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Kings-Flyers Preview
The Philadelphia Flyers' run of strong play started with a win over the Los Angeles Kings nearly two months ago.
Recent meetings at home haven't gone nearly as well, particularly for Claude Giroux.
The captain looks to continue his own dazzling stretch and help the red-hot Flyers avoid matching their longest home slide to the Kings on Monday night.
Philadelphia (38-25-7) was sputtering through a 3-6-2 stretch before beating Los Angeles 2-0 on the road Feb. 1. That kicked off the Flyers' 12-2-1 stretch that includes six wins over teams currently in playoff position, including a home-and-home sweep of Metropolitan Division-leading Pittsburgh.
Still, Philadelphia's latest performance – a 4-1 win over St. Louis on Saturday – may be its most impressive since the Blues are tied with Boston for the most points in the NHL.
"We're proving we're a good hockey team," said Steve Mason, who had 32 saves against the Blues to improve to 10-2-1 with a 2.28 goals-against average in 13 games. "We're beating the teams that, come playoff time, you're going to have go through to get to the ultimate goal."
Production from Giroux continues to be critical. The star center has 24 points in this 15-game run, and he has 21 goals and 35 assists in Philadelphia's victories.
Giroux, who had a goal and an assist in the win at Los Angeles, hasn't scored a point in three career home meetings versus the Kings, with Philadelphia dropping the last two after falling 3-2 in overtime Oct. 15, 2011.
The Flyers haven't lost three in a row at home to the Kings since Jan. 11-Nov. 8, 1973.
Wayne Simmonds also had a goal and an assist against the Kings in February. The right wing enters this matchup with five goals and two assists in four games, after doing likewise against St. Louis.
Mason, who had 35 saves in beating Los Angeles, should be back in net as the Flyers go for their first six-game winning streak since taking seven in a row from Dec. 2-15, 2011. He's won four games during the current streak, compiling a 1.50 GAA with one shutout.
"We're really playing like a team right now and that's why we're successful. It really is," coach Craig Berube said. "We're coming. Our team is getting to where we need to get to be successful."
The Kings have followed a three-game slide with back-to-back wins, thanks in large part to Jonathan Quick, who has stopped 45 of 46 shots and two of three shootout attempts in that span.
The 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy winner's latest effort put him in the record books, as his 24-save effort in Saturday's 4-0 win over Florida gave him a club-record 172 victories.
"I've been very fortunate up to this point in my career," said Quick, who supplanted Rogie Vachon for the franchise mark, while his 30 shutouts are two shy of his record in that category.
Los Angeles' 11 shutouts on the season match the team record set two seasons ago.
Quick, though, faced only 13 shots versus the Flyers on Feb. 1, but he's stopped 72 of 74 shots in winning both his appearances in Philadelphia.
Ex-Flyer Justin Williams scored twice in the 2011 victory, giving him five goals in eight games there.
After this stop in Philadelphia, the Kings' trip continues with visits to Washington and Pittsburgh.
Forward Jeff Carter will play his first game in Philadelphia as a member of the Kings. Carter spent his first six seasons with the Flyers, recording 181 goals and 162 assists in 461 games from 2005-2011.


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Radio Show profiles peninsula people in Trust's Golden year
The Otago Peninsula Trust's 50th Anniversary year promises a golden opportunity to share the beauty, history and character of the peninsula, with a new radio series at the centre of the celebrations. Otago Access Radio show Peninsula People launched on Friday 13 January, hosted by the Trust's marketing manager Sophie Barker. The 50-episode series features.. read more →
50 stories in 50 weeks for Trust's 50th year.
50 stories to celebrate 50 years of Otago Peninsula Trust. Otago Peninsula Trust is sharing 50 stories over 50 weeks as part of its 50th birthday celebrations in 2017. General Manager, Otago Peninsula Trust, Robyn McDonald says "2017 is a very special year for the Trust as we celebrate our 50th birthday. We are sharing.. read more →
50 this year? Birthday deals for you!
Turning 50 this year? So is the Otago Peninsula Trust! To celebrate we are offering special deals for people born in 1967, the year Otago Peninsula Trust was formed to preserve and enhance Otago Peninsula. Deals for 50th birthday celebrators are: Royal Albatross Centre Tours – 50% off albatross, Unique and Fort tours. Royal Albatross.. read more →

subset: commoncrawl


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Home > Supplier Companies > Gorf Mfg./Contracting Ltd. > Articles > Services
Gorf Mfg./Contracting Ltd.
Gorf Contracting is responsible for a magnitude of field construction projects. These range from civil works, mechanical installation and structural steel erection. Gorf offers various services in civil and mechanical contracting using latest technologies and state of the art equipment to ensure quality of work. Gorf Also has offered their snowing removal service to the area.
With our 22,000 square foot facility there isn't much that Gorf is limited to when considering fabrication. We are equipped with tools and properly trained staff to put forth our highest fabricating.
When Gorf first started as a company back in the early 80′s, construction was their primary service. To date, gorf can provide various working services to accomodate your construction-like-jobs.
Winter Snow Removal
Throughout the years Gorf has provided snow plowing services to residencial and industrial identities in the Porcupine and South Porcupine area. Please feel free to contact a representative at Gorf to find out more details or visit.
Source: http://www.gorfcontracting.com/company/services/
Employment Opportunities
Do you want to be part of something new, innovative and awesome? We are looking for people who share our passion for both the Manufacturing and Contracting industries.


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0 Comments Click here to read/write comments
Topics: data center power, green data centers
Ask the Engineer – What can be done to become more energy efficient and incorporate Green IT in the Data Center?
Not only for the environmental reasons that you may expect, but for the economic benefits seen by incorporating Green IT in the data centers. Going "green" means measuring, analyzing and controlling power usage to enable effective capacity planning along with aptitude to make change for decreased usage – all leading to improved efficiency and a controlled carbon footprint.
0 Comments Click here to read/write comments
Topics: energy efficiency, green data centers, ask the engineer


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This post is simulcast from my blog "The Annals of Opera".
In Part Eight of my ongoing series on my favourite operas, we've reached the late 1950s, and today we're going to look at some fairly bonkers composers, and their attempts to push this artform into mayhem and inspiration.
My usual caveats apply: these are only my suggestions of favourite operas (not necessarily the objective greatest ever), and should be taken as such. And, of course, as we're going chronologically, the number assigned to each composer is no indicator of quality!


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Every great book was once a hidden gem. Browse through the books below and start your own discovery!
|Book Discovery - newly-published and overlooked books!
|The Night Has Teeth, by Randy Speeg
|The Night Has Teeth: a short story of suspenseful horror
Carrie and her husband Steve are traveling to her parents' house for what is supposed to be a relaxing holiday weekend. However Fate has other plans for the couple. A sudden severe thunderstorm and a much unexpected detour will bring them face to face with a horror neither could have ever imagined. This is one get away that will teach them that there really is...no place like home....
|Retreat to Woodhaven (The Hills of Burlington Book 2), by Jacie Middlemann
|Jake Kyle needed to get away and never more so than now. The political quagmire that he's help to bring to a boil is about to land on his doorstep. Under normal circumstances he'd be more than happy to take his critics on face to face and had done just that more than once over the years. And more than once he had been the one to walk away smiling. But this time in the midst of everything he's embroiled in he has other far more important things to take care of. People who need him in ways they never had before. Family who counted on him though would never admit it. One person in particular who he was not about to let down if he's given a chance to make amends.
Barely twenty-four hours later, after a few phone calls...
|The Ghosts of Gloaming, by Patricia Otto
|With his marriage to Maggie Connor, William McLaren, the Laird of Gloaming Castle, erases a war debt between their families. But he never expected his new wife to be such a spirited curious lass. A woman as unconstrained as her red curls, who forces his quiet secretive existence out of the shadows and makes him wonder if he has neglected his life, and his castle, for too long.
No one asked Maggie if she wanted to be the Lady of the place everyone calls Gloomy Castle or be married to its prickly enigmatic laird. But in this world, a woman's life is not shaped by fairness and her power is almost nonexistent. Now, she is determined to forge the best life for herself in a strange realm and establish an accord with her indecipherable husb...
|A Girl and Her Cat: The Search for Yaser Abdel Said: Vol. 7, by Denis Schulz
|She was Asma bint Marwan. She had been murdered by Umyar ben Uday on orders from the Prophet in 642 AD for speaking out against Islam. But she had not died; the spirits of the ancient Greeks had carted her off to the Netherworld from where she had continued her desperate struggle against the forces of evil. She was a 1,400-year-woman old in the body of a ten-year-old girl. She had never enjoyed herself so much and then her ancient enemies got atter her and the only thing that could save her was private eye Bernard Piffy and Ingrate, the world's most amazing cat...
|Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue, by Stephen Drivick
|Five years have passed since the zombie apocalypse swept across the world. The remnants of humanity struggle to survive against Red-Eye, man-eating monsters that hide among the ruins of civilization.
The survivors of Cannon Fields live behind their high iron fences and sturdy gate growing food, raising their children, and try to keep out the horrors of the outside world - living and dead. They hope for a day when fences and gates aren't needed anymore and someone puts the world back together.
During a trade mission, John Linder and his best friend Claire, cross paths with a stranger on a noisy motorcycle. He proposes an exchange - vital medicine for help in getting his friends to safety. The trip will be risky. The...
|Alien Curse, by John Bedford
|The aliens are coming!
An advanced party of aliens crash land their shuttle craft in Africa.
The terror for Jason Dark begins when one of the aliens makes contact with him.
But why him? What is the link between them?
Caught in a landscape where nothing is as it seems, Dark's life is dominated by the alien, love, drugs, fear, and criminals, until the alien reveals his plan.
Then Dark uncovers a plot, and realizes just how high the stakes really are......
|6 Minutes Wrestling With Life: A Family's Tragedy to Triumph, by JohnA Passaro
| Get ready to laugh, cry, smile and think. You will never look at life the same way again.
Imagine yourself inside a parent's worst nightmare - within the 6 minutes your child lies unconscious.
Each second is passing faster than the last.
The minutes are mounting.
Your hope is dwindling.
The doctor, who has been working feverishly to revive your child has since stopped and is now heading toward you.
Rarely do we know life changing events as they are happening, but this time you know.
You know deep down, that in a few seconds, after a few words, your life is going to change forever.
All you keep saying to yourself as the doctor ...
|Rescued By Tordin: Olodian Alien Warrior Romance, by Mychal Daniels
|Curvy, intelligent and focused, Kyra Simmons has her eye on the prize. She's locked her sights on becoming the top technical engineer for the most prestigious space program back on Earth. That is, until her life and plans are turned upside down in an instant on board a maintenance Space Station.
Stranded on the now failing Space station, Kyra needs a miracle to survive. She has no idea that the 'foreign' astronauts who show up to rescue her are out of this world—literally.
Warrior Lord Tordin, Crown Prince of Olodia, knows he's outside of the Mandates of the Intergalactic Alliance when he intercedes to rescue the survivors of the Earth space station. But there's something or someone pulling him in.


