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American Reunion 2012 TS XviD-RiPRG
Video > Movies
707.46 MiB (741821620 Bytes)
2012-04-24 13:30:20 GMT
lyrical1986 Trusted

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(Problems with magnets links are fixed by upgrading your torrent client!)
Title: American Reunion
Tagline: Save the best piece for last.
Release Title: American Reunion 2012 TS XviD-RiPRG
Original name: American Reunion
Aka: American Reunion

Tmdb Link:
Imdb Link:
Release date: 06/04/2012
Genre: Comedy | Romance
Storyline: In the comedy American Reunion, all the American Pie characters we met a little more than a decade ago are returning to East Great Falls for their high-school reunion. In one long-overdue weekend, they will discover what has changed, who hasnâ™t and that time and distance canâ™t break the bonds of friendship. It was summer 1999 when four small-town Michigan boys began a quest to lose their virginity. In the years that have passed, Jim and Michelle married while Kevin and Vicky said goodbye. Oz and Heather grew apart, but Finch still longs for Stiflerâ™s mom. Now these lifelong friends have come home as adults to reminisce about—and get inspired by—the hormonal teens who launched a comedy legend.

Seann William Scott ... Steve Stifler
Mena Suvari ... Heather
Shannon Elizabeth ... Nadia
Tara Reid ... Vicky Lathum
Alyson Hannigan ... Michelle Flaherty-Levenstein
Chris Klein ... Oz
Jason Biggs ... Jim
Jennifer Coolidge ... Stifler's Mom
Katrina Bowden ... Mia
John Cho ... MILF Guy #2
Natasha Lyonne ... Jessica
Thomas Ian Nicholas ... Kevin Myers
Eugene Levy ... Jim's Dad
Eddie Kaye Thomas ... Finch

Format: AVI
File Size: 697 MiB
Overall Bit Rate: 932 Kbps
Duration: 1h 44mn
Sample: Yes
Subtitles: No

Container: XVID
Video Codec Type: XviD
Video bitrate: 831 Kbps
Resolution: 720 X 304 pixels
Aspect ratio(AR): 16:9
Quality Factor(QF): 0.127
Frame Rate: 29.970 fps

Audio Language: English
Audio Codec: MPEG Audio (MP3)
Bitrate Mode: Variable
Bitrate: 90.6 Kbps
Sample Rate: 32.0 KHz
Channel Count: 2 channels ()

Managed to stream the first minute or so on utorrent, much better quality of sound and picture than the previous torrents, very slow going atm though. Hope the last few minutes are in this one.
A/V? anyone pls
the screens look good compared to the other torrents. will comment when done downloading
V: 9 ( for a Ts)

A: 7

M: To be finished
Usually I am skeptical of TS, but this copy actually is watchable
Quick download, briefly skimmed through and audio and video looks great. So far best copy I've seen. Thanks Lyrical


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Eat me out of House and Home

March 27, 2011 at 2:02 pm | Posted in Bella, bunny, charlie, pet, rabbit | Leave a comment
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brother luv

The buns are adjusting better without me this week, but they had their big brother to watch them as well. Bella really wants to either destroy her cardboard house or rip up the carpet in my closet. The cardboard I can replace (as long as it doesn’t collapse on her) but I don’t know what to do about the carpet. Eventually she’ll have ripped it all up. I need some sod to lay down that she can just graze on.

They seriously need to make rabbit-friendly carpet. Both Bella and Charlie like to gnaw on something that gives resistance. He likes wooden furniture, but she likes carpet and quilts.

Lately I’ve been spending some time down on the floor with Bella and she is responding well. When I ask to snuggle with Charlie, he often says no, but Bella never refuses. She doesn’t like being groomed as much, but thankfully that’s not my job!

Oh, Bella..

March 22, 2011 at 10:32 pm | Posted in Bella, bunny, charlie, rabbit | Leave a comment
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Every day I learn something new about my rabbits. Charlie is highly intelligent, cautious and considerate. Bella is fearless, curious and affectionate. She has the better nose, and he he better hearing. Somehow they manage to get along together and not destroy the house – just my bedroom.

I always know when Bella’s gotten into something when I see Charlie, squat, staring in her general direction. He’s a little tattle-tale but it does help when I can’t find her.

Bella’s learned to come when I call her now, even if she doesn’t think I have food. She’s tall enough to stick her head in the fridge though.

I told her recently that she only needs to nudge me if she wants my attention and yesterday I had my legs up on my chair when I felt a hard nudge on my foot. She had stretched all the way to nudge me, so of course I had to pet her.

Charlie had his nails clipped over the last two weekends and he is very well behaved. I fear Bella will not go as well. Once he understands what is going on, he relaxes unless it hurts. We’re gonna have to hypnotize Bella.

Bunnies don’t like Jobs

March 19, 2011 at 1:37 am | Posted in Bella, bunny, charlie, litter, long island, pet, rabbit | Leave a comment
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miss you

I started an internship at PCH this week leaving the buns alone at home for most of the day. Well, when I say alone, I just mean that I’m not around, because everyone else in the house has been at their wits end with Bella.

I suppose she thinks that if I’m not there, she’s allowed to try anything. She’s been digging in the litterbox constantly, and pulling up carpet in my closet and behind my door.

Charlie has been an angel as usual. I just wish he had some control over her, since we sure don’t!

Bella Barges In

March 13, 2011 at 6:08 pm | Posted in Bella, bunny, charlie, kronenberg, long island, pet, rabbit | Leave a comment
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Hay for All

Oh Bella! Sometimes she’s absolutely sweet, like when she licks and nibbles your fingers after you just ate. But other times…like when she hops on top of Charlie’s head to get some hay.

Charlie’s learning to stand up to her though and is doing his share of sitting on her head as well. He’s also been teaching Bella how to open doors. She used to grab the edge with her mouth and pull it open, gnawing along the way. Now she just nudges it open with her nose like Charlie.

Who Me? I Didn’t do Nothin’

March 9, 2011 at 1:44 am | Posted in Bella, bunny, charlie, hotot, long island, mini rex, new zealand, pet, rabbit | Leave a comment
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Nap Time

At 2:15am I hear loud knocking while in the bathroom. It’s Bella! She’s under mom’s dresser riupping up carpet and knocking her noggin again. She eventually stopped, but I forsee her getting sent to my room for future (forced) sleepovers. She also did more digging in the litterbox yesterday. It is cleaning day today, so I suppose I can’t blame her.

After being good and heading off to her room 2 nights in a row at 11pm without having to be told, Bella is now shaping up to be the good one. Charlie peed in his hay box, and then I caught him in the act doing it again! Apparently my prodding him doesn’t stop him peeing where and when he wants. I don’t know why he’s started doing that all of a sudden.

I did have a lovely snuggle session with both buns this evening that lasted for a good 20 mins. I also got to see Bella flop and roll like Charlie, but she had a bit of trouble with the rolling part and nearly rolled over!

Rabbit Nightlife

March 6, 2011 at 10:32 pm | Posted in bunny, charlie, hotot, kronenberg, long island, mini rex, new zealand, pet, rabbit | Leave a comment
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Under the Dresser

After eating a pie-plate of yummy hay and clover crumbs, both Bella and Charlie stretched out and went to sleep on mom’s floor. This is probably the first time Charlie has ever fallen asleep in there aside from underneath the dresser. Maybe he’ll be able to sleep in there when I go away.

Bella sure learns fast! It only took a week or so, but now she runs out into the hall every time she hears the fridge open, just like Charlie. Not always a goof thing…

The both seem to understand about bedtime. They go to her room and he says g’night and then leaves. It’s so cute. I just wish she was always as willing to stay in there.

At 7am, however, my parents awoke to the *knock* *knock* *knock* of Bella’s noggin under the dresser as she pulled up carpet. She’s never done that before

Kissy Kissy, Hissy Hissy

March 3, 2011 at 9:55 pm | Posted in bunny, long island, mini rex, pet, rabbit | Leave a comment
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Big Girl

This evening I crouched down on the floor and lowered my head until i was at bunny-eye-level. Bella came over, sniffed my face and body, and then proceeded to groom my scalp. I realized that my posture was “asking to be groomed” to a rabbit, and she actually did it! Whenever I put my head next to Charlie he just nudges it or hops away. I could feel her wet nose on my face as I got bunny kisses.

I told mom to try this later as it seems to create a certain understanding between us. She doesn’t nip at my ankles as much and seems to be more willing to listen to me.

It All Checks Out

March 1, 2011 at 11:46 am | Posted in adopt, adoption, bunny, hotot, long island, manhattan, mini rex, new zealand, nyc, pet, rabbit, rescue, veterinarian | 1 Comment
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Inside the Box

Yesterday was Bella Leche’s first visit to the Vet. She’d managed to chew on some duct tape and get a piece stuck on her in the process. Oh Bella! She also lost a patch of fur and had a red sore under her chin, so we had the vet check that out. She’s healing nicely, and hopefully it taught her to stay away from duct tape!

Dr. Saver thinks Bella’s a New Zealand/Hotot mix, which is kinda what I thought too. She’s at her max weight though, 6lbs, so mom’s gonna have to cut back on the treats. She spoils them way too much, and we don’t wanna wind up with fat bunnies!

Bella was a bit nervous at the vet. She started shaking in the car, as Charlie did when he first went. She is more curious than him though and hopped right out of her carrier when we opened it. She also went right back in at the end, which is the fastest I’ve ever seen her go into it! When we got home she headed for her room and stayed there for awhile. I think she needed to calm down and feel safe. Charlie came over to comfort her. Aww. But he was the same way on his first vet visit too.

Interestingly, Bella also has her origins in NYC. She was caught there and first brought to Animal Care & Control, where we adopted Charlie from. She came out to Long Island some time after that. So now I have two city bunnies! I don’t think they miss the noise though, not that there isn’t enough traffic in our house.

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Obstacle Couch

October 5, 2014 at 1:03 pm | Posted in bunny, long island, pet, rabbit, sitting | Leave a comment
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I had a little lie down on the couch yesterday evening, and Honey decided to join me. Several times. He didn’t seem to mind that I was up there, taking up most of the space, but he didn’t stay for very long each time. As long as he’s not trying to escape, he can hop all over me!

