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Milestones: ISUOG’s role is to become the bridge in education

(Image courtesy of ISUOG Outreach – Somaliland)

Paulina Stachnik is ISUOG’s Events and Education Assistant. Passionate about delivering high quality educational resources, she has worked as a teacher on three continents and completed her MSc in International Development in 2014 at the University of Edinburgh. She believes that comprehensive education and skills building are the key to long-term and sustainable growth around the world. As a result, she’s chosen to share how her passion and education mix in with ISUOG’s overall mission.

Milestones are a unique occasion for pause and reflection. While ISUOG has done little in terms of slowing down, with a growing list of 13,300 members, 25 years marks a significant chapter in the journey of an organization with humble origins and mindful values: quality, innovation, leadership, and learning.

Milestones are also an opportunity to come full circle and to gauge our progress, not only by how far we have come from the starting line, but also by how true we have remained to the ideas that have sparked ISUOG’s conception. As new initiatives continue to take form, ISUOG remains mindful of the most valuable—and renewable—resource it offers: education.

Picture this: one doctor in Ghana region attends a course on prenatal genetics via live streaming. She shares the knowledge with ten colleagues at her hospital; each doctor scans fifteen women every day—two spot an anomaly they would have otherwise not known about.

One Chinese trainee’s newly acquired knowledge of a Doppler technique shifts the direction of a fetus’ development, significantly increasing the chance of the recommended treatment’s success.

A case study presented by a young Turkish researcher starts a conversation between two doctors who come to a conclusion about an unresolved diagnosis.

ISUOG’s role is to become that bridge—for sharing knowledge, progressing research, encouraging discussion, redefining expertise—and after a quarter of a century, that bridge links a community of medical professionals in 126 countries. Momentum continues to build—ISUOG’s online CME platform makes learning a click away, as easily accessed from a suburb of Doha as a home office in London; translated guidelines make critical information clearly understood in native tongues; over 730 scientific abstracts for the 2015 World Congress in Montreal arrived from every continent.

Soon, it’ll be time for a birthday cake and birthday wishes. Though 25 candles may not be needed, as ISUOG’s ultimate goal of making comprehensive education and training for all professionals, anywhere in the world, is becoming a reality.

And we’re just getting started.

One response to “Milestones: ISUOG’s role is to become the bridge in education

  1. outstanding and passionate work! easily one of the best societies in terms of education, sharing, reaching out, tapping the talent ,forefront not only in eduction and research but technology

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45/365 The Vision

When I arrived at my desk this morning, I saw a solitary rose on my table. It was a sweet Valentine surprise from my friend for three of us girls in the team. Her thoughtfulness is much appreciated.

I buckled down to work to finish the pending tasks on my plate. There was also a training I had to give to make up for yesterday’s scheduled training which I totally forgot about until I was about to go home. I’m so thankful that most of the tasks were something I enjoy doing, except for scanning the forms, having them routed, and got one returned which threatened to raise my blood pressure.

There was the second DIVE (Deeper Insights for Victorious Existence) bible study session scheduled at 6pm which meant I had to leave the office at exactly 5:30pm. The long wait for the elevator caused a lot of precious minutes of delay, even if I took a round trip.

Then came the time for the talk on Healthy Money at Makati Feast Legaspi. I was battered and bruised by the talk on financial wellness. I felt so helpless and useless, with the state of my finances which was a total mess, buried under debt. Walking out from the talk was not an option, since it would signify hopelessness and defeat. At the point when I was almost losing all sensation, and the words were drifting over to my ears as if from far away, the talk gave way to worship.

Bro. Jan Silan led the worship. As he began, he stated he was going to pray for God to fill to overflowing our financial needs, and resolve our monetary worries. So I tried to surrender everything to the hands of the Lord. Intent on worshiping Him, I kept my eyes closed most of the time. That was when I saw the vision.

I was not even really conscious I had my eyes closed, I had a fleeting vision of the large room we were in, as if everything inside was made of gold. Whatever the Lord wanted to tell me, I cannot interpret. I just feel the vision is an assurance that my money woes would be nothing compared to the Lord’s glory that will manifest in my and everyone’s life. That is what I am certain of.

Thank you, Lord, for lifting my burden of worry. May I use Your gifts for Your greater glory. Guide me, Lord. Increase my patience and humility, so I can wait with joyful hope for the time when my prayers will be answered.

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How to Adjust Rear Brake Shoes

by KevinM

Although the inner workings of a drum brake look complicated, the operating principle is actually simple. When the driver pushes on the brake pedal, a hydraulic cylinder in the brake pushes two semi-circular brake shoes outward until they touch the inner surface of a drum that is attached to the rotating wheel, and the friction slows the vehicle. When the driver releases the brake pedal, the brake piston retracts and a number of springs pull the brake shoes away from the drum. Optimal operation of a drum brake requires that the brake shoes be located as close to the drum as possible without actually touching it when the brakes are not being used. Proper adjustment of the brake shoe position can help to improve drum brake performance.

Park the vehicle on a firm, level surface. Block the front wheels to prevent accidental rolling. Put the automatic transmission in park or manual transmission in first or reverse gear as applicable. Do not set the emergency brake. Loosen the lug nuts on the wheel to be serviced about one full turn and then jack up the vehicle. Support the vehicle securely on a jack stand and complete the removal of the wheel.

Look for the brake shoe adjustment port. This will be a slot or a hole about 1/4- to 1/2-inch in diameter in the the back of the backing plate or sometimes on the front of the brake drum. The port is usually located lower down on the backing plate or drum, and it normally has a rubber cover to keep dirt and moisture out of the drum. Remove the cover from any ports you find and look inside, using the flashlight. You should see the brake self-adjuster mechanism, which is a long cylinder (like a small pipe or tube) with a gear around the outside, and a spring-operated lever that engages in the gear teeth. Note that if the port is on the backing plate it will be aligned with the self-adjuster, and if it is on the drum you will have to rotate the drum until the port and self-adjuster are aligned.

Rotate the brake drum with your hand and check for resistance. If the brake shoes are dragging on the drum you will feel resistance, and you will feel, and perhaps hear, the rubbing. Reach in through the adjustment port with a small screwdriver or pick and rotate the self-adjuster wheel to move the brake shoes in or out as desired. Repeat the rotation of the drum to assess the effect of your adjustment. You should move the shoes out until they just begin to contact the drum and then back the self-adjuster off about three or four clicks. On some brakes you will have to use two screwdrivers to perform the adjustment; one to lift the adjuster lever and the other to rotate the self-adjuster wheel.

Replace the wheel and lower the car. Repeat the operation to the brake on the other side.

Items you will need

About the Author

This article was written by the It Still Runs team, copy edited and fact checked through a multi-point auditing system, in efforts to ensure our readers only receive the best information. To submit your questions or ideas, or to simply learn more about It Still Runs, contact us.

Photo Credits

  • photo_camera Car Brake image by Joelyn Pullano from


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GIVEAWAY! Quiltmaker’s 100 Block Blog Tour Day 4

I am featured

Hello! Welcome to my blog if this is your first visit. And of course, welcome again, if you are back for another visit! I always enjoy your visit. Please leave me a comment (with either your email or blog address) so that I can visit you back! The following is an animated cover for you to view all 100 blocks —

100-blocks_300w390hI am honored that my “Colonial Hospitality” quilt block (#52) is one of the blocks featured in The Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks from Today’s Top Designers. This special issue will be released on the newsstands on November 17,2009. So be sure to get your copy as there really are a lot of fabulous blocks!

Giveaway 1 :

Meanwhile, you do have a chance to win this special issue for free in a giveaway sponsored by Quiltmaker. Just leave a comment on this post between now and 7pm CST on Thursday night, and you will be entered in the giveaway. Please make sure you leave your email address. The winner will be announced on Friday morning (11/13/2009). Do go over to Quiltmaker’s blog for a chance to win original blocks made by the very hands of the designers, and other great bundles of goodies!

Giveaway 2:

Now, I am also giving away a copy of the 100 Blocks plus some of my patterns and a couple of other things. You may leave a comment on this very post between now and November 19, 2009. A winner will be picked on the night of the 19th, and the winner will be announced the following day.

Here is a bit of behind-the-scenes about my “Colonial Hospitality” block – you may skip this part if you just can’t wait to enter the giveaways! ;)

When I was contacted by Quiltmaker earlier this year about contributing an original quilt block, I knew from the get-go I was going to do a pineapple block. Here are some fascinating historical facts about the pineapple in the Colonial days:

1. Pineapples were symbolic of tasteful entertaining, normally used in lavish fruit centerpiece displays.

2. Pineapples were symbolic of Christianity in the late 1600’s because each pineapple has to give up its life to produce the fruit. Christopher Wren began using pineapples as ornamental accents for churches. Later pineapples were often used to adorn homes and buildings.

