parked just outside the door. Jeff has reclined all the way back in the driver’s seat and cranked Def Leppard. He still jumps. “YES! YES! YES!”

“You’re bullshitting me,” he says as I slide in.

“Yeah, you’re right,” I pant. “She totally shredded me, but I’m wearing my happy face to spare you. She invited me for dinner!”

“No, she did not. You’re—” He jerks his monogrammed stick into first and the tires shoot gravel. “She just broke up with Chuck last week. You’re going to her house? When? Why?” he demands.

“Tonight, Buddy. Tonight. Because I asked her out,”  I say. We cut in front of a white pickup. It comes within six inches, but Jeff’s ignoring traffic, waiting for a better answer. “I have no idea why she invited me. But she did. And Chuck was three months ago.”

I pull on my seatbelt.

“What the hell are you doing?” Jeff demands.

“You just buckled in.”

“So? If I could ground your car to protect us from lightning, I would.”  Jeff peers under his shade at the blue sky. “In fact, I better drive. No, I’ll walk. Could you pull over?”

“Jack-O, I’ll let you out now,” he says, rolling down my window and grabbing my shoulder while topping forty in the school zone.

“Hey, don’t get pulled over, I can’t be calling her from the courthouse.”  My voice may have registered the slightest note of sincerity. Or panic.

Jeff clenches his teeth at me, his version of a smile.

“You sonofabitch. She really asked you over, didn’t she?”

“Yeah, Man, she did. Thanks for waiting.”

“You kidding? That banshee scream alone was worth every second.”

The bass line of “Photograph,” Jeff’s favorite song, thuds against the windows. He turns it up the last notch, which he has labeled “11.”

Worth every second? We’re talking many seconds. I saw Guinevere Kinton on the first day of our freshman year. All the kids in the class of  ’87—two hundred twenty-eight 13- and 14-year-olds—were alphabetically cattle-driven so they could weigh, measure and poke at us. That morning, they had enthused about promoting our “class unity.”  Standing in line for an hour and twenty minutes promoted several drug contacts, two fights after school (and probably ten more I didn’t hear about), and a contest to see who could harsh most creatively on our new school.

I lost by default.

“Hi. I’m Guinevere. We just moved here.”

“Hi, I’m Paxton.”

“Really? That’s as funky as mine. What’s up with your folks?”

“I can’t even begin to answer that, but I’m guessing you mean the name?”  She nodded. I was straining not to hyperventilate while making casual conversation. This girl was gorgeous and talking to me. Both. “My Mother’s grandfather’s last name was Paxton. She doesn’t even know who he was, but she thought the name sounded old-school respectable. Also, my father hated it.”

“Huh,” she said, like I had introduced a new concept. I held my throat to keep from going geek ballistic: What? Whatd I say? Did that sound weird? Your parents don’t hate each other? “My folks are intellectuals, Sixties kids. When they were young and falling in love, they believed in the whole Camelot myth. I’m a girl, which rules out ‘Arthur.’ So, even though Guinevere has certain character flaws, they decided the name’s ‘just sooo beautiful,’” she did a nasal imitation. “Guess it’s better than Moonbeam or Southwind.”

“They both chose it?”  My dad hated Camelot. The musical and the Kennedys.

“Yeah. You know, hippies. They’re still in love. Old and boring and sold out. But in love.”

“That’s amazing,” I said, because to me it was.

“You’re kind of bizarre,” she said. After that, we stopped and talked whenever we saw each other. I would replay her words while going to sleep, imagining she was thinking of me, too. Maybe “bizarre” meant “hot.”  Maybe “imagining” meant “pretending.”

Jeff and I became friends our sophomore year, also through random circumstances. We both got the same stupid punishment—picking up the milk cartons that kids took outside for lunch break (against the rules) and threw all over the lawn. We exchanged crucial info first.

“You with anyone?”  I asked.

“Nah. Broke up with a girl about a month ago. Now I want her back, but she’s seeing some loser junior.”

“She’s a sophomore?”  I tried to sound neutral while doing lunges for garbage.

“Yup. Vickie Morley. Know her?”

“I don’t think so.”  I did. She whined like a broken teakettle. “Why’d you break up?”

“‘Cause I’m an idiot, Dickhead. You got a girlfriend?”

“Uh-uh. Working on it.”

“What’s her name?”  He asked, stomping cartons with his combat boots.

“Guinevere Kinton,” I said, forcing myself to look up from the trash.

“That’s like saying you’re after Jodie Foster. Isn’t she like a foot taller than you? I’m talking about somebody you’ve got a rat’s ass chance of ever talking to. ”

“We do talk. And I liked her before she got popular. I’m waiting for the right time.”  She had just broken up with a senior.

“Yeah, but ‘talking’ means she sees you as a friend, which means you’re screwed. Besides, she was always going to be popular, from the first day in the nursery she probably had those…” He started to motion curves with his hands. I ground my teeth together, which I can do loudly enough to interrupt a teacher from the back row. “Goddamn, does that hurt? You’re serious, aren’t you?”  Suddenly he straightened up and dropped his trash bag. “I’m Jeff Albermathy.”  I wiped my hand on my jeans before I shook, which helped me feel the milk on his.

