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Sunday, October 26, 2014

North Range Road

Ok, so there was a bit of a spoiler in yesterday's post but now for the story...

With a new rear fitted to the Vee and a nice day it seemed only right to get out and give it a whirl.  I didn't really have any fixed plans but wanted to go and search for some gravel.  Originally I was going to have a play around Eketahuna and Pahiatua but didn't want to be gone all afternoon.  As I was riding up the track another brilliant idea leapt into my mind - North Range Road!

North Range Road is a great wee ride offering some fantastic views but it is fairly rough in places and when wet there is plenty of water to wade through - and it appears that we must have had quite a bit of rain while I was away on the Four Points...

The first gravel climb was nice, I took it easy, getting familiar with riding on gravel after 5,000kms of sealed riding and a long time between BRR Adv rides.  Off the gravel and onto the dirt everything was going well until the first big puddle.

My approach to these (if I can't avoid them) is to try to ride in the wheel tracks of other vehicles - the water may be deeper but the bottom is usually smoother and not as soft as it might be either side of the wheel track.  I reckon I must have either not quite be in the track and slipped into it or was in it but hit a rock of the side of the track when I had my involuntary dismount.

Luckily I didn't land in the puddle or under the bike but I did have to somehow get the bike upright and check her out.  220 odd kg of bike take some lifting when you're standing in a slippery puddle with water over the top of your boots...

Anyway, I got her right side up and pushed it out of the puddle a bit before firing her back up.  She started up straight away and everything appeared ok so I carried on.  In the other videos you'll notice that this puddle was just the first of quite a few and that some of them were real doseys!  I reckon the deepest one was nearly up to the top of the bike's crash bars...I was fairly careful when I attacked each puddle small lake...

Still, even after my dunking, I was enjoying the ride and as I said earlier there are some great views looking back down towards Palmy.

Perhaps not quite half-way through the track changes to a very good gravel road - it used to be a muddy bog for a lot longer but was upgraded as the wind farm expanded - and progress gets a lot easier.  More great views out over both sides of the ranges:

After dropping down the hill into Ballance I headed home via the Gorge and Mark's place so that he could get a few pics of me and the bike after the splash.

Now to dry out my boots...

Here's a video playlist with most of the video from the ride, some great views if you want to wade through it all...

And a few more pics here.

Friday, October 24, 2014

Amateur hour(s) in the shed

Yesterday I showed the Connie some love by giving her a bath and then changing the oil & filter and the oil in the final drive.  That stuff is easy and as usual I had no issues.  Today I took on something new...

The rear E-07 on the V-Strom has been stuffed for a while and as I'd picked up a replacement the other week I decided to see if I could fit the new one myself instead of paying someone to do it.  I knew it wasn't going to be that easy doing a tubeless tyre with my zero skill and limited tools (I had to borrow a couple of extra levers and a rubber hammer from the old man) but hey, I had the whole afternoon...

After whipping the wheel off and pulling the valve (well, that bit was easy) it was time for the hard bit - breaking the bead.  I had a short and feeble mess around with levers and soapy water and got nowhere so it was time to consult the interweb.

This video showed how to do it with a bit of extra leverage, while this one reckoned you could just use ya spoons and a bit of patience to get the job done.  I started with just trying to use the spoons but found I was getting nowhere so went in search of some "stuff" I could use to copy the procedure in the first video.

Unfortunately I don't have four arms (although I could have used them) so there's no pictures or video of the operation but yes it involved the Subaru and a couple of bits of wood...

I sweated and struggled and got rained on but in the end I finally broke the bead on one side and then the other.  Then it was time for the spoons and I actually had the tyre off pretty quickly.

Then it was time to fit the new one.

Getting the first side of the tyre on over the rim wasn't too hard with the use of soapy water and a big heavy dude standing on the tyre.  Getting half of the other side on was ok too but getting the last of it on was a bit of a wrestle with the spoons and rubber hammer having to come into play.  But we got there in the end!

Five minutes later the wheel was back on and the Vee ready to roll again.

Oh, and if I'd paid myself at the same rate I paid the shop last time to so this then I would have made nearly $10 an hour...

Tyre fitted it was time for another job on the Connie - change the air filter.  This is the second time I've done it myself so it wasn't too much of a big deal and I just tore into it.  She has to shed some clothes and some other spag needs to get moved aside but it's a pretty straight forward job - it just takes a bit of time.

Anyway, regardless of the time it took and the frustration with the tyre it was a neat way to spend some time in the shed and give the bikes a little bit of TLC.

Must be time to hit the road again...

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Four Points Slideshow

Back home after a great 5 days on the Connie.  A proper write-up is to come but in the meantime here are the pics:

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Four Points Day Three

Day three started with waking up to the sound of rain on the roof which wasn’t exactly what we were after but there was nothing for it but to get out of bed and onto the road again.

Leaving Pahia we came across a fallen tree that the firies were trying to get off the road and three cows who must have floated out of their paddock and onto the road.  Luckily we avoided these obstacles and even finally rode out of the rain just South of Kawakawa.
Our first stop was just out of Whangarei where we fuelled up and discussed breakfast.  The plan was to ride onto Auckland and hunt down a café.  In the end though, we carried on down the motorway before turning off and taking some back roads through to Clevedon where we ended up having brunch instead of breakfast.
Next up was the nice ride to Miranda and instead of riding the Coromandel Loop we made for Paeroa and Waihi where it was time for more fuel.  Leaving Waihi the roads got a lot busier so we just cruised into Tauranga and around Welcome Bay.
Just North of Matata we were most excited to catch up with the rain again but unfortunately we didn’t carry on in it too much as we were soon at Whakatane where we are parked up again for the night.

Next up tomorrow is the mighty East Cape...

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Four Points update

From the wet North...

Today is our second day on the road as we take on the Manawatu Ulysses Four Points again.  Yesterday we picked up our first card in Rahoutu after being blown around on our way up the Naki.  From there we made our slow (traffic) up to Te Kuiti and weather stayed pretty good apart from a few little spits here and there.
North of Pirongia we had some excitement when the same map in 2 different GPS units sent me one way and Mark another.  We eventually hooked up again before heading through to Glen Murray and it was through here that we started getting the odd shower and stopped to change our visors.
The worst bit of the ride was when we hit Auckland during rush hour.  The GPS units again split us up and we both spent a lot of time getting lost, hot and angry.  We did eventually reach our final destination of Helensville around 6:30 and went in search of a motel and food.
This morning we had a great ride on mostly dry roads to Wellsford where we stopped for a nice cooked breakfast.  While we were inhaling bacon the rain caught up with us and as I write this in Pahia it is parked up with us at our motel.

Regardless of the weather we still had a good ride through to Dargaville and up through the Waipoua Forest to Rawene where we road straight onto the ferry for the short crossing.  Then it was more wet twisties through to Ahipara and Kaitaia where we got fuel and decided to skip going right out to the Cape.  Instead we just rode to Houhora and picked up our second card, turned around and made a dash for the Bay of Islands.

Checking the weather forecast for tomorrow and hoping for better in the morning...

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Coming home

After a short but solid night's sleep following my long day (and night) of riding I had to find my way back home.  Luckily I had two mates (Neil and Colin) to help prevent me from getting lost - they did however lead me astray and persuade me that I had to ride the Paraparas again.

