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Thursday, June 29, 2017

Happy Days!

How are you all?  I'm good, very, very good.  I've been away enjoying summer!  Summer, I hear you ask?  Yes, we have actually had sunshine.  It's gone now and judging by the view outside my window, there's no sign of it coming back anytime soon but I made the most of it while it was here.

We had a little bear cub come and visit for a week.  It was a little bit of heaven!

Both Granddad and I had a ball.  I breath for this little girl. She's my world.

I went to visit a friend who lives near Dublin and she took me to the new Irish Embroidery
Guild meeting. It was amazing, and everyone was sooooo friendly.

There was loads to look at.  They do workshops and also have a free-play table where you can do your own work.  It was wonderful to see so many people cross stitching, amongst other crafts.

I've brought a little bit of embroidery to try...I'm guessing I will be on youtube a lot!
I was also inspired to have a go at gold work. I'd never heard of it before.

This is what I plan to do.

 Wish me luck!

I've also been busy framing. I hate framing. With a passion, but it has to be done/

The Year of the Hare have all been done and will be accompanied with a story for my grandchildren.

And...the first lot of hand crafted baby items have been donated to the Hospice shop.

I'm sooooo sad! I'm having withdrawal symptoms! All those totally cute baby cardigans and blankets..all snuggly and cuddly!

We are still taking donations of ANYTHING new and hand made, for babies. There is going to be a special baby event in October and hopefully it will raise a lot of money for the ONLY palliative care service in County Mayo and Roscommon.

If you have been involved already, then thank you so very, very much xxx

You can see how we get on at our fb page;

The third flower in M'Lady's Green House has been released and guess what! I'm actually working on some Halloween designs.  I'm so excited, and physically, I'm feeling pretty good.  I'm embracing life with both hands.

So, my challenges until my next blog post.

1. Work a little more on my cup cake baby blanket

2.Get this bad boy back out..and see if I can make it look like something

3. Finish the embroidery project I brought back with me from the Guild meeting
4. Crochet a cardigan for my granddaughter
5. Finish the wizards
6. Look at the gold work putty cat and see if I can work out what I have to do!

So not much!
Yikes!  I had better get my fingers into gear!

Happy stitching and thank you so much for popping by!

TTFN xxxxxx

  1. Oh my, but you have quite the list of projects to work on. Those baby donations really tug at the heartstrings. Have a good day! --Andrea

  2. You seem to be having so much fun with your little angel and your crafting, I am really happy for you! I hope next month will be just as good, and I'm looking forward to seeing your new projects. By the way, what is Holmsey up to these days? It feels like we haven't heard from him in a while!

  3. I'm glad to see you are happy and seem to be in better health!
    See soon
    Kisses from France

  4. You sure you don't want to ADD a few more projects to the list?? :) Your granddaughter looks like a delightfully fun little girl. Glad glad glad that you have been feeling well lately! Hugs and Kisses!

  5. Even though you don't like framing, the results are gorgeous. What a lovely idea to give your grandchildren a story alongside the images. Good luck with your to do list, and I'm glad you have been feeling well lately x

  6. Oh my, grandchildren. The best thing ever :)))
    Great that you had the chance to attend a meeting of the guild. It certainly was so nice meet all the people and to have a look at what they created.
    The Year of the Hare looks gorgeous.

  7. Fabulous to read things are going well for you. Nice new goldwork you will be starting.

  8. You are a busy lady! That goldwork looks like a challenge but I'm sure it will be fun too and it's a stunning design.

  9. Oh, how wonderful that your dear granddaughter came for a nice visit. I so dream of being a grandmother some day :) She is just adorable. Wonderful to see all of your creations and read that you're doing well, Gaynor!

Thank you for popping on and reading my blog. I love to read your comments and if you do comment, it means I can find your can never follow too many blogs!.

My Website


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 Cavy Show
Home What's on Competitors Traders Membership About Contact A - Z

For information on competing and for schedules please click here

Welcome to the Cavies: also known as Guinea Pigs.  Guinea pigs are beautiful, bright, vocal animals and very popular pets. The Cavy Section is open all day, until 5 p.m. Judging commences at 10.00 a.m. and is in progress throughout the day.

There are many breeds of Guinea pigs on show from the Self Cavy which is a smooth haired guinea pig and for showing purposes must be one colour.

The Non Self varieties may also be smooth haired in various colours, or they can be long haired or have rosettes. Cavies have hair not fur and it can be straight, curly or frizzy.

The Pet Section is very popular, and is divided into classes for the Adult Exhibitors and Child Exhibitors, guinea pigs entered in this section are judged only on cleanliness, fitness and friendliness and can be any variety or colour.

For the first time there will be a Novice Pet Section which is a separate section to the Open Show and is open to anyone who has never shown before and who has never won a 1st prize card.

Entries for this Section ONLY can be taken on the morning of the show.

If you have a pet guinea pig we would like to invite you to come along where help and advice will be available on show day to all newcomers in the art of preparing and showing your pet.

If you have a pet that is fat and friendly and bit of a character we would love to meet them.

Penning is available on Sunday evening the 10th July from 7 pm to 9 pm

Monday morning from 7 am.

Guaranteed Prize money awarded to all classes.

We welcome any enquiries if you wish to enter any of these classes please do not hesitate to contact the Section Secretary for advice (cavies@stithiansshow.org.uk).

Cavy Show

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General Info

St Mary's Health care are an established and leading UK healthcare recruitment company, supplying experienced staff to care and nursing homes nationwide, and specialist training providers..

We offer unique training programmes which incorporates 'The Care Certificate' standards and prepares candidates for a career in healthcare.

Here at St Mary's Health Care we pride ourselves on serving communities both locally and nationwide, and are renowned for their hassle-free recruitment process.

A principled approach supports staff who nurture lasting relationships with respected UK nursing homes and clientele..

St Mary's Healthcare's ambition is to help improve the quality of life for all those that use our services. This is achieved by providing a wonderful standard of staff thoroughly trained within the sector.

Each consultant has at least 3 years' hand-on recruitment as well as management experience, so they know and appreciate how stressful looking for a new job or replacing a member of staff can be.

we are here to help so please contact us and we will do all we can for you

Healthcare assistant required

Medway: All areas

London: NW2 & NW6

Shift coordinators

For all Medway Areas.

For Medway Areas.

Contact Us

Office No:01634 926426 or Mob No: 07414849749


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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Assault is Still Illegal, Even on The Jersey Shore

Ronnie Ortiz from The Jersey Shore is seen here looking cool as ever as he heads into the gym to pump up those biceps. Gotta work those babies for when you need ?em, right? Well, it sounds like all that pumping has led to a little bit of a pickle. That and the lifestyle. All [...]

Asia Argento Kate Bosworth Emmanuelle Chriqui Jessica Simpson Sienna Miller

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Wednesday, 1 April 2015

Me and my dad and my brother we like going to the park. We play with the rugby ball. It is always fun to play with my dad and my brother and the park. It is the opposite of my house. We play because there is nothing to do in the house. That is why we play in the park.

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"Downtown Brunch" w/ The Adam Bodine Trio

Sunday, February 11, 2018
9:00 AM
Doors Open at 9:00 AM

1512 Curtis St., Denver, CO 80202

Event Ended

"Downtown Brunch" w/ The Adam Bodine Trio

9am - 2pm :: Downtown Brunch

Best Brunch – Readers Choice, Westword
The freshest ingredients are featured each week in a buffet of home-style comfort food. Sip on a Mimosa or Bloody Mary and enjoy the eats while chilling to the sound of the Adam Bodine Trio.

Your $5 ticket secures your reservation.
All-you-can-eat $25 ($30 for walk-ins.) $13 for children 6-12, military, & seniors 80+. ($18 for walk-ins) Free for children 5 & under.

Featuring the Adam Bodine Trio from 10am – 2pm

Themed Brunches:
Texas BBQ, Southern Fried, Italian, Mexican

*The above information about Brunch does not pertain to special holiday brunches like Easter, Mother's Day ect. Please call for questions regarding these special events. (303) 839-5102

Elevating your Sunday Funday brunch experience here in the Mile High City is the entertaining musical stylings of pianist Adam Bodine and his genre-bending band. Not your ordinary jazz piano trio, this hip group of talented musicians puts their cool and creative spin on a wide range of fun cover songs including choice pop and rock hits that span the decades, as well as evocative theme songs and clever mash-ups.

"Listening to The Adam Bodine Trio is an audio feast of amalgamated sounds including jazz, classical, soul and pop, all blended seamlessly and performed with enthusiasm. Hearing them in person is a special treat as you never know what's coming next. The future of the jazz piano trio shines brightly under the guidance of Adam Bodine."

- Arturo Gómez, Music Director

Jazz89KUVO-Denver/KVJZ-Vail, Colorado

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Xtra-Wide Wavelengh Lens

 These Universal Aspheric lenses are ideal for broadband applications and laboratories that work with light across the infrared spectrum. Offering consistent performance, small spot sizes, and high transmission from 1 µm to 12 µm. ISP Optics' Xtra-Wide Wavelengh Lens series offers vastly superior spot sizes to plano-convex lenses and conic-only aspheres and a superior transmission range to CaF2 and Silicon optics. For more information please refer to the Universal Aspheric Lens White Paper.


