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Tag Archives: Henry I

“When Christ and His Saints Slept,” by Sharon Kay Penman

11 Nov

“When Christ and His Saints Slept,” by Sharon Kay Penman (901p)

When Christ and His Saints Slept is one of American author Sharon Kay Penman’s masterpiece novels of the Middle Ages. Written in 1994, this one tells the story of a bleak time in English history as rival claimants to the throne of England, Stephen of Blois and Empress Maude, fought a needless war for two decades that devastated England. It was the time of England’s history called The Anarchy.

It is 1120, and the son of King Henry I of England, William, is readying to return to England on the brand new royal vessel, the ill-fated White Ship. The seas are rough and the passengers drunk, too drunk to spot the sudden appearance of a reef in the ocean. It tears a hole in the boat and sinks, destroyed and drowning all of its passengers, including the heir to the throne. With no male heir, Henry I is forced to name his daughter, the widowed Empress Maude, as successor and forces his barons to swear allegiance to Maude. But none of Henry’s vassals wanted a woman ruling in heir own right, least of all one married to the hated Geoffrey, Count of Anjou. And so on Henry I’s death one of his barons breaks his agreement and claims the throne himself, making Stephen of Blois the fourth King of England since the conquest. Maude’s allies are outraged and immediately declared war on Stephen, but they were otherwise hemmed into Geoffrey’s Anjou, left with attempted sieges and small fights in Normandy while Stephen controls England. Stephen tries to consolidate his kingdom but the blunders which would characterise his reign surface soon after, eventually forcing the public support of Maude by her powerful half-brother, Robert of Gloucester. Eventually, the war tide favoured Maude enough for her to leave her exile in Anjou and return to England, ready to claim her rightful crown.

When Stephen is betrayed by his cowardly allies at the first pitched battle of the war, the Battle of Lincoln, and captured Maude is able to make her formal claim and hurries across country to be crowned. But she, like Stephen, makes far too many mistakes so quickly and quickly offsets the people of London. Londoners unite to scare Maude and her supporters out of the city before she could be officially crowned. The Queen consort, Matilda, rallies and begins a campaign to free her husband – eventually doing so after the destruction of Winchester, capturing Robert of Gloucester. Robert was traded for Stephen’s freedom, so the King returned to the throne, and Maude would never be Queen.

The two then fight a bloody, desperate and at times pointless war across the length and breadth of England with Maude narrowly escaping capture at Oxford, her legendary escape in the snow to Wallingford brought to life. Intermittent between this is the de facto protagonist, the fictional Ranulf, and his sorry tale of lost love and redemption as he seeks to find his happiness in the world while being one of Maude’s key supporters. After six years of getting nowhere, her dream of being Queen ends when Robert of Gloucester dies, and Maude decides to return to Anjou a defeated woman leaving her campaign in England to the rest of her allies and the Earl of Chester, as Stephen lurched from one political mistake to another, his kingship held together by his brilliance on the battlefield.

The final part of the novel deals with the rise of the future Henry II into adulthood. Together with his entertaining father, Geoffrey, the Angevins sweep across Normandy and completely take it out of Stephen’s control – not only pacifying the Norman barons but then becoming Duke of Normandy in his own right. The young Henry is a brilliant character – confident, intelligent, quick-witted, polite yet commanding. Henry surges to the fore of Anglo-French politics and becomes such a headache for Stephen and Louis VII that they try anything to get an advantage over the rampant Angevins. While on a visit to Paris Henry meets his future bridge, the teasing beauty Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of France. Henry conspires with her to force her divorce from Louis and the two fall in love, secretly marrying weeks after Eleanor’s divorce from Louis. Henry was on top of the world then and continued to storm through the campaigning season with victory after victory, not even the sudden death of Geoffrey could keep him down for long. Eventually, Henry returns to England to reignite the Angevin cause in the sickly England, and beats Stephen across the length and breadth of the country. When Eustace, Stephen’s son and heir, suddenly dies, Henry forces Stephen’s hand and gets himself named as the heir to the throne, ending the bloody war at long last. At novels end, Henry Fitz Empress, Duke of Normandy and Count of Anjou, becomes King of England as Henry II and the Plantagenet dynasty was born.

Compared to a lot of historical fiction readers, I’m a very late comer to Sharon Kay Penman’s books. Everything I have heard about them indicates the very tip of excellence in this genre … and I totally see why. This was just superb. Superb writing, superb characters, superb plot devices, and superb dialogue. The latter is particularly true. One of the things I noticed is that most of the story is told in the dialogue, as in it moves from event to event in the dialogue. I kind of imagine each chapter as a short play and the various characters lay out their lives like that. It is quite different from a lot of the things I read where the story moves from various action scene to another, but that did not deter from the reading experience at all. Instead of seeing castles under siege and torrid fighting, you hear about it, and it is left up to your imagination to picture it. I liked that.

The risk of having a novel mainly confined to dialogue is the characters rather morph into one and become the same person. But this is not the case in When Christ and His Saints Slept. All the characters have their own voices and their own defined yet easily recognisable personalities. You know it is Robert when caution and planning is spoken of, you know it is Stephen when chivalry and doing the right thing is spoken of, and you know it is Maude when it is a quick tongue and an impatience with the world around her. I enjoyed these recognisable personalities a lot with characters properly brought to life. Particularly I liked Geoffrey of Anjou, so often over-shadowed by his illustrious son. I felt pity for Stephen, he seemed like a nice person but never suited for rule, and I enjoyed reading so much about what is probably England’s most forgotten monarch. The only character I particularly didn’t enjoy as much was the fictional Ranulf – I felt him to be a little too perfect, you know? He seems to say and do everything right, and I found him to be a little on the nauseating side at times, and would have preferred him to have a little more chinks in his armour like some of his real contemporaries, people who could not be any more flawed if they tried. But he is an exception, and the rest of them are brilliantly developed and constructed people with a very clear voice that beam off the page.

At 901 pages this is one of the meatiest books I have ever read. I think only War and Peace is longer but I made my way through it reasonably fast. It took me a little longer than it should have but that is more because I stupidly chose to begin reading it in the middle of writing a couple of essays, so I went a couple of days without reading. For blokes who have reservations about historical fiction written by woman with a fear that it might be too mushy with romance (hey, there are some), fear not, for there is little of that. It is a rollercoaster ride of ambition, treachery and politics set against the backdrop of the turbulent 12th century, one of the most important in English history. Through Maude, the fictional Ranulf, Stephen, Robert, Geoffrey and Henry the twenty year civil war of The Anarchy unfolds in a truly excellent way, told in a style that is guaranteed to captivate any reader. Despite the length it is easy to read and very simple to understand with a style of dialogue that resonates in this century as well as one 900 years ago. It is very much worth taking the time to read this fantastic novel.


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Dan Savage

By now, most of you have seen the video clips — the ones recorded as part of the “It Gets Better” campaign. On the off-chance that you haven’t: the campaign was begun by author Dan Savage in response to the recent spate of suicides by LGBT teens. Savage conceived it as a way of assuring those kids that, although life may seem rough now, things will get better.

So far, most of the clips in heavy rotation have come from celebs — and that’s to be expected. But there’s a local element to “It Gets Better”, too, which gives everyday people like you and me the chance to share advice, encouragement, and coming-out stories. And it’s coming to New Orleans this weekend.

This Saturday, October 16, cameras will be set up on the patio at Cure (4905 Freret Street) from 5pm – 7pm. There, you’ll be able to record a testimonial of your own to share with LGBT teens. The event is being organized by Megan Hargrode, who’s put together a Facebook page to publicize the local element of the campaign.

Admittedly, I’m not a fan of Cure (or any place with asinine dress codes). And holding an event like this at a hipster haute-cocktail lounge isn’t the best way to ensure diverse representation from the local LGBT community — nor is it the best place to generate sober, intelligible testimonials. However, Hargrode deserves tons of credit for pulling it together, and Cure earns a begrudging pat on the back for allowing her to do it.

If you have time this Saturday evening, drop by and say a few words — tomorrow’s LGBT leaders need to hear them. Just be sure to dress appropriately.

[via BlogOfNewOrleans]

7 thoughts on “Dan Savage’s ‘It Gets Better’ Comes To New Orleans This Weekend

  1. i havent seen that place in person, but it’s nice to see some real design going into spaces down there.

    Hey Richard – I for one am glad there are places that frown on mandals in a restaurant (I frown on them everywhere) – what’s wrong for dressing for the occasion?

  2. Richard

    In some places, sure. But Cure is a pretentious neighborhood hipster bar dressed up as a high-end cocktail lounge. You wanna make me put on a jacket for Galatoire’s? No problem. But Cure is really just Bar Tonique with better lighting.

  3. I’m not sure if their is such a thing as a hipster … and if there is, I doubt it lives in New Orleans. You can’t actually buy a decent pair of jeans down there. Anyway – it looks well designed.

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Style Hutz

Models Dresses - Brands Collection - Mehndi Designs

Tag: Winter Shawls 2016-2017

Girls & Women Winter Shawls 2016-2017

Winter Shawls

We are blessed with different seasons and winters are the most tremendous of all the seasons. Winter fashion is always tempting and knock out. The fashion stream is always a bliss whenever there are new trends in the place. Winter shawls are common in both Girls Men & women. The trend of shawls was first popular […]

Style Hutz


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Category Archives: Pants

Cake – Camel and Gray Pants

I need pants. Long pants, short pants, wide pants, skinny pants, work pants….so I am officially checking two pair off my SWAP in camel and grey.  These are basic but will be workhorses in my wardrobe, hence the ‘cake’.  I’ll get to some icing soon.

Both pants were drafted using my sloper with modifications.  I borrowed the leg shape and width from a pair of RTW pants that I like.  They have an invisible zipper in the back to reduce any lumpiness in front and they have no pockets, again to maintain a clean look under my ubiquitous jackets and sweaters.  The only differences between the two pair is that the camel ones have a contoured waistband at the hip, and the gray ones have a 1″ straight waistband at the waist.  I also stitched down the crease in the front of the gray ones which I think makes a nice line.

