text:
AutoTweet NG Pro
"AutoTweet posts from Joomla to social channels like Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, and more."
Channel Types:
! Facebook Profile
! Facebook Page
! Facebook Group
! Facebook Link
! Facebook Photo
! Google+ Moments
! LinkedIn Profile
! LinkedIn Company
! LinkedIn Group Channel, with Images
! VK Profile and VK Group (BETA)
In a nutshell
* It publishes automagically "Posts" to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more.
* It posts Title, Text, Full-Text, Image, Web Address (Url), Hashtags, etc.
* Powerful Rule Engine, to post fully customized messages by category, author, language, access levels, text terms, etc.
* Schedule your posts.
* --- Article Generator, RSS Feeds grabber for Automatic Articles and Posts ---
*** Supported Extensions ***
Joomla Content, Weblinks and On new user
Cobalt CCK
DT Register
FAQ Book
Kunena Forum
Mosets Tree
Music Collection
Phoca Download
Testimonials (Infyways)
Testimonials (JoomPlace)
*** Supported via 3rd parties ***
Zefania Bible
*** Main Features ***
Manual approval/autopublish
Multi-channel architecture
Shortheners: bit.ly, goo.gl, is.gd, tinyurl.com, Yourls.
Supports articles with present/scheduled publish date.
Support for cron jobs (High Performance)
Support for multi language sites.
Create Your Own Facebook App (with Canvas Page or not)
TW Follow module: module to show the latest tweets.
Article Generator, RSS Feeds grabber for Automatic Articles and Posts.
*** Rule Engine ***
The rule engine is a great way to consolidate, apply formats and hashtags, and organize your posts.
*** Version 7.5.0 - Stable - 3 November 2014
NEW Feature: Social Composer
NEW: Jomres v7.5 plugin / Powerful booking system, tried and tested over many years, by thousands of users
NEW: JoomPlace's Testimonials v7.5 plugin
NEW: Infyways's Responsive Testimonials Pro v7.5 plugin
NEW: Minitek's FAQ Book Pro v7.5 plugin
Enhancement: Extended Text Lengths
Enhancement: Installer update notice
Enhancement: Any Channel rule support
Enhancement: Mail Channel Punycode workaround
Enhancement: Mail Channel Html Formatting
Fix: Sef router encoding for Unicode and Optimization
Fix: Null Date Requests, default now and view error detection
Fix: Compatibilty on [] images tag
Fix: Unicode Aliases support
Update: HWDMediaShare v7.5 plugin / Compatibility with HWDMediaShare v2.0
Update: EasyDiscuss v7.5 plugin - Compatibilty on [] images tag
Update: JComment v7.5 plugin - Compatib
1) it lacks G+ integration (but it's early, I suppose there will be an update soon)
2) every post in facebook has this annoying "via AutoTweet Connector" in the bottom line. I'd like to be able to remove this.
Those noted, it works like a charm :)
Thx for the review!
As described in the docu you can change "via AutoTweet Connector" by using your own app instaed the AutoTweet app (what is recommended).
En example of his supper, you can find here
everything works as it should ..
What can I say? this component has become the responsible for transforming my web in a living and interesting site.
More over, the support is excellent, just had a little issue and it was resolved within hours with a new release!
I totally recommend this component!!! it will take your community site to another level :)
Cheers, kofi
This app was the easiest to configure--even the more complicated option to brand your own Facebook API was well documented and allows for you to re-brand your service so when the post is made to Facebook, you get the post...via YOUR-APP so this is a great tool for developers that provide this as a service to their clients.
Support: I had a glitch and posted on the forum and received a quick response. A short interaction later on the forums (almost in real-time!) he identified the problem.
For anyone who wants to eliminate the need to re-port or use 3rd party applications like Hootsuite, etc. this component is a must.
There are no modifications to the basic Joomla! article content system, and the plugin can be configured to read tags and direct to specific twitter or facebook channels accordingly. The K2 plugin makes this compatible with one of the best CCK options as well.
First, the results: I use AutoTweet for a very specialized professional network (nonprofit marketing specialists). Within a few months of using AutoTweet, our Twitter feed attracted hundreds more members to the network.
Setup and Operation: The commercial version was fairly easy to set up and configure. I like the way that it reports on the status of each tweet or Facebook post, so I can quickly tell if I am having problems.
Level of support: When I had questions about tweaking the configuration, the support was timely and informative.
Performance: This has been one of the few components that have been "set-it-and-forget-it." The only performance issues I run into come from my own changes to other parts of the site configuration without telling AutoTweet what I have done.
In summary, this is such a great component, I hesitated to write this five star review because I have thought about it as my secret weapon. But in the spirit of the Joomla movement, this component and its developer deserve to be praised loudly and widely for the excellent work.
I first started using this component to prepare a non-profit web site for the 40th anniversary of the Kent State Ohio shootings on May 4 1970. Upon having an issue with the install toward the goal of integrating both Twitter and facebook I emailed the Author Ulli Storck for assistance. Fully expecting him to point me to an FAQ or the documentation I was surprised when he offered to help me verify the configuration! It turned out that Twitter changed their API security which in short order got updated in the software. I haven't had a problem since!
I've been further impressed at the number of updates and additions of various features to the software that makes it a must have for any site that is serious about social network integration of their web site. I highly recommend this software to update your social friends on the updates from your web sites!
Ulli Storck has done a great job of keeping his software up to date! Plug-in are also available for all the popular software I run ie: sobi2, virtuemart, etc...
Simple to install and works very nice. I like manual mode.
Cons: There is some mess with licenses, GPL that is restricted, some parts have copyright ...
Publication always add "Via AutoTweet Connector", and its logo and URL... thats no cool.
Tweets are OK but FB post could be improved adding more text (here is no limited as tweeter) and even an image from the article.
Does the job anyway.
Thank you for the review!
> There is some mess with licenses,
> GPL that is restricted, some parts have copyright ...
It's the normal GPL, IMO there are no special rules for some parts. Can you send me a PMS on 1st-movers.com and explain what you mean?
> Publication always add "Via AutoTweet Connector",
> and its logo and URL
Thats normal Facebook behavoir to show the app via the post is posted. Upcomming version 2.0 has a new feature for this and you can use your own app and so your own logo. (beta is allready avalaible in download area on 1st-movers.com)
> Tweets are OK but FB post could be improved
> adding more text
Version 2.0 uses more text for Facebook.
Thx again for the review,
Our website's community is already abuzz since implementing this extension - we have been able to drive users back to the main site instead of duplicating articles on Twitter and FB.
Great tool - you won't be disappointed....
Have a Facebook Fan Page? Personal Page? what have you - this component outputs the same "tweet" messages that is does to Twitter. Plans are in the roadmap to provide more detailed output to FB in the future, as there are fewer limitations than Twitter - Just an example of what you can expect from future updates from this great component, and great developer.
This component is very easy to install, update, and maintain - One look at the backend and you will realize the time and hard work that was put into it - Information section is VERY smart for keeping you up to date of the latest versions of the various plugins/components available.
I am using SH404, and Autotweet NG PRO has no problem integrating and working with it, at all.
Options allow you to pick manual or automatic tweeting/FB updates - Roadmap is to provide separate capabilities for both TW and FB instead of together every time.
Sometimes its the little things that matter - the work that has gone into the plugins is amazing - the configurability of details is fantastic!
This component is worth the 9.99 being charged for it, even if it only output to Twitter! And we all know that FB output is a must, so.
Do yourself a favor and pick up this great component - it's THE Social component for Joomla.


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Three Yellow Ribbons Round Tree IllustrationJune 24th, 2014 by Leora
What! She's making yet another tree illustration! Again? What this time …
Here's the back story … Tony Orlando, who popularized the song Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree, visited Israel. He was encouraged to do something in support of families of the three kidnapped teens. He visited the families, and he asked the people of America to tie three yellow ribbons in support of the teens.
A friend in our area has started a little campaign selling yellow ribbons, with the money going back to Israel to support the families and soldiers searching for the teens. I confess I still haven't gotten the ribbons, but I did write this post.
So what is the history of the yellow ribbon? There is a great article by Gerald E. Parsons on How the Yellow Ribbon Became a National Folk Symbol. It seems the yellow ribbons started getting used as a symbol in the early 1980's in support of the hostages in Iran. Parsons writes: "Ultimately, the thing that makes the yellow ribbon a genuinely traditional symbol is neither its age nor its putative association with the American Civil War, but rather its capacity to take on new meanings, to fit new needs and, in a word, to evolve."
On a related topic, the Twitter hashtag #BringBackOurBoys was inspired by #BringBackOurGirls. There are actually, unfortunately, similarities between those kidnappings.
The names of the boys are Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar, and Naftali Frenkel. Hashtag: #EyalGiladNaftali
The boys are close in age to my own teenage sons.
21 Responses to Three Yellow Ribbons Round Tree Illustration
Thank you for this post. I knew about the Tony Orlando story behind the yellow ribbon. I did not know he visited Israel and the families of the three boys. How heartwarming to learn this.
I love your artwork, and the meaning behind it.
Thank you, once again, Leora.
I totally understand the issue with the blog direction. I have the same situation.
I love your virtual tree. May I use it on my blog in my sidebar (linked of course, back to you)? It is a humble reminder of current events regarding "Our Boys".
I liked what I learned reading this blog post, although, I just wish there was no need to tie these three yellow ribbons.
Pingback: Wordless Wednesday: #BringBackOurBoys | Pragmatic Attic
May we soon be privileged to enjoy besurot tovot, yeshu'ot v'nechamot (good tidings, salvation, and consolation).
Pingback: Support for Kidnapped Teens and Their Families | Lorri M. Writings and Photography
I didn't know the history either. Kidnapping children is horrific…what times we live in… I do like your illustration
Leora — I didn't know the origins of the yellow ribbon. Unfortunately, their use is always associated with sadness and someone who is lost or gone.
It seems like I compiled this Havel Havelim ages ago, but you should still know that this post is included.
Now that we know that the boys were murdered, we must comfort the families and friends.
