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Can Automated Marketing Work for Your Business?

By | September 23, 2013

Many marketing departments utilize automated marketing solutions. While automated may make it sound as if you are using computers to take over the marketing department duties, there’s no loss of control with automated marketing, in fact you’ll gain more control than before. There are several different versions of software that will automate the repetitive portions of marketing.

There are many functions available in a marketing software platform. The sales effectiveness of a marketing department can be increased through the chosen functions. High powered software can help with everything from lead generation to lead qualification. Most of the programs are offered from internet based applications, though standalone software does exist. These locally installed programs will need an experienced manager to keep the application running smoothly. Internet based programs typically come with a customer service and tech package.

Quite a few automated programs have a tracking function incorporated. These tracking functions are embedded into social media campaigns, web pages, and marketing emails to reveal the behavior of recipients or interested users. By recording email – whether opened or following embedded links, social media link monitoring, and pages viewed. This activity allows the marketer to determine which products or services are more appealing to the majority of their target audience.

Automation of Marketing

The heart and soul of automated marketing is when the program helps move leads through the marketing funnel. At the top of the funnel are the interested browsers and through emails, then follow up call reminders (to the marketing department) the software helps those browsing parties become sales ready leads at the bottom of the funnel.

Workflow Management

More sophisticated programs help manage the workflow in a marketing department. While the initial information needs to be input by a human, once entered the data can be created automatically. This data can include workflow, marketing calendars, budgeting, asset creating, and triggers for sales marketing campaigns or emails.

Sales or Spam?

Marketing emails are often sent to spam folders. This is due to over-sending, repeated emails, or material that is not relevant to customers. Potential customers can become non-interested parties very quickly if they find too many emails from any business in their inbox. To avoid this, create several different types of messages based on customer activity. Do not allow the emails to go out more than once per week and let customers choose their email preferences.  Remember that having emails marked as spam too often can result in fines or even your website being blacklisted from your webhost or internet service provider.

Can I Afford It?

For some small businesses the price of automated marketing can be prohibitive. Certain software can run over $1,000 a month for use. Companies with a high profit may not have a problem, as automated marketing can help generate more leads. There are many different solutions and some may fall into a small business’ budget range. If there are enough potential leads, the cost may be worth investing in automated marketing.

Looking for more information on how marketing automation can grow your business? Meet MAX.

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One thought on “Can Automated Marketing Work for Your Business?

  1. Jeff Becker

    The big challenge that many businesses face when adopting marketing automation technology is with the content to fuel the software. It is critical that you have taken the time to create the relevant content “touches” to properly implement a marketing automation plan.

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Monday, July 09, 2007

Too late to stop now

I can't remember how I came across this blog—but it's fun if you're a Van Morrison fan: Patrick Maginty runs down his favorite VM albums, starting (I think?) with #36...he's down to #3. And he isn't just listing them, but writing full-fledged appreciations...(Earlier, he ran down his top 100 VM songs.)

* * *

Over at the Poetry Foundation, Ron Regé, Jr. has an electrifying version of a Kenneth Patchen poem. (Did you know that he's the drummer for the excellent Lavender Diamond?!)

* * *

Get rich quick scheme:
1) Find the cutest kitten
2) Buy/acquire it
3) Turn it into a cat model (for cat food, etc.)
4) = $$!

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Blogger Levi said...

Thanks for the link to the Van Morrison albums. Odd coincidence: yesterday at work I listened to nothing but Van Morrison, so I'm totally in the mood to read someone's appreciations of him.

I once dreamed a whole Van Morrison concert, played in my dorm room while I laid in bed. It was a great dream.

9:47 AM
Blogger Jenny Davidson said...

You guys have better dreams than I do--Ed, did you post your monastery dream yet?!? (I wish I could go and live in a monastery.)

NB I need a kitten--I have promised one to a seven-year-old of my acquaintance, with his mother's permission--only I am too caught up in work and stress to fulfill my promise, especially given complicated paperwork-adoption-type stuff. This is not really appropriate for a main Dizzies posting, but if anybody knows of kittens (non-feral) that need a home, preferably not with complicated paperwork situations, I would be very grateful?!?

10:25 AM

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It just doesn't matter.

The other day a friend of mine posted on his Facebook page, “I am happy for my successful friends! I am happy for my successful friends! I am happy for my successful friends!” This was my way of knowing that he was in no way happy for any of his successful friends.
     I’ve been there. I understand. This isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve seen a lot of my friends rocket to the top of the charts. It’s profoundly irritating.
     So I posted a comment. I said, “It don’t matter. In a hundred years we’ll all be dust, and no one is going to know we were ever here. Fix yourself a sandwich and put on some Sinatra.”
     I said this without compunction and of my own free will. And having said it, I marveled at the fact that not only had I said such a thing, I meant it. It just doesn’t matter. Cue Bill Murray. “It just doesn’t matter! It just doesn’t matter!”
     I’m 51, and it was somewhere around crossing the golden Rubicon birthday about a year ago that I was given a gift. I changed. I realized that all this touring, the songwriting, the miles, changing guitar strings, changing the oil, chasing the muse. It is utterly meaningless. It just doesn’t matter.
     This is not as deflating a revelation as it might seem; in fact it’s very liberating and a source of newfound joy. Prior to this epiphanous broom jumping, I had thrown myself into every gig like I was a gladiator. Every show was life or death. I knew in my heart how sacred the music was, how much honor was at stake in the quest for that perfect musical moment. I played gigs with gritted teeth. It meant so much. I was playing to blot out that voice in my head that kept asking me why the hell I was doing this, and wasn’t I ashamed at how I’d thrown my life away. After my enlightenment—and who knows where it came from—I became aware that it is impossible to throw your life away, unless of course you kill yourself. If you don’t do that, then you can’t throw your life away. Life is something that happens to you; you don’t happen to it. And it just doesn’t matter anyway.
     In the past year, I’ve done some of the best gigs of my life. I don’t play to break on through to the other side. There is no other side. I don’t even care. I busy myself onstage now with enjoying the song I’m singing. And if there are 50 people enjoying it with me, or seven, it doesn’t matter. In a hundred years I’ll be dust and no one is going to give a flat flying frig that I ever played for tips on a Wednesday night at The Family Wash.

I’m going to die someday. I’m sure of it. And one of two things is going to happen (I haven’t made up my mind yet, which): I’m either going to have my ashes scattered over the salad bar at Shoney’s, or I’m going to be sat nude in an easy chair, encased in Lucite, and put into orbit. Between now and then I’m going to wallow in good old-fashioned Zen dearth of meaning. If Keith Urban cuts one of my songs, great. If he doesn’t, God bless him. It just doesn’t matter.

     And that’s wonderful.

— Tommy Womack is a singer-songwriter and author, and a former member of both Government Cheese and the bis-quits. His memoir, Cheese Chronicles, has just been released as an e-book by Amber House Books. Visit his website at tommywomack.com and keep up via his popular “Monday Morning Cup of Coffee” series. His column, "East of Normal," appears in every issue of The East Nashvillian. He is currently working on both a new memoir and his seventh solo record.


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The Edtech Podcast

The Edtech Podcast gets behind the personalities in global education innovation & edtech. Join 1000+ listeners each week, from 69 countries, to hear from educators across early years, schools, higher and further education, plus investors, startups, bluechips, Government and students. Insights from interviews, events, and LIVE podcasts.
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Now displaying: Page 1
Jan 29, 2017

Recorded LIVE at Bett 2017 with Sophie Deen, Detective Dot (@detectivedot), Dr Jess Wade, Imperial College (@jesswade), and Jennifer Gratton, Make:Do (@make_do_space)

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What's in this episode?

  1. Resources, funding and inspiration for teachers looking to do more cross curricular work on science and creativity
  2. Career paths for young people looking to engage in science and creativity
  3. Broadening mainstream media depictions or lack of them re: lab technicians, engineers and coders.

Sophie Deen, Detective Dot (@detectivedot)

‘I’m a commitment phone so I hate describing myself as any one thing’

'I was talking to people this week about how amazing it would be if Eastenders got a coder or an engineer.’

‘I think we all need to have training on our unconscious bias’ because we all have them.’

'I don’t get on well with traditional education systems. but all kids and all people love stories.’

Dr Jess Wade, Imperial College (@jesswade)

'Get people working on something that isn’t just blowing people up or playing a computer game.'

'Film industry and gaming. they are really struggling to recruit the right graduates. But you have the lovely investment banks looking to recruit you from day one'

‘All art galleries have an integrated and in depth chemistry centre.’

‘I did an art foundation before starting my physics degree. Being able to think in this creative visual way has definitely helped.’

Jennifer Gratton, Make:Do (@make_do_space)

‘As a D&T teacher I’d have kids turn around to me and say why are we writing this is not an english lesson.’

