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On a cold rainy Wednesday night, Mandi called me up at 1:30 am saying that she was waiting downstairs by the door, and asked me to go get her. When I open the door, I see her in her PJ's and a duffle bag in her hands, standing outside in the pouring rain.
"Hey, what on earth are you doing here?" I ask her
"We need to talk." She says in a sad tone
"Yeah sure, come in. Go head upstairs while I go fetch a few things, but be quiet, you don't want to wake up my mum." I grab her bag as she heads upstairs and go run to the laundry room to fetch a towel, and then whipped up some hot chocolate in the kitchen. While it brewed, I headed up to drop her bags in and check on her, but I couldn't find her in my room, so I guessed that she was in the bathroom. I head back to the kitchen just in time, and pour the drinks in Mandi's special mug and head back up.
I walk in seeing Mandi slumped on the edge of my bed with her hands covering her face. I walk over to her and hand over the hot chocolate, put the towel over her and dried her off, and asked what was wrong and why she was here at this time. She said that she and her mum got into a big argument, and her dad wasn't home so she ran away and headed straight here. Then she started crying, I put my arms around her and she was still shivering, so I grabbed my duvet cover and put it over us and let her weep into my shoulder as I pull her closer to me.
When her crying settled down a bit, I asked her if she wanted to sleep. So I fixed up my bed a bit and I laid down and Mandi laid next to me and I put my right arm around her, then she turned to face and curl into me. We just stayed that way until we both fell asleep.
That same morning, I struggle to wake, but I knew that I was awake, so I checked my clock and I see that it was 6 am, way too early for me to be up, so I head back to sleep, but Mandi starts shaking me awake saying she had to go and that her dad was waiting outside in the car, she gave me a kiss on the cheek, and before I knew it, she was gone.
That whole day at school, I couldn't focus on any schoolwork, not like I do anyway, but today was different, all I could think of was Mandi, and what happened the night before, and being worried if she was alright. I kept texting her again and again, but she would never reply, so I would call her during the breaks, but still no answer and I would leave countless voice messages. I did all that up until I got home.
The next day, I told myself to give it a rest, so I did, but as I was driving to school, I got a text from her.
*Hey, I'm not mad at you, avoiding you, or anything, it's just that I don't know how to tell you this in best way I could, it took me all day yesterday, and countless times for me to get this right, so here it goes.*
*My mum and I never really fought two nights ago, nor was my dad away. The only reason I came over the other night was so that I could spend one more night, if ever it would be my last night with you. Yes, I'm leaving, for LA to be exact. My dad was assigned to report over there as soon as possible, and he insisted that all three of us in the family would go. I tried to tell him that I wanted to stay, but his mind was already made up. That's why I went over to you the other night to tell you all this in person, but I couldn't find the courage. I'm really sorry L I Love You. Bye*
When I read that, I dropped my phone, nearly causing an accident. I pull over to the side of the road and text her back.
*dont go anywhere, i'll be right there*
After sending it, I made a U-turn and headed straight to Mandi's, in such a rush, I think I broke like 10 traffic violations.
I screech to a halt in front of the house, which isn't easy with my rust bucket of a car I have, which Mandi always seemed to love, she even named it 'Oliver' for no apparent reason. As I step out of the car, I look over to the driveway, and see that all their cars are still parked, which made me feel good that I could see her just one last time, here at least. I ring on the doorbell and, as usual, the maid opens the door. Before she could speak, I blast right past her and run up the stairs and head straight to Mandi's room, shouting her name as I run along the long hallway. I open the door, only to see an empty room, with absolutely nothing, not even a single trinket or pillows or anything really, except that on her bed there's a small pink box on top of it with my name written in red on it. I open the box and see a vile of her perfume and a note that reads
I'm sorry that I'm not there right now to say goodbye to you, but saying goodbye
to you once was hard enough, and I knew as soon as you read my text, you would
head straight here and skip school just to see me, that is why I sent it to you just
as I was about to board the plane so there would be no stopping me, and by the
time you'd read this, I would probably flying over you. I want you to know that
I never wanted any of this to happen, and that I tried my best to find a way just
to be with you. I love you
As I was reading that letter, my heart sank, and I slowly slid down to the floor. I just sat there almost breaking into tears. As I smelled the contents of the vile, her maid saw me tearing up and asked if I was fine or needed anything, and said that I could stay there for as long as I wanted to, but I knew reminiscing wasn't going to help, so I just stood up and left. Driving off, I didn't look back. That could probably the last time I could ever step foot inside that house.
It has been two and a half months since Mandi left, and everything has been totally different without her. I've been going to close to none of the parties I was invited to, but when I do go, I just sit there being passive having a Coke, then when my friends are all passed out or just about to, I take them to the car and drive them home. On weekends, I'm just stuck at home, with nothing to do.
Prom was the nail in the coffin for me, when all my friends went to the dance floor with their dates, I just sat there, staring at an empty seat which was hers to be, and thought to myself on what a night this would have been. When one of my friends pulled me to the dance floor, I just took a few steps back and leaned against the wall.
I was told by my cousin that I could bring her just to cheer me up a bit, but giving that she was one of Mandi's best friend, I couldn't handle it, so I just thanked her for the kind gesture and politely said no.
School just ended, and summer has really begun to make its presence known, the heat was unbearable. All the plans me and Mandi could have done during summer planned back in December of all the fun, exciting, adventurous stuff we could do were thrown out the window when she left. Thankfully, the Formula 1 season just started, and at least something would take my mind off her.
I've been looking forward to summer vacations every year, just because it would take me out of the country, but my mum never tells us where we're going, but now, it just seems like there is nothing to look forward to. After about two weeks after school ended, my mum told me to start packing for we were leaving the next week, before I could ask where we were going, she handed me an envelope. When I open it, a ticket falls out. The ticket said that we were flying to Los Angeles.
After seeing that, I started to get all frantic, for I started thinking about Mandi, and how to surprise her, or tell her. The whole week leading up to the day I leave, I asked for Mandi's new number and address from her friends, because I haven't heard or talked to her since the text, so I checked and double checked if I had everything I needed for the trip. Mark tags along to bring me to the airport, and whish me luck on finding Mandi.
On the plane, I still couldn't decide if I should call her, text her, tweet her, but I just decided to just show up in front of her door and surprise her.
The first two days in the US, felt like I truly belonged to wherever Mandi was, back home everything was great, up until she left, and now that I'm in the same place where she is, it feels right. I couldn't believe it took my mum 2 days to get settled in, but once we did, I got dressed in Mandi's favourite shirt, and ask my dad if I could borrow his car, then I started to look for her.
I hop into the driver's seat, but before turning on the ignition, I googled Mandi's address, and found out that she was just two streets away, so I hopped out of the car and tossed the keys back to my dad, and just started walking. On my way there, I saw some flowers, so I just picked a bunch, and I couldn't stop thinking about her, all the adrenaline pumping through my veins. When I get there, I go straight to for the door, I ring the doorbell and her dad opens the door…
So there I was, in my jeans, white polo and red tie, Mandi's favourite one, with flowers in my hands. Then I said
"Good morning sir, is your daughter home?"
He had this shocked look on his face when I said that, and then he said.
"I'm sorry son, but she's not with us anymore…"
I was puzzled, so I asked
"I'm sorry?"
"Dead, she's has been for the past two months. Why don't you just leave son." He says
I lost my smile when he said that, I thanked him for his time, and slowly walked back onto the curb, almost dragging the flowers on the driveway. This can't be true, it just can't
As I stepped onto the curb, I hear someone call my name, it was one of the most beautiful, angelic voice I have heard. I look around so that I could see where that voice came from, and suddenly there she was, the most beautiful girl in the world, the girl I loved standing right there. Her hair was a rich shade of tawny brown. It flowed in waves to adorn her glowing, porcelain-like skin. Her eyes, framed by long lashes, were a bright, hazel and seemed to brighten the world, my world. A straight nose, full lips, she seemed the picture of perfection. Had she smiled, the world would sigh with contentment.
I smiled at her, then she immediately ran towards me, as she got nearer, I dropped the flowers to the ground and opened my arms wide, then she jumped at me and I lifted her of her feet, but we both fall to the grass. We give each other the tightest hug there on the ground without saying a word. I started to get teary eyed and sniffing, so Mandi pushes herself up to look at me, then wipes my eyes and started giggling, then gave me a big kiss.
I roll over, so that she was under me, I propped myself up, and help her stand up. We wiped of the grass from our clothes and laughed, but before I could even say 'hi', she pulled me to her porch and sat me down on the swing sofa, then she sat on the other side of it.
"What are you doing here?" she asks in a cheerful voice.
"I'm spending my entire summer here, with you. I go home at the beginning of June." I say to her
"Awesome, but what were you doing at my uncle's house just now?" she asks me
"That was your uncle? That explains a lot." Face-palm moment. "I guess I had the wrong address, and your dad is such a great twin that I wasn't able to tell that it wasn't him."
"Haha, you're just as funny as I remembered."
We continue to talk forever, I tell her about prom and how lonely and sad I was since she left.
"I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt you." She asks for my forgiveness
"It's ok, I'm here now." I reply
Then Mandi's mom comes out looking for her, then she saw me and gave me a big hug.
"Jelo! Oh my god! What are you doing here?"
"I'm here for summer vacation." I say to her
"Well, since you're here, take care of my girl for me okay?" she says. "Mandi, I need to talk to you about something later." and then heads back inside.
"Sure mum, I'll be inside in a bit." Mandi says to her
I asked Mandi what all that was about. She sighed, and told me how sad she was as well, and would cry every now and then, and that her mum tried to cheer her up. After she told me that, I move closer to her and put my hands on her face, made her look at me in the eyes, and said
"I'm here now, you don't have to worry about anything, there's no need to cry anymore." Then I give her a kiss.
