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Tuesday, March 03, 2015

Good Songs XVII

Would? – Alice in Chains
Sabotage – The Beastie Boys
Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds – The Beatles
Tones of Home – Blind Melon
Cannonball – The Breeders
Fire Woman – The Cult
Peace Frog – The Doors
Box of Rain – Grateful Dead
Rock N’ Roll All Nite – KISS
Alison’s Starting to Happen – The Lemonheads
My Sister – The Juliana Hatfield Three
Is There Any Love in Your Heart – Lenny Kravitz
LA Medly – Jane’s Addiction
Dazed and Confused – Led Zeppelin
Some Day I Suppose – Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Heart Shaped Box – Nirvana
Elderly Woman Behind a Counter in a Small Town – Pearl Jam
Fee – Phish
Every Little Thing She Does is Magic – The Police
End of the World as We Know It – REM
Rocket – Smashing Pumpkins
Deeper Shade of Soul – Urban Dance Squad
Blister in the Sun – Violent Femmes
Fire – Jimi Hendrix

This is a very long (over an hour and a half) Good Songs mix, so I’m starting to write this entry as I’m listening to it. Technically this is a no-no, but since it’s my blog, I’ll allow it.

I recorded this mix in the spring of 1994 and when I was thinking of college-era Good Songs tapes, this is what I was thinking of. A good mix of newer grunge-era stuff, mixed with some older stuff. The good news is that aside from one song, there’s nothing there’s nothing really embarrassing. In fact, a vast majority of these songs appear on upcoming Good Songs, so this is kind of the back bone of the next generation of Good Songs.

That translates into, what I was listening to when I was 20 is basically what I’ve been listening to for the rest of my life. In retrospect, that’s more than a little depressing. The one thing that jumps out at me about this mix is that there is no rap or hip-hop. Another thing that jumps out at me is that the tracks (aside from Hendrix) are listed alphabetically by artist – which answers my question from earlier today, “Why did I start this mix off with Alice in Chains?” I like AIC, a lot actually, but I don’t remember liking them that much that I’d start a Good Songs with them.

Since the track listing is not based on how I was feeling, but the alphabet and these songs repeat in subsequent editions of the Good Song catalong, I’m going write out 24 quick thoughts (FIVE bonus thoughts!) on these 24 songs.

Alice in Chains – if there is a quintessential song that not only sums up the mid 90s and the zeitgeist that surrounds it, AIC’s “Would?” does the trick. AIC was one of the four most popular groups from the Pacific Northwest and this song is featured prominently in Cameron Crowe’s ode to Seattle “Singles”. With its tuned-down guitars and lyrics that are dark, depressing and full of self-involved angst, it perfectly captures the mindset of Generation X. Layne Staley essentially heroined himself to death a few years later, which also captures the mindset of that same generation.

The Beastie Boys – this is my favorite video ever. And there’s nothing even close. But when I think of the group, I think about the two times I saw them live: once at a gym at the University of New Hampshire (with the Rollins Band and Ice Cube’s group Da Lench Mob opening) and once at Lollapalooza. The former site was excellent, the latter was a dystopian hellscape that actually featured the death of a concert goer. In 1994 Lollapalooza was held at the Quonset State Airport in Quonset, RI. It felt like 100 degrees, there was no shade, no water and most of us were completely dehydrated thanks to the amount of alcohol we consumed in the 50-mile traffic jam on the way to the show. The lineup was awesome: A Tribe Called Quest, The Beastie Boys, the Breeders, L7, Smashing Pumpkins and Georgeo Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars. The venue sucked. Hard.

The Beatles – pretty good band from Liverpool. Or so I’m told. This is their first appearance on a Good Songs tape and I’m sure the lads are touched. A real crowning achievement in their careers. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is the greatest psychedelic song ever recorded. Like the B-Boy’s “Sabotage” video, nothing comes close.

Blind Melon – the death of BM’s lead singer, Shannon Hoon disproves the axiom that the death of lead singer increases a band’s popularity. Blind Mellon released another album after this one (this is the one with the Bee Girl song, “No Rain) but it did nothing and people remember this band for their Bee Girl mascot. Hoon also shows up as a background singer in the Guns N’ Roses’ “Don’t Cry” video, so there’s that.

The Breeders -  I still enjoy this song. The bass line is infectious and I like to think that lead singer Kim Deal is singing to an actual cannonball. Or some guy doing a cannonball in a public pool. There’s probably some real interpretation to what the cannonball represents, but there are times where I like the Sigmund Freud version: “Sometimes a cannonball is just a cannonball.” Due to seeing this video (conservative estimate) over a thousand times, I think that even though the drummer in this band is a dude, I have a feeling that he used to get the crapped kicked out of him by the rest of his band mates on a regular basis.

The Cult – I think that the name “The Cult” is among the best names for a band. I don’t know whether it has to do with an extreme form of fandom or whether it harkens to spooky, mind-controlly type guru thing from the 60s, but loving a band is a lot like being in a cult. Especially when you’re young. I remember getting all fired up if someone said they thought the Doors sucked. The Doors! “How could you not like the Doors,” I’d wail. “They’re awesome!” And then I’d make up some bullcrap about how Jim Morrison redefined the role of rock star, was a thinking man’s* front man and how the rest of the band were extremely talented musicians (true). Then I’d start attacking the other person’s favorite band. Get a grip 20-year-old Byron, it’s just a band. Who cares?

* Yes, I actually once said that. God.

The Doors – I mumbled something about the Doors in a previous paragraph.

Grateful Dead – I have a couple of very long and thoughtful paragraphs about a band’s fans and how that can have an adverse reaction to that particular band’s music. But I think that I’m going to save that until I reach the Dave Matthews portion of the Good Songs universe – and that’s coming. But it’s hard to get past Deadheads (especially when you’re in college) and the Grateful Dead. This is a really sweet song that invokes a lot of things that one should be: a sense of community, sharing, helping out a person in need. And it’s not overly preachy too, which is nice. Juxtapose this with the scene in “Freaks and Geeks” where Lindsay is dancing in her room and you feel good about listening to this song. But talk to a Deadhead about this song (or any Dead song) and you’ll be lead down a labyrinth of bootlegs, concerts that occurred before you were born and minutia. Forest for the trees guys, forest for the trees*.

* That’s just not a Huey Lewis and the News song either.

Kiss – you know how I feel about Kiss. I don’t think that I need to restate my thoughts on this band. But I will say this, the only reason this song is included on this tape is because I was going through my incredibly annoying “Dazed and Confused” phase. To say that I was compulsively obsessed with that movie is just scratching the surface. I often wondered where the characters were right then (not the actors, the characters). Did they go to college? Did they leave their town? Did they enjoy the Aerosmith concert? How did the football team do that season? How did the coming of punk influence the incoming freshmen? The first thing I looked up on a search engine wasn’t porn (that would probably be the second), it was “Dazed and Confused”. And while I was thinking about the characters, I did everything I could to warp back to those times: lava lamps, beaded doors, the music, TV shows on Nick at Nite, it’s probably why I was equally obsessed with “Sabotage”. I felt as if I was a man out of my own time.

The Lemonheads – this was the first and only real band that played a concert at our college in the four years I went there. And it was the day after Kurt Cobain shot and killed himself, so there was a rumor that Evan Dando wasn’t going to show up, you know, out of respect for Cobain. I managed to get really wasted, almost fight someone in the mosh pit and spent a lot of time screaming for them to play “Mrs. Robinson” (they did not). Oh yeah, I had a friend, who didn’t go to college at Merrimack, came to visit me and got so incredibly wasted that instead of passing out in my room (like he said that he would) he walked 10 miles to his girlfriend’s house. He did not inform me of this change in plans until I found a note on my desk hours after the show ended – for awhile, I thought he was dead.  It was an eventful night. Years later I made a mix CD for my wife, who was my girlfriend at the time. This was the first song on the tape. I’m lucky she thought it was sweet.

Juliana Hatfield – if you were a woman and could play guitar, the early 90s were your salad days. I don’t think that there has ever been a time in popular music where women were so welcome to the show and weren’t treated primarily as sex objects. That being said, I had a big crush on Juliana Hatfield -- especially the image at the top of this entry. Feminism only goes so far, I guess.

Lenny Kravitz – as far as Lenny Kravitz songs goes, this is probably the best one out there. If that’s not damning with faint praise, I don’t know what is. From my understanding Kravitz is a notorious lady killer (I don’t mean that literally). But in this song he takes the point of view of jilted lover. He does a pretty good job of bitching and complaining about all the things she did to him. I bet Lisa Bonet tells people she doesn’t like this song, but really loves it. “Fuck you Lenny. How do you like it? Asshole.”

Jane’s Addiction – around this time, I really got into Jane’s Addiction. And this song was on a rarities album that my friend found in some rare record shop in Boston that cost at least $40 (big money back then). I downloaded it off iTunes for $1.29 a year ago. TECHNOLOGY! The beginning of the song is a cover the Doors’ “LA Woman” (which is still my favorite Doors song) and includes “Nausea” by X and “Lexicon Devil” by the Germs. At the time it married my two favorite bands and I still dig it.

