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First Comes Marriage by Debbie Macomber

Book reviews are subjective. I tend to rate books not according to how “perfect” they are, seem to be, or are said to be in general but rather to how perfect they are to me.

Four Silver Stars

First Comes MarriageFirst Comes Marriage by Debbie Macomber

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

(Click the title to find the book description/blurb.)

“Financial and practical advantages! You make it sound about as appealing as a dentist appointment. There’s got to be more of a reason than that for us to get married.”

It was her grandfather’s idea, the whole notion of a marriage between Janine and Zach. An arranged marriage, at that. But the two of them don’t exactly plan on going along with the dear old man’s old-fashioned plan in First Comes Marriage by author Debbie Macomber.

Heeheehee, just look at that 90s cover. I’ll admit it was some nostalgia that drew me to it, looking like something I would’ve pulled off the bookshelf in my seventh grade English class, back in the day. But, hey, sometimes nostalgia makes a book even better.

I enjoyed taking a little break with this romantic comedy. It’s not all fun and games, as Janine and Zach do have to work through some serious stuff in the middle, but then it brightens again, fittingly ending on a delightfully comedic note. Quite a nice story for anyone who’d find pleasure in a sweet and easy romance read.

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Jobjuice Launches iPad and iPhone Salary Negotiation App

in Business (E)

[] Dallas, Texas - In partnership with world renowned negotiation expert, Roger Dawson, Jobjuice today is pleased to announce the release of the Jobjuice Salary Negotiation App for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Specially developed for MBAs and top business professionals, the new Salary Negotiation App provides a wealth of proven advice and tools to help users become powerful negotiators. It complements the existing Jobjuice Marketing and Finance & Investment Banking apps by providing powerful tips and techniques to successfully navigate all stages of the job seeking and salary negotiating process. The Jobjuice Salary Negotiation App allows users to:

* Plan a sound salary negotiation strategy
* Understand the employer's mindset in a negotiation
* Identify elements that empower them as negotiators
* Know when and how to tackle issues
* Master an extensive array of closing and negotiation techniques
* Negotiate effectively and in a professional manner
* Become more valuable to their employer or prospective employer
* Get to a yes without coming across as greedy, selfish or aggressive
* Raise their existing salary or negotiate a better start up salary

About Roger Dawson:
Roger Dawson is the founder of the Power Negotiating Institute and is one of the world's top experts on the art of negotiating. As a full-time speaker since 1982, he has trained executives, managers, and salespeople throughout the United States, Canada, Asia and Australia. He was inducted into the Speakers Hall of Fame in 1991 and is the author of 16 books on negotiation and other business topics.

The Jobjuice Salary Negotiation App provides vast amounts of practical and highly effective closing and negotiating strategies in over 80 intuitively laid out, color coded and cross referenced cards that allow review and preparation for important interviews and reviews anytime, anywhere.

The deck includes over 40 illustrated cards with closing tactics and negotiation strategies that equip users with powerful techniques to negotiate the salary they deserve and gain an amazing ability to get what they want. A favorites and practice section for testing recall and grouping themes makes preparation easy, practical and fun.

Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
* Requires iOS 3.0 or later
* Universal Application
* 8.8 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Jobjuice Salary Negotiation 1.0 is $9.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Business category.

Jobjuice was founded in 1999 by Wharton MBAs, who while at business school provided their fellow students with powerful interview preparation tools. Jobjuice has since become the interview preparation and reference tool of choice of thousands of MBA students and Business Management professionals around the world. Over the years, Jobjuice has distilled the knowledge and experience of the recruiting process and particular subject areas into flashcards with a practical and easy to use format. Jobjuice theme cards and mobile apps cover a wide range of business topics including: Marketing, Finance and Investment Banking and Strategy and Consulting. For more information about our products please visit Jobjuice online. Copyright (C) 1999-2011 Jobjuice. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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Effective sample size

July 16, 2008

The notion of “effective sample size” is useful when comparing the information gathered using a certain sampling method to information gathered (or that would be gathered) with a different – reference – sampling method when applied to the same population. Given a known level of uncertainty of an estimate – the one achieved with the sampling method and sample size actually used, the “effective sample size” is the size of the sample that would be needed to achieve the same level of uncertainty if the reference sampling method were used instead.

Read the rest of this entry »

The latest issue of the IMS bulletin contains a letter in which a reader, Anirban DasGupta from Purdue University, lays out his thoughts regarding Ning-Zhong Shi’s MLE conjecture. Evidently, DasGupta’s comments were considered of higher relevance than my own letter to the bulletin’s editors regarding the conjecture, a letter which described the same counter-example to the conjecture that appears in the post linked above.

Read the rest of this entry »

The self-review system

July 2, 2008

This post presents a substitute to the peer-review system: a method to regulate the publication of scholarly work in journals. For background see: Academia as the industry of self promotion and Taking the self promotion out of academia.

Notification of intent to publish, waiting period, publishing quota

A person who intends to engage in research in a field and may wish to publish results, or who already has material he wishes to publish, will submit an indication of intent to publish to a central repository tracking research activity. In that indication of intent, the person submitting will indicate a field, or a small number of fields (up to, say, 4) in which he will be active. Each field is associated with a set of journals – the sets may overlap.

A person may, at any time, revise the set of fields in which he is active – but leaving the number of fields of activity below or at the limit (i.e., 4).

Once an indication of intent to publish in a certain field is given, a waiting period is in effect – say, 18 months. After that period, the researcher may publish in the journals covering that field at any time. A researcher may not publish more than a fixed amount of papers, say, 3, in a fixed amount of time, say 10 years. A multiple-author paper counts toward the quotas of each of the authors as 1/2 of a paper.

Rationale: The rationale for the imposition of a quota is discussed in the background documents above. The imposition of a wait period is aimed at minimizing abuse of the system by people who are not committed to sustained contemplation of a field of research, such as activists of various sorts.

Submission, refereeing

Once an author or a group of authors decide to publish in a certain journal, and if all the authors are within their quotas and beyond their waiting period, they submit a manuscript to the editors of the journal. If the authors so wishes, they may choose to go through a process of refereeing. The authors can choose a set of referees (up to, say, 3) from a list provided by the journal. The referees’ must excuse themselves promptly or write their reports within a set period. The authors may introduce changes to the paper after receiving the referees’ reports. If both the authors and referees are willing, further communication may take place.

Referees’ reports and any communications between the author and the referees are published together with the paper. If these are too long, a prefix is published together with a link to a full version.

Rationale: In the suggested scheme refereeing is seen as a service rendered by the research community to the individual researchers active in the field. Its role is not to block unworthy papers but to help authors produce better papers. Publishing referee-author communications benefits readers by providing third party comments on the paper, and guarantees that referees receive appropriate credit for their work.

Form of publication, page limit, automatic redaction, link to full version

The refereed manuscript (or the unrefereed manuscript, if the authors declines to take advantage of the refereeing process) is truncated at a certain amount of pages (say, 20) and scanned automatically for discouraged patterns (say, profanities or unpleasant typesetting), which are redacted. The author can then resubmit a corrected version or accept the automatically edited version as is. This final version is published in the journal chosen by the authors. If the author so wishes, he may provide an opt-in link (i.e., a link which requires a certain amount of attention to follow) to a full version of the paper which he would host and which is not constrained by the page limit and the pattern prohibitions.

Rationale: The rationale for the guaranteed publication is discussed in the background documents above. The page limit in the centrally hosted version is meant to encourage authors to make their points succinctly.


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Assassin’s Creed has co-op in its future!

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Ubisoft Montreal recently held a private event for Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood at its studios in Montreal and unveiled the game in much depth to a lot of the gaming press. And, of course, while the event was to showcase the single-player element of the game, it’s easy to see how some attendees had questions about the future of the brand.

Speaking with the game’s director, Patrick Plourde, GamesRadar took this opportunity to inquire whether or not Ubisoft had any plans for co-op gameplay in its future. Fortunately for a lot of Assassin’s Creed fans, Plourde’s response was definitely encouraging.

“I think eventually there will definitely be co-op in the brand,” Plourde said in no uncertain terms. “For Brotherhood we focused first and foremost on the validation for multiplayer. In campaign, co-op comes with a lot of challenge. At GDC the Saint’s Row guys were like: ‘if you want your game to have co-op – especially in a sandbox – you need to build it from the ground up.’ They’re right – it’s a couple of years of turnaround to make sure co-op would work.”