After I said that, she invited me inside. When I step in, it was like walking into an Apple store. Everything was square and black or white, and made out of glass, all I see were giant Macs and Apple gadgets. Mandi gives me a tour of the rest of the house. As we pass by the kitchen, one that would put Gordon Ramsey to shame, I see her mum cooking lunch and asked me if I was staying for lunch or taking Mandi out for lunch like I always did. I looked over to Mandi and asked her what she preferred, and she said to her mum that we would just eat whatever she was cooking up in her room so that we could catch up even more.
Then we head up to Mandi's room, which is very similar to her room back home. A giant four corner bed in the middle, a lazy-boy chair beside it, a dresser between them, a dresser right in front of the bed, with a mirror attached to it, to which all our pictures together are stuck onto it. The only new bits were that she didn't have a closet anymore beside the bathroom door, it's now a gigantic walk in closet, and she now had a balcony.
She told me to get comfortable, while she uses the bathroom. When she goes out, she's just wearing her underwear and bra holding two set of clothes on either of her hands and asks me to pick one. I picked the skinny jeans and tight sweater. When she got dressed, she grabbed her laptop and camera, and dragged me out onto the balcony, then onto the roof. We sat there under the shade of a very tall tree that reaches 10 feet higher from where we already were.
Up there, we just goofed of on the computer and took some artistic pictures with the SLR. Then her mom called us saying lunch was ready. I jumped down and told Mandi to stay and that I would get it.
I head back up with two bowls of traditional Italian spaghetti. When I sit down next to her, I ask where her dad was, and she said that he is always flying back and forth between LA and Phoenix. We just sat there and continued goofing off.
A bit later, Mandi got a text from her new friend here, Maria. Maria asked Mandi if she wanted to hang out at the mall. Mandi asked me if I wanted to meet her friends, and of course I said yes, I'm always up for meeting new people.
"How are we going there?" I ask her
"We can take my car, but you drive." She answers
"Sure thing, what's your car?" I say
"Uhm, go check her out yourself, boy are you in for a treat." She says
She jumps down back to the room, and I follow. She tells her mum that we were heading out, then grabbed the keys and headed for the garage. She opens the door, but it's so dark I couldn't see a thing.
"Get ready for this…." She says from behind and flicks on the light
And there it was, a black, 12 cylinder, V8 engine, Audi R8. My jaw dropped when I saw that car. I couldn't believe that it was hers.
Mandi steps down the stairs and tosses the key back to me and says
"A gift from daddy, he thought it would take my mind of you."
"I like how daddy thinks." I say to her. "This is seriously your car?"
"Nope, it's ours now, since you're here already." She smiles as she pulls me down.
I'm just looking at it in shock, also admiring the view of the car and Mandi
"Are we going or not?" Mandi smirks and ruffles my hair
"Alright then."
I hop into the driver's seat and is left in awe. A Formula 1 style steering wheel, shining buttons and knobs on the dash, although the speedometer is simple, just the way we like it.
"So how do we get to the mall?" I ask
"Here, just follow this." She says as she inputs the mall into the GPS
"Hey, we should name this car, just like you did with Oliver." I say to Mandi as I back out of the driveway.
"Aww, Oliver, I miss that car. How is he?"
"Same as how you last remembered him. Hey, back to the task at hand, naming the car."
"Well, is this a boy or a girl?"
"I say boy, since it's an Audi and has a beefy engine."
"Alright, what about 'silver fox'?"
"Now why such a random name?"
"The fins on the side, they're chromed, hence the 'silver' in the name, and for its speed."
"Haha. I like it. From now on, this car will be called 'Silver Fox'."
Having new friends with a totally different background is actually nice. Maria was so friendly to me, it was like we knew each other for such a long time. Phoebe was such a kid, we go together well. Grant knows so much about Formula 1, almost as much as me. I guess Mandi surrounded herself with people who were similar to me in their own little way.
On our way home, I passed by In n' Out for dinner up on the roof. When we get there, Mandi climbs straight up to the roof, but I pull her down by her ankles, and she shreeks.
"Is there something wrong?" she asks
"No, not really. I just thought about eating here, on the balcony, much more romantic, hehe." I say
"Okay. Wait, let me grab the speakers." As she says that, Coldplay music starts serenading us.
After eating, we just doze of there on the balcony, with me leaning against the steel bars and Mandi leaning against me, still with Coldplay playing in the background.
I wake up with a drop of water on my head. I try to move my head up a bit and see where the water came from, it was starting to rain. I shake Mandi awake, but she was still so groggy. I tried carrying her, but I knew she was awake and playing with me by putting on dead weight. Then the rain just pored, and she just leaped out of my arms and ran inside her room, then to which I followed after grabbing all of the stuff. I got in soaking wet, and Mandi just smiled at me and tossed me a towel.
It was getting late and I had to go back home, so I gave Mandi a kiss goodbye and promised that I would pick her up from school on Monday since I had some family matters to attend to. So I borrowed the Audi to drive back home to avoid the rain, and Mandi would just drop by my place to pick it up before going to school.
A week later, I had really gotten so comfortable there that I spent the last 3 nights at Mandi's, and brought and picked her up from school. But during the day, I'm with my family.
This morning, my mum handed me an envelope with "Mandi" written on it, and told me not to open it until I was with Mandi and that she had to open it. So I just went with it and didn't touch it until I picked her up.
I pull up in front of the school, and wait outside, leaning on the bonnet with the envelope beside me. The bell rung, and as usual, Mandi was one of the first ones out, running to me. I give her a kiss and hand her the envelope.
"What's this?" she asks
"I dunno, it's from my mum, and she told me not to open it, and it had to be you." I say
She leans on the car beside me, opens it and pulls out a letter that reads
Hey kids, I got a real treat for you. I phoned am old friend of mine
that works over at the office of Disneyland, and she agreed to give
you two free VIP tickets, but you better hurry up and decide when
you two are going to go, because the tickets inside the envelope
expires in 3 weeks. Oh Mandi, consider this as an early
birthday gift. Have fun you two.
Mama O
She looks in the envelope and pulls out the tickets, then looks at me, and we both smile.--- We both just decide to go this Friday, it's just the day after tomorrow, so why not.
The next day, I bring Mandi to school, and head back home to spend some time with my sister. Before leaving to pick up Mandi, I pack some clothes for up until Sunday.
I pull up in the carpark of the school, and text Mandi to go there, instead of the usual front. Mandi comes out looking a bit confused.
"What's all this? Why back here?" She asks as she raises her hands.
"I thought you wanted to change." I say as I hold up a bag
"Change? Change for what?"
"You'll see." I say
She heads back into the school to change, and emerges in a whole new outfit, a very simple sweater and jeans.
"I still don't get why I couldn't just wear what I was wearing a while ago." She says
"Oh, right, oops. I just go used to you wearing a uniform back home."
"Oh Jelo…."
"Let's just go." I say as I load her bags into the boot
"So where are we going?" she asks as soon as I hop in the driver's seat.
"A place where you would enjoy"
"You and your surprises, they're annoying, but that's one of the things I love about you. Haha."
I pull onto the 101 and drive towards the city. I pull of the Hollywood Blvd. exit. I drive all the way up to Hollywood at Highland and pull into an underground parking.
"Jelo, where are you going with this?"
"You'll see." I say to her as I back up into a parking space.
I open up the door for her, and make our way to the elevator. We step inside, and I press 'G'. The doors open, the interior of the El Capitan Theater comes into view. Mandi looks over to me still confused.
"I still don't get it, what are we doing here at the El Capitan?"
"Well, I thought that since we were going to Disneyland tomorrow, might as well get into the Disney mood, by watching our favorite movie, Toy Story."
"Aww, Jelo, I love you so much." Then she kisses me on the cheek
After we bought the tickets, we moved over to the snack bar and indulged ourselves with every piece of candy, chocolate, and sweets we could find, and we bought two buckets of pop-corn, and 2 gigantic cups of Coke.
We head inside, and sit middle seats at the very back of the theater. During the previews, which lasted 15 minutes or so, we acted like a bunch of 5 year olds, eating almost all our snacks, playing with them, fighting over the biggest pieces. When the movie started, we played a game during the first two or three scenes, on who could finish they're pop-corn first, which Mandi took very seriously. When she finished hers, I wasn't even half way through mine, she put the bucket on my head and laughed so hard that one of the employees went to us and told us to shut it or leave.
After all the sugar has died down in our system, at about halfway through the movie, Mandi took my pop-corn and put it with the rest of our stuff on the seat beside her, and sat on my lap, and cuddled me. We just finished the movie like this. When the movie was over, I looked down and saw Mandi sound asleep, so I just kissed her on the forehead, and woke her up. She was so startled, that she jolted up, almost making me spill the Coke.
We head out of the theater, without Mandi saying a single word, but just holding my hand and leaning her head against me. I pull out of the car park and head home. At the first stop light, I look over at her and see that she was sound asleep, again, using my jacket as a blanket, she must have had a long day at school.
When I pull into her garage, I slowly opened the door, and carried her into the house, up to her room and lay her down on the bed. I head back down, to get our stuff in the boot. On my way back up, I run into her father.
"Jelo? You're here?" he seemed shocked
"Oh hey. Yup, I'm here for the summer." I say to him
"That's great! But what are you doing here now?" he asks me
"Well, we just came from a movie, and she fell asleep, so I just carried her up to the room, and we're going to Disneyland tomorrow, a gift from my mum, so I'm spending the night here." I reply
"Well, that sounds great. Hey, I just want you to know that I never wanted to hurt either of you, and---"I stop him mid sentence
"Sir, it's fine, I'm here with her now, that's all that matters." I say to him
"Good, now take care." He says to me
"You too sir, goodnight" I tell him
I head back up, dump our stuff onto the floor, take of my shoes, and sleep on Mandi's couch
The next morning, I wake up early to buy ourselves some breakfast. I took a shower, and got dressed. Before I left, I left a note on Mandi's lamp shade with a Post-It, just to let her know where I was.
