text:
Some years ago, when my wife and I were visiting New York, we decided to do what the natives do -- which at the time meant standing in a lengthy line for 30 minutes in order to purchase cupcakes. They weren't bad, but I recall turning to my wife afterward and remarking that, when all was said and done, "it's just a fucking cupcake."
So when I read that Shake Shack, the Danny Meyer-owned burger joint from New York, was moving into Lincoln Road, and read further that folks regularly queue up for an hour to get in, I was more than a little skeptical. Plus I started thinking about moving to the Big Apple and opening a Fluffernutter emporium, as it occurs to me that the poor, bored folks of that metropolis will wait in line for any amount of time and will gladly part with their hard-earned cash for any foodstuff that reminds them in any way of their childhood. We'll serve $8 egg creams too.
But back to the Shack, where I joined a "Friends and Family" giveaway
promotion that was mostly packed with "freeloaders." I freeloaded a
signature double ShackBurger, which is like the regular burger but,
um, two patties instead of one, and it automatically comes with
lettuce, tomato, melted American cheese, and the indefinable "ShackSauce." The regular, non-Shack burger comes bare, without even lettuce
and tomato unless you request some. That's strange, no? Anyway, the
burgers here, which automatically come cooked medium, reminded me of
the Five Guys burger -- with just a little more natural beef flavor
coming through due to less seasoning. The beef is Black Angus, no
hormones, no antibiotics. Like that cupcake, not bad, but I'm not sure
what all the excitement is about.
I'm pretty sure it's not about the French fries -- crisp crinkle-cuts
made from Yukon Gold. They were tasty but not enough potato filling
within the outer fried crust; I like Five Guys fries better.
If you like this story, consider signing up for our email newsletters.
You have successfully signed up for your selected newsletter(s) - please keep an eye on your mailbox, we're movin' in!
Loved the Shake Shack Fair Shake, a "hand-spun" vanilla base flavored
with organic Arabica Fair Trade coffee. Had I paid for these three
items, it would have come to $16. The double-burger (which, beef-wise,
was like a regular single non-fast-food burger) and fries alone would
have been $10 -- maybe not a bargain, but less than you'd spend at most
Lincoln Road restaurants. And I should add that I like Five Guys, so
the comparison isn't meant as a put-down. The Shake Shack burger is a
welcome culinary addition to Lincoln Road. I just won't wait in
line for one.


text:
Trafficking is a form of modern slavery in which one person uses threats, violence, lies, coercion, debt bondage or other forms of manipulation to force another individual to engage in sex for a profit. Victims of sex trafficking can be found working for massage parlors, brothels, strip clubs, escort services and on the street. They may be children, teenagers or adults lured by false promises and ultimately forced into prostitution.
Under U.S. federal law, any minor under the age of 18 years induced into commercial sex is a victim of sex trafficking—regardless of whether or not the trafficker used force, fraud, or coercion.
There are signs to be aware of if you or someone you know is being trafficked. This list does not represent all aspects of sex trafficking, but even checking off a few items from this list may indicate that a person is being trafficked. Domestic violence, sexual assault and trafficking can co-exist based on similar violence against victims. Many trafficking survivors have previous history with violence within family or intimate relationships. If you are a victim of sex trafficking, you may feel very alone, but there are others that have had similar experiences.
Breaking free from the life is complicated, and can be dangerous. CVIC is here to offer confidential and non-judgmental support to help you escape when you're ready. You can contact us anonymously, or you can call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 1 (888) 373-7888, or text "BeFree" (233733).

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Human Risks was founded on Mads' experiences when deployed in Afghanistan's Helmand Province, working as a Security Adviser for the Foreign Office and later in the private sector.
Mads found it challenging to establish and maintain an updated overview and involve stakeholders using only Microsoft Word & Excel. He set out to solve this by creating an online platform that later was called Human Risks.
An overview of the risk landscape will enable you as a risk manager to support the organization in reaching its objectives and potentially set even more ambitious goals. We want to help you cut through the clutter, replace out-dated formats and give you an updated overview.
Human Risks: Total Overview – Always Updated!


text:
Leche merengada (TM)
From Cookipedia
Literally 'meringued milk' this Spanish drink is frozen first and then broken down again the in Thermomix.
- 150g sugar
- The rind of 1 lemon
- 1 kg milk
- 2 egg whites
- Cinnamon powder
- Tip the sugar into the bowl and pulverise at Speed 5-10 progressively.
- Add the lemon rind and pulverise again at the same speed.
- Add the milk and the egg white.
- Beat for a few seconds / Speed 4.
- Pour the contents of the bowl into a container and freeze.
- When you want to serve, tip the frozen mixture into the bowl, remove the MC, and put the spatula through the hole in the lid Speed 5-10 progressively.
- Pour into glasses and sprinkle some ground cinnamon over it.
Recipe source
- This is a translation of a recipe in Thermomix TM31 - Imprescindible para tu cocina which is the book supplied with Spanish TMXs.
Chef's notes
The sugar quantity is to suit Spanish tastes and may well be too sweet for people in the English speaking world, so I would suggest starting off with about 60-70g.
Graph your Body Mass Index
See your personal Body Mass Index (BMI) plotted on a graph against national averages.


text:
Bookshelf: You'll Grow Out Of It
You'll Grow Out Of It by Jessi Klein
A Good Line or Two:
My butterfly Agnes B. dress with pockets may as well be a ziplock bag filled with old shrimp. (p 56)
Got Me Thinking About:
The delicate dance of self deprecating humor. Too deprecating and it can be plain old sad and just depressing to read. Or worse: it can come off like a humble brag or whatever the self-deprecating equivalent is. (You know, like when a Cinderella look alike starts whining about being "fat" after one bite of a mini cupcake?) Fishing for a compliment! That's what it's called. Anyway. I think totally Klein nails it.
How much I never, ever want to do stand-up comedy.
How much I've been enjoying reading memoirs lately and how it makes me ask myself, "Why do I care? Why the fuck do I care what happened to Jessi Klein in high school art class?" and I think the answer is mostly, "I enjoy the way Jessi Klein writes about what happened to her in high school art class" followed, sometimes, depending on the author, by "I can relate to her" (which is really just a way of saying "Isn't it nice to feel understood?").
In front of the wood stove (now that it's freezing on the regular again). At the Phoenicia Diner counter, trying to not laugh aloud.


text:
Blissful comfort and delightful elegance.
When you think of a log cabin, you may visualize a rustic design with ordinary furnishings. Well, there is nothing ordinary about "Call It a Day"! In addition to that wonderful rustic atmosphere created by this newly built cabin (spring of 2016), the guests of "Call It a Day" will experience blissful comfort and delightful elegance among its many outstanding amenities. This spacious, luxurious cabin features 3400 sq. ft. of living area with over 2,000 sq. ft. of covered decks.
"Call It a Day's" absolute rustic luxury inside and out will amaze your family and friends! Located on a spacious 1.4-acre lot in Lakewood Estates across from the Carson Creek entrance to Broken Bow Lake and Beavers Bend State Park, the cabin is centrally located to all the attractions in the Hochatown area.
The main living room features soaring high ceilings, plush leather sofas, recliners and a remote -controlled, oversized gas log fireplace. Mounted on the beautifully rocked fireplace is a 75" Flat screen TV with an impressive surround sound audio system and Blue-Ray DVD player. The family room opens to a fabulous chef's kitchen and spacious dining area. The grand dining table seats 8-9 people comfortably with an additional 3 people at the large granite island in the open kitchen. This chef's kitchen features plenty of room for several cooks, lots of storage, top-notch cooking pots, pans, utensils and tableware. The chef in the family will marvel at this large gourmet kitchen and will have everything needed to create meals for a memorable family vacation.
"Call It a Day" also provides plenty of room for quiet time and seclusion. Downstairs, the cabin features 2 master bedrooms with lavishly adorned king beds and full baths. The two bedrooms upstairs share a full-sized Jack-n-Jill bath. One upstairs bedroom features a queen- sized bed and a twin bed. The other upstairs bedroom features 2 bunk beds. Each bedroom is spacious with high-end bedding, top quality linens, and 40" televisions. The cabin sleeps 11 comfortably in beds. All of the rooms are very spacious with beautiful accent pieces and comfy linens which give a warm " home away from home" atmosphere.
Entertainment is strongly emphasized at "Call It a Day"! Offering a second living area with a pool table, table games and a 60" Flat Screen TV, the cabin provides plenty of space for the "gamers" in the group to have their own area separate from the main living area. This second living area is furnished with a large leather reclining sofa and a luxurious leather rocking recliner.
Just as amazing as the inside, the outside area of "Call It a Day" features an over-sized hot tub in a covered cabana, a large gorgeous cedar dining table, beautiful lighting, a high-end gas grill, a horseshoe pit, fire ring and a Lifetime Bar-B-Q Pit Smoker. Have an early morning cup of coffee in the authentic log rocking chairs on the front porch and/or enjoy time with friends and family along the back of the cabin which is completely under roof with multiple sitting area featuring beautiful, hand-crafted cedar log furniture.
"Call it a Day" with its secluded, spacious 1.4-acre lot offers plenty of room outside for the family to play yard games as well as ample parking for boats and cars. When the sun sets, you can cook hot dogs and make s'mores by the camp fire under an amazing star-filled Oklahoma night sky. Spending time in the large covered hot tub cabana is another wonderfully relaxing way to end an activity-filled day at one of the most beautiful lakes around. Come and join us in the piney woods of Southeast Oklahoma and relax at " Call It a Day". We promise your stay will be amazingly memorable!
Size: 3400 sq. ft. + 1500 sq ft of covered patio
Bedrooms: 4 Bedrooms, Sleeps 11, Max 13
Bathrooms: 3 1/2 Baths
Hot Tub: 8 Person Hut Tub
Internet: Yes
Pet Friendly: No
Fire Pit: Firewood Provided Oct. 1 to March 1
2 nights minimum
Labor Day
3 nights minimum
Check out VRBO for seasonal special rates!
Awesome cabin.
"The cabin exceeded my expectations. Everything that one would need was provided. Beautiful secluded lot. Wonderful venue for a family get together. Good jumping off place for the recreational opportunities offered locally. This is the way to vacation."
— Brent L.
"This place is amazing! We had such a fun and relaxing stay, and took advantage of all of the amenities. It was by far the most luxurious cabin we've ever stayed in.. a little piece of heaven on earth. Thank you for sharing your cabin with us. It was perfect for our family!"
— Family of Four in Texas
Beyond Expectation!
"The cabin was beyond our expectations, it included everything we needed and more. There was plenty of space and bedding. The Jacuzzi and the beautiful surrounding scenery was our favorite part. We will definitely be returning again!!!"
— Tenise B..