I just need to get on my soapbox for a moment and give a shout out to SLOPERS!  Heh slopers, you ROCK!  It has taken me years to come up with bodice and pant slopers that finally fit.  For the longest time I thought that you were supposed to take a published pattern and then adjust it to match the fit of your sloper. No!  I learned from my sewing instructor  last year that I can use my sloper to add ease and style lines and I’m done!  This is a major sea change in the way I think about patterns.  I don’t have that many and now don’t really need that many.  Sure I’ll buy or download a pattern to copy a detail like a collar or peplum  but I don’t use the whole pattern.

Really, how many pants patterns do you need once you have a sloper.  There is no need to bang our collective heads against the wall every time we take a new pattern out of the envelope to fit it.

These are both made from Rayon/Polyester/Lycra (RPL) which has a fabulous drape.  Emma  One Sock stocks it in a decent range of colors.  Although they are suppose to be the same fabric, the two colors are a bit different.  The camel is a bit “spongy”, thicker, and stretchier than the gray.   Stranger still is that the camel has the greatest stretch lengthwise which the grey does not so I cut the camel on the crossgrain.  They even fit a bit differently due to the slightly different stretch factor.  I’ve worn the camel three times so far and sadly it’s already starting to pill.   We’ll see how the grey fares as I’ve only worn them once.

The jury is still out on RPL.  I have some in cream which is in the middle of becoming pants, and I have several more yards of camel for a jacket and skirt but I’m not sure I’ll buy more.  I typically don’t buy polyester for environmental reasons but I was looking for something with a bit of Lycra and the price was right.  Real wool gaberdine is pricey and hard to find.

Besides jeans these are the only pants I haven’t lined.  Any lining would need to have the same stretchiness as the fashion fabric which was a tall order so I didn’t bother.  The edges were first serged then sewn together.  The waistbands were cut on the same grain as the rest of the pants.  The RPL doesn’t take too kindly to iron-on interfacing so I used two layers of horsehair interfacing stitched together and it worked out OK.

Camel Contoured Waistband: Interfacing was laid in after the waistband was sewn on.  Then the top and bottom seam allowances were catch-stitched around the interfacing to keep it in place.   I then sewed the side seams and handstitched a facing made from Bemberg lining.  The final step was topstitching the top and bottom of the waistband.  I went back in and took in the waist a bit more and made a royal mess of the topstitching and facing.  I need to find a better way to make a contoured waistband that still allows me to adjust the side seams without too much hassle.

Grey Straight Waistband:  This was much easer than the contoured band.  I used a technique I found in Pants for Real People where the interfacing is stitched to the seam allowance of the waistband before being attached to the pant.  Brilliant!  I’ve probably said it before but Pants for Real People and Jackets for Real People, both by Palmer/Pletsch are the best sewing books I have.  (Power Sewing by Sandra Betzina comes in third.)

Hems were topstitched in a rush.  I usually do a catch stitch to some interfacing but couldn’t use it on this fabric.  Note to self:  Try blind hemstitch next time.

Pretty darn close to perfect!  The only change I will make in the future is raising the back waistband up about a 1/2″.  These are about as narrow as I can get before I start to get the dreaded under-the-butt wrinkles.

  • Just because you have a swatch of a fabric in one color doesn’t mean that it will be the same in another color.  Always order a swatch if you can’t touch it in a store.
  • Maybe topstitch the waistband before sewing the side seams for ultimate adjustability?
  • Invisible zipper foot on my BabyLock is a PITA.  Use the one on my Viking which is a sure thing every time.

White Skinny Jeans – Burda 7863

Finally! A pair of pants completed, white pants, at the end of August.  I worked on my pants sloper on an off with my sewing instructor for about 6 months.  We got the sloper worked out for a standard pair of narrow (not skinny) pants.  The concept is that I can use the sloper to draft any other kind of pant but when dealing with a stretch fabric the whole pattern basically needed to be narrowed in the X direction inlcuding the pockets and crotch width.

I threw caution to the fashion winds and wore them to work today — way after Labor Day!  😛

White jeans are on my SWAP by the way so yeah me!

I used Burda 7863  as the basis of design.  Basically I used the measurements of the pockets and back yoke.  The top of the jeans is about 1/4″ lower than my sloper.  For the next pair, and there will be several more, I won’t lower the back at all and will dip the front by another 1/2″.  The legs here are much narrower than the Burda pattern.

The pattern calls for a straight waistband but I made a contoured band instead with seams at the sides to allow for adjustments. It’s a bit bulky but I am always tweaking.

The one thing I messed up was the pocket placement on the rear.  It was fine until I started taking the sides in and now they are too far apart.  I’ve put the pants back in the sewing room for the winter  in the hope that I ‘ll get inpired to move them by spring.

And yes, those are houndstooth Connies!

I struggled a lot with the nature of the stretch denim which I am guessing has about 3% Lycra.  I think I got it at NY Elegant in NYC.  I prefer 2% Lycra but I had a hard enough time finding a white that was also thick enough to avoid show through.  The pretty floral waistband and zipper guard is actually the last of an old set of sheets.The pocket bags are just a buff colored quilting cotton purchased specifically for this project as I didn’t want anything to show through.

These are fresh out of a hot dryer for the photo shoot, but they loosen up in after an hour of wear.

I took them in at the waist, hip, and even reduced the crotch extension to accommodate the stretch properties.  I also narrowed the legs for style purposes.

The only fit issue that bothers me are the wrinkles below the derrière. My sewing instructor says that they need to be there if I actually want to SIT in my pants. Bummer!

I’ve made jeans before so there was nothing new for these.  I always have difficulty at the ends of the waistband though where there is a lot of bulk.  Need to work on that. Jeans button and rivets are from Joann’s and were easy to intall.

The topstitching was done with white jeans thread which worked just fine.  I had my serger and two sewing machines running for this one so I didn’t have to keep changing the thread.

  • Take fabric stretch into account when drafting the pockets.
  • Attach rear patch pockets AFTER fitting the waist and hip.

BurdaStyle 06/2013 #111A Shorts

These shorts were part of my St. Lucia vacation wardrobe. The fabric was leftover from a failed pair of pants. It’s a lovely fine twill weave of wool and silk in a warm brown with silver undertones. It looks sturdy but is actually rather delicate and doesn’t like to be stressed so we’ll see how long they last. I downloaded this pattern (06/2013 #111A) because of its relaxed look, faced waist, and width.

As designed the shorts have a side zip, faced waist, rear vent pocket, and rolled cuffs. They sit slightly below the waist. I omitted the useless and potentially lumpy back pocket and moved the zipper to the back. I also changed the bulky facing to seam binding and omitted the roll up hem.

IMG_9859I laid the pattern out over my almost done pants sloper and found that the side seam sits towards the front.  I know this is an optical trick to make one look slimmer from the front but wasn’t sure if or how to translate that to my sloper.  Then somewhere along the way I lost an inch in width on each side!  Must have been late at night.  Hmmm….this is a design opportunity!  I added a 1″ strip down each side using the back side of the fabric which is a grey/silver.  It looks a bit crooked at the top but I won’t be wearing my shirt tucked in anyways.

In the end I am quite pleased with the fit.  I need to work out the bug with the stripe but I will be making these again.  They definitely suit me!

  • Take your time.  Don’t sew under time pressure.
  • My pants sloper already rocks! (Thanks Astrid!)

New Look 6251 – Khaki Cargo Shorts, and Jalie Tee

This is one of the Tees and shorts that I took with me to St. Lucia.  The top was made in January and the shorts, well, I thought I made them last summer but when I pulled out the pattern I saw they were made in 2011!  It was actually in the 70’s yesterday so we took Olive for a special walk at the nearby agricultural high school.

The shirt itself isn’t terribly exiting but I post it because it’s one step closer to a t-shirt sloper and I must say this is pretty darn close!  I started with Jalie 2566 except used the shoulders and sleeves from my bodice sloper. The fabric is very light-weight cotton with a bit of a slubby texture.

Construction was mostly done on the serger.  The sleeve hems have a band of matching fabric attached.  The neckline has the same band except it’s stitched to the inside and then turned to the outside and stitched down covering the seam allowances.

The hem was done with a coverstitch and I think that is the last time I will attempt it.  GRRR!  I have a 5 thread machine that can “convert” to do coverstitching, chainstitching, 5 thread safety stitch, etc.  In theory it’s great, but in reality it takes 20 minutes to switch it over and back again.  It also HATES to coverstitch over the thinnest tiniest of seams.  Even a hump-jumper doesn’t help.  In hind sight I should have bought a 4 thread serger and a separate coverstitch machine.

I see that there is a new New Look 6251 out which is for a sweater or top and NOT cargo pants.  I have no idea how old this pattern is as I couldn’t find a copyright date anywhere.  I can’t believe they need to recycle the pattern numbers.  I bought it used online I think.  I’m a sucker for princess seamed pants and these have the seam down the front.  The brilliant detail here is the way the cargo pockets are set into the vertical seams at the front and side. Cool huh?  The only design change I made was to leave off the belt loops.  I don’t wear belts very often and they just add bulk at the waist so why bother.  I also used a button at the waistband instead of a hook and eye.  Buttons seem to prevent the vertical edge of the fly from sticking out and gives the illusion of a flatter tummy.  (I see you rolling your eyes mom!)

IMG_0763     IMG_0754

Just to ease your fears, I would NEVER entertain the cropped version!

The fabric is a super stretchy cotton/lycra weave with great recovery.  The pockets work great for doggie bags!