Neil was bringing his Speedy down to Palmy for a service anyway and had skived off work so he could get it down.  For some reason though he didn't want to ride it, the Concours seeming to be far more attractive to him - so I ended up having to ride the Trumpy.

It was terrible, really terrible...and if you believe that, you'll believe anything!  I had a blast riding the Triple through the Paras and I think Neil was enjoying the Connie too - the LHS hero blob is slightly smaller now...

In Wanganui we had lunch at one of the cafes that the BRR team regularly invade before pootling our way over to Palmy to drop off the Speedy.

It's a tough life...
Somehow Neil managed to wangle another day off work (blimmin public servants and their cruisy jobs) so he could wait for the service to be completed but needed some wheels to get around on so he naturally went for the best thing available.

I had to fight to get it back off him...
Anyway, the Speedy is sorted and Neil has headed home so I guess he'll be back at work tomorrow while I start getting ready for the next wee adventure...

Sunday, October 12, 2014

North Island 1600 - quick update

It is Sunday afternoon and I've been up since yesterday morning.  This must mean that I've been out on a serious ride eh?

Yep, this weekend was the first running of the North Island 1600 organised by Distance Riders NZ.  This event has taken over from the Rusty Nuts Grand Challenge and involves riding 1,600km in 24 hours or less.

There will be time for a better write-up when I get home but until then here's just a quick update from a tired but happy rider.

To start with the weather was planned particularly well as I probably only had to put up with about 15 minutes of rain out of my 18 odd hours on the road.  It did get chilly during the night but the grips still work so I managed to tough it out.

Our route was one that took in some nice windy back roads along with some main highways that we had to do to get us to those back roads.  Here is the route, freshly stolen from the Distance Riders website:

Some of the obvious highlights were the Napier-Taihape road, the Paraparas, Old Taupo Road and the Western Access.  But one of my favourites was the run out to Ngawi.  I've been out to Lake Ferry many times but never to Ngawi so this was a new bit of road and in the perfect conditions we had Ngawi certainly looked lovely.

2014 NI1600

After the run up SH1 to Bulls I was feeling a bit off.  Not crook, not tired, just off.  I even had thoughts of heading home but maybe this was just because I was so close to my nice warm bed at home?  Instead of making a beeline for home, I stopped in Bulls for a quick top-off of the tank and after this very short break I felt one heck of a lot better.  I never felt this way again at all and really enjoyed the second half of the ride.

2014 NI1600

The last stop checkpoint for the ride was in Waihi and I even allowed myself a coffee before rocking the last 250km back to Turangi.  I arrived back in camp at 14 minutes past 7 giving me a time of around 18 hours, 11 minutes which would make it my best effort yet - pretty happy with that.

2014 NI1600
The perfect mile-muncher
After a nice hot meal I bugged out and made for Neil's in National Park where I'm checking out his couch and the motor racing on TV while he thrashes his Speedy around Hampton Downs...

More later...

Monday, October 06, 2014

A little Korean

Today was a lovely stormy day so I thought it was a great idea to take the Connie to replace these:

Second hand PR2's...

Second hand PR2's...

And today's loaner was not the lovely little MT-09 from yesterday but this little white beastie:

Sym Wolf 250

Apparently its a 2013 Sym 250 Wolf - hard to tell with absolutely no identifying markings...

Sym Wolf 250

Its quite a pretty little V-twin and managed to get me to and from work in pouring rain and a howling gale (some people are missing roofs tonight).  Glad I didn't have to take the 250 out on the main roads...

Sym Wolf 250

As you can see from the above picture it is fitted with an aftermarket pipe and this made it sound pretty sweet for a 250.  The bar-end mirrors don't really do it for me.

Sym Wolf 250

Apparently its somewhere around 25hp and it was absolutely fine around town as long as the revs were kept around the 5,000 mark.  Everything else seemed to work ok although I didn't really like the front brake (there was a bit of shuddering) and the clutch could do with some adjusting.

Anyway, like I said before, quite a nice looking, fun little bike which would probably be great for a learner of for commuting on.  The Connie did feel slightly bigger when I got back on her...

BRRBT - the video!

Ven's video from yesterday:

The Connie looks particularly good I think...

Sunday, October 05, 2014

BRRBT Inaugural Ride

And now for something completely different...

A wee while ago Neil had the cunning thought that the BRR should run some road rides as quite a few of the gravel nuts also have road bikes and its another good excuse for a pootle.  And so Back Road Riders Black Top rides were born -with today being our first outing.

After another very crap Saturday (Neil rode down from National Park in the snow) Sunday started off fairly promising with no rain and the sun at least trying to burn off the cloud.  I was up early again and soon on my way over to the meeting point in Feilding.  Here's a great pic of the Connie with all the other guys there waiting for the action to start:

Anyway, after I'd had a coffee the others started turning up and soon there was a reasonable smattering of bikes and riders.  Because this was a Black Top ride there were also a few new faces (who obviously haven't discovered the joys of gravel riding) and we were even lucky enough to have a couple of new Yamahas from the local shop along for the ride.

Eventually we'd spent enough time making fun of the Triumph riders so geared up and hit the road.  Feilding was looking pretty good in the sun:

05-10-14 BRRBT

Leaving Feilding we rode across to Colyton before using Valley Road to get us across to the Pohangina Valley.

05-10-14 BRRBT

Next up was Pohangina Valley East Road to Apiti where it was time for a quick stop and a chance to check out all the other bikes.

05-10-14 BRRBT
Bug-eyed monsters
05-10-14 BRRBT
A gixxer with nearly as many kms on it as the Connie
05-10-14 BRRBT
Wee parked by a magnificent Kwaka
05-10-14 BRRBT
Colin's Wee
05-10-14 BRRBT
Russell's nice little Guzzi
05-10-14 BRRBT
Yamaha MT-07
05-10-14 BRRBT
Star of the show - MT-09
We had to leave Apiti twice as not far out of the village Neville's Triumph decided to pick up a puncture.  This was fixed fairly quickly and we were off again dodging cattle and pigeon's (Neil).

At the turn-off to Rangiwahia we lost both Yamahas as one had places to be and the other needed to go off and search for fuel before rejoining us further up the road.

05-10-14 BRRBT
Anything in there?
While the Yamahas went left, we went right and enjoyed a great ride through to Pemberton where we turned off and made for Ohingaiti.  More great roads.

05-10-14 BRRBT

05-10-14 BRRBT

05-10-14 BRRBT

05-10-14 BRRBT

From Ohingaiti we took another couple of short back roads through to out lunch stop in Hunterville.

05-10-14 BRRBT

Our after lunch we lost a few of the Wellington riders and made for Fordell via some nifty back roads before taking in a few more loops that would eventually have us back in Feilding.  It was during these loops that most of the guys had the opportunity to try out the lovely little MT-09 - myself included.

05-10-14 BRRBT
Kauangaroa Road
05-10-14 BRRBT

My little spin on it was from Turakina, up Turakina Valley Road and then onto Makuhou Road.  The first bit was on fairly straight roads but Makuhou Road is made of corners and even though there was plenty of metal spread across the road I had a ball on the lightweight ball of fun - cheers Barry!

After a blat around Mt Curl we even took in a short stretch of gravel (well I guess we did have a couple of Wee-Stroms with us, had to keep them happy) before swapping over to the other side of SH1 for another little loop.  Our ride pretty much ended in Halcombe where everyone went their separate ways and I popped in to see the folks in Feilding.  A great start to the BRRBT rides!

