text:
SDA-WA Member Activities May

Gwen Lowery, “Corona 1”

Gwen Lowery Receives People’s Choice Award at the Schack Art Center

SDA member Gwen Lowery’s piece “Corona 1” was voted best in show by viewers, winning the People’s Choice Award at the Schack Art Center for SDA-Washington’s “Fiber Fusion” Show, which ran March 9 to April 15. Congratulations, Gwen.

“Gathering: Six Northwest Basketry Artists” at Spaceworks Gallery

“Gathering: Six Northwest Basketry Artists” is an exhibition of six basketry artists who are members of the National Basketry Organization and they represent the diversity of traditional and non-traditional approaches to the making of Pacific Northwest basketry. The works are created out of a diverse range of materials using a variety of basketry techniques. The participating artists are Lanny Bergner, Jill Nordfors Clark, Katherine Lewis, Dona Anderson, Danielle Bodine, and Peeta Tinay. The window display is at Spaceworks Gallery on the corner of 11th and Broadway in Tacoma, WA. This exhibition is in conjunction with “Tradition and Innovation in Basketry IX: National Basketry Organization 2017 Conference” held in Tacoma from July 18–22, 2017.

The exhibition will be on display from April 5 through July 2017.

“NOW: Beauty and Paradox” at MUSEO Gallery

Ten Northwest artists explore contemporary issues through beautifully crafted paintings, sculpture, mixed media and ceramic works designed to express deeper paradoxical meaning. Each artist employs her unique artistic expression: ironic, whimsical, even outraged to create interest and engagement.  Collaboration between Museo Gallery and Nancy Loorem Adams.

SDA members Nancy Loorem Adams, Danielle Bodine, Natalie Olsen, and Patricia Resseguie will be exhibiting their artwork along with Dona Anderson, Jill Nordfors Clark, Maxine Martell, Jane Richlovsky, Inge Roberts and Sande Wascher-James. Please join the artists for the opening reception Saturday, May 6, 5–7 p.m. The show runs through May 29, 2017.

MUSEO Gallery
215 First Street/P. O. Box 548
Langley, WA 98260
Tel: 360.221.7737

Nancy Loorem Adams_Strung Out

Nancy Loorem Adams, “Strung Out,” 24″H x 16″W x 10″D, cedar, walnut and fir veneer, paint and lacquer.

Danielle Bodine_Forbidden Love_1A6A5503

Danielle Bodine, “Forbidden Love,” 3l”H x 18″W x 10″D, mulberry paper, coiled waxed linen, plastic tubes, wires, plastic plant.

Natalie Olsen_Loin Cloth 1

Natalie Olsen, “Loin Cloth”

Patricia Resseguie_Metamorphosis Vessel 8

Patricia Resseguie, “Metamorphosis Vessel 8,” 2″H x 5″W x 6″D, metallic thread and jewelers’ wire.

“Port Townsend Wearable Art Show” in Port Townsend

The seventh annual 2017 Port Townsend Wearable Art Show is May 13 at 2 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m. SDA-North Peninsula chapter artists accepted into Port Townsend Wearable Art Show this year include: Donna Lark-Weiner, Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry, Michelle Johnson, Janice Speck, Judith Bird and Joyce Wilkerson. Tickets, ranging from $25–75, are available here:

Joyce Wilkerson working on “Seagrass Zia Jacket,” in progress

Joyce Wilkerson, “Seagrass Zia Jacket” in progress

Judith Bird, “Imagined Africa” in progress

Arisa Brown Receives Scholarship from the Northwest Designer Craftsmen

SDA member Arisa Brown received a scholarship from the Northwest Designer Craftsmen to attend the National Basketry conference this summer. “Tradition and Innovation in Basketry IX” will be at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, from July 18 to 23, 2017. More info:

SDA-WA Member Activities April

Fiber Fusion Group Show

The last leg of SDA-WA’s “Fiber Fusion” tour runs from March 9–April 15 at Schack Art Center in Everett. The Center has both free and paid “Discovery Tours:”

Self-Guided Tour—Free (Available daily during open hours.)

This free tour begins with an exhibit questionnaire that will guide you through the current exhibit as you hunt for the answers, learn about the artwork and artists. Feel free to look into the studios to possibly see artists painting, drawing, printmaking, metalsmithing, at work in the Flame & Kiln Studio or blowing glass in the Hot Shop.

Docent Guided Tour—$30 per group

(Available Wed.-Sun. open hours during scheduled exhibits, beginning the Wednesday after exhibit opens. Check exhibit schedule for dates. Subject to docent availability.)

This guided tour is filled with fun and facts about the history of the Schack, the artwork in the current exhibit and behind-the-scenes peeks at the Hot Shop, classrooms, mezzanine gallery and studios, and other wonderful parts of the space.

Ann Maki in “Reawakening” Show

SDA Member Ann Maki has her fiber art show “Reawakenings” at Social Fabric in Bellingham, 1302 Commercial Street, March 3–25.

2017-03-09 09.32.32

Rebecca Wachtman in “Flowers, Fungi, & Flight” Show

SDA member Rebecca Wachtman’s exhibition “Flowers, Fungi, & Flight”  will be at the Pacific Rim Galleria at Bellewood, 3710 Providence Point Drive SE, Issaquah from April 8–28. It will include a variety of silk paintings, as well as a selection of silk and resin sculptures.

Rebecca will be demonstrating silk painting on April 8 from 1 p.m.–2 p.m., and then the opening reception will follow immediately after the demonstration, from 2 p.m.-4 p.m.

Bellewood’s Pacific Rim Galleria is open to the public for the opening reception. If you can’t make the opening reception and want to see the exhibit, Bellewood welcomes visitors and asks that you call to schedule a viewing, 425-391-2880.

Barbara De Pirro in “Northwest Designer Craftsman” & Bellevue College Gallery Space

SDA member Barbara De Pirro has been challenging her self to create smaller sculptural works. She has work in “Northwest Designer Craftsman” at Vashon Center for the Arts from March 3–30 and at Bellevue College Gallery Space April 12-May 17.

Curated & Published

Unmade Bed: The Exhibit by Debra Calkins

This book is a catalog of the art and viewer responses of the “Unmade Bed” Exhibit, curated by SDA member Debra Calkins.

Prostitution is said to be the oldest profession in the world. The reality is that prostitution is the oldest ongoing abuse. There are many organizations that provide statistical information, such as 80% of the people trafficked in the United States are US citizens; half of them are children; 85% of those children come out of foster care. As a culture, we are in denial, thinking not in our neighborhood, not on our corner.

“Unmade Bed” is an exhibit of visual art that tackled the heart response to the sex slave trade. We, all of us, hold in our hands and hearts the ability to stop this inhumane practice. We can overcome the denial, stop the blaming, take action, provide for the victims and change the world. Available here:

Cover of Sea Unseen Book, showing a microscopic image of Shark Skin.

Sea Unseen by Carla Stehr

SDA member Carla Stehr’s fiber art is often inspired by microscopic images that she photographed with a Scanning Electron Microscope as part of her scientific work as a Fisheries Biologist. Just after she retired, she published a collection of the most artful images taken during 30 years of scientific research. The book was written so that people of all interests could see the microscopic beauty of marine organisms. The book Sea Unseen: Scanning Electron microscopy images from Puget Sound and Beyond, was printed through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric and Administration by the US Government Printing Office. Below are examples of a few microscopic images and the fiber art inspired by the images.

Denticles is inspired by a microscopic image of shark skin.

Skin on a 3dpf zebrafish larva

Scanning Electron Microscope image of the surface of zebrafish skin. Each fish skin cell has microridges arranged in thumbprint-like patterns.

Stehr Fish Skin 2sml

Fish Skin 2 was inspired by the microscopic image of fish skin.

You & What Army_ Portraits 2016 Cover

You & What Army by Francesca Penchant

You & What Army: Portraits 2016 is a collection of photo illustrations created by SDA member Francesca Penchant. Francesca creates fiber-art costumes, takes self-portrait photographs, and then digitally manipulates them to create various characters.

She also created a book of 2015 portraits called Fifteen Portraits.

Fiber Fusion—Schack Show

Important Information for Artists

Volunteers Needed
Please consider signing up for a job to help make this show truly outstanding.  Most jobs take only 2 hours of your time.  We particularly need people to check in art on February 27th at the Schack.  That day Christina and I will be driving a van to pack up the show at Northwind and delivering the art to the Schack.  We need people to sit at the table at the Schack to accept the regional art that is delivered.  Go to our Sign-Up genius page to see what positions are needed or contact Barb at

You can view a copy of the e-Postcard by clicking here and then right click to save to your computer. Please send out to your friends, family, or email lists and post on your Facebook or other website/blog/social media to help get the word out about this magnificent exhibition!

Video Project (Optional)
We plan to have a looping video of SDA artists working in their studios during the exhibition. We would love to include a video by you. Segments from multiple artists will be compiled into a single video. Individual videos should be 2-5 minutes long. Ensure there is enough light to see your art. Captions are fine, but we do not recommend audio. If you do have audio, ensure that any narration is strong and clear. (we recommend you write what you want to say and learn it by heart before filming.) We may edit, dependent upon time, quality of video, and number of videos submitted. Video can be made with cell phone, but the quality of video will depend on phone quality. Video that is determined to not be of sufficient quality may not be used. When you have a completed video, send an email to and we will send you a Dropbox link to upload your video file to. All videos need to be in mp3 format.

Surface Design Examples (Optional)
As part of our educational program, we would like to show the viewers some works in progress. If you have some samples which show your working methods or steps involved, include these in with the package of your art. It would be useful to include a few words of explanation to aid the docents to use as they explain the work. Please mark them with your name and artwork inventory number and include a list of what you have supplied, so they can be returned to you with your artwork.  The advantage of submitting work-in-progress is that your work may be highlighted by docents.

Other Information—Packing, Delivery and important dates

Important Dates:

Where to deliver your art:

Tips for Packing and Shipping your Artwork:

Fiber Fusion Artists’ Talk Sunday

Our very successful traveling exhibition, Fiber Fusion, is now at the halfway point. It opened at the Northwind Arts Center in Port Townsend on February 2.

