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Monday, May 27, 2013

Science Explains Why You Should Be Friends Before Dating !!!

Science Explains Why You Should Be Friends Before Dating  - man woman

In an article published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, researchers found that couples who value their friendship over other aspects of their relationships report greater romance and sexual satisfaction over couples who look to their partners mostly for sexual gratification.

This probably doesn’t surprise anyone but it’s great to have the research to back it up. But why do you think a friendship with your significant other will actually increase the odds you will have long-lasting love?

When I surveyed 100 happy couples for my book, Secrets of Happy Couples: Loving Yourself, Your Partner, and Your Life, friendship and quality time together are in the top 20 factors the couples themselves said are important to their relationship success. Adding those two responses together, 70 percent of respondents found those to be important factors.

When I think of reasons people cheat, I often hear things like, “She never supports me.” “He didn’t want to spend time with me.” “She doesn’t understand me.” “He never really listens when I talk to him.” “I don’t even think s/he likes me.” “S/he is always complaining.”

Aren’t all these statements really the opposite of the core of friendship? Think about how you are with your friends. You tell each other everything (are there things you keep secret from your partner?). You look forward to being together (are there times you dread spending time with your partner?). You freely give your time, energy and attention to your friends (do you do the same with your partner?).

It’s rare that we criticize our friends. In fact, we often do the opposite. We really listen to them, attempting as best we can to understand their position. Even when we think our friend might be wrong, we defend him or her, nonetheless. We would never publically put down our friends. We support them through dark times and encourage them to always be the person they are meant to be. (In order to get a blueprint for being the person you want to be in relationships, my eBook on Relationships from the InsideOut is on sale this month at The Relationship Center. Check it out.)

Too often in our romantic relationships, we play a different role. Not in the beginning of the relationship, though. In the beginning, we treat our partner like the best friend we ever had. If you still have a solid friendship with your long-term partner, congratulate yourselves and celebrate your friendship this week. You will likely be together for a very long time.

If, however, your relationship has gotten off track and you realize you aren’t being the best friend you could be to your partner, why not change that now? You don’t even need their commitment to do the same for you. Ask yourself, “What kind of person do I want to be in my relationship with my most significant relationship of choice?” Take a long look in the mirror and ask, “Is that the person I am being right now?”

If the answer to those questions is no, then think about performing a random act of kindness in your relationship. One of the best gifts we can give our partners is the gift of total acceptance of who they are without expecting anything in return.

Don’t think, Why should I do this if s/he isn’t going to do it too? Is that how you treat your friends? You have recognized you are not being the person you want to be in your relationship. You are the only one who can change that. Your partner may notice and respond accordingly or she or he may continue being exactly the same. It doesn’t really matter. What’s most important is that you take control of the one thing you can control in your relationship—what you do!

Start today and you will feel better and there’s a great chance your relationship will improve dramatically as a result. Put the friendship back in your relationship now!

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Friday, October 9, 2015

Released by Mia Fox

Blitz Package Banner

TITLE – Released SERIES – Romani Realms AUTHOR – Mia Fox GENRE – paranormal romance / steampunk PUBLICATION DATE – already published LENGTH (Pages/# Words) - 315 PUBLISHER – Evatopia Press COVER ARTIST – Eden Crane

Released - Cover

The discovery of an ancient bottle unleashes a Genie - and the wrath of the Demon Gypsies chasing her...
When Suzette (“Suki”) is released from her bottle by two teen girls, she is more than a bit surprised that a Genie of her calibre is beholden to two average high school students. After dealing with dignitaries and noblemen, however, she believes this will be a welcome break.
Until she discovers the teens’ hidden powers and that one will come to possess the Amulet of Pollox, a necklace that contains the secrets from some of the greatest minds throughout history. Unfortunately, she’s not the only one who notices. The Amulet draws the attention of the two powerful and vengeful Demon Gypsies who have pursued Suki through time and will stop at nothing to snatch the girls and the Amulet.
Suddenly, Suki is not just helping the girls navigate high school crushes, she’s safeguarding them from danger unlike anything they’ve ever known. To make matters more complicated, she must also fight her attraction to James - her protector through the ages - whose sudden arrival threatens her resolve and her heart.
A time-traveling Genie and her unrequited love...
Demon Gypsies with an insatiable quest for power...
And the teen girls whose existence threatens them all.
This is the world of “Released,” book one of The Romani Realms series by Mia Fox, a Young Adult trilogy featuring elements of paranormal romance and steampunk.

Author Logo - Mia Fox

Mia Fox is a Los Angeles-based novelist who writes across varied genres including Young Adult/New Adult Paranormal Romance, Steampunk, and Chick Lit. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications from U.S.C.
Before writing full time, she worked as an entertainment publicist, a career she chronicles in her novel, “Alert the Media.” However, she is happy to leave that world behind her, preferring that any drama in her life is only that which she creates for her characters.
She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, three children, Casey, the Wonder Westie, and Bean, his brother.

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Sunday, July 22, 2012

.vegas x instagram & lpt.

below are a few quick shots i took on my last week's girls weekend. last minute we scrambled for reservations and to all of our pleasant surprises the newly revamped tropicana became our knight in shining armor. nights out to tryst and hyde rounded up the weekend. i know have a new love for viva las vegas.

xxo, dany

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About Technology

update technology ,more fast more smart...

Laptop batteries can often be expensive because the laptop manufacturer is the only one who makes a battery to fit their particular laptop. This is done so the manufacturer will have control of the market when you need a new battery. Often this is done to encourage you to buy a new laptop instead of replacing the battery. In many cases there is little difference in the price, which is what the manufacturer intended.

Some laptop batteries, such as the Ni-Cad, will suffer from a problem which is commonly called the memory effect. This is caused when you continually recharge the battery without letting it discharge entirely. After a time the battery will forget that it has unused capacity and it will discharge much faster each time it is used. The best way to avoid this laptop battery problem is to allow your battery to completely discharge at least once each month. This allows the battery to retain its original memory and provides longer usage.

When your laptop is not in use for an extended period of time it is best to remove the battery. The battery will continue to slowly discharge during the time it is not in use. If this discharge takes place inside the laptop you may not be able to get your laptop to recognize the battery the next time it is recharged.

You can also experience battery problems if you allow your battery to completely discharge outside the laptop. You should check the battery while it in storage so it will not be allowed to completely discharge. This could also prevent the laptop from accepting the battery when you place it back into the computer.

If your laptop battery becomes hot to the touch you will need to remove the battery and allow it to cool off. If this problem continues when you replace the battery in the laptop, you will probably have a defective battery. It is best to remove the battery and replace it since a defective battery could cause extensive damage to the laptop.

Temperatures have an effect on laptop batteries. If you are experiencing extremely hot temperatures you will need to keep the battery in as cool an area as possible. Extreme heat can cause the battery to discharge prematurely and can eventually lead to battery damage.

Last year Toshiba recalled about 430,000 laptop batteries because they continued to lose power prematurely. Toshiba also reports that although these batteries were giving problems by losing power, there were no reports of the batteries overheating and there were no reported injuries as a result of the defective batteries.

Before the Toshiba recall, Dell and Apple had a battery recall because Sony had produced a defective batch of batteries. These batteries were known to overheat and some of them even produced fires. All of these batteries were replaced free of charge but the company did suffer some financial damage as a result of the recall.

Panasonic also had a laptop battery recall because the latches were defective. This was causing a mechanical problem with the batteries because they were not properly latched in. In many cases these batteries overheated but there were not reported injuries.

Kelly Hunter is a writer for http://www.laptop-computer-batteries.com about laptop computer batteries with several years experience.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

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Monday, March 28, 2011

Baby Quilt - Finished

I am so happy that I finished my baby quilt.

The top is together...

And more sewing...

Ta-Da... all done.

The back...

The fringe-y edge...

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Baby Quilt and Saturday Fun...

Quilting is not something I have done a lot of. In fact, this is only my 3rd quilt project. The first was started many, many years ago (and never finished). The 2nd was the mug rug I made about a month ago. This is the 3rd.

I saw some really cute baby quilts on another blog, bought some fabric, which I have been watching sit on the desktop a while, and decide to start this new project. I know it won't be perfect and I know it won't be technically right, but I am happy with how it's going so far. Here's a peek...

This coming Saturday, the 26th, I am going on a quilters run. I, along with my daughter and my friends Penny and Lupe, am going to drive all over Orange County for the 2011 Spring Fling Hop. Eight OC quilt shops are giving away a free pattern, fat quarter and return coupon for visiting their store and getting your "passport" stamped. There is also a drawing for a grand prize of 40 yards of fabric or a gift basket worth $100.00. I can't wait, I hope one of us wins (fingers crossed).

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

I love springtime. The warm sun, the cool breeze, flowers, baby birds...  it's such a beautiful time of year. I am really looking forward to what this spring brings, and being able to photograph it for remembering, and for sharing.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Changing My Mind...

I am working on a bag my friend Penny gave me as a gift. I had picked out my floss colors, but... I was not happy with the way it was looking. So, I am undoing some of my stitches.

Hey, a girl can change her mind. Right?

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Sewing, Quilting and Craft Show...

Yesterday I went to a fabulous craft show with my friends. We had so much fun, spending hours looking at everything, and then deciding what to get. So many cute quilt and embroidery patterns, fabric, buttons and notions. And the sewing machines. Wow... Well, I got a few pretty things and I can't wait to use them. I promise to share when I'm done.

Friday, March 11, 2011

I bought a lovely book about a year ago called Sew Pretty Homestyle. It is full of beautiful things that you can make for your home and this bag is in the book. I saw the fabric in the store about 2 weeks ago, being carried around by another woman. I loved the bright colors of the flowers and my first thought was how I wish I had seen it first. Well, to my surprise, she was standing at the cutting table when my number was called. I was so happy and bought just enough to make my bag.

I love it.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Pin Cushion...

I have had the same red tomato pin cushion, with the little strawberry, since high school. I had Home Ec. and made a pillow, a skirt (which didn't turn out so well) among other things.

