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PostHeaderIcon Stacy Has A Story!

Words in this Quiz:

understand, tease, new, Goodbye!, want, cloud, Hello!, ice cream, story, neighborhood, ready, little, make, lose, win, hedgehog, morning, big, dad, winner, danger, day, tell, delicious, friends, mom, earn, silver, brother, laugh, helpless, sack race, Sunday, funny, breakfast

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PostHeaderIcon Bunty and Bubbly

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around, bubble, clean, go back, home, scream, dream, play, soap, brush, say, night, order, hate, away, mother, scrub, castle, bird, paper boat, afraid, suddenly, attack, butterfly, Help!, chase, run, refuse, army, appear, germ, sand castle

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PostHeaderIcon The Little Red Hen

Narrated by Nina Christou

The little Red Hen was in the farmyard with her chickens, when she found a grain of wheat.

"Who will plant this wheat?" she said.

"Not I," said the Goose.

"Not I," said the Duck.

"I will, then," said the little Red Hen, and she planted the grain of wheat.

When the wheat was ripe she said, "Who will take this wheat to the mill?"

"Not I," said the Goose.

"Not I," said the Duck.

"I will, then," said the little Red Hen, and she took the wheat to the mill.

When she brought the flour home she said, "Who will make some bread with this flour?"

"Not I," said the Goose.

"Not I," said the Duck.

"I will, then," said the little Red Hen.

When the bread was baked, she said, "Who will eat this bread?"

"I will," said the Goose

"I will," said the Duck

"No, you won't," said the little Red Hen. "I shall eat it myself. Cluck! cluck!" And she called her chickens to help her.

from Stories to Tell to Children by Sara Cone Bryant

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PostHeaderIcon The Sandy Cat

The sandy cat sat by the kitchen fire. Yesterday it had had no supper; this morning everyone had forgotten it. All night it had caught no mice; all day as yet it had tasted no milk. A little grey mouse, a saucerful of milk, a few fish or chicken bones, would have satisfied it; but no grey mouse, with its soft stringy tail behind it, ran across the floor; no milk was near, no chicken bones, no fish, no anything. The serving-maid had been washing clothes, and was hanging them out to dry. The children had loitered on their way to school, and were wondering what the master would say to them. The father had gone to the fair to help a neighbour to choose a horse. The mother sat making a patchwork quilt. No one thought of the sandy cat; it sat by the fire alone and hungry.

At last the clothes were all a-drying, the children had been scolded, and sat learning a lesson for the morrow. The father came from the fair, and the patchwork quilt was put away. The serving-maid put on a white apron with a frill, and a clean cap, then taking the sandy cat in her arms, said, "Pussy, shall we go into the garden?" So they went and walked up and down, up and down the pathway, till at last they stopped before a rose tree; the serving-maid held up the cat to smell the roses, but with one long bound it leaped from her arms and away—away—away.

Ah, dear children, I cannot tell, for I was not there to see; but if ever you are a sandy cat you will know that it is a terrible thing to be asked to smell roses when you are longing for a saucerful of milk and a grey mouse with a soft stringy tail.

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Friday, April 20, 2012

"The Yellow Scarf" by Barrymore Tebbs (Novelette)

Genre:  Gothic Horror

Type of Short Story:  Novelette

Summary:  1969. The Rolling Stones perform a free concert in London’s Hyde Park. Flying high on grass and LSD, Peter, Barnard, Bree, and Tristan rock along with nearly a quarter million people as The Stones make history. With them is Pandora, the once-famous fashion model whose downward spiral into addiction made international headlines, now clinging desperately to the belief that only a power greater than herself can restore her to sanity.

After the concert, these five friends decide to take a weekend jaunt to the country to visit Hampton Close, a crumbling old country house Peter recently inherited from his Great Uncle, Basil Townsend. A former protégé of Aleister Crowley, Basil Townsend was once one of Britain’s most notorious practitioners of the Black Arts.

But inside a locked room at Hampton Close, an ancient evil from a distant land lies festering in the warm, wet darkness, waiting…waiting…waiting…

The house waited.

The rains were heavy that spring. The grounds around Hampton Close were sodden, the canopy of trees so lush and full that swollen limbs prohibited any hope of sunlight from ever reaching the floor of the forest primeval. To walk the wood surrounding Hampton Close was a hazard to the traveler. The flora had rotted into a cesspool of rank detritus leaving the ground a morass of wet leaves and rotten undergrowth. Beneath, benighted creatures roiled and squirmed, thriving on the sustenance of warm decay which enfolded them in its womb.

With the coming of summer, and the heat, the house became a breeding ground for that which thrives in darkness. Not tangible organisms with defined shape and form and measurable weight, but those things which grow just across the border of consciousness in that twilight area accessible only through dreams and precognition, creativity and madness. The house was alone with itself and in its loneliness it turned within and beheld its own living darkness.

The house smiled.

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Friday, April 25, 2014

"A Moments Indulgence" by Rose Garg (Short Stories)

Genre:  General Fiction

Type of Short Story:  Short Story Collection

Summary:  A Moments Indulgence is a collection of 10 gripping short stories from around the world, that will take you on a mesmerising journey into a world of suspense, humour, courage, and some pain. The stories are unique, diverse and conversational.

From "Kiyoshi"

Silver, long‐tailed birds glimmered and sat frozen as they watched the cherry blossoms and pine trees entwined and dominating the silk brocaded Uchikake Kimono (A Japanese traditional garment).

Kiyoshi Matsumoto sat on the floor, resting the cloth between her chin and knees, and heaved a long sigh. The whiteness of the fabric and her long black hair against her peach‐colored skin made her look like a fairy straight out of a children's book. As she sat there with big, beautiful black eyes staring ahead, she contemplated the direction that her life was going to take today.

Even as her thoughts wandered, she could clearly hear the bells toll at a distance at this early hour. It reminded her of the importance of the occasion. A few days ago in the town of Kitsuke the Shujo
Onie festival had just ended and she had prayed for a good and happy life. It seemed that her prayers were answered. Before twilight today, she would be married and each time she thought of how much her life was likely to change, she felt pride for her family and also uncertainty about the times to come. On the other hand, her father was the most pleased and had been jolly all week.

Her marriage, unlike any of her friends, was arranged because her father had promised her hand to his oldest friend Daiche Nakamura. Several years ago, when her father was fishing in the Seto river, he was nearly killed when he had fallen in. His friend had jumped into the icy waters, almost killing himself while trying to save him. Had it not been for Daiche Nakamura who had saved him, her father would have certainly been dead. In gratitude, her father had promised to marry her to Mr Nakamura.

Undoubtedly, this was a promise made with little thought and in haste, but because Mr Nakamura had saved her father’s life, no argument was encouraged. The only person who had expressed disapproval was Kiyoshi’s mother. According to her, although she was very grateful that her husband’s life had been saved, she could not come to terms with the fact that her older daughter had been sacrificed.

Even as she was growing up, Kiyoshi was aware that by the time she was 18, she would be married to Mr Nakamura, who was around her father’s age. Until three years ago, she had no qualms. But now that she was grown up and was seeing the world, she felt a tinge of sorrow and anger. All her friends were moving into big cities and starting to live exciting lives. Helpless as she was, all that she could do was watch them and feel bad that she may not have a chance at such a life.

Soon as she turned 18, she had been engaged to be married to Mr Nakamura. It was a grand ceremony better known as yunio in Japanese and some of her friends had attended. As was the tradition, they had exchanged the symbolic gifts of konbu (its character can be written to mean a child‐bearing woman), dried cuttlefish (due to its phallic shape), a long linen thread (symbolizing old age) and a folded fan (symbol of wealth) wrapped in rice paper.