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Attar Oil, Tilak

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This light, sweet fragrance is sure to brighten any space. This rich, high quality fragrance is a wonderful addition to any home temple. Use it in your worship or fill your temple with the sweet fragrance of orange blossom, vanilla & honey.

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Memorium 25 - 02 - 2018

A ship sails and I stand watching

till she fades on the horizon

and someone at my side says

'She is gone'

Gone where?

Gone from my sight, that is all;

she is just as large as when

I saw her,

The diminished size and total loss of

sight is in me, not in her,

and just at that moment

when someone at my side says,

'She is gone'

there are others who

are watching her coming

and other voices take up

a glad shout,

'Here she comes, she is here'.

Recent Anniversaries and Prayers Requested

Please pray for the following:-

Maura Meskill (recently deceased)

Michael F Murphy ,

Patrick Byrnes ,

Edward and Mary McMahon ,

Madge, Ellen, Mary ,

Mary Condon ,

Peggy Cronin ,

Donal O'Sullivan,

Hugh O'Reilly,

Billly Guilfoyle,

May Guilfoyle,

Patricia Ryan (2010),  Ballyhooley Road;

Denis Leahy (2007),  Old Youghal Road;

Dan McCarthy (2007),  Alexandra Villas;

Tadgh and Evelyn O'Leary (1988),  McCurtain Street;

Terry Dunne (2010),  Belgrave Avenue

May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen


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Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Wherein I try to make sense of the stuff I buy

My main problem with clothing is nothing I own matches anything else I own. I'm drawn to bright colors and prints which are wonderful in dresses but a nightmare in separates. Which is why I did that whole post on wanting to stock up on winter basics, classics that will never go out of style, blah ,blah, blah. It hasn't happened yet. But I have picked up a few things. So now I'm forcing myself to make sense of the pieces and figure out how to wear them. Which of course just necessitates further purchases.

What it is: bright blue leopard print cardigan.

What I'll wear it with: I always associate leopard print with retro style despite this one's neon hue. I'd down play the rock and roll-ness of the color by pairing it with retro inspired black fitted capri pants. And then add a waist cinching belt (probably grey to pick out those tones in the sweater). Part pink lady from Grease, part Peg Bundy. well, at least it's an outfit.

Where I'd wear it: Rockabilly bowling, duh.

What it is: short sleeved ruffled white cardigan

What I'd wear it with: Speaking of leopard print, I'd sex up the sweetness of this top with a black/grey/white tone leopard print pencil skirt and patent leather high heeled mary janes.

Where I'd wear it: To the coffee shop where I intend to "bump into" a crush. (yeah, I know I'm married. This is fantasy).

What it is: vintage silver mink clip on collar

What i'd wear it with: right now I have a cream colored coat I wear it with. When it gets colder, I have a heavier black coat to wear with it. If I ever do get my hands on a long camel cashmere coat, the collar will have a permanent home there.

Where I would wear it: Attached to coats, all through mid fall to early spring, everyday, everywhere. Practical!

What it is: vintage brown tweed blazer with bright piping and buttons

What I'd wear it with: This menswear inspired jacket would look quite handsome with a fall floral dress, like brown and navy liberty print and brown lace up suede pumps.

Where I'd wear it: To shop the flea markets of London. What, a girl can dream!

What it is: sheer white diaphanous blouse with abstract pink/grey floral print

What I'd wear it with: low rise wide leg trousers to compliment the blousy fabric and a structured tuxedo jacket to temper it--both black.

Where I'd wear it: Opening night of Rent in cold (non dress) weather.

This was so much fun. If only i had the clothes to go a long with the pieces i bought. If only I had all those exciting events planned!

  1. I have the same problem with purchasing pieces that don't really match anything else. I think it's a great idea after you've bought one piece to map out an outfit for it. I really like the floral blouse you bought, the white ruffled cardigan and your blue leopard print cardigan. Those are some beautiful pieces.

  2. I love these pieces too. You have a very good eye for interesting patterns and pieces. I think those ideas are great.


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Sunday, October 31, 2010

Sonoita Highway near Mexico Border

Desert Paradise by Sandra Lee John
ACEO - Acrylic on Canvas
Sandra's painting is a beautiful view from just North of the Mexico border in Sonoita Arizona.  It's beautiful down there.  My friends have a ranch there and we stayed once.  Beautiful but with Border Patrol going by 20 times a day (or night) it's a little unnerving.  They say you get used to it.  I say if anyone drove past my ranch house 20 times a day I'd be annoyed!

Anyway, Sandra's painting also introduces (to this web site) the ACEO (Art Cards Editions and Originals) something I have thousands of.  These are simply miniature paintings in the exact size of 2.5 x 3.5 (just like a baseball card) that began as "artist calling cards" or small original works of art that can be framed, carried, shared, or booked (I have large binders of them ;) in a collection.  Some day I'll share my ACEO's and it might be fun for the artists who play here, to some day have a Trade In . . but I'm a little busy for that right now.  But it's on a list !  Thanks again Sandra for opening up a great topic and finding a classic Arizona view to share with us.

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Lighting 103: Learning From Your Couch

Abstract: Don't just look to still photos for inspiration. Great inspiration also awaits you on your TV.

We may think we are getting a good feel for color as photographers. But you know who kicks still photographers' butts every day? Cinematographers, that's who.

Today, a look at some examples from 2010-era Dr. Who, which we have talked about on this blog before. These guys are near and dear to my heart, because they are unabashedly fearless when it comes to using color to manipulate light—and their viewers.

A Lot From a Little

I love the BBC. There's something about their ethic that yields consistently great work that is built more on imagination and grit than it is huge budgets and production values.

A great example is Dr. Who, the BBC's decades-spanning SciFi series. When I first started watching the show, it almost felt like an assault on my senses in comparison to the usual stuff here in the US. These guys use vibrant color all the time, and without a second thought.

Color is often used as a bridge to allow you to sense something that is unseen—maybe even something they could not afford to show you overtly. These guys are the cimematic equivalent of gel-loving speedlight still photographers.

Take the TARDIS, Dr. Who's time- and space-traveling vehicle. (TARDIS = Time and Relative Dimension in Space.) Outwardly presenting as a simple police call box, it's famously bigger on the inside. And the physical beating heart of the TARDIS is rendered above with some modest props and a healthy dose of shock-cyan light. Your mind fills in the rest at no cost.

The light is contained within the frame. So it is a subject, (AKA, a "practical" in movie terms) but it also has to be seen as interacting with its environment.

But you can't cheat physics. If the cyan brain of the TARDIS is exposed correctly, it will be too dim to illuminate those funky vertical supports twelve feet away. So they have to be lit separately, and with cyan gels. This way they appear as being motivated by the practical, as they say in the business.

So the cyan light on the supports is coming from unseen light sources either out of frame, or hidden behind elements in the frame. Ditto the light on David Tennant's face. They just have to make it look like it is coming from the cyan column, and your brain fills in the rest.

In truth, the angles will never quite match. But your brain is very forgiving, especially in a motion environment.

Light and color are an integral part of Dr. Who's physical setting. Even the opening titles burst with color. It is relatively low budget (again, compared to Hollywood) but vibrant use of color bridges the monetary gap in our minds.

This title sequence establishes the look for the whole show. It sets the scene, literally, for the saturated hour to come.

Much more so than their American counterparts, the cinematographers who make Dr. Who are perfectly willing to blast you with saturated colors to anchor a setting. Take this computer/control room. It's closer to cinema than TV, but with less restraint and more saturation.

You may like it, or you may not. But it is a conscious design choice—and a great way to set the scene on the cheap.

Back to light sources embedded in the frame, check out the space suits above. The blue and green status lights add layers of information as they glow in the stark, uplit scene. The theatrical fog (which is used a lot) is another way to add atmosphere and separation on the cheap.

Notice how they starve the scene for color, using the white uplights. The green and blue status lights and cool flesh tones draw you toward the characters as a result.

It's like they are constantly asking themselves how they can get the biggest bang for their lighting buck. There's so much a speedlight-gelling photographer can learn here.

The folks at Dr. Who are much more daring and theatrical in their use of light than the typical TV series. Nonwhite light is so omnipresent, that the use of white light alone becomes a relative device. Kinda like with Heisler, come to think of it.

Look at the stark, gothic edge lighting in this scene from the "Blink" eipsode, which was one of the most tense, immersive hours of TV that I have ever seen. And then when you rewatch it (i.e., so you are able to breathe this time around) you realize how efficiently they pulled this off.

What Hollywood does with big budgets, Dr. Who does with creativity and inexpensive gels. Finding and studying shows like this can give you a continuous series of "a ha" moments, even as you are also being entertained.

NEXT: Developing a Framework

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Connect w/Strobist readers via: Words | Photos
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Tuesday, June 19, 2007

There's a hole in my heart

A word to the around-40-year-old set: It can happen to you, too. Strokes are not always confined to the elderly.

I post this not to encourage pity, but rather to issue a warning: Be aware of stroke symptoms, even if you're young and in the best of health. A lurking birth defect can cause trouble, and it's important to act promptly when you even suspect stroke symptoms.