If you haven’t seen it yet, you are in for a treat—a great number of beautiful, intriguing, witty and questioning works in fiber! In neutral to vibrant colors! In all sizes! 2- and  3-D!

As part of the exhibition, you are invited to an artists’ talk and presentation on Sunday, February 12 from 1 to 2 p.m.

Cloth, Shadow, Line by Joyce Wilkerson

Joyce Wilkerson will tell us about her work “Cloth, Shadow, Line,” which pairs a textile fragment with a photograph. Joyce is primarily a weaver, and is also interested in printmaking and photography. In her work, she explores the greater whole created by the dialogue between the media.

11-13-15 Dinner at La Belle Equipe Smoke Dress by Jeannie McMacken

Jeannie McMacken will introduce us to her ephemeral piece, “11-13-15  Dinner at La Belle Equipe Smoke Dress.” This is Jeannie’s emotional response to the recent terrorist attack in Paris. To express her horror and grief Jeannie experimented with unexpected materials, and presents us with a very moving work.

Zambia by Judith Bird

Judith Bird will describe the making of her piece “Zambia,” which combines two surfaces, one a handwoven and one a silk fabric, both dyed in contemporary interpretations of Japanese shibori techniques.

We look forward to seeing you at the artists’ talk!

SDA-WA Member Activities February 2017

Schack Art Center Fiber Art Workshops, March 11–April 15

To complement the Fiber Fusion exhibit, Schack is presenting six SDA-WA member workshops from March 11–April 9.

Fiber Fusion: Weave a Mini Tapestry
Lois Gaylord
Discover the fun and creative possibilities of this popular craft, while we learn the basics and create a miniature tapestry. Ages 18 & up, Beginner.
Saturday, March 11, 11 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Class fees: Members $55, Non-Members $60.

Textile Painting with Acrylics
Barbara De Pirro
Learn how to transform your textiles simply by using Acrylic paints, mediums and gels. Ages 18 & up, All Levels.
Saturday, March 18, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Class fees: Members $115, Non-Members $120.

Modern Batik
Cameron Anne Mason
Learn the ancient art of batik with a modern twist using updated techniques and materials. Ages 16 & up, All Levels.
Friday, March 24, 10:30 a.m.–6 p.m.
Class fees: Members $95, Non-Members $100.

The Printed Surface: Mark-Making Using Thickened Dye
Cameron Anne Mason
Using fabric as a canvas and thickened dye as a medium, students will make marks with a variety of tools such as stamps, stencils, and silkscreens. Ages 18 & up, All Levels.
Friday, March 31, 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m.
Class fees: Members $110, Non-Members $120.

Silk Painting Workshop for Beginners
Rebecca Wachtman
A fun introduction to fiber art—painting on silk! The students will learn the basics of how to select silks, get them ready to paint, how to paint, how to set their dyes, and how to mount their artwork. Ages 18 & up, Beginner.
Sunday, April 2, 12:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Class fees: Members $55, Non-Members $60.

Wacky Baskets
Danielle Bodine
Create a personalized random weave basket made out of paper strips. Strips are colored and stamped and then woven into baskets. Ages 6 & up, All Levels.
Sunday, April 9, 12:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Class fees: Members $25, Non-Members $30.

Random Weave Baskets
Danielle Bodine
Create a unique, personalized basket embellished with natural materials. You will learn to construct a vessel out of flat reed using a random weave basketry technique in this fun, creative workshop. Ages 6 & up, All Levels.
Sunday, April 9, 3 p.m.–5 p.m.
Class fees: Members $25, Non-Members $30.

FibeRevolution at the Port Angeles Fine Art Center, September 16–November 15

The SDA North Peninsula group has been accepted for a non-juried show in the fall at the Port Angeles Fine Art Center, September 16–November 15. Opening reception, September 16, 5–7 p.m.

If you are a member of SDA-NP, you are invited to submit new work. All work should not have been shown before on the Peninsula or in our group area (such as Bainbridge Island). The Center can mount work from ceilings, beams, ledges and even outdoors. There will be three Viewer’s Choice cash awards. Work must be for sale. The gallery retains a 40% commission.

There will be an opening reception presentation, and opportunities for lectures and workshops during the exhibition to show fiber art’s breadth and depth. Let’s show what the evolution/revolution of fiber looks like!

More information to come.

Inward Journey, Search for Self, February 5–March 31

Lois Gaylord’s solo show, “Inward Journey, Search for Self” will be at the University Friends Meeting & Friends Center from February 5–March 31. Opening reception, Sunday, February 5, 1–3 p.m. University Friends Meeting & Friends Center, 4001 9th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105.

Swedish Club Weaving Classes, February 7–24

Lois Gaylord will be teaching weaving at the Swedish Club from February 7–24.

Beginning Weaving
Series of four classes. Tuesdays, February 7, 14, 21, 28. 2–4 p.m.
No experience necessary. Learn the basics of working on a loom, from yarn to finished cloth. Use the Club’s looms. Blue card members $89; non-members $112.

Basic Tapestry & Two-Harness Weaving
Series of four classes. Tuesdays, February 7, 14, 21, 28. 6:30–8:30 p.m.
No experience necessary. Use the Club’s looms, or bring your own tapestry or rigid heddle loom. Blue card members $89; non-members $112.

To enroll, download a registration form or call the Swedish Club at 206-283-1090. The Swedish Club, 1920 Dexter Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

SDA-WA Member Activities January

Maura Donegans piece “Wander” in the VALA Art Center Fiber Fusion show received the most votes for the People’s Choice award. Maura will receive a $50 gift certificate donated by Blick Materials, a sponsor for the show. Congratulations, Maura!

“Wander” by Maura Donegan. Photographer: Crystal Edwards.

SDA Washington’s Working Group, a five-month support group that uses Artists U materials “to build sustainable lives,” has reached the halfway point. Through the working group, artists develop their own strategic plan and learn useful information in reaching their goals. There are four members in the group: SDA artists Arisa Brown, Faith Hagenhofer, Francesca Penchant and Rebecca Wachtman.

Artists U supplies its working groups with the book Making Your Life As an Artist, a workbook, videos, and a curriculum. So far, feedback about the working group has been positive. Francesca says that she likes that “the curriculum and materials are all set up for you and totally free, so it’s easy to do your own group.” Faith says, “I was actually really impressed by some of the simple messages from the book and the reinforcing videos.” She likes getting “the affirmation for project management skills that being an artist has developed in me,” and how Artists U “really parses the steps I need to take to reach toward any goals I may have.” According to Rebecca, “I strongly suggest joining a group if you have the chance!” If you are interested in starting an Artists U group, see

Christina Fairley Erickson is conducting a Dye and Embroider Mini-Workshop at Redmond Senior Center on Wednesday, January 5 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in conjunction with the Fiber Fusion show. See how you can dye silk fabric in minutes, and then try your hand at some simple embroidery stitches to make a small hand-dyed felt and silk composition. All supplies included in a $5 supply fee payable to Christina. Christina is an award-winning fiber and mixed media artist. Her pieces feature both hand and machine embroidery, as well as hand-dyed and painted fabric. Register by calling 425.556.2300. For more information about the class, see a recent student’s blog post or email

Cynthia Stenz has a solo show at Social Fabric Gallery & Boutique, 1302 Commercial Street in Bellingham, WA through December. See

Cameron Anne Mason was selected as the feature artist for the Chateau Ste Michelle Winery 2013 Meritage Artist Series wine. She shares this recognition with Dale Chihuly, as well as other distinguished artists. See Chateau Ste Michelle video featuring Cameron here ?v=PI7uPedhTrg and Cameron’s blog post  Cameron is represented by the Foster/White Gallery in Seattle.

“Folio One” by Cameron Anne Mason

To find a meeting, see

New Fiber Fusion Opportunity!

As we are preparing for the opening of “Fiber Fusion” at VALA in a few weeks, we are also thinking ahead to the spring.

Schack exterior

We are seeking proposals from SDA members who would like to teach a class or workshop or even a presentation of your art process during “Fiber Fusion” shows at the Schack Art Center in Everett and also at Northwind Arts Center in Port Townsend.

Suggestions we’ve heard are gelli printing, monoprinting, thermofax, felting, dyeing, silk painting, book making, basketry, collage. We would like to provide classes for novice to advanced level and youth through adults.

There are wet and dry facilities, large rooms with tables and electrical outlets, so the possibilities are endless.

Schack classroom

Proposals for the Schack Art Center should go to:

PLEASE NOTE—The deadline has been extended for “Fiber Fusion” class proposals, even though their website says they were due October 14.

Please let us know that you have applied by emailing:

More information about classes in Port Townsend will be forthcoming.

Deadline for teacher proposals for Schack Art Center is November 20, 2016.

For full information on writing a proposal go to:


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

WARC-Truncated: length

WARC-Type: response

text:
to view Local Products and Pricing
Sutherlands Home Improvement Centers and building materials 100-Year Anniversary
  • Some stock photographs may show options that are not included. Please check product description.

18 in Rough Surface Push Broom

Mfg.# 00541
Sku# 1113620
Location On Hand Price

No stock available in this market.

*Estimated stock levels as of Fri, Jun 23, 2017. All items subject to prior sale. Please call ahead to verify.

Made for heavy debris and rough surfaces, this Bulldozer push broom comes with an 18 in heavy duty poly block. The block features stiff palmyra fibers for your toughest clean-up jobs. Broom block and head are supported by a 54 in steel handle that comes equipped with a swivel hang-up feature for easy storage. Designed for outdoor use.

