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Spring Bean Cowl

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Thank you Lion Brand Yarn for providing the yarn for this pattern!

I had the opportunity to try the new Mandala yarn from Lion Brand and I am sooooo excited about it! If you aren’t familiar with it yet, it’s Lion Brand’s take on the trendy yarn cakes that have taken the crochet world by storm recently. I knew I was going to love Mandala as soon as I heard that it was a #3 light yarn – that immediately set it apart in my mind from all the other versions. And the colors!

Not only are there 16 beautiful color schemes to choose from, but the gradient effect they give is the best I’ve seen in these popular cakes. While not a true gradient, the creators of Mandala yarn were very intentional about their color changes. Instead of 3 or 4 abrupt color jumps, Mandala utilizes light and dark shades of the same color to gradually change from one color to the next. For example, in “Genie” (the sample with the green/white/gray colorway), the yarn started as a dark gray, then switched to medium gray, to grayish-green, to green, to light green, to even lighter green, to white, to lightest gray, to medium gray, and finally on back to the dark gray it began with. What a difference that makes in the overall look!

I decided that a nice simple textured project would be perfect for showing off the pretty colors of this yarn. I’ve been playing with the bean stitch lately, so that’s what I used. I don’t know exactly why this stitch got its name, but I think it looks like an espresso bean, and coffee-related things always make me happy.

I also worked this cowl up in two other fun colors – Sphinx (left) and Chamera (right). Mandala yarn definitely has something for everyone!

What’s really great about this pattern is that it uses all of your Mandala cake without leaving any wasted yarn. That’s always a win for me (and for my overflowing yarn shelf)!

Scroll down for the free cowl pattern!

Pattern Permissions

This is a FREE pattern, and by using it, you're agreeing to the following legally-protected conditions. You're welcome to sell what you make with it; for online listings, please link back to my blog using something like this:

Pattern by Little Monkeys Crochet
Here are the “do nots”:
  • Do not resell the pattern, altered or in its original form.
  • Do not copy and paste the pattern onto your own blog, in a Facebook group, or anywhere else. Simply link to this page instead. Anything beyond this is copyright theft, regardless of what your pattern-sharing buddies tell you. 🙂
  • Do not pull any of my photos from this site (or any of my other sites) for your own use. The exception to this is if you want to share my article link(s) on your own blog; in this case, you are welcome to take one photo per post for use on your site as long as it is accompanied by a direct link back to my post.

A NOTE ABOUT PRINTING: My patterns no longer show up when accessed via (This is out of my control; please see my FAQs for more info.) If you wish to print this pattern (for personal use only), you can copy & paste it into a text editing document, or purchase the inexpensive PDF (see pattern info, below).

Spring Bean Cowl

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Click here to purchase an inexpensive, ad-free PDF version from the Little Monkeys Pattern Store.
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Difficulty: Easy

Finished Size: 29" around x 16" tall

Hook:  H (5.0mm)

Yarn: 1 full cake of Lion Brand Mandala (or about 590 yards of your favorite #3 light yarn from Lion Brand). Sample is shown in "Genie".

Gauge: 14 rows of 7 bean stitches = 4" square. Or, your starting chain should measure about 27-28".

You'll also need: Yarn needle

Abbreviations Used:
   SL ST (slip stitch)
   SK (skip)
   CH (chain)
   SC (single crochet)

Special Stitch:
   Bean Stitch - Completed, this stitch actually covers the ground of two stitches. Here's how you do it:

Insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull through (2 loops on hook). Yarn over, insert hook into same stitch, yarn over and pull through (4 loops on hook). Yarn over, insert hook into same stitch, yarn over and pull through (6 loops on hook). Yarn over and pull through all 6 loops. Chain 1 to close the stitch, and skip the next stitch. (You will skip the next stitch every time you do a bean stitch.)

(1) This pattern is written in American Standard Terms.
(2) CH1 at the beginning of round does not count as a stitch.
(3) Pattern is worked in a continuous, seamless round (spiral). Do not join, turn or chain except where instructed.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Pattern

Fringe (optional)
Before we make a single stitch, we're going to cut our fringe. This enables us to have enough yarn for the fringe while still using up every yard of the Mandala cake for the pattern. Since we want our fringe to blend right into the gradient of the pattern, carefully remove the label and find the end of the yarn. (We'll be pulling from the center while we crochet, so the bottom of the cowl will be the end you find along the outside wall of the cake). Handle your cake with care so that you can slip that label back on it when you're done.

Find something in your home that is approximately 9" wide - I used a 9" cutting board. Wrap the yarn all the way around the object 55 times, keeping it taught, but not pulling super tight (Figure 1). Cut once at the halfway point (Figure 2). Carefully gather the strands in your hand and fold them in half, then cut again at the halfway point (figure 3). You should now have about 110 pieces of fringe. (We only need 100, but usually a few of them end up too short.) Carefully replace the label on your yarn cake, and proceed to the pattern.

For the pattern, use the beginning of the yarn from the center of the yarn cake.

To begin: CH100. Join to first CH with a SL ST, being careful to not twist the chain. (Briana K has an awesome video tutorial here for how to do this perfect every time.) (100)

Round 1: CH1. SC in same ST and in each ST around. Do not join. (100)

Round 2: Do not chain. Complete a bean stitch in the first SC from the previous round (see "Special Stitch" for instructions). Bean stitch around. (100, or 50 bean stitches)

Rounds 3-52 (or until you almost run out of yarn): Bean Stitch around. (100, or 50 bean stitches)

To finish: After your last completed bean stitch, SC in next ST and SL ST in next ST. Fasten off and weave in ends. In groups of 4 strands, attach fringe every 4 stitches (every other bean).

Pattern Permissions

This is a FREE pattern, and by using it, you’re agreeing to the following legally-protected conditions.

You’re welcome to sell what you make with it; for online listings, please link back to my blog using something like this:

Pattern by
Little Monkeys Crochet

Here are the “do nots”:

  • Do not resell the pattern, altered or in its original form.
  • Do not copy and paste the pattern onto your own blog, in a Facebook group, or anywhere else. Simply link to this page instead. Anything beyond this is copyright theft. You are welcome to copy/paste it into a document for printing, for personal use only.
  • Do not pull any of my photos from this site (or any of my other sites) to promote yourself or your crochet business on your own blog, Facebook page, or anywhere else. The exception to this is if you want to share my article link(s) on your own blog; in this case, you are welcome to take one photo per post for use on your site as long as it is accompanied by a direct link back to my post and does not include any portion of the pattern itself.
  • Do not post a translation of the pattern anywhere – this is copyright theft. If you would like to help make a translation available, I am happy to publish it on my blog with a link to your blog or Crochet-related Facebook page.
  • Do not make a video tutorial of this pattern (or any of my patterns). For a detailed explanation of why this hurts designers, please contact me.
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I welcome all comments and questions as long as they are spoken with kindness, and I will always try to extend the same respect to you with my replies. If I feel your comment is inappropriate or unnecessarily hurtful, it may be deleted at my discretion.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: I’ve just given birth to my 3rd little monkey, a baby boy named Henry James, on 12/28/16. I may be slow at responding to messages and greatly appreciate your patience during this time of transition. I’m not disappearing, but I may not be able to help you as quickly as you need it. – Rebecca 🙂

{ 160 comments… add one }
  • Krista March 17, 2017, 9:54 am

    Awesome pattern as I also love all things coffee – just wondering where you can find this magical yarn – I’ve only seen the Caron cake ones. And I’m in love with these colours ?

    • Patricia García de Polavieja March 17, 2017, 10:24 am

      Lovely! The yarn is gorgeous… Have to try it out.

    • Rebecca March 17, 2017, 10:32 am

      Thanks ladies! Krista, the Mandala yarn is available at Walmarts in the South — you can go to and find out if there is one near you. Or, you can order direct from Lion Brand 🙂

    • Wanda March 25, 2017, 12:26 am

      I found mine at my local Walmart. ?

    • Jessica November 28, 2017, 2:40 pm

      You can find this beautiful yarn at walmart.

    • Cinthia December 21, 2017, 12:22 am

      You can buy This yarn at walmart. Love it!!! Thank you for the pattern.

  • April Friedman March 17, 2017, 10:24 am

    I purchased an all access pass but can,t seem to get past the page that says it is a limited access page. Can you please provide some instructions for getting to the ad-free patterns I paid for?
    Thanks, April

    • Rebecca March 17, 2017, 10:31 am

      April, I emailed you instructions privately 🙂

  • Sunny March 17, 2017, 10:31 am

    I love those new Lion Brand cakes! And your lovely bean stitch pattern is perfect for them. Can’t wait to get started on my own cowl. Thanks for the pattern! Blessings to you.

  • Regina Loring March 17, 2017, 11:19 am

    Thanks for this nice cowl pattern. Can’t wait to try it.

  • Marge March 17, 2017, 12:26 pm

    I absolutely love this! It’s beautiful & am going to try my hand at it as soon as I finish the afghan I’m making!

  • Jan March 17, 2017, 1:03 pm

    I love the project to do. I was wondering you just want it to have no seam in the
    back. Is that right? Why not have seam ? Or just use a plastic maker see start a new row. Jan

    • Katie K. March 17, 2017, 2:42 pm

      I’m guessing it’s to accommodate the nature of the color changes. If you have a seam, the join would probably be really obvious.

      This is lovely! I’m looking forward to trying it.

    • Rebecca March 17, 2017, 3:49 pm

      I never put a seam in if it’s just as easy to avoid it. 🙂

  • Trina Wells March 17, 2017, 2:07 pm

    Oh my goodness this is just beautiful. And I just picked up one of the Mandala Yarn cakes at Walmart this week with no specific project in mind ( I just couldn’t help my self) But now I know what to do with it. Thanks so much for sharing. And I wanted to say the All Access Pass as been the absolute best $$ I’ve ever spent. I love having access to the easy to download and print patterns. Thanks Bunches 🙂

    • Carolyn March 18, 2017, 6:38 pm

      What Walmart did you find the yarn at

  • Laura March 17, 2017, 2:32 pm

    I ❤ this! Thank you for sharing ? the mandalas are my favorite of the cake yarns too and I can’t wait to make a few of these.

  • Linda morgan March 17, 2017, 3:07 pm

    Thank-you for sharing your ideas and patterns. I love ❤ them and I really like that this pattern uses all the yarn. I have so many small balls of yarn from left overs, my husband swears he is going to throw them in the trees ? I make hats and donate them to the Neonatal and cancer patients.

  • Frances March 17, 2017, 6:52 pm

    You pick the best color combos for your projects ! Love this pattern !

    Thanks sooooo much for sharing !

