text:
The Performance ‘The Strindberg Project’: Day 5

Well, there we have it. Friday happened. An audience came and a performance occurred. It feels strange to be on the other side of the storm. After a week of chaos, I am now feeling calm knowing that we succeeded in doing what we set out to do.  With one more performance tonight, we are almost at the end of our weeklong adventure.

The day was just as busy as the previous days, with lots to rehearse and organize before 6pm. Everybody rose to the challenge and worked hard throughout the day to make sure everything was on target for showtime.

Most of the day was spent doing run-throughs of the piece (we’ve moved on from ‘wander- throughs’). While there were minor notes and small fixes between each run, there was a feeling that we had reached where we had hoped to reach and it was now a case of performing it for some people.

At 6pm, on the coldest and wettest night of 2014, an audience arrived to see our piece. It’s a strange thing to have people come to watch something you created in four days. Working on something so intensely for such a short burst of time means that it consumes you and it becomes difficult to see things objectively. I think we were all very curious and eager to have fresh eyes watching the piece, people who could give us feedback and thoughts at the end. Presenting our ideas was a fantastic way to finish a week of hard work and made it all feel worthwhile.

Undeniably, what we have created is mad, and more of an experimentation of ideas and space than anything else.It has also been a wonderful opportunity to start thinking about March and what ‘The Strindberg Project’ might develop into. I for one am very proud of what we have achieved and the positive atmosphere that was maintained throughout the week, even when it was freezing cold.

Roll on tonight!

Fionnuala- AD

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Skrei Cod, Koskera style by Magefesa USA

  • 600 gr. Skrei cod, fresh cod
  • 300 gr. Clams
  • 1 Spring onion
  • 100 gr. Peas
  • 8 Asparagus tips
  • 2 Boiled eggs
  • 2 Garlic cloves
  • Freshly chopped parsley
  • 50 ml. White wine, txacoli
  • Flour
  • Fish broth
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and green pepper

Heat the olive oil in a Magefesa stainless steel pan, when it gets hot, lightly brown the laminated garlic and then add the finely chopped spring onion. Sauté over medium heat and add a pinch of salt. Add a teaspoon of flour, stir well and sprinkle with a glass of white wine. Pour the hot fish broth, dissolve the sauce. Add the cod loins, clams, peas, asparagus yolks, green pepper and cooked eggs cut into quarters. Cook over medium heat for 8 – 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning and serve with the freshly chopped parsley.

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Hooded Black Mink fur coat with Silver Metallic color - Size Medium

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With Exclusive Silver Metallic Colored mink trim and pleats
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Special Price $3,078.00

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text:
2 Great Holi Celebrations

3 Years back : The final year of BE and a semester of celebrations. Then how could holi would not have celebrated ? But I was unaware of the few hours that were to coming, when I woke up that day. I got a call from one of the friend saying be ready, we will be coming to your place in some time and then we will proceed to the next friend’s home.

The tiny muscels of the brain started moving and the exercise gave me an image of what might be coming. A gang was coming to my place and it was time to get prepared for lots of colors. So though I knew it wouldn’t help much, but still started  applying the defence against the color weapon. The immediate cover I could think of was oil and I turned the protect mode on by applying it to body and hair.

In some time the door bell rang and I saw few familar faces, all colored as expected and they asked me to come out of house with some water. I went out and saw a whole team ready to attack me and I was the only prey who was not colored yet. The entire apartment gathered on the roof to see the action movie displayed on the road. One of the friend had come with a cloth to remove the oil before applying the color. It took 5 minutes and 15 persons to convert a human look into devil one. Now I was just one of them.

But this was just begining, we headed towards another friends house having a lawn inside. And along with some snacks a water pipe was also offered :P.  Then the second round of colors started and the water was being poured in the centre of lawn creating a lot of mud. The guys started pulling everyone to the centre, laid him there and started jumping around him. The mud bath along with grass strenghened the devil look. Finally everyone was exhaused and time had come for rest. We rested in the lawn for some time and retured towards home for a nightmare of removing the color.

1 Year Back : Another final year of college and this time into my M.Tech in IIIT-H. A place which has given me numrous great memories and Holi was one such day. The excitement was more, fun was more, group was bigger, the place was bigger, celebrations was bigger and so were the troubles coming ahead.

The venue for holi was kept at football ground. ‘Thandai’ and ‘Pakode’ were offered as snacks at one stall and colors and water drums were kept at the ground. We started from hostel and the phase one was played with Gulal. Oh by the way I forgot to mention, we had decided that we will play holi gracefully, which was next to impossible in college and see in some time how it turned out :).

As soon as we reached ground, we saw hundreds of students all colored. Some were running behind others to get them colored, some with a water pipe in their hands, some throwing their friends in water drum. We also rushed towards the place where colors were kept and next phase was started with coloring each other. There were lot of people to color and all were looking so differnent due to color.

After some group photographs, I could sense a wave of danger which was going to torn apart our thought of graceful holi. And finally the expected thing was starte 🙂 and the shirts were being torn apart turning our tshirts into something which even a begger wont wear. The water pipe was then used to attack everyone and everyone also needed it to get rid of some of color. Then we all headed towards cofffe shop in the same state, drank some cold drinks in a hot sunny day and headed towards our hostels to remove the multi layered color from our skins.

Thank you so much all of you who were at these two holis which gave me these two wonderful memories, I would never forget. Today I think about the two worst holi in terms of so called ‘simplicity of playing’  but the best in terms of fun. Miss you all and a very happy holi to you and your loved ones. Also holi wishes to everyone not in this ‘elite’ holi group 🙂

8 responses to this post.

  1. Posted by Piyush Nigam on March 1, 2010 at 9:18 am

    I just love the simplicity of your writing … simple yet expressive …

    Keep it up …

    Happy Holi 🙂

  2. Posted by Swaram on March 2, 2010 at 7:57 am

    Woww! Elite groups indeed 🙂 What fun to play Holi with friends with all that enthu 🙂
    A very happy Holi and this ws a lovely, colourful post 😉

  3. Posted by gowri dev on March 2, 2010 at 7:59 am

    This time no body came to college. I missed our batch.

  4. Posted by umesh kewat on March 2, 2010 at 8:53 am

    i was planned to celebrate holi in this time in college but ….

    i miss u all buddy to celebrate holi once more time ……

    i was last in that bagger list …… in IIIT but u were 2nd or 3rd place

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Mama Reads: New Release by Kira Adams- Emerging From Darkness (Book 2 Darkness Falls)

Book info:
Emerging From Darkness (book 2 in the Darkness Falls series)
Kira Adams (self-published)
March 31, 2015
174 pages

The virus is spreading, the future is uncertain, and the Degenerates are taking control.

Ike Glass and Ace Cullen have found themselves in quite the predicament: the Degenerates have located their hideout and kidnapped Phoenix and Rian, and now they must fight for their lives. Phoenix Blue knows she must tread carefully if she expects to keep her sister alive. What she doesn’t expect is the strength her young sister possesses, and the lengths her new-found family will go to in order to save their lives. Sometimes the ties that bind us have nothing to do with blood relations. Just how far will these four friends go in their quest to emerge from the darkness?

Buy links:

Mama’s Thoughts on Emerging From Darkness:

Gutted, wrecked, devastated, ever so slightly hopeful, these would all be accurate in describing how I felt during and after reading the sequel to Into the Darkness.  In Emerging From Darkness, Phoenix and the gang are not given a break, there’s no time to catch your breath in the zombie apocalypse after all.  Again Kira Adams keeps the pace nothing short of frantic, even though we get to see more development of the characters and their relationships.  In a heartbreaking, breath stealing moment, things go from bad to worse than you imagined, and this happens more than once.  I love to read books that keep me on my toes, rather than being boringly predictable.  However, I do have to scold Mz. Adams for nearly giving me a heart attack and making me use yet another box of tissues.  I would be remiss if I did not mention that just as the previous book, this is not appropriate for children, nor for the faint of heart.
Also, Cullen, mmmm yes please.  5 dismembered limbs, err, stars!

0db45-recent2Author Bio:

Krista Pakseresht has always been a dreamer. From the first time she opened her eyes. Creating worlds through words is one thing she is truly talented at. She specializes in Young adult/New adult romance, horror, action, fantasy, and non-fiction under the pen name Kira Adams.

She is the author of the Infinite Love series, the Foundation series, the Darkness Falls series, and the Looking Glass series.

Hazel Looks forward to reading: The Easter Bunny Caper- Release Special

The Easter Bunny Caper
By- Cassandra Rose
Genre- Children’s Book (Pre-K – 3rd Grade)
Will Zoey Flower along with her puppy, Munchichi The Great, be able to stay awake long enough to catch the Easter Bunny and prove that he is real once and for all? (Perfect for children Pre K – 3rd grade.)

About the Author-

Cassandra Rose believes in telling stories with characters true to the world we live in. She believes diversity in characters, the odd balls, are the worlds greatest assets and they produce great tales. Cassandra’s books celebrate what makes everyone special and unique.

IndieSage PR presents: Cover Reveal for Protecting Shaylee- The Fae Guard Series bk 1 by Elle Christensen

Protecting Shaylee
by Elle Christensen
Fae Guard #1
Publication Date: April 24, 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance

Protecting Shaylee Cover

As a child, I believed in the fairytales my father told me.
Until he was gone and with him, that belief.
As a girl, I believed in the friendship and protection of Aden.
He made me begin to believe again.
As a woman, I believed in the possibility of love and passion between myself and Aden.
Until he was gone and with him, my belief in magic and happy endings.

When she was a child, I was tasked with her protection.
As a girl, I became her friend.
As a woman, I could no longer see the child I knew and was forced to fight a growing attraction.
Unable to lie and unable to tell the truth, I left.
Now I’ve returned to give the knowledge I couldn’t before, that she is half Fae.
The darkness is stalking her and I am desperate to teach her what she needs to know to protect herself. And determined to make her mine.