Led Zeppelin – this isn’t one of my favorite Zep songs, I guarantee I chose it because the movie was named after it. Man.

Mighty, Mighty Bosstones – in 1997 I was working at a job that I despised for a company that I hated. There was no email or internet connection (I worked for a bank and they were afraid we’d smuggle secrets out, I guess, no one knew who the internet worked back then) but we were able to listen to the radio. Most days I listened to Howard Stern in the morning (really low) and in the afternoon WBCN would come on and play music. This summer the MMBs blew up with the song “The Impression That I Get” and one day the DJ came on the air after the song and said, “Years from now when you hear this song, the first thing that pops into your mind will be the Summer of 1997.” And you know what, he’s right. Even when I hear another song by the MMB, that particular time pops into my head. I am so damn suggestible sometimes. I would have made a great cult member.

Nirvana and Pearl Jam – in 1994 if you were to ask someone who the more popular band was; Pearl Jam or Nirvana, I bet more would choose the former. Whether you base on album sales, concert sales or just accessibility, Pearl Jam was the clear winner, this is something that Bill Simmons writes about every so often. Pearl Jam had a friendly second album (“Vs.” over “In Utero”) and they were riding high. Cobain was unreliable, had a horrible wife and released an album meant to alienate fans*. Then Cobain shot himself and instantly became the martyred voice of a generation. Pearl Jam soldiered on, doing what they do and some how got slagged for not having a band member kill himself. It sucked that Cobain killed himself for a number of reasons (and this was always going to happen, I think) but the worst part was that there were a lot of “conversations” about what it meant to be a rock star and what were a rock star’s responsibilities and crap like that. Then OJ Simpson killed his wife and a waiter and everyone forgot about Kurt Cobain.

* I’ve read that In Utero was recorded to be the opposite of the “Nevermind”, in other words less poppy and relatable, because Cobain had grown to despise his new audience. The ones who were singing along to the chorus “Here we are now, entertain us” were the types of kids that beat the crap out of him when he was younger. While I’m sure he appreciated the irony, he knew that the audience were completely unaware.

Phish – I went to school with two guys with the last name Fee. They were both really funny, really cool dudes. I pray that’s the reason why I put this song on this tape because Phish is not my type of band. Though I will say that my skin still crawls when I hear the line, “Sliced him on the nipple” followed by a piece of paper being ripped. That’s just some good production, Vermont hippies.

The Police – I just finished a really good biography of the Clash called “Fashion is the Passion”. One of the things that made me laugh is just how much the Clash hated the Police. One example is when the replacement drummer for Topper Headon (I’m pretty sure it was Pete Howard) was brought on, he was on the bus minding his own business listening to a Police tape. The Clash’s manager bitched him out for a solid two hours, the dude was almost in tears. This is a good song though and I really like the ending parts where Sting is singing “There’s a big enough umbrella, but it’s always me that ends up getting wet” over and over like a mantra. That’s some self-loathing any kid can get behind.

REM – in 1995 I saw REM in concert because I thought that everyone in that band was going to be dead within two years. They were not and the concert was actually pretty good and the coolest part was the next day I went on-line to an REM usenet group where I was able to get a bootleg of the concert from some girl in Chicago. That’s when I realized that the Internet was going to be a big thing. The opening act of the REM show was none other than Radiohead. I’m not sure if they played “Creep” but if they didn’t, I was probably pissed.

Smashing Pumpkins – I never knew whether the word “smashing” in Smashing Pumpkins was a verb or an adjective. There is a huge difference. I saw them at Lollapalooza with the Beasties in Rhode Island and they were terrible. Their sound was shitty, they seemed drugged out, they just didn’t care.  Lead singer and Smashing Svengali Billy Corgan made guitarist James Iha tap dance for us, which seemed incredibly demeaning. Until the Pumpkins broke into the collective conscious in 1993, they were always this weird, ethereal, mysterious group. As much as I loved “Siamese Dream”, I kind of liked it that way better.

Urban Dance Squad – when I was in high school I really wanted this tape, but didn’t have a set of wheels. I would bug my friend to drive me to the mall (about a half hour away) and see if Sam Goody or Record Town or Tape World got “Mental Floss for the Globe”. More often than not, they didn’t. One fine day, one of those places did and I will never forget my friend’s words, “I hope that this tape is fucking awful.” Even if it was (it kind of was) I would tell him how great it was. Pretty much every day. I’m a hell of a good friend.

Violent Femmes – this band and especially this song is so college, the Violent Femmes Greatest Hits CD should come with every acceptance letter.

Jimi Hendrix – I’ve written over 2900 words. I can’t write anything about anything any more. Sorry Rover. San Dimas High School Football Rules!

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Tuesday, May 5, 2009

tractor at sunset

We've gotten rain twice since the fields were turned under, including more than 1/4 of an inch last night. More could fall today and tomorrow. The rain speeds the process of decomposition going on now that we've plowed the cover crop into the ground. We're waiting until at least Thursday to plant, maybe slightly longer if we end up getting a lot more rain.

I sent out the first of the weekly emails to CSA members that will help us coordinated during the growing season. It was more work than I expected getting all those email addresses organized. I also ordered more squash and zucchini seed. For squash we'll be growing: Sunray, Multipik, Gentry, Sunburst and Flying Saucer. For Zucchini it will be Castata Romanesco (these will be coming on late) Raven and Meteor.

In the greenhouse things look good except for flea beetles on the eggplant. I hate flea beetles. They show up each spring and that's one of the reasons for waiting to put out eggplant until later in the season. Evetually the flea beetles will die out and the eggplant will recover and go on to produce.

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Sunday, March 21, 2010

Elk Kids Shoes review

I recently won a pair of Elk Kids shoes from An Island Life. I got to pick a pair of shoes from their website. I choose the Miles shoes. A cute combination of gray, ivory, and yellow. I got them in size 9 with the thought that my son would be able to grow into them. We got them in the mail and put them on him right away. They are big on him. If he runs around, they easily fly off. But it's okay, we just set them aside for the fall, when he will fit into them with no problem. I think that they are super cute and my son really likes them. They kind of remind me of retro bowling shoes. The material is super soft leather. The shoes are really flexible...the soles are not super hard. And they are easy to clean, Lawson got one nice dirt swipe when he tried them on, and it came right off.

Miles   These are the shoes we got for Lawson. Cute, right?!?!
Miles shoes priced at $35.42.

There are lot's of cute options for any of you that are looking for cute shoes that are also good for your child's growing feet.  They have a HUGE selection of soft soled baby shoes. Right now they are having sales on selected shoes 39-40% off!

ELK Boots cream These are the Elk Boots in Cream. Normally   $35.42 on sale for $21.52. That is
39% off.

ELK Hearts white These are the Elk Hearts in white for only $25.
As you can see, they have super cute shoes for your infants and your toddlers. The prices are great, especially for the quality you are getting. I only wish I had some more pairs sooner!
You can check out all of Elk Kids shoes here:

  1. Very cute shoes!!! I am a lover of all things baby shoes!

  2. You won the set of alphabet magnets from the giveaway at JDaniel4's Mom!

  3. Thanks for this review....I never heard of this shoe company before!

  4. You won a copy of Sexaholics. Email me your mailing address at; freda.mans[at]

Go ahead! Leave a comment or two! If you are entering a giveaway, please leave your email address (or make sure your email is visible in your google profile).


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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Richard III: Act 2, Scene 1

a car, a car, my kingdom for a car! the infernal car shopping continues. i loathe it utterly. i just want a freaking car. i want it to be simple. and over with. and not skeezy. it's completely frustrating and tiring. i'm just trying to remember that when it is all said and done, it will be such a relief. and the reward will be all the sweeter for having worked so hard for it. kind of like this blog. it's really hard sometimes to do it, but when i look back i will be so happy i did. i just gotta keep moving forward.

here's another taste of Richard's craziness:
   (Edward and the whole royal crew except for Richard and Ratcliffe, and obviously Clarence.)
Edward: 'now have i done a good day's work.' i have joined all of my friends in friendship once more. Rivers and Hastings, swear your friendship to each other. (they do so.) Hastings and Elizabeth, you're next. (they do so.) Hastings and Dorset. vow your friendship to one another. (they do.) now Buckingham and my wife and her allies. be all united. (they vow.) now all we need is Richard.
   (Richard and Ratcliffe enter.)
Richard: hello everyone! what a great day!
Edward: it is a great day. we have all come together as friends.
Richard: sounds good to me. (see quote below.)
Elizabeth: Richard, get Clarence so we can all make up with him as well.
Richard: what? what have i done that you would mock me like this? doesn't everyone know? Clarence is dead. (all react.)
Edward: he's dead? the order to kill him was reversed.
Richard: they only got the first order, and killed him based on that. it was a cripple who had the second order. he couldn't make it in time. it's his fault.
   (Stanley enters.)
Stanley: help me, Edward. my servant accidentally killed a man today who was acting out violently. please pardon his death.
Edward: i could've pardoned Clarence, but i didn't. how can i pardon a slave when i couldn't even save my own brother? who begged me to save him just as Stanley begs to save his servant? no one! no one would speak for Clarence. (Edward, Elizabeth, and some others exit.)
Richard: did you see the guilty looks on the faces of Elizabeth's kinsmen? they still wanted Clarence dead, and urged Edward to do it.