More pics here.


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Nektar flavored beer
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logo nektar Banja Luka Brewery during the last two years has created four new flavors of flavored beer Nektar lemon, Nektar grapefruit, Nektar currant and Nektar pineapple which have caused a revolution and for a short time became the absolute leaders in the market of flavored beers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. All types of Nektar flavored beers contain only natural fruit flavor, which together with the highest quality beer singles them out from the crowd of similar products on the market and which has been very much appreciated and recognized by consumer. Nektar flavored dark beer is definitely an innovation in the region and quite a surprise after lemon, grapefruit and pineapple. However, black currant is often used in the brewing industry as a supplement to beers, mainly in ales and fruit beers. Nektar lemon, Nektar grapefruit and Nektar pineapple contain sixty percent of real fruit juice, forty percent of beer and two percent alcohol. Nektar flavored beers are ideal for all situations in which you are longing for real refreshment.

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Experience what 5-Star truly is

Located in Rustico and central to most any activity or destination on PEI, The Barachois is Prince Edward Island’s definitive five-star country inn, in every way - the authentic heritage of an 1880 home cast in the halo of St. Augustine’s imposing church steeples - beautifully appointed, rich with antiques, superb breakfasts, immersion in comfort and privacy and the genuine hospitality of the MacDonald family.

 Your vacation is our priority: our reputation for personalized service and our commitment to quality, our 5 Star luxury accommodations and our historic locale all contribute to a vacation you won't soon forget. The Inn consists of two main houses, the Gallant House - built in 1880 by one of the area's most successful merchants, Joseph Gallant - and the MacDonald House, a newer facility offering four large suites that bring a modern feel to a historic era. These two houses provide our guests with the choice of eight different styles of private accommodations from traditional Victorian rooms to luxury suites, with scenic vistas over the Island's north shore, winding waterways and our Victorian Garden.

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The Historic Gallant House whispers of an elegant era gone past; the simpler and yet beautiful era of Prince Edward Island's rich history is reflected in every detail. The host home to the main facilities that the Barachois Inn offers, our Gallant House hosts a lovely main dining area where guests congregate for breakfast, delightful parlours and four Victorian style suites. All accommodations in the Gallant House are located on the second and third floors, offering a breathtaking panoramic vista of the Island's famed North Shore and it's winding waterways for our guests.

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MacDonald House

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Arbitration rules are stacked against consumers

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For more than a decade, big business has waged a battle against consumers — access to the courts. When we buy cell phones, apply for credit cards, and purchase vehicles, most of us are signing away our rights to file a lawsuit and have our dispute decided by a jury of our peers. How? These…

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24 April 2013

Spring Day

Back in mid-March, we had about a week and a half of fabulously warm weather in which we spent every day all day outside in the sun. We got pink cheeks and a few more freckles and thought we were in heaven.
And then it got cold again.
Talk about a tease, Utah!
But then today (and hopefully from here on out), we had some nice Spring weather! Warm sun, a light jacket, and some flip-flops. A perfect day for a walk through the neighborhood.
So Sabrina, Fiona, and I set out on a mission to see as many flowers as we could. In as many colors as we could find.
Along the way we saw a few bugs. The conversation is as follows:

Sabrina: Bug! Bug!
Fiona: Don't worry, I stomp it! (Stomp)
Sabrina: Bye bye bug!

And we had a lot of success in the flower department too. Lots of tulips and a few daffodils, some dandelions and other pretty flowers.

Me: What color flowers do you see?

And in other news, Dallin had his last classes today! He turned in his last two papers, took his last final and he is a COLLEGE GRADUATE!!! Wahoo! I am so incredibly proud of him and how hard he has worked to get through school. It's been a long, hard ride but he did it. And he did it with flair! He got a 4.0 GPA several semesters. What a rock star! He is my hero and my favorite person ever! Love you Hun!

In other words, today was a perfect day!

23 April 2013

Big girl beds

Remember how at the beginning of April, we moved the girls to big girl beds?
Well here is the report on how it's going:
Sabrina and Fiona both get an A+!!!

The first night, they were so exited that they jumped right in bed and fell fast asleep. That's how nap time and bedtime went for the first few days.
After a few days, they figured out that try weren't stuck in bed anymore, but still stay in pretty well.
For the first few days, they waited for us to come in and get them, but after a week or two, they realized that since they know how to open the door, there really isn't anything stopping them from coming out whenever they want.
However, they are great at following directions, so after we asked them to wait until Mom or Dad said it was okay to come out, they have complied exceptionally well! What good girls!
They still like a nightlight and in the last week, they have decided that they like to sleep with the door open. Which had me very nervous, but they actually fall asleep faster if its open. Then I just close it after they fall asleep.
Sabrina and Fiona are growing up so fast, I can't hardly stand it! Since January alone, we've gotten rid of binkies, we don't take sippy cups to bed anymore, and have moved onto big girl beds!
They are so proud of being big girls and they are working on potty training right now.
I would almost say that they are ready for baby sister to get here (I certainly am), except that then they will have to share Mommy's lap (and I don't think Mommy's lap fits three girls!).

These girls love to hug! Or at least, Fiona loves to hug Sabina (all pics). But I have it on good authority that Sabrina likes it too. :)

2- The zoo

18 April 2013

A Night at the Cinema

Last Saturday, we took Sabrina and Fiona to see a movie in the theater for the first time. We talked it up a lot, about how this movie was going to be bigger than all of us!
We took them to see Wreck It Ralph. They were pretty wiggly, and since it was just the dollar theater there was no stadium seating, so it was kind of hard for them to see. But they really liked it. They thought the bugs were bad and mean, but not scary. And the little girl, Vanellope, was really cute and small.
Overall, it was a success and they have already asked to go see a big movie gain soon.
It is so fun being a mom to these sweet girls, we get to try new things together and it's so fun to see their reaction to things! That doesn't mean that every day is easy, in fact a lot are hard, but it's all worth it!

10 April 2013

Cutie Pies

I love these little cutie pies. They make me smile!

1- Sabrina hugging Fiona in the tub.
2- Fiona modeling Mom's hat.
3- Fiona flying.
4- Sabrina soaking up some sun.

04 April 2013

Fiona: Mom, we go to the zoo?
Me: We can't. We don't have a car.
Fiona: We take the stroller?
Me: No, it's too far to walk in the stroller.
Fiona: And we would be... nerrrr...vous?

Me: Sabrina, get off the table.
Sabrina: Shhh. Be quiet. Don't talk. Shhh.

Sabrina: Mama, mama I know something!
Me: What do you know?
Sabrina: My Eeyore is a donkey!

At 1:30 in the morning, when Sabrina woke up sad-
Me: Sabrina, what's wrong?
Sabrina: I sleep in your bed?
Me: No honey, you need to sleep in your bed.
Sabrina: (sobs) Pleeease!!!
Me: Sorry baby, but I could lay in bed with you.
Sabrina: (sobs harder) Go away! You mean! (crawls under covers)
Me: Okay. Well I love you lots.
Sabrina: (stops crying) I love you too. (sniffle)

Fiona: Why did Daddy go to work?
Me: So that we can pay for our food and our house and car.
Sabrina: I like to drive my baby car!

Fiona: Where did Santa go?
Me: He is probably at home because it isn't Christmas right now.
Fiona: No! He went to the temple! (giggle giggle giggle)

02 April 2013

Baby prep

This is happening!
Sabrina picked the green sheets, Fiona picked the purple.
Now we will just have to see if they actually sleep...