Fortunately for Plourde, the development team behind the franchise can rest easy with the though of revisiting co-op a couple of years down the road. After all, the franchise has been highly successful and therefore has allowed the studio to think long-term instead of just release-by-release. This is something Plourde is thankful for and know will benefit the game in the long run.

“With Brotherhood we’re expanding the brand, but we also have the quiet confidence that we’re successful enough to take our time. That’s super liberating. We have great ideas, but we can put some of them on the backburner for the time being then – next time round – revisit some of those old ideas.”

How many of you would be excited for a co-op campaign for Assassin’s Creed 3?

Readers Comments (6)

  1. i only played ac1 and the ac2 multiplayer beta
    dident like them and am not interested in an ac co-op

  2. TraumaticTighearnan October 23, 2010 @ 09:57

    Ac1 = Good
    Ac2 = Amazinng
    AcB Beta = Amazing
    AcB = Looks to be incredible
    Co-op would make things incredible.. Like the Co-op in Alliance mode was brilliant xD

  3. First AC was ass, second is AMAZING (still playing) and Brotherhood looks fun. As long as they they can continue to make quality products then I’m game.

  4. Agreed ^^^^^^^

  5. Played 30 minutes of the first one. My comple AC collection is that piece which is a dust collector.

  6. te
    No edit for this.

Comments are closed.


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Blog Archives

Human Enhancement is Normal

The ethics of human enhancement are tricky and often the first objection that I hear to technologically improving our minds and bodies is one of morality: why should some people get to become smarter and stronger while others do not? is it right to try to improve our god-given body? isn’t it dangerous to allow such technologies to develop?

Despite these objections the human race seems to be eager to step into this next phase. take exoskeletons for example. a couple of years ago I saw a video of an exoskeleton being tested for military use. Recently a paraplegic woman was able to walk a marathon using an exoskeleton (over the course of 17 days but hey, she can’t move her legs). I also saw that a little girl with a muscular disorder was given a 3d printed pair of arms to help her move.  and here’s another suit made by the Tokyo university of science which allows a person to carry substantially more weight.

No one’s asking if we should be doing this, and no one’s saying this isn’t right or natural. Of course, disabled individuals are the first to be helped by enhancement technologies, but not all of these suits are therapeutic. I think that we’ll see many more disabled individuals using exoskeletons to get around, and factory workers using suits and gloves.

If you’ve looked at some of these links you may have noticed that everyone but the story about the little girl references iron man. I’m not really going anywhere with that point, I just think it’s interesting.

Anyway, human enhancement is normal in our culture and I think there is good reason for this. We’ve really been enhancing ourselves ever since we could make tools and talk to each other, all technological progress has been human enhancement and what we are doing now feel in line with that process. I only wonder when we will reach the point when we realize that our enhancement is now actually radically changing who we are, and our tools are significantly more powerful and worrisome than what’s come before.

I personally experience the normality of enhancement in my own college environment. Study drugs (mostly aderall, coffee too) are widely used by college students to help focus and be more productive. The hyper-competitive academic environment encourages students to find ways to get an edge, and drugs are one of the easiest ways to do this. Students take these drugs without thinking about the moral implications for such actions, how such actions unfairly advantage the individual over the collective, making it so others have to take these drugs to remain competitive, like in professional sports. Of the dozens of students I’ve talked to about the morality of using study drugs, I’m the only one who feels strongly that taking these drugs is an immoral decision. My stance falls apart when people bring up coffee, a societally acceptable stimulant. Well, life is a sliding scale, what are you going to do about it? I prefer that we not ingest stimulants via pills. drinking bean juice seems better than prescription drugs.

So while I’m encouraged that humanity seems poised to jump into transhumanism and an enhanced existence, I’m also discouraged by how normal it is for my peers to take amphetamines. Perhaps this has not become a big enough issue to address, like doping in sports, but I really don’t want us to get to a crisis point in academia where the only way to make a meaningful contribution to human knowledge is by getting high on speed.

The problems I’ve explained here only really come up in the context of a competitive environment, and perhaps there is hope if capitalism collapses and we reorient our system. After all, learning and exploring should really not be a competition.

On the other hand, perhaps we will find a way to make our brains run faster without negative effects such as coming down from a drug or mental damage. It wouldn’t be so bad if we all just kept thinking faster and faster I suppose, I’m just not sure that amphetamines are a step in the right direction.


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Jabsco - Epoxy Pump Pedestal: 30510 Jabsco Epoxy Pump
Jabsco - Epoxy Pump Pedestal: 30510 Jabsco Epoxy Pump Epoxy Pump Pedestal Epoxy Pump Pedestal Epoxy Pump Pedestal

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Manufacturer: Jabsco

30510 Jabsco Epoxy Pump

Product Name:

Epoxy Pump Pedestal

Model Number:

p>Use where single or variable speed operation and Plastic Epoxy material is desirable. Self-priming, 8gpm flow, and debris tolerant. Nitrile impeller is ideal for oil based products. Use Neoprene for water and general purpose pumping. Use Viton for hydrocarbons and most solvents. Optional EPDM standard and high pressure impeller kit 7614-0002 and 8980-0002 for hygienic applications and some keytone solvents. Use Tungsten Carbide seal when pumping highly corrosive or abrasive fluids. Do not pump gasoline or other flammable liquids. Motor is not explosion proof. DO NOT RUN DRY.

For pumphead only models (30510-3xxx) select NEMA H156C Frame C-Face motor rated at 3/4 HP at 1750 RPM with appropriate service factor. Motor must handle high axial loads. Ball bearing locked against axial movement is recommended. Motor must deliver 1.5 ft-lbs and 4.3 ft-lbs torque minimum in forward and reverse directions respectively. Use only capacitor start motors.

For pedestal mount models (30510-1xxx) operating at 1750 RPM, select 3/4 HP or 1 1/2 HP motor for standard or high pressure impellers respectively, with an appropriate service factor. For high pressure impellers, the motor must supply 3 ft-lbs or 6.9 ft-lbs. of torque minimum for forward and reverse operation respectively.

Additional Information

Model Number 30510-1001
Series 30510 Jabsco Epoxy Pump
Max Flow (GPM.) 8
TDH Maximum (Ft) 30
TDH Maximum (PSI) 12.99
Horsepower 0.75
Inlet (In.) 0.75
Outlet (In.) 0.75
Elastomers / O-ring Neoprene
Voltage (V) 115
Self Priming Yes
Max Operating Temperature (F) 180
Mechanical Seal Face Carbon-ceramic
Mechanical Seal Type Double
Drain Yes
Port Rotation Yes
Weight (Lbs) 7
Time to Ship (DAYS) 2-3 days

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Archive for the ‘Tutorials’ Category

All that glitters…a quick tute to extend the life of a pair of kids pants.

K, so I’m not done the sparkle dress yet, it is cut out and waiting for me to do.  In the meantime I made up a couple of pillows using another sequin fabric we had at work.  I had a bit left over so I decided that it would be great for fixing a pair of my daughters pants.

She got a pair of jeans from the Salvation army a few months back during one of their dollar sales.  She loved them, wore them all the time and then the inevitable happened.  She got holes in the knees.  The pants were starting to get a bit short anyhow but they still fit in the waist.  Fixing them wouldn’t be a problem since the style already had a seam right around the knee area so all I had to do was cut of the legs at the seams, use the cut off bottom portions as pattern pieces and add new fancy bottoms to her pants!

Here’s what I did, you can adapt this to any pair of pants and the fabric you choose can be gender appropriate of course.

Old jeans
fabric for new pant legs

I split the pants up the side seam and trimmed the leg off at the seam that was at the knee.   If your pants don’t have this particular seam (and they probably don’t since this is purely for design) just cut off the pant leg slightly above the knee (or just below would work too) so the seam doesn’t run directly across the knee.  Nothing is more uncomfortable than a line of bulky fabric right across the kneecap.

I was instructed to keep the little embroidered girl on the right leg so I cut it out to put it back on the new leg as an applique.  Next I ironed the jean pant leg so the seams were out flat.  Then used it as a pattern piece to cut out the new legs.  I added some length to the new ones while I was at it so she could get some more time out of the pants.

Then I just sewed the new pant legs on, sewed up the side seams and hemmed them.

Some thoughts on this project:

The type of fabric you use will determine the final look of the pant.  Choosing a more casual fabric would have given the pants a more casual look.  Choose your fabric based on your child’s favourite colours, prints etc and try to choose something that is similar to the pants fabric.  The fabric I used was a thicker knit but the jeans had a lot of stretch to them so the two fabrics actually worked out well together.