Add to Goodreads

portrait of a beautiful girl outdoor with eyes closed

About Elle Christensen

Elle Christensen

I’m a lover of all things books, I’ve been an obsessive reader since I learned how to spell! I’ve been writing novels and short stories since I was twelve, but they say to write the genre you love the most, so as an adult, I fell easily into writing romance. My husband is my biggest supporter and he’s a great sport when it comes to fighting the people in my imagination for my attention. I hope you enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoy writing them!

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IndieSage PR

BOOK BLAST: Hometown Girls by Tressa Messenger

hometown tour banner
hometown girlLife for Marissa Lou was great. She was a popular senior in high school with great friends and an even greater boyfriend. She was on top of the world. That was until she made the greatest sacrifice of her life.
Daniel and Katie both loved Marissa Lou but neither of them could deny the intensity of their growing affection for one another, no matter how hard they tried to fight it.

Being the selfless person she was, Marissa Lou gave Katie and Daniel her permission to date. Little did she know it would be the first day of a hellish nightmare. One where, in her depression, she falls from grace and gets mixed up in a life she never would have expected.

With a growing addiction she fights to right everything that went so wrong, but will it be too late?

Buy on Amazon | Limitless Publishing

About the author:

tressa-2Tressa Messenger grew up in a very small town in Eastern North Carolina called Reelsboro in a coastal county called Pamlico. Being as it was such a small area Tressa developed an immense imagination at a young age. That is where she harnessed her love for writing.
To date Tressa lives in New Orleans Louisiana with her husband, daughter and an assortment of critters.

As a young writer Tressa has overcome adversity of Dyslexia and continues to exceed expectations.

Follow Tressa: FaceBook | Twitter | Website

The author is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card in celebration of the new release! Giveaway ends April 12th at 11:59 EST. Open World Wide.
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NERD BLAST: Ian J Malone Cover Reveal for Red Sky Dawning

Are you ready for this?
  Really really?
Red Sky Dawning

Five years after the historic Battle of Dulaston, Danny Tucker, Lee Summerston, and the Renegades have settled nicely into life on Aura — yet none more so than Tucker. Fueled by a rising career as an ASC staff sergeant and a love unlike any he’s ever known, Danny is in the prime of his life and at last free of the demons that have stalked him for years.

Some demons never die, though, and when an old enemy beckons to settle a personal score, Danny soon finds himself swept up in the backlash of a climaxing civil war, and straight into the crosshairs of a father’s bloodlust for revenge.

RED SKY DAWNING is the much-anticipated sequel to 2013’s MAKO, and the tale of one man’s quest to bury his past and protect those dearest to him as the fate of billions hangs in the balance.

“Thematically speaking, this is very much a story about growing up,” says author Ian J. Malone, a native Floridian who now resides in Durham, North Carolina with his wife and step son. “Whereas book one was this plucky little tale about five bar-flies, rocking through hyperspace on the road trip of a lifetime, book two chronicles a lot of the unforeseen fallout stemming from decisions they made along the way. From an author’s standpoint, it was an intense story to write, but I think readers will really like where it leaves the saga entering the third and final book.”

Among the things readers can expect from RED SKY DAWNING are an array of new characters, a deeper look into the Alystierian Empire, and a healthy dose of political intrigue.

Still, Malone insists that MAKO fans will still find all of the action, humor, and pop-cultural charm that have since become the series’ calling card. “C’mon, guys. What’s a MAKO book without beer jokes and Funyuns?”

RED SKY DAWNING arrives on Amazon April 30, 2015. The audiobook will follow shortly thereafter on Audible and iTunes.

Order your copy here: Ian Malone Fanpage

As a graduate of Florida State University, I’ve written in a number of arenas over the years ranging from public health to news and sports. When it comes to my fictional work, however, I’m a firm believer that nothing shapes an author’s writing like experience. That’s why I credit my tenures in radio, law enforcement, sport management, and the military for much of my thematic inspiration, plus the legion of family and friends who’ve stood with me along the way.

Beyond writing, I’m an avid fan of audiobooks and sports, though it’s also not uncommon to find me at a concert (LOVE music!), a movie, or somewhere out by a grill.

At present, I reside in Durham, North Carolina with my incredible wife, son, and our two dogs — but I’ll always be a “Florida boy” at heart. 😉

TWITTER: @ianjmalone

Rafflecopter Link:
–Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter

Giveaway Banner (1)

Winner will receive a Signed Copy of MAKO, a Signed RED SKY DAWNING Poster, and a bag of Funyuns (inside joke for those who read the books)
Winner will receive a $20 B&N gift card, a Signed RED SKY DAWNING Poster, and a bag of Funyuns

Proximity series tour: Triple the Mama- reviews and more!

Proximity Series Banner

Proximity New Cover 2015 FRONT ONLYBook 1 Info-

Proximity Series-Book #1

By: M.A. George

Genre- Romance/Science Fiction

She’s an alien whose home world doesn’t even know she exists.

He just inherited a planet, and now he’s running from it.

She has spent a lifetime hiding in plain sight.

He wants to escape the spotlight.

Her touch can heal.

His wounds are deep.

Two hearts, two planets collide.  It’s the perfect union.

Except the part where the world’s about to end.

Amazon Paperback-

B&N Paperback-

Mama’ Thoughts on Promimity Book 1:
First of all, this was an interesting, genre blending read that took me by surprise.  Is is sci-fi? Romance? sort of dystopian but not really?  So many possibilities but none fit quite right, and I enjoy that in a book.  Proximity is told from the POV of Palta, and although she is not of this planet, she displays an array of human emotions.  You really feel as if you understand what she is going through, and you are on the edge of your seat waiting to see how it all turns out.  You aren’t kept waiting long though!  This was not in the least bit clumsy or off pace, and I found myself staying up a bit too late reading this one, only to wish I could stay up even more for the next book!
5 roaring stars

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000032_00044]Book 2 Info-

Title- Relativity

Series-Proximity Series Book #2

By M.A. George

Publication Date: January 9, 2013

***Spoilers for book 1***

No matter the planet, Palta Capal is an alien.

She’s lived a lifetime where she never belonged…but relocating to the “home world” she’s never seen has her feeling more like an outsider than ever.

Teetering between the thrill of newfound love and the despair of family loss—not to mention the looming threat of global war—Palta doesn’t need any more excitement in her life.

But what she needs and what she gets are two entirely different things.

Mama’ Thoughts on Promimity Book 2:
***Spoilers for book

We now find Palta on her home planet, feeling anything but at home.  Once again her human emotions are so relatable, and the utter loneliness of being surrounded by beings just like you while only having one who even remotely understands you, is devastatingly real.  Of course she’s also trying to come to terms with her family not being in her life, and having to process just how much her love for Aeron can carry her.  George has slowed the pace a miniscule amount, but it fits perfectly in the middle of a trilogy.  Too often these are rushed and lack in content, and that is not the case with Relativity.  Again I would find myself wanting to know what happened, but I also enjoyed getting to know Palta a little bit more.
Another 5 stars

Amazon Paperback-

B&N Paperback-

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000032_00044]Book 3 Info-

Series-Proximity Book # 3

By-M.A. George

Publication Date-July 16th, 2013

***Slight Spoilers for book 2***

Palta learned long ago not to expect a “normal” life.  She’d settle for one free of close encounters with supernaturally-gifted homicidal maniacs.

Apparently that’s too much to ask.

Join your favorite Onontian royal family, as they settle into life at the palace…only don’t get too comfortable, because things are about to take a hair-raising turn.

Vitality is the gripping third installment in the Proximity series.

Mama’s Thoughts on Book 3:
***Spoilers for book 2***

As with any close to a series or trilogy, I had the fear in the back of my mind that I would be frustrated, or underwhelmed.  Never fear, M.A. George is hear to show you how to do it!  The pace picked up just a bit from Relativity, just enough to have me on the edge again while still enjoying the descriptions of palace life and Palta’s hopes for the future of her family.  Her strength and tenacity are tested, and I found my heart breaking for all her struggles.  Vitality is what the end should be, hopeful, not entirely predictable, and full of life.
5 ding-dang-doodly stars

Amazon Paperback-

Amazon Kindle-

About the Author-

  1. M.A. GeorgeA. George is part proud mother of two adorable children, part super top secret agent…Oops, probably just lost that job.

Writing is what keeps her up into the wee hours of the night.  Fortunately, she has a lot of energy (Read: caffeine is her friend).  She has a bit of an obsession with music (It does a fantastic job of tuning out rambunctious children while she attempts to focus).

She sincerely hopes people out there enjoy reading her work as much as she enjoys writing it.  And if anyone hears of work for a super top secret agent, she’s now available (Discretion guaranteed…).

Author Links-

Amazon Author Page-

Smashwords Author Page-

Cover Reveal: Salvation and Secrets by LA Cotton

 photo Cover Revealed_zpscitqw6n5.jpg

Title: Salvation and Secrets (Chastity Falls Series Book 2)

Author: L.A. Cotton

Genre: New Adult/Contemporary

Cover Reveal: March 27th

Release Date: April 17th

 photo SandS-LAC-Fullwrap-sml_zpszfbiqjto.jpg

Chastity Falls was supposed to be Ana Parry?s fresh start. But what started as her salvation

soon became her undoing.

Four months after losing the very thing that gave her reason again, Ana is back at Chastity

Falls. Holding on by a thread and trying hard to forget about Jackson isn?t easy when she?s

determined to uncover the Donohue?s biggest secrets.

Jackson Pierce knew he was playing with fire when he pursued the girl with pain in her eyes. But

there was something about her and he just had to know more.