How very sad for the loved ones and so senseless. I've always thought the idea of using the yellow ribbons as a reminder and symbol of hope was a lovely one. Although this incident ended in sadness and seems destined to spark even more violence, perhaps the ribbons will help to remind us of an underlying hope for peaceful outcomes.
It was such a sad thing. I just don't understand why we need to kill innocents to make a point or avenge another. It only perpetuates the problem. My heart so goes out to the families.
On another note: I remember tying a yellow ribbon around a tree in our front yard for a young soldier that had been deployed. Happily he did come home.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Why do we have trustees?
Trustees are the people who form the governing body of a charity. They are the people who are ultimately responsible for directing the business of the charity. Their work is voluntary, and they receive no payment.
Pascale Alvanitakis-Guely
Managing Director of Shelley Capital Advisors Ltd, Pascale has 24 years' experience in the City of London as a management consultant, investment banker and investment adviser, focused on financial institutions, hedge funds and private equity firms. Pascale is a member of the Prince's Trust Women's Leadership Group and the Senior Advisory Council of "100 Women in Hedge Funds". Pascale has been treated for breast cancer.
Dr Veronique Bouchet
With 25 years' experience in the healthcare industry, Veronique is the founder director of Novudel Associates, a life sciences consulting and coaching company. Prior to this she was director of corporate strategy and head of venture capital relations at AstraZeneca PLC. Her other non-executive directorships include the International Biotechnology Trust plc and the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst.
Professor Robert Coleman
Rob is Professor of Medical Oncology and Honorary Consultant in the Academic Unit of Clinical Oncology at Weston Park Hospital, Sheffield. Director of the Sheffield Cancer Research Centre, for over 20 years he has been instrumental in developing clinical cancer research in the city and surrounding clinical network. He also works as a part-time Medical Director for PRIME Oncology.
Liz Doogan-Hobbs MBE
Liz is probably the UK's best-known female water-skier, having become British Champion 7 times. After retiring, Liz set up LHG, and continues to develop her highly successful music-after-sport model, which has contributed to the bottom line of many of the UK's iconic sporting venues.
Professor Suzanne Eccles
Sue is Professor of Experimental Cancer Therapeutics in the CRUK Cancer Therapeutics Unit at The Institute of Cancer Research, Surrey; and leads the Tumour Biology and Metastasis Group. She served as Honorary Secretary of the British Association of Cancer Research and on the Executive Committee of the European Association of Cancer Research. She co-founded the Metastasis Research Society (President 1998-2000) and its journal 'Clinical and Experimental Metastasis' (currently European Editor).
Chris Finch - Treasurer
A chartered accountant, Chris was Group Head of Finance at the Biochemical Society, a scientific charitable learned society, for 20 years. He is trustee of two other charities: Independent Cancer Patients' Voice and The Anaphylaxis Campaign, a charity for those with severe allergies. Chris's wife, Adrienne Morgan, a scientist, has secondary breast cancer.
Hunada Nouss
Hunada is Chief Financial Officer for the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), an independent philanthropic organisation providing funding for programmes designed to improve the lives of children facing poverty, under-nutrition, and the effects of climate change. Prior to this, she worked for 6 years in Whitehall, most recently as CFO for the Department for Work and Pensions. Hunada has been treated for breast cancer.
Laura Simons
Laura is an independent consultant in strategic communications, specialising in the not-for-profit sector. Clients range from Diabetes UK and the National Autistic Society, to the Bar Standards Board and Association of Residential Managing Agents. Previously, she held communications and campaigning roles in a range of consumer-focused organisations, including the Citizens Advice Bureau service, Which? and the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Laura has been treated for breast cancer.
Isla Smith – Chair
Isla's background is in law. Having qualified as a lawyer in South Africa and England, she became a Commercial Tax Partner with international law firm Norton Rose, where she was also a member of the management board and Global Head of Tax. She left in 2004 to establish a portfolio of non-executive directorships in the commercial and charity sectors.
Professor Alastair Thompson ALCM BSc (Hons) MBChB MD FRCSEd (Gen)
Alastair chairs the Breast Cancer Campaign Breast Tissue Bank Board for the UK and Eire and the 10,000-patient UK National Audit of Screen Detected DCIS. Until recently Professor of Surgical Oncology at the University of Dundee, he is now Professor of Surgery at the University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, specializing in breast cancer. He continues to provide leadership in clinical translational research with colleagues in Europe and is establishing clinical trials and laboratory collaborations in the US.
Shoba Vazirani
Shoba is editorial director/co-founder of publishing company Splendid Books. She began her career in journalism, helping to launch Sky Television and working for five years at The Sun newspaper, before juggling life as a hands-on mother to three children with freelance journalism, marketing and publicity.


text: Loch Ruadh Bardic and Potluck Feast Returning heroes, bring your tales of the War to share with those of us who could not attend this year. Wednesday, 20 March 7:30pm at the home of Baroness Dana 1613 Prince Court Benbrook, TX Click here http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?BFCat=&Pyt=Tmap&newFL=Use+Address+Below&addr=1613+Prince+Court&csz=Benbrook%2C+TX&Country=us&Get%A0Map=Get+Map for an online map. Bring your favorite snacks to share, whatever you like to drink, chairs, musical instruments and bard books. In Service, Pádraig ________________________________________________________________ Sent via the WebMail system at irishbard.com


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Harpenden Calipers comply with the industry standard for quality and accuracy.
Harpenden Skinfold Caliper contains:
- Harpenden Skinfold Caliper
- A wooden box with spaces for the HaB Anthropometric Tape and either a body marking pencil or the calibration check block (sold separately).
- Instructional book
The Version 12 user friendly Harpenden Body Assessment software for body fat assessment using either the 4 Site Durnin & Womersley system or 3 site Jackson & Pollock system which shows:
- BMI - Basal metabolic rate
- % Body fat content
- % body fat preferred level
- Lean body mass
- Fat mass - Min/max weight guide
- Child BMI growth charts
- Subjects data can be printed in graphic or plain text formats.
Please note that the software is only compatible with PC's, not Mac's.
Minimum Windows operating system required - XP with DotNet2, but recommend Windows 7 which already has DotNet2 included
Evaluation and meaning of body composition:
The underwater or hydrostatic weighing technique is the most accurate estimation of body composition. This method does place restrictions on both convenience and practicality, and the alternative basis of skinfold thickness measurements is used therefore in all but the most stringent of requirements.
Over the last 40 years the use of skinfold calipers in the performance of skinfold thickness measurements to derive estimates of body fat, has been well established and documented.
These thickness measurements do not measure overall body fat mass or its percentage directly but rely on validated equations that describe the relationship between measures of skinfold fat as well as other body dimensions and the measured body density. Body fat percentage is determined from the estimate of body density.
Various experimenters have put forward equations which are used with either skinfold thickness alone or in conjunction with other measurements, for example body circumference or limb lengths. Two of the most common sets of equations used are attributable to Durnin & Womersley (skinfolds alone), and to Jackson & Pollock (skinfolds and body measurements). The result obtained from the equations (that of body fat density) is subsequently used in the Siri equation to calculate the body fat.
Tables are included that show the fat percentage based on the Durnin and Womersley system. Values are shown for both females and males across the whole age range based on the sum of four skinfold measurements and the results shown for each 2mm increment of skinfold thickness.
When taken correctly, skinfold measurements correlate very highly (0.83 to 0.89) with hydrostatic weighing, with a standard error of about 3 or 4 % only. In comparison, the correlation of height and weight charts is much lower at about 0.60.
Additional Information
A booklet is included and contains the following information:
The Harpenden Skinfold Caliper Model is CE marked in compliance with the medical Devices 93/42/EEC for class 1 Device with measuring function and calibrated using masters traceable to national standards.
You may also be interested in the following product(s)
HaB Essentials Slimguide Caliper with How to Measure Body Fat Book
Tanita SC330 Body Composition Analyser
Harpenden Skinfold Caliper / Software
Tanita Abdominal Fat AnalyserExcl. VAT: £2,234.12 Incl. VAT: £2,680.94
Tanita Scale with BMI function and Column Mounted Display (200KG)Excl. VAT: £590.85 Incl. VAT: £709.02
Tanita Scale with BMI Function and Portable / Wall Mount Display (200KG)Excl. VAT: £502.98 Incl. VAT: £603.58
Tanita High Capacity Scale with BMI Function and Portable / Wall Mount Display (270KG)Excl. VAT: £610.04 Incl. VAT: £732.05
Tanita High Capacity Scale with BMI Function and Column Mounted Display (270KG)Excl. VAT: £689.83 Incl. VAT: £827.80
HaB Essentials Anthropometric Measuring TapeExcl. VAT: £5.83 Incl. VAT: £7.00
Seca 515 (mBCA) Medical Body Composition AnalyserExcl. VAT: £8,150.00 Incl. VAT: £9,780.00
Budget CaliperExcl. VAT: £7.50 Incl. VAT: £9.00
Tanita 418MA Segmental Body Composition AnalyserExcl. VAT: £2,661.35 Incl. VAT: £3,193.62


text:
Brandon Marshall backs Lovie Smith
DETROIT -- Chicago Bears' stars Brandon Marshall and Brian Urlacher voiced support Sunday for Lovie Smith shortly after the Bears were eliminated from playoff contention for the fifth time in the last six years.
I can't control all of (what might happen). I'll tell you one thing though. I want to end my career with Jay Cutler, (quarterbacks coach) Jeremy Bates, and Lovie (Smith) as my head coach." -- Brandon Marshall
"I can't control all of (what might happen)," Marshall told ESPNChicago.com. "I'll tell you one thing though. I want to end my career with Jay Cutler, (quarterbacks coach) Jeremy Bates, and Lovie as my head coach."
The Bears scored 16 points off four turnovers Sunday to defeat the Detroit Lions 26-24 and finish the season with a 10-6 record. But the club failed to advance to the postseason after starting the year 7-1, marking just the second time since 1990 a team got off to such a start only to miss the playoffs. This is the sixth time in the past nine seasons under Smith the Bears aren't playing past the regular season.
When asked on his weekly Fox Chicago segment if he thought it would be a mistake to fire Smith, Urlacher didn't hesitate.
