text: New York Times bestseller Fred Van Lente (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN) and acclaimed artist Tom Fowler (VENOM) retell the beginnings of the green goliath for a new generation! This is the definitive origin of the Hulk - as well as Betty Ross, now Red She-Hulk; and General 'Thunderbolt' Ross, now the avenging Red Hulk! Plus: Gamma Base, Rick Jones and the introduction of a new Hulk villain that will continue to haunt both him and his alter ego, Dr. Bruce Banner, in present continuity! Also includes INCREDIBLE HULK (2011) #1. Cover price $24.99. Published with a digital code that may no longer be redeemable from the publisher. Do not purchase with the expectation that the code is still valid.


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Hot Press meets Black Star Riders
As they prepare to release an album of new material under the moniker Black Star Riders, Thin Lizzy men Scott Gorham and Ricky Warwick talk to Hot Press about the impending collection, plans to return to Ireland and the future of Thin Lizzy...
Roisin Dwyer, 23 Apr 2013
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subset: commoncrawl


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WMTW News 8 Sunday evening HeadlinesUPDATED 7:29 PM EDT Jul 13, 2014
WMTW News 8's Lindsay Liepman has the latest local headlines for Sunday evening.Video Transcript
MAPBOX C (VO) HELLO AND WELCOME BACK TO NEWS-8 NOW, LINDSAY LIEPMAN. CONTINUING COVERAGE OF SATURDAY'S PLANE CRASH IN LIMINGTON, WHERE BOTH THE N-T-S-B AND THE F-A-A WERE AT THE SCENE SUNDAY TO BEGIN THEIR INVESTIGATION. THE CRASH HAPPENED AROUND 4:45 IN THE AFTERNOON AT THE LIMINGTON-HARMON AIRPORT. THE PILOT, CLARKE TATE OF GRAY, WAS KILLED ON IMPACT. HE WAS AN EXPERIENCED PILOT AND WAS HEADED TO AUBURN-LEWISTON MUNICIPAL AIRPORT IN HIS 1942 CULVER CADET, A VINTAGE SINGLE- ENGINE MILITARY PLANE. TATE WAS THE ONLY PERSON ON BOARD. SATURDSAY'S CRASH IS THE 2ND DEADLY AIRPLANE ACCIDENT AT THAT AIRPORT IN LESS THAN A YEAR. 58 YEAR OLD ANTHONY LONGLEY OF NAPLES WAS KILLED ON AUGUST 30TH, WHEN HIS SINGLE ENGINE PLANE CRASHED SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF. A WITNESS WHO LIVES NEAR TOLD US AT THE TIME THEY HEARD LOUD AND UNUSUAL SOUNDS FROM THE PLANE JUST BEFORE THE CRASH. TRANS VO THE FUTURE IS LOOKING A LITTLE BRIGHTER FOR A LANDMARK RESTAURANT IN DOWNEAST MAINE HELEN'S RESTAURANT WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE ON FRIDAY, IT WAS A HUGE BLOW TO THE RESTAURANT'S OWNERS AND THE FIFTY WORKERS WHO RELY ON THAT MONEY. BUT AN ONLINE FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN HAS RAISED áTWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARSá SINCE THE RESTAURANT BURNED TO THE GROUND. AND THAT NUMBER CONTINUES TO GO UP. HELEN'S OWNERS SAY THEY ARE HUMBLED BY THE SUPPORT... "It's just amazing. Not only the direct community but people from we don't even know where, some of them are anonymous. People who don't live here also are donating. But the local support, local businesses, local residents, it's amazing." "And people that we know can't afford to give are giving. It's really humbling." THE BARKERS SAY THEY PLAN TO START REBUILDING JUST AS SOON AS THEY CAN. THE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE SAYS THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US HERE ON NEWS-8 NOW. I'M LINDSAY LIEPMAN. MAKE SURE TO CHECK BACK AT WMTW DOT COM AND OUR MOBILE APP FOR
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Local Hot Spots
Looking for some great places with Georgetown flavor? Here are some great options.
Assistance League of Georgetown Thrift Store
Top notch thrift items at a good price; also accepts donation items.
603 West University Avenue
Bob's Catfish -n- More
Bob's serves fried catfish and various seafood platters.
305 East Morrow
Books on Tap
Locally owned and operated bookstore and brewery.
718 S. Austin Ave.
Burger University
Graduate to a better burger! They offer offer classic options such as burgers, hand-cut fries, hand battered onion rings and hand made shakes.
119 W. 7th Street (Town Square)
Camille's Hand Dipped Ice-Cream Bars
Camille's makes delicious hand-made ice cream, frozen yogurt and non-dairy bars.
1013 W. University Ave. #165 (Wolf Ranch)
The Caring Place Thrift Store
Offers inexpensive clothing and household items as well as accepting food pantry donations. 2000 Railroad Street
CherryBerry self-serve frozen yogurt offers over 50 premium rotating healthy and fat-free frozen yogurt flavors and over 50 toppings.
1103 Rivery Blvd., Suite 260
Cianfranni Coffee Company
Georgetown's local coffee dive.
109 West 7th Street (Town Square)
City Lights Theatre
"The Last Great Movie House" in Georgetown.
420 Wolf Ranch Parkway, behind Home Depot.
Cotton Patch Cafe
A place where real, homemade, fresh food is served in a comfortable and welcoming environment, full of Texas pride.
1021 W. University Ave.
Dia Thai Cuisine
Georgetown's authentic Thai restaurant.
114 East 7th Street (Town Square)
Dos Salsas Tex-Mex Restaurant
A Tex-Mex staple in downtown Georgetown.
1104 South Main (Town Square)
Duke's BBQ
Smokehouse that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week. Duke's also offers live music, on-site catering, and banquet rooms.
408 West Morrow Street
El Monumento
Sourcing the freshest ingredients available, El Monumento serves home-style, made-from-scratch Mexican fare.
205 W. 2nd Street
The Exchange at Annarella
A men's and women's clothing, and accessory consignment store. Upscale merchandise includes new and unique items that are name brand or one of a kind.
800 S. Austin Ave., Ste. A.
First Fridays
Galleries, local artists, exhibits, and live music, all in Georgetown's Town Square. 6-8pm on the 1st Friday of each month in the Town Square.
Galaxy Cupcakes
Georgetown's gourmet cupcake bakery. Cupcakes made fresh every day and specialty flavors.
107 East 7th Street on the Square.
Georgetown Symphony Society
Brings notable musicians to town each season.
Georgetown Winery
Boutique winery, wine bar, and personalized wines/labels.
715 South Main (Town Square)
Gigi's Cupcakes
A locally owned and operated franchise that offers a rotating daily menu of 11 cupcake flavors as well as mini cupcakes, drinks and cupcake-size cheesecakes.
1013 W. University Ave. #130 (Wolf Ranch).
Lake Georgetown
Lakeside trails, camping, and parks. 3 mi. west of Georgetown
Laurie's Too Tea Room
Laurie's offers a variety of good, homemade food.
612 Main Street
Mel's Lone Star Lanes
Georgetown's only bowling alley, offers fully automated scoring, and an outstanding snack bar. CJ's Sports Bar & Grill offers lounge seating on the bowling lanes, billiards, shuffle board and a full service restaurant for your enjoyment.
1010 North Austin Avenue.
Monument Cafe
Serves great local food, amazing biscuits, and daily specials.
500 South Austin Avenue
The Palace Theatre
Located in the historic downtown district it is home to a year-round season of live theater productions including musicals, comedies, and dramas.
810 South Austin Avenue
Red Poppy Coffee Co. at the Georgetown Public Library
Enjoy a delicious cup of coffee while perusing the library shelves.
402 West 8th Street
San Gabriel River Trail
Hike, walk, run, bike, stroll… San Gabriel Park to Lake Georgetown
San Gabriel Writers' League
Provides support and training for local writers.
Second Saturday Market Days
Hand-made arts and crafts, live music and entertainment. 2nd Saturday of each month, Mar-Dec from 10-5pm in the Town Square.
Shake's Frozen Custard
A Georgetown favorite that offers classic sundaes, old fashioned shakes and malts, and their signature concretes and cakes.
1208 Williams Drive
Sweet Serendipity
Georgetown's own chocolate factory located on the square. Their homemade candy collection includes white, milk, and dark chocolate selections.
710 S. Austin Ave.
Thundercould Subs
Austin based sub sandwich shopped located in one of Georgetown's old fire bays.
814 S. Main St.
The Uptown Social
Rooftop restaurant, bar, lounge, and terrace on the Square.
501 South Austin Avenue, 4th Floor.
Williamson County Art Guild
Hosts shows, workshops and scholarships for artists of all ages.
610 South Main
Williamson County Museum
The Museum is a non-profit organization that was established in 1997 to collect and interpret items that promote the unique culture and heritage of Williamson County. The museum provides free educational programming, exhibits and events to the public including the Up the Chisholm Trail cattle drive and chuck wagon cook-off each September.
716 South Austin Avenue


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An Afternoon at Durham Nativity School
Friday, 12.16.2011 / 4:15 PM ET
This Fall, the Kids 'N Community Foundation provided one of the tools necessary for Durham Nativity School's middle school accreditation: a library.
|Mary Catherine Benson
As I toured the facility, each student was polite, introduced themselves, shook my head, made eye contact and said thank you! Brandon, a seventh grader, talked to me a little about how excited he is to get his e-reader. He is excelling at Durham Nativity and is planning on applying to boarding school. When I asked why he wanted to go to boarding school, he simply replied that it would offer more opportunities. And the staff is committed to making sure that Brandon has all the support he needs, regardless of his family's financial status.