what really kills me about this scene is that Richard comes in and he's perfectly happy. no trace of sadness. then 40 lines later he announces that Clarence is dead. does no one wonder why he was so happy just a few lines ago if his brother is now dead? hello! warning signs.

so that's one down, how many to kill? well, Edward has to go. Edward has 2 sons, i think, that will have to go. who else might be in the way? will he get rid of Elizabeth? Margaret? Hastings? what do you think? the title kind of gives it away. we know he will become king. but who else will suffer along the way? and how? and how sneaky will he have to be to cover his tracks? and who will be on to him? ah! this play is so good. i can't wait to find out!!!

quote of the day: (get ready to laugh)
'a blessed labor, my sovereign lord,
among this princely heap, if any here,
by false intelligence, or wrong surmise,
hold me a foe;
if i unwittingly, or in my rage,
have aught committed that is hardly borne
by any in this presence, i desire
to reconcile me to his friendly peace.
'tis death to me to be at enmity;
i hate it, and desire all good men's love.'
     -Richard; act 2, scene 1

for tomorrow: act 2, scenes 2-4

-rebecca may

1 comment:

  1. I'm glad you're enjoying this one. I knew you would - it's not as broad as the Henry plays with the focus on one character.


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Friday, June 27, 2008

I now have a second grader:(

Where does the time go? Matthew got an excellent report card with almost all 4's(4 being the highest) a few 3's, but that's ok..he did really good. I hope he is that well in second grade. I think the honeymoon is over and 2nd grade will be a little harder...but I think he is up for the challenge.

So I went to the end of year brunch...I almost made Mrs. Gallagher cry..way to go LOL. She was such a wonderful teacher...Matthew loved it because of her and her patience was tremendous especially with dealing with Matthew LOL!

Be afraid...very afraid of these 2:)
Then run like the wind when you see these 4 LOL!!! The 4 amigos. I'm glad he made some friends.
Mrs. Gallagher and Matthew.


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NWSL Coach of the Year Paul Riley on why focusing on player development is better and that he never talks about winning.
The First 10 of 50 Mini Soccer Fields Have Been Opened in NYC Funded and Supported by an Incredible Team of Organizers, Donors, and Brands adidas, First Lady Chirlane McCray and Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC, New York City FC, U.S. Soccer Foundation and Etihad Airways kick-off Opening of First 10 Soccer Fields as part
John Gallucci's advice on Sports Drinks -- are they good for you/ Are you really exercising enough to work off all those ingredients?
Players and Clubs Give Support to UEFA’s #EqualGame Message at 58 Matches Across Europe UEFA will be reiterating its support to tackle all forms of discrimination and promote inclusion, diversity, and accessibility.  #EqualGame This initiative is part of the FARE network’s Football People actions weeks, which is running from 5 October to 19 October. Activities are
Sam Kerr Named Team Most Valuable Player After Record-Breaking Season It is the end of the NWSL Season and the top players have been awarded recognition for their talent and hard work. Women’s Soccer News: Sky Blue FC of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) announced its 2017 Team Awards today, with forward Sam Kerr
PAINT IT RED AND BLUE – Paris Saint-Germain and The Rolling Stones Team Up Global football powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain is excited to announce a unique collaboration with one of the most iconic rock bands of all time, The Rolling Stones. The Rolling Stones — even just the name conjures up images of days gone by
Adriana Franch Voted Goalkeeper of the Year With Stellar NWSL League-Best Record Portland Thorns FC goalkeeper Adrianna Franch was voted the National Women’s Soccer League Goalkeeper of the Year for the 2017 NWSL season.  Adriana Franch, 26, made 80 saves and posted a league-best 0.83 goals against average while helping the Portland Thorns to 47 points during
Can’t Get Enough Barca?  FC Barcelona and Verizon GO90 Announce Exclusive Content Series “Inside Barca” Soccer mania takes on a new form with the kick off of a partnership and year-long series which will chronicle the 2017-18 Barca season — of one of the most prolific and admired teams in the history of global sports.  Fútbol
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Wednesday, December 23, 2015

40K With Bolt Action Rules

I like 40k. I hate the rules. I like Bolt Action. I like the rules. The natural conclusion here is to try and bring the tactical game play of Bolt Action to 40k. With this intent, Cheatin Steve and I  played two games where we experimented mapping bolt action rules onto 40k units. Both games would pit Steve's Orks against my Death Korps. The first game turned out to be a blow out, as we pitted a highly mobile ork force against an entrenched Death Korps forces. (the DKoK also had flame throwers in each squad) We also gave the Orks an 8 foot drive before the trenches. That game was interesting, but not terribly fun to play. I think the problem was that we had too many special rules. Realizing our mistake, we decided to pit two Bolt Action style platoons against each other. We gave the Orks SMGS and LMGS. The Death Korps had rifles and LMGS. Additionally we let the DKoK move and fire without penalty.

One of the surprising things about mixing and matching game systems, is how difficult it was for me to use 40k and play BA. I got the hang of it at the end, but spoilers here, the Death Korp suffered horrific casualties.

Our mission was to secure the town from an ork attack. The DKoK had not faced Orks before, so they had no firm understanding of ork capabilities.  The Korps took the high ground, in preparation for a dash into the two main buildings directly in front of them. The left squad planned to setup a base of fire from the white building on the far left, while the three middle squads advanced along the right flank, taking the tan building and the white building to the left. This would not go well, despite my attempts to follow the plan despite actual battlefield conditions.

Orks setup primary in the central alley. Their rules favored assaults, making it virtually impossible for the DKoK to win an assault, or survive a 12" SMG volley. Had I been facing Russians, I may have remembered this, however as we were playing Bolt 40k, I left tactics at the door, and blindly moved my forced into one giant kill zone.

Lieutenant Court Martial, CM from this point on, ordered his squads to advance. First squad took the left building as planned. Third squad advanced into the courtyard of the yellow building. CM failed to appreciate how difficult it would be for the squad to climb down from the cliff face.

Loud grunting was heard on the left flank. It sounded dangerous.

Orks quickly took up position directly opposite the first squad's building.

Second squad took some fire, and when ordered to advance in support of third squad, they foobar'd their moral check and retreated. LT CM was surprised, however this would not deter him from following his plan.

With some coaxing the second squad moved back into position.

Third squad continued their advance into the far right building. LT CM assured them that they would be supported by second squad.

The cunning of the Orks on display. The Ork in Charge (OiC) pulled in one of his squads and assaulted the building brutally killing all of the occupants.

LT CM realized his mistake, and immediately ordered all forces to withdrawal. This fight could not be won in the city where close range ork assault weapons ruled the day. Remnants of first and second squad were to pull back to the edge of the embankment and fire from cover.

LT CM decided that prayer might help, and ordered his squads to pray to the space marine statue for deliverance.

Deliverance came in the form of a hail of bullets from the Ork marauders.

Cleverly, LT CM positioned his command squad as far back as possible from the front lines.

While my maneuvering was terrible in the game, I think the mash-up worked pretty well. Steve even came up with a whole campaign for us to play. Rather than rebalance the rules, we are going to let the game play out with all imbalances in place. That will allow me to reorganize my forces into units capable of dealing with the Ork invasion. More of a story will evolve over time. The Orks want territory and slaves. The DKoK want to regroup until they can come up with some workable strategies. We plan to play a variety of different games of different sizes, highlighting various aspects of the Ork invasion.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Tiger With Mud

I found some plaster and was able to put a few layers of both dry and wet looking mud on the tiger. The mud obliterated the nicely painted road wheels, but it did let me hide the terrible tracks that came with this model. I am really please with how it came out though, since it adds a level of realism that will look good on my kursk force.

Dark Earth Pigment + Plaster Water
AK-Interactive wet effects enamel for the wet centers
AK-Interactive kursk soil enamel flicked on using a tooth pick and a stiff brush

I am going to experiment more with mud. It might be my new favorite thing since I discovered streaking grime for vehicles!

Bolt Action Tiger and Puma

I've committed to changing my ww2 german paint recipe, and have nearly completed these two vehicles for my upgraded motor pool. The change drops the intensity of the yellow edge highlight, and moves all of the paints over to the Tamiya line of airbrush paints. There is a lot to be said for the vallejo paints, but I really like the color pallet provided by Tamiya. I think this is the base color scheme for the 1/72 scale forces I purchased for smaller scale Bolt Action games.

Now these vehicles are not complete. They will be receiving either mud or dirt along the lower edges of the chases. I was hoping to have added the mud by now, but the mess that is my hobby area, has made it difficult to find all of the ingredients necessary. These aren't my highest quality vehicles, but sometimes I just need to paint something without worrying too much.