Our little boy Butterscotch had a rough stasis bout last night that pretty much occupied most of my time. It lasted from 4pm to 12:15am through several rounds of medication, heating pads, temperature taking, one unhappy bunny, and frazzled humans. We even made a call to the vet to make sure we were doing everything we could, but she said as long as his stomach was soft, we just had to focus on warming up and not worry about getting him to eat. He did start to eat a little after midnight though, so the humans got to go to bed around 1am after confirming his temperature had reached over 101. Whew! He’s back to his normal self now, and the other bunnies in the house can finally get their share of my attention back.

You’re Not Hungry?!

September 2, 2014 at 2:29 pm | Posted in bunny, long island, pet, rabbit, sitting | Leave a comment
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Yesterday morning my dad woke me up because Butterscotch wasn’t eating his greens. H was refusing raisins too, so my mom and I knew he must be having a stasis episode. We medicated him, and then again and again, and finally, 5 hours later, he was back to normal. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bunny, he or Charlie, take that long to recover. His ears weren’t cold, he just was not hungry. We separated him and Hershey so I could leave him his food without having shoo away Hershey. I stayed with him all morning and then went in the kitchen to clean greens after lunch. I was so relieved when I finally saw him nibbling on some alfalfa hay! He’s back to normal now, it’s just so scary when it happens. Chase bunny didn’t seem to mind the extra attention going to Butters, but I think Hershey wasn’t happy until he was allowed back with his baby brother.

Escapes and Upset Tummies

August 11, 2014 at 2:13 pm | Posted in bunny, long island, pet, rabbit, sitting | Leave a comment
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“Hershey & Butterscotch”

I tried to let Sherman come into the kitchen yesterday while I was cleaning bunny greens. I figure he must be unhappy being cooped up in his pen. He’s probably used to having more freedom at home, and he’s with us for almost 3 weeks. I opened his pen so he could come into the hall and even put down a piece of cardboard to walk on, but no dice. He did not like it and wouldn’t come out. I fully expected him to be running around the kitchen, trying to break into the dining room. Oh well.

Later in the evening though, Sherman broke out of his pen. I had gone upstairs for a moment and just clipped his gate shut with a black clip, not the gate lock, and apparently he figured out how to push past that. When I came back down not 5 minutes later, his little head was poking out into the hall. I ran in and saw his gate was wide open and he was heading for the other side of the living room. Hudson didn’t go near him,, (couldn’t care less) but I was worried that Hershey would fight him if he went close to their pen. He ran around the tiny area that is “no man’s land” in the living room for a minute before I corralled him back into his pen. Now if I could just put carpet down in kitchen, he’d run around in there instead!

This morning Butterscotch didn’t want to eat his pellets. He has gotten stasis in the past, so we were ready with the medication should the need arise. Fortunately, about 4o minutes later he was running around the room, checking out the laptop I was using to “spy” on him, and eating pellets. Phew! Crisis averted!

Bunny Supervision

July 2, 2014 at 1:51 pm | Posted in bunny, long island, pet, rabbit, sitting | Leave a comment
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Well, Charlie had another stasis/bloat episode yesterday. I’m not sure which it was, since he recovered fairly quickly, but it came on suddenly as bloat does. This is about the third time it has happened in the morning. He eats his greens but then will not eat his pellets or anything else. We gave him a round of Simethicone, Metacam and Reglan and an hour later he didn’t want pellets but did take a raisin so I tried some parsley. He wolfed that down and his ears felt reasonably warm so I didn’t stress him out by giving him more meds. He ate regularly the rest of the day. I’m so glad that someone is always home to monitor Charlie’s (and the other buns’) eating habits since he is so bloat prone. Being here saved his life on more than one occasion.

The little bunnies downstairs knew nothing about the commotion upstairs. CJ is happily enjoying all his roommates now. Unfortunately he’s going home tonight. But I’m sure he’ll be glad to see his mama! Sadie will probably miss him, but another bonded pair is arriving tomorrow, so she’ll have two more bunnies to check out.

Quesy Butterscotch

June 1, 2014 at 4:56 pm | Posted in bunny, long island, pet, rabbit | Leave a comment
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Poor little Butterscotch had a bout of stasis again this week. Of course it had to happen on the day we’re supposed to clean his room. After medicating him a few times (fighting him to get the medicine in) he recovered completely in a few hours. We were able to clean the room, we just did it in the afternoon instead of the morning. By that time both he and Hershey had camped out under the window in the living room anyway. Hershey was a surprisingly good bunny brother. He wanted to stay with Butters the entire time, and tried to defend him from me when I “bothered him”. He even preferred to stay with him rather than run over right away to eat pellets. Aw, what a good brother! I’ll definitely look to Hershey to tell me if this happens again. He’s a very smart rabbit.

Second Story Rabbits

March 25, 2014 at 11:48 am | Posted in bunny, long island, pet, rabbit, sitting | Leave a comment
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Butterscotch frequently jumps on top of my chair in the dining room to see what’s going on in the world, even more so since Clover has been here. Clover likes to sit on top of one of the boxes in her pen while I pet her. It’s adorable. She doesn’t really purr, but she does sit there for as long as I’m willing to pet her.

Not to be forgotten, (even though I spend the majority of my time with Bella and Charlie, albeit most of it is while I’m asleep) Charlie got my attention. He didn’t run for his pellets and when I went to bed he still hadn’t eaten any. After refusing some alfalfa, raisins, and papaya candy I got worried. I set my alarm for an hour and tried to go to sleep, but saw Charlie start to eat some of the hay. When my alarm went off he was hoping around and eating pellets. Phew! I need Charlie feeling good so he can help me run the house.

Diagnose Me– If You Dare

February 10, 2014 at 1:18 am | Posted in bunny, long island, pet, rabbit | Leave a comment
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My little man always keeps me on my toes. This morning he refused his pellets, causing me to fret and eventually decide that he must be gassy. We gave him 1.0 ml of Simethicone, 1 ml of Reglan and 0.5 ml of Metacam at 11am, against his wishes. He perked up by 1pm and started eating and snuggling with Bella again. He left quite a little mess on the blankets though. I think the meds are to blame for that. Stains can be cleaned, but my bunny’s health is paramount.

Bella’s little bald patch on her paw is growing, or rather she’s plucking it. The fur is growing back, and the skin looks ok, so I’m not worried about it. It goes just to the edge where her fingers start. It’s funny, I don’t usually think of the individual digits in their paws. They usually look like one big clump unless they’re stretching them out. Now I can see where they begin on her paw, and it’s actually kind of cool.

Bunnies Under the Tree

December 9, 2013 at 11:35 am | Posted in bunny, charlie, long island, pet, rabbit, sitting | Leave a comment
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I had some nice couch time with Budgie, but Snoopy didn’t really want much petting. He ran under the Christmas tree when I came over, so I let him be. Budgie did so many runs last night!

I was glad both Budge and Snoops are both so well behaved, because yesterday I had to spend the morning and early afternoon taking care of Charlie. He must have been gassy, because he refused his morning pellets, which he never does. After 4 hours, 5 syringe feedings, and some quality time together with a heating pad, Charlie is back to his normal self. It’s times like this where I’m glad he’s so smart. He did NOT like being cooped up in his carrier on the heating pad, but understood that I was doing it to help him, so he didn’t fuss. Once he started trying to escape, I knew he was feeling better.

Charlie says “No” to food???

December 4, 2012 at 1:37 am | Posted in bunny, charlie, long island, rabbit | 2 Comments
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Poor little Charlie has tummy trouble on Saturday but fortunately he’s all better now. He’s had gas problems before, but this time his body temp was so low that we took him to the vet and they warmed him up. We gave him pain and gas meds at home, but it’s under 70 degrees in the house and I guess he just got too cold from not moving. If we’d realized we could have tried to warm him up.

We had to leave him overnight at the vet. I don’t know who it was more traumatizing for: me, Charlie, or my mom. Bella, as per usual, didn’t seem to notice anything was wrong. I suppose she just figured Charlie was in another room. I think he handled it okay, and was just one sleepy bunny when we took him home. Bella kept sniffing him all over (you smell like other bunnies!!) and waking him up, so I had to become a human shield between them so he could catch up on his Zzzs.

He’s back to his normal self now, grunting at mom, grooming his girl, and of course, being the first one at the food bowls.

Ther Other Bunny Did It!

July 23, 2012 at 9:23 pm | Posted in adoption, Bella, bunny, charlie, hotot, long island, mini rex, pet, rabbit, rescue | Leave a comment
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Bella’s still going nuts every morning. I come home to fresh destruction each day. I don’t know if it’s the weather or boredom but she hasn’t let up for over a week. If I could, I’d let her run around in the yard!

Last Wednesday night Charlie refused his dinner and a raisin! He was having a gassy tummy which sent me into a panic. It’s happened a couple of times before, but it’s hard to recognize in him because of his general fussy nature. He didn’t really want to take the medicine, but eventually I got him to lick it down. After a couple hours in the hallway he seemed well enough for me to go to bed. Seeing my feisty boy all sluggish and compliant is not a happy sight!

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These are the most stupid hoaxes…

Add this blog to your favorites:
add to :: Add to Blinkslist :: add to furl :: Digg it :: add to ma.gnolia :: Stumble It! :: add to simpy :: seed the vine :: :: :: TailRank

Attention all Facebook membeRs.
Facebook is recently becoming very overpopulated,
There have been many members complaining that Facebook
is becoming very slow.Record shows that the reason is
that there are too many non-active Facebook members
And on the other side too many new Facebook members.
We will be sending this messages around to see if the
Members are active or not,If you’re active please send
to other users using Copy+Paste to show that you are active
Those who do not send this message within 2 weeks,
The user will be deleted without hesitation to create more space,
If Facebook is still overpopulated we kindly ask for donations but until then send this message to all your friends and make sure you send
this message to show me that your active and not deleted.