I go to the garage, and instead of taking the Audi, which when I would start up, would make such a rumble that would wake up the whole family, so I borrowed her dad's bike. Luckily for me, McDonald's was just a few blocks away from where Mandi lives.
I got there, and ordered the usual for me and Mandi, and something for her parents. Then I head back, attaching the paper bags on the handle bars.
When I get back, I saw Mandi already ready to go, sitting on the front porch swing, just playing on her phone. So I then shouted
"My lady, I have brought thee some grubage for you on this fine spring morning. Care to join me inside?"
"Well of course my good sir. And do you like-th what I'm wearing?" she replies
She then stood up and showed of what she was wearing. When she did, I almost dropped the food in amazement, because she was wearing the exact same outfit she wore when I first laid my eyes on her.
I saw beauty back then in a girl wearing banged up red Vans, dark blue short shorts with a loose half buttoned white polo tucked into it, with barely there make-up and Ray-Bans used as a headband.
I tossed over the food to Mandi, as I went back in the garage to return the bike. I meet Mandi inside the kitchen, and we both started to eat. I also made some coffee for her parents, and a special brew that Mandi likes, that only I know how to make.
Then we were both startled, because both out phones and watches started ringing, then I remembered that I set all of them last night to go off at 7:30 so that we would have an early start at Disneyland. We packed up, and left a note for her mum that we already left and would be back by midnight, and we had some food and coffee for them.
We loaded up the R8, but I didn't start up the engine, I told Mandi to sit in the driver's seat and put the car in neutral as I pushed the car out, as she steers and takes care of the breaks. When we backed out of the driveway, I hopped into the driver's seat and Mandi sat in the passenger's, and the R8 roared to life, then we were off.
When we get there, we were able to park immediately, right in front of the gates. Being one of the few already there given that we were really early to avoid the lines, which was really stupid because we forgot that we had the VIP passes, which made us cut through every line. The ticket offices were still closed, but with our passes, we could go right in. Although, inside, people were still setting up stalls, opening the shops, basically, still opening. So we just walked along Main Street USA, and ran in front of the castle and took pictures.
Throughout the whole day, it was like we were just a bunch of kids again. We rode all the rides, at least twice, had pictures with all the mascots we could find, but we absolutely had to take a picture with all the Toy Story characters. Since we were such kids, we were asked to take part in the parade, and gave us free souvenirs, to go home with.
After the parade, during the fireworks, I asked someone to take a picture of us kissing in front of Cinderella's Castle, as the fireworks explode behind it. I asked for the camera back, and she tossed it to me, then me and Mandi just slow danced to 'When You Wish Upon a Star' right there and then, with all the people looking at us or passing by us.
"This is much more romantic than a dance at prom." Mandi says as she looks up to me in the middle of the song
After that, we sat in this small café and had the last churros the man was selling, and looked up to the stars. When there were not as much people anymore, we got up and made our way back to the gates. When we got there, we saw someone selling the LGM hats we both loved starting to pack up, so we both ran to him and bought 4. We wore them all the way home.
When we get in the car, Mandi had the urge to play all the Disney classics songs she had on her phone all the way home. With us being us, and hyped up on sugar, we sang along to every lyric of every song until we got home.
Mandi didn't bother to bring down the stuff, as soon as I pulled into the garage, she jumped out of the car and went inside. So I grabbed all the bags of goodies, and her hand bag, and headed up. When I got into her room, she was already down to her underwear, lying on the bed passed out. I put the stuff on her dresser, got dressed myself, and tucked Mandi in, and passed out on the couch.
The next day, I woke up at already lunch time, I roll of the couch and fall face first. I went to the bathroom and took a piss, when I head out, I smell bacon and eggs, I look around the room and see where it came from, and I see a tray on the side table, a big plate of bacon and eggs with a note from Mandi's mum.
Hey kids, went out with my old high school friend
today, and I would probably be back after dinner.
I also made you some breakfast if ever you two wake up.
For lunch, you can just get whatever from the fridge.
Try not to burn down the house.
Mommy Anna
I put aside the note, and started digging into the food, but only eating half, leaving the rest for Mandi. Then I went down to watch the Spanish Grand Prix on their massive TV in her dad's office. When I get in I see her dad, in his golf attire, also waiting for the race.
"Good morning. Waiting for the race as well?" I ask him
"Uhm, no. It was over like 4, 5 hours ago, I'm waiting for the replay." He replies
"Oh right, mind if I join?" I ask him
"Of course Jelo."
After the broadcast, he stood up and left to play golf, I said goodbye. I checked my phone, and I had a mini heart attack, because I saw that it was Mandi's birthday next Saturday, it totally slipped my mind. So I go grab my laptop and go into the mini home theater and plugged my computer to the projector and started planning stuff to do for her birthday.
I didn't know if her mum had any plans or anything for Mandi, so I called up her mum and asked if she did, luckily, I had the whole weekend to use up. So I just sat there in front of a giant screen with nothing on it. Then it hit me. I remembered that some of her friends from back home were here, so I sent them a message that there would be a party next Saturday, and that they were invited
I go up and grab Mandi's phone and call Maria and ask her help for the guest list, and she said that she would take care of the entire party, I don't know how many times I thanked her over the phone.
I've got Saturday night covered, that leaves me with Friday left to plan, but I then remembered that my grandparents has a lake house about 40 minutes from where we are, so I call them up and asked if I could use it, and they practically gave it to me.
All was set, I just typed them into my computer, but then I heard Mandi's voice looking for me, so I quickly closed all the applications, then opened the Formula 1 website and opened it to the results page, not to look ominous. I did all that just as she walked in.
"There you are." She says
"Here I am. " I reply
"So, what to do today?" she asks me
"Beats me, it's your house."
"Well, I would really like to work on my tan." She smirks
"To the back yard it is, but you don't have a pool."
"I have lawn chairs. That's more than enough for me to use."
We spent all day in outside in her back yard, both of us just laying there and listening to our iPods. I said goodbye after finishing lunch, because I had to do family stuff.
"Take the car" she says
"Nah, you'll need it. I can't bring you to school till Friday." I reply
"Oh ok." She says in a sad tone.
"I'm sorry, it's my mom." I tell her and kiss her goodbye.
On Thursday, I texted Mandi that I could bring her to school the next day.
Before picking her up, I went on errands to check and do things I would need for Mandi's birthday. Then I got a call from her asking where I was.
"What do you mean where am I? It's only 12, you're not out till 3:20."
"Don't you remember? I told you this morning that I would be out early."
"Oh right." I'm so dead. "I'm on my way right now."
I hop into the R8 and drive like mad to the school. When I get there, an hour late, I screech to a halt in front of the school, and Mandi was leaning against a tree trunk with her arms crossed and her mad face on. She struts her way to the car, and hops in without saying a word.
"Sorry…." I tell her, but she doesn't speak.
I head off to Topanga Mall. The tension and silence in the car is so awkward. When I parked the car, I locked the doors right as Mandi tries to open the door.
"I'm sorry that I was late, but were not leaving until you talk to me" I say to her.
"Okay. I accept your apology, but what are we doing here?" she asks
"Part one of your birthday gift."
"My birthday isn't until tomorrow. And 'Part one'? So there are multiple gifts?"
"Yup, this one being the new Formula 1 game, but lunch first."
We head straight for T.G.I.F. and have the usual. Then we head over to GameStop for the game. Then we headed back home.
When we get home, I grab their PS3 from the game room, and plug it into the projector and speakers in the theater, while Mandi got dressed. I pop in the game, and while it loads, Mandi comes in wearing my old PE shirt, it's so long on her, that she didn't even wear shorts, it acts like a night dress. We played against each other all day, until her mum came home at around 7.
Her mum walks into the theater telling Mandi to go and get dressed in something nice, and some makeup. Mandi asked why, and her mum just said that it would be a surprise. Madndi heads up, and her mum looks at me and says
"You have about ten minutes until she gets down, you better hurry."
"Thank you!" I tell her and kiss her on the cheek and go to the garage.
In the garage, I open the bonnet and grab my bag, and start to dress up there in my grey polo and jeans, and grab some flowers. Then I head back inside, and wait for Mandi at the kitchen and started to talk to her mum while waiting
"I don't really get why I had to get glammed up mom, I was having fun playing F1 with Jel-" Mandi stops mid sentence when she sees me.
I look over, and was mesmerized by a beautiful girl in a dark blue, polka dotted corset dress, with black pumps, putting on her pearl earrings. I nearly fall over the bar stool when she walked in.
"Uhm, Jelo, what's going on?" Mandi asks
"You'll see." I say to her as I hand over the bouquet of roses to her.
"I'll leave you two alone then." Anna tells her daughter. "Have fun" she whispers to her, but was loud enough to hear.
"Shall we?" I ask her as I offer my arm.
She grabs it, with the biggest grin on her face, she has no clue at all, and we made our way to the Audi. Mandi is left in awe, she was so quiet but was just smiling. Then I pull out of the garage, and into the night.
As I was driving, Mandi kept on asking me where I was taking her, but I would just tell her that it would be a surprise each time. I pull onto the 101, driving away from the city. Then pull of about 30 minutes later, and start heading west. 9 miles down the road, I pull off onto a dirt road, which apparently is not the best surface to drive an R8 on. So we start shaking, and when I look over at Mandi, I see her giggling.
"What's so funny?" I ask her
"You got to turn on the 'off-road' button" she says as she presses it for me, then looks back at me with a grin.
