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The bitter end: IceRays go down fighting in playoff finale against Amarillo
Bulls score twice in third period, end CC's playoff run
CORPUS CHRISTI - The IceRays' aim Wednesday night was to prevent the traditional series-ending handshake from taking place on their home ice at the American Bank Center.
In a roundabout way, without the desired result, that's exactly what happened.
Corpus Christi had too many giveaways and mistakes at key times, falling 5-3 to Amarillo in the fourth game of the North American Hockey League's South Division semifinal and losing the series 3-1.
As there is no doubt the two teams have an acute dislike of each other, the series ended with a few scuffles in the closing minutes and the Bulls opting not to form up and shake hands with their opponent after the series, something never before seen by IceRays coach Justin Quenneville, a former player from the team's minor league days.
"That's a first for me," said Quenneville, who offered to pose for a picture with his hand outstretched and no one at the other end. "I'm not very surprised. They're an organization that has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. They choose to be arrogant (jerks).
"As a former player, and someone who has been through that, it's a no-no in hockey. (Amarillo coach Dennis Williams) obviously has never played the game. I would not expect anything less."
The Bulls, who had the NAHL's best regular-season record, polished off the game with 1 minute, 12 seconds left when Geoff Fortman flipped a pass ahead to Mike Davis, who skated in alone and beat goalie Hayden Stewart for the 5-3 lead.
That's when the action intensified. Corpus Christi's Michael Economos got into a scuffle along the Amarillo bench in the final minute and was hit with a series of penalties. On the faceoff, the IceRays' Caleb O'Brien and Andrew Paras took down Gage Christianson and Blake Roubos, respectively, and immediately got the best of them in both fights. O'Brien and Paras were assessed multiple penalties, with Paras gaining a gross misconduct after being restrained by officials.
The game ended with the Bulls staying behind their own net with the puck, choosing not to attack. Then Amarillo skated away and off the ice, breaking a hockey tradition to end playoff series with a handshake among competitors.
"The whole season, they haven't liked us and we haven't liked them," Corpus Christi's Perry D'Arrisso said.
The IceRays could have prevented a handshake line another way — they held a 2-1 lead in the second period but surrendered a pair of goals 18 seconds apart, with one being a shot from close to the blue line and the other coming when Corpus Christi failed to clear the puck from its own end.
Charles Baldwin tied the score at 3 with a power-play goal in the third period, only to have the Bulls respond. Amarillo forced a turnover at the blue line, and Hampus Gustafsson stickhandled his way in and beat Stewart for the lead. Davis' goal then iced the series for the Bulls.
That put to an end to the IceRays' first playoff appearance as an NAHL member, and the team will suffer considerable change with eight players reaching the NAHL's age limit.
It also frees Amarillo of one of its chief tormentors. The Bulls, who lost 14 total times this season, won seven times in 12 regular-season tries against Corpus Christi and lost the playoff opener to the IceRays.
The tough matchup was enough to keep the handshake line out of the American Bank Center but not enough to send the series to a winner-take-all fifth game.
"It's tough. They're a team that keeps coming at you," Quenneville said. "It's not by accident that they've stayed in first place, and it's not by accident that we beat them several times. They're two teams that match up well. They have a lot of experience on their team, and it showed in the end when they got a couple of bounces.
"That's not to sell our guys short. They showed a lot of character coming back in the third every time. I would take them with me into the trenches any day."
Amarillo 1 2 2 — 5
Corpus Christi 0 2 1 — 3
First Period — 1, Ama, McNAmaara 2 (Deresky), 1:10. Penalties — Peterson, Ama (elbowing), 7:29; Berkley, CC (high sticking), 11:04; Christianson, Ama (roughing), 15:49; Economos, CC (roughing), 15:49; Roubos, Ama (delay of game), 15:49; Walker, CC (delay of game), 15:49; Berkley, CC (delay of game), 17:41; Mullan, Ama (delay of game), 17:41.
Second Period — 2, CC, Smith 1 (McDiarmid, Monfils), 4:04; 3, CC Romig 2 (Williams), 13:04; 4, Ama, Rey 3 (Mullan), 15:29 (pp); 5, Ama, Deresky 1 (none), 15:47. Penalties — Berkley, CC (slashing), :25; Fortman, Ama (holding), :25; Schulz, CC (roughing); 5:45; Gernhofer, Ama (slashing), 7:28; Schulz, CC, minor-minor (delay of game, holding); 13:48; Sarcona, Ama (delay of game), 13:48.
Third Period — 6, CC, Baldwin 1 (Jarosz), 4:51 (pp); 7, Ama, Gustafsson 3 (Mullan, Cole), 9:09; 8, Ama, Davis 1 (Fortman), 18:48. Penalties — Bench, Ama, served by Gernhofer (too many men on the ice), 3:42; Romig, CC (hooking), 10:02; Economos, CC minor-game misconduct, served by Monfils (unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:18; O'Brien, CC, instigator-major-game misconduct (fighting), 19:20; Paras, CC, instigator-major-game misconduct-gross misconduct (fighting, gross misconduct Tier 1), 19:20; Myers, CC (crossing red line), 19:20.
Shots on goal — Amarillo 16-17-9—42; Corpus Christi 10-11-12—33. Goalies — Amarillo, Berrafato 3-1 (32 shots-29 saves), Delia (0-0); Corpus Christi, Stewart 1-2 (42-37), Myers (0-0). Power-play opportunities — Amarillo 1 of 10; Corpus Christi 1 of 3. Referee — Lucas Martin. Linesmen — Justin Bell, William Kingdon. A — 2,108. T — 2:30.
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Related Links
- FY 2012 OMB-CEQ Memo
- DOI ECR Policy Report
DOI encourages the use of collaborative processes supported by neutral third parties to more effectively carry out the Department's mission by preventing, managing and resolving conflicts over the use, conservation, and restoration of the environment and natural and cultural resources. Collaborative, constructive, and timely third party assisted approaches, often referred to as Environmental Conflict Resolution (ECR), are used to address or enhance implementation of policies and programs, NEPA planning, policy development, public participation, rulemaking, and stakeholder involvement.
ECR tools and processes can be used to assist Bureaus and Offices with controversial decisions, conflict management, and public and stakeholder engagement.
CADR offers information and assistance on problem solving options including: confidential consultation; facilitators, mediators and public participation specialists experienced in environmental and natural resource matters; situation and stakeholder assessments; and training. CADR supports DOI Bureaus and Offices by serving as trusted subject matter experts as well as managing a contract for private third party natural assistance available to all aspects of the Department working through internal issues and collaboration both within DOI and across Bureaus and Offices, and with State, Local and Tribal Governments, non-Government organizations and the general public.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Last Guardian
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Release Date: TBA 2016
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Game Details
Published by: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developed by: SCE Studios Japan, GenDesign
Genre: Adventure
Release Date:
United States: TBA 2016
Japan: TBA 2016
Australia: TBA 2016
Also Available On:
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Dollywood's FireChaser Express roller coaster is fun for the whole family
Last summer, at a lively event in a Dollywood theater, Dolly Parton for the first time described the resort planned to open in 2015 at her thriving entertainment complex.
The bold announcement signaled that Parton and her Dollywood partners, Herschend Family Entertainment, were following the example of the theme park pioneers at Disney, and getting into the hotel business in a big way.
Amid the excitement of the hotel news, you might almost have missed the day's other big announcement: A new roller coaster was planned to open for Dollywood's 2014 season, FireChaser Express.
"My favorite part about this ride is that little bitty kids can ride it," Parton told the cheering crowd. "They're going to be so excited."
I'm not a little bitty kid, but I'm here to tell you: FireChaser Express is pretty exciting.
I rode it on a weekday morning in May, before the summer tourist season got fully underway. The park wasn't very crowded that day, but there was a long line for FireChaser Express.
Little bitty kids were indeed riding the coaster.
The height requirement is 39 inches, substantially less than what's required for many other Dollywood rides – especially the 50 inches required for the intense Wild Eagle coaster, just across the way from FireChaser Express. (The day I rode the new ride, there was virtually no wait for the Wild Eagle.)
That morning, FireChaser Express passengers included a nervous-looking little girl in line behind me. Throughout the nearly hour-long wait, she vacillated. She wasn't sure she wanted to ride. The woman I took to be her mother finally coaxed her on.
During the ride, the girl moaned, even as the woman laughed her head off. Moments later, as we disembarked, the girl beamed and announced proudly, "I did it!"
I laughed too, at the ride's abrupt twists and turns, and at a suspenseful interlude involving fireworks, and especially at the surprising moment when the ride took us hurtling backwards.
It's a fun ride. It's appropriate for little bitty kids, but I wouldn't call it tame. It's a real coaster.
"It's not terrifying, but it's exciting," Ralph Nielsen told me.
Senior art director with Herschend, Nielsen helped come up with the FireChaser Express theme, found artifacts that are on display at the ride, and worked with the engineers who built it.