The above video is an experiment, so please forgive my amateur presentation. But considering the information below, it might save the life of someone you love -- or your own.

For nine years, I've had the nagging information that there is a small hole in my heart (more information to follow) that, in all likelihood, contributed to my stroke in 1998. A minor transient ischemic attack in April 2007, though, put that hole back on my radar. And with it, a hope to drastically reduce my stroke risk. Permanently.

Thus the video. It's from a transesophageal echocardiogram, big words to describe a camera that goes down your gullet to capture images of your moving heart. It was conducted at the Missouri Heart Center in Columbia, Mo. This is one snippet and it's my best guess of the location of the hole. At one point of the video, you see no color, then a burst of blue then red, appearing to pass through a small hole. If it's wrong, I'll correct the video. Again, it's my amateur's best guess.

The hole is between the two top chambers of my heart. This is a common birth defect. There are a few complicating physical factors -- based on the characteristics of the wall between the two chambers -- that places me at relatively high risk of stroke. So a doctor in St. Louis will snake a tube through some arteries to the heart and apply a patch device, comprised of two quarter-size pieces of nickel-titanium mesh. This is the same procedure done on Tedy Bruschi, a current New England Patriots linebacker.

The heart procedure is set for Monday, June 25. Dr. John LaSala will conduct this procedure at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Warning: This is written by a non-doctor. So please, don't take this as actual medical expertise. It's the best I can do, and it's probably 'way too simplified. If you think you're having or have had stroke or TIA symptoms, see a doctor. Now.

I offer these details to illustrate how it can happen to a relatively young, relatively fit person.

The small hole between the two atrial chambers is called a patent foramen ovale. Everyone is born with the hole and, depending on who you ask, somewhere between 75 and 80 percent of the time, it seals up shortly after birth. That means about 1 out of 4 or 5 people actually have a foramen ovale, which is not a huge problem. For most.

There are exceptions to that statement, though; my particular problem centers on the muscular wall between the two chambers, called the atrial septum. It should be smooth and flat. If so, the vast majority of people with a foramen ovale never know and no problems ever develop. In some instances, though, the atrial septum is misshaped, called an atrial septal aneurysm. That's where the problem arises.

Normally, the right atrium receives blood from the vein side of the circulatory system, then passes it along to the lungs. In addition to processing oxygen for the blood supply, the lungs also use a filtering mechanism to remove debris, such as clots. From the lungs, the blood is moved back to the other side of the heart and pumped out to the arterial system, supplying oxygen-rich filtered blood to the body. However, if the atrial septum has a divot, if you will, then debris can collect. When pressure builds up in the chest -- say, from coughing or sneezing -- then blood and debris can move through the foramen ovale from the right atrium to the left atrium, circumventing the lung's filtering system. Unfiltered blood is pumped out into the body, including the brain.

Because of this, nine years ago I experienced a cryptogenic stroke -- that is, a stroke with no obvious cause. Last April, a much more minor episode occurred, which triggered a round of tests recently completed. As long as the current conditions remain, my risk of stroke is several percentage points higher than the rest of the population, despite the fact that I don't smoke, have low cholesterol levels, excellent blood pressure readings and, being a distance runner going on 20 years, am generally quite fit.

Dr. LaSala will use an arterial catheter to insert a metal-mesh object that, once in place, will expand into shapes that look like two small umbrellas and cover the hole, one on one side and one on the other. Over time, scar tissue should cover the patch and permanently seal it against the atrial septum.

The final result: My stroke risk will fall dramatically and should actually be lower than the general population. I anticipate a complete recovery and, in fact, to be in better health than ever.

That, at least, is the plan. What will happen? It's not up to me. But I trust the one who is in charge.

Deona said...

Hi ,I also have a hole in my heart and a small aneurisym on the right arriam,My docter has told me to wai tand see what happens,he said the surgery is a risk for stroke and heart attack,the catheters surgery is new here and my doctor has told me I should wait a few years until they have performed a lot of them.I can not take blood thinners because of a hiatel hernia,it causes bad stomach problems,I am a 45 year old young woman who was a former Miss figure U.S.A and am in great shape but I am worried about this,I do not know what I should do ,I feel tired a lot,and have a low pulse with skipping beats 46 to 50 beats per minute. I live in Ottawa Canada and suppossibly the Heart Institute here in well knowned.I have moved here from the states and do not know much about it.I would love any suggestions you might have. I hope your surgery goes well! Deona from Canada

Jeff Porter said...

It sounds like you've got some other issues going on -- the symptoms of being tired and skipping beats. I had no such symptoms before or after my stroke. I'm not a doctor, but I strongly suggest a cautious approach. If you are uncertain why you are having those symptoms, you need to get to the bottom of that. I must plead ignorance of the Canadian health system, but would it be wise to seek opinions of other doctors in, perhaps, Montreal? I am not certain which doctor treated Tedy Bruschi, who I mentioned in the posting, but likely would be in the Boston area. That might be another resource to explore. The Web site for the Cleveland Clinic -- http://www.clevelandclinic.org/ -- seems to have a lot of good information to explore as well.

My own recovery is complete -- I'm back to running and, to be honest, I can't tell any difference between now and before the procedure.

Deona, you are in my prayers, and if it is OK with you, I'll put you on a prayer list at my church.

Anonymous said...

Hi I also have had a stroke and open heart surgery I was 19 yrs old and it was due to the hole in my top chamber of my heart they had told my parents when i was younger she'll grow out of it well no one morning i woke and went to take a shower before school (college) and well i felt dizzy and got back out and was going to sit down well it didn't happen like that on the way out of the shower i fell that is when i had my stroke at that moment I was awake not sure what was goingon my daddy heard me an knocked on the door and asked if i was okay he heard a loud noise it was me hitting the bathroom floor i said well no Im on the floor and don't know why and it didn't hurt I can't feel any of my left side then i opened the door with a towel over me and he looked at me an yelled for my mother and she came in to the room looked at me and said we have to take her to the hospital something is really wrong with her so they rushed me to the hospital where they learned i had had a stroke and hole in heart then a week later they found i need surgery like soon the next month or so it was feb and i had surgery in april so little over a month and it was full open heart surgery at duke hospital i had to have a baby doctor since they only see this in babys and they knew that the hole was the size of what looked like dime but the day of surgery they found it was the size of a fifty cent peice which is like the whole top chamber wall so they did fix it i do have some other health problems and they link to the stroke but it has been almost 6 yrs and im doing good I have only a three inch scar but they did cut and break my chest bone so im lace like a shoe but im alive and wel thanks to GOD I give him all the praise for being alive to day it was him that saved me not man they help but GOD did the most of it I did die twice so that is where he came in ..Gina NC

Noi said...

Hi there-- thanks for your comment to my blogpost! I will be linking from my post to your site (I hope you don't mind.) It's great to hear from someone who has had a similar procedure and who has gone through some of the same things that I have.

Thanks again!

Jeff Porter said...

It's been some busy few weeks, so sorry I didn't get around sooner and say thanks for the recent comments and sharing your own experiences. You are both in my prayers.


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To the mighty laughter of the crowd of bondsmen, Valanth dragged himself from the wreckage of the Windrider, only barely notcing the chunk of dirty metal buried in his leg. His flying machine, like all the others, had failed. But he would know victory. He would.

Full Item Description
A rickety-seeming vessel, the very sight of Cloudsplitter is enough to give a brave man pause. A roughly oblong frame of iron piping is wrapped in grimy canvas, while three strange prongs, not entirely unlike the head of an oar project forth from its front. Huge and ungainly, what they call the wings of the craft are two twisted rectangles that project out hugely from the body of it. Yet, miracle of miracles, it flies.

All his life, Valanch had dreamt of flying. For hours on end, he woud watch the birds, and study their wings. He would throw things through the air, noting which stayed in flight the longest. And, as the second son of a wealthy merchant, he had the chance to play with his father’s money.

From the rules of aerodynamics he eaked out from his observations, he built his first craft, but with no engine, it could never fly, but was instead limited to the glide.

Magic/Cursed Properties
Cloudsplitter flies. Sort of. It’s the take offs and landings that suck. And the flying part, too, really. Cloudsplitter’s needed propulsion comes not from the effectively ornamental crude oil fired prop engine, but rather, from the Shard of the Storm embedded into its hull. It is lifted and dragged along by the miniature tornado that forms at the vertex of the prop when it is in action. The pilot must continually fight the vessel, to keep it from tearing into an inescapable dive.

Further, as it it caught at the edges of the vortex it creates for itself, it is not uncommon for forced landings to occur - perhaps one in three flights does not end at its intended destination.

The pilot who masters such a vessel rarely maintains hold of his ego or courage, and he will begin to seek greater and greater rushes in daring the storm to take him. Eventually, it always does.

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text:
 STSBus.com - Lockhart, TX

Contact Us

Student Transportation Specialists

Corporate Office
426 Metro Park
McKinney, TX 75071

Toll Free: (877) 787-7623
Office: (972) 542-7820
Fax: (405) 672-9613

STS provides a cost effective alternative to in-house transportation headaches by providing competent staffing, proper bus maintenance, efficient and timely routing, and handling of normal daily bus issues.  FISD's relationship with STS remains positive because of their quality of service and understanding of the business.  We have contracted our bus services since 1995 and find that STS is by far the best value.

