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Saturday, September 20, 2008

Debatable Opinions; Letters to the Editor

(originally published by OpEdNews)

As I virtually move around The FUSA by state in alphabetical order, trying to find letters to the editor that are, indeed, debatable, I come to Arkansas.

However, one can imagine my anxiety about looking in Arkansas for a letter to the editor of a print/online newspaper. When many of us think about Arkansas, we think about the “uncle daddy” jokes and the word “redneck”. I confess to being a person who’s made such stereotypical remarks in the past.

Consequently, I had the offense ready to go. I knew that I would find a letter to shred to pieces.

As an aside, I’d like to make a couple of points about looking around the country for letters to the editor.

First, I really don’t know which newspapers are the most read newspapers in most states.

As a guide, I use LISTS: Sanjeev.NET List of wonderful things. This site seems to have the newspapers in any given state listed in, if no other manner, order of popularity.

Secondly, to put it mildly, I imagine that people have found much of what I’ve written “debatable”. My goal isn’t necessarily to find letters with which I strongly disagree, although, if I continue with this search, my suspicion is that I will utilize such letters most often.

This column will no doubt be longer than the past couple of columns. Before I get into what was written in the letter to the editor, I think that it’s import for me to explain my political leaning and my thoughts about what happened on September 11, 2001. There is another issue, the American flag, which I should address as well before revealing the content of the letter.

I don’t think it would be a surprise to anyone who’s ever read anything I’ve written that I lean to the left. I’m a Progressive and I’m proud of it.

On the other hand, I was born and raised in The United States of America and that means much more to me than being a Progressive.

I’m what’s called a Truther. A Truther is a person who finds it difficult to believe the story that The Regime and the corporate media have given us about who was behind what happened on September 11, 2001. There are degrees of Truthers. Some think that they know exactly what alternatively happened on 9/11 and others merely want a new, fair investigation into the tragedy of September 11, 2001.

We want an investigation in which no members of the investigation team are tied to The Regime in any way. The example that comes to mind is Philip Zelikow. Zelikow was the executive director of the 9-11 Commission. Before that, Zelikow served on the team that helped The Bush Administration, a misnomer for The Regime, transition into the White House. Many people see this as a definite conflict of interest.

There of course should be no one on the committee who would describe himself or herself as a 9/11 Truther, either. Fair is fair and that’s what many of us want, a fair investigation.

We want an investigation in which all who are called to testify are forced, in one way or another, to do so. Not only are they forced to testify, but they are forced to testify in public and under oath.

We want an investigation into this horrendous mass murder to start by asking the question, “Who did it?”, as most murder investigations do. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but no one should be innocent and exempt from ever being proven guilty.
Truthers are as appalled and saddened at what happened on 9/11 as those who believe the official narrative. I don’t think any of us were born with the intention of hating George Bush, which, because of our questioning, we’ve been accused of. However, if we were to have the kind of investigation described above and found that our government was in no way complicit in planning the events of 9/11 nor did it know what was going to happen on that day, but simply ignored it, I’d be happier than if the opposite was proven. I no more want to know that the American Government would do such a thing than anyone else.

I felt it necessary to write the long introduction because one can imagine how pumped up a Progressive reporter might become if he sees a letter entitled “Do Americans forget so easily” in an Arkansas newspaper, The Lanoke Democrat, part of The Cabot Star Herald group. Even more provocative was the first sentence of the letter which reads, “As I was driving through Lonoke this morning, Sept. 11, 2008, I was very disappointed that NO businesses in Lonoke had their U.S. flags out on display.” I was ready and continued to read.

The writer went on to reveal that she was physically distanced from what happened in New York, Washington DC and Shanksville, PA on that day. She didn’t know anyone who was killed or injured and she didn’t even know anyone who knew someone who was killed or injured on that day.

The writer admonished Americans to put the flag out on Memorial Day and on The Fourth of July as well.

I can only assume, and you know what they say about assuming, that this woman places fierce importance on the American flag. In this regard, I find myself disagreeing with her for the most part.

To many people, the American flag does represent The United States of America and the principles of The United States of America. Unfortunately, The Regime has polarized Americans so much that some now use it to represent The Former United States of America as well. The principles of The FUSA are not the same as the principles of The USA.

Nonetheless, no matter what it represents, the flag is an attractively decorated piece of cloth. If Americans are in the midst of a catastrophic event, we can collect as many of those pieces of cloth as we can possibly find as quickly as we can collect them, place them in one gargantuan pile and they will not ward off the catastrophe. It is a piece of cloth.

Further, if some see it as representing those who have succeeded in turning The United States of America into The Former United States of America, they certainly don’t see it as representing them. In many of these cases, people have chosen to deface the flag, most often by burning it. I see this as making the statement, “This flag does not represent me anymore” or “This flag has begun to represent principles that are so abhorrent, violent and inhumane that it should not be seen as a representative of people who want peace and cooperation among all of the earth’s inhabitants”. That’s a right that Americans should have. It’s not surprising, though, that those who want to take that right away are the reasons why some feel that the flag should be defaced in the first place.

Thus, it may come as a surprise that I ultimately find this letter to be positive. I apologize for ever having stereotyped citizens who live in the southern part of this nation. It was never fair to do so and it isn’t fair now. In fact, stereotyping is possibly one of the most unfair ways that we can treat each other. From the unfairness of stereotyping evolves other unfair treatment in such areas as hiring and housing.

What makes this letter positive to me is that there is no mention of Arabs or “Liberals” or the gall of those who put forth an alternative explanation for what happened on 9/11. Putting the issue of the importance of the flag aside, this letter was truly a dressing down of those Americans who’ve forgotten the pain and suffering of people who either died or were severely injured on September 11, 2001 or those who lost loved ones on that day.
I once thought, “What American can forget what happened on September 11, 2001?”

The writer of this letter, however, has given me pause to reconsider that question.
Certainly, The Front Man tried to play it down almost immediately by telling Americans to “go shopping” after the tragedy took place. Many Americans may not take the memory of 9/11 more seriously because their president defamed that memory with his out of hand remark.

However, the last three sentences of this letter may, unfortunately, say it all and I just may agree with the writer.

“It’s reported that other countries think Americans are self-centered; I wonder why. Sooo sad. So, so sad.”

Are Americans more, just as, or less self-centered than non-Americans? | BuzzDash polls

Think most Americans have put the events of 9/11 out of their minds? | BuzzDash polls

To friendship,

“Every great advance in natural knowledge has involved the absolute rejection of authority.” - Thomas H. Huxley

World Conditions and Action Items
‘Til Flowers Don’t Grow

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Monday, June 12, 2017

Soul Meets Body

If they knew how big they’d become on the music scene, lead singer Ben Gibbard of the band “Death Cab for Cutie” once confessed, they would’ve thought twice about picking that obscure name. In these days of an even deeper obscurity over what gender we identify as, I’d like to reflect on one of my favorite DCFC’s songs “Soul Meets Body.”