Lord Dunmore's Pineapple House

3. Pineapples were symbolic of hospitality. Sea captains that returned from the West Indies would place pineapples at the doors of their homes as a sign of welcome to those who wished to call.

I am working on a pineapple quilt — stay tuned for progress pictures!

Thank you again for stopping by! I wish you a very good day.

118 thoughts on “GIVEAWAY! Quiltmaker’s 100 Block Blog Tour Day 4

  1. Never been a fan of the pineapple blocks till I learned some of the history behind the use of the pineapple. Now I am fasinated by all the differnt styles used. I enjoyed yours. Thanks.

  2. I love your quilt block almost as much as I love eating pineapples! ;~P I especially love them grilled with brown sugar!! And I would really love to win your giveaway! Thanks, too, for the info about pineapples in Colonial Days!

  3. Love your pineapple block. That pineapple on the house is really neat. I can’t imagine building that. I am really excited about seeing your pineapple quilt, I know it will be fantastic. I am going to check the stores next week for the magazine.

  4. Okay, you twisted my fingers to enter to this giveaways so here I am entering it and wish to win this magazine so I can read all about you in it…!!! Congratulations – Hugs Natima

  5. What a beautiful Block& it was very hard to pick one pattern from 2009–so I went with holiday since we are so close–but I love all the others and I quite frequently go for the floral fabrics myself. Hoping to make some of your creations for myself

  6. I love, love, love your block. I live in the south and pineapples really are an important symbol to us! I do plan on making your block. Congratulations on being selected in this special feature!

  7. Love your pineapple block especially the use of multiple fabrics in the same color. We must think alike!

    As a Virginian, I love the history of the pineapple as a sign of hospitality. I like to use them in decorating the house as well.

    Please enter me in the giveaway and congrats on being chosen for this special issue.

  8. I love that you gave some history of the pineapple. Now I can’t wait to make a pineapple quilt. I especially like the tie in to Christianity. Love your block. Congrats on being choosen. I think your block is my favorite of the ones I have seen so far.

  9. And I would really love to win your giveaway! Thanks, too, for the info about pineapples in Colonial Days! What a beautiful block.

  10. I am a pineapple block fan and yours is great! Congrats on being in the magazine. I’ve bookmarked your site to check for your pineapple quilt – and to watch you play with more colours! (I voted in your dishes post too):) Thanks for the giveaway chances.

  11. I love finding new blogs!

    I love pineapple blocks too! I haven’t had the chance to make one yet though. I guess you can’t do it all in your first year of sewing lol!

    I’d love to win the copy of the mag but I think even if I don’t, I’m going to pick one up somewhere along the way!

    Take Care

  12. That is a really nice pineapple block. Would be more than pleased to win one of these books. What a great way to find new blogs and new friends.

  13. I love the pineapple block! I will have to see if I can get an issue of that here in Ireland or maybe I can win the giveaway. Anyways, it does look good!

  14. I love your pineapple block. The fabrics you chose make it really stand out. It’s so different and fun, I cannot wait to make it!!

  15. How very different. A pineapple block! You’ve just opened up a whole bunch of possibilities.
    I would love to win the block book. It would be so helpful to me.

  16. I love your block! What a great topper or wallhanging this block would make. Lots of different ideas for this one, and I can’t wait to get my copy. This is one I’ll definitely nake.
    Susan in NC

  17. Hi Wendy!
    What a neat idea – the pineapple block! I am trying to imagine what a pineapple quilt might look like – would you be repeating the same block with different colors?

    I fell in love with pineapple when I visited Hawaii back in my junior year in high school. We visited a Dole pineapple farm and the tour guide cut us a pineapple right from the field. I’ve never (still!) tasted something as good as that pineapple! It was amazing – words can’t really describe the taste – it was so good!! We also have a four poster bed with pineapples carved into the top posts – I love the pineapple look!

    Thanks for a chance to win from 2 giveaways!

  18. 2 pineapple sconces are in the entry way of our old home, now I know why! Hospitality! I have scrolled thru and read your entire site. I am amazed at your choices of colors! Very beautiful on everything. I will be back to look more into some of my favorite things on your site. Yay on being selected for the 100!

  19. I just couldn’t post my comment til I looked at each of your beautiful quilts in the blog…how lovely!! I can definitely see myself using that pineapple block as the center of a small wall hanging. Beautiful!!

  20. I would love to be entered in both of your giveaways! Your block is beautiful. I can see it as a wallhanging in a formal dining room.

  21. Your pineapple block is stunning Wendy, just like everything that you do. I’d love to be entered to win! And just so you know, I got my quilting chops back yesterday! I forgot how much fun it is!!

  22. Your pineapple block is just beautiful! The piecing of the body of the fruit truly mimics the texture of the real pineapple. I knew the pineapple was the symbol of hospitality, but the other historical meanings I had not heard before! Very interesting….

  23. It’s been great to discover designers and blogs on the tour that I wasn’t familiar with before .

    I like your block and the use of the decorative stitching within the block is a really original touch!

    Also scrolled down and voted on my Viewer’s Choice from all of your quilts published in The Quilter Magazine. Now I have to go find the back issue of the one I like as well as add your blog to my list!

  24. I love your block! I am a fan of pineapples and have them in various forms throughout the house. I even had pieapple wallpaper and a stenciled wall border a while back.

  25. What a great block – I live in the South and love pineapple symbology ~ Please count me in your generous giveaway – I’d love the have the new magazine!

  26. you learn somethign new about pineapples, here I just thought they were the one food I wouldnt’ have to share in the house =) now let me win the give away! =)

  27. I remember being in Williamsburg at Christmas time and seeing all of the fresh greens and fresh pineapple decorations, just beautiful. Thanks for the chance to win!

  28. Now THAT’S a Pineapple!! Wow! Love your fabric choices and your quilting. Gorgeous! Thanks too, for the info on pineapples, very interesting. Congrats on being chosen, too!

  29. I LOVE all of your quilts and projects on your blog. That blue and brown quilt is gorgeous.

    Congrats on getting in the magazine, that is a great pineapple!

  30. I love pineapple quilts – they are such an interesting pattern. I enjoyed reading some of the history that you shared.
    Very nice block that you created. Congratulations on being published.
    Warmest regards,

  31. Your block is the most creative and unusual! I can’t wait to see your pineapple quilt! Thanks for the history on the pineapple — no wonder a “pineapple” is often visible in an entryway. Love your work!

  32. Congratulations in being chosen to be in the magazine, but we all know that you are a talented lady. It’s a beautiful block. And thank you for the giveaway!

  33. Thanks for the chance to win this awesome magazine! I love your pineapple block. It was fun to read all about pineapples! I learned things I had never heard before. That was a great picture of the pineapple house!

  34. Wow that pineapple block is fabulous.
    I would love to have a copy of 100 block and would be grateful for any goodies you would like to give.

  35. I love the symbolism of the pineapple. In the past, I have made throw pillows with pineapple blocks as housewarming gifts. Yours is a more appealing design than the one I’ve been using! Thanks for such a beautiful block!

  36. You block looks wonderful and I love it being so close to Colonial Williamsburg. I look forward for a chance to win. I haven’t seen that magazine so I’ll keep my eyes open when I’m at the store.

  37. Hello and thank you for stop by @ my blog, I just wish to win your pineapple block, lol, I really like it very much, it’s my fave fruit, thank you for sharing the story!, really interesting btw!

  38. I knew some of the information about the pineapple you have posted, but did not know the link to Christianity. I haven’t tried a “pineapple” quilt yet; it is on my “to do” list. Love your block, but love the story behind it more. Thanks for the design.

  39. Love your pineapple and congratulations for being in the magazine. I’ll look for it at the store. I’m probably too late for the drawing but glad I found your blog.

  40. I have always loved the pineapple hospitality history, and have a unique hand cut ceramic one hanging in my house. What an honor to be in the magazine. Your square is beautiful, you certainly deserve it!

  41. Thank you for the information on the pineapple. I had heard about its connection to hospitality. What a beautiful design you made! I look forward to seeing the magazine. More projects! : )

  42. love your block and would love a chance to win a copy of the 100 block book… that would keep me busy and out of trouble but not out of quilt shops
    have a great day
    and thank you for sharing

  43. Hi Wendy,
    Congratulations on being selected for Quiltmakers 100 Blocks. What an honor and I am very proud of you. Love your pineapple. Actually I think I have actually seen the building with the pineapple on it. Haven’t been well lately and haven’t been on the computer much.
    How is Little Red Riding Hood. – Sandra.