This works for boys pants too, just choose fabrics more suited to your little man.

This is a great way to reinforce knees too.  create a double layer of fabric across the knee and a single layer of fabric for the lower portion of the leg.

Use your imagination, straight legged pants can become flared leg pants and vice versa.  Just add a strip of fabric an inch or so above the hem if all you need is to add some length and the pant leg is in good shape.

For the Love of Buttons!

I love buttons.  I get excited seeing a jar of random buttons, all the colours and shapes.  I wonder what the buttons were on before they landed in my possesion.  I wonder how old they are, what their purpose was etc.  It’s a strange obessesion really and this morning I found a reason to get my buttons out to use them. 🙂

I had received a bunch of clothes from a friend, for my daughter.  one of the items in the bag was a pair of plain white tights.  My daughter wore them the very next day and promptly put a hole in them.

I let her wear them for a while like that and then decided today, as I was doing some mending, that perhaps I should attempt to fix them.  Embellished tights are really popular on the runways right now, though I have yet to really see them on anyone in the normal world.  I felt this would be the perfect thing to fix the hole in the tights and to use my buttons.  I googled embellished tights first to get some inspiration.  Cocorosa’s tutorial had caught my eye a few months back and it was one of the top hits when I did my google search.  Park and Cube has a cute one too.

Anyhow, I gathered my materials:

Parker’s tights with the hole in them
thread and needle
plastic water bottle

I started by sorting out the buttons I wanted to use.  I have a thing for green and pink right now and I had lots of those button colours so I sorted them out and put the rest away for another day.

In order to start mending the hole I needed something hard to put in the leg of the tights so that it would stretch it out a bit as well as keep me from stitching through both layers of the leg.  This is where the water bottle came in.  I put it in the leg of the tights where I wanted to put the buttons.  Then I threaded my needle, made a knot and started stitching on buttons.

Once I finished mending the hole and had more buttons on the leg I decided to have my daughter try them on so I could see how it was looking.  I then marked some more spots to put buttons.

And voila! Tights are as good as new and they look pretty cool too!

How to squeeze one more year out of a kid’s t-shirt

So my Daughter started school today and was very excited about it.  She got herself dressed but when she came downstairs I noticed the shirt she was wearing was about 3 inches too short in the arms and body so in addition to her belly hanging out, she looked like she had gorilla arms! lol!  That and she had obviously worn this while painting one day and it was covered with little paint spatters.

I had her change her shirt and off to school she went.  When I got home I decided to see if I could get one more year out her shirt.  She has three of the same shirt (my mom found them on sale for a buck somewhere) and I knew they would all be fitting the same so I took the black shirt and the purple shirt and put them together to make a ‘new’ shirt.

Here’s the black shirt before:

and here’s the purple shirt before:

I love how the grease stains on the purple shirt show up so much more prominently in the photo than they do in real life.  Yeah, laundry is not my forte and my daughter has a hard time understanding the difference between her shirt and a napkin.

Anyhow, first thing I did was cut the sleeves off of the black shirt.  I didn’t measure anything, just eyeballed it and used the first sleeve cutoff to measure the second sleeve so they were even.

I needed to add about 3 inches to the length of the sleeve which worked out that I could simply cut off the purple sleeves at the underarm point.

I needed to add approximately the same amount the bottom of the shirt so I cut off the bottom portion of the purple shirt that equaled the length I needed to add plus the hem allowance of the black shirt.

I then inserted the purple piece I just cut off in the bottom of the black shirt, matched the side seams and lined up the cut edge with the top edge of the hem. Then I stitched around the hem of the black shirt to attach the two pieces making sure to follow the stitch line of the original hem.  I used purple thread but you can use a matching thread.

Next I matched up the sleeve edges, right sides together and serged them together.  You can use a straight stitch instead, knit fabrics tend to be resistant to fraying so there really isn’t much need to finish the edges.

So here’s how the shirt should look at this point.

In order to give the sleeves the look of being layered I flipped the seam up and stitched a “hem” around the black part of the sleeve.

I wanted to try and cover up some the paint spatters on the front of the shirt.  Reverse applique is my favourite thing at the moment so I decided to put some reverse appliqued flowers on the front.  It didn’t completely get rid of the paint splatter but I think it looks very cool now.

I cut the sleeves and front from the back of what was left of the purple shirt.  I used the back since it was less stained and slightly bigger than the front.  I turned the shirt inside out and pinned the purple to the front.

Next I turned it right side out again and drew my design on the shirt.  Then I simply used a straight stitch and went around the design a couple of times.

I trimmed the excess purple from edges on the back and then cut out the black inside the petals.

And voila! New shirt that should last at least one more year before she completely grows out of it.

Some thoughts on this project.

To lengthen the sleeves you don’t have to cut the sleeves short, you can just add to the hem of the sleeves similar to how I added length to the hem of the shirt.

If you don’t have enough to lengthen the sleeves, just cut them off and hem them as short sleeves, that way they can’t be too short. 🙂

You can leave the front of the shirt plain, sew on an embellishment, iron on a patch, embroider something, it’s really up to you.  I just really like reverse applique. 😀

Bowling shirt and Skinny jeans tutorial two-fer!

I promised and here it is.  Seriously you will laugh at the ease of these two projects.

First things first, the bowling shirt. This could work for any size, kids or adult, boys or girls.  My example is a shirt I made for my son.  It’s the same skull fabric I used for his first shirt but it’s white skulls on a black background instead! hehe! Fabric choices are totally up to you but crisp cottons work great for this project.
One thing I want to say on the subject of boys clothing is think outside the box.  We get so caught up with images that we can’t see past them.  One thing I hear complaints about the most when it comes to sewing for boys, and I’ve made this complaint myself, is the lack of boys patterns both in fabrics and in sewing patterns.  I’ve found that a lot of the girls patterns I have for pants, shirts and shorts can easily be transferred to boys with little to no alterations.  The pattern I used for the bowling shirt here is a ‘girls’ pattern but honestly, it’s such a basic pattern they could have easily made this unisex if they had just used a photograph of a little boy AND a little girl, instead of two little girls.  Anyhow, next time you are out shopping for patterns and fabrics for your little man, try to remember that just because it’s a little girl pictured or the sewing sample in the store is ‘girly’ it doesn’t mean that it is just for the girls.

On to the tutorial.

Things you will need:

shirt pattern – you don’t want anything too fitted and it doesn’t have to have short sleeves, fancy yokes, pockets etc.  The more basic the better.  I used Simplicity 4978.
Main fabric – in the amounts indicated for the size you are making
Contrast fabric – this will depend also on the size you are making so read the tutorial completely and you should have a better understanding of the amount you will need.
interfacing – again, consult your pattern
buttons (4 to 6, I used 5 for this shirt)
imagination 😀

Start by choosing the size pattern you will make.  Last time I did a size 3 for my son.  It fit but just barely so I made a size 5 this time to give him some growing room.  I then decided to use red as the main fabric for his shirt and the black and white skull fabric as the contrast.

I traced out the pattern pieces I needed onto waxed paper since I plan to use the pattern a few more times.  I cut the front, back and sleeves out of the main red fabric.  I cut the collar and pocket out of the contrast.  The thing that makes this a bowling shirt, for me anyhow, is adding a stripe of contrasting fabric down one side of the front.  In order to figure out how much fabric I need for this I measure from the highest point at the shoulder/neck point and down to the hem.  I cut a strip of contrast fabric that length (you can add an inch or two just to make sure) and I cut the width of it about 5cm (2.5 inches) plus 1cm (.25 inches) on either side to turn under.  Depending on the size of your shirt you can make this wider or narrower, it’s really one of those things that is up to you to decided what you think looks best.

When cutting out your pieces, take note of the direction of the pattern in the fabric, if there is a pattern.  The skulls on my contrast fabric all go the same direction so when I cut the collar, I made sure that the skulls would be facing up when it’s attached to the shirt, same for the pocket.  Since this was a remnant piece I didn’t have control over the amount I got, so the skulls on my stripe actually go sideways.  Ideally, I would have bought enough fabric to cut the stripe so that the skulls were all going up.

Once the pieces are cut out, apply interfacing to your front facings and under-collar.  If you are doing long sleeves with a cuff, you will probably interface the cuff.  Follow the instructions on your pattern for this.  Next step is to add your pocket and stripe to the front pieces.  If you are doing a pocket and it’s not included in your pattern just cut a piece of paper into a square shape or whatever shape you want.  When you have something you like, add seam allowance and cut it out.  You can put your pocket on whatever side of the shirt you like, the stripe will go on the opposite side.