From their album, Codes and Keys, released in May 2011, “Soul Meets Body” soars as an achingly beautiful song with echoes of the original plan of God for humanity, despite Gibbard’s apparent religious “wound” in other songs of the band. It begins…

I want to live where soul meets body and let the sun wrap its arms around me and bathe my skin in water cool and cleansing and feel, feel what its like to be new

I always thrill at the hearing of songs like this in popular music, from bands not necessarily religious. It points to that universal thirst for a harmony between flesh and spirit that can be found everywhere, in everything. Musicians today are scratching out their notes in the cynicism of a post-Christian age, amid scandals and hypocrisy, and even radical doubts and attacks on not only God’s identity but now our very own. In this quest for meaning, I find a certain raw sincerity in Death Cab for Cutie (DCFC). It shows us that nothing can snuff out the desire for the truth about God and man, not even a poor first experience of religion, or the scandalous example of some believers. It seems a wound from the past shaped lead singer Gibbard’s vision of the Catholic faith he was raised in. It’s revealed in the song “I Will Follow You Into the Dark”:

In Catholic school as vicious as Roman rule I got my knuckles bruised by a lady in black and I held my tongue as she told me “Son, fear is the heart of love” So I never went back

This experience is beyond tragic, since we know St. John tells us “perfect love casts out all fear.” (1 John 4:18) The wounds of an earthly father can change our view of the Heavenly Father. The sins of a school master can alter our knowing the love of the Divine Master. I wonder how effective this teaching of fear of punishment might be for the young as an introduction to God. Yet it seems to be a part of our pedagogy, individually and universally. Dr. Karl Stern, a Jewish psychoanalyst who converted to Catholicism once wrote: “The child receives, even before any formal moral training, a kind of ‘natural’ premoral formation. Its first encounter with a world of regulations is predominantly negative. The world of the forbidden precedes the world of the ideal. The very first regulatory education, such as training for order and cleanliness, warning against the handling of breakable objects and so on, may signify to the child an initiation into dread. Even under the most favourable circumstances the child gets to know the ‘Don’t’ associated with the first notion of punishment and reward, of retaliation and pardon, before a positive ideal, a ‘Do!’, can develop… It is the same in the child’s life as in the history of human society. Something analogous also exists on the level of the historical drama of salvation.” (Stern, Flight from Woman, 1965)

Now ponder this thought of Pope Benedict XVI: "Our first experience of God is so important; we either experience Him as the police guard ready to punish or as creative love that awaits.” Creative love is what we long for, and in fact it’s what God wants to pour out over our hearts through the Church’s sacraments. Sadly for many of us, the individual pieces of the conduit this truth can flow through (namely fallen human beings) can often limit or even obstruct that flow of truth. But that’s our fallen human nature, not the Divine water of grace (which by the way, always finds a way in). Gibbard sings that he “never went back” to the Catholic Church (he refers to himself as an “indoctrinated Catholic even though I haven’t been to church of my own volition in 10 or 15 years now.” But not going back doesn’t mean he’s not in some way moving forward in his quest for the truth of who we are. The French philosopher Simone Weil wrote that even when we run away from Christ, if it’s toward what we consider true, we run in fact straight into His arms!

Now away from the personal to the more culturally expansive seeking for healing in our world today. Our gender dysphoric age gives us an ever-expanding list of letters with which to identify. LGBTTQQFAGPBDSM and the list goes on, becoming every day increasingly more and more obfuscating. Recall Jesus asking the possessed man his name and the man replied “Legion is my name. There are many of us.” (Mark 5:9) This fracturing of our personhood, soul from body, is nothing new. It’s simply an attempt to cloak our ever present wound; the age-old identity crisis we’ve suffered from since the Fall in Eden. We are a splintered race, racing along, seeking reunion, and communion, of our hearts, minds, and bodies. Our identity has been disintegrated and our hearts dispossessed of the integral truth of what it means to be human, soul and body. But we must keep digging, seeking our original face. The ancients termed it fides quarens intellectum – faith seeking understanding. And we do this together as the song sings, for we need a reunion of not only soul and body, but of person to person, and God and humanity:

And I cannot guess what we’ll discover when we turn the dirt with our palms cupped like shovels but I know our filthy hands can wash one another’s and not one speck will remain

This digging deep into life’s experiences, and origins, can reveal hidden treasures. In the music video for “Soul Meets Body”, which I highly recommend watching (, we see a host of musical notes peeping out of the earth from a darkened forest floor as Ben Gibbard walks past. He meets his band in a little cabin and they play their song. We watch the notes rise up from the ground and through the canopy of trees, over forest and field, past houses and towns and cities, to the sea.

Listening to the ache for meaning can itself reveal to us the meaning. If we listen to the Music that made the world and follow those first two notes, the masculine and the feminine, that first came together to form the song that is our own personal life, our story, we see, hear and experience our place in the Song. The Song is the vocation of the human person, synthesized in St. John Paul II’s Familiaris Consortio: “God inscribed in the humanity of man and woman the vocation, and thus the capacity and responsibility, of love and communion. Love is therefore the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being.” (FC, 11)

Caryll Houselander wrote “We are all syllables of the Perfect Word.” We are more than a single letter, we are the beginning of an utterance of a Fullness, a fullness we are already but not yet experiencing. So let’s keep going, aching, coming to terms with the truth that we are made for the other. Ultimately, our utterances must keep going up, into that Perfect Word Who encompasses and surrounds and unites all of us! In His Love that satisfies that original harmony between soul and body, the spiritual and the material, man and woman, and all of humanity is realized. There is a Creative Love that awaits in the Heart of Jesus, in the ocean of His mercy. Yes, even despite the oil spills of humanity’s sins, He’ll wash one another in this mercy, “and not one speck will remain.”

And I do believe it’s true that there are roads left in both of our shoes but if the silence takes you then I hope it takes me too. So brown eyes I hold you near cause you’re the only song I want to hear. A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere… Where soul meets body…

5 Ways to Heal the #MeToo Movement and Solve the Problem of #ToxicMasculinity

“Wounds need to be treated, so many wounds! So many wounds! There are so many people who are wounded by material problems, by scandals… Peo...

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Friday, March 13, 2009

Whats Your Style?

Below are my results from the quiz and I must say I agree 100%. Aww sweet validation. If I were to live in the above space, the maxi dress by Tibi is what I'd need to be wearing. Now it's your turn- Whats your style?

French Eclectic
Parlez-vous français? Even if the answer is no, you can confidently say your
home does! French Eclectic somehow manages to be both formal and casual, classy
and unassuming at the same time. You like your spaces to feel inviting from the
moment you (or your guest) opens the front door and this feeling should continue
even after you've entered your most formal room.
Even though there are French antiques here and gold details there, the rustic
country elements provide a balance and warmth that seems to say, "come in,
relax and stay a while." Your love of antiques leads you to flea markets,
garage sales and hours of eBay hunting.

Your personal style is a mix of 2 specific styles:
75% French Eclectic
25% Nantucket Style
Have a fabulous, fabulous weekend everyone! ♥

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Talkin' 'Bout My Generation

Boomers Called Them “Four Eyes”

If you grew up during the Boomer Era, chances are you heard kids who wore eyeglasses referred to as “four eyes.” It was a derogatory term that made fun of the lenses kids had to wear, especially thick lenses that were additionally called “Coke bottles.”

In the early part of the twentieth century, the most common eyeglasses were the pince-nez variety; lenses that sat on the nose without support. Teddy Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge wore them. During World War I, the military helped advance the technology of eyeglasses that were supported by temples. After the War, that style replaced the pince-nez and continued into the Boomer Era and beyond.

By the 1930s, plastic frames hit the scene and fashion inched its way into the equation. World War II saw innovations in style and function, especially for sunglasses, but with a utilitarian purpose in mind. By the 1950s, women’s eyewear came in a myriad of shapes and colors, while men’s eyewear was more subdued in shades of black, gray or brown.

Lenses, on the other hand, were a different story. Although plastic lenses had appeared before the second World War, they did not catch on with the public, in no small part because of the cost, availability and they scratched quite easily. Consequently, for Mister Boomer and many boomer kids like him, eyeglasses he began to wear in the early sixties all had lenses made of glass.

The glass lenses had some serious disadvantages: they were heavy, and that made the plastic frames sink into the bridge of the nose, causing near-constant breaks in the skin and irritation; they were thick, and depending on the prescription, could make matters worse for those, like Mister B, who had the “Coke bottles”; and they were practically universally ridiculed. People who wore glasses were considered nerds, “braniacs” or overall lacking in social graces. A famous phrase from the fifties and sixties was meant as a precautionary note for girls; it stated, “Men don’t make passes at girls who wear glasses.”

Contact lenses were not a choice for many of us. Lyndon Johnson wore them on occasion. Contact lenses were known for being hard to fit and uncomfortable to wear, until soft lenses were released in the U.S. in 1971. Mister B did not have contact lenses, nor did he want to have something stuck in his eyes.

By the late sixties and early seventies, strides in technology produced plastic lenses that were lighter weight and more scratch resistant. But for Mister B and boomers like him, more than a decade of breaking glass lenses and fighting to keep heavy eyewear on his nose had made its mark — literally.