"We wanted a ride that anyone could ride and enjoy," Nielsen said, noting that the coaster has no loops. "People need to be the right size for you to do loops and inversions."
FireChaser Express was built by Gerstlauer Amusement Rides, the German company that also built the park's Mystery Mine roller coaster. "They're very good at coming up with solutions to problems," Nielsen said.
The ride's theme is volunteer firefighting. "Firefighting is really important to kids," Nielsen said, referring to the coaster's young riders. "They're the first heroes kids think of."
There is a story, though you might not grasp all the elements during your ride. "You go into the woods to do an inspection, and while you're in the woods, you find a place owned by a guy who sells gasoline," Nielsen said. The guy has decided to expand his business by also selling fireworks, Nielsen noted. Coaster mayhem ensues.
The storytelling elements aren't confined to the ride itself. Sound effects and music develop the fire theme in the waiting area, where the decor includes fire hoses signed by firefighters based in various parts of Tennessee. The ride hosts a firemen's memorial, and there is firefighting gear from local fire departments on display.
Storytelling is essential to every aspect of the Dollywood experience, Nielsen said, because of the park's emphasis on shows and entertainment. "We have to really focus on stories," he said. "If rides aren't entertaining as well as thrilling, we're not going to get a good response."
Nielsen knows the business of theme park storytelling. His decades-long career includes work at various Disney parks, including Florida's Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Animal Kingdom, as well as the Disney facilities in France and Japan.
He has worked on iconic Disney attractions like the Haunted Mansion, the Jungle Cruise and (a favorite of mine), the late, lamented ride based on "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," the Kirk Douglas film. "I was always fascinated with that movie," Nielsen said.
Nielsen is a production designer. "You have your concept designers, who write on napkins," he said. "I work with those guys."
He began his career working on movies. "Because of my film background, story is important to me," he said. "Even if it's a simple ride, it has to have a story."
FireChaser Express was not designed to appeal especially to hardcore roller coaster fans. Still, Nielsen said, "I think even hardcore people have enjoyed it."
"It doesn't have that extreme thrill factor that a lot of people look for, but that's exactly what Dollywood wanted," noted Shawn Clisso, a recent West Virginia college graduate who is a theme park enthusiast and a Dollywood fan. Clisso answered questions via email.
Dollywood planners "wanted something fun but not extreme, so everyone could enjoy the ride, and in those terms, it's a good family coaster," Clisso reported. "I've been on numerous rides designated as a family coaster, and FireChaser Express does a great job of delivering a ride that is fun, comfortable and interesting."
Clisso praised the detailed theming of FireChaser Express, and declared it a good fit for the park. "For a long time, Dollywood has focused on coasters that deliver high thrills, so they really lacked that moderately thrilling ride that appeals to the whole family," Clisso observed.
FireChaser Express closes that gap, Clisso noted. "I can definitely tell by the length of the lines and by the expressions on the faces of the people getting off the ride, especially the children, that it's a huge success for the park."
After a ride like FireChaser Express opens, Nielsen likes to listen to patrons as they leave the attraction.
"I'll ask people how the ride was, and people will always tell me what they liked and what they didn't like," he said. "As a designer, I want to know what didn't work."
Nielsen enjoys his life in theme parks. "It keeps you thinking like a kid," he said. "You need to keep your kid-ness your whole life. It makes your life better."


text:
PEB Steel builds shipyard for Aker Yards
PEB Steel, a European manufacturer of steel for pre-engineered buildings, has signed a deal with one of the world's largest shipbuilders Aker Yards Group in Norway to design, fabricate and erect a shipyard in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
The US$1.8 million project, scheduled for completion by the end of September, is 1ocated in Dong Xuyen Industrial Park. It includes a 30meter-high ship building fabrication facility and a mega 120-tonne overhead crane, and is designed to meet the latest US codes and Aker Yards' required specifications.
This is the highest building that PEB Steel has made this year, after the 22-metre-high Song Than bonded warehouse and a 28-metre office building in Bangladesh.
In January, Aker Yards announced a plan to build the first shipyard in Vietnam in line with its strategic position in the fast growing Asian market for offshore vessels. The shipyard, a 70:30 joint venture between Aker Yards and Singapore's Amanda Group, will have annual output of three to four ships, with the first vessel to be launched in 2009.
Aker Yards plans to invest US$16 million in the project, which is expected to help strengthen its ability to serve international customers in the region.
Category: Business


text:
Unlocking the Key to Deep Sleep
By Sarah Fenske
Making the Ferguson Commission Matter
By Danny Wicentowski
My Fake Boyfriend Became a Real-Life Crush
By Lindsay Toler
Rep. Jeffrey Pogue Bill Would Ban Unisex Bathrooms
By Danny Wicentowski
Darren Wilson Gives Speech to Nonprofit
By Danny Wicentowski
Angel Stewart and Other Victims of Violence Ask for Mercy
By Jessica Lussenhop
Obama Praises St. Louis' LaunchCode
By Lindsay Toler
By Lindsay Toler
To the contrary, Devlin was a fixture behind the counter at the Imo's pizzeria on South Kirkwood Road, chatting up regulars while he took their orders. Be it sports, religion, politics or current events, Devlin seemed like he could talk about anything and, according to those who knew him, he often did.
"He was very articulate when it came to news. There wasn't a subject he wouldn't chime in on. He was very intelligent," says Mike Prosperi, the Imo's owner who employed Devlin for roughly 25 years right up until his arrest on kidnapping charges on Friday, January 12. "I was just talking to a regular [customer], and he says, 'You know, last week we were talking something about religion.'"
Devlin, who worked as the shop's day manager and also worked nights answering phones at Bopp Chapel, was known to personally carry out orders to waiting customers. He'd shake customers' hands and crack jokes. Although he smoked menthol cigarettes and didn't play sports, he'd occasionally tell co-workers that he'd spent his day off painting rooms at his mother's house, or that he'd gone out Rollerblading.
"He was the same throughout his whole life. He was always kind of a heavier, dorky-type guy. He was never one of the 'cool kids,' and he took a good amount of abuse just because of his physical proportions, but he'd hang out. He just kind of lived his life," says Thom Williams, who grew up across the street from Devlin and worked with him at Imo's during the 1980s and '90s. "He played video games, he was an avid card player we'd play poker at his house all the time, but mainly it was employees from Imo's."
Then sometime in 2002, Devlin was diagnosed with Type II diabetes. That was when he quit smoking and gave up inline skating. He also became more withdrawn at work.
"He used to Rollerblade, but then he got diabetes and he couldn't afford another problem with his feet, so he stopped," says Prosperi, adding that Devlin had to have a toe amputated around the time of his diagnosis.
"He was a complete dick," says Dan Schwabe, who used hang out at the Imo's in middle school before getting a job at the pizzeria in 1995.
"All the other guys who worked there were cool with us except for Devo," says Schwabe, referring to Devlin by his nickname. "Me and a couple of my friends just steered clear of him."
Owner Prosperi says Devlin did not drink or take drugs. After the diabetes diagnosis, his only vice was Mountain Dew, which he drank in prodigious quantities.
"He drank Mountain Dew like it was water. He had the tap, so could take it straight from the [soda] fountain," says Prosperi, adding, "It's not like he was in a corner holed up or anything. He seemed normal, just like the rest of the guys."
So normal, in fact, that after thirteen-year-old William "Ben" Ownby disappeared near his family's home in Beaufort, co-workers joked behind the counter that the aging white Nissan pickup authorities were looking for fit the description of Devlin's own rusted-out jalopy.
"Oh yeah, people joked about it," recalls Prosperi, noting that Devlin had no criminal record. "But nobody really thought it was him. He never had any problems with anyone."
The joke didn't last long.
On Monday the day Ben Ownby was abducted after stepping off a school bus in rural Franklin County Prosperi sent Devlin home early after the pizzeria manager complained he felt ill.
"I could see that he was feeling sick. So I said, 'Mike, why don't you get everything set up, and as soon as the lunch rush is done go on home.' He left here about 12:50," Prosperi says.
Devlin missed work on Tuesday but arrived on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for his regular 10-a.m.-to-5-p.m. shift.
Prosperi says Devlin seemed normal after he returned from his sick days, taking his co-workers' ribbing with what appeared to be good cheer and bantering with regulars until Friday morning, when Devlin arrived at work complaining that two Kirkwood police officers had been snooping around his apartment building on South Holmes Avenue, just north of Interstate 44.
Meanwhile law enforcement officials were about to comb through Devlin's two-bedroom unit, where they would find not only Ben Ownby, but also fifteen-year-old Shawn Hornbeck, who'd been missing for more than four years: the "Missouri Miracle."
Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation took Devlin into custody after questioning him in the Imo's parking lot about Ben Ownby's disappearance.