Charter schools are really taking a stance to make their education more relevant to the communities that they are in

'What can schools do to start making this a reality? Give their teachers more authority. Give them time.'

Don't forget to subscribe to The Edtech Podcast on iTunes or Stitcher

Sophie Deen, Detective Dot (@detectivedot)

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Code club (

Scratch (

National gallery lab with royal society of chemistry

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SF Brightworks (

Into film (

Double negative (

Marcus du Sautoy (

Sir Ken Robinson (

Project H (

Realm Charter School (

Emily Piloton - Ted Talk

Primary Engineer

Royal academy of engineering (

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University Business (UB) was launched in 2005, and in the past decade has established itself as the leading B2B publication within the UK HE sector.

Bett is your annual opportunity to experiment with the latest education technology, hear from inspirational figures and experts in the industry and meet your peers from far and wide (as in literally from classrooms around the world).Read more and register here:  For more information contact

Visit to review the latest news and articles

EdTechXEurope is the leading thought leader summit bringing together executive level investors, innovators and industry influencers from European and international education companies. Now in its fourth year, EdTechXEurope hosted 800+ global attendees and invited over 150 speakers to showcase EdTech innovations and perspectives from around the world.

The EdTech Exchange is Europe's largest community of EdTech Founders and provides members with mentoring, support and a programme of events designed to share best practice through peer-to-peer learning. The Exchange brings together like-minded EdTech entrepreneurs, encouraging them to exchange ideas, swap war stories, and give and receive advice from their peers. It is solely for Founders of EdTech companies who have raised at least £100,000 of financing or revenue, with many members having raised significantly more.

The Edtech Podcast supports the mission of WomenEd: #WomenEd is a grassroots movement which connects existing and aspiring leaders in education. Even though women dominate the workforce across all sectors of education there still remain gender inequalities, particularly at senior leadership level. The situation regarding BME leadership is even more dire considering the fact that the student population is becoming increasingly diverse. This situation is clearly unacceptable and rapid change is needed. #WomenEd will therefore campaign and use its collective power to make improvements, so that there is a more equitable balance in terms of gender and ethnicity at leadership level across all sectors of education.

ASU GSV Summit 2017!

10% discount for listeners...

With ever increasing expectations from students and staff alike at universities across the UK, the Accelerating Digital Transformation conference will bring together the best digital specialists in the UK to discuss how technology can enhance the student experience. The event will include a day of best practise and knowledge sharing from peers in HE who are experts on the topic, businesses that facilitate the digitalisation process and individuals who have successfully digitalised their own organisations. It will be a great chance to network, get involved and be ahead of the curve.  Website:


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Optimize Your Instagram Shares to Facebook With This One Tip

Seaport Studios

These days, Instagram has become the social sharing platform of choice for many fashion brands for several reasons. Visual content is what attracts eyes and slowly, brands are seeing an ROI whether that’s from brand awareness, connections or sales.

Instagram also makes it easy for you to share content with platforms like Twitter, Facebook and many others. However, the Instagram to Facebook sharing feature is not yet fully optimized. This is mainly because Instagram does not allow clickable links in the copy section and therefore, many people don’t include one when they share their photos.

Facebook allows your copy, hashtags and visuals to be shared exactly as it was posted to Instagram. However, one important thing to not overlook is including a link with a call to action such as directing your audience to your website or product page. With Facebook’s edit feature, you can easily go back and do this if you didn’t in Instagram.

Facebook Tip

If you're sharing photos from Instagram to Facebook, double check your post and make sure it includes a link. If not, you can an easily add it with Facebook's edit feature to make your content work harder.

Emerging Designer or have a resource to share? Please feel free to contact us at hello@theemergingdesigner.com.

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Use These 3 Resources to Book Your Meetings, Shoots and Events

Have an important meeting, market week presentation or doing a photo shoot?...
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The News

 A rollover accident occurred Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 22, on Highway 105, in between 2802 and the Orange/Jasper county line, about 100 yards from the scene of an earlier vehicle fire caused by a mechanical fault less than an hour before.

Orange County Deputy Scott Jacks confirmed that there were five children and two adults in the overturned SUV that rolled on the highway shoulder.

The preliminary crash investigation indicates the vehicle swerved to avoid striking another vehicle that was turning left.

Rod Carroll

Vidor City Manager Mike Kunst announced Nov. 18 that he had nominated Rod Carroll as the next chief of police for the city of Vidor, replacing Chief Dave Shows, whose last official day coincided with the announcement of the city’s nominee.

Calvin Walker

In a filing made to the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) on Nov. 10, former Beaumont Independent School District and city of Port Arthur contract electrician Calvin Walker is asking the nation’s highest court to find unconstitutional the state charges of fraud and money laundering he faces.

 Ron Cooper

A man punched a Beaumont postal carrier in the face and refused to give a statement, BPD PIO Carol Riley said in a release.

A U.S. postal carrier called to report that he had been assaulted while delivering mail near Pittsburg Street and East Lucas Drive. The postal carrier was in his marked vehicle and stopped at the corner of Lucas Drive and Cleveland Street when the suspect allegedly walked up to his vehicle and punched him once in the face with his fist.

Lt. Frank Ramirez

Port Arthur police chief Patrick Melvin has selected a deputy chief, promoting Lt. Frank Ramirez to the position, according to a statement PAPD.

The selection process involved a seven-member panel comprised of city staff, community members, a public safety chief and a prosecutor from the district attorney’s office to interview all selected candidates. According to the release, the panel was impressed with all candidates and found it difficult to make a selection. However, the board unanimously selected Ramirez.


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Green Card Dont Pay to Get One

Posted on March 1, 2016 By

It’s amazing. The very first spam ever sent was from a couple of lawyers who offered
to help people get a Green Card if they paid the law firm a small fee. A Green Card,
for those of you that don’t know, is a proof of permanent resident alien status from
the feared Immigration and Naturalization Service and.. it’s free, if you qualify. So
you don’t need to pay anyone for anything. Even better, the document required is
pretty simple to fill out.

If it’s free and easy to fill out, why are there still lawyers selling their service to aid
in receiving a Green Card? Here’s what the Federal Trade Commission [] has
to say about Green Card scams:

If you or someone you know is trying to get a green card – the right to live in the
United States permanently – be on the lookout for unscrupulous businesses and
attorneys. They’ll claim that, for a fee, they can make it easier to enter the U. S. State
Department’s annual Diversity Visa (DV) lottery (also known as the “green card
lottery”) or increase your chances of winning the DV lottery.

Each year, the State Department conducts a lottery through its DV program to
distribute applications for 50,000 immigrant visas. Winners of the lottery have a
chance to apply for an immigrant visa, which can be used to enter the U. S. Winners
are selected randomly, and there is no fee to enter the lottery.”

If you’re interested in applying for a Green Card, you should just go straight to the
U.S. Department of State’s [] site and apply!

The FTC continues with this warning:

Green Card Lottery Scams

According to lawyers at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer
protection agency, some businesses and attorneys misrepresent their services by
saying that:

    • they are affiliated with the U.S. government;
    • they have special expertise or a special entry form that is required to enter the

  • their company has never had a lottery entry rejected;
  • their company can increase an entrant’s chances of “winning” the lottery;
  • people from ineligible countries still are “qualified” to enter the lottery.

In addition, some companies jeopardize an entrant’s opportunity to participate in
the lottery by filing several entries. These companies also may charge lottery-
winning applicants substantial fees to complete the application process.”

So be smart. Go to the State Department directly and sidestep all these snake oil

Finance     , ,


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Contact Us

Gravity-Defying Cat Walks Tightrope on Clothesline [VIDEO]

Cats are haughty little creatures. Their superb sense of balance combined with virtually no fear of heights gives them a sense of superiority usually only seen among Wall Street bankers. But like their human counterparts, they are sometimes destined for failure.

The kitty in this video begins with what could easily pass for a Cirque du Soleil audition, easing his way onto two parallel clotheslines with grace and precision. By the end, though, he looks less like an acrobat and more like Wile E. Coyote.

Watch this acrobatic kitty in action below.

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Composure Collection by Rest – Magnetically Connected Desktop Organizer

$39 USD
Editor's Rating:

The Composure Collection is the most elegant and customizable desktop organizer, now with a range of attachments for Apple Watch, Smart Phones, and every day carry items. The magnetic modularity allows for adding and removing of attachments whenever you need. Build your Composure to your needs, and we’ll supply new attachments as the world evolves around us. Designed in San Francisco, made in the USA. These wooden designs would not only hold your accessories in place but also enhance the beauty of your workspace at the same time. They are beautifully designed and will hold each and every accessory in the best way possible. What else can you ask for? With an integrated magnetic system allowing for effortless adding, removing, and reordering of collection attachments, it won’t be much of a problem to store your accessories in place.