In other news, I bought an SLA 3D printer. I plan to manufacture parts needed for a special build. I can't say much about it now, but over the next 6 months I'll post bits and pieces of it. The only hint I'll give, is that I have to model a 60s era radar mast.


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Monday, February 2, 2009

For Better or For Wuertz

I leave my office for an hour and come back to find that Jim Hendry is still wheeling and dealing. This time, he is sending reliever Michael Wuertz to the Oakland A's in exchange for two prospects.

This trade doesn't bother me as much for two reasons: 1) Micheal Wuertz has never been considered an untouchable prospect, and 2) he actually still has value at the time of the trade, so its possible this trade could end up bringing the Cubs something that could help them.

Billy Beane, the GM of the A's is not a fool, and is not above screwing another team by hyping "tools" and "intangibles" in a player that is not performing to the levels that the scouts envisioned, so I'm not thrilled either. But the simple fact is that Lou never trusted Wuertz (sometimes with good reason) and he was also out of options, so the fact that Hendry may have gotten value is a minor miracle.

The two prospects were rated the #14 & #15 rated guys in the A's system last year. According to ESPN:

In the Oakland deal, the Cubs received outfielder Rich Robnett and infielder Justin Sellers.

Robnett, a first-round pick of the Athletics in 2004, has played five seasons in Oakland's minor league system, reaching Triple-A. He played in only 82 games last season after having a tumor removed from his stomach. He is a .256 hitter in the minors.

Sellers has played four minor league seasons in the Athletics' system, alternating between shortstop and second base.

It seems unlikely that any of the players acquired in the Hill and Wuertz deals will be helpful to the major league club this year unless Hendry is able to flip them later to fill a hole with a proven player.

Anonymous said...

My name is Joe Aiello. I run View From The Bleachers. I was trying to find an e-mail for you, but couldn't see one on the site. Can you contact me via my address?

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Yi 4K+ Action Camera: 4K 60P

You can view the specifications for this camera at the Yi Technology website. It’s nice to see 4K 60P finally show up in an action camera and we’re glad it’s Yi’s as they’ve had reasonable and value pricing in the past.

The sensor is the SONY IMX377 1/2.3” and will reportedly feature 4K 60FPS at 120Mbit.


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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

{inspiration} for Grayson's big boy room

My poor husband...I have the patience of a 5-year-old when it comes to a project.  Usually he just gets out of my way and let's me work, unless I need his help and then he gets roped into it!  Unfortunately for him, this weekend included one of those projects that required his help.

On on whim on Saturday, I decided we needed to take down Grayson's toddler bed and move the queen-sized bed from the guest room into his room...as in right then.  Luckily my husband was willing and able and we switched everything out without much trouble.  Grayson's room looks great, but isn't totally finished.  I need to add a few more things, change a few things around, and it'll be great.  Until then, I thought I'd leave you with some of the spaces that I have "pinned" for inspiration.

                                                                             Source: playingsublimely.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

                                                                           Source: kfddesigns.blogspot.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

                                                                              Source: hollymathisinteriors.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

                                                                       Source: fireflyfurnishings.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

  1. I really love the first room, it's perfect! I can't wait to see what you come up with!

  2. how ironic, i've decided my 4yr old son needs a big boy room, so i've been researching for ideas too!

    here's my inspiration i thought i would share :)

    can't wait to get started!!! good luck to you!!

  3. Love the stenciled wall in that first pic. I get the "redesign itch" that must be scratched immediately too. :)

  4. Tell Scott that Chris sympathizes with him. I frequently (and I mean FREQUENTLY) decide that I want to start a project right then and there, and Chris looks at me and says, "you mean right now?" Of course my response is always, "Um, yeah, that is what I was thinking. I mean, we could do it later if that makes it easier." Said in a not so convincing tone, which he knows really means - I really want to do this project now. :)

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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Almond and Garbanzo Bean Dip

I'd have called this a non-tahini Hummus, but it seems as though Hummus requires tahini, so I'm opting to call this a Garbanzo Bean Dip ^^

It's that season of life when I realize that my pantries are well stalked and while I don't mind giving away our food when we leave this season, I'd like to take advantage of as much of it as I can and that means soaking and slow-cooking a LOT of beans! Which would be awesome for soups and stews were it winter...

But it's not.

So, the beans keep finding themselves in my food processor and in a Ziploc Tupperware container with a bag of chips serving as a light, yet delicious and nutritious lunch.

For this dip I threw some Garbanzo beans, Almonds, Olive oil and Basil with Olive Oil 'ice cubes' into the food processor - a touch of water (or was it wine...) to help achieve the correct consistency and wam, bam, thank you ma'm we have ourselves a bean dip!

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Saturday, February 9, 2013

guest artist...

I am lucky to have 5 very talented and creative kids.
Each one has their special gift of creativity,
they are all an inspiration to me!

Today I am going to share
Hannah's latest creation.

This fabulous piece of string art is now gracing our dining room wall.
Like all good artists Hannah made good use of her resources.

She went out to the barn.

When she came back in she had a few pieces of
wood for her future masterpieces.

love this girl...

This is a pretty large piece, measuring 2'x2'.
She painted it white,
freehanded our great state of MI.
and the put many, many nails around the outline
and then went string crazy!

edit... see the open heart?  That represents where we live,
so you see why it's so special!

I love it!
It brings a pop of color and most importantly

to the dining room!

Thank you BOO!
love you!

Have a fabulous day,
and may you too be inspired by the special
people in your life!

  1. And a heart in the middle of the state....Adorable!!

  2. What a talented daughter! Love the bright pop of red, it really draws the eye. She must get it from Mom!

  3. What a great piece of artwork from Hannah and to have free handed the outline is great. I recognized our "mitten" the second I started to scroll down. Give that girl a big gold start from another Michigander.

  4. Hannah's string art is a wonderful example of how the simplest materials can inspire fun, unique works of art. As a fellow creative-type in Michigan, my hat's off to anyone who can free-hand our state!

  5. Love it too! I love watching your kids create...such a reflection of you T! This VERY COOL! Love it! I never would have imagined something like that up! But now I get to enjoy it! thanks!

  6. Oh my goodness Therea I LOVE this!! I actually love anything Michigan!! She is very talented!! On SundayvI saw this girl at church that had a Michigan tattoo it was so cool and she had it on her shoulder in the back. I don't ususally fall in love with tats but this one was so cool. Tell Hannah she needs to make them and sell them at the Farmers Market this year. Thanks for sharing. I love your gift in hte jar. And that's a easy recipe which is what I like too!! LOL I'd rather be creating!! LOL Thanks for stopping by Theresa!! Take care. XOXO Love Fran.

  7. This is so cool! Creativity runs deep in your family! LOVE it!

  8. I really love it especially the heart inside of it. What a special piece and it truly is priceless. Happy valentines day.

    xo Danielle

Thank you so much for visiting me here at The Old White House, your comments make my day! ~ Theresa xoxo


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 Revii

You are being redirected to My New Revii Website!

The foundational line of NatureRich products are still available and can be found under the Nutrition and Home Living Store sections of My Revii Website.

Enjoy exploring my new site, and discover how you can begin living a Life Revitalized.


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Platform Overheid by Oracle & Quint

Oracle and Quint joined forces and hosted a 2-day event covering Big Data topics like: "How does an open data policy fit within the e-government strategy?"

  • "What policies should be developed and how can the policies can be implemented?"
  • "What are the boundaries in terms of privacy and security?"

Partners: The MUZES + IMAGO! Print, Sign & Display

#branding #visual identity #art direction


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A Smashing Good Time

On Nov. 2, combine community service with post-Halloween fun at the first annual Jack-O-Smash 5000 and Family Fun Festival, hosted at Sportsplex USA in Poway. The day will be packed with sports, food, and entertainment for all ages. Check-in begins at 7 a.m., with the opening ceremony and a three-airplane flyover at 7:45 a.m. After that are a 5K run and 1K walk/jog for all levels of athletes and amateurs. The Family Fun Festival will begin at the end of the race.

Free activities at the festival include bounce houses, live music, an adoptable petting center, a Pumpkin Trebuchet, and a 16-foot-tall Pumpkin Plinko Game. Bring your own left-over Jack-O-Lanterns for creative disposal. BBQ lunch will be available for purchase, as well as beverages in the beer garden. There will be a celebrity softball game with the Gold Medal-winning Poway Padres Special Olympic Softball team at 11:30 a.m. Families who need a break from the louder festivities will also be able to relax in a designated quiet zone.

All proceeds benefit two local nonprofits dedicated to serving young people with special needs. The PoVa Therapeutic Riding Center offers equestrian activities for special needs children and young adults. Next Stage U is a proposed facility for post-secondary education for young adults. “I’m so pleased that we as a community can come together with our families and friends to enjoy a fun-filled day, while helping our neighbors and their loved ones with special needs,” said Race Director Ginger Couvrette.


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Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Visiting the exotic pet store

We go to the exotic pet store about once a week to get crickets to feed Chloe's fire-bellied toads. She's the only one of us who was willing to wrap a constrictor around her neck. How is that ever a good idea? I was nervous about having 66% of my genetic heritage that close to a big snake.