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Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Manila’s Acoustic Night At Commune

Manila's Acoustic Night At Commune

Manila’s Elites spent their Friday night with a chill acoustic night at Commune! Before the performance, we had a mini-trivia game with categories from ‘Food and Beverages’ to ’90’s Movies.’ We had nibbles all night that also included an assortment of pastries and Bavaria beer. The highlight of the evening was the performance of Alfa who serenaded us with her ukulele. Read the reviews here and check out Hub Pacheco’s photos here!

Thanks To Our Sponsors

Commune • Becky’s Kitchen • Bavaria Beer Philippines • Destileria Limtuaco • Alfa Music

The post Manila’s Acoustic Night At Commune appeared first on Yelp.

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Friday, April 1, 2016

AdWords Benchmark Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Other Top Stories From March

Whenever Google makes a major change to the SERPs, it’s big news – and March was certainly no exception. Google’s decision to scrap ads from the right-hand side of the SERP was the topic of discussion among the digital marketing community, and for good reason. It’s one of the biggest changes Google has made to its results pages in several years, and advertisers and marketers alike immediately began speculating what the change would mean for them.

Of course, although the banishment of ads from the right-hand side of the SERPs dominated much of the conversation, it was far from the only news in digital marketing. Here are the top posts from the WordStream blog from March, so if you missed any, grab a coffee and catch up.

Best of the WordStream blog March

1. Google AdWords Industry Benchmarks for YOUR Industry [New Data]

Even if they won’t admit it, even the most confident advertisers secretly want to know if their account performance measures up to their competition. Fortunately, our most popular post from March allowed readers to do just that. WordStream’s resident data scientist Mark Irvine explores a vast wealth of AdWords benchmark data in this post, and the results have been beautifully packaged into an infographic so you can check out how you stack up quickly and easily.

2. RankBrain Judgment Day: 4 SEO Strategies You’ll Need to Survive

A couple of months back, I wrote a post about Google’s emerging artificial intelligence machine learning program RankBrain, speculating on what this amazing technology could mean for SEOs. Well, Larry explores this notion in great depth in our second-most popular post of March, in which he outlines (or prophesies, if you prefer) four detailed SEO strategies you’ll need to adopt in order to survive “SEO Judgment Day.” Be warned – if you haven’t seen any of The Terminator movies, many of the excellent references and in-jokes may be lost on you.

3. The New Google SERP: 3 Changes & 3 Things That Haven’t Changed… Yet

Believe it or not, there’s a great deal more to Google’s decision to remove ads from the right-hand side of the SERP than initially meets the eye. Although we’re still gauging the true impact of this monumental change, there have already been several revealing observations that hint at what advertisers can expect from Google in the future. Check out our examination of the current state of play with regard to the SERP change in our third-most popular post of the month.

4. 7 Ideas for Upgrading Your Call to Action

As is the case with many aspects of conversion rate optimization, creating compelling calls to action is one of those topics our readers simply can’t get enough of. In this post, I outline seven ideas for strengthening your calls to action, so whether you’re a seasoned veteran of CRO or just starting out, you’ll find plenty of actionable CTA tips in this post.

5. Google Kills Off Side Ads: What You Need to Know

The initial news that Google had killed off ads from the right-hand side of the SERPs was, quite honestly, a little shocking. It didn’t take long for shock and disbelief to transform into worry and speculation, and this post was among the first to break the news of Google’s major SERP shake-up.

6. Our 8 Best Copywriting Tips… Ever!

Writing excellent PPC ads is a lot harder than it sounds. Sure, your ads might be good, but are they great? For this post, I went back over our very best copywriting advice from the past several years and updated it with fresh new examples. If you want to write even better ads to increase your CTRs, check out our best copywriting advice ever and see how many of these strategies you’re using.

7. 3 Weeks After Google Killed Side Ads, Here Are 5 More Takeaways

You could be forgiven for thinking that three weeks would be long enough for the excitement of Google’s decision to axe right-side ads from the SERPs to die down – but you’d be mistaken. In this post, Erin looks at five more takeaways that advertisers need to know about how the new SERP will affect their campaigns, each of which is backed with plenty of data.

8. 10 Smart & Easy Facebook Marketing Ideas

To many advertisers, Facebook is a platform they know they should be using, but may not necessarily know how. Fortunately, Margot’s got you covered in this post. By the time you’re done reading, you’ll have 10 actionable – and easy – ideas for future Facebook marketing campaigns.

9. 29 PPC Tools You Need to Try This Year

Yes, you read that correctly. In this post, Larry rounds-up 29(!) PPC tools that can simplify your workflow, make your life as an advertiser easier, and help you run faster/jump higher etc. Well, maybe not the last bit, but you get the idea. Check out Larry’s list and see if any of these tools are a good fit for your PPC workflow.

10. 25 Digital Marketing News Sources You NEED To Be Reading

Our last post of this month’s round-up wasn’t actually published in March, but rather January. In this post, I highlight 25 (a mere handful, really) of the must-read digital marketing news sources that should most definitely be in your RSS feed. If the events of March were any indication, it’s no wonder our readers are so keen to stay in the loop.

Find out how you're REALLY doing in AdWords!

Watch the video below on our Free AdWords Grader:

Visit the AdWords Grader.

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Tuesday, October 03, 2017

MFT October Release Countdown, Day One!

Hello and welcome to Day One of MFT’s October Release Countdown! Tonight is the night!! Release is at 9pm Eastern in the MFT Online Boutique. Be sure to check by the MFT Blog for all the release details. Today we’re previewing X's and O's Stamp Set, Square Shaker Window & Frame Die-namics, Tic Tac Toe Die-namics, Square Shaker Pouches, Tic Tac Toe – White, Tic Tac Toe – Black, Mixed Heart Pieces, Huge Love Die-namics - previous kit free with $60, Let It Snowflake Too Die-namics - free with $60, and Christmas Cocktails - free with purchase stamp set! Wow!! What a line up for today!!

I have a couple of cards for you today using a few of these products. First up, a fun take on using Big Love Die-namics. I started by doing a galaxy background on some Ranger Watercolor paper with Peerless Watercolors and added a whole bunch of “stars” by splattering with watered down Copic Opaque White. I stamped the sentiment—actually, two sentiments together—from Written in the Stars with Versamark and heat embossed with white embossing powder, then popped the panel up on a Sweet Tooth card stock base.

Next I cut Big Love Die-namics and the stars from Tag Builder Blueprints 5 and Tag Builder Blueprints 6 from Silver Sparkle card stock and adhered them to the card front—the letters and some stars—up on foam tape.

My second card was super fun to make—I love thinking outside the box!

This card was inspired by a poster I saw—I decided to take it further outside the box by using happy colors. First, I cut Sweet Tooth card stock with A2 Stitched Rectangle STAX and stamped the tic tac toe board from X’s and O’s stamp set with Black Licorice dye ink, then added the x’s and o’s with Purple Rain dye ink—adding the x “out of the box” then stamped the line with Razzle Berry dye ink.

The sentiment was stamped using Well-Connected Alphabet, then popped up on a card base covered with Bundles of Blossoms Brights patterned paper. I finished off with a few sequins to take it even further out of the box, LOL!

And there you have it for Day One of MFT’s October Release Countdown! Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope to see you back tonight for New Product Release!