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Sunday, July 24, 2011

Surgery Update

Hello all! I'm overwhelmed by all of the support I've been given over the last few weeks through email, twitter, real life :), etc about my surgery so I wanted to make sure I gave you an update. Here's where you can stop if you don't want to read on!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Strawberry Pie Please! Pie Party fun!

So we all know I've been stuck with liquid "medical food" and supplements for a week to get my liver back in shape. I made a meal plan for the week with healthy, wonderful meal options. But my one vice is baked goods. I knew I would want a sweet treat for the Fourth of July and with Pie Party coming up why not?
Whole Foods has organic strawberries on sale so a strawberry pie it is! I found a great strawberry & cherry pie recipe on and went for it (minus the cherries... dont crucify me.. I dont like cherries). Since going gf almost two years ago I havent made a pie. So for this challenge I needed a friend. I'm lucky to have friends who love to bake and this time Alex was up for the job :)
Alex and I have been friends for about 4 years. We fell in love with traveling musicians who were on the road together. When we met, she was already married to her awesome hubby and they had been together for years, dating back to high school. Tim and I were just starting to date & had only been talking for two weeks before the guys got sent out on the road together for several months. Even though things were new, I just knew :) After about 5 or 6 weeks of missing Tim, I decided I was going to drive to Virginia to surprise him for his birthday! And after thinking about it, I remembered meeting Alex briefly & thought... surely she misses her husband... she might want to come too! I'm sure it was out of desperation to see her hubby, but she called and said she'd love to come. And boy am I glad she did! We started out an 8 hour drive as strangers and ended up amazing friends. Her and her husband were both in our wedding and they've since had a precious son! Here we are at Easter:
For the last four years we've spent a lot of holidays together from New Years & Easter to the Fourth of July. And through it all I'm thankful that with every new medical revelation and food intolerance discovery, they've been supportive and adaptable with every meal. Alex has even made me gf pierogis to go with everyone else's gluten filled ones. Seriously - anyone who knows pierogis knows that's love.
So this Fourth of July we had a great time baking this strawberry pie. You can find all of the ingredients and instructions here at I made a few substitutions which I'll list below. I'll also give you a quick photo overview but no one can walk you through an entire recipe better than Shauna Ahern herself so if you haven't been to her site before - Go!! You won't be sorry! She's the queen of delicious gluten free food.
My substitutions:
• Instead of regular butter, I used Goat butter. You can find it at Whole Foods!
• Instead of arrowroot & cornstarch in the gf flour, I used tapioca starch/flour
• Instead of the regular sugar, I used raw coconut sugar
Despite these changes it was amazing! Even the husbands wolfed it down and then leaned back in their

Independence Day from Detox!

I made it! Well, I almost made it :) I cheated on the last meal of the last day. I ate salmon, rice & broccoli:

I was proud and I convinced myself that I deserved to have a healthy Saturday night dinner with my hubby. This past week of not eating solid food has solidified how important food is to a family & friendship.
Sunday morning I woke up and what do you think I had? My favorite breakfast item... Bacon!!
But not just any bacon... Peterson's apple smoked bacon. It's uncured apple smoked bacon that's Certified Humane, with no sodium nitrates, nitrites or preservatives. If you haven't had this before, do yourself a favor and go get some! I buy mine at Whole Foods. My friend Sarah even taught me a trick to cooking it! Just put down some parchment paper, lay the bacon on top & put it in the oven at 400 degrees for 17 minutes. Depending on your oven, it may be more around 13-15 minutes. It's an easy breezy way to wake up & have bacon on the weekend.
So now that I have a few favorite but safe foods eaten, it's on to starting the new routine. Because Dr. Reisman found that I needed significant Vitamin D, Iodine, C & a thryoid boost, I'm starting a new routine of supplements.
Twice a day I'm drinking a combo of Power Greens powder, buffered C & Fiber Pro. Once a day I drink 8 oz of water with Vitamin D & Iodine drops. I'm not sure how long I'll pull off drinking the Power Greens mix but we'll see if I can make it a routine!
Now that my system is "cleansed" I'm being really aware of how I feel after I eat. I'm starting slow with basic ingredients to monitor the reactions. So far so good!
I'm really thankful for my new doctor. I'm also thankful for everyone's support. Many of you have emailed, tweeted or come up to me about what I'm going through. You all mean so much and I'm thankful for the support. I'll keep you updated and keep supporting each other out there!

Friday, July 1, 2011

Day 6!

Woohoo!! Day 6! It's been quite the day. I've felt good. Maybe it's because I'm almost done with the detox and see the light at the end of the tunnel. But it has also been an emotional two days. Yesterday there was something that made me feel left out, lonely & not valued which is ridiculous because it all surrounded food. But it wasn't about food, it was about feelings & inclusion. Five years ago I never would have thought that food would be such an emotional part of my life. But I guess that's what happens when you finally realize you can't eat like everyone else. And when the reason is medical, not because of a fad diet or trend, it's emotionally harder. I've mentioned before that I have


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Monday, February 17, 2014

H2O Mop X5 Steam Mop Giveaway, ends 3/12 | We Are Earthformed

Want to win a H2O Mop X5 Steam Mop? I know I do! My floors could really use this! Now you have a chance to win one over at We Are EarthFormed!  This giveaway ends March 12, 2014 and is open to the US and Canada. You have to be 18 to enter. So just click the link above the photo to read a great review and enter an awesome giveaway. That's about the Gist of it. Good luck!

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logo for the great adventure lab, science and stem enrichment for kids in DC and Deerfield, Illinois.

Out of all the school activities my kids have participated in over the last five years, this was definitely the best. – Montgomery County, Md. parent.

icon-young-engineersGrades 3-5. Scroll down for more photos.  Scroll down for photos and reviews.

Lots of people follow recipes for 30 years and still can’t cook. We don’t want that to happen to your budding engineers. In Young Engineers, kids will learn basic engineering concepts, while designing and building cool things like towers and bridges. We’ll also design egg drops and … build working catapults that are almost as large as your child! Let us show your child how fun engineering for kids can be!

Class will meet indoors but we’ll periodically venture forth to test out what we build. Each student takes home his/ her own catapult. At the end of the term, we  convene at a park for a “launch party” – i.e. using our catapults to launch safe projectiles, including water balloons when weather allows! NOTE: your child needs a ride home from the last class meeting.

icon-space-engineersOr, try Space Engineers, another hands-on, fun class that takes engineering for kids out of this world! Our projects and activities are designed around challenges that real NASA engineers face, like how to land a rover on Mars without breaking it (not easy – this is the egg drop on steroids!), how to map and navigate terrain on another planet via remote control systems, and of course, we launch rockets! Grab your astronaut suits, since this class will take you OUT of this world!

Note: Young Engineers and Space Engineers have the same format and pricing, but are independent classes with totally different projects. Students may take either or both of the classes, in any order.

Tired of having no clue what your kids do in all those after school activities? The Great Adventure Lab is different! A day or two after every class, your engineering instructor will email a note explaining what your young engineer learned in the previous session and what’s next. Sometimes we even include photos and videos!

We love your thank you letters!

This was an outstanding experience for [my daughter]. She was extremely enthusiastic about it, enjoyed it tremendously, loved her instructors, and learned a great deal. It has helped reinforce her ambitions to pursue STEM activities.

After seeing how excited she was about this club, and after she asked me to come and see it in action, I was able to attend three of the sessions myself. I was very impressed with the suitability of the challenges the children were set, and with the help they received as they met those challenges through hands-on learning.

A great deal of thought has clearly gone into matching the activities to the time available and the age of the children. The instructors did a very fine job. Thank you for offering this exciting option to our children.

– Woodlin E.S. parent, Silver Spring, Spring 2012

  • After school class format & pricing

    Note: Young Engineers is not offered in winter because many projects require working outdoors.

    We provide one instructor and one aide for 12 -14 students.
    Young Engineers: Seven meetings, once a week, 60 minutes per meeting for the first six meetings; Last class is a 90-minute catapult party!!!

    Space Engineers: Seven, 60-minute meetings, once a week.

    After school tuition for both classes: $135 per student plus $30 materials fee. Evening tuition: $140 per student plus $30 materials fee. Scholarships are available when your PTA organizes the class. Details here.

  • Homeschool class format & pricing

    Get together a group of at five students, and we can send an instructor to teach this class in your home during school hours, in the evening, or on the weekend! Seven 60-min classes, min 5/max 8 students, $160 per student plus $30 materials fee.

    We handle registration and payment, all you have to do is enjoy the class! Contact us for more info!

  • Areas of exploration

    Mechanical engineering, physics.
  • How to Register

    After school classes are only open to students who attend the hosting school. Register through your school /PTA.

    If your school/ PTA does not offer our classes, invite us!

    Evening classes are open to students from any school. Register here.

    Form a private class in your home with as few as five students! Seven 60-min classes, min 5/max 8 students, $155 per student. Materials fee: $30 per student. Contact us for more info!