I petted the iguana, because I am very brave. Meanwhile Tanya held a rabbit, and you know what kind of filthy shenanigans those things get up to.

  1. Man, you've put on a lot of weight and grown a little goatee since I saw you a few weeks ago.

    Wait, that's not you? You're standing five feet away taking the picture while your children are in contact with a big snake?

    Just sayin', ask the guy at the store to snap the photo while you stand at the ready to snatch the kids away.

  2. It turns out that I'm not willing to get that close to a snake that's as long as I am tall.

  3. You might need to produce a few more kids just to be on the safe side.

  4. That a relly nice store for the pets and from there i can get the pet which i want. Thank you so much to inform me such a nice store. For the more information visit petterritory(dot)com.
    Online Pet Supply Store


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Originally launched in 1992 Building and Facilities Management has now become ‘the’ total facilities management publication.

Building & Facilities Management editorial content covers all the major FM areas of interest within the workplace and the built environment. This includes industry developments, company news, case studies and application stories, product news as well as articles from leading authorities within the marketplace. For more information, visit the BFM website or email James Scrivens.

Abbey Publishing Ltd


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Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

This recipe was recommended to me, since I love slow cooker recipes.  I love to cook, but every so often I want to come home to a meal that is already made, especially during a busy week.  This is so easy, cheap, and delicious.  I hope you enjoy!

  • 1 pound dried red beans
  • 3/4 pound smoked turkey sausage, thinly sliced
  • celery ribs, chopped
  • green bell pepper, chopped
  • red bell pepper, chopped
  • sweet onion, chopped
  • garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
  • Hot cooked long-grain rice
  • Hot sauce (optional)
  • Garnish: finely chopped green onions, finely chopped red onion
  1. 1. Combine first 8 ingredients and 7 cups water in a 4-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 7 hours or until beans are tender.
  2. 2. Serve red bean mixture with hot cooked rice, and, if desired, hot sauce. Garnish, if desired.

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Banana and Nutella Swirled Snack Cake

My sister loves Nutella, so decided to make this for her so that I could see my niece.  She was kind of joking about the trade-off, but not really.  The hazelnut flavor of the Nutella blends perfectly with the smooth richness of the banana.  It's a match made in heaven.  Sorry, no picture!  I hope you enjoy!
Banana, Pecan and Nutella Swirled Snack Cake (adapted from Butter Baking):
Yields 9 bars
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/4 cup Nutella
  • 1/4 cup pecan halves, toasted (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla until well combined.
With the mixer on low speed, add buttermilk and dry ingredients alternately in 3 parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, beating just until incorporated.  Beat in bananas until well combined.
Scoop the batter evenly into prepared baking dish. Top with Nutella, swirling into the batter using figure eight motions. Sprinkle with pecans, using your fingertips to gently press the pecans into the batter.
Place into oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool slightly before cutting into bars.

Found through Food Gawker here


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Firefighter in SC killed after being hit by fire engine

(image courtesy WPDE)

A City of Conway firefighter in South Carolina was killed on Sunday after being hit by a fire engine, according to Horry County officials.

Christopher Gene Ray was pronounced dead at the scene after he was hit around 3:30 p.m. He was responding to a fire.

South Carolina Highway Patrol says he was on the fire truck when he fell off and was run over when the truck was backing up.

The fire chief said the City of Conway extends its deepest sympathy to Ray's wife, his two daughters, and his entire family.

Read more from WPDE.

Related Topics:
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Bagwell to headline Corpus Christi event

January 5, 2008 5:43:19 PM PST
Tom Grieve, who played for four teams in a 10-year Major League career and spent 10 seasons as vice president and general manager of the Texas Rangers, headlines the Fourth Annual South Texas Winter Baseball Banquet on Jan. 15 at the American Bank Center.Doors open at 6:30pm.

The following week, on Jan. 22, the 2008 Astros Winter Caravan swings through town with a stop for lunch on board the USS Lexington. The event, which begins at 11:30am, features former Astro Jeff Bagwell, former Hook and current Astros catcher J.R. Towles, television analyst Jim Deshaies and Astros assistant general manager Ricky Bennett.

Tickets for both banquet and luncheon may be purchased by contacting the Corpus Christi Hooks at 361-561-4665 and

Proceeds benefit the Hooks' Field of Dreams program.

- Send us your sports story tips
- Click here for more sports stories

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Local student to compete in national competition

March 21, 2008 5:02:26 PM PDT
Thomas Lei from Bellaire, Texas has been chosen to compete for a $50,000 college scholarship at the 2007-08 Young Epidemiology Scholars (YES) Competition sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered by the College Board. Thomas is among 60 high school juniors and seniors who will receive a $2,000 scholarship and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., April 4 ? 7 to present their research to nationally recognized epidemiologists and teachers and compete for college scholarships of up to $50,000.

More than 550 high school students from across the nation entered the competition, which is designed to spur students' interest in the field of public health, specifically epidemiology. Epidemiology explores patterns of disease, illness and injury within populations with the goal of developing methods for prevention, control and treatment to improve health.

All YES competitors develop a research question and hypothesis about a health issue that concerns a group or groups of people, then conduct research to analyze the subject and suggest potential ways to improve the problem based on their analysis. The projects have tackled a wide-range of issues, including obesity, influenza, body image, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, malaria, sexually transmitted disease and depression.

Thomas's project is entitled "An Analysis of Causes and Effects of Video Game Addiction."

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American Tunnicliffe wins Laser Radial sail Olympic gold

August 19, 2008 12:09:37 PM PDT
American Anna Tunnicliffe has won the Olympic gold medal in Laser Radial sailing after coming from behind in the final medal race to finish second and secure the top spot on overall points. Gintare Volungeviciute took silver on Tuesday for Lithuania's first sailing medal in an Olympics, while China's Xu Lijia took bronze.

British-born Tunnicliffe was ahead on overall points going into the final medal race, but the American needed a solid place to secure the top spot.

The 25-year-old was down as far as ninth out of 10 boats that qualified for Tuesday's final. Tunnicliffe says she spotted a wind shift on the third leg, fought her way up to third, and finished 11 seconds behind Volungeviciute to take the gold on total points after 10 races.

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Protest held outside mayor's office during CPD meeting

Protesters taped up the pictures of Chicago violence victims outside the mayor's office Tuesday night.

The group also had red paint on their hands to symbolize blood.

Their protest came as CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson and other police brass arrived for a weekly meeting with the mayor to discuss violence.

Related Topics:
rahm emanueleddie johnsonchicago police departmentprotestChicago - Loop
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Accused Russian Spy Confessed, Prosecutors Say

One of the alleged Russian spies arrested this week has admitted he works for that country's covert intelligence service, prosecutors said in court papers filed today as part of an effort to persuade a federal judge to deny bail to the group accused of being foreign agents. Several of those arrested have allegedly been tracked using fake passports, collecting cash in brush passes from Russian intelligence agents, and recorded rehearsing messages for their Russian handlers, the court filing says.

"There is little need here for speculation as to what will happen if the defendants are permitted to walk out of the court," the nine-page petition filed with U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald L. Ellis said. They will flee."

VIDEO: Hearing reveals more secrets of how accused spies led seemingly ordinary lives.Play
Case of Alleged Russian Spies Moves to Court

The documents reveal significant new details about the case the U.S. has built against the nine defendants, who have been accused of being foreign agents without registering – a far less serious crime than espionage. Several of the defendants were making their first court appearances today.

For more, be sure to watch Brian Ross' report on WORLD NEWS tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET

For instance, prosecutors said they intercepted a message in 2009 from Moscow Center to the New Jersey conspirators that "the only goal and task of our Service and of all of us is the security of our country … Only to reaching this goal you were dispatched to US, settled down there, gained legal status and were expected to start striking up usefull [sic] acquaintances, broadening the circle of your well placed connections, gaining information and eventually recruiting sources."

Suspect in Russian Spy Ring Skips Bail in CyprusPlay

The letter submitted by Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, revealed they had been bugging the Yonkers home of one alleged conspirator, who used the name Juan Lazaro, since 2002. Officials said after his arrest, he confirmed to federal agents that Lazaro was not his real name, that his Yonkers house had been paid for by Russian intelligence services, and that, although "he loved his son, he would not violate his loyalty to 'the Service' even for his son." Lazaro refused to provide his real name.

Prosecutors also said in the filing that they had decrypted a May, 2008 message in which the New Jersey woman who called herself Cynthia Murphy advised her handlers that there were "three major ways for [Richard Murphy] to start [his] career for Service's purposes," one of which was, among other things, to get involved in "dem./rep. campaing [sic] HQ in your area."

Hillary Clinton

Among Murphy's contacts was financier Alan Patricof, who said in a statement Wednesday that he retained Murphy's financial services firm more than two years ago, met with Murphy a few times, and spoke with her frequently on the phone. "We never—not once—discussed any matter other than my finances and certainly she never inquired about, nor did we ever discuss, any matters relating to politics, the government, or world affairs," Patricof said.