“I’m Paxton. Paxton Kingsley.”

“‘Paxton?’  You go by ‘Pax, right?’  Sounds more like a name. That what people call you?”

“Nobody does. I hate how it sounds.”

“Cool. Pax, I always side with underdogs. It’s like my Uncle Pete says, ‘The underdog’s the only dog worth fighting for.’ If I can ever do anything to help you win Fair Guinevere, I’m at your disposal. Sorry for the trashy pun.”

Jeff has kept his word. So you see, everything in my life has revolved around her.

No, not everything. Only the good things.

My family lives on the opposite side of town, in every sense, from Guinevere Kinton. Jeff lets me borrow his car. I puzzle the logistics over and over. Arrive in a jacked up, gleaming red monster with LVMCHN plates, or park a few blocks away and appear to have jogged twelve miles. Will they ask? Too many movie heroes unravel from simple lies. What if her parents insist on driving me home? Then I would have to run all the way back to get the T-bird. I choose option three: park three houses down, pretend I got confused about the address, admit to driving it if pressed, and yes, acknowledge that I do not own a car. Would I gain or lose points with Guinevere’s parents? One of ten thousand things I can only guess about them.

But then, how much do I know about Guinevere? Only every detail from every conversation we’ve had in four years of being “just friends.”  Only that we will marry and have three children and live somewhere up the Northern California coast, away from small-town Midwest everyone-in-your-business claustrophobia. And from my family.

And that with her, God finally mastered his craft.

I ring the doorbell carefully, not too long or short. I have to start this right.

The door opens inward. A man evaluates me, his head above the doorframe. I glance down to verify that I am standing a step lower. I’m not.

“Hello,” says the giant, “you must be Paxton. We are glad you could join us for dinner tonight. Please come in.”

Now, I have to explain. I am not short. Yes, I protesteth too much, but I’m not short. I am five feet eight inches tall in the right shoes. What does it matter how tall a person stands barefoot? Well, there’s going swimming. I avoid making first impressions at pools.

I can’t avoid making this first impression with the father of the girl I’ve loved every single day of my high school life (which is to say, about one third of my conscious memory and the only part that matters). He’s looking straight down at the top of my head. Gene Simmons’ boots wouldn’t help me stand on equal footing with this man.

“I’m Noel Kinton, Guinevere’s father.”  He extends his hand. I try for a strong grip but somehow get only two and a half fingers in his palm. I despise those misfire handshakes and I’ve just had one with the man I’m trying to impress. There should be a do-over rule.

“Paxton Kingsley. Nice to meet you.”  Is “nice” the word?

“Dinner will be ready in about three minutes, Paxton. Thank you for being punctual. I think Guin’s up in her room,” he raises his chin to indicate the stairway next to him, where I am not invited to go. “Would you like to meet my wife?”

“Yes, I would like to meet her,” I say. My formal sucks.

While he leads me down a long, photohistory hallway, I check Noel Kinton’s short black hair and almost brown skin on his long neck. Italian? A stepfather? One of those couples from the Sixties?

Guinevere goes by Kinton, too, but that proves nothing. She is five-nine, and had held an inch-and-a-half lead on me since our freshman year. I finally gained half an inch, but if she has Noel’s genes, she might still reach six feet. But they look unrelated. She has ivory skin so sensitive she wears big floppy hats from May until September. She told me (summer after sophomore year, and yes, at the pool) that her scalp sunburns, right through her hair, at the same rate that her face does.

“I might as well be bald,” she laughed. I seized my chance.

“No, you should keep your hair,” I said. With such courage and eloquence, you see why it took me until senior year to ask her out.

I had seen Mrs. Kinton plenty of times. She attends all of her daughter’s performances:  band concerts, football and basketball games for pep band, solo recitals, even school musicals to hear the orchestra. Guinevere sits first-chair flute, and somehow also learned to play sax—which she does for jazz band—better than anyone else at school. She dabbles with five or six other instruments, just for fun. One rumor claims that Mrs. Kinton has her Ph.D. in music.

Mrs. Kinton has forgotten to age; she makes the other girls want to hide their mothers. I’ve heard more rumors about her: beauty pageant queen, model, pin-up girl. Stupid and groundless, but they show how the boys fantasize not only about the daughter.

“Gretchen, this is Guin’s friend, Paxton Kingsley.”  Friend. What did you expect her to tell them? Do you think you’re anything else?

“Hello, Paxton,” she says, looking back at me over her shoulder. I’d seen Marlene Dietrich give just that look in some old movie my parents slept through. Gretchen Kinton definitely shared her blue eyes and fair skin with her daughter. Even her hair looks exactly like Guinevere’s, including ponytail, except that Mrs. Kinton’s stops just below the shoulders while Guin’s rests on the small of her back.

“Hello, Mrs. Kinton. I’m pleased to meet you.”

“I’d prefer Gretchen,” she smiles at me. “Haven’t I seen you at some of Guin’s…oh, you play on the basketball team, don’t you.”

Mr. Kinton, who has not requested first-name familiarity, raises his eyebrows without changing expression. His face seems to reveal only hints of emotion.