Did you wear glasses as a kid, boomers? Or did you call anyone “four eyes?”

posted by Mister B in Fashion,Pop Culture History,Technology and have Comment (1)


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Friday, December 15, 2006

High Finance

I know this will sound strange, but it's true; I may be in escrow but I'm not sure.

I've been wanting to refinance my mortgage for the past 2 months, but it's very confusing trying to compare rates. How much extra money do you want to pay up front to get a lower rate? Will you refinance in 2 years? 5 years? 10 years? Never? Does the term escrow apply if it's just a refinance? It makes my head hurt. I called back one banker around 11:30 this morning and told him I had started the loan application he had given me, but I didn't understand parts of the form and wanted him to sit down with me to go over it. He said "that's fine, but you need to come over RIGHT NOW. We just got an announcement that rates will be changing at noon and they may be going up." Maybe he was playing the used-car-salesman trick.

The next 45 minutes were kind of a blur. I raced over there and he started asking a bunch of questions I had no answers to. "What are your annual property taxes?" "I don't know. $100? $10,000?" I have no idea. Fortunately he was able to look up most of the information for me and we got a "rate lock" submitted before noon. I don't even remember what that rate was.

Your credit score is important, although I'm still not sure exactly how it helps/hurts you. He asked me if I paid my bills on time. This is like the dentist asking if you floss; of course you lie. I did concede that I may have missed a bill every now and then. (Understatement of the year.) He ran my credit report, and I told him I felt like I was at the doctor's office waiting for test results. He told me my score was "all right". It's not good, it's not bad, it's all right. Which to me is not good.

So it seems that the rates did change while we were filling out the application, but they actually dropped a bit. The thing is, I'm not sure what they dropped to. It may not have been the interest rate that dropped, but the bank processing rates that changed. I don't know.

We finished the application and he told me just needed approval and I'd get a bunch of paperwork in the mail in about 3 days. I'd also be contacted by an appraiser. I never saw a loan summary. I never signed anything. I do not know how many points I am paying to get the rate. I do not know what the loan fees are. I do not know if I'm actually in escrow or not.

These seem like things that most grown-ups would know.

Not to worry, I have a couch your can crash on when the bank forecloses on you because you can't afford to pay the 72% interest you just commited to.
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Please Pardon My MisEducation

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Thank You

"Thank you." I don't say it near enough. Chances are neither do you.

Today I spent some time thinking about the things I'll just never be able to control.

I will never be able to force North Korea to stop testing missles.

I will never be the President of the United States.

Gas from crude will only be here for another 50 years.

I will never have as much money as I would like. Nor will you.

I should of...could of...would of.

"Meditation" is a fancy word for justifiable daydreaming. I think I might try it.

If you do something more than one time, after the first time it's probably a waste of time (except sex, love, and walking the dog.)

Nike (the evil empire) has finally slipped into my wallet...and it has done so permanently.

The Yankees (the other evil empire) lost to Cleveland 19-1 last night. That's about the same as the United States beating Brazil 8-0 in football (soccer.)

I fell in love with soccer(football) on my honeymoon.

Bob is probably the most intelligble writer and public thinker I know. He could seriously change our country. Imagine a country led by a man named Bob.

Rhiana is sleeping. I wish I was too.

Reading is fundamental. Thanks uncle Reg.

The San Diego Reader clubbed my ability to blog. The technique I'm using here is called blogging out loud. "It's like chicken soup for a blog."

Some days, some people just don't get how stupid they really are.

I love my job. I missed it a lot. It didn't miss me.

The thing on Kayla's ear is falling the doctor told us it would.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

I wonder how Nancy Nay is feeling.

I'll never be able to write a book at this pace.

I'm not sure I even want to try...should of would of could of.


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Thursday, September 30, 2010

It's the Little Things I Love

Catchin' Rays
12x12, oil on panel
$240, email for more info!
Truth be told, I added the yellow stripe to his bathing suit just so I could paint its reflection. Double-click on the painting to see a larger view!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Little Women Revival

I Spy
6x6, oil on panel
Is there anyone left on the planet not following - and being inspired by - Karin Jurick's latest project BUST-ed? Click here to check it out. Wow. And so it was that, in the midst of other [more important?] things, I was compelled to resume my Little Women series - click here and here and here to see a few of my old favs. I love painting faces.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Sand Box
6x6, oil on panel
$90, email for info
Wouldn't it be fun to escape to this little beach bungalow? Would it be greedy of me to 'call' that room across the front with all the windows for an art studio?

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Old Man by the Sea

Catch of the Day
11x14, oil on panel
email for info
Meet Walt. At the Port Aransas pier walking distance from our house, Walt was the first to wet a hook in the mornings and the last to leave. In a long line of fishing poles, he was about the only angler consistently catching. Lots of experience. So, no surprise, our 13-yr-old Lavagirl made fast friends with crusty 'ole Walt - that's where the action was. And from there on out, everytime he got a nibble, he'd yell out her name and she'd go running and Walt would let her reel that fish in. It was a great show for Mr. Right and me to watch in the mornings with our coffee or late in the evenings after dinner.
Just so you don't think I've been slacking, it seems everything I'm working on right now (paintings and collages) is either a commission - gulp - or a surprise for someone. So, if I showed you, I'd have to kill you. Stay tuned!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Port Aransas, Norman Rockwell, and Museum Blogs

Sometimes Island
12x12, oil on panel
Another young neighbor from the Port Aransas beach this summer. Now that Sharkboy and Lavagirl are back in school I look forward to returning to that vacation, via my camera and easel. I find the study of artists and their use of photography to be facinating and have been reading about Norman Rockwell lately - a brilliant photographer. If you're interested, I highly recommend Ron Schick's book Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera. And of course the highly-touted Rockwell exhibit, Telling Stories, from the collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg currently at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Click here for a link to the podcast about the exhibit and here for the SAAM blog, Eye Level. Hmmmmm..., how to work Washington D.C. and Stockbridge, Mass. (the NR Museum) into college visits this year....

PS. Don't you just love museum blogs, BTW? A few of my favs: Face to Face (National Portrait Gallery), Inside/Out (MOMA), and Uncrated (Dallas Museum of Art). One I'm just starting to look at: The Jewish Museum in NYC. What are your favorites?


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Boise State Changes Graduation Plan Over Ticket Outrage
Students and parents were not happy about Boise State's plan to limit graduates to five tickets to watch the ceremony May 5th, and the school heard that loud and clear. They've changed the plan, and instead of one ceremony with the 5-ticket limit, the university will hold two ceremonies t…
Boise State Students; Don’t Skip Graduation!
College graduation ceremonies can feel a little long, and your family might complain about having to listen to a list of names they don't recognize for two or three hours before yours is finally announced. But it's good to endure. If you skip the ceremony, you'll regret it.
Boise State’s Top Ten Scholars Will Be Honored Friday
These are the smartest of the smart.  They are graduating seniors with GPAs of at least 3.8, they've earned stacks and stacks of honors, and they are finishing degrees in majors like business administration, biology, and health sciences.
Meanwhile, at work, we're watching giraffes have…
Student Surprises Classmates By Walking During Graduation
A student named Micah McDade graduated from high school last week in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, about 40 miles south of Tulsa.
Micah has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair to get around.  He surprised his classmates at their graduation ceremony on Friday, by WALKING across the stage to get his diplom…

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Sunday, October 11, 2009

Sunday Sports

So, it's Sunday. It's Columbus Day weekend (a sham holiday, by the way) which means that baseball is in playoffs and the NFL is heating up.

The Red Sox took on the Angels today at Fenway. We lost. Which means we're now out of the playoffs. I swore a lot but I'm honestly not surprised. I am unfailingly loyal to the Red Sox, don't get me wrong, but I think the Angels were the better team. This time. See you in April, boys.

Right now I'm watching the end of the Pats/Broncos game. It's tied and nearing the end of the fourth quarter. Our defense sucks and our offense (Sorry, Tom) doesn't seem to be much better. I'm really hoping we can pull something out of our asses here because my mood's been in a downward spiral since the Red Sox blew that whole 5-1 lead.