Lately, I have seen so many cute pin cushions that I had to try and make one for myself. I'll tell you this... Sewing a circle is not as easy as it looks.  But, I do really like the way my pin cushion turned out. And, I'm sure I will make more in the future.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Beautiful Colors...

I bought this yarn last weekend. I love these colors. I am going to make a granny square afghan with them. They are called Impeccable Worsted by Loops and Threads and I found them at Michael's. I am hoping to be able to start it soon. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

The colors are (from the top):
~ Grass
~ Aqua
~ Rouge
~ Lavender
~ Butterscotch
~ Grape

Thursday, March 3, 2011

I made these little roses out of felt. The purple one is on a stretchy headband and the pink one is on a hair clip.

So easy, so cute...

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Mug Rug...

This is my first ever mug rug. I have recently become a coffee drinker, always drinking green or black tea before, so I am rarely without a cup or mug before 2:00 p.m. I have seen a lot of mug rug's on craft and quilt blogs over the past couple of months and love the way they look. I am very happy with the way it turned out, even though it's not really straight. But, I have a brand new rotary cutter now, and the next one will be... :)

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Pillow for Jaxon...

I made this pillow for my very good friend's son. It was his birthday... I loved the fabric I purchased at Joann's and decided to draw one of the dogs to embroider for the front of the pillow. For his name, I just found a font that I really liked and printed it out the size I needed. The white fabric is muslin. To transfer my pattern, I usually tape my pattern and fabric to a window and trace with a pencil. I will also use my light box if there is not good window light.


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Thursday, June 14, 2012

Limited Edition B&W Photo Prints to Benefit Wes White

Some of you may be aware that Wes White of Four Aces Cycle in Pacoima, California had the misfortune to meet a hit-and-run driver while riding his Triumph. Jon Glover of Glover Photography did a limited edition run of 20 black and white 8" x 10" prints of some photos involving Wes, and the proceeds from the sales of these $15 prints goes direct to Wes to help cover emergency room and surgery costs. Check them all out here, and get one while you can as there is only 20 each of the three photos!

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Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Grade 4- Share Jumper Quiz

We are learning to make the right choices when posting online.

If you need further review, Open Share Jumper game. Watch the video and play the game to apply your knowledge of sharing online.

Today you must take the BrainPop Quiz, review style and score a 10/10. Print your results to Lab LA 1.

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Friday, June 2, 2017

Grade 4- Peer Mentor Vote 2017-2018

We are learning to apply critical thinking when voting.

Today you will help Livingston Park select their Peer Mentors for the 2017-2018 school year.

Please listen carefully to all directions before you vote.

DO NOW: Open Google Classroom

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Eicher 2090T – 2100T v 1.0 [SP]

Eicher 2090T - 2100T v 1.0

Eicher 2090T - 2100T v 1.0

Eicher 2090T - 2100T v 1.0

When you buy the tractor you have two engine options.
Eicher 2090T – 90HP
Eicher 2100T – 105HP
You can also chose between normal and thin wheels.

Eicher was close to being backrupt several times in the last years of the companys existence. They tried a lot of things to keep the make alive and produce Eicher Tractors again. One plan was, to use the Same Transmissions and Cabins (basically the whole back end of the tractor) and put a Eicher Engine in front. But development was more difficult than imagined since it was hard to fit the Eicher Engines to the Same Transmissions properly. So only a few prototypes were made.
Instead, they started selling repainted Hürlimann tractors in between 1990 and 1991 in small quantities.
This Mod is the Eicher 2090T (the same as Hürlimann H488T) and Eicher 2100T (the same as Hürlimann H4105 Elite)
Both have 4 cylinder Turbocharged engines, the 2090 has 90HP, the 2100 has 105HP thanks to an intercooler.

Giants Software, Edit by modelleicher

Eicher 2090T – 2100T v 1.0 [SP]
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Tag Archives: Phonology
6/28 Variation in the Acquisition of Sound Systems

June 28, 2013
2306 Mason Hall

Organizer contact: Lisa Davidson (lisa.davidson@nyu.edu)

Click here for Workshop website.

See Workshop Description

What is the role of variability in how sound systems are acquired or changed? This workshop examines this topic from a number of different perspectives, including child language acquisition, non-native production and perception, sound change, and phonotactic learning. The workshop will be held on one day, including 5 invited 1 hour talks and a poster session.

Speakers include:
Lisa Davidson (New York University)
Matt Goldrick (Northwestern University)
Bob McMurray (University of Iowa)
Katherine White (University of Waterloo)
Alan Yu (University of Chicago)

This workshop is made possible by the generous support of the Departments of Linguistics at New York University and Northwestern University.

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7/13-14 Workshop on Interfaces at the Left Periphery

July 13-14, 2013
2330 Mason Hall

Organizer contacts: Ed Cormany (esc53@cornell.edu) (primary), Sarah Courtney (sgc47@cornell.edu), Cara DiGirolamo (cmd279@cornell.edu)

Click here to see workshop website.

See Workshop Description

Since Rizzi’s (1997) original syntactic exploration of the sentential left periphery, the complexity of the domain at a clause’s edge has received attention from linguists studying syntax, semantics and prosody. However, study of the cross-linguistic variety in clause boundaries, clause typing, and the information-structural use of peripheral positions has only scratched the surface. This workshop seeks to bring together linguists working on the “left edge” of the sentence from a variety of theoretical backgrounds. We hope to facilitate dialogue between discourse theorists, semanticists, syntacticians, phonologists, and phoneticians to come to a better understanding of what is going on just above (syntactically) or just before (phonologically) the traditional IP domain. Topics that the workshop will cover include but are not limited to: clause typing, complementation, discourse constraints on argument structure, information structure, and word order change as they pertain to the left periphery, sentence-initial positions, and the CP domain.

We will solicit applications to fill three panels. Panels on any aspect of clause boundaries or the left periphery not covered in the invited panels — particularly sessions on prosodic and phonological interfaces — are welcome. Research on understudied languages or languages that have not traditionally been part of the left periphery literature are encouraged. Submissions from graduate students or recent Ph.D. recipients are especially welcome.  Full panel submissions, including presenters and a chairperson, will be accepted in early spring.
The organizers will invite speakers for another three panels, each of which address different aspects of the left periphery.

The first invited panel will center on clause types and the syntax/semantics/pragmatics interface at the left periphery. The panel will bring together researchers working on semantic interpretations at the highest level of the clause, focusing on questions, imperatives, and the distinction between matrix and subordinate clauses.

The second invited panel will focus on the discourse properties of the periphery. This panel will seek out research on the contextual and information-structural constraints on phrases that are displaced from their base positions into the left periphery, as well as research about peripheral discourse particles that perform clause-linking functions.

The third invited panel examines clause boundaries and peripheries from a diachronic perspective. The panel will present research dealing with the roles that information structure and leftward displacement of arguments play in word-order changes (e.g., the development and loss of V2 constructions).

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7/14 How the Brain Accommodates Variability in Linguistic Representations

July 14, 2013
Aud C, Angell Hall

Organizer Contact: T. Florian Jaeger (fjaeger@bcs.rochester.edu)

Click here for workshop website.

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Articulatory Phonology

Khalil Iskarous – University of Southern California
Course time: Monday/Wednesday 1:30-3:20 pm

See Course Description

Articulatory Phonology (AP) is a view of the sound structure of a language that tries to account both for its abstract aspect, contrast and pattern, as well as its physical realization in speech production and perception. And it does so without assuming a dualistic mind-body distinction between phonology-phonetics. The key aspect of AP that allows is to be non-dualistic is a dynamical framework that allows for a principled (non-arbitrary) relation between symbolic/discrete entities and continuous motion. This course will start by introducing students to the dynamical framework of task dynamics, and how contrasts and patterns are expressed in this framework. Students will also be introduced to TaDa, a computational engine allowing for the derivation of continuous motion of articulators and formants from an utterance described in terms of overlapped elementary contrasts, expressed as gestures. Segmental and prosodic phonology will be discussed in combination with each other throughout the course.

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Structure and Evolution of the Lexicon

Janet Pierrehumbert – Northwestern University
Course time: Tuesday/Thursday 11:00 am – 12:50 pm
2353 Mason Hall

See Course Description

This class will explore the basic principles that create and sustain the richness of the lexicon in human languages. We will consider how new words are created, how they are learned, and how they are replicated through social interactions in human communities. Empirical data will be drawn from classical sources, from language on the Internet, and from computer-based “games with a purpose”. Using concepts from research on population biology and social dynamics, we will also discuss mathematical approaches to modeling the life and death of words.

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Sunday, December 30, 2007

Bon Voyage

I have to show you more pictures of the snow that has fallen in the past few days. This is the first time in a number of years that we have had a "white" Christmas and the snow is still staying around. We even had a bit more snow today and then the wind started to kick in. I learned how to use the snow blower today. If this keeps up I will be using it a lot.

We held a Bon Voyage party for ES tonight. Only five more days until he is on the road to Washington DC. We are praying that he will not have yucky roads on this trip. Last February, when he and I drove to Chicago, the weather kept saying it was bad, but we had pretty clear roads once we left the West Yellowstone area. I am hoping it will be the same this year.

I was antsy tonight while waiting for people to show up for ES's party, so I was able to get some spinning done. That always seems to calm me down. I only have two more little balls to spin and then onto the plying. I've only had this fiber in my stash since 1996. It will be nice to get one more fiber spun and used.

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Regional News - Lubbock Online.com Official sees fairgrounds as disaster risk

Published: Thursday, May 28, 1998

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color="#FFFFFF" size="2">Back to Regional News Digest

Thursday, May 28, 1998 Last modified at 1:22 a.m. on Thursday, May 28, 1998

Official sees fairgrounds as disaster risk

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - The New Mexico State Fair's oldest buildings, particularly Tingley Coliseum, are disasters waiting to happen, the state fire marshal's office has warned.