Next turn under 1cm (1/4 inch) of the long sides of the stripe piece to finish the edges.  Position it on the front of the shirt without the pocket and make sure that it is far enough away from the center front that it will not be covered by the buttons.  I could have put my just a little more to the side but it still looks ok.

Pin everything in place and topstitch.  I used a contrasting red thread but you can use a matching thread if you like.

And there you go!  Finish the shirt like the pattern instructs or however you might normally finish it if you are like me and don’t read the instructions.  🙂

Now for the skinny jeans!  Again, this could apply to kids or adult, boys or girls and you can adapt the info to re-construct a pair of jeans/pants you already own.

Things I used for this:
Pant pattern (I used Burda 9626 but any basic pant pattern can work)
Tracing paper
Old pair of jeans (you can use fabric yardage too, just consult the pattern for the amounts you will need)
knee, calf and ankle measurements
calculator (or lots of paper to write out your math equations. 😀 )

I chose the pattern size that closest fit my daughters hip measurement.  I then measured her knee, calf and ankle and wrote those down so I wouldn’t forget.  I traced out the pattern pieces I needed using waxed paper.  Wax paper is cheap and perfect size for most patterns I need to trace but you can use any transparent paper you have around, I’ve used old patterns that I know I will never use again.

Next I prepped my jeans.  I cut up the leg seams and crotch seam.  I was careful to cut out the zipper so that I could re-use it.  I also took off the back pockets to reuse.  I planned to reuse the waistband as well but the button wasn’t in good condition so i used the waistband off of another old pair of jeans I had.  I pressed each piece flat and then I prepped my pattern.

Here’s my math.  To determine the width I wanted around the knee I added 2.5cm (1 inch) to the measurement I took.  I then divided that number in half.  I measured across the knee of the pant pattern front and subtracted the knee measurement I had just determined.  I can’t remember my exact measurements but for example, if the knee measurement was 20 cm (8 inches) then I added 2.5cm (1 inch) to total 22.5cm (9inches) for the knee.  Half of that would be 11.25cm (4.5 inches).  If the front pant pattern knee measurement was 20cm (8 inches) then you would subtract 11.25cm (4.5inches) from 20cm (8 inches) to get the difference of the two knee measurements.  Therefore I would need to remove 8.75cm ( 3.5 inches) from the knee.  Divide that number in half to get the amount to take off equally on each side (4.5cm (1 3/4inches).  Do the same for the calf and ankle measurement.  Mark on the traced pattern the amounts you need to remove from the sides to get a close fit and redraw your side seams.  Do this for the pant back as well.Make sure to re-add seam allowance.  If the fit isn’t close enough when you are finished you can always take it in some more.

I forgot to take pictures of the rest but basically what I did was laid out my front pattern on my jeans front matching the finished hem with the actual hem on the jeans.  I then did the same for the back.  I re-cut the pockets to fit the new smaller jeans and re-used the original jeans zipper.  I cut new belt loops and re-used the waistband from another pair of jeans.  I cut it to the length of the waist of the jeans, keeping the original button and making a new button hole.

Here’s the finished pair (these are a size 5 for my daughter).

Some thoughts on the skinny jeans:

-you may want to measure around the ball of the foot to make sure that the foot will fit through the ankle opening.

-I decided to distress the jeans a bit so I made use of a cheese grater, sandpaper and my scissors to create holes and worn spots.

– if you are wanting to make regular jeans into skinny jeans you can use the same math as above but subtract the difference in measurement directly from the jeans.  You can also put the jeans on inside out and pinch and pin out the excess.

-I had to add elastic to the back waist.  You can do this by cutting  slits in the inside waistband at the side-seams, making sure not to cut right through both layers of fabric.  Insert a piece of elastic and secure with stitching at one side.  Draw up the elastic to the whatever you need and secure the other side. tuck in the elastic ends and whipstitch the openings closed.  See my post about cut offs for the little lady to see pictures of this.

Remember Grade 9 Math? (a quick refresher and tute)

Me neither.  So when I decided to make hats for the kids I found myself pondering the mystery of pi.

Tools for this project:

a calculator or you can be brave and do this on paper
marking pencil
old pair of jeans and/or some fabric scraps (you need about .5 meter of two different fabrics, one for the outside of the hat and one for the lining)
scissors (both paper and fabric)

First things first, measure the head of the person you are making the hat for.  I was making one for my son and one for my daughter.  Their heads both measured 20″ (50cm).

Write that number down for reference.  Next, using your calculator (or your significantly superior brain if you are doing this on paper) and divide that number by 3.14 (pi).  This will give you the diameter of the circle for the top of the crown of your hat.  I remeasured my circle circumference just to check and it was pretty close, but I suggest remeasuring before you continue to make your patter pieces just to make sure.

To make the circle for the crown top, I took my piece of paper and marked a dot in the middle, this is the middle of my circle.  If you happen to still have your old geometry set from high school (or may be you kids have one) you can use the compass to draw your circle.  If you don’t, just use your ruler, place ‘0’ on the dot and keep moving it around to create your circle.  Don’t forget to divide your diameter in half so you get the radius, otherwise you will make the circle too big.

Here’s my math:  20″ divided by 3.14 equals 6 3/8″ diameter (radius = 3 1/8), or 50cm divided by 3.14 equals 16cm diameter (radius = 8cm).

I added about 1/2″(1 cm) seam allowance.

Next I made the pattern for the crown.  The length is going to equal the circumferance of your circle and the width can be whatever you want it to be.  My measurements worked out to this: length equals 20″ plus 1″ seam allowance (50cm plus 2cm seam allowance).  For the width I measured 3″ (7.5cm).

For the brim I cheated a little to figure out the measurment.  I have a chart in my college drafting book to help figure out meausrments for circles.  Here’s a little exerpt that should help you with figureing your own measurements. This is in inches.  I’ll explain converting inches to centimeters at the end of the post.

distance covered          1/4 circle          1/2 circle          3/4 circle          full circle
18                                         11 1/2                 5 3/4                  3 3/4                   2 7/8

19                                         12 1/8                6 1/8                    4 1/8                   3

20                                        12 3/4                6 3/8                   4 1/4                    3 1/8

21                                        13 3/8                 6 5/8                   4 1/2                    3 3/8

22                                        14                         7                            4 5/8                   3 1/2

23                                        14 5/8                 7 1/4                    4 7/8                  3 5/8

24                                        15 1/4                 7 5/8                   5 1/8                    3 3/4

25                                       15 7/8                 7 7/8                    5 1/4                   3 7/8

So I’m sure you are now wondering how the heck to use this chart.  Get a large piece of paper and mark the center of one edge.  I used the 1/2 circle since I was aiming for a not too floppy brim.  In the first column for distance covered I looked for the measurment that matched the circumference of the hat crown (20″) and then looked at the 1/2 circle measurement since I didn’t want a brim that was too floppy but not too straight.  The radius for the inside of my brim would then be 6 3/8 inches.  On the paper, using the mark you made as the center point, use your compass or ruler to measure the radius.  You should have drawn a half circle.  This is the inside of your brim and should match the circumference of the crown.  Don’t forget to draw in 1/2 inch (1cm) seam allowances.

Next I decided how wide I wanted my brim and marked down another 3 inches from the inside of the brim.  Again, dont forget to add seam allowance.

So you should have the three pattern pieces needed to make the hat.  I cut out two sets of each pattern piece, for each hat.  The first set I cut from an old pair of jeans for the outside of the hat.  The second set I cut from a scrap of cotton fabric for the lining of the hat.

Next I put the brim pieces together.  Fold your brim in half, right sides together and stitch across the end.  Do this to the brim lining piece as well.  Press the seam allowance open or to one side.

Place your brim and brim lining together, right sides, and stitch around the outer edge.  Clip the seam allowance, turn right sides out and press.

I topstitched around the edge after pressing.

Next I took the crown piece and folded it in half, right sides together and stitched the ends.  I pressed the seam allowance to one side. Do this with the crown lining as well.

I marked the crown in quarters using pins and marked the crown top in quarters as well.  I then pinned the crown to the crown top, matching the markings.  I stitched the two pieces together and then did the same with the lining pieces.

You can clip if you want, I didn’t find it necessary though and I just pressed the seam allowance down.

Mark the crown in quarters again and mark the inside brim edge in quarters.  Put the two pieces together and stitch around.  I trimmed the seam allowance to even it up but you don’t have to do this.

