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Dec 23 2011
All I Wanted Was a Doughnut
Yesterday Marlboro Man and I ran to the big city to shop for his mom and grandma, to pick up a couple of last-minute things for the kids, and to be alone together and have one-on-one conversation without our four precious children, our hungry, demanding cattle herd, or our two malodorous Basset Hounds needing something. And we didn't "run" to the big city, we drove, which brings me to my point: part of the topic of conversation in Marlboro Man's pickup was our new wintertime plan—which is to start today—of getting out of bed at 5:00 am so that we can spend an hour working out together before the kids get up and before Marlboro Man needs to go feed cattle. This conversation began after I spent ten minutes lamenting how jiggly I am after a summer and fall of cooking constantly for my cookbook, filming two seasons of a cooking show, and discovering the joys of semi-soft unripened cheeses.
"My jeans are tight, my back fat is violent…" I said. "And I'm at the point where I either need to buy bigger jeans or do something drastic." So Marlboro Man calmly and without agreeing with my back fat lamentations, which is why I'll keep him, laid out his prescription of early morning exercise, and committed to joining me in my new fitness regimen so I wouldn't have to go it alone. Of course, he didn't empathize much. He is chiseled out of granite and weighs the same as he did when he was seventeen. Not that I'm complaining. Granite's my favorite.
Two-thirds of the way to the big city, I asked Marlboro Man to pull off the highway and stop at a very busy convenience store so that I could get some coffee. I'm nursing an upper respiratory infection and had been feeling a little draggy, plus the conversation about my getting up at five to work out for an hour really wore me out. So we both went into the convenience store: Marlboro Man headed to the refrigerated case to get a can (not a bottle, as bottles don't taste right) of Dr Pepper and I headed to the coffee area to fill a large cup with the nectar of life.
It took me awhile to fill my cup because this particular convenience store has a beautiful run of coffee options. You can get French Roast, Columbia Roast, Breakfast Blend, Kona Blend…not to mention all sorts of little squirts of flavor and shots of different forms of cream. I want this coffee area in my house, is what I'm saying. So I stood there and decanted, squirted and decanted some more until I had a great big ol' cup of beautiful convenience store coffee that was likely extremely caloric but I only had one more day before my new exercise program so I figured I'd go out with a bang.
I headed toward the register. I could see Marlboro Man standing there waiting for me so he could pay for his Dr Pepper and my coffee together because he's chivalrous that way, and because he has never known me to have a single dollar of cash on my person. The store was packed with other patrons, because it's a choice location on a busy highway and because it's an incredibly nice convenience store that offers many coffee choices, many wiener/hot dog choices…and doughnuts. Along my journey to the front of the store, I passed the very large, very impressive and beautiful glass doughnut case and was accosted by a very large, very crisp-and-sweet-looking apple fritter on the top shelf. It tapped me on the shoulder, then it reached out its long, evil fingers and said "Come…come to me."
Without thinking, I removed an individual square of paper from the dispenser and reached for the knob of the window that was separating me from the apple fritter. I say without thinking because I somehow had completely pushed the entire conversation I'd just had with Marlboro Man about my back fat out of my consciousness. Or if it was at all in my consciousness, I must have rationalized it by reminding myself that I only had one more day to party before my 5 a.m. boot camp began, or even that apple fritters are actually a healthy doughnut option. They have fruit in them, after all.
I pulled the knob to the right, thinking the door would slide to open, but it met with a tiny bit of resistance. I had Christmas shopping on my mind—what size top I should get Edna Mae and how I wanted to find a perfume counter and sniff all the men's cologne—so I inexplicably pulled backward on the knob, possibly thinking that the door opened by flipping up rather than sliding over. Then, suddenly, a horrible sound crashed through the heavily trafficked convenience store when the entire tempered glass front of the beautiful doughnut case shattered into thirteen million tiny, sparkly pieces. The sound was deafening and seemed to happen in slow motion, as if a house of glass sitting on a frozen lake had fallen down wall by wall. I stood there in shock, not knowing what to do. Glass was everywhere: in the doughnuts, on the floor, in the adjacent sandwich case, in my boots, into which I'd tucked my jeans. And the small stainless knob was still in my hand.
Customers ran over to see what had happened, my husband among them. And when he saw me standing there in the middle of a sea of tempered glass, a small knob in my hand, the now-exposed array of doughnuts right in front of me, and a look of horror and confusion on my face, he had but two questions for me:
"Are you okay?
"What happened?"
"I wanted a doughnut."
By now the manager, assistant manager, cashier, assistant cashier, and probably all their friends and relatives had rushed over to the scene. The manager wanted to first make sure I was okay.
"Ma'am, are you okay?" the nice gentleman said. "You're not hurt, are you?"
Still holding the knob, I answered, "Yes. My pride is hurt. It is badly, badly injured."
But other than that, I told him, I was totally fine, and may I please borrow a broom and a shop vac so I can whisk all this away and pretend it never happened? I noticed a woman out of the corner of my eye. She had her hand over her mouth.
"Oh, we'll take care of it," the manager said. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay."
"I'm absolutely fine," I insisted. "I am so, so sorry. I don't know what happened. One minute I was reaching for an apple fritter…the next minute…" I shook my head in disbelief.
"It's perfectly okay, ma'am," he reassured me. "This has actually happened once before."
I immediately felt better. I'm not the only person who'd shattered the doughnut case at this convenience store. All was suddenly better now. But then I did something I can't explain. I instinctively began reaching for the apple fritter. I don't think I actually had any control over this action. I didn't logically believe I should get the apple fritter; I think it was a desperate attempt to just carry on and pretend the whole thing hadn't happened. Or maybe I really just wanted a doughnut.
That's when the assistant manager stepped in. "Oh, ma'am…you can't have a doughnut now," she said.
I know she was just trying to protect my gastrointestinal tract from glass shards, but at the time she said it I felt like a little girl who had just been grounded from round, delightful yeast treats. It took me a minute to realize she was just gently reminding me not to hurt myself. My face felt hot.
After several minutes of offering to help clean up and insisting on paying for the broken glass and trying to figure out what country I was going to move to once I left the store, I finally made my way to the counter so that Marlboro Man could finally pay for my coffee. But when we got there, the cashier held up his hand and said, "Don't worry about it—no charge." I think he wanted me to leave as soon as humanly possible.
When we got in Marlboro Man's pickup and continued on our trip to the big city, I looked at Marlboro Man, who had a look on his face that I'll never be able to describe. It was the look of a husband who is married to a complete klutz who complains about her tight jeans then stops at a convenience store and shatters a doughnut case while trying to retrieve an apple fritter. It was the look of a husband who has seen his wife fall down, run into doors, use the wrong remote control to change channels on the TV, and wear her black leggings inside out for an entire day without knowing. It was the look of a husband who had just filed another incident into his vault of similar moments…and who couldn't wait to remind me of it the next time we're driving together and I say I want to pull over and get coffee.
"You're…funny," he said, reaching over and squeezing my knee, which made me squeal.
Then we continued to the city and went Christmas shopping.
As for lessons I learned from this incident, I took away two:
1. That's what I get for trying to eat a doughnut.
2. I'm never leaving the house again.
I hope you all have a joyful day. Merry Christmas Eve Eve!
Pioneer Woman
1616 Comments and 45 Replies
Laurie On Friday, December 23 at 1:50 pm
ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS! Thanks for the belly laugh. I really needed that today. Sorry to laugh at your misfortune but….okay I'm not because you know yourself that was hilarious!
Sairsy On Friday, December 23 at 1:51 pm
I loved reading this. Thank you. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Kel On Friday, December 23 at 1:52 pm
I think the reaction of your husband tells you what a kind man he is!!
Kimberley Fleming Webb On Friday, December 23 at 1:53 pm
Hilarious!!! Sounds so much like things that happen to me on a regular basis. Thanks so much for sharing so all of us can laugh together. :~)
Ruth Anne On Friday, December 23 at 1:53 pm
Hysterical! I feel your pain. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Elizabeth On Friday, December 23 at 1:53 pm
And you were humble enough to share it with the whole world:) Great story! We've all been there…
Miranda On Friday, December 23 at 1:53 pm
Thankyou for this hysterical story. ahhh, my sides hurt. I love that Iam not the only klutz out there! hahhahaaa!
Nancy On Friday, December 23 at 1:54 pm
Oh Ree,
I am laughing so hard, I'm crying!! And this is not "laughing at YOU", absolutely not! This is something any one of us (who loves apple fritters) could have done!
I will ask Santa to bring you that Coffee area with all the flavors, and squirts you could ever want!!
Thank you for all the joy you bring us.
Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Sid On Friday, December 23 at 1:54 pm
I can totally relate, sounds like something I would do. Thanks for the laugh, I needed that. I've been known to dump the whole pile of oranges at the supermarket, reaching for one of them. Have yourself a great Christmas.
Wendy Sue On Friday, December 23 at 1:54 pm
A well written piece of humor from someone who hasn't done this yet. About everything else I have!!! Thanks for sharing and making my day!!!!!
Mae On Friday, December 23 at 1:55 pm
What a funny story! I'm still laughing.That was just so much fun to read.
Carrie On Friday, December 23 at 1:55 pm
That story just made my day! Awesome. Totally awesome!
Mary Anne On Friday, December 23 at 1:56 pm
Ree, you are just too funny! I was crying I was laughing so hard reading this! I hope that Marlboro Man stopped on the way home for you to get a donut at another shop! You sure earned it!
Hope that you and your family have a wonderful wonderful Christmas and all your wishes come true!
Merry Christmas!!
Mary Anne
Linda On Friday, December 23 at 1:58 pm
Thanks for brightening an otherwise hectic day. I laughed so hard I cried!!!
Kim On Friday, December 23 at 2:01 pm
How horrible! Aw, I just want to crawl under a rock for you. lol But I love the fact that you reached for the doughnut after the case shattered. I cracked up so bad reading that part–I'm sure my co-workers think I'm crazy.