About a mile down the dirt road, the lake comes into view, with a two story Italian styled lake house on its edge. It takes us another 3 minutes to get to it though, due to the dirt road, but Mandi still has no clue that that's where we were heading.
As soon as I pull into the massive garage, decked out with so many toys, Mandi looks over to me in shock.
"What is this? What's going on? Where are we? Jelo!" she says as she flairs her hands around
"It's my birthday gift to you." I quickly respond.
"Birthday gift? You bought me a house?" she snaps
"No I didn't buy you a house, yet. It's my grandparent's old summer lake house, which they don't use at all anymore, so I called them up and asked if I could use it for now, but yes, for the next 24 hours or so, this house is ours."
"Next 24 hours?"
"Yup. We'll spend the night and mostly all day tomorrow here, then we go back for your party."
"Party? What party?" she says confused
"Again, yes. I called up Maria and asked her to help me throw a party for you tomorrow night with your old and new friends. You don't have to worry about a thing, I took care and prepared everything. You just enjoy the next day with me okay?" I tell her
I step out of the car, and help Mandi clamber out of the R8, and make our way to the front door. While I unlocked the door, Mandi turned around to look at the magnificent view of the lake, illuminated only by the full moon.
"Isn't it the view just beautiful?' she says
"I've seen better." I tell her
"Really? Where is it? Can you take me there sometime?" she asks
"I actually can't." I tell her "But only because I'm looking at her right now." Then Mandi blushes with me saying that. "But more on the lake later, let's have dinner first." Then I show her in.
As you step inside, it's an all wood floor, with the great room to your left, with a big 'U' shaped sofa facing a roasting fireplace and a flat screen TV on top of it. Dead straight from the doorway, was a long hallway, with entertainment rooms on both side, and the stairs leading up at the end. On your right, is the dining room, which can seat a group of 12 people, but tonight, it was already set for two. Behind the dining room is a traditional Italian kitchen with a few modern fixings here and there.
"The table is already set, is there someone else here with us?" she asks
"Oh, no. I told my sister to swing by awhile ago and help me fix up the place a bit."
"Oh Okay"
"Shall we eat?" I ask her as I hold my arm out pointing to the table.
"Don't be so formal dude! It's just the two if us, and don't bother being all gentleman like on me tonight, like pulling back my chair and all that, let's just be us, the people we both fell in love with." She says as she pulls down my arm and drags me to the table.
When she said that, I felt sad and happy at the same time. Sad that I can't be
fancy and all that, but happy because I don't have to be. It was such a relief that I know that I don't have to go over the top to impress her, but a few hints here and there, wouldn't hurt.
Mandi sits down, as I went to the kitchen to grab the food. When I look over at the table just moments later, she wasn't there, and then I felt a tap on my back. I turn around and see Mandi barefoot, holding her heals with her left hand, and she says
"Jelo, it's just the two of us, like you said, so let's just eat here."
"Here? In the kitchen? But wh---" but before I could finish what I was going to say, she pushed me back so that I was leaning against the counter, then we were forehead to forehead, my hands on her waist, and her arms around my neck, just smiling and laughing.
"So what are we eating? She asks me
"In n' Out, our favourite. And since you don't want fancy shmancy, where do you suggest we eat?
Mandi moved her head back, but was still clung onto me, and put on her 'thinking look' on. Then she unclasped her arms and stepped beside me, with my eyes following her, and pushed herself up onto the countertop.
"Here!" she says. That makes me smile, so I pull out the burgers, fries, and milk shakes, and put them beside her
I stand beside her and in front of the food. I grab my burger, but before I could take a bite, she pulled me, so that I was between her legs, and she wrapped them around me.
"The food stays there, but you eat here, in front of me" She says in the cutest way with her mouth full of food.
"That was a great dinner. So what else do you got planed for me tonight?" she asks me.
"I was thinking about heading out to the lake, and just chill." I tell her
"That sounds great! Let's go." She says just as she jumps off the countertop and drags me out of the kitchen.
When we get to the dock, Mandi just drops her shoes and sits down on the edge. I stayed back a bit and took off my shoes and rolled up my jeans then joined her. Our toes just barely touching the water, we skim them across. I take out my iPod and ear buds, pop one into my ear, and the other onto Mandi's, and press shuffle. Mandi rests her head on my shoulder and I put my arm around her and we just sat there.
Then suddenly, Sunday Mornings started playing. I jolt up and pull Mandi onto her feet
"Dance with me." I tell her
Mandi just gives me a smile, then I pull her closer to me, and we just slow danced there on the dock. On the bridge of the song, I give her a big twirl, then she laughs as I pull her back in
"What's so funny?" I ask
"You're such a hopeless romantic when you become sweet around me, it just makes me laugh, but this, this I love." She smiles up to me just as the song ends.
"Can you blame me? I fell in love with one of the most beautiful girls in the world." I say as I give her a quick kiss
"And you still are….." she adds
"Hey, there's one more thing I have planned for tonight, but for that, we have to go back into the house." I say
"By all means then" she tells me
We make our way back into the house, through the hallway, up the stairs, and to the master bedroom door. Before I opened the doors, Mandi grabbed my arm, looked at me in the eyes and said
'Jelo, I know where this is going, you don't have to worry about me or my parents finding out."
"Your parents? What are you talking about?" I ask he'
"Oh come on, don't play with me. We've known each other for 3 years, and I know your style. Besides, I've been waiting for this moment just as much as you have. My dad gave me the 'Birds and the Bees talk' when you two first met, so no worries there, and I trust you that you won't hurt me, right?"
"Of course, so okay then, let's do this." I quickly reply
"Not to fast big boy." She says as she pats on my chest. "First of all, none of those 'passion shit' I know we want to be intimate, but let's keep it real. Second, I won't try to impress you and you won't try to impress me. Third, NO FAKING! Understood? Good. Lastly, I love you!" with that, she lunges at me and starts to kiss me wildly, and we fumble into the room…….
I wake up feeling a bit woozy. I look to my right, and I see Mandi naked with the sheets draping over her body, sleeping on my shoulder with my right arm around her. I look to myself as well, and I too was naked. I grab my watch on the bed side table to check the time, and see that it was only 5:15am. I look out the window and see that the sun hasn't risen yet. So I slither my way out of the bed, making sure not to wake Mandi up, and I put a pillow in her arms to replace me. I grab my bag from the closet and grab a set of clothes, and head into the bathroom to freshen up and get dressed. When I finished, I slowly tipped toed my way out of the room and went down to the kitchen and made myself some hot chocolate, then headed for the dock.
On the dock, I find this old wooden crate, and place it in the middle and positioned it to face the direction of the sunrise. I sit down and waited for the sun, having a sip of my chocolate every now and then. I just closed my eyes, and remembered how this weekend has panned out so far. Then I feel a tap on my shoulder, I look over, and see Mandi standing there, holding the 'newly' blood stained sheets up to her body, to cover it, with really messed up hair.
"Good morning birthday girl! What are you doing out here?" I ask her
"Thanks." She says as she gives me a kiss. "I woke up, and you weren't there, so I went looking for you."
"Just wearing that? Without even dressing up." I ask her while pointing out the sheets.
"It's only the two of us, so might as well do whatever." She says sarcastically.
"Well, you found me. Join me, let's watch the sun rise." I say to her as I pat the crate. "Here, have some." I add as I hand her the cup of chocolate.
After taking a sip, she doesn't sit, she just lays down on me and rests her head on my lap. Just as she does that, there it was, the majestic sun. Too bad, that when I looked down at her, she was fast asleep. So I just sat there, soaking up the sun. When the sun got up high enough, I looked at Mandi and she started twitching in the glare, so I carried her back into the house and set her on the bigger than life couch.
I turn on the enormous TV and set it onto SPEED so that I could watch the qualifying Session of the Monaco Grand Prix once Mandi wakes up. But first, I had to make breakfast. So I head into the kitchen and whip up some waffles, and orange juice.
When I finish up, I place the food and drinks on a plate. I head back into the great room and set the food on the table in front of the couch, and sat down beside Mandi's head. While waiting for both Mandi to wake up, and qualifying to start, I ate my food, and started playing around with Mandi's by making a car out of her waffles.
Just before qualifying started, Mandi woke up. She looked up at me and smiled and giggled. I smile back. Then suddenly, she put her head back down and covered it with the sheets, and started laughing.
"What's so funny?" I ask her with a grin
She uncovers her face and says "Nothing, it's just that , when I left, I felt so sad and guilty about leaving you like that, but since you got here, you've made me forget about all those feelings, and replaced them with all the good ones we had and more. My days have also been so amazing. And last night, was, heaven, thank you for that. But it's not just that, it's everything that you've done and given me, ever, and I thank you for that."
"I love you too. But, have more in stored for you today. Starting with this." I say to her as I point to the TV.
She sits up, fixing the sheets a bit, then grabs the remote from me and turns the volume on full. As the sound of 24 800 horsepower, V8 engines serenades the whole house.
I love how such a girly-girl Mandi is, but I love her even more when she becomes a total dude. Just like how she knows so much more about cars than her dad, and was able to get him to buy the Audi, or how she knows and loves Formula 1 just as much as I do, although, not as religious in watching the races. Lastly my favourite, is how she eats, just like last night, and now--- I look over to her during the breaks between Q1 and Q2 as she devours the waffle-car. The thought of that just makes me smile and laugh a bit.
"What? What's so funny?" she asks me with a mouth full of waffles.
"Nothing" I say and just smirk at her as she turns her attention back to eating.
"Well that was an exciting quail," she says "what a mixed up grid for tomorrow's race, can't wait to watch it." Mandi exclaims
"I'll say. Hey, why don't you take a shower and get dressed, let's go do something."