text:
To enroll in the Medium Partner Program and receive payments from Medium, you will need a Stripe account.
Setting up payments with Stripe
- Go here and agree to Stripe's Terms of Service.
- Choose your account type:
- A Stripe Express account. This type of account is quicker to set up, but you will need a US-based phone number, as well as a US-based bank account or debit card.
- A Stripe Standard account or A business. This type of account will be the best choice if you reside outside the US or if you would like to also use Stripe for services other than Medium.
(Please note: Stripe requires either SMS or the Google Authenticator app for Two Factor Authorization, both of which usually require a mobile device)
- Fill out the fields to activate your Stripe account. You MUST use your legal name to create your Stripe account. It is fine to use a pen name on Medium, but Stripe can't verify and pay you unless you use your legal name.
Choosing the right Stripe account for you
Once you agree to the Stripe Terms of Service, you will be prompted to choose your account type:
A Stripe Express account
- Only available for US residents with US-based phone numbers.
- Can be used to transfer payments to bank accounts and debit cards. Please check with your bank if your card supports payouts.
- Requires either SMS or the Google Authenticator app for Two Factor Authorization.
- Cannot be connected to other services. This means it can only be used when receiving payments from Medium.
A Stripe Standard account or A business
- At this moment, available for the 23 countries available in the drop-down list (which includes the US).
- Requires either SMS or the Google Authenticator app for Two Factor Authorization.
- Can only be used to transfer payments to bank accounts. Debit cards are not supported.
- Accessed directly with a password.
- A single account of this type can be used for multiple services, and not just Medium. The account can be managed through the Stripe Dashboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
The list of countries supported by Stripe is constantly growing. Enter your email address in the field next to the country list to be notified about Stripe's launch in your country.
Note that some of the fields in the form (marked with •) are optional. If you believe they do not apply to you, leave them blank.
Yes! To sign into your existing Stripe account, choose An individual outside the US as your account type. If you are not redirected to the login screen, click Sign-in in the upper-right corner of the sign-up form.
If you created your account through the individual outside the US option, you can enter your email here to reset your password. Once you reset your password, you will be able to manage your account in the Stripe Dashboard.
If you created your account through the individual in the United States option, you do not have a password. Instead, Stripe will generate an SMS text message and send you a log-in code to access your Medium-only dashboard.
To make that change, you will need to contact Stripe and provide them with the old phone number and the new phone number.
Medium cannot modify the details of your Stripe account. To change your email address, contact Stripe Support.
If your account was created as individual outside the US, you should be able to change those details by logging into Stripe Dashboard.
For accounts created as individual in the United States, issues with the destination banking accounts need to be resolved with Stripe Support.
All such deletion requests are initiated and completed directly with Stripe.
When signing up to Stripe, you might have entered your company name as your individual name. This leads to a mismatch in automatic verification.
Contact Stripe to let them know about this issue and they should be able to resolve it manually.


text:
US Task Force: Screen teens for depression
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force reviewed studies of depression in teens in a study published in the April issue of Pediatrics. Although the researchers acknowledged that the data are limited, they concluded that screening methods can be an effective method of identifying teen depression and that there are treatments that can address the symptoms. The Task Force suggested that teens should be routinely screened for depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms are surprisingly common in teens. In 1993, Drs. Ian Manion and Simon Davidson conducted the Canadian Youth Mental Health and Illness Survey. They found that youth were at high risk for mental health problems, and that they were unlikely to talk to professionals about their difficulties. Hopefully, the relationship between teens and their family doctor would allow for some honest responses to screening measures.
U.S. News & World Report spoke to the chair of the Task Force, Ned Calonge, who said that the suggestion for screening comes with an important limitation - it shouldn't be done unless treatment is available. There is research evidence suggesting that treating teens with antidepressants also increases the risk of suicidal thoughts. Physicians who screen for depressive symptoms at an annual checkup therefore shouldn't simply prescribe medication unless close monitoring has been arranged. So what can teens and their parents do? Here are some suggestions:
- Teens need to talk. The Canadian Youth Mental Health and Illness Survey suggested that youth were more likely to talk to their friends about mental health concerns than their parents. However, there are some things that parents can do to open communication. We've talked several times on the Family Anatomy show about "How to Talk so Kids Will Listen & Listen so Kids Will Talk" - well, there's a teen version of the book as well. It's about giving kids space to tell you about their feelings and helping them to feel understood. In other words, give them a chance to talk, listen to them, and validate their feelings. In some Canadian cities, Youth Net (a youth mental health awareness and promotion agency) publishes a list of "youth-friendly" mental health services that have been endorsed by teens.
- Parents should keep their eyes open. When teens experience significant mental health problems, they're often associated with changes in behaviour. You might notice that they're sleeping more or less, eating more or less, withdrawing from friends, or giving up on activities that they used to enjoy. These are signs that something might be wrong, and they might indicate that it's time to look for help.
- If your child won't talk, you still can. Family therapists believe that, when one family member changes their behaviour, it can have ripple effects throughout the family system. If you think your child might be having trouble and they're unwilling to talk, your family doctor might be able to suggest a therapist who can help indirectly. A major part of family therapy is about helping parents and children to communicate with one another. If your teen's unwilling to participate in therapy, they still might benefit from your participation. The therapist could talk to you about how to react to your teen's behaviour, for example. As Dennis Crawford said in his interview on Family Anatomy, you might need to try more than one therapist before finding a good match.
You can read the Preventive Task Force study here, and the U.S. News & World Report article here.
Subscribe to The Family Anatomy Podcast by clicking here, or get your free subscription directly through iTunes.
Note: Posts on Family Anatomy are for information only. If you need to talk to someone about family or mental health issues, you can get a referral from your family doctor.


text:
Available Positions
- Blogger / Content Curator
A self-motivated and creative blogger is required to be current on Nollywood trends, regularly post unique Celebrity Gist on nollywoodcommunity.com website and Share posts on social networks for Nollywood Community! This is a remote-position and salary is based on experience and efforts made.
Ideal candidates must have knowledge of Nollywood and be passionate about blogging. If you have what it takes, contact us for more information and to join the Nollywood Community team!


text:
Today's Guest
Pat Flynn is an online entrepreneur who blogs at Smart Passive Income.
Pat is different than most guests we have on the show because he actually doesn't work in any health field. That's what makes this show a blast!
The Show
CLICK HERE to listen, subscribe and download on iTunes. Please leave a review on iTunes if this show helps you. Thank you.
Today we discuss:
- How does business relate to your personal health?
- How do you eliminate fear of finding a career you enjoy?
- How small steps apply to business, career choices and your health
- The ultimate process to eliminating fear by asking yourself a few simple questions including (what is the worst that can happen)
- How taking the time to do healthy activity actually gives you more time and makes you more productive
- How to get yourself out of a low point in life
- How public speaking improves your personal relationships with loved ones
- How real life experiences dominate the online connections we all rely on now
- What would you do if technology disappeared tomorrow
- How the little things can get in the way of your happiness
- How to break the chains from keeping you free
Resources Discussed:
- Steven Pressfield's Book War of Art
- Verilux Happy Light for Winter Blues that Pat Uses
- Business Startup Interviews at Mixergy
- Book on surviving without society called Emergency
Leave a Review for the show
If you would take 2 minutes to go to either of the links and write a review, it will help this information spread. Thank you!
Take 2 minutes and complete an iTunes review or Stitcher review.


text:
Shipping & Returns
We roast all coffee to order because we believe your coffee should arrive perfectly fresh.
- Orders in by Tuesday at noon (PST) will be roasted & shipped on Thursday.
- Orders in by Friday at noon (PST) will be roasted & shipped on Monday.
*Holiday Shipping Update*
We recommend placing orders by noon (PST) on Tuesday, 11/19 to ensure on time arrival for Thanksgiving.
1) Orders received by noon (PST) on Friday, 11/22 --> Ship Monday, 11/25
2) Orders received by noon (PST) on Monday, 11/25 --> Ship Wednesday, 11/27
We ship most packages with USPS. Larger orders may be shipped with FedEx. Please check your email or mobile for tracking information.
Holiday Shipping
Holidays can impact transit times with our shipping providers. We often take orders early when this happens. Please contact us at email@example.com if you are trying to target a specific delivery date during the holidays and we'll do our best to make it happen.
Customers can return merchandise within 30 days of purchase for a refund. Unfortunately, we cannot provide a refund on the shipping cost or provide return shipping. We'll help you make a return or make the situation right if you received damaged product if you email us at email@example.com. Please take a photo of damaged product and send along with your email.
Coffee is a perishable product so we do not accept returns or issue refunds. If an error was made, you're not happy with the coffee, or you received damaged product, please email us so we can make it right.