  • Stiff palmyra fibers set in 18 in heavy-duty poly block
  • 54 in powder coated steel handle

Block Material:Poly
Bristle Material:Palmyra Fibers
Handle Length:54 in
Handle Material:Steel
Size:18 in
Type:Push Broom

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-166-65-126.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2017-26
operator: Common Crawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for June 2017
publisher: Common Crawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


text:
Individual Multi-Vitamins

Display: List / Grid
Sort By:
Active Men's Formula
Multi-Purpose Supplement to Support a Man's Active Lifestyle Supplement Facts: Serving Size: 3..
Active Woman's Multi
Active Woman's Multi: Take this vitamin-rich nutrient combo along with New Life for maximum energy a..
Children's Chewable Multi
Children's Chewable Multi Vitamin with Acidophilus is cherry flavored.  120 chewable tablets ..
Life Essentials
Life Essentials: Multi-vitamin and mineral formula with whole food concentrates, vegetarian. (90 tab..
Super Antioxidant Formula
Super Antioxidant Formula: Super antioxidant formula may be helpful in prevention of diseases such a..
Super Gluten Free Softgel Multi
Super Gluten Free Softgel Multi, 60 softgels Contains:  Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D-3, Vita..
Designed by
Sweet Annie Herbs © 2017


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: application/xhtml+xml

text:
Petitioning the King

September 3, 2013 at 2:01 pm | Posted in Nehemiah | 3 Comments
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Lord, help us to be active doing Your will, executing the decrees of Heaven. I pray that we would be like the workers in Jerusalem, holding our trowels in one hand, and our swords in the other – working with one hand, vigilant and prepared to defend against the enemy with the other hand. Let us not be slothful in business, but let us be fervent in spirit, serving You. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Nehemiah’s name meant “the Lord has comforted.” He was a very successful man. As a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes Longimanus (the Long-Handed), he was in a trusted position. He was trusted to protect the king from danger, and he was trusted to give advice. He was trusted to be presentable, and trusted to be prepared. In this way he was a good example for Christian managers and employees today. Can your employer trust you to give good advice? Are you someone that people can trust to be presentable? Do you run when there’s danger, or is that when you can be counted on most?

Perhaps Nehemiah was taught by his father, Hachaliah, to depend on the Lord, because he lived in a time when (despite his name) he was not comforted by the news of his people in Jerusalem.

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

Nehemiah 1:1-4

Nehemiah cared enough to ask someone how the people were doing, and he cared enough to get upset when the news was bad. He cared enough to admit his – and his people’s – guilt, and he cared enough to remember the promises of God.

Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

Nehemiah 1:8-9

He also cared enough to pray.

O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cupbearer.

Nehemiah 1:11

This was a simple prayer, but sometimes it’s the strength of our prayers, not the length of our prayers, that touch God. Most of the prayer is talking about God and His Word. Nehemiah’s petition itself was very brief.

And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it.

Nehemiah 2:5

Nehemiah approached both the king of Persia and the King of the Universe. The earthly king saw the sorrow on his face; the Heavenly King saw the sorrow in his heart.

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI

  1. […] Nehemiah’s “send me” became his “give me.” Perhaps it would be good for us to sometimes pray as volunteers before praying as beggars. “Let my friend be saved” becomes “give me an opportunity to share the Gospel with him.” “Heal my eyes” becomes “Lord, I repent of using my eyes to look with lust; help me to use them to see people’s needs.” I’m not saying we should try to bribe God. He knows our hearts. But Nehemiah had been fasting, praying, and planning for four months before his emergency prayer to God in the presence of the king. […]

  2. […] the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of […]

  3. […] 1. Petitioning the King 2. Scorn, Schemes, Scoundrels, Schizophrenics, and Scares 3. The Strait Gate and the Wall that Will Not Fall * 4. Defeating Slander, Intimidation, and Discouragement 5. Just Say (O)No * 6. Learning, Loving, and Living the Word 7. Confession and True Revival 8. The Connection between Giving and Trusting 9. Getting Kicked to the Glory of God […]

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Logo

You are commenting using your account. Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out / Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out / Change )

Connecting to %s

Entries and comments feeds.

%d bloggers like this:


text:
Posts Tagged ‘female superhero

Female Superhero Business Cards

Female Superhero Business Cards

Versatile woman's Kawaii style Female Superhero Business Cards work well for almost any businesswoman in any line of work, including retail sales or services. Designed by Bella Katella, they're perfect for a consultant or problem-solver. Especially right for anyone working with children or involved with selling or servicing childrens' products. Cute Kawaii cartoon lady has big brown eyes, long thick brunette hair with a gold tiara, a red sleeveless blouse with a gold star, a pleated blue mini skirt and red boots, and looks like she's ready to take on the world. Female Superhero Business Cards are double-sided, so they'll hold lots of contact information. Simply enter your text in the slots provided on the product page.

Follow Swisstoons' Blog on WordPress.com


text:
Samsung to be charged by EU over Apple patent battle

Europe’s top regulatory authority will charge Samsung over abuse of patents.

The European Commission is very close to issuing a statement of objections against the electronics giant, Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said Thursday. The list of Samsung’s alleged breaches of European competition law may be released before the end of the year, he said.

Samsung is accused of abusing its dominant market position by filing patent lawsuits against Apple.

Earlier in the week, Samsung announced that it would withdraw all its injunctions against Apple in European countries and the commissioner said that while he was happy with this news, his department would continue to investigate “to see if abuses happened in the past.”

“One of the biggest issues we have with holders of standard essential patents is using them to launch injunctions before attempting to license on FRAND [fair reasonable and non discriminatory] terms. This is precisely what we are investigating in the Samsung case,” Almunia said.

Samsung did not just threaten Apple with injunctions, it launched them, he said, leaving the Commission “dissatisfied.”

Sources at Samsung said that they had been informed that Thursday’s announcement was imminent, but the company did not issue an official statement.

Follow Jennifer on Twitter at @BrusselsGeek or email tips and comments to

 Read story

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Logo

You are commenting using your account. Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out / Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out / Change )

Connecting to %s


text:
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s ruling party changed its platform on Sunday to allow for private investment in the oil industry, paving the way for a possible overhaul of a state-owned company that is seen as a pillar of the nation.

Nearly 5,000 members of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, also known as the PRI, voted unanimously at their national convention to remove language in the party’s platform that for years had opposed injecting private money in the sector. Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, is the only company that can carry out oil refining. The party also erased its opposition to sales taxes on food and medicines.

President Enrique Pena Nieto, who led last year’s electoral comeback for the party that governed from 1929 to 2000, said the energy and fiscal reforms are needed for Mexico to become more competitive. He urged party members to support him when he sends the bills to Congress, likely in the second half of this year.

“The PRI is seeking renovation to bring the changes Mexico needs,” Pena Nieto told a crowd of thousands. “The PRI is not pleased and it is choosing to reexamine and redefine where it stands on the challenges facing the country.”

Pena Nieto’s intention of opening the oil behemoth to more private and foreign investment has set off warnings among leftists about the privatization of an enterprise whose nationalization is seen by the left as a source of national pride.

Pena Nieto has previously denied any plans to privatize Pemex. On Sunday, party president Cesar Camacho repeated that the Pemex would stay in state hands, saying “We share the need of an energy reform for better growth, keeping the state’s control, but modernizing the industry to reach its full potential and making sure the exploitation of our resources benefits everyone.”

A meeting of opposition mayors called for protests in mid-March to oppose the ruling PRI’s new platform.

After Sunday’s decision, analysts said they expect the PRI to put forward a unified front when the bills are voted upon. The PRI doesn’t hold a majority in Congress, but it’s the strongest legislative block with 241 of 500 representatives. Pena Nieto has also built consensus in other issues with the opposition parties.

“The party is leaving behind its old taboos to be able to discuss the reality of the country,” said Alejandro Schtulmann, head of research of the firm Emerging Markets Political Risk Analysis.

During the PRI’s 12-year hiatus from presidency, its members firmly opposed such measures proposed by then-ruling National Action Party, arguing the country would lose sovereignty by allowing foreign investment in Pemex. They also alleged that taxing for food and medicines’ purchases would severely affect the poor.

“The PRI wanted to wait until it had the presidency,” said Schtulmann.

Though oil is a sensitive topic for many Mexicans who learn state ownership is one of the three main principles of the constitution, its production has fallen year after year. But most of the country’s reserves remain untapped because Pemex lacks the technology for exploration.

Former President Felipe Calderon was able to sign a law to allow exploration deals with foreign companies but political resistance makes the sealing of such contracts difficult. At the same time, Mexico’s government relies on oil revenues for about a third of its budget.

Adriana Gomez Licon is on Twitter

 Read story

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Logo

You are commenting using your account. Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out / Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out / Change )

Connecting to %s


text:
Saturday, May 21, 2011

Five Qualities of Real Leadership

I've noticed coverage of "leadership" in IT magazines recently, but I'm not comfortable with the approach they take. For example, this editorial in CIO Magazine titled Leadership Isn't a Fairy Tale After All has "Personal attention and hands-on involvement can make good IT managers great IT leaders" as the subtitle. The text then says:

Our story spells out detailed tactics and practical ideas that CIOs can use to turn good IT managers into potentially great IT leaders...

You’ll notice a strong thread of personal attention and hands-on involvement from the very top at the companies developing a strong bench of future leaders.

At REDACTED, for example, the CEO walks the walk on one-to-one leadership development by holding regular career conversations with his senior leadership team. His CIO, REDACTED, then makes sure that style of direct communication flows downward to the IT team. “If you don’t take time to talk to people about their professional development,” REDACTED notes, “it just doesn’t get done.”

REDACTED is another bright light in this realm with a program called The Lab, which fosters leadership development across various business units by bringing together 30 of them at a time to form strategic problem-solving teams.

And at REDACTED, CIO REDACTED connects on a more personal level, emailing coffee-talk questions to her global staff every two weeks to get conversations going on everything from personal dreams to world views.

In my opinion, "regular career conversations" are a form of coaching, not leadership. Forming "strategic problem-solving teams" is management, not leadership. Finally, "emailing coffee-talk questions" is banter, not leadership.

So what are the five qualities of leadership, at least in my experience?

  1. Leaders develop and execute a vision; they do not follow trends set by others.

  2. Leaders embody strong core values and do not sacrifice those core values in order to advance their personal careers.

  3. Leaders' actions demonstrate a focus on their people, not themselves, and that focus on the people takes care of the mission.