Patricof raised at least $100,000 for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2008, according to figures compiled online by Public Citizen.

Clinton spokesman P.J. Crowley told ABC News there is "no reason to think that the Secretary was a target of this spy ring," and added that the secretary of state has not been contacted by investigators.

"This is like playing six degrees of Kevin Bacon," Crowley said. "There may be a connection there, but it doesn't have any real meaning."

The lawyer for one of the suspects told a judge Thursday that the only thing his client had infiltrated are "neighborhoods, cocktail parties and the PTA," according to the Associated Press. The attorney for the man who called himself Donald Heathfield and his wife, Tracey Lee Ann Foley, of Cambridge, Mass., appeared in federal court in Boston on Thursday for a bail hearing. Afterwards, the lawyer, Peter Krupp, told reporters he considered the evidence revealed so far against his client "extremely thin."

The primary case prosecutors made in trying to prevent the defendants from being released at bail was based on two factors. One was that a key defendant, released on bail in Cypress, has already fled. Police on Thursday searched airports, ports and yacht marinas to find the man, who was using the name Christopher Metsos, after he failed to show up Wednesday for a required meeting with police, according to AP.

In addition, prosecutors said all of the defendants, prosecutors argued, were well trained at spy tradecraft and could easily disappear under false identities. And the defendants wouldn't even have to travel far, the prosecutors argued. They would need only to make it to the Russian consulate in New York City to find refuge from American justice, prosecutors said.


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UFOs on the Ballot: Denver to Vote on Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission

VIDEO: Authorities have no answers about the mysterious object floating over Manhattan.PlayABCNEWS.com
WATCH UFO Sightings Stop New York City

When Denver voters head to the polls tomorrow, they won't just have a chance to vote for a new senator or representatives. They'll have a chance to cast their ballots for E.T.

On the ballot this year is an initiative that would charge the city with creating a seven-person panel to study unidentified flying objects and extraterrestrial life.

Jeff Peckman, the Denver entrepreneur spearheading the campaign, said Denver's Initiative 300 would establish an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission responsible for collecting and sharing evidence that extraterrestrials are visiting Earth and for assessing the risks and benefits of making contact with those aliens.

"The reason it's important is that this needs to start somewhere. It's not starting anywhere, at the federal level or state level or any other level of government," Peckman said. "In this country we believe this could very well be a citizen's task."

The commission would be privately funded with grants and gifts, but would have the support of the mayor and the city of Denver, he said, adding that the panel's findings and progress would be posted on the city's website.

Denver Post: If E.T. Calls, 'Hang Up'

Though the panel won't need taxpayer's dollars, Peckman said it's still important that the public vote to approve it.

"The process of this ballot initiative engages the public in this discussion that they've been left out of," he said. "[And the commission] gives it a kind of official status."

Peckman was able to collect 10,000 signatures to get the initiative on the ballot, but said he "can't even think about whether it's going to pass. He said they've already been victorious in raising local awareness on the issue.

But he's also been successful in raising local doubt.

In an "Editorial Shorttake" on the initiative, the Denver Post said "Should E.T. phone here, we say: Hang up." Other reports suggest that while the initiative has attracted interest, it's not necessarily the kind of interest needed to elevate E.T. to city hall.

Still, UFO researchers in other parts of the country are taking note.

Michael Luckman, author of "Alien Rock: The Rock 'N' Roll Extraterrestrial Connection" and director of the New York Center for Extraterrestrial Research, said he's been in touch with Peckman and hopes that, in the future, he'll be able to introduce a similar proposal in New York City.

"More than anything else this is a way of focusing worldwide attention, particularly in New York, which is the media capital of the world, on the issue of extraterrestrials and their visitation to Earth," he said, "[We're] moving in a direction of disclosure, meaning mass disclosure to the public on the part of the government."

New York UFO Researcher: Denver Campaign Could Spread

Creating a New York Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission would be no easy task. Mayor Bloomberg himself would have to endorse it. But Luckman said he's working on it.

"The most important thing is to see how things go on Tuesday for the Denver initiative," he said. "If it's passed... then that will, of course, give great momentum to the New York campaign."

Depending on how Denver's Initiative 300 fares at the polls Tuesday, Luckman said this campaign could spread to other cities, potentially UFO hotspots, such as Phoenix, and Roswell, New Mexico.

Assuming his campaign builds steam, Luckman said he would consider filling the panel with political and entertainment luminaries with either a stake in national security or an interest in extraterrestrial matters. He cited possible contenders including President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the U.K.'s Queen Elizabeth (who he said is interested in crop circles), boxer Muhammad Ali, Steven Spielberg and Yoko Ono.

Author: Campaigns Stem from Global Conspiracy Theories

But before Denver, New York or any other city prepares to lay out the red carpet for E.T., supporters of UFO initiatives will have to prove one key thing: that they're pitching something other than a giant conspiracy theory.

"This is all derived from this idea that there's some global conspiracy hiding information about UFOs that not only crossed international boundaries but decades," said Benjamin Radford, author of "Scientific Paranormal Investigation: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries" and managing editor of The Skeptical Inquirer magazine.

UFO believers point to the alleged recovery of extra-terrestrial debris in Roswell, N.M., in 1947 and reports by U.S. Airmen to show that the government is covering up evidence supporting the visitation by aliens. They claim that the U.S. government and other governments around the world are suppressing information, Radford said.

But governments have looked into the existence of aliens and "the answer was there does not seem to be enough good evidence that the Earth is being visited by extraterrestrials on a regular basis," Radford said. "Because there is so little evidence for UFOs, the believers, they basically have no choice but to assume that there's a conspiracy."


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Thursday, September 4, 2008

Kabuki Knockoff

Sometimes ... I just want to do something weird. Usually it is because that thing that is weird on me looked FABULOUS on someone else I met ... as is the case with this. In this case a girl working for my local Nordie's MAC counter was wearing kabuki style blush like this one day when I went in to hoard MAC lipsticks (a fave pastime of mine ... though not for my wallet) and I just HAD to do what she did!

I think it is completely strange ... but at least I tried it. Kabuki style makeup, along with anything geisha-ish, has fascinated me for a while. Don't think I will be wearing this to work ... but it was fun to try!

Enjoy laughing ... I know I did!

basic face routine
MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl on temples and blended down to cheeks; used synthetic foundation brush
MAC Dollymix blush heavily on temples and blended down to cheekbones; used Full Flawless Face brush

MAC ShadeStick in Beige-ing over entire eye area; blend with fingers
Queen Phyllis dry over entire eye area; used Flathead Shadow brush
MAC Blue Brown pigment dry in crease; used Crease brush
Retro liner shadow wetlined top lashline only and faded out in wing to temples; used Face Secrets Concealer/Liner brush
Gigi dry along lower waterline and lashline; used skinny end of Rock N Roll brush
CoverGirl LashBlast mascara in Blackest Black

Dominique buxom lip polish
MAC Heatherette glaze lipstick in Lollipop Loving

Questions? Comments? Please feel free to post ... and thanks for looking ... and laughing!

1 comment:

  1. That is bold way to do blush, I agree, not a look for work! lol

    I really love your eyes, the blush being up so high actually seems to bring more attention to them.

Please be nice (that doesn't mean you have to like the look ... just be nice about not liking it!) ... no one likes a troll ;)


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Saturday, April 23, 2016

Fat Quarter Shop Sew Sampler Box - April

I'm super excited to share the new Sew Sampler box from Fat Quarter Shop. When I saw FQS was starting a monthly subscription of quilting supplies...I knew I needed to try it! I'm that girl that reads the last chapter of a book first because I can't wait to know how it ends. So it was a challenge for me to wait patiently for my first Sew Sampler box! When I saw this adorable aqua box in my mail box...I might have a squealed a bit!

I didn't even wait to go inside my house to open my box. I did it right outside! I'm sure my husband thought I was a bit nutty when he saw me taking pictures of my happy mail. I love how the box was packaged...just like a present!

First look at all the fabulous quilting goodies.

I really liked how FQS included a card that described each item included in the April Sew Sampler box. I then took my box inside to look more closely at each included item.

Here is a fun grid showing EVERYTHING that was included in the April box! Isn't it awesome! It's perfect for spring or summer quilting!

From (Left to Right)
1. On the back of the informational card is a crossword puzzle. See it is educational too :) Plus a cute Welcome to the Neighborhood card (with an exclusive coupon on your next FQS purchase...I think I need to order a Garland FQ bundle),  Block #1 Recipe card (8", 12", and 16" sizes), plus a cute sticker and magnet.
2. Grow Charm Pack from Me and My Sister Designs. The colors and patterns remind me of summer. In fact, I opened mine up and starting sewing the same day it arrived.
3. FQS Creative Grid ruler. This is fabulous! I LOVE the grips on the back side of the slipping!
4. Screw B Do magnetic screw drivers. These are fantastic! The perfect size when needing to remove your stitch plate or putting on your walking foot or anything else. I just need to hide them from my husband and sons. Plus they are made in the USA!
5. Strawberry Picking Pattern. This is just adorable. I even used my charm pack to sew one block to make a mini quilt!
6. Cotton Candy Embroidery Scissors. These are so sharp! Perfect for snipping when chain piecing! Plus the cover is a great safety feature too.