text:
Question: Hi can you please advise which landline phone I could use? I have the Baha 5 Sound Processor and the Phone Clip. Or is there an accessory that I can purchase? Thanks! // Tracey
Answer: Hi Tracey. You can connect the Phone Clip to your landline phone system as long as it has Bluetooth capability. We recommend you take your Phone Clip into the store and ask the staff to help you connect it before purchasing a new landline phone. That way you can be sure it is compatible.
You might find this post helpful: Please help me adapt my Phone Clip to my office phone system
Best of luck!
//The Baha Blog team


text:
22/06/2018 - Bodibe Feeding Centre
Senior citizens look forward to a hearty meal served everyday at the feeding centre in Bodibe. These meals are often the only meal some of these recipients have for the day. The Gift of the Givers team were happy to stock this kitchen with a bulk supply of food.


text:
Reviewby Rebecca Silverman,
Sailor Moon
The Black Moon ups their game by kidnapping Sailor Jupiter as well as Mercury and Mars, driving Sailors Moon and Venus and Tuxedo Mask to a state of panic. They decide that it is time to make Chibi-Usa reveal who she really is. But the crisis has another effect on the team – Mamoru starts hearing a familiar voice guiding his movements and teaching him how to better use his powers. Will its identity be revealed when Chibi-Usa tells us what's really going on?
What is a translator to do when the author he is translating knows more about a given subject than he does? If you said "look it up," in the case of Sailor Moon's fourth volume, you'd be a bit off. While Naoko Takeuchi's scientific background has been apparent from the start, in this volume she introduces temporary villains Chiral and Achiral, named after a molecular types, and the pair attack with chemical terms. While translations from the science are provided for the duo's names, translator/adapter William Flannagan essentially tells readers to look up the attacks themselves if they want to understand them. Now, given that this is not a series known for its attacks making vast amounts of sense – if they did, many of Sailor Venus' attacks would take on some interesting connotations – it is likely that there's no real logic behind what the twins say. It does mark, however, a definite low point in terms of Kodansha's glosses.
That aside, this volume is decidedly more exciting than its direct predecessor. With the Sailor Guardians' numbers reduced, Sailor Moon is growing increasingly anxious, and despite Venus maintaining her cool, something which makes sense given her longer history of crime fighting, she can't help but take out her nerves on the easiest available target, Chibi-Usa. Not only does her mistrust of the girl grow, but she also allows herself to become ever more jealous of the way Mamoru looks after her, even going so far as to embarrass him by flat-out accusing him of having romantic feelings for the child. ("But she's just a grade-school student!" he cries.)This leads to some decidedly adult moments, with Mamoru attempting to reassure Usagi of his love – simply put, they consummate their relationship. The sex scene is not graphic by any means, and younger readers may not even realize that it has happened, but all of the clues are there. As it turns out, this is a pivotal moment for the future as presented in this volume and just one of several in the book. Another large landmark for the series is the introduction of the first of the so-called "Outer Senshi," Sailor Pluto. (Remember, this was written when Pluto was still an acknowledged planet.) Pluto's inclusion in the story both reminds us of the mythic base Takeuchi is working with as well as implies the existence of other sailor guardians, and she herself is an interesting, if not somewhat sad, character. Series fans who are more familiar with the anime may be surprised to see that her signature attack is shouted in the manga rather than whispered, as it was on screen, but her inclusion adds some definite interest to the tale, particularly as she comes in at a point when we are focusing solely on Sailors Moon and Venus and Tuxedo Mask.
Speaking of Tuxedo Mask, he in this volume far surpasses his earlier (and anime) role by developing his psychometric powers and getting an attack phrase of his own. This elevates him from vaguely bland romantic interest to a full-fledged member of the team, securing his spot in the story as an important player and not just a convenient male. Given his past life, this is a positive direction for the character as well as a logical one, since most of the story is taking place on his home turf, rather than Princess Serenity/Usagi's. In fact it feels fair to say that he is the most-developed and central character for most of this book, followed by Chibi-Usa. Usagi does take back over as primary protagonist later on, but most of this volume belongs her Mamoru, no matter who is on the cover.
Takeuchi's art continues to improve as this book goes on, although her tendency to give all females, regardless of age, clear bosoms is beginning to rear its head. On Chibi-Usa this is more noticeable in profile, but her school friend Momo, who gets a brief introduction and, if memory serves, will reappear in a later short story, has a figure that is much more developed than the average grade school girl's. There are still obvious differences between the cover art and the inside art, primarily in terms of face shape, but ground has been gained since the series began. Most notably improved are the flow and drape of fabrics, a trend that began last time. Usagi wears a dress that is certainly wedding-worthy in the latter half of the volume, and even uniform skirts have a flow that most little girls would covet during the princess phase. Perhaps these things stand out more given the recent fondness for Goth Loli fashions, which tend to be over-frilled – Takeuchi dresses her characters in outfits that are elegant rather than cute.
The second arc of the series is coming to its head and the tension is mounting. With new characters appearing and older ones developing, as well as Black Moon's goals and motivations coming clear, this is an interesting and exciting volume. Inclusion of small details such as Usagi's friend Naru or Makoto's friend noticing that there is something "different" about the girls, if not full-out knowing their secret identities, helps to make the world a bit more real in a way that mainstream American superheroes never quite grasped. While the story still has its logical flaws, it remains an engaging read that holds up well despite the passing of years and this volume continues to keep up both the promise and nostalgia of Takeuchi's masterwork.
Overall : A-
Story : A-
Art : A-
+ Good character work for Mamoru. Improving art and introduction of new characters have promise for the story's developing world.
|discuss this in the forum (11 posts) |
|Production Info:
Full encyclopedia details about
Release information about


text:
Paul Potts won "Britain's Got Talent" a few months ago. If you aren't familiar with that show, or its American copy (I wasn't) you can skip watching it and just go to YouTube to see his performance [warning – launches a video]. Potts was a cell phone salesman who appeared on the show. Suffice it to say he's no male model. He is chunky, with bad teeth and plain features. His accent seemed fairly strong to me (I don't know how it would seem to someone from the UK). His demeanor on hitting the stage in front of three judges (one of them the infamous Simon from American Idol, a show I have never watched but hear about incessantly at work) was fearful. He took the stage and offered to sing "Nessun Dorma." The judges rolled their eyes and the crowd murmured apprehensively, wondering why he wasn't singing the latest from Atomic Kitten or Coldplay.
"Nessun Dorma" means "let no one sleep" and it has always been associated with the recently deceased Luciano Pavarotti [warning – launches a video], one of the most popular (if not the most technically brilliant) tenors in opera. It was also the theme song of the 1990 World Cup. Many people are also aware of it because of Andrea Bocelli's version of it [warning – launches a video].
I am no opera fan – I fell asleep watching "Die Fledermaus" in the Munich Opera House once. I might stick on a Three Tenors concert if I cruised by PBS while channel surfing, but it is definitely an acquired taste. To listen to Potts sing "Nessun Dorma," therefore, was just a minute's idle curiousity for me.
He was amazing. The version he sings feels as if it had been ripped straight out of his chest. I could tell that his voice quivered here and there and maybe some of the notes were slightly off, but the raw emotion and force of his singing just blew me away. The judges were taken aback in amazement. The crowd exploded. He went on to win the competition.
Critics have argued over the years that Pavarotti and Bocelli are not technically proficient singers, and they will argue the same about Potts. Bocelli, in particular, is more of a pop sensation than a critical darling. However, if you are not an opera expert and you have ever heard Bocelli sing, you know that some of his songs are beautiful almost beyond bearing. Again, keep in mind I am no opera fan… but I've seen him twice in concert and his singing is heartfelt and emotional and engaging. Pavarotti was often accused of being lazy and just trying to 'sing along with the music' but he almost single-handedly dragged opera into a wider mass market audience. Potts will no doubt be torn apart by critics claiming he's technically deficient and only the recipient of a brief 15-minutes-of-fame phenomenon.
I believe all three of these men demonstrate something important, though. You do not have to be the smartest person to be the most successful. You do not have to be the most handsome to be the most popular. You do not have to be the most beautiful to be the most beloved. You do, however, have to project passion and life into whatever it is that you do. You will seldom find anyone at the top of their career or their avocation or their lives who do not have a singular passion. Finding that passion lifts them beyond the merely technically proficient. In sports, in politics, in business and most importantly in life people with this passion are successful.
So if you do not have a degree from the best school, or lack movie-star looks, or suffer from a handicap or don't have enough time to do what you want, remember that somewhere out there someone with an even greater deficit of abilities than you is striving with all of their might to bring their passion to others. Don't listen to the critics. Ask yourself – what is your passion, and what can you do today to fan those flames just a little bit higher?