"Okay. Wait, how? I didn't bring any clothes." She complains
"Yes you did." I tell her
"Huh?" she says with her 'confused' face
"I took the liberty of packing you a few sets of clothes, and if you'd go into the closet, you'll find them laid out and with a surprise waiting for you hanging at the end of the closet in a black garment-bag, let's just say that it will come in handy for the party tonight."
As Mandi headed upstairs to change, I took the plates to the kitchen and dumped them into the dish washer along with the stuff I used to cook the food with. My next task was to figure out how the dish washer worked, I quickly gave up on that and started pressing buttons until something happened.
I head back into the great-room and flickered through the channels. Then I heard Mandi call my name, I look behind me and see Mandi dressed in a red and white striped long-sleeved shirt tucked into a pair of black high-waisted shorts and red flats. Then she asks me
"Is this fine?"
"I guess. Now, let me get dressed."
I head up to the room for a quick shower. As I was dressing up, I hear Mandi shouting my name followed by a scream then a laugh. I quickly run down and look for her. When I get to the kitchen, all I see are bubbles, bubbles everywhere, from the floor to the ceiling, from wall to wall.
"Mandi, where are you?!" I shout at the wall of foam. Nothing, so I shout again "Mandi! Where are you?"
Then she whispers "Here." and she suddenly emerges from the wall of white and pulls me in.
We both fall onto the marble floor and start laughing. We both try to get up on our feet, but couldn't because we kept laughing and slipping, so we just crawled our way onto the patio. When we got out, we could finally stand up.
"What the hell was that?" Mandi asks me
"Hold on, let me get this." I say to her as I step closer to her and wipe the foam off her face with my
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Left to Right: Princess Augusta of Hesse, the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen Mary with upright pearls, Queen Mary without upright pearls.
Some Ladies of England Tiara plus the original pearl uprights from the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara and pearls off of a couple brooches belonging to Mary which were ultimately returned. Originally, the design included upright pearls on top of the arches, but Mary had them removed eventually.
After Mary died in 1953, the tiara passed to Queen Elizabeth II. She wore it with some regularity in the early 1950s, but it eventually went back to storage as she narrowed down her favorite tiaras to the ones we see with regularity today.
sapphire engagement ring. (The difference, naturally, is between Prince William giving the gift and the Queen giving the gift.) Personally, I'd like to see Kate wear it, but maybe when she's Princess of Wales. Give the girl a bit of time to develop her own persona first.
It seems people either love this tiara or despise it: which side do you fall on?
Photos: Corbis/Getty/Geoffrey Munn/Leslie Field/Suzy Menkes

subset: commoncrawl


text: Whether you're just starting out as a lacrosse player, or you're an experienced player looking to try a new position, everyone knows that lacrosse is the ultimate test of teamwork, "the fastest sport on two feet," and the best sport ever. It takes effort from everyone on the field to score, and it requires even more for the team to win. Having the right equipment and gear is just one part of a winning package. The other is putting players in the right position to succeed. From Attackers, to Defenders, Goalies, to Midfielders, every position has their own responsibilities in order to end up on top at the end of the game. Where do YOU lend your skills? Continue reading


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So many new releases this week on WTTS New Music Monday.
Van Morrison? You got it. His 34th studio album comes out October 2nd. Mumford and Sons? The wait for a new track is over, though the wait for Babel goes on until September 25th.
The Wallflowers? The Killers? Both will be covered this week, along with emerging artists Delta Rae and The Sheepdogs. All of this throughout the day and at 7pm, during an hour of all-new World Class Rock on WTTS New Music Monday.


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So today I rode up to the bike rack at work, just like pretty much every day, when I notice a brand new "Republic Bike" (or similar brand) locked up with a thin cable lock at the rack. "Oh, I say to myself, this must be my coworker's new bike he's been talking about. Man, I sure need to let him know to get a proper U-lock."
I work at a retail shop and I was going about my day, when I just happen to be near the window and see a man in a hoody unlocking my coworker's bike. I yell my coworker's name and run out of the store as fast as I can. I almost grab the thief as he's turning a corner but I slip and fall. I get back up and for a second think about how I'm never going to get the bike back, but my passion for bikes overcomes and I start sprinting after the dude. He's riding in traffic so I'm running in traffic yelling as loud as I can "STOP HIM!" As I'm running a car does a u-turn and yells get in and I jump in and we drive after the thief. The driver saved the day because he ran a red light to catch this dude. The thief starts riding on the sidewalk at this point and we yell to him, "Just give up the bike and nothing will happen." He drops the bike and starts running and I run out and pick up the bike.
The whole day goes by and all I can think about is what I should have done differently. Should I have chased him and called the cops until they showed up? I know some people would have probably chased after him until they could have broken his nose, but I was just happy to get the bike back. It would have been nice to know that a bike thief was in jail, but do I really want to be the one to have put him there? Most bike thieves are just opportunists in my opinion, and this poor ******* just saw a cheap cable lock and went for it. I've been working at that shop for 2.5 years, and have had bikes worth over $1k locked to that rack. It's amazing that it only took one day for a cheap cable lock to be noticed and stolen.
Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear your thoughts if you have them.


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Wednesday, March 2
Jim Boggia
Though his albums are shiny little gems of fine classic pop, you can't really "get" the Jim Boggia experience until you go see him perform in person: His easy-going stage presence and considerable charm unfurl like hothouse flowers. Like Boggia's part-time gig recreating Beatles tunes with the Fab Faux, this particular show has English roots. Last year, L.A.-based singer-songwriter Bleu, Brooklynite Tracy Bonham and Boggia found themselves touring the U.K. at the same time by happenstance, and all wound up playing a show at Borderline in London together. They had such chemistry, they decided to scratch up a mini U.S. tour and recreate the experience for lucky fans on this side of the pond. Boggia will surely be busting out his ukulele, while Bleu and Tracy will infuse his set with harmony vox. -Tara Murtha
8pm. $18-$20. With Bleu + Tracy Bonham. World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. 215.222.1400. worldcafelive.com
Conversations on Candy
From the Whitman's Sampler to Frank Fleer's bubble gum, Philadelphia has helped satisfy America's sweet tooth since the mid-1800s. At one point in the city's history, there were 12 sugar refineries and every neighborhood had its own confectioner. Candy makers like Wilbur's and Young's, have been gone for a while but Philly still has a few chocolate champions. The Berley brothers of the Franklin Fountain and Tony Walter of Lore's Chocolates are stopping by the Atwater Kent Museum this week to drop some seriously sweet knowledge on us compiled from firsthand experience: Their family businesses still concoct toothsome delicacies here in Philly and sell the sweets around the city. They'll be discussing the legacy and prospects of this lost confectioner's art. -Raymond Simon
6pm. $10. The Philadelphia History Museum at Atwater Kent, 15 S. Seventh St. 215.685.4830. philadelphiahistory.org/candy
Make Philly iProduct Design
You're probably sitting on the next great million-dollar product (mine's a toothbrush that reminds me to feed my cat), but then there's all the work that goes into design and execution. Make Philly's spring meeting, featuring Peter Bressler of the Bressler group, will give you insight on how to create and manufacture your genius product, so you aren't stuck trying to sell your customers your superglue and rubberband combos. After the talk, a second wave of awesome happens when members of Make Philly present what they're working on right now. Once they've inspired you, it's time to get your hands on some tech with the Maker Challenge. Split up into teams, and no matter what your experience level, you can work with your team to solve a presented problem. One of these new pals might be just the person to help you launch your great idea. -Alli Katz
7pm. Free. University of the Arts, 211 S. Broad St. makephilly.com
Thursday, March 3
The iStandard Producer Showcase
Producers don't always get the rep they deserve—maybe a shoutout in a riff but mostly just a mention in tiny print in the credits—yet they are responsible for the beat that gets heads bobbin' and booties bouncing. Entrepreneurs Don Di Napoli of Prototype Entertainment and J Hatch of Inasirkl Music Group decided to create an event where wannabe producers could platform their music in front of the big-wigs. iStandard Productions is hosting its first event of the year in the Illadelph, having become a monthly event in 15 cities across the U.S. since starting off in N.Y.C. six years ago. At bat are 10 up-and-coming hip-hop/R&B/pop producers who were chosen after submitting their work online. They've prepared a CD of five tracks formatted to present to judges including Bad Boy's Senator Skid, The Heatmakerz' Rsonist and Latif, who's written songs for Cassie and The Roots. This is no simple battle of the beats. Entrants will receive feedback and criticism, and perhaps, a licensing deal too. You could get the chance to tell your friends how you saw the next Swizz Beatz before he made it big. -Trishula Patel
8:30pm. $15-$20. Fluid Nightclub, 613 S. Fourth St. 215.629.3686. fluidnightclub.com
Marnie Stern
Following her critically acclaimed third album last year, Marnie Stern made an interesting move in January by releasing a cassette of early home recordings. Kill Rock Stars signed her in 2007 based on the strength of these demos. Entering the world through Dog Daze Tapes, an imprint run by a KRS employee, studio versions of several tracks appeared on In Advance of the Broken Arm. More than a fetish object for completists only, they offer a compelling portrait of Stern's evolution as a composer and musician. Her thorny guitar angles, spastic tempo shifts, and distinctive voice slash through but sound miles away, whirring in the fuzz that makes every four-tracker's eyes twinkle. -Elliott Sharp
8pm. $12. With Tera Melos + Many Arms. First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. 215.821.7575. r5productions.com
Friday, March 4
New Orleans: 1920s Mardi Gras