"One-hundred percent, yeah," he said. "He can't play for us. He gets us ready to play every week. He can't tackle people. He can't make picks. He can't block for the quarterback or run the football. All he can do is coach us, and he does a great job of that.
"We're always prepared to play on Sundays, and that's about as far as he can get us. He makes decisions in the games when to go for it, when not go for it on fourth down, when to kick a field goal, he's done a great job doing all that. I don't see how you couldn't bring him back as head coach."
Marshall said the Bears players would do anything for Smith.
"Where I'm at in my career, and what I'm comfortable with, that would be a great thing to be able to be with those three guys (Cutler, Bates and Smith) for the rest of my career," Marshall said. "Hopefully it works out that way. Guys are willing to run through a brick wall for (Smith), and when you have a guy like that, it's hard to find."
Marshall also backed Smith's assistants.
"I'm a big fan of Jeremy Bates and (offensive coordinator) Mike Tice," Marshall said.
Marshall called the current situation a learning experience.
More Bears-Lions Coverage
Someone has to take the blame for the Bears' fall, and it shouldn't be another coordinator. Lovie Smith's time has run out, writes Jon Greenberg. Story
• Blogs: Bears | NFC North
• ESPN Chicago
"I'm very disappointed. But one thing I know, I'm a Christian and I do believe His will is being done right now," Marshall said. "I think it was a character-building year for us, especially a character-building year for me. Sometimes that's more important. What we went through makes us stronger for this offseason and next year. I just pray that we stick together, fix the things we need to fix in the offseason and come out next year firing."
After doing their part to make the playoffs -- beating the Lions -- the Bears waited in angst watching the broadcast of the Packers-Vikings game on televisions in the locker rooms at Ford Field. Minutes after Blair Walsh kicked a 29-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Vikings over the Packers 37-34, Bears players took to Twitter to voice displeasure.
"That's why you never depend on others to do something you can do!" linebacker Geno Hayes posted.
Safety Chris Conte asked, "How many reasons do you need to hate the Packers?"
Should Lovie Be Back?
Does Lovie Smith deserve another season as Bears coach?
Vote! »
Despite any perception that Smith's job might be in jeopardy, one source characterized the staff as feeling safe, "but whatever happens ... happens." Former general manager Jerry Angelo didn't expect his ouster coming off last season. According to multiple sources, Angelo never knew of his fate until he was informed during a meeting the morning of his firing.
Still, Bears general manager Phil Emery didn't sound like a man ready to part ways with his head coach, judging from the personnel executive's pregame interview Sunday on WBBM-AM 780.
Emery called Smith a "great-team first person," and added the coach has "done an outstanding job coaching the Chicago Bears."
Asked whether making Smith's job hinged on the team advancing to the postseason, Emery explained that "when you're evaluating players, you're always looking for body of work. No different when evaluating coaches. It's the full season and the whole body of work. It's about steady progress toward our goals, which is to win championships."
Emery's last statement would seem a difficult metric to gauge, based off the fact the Bears lost five of their last eight, including two of four on the road. Emery likely will also look at issues in personnel when making his evaluation in determining how the Bears should proceed.
The club convenes at Halas Hall on Monday to clean out lockers, undergo exit physicals and take part in a team meeting.
Michael C. WrightESPN Chicago Bears reporter
- Joined ESPN in 2010
- Previously covered Jaguars and Redskins
- Played college football at West Texas A&M
Jeff Dickerson | emailChicago Bears beat reporter
Fantasy Football on ESPN.com
NFL Nation blog | Leaders NFL Stadium Guides | QBR ratings
- NFL Blog Network: All firing analysis
- Head-coaching changes: Who's been fired
- Kreidler: This is just crazy
- Chiefs fire Crennel, retain Pioli for now
- Seifert: Lovie was given a fair chance
- Walker: The Jets made the right calls
- PFF: Poor moves caused Jets' decline
- Hensley: Browns need experience, not flash
- AFC Quick Takes: Cin-Hou | Ind-Bal
- NFC Quick Takes: Min-GB | Sea-Was
- AFC matchup pages: Cin-Hou | Ind-Bal
- NFC matchup pages: Min-GB | Sea-Was
- Clayton: 10 questions about NFC field
- Chadiha: 10 questions about AFC field
- Graziano: Shanahan's stunning turnaround
- Seifert: Vikings surprise even themselves
- Sando: Wilson makes Seattle dangerous
- Kuharsky: Pagano's very happy return
- Reiss: Pats get confidence, and some rest
- Williamson: Can Vikes win in Green Bay?
- Outsiders: Best and worst QBs of 2012
- Week 17 photo gallery
- O'Connor: Blame Eli for Giants' fall
- Greenberg: Lovie's time is up with Bears
- Cimini: Rex Ryan should be embarrassed
- Studs & Duds: Peterson goes over 2,000
- Rank 'Em: 2012 NFL Playoff Teams
- Rank 'Em: 2012 NFL Playoff Quarterbacks
- Vote: Which teams are Super Bowl bound?
- AFC: Bengals-Texans | Colts-Ravens
- NFC: Vikings-Packers | Seahawks-Redskins
- Rose sits 3rd in row; Gasol, Hinrich hurt, too
- Bulls suffer first road loss to Kings | Friedell
- Hawks open trip with win | Kane takes over
- WRs Marshall, Jeffery return to Bears practice
- Cutler: Lovie firing 'tough to see' | McCown fan
- Regretful Peterson: I won't use switch again
- Cubs add pitcher Edwards to 40-man roster
- van Riemsdyk's surgery successful | Shaw out
- Doolittle: Bulls' roster depth is NBA's best


text:
JT Point
The module is based jQuery plugin that will help you draw users' attention to a specific part of the page, in the form of a small arrow that is displayed next to their mouse cursor. To use, add extensions to block or link class="extpoint". No matter ...
JT CSS tooltip
Tooltips are a great way to show your user more information by simply hovering over an image or text. They can be used, for example, to provide captions for images, or longer descriptions for links, or any useful information which would improve the user e ...
JT Custom JS / CSS
Plugin Custom JS / CSS allows you to embed on your web site any JS and CSS code in head.
JT Random HTML-code
The plugin displays random HTML-code in the materials of your website.
JT Random phrases
The module displays random phrases on your website.
JT Tabs modules positions
With this module, you can easily create a tab on your website, which is essentially a different module positions. Powered by jQuery.
JT Yandex share
The plugin allows your visitors to post a link to the page of your site in social networks or blogs.


text: FBI Notes: Al-Awlaki Hung with NPR, Hired Prostitutes After 9/11 Print article Send a Tip by Breitbart News 2 Jul 2013 post a comment According to FBI documents released after a Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act request, terrorist cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki, who was killed in 2011 by a drone strike in Yemen, spent his days immediately after 9/11 patronizing hookers and hanging with NPR. November 15, 2001 notes state Al-Awlaki went to NPR to appear on "Talk of the Nation: "2PM parked on Mass. Ave…2:08 NPR radio station…2:38 off the air – Islam?" During late 2001 and early 2002, Al-Awlaki also utilized high-end prostitutes, with one prostitute telling the FBI that he resembled Osama Bin Laden. In 1996 and 1997, Al-Awlaki was charged with solicitation.


text:
Definitions for Relationrɪˈleɪ ʃən
This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word Relation
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
re•la•tionrɪˈleɪ ʃən(n.)
a significant association between or among things; connection:
the relation between cause and effect.
relations, the various connections or dealings between peoples, countries, etc.: the various connections in which persons are brought together: sexual intercourse.
foreign relations.
business relations.
the mode or kind of connection between one person or thing and another.
connection between persons by blood or marriage; relationship.
a person who is related by blood or marriage; relative.
the act of relating or narrating.
Law. a principle whereby an act done at one time is presumed to have taken effect at a previous time.
Category: Law
Math. a property that associates two quantities in a definite order, as equality or inequality. a single- or multiple-valued function.
Category: Math
Idioms for relation:
in or with relation to,with reference to; concerning.
Category: Idiom
Origin of relation:
1350–1400; ME relacion < L relātiō. See relate , -tion
Princeton's WordNet
an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two entities or parts together
sexual intercourse, intercourse, sex act, copulation, coitus, coition, sexual congress, congress, sexual relation, relation, carnal knowledge(noun)
the act of sexual procreation between a man and a woman; the man's penis is inserted into the woman's vagina and excited until orgasm and ejaculation occur
relative, relation(noun)
a person related by blood or marriage
"police are searching for relatives of the deceased"; "he has distant relations back in New Jersey"
relation, telling, recounting(noun)
an act of narration
"he was the hero according to his own relation"; "his endless recounting of the incident eventually became unbearable"
relation back, relation(noun)
(law) the principle that an act done at a later time is deemed by law to have occurred at an earlier time
"his attorney argued for the relation back of the amended complaint to the time the initial complaint was filed"
(usually plural) mutual dealings or connections among persons or groups
"international relations"
Kernerman English Learner's Dictionary
relationɪˈleɪ ʃən
sb who is a member of your family; = relative
Most of my relations live in the south.
relationɪˈleɪ ʃən
a connection or link between people or things
the relation between birth weight and intelligence; The story in the newspapers has no relation to reality.
relationɪˈleɪ ʃən
compared to
How are his reading skills in relation to his speaking skills?
relationɪˈleɪ ʃən
in connection with
In relation to your earlier question, I think that should be possible.
The manner in which two things may be associated.
The relation between diet and health is complex.
A member of one's family.
Yes, he's a relation of mine, but a only distant one.
The act of relating a story.
Your relation of the events is different from mine.
A set of ordered tuples.
Specifically, a set of ordered pairs.
Equality is a symmetric relation, while divisibility is not.
A set of ordered tuples retrievable by a relational database; a table.
This relation uses the customer's social security number as a key.
A statement of equality of two products of generators, used in the presentation of a group.