Country Girl in the City On Friday, December 23 at 2:01 pm
Ree, you are hilarious! Thanks for giving me a chuckle and lightening my mood! It's been a stressful day so far.
mickey On Friday, December 23 at 2:02 pm
oh, Ree, I just about split my sides laughing. thank you for reminding me that I'm not the only person in the world that these things happen to! (Seriously- my friends call/email me daily to find out what disaster has befallen me- I'm the human embodiment of Murphy's Law) Tell MM that Dr Pepper is the best when it's made from the original formula and drunk out icy cold little glass bottles. My ex ordered me a case of them from the Dr Pepper factory/museum in Texas back when we were still together and it's one of the best presents I've ever gotten. They were awesome!
Julia On Friday, December 23 at 2:02 pm
Wow- one for the memory books!! Merry Christmas!!
Barb On Friday, December 23 at 2:02 pm
Oh I'm wiping away tears of laughter. A few months ago I was in Starbucks to purchase a well-earned treat after a long solo run. I ordered, took two steps back and knocked over a 5 foot display of metal coffee cups. They fell slowly at first, bouncing off the stone tile, and then as I made a futile attempt to catch some and stop the catastrophe… the whole pyramid came crashing down. The entire store went silent (I think even the music stopped playing) and everyone stared. I apologized profusely, offered to pick them up and was told to just go ahead and leave.
Judie On Friday, December 23 at 2:03 pm
I my, I would totally do the same thing. I'm not so much of a klutz, but I'm pretty sure I'm an airhead!!!
Teresa Kasner On Friday, December 23 at 2:03 pm
I laughed until I cried.. what a hilarious and wonderful story. I just adore your writing, you bring me much joy. You are a gift to the world.. seriously. I'm heading over to my Facebook page to tell everyone to come and read this post.
❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉
❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉
from your friend in Oregon.. ((hugs)), Teresa
Judy Uhl On Friday, December 23 at 2:03 pm
Too funny Ree! You made me smile today! I needed that! Merry Christmas!
ApplePieMom On Friday, December 23 at 2:03 pm
I can so sympathize – it's a move I'd make! I actually fell straight forward, while doing nothing but walking down my sidewalk this spring. I sprained my hand, dislocated a finger and had serious road rash from my toes all the way up to my elbows (at least not on my face!). I was horrified having to explain the entire arm and both hands wrapped in gauze to my colleagues.
Jill On Friday, December 23 at 2:04 pm
Ah yes, I actually know that look!! I get it from my husband all the time
Stephanie @ Hugs, Kisses and Snot On Friday, December 23 at 2:04 pm
I loved this story…especially the part where you reached for the glass shard covered doughnut. We all have our days…thank you for sharing this one.
Merry Christmas and happy holy days!
JennyD On Friday, December 23 at 2:05 pm
I'm sorry… I don't mean to laugh…
but I am a visual person… =)
Thanks for sharing I always love a good laugh!!
Flee flee from the doughnut case!! =)
jimikay On Friday, December 23 at 2:05 pm
I know this isn't funny because you could have been injured, but I still have tears of laughter rolling down my face.
I really needed that!!
Sarah M Okie On Friday, December 23 at 2:07 pm
I'm assumig that photo of the donuts was a file photo and not one that was tken before, during, after the "incident". I can SO relate and especially to the part about STILL reaching for the fritter after the little problem happened…to funny and thanks for sharing your story with all of us other klutzes.
Jenna B On Friday, December 23 at 2:07 pm
OMG – I think we are related! Sorry you didn't get your apple fritter – I probably would have tried to wipe it off, too! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your site and your writing –I could lose hours a day reading blogs and recipes! Thank you for sharing with us and Merry Christmas!
Laura On Friday, December 23 at 2:07 pm
Oh goodness PW… THIS is too funny. And sounds like something that could have happened to me, except I think my husband would have lectured me all the way to the big city and not have been so calm as MM.
Merry Christmas!
Bunnie On Friday, December 23 at 2:08 pm
I was not really having a very good day…but I have to say I can see why Marlboro man loves you as it is never a dull moment with you. Thank you for brightening my day. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Eileen On Friday, December 23 at 2:08 pm
Totally relatable story. Sorry you had to have that happen to you. I agree with those who say it must have been due to the distracting thought of getting up and hour earlier to exercise. I say give that up before you even begin. It is destined for failure. Pick a time later in the day. Perhaps a time to exercise with one or all of your children. Marlbaro man doesn't need the exercise and you definitely want the sleep.
kathy On Friday, December 23 at 2:08 pm
We can all relate!! That was very enjoyable to read:)
HollyM On Friday, December 23 at 2:08 pm
So in love with this post….thanks for sharing. I've seen that look many times…makes me feel better.
colleen from nc On Friday, December 23 at 2:09 pm
Ahhh Sorry that happened to you. but thanks for sharing it with all of us. you just crack me up. and that MM you two are perfect for each other. Hope the shopping went well. Merry Christmas Drumond family:)
Courtney On Friday, December 23 at 2:11 pm
Oh poor Ree!!! I'm reading this at work (yeah, don't tell my boss) and was laughing so hard, I had to read it to my coworkers- now we're all laughing hysterically.
Kris On Friday, December 23 at 2:12 pm
Good Lord, woman, thank you for making me smile today. I needed a little help and there you were.
Merry Christmas!
Love you!!
Amy Christine On Friday, December 23 at 2:13 pm
OMG! You just made me bust a gut! This is as funny as reading about Charlie jumping over the bales of hay! Sorry that happened to you. I think I would have turned and ran out. My husband would have met me out in the car. I am sure he would have been right on my tails.
Janet On Friday, December 23 at 2:15 pm
Okay, as humiliating as that had to be and the need to find a hole to crawl into, I sat here laughing. Oh my, I couldn't help but sympathize, yet the way you tell it is so funny. What a great talent to find the humor in it. That really is the only way to live life….to laugh at our "hidden talents." Have a wonderful Christmas!
Katherine V On Friday, December 23 at 2:16 pm
LOL, Ree you poor thing! This had me laughing so much, because I could totally see all of that happening to me. Merry Christmas!
Crystal C On Friday, December 23 at 2:19 pm
I'm pretty sure this story could've (and might still one day) happened to me. Thanks for the camaraderie!
Mary Jane On Friday, December 23 at 2:21 pm
Oh Ree!
I hate embarrassing moments like that!
I feel for you!
But at least you got a free big ol cup of coffee and MM got a can of DP outta the deal!
P.S I'm with MM, I like pop in the can too, it just tastes better! :o)
Lorie On Friday, December 23 at 2:25 pm
This post was hilarious! I can relate
Thearica Burroughs On Friday, December 23 at 2:25 pm
You have just turned my bad day into a smile. Thanks for the laughter!
p.s. I am not laughing at you.. just with you.
Merry Christmas! And don't forget to have a doughnut on Christmas day!
Jill On Friday, December 23 at 2:26 pm
That was truly funny and only because it sounds like something that would happen to me! Merry Christmas!
Barb On Friday, December 23 at 2:27 pm
I am actually laughing out loud … and remembering those times in my life where I was flabbergasted and humiliated and shocked by similiar happenings … and WOW – I am blown away by how you were able to "tell on yourself" with such ease! What a gift! You write beautifully and share so easily … that is a blessing … Merry Christmas to you and all of these incredible people who follow your blog … I'm considering my finding you my best Christmas gift yet!
Kathleen On Friday, December 23 at 2:29 pm
Ree…I'm not sure if you read all these comments…but you freaking make my day! I can totally see myself doing all the things that you do…you are keeping it real sister…and I LOVE THAT! I, too, am mom to four great kids and married to a wonderful man (although definitely NOT chiseled out of granite..lol).
I just wanted you to know how much you've helped me this year. My beautiful 41 yr. old sister died in July after battling breast cancer for 4 yrs…then I ended up in the hospital with a major intestinal infection, THEN my mother in law died…all in all..pretty sucky.
Reading your blog has lightened my mood, and lifted me up when I needed it. I read your blog in the hospital on my handy little ipad…and I pretend that I'm sitting in that beautiful house of yours sharing a Starbucks latte and laughing about how stupid I am! I have loved all your tv programs…thank you Ree for being something great…..Here's tp 2012.
Liz R On Friday, December 23 at 2:30 pm
Love that story Ree. Made me laugh when I needed it. Your husband is right, you are funny.
Gina Hughes On Friday, December 23 at 2:31 pm
I too love Quick Trip…Love their coffee I can't make it taste as good as theirs. I don't know why it should be basic, but their coffee IS MY FAVORITE! Hope you found another doughnut shop!
Charissa On Friday, December 23 at 2:31 pm
I agree with your husband. You are funny!
Shanna S. On Friday, December 23 at 2:32 pm
Oh my goodness! What a frightfully funny story! Poor Ree, all she wanted was a donut. I am guessing you will never be able to eat another donut without replaying this in your head. I hope Santa is good to you after that you deserve it!
Cheri Kocsis Schaub On Friday, December 23 at 2:33 pm
My face is hot just reading this! I love your stories and I totally dig MM. You are SO lucky!!! Merry Christmas, sweetie!!
laurie On Friday, December 23 at 2:33 pm
if you express even a slight interest, i will recount some of the many incidents which were behind my parents nicknaming me, "clutzarella"! merry christmas!!
tammy On Friday, December 23 at 2:36 pm
Oh my goodness! I'm dying – I'm laughing so hard! You're crazy, girl, but we love you!
Yvonne On Friday, December 23 at 2:37 pm
Thanks for the laugh!!
rebecca l On Friday, December 23 at 2:38 pm
Gee On Friday, December 23 at 2:38 pm
Oh, Lord!! I would have had to look for an apple fritter at another store! Don't be intimidated by chiseled men…they haven't given birth and suckled young. Nature protects us with fat!
triciaw On Friday, December 23 at 2:39 pm
Great story. I'm glad I'm not the only person who does this sort of thing. But after being completely embarrassed at a store yesterday for knocking over a shelf, I feel much better.