I cannot wait to go back when the e-readers come in; English class is never going to be the same! Stay tuned …


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For 18 years, Jaycee Dugard wished on the moon.
Some of Jaycee's wishes were the same as those of other young girls. She wanted to learn to drive, to swim with dolphins and to fall in love.
Other things Jaycee desired were much different. She wanted to live in a house instead of a tent. She wanted to urinate in a toilet instead of a bucket. She wanted her two young daughters to be allowed to attend school. She longed to rewind her life to the day when she was just an 11-year-old girl walking to the bus stop. If she could go back in time, perhaps Jaycee could avoid being kidnapped and the 18 years of abuse that followed.
Jaycee Dugard was kidnapped June 10, 1991 by Phillip and Nancy Garrido. She spent the next 18 years living in a series of sheds and tents in her captors backyard.
When she had the emotional courage to look at the moon, she wished for one thing more than anything else. She wanted to see her mother. She wanted to debate which type of moon was better and hear her mother sing a little song about the moon to her.
For nearly two decades, every system put into place to protect innocent people like Jaycee from monsters like the Garridos failed repeatedly. Jaycee lived a nightmare that most of us could not survive.
In another amazing act of strength, Jaycee shares her story in the book A Stolen Life: A Memoir.
The writing in the book is pure, simple and immature. It is not the writing of seasoned author, but it doesn't matter. The strength and resilience in the authors character carry through the pages.
Jaycee Dugard never got to go to the prom. She'll never experience the lightheaded tingle that results from your first kiss. She didn't walk across the stage to collect her diploma. She didn't watch her true love's tears of wonder as their first child was born.
Jaycee was robbed of so much of the normalcy that every young girl deserves. The people who stole her teen years were the kind who don't deserve to exist.
Jaycee had another wish for her future that she wrote in a journal and shared in her book. She wanted to write a bestseller. She deserves at least that.


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Diva's Dating Disclosures
Names and places have been altered for thier protection but the events listed are 100% true!
Thursday, May 09, 2013
The Devoted Dad
He and I start dating for a few months. Things are going well and we decide to be exclusive. We have awesome dates at the National Habour, a great Valentine's Day dinner, and just overall alot of fun. He has a 2 year old daughter that lives in Philly. Every other Thursday he would drive to Philly to pick her up and bring her back down to MD. He would then turn around and drive her back to Philly that Sunday. He was such a devoted dad, that it made me like him even more. There are so many men who have children that live minutes away from them that don't make the same effort as he did. One day, he gets a call that his daughter is sick. Of course he drops everything and goes up to be with her. Unfortunately she was diagnosed with a rare disorder that is going to have her considered "special needs" for the rest of her life. He was devastated and spent all of his free time in Philly with her. Naturally that didn't leave him any time for a relationship so we split up. But the fact that he was so dedicated to his daughter really said alot about his character and strong character trumps relationship status any day!
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
The Fish
We sit for dinner and start talking. The waitress comes and he orders a Long Island ice tea. I get a strawberry lemonade. Conversation is going ok, but I can tell he's a party guy. He orders another drink when the waitress comes back to take our food order. I hadn't even noticed that he finished the first one! By the time the food arrives, he orders drink number 3. At this point, I know nothing is going to happen between us. To his credit, he's holding his liquor well but why are you drinking so much on a first date!?! By the time we leave the restaurant, he's had 5 Long Island ice teas. Keep in mind he's on a motorcycle and he's not that big of a guy in the first place! I ask if he's ok to drive home, and he says "Yeah I just had a couple." If thats just a couple, I'd hate to see him really in party mode. I said a quick prayer for him to get home safely but I never called him again.
Tuesday, May 07, 2013
The pirate
Monday, May 06, 2013
So I'm walking up towards him and he looks just like his picture. Great. Then it happens: he opens his mouth! Right in the front of his mouth is a huge space where a tooth used to be! What the heck? I think back to his pictures online and realize that he never smiled in any of them. Instantly, my brain starts going a mile a minute. How did your tooth get knocked out? Were you fighting? Did it fall out from decay? Is that coffee burning the mess out of your mouth since you don't have any teeth to slow in down? Are you going to spit on me at any moment because you don't have a tooth the block it? I fight to keep all those questions in and not ask him. To be honest, I couldn't tell you a word of what we talked about because I was so fixated on the missing tooth. There was no second date!
Friday, May 03, 2013
The cheapskate
We continue to talk after that date and go out several times after that. Each time was either with a coupon or a Groupon, or a Living Social deal: restaurants, pool halls, jazz clubs, etc. One time he asked me where I wanted to go eat and I told him the restaurant I wanted to go to. He then follows up by said that he has a coupon to Ruby Tuesdays that he wants to use before it expires. First off, don't ask me where I want to go if you're going to shoot it down and insist we go somewhere else. Secondly, who needs a coupon for Ruby Tuesdays? Isn't every meal like $12? I got soooo turned off by his cheapskate ways. I appreciate you being frugal with your money and all but there is a difference between frugal and CHEAP!! And the Diva does not do cheap!
Online dating
Thursday, May 02, 2013
The Rude Boy
Wednesday, May 01, 2013
The Double Date
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
The Stalker
One day I got a text message saying, "I really love it when you wear blue". I looked down and I was wearing a blue top. That creeped me out but I just ignored it. A few days later, "That dress looked really nice on you today." OH H*LL NAW!!! This dude is CRAZY! We don't live in the same neighborhood. We don't work in the same area. We have absolutely no reason to cross paths and for him to see me. I give him quite a few choice words in all caps via text message and tell him if he keeps stalking me I'm calling the police. A couple weeks go by and I don't hear anything from him. Then one day I pull up in front of my place, walk in the house, and immediately get a text message: "I know you said don't contact you but your left break light is out." Ok, now I'm scared. I'm petite and live alone and this has "Lifetime Movie plot" written all over it. Was he following me today? Is he outside my house right now? I look out of my window to see if I see his car. At first I don't see anything, but waaaayyyy across the development behind the playground I see his car backed into a spot facing my house. Apparently this dude has been camping out of my house far enough away for me not to notice this whole time! I text him back, "Why the h*ll are you at my house? I am calling the police! You are stalking me and I will have you arrested!" I look out the window and his car is still there. I call my friend that is a cop (not the one from a previous post lol) and tell him whats going on. "Make sure your doors are locked. Stay in the house. I'm on my way and I'll be there in 15 minutes!", he says.
I stay at the window looking back and forth between whether his car is still there and how many minutes its been since I hung up with my cop friend. 11 minutes have gone by and he starts to pull out of the spot and leave. I call my friend, "He's leaving! How far are you? Can you catch him? Pull him over!". My friend says that he'll be to me in a couple of minutes. He finally makes it to my house 5 minutes later but the stalker is long gone now. For the next week or so, my cop friend meets me at my house when I come home from work so I'm not going into the house by myself. He also randomly just drives through my neighborhood in his squad car to establish a presence there. This tactic apparently works because I never received any more texts or calls from the stalker and I haven't seen him again to this day. I've moved from that house now anyway. Lifetime Movie crisis averted!
Monday, April 29, 2013
The Set Up
We decide to go out to dinner. I feel so bad even typing this but the Diva keeps it real so deal with it. I get there first and decide to wait at the bar until he arrives. We had spoken on the phone so we knew what each other was wearing when we got there. He's late. Strike two! This dude walks in the building and my heart sank. 4'11", about 95lbs, extremely dark skin (nothing against my dark brothers. I'm just trying to paint a picture here), acne, huge gauging eyes, and teeth that an orthodontist would love to get their hands on! This dude was soooo unattractive I wanted to walk straight out of the door. Before I could get up and leave he notices me and walks over. "Hi, you must be Diva", he says. Dag my get away planned failed! "Yep, that's me", I reply. I decide that I'm going to be nice, enjoy the dinner, and curse my friend out as soon as I get in the car.
The whole dinner I realize that I'm not looking him in his eyes. I'm looking slightly past him because I'm trying to ignore the fact that he is so unattractive. Don't judge me. LOL. So the dinner was painful. We have absolutely nothing to talk about. I eat my meal quickly so that we could hurry up and get out of here. The check comes and he quickly reaches for it and slides his card in. The waitress comes back, "I'm sorry sir but your card has been declined." This isn't a credit card. I can clearly see that it says debit. That means that you don't have $50 in your bank account. He fumbles around his wallet searching for something. He looks up at me, pulls out $10 and says, "I'm sorry. I don't have enough to cover this." OH H*LL NAW!! I am beyond pissed. I pull out my card, pay for the meal and quickly leave the restaurant. So not only did I have to sit through a dreadful dinner but I had to pay for it myself.
Needless to say, the girl who set me up is no longer my friend!
Friday, April 26, 2013
The officer
I got to the parking lot, park my car next to his and get in the passenger seat of his cruiser. He is a part of the K-9 unit so he has his HUGE dog in the back seat. There is the gate that blocks the front seats from the back seats but the dog is sitting up with his face right in the gate between us. It makes me a little uneasy but I've met the dog before so I wasn't too frightened. We make it through one movie and decide to put in another when all of a sudden we hear a commotion. We look to the right and there is a big fight breaking out in the parking lot of a bowling alley next door. By now its about 1am so I'm like ok time to go home. He says "Time for action!" (I SWEAR I CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP PEOPLE!). He gets on his radio and calls it in. I tell him "Ok I'm going to leave now". He says one word, "Nope". What do you mean nope? I guess he sensed my confusion and said, "you're safer in this car than you are in your car." The dog starts parking by my ear, he turns on the sirens and lights and we fly out of the car dealership parking lot around to the bowling alley parking lot. I'm like WTF?!?! We get to the fight and he jumps out of his car. People start running but the two dudes are still fighting. He grabs one of the dudes and SLAMS him on the hood of the car! He's putting him in handcuffs and the dog is barking even louder now! Another guy starts walking to the car towards my door. I'm like oh crap he's trying to get me. Right at that moment 3 other police cars fly into the parking lot! Another officer jumps out the car with his gun pointed at the guy. I scream "OH SH!T!!!" and slouch far down into the seat to avoid getting hit. The guy drops to his knees and the DOG IS STILL BARKING!!! The officers arrest the guys and put them in the other cars. My date gets back in the car and asks "Do you want to go finish watching the movie?" Is he serious? I was just a part of a movie so no I don't want to go back and finish watching whatever stupid comedy we were watching! I get in my car and head home. I try to wind down and go to bed but as soon as I turn on the tv, the show "Cops" comes on. I can't win for losing!