All supplies from My Favorite Things unless otherwise noted.

Love Card:
Stamps: Written in the Stars
Die-namics: Huge Love, Tag Builder Blueprints 5, Tag Builder Blueprints 6
Specialty Inks: Versamark
MFT Card Stock: Sweet Tooth
Specialty Papers: Ranger Watercolor, Silver Sparkle
Supplies: foam mounting tape, Peerless Watercolors, white detail embossing powder, Multi Medium Matte Glue, Copic Opaque White
Tools: Smart Grid Paper Pad, MISTI, Square Bone Folder, Scor-Buddy, QuickStik Pick-up Tool, Fineline Glue Bottle, Embossing Magic
Other: heat tool

Tic Tac Toe Card:
Stamps: X’s and O’s, Well-Connected Alphabet
Die-namics: A2 Stitched Rectangle STAX Set 1
Dye Ink: Purple Rain, Razzle Berry, Black Licorice
Patterned Paper: Bundles of Blossoms Brights
MFT Card Stock: Sweet Tooth
Supplies: foam mounting tape, Multi Medium Matte Glue, sequins
Tools: Smart Grid Paper Pad, MISTI, Square Bone Folder, Scor-Buddy, QuickStik Pick-up Tool, Fineline Glue Bottle

  1. Such a striking galaxy background, Barbara! I always admire your designs when you use Peerless watercolors and I love how you added so much sparkle to this card front! Really fun 'outside the box' card, too! I'm very excited for this release...thanks for your inspiration!

  2. Very nice cards!Love the starry background!tfs

  3. Love the cards, especially the Think outside the Box !

  4. Two wonderful cards! The marvelous sky with silver stars and LOVE is super! I burst out laughing when I saw the outside the box Tic Tac Toe-simply wonderful card!

  5. I always LOVE your cards Barbara! You always create the most amazing things and clever use of the sentiments to match it too. BRAVO!!

  6. Two very different styles of card but equally great !! My preference goes to the first one because of the great color combo and the big sentiment !

  7. Very cool background on the first one!!

  8. Thanks for sharing your cards. They're wonderful.

Thank you for your kind comments--they make my day and I appreciate every one!

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Sunday, June 29, 2008

Love and Baseball

Two weeks ago, the Baltimore Orioles swept the Houston Astros in a 3-game mid-week inter-league series played at Camden Yards. To the untrained eye, it was a wholly unremarkable occurrence. A team which is showing signs of improvement after a dismal decade won three straight games against a team which, by all accounts, is coming apart at the seems and headed for a well below .500 finish. I doubt anyone at ESPN even considered any of the three games for national tv coverage. And justifiably so. Boston Red Sox pre-game stretching has more of a national draw than mid-week Orioles vs Astros.

Despite what those who would jump at the chance to watch Kevin Youkilis limber up would have you believe, The Orioles-Astros series was indeed extraordinary. All three games had dramatic finishes. All three featured lead changes, timely hitting, clutch pitching and acrobatic defense. Most importantly, I watched all three games from the 3rd base-side lower box seats with my favorite Houston Astros fan. Though perhaps not the most conflict-free dating strategy (I doubt too many Roman boys asked Christian girls to go see Lions vs. Christians in the Colosseum) I am pleased to report that after three summer nights in Baltimore, my favorite baseball fan is still speaking to me.

In what may accurately be called PUSHING MY LUCK, I have decided to write about the series sweep. Over the next few days, I intend to weave my mental notes, our scorecards, and my occasional scribbled side-comments into a narrative which tells the story of 3 games, 3 dates, and 1 very very contented Orioles fan.

Good Players Don't...

... Do exactly what several of the Orioles' stop-gap solutions at key positions did this weekend during a gut-wrenching series loss to the beat-up, light-hitting, cellar-dwelling Washington Nationals.

Exhibit A: George Sherrill: Stopgap Closer. Sherill is 2nd in the American League in saves. Thats neat. But...He has an ERA pushing 4.00. He has allowed 47 baserunners (hits and walks and Hit batsmen) in 35 2/3 innings. Real closers do not allow almost 1 1/2 baserunners per inning. That today's abomination in Washington was only his 4th blown save of the season is indescribably fantastic. Sherrill must have the guardian angel of guardian angels. Somehow, teams have yet to discover the wonders of waiting for Sherrill to hang a curveball, something good closers also do not do very often but something for which Sherrill has a clear penchant. Under no circumstances does someone who has the requisite skill and make-up for closing major league baseball games walk a .260 hitter with 2 outs in a save situation and then hang a breaking ball to a .210 hitter for a game winning homerun. Thats something that washed up starters who are plugging middle relief holes in second division bullpens do.

Sherrill is 30 years old. He is not, therefore, a development project. If the Orioles are serious about rebuilding for the future, Jim Johnson, Dennis Sarfate, or anyone else with a long-term upside would be much better suited for closer-in-training duty than George Sherrill. Why Sherrill, despite his age and the myriad of flaws in his approach on the mound is the closer for a "rebuilding team" is beyond me. He makes a very serviceable reliever. Better than average even. But closer? Spare Us.

Exhibit B: Kevin Millar: Stopgap 1st Baseman. Millar is a likable guy. Great in the clubhouse according to most reports and he has provided a number of clutch hits during his seasons wearing orange and black. But... Millar is hitting under .240. He runs with the swiftness of a rusted Yugo sitting engineless in a rural junkyard. He is a dead pull hitter who
under no circumstances can hit behind a runner or, gasp, sacrifice bunt. When stationed next to first base with a glove on his left hand, Millar is an average first baseman. So average that he was ALWAYS replaced in late innings during the Red Sox title run of 2004 by the slicker-fielding Doug Mientkiewicz. Millar is now 4 years older and no more adept with the leather but still finds himself manning 1st base late in games. He let one through the wickets in extra innings this afternoon which, if facing a team with more than 2 major league caliber hitters, could have cost the Orioles the game.

Millar does not hit for enough power to justify his meager batting average. He does not provide the situational hitting or bat control necessary to justify the lack of serous power and low batting average. Simply put, if an opposing team finds itself situation like transpired today in the top of the 12th inning (runners on 1st and 2nd, no outs, and Millar coming up), their manager can rest easy knowing that unless gifted with mistake thigh-high fastball over the inside 1/3 of the plate, Millar will not, under any conditions, be advancing the runners to 2nd and 3rd or driving them in with a base hit. Millar would make a great platoon guy. Maybe even a good 1st baseman on a team that had 2 or 3 other legit power bats in the lineup. But, for Millar, who is 36, to be the everyday first baseman for a "rebuilding team" is just not right.

Exhibit C: Melvin Mora: Stopgap 3rd baseman. The Tagalog word for cheap is mura. When I was studying that language I remembered mura by telling myself "The Orioles can't afford a real replacement for Cal Ripken so they're settling for Mora cuz he's Mura!" Mora is no longer Mura. Signed through 2009, he is making all-star money while batting well under .250. Mora is now one of the last remaining vestiges of the teams in 2002 and 2003 which, like the every other Orioles team in the past decade, finished 4th and lost more than 90 games. Mora was one of the bright spots on a couple of those awful teams. But, like so many other once above average players who have entrenched themselves in an organization, Mora has now become an albatross around the neck of the Orioles as they try to rebuild, re-tool, and return to contention in the AL East.