Kayla Vance On Friday, December 23 at 2:40 pm
Haha! This brought a smile to my face. I am sorry to say Ree I think if I had been there I would have burst out laughing. Glad you are all right and thanks for sharing your life even the embarrassing moments.
Merry Christmas Eve Eve to you and your family as well!
Doneil On Friday, December 23 at 2:40 pm
i forwarded this to my husband and his response was, "Wow! Been there, done that!"
you made my day Ree!!! now i know i'm not the only klutz in the world!!!
merry christmas to you and yours
LaVonne On Friday, December 23 at 2:45 pm
Laugh-out-loud funny! Thanks for sharing.
Susan On Friday, December 23 at 2:45 pm
We love you! I once wore my black knit pants inside out for an entire day and no one noticed!!
Jennifer On Friday, December 23 at 2:45 pm
Ha! my guy tells me I'm "special" every time I do something like this. I am glad I can be entertaining for him, I remind him it's either this or a lifetime of dull moments…
Krista On Friday, December 23 at 2:46 pm
this made me maugh, dont worry we've all been there!!
Paula Knepper On Friday, December 23 at 2:47 pm
Oh my goodness! That was a VERY funny story. Sorry that happened to you, but it made me LOL with tears.
Merry Christmas.
Terry Parks On Friday, December 23 at 2:54 pm
I laughed ( Outloud) so hard I had tears running down my face……I could sooooo see MYSELF doing something like this. Thank you for sharing this and letting us see that we all have a " gotta have a doughnut" side. Merry Christmas to all of you…I truly enjoy your site…..
Jane M On Friday, December 23 at 2:56 pm
C.R..Y.I.N.G WITH LAUGHTER! OMG OMG OMG – you are so very BRAVE for telling us all! I think you should now get in the kitchen and BAKE your own apple fritters in private and peace! Happy Holidays!
Jeanne On Friday, December 23 at 2:59 pm
Still laughing with tears running down my face. Gotta go find the kleenex. Merry Christmas to you and your family!!!
Em On Friday, December 23 at 2:59 pm
LOL! That's awesome – coming from a fellow klutz. About 10 years ago I wanted a piece – actually it was another piece of chocolate cake – I slipped going downstairs to wolf it down and dropped the cake. Determined to get my cake, I went back for another slice and did it again! Luckily my younger brother was the only witness to my humiliating spills, but I truly felt like God was telling me to lay off the sweets! Merry Christmas and thanks for the laugh! I'm laughing with you, not at you!
Monica On Friday, December 23 at 3:05 pm
Lol! Lol! That would totally happen to me. Including the part about the back fat and the husband made of granite but especially the embarrassing moment involving personal clumsiness! Bless you Ree!
Susie G. On Friday, December 23 at 3:05 pm
Thanks for sharing, that was a hilarious story! I'm sorry that had to happen to you. I don't think you'll need to move away from Oklahoma
Lisa On Friday, December 23 at 3:06 pm
You made my day!!! We all have been in in positions when we wanted the floor to just swallow us up…your not alone.
Daphne On Friday, December 23 at 3:06 pm
Oh, Ree, I feel for you! That is the type of thing that could only happen to me! (Although, I must admit, by the end of your story I was laughing so hard I had tears running down my face.) Bless Marlboro Man for being so sweet! Hugs~
Regan On Friday, December 23 at 3:07 pm
Ree, thank you for the giggle, the squirms of being uncomfortable for you, and the hesitant waiting for Marlboro Man's eventual words of … comfort. It takes someone special to share their very most embarrassing moments with their best virtual friends!
Ann Marie On Friday, December 23 at 3:07 pm
Gosh, this is just the funniest story…..a modern day Lucille Ball ! I am sorry, but I just have to ask, was this a QuickTrip Store? It sure does sound like one! I buy my gas there regularly and can't pass by the doughnut case, especially the apple fritters! And I am a "coffee chemist" given the opportunity to pour a drink there! They sure do know how to make us happy!
Have a very Merry christmas.
Elsie Gilmore On Friday, December 23 at 3:07 pm
Your blogs just make my day!
Cindy M On Friday, December 23 at 3:07 pm
Here's what I learned from your incident – what a very nice man your husband is!
Candi I On Friday, December 23 at 3:08 pm
Pretty funny. Maybe MM should become a diplomat, as he seems to gracefully handle many situations. I also have an extreme weakness for doughnuts. I like to photograph them, and the love that ability to eat the models. The zumba fitness dvd arrived yesterday.
Merry Jiggle Bells!
Kimberly On Friday, December 23 at 3:09 pm
Oh. my. gosh! This is so hilarious! I'm so glad you share stories like this. Makes me feel a lot less clutsy. Good luck on your new exercise boot camp!
Sandy Manning On Friday, December 23 at 3:11 pm
I absolutely love apple fritters! They are my donut weakness! That is such a funny story. I wonder if you were at a QT. They have the best coffee bar of all I think. Thanks for the funny! I thought maybe MM was holding the glass door so you couldn't get to the donuts.
JoAnne Stiles On Friday, December 23 at 3:11 pm
Oh my goodness, I just could not stop laughing and before I knew it tears were streaming down my face and I never cry when I laugh. It reminds me of me and my husband. Thank you so much for sharing your story, made my day!
SKT On Friday, December 23 at 3:12 pm
Just one more laughed-til-I-cried comment—-perfect timing! I needed that laugh today
Janis Stufflebean On Friday, December 23 at 3:13 pm
Just.too.funny! Speechless. I do things like that, and at my age it never seems to embarrass me (57)!
Jeanne Malaby On Friday, December 23 at 3:13 pm
Oh my goodness, now that I have caught my breath from laughing so hard, i want to tell you thank you for the wonderful entertainment LOL I love that you are so REAL,,,real klutzy LOL no , really, I admire your talent to cook and write and hope you keep up the good work…Merry Christmas to you and Marlborrow Man and the kids
sherryc On Friday, December 23 at 3:16 pm
Thank you for the smile I had while reading your post. I lived in Germany for ten years and my husband made me carry my passport 24 7. I walk into walls trip over the pattern on the floor and my children and grandchildren do the same.
mymaize On Friday, December 23 at 3:16 pm
Poor MM. Did he really have any idea of what he was getting into when he married you?! Never a dulll moment in your house is there?
Ashley J. On Friday, December 23 at 3:18 pm
I dont normally post… but lord, I'm laughing so hard one of contact lenses got washed away!
Thank you.
SandyH On Friday, December 23 at 3:18 pm
This somehow reminds me of the time I fell down at KMart. I wished with all my heart it could've been Neiman-Marcus or somewhere, because I had to retell the story for the several weeks my ankle was bandaged.
I was also hit in the head with a lawn chair at the grocery store. Another story for another time.
Julie Cox On Friday, December 23 at 3:19 pm
Great story! Can't wait to hear about the work-outs. Now you'll Have to do them.
KariAnnM On Friday, December 23 at 3:19 pm
Oh man! I would have died! Oh, and I know exactly what look you are talking about….my husband owns the exact same look! Doughnuts are evil! Merry Christmas, from one klutz to another!
Renee M. On Friday, December 23 at 3:20 pm
Oh I REALLY needed that laugh–that is hilarious! And of course mortifyingly embarrassing, but mostly really funny I can completely relate. Today I was standing in a really long line at GameStop to buy a gift card and was so tired (still am!) I leaned against a game fixture and knocked the top row of games down on the nice couple standing in line in front of me. Yesterday I was in line at Target and when I picked up my bag o' purchases to leave, I actually knocked off the credit card machine thingy off and it landed on the feet of the nice man in line behind me…sigh. I hope you feel better soon and Merry Christmas to y'all!!!
Colleen On Friday, December 23 at 3:21 pm
As a recovering donut addict…wait.. I have to wipe the frosting off my fingers…anyway, as a card carrying member of DA (Donuts Anonymous)….oh dang… now I have powered sugar all over my face… as I was saying… oh never mind ;D
Roberta On Friday, December 23 at 3:22 pm
I went from laughter to tears of empathy for you! Thank you for sharing this moment of "grace", which will now be my nickname for you! I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!
Cindy On Friday, December 23 at 3:24 pm
Oh my!! Ree you are so wonderful to share your story! We all have our moments!! Merry Christmas to you and yours!!
Michelle F On Friday, December 23 at 3:25 pm
ROFL! Thanks for making my day 10x better :>)
Mary Lou Kemp On Friday, December 23 at 3:29 pm
I would have given almost anything to see that look on MM's face that you described so hysterically that I had tears running down my cheeks from laughing. Thanks for making me laugh so hard.
Tina S On Friday, December 23 at 3:31 pm
OMG I am at work trying to steal a moment of peace from my crazy job and I read this…… I was laughing out loud at the picture of you which wouldn't normally seem out of place except I am in a tiny closet office to myself with no realy good reason to be laughing as my co workers walk by with looks as though I've lost my mind! Thanks for the laugh it was sooo worth it.
Nancy Enkelmann On Friday, December 23 at 3:31 pm
You were at Quik Trip weren't you? The apple fritters gave it away. I completely agree with Marlboro man, Dr. Pepper just doesn't taste right in a plastic bottle….a glass bottle is a completely other story.
Carol B On Friday, December 23 at 3:32 pm
I just read the doughnut post and I know I should be I feeling
bad for you – which I do – but I've laughing for the last 15 minutes.
Howling even. What I feel badly about is that there is no one
here to share it with me.
Merry Christmas.
mary On Friday, December 23 at 3:32 pm
omg! lol, i can't stop laughing. the tears are running down my face. oh Ree, thank-you for a story i will think of often and for the biggest laugh i have had all week. I sure needed this. thanks again and bless you and the family for all the sharing. Merry Christmas to the Drummond bunch!


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Don't write off Brady as the best in the AFC East.