Founder of Facebook
Mark Zuckerberg

I just was sent this from a friend, but honestly, these messages are a big f*cking waste of peoples’ time. Why do people make up this crap?

Filed under Advice, Announcements, Random thoughts, Stupid, Unfortunate

3 responses to “These are the most stupid hoaxes…

  1. Jugi

    I received like 7 of those in one day. Seriously, how come people don’t see that’s a hoax? As if Facebook would distribute notifications like that through FunWall. I guess people buy anything someone says these days.

  2. You know what’s just as bad? People who think Facebook is shutting down because of over-exaggerating a pesky, inane lawsuit. I’ve been getting so many hits to my site from an article I wrote about it, and it’s really quite sad how many people search “is facebook shutting” or “facebook will be shut down”.

  3. Pingback: What a little hoax on facebook can do for a blog… « Guide in English Korean Learning Living Thinking Working | The Real “South” Korea

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text:
Patch Notes

build notesAll servers will be going down at 10AM EST on Thursday, May 14th to apply the 15.4.1 patch. Let's take a few minutes to review some of the major features of 15.4.1 before heading into the build notes.

Where the previous build saw the first half of the User Interface improvements, it primarily included window and element improvements. 15.4.1 focused on the more immediately visible components such as the map, action bars, status bars, and the chat window. In addition to visual upgrades there are numerous feature upgrades to the UI including easier to access action bar settings, resizable maps, and various new icons to make it easier to identify objects on the map and minimaps. We also added various player requests such as the ability to filter inventory items, or to sort inventory or view it using alternate view styles including list views. The database was also improved to include information on abilities and recipe skill point ranges.

    NPCs will now dodge, roll, and shift positions a bit less often than was previously the case.

    Scaed'ecoo animations and attack speed better synced up. Leaping attack also updated with proper animation.
    Helltyr Leap maneuver/animation was updated, they now have a leap animation when they lunge at you.
    Increased the update rate for rotation from the server to the client.
    Adjusted the drawn idles on both male/female so there is the vertical bend as it was causing them to lean oddly.
    Adjusted the Elkar's AI/Attack speed to better match the animation speeds.
    Helltyr animations and attack speed better synced up.

Auctions and Work Orders

    Added a "Display Options..." menu to Auction Search and Auction Post windows, for choosing auction list options. These are the same options as those found by right clicking on some of the auction list headers. The options are now remembered and used each time you open a new Auction window.
    Changed the Auction Search Category list from "Crafting Items, Fittings, Other Items" to "Items, Fittings, Crafting Components".
    Auction Search will now display both the unit and total bid/buyout prices. You can still choose which value to use for sorting.
    Auction Post prices and Work Order request prices are now remembered from session to session.
    Work Order durations have been increased from 48 to 96 hours (with no fee increase).

    Added environmental sounds to many of the games dungeons.
    Added new sound effects to various abilities.
    Added new sound effects which are played when you enter or exit the game.
    Echoed footstep sounds are now supported.
    Changed the tell received Audio to a different sound.

    Global Recharge now respects the speed of your equipped weapon. The recent global cooldown changes favored slower weapons but this should get things back in line.
    The Attack Speed modifier now has an affect on the global recharge time of most abilities.
    Defensive skills now give a small passive bonus vs. attacks of that type. If successful it will cause attacks which would have otherwise hit to miss completely.
    Chance to completely block damage when using a shield have been increased. We discovered a math error in the calculation code which was maxing out block chances at half of what they are set at after the change.
    Slightly increased NPC critical hit chance.
    Increased the amount of Momentum lost when you are critically hit or outside of combat.
    Made some adjustments to the global cooldown system to increase responsiveness.
    Made minor improvements to the Defense Bolstered, Ranged Bolster, and Defense Conscious combat effects that are available on some melee abilities to make them more effective.

    Modifications were made to the OWON attacks starting FX including a more recently added aircraft model.

    The Freedomtown buildings have been recreated. This includes both geometry improvements and texture upgrades.
    Added 18 new ability icons. Shockguns received the largest number of upgrades.
    Added moving clouds back to the environments. Tweaked the lighting a bit more.
    Improved occlusion in the Plymouth Control Center.
    Added new FX for boss abilities.
    Destructible barricades now have destruction FX.
    Assassin's Armor is now easier to tint.
    Adjusted vertical tracking on rifle so it is much better when aiming higher outside of action mode.
    Better centered the Beam Pistol so it looks more aligned.

    You can now add Computer Terminals to housing areas. This allows you to start the Hacking Minigame.

    Added additional detail options on NPCs to help tie inquiries and diplomacy minigames together more easily.
    Virsey Point: if asked about his mentor, Aaron Gamelin will tell you what became of Dr Virsey.

Items and Fittings

    Added five new items from the new Quadrutet species. This includes a rare item which can be processed into a resource attribute for fittings.
    Improved the harvested or looted drops from numerous bosses.
    Steampunk Pistols can now be dual wield.
    Generic camp spawned minion NPCs had their drop rates reduced somewhat. The tougher ones remain untouched.
    Added new Removable Storage Devices which can be purchased from vendors. These devices are used in the new Hacking minigame to create software libraries.
    The Crafting Component type 'Hardware Development Kit' has been renamed "Development Kit Software".
    Reduced the base skill gain percentages on skill gain stims to compensate for the grade scaling changes.
    Plate Metal has been updated to no longer include the Refined Metal component type.
    Reduced the drop rate of fittings from generic human NPCs.
    Removed Sulfur Dioxide from loot table for crafting missions as it is no longer used.
    Gypsum Cluster is no longer a Refinement Agent.
    Dichroic and Diffraction Grated Prisms now have proper branch filters.
    Petite and Standard Chair Aprons have new icons; the component type Chair Aprons also has a new icon.

    Added a new Diplomacy based minigame. This minigame is initiated by using a new Interact ability on a willing NPC. This minigame allows you with a list of multiple choices of diplomatic options to try to alter an NPCs mood, dilemma, cause, or to unlock achievements, missions, knowledge or other rewards. Changing an NPCs attitude alters the missions which can be generated for them and allows players to have a small affect on the world for themselves and other players. While these minigames are diplomacy based, not all choices use the Diplomacy skill, you can also use Intimidation, Leadership, or other skills depending on which minigame is initiated.
    Introduced a new system for the Hacking skill. This system allows you to interact with new computer terminals in town to begin a minigame. This minigame allows you to select different bits of code and attempt to compile them to create a software library. You do this by pressing one of three code buttons, and then compiling or undoing then downloading the software onto one of the new Removable Storage Devices to create software libraries for crafting. While many software types have static codes which are the same for all players, others have randomized components which are different for each player and which need to be figured out by the player. Unlike the old C0 store purchased libraries, these libraries can create higher grade results based on your Hacking skill.
    Minigames can now be used to launch other minigames in a chain.
    Added improved FX support to Minigames.
    Minigames can now be launched through the inquiry system.
    We can now filter which minigames to offer a player based on the NPCs current mood or dilemma.
    Added 13 software libraries into the Hacking Minigame.
    Added support for the Fishing Minigame to the stream in Nido Cuervo.

    Added some additional information to the GameDB for abilities such as momentum, activation type, and the weapon modifiers.
    Improved the anti bot code to make it more difficult for players to get around.
    Added new tips explaining the Hacking and Diplomacy minigames.
    Added server side bounding box info for the giant mech.
    Acrobatics now properly gives achievements at 501 and 6001 skill.


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Traditional Pension Plans

April 9, 2012

In general

If you participate in a traditional pension plan at work (technically known as a qualified defined benefit plan), you’ll generally be entitled to receive monthly benefits from the plan after you retire. These benefits are usually based on your age at retirement, as well as your years of service and your average earnings with the company. The normal form of benefit is typically a single life annuity. That is, an annuity that makes monthly payments to you while you’re alive, and stops upon your death.

If you’re not married at retirement, federal law requires that your benefit be paid as a single life annuity, unless you elect a different payment option. If you are married when you retire, federal law requires that your benefit be paid as a qualified joint and survivor annuity (QJSA), unless you elect another payment option. The QJSA is an annuity that pays monthly benefits to you while you’re alive, and continues to pay at least 50 percent of your benefit to your spouse upon your death.

Depending on your plan’s provisions, you may have other payout options to choose from as well. Any optional form of benefit offered by your plan must be at least as valuable (actuarially speaking) as the single life annuity. You’ll want to select a payment option that will provide you with sufficient retirement income. In addition, if you’re married, you’ll want to be sure that your spouse will have sufficient income in the event that he or she outlives you.

Caution:  If the present value of your pension benefit is $5,000 or less at your retirement date, the plan can pay your benefit in a lump sum without your (or your spouse’s) consent. If you fail to choose whether to receive the distribution in cash or to roll it over to an IRA, and the present value of your benefit exceeds $1,000, your plan is required to automatically roll the money over to an IRA established on your behalf.

Qualified joint and survivor annuity

The payments you’ll receive under a qualified joint and survivor annuity (QJSA) are generally smaller than you would receive with a single life annuity because they continue until both you and your spouse have died. The single-life annuity provides a larger monthly payment because it’s paid over a shorter period of time–one lifetime instead of two. Payments stop once you, the plan participant, die.

The QJSA is typically “actuarially equivalent” to the single life annuity. That is, the present value of the smaller QJSA benefit (payable for a longer period of time) is equal to the present value of the larger single life annuity benefit (payable for a shorter period of time), based on your life expectancy and that of your spouse.

However, some employers “subsidize” the QJSA. Subsidizing the QJSA occurs when your employer’s plan does not reduce the benefit payable during your joint lives (or reduces it less than actuarially allowed), despite the longer payout period, making the actuarial value of the QJSA greater than that of the single life annuity option. It’s important for you to know whether your employer subsidizes the QJSA, so that you can make an informed decision about which payment option to select.

Example(s): Mary is a participant in her employer’s defined benefit plan, and is married. Mary’s pension benefit, payable as a single life annuity, is $3,000 per month beginning at age 65. Mary’s benefit payable as a QJSA is $2700 per month, with 50 percent of her benefit (which is $1,350) continuing to her husband after her death. Mary’s benefit is not subsidized, because the benefit payable during her lifetime is actuarially reduced so that the present values of the QJSA and the single life annuity are equal.