  • Carolyn March 18, 2017, 11:18 am

    Is there a tutorial for this stitch or an easier stitch to do for this pattern for the less talented crocheters ?

  • Elizabeth Farrell March 18, 2017, 11:41 am

    It doesn’t appear that Manfaka is available in NY stores yet. Can you recommend a similar brand? I really love the cowl and would love to make it! Thank you!

    • Elizabeth Farrell March 18, 2017, 11:43 am

      Mandala (I misspelled it in previous comment).

    • Rebecca March 18, 2017, 5:49 pm

      Any #3 yarn will work fine. As far as similar colorway, I’m not sure what to recommend as the other readily-available multi-color yarn cakes are all #4s. You’d be looking at ordering from a more specialty shop.

  • Carolyn March 18, 2017, 6:41 pm

    What Walmart what states carry Mandala cakes

  • Deby March 22, 2017, 8:24 am

    Nice shawl.i love it.maybe You Can give the diagram also next time.thank You so much

  • Margarita Cruz Hernández March 23, 2017, 9:03 am

    Hola cuanto es el. Precio how much it cost thank my email is

    • Rebecca March 23, 2017, 6:19 pm

      The pattern is free, it’s in the blog post 🙂

  • Debbie March 24, 2017, 12:02 pm

    On the fringe does the thickness Mather when using something to make the fringe. I know it has to be 9″ but I wasn’t sure on the thickness thank you for this lovely pattern

    • Rebecca March 27, 2017, 9:25 am

      No, it’s just whatever you prefer. It doesn’t even have to be 9″ strands, you can make the fringe as long or short as you want. That’s just what I did and what the photos show.

  • Margarita Cruz Hernández March 24, 2017, 12:20 pm

    Hi I love this thow I want to know Ware do I get the theard thank you.

    • Rebecca March 27, 2017, 9:25 am

      I’m not sure what you’re asking, I’m sorry!

    • Alicia Leslie April 12, 2017, 1:14 am

      The yarn used for this pattern is Mandala which is made by Lion Brand. You can find it at Walmart, if they sell it in your area store. You can go to this website to see if a store near you carries it: or you can order it from the Lion Brand website.

  • brianne March 24, 2017, 3:07 pm

    I have some gorgeous Malabrigo Mecha yarn that I just bought that I’ve been looking to use in a beautiful pattern and this one is gorgeous! It’s a bulky weight yarn, can I adjust this pattern for that? I have about 260 yards of it in 2 skeins, will it be enough?
    Thank you, Brianne

    • Rebecca March 27, 2017, 9:28 am

      I think you would be fine, especially since you wouldn’t want to make the cowl 16″ tall with bulky yarn (it would be REALLY thick). I would just chain to approximately 27-28″ (keep it an even number) and then follow the instructions until you either run out of yarn or think it’s long enough. (Don’t forget to cut fringe first if you want it.)

      • brianne March 27, 2017, 9:54 am

        Okay perfect thank you so much! I will omit the fringe so I can have enough yarn to make the cowl. I plan on using a larger needle so that it’s not too tight or stiff, but will take your advice and crochet to less than 16″ tall.
        Thanks! Brianne

  • Shelley March 31, 2017, 11:43 am

    I have been in search of this yarn. The websit is sold out until September and the furthest north I can find it at a Walmart is Tennessee. I live in Ohio and am fixin to spend a good amount of time in the hospital for surgeries and treatment. I wanted to have some of this to work on while I am in my “luxury hotel”. Does anyone by chance have any they might consider selling? Please email me if you do, thank you so much. Bless you all!

    • Alicia April 12, 2017, 1:21 am

      Have you found any yet? As of 2 days ago my local Walmart restocked the shelves with these beauties and of course I had to bring some home with me. LOL…If you still haven’t been able to get any let me know. My Walmart sells them for $4.97 just to let you know.

    • Wendy October 15, 2017, 9:52 am

      I’ve seen it in Walmart in Fremont Ohio.

  • Charlene April 1, 2017, 6:26 pm

    I love this! Do you have a blanket pattern for this yarn?

    • Rebecca April 9, 2017, 6:32 pm

      Not yet!

  • Jamie April 3, 2017, 3:47 pm

    Lovely pattern! I’ll have to wait until the Mandala yarn is back in stock to try this!

  • Sandra Sauve April 5, 2017, 3:07 pm

    Thankyou for sharing your pattern , you do beautiful work !

  • MARIA CRISTINA CAMACHO April 6, 2017, 1:50 pm

    • Rebecca April 9, 2017, 6:27 pm

      Hi! Unfortunately I know absolutely nothing about making my own yarn. Sorry I can’t be of more help!

  • Kathy April 7, 2017, 6:32 am

    I was able to find this yarn on Orson back order on the Lion Brand site until September.

    • Kathy April 7, 2017, 6:39 am

      It’s on*

  • Francoise April 25, 2017, 5:27 pm

    Question in regards to the spring bean Cowl, I want to make it a little bigger can I just do 200 and bean stitch 100.

    • Rebecca April 27, 2017, 4:35 pm

      Yes 🙂

  • Krystal May 24, 2017, 11:18 pm

    Hi… i was wondering if i wanted to make the spring beans cowl longer what would be the multiple of stitches need??? Love your patterns

    • Francoise May 25, 2017, 3:19 pm

      I asked the same question and you just increase iThe by 100 and it’s a better fit for my neck! Good luck hope that helps.

    • Rebecca May 29, 2017, 8:41 pm

      It just needs to be an even number. 🙂

  • Breeanna June 7, 2017, 10:50 pm

    So I’ve done my 100 chain twice now but no matter how loose I do it I can only get it to 24 inches. Any ideas?

    • Rebecca June 8, 2017, 9:24 am

      Try a bigger hook size 🙂

  • Betty July 5, 2017, 7:05 pm

    If I wanted to make a scarf instead do I just change even number or add extra chains

    • Love all you pzBetty July 5, 2017, 7:13 pm

      Love all your patterns but don’t like cowl but love this pattern. I meant to right how many chains.

      • Rebecca July 5, 2017, 7:53 pm

        Just keep chaining until it’s as long as you prefer, making sure you end up with an even number of chains.

  • Shelly Lesieur Smith July 15, 2017, 10:53 am

    Already have some yarn and look forward to trying this

  • Shelly Lesieur Smith July 15, 2017, 10:54 am

    Already have some yarn and look forward to trying this pattern. Thank you

  • Cindy July 17, 2017, 11:45 am

    Thank you for this pattern. I have one full oddball cake of Mandala. A very well written pattern. I am going to omit the fringe on mine.

  • susan ballesteros July 23, 2017, 6:47 am

    i found that the yarn cake only yields 40 rows using the H hook and while this is okay for someone with a small frame, i decided to try the I hook and found the cowl to be wider yet still yielding 40 rows. also i measured individual 25 36″ strands for the fringe and it made the fringe lengths more consistent.

  • Gwen July 31, 2017, 7:35 pm

    I stumbled across this at my Walmart. They got a new employee in the fabric dept & she found this in the back not put out. She was a crocheter & knew what she had. I bought the genie, chimera, & centaur colors. Glad to see how they look worked up.

  • Samantha August 6, 2017, 9:41 pm

    Just started my cowl with Mandala Phoenix. I love the pattern and love the yarn colors and it’s super soft. Thank you.

  • Sara August 7, 2017, 12:40 am

    When you do the second row of bean stitches, does the stitch go into the bean stitch on the previous row? Or i to the ch1?

    • Rebecca August 7, 2017, 6:42 pm

      It goes into the ST created by the actual bean stitch, not the CH1 following the bean stitch. You’ll be able to tell because it will be much easier to insert your hook into the correct ST than it will be into the incorrect one.

      • Sara August 7, 2017, 6:48 pm

        Perfect! Thanks for the response…the bean stitches start looking like they are in a diagonal row?

        • Rebecca August 7, 2017, 9:05 pm

  • Cherry August 7, 2017, 6:39 pm

    Since it says NOT to join at the end of each round I am confused about when to close the seam.

    • Rebecca August 7, 2017, 6:43 pm

      You’re crocheting in a continuous spiral so there is no seam. At the end of the pattern it instructs you on how to wrap up the final round so that you aren’t left with a jagged edge.

  • Barbara August 8, 2017, 4:27 am

    Love, love this pattern! I have several colorways of Mandala, so looks like my project list got a lot longer… 🙂 Thank you! Love all your patterns, so clear and easy to follow!

  • Kelsey August 28, 2017, 1:26 am

    Hi Rebecca! This pattern is amazing! I’m just a little bit confused about finishing. Does it matter if the last round is complete before the last sc and sl st? Should I even be marking and counting rounds?

    Thanks so much for the pattern and your help!

    • Rebecca September 2, 2017, 3:43 pm

      It really doesn’t matter in this project, honestly. If you want to be easy on yourself, don’t worry about counting and just crochet until you’re about out of yarn.

  • Jenn August 28, 2017, 3:41 pm

    Is there a video tutorial for this?

    • Rebecca September 2, 2017, 3:41 pm

      There is not 🙂

      • Jenn September 3, 2017, 11:57 am

        Oh 🙁 I’m a beginner kinda and I do better with video still not the greatest at patterns.

        • Dee October 4, 2017, 9:04 pm

          I wish there was a video too! I am having such a hard time hooking the chain without twisting.. I keep getting confused.

  • Lacy September 11, 2017, 7:46 pm

    I bought 7 of these cakes in the Gnome colorway to make an afghan for my 3yo for Christmas. Pretty sure I’ll have a full cake leftover, so now I get to make this cowl for my 7yo! Thanks for yet another awesome pattern. I had no idea what I was going to do with that extra cake. LOL

  • Randi September 16, 2017, 6:06 pm

    Hi is there a video for this project? I’m not too good with reading patterns and I really love this.

    • Rebecca September 17, 2017, 6:32 pm

      Unfortunately there is no video at this time 🙂

  • angie October 6, 2017, 1:45 pm

    hi i really love this, thanks, the lnk to this page was shared to me and i have to say thank you to that person , I love this thanks

  • silvia October 8, 2017, 12:29 pm

  • Debbra Swaim October 20, 2017, 9:41 am

    This is a beautiful Cowl. I was wondering if you can do the starting chain of 100 as a Foundation Single Crochet (FSC) instead? Got to love that your patterns are free. Lots of hard work goes into making patterns and yours are great!

    • Rebecca October 21, 2017, 9:29 pm

      Thank you for the kind words! Yes, you can use FSC. 🙂

  • Adriana October 22, 2017, 1:48 am

    The tutorial for the perfect chain every time is absolutely awesome!