He did have 3800 yards last year, 28 TDs and virtually the same QB rating as Bledose while throwing to far inferior receivers and having no running game.
Don't write off Brady as the best in the AFC East.
He did have 3800 yards last year, 28 TDs and virtually the same QB rating as Bledose while throwing to far inferior receivers and having no running game.
Free Tibet
Justa go back and look, I posted this thread on the Billszone..Originally posted by justafan
Here's another
Thanks to billszone for finding the articles.
I took the articles from the frontpage. I saw you started a thread but didn't know you contributed it. My bad and thanks.Originally posted by MDFINFAN
Justa go back and look, I posted this thread on the Billszone..
Sorry dude, but in this case Peerless Price does not get enough credit.
Go ahead and check out the career statistics of both players man. In Peerless' first year with the Bills he caught 52 balls for 762 yards (3 TDs). In his second year with the Bills he caught 55 balls for 895 yards (7 TDs). In this, his third year, he caught 94 balls for 1252 yards and 9 TDs. How can anyone call this anything but steady progress? Isn't this the same kind of progress we expected out of Chris Chambers?
Meanwhile in Coles first year he caught 22 for 370 yards, then 59 for 868, then 89 for 1264.
I mean, I'm not seeing the difference here. I'm not seeing how one is an excellent receiver while the other is just a "#2 with one good year under his belt" The bottom line is these are two players who are very alike, and losing Laveraneous means a lot to the Jets, just as losing Peerless means a lot to the Bills despite what Bills fans will tell you.
Losing a player of that caliber is like losing an arm or a leg to an offense. I don't care what else they've got. Ask our own Brian Griese what it was like to lose Ed McCaffrey in game 1 of the 2001 season, even though they still had Rod Smith. Sure the Bills may have Eric Moulds, but as I just got done pointing out, the Jets have the better QB, RB, and comparable (if not outright better) OL. There's no way it can be considered responsible to emphasize the loss of Laveraneous Coles to the Jets, while completely de-emphasizing the loss of Peerless Price to the Bills.
Twitter: @ckparrot
I got to be the black sheep here, because I think the Pats picked up the most offseason talent. Don't kill me too slow, ok?:chair:
"Before the Bills, Jets, or Pats, can reach the playoffs, the road passes thru Miami!"
Their only major acquisition was Roosevelt Colvin.Originally posted by marcusreal
I got to be the black sheep here, because I think the Pats picked up the most offseason talent. Don't kill me too slow, ok?:chair:
Rodney Harrison is a downgrade from Tebucky Jones
Bro, it's simple. Coles was their best WR. Who cares about numbers. He was their BEST. Price was not our best WR. Price is very good, but he's no Moulds. Will it hurt? Sure it will. But we still have one of the best WR's in his Prime in Eric Moulds. The Jets have an injury prone Curtis Conway taking over as their top guy. It's a huge difference.
Go Bills.
Miami Dolphins football, Forever mediocre.
Sorry guys... this is getting moved to the Beast of the AFC East forum.
CK, this is the reason why we don't think Peerless will not be missed that much
"Since there is a glut of promising young receivers, we're going with four wideouts and no tight end or fullback.
The most obvious pick is Josh Reed of the Bills. "If I were a fantasy football guy, I'd take him," Bills assistant general manager Tom Modrak says. With Peerless Price in Atlanta, Reed figures to catch a lot of Drew Bledsoe passes this season. Last year, four Bills players had more receptions than Reed, but none of them had a better average per catch than his 13.8 yards. "
We figure if Reed had been the no. 2 wr he could've benefited from Drew as qb and Moulds opposite him just like Price. Actually he did. 500+ yards as a rookie no. 3 wr is not too shabby especially since the 2 wr's ahead of him caught for over 1000's yards.
What we lost in Peerless , hopefully we will get back through the D that we are hoping will get more turnovers and better field position. The bills and raiders were one of the better passing O last year and it got us nowhere and the Raiders were beaten by a defensive team. We were successful at running first and throwing second which we did against the fins @buffalo. We had a more balanced attack then and that's were the team is headed. Hopefully.
But WhafRat this thread talks about the Dolphins as much as the rest of the AFCE..this should stay in the main Dolphins forum..the response alone should tell you it's Phins kind of subject matter. If it was only about the Bills I could see that, but it's not.Originally posted by WharfRat
Sorry guys... this is getting moved to the Beast of the AFC East forum.

subset: commoncrawl


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Friday, November 1, 2013 - Friday, November 1, 2013
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Cost: FREE
Gregg Tepper, Horticulturalist at Mt. Cuba Center
Join native plant enthusiast Gregg Tepper for a colorful and informative lecture packed with illustrative photographs on the fall value of our native plants. Don't you always yearn to get the most out of your garden? Here's the chance to learn about the best natives for autumnal color, attractive branch structure and, of course, the coolest late-flowering plants to extend the season! Course# 248602; registration req at ParkPASS.org.
Event Contact Info:
301 962-1451


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Sign up to our breaking news Brisbane Business News newsbreaks exclusive to Brisbane Business News gives you the opportunity to receive the latest news by email as it breaks.
The city's leading source of business news has commenced its search for the 2015 Gold Coast Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
The awards showcase the city's top young business leaders who are either at the forefront of innovation, riding a wave of stellar success, or even just starting out with big dreams and an even greater determination to make them a reality.
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This category covers businesses in both the bricks and clicks space, recognising excellence in retail and retail services direct to the consumer.
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Do you own a thriving restaurant, run a successful events company, or contribute to the Gold Coast's budding tourism industry? This section is dedicated to you.
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There are a number of sponsorship opportunities available for businesses interested in connecting with this successful demographic. For details of sponsorship packages available please contact Kim Draper, Business News Australia on 07 3608 2068 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
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Michael Laudrup admits the biggest challenge of his summer will be to find another Michu and ensure Swansea are more clinical in front of goal next term.
Sunday's 3-0 home defeat to Fulham rounded off a memorable campaign in disappointing fashion for the Welsh club.
While the loss does not take the gloss off a ninth-place Barclays Premier League finish and Capital One Cup success, it did highlight how reliant Swansea have been on Michu for goals.
The Spaniard scored 18 of Swansea's 47 Premier League goals during a stellar first season in English football, but when he struggled to find the net late in the season, so did Swansea.
Laudrup is keen to return Michu to his favoured attacking midfield role next season, and Iago Aspas, Romelu Lukaku and Manu del Moral are all targets as the Dane looks to strengthen his striking options.
"In some games we have not been effective enough in front of goal and that's why we have to add some more goals," he said. "We scored 47 but I think we can easily add 10 or 12 to that next season.
"Again, a major part of that is that our goals this season have had the name of one person so we have to split the responsibility of the goals.
"But we have known that for a while and we have been working on it for a long time - but we know it is the most difficult thing to get someone to score goals."
He added: "It's difficult because, firstly, everyone wants players who score goals and secondly they are the most expensive.
"Can we get another Michu? I hope so but it's not easy. There are some out there but other clubs want them as well and we are not financially the most powerful of the 20 clubs in the Premier League. Goals are money and you have to pay.
"You can't think you can find a top scorer for free. We almost did it last year but you don't win the lottery every time.
"We hope and we will work and I may get excited when we get the one we want - but I know it is one thing to do the research, to put the name on paper, to think you have a chance, but it is another to sign them."
Fulham's win, courtesy of goals from Alexander Kacaniklic, Dimitar Berbatov and Urby Emanuelson, was their first in eight games.
Manager Martin Jol admitted he was disappointed with his side's tally of 43 points, but pointed to how perceptions of Swansea's season have been very different to Fulham's, even though the clubs finished the campaign separated by just three points.
He said: "If you look at our season as a whole, we had a very good first part, then we were inconsistent.
"We were very good again in the last seven or eight games, although we were playing fantastic teams like Everton, Newcastle, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.
"So to go to Swansea, who are a terrific footballing team, and win was fantastic.
"We now realise the difference between them and us was our home defeat to them in December because we were the better team that day.
"We should have been on 46 and them on 43 and they have been fantastic and we have not been so fantastic, but that is the Premier League. Everything is so close."
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Actress Susan Lucci is 67. Actor Ronnie Schell is 82. Actor Frederic Forrest is 77. Actor James Stacy is 77. Rock musician Ron Bushy is 72. Comedian Harry Shearer is 70. Gen. Wesley K. Clark (retired) is 69. Singer-musician Adrian Belew is 64. Rock musician Dave Murray is 57. Actress Joan Severance is 55. Singer Terry Weeks is 50. Rock singer Eddie Vedder is 49. Former first lady of France Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is 46. Jazz musician Irvin Mayfield is 36. Actress Estella Warren is 35. Actress Anna Maria Perez de Tagle is 23. Actor Spencer Daniels is 21.
| Still can't find it? see Site Index


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Despite the recent bullish sentiment surrounding Google, investors should instead focus on Facebook's stock, S&P Capital IQ Technology Sector Head Scott Kessler said Monday.
Forget about Google; buy Facebook: Analyst
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On July 29, Microsoft is releasing its newest operating system, Windows 10 (what happened to Windows 9?). To persuade people to upgrade, Microsoft is offering Windows 10 as a free upgrade if you have a computer running Windows 7 or 8.1. Windows 8.0 users will need to upgrade to 8.1 first, but that's also free.
Tuesdays with Brownie: Mets need a helping hand - Yahoo Sports
(A weekly look at the players, teams, trends, up-shoots and downspouts shaping the 2015 season.) Every time the New York Mets come to Los Angeles, their manager, Terry Collins, sits at a desk on the visitors' side where he conducts his business.
Weekly mortgage applications rise 4.6% on rate dip
Mortgage volume last week regained almost exactly what it lost the previous week, as interest rates stopped climbing and dipped slightly lower. Total applications rose 4.6 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week that ended Friday, which included an adjustment for the Independence Day holiday, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
These Are the 23 Cities Where Millennials Can't Afford to Rent a Home - Bloomberg Business
For young Americans, the smallest step toward independence has begun to seem hopelessly out of reach, even if that step is simply to move out of their parents' home. In 23 of the largest 50 cities in the country, most rental homes are unaffordable for millennials, according to an analysis conducted for Bloomberg by real estate listing website Zillow.