  4. Leaders work to "make their people look good," rather than making the boss or themselves look good.

  5. In the darkest hours, leaders put themselves personally at risk for the good of their team.

Notice the contrast between these five principles and the previous guidance. My focus is on actions, whereas the other ideas focus on communication. I do not discount the value of communication, but with leadership the deeds matter far more than the words. It is helpful to have coaching, mentoring, managing, and so forth, but these concepts are separate from leadership.

If you're wondering about the image for this post, I wanted to show a picture from the movie We Were Soldiers, based on the book by Lt Gen Hal Moore and Joe Galloway. Then Lt Col Moore (portrayed by Mel Gibson) always landed with his air cavalry troops, in the first helicopter, and was the first person to step foot on adversary soil. He was also the last person to leave. As he wrote:

When we step on the battlefield, I will be The First Boots On and the Last Boots Off.

And he didn't just say it, he did it. That's a leader.

CIO Magazine Realizes "IT Alignment" Is Dead

I took a look at the newest print edition of CIO Magazine and saw the story IT Value Is Dead. Long Live Business Value. (Registration is needed for the whole article, but you don't need it.) The article includes these gems:

The end of IT-business alignment is nigh. And no one is happier about it than the business-focused CIO.

“If you stand in front of an audience of CIOs and start talking about IT-business alignment, at best you get eye rolls, and at worst you get people walking out of the room...”

[A]lignment, it turns out, is not the ultimate end for corporate IT. In fact, says Dave Aron, vice president and fellow in Gartner’s CIO Research group, the language of IT-business alignment—encouraged and endorsed for more than a decade by industry analysts, consultants and, for a time, this magazine—is now dangerously counterproductive, setting IT apart from the enterprise even as technology itself becomes more inextricably entrenched in it.

You heard it here already! For example in this Tweet:

I reject the notion that companies have "business" elements to which the "non-business" must align. There's only one business, or should be.

I'm pleased to see organizations like CIO and Gartner connect with reality. Now we have to see how long it takes to banish "IT alignment" talk from the mindshare of other publishers, speakers, and so-called thought leaders.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Bejtlich Teaching at USENIX Security in San Francisco 8-9 Aug

For the first time in four years, I will teach for the USENIX organization! I'm pleased to announce that on August 8-9 at USENIX Security 2011 in San Francisco, I will teach a special two-day edition of TCP/IP Weapons School 3.0.

This class is designed for junior and intermediate security analysts. The "sweet spot" for the potential student is someone working in a security operations center (SOC) or computer incident response team (CIRT), or someone trying to establish one of those organizations. The class is very hands-on, and focuses on labs and discussions. There are less than 10 slides at the very beginning of the class, and I build the flow of the class based on what you want to hear.

If you would like details on the class, please see the linked site. You may also find my announcement for my Black Hat sessions on 30-31 July and 1-2 August to be helpful too. It will be a busy few weeks this summer but I'm looking forward to seeing you learn the investigative mindset needed to detect and respond to digital intrusions!

On a related note, I received a very positive response regarding a possible class in the northern VA area this fall. I will work out the details on that and try to post information as soon as I figure it out. Thank you.

America the Vulnerable Arrives This Fall

Today I attended a talk by Joel Brenner, formerly national counterintelligence executive (NCIX) and now a lawyer with Cooley LLP. He talked about the threat to national and economic security posed by our overseas friends. I was most excited to learn that he has a new book arriving this fall titled America the Vulnerable: New Technology and the Next Theat to National Security. Given his experience as NCIX, his former role at NSA, and his current role with intellectual property defense at Cooley, I am looking forward to reading this book!


text:
5 Albums to crank during Uni Break

1. Far East Movement: Free Wired (2010)

Song to cop:

You can sing every word of “Like a G6” but can’t name me a single other track from the album? Oh lordy that is disturbing. When I first started DJ’ing I relied heavily on this album. Songs such as “White Flag” and “Rocketeer” provide excellent pre-party tuneage while the rowdy beats of “Girls on the Dance Floor” and “If I was You (OMG)” can elevate DAT mood to krumpity krump levels. If you are terrible at spllellin spelllyn spelun spelling, then the track above will help you with the words B-O-O-T-Y and C-O-N-D-O. Yea, it’s even educational. DAT track was hot, this album is hotter. Have a Snoop, no Lion (GET IT).

More: Top 10 Songs to Impress Your New Flatmates

2. Infant Sorrow: Get Him To The Greek: Original Soundtrack (2010)

Song to cop:

This movie is funny as hell. If you haven’t seen the Russel Brand epic Get Him to the Greek, then you’re a bad person and you should watch it RIGHT NOW. I’m leaving “Super tight (Feat. Aldous Snow)” above, because who can resist lines such as “You’re so tight, like a wet vice” hah. yea, there’s that. I honestly could quote lines 10 times more offensive in that song alone, so grateful I held back. This is more than just a movie soundtrack to me, it’s actually a really clever piece of social commentary. Sure, most tracks are overdone and hyperbolic for comic effect, but in 2014 could any of these songs actually shock us? I doubt it. If Rihanna can get away with “S&M”, KE$HA can sing about being a hoe and snorting blow, and Katy Perry can get nakeder and nakeder (it’s a word now) in every video, can we really say this content on this album any more shocking? I would suggest not. “Going Up'” and “F.O.H” are stand out tracks because in a light hearted way, they actually manage to be seriously inspiring. At least one listen through is essential to squeeze the comedy goodness out of this beauty.

More: Pre-town playlist Fridays: O-Week Edition

3. Nas: Illmatic (1994)

Song to cop:

Rap fan or not, Illmatic will get in your bones like the MSG in 2 minute noodles. This is not gangster rap, so even casual rap fans will find this accessible. Nas isn’t trying to be offensive or pretentious here, what Illmatic did was tell a story, take it or leave it, hate it or love it. Tracks such as “Halftime” and “The World is Yours” remind me why I love rap music, not to rebel or pretend I’m hood, but because rappers reach a level of soul and meaning through their verses that my rock n’ roll idols couldn’t manage with a million Marshal stacks and 20mins of lead solo. If you have nothing to do these holidays, crank it.

2. Ludovico Einaudi: In a Time Lapse (2013)

Song to cop:

The track above is featured in the 2014 movie The Book Thief, so mad points if you caught that one. This is my study album, it is also the most played album on my Spotify, which is kind of a big deal. Ludovico Einaudi takes classical music and gives it a modern feel and melodic lift. If you’re desperate enough to study these holidays, this is your soundtrack. First time through, listen from start to finish (it tells a story, so its worth doing in order).

More: 5 Inspiring Music Videos every Media+Design Student should watch

1. Flume: Flume (2012)

Song to cop:

Like many of the items I give the #1 spot, this requires little explanation. Flume, that cheeky Australian devil took the world by storm with this album. Everyone has no doubt smashed “Hyper paradise (Flume Remix)” and “Holdin’ On” a million times already, but you should also check out tracks such as “Insane” and “Sleepless” if they slipped through your fingertips first time round. Fine musical goodness. HOLLA

Cheers for reading and follow my blog for more student goodness!

Pre-town playlist Fridays: O-Week Edition

5 Inspiring Music Videos every Media+Design Student should watch

5 FREE Things AUT can do for YOU right now


text:
Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Good-bye Old Friend

Dave bought me this Kenmore sewing machine in 1981, a year before we were married.  For thirty-four years, it has followed me from house to house, town to town, state to state and back again.  You can see the packing tape on the cover, to ensure heavy-handed movers didn't knock the latches open mid-move.  There were years that it just sat in a closet until someone needed a split seam repaired, but it has gotten it's fair share of use and it's age is showing.  New belts and oil aren't getting rid of the bumps and squeaks any more, and the bobbin winder ceased winding.  The part it needs is no longer available, so I've been getting by with a "Side Winder" - a small machine that does nothing but wind bobbins - and not very well.  The time has come to put the old girl out to pasture.

I read various web-sites that reviewed the best machines for an average seamstress.  I don't need to spend thousands of dollars on a computerized model that knows more than I do.  I don't make the kind of projects that require that.  I just want to do a little quilting, a little crafting, simple clothing construction and repairs.   I settled on this Singer heavy-duty model - deemed "Best In Class" for beginning to moderate sewing.

I haven't had a lot of time to play with the new stitches, but it sews smoothly, the tension remains constant and the bobbin doesn't tangle on every-other seam.  Those are all great strides!  This model also adapts for free-motion quilting, which I'm anxious to try on small projects.

My old pal will remain in storage for the time being - in case I need a back up - but I'm enjoying the ease of sewing with my new friend.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

My God-Given Right to Craft . . .

Did you know crafting is biblical?  One of my favorite Bible verses is 1 Thessalonians 4:11 - "Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before."  Christian comedian Anita Renfroe, posted her personal paraphrase of that verse on Facebook:  "Calm down.  Mind your own business.  Do crafts."  I totally agree!

I have been studying the Proverbs 31 woman in recent months and it occurred to me that this seemingly-unobtainable model of womanhood was slipping in some craft time, cleverly disguised by biblical language.

"She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands."   She goes fabric shopping and can't wait to get to her sewing room.

"In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers."  The spindle and distaff are tools used to spin yarn, and why make yarn except to knit and crochet?

"She makes coverings for her bed."  Quilts, of course!

"She makes linen garments . . . and supplies the merchants with sashes."  She sews clothing and accessories.

"She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue" - She posts tutorials for her projects to share with fellow crafters.

So, no more guilt over time spent in "crafty pursuits".  I'm simply obeying scripture!

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

To Blog or Not to Blog

image courtesy of auditel.co.uk
I seem to have abandoned the blog for the last six months.  I have actually gone for weeks on end without even thinking about it.  So I sat myself down to re-evaluate how I'm spending my days, and do I have the time/desire to continue blogging.

It has been a year of huge changes for us.  Buying a business and "retiring" from my previous job turned life on it's ear.  We have now made it through the first year and the fog is starting to clear.  I can see a general scheme http://auditel.co.uk/that life will now follow.  I won't bore you with all the plans floating around in my head for how I will better manage those responsibilities next year.  The point is that even in the midst of all the new responsibilities, there needs to be some "me time".   However, the variety of "me time" activities has got to be streamlined.  I can't keep up with a dozen different crafts, reading, journaling, Facebook, puzzles, and blogging; but what am I willing to let go?