Walking away from Ana was the hardest thing he?s ever done, and four months on, he refuses to

forget. He can?t. Rising tensions with Reibeckitt Valley mean Ana is still in harm?s way and, this

time, he?s determined to protect her?at all costs.

Loyalty drove them apart, but will secrets piece them back together? Or tear them apart for

Salvation will be earned, secrets will be unveiled. Welcome to Chastity Falls.

 photo teaser2_zpsscx3htoh.jpg

 photo Teaser1_zpsxjvh9xc6.jpg

Mama Reads: Banshee Promo featuring excerpt and review by yours truly.

by Terry Maggert

March 2015

Cities Fall. Dragons Rise. War Begins.

The war for earth began in Hell. First came the earthquakes. Then came the floods. Finally, from the darkened mines, caves and pits, the creatures of our nightmares boiled forth to sweep across the planet in a wave of death.

Mankind, on the run and unprepared, is not alone. We have dragons.

Emerging from their slumber, giant dragons select riders to go to war. Their forces strike back at the legions of demons that attack on the night of every new moon. The Killing Moon, as it becomes known, is the proving ground for warriors of skill and heart. Among the riders is Saavin, a brave young woman from the shattered remains of Texas. Her dragon, Banshee, is swift and fearless, but they will need help to fight a trio of monstrous creatures that Hell is using to take cities one by one.

With the help of French Heavener, a warrior of noble intent, Banshee and Saavin will launch a desperate defense of New Madrid, the last city standing. But first, they’ll have to go into the very cave where demons bide their time until the sun fades and the moon is black.

The hope of mankind rests on dragon’s wings and the bravery of Saavin and French.

They have the guts. They have the guns.

They have dragons.

Buy links:

Mama’s Thoughts on Banshee:
This was absolutely original, and grabbed my interest straightaway.  Of course I’m always up for a good fantasy read, but these days you can never be too sure until you dive right in.  Banshee is unlike other epic fantasies in that it’s told through the lens of dystopian fiction.  By that I mean, we have an end of world scenario, but instead of zombies or plague, it’s dragons! Maggert has a beautiful prose style that lends a lyrical voice to an often underwhelming genre.  5 stars hands down.

tmAbout the Author

Born in 1968, I discovered fishing shortly after walking, a boon, considering I lived in South Florida. After a brief move to Kentucky, my family trekked back to the Sunshine State. I had the good fortune to attend high school in idyllic upstate New York, where I learned about a mythical occurrence known in Florida as “seasons”. After two or three failed attempts at college, I bought a bar. That was fun because I love beer, but, then, I eventually met someone smarter than me (a common event), and, in this case, she married me and convinced me to go back to school–which I did, with enthusiasm. I earned a Master’s Degree in History and rediscovered my love for writing. I live near Nashville, Tennessee, with the aforementioned wife, son, and herd, and, when I’m not writing, I teach history, grow wildly enthusiastic tomato plants, and restore my 1967 Mustang.

Freebie Friday Part 2: The Good Stuff- Kira Adams Re-releases an Updated Into the Darkness!

Check out the newly updated and edited version of Into the Darkness! Containing additional scenes and fresh edits, Into the Darkness follows the story of Phoenix Blue, Ike Glass, and Ace Cullen as they deal with the fallout from a government-created virus gone wrong.

Into the Darkness will be FREE from March 26th through March 30th! Grab your copy and read it now, before Emerging from Darkness drops on March 31st!

Grab it on Amazon
Add it on GoodReads!  While you’re there you can read our 5 Star Review!

Freebie Friday part 1: Orenda Blitz

Book & Author Details:
Orenda by Ruth Silver
(Orenda #1)
Published by: Booktrope Publishing
Publication date: December 5th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Join forces with a parallel universe.

Dark forces, magical creatures, and the world Lil thought she knew collide when a dream transports her to the strange world of Orenda. Stunned and terrified, Lil comes face to face with her doppelganger, Willow, who possesses the ability to travel between the two worlds. Everything Lil knows logically says that Orenda can’t exist, but a small clue may be proof that it was more than an ordinary dream. With the threat of her sister in danger, Lil crosses dimensions but it may cost her even more than she bargained for.

A sword wielding girl, the eternal suit, and a parallel universe come together in this action-packed Young Adult fantasy adventure that will keep readers of all ages turning the pages.

Purchase (FREE on Amazon and iTunes right now):

His dark locks fell into his eyes, and he pushed them aside. “We don’t have much time. I need your help, Willow.”

Lil’s eyes narrowed. “It’s Lil,” she said, correcting him. “Why should I help you? Why should I even go with you?” She stood beside his car, her heart thumping in her chest as she crossed her arms.

“Jamey’s in trouble,” Rawlie said.

“How do you know my sister?” Lil’s eyes narrowed.

“We don’t have much time.”

Lil was torn in two. She shouldn’t go with Rawlie, but the thought of something happening to her sister was even more terrifying than any gruesome scene she could imagine landing in herself. “What happened?” She looked back as the main door to the school opened and the principal came outside to the lot. It was now or never. If they waited any longer, he’d be wondering why she wasn’t in class.

“If we’re leaving, now would be a good time.” Rawlie jumped into the car, not bothering to open the door. He unlocked the passenger side and Lil pulled the door open, glancing back at the principal before getting into the car. A moment later, Rawlie sped off and away from Twain High.

The drive was like nothing Lil had ever experienced. She secured her seatbelt, tightening it as much as possible. The wind burned against her flesh, tearing at her skin worse than the most painful sunburn she’d ever experienced. The forest shifted in waves around them. She opened her mouth to speak, to ask what was going on, but the words didn’t come. The forest grew darker the faster they drove. The trees billowed overhead and though it was spring and there had been leaves on them, the dark forest looked dead. Lil glanced back behind them, seeing a shift and a ripple, the same odd glimmer she’d seen when Rawlie first appeared outside the school.

“Where are we going?” Lil choked out, gasping for air. A bird swooped down just above her head and she flinched, swatting it away. She’d never liked birds, and she definitely wasn’t a fan of ones with large, sharp talons coming at her face.

“Yeah, I don’t like birds either. Getting to Orenda through the forest isn’t an easy drive. It’ll be okay.” Rawlie moved an arm to cover and protect Lil while he drove with the other.

“How is any of this okay?” Lil’s eyes widened with alarm as the dead trees closed in on them. The roar was as deafening as a lion’s, causing the windshield to shudder and her heart rate to quicken. From a distance, she could make out the faintest hint of pink light streaming in from the edge of the forest. She doubted they’d make it in time. The forest was swallowing them whole. “I want out!” she screamed, fear overtaking her.

“If we stop, we’re both dead.” Rawlie didn’t let up on the gas. He pushed the pedal harder to the floor, his arm protecting Lil from anything that might attack as they narrowly escaped the forest. He should have put the top up on the convertible before they left, Lil found herself thinking. A moment later, they reached the clearing and Rawlie put both hands back on the steering wheel as they came to an abrupt halt.

Ruth Silver first began writing poetry as a teenager and reading heaps of fan fiction in her free time. She has written under three unique pseudo names and penned well over a hundred stories.

She attended Northern Illinois University in 2001 and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Communication. While in college she spent much of her free time writing with friends she met online and penning her first novel, “Deuces are Wild”, which she self-published in 2004. Her favorite class was Creative Writing senior year where she often handed in assignments longer than the professor required because she loved to write and always wanted to finish her stories.

Her love of writing, led her on an adventure in 2007 to Melbourne, Australia. Silver enjoys reading YA novels and sharing her favorite books with other readers. She runs her own book blog and also enjoys photography and traveling.

Author links:
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PLEASE NOTE:     Because of the large amount of orders currently in the build queue, I am not taking any new orders until the assembly line is caught up.  Feel free to check with me on possible wait times, as they have exceded the old 8 to 10 week estimates.   I am working hard to fulfill the overwhelming response received during the initial launch and also to expand the operation past it’s current “one man show”.

See “The Process” on the menu tab to understand more about how products are built.

 How to order:

Use the contact form at the bottom of this page to place your request.  Chose your items from the order pricing list below, and clearly state what products and quantities you desire, and make sure to include your email address and a shipping address.  Once I receive your request you will be emailed an invoice that you can easily pay from.   Invoicing will all be done through Paypal, so rest assured a secure transaction.  Shipping to your destination will be added.  Please not that the Wooly Mammoth series are quite heavy.  Once your invoice is paid, you will have reserved your order and you will be emailed the serial number that will be attached to your gear.

gcsd1Ground Control -Standard controller $312.99 1U rack or desktop

GCdeluxecosole 1  Ground Control -Deluxe $699.99 desktop console

GCD1U 1 Ground Control -Deluxe $699.99 1U rack

GCD2U1 Ground Control -Deluxe 2U chassis $725.99

gcmicro 3  Ground Control – Micro $245.99

323 1  Three-Two-Three source/monitor switcher $235.99

wmsi 1  Wooly Mammoth – Standard Issue $1124.99

mk3b  Wooly Mammoth – Deluxe MK3 $1549.99

IMG_2474 Passive Direct Box (standard) $149.99

DI1Passive Direct Box (dual transformer version) $195.99

IMG_2485 Re-Amping box $129.99

IMG_2488 2-Channel Speaker Load box (specify ohms config) $95.00 $89.99

IMG_2502 A/B pedal  $57.00 $49.99          Attenuator Pedal $57.00 $49.99

IMG_2528 XLR to TRS adapters (specify male or female xlr ends) SET OF 2 $6.99 $5.99

mammoth-label-mock “Plate logo” shirt (specify size S, M, L, XL, or XXL) $XX.00 $16.99

mammoth-plane-mock “Hand Crafted” shirt (specify size S, M, L, XL, or XXL) $XX.00 $16.99

Remember to include your shipping address in the message so we can provide an accurate invoice – THANKS!