Next I wanted to put the lining on in a way that reduced the amount of hand stitching I might have to do.  So I marked the crown lining in quarters and marked the inside of the hat in quarters again.  I put the right sides together and pinned it at the markings.  The hat should be completely inside the crown lining.  I stitched around the edge and left an opening so I could turn it out.  After pressing I was going to hand stitch but then I got an idea that would eliminate all hand sewing. 🙂

I turned in the seam allowance on the opening and pinned it closed.  I then edge stitched around this seam line from the outside.  This closed the hole in the lining, keeps the lining from flipping out and looks nice.  yay!

Finished hat!

Some thoughts on this project:

I might consider making the crown a little wider, maybe 4 inches.

You can do decorative stitching on the brim, add eyelets for vent holes, put pockets etc.  This is such a basic hat.

If you want a floppier brim, use the measurment for the 3/4 or full circle and you can make the brim wider too.

If you are using a lighter weight fabric for your hat, you may want to consider using a stiff interfacing to give it some body.

How to convert inches to centimeters.

Basically 1 inch equal 2.5 centimeters.  So to convert from inches to centimeters, simply multiply by 2.5.  To convert from centimeters to inches, divide by 2.5.  simple.  When dealing with fractions for inches  you simply divide the top number by the bottom one but here are the decimals to make things easier.

1/8″ = .125,   1/4 = .25,   3/8 = .375,   1/2 = .5,   5/8 = .625,   3/4 = .75,   7/8 = .875

T-shirt sleeves into shorts and a t-shirt scarf, mini tute

A few weeks ago I agreed to do a pay-it-forward gift exchange.   A friend had posted a note on their facebook profile that the first five people to leave a comment would receive something handmade by her.  The deal was there was no set deadline, but it would be within the year, no set value and no notification of when or what was being sent.  It could be something crafted, it could be a box of cookies or a full on meal.  The only stipulation was if you left a comment that you had to re-post the note on your profile and agree to do the same for the first 5 people who commented and so on.

I really didn’t know what to make and then I came across a tutorial on This Old Dress.  I didn’t want to buy anything new to make my PIF’s so I dug in my sewing closet (yes I actually have to dig in there) and pulled out two t-shirts to use.  The original tute shows how to decorate the fabric with fabric paints to create more interest but I didn’t have the time or motivation (or paint for that matter) to do that so I chose a navy blue and light blue tshirt and figured the two together would make it interesting enough.

For this project you need one or two tshirts, the bigger the better, depending on how full you want your neck lush to be.  You can use tshirt fabric for this too, just sew up two rectangles with a zigzag stitch to create a tube.

Lay out your tshirts flat.  cut off the hem and cut off the body portion just at the underarm point.

Set aside the top portions of the shirts for the next tutorial and hang on to the bottom hem pieces.  Cut the two body portions of your t-shirt into horizontal strips so that you have loops.  I cut mine about 1″ (2.5cm) wide.  Next come the easy part, take each loop and give it a good stretch.  The fabric should curl up and almost double in length.  Once you have stretched all your loops you will want to tie them together.  Hold all the loops in one hand and wrap one of your hem pieces around the bunch and tie a knot.  And that’s it!   fun, super soft, versatile scarf.

Some thoughts on this project:

The bigger your t-shirt, the longer your loops will be, the more you can do with your scarf.

This will work best with cotton t-shirts (or cotton knit fabric from the fabric store) as it will stretch out and stay stretched out.  Any amount of spandex/lycra in the fabric will simply cause it to shrink back up to its original size.

Experiment with painting and dying your t-shirts to create a little interest in the finished product but do this before cutting your t-shirt in to strips.

If you sewed a piece of fabric into a loop for this project, be sure to wrap your hem piece (or extra strip of fabric) around the seamed area to cover it as it doesn’t look the nicest.

Now that you have finished your fun scarf and are looking pretty trendy right now, what do you do with the leftovers?

You can cut the sleeves and upper body portion of your shirt into strips and make some bracelets or whatever but if you have a toddler hanging around your house (or maybe one or two hanging out at your friends or family’s houses) make a pair of one of a kind shorts!

For this project I used the sleeves from the two t-shirts I make my tshirt scarf out of.  I also used a pair of my son’s shorts as a guide.

I used two sets of sleeves for this as I felt that one set would be a bit too short.  it really depends on the length of the sleeves of your tshirt so use your own judgement.

I laid a light blue sleeve on top of the dark blue sleeve and used the ready-made shorts as a guide for length.  I then trimmed off the excess fabric from the dark blue sleeve making sure to leave it long enough to attach to the hem of the light blue sleeve.

I then tucked the dark blue sleeve into the light blue one, lining up the cut edge with the edge of the hem inside the light blue sleeve.  Then I stitched over the hem stitch line of the light blue sleeve, catching the dark blue one on the inside, stretching lightly as I went.

Next I used the ready-made shorts as a guide for cutting the crotch of the new shorts.  Lay the sleeve flat with the underarm seam as the new inseam of the shorts.  Cut the crotch shape.  It doesn’t have to be exact and the front doesn’t have to be different from the back since these are knit shorts.

Sew the crotch seam.

To finish the waist I cut a strip of fabric from the leftover upper portion of the light blue tshirt.  I made it two times the width of my elastic plus seam allowance (approx. 2.5″ since I was using a 1″ elastic.) and the same length as the waist of the shorts.  I cut a piece of elastic to fit my son’s waist and stitched the ends together to form a loop.  I stitched the strip of fabric together to form a loop and folded it over the elastic.  I then stitched the encased elastic to the shorts making sure to stitch only through the fabric and not the elastic.

And then just trim the threads and put on your favourite toddler!

Some thoughts on this project:

if the sleeves are long enough you don’t need to double them up.

I realized as I was adding the photo’s that I cut the crotch before I added the other sleeve to add length.  There really is no right or wrong way to do this, it’s all about getting the finished product. lol!

You may want to wash the face of the toddler you give your shorts to before taking their picture.

Mei Tai style baby carrier with Tute

I’m pretty sure my brother’s girlfriend doesn’t read my blog but just in case she does visit pre-baby…hope you like your gift!

My brother and his girlfriend are expecting their first baby this August.  I’m super excited about it and in addition to a few other things, I wanted to make them a baby carrier.  I personally used the Mei tai style carrier with a few modifications based on Corrina Troth’s ‘Frankencozy‘.  For me this was the most fabulous thing since my daughter was put into my arms but the design doesn’t suit everyone.  Case in point, my other sister-in-law requested one from me but after trying the style I used, requested the type with padded shoulder straps as she tended to carry mostly on her back, backpack style, which the wide straps of my carrier did not comfortably suit.

So on to this Mei tai.  I got a remnant of bright orange fleece at work and it’s the kind of orange hunters wear.  Since my brother and his girlfriend like to hunt I thought it would be fun to make something for the baby out of this fleece.  Also my brother is in the military so I thought something with camouflage would be fun to.  When I visited my mom and found a piece of camouflage material she wasn’t using, I knew it was meant for me.

Usually a carrier like this requires up to two yards of fabric in order to properly cut out all the pieces.  I, on the other hand, did not have nearly that much in just one piece so I’m going to show you how I squeezed this cool little carrier out of less than two yards of fabric.

Things needed:

marking pencil (optional, I eyeball a lot of things)
denim/canvas sewing machine needle
approx. .5 meter/1/2 yard of 60″ wide fleece
approx. .5 meter/1/2 yard of 60″ wide denim or canvas
approx. .8 meter/ 7/8 yard of 60″ wide decorative fabric (use a medium weight fabric with a tight weave)

For the pieces, refer to the photo’s for reference but basically the body is about 32 cm/13″ wide by 40 cm/16 long.  The shoulder straps are about 20cm / 8″ wide by 150cm/60″ long.  The waist straps are about 20cm/8″ wide by 75cm/30″ long.  I cut the center portion of the strap curved in an attempt to accomodate the natural curve the straps want to make when tied around the waist and in doing so, eliminate some bulk caused by the subsequent bunching.  I based this info off of another carrier, however the information is no longer available online so I can’t link to it.

meitai pattern

I’ll start with cutting out the pieces.  For the body cut one piece out of the fleece, denim and fashion fabric. If you are tight on fabric, measure out everything before you cut to make sure that you can fit all your pieces.  Because I had so little fashion fabric I laid it out on the floor in one layer.  I cut the body from the corner of one end, making sure the shortest measurment was in the fabrics lengthwise direction.  From the bottom portion of the fashion fabric I used the full 60″ length for the length of the straps.  I had about 16 inches so I simply cut the strip in half.  from the remainder of the fabric I measured off  30″ in length and split it in half, since it was already 16″ wide.  From the last piece, I was able to cut two of the center waist pieces.  Not sure what I mean for the layout? here’s quick picture that should help.

meitai layout

You will also want to cut out two center waist pieces in the fleece to use as padding for the waist.  If you want you can extend the length of the piece by about 4″ (10cm) on either side so that the padding extends into the waist strap a bit.  You will also want to cut to rectangles of fleece that are 13″/33cm by 7″/18cm to use as padding in the shoulder straps.P6280050

Here is how I put it all together.