John is a participant in his employer’s defined benefit plan, and is married. His pension benefit payable as a single life annuity is $3,000 per month beginning at age 65. His benefit payable as a QJSA is $3,000 per month, with 50 percent of his benefit (which is $1,500) continuing to his wife after his death. John’s QJSA is subsidized. The benefit payable during John’s lifetime is not reduced, even though benefits will be paid over both John’s and his spouse’s lifetimes. The present value of the QJSA is greater than the present value of the single life annuity.

Federal law requires that the survivor annuity portion of a QJSA be at least 50 percent of the amount you receive during your joint lives. However, depending on the terms of your employer’s plan, you may be able to elect a spousal survivor benefit of up to 100 percent of the amount you receive during your joint lives. Generally, the greater the survivor benefit you elect, the smaller the amount you will receive during your lifetime (unless your employer subsidizes the survivor annuity).

Tip:  For plan years beginning after December 31, 2007, the Pension Protection Act of 2006 provides that if the survivor annuity provided by a plan’s QJSA is less than 75 percent, a participant must be allowed instead to elect a 75 percent survivor annuity. If the survivor annuity provided by the plan’s QJSA is greater than or equal to 75 percent, the participant must be allowed to elect a 50 percent survivor annuity. This qualified optional survivor annuity must be actuarially equivalent to a single annuity for the life of the participant. (Generally, a later effective date applies to collectively bargained plans.)

You and your spouse should receive an explanation of the QJSA (including your right to waive the QJSA benefit), and a discussion of the relative values of the payment options available to you. Be sure you discuss your options with your spouse before making an election.

Tip:  The QJSA must be at least as valuable as any optional form of benefit available to you.

Caution:  Your plan can require that you be married for one year before you’re eligible to receive your pension benefit in the form of a QJSA.

Caution:  Special rules apply to plan participants who have been divorced. In some cases, your previous spouse may be entitled to the QJSA if required by a court’s qualified domestic relations order (QDRO). Make sure to discuss your particular situation with a qualified professional.

Waiving the QJSA in favor of a single life annuity

In general

You may waive the QJSA with your spouse’s written consent during the waiver period. The waiver period is generally the 180-day period prior to your annuity starting date. Assuming the QJSA is available to you, and your spouse agrees to a waiver, the two of you may have a difficult decision to make. If you opt for the QJSA, you have the security of knowing that your spouse will receive a guaranteed monthly income after you die. Also, choosing a QJSA often entitles both spouses to continued health coverage and other benefits that might otherwise be lost. On the other hand, waiving the QJSA in favor of a single life annuity or other payout will often increase the monthly benefit you’ll receive during your joint lifetimes. However, your spouse will lose the benefit of guaranteed survivor benefits over his or her lifetime after you die.

Caution:  Be sure to seek qualified professional advice, since choosing a pension payout option can be complex, and the decision will impact your financial future and that of your spouse. The decision to waive the QJSA can be one of the most important retirement decisions you will make.

With a QJSA, payments continue as long as either you or your spouse is alive. By contrast, with a single life annuity, payments last for your lifetime and cease upon your death. For example, if you received one payment after retirement and then died, the single life annuity would provide no further pension payments. Your spouse would receive nothing. As noted above, the QJSA will normally be the most valuable form of benefit available to you, and is sometimes subsidized, so consider your options carefully.

Why would you waive the QJSA and instead opt for a single life annuity knowing that payments will stop at your death? One reason is that, as discussed earlier, the single life annuity generally pays a larger monthly benefit than the joint and survivor annuity. That’s because the payments are designed to last for a smaller number of years (i.e., one life expectancy instead of two). But that’s not the only consideration. Some other factors to consider include:

  • Health and life expectancy of your spouse: If your spouse is in poor health or has a short life expectancy, selecting the single life annuity may make more sense than selecting the QJSA. As the plan participant and the surviving spouse, you would have the benefit of the higher monthly payout from the single life annuity for the rest of your life.
  • Other sources of retirement income: If you (or your spouse) have other assets that can provide sufficient income for your spouse after your death, it may make sense to waive the QJSA and choose the larger single life annuity benefit.
  • Age difference between you and your spouse: If there is a large difference between your age and your spouse’s age (with you being much older), opting for the single life annuity may make more sense. If your spouse is considerably younger than you, his or her longer life expectancy will be factored into the calculation of the QJSA benefit, resulting in smaller monthly payments. This could leave you and/or your spouse without sufficient retirement income. But again, caution is necessary–if you select a single life annuity and you die soon after retiring, your spouse may have to survive financially without the benefit of your pension for a long period of time.
  • Your gender: If you (the plan participant) are female, then selecting the single life annuity may make more sense than selecting the QJSA. The reason: All other factors being equal, women are statistically more likely to outlive men of the same age. You will benefit from the higher monthly payout under the single life annuity while you are alive. By contrast, if you select the QJSA and your spouse dies first, you may be stuck with a smaller payout for the rest of your life.
  • Other plan features: Be sure you understand all of the options and features available to you under your employer’s plan. For example, some pension plans have a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) feature that allows the monthly benefits to be periodically increased to keep pace with the rate of inflation. This could be a valuable benefit for your spouse following your death. And, some pension plans offer their participants a “pop-up” provision specifying that if they initially select a QJSA payout and the spouse dies first, they can then retroactively select a single life annuity payout. This gives you flexibility to adapt if things do not go as planned. If your pension plan offers this option, it may be better to initially select the QJSA.

Waiving an annuity in favor of a lump-sum payment

In general

Some traditional defined benefit plans allow you to take a lump-sum payment in lieu of an annuity (again, you’ll need your spouse’s consent if you’re married). Whether to take the lump sum instead of an annuity can be a difficult decision. If you take a lump sum, you’ll be giving up guaranteed income for your life (and your spouse’s life if you’re married). You’ll also assume the risk (and the potential reward) of investing the assets yourself. You’ll need to make an educated guess as to whether the lump sum will ultimately be more valuable to you than the annuity benefit–but this will depend on your actual investment experience, how long you (and your spouse) live, inflation, and other factors that are currently unknown. When making your comparison, you’ll also need to consider whether your annuity benefit would have been eligible for inflation (COLA) adjustments, or early retirement or other employer subsidies.

Caution:  The guaranteed income is subject to the claims-paying ability of the annuity issuer.

Tip:  To get a quick idea of the value of a lump-sum payment versus the plan’s annuity benefit, consider how much of an annuity benefit you can purchase outside the plan with that lump-sum payment.

A lump sum might be an attractive alternative if you’re in poor health. If you roll the funds over to an IRA, your beneficiary will receive any balance left at your death. Your beneficiary can then take withdrawals, or convert all or part of the balance to an annuity. You may also find the lump sum attractive if you have other resources available and don’t immediately need the income when you retire.

Caution:  While you can use all or part of your lump sum to purchase an annuity, the expenses involved may cause you to wind up with a smaller annuity benefit than you could have received from your pension plan (you’ll be paying the expense of purchasing the annuity instead of the pension plan).

Advantages of selecting a lump-sum payout

The advantages of selecting a lump sum include:

  • You’ll have complete control over when and how you use your pension benefits, and how those dollars are invested until you need them. Annuity benefits, like other fixed income payments, can be eroded by inflation. With a lump sum, you’ll be managing your investments yourself, and you may be able to rebalance your portfolio to counter inflationary trends.
  • Your lump sum can generally be rolled over into an IRA where it can continue to enjoy the benefit of tax-deferred earnings. (If you’re over 70½, you can’t roll over any part of your lump sum that constitutes a required minimum distribution. Your plan administrator will calculate this amount for you.)
  • A lump sum allows you to potentially leave funds to your heirs or to a charity. A lump sum may be particularly attractive to single employees for this reason–with the single life annuity, payments would stop after the employee’s death.
  • Some pension plans satisfy their benefit obligation by purchasing an annuity for you from an insurance company. Others will not purchase an annuity, but will pay your pension benefit directly out of plan assets instead. Plan assets are held separately from your employer’s general assets. But in the event of bankruptcy, there may not be enough assets to pay all promised benefits. If your plan pays pension benefits out of plan assets, and you’re concerned about your employer’s financial condition, the lump sum may be a better choice. (Tip: Your benefit may be fully protected by the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC), which insures defined benefit pension plans.)
  • You can use all or part of your lump sum to purchase an annuity. However, because you’ll be paying the expense of purchasing the annuity instead of the pension plan, you may wind up with a smaller annuity benefit than you could have received from your pension plan.

Disadvantages of selecting a lump-sum payout

Disadvantages of selecting a lump sum include:

  • You may be tempted to use the funds without incorporating your withdrawals into a comprehensive retirement income strategy. If you use your retirement nest egg too soon, you could find yourself without sufficient funds to last through your, and your spouse’s, retirement.
  • You’ll be responsible for investing your lump-sum dollars until you need them. Investment losses, especially in your early years of retirement, could also cause you to experience a retirement income shortfall.
  • You may underestimate life expectancies for you or your spouse, causing you to run out of funds too early.
  • If you don’t roll over your lump sum, the entire amount will generally be subject to income tax (at ordinary income tax rates) when received, and a 10 percent premature distribution penalty may also apply if you retire before age 55 (age 50 for public safety employees participating in governmental defined benefit plans), unless an exception applies. And, you’ll lose the benefit of tax-deferred earnings.
  • By opting for the lump sum, you’ll generally forego the value of any early retirement or QJSA subsidies.
  • Some employers tie eligibility for retiree health coverage to the pension payment–if you choose a lump sum, you could lose your retiree health coverage.

Maximizing your pension with life insurance

As discussed earlier, under most pension plans (and depending on various factors such as the age of the two spouses), a single life annuity will pay out substantially more per month than a QJSA. Most people would like to have that extra income during their retirement years. However, most people are also concerned about providing for their spouses if they should die first. One technique for solving this dilemma is to choose the single life annuity, and then purchase insurance on your life with your spouse named as beneficiary. By selecting a single life annuity along with the purchase of a life insurance policy on the participant’s life, some couples can increase their income during retirement while also providing for the surviving spouse’s financial future. You should consider whether this strategy, commonly called pension maximization using life insurance, is appropriate for you.