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It’s not everyday you get sent a pair of underwear – but what a lovely surprise it was!

Kim Denzler have taken 5 years to make their vision a reality – to produce “quality underwear that is comfortable and stylish, at a price far below competitors”. And that’s certainly what they’ve done.

Like the Swedish designer, I’ve taken a considerable amount of time to write this review. I wanted to ensure that the review I gave was accurate and true to how the underwear has worn and lasted.

Too often, you buy a fantastic looking pair of boxers, briefs or pants; you wear them once, wash them and then they lose their shape, go bobbly and leave you looking and feeling like a total underwear model reject!

I was sent a pair of the ‘bleached lava’ boxer briefs. Priced at 297 SEK (just under £30) for a 3 pack, the underwear are fantastic value and definitely worth every penny.

Seriously, these are the comfiest boxer briefs I now own. I cannot recommend them more. They look great, provide the perfect support (where it’s needed!) and wash really very well. They’ve not lost their shape and the material has stayed soft and supple.

I’ll certainly be stocking up on these boxer briefs.

My one criticism – Kim Denzler has definitely missed out on a trick. He’s Swedish and he produces pants. Skants, anyone!?

Shop Kim Denzler here

(These are actually the colour names…)

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By the Tama River

1 chapters | Completed | Rank 5393
The Tama River had always been a witness to the different facets of human life. One day, a bum living by its banks happens to catch a girl throwing her food away like it was nothing. A story of their interactions.

Other Facts

Last Updated6 days ago
Other namesTamagawa Nite, 多摩川にて


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Entries by dror64

Hauppauge Public Library – June 7, 2015

Manhattan Lyric Opera at Hauppauge Public Library Details: Hauppauge Public Library 601 Veterans Memorial Hwy Hauppauge, NY 11788 Adult – Manhattan Lyric Opera (Hauppauge) Description: Renowned concert performer, Anne Tormela, will treat you to a solo performance that highlights some of the most beloved opera, operetta, Broadway and popular classics. This family friendly introduction to opera […]

The Best of MGM Musicals & More!

    Press Release for Kingspoint Theater (Tamarac, Florida) January 24, 2016 and Seven Lakes (Fort Myers, Florida) January 29th, 2016  performance by Manhattan Lyric Opera: “The Best of MGM Musicals & More!” Featuring top stars to perform highlights of the most beloved MGM movie musicals made popular over the years with music from: White Christmas, Kismet, West […]


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Don’t Despair, Your Perfect Job Awaits YOU!

‘Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies.’

-Shaw shank Redemption

This dialogue is apt for job seekers who are on a constant lookout for jobs but haven’t received a positive response yet. It is very frustrating to keep on waiting for your dream job. So what’s important in such a situation?

It is advised not to get bogged down by peer pressure and become depressed because of your friends getting placements. You may have to give out over a hundred CVs to potential employers and hiring managers. There will be days where you might want to give up but DO NOT LOSE HOPE.

It will be your day very soon

The Hope

Everyone here knows about various motivational stories that aim to inspire us. You might feel that these stories seem mythical and far-fetched, especially during this exasperating time of waiting. But these are true accounts and if you keep your belief intact and not lose hope, you’re sure to succeed

The Strategy

  • Identify the specific person or industry that you are seeking a job from. Take control and decide what fits for you
  • Take Career Tests or Personality Tests if you are having a hard time determining your ideal job profile
  • When you are focused, you are most likely to be better prepared with knowledge and skill required for working in your preferred industry
  • You can utilize your waiting period by honing a specific skill set
  • Always look your best during public interactions and be professional. Increase your network and avail all your opportunities

 Be prepared

  • Always stay prepared to explain and elaborate on your skills and experiences that would benefit their business
  • Memorize your pitching statement and always try and improve your attitude as well as how you project yourself.
  • Listen to any feedback you get, no matter if it is appreciative or critical
  • Do NOT appear desperate

Always believe that you are an asset waiting to be discovered!


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Escape to the Country – then and now…

I have to confess to a mild (my husband would say serious) and long-standing addiction to house programmes on the TV – buying houses, selling houses, renovating houses…even cleaning houses. If a programme has a house as its focus, I’m your man. (Woman actually, but let’s not quibble.)
And with apologies to non-UK readers – a little nostalgia here – Who remembers the excesses of ‘Changing Rooms’ or the fun of watching wannabee property developers making mistakes on Sarah Beeny’s ‘Property Ladder’?

For the record I once applied to be on Property Ladder, and got as far as being invited to send in photos / details of the renovation project, but to my husband’s great relief a similar project had just been accepted and so I was turned down. It didn’t dampen my enthusiasm though and my ‘house’ addiction is now fed by watching as many airings of ‘Grand Designs’ as possible (mostly re-runs) and, my latest ‘fix’, episodes of ‘Escape to the Country.’Screenshot 2015-02-03 15.06.28

For the latter I blame a friend, Helen Hollick, for although I tell myself that they are very educational, and my knowledge of the geography of the south of England is certainly improving, it was Helen’s appearance on the show I was originally watching for, but of course I’m now hooked – on the landscape and the many and varied houses…

Having now watched oodles of episodes there is a recurring thread that runs through most of the programmes. – Most folk looking to relocate seem to want a property with ‘period features’.Screenshot 2015-02-03 15.06.40 But not too authentic – for, along with the desire for the period feel, is usually an equally strong preference for every modern convenience. And who can blame them? A medieval hall house may sound romantic, but how many of us would want to live with a central fire and no chimney to take away the smoke? Or an outside earth closet in lieu of a toilet? Not me!

Interesting though to see how medieval house-styling is still echoed in new-build England Screenshot 2015-02-03 15.06.53today. Compare developments of ‘mock-Tudor’ housing with the originals and externally, at least, the derivation is clear.

If you dislike ‘mock’ anything, and you have plenty of money to spend, it is possible to re-create the real thing Screenshot 2015-02-03 15.07.04 – there are specialist firms who will supply and erect an oak frame, using very similar techniques to those used in Tudor times.

The current trend for open plan living certainly lends itself to that style of house.

I have to admit here to a closet desire to live in an oak-framed house, a dream I’m unlikely to fulfil, for though these houses, both the original properties and the modern re-creations, are undoubtedly beautiful, they would look entirely out of place where I stay in the Scottish Borders.

Why most people would feel that way is an interesting issue – for modern architecture is much less location specific. Perhaps it is an instinctive appreciation that style of housing is part of our historical landscape, and often in earlier times directly reflected the physical environment; for example, the honey-coloured Cotswold stone, the flint houses of Essex with their pristine granite polishing and the thatched cottages of Devon – all of which owe their predominance to the convenience and local availability of the materials concerned, in a way that 21st century building doesn’t. And therein lies their charm.

Why isn’t the Scottish Borders peppered with half-timbered houses? Screenshot 2015-02-03 15.07.13 It can’t be explained by a lack of materials, for Scotland was just as heavily wooded in the 15th and 16th centuries as England, perhaps more so. The answer lies not in the landscape but in lifestyle.

While a Kentish farmer was enjoying the relative comfort of nestling securely in the surrounding farmland, his Scottish social equivalent was keeping fit on the spiral staircase of his gaunt and forbidding tower house, built primarily with defense in mind.Screenshot 2015-02-03 15.07.25
A reflection of the widespread lawlessness of Scottish society at this time. So no timber-framed ‘hall-style’ house for me then.

If you think renovation or stone restoration is a modern concept think again. The island of Bute on the west coast of Scotland boasts one of the most amazing restoration projects I have ever seen. Mount Stuart House was transformed before: and after: Screenshot 2015-02-03 15.08.02

Screenshot 2015-02-03 15.08.14

Well worth a visit, with ‘wow’ factors galore, from the overall magnificence (decadence?) of the interior to the detail of the decorated brass door hinges (not to mention the oak internal doors – Ukoakdoors now making similar ones), individually designed according to the purpose of the room in which they are used!

Screenshot 2015-02-03 15.08.23 Screenshot 2015-02-03 15.08.34

But now, as then, if you have enough money you can build almost anything, anywhere.
Well, maybe.

Apart from the restrictions placed by the planning authorities of course.

Are planning regulations a new thing? Yes and no. Aside from national regulations, we have conservation areas in towns and cities, and national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty in the countryside, all of which place specific restrictions on the extent and style of building allowed within them. Along with mountains of paperwork to be waded through in order to understand the restrictions or to make an application.

It was much simpler in the 16th and 17th centuries, but by no means a free-for-all. Consider the 1589 ‘Act against the erecting and maintaining cottages’, which stated:

‘ no person shall within this realm … make, build and erect, or cause to be made, built or erected, any manner of cottage for habitation or dwelling, nor convert or ordain any building or housing made or hereafter to be made or used as a cottage for habitation or dwelling, unless the same person do assign and lay to the same cottage or building four acres of ground at the least, to be accounted according to the statute or ordinance De terris mensurandis being his or her own freehold and inheritance lying near to the said cottage, to be continually occupied and manured therewith so long as the same cottage shall be inhabited’

Hmm – 4 acres…and as for the manuring…

But regulations are made to be broken, and illegal building of cottages on common ground was rife. It was however possible, but by no means certain, to obtain retrospective permission, usually by payment of a fine. (The equivalent of a modern-day ‘sweetener’ perhaps?)

Poplar Cottage, Screenshot 2015-02-03 15.08.46 now re-erected in the Weald and Downland museum, but originally sited in West Sussex, is thought to be one such illegal or ‘wasteland’ cottage, the owner of which must at some stage have received a ‘licence to remain’.