text:
Offshore Company Dominica Second Passport Offshore Jurisdiction St Kitts 2nd Passport Tax Avoidance Tax Haven Comparisons Caribbean Mortgages Economic Citizenship Estate Planning Int. Business Companies Offshore Tax Havens Second Passport FAQ Caribbean Passport
$ $ $ 6000+ acres of unspoilt Caribbean !! $ $ $
Unspoilt Caribbean beachfront land is rarely available on the real estate market. These 6000+ acres have almost 25,000 feet of unbroken waterfront. The rest of the land is a wildlife habitat mostly bounded by lagoon waters. Forested with coconut palms and mangroves, the land is mostly flat with some gentle sloping.
Nicaragua is just 2.5 hours flying time from Miami. This land could be turned into a tourist destination in it's own right if it's in the right hands.
Asking just US$4 million.
For further information on this unspoilt land Click Here to Contact Us
Caribbean Land & Property Limited - the Leading On-Line Source for Caribbean Property


text:
Thankfully, among many other loving things, Jackson is in a snuggle mode. Perhaps its the teething, perhaps it's the weather, or the sweet holiday time we've spent together lately, whatever it may be it's exhaustingly blissful.
In past months, we've basically had to
Hidden away on our cul-de-sac, I'm watching my baby become a little boy. Many moments in the day, I see Jackson do or say something that I feel the need to document. Yet, I sit down to type it out and those tiny things have faded and all I can remember is the love. This doesn't say much for my short term memory at age 25, but it certainly speaks volumes as to the bounding love within our walls.
This love, does not come without hardships, of course. And some time venting outside. Pair teething with sleep regression and you'll drive any overworked, over-Holidayed parent to an extra glass of red before calling it a night.
Extra Toddler hugs help, too. The many smooches Jackson gives away don't hurt either. Hearing new words sprout from his mouth each day has us grinning from ear to ear. Truly, his vocabulary is out of control as of this week!
And then it hits me, how are we here already? 2013. For real. January 2013. The year marks seven years since Brandon and I met. Five years of marriage. And now, we're just two months shy of our baby's second birthday.
The hibernation has been such a nice break from reality. If only it'd last longer.
{Like what you're reading at The View From 510? A quick click on the banner below and then the owl to the left to show a little extra love is very much appreciated!}
*linking up for today's Mommy-Brain Mixer


text:
Turn of the tides: PSU researchers find links between climate change and political, human impacts
The role of climate change in the development and demise of classic Maya civilization, ranging from AD 300 to 1000, has been controversial for decades because of a lack of well-dated climate and archaeological evidence. But our international team of archaeologists and earth science researchers has now compiled a precisely dated, high-resolution climate record of 2,000 years that shows how Maya political systems developed and disintegrated in response to climate change.
Starting in 2006, our team members reconstructed rainfall records from stalagmite samples collected from Yok Balum Cave, located less than a mile from the ancient city of Uxbenka, in the tropical Maya Lowlands in southern Belize. Some of the stalagmites in the cave yielded high-resolution oxygen isotope records reflecting changes in rainfall through time. The stalagmites' exceptional quality allowed us to collect two samples per year over a 2,000-year period. That yielded a robust and continuous record of wet and dry events, with fewer potential errors than earlier studies.
Then, our team compared these findings to the rich political histories carved on stone monuments at Maya cities throughout the region. These well-dated stone monuments celebrated rulers and depicted wars. By comparing these political histories to our rainfall record, we were able to examine the role of climate change in the Maya's rise and fall.
Unusually high amounts of rainfall favored an increase in food production and an explosion in the population between AD 450 and 660. This led to the proliferation of cities like Tikal, Copan and Caracol across the Maya lowlands. The new climate data show that this salubrious period was followed by a general drying trend lasting four centuries. It was punctuated by a series of major droughts that triggered a decline in agricultural productivity and contributed to societal fragmentation and political collapse.
The most severe drought (AD 1020 and 1100) in the record occurs after the widespread collapse of Maya state centers (referred to as the Maya collapse) and may be associated with widespread population decline in the region.
Over the centuries, the cities suffered a decline in their populations, and Maya kings lost their power and influence. The linkage between an extended 16th century drought, crop failures, death, famine and migration in Mexico provides a historic analog — supported by the cave stalagmite samples — for the socio-political tragedy and human suffering experienced periodically by the Classic Period Maya.
Our findings published in a recent issue of the journal Science have attracted national and international media attention and public discussions in several countries. This unique project brought together anthropologists, archaeologists, historians, linguists and climate science researchers from Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland; the University of New Mexico; the National Institute of Culture and History, Belize; the University of Durham, United Kingdom; University of Oregon; University of California, Davis; Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany. In addition, the study attracted funding from National Science Foundation, European Research Council, German Science Foundation, and the Alphawood Foundation.
Overall, we have learned that climate matters in terms of development of complex societies like the ones we live in today. The unique climate conditions that set up the Maya's social and political systems also lured them into a very vulnerable situation when conditions started to dry.
The rich archaeological and historical records of the Maya provided an opportunity to examine the long-term effects of climate change for both the development and disintegration of complex sociopolitical systems like our own.
The effects of climate change are complex and play out over multiple time scales. Abrupt climate change is only part of the story. In addition to climate drying and drought, the preceding conditions stimulating societal complexity and population expansion helped set the stage for later stress on their societies and the fragmentation of political institutions.


text:
Alicia Keys surprised us all on Wednesday when she released a new song and an accompanying video online.
The song, titled "That's What's Up," heavily samples Kanye West's song "Low Lights" off his 2016 smash album The Life of Pablo.
Keys dropped the song and video on her 35th birthday, appropriately deeming "That's What's Up" a "birthday song" when she posted the music video to her Facebook page.
Both "That's What's Up" and "Low Lights" start off with a Bible-inspired verse, and Keys maintains the inspirational, spiritual tone throughout the song, crooning, "I'm so blessed, I'm so blessed/Stow your blessings upon me/And it feels so good, it feels so good/So good to be free."
The "That's What's Up" video also feels somewhat spiritual and otherworldly, as Keys is depicted serenely moving through what looks to be a hotel room and calmly easing herself into a bathtub with a glass of wine. The video is very grainy and home video-esque, an aesthetic that is reflected in the song itself (which transforms the original "Low Lights" into a rawer-sounding, reverb-heavy tune).
Keys released her most recent studio album Here last May, but perhaps "That's What's Up" is a sign of more music to come.


text:
Animals >>
Fur Seal
Fur Seal Facts
Five groups that classify all living things
A group of animals within the animal kingdom
A group of animals within a pylum
A group of animals within a class
A group of animals within an order
A group of animals within a family
|Scientific Name:
The name of the animal in science
The animal group that the species belongs to
What kind of foods the animal eats
|Size (L):
How long (L) or tall (H) the animal is
|1.5m - 2m (59in - 79in)
The measurement of how heavy the animal is
|105kg - 300kg (230lbs - 661lbs)
|Top Speed:
The fastest recorded speed of the animal
|44km/h (27mph)
How long the animal lives for
|12 - 18 years
Whether the animal is solitary or sociable
|Conservation Status:
The likelihood of the animal becoming extinct
The colour of the animal's coat or markings
|Brown, Black, Grey
|Skin Type:
The protective layer of the animal
|Favourite Food:
The preferred food of this animal
The specific area where the animal lives
|Cold waters and rocky land
|Average Litter Size:
The average number of babies born at once
|Main Prey:
The food that the animal gains energy from
|Squid, Fish, Birds
Other animals that hunt and eat the animal
|Leopard Seal, Sharks, Killer Whale
|Distinctive Features:
Characteristics unique to this animal
|External ear flaps and stocky build
Fur Seal Location
Fur SealThere are eight different species of fur seal found in the worlds oceans. Only one of these fur seal species is found in the northern hemisphere with the remaining seven species of fur seal found in the southern hemisphere.
Fur seals are much more closely related to sea lions than true seals, and like sea lions the fur seal has external ears (many species of true seal are in fact earless). The fur seal also has relatively long and muscular foreflippers, and fur seals are also able to walk on all fours when the fur seals reach land.
The fur seals most distinctive characteristic is the fur seals thick underfur which helps to keep the fur seal warm in freezing cold waters. The fur seals fur however has made the fur seal a long-time object of commercial hunting by humans.
Fur seals tend to return to specific beaches or rocky alcoves to breed which the fur seals do in the summer months. The fur seal pups are sent into the water as soon as the mother fur seal is finished weaning them in order for the fur seal pups to learn how to hunt.
The fur seal spends most of its time swimming in the open oceans hunting for food. Fur seals feed on fish and plankton but are also prone to hunting squid and eels.
The fur seal is often targeted prey for large aquatic animals such as sharks, killer whales, sea lions and occasionally the larger adult leopard seals.
Are you Safe?
Are you Safe? is an online safety campaign by A-Z-Animals.com. If something has upset you, the Are you Safe? campaign can help you to speak to someone who can help you.Are you Safe?
Fur Seal Comments
"these are so intelligent seal!!! I never heard of these."
"WOW! I`m amazed with the site I hop others see it!!!"
"I used the site for my school project"
"i love it "
Show More Comments
Post Comment
Related Blogs
Article Tools
Update your Fur Seal phobia filter.
View printer friendly version of Fur Seal article.
Learn how you can use or cite the Fur Seal article in your website content, school work and other projects.
First Published: 17th December 2008, Last Updated: 10th September 2018
1. David Burnie, Dorling Kindersley (2008) Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Animals [Accessed at: 17 Dec 2008]
2. David Burnie, Kingfisher (2011) The Kingfisher Animal Encyclopedia [Accessed at: 01 Jan 2011]
3. David W. Macdonald, Oxford University Press (2010) The Encyclopedia Of Mammals [Accessed at: 01 Jan 2010]
4. Dorling Kindersley (2006) Dorling Kindersley Encyclopedia Of Animals [Accessed at: 17 Dec 2008]
5. Richard Mackay, University of California Press (2009) The Atlas Of Endangered Species [Accessed at: 01 Jan 2009]
6. Tom Jackson, Lorenz Books (2007) The World Encyclopedia Of Animals [Accessed at: 17 Dec 2008]


text:
Google Plus
We have a professionaly experienced team of developing Social networking applications. These iPhone Applications help people to connect with friends and send quick notes. With the location and GPS functionality of iPhone hardware, these applications will also filter results by location, showing you a high-rated restaurant or friend nearby.
We can create custom social networking applications for you and you can enhance your applications with advance features such as integrated chat, phone number, and e-mail recognition. You can get features like search and calender added to your application which will alert you about online friends, their birthdays and much more. Functoinality for direct messaging and comments can be included as per the scope of application.
With iPhone blogging softwares, with just a few taps, you will be able post a photo to one of your blogs that is stored in your iPhone.
There is much more to explore. Please contact us by filling the Instant Quote form or by dropping an email at firstname.lastname@example.com Call us toll free: 888-276-4064


text:
…you're a star! the new essence trend edition "glow like..." is dedicating a whole collection to the huge glow trend from mid march to mid april 2018. no matter whether strong strobing effects with a prismatic shine, a wet-look finish or subtle highlights: with these face products, every girl can shine – from the inside out. glow like… the happiest girl in the world!
get exclusive news about make-up, tutorials, products and games


text:
A Boutique-Style Music Store in Collingwood, Ontario
At Blue Mountain Music we do everything we can to help fan the flames of musical inspiration for our customers. We carry a finely curated selection of new and previously-enjoyed instruments as well as a wide range of accessories and essentials to ensure you have what you need when the stage lights go up, when the red light goes on, or when the coffee's ready and the blank page is calling.
We are proud to serve musicians of all levels, ages, and genres here in beautiful South Georgian Bay, Ontario. If you're interested in electric or acoustic guitar, bass, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, drums, conga, djembe, cajon, keyboards, home recording, live sound, or any other aspect of music creation, stop on in and have a chat with our friendly staff! We'd love to meet you and hear about your musical journey.