Now accused of kidnapping both Shawn and Ben, it appears that Devlin who co-workers describe as "normal" and "nice" was in fact harboring a secret so sinister that its very improbability appears to have been its best defense against detection.
Sponsor Content


text: BOSTON -- If you're looking for a sugar-coated tale, Kevin Garnett is not the one to tell you that story. You want the truth? He'll give it you, and then some. That's why it should come as no surprise that as much as he loved playing with his teammates this past season, he understands changes have to be made if the C's are to rejoin the pack of elite NBA teams.


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Lovers of the oddities found at Pat's Corner, the kooky thrift store stacked floor to ceiling with random treasures, were hit recently by the news that the corner at 30th and Upas streets would be torn down to make room for a Jonathan Segal-designed apartment complex. Along with Pat's, the bulldozers will be taking the former Ice Gallery and the studio behind it belonging to artist Gerardo "Acamonchi" Yepiz.
"It has been a big hit and transition," says Yepiz, who co-curated shows at the Ice Gallery space with Perry Vasquez from 2002 to 2005. "It really made me question who I am and where I'm at in this point in my life. But it also made realize that there are a lot of resources and a lot of love."
As a goodbye to the space, Yepiz and artist Matthew Land have teamed up for No Hope for the Manicured, opening at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, at Voz Alta (1754 National Ave. in Barrio Logan). The exhibition, which exalts the virtues of DIY, punk and getting dirt under your fingernails, will feature collaborative and solo works, new and old, by Land and Yepiz, as well as Chiapas, Mexico-based artist Nacho Chincoya.
"A lot of art shows are centered on the artist and what they're bringing to the table. That can be kind of egotistical to view as somebody else," Land says. "To shed a bit of the ego, we wanted to bring more of the community into one art show in celebration of the past 11 years that Gerardo has been making art in the community. It's an Irish wake, so to speak, for the fall of the creative art space that's going down over at Upas and 30th."
Community is a major element in No Hope for the Manicured. Land is organizing a messengerbike race through the and Acamonchi neighborhood—it starts at 3:33 p.m. at 401 B St.—as well as live sets from musician friends The Lumps, Gloomsday and Batwings.
"To me it's not just about pretty pictures on the wall," Yepiz says. "It's about bringing people in, consolidating friendships and people's creativity. The love is for everyone."
Write to firstname.lastname@example.com. You can also bug her on Twitter.


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Widbrook Common
An attractive permanent pasture in two fields either side of the A4094 road; this is an ancient common originally gated but now fenced. It is very much in the flood plain of the River Thames and there are many pollarded willow trees here.
The area is grazed by cattle in the summer months. Widbrook is best accessed on foot as there is no adequate parking nearby.
Winter Hill
The name is believed to derive from its usage as winter pasture for livestock when more low lying areas became unusable. It rises from river level to a height of 280 feet and consists of a mixture of open grassland encompassed by blocks of scrub.
Today it is not managed by grazing but by the National Trust Ranger team. There is a large car park which affords panoramic views over the River Thames into Buckinghamshire. The car park also gives the best point of access to Cockmarsh to the east, and is also on the route of the national cycleway.
Pinkneys Green
Pinkneys Green as we know it today would have come about by the gradual clearance of Maidenhead Thicket. Although originally a gated common, it is now completely unfenced and allows the visitor the chance to roam over a very large area. There are now no livestock on the Common.
Although parts are mown for hay, the National Trust has kept other parts as wildflower meadows where cowslips, kidney vetch, birds foot trefoil and oxeye daisies may be seen in season.
The best car parking is to be found at Pinkneys Drive with a small additional area between the Rangers workshop and the cricket pitch. The Green in also crossed by a national cycleway
Brick and Tile Works
The kilns of the Maidenhead Brick and Tile company were still in use until the middle of the 20th century and the extraction of clay from the adjacent pits would, at one time, brought in a useful income for the Commons. After closure the pits that were not already part of the Commons came into the ownership of the National Trust.
The pits to the east of Winter Hill road contain a rich wildlife habitat and the pathways that have been laid out are suitable for wheelchair users via a radar entrance. There is limited car parking adjacent in Malders Lane.
Maidenhead Thicket
The Thicket is perhaps the best known of the Commons and was at one time notorious as the haunt of Highwaymen. It is a good example of what would happen if the more open commons were allowed to revert back to nature. Today the Thicket contains a wide variety of trees and shrubs all at different stages of development. There is a great range of trees at all different stages of age, height and thickness which allows a variety of birds and wildlife to become resident.
The National Trust has cleared a series of rides through the area and there are numerous footpaths. Hidden in the Thicket is Robins Hoods Arbour, an old ditched enclosure.
North Town Moor
This small remnant of the Maidenhead and Cookham Commons reminds us that before the Victorian development of Maidenhead, common land existed on the very borders of the community. Regulations existed to prevent pigs wandering the streets of the town.
North Town Moor is managed by the National Trust with support from the council and Make Space for Life, a volunteer group of local people who meet once a month to carry out conservation work. New plans for the site include the planting of a community orchard thanks to funding from Copella.
Cookham Dean Common
Cookham Dean Common, the Cricket Common, Bigfrith, Hardings Green and Tugwood Common all go to make up the Commons of Cookham Dean. They are mostly small in size but collectively they do much to maintain the open aspect of the community.
All of these are maintained by the National Trust. Some are cut for hay while the rest are managed as wildflower meadows and cutting is left until late summer. This gives more provision for wildlife and as well as a splash of summer colour to the area.
Cockmarsh has a long history of human activity and contains tumuli from the Bronze Age period. It is a most attractive area with two distinct habitats which are rarely found so close together - flat marshy meadows and steep chalk slope. For this reason it has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The Common is gated and is grazed by cattle in the Summer.
Cookham Moor


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Kid Cudi (@KidCudi) – Confused
Kid Cudi has been quiet for some time now is back and delivers his latest single called 'Confused. Kid upcoming LP is expected to drop later this year.
Kendrick Lamar (@KendrickLamar) – For Free
Kendrick Lamar is back once again with the release of his latest visual for the interlude For Free. This track is featured on Kendrick latest latest album To Pimp A Butterfly, which is in stores now.
Good News! Joe Jackson Is Out Of Intensive Care!
Joe Jackson is out of the woods!
MI:5-Rogue Cut.
131 Minutes. Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris & Alec Baldwin. Director: Christopher McQuarrie.
53? 53?! When they did 'Interview With A Vampire' with the generational, millennial, Hollywood movie icon Tom Cruise they should have asked what this vampires secret is. Because this guy ain't 53? A middle-aged man doesn't do this kind of stuff. Normally reaching for the morning paper and slippers would require most this age the use of a stunt double…but not this man. Here's a guy that became a legend in the 80′s with big pictures like 'Top Gun' and 'The Color Of Money'. Only to accompany these classics with some of his bravest and boldest best like the back then oft-ignored troubled subject matter of a Vietnam vet in 'Born On The Fourth Of July' to go with the autism awareness of 'Rain Man'. This guy can really act and it was this 'Cocktail' that gave him his 'Days Of Thunder' that made him a 90′s megastar, 'Maguire' movie machine like his first namesake Hanks. Between 'Samurai's' and 'Vanilla Skies' this guy hasn't stopped or slumped either for three straight decades for quite the thirty plus year reign as the star of Hollywood. He's even recently gone from being a fall favourite to a Summer blockbuster sure-thing circuit, even recently going out of this big budget world to the land of Sci-Fi with 'Oblivion' and one of last years best, albeit most underrated blockbusters in 'Edge Of Tomorrow'. It really does seem like 'Groundhog Day' for the 'Live. Die. Repeat' star as the franchise guy returns to his franchise of franchises for the fifth 'Mission Impossible' installment, going all 'Rogue Nation' and reuniting with director Christopher McQuarrie just when they changed lanes with their new 'Jack Reacher' star vehicle. Forget throwing the book, the fuse keeps going on this old tube CBS show reboot that has been kept alight for almost as long as Cruise's cinematic career has. After the first straight-forward spy smash, came the flash of a sequel and then a terrific turn of both to complete the trilogy. Then out of nowhere the spirited 'Ghost Protocol' went forth with a fun force as the biggest and best in the franchise. Now with another accepted mission the guy that has sky dived into vaults, jumped out of some of the worlds tallest buildings, climbed up the others (not to mention ran back down them) and ran and ran some more is still around and doing all his own stunts without even needing CGI for his forever young face. Here this guy even goes land rogue underwater, holding his breath while we don't have to as he's even riding around on those motorbikes again (but thankfully without the matching leather) for a film that classically combines elements from its previous four epics. In control Cruise even grips on to the side of a huge plane with just his wits and his fingertips. No wonder this 'Top Gun' will only do a sequel if they do it for real in this digital age. With this guy, there is no danger zone!
