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Distance Learning: Reflection

Co-Authored with Joost of Bad Girls Need Good Spankings

Sarah and David’s story began here

Almost immediately upon her semi-self-imposed exile to the corner, Sarah noticed the cobwebs and let out a sigh of exasperation. She’d just cleaned a few days ago, how did they come back so quickly? Sarah shivered a bit at the implication of the thought, cringing at the memory of her previous anxiety-ridden corner time. It hadn’t been the impending spanking weighing on her nerves then either. She’d thought that Tuesday’s Deep Clean would have helped this time around, but nature seemed to have won this round. Sarah tried to banish the thought from her mind, but there was precious little else to focus on in the corner. The reminder, she chided herself, that’s what she had been instructed to think of.

While not the strictest assignment she’d received from David while under his discipline, the evening awaiting her would be an ordeal to remember. Particularly the essay bit, she thought to herself. She had ideas of what to write- plenty of them- but the whole concept of writing something top to bottom without the chance to go back and edit would be a challenge for sure. For once, she was grateful for the corner time; she needed the time to compose her thoughts and perhaps even come up with a suitable opening line. At least she would get the spanking she craved. If mistakes earned her swats on her bare bottom, she knew she was more or less guaranteed to be very sore by the time she went to bed.

A movement in the corner of her eye made her start as she twitched her gaze in the direction of the disturbance. After a moment of confusion, she let out a laugh at the realisation that it wasn’t one of her little eight-legged friends come to pester her in her moment of vulnerability but her own flyaway hair. She took in her shadow splayed in the corner before her. The lighting and angles accentuated her frazzled appearance, making the wisps that had worked their way free of her hair clip over the course of a long day at the office look like horns growing out of the top of her head. Betraying the nastier side of her nature, Sarah thought ruefully. It had been a long day, and a long week, and she knew she deeply needed this evening of discipline to reorient herself.

It had been her idea, and she was grateful that he had not only agreed, but had seized the notion with gusto, prescribing what seemed to be a nastily creative reminder for her to complete this evening. She had asked for this, Sarah reminded herself as she shivered with both the thought of what was to come and of the chill that was creeping through her as she stood motionless in her corner. Corner time in winter is an entirely different beast than in the summer, she thought as she shuffled her feet in an effort to return a bit of warmth and circulation to her extremities, making a mental note to take suitable precautions before her next stint in the corner.

Just in time, her timer beeped her release, and Sarah collapsed onto her bed, rubbing her chilled toes with one hand as she cast about under the bed for her slippers with the other.

Once warmed, Sarah set about mutilating dinner.

Her cooking had improved under David’s encouragement, though she was hardly a master chef. Thus far she had confined her efforts mostly to various stir-fry type dishes of chicken and the more familiar of vegetables at the local market. In a brave mood this week, she selected a package of diced beef, hoping that her experiment would be edible. She had planned to make a stew, but given her other obligations for the evening and limited supplies of ingredients with which to cobble together a second meal should her experiment fail, she fell back on a more familiar preparation of sauteed mushrooms and onions.

Sarah looked over her remaining ingredients, but decided against adding anything else tonight. The broccoli would steam well to go with the leftover chicken breast for tomorrow’s lunch, and the carrots would likely join tonight’s leftovers in a soup. Sarah smirked at the ginger; there would be no need for that tonight.

The vegetable portion of the meal was coming together nicely, Sarah thought to herself several minutes later as she proudly admired the nicely browned vegetables through the tears their chopping had produced. She had always teared more than was typical while preparing onions, though they were delicious enough to be worth the pain. Sarah smiled at the thought, wondering if this might have been an early sign of the same disposition that led her to seek out David’s discipline.

Her smile faded when she looked at the pan of beef, which was now swimming in more grease than could possibly be healthy. She should have known, she cursed herself, she’d worked with ground beef occasionally before when experimenting with chilli, and should have remembered that it would require draining. She glanced around the kitchen for a suitable container- chilli always involved a plethora of cans that were ready to receive the liquid waste. Her concoction this evening, while she was proud of it’s use of fresh ingredients, was noticeably lacking in similar containers. She decided on the plastic container the mushrooms had came in, praying that it wouldn’t melt as she carefully tipped the grease into it. It mostly held its form, and she thanked her lucky stars and whatever deity or deities had been on her side in this gamble and carried on with her cooking.

The meal was quite satisfactory, Sarah decided when she sat down to enjoy it a few minutes later, munching away as she checked her e-mail for the evening. A tad overcooked, she noted for next time, but certainly edible and a nice change of pace. Spearing the last mushroom, Sarah nodded in satisfaction as she delivered her plate to the sink where it joined the rest of the night’s dishes. She was sorely tempted to leave the mess until the morning, but David had instructed her to tidy up before the next phase of her reminder, so she began the chore, and even threw in a load of laundry while she was at it, all the while thinking on what awaited her for the remainder of the evening.

In her distraction, she had forgotten the container of grease until she accidentally knocked it from the counter, making a glorious mess across her jeans, slippers, and most of the kitchen floor.

Sarah gaped at the mess in dismay for a few moments before setting her emotions aside and entering triage mode.
The floor, while the largest part of the mess, would clean easily enough. The slippers were on their way out anyway, worn and frayed as they were from heavy use. Her jeans however, required some quick action to save. She tried her best in the sink, but couldn’t do much more than rid the garment of the more obvious clumps of muck. This was a job for a machine, she thought, glancing down at the washing merrily going about the work she had set it to before this minor crisis. Though the load had just started, the washer would remain “helpfully” locked for the next hour or so. She’d need at least another hour after that for the next load. Unless the essay writing went very poorly indeed, she needed to buy herself some time if she had any hope of following David’s instructions to put herself to bed as soon as she’d completed his assigned tasks. While she was frequently tempted to disobey his occasional order for an early bedtime, if she was going to court punishment in that manner she wanted to do something far more gratifying than laundry.

She read his message again, contemplating a quick note to explain her predicament. As she rescanned the final line in the dinner section, she let out a laugh. He had instructed her to “tidy up.” Although he probably just meant from dinner, she could probably find another hour’s worth of chores or so to bide her time until the washing machine was ready for the next round. Besides, extra chores seemed to fit the punishment-like mood nicely.

Thus Sarah embarked on a not wholly necessary flurry of sweeping and scrubbing and polishing, though she made sure to pay particular attention to the clearing of the cobwebs in the corner she would soon be revisiting.

As the washer beeped the end of it’s load, Sarah quickly replaced the contents with her soiled jeans and a few other items she’d rounded up in the course of her cleaning, and set the machine to work again. Unable to think of any reason to delay the next step of her reminder- or at least any reason that David would find acceptable- she took herself to her room and began stripping out of the rest of her clothing as instructed.

As she stood in her underwear- the plan white panties that she had come to associate with discipline and only wore when instructed to do so, she felt silly. And cold. Sarah quickly retrieved the portable heater from the closet, deciding that comfort would be well worth the cost of a bit more electricity tonight, aimed it at her corner, set her timer, and took her place for the second time that evening. She felt even sillier standing in the corner- times like these she sometimes began to doubt the wisdom of submitting to discipline from someone she had yet to meet and who had no way of knowing for sure what it was that she did after receiving his instructions.

She tried to imagine how she must look standing there, and the shadow of her frazzled hair didn’t help her take the situation any more seriously. It was even worse than it had been last time, no doubt frizzed further by her cooking and cleaning efforts. It now formed a veritable corona around her head, the shadow stretching far enough to reach the east coast of England on the map she’d tacked up on the wall, nearly reaching the small star that marked her friend Murphy’s home town. Sarah laughed aloud at the irony, wondering what Murphy would think of her hair if she could see it now. Murphy had been so patient with her in her “girly lessons” with Sarah, gradually teaching her about makeup, clothing, frills and lace and perfumes and all manner of things that Sarah had never had much interest in before. Sarah was a slow learner in this area, but was making progress. Just that day, a box had arrived full of potions and lotions that she’d ordered under Murphy’s guidance. Sarah smiled as she thought of the box- testing a few of the items before bed tonight would be very fitting, as it was Murphy who was instrumental in encouraging her to seek a disciplinarian and therefore somewhat responsible for the state in which she now found herself.