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The Sports Xchange
By Dave Del Grande, The Sports XChange
EditorsNote: Eds: Adds notes to the bottom, corrects secondary team. Giants 6, Pirates 3
SAN FRANCISCO -- Buster Posey had three hits, including an RBI single in a four-run first inning, as the San Francisco Giants snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night.
In beating Pittsburgh for the first time in three days, the Giants dropped the Pirates into a first-place tie with St. Louis atop the National League Central.
Tim Lincecum staggered through 5 1/3 innings, but managed to hold the Pirates to three runs. Six Giants relievers took it from there, shutting out the visitors on four hits, with Sergio Romo dealing a scoreless ninth for his 31st save.
Posey, who had just one hit in his previous 16 at-bats with runners in scoring position, delivered Marco Scutaro from third base with a broken-bat single to trigger the four-run first. The reigning NL Most Valuable Player later scored the inning's third run on Pablo Sandoval's infield out.
The Giants denied Pirates starter Francisco Liriano a second win on the team's weeklong trip to California, sending him to the showers after just four innings.
The Pirates nearly got Liriano (14-6) off the hook with one run in the fifth inning and two in the sixth, but the Giants tacked on single runs in those innings as well off Pittsburgh relievers Jared Hughes and Vin Mazzaro.
Wild pitches contributed to both of San Francisco's insurance runs. Hughes' wild pitch allowed Hector Sanchez to score in the fifth, and Hunter Pence advanced to second on a Mazzaro wild pitch in the sixth, eventually scoring on a single by Sandoval to put the Giants up 6-3.
Lincecum (7-13) gave up Tony Sanchez's first career home run in the Pittsburgh fifth, then got pulled after allowing a one-out double to Pedro Alvarez in the sixth, putting runners on second and third with the Pirates down 5-1.
Pinch-hitter Gaby Sanchez hit Jose Mijares one and only pitch into center field for an RBI single, and Tony Sanchez greeted Jean Machi the same way, smacking a first-pitch single to center that plated Alvarez and getting Pittsburgh within 5-3.
But the Pirates got only two more hit the rest of the way against the San Francisco bullpen and fell to 4-2 on their trip.
Lincecum, who entered the game tied for the NL lead in losses, gave up three runs on three hits in his 5 1-3 innings. He walked four and struck out eight.
Jose Tabata had three hits, including a ninth-inning double, for the Pirates, who were out-hit 11-7 in the game.
The Giants' big first inning was as much bad luck as bad pitching for Liriano.
After Marco Scutaro led off with a sharp single to center, Joaquin Arias sliced a double down the right-field line that Pirates right fielder Andrew Lambo thought landed foul. Umpire Lance Barksdale, who was farther from the landing than Lambo, insisted it had fallen on the line.
Set up with runners on second and third with no outs, the Giants' first three runs scored on Buster Posey's broken-bat single to left field, Brett Pill's check-swing roller down the third-base line and Pablo Sandoval's slow roller to second base.
Gregor Blanco capped the five-hit inning with a solid single to left, scoring Pill with the fourth run.
The four runs surpassed in one inning the Giants' 3.4-run per-game scoring average at home this season, the lowest mark in all of baseball. The Giants had scored fewer than four runs in four of the five previous games on their current homestand.
Liriano, who had allowed a total of one run and eight hits in his two previous starts, was pulled for a pinch hitter in the top of the fifth, having already thrown 102 pitches. He shut out the Giants after the four-run first, but surrendered nine hits and two walks, striking out three.
NOTES: The Giants hadn't scored four or more runs in an inning at home since a four-run sixth against the Oakland A's on May 30. ... Pirates starting pitchers had allowed only seven earned runs in the first five games of their Western trip, posting a 1.99 ERA over that stretch. ... Pirates C Tony Sanchez, who has caught each of Liriano's last five games, had only two RBIs in 38 at-bats before his fifth-inning homer. ... The home run was Pittsburgh's 16th in the last 13 games. ... After waiting five days for his bruised hand to show some improvement, the Pirates chose to place OF Starling Marte on the disabled list, retroactive to Monday. Marte has been unable to grip a bat strongly since hurting his hand last Sunday while sliding into third base. ... OF Andrew Lambo was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis to take Marte's spot on the Pirates' active roster. Lambo, who has 32 minor-league home runs this season, went 1-for-9 in an earlier call-up by Pittsburgh.


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Referee Andrew Dallas has apologised to Hearts for mistakenly booking midfielder Malaury Martin against Motherwell.
The SFA official telephoned the Edinburgh club's head coach, Ian Cathro, to admit his error. He cautioned Martin for a foul on Motherwell's Louis Moult at Fir Park on Saturday despite the striker clearly tripping over team-mate Lionel Ainsworth's foot.
Hearts hoped to appeal the decision on the grounds of mistaken identity. However, SFA officials told them there was no such avenue for an appeal.
Rules state that a claim of mistaken identity can be submitted if an offence has been committed by another player. Because there was technically no offence, Martin must accept the booking.
"I've actually taken a phonecall from Andrew Dallas, the match referee, who is accepting of the error he made," Cathro told Sky Sports. "We're thankful for the position he's taken on that, just disappointed that Malaury still has to suffer having that yellow card against him."
Hearts have called for an immediate change in the rules to prevent such a scenario recurring. "Ultimately, we were hoping that sense would be able to prevail. We've learned that nothing can be done," added Cathro.
"I think there's something there for everybody moving forward. Hopefully there will be some discretionary way of being able to step up and deal with that."


text: The Alorian President has been championing this principles of "AU Elitism" and the "Supremacist powers". As previous explained we have no intention of removing "sovereignty" from member states. How could on peddle such an irrelevant, irrational and nonsensical principle without taking into consideration the proposals made during my initial championing of the return of the Union. Instead of attempting to champion the principle of reform, you want to champion the principles of defamation and nonsensical. Talking about the nonexistent "AU Elite" is not qualitative to the discussion. It only accentuates the irrelevance of your talking points and how you cannot reinforce your statements with the slightest bit of factual information. Please refer to my previous chastising if you want actual talking points. If you don't want to bring a sensible argument to the table, you should not be here. Why waste the time spreading such cancer throughout this discussion?


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This in my opinion is what everyone involved in health & fitness is trying to achieve, whether its Personal Trainers like myself or someone just trying to lose a bit of weight for his or her summer holiday. Everybody's balance is different depending on what your goal is, if you're trying to prepare for a bodybuilding show like me, unfortunately my 'balance' has to be a little more extreme than somebody wanting to look nice for a holiday. But this shouldn't take anything away from that sort of goal; I'm merely suggesting that you can get away with doing a few more social things e.g.-(nights out, nice meals, missing the odd training session or even just generally having a bad week!)
I'm man enough to admit I'm still working on getting this balance right and I personally think nobody gets it right the first time. For example last year I entered my first BB competition and felt that I went too extreme with diet, training and generally not allowing myself to enjoy life enough for 5 months. I'm very much a family man and felt like I let mine down last year. This year I will change this, I'm doing another competition but I will make sure my fiancée and daughter don't suffer.
I see people getting this balance wrong in 2 main ways.
The first type of person I see the most is people coming into a consultation showing you a picture of the airbrushed celebrity that they want to look like in 6 weeks but not doing nearly enough to achieve this. I always say to my clients "your effort has to match your goal!"- If you want those abs or lean legs you might have to train more than 3 times a week, you might have to skip a few nights out, god forbid you might have to exercise at the weekend.
Unfortunately this type of person isn't willing to sacrifice all these nice things for the dream body, you will often hear things like 'I just didn't have time', 'but it was my mates birthday' or 'I was too tired!'
My personal opinion is to suck it up and get the job done but not everyone gets my harsh attitude. Start planning everything out as much as you can e.g….
- Look at your social occasions if you have 2 major nights out in a month make sure you stay in and eat well 3 weeks before that so that not only are you earning the night out, you will also be looking better for it.
- Look at your work week, when can you get your training sessions in, don't say you cant because that's bullshit, everybody has half an hour (100 press-ups, 100 lunges, 100 squats, I wont charge you for this programme! HA HA.) If you work late get up an hour early, black coffee, handful of nuts and get shit done, no excuses!
- Know what you're eating the day before! If you're what I call a freestyler- (picking up food whenever you can!) You're destined to fail because they will always be a time when you are too busy to do this. You don't have to plan every meal but at least have eggs and nuts ready for breakfast, take a tuna salad in for lunch & have some meat & veggies ready to throw in the oven in the evening. Again I wont charge you for this food plan!
The second type of person is the exact opposite, I often encounter this in younger clients 18-30, these guys and girls will put massive amounts of effort into changing their body as quickly as possible- training 8 times a week, avoiding tomatoes due to carb content and hide in their room at the weekend. (I only know this because I've done it!)
These lot often get fantastic results in the first 4-6 weeks but often forget about the "tortoise & the hare story", they make far too many changes to their life and training so quickly that the results they get aren't sustainable. I find if you go extreme with training, nutrition and lifestyle too quickly you will burn out and find that you no longer enjoy your training, which hopefully is the main reason you got into it in the first place!!!
In this situation I like to explain to people that small consistent changes are likely to bring about long-term change that is likely to stick, so they can stay in great shape even if they go on holiday or have a lot of social occasions. What these people need to remember is that the best way to look at Fat Loss is in the eyes of a Magician and their Tricks! You wouldn't display your best trick at the start; you would gradually build it up for a big finish! For example:
- I would start by cleaning all crap out of the diet, drink 2 liters of water a day and add weight training 3 times a week! This should bring about some good little changes in the mirror after 2-3 weeks.
- When this plateaus and you stop seeing changes, try giving yourself a protein goal per day, approximately 2-2.5 times bodyweight in kgs= grams of protein you should eat! E.g.- 70kg person would eat 140-175 grams per day. Training wise I would up training to 4 times per week with 2 brisk walks, bike ride, swim etc…
- When this plateaus, I would start tracking all your macros (protein, carbs, fats) on myfitnesspal. This should give you overall calories your eating per day and where they're coming from. Its very dependent on body type but the majority of my clients and myself do well on a high protein, high fat, low carb diet (40%40%20%), warning: this might not work for you!!! Training wise I would add to Interval/ conditioning sessions to your weights workouts, this is where you would sweat your ass off on a bike, run prowlers, pull sleds, hill sprints etc….
- Finally when you have nailed all this you may have to drop your calories to force your body into a deficit, only do this gradually 200-300 calories a week, this wont work if you haven't built your calories up to a decent amount in the first place. Training wise I would try and train twice a day 3-4 times per week still having 3 rest days. You could look to add in some fasted cardio in the morning, I would have a black coffee first thing then do 20 mins steady paced on the bike to cause a sweat. Then I would weight train in the afternoon/evening for 40 mins max. I wouldn't suggest this for long as it isn't sustainable and will make you very grumpy. Good to try before a holiday or wedding!!!
"SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO GET OFF TRACK TO REMEMBER THE RIGHT PATH!"- Robin Sharma.
This quote is perfect, I have tried many times to find my "BALANCE" in the training world and I'm pretty sure its still not perfect but I'm a hell of a lot closer than I was 2 or 3 years ago. I've had stages where I've been a bit of a "DREAMER" and I've spent a lot of time as an "EXTREMER", but I'm learning how to get it right each year.
Here's something to think about: What's the point in having the ripped up/sexy body if you never give yourself a break to show it off?
But on the other hand don't be people that say, "I wish I could be that dedicated but I just don't have the time/my work takes over/I have kids etc…
Find your BALANCE!!!
Sam Roberts (Legacy Training).