Photos from The Great Adventure Lab’s Young Engineers class

For the first scoop on our science summer campsbirthday parties, and new after school science programs, please join our mailing list!

The Great Adventure Lab is not affiliated, sponsored, or endorsed by LEGO® Education or the LEGO® Group.


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Wednesday, December 22, 2010

cute crates

a fun little redo for you:
scored two cute crates at goodwill last week for $2 each!
i really wanted to distress them, and make them look a little more old & worn.

and i made it work!
all i had to use was silver car window paint, and a cotton ball to use as a paint brush.
it was a funny process, but i am so in love with the way it turned out!

Picture 24
went to ikea and got a few of my favorite plants ever... succulents!
they were about $2-3 each, and the silver tins we 75 cents. love me my ikea.
and then i placed them in my kitchen windowsill, they make me so happy!

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Thursday, June 11, 2009

Thankful Thursday

One of our early day trips last summer was to visit The Habitat for Humanity Global Community in Americus, Georgia.

It was an eye opener to walk through the village from the lean-to and shacks to the homes that can be available through the Habitat for Humanity Program.

After walking through an area with at least 20 dwellings like those above, with the meager personal items people would own in homes such as these, we ventured into what is possible.

All the homes were still quite modest and humbling as we returned to our home with plenty of space.
Coming across these photos made me thankful again.
Thankful . . .
- that this village is there so others can be reminded of needs of others.
- for my home, my yard.
- for walls, real walls. Real doors and real windows.
- air conditioning and heating
- flooring under my bare feet
- running water
- electricity
- food. healthy food
- appliances
- even the pang of quilt for having so many possessions
- an easy life
- for TODAY!

Jan the crazy lady said...

We have so much to be grateful for. Glad you had the chance to really grasp those blessings.

Gayle said...

We do take so many things for granted. Thank you for the reminder.

Sniffles and Smiles said...

So, so much to be thankful for!!!! This is a beautiful post! Thank YOU!! ~Janine XO

The Muse said...

Our blessings are often overlooked...thank you for bringing them to light...!

FancyHorse said...

It's good to see what HfH is doing in other parts of the world.

iranutax: IRA new tax

Jane In The Jungle said...

Jules~ said...

It makes me sigh.....and that sigh is mixed with so many feelings.
We are blessed with so much and we still find things to complain about. (I mean we as in me in general.)
That was something I have noticed with all of Pippin's stories and pictures of Uganda. There is so little and yet they have a joy and sincerity that I have to think about looking for in myself.
Thank you for the reminder.
Blessings to you today.


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Saturday, September 26, 2015

Bunker Hill Vineyard and Winery

With this Blog, we are going to highlight an aspect of BHV that many of our friends and guests may not be aware….our BHV Internship Program!

With our 2015 grape harvest recently completed, our 2015 “BHV Internship Programhas, also, drawn to a close. Now that our world has refocused from harvesting back to wine making and customer service, we are able to draw a deep breath and reflect upon both the good harvest and the tenure of our Intern. We are always thankful for the bounty of Mother Nature, but, equally, we are thankful for having shared a time with a young person seeking their place in life! The lessons that they have learned from us will, hopefully, influence them in a positive way on their journey into their future!

BHV’s Internship Programrequirements are simple, see below:

   “Each year, BHV proudly accepts students from accredited schools and colleges for on-site/hands-on Internships. Interns will work side-by-side with BHV management to learn the art of wine making, sustainability and customer service. All disciplines of study will be considered.
Interested students should e-mail us their resume. Included in the resume should be your requested internship dates and a brief explanation of Why you would like to be our intern.”  That’s it!

One observation that we would like to share with you is the realization that most of the youth of today are not lost. We are encouraged by the diligence, intelligence, and work ethic of our interns! They are keenly aware that the world of the future will rest upon their shoulders. They understand WHY it is important to protect the world around them and to run a business in a “green & sustainable way”!

If you own and operate a business and do not currently offer an internship program, we encourage you to consider starting one this year!

Thank You…..Salute & Happy Days!

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Posted on June 12, 2013 by Maxim Deluxe

Forget the Hercules and Jessica6 now Nomi Ruiz goes solo with her new ‘ Borough Gypsy Mixtape’ to discover the roots of soul and hip-hop. Nomi Ruiz, born in New York city in 1986,  is on tour in Europe (Italy included) w/ COCOROSIE, check dates here.

Listen ‘ Borough Gypsy Mixtape’ on Soundcloud


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Beer of the Month - September: Arcade William Wallace Wrestle Fest

Each month, we share a beer that we think you oughta pick up. We've been working with a local bottle shop to select a beer that's seasonably appropriate, accessible, affordable, and might even impress your friends.

For September, The Hop Review's BOTM is Arcade Brewery's William Wallace Wrestle Fest, brought to you by Bottles & Cans.

We've had our eyes on Arcade Brewery for over a year now after we first caught up with founders Chris Tourre and Lance Curran late last summer. The guys have partnered with another of our favorite local breweries, Ale Syndicate, and are now finally unleashing their goods at an ever increasing number of locations citywide. They premier two beers right out of the gate, a Grapefruit IPA and a Scotch Ale, both available in 22oz bombers. With Fall fast approaching, we thought it the perfect time to sample the Scotch Ale, a fine transition from the dog days of August to the cooler days of September.

Some specs...

  • Brewery: Arcade Brewery (Logan Square, Chicago)
  • Style: Scotch Ale

  • ABV: 8.0%
  • Price: $9.49 per 22oz bomber

You can pick up some William Wallace Wrestle Fest for yourself at Bottles & Cans (4109 N. Lincoln Ave.) in Northcenter. Also keep an eye out for the soon-to-be third offering from Arcade, the Mega Milk Stout and of course the delicious Grapefruit IPA. If ya get to Bottles & Cans, ask for other recommendations from owners Joe and Carly. And tell 'em we say hey!

THR thoughts...

If this is an indication of what's to come from Arcade, count us as fans already. We were lucky enough to get our hands on a bottle from their first batch and there's no sign of any learning curve here. The Scotch Ale is exactly what you expect it to be... and that's a good thing. We got a lot of malt flavor with notes of smoky caramel, all of which come together to make a very drinkable ale. We'd highly recommend this for one of those late September nights. The ones where it's just a little too cool for a t-shirt so you throw on your first sweater of the year. The perfect early Fall beer.


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Saturday, July 3, 2010

catch up

Going to drop some stuff in here before too much builds up. Mostly Young Adult work , but some other things as well. Thanks for checkin it out !

C.R. MacTernan said...

Bad ass all around Skitz! Those inks are S I C K!!!

tooled said...

you're sooooooo pretty scott, and pretty damn good at this art thing. you're like a 1-2 combo :)

hope you don't mind but I jacked that forest one for my desktop ;)

Scott Altmann said...

Christine- you are too good to me. Thanks dude-I've been working on my inking. I suck so bad - but I do think I've made a little progress. Just feel so damn stiff and tight when I ink! Thanks as always - post some work you nutter.

Chase- hahaaa- thanks my friend. I'm honored to have an image of mine on your desktop. *salutes*

Rice and Eggs said...

Scott, great work as always. I dig that "bird's eye" view painting! creepy... I love it.


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29 August 2016

Julia Borissova - DOM (Document Object Model)

DOM (Document Object Model)
by Julia Borissova
Self published art book
Gatefold softcover, swiss brochure, hand-bound
48 pages including 12 four-panel gatefolds + 20 p. booklet
15 x 20 cm
Digital Print
Edition of 75, signed and hand numbered
The book will come with art. print 20 x 13 cm (3 different motifs, edition of 25 of each motif)
55 € + shipping 10 €

"For my project DOM I wanted to “grow” an image. My idea was to create a utopian version of of apartment buildings which I removed from their usual context and placed in other settings. I explored how our concept of home changes over time and transforms in connection with the place in which we live."

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Sunday, January 4, 2009

Vaca Do-Over

You may recall that we went to the beach at Christmas time last year (if not, click here) and that it wasn't a ton of fun for me because Lulu was sick the whole week. We tried again last week and it was way better this time. Sometimes do-overs work out great. Like one time when we were newly dating, Husbandguy and I were playing pool and I totally miffed a shot and I batted my eyes at him and asked for a do-over and he, being all in love with me then and whatever, said okay and then I cleared the table - that was a great do-over. And this one was pretty good, too, but not great. I'll just tell you the not-great stuff up front and then we can move on. Okay?