  • Ori October 26, 2017, 2:37 pm

    Is there a way to adapt this into a baby blanket? I love the pattern!!! Gorgeous!

  • Bettina November 6, 2017, 4:29 pm

    I actually have a question . When you say after the foundation chain “ sc around “ , is that the same as crochet “across the foundation chain ? Or is it literally around ?

    • Rebecca November 6, 2017, 4:34 pm

      I’m not sure if I’m understanding your question correctly. The foundation chain is joined, so after that you are working in the round.

  • Mindy November 8, 2017, 10:19 pm

    If i want to make longer, how many stitches do I add to chain? You said an even number but how many per bean stitch? Like 4,6,8? I hope this makes sense, basically if it needs to be 102, 104, 106, 108….or any even number.

    • Rebecca November 9, 2017, 9:13 pm

      Each bean stitch covers 2 stitches. Is that what you’re asking?

    • Kathy November 10, 2017, 6:32 am

      If you add more to the chain, you’ll end up making it wider, not longer. You’ll have to subtract from the chain (by an even #) to make it longer, but that’ll make the neck hole smaller.

  • Jossy November 11, 2017, 2:57 pm

    I finished this as my first project, and it feels amazing, BUT somehow I ended up with a cowl that’s turned in on itself, so it doesn’t open up like a normal scarf, if that makes sense.. any idea where I went wrong?

  • Julie Knutson November 18, 2017, 4:11 pm

    You should do a video tutorial – I’m kinda a watch n do person n these stitches are easier if I can watch someone do them ! Just suggestion!

    • Rebecca November 19, 2017, 5:51 pm

      I would love to be able to do video tutorials for all of my patterns, but with a 10 month old, it’s a bit tricky. 🙂

  • Andrea November 18, 2017, 5:29 pm

    Just came across your blog…GREAT patterns and your darling personality comes across too..thank you for being so kind and sharing! Hope you and all your little monkey’s are doing great!

  • Megan November 18, 2017, 7:10 pm

    Thank you for sharing this beautiful pattern! I am pretty new at chocheting and this was a great project for me. My scarf turned out beautiful!

  • Mrgan November 25, 2017, 9:28 pm

    Do you have a hat or ear warmer pattern that goes with this?

  • Kylee December 2, 2017, 10:52 am

    Can I cut this down for 6 and 7 yr olds

    • Rebecca December 2, 2017, 2:42 pm

      You can simply chain a smaller amount (keep it an even number) and adjust for the height by doing fewer rounds.

  • Hayley schneider December 4, 2017, 8:49 pm

    Could u do this pattern without slip stitching to the beginning or do u have to slip stitching to the beginning to do this scarf?

    • Rebecca December 5, 2017, 11:41 am

      You don’t have to, but you’ll have a little jagged edge at the top if you don’t.

  • Disappointed December 12, 2017, 10:54 pm

    Love this pattern, but it is incredibly difficult to get. There’s no link to the free PDF. I went to Ravelry and it kept referring me back to your website. I don’t really like having to download software like some PDF conversion software, but I did, then it wanted me to pay for a driver update. I hope you don’t think I’m being rude, just honest. Your patterns are beautiful, but a lot of hard work to get at. I finally just gave up. Sorry

    • Rebecca December 13, 2017, 4:56 pm

      Hi Disappointed, 🙂

      I don’t actually offer my ad-free PDFs for free. The pattern itself is written out in this blog post, in full, for free use. If you wish to purchase the ad-free downloadable version you can do so using the links in the post. You were probably seeing (and clicking on) an ad.

      Rebecca 🙂

  • Hazel December 17, 2017, 4:06 pm

    Can’t seem to print this pattern

    • Rebecca December 18, 2017, 7:19 pm

      If you’re trying to use PrintFriendly, it doesn’t work on my blog. (It’s out of my control.) You are welcome to copy and paste it into a document for personal use, or purchase an ad-free PDF version.

  • Patricia Bowling December 22, 2017, 4:31 pm

    Love to crochet. Looking forward to making for my self. Thanks for the pattern. Patricia Bowling

  • Lauren December 29, 2017, 9:27 pm

    I accidentally twisted the chain one time, and I super don’t want to take it all out again. Is there an easy way to fix it?

    • Rebecca December 29, 2017, 9:34 pm

      Not really, not without it showing 🙂

  • Shannon January 1, 2018, 8:28 am

    I’m not sure if you’re still checking the comments on this pattern but…
    I’m working on this pattern but like others I have increased the stitches for a looser fit. But I’m finding that my rows are curing in on each either 🙁 Is this typical and will it flatten out as I add rows? Or am I doing it incorrectly?

    Thank you for all your lovely patterns. You’re amazing!!

    • Rebecca January 1, 2018, 8:48 pm

      It’s something about the bean stitch that causes it, but it should only be happening on the row that you’ve done most recently, and since this pattern is worked top-down, the fringe at the bottom will fix it. 🙂

      • Shannon January 6, 2018, 12:31 pm

        Thank you!!

  • Betty January 2, 2018, 5:51 pm

    I just saw this in Hobby Lobby it looked interesting. Have to try the blanket pattern. Color combinations poked beautiful.

  • Sharon January 4, 2018, 12:25 am

    Try finding mandala yarn at Joann’s.

  • Riggins January 8, 2018, 4:03 pm

    Like the looks of this scarf. Love the colors.

  • Amber January 8, 2018, 8:22 pm

    I’m stuck on the ch 1 and single crocheting into same stitch. Am I supposed to crochet into the ch 1? Because that doesn’t seem to be working. The stitch just unravels itself.

    • Rebecca January 9, 2018, 10:41 am

      You aren’t crocheting into the chain, you’re crocheting into the loops at the base of the chain. 🙂 In the end it really doesn’t matter that much, whether you go into that stitch or the one immediately following, as long as you have the correct number of stitches at the end of the round.

  • bonnie contreras January 11, 2018, 9:17 pm

    I love to crochet I just have a hard time reading a pattern. I seen this loved the colors ,hopefully I can do this.I will let you know I am working on something else right now.

  • bonnie contreras January 11, 2018, 9:30 pm

    I love to crochet I just have a hard time reading a pattern. I seen this loved the colors ,hopefully I can do this.I will let you know I am working on something else right now… I seem this yarn also at Hobby Lobby .

  • Nissa January 14, 2018, 3:29 pm

    Loved making your pattern, it worked up so pretty! I would love to show you my picture

  • Melissa January 18, 2018, 10:40 am

    I am just wondering if there is a way to do a foundationless single crochet with this project?? The reason I asked is because I have started this 3 times and I keep twisting!!

    • Katherine Chase January 18, 2018, 11:00 am

      There’s a video on YouTube that shows am extremely awesome and easy trick on how to ensure you don’t twist you chain. Literally search “how to not twist your crochet chain.” Best trick I ever stumbled on!

    • Rebecca January 20, 2018, 8:34 pm

      Yes, the tutorial is linked above – But you can definitely do FSC, just do 100 🙂

  • January January 29, 2018, 6:21 pm

    I love this, but I started with the chain and SC of 100 and I did the first row of bean stitch which took it down to 50 stitches because I did the stitch and skipped the next. If I keep doing the pattern this way, wont it keep reducing the row sizes in half? Am I supposed to increase somehow?

    • Rebecca January 29, 2018, 9:56 pm

      The bean stitch creates two sets of loops; one when you pull through, and one when you chain 1 to close the stitch. (See stitch details up in the pattern info.) So your stitch count will stay at 100.

      • January January 30, 2018, 7:46 am

        AHHH! I just realized that I didnt see that youre supposed to chain 1 after you close the stitch. No wonder I ended with 50 stitches. I feel stupid haha. thanks for the reply.

  • Sheila Morris January 30, 2018, 9:38 am

    Very cute! But I’ve always heard this stitch called “Puff Stitch”. It’s one of the confusing things about crochet, that there are different names for a lot of stitches, which makes beginners think crochet is more complicated than it really is. Now I have to go buy yarn for this…. 😀

    • Rebecca February 5, 2018, 12:02 pm

      Thanks! The puff stitch begins with a yarn over, enabling it to stand up straight, as opposed to the bean stitch which leans slightly. Very similar! 🙂

  • Alicia Powell February 17, 2018, 11:26 pm

    I have never made a cowl before, but I thought I’d give it a try. I absolutely love this pattern and the resulting cowl is beautiful! I will be making this again.

  • Anna Dimeler April 1, 2018, 7:08 pm

    Please send coffee bean pattern.Mamdala yarn.

  • Dana Allen April 12, 2018, 1:28 am

    I love this pattern, I am going to make this for my grown daughter for next fall. Thank you for sharing your amazing patterns. I loved the last hat you put on the facebook group. My grand daughters loved wearing them and so did my daughters. You are truly an gifted crocheter. I’ve been crocheting for over 45 years and still can’t write out a pattern.

  • Linda Simmons April 17, 2018, 4:36 pm

    Can you use this to make an afghan?

    • Rebecca April 26, 2018, 9:14 pm

      It will look different, because this pattern is worked in unturned rounds, and a blanket would have to be worked turned. When you work the bean stitch in turned rows, it does produce a very pretty, though denser, fabric.

  • Sueleen April 25, 2018, 3:07 pm

    Sou iniciante no crochê. Abraços

  • Trish May 7, 2018, 12:39 pm

    I found it a bit easier to ch 101, SC the first row, and make the join there. The tail can easily cover that small space. The thin yarn was making it difficult for me to join the chain itself. I kept getting tangled and spun around.

    I hope this won’t affect the project as a whole. I don’t think it will.

  • Mickey Jane July 18, 2018, 1:03 pm

    This is beautiful! My bestie made this last year and I just found the pattern, so I’m gonna make one for me. I’m not using a mandala yarn, though, I’m using a different yarn. It does change colours tho, so it’s fun to see it change while I’m going through the rounds.

  • Jackie July 28, 2018, 11:40 am

    Is there any way to get the blanket pattern?

    • Rebecca July 28, 2018, 8:23 pm

      Hi Jackie, what blanket pattern are you referring to?

  • Theresa August 7, 2018, 5:23 am

    This is lovely, can’t wait to try it. Do you attach the fringe to the first row or the last row? I’m thinking it’s the last row, but wondering how you ended up with the colour of your fringe matching.