She could hear the whispers and understood the pity in their eyes, and she felt a little awkward. But there was so much music and sake (alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice) that most of it faded by the end of the night.

Since the engagement seven months ago, she had met Mr Nakamura officially thrice. He had courted her in the gardens of the Nakamura residence, while her mother talked to his okaasan (mother in Japanese) and waited. The Nakamura family had a well‐known heritage and a respectable standing in society, being one of the oldest medical practitioners of the town of Kitsuki.

Secretly Kiyoshi did not mind Mr Nakamura courting her. He showered her with expensive gifts and talked to her very gently. He had a respectful demeanor, which was much better than the young boys of her age. With her friends, she pretended that she was just being an honorable and obedient daughter, but in her heart she knew that her marriage would be a good one.

According to Japanese law, they were already married, but like most conservative families, could be together only after the ceremony. The legal marriage had been a no fuss affair at the local government registrar’s office, with only Mr Nakamura, and both their mothers present.

The shrine where the ceremony was being held as per Shinto (Indigenous spirituality of Japan) customs was only 10 minutes from where she lived and Kiyoshi had figured that she would need at least two hours to get ready. Her mother would wake up exactly at 5 AM, which was anytime now. She yawned and stretched and putting down the soft cloth, tied her hair in a knot, wishing that she had slept better. Her own apprehensions and her younger sister Miyabi’s excitement had made her restless all night.

“Oh dear Lord,” she sighed, getting up to do her toilet and be ready for the occasion.

The Matsumoto family procession commenced at 9 AM. They were delayed but it was okay because the bridegroom’s family would enter only when all of the bride’s family was seated inside the shrine.

She walked with her mother and Miyabi by her side. Her mother looked elegant in a light blue dress with white pump shoes and a matching purse. Mother was handling everything very well, but Kiyoshi noticed the slight twitching of her eyebrows now and then. It meant that mother was anxious.

Kiyoshi wore a white silk kimono that was heavily brocaded and embroidered with the motif of a bounty of flowers and flowing water. On her head, she had the traditional silk tsunokakushi (a rectangular piece of cloth, often white and worn by brides), on which there were laced flower designs.

Her sister Miyabi was wearing a peach colored dress, which brought out the color of her cheeks and her youthfulness. She was constantly by Kiyoshi’s side making sure to properly arrange the layers of cloth on Kiyoshi’s kimono as she walked.

The men and the rest of the family comprising her relatives and friends followed slowly. Because it was a short walk to the shrine, the procession was completed on foot. It was a beautiful and sunny day. There was joy and cheer, laughter and noise, and songs and dance. Children danced around while the older people talked louder and louder.

Kiyoshi looked down the tarred road, between the ancient yellow walls of Kitsuki, and noticed how the trees threw patterns on the ground that were very similar to her attire. It was as if the trees were giving her company on her special day. She smiled as she listened to her cousins sing old wedding songs, mostly teasing her about tonight.

As they advanced, her short life zoomed before her eyes. She walked in silence, remembering moments from the days gone by, some joyous, some annoying but all of them special and hers.

With each step forward, the world around her seemed to become quieter, as if giving her time to think and to reflect. Deep in thought and her eyes staring down at her shoes, she walked with her head down. She would miss her family and the carefree life that she had all these years. It made her very emotional.

During the bridal procession, passersby stopped and showered greetings and blessings on her. Some even clapped. There was song and dance and everything was loud and merry. When the shrine was only a few meters, it started to drizzle. People started scurrying about, exclaiming aloud. Everyone began to quicken their pace in order to avoid a sudden downpour. Like a delicate butterfly, Kiyoshi picked up her dress very slightly, and ran as quickly and cautiously as she could, with Miyabi close on her heels.

Soon they reached the shrine. Shiny and decorative footwear left wet marks on the red floor as people entered the covered portion of the shrine to take shelter from the rain. Seeing this, two monks shook their heads disapprovingly and gestured to the crowd with their hands to move quickly toward the right corridor and into the inner sanctum.

Kiyoshi took a deep breath as the incense from inside found its way to her lungs. She smiled as she entered the large prayer hall and waved to her friends as she walked bravely between two sections of people who were already seated. Miyabi had to nudge her several times to stop waving so much, and walk slowly like a bride. As she sat and waited facing the altar, she stole a glance at Lord Buddha and wished that He could stop her heart from beating so fast.

She had gone through the whole ceremony a hundred times in her mind, but she was very angry that she was still having sensations that she was not prepared for. The prayer hall was slowly filling up. Families and friends gathered and greeted each other in whispers, nods and full smiles. Kiyoshi looked ahead at the altar respectfully and called out to the Lord silently, seeking courage.

“Where is mother?” asked Kiyoshi, her voice on an edge.
“I don’t know, I thought she was walking behind us,” whispered Miyabi.

Kiyoshi held the front of her Obi (a broad sash worn around the waist of the kimono) with the palm of her hand, as a bilious feeling built up inside her chest.

Buy this collection on Amazon.  Be sure to check out the author's Facebook.

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RT @NBCLatino: 'Queen of Tejano' Selena is honored at Madame Tussauds New York. Read more: @SelenaLaLeyenda @nycwa…

Anne Hathaway will be Judy Garland in ‘Get Happy’

03.24.2009 | By |

Anne Hathaway will be Judy Garland in 'Get Happy'

Anne Hathaway will go over the rainbow for the Weinstein Co.

The New York minimajor confirmed Monday that it has attached the “Rachel Getting Married” star to its Judy Garland biopic “Get Happy.”

The project, which has not yet signed a writer or director, will be based on Gerald Clarke’s biography of the same name, which TWC recently optioned. Clarke draws on numerous real-life sources to tell the life story of Garland, who began singing and acting as a toddler and continued doing so all the way through her premature death at the age of 47.

Garland led a life filled with talent but also tumult, starring and singing in a host of studio musicals and other pictures, as well as giving iconic performances on stages in New York and London. She also struggled with addiction and endured a series of relationship dramas.

Hathaway also began her career at a young age, starring in the tween franchise “The Princess Diaries.” In the past few years she has graduated to more adult roles, playing a former addict in “Rachel Getting Married,” which earned her a best actress Oscar nom.

While she has little musical experience on the screen, Hathaway caught viewers’ attention with a musical number she and host Hugh Jackman performed at the 2009 Academy Awards, though the pic’s producers will have to resolve the question of height: Garland was barely 5′, while Hathaway stands about 5′ 8″.

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road block to buying a home

Roadblocks to the American Dream

shannonjones Featured Articles , Real Estate Leave a Comment

What’s Stopping Home Buyers?

A Look at the Most Common Challenges Home Buyers Face & How to Overcome Them

It’s no secret that we’re in a “Seller’s Market” right now in Southern California, meaning that the inventory of homes for sale doesn’t meet the current demand. As a result, some home buyers are finding this a difficult time to buy a home. Interest rates are low, which makes this a very desirable time to purchase property, yet sometimes there are road blocks to success.

The California Association of Realtors recently surveyed prospective home buyers and found that the most common obstacles potential homeowners are facing are:

  • Saving for a down payment
  • Lack of inventory
  • Access to credit and financing
  • Personal debt

There were some differences across race and ethnicity.

Home buyer roadblocks

It is possible to overcome these challenges, but it can take persistence, planning, patience, and professional guidance.

Down Payment

Some home buyers believe that you need 20% down in order to purchase a home, but there are many other loan options that allow one to take advantage of today’s interest rates with a much smaller initial investment. FHA loans are available with as little as 3.5% down and for veterans, VA loans may be an option with no money down. Some cities offer down payment assistance programs and buyer may have the option of tapping into 401K or other retirement accounts for a home purchase.