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Silver is a versatile metal & its soft luster adds a touch of elegance to jewelry, pooja utensils or other silver materials. Unfortunately silver is also a pretty fragile compared to many more commonly used metals & it can quickly develop tarnish stains or scratches. To prevent damage of those silver ornaments or other materials, we often give them to specific shops for cleansing purpose or use any other house hold method to clean them. Tarnish is a thin layer of corrosion that naturally develops on the outermost layer of silver & other metals. When you see the dark tinge of tarnish on your silver, hand washing may not be sufficient to remove it.
Pitambari's innovative product which is specially formulated " Rooperi Silver shine" is the safest option for polishing silver at home. Especially if you are dealing with an antique piece that has intricate design embossed or etched into it.
• Now add shine to your silverware at home
• Cleanses and shines silver without damage and loss in weight
• Free from any ingredients obtained from animal body
• Absolutely easy to use
• Keep away from reach of children
• Available in 50ml and 100ml bottle


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Examining the downside
of Lebanese resilience
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One in four people in Lebanon is a Syrian refugee.Lebanon, which has long been a victim of regional conflicts, combines a mix of economic openness, pluralism, democracy, cultural freedom and liberty, which is exceptional in the Middle East. Civil peace, public institutions and the economy might not survive it.In 2015, an estimated 170,000 Lebanese had fallen into poverty, whilst 90 percent of refugees are sinking deeper into the infernal cycle of debt and negative coping mechanisms, such as child labour and early marriage.Host communities have been the frontline provider of assistance to refugees.Preparing the future is also about maintaining the dignity of the refugees and host communities.No refugee wants to remain a refugee.
Examining the downside
of Lebanese resilience
Women in Lebanon: Unreached potential for growth
We can still save the Litani River
U.N., Lebanon: Together achieving common goals


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Super Sprint Bike Course Map
Super Sprint Bike Course Description 22K
0.4 Start Exit Transition area up Front Street (Restaurant Row)
0.1 Left on 4th Street
1.0 Right on Water Street
1.0 Right on Grand Ave
0.4 Left on Commonwealth Ave, turns into Balmville Rd past Balmville Tree
4.0 Straight on Fostertown Road (through traffic light intsc 9W Fostertown Rd) [support]
U-Turn at top of Fostertown Road at support station and follow exact route back to transition.
Detailed Description of the OCTRI Super Sprint Bike Course
Athletes start/finish at Transition Newburgh Waterfront.
Bikers start at transition traveling north up restaurant row (Front Street) making a left on 4th street (at the last large mural), up Forth Street and making a right on Water Street. Make a right on Grand Ave to the end where athletes make a left on Commonwealth Ave continuing onto Balmville Road. Balmville Road brings you to your first intersection of Balmville Rd and 9W. You will then travel straight over 9W onto Fostertown Road, consisting of rolling inclines to the end. Bikers will then make U-Turn at support station and make their way back to transition following exact same bike route.
The entire sprint bike course will be open to traffic, but all major intersections will be supported with volunteers or police officers. Please follow all signals and do not take your eyes off of the road. The sprint bike course is an out and back loop course with the U-Turn located at the top of Fostertown Road. Sprint bikers will follow the exact same route back to transition. It is very important for bikers to follow the exact same route back to transition to avoid the flow of traffic in and out of transition. Please remember to pay attention to all road markings as you reach the bottom of Fostertown Road. You will be on your way back to transition and the amazing Newburgh Waterfront.


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Punjabi Vaapsi Movie Review & Rating | Box Office Collection | Hit or Flop :- Well, Punjabi movie Vaapsi released all over in 03/06/2016. Movie has good buzz and I am sure that the people going to attract towards the movie and that's cool. I think movie can be the best deal for the makers and that's good. Also I like the way makers presented the story and that's the power point of the movie.
Vaapsi Movie Review & Rating
Vaapsi movie directed and written by Rakesh Maheta and produced by Lakhwinder Shabla, Shailey Arya and Jagmohan Arora. Featuring Harish Verma, Ashish Duggal, Sameeksh, Dhrriti and all are looking good and that's awesome. The way makers presented the story was so cool. And I am sure that the movie going to create lot of hype.
Check Also: Iraivi Movie Review Box Office
People have not that much options to watch this week and also I am sure that they going to attract towards this movie. Also movie has good music and that's good. I am sure that the movie going to be the good hit.
Story based on-
Movie based o Hockey players who came home and that the main plot of the movie. They come home and something Drama and thriller happened and then how the mange with this Drama that's all about this movie is. And if you wanted to see what happened next for that you have to watch the movie and that's quite good because movie can give you good story and plot and that's awesome.
Positive Point of the movie-
- Movie has good story and that's awesome.
- Good action package for audience.
- Music is good.
Negative Point of the movie-
- I think movie has not that good screenplay.
- Direction and script was okay.
- Editing is average.
Final verdict-
Movie has good buzz and I am sure that the movie going to give you the good action and thriller journey. On the other hand I didn't liked the way makers presented the story and that's the only fact I didn't like about the movie.
Directed by: Rakesh Maheta
Written by: Rakesh Maheta
Cast: Harish Verma, Ashish Duggal, Sameeksh, Dhrriti
Edited by: Rakesh Maheta, Alok pandey
Music: Gurmeet Singh, Speed Records
Releasing Date: 03/06/2016
Rating: 3.5/5


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LAS VEGAS — The fight to fully legalize online gambling in the U.S. is now less about whether Americans will be able to play and more about who will bring the action to them — and when.
A recent U.S. Justice Department opinion opened the door for cash-strapped states and their lotteries to bring online gambling to their residents, as long as it does not involve sports betting.
The DOJ memo also enflamed a battle within the industry over how to legalize online gambling that once generated an estimated $6 billion yearly just from poker: Should each state have its own system, or should there be a nationwide law?
While the opinion sent gambling stocks rising, many players who've been shut out from top online poker sites since April just want games to restart and don't care who profits.
"I don't like this legal limbo. Is it legal, or is it illegal?" said writer Brian Boyko, who plays poker as a hobby.
Boyko of Austin, Texas, has been using a small offshore site since executives and others at PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker were accused of illegally getting banks to process gambling funds.
Most of the U.S. games disappeared after the indictments.
One lawmaker in New Jersey is pushing to make online gambling legal, citing the DOJ memo. State Sen. Raymond Lesniak said he'll try to get a bill to Gov. Chris Christie's desk by next week.
"We can be the Silicon Valley of Internet gaming," he said. "It's the wave of the future."
Online poker boomed in the U.S. over the last decade, but a 2006 law made it illegal to run most online gambling businesses by forbidding financial institutions from processing transactions related to illegal online gambling.
The law, however, didn't clearly specify what kinds of gambling were illegal.
Some forms of gambling, like fantasy sports and horse racing, got explicit carve-outs, while many poker games kept going online as some operators got differing legal opinions about whether the Wire Act of 1961 applied to them.
Since then, poker proponents have argued that the game is different from other casino games like blackjack or slots because it involves significantly more skill.
Even casino companies — which make far more money from luck-based games than poker — began pushing for poker-only legislation under the assumption that poker regulations would be easier for lawmakers to stomach than other games.
Meanwhile, New York and Illinois officials asked the DOJ in 2010 whether the Wire Act or the 2006 law prevented them from selling lottery tickets online to adults within their states.
Last week, the DOJ answered: The Wire Act only prevents players from wagering on sports outcomes — other bets are OK.
The commercial casino industry's top lobbying group in Washington, D.C., believes the DOJ's interpretation of the Wire Act was correct, but added more confusion than solutions.
"There's probably some staffers at work on (Capitol Hill) now taking a real hard look at this as they figure to bring some sanity," said Frank Fahrenkopf, chief executive of the American Gaming Association.
Fahrenkopf said his group will keep pushing Congress for online poker legislation that establishes baseline rules for Internet poker operators.
Within the gambling world — which includes lotteries, private and publicly-traded companies, American Indian tribes, software manufacturers, offshore sites and others — there are differing visions for ideal online gambling laws.
Mark Hichar, an outside lawyer for the company that runs the Texas lottery, said the memo removes uncertainty and will prompt lotteries to begin running as many different kinds of games as are allowable under state laws.
"This helps lotteries, which are ... determined to remain relevant and to attract a new generation of players," said Hichar, who represents Rhode Island-based GTECH Corp.