  44. Wow, 1 of the 100 top quilters! What an accomplishment! Congrats! And it’s really cool how a simple pineapple can have such colorful history! Good luck on your pineapple quilt!

  45. Wow, I knew about the pineapple being a welcome sign but didn’t know all the other facts about pineapples.
    Your block is lovely and I’d love to see the finished quilt. Thanks for the opportunity to enter your second giveaway.

  46. I love your pineapple block. Absolutely beautiful. Being from the south, pineapples have always been special to me….you know…southern hospitality and all that. Congratulations on being selected.

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Yes friends, we're here to talk muscle cars. We absolutely need a ride (or two) for the porterhouse steak and french fry set. But as you know, we've got just 50 spots in our +10 Garage of Fantasy, so we need to choose with care. First we have to eliminate some contenders. So let's pick a year. 1970 seems like a nice round number. More than being round though, 1970 was the apex of not only muscle cars themselves, but of the muscle car era. Gas was $0.36 per gallon. 40,000 troops are to be pulled out of Vietnam, and an entire week went by without any dead American soldiers. Men are still golfing on the moon while Gary Gabelich drives the Blue Flame (in a very muscle car-like straight line) to a top speed of 1,014 kph. But life in the US had its downsides, too. The National Guard opened fire at Kent State killing four students. Police opened fire at Jackson State killing two. The Beatles called it quits and Elvis went back on tour. There has to be a single, burly car that encapsulates all that triumph and tumult.

1970 will always be very special for muscle car fans as it was the glorious year when GM decided to lift their self-imposed embargo mandating 400 cid as the biggest engine that could be shoehorned into a mid-size car. It also happens to be the year that saw the peak in gross horsepower for American muscle. Look at any engine-power timeline graph; thanks to emissions restrictions and OPEC it was all downhill from there. And finally, to further narrow our Fantasy Garage choices: for every lunkhead who has scoffed at my WRX because, "There's no replacement for displacement," we're eliminating all MOPARS and Fords. And the AMC Javelin, too. They are just not big enough. Look, we won't be kicking any R/T Charger 440 Magnum Six-Packs out of bed, but you got to draw lines somewhere, man. You got to draw lines. And that leaves us with these four big-blocked bastards from the General.

Buick GSX

In order to match their customers' shirts/cocaine preference, the GSX was only available in "Apollo White" or "Saturn Yellow." Whichever you chose, it came with big black stripes across the hood. There you will also find a pilfered-from-Pontiac tachometer, one of our favorite options ever. Seriously — screw heads up displays, just bolt the instruments right to the bonnet. Especially the clock. Still a brilliant piece of kit nearly four-decades on. Oh, and the car itself was quite the beefcake, too.

Coming correct with a gigantic 455 cid V8 and a Hurst four-speed, the GSX had all the grunt any self-respecting son of the seventies needed. Power figures are elusive and confusing. Officially, the factory quoted 360hp @ 4,2000rpm. No doubt this was true, but what did the mill stonk at say 5,2000rpm? At least 400 horses, if not a bit more (415 to 425 hp). GM fudged the numbers because insurance companies at the time were charging huge draconian penalties premiums based on horsepower. The corporate wink, wink saved customers from insurance payments bigger than their car payments. Luckily insurance companies didn't care about torque, as it is hard to hide 510lbs. ft. of the good stuff at a 2,8000rpm.

The GSX had a load of other performance tweaks besides the monster motivator. They included hotter cams, bigger valves (which really made the power difference in the higher rev range), a Positrac diff, beefier springs and a revised jetting for the carburetor. The transmissions (both stick and auto) were improved, too. Even better, Buick's big 455 V8 was designed smart, so the engine weighed 150lbs. less than its GM stable mates's. Though worrying about weight with this gang of four is like deriving Kirsten Dunst's IQ. Why bother?

All that twist and go-go fury made Motor Trend proclaim that the 455 GS Stage 1 is "the quickest American production car we've ever tested." Though as their quarter mile time of 13.38 is half a second faster than any other mag could muster and their zero to 60 time of 5.5 seconds is essentially unbelievable, MT was probably testing a ringer. Which was a very popular GM ploy at the time — see here. Still, 13.8 through the traps and 6.4 or so to 60 is nothing to turn your jaded 20067 noses up at. You try it on bias-plys.

But more than performance (and sound) we simply love the way the Buick GSX looks. In Saturn Yellow, of course.

Chevrolet Chevelle 454 SS

Like every other car here, 1970 saw the first time an engine larger than 400 cid went into a mid-sized Chevy. Long story short, the LS6 engine in the SS had higher compression (11.25:1) than the standard LS5 454, giving the top Chevelle the highest factory horsepower rating of any muscle car. 450 big block horses and 500 pounds of twist, numbers not beaten by a factory Chevrolet until the C6 Z06 (though the L88 Corvette pumped out somewhere in the neighborhood of 550 hp, the factory only claimed 430). Which is an impressive amount in 2007 and was quite literally earth-shaking in 1970. Car Craft got the SS through the quarter-mile in 13.12 seconds @ 107 mph. Other than all the pricks at my high school driving Chevelles, I can't think of much else to add. So let's just fanaticize about a red one with black stripes. Mmmm... muscle-y.

Oldsmobile 442 W-30

The Olds 442 started life in 1964 as a quick reaction to the runaway and unexpected success of John Z Delorean's tempest in a Tempest GTO. The technical name for the $285 option package on the Cutlass was the "B09 Police Apprehender" though no one ever called it anything but 4-4-2. The moniker stood for 4-barrell carb, 4-speeds and 2 tailpipes. And while the 442 started out life in 1964 with a relatively small 330 cubic inch motor, by 1970 Olds had super-sized the engine to a very satisfying 455 cid.

Officially the largest V8 Oldsmobile ever shoehorned into a car produced 365 hp. Obviously that's not enough so an option package was created - called W-30 - that offered up 5 more horses. In reality of course, both engines generated in excess of 400 muscular horses with the W-30 mill probably hitting 420 before valve-float became an issue. Torque? An even 500 ft. pounds of screw you, stump.

Of course the W-30 option was the only way to go. Aside from the 5 horsepower - achieved through a blueprinted engine, an upgraded cam, unrestricted exhausts and forced air-induction via the functional hood scoops - W-30 gave you a weight saving fiberglass hood and plastic inner-fenders, an aluminum pumpkin and less sound deadening material.

This added muscle and lightness made the 442 W-30 good for a 0-60 sprint of 5.7 seconds and 14.2 in the quarter-mile @ 100 mph. Interesting to me, those numbers are essentially identical to a modern WRX. Though the 442 is moving faster at the end of a quarter-mile. So, the performance is adequate for today and pretty damn special back in the year your father was chasing courting your mother. 1971 saw shorter connecting rods and reduced power. We'll take our Fantasy 1970 442 W-30 in blue with white stripes. And you know what? We'll take the convertible.

Pontiac GTO 455 Judge

And finally we get to the Judge, also known as "the Humbler." If names were all that mattered, the Judge wins this one in a walk. Besides Roadmaster, I dare you to think of a better car-moniker than the Judge. Sure beats the hell out of G6. But we'll save our "Why all modern cars have stupid names" rant for another day. We're here to talk Pontiac. And in truth, to us, the Judge is the quintessential muscle car. For not only did it have the displacement (455 cubic inches), the looks (Orbit Orange, Endura nose, fender creases, hood tach) and the lineage (it's a GTO - 'nuff said), the Judge nailed the zeitgeist of not only the muscle car craze, but of first-term Nixon America.

And since muscle cars really can be boiled down to their engines, let's examine what motivated the Judge. In truth, most Judges sold came with the Ram Air III 400 cid mill. Though for a few dollars more you could get the Ram Air IV option which boosted power to 370 horses. The 455 wasn't available on the Judge until the last quarter of 1970 and is therefore quite rare. True, the 400 cubic incher made a little bit more power than the bigger engine (4 to 10 hp, depending on who you believe), the 455 had it where it really counted - 500lbs. ft. of torque. And if you think the 455 V8 actually put out just 360 hp, I have a six-figure Countach-bodied Fiero to sell you.

And let us stress how rare these uber-Judges are. Fourteen shift-it-yourself hardtops were made, and just three convertibles, all automatics. Still not convinced? A 1970 Orbit Orange 455 Judge was the car bad guy Warren Oates drove in Two-Lane Blacktop. Case closed, your honor.

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

[The Jalopnik Fantasy Garage appears every Tuesday. Readers vote the cars in or out. The idea is that we'll have 50 cars in our fantasy garage, the world's greatest mechanic and endless wads of cash. If you would like to nominate a car for our Fantasy Garage, email with the subject line "fantasy garage."]