Ken L. Barber
Deputy Superintendent
Floresville ISD

STS Lockhart

General Manager
STS Lockhart
401 Carver
Lockhart TX 78644
office:(512) 376-2405
fax: (512) 398-3457
Jose Sanchez
STS - Lockhart ISD
mobile: (512) 787-2469
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.


text:
The Old Nerd Corner

So. With my excitable nature, and after getting a general consencus (spl?) from across many blogs, i’m starting to take photos. With a digital camera no less. It’s pretty cool.

Anyway. Here’s the first.

It’s my workplace. Where I delve into the dark, dank, dangerous dungeons of development.

That’s a lot of D’s.

Be sure to note the many work enhancers.

  1. There’s a Bundaberg Diet Ginger Beer bottle. That’s refreshment.
  2. Then there’s the Diet Coke bottle behind the lcd screen. That’s for addiction … i mean, concentration.
  3. Simpsons figurines are bluetacked to the edge of the table. This was a (failed?) attempt to maintain some version control. Although John’s Shoebox idea is cool.
  4. The Dell Inspiron 9100 (which doesn’t have an easily findable webpage … probably cause it’s a couple of years old) is a beast. Still. Even though it weighs half a metric tonne (I’ve got big brawny shoulders for hard labour), and even though the power supply can give you third-degree burns on contact (or proximity), and EVEN though it occasionally gives me grief on startup … it’s the bomb.

    I can fire up a bunch of stuff all at once. And I push it. It runs a bunch of apps at once, with servers running, and lots of browser testing, app testing, guis … etc, and I even tested it by running World of Warcraft with stuff open … still works fine. This thing is beautiful.

    Of course, it’s getting the absolute snot thrashed out of it. Considering all things, it allows me to get done the work i need to, with the power baby, power.

  5. Last, and most assuredly not least, are the little boxes in the background. I mean … those machines that gave us joy as kids. Well … not so much me … I had to get my joy from watching other kids play, as we didn’t get pocket money growing up ( … I don’t have any issues … whatchoo talkin bout?).

Anyway … we’ve got a pretty sweet setup down here … it’s very conducive to development. Which enables us to do what we do.


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« Student's Projects, Independent Research In Tropical Ecology (Part 1) | Main | Student's Projects, Independent Research in Tropical Ecology (Part 3) »

Student's Projects, Independent Research in Tropical Ecology (Part 2)

The research keeps going on and our students continue gathering really interesting data for the different topics they are all exploring.

Vikram Norton from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst is studying the fire resistance of Cloud Forest Trees. Vikram found that in temperate and lowland tropical forest different characteristics of trees bark will  give them different resistance to fire and as the climate is changing globally forest fires are becoming more common; forest fires are not common in Tropical Cloud Forests, but as the temperatures are increasing and these forests are becoming drier this may becoming a problem in the future, hence his interest on this topic. Vikram choose 10 different common species of trees in the Monteverde area and collected a small piece of bark from 3 individuals of each species, for each bark sample he measured the density, thickness and weight (dry  and wet); and once the samples were completely dry after spending 48 hours in a food dehydrator the fire trials began, he put the samples over a direct flame and measure the time it take the sample to reach 60 degrees Celsius and the time it takes to set up on fire.

IMG_3079Vikram Norton (University of Massachusetts-Amherst) getting his bark samples ready to measure the wet and dry weight.

UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_3afSome of the 30 different bark samples, from 10 different species, Vikram is examining during his independent research project.

IMG_3126Vikram Norton (University of Massachusetts-Amherst) doing his burning experiments, here measuring the temperature of one of his bark samples.

Sarah Aitken from the University of Pennsylvania is looking at the predation and dispersion of seeds by Agoutis (Dasyprocta punctata). To see this Sarah is using peanuts as seeds and she is using different treatments with animal dung;  to observe if seeds that have go throughout the digestive system of an animal and expelled out in the dung have a higher chance of survive the predation of a seedeater Sarah is setting up in the field 10 stations with 10 seeds (peanuts) as control and 10 stations with 10 seeds cover with different kinds of animal dung: pig, horse, and cows and measure the number of seeds taken by agoutis or any other animals.  Sarah also wants to see if seeds that are placed in an area with traces of a big predator will deter these seed predators or dispersers to come close to them, for this she is using seed stations with cat pee and seed stations with nothing on them as controls.

IMG_3094Sarah Aitken (University of Pennsylvania) setting up her seed stations on the field.

IMG_3087Sarah Aitken (University of Pennsylvania) ready to cover one of her seed stations with horse dung.

PoopSeed stations cover with A) horse dung and B) cow dung.

IMG_3470Main predator of Sarah's seeds, the agouti (Dasyprocta punctata).

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text:
For non-Yinzers, WDVE (or just DVE for those mullet-clad Yinzers in the know) is the Rosetta Stone of their culture. It features:

  • Two morning show hosts who smoke cigars, talk about breasts, do bad voices to invented characters such as “Ralph the Cat,” talk about Pittsburgh sports teams, and make fun of/revel in yinzer culture by producing annual CDs with such local favorites as Go Steelers and The Meaning of Penguins Hockey;
  • Contests such as “Hottest Moms” and the man-boob-featuring “Twisted Wet T-Shirt Contest;”
  • Artists that define Yinzer culture, including as ZZ Top, Rush, Ozzy Osbourne, Lynard Skynyrd, AC/DC, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith and The Doors;
  • Parody songs of Pittsburgh;
  • Frequent tracks by The Clarks, a local band that every Yinzer insists should have been as big, if not bigger, than Donnie Iris;
  • A midday female DJ who does a request show called “The Electric Lunch,” on whom nearly every Yinzer has a crush;
  • A Black-and-Gold web site that includes”Steelers” and “Girls” as its first two menu items, as well as a plethora of stimulating Yinzer activities, such as voting for the hottest mom and checking out the babe of the day; and
  • An hourly playing of Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train. (Note: see screen shot below)

If preparing for an interaction where you need to make small talk with Yinzers, be sure to spend some time listenening to DVE. In addition to making the conversation more palatable, you’re likely to find yourself thinking about the people from whom you could have learned had you not been Born Too Late.

Be Sociable, Share!

14 Responses to “#7 WDVE”

  1. What Yinzer doesn’t know how to spell Lynyrd Skynyrd? Dudes. Srsly.

  2. Great catch. Fixed!

  3. I left Pittsburgh for 8 years. When I moved back I decided to turn on the radio to hear what DVE was playing now a days….It was the same exact setlist, songs I hadn’t heard in 8 years….Journey, Boston, ZZ top, and this song that I believe only DVE plays, something about Cigarettes.

  4. Hey Doug — Here it is for your listening pleasure (Cigarette by The Clarks) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKNbAKJCci0

  5. I left 25 years ago-the playlist hasn’t changed!

Discussion Area - Leave a Comment


text:
Thursday, January 26, 2012

Daily Dose of LOL: Procrastination

Hey all, sorry but just as I thought I was getting better, my cold took a turn for the worse.  I'm afraid I can't do any beauty posts today because I'm sure I look and sound like poo, therefore being of no help to anyone.  I DID see something that made me smile, however, which I'm happy to share:

Yep.  This is a pretty accurate portrait of me as a student.  I've got midterms coming up soon, but really, I'll never procrastinate agaaain! (I'm somewhere between stage 2 and 3 right now, I'm sure)

Sweet Dreams!

  1. Haha, I know the feeling! I had a paper due last Wednesday, but because of my job, I had no time to work on Wednesday. So I was behind my computer from 9 am until midnight on Tuesday to finish it. Woops...

    1. Lol, I'm glad you at least had a chance to catch some zzz's. When my husband was still in school, there was a time when he went without sleep for 72 hours to complete a final assignment on time. Yikes!

    2. I pride myself for the fact that so far, after 4,5 years of university, I still haven't pushed an all-nighter for homework. But sometimes, it gets really close ;)

    3. Sounds like the two of us are in the same boat! :D


text:
Aug 31, 2012

2012 Minnesota Vikings Final Roster Predictions

The Minnesota Vikings finished the pre-season 1-3 and so a bit disappointed, but Coach Leslie Frazier and GM Rick Spielman feel the team is headed in the right direction and with good reason. As roster cuts loom, here, based on analysis of the three games, is a prediction list of who will make it and who will not.

In: Christian Ponder; Joe Webb; Sage Rosenfels;

PS(Practice Squad): McLeod Bethel-Thompson;

Out: None

Analysis: Ponder, barring a catastrophic break-down, was always going to be the guy. Webb may still be learning as a passer, but his supreme talent and slow but steady improvement guaranteed him the backup spot. Rosenfels is needed as a veteran mentor to both and his salary made cutting him an unattractive option. Bethel-Thompson, however, was impressive and, provided he clears waivers, is clearly destined for the practice squad. How could he not? He seems destined to eventually earn a spot as the No. 3 on the Vikings squad in the very near-future.

In: Adrian Peterson; Toby Gerhart; Jordan Todman;

PS: None

Out: Lex Hilliard;

Analysis: Peterson is the face of the team and Gerhart has proven his value and will likely open as the starter until Peterson is fully back up to speed. Todman thinks he may not have done enough, but in fact he just may have. His 76 yard TD run against Houston may have landed him a spot. Hilliard, to be blunt, was awful all pre-season and is clearly on his way out.