    • Rebecca August 25, 2018, 3:21 pm

      If you look at the very first part of the pattern, I explain how I do it 🙂

  • Mt Willis August 12, 2018, 4:43 am

    I’ve not been crocheting long,I’ve neer crocheted any thing from patterns before. I’m looking for basic beanie/ hat Pat tern

  • Roberta Wick August 17, 2018, 11:05 pm

    Hello Rebecca. I too am a wife,mom and have two wonderful granddaughters. I want to thank you so much for this pattern. I used to crotchet a lot many, many years ago. I did make blankets for both of my granddaughters, and quickly remembered how much I enjoy this hobby. I also just finished one for myself. Now my daughter has been asking me to make her one, but with a different stitch. Something with texture. I have been searching everywhere on how to do this bubble stitch. She suggested I sign up for Pinterest so she can share patterns with me.I signed up last night and tonight I checked my email and whalaah! here it is. Thanks for sharing.

  • Gabby August 21, 2018, 8:07 pm

    Hello! I’ve only done about 5 rounds but I’m having a lot of curling. Is this normal or am i doing something wrong? I’m using the Lionbrand cupcake yarn which is also a 3 weight

    • Rebecca August 25, 2018, 3:20 pm

      It does tend to curl but the fringe will take care of it 🙂

  • Lacey August 27, 2018, 1:32 am

    Out of curiosity can the chain and row 1 be done with a foundation single crochet? I find it rolls a lot less making it easier to not twist.

    • Lacey August 27, 2018, 1:35 am

      Nevermind, did a search for “foundation” on this page and saw you already answered “Yes” to someone else asking this, thank you. 🙂

  • suzanne September 9, 2018, 4:16 am

    Thank you Rebecca for making this pattern, hopefully I will start to have ago It’s been along time since I did any Crocheting. sue xx UK. PS I’ve just received my Mandala wool from Lionbrand it did take take quite a while to get to me.

  • Judy Mayes September 15, 2018, 9:15 pm

    HELP! My cowl is only 11 inches wide, should be 14.5 inches. What am I doing wrong? I am 4 1/2 inches tall, but it is only 10 inches wide at the top.

    • Sheila Morris September 15, 2018, 9:34 pm

      Was your starting chain 27-28″ long, as it says at the start? Did you check your gauge? 7 bean stitches x 14 rows should be a 4″ square. If it isn’t, you might need a bigger hook…..

    • Rebecca September 17, 2018, 8:24 pm

      What Sheila said. 🙂 If your stitch count is correct, then you just have a tighter tension than I do and you need to up your hook size… or for this pattern, just make the starting chain as long as you want (be sure your rounds have an even-numbered stitch count) and you’ll be fine.


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Thursday, May 24, 2012

Wine and Food Paring

This month's Canadian Association of Food Service Professional's meeting was a Wine and Food Paring!

We tried 6 different wines from the Jabulani winery just outside of Ottawa.

Each course had a food paired with it. It was so much fun trying to pick out the flavours our host (and winery owner Tom) spoke about before tasting each pair.

Along with white fish in a dill sauce, shrimp, pasta and the cheese we also had grilled veal and a wonderful South African delicacy that was similar to beef jerky.

  I'm not the biggest white wine fan, but I loved this one:

I also though the last red we tried was wonderfully complex and really ended the night off with a bang!

  1. The cheese and grape photograph is making my mouth water!

  2. I'm not a big fan of white wine either, it has to be pretty nice for me to drink it haha! The food looks delicious. xo

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Highlights: Costa Rica vs MexicoWC Qualification CONCACAF

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Costa Rica

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Week 8
Date: 06 September 2017
Kick off: 02:05

Watch Costa Rica vs Mexico highlights and all goals videos

*If you found a match that not have a highlights and you have it. Please send to us here

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Positive Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just a couple days ahead! I’m sure all of you are either busy with finals or thinking about how stuffed you’re going to be on thanksgiving day. But Thanksgiving is more than the turkey and more than the family time we will have (although both things are important). Thanksgiving should be a time to realize the blessings God has given us in our lives. It’s a time to be grateful for what we have and are.

It can be so easy to think of all the bad things that we are facing without taking the time to think of the blessings God has already placed in our lives. As humans, our tendency is to talk more about negative things than positive things. For example, think about all the gossip and drama we experience in our lives. There was also a study that showed that twice as many people tell others about bad service than good. When I think about this, its true! I am more likely to share to people the bad services I have experiences than the good services. However, it is important to not let our negative mind overcome ourselves. Satan will always try to bring you down because he doesn’t want you to become the person God wants you to be!

Give thanks to whatever state you are in now. There will always be someone who is worse off than you are. If you really think about it, there are so many things you should be thankful for! Even the fact that you are alive and breathing is something to be happy for.

Sometimes we tend to want things now, and when we don’t get what we want we get easily discouraged. But remember God is Good – he knows your every need and he will meet your need at the right timeGod knows what you need more than you know yourself. When things aren’t going your way, just remember that God has a good plan for you coming up! Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time“.

Instead of thinking about the about the bad things that have happened in your life, think about the blessings God has brought to your life. Just knowing that God’s Love Endures Forever should be a reason for us to give thanks and praise to him eternally.

Psalm 136  says, “Give thanks to the lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever“. This statement is so powerful! Because his love endures forever, we don’t ever have to worry about our lives! Because his love endures forever, we know that he will always provide our needs. It is important to recognize this and give God thanks for what he has done and is doing.

God has to be the number one priority in our lives and it is important to show him that we have faith in him by giving him thanks and praise everyday. How often to you give God praise in your daily life? How do you think God is feeling when we always speak about negative things in our lives? Or when we choose to neglect and realize the blessings he has given us? He might just be planning to give you the greatest blessing without you knowing it.

Ask yourself this everyday: Did I speak more positive or negative words today?So remember, have a positive thanksgiving everyday.

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Sunday, September 2, 2018

September, 2018, Part 1, Political Class Insanity: Room Temperatures Are More Important Than Issues, Idiocy In Connecticut, and Hillary Gets U.S. Spies Killed

It is another month which means it is again time to review the latest political class insanity from Washington and around the world. Political class insanity takes many forms including the wasting of taxpayer wealth, criminal fraud within government programs, inane and stupid political quotes and actions, the inability to create and implement effective and efficient government programs, stupid and ill performing economic policies and strategies, and other forms of insanity that continue to evolve and surprise and shock us.

Let’s get started:

1) I always felt that it must be tough to be a liberal today. It takes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to micro examine every aspect of everyone else’s actions and words to find even the slightest trace of real or more likely, imagined, racism, sexism, ageism and who know what other type of ism. Such is the case in the race in New York to be the next governor:
  • Actress Cindy Nixon, a second tier TV actress with no government or political experience, is challenging current New York governor Andrew Cuomo to be the next governor of the state.
  • Apparently there will be only one face-to-face debate between the two candidates.
  • One would think that failing schools, crumbling infrastructure, jobs, and other big issues would be the hot topics of the debate.
  • Instead, both sides cannot agree on what the temperature should be in the room where the debate is going to take place.
  • Nixon wants a higher temperature and Cuomo wants a lower temperature.
And, wait for it…. Nixon calls a lower temperature “sexist.” Who knew that the “wrong” temperature of a room can be considered sexist? Forget the issues, sexist temperature settings is what these yahoos consider critical in the lives of the people they want to elect them. Idiots with idiotic priorities.

2) As we discuss the next piece of political class insanity, ask yourself if you really want these types of people in government office, people that really did not think through their campaign idea:
  • Ned Lamont is running to become the next governor of Connecticut.
  • He and/or his campaign people decided they wanted a cute, memorable slogan that would combine his first name with the state of Connecticut.
  • They decided to print campaign signs that incorporated his name into the state name, “Vote conNEDicut.”
  • While the combined word sounds like Connecticut phonetically it embeds the word “conned” into the slogan.
Now either this is a refreshingly honest statement of a politician, admitting that he is conning the residents of his state, or someone did not really think through this idea. In the latter case, it brings into question of how thorough and effective will Mr. Lamont be if elected if he cannot even notice this obvious screw up?

3) It is not debatable that Hillary Clinton broke Federal laws and government regulations when she decided to operate her State Department business on a rogue, unsecured computer in her home as opposed to government secured computers. In 2016, former FBI director James Comey stated publicly that the computer could very well have been hacked.

Now we see that her carelessness or deviousness may have gotten U.S. spies killed relative to China:
  • According to the Gateway Pundit website, Chinese government operatives may have hacked that unsecured Hillary computer, implanting computer code that made sure that whenever she sent an email, a secret copy was sent to the Chinese government.
  • Which may have led to the death and/or imprisonment of 18-20 U.S. spies that the Chinese took action against between 2010 and 2012 when Clinton was Secretary of State and using that unsecured computer.
  • The code reportedly was discovered in 2015 by the Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG), which then warned FBI officials of the intrusion.
  • And yet the FBI never reported that the code existed, further proving that the FBI has been compromised from an integrity and unbiased law enforcement perspective.
  • But since the info was given to ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok, the disgraced and fired FBI agent who was in charge of investigating Hillary’s computer shenanigans, finding nothing wrong, it is no surprise nothing was done.
  • But a May, 2016 from Strzok stated clearly that “we know foreign actors obtained access” to some Clinton emails, including at least one “secret” message “via compromises of the private email accounts” of Clinton staffers.
  • And still nothing came of this situation from the corrupt FBI.
So sad that government organizations, especially an entity, the FBI,  that was once viewed as being filled with people of integrity and diligence, as fallen so far down the political rat hole. So much so that it is now getting important intelligence sources killed around the world.

That will do it for today’s political class insanity insanity: bad priorities in New York, carelessness in Connecticut, and Hillary Clinton chutzpah that may have gotten U.S. operatives killed. More insanity to follow.

Our book, "Love My Country, Loathe My Government - Fifty First Steps To Restoring Our Freedom And Destroying The American Political Class" is now available at: It is also available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Please pass our message of freedom onward. Let your friends and family know about our websites and blogs, ask your library to carry the book, and respect freedom for both yourselves and others everyday. Please visit the following sites for freedom:

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Mobile Computer Services Australia Gladesville, NSW, 2111, Australia
Posted on October 14, 2017 / 83
Mobile Computer Services Australia
Categories : Computer Repair
Phone : 0298170544
Website :
Payment Methods : Contact Plz
Keywords : Computer Repair Sydney, Computer Repair Services, Computer Services Sydney, Computer Support Sydney, PC Repair Services, Computer Maintenance Sydney
Tagline : Computer Repair in Sydney
Opening Hours
  • 8:00am to 5:00pm

Mobile Computers provides the most satisfactory computer repair, Sydney-wide and throughout the suburbs. We can repair any computer – whether desktop or laptop – regardless model or make. If your computer is not functioning properly or not supporting a feature that it should, bring it to us for instant fix. We do not keep our customers waiting, for we understand how important it is for you to get your machine working ASAP. For most Software or Network-related problems, you don't have to come all the way down to our repair centre in Sydney; our experts can troubleshoot the issue remotely. Call now!