I started with the straps.  Fold the shoulder strap in half, right sides together, and stitch across one end and up the unfolded side so that it makes a tube.  Clip the corners, turn the tube right side out and press.  Do the same for the other shoulder strap.

Take your shoulder strap padding peice and fold it in half.  Insert it into the open end of the shoulder strap.  You may have to wiggle it around until it is laying flat in a double layer, even with the open end of the tube.  Next, top stitch around the entire strap and make a couple of lines of stitching in just the padded area to keep the padding in place.

Next fold the waist strap pieces in half, right sides together, and stitch across the end and about halfway up the unfolded edge.  Clip corners and turn.  Then layer your center waist piece like this: two pieces of fashion fabric, right sides together and then two layers of fleece on top.  Stitch across the bottom edge, trim the fleece very close to the stitching line to remove bulk.  Next you are going to attach the waist strap pieces to the center waist piece.  It’s a little complicated to explain so hopefully the pictures will tell you how to attach these pieces.

Next layer the body pieces together like this: Lay the fashion fabric right side up.  lay one shoulder strap on one top corner and then the other strap on the other corner and pin in place.  Place the fleece right side down on the fashion fabric and then the denim piece on top of that.  Stitch around the sides and top, leaving the bottom edge open.  Clip corners.  Make more stitching lines in the seam allowance where the straps are connected to reinforce the seam.  Turn right side out.  You should have the denim fabric layered between the fashion fabric and the fleece.  Then top stitch around the edges.  In order to further reinforce the shoulder straps I did some zigzag stitching.

Almost done.  Now to attach the waist strap.  Center the center waist peice on the bottom edge of the body with right sides together.  Stitch across and trim the fleece very close to the stitching line to reduce bulk.  Flip the waist peice down and press.  Fold up the other side of the waist piece and turn under the seam allowance.  Pin and stitch close to the edge from one end of the waist strap to the other, closing the opening in the process.  Then stitch some lines in the padding to hold it in place.  It also helps to reinforce the strap.

Clip your threads and you are finished!

Usually a meitai is worn like this:

The waist strap is tied around the waist like an apron.  Then the body is flipped up around baby, the shoulder straps go over the shoulders, cross in the back and then tie around the front either around baby’s body or under their bum.

You can still wear this carrier like that, however you can also tie it so the waist strap isn’t flipped up.  Basically lay the carrier on your front so the shoulder straps are over your shoulders. Then tie you waist strap.  You can then let the front flip down to put baby in and flip it back up and tie the same as above.

Some thoughts on this project:

You can make the waist strap straight.  You can add a hood.  You can leave out the padding.  There are dozens of ways to make this style of carrier and dozens of instructions online to make them.  Just google “how to make mei tai carrier”.  One of the best sites for instructions and links is Jan Andrea.  There are instructions as well as links to other sites showing many different variations on this carrier.

If you find the straps are not long enough, you can add fabric to the end.  The length of straps here should fit most sizes.  Smaller sizes will be able to tie the straps in a bow, while bigger sizes may have to tie in a knot.  If at all possible, try to cut your pieces out in one piece.  The more seams, the more areas at risk of becoming weak and tearing.  So if you are seaming, be sure to do lots of reinforcement stitching.

Please please please exercise caution when using this carrier.  There is a learning curve to any infant/toddler carrier and this one is no exception.  If this is the first time you are using this style, practice with a teddy bear until you get the hang of holding baby with one hand and adjusting the carrier with the other.  One of the best sites for instructions (and place to buy a ready made, super quality carrier) is Kozy Carrier.  You can see just how versatile this style is and if you decide to buy from her, know that you are supporting a stay at home mom and not some mass produced thing from a big box store.

Also, I worked hard on this redesign and would appreciate that you don’t use my instructions directly to create your own carriers to sell.  experiment with your own measurments, strap styles etc until you come up with your own version.  These instructions are meant to help anyone looking to make their own for personal use.


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Andre the Giant

Giant of photography that is. As if there weren’t enough reasons to go to Paris already, there is now another. The Jeu de Paume Museum is showing the first major European retrospective of Andre Kertesz, one of my all time favorite photographers.

Born in Hungary in 1894, Kertesz started to explore with a camera when he was 16, while working as a clerk at the Budapest stock exchange. Inspired by life itself, Kertesz used his camera as a sketchbook, recording the majesty of everyday scenes. He explained,  “I photographed real life—not the way it was, but the way I felt it. This is the most important thing: not analyzing, but feeling.”

"Lovers" Budapest, 1915

Circus, Budapest, 1920

Underwater Swimmer from 1917, below, became a precursor for Kertesz’s later fascination with the distortion of  the body that permeated much of his work in the early 1930’s.

After years of photographing as a hobby in Hungary, Kertesz finally moved to Paris in 1925 where he officially began his career as a photographer.  He would wander the streets, capturing intimate scenes that infused his work with its distinctive character. A master of shade and light, he also had a natural eye for form and composition.

Stairs of Montmartre, 1925

Clock of the Académie Française, 1929

chairs of paris 1927

During this time in Paris, he met and photographed other artists including Mondrian, Marc Chagall, the writer Colette, and film-maker Sergei Eisenstein and became the first photographer to have a one man exhibition. He served as a mentor to other photographers who went on to have illustrious careers of their own such as Brassai and Henri Cartier-Bresson, who said, “Whatever we have done, Kertesz did first”.

Chez Mondrian, 1926

In the 1920’s and 30’s, Paris was a center of intense avant-garde creative activity, attracting artists from all over the world. Kertesz’ Satiric Dancer from 1926, below, shows his interest in the dreamlike vision of Surrealism, a concept popular at the time, that also attracted other photographers such as Man Ray, Brassai, and Ilse Bing.

In 1933, he was asked to contribute some nude photographs to the Parisian magazine Le Sourire (The Smile). This is when his interest in the visual distortions of the body reemerged. Using mirrors and special lenses, Kertesz was able to create these artistic visions. Very Dali-like, no?

distortion no. 40

distortion no. 78

distortion no. 49

Feeling the mounting pressure of pre-WWII Europe, Kertesz moved to New York in 1936. But things did not work out professionally the way he had hoped. A catalogue for one of his shows explained that Kertesz identified with the little cloud in this shot because “it didn’t know which way to go”.

The Lost Cloud, New York, 1937

Kertesz was frustrated in New York. He worked for the many illustrated magazines, from Harper’s Bazaar and Town and Country to Life and Look and House and Garden. But he felt his personal work was suffering and was ultimately slighted when not included in Steichen‘s famous The Family of Man exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1955.

Washington Square Park, New York 1954

But the 1960s saw a resurgence in his popularity and the new photography director of the MoMA, John Szarkowski, featured him in a solo show in 1964. By the 1970’s Kertesz was exhibiting regularly and enjoyed world wide acclaim.

New York, 1977

In 1983, Kertesz was featured in the Master Photographers, a program that the BBC produced. This is the first episode.

Kertesz published several books during his lifetime, but my favorite is On Reading. Originally published in 1971, it is a charming volume of photographs featuring people – yes, you guessed it, reading. The pictures, taken from 1920 – 1970 focus on people reading everywhere, from Hungary to France to other locales around the globe, in every conceivable situation.

Carnival, Paris (woman reading behind stage), 1926

New York, October 12, 1944

Buenos Aires, July 10, 1962

Kertesz continued to work his entire life. In his later years, he received many awards including the Legion of Honor, which the French government awarded him in 1983. He died in New York in 1985.

all photos © courtesy of the estate of André Kertész

This entry posted in art, books, photography. Entry Tags: , , , Bookmark the permalink.

4 Responses to Andre the Giant

  1. Splenderosa says:

    Such a lovely informative post, Q. My son is a commercial photographer; he studied at Parsons in Paris for 3 years & knows of this gentleman’s iconic work.
    He was far ahead of his time, wasn’t he? I mean the distortions of photography into a very contemporary realm of his own. xx’s

    • quintessence says:

      splenderosa – Lucky son – 3 years in paris! yes, kertesz was indeed ahead of his time – I think his work will always look modern.