Nana showed up at the beach with a cold. Nana is not a particularly healthy person in the first place so this cold, which would have just been a nuisance for most people, sent her to urgent care our 2nd full day there. They gave her a breathing treatment and a prescription for an antibiotic and Mucinex and sent her back to us with the instructions to come back 2 days later for a follow-up and to go to the emergency room if she got worse in the meantime. Well, she got worse, like didn't-get-out-of-bed-all-day worse, and I thought she should probably at least go back to urgent care early if not to the hospital, but it wasn't my decision. So the day she was supposed to go for the follow-up, Poppop and HG took her as soon as she was awake (and I took the girls to breakfast by myself - more about this later, probably) and the urgent care doctors sent her directly to the emergency room where she was fairly quickly (for an ER) admitted with congestive heart failure and pneumonia. And there she stayed. For the rest of her vacation. We went to visit her a couple of days later, well HG and Pete did while Lulu and I saw the ER doctor ourselves about croup. In the meantime, though, and croup aside, the rest of us had a pretty nice vacation.

We ate at a couple of buffets. HG and his family like buffets. I do not. I DO NOT. Meme very astutely pointed out that my quality over quantity preference probably has something to do with my dislike for them. There's more to it, too, though. Like, they're expensive and I don't eat nearly enough for them to be cost effective because I don't like to be uncomfortably full. Especially not uncomfortably full of fatty, lukewarm, overcooked, salty food. Buffets just don't seem sanitary, either. In fact, one time I watched someone who worked at a buffet (not at the beach - this was a long time ago) wipe lo mien noodles back into the pan from the counter thingy! EW! We haven't eaten there since. Or at any buffet, really, except for last week. Because apparently you have to eat at a buffet or 2 when you're at the beach. Bleh.

But that was it, really, for the not-great stuff. Everything else was cool. The weather was pleasant pretty much the whole time. We stayed in a nice condo on the 21st floor with an ocean view from the balcony. We played on the beach several times. I found some pretty sea shells, and Pete took some great pictures (that's hers up above there). We went swimming in the pool. The breakfasts were all good, for the most part. I drove the girls to breakfast once so HG could help his dad with his mom. Then the 3 of us went to the aquarium, and I realized that a year ago I wouldn't have been able to do all of that as easily as I did this time because I would have been all anxious and neurotic about driving HG's car in a strange town to places I wasn't familiar with. Turns out vacation is nicer if you let yourself enjoy it instead of worrying about everything. Pete had an early birthday dinner at Planet Hollywood on New Year's Eve and then there were fireworks. And there was shopping and coffee and other wonderful things.

I think I might see if I can talk Poppop into renting a house for next year instead of the condo so high up. But if we end up there again, I won't complain. Unless we have to go to more buffets...

Princess Sparkle Pants said...

Hey! I hope Nana is okay, now. I love, love love LOVE the new banner picture, and I love the fact that this tradition is going to result in new little people on the beach pics every year (maybe). LOVE IT.

Okay, and also, I hate buffets, too. GRRRRROOOSSS, for all the same reasons, but add to it that I don't usually eat food that has more than three ingrediants and that goes with different kinds of foods at one restaurant, too. Ugh. Buffets are gross.

You and me will slip over to the IHOP next year while they eat buffet.

Mommy's Nintendo said...

I forgot to mention that Nana did get better. She went into the hospital Wednesday and they let her out Saturday morning, much recovered. She missed vacation, but it sounds like they took pretty good care of her in the hospital. She had prime rib...

Anonymous said...

I'd missed this post. GREAT PICTURE, PETE!! XXOO Meme

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Thursday, May 3, 2012

Small Balconies - Tiny Outdoor Rooms in the Sky

One of my favorite things to do is sit outside in a comfortable chair reading a good book.  When I was first married, we lived in a small apartment on the 24th floor of a nondescript Chicago building.  It was nothing special, just a vanilla box of a place, but the tiny balcony was magical.  Whenever it was sunny, I was out on the balcony enjoying the view along with a good book, surrounded by my potted flowers and tomato plants.  There was barely room for my chair!

These glorious little balconies remind me of my tiny outdoor room on the 24th floor.  Enjoy!

All photos from the FreshHome Interior Design and Architecture.

Potted lavender plants and polka dot pillows make a surprisingly nice color combination against the teak patio furniture.

Don't limit yourself to the usual flower and plant varieties.  Notice the miniature tree potted above and the use of and silver pails for containers.

Lanterns are always a nice balcony accessory and provide soft light when the sun goes down.

When the weather is nice but the air is chilly, bring pillows and blanket throws outside to make things cozy.

Yes, that is snow on the streets and roof tops.  This balcony is in Sweden where cold weather never stopped anyone from enjoying the outdoors.

Have a wonderful weekend!


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Saturday, March 31, 2012

The Creationist Method

This has almost nothing to do with what we're reading right now but I thought it was funny.

My friend Hemant's recent post at The FriendlyAtheist.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Gospel of Luke 11-15 The paps which thou hast sucked

Luke 11-15

The thing that caught my attention right off was that the "Lord's Prayer" really has it's origins with John the Baptist.

Jesus doesn't feel that his mother is worth being blessed!

11:27 ... a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.
11:28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

We are reminded that Jesus doesn't practice proper hygiene and tries to deflect criticism by accusing others of an even worse transgression.
11:38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed before dinner.

11:39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.

You can see from the exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees (11:37-54) that this relationship wasn't going to end well!

I'm sounding like a broken record but, why do religious leaders live in opulence when Jesus clearly tells them not too?
12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

12:33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

I like this line;
12:49 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

We get parables and actual events mixed up.  Did Jesus curse the fig tree or was it just a parable?
Luke 13:6 says; He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.

13:7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?

13:8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:
13:9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

Matthew 21 and Mark 11 tell us that Jesus damned a fig tree for not bearing fruit.  Clearly the story was mixed up over the ages.

Jesus seems to tell us that even though you try to follow God to get into heaven,  you may not qualify;
13:23 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
13:24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

Jesus uses sarcasm!!! I love it!
14:1 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.

14:2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.

14:3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?

14:4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;

This passage has me totally confused.  Is this Jesus speaking or are we still hearing the parable from the unpopular rich man at the wedding? It doesn't logically connect to the wedding story so I'm thinking Jesus said it.  But it doesn't sound like something he'd say...
14:25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

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God is a lousy designer

A rather entraining website with examples of God's shoddy workmanship.
Centre for Unintelligent Design

Monday, March 19, 2012

Gospel of Luke 6-10 Jesus is Elijah Spelled Sideways

Luke 6-10

More of the same from Jesus.

Did anyone (as in actual scholars) consider that Jesus, who most surely knew of Elijah the Prophet was just mimicking his act?
Healing, making zombies, exorcisms, multiplying the number of things in a container...  This stuff isn't unique to The Son of Man.

8:10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

Sounds like Jesus doesn't want people to know what he's talking about.  Or does he consider his followers to dim to follow what he's really trying to say?

8:33 Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked.

Jesus kills a herd of pig, destroying the livelihood of the pigs owners.  Pretty thoughtless act for the Son of God. But then, Jesus was responsible for many LESS killings than his dad!

Also, I have to admit that when I read about people being possessed by demons I find it hard to take these stories seriously.

Along the same lines of believability, Jesus talks with two fictional characters from stories in the Old Testament;

9:29 And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.
9:30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias:
9:31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.

One of my favorite bits from That Mitchell and Webb Look;
9:52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.

10:1 After these things the LORD appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.
I'm surprised Jesus had this many people in his service.
He commands them to live humbly and only take what is offered to them for their service.  I again ask, Why do modern Christian preachers dress in expensive suits and have 'Mega-churches"?  Why does the  Catholic Church revel in ornate material objects and wear expensive clothes and jewelry? Tom gave an explanation here but it didn't satisfy my question.

10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

Why is Jesus happy that intelligent people haven't received the word of god, but those with minds of a child have?  I get why the wise and prudent wouldn't listen to him but for Jesus to be happy that some folks did not receive the word seems rather odd, petty and counter-productive on his part.

As an aside, I get a kick out of the Zemanta add-on that helps you with research for your blog.  It will sometimes recommend an earlier blog post of mine as a reference!  Proof that you must be very careful about what to trust on the internet!

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Saturday, March 17, 2012

Ancient Words Still Ring True

Fables should be taught as fables, myths as myths, and miracles as poetic fancies. To teach superstitions as truths is a most terrible thing. The child mind accepts and believes them, and only through great pain and perhaps tragedy can he be in after years relieved of them. In fact, men will fight for a superstition quite as quickly as for a living truth — often more so, since a superstition is so intangible you cannot get at it to refute it, but truth is a point of view, and so is changeable.
Hypatia of Alexandria

Friday, March 16, 2012

Gospel of Luke 1-5 The Devil is in the Details

Luke 1-5

We get the third version of the Jesus chronicles.  Rashomon anyone?  Just kidding, Luke tells the same story as Matthew and Mark.

So far, Luke seems (to me) to be a better storyteller.  It's nice to get a little more background on Jesus.

I'm amused and confused by chapter 2.  Mary and Joseph don't notice that their 12 year old kid isn't with them on the way home?!?!  Someone call DCFS!