Here are some things about football which I do not understand:

Taunting: Seriously, you're big boys. You can take it, I'm sure. I'm saying this because the Pats had a costly taunting penalty at some point in the fourth quarter which resulted in the Broncos being able to score a game tying touchdown. Frakkers.

Pass Interference (When called on the Pats anyway...): Uh...isn't that the point of the defense? To interfere with the pass?

The Denver Broncos Throwback Uniforms: No wonder y'all changed.

Why The Pats Defense Can't Seem To Stop Anything: Oh wait. Actually, I understand that one. We traded away our all-star defensive lines for draft picks for next season. Have fun scouting, boys.

Why Tom Brady Can't Seem To Make Contact With Randy Moss: Yeah, I've got nothing except big question marks on this one.

Huh. The Pats just fumbled the ball with a minute and half left to go in the game. If you'll excuse me, I need to go rail at the television for a while.

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Article byZvijezdana Marković

Just two months ago I was doing the application to become part of the Young Journalists and Writers (known as YJAW), an attractive online web platform of writers, journalists and enthusiastic people who were all there with the same passion: writing and sharing their ideas with their peers from all over the world. To explain how YJAW was created, one should refer to Pakistan, where it all began.

In the backward areas of this country, it was a social custom for the girls not to be allowed to go outside, in public and to take part in everyday activities. A young man from Lahore, called Umair Rana decided to bring changes and started participating in a the program aimed to provide young girls with knowledge on social media and citizen journalism, so that they can raise their voices more effectively.

Working on the issue of young girls in Pakistan, Umair created YJAW, an online web platform comprised of writers and change-makers from all over the world joined with the same cause: to write, to share opportunities in areas of non-formal education, discuss about art and use the platform as their tool for activism.

The World Changes Can Start with a Single Pen

Each month writers are obligated to write one text on several indicated topics, and every month some of the writings are published on the YJAW website.

Umair, as a leader and a creator of the platform, explains the idea of this virtual space: “We are raising the voices on global issues through the power of words and the new media”.

Wazir Khan Mosque in Lahore Pakistan Young Journalists and Writers Raise Voices on Global Issues
Lahore, Pakistan

And that is exactly what the Young Journalists and Writers’ platform is: a medium where voices of oppressed can be heard.  Exactly this opportunity to travel the distance parts of the world with my mind and to boost my creativity inspired me to become part of this story unique because of many things:

1. Diversity:  Yasir Kayani, also Pakistani, is truly a reflection of how rich YJAW platform is when he says that he is looking for “intellectually rich atmosphere of diverse cultures at YJAW”. But Yasir, tackles the practical dimensions of YJAW as well. He believes that by engaging his fellows on debates on issues in the society, some alternatives solution might appear solving the problems in a more efficient manner. This shows that YJAW is certainly a place of creative minds.

2. Education: I decided to take a female side of story into account as well.  I interviewed Michelle Szad, a Pakistani lady for whom YJAW is a place where people speak louder about women’s rights, contrary to the real world. Through her work in YJAW, she wants to educate people in the society.

 3. Learning process: While some people use the education as a powerful tool to shape the lives of many, another lady like Sajiha Batool, explains her work with YJAW as a continuous learning process that pushes an individual to be more active and develop themselves. Only by being active you are contributing to your society.

4. Explore yourself: Suraj Sharma shared his experience: through writing you can explore your hidden talents and expand the diapason of friends. Those things make your life more beautiful.

5. Endless sharing: Bibhu Luitel, a resident of Nepal’s capital told me that on YJAW, you can get to know like-minded people, and begin the cycle of endless sharing of experiences. This is practically an adventurous intellectual journey, as I have understood it, from my interviewees.

6. Advocate: Since, I am an explorer myself, I contacted into another part of the globe, on distance islands of Caribbean and Barbados, where Lyn-Marie Blackman lives. Her work in YJAW had a strong influence on her life, since she became an advocate for positive change. She said: “I can help my community by elevating the mental, emotional and spiritual consciousness of the youth in my community”. With Lyn, I became more aware that YJAW can have an immense impact on even more distanced parts of the world, where it can serve as trigger for bigger social changes.

YJAW logo Young Journalists and Writers Raise Voices on Global Issues

7.  Unite: And just when I wanted to finish my mind-traveling, I decided to ask a Bosnian like me, and also fellow on YJAW, Nina Kunic, about her impressions from Young Journalists and Writers platform. In her speech why YJAW is important to her, she points out that people should even more get involved and start participating in different activities. And I must agree with her saying that once you find a program of your interest, you can encourage others to come with you and therby, together “build community spirit and ownership”.

8. Change: This mind-travelling with my seven dear fellows helped me reflect on my role in YJAW platform and answer the question what Young Journalists and Writers does really means for me. I reflected again at the founder of YJAW, Umair Rana, who opened a space to have the underrepresented voices heard and gave the pillars to provide an opinion-exchange arena where young writers, citizen journalists and activists will discuss and work on solving global social issues.

And there it the point where I find what YJAW is to me. It is a CHANGE. Change for myself, in growing as a human being, and then a necessary change for the world.

I have started with Pakistan, not knowing a lot about this land of inspiration, and I will finish with a message from a person that triggered me to write about this land: the Nobel prize winner, Malala Yousafzai. She said: “One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world”.

So my dear readers grab your pens into hands, start writing and change the world!

Editorial: Mladiinfo Virtual Newsroom

The post Young Journalists and Writers Raise Voices on Global Issues appeared first on Mladiinfo.

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Friday, December 2, 2011

100 Years ago today: "I could not work any harder than I had been doing."

One hundred years ago Mrs. Anna Godfrey collapsed on a bench in a "fashionable" part of Chicago. Her hair was cut short and she was wearing men's clothes and so was charged with "masquerading in male attire." Mrs. Godfrey explained to the judge that she had dressed as a man and set out on a ten mile walk in order to get a job as a farm laborer. Her husband was bed ridden and she and her oldest boy each were able to bring home only a few dollars a week to support the family of six. Mrs. Godfrey dreamed of giving her four children a better place to live than than their home on a alley. As reported in The Tacoma Times (December 2, page 8)
Judge J. R. Caverly....discharged her. "You are a brave woman," he said, "and deserve praise rather than punishment for your act."
but the only relief he could offer was
to take her children away from her and place them in a home
an offer Mrs. Godfrey turned down.
"No," she replied, "I will go back to the factory, where I worked the last four years, or I will get work as a scrub-woman, but I want to keep my babies in our own home....I told my husband that something would have to be done. I decided to get a job on a truck farm, thinking that if I did well I could bring the family out and that would be better for the children than to stay on the alley. I didn't have a cent of money, so I started out to walk. For ten miles I went along, resting when my feet got sore and tired, and then starting out again.
   "My husband thought that farm work would be too hard for me but I told him that 1 could not work any harder than I had been doing."
I hope Mrs Godfey was able to keep her babies. I hope she was able to make life better for her children. I hope that life got easier for her and not harder as the years passed. Take a look at this picture of Mrs. Anna Godfey in The day book (Chicago, Illinois. December 2, page 9) and remember her face every time a politician tells you that anyone can get ahead in America if only they are willing to work hard because many Americans, like Mrs. Godfrey, couldn't work any harder than they have been doing.

  1. Sadly, I'm sure there are many mothers today who could state the exact same thing truthfully, even if they don't have to dress as men to find work.

  2. @willbikeforchange: That was exactly what I thought.

    Just this week Newt Gingrich was bloviating about children living in poor districts not having any idea of what work looked like--that they needed role models because everyone around them was lazy or would only do work if it was illegal.

    What an insult to the many women out there who are holding down two or three jobs in addition to the job of being a mother.

    One of the frightening things about the current campaign is that the "dream world" that so many of these people want to move up back to is the world of 1911. And it was a nasty time and place to live.

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Monday, January 12, 2009

Creature Feature #1: Derek Thompson

Being the creature design lover that I am, I thought I'd start doing a series of posts on creature designers whose work I greatly admire. I'll do this somewhat regularly. Perhaps even make a weekly tradition of it, or perhaps I'll just operate by the "when I feel like it" method. I also plan to do a similar series of posts on real animals, looking at their forms, shapes, anatomy, and so forth, and examining how those features can be used to make interesting creature designs.