"I hate to be the Grim Reaper here, but we've got to crack down now or we are going to have a disaster on our hands," Paul Linville of the fire marshal's office told a meeting of more than 30 people Tuesday. Fair officials and volunteers from firefighting, law-enforcement and emergency-response agencies have formed a task force to create evacuation plans.

Many of the buildings are not equipped with sprinkler systems or fire detectors.

"I'm putting 12,000 people in a building (Tingley) that has absolutely no fire protection," Linville said. "How am I going to get them out? Plus, how am I going to get them out without causing a panic?"

Because it's not possible to correct all the flaws before the 1998 fair, it's imperative to have a plan to get people out of the buildings in case of fire, bomb threats or acts of terrorism, he said.

No plans exist now.

Tingley concerns Linville the most, although he said buildings such as the Leon Harms Youth Hall, the horse arena, the Bolack agricultural building and the Manuel Lujanxb building are serious risks.

"Tingley's roof is fully combustible, wood frames and heavy timbers," he said. "If I have a fire up there, we lose the building."

He said he wants final evacuation plans completed 30 days before the fair starts Sept. 11.

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“One-Armed Bandit”

D’Amelio Terras, New York
January 8 – February 12, 2005

D’Amelio Terras is pleased to present One-Armed Bandit, an exhibition of non-conventional wall pieces from gallery artists Polly Apfelbaum, Tony Feher, and Joanne Greenbaum.

All of the works in this exhibition are uncharacteristic of each artist’s ascribed medium. They are simple derivations that stand behind a more rigorously defined primary practice. Apfelbaum, who produces large textile based floor installations, will exhibit a series of marker drawings on synthetic velvet. Greenbaum, who primarily creates mid to large size oil paintings, will exhibit a group of collaged ink jet prints. Feher, known for his multi-component sculptures of post-consumer objects, will show a series of small, flattened boxes covered in glitter.

One-Armed Bandit makes reference to the traditional slot machine that repeatedly reorders a fixed number of icons to make randomly derived sequences of images. The organizing structure of the slot machine, and its reliance on probability and luck, has determined how the works of these three artists are displayed in the gallery. Cycling through the various permutations of groupings of three, the exhibition is a playful exercise in organizing these abstract, brightly colored, and materially based works.

In the upcoming year, Polly Apfelbaum will be included in Extreme Abstraction at the Albright- Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York, and will present a one-person show at Galerie Nächst St. Stephan in Vienna, Austria. Tony Feher will be included in Material Matters at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York and in Water Water Everywhere at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art in Scottsdale, Arizona. Feher will be a featured artist at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas; the opening of his exhibition will coincide with Open House 2005. Joanne Greenbaum has two upcoming solo exhibitions in Europe, at greengrassi in London, UK, and at Nicolas Krupp in Basel, Switzerland.

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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Nude Bear: Light Fall-off

People are probably thinking, "OMG, he went from shooting models to shooting stuffed bears..." LOL :)

It's just temporary. I need to verify a few lighting techniques and setups before going into my next shoot. As a photographer and retoucher I have to practice. Growth for me comes in periods of exponential growth followed by periods of plateau. To me, the periods of leveling off (plateau) allow me to completely assimilate the knowledge I have accumulated during the periods of torrential learning.

Last week I ended a torrential period of retouching that lasted 2 weeks. This week I'm cycling back to shooting and putting some new tricks in the back as you can see with the experimentation with tile boards.

Today, I'm playing around with fast (yet soft) light fall off. yesterday I saw a picture of a model's body where only half of her body was lit. I was impressed by how well the light was feathered off her body and more importantly, how quickly it fell off the body. The combination of soft light and fast fall-off puzzled me because I'd always had trouble controlling one or the other. Soft light is easy, any light modifier that makes your light source relatively bigger (to your subject) will produce soft light. The problem is that by making your light relatively bigger, you run the risk of spilling all over the entire subject and into the background.

That's where feathering comes in. If you feather the light off the edges onto the subject, then not only will you get soft light but also good control over spill.

But that's not the end of the story.

Light to subject distance is critical here because at "normal" levels of power, the feathering effect isn't going to allow a fast light drop-off. I've done this experiment before and never have I been satisfied with the results, particularly with the light fall-off. Last night (literally while sleeping), I realized that I needed to bring the light in really close to the subject and turn down the power. Remembering the
Inverse Square Law equation, we know that the light fall-off is exponential with distance. By feathering the light, we're using diagonal distance as well as direct exposure to the light source to create fast light fall-off.

At least I think :) Sometimes I think, "Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about..."

We'll let the results speak for themselves. I only did a little retouching to black out the white BG paper that I left up from yesterday since it slightly reflected back some of the softbox. A bit of curves and levels adjustments were made also. Otherwise, the drop-off is apparent on the body while still maintaining good exposure on 1/4 of the bear, which is what I was shooting for.

Camera info: D3/24-70mm f/2.8G @70mm, 1/200th, f/5.6, ISO200

Strobist info: See picture above

Model/wardrobe: Nude Bear

Makeup: Nude Bear

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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Military Press

LuLu. Marketing Student.
Happy 50 Year Anniversary Dr. Martens

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About Me

My photo
DC, Washington, United States
A west coast girl on the east coast sharing insights into the fashion and general cultural realm of this place we call earth. Have any pictures or interesting insights you want to share? Email it to popotips@gmail.com, and it may show up on the blog! In fact, let me know if you're interested in being a guest columnist as well!


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Sunday, December 25, 2005

de nenenerr nerr neeeer, de nenenerr nerr neerr...

(that's surfer music...the stuff Candy Pops has been humming to me with full surfer action ever since I said I was going to Hawaii!)

You know that Gladys Knight & the Pips song...'livin' the life, you're a jet-setter'??
Man, being a jet-setter's hard work! Here's what me and my sis did on 11 December...

Sunday 11 December, 3am - our despedida is just finishing up...we've done our packing, still trying not to fall asleep even though we've only had about 3 hrs sleep in the last 2 days and we're waiting for our ride to the airport.
6.40am Flight from Manila to London incl. a 5 hour stopover in Doha making it a total of about 22 hours travelling time. Because London is behind Manila by 7 hrs, we arrive in London Sunday evening...exhausted, and freezing! Still, lovely to see the parentals, chrissy and golds ;o)

Tuesday 13 December - Flight from London to Hawaii with a stopover in San Francisco. We finally arrive in Honolulu at 11pm...greeted by Uncle Jose and Jesse who gives us a lovely pink orchid lei....really feel like we're in hawaii now ;o) (can you hear the ukeleles in the background?)

The Hawaii Dizons (uncle Jose, auntie Shirley, their daughters, Jesse & Taylor and their dogs, Murphy, Zeke and Kennedy) have kindly invited the London Dizons to stay ;o)

They live in a beautiful house on top of a hill with amazing views of the island. We woke up on our first day greeted with our first blue sky and sunshine...I had a cup of hawaiian coffee (chocolate and macadamian nut flavour) on the lanai (balcony) and watched a submarine going up at Pearl Harbour.....goddamn, how cool?!! Every morning we wake up to a bright blue sky and glorious sunshine and every evening a beautiful sunset over the town and pearl harbour...and people live like this, like, EVERYDAY!!!

We've checked out the beaches from busy Waikiki to the North Shore where the waves get busy being huge and the surfers are yum! We've snorkelled in Hanauma Bay looking out for sea turtles - I didn't manage it :o( but everyone else seemed to (showoffs). I have seen lots of amazing fish though and they're HUGE and as colourful as a rainbow (am especially fond of the surgeonfish). We've sat in complete awe at the power of the waves and at the surfers who ride them! We've gone to a luau (very cool), stuffed ourselves with kalua pork and ahi poke and even tried the poi (taro paste type thing) and watched a polynesian dance show (soooo want to visit the other polynesion islands now...particularly interested in learning more about the tahiti me on this one, Beyonce eat your heart out coz, boy, can the tahitians dance!)

Hawaii has a big asian population...quite mixed too - my cousins here are filipino/japanese/hawaiian/chinese! It means we get mistaken for locals (same, same, pacific island people! haha) and, the best thing...the food is goddamn tasty!! My faves are the kalua and poke...gonna have to learn the hula to shake those extra pounds off..... ;o)

The Hawaii Dizons have been brilliant - driving us around, hanging out with us brits, making us laugh, telling us stories and generally showing us a fabulous time. We've met their friends and other members of their family, had dinner and cocktails at Side Street Cafe and eaten a posh brunch at the Hawaiian Prince Hotel, gone to the theatre and helped decorate the tree.

Christmas day started with a late breakfast and mimosas (bucks fizz) followed by a day at the and goldilocks chased the waves on a boogie board, had coffee shakes, took pictures with the surfing champion Duke Kahanamoku and watched as the sun set over the waves. In the evening, we all went to watch the Chronicles of Narnia.

It was a truly lovely christmas ;o)

Thanks very big Hawai'i and I can't wait to come back...

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Salamat, salamat, salamat!!

Just a little thank you to all my family back home for taking such good care of me....again!! You've made me laugh, shown me a grand ol' time and, I'm sure, made me a few pounds heavier....and goddamn, it's been fun ;o)

So....when we doing it again??

Lxxx sad to be leaving :o( Posted by Picasa

don narciso & dona fidentia Posted by Picasa

emil, mils, gelyn, jena, me and john Posted by Picasa

me, john and the germans Posted by Picasa

suzette, earl, EA, jena & gelyn Posted by Picasa

whassup... Posted by Picasa

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more singing Posted by Picasa

some dancing Posted by Picasa

a cake Posted by Picasa

more drinking! Posted by Picasa

an arm wrestle with a german filipino Posted by Picasa

kids on gameboys Posted by Picasa

eating... Posted by Picasa

 Posted by Picasa

 Posted by Picasa

lots of eating! Posted by Picasa

 Posted by Picasa

there was drinking Posted by Picasa

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DM awake on the dancefloor with emil Posted by Picasa

Our last night (we're catching a plane at 6 in the morning and we have to leave bulaklak at 3am). This is our despedida (leaving do) Posted by Picasa

 Posted by Picasa

the gang after dancing and taking pics at Capitol Posted by Picasa

more gigster pics...erwin, me, john, jena and uncle nars Posted by Picasa


text:
Welcome to Sin City.