I am willing to let go of a variety of crafts, focusing on the ones I enjoy most; I'm willing to cut time devoted to several other activities; I'm willing to forgo eating broccoli completely; but I am NOT willing to give up blogs - writing or reading.  Many of you who stop here regularly, and whose blogs I visit in return, have been friends for several years.  Those of you who have just recently begun to stop by - if you haven't given up on my already - are new friends that I want to get to know.  So, blogging is moving back to the top of my to-do list.  I don't guarantee that every post will be riveting, or even interesting, but there will be chatter about crafts, books, family and random happenings, so please come back.  And thanks for sticking with me.


text:
Linky Love

Hi readers!

Today’s post title is one that i’m going to use for the posts where I will be sharing links to things I found interesting, inspiring, exciting etc…. I will talk a little about the site I’ll link to, why I like it and where I found it (if from someone else’s blog/pinterest/blog facebook) So here is my first batch of Linky Love 🙂

  • I love history and art and creative things so I was really excited when several people on facebook posted about the MET in New York putting a whole bunch of their print catalouge online, available as downloadable PDF’s! (there are 370 titles available) History of textiles, 18th century fashion, ceramics, paintings just to name a few. Go check it out at The MET website.
  • Historical cookery as you know is something I like to explore and while reading the Two Nerdy History Girls blog recently they mentioned going to Colonial Williamsburg (as have many other costumers whose blogs I read) But these ladies mentioned food being prepared on their visit by members of Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Foodways program who have a website called History is Served! full of original source recipes with modern versions for home cooks to try!!!
  • Staying with historical cookery for another moment I’d like to share a resource I found a long time ago when I played in The SCA as a Uni student and which I still like to go and use when I want to make something a little different. Introducing Gode Cookery a big fat rambling collection of Medieval and Renaissance recipes adapted for the modern kitchen. Have fun and be prepared to  stay there a while 🙂

Well that’s it for today and I hope you enjoy them. Hopefully I’ll get myself organised and put some pictures to some other posts I’m working on, so you can all see what else i’ve been up to lately.

I want to share something

Hi readers!

It’s been a bit busy in Tea & Crumpets land this last couple of weeks. So instead of me having a verbal ramble, I’m going to share a really inspiring, funny, touching website that my friend K showed me with you all instead.

May I introduce Letters of Note

“Letters of Note is a blog-based archive of fascinating correspondence, complete with scans and transcripts of the original missives.” from the letters of note about page.

There are some really incredible letters on this site, some from famous people and others from those of us living regular everday lives both now and in the past.

My Favourite so far is the letter “To My Old Master” written by a freed former slave in 1865.

Hope you all enjoy exploring the site as much as I am 🙂

Adventures in Cheese making

Last Saturday I went to a cheese making workshop were we learnt how to make feta, ricotta and and quarg cheeses!

Cheese making is fun but can be time consuming! it took all day to get to get the feta ready to go in the moulds so we could take it home. So in between feta making processes which took about 10-15 minutes each time followed by at least 1 hour waiting to do the next step. So to sill the waiting gaps we made what my teacher called milk products, which turned out to be the Ricotta cheese and Quarg.

Quarg (a type of cream cheese) is just milk with a certain type of bacteria added to it which is stirred together and then left in a hot water bath overnight to do it’s thing. Next morning you pour the jelly like milk into a collander lined with cloth so it can drain for 12 hours which leaves you with your Quarg curds which you whisk until they are combined and creamy. it’s very smooth and can have a slight sournes to it but it’s really nice on crackers. Obviously all that could be done at the workshop was mixing the bacteria into the milk, So I made a hot water bath in my esky when I got home.

The Finished Quarg

Ricotta is really easy and I will be making this at home for myself! it’s just milk heated to 90 degress celcius which then has vinegar added to it at a rate of 15-30 mls vinegar per litre of milk. Just gently stir in the vinegar until you stop seeing plain milk, let it rest for 5-10 minutes then pour it into a cloth lined colander and let it drain for an hour or so and presto you have cheese 🙂

My Ricotta

It was FANTASTIC and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, especially as learning to make cheese has been something I have wanted to do for a long time. So not only did I learn to make cheese I also made good on my promise to myself to actually go out and do the things I dream and make plans for rather than just thinking about them, which was inspired by this quote:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”  ~  Mark Twain

So cheese making was pretty much a success,  I don’t know if all my cheeses turned out yet as the feta needs to sit in a brine solution for a couple of weeks before you start eating it so it can develop it’s best flavour, but I had fun and thtat’s what counts here.

So i’ll leave you with a picture of my feta being held hostage in its brine solution and wish you all a happy weekend!

Feta being held hostage

Cooking adventures with a Feast of Ice and Fire cookbook

Well as I mentioned not to long ago I bought a copy of A feast of Ice and Fire cookbook and have been trying various recipes from it and I must say that I am really enjoying the medieval recipe adaptations they have used as they have tasted great so far!

I should probably admit that I am a fan of historical cookery books and such, as I find them facinating insights into the lives of people from the past. They also present us with some intereting flavour combinations that can be a challange to our modern pallete. I particularly enjoy the medieval period (have found it fascinating since I was a young teen) and was introduced to medieval cooking when I was part of the SCA when I went to University. My historical food interest has branched out into other era’s since then and I am slowly collecting some very nice books too 🙂

So! Considering the title of this post I should probably post some pictures of the recipes I’ve tried from a Feast of Ice and Fire shouldn’t I?

Elizabethan fruit buns:

Which had a mix of currants, apple, pine nuts and a mix of medieval spices. These were sooooo addictive and smelled really wonderful while I made them. They are quite time consuming to make as it takes several hours to make the dough then you have to assemble the buns, but it’s worth it.

Breakfast in Dorne:

Which consists of “fiery” peppers and a scramble of spicy eggs which I served with toast spread with Hummus (that last one is me taking liberties with the suggestion of flat bread with chick pea paste) and it is fabulous! I loved this so much and the recipe made enough for me to have 2 meals out of it 🙂 The really good thing about this recipe is you can adjust the “fieryness” by using chillies that suit your spicy tolerance

Elizabethan Lemon cakes:

These were more like a biscuit (cookie for my friends in North America) than a cake and were really sweet which is not suprising as the Elizabethans had massive sweet tooths! I felt while I was making them that the mix was a bit dry so I added some of the juice form the lemon that was used for it’s rind in the recipe and it seems to have worked out ok as they were really popular with some of my friends 🙂

I’ve also made the bean and bacon soup recipe which I really loved, but I ate it all and forgot to take a photo before I finished it. As I was all about the soup eating and not the picture taking at the time.

In the near future I want to make the blueberries with sweet cream as I have a blueberry bush in a pot in the yard that is loaded with immature fruit. So that will give me another way to eat them and hopefully convince me not to eat them all straight off the bush!

Have any of you tried a recipe from times past? what did you think of it? I’d love to hear about other peoples experiences.

Well that’s it for now! if you want more Game of Thrones food posts make sure to visit Inn at the crossroads  as it’s run by the same two lovely ladies who wrote the book.

It’s been a while

Well it’s been a while since i’ve posted here. I’ve been doing things and getting out and about and trying not to be on the laptop so much. Plus I was unemployed for a few months in between some short term contract work which made life a bit interesting though it seems things have setteld down. I managed to get myself a permanent part time job whose hours suit me down to the ground and it has given me the extra time to do some of the things I’ve been putting off for lack of time, though I have noticed that even with the extra day off my weekends have been extremely full and busy.

Some of that is me not saying no to things when probably should to let me have some down time, so as a result of all the busyness I’ve been a little stressed out and have fallen victim to a couple of cold virus’s which I feel is my body’s way of telling me to take a break. So this weekend I’m only going out on Sunday to help my Pa celebrate father’s day, for the rest of it I’m going to stay home and do some sewing, take the dog for some walks and watch some movies, maybe do some cooking and just relax.

I have been taking pictures of my gardening and cooking adventures (including some things I’ve made from A Feast of Ice and Fire cookbook  which I’m very much in love with) so hopefully I’ll get some of these written and posted up for everyones viewing pleasure 🙂

Hope you all have a great weekend

Pictures From: Vietnam and Cambodia

Hi everyone! I’ve finally managed to post the photos for the Vietnam and Cambodian legs of my South East Asia trip. I hope you enjoy them and if you have any questions feel free to ask 🙂

These photos were taken in various parts of Vietnam and Cambodia including: Hoi An, Hanoi, Ho Chih Minh City, Halong Bay, Phnom Penh and the Angkor temple complex which covers close to 400 square kilometers

Well that’s it for my travel photos for now, hope you enjoyed them. Until next time 🙂

I’m still here! an Update and a motivational video

Hi everyone, sorry I haven’t posted recently I have been devoured by the beast better known as the book series “A Song of Ice and Fire”. Starting with Game of Thrones and I’m now up to book 4 “A Feast For Crows”, Each of these books is nearly 900 pages each, so they are taking a while and are very addictive so I MUST FINISH THEM 🙂

Otherwise not much sewing being done though I have had a few failed attempts at no kneading bread and have decided that method is not for me and will be trying a more traditional approach in the near future. I’ve also fixed up the final pictures from my SE ASIA trip and will try and post them in a few days.

Good news is that I found some contract work that will start in a couple of weeks, so YAY to employment!

I have also made it nearly to the end of week 3 for the C25K running program after getting a bit of a virus and having to stop till I felt better to try again and am really pleased with my progress. So much so that when I was at the supermarket recently and saw a poster for Heart of the Lake Fun Run organised by a local jogging group I decided to enter. I’m doing the 3km one as this will be my first fun run but I’m hoping to do another Run in Late July/August called the Bay Run and that will be 7km so fingers crossed 🙂

Now I saw a fabulous youtube video over at Lilacs & Lace of Rita Hayworth movie clips put to the Bee Gees Stayin alive that just makes me want to dance and have many of the dresses too! and thought I’d share it:

Well that’s it for now, hope you all enjoy the video 🙂


text:
Daily Archives: February 18, 2009

Grammar Wednesday

from the Chalkboard Manifesto

I am not really looking forward to going back to work today.  The kids are delivering “special occasion” speeches and we’ll watch Bill Clinton give a commencement speech, but that’s all I’ve got planned for the afternoon.  I’ll report back on how many kids actually handed in mid-terms.  Wish me – and them – luck.