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Commercial appliance repair is a project that is best left to a professional technician. Do it yourself repairs on a commercial refrigerator, commercial washer or a commercial oven in more cases than none, typically create even bigger problems for managers, it's not worth your time or money. For some managers, a commercial stove or steam table that is not working may not worry them, as they think they can do it themselves as they have fixed their fridge at home before with no problems.
The new commercial appliance service typically takes a lot longer than hiring a restaurant equipment repair company, and because you may not know what you are doing, not only will you not be able to fix the problem, but you can make the problem even worse, which could put yourself and your employees at risk. So the next time any of your food service equipment breakdown, contact an experienced commercial repairman to fix the problem.
Finding what is causing the problem is usually the hardest part, even if the technician has multiple years of hands-on experience and training. This process typically will leave business owners at a loss with the manual at hand, trying to figure out the problem themselves. It's not uncommon for business owners to change parts after part as they continue to guess what is wrong. They can't seem to diagnose the source of the problem correctly, and they continue to waste even more time as they have to start the diagnostic process all over again, each time they mess up.
When you hire a good commercial appliance service company, not only will they do an efficient job, but they will do accurate diagnostics so that your equipment will be back up and running in the shortest possible time. So you can get back to doing what you do best, which is running your company and making sure you customers are happy. Visit a commercial appliance repair Miami website to learn more.