Explosive when others this age are implosive, Cruise is making more of these franchise emissions possible due to all his hard work. He may just be Hollywood's greatest and most underrated stunt men, as well as actor with all due respect to the unsung heroes. All the Joe's that really suit up for your favourite superheroes as soon as their regular secret identities wear a mask. This amazing, all-action hero will still be dancing at 60 like Ali. More than just floating like a butterfly, gripping on to the sides of heavy duty aircraft, with his eye on the sparrow, or even the smallest piece of granite that could rip him to shreds (or almost break a rib) in less time than it takes to take a funny G-Force selfie face, hash-tag 'sideoftheplaneagainlol'. Even no longer a young gun, this Top Cruise is still soaring, grounding his peers. And when he's not doing that he's diving underwater and holding his breath until his cheeks are almost blown apart in a different sort of way. Cruise is straight crazy! Don't even ask him for a lift home either. Just check out how he leaves a BMW or the colour of his co-star Simon Pegg's face riding shotgun. This is vehicular manslaughter on an epic scale that the 'Fast and Furious' or the 'Fury Road' of 'Mad Max' can't match. And after all the vehicles and henchmen are totaled, Cruise still flows with the hand-to-gun combat action that made him such a thriller in the Michael Mann cab classic 'Collateral' (one if his best). No wonder this is one of the best blockbusters of another hot Summer in Marvel's Avengers' 'Age Of Ultron' and 'Ant-Man' and the robot resurrection of 'Terminator-Genisys' and the monsters of 'Jurassic World'. Cruise is no dinosaur, he's a machine showing that the Summer season doesn't end with the 'Fantastic Four' reboot or Guy Ritchie's spy's from 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' who will really have to pull something from the undercover to beat this one. Just like the 'Spectre' of the legendary Bond with the IMF's fun alternative to 007 who over almost 20 years has never changed its lead actor. Next to this even the quick fire and hand action of Bourne may need a rebirth.
Hawkeye knows this and Jeremy Renner assembles with the right team after his 'Ghost' surprise debut that looked like he could one day receive the acceptances for the lead for future films if he so chose to. Still like 'Jerry Maguire' this is still Tom's mission statement and the disarming Renner from the last movie is more 'Protocol' here. But still even if his detail is more desk duty, file this one under another dynamic performance for the range of the straight shooters bow. Cruise even recruits the original 'Jack Ryan'; Alec Baldwin who after his rocking comedy circuit is back on the hunt for Hunt like it was the 'Red October' and not the middle of Summer. With a clear and present danger in the form of Sean Harris of 'Prometheus' sinister villain, Cruise's legendary Ethan Hunt gets the old team back together. Like the all-action accompanying Q in the field of Simon Pegg and his hilarious comic-relief. Or the Felix like Ving Rhames who returns to fine form after his last film, last scene cameo put an end to his series hiatus as Ving brings back a guy that's been with Cruise from the start. Still there are some that are M.I.A. from 'MI:5′ that we hope make the MI:6. Namely the third and fourth films femme fatales of Maggie Q and Paula Patton who couldn't be part of this mission plan due to scheduling conflicts…I mean one of them is 'Nikita' so you can understand. Instead new British star Rebecca Ferguson (not to be confused with the singer) makes a dynamite debut. Matching Cruise punch for punch in the acting stakes and looking the part. Looking like she's been plucked from a Connery era Bond movie with her classic screen starlet looks and compelling confidence that make her look like she's been making these type of movies for years and not someone who at only 31 has barely dipped her toe in the pools of movie glamorous locations with just a handful of flicks to her name…currently. She and he make this movie work wonders, continuing the fun trend of the last film that showed neither franchise or franchise face are ready to self destruct in five seconds. Between inventive techniques that relate to the origins of these missions and hallmark homages to this series in directional tone and testimony this is the perfect mix for another round of the Cruise cocktail. There's gorgeous gadgets that picks the locks and turns playbills into laptops and glass into dust that are so good they could even make Batman jealous, let alone leave Bond's Q looking for a new job. Still it's the amazing action from this franchise that treats planes, trains and automobiles like cinematic Candy. Matter of fact, this one film may have more stunning set-pieces than the whole franchise combined. Disavow everything else. It would take a nation of millions the hold this mission back. This year it's time to go 'Rogue'. TIM DAVID HARVEY.


text:
Ala Moana by Luxury Suites International - Oahu Island
- Free WiFi
Main amenities
- 2 restaurants
- Outdoor pool
- Fitness center
- Valet parking
- 24-hour front desk
- Air conditioning
- Daily housekeeping
- Tour/ticket assistance
What's around
- In Waikiki
- Ala Moana Center (0.3 mi / 0.5 km)
- University of Hawaii at Manoa (2 mi / 3.2 km)
- Aloha Tower (2.3 mi / 3.7 km)
It was so wonderful and relaxing. Just enjoyed the room and watched alot of tv and down…
Great stay, the staff was great and the room was clean. Close to the Mall so I could get…
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Hotel Info:
- Standard Room, 1 Queen Bed (Kona Tower Run of House)
- Superior Room (Waikiki Tower Run of House)
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Key facts
- 24-hour check-in
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- Smoke-free property
Nearby Three Star Oahu Island hotels
In the hotel
- 2 restaurants
- Bar/lounge
- Coffee shop/café
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- Conference space size (feet) - 14000
- Conference space size (meters) - 1260
- 24-hour front desk
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In the room
- Air conditioning
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DiningRoyal Garden - This restaurant specializes in Asian cuisine and serves lunch and dinner.
Yuzu - This restaurant specializes in Japanese cuisine and serves lunch and dinner.
Plantation Cafe - This café serves breakfast only.
Ala Moana by Luxury Suites International - Oahu Island's small print
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Deposit: USD 100.00 per night
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Early check-in can be arranged for an extra charge of USD 20
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Self parking costs USD 20.00 per day
Valet parking costs USD 25.00 per day
We have included all charges provided to us by this hotel. However, charges can vary, for example, based on length of stay or the room you book.


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Keith Sterling Nord
Position: DB
Height: 6-0 Weight: 197 lbs.
Born: March 13, 1957 in Minneapolis, MN
High School: Minnetonka
College: St. Cloud St.
Weighted Career AV (100-95-...): 14 (5930th overall since 1950)
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Own a School of Rock Franchise!
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text:
Pronunciation: /hərʌspɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/
Definition of haruspication in English:
noun[mass noun]
(In ancient Rome) the interpretation of omens by inspecting the entrails of sacrificial animals.
Example sentences
- Haruspication was at first adopted by the Romans but later fell into disrepute.
- Augustine was preaching on the duty his congregation had to conform with God's word: they must abstain from detestable pagan practices, divination, astrology, haruspication, and the like.
- The examination of the liver of a sacrificed sheep, haruspication, was learnt from the Mesopotamians.
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text:
Rick Bass once wrote: "There's an enormous difference between being a story writer and being a regular person. As a person, it's your duty to stay on a straight and even keel, not to break down blubbering in the streets, not to pull rude drivers from their cars, not to swing from the branches of trees. But as a writer it's your duty....to view everything in life, however outrageous, as an interesting possibility."
I quote this now in the hopes of the slightest redemption for my behavior that perhaps doesn't always fall as neatly under the column of "regular person behavior." But, I also quote it to say this: "viewing everything in life, however outrageous, as an interesting possibility" is amazing. It's makes life infinitely more entertaining. I highly recommend it for people of all sorts--not just the writing sort.
How is this accomplished? Any number of ways. An example: recently I was texting a friend when,
as usual, my phone autocorrected with something ridiculous. As I began
to replace the autocorrected word with the word I had actually been
trying to type, I paused. And, in an instant, interesting possibility met with my love of word games and nearly clapping my hands in giddy
delight, I thought:
New Game!!
rules: Type out whatever text you're attempting to send. When reviewing
said text if any words are incorrect, you may replace them with the
correct word, but must also use the incorrect word at some point in the text.
Sometimes, it's not such a big deal:
A text to Chris that should have read: Well, since it's just you and I--I thought we could dine first and then hike?
But, my stupid phone made "you" into "toy". So, now I have to use the word, "toy." The resulting text is:
Well, since it's just you and I--I thought we could dine first and then hike? Don't toy with me white boy!
He, I'm sure, thinks I've lost my mind--but, frankly, he's accustomed to it--so, not such a biggie.
Or, I attempt to text a friend about an incident she bore witness to:
Well, that was not terribly professional on her part.
Professional, became "prosaic".
she received: Well, that was not terribly professional on her part.
In other news, buckle up boys and girls, this lady is feeling prosaic!
To which, she replied: Like you wanna write something? Aren't you always? You know, prosaic?
She had a point.
Then, another friend texts me about needing work-out inspiration and I try to say:
You could do my 90 day hiking challenge if there's a good trail nearby?
But, my phone made "hiking" into "hooking." So, I say:
You could do my 90 day hiking challenge if there's a good trail nearby? Or...there's always hooking!