Anyway, for this first addition of what I've decided to call the Creature Feature (until or unless I come up with a more original name), I'm going to show you the art of Derek Thompson. I first found Derek Thompson's website quite a long time ago, but only error messages came up when I clicked on the images. I recently came upon his website again, and the bug had been fixed. The art I found there was amazing.

Derek Thompson has a fantastic sense of design. He uses great combinations of shapes, and is often experimental with color.
He uses a variety of rendering styles in his work, from a comic book-like boldness and simplicity, to an almost Wayne Barlowe-like level of gritty detail.

His designs also range from the harmless and silly to the morbid and creepy.

Usually, though, Derek Thompson's art is between these extremes. Finely rendered form is mixed with flatter, more graphical lines and shapes, while cute, cartoonish proportions are combined with toothy grisliness. It's truly a great combination.

Here's a selection of some of my favorites of his designs.

His mixed media on toned paper technique looks pretty sweet, too. I'm going to get out my colored pencils and try to emulate it.

To learn more about Derek Thompson and see more of his work visit these sites:

His website:
His profile on the Pixar Wiki:
His profile on Gnomon (features a sweet little storyboard thingy):
His blog:

All images in this post are (c) Derek Thompson, shown here with permission.

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Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Gunslinger magician concepts

A world is slowly taking shape in my head. It began with the Sonagama, and was fleshed out in the Shadow, and has taken further shape in a short story that I'm working on. In this world, magic exists, but unlike so many fantasy and sword-and-sorcery type worlds, it exists as a natural, observable phenomenon, and is the subject of scientific study. Many animals have evolved magical adaptations. I am attaching a "magic world" label to each of my posts that deal with this imagined universe.

Now, to this concept, the first human character that I've drawn for this world. As in our world, Europeans colonized North America, and in doing so nearly wiped out the indigenous cultures. This man is a descendant of one of those cultures, living in the "Old West" period of this world, and has undertaken a one-man campaign of vengeance. He practices an art called Guncraft, which combines firearms with Vocal powers (as magic is typically called in this world), and is feared far and wide for his deadliness. He wears the traditional garb of a warrior/shaman/chieftain, with the skulls and jawbones of his ancestors tied to the thick hair of his headdress. Potent war chants are stitched into his clothing. The skulls of his spirit animals hang from loops, guiding him on his way.

The right sketch is the one I did first, and is very exploratory. Virtually none of the elements of this version of his design will remain unchanged. While drawing him, I got the idea of having one or more cloth ribbons spiraling down his legs. I think it's a cool idea, but it would be tremendously impractical in practice (tripping over danging bits of your costume tends to go against the desired frightening effect). So, I'll keep the ribbon, but have it tied loosely around his waist. It is on this ribbon that his "potent war chants" are stitched.
The left sketch is a refined version, but by no means the final design. I really like the designs of the guns, but their ornamental spiral designs are rather cliched, and I don't know if they are consistent with the rest of his design, which is more Native American in theme. Hanging animal skulls from the barrels of his guns is impractical, so those will have to go somewhere else. I like the square, hanging poncho, but I may reduce it in size.

I will explore this design further in future sketches.

Also, my buddy Metal Snail has just started a blog. Check it out!


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Archangel and Angel Correspondances
Home Page of Archangels and angels Website Studies in Angelic magic Magical Tools Student Area Download Magical scripts, books and software

The Astrological Correspondences for the Sun

The Astrological Correspondences:

Astrological Table: Leo.
Astrological Dates: July 23 - August 22.
Astrological Symbol: See above.
Element: Fire.
Mode: Fixed.
Astrological Plants/Herbs: Bay, Chamomile, Calamus Root, Cowslip, Hops, Marigold, Mistletoe, Saffron, Sunflower and Cyclamen.
Tree: Willow.
Metal: Gold.
Power Gem: Amber and Golden Topaz.
Gem: Diamond, Opal, or Ruby.
Colour: Greenish Yellow.
Number: 1 and 4.
Day: Sunday.
Season: Summer.
Tarot Card: Strenght.
Animal: Lion and Wolf.
Bird: Eagle and Peacock.
Symbolic Creature: Lion and riffin.
Anatomy Governed: Heart, Spine, Arms and Wrists.
Body System: Cardiac.
Scents/Oils: Frankinscence, Red Sandlewood, Camphor, Celendine, Sunflower, Chamomile.
Incense: Olibanum.
Harmonious Signs: Sagittarius and Aries.
Geomantic Number (Fortuna Major): 5.
Geomantic Ruler (Fortuna Major) Sorath.
Geomantic Number (Fortuna Minor): 4.
Geomantic Ruler (Fortna Minor) Sorath.
God/Godesses: Horus, Selket, Demeter, Vishnu and Venus.
Age Governed: All ages of your life.

Leo the Lion

Rituals performed when the Moon is in the sign of leao can cover courage, fertility and childbirth.

Healing rituals can be performed to request improvement in upper-back, spine and heart ailment.

Like its ruling sign Leo, this is a card of courage and energy. It represents both the Lion's hot, roaring energy, and the Maiden's steadfast will. The innocent Maiden is unafraid, undaunted, and indomitable. In some cards she opens the lion's mouth, in others she shuts it. Either way, she proves that inner strength is more powerful than raw physical strength. That forces can be controlled and used to score a victory is very close to the message of the Chariot, which might be why, in some decks, it is Justice that is card 8 instead of Strength. This card assures the Querent that they can control not only the situation, but themselves. It is a card about anger and impulse management, about creative answers, leadership and maintaining one's personal honor. It can also stand for a steadfast friend.

The Aeclectic Tarot -

Copyright © 2009 - 2018. - Archangels & Angels. All Rights Reserved.


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Here, the website allows for pseudonymous account holders, who may connect to the website either by using Coinbase wallet or Blockchain.info. After you claim a permanent username, you will be able to upload your products into the respective marketplace and opt for acceptable payment method. Only you have to activate the option of Password Lockdown in your account settings to make sure about avoiding decryption of your messages by staff members of Gliph.

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Have Any Comments


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Monday, December 17, 2007

Discipline Pays Off...

"...After catching his 15-year-old smoking pot, a father sold the hard-to-get "Guitar Hero III" video game he bought his son for 90 dollars for Christmas at an online auction, fetching 9,000 dollars.

The sale took place after the father spent two weeks searching for the video game for the Nintendo Wii gameboard.

"So I was so relieved in that I had finally got the Holy Grail of Christmas presents pretty much just in the nick of time. I couldn't wait to spread the jubilance to my son," the father wrote on the eBay website.

"Then, yesterday, I came home from work early and what do I find? My innocent little boy smoking pot in the back yard with two of his delinquent friends."

The sale was a boon for the family's bank account, since the game the father purchased for 90 dollars (US) was finally sold to an Australian who plunked down 9,100 dollars for it..." (source)

I guess now this guy has to be a little pumped that the kid was smoking pot ;)
My mom was just asking me what the "hot toys" were this Christmas...and I guess we can now safely assume Guitar Hero III (which has Slow Ride) is one of them. $9,000!!!

(H/T: Army Girl)

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My mum (a midwife) brought round her baby scales today, to weigh Isaac. Remember I mentioned before how he's not a big kiddo like he kind of should be? And how he was born way off the damn charts because I take great pleasure in producing 11lb babies with no diabetic/sugar induced help whatsoever?

He's pretty much gaining no weight. Actually, to be fair, he's gained 4oz. In 2 months. He still hasn't actually doubled his birth weight yet. Noah, on the other hand, had more than doubled his birthweight by the time he was approaching a year old.

I know they aren't all meant to be the same. But I'm quietly worrying more and more now. His clothes bought for him over 5 months ago still fit him exactly the same. EXACTLY. The. Same.

He's otherwise perfectly healthy, he eats a TON of food, he's cruising really well, has (unknowingly) stood up unaided a few times now...