Jalopnik Fantasy Garage, So Far:

Maserati Quattroporte Executive GT

1978 Aston Martin V8 Vantage

Honda 1300 Coupe 9

1931 Daimler Double Six 50 Corsica Drophead Coupe

Ferrari 288 GTO

Volkswagen Phaeton W12

Jalopnik Fantasy Garage: Volkswagen Phaeton W12 | We'll Give You Eight Bucks: 18K Dodge Dart [Internal]


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Tag Archives: Propofol Abuse

Propofol – The Milk of Amnesia

Propofol is a short-acting sedative-hypnotic that’s used to initiate and maintain general anesthesia. It also decreases levels of consciousness along with a loss of memory for sedation during minor medical procedures. It is administered intravenously. The drug was discovered in 1977. … Continue reading

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Archive | May 2016

More Cute Puppies?

Next month will mark the second anniversary of my first published novel, “Marked.” Since that time, I’ve released nine other novels. Yes, I’ve been typing like a manic fool!

I’m forever grateful to my editors, Cindy Brannam and Alicia Dean. They keep me on my toes and make certain my finished product is the best it can be. I also want to take this opportunity to thank my cover artist, Rae Monet, flat designer, Karen Duvall, and my amazing formatter, Jesse Gordon.

Of course, I wouldn’t be where I am today without readers! You all have blessed me with encouragement, kind words, and the ability to keep doing what I love. THANK YOU!

But what does this have to do with cute puppies? No, it wasn’t a teaser just to get you dog lovers reading my post!

Sometime ago, I wrote a blog called, “Who Wouldn’t Like a Cute Puppy?” Actually, the post was written in November of 2013 if you’d like to read it!

After all this time, and some reviews that could easily get me down, I felt it was time to revisit those thoughts.

Creative people have a terrible tendency of focusing on the negative. A singer might look at a room full of smiling faces during a performance as a bad experience. Why? Because the guy in the corner constantly frowned. The singer singles him out and tries as best she can to make him smile, but the more she sings, the deeper his scowl becomes. She takes it as a personal affront and ignores the rest of the crowd. They cheer and clap at the end of the song, but her heart is in her shoes, because she couldn’t make the stranger smile.

She doesn’t consider that perhaps his girlfriend just broke up with him and the song reminds him of her. Or maybe, someone close to him has passed away and nothing anyone could do would make him smile. There is also the possibility that he truly doesn’t like the way she sings. Hmm…

Bottom line. People have different tastes.

Whenever I stroll along in public and see someone carrying a puppy or walking a dog, I think of one of my dear friends. She views dogs, like I see snakes. If someone came toward me with a snake coiled around them, I’d run the opposite direction. I sometimes even squeal when I’m digging in my garden and a larger-than-normal worm flips up in the soil. Puppies and dogs, however, draw me in. I want to pet them, love on them, and take them home! My poor friend becomes physically ill around them, and she can’t understand why they’re allowed out in public places.

We all have different likes and dislikes. As a writer, it’s important that I write what moves me. But I have to be realistic and know that not everyone will be moved by it. Someone will think it’s the worst book they’ve ever read, while another person will deem it the best. And hopefully not just my mom! She’s a little biased.

Criticism is tough to take, but no matter what we do in life, it’s going to be there. It starts when we’re little–children can be awfully cruel to each other–and continues as we grow. What matters is how we deal with it.

I’m writing this to remind myself and hopefully help all of you! I was told more than once not to read my reviews, but it’s hard not to. So when I do, I decipher the validity of what’s been said. If something critical is pointed out consistently, then I know I need to dig deeper and see if it’s something that should be ‘fixed.’ As of yet, I’m glad to say that the negative comments have been few and far between. As for the validity, I believe the comments were valid for that individual. My books weren’t their taste. And that’s okay, because many other people loved them.

Exposing ourselves to the bare bone isn’t always easy. Putting creative work in front of the masses is scary to say the least! But, I get incredible joy sharing my stories with the world. I love bringing characters to life and making them feel real. When my readers discuss them with me as though they’re someone we both know personally, I want to do a happy dance. And I do. Internally. I don’t want them to think I’m nuttier than they already believe me to be!

Thank you for reading my post! If you’re a writer, WRITE ON, and always keep your chin up.

If you’re a reader, thank you from all of us authors! Without you, we’d shrivel.

Cute little puppy, or horrid beast?

Cute little puppy, or horrid beast?

Goodreads Giveaway! He’s In My Dreams

I’m excited to announce another upcoming Goodreads Giveaway! The giveaway starts on May 6th and runs through the 31st. Winners of the five, signed copies will be selected at random by Goodreads. Though listed as a young adult novel, I highly recommend it for readers age thirteen and up. I hope it will prompt some deep conversations. I put a big piece of my heart in this story. It’s set in one of my favorite places in the country, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Check out the details below!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

He's In My Dreams by Jeanne Hardt

He’s In My Dreams

by Jeanne Hardt

Giveaway ends May 31, 2016.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway


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Thursday, September 11, 2014

On New Games, Rewrites, and the Pain of Higher Prices.

Fourteen years without an update is long enough.
We have finally announced our next new game. It's Avernum 2: Crystal Souls. It's a complete, ground-up rewrite of Avernum 2, which came out in 2000. It, in turn, was a rewrite of Exile 2: Crystal Souls, which came out in 1996. We at Spiderweb Software are about nothing if not integrity.

You can see a trailer and other info here. Avernum 2 is probably tied with Avernum 3 for our most beloved game, and I know a lot of fans are looking forward to a reboot. Now with better design (I hope), a better interface and graphics (in my opinion), and the ability to run on tablets (yay).

We don't half-ass our rewrites. This one is taking a full year. New material, new quests, a new dungeon, more dialogue, actual boss fights. You might not like our work, but you can't fairly say we're not trying.

But enough self-promotion. I've said a lot of overly self-assured stuff over the last few months about the state of the indie games biz. Now that I'm having to actually make hard choices and release games, I wanted to talk a little about how I'm adjusting to the New Game Reality.

Sometimes, you don't need a full 140 characters to drop the truth bombz.

We're Raising Our Prices.

I thought this tweet covered it perfectly.

I have said for years that indie developers have to be careful not to charge too little for our products. Most of us tend to the needs of small, niche audiences, and we have to make sure to set a price for our specialty products that enables us to stay in business. For a long time, our new RPGs were $20.

But then something happened I would never have predicted: The Indie Bubble. Almost overnight, there was a massive increase in demand for games like mine, and there weren't many good titles. All of a sudden, my games were getting the sort of placement on places like Steam we could never get in a normal environment.

So we reacted accordingly. We lowered our prices on Steam and similar services to $10, a price low enough to motivate people who stumbled on us on the front page of Steam to give us a try. Tons of people were seeing us for the first time, and we tried to take advantage.

Things have gotten back to normal. We are back to getting a modest amount of visibility and press, and most of our sales are from fans and members of our particular niche. Our last game, Avadon 2: The Corruption, sold a reasonable number of copies, but the $10 price didn't generate enough revenue to make writing the game worthwhile. We can’t run a sustainable business on $10 games.

So we're going back to the old days. Our new games, going forward, are back to being $20. We have to count on existing fans and retro RPG gamers to provide enough sales to stay in business.

It's terrifying. What if our audience isn't there anymore? What if there is now too much competition? What if my games just can't cut it anymore?

It's scary, but it's been scary since we started out in 1994. We've had times when we flirted with going out of business, and I'm sure we will in the future. But the days of universally cheap indies are over. A lot of small devs are raising their prices, and I'm one of them.

And look at the bright side: All of our games will be cheap eventually. Steam sales still exist, and we'll still put our older games out there with steep discounts. It'll just mean you'll have a longer wait until they are two bucks on Steam or show up in bundles.

One Implication Of This

I have always believed that if you're going to charge $20 for a game you have to have a demo. Ten dollars is cheap enough that you can get away with it. However, if you're going to charge $20 for a game you can't get a refund for, I feel you are ethically required to give a gamer a way to check it out and make sure it'll run on their machine.

Of course, we never stopped making big, meaty demos available on our web site. And we never will.

TL;DR version: This is how you should picture me.

Rewrites. Remasters. Remakes.

Indie game developers seem to be having a real Sophomore Slump problem. When I look at developers who had a hit, I'm not seeing a lot of really inspiring follow-ups.

Sure, there are a few developers (like Supergiant and Klei Entertainment) who have really managed to keep their momentum going. However, a lot of small devs who produce a great game either go crazy and quit, get caught in an infinite development cycle on a new product, can't even get started on a new product, or release a new product that's just kind of meh. I was smart and avoided this problem by never releasing a great game in the first place.