With Fat Tuesday right around the corner, the new event production company VINTAGEMUSE is bringing the glamour of the Roaring 20s and the extravagant carnival celebrations of the Big Easy to Philly for the night. In addition to an appearance by some Philadelphia Mummers, the evening's live entertainment will include burlesque performances by The Infamous Miss Mae and Lady Saint, set to the jazzy tunes of Drew Nugent & the Midnight Society and Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton. A mix of DJs will also be on hand to keep the party going into the wee hours. If you're able to pry yourself off the dance floor, there will be a crafting table where you can make your own Mardi Gras mask and stunning accessories on display for sale from Persephone's Jewels and Amaryllis La Creme. It's a theme party, so wear something vintage inspired and save 2 bucks on admission. -Nicole Finkbiner
8pm. $10-$12. The M Room, 15 W. Girard Ave. 215.739.5577. mroomphilly.com
Kurt Vile and the Violators
Philly's Constant Hitmaker has been letting his hometown catch him for free lately. A few weeks ago, he and the Violators (his backing band, with hairdos as long and free flowing as his own) played World Cafe Live's Free at Noon, where they dazzled with an encore cover of Springsteen's "Downbound Train." Now, the boys stop by Old City's a.k.a. music for an intimate in-store performance before heading out on the road in support of Vile's new Matador LP, Smoke Ring for My Halo, out March 8. The new songs are something to behold, too. "Jesus Fever" surges with jaunty guitars in a catchy framework, while "Ghost Town" trudges slowly beneath Vile's echoey, down-the-dark-hallway intonations. -Kevin Brosky
7pm. Free. AKA Music. 27 N. Second St. 215.922.3855. myspace.com/aka_music
Legalize Trans Benefit
The ad wizards at American Apparel probably thought they were doing the non hetero world a favor when they came up with "Legalize Gay" as a T-shirt slogan. Legalize Trans—a campaign to create discussion about the need for inclusiveness in the fight for gender equality—has turned this myopic misstep into an opportunity to educate and advocate. Transpyre Productions, which is all about creating safe, fun environments for Philly's trans community, knows how to throw a party, and the proceeds from this one will benefit Legalize Trans (anyone who shows up in an LT tee gets in free). The evening's cabaret-style entertainment includes folk pop/spoken-word trio Good Asian Drivers, performances of drag, burlesque and puppetry, and a post-show dance party. Where else can you party down, support your local trans community, and stick it to Dov Charney all on the same night? -Alexandra Jones
9pm. $5-$10. Tritone, 1508 South St. 215.545.0475. legalizetrans.com
Saturday, March 5
PBR Crafting Challenge Show
Not a day goes by that you don't see it. It's in your friend's apartment, littering the street or the free drink of choice at just about any event. The 167-year-old Pabst Blue Ribbon usually brings back many forgotten or blocked-out memories, but can apparently also inspire creativity. At the Third Annual PBR Crafting Challenge Show, vendors and artists will be displaying the many alternative uses of PBR such as turning the discarded bottle caps into funky earrings, or stiching and painting the logo on everything from baby toys to cuff links. Check out all the kookiness while snacking on PBR-inspired cookies and cupcakes and listening to live performances from Cheers Elephant, An American Chinese, Dangerous Ponies, TJ and the Atomic Bomb and Levee Drivers. Buy PBR-inspired apparel including shirts, housewares and soaps, play games and, of course, drink free PBR. -Sydney Scott
3pm. Suggested $8 donation. Skybox at The 2424 Studios, 2424 E. York St. 215.423.1800. 2424studios.com
Nate Wooley
If you follow improvised music in New York, you can't go long without bumping into trumpeter Nate Wooley, an Oregon native and former Coloradoan, now based in Jersey City. Wooley stands out on recent efforts by Adam Lane (Ashcan Rantings), Harris Eisenstadt (Canada Day), Matt Bauder (Day In Pictures) and more, but he's particularly at home in collaborative co-led environments (check out Tooth and Nail with Joe Morris, or Crackleknob with Mary Halvorson and Reuben Radding). Playing trumpet and amplifier at this week's live summit, Wooley joins experimental violinist/vocalist C. Spencer Yeh, assertive downtown cellist Okkyung Lee and famed U.K. drummer and free-jazz pioneer Paul Lytton. Nearing 64, Lytton will push his younger cohorts to their limits, be assured. -David R. Adler
Luksusowa No-Shave November winner Buddy Muhler on being the beard
PW's 2015 Gift Guide
Calendar: Nov. 25-Dec. 2
Artie Lange knows the score
PW's Weekend Picks: Philadelphia Marathon; Winter Beer Fest & more
Comedy game show "Uncalled Four" comes to town
Calendar: November 18-25
PW's Weekend Picks: Noshhh; Stars Ball; Bacon & Beer Fest; and more!


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Brie & Creamy
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Cremeux de BourgogneTheres just too much heavenly triple-creme to contain within one fluffy white rind. The sweetest, creamiest cat in the case we dare you not to swoon. Read More
Cave Aged
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UPDATE: According to Sportado, Iverson's injury isn't career threatening and he may not retire but instead have surgery and be out 6-8 weeks.
Not many thought it would last the two years he signed to play. Not many probably thought it would even last this long. But according to the Turkish publication Ajansspor, Allen Iverson is ready to retire.
Via HoopsWorld, the translation:
"Turkish Besiktas famous import, Allen Iverson, appears close to end his career in basketball. The former Philadelphia Sixers' guard injured his left ankle recently and can't stand the pain anymore. Later today, he will do a press conference to announce that he is going to have surgery in the United States and will be treated here. 'Leaving the basketball world makes me sad but, sometimes, we have to accept things like they are. I can say goodbye to basketball,' he revealed yesterday."As I've said before, I hated the fact that Iverson was even finishing up his career in Turkey, but the fact he's retiring there after an injury just makes me sad. It shouldn't have ended like this for The Answer.
Iverson appeared in 10 games for Besiktas (three coming in the Eurocup) and averaged 12.8 points and 4.2 assists in around 30 minutes per game. His team went 5-5 with him.
If this is truly the end for Iverson, it's been quite the incredible career. It started in Philadelphia and ended in Turkey, but the stuff in between was truly great. He won an MVP in 2001, took the 76ers to The Finals, fell out of love with Philly, then went to Denver and then was traded to Detroit. He stopped in Memphis for a cup of coffee before finishing his NBA career where it started, back in Philadelphia.


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Ida Tarbell (1857-1944)
Ida Minerva Tarbell was an investigative journalist, lecturer, and chronicler of American industry. She is best known for her classic, "The History of the Standard Oil Company" (1904) which was an indictment of John D. Rockefeller and his business practices.
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First Known Use: before 12th century
noun gal·lows \ˈga-(ˌ)lōz, -ləz, in sense 3 also -ləs\
: a structure on which a criminal who has been sentenced to death is killed by being hanged
plural gallows or gal·lows·es
Full Definition of GALLOWS
a : a frame usually of two upright posts and a transverse beam from which criminals are hanged —called also gallows treeb : the punishment of hanging
: a structure consisting of an upright frame with a crosspiece
: suspender 2a
See gallows defined for English-language learners
See gallows defined for kids
Examples of GALLOWS
- He was sentenced to death on the gallows.
Origin of GALLOWS
Middle English galwes, plural of galwe, from Old English galga, gealga; akin to Old Norse gelgja pole, stake, Armenian jałk twig
Other Legal Terms
Definition of GALLOWS
: deserving the gallows
First Known Use of GALLOWS
15th century
GALLOWS Defined for Kids
noun gal·lows \ˈga-lōz\
plural gallows or gal·lows·es
Definition of GALLOWS for Kids
: a structure from which criminals are hanged
Learn More About GALLOWS
Next Word in the Dictionary: gallows birdPrevious Word in the Dictionary: gallow–grassAll Words Near: gallows
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- Heat Bench Continues to Thrive
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A Marathon hospital for sea turtles is offering a $1,000 cash reward for information... Read more
The Dolphins will try to avoid a sweep by the Jets on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Read more
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Ever since I can remember, I've wanted to go to the Flowing Well park in Carmel. My grandparents lived a mile or so away from it for about 25 years, and every single time we would drive past I would glance at the clock to see if we had enough time to stop. But I didn't want to throw off the schedule so I never said anything.
And I probably should have just ASKED to stop one of those hundreds of times we drove past, because I imagine we would have.
Today is a beautiful day. Like, LEGIT BEAUTIFUL. I had planned to go to the park tomorrow, but there is a large chance of rain. So since it is Joey's day off, we all decided to come today! I wanted to bring him anyway, since it's something I've been wanting to go to for years.
First thing on our list: drink the water.
Ana thought this part was amazing, which came as no surprise to me.
Joey and I read all the signs about the artesian well, while Ana tugged on our arms and asked for "more water please?" Joey and I kinda thought the water tasted like Yellowstone National Park, so we only took one sip each.
We walked on the trails back in along the creek bed for a ways, and we saw lots of woodpeckers and other migrating birds. Ana collected leaves as big as her head and happily stumbled her way along the rocky path, jabbering about who knows what.
Then Joey taught her how to throw rocks in the creek. Game over. She was filling her fists with rocks and toddling over to get help throwing them in the water.
So it was just as well that we had to leave.
Exploring by myself is fun, but exploring as a family is more funner.


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Louie the Lightning Bug at the Kentucky Derby Festival 2012 Pegasus Parade. May 03, 2012
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The Kentucky Derby Festival will hold its annual draw for the order floats and inflatables will take in the Republic Bank Pegasus Parade on Wednesday at Pinot's Palette St. Matthews, 291 N Hubbards Lane.
The 58th annual Republic Bank Pegasus Parade on May 2 will include floats, marching bands, giant inflatables, equestrians and celebrities ...


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Furloughs make workers scramble
Some at DOD look at new, 2nd jobs
WASHINGTON — During her first furlough day Friday, Sheppard Air Force Base worker Stephanie Arens plans to look for a new job.
Unpaid leave begins this week for the Department of Defense's civilian workers, so Arens is losing more than $200 from the paycheck she draws every two weeks.