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GMCD 7306 – Symphony No. 9 & Aus dem Buch Hiob by Fritz Brun
Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Adriano – Conductor
To the CD in our Shop
Fritz Brun is a Swiss composer who was born in Lucerne in 1878. He followed a standard course of studies that included one Willem Mengelberg as a piano instructor. He migrated to Berlin as private teacher and musician to Prince George of Prussia. In 1903 he returned to Bern and settled for good, accepting the invitation to become the city's orchestra conductor, along with several choral societies. He finally retired to the shores of Lake Lugano, and died near the end of 1959. He wrote ten major symphonies, and if this one is anything like the others then his neglect has been truly unjustified.
Aside from the symphonies there is a considerable catalog of works that include several tone poems, a Piano Concerto, a Cello Concerto, songs, four Sting Quartets, and three or four more significant chamber works. I notice that his Symphony No. 3 and the string quartets have also been recorded, the former by these same forces here.
The music is deceptive—you must give it a chance to unwind, but when it starts (which is very soon), the sheer inventiveness and melodic inspiration become blatantly apparent. Though his personality was said to be considerably gruff (and with a temper to boot), this is not what we hear in this most joyous and life-enhancing music. The sunny mood that he creates in this work follows closely his own autobiographical instincts according to the events in his life at the time. He initially delivered a program, very detailed, for the first performance, wherein he speaks of scenarios involving friends, love, artistic discussions, arguments about art and politics, and finally, in the fifth and last movement, "I see the great magnificence and can't behold enough of it…Then, under the firmament, my heart tells me in my breast: there is something better in the world than all its pain and pleasure".
Not bad words to live by even today.
These words were quoted from the German poet Matthias Claudius (1740-1815), and are from a very passionate poem about love for life and hope. The symphony oozes these sentiments in every movement, and its late romantic, though tempered musical expression is one that simply cannot be resisted.
The coupling on this release, From The Book of Job, is not terribly different in tone from the symphony, even though it predates it by 41 years. It is more of a young man's take on a profound subject (suffering, redemption, and its meaning), and is certainly more derivative, as young works always are. But it is nevertheless an assertive and persuasive piece, entertaining in its own right.
Guild provides some excellent sound for this release, and the orchestra comes through with great dynamic ranges and a wide, clear soundstage. My only problem is some of the playing—the Moscow Symphony sounds under-rehearsed in many places, and there are some sloppy phrases and ragged ensemble. But overall this is recommendable to those who desire to hear an authentic voice that has been truly neglected—you will not be disappointed.
© Steven Ritter
Tempo V; Tempo Vol. 60 No. 238 OCTOBER 2006
There are symphonic cycles on CD featuring several neglected 20th-century British composers. A similar project devoted to Switzerland's foremost symphonist – only three of whose ten symphonies have been published – was long overdue. In his lifetime Fritz Brun (1878-1959) found champions in his Swiss conducting colleague Volkmar Andreae and in Hermann Scherchen, an outspoken judge if there ever was one. But Brun's persistence in making time for composition, even before his retirement from the concert podium, was not accompanied by a talent for self-promotion, and his last works coincided with the onrushing tide of Modernism. Others have gone before Adriano in committing a Fritz Brun symphony to CD: there are two such recordings of the Second. But Adriano's intention of recording the complete set reflects just the whole-hearted advocacy that was needed.
In his booklet notes Adriano describes the Ninth as Brun's magnum opus. The received opinion, however, is that Brun reacted to the precedent of Beethoven with an atypically lighter work: a prelude, in fact, to the weightier Tenth. This view, I suspect, is largely correct. Brun's hour-long Eighth Symphony has an underlying 'programme' connected to the times of the day. In his Ninth, the programme is indicated through the following five movement headings: 'Vorspiel', 'Serenade', 'Liebesruf', 'Im Kreis der Freunde' and 'Glaube und Zweifel – Lob Gottes und der Natur'. The key is a pastoral F major, and the symphony ends benignly. The finale, at 15 minutes, comprises one third of the whole. Dramatic and complex, it presents almost a tone poem in itself. Regarding this finale, Brun quoted some poignant lines from a poem by Matthias Claudius, 'Die Sternseherin Lise'. In its breadth the movement invites comparison with the first movement of Brun's Third Symphony (reviewed in Tempo Vol. 59 No. 233, pp. 80-2) or the Largo e mesto movement of his String Quartet in F.
The second most substantial portion of Brun's Ninth is the central Andante sostenuto, for which the first two movements pave the way. Here the listener is reminded of the impassioned slow movement of Brun's Second Symphony. The fourth movement vividly portrays one of those convivial artistic gatherings in which Othmar Schoeck figured prominently in his earlier years. A quarrel breaks out; someone assuages it with a melody from Flotow's opera Martha, and the group eventually disperses with a burst of 'Gaudeamus igitur'.
As Fritz Brun's orchestral oeuvre is gradually disinterred, so his melodic gifts, his harmonic resourcefulness and singular handling of polyphonic textures become more and more striking. How early in Brun's career these powers began to develop is illustrated by Adriano's compelling account of a 1906 symphonic poem inspired by the Book of Job. What surprises is not the influence of Beethoven, Brahms or Bruckner but – repeated listening confirms this – the stylistic independence that Brun's music was already displaying. Further pieces of a fascinating jigsaw are eagerly awaited.
Peter Palmer
International Record Review, October 2006
At the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Switzerland harboured two major symphonists – major at least in the scope and aspirations of their symphonic output. Both of them have been largely forgotten, even in Switzerland itself. The Basle-based Hans Huber (1852-1921), a friend of Busoni, wrote at least eight symphonies. A generation younger, Fritz Brun (1878-1959), whose activities were based in Berne, wrote no fewer than ten. Also admired by Busoni, Brun trained with Mengelberg and Brahms's friend Franz Wüllner, and as a pianist and conductor he championed Brahms's works in Switzerland. Indeed he seems to have identified closely with Brahms: in his long, close friendship with Othmar Schoeck he signed himself in correspondence as "Johannes", while Schoeck called himself `Hugo' (after Wolf). And both works an this disc, though written over 40 years apart, clearly reflect Brahmsian phraseology and orchestration, though other influences are equally apparent – Wagner, Strauss, Bruckner, perhaps Schoeck – blended into a late- or post-Romantic language of warmth and distinction. Unlike the Swiss composers who came after him – Honegger, Frank Martin and so on – Brun never dreamed of breaking away from the great Austro-German Symphonic tradition, and so became something of an anachronism in his own time, though held in respect. (I've seen him referred to as 'the Swiss Vaughan Williams', though folk-music as such seems to have played little part in his musical language.)
Despite that esteem, comparatively few of Brun's major works were published, and the two scores an this disc have had to be edited from the manuscripts held at the Paul Sacher Institute in Basle. There are Gallo CDs from the early 1990s of Brun's warmly romantic Second Symphony and a set of Variations on an Original Theme for piano and strings, but this is the most notable Brun release to have come my way. Aus dem Buch Hiob is a deeply serious, mainly meditative early tone-poem (1906) depicting the events of the Bock of Job in the late-Romantic amalgam I've outlined above. The obbligato solo violin (reminding us perhaps of Elihu's dance in Vaughan Williams's Job) has a comparatively small role. But the major work here is the Ninth Symphony.
Conductor Adriano, who supplies his own booklet notes, compares Brun to Furtwängler as a composer-conductor – no doubt also in the conservatism of his Idiom – and Claims the Ninth Symphony 'as his opus magnum'. But his music seems warmer than Furtwängler's, and conciser in its forms; and I'm given to understand by others who know something of Brun's output that the term opus magnum should be reserved for the Tenth. In fact the five-movement No. 9 is rather suite-like or even serenade-like in conception, a kind of quasi-autobiographical reverie in a pastoral F major, with which Brun may have been finding his own way of declining the famous `Ninth Symphony' challenge. He described it as `a diary'. The first movement, a bustling, good-humoured `Vorspiel' with a gorgeous second-subject tune, is kept short; there follows, as second and third movements, a euphonious Serenade and a romantically lyrical love-scene. The fourth movement is a programmatic scherzo depicting a group of friends at a Zurich restaurant equably discussing family matters and then becoming disputatious as the conversation turns to art. Order is restored with a quotation from Flotow's Martha and the friends join in a chorus of Gaudeamus igitur. The slow finale, longer than any other two movements combined, is the most profound: entitled `Belief and Doubt – Praise of God and Nature', it is almost a self-contained tone-poem of sustained nature-meditation, with some dramatic minor-key irruptions but rising to a coda of quiet ecstasy.
Of course for its composition date of 1949-50 – it belongs to the comparatively large number of works Brun composed beside Lake Lugano after he retircd from the conductorship of the Berne Orchestra in 1941 – this Ninth Symphony's idiom is desperately outmoded: as outmoded, that is, as that of its virtual contemporary, Strauss's Four Last Songs. But I find it a beautiful and rather touching work which encourages me to get to know more of this serious and idealistic composer. The orchestral mastery, great polyphonic skill of the writing and the cleanness of the harmony – so much less clotted than many of his post-Brahmsian contemporaries – are also impressive, and Adriano (who refers to the considerable technical difficulties of Brun's scores, and the unwillingness of orchestras to take the time to rehearse them properly) directs the Moscow Symphony in what seems a thoroughly prepared, understanding and warmly affectionate account of the piece. Guild provides a beautifully balanced recording. Warmly recommended. I'm told this is the first release in a near-complete Brun symphonies series from Guild (omitting only No. 3, which 1 understand is currently available on a Sterling CD). This can only be good news.
Calum MacDonald
Schweizer Musikzeitung 10.10.2006
Der Dirigent Adriano hat sich vorgenommen, alle Orchesterwerke des einstigen Bernischer Musikdirektors einschliesslich dessen zehn Sinfonien auf CDs zu bringen. Ob Fritz Bruns ungedruckte Neunte als sein Opus magnum (so Adriano im ausführlichen CD-Booklet) zu bewerten sei, bleibe dahingestellt. Man dürfte dieses 1949-1950 komponierte fünfsätzige Werk eher als ein bewusstes Intermezzo zwischen der einstündigen Achten und der geläuterten Zehnten Sinfonie Bruns ansehen. Daher der Serenadencharakter der Sätze eins bis vier; daraufhin freilich ruft der relativ gross angelegte Finale-Satz (Andante) ernste Stimmen und Stimmungen hervor.
Unter Bruns zumeist nach strengen Formprinzipien gebauten Sinfonien ist die Neunte einmalig, insofern er das Werk als ein musikalisches Tagebuch bezeichnete. Einem rüstigen Vorspiel (Vivace) und der eigentlichen Serenade (Allegretto comodo) folgen ein passionierter Liebesruf (Andante sostenuto) und der scherzhafte Allegro-Satz Im Kreis der Freunde, worin eine Melodie aus Flotows Oper Martha wie auch schliesslich ein Anklang an Gaudeamus igitur auftauchen. Der fünfte Satz heisst Glaube und Zweifel – Lob Gottes und der Natur. Diesbezüglich zitierte der Komponist in einer an Volkmar Andreae, den Dirigenten der Zürcher Uraufführung, gerichteten Anmerkung einige Zeilen aus dem Matthias-Claudius-Gedicht Die Sternseherin Lise.
Wie schon bei der Dritten Sinfonie Bruns hat Adriano eine recht ansprechende Wiederbelebungsarbeit vollzogen. Noch dazu zeugt seine Einspielung der sinfonischen Dichtung Aus dem Buch Hiob davon, dass Fritz Brun trotz aller Beeinflussung seitens der Spätromantiker schon 1906 mit der Kristallisierung seines persönlichen musikalischen Stils begonnen hatte.
Peter Palmer
How many times has this happened right in the middle of a conversation or work the thought appears why can't I find any Swiss composers who remind me of Richard Strauss? This enterprising release should solve that problem! In its style of orchestration, melodies and sheer exuberance, the Symphony No. 9 by Fritz Brun comes strikingly close to such Strauss works as Don Juan and the Symphonia Domestica. The attention being given to Brun's music has been growing in recent years, and we are particularly pleased to present these first recordings of two of his major orchestral works. He was particularly noted for his brilliantly-written orchestral music, and of his ten completed Symphonies, written between 1908 and 1953, the Ninth is regarded as one of the best. Completed in 1950, it is an impressive composition of inherent strength and nobility. Coupled with it is one of Brun's symphonic poems, From the Book of Job, an equally masterful score of imagination and refinement. The performances by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra under Adriano, whose specialty is the revival of unusual music like this, are notable for their excellence and understanding, with state-of-the-art engineering.
Just read David Hurwitz's review. It's a classic example of criticism that makes more of a statement about the writer's ego than about what he is reviewing. I hope it is taken in that spirit and remains impervious to his unwarranted venom.
One may recognize devotion without necessarily subscribing to the cause. For example, I'm sure the members of the Flat Earth Society are sincere, but it's still foolishness. So is the music of Swiss composer Fritz Brun, whose excruciatingly dull Third Symphony has already been loving presented (on Sterling) by Adriano and the Moscow Symphony Orchestra. These two works are no better. Both are conventionally scored for a Mendelssohnian orchestra, employed with extreme fastidiousness and restraint, and this in music dating from 1906 and 1950. From the point of view of texture and color, you would think that the entire second half of the 19th century had never occurred.
But that isn't really the point. Expressively, Brun runs the emotional gamut from A to B, or just possibly C. He has three modes of expression: mildly frisky, placid, and mildly agitated. That's it. And he presents them, not as a linear or logically related progression of ideas and events, but all jumbled up, seemingly at random, lurching from one tepid extreme to the next. So everything sounds like everything else, all the time. The Ninth Symphony has five movements and a pretentious philosophical program about God and Nature and Faith and all of that stuff, but it's the musical equivalent of the proverbial hair shirt: a punishing collection of inhibitions and proscriptions devoid of meaning or clarity.
From the Book of Job is, if anything, even worse, as it can't hide behind the symphony's alibi of dealing in abstractions. I was reminded of Bernard Shaw's comment on Parry's oratorio on the same subject, to the effect that there isn't a single bar of the music that comes within ten thousand miles of the flattest line of the text. This tone poem lasts nearly eighteen interminable minutes, and nothing, but nothing interesting happens along the way. The performances are devoted, to be sure, and the playing of the Moscow Symphony is pretty good, aside from some typical scruffiness from the strings. Adding insult to injury, this is very difficult music to present well: the parts are terribly exposed, and Brun's spasmodic syntax must be as frustrating to the musician as to the listener. For penitential souls only.
David Hurwitz
Comments: Destructive criticism
Klassik Com Sunday September 03 2006
Ein sinfonisches Tagebuch
Ganze zehn Sinfonien beinhaltet das Schaffen des Schweizers Fritz Brun (1878-1959): Werke, an deren formaler Gestaltung, Besetzung und Ausdehnung die Vorbilder Brahms und Bruckner deutlich abzulesen sind. Wer jedoch in der Mitte des 20. Jahrhunderts so überzeugt an der als überkommen angesehenen Gattung der Sinfonie festhielt und sich einer Tonsprache befleißigte, die als 'rückständig' angesehen wurde, dessen Schaffen musste nur allzu bald in Vergessenheit geraten – dass die Kompositionen zu Lebzeiten Bruns durchaus gut aufgenommen wurden, konnte daran nichts ändern. So sieht es auf dem Plattenmarkt in Sachen Fritz Brun auch sehr dürftig aus; zum Glück gibt es aber immer wieder überzeugte Künstler, die zu Unrecht (?) vergessene Meister wieder in das allgemeine Bewusstsein zurückbringen wollen. In diesem Falle ist es Adriano, der in Kooperation mit den Moskauer Sinfonikern bereits eine beim Label Sterling erschienene Einspielung der dritten Sinfonie Bruns vorgelegt hat. Mit der Neunten und einer sinfonischen Dichtung ging es nun weiter; erschienen ist diese neue Einspielung beim Schweizer Label Guild.
Musikalisches Tagebuch
Gut eine Dreiviertelstunde dauert die neunte Sinfonie in F-Dur, die Brun im Jahr 1950 fertig stellte. Zielpunkt der Sinfonie ist der ausladende Schlusssatz 'Glaube und Zweifel – Lob Gottes und der Natur', der auf ein Vorspiel, eine zweisätzige Liebesszene und eine turbulentes Scherzo im 'Kreis der Freunde' folgt. Das Werk gehört zu den späten drei 'retrospektiven' Sinfonien Bruns; der Komponist hat angesichts autobiographischer Bezüge von einem musikalischen Tagebuch gesprochen. Die mit dichten thematischen Querbeziehungen aufwartende und in lichten Farben und abgeklärter Stimmung dahinfließende Komposition wird den Ansprüchen an eine 'Neunte Sinfonie' durchaus gerecht. Die religiöse Tendenz im Finale legt die Kombination mit der frühen sinfonischen Dichtung 'Aus dem Buch Hiob' (1906) durchaus nahe. Hier ging es Brun mehr um die Schilderung der inneren Vorgänge und der überzeitlichen Bedeutung Hiobs für den Gläubigen, weniger um konkret-bildliche Schilderungen.
Beide Kompositionen folgen in ihrer Tonsprache der spätromantischen Tradition, angereichert jedoch durch einige mystisch angehauchte Akkordverbindungen; über weite Strecken kann man sich an Richard Strauss erinnert fühlen, dessen orchestrale Brillanz und Intensität Brun jedoch nicht erreicht, vielleicht aber auch gar nicht erreichen wollte. Die zahlreichen Themenverknüpfungen der Sinfonie machen dabei wiederholtes Hören nötig. Hier hätte Adriano jedoch, der die beiden Werke eher in breitem Pinselstrich vor uns ausbreitet, durch klarere Strukturierung des Geschehens dem Hörer durchaus entgegen kommen können. Die Musik gerät manchmal etwas zu schwelgerisch, irgendwie zu 'russisch'. Etwas mehr abgeklärte Nüchternheit hätte der von dem ansonsten technisch auf hohem Niveau musizierenden russischen Orchester dargebotenen Musik sicher gut gestanden.
Weiträumiger Klang
Die Tendenz zur Breite wird auch von der Klangtechnik unterstützt; die 2005er Aufnahme ist im Klangbild etwas weiträumig geraten – weiträumiger, als man es bei den im Prinzip durchaus nicht überdimensioniert großen Orchesterbesetzungen erwarten würde. Der Klang ist zudem etwas muffig, die letzte Tiefenschärfe fehlt, und auch die dynamischen Ausbrüche vermitteln nicht die Energie, die man erhoffen würde. Den ausführlichen Booklet-Text hat Adriano selbst verfasst; er wird neben dem offenbar englischsprachigen Original auch in deutscher Übersetzung angeboten. Für das Repertoire und den auf dem Plattenmarkt arg vernachlässigten Fritz Brun ist diese Produktion sicher eine wertvolle Bereicherung. Eine umfassende künstlerische Neubewertung des Schaffens dieses Komponisten steht freilich noch aus; immerhin zeigt die neunte Sinfonie aber, dass ihr Schöpfer, trotz seiner großen Traditionsverbundenheit, eine durchaus eigenständige Sprache gefunden hat. Wer durchgeistigte Spätromantik mag, die auf Inhalte denn auf Effekte Wert legt, sollte sich diese Produktion merken.
Christian Vitalis
A Letter to the maestro Tuesday August 01 2006
A belated thanks for your superb new CD. We were both very favourably impressed by the music as well as by the quality of the performance. Visually also, it's a most attractive production. All best wishes for a long and productive association with Guild.
Brun's Ninth Symphony is a most appealing work, and with repeated hearings it only gets more attractive. I love its overall serenity and reflective quality. It's interesting how successfully he incorporated a touch of the then prevalent neoclassicism into his post romantic idiom in such a completely natural, unmannered way. And also how his basic language remains romantic to such a late date without sounding old-fashioned or outdated. And despite what critics may have said, I found the quiet ending wonderful. The early symphonic poem also is very interesting, being very much a product of the extravagant musical era, yet steering clear of its excesses. The luminosity and consonance of the ending is especially effective. And to think of the Symphonies that remain to be discovered! It will be a joy.
David Nelson and Joe Cooper
(former owners of Records International, Goleta USA)
A Letter to the Maestro – Monday July 17 2006
Dear Maestro,
Affectionate greetings, once again, from Yokosuka! We hope that your birthday, a few days ago, was a very pleasant one, and that this will be the start of a wonderful new year for you. We must thank you for the wonderful recording devoted to the music of Fritz Brun. What a feast for the ears is your dedicated performance of the expansive, achingly beautiful 9th symphony. In time, your pioneering work will convince the musical world that Brun is a late-romantic master, whose work deserves wide recognition beyond the confines of his native country. While the Brahmsian influence cannot be denied — and Brun, of course, affection ally quotes the Meister in the symphony, Brun's voice is really quite distinctive, and he is a fount of marvellous musical ideas which he worked to perfection.
You bring out every subtle nuance of this marvellous work, and are alive to its wit and gentle mystery. There is an abundance of charm, as well, but, in your knowing hands, the effect is never cloying. As for your rapport with the Moscow Symphony, it is, surely, at this point, an intuitive, almost relationship which results in the most refined, cultured playing. Of course, you deliver superb results with a variety of European ensembles, but the chemistry between you and the Muscovites seems very special. Thank you so very much for sharing with us these beautifully rendered performances of such life-affirmative music. We shall return to them very often! That these recordings were issued on the Guild label probably has a story attached to it, but, whatever the reason, we are grateful to this enterprising company!
Meanwhile, we hope that it is a productive, but, also, relaxing time for you. Do take care, for now, and thanks again for so much beauty!
US Marine Captain – Andrew Benson