This is why I think you're going to see a lot of indie devs recycling their hits. Remastering them and releasing them on new consoles. Rereleasing them with new material. Doing full rewrites.

This is as it should be. It's good for developers and it's good for gamers.

For developers: Look. Writing a game is hard. Writing a good game is harder. Writing a good game and actually having it catch on and become a hit is catching lightning in a bottle. It's almost impossible. It almost never happens for one developer twice. If we let developers turn one hit into a career, it helps more developers make a living, which encourages the writing of more games.

For gamers: Look. If a game is fun, it doesn't stop being fun. Castle Crashers will still be awesome a decade from now, and I am surprised that it hasn't been ported to the new console generation yet. I talked to several developers at PAX about the expanded versions of their games that are forthcoming, and I'm thrilled. I liked them before, and I'll like their new levels on the PS4.

One of the things I've always hated about our art form is how it discards its classics as technology moves on. Anything that keeps good designs fresh and playable is all to the good.

A large part of my professional life now is acting as curator for the things I made when I was young. I spend my time trying to be respectful to the work of my younger self, bringing it into the modern day while preserving the stuff that made people love it in the first place. It's a very different sort of job, with its own challenges, but I do enjoy it. I wish more people did a better job of respecting what they made when they were young. (CoughGeorgeLucasCough)

So I guess what I'm trying to say is: I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MBIES 1N IT!!!1 is one of my favorite games of the last console generation. If it comes out for a console with online matchmaking, that is the console I will buy. James Silva, MAKE IT HAPPEN.

When Will My Rewrite Be Out?

I've been shooting for early December, by my increasing old-person-exhaustion is making it hard to keep up the furious pace of younger days. The Mac and Windows versions will probably be out in January. iPad a few months after that. I don't know how to develop for Android and getting a good person to do a port is hard, so I'm not sure if that will ever happen.

And that’s what we’re up to in the Business World. New game soon. Hope you like it!

  1. I am 100% behind this trend! Incredibly insightful: Yes, the breakneck speed of technological and media cycling is not sane for game developers. It's silly that something which took thousands of hours gets tossed aside like refuse. it's one of the more toxic elements of our culture and it's something we should move away from. I will pay 20 dollars to play Avernum 2. I will pay 20 dollars to play Nethergate. I will pay many 20s of dollars to encourage someone to make a sustainable living at making good games.

  2. Sounds good. I'm still hoping to see it on Android though, as A:ETP on my tablet has been a great opportunity to return to Exile/Avernum. So while it probably won't affect any decisions you make, I'll just throw it out there that an Android version would be appreciated.

  3. I very much hope that this and Avadon 2 will come to Android eventually. I loved Avadon and Avernum on my Android tablet and would love to continue the adventures, but I'm not buying an Ipad and little things about the PC version kill it for me, like not being able to scroll the window with WASD (forcing it to the arrow keys makes the game unplayable to me on my laptop and if I want to play on my desktop I need to have my keyboard over the left hovering half-off my desk. Key rebinds PLEASE? ~puppydog eyes~

  4. Interesting that you're advocating splashy full rewrites every decade or so, when most of the software world is moving toward ever more frequent incremental improvements delivered as invisibly as possible. Is this a monetarization issue, i.e. the lack of a viable subscription model for games outside of MMOs? Or is it more about the difficulty of upgrading art assets piecemeal without trashing aesthetic consistency? Or something else?

    1. These sorts of systems are cool, but you have to design for them from day one. You can't just bolt them onto any old game and have a satisfying result.

      - Jeff Vogel

    2. I can't think of any single player RPGs that work on an incremental improvements model. Something like the Throne of Bhaal expansion might be doable for Spiderweb games, but my mental guesswork doesn't see how that would be more efficient (read: profitable) than using the time working on a new game. I believe expansion packs make money by leveraging code/asset reuse from a single game, something that Jeff already does across multiple games.

  5. Your games are well worth $20 so no problem here.
    You are one of the few devs that still make old school turn based RPGs so you will always have my business.

    Keep up the good work!

  6. So how much time does that actually save you though?

    If you completely redo the code, and completely redo the graphics, and completely redo the gui, why not just make a new game at that point?

    I would lean far far towards: sure if you can port the game to a new engine or recompile for new OSes. That is all most games need. Graphics do not need to be "improved". Yes, sometimes it is nice to go back and change some things that in hindsight were done wrong. But in general it is better to spend your energy doing new stuff, and in general the old game is not outdated and in need a new graphics, it just needs to be made runnable on the new OSes.

    1. Because people like rewrites and the Avernum games are awesome. A rewrite is 90% of the sales for 60% of the work. I've been doing rewrites since the late 90s, and it's almost always made everyone happy.

      - Jeff Vogel

    2. Jeff has been making new games, Avadon, Avadon II, and then Avadon 3 is planned.

      The remake of the first Avernum trilogy was to make them as uptodate as the second trilogy.
      I own and played all teh exile games, and still bought the avernum rewrites and I have also got the rewrite of teh rewrites. Why ? Because they are fkn Awesome! :)
      I will buy them as long as Jeff rewrites them,(As long as they have similar differences to what they have had each time so far)

  7. I first found Spidweb for Exile 3 in 5th grade! It was definitely the free demo that attracted me - might have been on AOL's old game library thing. I got hooked rather quickly and had never played a game quite like it before! I've played every game in the series since. (I somehow never got as into Geneforge) I just wish I had as many free hours to game as I did in 5th grade.

    Jeff - I would love to see another Nethergate inspired game! I always thought that series was a ton of fun and has much untapped potential. It was an enchanting game for a kid that loved Roman myth and history! Maybe a Greek adventure would be just as epic and interesting.

    I loved the opensourced nature of Blades of Exile - but it really relies on everyone joining in on the work. They really did for Blades of Exile.

    Keep up the good work and may the creativity flow easily for Avernum Crystal Souls!

    1. And don't spend all your money in one Temple!

      (wasn't that an old line from the early games?)

    2. I believe Jeff has said that Nethergate was one of his least successful games, and with a child and a mortgage he is frank about being risk averse.

      It would be totally awesome if a millionaire decided to throw money at Jeff for a couple years so he could do whatever he felt like. (Avernum 7: Spider Dating Sim?)

    3. Otome GIFTS game -- I will throw all my money at it.

      "You meet a Spider. It's eyes glisten and it's pedipalps twitch excitedly -- "Hi! I'm Spider! Welcome to Spider Academy! You're cute!" could basically be a glorified Hypercard stack. It'd be great!

  8. Why do you think that you will increase profit by raising prices? You seem to be assuming that the same number of people will buy at full price and in sales as now, except you will get more money off them; it's more likely that you will sell fewer units at all stages: full price on release, 50% off, 75% off etc.

    You will never get a good idea of how much people will pay from blog comments, forum posts etc. because people who are fans of game will pay any price and those are the ones leaving comments.

    1. He;s been doing this since 1994, I would say he knows how many sales each of his games has had, and how many are the same people who are loyal and buy the games each time no matter what, and many of us from his forum who have been there years always bought them from his website for more than we could have got them elsewhere. Why ? To support an awesome indie company, thats why. We dont want to see him go under.

      As you said 'fans will pay any price' (more or less) and its the fans that have kept him running all these years. I remember when his games were $28, then $25 for years. Then $20 and then the whole Steam, iStore , Hunmble Bunlde happened and the prices dropped to $10.

      Clearly Jeff has his reasons to up the price, and I would have thought that he has a good idea of where things are at, statistically. Staying afloat is what matters.

  9. "and the ability to run on tablets (yay)."

    Will the mechanics still be watered down on PC to accomodate for this? I really miss being able to have a full selection of spells, even if not all of them were necessary. I also miss being able to make parties of six. 4 just doesn't cut it.

    Swordsman, Spearman, Priest, Mage, Archer and Jack of All Trades.

    I agree with the price raise, though. $15 seems to be the sweet spot to me, but $20 could work.

    1. I'll pay anything for a Spiderweb game, but I do think 20 dollars is risky for a Spiderweb game on platforms like Steam and GOG.

      I think the marketability of Spiderweb games are kind of unique in terms of indies, though, in that they all look very, very similar. They re-use the same assets over and over to the point that if a more casual gamer owns one, I suspect they really don't see much need to own any more. Even more die hard fans who like any one game or series, might have a hard time justifying the purchase of a new one at full price if they still haven't completed the ones that came before. A point complicated by the fact that the humblebundle gave people access to every spiderweb game ever made for a pittance.