Then we get this line from Jesus in the temple;

2:49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?
It's my understanding from reading Matthew and Mark that Jesus didn't know he was the son of God until he was baptized by John.

We do get a ton of historical references, which some state is proof that the events in the book are real.  But we have to keep in mind that these gospels were written well after the events occurred and these names could have been inserted to add credibility.

The last part of chapter three gives us another asinine listing of begats.  Useless information.

While reading chapter five, I was struck by something that I didn't pick up on while reading Matthew and Mark.  The story of the fishermen Peter, James and John seems more like one of Jesus' parable and less like an actual event.  Did the author(s) confuse the fiction with the non-fiction?  Was it lost over the time between the life of Jesus and the writing of the books?

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Monday, March 12, 2012

Gospel of Mark - The Cliff Notes

Gospel of Mark

Mark copies off Matthew's paper and gives us an abbreviated version of the story of Jesus.
For the millionth time I question the editors of the bible.  Why is this in here?  It's obviously just a cut and paste job.

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Thursday, 4 July 2013

United Knitters of America

Three days ago I posted a selection of Canada-themed patterns in honour of Canada's birthday, and I can hardly do any less for the U.S. Or rather I could, but it doesn't seem politic given that a good 40% of my readers are American. These American patterns proved harder to find than the Canadian patterns. For the latter I just typed "Canada" into Ravelry's search engine and picked out my favourite ten patterns; this search had me typing in every American symbol, icon, slogan and ideal I could think of into Ravelry's pattern search and on Google before I could scrape together enough examples. But I think I succeeded at last, and hope all my readers find something to enjoy in the ten patterns I've selected regardless of their nationality.

Above, of course, we have a pair of American flag socks. This pattern is a free Ravelry download, and was designed in memory of Barbara G. Edwards, a knitter and teacher who died on the Flight 77 crash at the Pentagon on 9/11.

Here we have a Log Cabin Afghan, based on the traditional log cabin quilt pattern. This pattern is a $3(USD) Ravelry download.

I bet it never ocurred to you that you could knit (and felt) yourself a cowboy hat. This pattern appeared in Folk Hats, by Vicki Square.

If you'd like an iconic American hat, but the cowboy hat is a little over the top for you, you might prefer to make yourself a Pony Express Beanie. This pattern is available as a Ravelry download for €3.49(EUR).

Then again, maybe you're not into western American themes at all, but are more of an urban type, in which case you might like the New York State of Mind cap, which is a free Ravelry download.

If you admire the famous New York skyline, but don't want it on your head, the NYC Skyline Afghan might be for you. It is also a free Ravelry download.

If you're neither urban nor western but instead like a touch of the antique in your wardrobe, perhaps the Washington's Birthday Mitts design might be more your cup of (untaxed) tea. This pattern is a $4(USD) Ravelry download.

But then there's always the option of just making something cute that only very obliquely references a favourite American myth. This Rowan pattern for a Cherry Pie Cardigan is not only cute but is also in red, white and blue. Just be sure your little girl knows that the whole cherry tree story was made up out of whole cloth by Washington's biographer.

For an "American as apple pie" reference, you could go with the Apples! design, which is a free Ravelry download. You may want to go the extra mile and add an apple hat to the ensemble.

And then there's this version of the classic American baseball jacket, the Baseball Hoodie, which is available as a Mary Maxim kit in a range of children's sizes.

I just had to throw in the pattern for the official sweater for the U.S. team at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City because it's the most accomplished design of any I found, though this pattern is now out of print and it will take some determined effort to find it.

And I leave you with a literary example of ingenious Fourth of July-themed knitting:

Laura and Mary had wanted to make mittens for Carrie, but they had not enough yarn. There was a little white yarn, and a little red, and a little blue, but not enough of any colour to make mittens.

"I know!" Mary said. "We'll make the hands white and the wrists in red and blue strips!" Every morning while Carrie was making her bed in the attic, Laura and Mary had knitted as fast as they could; when they heard her coming down the stairs, they hid the mittens in Mary's knitting basket. The mittens were there now, finished....

Carrie put on her mittens and softly clapped her hands. "My Fourth of July mittens! Oh, see my Fourth of July mittens!" she said.

By the Shores of Silver Lake, by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

  1. I found others on Ravelry by searching 4th of July, or Independence day or flag. Lots were free too!

    Have a great day!

  2. Love that skyline afghan, makes a nice change from the red, white, blue theme!

    Also that you quoted Laura Ingalls - aaah... :)


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Music Monday: Rainy Day (The Corrs)**

Here’s a dedication to my beloved so far away right now.. Miss you Babeh!!

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Friday, May 22, 2009

Letting Go... fly butterfly fly!

Yesterday was the last day of school- I was told that it gets easier each year to let the children go- but I am still not convinced of that fact. I cry like a baby each year that they leave me. It is so neat to watch them grow and I am just so grateful for the opportunity that God has given me to participate in this amazing profession. Something very neat happened on our last day of school- OUR BUTTERFLIES RELEASED FROM THIER CACOONS!!!
I was really thinking that it wouldn't happen before school was out- but God made sure that it did! It was such a symbolic moment to say goodbye to the butterflies. The kids said, "We enjoyed watching you grow little butterflies"- and I was able to look at them with tears in my eyes and say "I SO enjoyed watching YOU grow- sweet little ones- I loved each and every second of it"! Some started to cry with me as we held each other and said "good-bye"

Bye bye little butterflies- spread your wings and soar!!!!

I always read "The Kissing Hand" at the end of the year- if you haven't read that story- you need to- it is about a baby racoon that is scared to go to school and his mommy kisses him in the palm of his hand- so when he misses her- he can press his palm to his cheek and say "mommy loves me, mommy loves me"

So...I kiss the palm of each sweet little hand...and tell them to always remember, "Mrs. Laney loves you, Mrs. Laney loves you"!

I'll miss you my little butterflies!

Kristin said...

Oh Adair.....this made me tear up! I have three little girls and the middle one just graduated from Kindergarten. I tear up every year they have to leave their teachers, because I have such gratitude for the work that such wonderful teachers (like you!) do for our kids!! Teachers really are the most important people in the world, I think!

Thanks for the embroidery machine info.....I used to have a Singer embroidery machine and it got fried by lightning. It was probably an older model than what you have, but I didn't ever really have a chance to use it much before it died. I want another one so badly! I think I will put this on my wish list! :)

Terri said...

How sweet Adair! You sound like a wonderful teacher! We have the same butterfly net and love watching them change and letting the fly away!

The Alexanders said...

I am seriously crying over this post. Tears are pouring down my face. You are the sweetest teacher. I pray that my children have teachers that care as much as you do.
On a happy was so good to see you the other night.
Have a wonderful weekend!

Preppy 101 said...

Oh my gosh. This post made me so teary. The butterflies - what a gift from God. And I LOVE the book The Kissing Hand - I give it as a gift to all my friends when they have their first grand. The absolute sweetest story ever. You are a fabulous teacher. Parents are so lucky that their children have had you!!!

Lamm said...

Honey, I too, cried to your sweet post. I had to wait awhile from the first time I read it... :) You are a truly amazing person and teacher, and I am so lucky to call you a sister. I can only pray that Knox finds an amazing teacher similar to you! Alpha love, honey. Alpha love!

The Haymans said...

I had a student to finally break me. She broke me during an impossible year that turned out to be not so impossible. A girl that would not speak a word to anyone but me all year, rough and tough girl who only hung out with the boys, looked up at me yesterday and said "I'll see you Monday." I had to break the news that we were out for the summer and the tears just welled up in her eyes. So did mine. First time I've ever cried at that school!

Ale' said...

its so weird not seeing them everday now... :( I'll probably never see them again! so sad!

The Blacks said...

What a wonderful teacher you are! These children are so blessed to have you!!! big hugs!!