Thinking of Murphy, she felt her emotions settling. She’d met Murphy and her partner online as well, and despite her nerves the first time they’d met in person, they had become two of her closest friends. They were proof that sometimes internet-people truly are just as they present themselves. Sometimes they truly are worthy of trust.

David had certainly earned a measure of her trust, she thought as she reflected on several patient, loving snippets from his messages that had been ingrained in her memory from numerous readings.

The beeping of her timer jolted Sarah from her reverie, and she blushed in shame despite the lack of audience in her room. Even if David had been there, he wouldn’t have known that her thoughts had most certainly not been on the essay she was to write next, as he had instructed. She considered just ploughing ahead; her corner time had been served. Still, she felt guilty for having not exactly followed his instructions specifying how she was to spend her time in the corner. Thinking momentarily of David’s instructions for the essay made her mind up. She was not to correct mistakes as she wrote, and would therefore need to know what she wanted to write before she began. Sarah knew she was nowhere near ready for this, and could make good use of another ten minutes in the corner.

Sighing, she reset the timer and firmly placed herself back in the corner, determined to make a better effort this time. She did succeed at keeping her mind on her assigned essay, though despite the extra time to think her thoughts were no less muddled when the timer beeped again than they had been the last time. She briefly considered a third round, but quickly dismissed the idea. David might understand and support her decision to repeat the corner time once- he had similarly supported her habit of repeating swats that didn’t meet her expectations when executing the spankings he assigned, but he had also made it clear that she was not to take liberties in increasing the severity of her assignments. Part of the reason she had sought his mentorship was that she was often hard on herself and had sought his moderating influence, an influence that would be completely lost if she did not follow his instructions as closely as she could.

She had indeed reflected on what she had learned under David’s guidance this time, though was no closer to sorting them into something that could become a readable essay than she had been before she started. Sarah bristled in frustration, wondering if it would be so bad to write as she normally did, rather than following David’s instructions about not correcting her mistakes. She donned her school uniform slowly, which helped calm her and enforced the idea that this was indeed a disciplinary assignment. She smiled as she knotted her tie. It was a lovely knot, she thought to herself, and a pity that David was not here to admire her efforts and her improvement in this particular skill. She remembered the first time she had tied the tie, nervously anticipating both Mark’s reaction to her outfit and her impending spanking, an affair that was still largely foreign to her at the time. It had taken her several tries to make the knot presentable on that occasion- and several occasions afterwards- though she’d noticed that her tying had become considerably more reliable lately. Practice does indeed make perfect.

Looking at her reflection in the uniform, she felt instantly more submissive, and knew that she would not want to live with the guilt of disobeying him, disobeying his instructions for a reminder she had requested no less, for the sake of a better essay. She would just need to make her best effort within the parameters specified. As the thoughts roiled in her head, Sarah grunted in frustration. Still, she thought, she’d made a habit of writing when her mind was in such a state, and had often found it helpful before.

Sarah sat down to write.

Nearly half an hour later, Sarah was still watching her cursor flash on an otherwise blank screen. She wanted to write, she had no shortage of things to say, but she also had no idea where to begin. David had been very clear in his instructions for the essay: she was not to go back, not to correct any of her mistakes. Sarah knew that this would be challenging, given her propensity to write erratically and clean up later, but had not expected it to be quite this hard.

Her gaze drifted to the notebook on the far side of the table. True, he had said she was not to use her delete key, but a quick read though his instructions confirmed that he had made no such rules about using paper. Sarah seized the notebook, rounded up a pen, and began to jot down her ideas, adding scraggly lines to join the thoughts together in something resembling a logical sequence. She hoped that David wouldn’t mind; she had given it an honest try, but if she had any hope of producing something coherent she needed to work her thoughts out before starting to type. If he did mind, well, then she wouldn’t need to worry about hinting at the need for a reminder for a good while. Satisfied, and much calmer, Sarah began to type.

It was still slow going. Even with a vague outline of what she had planned to write, it was difficult to come up with the proper words when needed. Sarah was unaccustomed to pausing when stuck for a word, her mind already rushing on to the next thought, and tonight the typos quickly added up despite her best efforts. Her bottom twitched as she counted her mistakes in just the first paragraph. The correction phase, aided by her heavy wooden spoon, would be no picnic. She would not have fared well in the world of ink pens and typewriters.

Sarah kept a close eye on the word count, determined to get as close as she could to the 500 words specified, but found to her horror that the final paragraph was nearly twice as long as intended, overshooting the target by nearly fifty words.

As Sarah finalised her error-counting, she pondered what to do about the word count. She doubted David would want her to take a stroke for each extra word. She didn’t even know how precisely he had expected her to meet the 500 word specification. She read his message again, looking for clues that might help her know how he would deal with this. This was one of the most frustrating parts of long-distance discipline, she thought. Despite her best efforts to ask for clarification before beginning her assignments, something always cropped up which required a degree of interpretation. Her instinct was to be harsh with herself, interpreting his instructions as strictly as possible, but he had made it clear that such behaviour was not warranted and may even be punishable in itself. She was to be disciplined, not abused, and he would not tolerate any actions she took that teetered across the line of reasonable consequences.

David had specified that her spanking should consist of one stroke per error, but that it should be doubled if under twenty. Sarah smirked- she knew there was small chance of that even before beginning, and had indeed earned nearly forty six swats for typos alone. He had gone on to say that this number would also be doubled for her final spanking at bedtime, unless that would bring her to more than sixty strokes, in which case the same number would suffice.

Mulling this over, Sarah decided firmly against one stroke per word oversbot; that would have brought her total close to one hundred, which he didn’t seem keen on. Sarah settled for rounding her spanking up to fifty strokes total, for no reason other than that fifty was a nice round number and seemed to fall within his expectations for a reasonable spanking.

Resolved, Sarah rose from her chair, bending over the table and reaching for her spoon. The first swat made her wince; the implement was hefty and harsh, with a long handle that made it easy to apply to herself but also very fearsome. Sarah gritted her teeth as she continued the spanking, focusing on delivering the swats in groups of ten, reminding herself to breathe between sets before gathering her wits to start again. This strategy seemed to work well, as only one or two swats per set landed badly, much better than her usual ratio.

Finishing the spanking with an especially hard whack, which landed distressingly low on her thigh, Sarah sat back down with a wince to correct her mistakes. Having already been carefully counted and marked, this step went blissfully quickly. Reading over the essay one more time, Sarah couldn’t find any additional errors, something which she was quite relieved by, as David had been ominously vague about the consequences of so doing. She hoped he wouldn’t find anything additional either, but knew that she was rather weak at proofreading her own writing.

Although she couldn’t find errors, per se, Sarah wasn’t quite satisfied with what she had produced. It was coherent, but decidedly clunkier than her normal writing, and she desperately wanted to fix it. Was it worth incurring additional penalties from David for correcting things that might not be errors? Sarah toyed with the idea before settling on a compromise. Copying the whole essay onto a different page, she took a few minutes to edit it to her satisfaction. This way, at least she would be completely transparent about what she had changed and David could make up his own mind as to the consequences. Content with her product, Sarah sent it off to her mentor and shut down her computer.

She eyed the spoon warily as she picked it up, as though she might intimidate it into being less stingy. Her bottom still throbbed from the first spanking, and she was not looking forward to repeating the experience as David had instructed. It had to be her least favourite implement, though it no doubt was effective in delivering the severe spanking she had desired, or, rather, had desired when she wasn’t about to execute it.

Sarah used the same strategy as the first time, though delivered the swats decidedly slower. She was trying her hardest to make them count, and needed more time to recover and aim properly as the pain continued to build. She was genuinely relieved when the ordeal was over, and took great pleasure in chucking the spoon back into the shadowy depths of the corner closet, safely out of sight and mind until David instructed her to dig it out again, something that hopefully wouldn’t happen for a good long time.

