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“Principled Conduct by Individual Citizens is the lasting guarantor of American Prosperity”QP Founder

Art of Achievement quote

We are not taught how to create a Fulfilling life; just an income and retirement plan.

This is what is called The Retirement Plan Model (RPM) and it was useful when we were all farmers and factory workers.  To this day, it remains the default plan we are taught and it has nothing to do with Fulfillment.

Most do not even consider Fulfillment until they have already created a life.  By the time we realize (mid-life crisis), many feel too far along for a do-over.  The fear of appearing the fool if doesn’t work out immediately and the universal fear of the unknownable will keep many stuck in a rut/routine forever.

 Why does any of this matter?

  • Citizens pursuing Fulfillment form the backbone of American Prosperity.  Equally important is the fact that prioritizing your fulfillment is NOT a selfish endeavor. Each one of us displays our best conduct, attitude, and expectations when fueled by a passion that defines us.There is not a political movement, activist agenda, or outside force capable of creating more good than when individuals are pursuing purpose-filled days.
  • Principles eliminate the need to sift through every fad, scheme, or trending technique out there.  The process of “turning over every rock” and our desire to make success effortless is what keeps us from Achieving.  Principles are the bedrock in the evolving world of “easiest, newest, and fastest” that consume our time and impede our progress.

How can Quiet Pride help me?

  1. STARTING – Escape the “research loops” keeping you stuck and start creating results-loops” that perpetuate progress.
  2. SUPPORT – We provide simple, proven Principles and Concepts to build your actionable plan around.
  3. BELONGING – The need to BELONG is hard-wired in each of us.  It manifests as either positive, purposed efforts, or negative, destructive affiliations.

Quiet Pride provides the support we all need when the hard work is exhausting, the solitude deafening, and the arm-chair detractors leading us into self-doubt.

Why isn’t every Citizen pursuing a fulfilling life?

♦  No one taught us how.

School ingrains being correct on the test (ie: always knowing the answer before you select yours).  Most of us learn later that life is an on-going test and progress comes through an acceptance that sometimes you will be wrong.

♦  We have over-complicated everything (for the sake of commerce).

This makes finding a plan that works challenging with so many to sort through.

♦  No action plan.  We want, wish, study, and research in hopes the path without any obstacles and requires little effort just appears.

♦  Feeling too far along to change course.  Yes, our financial obligations are real and timing matters, but the simple fact is: Doing Nothing, Changes Nothing.

Quiet Pride provides simple, proven Principles to help you START and SUSTAIN your progress to remarkable results in a life that is Worth the Work.

“The perfect plan and perfect time do not exist.  The separation between those that have a “story”, and those that aspire to one, is only bridged by STARTING.” – QP


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A Violent Society

The most awful news broke last weekend of a massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.  I sat, stunned, along with everyone else.  What in the world do you say? Why on Earth would someone do that? These questions are being asked elsewhere, I certainly have no ready answers.  My belief is that we seem to live in society that promotes violence.  This is something I’d like to mull over today.

I think it’s fair to say that we’re immersed by depictions of violence, we can be a violent society. I mean, how often does the hero in a film, book or game use violent means? Let’s look at the films currently in the cinema and the computer game top 10.  At the time of writing at least half of the current top 10 movies are primarily violent.  Almost half of the video game chart are violent, though I worry their impact is higher due to the more immersive nature of the format.  I would also like to point out that there is now evidence that prolonged exposure to violent games leads to greater aggression in children.  Exploring further, of the top 5 most wished for games on Amazon.co.uk, 4 of 5 primarily have violence as the content. For the curious, they are: “Halo 4”, “Call of Duty Black Ops 2”, “Far Cry 3” and “Assassin’s Creed 3”.  The only exception being “Just Dance 4”.  The exact content of these charts is variable over time, so I encourage you to look for yourself.

There’s an old saying that “you are what you eat”.  Fair enough, but I’d like to point out that this fully includes the realm of the mind, as well as that of the body.  This is why you have to take care what you allow into your consciousness. This beings to lead us towards Mindfulness and Karma, but I’ll wander that road another time.

Personally, I take the view that the problem runs much deeper.  The games and films are a symptom of the problem, not a cause.  Pointing the finger at them is easy, it neatly excuses us from examining ourselves.  Yes, we are the cause. Consider that Amazon wishlist, there is clearly a deeply held desire for violent content. This demand for violent content starts within us and it can only be stopped within through mindfulness and education.  I do agree that guns should be more tightly controlled, after all, who needs a military assault rifle for home defence?

We also need to honestly examine the conditions that produce a society that demands the violent content. Without this most important step, any and all controls that could be enacted are simply buying time.  This sounds negative, but I feel it’s important to turn this round.  In fact, this is the same turn around as Buddhism has.  The third and fourth Noble Truths.  The first two of the four Noble Truths describe suffering and the cause of suffering.  If Buddhism ended there, then as Alan Watts so wonderfully put it “the game wouldn’t be worth the candle”.  It’s the same here.

What makes Buddhism such a positive force is the Buddha’s point that we do have a cure and there is most definitely something we can do.  Here also, we are not helpless. In reality, the power to make a difference is within each of us.  We need, as individuals, to start to make even a small but consistent effort at mindfulness and nonviolence.  It’s something I’ve been working on since before the blog reboot.  I do intend to return to that subject, again, using the Minecraft game as my canvas.  But without this individual effort at awareness, all the external measures; the laws, will ultimately be for nothing.

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Main Audio Reviews Stats

Contact Info / Websites

All 2 audio Reviews

Adagio for RD Adagio for RD

Rated 4 / 5 stars

Very dreamy. That piano sounds a little off in the beginning (I'm not sure what it is, it all sounds a little tinny with the reverb or whatever that's on it) but I found myself getting pretty lost in it. Was that an oboe at 2:14? Won me over.

theGodspeed responds:

Yeah, the compressor kicked in right then and it's slaved to the reverb. It's a bound part of the plug-in so I can't change it without major modifications. Good ear though =)

La Vache Que Rit La Vache Que Rit

Rated 3 / 5 stars

I wasn't so sure on the beginning but it got pretty funky, I could get down to this! I agree though, it's a little repetitive but I can dig that sorta thing so I'm a'ight with that.


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About the QuinteLive Network

We are QuinteLive - the Bay of Quinte region's original online live music, entertainment, food and lifestyle channel. We were established in 2010 and re-launched in 2016 as part of the QuinteLive network.
A lot of the local business owners that we talk to want to use social media and other online marketing to attract new customers to their businesses. Often they don’t have the time to do it properly, aren’t sure what to do to get great results and are frustrated that the rules always seem to be changing.

That’s no way to market your business.

We’ve worked with dozens of local businesses and have created a super simple system to create video, photos and words about your business and share that content on the QuinteLive Network to connect you with thousands of potential new customers.

Our simple process will take less than two hours of your time and will give you the new content you need to reach people online and attract new customers.

Aaron and Angela Bell are co-owners of the QuinteLive Network of local online channels. Aaron has been creating video, images and words to help national and local brands reach new customers for nearly two decades. After a successful municipal career in Economic Development, Angela has joined Aaron in the entrepreneurial world to develop the QuinteLive Network and help locally owned businesses grow.

We'd love to hear from you to talk about how we can help your business grow with the QuinteLive Network.


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Reasons I Don’t Believe in God #9: Only Through Jesus

Mainstream Christianity's reading of the New Testament says, "You can only get to heaven if you've accepted Jesus Christ." If this had come in the form of an announcement delivered in a booming voice from the heavens to every living creature back in 32 AD, fair enough, but what about the billions of people who were born and died since 32 AD without ever having been exposed to a Christian, let alone Christ's message? God would have known how fast and far His message would spread, having only introduced it to one specific region (the middle east) at one specific time. He could have set and explained the new rules to Noah and his family during their time on the ark, so that all people would be informed and could choose their fate with full knowledge of their options and consequences. He could have set and explained the new rules to Adam & Eve in the garden so they could instruct their children and thus all humanity. God is all knowing, so how could he not know he would want to implement these rules at a future time? I find it hard to believe in a God who would knowingly create a situation in which large numbers of his beloved children would be doomed as a result of geography and a lack of world-wide communication networks.