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- Photo gallery
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- Contact Us
- 888-944-3545
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We are excited to reveal our new dining experiences on our gorgeous South View Terrace! Enjoy a glass of delicious Sterling wines perfectly paired with one of our delightful entrees - or a lovely charcuterie platter for two! All of our culinary creations are sourced locally and prepared by gourmet chefs from Elaine Bell Catering. Indulge in fine wines, dining, and scenery on your next visit!
Note: Reserve in advance to ensure enough space for you and your group. For an optimal experience for all guests, reservations are required for groups of 25 or more people. All reservations subject to approval. Please contact (707) 942-3353 at least 72 hours in advance of anticipated arrival date.
Runs from: 10:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Cost: $15 - $25


text: Hi all, there seems to be a "phold" call for the parent process in fork1 function in the kern_fork.c file. Could someone tell me why the parent process needs to be locked from getting swapped out. Are there some potential deadlocks if we don't pin it in memory? Thanks for the help. Bye. A.Siddhartha.


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Ways to get involved in promoting the Victorious Gospel
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
The angels declared at Jesus' birth "Peace on earth, good will toward men".Jesus said don't think He came to bring peace, but a sword.He also said "my peace I give to you, not as the world gives..."Any thoughts, insights, or further questions on peace, the different contexts of it, which parts fit where?
All I got is what He gave me.........peace is when the flesh is no longer warring against the Spirit, in us. Blessings.....


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Grenada, MS Italian Restaurant
Carmella's Ristorante
Carmella's Ristorante is a locally owned operated Italian restaurant in Grenada, MS. We offer a wide variety of dishes that features the unique flavor of authentic Italian cuisine. Subs are served on fresh bread that is made daily in house and all our food items are made with fresh vegetables. Homemade pizza doughs are also made daily. Fill up your appetites with a taste of our delightful daily lunch specials and simmer down with our exquisite selection of beers. We also offer catering services for your event. Ask about our catering options, events are held in our atrium dining room. Stop by today for lunch or dinner.
Learn More About Carmella's Ristorante:
- Appetizers
- Salads
- Pizzas
- Pastas
- Calzones
- Subs
- Desserts
- Coffee
- Beer
- Soda
- Tea
Contact Carmella's Ristorante today at 662-294-1020.
Contact Information
Monday to Saturday: 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM


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«« When and How to Say, "No" | Top 20 New Year's Resolutions…of the Rich »»
Blueberry Cheesecake Waffles
These blueberry cheesecake waffles are really the best I've ever tried. I've been making them for over 20 years (my grandma taught me when I was a little girl) and each time I do, I get rave reviews.
The blueberries are deliciously sweet, the lemon juice adds a tiny bit of tartness, the cream cheese smooths out the dish with it's creaminess, and the waffle ads heartiness to every bite.
Not the hugest fan of blueberries? Check out my Strawberry Cheesecake Waffle recipe here.
They take 10-15 minutes from start to finish (especially if you use the pancake mix as indicated in the recipe).
Serves 3-4
Doubled recipe base available here.
1 to 2 Cups Pancake mix (Start with 1 1/2 and add until you get the desired consistency).
3/4 Cup Water
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Eggs
1 Can sweetened and condensed milk -Eagle brand! (very important) as I have tried a store brand and it was too runny. If you only have a store brand you can use it, you will just need to add about 3-4 oz of additional cream cheese to get the right consistency.
1- 8 oz package cream cheese
Juice of one large lemon (or 2 medium-small lemons) or 1 1/4 Tablespoon
1/3 can Blueberry pie filling
Pam/cooking spray
1. Start waffle iron
2. Blend the pancake mix, water, eggs, and oil in the blender on a low mix setting for about 30 seconds or until just mixed. Do not over mix. Add more pancake mix if the mixture is too runny. It should be the consistency of drinkable yogurt. Once the iron is preheated, pour the mixture in (spraying with Pam first).
3. While the waffles are cooking heat the unwrapped cream cheese for 30 seconds in the microwave, juice the lemon, and open the sweetened condensed milk. Mix all 3 ingredients together in a medium sized bowl with a hand mixer or like.
4. When the waffles are done, top with cheesecake topping and add blueberries on top. For those who like rich and sweet add more topping, for those who do not like rich things spread both toppings very thin.
This is a very filling breakfast. My husband who can normally eat 2-3 waffles can only eat one of these. Also, the cheesecake topping does keep quite well in the fridge for a few days as does the pie filling so if you get full fast you can save them for left overs as well!
Check out the similar yet slightly different Strawberry Cheesecake Waffle Recipe here.
How to make this recipe for less? Watch for sales and coupons. You could also make the waffles from scratch. We usually only have this meal when cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and pie fillings are on sale.
Please subscribe for other great recipes and 'living rich tips' or follow me on Pinterest.
«« When and How to Say, "No" | Top 20 New Year's Resolutions…of the Rich »»
12 Responses to Blueberry Cheesecake Waffles
These look absolutely delicious! I pinned your recipe so I can try them soon! Thank you for sharing!
These look fabulous! I have a Belgium waffle iron, do you know what I could do the mix to make it work in my iron?
[…] 5. Blueberry Cheesecake Waffles via Live Like you are Rich […]
Those look amazing! I just added them to my "favorites" to try soon. Thanks!
These look amazing! I am a big fan of blueberries so these are right up my alley. I like that the leftovers can be refrigerated for later…or to repeat tomorrow.
WOW!! Looking at the photo it looks very decadent, but just hearing "blueberry cheesecake waffles" sounds decadent. And it looks delicious by the way, I can't wait to try this. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
These look so incredibly yummy!!! Thanks!
I tried these out on my family for Easter brunch; they were a huge hit!
We serve them to all our guests now. So delicious! And easy, too.
Oh. My. God. I want it to be Sunday morning already. It's barely Tuesday!!!!!!!


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Best Used For:
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All we can say about this product is WOW!! Not only can you steam vegetables, but the pasta can be done at the same time for a simple pasta dish ALL IN ONE POT!! Easy for clean up too! All clad has done it again, Thank you!
I have several All-Clad stainless and LTD cookware items and have been very pleased for years with the quality and durability of these products. I use a high end gas cooktop and need a solid product to withstand the high BTUs. The appearance and weight of the 12 QT All Clad multicooker is very nice. This item includes a stainless, perforated insert, which works well and provides easier clean-up than the mesh insert offered by Williams-Sonoma, also a 12 Qt All-Clad Multipot ($149). My disappointment was realized with my initial use of cooking pasta. After the first use, the bottom exterior of the pot displayed burn marks. All of my stainless All-Clads pots and pans have never shown scorch marks after hundreds of uses over many years. Bar Keeper works somewhat, buy not 100%. After only ONE use?? Has All-Clad cheapened their product???
Good quality All Clad pot for a fabulous price. Perfect for any number of cooking jobs. Great for boiling small pieces that are difficult to fish out and still save the broth. Takes a long time to get water boiling, so only practical if you're cooking a large amount of food, but that's what you'd expect in a 12 qt pot! I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 because the boiling insert ends a good 3 1/2 inches above the bottom of the outside pot. That might not seem like much, but that's a lot of boiling time, even with a high powered burner, when time matters!
4.5 out of 5 stars, based on 35 ratings
97% of reviewers recommend this product
97% say this is a "good value"
I loved all the extras that came with it. I like that I can do a lot of cooking in this huge pot
Great size for making soup
I am an AllClad fan. Married 48 years. Replacing most of cookware with AllClad...gradually and expensively. Need a very large sink to wash this cooker !
This is a fabulous multi-purpose cooker - I'm mainly using it for pasta cooking but it does have a very substantial steamer. It definitely holds a lot of water and could possibly be difficult to transfer from stove-top to sink so make sure you want something that large.
Excellent quality. A perfect size for making large recipes.


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Thursday, July 03, 2014
Day of Fun brings friendly competitions to campus
Join the OSU-Tulsa Wellness Center and your fellow faculty and staff for a Day of Fun on Friday, July 18 beginning at 9 a.m. in the Main Hall Commons. The event is a series of short games that will be played periodically throughout the day.
Participants will score points by playing each game, which includes a bean bag toss, races, cards and cup stacking. The male and female contestant with the highest score from each game will win an award.
Day of Fun will conclude with an awards ceremony at 4 p.m. For more information about the event, contact Jeremiah Watkins.


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|Holiday Inn Whippany hotels are listed below. Search for cheap and discount Holiday Inn hotel prices in Whippany, NJ for your family, individual or group travels. We list the best Holiday Inn Whippany hotels & lodging so you can review the Whippany Holiday Inn hotel list below to find the perfect place.
Our page will list below Whippany, NJ hotels/properties that are comparable to the quality of Holiday Inn.
Need a group/meeting discount? Get quotes from hotels in Whippany NJ
All Holiday Inn in or near Whippany
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text:
I am working on a new version of orecchiette and also on a new pasta shape. Above is a monochromatic preview of the former.
This is my original post on orecchiette, so you can start practising with your hands. The upcoming post will have some more details based on my experience teaching pasta-making workshops.
This is my contribution to edition #121 of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar, and hosted this week by Deepali of Lemon in Ginger.
The top photo was shot in color and then converted to black and white (Lightroom preset B&W Look 4).
The gallery of images contributed to the event.


text:
Mac OS is not starting up
Hello there,
This is what I get when ever I try to get start Macintosh OS X.
That didn't happen before and I think I know why. There were two updates available last night, 10.6.2 and Safari, I updated and restarted. It was installing updates but in the end it said that an error occurred or something like that even though the installation seemed like it completed.