She carefully peeled off her uniform, folding it carefully even though she doubted anyone would be around to see if it were wrinkled the next time it was used. It was the principle of the thing, she reminded herself as she straightened her blouse on its hanger before heading off for the shower.

The hot water made her jump as it hit her bottom, and Sarah frantically readjusted the controls. It was an old shower, and not truly up to the challenge of heating water in winter, though tonight it seemed plenty warm. Once adjusted to a soothing lukewarm, Sarah luxuriated in the flow, taking her time as she selected one of her new shampoos, carefully lathering it and enjoying the rich floral scent. She could get used to this, she decided.

A shower can only last so long though, and soon Sarah was dried and nearly ready for bed. She looked wistfully at her book, longing to spend some quality time with it as she usually did in the evenings. David had been clear that there were to be no electronics, but hadn’t specifically forbidden reading. Besides, this wasn’t really a punishment, just a reminder. It didn’t seem fair to deprive her of such an innocent part of her bedtime routine. A sore bottom was indeed relaxing once the worst of the sting faded, but it was no substitute for a good book. Surely just a few pages. . .
Sarah shook herself to get rid of the thought. Even without looking at David’s instructions again- she’d read them enough to know them by heart- she knew that he would not approve of that particular activity now. He had intended for her to have an early bedtime, immediately preceded by her final spanking, and reading did not factor into his instructions. Sarah knew that if this was to work, she needed to obey as faithfully as she could, and had no desire to force him to specify future assignments in quasi-legalese by trying to exploit loopholes.

Kicking her book under her bed to rid herself of the temptation, Sarah picked up her new paddle that was to be used for the final spanking. It was her largest implement, nearly a foot in diameter, though not terribly thick or heavy. She had only used it once, having picked it up only a few weeks ago from a kitchen supply store, rescuing it from what would have been a very dull life as a cutting board. She had been quite satisfied with its wide-spread sting, and David had seemed pleased by her description as well. She had intended to sand it a bit more, as it had a decidedly unfinished feel. David had also hinted that she might well benefit from investing a bit of effort in improving the implement, but Sarah had yet to act on his suggestion. She had a feeling that she would be well motivated to do so after tonight’s spanking.

Sarah bent over her bed, and administered the first swat. It stung pleasantly, the large surface of the paddle covering most of her bottom, preventing it from doing too much damage to any one spot. Its size also prevented her from problems with her aim as it was nearly impossible to miss her target.

Sarah began to struggle as she approached the halfway mark of her spanking. Her previous introduction to the paddle had been a mere ten swats- enough to sting, but not for long. Over longer applications, however, the burn built considerably and Sarah found herself gasping for breath and wincing at each stroke. After a brief break, Sarah administered the rest of the paddling, trying to maintain the strength of each stroke even as her arm began to ache.

Her spanking finished, Sarah rubbed her bottom, delighting in the post-spanking heat and proud of the results of her efforts. She carefully donned her pyjamas, turned out the light, and tucked herself into bed. As she drifted off to sleep, she began mentally composing her report to David on her experience with his assignment. Her thoughts were pleasant, though jumbled, and she was grateful that he had not required her to track mistakes in that exercise as well. Her emotions about her discipline were confusing enough without compounding her communication with additional rules, though if he chose to do so she knew that she’d never have to worry about going long without a sore bum!

2 thoughts on “Distance Learning: Reflection

  1. Continues this story convincingly. I’m guessing that your female readers will feel more involved but I’m offering my uninformed approval because your creation deserves flagging with a comment.
    Happy writing 🙂

    1. Hi Giles-

      Thanks 🙂 I’m not sure if anyone feels involved in this rambling monologue at this point, but the process of collaborative writing has made this worthwhile for me. If someone else get something from this wall of text, that’s a happy bonus 🙂

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High Order Numerical Methods for PDEs on Complex Domains

The goal of this project is to develop efficient and robust high order accuracy numerical methods for solving hyperbolic conservation laws, Hamilton-Jacobi equations and stiff advection-reaction-diffusion equations defined on complex domains. The methods include Weighted ENO methods, discontinuous Galerkin methods, fast sweeping methods and high order time-stepping implicit integration factor methods.

  • Dr. Qing Nie (Mathematics and Biomedical Engineering, UC Irvine)
  • Dr. Chi-Wang Shu (Applied Mathematics, Brown University)
  • Dr. Yongtao Zhang (ACMS, Notre Dame)
  • Dr. Hongkai Zhao (Mathematics, UC Irvine)

1) From the paper “S. Chen and Y.-T. Zhang, Krylov implicit integration factor methods for spatial discretization on high dimensional unstructured meshes: application to discontinuous Galerkin methods, Journal of Computational Physics, v230, (2011), pp. 4336-4352.”

2) From the paper “Y.-T. Zhang, S. Chen, F. Li, H. Zhao and C.-W. Shu, Uniformly accurate discontinuous Galerkin fast sweeping methods for Eikonal equations, SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing, v33, no. 4, (2011), pp. 1873-1896.”

Shape-from-shading problem in computer vision:

3) From the paper “J. Zhu, Y.-T. Zhang, M. S. Alber and S. A. Newman, Bare bones pattern formation: a core regulatory network in varying geometries reproduces major features of vertebrate limb development and evolution, PLoS ONE, v5(5): e10892, (2010).”

Simulation of fossil limb skeletons:

(4) From the paper “Y.-T. Zhang, C.-W. Shu and Y. Zhou, Effects of Shock Waves on Rayleigh-Taylor Instability, Physics of Plasmas, v13, (2006), article number 062705.”

Simulation of interactions of shock waves with Rayleigh-Taylor flow, by 9th order WENO schemes:

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text:
Monthly Faves – Monthly Playlist, Harry Styles, Netflix Weather and More

Tomorrow is October 1st. I know, I can’t believe it either. Where has the year gone?

It’s usually around this time of the year that my wish to live in America presents itself more strongly than the rest of the year. I mean, it’s autumn. Halloween is just a month away. Then it’s Thanksgiving, which I have always loved to be a part of. Then it’s Christmas (only 86 sleeps to go!), which involves snow in many places – something I have yet to experience in general, let alone at Christmas time! One day….I will go and it will be fantastic.

Today has been a very wintery day, although it’s officially spring. It’s been raining and windy for the past 3 days, with forecasts predicting it will be continuing over our long weekend. Perfect Netflix weather, I say. Especially with a new month tomorrow meaning new Netflix additions!

In the spirit of the approaching Halloween season, I’ve been watching Scream Queens season 1 which is hilarious and not really that scary at all. It’s created by Ryan Murphy who created Glee, so if you liked the edgy humor from Glee, you should enjoy Scream Queens! I love the costumes which the Chanels wear as well as the 80s soundtrack. Also, Emma Roberts deserves awards for playing Chanel Oberlin – she is so good!

Image result for scream queens

Also on my current watchlist as been The Vampire Diaries (Stelena 4eva), UnReal TV and Full House (I know it’s cheesy, but we all need a bit of cheese, don’t you think?). Not to mention numerous Netflix documentaries about space and the universe.

So, we all know Harry Styles is gorgeous, but have you seen his photoshoots for Another Man magazine which came out this week? The man is giving Kendall and Gigi a run for their money.

So many more pics out there, but you get the idea: he is a model.

Then, last night I randomly woke up at 1am to see other One Direction alumni Niall Horan just released his first solo single called This Town which is absolutely beautiful, simple yet incredibly touching…

I really wish all of the 1D boys all the best with whatever they choose to do during their hiatus, I just adore all of them so much!

Speaking of music, here’s this month’s playlist:

Shawn Mendes released his new album Illuminate last week and it’s very John Mayer/Ed Sheeran-y. But with a Mendes twist. I think Shawn is one of the best young artists out there at the moment and if Illuminate is what we get for a second album, I can’t wait to see how great he’s going to be in years to come!

Another fave of mine for this month has been cross-stitching. Yes, I am a 70 year old woman trapped inside the body of a twentysomething year old woman! I’m working on a cross-stitch design for my Nonna, which I hope to frame and give to her either on her birthday or for a Christmas gift (depending on how quickly I get it done!). I love how relaxing crafting can be after a stressful day at work.