Lack of Inventory

Inventory in many neighborhoods is still critically low, but in some areas it has started picking up. If you’re working with an experienced, local Realtor who has connections with other local Realtors, you may be able to find out about new listings before they hit the market. They will also be in a position to help you determine whether slightly changing your criteria or considering other similiar neighborhoods would increase your choices.

Access to Credit and Financing

Some potential home buyers think that you must have perfect credit in order to buy a home. That’s not necessarily true. FHA loans, for example, have more flexible credit guidelines that allow buyers to get into a home without perfect credit. If you’re considering buying a home within the next year, now is the time to have a lender run your credit and help you assess your overall financial picture to determine what you can do in order to best qualify for a mortgage when you’re ready to move forward. Getting a mortgage may be easier than you think.

Personal Debt

Whether it’s student loans, credit cards, or car loans, debt can feel overwhelming and home buyers sometimes feel that they want to pay everything off before buying a home. Yet sometimes paying off one line rather than all credit lines, or paying one or more debts down substantially can be enough to ease the burden and allow you to comfortably qualify for a home purchase. Talking to a lender who can help you assess your overall financial picture is a good first step to determine how best to move toward the goal of buying a home.

If you’re considering buying a home, give us a call at 562.896.2456 and we’d be happy to walk you through the process and help you find your dream home.

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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Afraid to Spend?

I have a strange problem. In 2007, I was given a $25 gift certificate to FYE, an online/brick-and-mortar entertainment media store that's membership based but also open to the public (without the membership discount). I haven't spent the $25 since I don't know what to buy.

I'm not particularly interested in any music album right now. None of the artists really grab my attention. (The decision would be so much easier if I was a tweenager swooning over Joe Jonas. *Sigh*) I also hate buying an entire album since more often than not, I'll only like 30% of the songs and the rest I'll be indifferent. I prefer buying my music one song at a time on iTunes. It may not be cost effective, but atleast I'm limiting my purchase to music I actually like.

And movie DVDs? Hmmm... I can't think of any movies I'd really like to own. I recall reading how this one guy used to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars buying DVDs. I wonder how often this guy watched the purchased DVDs? I bet not often.

I think the real problem here is not that I have nothing to buy. After all, most DVDs are priced under $25. I think the real problem is that I'm afraid to spend the $25; I'm afraid that I'm not going to maximize the utility and enjoyment out of this $25. If the gift was $25 in cash, I wouldn't be having this pointless internal debate - I'd put it in my savings account, put it in my Roth or buy Treasury Bonds with it.

I just can't believe I'm spending so much time over something so trivial. More worrisome is that perhaps I have become so miserly that I can't enjoy spending "found money" on something uselessly entertaining. That's a bad sign.

I'm just going to suck it up and spend it once and for all. For the past few weeks, I've been slowly watching a short-lived dramedy from 2004 called Wonderfalls on YouTube. It's a quirky and cute story based in Niagara Falls about a slacker Gen Y gal who is over-educated, under-employed and has a juvenile fear of personal relationships. Her life takes a positive, yet wacky, turn when inanimate objects with animal faces start talking to her and giving her vague orders to do things. (Oh. And the character's love interest is really cute. I can see that I'm already going down the path of cougardom.)

I'm feeling a bit guilty for watching something that may or may not be authorized. I'll atone by buying the DVD of the series' one and only season. And lucky me - it's right within my price range.

MrsSmith said...

Do you ever work out at home? Because you could definitely get your money's worth in a workout DVD if you do. Maybe use it to try something new that you don't want to do in front of other people?

Or a holiday movie? Those definitely get watched more than once!

I'm not knocking your choice- just giving some other suggestions.

Matt said...

Using the certificate now would be a good idea, from what I understand FYE is closing stores at a pretty rapid clip. The one near me was shut down a couple months ago.

Ms. MoneyChat said...

i say go out and spend that money, all of it, and have a blast doing so!

Frudoc said...

I resolved the gift card issue by giving cash. When I get a gift card to a place I don't frequent (rare) I use it to buy gifts for other people. For ex, if you really didn't have anything to buy at FYE, you could have used the $25 for the gift your your assistant rather than shelling out cash for those snacks.

jpkittie said...

oh no!!! That is no good when you cannot enjoy spending it!!!! My problem would have been spending too much & having to add to it! haha

Shtinkykat said...

@ MrsSmith: The exercise DVD will definitely never see the inside of a DVD player with me, ha ha. But the holiday movie suggestion is great. Dang it. I wish I waited for suggestions before I purchased!

@ Matt: I figured FYE wouldn't stay in business much longer. Thanks for the 411.

@ Ms. MoneyChat: Thanks, I did!

@ Frudoc: Will you be my friend??

@ jpkittie: That is always a danger with gift cards. But I always try to reign it in though. Sometimes I'm successful, other times not. :-P


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Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Double Days

Just because you think about it doesn't mean you get it. The inherent flaw in positive thinking was highlighted this weekend as I came home both days without landing in the right break.

Tour de Dung 1: On Saturday, Elizabeth and I headed out to Sequim. Elizabeth took the roles of Buckley's substitute aunt, team photographer, and corner seven motivator.

All of the heavy hitters showed up including McKissick and Hegyvary. I rolled up with Olivier, Lyle, Aaron, and Kauper. As a second year team, I was excited to field five guys in the Pro/1/2 field. Progress. I was ready to a fault - despite 72 miles to look forward to, I was on the trainer warming up 70 minutes before the start of the race.

After an early break in last week's Mason Lake, the pack was conscious in not letting anything get away and marking Hegyvary and McKissick from the beginning. I was up front for the first lap covering any big moves that had potential to get away. With so many strong riders in the field it seemed like anything could go. Luck favors the prepared but not the overzealous. After a lap of this I needed a breather, drifted back, and Kauper rotated to the front and fortunately landed in the winning break.

It must have been hell up there as Kauper wasn't able to keep up with the pace and found himself back in the peloton. Elizabeth caught his expression rounding corner seven and it clearly wasn't his day. I had that same fate last weekend.

When I saw Kauper drifting back to the peloton I went off the front hoping others would come with me. They didn't. So it was nothing more than that solo flyer where you question the very move you just made. Futile.
For the remainder of the race, teams unrepresented in the break continued to rotate to the front and by the finish the break was down to a couple hundred meters. They measured their effort perfectly.

Mason Lake 2: I am beginning to notice a pattern. Riders are attacking from the gun this year and in this case during the rollout so the pack was neutralized after a spirited jump by HB. It is, after all, the Mason Lake World Championships.

In the pack Olivier, Aaron, Lyle, and I represented on a course with conditions similar to Sequim. Mild rollers, wind, and a 12 mile loop six times over.

My legs felt spirited despite suffering from cramps the day before. I took to the front and covered every attack during the first lap or two. As I drifted back Olivier rolled up and made it into the eventual winning break with two HBs, Wes of Lenovo, Nate of First Rate, and Richter of HSP - at least those are made it to the line. Olivier would make it to the line and take sixth in his second P/1/2 race ever. Excellent work.

In the pack Cucina brought six guys to the front to rotate and attempt to bring back the break. Garage, especially Hitchcock, also put in big dips but the gap remained at one minute for the remainder of the race. It was nice just sitting in. Plenty of time for food, water, and massage.

With a half lap to go Hone of Lenovo and Lang of HB attacked and gapped the field. I wanted to go with them but I also wanted to save something for the sprint and thought they would be a carrot for the rest of the pack. They stayed away.