Other payment options

Depending on the distribution options your plan offers, you may be able to waive the single life annuity or QJSA (with your spouse’s consent), and receive payments from the plan in some other form instead. You may also be able to choose a joint annuitant other than your spouse. In general, the same considerations described above in “Waiving the QJSA” apply when determining whether to waive the QJSA in favor of an optional form of benefit. The following are some of the more common optional forms of benefit available in defined benefit pension plans.

  • Period certain: This option is generally a single life annuity combined with a guarantee period. If you die before a specified period of time (usually 5, 10, or 15 years) payments will continue to your beneficiary until the end of the guarantee period. The benefit payable during your lifetime is smaller than with the regular single life annuity because of the period certain benefit.
  • Level income option: If you retire before you’re eligible for Social Security benefits (age 62 for early benefits, age 65 or later for full benefits), you’ll have a gap in your retirement income until your Social Security benefits begin. The level income option lets you receive a larger benefit from your pension plan before you start collecting Social Security, and a smaller pension benefit afterwards. In this way, your combined pension and Social Security benefits remains relatively stable during your retirement years. You can generally elect this option whether you receive your benefit as a single life annuity or a QJSA.
  • Lump sum: See “Waiving an annuity in favor of a lump sum,” above.

Qualified pre-retirement survivor annuity

If you die before you begin receiving distributions from your defined benefit plan, your surviving spouse may be entitled to what is known as a qualified pre-retirement survivor annuity (QPSA). The QPSA is an immediate annuity, payable for your surviving spouse’s life, that is at least equal in value to the QJSA benefit your spouse would have received if you had retired upon reaching the plan’s earliest retirement age (or, if later, on your date of death).

You may waive the right to a QPSA, and have your death benefits paid in some other form or to a beneficiary other than your spouse instead, but only if the plan permits such an election and your spouse consents to the waiver in a timely-filed and witnessed writing. If a QPSA waiver is allowed, you and your spouse should receive an explanation of the QPSA, and a description of the financial effect, if any, that selecting or waiving the QPSA will have on your normal retirement benefit. Because waiving the QPSA will generally mean that your surviving spouse will not receive a survivor annuity if you die before you retire, be sure to fully discuss the decision with your spouse and your financial professional.

Caution:  If you’ve been divorced, a court’s qualified domestic relations order (QDRO) can require that your QPSA be paid to your prior spouse. Be sure to discuss your individual situation with a qualified professional.

Taxation of annuity payments

In general, retirement plan distributions are subject to ordinary federal (and possibly state) income tax. The one exception is if you have ever made any after-tax contributions to the plan. Because those dollars have been taxed already, they will not be taxed again when they are paid out to you. While uncommon, if you’ve made after-tax contributions to your defined benefit plan, a portion of each annuity payment made to you will not be subject to income tax.

Tip:  States generally can not tax your pension benefit if you’re not a resident of the state at the time you receive your payment. This is true even if you earned the pension in that state but have since moved.

This material was prepared by Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc., and does not necessarily represent the views of John Jastremski, Jeremy Keating, Erik J Larsen, Frank Esposito, Patrick Ray, Robert Welsch, Michael Reese, Brent Wolf, Andy Starostecki and The Retirement Group or FSC Financial Corp. This information should not be construed as investment advice. Neither the named Representatives nor Broker/Dealer gives tax or legal advice. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however, we make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If other expert assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional. Please consult your Financial Advisor for further information or call 800-900-5867.

The Retirement Group is not affiliated with nor endorsed by,,,,, ING Retirement, AT&T, Qwest, Chevron, Hughes, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, ExxonMobil, Glaxosmithkline, Merck, Pfizer, Verizon, Bank of America, Alcatel-Lucent or by your employer. We are an independent financial advisory group that specializes in transition planning and lump sum distribution. Please call our office at 800-900-5867 if you have additional questions or need help in the retirement planning process.

John Jastremski is a Representative with FSC Securities and may be reached at

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Sleep is unimportant to some writers, but not to Sancho PanzaA sister-in-law once asked me why I put so much stock in sleeping.

“Sleep’s a waste of time,” she said. “It’s like death. You just lie there completely oblivious to what’s going on. And the more you sleep, the more time passes, and the closer you are to dying. Then it’s all over. Kaput!

“I think one reason people can’t sleep is because they really don’t want to,” she said, locking her eyes on mine in case I might think I was not among the people she was talking about.

A Writerly Attitude

Many writers have professed a low regard for sleep.

Vladimir Nabokov, who admitted to being “a poor go-to-sleeper,” said, “No matter how great my weariness, the wrench of parting with consciousness is unspeakably repulsive to me. I loathe Somnus, that black-masked headsman binding me to the block.”

Emil Cioran considered his insomnia to be “the greatest experience” of his life. “When I was about 20 I stopped sleeping and I consider that the grandest tragedy that could occur … All that I have written much later has been worked out during those nights.”

Dorothy Parker, too, spent her nights writing poems and stories and sneered at friends who slept, “…stretched sodden through these, the fairest hours of the day, when man should be at his most productive.”

“Only dolts and drudges sleep,” says Angelo Santasilia, a character in an Isak Dinesan story. “Fishermen, peasants and artisans must have their hours of snoring at any cost … Those living dead will never know what happened, or what was said, while they themselves lay huddled and gaping.”

Don Quixote’s Companion Weighs In

But some fictional characters have sung sleep’s praises. Sleep, says Sancho Panza, is “the cloak that covers all man’s thoughts, the food that cures all hunger, the water that quenches all thirst, the fire that warms the cold, the cold that cools the heat; the common coin, in short, that can purchase all things, the balancing weight that levels the shepherd with the king and the simple with the wise.”

Joyce Carol Oates has written about the “secret pride of the insomniac who … knows himself set apart from others,” but when it comes to feelings about sleep, I identify with the dolts and the drudges. Sancho got it right.

Posted by Lois Maharg, The Savvy Insomniac

Lois Maharg has worked with language for many years. She taught ESL, coauthored two textbooks, and then became a reporter, writing about health, education, government, Latino affairs, and food. Her lifelong struggle with insomnia and interest in investigative reporting motivated her to write a book, The Savvy Insomniac: A Personal Journey through Science to Better Sleep. She now freelances as an editor and copy writer at On the Mark Editing.

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Poetry and Science | Carol

Today is National Poetry Day, and across the land people have been posting poems.

At Think Physics, we’re doing our bit for poetry too, though our Imagining the Sun project.

‘Imagining the Sun’ brings together the Northumbria University Solar Physics group and a number of artists.  Together, they’ve been exploring our knowledge and understanding of the Sun through visual art, poetry and music.

Our artists are Katrina Porteous (poet), Helen Schell (Visual artist ) and Peter Zinovief (composer).

Helen’s work has already been on display at Big Bang North East, and will be shown later…

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Thursday, August 13, 2015

25 Days of HALLOWEEN Cut File Freebies! Day 06

Freebies are for a LIMITED Time!

For FREEBIES that remain FREE Go to the "FREEBIES" tab above
I occassionally update it so its easy to Free Cut Files you may find them easier.
If you've missed past freebies and they aaare no longer Free Check my Etsy Shop

Get Freebie File HERE

Files come in both MTC (Make The Cut) & SVG (Scalable Vector Graphic) Formats in a compressed Zip File with a Picture in JPEG format, which is simply a "screen Shot of the "cut File" with th e background removed, no guarantees of how "printable" the jpegs are.

They are in a compressed zipped file and when extracted there is a file in MTC (Make The Cut) and SVG (Scalable Vector Graphic) Formats. You need an electronic die cut machine with software that can read/open either an MTC or SVG format file.

Until Next Time...
Happy Cutting!
TTFN The Scrapoholic aka Jill

Leave your thoughts I love to hear constructive feedback

01 09 10


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Tag Archives: Tragedy

One year of “Beeing” a Girl Guardian – May 2, 2013

One year ago yesterday, I began my foray into this magical, mystical, and at times crazy, world of Apis mellifera.  I have Learned, I have Loved, I have Lost.  And yes, I have been Stung…. and not in the figurative or allegorical sense.  I’m talking Literally.  I have literally been Stung.

What’s that ??  Where have I been, you say?  There haven’t been any updates in AGES…. the Middle Ages… or maybe the Dark Ages !!

There are a lot of reasons, as well as no reasons, for the negligence.  This will be long…. so grab some wine… or something stronger.  The last update was in October 2012 and things appeared to be going well.  November rolled in and the weather was still warm, but starting to chill.  Thanksgiving came along and the Girls were still bringing in pollen.  I chuckled, thinking their bright orange pollen packs on Thanksgiving Day were like tiny little “bee pumpkins.”  All they needed were little bee pilgrim hats!

I also installed the insulation panels on Thanksgiving Day and added crumpled newspaper to the back of the hive behind the follower board. I hadn’t seen Queen Vicky, but I hadn’t opened the hive due to cooler temps.  I had feed the Girls quite regularly, and they probably had nine or ten full combs.  I crossed my fingers this would get them through the winter.

 But then along came December.  It was WET…. like hurricane storms WET.  And then the COLD set in immediately afterwards. Bone Chilling Cold.   I worried.  I worried a lot.  I wasn’t seeing anything.  Christmas came and went and still nothing.

On January 6th, the weather warmed up.  I thought I could take a quick peek through the window by moving the insulation panel.  I didn’t see any activity and saw some dead bees at the back of the hive and in the entrance.  I still offered up a prayer and hoped, but my fear was that they were gone.