Mora is hitting a cool .230. Thats just about 100 points lower than where he was 5 years ago. 100 points that divide an All-Star from a liability. Mora bats behind the franchise's best hitter, Nick Markakis. He is Markakis' protection in the lineup and he's hitting .230. No amount of loyalty to players, thankfulness for his years of hustle and contributions, or any other positive quality that Mora can bring can disguise the simple fact that he bats 3rd, right behind Markakis and is hitting .230. Mora is 36 years old.

Did I mention he's hitting .230?

The reason for this quick analysis of 3 key parts of the Orioles machine is simple: barring a Three Mile Island-style meltdown over the next 2 weeks, the Birds will go into the All-Star Break as one of the surprise stories of the 2008 season. Praise for the MacPhail-led "rebuilding" efforts will flow abundantly from the mouths and pens of the baseball press. To be sure, the first half of 2008 has exceeded expectations by more than leaps and bounds. For the first time years the Orioles are providing the Baltimore baseball fans with a product worth supporting. But, lets not congratulate the front office on successfully throwing off the shackles of the "stop gap mentality" just yet. The 2008 Orioles, like the last 10 Orioles teams, are still sticking fingers in leaks rather than rebuilding their boat.

I will continue to root for the Orioles. I will continue to pay to see them play. And I hope that all of the players named above go on hot streaks as soon as i have clicked the "publish post" button at the bottom of my screen. But, when the time comes that an Orioles team is once again playing in a World Series and I stand in line to buy my tickets for the long-awaited event, I will buy a ticket for anyone reading this if the Orioles team which reaches the World Series still has Millar at 1st, Mora at 3rd, or George Sherrill at the back end of the bullpen.

Consider that a promise.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

It's Never Iffy if its Griffey

In the clubhouse after slugging his 60th homerun in September 1927, Babe Ruth shouted "60. Count em. 60. Lets see some other son of a bitch do that!"

We have no record of similar boasts when the Great Bambino eclipsed 600 homeruns for his career but, knowing the Babe, some sort of grand pronouncement may very well have followed that historic homer as well.

Ken Griffey Jr joined the 600 homer club earlier this week. The 600 club, once a super-exclusive secret society of Ruth, Mays and Aaron, has swelled in ranks in recent years but still remains open to only a very select membership. Griffey Jr deserves great heaps of praise for his career achievement.

The rising generation of young baseball fans never saw the classic Ken Griffey Jr, who, along with Frank Thomas, terrorized American League pitching in the 1990s and made regular appearances in the nightmares of an elementary school-aged boy growing up outside of Baltimore. On more than one occasion, i woke up in a cold sweat because my pleasant dream of the Orioles winning the American League had turned terrifying with the sudden and unfortunate appearance of Ken Griffey Jr in the batters box.

Despite the wild orgy of homeruns which defined the past 10+ seasons of big league ball, Griffey remains the only batsman to hit a ball off of the storied B&O Warehouse in deep rightfield at Baltimore's Camden Yards. Sure he only did it in All-Star Game batting practice. But still. A ball went from his bat to the bricks of the warehouse. No one else has managed that feat.

Griffey's early 90s popularity had to be experienced to be fully understood. He was on a Simpsons Episode. (Burns recruited him for the company softball team but before the big game, Griffey ended up with gigantism!) The cool kids on little league teams had Griffey's Nike cleats. We wore our hats backwards during infield and outfield practice to look like Griffey. He was, basically, the face of the sport. Think David Ortiz, but without the annoying association with the Red Sox. A quick youtube search brings the following gems:

Upper Deck

Nike again (This might have been the nightmare causer.)

He made an appearance on Fresh Prince!

Another Nightmare causer

Everyone makes a weird one

The Greatest Athlete Commercial Ever.

During my freshman year at Georgetown, James Carville came and spoke in one of the auditoriums on campus. Afterwards, the ragin cagin walked out to his car surrounded by a decent sized crowd of students. I was among them. I still don't know why I did it, but, when he turned my way as were were walking through campus I blurted out that I had loved the "Griffey for President" commercials. Carville busted out laughing, exclaimed "Wasn't that somethin!" and then went back to laughing. My moment with one of America's best political minds, and I talked about a Nike commercial. And the thing is, I stand by my decision. I can still see him busting up when i asked the question. "Griffey for President" was worthy of that moment!

The year prior to the Griffey for President campaign, Junior had teamed with Randy Johnson to take the seemingly doomed Seattle Mariners on a magical run through September to leapfrog the California Angels and win the American League West. Then, to the consternation of the sporting world, the upstart Mariners somehow knocked off the Yankees in dramatic fashion in the 1995 ALDS. All whispers of the demise of baseball in the great northwest were silenced.

Then the seemingly immortal Griffey became frail.

John Greenleaf Whittier left us with the immortal words "For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these: It might have been." The legendary poet described Griffey perfectly. Since moving to Cincinatti in 2000, Griffey has yet to appear in more than 144 games in a season. He's had a couple of impressive summers, twice slugging more than 30 homers in a season for the Reds. But, a look at his numbers since he switched cities is enough to make even the man of the most stalwart constitution cringe. Oh what might have been had Ken Griffey Jr not fallen victim to the bubonic injury plague!

If Griffey had managed to club 30 homers in all of the seasons in which he spent significant time on the Disabled List, He would now be 2 shy of catching Willie Mays on the all-time list. 700 would be fully within reach for his career. Had Griffey sustained his late 90's production levels into this decade, we might well be asking ourselves now "Can he reach 800? Can he?"

We can only wonder!

Roll the Video 1 more time!

Monday, June 9, 2008

Old Faces

Quick Trivia Question: Who is the only major leaguer in history to hit 2 grand slam homeruns in a single inning?

Hint #1: He has a total of 93 career homers (so far).

Hint #2: He did not play a single major league game in 2004 and 2005.

Hint #3: He is currently a reserve outfielder on the New York Mets.

Hint #4: His name is Fernando Tatis.

On April 23, 1999, Mr. Tatis, then of the St. Louis Cardinals, smashed two grand slam homeruns in the first inning against Chan Ho Park of the LA Dodgers. The grand slam binge was a part of a larger gluttonous season for Tatis. He launched 34 round-trippers for the Cardinals in 1999, drove in 107 runs and batted a cool .298. Stardom was on the way.

Rather than joining the ranks of Aaron, Ruth, and Mays, Tatis instead quickly plummeted into the putrid abyss of one-hit-wonders. Move over Norman Greenbaum and Deep Blue Something. Tatis vanished. By 2001 he was in baseball exile playing before dozens of less-than-enthusiastic fans in Montreal. 2004 rolled around, and Tatis was gone from the major league ranks.

In 2006, Tatis took a small step up the mire of oblivion; he played a half season with the Baltimore Orioles. On a team lacking major league talent, Tatis saw some playing time and batted a modest .250. Then, back to the minors in 2007.

He resurfaced in May as a replacement outfielder on the sinking ship of the New York Mets. And, wouldn't ya know it! Tatis still has a little hero left in him. On May 28, he smashed a walk-off double to defeat the surprising Florida Marlins.