I adapted the Strawberry Picking pattern slightly so I could use my charm pack. I wanted to include lots of the pink fabrics so I made the squares very tiny...maybe too tiny :). I then used the purple squares to make binding and pieced 9 charm squares to make the backing. My 2 year old is claiming this mini quilt for her Strawberry Shortcake doll, which is perfect!

The April Sew Sampler box has already sold be sure to sign up for the May box! I'm sure it will be amazing!

I shared even more pictures on Instagram @mellierc

Thank you Fat Quarter Shop for sending me the April Sew Sampler box....I LOVE it!

Have a great day!

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Colouring for change in Cooma, lead by local teens

Has anyone seen the orange pencil? By Ian Campbell
Has anyone seen the orange pencil? By Ian Campbell

High school students from Cooma have combined with a locally based, online fashion house in a colourful approach to tackling family violence.

The idea of a workplace ‘Colourathon’ is being trialed at Birdsnest in Cooma, with female students from Monaro High School preparing to launch the idea nationally in November.

New ‘Colourathon for Corporates’ kits come packed with everything a business will need to host their own event, broadening the community response to family violence.

Artistic change maker, Big hART is leading the collaboration under the banner of ‘Project O‘.

“Project O is a national program we run with young women aged 12 to 15, assisting them to build new skills and capacity and to learn how to be change makers,” says Genevieve Dugard, Project O National Director.

Project O started in the ‘family violence hotspot’ of North West Tasmania and has since been rolled out to Cooma, Roebourne WA, and Canberra.

“A colourathon is a colouring-in arts marathon,” Genevieve explains.

“An arts endurance event, where every hour of colouring-in is sponsored and raises money for trauma therapy services for young children fleeing violence and needing crises care.”

Jane Cay, 'big bird' at Birdsnest and Genevieve Dugard, Project O National Director. By Ian Campbell
Jane Cay, ‘big bird’ at Birdsnest and Genevieve Dugard, Project O National Director. By Ian Campbell

A colourathon at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra on November 30 will help launch the corporates kits being developed at Birdsnest by the twenty young women from Monaro High School.

The Project O crew are hoping businesses will buy a kit as a team building or social responsibility exercise while raising money for the Australian Childhood Foundation.

“They roll out a play based therapy program in women’s shelters,” Genevieve says.

“The average age of a child fleeing violence is two and a half years old, through the fundraising we provide training in play based therapy which helps children who can’t talk or express their feelings like adults.”

The add on to Big hART’s Project O initiative for the Monaro girls is the opportunity to be mentored by the innovators and entrepreneurs that make up Birdsnest – winner of the ‘Best Online Customer Service Award’ at the Online Retail Industry Awards in 2015 and 2016 and BRW Australia’s 8th ‘Best Place to Work’ for companies with 100 employees or less in 2015.

Former IBM e-business consultant, Jane Cay is ‘head bird’.

“It’s such a great opportunity for them to realise that they can create change even when they are young and at school,” Jane says.

Students have been embedded in Jane’s company for a ten week period, mentored by staff in event management, product development, publicity, design, logistics, and a range of other business skills.

“It’s a massive company and it’s amazing that we are able to have workshops here,” says Brooke, one of the Project O students.

‘We are so lucky that we have this experience, to meet all of the staff and learn new things from them,” Brooke’s friend Georgia adds.

Both students say they have also been surprised to learn about the issue of family violence.

“It does happen in Cooma, I didn’t think it would happen in Cooma, it’s been a shock to me,” Georgia says.

“I hope this [The Colourathon] will show people that it is happening and it needs to stop,” Brooke says.

“Hopefully we raise money to help them [children] get through it and find more support through play based therapy,” Georgia adds.

Aside from the benefit to the community through programs like Project O and the Colourathon, Jane Cay believes it makes good business sense for corporates to get involved.

“People need to come to work feeling nurtured, and they need to look after themselves in order to be of service to anyone – whether that’s in the workplace or to their families,” Jane says.

“If the family environment is not a safe and nurturing place it’s very difficult to then come into a work place without that very basic foundation that humans need to operate.”

Thanks to About Regional members, Jeanette Westmore, Claire Blewett, Fay Deveril, and Fiona Cullen for supporting local story telling.


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Monday, January 31, 2011

Another new project: trials and travails

I started another new project-- a lace dress from an old issue of Vogue Knitting! I've been looking at it on Ravelry for a while and I even ordered yarn for it from Knit Picks, but I figured I'd wait till spring to start it. Well, for some reason I felt compelled to begin. But from the start-- even before the start-- I was a little hesitant, for a few reasons:
-I don't really like knitting lace, in general.
-I am really worried about the fit and sizing-- we all know about the sad mishaps that have occurred in my knitting past, fit-wise. And this dress wouldn't be easy to modify for a larger bust, because of the lace pattern. I'm doing the small/medium size (as opposed to the large) because I know the large would be too large, but I am worried about the bust. I want to avoid unseemly stretching/pulling across the chest. Right now the plan is to go up a few needle sizes when I get to the bust.
-The yarn, is eh. I was expecting something a little more... woolen, I guess, just judging from photos online. But it is a cotton blend, and it is a little fuzzy. I don't think it will pill (I hope not anyway) but I don't LOVE the yarn. it is fine to knit with, and plenty soft, plus the color is dynamite, I'm just not sure...

And to top it off I cast on with a smaller needle size than called for, and didn't feel like redoing it... so I hope the cast-on edge doesn't end up being too tight.

Otherwise I am totally enjoying knitting it-- it is actually going pretty fast...

Or WAS, until I cut my finger yesterday...

The cut is on the very tip of my finger, right below the nail. In fact the corner of the nail was shaved off as well. It is painful if there is any pressure on it, so I have bandaged it liberally with gauze, band-aids and medical tape. I might be going a bit overboard, but dammit, it hurts! I need it nicely, firmly cushioned. But the downshot of it is that since this is a very crucial knitting finger-- my left pointer finger, around which I wrap the yarn as I knit-- knitting has become slightly inconvenienced. The yarn catches on my big bandage and my pace is slower. Today I decided to use the situation to practice knitting the English way, with the yarn wrapped around my right pointer finger, looping my finger around to the needle to wrap the yarn instead of just picking it up from my left finger. Ugh, annoying. I did that for one round, but my tension was way tighter and harder to control. Obviously if I practiced for longer it would have gotten easier but I gave up pretty quickly and went back to awkwardly knitting around my bandage.

Haven't worked on the linen scarf since I started the dress-- will go back to that when my finger is more healed.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Linen Skarf is the purtiest thing ever

Love love loving my linen scarf project....

Now that I am knitting it up, I wish I had chosen yarns that covered every element of Roy G. Biv. I'd like some yellow and there isn't any, nor is there any true red, and I wish there was a tad less brown. Nevertheless, the color combinations are beautiful! Spring Break provides indigo, navy, a burnt orange kind of color, gray/green, brown and a little bit of purple. Chocolate Cherry is pretty straightforward-- brown and pink, plus an in-between color. And Eat Your Veggies has got neon lime green, olive green, sea-green and a very light gray. So we have most colors covered. And when it's all knit up together, it looks SO cool!

I started it on Sunday when I got home, winding the yarn and casting on. Over the past few days I have been working on it diligently. A lot of Ravelers said that the project is like pulling teeth, but I find that it is going very quickly! Of course, I still have less than 2", so there's a ways to go, but I am really enjoying the project. I love the fringe. The only thing is that it can be annoying to start a new color. The new yarn is not anchored, so the edge stitches become loose and you have to pull them and hold onto the last few fringes. But it's not a huge deal. I just LOVE the way all of the different colors stripe and mix. I wonder if I'll ever wear it. I'm not a scarf person-- I'm too fidgety. And my body changes temperatures really quickly so I am always fussing with my clothes, hair and accessories. Putting my hair up. Taking my hair down. Putting a sweater on. Taking the sweater off. Pushing up my sleeves. Pushing down my sleeves. Etc. However, this scarf is so pretty!!!!!! And it will match everything! (Not that matching is really a priority of mine.)

Also, here's a picture of Ariel Bailey in the sweater I made him!! It's too big, but he will grow into it:

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Vogue Knitting Live!

This weekend I had the pleasure of being part of the very first Vogue Knitting Live event in New York. My friends at Fine Points in Cleveland, OH-- where I interned one day a week over the summer-- traveled to the city for the show, and asked me to help out. It was crazy! I didn't get to go to any classes or attend any lectures, unfortunately-- I was in the marketplace from morning till night. But I did get to see my very first knitting show, and I had a lot of fun working at the booth. It was really, completely crazy-- tons of people lining up to pay BIG bucks for yarn, clothes and jewelry. One woman bought one of our sample garments for $750!!!!!!!!!!! I mean!!!! I know that hand-knit garments are worth a lot-- I mean, tons of hours go into making them, not to mention cost of materials-- but that seems like quite a bit to me!!! I wish I could get someone to pay that much for something I knit!