On January 13th, it got up to 70 degrees.  Yes… 70 degrees in January.  Who still doesn’t believe in Global Warming ?  Raise your hands.  Back to the Girls.  I had to Know.  I had to LOOK.  I opened the hive and my fear turned to reality.  They were gone.  There weren’t more than a few hundred.  Some were butt out in the comb.  Tell tale sign of starved in the cold.  I’m sure there weren’t enough to stay warm in their cluster and they perished.  The inside of the hive felt a tiny bit damp, probably from the Tennessee Hurricane Winter Storms.  I had intended on trying to find Vicky, but then just wanted to clean up the hive.  I sprinkled the bodies of my poor little Girls over the patch of crocuses that I had planted for them in November.

I decided to harvest two combs.

This was the first time I had harvested any honey.  It was an interesting process and a sticky process.  The honey was dark, leading me to think it might be goldenrod, which bloomed everywhere here in the fall.  There was also pollen in the combs so my honey wasn’t clear, but it sure is delicious.

I left the majority of the honey in the hive, hoping it will provide a jump-start to next year’s hive.  I pushed wire mesh into the front of the hive to deter anything from entering and taking the honey, especially the Ferals.  All I could do now was order more Girls and WAIT.

And WAIT… through February…. and WAIT… through March… and WAIT…. through the beginning of April… until ….. Wednesday… April 17, 2013….  the Best Day and the Worst Day (in more ways than one…. remember that part…. in MORE ways than One).

Today I get my new Girls (this is the Best Day part).  I modified my order this year after reading an article last fall.  The article recommended for foundationless hives, like my Top Bar Hive and Warre Hives, to start off with five pounds of bees.  So I met John, my dealer… my Bee dealer, in front of the Sam’s Club, along with about 5 other Apis mellifera aficionados, and picked up a three pound package with Queen and a two pound package, sans Queen.  I loaded up the Girls and headed home.

Alas, the trip home was a somewhat sad and disheartening ride because I knew that when I got home, the home of the Ferals would be gone (this is a Worst Day part).  Yes… it’s sad but true… our neighbor evicted the Ferals, and their eviction was occurring on the same day as the arrival of my new Girls.  The poor Ferals.  At least there were being relocated, to hopefully thrive and fly some other beautiful place in the rolling hills of Nashville.  It is against the law in Tennessee to kill honeybees.  The eviction lasted the better part of the morning and early afternoon.  Their beautiful home was systematically dismantled, and they were BeeVac’ed up into a large bee transport vessel.  Yes… they were literally VACUUMED up.  They weren’t happy, not in the least.  The neighbor across the street received 5 stings earlier in the day.  After it was over, he tried to show his wife what was left of the tree and she was stung as well on her hand.

I let my Girls kick back and relax close to their new home.  I planned to install them at dusk, hoping it would somewhat calm them.  I periodically checked on them and found quite a few straggling Ferals hanging on the outside of the package boxes.  Maybe they were asking to join the group….. since they no longer had a home…. or maybe they were just bitchin’ and gossiping all the low down and dirt about the neighborhood.

So as dusk approached, I put on my jeans and long sleeve white t-shirt.  After my experience with the Girls last year, and everything I’d read and everything I’d heard, I didn’t think I needed to go full regalia.  But I took my quickie veil and gloves along….. just in case.

So I popped the lid off the 2lb package and took out the syrup can.  I learned from last year and brought everything I needed…. screw driver, pliers, can opener, kitchen sink (no.. not really the kitchen sink).  I then popped the lid off the 3lb package and removed that syrup can as well.  I then carefully remove the new HRH…. name to still be determined.  I could go Russian… since they have a smidge of that.  Or maybe something Italian… since they are somewhat that as well.  I believe they may be some sort of Italian – Feral cross breed… so I guess maybe an Italian Hillbilly!

I carefully pinned the cage of HRH into a top bar, including her already new acquaintances.

I then prepared to install the 2lb package, thinking that since she was hanging in the 3lb package that I would get the 2lb package in first.  I took the two pounder, bonked the package, tossed the lid and began pouring the Girls in.

Everything was going swimmingly.  So far so good.  Look at me… doin’ this “au naturelle” …. “sans gear”… I’m a rock star!

Second bonk, and poured the remainder in.  At this point, the buzzing around me starts to get noticeably louder and a little closer to my ears.  “Maybe better put the veil on,” I say to myself.  Which I do.  I picked up the 3lb package, bonk, pour, bonk, pour.  Girls are everywhere now, and I feel the first burning sensation on my hand.  Damn… better put the gloves on.  Crap … another one on the hand.

I hurriedly put on my gloves as I still needed to close up the hive.  Closing up a top-bar hive is probably more difficult than a traditional Langstroth hive, (my personal opinion even though I’ve never closed a Langstroth) because one must replace the bars and attempt to avoid being a murder.  Sometimes it’s a breeze, today… not so much.  The Girls were not co-operating.  But could you really blame them, after the day they were having?  Sadly in the process, I heard one or two “squishes”.  The buzzing is getting louder again, but I’m almost finished with the close up.

Shiiiiiiiiit !!  There are Girls INSIDE the veil!  Double Shiiiiiiiiiiiit !!  And inside my gloves !!  OMG… why does it feel like someone is pushing a burning needle into the top of my head !  What is going on !!!  I hurriedly exit the hive vicinity and ripe the veil and gloves off.  But my head is still burning.  I take my fingers and try to remove the little female Brutus… Et tu, Brute ??

I can’t get her out of my hair.  I’m not “swatting”…. never ever ever “swatting.”  I am calmly trying to use my fingers and get her out of my hair… off my scalp… wherever the hell she is…. I can’t see… she’s on the top of my head…

There is no other option… There’s only one thing that can be done… to put an abrupt end to her heinous attack.  I start smacking the top my head with my hand.  Ouch.. smack… still burning… smack… smack… SMACK!  I’m deathly afraid to even consider what a sight it must have been to the neighbors to the rear of our property.  Another sting to my hand.  Now the other hand… Aaaaaaa… now one through my shirt.  And another to my ear, then behind my ear.  All hell is breaking loose !!  It’s a freakin’ Free-For-All  (this was that “other” Worst Day part)!!

Somehow, I manage to make sure there are no more Girls inside my veil, or in my gloves, or in my hair and get re-dressed.  Remember, I still have to close the hive !  I’m goin’ back in.

“Can these really be MY Girls?” I keep asking myself.  They were so much calmer last year.  Maybe it’s those hitchhiking Ferals.  “That must be it” I tell myself.  “It’s those pissed off Feral Girls that lost their home today and are trying to take it out on me!”

I succeeded in closing up the hive, used the can opener to pop open the syrup can (see… thinking ahead…. what I learned from last year), filled the feeder and slide it into the new feeder hole in the false back in the hive.  Now the Girls will have access to “food” right at the back !  No more worrying about having to fully open the hive to insert the feeder, or putting a feeder out in the open… not that it matters now…. since the Ferals are gone.  But I did notice a few times last year of Girls “taking off” towards the front of the house after getting some water.  So I have often wondered if there isn’t ANOTHER Feral colony somewhere in the ‘hood.

April 19, 2013, I switched out the feeder with more left over syrup from the packages.  April 21, 2013, again I switched out the feeder with the last remains of the package syrup.  I wonder if I can order cans of this stuff… it sure is super easy to just pop open the can.  To my joy and surprise, I noticed pollen being brought in, pale yellow and bright yellow.  Woo Hoo !

I waited until Tuesday, April 23, 2013, to open the hive and check on the release of HRH.  Success!!  She was out and about and the entire candy plug was gone.  Additionally, there was no burr comb built onto her cage, unlike last year.  So I simply removed it and will keep it for a souvenir!  The Girls were, again, NOT in a good mood that the hive was opened.  Is this becoming a habit?  Is it possible that maybe there are just some cranky Ferals that have joined the kingdom and they have become the Guards?  I did not see any eggs in the little bit of new comb that I inspected; however, I did not perform a full inspection…. mainly because …. it was after work… and it was dinner time… for me… and for them… as I replaced the feeder again.  And again noted pale yellow pollen being brought in.  I read something recently stated, pollen being brought into a hive is a sign that the Queen is laying.  So I’m crossing my fingers that she’s already doing her thing…. (doin’ her ‘thang) !!!!

I have been taking quick peeks through the window and the Girls have been building new comb gang buster style!  Everything is looking spectacular so far which is making me hopeful for an excellent year.  I also noticed there were quite a few Boys that came along for the ride.  I’ll be interested to see what the Girls make of them.  We have had a beautiful spring so far.  Good amounts of rain so everything is blooming incredibly.

Here is what I’ve noticed in bloom:

  • Dandelions (already at the tail end and they are going to seed)
  • Nashville Breadroot (very rarely do I see the Girls on it, but the Bumbles LOVE, LOVE it)
  • Fragrant Sumac
  • Daffodils (already losing the flowers)
  • Chokeberry (MANY pollinators loving this, but not really the Girls)
  • Rosemary, not seem to be as attractive this year as last year
  • Tangerine Crossvine just about to flower out
  • American Wisteria just about to flower out
  • Dutchman’s Pipevine, never seen any pollinator activity on this

Now I just need to name my Queen !

Hell Hath No Fury……

It had been seven days since my last disastrous encounter with the girls.

I had left some pieces of the collapsed comb in the hive in hopes that the girls would partially rectify my heavy handedness.  I had watched intently over the past week, and they had cleaned out the two smaller pieces.  I didn’t know what was going on with the larger piece.  I did notice some of the cells had started to be open.  I didn’t know if that meant the girls were cleaning them out or what was happening.  However, at least once a day, typically in the morning, I would notice one of the girls removing a little white pupa.  I didn’t know if it was coming from the broken piece or not.

My original thought was to leave the large piece until the time frame indicated that any developing bees would have hatched.  But I noticed that their comb building had significantly slowed.  Perhaps there were more concerned with cleaning up the mess than with expanding the comb.  So before going in on Saturday morning, I had to make the call.  Leave it… or Clean it.

I choose Clean it.  So I opened the hive probably around 10:30 am, to encourage the forager girls to get out of the way.  I slowly removed the top and the cover and then began to pry open the back top bars (“TBs”) immediately in front of the false back.  I removed two of the TBs to give myself some working space.  I slowly inserted my hive tool into the hive to begin removing the smaller pieces.  No sooner had I gotten the tool down to the small pieces when …. WHAM…. Burning Hot Needle Poker… right into my index finger knuckle closest to my finger nail.  “WTF???” I think to myself, “I’ve just started and I already got stung!”  Ok, on go the gloves right after I flick the stinger out.  This is not a good start to my day.