      So I'm not sure if price has much factor in sales or even the indie bubble, as much as just general diminished returns. Spiderweb is selling what looks on the surface to be the exact same product over and over, so I think a decline in sales is inevitable regardless of pricing or the state of the industry. Avadon sold well because in the context of Steam it was completely new. But with each subsequent game that Spiderweb releases, that "newness" is wearing off.

      Honestly, I think the biggest benefit in maintaining or increasing sales would be having a different art style for each series, which would help in distinguishing the games somewhat on the market. But I don't know what sort of budget Spiderweb can allow for their games (although seriously, how much can a new one really cost? You'd think they could crank one out for near zero dollars at this point, given that they reuse nearly all of their graphics and engine from game to game. I imagine profitability is more just about paying the living expenses of the Vogel household and the salary of their 1 employee than it is actually breaking even on the cost of making a game).

      But, like I said, I don't think 20 dollars is too much to ask for games of this size.
      I'm an obsessive Spiderweb fan who has played everything they've done (on torment, even!), so I know the games are more than just their graphics. Plus, I was introduced to the studio through Steam. So hopefully there are enough newer fans out there like me who will make the strategy of not messing with their formula at all, yet charging more for it, pay off.

    2. Another thought: Spiderweb might consider a strategy of releasing "special edition" versions of their games for harder core fans on their website. I don't know about anyone else, but I'd totally pay 60-100 dollars for a new Spiderweb game that comes in a Vogel autographed box with paper maps and other stuff like that.

      Giving fans a reason to pay more for the games at the website would be a great way of exploiting Spiderweb's main asset: their small, but very rabid and loyal, group of niche fans. It'd also be a great way of distinguishing the service that the Spiderweb store provides from GOG or Steam.

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  11. I'm not a huge fan of rewrites for narrative-driven games. One of the things I play RPGs for is the story, and if I've already heard it I'm less inclined to hear it again.

    But I will happily pay $20 for Avadon 3. Hell, I'll happily pay $30.

  12. put it on sale for 20 I would buy it. I love the games!

    1. :) me too :) They are some of the best rpgs ever made imo..I think the storys and teh worlds they are based in are fucking awesome! :)

  13. Pretty sure that this is Nintendo's modus operandi, particularly with Zelda, so you're in good company.

    1. Nintendo is trapped in the Zelda cycle: people praise their rewrites when they do something new, and people demand new stuff when they do rewrites.

  14. It's a pity that after the excellent Avadon port your games are not coming to Linux any more, with higher prices, each sold copy should count more an this should make much more sense.

    1. Believe me, it bugs me too. But I don't have room in my brain to develop for another platform, and we lost access to the guy who did the Avadon port. It's a tough problem, and we don't have a solution.

      All of this goes for Android too.

      - Jeff Vogel

    2. Sad to hear that, though I am glad to know you care... I do hope you will find a solution, there some people who do freelance porting, and I guess having Avadon ported properly doing others should be a breeze (after all they seem to share all the potentially problematic code i.e. input and display)

  15. Personally, I would gladly pay between $25-$30 for your games. I'm relatively new to the genre (more of a casual game player), and I just adore your particular style of RPG. I'm so glad to hear that you're rewriting the series! I hope that you have the opportunity to give the same treatment to the rest of your older games so that I can have the pleasure of discovering them.

  16. Could you do a Humble Bundle style "if you feel like it, pay me more money" thing? Because I'd love to throw $60 or so dollars at Avernum 2, and probably $100 at Avernum 3 redux for all the joy their Exile ancestors brought me as a young nerd girl back in the late 90s...

    1. You can always buy more than one copy and give them to people as gifts :)

  17. $20 is a steal for some of the best writing in the RPG business. I'm eagerly looking forward to both Avernum 2 and Avadon 3.

  18. What about shorter games? I know it's not your style but perhaps there is a place for a more abbreviated game--a novella instead of a novel. You probably hate that idea, but it does fit with another trend: having less time to play games as you get older (not only older--people have to work more in general to survive these days). Looking at it through my own selfish eyes, I have gotten several Spiderweb games over the years and have finished one. There is no way I will pay $20 for a game that is "huge, epic and many hours" precisely because I know I'll never finish it. That might not matter to me in a game that is not driven by narrative, but hell… I buy Spiderweb games for the story! You obviously know your business, so maybe returning to the days of yore is the answer. The world belongs to youngsters, I guess.

    1. Well, another option would be to release games in an episodic fashion: take the plot of one grand adventure, divide it into 4 to 8 smaller acts sold for 3-5 bucks each: you still have the sweeping narrative and huge lands to discover, but sold in bit-sizes that people who don't have 30-40 hours or more of free time per week. Of course, this method has led to blatant consumer abuse in the past, plus large RPGs like the Avernum series derive a lot of their appeal from the "this huge thing is your playground, have fun with it" argument.

      I suppose it could be conceivable to program a game where the regions introduced in earlier chapters stayed explorable in later chapters with new incentives to go back added: for instance, let's say that you begins the game in early fall of Fantasy Calendar Year 343: every chapter open access to a new province, and by the end of chapter 3, spring 344 is about to begin when your characters hop on a boat and cross the sea toward another land mass. By the time chapter 5 begins, you can send your party back to chapter 4's main port, buy a ticket, take a boat back to the lands introduced in chapters 1-to-3, except this time the game is flagged to be in late summer 345, and therefore, the lines spoken by NPCs reflect the passing of time, the long-term aftermaths of the past chapters can be witnessed, new quests become available, some of them linked to the aforementioned aftermaths... Of course, planning ahead, then coding, then finding and correcting all the glitches of such an episodic game would most probably represent too many work-hours for a tiny company like spiderweb, so I suppose it's going to stay a pipe dream.

    2. Wow. I don't know if you were being totally facetious, but I'm getting that developers can't cater to every audience. Going the other way, if you put the responsibility back on the gamer to complete a game, I suppose playing a game 40-60 hours over the course of a year should be easily do-able.

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  20. For the people wanting to pay more for these games, I'm sure you can just tell Jeff that you'd like to pay $60 instead of $20. It's a pretty small company, and they've always been quick to respond to me.

    I bet you won't though :P

  21. I did this EXACT same thing. My games were $15, then we got on Steam and there was a huge demand for our stuff and it seemed like we were charging too much. So due to this (and pressure from Steam) I lowered my prices to $10. For awhile, it seemed to work. Our sales skyrocketed, then slowed.

    So for our last game I raised my prices back up to $15. The result? Not one complaint. NOT ONE. The sales numbers? Exactly the same.

    You are doing exactly the right thing. The people who buy your games at launch are the ones who would be willing to pay a bit more anyway.

    On the race to the bottom, it's time to run backward.

  22. Despite being a relative newcomer to your games (beaten Geneforge 1 and 2, working on 3) I'm continually impressed by your dedication to quality and your own style. I hope to someday make something as interesting as you do.

    If making excellent games for years isn't enough to persuade people to follow you despite a price increase, I honestly don't know what would. I certainly will.

  23. 'old days' does not mean $20 for a new game, it means $25!
    As a fan, I need to have a copy of each new game eventually, but I will try to save money. In the old days it meant waiting for November Sadness Sale. In the current time I will probably try to use You might consider only releasing new games on your website instead of Steam or so you can control the price better... but then you would also lose the exposure those websites offer to non-fans.

  24. I'm an indie game developer as well, and I'd like to thank you for all of your writing. It has guided me greatly these past five years.

    I'm up against the same dilemma, but my games just aren't worth breaking the $9.99 glass ceiling. I think my followers would walk.

  25. I'm not a huge fan of rewrites for narrative-driven games. One of the things I play RPGs for is the story, and if I've already heard it I'm less inclined to hear it again

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Free Sewing Projects List

by JenniferJangles April 23, 2014

Spring Twigs Tutorial

Seriously, I don't know what happened but I hadn't updated my Sewing Projects list for a year! I did today and I think I tripled the number of projects that are over there. If you're reading this somewhere besides my blog, the sewing projects list is on the left hand side. There are now 31 projects, so I am thinking you might find something you want to make. :)

Dolls Apron

Hanging Pot Holder

There's a few to get you started....

Have a great day,

Visit my Website, Etsy Shop, Blog, Facebook

Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.

Also in Jennifer Jangles Blog

The Villages Quilt Show

by Jennifer Heynen January 13, 2016 3 Comments

Hello! The Jennifer Jangles Shop is hitting the road this weekend. I am headed to The Villages Quilt Show this weekend. Here's the map and info if your near the area and want to come. It should be fun.