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***UPDATE: August 31, 2011 — The 3rd and final Fire the Grid event will take place on Nov. 11, 2011, from 11:11-12:11 GMT. For more info, please see this link.***

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Thursday, 30 July 2015

Dates, lapses in time, confusing bits in Dracula

Dracula begins with the journal of Jonathan Harker, who is a diligent diarist. There are entries for 3/5, 4/5, 5/5, 7/5, 8/5, 12/5, 15/5, 16/5, 18/5, 19/5. Suddenly there's a jump straight to 28/5, followed by a 31/5 entry. Again there's a lapse, the next entry is dated 17/6, then Harker writes on 24 and 25/6, then 29 and 30/6, and Harker's narrative ends.
Perhaps on those days he doesn't write. Or maybe the entries have no relevance as documents and are disregarded altogether. It makes me wonder, however, about what he does during those days; in fact, what he does the whole time he's at the castle. At the beginning he does write down, in details, the paperwork and discussions with Count Dracula. Afterwards, there is no more- what does he do when not watching the weird creatures of the castle or trying the locked doors?
After Harker's narrative is the correspondence between his fiancée Mina Murray and her friend Lucy Westenra between 9/5 and 14/5. This placement is an understandable choice, because Bram Stoker now introduces a bunch of new characters and a different setting and another storyline. There's another shift with Dr Seward's diary (kept in his fancy phonograph) and the introduction of Renfield. The date is 25/5.
After some exchanges between the men, Stoker gives us Mina's journal. The 1st date is 24/7, about a month after the last entry in Harker's journal. After that is 1/8. This is when she mentions Jonathan.
"Lucy and I sat awhile, and it was all so beautiful before us that we took hands as we sat; and she told me all over again about Arthur and their coming marriage. That made me just a little heart-sick, for I haven’t heard from Jonathan for a whole month."
Then her narrative, before we know much of her, is cut off. Stoker directs our attention to Dr Seward and Renfield. The dates in the diary are 5/6, 18/6, 1/7, 8/7, 19/7 and 20/7. We're hooked. At least, I'm hooked. This business with Renfield is fascinating, I don't know what he has to do with anything in the plot, but it sure is fascinating, but before anything happens, Stoker brings Mina back. Now the date is 26/7, followed by 27/7. Here she talks about worries for her fiancé, and for Lucy's sleepwalking. What is this moving back and forth? The next entry is dated 3/8.
Why this arrangement? I'm quite confused.

Wednesday, 29 July 2015

Dracula and The Woman in White

Dracula makes me think of The Woman in White
Both are novels-as-documents. How many novels of this type have I read lately? Frankenstein is slightly different- the book is a series of letter from Walton to his sister, but embedded in this narrative is Frankenstein's narrative, which in turn frames the creature's narrative (reminiscent of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall- the whole novel is 1 letter from Gilbert Markham to a friend, and within this letter is Helen's diary). Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde isn't strictly an epistolary novel, though there are 2 chapters at the end that are letters. Only The Moonstone is another novel composed of a series of documents: reports, letters, diary excerpts, articles, etc. Like Dracula and The Woman in White
It can be felt that in Dracula, the various writings are not put together by Bram Stoker for the benefit of the reader (multiple viewpoints) like A Hero of Our Time for instance, but collected and organised by the people in the book, as in the 2 novels by Wilkie Collins.
Another thing that unites Dracula and The Woman in White on the surface is the terror, or rather, the mystery and suspense. There are more similarities. Jonathan Harker coming to a strange house and becoming imprisoned in it is reminiscent of Marian and Laura being imprisoned in Percival Clyde's house. If Harker is Bram Stoker's Marian, his Count Fosco is Count Dracula. Fortunately our Jonathan Harker isn't as dim-witted and slow to understand as Marian Halcombe. He observes and notices everything and understands things quickly, which a few times makes me wonder if it's plausible- I mean, if any intelligent person under such circumstances would come to such conclusions, or it's only Bram Stoker answering questions he previously raised and making it easier for us. No, it's probably logical- I can't say because I have something akin to hindsight, I know what Dracula is.
Anyway, I must write again, Harker's smarter than Marian. Look at chapter 3, entry for 15/5:
"When I had written in my diary and had fortunately replaced the book and pen in my pocket, I felt sleepy."
That's the way to do it, Marian. Hide your writing away before you may doze off. Why leave everything there for the Count to see

Tuesday, 28 July 2015

Reading Dracula: obstacles

Wish I could say, after some time's silence, "Back from [some fascinating city]", but can't. I've been busy, that's all- sunbathing, working, watching films, catching up with fb, following a murder case in VN, dealing with some problems (lots of things happened, and there was a creep)... In spare time I read a Tolstoy short story collection, and Flaubert's 3 Tales, just didn't write about them. As you can see, Effi Briest has been put aside.
I'm reading Dracula at the moment.
One cannot have a "fresh" reading of Dracula, everyone knowing something about it. The same goes with Frankenstein or Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, both of which I read earlier this year. The feeling is strange- the consciousness that I'm reading for the 1st time a very famous and influential book, the expectation of finding it as good as it is said to be, the wish to compare it to the preconceptions created by popular culture. Sometimes they turn out to be misconceptions. Take Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, discussed here, here and here- Jekyll and Hyde are not 2 beings in the same body, 1 good, 1 evil, and Hyde is actually smaller than Jekyll. Or Frankenstein, discussed here, here, here, here and here, Frankenstein is the scientist, not the monster, but Frankenstein is a monster, and the experiment is in fact not a failed experiment as people suggest.
Luckily my so-called knowledge of these 3 books comes from who knows where, not from film adaptations (if I've watched one, I've forgotten it). Tom at Wuthering Expectations once wrote "How many first-time readers miss the actual story on the page in front of them while looking around for Igor and the pitchfork-wielding peasants and "Puttin' on the Ritz"?" That isn't my problem here. My problem is something else.
Look at the 1st chapter of Dracula. Bram Stoker uses lots of details and images to create a horrifying atmosphere:
- A dog howling all night under window.
- Queer dreams.
- People's looks of fear, and whispers ("Satan", "hell", "witch" and "werewolf" or "vampire").
- St George's Day.
- The sign of the cross, a charm or guard against the evil eye.
- The gift of a crucifix.
- The prevalence of goitre.
- Peasant's cart with long, snake-like vertebra.
- Dark firs that stand out against the snow.
- Great masses of greyness.
- Steep hills, ghost-like clouds.
- The driver's haste, and fellow passengers' excitement.
- Dracula's man, who has "a hard-looking mouth, with very red lips and sharp-looking teeth, as white as ivory", and strong, cold hands.
- Feeling that the calèche goes over and over the same ground.
- A dog howling, "a long, agonised wailing, as if from fear", followed by several other dogs.
- Wolves.
- Horses trembling, snorting and screaming with fright.
- A heavy cloud passing across the face of the moon; darkness.
He causes fear and builds up tension and prepares readers for greater horror ahead. Foreshadowing device. Victorian readers didn't know what was coming, they were scared and their imagination was filled with possibilities and they tried to guess what was going on and what was going to happen next and were eager to find out. I have a faint idea. To Victorian readers, Dracula is only a name, which they take and accept neutrally. To me, the name carries with it so many associations and images, the name is tinted, and tainted. I'm reading it, but at the same time, I find myself looking for something.
Let's see how it goes.

Saturday, 25 July 2015

The best films of the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s (my choice)- 4th update

(originally posted on 17/10/2014).
Such a list only shows how little I've watched (very often, an excellent film is not mentioned here simply because I haven't watched it), but I'm shamelessly making and publishing it anyway. The ones in bold type are masterpieces and strong favourites, and will certainly remain in the list (in other words: will not be removed at any cost), the other films can be replaced when I discover/ remember something greater.

- The 40s:
The Great Dictator (1940)
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
Casablanca (1942)
Gaslight (1944)
Brief Encounter (1945)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
The Killers (1946)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
The Bicycle Thief (1948)
The Heiress (1949)

- The 50s:
All about Eve (1950)
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
In a Lonely Place (1950)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
On the Waterfront (1954)
The Killing (1956)
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
12 Angry Men (1957)
Vertigo (1958)
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

- The 60s:
The Apartment (1960)
Psycho (1960)
Vivre sa vie (1962)
The Insect Woman (1963)
8 ½ (1963)
The Woman in the Dunes (1964)
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
My Fair Lady (1964)
Blowup (1966)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

- The 70s:
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970)
The Godfather (1972)
Last Tango in Paris (1972)
The Godfather Part II (1974)
The Conversation (1974)
Chinatown (1974)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Scent of a Woman (1975)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Autumn Sonata (1978)

- The 80s:
Raging Bull (1980)
On Golden Pond (1981)
Sophie's Choice (1982)
Scarface (1983)
Ran (1985)
Rain Man (1988)
The Accused (1988)
A Short Film About Love (1988)
My Left Foot (1989)
Monsieur Hire (1989)

- The 90s:
Goodfellas (1990)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Raise the Red Lanterns (1991)
A Few Good Men (1992)
To Live (1994)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Titanic (1997)
Happy Together (1997)
Central do Brasil (1998)
Magnolia (1999)

- The 2000s:
Memento (2000)
À la folie... pas du tout (2002)
The Pianist (2002)
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003)
2046 (2004)
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2007)

Wednesday, 15 July 2015

My 10 favourite gangster films

1/ The Godfather (1972)
2/ The Godfather Part II (1974)
3/ Goodfellas (1990)
4/ Mean Streets (1973)
5/ Gangs of New York (2002)
6/ Pulp Fiction (1994)
7/ Scarface (1983)
8/ Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
9/ Infernal Affairs (2002)
10/ Bonnie& Clyde (1967)