In: Jerome Felton; Matt Asiata;

PS: Ryan D’Imperio;

Out: None

Analysis: Felton was very unspectacular all pre-season and has had run-ins with the law, but considering the Vikings have bent over backwards the last one to two years trying to acquire him, he probably will remain until he becomes a liability. Asiata was impressive all pre-season and is virtually guaranteed a spot. D’Imperio is such a solid special teams player and is showing flashes as a developing fullback so the team, if they waive him, will probably bring him back to the practice squad as the backup plan for promotion when Felton gets let go.

In: Percy Harvin; Jerome Simpson; Michael Jenkins; Jarius Wright; Stephen Burton; Devin Aromashodu;

PS: Emmaneuel Arceneaux;

Out: None

Analysis: Harvin is the star of the receiving corps and fans will get real excited when Simpson takes the field in Week Four. Jenkins, by taking a pay cut and showing just enough veteran savvy, may have earned himself one more season on the squad. Wright finally broke out big time in the Houston game and the Vikings have to feel good about him serving as Harvin’s backup and substitute. Burton was a bit inconsistent but he is a solid player and may have landed himself a role as a future No. 3 possession receiver. Aromashodu finally showed up against Houston and may have landed himself a spot as Simpson’s replacement, but he will be let go once Simpson comes back. Arceneaux was not given much in the way of opportunity with the first string so he probably gets another practice squad stint with a promotion coming if anyone in the receiving corps gets hurt.

In: Kyle Rudolph; John Carlson; Rhett Ellison; Allen Reisner; Mickey Shuler Jr.;

PS: None

Out: None

Analysis: Far-fetched? Not as much as you think. Rudolph and Carlson have injury histories and Ellison had an injury scare during the pre-season. Reisner and Shuler have really flashed and the guess here is that the Vikings will not risk losing either of them. It will be a bit of a strain on the roster, but considering how important the tight end is in Bill Musgrave’s offense, this seems to be the safest route for the Vikings to go, and all five guys are young.

In: Matt Kalil; Charlie Johnson; John Sullivan; Brandon Fusco; Phil Loadholt; DeMarcus Love; Joe Berger; Geoff Schwartz;

PS: Quentin Saulsberry;

Out: Patrick Brown; Chris DeGeare; Tyler Holmes; Kevin Murphy; Austin Pasztor;

Analysis: The starting five seems set. Love is a solid backup tackle but needs to get over his injury issues. It looked like Love might be relegated to injured reserve with Patrick Brown filling in for him, but Brown was hideous against Houston and may have cost himself a potential spot. Berger and Schwartz are good because of their versatility in filling in all along the line. Saulsberry was a pleasant surprise in camp and may have earned himself a practice squad spot with his hard work and talent.

In: Jared Allen; Kevin Williams; Brian Robison; Letroy Guion; Everson Griffen; Christian Ballard; D’Aundre Reed; Fred Evans; Trevor Guyton;

PS: Nick Reed;

Out: Chase Baker; Jeff Charleston;

Analysis: Tough to part with anyone here. The Vikings have one of the best eyes in the league for defensive line talent. Allen and Williams are All-Pros, Robison, Griffen, Ballard and D’Aundre Reed have Pro-Bowl and All-Pro written into their future, Guion looks like he might indeed be the answer at nose tackle and Evans and Guyton provide depth. Nick Reed is a definite candidate for the practice squad. Charleston played well, but was simply stuck behind a bunch of very good defensive linemen and is too old for the practice squad.

In: Chad Greenway; Erin Henderson; Jasper Brinkley; Audie Cole; Marvin Mitchell;

PS: Larry Dean

Out: Tyrone McKenzie; Corey Paredes;

Analysis: Starting spots seem set with Greenway, Henderson and Brinkley, but if Cole plays like he did in the pre-season and Brinkley struggles, do not be surprised to see the rookie thrown into the mix. Mitchell has proven to be a solid pickup and provided he stays healthy could challenge for playing time. Dean, a great special teamer, is a candidate for the practice squad only because the Vikings have more pressing needs at the moment. McKenzie played well, but the numbers just do not seem to be working out in his favor.

In: Antoine Winfield; Chris Cook; Chris Carr; Josh Robinson; Zackary Bowman; Marcus Sherels;

PS: Brandon Burton;

Out: Bobby Felder; Reggie Jones;

Analysis: Winfield and Cook are the starters though Robinson could challenge for Winfield’s spot if he can stay healthy. Carr and Bowman did not look spectacular in the pre-season, but they provide a veteran presence in the secondary which is something the Vikings did not have last season. Sherels is only good in the slot, but his return abilities are what help him stick around. Burton goes to the practice squad because he is a large corner with developmental skills and with Winfield’s injury history, may be looking at a promotion sometime during the season. Jones ruined his chances of sticking with a costly fumble on a punt and Felder simply did not show enough to stick around this year though he may get invited back to training camp next year.

In: Harrison Smith; Mistral Raymond; Jamarca Sanford; Robert Blanton;

PS: Andrew Sendejo;

Out: Eric Frampton;

Analysis: Smith has begun showing John Lynch-type abilities which should excite Vikings fans. Raymond has worked his way to success all his life so why doubt his ability at free safety now? Sanford is mainly a special teamer but he does have starting experience and a knack for recovering fumbles and recording interceptions. Blanton suffered setbacks with his injuries during the pre-season but he has better abilities then all the other safeties besides Smith and Raymond. Sendejo was a surprise with his trong play and may have earned a practice squad spot and a potential promotion if anybody in the top four gets hurt. Frampton was good with special teams, but getting burned on a deep pass against Buffalo was a killer blow to his roster hopes.

In: Cullen Loeffler; Chris Kluwe; Blair Walsh;

PS: None

Out: Ryan Longwell;

Analysis: Yes Longwell is not and was never on the roster during the pre-season, but his ghost always stalked the special teams talk. He remained on the free agent market always as a looming spectrum watching to see if Blair Walsh would produce or not. Walsh was spectacular on kickoffs, pretty solid on field goals and perfect on extra points. He gets the nod going into the season but he has to do what Doug Brien and Aaron Elling never did for the Vikings of the last decade and actually make it all the way through the season without struggling spectacularly and then being replaced. Kluwe is still good as punter but needs to improve his holds on field goals and extra points for the rookie Walsh. By the same token, Loeffler needs to shake off the rust coming from finishing last year on injured reserve and improve his snaps so he does not shake Walsh’s confidence either. If they can all do well then the Vikings special teams group will no longer be just solid, but also young and so destined to remain around for a while.

What can we take out of the 2012 pre-season? Hard to say; The first team looked like it was finally coming around but depth still seems like an issue in some spots. The Vikings will probably use this year to get the young players experience while looking forward to next year and another potentially good draft class to help turn this team around more quickly and so help the Detroit Lions displace the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers as the class of the NFC North division in the very near-future.

© 2012 The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.

Aug 21, 2012

The Professor's New Vlog Section: The Rural Doctrine

Professor Wall has published his first vlog. In the inaugural August 21, 2012 episode, he addresses Congressman Paul Ryan's selection as Mitt Romney's running mate for vice-president of the United States, what Senator Rand Paul really said when speaking about the selection of Ryan, the rumors surrounding a possible removal of Vice-President Joe Biden from the Democratic national ticket and what all of this means for the upcoming general election.

To view, go here

© 2012 The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.

Aug 2, 2012

2012 Candidate Profiles: David Gerson of Minnesota Congressional District Two

Professor Wall interviews congressional candidate David Gerson (R-MN)

Incumbent Republican U.S. representative John Kline (R-MN) has been looked upon as a hero in the Minnesota GOP for his stunning upset of popular Democratic congressman Bill Luther (DFL-MN) in 2002, but times have dramatically changed since then. Ten years after his historic victory, Kline has a number of constituents unhappy with him and as a result he is now facing his first severe election test since 2002. This time, however, the challenge is within his own party; coming from engineer and economic author David Gerson (R-MN) of Eagan, Minnesota.

“I was asked to come down to CD2 and run in the primary against John Kline and the issue is that his constituents felt that he was not representing their interests and that his voting over the last ten years has not equaled or been in line with the Republican platform” said Gerson in an interview with New Agora. He also added: “The reason why I am taking on the incumbent Republican versus running against a Democrat is because I believe that both parties’ leaders have failed us, including the Republican Party. We are looking to reform the Republican Party to ensure that when we send people to Washington D.C. that they uphold our values and our ideals and we feel there is a need to hold our current leadership responsible for their transgressions in not doing so.”

Gerson, born in Boston and raised in both Boston and North Carolina, received bachelors and masters degrees in the engineering field from North Carolina State University and is currently an executive at a global engineering company where he is responsible for executive engineering transformation.