“‘Play’ in the loosest sense of the word,” I tell them. “I am permitted to wear a uniform and stand during time-outs.”  They laugh in harmony, his rumbly string bass with her surprisingly nasal clarinet. Guinevere has a prettier laugh. And she’s right about them; they’re still pretty disgusting together. My parents would be arguing by now.

“Paxton’s good, but his coach is a jerk,” Guinevere declares. She sweeps past me before I can turn around, though I can smell her hair. I see now that she is taller than her mother and far more beautiful. It’s not even close. Sometimes, when I’m not with her, I think I must be exaggerating…and then I see her again.

“What does everyone want to drink?” Gretchen asks, as if the four of us always gather in this kitchen. “I’m having wine. Paxton, I know you probably won’t because of the team, but you may if you’d like. Would you prefer juice?”  She holds up a tall, yellow-green water glass.

I am here, standing in Guinevere’s kitchen, about to eat dinner with her family. My whole body spasms. No one else seems to notice.

“So, how long have you two been friends?” Gretchen Kinton asks while we pass the chicken around their huge kitchen table. It’s bigger than our kitchen, though smaller than their dining room table. It’s Kung Pow chicken,” I learn, and figure out not “tie” but Thai food, as in, from Thailand. I’d never known anyone in our town to make food like this.

“Um, I don’t know, since sometime our freshman year, Paxton? We knew each other then, right?”

“I can’t remember exactly,” I lie. “We’ve had a lot of classes together.”

“Are you a musician, too?” Mr. Kinton asks me. He seems to measure every word. I don’t mean he sounds fake, just careful. Guin said he’s a lawyer. At dinner, too, apparently.

“No, I’m afraid not,” I confess. “I took piano for a year or so when I was in grade school, but…” An image of flame arises, surging and spreading, lacquer burning clean as crude oil, Dad watching while the piano he just chopped to splinters gets cremated in our living room fireplace; it could never translate into this world of coordinated dishware. “But those NBA coaches started calling, and there was the pressure from the college scouts. I just lost my focus.”

Everyone laughs with me. Or at me. I almost don’t care which.

“Yes, what about that? Guin says you play well, but that your coach—how did you put it, Dear?” Mrs. Kinton asks.

“Loser. Capital ‘L,’” Guin makes the sign on her forehead.

“How has the team done this year?”

“Eleven and two. We’re leading the conference.”  We had lost at Quincy—our school’s most detested rival—the Friday before, but I don’t mention that because I don’t want to sound pathetic, like I’m happy or something. She comes to the home games. Do they really not follow the team?

“Well, in my experience, Guinevere expresses her opinions assertively, but she rarely flatters,” Mr. Kinton says. “A winning record neither proves nor disproves that you should be playing more. Are you a good player?”

Okay, I need a full time-out here. Asking too much of me:  Guinevere looking for me to validate her statement; Mr. and Mrs. Kinton waiting, wealthy, attractive, excruciatingly successful adults (how were these people ever hippies?) whom I’m trying to impress with my improv court manners. What is Kung Pow chicken? Why are there two forks when there’s no salad? She offered me a glass of wine with dinner, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Was that a test? Now I’m supposed to explain—graciously—how my basketball coach has emasculated me these past four years? I’ve ranted at Jeff a thousand times, screamed it to the Grocery Warehouse boxes at three a.m. Heavy on rage, light on rational argument. How do I explain givens?

“I’m a better player than either of the guards who start, but the coach hates me because I don’t brown-nose and I talked back to him once, four years ago, when he tried to make me look like a juvenile delinquent. In the movies, when you stand up for yourself you get respect. In high school, you get castrated. I’ve wanted to play varsity basketball since I was three years old and everyone knows he’s just using our team to get a better job. I considered suicide. Fortunately, I’m obsessed with your daughter, and my hope of her giving up dating jerks and falling in love with me keeps me clinging to life. Oh, did I mention my father coached basketball here in Mainstreet, USA before I was born, got fired, and was counting on me to vindicate him?” I say none of that. I sit, dumb and impotent. Guinevere gives me the urgent eyes.

“I work hard. I think I deserve to play more than I do.” Which is nil, I don’t add. “It sounds like bragging to say, ‘Yes, I’m good,’ doesn’t it?” I shrug an apology at the three of them—Mr. and Mrs. Kinton because I had boasted, Guinevere because I had not.

Noel Kinton’s eyebrows lower momentarily. Oh my God, I criticized his question.

“No, Paxton, in my opinion it does not. If you play well and tell me you play poorly, that ‘sounds like’ speaking an untruth. Stating belief in oneself, though often mistaken for self-adulation, in fact requires an increasingly rare degree of honesty.”

I replay his words. Somehow, he corrected and congratulated me at the same time.

“Yeah, that way doing the right things—like being humble and being truthful—can work together, and don’t have to, like, cancel each other out. I mean, you don’t have to give up one to do the other.”

Guinevere rolls her eyes. My chest fills with lead. Idiot! Youre impressing the wrong family member! This is just common lecturing for her, as much a fixture as napkin rings and candlesticks, and I’m excited about it.

“You’re an idealist, aren’t you, Paxton?” Gretchen Kinton asks, but her tone and expression are not asking. If Guinevere ever spoke to me or looked at me like that…I might forget basketball existed.