The pregnant pause after my text leads me to believe she was stunned into immobility.
I could (and perhaps even should) have chosen a sentence like: "Or, how about hooking things up
with a local gym...getting a personal trainer?"
But, where's the sport in
This new game has led to all sorts of interesting conversations. And, yes, were you to try this, someone, at some point WILL respond: Wtf are you talking about?!?!
To which, I generally reply: Wtf are YOU talking about?!?!
As for the rest of Rick's quote..well...unfortunately, I can relate to that as well.
My people, I have blubbered in streets.
I once blubbered on a street IN Disneyland (aka happiest place on earth).
And, I've pulled rude drivers from their cars...
Well...ok...not EXACTLY. I didn't pull him. But, once, when I was living in California and another driver was driving dangerously erratically, I confronted the driver at a gas station. I was standing on a curb and he was at street level and still, he towered over me (and I'm 5'8"--so this guy was ginormous) and so I had to keep jumping to try to speak face to face:
Me: *jumps* What on earth ..*jumps*...is the matter..*jumps*...with you?!
Ginormo: Lady...go get in your car before...
Me: *jumps* Before what? *jumps* Huh? *jumps and looks sternly into his face and points a disapproving finger at him*
Ginormo: Lady...
Me: *jumps* What if...*jumps* my baby...*jumps* had been in the car?!?!
Ginormo: Oh my God...Lady! Seriously!
*crowd begins to gather*
I should maybe mention at this point that, as I jumped and had been looking directly into his face, I had noticed that he had a teardrop tattoo under his eye that I didn't take as a positive sign for my safety. Plus, as I took in his attire, I realized that his wife-beater and torn jeans didn't exactly bode well either. And, then, when HE noticed the gathering crowd and began to feel, perhaps, emasculated and proceeded to take OFF the wife beater, I began to think maybe this entire scene was ill advised.
My voice took on a shrill quality that I had never heard in it before, and haven't heard in it since as I shouted the only thing I could think:
Me: *jumps* You should think...*jumps*...about your MOTHER!
Ginormo: *throws shirt on ground* Look, bitch...*looks confused*...wait...my mother?!?
Me: *places one hand on a hip and points with the other* Yes, your mother! How would she feel about you driving like an idiot and practically KILLING a baby!
Ginormo: *looks around nervously at the crowd* *whispers* Shhh...c'mon...lady. *more loudly* Your baby wasn't even in the car!
Me: So, your mother would feel better that it was just the mother of an infant that you killed...I see...
Ginormo: *looks around nervously again* No...look, lady...I'm sorry, ok? I'm sorry.
Me: Good. Stop driving like an ass. *storms off*
(o maybe more like *runs off* or even *runs away* or even more precisely *runs away, gets in car, locks car, and sincerely tries not to pee pants*)
And, I've certainly swung from trees (who hasn't?).
So, perhaps, the rude driver confrontation was a bit sketchy (please don't ever try such a thing--you'll be killed--I was lucky I wasn't killed--it was a very bad idea, indeed). However, I'm here to say that looking at everything in life as an interesting possibility can be quite rewarding. It can even lead to...adventures (one of the finest words in the English language). Of course, sometimes, though entertaining for you, it CAN make you look like a crazy person to others.
*shrugs* Do you care?
As Emily Dickinson so eloquently wrote,
"Dwell in possibility."
Dwell in it.
Ophelia, Submerged
Diary of a drowning woman. (it's not as dire as it sounds, I promise)
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Pie Tin Adventure
After writing my last couple of blogs, I began to contemplate all the trouble books have inspired in my life. I also began contemplating the last time I went into a state of intense introspection ("intense introspection" is WAY too generous a phrase--but for lack of a better one, it'll have to do). And, while contemplating both, I was reminded of an instance that was both inspired by reading as well as a woo-woo mood. And, since I have never blogged about this particular adventure here, I thought I'd share it now. A quick note: Chris is Jack and Jack is Chris (it's a nickname, people!).
May I introduce, my:
May I introduce, my:
Pie Tin Adventure
The Path to Enlightenment is for me…a drunken one…
Somewhere in my bookish travels, I read about a psychiatrist (I think it may have been Jung…but I can't remember for certain) who believed the most fertile time for the mind is the space of time slivered between sleep and wakefulness. He believed (and it's been a while since I read about it—years—so I'm paraphrasing and may be inadvertently adding my own notions to the mix) that if you could grasp, remember, and fully understand your thoughts during this small space of time—you would come as close to enlightenment as you could ever hope. He claimed that his most brilliant theories were developed during this elusive period.
In my limited experience, I would agree and would even take it a step further as my own (overly precious, I'm sure) belief is that it is in this precise space of time and consciousness that one's soul and body meet. This has been my working, and until recently, untested theory, anyhow.
So, a couple of weeks ago, I had a marvelous evening (I've had marvelous evenings since then…but none so very enlightenment-centric). Jack and the boys turned in early and I was left blissfully alone and purposefully made no plans for the evening but that of beautiful solitude. I pulled out a book of poetry (Mary Oliver), turned on some jazz (Dizzy Gillespie), and mixed martinis (Belvedere). Yes. Plural. MartiniS. So, after drunkenly deciding that Oliver writes the most transcendent poetry in existence, that Dizzy Gillespie was a cool cat for rolling with his wonked out trumpet, and that Belvedere was my soul mate in liquid form—I decide the time has come to see what my mind might produce during it's "fertile" time.
So…in the spirit of whoever came up with the notion—I stumbled into the garage and found a couple of good sized fishing weights and made my way back to the kitchen for a couple of pie tins.
Yes. You read correctly. Fishing weights and pie tins.
So, the idea is (again as obtained from the super hootie whatsit of psychology, psychiatry, philosophy or just plain bizarre behavior), I was to recline, with my hands dangling at my sides, clutching the fishing weights with pie tins arranged so that were I to drop the fishing weight, it would land in the pie tin. The idea being that just as I were to drift off into sleep, I would drop the weights, which would clang on the pie tins, and wake me in the very instant that I was floating in that narrow space between slumber and wakefulness. And then…
You follow?
Ok…my first drunken problem being that I don't own a recliner (due to my long and loud contention that recliners are the very throne of Beelzebub). So, I decide that the dining room table would work just as nicely (I know). But, when I laid down on the dining table, my arms couldn't really dangle, but rather stuck out, making my body rather cross-like (I contemplated trying my hand at speaking in tongues at this point—but decided that experiment would keep for another time). So, my solution was to lay diagonally on the table, which allowed my arms to dangle and having rolled up a couple of place-mats and placed them under my head—it wasn't all that uncomfortable (I was Belvedere blasted, I could have slept on the floor of my garage with my head in the recycle bin and been comfortable, but I digress).
Great…bring on the enlightenment.
So, sure enough, I drift off and down drop the weights. Only, I don't know that I so much drifted as sort of passed the fuck out—because their dropping did not jolt me. It DID, however, wake up Jack. And, for whatever reason, the bang, crash, boom of the weights didn't jar me from sleep but Jack storming in the room shouting "what the hell?!?!?!?" did. It shocked me so much, if fact, that I sort of roll/fell off the table. And, since I had it in my head to remember what I was thinking upon awakening—I fell off the table while slurring "Salt peanuts," which was the only thing running through my fool head, and which I continued to say over and over as though it were vital to my very existence (Jazz wisdom, let's call it).
Jack took one look at me, the fishing weights, pie tins, and empty martini glasses and stormed out of the room muttering something that included the phrases "like being married to a drunk Lucille Ball," "God knows I try," and "Why? Why? WHY?"
Me? Since I found myself a bit dizzy at this point and was conveniently already on my hands and knees--I decided to just go ahead and crawl to bed.
So, perhaps your path to enlightenment looks a bit different than mine (I'm convinced there was enlightenment in there somewhere)…but let's not judge (give the weight/pie tin/drift off a whirl—who knows where it might take you).
And, remember:
"There are many paths to enlightenment" -Lao Tzu
"Do not think you will necessarily be aware of your own enlightenment" -Dogen
"If you ever reach total enlightenment while drinking beer, I bet it makes beer shoot out your nose." –Jack Handy
P.S. 7 days of 90 day Table Rock challenge done!!! 7!!
Posted by Ophelia at 10:16 AM No comments: Links to this post
Sunday, July 6, 2014
I've been feeling what my meditation instructor describes as, 'a little woo-woo', lately. And, by woo-woo, he (and I) mean: out-there, unconventional, fringe-oriented, hippie-dippy, overly philosophically existential, & etc.
Basically, I feel like I'm on some sort of journey of self-discovery.
(Sweet holy mother of patchouli--did I really just write the words: "journey of self-discovery"? Feel free to groan and roll your eyes. Gag, even. I totally deserve it).