"I'm seeking employment outside the DOD. I've just decided that it's time for me to look elsewhere," said Arens, a military retiree and vice president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 779.
The health service administration worker is among more than 650,000 civilians employed by the DOD forced to take off 11 days without pay by Sept. 30. They must take one furlough day a week, amounting to a 20 percent pay cut during that time.
DOD federal workers faced with furlough days are working second jobs, looking for other primary jobs, going to doctors' appointments, cleaning out the garage and negotiating with creditors to get a break on payments.
"There are other people who are calling their legislators and saying, 'Why haven't you fixed this?' " said Patty Viers, vice chairwoman of the AFGE Defense Conference.
Claude Jacques commutes from Abilene to work at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, and he'll take his first furlough day Friday.
"I've been actually talking with my wife and entertaining the idea of starting a little moonlighting or something," said Jacques, chief steward of AFGE Local 1035. "Really, I don't know yet."
At Goodfellow, 625 civil service workers will take furloughs, coordinating with supervisors as to which days.
At Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, 361 civilians will take furloughs, also coordinating with their supervisors.
Furloughs across the DOD will save about $1.8 billion to help meet sequester requirements to cut $37 billion by the end of September.
The Pentagon's savings this year means more than a $3,000 pay cut for Corpus Christi Army Depot worker Ross Gonzales.
"That's a lot of money to be missing out on," said Gonzales, a single parent.
The 43-year-old Army veteran started thinking about a second job earlier this year after getting wind of furloughs. He has been putting in evening hours as a part-time baseball pitching instructor for VelocityLab in Corpus Christi since April.
"It's not going to make up that 20 percent, nowhere near it," Gonzales said "But it's something."
His son is a senior in high school, and Gonzales wants to pick up the tab for expenses associated with graduation such as senior pictures, he said.
During his first furlough day Friday, Corpus Christi Army Depot worker Noe I. Ramos Jr. will drive a forklift at his new second job.
Each week for the next three months, the father of two plans to put in 32 hours at the CCAD where he has worked almost 13 years and another 36 hours at Sutherlands Lumber Co., where he started July 5.
Most days, he will go to work at 6 a.m. at the depot and get off at 9 p.m. from Sutherlands with a half-hour in between.
"I really don't like the whole thing with the furlough, but I need to support my family," said Ramos, 36. "So working two jobs is what I'm going to have to do."
Ramos doesn't like furloughs for more than one reason.
"They're hurting the workers here at the depot and hurting the soldiers that are out there because we can't produce that one day, being off," he said.
Contact Washington correspondent Trish Choate at 202-664-9439 or email@example.com.
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The Magazine
Mister Macabre
The storyteller with a twist, or two.
Jan 22, 2007, Vol. 12, No. 18 • By EDWIN M. YODER JR.
Frequently, his characters contrive get-rich-quick schemes, like the geeky inventor of "The Great Automatic Grammatizator," who builds a computer that will gush out instant stories and novels by the dozen and soon drives all the mediocre writers out of business. Or Mr. Botibol who, in one story, imagines that he's Brahms and Beethoven, and in a later one tries to stop the liner he's on in mid-ocean so as to slow the day's sail down and win the captain's betting pool. He jumps overboard, but no one notices. The ship sails on.
So you see, Doc, their little schemes and petty villainies are often thwarted, sometimes hilariously so. Like the two men who poach pheasants by doping them with sleeping powders in raisins, only to have the birds wake up as they're being delivered to the poachers (in a baby carriage!) and fly every which way. Or the vandal housebreaker who accidentally swallows a huge diamond hidden in an ice tray and is found out when its sharp end lodges in his small intestine and has to be removed surgically. Or the wine connoisseur who boasts that he can identify any great wine by taste but is caught cheating when the maid brings him the glasses he's left in the room where the rare Médoc has been breathing.
Yes, I'd say that Dahl's stories are often sadistic. As when a deluded wife fancies that a beautiful stray cat who likes her piano-playing is Franz Liszt reincarnated. When she goes to the kitchen to cook the cat a good meal, her exasperated husband throws the cat into a bonfire in the back yard. Sadistic, I'd say, but not nihilistic. There is often a sort of rough justice. Very rough.
You're looking at your watch. I get it. I don't want to waste your time. What's that? Well, yes, that's an interesting "parting shot," as you call it. You say you don't have to hate sex to like Hamlet, or be a regicide or madly ambitious to admit a grudging admiration for Macbeth, or a jealous husband to see where Othello goes terribly wrong.
Good point! And your diagnosis? I see, Doc: I am a "literary hypochondriac," you say. Interesting term. Did you invent it on the spur of the moment?
Edwin M. Yoder Jr. is a former editor and columnist in Washington.


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You are hereHome ›
Phalen Golf Course may have found new management
Come spring, Prom Management Group may be running the East Side's majestic Phalen Golf Course, along with the Como Golf Course.
Phalen Golf Course, an 18-hole recreational course located in Phalen Regional Park, has been an East Side destination since it was built in 1917.
The decision to find a private partner came in November 2013, after the St. Paul Parks and Rec Department reported that collectively, the city's four golf courses had lost $5 million since 2008.
So, after some discussion, the St. Paul City Council approved a resolution for the parks department to search for someone to take over running the Phalen and Como courses.
Spokesperson Brad Meyer said the parks department landed seven proposals, although one was disqualified because it missed the deadline.
A committee ranked the proposals, whittling them down to three. Those three were interviewed, and Prom Management was ultimately chosen.
"We got to an agreement with Prom that we felt the most comfortable with," Meyer said.
The company and the city have hashed out a rough draft of a contract, which was approved unanimously by the St. Paul Parks and Recreation commission on Wednesday, Jan. 15, and will now go to city council approval.
Meyer said the city council could vote on it as early as next week.
If that goes through, the city would hopefully be getting the private management into the Phalen facility in time for the start of the 2014 golf season, he said.
Company background
If the deal goes through, Prom Management would be responsible for grounds maintenance in addition to running the Phalen clubhouse.
Prom Management is owned by brothers Tom and Bill Given and is based in Oakdale, where it has the Prom Center, an event hosting facility. Prom Management runs the well-known catering division called Prom Catering.
The company specializes in concessions sales and event catering, and operates concessions and banquet hosting out of several other facilities, including two publicly owned golf clubhouses in Minneapolis, and 3M's Tartan Park, which has an adjoining golf course in Lake Elmo.
The added responsibility of managing the grounds of a municipal golf course would be a new step for them, Meyer said, but they're prepared.
Meyer said Don Siggelkow, a veteran of the Minneapolis Parks system, will be the superintendent for the courses. Siggelkow oversaw operations at Minneapolis' seven golf courses, on top of a variety of other city venues, and worked for the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board as a superintendent for over a decade.
"He's got the pedigree to be successful," Meyer said.
Residents' concerns
At the parks commission meeting, around 50 residents showed up to voice concerns about the efforts to privatize the Como and Phalen courses, Meyer said. About 15 people said they were worried about the future of Phalen Golf Course, he said.
Meyer said that by and large, they expressed apprehensions about Prom Management's ability to maintain the course at the same level as the city crews. They were also concerned about losing the course's golf pro, Jody Christensen.
"People like Jody," Meyer said, "she's a great pro."
Meyer said that the parks and recreation department has offered her other positions there, but have also encouraged that Prom Management consider hiring on city staff.
Bill Given, co-owner of Prom Management Group, said the company's been talking with grounds maintenance workers from other courses in the Twin Cities, and should have an experienced grounds crew lined up, if the contract goes through.
Performance improvement
Given said that the main ways the company would improve the performance of the courses would be through added revenue stream from the company's bread and butter -- concessions sales.
They'll seek out a full liquor license, he said, which would in turn make it easier to bring in additional golf tournaments.
Events- and concessions-wise, the facilities at Phalen Golf Course have been underutilized, he said, noting that under city mangement, the only food available at the concessions stand was frozen pizza or hot dogs, and the only beverages available were 3.2 beer and glasses of wine.
He asserted that only three wedding receptions were held at the facility last year. "Three weddings, are you kidding me?" he said, "There's no reason not to do 20 or 25."
And Prom will be cutting out some fat, he said. "The (city) payroll is astronomical," he said. "No private operation can operate that way... there are definitely going to be some efficiencies we're going to do."
Contract could generate revenue for city
The group would be on a five-year contract with the city, which would end with the closing of the 2018 golf season, Meyer said.
Under the arrangement, Prom Management would do revenue sharing with the city parks department -- it would pay the parks department 4 percent of its annual income, or a minimum of $65,000 for use of both Phalen and Como courses.
"If they lose money, they're responsible," Meyer said. And the more they make, the more the city stands to gain, he noted.
And either way, the city's off the hook for the roughly $400,000 it has lost annually between the two courses.
The city wouldn't be entirely off the hook money-wise on the facilities though. It will throw in $30,000 a year per course towards capital improvements and any pressing maintenance. Prom Management, in turn, will throw in $10,000 per year per course for the first three years, and $20,000 for the last two.
Customer experience
In terms of what the customers might see under Prom's management, Meyer said the changes would be mostly positive or unnoticeable.
Golfers will use the same website as before, and there will still be merchandise in the clubhouse, and the public will be able to book tee times. The differences will potentially be improved food and beverage choices, Meyer said, along with new staffing.
And the winter activities will remain, he noted. Cross country ski trails at Phalen will still be maintained by the city, as will the skiing activities at Como.
Contact Patrick Larkin at 651-748-7816 or at email@example.com, or follow on Twitter at @ESRPatrickLark.


