text:
The Washington Post
Songs Without Wordsby Ann Packer
Liz and Sarabeth were childhood neighbors in the/i>
Ann Packer's debut novel, The Dive from Clausen's Pier, was a nationwide bestseller that established her as one of our most gifted chroniclers of the interior lives of women. Now, in her long-awaited second novel, she takes us on a journey into a lifelong friendship pushed to the breaking point.
Liz and Sarabeth were childhood neighbors in the suburbs of northern California, brought as close as sisters by the suicide of Sarabeth's mother when the girls were just sixteen. In the decades that followed–through Liz's marriage and the birth of her children, through Sarabeth's attempts to make a happy life for herself despite the shadow cast by her mother's act–their relationship remained a source of continuity and strength. But when Liz's adolescent daughter enters dangerous waters that threaten to engulf the family, the fault lines in the women's friendship are revealed, and both Liz and Sarabeth are forced to reexamine their most deeply held beliefs about their connection. Songs Without Words is about the sometimes confining roles we take on in our closest relationships, about the familial myths that shape us both as children and as parents, and about the limits–and the power–of the friendships we create when we are young.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Editorial Reviews
The Washington Post
Packer follows her well-received first novel, The Dive from Clausen's Pier, with a richly nuanced meditation on the place of friendship in women's lives. Liz and Sarabeth's childhood friendship deepened following Sarabeth's mother's suicide when the girls were 16; now the two women are in their 40s and living in the Bay Area. Responsible mother-of-two Liz has come to see eccentric, bohemian Sarabeth, with her tendency to enter into inappropriate relationships with men, as more like another child than as a sister or mutually supportive friend. When Liz's teenage daughter, Lauren, perpetuates a crisis, Liz doubts her parenting abilities; Sarabeth is plunged into uncomfortable memories; and the hidden fragilities of what seemed a steadfast relationship come to the fore. Packer adroitly navigates Lauren's teen despair, Sarabeth's lonely longings and Liz's feelings of guilt and inadequacy. Although Liz's husband, Brody, and other men in the book are less than compelling, Packer gets deep into the perspectives of Liz, Sarabeth and Lauren, and follows out their conflicts with an unsentimental sympathy. (Sept.)Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
In her second novel, Packer sticks with the themes of kinship and loss that helped The Dive from Clausen's Pierbecome a best seller. Here, full-time mom Liz enjoys life in northern California with Brody, her reliable if staid husband, and their children. Sometimes Liz must counsel and console Sarabeth, her flighty best friend, but overall things are good. Neither is prepared for the shock when Liz's teenage daughter Lauren tries to kill herself after a carefully hidden depression overwhelms her. Craving support from her childhood pal, Liz is stunned when Sarabeth stays away, numbed by recollections of her mother's suicide, and their long friendship seems doomed. The family's despair and gradual moves toward coping unfold in precise, graceful language that creates a contemporary setting with plenty of references to current fads and fashions. Individual characters, particularly most of the adults, are less vividly realized, though the author has a knack for capturing the inner lives of adolescents, making Lauren's sections memorable and poignant. Recommended for most collections of popular fiction. [See Prepub Alert, LJ5/1/07.
Starr E. Smith
Product Details
- 9780307267818
- Publisher:
- Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
- Publication date:
- 09/04/2007
- Series:
- Vintage Contemporaries
- Sold by:
- Random House
- Format:
- NOOK Book
- Pages:
- 352
- Sales rank:
- 581,430
- File size:
Read an Excerpt
Songs Without Words
By Ann Packer
KnopfCopyright © 2007 Ann Packer
All right reserved.
Chapter 1
Six o'clock in the morning. It was one of Liz's favorite times of day: everyone else asleep, Brody still motionless in the bed she'd just left, the kids upstairs, in sleep not teenagers anymore but simply larger versions of their younger, childish selves, who, she could almost believe, would wake and seek her for body comfort, as they used to. They were thirteen and fifteen, but she could still open their doors and look at them sleeping: how Joe lay on his back with half his blankets kicked to the side, his mouth slightly open; how Lauren folded her limbs in close, her head sandwiched between two pillows, a fist curled under her chin.
In the kitchen, Liz spooned coffee into the Krups and leaned in for a whiff of the dark, rich smell. She got out four plates and four juice glasses. Moving to the calendar, she did a quick pro forma check of the day, but she knew: soccer practice for Joe, and Brody home a little on the late side because of his tennis game. Lauren did nothing after school this year, and Liz had taken to planning labor-intensive dinners so she'd be in the kitchen if Lauren wanted her. Jambalaya tonight? She'd go grocery shopping after her yoga class.