The act of intercourse
Origin: From relacioun, from relacion (cognate to French relation), from relationem, accusative of relatio, noun of process form from perfect passive participle relatus, from verb referre, from prefix re- + ferre
Webster Dictionary
the act of relating or telling; also, that which is related; recital; account; narration; narrative; as, the relation of historical events
the state of being related or of referring; what is apprehended as appertaining to a being or quality, by considering it in its bearing upon something else; relative quality or condition; the being such and such with regard or respect to some other thing; connection; as, the relation of experience to knowledge; the relation of master to servant
reference; respect; regard
connection by consanguinity or affinity; kinship; relationship; as, the relation of parents and children
a person connected by cosanguinity or affinity; a relative; a kinsman or kinswoman
the carrying back, and giving effect or operation to, an act or proceeding frrom some previous date or time, by a sort of fiction, as if it had happened or begun at that time. In such case the act is said to take effect by relation
the act of a relator at whose instance a suit is begun
British National Corpus
Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'Relation' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3441
Nouns Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'Relation' in Nouns Frequency: #294
Translations for Relation
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary
a person who belongs to the same family as oneself either by birth or because of marriage
uncles, aunts, cousins and other relations.
- verwantAfrikaans
- أحَدُ الأقْرِباءArabic
- роднинаBulgarian
- parentePortuguese (BR)
- příbuzný, -áCzech
- die VerwandschaftGerman
- slægtning; pårørendeDanish
- συγγενήςGreek
- parienteSpanish
- sugulaneEstonian
- نسبت؛ خویشاوندFarsi
- sukulainenFinnish
- parent, parenteFrench
- קָרוֹב מִשפָּחָהHebrew
- रिश्तेदारHindi
- rodbinska veza, srodstvoCroatian
- rokonHungarian
- kerabatIndonesian
- skyldmenniIcelandic
- parenteItalian
- 親類Japanese
- 친척Korean
- giminėLithuanian
- radinieksLatvian
- hubungan darahMalay
- familielidDutch
- slektningNorwegian
- krewnyPolish
- نسبت؛ خویشاوندPersian
- نكل، روايت، خپل: خپلوى:اړيكى ارتباط تناسب، نسبت، چارى، روابط، مناسباط، تعلقاتPashto
- parentePortuguese
- rudăRomanian
- родственникRussian
- príbuzný, -áSlovak
- sorodnikSlovenian
- rođakSerbian
- släktSwedish
- เป็นญาติพี่น้องกันThai
- akrabaTurkish
- 親屬關係Chinese (Trad.)
- родич, родичкаUkrainian
- رشتے دارUrdu
- họ hàng thân thuộcVietnamese
- 亲属关系Chinese (Simp.)
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Prices and availability are subject to change from the time and date that you print this page.
11/27/2014 12:38:22 PM. For Customer Service, please call 800.967.6696
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The Story
Natural eyelash-fringed back cushion flirts a bit of textural attitude, adding to the all-over allure of an updated easy chair in welcoming warm brown. Curving profile rounds out in streamlined yet substantial track arms, tips an inviting angled back and offers a plush, deep seat. Marseilles's medium scale and clean lines make it a great candidate to use in pairs, across from a sofa or framing a picture window.
After you place your order, we will send a fabric swatch via next day air for your final approval. We will contact you to verify both your receipt and approval of the fabric swatch before finalizing your order.
Details and Dimensions
Marseille Chair 30"Wx38"Dx34"H
- Eco-friendly construction
- Certified sustainable, kiln-dried engineered hardwood frame
- Hardwood legs with a weathered grey finish
- 8-way, hand-tied suspension
- Seat cushion is soy-based polyfoam and fiber wrapped in downproof ticking
- Back cushion is feather-down mix and polyester fiber wrapped in downproof ticking
- 58% viscose, 28% linen and 18% polyester upholstery
- Topstitch detailing
- Back cushion has eyelash micro-fringe piping
- Benchmade
- Made in North Carolina, USA
DiagonalDepth: 30" SeatWidth: 22" Depth: 21" Height: 16" Overall DimensionsWidth: 30" Depth: 38" Height: 34" ArmWidth: 2.5" Depth: 29" Height: 23"
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Creep (Acoustic version) Lyrics - Radiohead
Review The Song (1)
When you were here before,
couldn't look you in the eye
You're just like an angel,
your skin makes me cry
You float like a feather
In a beautiful world
I wish I was special
You're so very special
But I'm a creep,
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin here?
I don't belong here
I don't care if it hurts,
I wanna have control
I want a perfect body
I want a perfect soul
I want you to notice
when I'm not around
You're so very special
I wish I was special
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin here?
I don't belong here, ohhhh, ohhhh
She's running out again...
She's running out
she run, run, run, runs...
Whatever makes you happy
Whatever you want
You're so very special
I wish I was special
But I'm a creep,
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin here?
I don't belong here
I don't belong here...
Click here to submit the Corrections of Creep (Acoustic version) Lyrics
Please Click Here to Print Creep (Acoustic version) Lyrics
Thanks to rob for submitting Creep (Acoustic version) Lyrics.
whoo! Radiohead! | Reviewer: Anonymous | 4/22/2007
love the song probably one of the best radiohead songs out there even though it's depressing in the weirdest way possible since their other songs are not like that but i think that the original pablo honey version is better as i think the other insturments go good with it as well and i don't like the chance in the lyrics as well i think that "i wish i was special you're so f**kin special brings out more of the fact that he's sad that he is a creep and some girl that he likes is much better looking and more talented then him and he hates it how people don't notice when he's not around...... well that's what i get out of the song anyway. I Barely even get it were they spoofing grunge music or something i dunno. Anyway yes there you go........ by the way the acoustic version of this song is on "my iron lung ep" album thingy if anybody was wondering which actually isn't a bad set of songs.
Is this review helpful to you? Yes No
The following area is only for review, if you want to submit the lyrics or the corrections of the lyrics, please click the link at the end of Creep (Acoustic version) Lyrics.


text:
I have had these chairs for two years and they are still like new. I have a two year old who eats at them and the stains come right up. They are easy to clean and very sturdy even after the abuse of being knocked over many times by my toddler.
As others have said, these chairs are a great value, look good and are quite comfortable. I ordered 6. At first I wasn't sure what all the fuss was about regarding assembly - the front legs go on effortlessly. The rear legs, not so much. After struggling w/the first, I was dreading doing 5 more. With a friend's help, we got it done, some went a little easier than others, but overall it was definitely not fun. Some tips...you have to jiggle the rear legs while you're threading the screws (7 on the rear), I found it somewhat easier to use a drill w/hex driver once threaded in, but the screws are soft metal and will strip easily if you muscle it. I'm glad it's done!
I love the look of these chairs--they look more expensive than they were, and they are super-comfortable. I also love the size. Many of the comparable chairs on the site had comments regarding the seat being too narrow. The seats on these are nice and wide, and the chairs seem really nice and stable for those with a larger backside and a few extra pounds. The assembly wasn't as bad as I was expecting, but perhaps that's because I've had extensive dealings with Ikea products. The first chair took about 45 minutes, with a few F-Bombs dropped here and there when things didn't screw in correctly. The second only took about 15 minutes, and was a PG-13 experience. I've included some tips below, which will hopefully prevent your own F-Bombs. Assembly tips: - I assembled completely on my own, only getting help on the final step of tightening everything, as your fingers get a little crampy using the little allan wrench; I think having more than one hands on it at a time would be more of a hindrance than a help. - I sat on the floor with the seat on my lap to put on the front legs--this was relatively easy. - After putting on the front legs, I sat on the floor with the back of the chair on my lap, legs on either side of my waist, situated so the holes in the wood were face around the area of my knees. - I put the seat in place lining up the dowel to the hole, using my arms and hands to hold the seat flush in place while putting in and turning bolts. - I put in all of the bolts at once, before tightening any of them to make sure they were all lined up (I learned this after screwing the entire seat on the first one, then finding out that the final bolt was completely unaligned). - When screwing in, the trick is to hold the seat in place and flush to the holes. It's a little tricky, but not that hard. Hope the tips help. I highly recommend these chairs and hope you love them as much as I do!
These chairs were ordered to match ones I had purchased at xxxxxx several years ago. A perfect match and excellent quality made me thrilled to get these. We've gone through 5 grandbabies and there isn't anything that they can do to these chairs that can't be cleaned off. We've had spaghetti sauce, chocolate and ink pen even drawn in a bullseye that came out with just water or a little dish soap and water.
The chairs look really nice and they were not that hard to assemble once I got the first completed. The scfrews are very near the same length but they are not interchangeable so line them up before you start. The directions are not that specific. It would be better to have 2 people to put them together but I managed by myself with a few contortions. Use a power screw driver as the small tool that comes with the chairs does not tighten fully unless you are extremely strong.
They are not as good a quality as I thought they would be but I do like them.
I bought these chairs for my son and daughter-in-law to use in their new home. Although they are not in actual use yet, we opened the box to examine them and were quite pleasantly surprised at the top quality construction of the chair. It is well padded and the material is as pictured. We have experience with microfiber on our sofa so we are pretty sure that they will work out. We read all the previous reviews about the chairs before purchasing and we will update this review when they are in actual use.
These chairs are nice. They are very sharp looking. I get compliments every time somebody walks through the door. The color is a little darker than I thought they would be....definitely tan. Pros: super comfortable, look great, the price was certainly right Cons: slightly annoying to put together (takes a while to rid the wobble), darker than I perceived Overall- great product!
Of course bought sight unseen, but I must say these are just as described. They are beautiful chairs with my black and cream rug with a glass top table they are really top drawer. They were not difficult to put together as some as said at lease we did not have a problem. We still have two to put together but after putting together four and having no trouble I don't anticipate any problem for the final to. I would definitely recommend these parsons chairs.
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June 2011 Honeymoon dinner - Paris
- Dapuma Oct 21, 2010 02:11 PM
Hello, AZ USA CH'r and was hoping to get some advice here. Going to be going to London - Paris - Amsterdam for the honeymoon and want to do one incredible dinner in each city. If i could get a top 3 from a few people that would be great, i dont know exactly where we are staying yet but i think somewhere around the Arc de Triumph, however it isnt neccisary that it is close by, however if a few places are equal we may choose the closer one. Cost is not an object for this meal, just an amazing dinner. We love traditional French food so we would like it to be french cuisne modern or traditional would be acceptable
Also is there a top 1 or 2 cafe's that we should go to, for relaxing and having drinks on the patio?