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Review: Zaum – Oracles (I Hate 2014 CD)

 In the recent days of almost unbearable heat, way above the average temperature here in Sweden, I think that there are few more fitting soundtracks than the new album by Zaum. Their style is described as “Middle Eastern mantra doom”, and is recommended served under the scorching desert sun.
 To be honest, this barely gives me anything at all musically, some interesting sequences here and there drenched in a sea of monotony. What I liked most was the amazing cover art, bringing to mind Manilla Road's masterpiece Crystal Logic.
 But after listening to it a few times, it became clear that the music is not necessarily the most important thing here. What's way more appealing is the atmosphere, and when this album is experienced during the right circumstances, it suddenly became way more interesting. Which after some examination of the press-release seems to be the exactly intention with this band. You see, Zaum ain't just a regular band, they creates atmospheres and speaks to the deepest state of thought, beyond the borders defined by music.
 I feel like I probably won't become much wiser about what the hell this band is doing (I'm still not sure if I actually get it, or if I ever will). But it's just interesting how it engages your mind like I've never felt other music have, in a way that's not even possible to identify as good or bad, just somehow fascinating. I'd definitely recommend you all to have listen, preferably during a long walk under a sun as scorching as possible. I can guarantee you won't be left untouched, whether you like it or not. 6,5/10 /H

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When Patch met Lizette

“When Patch met Lizette”, depicting 2 dogs meeting each other at the very first time. Design of this artwork was inspired by the film “When Harry met Sally”. This is a Limited edition print of 95 artworks, size: A3, signed and numbered by the artist. Printed on Photo Matt paper, using light fast inks, proven to be durable for at least 85 years.
Other sizes available (up to A1) in open edition,  please contact us for your requirements.

In stock

SKU: LAWPOS1. Categories: , . Tags: , , , , , , .

Product Description

The original artwork was created with pencils and coloured in using Photoshop. To see how these artworks are created, please have a look at one of my videos
If you would like to add a personalised note to accompany it at the back of the print, please indicate the exact text at the checkout, thank you!

Additional Information

A3 (420x297mm)

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Saturday 22 Sep, 2018

Starting at 9am

Etc Venues

One Drummond Gate, Victoria, London SW1V 2QQ

Light Gold : Catena Media

Our Story:

Catena Media is one of the most successful online lead-generation companies in the world, active in two main verticals – iGaming and Finance. Our story began in 2012 and, born from an idea conjured by two like-minded friends with a shared hobby, we’re now a 300+ strong workforce across 7 locations, including Malta (HQ), UK, Serbia, Sweden, Japan, Australia and US.

Check out: Catena Brand Story

Our Mission:

With our existing and ever-growing portfolio of great products we believe we add immeasurable value to every partner we work with and have a scalable business model that provides a platform for the future. We aim to transform industries through the power of choice: focusing on organic growth in combination with geographical expansion and acquisitions to meet our ultimate goal of becoming the world’s number one provider of high-value leads.

Our People:

A group of diverse, creative and innovative individuals, with an aligned focus for creating kick ass products and inspiring and supporting great leaders. You’ll find no dull office cubicles or rigid organisational structures here- we value creativity, passion and collaboration. We want to inspire every member of our team to reach the pinnacle of their potential (while enjoying some industry-leading perks); becoming a Catena Media ambassador along the way.

Check out: Life at Catena Media

Why MeasureCamp?

We maintain hundreds of affiliate products and through our network we work with advanced fingerprinting techniques, serving relevant content to millions of users monthly. Our current suite/stack is primarily Python for the custom stuff and Google’s suite with Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics, as well as Microsoft PowerBI for visualisations.

Interested in learning more, we’re looking for BI- and Web analysts to join our phenomenal Data Analytics team!

Find out on our  Careers Page

Follow Our Journey:

For Product Related Enquires Contact : James Bason, Head of R&D

Contact: Martina Pugliesi, Talent Aquisition Specialist

Follow: @catenamedia

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• Heartwell Park (map)
  • 5801 Parkcrest Street
  • Long Beach, CA, 90808
  • United States

There are no limits to where your imagination can take you! You'll brainstorm, create your very own characters (that you keep), choose the backgrounds, film your movies using a green screen, and add voice-overs while working in age-appropriate groups. Ages 13-16. Register for course # 26908 at www.lbparks.org.

Price: $182 plus $30 material fee.

Phone: 562.570.3111

Email: lbparks@longbeach.gov

Website: www.lbparks.org


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Could it be?

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)

can-you-hearWhen working with a client, I often do research to see what is new in the field or go back to refer to diagnostic criteria. Auditory processing disorder sometimes referred to as central processing disorder is a diagnosis that  can sometimes be hard to define.

Some even believe that it does not exist,but if you have ever been with someone whose hearing is perfectly normal, but they have difficulty following verbal directions or in noisy environments they are always asking for people to repeat themselves then you know what a problem these symptoms can cause.

What makes Auditory Processing Disorder APD,  difficult to diagnosis?  Other impairments may share  similar symptoms, for instance some one with ADHD may have difficulty following directions, but this is due to inattention. Someone with developmental delays may have difficulty discriminating speech sounds, but this may  be due to the global intellectual impairments.  A multi-disciplinary approach is the best way to diagnose and address APD.

Oh, and if someone tries to diagnose your child who is under 6 with this disorder don’t let them. It’s too early! Diagnosis can be made no earlier than 7 , by an audiologist.

Similar posts
  • Language vs Executive Function Skills?Lately, I have been dealing with an insurance company and they asked me, ” Are you working on language vs executive function with your client?” I was stumped? My client has Asperger’s syndrome, so of course, I am working on both, so I wondered, “How do I answer this question?” We want to compartmentalize everything. As if one thing [...]
  • Communication Problems: Fighting BackDid you know that last month was National Poetry Month? An amazing young client of mine is pen pals with this year’s National Youth Poet Laureate. My client also earned an honorable mention for her haiku in this year’s National poetry competition. She does not let communication challenges stop her. Amanda Gorman says, “I’ve been pen-palling [...]
  • Please, stop screaming!: ADHD and Aggressive BehaviorI read an article on by Kate Kelly ADHD and Aggression: What You Need to Know.  I wish I had read this article on ADD and aggressive behavior earlier in my parenting career because it would have been nice to confirm my personal experiences.   Hitting, throwing objects, screaming, falling on the floor, or refusing [...]
  • Music Instruction Develops Executive Function SkillsMy daughter often doesn’t want to practice her instrument, so much of my time and effort has been spent figuring out how to get her to practice her instrument, but I do because music instruction develops executive function skills and will improve other skills like math. Yesterday I  attended a yearly Martin Luther King event [...]
  • Fostering Growth Mindset: Speech/Language DisabilitiesEarly on in my career working with middle and high school students, one of my biggest challenges was working with students who were so disheartened by learning they were not motivated to try. Carol Dweck’s work on “growth mindset” supported my work as a speech-language pathologist because it talked about the difference between and fixed and [...]

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Wednesday, August 31, 2005

If you live in Iowa City DON'T miss this reading!

Sabrina Orah Mark (swoon) and Jason Schneiderman (double swoon) will be reading in Iowa City on Sept. 9 at Prairie Lights.

I so wish I could be there!

My Cathedral (Che Guevara and César Chávez): Alex Donis: 1997

Artist statement:
Although the pairing of Che Guevara and César Chávez in a homosexual embrace is fictional, I personally enjoy the thread of reality inherent in the painting. Both of these characters never actually kissed, but in this painting, the paradox is that they have and have not.

I created this work to try and melt down the stoicism in male Latino heroic figures and address the fear in feminizing masculinity.

Galería de la Raza in San Francisco approached me to do this exhibition as part of their "Regeneration Project." At that time I sat down and wrote out a list of historical characters that I considered my personal heroes. Both Che Guevara and César Chávez were on that

When I first visited Galería de la Raza in the Mission District, I noticed several murals around the neighborhood depicting both Che Guevara and César Chávez. During my visits I continually reflected on what connections I had with this community as an artist, a Latino, and as a gay man.

Returning home to Los Angeles, I made several drawings of these characters on translucent vellum. On a light table I laid them side by side so that it seemed they were almost embracing. Soon after, I began collecting images of people kissing, from the Pope kissing the head of a small child, to the deep throat kissing found in pornography. I created several other fictionalized pairings of historical characters kissing one another and decided to paint the final works onto plexiglass light boxes. During the run of the exhibition they lit up onto the streets in reference to the stained glass of churches or cathedrals.

I realized that joining these two almost cult figures in Latino culture, positioned them on the frontline of a very different cause, subverting and redefining the rhetoric to which they had historically been so entrenched.

The exhibition caused a mass hysteria that swirled around the neighborhood of the Mission and ultimately caused the destruction of this painting.* Ironically the window smashing occurred on the 15th of September 1997, the day Latinos march to celebrate their independence.

AWP Austin 2006

I will be there. Will you? I know I said that last year. But this time I have no excuses! In fact, I'm being forced to go. I'm already looking forward to a lot of panels. Especially this one:

Chicano Politics and the Activist-Writer in American Literature. (Rigoberto
Gonzalez, Moderator, Helena Maria Viramontes, Alicia Gaspar de Alba, Lorna Dee
Cervantes, Benjamin Alire Saenz).

The recent deaths of groundbreaking Chicano activists, writers and
intellectuals--among them Gloria Anzaldua, Corky Gonzales and Lalo
Delgado--have posed a challenge to the Chicano community: to reaffirm
identity and mission in a time when the pan-Latino vision is blurring our
specific sociohistorical trajectory. This discussion with renown Chicano
thinkers will focus on the role of the Chicano activist-writer in the new

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Book Contests with Fall/Winter Deadlines

Zoo Press has a great list of book contests with fall/winter deadlines.

Here's a newish book prize. You can even submit electronically. Check it out.

Monday, August 29, 2005

August 29th

Chicano Moratorium

35 Years Later, Protesters Say It Again

Ron Mohring has a blog. It's true, and the blog goes by the name Supple Amounts. He was kind enough to leave a comment on my little ol' blog to tell me about Richard Tayson's first book The Apprentice of Fever. The book is now on my list.

Mr. Broder is wondering if he's ever met me over at his fab blog. No, we haven't. But I'm sure we will.

Where Have I Been?