"Bad boys bad boys, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?"
Thursday, April 25, 2013
The daddy daughter dinner
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
The end of J
So we were all in love and everything. Never had an argument or fight. Then one day, I stop hearing from him. I call him, no answer. I text him, no anwer. This goes on for days. I call our mutual friend that set us up and ask if he's heard from him because at this point I'm worried out of my mind. Was he in an accident? Did he get arrested? Did his mama die? These are the only explanations that I could think of to explain why he had fallen off of the face of the earth and started ignoring me. My friend told me that he had just talked to him and that he was fine. So now I'm confused, angry, and sad because I couldn't understand why I hadn't heard from him. About a week or 2 goes by and I go into crazy chick mode. I decide to ride up to where I know he'll be and I'll confront him face to face then to see whats up. I leave my Laurel apartment and drive to the bowling alley in Baltimore where he always is on Friday nights. I see his car out front so I know he's there. I sit in my car in the parking lot for awhile trying to figure out how I'm going to do this. I look up and see him walking out of the bowling alley to his car.
I call his cell phone. Ring! Ring! I see this bamma (DC slang for loser) pull out his phone, see its me calling, and put his phone back in his pocket. OH NO HE DIDN'T!!!! I get fired up at that moment. I get out of my car and walk toward him. He doesn't see me coming but when he turns around I'm standing right in front of him. His face is priceless! Like he saw a ghost. He lets out a big sigh, lowers his head, and says "I'm Sorry". I'm so hurt I couldn't even lay into him the way I wanted to. The speech I had practiced in my head on the drive up completely left my mind. The only thing I could muster up to say is "What in the h*ll is going on?" He pulls out his key ring, takes the key to my apartment off of it, hands it to me, says "I'm sorry" again, and then walks away. No explanation. No answers. No nothing. I get back in my car and the water works begin. I have never cried like that in my life. I don't know how I even made it home because the hysterical tears completely filled my eyes so I was driving down 295 blind. My body was shaking from the convusling sobs. It was bad. I pull out my cell phone and call my Aunt Lynn (this was before cell phone bans). I manage to eek out the works "J dumped me" in between sobs. I think I even hung up on her after that. I make it back to my apartment, collapse on the bed and continue to cry. Aunt Lynn knocks on my door. I open the door, don't say a word, and go back to bed sobbing the whole way. She doesn't say anything, she just sat there and let me cry it out. It was bad. REAL BAD!
After a week or so, when I've calmed down a bit, I call our mutual friend and ask him if he knew anything. He tells me that J has quit his job and moved down to Florida with some girl. Apparently since January (by this time its April), J had been dating this girl and it got serious and he moved with her. Shocked the mess out of me. That break up hurt me for a long time. I think because it was so sudden and I had no explanation of why. Years went by and I never heard from him. A few years ago, I get a long email from him apologizing for everything and telling me how he had met her and fell for her. How she was fast and fun and she intrigued him. How I never did anything wrong but my stability scared him. He went down to FL, she cheated on him, he couldn't find a job and ended moving back in with his mother in Bmore and became a janitor. He wishes he would have stayed with me. Of course part of me was like "I told you so", but the other part of me felt sorry for him. The main thing is that his email put closure to wound that still stung a bit. I was finally able to forgive him. I haven't spoken to him since that time a few years ago so I have no idea what he's up to now. And to be honest, I don't really care. The J chapter ends here.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Guess who's back!?!
Ok, I know you're like who does this chick think she is? She starts telling us all of her dating stories and then all of a sudden leaves us hanging for over 7 years. Well 7 is the number of completion and my hiatus is complete. I'M BACK!!! A whole lot has happened and changed in the last 7 years. And I mean a WHOLE LOT. But one thing that hasn't changed is that I'm still single. WOMP WOMP!! I've been in a couple serious relationships during that time but of course a lot of bad dates! I'm going to start posting on this thing more regularly and get you caught up on some of the bad dates that I've had over the last 7 years. So sit back, grab a glass of wine, and live vicariously through my dating adventures. Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Another Good Year for the Diva!
12:01 am December 2nd: It's officially my birthday!!! "Close your eyes baby." I quickly put my hands over my eyes. Like the big kid that I am on birthdays, I try to sneak a peak through my fingers. "Hey, no peaking!", he yells at me. "Ok, ok, ok!" I'm so impatient it feels like an eternity. "Ok, open your eyes." I see a tiny black jewelry box with a gold trim. My mouth opens. Is he about to propose to me? No he can't propose, we haven't been together that long. But what if he is? All these thoughts race through my head at 100mph. He opens the box and I see the most beautiful pair of diamond earrings. I let out the girliest scream ever!! Not only are the earrings beautiful but they are the exact setting as my diamond cross necklace that I wear almost every day. (He had to point it out cause I hadn't even noticed it). It wasn't a ring, but I'm actually kind of relieved that it wasn't. Getting engaged is such a HUGE step and although I love him more than I've loved any man in my life, we're not quite ready for that step. But I must admit, seeing that little box did get me excited!
The rest of my birthday was fabulous! Went to the salon to get my hair done, came back home and chilled with J, got my nails done and then had a fabulous dinner party at my place. All my friends and family were there with a bunch of great food. Friends from college even drove down from Philly and NY for the night! We ate, drank, laughed, played games...it was perfect. In all of the pictures from the party, I have this HUGE smile on my face. I just couldn't stop smiling the whole night. This past year has probably been the happiest of my life...especially the last 5 months with J. All I can say is, MY CUP RUNNETH OVER!!!
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
He Loves Me!
Thats right...he loves me. Ok, well I already knew that he did. As I've told you before, his actions and the way he looks at me is filled with love. But he's never spoken those three words before. He had never said..."Baby, I love you." And I never wanted to be the one to pressure him into saying something that he wasn't ready to say. Yes I did crave that auditory reassurance but I wanted it to be real and genuine and on his own time.
We were laying down watching TV and was carressing my face with the back of his hand. I looked over to him and he was looking at me with this glazed over look in his eyes....a look that I had never seen before. I asked him,
"Whats going on through that mind of yours?"
"Oh really, what exactly about me?"
Silence........still with a nervous kind of look in his eyes
"So are you going to tell me?" At this point I'm starting to get a little worried.
"Mmm Hmmm"
More Silence.....I'm trying to be patient. But I can't help but to wonder what on earth could be going through my sweeties mind that is leaving him so speechless?
"I Love You"
November 25, 2005 10:43pm
My heart stopped. I had been waiting so long to hear those three words and it was soooo worth the wait. He said it so softly, so sweet. It was as if he was kissing me with his words. I regain my composure and quickly tell him that I love him too. He said that he had been wanting to tell me for a long time but wanted to wait until the time was right. Also he said that people use the words so carelessly that he didn't want it to be just a mundane phrase that we through out there because it sounded nice.
He's right. People often either under use or over use the phrase so much. Either they never say it at all and wait until its too late to tell their loved ones how they really feel or they use it so much that it lacks meaning. We don't want to be either one of those kind of people. But we want to make sure that our actions and our words tell us how much we mean to each other. Even if he doesn't say it every day, the times that he does say it, I can feel the words and not just hear them.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Meet the Family Part II
My sweetie J got the chance to meet my family early on in our relationship. I'm big on family and I wanted to sort of "test him out" to see how he'd react and blend in with my crazy kin. They're approval meant a lot to me because I can't be involved with someone who can't be involved with my family.
With his mother and I both working two jobs it was always difficult to find the right time for me to make that drive up to Baltimore to meet his family. But we made it happen this weekend. I had gotten tickets to the Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers game (his team against my team) so we decided that we would stay at his place so we could be close to the stadium on Sunday. Saturday I met them at the bowling alley. I was super nervous because I hadn't met a boyfriends mother in a really long time. (8 years to be exact!) Plus I know that he and his mother are like best friends so I really wanted to make a good impression.
At the bowling alley we didn't talk much. She was focused on her game. J and I decided to go out to eat after bowling and then head over to his moms apartment so that we could all get to know each other. When we got to her place she was in her bedroom. J turned on a boxing match that he was excited to see. Ms. J (his mom) came out to the living room and asked if I liked boxing. I replied, "Not really but I don't mind watching it." She said, "Naw, come on back in my room and we can watch something good." J just smile and nudged me to go on back.
I honestly have no idea what was on TV in her room. As soon as I got back there we just started talking. We talked about everything under the sun: football, J's childhood, my interests, her job, it was a great conversation. She is the sweetest woman and I had a great time just talking to her. (Plus she spilled some beans on J for me!) She called J's younger sister, I'll call her Val, and told her that J's girlfriend was over. Her first response was, I'm on my way. Val and her two year old son Lil D came over. She wasn't quite as open and I couldn't really figure her out. But Lil D was a sweetheart. We played and talked and he started telling me stories. Then he looked at me and said, "You know what? I love you." I replied, "Oh is that right. You don't even know my name." He said, "Nope but you're nice."