Outside, the newspaper lay on the lawn, its plastic wrapper wet with dew. She bent over for it, then looked up and down the street. The houses in this neighborhood were at once ample and modest, with lovinglytended small front yards. Sixteen years ago, buying here had seemed a compromise: it wasn't Palo Alto, but it was nice, and the schools were good, and she and Brody reassured themselves that Palo Alto would still be there when they had more money. Now they had more money, but they stayed. They were comfortable here. It was home.
She left the paper in the kitchen and tiptoed through the bedroom to the bathroom. She loved the first blast of the shower on her face; she opened her mouth and used her hands to cup water at her cheeks, her eyes. She massaged shampoo into her scalp, then turned and let the water course through her hair. When she turned back it beat at her nipples, and she twisted them, felt a tingling between her legs. It had been a while since she and Brody had made love, and she was ready. Was he? They were a little out of sync, she sometimes felt.
In the bedroom she began to dress, opening drawers as quietly as she could, though he was beginning to stir.
"Time is it?" he muttered after a short while.
She turned around, saw he hadn't moved. "About six-thirty."
He raised himself up and looked at her, then sank down and lay on his back. She skirted the bed and sat near him on the edge of the mattress. His chest was bare, and she laid her hand over his breastbone, its bloom of graying hairs.
"OK," he said, covering her hand with his own.
"OK," she said with a smile.
She left him and went upstairs to the kids. Lauren was likely to be awake already, and Liz hesitated, then turned the doorknob slowly. She pushed the door open but waited a moment before moving over the threshold.
Lauren was on her back, looking at the door. It seemed to Liz that she had been waiting for this moment, had even girded herself for it: pulling the covers all the way to her chin, making sure her head was in the very center of her pillow. She stared hard at Liz but didn't speak.
"Morning, sweetie," Liz said, but still Lauren didn't speak, didn't react at all. Something was going on with her these days, Liz didn't know what. It was almost as if the last three years had never happened, and she was still twelve: sullen and aggrieved. Though Friday night she'd abruptly changed her mind about spending Saturday in Berkeley with some friends, and Liz knew that at twelve Lauren never would have canceled anything involving even one other girl.
"Almost time to get up," Liz said now.
"I know," Lauren said with a sneer. "I'm not stupid."
Liz pulled the door to and headed for Joe's room. Lauren's tone seemed to have lodged inside her: she felt it harden like a fast-drying coat of shellac on her lungs. Outside Joe's room she took a deep, slow breath to break it up.
Long ago she'd replaced Joe's curtains with blackout shades, and it was very dark in his room, the only light coming from the hallway behind her. She crossed to his bed and sat down. Already he'd turned off the alarm clock that he set, every night, for six-thirty. He was crafty, never just hitting the snooze button but actually sliding the setting to off.
"Joe," she said. His head was turned to the wall, and she put a hand on his shoulder and shook it a little. "Joe."
He burrowed deeper, and as always she felt torn: she wanted to adjust the covers over him, to encourage his sleep, make his bed the nicest place possible; and she wanted, needed, to get him up.
She shook his shoulder again. "Joe."
"I'm awake."
"I am. I swear."
She patted his shoulder and left the room, knowing she'd come again in five minutes. She tried hard to make them independent, but there was a cost to her, and some things she couldn't give up. Yet.
In the kitchen she began breakfast. She sliced a pear into a bowl of blackberries, unwrapped a loaf of challah, and cut it into thick slices. She put jam and honey on the table, then went back to Joe.
"It's time," she said to his sleeping body.
He hunkered farther, bringing the covers over his face.
"It's time," she said again, shaking his shoulder. "It's almost seven."
"Urf," he moaned, but the position of his body changed, and after a while she could tell he was awake. "No," he said.
"I'm afraid so." She tweaked his foot and then left the room and headed toward Lauren's nearly closed door, but before she could speak Lauren's voice came at her, brusque and preemptive: "Mom, I'm up!"
Liz retreated. Down in the kitchen again, she put challah slices in the toaster and poured herself a second cup of coffee. She sometimes regretted the second cup at yoga, but she missed it too much when she skipped it.
In a few minutes Lauren came into the kitchen. She moved slowly, and her unbrushed hair fell in clumps past her shoulders, collected in the hood of her oversize gray sweatshirt. "Sweetie," Liz said without meaning to, and Lauren gave her a sour look.
"Nothing. Hi." Liz put a second round of bread in the toaster and watched in her peripheral vision as Lauren moved around the table and pulled out her chair. When the toaster popped, Liz buttered the new slices, put them all on a plate, and took them to the table. "Here we go."
Lauren reached for a piece of toast and took a bite, and Liz thought, You're welcome. Then she wished she could unthink it. She hated how pissy she felt—it wasn't the kind of mother she wanted to be.