As it happens, I wrote a short story called ‘The Price of Poplar ‘ speculating on the means used to gain that permission, which has been published in the anthology ‘Beggar at the Gate and Other Stories (Historical Novel Society)

Is ‘escaping to the country’ a modern concept? Not really – wealthy folk in Tudor London also prized their country estates, enabling them to escape from the city when the weather, or disease, or political difficulties dictated.

The TV show ‘Escape to the Country’ is somewhat different. Not featuring temporary escapes to country estates by the privileged, but folk like me (well, ok, maybe a teensy bit better-off than me) making a permanent move; choosing, not just a beautiful part of the country to live in, but often also a different pace and way of life.

May they all enjoy it!

Postscript: One of my holiday ‘treats’ is to look in estate agency windows and pick up house brochures. Imagine my delight when a property I’d noticed when on holiday in Devon featured as the mystery house in a recent episode – and I got to enjoy a virtual tour…

(A modified version of this article first appeared as a guest post on Helen Hollick’s blog

2 thoughts on “Escape to the Country – then and now…

    • Cautiously optimistic that I might have it sussed, Andrew, thank you for checking…

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The joy of isolation.

Isolation Part 1

Some of you may know that when I was stalled in the middle of writing  A House Divided a kind person, who didn’t at that stage know me from Adam (or Eve, if you prefer)  offered me the use of her empty cottage for a few weeks to kick-start me again.

It was an interesting and very productive experience. The conditions were rather spartan, note the hot-water bottle (which I set on my knee), the foot muff (helpful in stopping toes dropping off – slight exaggeration, but you get the picture, and the sheepskin rug – comfy.annas-cottage1      annas-cottage-2

The portable gas heater did a good job of keeping the room warm, but going to the toilet was a different matter. I’ve never been to Siberia, but I can now imagine how it might feel…

The upside was three-fold.

  1. No internet nor landline – therefore no distractions.
  2. The quiet suits me – only sounds were bird-song and the wind moving through the trees.
  3. I found that I bear a close resemblance to Pavlov’s dogs – as soon as I began to drive up the single-track road to the cottage providing that amazing Club Furniture pieces to feel relaxed and get some inspiration, my brain shifted into creative mode and I was able to start writing as soon as I sat down at the makeshift desk, aka small rusty  garden table.

I haven’t included a selfie (though I did take one) because it is less than flattering. Suffice to say I wrote  wearing scarf, gloves (with the fingers cut out), hat and a thick woolly long jacket and the words just poured out.

End result – A House Divided – published in October 2015 – a book that I’m really proud of.  Thank you Anna!


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How to Manage Your Brand / Company Image across the Internet – Part 1

Posted by

Manage your Internet Brand Image: Maximize Positives, Minimize Negatives

It is now critically important to become involved and participate in internet marketing and to identify which media and social platforms have the biggest influence on your

  • marketplace
  • competitors
  • brand  / company image

The Purpose of the Internet Marketing Brand Strategy

The goal and purpose of an Internet Marketing Brand Strategy is to deliver the agreed business targets while building a stronger more robust brand image vs competitors, and increasing the value of the brand to the business.

The key question and critical decision is defining your brand / our company’s core positioning in the marketplace and the your sustainable competitive advantages.

Internet Marketing Brand Strategy matrix farmework - John Cullen
Internet Marketing Strategy farmework @John Cullen

Building a Internet Marketing Strategy

One should be aware of which factors will provide the best ROI for a minimal investment, of resources in time and effort, remembering it requires different marketing and creative skills than traditional marketing.

An Internet Marketing Strategy requires a balance between:

  • the degree of inter-activity required with your target audience
  • the size & composition of the target audience and how it breaks down by groups
  • identifying the opportunities to influence the image / brand values across the internet platforms

The business or company website is now just one internet platform that requires marketing optimization. It is also critical to optimize other key platforms that influence & contribute to your overall brand image across the internet

For more information visit

Contact John Cullen direct

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Official Close 2/15/2019
Official Close 2/15/2019
Official Close 2/15/2019
Official Close 2/15/2019

CasaiQ announces funding round and rebranding as Zego

Dec. 1, 2017, 09:30 AM

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Dec. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CasaiQ, the premier digital amenity platform for apartments, today announced the close of a $1.5 million funding round and a corporate name change.

Zego raises $1.5 million and rebrands from CasaiQ to Zego

CasaiQ is now officially Zego. "The new name – Zego – better represents who we are as we move beyond a smart home solution to more of a digital amenity platform," said Adam Blake, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zego.

The company is also announcing the close of a $1.5 million funding round that includes a combination of institutional venture capital investors and some of the largest apartment owners in the US. "The capital will enable us to continue investing in the product and to support the deployment of the thousands of apartment units in our backlog," said Blake.

Zego has created a simple way for apartment owners and managers to offer residents a digital amenity package, including smart home technology, while saving property managers both time and money. Zego provides a mobile app to residents allowing them to control devices in their apartments and have a better experience interacting with their property manager. Zego's property manager portal enables managers to control devices, such as door locks and thermostats, across an entire portfolio of apartments and streamline operations for maintenance staff and leasing agents.

One of the Zego investors includes Scott Everett, CEO of S2 Capital, an owner of 10,000+ apartment units throughout Texas and Florida. "Zego's value proposition is very compelling: Zego increases our net operating income and reduces our operating expenses, all while providing our residents a better experience. We have looked at some similar smart apartment companies and Zego represented the best combination of a quality product and proven team we want to partner with," said Everett.

Investors include Techstars Ventures, KCRise Fund, Toby Rush, Davyeon Ross, and others. Zego was formed in January 2017 and initial seed funding came from Blake. "Smart homes, integrated services and enhanced user experiences packaged into a platform is a global opportunity over the next 5-10 years. Zego has an early movers advantage in the US with global scale in its future," said Toby Rush, CEO of Zoloz.

About Zego, Inc.

Zego® is the premier digital amenity platform for apartments. Zego®'s flagship smart apartment solution provides residents with the convenience, savings, and security of a smart home solution integrated into the Zego® mobile application that digitally connects apartment owners and residents. In addition to driving resident engagement and enhancing the resident experience, Zego® increases ancillary revenue and decreases operating expenses for apartment owners.

Headquartered in Kansas City, Zego® was founded in 2017 and is venture funded by Techstars Ventures, KCRise, and several of the largest apartment operators in the US. For more information visit www.zego.io.

Heath Bideau

View original content with multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/casaiq-announces-funding-round-and-rebranding-as-zego-300564932.html

SOURCE Zego, Inc.

Markets Insider and Business Insider Editorial Teams were not involved in the creation of this post.

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Monthly Archives: May 2018

a hairy moth….

This morning following my daily drop off of the doll at school, I heard an advertisement on NPR, concerning a “Moth” competition taking place tonight in Ann Arbor. As Doug Tribou, the morning announcer read where one could still purchase tickets to as well as the local; I remembered attending my first Moth show with two of my older brothers, and their wives; wondering if I could produce some nerve to get up on stage in front of a bunch of 100 or more strangers and tell a true story–out loud. “The subject is “Hair” Doug relayed, before moving onto the next advertisement.

Hair… I ruminated for a few minutes and wondering what I could say, I began telling myself a story, out loud on the drive home…  I am not attending the show tonight in Ann Arbor, as there are too many other things in my path tonight. But I did write a story that I think could have been told, if…I had the nerve, drive and transportation to the show. Tell me what you think.

Moth Show Subject: Hair

Time allotted to tell story: 5 minutes…

and Go…

There is a song written and sung by the Indigo Girls named Virginia Woolf, about a young girl who reads Virginia Woolf’s diary and finds a connection to what she had written about herself and the girl. She says, “It’s like I found a telephone line through time…” I always liked that line and wondered if I would ever find something that could resonate in me the same way.

About ten years ago, when my dad was 86 and his older sister, Rosemary was 95, her family set up a date with my dad to talk about “old” times. My Aunt who was in the process of moving from an assisted living into a fulltime care facility; was afraid some of her families keepsakes would be lost in the move. So between my cousins and my siblings, we set up video cameras and recorded their meeting as together they reminisced about their parents, grandparents and siblings who were had already passed away.

The keepsakes were kept in an old brown cardboard box, which looked as if it had seen better days. The contents kept within, were weathered with age and of no real value, except to those who could attach memories and meanings to them. A photograph here, a signet ring there, a bag of hair… A bag of hair? I thought as I reached in a pulled it out. My first thought was, “Gross!!” mainly because this bag contained not just a clipping or a small lock of hair, but rather, a somewhat large pony tail wad of hair. “Why would anyone keep this?” I thought as I held that bag in my hand.

My Aunt Rosie, noticing the curious look upon my face said in a matter of fact way, “That’s Margie’s hair…”

Margie, my dad’s older sister, passed away from a brain tumor shortly after His fourth birthday and over the years had been made a saint in the eyes of her parents and remaining siblings. My grandmother, who had lost three children to still births with no visible reminder, save the pain of the loss, was given her hair by the doctor as a visceral reminder her daughter had lived in the world and was loved and would remain forever in their hearts–even if there were times when they couldn’t bring themselves to talk about her in grief. Yet, they still had a physical reminder/relic if you will,  to help quell their grief.

So I’m holding this bag of hair and curiosity gets the best of me and I open and pull a few strands out. Immediately I am overwhelmed by the texture and true color the hair conveys. Then that line for the Indigo Girls song runs through my head, because like a telephone line through time, I am able to connect to a girl who passed away 80 years before. You see the hair, was fine in nature and the same color red as my six year old daughter.  My aunt Rosie then replied, ‘Your daughter’s hair color reminds me of her…” and I am suddenly blown away by a bag of hair.

Thank you.