The next day, we got up, went to IHOP for breakfast and then went to the game. We were probably the only two people holding hands and hugging in the stadium but it was cold out there. We had to keep warm! The game was fun. I'd stand up and cheer whenever the Steelers would make a play while J booed me. And then I'd boo him when he'd root for the Ravens. But those bammafied Baltimore Ravens had the nerve to beat my Steelers! What is the world coming to. As a result of our friendly wager, I'm being subjected to wear a purple Baltimore Ravens Tshirt for 24 hours. :(
We went back to Mrs. J's house so I could say goodbye. She quickly began rubbing in my face that her Oakland Raiders had beat my Washington Redskins in overtime just as the Ravens beat the Steelers. And to make matters worse, The Philadelphia Eagles lost too. It was a bad day for sports for me but a great weekend overall. I had made a good impression on my sweeties mother. Thats all that really matters!
Thursday, November 17, 2005
The Fear of Love
I came across a blog today that I absolutely love. The author makes a point about how people are afraid of love or are embarrassed to say that they want a need love. Check out the post:
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Like a Shark to Blood
Have you ever noticed that once you're happy and in a relationship, tons of guys start knocking on your door? Its like men are attracted to women in relationships like a shark is to blood. I've always known this was true but this past experience irony to the core. You all know how much I completely ADORE my boyfriend. I couldn't ask for anything more. But yesterday there was a blast from the past.
A while ago, I wrote about my first crush from when I was 3 years old. Shortly after that I developed the "all boys have cooties" syndrome that lasted until 4th grade. There was a new boy in school this year. I'll call him R. Dub. He was the cutest thing I had ever seen plus he was a good kid and smart in class. (I was a prissy little thing that hated rough bad kids at the time so he was PERFECT!) His seat was right behind mine and I can remember getting all butterflied up if his paper accidentally touched my back, or if his pencil would brush against my hair. I talked my uncle into helping me plot a plan to tell him I liked him. We decided that the next day when my uncle picked me up from school that he'd go up to R. Dub and have a "man to man" talk and tell him that I liked him.
The next day I was sooo nervous through all my classes, anxiously awaiting school to be over so my uncle could talk to R. Dub. The last bell of the day rang and I was kneeling on the floor by desk gathering my books. He leaned forward and said, "Pssst, Diva, I like you!" I was SPEECHLESS!!! Completely paralyzed for what felt like eternity. When I finally got myself together I just looked up at him, smiled, and quickly got my books and hurried out of the class. I ran up to my uncle and told him that we didn't have to go through with the plan because he already told me he liked me. In the next few days, his papers and pencil would touch my back more frequently. He gave me a notepad and pencil set for Christmas. I wrote my first name and his last name on all of my books. Then he transferred schools.
Years later, he ended up going to the same high school as my cousin. I was able to see him a couple times whenever I'd go to her house and we'd talk on the phone occasionally. But long distance relationships were so hard back then. (Long distance meaning going to different schools).
Yesterday, my cousin calls and says "hold one, there's someone here that wants to talk to you." He gets on the phone and says, "I'll give you three guesses to figure out who this is." I only needed one, R. DUB! We talked for awhile, catching up on the 6 years that have passed since the last time we spoke. He asked if I was involved with anyone and I said, "Yes, and I'm very happy." He responded, "Thats good. Wow, it have been a fairy tale ending if we would have ended up together." He's right. It would have been a fairy tale ending. But I already have my Prince Charming. R. Dub was my first real crush. A crush that lasted from 4th grade to 12th grade. And I must admit, I still do care about him. But R. Dub is merely a blast from my past. But it was good to sit back and reminisce.
Friday, November 11, 2005
I Prayed For You
I prayed to God to send me
A love thats strong a true
A man to be my soul mate
Then God sent me you
I asked the Lord to send me
A protector and a friend
A shoulder I could lean on
Who'd stick by me til the end
A sensitive man with compassion
But who was manly to the core
Someone who's sweet, thoughtful, and kind
But who's strength I can't ignore
I asked Him for a man that I
Could build my future with
I wanted Him to show me that
A "good Black man" was not a myth
I needed a man who could be my king
Who could lead us into tomorrow
Who had wisdom and integrity
Who I'd be glad to step back and follow
I didn't need a perfect, pretty boy
With a movie stars face
I didn't ask for a huge bank account
That could all be gone without a trace
What I asked Him for was simple
Something I knew that He could do
I prayed that God would send my soul mate
Then God sent me you
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Time to Get to Know Me
Two of my fellow bloggers, Intricate Essense and Divyne, had this on their blogs and since I couldn't decide what to write about to day I decided to "borrow" their idea!
1. First name? Diva
2. Were you named after anyone? nope, I'm an original
3. When did you last cry? I honestly can't remember. I'm usually an emotional person but life is very good right now
4. Do you like your handwriting? Not at all. Its the EPITOME of chicken scratch.
5. What is your favorite lunch meat? Ham but I'm not really a lunch meat kind of girl.
6. What is your birth date? 12/02.
7. What is your most embarrassing CD? Alanis Morissett
8. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? I sure would
9. Do you have a journal? This blog and a blue dolphin one that I write in when I'm out.
10. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Yeah, but not as much as I used to
11. What are your nicknames? Diva, Kiwi
12. Would you bungee jump? Yes, I did the bungee flyer at Six Flags and can't wait to really bungee jump for real!
13. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Not really
14. Do you think that you are strong? Most definitely?!
15. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Vanilla with chocolate syrup
16. Red or pink? Pink
17. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? I can be overly emotional at times.
18. Who do you miss most? My high school coach who passed from Breast cancer
19. Do you want everyone you send this to, to send it Back? If you do you do, if you don't you don't
20. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? Blue jeans w/ black shoes
21. What are you listening to right now? Alicia Keys Unplugged
22. Last thing you ate? McDonalds
23. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Pink
24. What is the weather like right now? Cool and breezy
25. Last person you talked to on the phone? My baby J
26. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? Eyes, Build/Height
27. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yep
28. Favorite drink? Pepsi
29. Favorite sport? Basketball and football
30. Hair color? brown
31. Eye color? Brown
32. Contacts? Yep, i'm blind as a bat!
33. Favorite food? Spaghetti
34. Last movie you watched? The Best Man
35. Favorite day of the year? 12/2 my birthday
36. Scary movies or happy endings? Happy Endings, I'm TERRIFIED of scary movies
37. Summer or winter? Fall is my favorite but I'd go with Winter
38. Hugs or kisses? I love a good hug
39. What is your favorite dessert? warm chocolate chip cookies with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup!
40. Who is most likely to respond? Not a clue
41. Who is least likely to respond? Not a clue
42. Living arrangements? Me and my cat Taurus
43. What books are you reading? The Lester Horton Technique (a dance book)
44. What's on your mouse pad? My company
45. What did you watch last night on TV? America's Next Top Model (I'm addicted)
46. Favorite smells? vanilla and lavender
47. Favorite sounds? soft piano music
48. Rolling Stones or Beatles? Rolling Stones
49. What's the farthest you've been from home? Jamaica
50. Do you have a special talent? Ballet
Here's a bonus question: What would you like people to remember you by? I would like people to remember me as a woman with a kind heart, friendly spirit, and who was passionate about her students, their growth, and the arts.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
I Feel Good All Over
In the words of Ms. Stephanie Mills (one of my all time favorite singer), I feel good all over! You know how it is when things are going so good for you that your insides are glowing so much that you feel like you are just radiating on the outside. What a good feeling! So why is this diva feeling so good? Let me count the ways...
Yes I'm talking about him again. I just can't help but talk about all of the great things that he does for me. Case in point, the other day I'm talking to him on the phone while I'm sitting on my couch watching some tv. He just go off work and is driving back up to Baltimore to head out to dinner with his boys. We talk for a little while and then hang up. Ten minutes later there is a knock at my door. I open it and there he stands with two red roses. He gives them to me, kisses me, and says that they are just a little something to know that he was thinking about me and to know how much I mean to him. Awww.
Example number two. As I wrote earlier I had a slumber party for my teens this past weekend. The day before the party he comes over to just chill. When he gets there, I'm in the midst of cleaning the place up. He quickly puts his stuff down, turns on the tv to VH1 Soul and asks what I need him to do. I say, don't worry about it baby. You don't have to clean up. Next thing I know he turns the music up loud, starts jammin to the music cleaning off the tables, washing the dishes, and sweeping the kitchen floor. He didn't have to at all but that small gesture meant soooo much.
Example number three. We're just talking the other day about our "must haves" in life. I admited that I MUST have chocolate OFTEN. I'm a severe chocoholic with no plans of reducing my intake or giving it up. No chocoholics anonymous for me! The next day he comes to the door with a box of chocolates. Do you see why I love this man!?!
Last week I got a new haircut. No its nothing drastic but its a noticeable difference and its looks great. Ladies you know how it is when you just KNOW that you look good. And when you look good, you feel good!
While my full time job is still BLAH, my part time job as a dance teacher is going great! The kids are performing very well and I can really see them growing as dancers and young women. Its a great feeling to know that you are playing a part in a young person's life.
When I talk about my weight most people get mad. While the rest of the world is on a quest to lost weight, I'm trying to find it! I'm not super skinny but I'd like to put on a few pounds to make sure I stay "bootylicious"! I've been small my whole life so I'm trying to really fill out my jeans. And recently I've started packing on a few pounds. Its about time!!!
So all in all life is good right now. I've been blessed with so much, I just can't help to feel good all over. Hopefully I rub off on a few people!