I've been taking meditation classes (hence the meditation instructor). I've read a bunch of Dorothy Parker poetry. Ok, so Dorothy Parker isn't terribly woo-woo. But she does deal with existence. I mean, she DID write:
Razors pain you;
rivers are damp;
acids stain you;
and drugs cause cramp.
Guns aren't lawful;
nooses give;
gas smells awful.
You might as well live.
A little dark, but an argument in favor of existence, if only for comfort and convenience sake. And, I'm also reading Sue Monk Kidd's The Dance of the Dissident Daughter--A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine, which, while not entirely awe inspiring (for me), definitely has inspired some deep thinking about my womanhood (you know...in a abstract kind of way. Not in a--let's all stand on mirrors and examine our vaginas--kind of way).
So, in my current state of total woo-woo immersion, when my massage therapist called and asked if she could practice Reiki (ancient Japanese practice of energy healing) on me (she's just learning), it seemed right up my current--fringy-hippie-dippy alley.
Reiki is a practice by which the practitioner acts as a conduit of healing energy from the divine. So, they ascertain by manipulation and testing of your body, where you have blocked energy and then attempt to release the blockage and allow energy to flow freely throughout your body.
So, yeah, totally woo-woo.
But, it was a surprisingly intense, yet relaxing and stress relieving experience. Plus, there are times when the practitioner is given (divinely) a word for the subject to contemplate.
My people! I do so love words. Pair words with my latest inner-peace-quest?
This was sure to get my attention. And, my word of contemplation?
A wonderful word! It's like a linguistic ginn fizz!
So, there I was. Having just had my energies unblocked, feeling really quite relaxed, and turning over in my head this word: Happiness. I begin to think what this word means to me. I think of what my own personal definition of happiness might be. I muse that it would probably be: The feeling of certainty one has when one is following one's path.
Which, I realize isn't terribly articulate. But, it's just basically the feeling that you are doing what you are meant to do. You are where you are meant to be. And, it was at this point in my contemplations that I had a moment of pause. Why? Because I never feel quite utterly and completely at home here in Boise. I don't have any idea why that would be. I have friends. I have a full, lovely existence here. And, yet...
And, yet.
So, I then begin to think: If not here, then where? Back in California? No. That doesn't feel right either. Then where? As I was thinking this, I was sitting at a stoplight and my eyes suddenly focused on the license plate in front of me, which read:
Now, if you know me even a little bit, you may be thinking: Oh sweet mother of mercy...this is the precise moment when O goes right off the rails and crashes her woo-woo train right into the center of crazy town.
And, you'd be right.
My people...it might as well have been James Earl Jones enthusing, "If you build it, people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come."
Only his voice is booming: "Explore...Minnesota, Ophelia. For reasons you can't even fathom, you must: Explore...Minnesota."
I came home and immediately researched every aspect of Minnesota I could get my hot little keyboard blazing hands on.
Let it never be said that Ophelia Michaels Oliveira ever ignored the universe (or James Earl Jones) when it (he) came a-calling.
Chris walked in the room and I said:
Let's move to Minnesota!
Minnesota! Let's move there.
I, of course, at this point tell him about my recent experience (which, let's face it comes down to: I saw a license plate while at a stoplight).
Chris shrugs, says something about my being crazy and then says, "Ok. I mean, why the hell not? What the hell. Let's do it."
We decide to take a hike up Tablerock to contemplate and discuss (plus attempt to burn off the two cocktails I'd consumed post Reiki--it was hot--a margarita felt in order...well, TWO margaritas felt in order). The climb was not going well at all. It's 100 degrees out, I've dressed inappropriately (ie: I'm wearing all black--and not even black shorts--thick black yoga PANTS), and am forced to stop several times as I'm completely overheated and dehydrated (I should probably mention climbing Tablerock in inappropriate attire after consuming two cocktails and very little food that could be considered 'nutritious' does not work out terribly well--not that YOU'D consider something so completely idiotic--but a warning none-the-less). So, I'm standing with my hands on my knees trying to catch my breath and cool down when I say (well, gasp, really):
Me: Hey, babe...let's do this once a day for 90 days.
Chris: What?
Me: Climb Tablerock!
Chris: Hon, I don't know that you're going to even make it this one day.
Me: Oh, I'll make it.
Chris: Well, it doesn't look fun. You really want to do this 90 times over the next few months? Seriously?
Me: Sure. I mean, it can't get much worse than this one, right? It'll seem easy after this.
Chris: You're nuts.
Me: Does that mean you're with me?
Chris: Babe...
Me: C'mon!
Chris: 90 days? NINETY?
Me: Yeah...I feel like 90 is the right number.
Chris: *shrugs* Ok. What the hell.
My people! This man, right?!?!
This, my friends, is what makes Chris the most perfect man in the whole wide world for me. His ceaseless ability to be game for whatever crazy shit I fling at him. No...not just game for it--enthusiastic. He has since purchased me all manners of "Tablerock hiking attire". I'm told a headlamp, camels back, and walking stick are in the works. He now knows more about Minnesota than likely anyone west of the Rockies (except maybe, my dear Samantha) and has taken to giving me fun Minnesota facts on our hikes.
Will we move? Ahh...really...who knows? I do LOVE it here in Boise. Perhaps, I merely need a new Boise-centric experience? Will I climb Tablerock once a day for 90 days? Maybe? I'm five days in. So far, so good (I've beat my first climb time by 16 minutes already--it's amazing what appropriate clothing and proper food and hydration can do).
Will I make it 90?
I wouldn't count me out.
What I do know for sure, what my husband has taught me time and again for 21 years now and Miss Monroe sums up quite well:
"Ever notice how 'what the hell' is always the right answer?"
It is, people. 'What the hell' is ALWAYS the right answer.
And, now...I leave with with this little gem from Sue Monk Kidd:
"The True Self is not our creation, but God's. It is the self we are in our depths. It is our capacity for divinity and transcendence."
To our capacity for divinity! To transcendence! To all things woo-woo!
Posted by Ophelia at 11:07 AM No comments: Links to this post
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Book Adventures: Book Banning, The Velveteen Rabbit, and That Time Mary Poppins Almost Killed My A**
My book club is currently reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Why? It's been banned in one of our local school districts. Because, my people, there is nothing that makes a book more attractive than its status as a banned book. Ban a book, and I immediately want…
It's kind of like saying to me, "Ophelia, darling? I have placed this box of chocolates on your counter. It's really a rather offensive box of chocolates with all its awful sugar and numerous calories. You may eat any single thing in your entire house. Except…for these chocolates."
My people? I'm eating the damn chocolates.
Not only will I eat them, I will RELISH them. I won't even feel guilty. I will literally laugh at your attempt to keep me from eating the chocolates….while I eat them. I will call my friends to tell them of the wonderful chocolates you tried to keep me from. They'll laugh. Then they'll go buy the same box.
But, hey…that's me. I'm sure high school students will be much more respectful of your well meaning attempt to keep them from…wait, what was one of the reasons cited for the ban?
Ahh…yes…references to masturbation.
You're quite right, of course, ladies and gents. If my experience having been raised with two brothers and then further raising two sons of my own has taught me one thing, it is that teenage boys don't know a single thing about masturbation. No, they do not. Those 35 minute showers they take? Simply a desire to practice those good hygiene habits you've instilled. Because, if that odor wafting from their gym bag says anything, it says: I enjoy being impeccably clean.
Books are dangerous.
I mean, read the wrong book and who knows WHAT your child may do. My own mother was very liberal in her allowance of reading material when I was growing up and I can honestly say, that books got me in a little bit of trouble now and again.
For example, after reading The Velveteen Rabbit, I became obsessed with never (ever, EVER) throwing any of my playthings away. Because, I loved them all so well, and so truly and purely, that I KNEW they would all become real one day and I wanted to be there when my sweet, Tenderheart Carebear began pawing about. Now, one would think, that this was a situation that resolved itself once I hit my teen years. But, alas, no. My parent's attic was littered with the remnants of my girlhood. The day my father was able to bring the truckload of Cabbage Patch Dolls, My Little Ponies, and all manners of stuffed animals and hand them off to my unsuspecting husband (I wasn't home at the time) was a gleeful day for my parents. For my husband? Not so much.
"Why on EARTH did you save all of this?" he'd exclaimed.
"The Velveteen Rabbit?"
"Oh. Ok…We can get rid of it now, though, right?"
And, then there was the little (teeny, really) "umbrella incident of 1984" (I was 9). It was really over dramatized, if you ask me. The thing was--I had just read several of the Mary Poppins books. And, then, (of course) watched Mary Poppins (read, then watch, people…read, THEN, watch). Annnnd, I had the idea that, perhaps, like Mary Poppins, I could fly (float, really) with the help of an umbrella. So, waiting for just the right wind coming from the east on what seemed like precisely the right sort of day, I grabbed my lavender umbrella, put the plans I painstakingly detailed in my back pocket along with a pencil (in case last minute revisions were needed), and told my mom I was heading "out back."