text:
Alpine Christmas Ski Holidays 2016
Winter, snow, lights, merry gatherings, the scent of gingerbread cookies… Are you looking forward to the magical Christmas time? Would you like to get away from the Christmas rush and just enjoy time with your family or friends? If you are planning a Christmas ski vacation, you are on the right track! And could there be a better place than the gorgeous Alpine slopes? Read this quick list of some of the best Alpine ski destinations for a winter getaway


text:
Why IPT
PT Owned & Managed
IPT is owned and managed by Physical Therapists who have more than a combined 60 years of experience in the physical therapy field. Having our company run from the top down by clinicians ensures that patient are always at the core of every decision we make.
Personalized Plan of Care
When you become a new patient you'll be paired with the PT best-aligned with your unique needs and goals. Together, you'll develop on a personalized plan of care that will serve as the foundation of your care moving forward.
Easy Online Appointment Scheduling
Request appointments through our website at any time of day or night. Our staff reviews these requests throughout the day as they come in and will respond to you promptly to confirm the exact time of your appointment. Once your appointment has been scheduled, we will automatically send you confirmation, reminder, and update notifications via the communication method you most prefer: email, or phone.
We pride ourselves in adopting innovative new equipment and technology once it's available and proven to be effective. Most recently, we invested in the Alter-G, an anti-gravity treadmill. Taking the aches and pains out of cardiovascular training by "unweighting" runners from 20 to 100 percent of their bodyweight, one percent at a time. Learn more about how these powerful new Alter-G systems can improve the course of your treatment with us. Click Here
What makes Integrated Physical Therapy different from other physical therapy facilities?
We have merged the science of biomechanics and innovative manual therapy techniques with the art of healing and renewal.
We are physical therapists who "gets it" with the ultimate desire to open the door in order for the patient to have the opportunity to heal themselves.
We believe in nurturing the spirit and empowering the person faced with disability, strongly emphasizing the importance of the patient-therapist relationship.
We focuses on not only alleviating symptoms that cause pain and discomfort, but finding and treating and eliminating the root cause of the problem, establishing a platform for lifelong health and wellness.
We act as an advocate for our patient's total well-being – matching them with the treatments best suited to help them attain optimal health and quality of life.
We provides an extensive plan of care – a multi-faceted approach that understands that all of the components of the body are interconnected, thereby he works to heal the whole person (focused on the systems of the body – circulatory, lymphatic, muscular, skeletal, nervous, connective tissue, integumentary (skin), and limbic (emotions) rather than individual parts.
Access to personal training (Beyond Fitness and Health)
Our Hallandale facility operate within, Beyond Fitness and Health. A private one on one and small group training facility. Our close relationship to Beyond Fitness and Heath offers a unique benefit to our patients; granting them access to a full array of gym equipment and world-class facilities upon completion of treatment. In addition, IPT patients who wish to become members can take advantage of our close relationship and communication so you receive the continued exercise plan you need from trainers who care.


text:
Redgum Vet & Pet Boarding & Dog Grooming In Port Augusta
In case you are coming to Walt Disney World you might be probably questioning what to do along with your pet whilst you go to the resort. Daytona Worldwide Speedway, Daytona Seaside, FL (1) Groomingtails Pet Resort & Spa, 307 Seabreeze Boulevard, Daytona Beach, FL 32118, (386) 258-7297); (2) Tomoka Pines Veterinary Hospital, 750 South Nova Highway, Daytona Seashore, FL 32114, (386) 672-3137.
The primary choice that tends to return to mind is to have a good friend or neighbor come by your property a few times a day to take care of your pet. At our premium pet resort, your furry companions can experience several facilities and services which are sure to pamper your pets and preserve them stress-free till you arrive for choose-up. Making sure that the pet has all the usual facilities that it could find at home is just a part of the remedy that the pooch will get and that is what makes house owners comfortable after they depart it behind. You will find there isn't any better place to board your pet than Paws by the Lake Pet Resort. Get your pet used to your provider and do a trial run of placing them in, carrying them, taking them out.
Whereas maintaining your pet close to you, on property, may be your desired objective, there are many options for cats and dogs and different pets on and across the theme park. All our guests over 11 years get a particular eye stored on them in our Aged Care boarding services. Every pet suite has a comfy dog bunk and a personal TELEVISION that plays Muttinees" throughout the day. All dog boarding company are bathed prior to pick up in order that they return residence smelling nice! If you convey your dog or cat to Bass Pet Resort & Spa, you get greater than what you would anticipate from a typical dog kennel or dog boarding facility.
Our employees will likely be excited to point out you around, and you'll quickly see why Rover Oaks has gained such a stellar popularity amongst our friends and among pet owners in Houston and Katy. We all know it can be difficult to depart your pet behind, but you'll be able to really feel assured understanding your pet is in a protected, nurturing atmosphere receiving attentive care from our skilled workers. Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, IL (1) Karen's Pet Grooming Boarding, 2419 W Jefferson Road, Joliet, IL 60435, (815) 730-6811; (2) Timberline Animal Hospital, 950 Ne Frontage Street, Joliet, IL 60431, (815) 729-1555. Suite Paws provides pet boarding, doggie daycare and dog grooming in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Apex and surrounding areas. We offer three sizes of dog enclosures (small, medium and enormous), multiple cattery options and executive suites that may accommodate cats and dogs together or present a single pet that further residence-type comfort they need.
Notes: I've summarized pet journey data from air service web sites, but they or I may have outdated information. Double-test pet policies with your airline and reserve a spot to your pet well in advance. Performing a surprise inspection" of any pet care facility previous to utilizing their services is a very important step in guaranteeing the health and security of your pet.


text:
Shaffer Trucking is hiring professional truck drivers to join their Michigan dedicated fleet. On this fleet, drivers can expect to be on out for six days and home weekly, with at least one day home each weekend. Apply Today!
Fleet Information
- Starting Pay: $0.52 – $0.55 per practical mile, depending on experience
- Annual Pay: Top drivers on this fleet average $64,000 per year
- Days on the road: 6
- Home Time: 1 day off for every 6 out
- Primary Operating Area: Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana
- Fleet Type: Company, Dedicated
- Job Type: Temperature Controlled
Benefits of Joining Shaffer Trucking
- Increased cruise speed
- Paid orientation
- Top pay certified carrier
- Full benefits
- Health from BCBS, Dental, Vision, Life, and 401K
- Profit sharing opportunities
- Contributed $10 million towards employee profit sharing in 2019!
- No-cost rider policy
- Industry leading CSA scores
- Average equipment age of 2 years
- Dedicated dispatch 24/7
- Minimum 22 years old
- Stable & verifiable work history
- Acceptable driving record
- Valid Class A CDL
- Minimum of 4 months tractor trailer experience*
- No alcohol related offenses or positive drug screens in the past five years
* Some area restrictions apply
About Shaffer
Founded in 1937, Shaffer Trucking has an over 80-year history of excellence. Joining the Crete Carrier family in 1974, the two companies, along with Hunt Transportation have become one of the nation's largest privately owned transportation companies. Shaffer specializes in temperature-sensitive freight and is a premier carrier for the candy and confectionary industry. At Shaffer Trucking, our drivers are our most valuable asset. As a result, we have one of the lowest turnover rates in the industry with drivers staying with us three times longer than they do with our competition. We take pride in our relationship with our drivers. Our professional drivers are among the best on the highways, meeting standards far exceeding those required by the U.S. Department of Transportation.


text:
Brand College Consulting offers private tutoring and test preparation for high school students. Tutors specialize in SAT and ACT test preparation, but are also available for PSAT and SAT Subject Tests. Private tutoring is provided by Jolyn Brand, a certified teacher with a Master's degree in Education or one of a few tutors who work for Brand College Consulting. Tutoring can be provided in the client's home or in a public space, such as the public library or a local coffee shop.For the best results, 2-3 months of tutoring is recommended. If a shorter time range is necessary, at least 2 hours a week is suggested. An individualized lesson plan and homework assignments are developed for EACH student. Contact Jolyn directly to inquire about subjects and schedules.
Cost for private tutoring is $60/hourwith a one-time $60 Registration fee to assess previous test scores, develop an individualized lesson plan and schedule student * Rates have a 24-hour cancellation notice policy. We understand students have busy schedules, but time slots are reserved for students with an appointment. If 24 hours notice is not given for a cancellation or reschedule, the rate will still be charged.
SAT and ACT Test Dates for 2019-2020 School Year
Suggested Test Prep
As a former teacher, I can attest to students performing better on standardized tests, like the SAT or the ACT, when they are fully informed of the test format, structure, and feel confident going in. I suggest that students familiarize themselves with the test, including format, when to guess, how to write the essay, and when to "skip" questions, before the initial testing. This can be achieved through self-study, online practice, or with the help of a test prep class.
Here are my
recommendations for each category:
1. For students who are self-motivated and disciplined, self-directed study can be beneficial. I recommend:
- Official SAT Online practice by linking student's College Board account with Khan Academy (steps here)
- Study guide books- Students should read through the sections of concern and then complete 2-3 practice tests
- College Board: The SAT Study Guide book
- Princeton Review's Cracking the SAT or Cracking the ACT
2. For an in-person test prep class, I recommend:
- Testmasters offers official College Board tests as their "practice tests" and runs about $750-$800 for a 5-6 week course. Testmasters charges $130/hour for in-home private tutoring.
- Princeton Review has ACT test prep courses over 10 sessions with 4 proctored practice tests, for $999- $1499 and SAT prep courses up to $1599.
3. Private tutoring is suggested for students who are either too busy for test prep courses, who need one-on-one assistance, or for students who've already taken a prep course and would like help before a test retake. Using the full SAT Score Report or ACT scores, we can create a personalized study plan and hone in on the student's weaknesses or areas of concern.
Please fill out the Private Tutoring Request Form to be contacted with available tutoring time slots. Want to see what our tutoring clients say about our services? Read more here.
Remember that all colleges take either the SAT or the ACT so there is no need to prepare for both tests. Most students score the equivalent scores (chart on the right).
Don't know the 'right' path of test prep for your child? Contact us for a consultation and let an experienced professional make recommendations based on your child's test scores, goals and study habits!
Related Articles:
How High School Course Selection Affects SAT Scores
Six Ways to Improve SAT and ACT Scores
More Texas Students Take the SAT but Scores Decline