I remove the smaller pieces of comb that I had left and they had completely cleaned them out.  Next, I remove the larger comb piece.  I take it out of the hive and attempt to brush the girls off.  They aren’t in a good mood today and I can already tell by their hum.  There are still pupae in the comb.  Some are white, others seem sort of grayish.   They won’t go to waste I tell myself.  I shall provide nutrients to the birds as a final sacrifice for my clumsiness.

I start to methodically process through the TBs.  I work slowly and use the hive tool to disconnect the burr comb, which the girls build to attach the comb to the side wall.  Learning from the mistakes of last week, I start from the bottom of the comb and work up towards the top.  However, still petrified and mortified by the beenocide I perpetrated last week, I decide to NOT lift the combs out this week.  I shall merely move them and try to look at them while still in the hive.

Each time I insert the hive tool into the hive, girls attack it.  The girls are NOT happy.  It is somewhat difficult to really see what is happening with the comb without lifting it up.  Then I reach TB #5, where the comb collapsed last week.  What’s this?  There is new comb built here.  “But I thought I moved that bar and pushed the whole comb together last week after the collapse” I say to myself.  I suppose in my hastiness, I moved the TB to the front when the comb fell off and didn’t move it to be with the other empty bars.  This now sets off another whole train of thought.

If I didn’t move the bar, that means there was brood comb, empty bar, and brood comb.  What if the brood comb got to cold and all of that brood has died as well?  My nightmare just won’t seem to end!

I continue looking through the comb, forever being watchful for Queen Victoria.  I get all the way to the first TB.  The girls hum, more an extremely loud BUZZ, is saying… no yelling… at me, “WE ARE NOT HAPPY WITH YOU SIR JAMES!” ringing almost deafening in my ears.  A peculiar change has happened with the first TB.  Last week, TB#1 appeared to be fully capped brood and all of the boys where hanging out there.  This week, the entire comb was open, there were no boys there, and it seems to have been turned into the pollen pantry.

I begin placing the TBs back into position, working slowly and still searching for Queen Vicky.  There are five to seven stingers in my gloves.  Thank goodness for them!  “Should I start using smoke? I wonder to myself.  My original goal was to not use a smoker, but it may become necessary if they get this mad each time I try and visit.  I get all the TBs back in place, unfortunately, I never saw Her Majesty.  But I do notice that pollen is still coming in and take that as a sign she is still in control.

Fortunately, on Sunday I did get a visual on Queen Victoria through the window.  She was moving around the edge of some of the comb, maybe on TB#7.  I really do not see any Ladies in Waiting with her.  Maybe she still has some maturing to do or something, but I thought she was always going to be surrounded by a little group that saw to her every need.

They do seem to be expanding TB#5, the new comb where the collapsed comb was; however, they don’t seem to be building any more new comb.  This has been the case now for a few days and I am starting to get concerned.  I’m not sure what to do.  Hopefully when TB#5 gets out to the edge of the hive, they girls will start building on the end again.

I don’t think I will go in this weekend and see if that helps get them going again.  I will just watch through the window.  They were going gang busters with pollen on Monday though.

My new mantra… They know better than me… They know better than me… I just need to leave them alone.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, … …

… … it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, … …

Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities — English novelist (1812 – 1870)

Saturday had finally come.  The weather was gorgeous, and I was excited to check up on the girls.  They had made such progress with their comb building and they appeared to be in good spirits, bringing in an exception amount of different colored pollen, bright orange, bright yellow and pale yellow.

I started at the false back and began working my way forward.  There are currently four Honey Top Bars (“HTB”) and twelve Top Bars (“TB”) in front of the false back.  There was no comb built on any of the HTBs.  I started to proceed through the TBs.  I carefully pried each bar apart and moved it towards the false back in the space created from removing two of the TBs.  I find comb on TB#8.

“Wow, that’s amazing”  I say to myself.  Here are the girls peaking up as I move bars.

TB#7, bigger comb… TB#6 comb with brood.  What an amazing sight!  TB#5 more brood.  The same thing on TBs #4, #3, #2 and #1!  TB#1 is basically completely sealed.  But for some curious reason all of the boys were hanging out on TB#1.  “Seems odd that they all hang out here” I think.

Everything is looking Great!  Now I need to find Queen Victoria.  I begin to inspect each side and put the TBs back in place.  I find Queen Vicky on TB#5.  I honestly cannot tell anything different about her.  I know her abdomen is supposedly longer, but it honestly does not look that way to me.  Thank goodness she is marked otherwise I would never find her.  She seems to be hanging out at the very top of the TB, which concerns me.  I snap a few Glamor Shots of Her Majesty.

I place the top bar down into the hive.  However, concerns enter my mind about moving TB#6 up against her so I decide to move TB#5 against TB#6 and then move both together as a single unit.  I slowly attempt to work the bars together and get the girls back in, which I hadn’t had any problems with so far.

And then it happened.  TRAGEDY BEYOND BELIEF.  The entire comb falls off the TB.  Thinking back now with almost a day to replay the horror over and over in my mind, I believe I may have tilted the TB towards me in an effort to persuade the girls in.  The entire comb broke off, with Queen Vicky on the edge falling into and onto the next comb.

I stand there in disbelief.  What have I done?  How do I fix this?  I try to remain calm.  The girls are NOT happy at this time.  I had better put on my gloves I tell myself.  Yes… I had actually been doing everything prior to this without gloves.  The day had been going so well.  Lot of future baby bees and no gloves.  And now this.

I put my gloves on and remove some more TBs to give myself additional working space.  I use my hive tool to try and gently move the broken comb.  There is nectar and/or syrup running all over the place now.  I have to reach into the hive and try to retrieve some of the comb.  It breaks in my hand.  I place the piece into my orange bucket.  I remove some more.  There are poor bees worm babies falling out.  I’m so upset.  Luckily I am able to remove a very large section of capped brood.  I get the broken comb out and look and the mess that I have created.

I quickly had to determine a course of action.  Do I completely take away the entire comb?  I feel absolutely horrible.  I come to a decision.  I will leave some of the parts that appear to have pollen and nectar so that the girls can move it to other areas of the hive.  There’s no reason all of their hard work should be a total waste.  I then decide to leave the big section of sealed brood against the false back in hopes that perhaps some of the babies might survive.

I will diligently watch this over the upcoming week.  If it appears it may be salvageable, I’ll leave it until I move the false back.  Otherwise I will remove it next Saturday.

I replace the remaining TBs and close up the hive.  I walk back to the house dejected with my head hanging… the Hindenburg quote, slightly modified, ringing in my ears…. “Ooooohhhhh the Beemanity.”  I say a prayer for all of the lost little bee babies.

As of today (Sunday), the girls appear to already have removed the nectar and the majority of the pollen from the two smaller pieces I left.  And they are doing something on the larger piece.  Are they attending to it ?  Or trying to remove the horrific aftermath?

I make a batch of 1:1 syrup for the girls and put it out for them, but they don’t take it.  Maybe that’s a good sign that they have found a true nectar flow.  I check the girls throughout the day.  I see busy bees everywhere.  I occasionally witness a girl removing a little white corpse.

I also watch a very bizarre occurrence.  I observe one of the girls literally drag around and then fly off with one of the boys.  He wasn’t dead and didn’t seem injured.  But she literally drug him off the edge and flew off with him.

Around 4pm, I was trying to remove a little bit of cactus from an area in front of the hive when I feel this incredible burning sensation on the front of my shin.  I look down and there’s a rogue girl hanging on my leg.

“Sh!t…. this hurts…. It’s burning like a hot poker being pushed into my leg!” I’m thinking to myself.  I quickly vacate the hive premises and look at my leg.  The poor girl is now gone, having sacrificed herself, but I see the stinger.  I scratch it out of my leg and head inside to put ice on my first battle wound.

So there it is, the good, the bad, and the ugly.  A weekend with such amazing highs unfortunately clouded with such loss.  I only hope that my decision to leave some of the sealed brood was the right decision.


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Desk to Table – Furniture Repurpose

Week 3’s project is a thrift story treasure! I found this cute desk at a thift shore in Atlanta, and it came with an even cuter chair! I love the curves and the legs of this desk, but that hideously ugly purple color had to go. I also didn’t really need a desk in my apartment, but I did need a table on the wall behind my couch, and this seemed perfect. All it took was a little loving and a little more paint and this purple desk transformed into a beautiful entryway table.

Before-After 2

Lets get started!

Supplies used for this project:

  • paint – I used Behr Ultra Banana Cream Pie from Home Deopt – 8oz wasn’t enough, but 16oz was plenty
  • brushes
  • sandpaper
  • drawer pulls – Rather than painting the drawer pulls, I replaced them with pretty gold ones from Hobby Lobby
  • antiquing glaze
  • old rags

The first thing I did was sand down the table a little to get some of that ugly purple paint off. Using stripping gel would be easier, but I didn’t want to have to scrape the old paint off. I knew the thick Behr paint would be thick enough to cover the purple, so I wasn’t that concerned about getting all of the purple paint off. Then I started painting! I started on the top first, then moved to the edges, the sides, and the legs. The legs were the hardest to paint because they were skinny and round. After the first coat was dry, I did a second coat on everything but the legs. After the 2nd coat was completely dry, I flipped the desk over and did the second coat on the legs. Once the legs were dry, I flipped the desk back over used the antiquing glaze to give the desk a distressed look. See my previous post on how to distress. Here are a few up close pictures after the distressing. The antiquing glaze really brings out the character in this old desk.

Easy enough, right? Top it off with a lamp, a framed quote, and an old window as décor, and this old desk is turned into cute little entryway table!

Desk with Decor2

Distressing Technique

Week 2’s project isn’t a big one, but this technique is something I will refer to a lot in future posts. I am going to show you how I use a glazing technique to give something an old distressed look.