(From what I understand, some believe that on judgment day everyone gets a second chance at giving their final answer about whether or not they accept Jesus as their lord and savior. If this is true then that is marvelous, and alleviates some of my concern, provided those souls are allowed to make an informed choice, presented with information which would reasonably allow one to conclude Jesus truly is real. Regardless, what puzzles me a bit is that if anyone can accept Him at this final moment, why then is it important that people accept Him during their life here on Earth. It would be preferable, sure, but so many Christians seem truly frightened when the relatives they love die (or look as though they may die) without having accepted Jesus.)

^ Quinxy


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The Pseudo-Carnivorous Revolution

The world will never go vegetarian while there's a single living animal left on earth, not without a universally accepted and completely convincing meat substitute.  That substitute will almost assuredly be in vitro meat, non genetically modified animal muscle cells cultured in bioreactors and exercised on substrates like yogurt's Franken-cousin.  It may sound unappetizing, but in vitro meat has the potential to be identical to real meat in taste and texture while being far healthier than either meat or the current meat alternatives.  In vitro meat will be free of fat, free of antibiotics, free of gluten, free of phyto-estrogens,  and potentially free of additives and other undesirable toxins like pesticides.  Whether a new stew of undesirable chemicals becomes involved in the manufacturing process remains to be seen.

Even if it's not perfect out of the gate, in vitro meat will improve as the technology matures, and market forces will ensure it leaves the starting blocks competitive with the already high bar soy, wheat gluten, and fungus based fake meats have set in health and taste.

While all this pseudo-carni-gastronomy may perpetually put off die hard foodies, they matter not at all;  McDonald's ubiquity has not been obstructed by anyone's informed disapproval.  If the Great Vegetarian and Vegan War of the New Millennium is to be won it will be won because we have found a substitute for the slurry used in chicken McNuggets, not because we have grown the perfect fake lamb chop that will fool a New York Times' food critic.

And while the soy, wheat gluten, and fungus based fake meats have made tremendous progress over the last twenty years, I suspect the carnivores will forever see stigma attached to them because they aren't descended from the dominion of animals, "as God intended".  In vitro meat, on the other hoof, they'll likely buy as a lesser leap of faith.  First they'll buy it without realizing it is ingredient number three inside their Swanson Hungry Man microwave meal, then within a few years they'll buy it from their grocery store pseudo-butcher to take to their in-laws' July 4 barbecue.

Cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, et cetera will be safe, to become unprofitable, unpopular, unnecessary, and perhaps culled or left to their own devices in a world harsher than their domesticated genetics can survive.  I hope we can gather enough of our humanity to let the last of the animals raised for meat die of natural causes in comfortable circumstances.  But whatever their fate, the generational cycle of suffering will end, and that is the most important goal; and it is achievable, in our lifetime.

To that end, in 2008 PETA launched an In Vitro Meat Challenge PR stunt, with a $1 million prize for the first company by 2011 to commercially sell an in vitro meat product.  While that was an unrealistic deadline given the state of the technology and the FDA approval process, it is predicted that in vitro meat will come to store shelves as early as the next 5 - 10 years.  In the mean time soy, wheat gluten, and fungus based fake meat products continue to evolve, with new incarnations arriving on store shelves and in restaurants monthly.

It is a good time to be a vegetarian or vegan, and it's about to get much better, whether or not you like the pseudo meats.

An interesting video about the recent announcement by scientists at the University of Missouri that they've perfected a soy product that eerily simulates the texture of chicken.

We can perhaps find enough humanity in us to let the last of the animals raised for meat die of natural causes in environments
Comments (2) Trackbacks (0)
  1. Blllllleeeeeecccccchhhhhh!!!!!

  2. I certainly hope we could replace all the McDonald’s meat with in-vitro. Anything to end the horrible cycle of cruelty. But there’s definitely no way I would eat it. And I know that current meat substitutes don’t have the same texture as meat, but I like it that way. Just thinking about eating that stringy, tendony flesh is really icky.

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text: I was thrilled to be asked to do the accompanying illustrations for a story by Tammy Delatorre that was selected by Cheryl Strayed as the winner of the first annual Payton Prize. I attempted to infuse them with the vibrant colors of hawaii, while also giving them a nostalgic feeling without them being overtly melancholic. It was a pleasure and an honor to work on these.


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Saturday, October 3, 2009

Girls night at Union Grill

Tonight was the priestood session and while the boys were gone the girls headed to Union Grill for some killer pasta and bread pudding. Haven't been there for ever, I had forgotten how much I love that place. My Grandma Judy, Aunt Michelle and her two girls Morgan and Ellie were down for a quick visit while Morgan looked into the Art Institute of Salt Lake City for culinary school. It was good to see them again. Twice in one year too...that never happens!

Ben and Camille said...

YAY FOR RACHEL'S POSTS!! Haha, it's fun to see all your pictures. I've never seen your hair so long! I love it! You look SOOO cute!!

blogcommenting said...

dress looks great
scenes are wonderful

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Friday, September 18, 2009

Rachel K. ראש השנה

The Jewish new year or ראש השנה (Rosh H'Shanah) occurs at some point in the year that nobody can remember, due to the fact that the Jewish calendar follows the lunar cycle. Regardless, most proper Jews or Jew well-wishers take time out of their busy non-lunar schedules to celebrate the Jewish new year!
Traditionally, from what I understand, we eat challah bread, apples, and honey -- signifying a sweet and fruitful new year. That makes a lot more sense to me than drinking champagne and kissing strangers as a giant, glittering ball ascends a pole. Similarly, Rosh H'Shanah is a day of rest. I don't know about anyone else, but I certainly haven't worked more than 12 hours in two months, so you could say I've been pre-gaming for Rosh H'Shanah ever since I retired from the JET Programme. I'm just that good of a Jew. *Cough*.

So, apple slice in hand, I rang in the year 5770 (take that, 2009!) with my Zaydeh, Uncle Oren, Aunt Michele, and many many family friends. We rallied at the swanky retirement condo of Zaydeh's BFF, Mim. They've been especially close since Bubbeh died because Mim's husband died about four years ago on Christmas. She's an extremely quick-witted woman in her late 80's or early 90's with a tinge of a British accent and sparkly brown eyes. She had invited the Sreebny Clan™ along with her two sons, her granddaughter and her granddaughter's boyfriend. We had some wine up in her "crib", which is a lavish, well-decorated space that definitely has the feel of "Grandma Chic" to it. We dined in a dining room stuffed with well-to-do old folks and toasted to the new year with wine (Maneschevitz present, but not well-used).
Mim even baked us a delicious honey cake, which nobody could get enough of, but nobody could eat enough of either.

I've grown up "somewhat Jewish" in that my Zaydeh and Bubbeh have always celebrated Jewish traditions and utilized funny Yiddish words and fed me matzah and gefilte fish for as long as I can remember. At home we did the whole Channukah/hooray for dreidels/let's light a candle or eight sort of thing... but I never went to a synagogue as a kid or an adult. My mother brought me and my sister to her Methodist church for awhile growing up, but we moved so much that we never stuck with a church, much less a specific organized religion.

Now, in my adulthood, I feel like I want to find some sort of community to be a part of. I've never been a believer in organized religion, but I've always had a strong sense of faith in people and in God or whoever might be watching over (terrifying Japanese ghosts anyone?) So, maybe I'll start looking around at Unitarian churches, which I hear are the vanilla of houses of God.