On my food faves list has to be burrito bowls. We had a new health food store open in our town this month and they make the BEST burrito bowls. Just…to die for.

I’m in love!

I’d love to know what have been your favourite things this month!

Let me know in the comments area below.

Until next time,

June Favourites

Can you believe that June is basically over?! We are half way through 2016, people – NOBODY. PANIC!

I’m still getting over Christmas, and before we know it, it will be time for Santa again. I honestly believe time gets faster as you get older. That’s something I don’t like to think about.

ANYWAY, here we are again – Faves Time.

Just like last month, I don’t have that much to share with you all, however, these few bits and pieces have made my June that little bit better.

Firstly, here are some new earrings I purchased from my favourite site for cheap-ish jewellery/accessories

I recently went to a friend’s kitchen tea/bridal shower (what is the official name of those parties these days?) and I was bedazzled by another friend’s earrings which I just had to have. So I got them…along with 4 other pairs.

I actually don’t know the official name of these types of earrings, but after Googling ‘Ball-Backed Earrings‘, I found lots of pics of stylish celebs wearing the trend. Basically, they’re designed so the backing of the earring is a large ball and the actual stud is smaller, creating a cool style also modelled by the gorgeous Emma Watson here:

I thought they were a bit different, yet still quite elegant-looking and they look great with many different outfits.

Next are some makeup purchases I splurged on recently.

I had heard about the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD liquid foundations for quite sometime leading up to my purchase of it. As an avid YouTube Beauty Guru fan, I have seen countless reviews on this product and it’s miracle-like skin covering abilities.

Now, I’m not going to lie – I have horrible skin. Since I was a pre-teen I have suffered from severe acne, which thankfully calmed down over time (touch wood). For a foundation to work for me, it needs to provide medium to heavy coverage without actually looking like I’m wearing much makeup. Hard, yes. Doable? Definitely. Over the years, through trial and error, I have found a select few foundations which I can wear which cover my acne/scaring, leave my skin appearing smooth and oil-free for 8+ hours and don’t take multiple layers of application to look suitable.

This is one of the foundations which I will be adding to the list.

Making sure to use a makeup primer first, I’ve been wearing this foundation for the past fortnight along with concealer and powder and have managed to get through my work days with little oil and no cakey-ness (new word there) to my face. I usually touch up with some powder after lunch, but other than that, it’s really wonderful and I recommend it!

Another beauty fave is what I have seen some as calling the Holy Grail of highlighting powders.

The BECCA/Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector in shade Champagne Pop is…magical.

Highlighters are all the rage and have become a beauty staple since contouring became more popular over the past few years. I’ve always struggled to find a highlighting powder which doesn’t have extra colour to it, sometimes making my skin appear pinker or white.

This powder comes in a beautiful golden shade which looks amazing when applied to the cheekbones, cupids bow, brow bones and the bridge of the nose. The best thing is that only a little is needed to get the glory look you desire – which is especially great, seeing as it’s not cheap.

I think this powder would even be great if mixed into your tinted moisturiser for a really luminous, natural glow (I remembered it’s Summer overseas, lucky ducks!).

Onto entertainment faves, this is a show that I’m sure many Aussies have been catching up on over the past month.

Offspring is an Australian dreamed set around doctor Nina and her family/friends/lovers. The show is comedic, but also has so much heart, it’s hard not to fall in love with the cast!

There were 5 seasons of this show, with a 2 year break. The very exciting thing is that Offspring is returning for a 6th season, tomorrow night at 8:30pm on Channel Ten!

Something else that many Aussies as well as the rest of the world have probably discovered over the past month is the book Me Before You.

The film adaptation of this book was released this month to mixed reviews and before I see the film, I decided to read the book.

The story is about a woman named Louisa who is suddenly left jobless and takes on a job of caring for a young quadriplegic man named Will who seems stubborn and resentful at first, but eventually he forms a bond with Louisa.

It’s a love story with serious subject matter, and I cried while reading it. It was beautifully written and I cannot wait to see the movie! (I need to remember to bring a tissue box with me, though!)

Final June fave item is my monthly Spotify playlist which includes the tracks which were the soundtrack to my month.

There are some radio-staples which you may have heard being played on a loop, along with some lesser-known tracks which have made their way into my music-adoring heart:

Also, Adele’s album 25 is now also on Spotify, so if you haven’t heard it, you definitely need to check that one out!

Well, that’s all from me for this month.

Thanks for sticking with me through another post and for visiting my blog! Your support and feedback is always encouraged.

What are your favourite items from June? Let me know below!

Until next time,


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So anyway, I was talking to a group of woman I know from the Co-op I take the girls to. We were talking about things we would like to see our older daughters do to reach out and help others. The leader of the group came up with taking the girls down to the local soup kitchen and letting them make sandwiches for people in need there.

Wow! That is a good idea we all agreed.

We talked about getting the girls down to the shelter on a weekday. I told one of the moms I would be happy to take her daughter…She asked me if I could take just a few more girls….. I told her …..No, I couldn’t. I don’t have the room in my car. I would have Mary Elizabeth and maybe Stephen.

She then said…..”Oh! You would NOT have him baby sit?” My response was simple…….”No, my older kids never baby sit her.”

She says……..OH????

I go on to explain how very good they are to her and yes they are more then capable. I just don’t see a need for it and really…..these are my biggest reasons:

First, I do not want to get into the habit of making my babysitting issues the older kids problem. Then the big one……The potty…..I do not want Mary Elizabeth comfortable with just anyone touching her bottom. Her brothers and sister have never taken care of that. It is totally my job, I said. I do not want any of these kids that comfortable with each other.

She says………”Your such a good mom…..I never thought of that.”

This made me feel REALLY good. This woman has 7 maybe 9 children and she is calling ME a good mom.

So that day I am cruising along….. thinking about how totally awesome I am…..and What a Good Mom I am not to have my older children baby sit.

I pick up Matthew at 6 P.M. from his Anatomy Class…….Driving towards home Mark calls. He tells me he wants to take everyone to see Carroll Brown sing at the local Irish Pub in Spartanburg.

We have been there before and we both thought it would be a nice night for everyone. There are people there of all ages and it is kind of like an Applebee’s or even a Ruby Tuesday’s.

But with live music.

We talked about some more. We decided I should just go home and see how things go. He takes Kathryn to basketball practice. Liz took a nice long nap in the car on the way home…..and I figure……Well, Kathryn and the boys will really like it…….Liz will be up until 12 now anyway.

We should go.

It was great! We had a great time….ALL the kids really enjoyed the night.

Carroll came over to our table: talked to us, told us how awesome we were for taking our kids out to see him and how much he really appreciates it. He even dedicated a song to us…..The Voyage…a love song. He dedicates a song to Mary Elizabeth and we are feeling really good about ourselves.

I take a deep breath and before we leave I take Liz to the potty.

Okay, here is where IT happens:

This VERY, VERY drunk woman staggers into the bathroom. She is STUMBLING all over her very nice shoes.

I think to myself…….I better get this kids hands washed and get her out of here. As I am rushing through the hand washing I hear…..A DULL

I keep washing Liz’s hands and think to myself…….”Did she fall????”

I look over my shoulder and around the wall.

To my great surprise I see this NAKED BOTTOM lying curdled up sideways on the floor….Pants down around the knees and very nice shoes.

All I can say is …………IDIOT

Wouldn’t you know….I’m without my camera

I turn off the water at the sink, take my daughter’s hand and walk towards the door…To leave.

I think…. Is she hurt???? Then I see the Naked A@@ get up on her knees…….never saying a word….never mooning…and then “IT” lies back down to what I think was to go to sleep or pass out…..HALF NAKED right in front of the stall door.

To think of it now……..I think she must have thought the toilet was by door and when she went to sit down….she missed by maybe two feet.

I walk out and say……..”SLOB”…….over my shoulder.

I go past a waitress and tell her she needs to get the manager to go into that bathroom and check things out. I never tell her what is in there. I just want to get my kids out of this….BAR!