"It's not raining," she'd said.
"Oh, I know. But, just in case," I said quickly and ran for the door.
"Ok…well, I'm going to go have a cup of coffee in peace and quiet while the kids nap. You behave yourself out there." (My Mom ran a daycare center out of our home and was nearly always on a quest for peace and quiet, which she said so often, that for years I thought it was one word, "peasanquiet!")
"Ok!" I loudly whispered as I shut the door.
Once outside, I immediately went to work. I had formulated a plan for getting up on the roof (yes…the roof of the house). I consulted my map (completely unnecessary but made it all feel so much more Treasure Island-ish), and then shoved it back in my pocket, and with my umbrella dangling from my wrist, I immediately set to climbing our apricot tree. From there, it was just a small hop onto our six foot back yard fence, which had a two-by-four at the top that I could easily balance and walk along (I fancied myself the next Mary Lou Retton). I had to navigate the fence for about 10 feet (15, tops) when I would come to the point where I was parallel with our chimney. The chimney and fence were separated by a narrow sidewalk. So, I had to stand on the fence, facing the chimney and lean/fall forward until my hands slapped brick. So, at this point, my feet were on the fence, my hands were on the chimney, and my body was stretched over the sidewalk.
I immediately gasped. In my planning, I'd forgotten to write down what I now viewed as the most important rule of adventuring: Never look down. For a moment, I just hovered, not breathing, suspended in time—staring at the distant sidewalk below.
"Supercallifragilisticexpialidocious…" I breathed.
And then, louder, "Supercallifragilisticexpialidocious!"
Feeling better, I shook off the panic. I had a plan. There would be no problem if I just stuck to the plan. On the side of the chimney there was a small square landing. All, I had to do was scoot my hands across the brick and my feet along the fence until I was at the corner of the chimney. And, then, holding the corner, leap my feet from the fence to the two foot square landing.
From there, it was just a matter of grabbing the lower eave of the house with one hand and the corner of the chimney with the other and slowly walk my feet up the corner where the chimney met the side of the house. Then, placing my forearm on the roof, I pulled the rest of my body up and onto the roof. I lay panting. I had scratched my arm on the rough shingles, and barked my shin on the bricks, but I'd made it. I rolled to my stomach, pulled out my pencil and map and drew and asterisk, beside which I wrote:
I exhaled, sat up, and taking in the view, I gasped. It was magical! The roof lines and treetops were a site to behold. I was seeing my neighborhood from an entirely new perspective. Looking more to my immediate surroundings, I immediately mentally noted the spot where the chimney met the roof as a new reading spot. I stood, shook off, and slowly made my way to the front of the house, where I had planned to put my Mary Poppins moment into action. I chose the front yard due to there being more space for me to float down the street. If I did it over the back yard, I would merely float over the many back yards in the neighborhood. I much preferred the idea of floating down the street. It was more public and therefore more magnificient. I unsnapped and opened my umbrella. I made my way to the edge of the roof, where I stood with my tips of my toes off the edge, hovering over the leafy gutter. I held the umbrella above my head, closed my eyes, and began to chant:
"If I believe--I can fly. If I believe--I can fly," over and over.
I was completely focused and I really ALMOST believed. But, the fact that my umbrella was lavender with a plain cylindrical handle bothered me a bit. I felt that, perhaps, part of the magic of Mary Poppins' umbrella was in having a black one with a curved cane handle. I pushed the thought from my head and began chanting louder and more fervently, squeezing my eyes shut tighter, teetering a bit on the edge. The moment my mind made the transition from hope to belief, I would extend my arm high above my head (with the dignified grace of Miss Poppins), tip forward and fly to destinations unknown. I was feeling belief begin to well within me when suddenly my chanting was interrupted by a high pitched, alarmed sort of screaming,
"Oh my God! Oh my good, gracious GOD! Peggy!"
I peeked one eye open.
One of the daycare mother's had come to collect her child and was on the sidewalk that led to our front door and which was directly below my feet. My fervent chanting had clearly brought attention to myself. My mother peeked out our front screen,
"What is it, Laura?"
"Your daughter!" She pointed a shaking finger up at me.
I calculated. It would take my mother a few minutes to figure a way up to me. If I could just focus! I continued to chant again.
"Ophelia! Ophelia, so help me…you listen to me, right now, young lady! Get DOWN from there!"
"I'm about to! Just give me a few seconds!" I shrieked.
I chanted with renewed zeal.
"No! NOOOOO! Do you hear me? You will break both of your legs! Do you hear me, young lady?!"
I continued to chant when she did two things: she shouted all THREE of my names followed by a piercing, "If you do not get your fanny down from there this very minute, I…I…I simply don't know what I'll do! Do you hear me? DO YOU HEAR ME, Lady Ann?"
Adventure ruined. Why? Because:
1) It is impossible to focus when your mother uses your full name. There is something about using all three of your names that strikes a fear that will both chill you to the bone, and render your mind completely ineffective. Every kid knows that.2) She didn't make a specific threat. Had she said, "you'll be grounded from television for a month!" I
could have weighed it and decided if my current adventure was worth such a price (in this case: hell yes!).
But, when my mother had lost the ability to conjure up an immediate punishment? It was bad. It was
unimaginably horrible. It meant, she'd think on it. And, when she thought on a thing—the things that woman
could do…it was truly terrifying. For the love of Judy Blume, she could take away my books. Perhaps, for
the entire summer vacation, even! It was unthinkable.
3) She had called me, "Lady Ann." I hated when she called me Lady Ann. I simply couldn't think of anything worse than my mother calling me Lady Ann. I couldn't, to this day, articulate precisely why I abhorred this so entirely. It had something to do with the suggestion that I was a lady (something I desired quite ardently NEVER to be), coupled with that awful monosyllabic name, Ann. There was not a single name more boring to me than the name Ann (except, perhaps, Sue). Annie? Annie was ok. Anna was even better. But, Ann. Ugh. It simply didn't get more pedestrian than Ann (this abhorrence for the name, Anne, would be completely upended and totally reversed in the coming years when I would read The Diary of Anne Frank—but I hadn't done so as yet—and so continued my irrational hatred of the name). Lady Ann?!?! It made me want to scream.
I let out a sigh. My focus was totally ruined. I collapsed my umbrella and began backing up.
"Ok..ok…don't have a cow," I muttered under my breath.
"What was that?" she fairly shouted.
"Nothing! I'm going! I'm doing what you said!"
"I certainly hope you are doing so without any sass! Do you hear me? Do you understand the words I am saying to you?"
"Yes…I hear you, " I practically moaned.
"That girl," I heard her say to the mother, "I haven't any idea where she comes up with this stuff. She will be the death of me. That child will be my very death…mark my words…"
I rolled my eyes. Oh geez. For Heaven's sake. What an exaggeration. It wasn't THAT big of a deal. I began hiking up the roof-line toward the chimney when I spotted my older brother sitting on the steepled top of the roof, his hand over his mouth silently laughing.
"What were you doing?"
"Nothing! You mind your own bees wax!"
There was no way he would understand. The only thing HE ever read were "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. If you didn't like one ending, you could just read it again and choose another. How ridiculous. What if Old Yeller had been a "choose your own adventure"? Or The Yearling? It was a cop out. It was the tender heartbreak that so utterly fused one's heart to a character. It was that heartbreak that had me thinking with longing of Old Yeller with every passing yellow lab. Or, that would, more than a dozen years in the future, stop my breath and bring tears to my eyes as I watched a yearling fawn dance with wild abandon across a mountain meadow. Choose your own Adventure. Psh. Absurd.
"How did you even get up here?" I asked.
"The ladder. I put it up by the wood stack where Mom wouldn't see it."
I raised my nose in disdain.
The ladder?
Where was the poetry in that?
I headed to the chimney.
"What are you doing? Why don't you just take the ladder?"
"You wouldn't understand!" I shouted and stomped away in indignation.
So, you see?
My reading of Mary Poppins practically killed me
Heck, it practically killed my mother.
To date, I don't know of a single person who has masturbated to death.
So, the lesson seems clear:
We should ban Marry Poppins.
Seems ridiculous does it?
Fancy that.
Posted by Ophelia at 9:08 AM No comments: Links to this post
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Secondary menu
Quentin Tarantino played an Elvis impersonator on The Golden Girls.
I've watched the snow fall all day long. I'm content to stay inside and watch, but there are those who take full advantage of snow's slippery properties on sleds or skis.
Whether it's becoming Wonder Woman or, you know, Oprah, many beauty queens have parlayed their time on the pageant circuit into bigger things.
1. Oprah.
Winston Churchill had one of the most immediately recognizable faces of the 20th century, and you probably know all about his triumphs as a statesman and orator.
Mexico is home to some of the deepest, most complex cave systems in the world, but the Cenote Angelita is notable not only for its size but for its incredible underwater river systems.