“Mom, you’re embarrassing him,” Guinevere says, sounding embarrassed. She might even be blushing. She just might.

At that, Gretchen smiles at me, an entirely different smile, a victorious smile, a conspiratorial smile. My body tremors again.

They’re cheering for me!

I may burst with this revelation, and half consider excusing myself to call Jeff and tell him that Guin’s parents are backing the nice guy. I mean, maybe I’m jumping to conclusions, but the bride’s parents pay for the wedding, right?

Against eighteen years’ evidence in my home, against the unrelenting humiliation of the past four, almost against my will, I want to believe that God exists and cares enough to have a hand in this.

Guinevere walks me out to Jeff’s car afterward.

“Thanks for coming, Paxton. You made dinner much more interesting than usual.”

“Anytime,” I say, too earnestly. My cool sucks, too.

“I’m glad you like my parents so much.”  We walk down the smooth sidewalk. Every neighbor has edged their lawn on both sides. A little snow would cover them, but we’ve gotten none.

“Why’d you park so far down?” she asks.

“What do you mean?”

“What do you mean, ‘what do I mean?’  You know where I live. Why did you park your car here?”  We’ve reached the car. I’ve never been to her house before, but I don’t argue the point, because of course I know where she lives.

“It’s not my car. It’s Jeff Albermathy’s.”

“Really?” she gives me the sideways head tilt universally recognized as “duh.”

“Okay, you asked. Since I didn’t know your parents, I wasn’t sure how they would feel about…” I turn to the gleaming red hood where the blower Jeff installed protrudes like a dragon.

“You thought they would mistake you for a grease monkey, like your friend! I can’t wait to tell him! And them! ‘Like being humble and being truthful.’” She mimics.

Kiss her. The thought slaps me like a cold washcloth. Four hours earlier, that would have been laughable. And impossible. But, walking back to “my” car—duh—after eating dinner with her family at her invitation: boys do kiss girls under these circumstances.

Not that I’m about to kiss Guinevere Kinton. But I’m thinking this in real life, not fantasy. That must mean I’m getting closer.

All this swims through my brain while she mocks me for my crush on her parents and rejection of Jeff’s values.

“I have late rehearsal tomorrow, but I think theyre free, if you’d like to see them again.”

“Guinevere, what’s going on here?” my tongue says on its own. Damn youthats why you get bit!

Her smile sticks, then withers. After she wipes all emotion from her face, she looks more like her dad than her mom. I will not question the bloodline again.

“I haven’t figured it out, so you probably don’t want to ask yet,” she says.

I watch the sunset. It looks cleaner here than from my house.

“You haven’t dated that much, have you, Paxton?”  She knows the answer; our school is too small for anyone not to.

“Not that much, no.”  Three school dances with three different girls in four years. Whatever might qualify for “that much,” this doesn’t.

“Because when you ask a girl what she’s doing and she tells you she’s having supper with her family then waits silently, that means she’s waiting for a better offer. If she tells you ‘I have to wash my hair and paint my pet alligator’s toenails, so don’t call,’ that means she’s busy. You could have invited me over.”  She locks eyes like we’re arm wrestling.

“My, um, my house isn’t really…” my breath comes out sounding sick. Which makes sense, because that thought just made me want to vomit.

“Okay,” she says, touching her fingertips to my wrist to show that it is. She just touched me. “Well, since the hot rod is available to you, we could also go out other places.”

“On a school night? But I wasn’t sure how your parents…”

“Are you sweet, or just a dweeb?” she asks. Then she walks away. I wait for her to look back. She goes into her house.

She’s gone.

“I’m a freak trying to function in the outside world,” I tell the space where she stood

While driving me back home, Jeff won’t bear my silence.

“Hey, Jerk-off, you can’t keep this to yourself. You at least owe me the story as rental for the wheels. Unless you intended to pay cash.”

I try to say something cutting to make him laugh and divert him. Except I can’t speak. I physically cannot make words.

“Jesus Christ, Pax, did she spit on you? Throw you out?”

“No, Man, she didn’t. I think it went okay, and…it’s just…,” I sigh.

“I’ll tell you something, I hope I never get it as bad as you.”

He lasts a few minutes more before he asks, “What are her parents like?”

I had almost forgotten them. That sounds stupid, since they look like my best hope, but see it from my side:  four years I’ve been playing her Cyrano. I know I’m a nice guy and I know where that means I’ll finish, but it’s too late for a personality-lift. Sweet irony, that their support may screw me.

“They’re tall. And they’re really smart. All their stuff matches. You’ve seen her mom.”

“Omigod, yeah, she’s s–”

“Don’t even start that right now. Seriously.”

“Yeah, sorry. So what, did they hate you?”

“No. They didn’t hate me. They acted like they liked me.”

“So what’s the…Oh. Does she like her parents?”

“I don’t know. Does anyone? I mean, they’re like the cover story for Got Our Act Together magazine. He’s an engineer and a lawyer, he’s like six-six. You know about her. They listen when you talk. What’s she got to fight against but being perfect?”