Okay, I just discovered that I have access to XM satellite radio through AOL. The options are amazing. Right now I'm listening to new wave 80s: New Order, 'til tuesday, Pet Shop Boys. I'm in heaven. Pinch me! No, not there. Yes, there. Oh, do it again...
Okay, I just read the first issue of Bloom, and I'm blown away. Why wasn't I told about this journal? I freaking adored Bernard Cooper's essay "The Love Connection, 1986." I laughed out loud so many times while reading it. I even snorted a couple of times. Like a pig.
OMG! XM radio has an all Madonna channel and an all Selena channel. I will never leave my room again.
I was moved to tears by Richard Yayson's poem "I Do." It starts off with the speaker buying wedding bands for his upcoming wedding to another man. After buying the rings the speaker goes to a bar (Hell yeah! Hall and Oates' Out of Touch just started playing!) and he becomes emotional reading the declarations of love engraved into the bar counter: Michael loves Robert, etc. He heads home and finds his lover on the couch in his underwear. They cuddle, and kiss. The speaker can feel the living room filling up with their relatives and friends, dead or alive. It's a great moment: the two lovers radiating and receiving love. I can't describe the ending because I'm tearing up again. Needless to say, it's an affirmation of love between two men. Of the possibility. Richard Yayson, thank you for writing this poem.
Is there a pop song that's more trashy, more perfect than Kelly Clarkson's Since U've Been Gone? I don't think so. You better recognize.
I loved Aaron Smith's poem "Dark, Awful Man." The speaker in the poem doesn't enjoy bottoming (hard to believe!!) during sex. With the help of his therapist the speaker connects his problem to his mother telling him only "certain" people get AIDS. I too had this fear for the longest time. Still do, I guess. I've been working on an essay that connects my weight issues with my fear of catching AIDS. Huh? Maybe an example will illuminate things. In high school I worked as a bag boy in a grocery store. One day the manager asked me if I was working out because he thought I'd lost a few pounds. That freaked me out. I didn't want to lose weight. I didn't want to be viewed as "attractive" by others. That could possibly lead to sexual activity. That could possibly lead to catching it. Wow, I've got issues.
I just stumbled upon Islands in the Stream: the duet between Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. Bliss!
I was in grade school when the movie 9 to 5 came out, but I remember playing out some of the scenes from the movie on the playground with my friends. Guess who always played the part of Dolly's character? Me, me, me!
I also got a kick out of Myra Mniewski's poem "A Good Butch is Hard to Find" which begins: "It all started with me/ putting on those/ boxer shorts..."
Let me just say this: I'm a HollaBack Girl! This post is bananas. B-a-n-a-n-a-s.

Sunday, August 28, 2005

La Sandra

I love this photograph of Sandra Cisneros. I do believe she's in her PJs. Get it!!

Her photograph is part of the Smithsonian photo exhibit on Latino achievement.

Shit List: Bloggers Who Are Still Linking to My Deleted Blog

These bloggers are on my shit list UNTIL they change their blogrolls. Yes, yes. I have no life. Get over it. I have.

Matt Shindell

Update: Stuart has done the honorable thing.

Julie Dill has joined Stuart.

Welcome Antoine Wilson to the after party. Pocoloca: I like it, I like it.

T.E. Ballard, who is a chick in case you didn't know, has joined the party.

The sweet Kelli Russell Agodon is now wearing a party hat!

Sodomites Unite!

Here's a great review of a new biography on the "secret" life of Oscar Wilde.

Some choice cuts:

" the very title of The Importance of Being Earnest is a Uranian pun....Among less literary Uranians, 'earnest' -- a corruption of the French uraniste -- enjoyed a short vogue as a coded signifier of Uranian inclinations" (as in "is he earnest?" to mean "is he gay?)"

"On the day 16-year-old Wilde left Portora Royal School, where he'd been a student, a boy a year younger than he -- with whom he'd had a strong "sentimental friendship" --came to the train station to bid him farewell. In McKenna's re-telling, as the Dublin train was about to depart, the boy turned and cried out, "Oh, Oscar!" "Before I knew what he was doing he had caught my face in his hands, and kissed me on the lips. The next moment ... he was gone." Wilde felt "cold sticky drops" trickling down his face -- they were the boy's tears. "This is love," he said to himself, trembling slightly."

Congrats Karla!

Karla Kelsey, one of my Iowa classmates, won this year's
Sawtooth Poetry Prize. I'm a bit late in posting my congrats. But congrats Karla! Her book will be titled Knowledge, Forms, The Aviary.

Sarabande' 2005 Literary Contest Winner: Poetry

For the Kathryn A. Morton Prize in Poetry, judge Tony Hoagland selected The New Year of Yellow by Matthew Lippman. Matthew Lippman teaches English and Creative Writing at Chatham High School on Long Island and has been a member of the faculty, Writing Division, in Columbia University's Summer Program for High School Students. He received his MFA at the University of Iowa and his Masters in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. His poetry has been published in such journals as The American Poetry Review, The Iowa Review, and The Best American Poetry of 1997. He is a recipient of the James Michener/Paul Engle Poetry Fellowship from the University of Iowa and a NY Foundation of the Arts Grant for his fiction. The New Year of Yellow will be published by Sarabande in January 2007

Saturday, August 27, 2005

Is He? Or Isn't He?

I know it doesn't matter. But I gotz to know. Anybody out there know
Ben Lerner. LOL. This really isn't none of my business. Never mind. Don't ask him. I can live with the mystery.

Mid-West Fun!

On Saturday I'm attending the Urbana Sweetcorn Festival. Good thing I like corn. Good thing I really like corn.

Eat your heart out New Yorkers!

The festival also features a book market with local and university presses. Jon Tribble and Alison Joseph are going to be there to promote the Crab Orchard Prize books. In the evening a group of us will be going out to dinner with them. I've never met them, but I've only heard good things about them.

Would it be tacky to show them my poetry collection over dinner? Just kidding. Really.

Friday, August 26, 2005

Check out two wonderful prose poems by Wendy Wisner over at Verse Daily.

Last Friday, on the second day of first grade, my nephew Alexei, who has a tendency to get a little homesick, began to cry in his classroom. The teacher asked him, Why are you crying? He said, I'm crying because my grandma can't find a job!

What a liar! His grandma is retired. To teach him a lesson I'm posting one of his embarrassing toddler photographs.

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize Deadline: January 6, 2006

Attention Latino/a poets!

The deadline for the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize is coming up fast: January 6, 2006. The winner will receive $1000 and publication by the University of Notre Dame Press under a standard contract, as well as an invitation from the Creative Writing Program of the University of Notre Dame to read from his/her work, along with the judge, upon publication of the book, with all expenses paid.

This year's judge is Valerie Martínez.

You can find the guidelines here.

Let's get the word out about this prize! Email this information to your poet friends and to your teachers. And yes, I'm talking to all of my gringo readers as well. You hear me? Forward this information to the Latino/a poets/teachers you know.

This award--the only one geared toward finding and publishing first books by Latino/a poets--is given out every two years. The 2004 winner was Sheryl Luna. And you know what? Her book, Pity the Drowned Horses, kicks ass. Here's a good review.

I'm happy to report that I will be in the upcoming Digerati anthology to be published by three candles press. Steve Mueske, the editor, has also picked these poets for the anthology:

Peter Pereira
TE Ballard
Aaron Anstett
Alison Pelegrin

He's still reading submissions. In fact, he wants more submissions sent to him. If you're interested please submit to:

c/o three candles press
PO Box 1817
Burnsville MN 55378

The Drama Queen of the Week

is AD Thomas. He's not blogging! He's blogging! Etc.

He posted a translation (his own) of a Nicanor Parra poem on his blog. I like the translation, but that won't keep him from being named this week's Drama Queen.

Congrats AD!

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

I've Got Issues

I saw this picture of George W. Bush today, and I got all hot and bothered. What's wrong with me? I detest his administration. But I have "adult" dreams about him.

I need help.

I'll Take Snot on My Rejection Letter! Greenish Snot!

Mackenzie Carignan received a letter of rejection from the Beloit Poetry Journal, and she discovered "food smears" on the letter. And an oily fingerprint! LOL. Of course, I'm laughing because it didn't happen to me. This would totally gross me out.

But it could've been worse. Just imagine! Mackenize is making a list of ""at least it wasn't" over at her blog. She writes: What is the most horrifying substance you can imagine to be slathered all over your rejection slip AND rejected poems? Toe jam is at the top of my list.

The Arrest of the Paleteros by Frank Romero.

Click HERE to view the slide show of Marin's art collection.

What I'm Reading Right Now

Six Girls Without Pants by Paisley Rekdal
The Devil's Garden by Adrian Matejka
In the City of Smoking Mirrors by Albino Carrillo
Surviable World by Ron Mohring
One Girl Babylon by Ruth Ellen Kocher

Jose Guadalupe Posada

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

PayPal This!

You can pre-order Paul Guest's second book HERE, and Jenny Sadre-Orafai's chapbook HERE.

Monday, August 22, 2005

MFA Program Rankings

I found this information (thanks to Lee Anderson) at the Poets & Writers Speakeasy forum:

...When timlockridge posted that new rankings were available [of MFA programs] I went right over to USNews website and bought the new 2006 grad school rankings (there was no way to tell from the site what programs were included without forking over the cc#). Then, after searching the site and finding absolutely nothing, I sent them an email asking whether the writing program rankings had been updated, and requesting a refund if they hadn't. Here's their response:

Unfortunately we no longer rank creative writing. The last time we did so was in 1997 and you can find most of these rankings in local libraries.

What's up with that? I wonder why USNews stopped ranking MFA programs? Not enough interest from buyers of the grad school book? Or maybe they're reconfiguring the way to "judge" MFA programs?

Another forum member posted an article about FSU's MFA program, and in that article you find this sentence: In 2007, the National Research Council will publish a new ranking of creative writing programs.

So maybe there's hope for all of you upcoming MFAers! You too will be able to pour over rankings, hoping your application only gets accepted by the top programs! One can only hope...

If I had to do it all over again, I would say Fuck You to Iowa, and go work with Rita Dove, Charles Wright, and Gregory Orr over at Virginia. Sigh. Now, I'm depressed.

Sunday, August 21, 2005

It's been a Belle & Sebastian kind of Saturday. How much do I love "This is Just a Modern Rock Song?" THIS MUCH. And why do I love it? Because some much of it is unnecessary.
Charles posted a link to a great online discussion featuring Aaron Smith, Jason Schneiderman, and Richard Siken. What unites all three of these poets? Things that glimmer. And cake.
Today, as I walked through the park, I saw a deer leap and leap in the tall grass.

That deer, I said out loud, is a sissy.
Okay, was I the last queen to know that Ben Lerner is a homo? Thank Buddha I'm no longer under that rock.
I love this poem.
"I'm Waking Up to Us" has such killer lyrics: and if I look like death today/please let her know.