  2. Harrison Howard says:

    Kertesz is the very first photographer that made me understand many years ago that photography is as much an art form as a painting or a piece of music. The “Stairs at Monmartre” is to me a compositional masterpiece, and it makes me wonder if he spent a lot of time waiting for the shadows and people to be in a position he thought was just right, or he just happened to be there and spotted a perfect opportunity. I wonder if he took many shots and kept the one he liked best, or managed to get just a handful and chose this one.

    • quintessence says:

      Harrison – interesting question. I suspect that it was a combination of Kertesz’ excellent eye, timing and circumstance.

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Rid of nitrogenus waste, maintain water and electrolyte balance, manage pH of blood
How much of a healthy young adult weight is water weight?
The hormone that acts on the kidney to regulate sodium ion in the EFC is what?
What percent of sodium is reabsorbed by the proximal convoluted tubule?
What is a polycystic kidney condition?
degenerative, blisters or sacs with urine
What is the average output of urine per day for adults?
150 ml/day
What is the most common urinary tract infection?
E. Coli
Name the functions of the bladder, uretha, renal artery, and ureter
Stores Urine- Bladder
Transport urine to body exterior and is shorter in females- uretha
Transport arterial blood to kidney- renal artery
Transport urine to the urinary bladder- ureter
Describe these terms: cortex, medulla, calyx, renal capsule, renal column and renal pelvis
Renal capsule- smooth membrane clinging tightly to the kidney surface
Medulla- portion of kidney containing mostly collecting ducts
Cortex- portion of the kidney containing the bulk of the nephron structures and superficial region of kidney tissue
Renal pelvis- basinlike area of the kidney, continuous w/ ureter
Calyx- an extension of the pelvis that encircles the apex of a pyramid
Renal column- area of cortexlike tissue running between the medullary pyramids
Describe these 4 parts: glomulus, proximal convuluted tubule, collective duct, parietal capillaries, and glomerus
Glomulus- site of filtration
Proximal convuluted tubule- primary site of tubular reabsorption
Collective duct- structure that conveys the filtered urine to the renal pelvis
Parietal capillaries- blood supply that directly receives substances from the tubular cells
Glomerus- inner membrane that forms part of the filtration membrane
Why is the glomerus such a high pressure capillary bed?
Blood that enters into a longer tube, and as it goes down, tube gets smaller, creating high pressure
How does high pressure condition aid its function of filtrate formation?
leaves proteins and sugars
What structural modification of certain tubule cells enhance their ability to reabsorb substances from the filtrate?
Trace the anatomical pathway of a creatinine molecule from the glomular capsule to the urethra
glomerular capsule-proximial convuluted tuble-Loop of Henli-ducts- renal cortex- medullary pyramid- calyces- renal pelvis- ureter- bladder
List 3 nitrogenus wastes that are routinely found in urine
urea, uric acid, reatrine
List 3 substances that are absent from the filtrate and urine of healthy adults
blood, proteins, sugars, bile
List 2 substances that are routinely found in filtrate but not in urine product
amino acids and glucose
How does a urinary tract infection influence urine ph?
bacteria makes ph higher= basic urine
How does starvation influence urine ph?
urine becomes acidic because your body is breaking down amino acids
State these abnormal urine conditions: blood in urine, hemolytic anemia, eating too much candy in one sitting, pregnancy, starvation, urinary tract infection
blood in urine- hematuria
hemolytic anemia- hemoglobinuria
Too much candy in one sitting- glycosuria
Pregnancy- albuminuria
Starvation- ketonuria
Urinary Tract infection- pyuria
What conditions favor kidney stones?
alkine urine and higher concentration of solutes
Why does urine become alkaline and cloudy standing at room temp?
Bacteria comes and breaks down urea for ammonia


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Tag Archives: draft

Scene Starters for “Please, Daddy, Don’t”

I In the beginning…of her young life, anyway…there was very little that was good. Cecile lived in a dysfunctional family plagued by alcohol, violence, and abuse. The baby of the family, she should have been doted upon and made to … Continue reading

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THE FIFTH WOMAN Two seemingly unconnected cases leads Wallander to believe he is on the trail of a serial killer bent on revenge. Sunday at 8 p.m. on PBS-HD.

Masterpiece Mystery: Foyle's War - Broken Souls

When the colleague of an exiled war refugee is found murdered, Foyle is called upon to investigate. Thursday at 8 p.m. on PBS-HD 6.

NATURE: The Desert Lions

In the forbidding Namib Desert, along the Skeleton Coast of Namibia, Dr. Philip Stander tracks the mysterious and remarkable desert lion. Thursday at 8 p.m. on PBS-HD

NOVA: Secrets of the Parthenon

With unprecedented access, NOVA presents the inside story of the Parthenon’s official restoration. Tuesday, October 13 at 8 p.m. on PBS-HD.

Teachers' Voices with Eve Rifkin and Brett Goble

The story behind City High School, a downtown charter school where anonymity is not part of the curriculum.

The Face-Off

Commentators Bruce Ash and Paul Eckerstom weigh-in with their view of the top races in Arizona as early voting gets underway.

U-S - China Currency War?

China Expert Dr. David Finkelstein, Vice President and Director of China Studies at the Center for Naval Analyses talks about rising tensions between China and the United States over currency.

United States Air Force Academy Band visits Southern Arizona

Meet two master sergeants who are also clarinetists in the USAF Academy Band.

Reflections on Nine Years in Afghanistan

Hear about two women in Tucson who are making a difference in Afghanistan

Friday Roundtable

Linda Valdez of the Arizona Republic and Jim Nintzel of the Tucson Weekly talk about the latest polling in the race for governor and Congressional District 8.

Tucson Charter Change Debate

Jeff Rogers, Chair of the Pima County Democratic Party speaks in favor of Proposition 401 while former AZ state Legislator Tom Prezelski voices the opposition.

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Appendix with retained barium

Case contributed by Dr Jeremy Jones
Modality: X-ray

Case Discussion

Incidental note of retained barium within the appendix.

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Case created: 25th Jun 2009
Last edited: 17th Oct 2015
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To Be Racist, Just Add Butter

I once sat down at a coffee shop and a man walked up to me and said “The South Will Rise again!” I looked at this man and said, “Uh, no it won’t. Remember when Lincoln happened? That’s why it won’t rise again. Now silence yourself before I press my Black Panthers call button!” But it sounds like Paula Deen in all her buttery diabetic goodness is on this crazy man’s side as she’s recent caught some heat for using the N-Word at one of her black staff members. Sure Deen has come out and apologized, but not in the manner that one really feels sorry for what they’ve done. It’s more in the vain of “Hey, I got black people working in my restaurant! So it’s all good! Right?” God, no! Why the hell would you think that?

But the Racism Back-Paddling Hole doesn’t stop there. She came out and talked about her ancestor that committed suicide after the end of the Civil War when he lost 31 of his Slaves. What?! Morose, Overly Dramatic, Teens have had better reasons to commit suicide than this guy! The Aztecs have had better reasons to have ritualistic suicides in their culture that have been validated more effectively than this cat’s reasons. “Oh no, I lost owning human beings. What to do now? I suppose I can take this musket and end my now meaningless life, if I can’t whip people who are different than me. Here I come Jesus!” Good, you know what I’m glad that dude killed himself because he sounds like he had no actual skills to be a functioning member of society. He was the racist equivalent of a kid that graduated with a Communication degree.

Furthermore, she goes on to day that the South is less prejudice since Black folk were such an integral part of that culture and life. NOT BY CHOICE! They were’nt hanging out in Africa and said, “Natumbye, do you think there’s a race of people who lack culture and farming skills that perhaps we should aid in. And in return we to not learn how to read, live in a shack and eventually start a Civil War?” No! They were pretty ransacked by the settlers and brought over to the US. Being an integral part of society means they wanted to be there and there’s some sort of cultural symbiosis. The bird that picks bugs from the elephant’s back isn’t forced into doing it, but rather chooses to do it because it like picking bugs of an elephant. And in return, the Elephant provides protection and food for the bird. I don’t think Paula Deen understands how slavery really worked. Can someone give her a history book rather than a cookbook!