Since the waistband is a contoured band, I stabilized the top of the band with twill tape.  It doesn’t work terribly well as the top of the band cuts into my waist.  It’s just not very comfy.  I want the waistband to move and stretch like the rest of the shorts but I have to add SOME structure to it so they don’t stretch too much.  I figured if I added a bunch of interfacing to the waistband it would be too stiff.

The fit is just OK.  I made a number of modifications and they are still a bit short in the crotch and a bit snug at the waist, nothing I can’t fix if inclined to do so.  In spite of their ‘short‘ comings these are the shorts I pull out most often on the weekend.

I have been taking sewing lessons for the last few months and our number one priority has been a well fitted pant sloper.  As of Saturday we. are. almost. there. and then it will be PANTS CITY around here!  Once the sloper is in place I’ll try this pattern again.

  • Don’t add twill tape to a waistband if the fabric has a lot of stretch.
  • In a wash’n wear garment pocket flaps need fasteners.

Burda Style 02/2013 #129 Pleated Shorts

20140321-172057.jpgShorts in winter?  Not really.  These shorts were a quick make done last fall so I only got to wear them a few times before the snow came.  I’m always a season behind!

Pattern: Burda Style 02/2013 #129 Pleated Shorts.  I  moved the zipper from the side to the back to allow for future adjustments, and I reduced the waistband to a 5/8″ finished width.  They seem to run a bit large as I had to take them in by a few inches.  They have some generous pockets for pocket fans.

Fabric: Cotton?  I had been looking for horizontal stripes and found them at the ASG convention last year in DC.  The waistband is a scrap of Ultrasuede left over from a jacket.

Construction: I used the tutorial by The Sewing Lawyer to match the stripes and it worked like a charm.  They are not lined.

Hmm.  They look better with lighter colored tights than these brown ones.  The outfit needs something bold on top to balance the print on the bottom.  Maybe an orange scarf.

20140321-172117.jpgLessons Learned: Make more!


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The political world

I became aware of the political world only after leaving school and entering the undergraduate course in English Literature, Jadavpur University, in 1966. That was a turbulent time. The leftist parties were emerging with a greater force in West Bengal politics while, on the other hand, the Marxist-Leninist ideology was gathering momentum, attracting the Bengali youth. The Congress was on the defensive, trying to figure out how to put up a proper face in the post Nehru era. At least that was the impression I had. Internationally speaking, it was the great age of Vietnam. In Cuba, a revolutionary upsurge had taken place ousting the US-supported dictatorship of Batista, ushering in the age of Fidel Castro, Raul and Che Guevara. Between 1966 and 1971, too many important things happened in the world: the students became rebellious in the Western countries. They opposed the US war on Vietnam and they supported the Cuban revolution. Che was killed in an ambush by CIA in Bolivia. I still remember the Newsweek cover that brought me a picture of Che, dead, lying prostrate, his body riddled with bullets made in the USA. In the country where those bullets were manufactured the Civil Rights Movement of Martin Luther King, Junior, kept gathering momentum by the minute, attracting young people and also the old. In Vietnam, US bombers unloaded Napalms and Lazy Dogs, both pernicious mass killing devices, upon the innocent and unarmed Vietnamese people. We saw photographs of Vietnamese children in flames created by the US military machine. In neighboring East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), a civil war against the Pakistani authorities brewed and the Pakistan government responded with a huge military crackdown on the Bengali population. During the liberation war thousands of Bengali women were raped by the Pak soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Bengalis were killed. The voice of Bangabandhu Mujibar Rahman sent new vibrations through the Bengali mind. In West Bengal, the peasants’ upsurge in Naxalbari became a clarion call of revolution especially for the urban youths, many of whom felt inspired by the peasants’ uprising to follow Mao teaching and the writings of Charu Mazumdar, Sushital Raychowdhury and Saroj Dutta.

Soon, the state apparatus dealt heavy blows to the revolutionary youth in West Bengal, killing thousands, imprisoning many. The Naxalites, in their turn, proclaimed the theory of ‘annihilation of class enemy’, killing Jotdaars and also policemen.  But an unbiased view of what happened in those explosive days should lead sensible people to the conclusion that the State Terror was far greater than the Naxalite attacks. Interestingly, both the Congress and the Communist Party (Marxist) of India found a common enemy in the Naxalites, for whom both the parties invented the term “shomajbirodhi” – antisocial.

I lost a few friends who were ideologically moved to go to the villages and organize the peasants. They were killed by the police.

I was exposed to the forces of the age. But I never felt any great urge to join any political party or group. Personally, I was moved by the Naxalite cause. I started to read Marx, Lenin and Mao. How could any sensitive individual not get emotionally perturbed by the poverty of the multitude and the wealth that existed side by side making the society look like a cruel joke? The daily sight, smell and sound of this class divided society, the hypocrisy of the well-to-do people and the helplessness of the poor were factors that no sensible individual could overlook. The Naxalite cause engaged me emotionally. But, frankly, I did not like the dogmatic views of most of my Naxalite friends. I did not appreciate what the young Naxalites wrote on the walls: ‘Chiner chairman amader chairman’. I often argued with them. Why can’t you find an indigenous leader? Why should I consider Mao, a Chinese, my Chairman?

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Sundays are on your terms, in your time. Here we catch up with a different weekend warrior each time to hear where they go and what they do with their Sundays.

Graphic designer, Daniel Cooper, takes us along on his journey of journeys through India. Bus, train, motorbike… anything to get the view, meet the locals, taste the food, and make it as hard as possible to leave at the end of it all.

Paolo Sorrentino begins his film “The Great Beauty” with this poignant Céline quote;

“To travel is very useful, it makes the imagination work, the rest is just delusion and pain. Our journey is entirely imaginary, which is its strength.”

I thought about this a lot as I sat on the London Overground home from Clapham Junction. I clenched my backpack firmly between my knees and leant forward on my seat to study my fellow passengers. Everyone wore grey, navy, or black. The volume never rose above a whisper, other than the warnings calls of the closing doors. Hanging from my backpack, the crumpled luggage tags read COK – LGW (Kochi -> London Gatwick).

My mind wandered back to that very same point the day before. It was the last leg of my journey in India, the same backpack between my knees. A blow of the conductor’s whistle signaled a fond farewell to the South Indian city, Mysore, as the last train doors slammed shut. In the opposite couchette, a young family shared a steaming hot dabba full of curry with one another, whilst countless chaiwallahs rushed up and down the carriage clutching metal flasks full of tea.

My journey through India felt a world away, but here are a few highlights from a trip with my old friend Jack.

Firmly gridlocked in traffic, I dreamt of the welcome respite Munnar would be from the sticky heat of Kochi. Five hours east, high up in the foothills of the Western Ghats, this hill station is synonymous with rolling tea plantations and casual hiking.

As our bus began to move, the dust and noise of Kochi’s ceaseless roadworks was gradually replaced by a fresh breeze streaming in as we began to tuck and twist our way up the narrow pass. As we met another bus coming in the other direction, I looked down at the ground, drew a deep breath and watched as the tarmac crumbled from beneath the wheels, plummeting into the subtropical melee below. Next to me, Jack began to plan his escape route; half his body now hanging out of the window whilst both buses slowly edged forward. One foul move, and I’m certain he’d have leapt into the other bus and ridden it merrily back down the hill.

We arrived in Munnar in the early evening, the temperature was bliss compared to what we’d left behind. We’d only planned to stay a couple of nights, so we booked into the Green View Hotel, well-known for its pre-arranged hikes. For ₹1,000, the full-day trek would take us up through the local tea plantations to a peak of 2,100m, where we would eat breakfast and then back down through the spice gardens to finish with lunch around 4pm.

The next morning, we woke early to a selection of locally grown teas with our tour group, setting off into the dark morning, across the fields and up to the plantations. Our guide’s knowledge of everything green was astounding; he tore leaves from low-hanging trees and thrusted them underneath our noses, promptly naming them in the process. He pointed out that at this time in the morning, the tea pickers would usually have been out in the fields, but it was off-season so it felt unusually still as the sun slowly edged its way up, bathing the tea in the day’s first light.

Most of the crops are now owned by an offshoot of the Tata Group. Its workforce is made up of people from the Other Backwards Class; an official, and horribly degrading, term used by the Indian Government to classify those who are educationally and socially disadvantaged. The tea-pickers are supplied with accommodation, healthcare and childcare, in exchange for a measly ₹89 a day. Put into context, these workers will receive around 2p ($.03) for enough tea to fill a box that will sell for £2 ($3.05) in the UK. Their options are limited, but this job provides them with the stability that others in their caste would feel lucky to have.

We continued to climb until we reached one of the highest points in the Western Ghats. The mountains around us slowly receded into the distance, each layer fusing delicately with the sky above until they melted away. The small villages that clung to the hillside now seemed so minute, almost as if they’d been placed there with tweezers.

After a few hours in the sun, we all welcomed the stumble back down the mountain to the shaded canopy of the forest. Head down and single file, I trod cautiously behind the person in front, mimicking their footsteps as the forest became denser. There, growing side-by-side was an abundance of exotic fruits and spices… Cardamom, ginger, lemongrass, jackfruits, pomelos, pineapples, coffee, cacao, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorn, turmeric, vanilla, nutmeg. Everything was edible, like a natural version of Wonka’s candy forest. I resisted the urge to sink my teeth in, instead I held out for the promised curry finale.

The trek was completely exhausting; leaving us barely able to stand after we arrived back. Munnar is certainly worth making time for in any itinerary, it reveals an unexpectedly gentle side of India free from the urban chaos down below.

We found buses to be an incredibly cheap way to dive head first into local Indian culture. Routes and timetables seemed to operate on a word of mouth basis, but for a mere ₹74, we rode a diesel-chugging, rusted leviathan two hours south to the backwaters.

The bus stop in Fort Kochi was frantic with people travelling all over Kerala, hauling their goods from bus to bus, shuffling their families and dodging the rickshaws.

“Aleppey?” we asked in hope as each bus rattled by. Buses were rarely marked, but locals always greeted our questions with a beaming grin and a casual head wobble.