This town beckons to the t o u g h ,

The Corrupt, The Brokenhearted,
Some call it Dark. Hard-boiled.

Then there are those who call it home.

Crooked cops.
Sexy Dames.
Desperate vigilantes.

S o m e a r e s e e k i n g r e v e n g e.

O t h e r s l u s t a f t e r r e d e m p t i o n .

And then there are those hoping for a little of both.

A universe of unlikely and reluctant heroes still
trying to do the right thing in a city that refuses to care.

- -

An old man dies. A young girl lives. A fair trade.
I love you, Nancy.


text:
Service Times
Service Times & Directions

There are two regular weekly services:

Early Sunday Morning: 9:00 am. This service is very personal, contemplative and devotional. Sunday School begins upstairs in the 9am service with a message for the Children and then continues downstairs during the rest of the service.

Sunday Morning: 11:00 am. 9 and 11am services follow the same format.

For all services there is a fully functional nursery for young children,

All worship services are held in the sanctuary. Holy Communion is celebrated on the second, fourth and fifth Sundays of the month at both services on those days.

There are two additional monthly services:

Evening Prayer Services: 7:30 pm, with Holy Communion offered each month on the first Wednesday.

Morning Prayer Services: 8:00 am, with Holy Communion offered each month on the third Wednesday.

Mount Olive Lutheran Church
2015 4th Avenue North
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
S4R 0T5

Office Hours 9am-12pm, 1-4pm

Mon to Fri - Except Holidays

View Larger Map

Christmas Services:

Dec 24th Christmas Eve 5pm & 7 pm

Dec 25th Christmas Day 10am, (Communion)

Holy Week & Easter Sunday:

Maunday Thursday 7:30pm, (Communion)

Good Friday 10am

Easter Sunday 7:30am & 10am, (Communion)

"Life in the midst of war and uncertainty - through it all trust in Jesus" Diana & Tommy Zlahn

Listen here to a recording of Diana and Tommy Zlahn tell their story in person at Mount Olive:

“Life in the midst of war and uncertainty…through it all…trust in Jesus”

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31) These words from Isaiah bring strength and comfort to many of us, but the words have special meaning to Diana and Tommy Zlahn, for they literally received strength from God to run and to continue to walk – from war, enemies, and the circumstances of their lives in Liberia.

December 23, 2012, a week before Christmas Diana and Tommy attended Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Regina, SK for the first time. During coffee time after church, John sat with them and learned they had just moved to Regina in October. We invited them to join us for Christmas dinner with our family. During the past year they’ve become more than friends and are in fact part of our family. They’ve shared their stories with us and others at our church.

Diana’s Story

One of the many civil wars in Liberia began 1989, and Diana at the age of 6 remembers rebels invaded their home town. Her mother, her two sisters 5 and 2 and her aunt had to run and take shelter in the forest. After several weeks of sleeping in the rain and eating palm cabbage her 2 year old sister died of starvation. Not being able to watch all her children die, her mother left to search for food, leaving the children with her sister and Diana has not seen mother since that time.

Her aunt walked with the children a full day to another village where they were welcomed and given food and shelter. Soon after, that village came under attack and Diana was separated from her family. She followed a family who took her to the Ivory Coast and life was hard. She was in that home for many years and at first wasn’t allowed to go to school. A man in the village questioned her “mother” about this and Diana was then allowed to attend but only if she got up at three am each morning to get her work done. Her life consisted of little food and sleep, hard work and school (which she enjoyed).

In 1995 her older half-brother found her and brought her to Liberia to live with his wife and two children. Civil war in 1997 again brought heartache as her brother had to flee for his life and moved to the United States; in 2002 civil war forced Diana with her sister-in-law to runto Ghana. In 2005 her sister-in-law and one child moved to the US and in 2006 the older child joined them. Diana says: “I was left alone in Ghana but indeed, all things work together for them that love God. I believe that God wanted me to remain there and meet my lovely husband Tommy”.

Tommy’s Story

In 1989 when Tommy was 7 his father sent him and his little brother to stay with his grandparents on their farm. Five days later they returned home to the news that his uncle was confessing to be the head of a rebel team that was sent to assassinate the president, putting the whole family in danger. Tommy still remembers their horrible race through the forest to the Ivory Coast. It marked the beginning of years of uncertainty to come. With his grandparents he spent the next two years not knowing where his parents were. In 1992 his mom and dad came home again. They had fled to Sierra Leone and escaped after the capture and execution of his uncle. Shortly after that they returned to Liberia which had now been liberated.

Life became a bit normal, schools were opened and at the age of 10 Tommy started Kindergarten. Tommy says, “As God would have it – He put a good head on my shoulders”. Tommy advanced quickly, getting double promotions and after 9 years graduated from high school.

During the civil war in 2002, Tommy’s father was high in the rebel government and believed to have been poisoned because of this. He died in July of that year and Tommy was now left with all the responsibilities for his family. Tommy remembered his dad telling him - if you’re ever in trouble and don’t know what to do, call Mr. Borop in the US. A good friend of his father’s, Mr. Borop helped Tommy for many years. In the war in 2003 the government was forcing all young men to take up arms. Tommy was captured with another young man, tied together by T-shirts to join the armed forces. With a big grin on his face Tommy tells us: “the other fellow took off his shirt and ran…soldiers ran after him…and I just ran the other way”. He hid in a neighbour’s house, then called Mr. Borop again. This faithful friend helped Tommy get to Ghana and paid for his college education. After college Tommy, as a software developer, got a job with a friend who was supervisor at a computer company in Ghana. A year later his friend left for another job and Tommy was promoted to supervisor and that company is still running successfully today. Tommy says, “Praise God for giving me opportunities to make an impact in Liberia.” In Ghana at the refugee camp Tommy met Diana, noticed she was always reading and knew he’d like to get to know her.

The move to Canada

In 2008 a friend of Tommy’s little sister traveled to Canada after being helped by Cheri Helstromfrom Grey, SK and the Milestone United Church Refugee Committee. Tommy was introduced to Cheri who he says, served not only as my legal representative at SINP (Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program), but became a mother to me and grandmother to my children. On October 17, 2012 Tommy, Diana and their daughter Venus left the refugee camp in Ghana after nearly 10 years and arrived in Regina.

Life here also has small difficulties, a basement apartment with not much sunlight, a low paying job with a lot of out of town travel, trouble getting a driver’s licence. But these things too have improved. Tommy now has a job with the Saskatchewan government, running the help desk – a job he’s over qualified for - but there’s room for advancement. Emil Knuth, a former RCMP officer and member at Mount Olive, helped Tommy with driving lessons, and Emil and John approached an MLA about the unfairness of tests for immigrants … after 6 fails, Tommy now has his licence. A move last month to a three bedroom house, sharing the basement with the owner’s nephew, means more room, a better neighbourhood and sunlight! They both say, they’re happy to be in cold Regina.

Venus was very lonely at first in Regina, used to being in a community filled with children to play with all day she now spends most of the day with just mom and her new baby brother. She’s adjusted too though and is a lively, happy, almost 5 year old. Diana says she entertains her classmates. She has the run of our church and isn’t shy about meeting new people and exploring new things. You always know when she likes her food as she hums while eating. Tonny, their baby boy, was born June 25, 2013 and this beautiful child has brought much joy to their family –and to ours.

They have a few dreams. Diana would like to see orphanages in Liberia to give the many children who have no one a better life. Tommy’s dream is to set up an ICT institution in Liberia to help give hope and careers to many young Liberians who have been affected by civil war. Together they hope to bring Tommy’s mother to Canada, to live a better life and to watch over their children so that Diana can work and help make their life here easier.

We don’t always appreciate how protected we are, living in a country free from war, many of us free from hunger. When we have the opportunity to reach out to immigrants, we learn so much from them. Our family has been blessed, that God put us in a place to welcome and help Diana and Tommy in many ways. Mount Olive members have become their family.

(The picture below was taken on the new members Sunday in April 2013)

The Isaiah verse is one of Tommy’s favourites and he’s the one who said: Life in the midst of war and uncertainty … through it all I have learned to trust in Jesus.”

Written by Judy Grande, a member of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Regina Saskatchewan.

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Friday, 11 May 2012

Miss Scarlett

Happy Friday everyone, well this is the little card I was working on yesterday for my niece Scarlett, its a Swalk stamp from Crafters Companion, cute eh? You can probably tell I love this banner stamp from Little Claire Designs, its just perfect for childrens cards as you can spell out their name, age etc. I have coloured them all with promarkers. The dp I've used was free from a magazine, can't remember what one but I love the colours.

I remembered to keep out the promarkers I was using so I could name them at the end, I always have good intentions of listing them but put them all back in the tin while I'm working and then forget which ones I've used lol.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend, I think we are in for a lot of rain tomorrow but seeing as I'll probably be spending most of the day shopping (not the good shopping, food shopping :-( ) it will hardly matter anyway.
Promarkers used are :
Hair ~ Burnt Sienna, Caramel, Sandstone
Skin ~ Dusky Pink, Blush, Satin, Blossom
Dress ~ Cardinal Red, Ruby, Red
Present ~ Olive Green, Pear Green, Bright Green

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Crafty Catz ~ Happy Birthday
Crafters Companion ~ Here comes summer
Little Claire's Designs ~ Doing the rounds (I chose spotty paper and dots of liquid pearls)
Incy Wincy Designs ~ Spots and Dots
Cupcake Crafts ~ Ohh Laa La
Papertake Weekly ~ Cute Cute Cute
Passion for Promarkers ~ Special Birthdays

Hi Donna
A gorgeous card love the image and fabulous colour's ,thankyou for joining us this week at CraftyCatz
Hugs Dianne xx

pinky said...