I had meant to write about Tatis soon thereafter, but, for some reason or another, didn't. I was reminded of Tatis (funny how my mind works) when another former Oriole crossed my path this past weekend. Armando Benitez has somehow found employment in the Toronto bullpen. On Friday night, Armando graciously repaid Orioles fans for a part of the pestilence he inflicted upon Birdland. As only he can do, Benitez threw a belt high fastball to Adam Jones in a 4-4 game on Friday which, owing to its location over the middle of the plate, was authoritatively whacked over the left centerfield wall. Orioles win 6-5. Thanks amigo! That Benitez and Jorge Julio are both receiving big league paychecks at present does not speak highly of the state of our national pastime.

I've said it once and i'll say it again. Blue Jays fans are now welcome to sing along: Having Armando Benitez pitch for your baseball team is like having Michael Jackson work at your day care center.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

33 Dollar Tickets

For the first time in my life, I purchased a Nationals ticket valued at greater than $15 this week. On Thursday night, I got to the new ballpark next to the Anacostia River a few minutes before the first pitch. The ticket line was pretty slow and upon reaching the front of the line, the gentleman behind the window explained that the cheapest tickets left in the house were in the over-priced $33 rightfield pavilion. After a long day of training at work, I needed my baseball fix, so, out came the credit card and 2 front-row tickets jumped into my possession.

By the time we reached our seats, the Nats had built a 2-0 lead on the visiting Cardinals. Maybe I've discovered the problem. The Nats are a get-what-you-pay-for operation. All these years I've been paying 5 bucks for tickets/accepting free seats and I've endured lots of bad baseball. (In fairness, there have been some dandies too. Like the night that RFK shook in 2005 as the Nats smacked Pedro Martinez around and chants of "Who's Your Daddy?" rang out from the upper deck.) But- i can't argue with facts: I shelled out for more expensive seats and the Nats offense received a 1.21 giga-watt shot of electricity.

Before the oppressive heat has even begun to cause geysers of perspiration to erupt all over my body, the Nationals bats have banged out 7 runs. After a Troy Glaus homerun in the 4th inning, The Nats answer right back with a run in the bottom of the inning to give the hosts a 8-3 lead. Get what you pay for indeed!

And then, as Sublime would sing, THATS WHEN THINGS GOT OUT OF CONTROL!

The Cardinals roared to life. The Nationals' bats cooled off. Still, the lead started at 8-1. At worst, i opined, the Cards will make things interesting. Wrong. Relief pitcher Mark Worrell tattooed a 3-2 pitch from Nationals hurler Tim Redding into the left field bleachers for a 3-run homer. Suddenly an 8-1 blowout had turned into an 8-6 contest.

In the bottom of the 6th, the home team loaded the bases with 1 out and failed to score. I wonder aloud if there is a noticeably lower winning percentage for teams which at some point in a game strand the bases loaded. Somewhere in the great heights of the blogosphere, someone must keep an eye on these things.

After a ringing double by Brendan Ryan with 1 out in the top of the 9th, Tony LaRussa electrified the Cardinal partisans by summoning Albert Pujols to pinch hit. Nationals temp-closer Jon Rauch struck the mighty Cardinals slugger out looking. 2 outs. I stood up in my seat. Oops. Skip Schumacher laced a triple off of the very top of the wall in left centerfield. Suddenly things were tense. An Adam Kennedy roller up the middle eluded the outstretched glove of Christian Guzman and the game was tied.

Going into extra innings, the Cardinals owned the momentum and wasted no time in continuing their rise from what a few innings ago seemed like a cavernous grave. Joe Mather fouled off a half dozen pitches with 2 out in the 10th before blasting a 3-2 fastball into the left field stands. For the first time all night, St Louis has the lead.

Enter Ryan Franklin. Christian Guzman greeted the reliever rudely with a sharp single to center. Then, on a 2-2 pitch, the previously homerless Elijah Dukes ended both his season long draught and the ballgame with a mammoth blast to centerfield. Nats win 10-9.

Maybe there was something to that get-what-you-pay-for idea.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Orioles-Red Sox

I went to a fight and a baseball game broke out.

No, Daniel Cabrera didn't go head-hunting again against the Red Sox. No, brushbacks thrown by Josh Beckett didn't empty the benches. The violence at Camden Yards on Friday night had little to do with the 13-inning Red Sox win over the Orioles. Thank $6 college student night in the left field upper deck. Section 378 turned into a war zone as Orioles faithful clashed repeatedly with visitors from Red Sox Nation. From the first pitch at 7:05 until the game ended just before midnight, a motley assortment of partisan rooters waged war all around me.

This is their story.

Round 1: Male-Female Couple in Red Sox Gear vs. Orange Clad Baltimore Local

The game started badly for the Orioles. Before the birds came to bat in the bottom of the first, Daniel Cabrera had already surrendered 2 runs on several hard smashes out of the reach of left-fielder Luke Scott. The natives got restless. Urged onward and upward by the good folks of the Coors, Miller, and Budweiser Brewing Companies, a group of patrons of Section 378 began verbal jousts with a pair of Red Sox fans seated in Row AA (the front row). One puffy partisan in Orange approached the Red Sox rooters and began hurling an acid stream of profane invective at the male in the pair. Leaning in as if to nibble on the gentleman's ear, the Oriole fan accused the Sox fan of performing anatomically impossible acts upon himself, David Ortiz, and, oddly enough, sheep. The listener endured the barrage admirably for several innings before the proverbial patience dam burst. Rising to his feet between his seat and the shallow railing, the Sox fan shouted an oath and toppled the pudgy pugilist with a mighty shove. Arms and legs attached to the flabby orange covered body flailed upward and the antagonist tumbled over his seat. Rising to defend the honor of his friend, a black-clad Orioles stalwart lurched towards the enemy combatant only to also be sent sprawling in the narrow gap between seats and railing.

Enter the stadium staff. The puffy fan in orange was the first to receive the heave-ho. In a show of civic participation, the Oriole partisans in the section began an immediate campaign of chanting and pointing at the Red Sox fan in order to secure justice. Responding to the popular pleas, the staff soon removed the Sox fan as well. In a bizarre twist, his girlfriend eschewed following the new martyr out of the park, instead opting to exit the section via another set of stairs.

Round 2: Girl in Green vs. Section 378.

She had exposed herself repeatedly while climbing back and forth over the front row seats in the early innings. Her jean skirt wasn't quite long enough to prevent a couple Brittney Spears moments. Her green t-shirt had "Green Monstah" emblazoned across the chest. By the middle of the game, her ability to construct complete sentences had been hopelessly drowned in a river of $7 Oriole Park beers. Moving into the Row AA seats vacated by the fallen heroes, the girl in green waged war on the Orioles rooters. Firing middle fingers into the air with the deftness of John Wayne shooting pistols in a gun fight, our friend drew the ire of much of section 378.

Angered Baltimore fans swarmed around the girl. Accusations of lewd behavior filled the evening air. A fan with his face covered in copious amounts of poorly applied mascara went in for the kill. Shouting and poking ensued as the girl battled mascara man and the fellow to her left who, thanks to an overdose of liquid courage, had a clear penchant for humping the air around the safety railing. The gentleman companion of the girl in green attempted to calm her ravings to no avail. Unaware of her actions, she proceeded to swipe the hat of a nearby fan, adorning her curly hair with a white Orioles cap. She moved down the row, trading insults and taking swings at another set of Baltimore fans further down in row BB. Returning to her seat and continuing to rant incoherently and brandish "the bird" our friend in green was shown to the exit by 2 of Baltimore's Finest. Her male friend followed sadly behind.