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around the farm ~ easter basket wheat grass

(easter 2011 wheatgrass, half-grown)

the wheatgrass easter basket idea has made the blog rounds for years and i don’t know whose original idea it was or i’d give credit. we are a week into our easter grass growth for 2013, but believe me, there is still plenty of time if you want to do this project. wheatberries are miraculous!

this is what we did. we soaked about 2 tablespoons of wheat berries in a mason jar overnight. the next day, we drained out the water and spread the soaked berries onto the damp soil in our basket (there is a plastic bag lining the basket, but it’s also not a basket we’re super attached to. the thrift store usually has baskets aplenty for cheap, or if you want you can swing by and borrow one of the 47 i’m not currently using for my farmer’s market booth).

then we used a spray bottle to keep the berries moist for the next few days, while they sprouted. (according to quinn’s teacher at ols, spray bottles are great for building up children’s hand strength for skills such as writing.)

the first few days of growth are miraculous to behold. you can walk away for an hour and come back and see they have doubled in size. rich was gone all day monday for work and rehearsal and when he saw them that evening he said, and i quote, “holy cow!”

here’s yesterday morning:

and here’s from this morning:

so what i’m saying is, you still have plenty of time (and we are going to have to mow the lawn.)

around the rest of the farm, similar signs of miraculous green life are showing themselves.

between the sorrel (a perrenial green, meaning nearly effortless) and the overwintered asian greens, there is plenty of salad right now.

volunteer/weedy greens like miner’s lettuce and chickweed are all around, in case anyone wants to add some earth tones to that salad.

daffodils are everywhere. we have been enjoying the hummingbirds who’ve been visiting our feeder as well as some of the early flowering shrubs.

trying not to get too carried away with planting seeds yet, and where i haven’t been able to help myself, building them little shelters to help them get through any unforeseen inclement weather in the months ahead. it’s hard to remember we can have that this time of year, when it’s as lovely as this!

i know many of you cannot even think about putting any seeds outside just yet, so that’s where sprouting in a jar and growing easter basket grass comes in handy. needing to grow things is a year-round need, regardless of which hardiness zone we may call home.

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Request Invitation
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If you would like to request an invitation to attend The Christian Science Association of the Pupils of Mary Bothwell, C.S.B., please send the information listed below by email or postal mail.

Contact information

My postal address is available in the current Christian Science Journal.

Information to include in your email request to attend:

  • Your name
  • Your mailing address, including street, city, state, postal code or zip code, and country.
  • Your email address
  • Your telephone number (whichever is best to reach you with)
  • The name of your Christian Science Primary Class teacher
  • Has your association been disbanded?
  • If not, does your teacher still conduct your association meetings?
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Long time no post! Lessons learned meanwhile

I can’t believe! I can’t believe my last post on this blog has been 3 months ago! The moment I returned to my blog after 3-month break, I realized I’d better post something because it is April Fools and I’m welcoming people with “Happy New Year” message. (0_0);;

These past 3 months, however, was very productive for me to improve my Japanese speaking and listening skills. How? Well this is what happened.

After things got little busy around the beginning of January, I felt uncomfortable adding another task on my to-do list. Plus I was confused as to what material to focus on. I was getting stressed out about not being able to follow up with my blog posts.

But then a thought came into my mind.

Although I wasn’t posting on the blog, I still was pushing myself to listen, read, write and speak in Japanese everyday. I was already using a bit of my will power to push myself over my limit. Finally, I decided on my priorities.

My goal is to learn Japanese, not to create the best Japanese learning blog on WordPress.

Upon the realization, I let everything go and let my mind guide me. I successfully got out the pressure of writing a post everyday which cost me mental energy for making me feel guilty about my blog everyday. Quickly, I was able to turn more attention to studying and using Japanese, the thing that actually matters more to my goal.

Then after about three months, while riding Tokyo’s subway with my friend, my thought naturally reached to the blog. When I showed it to her, she made fun of my post saying “Happy new year.” This time, however, I didn’t feel ashamed or guilty. Her joke, I considered it a little nudge telling me to get back. I felt motivated and excited to write about so many things happened since January until now.

Of course, to do something that we haven’t done before, we need pressure. We need to force ourselves to make something into a habit. However, sometimes, we may need to take a step back, think for a moment whether we are spending our time and mental energy on something worthwhile, and adjust our paths appropriately.

Is this the only productive result I got? Of course not! With my friends in Japan, I was having 90% conversations in Japanese. My listening comprehension and speaking skills improved so much that I was surprised at myself from time to time. I felt like I was living my dream already, and I was extremely happy to realize that I can only get better.

Are you having a stressful time learning Japanese? Perhaps it is time for you to let everything go and relax a little bit. Relax. Focus on the fun of using language instead of the agony of memorizing Kanji and grammar everyday! After all, you can only get better!

p.s. The picture is from Waseda University this Monday. Waseda daigaku students were promoting their club activities and inviting first-year students. Mixed in with the crowd and my Waseda friend, I took the picture during their 掲揚 (kouki keiyou, school flag-raising) ceremony. Anyone visited Waseda daigaku like me? 🙂

9 thoughts on “Long time no post! Lessons learned meanwhile

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Boy, Mastodon is easily becoming better and better every day compared to birdsite. At least everyone here isn't mad all the time at everything.

@Mray901 right?? at this point, the only thing that keeps me on birdsite are friends and artists. Everything else is just so blegh

@MairuzuRoxs @Mray901 Yo find out if the artists have a website with RSS and put that in an RSS reader instead

@MairuzuRoxs If it wasn't one of the only ways I keep in touch with most people, I would have left by now. Same with Facebook. Both have their benefits but I'm just so sick of them.

@Mray901 @MairuzuRoxs I made sure I was in at least one Discord server with all of my close Twitter friends (and a few of you are on here), so I'm much less tempted to use it now. All my irl friends and family members have my phone number and email, so it was easy for me to hop off Facebook years ago.

@Mray901 at the least this place lacks the tacit-if-not-explicit community permission that lets everyone express it on birdsite. For now, anyway!

@Mray901 I've been using Twitter more the past couple days and I'm already tired of it. I'm staring at my feed like "Why does it feel like everyone is yelling? Why is everyone arguing with each other?"

Sign in to participate in the conversation

Mastodon.ART — Follow friends and discover new ones. Publish anything you want & not just art of all types: links, pictures, text, video. All on a platform that is community-owned and ad-free.
@Curator @ChrisTalleras @EmergencyBattle @ScribbleAddict @Adamk678


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Pace Team Application

Scot Allen Pacing.jpg

Thank you for your interest in pacing and information!  It sure helps with the planning and I will get back with you soon.

Name *
I am interesting in pacing *
Please check all that apply.
Please include how many marathons or half marathons have you paced? How many Beyond Monumental races (Indy Half, Monumental Marathon or Half) have you paced?
I will be available to staff the pace team booth at the Monumental Expo for a few hours. *
HH16 Pacer.jpg


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Off to the Rodeo!!!

IMG_1497-ANIMATIONOn July 3rd (2015), my country music band played after the rodeo that took place Hickory Creek Wilderness Ranch & Campground in Tidioute, Pennsylvania. I haven’t played music at a Rodeo since the late 90’s, and back then I didn’t pay attention to things the way I do now.

Screen Shot 2015-07-06 at 10.02.06 PM

Chris_LeDoux_promo_photoThere is one story that stays with me from the 90’s, though, and it involves Chris LeDoux. Broncos, a bar in Alliance, OH hosted a rodeo every year. We had an in because we played Broncos bar several times a year.

So we were the opening act for LeDoux after the rodeo, and our bass player got word to us that his wife went into labor and he wouldn’t be coming (pre-cell phone days for all of us!). This was a huge show for us, and we were contemplating what to do. The bar was closed, and the crowd was outside, so the only people inside were my band (Coyote Joe) and Chris LeDoux and his crew. His bass player heard us talking, and came over and said he’d be glad to help us out. It was a pretty fun time, and I’ll always remember how cool it felt at that time of my life to be playing with this musician. When I was young I didn’t really pay attention to detail, so I never got his name. Sad.

Moving forward to the July 3rd rodeo:

I was able to learn a lot at this rodeo, much of it was interesting: (All of these names are made up for my benefit. I don’t think the rodeo clowns “clown” anymore, but who has time to do accurate research?)

The Riders: The riders are crazy insane. They have to ride a bull for as long as they can. 8 seconds is the goal, and not too many of them made it. But even if they scored big, they were still going to get thrown. Nobody can ride a bucking bull.

The Clowns:  The clowns are crazy insane. Their job is to make the bull chase after them after the rider falls, so the rider can get away, off the field. If your job is to make a bull chase you, you are crazy insane. Life is hard enough without getting a job like that.

The Horseman: The man on the horse is crazy insane. If the clowns can’t get the bull, or the bull runs off in another direction, the horseman chases the bull and ropes him, and pulls him back to where he’s supposed to be. But on Friday night I saw this guy get in some pretty hairy situations being chased by a bull as well.

The Timer: This guy is just a little bit crazy, because he stands on the field with a timer to time the riders – how long they stay on the bull. He’s not crazy insane – he’s close the fence, he can get away pretty quickly. But his job is still inside the ring with an angry bull.

All jesting aside, this seems to be difficult job, and these guys were the hardest workers I’ve ever seen in my life. They had to constantly move, they were good at their jobs, and they fearlessly took on dangerous animals.

(My pics were all taken with an iPhone, at night, against bright lights – it was the only place I could see, or I would have looked for better shooting conditions.)

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Temple Mount
Source: Google Maps

We visited what is believed to be King David’s Tomb today in the Old City section of Jerusalem. It is not certain that his remains (or the dust of his remains) is actually what is in the Tomb. But many of the people here believe it is.

I took video (discretely) as I went into the room. Many Jews were sitting in chairs chanting what I think was the Torah (or some other Hebrew text). Three Jews were at the Tomb praying and chanting.