Adorable card Donna, must get these stamps out again. Love your bunting too. We have sunshine here this morning, hope it lasts!

Brodders said...

Lovely cute card :) Thanks for playing along with the Papertake Weekly challenge this week and good luck - Jane x

Faye said...

How cute?! Loving the bunting! Thanks so much for joining our Ooh La La Challenge at Cupcake this week. xx

Hazel (Didos) said...

Ah Donna this is super, what a great card, that image is so cute, thanks for playing on Papertake Weekly this week, Hazel (Guest DT)

Katina said...

So gorgeous Donna! Love the image and that banner stamp is fab!

The Crafty Den said...

Hi Donna, what a gorgeous card. I love the image and your papers/banners are stunning. Thanks for joining us at cupcake craft challenge. Hugs, Denise x

The Crafty Den said...

Hi Donna, what a gorgeous card. I love the sweet image and your colouring is perfect. Great layout and colour scheme. Thanks for joining in with my challenge over at PFP. Hugs, Denise x


text:
August 8, 2008

Sunreef Yachts introduces the biggest Sunreef yacht and the biggest luxury catamaran in the world to date.
A press release from Sunreef. Thanks Ewa.

26 June 2008,

Gdansk, Poland - With two superyachts, the Sunreef 102 Double Deck and the Sunreef 114, already under construction, Sunreef Yachts announces its latest design, the 150 foot ONE FIFTY by Sunreef coming in response to what the company sees as a continuing demand for the special combination of luxury and performance offered uniquely by a catamaran.

‘‘Over the years we’ve seen an increasing interest in bigger luxury cats and have been expanding our range incrementally to accomodate that,’’ said Nicolas Lapp, Sunreef vice-president, ‘‘The ONE FIFTY is now a quantum leap reflecting our customers enquries.”

Developed by Sunreef’s own in-house design team, the ONE FIFTY design is unique from other yachts in Sunreef fleet not only in size but also in appearance.

The futurist look of the ONE FIFTY as a result of meticulous research of the latest trends and styles in exterior design. Externally, the concept was for a modern, sweeping, sleek topside which blends into the curve of the hulls resulting in flat surfaces that accomodate solar panels as an alternative cheap and green source of energy or are covered by uncut, continously applied teak in keeping with the sleek lines.

The main deck features a spacious covered area spread over two levels spanning the entire beam (over 17 meters) with sloping deck leading up to the giant flybridge and navigation station just aft of the 55 metre carbon-fibre mast. The boom doubles as a crane for the rescue boat or for a large tender to be stowed out of sight, aft of the engine room.

In a break with tradition, the cockpit, which is sheltered by a sunroof, has been moved forward and equipped with sunbeds, a dining table seating twelve as well as comfortable informal seating on cushions and wicker armchairs. Despite the unique location, the cockpit will be accessible from both the flybridge via an open staircase and from salon/staterooms via two doors.

Below decks, twelve guests can be accomodated comfortably in six double staterooms located on the main deck forward and in the starboard hull. Crew quarters for eight are segregated in the opposite hull. A special lift will connect serve the galley on the upper deck and the crew quarters and store rooms below.

A large salon with a lounge bar and the dining room have panoramic views with a decor and layout that emphasises open space and natural light. A large TV screen of up to 80 inches can be mounted for both salon and lounge area. Inside the impressive mast is left exposed as a surprising aesthetic feature in the centre of the space.

To enable the crew to operate the yacht efficiently, access throughout the ONE FIFTY for crew and guests has been carefully both parties separated. Access for guests is aft via large glass doors while the crew enter directly from the hull by a passerelle.

For more information, please contact Ewa Stachurska

PR Sunreef Yachts
+48 601 315 206

No comments:


text:
Friday, May 29, 2009

The things which belong unto thy peace

[This is a re-post from a few days ago at What's Wrong with the World. It was prompted by some of the posts it links from Wesley J. Smith's incredibly important blog, Secondhand Smoke (now at a new location as part of the First Things blog family).]
And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation."

We humans usually don't know what's good for us. Jesus addressed the City of Peace and said that its inhabitants would not know the things that belonged unto their peace.

It is often said by conservatives, and rightly, that ideology is a great danger. The ideologue gets hold of one truth and makes it into the only truth, the only thing that matters. He sacrifices all else to that one thing. That one ideal might be equality, beauty, health, or love, but when one makes second things first, the second things always turn vicious, and horrors follow.

But there is another point, compatible with that point, that must be made too: When second things are made first, they destroy themselves. The ideologue does not even know what is best for the ideal he professes.

Take love, for instance. It's been said times without number that the sexual revolution wasn't really about love. But there were people who thought it was. If you had told them that the revolution they were founding would ultimately destroy love, even romantic love, even sexual love, they would not have listened. They would not have believed. Yet it was true, as numerous broken-hearted, broken-bodied men and women, men and women who have tried sex without honor can attest.

And now, in this our day, health is another god, another second thing made first. In the name of health we harvest the dead, we destroy embryos, our scientists promise us cures of all diseases if only we will dispense with ethical limitations on research. They are wrong, of course, and much of the promise is hype. But beyond that, we are in the process of losing all sense of what actually constitutes health. Doctors are under pressure to cooperate in the destruction of unborn infants as part of their profession. How is that serving health? Suicide on demand, for any reason whatsoever, assisted by doctors, is all the rage. What does that have to do with the medical profession's job of helping people to be healthy? Yet restless people whose relatives have had trouble finding people to cooperate in their suicide would actually like writing suicide prescriptions to be mandatory upon doctors. Bodily mutilation of healthy limbs is being considered as a "treatment." This is not serving bodily health and integrity.

In other words, the utilitarian attempt to elevate health as a good above innocent human life and above all ethical restraints has turned out to be profoundly anti-human and, consequently, is undermining the medical profession and the very notion of health itself.

If human beings knew the things that belong to their peace, then their perception of some good--love, health, beauty--would guide them to do the right thing. But they don't. They never seem to see it coming--the self-destructiveness of topsy-turvy priorities. They never seem to realize that when second things are made first, you end up with nothing, not even the second things.

It is time to ask ourselves what things belong to our peace. If we believe in healthy bodies, love, beauty, and human joy, we cannot serve these things best by treating the human body as mere matter. We will lose it all, and our house will be left unto us desolate.

What I've been up to--new horseback lessons

Just in case you all out there in readerland ever say to yourselves, "I wonder what Lydia McGrew is up to in her personal life lately," the latest fun thing is horseback riding lessons. It's still not absolutely clear that I'm going to be able to keep them up, but it's a case of so far so good. I have some minor back trouble that might have flared up and prevented it, but last week I recovered rapidly from the lesson and this week--we shall see. I feel fine just coming home now. Just a little stiff.

I rode a lot of Western trail riding when I was a kid, but there's nothing really "to" Western trail riding. You sit on your horse, and it follows the horse in front of it. If they trot or gallop, you hold the saddle horn. At age 10, I had a few English riding lessons, a very few, until Mom and Dad couldn't afford them anymore (understandably enough). Then it was just going riding with the church youth group now and then, hardly any riding at all, for years and years. And about twelve or thirteen years ago, I foolishly told an acquaintance that I knew how to ride, was given a horse I couldn't handle, and got myself thrown with the horse falling on top. Nobody hurt badly, not even the horse. But not fun. So after that I concentrated on raising children and not getting killed, and I haven't been back on a horse until last week. We're starting English riding from the very beginning.

I'm very fortunate to be having one-on-one lessons with a really good teacher. Last week we used one of the "school horses" from the farm, until she saw that I'm not scared of the horse or likely to freak out. Jake was very calm, but a little hard-mouthed, and with a fast, choppy trot that I could neither sit nor post. So today we had Hailey (sp?), and that was much nicer. Hailey is a tall Appaloosa and a pleasure to look at and ride. She has that long-legged walk straight down from the shoulder to the ground that always somehow reminds me of a lady in high heels. She has a lovely, smooth trot (as smooth as a trot can be, that is) that Barb, her owner and my teacher, calls a "Western" trot. I can sit it or post it, though I was still holding on to keep my balance while posting by the end of the lesson. I expect to be stiffer tomorrow than I was last week. Posting is a workout for a nerdy, sedentary type like me.

My mom called me a couple of days ago. She's nervous about the riding lessons. Ever since "what happened to Christopher Reeve," she says. Thanks, Mom. I told her I'm in far more danger driving to the lessons on a windey road where all the drivers push you if you're two miles below the speed limit than I am up on the horse. And that's the truth.

Hope to be able to keep it up this summer. Should be lots of fun if so.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Blessed Ascensiontide

Well, golly, I wrote such a great post for Ascension Day last year that I'm strongly inclined just to link to it. It's here.

And here are the wonderful collects. We get two, because Ascension has an octave:

Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that like as we do believe thy only begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have ascended into the heavens; so we may also in heart and mind thither ascend, and with him continually dwell, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

O God, the King of glory, who hast exalted thine only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph unto thy kingdom in heaven; We beseech thee, leave us not comfortless; but send to us thine Holy Ghost to comfort us, and exalt us unto the same place whither our Saviour Christ is gone before, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

For any of you who are Peter Wimsey fans, the first of those (the one actually for Ascension Day) features in my favorite of all favorite Wimsey novels, The Nine Tailors. As you'll recall (if you've read the book), Wimsey first came to the small fen town in the story back in the winter, on a nasty, snowy New Year's Eve, rang a peal with the ringers (because several had fallen sick of the influenza epidemic and Wimsey had turned up providentially to ring bells for nine hours overnight), and left the next day. But just after Easter, a body is discovered unexpectedly, and the rector, Mr. Venables, writes to Wimsey asking him to come and help investigate. So Wimsey is back in the fens in the spring. He is inspired to guess the location of the mysterious emeralds (yes, there are mysterious emeralds) by the rector's sermon on the collect for Ascension Day.