I don't know what to do now and I don't want to re-format because I have a lot of important data on there.
By the way, I have an external HDD that is 160GB, if I make a backup on it, how much space will it take? Like a time machine backup or system restore or what ever it is called?
Thanks a lot.
If you don't have a backup that you can restore to, try starting your Mac using Safe Boot. See the following Apple KB LINK
If you can get started in Safe Boot mode, you may be able to undo whatever the updates did of left undone when the error occurred. Although it's doubtful that you can recover that way, it's worth a try.
Some advice for the future Tarek: Always make a bootable backup prior to updating OS X. Use that 160 GB external drive and use either SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner, or at the very least, Time Machine. The actual space used on the external depends on how much data you have on your internal drive.
If safe boot doesn't work, boot from the DVD that came with your machine (insert DVD and hold down the "C" key while it boots. When you get to the second Instal screen,go to the Task Bar, Utilities, Disc Utility and verify the drive and repair permissions. If that all passes, reboot and see what happens.
If it boots, cool, if not reboot from the DVD, follow it to the 3rd or 4th install screen and select OPTIONS, then choose Archive and Install. This will put a fresh copy of OSX on your machine but will integrate your Profile into it. You will then have to update your machine to whatever the latest version of OSX is, again.
Thanks a lot guys, I am going to try now and let you know how it goes.
Or if you have acess to another Mac you could try downloading this to try and complete the update.
I am back. Macintosh OS X is up and running 100%. The only method that worked for me is installing a fresh copy of Mac OS X and I am glad it is working now. Thank you very much for the information guys.
By the way, I was checking for updates and there is one called "Macintosh OS Combined" which is an update to 10.6.2; I'm running 10.6 and the update is around 600MB. Should I go ahead and update or is the starting up problem going to come back?
And about the Time Machine, I have 152GB used on my Macintosh HD and I want to add a backup on my external HDD. What size would that file/s be on the external HDD?
Thanks a lot.
The combo update will update and reinstall anything dating back to 10.6, which fixes damaged files, by reinstalling anything that wasn't installed properly.
It seems to be a preference for many, as with me when updating.
Here is the apple link with the info Mac OS X v10.6.2 Update (Combo)
The size of the backup depends on how large in size the amount of changes you made since your last backup were.
Thanks for replying. I never made any backup before and that's why I am asking how much space is it going to take?
Yes, that's 3 musts, and it would be more if I didn't think you knew how essential I am saying it is.
Regular backup, or at least any time you are about to make any big changes, or update, it is always a good idea to repair disk permissions then do a backup.
If money isn't too much of an issue, having 2-3 external HDs is the way to go, as then you can have one for regular backups, one for bootable clones, and one partitioned to have both regular backups and a bootable clone as a backup for the backups.
Anyway, I's sure that I have made my point, and if you really want, you can go through the hard luck stories of those who had no backups.
I don't know what the bootable clones are, but I can get another HDD just for the back up and then unplug it until something happens (hopefully not, though). But you still didn't tell me, what size is the back up going to be? I don't want to be a 500GB HDD just to find out the backup is only a 100GB or something, since I won't be using that external EXCEPT for the backup.
Read the following.
Mac 101: Time Machine
You can use time machine to do automatic backups, or you can back up when you choose.
Time machine will create multiple backups on the external HD, and when the HD is full, it will delete the oldest backups.
When you restore from time machine, unless you specify to restore from one of the older backups (from time to time you may find reason to do this), it will restore your system exactly how it was when you backed it up.
Bootable clones, are complete duplicates of your system, so if you have problems with your internal HD, that you can boot from the external HD.
Carbon Copy Cloner
Carbon Copy Cloner - Home
Super Duper
Thank you so much for your information. I am definitely buying another external and backing up on it. I don't think I'll have to get a large size one, 160GB is fine, as long as it will automatically delete older backups when the HD is full.
this would probably be a good read for you... answer questions that may pop up:
Apple - Support - Discussions - Time Machine -- Frequently Asked ...
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Results tagged ' Nationals '
Nats' Desmond, Rendon win Silver Slugger awards
By Bill Ladson
WASHINGTON — Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond and third baseman Anthony Rendon were the recipients of the 2014 National League Silver Slugger Award at their positions Thursday.
It's the third consecutive year Desmond received the honor, while Rendon won his first award.
Both Demond and Rendon had solid seasons. The longest tenured member of the Nationals, Desmond got off to a slow start because of the flu, but he made up for lost time and was among the team leader in homers [24] and RBIs [91]. He has had three straight years of 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season.
Rendon has performed like the club's Most Valuable Player in his first full season with the Nationals, hitting .287 with 21 home runs and 83 RBIs. Not only has he done the job offensively, but he plays Gold Glove-caliber defense at third and second base. One would never know that Rendon is one of Washington's best players based on his personality. After great games, Rendon is a man of few words. He sometimes tries to avoid the media. He would rather stay humble and credit God for his success.
Although he was one of the team's best players, what impresses bench coach Randy Knorr is Rendon's demeanor. No one can tell if Rendon is in a slump or on a hitting streak.
"It's unbelievable," Knorr said about Rendon. "For a young kid like that, the way he goes about his business, it's incredible. He never gets excited, he is always laughing. He never gets excited. He is smiling, he is laughing. He has a good time, he has the ability — at a young age — to get past at-bats."
No Gold Glove award for Span
By Bill Ladson
WASHINGTON – Nationals center fielder Denard Span said recently that winning the Gold Glove would mean the world to him, but he didn't win the award Tuesday. Instead, it went to the Mets' Juan Lagares.
Span is considered to be one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball. This past season, he played 147 games in center fielder and made four errors. It seemed like he always made a great running catch to save a game for Washington. In '13, Span didn't make an error, but the Gold Glove went to Brewers center fielder Carlos Gomez.
The award is determined by a survey of managers and coaches, which make up 75 percent of the voting, and the Society for Sabermetric Reasearch, which accounts for the other 25 percent.
"I prepared myself for whatever happened," Span said by phone . "I'm not surprised. Last year, I didn't make any errors. This year I made four errors, so I didn't win it last year making no errors. I guess I was prepared for what was ever going to happen."
The Nationals recently picked up Span's option worth $9 million and he already is talking about having a better year than this past season. He is arguably coming off the best year his career. He led the team in batting average and set career highs in hits [184] and stolen bases [31].
"I haven't been an All-Star or an MVP or won a Gold Glove. There is a lot of room for improvement in every facet in my game," Span said. "Even though I had a good year, I'm not satisfied with that. I want to be remembered as a great player. I'm going to continue to work hard. Every facet of my game can improve."
Span's option picked up by Nats
By Bill Ladson
WASHINGTON — To the surprise of no one, the Nationals picked up Denard Span's $9 million option Thursday afternoon.
Span said general manager Mike Rizzo called to inform him that he would be back with the team in 2015. Had the Nationals declined the option, Span would have been given a buyout worth $500,000.
"I'll be back," Span said by telephone. "I'm very excited. I told Mike I'm excited to be coming back another year. I'm looking forward to working with the coaching staff and getting back with the guys and go on another run."
Span is one of the reasons the Nationals won their second National League East title in three years. Besides being one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball, Span is one of the best leadoff hitters in the game. He was among the NL leaders in multi-hit games, hits, doubles and stolen bases. Span is a finalist to win his first Gold Glove Award this year.
Nats declined to exercise options on LaRoche, Soriano; Cabrera, Hairston, Schierholtz become free agents
By Bill Ladson
WASHINGTON — Nationals second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera and outfielders Scott Hairston and Nate Schierholtz are now free agents.
The Nationals also declined to exercise their options on first baseman Adam LaRoche and right-hander Rafael Soriano. None of the players are expected to be back with the team in 2015.
LaRoche reached the 90-RBI plateau for the fourth time in his career, but he is not coming back because the Nationals plan to put Ryan Zimmerman at first base. Recently, LaRoche said Zimmerman will be a quality first baseman.
"I think he is going to be an outstanding first baseman. I said that last year," LaRoche said about Zimmerman. "He has one of the best gloves I've ever seen. He is an athlete. When the time comes, whether it's next year or the following year or this postseason, he can handle that bag for sure."
Soriano had a 6.48 ERA after the All-Star break. Soriano simply couldn't keep his slider down in the strike zone and lost his closer's job to Drew Storen
General manager Mike Rizzo decided to acquire Cabrera from the Indians before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline. Cabrera provided steady defense at second, as Anthony Rendon shifted over to third base.
After coming from Cleveland, Cabrera expressed his desire to play shortstop, but after the Nationals were eliminated from the National League Division Series, he said he was willing to stay at second base. Going to the World Series is more important to him than playing shortstop. It is believed that the Nationals will not pay a lot of money to keep Cabrera.
Hairston and Schierholtz were part of the bench this past season. Hairston got off to a great start, but he tailed off dramatically starting in June and was taken off the roster during the NLDS.
As a pinch-hitter, Schierholtz ranks sixth among active players with at least 150 pinch-hit appearances. He started the season with the Cubs, but after getting released on Aug. 13, he signed a Minor League deal with the Nationals five days later. He made $5 million in 2014. It's doubtful the Nationals will pay Schierholtz that kind of money in '15, though he could be back on a Minor League deal.
A look at Doug Fister's excellent season
By Andrew Simon
WASHINGTON — Doug Fister's season didn't begin until May 9, when he came off the disabled list and was hit hard during a start in Oakland.
It's been smooth sailing ever since for the right-hander, acquired in an offseason trade with the Tigers. By throwing his second career shutout on Friday afternoon against the Marlins at Nats Park, Fister surpassed the minimum number of innings needed to qualify for the National League leaderboard. He lowered his mark to 2.41, sixth-best in the Majors, behind Clayton Kershaw, Chris Sale, Johnny Cueto, Felix Hernandez and Adam Wainwright.