text:
Thai Corn Fritters
Gregory Clapp
These simple fritters were very popular in my Thai Vegetarian class. They are easy and quick to make. Serve them warm with sweet chili sauce. Also gluten-free!
- 3 cups frozen corn thawed
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 small green chili seeded and chopped, or 2 to 3 slices of jarred jalapeno chili chopped
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or gluten free Tamari
- 2 eggs beaten
- ¾ cup rice flour
- salt and pepper to taste
- vegetable oil for frying
- sweet chili sauce for serving
Place first 7 ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Stir in rice flour and season to taste. Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a large fry pan. Pour corn mixture into the frying pan ¼ cup at a time to form patties. Fry until browned on one side, then turn over patties and brown other side. Drain on paper towels. Keep finished patties warm while frying the rest. Serve with sweet chili sauce and garnish with chopped cilantro.
Serves 6.


text:
I'm back from my mini vacation to Oregon and feeling back in the swing of things. I always feel like I need a few days to recover from vacation- even if the trip was only a few days long. What is wrong with me?? :)
Here are some snapshots from my trip:
Oregon is so beautiful and I love being able to go back to visit during the summers when the weather is perfect. It was a nice break with days topping out in the low 80's and I came back to temps around 115 in Phoenix!
I went to my favorite vintage store in Eugene, it's a must whenever I'm in town. This time I met one of the owners, who was super sweet. We've chatted on Twitter but never met in person until this visit. I got some fun new-to-me clothes as an early birthday present from my mom (thanks, mom!!) that I'll share on here soon.
Getting to see my nephews only once or twice a year means they change SO much each time! It's so cool to see their personalities develop. I have NO experience around kids (I've never even changed a diaper!), so it's such a new experience for me :)
There's so much I appreciate about Oregon now that I totally took for granted as a kid. I think I just had a hard time looking past those grey skies… Do you feel that way about where you grew up?This entry was posted in travel and tagged family, instagram, oregon, summer, vintage. ← guest post: Miki's Scrapbook cacti and croquet… →
Very cute pics! Look at those big puppy dog eyes.
<3 Cambria
I feel the same way when i go on vacation. I want to spend more time in oregon, i have only driven thru it. I hope one day to go to portland. I love that picture of the daisies! I may use that for inspiration for a new design i am working on!
What a beautiful place, Lisa! And your nephews are the cuuuuuutest. :)
Lovely! I haven't been to Oregon since I was a child and my dad took us. He has such a soft spot for that state since he lived there for a while and loved it.
Your nephews are SO cute! (And I'm glad I'm not the only one who has never ever changed a diaper.)
Wow, Oregon is beautiful!!
And don't worry your not the only one who's never changed a diaper…or needs recooperation time after a vacation haha
It's funny, I do feel that way about Toronto now that I've moved away. I'm not even so far (only about 2 hours away), but it's really cemented for me that Toronto really is my home, and is the place I always want to come back to, even if I have to work jobs elsewhere, as this industry goes. These pictures of Oregon are so stunning though, I think it's a lot like Ontario in the variation of its landscape, though you're lucky to be so close to the pacific! I've only ever been to California once, 11 years ago, and haven't got any experience with the west coast besides that, but you are making me so badly want to take my vacation down that way come October!
Your photos are beautiful! So glad you had such a wonderful getaway! I think a few extra days off at home should come with taking any type of vacation. They are always necessary. :)
Hi, Lisa! It's great to know you're back! :D Oregon seems such a lovely place to visit and live in!
And your nephews are SO freaking adorable! Btw, I've never changed a diaper either, haha.
Have an awesome day! ;D
I've been wanting to move to Oregon for years! Not near Portland(where everyone does for some reason) but around Coos Bay or Bandon. I love grey skies, rain, and gloomy weather haha. But yeah, I think everyone takes their hometown/state for granted.
I'm glad you had such a good trip; I actually live in Eugene, less than a block away from Oak Street Vintage! Crazy! I have the most beautiful 1960's green glass blender from there.
I definitely took the AZ nature for granted growing up so I guess that just goes w/ age. But, wow, you grew up in an incredible place, look at all that green forest!! Love the pic w/ your family, the nephews are heart breakers!


text:
You've heard time and time again that cosmetic dental treatment can dramatically improve, not only your smile, but also impact your personality, the way you interact with others, your self confidence and much more. How is that even possible?
Simple. People who are self-conscious about their smile not being perfect, tend to hide it. They simply don't feel comfortable show the pearly whites, maybe because they are not that white, and not that pearly.
On the other hand, people who have beautiful white smiles, and know it, are always shining the smile when ever and as often as possible.
So what?
Well, it just so happens that in the year 1989 a psychologist named Robert Zajonc released a study that said that people who smile frequently feel happier and better about themselves compared to people who don't smile a often. Also, people are naturally attracted to other people who smile and are happy. People with big bright smiles make more friends and seem happier. Seeing and feeling that other people embrace us, helps boost our confidence and self-esteem.
So, what can I do?
First of all, be proud of who you are and smile as often as possible. if you are a little shy about smiling, because you feel that your smile is not as good as you would like it to be, don't worry. Give us a call to schedule a visit, and let a professional dentist in Mexico evaluate your overall dental health. If you have good dental health, and all that is required are some cosmetic adjustments, your dentist will do a full assessment and tell you exactly what you need. Maybe you just need a teeth whitening, or dental veneers, or a dental bridge. Whatever it is, you details will give you all the details you need to make a wise and informed decision.
At Tijuana Dental Studio, we have the knowledge and experience to offer the best cosmetic dentistry in Tijuana Mexico, at the lowest prices anywhere. We always focus on quality and on providing you with the amazing smile you desire. Give us a call today!