At the final turn the world turned against me and I had a flat tire that put me on the rim if I turned on the gas. I coasted in behind Aaron and Lyle in the pack.

Next week: repeat with a different result.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Murphy's Law

Epigrams annoy me.

After a hard two days of racing last weekend, I almost took the elevator up the two floors to get to my office. To put this into perspective, this elevator is clearly reserved for the smokers who labor over the filter of their cigarette as opposed to the effort it takes to make it to their destination. They annoy me but I probably annoy them too. What point am I trying to make here? That I need to be on my knees to get in order to get on that damn elevator. I almost got there on Monday.

Monday and Tuesday this week my coach prescribed rest days. A rest day is exactly that - not doing a damn thing except complain about how sore you are from the previous workload. Sometimes if I feel rested I will go for an easy spin on the rollers or hit up yoga class at The Ashram.

My training for the week consisted of two short stints on the inside ride rollers. On Wednesday I did 2 x 20s at sweetspot/low threshold, Thursday was lost to happenstance, and this morning I did a ramp up ride in preparation for two long hard race days this weekend.

Yes. Only two hours of training for the week and this is where the epigram, Anything That Can Go Wrong Will Go Wrong, comes into play. The tornado that ensued at the office this week brought with it a lot of mental stress. Stress, regardless of its form, needs to be aggregated and taken into play when training. With time against me, I need to pay attention to the quality of my recovery just as I do with the quality of my training.

Tomorrow is Tour de Dung out in Sequim. I go in a little rusty but hope to still put a nail in the coffin with an podium finish. We sure as hell deserve it.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Two Pounds Per Inch

It is believed that true climbers weigh two pounds for every inch in height. Not me. That is why I eat my fiancee's lasagna.

Serving 1 of 2

Yes, I am lighter than last year. Yes, I am still looking to shed another eight pounds. But not at the expense of letting good food spoil.

Unfortunately lots of quality food doesn't always bring with it enough nutrients. Anemia has been an issue for me this year so I have upped my intake of red meats and other iron rich foods. I also finally found an iron supplement (thanks Justin) that doesn't bring frustration to the bathroom - Floradix. He also recommended blackstrap molasses - an acquired taste for sure.

It has been nearly a month since I started taking this supplement and plan on retesting my iron levels at the end of March.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

The twenty ten road race season began today at Mason Lake.  Some call it the world championships and others call it little more than a training ride. For me, this was vindication. After a tough 2009 season where I had my ass handed to me in the pro/1/2 field I wanted to reset the expectation for myself with a solid placing today.

The course is 72 miles aggregated by six 12 mile loops on good pavement and chip seal. On the backside there is a nasty headwind where breaks will typical set up.  The remainder of the course rolls and winds through tall timber allowing for even a 30 second gap to disappear.

Typically the weather at Mason consists of cold pissing rain and with a new system moving in overnight we expected a repeat today. Fortunately, the rains held off until after our race and temperatures stayed around 50 degrees for most of the afternoon.

At 1pm we started our neutral rollout up until we took a right turn and began to ease into the throttle. I was near the back of the pack and wanted to work my way up so I didn't get caught with my shorts down on the opening move. Moving up after only a few miles into the race some would consider premature since we still had seventy miles to go. But if there is one thing I have learned in bike racing it is this: expect the unexpected.

At mile five of seventy two I was full throttle and driving a break alongside Fleischhauer and Richter of HSP, and Hitchcock of Garage.  Soon we were joined by McKissick of Lenovo and Stangeland of Keller Rohrback. We had a large gap that increased to two minutes after one lap. We were flying and I was wondering when this onslaught was going to ease up. I was on the rivet. After two laps I was asking myself the same question. By the third lap we had a three minute lead on the pack and it appeared that we were going to stay away. My legs were beginning to sieze up and I increased the cadence to lessen the load but it was two laps too late - I was fried and any attacks out of this group would likely put my tail between my legs.

Suffering in the break.
It was only after the fourth lap that we eased up on the pace, which in hindsight is where we went wrong. On the backstretch McKissick attacked the break while I was on the back and a gap formed putting me back into the wind and I couldn't find a wheel. So I transitioned from the winning break to a dark desolate place. Stuck between the break and the pack it has the feel of Siberia without the threat of polar bears. It only took the pack a half lap to catch me and I was ashen, beaten, and silent.

I finished in the pack today after 50+ miles in what would be the winning albeit fractured break (Ian soloed in for the win after dropping Stangeland and Richter took third). While I didn't podium today I did learn a couple things today that were well worth the effort:
  1. Luck favors the prepared.
  2. I can finally swing the axe.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Round Two: Icebreaker Time Trial

Sunday was third place. Today I was going for the win.

Over the last week, I spent eighty percent of my bike time on the P3 to get more comfortable in the position and to hopefully bring my wattage within five percent of what I can throw down on the SL2. The aero component will only change once my improvement in wattage begins to stall. It looks like I am nearly there.

No prerace ritual passes without a little self induced stress. And there is no stress like running late. In business, I am always on time. In play, I am always on the rivet. My warmup was short today and I was a little concerned with how heavy my legs felt, especially compared to yesterday. Had it been a road race I would have written it off and assumed my legs would come around later on in the day. Since today's race was only ten miles, I decided to suffer.

The course was flat and meandering with no technical sections except for a couple uneven vehicles and a cone at the turnaround at least one or two riders overcooked today. Kyle wasn't my thirty second man this week and I again opted to leave power, speed, and heart rate in the car. I didn't need any limiters to look at today. I only needed to pick off one rider after another to keep me motivated enough to tell my body what to do.

Last year I ran this course in 22:31. Today I came across the line in 21:08. Good enough for second place and another HUGE mental victory.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Season Opener

On Sunday I headed out to Snohomish to swing the axe at the Frostbite Time Trial. It was the ideal course for the big guy - pancake flat and only 9 miles out and back. El Nino prevailed with only a light headwind  and an even tempered tailwind on the homestretch. Perfect conditions.

After a good warm up on the trainer I took to the head and then to the road where I met up with Kyle, my 30 second man. It was a short conversation but long enough for him to tell me my mantra - SHUT UP LEGS. Simple, almost neanderthal, and just my style.

Earlier this year I went to Overlake to get my bloodwork done and one theme resonated out of the results - I am clearly not a doper. Hemat, test, and iron levels were all low. What was promising was that I was still pushing big watts despite these results. Spinning my head even more was later in February when I performed a lactate threshold and VO2 test and discovered that I am not Miguel Indurain's kid brother. Imagine that.

When I lined up for the start of the race I knew the top end of the field was stacked with Ian, Sam, Lang, Adrian, and Kyle. I reminded myself of the work I did this winter and that I deserved to win as much as anybody else. My goal was to go as hard as hell and when I couldn't go any harder, tell my legs to shut up and keep pushing forward.

I had no power, heart rate, or speed to look at and hold me back. I just went for it. I came across the line in 18:46 and in 3rd place - a podium placing and huge mental victory.

Twenty Ten

This year is different.

I begin this season stronger and lighter than where I ended in 2009. Work keeps me from training long hours, but the miles I do put in are now quality. I have suffered in my basement since November and now it is time to take it to the road. Last year I went into the season as a Cat 2 just begging to hold on. This year I start the season expecting to win. And why shouldn't I? I have been busting my ass just as much as the next guy.


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Let Me Tell You About A Porcupines Balls

Friday, December 16, 2011

Public Transit: Paddywagon O' Crazy

Reminded by a friend recently moving to a new city, and having to rely on public transit to shuffle him to and from his job, I flashed back to just a few years ago when I, too, relied on the moving petri dish that is public transit. Akin to Vietnam, it brought back horrible, awful, smelly memories.