Here are some action pics from our booth:

Tons of people, tons of gorgeous yarn and jewelry... and speaking of gorgeous yarn... well you wouldn't expect me to go home without any goodies, would you?!!

In the very few spare moments I grabbed to run around and look at the other booths, I found a great close-out yarn sale-- bags of yarn, steeply discounted. I grabbed a bag of Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool. I only really discovered this yarn on Friday. It's so very soft! I usually avoid wool because of the itchy quotient. But I wore a garment all day made of this stuff and it was super-comfy. They only had yellow left, but it's a nice sunny yellow and I really like it:

I also snatched up a bag of Araucania  Ulmo Multi, which is a variegated cotton Aran weight yarn. There was also a gorgeous purple multi which I really loved, but I think this yarn is a great color for baby blankets. It's not too girly (I don't think) or boyish-- it's just babyish. And with ten skeins a bag, that's over 2000 yards of yarn-- so I'll be able to make a few nice-sized blankies.

My only concern is the fact that it is hand-wash only... that's not really a quality you are looking for in any baby project. But I looked on Ravelry and quite a few people have used this yarn for baby things, so maybe it is not so hard to clean.

I also got some yarn from Fine Points, of course-- they have the most mouth-watering selection of Claudia Hand Painted Yarns, which is one of my ultimate favorite yarn brands, though, until now I had only ever used her Silk Lace, which is like BUTTER (though I never finished that project...). I absolutely LOVE her colorways though, and there were a few that I just had to have:

This is so pretty-- pastel baby colors ("Jonquil") in Short Sport. I could probably make three to five pairs of baby booties for this. (Why am I making all this baby stuff??)

Oooh, SWOON! This is Silk Lace in Collards and Grits. I saw it and fell in love. There was no deliberation whatsoever. It's just. So. Pretty. And I have NEVER felt a softer, smoother yarn in a finished project. Who knows what it will be. But until it becomes anything, I just want to love and pet it.

I also bought three skeins of Claudia Fingering Weight. This stuff was FLYING off the shelves, and the most popular pattern for this yarn was the Linen Stitch Scarf, which I also purchased.

I really didn't know which colors to get, and I didn't have much time to shop-- so I just plucked up a few of my favorite colorways: from the left, Eat Your Veggies, Chocolate Cherry, and Spring Break. I don't even know that they really go together at all, but the point is to make it really wild and crazy and you can't really go wrong with this stuff-- it's ALL so gorgeous.

So I will start the linen scarf soon-- maybe tonight?! I've never used this yarn but I'm so excited. It's really gorgeous. But I do have to wind it. I hate winding this gorgeous yarn into an ugly little ball. I wish I had a swift!!! I want my dad to build a cute little one for me, but he is very busy so who knows when that will be. Until then, winding yarn off my bedpost.

I made a few other purchases too-- I bought a cute little drawstring bag from KnittyCity and a "limited edition" VK Live tote-- I feel like I must have it because I was there!

It was a fun, crazy experience, but I hated staying in the city. It's so difficult and annoying to get anywhere, and it was BRUTALLY cold-- they say a record-breaking weekend of coldness. And there was a LOT of walking. Tonight coming home was a slog, I gotta say-- lugged my backpack, all my yarn, my laptop, purse AND a big bag of Chinese food home on the train. I take my mess everywhere!

And by the way, I am not buying any more yarn for a long time-- until I USE some of my stash. It's ridiculous how much I have.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

My first non-kippa crocheted project!!

It's a hat! I was practicing my crocheting skills, which are rusty since I haven't used them since the last kippa I made last spring, and I just kept going.... so it turned into a hat!
I messed up a little with the increases and decreases around the crown. I wasn't sure about it so I just improvised wildly. So it's a little lumpy but it looks smooth enough when it's being worn.

I think it turned out pretty well, for my first crocheted hat. And it was SO superduper-fast. And fun! I'm giving it to my sister since I already have a hat.

Let me introduce the world to Ariel Bailey, the newest addition to the wonderful Bailey family!!!!! Here he is, wearing the hat I made him!!!! Ok, so it's kinda big, as I really have no idea what size babies' heads are supposed to be, but too big is better than too small-- he'll grow into it.

And a ridiculously cute photo of Ariel's older sister and brother, Leah and Sauly, marching hand-in-hand while wearing their awesome matching hats.
I love these kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

It feels good to be finished... but now what?!

I finished the skirt, people:

It's beautiful. I was a little worried about the hem curling, but it barely does- maybe a tiny bit, but not enough to warrant adding a garter band. Besides, I didn't have enough yarn anyway. I worked right down to the last yard of the last ball of yarn. I really like the length-- precisely 19" from the waistband. Here's a picture of the waistband:

I altered it-- added buttonholes and an extra inch of length. I would provide the exact mod, but I never wrote it down. I used a cast off/cast on buttonhole because the buttons would have been too big for a traditional yarn over, and cast off 2 stitches, but turns out I should have only cast off one stitch per buttonhole. I may sew the buttonholes closed a bit, just so you don't see those little gaps. Otherwise, it fits well-- even snugly. I like the high-waistedness. That's very in right now, and it's a flattering look if you can do it. I wore it last week out in the city and my friends were very impressed. (I love telling people, "Thanks! I made it." Non-knitters are so amazed by what we can do!)

Now that I've finished all my major projects, I really have nothing going on. I have no projects. My sister wants me to make her a hat, but she's been very vague on her preferred color and style so I haven't cast on. And I had four balls of the Shine Worsted in Robot to make a baby blanket for a friend's baby in Israel. Um, except I didn't do ANY research and somehow assumed that less than 400 yards of yarn would make a sufficient baby blanket. Not. Turns out you need upwards of 1000y, and I have no intention of purchasing that much, so that project's in the dustbin and I have four balls of Shine Worsted. You know what, I could probably make a few cute hats with it, send them to my friends in Tzfat. (Two of them just had baby boys.) My wonderful South African friend Heather, mother to the children for whom I knit those striped hats, also had a beautiful baby boy about a week ago-- so exciting! I'm waiting for a picture of the baby in his hat and sweater, but wrangling the infant into hand-knits is probably not first priority when you've got three kids under the age of five.

However-- I did get a picture of Saulie in his hat! And it's gorgeous!

Look at my favorite little South African/Israeli boy-- kissing his new baby brother!

Here is a direct quote from his mother: "Saul does not leave the house without his hat-- he loves it!" There is no greater reward for a knitter than hearing this.

Meanwhile-- I've got no projects! Okay, there are the two WIPs that haven't been touched for months-- the gloves... weh! I would really wear them, too. I'll never finish them. It's second glove syndrome-- I've never once finished a pair of gloves. I really should. Dammit. They're so pretty and in the silk and everything. Yet seaming all those fingers is so annoying! If I ever do finish them I will knit the fingers in the round this time with two circulars instead of flat, because the seaming is just urrrghhhh-- very frustrating.

And there are the socks I'm knitting for Shannon-- I decided to experiment with the Magic Loop for the first time-- knit a few rounds last night on Sock 2 and my eyes started hurting from the tiny stitches so I stopped. When you don't have a deadline it's pretty easy to let things slide. When I actually get going on those, I'll tell you all about my feelings on Magic Loop. So far it doesn't seem tremendously different from two circs.

If anyone has any great ideas about my next knitting project, I'm open. I want a nice complicated project that preferably uses yarn from my stash, and which I will be excited about. I just made a sweater and a skirt, and a hat, so now what?? I don't like knitting for other people because they never appreciate it and I'm never motivated to finish it. That sounds pretty bad. I should be a better friend and knit stuff for others, but I swear, they never actually use the things I make! -- Well, not totally true. My mom and dad both wear their Knotty but Nice Malabrigo hats-- and they are gorgeous, if I do say so myself. I love that pattern. But the thing is about knitting for others is that I don't like buying nice yarn for those kinds of projects because it's so expensive, so I end up using acrylic stuff from my stash, which is good for most people because it's machine washable, but when I use crappy yarn I'm not excited about the project. Plus I'm just not motivated to finish anything because there's no reward. Man, I really am selfish. I've got to work on this in the new year. Maybe I should resolve to knit more stuff for other people.

On those rare occasions when I DO make things for other people, I now have absolutely beautiful personalized labels to sew into them!!

A Hanukkah present from my sister (though she gives credit for the idea to my mom). Amazing!!! Now I just need to make some stuff to put them in. I could retroactively add them to my parents' hats-- maybe on the outside so they won't be scratchy.

Anyway, that's my knitting life. Unless I'm hit by some inspiration soon I probably won't be posting again for a while.


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Tuesday, May 02, 2006

how did i miss this when it came out three and a half years ago?

some guy who changed his name to Jack Ass back in 1997 sued MTV over Jackass in 2002, claiming they plagiarized and defamed the good name of Jack Ass.

this is the funniest legal document i have read in a long time.

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