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Summer Solstice Rituals
Summer represents a time for purification, renewal and healing of the self & soul - making the Summer Solstice the perfect time to manifest what you want and let go of what you don't. Check out some of our suggested rituals below for helping you make the most of June's Solstice.
The Summer Solstice is when the Sun is at its most powerful – making it the perfect time to get support for the most hard to solve problems or stressors in your life. This year's Summer Solstice just so happens to coincide with the full moon on June 20th, making the effects of the rituals you choose even more influential than ever.
Our ancestors celebrated rituals this time of year to honor our connection to the sun as the source of our 'light' and bring into our awareness the beauty and bounty within and all around us. It is a time of celebrating the fullness of life and of taking the time to raise our energy to regenerate abundance and manifest our dreams.
Here are a number of suggested rituals for helping you make the most of this year's Summer Solstice:
Ritual One: What's a ritual without lighting a candle? Light a candle of your choice with the intention to ignite your inner flames. As you do so, know that the purpose of this ritual is to strengthen and bring forth more of your own personal power. Begin to think about the ways in which you have felt your own light dimming over the last few months. Use this time to access your true inner power and decide you'll use the energy and light of the Sun to guide you in strengthening what once felt weak, dull or lackluster within you.
Ritual Two: Find a comfortable space in or outside where you can lie down. Close your eyes and lie with both hands at your side facing up. As you're lying down, try to imagine your inner battery being charged. If you're doing this outside under the sun, imagine the sun's rays pulsing and embedding it's love and healing into every cell. Notice the places that feel the most depleted and watch with curiosity as they are being re-charged with ease.
Ritual Three: Make a list of what you want to renew, manifest and release from your life. Light a candle and set your list down beside it. Chant what you wish to let go out loud and release the energy into the fresh air. Do what feels right for you as there really is no right or wrong here. After the ceremony, ask yourself some questions or take some time to journal and reflect on what you truly desire and what you'd like to let go of. Trust your gut and write down what your consciousness comes up with.
Ritual Four: Gather or buy some yellow and orange flowers and make a Sun Mandala offering on the Earth. Pick the petals off and arrange them in circular patterns. The act of creating something beautiful and sacred is a holy and healing act.
We hope this post has inspired you to try some of these ideas or conduct some of your own. Please let us know if you have any rituals of your own in the comments below: we can all inspire each other by sharing the ways that we connect and make these little moments extra special!


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BBB COMPLAINTS: Allegations About Carlisle Contractor
The Better Business Bureau says customers complained about thousands of dollars in missing down payments to a contractor who then doesn't answer their calls.
The BBB has fielded 240 inquiries and closed ten complaints against J&B Pole Buildings of Carlisle in 2012.
Customers have complained that after they sign a contract and make down payments ranging from $5,000 to more than $20,000 the company does not complete the work, nor does anyone answer calls or emails about the incomplete jobs.
The BBB says it, too, has not received a response to multiple mail and phone inquiries made to J&B Pole Buildings. The BBB is also working with law enforcement across Iowa and in Rock Island County, Illinois concerning the company.
"J & B Poles has earned an F rating because of their failed promises and disregard for their customers and the BBB," said BBB President Chris Coleman. "It is the BBB mission to warn consumers so that hopefully, no one else is scammed by this company."
If you have been victimized by this company, the BBB wants to hear from you. Get their contact information – click here.
Thanks to sister station WQAD for this story.


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1 If you buy a phone or take out a pay-as-you-go or pay-monthly contract online, by mail order or over the phone, you have seven working days to change your mind without quibble if you do not ask for the service to start at the time you buy.
This does not apply to fixed-term contracts.
2 When you take out a contract check your termination rights as nearly all mobile phone contracts do not allow you to terminate early.
That means you will be stuck with the monthly payments for the full term of the contract.
3 If you have a two-year contract and your handset stops working after the 12-month warranty period there are two arguments to use:
? If the phone does not last the duration of the contract it is not "fit for purpose" as it should be under the Sale of Goods Act 1979.
? Under European Law (EU Directive 1999/44/EC) the phone has a two-year guarantee so you're still within the guarantee period.
4 If your phone signal is really bad and you told the retailer/provider when you took out the contract and it turns out that your coverage is rubbish, it could mean the phone is not "fit for purpose" – which will be a breach of the Sale of Goods Act.
You can therefore hand the phone back and rip up the contract.
5 If you need to complain, go straight to the provider
(e.g. Vodafone or O2) if you purchased direct from them or to the retailer (e.g. Carphone Warehouse or Phones4U).
If you get nowhere, every service provider must belong to one of two telecoms dispute resolution schemes: Cias or the Communication Ombudsman Services.
These are independent schemes that will investigate your problem about a mobile phone service provider if you haven't been able to resolve your issue with them directly.
6 If you want to take out mobile phone insurance check if are you insured elsewhere, like via your home insurance or bank account (some banks provide insurance as a perk) and read the terms and conditions of the policy – most policies have numerous exceptions such as they won't cover you if your phone is stolen from your car.


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Baseline Music Act Skales puts Nigerian media house on blast after his interview went sideways.
Skales interview with TheNet NG has been trending after the rapper cum singer suffered what would be a unfair critic of his music by his interviewer. The interviewer was of the opinion that Skales 'Booty Language' is not a genius song while the musician begged to differ stating that he has traveled in and out of Nigeria to perform that tune. The exchange between both parties began to escalate and Skales at that point decided to boycott the interview.
Before walking out on the interviewer, the 'Booty Language' crooner urged the media house not to publish the interview which had gone wrong. However, despite Skales plea the now infamous interview was released.
In response, Skales has reacted to the now viral interview stating his displeasure with TheNet NG for going against broadcasting ethics. He states that he deserves an unreserved public apology from the media house.
Watch the trending interview Skales boycotted below:


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Habitattitude Fish and Aquatic Plant Surrender
January 28, 2017
10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Redemption Lutheran Church (Gymnasium)
927 East Old Shakopee Road
Bloomington, MN
Free and open to the public.
Surrender* - 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Auction - 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
*Fish and plants should be surrendered by noon for the best possible opportunities for rehoming via the auction.
Who's feeding the fish at your house? If you or someone in your home has lost interest in maintaining the aquarium, or if your koi needs a new home, we have a solution: The HabitattitudeTM Fish and Aquatic Plant Surrender event held in conjunction with the Minnesota Aquarium Society's day-long auction.
Three times a year, the Minnesota Aquarium Society holds a day-long auction. Local aquarists bring their bagged fish, bagged aquatic plants, tanks, and aquarium supplies. Each item is auctioned to those attending with the seller receiving a share of the selling price.
View the event flyer here.
For more information, contact Ryan Hueffmeier, email@example.com.


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To My Grandmother Who Passed Away From Alzheimer's
To my grandmother,
Do you remember the time we went camping in the RV? The Grand Canyon? Of course, you don't. But that's OK.
Alzheimer's was never something I even imagined someone close to me would be diagnosed with. I remember like it was yesterday. You were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and Papa was diagnosed with dementia.
There doesn't need to be any scientific explanation because it's something you don't need to explain. It's something you don't cram into a textbook and let students skim over it. The only thing needed was patience.
Your Alzheimer's disease grew worse and worse, but you were a fighter. You didn't want to give up because you taught me to stand strong in any situation life throws at me. You were always my biggest role model, and, more importantly, my best friend. But all of that has been stored in my memory while yours is on vacation.
You had gotten very angry many times, and many arguments broke out between you and Papa. But you still loved him. And it's heartbreaking we couldn't tell you he passed two years ago; you forgot we told you and got angry and would ask where he is. We couldn't put you through that kind of hurt constantly and break your heart.
Do you remember me waking you and Papa up on Saturday mornings to go out? See a movie or grocery shop or go out to eat? Waking you up every time was always such a blessing. Because you woke up. But this last time, you didn't wake up.
My brother and I grew up and saw you less and less. And after Papa had died, you were forgetting more and more. Eventually your body started to let go. You lost strength, and eventually, your mind had gone with it. I'm sure you're up with Papa remembering the good times. But this is what you couldn't remember.
You passed away in your sleep the evening of February 3. Just like Papa, you went with ease and no pain or sorrow. I believe you closed your eyes only to be greeted by Our Father and the pearly gates to heaven. You woke up to your husband and your parents. You woke up with no pain, remembering every little thing you couldn't.
To my grandmother, I love you more than words can say. And one day, I'll wake up and you'll be there, and we can spend eternity making spaghetti.
The Mighty is asking the following: What's one thing people might not know about your experience with disability, disease or mental illness, and what would you say to teach them? If you'd like to participate, please send a blog post to [email protected] Please include a photo for the piece, a photo of yourself and 1-2 sentence bio. Check out our Submit a Story page for more about our submission guidelines.