Wahat would the top few pastry shops be that we should check out?
re: hychka
Reading through Frommer's 2011 London and Paris for starting points...CH usually better than a guide book so wanted to get more info before i made a short list
re: Dapuma
Try inserting "michelin" in the search window above. There will be much info on the better restaurants in Paris, be they established, up and coming or waning. Develop a short list from your reading and I'm sure you will get reactions and alternatives from "the regulars." The group doesn't do well with general questions...specifics, they can chew into.
Again, congratulations and good luck!
We enjoyed a spectacular dining experience at the Hidden Kitchen in Paris, about a block walk from the Louvre metro station. See:
re: Bruce in SLO
This is a brilliant idea for a singular evening if you can mesh schedules with them.
re: mangeur
Re Hidden Kitichen: We agree. But if you want to be assured of a spot, reserve at least 6 months in advance. (It's also a good people-meeting experience.)
re: Jake Dear
Last week I made a reservation for March!
re: Nancy S.
That actually sounds very cool - What does that end up costing? Does it just depend on what they are making? We are planning the trip now so i we should make the 6 month window...just barely heh
There is a Joel Roubechon L'Altier in Las Vegas, which is not very far from me in AZ - does anyone know if there is really much difference between the one in Paris and the one in Vegas? Is Joel actually in the kitchen in Paris?
Le Cinq looks very cool on the website, there is no priicng on their gourmet tasting and it doesnt say anything about wine parings...anyone know what the ballpark cost is on that...around 350-500 usd per couple like most of places in that category?
wow just saw Guy Savoy...has the coolest website - who has a movie when you enter their website for a restaurant heh (i judge by website if it is close) wow is it expensive 400 per person + drinks - can food taste that good?
is it worth having dinner on the eiffel tower overlooking the city?
for guy savoy do they always offer than lunch special on their main page, or is it a seasonal thing right now? Is the lunch service alot different than the dinner service or is it just charging per time fo day
re: Dapuma
Lasserre would be a good choice in Paris; it's more traditional than some of the others and they have several menus to chose from. If you must stay near the Arc de Triomphe, the Hotel Raphael has several suites with great views of the Tour Eiffel. Drinks on the terrasse at Fouquet's would be memorable, as would the tab.
re: Oakglen
<Drinks on the terrasse at Fouquet's would be memorable>
but please don't eat the food. Ugh.
re: Dapuma
To find the prices of the top end restaurants, you need to hit viamichelin.com. Under the restaurant details it will list prices for set menus and a la acarte along with contact details and opening hours.
Le Cinq - the food alone (unless we are talking lunch) will hit USD500 per couple on the cheapest set menu at dinner. Say another 150-200pp for wine (of course the sky is the limit)
Lunch at these places is always a much better proposition. There are a number of regular names on this board - do a search for Michelin lunch - of which Le Cinq and Guy Savoy appear regularly. Sometimes the food is 'simpler', sometimes it is just scaled back on the luxury. All are very good value compared to evenings.
re: mr_gimlet
Agree with the comment about Le Cinq, which I mentioned you try on your London post. Food alone 500 USD for dinner. We paid $800 for two and we ordered one of the cheapest bottles of wine on the menu. That being said, the wine was fantastic and the food and experience was out of this world!
re: jenniferjones
Is there a better website to see more of le cinq?
the offical website is not very good
i think guy savoy has the lead based on the website, but think we might end up doing lunch there due to the pricing - looked like the dinner at guy savoy would be 800 just for food per couple
re: Dapuma
Nope, thats your lot at Le Cinq. Consider yourself lucky they have a website at all.
French restaurant websites are quite different to what many other countries do. 50% have no on-line presence at all, 30% have a placeholder website with a phone number and (if you're lucky) opening hours, 10% have an OK website with some menus, wine etc and 10% are very good like the Guy Savoy one.
Le Cinq and Guy Savoy are very different restaurant environments. I like the ridiculous flamboyance of the palace restaurants like Le Cinq.
re: mr_gimlet
The Saudis have very deep pockets; who else can afford those great floral displays! I just wish I could afford to stay there these days.
re: Oakglen
"The Saudis" ? OK I'll bite.
re: Parigi
I think it is a reference to Four Seasons being almost half owned by Kingdom Holdings, which is in turn owned by Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal. He also owns the Savoy and has funded a major renovation.
re: Dapuma
Been to Atelier in Las Vegas and Tokyo, find Paris, for me, my favorite. Can order what you want with little production,
re: Dapuma
Hi: Regarding dinner on the Eiffel Tower--go for it. If you do, ask for a window facing west. The sunset over Paris, sitting atop the Eiffel is something I will never forget. The food was delicious, service impeccable and yes, it was expensive, but once in a lifetime experiences are worth every penny.
re: Dapuma
I just had lunch at the Jules Verne at the Eiffel Tower and can heartily recommend it. The food was superb. I can't imagine how lovely it would be at night with all the lights of Paris spread out around you.
re: Nancy S.
We love Hidden Kitchen and recommend it highly.
Write to Laura and Branden @ HK Reservation <firstname.lastname@example.com>
re: hychka
The 82E lunch menu at Le Cinq is a fabulous value. 3 courses plus a parade of extras. Delicious food, unbeatable ambiance and service. Wine, bottled water and coffee will cost you extra but the quality of the food is primo and very well balanced and creative even if the chocies are more limited than a la carte. At Guy Savoy, even though the lunch special allows you most of the choices off the full carte, I wasn't anywhere near as impressed with the food. And personally, I don't love the clubby, cave like atmopshere and much prefer the elegant, light and warm palatial feeling of Le Cinq.
Rostang offersa great value in their Club Menu at lunch: 95E for 3 courses (plus the parade of extras) including water, wine and coffee. Very generous place with yummy food but not as refined or balanced flavors/textures as at Le Cinq.
For traditonal French food, my top vote would be for Chez Josephine Dumonet. Foie gras to die for, the best beef bourguignon, amazing duck confit, a very decent cassoulet, great steak tartare, and fresh made to order delicious millefueille. Very friendly service, great fun, classic French bistro. Huge portions so go for half portions or share an entree and dessert and order 2 mains. No where near the price of Le Cinq or Savoy for dinner although no cheap. Worth every penny.
trip is finally booked (woo)
going to be staying here:
23, avenue Duquesne 75007 Paris
Are there any great cafe's close that we should check out?
Also what about a great pastry shop or two?
I sent an email over to HK, does anyone know about how long they generally take to respond?
Going to go with Guy Savoy for lunch at some point and Hidden Kitchen for dinner (hopefully) and that are the only two things that we have planned food wise for sure
Also going to be in Amboise for two days
Is there a good couple places to research there?
re: Dapuma
There is a decent bistro just down the street at #37 with a small terrasse; the only high-end cafe in that part of the 7th would be Cafe Constant. Le Florimond, a tiny bistro, is a personal favorite, reservations required. Avoid the many cafes near the Ecole Militaire metro station.
re: Oakglen
Does anyone know how long HK usually takes to respond back? Didnt want to blow them up, however if it is a 6mo reservation ahead of time didnt want to miss out either
Checked out the Le Florimond website, is there an English translation on there at all? Do they have a patio to sit outside and people watch, or is that not the right area for it? What would be a good patio cafe for people watching or just "soaking in" Paris? That is something we certainly are interested in - is there a "best" or few "top" places for that along with a good drink / food
Pierre Hermé seems to be the top pastry shop in Paris or one of the top and their catalogue seems amazing...is there any other one that we must try? Hugo and Victor seems like it has some amazing chocolates, is that all they do?
Chez Dumount sounds very good - might have to make that a go
re: Dapuma
Hugo and Victor is an excellent patisserie. I love all their tarts and other pastries. I also love Le Pain du Sucre in the 3rd for pastries, as well as Des Gateaux et du Pain in the 15th. Regards to HK, sometimes it takes a bit to get a reply if the team is away.
re: Dapuma
If there's a top pastry shop in Paris, I don't think it is Pierre Hermé. Jacques Génin or Le Pain de Sucre would deserve the title though. Des Gâteaux et du Pain are close to Pierre Hermé in their methods: excellent viennoiseries but "creations" showing some overindulgence in sugar, gelatine and texturants.
re: Ptipois
I agree that the viennoiseries at Des Gateaux et du Pain are their strength. I do like some of their pastries which are not too overwhelmingly complicated. For example, there was a lovely tart last summer with white peach with a hint of verbena.
re: Ptipois
Des Gateaux et du Pain's quiche rock too. But I guess they are, in a way, among their viennoiseries. So, to sum up: what they say.
re: Dapuma
Le Florimond has a few tables outside, but the street is very busy and not a good choice for "people watching". Forget about the website menu, like most fine restaurants, the menu changes daily, depending on the season etc. The wait staff has good command of English and are friendly. Give it a try.
For people watching, try Cafe de L'Esplanade, just one metro stop away.
re: Oakglen
Ok i am back to square one now
With our schedule we cannot do a lunch at guy savoy, there just wont be time to dedicate for 4 hours and dinner is outrageous, i did say no price object but perhaps i was mistaken
Hidden Kitchen is not responding to my emails...so i am back to square one
going to arrive on a Saturday so would like to do a nice dinner that evening, then will be there sunday monday tuesday
I belive we will add chez dumont to the list of places to check out, however i know alot of nicer places dont have sunday and monday hours so some help figuring out places to go again would be appreciated, i had been focusing on london and amsterdam first
Also Amboise, will be there wed and thurs...will be there two evenings, is there any place there that is special
re: Oakglen
ate at Cafe Constant on a trip last June; very nice; also ate at another of Christian Constant's places on the same block. BTW: look for Bourdain's episode from last summer/fall in Paris
re: Dapuma
It's a bit redundant to list Paris cafes to go to as you have merely to step out of your hotel and walk down a street and sit in one that takes your fancy! We did that for 10 days and were never disappointed.
I cant help your cause as far as restaurants go, but when in paris, you have to try the chocolates at jean-paul hevin.
they make these dark chocolate rounds with nuts and fruits (figs!) that are out of this world.