Monday, November 07, 2005
Hey Young Girl!
For those of you who don't know, my part time job is the director of a dance company for teenagers. I decided to let them come over to my house this past weekend for a slumber party and to have a chance to get to know and bond with the new members that we just brought in. During our girl talk session I was shocked at that their candidness and the things that these young girls have gone through at such a young age. Now I knew that times are different from when I was a teenager and that kids today start off young, but I didn't know it was THIS young.
The girls range in age from 13-17 but most of them are 14 years old. About half of the girls had already lost their virginity and have sex on a regular basis. Some of the ones who were still virgins were anxiously awaiting getting the opportunity to lose theirs. Every single one of the girls knew someone their age who either has a baby or has had an abortion. Every single girl knew of a girl their age who has already come out of the closet as a lesbian. Two of the girls had been asked to engage in lesbian activity. And one girl, age 13, had been hit by an ex-boyfriend.
These facts astounded me. Todays youth face grown up issues in their dating lives. Remember back in the day when we were in junior high and high school, our issues were if the person you had a crush on liked you. Who was going to get asked to the dance or not. And just getting kissed was a big deal.
I'm glad I had the chance to talk to them about these issues and give them my perspective and advice on some questions they had. If only more girls had the opportunity to candidly talk to someone about their issues maybe we could curb some of this behavior. Young people have so much on their plates and afterall, they are still kids. They aren't ready to handle everything that comes with having sex. So I encourage you all, get out their and mentor. Become a big brother or big sister. If they have someone to look up to who is on a POSITIVE path they would be able to get back to being kids again.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Auditory Reassurance
In my last post, I said that J's displays of affection and kind acts of taking care of me while I was sick was a sign of love. I stand behind that statement. But there is a part of me that needs more. Am I bein greedy? Slightly spoiled? Yes, I probably am, but the fact remains that I'm the type of girl that needs auditory reassurance.
Yes, actions speak louder than words but I still need to hear those words. I need to hear you say, "Diva, I love you!" I don't think thats too much to ask. Every day J SHOWS me he loves me by the way he looks at me, the way he holds me in his arms, the way he takes care of me and would do anything for me if I asked (and sometimes I don't even need to ask). He somehow even knows what I need before I know it myself. Except for one thing...he apparently doesn't know that I need to HEAR how he feels about me.
You're probably thinking that I'm asking too much or I'm prematurely asking him to lay his heart on the line. Maybe its too early for us to be in love. We've only been together for a few months. But I don't think thats too short of a time period. I've known that I've loved J for a while now. I mean, how can you not love a man like him? But maybe he's the type of person who takes longer before uttering those three power punched words: I LOVE YOU. Or is he?
Very early on in our relationship, he was the first to say that he was "falling in love" with me. Months later, he's still falling. Must be quite a long fall! While at dinner one night at the Olive Garden about a month ago, he initiated the conversation about our future together, including telling me that he can see himself marrying me, an estimate of the time period where we both thought that marriage would be feasible, the number of children that we thought would be ideal and a rough time period where we thought starting a family would be best. Never in my entire life have I had a man initiate such a conversation and quite frankly it slightly startled me (but in a good way). Randomly, he'll even just say "you are so special to me" or "you mean so much to me" but never "I love you". Quite frankly, maybe he doesn't yet. So until he does, I guess I just have to sit back and wait and be content with the acts of love instead of the words.
Friday, October 14, 2005
I'm Sick :(
I know you're wondering, "How does you being sick relate to your dating disclosures?" Well, I just had to write about how wonderful a man J is. (Yes another, my man is perfect post! Get over it!)
To make matters worse, not only did I catch a cold, but Aunt Flo came to visit. Ladies you know what I'm talking about. The first day of my cycle is always HELL. Hell I tell you! HELL! So J comes over to take care of me. He starts by cooking dinner. (He's no chef but he whipped up a bag of skillet sensations really well! I recommend them for all the non-cooks out there) Dinner was good and then he proceeded to rub my belly all night to try to alleviate my cramps. Now usually during this time, I don't want anyone to bother or touch me, but his rubbing my belly really felt good. I laid down for a nap and when I woke up he had washed the dishes, taken out the trash, cleaned up the living room, and fed the cat! I was like WOW!!! Suprised the mess out of me but I was really happy because I sure as heck didn't feel like doing that.
So then the cold comes on full force. He makes sure I have enough orange juice and then lays down with me and holds me til I fall asleep. I warned him that I might be spreading my germs on him but he didn't care. He said he just wanted to make me feel better. At that point if I wasn't so tired, I would have been cheesin and blushing but that would have taken too much energy out of me. So the morale of the story is...When you're sick and your significant other takes care of you and is willing to sacrifice their own health just to make you feel better, thats love!
Thursday, October 13, 2005
My First Crush
I always had a thing for older men. I was 3 and he was 5!! I wasn't quite old enough for school yet but my grandmother was a kindergarden teacher so I went to school with her every day. I had my own desk and everything (which I begged my grandmother to put next to him). His name was Linwood. Whenever I said his name I'd tilt my head to the left, smile, and say it real slow...Liiinwooooood.
It was Valentines Day, 1985. We had a mailbox in the front of the class that everyone put their Valentine's day cards in, and one student was the post man who would sort all of the cards and then pass the cards out to everyone. The night before I had my mom help me pick out the cutest Valentine kids card from the store and I had carefully written "To: Linwood, From: Diva" (but my real name) with my grandmoms help. I was only 3 but I could write my BUTT off!
I went up and put the card in the mailbox and went back to my desk to patiently wait for the postman to deliver the cards. I got a lot of cards that year. I looked through them to see who they were from. There were some from a couple of girls in the class, they weren't important. I got some from the boys too, they didn't matter to me. Then I saw it. I couldn't quite read yet but I recognized the name...Linwood. I remember I had the biggest smile on my face that was humanly possible. For the rest of the day, I would tell anyone who would listen, "I got a card from Liiiinwoooood". It even turned into a song after awhile.
The sad thing is, that even though that was soooo juvenile and sooo unimportant, it was one of the best Valentine's Day's I've ever had. The way my luck has been February 14th might as well be Friday the 13th in my book. But hopefully now that I have a man in my life, next Valentine's Day will be even better than a "Be Mine" card from Liiiiinwoooood.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
The Baby Train
She's only 16, and now she's pregnant....again. She got an abortion the first time, so she decided she wants to keep this one. Her 17th birthday is in a couple of weeks. What a present!
Contrary to the way it sounds, my cousin is a good kid. She's had a hard life and basically had to raise herself because of her neglecting, drug addicted parents. Just last week, my mom and I were saying how proud we were of her. She just got a new job to save for college because she knew that her parents weren't going to get her there. It was up to her to make her dream of becoming a pharmacist come true. She had filled out applications to the schools of her choice. She was one of the star dancers in the hip hop performance group at the dance studio I teach at. We had just got back from LA where the group competed and won the Debbie Allen dance competition. She had even been scouted by one of the choreographers from the hip hop krumpin dance movie RIZE. She was doing her thang!! But now she's pregnant.
My family has this thing that I call the baby train. We just keep 'em movin. Every woman of child bearing age in my entire family (mother, grandmother, aunts, and cousins) have either had a baby or an abortion by the time they were 18. Except for me. Somehow, (thank goodness), I was able to hop off of that baby train and escaped being another one of my families statistics. By the time my grandmother was my age she had already had 4 children. I'm not even 24 yet! There is no way I could imagine having four kids at this point in my life.
So as my cousin enters the world of single teenage mothers, my heart hurts for her. But like every other woman in my family I know she'll persevere and be a great mom to her child (though she's only a child herself). Now is the time for my family to surround her with love and support and do whatever it takes to continue raising them both.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Us of the Fatherless Tribe
I was watching Def Poetry Jam one day and a poet on there said a line that really struck a cord with me. She said, "Us of the fatherless tribe love men differently." I repeated that sentence over and over again trying to piece together all of the thoughts that immediately raced around my mind and decide if I agreed with her. Using the power of TIVO, I rewinded her performance over and over again to make sure I didn't miss a single point that she made. My conclusion? I think she's right.
I am a member of the fatherless tribe. The man who implanted his seed into my mothers young body left less than 24 months after I entered the world. Nine years later, he returned for a couple of months and then left permanently, thus solidfying my place in this vast fatherless tribe. But the question remains...has my membership in this tribe altered the way I love men? After long contemplation, I must say yes.
I was blessed to have been raised by three strong black women: my grandmother, my aunt, and my mother. They showered me with love and every other thing possible but yet I was still lacking something. I grew up in the house with my grandfather but his love was a bit different. Though I saw him every day, he was slightly cold. A long span in the military followed by civilian service had hardened him so he was never one for emotional fatherly talks. So with no male influence, when it was my time to enter the world of dating, I was clueless to say the least.
High school and college were filled with many relationships and flings. It was me searching for something specific yet never being able to find it. They say women go after men that remind them of their father. I didn't know who mine was so I tried every type of man under the sun. They all failed. Perhaps I'm the reason why none of them worked. Perhaps my search for the love I was lacking doomed every relationship before it started. I discarded men in a matter of months. Some never had a chance to even last that long. I left them because they were missing something or wasn't able to give me something. Looking back on it, I realize that they weren't giving me a type of "fatherly love".
I know you're probably thinking, "Oh this chick is crazy! She was looking for a man that would act like her father." Thats partly right and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I wasn't looking for a man to be my father, I was looking for a man that would love me unconditionally. That would make me feel safe. That would take me in his arms and hold me so tight like I was his prize possession. Someone that would take care of me when I was sick, console me when I was sad, and tell me that I was the best thing that ever happened to him. Someone who I would hate to be away from for too long and would run to the door whenever he came home from work. Physically, I am drawn to big guys. Tall, muscular builds. The kind that just scream MANLINESS!