text:
This morning, a glorious day, winter in Chicago. The day's forecast: 100% chance of Snowy Fuck-All. Awoke with three words on my lips. "Louisville or bust." I didn't bust. 5 hour drive, SE on I-65, gas outside Indianapolis. Bought a vitamin water at Circle K/Shell. Looking at a rack of humorous bumper stickers, giggling, I forgot I was holding a bottle of water in my right hand. I dropped it. It exploded on the floor of the mini-mart. I hadn't even opened it! The plastic bottle suffered a severe structural malfunction upon impact (for crissakes it was plastic!!!). I had chosen a yellow citrus vitamin water, now puddling at my feet, and it looked like I peed on the floor. True story. Back in the car. Drive. I'm here for the first weekend and table rehearsal of the Apprentice Anthology project at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Is this heaven? No, it's Louisville. Bourbon and baseball bats. A dangerous combination? Yeah: Dangerously awesome.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
an open letter to bald men who wear 180 wrap-around earmuffs on eff'ing cold days
Look, dude. I'm not your mom. But your mom called and told me to slap you in your bald head as I walk behind you. The windchill is -23 F. Did you know that 110% of your body heat escapes through the top of your head? Science has proven this. Looking at you makes me feel colder. I will not think any less of you for wearing a hat. I know you're worried about that. What I think of you. Wear a hat. Buy this hat and wear it. Thank you.
Posted by Marisa Wegrzyn at 4:39 PM
where the girls are
The true test is to find work, whether past or present, by women writers that we had undervalued…by that test they have failed, because they have added not one to the canon. The women writers who mattered – Jane Austen, George Eliot, Emily Dickinson, Edith Wharton, Willa Cather and others who have always mattered on aesthetic grounds – still matter.
--Harold Bloom, skeptical of feminist criticism, kind of a douche
Ward Six has a post tackling the concept of female writers and levels of "American literary greatness," and how women rarely make it to the top of that mountain. Who is making that distinction and why would that be? Author Rhiann Ellis makes this curious personal observation regarding girls and boys:
Is it that worthy literary achievements by women aren't being recognized? ...But it is also that worthy literary achievements by women aren't happening, too. I've been in writing classes -- taking them and teaching them -- from first grade on up through graduate school, and you can watch it happen: little girls write circles around the boys, they love writing more than boys and care more about doing it well and produce reams of it. This is true right through college, when boys begin to catch up. And then, by the end of college and into graduate school, something happens: boy writers begin to become more experimental, daring, and confident, and the girl writers begin to self-destruct.
-Rhiann Ellis, Ward Six
I'm not exactly sure what she means by "self-destruct" unless it means the opposite of being experimental, daring, and confident. Viewed from the perspective of the theatre business, the case of "daring and experimental" may be viewed as a liability -- daring and experimental will, more often than not, make producers nervous as hell. But, I wonder, to what extent is the feminine perspective a liability in theatre? Another curious point made if you spelunk into the comments of the post:
I feel as though the parameters of that concept [literary greatness] favor "masculine" ways of seeing the world. (Please take those quote marks to heart.) Personally, I am not terribly interested in the Big Picture in fiction, or rather it only interests me as a context for presenting the Small Picture, which is all I really care about. I think a lot of women writers approach their work in a similar way.The Big Novel has to be seen to be GRAPPLING with something, to be TACKLING some big PROBLEM, and for whatever reason, this approach seems to appeal more to guys. And then the world of publishing rewards them for their efforts.
-J. Robert Lennon, Ward Six
Is this Big Picture/Small Picture true of male and female playwrights? I don't know. If anybody who sees more plays than I do has a thought, please share. What is true, I think, is a lot of theatres want their programming to seem relevant in the Big Picture, however you define THAT. And if it's true that men write towards the Big Picture programmed by male artistic directors looking for that Big Picture, then that might be one possible explanation for more productions of plays written by men.
I always wondered what difference it would make if I had followed through on the impulse to write under a gender-neutral or masculine pseudonym -- granted, the initial impulse was to at least write under a last name that wasn't a total Polish mindfuck. I test-drove a pen-name when I first started sending things out, but it didn't feel right and it didn't feel like me. Would it make a difference if my plays were written by a man? You'd hope that rejections are based on content and not preconceived notions of what a female playwright will write, or to what audience they appeal.
My one anecdote involves a table reading of an early draft of "The Butcher of Baraboo" a couple of years ago. The cast of that play is 4 women and 1 man; the man is resigned to an important, but small, role -- y'know, like a man-Ophelia. Anyway, the actor reading the lone male role came up to me after the reading was over to tell me why he liked the play. Decipher this how you will: "It's a play about women who just happen to be characters, y'know? It's not a "woman's play", y'know? It's unusual."
Posted by Marisa Wegrzyn at 10:00 AM
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
"baraboo" in baraboo
My play The Butcher of Baraboo is getting a public reading in Baraboo, WI. This amuses me to no end. Thank god they have a sense of humor. The reading is at The Village Booksmith in downtown Baraboo on the eve of Feb 1. They invited me to come and asked if I wanted to read in it. Tempting, but I declined as I will be elsewheres.
Posted by Marisa Wegrzyn at 4:10 PM
steve martin on being funny
Found this by way of my internet lover BoingBoing: Here's A lengthy article in the Smithsonian by Steve Martin and how he developed his stand-up routine. It's really just an excerpt of a chapter of his great memoir Born Standing Up. I bought the book for my mom for Christmas, and I accidentally read it before I wrapped it. I made sure not to crack the spine or smear palm sweat over the cover -- it was a gift, after all. Though I'm sure my mom wouldn't've minded TOO much if the book got banged up. Mom always seemed excited about gifts of construction paper glued to other construction paper when I was little, so a banged-up hardback is an amazing step up.
Steve Martin had terrific patience for teaching his audience how to understand his comedy, or not understand his comedy -- not understanding is part of the fun. It's also a bit of a lesson on how artists need to build in a subconscious lesson plan within the work, something to teach the audience how to process it. Easier said than done.
Posted by Marisa Wegrzyn at 1:57 PM
Saturday, January 26, 2008
still alive (see also: still sick)
It's a special night when I close down River North. Even Mother Hubbard's debaucherous den of sin had gone sleepy-eyed to the good morrow as the Acting Studio coughed me on to Hubbard St at 4:15 this morning. And the snow -- O The Snow! -- had fallen. I wrote from 9pm to 3:45am in a windowless, fluorescent-lit room, fueled by 1 diet coke, 1 coffee, 1 chocolate Rice Crispie Treat, 1 bottle of water, 1 snack-sized bag of Cheetos, and a dose of Walgreen's generic non-drowsy multi-symptom cold relief which provided no relief at all. My nose is chapped red from generic facial tissue and my eyeballs feel like they've been Botoxed with the tines of a spork. I was home by 4:45am. Nomar pooped on the kitchen floor in protest of being cat-sat by a giant bowl of food for the past 22 hours. My 24 hour play is about righteousness and the game of chess. It's called Deep Red. Actors are memorizing it as I type this. Folks at Infamous Commonwealth Theatre are blogging the day's sleep-deprived progress here: http://infamouscommonwealth.blogspot.com/. I was invited to come back and see how rehearsal is going, but State & Hubbard is so very far away and I need a nap.
Posted by Marisa Wegrzyn at 2:08 PM
Friday, January 25, 2008
24 hour project (part 2)
You know what's going to be more fun than writing a play in 12 hours?
Being sick and writing a play in 12 hours.
I've written some of my best stuff while sick.
Wait, no I haven't.
There's a first for everything!
Posted by Marisa Wegrzyn at 12:01 AM
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
24 hour project
I'm writing in Infamous Commonwealth Theatre's 24 Hour Project this weekend. More info here. (It's a small venue and only two performances on Saturday evening, so if you want to come, call ahead because they sell out). How it goes: four playwrights write plays from Friday 8pm to Saturday 8am. The plays are fully rehearsed and off-book 12 hours later for performances at 8pm and 10:30pm Saturday. That's it. Will it be awesome? Will it be a train wreck? Who knows! That history ain't writ yet, homies. It's possible I could pass out or go batshit insane by 4am Saturday morning. I will resist ending my play with a meteor killing everybody.
Posted by Marisa Wegrzyn at 12:09 AM
he's back
My sister left for Disney World and dumped Nomar Rasputin Kittycat Mofo Garciaparra at my apartment. My family cat-sitting fee is a 6 pack of beer that doesn't suck. I know the photo looks blurry, but that's what Nomar looks like after he face-plants in the catnip.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
how you write, what you do
I watched the movie Once the other week, and then watched it again with the commentary track with the director and stars of the film. One of the things they talked about is how interesting it is to watch artists -- in this case musicians -- make what they make. The process it takes to get from A to Z. How it becomes something that is, more or less, finished; or how it -- the recognizable song/painting/whatever -- became the thing it became. It really is fascinating. Like I could watch Bob Ross paint his happy little trees for hours. What's so interesting isn't the final picture (forest landscape on a snowy day. yawn), but how he used that scraper tool and a little white paint to make those happy trees heavy with happy snow, and how that scraper tool makes that scraping sound on the canvas. I'd watch Bob Ross paint for hours. It's magic.
For writers and writing, I'm not so interested in learning about the nebulous, intangible stuff of inspiration and creativity. Borrrrrring. I prefer the quantifiable details: Where do you write? When? Pencil or pen? In a spiral notebook or on office legal pads? When you write on the computer, what font do you use? How do you format your stage directions? Where do you go for character names? When you write at Starbucks, what do you drink? Do you snack? How good is your writing after a couple glasses of crummy [yellowtail]? Music? No? If music, what kind, how loud? Do you wear pants? Can you write on a bus? On a train? In bed?
When I started writing, I tried to crib routines from writers I liked. Like T.C. Boyle said in an interview he writes in a dark room and blasts jazz music, so I tried to do that, but it didn't make me a prolific short-story writing genius. A lot of writers get up at 5am to write. That seemed like a good idea until it seemed insane, and it seemed insane almost instantly. I had a pretty great routine when I was unemployed, but it involved never seeing the sun, ever.
I've done a lot of writing in coffee shops. I prefer the holy cathedral of St. Arbucks over, say, a mom & pop java dive. At the corporate joint, I don't feel guilty ordering JUST a cup of coffee and squatting at a table for a 5 hour writing jag. I'm one of THOSE people. I hate those people. I am those people. Eek. My favorite Starbucks on the planet is in a strip mall in Webster Groves, Missouri. My favorite Starbucks in Chicago is either the 'Bucks at Diversey & Sheffield, or the Ghettobucks at Bryn Mawr and Winthrop where I saw a homeless guy pee on the wall.
More: I use 11 point Times New Roman and a macro keyed by Ctrl+J for stage directions and I don't like to eat while writing because eating is for watching television, not writing, and 39% of everything I've ever written has been written in bed. No pants. Well sometimes pants. Are pajama bottoms "pants"? When I get stuck on an ending, I end the play with a meteor crashing through the ceiling and killing all the characters instantly. The end.
I go back and fix it when I'm not so frustrated.
I'm saving that meteor-kills-everybody ending for my master-work. Wait for it.
Was this interesting?
(Meteor crashes through ceiling and kills this blog post instantly. The end)
Posted by Marisa Wegrzyn at 12:01 AM
Saturday, January 19, 2008
a little funny for a cold, cold weekend
I saw Sweeney Todd last night after work. Oh mah gaaahd! The last 3 minutes of that film are gorgeous. Then I took the Poo Line home for the first time since I-don't-know-when, and I'm glad to see all the pigeons making good use of the CTA station heating lamps. Must've been 50 pigeons huddled together under the lamp at the Randolph/Wabash station.
Cold? Bored? Pass out on the couch and watch 5 minutes of Drunk History vol 1 - Featuring Michael Cera
Posted by Marisa Wegrzyn at 11:47 AM
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Conor McPherson
I saw Shining City at the Goodman last night. First preview performance. I would have preferred to see it a little further into the run, but Dan hooked up some freebies and I can't turn down free. I'm a fan of the script and the production didn't disappoint. It's great across the board. No spoilers here. See it.
I can't help but feel it would be exponentially more awesome in a smaller theater. The Goodman's main stage -- the Albert? -- is... so... big. The stage is filled with a gorgeous set, but I think Conor McPherson plays are intimate affairs best served in a smaller venue. I suppose the Goodman is an intimate venue compared with the Broadway house where this play made its U.S. premier, and I'll hold my horses 'til some Off-Loop company tackles this script in a couple years. I wanted to be closer. I was up in the Mezzanine boonies with 50 coughers. You know that scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where the high-priest guy sticks his hand into that dude's chest and pulls out his beating heart. I wish I could do that. But instead of a heart I'd pull the lungs from people who don't stop coughing in the theatre. Thankfully, the coughing settled down once the play began crackling. Conor McPherson is the Robitussin of playwriting. I dig it. One of my favorite Chicago productions of all time was McPherson's The Good Thief at The Gift Theatre. Michael Patrick Thornton was phenomenal in that play. It was the perfect union of actor, text, and venue.
I first encountered a Conor McPherson play when I was working as a Production Assistant at Greenbrier Valley Theatre in West Virginia in 2002. The actor they hired to play Valerie in McPherson's The Weir dropped out to travel to India, and the director asked me to audition. She had seen me act earlier in the season. Also I was the only one in the room who could do an Irish accent. If you know The Weir, you know that a 21 year old has no business playing Valerie. I wanted to write Conor McPherson a letter of apology for the inappropriate casting, and for the theatre not allowing us to say the word "fuck" in the play. The play is set in a rural Irish bar. Of course "fuck" appears in the text a lot. Not so in that production. Welcome to theatre in West Virginia.
I hadn't acted much before that summer -- a couple acting classes and a few student directing scenes in college. I was also doing double duty as the theatre's production assistant, so I had to set up and strike the rehearsal room and wash all the glasses, and quite a few glasses needed washing for all the drinking done in that play (Rootbeer for Guinness, Cream Soda for Harp, insulin for when the pancreas failed). The actors lobbied to have a piss bucket backstage since the toilet was so far away and entrances were always near-misses.
Acting in The Weir was terrifying. The character Valerie spends most of the play listening to the other characters, but then delivers a 12 minute monologue. I was offstage briefly before having to come back on and deliver that monologue about a dead kid. God I was nervous. I spent my time offstage trying not to barf. I was also pretty sure I had forgotten the monologue, and if you go up on your lines in a monologue, you're fucked. But as it goes, you get out there, settle down, and just get through it. I'm not gonna lie: it was fun making people in the audience cry with a dead kid monologue.
I had no idea if my performance was actually good. It was more the writing than me. And it's possible I like Conor McPherson because I link his writing to [acting] trauma and triumph. But mostly I like his writing because it's just good, y'know?
Posted by Marisa Wegrzyn at 1:09 PM
Friday, January 11, 2008
I have no qualms about body-slamming a 5 year old
Take the survey to find out how well you'd do in a swarm of 5 year olds. I fudged one question by considering a Karate class I took in 4th grade along with saving Sylvia from Mr. X in Nintendo's Kung Fu as "Martial Arts Experience."
I found this survey at The Brad's new blogging venture, The "Break It Down" Blog: Simplifying hot topics on the Internet and in technology. Lots of good geeky stuff along with good geeky funny stuff with a pinch of randomness.
Note: Please feel free to post how many 5 year olds you could take in a fight.
Posted by Marisa Wegrzyn at 10:09 AM
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
this saturday @ chicago dramatists
Lil somethin-somethin going on this Saturday at Chicago Dramatists. FYI. Please note the sentence that mentions wine and cheese. Eff yeah.
THE 6th ANNUAL SHOWCASE OF THE NEW RESIDENT PLAYWRIGHTS
Saturday, January 12 @ 2:00pm
Please join Chicago Dramatists and its playwrights for the first reading of the New Year as we welcome our new Resident Playwrights for 2008 and sample selections from their diverse work. A discussion with the playwrights about their writing and careers will follow the readings, plus a wine and cheese reception in the lobby.
GENE – A companion piece to Eugene O'Neill's "Hughie"
by Resident Playwright RON HIRSEN
Directed by Lila Stromer
Ozzie arrives at the Shelton Hotel in Boston on a cold November day in 1953 to visit his old friend Gene. But the stubborn guard won't allow Ozzie up to see him. "Mr. O'Neill ain't seein' anybody today." RON HIRSEN's play "The Frugal Repast" was developed at the O'Neill Playwrights Conference and produced by the Abingdon Theatre in New York City in 2007.
by Resident Playwright CHRIS MANN
Directed by Associate Artist Anna C. Bahow
What does one do about death when religion no longer serves as the cornerstone to the American family? An older woman can't get over her husband's death and a father (although dead) can't let go of his family. CHRIS MANN has written over 20 plays that have been produced professionally. "Finding a Contemporary God" was commissioned by the Laine Family Foundation.
by Resident Playwright STEVEN SIMONCIC
Directed by Associate Artist Ilesa Duncan
A Starbucks appears in West Humboldt Park and signifies the first wave of gentrification in a neighborhood that hasn't changed for generations. STEVEN SIMONCIC has six past productions, including "Broken Fences." Pegasus Players and Live Bait Theatre will produce "Heat Wave" this winter in a joint production.
by Resident Playwright MARISA WEGRZYN
Directed by Associate Artist Ann Filmer
Dad's shot himself in the head and failed musician Roby Finley is on her way home to Burkeville, TX, with a suitcase full of stolen cash. A family comedy from a time when a dime could buy you a phone call home. MARISA WEGRZYN's "The Butcher of Baraboo" was produced in Steppenwolf's First Look Repertory in 2006 and premiered off-Broadway at Second Stage last summer. She is currently working on commissions from Steppenwolf, Yale Rep, and Actors Theatre of Louisville.
Posted by Marisa Wegrzyn at 3:25 PM
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
snooze no more
It is no longer attached to my alarm clock. Some plastic broke off last night so I've yet to see how fixable it is.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Will not be discussed here.
Take it outside.
Last week after the holidays felt like one big non-alcoholic hangover. I face-planted on my desk at work.
In gadgets & gizmos news: I got a new cellphone to replace my 2004 clunker. I also downloaded a ringtone. The theme for The Twilight Zone. I may regret that choice when someone calls in the middle of the night as I'm drifting off to sleep, and then I have an apocolyptic dream where I'm the last person on the planet with all the time in the world to read, but then my glasses fall off my face and I step on them. But then I find an ophthalmologist's office and give myself Lasik so it's okay! Eat that, Rod Serling.
By the way, don't ever go into graphic detail about your own Lasik surgery. It sounds horrifying.
I'm going to sleep. Don't call me.