I hear the waitress I told laughing nervously asking another waitress to help her with the “HALF Naked Drunk” passed out in the bathroom.

All I could think of was Kathryn might want to make a potty run before we headed home for the 50 minute drive….AND what a great surprise she would walk into.

I don’t tell Mark what happened until the next morning………..I was still in shock…..I scold him in away telling him…….”If we are every going to do that again we have to go EARLY!

My poor babies!!! I was called “Such a Good Mom” yesterday. how could he do this to me???

It wasn’t until I started telling my mother all about being mooned by the drunk did I see the humor in the night…….Now I can’t stop laughing about it all……..THE Naked bottom……my reaction of walking out of the bathroom only offering my opinion and NO help…..the comment made to me about being a good mom…blaming Mark and then not finding all this funny until I tried to tell someone else.

Gee, I wonder if the woman that called me a good mom would still think so after reading this……..I don’t think anyone from the co-op even know about this blog…… .

Shhhhhhhh…..Let’s not tell them

Oh! ……..Don’t forget to sign the petition and/or write a letter to your local Senator and Congress man about Lung Cancer Research….It is now in the US House and Senate.

You can go here to sign the petition or even write a letter…..You can click here….or here or ever here.

Lung cancer kills:

* More people than breast, prostate, colon, liver, kidney, and melanoma cancers… COMBINED.

Staggering but All too true…..Sadly, we know. You don’t even have to smoke or live with smokers to get it.

You can click here if you still need too…….It really is important……. to all of us.

13 thoughts on “THUMP

  1. Hysterical! Lisa! Where did you hide your funny bone?? See the difference between you and I is that I WOULD have had my camera with me….and it WOULD have been on You Tube by now. That story made my week. Ha ha ha!! LOLXOXO AM

  2. I am still laughing. Reminds me of the one and only time I have totally been drunk, after trying to match my husband drink for drink. I spent half the night home on the floor as the bed had somehow been mounted on a flywheel while we were away. It spun and spun. Plus the rest of the night was spent in the bathroom . Sorry I won't furnish any more details. I became a tee-totaller that night.

  3. LOL!! You have me laughing so hard. As I was reading, all I was doing is nodding my head the whole time. You are an excellent mom, then the hysterical story of the woman came next. I think you handled yourself well.Hugs to you my friend.

  4. When you came in that day to tell me about it, I almost died laughing and you were so serious, the next time you go to that pub I want to go with you. I could just see it in my own mind, I am still laughing. But…poor thing Auntie would have helped her up

  5. I agree that I think it is annoying when families with older kids have to practically raise the little ones. That is ridiculous. If you can't raise your kids yourself, perhaps you shouldn't have them…. just a thought : )Sorry about your crazy experience. Drunk people do the most wacky things. I don't know how they survive!

  6. I'm sorry you had to run into that..but I am laughing my own fully clothes butt off here.My gosh. What time was it that the woman with the nice shoes was that drunk?..Re. older kids babysitting littles..I am guilty. My boys have been raised very responsibly and also an older foster daughter used to babysit. (she got paid) The boys will get paid too. The catch…the children are almost ALWAYS sleeping before we leave. We have to do it that way…meds, diapers, snacks..the boys don't do any of that. I agree with you re. the bathroom privacy. My kids are all now potty trained…(except Joe) None of my boys have ever had to change them. However we did have sitters that did. I would go totally nutso if I didn't get out once in awhile and by golly, if it means my son has to stay home one night out of six weeks, so be it.

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ACGG / Chickens / East Africa / LIVESTOCKCRP / Poultry / Tanzania

Chickens have given a boost to my family: Aneth’s story (part 1)

Aneth John is a young woman from Iwindi village in Mbeya region of Tanzania’s Southern Highlands Zone. She married in 2005 and has two children. The family’s main occupation is the farming of maize, beans and horticultural crops. They also keep dairy cattle and chickens.

Aneth's family

Aneth’s family in Mbeya, Tanzania (photo credit: ILRI/Michael Tsegaye).

Aneth is one of the farmers testing chicken strains with the African Chicken Genetic Gains (ACGG) Program in Tanzania. She is very interested in keeping chickens, which she started rearing in 2005 with five free-range birds. Within a few months, these had grown to 30 chickens. Unfortunately, some of them died due to disease, and within two years she had lost the whole brood.

After the loss, in 2007, she stopped keeping chickens. A year later, she set about rebuilding her poultry farming with 8 hens and 2 cocks that she purchased from the local market. By 2009 she had 50 birds, and despite some mortality her brood has grown to 70 birds.

‘I lost some of my chickens because we did not know how to prevent diseases and we did not vaccinate them’. Her major challenge has been coccidiosis which almost wiped out her chickens on a few occasions.

‘But’, Aneth adds, ‘I am always encouraged to keep going’. ‘Kuku ni msaada mkubwa kwa familia’ she says in Kiswahili, meaning ‘chickens are a family booster’ because of the benefits the family gets through eggs, meat, manure for growing vegetables and money from sale of live birds.

Aneth says egg production is still low because her hens do not all lay eggs daily. She does not sell the eggs. They are consumed at home and some are kept for hatching to expand her brood. On average, her family consumes seven eggs per week. The rest of the eggs are used for hatching to maintain and expand the flock. Whenever the family needs cash they will sell between 5–6 birds. The prices at the local market vary from Tsh 10,000–15000 (around USD 5–7.5) for the cocks and Tsh 8000 (USD 4) for the hens. ‘We make good money every time from the chicken,’ she says, proudly.

Aneth spreading new litter in preparation for receiving chicks

Aneth spreading litter in preparation for receiving chicks from the ADGG project (photo credit: ILRI/Michael Tsegaye).

In 2014, her husband attended a four-day training on entrepreneurship that included chicken management, for which he paid Tsh 10,000 (USD 5), and in 2015 he attended a similar training at a cost of Tsh 50,000.  The trainings were a wake-up call for him and Aneth and influenced them to change the way they keep livestock, including the chickens. The most important things they learned included disease control and feeding. Her husband told her that instead of letting the chickens scavenge it is beneficial to provide quality feeds, as advised by the extension officers. He also told her that they must follow disease control measures such as vaccination. However, due to lack of capital, it has not been possible to implement all recommendations.

Seeing her interest and commitment for poultry production, Aneth was selected to become part of the ACGG program in 2016.

Please follow this website for the second part of Aneth’s story.

Story by Margaret Kingamkono and Michael Tsegaye.

2 thoughts on “Chickens have given a boost to my family: Aneth’s story (part 1)

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Ruscha Keramik ‘Pompeji’ handled vase, West Germany circa 1960’s

This is a stunning ‘Pompeji / Pompeii’ handled vase, made by Ruscha Keramik, West Germany circa late 1960’s.

A fantastic form by Gerda Heuckeroth in 1968, its squat shape with small decorative handles, ribbed body and small neck and opening resembling ancient / classical designs.

With its ‘Fat Lava’ glaze complementing the archaic look, it could have been unearthed from volcanic ashes!
With its bubbling black base glaze, picked out with orangey reds and hints of green and yellow giving a really lava-like appearance and suiting its ‘Pompeii’ name in the process. The decor is most likely by Otto Gerharz who developed the innovative ‘Vulkano’ glaze amongst many others.

Would make a fantastic addition to any collection of Fat Lava, West German or European pottery, and would complement any retro, vintage, mid century, modernist, brutalist, minimalist or contemporary interior.

Indistinct moulded mark to the base ‘875’.

In excellent condition, no chips or cracks, some burst ‘lava’ bubbles from production.

Measures 11 x 13 x 12cm / 4.5 x 5 x 4.75in.

This vase is available for sale in my Etsy shop

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GROPOS Minbari Falsin Mobile Artillery Platform

This armored vehicle can place powerful artillery barrages with pinpoint accuracy.

  • Note: Miniatures are supplied unpainted and unassembled. Paints, brushes, glue, etc. are not included.
  • Stand pegs and bases are included with all miniatures. For size comparison purposes, stand bases are one inch across.
  • GROPOS miniatures include no data cards, stands, bases, or flocking except as noted.