Sunday, 12 July 2015

My 5 favourite courtroom films

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
12 Angry Men (1957)
Anatomy of a Murder (1957)
A Few Good Men (1992)
Fracture (2007)

"The Forged Coupon"

After reading Tolstoy's "The Forged Coupon" I drew a diagram of events and effects.
But then I found another, and better, one. Why not steal it? So here it is:

1 thing leads to another. Evil begets evil. As written on the back cover of my Penguin copy The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories, the story "shows a seemingly minor offence that leads inexorably to ever more horrific crimes".
It would be simplistic, however, to say that "The Forged Coupon" is about how evil begets evil. Every single person in the story who does wrong makes a conscious choice to do wrong. These characters, when suffering a wrong, transfer the loss to someone else or seek revenge or develop a hatred against the whole world or get led astray, and they do so because they don't know they have a choice, because they think that's the way it should be. They may react in a different way, and don't. They may choose another path, and don't. It's unlike "Polikushka", in which the disaster is caused by chance, by external circumstances. If "The Forged Coupon" is more like a parable than a novella of the realist tradition, the moral is not only that one shouldn't commit even a minor offence (such as forging a coupon) because it may lead to a series of crimes, but also that one has reason and free will and under unfortunate circumstances can choose to be bad, like those characters in the story, or to be good. They only come to understand it in part 2 of the story. Despite the feeling of contrivance now and then, as this is a strongly didactic piece written in Tolstoy's last years, it is a very good story.

Friday, 10 July 2015

Effi Briest: "love" in 3 languages

English translation (by William A. Cooper):
Mrs von Briest asks "Don't you love Geert?".
Effi responds "Why shouldn't I love him? I love Hulda, and love Bertha, and I love Hertha. And I love old Mr. Niemeyer, too. And that I love you and papa I don't even need to mention..."

Original German by Theodor Fontane:
"Liebst du Geert nicht?"
"Warum soll ich ihn nicht lieben? Ich liebe Hulda, und ich liebe Bertha, und ich liebe Hertha. Und ich liebe auch den alten Niemeyer. Und daß ich euch liebe, davon spreche ich gar nicht erst..."

Norwegian translation (by Lotte Holmboe):
The mother asks "Er du ikke glad i Geert, vennen min?".
Effi replies "Hvorfor skulle jeg ikke være glad i ham? Jeg er glad i Hulda og i Bertha og Hertha- og i gamle Niemeyer også, for den saks skyld. Og at jeg er glad i dere, ja, det behøver jeg ikke si engang..."

The reason I start with the English version is that in English the sentence "I love you" encompasses different meanings and can be used for family members and close friends as well as for lovers. In Norwegian, there's a distinction between "Jeg elsker deg", used by people in a romantic relationship, and "Jeg er glad i deg", which can be said by a mother or a father to a child and vice versa, or by a friend to a friend, etc. Spouses can also say "Jeg er glad i deg", but people definitely don't say "Jeg elsker deg" when it's not romantic love (unless it's a joke, of course, but that doesn't count).
Is this important? Yes. Because if Mrs von Briest asked "Elsker du ikke Geert?", Effi's answer would be quite different, I thought.
Therefore I decided to check the German original. All right, I don't speak German. A few helpful sites say that German, which is closer to Norwegian than to English, makes a distinction between "Ich liebe dich" and "Ich hab dich lieb", which, according to the explanations, seem to be equivalents of "Jeg elsker deg" and "Jeg er glad i deg" respectively. Now that might look odd, since Effi takes the romantic word and uses it in the unromantic sense. Looks like she deliberately bends the word to evade what she knows her mother really asks, to avoid saying that she doesn't love Geert.
What do you think?

Wednesday, 8 July 2015

Notes on Effi Briest, the signs

We all, in varying degrees, suffer from some illusion about ourselves.
I was foolish enough to think myself capable of reading Effi Briest in Norwegian! However, stubborn as I am, I'm still struggling and currently on page 39 (beginning of chapter 7), moving back and forth between the Norwegian book borrowed from the library and the English e-book (have I said I dislike e-books?).
What did I know about Effi Briest? Theodor Fontane's masterpiece, said by some to be his greatest book. 1 of Thomas Mann's selections if one had to reduce one's library to 6 novels. A German novel that is very different from typical 19th century German novels. An unhappy family story. An adultery novel, often compared to Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary.
Therefore I was looking for the signs. And there they were. Some are Effi's traits: her youth and childlikeness (17 years old, plays with her friends in the 1st scenes like a child), her vitality, her restlessness and wish for amusement and change, her dislike of ennui, her haughtiness, and hastiness. She's a daughter of a man who doesn't seem particularly intelligent and a woman who appears to be the pragmatic and mercenary kind, placing lots of importance on wealth and social status. She wants the best, and if unable to have the best, she can forego the 2nd best, because it means nothing to her.
Most notably, Effi doesn't seem to care much about love. I was confused for a while as to why she said yes to Geert von Innstetten and, believing I had missed something on account of my broken Norwegian, I checked the English version and found hardly anything. Fontane doesn't enter Effi's mind. Geert comes, then all of a sudden Mrs von Briest tells her daughter of the proposal, and all of a sudden Effi accepts it, and the chapter ends. It becomes clearer later, that she does because he's "perfect", with good looks, social status and wealth, because he's "a man with whom [she] can shine and he will make something of himself in the world". When her mother asks "Don't you love Geert?", she says "Why shouldn't I love him? I love Hulda, and I love Bertha, and I love Hertha. And I love old Mr. Niemeyer, too." If it seems problematic on her side, so does it on Geert's side, even though we don't have his perspective. It doesn't sound like a good thing when a man asks to marry the daughter of the woman he once loved and couldn't have.
In addition to all that, Effi's parents have some misgivings about the marriage.
Fontane also sets up some other signs, some foreshadowing. 1 is the affair of Pink the overseer and the gardener's wife. Another is the funeral of the gooseberry hulls- Effi talks about sinking and, as though Fontane fears it isn't enough, refers to women who are thrown overboard for infidelity.
These are just some notes. Who knows if I'll finish the novel or not. Think how many times I put it down and wanted to give up.

Saturday, 4 July 2015

What do you dislike more, Independent strong woman or the English language?

Which do you hate more 1) Consent 2) The English language 3) strong Independent women 4) All of the above

you do realize that if Grey wasn't a billionaire, the 50 Shades trilogy would be one hell of a Law & Order episode?

If I stalk a girl and GPS her car, does that mean it's true love?

I need advice on making a BIG romantic gesture. Should I put a GPS tracker in her phone and make threats if she tries to leave?

What's your favourite shade out of the 50? Is there a chance that more shades will be added?

Is there a safe word which will stop you from writing anymore of this bollocks?

Do all these negative tweets sent to you seem abusive to you? I think it's romantic enough to be turned into a novel!

after the success of "Grey," have you considered re-telling the story from the perspective of someone who can write

what's it like telling millions of women it's okay to be in an abusive relationship as long as he's rich. Asking for a friend.

Can you confirm that you will be writing the story of Ramsay Bolton from his perspective, showing he is just misunderstood?

How on earth did Ana manage to graduate from university in the 21st century without an email address or a laptop?

Will you be rewriting the book from Stephenie Meyer's point of view next time?

Did you see the abusive relationship of Bella and Edward and think "hmm needs more abuse"

If your sons behaved like Christian Grey does towards women, would you be okay with that? If so, WHY?!

Is it only ok for Christian to stalk, coerce, threaten & manipulate Ana because he's hot, or is it also ok because he's rich?

Why do you continue to refer to what you wrote as a 'love' story?

How do you sleep at night knowing a) you're profiting from the romanticisation of ; & b) ignoring genuine abuse survivors?

Why did you say that those who see abuse in your books are doing "a disservice" to survivors, when many ARE survivors?!

If I tracked your cell phone and followed you to a bar, but I said it was because I was worried about you, would that be okay?

Are you going to take a cold bath later to recover from being so thoroughly burned on Twitter today?

Everyone is focused on the abusive aspect of your books, but have you ever considered that you are just a god-awful writer?

How does it feel to have actually written a worse love story than Twilight? That is real skill.

if E.L.James asks for these tweets to stop, does that mean she really wants them to continue?


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Friday, July 22, 2016

Gavin for the win

It's been a tough week.  That's all.  It's been a week of clinging to what I know and seeking solace in the well worn grooves of my sources of peace.

Tonight Gavin is coming to stay.  It's what we all need.  Gavin and Mark; Mark and Gavin.

They are friends through and through.  I'm looking forward to more noise.  I'm looking forward to happy boys laughing together.  I'm looking forward to adventures.  I'm looking forward to more laundry and one more hungry boy to try my hand at feeding.

I kind of feel like I've never needed anything like I need Gavin to come and stay with us and fill us up with Gavin-ness.

1 comment:

Olivia Cobian said...

Such cute boys. I look forward to a current photo of those two!!

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