I'm sure many of you haven't ridden on a major-metropolitan transportation system before, but despite the many glaring downfalls and drawbacks to the system, it's really not as bad as you think it would be. Sure it took me two hours to traverse the same distance I could cover in a car in 20 minutes, but where's the fun in that?

Public transportation isn't JUST about a cheap and painfully slow means to get anywhere you want to go, but really it's about the sights, smells and sounds you take in while en route to your destination. There's a venerable cornucopia of freaks, degenerates, foreigners, losers, social outcasts, disease infested carrier monkeys, people with only few functioning body parts, people with MORE functioning body parts than the rest of us, gang-bangers (in both the guns, and herpes varieties), prostitutes, drunks, crazies and should-be-shots, that all call the bus their ride.

Granted, I've never used public transportation in any other city, but I imagine that southern California's city bus experience is second to only places such as New York or Paris. Although many of you perhaps have not ridden on a city bus before, I'm sure the normal rules of the bus aren't foreign to anybody. There's three simple, and easy to follow rules that are posted on all buses and trolleys, probably in every city in the world:

What many don't realize however, is that these three are not the only rules that govern public transit etiquette.

These three were just widdled down from a much larger list of do's and do not's for riding successfully and correctly. Through many months of careful observation, and a few leaked internal memo's, I've been able to track down the full list of rules.

If you're too old and crippled to live without assistance, and you are barely (just barely) mobile...then the bus and all it's boarding procedures are right for you. Yes, there are approximately three steps required to getting on and off the bus, but you shouldn't be able to do any of them without everyone helping you. Ideally it should take you between 2-3 minutes, compared to everyone else's 10 seconds, to get on the bus and move 4 feet to the seats meant for old people. In a perfect world, you'd be so crippled that any steps at all are beyond your scope of operations, so that the bus has to deploy its little ramp/lift thing to hoist you up 16 inches, all so you can go to the Ralph's three blocks away, get some diapers, and do the whole process over again on the return journey.
You must be this fat *hand estimation of ginormous* in order to get the full effect out of riding the bus. If the heavy duty air suspension of the bus has to give way, leading to it listing to one side as you board, that'd be great. And please have an ass so fat that you can't fit down the aisle between seats on your marathon to the back of the bus. Don't let this discourage you from attempting to and brushing everyone's shoulder with your ass-lard on the way, however. You couldn't get out of your house without a special door being installed, but don't give a second thought about trying to squeeze into the bus.
Under no circumstances is any one to use the rear doors of the bus. There are two sets of doors on the bus, so that entering and exiting can take place at the same time; but it's far better if everyone uses the front doors concurrently, resulting in a time wasting clusterfuck for all parties involved. Even if you're near the rear, take the extra time to walk to the front so that the people waiting to get on have to wait just that much longer. Any amount of time wasting is appreciated.
While some people may prefer to sit with the person they wish to communicate on the bus with, it's preferred that you sit so far apart that it would warrant using two cups on a string to communicate. Just go ahead and shout your poorly-constructed, and idiotic conversation through as many people as required to speak to your friend who chose to sit six seats away. Silence may be golden everywhere else, but you should try your best to fill the bus with your important conversation about purchasing stamps. Or that old chestnut "Shandra had her baby this weekend and it was totally cute, and as soon as she determines who the father is, she'll be able to afford a crib".
You know what the best place to practice your dope-fresh rhymes is? The city bus. Your crazy, silly, whack-ass, bomb, sick, shit-dope, retarded rhymes, that 're are totally off the chain are great, and everyone knows it. What better place to free-style rap about your hard-knock, white, suburban, teenage, middle-class life than within earshot of 20 other mostly silent riders on a city bus. Nod your head to the invisible and silent beats as you come up with asinine after asinine limerick, about your life; which I'm sure is worthy of many MTV documentaries about. Sure the buses may not have a radio for our listening enjoyment, but surely you can do us all a favor and fill the silence with the majesty of your songs.
While shirts and shoes may be required for service in any normal establishment, they merely hinder normal bus operations. Ideal candidates for bus/trolley travel will have the top half of a shirt on (so that it looks like some shitty version of a midriff shirt, if they were made by wolverines), three or four pairs of layered pants on, all of which are sagging and being generally worn improperly, and shoes made out of trash bags. The purpose of this glorious wardrobe decision is so that their bloated, distended, sun burnt belly can hang out freely and become both a source of disgust and puzzlement for all passengers on board.
Sanitation is a good practice for most people. By most people I mean those that don't ride the bus. It's your civic duty as a public transportation passenger to reek of as many disgusting and confusing odors as possible. If I can properly identify what the fuck you smell like or I'm not breathing through my mouth as a last defense, then your job isn't quite done. Piss yourself, have others piss on you, roll in some chemicals, and bake in the sun for a few hours then get back to us.
Let's say for argument sake that you as a full-grown adult, for one reason or another, shit your pants. Great start to a story, I know, but let's continue with it. Your pants are full of loaf; what do you do now? Find the nearest restroom and attempt to salvage your pants? Quickly hide, and find a way home that involves the least amount of being seen? Kill yourself? The correct answer is, of course, get on the city bus and continue on your busy, shit-filled day. When you sit down, be sure to lean to one side at a steep angle so as to not sit directly on your own feces. But don't worry, no one will have to guess what you're doing as the smell of shit will be quite strong. Once you reach your destination, simply get up, and walk your stained pants out the front door, dragging as much smell with you as possible. Then just wander around aimlessly on the streets paying no mind to the nutty situation brewing down south.
  1. Be a grown-ass adult
  2. Get on the bus
  3. Get to seat
  4. Calmly sit down
  5. Begin weeping uncontrollably and loudly
  6. Make it so loud and powerful that people move away from you
  7. Mission accomplished
Drinking when under 21 is generally frowned upon by most responsible adults. Drinking when under 13, however, is always a good idea as far as the bus is concerned. Don't let 'the man' tell you what you can and cannot do. You're 13 now goddamit and you make your own choices! That's why you drink the only beer manly enough for a 13 year old: Natural Ice. And you drink it at the back of the bus in plain site of all people. From the six-pack you carry around in your backpack. Which you probably bought from bullying milk money out of other 13 year-olds. No beer tastes as sweet as ill-begotten bus beer.
Fare: Check.

Idea of where you're going: Check.

Shame: Check that shit at the door.

One thing you may never bring with you on any public transportation medium is your sense of shame. For if one brought their shame with them, they might have reservations about dry humping their woman in the back row of the bus, while she's trying to restrain her child from climbing out the window. There's nothing wrong with public displays of erections.
Not only can you get to your destination economically, but only on the city busses can you also get delicious chlamydia at the same time. It may be cold or hot outside, so the best and most comfortable environment for hookers to conduct business is, of course, on the bus. All the potential John's come right to you, and are trapped for long periods of time where you can entice them with a combination of dirty talk and that "cold sore" on your upper lip. Is that a shit or cum stain on my bus seat? Yes! Mixed together!