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Poetic Justice

Two Illegal Immigrants Win Arizona Ranch in Court from the
The New York Times.

Friday, August 19, 2005

My blogroll is up and running. If I missed you, drop me a note. And if you're linking to my blog please make sure you're linking to this blog NOT my old blog which has become a ring tones site.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Drive This!

One of the images on my collage of muses is this "Mexifornia" driver license. When I first saw it--about a year ago--I just brushed it off as more ignorant fluff. But the image stayed with me. The politics behind the image are obvious. All you need to know is that image originated in Califas. Still don't get it? Okay, some people think "illegal" aliens are taking over California. Overwhelming the schools, the hospitals, etc. Some people don't even want "illegals" or their children in the school system, or receiving any entitlement benefits. Suffer the little children indeed. This image surfaced when some politicians wanted to offer driver licenses to "illegals." Got it?

I printed out this image and tacked it to my wall. The X-as-signature struck a cord with me. In fact, it hurt me. How dare someone imply stupidity as a trait of my gente. Or even worse: the X-as-signature implied an inability to speak out. Intellectually, I knew this just wasn't true. My gente have always spoken out, and defended themselves. Dolores Huerta. Alianza Hispano-Americano. Juanita de Downieville. Corridos.

I had to do something with the hurt. So I took out my notebook. I wanted to give a voice to that X. But I didn't want to create minority Saints. All knowing brown people without flaws. My first efforts were trite, and didactic. So I continued to write and eventually three voices emerged. Two belonged to "illegal" aliens, and one to a border patrol agent. Needless to say, I was surprised by the agent's arrival. LOL. A sonnet-like form for each voice also began to emerge. All of sudden, the poems were done. Or so I thought. I sent them off to one of my friends, and he pointed out some weak things in the third poem. So I rewrote and rewrote until the poem felt finished.

I titled the sequence "Border Triptych" and dedicated it to one of my favorite writers, Gloria Anzaldúa. Click here to read the poems. I think I accomplished what I set out to do. The speakers in these poems feel real to me. The speakers are not minority Saints. They are flawed. They are brave. They are human.

That X-as-signature no longer haunts me.

Two Wonderful Things!

Stuart Greenhouse and his wife just had a baby. Okay, his wife had the baby, but I'm sure Stuart sweated a lot during the process. Why do men have it so easy?
Shin Yu Pai has posted beautiful photographs of her wedding over at her blog. I love the name of her husband, Kort.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

I had the pleasure of being published this summer in the very first issue of Churchyard edited by Dan Pirkl. To celebrate I'm offering a contest.

The first three people who correctly ID the poet who wrote the following lines will win a copy of the journal. PLEASE EMAIL ME YOUR RESPONSE.

...the full-breasted tulips
open their pink blouses
for the hands that pressed them first
as bulbs into the earth
You'll also find the work of these fine poets and bloggers in the first issue: Charles, Tony, Jenny, and Sisyphus,

For Diana Delgado

Eduardo Verastegui

Monday, August 15, 2005

Collage of Muses

I just finished putting up a collage of paintings, poets, and other assorted things/people that inspire me. And where did I put this collage? On the wall right behind my computer screen. And what images did I put up? Here's the list:

Papa Smurf
A painting by Kasmir Malevich
Frida Kahlo
Rita Dove
A picture of 3 braceros
Cyndi Lauper
Two paintings by Tino Rodriguez
Robert Hayden
A Mexifornia driver license for an "illegal" alien

Through out the year I will be adding more images to my collage. I love to look at these images while I write. They're very comforting. Correction: the Mexifornia license is not comforting, but it does remind me of one of the reasons I write. Also, when I get frustrated at my lack of progress I will stare at one image until my mind calms down. Ain't I cool?

I'm sure a lot of other writers have certain images near their writing spaces to inspire them. I wonder if Rebecca Loudon has a collage of muses near her writing space? Do you?

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Double Yeah!

And the winner of the 2005 LUIS LEAL AWARD is one of my favorite

Dear Mr. Whimsy Speaks,

I love your blog. It's fun and informative. Like Trivial Pursuit. Like a sex education textbook. Like Tony Robinson's anger. I even think you're handsome in a Pa Walton kinda of way. Only one thing bothers me. Will you please remove me from the R.I.P. list? It's freaking me out.

Eduardo C. Corral

Hell Yeah!

Desert Flower

It takes a thousand desaparecidas
in Cuidad Juarez to equal
one white girl vanished in Aruba.

It’s always been that way
and it won’t change anytime soon.
The Minute Men don’t wear hoods,

but they should.
The Minute Men are proud citizens
but not Americans,

they crawl like Gila monsters,
scorpions on the desert floor,
they're rattlesnakes that rattle their tail-guns.

They want their sons
to grow up in a country
so white, so right, so bright

like the desert sun
beating down on Mexican bones
until it drives the wind insane.

Reyes Cardenas

Wedding Picture: The Family

Friday, August 12, 2005

Is GC Waldrep the new Virgil Suárez ?

Oklahoma is NOT for Homos

We made it.

I'm blogging from a computer lab on the University of Illinois (I've finally learned how to spell that word) because we can't figure out how to "turn on" the internet at our place. We've got five degrees between us and we still can't figure out some basic technology.

Urbana is very pretty. It reminds me of Iowa City: the corn fields, the mock-Victorian homes, the white white white population. And it's very humid. I'm sweating through my t-shirts. And the good people of Urbana don't want to see my love handles bulging through my wet t-shirt.

This computer lab is gorgeous. Tall wood columns. Latticed oval windows embedded along the ceiling. The corridor leading to the lab is lined with old card catalogs.

Now for more tales from the trip.

After we'd finished our lunch at CJ's we stepped back into my car, and Rigo began to look for his cell. He couldn't find it. So he asked me to call him on my cell so we could locate his by the ringing. Fine. I call him up. We couldn't hear the ringing. Rigo starts to worry. We should go back inside to look for it, he says. We step out of the car. I turn around and look at my seat. I see his cell. It was UNDER my ass the whole time. Rigo breaks into fits of laughter. I refuse to believe my ass "muffled" the ringing! It can't be! I say the ringer was off. It must've been! Otherwise, my ass is some sort of sound wave black hole. Maybe I should go work for the CIA.

And yes, I called him again to see if his ringer was indeed on or off. Alas, I can't bring myself to report the results.

We spent day two with one of Rigo's best friends: Eric aka Cholojoto. He took us out for dinner, and we visited some fun seedy 'Burque bars. The seedier the bar the prettier I became...

We left 'Burque around 8am. It only took us a couple of hours to leave New Mexico (I prefer the Old) and then we entered Texas. We didn't go through the waist of Texas, just its top hat. The landscape was flat. Once in a while a mesquite would pop up.

The gay music continued to rise like gasoline fumes from the speakers: Juan Gabriel,
Rufus Wainwright. And we came THIS close to listening to my Debbie Gibson "best of" CD.

We stopped at a Stucky's to gas up and to grab a bite to eat. We filled up the tank, but we refused to eat there. Have you ever been in a Stucky's? Yuck. Our first clue should've been the velvet paintings for sale displayed in the front window. The restaurant looked cheap and dirty. I swear I saw oily doilies on a counter. Somebody loves us all.

We left Stucky's (I missed the on-ramp and we drove on historic Route 66 for a while until we found another on-ramp) and stopped to eat at this faux-Mexican chain restaurant called On the Border. The rice was bland, and the rojo sauce was bland. Speedy Gonzalez is more authentic than this place.

We got back on the road, and we zoomed out of Texas by 2pm.

We entered Oklahoma, and the landscape remained the same. Until now, the trip had been pretty simple. Get on interstate and drive. But in Oklahoma City we had to get onto a couple of turnpikes and drive on toll roads. Our Map Quest directions seemed pretty straight forward, but of course, we got lost on the turnpike. We exited the turnpike and we found ourselves in a sparse residential area. We got a little nervous. It was getting dark, and we were lost. (Cue horror film music!) We turned right, and decided to ask for directions at the first place we reached. We drove into a parking lot full of cars. We looked at the building: it was a Southern Baptist Church. We both looked at each other, and decided not to go in. We just didn't feel safe. And that's very sad. Two guys can't enter a house of G-d to ask for directions because of fear. I'm sure they were nice people and such, but the acts and statements of their mother organization makes it clear that they don't like our kind.

We got back on the turnpike, and luckily we found the correct interstate: i-44. And off we sped.

More later.

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Car Trip: Day One

Yesterday, we left Casa Grande and embarked on the gayest road trip ever. How gay? These are some of the CDs we listened to: Bananarama, Belinda Carlise, and Isabel Pantoja.

90 mintues into the trip we stopped at Cordes Junction, Arizona for lunch. We ate at this dive called CJ's. We had to drive on a dirt road to reach it. I had a gross cheeseburger, and Rigo had a yummy BBQ chix sandwich.

My poor Saturn! It huffed and puffed its way up the mountains. I had to call my brother on my cell to ask him what gear I should be using while driving uphill. But I can proudly say I finally used the 2 and 3 gears of my car. Now, I'm real butch. I'm thinking of becoming a NASCAR driver. Or at least a biker bitch.

In Flagstaff we hit a sudden thunderstorm. The highway flooded quickly with water. For a few minutes I couldn't see the white lines. I almost drove off the freaking road! Thank goodness we were listening to Belinda Carlise's sweet sweet song "Mad About You." Her voice calmed my nerves. Thanks Belinda!

Then the dark clouds moved past us.

The landscape flattened as we entered Navajo country. The High Country. Columns of clouds. Blue above us. Though I must say gas prices were crazy expensive in Navajo land. What's up with that? If only my car used cigarettes as fuel!

From Navajo country it took us about three and half hours to reach 'Burque, New Mexico. Guess whose house I'm staying at for a day and a half? Cholojoto's house!
So far, Cholojoto has been a wonderful host.

Cholojoto: come back and pester my blog! Please.

More later.

Saturday, August 06, 2005

Rigo is Here

and he's bored. He says Casa Grande is boring. Duh! Poor thing. Today he had to endure two hours of waiting at the Saturn dealership as my silver blue bullet was serviced. Ha ha. Then we went out to eat at Olive Garden, and then to do some last minute shopping at Target (he bought a shirt and some boxer briefs.) Okay, I did.

Right now, he's on my bed reading Dana Levin's Wedding Day. Now he's reading a poem out loud. And we're listening to Coldplay's new CD. He doesn't like the music.

He's dying for a martini. A Dirty Absolute martini. He's got issues. He brushes his teeth with Tecate.