“So what, do I try to offend them? I thought maybe she was tired of—”

“Hey, Pax?” Jeff interrupts in a tone that yanks me out of my fog. He has pulled into my driveway. I turn toward him while I reach for the handle.

“Oh. Man, thanks for everything, all right? I—”

“Pax, look.” He’s staring. Ordinarily, I’m alert within a square mile of my house. This is why:  the front shades are drawn, but shaking; we can hear muffled shouting; something thumps off a front windowpane; it’s as if we tuned in my parents’ station.

“You know I was at the hospital. I asked them to hold calls so she could sleep. Stop it! How is this going to help?”

“Oh, really! Like what you’re doing helps? Why even bother coming back? You–”

“Jeff, I’ve got to crash with you tonight,” I say loudly enough to drown them out. “I can’t sort this out in there.”

Jeff nods, but sits there fixated on his tachometer.

“What you gonna wear?” he asks. Jeff outweighs me by fifty pounds. He’s also a couple of inches taller, if six is a couple.

“These aren’t that dirty,” I answer, nodding at my gray oxford and Lee’s. “I’ll just air them out tonight.”

“She’ll notice.”  He’s right, and I don’t want her to. But that has nothing to do with why he hasn’t pulled out of the driveway. We both know I could do laundry at his house.

“You don’t want me to come, do you?” I ask as calmly as I can. A buzzing whine sneaks into my last two words. Jeff ignores it.

“You know why. Do you think he’d do it again?”

“It” is come to Jeff’s.

“I apologize for disturbing you, Mr. Albermathy,” I heard Dad say as I listened from behind Jeff’s bedroom door. “I’ve been worried about my son. He must’ve forgotten to let his mother and I know where he planned to stay tonight. I guess he had better come on home now.”

“Okay, I’ll get him,” Jeff’s Dad replied. I met him in the hallway to spare him the explanation. He gave me The Look. Adults have given me The Look in these situations since I was four. I know what it means. Problem is, with The Look plus a quarter I still can’t buy anything.

When we got home, I found that Mom had gone to stay overnight with Grandma. Grandma is dying of  cancer. She has been for years. Dad didn’t have anybody to tell things to, so he tipped over the refrigerator. He didn’t have anybody to clean it up, so he came and got me. Milk was still seeping across the kitchen tile and down the basement stairs. I failed to clean it up well enough, though, so we had a talk about responsibility—coming home on time and mopping carefully—until four a.m. From where I sat listening, I could see the dusty top of the fridge forming a right angle with the kitchen floor.

I’m sure Mr. Albermathy suggested to Jeff that “they not get in the middle.”  Most people who get anywhere near the furthest edges of my family pull back so they don’t get in the middle.

“Hard to say,” I answer, though really it’s a rhetorical question. “They may do this all night. They may not notice I’m gone. Or she might leave. That’s a big part of the fun, not knowing.”  I could push Jeff harder—I can’t hear them shouting anymore, which could mean anything—but I’ve just borrowed his car, and needing help all the time gets old. Everything about this gets old. I thud my fist against Jeff’s shoulder bone a little harder than necessary. “It’s cool. You’ve done plenty. I’ll deal.”

I walk into the dark toward the door.

“Good luck,” I hear Jeff call.

Right. Best night of my life and I come home to this. If there were a God…

I go directly in because sneaking draws fire. Mom and Dad are sitting on the couch. Not touching. Not looking at each other. Not looking at me. They are crying.

I have never seen my father cry before. His chest and stomach jerk out like the kid I saw having a seizure at Kroger’s. His face looks like it always does: rigidly holding back fury, muscles clenched, the furrow between his eyebrows etched with an ice pick. The only difference is the two tears creeping down either side of his face.

My mom cries weekly, sometimes daily. Her cheeks are red even without make-up or emotion; when she cries, they look like cherry tomatoes or—forgive me—a clown’s. I think she has a saline imbalance because her tears don’t drip, they gush.

Pity? I feel something, but not pity. Pity is a luxury. Maybe when they’re old and they cry because they see my children only twice a year, then I’ll feel pity. Pity requires power.

They notice me. Dad looks at me to make certain I see and Mom looks away so I won’t. That’s their story.

I give one of those smiles that isn’t and head for my room as fast as I dare.

“Did you eat?”  Mom asks. I’m her burden, after all.

“No thanks, Mom. Yes, I did,” I answer carefully. “gotta do homework and get to bed, I’m exhausted from practice. Good night.”  Down the hall; my door; step inside. Safe.

As safe as home gets, anyway.

I have calculus problems and a two-page essay on Act I of King Lear due tomorrow, but no way can I concentrate now. Or sleep, of course. But my father sometimes hesitates when he sees my light out (“Athletes need their sleep!”); otherwise, he not only bursts in without knocking, he often objects to my having shut the door. So I’ll get up early again. Would a normal guy call Guin before bed? Stroll past the parents, announce “I’m going to call my girlfriend.”  I almost laugh.

Well, God, I lived through another day. Four or five of my best hours. Did you do that?

I listen to the silence, which means God isn’t listening, or is listening but isn’t answering, or is listening and answering but didn’t translate into my language. He knows every language, right? Sometimes I suspect God’s talking to me constantly, but in binary. I’m missing every word.