"Hey baby. You want to watch me put this umbrella in my ass? Only $10."
No one can understand your troubles and the issues affecting your life better than you. So who better to have a loud and borderline-violent conversation with about said issues than yourself? Fucking whore? I agree! My medication costs too fucking much? That's correct! Charlies in the trees? True that!
Buses are tricky and sneaky urban beasts, and as such they can easily sneak right up on you. With this is mind, it's totally acceptable to wait until you're on board the bus to dig out and rifle through all your money to find your fare. Once you've dug out your money, feel free to argue with the bus driver over the fare you actually have to pay to get to where you need to go. It's a little known fact that each bus driver makes up the fare for their own bus, so there's plenty of room to haggle with them. When you agree upon a price, simply take the required bills and slowly and carefully force them into the bill receptacle, so that they bunch all up are aren't accepted. When the machine beeps and attempts to reject your bills...and it totally will if you fuck them up like you're supposed to...simply keep pushing them into until the bus driver has to do it for you.
If you know where you want to go, but aren't sure how to get there, feel free to just hop on any bus. Once in motion simply ask the bus driver about all the other routes, and what it is you should do to get to where you want to go. It's best to not have the foresight to research what buses will take you where. Who has the time for all that noise, when you could just look like a a dipshit who doesn't realize there's 75 bus routes and maybe they don't all go to the Yarn Barn you want to get to. But in the grand scheme of things, this foresight is unnecessary as it's common knowledge that bus routes aren't rigid structures, and are instead open to your input and needs. Where you need to go is only three blocks off the normal route, so the bus driver will be happy to adjust his and everyone else's needs so that you might get to where you're going with the least amount of walking.
All children ride the buses for free, so go ahead and crank them shits out! 2, 3, 6, 15 kids, the more the better! And whatever you do, don't sit with or have any control over your spawns. It's best that they freely roam around the bus under their own guidance, and take up as many seats as possible by laying in them and climbing on them. With as cheap as it is to load all the screaming, misbehaving kids up into a city bus, there's simply no reason to not have 15 of the fuckers. If you can get 50% of them crying and/or pulling the cord to stop the bus, you can also ride for free! Everybody wins!
You see those people on the bus that look pregnant? Don't be fooled...they're not. Whatever is brewing inside of them that allows them to maintain the physique of a woman harboring an eight pound larva inside, is strictly a lifestyle choice they've made. Is she an alien incubator? Is it a giant tangled web o' tape worm colony? Perhaps storing things in her snatch is cheaper than a purse? No one can say for sure, and we'd all be truly horrified if we actually found out. But no matter what's causing her physical distortion, the point is, don't feed her. Whether it's worms or tiny Mexicans being smuggled across the border, feeding her will only exacerbate the problem.

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Maryland Crab Cakes with Quick Tartar Sauce

Please support us by clicking here, and we will give you a free subscription to our Country Living magazine, thank you!!!

There are just some recipes that bring us back to our childhood, recipes that our mothers and grandmothers made for family dinners. This "Maryland Crab Cakes with Quick Tartar Sauce," recipe is the perfect dinner time meal that garners being passed on from generation to generation.

When you live in Maryland, eating crabs is a summer time favorite pastime, with picnic tables covered in brown paper, silver buckets, buttered corn, french fries, cornbread, and the smell of seafood. This Maryland crab cakes with quick tartar sauce recipe is the meal to make for summertime picnics and get togethers. Crab cakes are an easy to prepare recipe that the kids will probably enjoy. The most important thing when you are making this Maryland crab cakes recipe is to use fresh, good quality lump crab meat. The creator of the recipe got hers at Whole Foods, it can be expensive, but one pound is enough to make six good sized crab cakes, which can feed a family of four. Some cities also have good quality fish markets that you might try and visit.

This recipe site is created by Jenn Segal, who used to be a chef but left the restaurant business in 2003 when her oldest child was born. Now she enjoys cooking for her family and sharing all her tested and perfected recipes on the site. The recipes reflect her life as a mom, and the meals she serves her family. On the site you will find tested and perfected recipes that work for you the first time you try them, with step by step photos.

Some sample menu plans you will find on this site include: Memorial Day Cookout, a menu that has juicy steakhouse burgers recipe, fresh corn salad with scallions and basil recipe, homemade caesar salad dressing recipe, and semi homemade ice cream sandwiches recipe; Easter Brunch menu, with savory sausage and cheddar bread pudding recipe, strawberry and orange salad with citrus syrup and fresh mint recipe, Grand Mimosas recipe and chocolate banana bread recipe; St. Patricks Day Feast menu, with Guinness lamb stew with vegetable recipe, cheddar soda bread recipe, and Irish Cream Tiramisu recipe; Valentine's Day Dinner menu, with beef stew with carrots and potatoes recipe, roasted beet salad with goat cheese, walnuts and honey Dijon vinaigrette recipe and molten chocolate cakes recipe; Soup for Dinner menu, with pasta e fagioli recipe, arugula salad with shaved parmesan recipe, lemon and olive oil recipe, rosemary focaccia recipe, and double chocolate biscotti recipe; Make ahead holiday dinner menu, with onion braised beef brisket recipe, cauliflower puree with thyme recipe, French green beans with shallots recipe, and baked pears in spiced pomegranate syrup recipe; Curry in a hurry menu, with chicken curry recipe, curried roasted carrots recipe and perfect basmati rice recipe.

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Creamy Chicken Bake

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Euonymus Europaeus    60-90cm

Euonymus Europaeus 60-90cm

Spindle - Fast growing native shrub. Red flowers with orange centres. Excellent for chalky soils.

Condition: New
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Available from November to early April

Euonymus Europaeus (Spindle) is a fast growing native shrub with green stems. Small red flowers with orange centres and rich autumn leaf colour. Excellent for chalky positions. Mainly used in mixed hedges.

Suggested Planting Distances

Plant a single row, 4 plants to the metre.

For a thicker hedge, plant a staggered double row, 6 plants to the metre.

Please note all orders are subject to availability of plants at time of order.

UK Mainland Addresses £6.99 Standard Delivery

Other Delivery Areas of UK £15.99 Standard Delivery

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Hello, my shadow-self.
— Silas to Stefan in Graduation

The relationship between the doppelgänger andvampire Stefan Salvatore and the immortal Silas.

Also know as 'Stilas' by fans.

Early History

Not much is known about them other than Stefan is Silas' doppelgänger.

The Vampire Diaries

Season Four

For awhile in Season 4 Stefan was willing to work with the others, such as Rebekah, to find Silas and to get The Cure.

In Bring It On, Stefan calls Damon telling him that a lot of the blood bags from the hospital were missing and stated that he believes that Silas followed them back to Mystic Falls.

In Pictures of You, Silas impersonates as Stefan to bother Damon. Stefan later tells Damon that he mistaken Silas for him and got stabbed in the gut.

In The Walking Dead, when Silas found out Bonnie's plans he appeared as a few illusions, one of them being Stefan, to let her know that he is stronger then her.

In Graduation (Episode), Stefan looks into Silas's safe when he was going to dumped it into the lake and was shocked to see that Silas's body wasn't in there. While Stefan was wondering where Silas could be, Silas appears behind him (as an illusion ofElena). Silas tells Stefan that he was no longer stone and broke out of the safe because the witch who cast the spell, Bonnie, died. Silas also tells Stefan that he created the immortality spell over 2,000 years ago which caused him to never die so nature needed to create something that can. Silas revealed his true form to Stefan as his doppelgänger. This terribly shocked and disturbed Stefan. Silas immediately stabs Stefan in the gut, asks him what it is like to be locked up for over 2,000 years, locks him in the safe, then throws Stefan off the cliff into the lake.