When it did arrive, it didn’t really stop… it merely slowed to a gentle jog whilst we hurriedly clambered on, closing the rickety door behind us. With nowhere to sit, I left my bag at the front and gripped the handrail as tightly as I could.

And then straight away, it was full lock left, full lock right, beep beep beeeeeep.

“The might is right,” they always say, but perhaps this was a mistranslation for, “outta the way!” because without much choice in the matter, cars and trucks parted like the Red Sea as we piled through streets of tangled traffic. With all the grace of a drunken elephant, we clumsily navigated our way around any and all obstructions, including the odd miscreant cow grazing on a pile of litter.

My palms ached from holding on so tightly, swaying from side to side. There was nothing else I could do but stare out of the window and study the mayhem with contrite fascination; pedalling along the kerb, elderly men balanced towering sacks of plastic on their upright bicycles, unperturbed by the erratic swarm of traffic that surrounded them. Exuberantly decorated trucks spluttered alongside, covered in hand-painted markings which are meant to bring good luck and a safe journey to drivers. Scrawled across the back was “Horn Please,” because in India, everything deserves a beep. Changing lanes? Beep. Overtaking? Beep. Slowing down? Beep. In a country where mirrors are optional, and overtaking mandatory, persistent beeping is used as a way of letting others know they’re coming.

As we reached faster roads, our bus began to overtake the truck ahead. The driver sounds the obligatory horn and pulls out into the stream of oncoming cars. Most bus drivers would pull back over and wait until it cleared, but not in India. We continued straight on, ploughing head first into a terrifying game of chicken. Closer and closer. Until, at the very last moment, the cars simply swerved off the road and carried on unbothered.

The roads operate on a delicate system of self governance that’s utterly bizarre and petrifying. It’s pandemonium, but the total lack of order just works. Sure, taxis are cheap and plentiful, but to me, there’s no better way to observe modern India than by bus.

We arrived back in Kochi with a day to kill before we travelled north to Goa that evening. After the previous day’s trekking in Munnar, our sore muscles begged for a day lazing on the beach, which is hard to come by unless you leave the city. I’d read that Cherai beach was just a boat ride away, and offered the travel brochure dream of lonely palm trees and spotless white sand.

As we waited at the boat jetty for the captain to return from his afternoon snooze, a shrewd local boatsman offered us a ride on his ferry (which runs the same route at an inflated rate). Not knowing when the captain would return, we deemed it worthwhile and boarded the ferry with the other Indian holidaymakers. Astonishingly, they’d all mastered the art of taking selfies with their left hand whilst jovially waving to the passing boats with the right.

We slowed as the back of the boat silkily overtook the front. “That was quick,” I thought, as we hopped from the ferry onto a crumbling timber jetty. We shared a look of confusion as we noticed everyone else was still on board, now gazing back at the poor stranded tourists. A quick inspection of the ferry map confirmed we’d got off six stops too early. Cherai beach was miles away, and there were no ferries until the evening.

Our grumbling stomachs led us through hushed alleyways lined with affluent homes, and out onto a small public square. At the far end, an ornate 17th Century Indo-Portuguese church, Our Lady of Hope, presided over a pristine lawn.

“Where can we eat?” I asked a man leaning against the church hall. His moustache blew upward as he let out a puff of excitement. His phone never left his ear, regardless of what was on the other end. He seemed frustrated that he couldn’t answer me. But I asked again, to which he ran inside, emerging which his brother, both now gesturing to join them.

He and his brother, it turned out, were celebrating the christening of their newborn nephew. Inside the church hall, 60 or so members of the Selvarat family sat tightly along folding tables piled with curry, parathas, appams and rice. It’s fair to say, I felt pretty uneasy crashing an unknown christening.

But we didn’t leave. Well… we couldn’t leave.

 Before I could air a second thought, we’d already exchanged pleasantries with half the room on all things cricket, the Queen, and Manchester United. We met the mother, the son, the father, the uncles, the aunts, the grandparents, the cousins, the chefs. Friendly doesn’t cut it. This was genuine human compassion. Mable, the mother, tended to her newly christened son who slept snugly in his white cot. The glint from the golden bangles dangled from his wrists danced across the ceiling as she swayed him back and forth.

I joined one of the tables and dug into some of the best dishes I had in Kerala. The kitchen centred around two large stone hearths built into the floor, which were capable of boiling 20kg of rice at a time for the guests, as well as the freshly caught king fish from the Cheena Valas (Kerala’s famous Chinese fishing nets).

As I spoke with the family, it was clear they were proud to be Keralan, and for good reason. The state has the highest literacy rate (90%) in all of India, and on average, they live 11 years longer than the rest of India. 20% of Kerala is Christian, again the highest in India, and they live alongside a sizeable Muslim and Hindu population peacefully.

Though I’m not a religious man, I think just this once I’ll thank divine intervention for prodding us off the ferry and into the welcoming company of the Selvarat family.

Anjaneya, Hampi

Nestled within the ancient ruins of Vijayanagara, Hampi has become a faithful stop on the South Indian traveller scene. 2,000 monuments have stood here for over half a millennium amongst the alien landscape.

To capture Hampi at its best requires leaving the tourist centre and heading out of town in the direction of Anjaneya Hill. According to Hindu mythology, this hill was the birthplace of the monkey god, Hanuman. Today, a small functioning temple named after him sits high up at the top.

Desperate to catch sunrise, and with only one opportunity to do so, we hired a couple of motorbikes from our hostel for ₹100, and at 5.30am we fired up the rattly 2-stroke engines and set off along the dirt paths. It took around 20 minutes to reach the bottom of the hill, where you’ll have to park up and do the rest on foot. There’s a couple of stalls where you can refill on chai and stock up on bananas to offer the monkeys.

A set of 500 steps awaited, twisting their way up around a steep boulder face and aggressively carving their way through when left with no other choice. What started as a sprightly ascent slowly reduced itself to a silent struggle punctuated by our heavy breathing. As we climbed higher, a faint ringing from the small manjira cymbals inside the temple grew louder until we reached the whitewashed outer walls.

Three young monks draped in saffron robes trod lightly as they crossed from their dormitory to the early morning prayers held in the temple. We were the only ones to make the climb that morning, and our presence hadn’t go unnoticed. The cohort of monkeys had scheming expressions on their face, carefully eying us up and looking for anything to steal.

We perched ourselves as high as we could, and waited patiently for the sun to eke its way up over the hills. It’d already become a lot brighter than when we first set off, and I became more and more disheartened by the thought of the sun rising behind the clouds.

Below, I followed the course of the Tungabhadra River with a pointed finger as it threaded itself around the rocky mounds, nourishing the lush green basin that straddled it. My eyes became fixated as colour began to radiate from the riverbed up toward the surface. An iridescent spectrum of fuscia, scarlet and marigold diffused across the tranquil morning sky.

The dark cloak that shrouded the landscape began to recede, the remains of the Vijayanagara Empire stretched further than my bleary eyes cared to focus. I tried to imagine it all in its halcyon days of the 16th Century. This was once the world’s second largest city, home to more than half a million people. The landscape would have been brimming with agriculture, and the streets filled with people trading spices, cotton and gems.

Now, only around 10,000 people call Hampi home. Many moved to outlying villages after being evicted from Hampi Bazaar as it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They now struggle to earn a living after their businesses (which relied heavily on tourism) were bulldozed.

Over my short three weeks in India, what really stood out to me was the relationship between old and new. It seemed very difficult for these two concepts to coexist peacefully. Most Indians consider themselves part of the new India, the emerging global superpower that can rival China and Brazil. If the old India is corrupt and chaotic, then the new India is competent and clever. The aggressive rate of development is truly mind-boggling, and somewhat worrying to a Westerner that believes in post-consumerism.

My memories of India are that of a country that expressed itself so vividly through its tastes, colours and sounds. Memories of a country filled with magnificent warmth and happiness, as well as heartbreaking poverty and sadness. Memories of a country that’s home to some of the most resilient people on Earth. It feels strained to just describe India as a country of extremes; but in honesty, for every reason I could find to hate India, I could think of ten more to love it.

My Sunday Somewhere in partnership with Boat Magazine, written and photographed by Daniel Cooper. (

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Leeteuk opposed his sister’s debut as an actress because she wasn’t pretty enough?

February 2, 2011 at 6:41 pm | Posted in Leeteuk, News/Rumors, Wonderboys | 6 Comments

Recently on an episode of Strong Heart, Leeteuk revealed the reason why he was against his sister’s debut as an actress.

Park Inyoung, Leeteuk’s sister, stated that after she came back from studying abroad in New Zealand, she decided to pursue acting.

However, not only was her mother against it, apparently her brother was against it as well.

Leeteuk replied by declaring that although she was his family member, he had to be cold-hearted. Then he continued on to say that he believed that his sister did not exactly possess the loveliest outer appearance.

Still, he said that although his sister never properly learned how to act, she was still very passionate. Ending on a warm note, Leeteuk wished her good luck with her acting career.

What do you guys think of this family relationship?

Source: TV Daily, koreaboo
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  1. What did she study in New Zealand? If it’s another profession, then I think it’s a waste that she’s pursuing acting right now. I think I understand why her mom and Teukie would oppose the idea.

  2. I think it’s a bit macho, he also took hard work to become successful,Is your sister is not capable?
    I think she’ll do well!
    It’s very nice^^

  3. I think he’s just trying to protect her from getting swallowed up in the acting industry. I mean Korea has plenty of very pretty actresses, and unfortunately appearance is something that people pay attention to when watching dramas, movies, etc. So instead of her getting hurt in the long run, he’s just trying to be the protective brother.

    • yeah i agree to what you’ve said. teukie knows how it feels like being in the korean entertainment industry so instead of him being a supportive brother, he just wants to protect his sister.