Filed under concerns, dumbassery, frustrations, Grammar


text:
Black Oolong Tea from Hunan Xiangfeng Tea Industry Co. Ltd.

On September 19 of 2013, my journey through the world of tea tasting brought me back to mainland China. The subject of my review is the Black Oolong Tea, provided by the Hunan Xiangfeng Tea Industry Co. Ltd.

Unfortunately, I have no specific information on this Black Oolong tea. As I opened the sample bag, the first thing I noticed was a woody, roasty, almost bakey scent that is similar to a Tung Ting oolong from Taiwan. However, due to the name variation, one can easily assume that this is not Tung Ting oolong, or the name Tung Ting would have been used, due to it’s popularity, quality, and high selling price. Perhaps after a detailed review of this tea, I will brew up some Tung Ting, which I always have nearby, and compare the details. If the two are similar, then this Black Oolong tea will be a much more affordable option than the authentic Tung Ting oolong for tea consumers to experience this style of highly oxidized semi-ball rolled oolongs. However, experiencing a high quality Tung Ting is absolutely necessary for any tea lover.

Let the journey begin…

The dry leaves of this Black Oolong tea are light to dark brown, with an obviously higher level of oxidation. With the name being black oolong, I am going to estimate the oxidation level at 70% to 80%. The aroma is earthy, woody, and a scent of roasted nuts is apparent. The dry leaves are semi-ball rolled, dense, with the average size being similar to a popcorn kernel. There is very little breakage, and almost no crumbs. The amount of stems is also low when compared to other semi-ball rolled oolongs.

Black Oolong Dry Leaves

For this sampling, I used 9 grams of Black Oolong tea in 21 ounces (620 ml) of purified water heated to 190°F (88°C). The leaves were infused for 2 minutes during the first infusion. The teapot of choice was a handmade American glazed ceramic pot.

Black Oolong 1st Inf

The first infusion produced a lively pale yellow liquor that was perfectly clear and transparent. The aroma is most similar to roasted nuts, with slight earthy and woody scents. The liquor is medium bodied, with a smooth and mouth filling taste of roasted nuts and wood, with a floral finish and aftertaste, most similar to dandelion. Aftertaste lingers, seems to peak in floral strength after 5 to 10 seconds, then lasts for upwards of 30 to 45 seconds. The liquor feels like it is coating the throat.

Black Oolong 2nd Inf

The second infusion produced a slightly brighter, livelier pale yellow liquor, clear and transparent. The aroma maintains the roasted nuts, with woody and earthy scents. The tastes of roasted nut and wood is most prevalent, but tastes of dandelion are becoming stronger. The aftertaste has taken a different, more fruity character, reminiscent of ripe plum. The second infusion, I believe, is better balanced, with a more layered and complex taste than the first infusion.

Black Oolong 3rd Inf

The third infusion has the exact same color as the second infusion. The aroma is still dominated by the scent of roasted nuts, but a floral scent has gained strength. The taste has lightened some, with the strongest notes being roasted nuts, and dandelion. The body has lightened some, and the aftertaste has lightened also. A faint ripe plum finish is still noticeable, though slight. Despite the lighter taste and body, this is still a good tasting pot of tea. I would expect at least one to two additional infusions to be acceptable.

Black Oolong Infused Leaves

The infused leaves of the black oolong are fairly uniform greenish brown in color, with the edges of the leaves having a brown tint. The leaves are similar in shape and size, averaging a length of 1.25 inches (32 mm). Mostly fully intact leaves, with very few fragments. No bare stems, and very little stem generally on the leaves. The leaves have some durability, possibly indicating that another infusion or two may produce acceptable tasting liquors. The smell is woody and earthy, with a roasted hint.

Overall, this is decent tea. It is not on the level of a Tung Ting oolong, but it does have traces of similar characteristics. The aroma and taste is a bit earthy for the novice tea drinker, but can certainly be enjoyed by a veteran.

%d bloggers like this:


text:
Everything Else

How To: Install Minecraft in Ubuntu the Right Way!

Hello everyone today I am going to be going over installing Minecraft on Linux (Ubuntu) as if it is any regular program a game. This method makes it super easy and clean in that you will not need to run a .jar every time you want to play this game. This is very simple to do and it dose not only install Minecraft as if it is any regular game/program it also gets the best version of Java to run Minecraft. Download: http://goo.gl/DKQ6B

How To: Install BuildCraft and IndustrialCraft

BuildCraft Mod enhances everything about fuel and making things run. Not only that thought, BuildCraft Mod adds new and awesome things inside it! Like all those pipes, quarries, and energy makers. Well all those things will help you enhance your same old Minecraft! Some Mods are about changing the Minecraft world, like making you fly, enabling more options to your game. But BuildCraft Mod is funny, it actually creates a whole new system in this game! Adding new energy system and fuel system a...

Next Page
Prev Page


text:
Online Sales Tracker

Whether you're just selling a few things or starting a business, easily keep track of sales and profits with this online sales tracker template.

Online Sales Tracker

More templates like this

Club dues tracker Excel
Ticket sales tracker Excel
Idea planner (tasks) Excel
Idea planner Excel

Thousands of templates to jump start your project


text:
primordial eggplants

Or, I’m watching The Big Bang Theory.

Like ya do.  *whistles*

So, I’ve had kind of a craptastic couple of days, and I’ve been feeling craptastic (with weather-related issues), so the blog post is not going to be blog-y today. <–So no random ranting about annoying videos.

That’ll have to wait until tomorrow ’cause, seriously, it could probably wait for ever and ever (and ever and ever and ever).

So, instead of ranting rant-y-ness, have a little primordial eggplant from the ever lovely Ursula Vernon (her deviantArt account and her website).

The Great Eggplant of Klamata by ursulav (aka Ursula Vernon)

And a really neat article about a 298-million-year-old forest that was preserved, Pompeii-style, in China.  With renderings!

So, yeah, y’all will hear from me with a rant.  Also, if any of y’all are in the Green Bay area on Thursday night, the ARTgarage is have an opening for the 1st Quarter Artists from 5:30-8:30.

So.  Much.  EXCITEMENT! <–Okay, not really, but *shrugs* I’m going to be demonstrating bookmaking.  That’s nice, right?

Okay, night y’all.

2 thoughts on “primordial eggplants”

  1. I want the primordial eggplant to come stomp on Eastwick. Gods it is so tedious. Anyway, sorry about the craptastic days. The stupid video should be unworthy of notice… Ok not really.

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Logo

You are commenting using your account. Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out / Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out / Change )

Connecting to %s


text:
Opportunity: Freelance Project Evaluator, Bristol Old Vic & Theatre Royal Trust Ltd

Bristol Old Vic is looking to appoint an experienced and inspiring individual to work as Freelance Evaluator to help to measure the impact of this Heritage Lottery Funded project and act as a ‘critical friend’ to the project team.

The Protecting and Sharing the Heritage of Britain’s Oldest Theatre Project will create a step change in how the heritage of Bristol Old Vic is managed, interpreted and made accessible. It will take a collaborative approach, hand in hand with audiences and partners, to celebrate, reveal and share its heritage assets of buildings, collections and people. The project will enable Bristol Old Vic to become a heritage destination in its own right, making visible its extraordinary 250 year story through new interpretation and a public programme of heritage events. This will create a dynamic and inspiring way for everyone to engage with, enjoy and learn about the theatre’s heritage which is delivered with theatrical imagination.

More details online.

Closing date: 12 January 2017

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out / Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out / Change )

Connecting to %s


text:
Month: April 2014

Music Monday … Not A Day Goes By

Okay, from time to time I really don’t notice Monday coming around – so I went on a special Music Monday song hunt today. I found Merrily We Roll Along‘s Not A Day Goes By which probably – and very superficial – is my favourite song from the show (at least on this 2012 concert recording I own). Betsy Wolfe’s voice never ceases to amaze me anyways, so I guess this one is a hit! (do you see what I’ve done here, Merrily-fans?)

So, please lean back on this very sunny, summery (at least in Berlin) Monday and listen to her singing!

My Week #34, Apr 21st – 27th

what I saw

two (dance/movement) performances during the IN ZUCHT Festival by HZT Berlin. And tonight I’m gonna see a third one as well as Gob Squad’s Western Society at HAU 2.

what I read

Shakespeare’s Hamlet and the first three interviews from Lyn Cramer’s book Creating Musical Theatre: Conversations with Broadway Directors and Choreographers.

what I listened to
The recording of The Bridges of Madison County – what else?

what I did

not too much exciting things. Met a couple of friends and spend the Monday after Easter Day on a bike ride with my Mom.

And I finally had another Krimidinner performance to manage yesterday. Yay!

What did you do?

Are you curious and can’t wait for my posts to see what I thoughts of the shows I saw? On the Theaterkind facebook page I posted pics of the ticket stubs with small thoughts for every show I saw – head over there and check it out!

Have a great new week starting tomorrow!

The Thing That Changed My Life

A little disclaimer beforehand: This is a personal post. Probably the most personal one I’ve posted yet, but I think it shows my love for theatre in a very raw way and that’s why I have a feeling that it needs to be here. If you think this post is too pathetic or tacky, you are very welcome to do so – because in the end we all feel what we feel. Also, this is not written by a musical theorist. I love music, I can read sheet music and I know basic things about harmonies and I have had quite some practice in listening to music (I actually know what I’m hearing and I am paying attention to what happens harmonies-wise), but after all I am still a theatre scholar writing and talking about music.

Plus: I know I haven’t written down my thoughts about Bridges yet, I’m saving it for last….

Now that I have spend an unreasonable amount of time with the recording of The Bridges of Madison County, I came to a conclusion that already had dawned on me when I saw that piece back in March/April in New York.