With his regular season now over, Fister officially has smashed the Nationals ERA record, previously set by Gio Gonzalez's 2.89 in 2012. While teammates Jordan Zimmermann (2.78) and Tanner Roark (2.85) also are in line to beat that mark, Fister put himself way ahead of the pace.
Here's a look at some other numbers:
- Fister became only the ninth pitcher this season to throw a shutout with no more than three hits, zero walks and at least nine strikeouts. For the Nats, Zimmermann also accomplished the feat on June 8 against the Padres.
- The complete game was Fister's first this season and the seventh of his career. His only other shutout came on Sept. 22, 2012 for Detroit.
- The nine strikeouts were a season high.
- Fister didn't allow a walk for the ninth time in 25 starts. He walked no more than one 18 times, and walked as many as three only once. His rate of 1.3 walks per nine innings ranks fourth in the Majors and is a small fraction ahead of Zimmermann for the best in Nats history.
- Fister almost always, at a minimum, kept the Nats in games this year. He went 18-for-25 in quality starts, going at least six innings 20 times and at least five innings in all but his debut. After that first start, he never allowed more than four earned runs.
- Fister was particularly brilliant during a 10-start stretch from June 21 to Aug. 17, posting a 1.57 ERA and walking nine batters in 69 innings.
- Over his last four seasons, Fister now owns a 3.11 ERA in 116 games (114 starts). That's 11th in the Majors over that span among pitchers with at least 600 innings.
Follow Andrew Simon on Twitter @AndrewSimonMLB.
Nats face tough decision with playoff rotation
By Andrew Simon
WASHINGTON — One thing is clear for the Nationals when it comes to filling out their starting rotation for the postseason: There are no bad options.
Right-hander Tanner Roark tossed a solid 6 1/3 innings Tuesday against the Mets, earning his 15th win and lowering his ERA to 2.85, which puts him in the top 20 in the Majors. Yet there is a strong possibility that Roark won't be among Washington's four starters for the NL Division Series.
Manager Matt Williams has yet to announce anything regarding the playoff rotation, as each of his pitchers enjoys a strong finish.
"When they go out there, they compete," he said. "It makes for tough decisions, but those are good tough decisions."
Stephen Strasburg, treated as the staff ace all year, has a 1.34 ERA and 33-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his last five outings. Jordan Zimmermann, consistently effective for four straight seasons, has a 2.11 ERA during a streak of 11 straight quality starts. Doug Fister, who has a stellar postseason resume, owns a 2.55 ERA after three straight solid outings. Gio Gonzalez, the rotation's only lefty, has come on strong with a 2.79 ERA while posting six straight quality starts.
Roark, meanwhile, has done absolutely nothing to lose his spot. Consistently dependable throughout the season, the 27-year-old owns a 2.54 ERA in 14 starts since July 13.
Yet with four more established, experienced options in play, Roark could be the odd man out. He's also thrown 198 2/3 innings this season, easily his most as a professional, and could be an asset out of the bullpen. As a reliever for the Nats in 2013, he gave up three earned runs on 14 hits and struck out 19 in 22 2/3 innings.
"You've got to keep doing your job," he said of the situation. "You go out there each day, work hard each day in between starts and go out there whenever your name is called. You can't really think about it."
The Nats have the luxury of enjoying rare rotation depth, with each of their five starters throwing at least 150 innings with an ERA+ of 100 or better (ERA+ adjusts ERA for league and ballpark, with 100 the average). The last team to do that in a season, according to Baseball-Reference.com's Play Index, was the 2011 Rangers. Only four clubs have accomplished the feat since 1991.
"All the guys we've got deserve that spot," first baseman Adam LaRoche said. "I'm just glad it's not my decision."
Soon, the Nats will have the make the call. No matter what, someone will be rightfully disappointed, but Williams isn't worried that will cause a problem.
"Of course they'll understand," he said. "At this point in the year, not everybody will like it, but everybody will understand. We're all on the same end of the rope, and everybody must do their part to get where we want to get to."
Follow Andrew Simon on Twitter @AndrewSimonMLB.
In unfamiliar one-out role, Detwiler, Stammen excel
By Andrew Simon
WASHINGTON — For most of the season, Ross Detwiler and Craig Stammen have been long men out of the Nationals' bullpen. It's a role that almost always requires at least an inning of work and often asks for more.
But on Tuesday night, when Nats manager Matt Williams needed two outs to end the eighth inning, he called on Detwiler and Stammen for a batter apiece against the meat of the Braves' lineup. With a two-run lead and a runner on, the left-handed Detwiler whiffed Freddie Freeman, and the right-handed Stammen did the same to Justin Upton. They passed the baton to Drew Storen, who worked a 1-2-3 ninth to lock down a 6-4 victory.
"Those two guys have been really our longer guys this year, and they came in and got the guys they had to get," Williams said.
A starter for much of his career, Detwiler's only other one-batter appearance came on Aug. 4, when he gave up a single to the Orioles' Nick Markakis. Only three times in 41 outings had he pitched less than an inning.
Stammen has served as one of baseball's most durable bullpen arms, leading all MLB relievers with 73 appearances of at least two innings since 2010. Until this week, he hadn't made a one-batter appearance all season.
But with Storen at least temporarily taking over for Rafael Soriano at closer, the whole relief corps has been shuffled. Combined with an 11-man bullpen thanks to expanded rosters, Williams has the need and ability to alter his usual deployment of pitchers.
In Monday's eighth inning, lefty Matt Thornton gave up a two-out RBI single to Freeman before Stammen preserved a one-run lead by retiring Upton. A day later, Detwiler got ahead of Freeman 0-2 before finishing him off with a rare curveball. That brought on Stammen for another confrontation with Upton in an unfamiliar role.
"It's obviously harder to get more outs," Stammen said. "What I've done most of the season is get six, seven, eight outs if I had to. Getting one out's a little simpler, but you also know it's do-or-die, so if you don't get that guy out, it's not like you get three or four other guys to try to get out. So you've just got to execute your pitches — nothing really changes — execute your pitchers and go back to what you've always done and be yourself."
Stammen had worked Upton with sinkers on Monday, so this time he got ahead 0-2 with a pair of sliders, buried two more sliders in the dirt to even the count, then put the Atlanta cleanup hitter away with two sinkers.
His unusually short, but effective, night was over.
Follow Andrew Simon on Twitter @AndrewSimonMLB.
Unusual mound visit pays off for Williams, Nats
By Andrew Simon
WASHINGTON — What's in a mound visit?
Most of these meetings fall into a couple of categories. The pitching coach comes out to offer advice, talk strategy, give his pitcher a breather or perhaps stall for the bullpen. The manager tends to come out with his hook at the ready.
So when Nationals skipper Matt Williams hopped out of the dugout and made his way toward the hill with two outs in Monday's seventh inning, it was reasonable to assume starter Doug Fister's day was done. Clinging to a 1-0 lead over the Braves, he had two outs in the inning but had walked two, putting him at 101 pitches with Andrelton Simmons coming to the plate. The bullpen was active.
As it turned out, Williams had other plans.
"I wasn't going to take him out," Williams said. "I just wanted to go out there and let him know he had this guy."
When Williams began his voyage to the mound, Fister had his back turned, so he couldn't see if his manager had given the signal for a reliever.
But Williams hadn't. As the entire Nats infield converged, Williams strode quickly to his destination, looked at his pitcher, had a brief exchange, then retreated. The whole visit lasted perhaps five seconds.
"I want to read him," Williams said. "I want to make sure he's feeling OK. And I asked him how he was, and he said he was good, so I turned around. I really had no plans on taking him out. But I want to read his eyes, too. He was intense and wanted that last hitter."
Fister said that whenever his manager comes out, he hopes for a chance to continue. This time, he got it.
"We both have that sense about us that we kind of read personalities, and he looked at me on his way out there and asked me, 'Hey, what do you got?'" Fister said. "And I said, 'I want this guy.' He was ready for that. He was ready for that answer."
Certainly, the move could have backfired, in a close game against a team that has dominated their head-to-head matchups over the past two seasons. But Fister got ahead of Simmons 0-2, then induced a ground ball that shortstop Ian Desmond fielded and took to second for a force.
His manager's faith had been rewarded, and the Nats hung on for a big victory.
"He came out there and gave me the option, and it's greatly appreciated," Fister said. "That's the epitome of showing confidence. That's what great managers do, show confidence in guys and trusting them, and that's what he did tonight."
Follow Andrew Simon on Twitter @AndrewSimonMLB.
Hairston embraces challenge of Hamels matchups
By Andrew Simon
WASHINGTON — Scott Hairston doesn't start often for the Nationals, but when he does, there's a good chance the Phillies' Cole Hamels is on the mound.
After a trade from the Cubs, the veteran outfielder made his Nationals debut against Hamels last July 9. The two were paired up again on Sunday afternoon at Nats Park, where Hairston fell just short of hitting two home runs but still came away with the go-ahead sacrifice fly in a 3-2 victory.
As a powerful right-handed hitter with a history of doing damage against southpaws, Hairston fills a clear niche on the Nats' roster. The result has been Hairston making four of his 11 starts this year against Hamels, with all of those opportunities coming in a six-start span since July 12.
"It's a challenge, it really is," Hairston said. "It's not only Cole. I believe I've faced [Clayton] Kershaw a couple times and [Scott] Kazmir and a couple other lefties that are pretty dominant.
"Especially the role I'm in, I don't really get everyday at-bats, and when I do get a start, it's against either a former Cy Young Award winner or a future one. I take it as a challenge. Whenever I'm out there, I try to just have the best at-bats possible, just to help the team win, do my part."
Hairston now has 53 career plate appearances against Hamels, 15 more than against any other pitcher. Since joining the Nats, he's faced Hairston 20 times, with Kershaw the next closest, at eight.