Maybe thats one of the reasons why J swept me off my feet so quickly. He takes care of me and holds me in his arms like I'm the best thing that ever happened to him. He's a big strong guy and I honestly feel safe with him. Like he would never let anything or anyone hurt me. He's the first man thats made me feel this way.
For us in the fatherless tribe, its all about security. Being with a man who is consistant, constant, and stable. Someone who won't just up and leave you. Someone who's in it for the long haul. He has your best interest in mind at all times and the two of you share the deepest bond imagineable. This all may seem very strange to some of you but its the way I think. No I do not look at J as a father figure but I do look at him as my protector, my friend, and my love. No I've never been daddy's little girl but I am J's woman and he's my big daddy :)
Thursday, October 06, 2005
My apologies
OK, Ok, ok....I know. Its been damn near a month since I've posted. I know what you're thinking....This chick goes off and falls in love and forgets all about the rest of the world. For that I only have two words...MY BAD!
See what had happened was (classic disclaimer), I have been super busy. Plus I've been having slight writers block. The theme of this blog is my dating disclosures. And since I've been with J, I haven't been dating. I can only tell you about the gushy stuff we do so many times before you get bored. So I'm trying to write about my friends dating lives and dating in general. I promise I'll get back on this blog bandwagen and get this site going again for yall.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
From one Dreamer to Another
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Hair Combing Dreams
I was tenderheaded with a boat load of hair when I was younger and looked an uncanny amount like this little girl in the picture. Getting my hair combed everyday was an unpleasant yet necessary experience. I'd hate to have my hair combed but also hate having it messed up. So during those times when I just wanted to cry while getting my hair combed (and my grandma threatening to pop my head with the brush and "give me something to cry about") I'd day dream about different things. Anything to get my head off of..... my head. One of the main things that I would dream about is what my life would be like when I got older and the man I would marry.
I pictured everything. The way he would pronounce my name. The way he would show me he cared. The way he'd propose to me. How he would act. How tall he would be, his complexion, his build, how he would smell. However, some of these things slightly changed as I got older. My dream man visions at the age of seven were slightly different than the visions at age 14 but since then its been pretty consistent and he has been etched in my mind. I had everything pictured....well everything except his face.
The other day I was watching my little cousin get her hair done and reminisced back to my hair combing day dreams of my dream guy and realized that he was here. J was my dream guy. I hadn't recognized him at first because quite frankly, he had a face, and my guy never did. But everything else is exactly what I had asked for. His height, build, voice, everything is as if I pressed him out of a prototype. In that instant, reality hit. Any doubts that I had of whether or not he and I were meant to be, vanished. All the fears I had of us moving too fast disappeared. After all, this was the man that I had dreamed about and had prayed for. The past is the past. The heartbreaks before him are behind me. I'm dedicating 100% of my time, effort, and heart into fostering this relationship and watching it grow. God has blessed me with him and I'm going to cherish every minute.
Here is my dream guy, J...
Thursday, September 01, 2005
I wasn't kidding in my last post. Its not a game! I actually found a book about a womans love for sports by Holly Robinson Peete (one of my favorite stars by the way who I've been told I slightly resemble). Its called, "Get Your Own Damn Beer, I'm Watching The Game! A Woman's Guide To Loving Pro Football". This book will help you non-football fans out with understanding the game. Here is the amazon.com description:
"Year after year, Sunday afternoons and Monday nights during the NFL season have belonged to men. While they cheer and argue play calls, the women in their lives are relegated to beer and chip detail. It's time for these women to join the action, and Holly Robinson Peete, star of 21 Jump Street, For Your Love, and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, and wife of NFL quarterback Rodney Peete, has written this hip, smart, cheerful guide to help them do so.Peete shares her infectious enthusiasm for pro football and takes the complexity out of the game by breaking it down to its component parts. She explains the role of each position player, provides a rundown of all on-field penalties and referees' hand signals, and offers an illustrated guide to some of the most common plays in the NFL. She gives her take on the most memorable plays in NFL history and dishes some inside dirt-in a breezy, girl-talkin' narrative that promises to turn the novice spectator into a well-informed football fanatic."
Read and enjoy!
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Sports, Sex, and Food!
Know about football, basketball too
Know all the players, know all the rules
Cook up a meal, learn a new move
The way to his heart is
Sports, Sex, and Food!
Alright ladies. I know I'm new to this whole relationship thing but I think I have a good handle on how to get/keep a man. I know you all have heard the saying that the way to a mans heart is through his stomach. Thats partly true. Let me break it down for yall....
This is very important ladies. Most men love sports. Now don't get me wrong, there are some guys out there who can't tell the Atlanta Braves apart from the Washington Redskins. But 9 times out of 10, he probably has at least some interest in sports. Ordinarally, he'll figure that women don't care about sports. Especially the prissy ones like me. But thats when you surprise them and knock them off their feet. When you can throw a guy for a loop you're just making him want more and to get to know you more. Thats definitely a good thing.
If you've been reading my blog in the past you know that I got in good with the Coworker by inviting him over to my place to watch the NBA finals. Worked like a charm. And my boyfriend J just loves the little rivalry we have going on between my team the Pittsburgh Steelers and his team the Baltimore Ravens.
But you can't just watch sports with them and not know a damn thing thats going on. There is nothing worse than trying to enjoy a game and someone keeps asking dumb questions right when Ed Reed just caught an inteception and is running it back for a touchdown. (He plays for the Ravens).
In today's society, sex is important. There's no getting around it. I'm sure there are some of yall out there that practice abstinence or are 40 year old virgins. I'm not knocking you. MORE POWER TO YOU!!! Thats just not the world that I live in! Men by nature are sexual beings. They think about sex who knows how many times per day. Thats the sad truth.
The main point of this section is to tell you to take care of home. Keep him intrigued. Wear a cute little nightie to bed instead of a pair of flannel pajamas. Try out a new "move" on him that will have him saying, "Damn girl!" Keep it interesting. Keep it spicy. Don't fall into a rut. Because if you don't give your man what he needs, another woman will!
The old adage is right. The way to a mans heart is through his stomach. Most men can eat like crazy! I mean its like they have a bottomless pit. And the sad part is that most men CAN'T cook yet they crave a good home cooked meal as a welcome change from the McDonald's and Wendy's that they eat on a daily basis. So if you can throw down in the kitchen you have a "one up" on keeping your man. One day I made a simple pot of spaghetti for J and he went back for THREE plates! Afterwards he said, "With food like this, I might have to go ring shopping!" He was exagerrating but the point is that we have to get off this independent woman (well just a little bit) and take it back to the way our grandmothers used to throw down in the kitchen. I know some of yall won't agree with me but think about it.....there was a lot less divorces back then!
So to sum it all up, you have to get down on his level. Understand the workings of a man's mind, and in my experience, this is the way a man's mind works. Take my advice, trust me, you'll thank me!
Monday, August 29, 2005
I had a phone conversation with an ex-boyfriend of mine yesterday. For the sake of this blog I'll call him "Green Eyes." Here's a brief history about us... We had a good relationship, a horrible breakup, an attempt at getting back together, and finally a decent friendship. This was the first time I had talked to him in a couple months so we did the usual catching up.
Diva: "How's work coming?"
Green Eyes: "Same ol same ol. How's dance?"
Diva: "Great. We won a couple competitions and are getting ready for a performance in a couple weeks."
Green Eyes: "Sounds good. So are you dating?"
Diva: Yes I am. Things are going great!
Green Eyes: Does he know about me?
Diva: Know about you for what? (I really didn't see the point)
Green Eyes: So you all can air all your dirty laundry. You know, get your past out there for each other to know. You should tell him about your ex's especially the recent ones.
In my mind I'm thinking, what kind of sick and twisted thing is this man talking about? Is he trying to sabatoge my relationship with J by making me spill the beans on my past romances? By George I think he is!!!
The next day I tell one of my friends about his foolishness and much to my surprise she agreed with him. Her argument was that honesty is the best policy and that you should bring your past to the light in order to avoid skeletons falling out of your closet in the future. Now don't get me wrong, I see where she is coming from. To a certain extent, I agree that some things should be told like crazy ex-stalkers that still might be lurking around, explorations into the same sex, videos that might be floating on the internet. But I don't have any of these to tell.
Should I tell J about all the crazy ex-boyfriends I've had? Should I tell him exact details of the reason each of my relationships fell apart? Should I tell him that I was involved with someone when we first started dating?
As Whitney Houston would say..."HELL TO THE NAW!"
Yes honesty is the best policy and its good to get things out in the open but there are some confessions that I'm not willing or ready to make. What do you all think?
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Like Whitney Loves Bobby
Growing up I was a huge Whitney Houston fan. I mean, HUGE!!! I remember being in my room, singing at the top of my lungs into my "microphone" (my hair brush) every lyric to every one of her songs including "I Wanna Dance With Somebody", "Where do Broken Hearts Go", and even "My name is not Susan." (For some reason I loved that song!) Then my grandmother would come in and tell me that singing was not a gift that God blessed me with and that I should be working on those gifts not singing. In other words, she was telling me to shut that racket up!!! But I didn't care! I'd wait for her to leave and continue to sing quietly in my room until the music hit me deep in my soul and I belted out the loudest longest "AND IIIIIIIIII" from her song "I will always love you".
I remember watching her movies like The Bodyguard and The Preachers Wife and Waiting to Exhale thinking she was the most beautiful woman in the world. You couldn't even hate on her. She was beautiful with an amazing voice. And then came Bobby Brown.