Religious affiliations and confusions aside, it's nice to be around people like Zaydeh and Mim who know how to properly celebrate Jewish holidays once in awhile. It's nice to get a sense of who I am and where I come from with extended family for a change, too!


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Monday, February 22, 2010

The Shitty Parts of Parenting

It's fun to be a parent. It's great to see your babies becoming functioning members of society. It's cool when they impress other people with their behavior or knowledge. It's awesome to have lunch with them, laughing and just enjoying each other's company.

And then, there's the other stuff. It stinks to clean dried poo off the backside of a 3 year old who has been "potty trained" for almost a year. It sucks to find out that yet another homework assignment has gone undone, resulting in a detention. It is miserable to sit in an ER while your child screams in pain during X-rays.

It's depressing to find out that texts are being sent that shouldn't be. It saddens me to take phone privileges away from an otherwise productive individual. Not a banner night. Discipline is not my favorite thing.

Donna said...

Show me a parent who hasn't had this sort of thing happen multiple times, and I'll show you a saint. Saints are very rare on this earth.

Remo said...

If we had cellphones when I was a kid, it would have been in a drawer for years. That's why they make kids so darn cute - so we won't eat them.

Toon said...

I believe I was removed from the gene pool for a reason. My dog children are all I'm able to handle now anyway.


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Thursday, July 28, 2011

Welcome to Europe

When you see this photo you may wonder why I took it. It's not a particularly great photo, but let me set the scene for you. It was a baking hot and beautiful day in Bournemouth and we were starving. We headed over to a beach side cafe to grab a bite to eat. We sat out on the patio to continue enjoying the fabulous weather and as you can imagine, the beach was absolutely heaving with people. All of a sudden this train comes by randomly tooting it's horn and I thought it'd be a great little memory and tried to snap a shot with my cell phone. All of a sudden, this fellow comes lumbering, in his shirtless wonder, straight into my shot. The reason I remark on it, is not because I'm at a beach setting and I'm seeing a guy without his shirt on. It's because this phenomenon doesn't stay contained to the beach areas. There are men that seem to just randomly wander the streets shirtless, no matter what part of the area you're in. There are naked kids running around the beaches and teenage boys changing from their swim suits into regular clothes, where they stand, on the beach.  In fact, this poor unwitting guy in my photo is dressed rather conservatively considering there are some men, in mankinis. It's nothing horrific but for this stereotypical American, it does take a little getting used to. How are you enjoying your summer so far?

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Happily Ever After

Bournemouth Registry Office

At the end, they get to sit and sign the registry (Don't they look cute?!)

Bournemouth park where everyone congregated to get more photos of the bride and groom

This weekend, my brother-in-law got married to a beautiful and sweet woman. It was so much fun to get to see everyone and be a part of it all.

May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.
An Irish Blessing

Ciao! xoxo

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Who comes up with this stuff?! 24K Gold pomade for your hair? It's artistic and makes me go "ooooohhh, aaaahhh" when I see it but holy cow. It does make me smack my forehead just the tiniest bit. I'd love to know who actually wears or uses this stuff that doesn't walk down a cat walk.

What makes you OCD?

This book has been the focal point of my life for the past couple of weeks. With my move to the UK, I need to jump through some hoops to get a more appropriate visa. You know, so I can do things like go to the doctors office, work, and live life in general. In order to do that, I have to pass this test. There are only 24 questions on it and I need to get a 75% on it to pass. Some of the information in it is just common sense while other parts of it are random statistical madness that no UK citizen would ever know. But none of it, has anything to do, with anything FUN! Omg, it drives me crazy. Nothing has had quite a snoozifying affect on me as much as this book has recently.

I've also been pulling my hair out, looking for the charger to my camera! What on earth have I done with it? Did I leave it in America?! Ugh. C'est la vie. So I have purchased another and am waiting for it to be delivered because I have some great pic's I can't wait to get off my camera for everyone.

Did I mention a test I have to take to get a different visa? I might have. It's kind of dominating alllll of my thoughts right now. The test is this Thursday and I keep doing the practice questions in an obsessive kind of way as a way of managing my anxiety. Oi. I'd forgotten how ocd tests make me. What do you do when you have a test coming up? Do you obsess like me or just wing it? I always hated those kids in school who could wing it and still make an A.

P.S. Got any good test taking tips? Please share them!!! Pray for me, do a ritual to help me pass, do something - ahhhh!!!

Monday, July 4, 2011

On the move video

At long last, as promised, video of part of our moving process! During our move, we stayed in a local vacation rental while the movers packed us up and the kids finished their last week of school. I thought I'd share a bit of it with everyone. I don't know a lot about video editing with the software I have but hope you manage to enjoy it anyways. It was taken on my camera phone and it was really crazy driving down these winding gravel roads through primordial forests to get to the place. It felt very Walt Disney like. Cheers everyone!

Ingrid Michaelson, "Far away"; Cas Haley, "Walking on the Moon"


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Friday, July 11, 2014

Macaroni Cheeseburger

Macaroni Cheeseburger

I hav two incredibly simple recipes here. However, I only have a picture of one of the items. As I said in my last post, I have been doing a lot of experimentation with veggie burgers this week. The main recipe is something you see in most burger joints, and diner type restaurants in America. Macaroni and cheese is a lot like the burger: it’s very popular all over US, and there are loads of pre-made, or partially made, macaroni and cheese products you can buy in your regular grocery store. Some come in a box and require little more than water. Other are frozen and/or microwavable, or you can buy elbow macaroni and make your own sauce. If you go to the health food store (or a major grocery chain), you can even find gluten free, or dairy free (sometimes even vegan) easy to make mac-n-cheese meals these days. I am not including a recipe for macaroni and cheese, because basically all you do is boil some noodles and pour on the sauce. Most recipes for cheese sauce are nothing more than milk (soy, rice, dairy, etc), butter or margarine, and cheese of some kind. When I make mac-n-cheese for myself, I always throw in a bit of fresh broccoli or lima beans, or carrots, for the added vitamins and nutrients and because they are low in calories and filling. This means I eat less pasta and cheese sauce, but still get the same sized meal. I also like to add soy protein or TVP for similar reasons.

Recipe One: Macaroni and Cheese with meatless ground protein and veggies.

1 serving (enough to fill a small bowl about half way) of macaroni and cheese, most of the way cooked
¼ to ½   cup of peas, carrots, lima beans, spinach, or broccoli.
¼ cup Tofurkey Ground Beef Style

Instructions:  Mix the ingredients into the pot and cook on a low flame for ten to fifteen minutes until thoroughly heated. You can feel free to use a different brand or type of meat substitute. I think Tofurkey one is best because it has a nice, smoky flavoring. However, it tastes a lot like actual beef (at least I think it does. I haven’t eaten beef in 20 years so I could be way off). It also doesn’t dry out as easily as some other brands. However, vegetarian hotdogs or sausages are quite good with this dish as well. The same goes for any type of TVP, vegetarian crumbles, and diced veggie burgers if you’re in a bind.

Recipe two. Macaroni Cheeseburger

¼ cup ready made macaroni and cheese, fully cooked.
1 veggie burger
½ a slice of cheese: cut into thin, rectangular strips
1 pinch mustard or garlic powder
1 bun, roll, or 2 slices of bread (optional)

1.      Grill the burger on one side. I recommend using the toaster oven or a grill for this. Make sure to line it with tinfoil (which you can use over and over) so the cheese and pasta won’t fall off and get stuck in the coil or heat source..
2.      Mix the garlic and/or mustard with your macaroni and cheese sauce.
3.      Flip the burger over to the other side.
4.      Place the noodles and sauce on the burger patty, and flatten it out.
5.      Organize the strips of cheese on top of the mac-n-cheese to form a “piecrust” grid.
6.      Continue to cook for about five minutes (different burger brands are cooked slightly differently but you want to grill, broil, or bake this one instead of frying it with oil).
7.      Top with ketchup and/or mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, and/or other veggies. Once again, this goes well with potatoes.