  4. whoooaa cool she studied abroad in NZ? I’m studying abroad right now in NZ too!!!~

  5. sorry but doesnt it seem a little not on the nice side to basically say’ you shouldnt act because you are not pretty enough’ …. like is the korean pop media like this? i know North American pop culture is not much better when it comes to judging people but i thought maybe korea would be different:( they always make fun of the bigger girls and there are like no girls above a siz 6 in korea if they even get that wide. 😦 😦 this is just something i have noticed recently nothing agents leeteuk

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Super Junior 5th album’s explosive popularity, may continue the 63-week unbeaten run of “Miinah” – From 110823

August 25, 2011 at 3:03 pm | Posted in 5th jib (Album), News/Rumors, Wonderboys | 4 Comments
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Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usSuper Junior’s 5th full-lengthed official album 《Mr.Simple》 has sailed to the top of the Taiwanese music charts, confirming their status as Asia’s super group.

Super Junior’s 5th album title song 《Mr.Simple》 has successfully occupied the top position on Taiwan’s largest online music site KKBOX’s Korean/Japanese Music TOP100 charts. Following their first place win on the daily charts, they have ascended to the champion’s throne on the weekly charts [14th August – 20th August] as well, once again allowing everyone to witness the fervent enthusiasm of the Taiwanese fans for Super Junior.

Previously, the title song of Super Junior’s 4th album 《Miinah》 had occupied the top position on the charts for 63 consecutive weeks, beginning from the first week of June last year until August this year. They have also become the longest-running champions on the KKBOX charts. 《Mr.Simple》 will also extend Super Junior’s mythical unbeaten run following the 《Miinah》 and 《SORRY SORRY》 fever.

According to reports, even before Super Junior’s new album was officially sold in music stores in Taiwan, they have already occupied the champion position on the album sales charts for the Japanese/Korean music of the renowned Taiwanese music retail shop FIVE MUSIC for two consecutive weeks (5th August to 18th August) based on their export volume alone. Super Junior’s 5th full-lengthed album will be officially released in the Taiwanese market beginning 2nd September.

On another hand, Super Junior has also conquered various major music charts in Korea with 《Mr.Simple》, and has occupied the top position for 3 consecutive weeks. Aside from that, they have also sailed to the top of music programmes such as Music Bank and M!Countdown, creating a huge wave in the music scene.

Source: Korea Star Daily
Translated by eternalsnow @ SJ-WORLD.NET
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Do not add names or blog addresses to the credits if only copying and pasting.

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  1. yessssssssss, only super junior can make a new record!

  2. Yes !!! Tehy can do it again !!!
    Let’s break their own record !!

  3. i love Taiwan you are great am Saudian though
    its ok if mr. simple didn’t be the first

  4. all their hard work have been paid off 🙂

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You are currently browsing the monthly archive for January 2010.

When I’m in fast first-draft mode, I use up ink cartridges like an undiagnosed hypergraphic. Nothing stops me quicker than running out of ink and having to dig through the drawers for more. So here’s my solution. It looks kind of like an assault weapon with extra rounds. Not very elegant. There’s got to be a be a better way. Post your ideas below! Please!

a sub heading to Bremerton…the bottom of Mt. Rainier in the distance.

Well, there’s good news, and bad news. The San Francisco Writers Conference is sold out.

The GOOD news is, they have just launched an SFWC PRECONFERENCE Day. Please check out the press release below and join in on the 11th. This is an amazing line-up of speakers. Please feel free to forward this info.

San Francisco Writers Conference

1029 Jones St. San Francisco, CA 94109

Event Dates: Preconference February 11, Main February 12-14, 2010

Location: InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel

CONTACT: Barbara Santos (925) 560-1403

San Francisco Writers Conference Adds a PRECONFERENCE Day With In-depth full & Half-Day Sessions ON Feb. 11th, 2010

Small Classes, In-depth Topics Taught by Top-Rated Presenters Allows Writers to Learn Even More at One of the Country’s Best Writers Conference!

If you want to start attending the SFWC a day early (or for those who can’t attend the full 3-day main conference), the San Francisco Writers Conference has launched a full day of sessions on the day BEFORE the conference officially starts. “Several of our most popular presenters have agreed to launch the San Francisco Writers University with special SFWC PRECONFERENCE sessions on Thursday, February 11th,” said Elizabeth Pomada, SFWC Co-Director. For details and online registration:

What is different about THESE sessions? They are intimate…about 25 people getting to interact with the presenter for more project-specific help. These sessions will be in-depth—full day or half-day in length. As you can see below, the preconference day will feature a wide range of the most popular topics from the San Francisco Writers Conference.

The preconference sessions are open to the public. They are stand-alone sessions and attendees can chose one or more depending on their schedules, budgets and interest. Attendance at the Main Conference is not required.

Donald Maass—Imagine a FULL DAY with this top New York literary agent as he conducts this intensive session on “Writing the BreakOut Novel”. Much more personalized attention than any other session Donald gives. Full day session

Sheldon Siegel & Robert Dugoni will be “Putting the Thrill in Thriller Writing” during their session.Two (yes, TWO!) N.Y.Times bestselling authors show you how it’s done…so you can do it, too! Half Day- Afternoon.

Katharine Sands—One of our most popular sessions…ever…“PITCHCRAFT!” You MUST know how to pitch your book in order to get it sold. Katharine is the one to get you and your book pitch-perfect. Half Day- Afternoon.

Stephanie Chandler—knows all about using all the online tools available to writers, so learn from the master. “Creating Your Online Platform”. Half Day-Afternoon.

Lisa Rector Maass conducts this intensive session–“The 3rd Draft—Giving Your Novel that Last, Final Polish, after You Think It’s Finished”. Lisa will work with you to give your manuscript clarity and make it irresistible. It’s just what you needed! Half Day Morning.

Julie Salisbury, founder of Inspire-A-Book will conduct “DRESSING YOUR BOOK FOR SUCCESS: How to Make Your Nonfiction Book Unique”. Julie will share proven techniques and lots of feedback on your project. Half Day Morning.

Michael Larsen—He wrote the bible for nonfiction writers—“How to Write a Book Proposal”. He knows what it takes to present your book project and this session will help you finally get that proposal written. Half Day-Morning.

A ‘Full Day’ Registration fee is $300.00 and a ‘Half Day’ Session Registration is $149.00. Morning sessions run from 9AM until Noon. Afternoon sessions run from 1PM until 4PM. Lunch is not included. All 2010 San Francisco Writers Conference attendees get to deduct $50 from their Preconference Registration total. For more details on these sessions or the San Francisco Writers Conference, go to

# # #

Short blurb on the San Francisco Writers Conference: (50 words)

2010 SAN FRANCISCO WRITERS CONFERENCE & PRECONFERENCE. February 11th-14th at the Mark Hopkins Hotel. Enhance your writing and writing career! Limited to 300 attendees for extraordinary interaction with literary agents, editors, publishers and bestselling authors including Jacquelyn Mitchard, Steve Berry and Tamim Ansary. Event and contest details available at

Writers Digest, John Wiley & Sons/Jossey Bass, Author Solutions, InspireABook, Book Expo America, Bookshop West Portal, The Writer, Joyce Turley, Antrim Group, Bix, Fior d’Italia, supperclub, Beach Blanket Babylon, ExpertClick, Smashwords, Narrative Magazine, San Francisco Book Review, Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year’s Parade, Valero Energy.

a sea lion at high tide

today’s sunrise…I love this new 18-250mm lens. Click the thumbnail to see the glory!

I dog-sat my friend Sonny today. He was not so keen on working on the next chapter of my book…

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…with the softest of pillows.

fyi – this is such an inspiring place! Susan

Cannon Beach Oregon Coast - Oceanfront

Author Susan Wiggs and ArtistMary Marquiss Visit
The Ocean Lodge in February

Two weekend events bring Northwest cultural icons to Cannon Beach.

CANNON BEACH, OREGON – January 13, 2010 – The Ocean Lodge and Cannon Beach Books welcome guests the weekend of February 5–6, 2010 to listen and learn from New York Times best-selling author Susan Wiggs as she showcases her newest book, The Summer Hideaway.

Friday, February 5th from 5:30–7:00pm, join The Ocean Lodge for a light reception and book signing in the library, where author Susan Wiggs will introduce her new book, The Summer Hideaway. This event is free to the public.

Saturday, February 6th from 2:00–4:30pm, attend an English tea and writing workshop conducted by Susan Wiggs called “How to Write a Love Letter.” The workshop is $15.00 for non-hotel guests.

Overnight Packages: The Ocean Lodge is offering an overnight package for this event starting at $199 per night (2 night minimum required), which includes an autographed copy of one of Susan’s books.

Watercolor Classes with Mary MarquissThen from February 26–28, 2010, renowned artist Mary Marquiss will teach beginning watercolor classes in Cannon Beach. The weekend will begin with a wine tasting, art exhibit, and class overview at the beautiful Ocean Lodge on Friday evening at 6pm. The art classes on Saturday and Sunday will take place at the Chamber of Commerce in downtown Cannon Beach. Marquiss, a Bend, Oregon artist, brings sixteen years of teaching experience in watercolor and an emphasis on individual style.

Overnight Packages: The Ocean Lodge is offering a “Watercolor Weekend” lodging discount. Book by February 15 to get the best available room rates, starting at $199.00 per night at The Ocean Lodge, or $169.00 per night at the Inn at Cannon Beach. Each class is $75.00, or sign up for both for only $125. Each class is limited to 12 students to allow individual guidance, so register early.