Season Five

Season Four

Elena/Silas: Don't bother. I'm not there.
Stefan: Silas. You were stone. They saw you. The spell worked.
Silas/Elena: That's the funny thing about spells. They're bound by nature. Nature demands balance, so every spell has a loophole. The spell that turned me to stone, it was bound by a witch, a living witch. So when that witch died, the spell broke.
StefanBonnie? Bonnie's not dead.
Elena/Silas: It doesn't matter, does it? And here's where the mystery comes full circle. I created theimmortality spell two thousand years ago. I can never die. So nature needed to find balance - a version of me that could die - a shadow-self, a doppelgänger.
Stefan: So, this is finally your real face. You're another one of them?
Elena/Silas: Not exactly.
(Shows Stefan his true form. A face identical to Stefan's)
Silas: Hello, my shadow-self.
(Silas walks towards Stefan and stakes him)
Silas: Do you have any idea what it's like to starve for two thousand years?
(Silas locks Stefan inside a safe and pushes it into the quarry)
-- Graduation

Season Five

Damon: (To Silas) "Where's Stefan?"
Silas: "He's suffering. Like I suffered."

  • Ironically, Stefan is enemies with Silas, alot like Elena and Katherine.
  • It is unknown if Silas had other doppelgängers before Stefan.
  • It is unknown, but if Silas is a warlock before being immortal it is possible that Stefan could have became a warlock if he never became a vampire.
  • It's possible that Silas and Stefan are connected as Silas has been starving for two thousand years which could be why Stefan is crazy for blood.

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21 Mar 2010

I often visit Wikileaks not because I'm a journalist or dissident, or that I hold enough vital information to bring down a state (I'm working on it), but mainly because when I find out that something is meant to be secret, I automatically want to know what that secret is. More of a reflex than anything noble.

Great then, when I saw the little-reported news story that US Intelligence were so concerned about Wikileaks, they worked to find ways to destabilise it. Now, I wont go as far as others in saying "US Govt Try To Attack Wikileaks" but its good fun nonetheless. Here are some points and quotes from the document:

  • The report has a great title: "Wikileaks.org - An Online Reference to Foreign Intelligence Services, Insurgents, or Terrorist Groups". Hooray! Terrorists - we haven't heard from them in a while. It also mentions as its purpose "This special report assesses the counterintelligence threat posed by the Wikileaks.org website".
  • "The possibility that current employees or moles within the DoD or elsewhere in the US government are providing sensitive or classified information to Wikileaks.org cannot be ruled out" - I'd concur.
  • I found it quite interesting that the US military are alleged to have used mobile phone jamming technology to counter the use of Improvised Explosive Devices. Not a big story, but fun.
  • They complain about the release of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) at Camp Delta, Guantanamo Bay: "The unauthorized release of the SOP has prompted authors posting to the Wikileaks.org Web site to claim that the US Army were torturing and violating the human rights of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. This SOP was also the subject of a lawsuit by international human rights groups and a domestic civil rights organization requesting the release of the document under the US Freedom of Information Act" - Sounds like a complaint about being caught to me.
  • "They currently use a variety of modified free software to build the Web site and route and secure the transmission of data to wikileaks.org" - Free software FTW.
  • "Is it Free Speech or Illegal Speech?"
Now, I suppose its not the biggest story in the world (there must be counterintelligence reports about lots of pretty inane websites) but I do enjoy the culture of fear embued in the report, enough to think "Dudes, its a website - get over it man".

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Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Hello Friends,
Download the first single from Howlin Rain's new album "The Russian Wilds" for free here: It's been a real journey to bring this album home. We are very proud of it. I will do my best to get some new candy up on the blog soon. Over the past year I have collected more great Rain, Comets and beyond live gigs and archival stuff--some real gems have made their way back to me and been found in the dusty boxes in the closet. For now enjoy a taste of the fruits of Howlin Rain's labors of the last 2 and 1/2 years.
I hope you are all well.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011


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Episode 31 – When Marnie Was There / Stephen King Talk

May 8th, 2017

Episode 31! Talkin' about the Studio Ghibli film When Marnie Was There, and then we naturally descend into Stephen King and The Dark Tower for a long time. Enjoy...?

There were also some technical issues with the recordings on this episode, so when things sound weird here and there that's why.

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Home » » Blinky Bill the Movie (2015)

Blinky Bill the Movie (2015)

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  • Original Title : Blinky Bill the Movie
  • Movie title in your country : Blinky Bill the Movie
  • Year of movie : 2015
  • Genres of movie : Animation,
  • Status of movie : Released
  • Release date of movie : 2015-09-17
  • Companies of movie : Flying Bark Productions,
  • Countries of movie : Australia,
  • Language of movie :
  • Durationof movie : 120 Min
  • Average vote of movie : 0
  • Youtube ID of movie : 5x9Fxv_2F0o
  • Translation of movie : EN,
  • Actors of movie :Toni Collette (Beryl / Cheryl (voice)), Robin McLeavy (Nutsy (voice)), Rufus Sewell (The Cat (voice)), Ryan Kwanten (Blinky Bill (voice)), David Wenham (Jacko (voice)), Richard Roxburgh (Bill Koala (voice)), Barry Humphries (Wombo (voice)), Deborah Mailman (Blinky's Mum (voice)), Barry Otto (Mayor Cranklepot (voice))

Movie plot of Blinky Bill the Movie :

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Director : Deane Taylor

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Homero Manzi, un poeta en la tormenta

A new film about the tango poet Homero Manzi was just released in Argentina. Manzi is the author of famous tangos like Malena, Sur and Barrio de tango. He worked with Troilo for several years, and in cooperation with Sebastián Piana, he revitalized the milonga genre with Milonga sentimental in 1931. The film is apparently a combination of archive material and reconstruction of scenes from his life. It will be interesting to watch, I will probably wait until it is available on dvd, hopefully it won’t take that long. [Read More]


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"President Obama" - I Can Get Used To This

My buddy is talking to me on the phone this morning when he says "they just interviewed John Lewis on CNN. He said 'at twelve o’clock today, a black man will be the head of the most powerful nation on earth'."

After I hang up the phone, I say it out loud.

"M-i-s-t-e-r President."

Commander in Chief is probably more accurate, but there is something about the imagery that is involved when an American says "Mr. President" out loud that means "I am ready to obey your command."

"President Barack Obama."

I am already hearing this phrase reverberating around the world in a hundred different languages.

"Pres-i-dent O-ba-ma."

I can get used to this.

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karen marie said...

congratulations, all of us, on a fine choice for president.

and no, "commander in chief" is not more accurate.

we have a civilian government in these united states, much as the bush administration worked to make you think otherwise.

it is in fact "mr. president."

be proud, say it loud.

Brown Man said...

Alright, alright, Karen - "Mr. President" it is!

Kit (Keep It Trill) said...

Heh, heh, I can get used to this too. The dust is settling in my life and I'll be in contact with you soon.

King Politics said...

If Obama governs half as well as he speaks, he'll have one hell of a presidency.

Wizzy Jr said...

Sounds SOOO good to hear it. I LOVE IT!!

Anonymous said...

I just want to know. WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP CALLING THE KNEW PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA "A BLACK MAN"? He is not a black man "HE'S 1/2 WHITE".......lmao at you people
If he was a powder puff (with white skin and black feature's)would you feel the same? lol. probably not.

Brown Man said...

Come on, Anonymous - to be "black" in America is almost a metaphysical definition, unbounded by the proportions of African or Caucasian DNA one possesses.

Former Congressman Harold Ford, Jr.(D-TN), former state senator Julian Bond (D-GA), and current Congressman G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), some of the whitest looking black guys I know, all have the distinction of having two black parents, but have been considered black by both the blacks and whites in their respective communities all their lives.

Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington both had white fathers, but had absolutely no choice but to be black, according to the law of the land. They are renowned, even with their particular interracial heritage, as some of the most accomplished black men in American history.

If those last two paragraphs are some irony for your ass, I don't know what is.

If you're going to deal with the reality of America RIGHT NOW, then there you have it.