Continue Reading →

Lats days before a winner is chosen

by Jennifer Heynen December 30, 2015 2 Comments

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Looking for something to make?

by Jennifer Heynen December 26, 2015

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text:
Blogger’s Ball & New Poems :)

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Some would say I’m a bit set in my ways. It wouldn’t be an unfair criticism. I tend to go to the same places, wear the same products, eat the same things, and generally just keep a routine. This is all fine, I suppose, my adventures are normally in my writing. I send my characters into wild situations, because I simply don’t have it in me to deviate from my usual carousel, but recently, I decided to jump off the usual painted horse, and see what else the fairground of life had to offer.

I have a blog, I’m interested in other blogs, so I thought heading out to a blogging event would be a great way to see what else is out there, and so off I went to London, to attend the Blogger’s Ball.

The Blogger’s Ball was an event organised by Scarlett, who has an absolutely beautiful blog that I’m sure you’ll love, and centred around giving Bloggers and vloggers the chance to interact with each other as well as with brands.

I was nervous, then again, I always am, but I was determined to put myself out there and try something new, and it turns out, I tried a lot of new things, and contrary to my initial worries, it was fine. I have always disliked trying new things, because I worry that I won’t like it, and that for a time, as short as it may be, I will be stuck with that choice. If I try a new food and hate it, it’s stuck in my mouth until I deal with that, if I try a new outfit, I might not have time to change into something else, if I watch a new show, I might hate it but feel obliged to finish it because it keeps showing up in my “continue watching” list on Netflix. These are all ridiculous fears, because they aren’t that big of a deal, but they exist, and they wander round my head on a constant basis.

The Bloggers Ball for me was an afternoon of new experiences, and one I’m glad I was a part of. Meeting people who were passionate about the same things, and had faced some of the same difficulties as me was enlightening, and comforting. Sometimes, I feel like I’m just typing to myself, and it can feel lonely, to be collecting so many thoughts in a space to show to a world that might not even want to see, but meeting other people who had thought exactly the same made me realise that a) I wasn’t alone in that, b) More people are probably listening than I realise c) whether people are or aren’t listening, it doesn’t matter, it just matters that you have fun.

I also learned that lavender chocolate was a thing. I have to be real, lavender is my thing. I love the smell of lavender, I love how it looks, I love the colour. You would not believe how much lavender related merchandise I have. If you could be a stan of a plant, I would be a lavender stan. It was at the booth for Seed and Bean chocolate, who have basically done a public service by creating guilt free chocolate, that I discovered lavender chocolate. What you need to know is that lavender chocolate is delicious. How do I know this? Well, I tried some. Now, this may seem like nothing to many, but to me, it is a huge deal. I don’t do new food. I don’t really do new anything, as I’ve spoken about previously. However, I love lavender, and I’m fond of chocolate too, so I decided, on a day where I had promised to try something new, to try lavender chocolate. I made a good choice, a great choice even. It wasn’t overpowering, which I’d been expecting, but subtle and unique, and honestly, I feel like it was a metaphor for the day as a whole. There are things that I love, that if I took a little further, I could love even more, I just have to try and overcome that fear of taking the first step (or bite) and just get stuck into life.

The bloggers ball was a glittering image of all I could be, in my brave new world, and what I could have missed out on, had I kept to the smooth and steady path of my routine. To see so many people reaching for their goals and making things happen for themselves was awesome, and it inspired me to do the exact same. I’m going to try new things (definitely more lavender chocolate) and just see what happens!

Unrelated, but hopefully welcome, below are some new poems 🙂

J x

El Hombre Y Su Flor
In His Life

Further Writing Adventures

May Faves

el hombre y su flor jennifer juan

You fell asleep as I fell in love,
and I loved the longing,
obsessed with obsessing
over each luscious line,
across your forehead,
and out your mouth.

I knew your tales were as tall as your frame,
your humour as blue as your dangerous eyes,
your intentions as pure as a puddle of mud,
and your feelings for me were fickle, perhaps.

I still stayed,
just in case I was wrong,
eyes closed,
on your lap,
an obedient optimist,
without the strength,
or inclination
to be anything but yours.

Selective Amnesia

Regret burns as it trickles down my throat,
chased by the chasers and shot by shots,
nothing will let me forget.
I can’t see what I’ve done,
through a curtain of crying,
and an image of myself,
so innocent,
that I assure myself I’ve yet to lose.
If I were to admit to my affliction,
and under the drunken distraction,
I already have,
but if truth were to dive into denial,
and swim past my defences,
my heart would break,
as easily as yours did.

El Hombre Y Su Flor

I prayed for rain,
when I didn’t trust myself
to grasp what I needed.
Nature knows,
and it’s in your nature
to keep my head to the sun,
and my ego fed, and ever growing.
We grew,
our roots
infecting every inch of earth we found,
when I thought
I had burrowed beneath myself,
far from the beaks of birds,
and the might of man,
you nurtured a near dead heart,
until I flourished.
Floral, fanciful and free.

Undressed of my old life,
and alone,
at the mercy of future’s fashion.
Where to?
What for?
I stood,
on a travelling cloud towards clarity,
until I found myself at the front of the line,
heading for the unforgiving uncertainty.
Perhaps there is a door,
now I’m dressed up, nice and new,
and I will find a handle,
and get a handle on what happens next.

God and good times
live in every inch of you.
It never clashed,
because you were born to be loved,
and to step two three, step two three
and enchant the bad boys at the bar.
Dancing turns to diamonds,
when every man on the island
is under your spell,
but your focus is familia,
and your face is so familiar,
at the chapel and the clubs.
The darling of the dancehall,
and the honey of the heavens,
you’ll party until life turns up the lights
and you’re played out to paradise.

Brexit Stage Right

There is no dainty divorce,
no hands held under the table
as the ink dries,
and the leftovers are torn to shreds,
so each who is “right” gets a piece.
Dress up your disdain,
for those you’ll leave behind,
for a few more years
of way back when,
and political correctness gone “sane”.
Yet, your “sanity” is frivolous,
and logicless and limitless.
Long ago,
an innocent R was unrolled
as it arrived at your door,
in an effort to please you,
but it was met with your own.
Your R is less lax,
frightening and frightened,
of the unknown,
and the uncharted.
Take it back,
was the plan for the never been taken,
while the never yet lived,
will never get to live.

Where Does Love Live?

pistol whipped by passion,
less is more
until the door closes,
and the world is not witness
to the the damnation
of desperate love.
Hearts wrenching,
and racing
at the thought of each other,
hearts running
and retching
at the thought of another.
Where do we rest us,
our messy, maddening moments?
In our thoughts,
outside the door,
and in our bodies,
when in private.
Another day,
another hideout,
we’ve been to all three Charing stations,
each marked with kisses on the map.
Searching for sanctuary
that exists
outside knowing looks,
and incriminating emails.

Old Boy

Remembers our rhythm,
or lack thereof in his case.
Foundations of fondness,
insulated by innuendo.
So endearing,
so enchanting,
but never vintage enough for the season.
Such a young boy,
was my old boy,
too young for my old heart,
but old enough to know he can’t fix it.

For you, I will.
I’ll never ask it of you,
until you ask it of me.
I’ve thought, of course,
narrowed down the narratives,
played Sherlock,
as I pinned you down,
wrote us down.
I’ll give you a happy ending,
even though I’m not the touching type,
both physically,
I might never get you,
but as long as I have you,
I’m not sure I need the instructions,
the destructions could be waiting within,
and I’m better not knowing,
the damage I could do.
For you, I will.
Quite what, I’m not sure,
yet if you ask it of me,
for you, I will.

Not Quite Twins

Each pinnacle reached,
by dismembering my memories,
and crushing new culture where it doesn’t want to fit.
Each morning,
I gaze at each gift
from those who came before me,
that adorns a face I have wished away,
in daily betrayals of who I am.
Butchered the beauty unrecognised,
and painted myself untrue for the world.
This is becoming a speech,
also wished into new form,
until I forget the self I was born with.
She has vanished,
elusive and annoyed,
until I dream.
At night, she uncloaks,
unveils personal truth,
that covers my cunning contour,
unassimilated and unassuming,
she is the purest love I have ever known.

10 thoughts on “Blogger’s Ball & New Poems :)

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Monday, October 19, 2015

Movie Reviews: The Martian, Far from the Madding Crowd, The Intern, Two Night Stand, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Adventureland

The Martian: Following on last year's thrilling Interstellar, about a bunch of guys making a long trip into outer space who need to use science to solve major problems in order to get back home comes this thriller about a bunch of guys who made a long trip into outer space and need to use science to solve major problems in order to get back home.

The Martian is a cross between Castaway and Interstellar, less epic, more formulaic, and actually less believable or thrilling than the latter, but more epic, more engaging, and more satisfying than the former. The Martian keeps us engaged by having the castaway find a way to communicate with home relatively early on in the movie, giving us more than just a monologue on survival and what would have been too much Matt Damon (who, like Tom Cruise, can only be tolerated when taken together with other, less egotistical actors).