Navigating the restaurants in Paris is a daunting task, not unlike Italy or London. I know its the honeymoon, when reading reviews, keep in mind that a great dining experience means different things to different people.
Read up, here, yelp, zagats, trip advisor, michelin and make an educated decision without stressing about it. Include your fiance in the discussions so that its a mutual decision. Be happy to be in Europe with your loved one. The rest is just gravy, as they say.
have a look at this french website translated in english they have a good selection for romantic spot:
re: mimicavasso
thanks that is great
Chez Dumont is not open on the weekends right?
Will be in Paris Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday - so was trying to figure out what restrictions i will have
I have 2 of 4 slots so far :)
going with Chez Dumont and also Le Florimond based on oakglen's suggestion
Oak, hopefully you can help me with what days dinner service is being done by Le Florimond - the website is all french so i couldnt figure it out
Is Spring worth going to? I saw some good reviews posted on the board - how would it compare with Le Cinq?
re: Dapuma
Spring is worth going to. It's not at all like Le Cinq in terms of level of preparation and finesse, but it is an excellent example of innovative cuisine. Tuesday may be your only night to go, though, since it's closed on Sundays and Mondays and last year's Saturday night menu was lobster rolls.
re: Dapuma
Le Florimond is usually open on
saturday evening but not Sunday. Reservations essential.
re: Oakglen
seems like i cannot book most reservations through websites in paris, so i will have to get a calling card and book overseas...will i have an issue with no one able to take the reservation because i dont speak french?
Oakglen is le florimond open mondays and tuesday?
Still looking for Saturday night special dinner, however i hope HK gets back to me at some point
re: Oakglen
Unless they have changed, Le Florimond is closed on the 1st and 3rd Saturday evening of the month. Pascal recently opened a takeaway boutique several doors down towards Ecole Militaire where you can buy jars of his or his parents products. I tried the chou farci last November while we were staying in an apt. and it was very good.
re: Laidback
Laidback, I have never had a Saturday dinner at Le Florimond, but their card says it is open on Saterday evenings. If we book a family run bistro on the weekend we always have a fall-back option; you just never know about bistro scheduling. Le Florimond is open on Mon. & Tues. But once again, the hotel Duquesne front desk should reconfirm reservations that day.
First, congrats for your wedding !
I've been married for 15 years and we have decided 5 years ago, that we would celebrate our wedding anniversaries in high-end restaurants (we are Parisians). So far, we have been to Pré Catelan (very romantic, located in the bois de Boulogne, our local central Park), Les Ambassadeurs at the Crillon (Chef Piège has left but I read good reviews about the new Chef), le Bristol and two other places abroad. My favorite was Les Amabassadeurs, I also loved Pré Catelan and was slightly disappointed by Bristol. You can read my reviews on my foodblog : http://afoodiefroggy.canalblog.com/ar... (plenty of pictures).
Have you considered Thoumieux ? Chef Piège (former Chef of Les Ambassadeurs) has now opened his new gastro restaurant on the first floor. A Foodie friend of mine has been there last week and raved about it. I totally trust his opinion. he told me that it looked like an apartment and that Piège himself was there every night, welcoming clients and giving them good advices. I am a big fan of his cuisine. http://www.thoumieux.fr/
re: Foodie Froggy
If this is the place you are talking about, it certainly looks really cool from the picture
re: Dapuma
Yes, Madame, it is !
re: Foodie Froggy
Dapuma is a guys name, i thought everyone knew that ;p
Is that place open on Sunday? that seems to be the problem day for me
So far my new updated thinking based on days open:
Saturday: Hidden Kitchen (but they are not getting back to me - i sent another email today hopefully they will get back to me)
Saturday choice 2: ???
Sunday: ??
Monday: Chez Dumont
Tuesday: Spring
re: Dapuma
Ooops, oh my god, really sorry Dapuma.
At Thoumieux, the brasserie is open everyday but the gastro restaurant is open from monday to friday evening only.Maybe you could try for lunch ?
You are not the first one to complain that THK is slow to answer emails. One of my friends sent a request months in advance and they answered it was too early. Then when she got back to them later, they said they were full that night. Big disappointment for her...
re: Foodie Froggy
If we make a lunch i think it would be le cinq or guy savoy - however with 4 days in paris and daytime being primetime exploring of the city, i dont want to dedicate a day to lunch...so i just dont see that being an option, and le cinq and guy savoy are just too expensive for dinner when there are so many other amazing options
If i go the Thomieux route, is the primary restaurant going to take reservations for both places? It was really hard to tell which place is which...and i dont speak french (paris places dont seem to have an online presence), however a person at work does, so maybe they can be my translator when making reservations
Right now i need a #2 choice in case HK doesnt follow through, and then a Sunday option - or can shift Spring over to Saturday and take a Tuesday option...all the same thing i think though
re: Dapuma
There really aren't a lot of good restaurants open on Sundays. The best is probably Le Cinq. If you take the three-course lunch special you can be out of there in two hours--maybe even less if you request it. They are well-staffed, well-trained and eager to please.
re: fanoffrance
La Grande Cascade would be my other candidate for best sunday restaurant (along with l'Ami Louis and Senderens on good days).
re: souphie
were you saying that l'ami loius and senderens are or not open on sundays?
Or are you saying that they are hit or miss so they food is always good?
la grande cascade website is pretty cool, i was trying to look at the menu but it is all in french...is the first menu the lunch menu or regular menu, it looks like they have 3 menus one at 85 one at 135 and one at 185 euros? If it is in the 135-185 range isnt that around the same range as le cinq?
re: Dapuma
le violon d'Ingres one of the constant cafe's it looks like that is open sunday as well
how would that stack up with:
lami louis / senderens / la grande cascade
re: Dapuma
First it is not a cafe it is a restaurant (all the constant places are different and are different price points this is the top). Also the three places you list are very different so it is not just apples to oranges, but also strawberries and melons. What yardstick are you judging these places by? Are you still trying to slot in the "one amazing dinner"...? From your list (Jan 19) that looks to be the gap.
re: PhilD
pretty much i am trying to get in the one special dinner
i am going back and forth with sticking with cafe's the entire trip and just going for one great place - i figured if i was going over 130 euros (per person) i might as well go to le cinq because they are over 130euro and that would certainly be top of the line, then i would probably downgrade another selection
From my understanding Chez Dumon is around 50-60 euro per person and spring in around 70 euro per person (is that right?) so my new train of though is that if a keep sunday reasonable le cinq might be ok for saturday
my other line of thought was going to with 4 solid choices...that piere place above thromiex looks very cool, i read about passage 53 which sounds good as well french with a hint of japanese fushion is interesting and we love french asian fushion, -- not really sure about the price difference between passage 53 and the pierre place vs le flormidad for a saturday choice
then depending on that saturday choice i was thinking either le cinq or Le Violon d'Ingres
want to get some variety in each nights selection so it isnt the same thing, london i am set on as their web presence is alot stronger, most places in france have nothing to look at to base opinions on -- im probably rambling again so to bottom line it
Can anyone compare the piere new place above Thoumieux that looks trendy that is a 20 top vs Le Florimond vs Passage 53 included the difference in price and if the "style" of that restaurant will be similar to:
chez dumont
each other
Le Violon d'Ingres
thanks a bunch
re: Dapuma
As I have mentioned, I love Passage 53. It's somewhere in the range of 85 or 90 euros a person for dinner. The chef is Japanese but his cooking is not at all fusion.
re: Dapuma
Senderens and l'Ami Louis are open on sundays. Senderens is hit or miss -- chef is pure genius but execution is too often faulty.
La Grande Cascade is cool but its high range is Le Cinq's mid range. In fact, his chef used to be the exec chef at Senderens when it was always wonderful.
re: Dapuma
As I mentioned early, you should be careful about switching Spring to a Saturday in the summer. Although the lobster roll dinner is fine, it is not nearly the same experience as having the Spring tasting menu.
re: Nancy S.
Thanks for the reminder Nancy - So Hidden Kitchen got back to me but they are not going to be there that weekend (bummer)
Saturday: Open - considering Chef Piège place above Thomieux just because it looks so cool - however I am open to other ideas - Dont want to take a chance on Le Florimond being closed and being out of luck for this day - however i will be there the last saturday of the month - so does that mean 100% they are open? If i had to choose between the two for a first night in Paris meal...which is going to be more memorable
Sunday: Open - need some help here!
Monday: Chez Dumont
Tuesday: Spring
re: Dapuma
What about Fréderic Simonin on saturday ? I am going to have lunch there next week, but from what I have read , he is going to have at least one michelin star (some say he will even get two !!).
re: Dapuma
How about Passage 53 for saturday dinner. I really love Passage 53. If you google "passage 53 paris", you'll find some reviews with pictures from some excellent bloggers. I've been there several times and am most impressed. The service is lovely as well.
This is a list of restaurants open on sunday evening : http://exclusive-restaurants.com/en/r...
On that list, I have noticed "58 Tour Eiffel", the brasserie on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower (could be romantic, even though I have no idea how the food is), a dinner-cruise on the Seine, Brasserie Allard, Drouant, the brasserie at Hotel de Crillon, Lasserre and Senderens.
re: Foodie Froggy
This being your honeymoon, I highly recommend Lasserre. The food is exquisite, the surroundings are elegant, service is old world, right there yet not 'in your face.' The restaurant has a live pianist during dinner and several times during service you hear a rumble coming from the ceiling and slowly, the ceiling comes apart, revealing a gorgeous floral/seasonal arrangement and the night sky as the roof opens.
Also,l the second floor of the Eiffel Tower is where the food is going on. The lower level is noisy.
The food is delicious and the view of Paris at night is magnificent. We made our reservations months in advance and asked for a seat facing West. At the proper time the shades were raised so diners could watch the sunset. If that isn't romantic, I don't know what is! Congratulations on your wedding.
for Chef Piège place above Thomieux does anyone know if they are open on the weekends? I have seen conflicting online information stating they are m-f only and also open on the weekends -- can anyone confirm?
Oak: will Le Florimond take reservations more than a month or two in advance?