Monday, July 7, 2014

BBQ "Bacon" Cheddar [Veggie] Burger

 Barbeque "Bacon" Cheddar [Veggie] Burger

2 teaspoons barbeque sauce (I’ll leave the brand up to you but I like KC Masterpiece)
1 veggie burger patty
1 slice cheddar cheese (vegan cheese is just as tasty but doesn’t melt as well)
1 slice of veggie bacon cut in half
1 onion ring (deep frying is optional)
Optional Dinner Roll, bread slices, or bun

  1. Lightly marinade the burger in the barbeque sauce and place it on the grill, in the broiler or toaster oven or in a frying pan (microwave works too but personally I find it makes the burger too chewy) and cook it for about ten minutes, five per side. I think a George Foreman grill would work too.
  2. If cooking the onion yourself start that next, with a bit of hot oil because it takes the longest
  3. Cook the bacon in a separate frying pan. Once again microwaving is acceptable but not quite as good. Do not cook it all the way through, you want to leave it slightly underdone, especially since meatless bacon is more apt to burn.  This takes about one minute but watch it closely for obvious reasons.
  4. Because the cheese is square and the bread/patty round, I like to trim it into a circular piece but it is going to melt so this is not necessary.
  5. Place the cheese on top of the burger and then add the bacon pieces on top of that and place on the grill or in the broiler/toaster oven at 375 degrees. Cook for five minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
  6. Toast or grill your bread if using any, and put it open face on the plate.
  7. Place your burger on your plate, on top of the (optional) bun. Top with the onion and—if you like—a little more barbeque sauce.
  8. Serve with a fruit or veggie side dish, and/or potatoes (mashed, fries, chips, baked, etc.), and enjoy.

Notes: I’ve been trying a lot of new kinds of veggie burgers lately. I’m a huge fan of anything from Amy’s brand because they are dedicated to providing healthy ingredients, no GMOs, all 100% vegetarian, and they have been around for a long time. I’ve been eating Amy’s stuff for almost as long as I have been a vegetarian. A friend recently recommended the Engine 2 stuff. So far I’ve only tried the curried lentil flavor but it was good. A bit on the dry side but good. There are a lot of options for several of the ingredients. These days you can walk into any grocery store, in any town in America, and find at least one brand of veggie burgers, and probably several other meatless items. You’ll probably even find vegan cheese, gluten free food items. If you’re like me, and live in the suburbs, you can try a different flavor and brand of veggie burger for every day of the year!  Additionally, you get to choose your sauce here. Some people like to make their own, while others prefer store bought. As for the meatless bacon, there are a few different types including Morning Star Farms and Tofurkey (though that one is made from tempheh, which I have never liked).  Also, there are tons of different types of breads or rolls you can put your veggie burger on. This last burger I made protein style because I feel like the bread is too filling and with all these ingredients it can get soggy. Because I’ve been trying out new types of veggie burgers right now, I’m planning to post a couple of new recipes in the next week or two. So, be on the look out!


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Live at Classical 101

color photo of the ProMusica String Quartet performing in the Classical 101 studios
ProMusica Chamber Orchestra Instagram

This morning the ProMusica String Quartet—violinists Heather Kufchak and Will Manley, violist Brett Allen and cellist Cora Kuyvenhoven—joined me on Classical 101 to chat about ProMusica's Saturday performance and to play highlights from a couple of the works on the program.

color photo of the flutist, cellist and violinist of Infusion Baroque playing thier instruments
WOSU Public Media

The award-winning, Montreal-based early music ensemble Infusion Baroque performed live in the Classical 101 studio this morning, and we captured the performance—and the dish about composers doing things they shouldn’t do—on video.

color headshot of Jordan Dodson
publicity photo /

It’s been almost three years since guitar virtuoso and Grove City native Jordan Dodson first performed on Classical 101.

Cassidy Duhon

Madeline Adkins joined the Baltimore Symphony in 2000 as Assistant Concertmaster and was elevated to Associate Concertmaster in 2005 by then conductor Yuri Temirkanov. She has most recently been playing under Maestro Marin Alsop.

Marco Borggreve

ProMusica Chamber Orchestra closed out the 2015-2016 season with two of classical music's greatest masterpieces...Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 and Schubert’s Symphony No. 9, also known as simply, The Great.

GMD Three

Grammy Award-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux was in town recently as part of the Otterbein Guitar Festival, in a program called The Guitar and Its Fretted Friends.

Wikipedia, public domain

As a continuation of the celebration of Women's History Month, acclaimed guitarist Xuefei Yang will be featured on the next Fretworks on Classical 101.

She was born in Beijing and is now a fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in London and travels widely, having performed in more than 40 countries at the world's most prestigious venues, including here in the Untied States, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York.

Nick Houser / WOSU

The Classical 101 studio was chock full of Friday fun this morning when Imani Winds dropped by for a live conversation and performance.

color photo of Xuefei Yang playing guitar in Classical 101 studio
Nick Houser/WOSU Public Media

It isn’t every day that the world’s leading guitar virtuoso comes to town, but today was that day, and Classical 101 was there when it happened.

International guitar soloist Xuefei Yang stopped by earlier today to play and talk about her career and performance tomorrow evening in Columbus.

Cellist Joshua Roman with Classical 101's Boyce Lancaster
Nick Houser / WOSU

Cellist Joshua Roman is no stranger to Columbus audiences. On this trip, however, you'll get to know him a little better. Rather than interpreting music written by others, he unveils his own composition.

color photograph of Tom Vignieri, Deborah Price, the Calidore Quartet, and Jennifer Hambrick
Jeff Myers

The Classical 101 studio became Reunion Central Friday when the Calidore String Quartet, composer and former music director of NPR’s From the Top Tom Vignieri and Chamber Music Connection artistic director Deborah Price joined me for a performance and conversation live on Classical 101.

Early Interval performing in the Classical 101 studio
Nick Houser / WOSU Public Media

It’s a watershed season for Columbus’ resident early music ensemble, The Early Interval. This year marks the silver anniversary of the ensemble’s annual Twelfth Night concerts and the Early Interval’s first season under new artistic leadership.

Ricardo Morales / Twitter

For all of us who (attempted to) play the clarinet, there is nothing more enjoyable than spending time with someone who really can play the clarinet. I wasn't bad, but let's face it - I am in radio for a reason.

publicity photo off the early music ensemble Wayward Sisters, four musicians with their instruments
Nelson Fitch / Wayward Sisters

Things got a little crazy this morning on Classical 101.

Gavin George with Classical 101's Boyce Lancaster
Nick Houser / WOSU

When you first meet Gavin George, he seems like any other 12-year-old boy.  He loves soccer, building things with Legos, and playing with his brother, Max.

Violist Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt (right) and cellist Camden Shaw of the Dover Quartet playing their instruments.
Nick Houser / WOSU

Earlier today, the award-winning Dover Quartet - hailed by The New Yorker as "the young American string quartet of the moment" - joined me for a live performance and interview on Classical 101.

In case you missed it, here's some of what the Dovers had to say and play this morning - including a special musical treat exclusively for Classical 101 listeners.

Pablo Villegas
Courtesy of the artist

Classical guitarist Pablo Villegas has been called the "natural heir" to Andres Segovia, the great Spanish guitarist of the 20th century who became the best-known ambassador for the guitar as a serious concert instrument.

Welsh soprano Gwawr Edwards, right, in the Classical 101 studio with morning host Boyce Lancaster on Sept. 3, 2015.
Nick Houser / WOSU

If your only connection to the culture of Wales is Bryn Terfel and  Tom Jones, you have a wonderful opportunity to find out more about it this weekend.  The North American Festival of Wales is in session for a 3-day run Thursday-Saturday in Columbus.  Calan opens the program Thursday evening.