He also has begun dabbling in writing books on economics and recently just published his first book on economics labeled ‘How Crony Capitalism Crushed the Middle Class and Killed the Economy: Revealing the Economics of Legal Plunder’. When asked how he was inspired to write the book, Gerson said:

“I’ve been always a little bit interested in Macroeconomics and since the financial crisis I have had a much deeper concern like most Americans and I’m a pretty analytical guy so I dive into things pretty deeply.” Gerson then related how, having never taken a college-level economics course, he was forced to do much of his own research, but looked upon that as an advantage as he entered his study of economics with an open mind. He then directed his studies to every part that he did not know so that he would have more fully rounded knowledge. As he studied, he began to have some ideas that were different from what was being presented and started to put those ideas into a book which forced him to do a lot of research to validate his points. It helped to shape some of the thoughts that he had and to confirm a lot of the thoughts that he had and he attempted to bring across the economic message in a way which would be digestible in the book, though he admitted that the book is ‘slightly wonkish’. He also stated that he hoped more people would build on his work and that the ideas he had put forward in it would influence him in his congressional votes on economic policy if he were to be elected to Congress.

Gerson, who references and criticizes the Federal Reserve in his book, states that he supports Ron Paul’s Audit the Fed bill and the drive to end the Federal Reserve, while also emphasizing that it will not be a simple task and there will have to be a long transition period and transition plan put in place where the setting of interest rates and other such things are systematically removed from bureaucratic control and given back to the free market before the end of the Federal Reserve can finally come about.

“The number one thing is transparency. People need to see transparency and that will obviously affect the behaviors of the people that operate inside the Fed” Gerson added, referring to the Audit the Fed bill.

In reference to Ron and Rand Paul’s new crusade for internet freedom, Gerson emphasized that he supports the crusade as a fight for freedom of speech.

“I don’t want to see government controls over the internet. We have a right to free speech and I don’t want to give control to some bureaucrat that is going to determine what is proper and what isn’t” said Gerson.

When asked about the ‘indefinite detention of Americans’ clause in the NDAA law, Gerson stated that he was surprised more Americans were not outraged at the loss of their right to due process of the law. He then reiterated a pledge to work with congressmen such as Justin Amash and Rand Paul to repeal laws such as the NDAA indefinite detention clause, H.R. 347 (which limits the rights to free speech in and around federal buildings and grounds) and the PATRIOT Act (which allows government to access individuals’ private records along with other invasive capabilities). He also stated that he supported efforts to eliminate the use of drones on American soil.

“I hate to oversimplify it, but we cannot sacrifice our rights in the name of safety period” stressed Gerson.

With regards to issues such as abortion and marriage, Gerson stated that he is pro-life and supports pro-life causes but that he would rather see the pro-life issue resolved at the state level first. He added that he would support pro-life legislation such as Ron Paul’s Sanctity of Life Act which would overturn the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision by removing the issue from federal jurisdiction and returning it to the states where most criminal law is already handled. He also supports efforts to defund Planned Parenthood. Concerning marriage, Gerson stated that he believes marriage is not a federal issue.

Gerson also pledged that he would work to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

“I would work to repeal (Obamacare). It is that simple. I don’t think it’s the right thing for America. It makes bigger government, bigger government controls; with bigger government comes inefficiencies and market distortions which is unhealthy for America.”

With his positions on the issues laid out, Gerson was asked about his campaign to unseat John Kline as the Republican nominee for Congress in Minnesota’s Second Congressional District, with the first reference being to what he feels needs to happen in order for him to successfully defeat Kline in the primary.

“I think it is this simple. People need to know John Kline’s voting record” said Gerson “John Kline does a great job messaging against the Democrats, but he has been part of the Republican leadership and part of leadership period on both sides of the (aisle) that has failed us over the last ten years. He has voted in line with (Speaker of the House) John Boehner on every major issue. No one votes with John Boehner more than John Kline. If you are happy with the leadership in Congress, and we know that nobody is, they have the lowest approval rating in history, you will love John Kline. We need to expose his record, which is un-defendable.”

Put simply, Gerson believes that if people are awakened to who Kline really is, then that will be all he needs to win the primary.

“(Kline) has not been representing his constituents” continued Gerson “He has been representing special interests in Washington D.C. He says he is for lower taxes, but he continues to vote for big government programs, bigger government, bigger budgets, bigger federal deficits that increase our taxes. He has voted to take away our civil rights; he has voted for the NDAA; he voted for the PATRIOT Act and its extensions every time; he voted for H.R. 347. So he has taken away our civil rights and he has voted for bigger government; he has voted for a 2.4. trillion dollar increase in the debt ceiling; he provided the deciding vote on Medicare Part D, the largest social welfare initiative since (President Lyndon) Johnson’s Great Society programs. He overrode President (George W.) Bush’s veto which effectively repealed the Freedom to Farm Act which even President Bush labeled as lacking fiscal discipline and he liked Cash for Clunkers so much that he voted for it twice.”

When asked, in contrast to Kline’s record, why voters should pick him over Kline, Gerson issued a straight forward answer.

“Well I’m not a career politician. I’m successful in the private sector so if I get voted out of Congress I can go back to the private sector and maintain my standard of living, actually I would increase it by going back to the private sector. So I will not be swayed by the Establishment from my own agenda (into) supporting the special interest groups and playing the Washington games; so I am a private sector guy, I am not a career politician. I will represent my constituents. I am a true conservative and I will uphold the Republican platform. The problem has been that we have been electing people that have come to campaign and say that they believe in the Republican platform but then go to Washington D.C. and transgress completely away from what our ideals and our true conservative values are.”

In a follow-up question, Gerson was asked to comment on Kline’s statement in an email to potential supporters in the 2nd Congressional District where he appeared to label Gerson as an outsider from Minneapolis and the Fifth Congressional District and why he felt Kline was resorting to this tactic to disqualify Gerson in the minds of voters instead of debating the issues.

“I would love for him to meet up and debate me on the issues” said Gerson with a touch of enthusiasm, “because I would love to call him on his voting record which is just un-defendable. I have no idea why he made that statement, your characterization might be as right as any.” Gerson then explained that, while it was true that he had originally been living in Minneapolis, he was moving to the 2nd Congressional District and has been active in the Minnesota Republican Party. He also re-emphasized that he was recruited through certain networks to come down and challenge Kline.

“(I) was recruited to come down here and try to send this message, not just to John Kline, but to all incumbents and to the Republican Party that we need some catharsis, we need to be honest with who we are and we need to deal with the last elephant in the room that our leadership has been failing us and we cannot blindly vote for people because they are incumbents” said Gerson.

Gerson was also asked, if he were to become the nominee, if he would be able to change his strategy from contrasting records to educating the populace about why his stances are more correct then what Democratic nominee Mike Obermueller will be standing for.

“It is a two-fold thing, not only do they have to understand who John Kline is and what he has really voted for and the fact that he is not representing who he is and his voting record is one of the worst in Washington D.C. and we have to start holding our incumbent leaders responsible for their transgressions. They also have to know who I am and my background.” Gerson then stressed that people could learn a lot about his views through his book and through his website where he lays forth overviews to why he is running, what his beliefs are and what he is doing to get people to believe again in the system so that they can take back their government and so help re-energize the Republican Party base with candidates who are private sector-oriented and not career politicians.

When asked about his political future and whether he would consider running for either a state office or for the Republican nomination to challenge Senator Al Franken or Governor Mark Dayton in 2014, Gerson emphasized that he currently was completely focused on the task at hand, namely defeating John Kline in the Minnesota GOP primary.

“I currently have no aspirations to do anything except win on August 14th” said Gerson, then adding: “I fully expect that we will actually be in a race for the general election, come August 15th. I am not thinking beyond August 14th today, we are a machine, we are focused on winning on August 14th in this primary.”

Finally, Gerson was asked if his campaign had a campaign song to which Gerson replied that they did not but that they would love suggestions and he encouraged constituents to call in with recommendations.

Congressman Kline should be worried about this challenge. Considering Minnesota gave its nod for the Republican presidential nomination to Congressman Ron Paul and the Republican U.S. Senate endorsement to state representative Kurt Bills and that David Gerson is clearly in the same mold as those gentlemen, it is obvious that this is a serious challenge. If the trend which has been taking place in the Minnesota GOP continues, then Kline could very well find himself watching Gerson and Obermueller battle for his seat in the general election while he prepares for retirement as another victim of the Tea Party and Liberty Movement’s takeover of American and Minnesota politics.

© 2012 New Agora and The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written, re-transcribed or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.


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Saturday, April 22, 2017

As we see the possible elimination of the Environmental Protective Agency, it will be more important than ever to encourage Earth Day activities.

The idea for Earth Day is attributed to Gaylord Nelson, a former U. S. Senator from Wisconsin, after he witnessed the ravages of a massive oil spill at Santa Barbara, California. Inspired by the student anti-war movement active at the time, Nelson realized that if he could infuse that same kind of energy and commitment and with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda.  Nelson announced to the national media the idea for a "national teach-in" to make people aware about dangers to the environment.  He then persuaded Pete McCloskey, a conservation-minded U.S. House Of Representatives member, to serve as co-chair and they recruited Denis Hayes to be the National Coordinator.  Hayes built a staff of 85 to promote events across the nation.

As a result, on April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.

The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.

In 1995, President Clinton awarded Senator Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to civilians in the United States, for a lifetime of service and his role as Founder of earth day.