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SKU:8558Artist:Compatible Figures:Victoria 4 EliteCompatible Software:DAZ Studio, PoserSKU:8558Artist:Compatible Figures:Victoria 4 EliteCompatible Software:DAZ Studio, Poser
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Aliya is a soft, pale texture with loads of options! A perfect companion product for the Barbarian Princess texture expansion for Blood Bound, or as a stand-alone fantasy heroine!
Alyia's textures include default torso/limb textures and tattoo torso/limp options. Eight eye colors, and 11 beautiful make-up maps. Six of the maps coordinate perfectly with the Barbarian Princess expansion texture.
Aliya has been optimized for DAZ Studio and Poser to achieve the most realistic renders possible!
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text: What's broken in A&R and how to fix it Business 11 March 11 by Dave Fawbert Aidan Jones/Flickr A&R scouts, the workers of the music industry entrusted with finding and developing new talent, have come in for much criticism over the past decade. Most people don't know what they do, and those that do, disagree with most of their decisions. Disgruntled, overlooked bands hate them for not signing them, and the record-buying public hate them for feeding them bland, intelligence-insulting music, or incomprehensible hipster nonsense which no-one living outside the E1 postcode will like.But is the A&R-bashing justified, and, if so, what can be done about it?A&R is a necessary evil. Radiohead have shown us the perils of working without a detached advisor's perspective (someone really needs to tell Thom that "Lotus Flower" is all well and good, but we really wouldn't be against a new "Fake Plastic Trees"), and, in a world flooded with music, listeners still need to be directed to the good stuff -- most people just don't have the time or inclination to wade through the acres of detritus to reach the gold.There's no doubt that the troubles of the music industry have had a profound effect on what acts A&Rs are looking to sign. The, frankly incredible, fact that record companies are still, ten years after Napster, taking the majority of the financial risk, and only reaping the rewards of a declining sector -- the sale of actual records -- mean that there is less money than ever coming in.Less money means fewer risks to be taken, more competition for the bands which look promising, and less patience with those who are signed; a toxic combination which has had a real impact on the music promoted to the public over the last five years or so.So-called ambulance chasing -- "quick, follow the flashing lights and we can be swept along in the slipstream!" -- has always been a feature of A&R -- witness the ever-decreasing returns of the also-ran Britpop bands of 1995 and later (one word: Menswear) -- but the trend has been magnified in recent times by A&Rs only willing to sign acts that sound like something else that's selling.Conservatism is also evident in the way that A&Rs will only sign acts (often due to pressure from their superiors) if other A&Rs are interested, resulting in absurd bidding wars for bands with one half-decent song. A big deal then results in increased financial pressure from those at the top (or, literally, banks in EMI's case) to get a return as fast as possible, meaning a lightning quick transition from signing to going to market. Read page 2 12 Read on one page Comments Most mainstream music consumers are sheep. They like what is marketed to them because it is marketed to them. Most bands become legendary and influential because they are marketed that way, not because they are actually talented and groundbreaking. If you want good music, you have to go out and find it. Go to shows, support the unknown bands that you like, and seek it out. Good music will NEVER be delivered to you from mainstream labels. Stop expecting it to be, lazy bastards. Mickie Rat Mar 11th 2011 In reply to Mickie Rat Exactly, perfect observation. j.c. Mar 17th 2011 Big issue for me is the lack of serious international bands we are breaking and developing in the Uk. It seems the majors have lost the skill to develop and market talent in the last few years. Back in the day, when I worked for EMI this was our focus- and we still have the likes of Maiden, Cold play and even Duran around today and international.One of the reasons bands do work well over the long term is good A&R- someone to mentor, develop and champion musicians and also tell egomaniacs when to hop off ( McCartney might have made better records in the last 30 years if he'd had a good A&R relationship for example) so the bogey man is often the mentor- like Etegun, Clive Davis and Blackwell - basically people who started the labels were A&R guys- but the corporate dollar has eroded this role and if you control talented A&R guys, you get Accountants, which is precisely what you now have..so- solution? Chuck out the accountants, put the musical entrepreneurs back in charge, take a longer term international marketing view of the artists, and have some fun. I was luckyA ashley Mar 11th 2011 big labels got rids of good A&Rs 10 to 5 years ago. when you have a credible relationship with the artists, it means you had some kind of power that media execs didn't want you to have. And when you don't have good A&R, product is weaker and then you need more mktg muscle. loose-loose. Management and music producer are some places where you can find some of those A&R's today. Olivier Rosset Mar 13th 2011 Unfortunately this entire article lost all semblance of integrity after this comment, "Radiohead have shown us the perils of working without a detached advisor's perspective (someone really needs to tell Thom that "Lotus Flower" is all well and good, but we really wouldn't be against a new "Fake Plastic Trees")"Utter bollocks. What perils exactly. Oh of course because In Rainbows was an absolute, shuddering failure wasn't it? I never listen to The Bends. Compared to everything Radiohead have done since, it's dull and pedestrian. It's also 16 years old for fuck's sake.If you're going to write a piece for a tech magazine discussing the future of music, at least try not to write it in the manner of a 50 year old, trapped in the past, luddite. Oh and getting your facts right also helps.Thanks Matt Mar 14th 2011 The (apparently unnoticed) elephant in the room here is the corporate control of concert venues, radio and TV. Corporations love predictability, and that's what they buy, book, and sell. Before the Reagan and Clinton administrations allowed companies to buy up and monolpolize large portions of the music distribution networks, niche markets and locally controlled radio stations and venues could make a living, and offer options to artists who didn't fit the mainstream formulas. Those days are gone, but new variations on the theme are emerging with webcasting and locally-produced small venue concerts. It's tough to make a living that way, but some money can be made, and music that doesn't fit corporate marketing strategies can still get heard. Gordon Kaswell Mar 17th 2011 A Very interesting take on your personal profession. ML the Truth of 100 Drums Productions LLC ML the Truth Mar 17th 2011 Reply to a comment Name Email Comment Submit » Latest on wired.co.uk


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Sometimes I spend so much time painting my own nails, that by the time they're complete, I'm entirely disenchanted with the finished product. (Ridiculous sentence to start a blog post with. Don't be like me.)
The same goes for cakes. The longer I spend folding, baking, cooling, and frosting a cake, the less I want to slice into it in the end. Sad story, right?
The same can be said for laundry, obviously. Gathering, washing, drying, air drying, folding, putting away. AAHHH. Laundry is boring and totally not delicious… so, duh.
This salad though… in and out. No exorbitant amount of slicing and dicing. Just enough to create a pretty pretty salad and also enjoy your efforts. It's the ideal balance of greens, health, and kitchen time.
I hope the start of your week is feeling great!
Let's put some greens in the mix!
Leafy green kale + parsley, onions, and herbs + salty capers and parmesan + eggs and nuts for girth.
When it comes to kale, I usually chop it small and massage (yes massage) in some olive oil and rice wine vinegar. Just a bit. This will help soften the firm greens.
In a separate bowl I combine tuna with herbs, olive, oil, and some of the hard boiled egg. We're going to mash together a cohesive tuna salad without the use of mayo.
Capers and parmesan add an essential salty kick. Celery because it remind me of my grandmother's tuna salad and it adds a nice little crunch.
Crunchy bits and lots of green!
Protein and greens bite and crunch. It's just the right amount of healthy for the start of the week. It leaves plenty of room for the buttery barbecue shrimp that fill the streets of New Orleans… and zero kitchen fatigue, too!
Tuna and Kale Salad
serves 2
4 cups clean well chopped kale (I used curly kale)
1 (5-ounce) can albacore tuna, drained of its liquid
3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup roasted shelled sunflower seeds
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons capers, drained
olive oil, lemon juice, rice vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Toss kale in a large bowl with a splash of olive oil and rice vinegar. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and set aside.
In a separate medium bowl, combine tuna and half of the sliced boiled egg. Add the green onion and parsley and a bit of olive oil and use the back of a fork to work the mixture together, breaking up the tuna and eggs. Add the sunflower seeds, cheese, and capers. Add a bit more olive oil if needed and fresh lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the tuna mixture to the kale bowl. Toss to combine. Before serving top with the remaining egg. Enjoy!
32 thoughts on "Tuna, Kale, and Egg Salad"
This looks fantastic. I'm always looking for tuna and chicken salad recipes sans mayo.
You had me at 'girth'
I feel the same way when I paint my nails AND make multi-step things…and grocery shopping, afterwards I always just want to get a pizza.
This salad looks amazing and so easy to put together…no time to get over it! Which is exactly how I like my lunch.
Looks great!
my kind of nibbles… printed. can't wait to try this week!
Best looking tuna salad ever! Love the idea of incorporating kale. Pinned!
I think that is a perfect opening statement and I laughed out loud when I read it.
This salad is great – I am sharing with my CSA members this week. Thanks!
I'm the same way: if I spend a long time on an elaborate dinner, I find that when it comes time to eat it, I'm not even amused with it. It's like a couple that just got into a fight and I want to sleep on the couch alone because I'm too tired to make amends. This looks yummy though! I'm not a fan of tuna, but I bet it would be great with finely chopped grilled chicken!
Completely agree I used to always make this double chocolate layer cake for birthdays and it had a layer of white chocolate mousse and a layer of milk chocolate mousse with raspberries + topped with ganache…After assembling the whole thing (and sampling all the components/cake trimmings throughout for quality control of course) I would not even want a slice of it.
This looks so delicious. If only my husband didn't think hardboiled eggs were from the devil.
This looks crazy delicious!
Pretty and simple – such a great recipe for Monday! Add capers and parm to anything and I'm totally there!
Gosh too easy but I think even on your most tried days; you produce genius in the kitchen. Lovely recipe Joy.
This looks delicious! The perfect thing for me to eat once I finish my juice cleanse! Also, that was the best first sentence of a blog post ever!
That looks SO good! I definitely know what you mean.. it's like when you've done so much cooking you don't even want to eat.


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