Violinists Siwoo Kim and Alicia Hui and violist John Stulz perform in the Classical 101 studio in advance of the VIVO Music Festival
Thomas Bradley / WOSU

Musicians from Columbus' newest classical music offering - the VIVO Music Festival - joined Classical 101's Jennifer Hambrick live in the Classical 101 studios.

There was a time in the United States when life moved a little slower, summer evenings lasted a little longer, and the local park was the place to be each week for an outdoor concert.

Vadim Gluzman with a violin
Marco Borggreve

Vadim Gluzman is ProMusica's Creative Partner and Principal Guest Artist.  He joins Music Director David Danzmayr for two performances of Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 this weekend at the Southern Theatre.

Classical 101's Jennifer Hambrick talks with composer Maria Schneider about her work, which blurs the line between classical music and jazz, and her Grammy Award-winning "Winter Morning Walks."

The cast of BalletMet's Cinderella
BalletMet Columbus

BalletMet Artistic Director Edwaard Liang was with Boyce Lancaster on Classical 101 on Thursday to talk about the new BalletMet production of Cinderella, set to Prokofiev’s music.

Christopher Purdy recently answered the question, “Who is this Guy Figaro, Anyway?”  Well, I recently had the opportunity to speak with Figaro and wanted to share the conversation with you.


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What We Can Expect From Paul McCartney At Candlestick Park Concert?

By Bradford Hornsby

You might have heard that music legend Sir Paul McCartney is coming to the Bay Area this year to perform the final concert at Candlestick Park on August 14th. Today’s announcement put to rest the rumors that McCartney was toying with the idea of playing at the new Levi Stadium in Santa Clara in lieu of Candlestick.

The concept of a show at the Stick was born when McCartney played last year’s Outside Lands reminded everyone of the Bay Area ties to the Beatles. McCartney and The Beatles performed their last paid gig at the Stick back on Aug. 29, 1966 with tickets running $4.50 to $6.50. Tickets for his August 14 “Farewell to Candlestick: The Final Concert” will surely be vastly more expensive but it is not very often one can see a rock legend at a venue slated for demolition.

What can you expect to hear for Sir Paul in San Francisco?

Judging from statements on his official site and samples of set-lists from his current world tour – expect the hits and then more hits. McCartney will play tracks off his latest recent studio album NEW but does not shy away from his illustrious past with Wings and The Beatles. For his three hour set McCarney will be backed by his band featuring Paul “Wix” Wickens (keyboards), Brian Ray (bass/guitar), Rusty Anderson (guitar) and Abe Laboriel Jr (drums).

Video: Paul Mecurio Talks About Meeting Paul McCartney
READ: Paul McCartney Rules Outside Lands Day 1

Tickets for Paul McCartney’s Farewell to Candlestick: The Final Concert will go on sale Monday, May 5 at 10am at Ticketmaster.com.

Here’s a sample of what Sir Paul played at a recent gig in Santiago, Chile on his Out There! Tour.

Set-list Movistar Arena, Santiago, Chile on April 23:

Eight Days a Week (The Beatles)
Save Us
All My Loving (The Beatles)
Listen to What the Man Said (Wings)
Let Me Roll It (Wings)
Paperback Writer (The Beatles)
My Valentine
Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five (Wings)
The Long and Winding Road (The Beatles)
Maybe I’m Amazed
I’ve Just Seen a Face (The Beatles)
We Can Work It Out (The Beatles)
Another Day
And I Love Her (The Beatles)
Blackbird (The Beatles)
Here Today
Queenie Eye
Lady Madonna (The Beatles)
All Together Now (The Beatles)
Lovely Rita (The Beatles)
Everybody Out There
Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles)
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! (The Beatles)
Something (The Beatles)
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (The Beatles)
Band on the Run (Wings)
Back in the U.S.S.R. (The Beatles)
Let It Be (The Beatles)
Live and Let Die (Wings)
Hey Jude (The Beatles)

Day Tripper (The Beatles)
Hi, Hi, Hi (Wings)
Get Back (The Beatles)

Encore 2:

Yesterday (The Beatles)
Helter Skelter (The Beatles)
Golden Slumbers (The Beatles)
Carry That Weight (The Beatles)
The End (The Beatles)

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Lake Park, MN Radon Mitigation and Testing

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Lake Park, Minnesota Radon Levels

Lake Park, MN resides in a county which has been assigned a high risk zone by the EPA. It is recommended your home business or be tested for elevated levels for radon. Radon levels in the 56554 zip code have also been given a high assessment.

Lake Park, Minnesota Radon Information

Lake Park, MN and the 56554 zip code are located in Becker County, which has an EPA assigned Radon Zone of 1. A radon zone of 1 predicts an average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L, which is above the recommended levels assigned by the EPA. Lake Park is located in a high risk area of the country. However, with any household or business, regardless of Radon Zone, it is suggested your home be tested for unsafe levels of radon.

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RSCS Contributes to Comprehensive Report for OECD Nuclear Energy Agency on Innovation Needs for Decommissioning Nuclear Facilities
Posted on August 6th, 2014

Harvey Farr of RSCS and his colleague Thomas LaGuardia of LaGuardia & Associates, LLC recently completed the final draft of OECD Report NEA No. 7191 “R&D and Innovation Needs for Decommissioning Nuclear Facilities”.  This report was based upon a draft report that was compiled by the Working Party on Decommissioning and Dismantling (WPDD).  The WPDD is comprised of international decommissioning experts who reviewed the current methods for decommissioning and their impacts on future nuclear power plant decommissioning budgets and schedules.  From this review, recommendations for future R&D efforts that would improve safety, streamline project schedules, and reduce cost were recommended.

This draft report was expanded upon by Harvey Farr and Thomas LaGuardia to include an exhaustive review of the state of the art in decommissioning technologies with further recommendations on future R&D needs.  As stated in the report’s executive summary:

The current labor-intensive approach to decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) suggests that research and development (R&D) aimed at more efficient and effective decommissioning technologies and processes could bring significant benefits to current and future D&D projects. Improvements are required to decrease the hundreds of billions of dollars (USD) that will be required to decommission facilities that have shut down or will shut down around the world. This report discusses decommissioning activities and challenges that could benefit from R&D and summarizes applicable emergent technologies and research efforts to build a base of knowledge regarding the status of decommissioning technology and R&D. This base knowledge can be used to obtain consensus on future R&D that is worth funding. It can also assist in deciding how to collaborate and optimize the limited pool of financial resources available among NEA member countries for nuclear decommissioning R&D.

RSCS congratulates Harvey Farr and Thomas LaGuardia on the completion and issuance of this comprehensive report.  The full report is available from the OECD here.

Read All News


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Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Those Cypriot "Expropriations"

All the wailing and gnashing of teeth in the international press about the EU's "expropriation" of citizens' money is misplaced. If you disagree with me, ask yourself what the alternatives are. The government could, of course, use everyone's taxpayer dollars Euros to bail out the Cypriot banks [and, by extension, its depositors]. Or it could, as Bernanke would almost certainly do, just print the money which would tax everyone in the long term as the purchasing power of their money deteriorated.

The last option is to let the banks fail and the let the depositors lose everything.

People aren't thinking this through.


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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

A New Addition in the Doll Room

Chrissy Lou was awakened bright and early by Myra.

Chrissy Lou looked over at her twin sister to see if she was awake yet, and saw that Missy Lee was trying to hold her collar out of the way so that she could look over the doll shelf to see just what was going on below.

"Can you see what Myra is doing?" Chrissy Lou whispered

"She is searching for something again", Missy Lee whispered back.

Myra finally found her scissors, and sat down in front of her sewing machine and started to sew.

A few minutes later she finished with her sewing, and she started to cut out, then turn, and then to stuff the object she had sewn while Chrissy Lou and Missy Lee watched intently trying to guess just what Myra was making.