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Category Archives: Writer of fictions
Rip van Winkle
So last week, toward the end of the week, I didn't get much sleep and I also got sick at the same time. Friday night, I don't remember when I went to sleep but at some point in the night, I did some sleepwalking. I vaguely remember being in the bathroom, at the sink, with one contact in and desperately trying to get the other contact out of the case. I couldn't find it and it was way too much work to LOOK for it, so I just dumped out the saline solution and went back to bed with the thought, "I CAN SEE JUST FINE WITH ONE CONTACT IN!"
I woke up at 10am and realized that it hadn't been a dream because oh…there's that contact in my eye. Then I found my other contact shriveled up in my contact case. ARGH. I'm poor and have like, one contact left, so I really couldn't afford to ruin one. So I put some saline in the case, took out my other contact, and hoped the dried up one would get better. Then I went back to sleep for two hours. When I woke up my contact was fine.
Then last night I went to bed at 3am and woke up at noon today. Then I took a nap at 3 for two hours. And I'm still tired. SLEEP: I DON'T GET ENOUGH. But see, during the week, I sleep only a few hours a night so..yeah. The bad thing is, I don't get anything done on the weekends because I'm catching up on sleep. So…all that homework I planned to get done? Yeah. Didn't get done.
Also, my professor thinks the plot of my story isn't possible. Funny, since it's science fiction.
Don't tell your kids about spiders
I found out from a friend that Meg Cabot, author of the Princess Diaries, has been banned and/or challenged in a few libraries. I find this terribly amusing. The content is inappropriate and against traditionally held morals. Or something. I'm not really sure. I mean, there's Frenching in the book. That might be part of the problem. And girls striving to do what they want instead of doing what they're told they want.
Anyway, I did some exploring because I had no idea what Meg Cabot book had been banned or where it had been banned. It led me on an adventure that ended at Harper's Bazaar. Through Meg Cabot's blog, I found this blog post by Maureen Johnson. It was entertaining and all LOL and then I got to the part where she talked about her work for a textbook publisher. It led to this list of things excluded from textbooks, which Johnson submitted to Harper's Magazine.
I'll just let you read the list on your own. In the meantime, I'm going to work on writing something that gets banned.
All for a setee
Time to put it into words. Time to take all these thoughts bouncing around in my head and tie them down to one concrete surface. The moments I have not thought about The Late Hector Kipling (by David Thewlis, in case we've never met) since finishing it are few and far between. Perhaps one of the most effective things I did while reading the book was to hit up Flickr some pictures of Blackpool. (I saw you roll your eyes.) This was before I knew the outcome of the book but the photos of the seawalls were particularly mournful and melancholic, which god, of course, ties in with what happens there. (Just one line of the entire book and it is the image that has stayed with me.)
Last year when I went on my foray into Kerouac's journals, this strange thing happened to my brain that set the wheels in motion. It was a large reason why I signed up for my class in the spring, a large reason why I just signed up for the continuation of that class for fall, and a large reason why I've got a barely-cobbled together list of graduate schools somewhere on the internet. (No, really. I have to find it. I have no idea what I did with it.) I saw many of my own thoughts in those pages written by Kerouac. It gave a sense of order to the chaotic flights of fancy my brain is wont to take.
I sat down with this book thinking I was reading a book written by an actor but as it turns out, I was reading a book written by a writer who has made a living at acting. (What I've read of his poetry is equally phenomenal.) As with most books, for myself, it took me a few pages to really settle into the story. I'm a bit slow on the uptake (just ask The BFF, who spent 15 minutes trying to get me to figure out Mamma Mia!. She was not amused.), so I am not always easily swayed by openings. Unless they're really, really good ones.
I took an immediate disliking to Lenny because I so foolishly believed that Hector was, of course, the honest person in this book. I don't want to give anything away because I really think you should all read it (if you like dark comedy, that is), but it's hard to dissect my feelings about it without revealing that Hector is one of those characters that you kind of hope gets his in the end all while feeling a bit sorry for him. He's a selfish, self-centered, egotistical coward with a beautiful Greek girlfriend who worships him (Eleni is girl-crush worthy, jsyk), an overbearing mother, a bizarre father, and couple of really good friends who somehow manage to tolerate his bullshit on regular basis.
Then there is Rosa, who is of course the wild, borderline psychotic American girl who maims Hector on several occasions (but the first time was disturbingly erotic, or that could've just been me, reading about hot wax and bare stomachs and, well, writers.). You kind of watch helplessly as Hector digs himself these enormous, life-altering holes and then throws himself into them with abandon.
I spent a goodly portion of this book either laughing (because really, parts of it are just hysterical, like when he meets Rosa for the first time) or wanting to punch Hector in the face for being such a complete idiot. It's written in such a way that you kind of feel as though Hector has plucked you up and nestled you in his head so he can go about his daily life without having to stop and dictate everything back to you at the end of the day. As a writer of characters who, by and large, live in their heads, it was nice to see that someone could pull this off so well.
Hector sometimes spends hours doing nothing: sitting at the top of a ladder in his flat, playing the same note over and over again on Eleni's piano, staring up at the black hole he painted on the ceiling. But somehow, all of that nothing that he's doing is actually something and leads you to believe that maybe Hector's biggest problem is that he thinks far too much and does too little.
This is nowhere what I wanted to say about the book but so much of it is internal and will likely never see the light of day, at least not as a series of coherent, constructive remarks.
Who I would cast as Hector Kipling: Dylan Moran, who will always Bernard to me. I have a mad crush on both Bernard and Dylan Moran. Also, while I was looking for pictures of him, I saw "Dylan for Doctor!" in the summary of one website and said, very loudly in my head, YES PLEASE. He would make a good Doctor.
Spam spam spam
Taken from this article, as is what is pasted below, which I actually got from Thewlis Rox.
"I'd be out in town in character, which Mike would often send you off to do, you'd spend four hours wandering around London on your own, not as yourself at all, doing things you would not normally do, causing scenes you would not normally cause, being braver than your natural self, standing in the street and shouting like a maniac but getting away with it because you don't have your inhibitions 'cos you're going, 'It's not me.'
"And you're spending more of your waking hours as this character than as yourself, so it becomes quite overwhelming. I'd have a Hare Krishna come up to me wanting to have a word, and whereas I'd normally be, 'I haven't got the time mate,' when I was him I was like, 'Yeah come on, let's have a fucking word! I'll have a very big word wiv ya! Do you wanna go for a coffee? How long have you got?' And people handing out leaflets, I'd talk to every one of them, I'd talk to down-and-outs, I'd talk to policemen, anyone who wanted to fucking talk, I'd talk to them."
"Not so much afterwards…well, maybe in the long term it did make me a little more confident, because once you've stood in the middle of the street and shouted, you do lose certain inhibitions I guess. And there's still a bookshop in Marylebone High Street in London I can't ever go into. I think I fucking wrecked it, I flipped out in there, I cleared the shelves."
This movie is available on YouTube and I've "watched" part of it (the sound was down because wow, his improvisation of this character includes a lot of swearing, which is fine, but I was on my lunch break, in a common area, and didn't want to scare people away.). It's called Naked. I want to actually WATCH it because I love his crazy messed up terrifying character. Even though I can't understand half of what he says.
"Yeah, that's another thing that was fucking confusing me. Not to denigrate Fairuza, but it was not a good idea at that time, it just added to the chaos. 'That's all going off over there – why don't me and you start fuckin' and really get this thing inflamed!' (laughs) It really was like that. And in the middle of it I went horse riding with Fairuza one day and I broke my leg. So here I was in the middle of it, just thinking, 'I am having a breakdown, this has all gone horribly wrong.'"
Okay yeah. I really don't have anything to say other than that.
So I feel better than I have all week.
Donde estan mis amigos con queso?
I don't remember Spanish.
I hurt my thumb this morning in a stunning display of motor skills. I turned off the shower and ripped the top layer of skin off my thumb knuckle. I'm not quite sure how this happened but there was some blood and a bit of pain.
Yesterday I was internets stalking articles on my favorite obsession and discovered that he's working on a second book. It was no official announcement, just a casual mention in an interview about processes you run into as a writer/actor/artist and how he's running into it with his second novel. This thrilled me down to the tippest of my tippy-toes, fair readers. I have yet to finish the book because let's face it. I am a slow reader. And also, other things distract me. Like sleep and Harry Potter marathons on TV and sleep. I'm alternately disturbed and amused that DT's parents really did have a phenomenal meltdown over an ugly, overpriced piece of furniture. In the bathtub over the weekend, I found myself talking to Hector Kipling out loud while I read the book. He's such a lovable guy but you really do kind of secretly hope someone drops something on his head as the book progresses.
I like this song.
Blogging for women in Congo/Monday rambling
Okay, so yesterday there was supposed to be a huge outpouring of blogging for women in Congo. More specifically, about the atrocities that women in Congo face daily. I thought, "Wow, this is awesome and so exactly what I want to educate people on but god, I'm really exhausted and a little sick and ohhh look! My bed!" I am officially the worst person on the face of the planet. Not that my little blog post would change the world but education is key (or "planting the seeds", as we wacky Christians would say) and if one person realizes the depth of this issue, then that's all that matters. Other people blogged about it, so you should go read that for your education.
Yesterday was kind of a wash for me. Well, to be honest, the entire weekend was a wash. I accomplished absolutely nothing and have developed such a fear of my homework that I didn't actually do any of it. It's due tomorrow, so tonight and tomorrow will be excrutiatingly fun. I have a little under two weeks to write a short story and even though I have a pretty good idea of what I'm writing, I still can't turn off K-Fucked Radio.
Me: Okay! I'm going to sit down and knock this bitch out so I can enjoy my life!
Brain: Don't be too wordy.
Me: I'm not too wordy!
Brain: You're too wordy.
Me: That was a brilliant line we just came up with. Isn't it brilliant? It flows, it moves, it has COLOR.
Brain: Wordy.
Me: Huh?
Brain: It's wordy.
Me: Okay then…how about this?
Brain: *headdesk*
Me: Well, if you're so good at this, why don't YOU write it?
Brain: Can't. No new ideas. Or good ones.
Me: How about a bad idea? It worked in "Under the Tuscan Sun"…
Brain: Nope.
Me: You're a stubborn jackass, you know that?
Brain: Just honest. Stop telling the same story over and over again. Stop ripping yourself off. Stop SUCKING.
Me: *whimper*
So. You know. There we are. On a positive note, we were assigned an Amy Tan story this week and it was quite an enjoyable read ("The Rules of the Game").
In other news, this morning on the bus, I got severely distracted by the FKA. No, not because the FKA was THERE (lordy, wouldn't my fellow passengers have been treated to some early morning antics if that were the case?!) but I was listening to Shoop (srsly, iChip was on shuffle) and I was like, yeah, I need to write her a letter because damn. Then I wondered about how I could ever slyly snag a handful. And well, it was all downhill after that.
Tags: FKA, k-fucked, writing, bad writing, wordy writing, congo, rape, women, amy tan
Tra la la la la
So one of my posts ended up in some…some…something wildly popular and holy hell, I had 85 hits in the time period that WordPress considers a day! That particular post had nearly 40 hits itself. A-mazing!
I keep opening up my blogs to other people. "Opening up" is the wrong term. "Giving the url out" is a more appropriate term. It worries me, to be honest. I'm very afraid of judgment by people who know me but not so much by total strangers. Weird, huh? All day long, I've been thinking, "Sparkle Pants, why in the hell did you do that? That was so dumb! You have on secrets now!" Only that's not true. I have a lot of secrets. Also, I'm running an experiment on the Super Secret Writing Blog ™. We'll see if it works. So far, it hasn't. But it has only been two days, give or take.
I think! That it is time! For ice cream!
At the next Riches commercial break.
I've been thinking a lot tonight about how we change and how we lose track of people, only to find them again, completely changed. And we worry about the change. Does it mean there's no room for us in their lives anymore? Then you realize how you've changed and strangely, you've changed together and in ways that place you on the same path, just like you were years ago.
I've been sitting here battling with my least favorite of my homework assignments for this class, something that requires us to go through this detailed list of things about a short story. We dissect it, identify these things that influenced our view of the characters. I understand its importance but it just drives me batty. On a break, I pulled out an old composition book from the drawer beside my desk and the page I'm currently reading is from June 23, 2005. I found this drawn on the page, along with ramblings that still make sense and oddly enough, that I'm still feeling today.
LIFE–>the mark we place on each other–>the stains that won't come out–>FIVE YEARS–>still the pain–>i don't need you anymore–>i never did–>and yet–>here i am–>bastard
Just in case you weren't aware
One of my biggest pet peeves it to be told to just cheer up. C'mon! Just cheer up! It's a beautiful day out!
It really makes me want to punch people when they say that, especially when they know that a) I haven't gotten any sleep, b) I'm stressing over the homework I thought was due tomorrow that is actually due RIGHT NOW, and c) there are a whole host of things going on that I've only told like, three people, including the person telling me to just bloody cheer up, already.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to figure out what literary character I know well enough to write a scene with. Or something. Honestly, my grip on the English language is pretty slippery at this point.
A wicked wind
A friend asked me what I meant when I said that my life was not going the way I had planned and I'm not sure how to respond to that. On the one hand, most people don't have the life they thought they would have. At least that's the idea I get. Most people take years to figure out what they want, where they most want to work, who they'd most like to know or be associated with. I'm not alone in my inability to make life decisions or my feelings of inadequacy when I see people with the things I should have (careers, children, spouses, etc., etc., etc.). I know this. And really, how did I think my life was going to go? When I was younger, I thought for sure I'd be married by 25 and have several kids by 30. When I got a little older, I thought I'd be almost done with graduate school by 30. Right now I'm not really sure what I think. Or what I want to do. Or who I'd like to know (love).
I suppose getting rejected from 8 schools has played a significant role. I thought someone would let me in, someone would see some worth in my writing. Perhaps that was the worst part? That my writing wasn't good enough, wasn't revolutionary enough. It's a good thing though and I can see that. I don't want to be a cookie-cutter writer and I don't want my soul slowly sucked from my body by grades and portfolios and sleepless (academic) nights. I haven't been able to write solidly for a few years. I have no outlets. It begins to take its toll on a person.
There isn't much I feel passionate about either. I used to write and write and write and pour out all this energy and blood and sweat and tears and life meant something then. Suffering makes life beautiful. Suffering makes others beautiful. The suffering is gone now and replaced by concrete and ice and sharp gravel. No suffering. Just nothing. I used to believe in magic. The hidden magic of life. The little things that spoke to me in a quiet whisper, the little things that allowed me to see beyond this grim reality and taste a little bit of somewhere else. I have lost my belief in Romance. I have lost my belief in humanity. There is no magic. There is no story I could write that could capture something that doesn't exist. Life doesn't work the way it does in my (old) stories. Life only works in the way of shit piled on shit piled on more fucking shit.
This saddens me. There was supposed to be good. There was supposed to be enough hope to last a lifetime. I'm a writer. It's what I do. I hope, even if foolishly, for the perfect kiss in the cold January rain (on that bit of sidewalk, you know the one, with the trees stretching out overhead, dripping down on us, my wool coat is lousy with water and there's a raindrop caught in your beautiful lashes), for the thrill of a perfect sunset viewed from a mountain top, for the thunderous crash of the waves on the shore. For snowy oceans and midnight walks. Puppies and tulips and Sunday morning and the City (SF, my heart) gleaming in the late afternoon sun like a huge, dirty, brilliant diamond.
What do I mean when I say my life isn't going the way I had planned? I mean that I never thought I would grow so far from my former self that I would find it again and slip into it again like a pair of worn sneakers. The ones I thought I threw out years ago.