Worse than Paula’s blatant misunderstand of how Slavery worked and how the Civil War is the #1 cause of Slave Owner suicide, is her fans who are defending her! Look everyone is racist to a degree, but this is not only racist but ignorant to justify that you’re not racist by saying even crazier things! We do in an overly Political Correct society but this situation is not in that category. Paula, dear, you can’t claim that you’re not racists because you have Black “Friends”, because really you don’t have Black Friends, you have people whom you employ who also turn out be black. So I hope South rises against Paula Deen to tell her how history really happened and why she say crazy things justify using the N-Word. I also hope the Butter Industry rises up against Paula for giving it a bad name too.


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A Tale of Two Trips

The temperatures are moderating (finally!).  The breeze has just a hint of chill contained within it.  The Mesilla Valley remains in full bloom with green in evidence everywhere.

It must be roadster time.  And indeed it is.  A couple of weeks ago I put the roadster into the shop for some long overdo maintenance, and a couple of Fridays ago I was informed that it was roadworthy once again.  Thus, that Sunday, we washed off the grime and dust and jumped into the cockpit for one of our favorite drives — the back roads from El Paso to Old Mesilla just south of Las Cruces, New Mexico.

And what an exhilarating drive it was through fields of cotton and corn, vineyards, and beneath the outstretched shading canopies of countless pecan orchards.

Having reached our destination, we were disappointed to learn that one of our favorite eating establishments had closed.  Fortunately, there are some very delicious alternatives in and around Old Mesilla, so our backup plan became Andele’s for some pork tacos (a plate for two that would easily feed four if stretched with just one appetizer).  We were not disappointed, and that one plate served us well with leftovers a couple of days later.  The guacamole was made with rich, well-ripened avocado, and the salsa bar offered myriad choices to accompany our tacos.  And then there are those great, freshly made corn tortillas served up in a hot, foil-wrapped stack that will singe your fingers if you’re not careful.

On the way back to El Paso we dropped by the Sierra Vista Growers to peruse the flowers on hand.

All in all it was quite a day and quite a drive.  But one good roadster trip calls for yet another, which we’ll see later this week and next.  Meanwhile:

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Filed under Automobiles and Driving, Photography, travel

One response to “A Tale of Two Trips

  1. I ate at this place April of last year (2008). I was on my way to Texas. No, I am not a bot or some random guy putting up posts. I am simply up dating my culinary experiences as I keep remembering. I had finally managed to get to the outskirts of Las Cruces, which mean I was not that far away from the Texas line. I am hungry, so I decide to exit and make a turn. I keep driving, but can’t see anything, so I keep driving further ahead and long behold I see a sign, Adele!. I figured I had to stop at a place with such a unique name for a restaurant. Walked inside and take a seat. Look over the menu and order my food. I ordered some chicken enchiladas. Remember this is New Mexico, I am no longer in Los Angeles where you find stuff that is more true to the pallet of folks that come directly from south of the border. I grew up on food being more like it’s made in Mexico and Central America. I was blown away by how nice the blend of American and New Mexican style of cooking has evolved. The enchiladas were so cheesy. The sauce was cheesy, and the waiter explained to me that it was because cheese was added to the sauce. The chicken was tender, and nice chunks too. I completely enjoyed eating here. To top it all off I decided to order a desert. I cannot remember what the name of this cake is but it was good. It’s made from sweet crackers that are placed on a pan, then some lemon cream is spread on top. This is done a couple of times to create a thick cake like creation. My brother’s mother in law made it a few months ago and it didn’t match the one served here. I don’t think this is a Mexican restaurant. I would rather classify it as a New Mexican restaurant. This past December I was on the road again headed to Texas and decided to stop by this place again, but I couldn’t find parking. The place was packed. There were cars coming in and out. It was just too much for me so I decided to just head towards El Paso.


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Tag Archives: Bora Bora

Fun Photo Friday — Bora Bora favorites Part 2

Bora Bora Blues

Today’s Fun Photo Friday concludes our look at Bora Bora.  Next week we move on to Mo’orea.

Bora Bora

In Flight

Maohi Nui

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Filed under Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation

Port 7 Bora Bora — An excursion to Bloody Mary’s

World Famous Bloody Mary’s Bar, Restaurant, & Yacht Club

As we headed back to the dock where we would tender back to the Crown Princess, Patrick presented to us one last option.  Those who wanted to go back to the ship immediately could disembark from his outrigger in Nūnu’e.  Those who wanted instead to visit the “World Famous” Bloody Mary’s Bar, Restaurant, & Yacht Club could opt to travel across Pofai Bay, exit the outrigger, say our goodbyes, and make our way back into Nūnu’e by taxi to catch the tender later.  Ursula, I, and two others took the latter of the two options.

The dock to Bloody Mary’s

The dock serving Bloody Mary’s is a private one, as you can see from this sign:

Bloody Mary’s mooring

Bloody Mary’s was founded in 1979, and over the nearly forty years since it has gained quite the reputation.

Bloody Mary’s EST. 1979

Just how big an attraction is Bloody Mary’s?  Let’s take a look at some of this establishment’s more famous clientele, including “Who are 3 people who’ve never been in my kitchen?“:

A list of notable Bloody Mary patrons

There’s no mistaking when you’ve arrived:

Bloody Mary’s

The exterior of Bloody Mary’s is quite the sight:

Bloody Mary’s

Ursula and I didn’t dine here.  We chose instead to partake of Bloody Mary’s famous mixed drinks:

Drink Menu

It’s been a while, but I believe we wound up with a Vanilla Rum Punch and a Maitai Roa:

Vanilla Rum Punch and Maitai Roa

The bar itself is quite impressive:

Bloody Mary’s bar area

But, just in case you’re inclined to dine, here’s the main restaurant:

Bloody Mary’s dining room

Filed under Fun Photo Friday, Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation

Port 7 Bora Bora — Lunch after Snorkling

Lagoon Lunch Landing

The Maohi Nui ¾-day tour lasts about five hours.  It includes two snorkeling stops with a Polynesian feast between snorkeling areas.  The feast is traditionally prepared in an in-ground “oven” of heated lava rock covered by banana leaves and a suspiciously untraditional-looking synthetic oilskin tarp.

Patrick checks the Polynesian “Oven”

We’ll take a look at the goodies inside that oven shortly, but first a brief word on our snorkeling adventures this outing.  Our pre-lunch snorkel was in a coral area, and the waters were teeming with many docile, almost tame stingrays and curious blacktip reef sharks.  The image below is from NewsCrab’s article Bora Bora Island – The dream honeymoon destination of everyone:

Blacktip reef shark — Image from NewsCrab

Once our first snorkel was complete, we headed for a private motu (Polynesian reef islet with vegetation).  :

Double-Parked next to the Picnic Table

Now let’s look into that Polynesian oven.  Here’s Patrick opening the “oven door”:

Opening the oven door

Next he removes the “foil wrap” from the food, revealing the traditional banana leaves covering the pit:

Checking the baking dish

And finally we get our first glimpse of lunch:

Fantastic Feast

The goodies were removed from the pit and arranged buffet style atop tables.  The menu included suckling pig, chicken with local spinach, manioc (starchy root vegetable similar to cassava or yucca), plantains, bread fruit, and a side of raw fish salad with coconut milk.  Wines were included; white, red, and even champagne.

Meats and Local Vegetables

Heading for Bora Bora?  Want to enjoy this tour?  Here’s the website for Maohi Nui (and make sure you get on Patrick’s outrigger):

Maohi Nui — Lagoon Tour & Lunch

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Filed under Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation


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rachel’s quick tips for ALA Annual

Rachel’s Quick Tips for ALA Annual

  • Be friendly. Don’t just sit down on the shuttle and stare at your phone. Say hello to someone sitting near you: introduce yourself and ask about their library. There are so many amazing people at ALA, and you rarely have the opportunity to network so widely.
  • Bring a good bag. You’re going to be carrying lots of stuff around. And tote-bag envy is a time-honored tradition among librarians.
  • Find a place to get your caffeine fix before you get to the conference center. The Starbucks lines typically range from bananas to not-even-worth-it.
  • Bring snacks. Especially if you are a picky eater, or have dietary restrictions, the long lines and overpriced food at the conference center just will not cut it.
  • Mark your calendar for Guerrilla Storytime. Attend as many times as physically possible.
  • Don’t forget your sneakers. I need the quiet-time of exercise to off-set the mania of conference.
  • Make time to visit City Lights Books. I think they also have a booth in the Exhibit Hall. (Great place to buy souvenirs for all your family and #alaleftbehind friends.)
  • Get a burrito. A few years ago, I had the best burrito of my life at Taqueria Cancun. I can’t wait to repeat the experience. (If anyone wants in on this, hmu!)

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