Here’s the relevant biblical text…

1 Kings 2:10 “Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David.”

Here’s a brief video…


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American Hustle

David O. Russell struck gold last year with ‘Silver Linings Playbook’, shortly after first striking gold with ‘The Fighter’ in 2010, and he is back now with ‘American Hustle’.  Featuring Russell favourites Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence, the film is set in the late 1970’s during an FBI undercover operation and is based partially on true events.

A quite enjoyable film, ‘American Hustle’ at times seemed to languish in its own storytelling, waiting too long for something to happen on a couple of occasions.  Normally, this would not be a bad thing, but there were also instances where the film seemed to be muddled or messy, a clear indication that Russell was trying too hard to make a film to win Oscars.

While that takes away from the film a little bit, what it does not do is take away from the performance set forth by Christian Bale.  This is not Batman on screen, but a strong job from one of the most wide ranging actors currently plying their trade in Hollywood today.

Quite possibly the weakest link of the four main actors in the film is last years Oscar winner for Best Actress, Jennifer Lawrence.  This may seem like a stretch, but in a film with great acting performances, Lawrence’s felt the most contrived and forced.  It almost feels like Russell added more scenes for Lawrence after she won her Oscar last year.

In the end, ‘American Hustle’ is a step down from ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ and may not be worth the insanely high levels of hype that have been bestowed upon it.

For all this and more, feel free to follow me on Twitter at @kymayer.  Cheers.

85th Academy Awards

argowinThe Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave out the 85th Academy Awards last evening with a couple of surprises in an otherwise long drawn out ceremony that continues to struggle to find a format or host that can have broad appeal.

The biggest surprise of the evening was the success of ‘Life of Pi’  Nominated for eleven Academy Awards, ‘Life of Pi’ won four awards including a surprise win for Ang Lee in the Best Director category.  This was Lee’s second Best Director win, following up on 2005’s ‘Brokeback Mountain’.

The other three awards it claimed were Best Original Score which went to Mychael Danna, Best Cinematography which was awarded to Claudio Miranda and Best Visual Effects which was shared between Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan de Boer and Donald R. Elliott.

The four acting categories all went to actors and actresses that I would have voted for, which was quite the nice turn for me as I try to critique more films.  Christoph Waltz became a two-time winner in the Best Supporting Actor category for his role as Dr. King Schultz in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Django Unchained’.  Waltz had previously won for his breakout role in Tarantino’s 2009 film ‘Inglorious Basterds’.

Anne Hathaway was a clear winner for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Fantine  in ‘Les Miserables’.  Hathaway has garnered near universal acclaim for this role, and had one of the two true standout performances in the film, along with Samantha Barks.

In probably the most anti-climactic award of the evening, Daniel Day-Lewis became the first actor to ever win three Best Actor awards for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’, joining his previous awards for 1989’s ‘My Left Foot’ and 2007’s ‘There Will Be Blood’.

In what I thought was the toughest acting category to call was Best Actress, where Jennifer Lawrence won for playing Tiffany Maxwell in ‘Silver Linings Playbook’.  A case could be made for each of the other four nominees, but Lawrence’s turn in a movie highlighting the various degrees of mental illness was the strongest of the lot.

As for Best Writing, it is hard to argue with either of the winners, Quentin Tarantino winning Original Screenplay for ‘Django Unchained’ or Chris Terrio winning Adapted Screenplay for adapting The Master of Disguise and The Great Escape into ‘Argo’.

Possibly the one category outside of Best Director that I disagreed with the most was Best Animated Feature.  The two films with the most realistic chances of winning were Disney and Pixar’s ‘Brave’ and Disney’s ‘Wreck-It Ralph’.  Having seen both of these films, I would 100% chosen ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ in this category as it was a much more enjoyable film.  That being said, I knew ‘Brave’ would win as it was a much better sell for the older voters of the Academy.

Finally, we come to Best Picture.  One could actually make a case for all nine nominees to have been chosen as Best Picture, but in reality one film did stand out above the rest, and that was ‘Argo’.  Directed by Ben Affleck, who I feel was not only robbed of the Best Director award, but also of a Best Director nomination, ‘Argo’ is one of my two favourite movies of the year, and a joy to watch, and very much deserving of Best Picture.

As for my own personal predictions, in a previous article I made predictions on who will, who should and possible darkhorse winners, and I think I did pretty well.  I correctly predicted three of the seven in who would win, five of the six in who should win, and I pulled out one darkhorse winner.  In all, in the seven categories I looked at, I had a winner in each category.

For all this and more, feel free to follow me on Twitter at @kymayer.  Cheers.

85th Academy Awards Preview

The 85th Academy Awards are this coming Sunday, and this is the first year where I feel comfortable actually making predictions on the major awards as I have seen the majority of the films with nominations.

Of the 28 total major motion films up for awards, not counting short films, foreign films or documentaries, I have seen 13 of them, including 6 of the 9 films up for Best Picture.  This truly has been a year where I branched out and have seen more films that I generally would not normally see.

What we are going to go over on here is the most likely winner of the major awards, who I feel should win, and if there is a possible outside darkhorse candidate in the major categories.

Best Picture

Who Will Win: ‘Lincoln’

Who Should Win: ‘Argo’

Darkhorse: ‘Amour’

Of the 9 Best Picture nominees, I have seen a personal high of 6 of them: ‘Argo’, ‘Django Unchained’, ‘Les Miserables’, ‘Lincoln’, ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ and ‘Zero Dark Thirty’.  The 3 that I have not seen are ‘Amour’, ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ and ‘Life of Pi’.  Of the 3 that I have not seen, I view ‘Amour’, a French film that is also nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, as the only possible film out of those three that could upset the others to win Best Picture.

Of the 6 films that I have seen, I would say that ‘Argo’ and ‘Lincoln’ are the two front-runners.  ‘Lincoln’ carries a lot of historical importance and also a performance that is a runaway winner of another major award for this coming weekend.  ‘Argo’ is easily the best picture that I saw in 2012, and after picking up wins at almost every other award ceremony this year, is considered the favourite to win Best Picture.

Best Director

Who Will Win: Steven Spielberg, ‘Lincoln’

Who Should Win: Ben Affleck, ‘Argo’

Darkhorse: Ang Lee, ‘Life of Pi’

This is the one category where I absolutely, positively, 100% believe that the Academy got it wrong.  Not including Ben Affleck in this category for directing ‘Argo’ is mind boggling, especially considering he has won Best Director or its equivalent at almost EVERY SINGLE OTHER awards ceremony this year.

As a result of that, the shoo-in winner of Best Director will end up being Steven Spielberg for ‘Lincoln’.  The story of the passing of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution will be a heavy favourite with Academy voters, and this will act almost like a Lifetime Achievement Award for Spielberg.  The darkhorse in this category will be Ang Lee for ‘Life of Pi’, a story that many always considered unfilmable.

Best Actor

Who Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis, ‘Lincoln”

Who Should Win: Daniel Day-Lewis, ‘Lincoln’

Darkhorse: Hugh Jackman, ‘Les Miserables’

I don’t believe there has been a bigger lock for an award since ‘Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ won Best Picture in 2003 than Daniel Day-Lewis for Best Actor for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in ‘Lincoln’ this year.  As an outside darkhorse, I could see Hugh Jackman carrying enough of a presence for his role as Jean Valjean in ‘Les Miserables’ to possibly pull off an upset.

Best Actress

Who Will Win: Jessica Chastain, ‘Zero Dark Thirty’

Who Should Win: Jennifer Lawrence, ‘Silver Linings Playbook’

Darkhorse: Quvenzhane Wallis, “Beasts of the Southern Wild’

This is quite possibly the most wide open major category at this year’s Academy Awards.  There really is not one or two clear front-runners for Best Actress, and if there is going to be a darkhorse winner, it will be in this category.  Depending on who you talk to, each of the 5 nominees have a legitimate shot at winning, but with all the hype surrounding ‘Zero Dark Thirty’, I would not be surprised to see Jessica Chastain win.

That being said, I would vote for Jennifer Lawrence for her role in ‘Silver Linings Playbook’, and there is a lot of support for that as well.  Naomi Watts is getting lots of support for the physical role she had in ‘The Impossible’, and the Best Actress category also as its oldest and youngest nominees ever , and you never know just how the Academy will vote.

Best Animated

Who Will Win: Brave

Who Should Win: Wreck-it Ralph

Darkhorse: None

Animation is always a tough category to pick a winner, especially after it was branched out to a full 5 film category, but this year it really comes down to just 2 choices, both from Disney: ‘Brave’ from Pixar and ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ from Disney themselves.  Both films were visually stunning, but the clear choice for me to win this award is ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ due to the great story and the premise of a video arcade where the characters come to life, but that is also the primary reason why I think it won’t actually win.

The average age of Academy voters is 60 years of age and as a result most of them have probably never seen the inside of a video arcade, and as a result ‘Brave’ will more than likely win Best Animated Film.

Best Supporting Actor

Who Will Win: Philip Seymour Hoffman, ‘The Master’

Who Should Win: Christoph Waltz, ‘Django Unchained’

Darkhorse: Alan Arkin, ‘Argo’

The Best Supporting Actor category is possibly the second toughest category to predict this year.  All 5 nominees are former Academy Award winners, and 4 of them have previously won Best Supporting Actor before.  Because of that, I have a feeling the Academy will give the award to the one nominee who has never won before, Philip Seymour Hoffman.  Hoffman is a three time nominee now for Best Supporting Actor and that always is a consideration for voters.

Christoph Waltz is my hands down choice for this category, as his turn in ‘Django Unchained’ was probably the best part of the movie, and that is truly saying a lot with how good it actually was.  The fact that he won just three years ago for his breakout role in another Quentin Tarantino film, ‘Inglorious Basterds’ could hurt Waltz this year.  If ‘Argo’ is going to have a stellar night, you could see Alan Arkin surprise in this category as well.