Now we're talking trash about some people. It might be YOU. Chances are good.

Tonight we're going out for drinks at a new dive in Maricopa.

Now he's flipping through my copy of 1913: A Journal of Forms. He's impressed with Scott Inguito's poems. We both think Scott is hot. Okay, only I do.

Call me crazy, but I really like the latest Coldplay album.

Rigo just asked me whatever happened to Scott. Scott is in San Francisco planning his wedding to his Beloved. And teaching at local community colleges. And, of course, writing poems. He's a nice boy.

Rigo wants to go. He's thirsty.

Hell no! I won't go until my Dear Readers get the full picture of our afternoon!

We're wondering about Oliver de la Paz. Has he made it to his new home in Washington?

He is now reading my copy of Greg Williamson's Errors in the Script. He says Greg is very cute.

He's now standing before my tiny closet and laughing at my meager clothes. He's a mean bitch. Okay, he gave me a dirty look. He's bragging about his two packed walk-in closets in his new place in Urbana. Our new place.

I really really really like the new Coldplay album!

Rigo likes Daddy Yankee. Whoever that is.

He just said this is the must boring and stupid blog post ever. That's why he doesn't read my blog, he said. Or anybody else's. Right.

Arriba Juarez!

We're going to name our new two-story apartment El Noa Noa.

Some of you might be asking who the hell Rigo is. Rigo is Rigoberto Gonzalez. He's got a few books out. Some of them are even good. Okay, only one.

Now he thinks I'm the bitch.

He just said something, but he won't let me write down what he said.

Over and out. We're off to see the Wizard.

He likes little men who hide behind smoke and mirrors.

He's like that.

Thursday, August 04, 2005

I'm Back

Whew! The drama of the wedding is over. My younger brother is now a married man. Now, if only I could find a man and move to Canada. Do you hear me Daniel Nester?
Mexico always does something to me. I'm always stunned by its beauty, and ugliness. I don't have the language to describe the happiness and the sadness that overwhelms me when I'm in Mexico.
I found a great 20 peso coin featuring Ocativo Paz while in Mexico. It was issued in 2000 in a limited run. But I got one!
My poor brother. He can't dance. Picture a post swaying in wind.
Congrats to C. Dale Young: his second book will be published by Four Way Books. Just between us, I'm buying it for the author photo. I hear chest shots are involved! And for the poem "Torn."
And one of my favorite bloggers is back. Welcome back LAR!
The colors for the wedding: peach and white. It was a Creamsicle-colored event.
My mom always carries her cash in Mexico in a wad tucked in the right cup of her bra. I've nicknamed her BANATETA.
A shout of congrats goes out to Charlie Jensen who was a finalist in a book prize.


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20th Annual!

Two decades of excitement: Be sure to secure your Team's Place In The Biggest Tuna Tournament In Baja With A Chance To Win Hundreds of Thousands in CASH and PRIZES! Nov. 7-10, 2018

Pat McDonell
Director, Cabo Tuna Jackpot

The 20th annual WON Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot is coming Nov. 7-10, 2018, and you should be a part of it! Here at Western Outdoor News we take a lot of pride in putting together the best charters, events and tournaments in the West. They range from our family-friendly local tournaments to the Pro-Am U.S. Open bass tournament at Lake Mead. Included among them is one of our crown jewels: the WON Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot Tournament slated for Nov. 7-10, 2018.

THE CHAMPS of North Star who fished on the private boat Estrella Del Norte with their 338-pound tuna, fourth biggest in the history of the tourney.

This exciting event is staged out of Cabo San Lucas at Land’s End. It is the biggest tuna tournament in Baja and offers a chance to win hundreds of thousands in cash and prizes.

You don’t have to be a tycoon to enter. $1,000 will get you and three other friends into the tournament. An array of optional daily jackpots, ranging from $500 and up, sweeten the payback pot. In 2017 we hosted 147 teams and nine of those teams split $677,000, and all the teams and their guests and crews enjoyed the many events connected with the tourney. Our many sponsors are involved, part of the fun, helping put on a great event.

The official website has all the details, including ways to get signed up. Just go to www.loscabostunajackpot.com for the schedule and the entry forms and information to help plan your stay and forge a tournament plan. The deadline for the EARLY BIRD DRAWING, sponsored by Capt, Mark Rayor of Jen Wren Sportfishing, is Sept. 7, and you could win a one day charter on Vaquero, a 35-foot Cabo that runs out of the East Cape.

A few notes on changes. There are few of them, but the rules have been clarified. Read them over. The only change is that in the case of a breakdown, a boat may be towed into the weigh area. Unlikely, but it’s partly a safety issue. Bats must still be in the inner harbor by 6 p.m. In terms of the event, the weigh area will see a change. We plan on elevating the weigh scale onto a 4-foot high stage for more visibility and crowd control. And, a digital scoreboard will be use in addition to the standard leader boards.

Finally, the awards dinner on the cruise pier will be streamlined into two hours of announcing the winners, combined drawings, a video and a great meal by Solomon’s Landing. At both the Fiesta on Friday and the awards dinner Saturday, you must buy drink tickets. It speeds up the service, and was a huge success in its first year. The cost is kept low and sales and service are included. Tickets unused both nights can be redeemed at Baja Cantina, Maria Corona’s restaurants and Solomon’s Landing.

CROWDS AT THE WEIGH-IN swell in the evening as the big tuna are brought up the IGY ramp to the Malecon in front of the Tesoro.

Friends and Family:

The key element for our tourney is that it is for everyone who loves Baja and Cabo and fishing - anglers, wives, dads and kids. It's a thrill for everyone as we bring up the fish from the IGY Marina dock to the malecon weigh area, and the cheers when the weight is announced. It's absolutely incredible!

The Parties and FUN:

With the tournament motto being “Fish Hard and Party Harder” you know we know how to throw a party, and there is no lack of fun at the Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot.

Tuesday at the Hotel Tesoro Convention area there will be an early check-in 4 to 6 p.m. for teams (all team members must be present for this optional check-in) at the Tesoro Hotel in the conference room area near the lobby of the official tourney hotel, the Tesoro. Last year we had 20 teams pre-check at an evening party.

Then on Wednesday is the mandatory official registration check-in 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the malecon in front of the Hotel Tesoro where you also pick up lots of your sponsor tournament swag, buy official clothing, make any team changes and do all the paperwork. Thursday is the first fishing day, and the fun starts early on the start boat party, and later that day at the Gray Taxidermy weigh scale area. Things get wild as all the big fish hit the docks from 3 to 6 p.m.

HECTOR MONTANO of the Cabo agency API shoots off the flare gun on the Cabo Escape last year to signal the 147 teams to begin fishing the first day.

As always, you can expect a number of party and celebratory events contests (National/Fishworks' Best Dressed, Kingfisher Lodge's Guess The Winning Fish Weight, Show us your Costas!) over the course of the tournament that are sure to be fun, exciting with more than 50 drawings and hundreds of prizes and trips.

On Friday we again have the start boat party and final weigh-in, and an evening party to celebrate your big win. We have some real fun in store for you! All contests will be awarded at the Friday Fiesta to liven things up, and streamline the awards dinner the following night. By the way, ALL people who come to the Fiesta will be given a ticket at the entrance for the drawings, so if you have guests paying the $40 entrance fee, they can win too. Be ready to go up on stage.

Then comes the grand finale and Saturday night awards dinner party at the Cruise Pier with 800 anglers and guests, the gala event catered by Solomon’s Landing where we have more drawings and crown the new champions! And, we will hold a silent auction for Smiles International Foundation. Last year we raised $20,000 for cleft palette surgeries for children of Baja.

Go to loscabostunajackpot.com for updated rosters, the latest news, and “like” us here on our Facebook page. If you need any further information or have any questions please direct them to lori@wonews.com or call 949-366-0827 to speak with Lori. Leave questions about the tourney for me at patm@wonews.com.

2018 Cabo Tuna Jackpot Schedule*

Tuesday, Nov. 6: Voluntary Pre-check for teams who have no roster changes, 4 to 6 p.m. Angler packets, hats, bags and shirts will be distributed only.   Wednesday check-in will be where you will pick up various sponsor gifts, buy  dinner or Cabo Escape charter tickets. All anglers must be present on the team to fill out waivers. Tesoro Conference Hall through glass doors.

Wednesday, Nov. 7: The official team Check-in 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Tesoro Cabo Marina weigh-in area. Yo-Zuri Welcome Party with free gifts, tequila shots, video showing, optional amounts announced, and drawings, 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. Cultural Center Outdoor Amphitheatre.

Thursday, Nov. 8: Costa Shotgun start 7 a.m. at the Cabo Arch; Start boat is the Cabo Escape, leaving IGY fuel dock at 6 a.m. sharp; Annual Costa Charity charter, 6 to 8 a.m. on start boat Cabo Escape, first of two. $30 PP. Includes all mimosas, coffee, orange juice, champagne, breakfast burritos. All proceeds to Smiles charity. Gray Taxidermy Weigh-in 3 p.m.- 6 p.m. Lines out at 4 p.m. Weigh-in ends at 6 p.m. or until all eligible fish are weighed.

SHOW US YOUR COSTAS is a contest that has taken on a life of its own for teams. There are several contests and drawings that add fun to the event.

Friday, Nov. 9: Costa Shotgun Start at 7 a.m. the Cabo Arch; Weigh-in 3-6 p.m.; Annual Costa charity charter open to all guests on luxury start boat Cabo Escape, leaving IGY fuel dock at 6 a.m. sharp with mimosas, breakfast burritos, coffee and prizes! $30 a person (all proceeds to Smiles charity), lines out at 4 p.m. Gray Taxidermy scale closes at 6 p.m. or until all eligible fish are weighed.

Friday, Nov. 9: Baja Cantina's Fiesta at Maria Corona Restaurant in downtown Cabo. Doors and bar opens and music starts at 7:30 p.m., Live band, Mexican buffet dinner and foklorico entertainment begins at 8 p.m. and at 8:30 staff begins announcements of day's results, Show Us Your Costas! Contest, Fishworks/Baja Cantina Best Dressed, Kingfisher Big Fish, National Rental Car Sticker Contest, plus sponsors' drawings. All guests (team members and those who paid $40 as guests to attend) are eligible to win the drawings. Special tickets will be given out at the door.

Saturday, Nov. 10: Cabo Tuna Jackpot Awards Dinner, on cruise line pier. Bar opens at 5:30 p.m.; Live band starts at 6 p.m., dinner is ready at 6:30; Smiles International charity Silent auction. All sponsors tackle drawings begin at 6:30; awards ceremony begins at 7 p.m., ends at 9 p.m.