Wouldnt want to make it too obvious, huh?

Thats what I thought youd say. Anyway, if it was youthanks.

A blowtorch aimed at my left temple wakes me. I don’t believe in bad omens, but a migraine? Maybe. The first ray of sunlight assaults my eyes because my room has no curtains. I sit up to escape the glare.

Frilly pink doilies covered these windows before we “lost” my sister. She left when she was sixteen and I was nine. My parents think someone abducted her; denial moves mountains. They put her photo in post offices and on milk cartons, took out ads in every newspaper in the county. Finally, they decided she had died.

She left me a note. The outside said, “If you can keep a secret, read this. If you can’t, destroy it NOW!”

That’s a challenge, right? I was still four years from being a teenager. What did I know of her life? I swore to God (who I believed in then) I’d keep any secret I read.

Dear Paxton,

I love you very much. Youre my only family. When you go to collegewhen, BusterI will find you. I cant tell you where Im going cause Im not really sure and even if I was I couldnt risk Dad searching your room and finding this first. He wont find me.

Just wanted you to know Im okay. Sorry I cant stick it out to cover you, Ton.

Ill miss you! See you in 10 years.

Love, Trinket

PS  I mean it, Paxton. You cant tell them anything, no matter what! Now go burn this.

Her name is Amethyst. I told her that sounded too valuable for her and they should have named her “Trinket.”  She told me Mom and Dad knew I’d be fat, so they named me “Ton.” But it sounded too obvious, so they added Pax (which she showed me in a dictionary) to make me peaceful about my obesity.

She’s been gone over 3,200 days now. Her note helped me more than she could know; it showed me I can get out, too. Last year, I got a scholarship for a UCLA summer program for high schoolers. It was the best eight weeks of my life, and I kept expecting her to sneak up behind me, but I was ahead of schedule. She’s not tracking me with a satellite. I’ll see her next year.

You might think I’ve done wrong, if you came from a family that wasn’t ours. I’m not going to defend myself. She knew what she was asking. If she wanted to repeal the vow of secrecy, she could contact me. Or them. Sure, I worry, but I’ve got to err in this direction. Otherwise, how would I face her? (Okay, a little defending.)

They let me move in four years after she left. Until then, I had a makeshift room—particleboard floor on pallets, plywood walls—in the basement. But our basement floods two or three times a year and everything smells of sewer. The fourth-grader didn’t care, as long as it kept me farther from them; the seventh-grader couldn’t survive junior high reeking of sewage. Picture diving into a piranha tank wearing blood aftershave.

“My” room still has rose-colored carpet. It reminds me of her and of why she had to leave. I think she got what she asked for to make up for other things, if you know what I mean. If you don’t, I’m happy for you.

My head’s still throbbing, and I’ve got thirty-five minutes to plow through my problems, crank out two pages, eat and dress. During the off-season, Jeff picks me up. From November to March, I run to school.

I leave home at 6:30 and arrive between 7:30 and 7:45. School starts with homeroom at 8:30. I pound on the door until Phil Tugano, the head custodian, lets me in. I worked two summers helping Phil scrape gum and much worse off every conceivable surface, repainting, reflooring, and making the old building shine so that, as Phil told me, “you pissants can come sludge it up again.”

“Morning, Rocky,” Phil says. I’ve soaked through my sweatshirt. “Already do your raw egg shots this morning?”  Phil isn’t exactly a finely tuned athlete, except maybe by WWF standards. Phil is, exactly, massive. Big gut, enormous chest, my legs combined equal one of his arms, at least 360 altogether.

“Nah, it’s tofu shake day.”

“Mmm,” he says, “you know how to live. If you’re not too stuffed from that, I have a couple of old fashioneds left. Chocolate chocolate.”

“You suck.”

“I know. Few crimes worse than offering to share food.”  Phil enjoys the rumor among the students that he spent time in prison. My guess is some frosh made it up after Phil scowled and the kid wet his pants. Even the wannabe gangbangers give Phil double his space, which means most of the hallway. No one would believe he shares doughnuts.

“One. I’ll run home after practice.”

“Paxton, does Coach Brighton know what you do?”

“Oh, he knows. He sees me while he’s driving to school. Waves. Acts like he’s proud of me. He also knows he’s got me by the balls.”

Phil stares at me for a few seconds, then shakes his head. We walk to his “office,” a broom closet with a desk, no windows. He opens the white Foster’s box and sticks it under my nose.

I finish the doughnut before he’s closed the box again.

“Showering?”  He asks, reaching for the key to open the locker room.

“You better believe it. I had a date last night.”

Phil draws his enormous head back like a turtle.

“Serious. Guinevere.”

After three or four seconds, he decides I’m not pulling his leg. His cheeks slowly fold into this huge smile. Phil’s not exactly handsome, but his smile warms me someplace that’s cold most of the time.