For more information, and to sign up for classes and lodging, visit The Ocean Lodge online at For additional lodging options, visit the Inn at Cannon Beach at

About The Ocean Lodge:

The Ocean Lodge offers the ambiance of a 40’s style beach resort with private decks and porches to enjoy sea mist and moonbeams, dramatic ocean views, and the ebb and flow of crashing breakers as they come to rest on the pristine sands of the beautiful, scenic Oregon Coast. All this, within steps of our 45 well appointed guest rooms that include Jacuzzis, fireplaces, mini kitchens, and easy chairs. The Ocean Lodge provides a generous complimentary continental breakfast in the mezzanine fireplace room. Warm home baked cookies offered around the clock, many pet-friendly rooms, complete amenities, and concierge services create a unique getaway destination for romance and relaxation. HGTV’s Fine Living network has listed The Ocean Lodge as having the Second Best View in the World, second only to the Hotel Amarvilas Agra, which overlooks the Taj Mahal. The Ocean Lodge is owned and operated by Escape Lodging Company.

For more information, contact:

The Ocean Lodge

Wendy Higgins, General Manager

2864 South Pacific Street

P.O. Box 1037

Cannon Beach, Oregon 97110

Toll Free: 888-777-4047

Local: 503-436-2241

About Inn at Cannon Beach:

Cannon Beach has long been a favorite destination for travelers from near and far. Staying at the Inn at Cannon Beach you can experience quality accommodations at exceptional rates. You’ll find the Inn at Cannon Beach a relaxing change of pace and a welcome addition to the town of Cannon Beach. The Inn has a garden setting and is beautifully landscaped with a pond in the courtyard and viewing area throughout. One short block off the ocean, it’s an ideal location for relaxing retreats, and family getaways. Inquire about designated pet-friendly rooms, all rooms are 100% smoke free and include a complimentary deluxe continental breakfast in the art gallery. Inn at Cannon Beach is owned and operated by Escape Lodging Company.

For more information, contact:

The Inn at Cannon Beach

Terri Ferguson, General Manager

3215 South Hemlock Street
Cannon Beach, OR 97110

Toll Free: 800-321-6304

Local: 503-436-9085

Kirsten Graham
kirsten graham public relations
206 890 3435

Media Contact:

Bette Sinclair

B. Sinclair Public Relations

Direct: 503.226.0129

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The Ms are Adopting! April 11 2016, 0 Comments

Swell Adoption Fund: April 2016

(Our second family feature for the month)

Hi, we are Tom and Tori Magnett.

Adoption is such a beautiful word.

Adoption to us means love, dedication, and courage.  Love because it is the most loving act a person could do.  Dedication, because it is a long process with lots of paper work and hoops to jump through. And courage, because you have to walk through a lot of unknowns. In March of 2013 God laid adoption upon our hearts, so we have been in the process now for 3 years. We felt we should adopt overseas, but after trying to adopt from 2 countries that decided to close their doors to adoption in the middle of the process, we decided to switch back to domestic adoption. We are adopting through Lifeline Children Services. Domestically, Lifeline specializes in Birth Mom Adoptions. We have been waiting patiently for a birth mother to pick us. It is a very long, hard, emotional journey, but it will be well worth the wait! We have had our ups and downs but this process has made us stronger.

We cannot wait until we have our forever child in our arms!

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Robert Murillo

Robert M.

Fort Worth, TX

About Robert M.

Background check: Last verified 01/28/2017
Robert passed a background check on 01/28/2017 that included the following:
  • National Criminal Record Check
  • County/State Criminal Record Check
  • Sex Offender Registry Search
  • SSN Trace & Verification
For more information, please click here.
Robert teaches: Ages 5 to 75
Special needs
Teaching since: November 2008
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I am a Music EC-12 Certified Educator with a degree from The University of St. Thomas, working on my Masters of Music Education from Texas Christian University of which I am on full scholarship as the Graduate Music Education Assistant. I am partnered up with the Cool Cats Music and Art Studio which is a family based music lesson studio in North Fort Worth where I hold a position as music instructor and director of summer music programs.

My previous career roles include being Children's Choir Director for All Saints Catholic School (2015-16) and General Music Educator for Stafford Elementary School in Stafford Municipal School District (2011-15). My education experience covers many schools and programs in the Houston area, including various HISD schools as well as working for the University of St. Thomas Music Preparatory school as vocal, ukulele, bass guitar, music history/theory, and piano instructor.

My background in music is mostly vocal, working with choirs and ensembles my entire life. I have also spread my abilities to work with Bass Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, ukulele, and voice. I have many experiences with different genres such as American Folk Music, Jazz (Early to Fusion), and contemporary Rock/Pop, World Music, Christian/Worship/Catholic Liturgy, Rn'B, and Country music.

As an Music Educator, I have the strengths of being a distinguished musician and Professional educator which provides me with advanced knowledge in my field of study and interest, teaching for every age group from pre-school to Adult as well as influencing the fun, creativity, and expression of music no matter what the instrument.

*** Lesson Details ***
The music lessons will consist of a concise and strong education of their instrument as well as essential theory and history. I develop individual lesson plans for each student and subject, working on formative goals and objectives to work towards for every lesson and throughout the year. I look forward to being able to help students accomplish and enjoy their instrument, utilizing their interests and genres with a variety of texts and literature at many levels, looking to always expand my own collection to meet the needs of the students. I am comfortable with providing digital and paper materials as well as providing recordings and video studying resources with YouTube. I know in my heart and mind that I have something to offer to any student at any level in my studio, and, I am equally as passionate about providing an honest atmosphere for evaluation and positive criticism. With every lesson I always encourage brief reflection over the practice, study, and instruction, responding to every critical juncture that comes along the way. Being a certified educator and music instructor, I know that respect, understanding, honesty, human emotion, communication, and professionalism are the most critical components of a healthy Teacher-Student relationship.

Over 3000 Lessons taught with since 2010

*** Studio and Resources ***
I have the necessary tools to operate in and out of my studio. Within my workplace I always have my electric keyboard, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, ukulele, music library, printer/scanner, recording equipment, full sound system with mixer amp, guitar amp, microphone and stand, tuner, music stands, iPad stand, and comfortable space and seating. I also have expanded my studio capabilities that is an entirely digitized database and curriculum. Starting in August 2015, I will also be able to provide lessons out of the Music Department of Texas Christian University.
I expect for the students to provide their own instrument so that they are able to practice at home. I operate on MAC OS and IPad systems that maximize the technological uses of my in home studio.
Be prepared to learn more than you ever anticipated as I provide many resources. I also push for supplemental music instruction within the lessons, adding basic training and music learning skills needed for accompaniment instruments such as the acoustic guitar, ukulele, and piano which allow for students to have a stronger understanding of their music.

Photos and Videos

The Ukulele Day Camp at Cool Cats Music and Art Studio (Saginaw, TX) July 18-22, 10am-12pm

Graduate Assistant (TCU)
Aug 2015 - Present
Texas Christian University

Graduate Assistant to Music Education Department Working under Dr. Sherri Neill

Children's Choir Director
Aug 2015 - Present
All Saints Catholic School

Part Time Choir director at PK3-8th grade school

Private Music Instructor (Guitar, Voice, Piano, Ukulele, Bass Guitar, Music Theory/History)
Sep 2010 - Present
Robert M. Private Music Studio

I have operated my private music lessons studio in Houston since my senior year at The University of St. Thomas in 2010. I have managed a variety of students of all ages, utilizing in studio, online studio, as well as travel studio to student locations. I have taught in several cities of the Greater Houston area as well as in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Arlington regions where I currently reside.

Music Theory and History Instructor
Aug 2010 - Present
The University of St. Thomas Music Preparatory School

I work at several music education camps featured at my alma mater, The University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. I have worked several positions through this institution, including instructing Piano, Guitar, and Ukulele in addition to conducting for the inaugural MPS Children's Choir in UST University Singers Winter Concert in December of 2010.

Vice President
May 2014 - May 2015
Stafford Primary and Elementary PTO

General Music Educator
Aug 2011 - May 2015
Stafford Elementary School, SMSD

I loved my awesome school, go Stafford Spartans!

Masters of Music Education
Aug 2015 - Present
Texas Christian University
Music Education, B.A
Aug 2007 - May 2011
The University of St. Thomas

Languages Spoken

Fluent / Native Proficiency
Limited Proficiency

Texas Music Educators Certificate
May 2011
Texas Education Agency (The University of St. Thomas)

Takelessons Published Article for Guitar in Dallas
May 2015
Takelessons Published Article for Ukulele in Dallas
Apr 2015
Graduate Assistantship Scholarship
Apr 2015
Texas Christian University School of Music

Texas Music Educators Association
Jan 2011

Begun in 1920 as the Texas Band Teachers Association, the Texas Music Educators Association is an organization of over 10,000 school music educators dedicated to promoting excellence in music education. TMEA is comprised of five divisions: Band, Orchestra, Vocal, Elementary and College. On behalf of its members and Texas schoolchildren, TMEA carefully monitors the actions of all state decision-making bodies on issues affecting fine arts instruction in Texas. In addition to many member benefits, TMEA offers professional development opportunities for its members with Region workshops and especially with its annual Clinic/Convention. TMEA supports the future of music education by offering scholarships to music education majors and by sponsoring the Texas Future Music Educators, an organization through which high school students interested in careers in music education learn more about what to expect in their college education and future careers.