At first I couldn't really understand it but it wasn't the end of the world for me. Yes they seemed like the epitome of a mix-matched couple but hey, she was Whitney Houston and could do what she wanted to do. But things changed. She was no longer the beautiful, sweet girl next door vocal powerhouse. She became this....
The world as I knew it was over! I became disappointed in my once idol. She let a man bring her down and she turned into a crazy crack head. But as I got older I realized that she really, truly loves this man. She stood by his side unconditionally. She attended every court hearing, sentencing, and every jail release. She supported him in his career and even proclaimed on national television that he was the "King of R&B". (Yes he had some nice songs in the 80's but she must have been smoking some good stuff that day to think he is the king!). But anyway, the point is that she was unconditionally his woman. Even when the entire world said that she should leave him, even when her mother didn't approve of her relationship and lifestyle, even when her fans didn't go out and buy her latest album, she was unconditionally his woman.
Yes their relationship is strange, and no I don't support their lifestyle, I know that they share unwavering trust and love. Each new episode you get a peak into their strange relationship and you see how even more strange she is than you originally thought. And even though I pray to God that I never have to go through the same ups and downs that they have gone through, I asked the Lord to send me a man that would show me that same kind of endless love. I'm not the only one looking for a love like that. The singer Shawn Kane even had a song about it called "Like Whitney Loves Bobby". Here is the chorus...
"Could you love me unconditionally, like Whitney loves Bobby
Could hold me, kiss me, and wait for me, like Whitney did Bobby
Even when I mess up would you go through the fire or walk away and call me a liar
Can you love me unconditionally, like Whitney loves Bobby"
-Shawn Kane
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Girl Talk
This past weekend, J and I were at the mall and we ran into a couple of my friends. I introduced them all and one of my friends playfully said, "J, its nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you." That made me start to think. Wow, she really has heard so much about him. I hadn't realized how much I had told my friends about him and how much I, in turn, knew about my friends significant others. I came to the conclusion, girl talk isn't just reserved for high school teenagers. Us women talk just as much.
What exactly do we talk about? ..... EVERYTHING!!! From our guys occupation to their middle name. We tell it all. I actually had a friend recite her mans social security number by heart! I think that is a bit extreme but it proves my point that nothing is really off limits for some women to talk about. I have spilled the beans on topics like J's favorite foods, sleeping habits, occupation, and even some family history but there is one thing that I do not reveal to my female friends. Thats our intimate details regarding our sex life. Some things just aren't meant to be told. I love my friends to death, and trust them (for the most part) but telling a woman about a good man who is good in bed is like throwing meat to hungry lionesses! Therefore, my girls get generic pieces of information like, "yes we are sexually involved." Or "yes he keeps me satisfied." Intricate details like the when, where, and how aren't revealed. But thats just my personal practice. My friends don't care AT ALL! I know who's boyfriend isn't "packin", who goes all night, who would rather take things into "her own hands". They spill everything.
But sex isn't the only thing that we talk about. Some women disclose their mans income, their baby mama drama, you name it, its up for discussion. The sweet things he does for us, the times he made us mad, and of course the ugly things. (One friend told me about the ugly faces her man made when he climaxed. SCARY!!)
But WHY do we tell our friends so much about our mates? Is it for affirmation from our friends that we are with a good man? Are we trying to make our friends jealous when we tell them about the good things? Are we simply just trying to get advice about a situation? Or is it just something to talk about? For each woman and each conversation, the reason could be any of these. But no matter what the reason is, and no matter if its right or if its wrong...just know that like TLC said....
"The girls are talking, the girls are talking!"
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Meeting The Family
It was my grandfathers 74th birthday cookout. My entire family was there. Aunts, crazy uncles, cousins, family members I haven't seen in years and couldn't remember their names. The place was packed. We walk in and are immediately greeted by two crazy, over protective uncles. They quickly give him the once over "let me size you up before I break you down" look. But my baby handled it perfectly. He laughed at their jokes, threw a couple out there and within minutes they were giving him the "handshake." (You know the handshake that black men give each other that says, "you're all right with me".) Uncles: CHECK!
Next it was time to meet my grandparents, two of the four people who raised me. My grandmother gave him the same loving embrace that she gives everyone. Standing on her tip toes (cause she's only 4'10") with a huge smile and saying, "Hey baby." My granddad wasn't quite as warm, with a stern look on his face all he said was "hello." After I gave him his birthday present and told him that J helped me pick it out he softened up and said "You kids go fix yall a plate of food." Grandparents: CHECK!!
Now its moms turn to meet him; my third parental unit (I come from a non-traditional family) Being a newly divorced woman she was taken back by his muscular build. I had to give her the "he's mine" look so she wouldn't get any ideas. (just kidding, moms is cool) She loved the way he quickly got up from the table where he was eating so he could help her with her bags and how cleared the table for me once I was done eating. When he stepped out of the room, she gave me her approval: a strong head nod saying "you go girl!". Mom: CHECK!!!
Last but not least, its parent number 4: my aunt Lynn. I thought she would be the toughest but surprisingly she was the easiest. It was just, "Hello J, I've heard so much about you. Nice to finally meet you." Thats it? I was just waiting for her to start grilling him but she didn't. Later on I asked her why she didn't grill him and she said that she didn't feeel she needed to. He seemed cool and I have her blessings. Wow. Aunt Lynn: CHECK!!!
All in all, the day was great. Besides everyone telling J how much I talk about him and how I smile when they say his name, it was a perfect first meeting for them. Yeah I was a bit embarrassed when J saw the million and one baby pictures of me around the house and when my family told him how they feel like they know everything about him because I won't stop talking about him. But its ok, he already knows I'm completely smittened by him.
As we were leaving and saying goodbye to everyone my uncles and cousins would each give him a handshake or hug and tell him welcome to the family. That seems a bit premature to me but I'm just glad that they liked him and accept him as the man I want to be with. He's only the third guy I've ever brought home to meet my family. Will he be the last? Who knows. Only time will tell. You'll have to keep reading to see.


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12-Point Glitter Star Christmas Tree Topper Item #1915-GFeatures: Number of bulbs: 15 Bulb size: miniature Color: multi-colored bulbs/green wire 30 inch green lead cordAdditional Product Features: One-sided design If one bulb goes out the rest stay lit Contains 1 plug with end connector allowing you to stack multiple sets of lights together Material(s): plastic Dimensions: 9"H x 9"W x 2"D UL Listed for indoor use only Comes with spare replacement bulbs, fuses and clip for attaching to tree 120V, 60Hz Type: Tree Toppers Occasion: Christmas Color: Multi-Color Light Color: Multi-Color Pre-Lit: Yes Mapping: Null. Price: $14.99
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Marina Piccinini, world renown flutist and First Prize winner of many competitions including the Avery Fisher Award; and Mark Oswald, Metropolitan Opera baritone and faculty member of the Manhattan School of Music, join the line up of classical music artists during this ninth decade.
* Until 1928, first Cincinnati appearances were not noted on the recital programs; but it is likely that many of the artists presented in those early years were, in fact, Cincinnati debuts. All artists whose names are preceded by an "*" are verified first appearances.
# First Cincinnati recital performances.


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News 12 at 6 o'clock, November 6, 2007
AUGUSTA, Ga.---News 12 caught up with both candidates for Super District 10 out on the campaign trail. Tuesday proved to be a busy day for both candidates.
First up, newcomer John Butler. "I ask myself when is the last time a carpenter got elected to public office? I just graduated from college so let me put together a good strategy and I said how about extreme-makeover commission edition."
His vision: "We're gonna build this place. We're gonna make Augusta like it's never been before. We're gonna breathe life into it again and give the Mayor a hand so he doesn't have to baby commissioners anymore."
Incumbent Don Grantham is not making promises. "I think promises are something that people do not expect anymore. People expect you to do the right thing, and that's what I've done for 4 years, and I'll continue to do that for the next 3 years."
Commissioner Grantham says he was out at 4:30 A.M. morning doing what...waving to passers-by it's something he says he wouldn't miss for the world, and he's not the only one. Not to be outdone, John Butler said he got up this morning dropped the kids off at school and....got out waving... "I would like to ask the people of Augusta if you feel the Richmond County Commission needs an extreme makeover come out today and vote. Your vote can help get this thing over the top."
"I feel very good. I think that we have run a very upscale campaign, and we've been very positive about the issues and the things that we have talked about," says Grantham.
"I'm just proud to have been part of this campaign, and I have so many wonderful people supporting me."


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Additional features Protects from frost, heavy rain, harsh wind Assembles in minutes without the use of tools Get a head start on seed planting Kit is expandable in 4-foot increments Choose a kit to work with a 6-inch or 12-inch deep bed Ideal for extending your growing season Access both sides from the zip-up windows Windows provide excellent air circulation Inner mesh keeps out unwanted pests Overall dims with 6-inch deep bed: 48L x 48W x 38.5H inches Overall dims with 12-inch deep bed: 48L x 48W x 44H inches Door dimensions: 40L x 20H inches Sidewall height: 15 inches Peak height: 33 inches Get a jump start on your summer gardening plans with the Frame-It-All Greenhouse Kit and Recycled Resin Raised Garden Bed. With this easy-to-assemble greenhouse, you don't have to wait to get your seeds planted, and once you do, this cover will protect your buds and sprouts from frost, torrential rains, harsh wind and other types of inclement weather. It's also ideal for extending your growing season. Just think of all the extra gardening time you'll get to enjoy! The raised garden bed included in this kit is constructed of eco-friendly, composite wood grain timbers that are UV-treated to protect and preserve the natural appearance. It's easy to assemble, as is the greenhouse frame that snaps together in five minutes or less. Each corner matches up with a top corner joint stake. Slip on the PVC greenhouse cover and you're all set! One person can assemble this kit in about an hour. About Frame It All Made by Scenery Solutions, the Frame It All system is a simply designed, durable wrap-around landscaping system. Warp-resistant wood is crafted into easy-to-assemble pieces that come together to create raised flower beds, vegetable gardens, playground borders, landscape edging, and more. Since 1987, the professionals behind the Scenery Solutions Company have been working to develop products and systems to improve your outdoor space and increase comfort. Price: $129.98
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July 29, 2009
Surf Your Way to Bargains
The Internet has brought us many wonderful things. Twitter has given oppressed people a political voice on the international stage. Blogs allow emerging artists, writers and pundits to express themselves in the public forum. YouTube brought us the sneezing baby panda. But this all pales in comparison to one thing the Internet has truly revolutionized: discount shopping.