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The US economy is doing "so-so" these days manufacturing real goods, but we're rocking on virtual items. According to a report released by Inside Network today, the virtual items business in the US will grow to $2.1 billion in 2011, up from an estimated $1.6 billion in 2010.
What is the reason for this growth?
As you well know (and why we are reporting on it here), most of the growth in virtual items is fueled by the growth in social games, particularly on Facebook.
Though the numbers are huge, the news is not all good. Only 1 – 2 % of people playing social games are purchasing virtual items and some companies are better at making money on virtual goods than others. Take out World of Warcraft and FarmVille, and you get a bigger story.
The flipside is, if you can get more than 1 – 2% to purchase virtual items (let's say 5%), the $2.1 billion amount will seem small in comparison. If paying for virtual items in social games is mass-market activity, this could happen. If it remains a niche market, however, going beyond 2% conversion will be very difficult.
Check out the article on CNN for more information.


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Author: Kristan Higgins
Publication: September 30, 2014
By: Harlequin HQN
Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Goodreads
Emmaline Neal needs a date. Just a date—someone to help her get through her ex-fiancé's wedding without losing her mind. But pickings are slim in Manningsport, New York, population 715. In fact, there's really only one option: local heartthrob Jack Holland. Everyone loves Jack, and he won't get the wrong idea…. After all, Jack Holland would never actually be interested in a woman like Em. Especially not with his beautiful ex-wife creeping around, angling to reunite ever since he rescued a group of teens and became a local hero.
But when the wedding festivities take an unexpectedly passionate turn, Em figures it was just one crazy night. Jack is too gorgeous, too popular, to ever end up with her. So why is she the one he can talk to about his deep, dark feelings? If Em is going to get her dream man, she'll have to start by believing in him…
*I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
Thank you Little Bird Publicity and Harlequin for this ARC! Kristan Higgins is on my short list of "AutoRead" authors and her Blue Heron Series is one of my favorites!
There are really only two things you need to know about this book:
1) Jack Holland
Who I imagine looks a little like this with his blue blue eyes.
|Photo: Pinterest
2) And chocolate cake.
|Photo: Jenuine Cupcakes
Okay, so maybe there are a few other things you should know...like how Kristan Higgins continues to give readers a relateable female MC and a compelling story about family, friendship and fresh starts, all while sprinkling in copious amounts of humor, face-fanning romance and tons of swoon.
In Your Dreams is witty, romantic and so much fun!
Read it.
Read it.
I'm a big fan of your books, especially your Blue Heron series, and IN YOUR DREAMS was fantastic! I may have baked and eaten some chocolate cupcakes after I finished reading it. :)
Thank you, Jen! I hear you, girlfriend. I ate more than my fair share of chocolate cake during this book myself.
How many books do you have planned in total for the series?
I think I'm going to end it with five.
How do you decide which character's story to tell and when?
Ever since Colleen O'Rourke walked into the kitchen of her bar to annoy her twin brother, I've been wanting to write Connor's book. <-- I would LOVE to read Connor's book!
What is your research process like, do you do a lot of it online or do you prefer to experience it first hand? For example, did you go to one of those health retreat places and subject yourself to no caffeine, sugar or chocolate?
Actually, I go to the retreat houses that have buffets of sugar, caffeine and chocolate. Those other places sound like prison, if you ask me.
I love to experience things firsthand and talk to people who have the same jobs as my characters. I visit every location I write about so I can pick up the local flavor, and I try to learn as much as I can about the different issues and subjects in my books. I'd never just slap out a doctor, for example, without really researching what that type of doctor does (Grey's Anatomy, I'm looking at you. Since when does a plastic surgeon get to perform brain surgery?).
Of all of your Blue Heron characters, who has been your favorite to write and why? (My favorite is still Levi.)
Aw, thanks! Levi…yeah. He's pretty great. It was fun to write a guy who was both wonderful and a pain the butt, too. I loved the bromance part of that book. But as I'm typing this, I really want to say Emmaline, the heroine of IN YOUR DREAMS. She's had a lot of strikes against her—her stutter, her weird, hovering parents, being dumped by her fiancé—but she's made a great life for herself, and I admire her so much. She's someone I'd want to hang out with, you know? And that scene at the pool during the wedding of the damned…I just loved her so much there!
What is the last book you read and could not put down?
Sherry Thomas's My Beautiful Enemy. I read it on a plane and practically ordered the pilot to circle my airport till I was finished.
I ask all of my blog guests this one...brownies, cupcakes or pie?
Yes, please! (It's cupcakes! Of course it's cupcakes!)
Thank you so much Kristan!
A pleasure! Thanks for having me!