It will take a better educated country that has a better facility with abstract ideas to rearrange the racial boundaries and labels we use today.

Times are changing, though. Vin Diesel is who he wants to be. Derek Jeter seems to have renounced all racial boundaries. Tiger Woods celebrates all of his many bloodlines as equally as he can, unless Nike needs him to be an angry minority for a commercial.

The more powerful statement out of all these machinations about race, for me, is the way Obama's brother-in-law, Craig Robinson, seems to be the step dad of the two white children his current wife obviously had before marrying him.

The father figure, the male role model for two white children will be an African American man whose brother-in-law happens to be the president of the United States - hard to beat that for positive influences in a kids life.

Anonymous said...

Do you think that the president " OBOMBMA"is a racist? How do you think my kid's feel about the new president and the way he conduct's himself and the people that he surround's himself with. NOT VERY COMFORTABLE!! He clearly show's and openly addmit's it. He should/will be impeached for it.

Anonymous said...

You completely avoided my first question and came with some "DUMB BLACK RACIST" BS. I honestly hope that you put a little more thought into this next question. I warn you now that it is a loaded one. So chose your word's very carefuly "BROWN MAN".

Anonymous said...

You know. As i sit and think of the complete and ignorant coment that you so brainlessly replied to my 1st question "BROWN MAN'. I can not help but to think of a scripture from the HOLLY BIBLE that myself and my family and friends hold very close/dear in our heart's. DEUTERONOMY:CHAPTER 7

Brown Man said...

The thing about diversity that we know is that it will not look like the world we inhabit today.

We all struggle with the day to day implications of seeing others as "less than" or "more than", if we are attempting, amidst the illogical hodgepodge of traditions, customs and arbitrary boundaries that we find ourselves being defined by, to value those things we have in common as human beings over those differing characteristics we may possess as members of dissimilar cultures.

I did a four part series on White Americans And The Politics Of Race last year - I learned a lot, doing the research for this.

So I started doing some research, even before the polls started to record the phenomena of white Democrats who could not fathom voting for a black man last week, just to see what COULD be going on with my white brethren. I ran into a very good sources, including one whose findings anchor this series, The Black Rage In The White Mind, by Robert Entman and Andrew Rojecki. Their study categorized white racial thinking in four ways:

Racial comity and understanding

Multi-dimensional conceptual thinking – can hold positive and negative views and acknowledge that having varied interests do not make black and white interests mutually exclusive.

Racial ambivalence

A complicated combination of assumptions, misinformation, emotional needs, experiences and personality traits that all bear on a white person’s thinking about race. Can sometimes allow him to deny the existence of racism.

Racial animosity

Persistent pathological biases that include stereotyping, denial, political rejection, demonization and fearful, angry emotions. Can include the extent to which white people see themselves as having group interests that conflict with those of blacks.

Believe blacks share such homogeneously negative characteristics that they must be an inferior rank of human against whom discrimination is inevitable and justifiable.

To really have a chance at understanding the origin and motivations of these four different points of view, we’ve got to back up a bit and look at how we process the information we receive. One thing that all of these states of mind have in common are the basic cognitive functions of perception - attention and emotion - which are functions essential to an individual's knowledge of the world and themselves.

Hopefully, this exploration of racial thinking can utilize the traditional building blocks of perception to provide a clearer picture of how white Americans tend to think when they think about race.

Why is this important? Because in these final days of this presidential campaign season, when the "Racial Polarization" game begins in earnest, you will need to remember who the good guys are if you support Barack Obama. Because I've found myself beginning to do what a lot of you might be thinking - railing against white Americans as a group instead of railing against the individuals, black or white, or the organizations who threaten my candidate's chances.

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Monday, January 9, 2012

One Word

Ok, why the big "check" mark. Well, around the blogger-sphere I have been seeing posts on one word that represents their year. Well, one to never not join a trend I have decided that my word of the year is going to be "Check". Why "check" you ask? Well, I have one more year of nursing school. In December I will have earned my bachelors in nursing. This is huge. The end is right there and I get see it. Awesome right? Well, I have a lot to do before I get there. A long list of projects, papers, exams, classes, clinical, and what not. Every time I complete them I will check them off my list. Every check mark is one more thing that is done, out of the way and getting me closer to graduation.

I also am a major list making. I make a list everyday. Nothing feels so good as checking something off my list. Unfortunately, I never check off my entire list each day and am always adding to it.

So what is your "word" this year?

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Ahh..a break

Hey, I have some catching up to do. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year. Well I have a small break in my school schedule this week. I finished my first year nursing school in December and have already started on the second with an online research class. I finished all the assignments ahead of time so I have a week off. Whoo-hoo!
Don't know what I will do? I didn't plan on anything because, well, I had no idea I would have time to do anything. So far I change my blog up a bit. New back ground, colors, font...etc. Well, off to blogland to get some inspiration!


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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Letters from Egypt: Simply Funny

Taken in Abu Dhabi where apparently MJ lives on
At a closer look, you realize it's Wang Jackson - MJ's long lost brother from another mother
So I go to the Chinese embassy to apply for a visa. I walk in and the Egyptians at the door tell me to have a seat. Sure there are people ahead of me, but if you think there’s a list or a pick-a-number, well, you simply have not lived in Egypt as they’re memory is so good – who needs numbers, waiting list, etc? In walks in a man of Asian descent that says, “I need a visa.” The two Egyptian men usher him through.

And thus I walk over to the “keepers” and ask why this man went in ahead of the rest of us? Egyptian 1 tells me, “This is his embassy.” I said, “No, it’s not.” Egyptian 2 said, “Yes, his embassy he goes first.” At which time I say, “Just because he’s of Asian descent does NOT mean he’s Chinese. He’s NOT Chinese. If he was Chinese he wouldn’t need a visa now would he? Do you go to the Mogamma (place to get Egyptian visa) to get a visa? No, why? Because you’re Egyptian and you don’t need a visa for your own country.”

The funny part in all of that is the guy actually had to stop to think if he in fact went to the Mogamma for a visa to stay in Egypt.

They pulled the guy out and made him wait. He was British.

Maybe that’s really only funny to me, but if you live here, I’m sure you can picture the confused look on the Egyptians’ faces as they thought about the Mogamma.

FYI on Daylight Savings Time

Have you ever thought to yourself, “Why should I be forced to ‘spring forward, fall back’?” While there are many countries that do not observe Daylight Savings Time (DST), welcome to one of the newest additions: Egypt.

Who cares about those other countries? We live in Egypt and apparently anything goes. Anything, that is, that will make the ruling party – whether it be remnants of Mubarak’s regime or a supposed military council – carry on with more ease.

Here’s a country that prior to the rest of the world “falling back,” it must hurriedly switch its clocks back an hour because God forbid anyone go without food for an extra hour (the month of fasting during sunlight hours for Muslims).

While Turkey is predominantly Muslim, they do not adjust the time accordingly to make Ramadan fasting easier. Isn’t the point of a fast to experience the hardships so that you appreciate what God has given you? Muslims in other areas like the US are forced to go until after 8 pm until Iftar (first meal breaking fast).  Christians around the world, particularly Egyptian Coptics can’t say that they’d like to shorten Lent because they get tired of eating beans and koshery (Coptics are unable to eat anything living during the 40 days of Lent including dairy products).

Imagine my surprise (sarcasm) to have received a notice that the Military Council has decided NOT to implement the usual DST. So for all of you living here, thinking of visiting during this time (are you crazy?), or just simply want to know – Egypt will not be switching back the clocks.

The good news about this is that now no one can use the excuse that they forgot about the time change and show up late for work, not like time is really of importance to anyone anyway.

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