6 thoughts on “Something Like Faith, Chapter 1

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rosco 357

well i dont know how to express this. maybe i have not seen enough of the presidents remarks and speeches to comment. but he does not seem to get emotional about things like other presidents did, they made u feel like we are all in this together, and i guess give a warm and fuzzy feeling about america and its problem. i dont get this from obama, but maybe im not being fair, or im just wrong. his way of expressing will not help what happening anyway, but i just dont feel his heart is in it, but again, i probably am wrong, i have not heard all he had to say about it. he has gone to the gulf, a few times. i dont know if its because of his heart or just politics, im rambling without facts,or much info, , take care

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Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Travel light: save those sample sets

Small samples of your favorite products are the perfect sizes to travel with, but what happens when you run out for you next trip? Luckily you can easily refill them!

Step 1: get a child/baby liquid medicine syringe. (CVS gives these away for free just ask the pharmacist)

Step 2: fill it up with up

Step 3: position the dropper over the opening.  (if it's too large or small it will work if you continue to press them together)

Step 4: squeeze the air out of the container you want to fill

Step 5:
Press the dropper down. And repeat as necessary.

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Day 8: last day on the road

Day 8: last day on the road

Waking up along the river upstream from  the Hraunfossar waterfall was so beautiful.

Having access to water is a bonus too. I was able to wash the laundry.

Our little Hyundai work horse. We put this little guy thru a lot!!

I opened the car doors to hang the laundry while we prepped breakfast.

At the hostel, I got these bags of rice and an instant chicken noodle soup mix. We cooked then both into a porridge for bfast. It was a nice change from oatmeal.

As we got ready to go, we realize the car battery died from the open doors. We tried to push the car onto the road but the rocky incline was too steep and the car kept rolling back. Our only hope were jumper cables.

I saw a camper van and rv in the  road and race to the street waving them down. They stopped right away and had jumper cables! The family was from Vancouver and had just begun their Iceland trip. The car started and we were on our way!

Hraunfossar : these waterfalls emerge from the ground! They stretch far and it's so beautiful.

Next stop: the peninsula

We stopped for gas and picked up a hot dog. We share one. Damn these hot dogs are delicious. The secret is fried onions as a garish.

We got this drink cus I thought it would be like Icelandic root beer. But this is all the beer taste without alcohol. I don't drink so that part doesn't matter but ugh the taste is so gross

Hellnar Arch

The rock formations are insane. How does it grow in sheets like that? And the columns?

The waves made this arch and these openings. Today was the first day we didn't have rain!! It felt so good to just wear a shirt and not 5 layers and rainshell.

Heading back to Reykjavik is bittersweet. I wish I could look at these mountains, waterfalls, and sheep everyday.

Saturday, August 27, 2016

Day 7: Waterfalls and a Wedding

Day 7:
We left our campsite at Myvatn and headed toward the Grjotagja, the grotto where John Snow & Egritt had their moment on Game of Thrones. It was so warm my camera fogged up again and it was hard to take photos. Good thing for iPhones as a backup

Next was this giant crater. Hverfell

It was an exhausting hike to get up to it.  We had to option to hike the rim of the crater (which I totally would have) but it was raining hard and it was cold so we only walked a small portion and headed back down.

See the tiny people?

Inside the crater

Next was the waterfall of the Gods, Godafoss

There was an engagement photo shoot and a separate wedding happening.

Still amazed how close we can get

Our next stop was a far drive to the Koluglijufur. It was a small waterfall but so beautiful. The gorge it created was breath taking. Imagine these farmers have this as their backyard! All I have is the backside of the 60 freeway, hah! We collected more waterfall water to filter and drink (thanks Grant for the platypus!)

We're a day ahead of schedule so we're gonna go to Hraunfossar to spend the night. Sleeping next to a roaring river and waterfall is such a beautiful music to my ears.

Friday, August 26, 2016

Day 6 - a walk through the lava fields

Day 6:
Driving on the 1

Theres really nothing to see on the east. Mainly fog and flatness.
Last night we parked somewhere to sleep. We woke near a town we called "DJ Up". (Djupivogur).

We drove through a pass called the 939 Oxi and it's SUCH A BEAUTIFUL AREA! I would love to backpack through there.

Cascading waterfalls surrounded by greenery. It's like a fairy tale land.

photos cannot even capture a tiny tiny tiny fraction of how amazingly beautiful  this area is!!

First stop Detifoss:

It's so amazing how close you can get to these places. In the US there would be gates and guards etc cus someone would get to close to the edge and fall and sue.

We hiked down 2km to have our lunch (chicken noodle soup with rice) with a view.

Next :
Walk through the lava rock fields.
I took some "souvenirs" again. :)
My camera got fogged up so I didn't get any good pictures.
This is  moss that grows very slowly and the Icelandic people are very protective of it.

This area is where Iceland gathers hot water produced from the geo-thermal activity (aka lava) and they send it down to the cities. This is why there is no shortage of Hot water in Iceland.

It's so readily available that there is this perpetual shower always running. (And the water was warm too!)

I thought that similar to Landmannalaugar that the hot springs would be free/easy to get to, but the hot springs at Myvatan were pay per use. So we skipped it.

For the past few nights we slept on the car because it was easier but I'm much more comfortable in my tent on the ground (with my cot).
So tonight we are tent camping and it feels so good!! The campgrounds also have HOT showers (my 2nd shower for this trip). It not that I don't have access to  showers daily, it's just too inconvenient to me to take a shower everyday. I really don't feel that I need to. Hehehe

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Day 5: we picked up a hitchhiker

Day 5: we picked up a hitchhiker, Rodger from the Netherlands.