Shopping online removes the walk of shame to the back of the store, where rummaging through sale rack after sale rack in search of the right size can sometimes yield only frustration. The Internet allows people to dress in their favorite bathrobe and enjoy a reasonable shopping spree from the comfort of their own home. Whether it's looking for a summer sundress or a new pair of Ferragamos, the Internet is a haven for such-a-deal discounts.
The best place to start is with the basics—eBay. The granddaddy of auction sites sells almost everything (someone in Florida once tried to auction his kidney ... a major eBay no-no). If it's clothing you're after, visit a department store and write down your size in your favorite designer. It's possible to get the same items for a dramatically reduced price, and in many cases without having to pay sales tax.
Listings on eBay often feature acronyms—LN (like new), NBW (never been worn), NWT (new with tag)/NWOT (new without tag)—as well as eBay-specific terms, like "sniping" (last-minute-bidding). For help with acronyms and to find a glossary of terms, visit: pages.ebay.com/help. And to avoid scams on eBay, check out the seller's user info. Past customers rate and review sellers, and anyone who doesn't have positive feedback in the high 90th percentile should be approached with caution.
While eBay and similar sites host charitable auctions and feature opportunities for buyers and sellers to make charitable contributions part of everyday auctions, charitable giving is the core mission of BiddingForGood.com. The site hosts charity auctions for a variety of causes, including Jewish nonprofits, and provides bidders with an item's estimated value. BiddingForGood offers a wide array of products, from clothing and jewelry to travel packages, and proceeds go to schools and nonprofit causes nationwide.
One of the biggest turn-offs in online shopping is the cost of shipping. Sites like Amazon.com offer free shipping once a customer has reached a certain dollar limit. But when it comes discounted, buy-it-now online shopping, Overstock's $2.95 flat-rate shipping is difficult to beat. Want a $10 CD? Shipping is $2.95. Eyeing a loveseat and an Anne Klein suit that's 30 percent off? Purchase both from Overstock, and shipping is $2.95 for the entire order. (Overstock also features online auctions, like eBay, but shipping costs vary.)
When it comes to children's clothes, many wardrobes have been done in by growth spurts and grass stains. With back-to-school shopping around the corner, consider Cheapkidsclothes.com, which features an assortment of new and used children's clothing, some featuring designer labels. Get a cute new pink jumper for as little as $7.49—a typical average price for many of its items.
Metrosexuals on a budget can look for clothing at Mensredtag.com, and fashionistas everywhere can rejoice at Bluefly.com, which provides a plethora of designer discounts. Although with Furla bags reduced to $450 from $780, get ready to be pinching silver dollars as opposed to pennies.
The new rage, however, is Web sites that send daily e-mail updates about online designer sales. After providing the site with a name and e-mail address, shoppers are invited to exclusive online sales every two days. Favorite sites include Topbutton.com, Giltgroup.com and Hautelook.com, which feature clocks that count down the time left to buy those 60 percent-off Judith Leiber sunglasses, Seven jeans and Stila lip gloss.
Also, it can never hurt to check the official Web site of favorite stores. Many chichi brands and designers have Web-exclusive deals, and others list when they offer in-store clearance sales.
Coupon sites like Savings.com provide an extensive collection of saving opportunities, from product discounts to free shipping offers. Type in "GAP" at Savings.com and dozens of coupons appear—recent selections included 10 to 50 percent off or $15 off a purchase of $75 or more at Baby Gap. The sites provide shoppers with coupon codes, and most online retailers request this code during checkout to redeem the advertised discount or special.
For shoppers still unsure as to whether they are receiving the best deal possible, visit pricingcentral.com or pricegrabber.com to comparison shop a variety of sites at once.
All dressed up with nowhere to go? Goldstar.com features half-price tickets for different events, from opera and ballet to baseball games and romantic weekend getaways. Want to see "Spamalot" for as little as $20? Hurry, because hot tickets go fast.
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text: Geographically seen the Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland is no mountain range, it is a landscape formed by erosion in Cretaceous period. In fact a hundred million years ago, it had been a lake with a chalk bed. Once the water had run off, a hefty slab of sandstone in layers of up to 600 meters of size remained. Millions of years of weathering carved notches and crevices in this sandstone plateau. The River Elbe and its tributaries found their ways through the canyons, rinsing them out and leaving a broken, bizarre landscape made of friable sandstone that is very slowly disintegrating into sand again. The altitude differences of up to 450 meters characterize the highly unusual sandstone landscape. Conical Basalt Mountains bordered off by granite cliff faces complete the picture.Further information about the national park you can find here: www.nationalpark-saechsische-schweiz.de


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A Beautiful Future
A fresh canvas for this budding artist meant a heart transplant at Children's. Today, Femi is the portrait of a thriving sixth grader – a special talent who's going to create like the greats.
Complete Story
Rising Star
Campbell knows the key to being a good dancer: practice and lots of good partners, including the GI specialists at Children's. A diagnosis of Crohn's Disease? It's not keeping this rising star down.
Complete Story
The Best Place for Kids.
Providing superior pediatric care is our reward. National recognition is an added bonus. Ranked among the 2016-2017 Best Children's Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.
Complete Story
Actively Amazing
When Lawson was younger, clubfeet led to casts, braces and surgery. Now, thanks to the orthopedics team at Children's, his biggest worries are finishing his homework and getting to basketball practice on time.
Complete Story
The Bone Metabolic Clinic at Children's Hospital & Medical Center is the only center in the region that specializes in treating childhood diseases of the bone. There are many pediatric bone metabolic diseases, but some of the more common conditions we treat include rickets, particularly the more complex types, osteoporosis and osteogenesis imperfecta. While most of these diseases are not curable, with the proper treatment regimen, we can help your child manage the condition and significantly improve his or her quality of life.
Our staff includes a multidisciplinary team of health care professionals who are trained and experienced in the treatment and management of children with bone metabolic diseases. Led by Richard Lutz, M.D. Medical Director. Dr. Lutz is a fellowship-trained in pediatric genetics, endocrinology and metabolism, the team also includes physical and occupational therapists, dietitians, nurses, nurse practitioners and radiology technologists.
Because of our experience and expertise in treating osteogenesis imperfecta, we have a dedicated clinic of health care professionals who specialize in this disease.
Did you know that there are just three medical geneticists in the state with expertise in inherited metabolic diseases?


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Boston Police said three more suspects are in custody in connection with the Boston Marathon Bombings.
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Sat 23rd Mar at Midday - 2:00pm
@ Union Chapel, London
Also appearing: Land Observations, Matthew & Me
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Never miss another 'Dakhla' show
Daylight Music : Dakhla + Land Observations + Matthew & Me
Daylight music is a dazzling idea presented by the Union Chapel to open up their amazing gothic venue to a shiny new daytime crowd and provide a rather exciting platform for artists.
Entry to Daylight Music is free but please consider giving a small donation (suggested donation £3.50) which can be put towards the running costs and expenses of bring these bands (from all over the country) to the venue.
This event takes place at Union Chapel, which has achieved Bronze Status for disabled access from Attitude Is Everything.
Brass and drums ensemble mixing Afro rhythms to Latino brass lines, Arabic melodies, hip-hop beats and Balkan time signatures, it's crazy music that's guaranteed to get bodies moving and shaking!
The band consists of Matt Brown (drums), Charlotte Ostafew (Bari Sax), Pete Judge (trumpet) and Sophie Stockham (alto sax); 4 musicians whose training and experience spans jazz and classical backgrounds, a band not to be missed!
Dakhla tour dates
Matthew & Me
Matthew and Me are an innovative 5 piece band from Dartington. Their music touches the ethereal with haunting vocals and electric, acoustic rock. A group to watch out for!
Matthew & Me tour dates
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Venue Facts
Venue: Union Chapel
Disabled Access: Bronze Status
Website: unionchapel.org.uk
Enquiries: 020 7226 1686
Disabled Bookings: 020 7226 1686
→ Highbury and Islington 4 min walk
→ Highbury & Islington 5 min walk


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Top Definition
AYCS simply stands for "as you can see"
aycs i have nutthing better to do.
by S Y N i X November 29, 2003
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
Short for "at your convenience".
Take your time.
No hurry.
Whenever Bro.
Take your time.
No hurry.
Whenever Bro.
"And Johnson, I know you're busy but don't forget I need numbers on that Murphy account. Get back to me AYC."
by lethiferous December 01, 2009
AYCS stands for Andrew Young Computer Services, as can be found high on the internet searching for AYCS
Have you been to AYCS, they have got that thing that you wanted, and i can not find it any cheaper on the internet.
by AYCS.co.uk July 29, 2009
Short for "at your convenience."
"Get back to me ayc - thanks."
by modernmanners May 15, 2015