28 Reviews on Robert M.

Write a Review
Adrian B. Mar 5, 2017
Verified Student · Singing · In studio
Robert worked magic on my daughter. She went from a mocking bird to a nightingale.
Lillian Jan 17, 2017
Verified Student · Ukulele · In home
Robert is GREAT!
Aidan M. Dec 31, 2016
Verified Student · Ukulele · In studio
We had a great 1st lesson! Robert is great with kids ! My son left his lesson saying "Well that was fun! I can't wait for my next one !"
Brandon Z. Sep 8, 2016
Verified Student · Singing · In studio
Robert achieves the perfect balance between encouragement and constructive criticism to drive improvement. I have already learned ways I've been singing wrongly and have learned new ways of singing correctly. I have a new excitement about singing and want to continue taking lessons.
Nate G. Aug 11, 2016
Verified Student · Guitar · Online
I'm just learning to play guitar. I am very comfortable learning from Robert and am enjoying it!
Kobrie Jul 7, 2016
Verified Student · Guitar · In studio
My 4.5 y/o daughter is loving her weekly guitar and ukulele lessons with Robert. He is kind, patient, and "makes the lessons SO fun" (a direct quote!) In just five lessons, she has learned several chords, and can play a couple of nursery rhymes. My daughter is excited to practice at home, and is excited to learn more from Robert. I can't thank him enough for making her first experience with music such a pleasurable one.
Daniel T. Jun 30, 2016
Verified Student · Singing · In studio
Perfect. Look forward to continue learning with Robert.
Tim May 11, 2016
· Singing · In studio
Robert is a really positive teacher who helped me learn a lot about my voice as someone who had never taken voice lessons. I really enjoyed my lessons with him!
Emory B. Apr 26, 2016
Verified Student · Guitar · In studio
So far Robert seems to be a great instructor for kids, due to his background with school programs.
Rick J. Dec 14, 2015
Verified Student · Guitar · In studio
Great lesson, enjoyed it very much.
Robert Murillo
Robert M.

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Encounter Card Set Reviews

Here are the Encounter Card Set Reviews in one place, where I analyze the cards that make up each encounter card set in the game. Currently, I’ve reviewed all sets from the Core Set, as well as The Hunt for Gollum:

Dol Guldur Orcshill troll

Sauron’s Reach

Spiders of Mirkwood

Journey Along the Anduin

Passage Through Mirkwood

Escape from Dol Guldur

The Hunt for Gollum

And here are the Encounter Card Set Reviews organized by the quests they appear in (I’ll keep updating this list as I release more reviews):

Passage Through MirkwoodSpiders of MirkwoodDol Guldur Orcs, and Passage Through Mirkwood

Journey Along the AnduinSauron’s ReachDol Guldur OrcsWilderlands, and Journey Along the Anduin

Escape from Dol GuldurSpiders of MirkwoodDol Guldur Orcs, and Escape from Dol Guldur

The Hunt for Gollum: The Hunt for Gollum, Journey Along the Anduin, and Sauron’s Reach

Conflict at the Carrock: Conflict at the Carrock, Journey Along the Anduin, and Wilderlands

A Journey to Rhosgobel: A Journey to Rhosgobel, Spiders of Mirkwood, and Dol Guldur Orcs

The Hills of Emyn Muil: The Hills of Emyn Muil, Dol Guldur Orcs, and Sauron’s Reach

The Dead Marshes: The Dead Marshes, Sauron’s Reach, and Wilderlands

Return to Mirkwood: Return to Mirkwood, Spiders of Mirkwood, and Wilderlands

Here is the newer breed of Encounter Card Set Reviews, where I tackle quests as a whole based on whim:

Into the Pit Nightmare

Elrond’s Counsel: Conflict at the Carrock

Elrond’s Counsel: Deck-building for Goblins #1

Elrond’s Counsel: A Journey to Rhosgobel

  1. Daniel permalink

    This was my favorite section, and is almost a year since the last update, any plans on doing the Conflict at the carrock review?

    • TalesfromtheCards permalink

      Hi Daniel! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed this section. When it came time to prioritize all the different articles and topics, I made a decision to put the encounter card set reviews on the back burner due to lower reader interest than the other topics. However, I personally enjoy writing them, and so there’s every possibility that I will pick them back up again at some point.

  2. Clint permalink

    Hey, really appreciate the articles, but a quick question. I’m a pretty new player, so I may be confused, but you mention that a Legolas/Blade of Gondolin combo can clear locations. The Legolas card says that you may place progress tokens on the *quest*, not the location. This counts for locations as well? Btw loving the site, glad I found it, thanks for all the great work.

    • TalesfromtheCards permalink

      Hi Clint. I’m glad you’re enjoying the site and thanks for the kind words! Although it doesn’t seem like it just based on the language, progress from Legolas/Blade of Gondolin does indeed go on the active location before the quest stage. In fact, progress must always be placed on the active location before the quest stage, unless an effect specifically says “(bypassing the active location)”. This was something that had to be cleared up in the official FAQ. Speaking of which, the FAQ is a handy resource if you haven’t looked at it yet, and it answers many common questions: Hope that helps!

      • Clint permalink

        Thanks, that clears things up. Still missing small rules and such, but your blog had cleared up much, particularly the “5 things I wish I knew when i started section”. I’ve went and gotten my wife addicted to this blog as well, and our understanding of the nuances has went up considerably. Thanks very much

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Meet people through music

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  • Meet new people who share your interests
  • Chat with people near you
  • Discover new music based on your tastes

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Drayton's Gazette

Welcome to Draytons Gazette!

Black women face numerous challenges in U.S. society that cause distress and have been linked to mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and body image issues. Beyond the universal stressors of everyday functioning, distress caused by insidious social forces such as racism, sexism, and economic injustice make the preservation of mental health a difficult if not impossible task for many Black women. Despite this grim reality, there are several areas in which Black women demonstrate positive mental health outcomes in comparison to women of other races or ethnic groups. Why do we rarely hear about the positive mental health outcomes of Black women in the United States?

A recent poll by the Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation (2011), which included interviews with more than 800 Black women, resulted in a complex portrait of Black women’s lived experiences. Nearly three quarters of participants in the study worried about having enough money…

View original post 893 more words

This is a must reblog!!!

The Militant Negro™

By Jueseppi B.

The primary reason I do this blog is to spread factual truth about President Barack Hussein Obama, and I reblog post that speak to this mission I have undertaken. The reason I am alive right now is to get Barack Hussein Obama a second term. I will be successful.

Reblogged from The PCTC Blog:

Let’s talk about President Obama

If you’re one of those people who thinks President Obama is a “disappointment,” condolences for not getting your unicorn. And it’s time to grow up, get over it. We have four months to go before an election that will feature more political ads than you have ever seen before in your life. We’re not just having to beat Willard Romney; we also have to beat Citizens United. There will be TWO choices for president…

View original post 5,054 more words

The Militant Negro™

By Jueseppi B.

The Ultimate Mitt Romney Flip-Flop Collection

Know someone who needs to see video proof? Many of Mitt Romney’s flip-flops all in one video. Video compiled with clips from interviews, news, public appearances, and more. IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE FAIR USE ACT.

Republican presidential political candidate and former Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney has been known to say one thing…and then say another.

Includes his changed policy stances over the years on universal health care, the auto bailouts, the bank / Wall Street bailouts, pro-choice (abortion) or pro-life, the minimum wage, gay rights, gun rights & the NRA, immigration / amnesty, gay rights, poverty, government spending & laws, social security & Medicare, the Department of No Child Left Behind, lobbyists / lobbying, campaign donations, economic stimulus, Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac, global warming, stem…

View original post 96 more words

Here is another example of how Mitt the Jick plans on BUYING the election!

The Fifth Column

Romney got busted!

How desperate is this guy buying Twitter followers?

This is the same mindset that makes him believe that he can buy the presidency…

Something strange is going on with Mitt Romney’s Twitter account. It looks like the Romney campaign is using the Colorado shooting as a distraction to hide their buying 100,000 new Twitter followers.

140ELECT has been keeping an eye on this and providing the data behind Romney’s suspect surge, “Romney was gaining around 3000-4000 new followers per day for the past month. Yesterday he acquired 23,926 new followers and is climbing well over 50,000 today. The hourly stats make it pretty clear where this began.”

At 4 PM on Friday, Romney experienced a sudden rise in followers. This is bizarre because hours earlier in the day, the candidate had pulled himself off of the campaign trail. Mitt Romney is doing absolutely nothing right now…

View original post 441 more words

Thanks you Jueseppi for hipping your followers to this blog. The art is both thought provoking and inspiring.

“BAMA” Oil Painting: 16 x 20

“This piece is inspired by the masking or make-up of politics. To always show a person of leadership joyous and heroic is unrealistic. I aim to show a man leading a nation divided by various ideologies. The intense color of the background makes the lone president monumental as is his responsibility.”

~ Oneil Maitland of Ragamuffin Arts

Proceeds from the sale of “BAMA” will benefit Organizing for America and Africa-Diaspora Partnership For Empowerment & Development Inc (ADPED).  The ADPED is a not-for profit organization with membership from people of all nationalities, creed, and gender, who are bound together by a strong commitment to empowering people of Africa and the Diaspora to achieve community-led, self-reliant, sustainable livelihood and development.

Please contact the artist, Oneil Maitland at ragamuffin.arts(at)gmail.com for inquiries regarding “BAMA.”

Oneil Maitland is a Caribbean American artist and animator whose work feature a…

View original post 62 more words

I hope you take the time to read this and NOT just hit the like button. This is a well thought out statement on gun control that deserves to be read.

The Militant Negro™

By Jueseppi B.

I’d like to preface this long tweet by saying that my passion comes from my deepest sympathy and shared sorrow with yesterday’s victims and with the utmost respect for the people and the police/fire/medical/political forces of Aurora and all who seek to comfort and aid these victims.

This morning, I made a comment about how I do not understand people who support public ownership of assault style weapons like the AR-15 used in the Colorado massacre. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AR-15

That comment, has of course, inspired a lot of feedback. There have been many tweets of agreement and sympathy but many, many more that have been challenging at the least, hostile and vitriolic at the worst.

Clearly, the angry, threatened and threatening, hostile comments are coming from gun owners and gun advocates. Despite these massacres recurring and despite the 100,000 Americans that die…

View original post 1,710 more words

The World According to Monsanto

There’s nothing they are leaving untouched: the mustard, the okra, the bringe oil, the rice, the cauliflower. Once they have established the norm: that seed can be owned as their property, royalties can be collected. We will depend on them for every seed we grow of every crop we grow. If they control seed, they control food, they know it – it’s strategic. It’s more powerful than bombs. It’s more powerful than guns. This is the best way to control the populations of the world. The story starts in the White House, where Monsanto often got its way by exerting disproportionate influence over policymakers via the “revolving door”. One example is Michael Taylor, who worked for Monsanto as an attorney before being appointed as deputy commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1991. While at the FDA, the authority that deals with all US food approvals, Taylor made crucial decisions that led to the approval of GE foods and crops. Then he returned to Monsanto, becoming the company’s vice president for public policy.