He's just not growing. I'm trying desperately hard to NOT let my worries get ahead of me. But much like I did with Noah and his speech, I have that same niggling feeling something isn't as it should be. It doesn't make any kind of sense. Something doesn't feel right.

So do I be all proactive and hassle professionals to take a look at him and force the issue to find out there's actually nothing wrong?

Or do I sit back and listen to everyone saying "It's ok, stop worrying, he'll be fine, he'll just suddenly start growing"?

Do you know that for sure?


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Sessions said. See the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy (Your California Rights)for more information. When the Patriots lost last year in the play offs, his sister threw down his extra Tom Brady jersey and proceeded to jump on it.

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The Patriots have come under scrutiny with regards to NFL rules in the past, most infamously when they school basketball jerseys were punished for videotaping sideline signals used by the New York Jets during a 2007 game.

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And you’re probably seeing the start of that when it comes to sports media rights. If he was too lax last offseason, he’s not this offseason.

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Growing up my entire life, “you’ll never play football, go play baseball,” and I played baseball, and really I did that until I couldn’t play baseball because of another injury, and football was what I wanted to try.

By the time Myron was born in 1986, the family had settled into a middle class life in New Jersey.He points to his parents, and the sacrifices they made to provide for him and his brothers, as a source of his motivation today.”When I was younger, trying to afford football camps, my parents would sometimes have to miss bills,” he said.

“I have plenty of time on my hands. The national average, according to the newspaper, is $69 per game.. On the other end of the offensive lineman salary spectrum, Barry Richardson earns $470,000 annually playing for the Kansas City Chiefs and Duke Robinson earns $480,000 for the Carolina Panthers.

It not a contradiction there.. It was an extremely poor decision and I apologize for that mistake and for offending people. The season long initiative also features social content with many of the football supporters gear NFL’s top rookie players, and is timed to coincide with the kickoff of the company’s 11th year as an NFL partner.

Tiller was an important person in my life and

Tiller was an important person in my life and to so many other guys who played for him, Brees, the New Orleans Saints star who played for Tiller from 1997 to 2000, said. did so much more than teach us how to win. He taught us life lessons and how to be great leaders and men. and Brees carried Purdue to rare heights at a school better known for basketball. Together, they led Tiller on grass spread offense to the 2000 Big Ten title and 2001 Rose Bowl, where Purdue lost to Washington 34 24.

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Scouts, personnel directors and other front office professionals may travel with the team each game and get fired if a franchise is struggling. The stresses of traveling weeks at a time as a player, coach or scout are indicative of the challenges facing player development directors. He teaches American history at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wis.


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Saturday, August 25, 2012

Mathanga Erissery/Pumpkin and red cow peas in roasted coconut

There is nothing to beat the smell of roasting coconut wafting through air in the kitchen. It reminds me of the Mom's busy Onam kitchen where she used to put an elaborate meal for all of us single-handedly with such ease. Hats off Mom. She used to make us fantastic meals all throughout the year without any complaints. I have never heard her whining about the hard work she puts in. Of course, Mom's food always turned out to be a huge hit among friends and family.

I have learned from her if you cook someone something with love and ease, it stands out in the crowd.

Pumpkin - 2 cups
Vanpayar/red cow peas - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt as required

For roasting
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Dry red chillies - 2
Shallots - 2
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

For Grinding
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 2
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Soak vanpayar overnight. Cook vanpayar in a pressure cooker till it is half done. Now add pumpkin to the above and cook till one whistle. Open the pressure cooker, add the ground items given in the (for grinding) section. Cook for five minutes or till it thickens or water reduces completely. Now add the roasted materials from (for roasting) section. Brown coloured erissery is ready which you won't be able to resist. Enjoy it with piping hot Kerala rice (kuthari/rose matta) and naranga curry.

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Monday, June 07, 2010

Took One for Team Mom

The Sun rose too early!
W was up before M!
I knew he had a dental appt at 9am a good ways away.
I knew a Dunkin Donuts was right across the street from the dentist.
So, little miss broken wrist got to choose breakfast and naturally chose Donuts.
So we throw ourselves together in a hurry...
3 people dressed.
No shower for me.
wash my face, brush my teeth, basic makeup and last night's outfit
diapers, wipes, blankets, sippy cups, xrays, purse
To DD...running late but that's ok.
W didn't eat much.
Neither did M.
Pack it up and make it to dentist in plenty of time.
Put M's temporary cast back on before play time.
She's pouting again.
W hates the dental experience.
We try the frozen yogurt...thinking yogurt is different then ice cream so his lactose issue may be ok.
We have to run home to get my phone which had been left behind, as I remember hearing that sound in the middle of the night of it falling off and under the bed. Forgot to retrieve it!
Supposed to be waiting on a call about the ortho for the cast.
Leave kids in car, in drive.
Retrieve the phone.
Sure enough...missed the call.
returned call and they tell me my appt is in 15 min. clear across town again!
We take the interstate, but let them know we'll be running about 5 min. late.
On the way, W looses his breakfast and the 2 spoonfuls of frozen yogurt all over himself.
We keep driving.
M sweetly soothes him...without touching him mind you cause she is grossed out.
We get to the parking lot, leave the car running so the air will stay on while we strip him down and dress him again.
Both kids are ready to go in, as am I, so I close the doors and go to open the driver door to turn off the car, but it's locked...with the car running! SERIOUSLY?
It took very little thought for me to grab up everything and the kids and head in for our appt.
I checked in at the desk, call J.
Thankfully, he didn't hassle me about it (he had no idea what had already gone on that day).
The woman informs me that I have to fill out paper work...even though M is already in the system.
Takes me a year to fill out the top form as I'm trying to keep W away from the doors the open automatically.
He was behaving pretty well actually...he's just almost 2.
He manages to slowly run into an old man with a wheelchair. Very slowly. And I caught it all in the middle as it was occuring.

The man completely ignores me as I apologize and check to see if he is ok. He doesn't even acknowledge me. Then he says to the front desk ladies that he has a sharp pain in his knee from where the wheelchair hit him and that in his day people disciplined their children!
Oh the things that I could have said! Like do you have kids? Were you the one taking them to their appts when they broke their limbs? Did you have to fill out 8 pages of paper work before they would even see you? Did you clean up the puke off of your children after their dental visit and before the casting and just before you locked the keys in your car while it was still running?! Thank goodness in my day there are cars and cell phones and moms that let stuff like this roll off their heavy laden shoulders so that they can confidently and with conviction raise their children.

Yes, I said 8 pages of paperwork. After I was 4 or 5 pages in, the woman rearranges what I have left saying that if I would just fill out the last 2 pages, they could get M back!
Really?! Could we have tackled that first! But she was nice and encouraging and said she could tell I was a good mom and that I was doing a good job.
Finally, we are back in the casting room.
M picks bright pink...of course.
W plays drums with the traditional round sitting stools for the dr.s and two long paper towel rolls he found in the trash!
After chasing his fast self down the hall a few times, I decide this is an acceptable activity.
J unlocks the car and gives my key to the front desk ladies.
We leave!
Get in the car.
Let M pick our free movie redbox...Alvin and the Chipmunks
and head home to eat.
We eat...nap (hallelujah)
I then use tons of left overs to make some pretty great stuffed bell peppers.
I'm in my pjs at this point, but m has asked to go to the cupcake cafe.
I get everyone ready again.
We get there and the cafe is closed.
Plan has way cheaper cupcakes and Brobee shirts and Princess PJ's.
As we arrive we see the neighbors outside catching fireflies.
We share a cupcake with John Lake and M enjoys catching bugs with him.
Me and Kelly have easy conversation and J gets to meet the Sheriff her hubs.
So, a new relationship has begun to bud.
Everyone is asleep. Clean. No fussing with the cast.
And I have a new Mom story to tell about the day the man accused me of being a bad mother and have undisciplined kids.
Ironically, W was so good after all that! Ahhhhh.
Breathe out and breath in!
Goodnight and Happy Bday Grandma Katie!