One of the things I like about Ascension as an Anglican feast is that it's the kind of thing a person with a Baptist upbringing and sympathies can be enriched by without changing one whit of doctrine. It's just a set of ideas that simply never occurred to you before: Jesus took our human nature back to the Father's right hand. Jesus reigns with God, so God and man are on the throne together. We sit with Him in heavenly places. He intercedes for us with the Father. If you are familiar with Scripture, all of that comes back. But if you don't have a liturgical background, you usually didn't think of associating it with Jesus' ascension. But that's when that all started. And of course, as Jesus' words to the disciples just before ascending refer to the promise of "the Gift," the Holy Ghost, so the Feast of the Ascension looks forward to next week, Whitsunday, Pentecost.

Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Lemon-roasted chicken

Okay, enough serious stuff. I offered this recipe on Facebook and had several takers, so here it is. Hopefully, the style will be more interesting than that of the ordinary cookbook. If you are not cooking challenged, pleased excuse the unnecessary details. (Recipe modified from one published in Reader's Digest donkey's years ago.)

Get one (dead) chicken, 4-6 lbs., and 2 fresh lemons. Bring them home.

Put the chicken somewhere where it won't matter when all that gross blood runs out all over everything, and cut open the wrap. Take out all the icky stuff in the body cavity--the giblets-in-a-bag and the neck--and throw it away.

Grab one of the fresh lemons and stab it all over with a sharp knife. Put the lemon into the body cavity of the chicken.

Put the lemon-stuffed chicken into some sort of roasting pan big enough to hold it. (Oh, pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.)

Cut the other lemon in half. Squeeze the juice of half of the lemon all over the chicken. (Tip: If the lemon half doesn't want to squeeze, make several small cuts in the edge of the skin around the rim of the lemon half.)

Shake dried basil and dried oregano generously all over the lemon-juiced chicken.

If you feel like being fancy, tuck the wing tips of the chicken under its back. But if you don't know how to do this and don't mind the fact that the wings will pretty much be dried up and inedible if you don't do it, don't bother.

Make sure your oven racks are far enough apart to fit the pan with the chicken in it.

Place the chicken in the pre-heated oven and bake for one and one-fourth to one and three-fourths hours, depending on the size of the chicken. While it cooks, clean up the mess from opening up the chicken, etc., with hot soapy water.

Test the chicken for doneness using an instant thermometer stuck into the thick meat of the chicken somewhere (like on the breast). It should read 180 degrees. Or saw off a leg right at the thigh and see if it looks completely cooked and white with clear juices, not pink at all.

Serving suggestion--Serve with Uncle Ben's long grain and wild rice.

Oh, cut up the other lemon half into slices for people to squeeze over their chicken meat and rice.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Finding leads to losing

About thirty years ago in Chicago I went to a live concert by Ken Medema, a blind Christian pianist and singer. Ken was in rare form that night, and it hardly mattered that we were crowded into an auxiliary room watching on closed-circuit TV. He did the inimitable "Moses" and I think one or two others of his classics, but for the most part his concert was one long ad lib on the life and miracles of Jesus. In the course of it he kept coming back to this little chorus with doggerel rhyme, that I now half suspect he made up on the spot:

Finding leads to losing;
Losing lets you find.
Living leads to dying;
Life leaves death behind.
Losing leads to finding;
All that I can say.
No one will find life another way.

I lost count of the number of times he went back and sang that in the course of the evening. It is, of course, a paraphrase of the words of Christ: "He that saveth his life shall lose it, but he that loseth his life for my sake and the Gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

The tune has stayed with me all these years, and I can almost hear the guys from the youth group--not a very reverent lot, truth be told--singing it over and over again in the van on the way home.

And somehow, today, I had it going through my head in an entirely different context, a context which may be quite unrelated. (The temptation to blog sometimes has a negative effect on one's logical faculties.) But here is what I thought: The Internet has made it possible for me and for many others to find many friends that we would not otherwise have found--likeminded people, men of integrity whom we respect. Ideological loneliness is a real thing. We Christian conservatives, especially those of us who are traditionally minded, are not in a majority in our country or our world, and so we naturally reach out to allies and new friends, and the Internet has proven a great resource for this purpose. But that finding of friends also means that there are that many more opportunities to lose touch with people. It needn't be a matter of a falling out at all. Someone retires from blogging; a given blog closes down; people become understandably and rightly busy with real life. But just as it is a sad thing to lose touch with an old friend one has known in high school, college, graduate school, in person, it is also a sad thing to contemplate possibly losing touch with a person one has known only on the Internet.

So finding leads to losing. But in the end, whatever happens in cyberspace or physical space, we are not bound to the circles of the world. And in heaven, I think that even those we have never seen, whom we would not now recognize if we passed them on the street or in the store, we will recognize.

So losing leads to finding after all.

Zippy Catholic: Pax

Saturday, May 09, 2009

Songs to Die for (and oldies): Amy Grant

I fear that only a small segment of my already-small readership will appreciate this post, but that's as may be. I am self-consciously dating myself here. This first song came out originally, I learn from Youtube, on the album Age to Age in 1982. That was the year I graduated (young) from high school. Amy Grant was considered rather radical in my fundamentalist crowd, a fact Eldest Daughter thinks is absolutely hilarious now. Yet we all listened to her. I have recently learned that she is only five years older than I am and am shocked to think how very young she was in 1982. Anyway, out of the blue today I found myself singing "In a little while we'll be with the Father," and I came home and introduced it to Eldest Daughter, who has found some of Grant's music already through the Internet. Favorite line: "We're just here to learn to love Him. We'll be home in just a little while."

In A Little While - Amy Grant

And then there's "Straight Ahead":

Straight Ahead - Amy Grant - Straight Ahead

Friday, May 08, 2009

The value of gun-ownership

More self-defense stuff: Kudos to the (for some reason) unnamed college student in Georgia who saved himself and his fellow students from murder and the females among them from rape by two armed intruders. The student pulled a gun out of his backpack, shot at one bad guy (driving him out of the apartment), ran into the room where the other bad guy was with the women, and shot him. One girl was shot accidentally but is expected to recover completely. And if I were she, I'd be thanking my defender 'til the day I died.

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

New issue of The Christendom Review now on-line

A new issue of a relatively new journal called The Christendom Review is now on-line. Bill Luse and I both have articles in it about Terri Schiavo, and those of my readers who are interested in legal issues will, I hope, be especially interested in my examination of the legal issues surrounding Terri's murder. I haven't had a chance myself to read many of the other pieces, but I already knew about the visual art of Timothy Jones and am pleased to see some of it highlighted in this issue. I especially like Bleu Cheese and Beer. (One thing I don't quite understand is where the section of Timothy Jones's page went that used to show his whole gallery, including paintings already sold. Some of them were very lovely, and it was great to be able to see them all.)

Anyway, check out the new Christendom Review, and hearty and insufficient thanks to Todd McKimmey for all the work he does and the space he provides to make each issue possible.

Update: Ah, here it is: Timothy Jones Fine Art (I was forgetting to try .net as well as .com) He should have this link front and center on all his other pages. I especially like Strawberries & Cream.

Saturday, May 02, 2009

Don't let this be you

I'm going to touch on a touchy subject--the subject of race.

Larry Auster links and discusses a horrifying recent story of a young mother, out shopping with her baby, who was kidnapped at gunpoint and raped. She did not take precautions against her attacker because she "didn't want to seem racist." Ponder that. Anti-racism is now a religion, and people think that they must risk suffering and death for it. This woman could easily have been killed. As it was, she was "only" kidnapped and raped and lived to identify her evil attacker.

Don't let this be you or one of your beloved female relatives or friends. Whatever you may think of the religion of anti-racism, don't be a martyr to it. This woman saw a black man loitering in the parking lot of (of all places) Babies "R" Us, wearing a tattered coat. She felt uneasy and suspicious about him, but she simply walked to her car as usual, past him, because she "didn't want to seem racist." He came up behind her with a gun and threatened to kill her baby if she didn't drive away with him to wherever he directed her.

What else could she have done besides stifling her misgivings and going to the car? She could have gone back into the store and shopped more, checking from time to time to see if the suspicious man was still in the parking lot. She could have used the cell phone that almost everyone has to call her husband or a friend and ask to be met at the store. Best of all, she could have gone back into the store, told the manager about a loiterer who made her feel uneasy, and requested a male escort to her car. She could have done many things. But instead, she walked straight into the trap. And this is by no means the only incident of this kind that has occurred.

Use your brains, your knowledge, and your instincts. Don't stifle them as wrongthought. Better safe than sorry.


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Sunday, May 05, 2013

National Scrapbook Day Pages

Here is my first page for National Scrapbook Day:

For Scrapbook Generation, this is the first challenge - make one or more special stars. I cut equilateral stars on my Cameo and then popped them up to give them lots of dimension so they kind of looked "super hero-y". The title and the "C" are also Cameo cuts.

Catherine said...

I love all the cuts you've done here!

Tasha said...

Very cute! I love the 3D stars, so cute for a super hero page!


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Song Lyrics From Around The World

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I WON'T SEND ROSES From "Mack & Mabel" (Jerry Herman) Recorded by: The Cliff Adams Singers; Michael Allen; Gene DiNovi; Michael Feinstein; Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles; Robert Goulet; Kevin Grunill; Jerry Herman; Howard Keel; Marin Mazzie; Rita Moreno; Robert Preston; Dennis Quilley; Ron Raines; Leslie Uggams; Spike Wilner. [Mack} I won't send roses Or hold the door I won't remember Which dress you wore My heart is too much in control The lack of romance in my soul Will turn you grey, kid So stay away, kid Forget my shoulder When you're in need Forgetting birthdays Is guaranteed And should I love you, you would be The last to know I won't send roses And roses suit you so My pace is frantic My temper's cross With words romantic I'm at a loss I'd be the first one to agree That I'm preoccupied with me And it's inbred, kid So keep your head, kid In me you'll find things Like guts and nerve But not the kind of things That you deserve And so while there's a fighting chance Just turn and go I won't send roses And roses suit you so

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Mo Farah: How Alberto Salazar coached him to gold

Galen Rupp (l), Alberto Salazar (c) and Mo Farah

US Super Coaches

BBC Radio 5 live
Tuesday 18 December
Start time:
19:30 GMT

There was a distinct moment when Alberto Salazar knew Mo Farah was ready for his tilt at Olympic glory.