I am in love with this score. – Well, this might not be a HUGE surprise given the fact that I have been a fan of Jason Robert Brown’s work for a number of years now (probably something like eight or nine years) and that loving the score of Bridges is not a very uncommon thing – at least among theatre enthusiasts (expressing themselves on the internet). But I actually remember sitting in this seat at Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre and listening to the first notes, this cello playing them. I remember loving it in this very second, because I fell in love again with cellos and it made me instantly feel the vibe of the show. In a way, Bridges is very much like my idea of a cello. And then Francesca sings to us about landing in America – and the music happening around the word ‘America’ makes us feel like Francesca who is missing Italy and then, suddenly the music makes the picture brighter again when she arrives in Iowa. To this point, the music – and the music alone – paints pictures, changing the light and the intensities of colours in a matter of seconds, maybe half a minute.

Actually this colouring and changing of light happens – literally again – when Robert is taking pictures of the bridge and the light shifts and he gets so excited. This is actually another one of my very favourite moments because not only the music draws a picture of what everything looks like, but also the lyrics pay attention and respect to that very moment something happens and you are so over the moon with that. This moment when you are finally able to show something to someone you wanted to show them so badly is a very important thing for me as well – I included a variation of this in my letters of motivation going with the essays I’ve written for college applications earlier this year. This is pretty much the reason why I want to become what I want to become.

Anyway, back to the music. This very moment of shifting light makes me crack up everytime over and over again. And so is It All Fades Away (to which I remember me – again – sitting in my seat in the theatre and sobbing uncontrolably – I couln’t stop and in a way I didn’t even want to). And Love is Always Better. But I guess, in a way, this light-shift in The World Inside a Frame and the re-occuring cello solo ismaking this score so special to me. It cracks me open every single time I listen and it leaves me there, totally exposed to the music.

The thing is, that you keep discovering new things about the music – every time I give it my full attention listening I’m like: Wow – what’s happening with the women in these bars – and Francesca – and – and – and?

Thinking about it I had a very similiar (but not that intense) experience when I saw Hans Neuenfels’ production of Aribert Reimann’s opera Lear from the 1960ies. This music affected me emotionally in a way that swiped me off my feet and all I could do is listen and listen and listen and come and watch the production over and over again. (the last time they brougth it back I missed only one performance, because I knew it would be the last they this production’d be shown and I needed to hear this music with these singers’ voices) I brought a couple of people with me and somehow, sadly none of them was as impressed by it as I was. Just as Bridges, Lear includes themes and musical arrangements and melodies that crack you open in a very non-rational way (while, of course, you can and HAVE to approach both compositions rationally once you want to work with them) and keeps you open once you agreed to come along on the road through the score, once you promised to listen.

Because I loved what I saw (and heard) on stage in New York I read the novel back home – it was one of the fluffiest reading experienced I had probably since I was 15 – and I started to think about the story again and suddenly it hit me: Probably I love music (theatrical music, with narratives, I love narratives – be they vocal or instrumental only) as much as and in a way that Robert loves Francesca and she loves him.

Well, that does sound pathetic and over-dramatic. And yes, it probably is, but at the same time it’s very, very true. In a way the score showed me very clearly that I will never be able to love a person as much as I love my work, theatre, music and story-telling (in every possible way).

This score has changed my life in a way theatre scholars have been wondering about for ages – this change sticks with me long after I have left the theatre and even the city I saw the production in.

Thank you for that, Mr. Brown.

Now that I have this off my chest I feel great, actually. Have you ever witnessed something in a theatre that made you think “I am changing! I am changing in this very moment!”?

I will be happy, if you cared to share!

If … Then what? … If/Then on Broadway

the If/Then marquee at Richard Rodgers featuring umbrellas because it was pouring!

the If/Then marquee at Richard Rodgers featuring umbrellas because it was pouring!

From when I was about 14 on I knew Rent and I’ve loved Rent and I’ve loved Anthony Rapp in Rent. And then I got the audio version of his book “Without You” and I listened to it and I’d spend hours of crying my eyes out listening to him talk about the death of Jonathan Larson.

So seeing Anthony Rapp in a Broadway show always was a dream of mine and when it was announced that he (and Idina Menzel) was cast in If/Then it was kind of a no-brainer. I needed to see it. End of discussion.

Plus I love Next to Normal and the same creative team was doing something new? Hello?

That’s a big chunk of why I ended up in rear orchestra in the second to last preview of If/Then.

With this show – as we say in German – ist der Name Programm (the title says it all). It covers two versions of one life, kicked off by a If…then-construction.
If I go with person a, then this will happen.
If I go with person b, then that will happen. Just like one of these childrens’ books you can choose the storyline by going to certain pages.

The scenes change with various speeds, only details marking the ‘other’ side of a character (two nickname variations of Idina Menzel’s character’s name Elizabeth and glasses) – the most exciting one probably being the birthday-party/not-party-scene towards the end of the first act.

In this concept the show is very interesting and I got excited just looking at them gliding from scene to scene, from storyline to storyline. I read many comments about Idina Menzel really pulling this show together and keeping it alive for the while being, but I actually think that the rest of the cast is doing the ‘work’ of keeping it tight and creating the scenes while the character ofr Elizabeth more of less stumbles, runs through her live – that’s not meant to express anything bad, but to say: That is – to an extent – the idea of the show (to me). Seeing how our lives change with the people you are with and the decisions you make because of them – and because the character of Liz/Beth stays the same (it’s the same actress after all…) the others NEED to work more.

(Does this even make sense at all? To other people than me?)

In a way they a telling two different stories throughout the show and around the middle of act two this – in my opinion – becomes a little bit of a problem. According to some drama theories the dramatic climax is supposed to be somewhat around the beginning of the last third of a play/show/story. If you have two stories, you need to have two dramatic climaxes, right? These two stories are supposed to be very parallel to each other, and basically happening both at the same time – but on stage they can’t happen at the same time because actors only can be in one scene at a time. That’s why you need to tell them scene after scene after scene alternating between the two stories (at least that’s what’s happening) – as a result of this problem with this solution you have 20, 25 minutes of endless drama in two different ways during act two. And especially since the first dramatic climax is so sad and dramatic the second one really loses its intensity – which is sad as well, but in another way.

Having sad this I really need to state that I liked how contemporary it was. It was very right now and non-fantasy-effect-y and I liked that very much – I guess it’s something I don’t really see that often in musical theatre. Regarding the music I can’t really say that much but that I am very happy the album is already recorded and to be released in early June.

I really don’t want to say too much about the actors except for the fact that I had a blast watching them – especially LaChanze and Anthony Rapp who both play the more determined characters of the show.

Have you seen the show? What did you think?

Or what do you think about more ‘realistic’ contemporary shows in which the plot basically takes place here and now?

Do you like them? Or not? And why?

Music Monday … The Temple

Well…given the Christian holiday most of us – those of us living in a Christian country, being socialized to be Christian in any way – celebrate(d) over the last couple of days this choice isn’t a surprise, right?

But: I am not a huge Webber fan, I don’t really like Cats and Evita and such, but I’ve always had a soft spot for the rockier songs of Jesus Christ Superstar. While I was revisiting one of the recordings I own I realized how much I’ve always like ‘The Temple’. I mean, the difference between all these voice layered on top of each other and basically ‘screaming’ for attention, then Jesus enters, screaming oven louder and more and higher and then suddenly everything’s quiet and for a moment it seems like a totally new song is going to start.

I really just like that.

And the thought of making people go away.

What are you listening to today?

Did you have a nice holiday weekend?

My Week #33, Apr 14th – 20th

what I saw

Common Ground by Yael Ronen and Company at Maxim Gorki. The 30th show/performance I’ve seen this year! Common Ground is – in my opinion – this strongest of the three company-productions I’ve seen under the ‘supervision’ of Yael Ronen.

Sarg Niemals Nie – a rather German performance of contemporary musical theatre. It is funny, a very German sense of humour and I had fun although I had some trouble with my ticket beforehand and I was hungry and had a headache (all these cliché girls stuff…)

what I read
I actually read the novel The Bridges of Madison County and – oh boy! – weird. But a quick and easy read on a Sunday….

Heiner Müller’s Hamletmaschine which I’ll read again after I read the original Shakespeare Hamlet once again.

what I listened to
The recording of The Bridges of Madison County was released digitally last Tuesday and that was it. I’m literally glued to everything that actually plays music, it’s playing non stop. (exept for working and workign out in fitness classes and stuff) Just for a mere 20 minutes or so it was interrupted by the Beautiful recording.

what I did
I met a lovely friend whom I haven’t seen in a while and we had extravagant hot chocolate and a great talk about (musical) theatre and Germany.

Actually I had a pretty great time with other people in general – I tend to enjoy the company of others more in springtime.

What did you do?

Are you curious and can’t wait for my posts to see what I thoughts of the shows I saw? On the Theaterkind facebook page I posted pics of the ticket stubs with small thoughts for every show I saw – head over there and check it out!

Have a great new week starting tomorrow!

Promise me, Violet … Violet on Broadway

that's a shot of a marquee, right? with that Hello Kitty thingy and umbrellas photo-bombing...

that’s a shot of a marquee, right? with that Hello Kitty thingy and umbrellas photo-bombing…

What I saw was the fourth preview as far as I remember, so the following only shows an early view on what happens on stage. They actually might have changed things. This post is based on the preview of March 30th 2014.

I love most of the music of Violet, “On My Way” has this very special drive to it and it has this vibe of hope and motivation and more often than not I immediately feel better as soon as I listen to it. Plus I really like these sort-of-coming-of-age-stories – although Violet isn’t a typical adolescent character it’s about growing and leaving old paths behind. Something in this stories gives me the feeling that it is about growing stronger and opening up.

I like shows without intermission – I don’t exactly know why, but I guess there’s something about them what gives me a feeling of not being interrupted. Anything between 90 and 110 minutes is okay to sit through – althought it’s on the longer side. (back at Einstein on the Beach I sat through 5 hours!)