Reuse, recycle, and celebrate Earth Day 2017!  Gerald will be taking 6 TIRES to the Fayette County Fairgrounds as a part of the FAYETTE SWCD (Fayette Soil & Water Conservation District) "scrap tire amnesty" program.

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Righteous Rockets

An Overview of the Righteous Rockets Investment Strategy

Location of Screen: The Righteous Rockets screen is loaded by default in the MSN Deluxe Screener

Inception: This investment strategy was defined by MSN for use in their Deluxe Screener.

Righteous Rockets investing strategy summarized

The Righteous Rockets investment strategy attempts to find companies which are undervalued, profitable, and have little debt, thus making them “righteous”. Also, the companies must show fast growth with high stock price gains, making them “rockets”.

Stock Screen Parameters for the Righteous Rockets Investment Strategy

The parameters for this screen are listed below. The text in italics explains how the parameter was defined in the screener. I use the MSN Deluxe Screener to find these specific stocks.

1) Market Capitalization: Weed out the tiny companies which are often more volitile

Parameter: Market Capitalization >= 50,000,000

2) Return on Equity: Find companies which make good use of investors money by showing strong returns per dollar of equity

Parameter: Return on Equity >= 5

3) Price/Sales Ratio: Locate those companies whose price is not greatly inflated compared to their last period revenues, showing they may be undervalued

Parameter: Price/Sales Ratio <= 2

4) Debt/Equity Ratio: Find companies who are not heavily leveraged; part of the righteous aspect of this screen

Parameter: Debt/Equity Ratio <= 0.5

5) Recent Quarter Surprise: Avoid companies who have surprised the market analysts by reporting less than expected quarter results

Parameter: Recent Quarter Surprise % >= 1

6) Growth Year vs Year: Find companies whose revenues and earnings have grown by magnitudes the past year

Parameter: Revenue Growth Year vs Year >= 20
Parameter: EPS Growth Year vs Year >= 20

7) Price Changes: Look for the rockets by locating a huge jump in price over the past year, and make sure it hasnt come to a stop by also checking the past quarter

Parameter: % Price Change Last Year >= 50
Parameter: Recent Quarter Surprise % >= 1


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Sunday, January 25, 2009

Right after Roger passed away, Grace and I were talking about this ripple analogy/picture.
When a pebble is dropped in the middle of a pond, it creates ripples that go all the way to the shore.
The ripples closest to where the pebble first went in are the biggest.
They can be seen and felt the best.
As the ripples move from the center however, they are smaller and smaller.
They are more difficult to see and feel, however they are still there.

I think about this analogy a lot with grief.
For me, it fits in two ways.
First, I never realized (and probably will not ever) how many people Roger's death affected.
I got cards from all over the country.
I had donations from people I have never met and still have not met.
I meet people all the time who said prayers for me and were heartbroken when they heard the news.
I even met someone yesterday almost five months after his death and another one last week.

So there are ripples of people that were moved by Roger's death.
Even if in a small way.
Even if I never see them or hear from them.
I think some of those ripples are afraid to approach me.
They do not know what to say or how to say it.
And I agree, sometimes it is strange to get a phone call, email, or some other form of contact from people I do not know or maybe did not even know Roger.
But they felt his death.
Even if it was very little compared to my ripples from the pebble.

Second, grief is also very cyclic like the ripples that move up and down across the pond.
And I pray and hope and hear that grief never goes away but the further away I get from it, the less I will feel it.
But my ripples will never really reach the shore. My grief pond is more like an ever ending ocean.
Grief really never completely ends.
It just becomes more and more part of the pond of my life.

Actually I feel like my "pebble" was more like a boulder.
A boulder that was dropped in a very small pond.
The boulder was so heavy it had to be dropped by a big yellow crane.
And when it fell into the water, it pretty much destroyed that pond.

The strange thing is how these entries reach or ripple out to so many people.
It is weird sometimes for the readers to know me.
To ask my friends about me.

But it is also nice to know that my ripples are going on.
They have not quite reached shore yet.
And people still care.

1 comment:

Nery1202 said...

I am one of those small ripples. You and Roger and forever in my heart. I never had the pleasure of meeting either one of you, but your story has def. captivated me. Every Sunday religiously I pray for you and Roger while the intentions are read. I like to think they've helped you...
I hope that they have.


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100 goals for RCA

Submitted by Simon Mears on Sunday, 16 April 2017

Ton-up: Captain Greg Swansbury scores RCA's 100th goal of the season. Photograph: Simon Mears.

Sunderland RCA have scored one hundred goals in the current season. The milestone came when RCA captain Greg Swansbury reduced the deficit in the second half of the match at Marske United on 8 April.

 This is the second successive season that RCA have topped a century of goals - last season RCA ended the season with 106 goals - 73 in the league and a remarkable 33 in the cup competitions.

Similar to last season, this season’s tally has been bolstered by good runs in the FA Vase and League Cup - including five-goal hauls at Esh Winning and Whickham, as well as the amazing ten goals at Washington in the league!

The last time RCA scored 100 goals in the league alone was the magnificent 2011-12 season when we finished 4th and came very close to winning the league - tiring in the final furlong, to use a horse racing analogy. In that 2011-12 season, RCA scored 106 league goals in a total of 131.

As would be expected, it’s the forwards who have scored the bulk of the goals - with RCA’s four main strikers this season netting 60 of the 101 goals scored to date: Colin Larkin leads the way (22), closely followed by Stephen Callen (19), John Butler (10) and Liam McBryde (9). The remaining 41 goals have been shared between 14 scorers (and one own goal!), with Michael Charlton (8) the top-scoring non-forward player.

RCA’s full list of scorers this season, upto and including Jarrow Roofing at home, is as follows:

Colin Larkin - 22

Stephen Callen - 19

John Butler - 10

Liam McBryde - 9

Michael Charlton - 8

Jonathan Davis - 5

James Cassidy - 4

Greg Swansbury - 4

Ross Preston - 3

Callum Hassan - 3 (now at West Auckland Town)

James Armstrong - 2

Clayton Davis - 2

Brad Forster - 2

Kieron Martin - 2

Mark Robinson - 2

Adam McGuinness - 1

Ross McNab - 1

Steven Stewart - 1

Own Goal - 1

Northern League: 40 matches - 79 goals

League Cup: 4 matches - 14 goals

FA Vase: 4 matches - 7 goals

DCC Cup: 1 match - 1 goal

FA Cup: 1 match - No goals

Total: 50 matches - 101 goals

I’m not great at maths, but it’s fairly clear from the above stats that RCA have averaged a very healthy two goals per match so far this season - including in the Northern League.

In those 50 matches, RCA have failed to score on just six occasions, and have kept a very respectable 12 clean sheets.

With only two matches of the season remaining, opportunities to add to the total are limited, but let’s hope Larks can reach 25, or Stevie can get to 20, or Charlo can reach double figures - all three would be brilliant!

See you at Consett.


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By Senai Aksoy/Shutterstock

A Warning To Women Who Take Over-The-Counter Pain Medication

A medical study documented in the American Journal of Epidemiology is an eye-opener for women who take over-the-counter pain medication.

Picture this, an evening migraine strikes when you're trying to prepare dinner for the family, so you head to the medicine cabinet and take a couple Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen. After about twenty minutes or so, the pain has been alleviated and you can resume making dinner with ease.

But the migraines don't cease, and pretty soon you are taking a couple of over-the-counter pain pills every single night. You may ask yourself if having so many migraines is normal, but you quickly brush it off because the Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen make you feel better.

Before you know it, you've been taking over-the-counter pain medication for years -- on a daily basis. And because you can readily purchase more Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen whenever you are running low, you equate them to taking a daily vitamin.

In truth, any over-the-counter pain medication that you ingest on a regular basis can be harmful to your body.

For unknown reasons, women are especially vulnerable to suffering irreversible damage to their hearing as a result of prolonged over-the-counter pain medication usage.

The medical study we mentioned earlier highlighted some troubling findings. Women who had taken over-the-counter pain medication for six or more years were about 10 percent more likely to suffer from hearing loss ten years later.

However, the same study, which had a test group of 55 thousand women, discovered that women who took aspirin to alleviate pain did not suffer from hearing loss.

If nothing else, these findings should encourage all women who use over-the-counter pain medication to reevaluate their pain medication usage and to switch to Aspirin if possible.

QCWriter is a journalist who is fueled by espresso and motivated by determination. She specializes in pop culture, country music, and news content. You can follow her on Twitter by clicking here: @QCWriter.


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Thursday, May 12, 2011

Thoughtful Thursday--Neither Jew nor Greek

Okay. So here it is, 'Thoughtful Thursday' once again. Today, I will be 'shooting from the hip'.

On Monday and also last night, I had the opportunity to serve the most interesting group in the Dining Room at the Cove. And I honestly don't know if I should give the name of the group, possibly for their safety. But I can say that they were a group of pastors and church leaders from the countries of the Middle East. Muslim countries.

At first, it was a little bizarre. Being an American, tragic events have taught me to be wary, at least, of Muslims, or people who look Muslim. And please don't think I am given to prejudice.
But as I watched these people and picked up on some of their conversation (in english) I fully realized what a miracle Jesus Christ is!

The descendants of Ishmael have come to be the Spiritual sons of Isaac.