Round 3: Section 378 vs. "The Nerds"

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy warns readers that the 13th inning is a little late for fans to wave homemade signs in the air. In the top of the 13th, 3 Orioles errors gifted the visitors with a 5-2 lead. The sudden change in scoreboard fortunes emboldened a group of Red Sox fans in section 376. Enraged by their teams poor play and the brazenness of the Sox fans in the neighboring section, the Orioles fans of 378 responded with force. Row CC launched a long-range barrage of shouts of "nerd!" Councils of war convened to plot strategy for the destruction of the offending signs.

In the trenches of the stairs between the warring sections, the battle escalated. An Oriole rooter suddenly lunged for a vocal Boston fan, seized the man's hat and hurled it over the safety railing into the lower deck. The beleaguered usher tasked with the supervision of Section 378 rushed to intervene. Thanks to his timely mediation, violence was averted. Jonathon Papelbon's arsenal of pitches made short work of the deflated Orioles in the bottom of the 13th and the combatants rushed to the exits. The war was suddenly over. The tapestry of profanity and abusive language woven by the warring parties was seen drifting eastward from the left field stands towards the B&O Warehouse.


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Tag Archives: The Golden One

Black-Tactical’s Limited Edition Metal Mags/Clips For Nerf Blasters

If your not familiar with Black-Tactical, it’s a tactical gear site based in Singapore. They sell a good variety of high quality tactical gear, including accessories, scopes, sights, stocks, and even Nerf equipment. Which includes blaster kits, springs, epoxy, and more.

One of their latest releases are Metal Mags/Clips for our Nerf blasters. They call it the Aureus Alpha, or “The Golden One”. Check out their details and some of my thoughts on them below.

Version 2.0: Its the same high quality build, now mass produced cheaper!

After intensive R&D, Black-Tactical.com presents the Aureus Alpha, “The Golden One”. A Limited Edition Custom Made Metal Magazine Machined to fit Standard NERF Sockets for Professional NERFers.

Arseholes stepping on your plastic mags and breaking them
Standard 6 Round Mags too little ammo
Extended 18 Round Mags are too long and cannot fit any known pouches and cumbersome to handle

Metal Machined Body for Crush Resistance
Fits 12 Standard NERF Streamline or Ferdelance Darts
Fits All Standard STANAG M4/M16 or AK47 7.62 Magazine Pouches.
Orange/Gold Safety Colour to conform to most country’s import laws.
100% Anodized inside and out to protect against wear resistance and alu oxidization.
Metal Breach modified guns will benefit from more precise engineering with little or NO movement play when loaded in the magazine well. Allowing more efficient and precise round Feeding & Chambering and thus more accuracy.

Alpha Trooper:
Problem with the stupid Alpha trooper catch is that it is bigger than every other catch, so we favored machining it so that it will fit ALL OTHER magazine wells PERFECTLY with little or no movement play. HOWEVER a nail file on this stupid fat alpha catch solves the problem within seconds.

Thank You:
As part of the NERF community, Black-Tactical.com thank you for your continued support to create more Professional Accessories! For those who understand manufacturing would know that it cost a lot to create this. We are already pricing it as low as we can afford to already, so please buy more!

Continue reading Black-Tactical’s Limited Edition Metal Mags/Clips For Nerf Blasters


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Shenzhen King of Sun Industry Co., Ltd
Shenzhen King of Sun Industry Co., Ltd Specialized in manufacturing brass faucets, Flush valves, plumbing products and bathroom accessories.
Home > Wall Mounted Shower Mixer Taps >

Single Lever Wall Mounted Bath Shower Mixer Taps

Shenzhen King of Sun Industry Co., Ltd
Shenzhen King of Sun Industry Co., Ltd
City: Shenzhen
Province/State: Guangdong
Country/Region: China
Tel: 86-755-82292166
Contact Person:
Ms linly

Single Lever Wall Mounted Bath Shower Mixer Taps

product name : shower faucet
Material : Brass
Valve Core Material : Ceramic
Surface Finishing : Chrome
Faucet Mount : Two hole
Installation Type : wall mounted
Place of Origin : Guangdong, China
Brand Name : Handy
Certification : CE
Model Number : HN-3E29
MOQ : negotiation
Packaging Details : Color box, carton
Delivery Time : 25days or 7days in stock
Payment Terms : Payment by T/T
Supply Ability : 10000pcs/month
Contact Now

Single Lever Wall Mounted Bath Shower Mixer Taps

Quick Details:

Type: shower faucet Model Number: HN-3E29 Feature: bathroom faucet
Material: Brass Style: Contemporary Surface Finishing: Chrome
Faucet Mount: Two hole Installation Type: wall Mounted OEM Service: Provided

Detailed product description:

High purity brass main body, with 8 inch (20cm) ABS (engineering plastics) top shower. swing smoothly. With 1.5m stainless steel flexible hose and three functions hand shower,(3 kinds of spray: shower water, complete type, massage water ). Using high quality materials ABS( engineering plastics) ,chrome plated. Automatic mix cartridge. Ceramic cartridge, Quality guarantee time:5 years no leakage.
This Mixer has three functions giving water (A. faucet, B. top shower, C. hand shower) .and the faucet can be rotated 360°. Suitable for shower bath installation, double holes unfold Install.

Home faucets Rain shower faucets, Chain hotel faucets, commercial faucet, , household faucets etc.

#59-1Brass diverter, stainless steel tube,zinc alloy handle

Hain-Yo Ceramic cartridge, Guarantee 5 years no leakage

Surface treatment:

Chrome-plated, other plating available, including brush nickle, red bronze etc.

The thickness of plating:

Salt Spray Testing:

General plating: 24hours/Acid;120hours/neutral
Acid Plating: 48hours/Acid;240hours/neutral

Water Pressure Testing:

Cartridge Life time:

500,000 cycles

Quality Guarantee:

5 years Quality Guarantee

Please contact us to get

Hardware needed
for mounting:

Along with the faucet

Along with box packing

Competitive Advantage:

  1. Factory has strong production ability, delivery on time.
  2. 100% of our products are tested before shipment.
  3. Simples ready in 3 to 7 days.
  4. High-quality and Eco-friendly faucets
  5. Our faucets come with 5-year warranties.
  6. Individual Package: Individual package and 4 units double packed with carton.
  7. Easy Assembly: All hardware needed for mounting is included with faucet, assembly instruction along with every unit box.
  8. OEM. ODM. DIY are welcomed. Products dimension, electroplating color, laser logo and color box printing all are customized. Supporting project purchase, matching supplier and customers’ preference DIY complete set.
  9. Handy products were elected to Green Environmental Protection Head Chooses A Product in 2010.
  10. Sales service support: logistic like air freight, ocean freight and DHL/FEDEX/UPS courier freight for your orders placed to us.
  11. Your one-stop supplier with sanitary wares.

Service conditions:

1)The working pressure of the products is 0.05MPa-0.9MPa
2)The temperature is no more than 85° when supply hot water.
3)Don't use vapor when supply hot water.
4)Please don't connect the cold and hot pipe inversely
5)The working temperature is more than 0°
6) Please take note of the strength of the wall when installing due to the heavy weight.
7)The distance of the embed cold and hot water pipe joint center is 150 ± 20mm.

Product Tags:

bath and shower mixer taps

Brass bathroom faucet

China Customized Inflatable Bumper Ball Game Bubble Adult Grass CE supplier

Single Lever Wall Mounted Bath Shower Mixer Taps Images

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