"Maybe she is finally making us our two brothers Missy Lee whispered excitedly" as Myra got up and left the room.

"Where did you ever hear that we were supposed to have two brothers", Chrissy Lou demanded crossly. After all she was supposed to be the oldest, and the one who knew what was going on in the doll room.

Chrissy Lou was immediately sorry that she had been so cross with her sister when she saw Missy Lee's bright smile begin to fade, and a big tear forming in one eye.

"Well I overheard Myra yesterday trying to find two names for boys that rhymed with Chrissy and Missy", Missy Lee answered tearfully.

Just then Myra came back with a plastic shopping bag from the kitchen, and she began to clean off a corner of the table.

Chrissy Lou made a mental note to herself that she should apologize for being so cross to her sensitive little sister as they both quietly watched Myra get out her paints.

Myra finished painting her newest addition to the doll room, and laid it back on the plastic shopping bag to dry, and then she left.

It was really quiet in the doll room after Myra left except for an occasional rustle from the center of the plastic shopping bag.

Chrissy Lou and Missy Lee climbed down from the doll shelves to go see just what Myra had been working on.

They had almost inched close enough to touch the shopping bag when Missy Lee could not stand the suspense anymore. She started to ask Chrissy Lou "Can you see what Myra was working on?", but barely got the words "Can you" out when there came a startled howl from the midst of the shopping bag.  and both she and her sister fell back into twisted heaps on the table.

Chrissy Lou was trying to peer around Missy Lee who had fallen on top of her when she saw two grey ears with pink centers begin to slowly rise up over the edge of the shopping bag followed by two green eyes and a pink nose with black whiskers sticking out from both sides of the nose.

"It's a kitten", both Chrissy Lou and Missy Lee exclaimed at the same time, as the kitten bounced up out of the bag and came jumping towards them.

Chrissy Lou and Missy Lee spent quite a few minutes trying to get untangled and upright to welcome the kitten to its new home in the doll room, but the kitten was so intent on introducing itself that it kept knocking them both back down again.

They decided to name him Tigger because he was so bouncy.


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Community Development Initiative

Updated for grants starting in 2015

To rebuild and strengthen healthy and sustainable neighborhoods.

The Foundation has the following priorities for its Community Development grants:

  • Geographies – Dorchester, Roxbury, and their contiguous neighborhoods in Boston, MA; the Hill and East End in Pittsburgh, PA. The Foundation occasionally considers grants in other neighborhoods in those cities and for city-wide projects.
  • Strategies – Proposals with clear and measurable objectives to serve those geographies through one or more of these strategies:
    • Economic Development – Expanding economic opportunity for low-income and disadvantaged people through workforce readiness and retention, entrepreneurship and business development, and wealth creation and asset development.
    • Neighborhood Revitalization – Bringing hope, vitality, and economic benefits to disadvantaged areas through renovating or building new community centers, commercial areas, and public amenities.
    • Partnerships – Working closely with other funders with deep connections to those geographies and/or finding opportunities to align work with the Foundation’s Youth Violence Prevention Initiative.

All proposals should closely connect with a neighborhood-approved vision or plan and/or regional economic development plan.

Types of Foundation Support

The Foundation considers proposals for programs, projects, facilities, and public amenities. The Foundation annually awards 3-6 grants. Grants for programs and projects range from $25,000 to $75,000. Grants for facilities and public amenities range from $50,000 to $250,000. The Foundation makes multi-year grants on a selective basis. The Foundation may act as early risk capital when the applicant shows a method for assessing risk, adapting along the way, and learning from any changes or failure.

The Roy A. Hunt Foundation has a long history of improving the lives of low-income people through grants for a variety of purposes. The Trustees created the Community Development Initiative in 2000 as a collective expression of that commitment. The Initiative has since awarded more than $3.5 million, primarily in Pittsburgh and Boston.

The Foundation’s Community Development Committee updated its guidelines in late 2014 based on a review of its grantmaking history, recent research in the field of community development, and the family’s interests.

The Foundation’s Trustees are committed to community development work that improves the prosperity of both people and places. And they remain interested in the intersections between economic development, community development, and workforce development programs.

The following reports provided a backdrop for the Foundation’s recent assessment of its community development grants:

Download a PDF list of Community Development grants paid in FY16 and FY17.

Next Steps

Follow the directions as advised under Letter of Inquiry Submission.

You will need the free program Adobe Reader to open PDF files from this site. Get Reader here.


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Monday, 15 March 2010

Stobart CEO signs up to Twitter

This from @Andrew_Tinkler, CEO of Stobart Group, via Twitter...

Just starting using Twitter. I think it will be useful to let people know what's going on at Stobart Group.

Would that some railway CEOs and MDs did the same!

UPDATE: This from Steady Eddie...

Isn't it a bit 20th Century using his own name?

Why not two girls' names like the lorries?

Sadiq says...

Nothing yet... this story on Guido's blog:

Transport Minister Sadiq Khan is in hot water this afternoon after it has been revealed that he lied to the press and to the Parliamentary authorities.

UPDATE: This from Steve Strong...

Will just one of these bent MPs do the honourable thing and resign?

Haythornthwaite still struggling to reform NR

Does anyone at Network Rail bother listening to their Chairman?

In November Rick Haythornthwaite admitted that he "heard the word 'arrogant' a lot" when listening to views of NR.

So what are we to make of the following?

NR's recently published Great Western RUS contains a suggestion that the former Cheltenham Spa to Stratford-upon-Avon route might be reopened.

Splendid news!

But what is this?

Part of the route has already been reopened and is in regular use!

This from

Volunteers from Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway (GWR), which operates steam trains on a section of the Honeybourne Line between Cheltenham Racecourse and Toddington, say they were not consulted by Network Rail before the restoration proposals were included in its route utilisation strategy.

Of course NR is not alone in riding rough shod over heritage lines.

ATOC was guilty of the
same offence back in June last year.

Surely basic good manners would have avoided NR falling into the same trap?

UPDATE: This from Richard...

I think you need to look who's asking for this reopening.

If you look through the submissions to the consultation, then the "demand" actually comes from one Rt Hon D. Cameron (MP for Witney, which of course encompasses the eastern end of the Cotswold Line). He appears to have written, at the behest of a constituent, a slightly confused letter suggesting that Honeybourne-Stratford should be considered for reopening.

Network Rail may not think this is a remotely plausible scheme, but I presume self-preservation dictates that when the probable next Prime Minister suggests something, you have to at least pay it lip service.

Adonis eyeballs the brothers

Eye has in the past been a little critical of The Thin Controller.

But this is as nothing to the fury that will be directed against the Noble Lord for having the temerity to criticise UNITE and its members for threatening industrial action over Easter.

On Sunday Lord Adonis opined:

"Let's be absolutely clear the stakes are incredibly high in this strike and I absolutely deplore the strike,"

"It's totally unjustified, this strike, on the merits of the issues at stake, and I do call on the union to engage constructively with the company."

See the 'forces of hell' muster here, here and here.

The next big question is will Adonis dare to open a second front against the brothers by laying into the RMT and TSSA, who are also threatening to paralyse Easter travel on the railways?

UPDATE: This from Lobby Fodder...

It looks as if Adonis is getting his retaliation in first.

The plans for a super new 10 platform HS2 station at Euston will see TSSA's HQ demolished!

UPDATE: This from Sir Humphrey Beeching...

As the Clunking Fist backed Lord Adonis on BBC Radio 4's Women's Hour today, it is pretty safe to assume that the 'forces of hell' have not yet been unleashed.

UPDATE: This from Biggles...

TSSA's head office gets reduced to rubble but ASLEF retains its Branch Office (The Exmouth Arms) which miraculously looks set to escape the bulldozers!

Yet further proof that ASLEF stands head and shoulders above the rest.

Aviation news....