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Gloria dell'Aviazione Italiana

Display Status:

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.

Collection Item Summary:

Fly Now: The National Air and Space Museum Poster Collection

Throughout their history, posters have been a significant means of mass communication, often with striking visual effect. Wendy Wick Reaves, the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery Curator of Prints and Drawings, comments that "sometimes a pictorial poster is a decorative masterpiece-something I can't walk by without a jolt of aesthetic pleasure. Another might strike me as extremely clever advertising … But collectively, these 'pictures of persuasion,' as we might call them, offer a wealth of art, history, design, and popular culture for us to understand. The poster is a familiar part of our world, and we intuitively understand its role as propaganda, promotion, announcement, or advertisement."

Reaves' observations are especially relevant for the impressive array of aviation posters in the National Air and Space Museum's 1300+ artifact collection. Quite possibly the largest publicly-held collection of its kind in the United States, the National Air and Space Museum's posters focus primarily on advertising for aviation-related products and activities. Among other areas, the collection includes 19th-century ballooning exhibition posters, early 20th-century airplane exhibition and meet posters, and twentieth-century airline advertisements.

The posters in the collection represent printing technologies that include original lithography, silkscreen, photolithography, and computer-generated imagery. The collection is significant both for its aesthetic value and because it is a unique representation of the cultural, commercial and military history of aviation. The collection represents an intense interest in flight, both public and private, during a significant period of its technological and social development.

Collection Item Long Description:

Data Source

National Air and Space Museum

Do not reproduce without permission from the Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum

Credit Line

Donated by Mrs. Mary E. "Mother" Tusch

Poster, Military Aviation

2-D - Unframed (H x W): 70.5 x 50cm (27 3/4 x 19 11/16 in.)

Country of Origin

Physical Description

Fighter airplanes in Italian markings (Macchi 202) downing British bombers. Poster lists titles, descriptions of other posters from "Glory of Italian Aviation" series that advertise the Italian Air Force.

ART-Posters, Original Art Quality

Inventory Number

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Friday, July 22, 2011

DaGeDar - Toy Review

DaGeDar is a hot new toy that we recently had the opportunity to try out at our house. It involves a set of balls, which are supposed to be spirit-like entities driven by a desire to race. The story is that these balls, DaGeDar, reside in Dimension 33, a place previously unknown to humans. DaGeDar enter the earth's dimension to race so that their spirit can break free. Each DaGeDar is driven by personal motivation to race and complete their personal quests.

DaGeDar uses a track set, balls, launchers, and spinners. The object being to let kids propel the balls down the track for racing and/or stunt fun. It's really "house rules" when it comes to DaGeDar - kids can use their own imagination and creativity to decide how to play. Maybe they want to battle it out with another player using the launchers. Or, perhaps they want to use their skills to speed the balls through the track loops without falling out.

Ballers, the name given to the DaGeDar playing community, can also visit for even more fun. On each battle ball, there is a secret code. Enter this code at the DaGeDar website to become a DaGeDar master. This allows you to learn more about the spirit of the ball by checking out it's biography, quest, and tagline.

My boys got together with a few of their friends and we had our own little DaGeDar party. After setting up the track and checking out the DaGeDar balls, they immediately started whipping them through the track, seeing who could go the fastest or send the most balls through with out any of them falling out.

They had a lot of fun with DaGeDar and came up with all kinds of ways to play, with and without the track. They all unanimously agreed that their favorite thing about DaGeDar are the balls themselves. They are colorful little characters with cool graphics on them and as my 10 year old son stated, "they are beast!" They also loved watching the balls zip through the track loop. Entering the DaGeDar balls secret codes also proved to be easy and a lot of fun. The website had a fun, futuristic feel to it. The kids got a kick out of reading the bios of their DaGeDar balls and debating over who had the most fierce character.

My thoughts: I really like that this toy allows for creative play. There's no right or wrong way of doing it, so the kids have to use their own imaginations. It's easy to assemble and easy to pick up and move to other locations if the kids want to try something different. We used the track both on a table as well as on the floor. My only concern was that the track seemed a little flimsy and, at times, we had difficulty getting it to stand up by itself. The kids quickly figured out that if they held on to the top of the track to steady it, it actually helped them out with their speed and control. Overall, I think this is a toy that my boys and their friends will play with often.

Be sure and visit to learn more and see all the DaGeDar products.

DaGeDar and MomSelect provided me with a complimentary DaGeDar kit in exchange for posting a review of the product on my blog. No other compensation besides the free product was received. All opinions stated in my review are my own.


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Alibi V.16 No.14 • April 5-11, 2007

BOB: Music

For years we've been running the "Best Local Band" category buried somewhere amid the bars and cinemas in the nightlife section of Best of Burque. Last year, "Best New/Emerging Band" was added. But any fan of local music knows our fair city is home to all manner of gifted musicians.

In an effort to acknowledge the DJs, the mariachis, the blues crooners, the singer-songwriters and everyone else on Burque’s spicy music scene, we broke it up this year. Next year, we might go even further with the genre-splitting, coming up with categories like "Best Latin-Funk Inspired Metal Pop-Noise Electronica Dance Act with a Transgender Singer." (That's not actually such a bad idea. Anyone want to start a band?) But for now, this will have to do, a marked improvement if we say so ourselves.

Join us in giving praise to the victors. Feel free to write a pissy letter about how your numetal-polka act didn't have its own special category.

Best Local Band Overall

Black Maria

Sweet mother of eardrum-brutalizing delight, you all picked Black Maria again for best local band, though whether you can actually hear them after a few go-rounds with those giant stacks is another question. Electronic musician Brian Botkiller (purveyor of breakbeat, drum and bass, and chillout) managed a second-place win in the best band category. Hardworking alternaband Old Man Shattered grabbed third.

Best Live DJ

DJ Kentifyr

What kind of town is Albuquerque? The kind of freaky place that passes on top 40 and house, voting instead for a DJ specializing in industrial, EBM and darkwave. Moreover, Kentifyr is OPM's resident DJ of KGB, the Thursday night festival of leather, rubber, monthly S&M activities and high-step dancing. For this impeccable taste, Albuquerque, we are proud of you.

Coming in second is top 40 and hip-hop ambassador, DJ Sweet P, while the one and only electronicateur Brian Botkiller scored third.

Best Reggae Band

Mystic Vision

With truth and the power of Jah on their mellow sides, Mystic Vision takes this year's No. 1 spot, followed by Crazy Fool, with Mystic Vision’s brother band One Foundation coming in third place.

Best Hip-hop/Rap MC

Mantis Fist

It's a homegrown family affair with twins Keith and Ken Connell building beats under another set of brothers, Oki and Narata. Readers gave a big shout-out to the boys of Mantis Fist. Mic Deli was the recipient of some love, too, as the first runner-up. There was even some left over for Chinto, sitting pretty at third.

Best Rock Band

Black Maria

The rockingest band in Burque, Black Maria, retained the crown of "Best Local Band Overall" and now adds the tiara for "Best Rock Band" to their collection. Black Maria doesn't mind taking the precious jewelry out of the vault for some hardcore rock every once in a while—you know, to keep it polished and shiny. Should Black Maria be unable to fulfill its duties as "Best Rock Band," the tiara will be passed to first runner-up SuperGiant then second runner-up August Spies.

Best Singer-songwriter

David Meyers

Albuquerque loves you, David. The wailing badass frontman for Old Man Shattered got more votes than anyone in this category. He sings. He writes songs. Other local singer-songwriters with substantial followings include Devin Werner, Brian Botkiller, Chris Dracup and Leah Black.

Best New/Emerging Band

Unusual Content

After the seven-man music explosion that is Unusual Content takes the Southwest, and then the world, by storm (a key part of their MySpace mission statement), we hope they'll look back and thank the little people who voted them "Best New/Emerging Band” way back when. Missing Stateside, back in the U.S. via Iceland, re-emerges on the Burque scene in second. Audiobuddha (who is technically from Santa Fe, but we'll let it slide) and Left Brain rocked themselves into a dripping sweat to tie for third.