For Chez Dumont will they take reservations further in advance as well?
I saw on the other thread Spring will only take reso 1mo in advance and I am finally to the point I am ready to make reso's and i dont want to risk not having a place set up ahead of time, nor do i want to burn up alot of money/time on overseas phone calls (although i may not have an option there) - so trying to get a bit more info before i start calling
i believe i am going to keep it a bit lower priced the rest of the 4 days in france and srping for le cinq on sunday
would le Florimond and chez dumont be similar menus or would we get pretty good variety and styles there?
was thinking about switching it up to:
le Florimond saturday
le cinq sunday
chez dumont monday
frenchie tuesday
am i getting enough different styles in those selection and am i keeping it overall under 100 euro per person per day for dinner (not counting drinks - or at least close) if we go for the gusto at le cinq
re: Dapuma
If you do decide to include Spring in your lineup, I can confirm that you can only secure a reservation one month in advance -- I tried to make a reservation in July and was told to call back.
re: Dapuma
The upstairs restaurant at Thoumieux is not open on weekends and they don't take reservations more than two weeks in advance. You can call at 8:30 a.m.
re: fanoffrance
thanks so much, fanof - couldnt figure that one out
Update so far, pretty much Paris is the only place i dont have everything booked for the trip and amboise
Saturday: open
Sunday: open (la grande cascade or le cinq) still deciding
Monday: Chez Dumonet - booked
Tuesday: Frenchie - just had fun with the no answer then goes to answering machine and going directly into the answering machine - at 4 cents per try will my phone card run out before i reach them hehe
re: fanoffrance
Did you like it?
re: souphie
Haven't been there yet! I tried to make a reservation for the end of March and was told what date to call back on. I remember I liked Les Ambassadeurs when Piege was the chef there, but you didn't.
Maceo in the 1er is neither a cafe nor "high end," but over the years, we have had quite a number of wonderful, memorable celebratory dinners there. They are not open on Sunday, but otherwise they would fit into your plans very nicely. And the price is very reasonable, especially considering the quality.
FWIW, if you are projecting for a restaurant called Chez "Dumont," you will have trouble finding what you want. The restaurant everyone talks about on this forum is Chez Dumonet.
Update: I have everything reserved except for Saturday, so what would be different that what i already have booked
Saturday: Open - need help
Sunday: Le Cinq (booked)
Monday: Chez Dumonet (booked)
Tuesday: Frenchie (booked)
Wednesday: Le Pavillon De Lys - Amboise (booked)
Thursday: L'Epicerie - Amboise (booked)
re: Dapuma
I'll recommend Passage 53 for Saturday.
re: Dapuma
to goodcookie: I checked out lassere, we are doing le cinq the following night so we dont want to go quite that expensive / over the top until sunday - but the place does look very cool
re: Dapuma
how did you manage these reservations do you speak french? Im hoping to book frenchie, but don't speak a lick of french
re: nkmontero
i kept getting an answer from them but they said the didnt speak english or at least not enough to make a reservation
luckily someone at work speaks pretty decent french and they made the reservations for me
they also helped me with the rest of my reservations that i could not make by emails - seems only to be an issue with some places in paris - england and holland were all more than willing to accomodate email
From all my phone calls and i made at least 40+ calls i could never get a english speaker on the phone and called at the times listed on the forum to make reservations - best thing i can say is post on facebook if anyone you know speaks french and give them your calling card number and see if they can get through tell them the time and day that you want
maybe try to get Spring instead...they only book 1 month ahead of time and i wanted everything booked well ahead of that time so i passed on them
as for pastry shops.....don't miss Pierre Hermes macaroons--the chocolate and the caramel ones are 'to die for'. we went to the one on Rue Cambon--I think it was #4, near the Tuilleries.
Jean Paul Hevin has amazing chocolates
Gaston Lenotre, near Rue Montegueil (sp?) market street--gorgeous and delicious
I could go on and on but there are very few 'bad' pastries in Paris......enjoy!
re: goodcookie
Least we forget Stohrer...
re: goodcookie
"...there are very few 'bad' pastries in Paris....."
I don't agree. There are, actually, more 'bad' than good. Very few made with fresh and simple ingredients, meant to be sold within a short window after completion, but many with commercial egg matter, fruit product and extraneous flavorings, coloring and stabilizers.
re: mangeur
I absolutely agree with Mangeur -- there's a lot of bad pastry in Paris. Even at the "notable" places, not everything is great (and sometimes nothing is good).
re: Nancy S.
we recently discovered macaroon's as in the usa southwest they are pretty hard to come by, one french pastry shop here had some and on a whim i picked one up, a salted carmel one...it was incredible, so many textures and flavors - so we are very excited to try some top of the line macaroons
re: goodcookie
Is there much of a difference between the two pierre hermes shops?
> 72, rue Bonaparte, the "jewelry shop" boutique in the St Germain des Prés area of Paris
> 185 Vaugirard, the second boutique in Paris. Its interior is very innovative.
The 185 one seems closer to the hotel
re: Dapuma
Not much except the r. Vaugirard shop is roomier. If there is any kind of a line at the Bonaparte one, it is almost impossible to move around or browse.
re: Dapuma
I agree, not much difference, but with the one in the 15th, you're quite near Des Gateaux et du Pain, which is my favorite for viennoiserie.
re: Nancy S.
oh nice that is right by the pierre place, which to eat first macaroon or danish - i think that will be a game time decision heh
Got all the final bookings made, thanks everyone for all your help
Ended up going with a Saturday booking at Le Florimond, since it is close to the hotel and the eiffel tower, which we are going to see on Saturday
Passage 53 looked great, but with le cinq the day after and location Le Florimond won out
Thanks again everyone!
oh just a general update i did swap out Saturday for
L Ami Jean instead of Le Florimond
Thanks again everyone hope this thread helps many other people as well


text:
Supervisor candidate on everything from the gropinator to O.J.
If it wasn't for the cheeseburgers, I might have found this morning's resignation of White House Chief of Staff Andy Card touching. Certainly the reporters– and I use that word loosely– on the various cable news stations did, but then they were just following the White House's lead and i ... More >>
Rick Warren unveils his strategy to fight AIDS: the gospel of the GOP
The Rev. Schuller's daughter puts on a show. Very cool puppets rule
The Rev. Schuller's daughter puts on a show. Very cool puppets rule
Because presidentins such hard work, Bush needs a one-way ticket to Crawford
A Messianic Meller for Our Time
Al Franken makes me mad!


text:
Getting back to rugby has been fun, a great way to socialize, and it restores a much-needed sense of normalcy to my life after these past two years of upheaval. However me olde body does not recover like it used to. Even a mere practice has me physically wrecked for days. After this season (yeah I keep saying that every year) I will certainly question my continued participation in the sport. Still, we managed to smile for a moment a few weeks ago during play:
This summer's weather has been remarkably cool. With the exception of a week or two here and there, it's been really pleasant. But cooler temps are on the way, as evidenced by that fall smell that we encountered on our hike in the Monongahela National Forest of West Virginia this past weekend. We didn't see any bears, but there were plenty of otters on the trail:
It rained Saturday morning but that's about it. They say it's gonna be a cold winter this year.
Archive for the 'outdoors' Category
Getting back to rugby has been fun, a great way to socialize, and it restores a much-needed sense of normalcy to my life after these past two years of upheaval. However me olde body does not recover like it used to. Even a mere practice has me physically wrecked for days. After this season (yeah I keep saying that every year) I will certainly question my continued participation in the sport. Still, we managed to smile for a moment a few weeks ago during play:
I have a new roommate. The other one was great but he followed his girlfriend to NYC. Strangely, this new one was my roommate when I lived upstairs, so I know we get along. BUT he seems to have gathered a tremendous amount of stuff this time around. Either that or the first time he never intended to stay for long. He's still unpacking and I don't know where it's all going to go. I hope he has a toaster because I left mine in Portland somewhere.
I went to the premiere of "Love Is Strange," starring John Lithgow and Alfred Molina. I know a few of the producers and was contacted by the director for consulting regarding a very brief scene in which Cheyenne Jackson is playing Dungeons & Dragons. It's a good movie and you should go see it.
I've been so busy on the job hunt and travelling, I didn't realize I hadn't been biking or going to the gym as much as I usually do. On Labor Day I got to the gym and a long bike ride, and it felt real good. I also got caught in a rainstorm, but there was a rainbow afterwards, even though congress does not deserve a rainbow:
I forgot to mention I've gotten back to rugby. Of course I first had to get health insurance, as it would be stupid to play rugby without it. I went through the DC health exchange ("Obamacare") and I must say that process really sucked. It took about 2 1/2 days to process my application, and that was with a specialist trained in holding people's hands through the process. That and the website sucked. I mean, I just finished a webmaster gig so I know a few things, and found out I had to log-in or log-out on this or that screen, or clear the browser cache before this screen worked. Extremely user unfriendly website. And what if I was a struggling mother working 3 part-time jobs? I wouldn't have the time to navigate this system that takes almost three days to process.
Anyway, rugby has been good. I'm slower than I used to be, but my body is still intact. Getting back to rugby has given me a sense of normalcy and practices offer two hours where I'm not obsessing over my career recovery. And the guys are nice to look at, of course.
I went back to Wisconsin for my 25th class reunion. It was a lot of socializing and remembering faces I hadn't seen in a while but a lot of fun. A few of us went up the Brady's Bluff trail at Trempealeau State Park. It was hot that day (for Wisconsin) but a great view of the upper Mississippi River. That's Minnesota across the river:
I helped my brother a little building his new garage. I mostly held things in place and let him do the hammering and nail placement.
Then off to my family reunion. Even more faces and names I couldn't place right away, since the last family reunion I'd been to was 20 years ago or so. Someone brought a photo album where I could see pictures of ancestors Homer had traced for me a while back. I took some hasty photos to put names to faces. Most of the males on that side had excellent mustaches, like my great-grandfather Michael:
I finally learned why my father's dad's nickname was "Pumpy." We would always say "We're going to Grampa Pumpy's house" when he was alive. It turned out he got that name because he worked for his father's drilling and pumping business and often ran the pump, thus the name "Pumpy."