The pacing and feel of this movie very Marvelesque, which is both good and bad, depending on your desire to see another Marvel movie. Lots of quips, cuts, and action, explosions and tensions, both personal and interpersonal in the expected places, and a pretty foregone conclusion about how it will end up. Still, merging the Marvel plot with a slightly slower and more rigorously scientific plot made for some fascinating screen moments.

What was most unbelievable was the fact that our castaway survived every one of the calamities that should simply have killed him, each time coming up with the long odds. And that calamities that should have happened several times only happened once and then were never seen again; what happened to all of those debilitating storms during his 45 day trek across the surface? This made his insufferable speech at the end about how, when one is faced with a catastrophe, science and hard work will help you through all the more insufferable. No, in fact, if you are faced with a series of events that each have a 95% chance of killing you, you will die. Don't encourage people to take those chances unless the alternative is an even higher percent chance of dying.

Anyhoo, it's a good movie, worth seeing on the big screen.

Far from the Madding Crowd: Also a good movie. Thomas Hardy was a writer of depressing novels where characters (especially women) make bad, unorthodox choices and suffer for them, either from random chance, or from societal rejection, or simply from karma. It is a rare thing for anyone (especially a woman) to end up happy at the end of one his books, although I guess the daughter of the Mayor of Casterbridge does (even if the mayor doesn't), and so do - at the last moments of the novel - two of the characters in this novel.

And yet, this movie, even while generally following the main plot points of the book, somehow turns the morose, hopeless feel of a Hardy novel into something no more depressing than a Jane Austen novel. The heroines and heroes have drama, make bad choices, and enter into difficult circumstances, but they seem plucky, happy, and little more than mildly distressed throughout. Possibly that is because so many of the key events happen so fast. Characters meet and propose marriage within 2 or 4 minutes of screen time and no more than 2 meetings, and we only sometimes know why.

But that's ok. The two lead characters, Bathsheba played by Carey Mulligan and Gabriel played by Matthias Schoenaerts, are handsome, winsome, and talented actors, as is the rest of the cast. The scenery is gorgeous, and it seems period enough, although not one of the cast speaks with anything passably resembling a British accent. Bathsheba is insanely feminist beyond her era, meeting only a small amount of the trouble she should have met (especially considering her impetuous behavior and imprudent choices), and Gabriel is her faithful ever tolerant servant and admirer.

In the end, it's romantic and the story and characters are usually understandable.

The Intern: A generational comedy between Sandra Bullock, a founder and struggling CEO of a clothing business, and Robert DeNiro, a septuagenarian who comes to work for her as an intern because plot. Despite the fact that obviously an older person who has worked in sales for 45 years would have decent experience to offer your'uns who have worked in sales for 2 years, even in the age of the Internet, it takes about half the movie for this discovery to be made. During this time, DeNiro's character does everything right by everyone in the entire office, a perfect and perfectly unrealistic grandpa-figure to one and all. He even starts a romance with an older masseuse on the company staff.

The second half of the movie is different, as it is about Anne facing the prospect of having to give the reins of CEO over to someone else and also deal with the fact that her husband is cheating on her. This is the classic story of a working woman who loses her man because she's not home enough to pay attention, and it can play out in any of several directions, most of which are not satisfying. In this case, it plays out somewhere in the middle, somewhat but not entirely satisfying, and in fact remains somewhat inconclusive (and just a bit - only a bit - pat).

Not a particularly great movie, certainly not a necessary movie, but not bad.

Two Night Stand: Miles Teller and Analeigh Titpton play in this narrowly focused comedy about a one night hookup where plot happens and Megan is stuck in Alec's apartment for the next day and night. This is another movie split into two parts. The first part is all about the hate, since neither particularly had a good time during the hookup and they do some relatively dull slapstick routines wandering around the apt. Somewhere in the middle of the movie they have the conversation about what went wrong with the sex and they decide to try it again (yeah, a bit of a quick shift from the hate part, but there you go and the conversation is good). Obviously along the way, feelings. Then a big revelation of a betrayal, a breakup due to mistrust (assisted by plot convenience), and then they have to find a way to get back together.

The last part was badly done, and my suspension of belief didn't, so I threw a lot of popcorn at the screen. Can't say I particularly recommend it, but the middle was good, at least.

Kingsman: The Secret Service: This is one of those movies that make you go "Huh? Where did that come from?" It's a super-stylized, funny movie with insane amounts of class and action, somewhere between Marvel, Kill Bill, and James Bond, and it works damn well; although it has too much violence and gore for my taste, I'm somewhat of a violence prude (I hated the corridor shoot up scene in The Matrix) so I'm sure most of you won't ding the movie for that.

It's funny, not exactly thrilling but charming, has a typical, ridiculous blow the world-up and only one guy dressed in fancy clothes with gadgets who can stop it Bond plot - and a lot of references to Bond, just to let you know that it knows - and some incredible A-list actors, such as Colin Firth, Michael Caine, Samuel Jackson. And you never heard of it? How did that happen?

It also has some plot holes and character inconsistencies, but whatever. It's cool.

Adventureland: Jessie Eissenberg and Kristen Stewart romantic comedy in an amusement park and not much happens, except on the romantic comedy level. It has a quirky and independent feel, which makes it interesting at least, and I've always been a fan of the three emotions (bored, amused, upset) that Kristen Stewart knows how to act, so I enjoyed it. I wouldn't go out of my way to see it, but I would leave it on if it came on.

No comments:


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Jerrybrice's Blog
The intersection of animation, entertainment, and politics

Posts Tagged ‘l’oreal

Tony Parker,Eva Longoria,and Erin Berry ‘Grease’ Love Triangle Spoof (VIDEO)

November 20, 2010

You can’t get any more prophetic than this spoof holiday video staring all three participants in the San Antonio Spurs love triangle sexting scandal that has rocked the team.(Source)     Eva Longoria and Tony Parker portray the roles made popular by Olivia Newton John and John Travolta in the hit movie ‘Grease’ from the […]

Tony Parker Claims That He Did Not Have ‘Physical-Sex’ With His Former Team Mates Wife, Erin Berry?!?…Over 100 Sexy Naughty Text Messages!!!(Photos)

November 18, 2010

San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker scored 21 points in tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls, defeating them for the 8th straight time, 103 to 94, but struck out at home with his wife, Eva Longoria-Parker, after she found over 100 inappropriate sexual text messages on her husband Tony’s phone, all received in a […]


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Jerrybrice's Blog
The intersection of animation, entertainment, and politics

Posts Tagged ‘lying republican

Mystery Solved!!!..It WAS Congressman Anthony Weiner’s-Weiner Photo He Tweeted Over The Internets!!!…Chris Lee Says He Should Resign!

June 6, 2011

The nation breathed a sigh of relief this afternoon as the great national mystery surrounding the identity of the penis photo that was sent from the Twitter account of New York Democratic congressman Anthony Weiner. (Should Congressman Weeny Weiner Resign for Tweeting A Pic Of His D*ck!?!) The esteemed congressman swore that his twitter account […]

Perverted Sexting Neocon NY Rep. Christopher Lee Resigns After Sending Sexy Shirtless Photo To An Alleged “Woman” He Met On Craigslist!!!…Another GOP Sexual Deviant

February 10, 2011

The Republican majority in the House just got a little smaller, as today, one of the conservative, moral majority Republican leaders abruptly resigned today, over…what else, a sex-texting scandal.(Source) U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Christopher Lee, R-N.Y,46,who has represented the western New York 26th Congressional District for the past two years, resigned his seat Wednesday, after a shirtless […]


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Confessions of an Aca/Fan: Reconsidering Digital Immigrants…

Some thoughtful development of a powerful meme in cyberculture studies, from Henry Jenkins:

Talking about digital natives and digital immigrants tends to exagerate the gaps between adults, seen as fumbling and hopelessly out of touch, and youth, seen as masterful. It invites us to see contemporary youth as feral, cut off from all adult influences, inhabiting a world where adults sound like the parents in the old Peanuts cartoons — whah, whah, whah, whah — rather than having anything meaningful to say to their offspring. In the process, it disempowers adults, encouraging them to feel helpless, and thus justifying their decision not to know and not to care what happens to young people as they move into the on-line world.

In reality, whether we are talking about games or fan culture or any of the other forms of expression which most often get associated with digital natives, we are talking about forms of cultural expression that involve at least as many adults as youth. Fan culture can trace its history back to the early part of the 20th century; the average gamer is in their twenties and thirties. These are spaces where adults and young people interact with each other in ways that are radically different from the fixed generational hierarchies affiliated with school, church, or the family.