text:
Sunday, February 15, 2015
The Eddings Tide
I was as surprised as anyone when I heard of Amy Eddings', host of WNYC radio, departure from New York City. Not because her decision was shocking, or even that she has chosen to leave the number one public radio station in the nation, but because, and I sense I am not alone in this, she is moving to Ohio. Anyone who has heard my road traveling stories knows well enough that I'm not sweet on Ohio (although they do have the best rest stops between New York and Wisconsin) and I thought, good lord, what will she do there? Where is this Ada? Parents passing, or have already passed? Going home? What?! This morning I decided to discover why and what I found is that there is no one to tell it, but her.
I met Amy once when her program asked me to come up to the station to explain the difference between pea shoots and pea sprouts and concoct a recipe to share with their listeners. A minor connection, really, yet in reading through some of her blog posts I see that her reasons for leaving WNYC and New York City are, at least in general ways, quite like our own. We share (or, maybe I share it with her husband, as we both moved to the home regions of our wives) that sense of insecure longing for some thing or event that validates our decision as the right one. Inescapable to any creative leaving NYC is the thought that they are leaving the game, maybe their ambition has melted away and are putting themselves out to pasture. Yet, what grips my thinking, now, not quite four weeks after arriving, is not what I have lost by leaving NYC, but what I have gained, and how remarkably privileged we are for being able to do so.
NYC can shield our privilege behind crumby buildings, raucous neighbors, dirty streets, and low-paid work that is largely chosen, not inherited. In the context of that great city our income, our utter lack of savings, retirement planning, or insurance made us feel poor, but truly we are rich in the context of the poor. Outside of that city we shed that shielding skin and with considerably less conflict than if we had sold off our far away inheritance to make the best of someone's misfortune, a crumbling house in the gentrifying edge of a community about to be displaced.
So we are now suddenly landowners, suddenly landowner-neighbors, taxpayers, insurance payers, and so on with more house and land than we can justify, or feel completely comfortable with, in a region of homogeneous ethnicity and income. Despite any misgivings, we intend to make the most of ourselves and new home, with hope that we can find an income stream that allows us to stay here, in the upper midwest, or what I prefer to call the northern tier, or north woods, or some such descriptor that doesn't exact such dismal recompense, and continue our creative industriousness.
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Tuesday, 22 September 2015
Why are people angry at me because I said I loved this Kanye's look. Lol
12 comments:
It's unique nd fun to wear rag nd sack clothz cos it's coming from kanye...Assumin na tianah or swanky jerry na wear am we for nor hear wordReplyDeleteReplies
Tip Of The Day: Applying Nail Polish.click my name to find out. tnk me lerraDelete
No mind laura...Cos it's from kanyeReplyDelete
No mind laura...Cos it's from kanyeReplyDelete
Aproko manager u just spoke my mind...he looks like a mad man!!!!ReplyDelete
Laura,if I catch you ehh! Lmao. Just tab the guy biko even his friends are doing so he won't find u and sue u. He can compliment the craze man cloth with the baddest scowl ever,a rag is still a rag. Pls there's a thin line between ripped and shredded into bits. Or is it cos it's Kanye? It sucks!ReplyDelete
Laura re u a joke or wat?.....u better put on ur thinking cap,fashion wise...ReplyDelete
U be hyping pple jst cos of deir brand
Apparently this is what Americans would wear in 2020 when or if he becomes the president. Na person papa be this o. He's just weird and if na naija now he suppose dey yaba left or aro. Bi-polar in everything.ReplyDelete
When is ur birthday again? Cos I'm getting you this perfect replicaReplyDelete
- Anonymous25 September 2015 at 17:05
What a fashion! HianReplyDelete
Ndi ara! Ndi ara! Lele! Lekwa ha! I think this one follow for cloth ni! Like wife Like husband. Na them sabi mbokReplyDelete
Ndi ara! Ndi ara! Lele! Lekwa ha! I think this one follow for cloth ni! Like wife Like husband. Na them sabi mbokReplyDelete