Best Country/Folk/Americana Band

Tie: The Lowlights and The Rivet Gang

We've got some fine country/folk/Americana acts in Albuquerque. How to choose just one? Well, you didn't! Our readers voted The Lowlights and The Rivet Gang as the best local bands in town for putting a 21st century twist on folksy, hillbilly, bluegrass mountain music. Honorable mentions go to Bobby Butran and the Trainmen, The Handsome Family, Long Gone Trio and Sin Serenade. Burque loves y’all.

Best Latin/Traditional New Mexican Band

Son Como Son

Meringue and salsa and cha cha, oh my! Cuban stylings have proven to be this year's favorite as Son Como Son takes first place. The handsome men of Nosotros (who back in 2005 took Best Band in Albuquerque) came in second this year. Concepto Tambor, Micky Cruz and Sparx also got plenty of votes.

Best Blues Act

The Ryan McGarvey Band

It's hard to believe a young fellow like Ryan could get such a strong case of the blues, but when he gets into it, this boy imparts all the woeful heartache—and, most importantly, the guitar-busting chops—of a man three times his age. When you're feeling low, both Chris Dracup and the Memphis P. Tails feel your pain, as do the third place Hoodoos.

Best Jazz Act

Le Chat Lunatique

Some people actually believe jazz is a matrix of theory, technique and musical allusion so dense you need a masters degree to appreciate it. But those people have never heard Le Chat Lunatique. Sure, their theory, technique and allusion are legit, but the best thing about this quartet's hot, Parisian-swing-style jazz is how immensely listenable and, well, fun it is (to say nothing of the waxed, curlicue mustaches its members sport). Second place goes to Albuquerque's reigning king of crooning, Tommy Gearhart and Notes from Underground. Honorable mentions all-around to Big City Rain, Bitter Sermon, John Lewis Quartet, the late Linda Cotton and Richard Elliott.

Best Metal Band

Show us your horns!!!! How long has metal stalwart Anesthesia been around? 10 years? It's about damn time we had a category with which to exalt these guys' heavy metalness. Give it up for second-placer Left Brain, too, one of the hardest-working bands around. Metal readers also found yet another opportunity to let loose a throaty roar for Black Maria, Caustic Lye, Requiem Mass and The Ground Beneath.

Best All-ages Music Venue

After surviving an onslaught from the mayor in '05, the Launchpad had another stellar year of all-ages shows, some of the safest youth in Burque can attend. Seems like we're always seeing young heads of punky color in a rainbowed line outside the Sunshine Theater, which took second. The Journal Pavilion snuck in at third place, with all of its major rock shows. (NIN anyone?)


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Monday, September 29, 2008

Win a Free Handbag!

Listen up ladies! Here's a really cool contest where to can win a free handbag. Check out Handbag Planet , they're giving away 24 handbags in 24 hours for the launch of their store. Their bags look really great, so you should check them out and definitely sign up for their contest!

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Give your wardrobe a new look by sprucing up your old dresses with these louis vuitton wallet stylish personal accessories, which exude elegance and classiness in louis vuitton wallets every inch. The louis vuitton 2010 are the hot cakes for the season.

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Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Most Loved Facial Cleansers!
18 Top-Rated Facial Cleansers

See which skin care products help our readers put their best faces forward

18 Top-Rated Facial Cleansers

This is a skin care products article

This list has remedies for all skin types, including different formulas from exfoliating to frothy.

See products

No. 18: Clinique Liquid Facial Soap, $15 average member rating: 8.7

"This is the only cleanser I have found that does a wonderful job of keeping my pores clean, but does not strip my face and leave it crepey or scaly looking …"

No. 17: Mary Kay Creamy Cleanser 2, $12 average member rating: 8.8

"Until I found Mary Kay Creamy Cleanser 2, I thought I had dry skin …"

No. 16: Ambi Complexion Cleansing Bar, $1.99 average member rating: 8.9

"This cleanser leaves your face refreshed and revitalized without removing your natural moisture …"

Want to see what other products made the list? Click here!


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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

 My sister got engaged a month ago.  However, I was unable to post her card until I gave it to her (we live 300 miles apart) since she has access to my blog.  Plus I lost the original file I had this saved under and had to do some searching to post it.  She seemed to be very excited about the card and has been taking it everywhere to show off.  I think this card had a huge impact on her as much as her ring did.  Her future husband proposed to her in Valley Forge Park which is why there is a log cabin in the background. The clothes that the paper dolls are wearing in the card is the same as the outfits they wore on the day they got engaged - I had her describe what they were wearing.  Also, this little sister of mine loves my work so much that she is hiring me to be her right hand girl for all wedding related projects that she will need done.  I've said it before but I'll say it again - my sister has the best sister.

  1. That is so cute and thoughtful Diane. I love that saying about the best sister. I'm gonna have to borrow it. It'll give my sister a kick to hear me say it! By the way, I nominated you for the Liebster Blog Award. You can read about it at my post at http://icreatepurtythangs.blogspot.com/2012/07/liebster-award.html.

  2. What a sweet card, she is so lucky to have you for a sister! Thanks for stopping by, best of luck! ~Diane


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[Alert] Popular Painkillers Are EATING Your Muscles!

Dear Reader,

It’s a dangerous cycle that could land you right in a nursing home… or worse!

A terrifying new study proves that some of the top-selling painkillers around could literally cause your muscles to waste away.

No more golf… no more playing catch with the grandkids… no more walking through your home without worrying about taking a nasty fall…

It’s a frightening risk that Big Pharma would do anything to hide.

But I’ll show you EXACTLY how to keep yourself and the people you love safe.

Almost all the news these days about nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)… like ibuprofen, aspirin, and diclofenac… is bad.

And trust me – this new study is no different.

Researchers have just found that long-term use of NSAIDs can eat away your muscles and leave you weak and frail.

For the study, half of participants took 1,200 mg. of ibuprofen a day (which is a pretty normal dose if you’re dealing with chronic pain).

And it was like absolute poison for their muscles.

Even after 8 weeks of weight training, they were weaker and only gained HALF the muscle mass of folks who didn’t take ibuprofen.

Whatever spinach did for Popeye’s muscles, ibuprofen was doing the opposite.

And I haven’t even told you the worst part yet.

The folks in the study were all young and relatively healthy – and ibuprofen still destroyed their muscles.

Just imagine what it could do to seniors who have very little muscle mass to spare!

Even if you’re doing some strength training to try to keep an active lifestyle, your efforts could literally be for nothing.

If you’re taking NSAIDs to manage pain, I’m not suggesting you just quit the meds and suffer in silence.

Instead, remember that there are natural alternatives that can do exactly what NSAIDs do – attack inflammation.

One of the best inflammation-fighters around is curcumin, a compound from the spice turmeric.

You can purchase supplements from Puritan’s Pride and many other reputable sources.

Fighting For Your Health,

Susan White
Executive Director, Alliance For Advanced Health

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It works better than antibiotics but with none of the side effects.

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[Alert] Beware this DEADLY OTC Drug

This antidiarrheal is doing way more harm than good.

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The current method for prostate cancer screening is outdated and faulty. But that’s about to change…

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The Cancer CURE Docs Are Ignoring

Medical cannabis is delivering amazing results.

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Get this breakthrough 100% RISK-FREE!

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Ditch this drug if you haven’t already!

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Your brain is STARVING for it.

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Are you one of them? This study could save your life.

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Docs Hiding UGLY Truth About Chemo

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[Alert] Dump This Deadly Cooking Oil

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August 9, 2010

Opus Orange makes the kind of music you might forget you’re listening to if it snuck onto your iPod, but their original brand of minimalistic electro-pop is so infectious that you’ll be singing the choruses to their songs in your head without remembering where you heard it. That’s what happened to me this morning, at least, and I had to check my screen to see that “Wait Wait Wait” was the name of the song I had been humming along my entire walk to work. On the aforementioned track, the Santa Monica based outfit sounds like they birthed the love child of David Byrne and Jimmy Tamburello on a beach somewhere and then gave him a few prozac, all in under two minutes. Listen for yourself.