Coach and athlete were together at a high-altitude training camp organised by UK Athletics in Font Romeu in the Pyrenees. They had travelled from their base in Beaverton, Oregon, where the foundations for their part in "Super Saturday" had been laid.

Farah was rooming with his training partner, American Galen Rupp. It was time for their final workout before the 10,000m final in London but they had a more pressing issue on their minds, as Salazar recalls.

"They were playing Fifa on PlayStation and the other guys were yelling that it was time to go to the track," he said. "They'd say, 'just one more game, just one more game'.

Media playback is not supported on this device

Farah powers to Olympic gold

"Here they are, about to run their last major workout before the Olympic 10,000m final and they're more worried about a Fifa game. Each won one game that morning.

"And I thought, 'Wow, this is great. These guys are so loose they're not even worried about the workout. They know they're going to hit it.' And that's when I knew these guys are ready."

The athletes' confidence was part personality, part security in the knowledge that their preparations had been devised by one of the world's great coaches. It was a similar conviction that propelled Greg Rutherford on the long jump runway for one of the most memorable nights in British sporting history.

In a special programme for BBC Radio 5 live, built around interviews recorded at their training bases in the United States, Salazar and Dan Pfaff - Rutherford's coach - revealed what they believe to be the templates for success in track and field. They made the changes which can justifiably be regarded as the difference between gold and near-miss.

Salazar points to the blistering last-lap surges that have brought Farah three golds and a silver medal in the last four global championship finals over 5,000m and 10,000m.

"When Mo first came to the US, he was very weak muscularly, with a lot of muscle imbalances," says Salazar. "The improvement in that area is the number one reason for Mo's kick [at the end of his races].

"Now, instead of flailing with his arms and a lot of excessive bobbing movement with his head, losing upper body posture at the end of races, he's so much stronger that he's able to finish very strongly."

Pfaff is equally trenchant in his belief that attention to biomechanics underpins every success. "There are certain principles that if you violate, you're going to be less efficient and more open to injuries," he says. "To me, it's the foundation of coaching in any sport, and I coach in a lot of sports and consult all over the world."

Rutherford, according to Pfaff, has much in common with the Canadian Donovan Bailey, whom Pfaff coached to 100m glory at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. "They're both injury-prone and great risk takers, not afraid to gamble," Pfaff said.

Rutherford did just that in the build-up to London 2012, altering his technique on the runway to a model based on the successes of Carl Lewis, who won four Olympic gold medals in the long jump.

It was a move designed, in part, to reduce the number of injuries. "Sometimes, circumstances paint you into solutions and this is a case where it truly did," said Pfaff.

Whatever the biomechanics, injuries will happen and the type of treatment administered can transform an athlete's prospects. Pfaff fails to understand any reluctance to rely on science.

"There's this feeling out there that we don't want athletes dependent on medical care or therapy," he said. "Well, in Formula 1, they bring the car into the pits and check things over. I think these guys are Formula 1 cars and that's what you're going to have to do."

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Greg Rutherford becomes the first British man to claim long jump gold since Lynn 'the leap' Davies in 1964

A coach in any sport is dependent on the talent, the raw material, crossing his path. As Salazar readily points out: "Nobody makes a great athlete. That great athlete was there; you get the athlete to bring it out of themselves.

"No matter how good a coach is, he or she cannot take an average athlete and turn them into one of the best in the world. Michelangelo once said that when he creates a sculpture, he just really frees the sculpture from the block of marble that's there.

"And as coaches, that's what we do too."

Mike Costello was speaking to Alberto Salazar and Dan Pfaff for a special edition of 5 live Track and Field. "Super Coaches", an insight into the men behind Britain's athletics gold medallists at London 2012, that will be broadcast on Tuesday, 18 December at 19:30 GMT on BBC Radio 5 live. Toni Minichiello, who led Jessica Ennis to Olympic heptathlon gold, will be live in the studio.


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Bernie Ecclestone: Ferrari president criticises F1 boss

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo and F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone

Ferrari president Luca Di Montezemolo has heavily criticised Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone in the wake of the Brazilian Grand Prix controversy.

Last week, Ecclestone, 82, called Ferrari's request for clarification on whether world champion Sebastian Vettel had overtaken illegally "a joke".

Di Montezemolo, 65, said: "We must respect the elderly, especially when they can no longer control their words.

"Seniority is often incompatible with certain roles and responsibilities."

Ecclestone told BBC Sport: "The one thing he is correct about is my age - there is no doubt about that.

"I can't do anything about that. I'm 82 years old and that's how it is."

In reference to Di Montezemolo's recent attempts to become involved in Italian politics, he added: "I suppose it's the same sort of thing that's happened to him recently in politics, where people have been quite rude about him.

"He says he doesn't remember what he says very often. Luca is not as old as me. I'm sure in his case it is nothing to do with his age because he's always been the same. At least he's consistent. God knows what's going to happen when he's 82.

"No, Luca is a lovely guy, I'm probably as a big a supporter of him as anybody. I am a big admirer of Luca's and I'm sorry for all the trouble he's had with politics recently. He should never have got involved in the first place."

Di Montezemolo said Ferrari's request for clarity on Vettel's overtaking manoeuvre was the "most simple, correct and straightforward" solution to the controversy that was brewing over the incident.

He added that Ferrari had "made it clear that we would accept their decision and that's what we did".

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Formula 1: New footage shows green flag during Vettel overtake

Videos on the internet appeared to show Vettel passing Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne when still in a no-overtaking zone.

Governing body the FIA responded to Ferrari's request for an explanation by saying Vettel did not start his move until he had passed a green flag, indicating the end of the caution zone. The flag was not easily visible on the in-car footage of the incident.

Ecclestone said he felt it would have been better if Ferrari had raised the matter "behind closed doors", and added that he believed they had acted in response to a request from Alonso.

"I think there was so much pressure from probably the driver," Ecclestone said. "You must remember he's been saying nearly every race this year the car is rubbish and it's a bit difficult for them not to look as if they're trying to do something to help him."

Di Montezemolo's remarks are likely to cause tension ahead of the Annual General Assembly of the FIA this week in Istanbul, where Ecclestone and Ferrari will be among the parties discussing future F1 rules.

The Ferrari president also chose to re-state his opposition to the status quo in F1, particularly the primacy aerodynamics has taken in determining success because of restrictions on development of other parts of the car, such as engines, gearboxes and control systems, and the lack of on-track testing.

Testing on track during the season has been banned for the last three years to keep costs down - teams can now only test with their regular drivers at three official pre-season tests, each lasting four days.

In addition, each team is allowed one three-day 'young driver' test during the season.

All teams accept that this regime has restricted their ability to evaluate the next generation of F1 drivers. But Ferrari are particularly opposed to such stringent limits because their simulation technology is less advanced than that of other teams.

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Sebastian Vettel wins F1 title - Brazilian GP highlights

Ferrari are the only team with their own test track so during the late 1990s and early 2000s they did not invest as heavily in simulation technology as their rivals. That meant that when on-track testing was banned, Ferrari were disproportionately affected.

"We've been saying this for a while and we will repeat it in the appropriate places so for the moment I don't want to add anything else," Di Montezemolo said.

"But our patience has run out so someone needs to think about whether they want Formula 1 still to have companies that invest and consider it the most advanced research bench for its own cars - as Ferrari has always done since 1950.

"We are constructors, not sponsors. Since some people have used the expression 'It's a joke' in recent days, I would like to say that this is the real 'joke'. Yes, I'm referring to one of Ecclestone's phrases."

Ecclestone said: "I don't know what he thinks we could do with an F1 car that could assist his road cars more than it does currently, they take a lot of F1 and put it on their road cars. Their road cars are very technical and they do use a lot.

"The (F1) rules are there for everyone to use in the best way they can. They're the same for everyone."

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Weeks gets first breather in opener with Bucs

Weeks gets first breather in opener with Bucs

PITTSBURGH -- Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks was not in the lineup for the first time on Monday. In his stead, Yuniesky Betancourt started at second base, while Blake Lalli got the nod at first.

Weeks struck out as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning of a 5-1 win over the Pirates in the series opener.

"We're trying to figure out whether we needed to give [Weeks] a day," manager Ron Roenicke said. "It got to the point where we felt like we needed to try something a little different. We'll see, hopefully a day off will help him. We need him to swing, we need him in our lineup. I don't think it will be two days, but it will be a day, and then we'll see how it goes after that."

Weeks is batting .100 (1-for-10) on the current road trip.

"He's not going to like it," Roenicke said. "I already mentioned to him to make sure he is going to be ready when I need him for a pinch-hitter. He told me before that: 'When you want me off, tell me I'm off. If you ask me whether I want a day off, I'm never going to tell you I need it.' So I don't ask him. I thought it was a good day today and so I told him he was off."

George Von Benko is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Macedonia Baptist Parsonage

16464 Highway 585 Oak GroveLA71263

Open Map

MacEdonia Baptist Parsonage can be found at Highway 585 16464. The following is offered: Churches. The entry is present with us since Sep 7, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 12, 2013. In Oak Grove there are 12 other Churches. An overview can be found here.
by opendius on July 04, 2015 from opendius


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Lyle Spencer

After historic feat, Hill looks to recycle success in '13

After historic feat, Hill looks to recycle success in '13

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Babe Ruth never did it. Neither Willie Mays nor Henry Aaron got it done. Barry Bonds didn't do it; neither did his dad, Bobby. Neither Ken Griffey Jr. nor Ken Sr. did it. Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout are looking to make the first one happen.

Aaron Hill did it twice last season. In the space of 11 days.

Hitting for the cycle -- single, double, triple, homer -- is a rare, remarkable achievement.