This from the Civil Aviation Authority...

CAA STATISTICS show last year’s fall in passenger numbers was biggest since the Second World War

  • UK airports handled 17 million (7.3 per cent) fewer passengers in 2009 than in 2008, the largest annual decline for sixty-five years.
  • It is the first time numbers have fallen consecutively for two years, reducing passenger numbers to levels not seen since 2004.
  • Traffic declined the most in the first quarter of 2009, with the rate of decline easing as the year progressed.
UK airports handled 218 million passengers during the 2009 calendar year according to figures published today by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), a fall of 7.3 percent (17 million) on 2008, the biggest decline in passenger numbers at UK airports since records began.

Yet another nail in the coffin for Heathrow's third runway?

Arriva falls at the first fence

This from the Commuter...

Last year Eye ran a piece about John McCririck helping XC promote their services to the Cheltenham Festival.

Well he's back again.

And this time there is a highly professional video making use of some top quality Powerpoint effects.

Poor old John - he looks as shaky as the franchise he is promoting.

UPDATE: This from Steve Strong...

Perhaps Arriva should would have been better spending McCririck's fee on installing WiFi across its fleets, as it promised when it won the franchise.

According to the shaky TOC this should have been completed by 11th November 2009 (two years into the franchise).

Good to see that Department for Transport is on the case with this clear breach of a franchise commitment.


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Monday, 13 December 2010

Pointless signs - Quarmby, a message to you.

Whilst David Quarmby pores over South Eastern's non-performance in the ice and snow...

...perhaps the RAC Chairman should also examine 'passenger communications best practice' elsewhere on the network.

These both from A Frog...

Behold Crewe:

And rejoice in Newport...

Of course London and the South Eastern is the very engine of our economy.

Happily, with a very generous NR Schedule 8 donation, SouthEastern should soon be able to offer real time passenger information; direct to blackberrys, iphones, ipads, your fingernail, etc...

And perhaps also an Operations Director, after a year of waiting?

UPDATE: This from Guzzibasher...

Erm, ref "Whilst David Quarmby pours over South Eastern's non-performance in the ice and snow".

Methinks that should be "pores", unless he's got a large jug of anti-freeze!

Corrected. Thank you.

Pointless signs - St Pancras station

This from BA...

One for Eye's 'Pointless Signs, missing the point' collection?

Here at the St Pancras East Midlands ticket barrier, the middle machine's credit card reader doesn't work.

You wouldn't be able to tell by looking at it, however!

Although staff were aware of this problem on Saturday they had not put a notice on the machine because, "we're not allowed to".

Why not?

"Because that way, anyone could come along and put a sign on the machine."

Far better to allow person after person to waste their time on a doomed cause?

P-way Institution Christmas Party - Exclusive Picture

Trainy speakibold - Raj Edition

This with a bowler tip to Dan in India.

From the Times of India (Calcutta edition)...

What a splendid challenge!

Eye hopes that the mother country of the railways can do better?


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Tuesday, 10 December 2013

Toton Engineman book launch

This from a Mr Harris...

Would you mind plugging this splendid tome on your mighty organ?

Toton Engineman is the railway story of the late John Woolley, who started as an engine cleaner at Toton MPD in October 1954. He was 15 years old. John retired from Toton 40 years later in 1994 on the eve of Privatisation.

John recalls everyday life at one of Britain’s biggest steam sheds - the banter, pranks and hard work required to become a fireman. He also recalls firing the biggest engines at Toton - the mighty ‘Garratts’ and their massive London coal trains. As well as the steam age John also writes about the new depot and the diesels he drove.

At just £19.95 this is the perfect 2013 Christmas present!

Toton Engineman will be launched between 13:00 and 15:00 on Saturday the 14th December at the Westgate Suite, Westgate, Long Eaton, NG10 1EF.

All welcome.


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Friday, June 18, 2010

The Sweetest Thing

That husband of mine, he’s a pretty sweet guy. I am continually aware of that fact. It’s usually pretty hard to overlook. That’s why I was bothered in Sunday school a couple weeks ago.

Our lesson was on marriage. So, each couple was asked a series of questions about their spouse. One of the questions was something along the lines of “What’s the sweetest thing your spouse has ever done for you?” He immediately began writing his answer, and I couldn’t for the life of me think of a good example. I knew there were plenty, but I just couldn’t think of one. I blame pregnancy. It’s done awful things to my brain.

Since then, I’ve felt a little bad for not having shared any good examples of how sweet he can be. It especially bothered me, because I knew there should be plenty to choose from, and yet there I sat with the perfect opportunity to brag on him and I couldn’t think of a thing!

So, today, I’ll share with you a few examples of the sweet nature of my hubby.

• While we were dating in college, he spent a semester in his hometown working, which was about 5 hours away from me. I hated it. Except for the long phone conversations at night.

He would often drive down to take me on a special date, and on one particular occasion sent me flowers at work before he came with a note that simply said, “Can’t wait to see you on Saturday.” I have never forgotten that…or the butterflies I felt.

• Also during that semester, my best friend came back to the states to visit family. She and her husband were missionaries in Poland at the time. I had made plans to drive 11 hours to her mother-in-law’s house in Illinois to visit. Dean drove the 5 hours to get to me, just to get back in the car and drive another 11 hours because he didn’t want me to make such a long trip alone.

• In the (almost) 3 years we’ve been married, I’ve only scraped ice off my car one or two times. He always scrapes my windows before he leaves for work. He’s even stopped by my work during ice storms (on more than one occasion) to scrape my windows before I got off.

• Just this week, he planted a couple rose bushes next to our house, because he wanted to make it feel more like a home for me. (It’s still under construction inside and out and not very homey).

I could list many more, but I’ll spare you. At least now I can now rest easy knowing I didn’t let his efforts and sweet thoughts go without recognition. He really is amazing. Have I mentioned lately that I love him? Because, I do…I love him A LOT.

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Saturday, November 29, 2008

Saturday we had a day of creativity. We made bread again, got a new recipe from Katie on our adoption forum and it was much much better. Our first loaf (of the new recipe) had to be chucked because after the first rise I put it on the table to shape it and the table had been "glittered" so the entire loaf of dough was covered with pretty red glitter, not really edible. When Lucy went to nap I quick whipped up another batch and it was rising by the time she woke up. We invited Mel and Morgan over to bake cookies, they brought most of the ingredients since we were on our last bits of flour and butter. The cookie making went well until the rolling and cookie cutter portion at which point every one was done with festivities. The kids played with dough while Mel and I slapped a pan of stocking and bunny(I didn't totally sort the holidays) cookies together. The cookie recipe needs some tweaking (like following the recipe for one thing). It was a fun day though. I am however sick and taking it like a "man" (which means, of course, that I am being a big whiny wimp).

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Saturday, September 19

Just do it!

As you can see, I haven't written a post in a while. I could blame several components of my life, including new ones taking up more of my time, but are they really to blame? I've obviously had some free moments (hello, TV?) where I could've logged in and written a little ditty, but I haven't. So why haven't I? Is that the proverbial procrastinator's question?

After doing a bit of yoga this morning, I made the connection that writing is a lot like yoga. Just like you have to return to your mat on a regular basis in yoga, you have to return to your pen, keyboard, etc. to write... and I haven't been. Call it what you will, but I haven't made time for my writing, and like yoga, it is another outlet for me to connect with my passion and my higher self. I believe it's one of my callings. So if I don't use it, I kind of lose it.

Therefore, today I'm returning to my yoga of writing, one keyboard stroke at a time. It may not be pretty, but at least I'm doing it. ;)

Have you been procrastinating or avoiding something you love? Tell me about it.

Shannon said...

Funny to check your blog and see this post as I have been missing/procrastinating EVERYTHING! Don't stress yourself about it, but we do enjoy your blog when you have time - always a source of good inspiration.

Anonymous said...