MP3: Opus Orange – “Wait Wait Wait”

We Can’t Fly

July 1, 2010

You know what doesn’t make sense? When a band called Aeroplane names a song “We Can’t Fly.” You know what makes a lot of sense? The fact that the Belgian duo that brought us the amazing remix of Friendly Fires’ “Paris” made yet another jam, this time an original. “We Can’t Fly” has all the makings of the blissed out summer jam, from the reggae-esque guitar rhythm to the smooth synths. Grab a cold beer and a babe and hit the beach, and let Aeroplane be your guide.

MP3: Aeroplane – “We Can’t Fly”


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san francisco vintage fashion expo free pass

San Francisco Vintage Fashion Expo

Sat. & Sun. September 16-17, 2017
Hall of Flowers, Golden Gate Park
1119 Ninth Ave. & Lincoln Way, SF

Hours: Sat. 9am-6pm (early bird 9-10:30am not covered w/this pass); Sun. 11am-5pm

Admission: FREE GENERAL ADMISSION! (sorry, pass does not cover Early Bird admission)
Simply present a print-out of this email at the door and receive free general admission -- please include your name and/or email address on the page. Additional print-outs may be used for your guests.

On-site Contact: (949) 436-1618 mobile/text

Please visit our show calendar for more information and/or complete 2017 schedule.

Thank you and hope to see you there.

Allyn Scura Eyewear

Office Hours: Mon.-Fri., 9am-5pm PT


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PTA and Family Events
A small group of dedicated and committed parents belong to our PTA

They work closely alongside the managers of the school bringing ideas and initiatives, organising social events and helping to raise money for the college.

Aloha College is fortunate to have a PTA, whose members give up their time to support the school and our community.
The main purpose of the PTA is to help raise funds for projects which significantly enhance the pupils’ lives in the school. A recent project funded by the PTA was the purchase of additional state-of-the-art equipment for our new Arts and Sports Hall, including two full-size professional trampolines.

The PTA also arranges social events which bring together parents, staff, governors and pupils for a number of activities, including our traditional annual Christmas Bazaar, coffee mornings, and beach parties, to name but a few.

Family Fun Day

Unlike our longstanding Christmas Bazaar, the Aloha College Family Fun Day is a very recent introduction to our list of school traditions. The idea of this event is for pupils, families and staff to join together and enjoy a relaxing fun day – a way of thanking everyone for their support and commitment throughout the school year.

Christmas Bazaar

The Christmas Bazaar is of course their most famous annual achievement. They work tirelessly with their usual energy and good cheer to make this outstanding event something to remember each year.

Their fund-raising has allowed for major projects such as a brand-new Astroturf pitch. Their dedication to the school is invaluable.

Beach Party

A wonderful social evening welcomes all parents at Bono’s Beach located in Marbella. Parents, teachers and children join together to enhance the lovely family atmosphere that Aloha College is renowned for. The parents shared good food and are accompanied by music. A wonderful informal evening to be enjoyed by all.

Other Family Events

There is a wide range of activities designed to make everyone want to join in. Participants can recharge their batteries at our food and drink stalls and terrace “restaurant”. Occasionally the event may involve some fund-raising, either for charity or a particularly ambitious school project, but without losing sight of its main raison d’être.

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The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.


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Category Archives: Uncategorized

Top 5 Best Whitening Cream

The appearance of dark underarms might be embarrassing. It mostly appears because of excess manufacture of Melanin inside our body. You can’t imagine of wearing a sleeveless using this complication. It order to reduce this problem, it is best to take up nature based treatments and products. Most people perform wrong strategies to attaining an appealing skin which may be extremely dangerous ultimately.

Most bleaching system contains Hydroquinone, that ought to be avoided completely. This ingredient might cause leukemia, liver damage and thyroid disorders without difficulty. There are other unsafe ingredients for example mercury and steroids, that should be completely avoided. Human skin ranges from black to colorless. An Asian skin differs from an African American skin. Almost everyone wishes to flaunt a lighter and flawless complexion.

Natural cure for dark underarms, brown spots, melasma and scars

* You should moisturize and cleanse your epidermis regularly for shedding problems for instance age pots, freckles, acne marks, dark underarms, birthmarks etc.

* You should protect your pelt on the harsh rays of sun.

* Drinking enough water is really important for keeping the skin hydrated and fresh. You should drink 10-12 associated with water daily.

* Your skin reflects your habits. In order to attain a flawless appearance you need to quit smoking.

* One should include a lot of high fibrous fruit and veggies in his or her diet. It contains anti-oxidants, which may easily eliminate toxins from a body.

Nature based Ingredients:

* Alpha Arbutin: It is a bio-synthetic ingredient, and that is pure, and water-soluble. This constituent is probably the most effective bleaching agents, that may show great results in all style of skin.

* Kojic Acid: Most Asians include this ingredient of their diet. Kojic Acid can simply diminish dark spots and pigmentations. It is the natural alternative of Hydroquinone. It provides a perfect lightening agent. It can simply inhibit the manufacture of Melanin.

* Vitamin C: It can work as a natural anti-oxidant, which could flush out toxins from the body with no trouble.

Sensitive area skin whitening ought to be done with caution & care. To know much more about the best skin whitening creams that work well & have zero side effects

Dark underarms are definitely the most common difficulties for most women today. You may be embarrassed to exhibit it off because it’s sweating which is dark. People may often bully and tease you for having dark armpits. But remove all your worries. This article may help you together with your problem.

There have been so many causes that may cause darkening of armpits. underarm bleaching products Shaving and plucking can be the major factors behind it. You may think it can be convenient enough, but this could really result in the main problem.

Here will be the three ways to whiten your underarm:

1. Peeling – Armpit peeling is proven as one of the most beneficial ways to whiten your underarm. This is mostly recommended by dermatologists. Some peeling solutions are placed on your armpits to eliminate the outer layer of the epidermis. Once you are carried out with the armpit peeling, although it awhile to actually see the effect.

2. Bleaching – Armpit bleaching can be another proven treatment to take care of a white armpit. This is also strongly suggested by all dermatologists. Some bleaching solutions are put on your darkened armpit. The bleaching effect could make your underarm skin lighter, and later on on, whiter. Most dermatologists actually advice individuals apply bleaching solutions after you’ve performed armpit peeling. You may already have these procedures or treatments jointly. You may do armpit peeling first, accompanied by armpit bleaching. Armpit bleaching might be applied each night before going to sleep.

Dark armpits can definitely give negative and bad impressions. With these two major ways, you can achieve your goals to have whitened underarms. Your underarms could go back to its normal pores and skin with treatments like bleaching and peeling, but to take care of it, you will need to get rid of other factors causing skin to darken!


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I don’t wear my heart on my sleeve,

It likes to nip at my heels instead

Pushing me to give more, listen longer,

Ache to ease someone else’s pain- and I do.

I do, but not like a bride, smiling

swearing to be pure — You cannot

divorce this monster

My love is ugly from weather

it will cling to you in all the hurt spots,

sinking roots deep in all that soft

you pretend not to have

love this warm

will wrap you in tomorrow and promise to be there,

like sun, like wind, like rain

it cycles

but never

This poem is an homage to the screen name I began writing poetry under when I was 13 yrs old.

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Meet the Maurers~Juanita Bay Park, Kirkland

Have you ever met someone and realized later that you had met previously? Well this happened to me with this beautiful mother.  It had been about 6 years or so when her son was a young toddler.  We met at a mutual friend’s baby shower.  I guess I don’t forget faces.  Especially ones that I’ve photographed.  Names on the other hand I don’t have a clue two seconds after I’m told most of the time.  I’ll have to try the rhyming game to get that down.

We had a great time together at the park running and exploring.  Spring here is just as pretty as the fall with the willow trees and tiny budding flowers among the grass.  Also along the boardwalk were a forest of ferns growing.  It was beautiful.  I want to go back and see more with my family soon.

And this baby with her tongue.  Be still my heart.  What a doll!!!

~Here’s the highlights~