Before and After

Last week, I was cleaning up my craft closet and doing some reorganizing around the apartment, and I came across a small canvas that got messed up during my move. I was about to throw it away when I wondered what the wood frame around the canvas looked like. I got out my toolbox, grabbed a small flathead screwdriver and some pliers, and started prying out the staples that held the canvas to the frame. I was really surprised with how cute the frame actually is! I mean, who knew?! And this beats having to find a frame that you can paint at a thrift store or flea market. I’ll be explaining the glazing technique to the best of my ability, but I learned how to do it from another blog which shows a video of the glazing process for anyone who is interested.

Here are the supplies needed for this project:

  • Wooden frame
  • Paint of choice and brush
  • Finishing glaze
  • Sandpaper
  • cheap/unimportant washcloth (that can be ruined)

Step 1: Sanding

Sand down the frame slightly. This should only take about a couple of minutes. You don’t want to make it completely smooth but enough to get some of the paint off if it has been previously painted.

Step 2: Painting

I painted my frame with white before using my color of choice (turquoise). You definitely don’t have to do this, but if you are painting an old frame that already has paint on it, it might be good to paint it white first so the old color doesn’t show through. While my frame wasn’t painted before, I wanted to have a white base color on it so I could spot paint the frame with turquoise to give the frame a “shabby” look. When I say spot paint, I just mean that I didn’t cover the entire frame with the turquoise. I didn’t put a lot of paint on my brush to let some of the white show through the turquoise. Silly me forgot to take a picture of this step. Sorry y’all! But here is a picture of the frame completely covered in white paint.

Step 3: Glazing

Once the paint on your frame is completely dry, it is time to paint on the glaze. You will want to make sure to get it in every little nook and cranny! Once you’ve painted on the glaze, you will use your old/unimportant washcloth to wipe off the glaze. You’ll notice that not all of the glaze will wipe off. You don’t want it to wipe it completely off. That’s how the frame will get it’s distressed look. In this picture, you can see what the frame looks like with the glaze painted on, and what it will look like when you wipe it off. Notice how some of it stays on the frame? That’s perfect. The glaze will stay in all of the nooks and crannies which is why you don’t want to sand it completely smooth in the beginning, but just enough to calm down any really rough parts.

And there you go! Now your frame has an old/worn antique-y look!


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[Filipino] Chicken Pastel {Chicken Pot Pie}

In Philippines, this dish is called Chicken Pastel, just like chicken pot pie, this also has pie crust and goes into the oven for final cooking. But since, most of the household in the Philippines do not have ovens, the crust part is usually omitted and eaten as a main dish partnered with rice rather than a one dish meal itself. The chicken and vegetable are cut into larger pieces than bite size and sometimes hotdogs or sausages were added. This contains no wine or any herbs that a usual chicken potpie have.

The recipe I’m going to share with you is how I prepare ours in our home. You will notice that instead of using a pie crust, I will be using puff pastry, because it is easier and more convenient for me. I do not keep a whipping cream in my pantry since it has a shorter shelf life once opened so I’ll be using a combination of milk and cream cheese spread (the one in jar). This way I can control the richness of the sauce.

So, let’s start 🙂

  • 250g chicken breast
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 small potato, cubed
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 250g frozen mix vegetables
  • mushrooms, sliced
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tsp flour
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup chicken stock
  • 2-3 tbsp cream cheese (in jar or in block form, or labneh)
  • puff pastry (enough to line the bottom, side and top of an 8″ springform pan)
  • egg wash
  • shredded mozarella and cheddar cheese (or any cheese you prefer)

  1. Cut the chicken breast into bite size. Season with salt and pepper, set aside.
  2. In a skillet with high sides, on medium heat, brown the chicken pieces in oil and butter. Add onion and garlic. Cook until fragrant.
  3. Toss in the skillet the potatoes,mushrooms and mix veggies. Cover and let cook for 2 minutes or until the juices come out.
  4. In a small bowl. combine flour, milk and cream cheese.
  5. Pour the milk and cheese mixture and stir. Taste and adjust accordingly. Simmer for 5 minutes until the veggies and the chicken are cooked.
  6. At this point, the sauce should be thick but not as thick as a paste. If this happens, pour some HOT water or chicken stock to thin. If it still thin, make some more of the milk-cheese mixture then add gradually until you reach the desired consistency.Cool completely.
  7. Preheat oven  to 350F.
  8. Line the bottom and side of your 8″ springform pan with puff pastry. Poke several times with fork the bottom of your pan to prevent it from puffing while baking.
  9. Fill the pan halfway through with the filling and put some cheese, then pour the remaining all the way up leaving 1/4″ from the rim of your crust. Top with the remaining cheese.
  10. Cover the pan with puff pastry, sealing the side with a fork by pressing it firmly. Make a slit at the center of the pan so that the moisture can escape. Brush with egg wash.

Bake until golden brown.

If you want an all VEGETABLE POT PIE OR PASTEL, just remove the chicken pieces and throw in any veggies you like. 🙂

Serve and enjoy!

7 thoughts on “[Filipino] Chicken Pastel {Chicken Pot Pie}

  1. OMG! My mother is Filipino and she’s made this plenty of times. Makes me miss her cooking. I guess this is a sign I should learn to make my own.

    Liked by 1 person

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Baby Shower Dessert Table

We created a dessert table for my girlfriend’s baby shower which was held at the R2L in Philadelphia. Let me tell you, this place was spectacular – great views of the city, delicious food and super accommodating waitstaff.

 The dessert table was in the center of the room and was styled the same on both sides. There was a dark chocolate cake with salted caramel buttercream, mini carrot cakes with cream cheese buttercream, mini red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese buttercream topped with butter cookies, plates of butter cookies and mini chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream.

How about those gorgeous flower arrangements above? Stunning, right? They were created by Petah Bashano Event & Floral Design.  Petah also did the event planning for the entire soiree which was a huge hit!

The custom invitations and dessert table signs were done by Chick Invitations.  The artwork was also used to make edible images to put on the butter cookies.  Ticings transferred the artwork onto edible frosting sheets! How cute are those little zebras?

 The cake bunting, also created by Chick Invitations, matched the “Oh Baby” theme.

Dessert Table

Hope you enjoyed the pictures! I had a blast creating the desserts and styling the table!

First Birthday Party Dessert Table!

Love, love this first birthday party theme! An explosion of pink for little Samantha. Pink and gray elephants, candy, cookies and cupcakes made this dessert table almost to sweet to eat!

The smash cake was vanilla with dulce de leche buttercream. The cupcakes were red velvet with cream cheese frosting and then some more vanilla with dulce de leche buttercream! Delish!

Pink Dessert Table

PInk Candy Jars

Pink Favor Box Tower

Mini Elephant Cookies

PInk and Gray Cupcake Tower

Pink Smash Cake

Paper Elephant Tags:  CupcakeDream on Etsy

Elephant Cake Topper:  SBrandesDesigns on Etsy

Elephant Dress:  Lil’BitofWhimsy on Etsy

Pink Smash Cake

I got a call from an old friend “from the neighborhood” who needed a little smash cake for her daughter’s 1st birthday party.  She had pinned a picture (love Pinterest by the way – you can follow me here… ) of the cutest little cake and I jumped at the chance at making it.  It turned out adorable! Perfect for her gorgeous little daughter – Happy Birthday Liliana!

6 inch Pink Smash Cake – Vanilla cake with Vanilla buttercream

Pink Smash Cake

Dessert Set Up

Pink Dessert TableRed Velvet cupcakes with Cream Cheese buttercream, Vanilla cupcakes with Vanilla buttercream and Chocolate cupcakes with Salted Caramel buttercream

Pink Dessert Table


text:
: biking on the road to Hell :

And guess what. It isn’t paved with good intentions. Heck, no, it’s paved with plain old concrete and plastered with graffiti.

See? That’s the road right there. A short, narrow downslope leading straight into a wall or, Option B, into a sharp 90º right-angled turn. However, I traveled this very path last summer and created Option C — go wide, crash into the tunnel opening, and detour to the ER. In actual practice, though, Option C was a nonstarter. It’s where fun came to a complete stop.

I broke my shoulder and a rib, punctured my lung, opened a deep gash in my head, and spent nine days tethered to a morphine drip and chest tube. I’ve had better times. And now here we are, on the brink of a new summer, and I’m scared. Really, really, very scared to get back on a bicycle. I want to, I love riding bikes. I love the sound of ticking gears when I coast. I love leaning into turns. I love the wind and the freedom and feeling like a 10-year old.

Crashing, that’s the drawback; it’s a buzzkill. I can deal with the honking horns and screeching tires, the people yelling out car windows, the obscene gestures, but the crash — even the thought of a crash — takes all the joy out of bike riding. If I were younger, if the consequences (a punctured lung?!?) were less severe, if driver’s paid attention, if there weren’t light poles and parking meters and cratered pavement, I’d be on my bike right now — happy and free.

Instead, I’m fretting about what might happen. Well, heh, might. Given my luck and track record, an accident is inevitable. And I resent having to choose between fun and safety. Safety has never, ever been a consideration; caution just isn’t my nature. Headlong and heedless, that’s me, and that’s the lifestyle I want to live forever. A timid, careful, helmeted life isn’t worth living.

I vow to remain defiant until the bitter end, except when gravity is involved. Apparently, that’s a force only astronauts can defy. Dammit.

 copyright © 2017 the whirly girl

20 Responses to “: biking on the road to Hell :”

  1. Straddle the Turtle

    Artsy photos. And X marks the spot of your crash, right? Hmm… I first thought to cheer, “Get back on that horse!” But the more I examine the exhibits, I’m leaning with your assessment – SCARY!!! (Good luck.)

    Liked by 1 person

  2. It's Just A Theory...

    “Wherever I go, however I travel, I’m on the way to an accident.”
    Oh, but the option – of never traveling at all – surely that isn’t really on the table…?

    “We shall travel to the stars, bearing the brunt of any pain and suffering necessary to get there… for we are human, and we must explore. Even if it’s just our own back yard…”

    Liked by 1 person

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