Can you imagine how excited I was to see Sutton Foster on stage? I mean, she’s probably one of the funniest actresses I have ever witnessed – I loved her funny Fiona on the Shrek DVD and her Michelle on Bunheads. To be honest she was probably the main reason to get interested in this piece in the first place when I read about this one night only concert they did of Violet. (which is the basis to this production as far as I know)

Sutton Foster and the rest of the cast (especially Joshua Henry as Flick and Emerson Steele as Young Violet – if you ask me) we absolutely gorgeous, their performance was highly energetic and they literally took us along with them on the bus ride – not only the ‘real’ one between Violet’s getting on and getting off the bus again, but also a ride through Violet’s life.

This production is – as you may have already figured out from my rambling about no intermission – a one act production of this piece, they actually created a new version of the piece how it was performed as the Off Broadway production back in the 90ies. They have shortened here and there, cut somethings, but also added a new song for Monty. It still has this charming vibe you can sense from just listening to the music – I think for the most parts it is easy to like, but…

BUT (and this is actually a huge BUT) for me there was a little something missing. Ultimatively it’s about love, loving yourself and being loved and love other people (in a way, that’s actually what the directing suggests) – but all this falling in love, falling out of love and in love again with another person happened too fast, almost casually. I really was surprised when the ending came around and suddenly there’s this big love between Violet and Flick (or maybe it’s not that big, but at least it’s big enough to change them) – and this impression stuck with me and still is sticking and it kind of bothers me.

I remember reading about how many people complained about Violet not having an actual scar across her face (I always imagine Phantom without the mask, something like Beauty’s beast without that much hair…) back in the 90ies and my sister, too, said: I thought it was weird that she didn’t have a real scar!

I think that Violet really isn’t so much about the scar, about something actually deforming your (or: Violet’s) face, but about the feeling of not being pretty, not being the same as everyone else, being different, not fitting in. I remember having a moment of shock when I saw Ms. Foster’s face in the light for the first time right after a short (and lovely) moment when both Violets stand and just touch their faces along what’s supposed to be the scar and obviously a finger nail cut in her face or something because there was a small red line on her face which I – in the first second – interpreted as the scar and “They did it!”.

I actually love not being shown things, just leaving the scar to the audience’s imagination surely was the right decision – while I really would have loved to see more of why the characters are feeling what they are feeling.

If this makes sense.

Just from reading this: Are you pro and anti showing the scar?

Have you ever seen something on stage you wish you hadn’t?

Or the other way round: Have you ever had the feeling of something had to be shown in stage but wasn’t?

One Revival More! … Les Miserables on Broadway (again)

Playbill and ticket because I forgot to take a pick of the outside of the theatre and I only realized it back in Berlin.

Playbill and ticket because I forgot to take a pick of the outside of the theatre and I only realized it back in Berlin.

Can you imagine some musical theatre girl not having seen Les Miserables (not even the movie) in her 10 years of obsession and dedicated work? No? Me neither, but it happened – to me. I was that girl. So, when the latest revival came around and I happenend to be in NYC I knew I wanted to see it. (and my sister kind of is a girl for the more classical stuff, so – yeah)

When I was saying I never have seen Les Miserables I actually mean seen – while I know most of the music by heart (comfortably) and I guess this is one of the two pieces I own the most recordings of. The other one is Michael Kunze/Sylvester Levay’s Elisabeth. Of course I know the plot, too. So the only thing I was really lacking was the “seeing”-part of it.

If was the evening of the day when we saw If/Then in the theatre next door – so we kind of were familiar with the enthusiastic entrance applause for stars (Idina Menzel getting one after the best opening lines – but more on that in a special If/Then post…). So Les Miserables started and the rowing on this working-prison-ship happenend and then Ramin Karimloo entered and the crowd went wild! We sat all the way back in the second to last row of orchestra (because as I stated when we booked the tickets: LesMiz isn’t really about detailed acting, is it?) and we just were wondering if we missed something or if the people in the front are just very enthusiastic.

Anyway…they sang and moved around the stage, all this drama was happening, dying and lying and caring and not carin for children and then everyone was grown up and fighting and shooting and marching and singing. Then, again, everyone was dying and lying and more people died and then Andy Mientus beautifully sang “Empty Chairs and Empty Tables” (but everytime I am listening to this I have to think about one of the weirdest translation in the history of translating) and in the end there was this dying-getting-into-heaven-metaphor which you always imagine to be there.

And in a way – I was not moved. Of course everyone sang beautifully and it was made well in a very technical way of making things look good and of course I know that this music is hard to sing (while it seems to be very easy and that’s why it’s overdone and many people fail singing it) and of course you can see the effort everyone (stage hands and stage managers and set designers and wardrobe department and wigs and everything) did in order to bring this revival to life, but somehow I wasn’t moved.

It was only right  before Javert’s suicide that I remembered: Right, he’s doing it because he’s obsessed with the idea of bringing Valjean down, of showing the world how evil he is. Before he only was the guy who’d come out from time to time sing something rather angry and then leave.

When I continued to think about my experience seeing Les Miserables now – well 10 years into my continuous learning and reading (and later on working with) about musical theatre – it kind of came to my mind, that ultimatively productions and plays that are presented in such an old fashioned way probably aren’t for me. I am almost always looking for new narratives or at least old narratives presented in a new way. At home, I don’t go and see some production at Deutsche Oper from 1982 looking as if it had been around right when Puccini composed it. I am all in for newer, more contemporary interpretations.

In the end this Les Miserables revivals looks exactly the way I used to imagine it in my head back when I was 14 – now I’m 23 and I’ve grown and so have theatrical conventions, while this production looks like it has already been around back then and back when Boublil and Schönberg wrote it and probably even when Victor Huge wrote the novel. Well…maybe with a little bit more glamour and the great things video projections provide us with nowadays.

This may sound a little bit provocative and disrespectful, but actually that’s what it is and I am pretty sure that there are more than enough people around who (will) love this production, because it looks like that.

I am just saying that it’s not the best thing for me to see – but actually I am glad I did and that I now can cross that off my bucket list.

Have you seen this revival?

Have you ever seen Les Miserables or are you a LesMiz-virgin like I used to be?

Do you like productions which look like ‘back in the old days‘?

Let me know!

You’ve got to get up every morning … Beautiful – The Carole King Musical on Broadway

no Beautiful-specific shot this time, because the facade of the Stephen Sondheim theatre is so beautiful and special, a shot of this has to do. ;)

no Beautiful-specific shot this time, because the facade of the Stephen Sondheim theatre is so beautiful and special, a shot of this has to do. 😉

When I was born, the Carole King party had been over quite a while already, but for a couple of years I had been familiar with one of her songs without knowing. (You make me feel like a) Natural Woman, which is included in a Aretha Franklin triple CD edition, has been very present as a song in my life.

In the first production videos of Beautiful Jessie Mueller stood there, singing this song and I was all like: Wait? I thought that was Aretha’s song.

And then I learned that Beautiful would play at the Stephen Sondheim theatre and I so needed to see this – because I have a crush on this theatre building ever since Tim, our BroadwayUpClose tourguide (read what that is over here!), told us that only the front was old and while the theatre was brand new and actually downstairs. You basically enter the building and for everything that’s not the mezzanine you go downstairs.

Now on to the show itself! We get to know Carole King when she’s around 16 and then she follow her career as a song-writer and her marriage with her collaborator and everything. While we do so, we hear a lot of her tunes – sometimes they’d be introduced like “Oh, I have an idea!” and they play two or three harmonies on the piano and suddenly there’s a fully staged number (in gorgeous costumes!) going on. It’s easy to say that Beautiful is kind of a regular jukebox-musical, which people mostly see because I know and love the songs at least that’s what I heard from people going into and leaving the theatre (and in the hotel elevator: “Oh, Tapestry was the first ever CD I bought! And we’d store our dope in the booklet later on!”).

Just here this post could be finished if it wasn’t for Jessie Mueller. I mean she is the really bright spot of this show (without really shining most of the time if that makes sense). I’ve read a lot about her in the show beforehand and I already knew I liked her voice – but what I saw right there in the theatre was a complete surprise. With most of the performances I see I can say that in case I can’t say anythings (or at least: not much) about the acting is must be good in a certain way. Regarding Jessie Mueller in Beautiful I am almost 100% sure that I haven’t seen something like this in a show like this in musical theatre. Ever. Saying she IS Carole King would be wrong (at least for me), because nobody is Carole King with the exeption of Carole King herself. But Jessie Mueller makes us believe she was Carole King. In every not outgoing characteristic King is known for. She is so unglamorous, so not confident and insecure – and she lets others take the stage. For example Anika Larsen as Cynthia Weil with the amazing voice she shows in her rendition of “Happy Days Are Here Again” and all this funny things she gets to say to Jarrod Spector as Barry Man (while Jessie Mueller as Carole only gets to struggle with Gerry Goffin/Jake Epstein). Mueller seems to be the calm spot holding everything together. From where I sat I could see that basically everytime she stands up after she sat for a while she’d pull up her pants in a kind of awkward manner and somehow this made her character real in a very “Behind the scenes of a TV show”-kind of way.

To conclude: I loved Jessie Mueller, her acting and her singing, I liked all the leads and the overall singing, while I wasn’t that much into the book and the ‘plot’ – I mean it was nice to watch and everything, but it was nothing special. But then again, Jessie Mueller’s performance was so special it’s worth everything.

Music Monday … Louder Than Words

The last couple of days I thought a lot about politics and politicality of theatre – basically that’s what I think about most of the times, but somehow it became an issue over the last days, not only but also because I found out that a conference called “Dance and Politics” which will be taking place in early May is not so much about dance and politics (like: political issues, discourse and stuff), but about dance and cultural policy (!). This misunderstanding was probably caused by me misunderstanding the German word “Politik” als politics and not so much as policy. Anyway, thinking about politics and theatre and why we do what we do, made me stop my continous listening to snippets of the recording of The Bridges of Madison County and return to Louder Than Words from Jonathan Larson’s show tick, tick…Boom!

Because: Action speaks louder than words.

(while for me it’s more like: words, words, words.)

What are listening to today?