The week before I arrived there was another giant swarm of mayflies, which is a fairly unique occurrence in that area once a year. By the time I got to Wisconsin there were only a few swarming here and there, but you can see more of the amazing peak swarming in this article.
Then it was back to the job hunt in DC. My roommate moved out so I had to cover August rent myself, which was tough considering my last contract job ended in June. I have a few possibilities in the works, and also had a phone interview which I think went well. Although it's a slow time in DC as many are on vacation and hiring is slow.
Hey there – it's been a while. I've been hangin' out with my beardy bros from the Washington Nationals baseball team.
That's Jayson Werth on the left and Bryce Harper on the right.
In June I went on a hike with a bud to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. It was where lots of ironwork machinery was made during the Civil War. Today lots of people like to go tubing in the summer:
My latest contract ended, the work on a website migration complete. I had no jobs set up so I said "fuck it" and went to Provincetown for 9 days. Normally I'm ready to go home after about 5 days, but the plane ticket price was cheapest for that range of days and my housing was free, so I was there for quite a while. I hit the tail end of the "circuit week" theme days, and my roomates tended to not eat much during that time. But then we segued into "Bear Week" and the fridge was suddenly packed with food.
There were lots of beards. I was partial to the one on the left, for he made good quiche and wore only briefs for much of the time around the house:
I did a lot of sunning on the beach, a nice bike ride, and lots of cocktails at the Boatslip. Bear Week was kind of crazy, and in the future should I go again I will choose a less popular week, despite the amount of fur.
My next trip at the end of July will be to head back to Wisconsin for my 25th class reunion. My brother will have a new garage built and it will be interesting to see what's been done.
Hello again. Been workin' hard but have adjusted to the new job, just in time for it to end by the close of June. It is a contract position, and while it's been good revisiting web content management and managing people (I think I'm good at it!) I am told we will likely be done with the web migration by the end of June.
While I have been looking for and applying to jobs this whole time, the push begins again in earnest. Still looking for long-term/permanent public affairs/communications employment, preferably for the government, preferably for a science- natural resources- or ag-based organization. So your help is appreciated dear readers – leads are always received graciously. It has been a rocky and fruitless job situation since September 2012 and I could really use some good news and developments.
Last month I actually had a phone interview for a job I was genetically engineered for: performing public affairs work for a sage grouse conservation program in Oregon. But despite two follow-up emails I have not heard anything back from them. As I recall Portlanders avoid conflict, so bad news is probably not going to be received at all.
We have had some heavy rains in the Mid-Atlantic, and the Potomac has been swollen:
A few weeks ago "ten million 'real' Americans" gathered on the National Mall to protest Obama/Benghazi/buttsex or something. I only counted about ten teabagger loons. And for the record I'm tired of hearing these people dictate who "real" Americans are. Teabaggers STFU and go home.
On the Saturday before Memorial Day, we went for a bike ride along the Potomac River. The shad were running, and we observed herons eating them from this platform (which I think is a flow measurement station):
Under a nearby bridge, me and Bubbles contemplated the meaning of 'BE' and the flag of the District of Columbia:
I celebrated Memoral Day by sleeping in, going to the gym, and another bike ride. I took a picture of John S. Logan in Logan Circle. The dude founded Memorial Day:
I'm going to a Nationals baseball game tomorrow. Sadly woofy Bryce Harper is not playing these days, but super-beardy Jayson Werth will be playing.
Suddenly spring arrived. I went for a hike with friends on the Billy Goat Trail at Great Falls in Virginia. There was a gun show:
I spotted a bald eagle and a baby snapping turtle.
Later that month, we went to the National Arboretum to see the azaleas in bloom:
This weekend, a friend with a vineyard asked us to help plant vines:
I carried the vines on my head:
I did not plant the vines as the Overseer preferred, so I soon changed to watering the plants rather than planting them:
As the sun set and we completed the project, we squinted in unison:
There were cute Jack Russel terriers present:
Recent polar surges have pushed snowy owls southward in the last month. The mammals they feed on burrow in and enter a torpid state when it's freezing out, so snowy owls are forced to fly to where they can find food. A few snowy owls have been spotted in the DC area the past few weeks, and I was finally able to see one downtown at 15th & L Streets NW:
He was there for a few hours, not 30′ above the street. He seemed unfazed by the crowds watching him. I was glad city folk got to see this unusual sighting. It's interesting that I saw a whole parliament of snowy owls almost a year ago in Oregon.
I was on my way to the community clinic to get my nasty sinuses taken care of. I got a cold around New Year's Eve which persisted and turned into a sinus infection and possibly bronchitis. Having no income nor health insurance, I avoided getting it taken care of as long as possible. But it got so painful and just malingering I finally broke down and went to the community clinic. Turns out the experience wasn't so bad, nor expensive and I got some antibiotics. I'm also signed up for "Obamacare," we'll see how affordable that actually is. Anyway, I got a snowy owl selfie pic taken of me. I am grimacing because my molars and sinuses hurt:
It was also really cold out so that might account for some of the grimace as well.
Trimming the beard for the job interview earlier this week was somewhat of a relief. I was getting tired of the overgrown 'stache doubling as a coffee/soup strainer. That and this sinus cold I've had since NYE made boogers and beards problematic:
That said, I still love having a fur-bearing mammal attached to my face. I'll admit the shorter beard looks better, but as y'all know, I like big beards and I cannot lie. It will grow back again.
The interview went well. It was a basic first-round interview at an institute of higher learning where I worked many years ago. I recognized many of the people on the 7-person interview committee, and recognized the questions since I had been on several similar committees. And by now I know how to answer them the best I can. We'll see how it goes. There's a few other irons in the fire, and things have picked up in the job department as I expected they would now that the holidays are over. And with the government passing some budget, more opportunities may come up as organizations become confident they can afford to hire.
My room has dried up from the flood for the most part but I think the cold snap broke the heat exchanger outside. I'm not quite sure what it is for, but it doesn't always work now and the house seems colder than usual. Anyway my cheap-ass computer desk did get some water damage, and my renter's insurance is paying for a replacement. I put the soaked rugs outside in the two days of rain that followed, dried them out and put some carpet freshener on them and they seem fine. They may rot later, we'll see. But like I said before most of it is crap anyway and is no great loss.
It happened like clockwork after the daylight savings time change earlier this month. My mood dropped, it was an effort to get motivated, and I noted an increasing reluctance to go out. The temperature changes didn't help either, but I'm aware of these mood changes this time of year and work to recognize these mood changes. I do things to go against these urges like work out, ride my bike, and make sure I get out to socialize. These things help a lot.
This has always been a challenge for me in DC. I often explain to others that our winters are like the scenes from the Sleepy Hollow animated feature and movie. It's worth noting I didn't feel this way this time of year in Portland. I was warned that their winters were miserable in a different way. Granted, I wasn't working and was able to go out in the day to get some amount of UV through the cloud cover. But Portland was somewhat warmer despite being drippier with all the rain. I think the tipping point for me is the colder temperatures in DC.
The other thing comparing winters between the two cities was that I noticed that not everyone in Portland did proactive things to combat the winter blahs. Not everyone in DC does either, but considering the reputation of the winters in the Pacific Northwest, you would think more people would do things to actively combat the blahs. Anyway my conclusion from all of this is that DC doesn't have the reputation for having horrid winter blahs, but should. It is just as bad here as in the Pacific Northwest, but not as rainy. Just cold and dark.
The other way DC is much like Sleepy Hollow is that we have a lot of headless torsos running around. I mean like people not showing their faces on mobile apps like Scruff. We have far more headless horsemen in DC than in Portland. I attribute this to some sort of cultural thing having to do with remnants of Puritanism or Southern propriety. And despite being recently hailed by the New York Times as one of the gayest places in America, there are still a lot of closet cases – or maybe people who think being seen on an app is indicative of their whorishness. This wasn't the case in Portland, where people didn't give a shit and showed their faces.
I think there were just as many open relationships in Portland as there are in DC. But again they were simply honest about their open status in Portland, which was very refreshing. In DC relationship statuses in online profiles are often left blank, where I simply assume they are in a relationship, open, and they think they are being sneaky about it. I much prefer to be fully disclosed on someone's relationship status, then we can both go from there with all cards on the table. I don't care if you're an online whore or in an open relationship, I just want to be informed that you have a boyfriend. It helps interactions go much smoother. And believe me gurl, if you think I won't find out you have a boyfriend at home, think again. My agents are everywhere.
Good news: while things are still rolling for a permanent job, I secured a short-term contracting gig that could possibly turn into a very lucrative long-term gig. It's helping to write a proposal to assist as a contractor with the agency I formerly worked for. It's the next best thing to actually getting right back with my former workplace. So right now it's just helping to write a proposal as a "subject matter expert." It's nice to be recognized for my expertise after a year and a month of esteem-crushing joblessness. The irony is that they found me and actively recruited me without me having contacted them at all. This is after applying to 100+ jobs and networking my ass off for a year. I can't complain, I guess this is how things work out. Now to turn on my UV lamp and get my happy self to work on Monday.
I'm mostly settled in to my new place and have started the job search in earnest. There are already a wealth of job opportunities to apply to, sometimes one each day that I'm genuinely interested in and qualified for. And networking has been off the hook as well, although the shutdown had slowed things down a bit. We're also approaching the period where not a lot of government work gets done (late November though early January) which concerns me. So I'm focusing more on the nonprofit sector rather than federal employment, even though the latter is what I'd like to return to.
The neighborhood has changed radically in the year I've been away. Some blocks are completely unrecognizable. Tons of new restaurants and office buildings with more construction on the way. The crane is the state bird of the District of Columbia.
Between running around getting stuff for the house and meeting up with people to reacquaint and network, I haven't had a minute to get on my bike for a good ride. I did manage to get out to the Shenandoah National Park to hike Old Rag Mountain with a group of new and old friends. It was a gloomy grey day but the fall colors were in full effect, and the hike was challenging with good views all around:
I have a temp gig with an old blogger friend in Baltimore on Friday and Monday. The pay is pretty good and the boss is a hoot.