Here is a breakdown of Hairston's starts with Washington:
– 6 vs. Cole Hamels (PHI)
– 3 vs. Clayton Kershaw (LAD)
– 2 vs. Mike Minor (ATL)
– 2 vs. Jon Niese (NYM)
– 1 vs. nine other pitchers
– Includes Madison Bumgarner (SF), Francisco Liriano (PIT), Scott Kazmir (OAK)
Against Hamels, Hairston is a .375 career hitter (18-for-48), with five doubles, five homers and 10 RBI. With the Nats, he's 6-for-18 (.333) with one RBI. Does seeing Hamels so often give Hairston any advantage?
"It's really tough to say," said Hairston, who first battled Hamels in 2008 with the Padres. "We've faced each other so many times. Like I've said before, I think this is the best I've ever seen him. … He's always been good, but I don't recall him pitching this good."
In Sunday's sixth inning, Hairston broke a 2-2 tie with a drive off Hamels that Phillies left fielder Grady Sizemore caught up against the wall, scoring Ian Desmond. It was the second time in three at-bats that an unkind wind seemed to turn a home run into a warning-track for Hairston
"I was just thankful that somebody was one base for that last one," he said. "It would have stung a lot more if the bases were empty, and I could have tied the game or put us ahead with a home run."
Follow Andrew Simon on Twitter at @AndrewSimonMLB.
Nats notes: Williams to 'address' closer situation
By Andrew Simon
WASHINGTON — After Rafael Soriano's rough second half continued with a blown save in Friday's loss to the Phillies, Nationals manager Matt Williams stopped short of announcing a change in closers but said he will "address" the situation.
"It's not an easy decision," Williams said, following Soriano's three-run, two-homer ninth inning. "None of them are. But we want to be able to close those games out. Sori understands that — he's been around the block."
Williams said he will talk with the veteran and "see where we're at," on Saturday. The Nats used nine relievers in Wednesday's crazy win over the Dodgers and then eight on Friday, so even with a 10-man bullpen thanks to expanded September rosters, options will be a bit limited for the second game of the series.
But if Williams wants to turn to someone other than Soriano, he has choices. Tyler Clippard saved 32 games in 2012, a year after Drew Storen saved 43. Lefty Matt Thornton has saved 23 over an 11-year career.
"We'll address it," Williams said. "Again, I'm not gonna let [the media] know exactly what's gonna happen right now, but we have guys that have done it, so we have multiple options. I can give you that. Depends on who's available, who's fresh, who's not. But we have multiple options, which is a good thing for us. Guys who have been there before."
Soriano entered Friday's ninth inning with a 7-4 lead but gave up a leadoff single to Domonic Brown before Carlos Ruiz mashed a two-run homer. Two outs later, Ben Revere tied the game with his only his second career homer, in nearly 2,000 plate appearances. Both long balls came on two-strike sliders up and out over the plate.
Since the All-Star break, Soriano has allowed 15 earned runs, 27 hits and seven walks over 19 1/3 innings, but he said he feels fine physically and with his fastball. He plans to watch video and sit down with pitching coach Steve McCatty on Saturday. He'll also throw in the bullpen for McCatty in an effort to figure out what's wrong.
Told of Williams' comments, Soriano said he and his manager share "good communication."
"I talk to him in Spring Training," said Soriano, who has converted 31 of 38 chances this season. "That be my job in the ninth, and right now it not be too easy to do. I have to do it better. I gotta figure out what's going on right now and do it better."
Meanwhile, teammates Bryce Harper, Adam LaRoche and Denard Span all expressed support for Soriano.
"He's our closer," LaRoche said. "He's done it for a long time, he knows what he's doing and he knows how good he is. He's put up some really good years. It's really easy through a short stretch to second guess what somebody is doing.
"I think this will pass and nobody will think twice about it. He's just going through one of those stretches where nothing is working out. Good pitches are getting fouled off. The ones that were getting hit right at somebody are hitting a gap or leaving the ballpark. He'll be all right."
A couple of other notes from a wild night at the ballpark:
— Harper and Span combined for a costly mistake in the 11th inning when they collided while going for Brown's fly ball into the left-center gap, allowing it to drop for a two-base error. Brown later scored the go-ahead run.
"It got to the point where I thought I could get it, [Span] called it, and we bump into each other," Harper said. "Center field priority, of course. I got to get out of there."
Added Span: "I saw him in my peripheral [vision], but I thought he was going to veer off and just didn't. I'm pretty positive he didn't hear me. Just miscommunication, basically."
— Span picked up his 1,000th career hit with a first-inning single and tipped his helmet to the crowd after receiving a big ovation.
"It was definitely touching, heartfelt, and just unbelievable," he said. "The fans, they've embraced me, really since the second half of last year. It was just a good feeling when the fans acknowledge you for your hard work."
Follow Andrew Simon on Twitter @AndrewSimonMLB.


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Cover Story
The advertising industry spends $12 billion per year on ads targeted to children, bombarding young audiences with persuasive messages through media such as television and the Internet. The average child is exposed to more than 40,000 TV commercials a year, according to studies. And ads are reaching children through new media technologies and even in schools--with corporate-sponsored educational materials and product placements in students' textbooks.
But the buck stops here, if APA and its Task Force on Advertising and Children have it their way.
In February, APA's Council of Representatives adopted the task force's policy and research recommendations to help counter the potential harmful effects of advertising on children, particularly children ages 8 and younger who lack the cognitive ability to recognize advertising's persuasive intent.
With this latest move, APA joins the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Kaiser Family Foundation and several other organizations that have recently suggested similar policies.
And, APA has been making strides in getting some of the task force's recommendations put into action. Among its recommendations, the task force calls for advocacy efforts for legislation to restrict advertising targeted to children 8 years old and younger and for conducting more research showing the influence advertising has on young children (see sidebar for the full list of recommendations).
So far, APA's Public Policy office has met with members of Congress, the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission to address advertising's effects on children. APA also plans to co-sponsor a briefing in Washington, D.C., this month with Children Now and the American Academy of Pediatrics about child-oriented ads delivered through digital media and multicasting technologies.
The task force report, with its empirically based recommendations, is helping to guide such advocacy efforts and to do the same for research--both major goals, says APA Board of Directors member Barry Anton, PhD, who is also a member of APA's Council of Representatives.
"We can use it to advocate to state legislators, organizations and foundations, and we can use the task force report as a way to request funding for research," says Anton, who chaired a subsequent task force on children and adolescents.
Ultimately, such efforts aim to spotlight the question of fairness in child-directed advertising, says Dale Kunkel, PhD, senior author of the task force's report and professor of communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. "Is it fair to allow advertising to an audience that is too young to recognize commercial messages are biased and have a persuasive intent?"
Advertising effects
Certainly the messages' power of persuasion is compelling, the task force found. Studies cited in the report have shown that after just one exposure to a commercial, children can recall the ad's content and have a desire for the product.
Some messages may influence children's behavior too, says Brian Wilcox, PhD, chair of the task force, which formed in 2000 to conduct an extensive literature review of advertising's effects on children. For example, research has shown that child-directed ads for healthy foods can lose their effectiveness when children view ads for snack foods in the same sitting.
Indeed, some researchers speculate that advertising geared to children--which largely consists of ads for sugary cereals, candy and fast-food restaurants--may be contributing to the increase in childhood obesity by promoting unhealthy foods. Plus, studies suggest that eating habits formed during childhood can persist throughout life, according to the report.
Also of concern is the "privatization" in children's media consumption, with a growing number of young children using the Internet and watching televisions in their bedrooms, where no one is present to explain what they are viewing or reading, according to the report.
That lack of adult interpretation is a concern because young children tend to accept ads as fair, accurate, balanced and truthful, Kunkel says. "They don't see the exaggeration or the bias that underlies the claims," he says. "To young children, advertising is just as credible as Dan Rather reading the evening news is to an adult."
For children to critically process ads, they must be able to discriminate between commercial and noncommercial content and identify advertising's persuasive intent, the report notes.
Particularly alarming to the task force is that commercials also often use psychological research to make their messages more powerful. For example, they draw from developmental psychology principles to build campaigns that persuade children they need a product and to nag their parents to buy it. In addition, advertisers often use characters and celebrities--such as from shows like "SpongeBob SquarePants" or "Blues Clues"--or premium gimmicks to reel in children.
Increasing efforts
Psychologists can help parents and their children get wise to such advertiser strategies--particularly in the schools, says task force member Edward Palmer, PhD, who has been studying advertising's effects on children for the past 30 years. In fact, even as schools themselves have become a venue for advertisers, little research has explored whether school-based ads distract students from learning or intensify pressure on them to buy, he adds.
"Psychologists are also needed to help educate educators about this problem," says Palmer, a professor of psychology at Davidson College in Davidson, N.C. For example, he says, psychologists can create media literacy interventions to help children understand the persuasive intent of ads.
"I hope psychologists mount a public-information campaign so that the various stakeholders understand these issues--especially parents, teachers and legislators," adds task force member Joanne Cantor, PhD, professor emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Advertising has changed tremendously in the past few decades as it has increasingly turned to younger audiences, Wilcox notes, such as using the Internet to reach children in subtle ways like through the games they play.
"The user is sometimes not even aware of the marketing effort and advertising undertaking," Wilcox says. "Advertisers and marketers are very sophisticated in using advertising to reach children." However, virtually no research exists on the use of Internet interactivity to reach children, he says.
He notes that a growing number of parents support psychology's involvement in filling that gap--in exploring the effects of such ads and curbing them.
"When I talk to parents they are quite concerned about advertising's effects on their children, says Wilcox, professor of psychology and director of the Center on Children, Families and the Law at the University of Nebraska. "They have to live with children making unreasonable purchasing requests from the advertisements they see--toys they want, food that is not good for them. This can be difficult for parents to manage."
Child psychologist Allen D. Kanner, PhD, who consulted with the task force and played a part in its formation, agrees. Kanner says he has noticed more of his young clients interested in money and asking parents for products they see advertised.
"The materialistic shift happening in our society is having an enormous impact and major influence on children's lives that is highly psychological in nature," Kanner says. "It needs to be a focus of our profession right now."
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