Since yesterday was the day we celebrate her birthday (we don't really know for sure when it was and neither did Joan), our puppies would like to share a few facts with you about Joan of Bark.
Ready to feel really old? In this video, some French-Canadian kids are presented with technology from the 80's and 90's.
If you ever wondered what the coolest lake in the world is, wonder no more. It's called Lake Vostok, and it's in Antarctica.
Neo and Tuxedo are Boston terriers who've already become famous thanks to their skateboarding video and their shopping video.
There's no shortage of typography content on the web. And the internet is brewing over with everything Star Wars-related.
Twins Born in Different Years
Madisen Carin Lewis was born at 11:59 PM last Friday. Her twin brother, Aiden Everette Lewis was born a minute later by cesarean section in Rockford, Illinois.
Thanks for giving the Friday Free-For-All a shot. The mental_floss Brain Game will return on Monday.
A stay-at-home mom gives "a warning from the front lines." Making choices between kids, career, or both is harder than ever when your preference can backfire on you years later.
Doctor W
As we kick off 2011, it's common to look back at the highlights of the previous year; the highs and lows, the things that inspired and entertained us and how we lived for the past 365 days.
Every year, Lake Superior State University releases its banned words list based on overused words and phrases for the year.


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Note: the Buy a Wish functionality is currently in Beta, and features may change as it is finalized.
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Each week we recalculate the top 10 and will notify you via email if you have Wish Cash to spend on the new top 10. You can unsubscribe using the form below, or via a link at the bottom of the emails we send you. Annually when then a new Wish List vote begins, we will re-enable this option so that you will be notified at least one time to vote for the Wish List.
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Torontos Largest Singles New Year's Party
Arcadian CourtDecember 31st, 2010 8:00 pm - 1:30 am
Tickets: CAD$ 39.99 - CAD$ 55.99
Torontos Largest Singles New Year's 2011 Party
Friday, December 31, 2010
Join Meet Market Adventures and Over 1000 Single Party Goers as we bring in the New Year at one of Toronto's Hottest and Most Elegant venues, The Arcadian Court. Dramatic vaulted 48 foot ceilings tower over the marble floors, three massive skylights and four majestic crystal chandeliers provide a beautiful backdrop for this amazing night.
VIP Access Now Available (See Below)
But even better than this fantastic venue will be the people! We will have Over 1000 Single Professionals from all over Ontario looking to eat, drink, network, mingle and dance the night away!
You won't want to miss this fun interactive night that will be the talk of the town amongst Toronto Singles looking to usher in the New Year in style. There will be chances to win Free Adventures as well as Private Golf Lessons, Ski Packages and a Complete Home Theatre System. The evening will include a Buffet of Gourmet Hors d'oeuvres prepared by the executive Chefs at the Arcadian Court.
Your ticket price also includes Party Favours, Cash Bar, Creative and Interactive Activities, DJ & Dancing and Complementary Champagne at Midnight! There will also be great door prizes to be won. Don't miss your chance to attend the Largest Singles Party of the New Year! Book early to avoid disappointment and Dress To Impress!
* Mingling & Networking with over 1000 Singles
* Top DJ's spinning tunes all night long
* Gourmet Hors d'Oeuvres
* Complimentary Champagne at Midnight
* Party Favours
* Grand Prize Draw for an All Expense Paid Adventure Vacation
* Entertainment and Free MMA Adventure Giveaways
Door Prizes (Worth over $5,000)
Exclusive VIPs Enjoy:
* Private VIP Terrace Overlooking Party
* VIP Bar Service
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* Extra Champagne At Midnight
* Exclusive Prize Give Away
* VIP Concierge
Prices Are As Follows:
Early Bird Tickets $39.99 Until December 14th
* December 15th $59.99 Until December 26th
* After December 27th $79.99
* $100 At The Door (If Available)
VIP Access Prices Are As Follows:
* Early Bird Tickets $59.99 Until December 14th
* December 15th $79.99 Until December 26th
* After December 27th $99.99
* $120 At The Door (If Available)
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Dress Code
You won't see ball gowns or tuxedos, but please remember no running shoes, t-shirts, or jeans.
401 Bay St. 8th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
Phone: 1-866-824-8212
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- 1
- person in the U.S. has this name View Perry Lappen on Whitepages
Meaning & Origins
Pet form of Peregrine, or transferred use of the surname Perry, in origin a local name for someone who lived by a pear tree (Old English pirige). In modern times, it has been borne by the American singer Perry Como (1912–2001), whose name was originally Nick Perido.
|667th in the U.S.
German: variant of Lappe.
|53,332nd in the U.S.
Nicknames & variations
Perrie, Perri, Perr, Perre, Perra, Perro, Perria, Perrye, Perrey, Perrow
Lapp, Lappin, Lappe, Luppino, Lippen, Lapping, Lappas, Loppnow, Lappi, Lappert


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Work just sent out an e-mail informing us that one of our employee perks is a 15% discount on Michael C. Fina. I don't anticipate taking advantage of this benefit in the near future, but I did poke around their website to see what's actually being sold and just how expensive everything is.
I got distracted by the following product description:
Vera Wang's dinnerware collection is inspired by the contemporary bride. Dishwasher safe, it is meant to be used every day.
I just found the juxtaposition of "contemporary bride" and "dishwasher safe" to be particularly amusing.


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Product Releases
Silicon Germanium Dual Band Tri-Mode LNA/Mixer
Wed, 05/30/2001 - 11:55am
RF Micro Devices introduced the RF2489 LNA/mixer a complete dual band, tri-mode receiver front end for the CDMA handset market. The RF2489 contains two LNAs, three mixers, local oscillator (LO) divider circuitry and LO buffer outputs. The device performs all of the front end receive signal processing required for dual band, tri-mode applications. The design of the RF2489 permits the bias currents to be set using off-chip current reference resistors for both the LNA and mixer blocks. The device's design flexibility allows the conversion of received CDMA, AMPS or GPS radio frequency signals to intermediate frequency in dual band, tri-mode (Cellular CDMA, Cellular AMPS, PCS CDMA), dual mode (Cellular CDMA, Cellular AMPS) or PCS platforms.
The RF2489 features 30 dB of stepped LNA/mixer gain control as well as adjustable LNA IIP3 versus bias current. The Cellular LNA features 15 dB gain, 1.1 dB noise figure, and 12.0 dBm IIP3. The PCS LNA has 16 dB gain, 1.3 dB noise figure, and 10 dBm IIP3. And the GPS LNA features 18 dB gain, 1.2 dB noise figure, and 4 dBm IIP3.
The RF2489 is manufactured using a SiGe HBT process technology and is offered in a 5 × 5 mm, leadless plastic package.


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Meeting Type: Regional Meetings / Meeting Year: 2013
Historical Newspaper Research & Exploring the Gesher Galicia Website – Jerusalem
Monday, November 11 – 2:00PM
Historical Newspaper Research & Exploring the Gesher Galicia Website
National Library at Hebrew University, Givat Ram Campus
The National Library of Israel
Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram
POB 39105 Jerusalem, Israel
Historical Newspaper Research
Historical newspapers provide the who, what, when, where, why and how of your ancestors' lives, loves, business dealings and predilections. Using new online resources researchers can discover long-lost family in old newspaper pages, uncover scandals and solve long-standing mysteries. This talk will cover searching techniques using ProQuest's vast collections of US, Israeli and United Kingdom newspapers, along with free resources like the US National Archives "Chronicling America," US state digitized papers, and Australia's "Trove" collections.
Searching the All-Galicia Database & Gesher Galicia Map Room Online
The All Galicia Database (AGD) on the Gesher Galicia website has over 230,000 records from 79 data sources from birth, death, marriage and divorce records to directories, school, voter, tax and landowner records from the former Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia, which today covers eastern Poland and western Ukraine. Gesher Galicia's digital "Cadastral Map Room" has the largest online collection of property maps from the Austrian Empire. These high-resolution maps often show the names of the landowners and shop-owners written onto plots, fields and in market square. Learn about our Galician Archival Records Project and how to use the AGD, in conjunction with the Cadastral Map Room and the GG records inventory, to find your ancestors and link the indexes and maps to the original source documents from overseas archives. There will be a brief overview on the best approach to Galician research presenting examples of unusual 18th – 20th century records which can expand your genealogical research and enhance your knowledge about the lives of your ancestors:
Pamela Weisberger is the 1st V.P. and program chair for the Jewish Genealogical Society Los Angeles, president and research coordinator for Gesher Galicia, Inc., and was co-chair of the 2010 IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy. A professional genealogist, writer, and internationally-known lecturer, she has conducted research in Polish, German Ukrainian, Hungarian and Austrian archives. She created the Galician Archival Records Project and the Gesher Galicia Cadastral (Virtual) Map Room. One of her specialties is historical newspaper research. She holds a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and an M.S. from Boston University.