W and Js mommy said...

whewwww I love you! YOU ARE A GREAT MOMMY! I used to say(prekids) what in the world why can't people keep their kids under control NOW I always think to myself I have no idea what has happened up to the breakdown or freak out point--YEAH I ahve those days too!! Love you

Katie Patterson said...

OH NO!!! I hate those moments =( Glad your day ended better!!!

KLee said...

When do you get a Mommy day off? You need one after a day like this!

kathylovemeyer said...

WOW, what a day! Luv ur post:) You are SO REAL:) BTW it is also Dakota Schubert's 4th birthday and Todd & Kelley's 13th wedding anniversary:) June 7th is a very popular day:)

Shelby said...

Well, the best quote I've ever heard came from a black lady at Wal-Mart, believe it or not. She said, "I did all my best parenting BEFORE having children!" Amen to that! Gini, you're a FANTASTIC mom! My goodness, I don't think I could ever have juggled all that in a day, and I just have ONE kid! I would have broken down crying shortly into that day! Love you and love your family!

It's a Mom Thing said...

man, i'm tired after reading that! btw, i think your neighbor may have come to mom to mom for one semester. ask her sometime.


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Saturday, October 25, 2008

Halloween Art Projects

Ghosts in the Graveyard

Derek made sure there was a Dad, a Mom, and a baby ghost.

Graveyard Instructions

Haunted House Instructions Ghost Painting
Derek and Allison had fun with this.

Ghost Painting Instructions

And my friend Laura told me about these...She gets all of the credit. Recycled crayon cookies. We made hearts.

Color with swirls of color!

Recycled Crayon Cookies Instructions

Thanks Laura!

1 comment:

Greg & Andrea said...

Oh my gosh how did I get so behind on commenting on your blog? Sorry! but what cute art projects. That looks like a fun way to celebrate Halloween.


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Translate - Language

Egg Bhurji Balls

Recipe Name: Egg Bhurji Balls

Category: Eggetarian

Cuisine: Indian

Course: Snacks

Recipe Main Ingredient: Egg, Onion, Green chilli, Maida flour.
Egg Bhurji Balls

Recipe Brief Description : Egg Bhurji Balls: Make some crispy balls with egg bhurji; very easy to cook and tasty.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Eggs – 4-5 nos.
  • Onion – 1or 2 nos. (chopped)
  • Green chilli – 4 nos. (chopped)
  • Maida flour - 1/4 cup
  • Pepper powder – ¼ tbsp
  • Corn flakes as required.
  • Coriander leaves few.
  • Salt to taste.
  • Oil for deep fry.

    Cooking Time: 20 minutes

    Preparation Method:
  • Take a bowl add maida flour and pinch of salt mix it well with adding enough of water to make chapati batter. Keep aside.
  • Heat a pan or kadai with adding oil -2 tsp, add onion, chilli and fry well;
  • Once the onion are cooked add pepper powder, salt to taste and coriander leaves mix it well.
  • Take the maida batter into a small round balls and roll it; add the egg bhurji stuff inside and close it make a round ball size; keep aside.
  • On another side take 1 raw egg and break it add to a bowl; And in a plate add corn flakes.
  • Heat oil in a deep kadai; take the maida balls dip into the egg and roll it on corn flakes and drop or place into hot oil; fry till golden brown colour.
    Yummy Crispy Egg Bhurji Balls is ready to eat. Serve hot with sauce or cup of tea.


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Friday, December 4, 2009

Affiliate Friday: Karrie McAllister on Making Traditions to (Unfortunately) Last a Lifetime

Before I introduce our Featured Affiliate, I must tell you that our DVD Giveaway Extravanganza is still going on and you can still win awesome titles like "Night at the Museum 2" and "Ice Age 3." So click here and enter. Chances are very good that you will win something.

The blogospshere never ceases to amaze me with the quality of writing I can happen upon out of nowhere. That is exactly how I felt when I happened upon Karrie, our featured affiliate, who is a "Mother, Writer, and Dirt-Lover." She, like other affiliates, somehow found us and emailed me about joining forces. Whenever I get those emails, I click on over to check out the blog that is mentioned, and when I first visited Karrie, I was struck by her crisp style of creative, intelligent writing. And when I spent a little more time checking our her space, I learned that not only is she an engaging, interesting writer, but she can also....shoot a gun. And once you see this gorgeous, sweet-looking mama, you will be just as amazed as I was. Check her out.

Enjoy this quintessential Karrie holiday piece!

Once, just once, I’d like to sit Norman Rockwell, Martha Stewart, and Mrs. Claus down at my kitchen table. I’d give them a five-pound bag of flour, a pound of butter, three bottles of tacky glue, and enough glitter and yarn to sink the Titanic. Along with them at the table sit my children, all dressed in special holiday sweaters. They have exactly 20 minutes.

Their only instructions: MAKE MEMORIES.

I have come to learn the hard way that children, no matter how we try to squeeze them into last year’s shoes and pants, continue to grow at incredible speeds. I’m quite certain that if I blink just a little too long they’ll be asking to bring their boyfriends and girlfriends to our Christmas Eve dinner, so I try, with all of my might, to make each and every holiday special.

This means wearing myself to near exhaustion in attempts to recreate even the first draft of any Norman Rockwell piece, which I’m pretty sure had a little kid throwing a temper tantrum in the corner and the dog’s ears glued together. (That’s why he probably did a second draft.)

There is something to be said for tradition. Tradition is the name we give to activities and events that are really a pain in the neck, but we force ourselves to do them because of tradition. Somehow, in our delusional holiday minds, we think that we need to provide our families with ever-lasting memories and these traditions so they can relish the nostalgia when they torture their own families with the same stuff in years to come.

For example, when I was little we had our own set of traditions. We always listened to Bing Crosby while baking Grandma’s butter cookie recipe, the one with the candied cherries in the middle. Another tradition was the crafting and gifting of a special ornament each and every year, so that by the time I was in my teens, my poor parents and grandparents had so many gooped up ornaments on their trees that they tended to pull the entire tree over. Then, on Christmas Eve, we would gather with the extended family and all partake in Wigilia, a Polish Christmas Eve dinner and celebration with its own set of quirky rules and traditions, not to mention less-than-tasty food. After dinner, the opening of one present (always a pair of pajamas), and the reading of The Night Before Christmas.

But as it is when two families unite, we’ve also adopted the traditions of my husband’s family. There are tree decorating parties, and game night sleepovers. There’s a brunch here, and a ladies lunch there. There are Santa hats to wear during opening presents on Christmas Day, and a ton of cut-out cookies, the kind with the four pounds of frosting on the top.

Put it all together, and the only time we might actually sit down during the month of December is during my dreamy get-together of holiday greats. Mrs. Claus could supervise the baking, Martha could improvise glue, glitter, and probably some paper scraps stuck under the table into a few marvelous and memorable ornaments, and Mr. Rockwell can sit quietly by, sketching while he rubs the glue out of the dog’s ears, humming a Bing Crosby tune.

However, here’s an update. I ain’t any of those people. I have yet to create a cut out that isn’t an undistinguishable blob of rock hard cookie, which I attempt to disguise with bright green frosting and sprinkles, and when my children were very young I could get away with gifting a mere pair of popsicle sticks glued together. But now that they’re older, the bar has been raised and soon will no doubt require [gulp] permanent paint. Thankfully, no matter the chaos we can still manage to turn on a favorite Bing album now and then. The tricky part is actually hearing it over the commotion and yelling when I force my kids to eat those Polish delicacies.

They may not be up to some standards, but we are indeed carrying on traditions. Not because we have to, but because it just feels like the right thing to do. We’ll spend the entire holiday season happily and wearily MAKING MEMORIES, because even the best parents know that come January, we will be MAKING A DRINK and putting our feet up, resting, and dreaming up new and fancier projects for the next year.

Karrie McAllister writes and mothers from Northeast Ohio. Contact her and read more at

  1. I like the making a drink part!

    We also celebrate Wigilia - but we have eliminated a lot of the yucky food and stick to the aplotek and honey.