Best Supporting Actress

Who Will Win: Anne Hathaway, ‘Les Miserables’

Who Should Win: Anne Hathaway, ‘Les Miserables’

Darkhorse: Sally Field, ‘Lincoln’

Right up there with Daniel Day-Lewis for Best Actor, this category should be a runaway victory for Anne Hathaway.  I don’t know a world where she shouldn’t win, but I said the same about Ben Affleck being nominated for Best Director, so we could still be surprised here.  Hathaway’s role in ‘Les Miserables’ may have been short, but it was definitely sweet and showed just how terrific of a young actress she actually is.

Much like the Best Supporting Actor category, if ‘Lincoln’ is going to be on a role on this night, look for Sally Field to pull an upset in this category.

For all this and more, feel free to follow me on Twitter at @kymayer.  Cheers.

Silver Linings Playbook

slpLast evening I took in my 5th Best Picture Nominee so far as I finally had the opportunity to watch ‘Silver Linings Playbook’.  This movie, which is also up for 7 other Academy Awards next month, is an adaption of a book of the same title that was written by Matthew Quick.

‘Silver Linings Playbook’ is the first film in 31 years to secure nominations in all four acting categories: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, and just the 14th movie ever to do so.  It is also the first film in 8 years to secure nominations in each of the big five categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay.

I really enjoyed this movie and I can fully understand all critical acclaim it is garnering.  The story was wonderful, it had its lighter moments for laughs, but it was also able to tug at the heart strings as well.

Its exploration of bi-polar disorder and how it affects the everyday nature of people’s lives was well done as well.  It also highlighted how even “normal” people suffer from lighter variations of situations like this, which was a nice change of pace.

Wonderful performances take place throughout the entire film, from Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence in the leading roles, through Robert De Niro in a supporting role, all the way to Chris Tucker, perfectly cast as a fast talking patient friend of Cooper’s character, and all of these actors bring to light their characters throughout the entire film.

Even at two hours in length, the pacing was well done in this movie to not make that feel like a long time at all, and in all honesty, this was never more evidenced by the fact that I only saw a single person leave the theatre during the entire movie for an obvious bathroom break.

‘Silver Linings Playbook’ slots in as my second favourite of the five Best Picture nominees I have seen so far from 2012, sitting only behind ‘Argo’ so far, but ahead of ‘Django Unchained’, ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ and ‘Les Miserables’.  So yes, I would recommend this movie as being well worth seeing.

For all this and more, feel free to follow me on Twitter at @kymayer.  Cheers.


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MWIL Speaker Series: Social Entrepreneuship and Empathy

Interested in a future career in social entrepreneurship? Hoping to create a social impact from a traditional career? Join the McGill Women in Leadership Students’ Association for our first speaker series event of the year!
Next Tuesday, November 10th our speaker, Anita Nowak, will be discussing her career path and lifelong commitment to social entrepreneurship. She will also delve into the history of women in social entrepreneuship with a focus on the impact that social entrepreneuship has on women today.
Anita will also outline ways to create social impact while working in traditional enterprises, for those of you less interested in NGO work. She will give some insight on how to generate tangible change from the holistic perspective held by many millenials.
The presentation will be followed by a Q&A section to provide students with an opportunity to engage with the speaker.

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Posted in Christian

God’s greatness

For an example of what the second step involves, look at Isaiah 40:12ff. Here God speaks to people whose mood is the mood of many Christians today-despondent people, cowed people, secretly despairing people; people who have ceased to believe that the cause of Christ can ever prosper again. Nowdon't_give_up see how God through His prophet reasons with them.

Look at the tasks I have done, He says. Could you do them? Could any man do them? ‘Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?’ (verse 12). Are you wise enough, and mighty enough, to do things like that? But I am; or I could not have made this world at all. ‘Behold your God!’

Knowing GOD
J.L. Packer

Believer in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ my LORD and Savior. InChrist

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Rohde & Schwarz CMD50/53 Digital Radio Communication Tester

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Grade 6

What home means

A home is more than the eye can see, from the door that creaks to the upstairs T.V.

The windows that surround us have seen years of memories

But some of them leave a feeling like rotten cranberries.

A home is filled with love and joy, it’s like how a toddler feels after playing with their very first toy.

A home and a house are not at all alike, they’re as different as comparing a sculpture to an ordinary steel pipe.

A home is like a blank canvas, no feeling of love, joy or safety inside

But a home is like a beautiful painting, it’s full of happiness, security and pride.

A home is somewhere you laugh and play, it can make you as happy as a child on their birthday

But most of all a home just cannot be replaced, because a home is where you feel nice and safe.

“Home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling.”

-Cecelia Ahern


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Media Technology MSc

Master’s Information Day, November 4

The next Master's Information Day at Leiden University is on Friday 4 November. These are organized centrally by Leiden University, and by each of its Faculties. Students can get much information about all the Master's programmes on offer, including Media Technology.

You can find the full programme on the dedicated webpage, or click directly to the Faculty of Science's program.

4 November 2016


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STFU about the SOTU

As we brace for the latest milestone in the Trump presidency — the man’s first State of the Union address — let us turn back the clock to just a few days ago, to January 23rd, when Donald Trump finally tweeted out a public condolence to the victims of the Marshall County High School shooting (a tweet he plainly did not write himself).
Trump’s message arrived a day-and-a-half after the mass shooting, but in the interim he had taken the time to tweet an insult to Chuck Schumer, mused about an FBI conspiracy against him and made a semi-incoherent boast about the economy. (The Canadian Prime Minister had expressed his sympathies a day earlier.)

Against the backdrop of this latest example of the President’s transcendent callowness, the Democrats, fresh off their shutdown blunder, will seek to remind the public that they are America’s last, best hope for sanity. They will do this by publicly throwing their arms around transgendered soldiers. If you are a geriatric Wal-Mart greeter with a son currently tearing the copper wiring out of his apartment to bankroll a heroin habit, this will probably not be the moment of deliverance you have been waiting for.

How anyone can possibly take this year’s SOTU seriously, much less be anticipating it, is simply beyond me. As pure spectacle, of course, it is must-see TV, since our President’s every deed contains within it the seeds of half a season of SNL sketches. But to actually believe that his address could possibly represent a clear-eyed view of our past year or a reasoned road map for the next one, you would have to have just stepped out of a flying saucer.

Trump’s address to Congress will be, by its very nature, a Stalin-esque farce. The composite members of the legislative branch will either sit in a pout or else jump to their feet every fifteen seconds for an applause break, but all of them, by their attendance, will be participating in a communal lie. A State of the Union address that does not begin and end with the number-one anxiety of the Union — its bizarre goddamn Chief Executive — is a fraud.

A few of Trump’s opponents are boycotting the SOTU. Why not all of them? Will any of the attending sourpusses have the courage to cut loose with even a single “boo”, or will they remain as silent as a porn star with an NDA against her? Thanks to the Wall Street Journal we all now know the price a sex worker charges to keep her blow hole shut ($130, 000), but what possible cash value can we put on anything Trump is going to say? It is a statistical certainty that any agenda Trump lays out will be contradicted no more than 48 hours later by Trump himself. We are told to expect an immigration plan, an infrastructure plan… who in their right mind can still associate the word “plan” with anything the President has done or will do? The repeal-and-replace flop and Shithole-gate are are just the two most recent reminders that Trump is a ship with no rudder, now and tomorrow.

We have all at last come to realize this. We have passed through the seven stages of Trump and arrived at “acceptance”, so why the need for a televised pretense of some kind of normal order in Washington when nobody trusts a word that Trump says, or trusts that he will even remember having said them? Are we tuning in to see if he can still stay “presidential” on command, or is it morbid curiosity, not wanting to miss the moment when he finally drops an N-bomb?

You need no go no further than Trump’s latest oral bowel movement about Climate Change to be reminded that the man is not conversant (nor wishes to be) on any topic that requires a molecule of human curiosity or attention. The most personal involvement Trump will ever have with his “forgotten man” will be shooting a roll of paper towels over his head (“Beautiful, soft towels”). Any agenda item lacking that level of fun simply cannot hold his attention, and will be abandoned or undermined by Trump with a punt to Congress while he concomitantly salts the earth behind him by understaffing and underfunding the very agencies tasked with enacting his policies. Remember in October when Trump signed a declaration of a “public health emergency” to tackle opioids? It came with promises of lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and “really tough, really big, really great advertising so we get to people before they start,”. Nothing happened. No funding, no ad campaign. Trump still hasn’t even appointed a drug czar.

But the man has the job, and I guess the law requires that he communicate to Congress from time to time. So, like an insect that keeps fucking after its head has been bitten off, we are obliged to see this debauched ritual through. The Democrats, still out to sea, will serve up their pointless rejoinder via Joe Kennedy, the most gruesome ghola yet to come out of the House of Kennedy’s axolotl tanks, and a gimmicky callback to the glory days when their party still had the stomach to fight the good fight.

And what of the President’s remoras in the Fourth Estate? We can be certain that if Trump manages to read what has been prepared for him with the fewest possible detours into “very, very beautiful” country, then the likes of Fareed Zakharia will once again test their threadbare integrity and declare Trump’s address to be the latest, greatest inflection point towards normalcy.
But lest we forget: if Donald Trump had had his way, the loudest and most heartfelt ovation he would be receiving tonight would be coming from a geriatric child molester. And Trump would have reflected that love right back at it’s sender, on national television, for everyone to see. We did it, Roy! We showed ’em all! As it is, Trump will take his victory lap alone.

Jason Yungbluth will be watching paint dry instead of the State of the Union Address. But if you get bored listening to the word “beautiful”, try reading Jason’s ugly graphic novel Weapon Brown!

Previously: Stop Apologizing for The Last Jedi

Next: The Rites of Spring