It seemed as if you know how I am. We don't know each other but your post was awesome. I am in the same spot. Ok, so keep writing and I will keep commenting. I hate writing too but love love love yoga. How about we inspire each other and others who are in the same boat. Thank you for taking the time sharing. It is courageous of you to come clean and just share. Thank you...

Alden said...

Interesting to read your blog and it s very fully too. I like this blog. I expect more information from you. Thanks for providing such information. Yoga is general for every one. It gives a peaceful mind and healthy life.

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rajans said...

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yoga retreat, we are working to unify these five bodies or layers of the human being. Another process of unification occurs between of the individual consciousness and the universal consciousness.Observing this from a different angle, Samadhi is a transformation of perception in which disillusionments about the world are reformed so that the truth behind reality can be seen in its purest of form. Yoga, as a system, has developed into various branches through which people pursue the evolution and unification of the elements within their being. Each branch retains its own unique set of ideas and philosophies which defined the process and eventual obtainment of complete unification. Each system is designed to accommodate a different personality type, and yoga has developed into a broad reaching system that can be practiced by nearly anyone who is interested in pursuing a spiritual life. A practice like Jnana yoga is ideal for someone who is philosophically minded whereas the practice of bhakti yoga is good for someone who is emotionally perceptive and inclined towards a sense of devotion. In this article we will be reviewing the more mainstream practices of yoga which are derived from the tradition of yogic spirituality. These traditions of yoga are as young as 500 years and as old as several thousand.

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Monday, April 25, 2005

No easy answers: Getting management buy-in for Blogs (part 2)

This follows the previous post:

I read this from Librarystuff, about pushing librarians into public awareness (quoted from Marylaine Block). That's what I'm after. Not to promote Blogs or Blogging per se, but to use an available technology to enhance what libraries and librarians do.

But recent events have made the pitch to management and colleagues more difficult, specifically the "CZ incident" (scroll to the section header "The first posts").

It's unfortunate that the public is conscious (via the traditional print media) of only the wacky and fun stuff, but not bloggers who write "serious" stuff. I've observed that blogs make local headlines when: (1) they are quirky stuff, usually associated with teens who are hip and happening, or (2) when blogs are involved in some controversy, like the CZ thingy.

And probably this incident in Nov 2003 -- "Bloggers go unplugged" (by Eugene Wee , Straits Times, 17 Nov 2003). About a student who captured, on his PDA, a scene of his teacher berating a classmate and then posting the video clip to his website. The clip got circulated and eventually attracted media attention and raised "the ire of students, parents and teachers alike."

Here's another (early) instance -- Bon voyeur: Go online and tell the world what you did last summer -- or last night. By Chua Hian Hou, Computer Times, 18 Dec 2002.
In fairness, the article was pretty balanced and informative, but people tend to remember headlines more than the actual content.

So to most Singaporeans unfamiliar with Blogging (like I used to be), there certainly is varying degrees of negative connotations towards blogging. I'd hazard a guess that to Singaporean non-bloggers, they think blogging is:
  • Something that only kids & teens indulge
  • Content-wise, there isn't any to speak of, because it's basically any mundane thoughts and teen-angst. That much of it is "verbal diarrhoea".
  • Adults see it as a kind of voyeurism, i.e. peeking into the thoughts of others (note: another guess is that we all like to peek, but don't like being peeked at).
I'm not the only one who thinks that the local media depicts local bloggers poorly. Like

SingaporeAngle says our local mainstream media doesn't understand blogs. I tend to agree. Maybe local journalists ought to be blogging, so that they get linked up with the more coherent bloggers (I stand to be corrected because who's to say our local journalists aren't blogging already. Except maybe they do it anonymously).

It doesn't help that the internet is rife with news about people getting fired for blogging (nevermind what was the real cause -- the headlines is what people tend to remember).

As of 25 Apr 05, when I googled for fired for blogging, the search returned 523,000 hits. The google search for promoted for blogging only returned 141,000 hits. That's rounded up to a ratio of 4 to 1 (i.e. 4 "fired for blogging" articles for every 1 "promoted for blogging").

Ok, the search might not be precise, so I used quotation marks for "fired for blogging", which returned 33,400 hits. Surprisingly, "promoted for blogging" did not match any document. I then tried "rewarded for blogging" and there was effectively 1 hit.

So there's definitely alot more issues to consider before making any pitch to management. Ah well, "if something is easy, it's probably not worth doing".

  1. You're onto something here Ivan, but googling with keywords "fired for blogging" is bound to get more results because it is more controversial and so, more conversational. E.g. the slang "Dooced" came from for the first person to get fired for blogging. There isn't any slang yet for any person promoted for blogging!

    Nevertheless, it's a good attempt at determining the direction blogs can take us, though better indicators should be found for anyone to make a conclusion.

    Finally, I agree that even till today, not everyone can understand blogs. The trick to getting management buy-in is same as for most technological adoption, focus on the need, not the tech. If you can start a blog that fills a visible need, the blog will have a visible want. A blog on it's own is worthless.

  2. >>>
    ...though better indicators should be found for anyone to make a conclusion
    Yeah, I know. Well, how does one measure the value of a "conversation" anyway? E.g. a conversation bet. the customer service officer and a customer. Perhaps one day we will all wear some form of neural-chip in our heads (I was reading a SCiFi story today that had this). Then we can reliable get data from the person. Right... way too far-fetched even for me.

  3. Ivan - management buy-in is never easy, esp. if the see you as a young punk trying to push yr views through. Even if might make sense, people are inherently afraid of change or of trying new things esp if the term "blogs" comes with perception of allowing instant posting of peoples "verbal diarrhoea". esp when it is true and painful to hear.

    But often,it takes a few idiots who feel like shitting on their management openly with no facts but plain spoil everything and create more resistance...

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Thursday, July 16, 2009

I've been busy

Well, I got my IQ last week. I love it and am trying out several patterns. I had some trouble with some things but I cried out to my friend Debbi and she helped me over the rough parts to start.

I also had a hard time figuring out how to the finish a row of panto, roll the quilt and start the next row. The IQ-Yahoo group helped me with that. On the bright side, when I couldn't get the quilt lined up where it was supposed to go, it took me 2 clicks to go into manual mode so I could "fill" in the gaps in the pattern.

So here's a couple of my efforts. This is a kingsize rail fence in blues. This photo is the flannel back so you can see the quilting. The digitized pattern is called Virginia Flower. I should have scaled it to be bigger since I used double batts. The customer wanted fluffy.

This one was a rush on a shop sample. I used Linda Taylor's digitized Twirly Feather. I love this one because it is big and open, not too dense. I did the Twirly Feather in the field, nothing in the inner border and Sassy (digitized) from Keryn Emmersen in the outer border. I did not have the pattern sized correctly (another mistake) so if you look, you will see how IQ travels (in a straight line) down the side to the next part of the pattern. LQS owner said it was OK with her. Next time I use a panto inside a border, I will have to "Preview" the entire row to see where it ends.

This was a special-order digitized pattern called Menorah and Stars of David from Georgette Dell"Orco at Quilter's Niche.

Another Virginia Flower scaled to 14 inches.

And this is a paper-piece fractured hearts that I did freehand hearts and ribbons on.

The IQ comes with some nice patterns but it is always fun to freehand and to play with new patterns.

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My life has changed in the last couple of years - some bumps, I retired from quilting, and then I moved to Texas. I'm anxious to see what new adventures await me in the next phase of my life.

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Ramona, California, United States
I started quilting when a quilt shop opened in our little town in January 2004. I have been hooked ever since.

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Books I"ve read lately

  • The Help (Kindle)
  • The Appeal by John Grisham
  • Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
  • Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
  • To Kill a Mockingbird (again) by Harper Lee
  • Bleachers by John Grisham

This is called Fruit Cocktail

This is called Fruit Cocktail
It is all batiks