Read the rest of this page »

The Ownership of The People of Earth by V. Lyn

The dismantling of our democracy, and the take over of governments by corporations is happening here and in other countries. I believe the goal is to virtually enslave the 99.9 percent of the world. Not with chains and shackles but by a class system, that will manifest through taking away of our most basic rights and democracy itself. Corporations newest tactic is through the use of Citizens United, where money can silence the voice of the wealthy, middle class and the poor. (The super rich, those few truly super super rich will benefit from this play for dominance. In my view there is a power play happening and one faction of the super rich is trying to thwart it. Okay now I do sound crazy but I think there are corrupt super rich like the Koch brothers and others and then there are the super rich like the Soros and the Buffets who are trying to stop what they know is occurring. Sounds like a bad script for a bad movie but I still believe it.)Corporations are using Emergency Management Policies to further strip us of our democracy. Emergency Management in the manner that it is being used as in Benton Harbor Mi., gives entire cities over to anyone a governor sees fit when a city is deemed in financial jeopardy. It allows this entity to break union contracts, take over pension systems, set school curriculums and even to dissolve or disincorporate municipalities. “Under PA 4, EMs, who are appointed by the governor, can “exercise any power or authority of any officer, employee, department, board, commission or other similar entity of the local government whether elected or appointed.” and as in Brazil to corporations.

Read the rest of this page »

Motley News

What is so VERY sad is that this is true. Ironically true. It needs to be required that anyone who registers as a presidential candidate MUST disclose his/her last 14 years of tax returns.

View original post

The Fifth Column

I think everyone I know had the same reaction to Ann Romney’s words…you people.  However, I’m ahead of myself so I’ll let the Salon article put it in context…

Ross Perot suffered for calling black voters “you people,” but 20 years on, we’re all “you people” to GOP elitists

Are we allowed to criticize Ann Romney yet? I have a call into Hilary Rosen, but she hasn’t gotten back to me.

I’m thinking that with Mitt Romney’s shot at Teresa Heinz Kerry the other day, for not releasing sufficient information from her personal tax returns, maybe we’re beyond the “wives are off-limits” phase of the campaign. Or maybe “wives are off-limits” always applies, but only to Republican wives.

Whatever. I find it impossible not to comment on Ann Romney Antoinette’s remark that her husband has provided enough tax information to “you people.” Or as she told…

View original post 566 more words

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Submission + - Go Flash-free: How to get rid of Adobe Flash (

JimLynch writes: Apple's doing it. Google's getting there. And Microsoft is quietly moving toward it. Big names in tech are trying to leave Adobe's Flash plug-in behind, citing stability and energy efficiency concerns. Can the average web surfer take the plunge? Not entirely, but with the right tools, you can mostly forgo Flash.
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Go Flash-free: How to get rid of Adobe Flash

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Every little picofarad has a nanohenry all its own. -- Don Vonada


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• Mobile Searches Surpass Desktop Searches At Google For The First Time

    Mobile Searches Surpass Desktop Searches At Google For The First Time

    Google’s search chief Amit Singhal said for the first time this summer, more Google searches were completed on mobile devices than desktop computers. Singhal said Google fields more than 100 billion searches per month. The number is particularly significant because Singhal was speaking about just devices with screens that are less than six inches, so it excludes many tablets. During… Read More

  • Google Desktop for Macs now supports Gadgets

    Well, this seems rather pointless, but Mac users now have the option of installing a new version of Google Desktop that allows you to install gadgets. What is Google Gadgets? Nothing special, really. They’re just mini-apps that you can add to Dashboard to show you things like the weather, photos, and e-mail. Said Gadgets are installed into the Dashboard rather than having a separate… Read More

  • Run your Google Desktop gadgets on your iGoogle page

    With Google’s new Desktop 5.5 Beta, you’re now able to run the gadgets once relegated to your computer’s sidebar right on your web browser’s personalized iGoogle start page. Before you get too excited (or even a little excited), it should be pointed out that Google Desktop must be installed and running on your computer for this to work within your web browser. So… Read More

  • Google Desktop For Linux Now Available

    Google Desktop, meet Linux. Google’s Beijing eggheads developed the app to run on Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, Suse and Red Flag flavors, giving Penguin-heads quick access to Gmail, local files and Web searches. Google Desktop for Linux uses KDE or GNOME and is currently available in 10 different languages. Google Desktop goes Linux [] Read More

  • Google Desktop Now Available For Mac

    Google has released a beta of its Google Desktop application for Mac OS X. The application—which is a Universal Binary—indexes users’ hard drives, including fun stuff like e-mails, PDFs, apps and other files. If this sounds similar to Apple’s own Spotlight search technology, that’s because they both do essentially the same thing. Google Desktop had been available… Read More

  • Google Desktop 4 leaves beta, launches gadget dev contest

    The Google Desktop team just announced that version 4 of the software has left beta status, so all you cynics about perpetual beta can give it a rest! This version only spent 6 weeks in beta. Maybe GMail is next, who knows? Today’s announcement included the expansion of Google Desktop into now 27 languages, the availability of a new drag and drop system for gadget (or widget) UI… Read More

  • Google Desktop Embarrassment

    The Mercury News points out a fairly basic flaw in Google’s Desktop Search application: it cannot track files if you move them around on your hard drive (changing folders, moving folders, etc.). The application will index new files added to the computer, but it doesn’t notice when an already-indexed file is moved to a different folder. The solution? Uninstall and then reinstall… Read More

  • Google Desktop 3.0: Privacy is Dead(er)

    Google is launching a new version (3.0) of their Desktop Search product, possibly tonight. The biggest change is the option to store your hard drive index on Google’s servers instead of locally on your own computer. This allows searches from a remote computer (such as a work computer). This is of course a touchy privacy subject, but the ability to search from a remote computer will be… Read More


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Archive | March, 2014

Copy Command Prompt output to the Windows Clipboard in simple steps

11 Mar

It was never easy to get your CMD line output to the clipboard. But here I share this video that shows you how to transfer the results of your command prompt command to a text file. You can copy these results to Windows clipboard and then paste them to Notepad or WordPad. Here are the steps:

Just write “: clip” at the end the command of which you want to copy the output and hit the enter.

Now open the Notepad or Wordpad and click on paste.


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TR Member Perks!

So, to finish up the last of our international builds (for now, anyway), we have the Brits. Or anyone who uses the Pound, anyway. As usual, 700 in currency, and we use it to make the best PC gaming rig we can. I do know about the exchange rates and such, but I figured for the first bundle, we should keep it easy for everyone to follow. So for the Brits, there’s a powerful machine with no compromises. Here is the UK PC Build.

The Churchill.

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690k

For the CPU, you get arguably the best gaming processor on the market. An updated Haswell chip, the 4690k allows excellent overclocking, performs well all over, and is not much more expensive than the 4670k. For single threaded performance, the only chips that beat it are usually i7 CPUs, and it performs really well in games and even editing.

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo

Probably the best CPU cooler that won’t harm your wallet, this thing will allow overclocking for damn near anything. It will even allow novice overclockers to fiddle around without messing too much with CPU voltages, and will keep everything nice and cool under load. Perfect for this build.

Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer

Not the coolest name ever, but it definitely performs well, much like its namesake. Full featured, SLI/Crossfire capable, onboard USB3.0, the works. Not bad for the cheapest available unlocked board, huh? Plus it looks pretty good as well, sporting the black and red that can look good with damn near anything.

RAM: Cheapo Kingston 8GB

Same as our last build, this RAM is mostly used just to be RAM. It’s capable, decently fast, and works with almost anything. In one DIMM, it will allow easy upgrading and keep costs and heat down.

Storage: Seagate 1TB Hybrid Drive

You could probably couple a low capacity SSD with a high capacity hard drive, but this is probably better. Easy to work with, fits all your games, and fast. Boot times will be around 20 seconds or less, and games will load quickly.

GPU: Zotac GTX 970

I won’t lie, I just bought one of these for my own system as an early Christmas gift. It rocks. It’s cool while gaming, even on ultra, can take anything I’ve thrown at it, and overclocks like mad, even on my 500W PSU. From personal experience, this card is really good, and it’s nice and compact so it can fit in almost any case. It comes highly recommended from me, if that means anything.

Case: Cooler Master N300

A nice little case, comes with everything you need. The implementation of a side mounted cooler area is actually pretty neat as well, and will help save space if you want to put in a water cooler or a couple of fans. The N200 is really enjoyable to work with, so this most likely will be as well, since it’s a full ATX case.

PSU: Corsair CX500M

Another component in my own build, this PSU is really good. It powers everything in most builds, and is relatively inexpensive too. Plus, since it’s semi-modular, it will help with cable management and clutter. Excellent PSU.

So, there you have it. For 683.95 Pounds, you get a no-nonsense machine that will play anything you want (except maybe Star Citizen). Some of the best components went into this, and it will make anyone happy to use.

This was one of the most enjoyable things for me to do. I learned a lot about the different areas and how their computer lifestyle works. I hope everyone else had as much fun with it as I did. As always, criticize, discuss, or compliment the build, and let me know if there’s something I can do for you.

If you need some games for your fancy new machine, check out the TechRaptor Gamefanshop. Great games for cheap, even brand new titles. Perfect gifts for any gamers, as well.

Ben Kuyt

Gamer, Computer geek, Musician, Writer. Favourite series are Star Fox, Halo, Battlefield, and Forza. My last name is pronounced kite. Or kout, for the European Football fans.