"Wow," Hill said, his eyes reflecting amazement. "When you hear names like that ... it makes you realize how special it is. I haven't really reflected much on it. I don't even know how to respond when I'm asked about it."

Hill, Arizona's vastly underrated second baseman, broke through at home, at Chase Field, on June 18 in Interleague Play against the Mariners: single, triple and double against Hector Noesi, homer off Shawn Kelley.

On June 29 in Milwaukee, Hill doubled, singled and homered at the expense of Randy Wolf before completing the cycle with a triple off Livan Hernandez.

"What I remember from the first one," Hill said, "was kind of laughing at myself as I went up to hit needing the home run. I'd been in a situation earlier in the year where I just got too excited when I needed a double for a cycle. It actually happened four times, maybe five, where I needed one hit to do it.

"So I was telling myself, 'You're having a great game; just relax and look for something up.' [Kelley] got a changeup up, and I got it in the air to left center with good carry. Great feeling."

D-backs teammate Jason Kubel, who achieved a memorable cycle for the Twins in 2009 with a game-winning grand slam against the Angels, sensed Hill was destined to get it done.

"He needed the home run," Kubel said, "and I remembered thinking, he's going to do it. Hitting for a cycle is awesome."

Repeating the act 11 days later is doubly awesome.

"On the second one, in Milwaukee, I needed a triple to finish it," Hill said. "I tried to get out front and I hit it good to right-center. I thought [Nyjer] Morgan was going to run it down, but it fell, and I made it to third."

Mission incredible accomplished.

Hill was surprised to learn that one more cycle will tie him with Babe Herman (1930s) and Bob Meusel (1920s) for the all-time lead.

"As long as I can make it to third," Hill said, grinning, "I have a shot at another one."

Herman, in 1931 with the Brooklyn Robins, is the only other player with two in one season. Ten Hall of Famers, including Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and George Brett, had a pair of cycles.

The Rangers' Adrian Beltre is the only other active player with two cycles. Eric Chavez, signed by the D-backs after reviving his career (16 homers, .496 slugging) last year for the Yankees, owns a cycle from the 2000 season with the A's.

Hill hit for cycles at Redwood High School in his hometown of Visalia, Calif., and at Louisiana State University before becoming a first-round pick (No. 13 overall) by Toronto in 2003.

His brilliant 2012 season fell under the national radar as the defending National League West champion D-backs landed in third place with a .500 record, behind the World Series champion Giants and Dodgers.

"You like to do everything you can for your team," Hill said. "So it's hard to focus on individual stuff when your team doesn't have a good season.

"I'm really enthused about the talent we have this season. With Adam [Eaton] and [Martin] Prado setting up at the top, we have six guys who can be in any of the other spots. Eaton can fly, and Prado is one of the best two-hole hitters in the game. It's a very underrated lineup."

With his ability to flourish anywhere in the order, Hill gives D-backs manager Kirk Gibson flexibility.

The Yankees' Robinson Cano wasn't the only second baseman to finish sixth in his league in OPS (on-base plus slugging). Hill was sixth in the NL at .882, behind noted mashers Ryan Braun, Buster Posey, Andrew McCutchen, Aramis Ramirez and David Wright.

In his age-30 season, Hill hit a career-high .302 with 44 doubles, six triples, 26 homers, 93 runs scored, 85 RBIs and 14 steals in 19 attempts. His on-base and slugging percentages of .360 and .522, respectively, also were career bests.

His 2012 Silver Slugger Award matched the one Hill earned in a 2009 breakout season when he homered 36 times in Toronto. He credits former Blue Jays hitting instructor Mickey Brantley with unlocking his power.

"I'd never hit a lot of homers, but when Mickey Brantley showed me how to load my hands, I was able to generate more power," Hill said. "I still considered myself a gap hitter, but now I was able to turn them into homers."

Hill's cycles were no flukes in the view of Brewers manager Ron Roenicke.

"I saw this guy in Toronto, and he's really good," Roenicke said. "I was surprised when, in his last year in Toronto, he had a down year. I was surprised because when I saw him, he could really hit. He never missed a fastball. He's really quick inside. And now he's also staying back well enough [to] where he's also hitting off-speed pitches. But it doesn't surprise me -- this is a really good hitter."

Lyle Spencer is a reporter for This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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01/18/2014 10:45 am ET | Updated Jan 25, 2014

Aaron Paul On Sundance's 'Hellion,' 'The Price Is Right,' And Leaving Jesse Pinkman Behind

Amanda Edwards via Getty Images

Not counting last Sunday's Golden Globe Awards, the last time we saw Aaron Paul he drove off into who knows where as Jesse Pinkman on the last episode of "Breaking Bad." Now, for Paul, comes the difficult part: still embracing the character that made him famous, but moving on as an actor to something different.

"Hellion" -- which premiered here at the Sundance Film Festival on Friday afternoon -- is certainly different for those who know Paul best as Pinkman. Paul plays Hollis, a widower alcoholic who loves his two young sons, but doesn't have the wherewithal or time to monitor their every move. That leads his oldest son, Jacob (Josh Wiggins), into many run-ins with the law -- which threatens to tear what's left of this family apart.

When you meet Aaron Paul in person, he's pretty much exactly what you'd hope him to be: very enthusiastic and very blunt, but still in a charming, boyish way. We met off Park City's Main Street to discuss life after Jesse Pinkman -- Paul has a plethora of upcoming projects -- and his now-famous appearance on "The Price is Right."

I was just looking at your IMDb page and realized you were on both "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Melrose Place," and you played different characters.
Yeah, you know, that was when my career, I thought, was taking off. And then I didn't work for like six months. But, yeah, the original "90210."

It's a classic.
It is a classic. Luke Perry directed my episode!

I didn't realize that.

"Hellion" is not false advertising. Jacob is a hellion.
Yes! He is absolutely a hellion. Quite the opposite as just a day-to-day person -- Josh is incredible.

Hollis has had a tough time. It probably doesn't help that he wears that Astros hat and that's such a sad team to root for right now.
I know ...

It just adds to his woes.
[Laughs] But, you know, he's a diehard fan. He believes in them.

You don't jump off the bandwagon.
You've got to believe in your team, man! Through the highs and lows!

It was nice watching you play someone who is so different than Jesse Pinkman. Was that important to you?
Absolutely. For me, it's always about doing something that I've never done before. And that's just exciting to me. You know, mix it up. I've always considered myself a character actor.

Yeah, I think so. I would hope so.

You just played one of the most popular characters in television history.
But that was a character, though!

So you could say that about any actor.
Right. Absolutely. But there are actors who play the same role in every single thing. Do you know what I mean?

Okay, I see what you're saying.
They play the same tone in everything. I don't talk like Jesse Pinkman.

You tweet like him.
During the show, yeah. I absolutely embodied Jesse Pinkman. You know, I'm just giving what the fans want, man! But yeah, they like it. They love it whenever I say "bitch."

You said it during a Golden Globes speech.

Did you know that was coming?
Vince Gilligan said, "Listen, I really don't see this happening, but, if it does end up going our way, I'll say something and I'll just send it to you and have you just end it." So, I had a feeling -- I knew what he was asking me to do.

It seemed like a crowd-pleaser.
"Yeah, bitch!" So, yeah, that's that.

Hollis seems like an older guy that we're used to seeing you play. Was that intentional?
He's just lived a different life. And Jesse definitely went through his struggles, but Hollis is going through his own set of struggles ... he's different. He's not Jesse Pinkman.

Post-"Breaking Bad," are you happy with the roles you're being offered? A nice swath of different things?
Yeah, it's great.

But with a character as popular as Jesse, there's always a danger people would want you to keep doing that.
That's why I just say no -- and I do things like "Hellion."

Have you gotten offers that are too similar?
Yeah. A lot of people want me to play -- I mean, great scripts! -- but people that are dealing with drug problems or that sort of thing. It's just kind of like the obvious choice. But, I'm just, for right now -- I'm not saying I'm never going to go down that path 10, 15, 30 years from now -- but I'm saying right now, for me, it would just be idiotic for me to jump onto another Jesse Pinkman-esque type role. And so that's why I try and do something different like "Hellion" or like "Exodus"...

Directed by Ridley Scott...
Ridley Scott, yeah. And it's biblical, so that's a little different than Jesse as well.

I assume "Need For Speed" is not biblical.
"Need For Speed" is not biblical, no. But "Need for Speed" is not Jesse Pinkman, either.

What should we expect from that character?
Well, Tobey Marshall is a guy who runs an auto body shop. He is obsessed with racing -- he lives and breaths it. It's in his blood. His father started this auto body shop -- and his father dies and now he's left with trying to keep his business afloat. He's got his shit together -- not a drug addict. He doesn't do meth; he doesn't kill people. Different.

When you were on "The Price is Right," did you have any idea you were going to be called down to contestants' row?

So it's a complete surprise?
Yeah, yeah. But it's not like they're pulling a name out of a hat at random.

They want someone who is going to be excited.
Yeah, they bring in 10 people at a time and you kind of do an interview process. And that's that. They want people that are excited. And I went there -- you saw -- in a crazy outfit...

We've all seen now.
I was wearing a crazy outfit and I drank a bunch of Red Bull. I had the most energy of any human being! And they called my name and I think the combination of them calling my name and the combination of the six cans of Red Bull -- I was just teetering on the line of having a heart attack. But, yeah, it was great.

Were you surprised when that video became an Internet sensation?
No, I was not surprised it became an Internet sensation. That video is crazy. I was surprised that it took that long to surface. Jay Leno -- [sarcastically] bless him -- he's the one that made that happen. When I was a guest on his show, he brought up that video.

Mike Ryan is senior writer for Huffington Post Entertainment. You can contact him directly on Twitter.


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Cut The Rope

Play Cut The Rope mobile friendly online games. Your monster friend is hungry and wants to eat candies. You must apply your brain and deliver him the candies. Physics based logics will help you to decide how to cut the rope. Win gold points and make your friend happy. He is already waiting for you. Do not forget to greet him with a smile!

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