Seeing these people pray to and worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was such a beautiful thing. Almost as beautiful as when a Jew comes to know his long-promised Messiah.

And so, I saw in the flesh the truth of Galatians 3:28-29: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, [neither American nor Arab] there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise."

1 comment:

  1. It's always a miracle when someone is saved, but I've always been particularly amazed or impressed when a muslim comes to Christ. Maybe it's because they so overtly hate Christianity or maybe it's because of the danger they put themselves in by converting to Christianity. Only a work of God could cause that.

    -Blane. Jr.


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Thursday, May 19, 2011

Italian Fashion Post #1

I am loving all the fashion here I'm seeing in Italy. While I've finally started shopping when I got to Florence, my bank account has taken a small hit. (Euros have much more value than American dollars!)

What I've been loving is how all the European people seem to dress - a little more put-together, a little more classy, a little more...everything. And I love it. I've seen plenty of fedoras, summer scarves, cross-body bags, men in awesome suits and ladies wearing heels on their vespas.

What I've been seeing all over the stores lately are summer brights. Super-bright color-blocking, like seen on the Gucci runway, were a hit in the Italian H&M and Zara stores. Color-blocked heels in neons were everywhere. I kept seeing "Gucci orange" and "Gucci green" all over the place - especially paired together, like at the Gucci Spring 2011 RTW show, below:

Loved this "Gucci orange" dress from Zara:

I also got a really cute white, sheer cropped-ish top from a boutique called Subdued. I'm excited to layer it with different tanks underneath - my plan tomorrow is to wear it with a white tank underneath tucked into high-waisted white shorts, a thick brown belt, gladiator sandals, and a straw hat.

The shirt looks a little like this one from Forever 21:

Here's a photo from the H&M Italy lookbook - that's the hat I got today!

Tomorrow I am going to Elba Island for the weekend (off the coast of Tuscany, no big deal...) and am super excited to wear some more tropical-feeling summer ensembles. I'll keep you posted when I get back from the beach!

ciao bellas,

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UK Visa applications in UAE – premium service

UAE visa applicants set to start their trips in style with brand new ‘Platinum Lounge’ and mobile biometric service

His Excellency Mr Rashid Mattar Al Siri Al Qamzi, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dubai and Paul Fox, HM Consul General, British Embassy Dubai today unveiled two brand new top tier services to offer a ‘platinum experience’ for UK visa applicants in the UAE.

The new services have been designed specifically for customers who want to sit back and relax while their visa application is taken care of, whether at the application centre, or in their own office or home. Both services can be used to obtain long term UK visas, popular with frequent travellers.

The first of these, offering the ultimate in convenience is the ‘on demand mobile biometric service’, which gives applicants across the UAE the option to complete their visa application, including biometric enrolment, from the comfort of their home, office or any location of choice.

The ‘on demand’ service is available to individuals and groups, such as corporate employees, or families, who prefer not to travel to the visa application centres to apply. Instead, a small team will travel to the applicant’s chosen location to complete the biometric enrolment process (capturing fingerscans and a photograph).

The cost of the service starts at £750 / AED 4500 for an individual, with discounted bespoke pricing for groups, depending on size. To find out more about this service, or to book please write to UK Visa on demand Gulf.

A brand new ‘Platinum Lounge’ also opened its doors to customers today at the visa application centre in Wafi Mall, Dubai. The lounge is the first of its kind that the UK has introduced anywhere in the world, and is available exclusively to UK visa applicants.

The lounge offers privacy and comfort, away from the hustle and bustle of the main application centre. Customers can relax in their own private booth within the tranquil and modern lounge, while VFS staff take care of the entire process, from a personalised chauffer service to and from the VAC, to completion of the application form and payment.

Faster processing, of course, comes as standard, and customers who choose to enjoy the lounge can expect to receive their documents, hand delivered to their door, just 3-5 days after they apply, or within 24 hours if they choose to upgrade to the super priority visa service.

The service costs an additional £435 / AED 2600 and is available to customers applying at the UK Visa Application Centre in Dubai only.

Key features of the Platinum Lounge include:

  • Priority Visa Service as standard for visa processing within 3-5 days
  • Chauffer Service – offering pick-up and drop-off from anywhere in Dubai
  • Privacy and comfort, in a dedicated space away from the main application centre
  • Secure Wi-Fi connectivity, not available anywhere else within the application centre
  • Complete one to one assistance with filling in application forms and making online payments
  • SMS alert service for visa application updates
  • Personalised courier for return of passports and documents to your door
  • Drinks and snacks
  • A free Oyster Card to top up and use on the London public transport system

The introduction of the new services marks a further step forward in the UK’s efforts to provide a bespoke visa offering for customers in the UAE. In addition to excellent standard processing, customers can now request a tailored package of additional premium and platinum services to suit their individual needs.

Emirati visitors to the UK can still take advantage of the popular electronic visa waiver service, for short trips, of up to six months at a time. There were more than 54,600 EVW registrations from Emiratis in the last year. A single entry EVW can be obtained online, without having to attend a visa application centre. However, UAE passport holders who travel regularly or at short notice, may find it more convenient to obtain a multi-entry visa, as EVWs must be obtained at least 48 hours before departure. In the last year, visa applications from Emiratis were processed in under four days on average.

Speaking about the new services at the launch, Paul Fox, HM Consul General British Embassy Dubai said:

I am delighted to introduce two new world leading services today, that will offer the next level of luxury for our highly valued customers in the UAE. Whether speed, convenience or comfort is the priority, these additions to our excellent visa service promise to provide our customers with a truly GREAT British welcome from the very start of the journey to the UK.

Added Srinarayan Sankaran – COO Middle East VFS Global:

We have been offering visa services in the UAE since 2002, and are continuously exploring and customizing services according to the needs and requirements of applicants in this region. We believe the on-demand mobile visa service and Platinum Lounge redefine flexibility and convenience for UK-bound travellers, and we are confident of providing high levels of satisfaction for applicants who choose these services.

Notes to editors:

UK Visas and Immigration is responsible for making millions of decisions every year about who has the right to visit or stay in the UK. UAE nationals wishing to go to the UK on a short trip can take advantage of the UK’s electronic visa waiver service which offers visa free travel provided travellers register online at least 48 hours before departure. Those wishing to stay in the UK for longer periods will generally need to apply for a visa. The UK offers a priority service for front of queue processing (typically within 3 to 5 days) and a super priority service, for a decision within 24 hours. These services are available at our application centres in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in addition to the services outlined above.

VFS Global is the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide. With over 1901 Application Centres, operations in 124 countries across five continents and over 110 million applications processed as on 30 November 2015, VFS Global serves the interests of 48 client governments. VFS Global’s worldwide operations are certified ISO 9001:2008 for Quality Management System, ISO 27001:2013 for Information Security Management System and ISO 14001:2004 for Environmental Management System. For more information, please visit VFS Global


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Monday, March 10, 2008

Getting Older

Photosource: Unknown
What I most admire about children is their ability to lose themselves in something simple…
You´ll probably entertain yourself with a yoyo or a ball for about fifteen minutes before putting it down – but give it to a child and they´ll probably be at it for hours.
It´s more than just an object or a toy, it´s something they give their total attention and dedication to. Children allow themselves to become passionate over the simple stuff.
I spent countless hours on a swing as a kid but it was the box of legos that kept me still for hours on end... I simply couldn´t tear myself away! It was the toy that gave my imagination free reign!

As life´s disappointments start falling on you one by one… one learns to detach themselves from the simple pleasures in order to avoid crashing disappointment.
Then suddenly things start to lose meaning…
Better not get too attached to that jacket… i´ll grow out of it.
Better not get too attached to that watch, it was only a guilt gift.
Don´t expect him to eagerly, he won´t show.
We cut down on our hopes and expectations so that we don´t get disappointed… we even cut down on our dreams.

I finally realised what it is that I lost in the last two years in Lisbon that I most feel robbed of: I lost my dreams.
Not that I ever stopped dreaming… I simply stopped believing that any of them would come true.

To dare to believe…
To dare to dream…
Is to risk tears.
Are tears so bad if they make you feel alive?
I´ve come to appreciate the lyrics of a song recently played on the rádio:
“As long as I´m crying I don´t go blind.”

I lost something important to me…
Something that I gave more meaning to than it´s true meaning when given to me.
I could remind myself what it truly symbolises… tell myself that is merely an object…
Perhaps my heart would hurt a little less…
But in doing so, how many more things do I devalue, take out the meaning and remove the "special" from?

Maturity doesn´t simplify things, it just gives you more ways and reasons to avoid the hurt.

I begin to loathe every white hair that appears on my head and long for my years of simplicity and passion.

Luis Sardinha said...

Even if you had lost something that symbolises so much doesn't mean that the love on it will be lost. The man who gave you that can a will give you more beautiful things like that. Because the meaning isn't lost in the moment that you lose the object.

It was only a bad dream. If you asked me to return and see if the object is still there I would return...

Love you

DRC said...

Just to think that if you hadn't grow up, you wouldn't have written this tex!!!

Anonymous said...

Like a larvae that comes out from a chrysalid... effort and some things left... and oh my god so many more to come!!! welcome! beautiful butterfly! I miss ya!