We began our day at Sejalandsfoss where we dropped off Roger.

We did a stop at Vik to see the black sand beach and picked up a few souvenirs.

There are these column rock formations

As we drove to our next destination we stopped for gas and saw Rodger again! We picked him up and headed off. He was stopping  half way to our next stop so it was perfect and he gave us these Dutch waffle caramel cookies as a thank you.

The 2.6km hike Skogafoss. Pretty awesome.
We weren't able to go into the ice caves  because it was a 4+ hour tour for 1.590 Kr per person and it was not guaranteed that we could go into the caves either, so.. Passed on that.

Jokulsaron, the Ice Lagoon
Then icebergs were incredible. I wanted to have dinner there but the water was brackish (mixed with ocean water) so we prepped dinner (one me my favorite backpacking meals, chicken curry with rice) and started singing while the food "cooked" in the thermos.

our next leg was is gonna be a long drive to Detifoss, so our plan was to drive as far as we could and  camp along the road. We were woken up to this great sight.


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The Runner’s Battle: Speed vs. Aerobic Endurance

What role does speed play?

Certainly, speed is a component of a well balanced training plan and it’s important to include speed workouts to improve your running efficiency and V02max. If you completely neglect speed altogether, or any energy system for that matter, your performance will suffer.

Perhaps the biggest role speed plays is that it helps improve your running economy and efficiency. In unscientific terms, speedwork helps you run goal race pace with less effort.

However, there is a limit to how much you can develop your absolute speed. At some point, your body approaches its natural talent point and working to improve speed provides diminishing returns.  Luckily, improving your aerobic capacity is virtually limitless.

MORE: A Less Technical Approach To Threshold Training

Therefore, once you’re able to run about 20-30 seconds faster than your goal 5K pace for a full mile, you’ve probably developed enough speed to comfortably race your goal pace. The focus in your training should then be turned to improving your aerobic capacity and lactate threshold, which will help you develop the physiological fitness to race faster and maintain a top end speed for longer.

So, the next time you’re analyzing your training and looking to identify the areas you need to improve the most, ask yourself whether it’s really your speed that is holding you back or if you actually need to get stronger aerobically.

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Thursday, February 21, 2013

Thankful Thursday: Sunny Days & Snow

It's thankful Thursday time! We all have so much to be thankful for and we love to take this opportunity just to write down each and everything that comes to mind. Please take this time to share with us what you're thankful for as well. If you have a blog expressing your thankfulness, please share the link! Without further ado, here's what we're thankful for:

Mandi's List:

I'm thankful for my brother-in-law's birthday and first week in a new job. Ronnie's brother, Andrew, had a big week this week - a birthday and a new job. Ronnie has the best brothers and I couldn't be more thankful for Andrew being another year older and to have found a fabulous job!!

I'm thankful for a good night's sleep. Mckenna is back into her normal sleeping habits after a 2 week blip of random wakings and being sick. I am thankful that I am able to sleep again, but I am even more thankful that she's getting good sleep. I always know when she's well rested and I know she likes feeling well rested!

I'm thankful for sunny days. We had some warm days over the weekend and beginning of the week, and it was fabulous. We were able to play outside for hours each day this weekend and it was fun for the whole family. Mckenna totally loves playing outside, and it makes for a fun-filled day for all of us. We had a picnic, played with water, played with bubbles, you name it!

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for cereal. I've been super into cereal lately and I'm not exactly sure why. I don't even eat it for breakfast (that's usually eggs and granola over yogurt) but have had it for lunch and/or dinner more than a few times over the past couple of weeks. My favorite cereal right now? Raisin Bran!

I'm thankful for snow. As many of you know (because it was national news), it snowed yesterday here in Phoenix. I wasn't able to witness it first-hand as it didn't snow in my area, but I thought it was cool to see all of the pictures and videos that friends posted. I also saw some snow falling off of cars heading down the freeway!

I'm thankful for my snuggle bunny (my little one). Mckenna has been super snuggly lately and I can't get enough of it. She's also been a big time Daddy's girl which I must admit, feels pretty nice. I can't imagine it lasting much longer :)

So, what are you thankful for today?


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Bystander Intervention

What it is…

Bystander intervention is about preventing and de-escalating potentially violent incidents.  It is the willingness to take action and help someone in time of need.

Why we talk about the bystander…

  • We all witness language and behavior that can be defined as hurtful, harmful, or potentially illegal
  • Makes everyone part a successful intervention strategy and approach to prevention
  • Bystanders can elicit social influence and exert positive peer pressure (Social Norms)

Bystander Approach…

Approach: Proactive
When: before a person has acquired risk factors for perpetrating or before abuse has occurred
Focus on: Individuals, Communities, Organizations, Systems or Social Norms

Did you know?

According to the NSRV, 1 out of 4 women on all college campuses across the US will be victims of Dating/Intimate Partner Violence.

Dating and Intimate Partner Violence can take the form of:

  • Physical violence
  • Verbal abuse, sexual pressure, rape
  • Psychological abuse
  • Financial or religious control