    We started a new tradition last year: staying home on Christmas Eve - no church (gasp!), no guests. We get into our PJs in the late afternoon and I cook each of us whatever meal we want, which can mean five different meals. That's not something I normally do, so it was a huge deal. My kids LOVED it and during the dinner last year, which included steaks for me and hubs, corn dogs, chicken nuggets, chili spaghetti for the kids, they asked "Can we do this again next year?"

  2. Oh, of course I said "YES" and the kids are already talking about Christmas Eve!

  3. Like Under the Influence - I'm all for the making a drink part (in January though)? I'll be making a drink well before then, but I guess you're right about the putting the feet up and resting parts ... those will have to wait until January.

  4. Traditions can be the yoke that drags down family fun - believe me, I'm feeling the weight.

    My choice to unshackle. This year might just be it.

    Pass the booze.

  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

  6. thank goodness for digital photographs and photographic memories...otherwise, I'd be S.O.L. in the memory making department.

    signed, not crafty mom who can't carve a turkey, draw a straight line, and is too anal retentive to get dirty.

  7. Wow! I'm so impressed that other people:
    a. pass the oplatkek
    b. find solace in christmas cocktails
    c. know that kicking back and spending time with the fam in your PJ's is worth way more than a manger scene constructed out of popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners

    Amen to all that!

  8. The older I get, the more I feel like lightening the load. Sometimes, less is more! Christmas Eve in the jammies sounds way more appealing than making the rounds with all the relatives!
    Peaceful moments for me include wrapping to Manheim Steamroller while Dad takes the kids to Grandma's!

  9. After a few years of totally overwhelming holidays after my husband and I got married and subsequently had our daughter I just had to lighten our load of the traditions that we were trying to fit in from both sides of our family.

    It ticked some people of when we said we were not going to be at one family gathering or another because we were stream lining to save our sanity, but I'm happier, my husband is happier and my daughter isn't subjected to hours and hours and hours of overwhelming events(only hours and hours instead:)).

    Traditions can be good if we can recognize if/when it is time to let them go.

  10. Tradition. It's a powerful word in my family. Especially the family in which I was raised. My family is Polish so Wigilia is ALSO a huge deal in our home and it's a tradition we are continuing with our kids although my husband is Dutch/German/English. His family was not big on tradition so my side wins out mainly for holiday stuff. BUt we have modified it a bit to suit our taste buds....I spent a year in Poland and eating a true Polish Wigilia dinner is yikes.

    I love the tradition that we are carrying on because it was a cornerstone of my upbringing. And I do want my kids to have the kind of warm holiday memories that I had. Sometimes I worry too much about the fact that I'm not good at creating new memories or traditions...

    My parents get very upset when they see any of their kids letting go or softening the traditions they started or continued or simply gave to upsets me because it seems unreasonable but as a parent, I can kinda understand why traditions feel important to them.

    This is a fascinating topic - worthy of further analysis for sure....thanks Karrie!!

  11. Just when you think a tradition is a waste of time you hear your child reciting everything they love about Christmas and you know you'll try to re-create it once again. That's the beauty I guess.

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Monday, August 22, 2011

Land Water Air Sorting

This is a really simple land, air, water variation!  A former co-worker of mine had something like this years ago with scrapbook paper but I think it was with pictures.  I've discovered over the years that works with objects in them (vs. pictures) are so inviting to the the children and are in constant use.  So once again, I went through all my objects and found 6 for each.  I used all animals but I think I might expand it with other items such as buildings and vehicles.

I was really excited about finding this paper.  I've been keeping my eyes out for it for a few years and wanted  paper with realistic graphics!  Ben Franklin was the place to go as I found all 3 under the Northwest section!
It was 12 x 12 but I cut it to 8 1/2 x 11 so it'd fit in a tray on the shelf.

1 comment:


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Friday Thangs [2-17]

  • February 17, 2017
  • By Kathy@MoreCoffeeLessTalky

+ I take my vitamins each morning.  We are a healthy-eating family but a little help with vitamin intake never hurts.

Probiotics are always a good idea.  Did you know that 80% of ailments are due to imbalanced gut bacteria?  Our bodies contain billions of bacterial cells (good) with the majority of them concentrated in our gut so why not give these guys a bit of a boost through probiotics?

With winter dominating half of the year up here in Canada, the sun rarely makes its appearance so I supplement with vitamin D drops. These drops are tasteless, fast (you only need one drop a day) and lasts forever.

+ Kayla also takes a dose of vitamins every morning.  There was a time last year when we slacked on this and she was getting sick more often...then I remembered when I gave her these three things on a regular basis back in the day when she started grade 1, she didn't get sick as often and if she did, it didn't last long.

I have to say, although I'm sure these don't taste too good (ok, I'm 100% sure these don't taste good), Kayla knows it's good for her and eats it without a fuss.

(L-R): Omega oil for healthy brain development, skin and nails / Kindervital multivitamin includes Vitamin D / Probiotic for healthy gut flora and overall health.

+ My inlaws gave Kayla these tiny jars of Nutella that they got from some relatives in Italy.  How cute are they?!

+ Blanket scarf in the making.  I love this yarn - it's so cozy, warm and soft.

+ Our Prime Minister went to the white house this week and I laughed my ass off at all the hilarious tweets:

+ Saw Edge of Seventeen....not bad.  I don't remember being that angsty at that age.

+ I'm always on the hunt for the perfect crispy potato wedge recipe and I've found it! The trick: soak wedges in ice water for 30mins and then add tapicoa or corn startch to the mix.

+ this article that reiterates why you should start training in Muay Thai now!

+ getting me some cash back from ebates!

Have a great weekend - I know I will since it's long weekend!

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  1. I would have NEVER guessed that putting potatoes in ice water would be a good thing. But then again, I also am a horrible cook lol.

    Those tiny Nutella jars... so cute. And yummy.

  2. Those Nutella jars are so so cute! Oh my gosh, Trudeau is such a dream boat... even before Trump. America is so embarrassing for so many reasons right now. Ugh. Good for you guys doing vitamins everyday. I wish I was on that... maybe 2017 is the year! :) XO - Alexandra

    Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things

  3. Crispy potato wedges!! yes, I am going to try that the next time I do Whole30 loaded potatoes. Yum! I love nutella, those are so cute:) have a great weekend!

  4. Your PM is seriously the cutest. Wanna trade world leaders...? (Sigh- only the devil would trade places with ours and I'm pretty sure that'd be an upgrade for us...)
    Now I feel like I need to research vitamins for our family!

  5. Those Nutellas are adorable, I want one!

  6. Your PM is f-ing hot. Sometimes his wife is too.

  7. Heck, I totally get Ivanka's starting at the PM... he is dreamy.
    That 'hand shake' tweet is hilarious.

    I wish I could take vitamins. They tear my stomach up. I end up sitting on the toilet 99.9% of the time I take them.

  8. LOL! I am jealous that you not only have a sane and good leader, but that he is also handsome and doesn't look like an orange troll. I need to do a much better job with my vitamins. I am good at taking them for a bit, but forget far too often. I am going to have try those crispy potato wedges because never turn out crispy! Although learning may actually be bad, I have horrible self-control. :D Have a great weekend!

  9. I love Trudeau. I'm jealous of Canada. Happy Friday!

  10. Vitamins are so important! I got into the habit of taking them about two years ago & can totally tell a difference if I miss a day or two. I take vitamin D too (because SAD is legit) but never thought about the drops! I kind of like that idea more than taking a pill. I've never seen those tiny Nutella jars before! Those are adorable, haha.

  11. Our ahole bro group obsession with Trudeau is my favorite. I dont take a probiotic but I am thinking that I need to. I do at least take a daily multivitamin! I heard that probiotics are great for babies too, especially when they are in day care like mine will be starting to. I want to face plant in a plate of potato wedges. YUM!

  12. Oh man, your Prime Minister is indeed a babe. HAHAHA. I'm a supplement whore, but only the natural ones like probiotics, maca powder, spirulina, st.johns wort, etc, etccccc.

  13. ebates is the best! i order a lot of stuff for work so i love love love love it. good job on the vitamins, i take mine every day (only just started, trying to get body ready to grow another human haha) but i am curious about the vitamin D drops.