Brody came in, dressed in a white shirt and tie, and she remembered that he'd mentioned a meeting out of the office today. He passed close by her on his way to the coffeemaker, and she caught a whiff of his soap smell, watched as he found a mug and pulled the coffeepot out of its base. His nice broad back seemed broader in the white shirt. He turned and faced her for his first sip, and she thought about how much it had always pleased her to see him in a dress shirt and tie. That's because he reminds you of your father, Sarabeth had remarked about this, in her usual perspicacious way.
Now Joe arrived, reaching for a slice of challah before he'd even sat down, then consuming it in two bites and chasing it with a large gulp of juice. He'd shot up over the summer, and he was gangly now, with enormous wrists. She took her seat and watched as he helped himself to fruit, took more toast, pulled his juice glass a little closer: gathered what he needed to stock himself for the day.
He looked up at her as he stabbed a pear slice. "Are you driving us to practice?"
"I'm not sure yet," she said. "I'll drop your gear at Trent's if I'm not. Are you packed?"
"How is our friend Trent?" Brody said as he came over and sat down. "That was quite a play he made on Saturday. That kid can kick." He unfolded his napkin and then unfolded it again and tucked a corner into his collar. He turned to Lauren and said, "Did you know that the entire purpose of the necktie used to be to protect the shirt? Now we have to protect the protector!"
"That's the fullback's job in soccer," Joe said, and Brody winked at Liz as he turned back to Joe.
"You're quick this morning."
"No, I'm not," Joe said, but he smiled with pleasure, a wash of color high on each cheek.
Liz looked at Lauren. She was spaced out, her expression vacant as she played with one of the many thick silver rings she wore. Let's try again, Liz thought, but she wasn't sure how.
"You could get one of those plastic ties," Joe said. "Like for a Halloween costume."
"Maybe I will," Brody said. "That could solve all kinds of problems." He smiled at Liz again and reached for the challah, and she saw there was only one piece left.
She said, "Oops, sorry, I'll get some more of that."
He shrugged. "I can."
"No, no, I will." She slid the last slice onto his plate and went back to the toaster, thinking for a moment that this wasn't the best model for Lauren—or Joe, for that matter. The woman leaping to her feet. But she wanted to do it—she liked doing it. Was she supposed to pretend she didn't?
It was funny: most of the women she knew complained about their husbands' uselessness at domestic tasks, but of course it was they who'd allowed them to be useless. Liz did it, too—complained, too. There was this sisterhood out there, a sisterhood of eye rolling and head shaking and sighing over the helplessness of husbands. Liz had always enjoyed it, the standing around at the kids' schools or soccer games saying, My husband cannot hang up a towel, or I'm going out and leaving my kids with my husband tonight—before dinner, and everyone laughing. With Lauren and Joe older, Liz had less of that: the talking, the standing around. It was a little lonely with the kids older.
Very soon the rush began: Brody looking for his BlackBerry; Lauren disappearing into the bathroom; Joe all over the house at once, searching for his backpack, his math homework, his lunch—oh, wait, he had hot lunch, and he'd just remembered, he needed ten bucks for a student body card—no, today, today was the last day, it had to be today; and then they were all gone.
In the sudden silence Liz sat down again, licking her fingertip and pressing it to the toast crumbs on her plate. She found herself thinking of the brief conversation she'd had with Sarabeth Saturday morning, when she'd called to tell her Lauren wouldn't be in Berkeley after all. Lauren and her friends had planned to stop in on Sarabeth if they had time, and Liz hadn't wanted Sarabeth wondering all day if they would come. "Oh, too bad," Sarabeth said in response to the news. "I was going to make chocolate meringues." And Liz had gotten a clear picture of the picture Sarabeth must have had, of Lauren and her friends filling her funky little house with their teenage giggles and intermittent high seriousness. Liz was sorry they'd canceled. She'd call Sarabeth after yoga, see if she could come for dinner sometime soon.
Chocolate meringues. That was the treat Sarabeth used to make for Lauren and Joe when they were little, when every few months Liz would load them into the car for a pilgrimage across the bay. In anticipation of these visits, Sarabeth would tape giant pieces of butcher paper to her living room floor, and once the meringues were consumed she'd launch the kids on some labor-intensive drawing project—a giant forest, a city of towers—so that for a while at least Liz could sit on her couch and they could talk. What a respite those conversations were: hearing about Sarabeth's romantic adventures, or learning more about a new project she had going—anything to interrupt the day-in, day-out sameness of life with small children. I'll trade you, Sarabeth used to say. You couldn't stand it for more than a day. Which was true, of course.
The high school was on the north edge of town, across the street from a little shopping center with a Starbucks, a Subway, and a Jamba Juice. Kids weren't supposed to bring food over from the center, but everyone did, smuggling their Starbucks or Jamba Juice cups into their morning classes. The teachers didn't care, but it was a rule, and if the vice-principal saw you, you got busted. It was called getting cupped. Lauren had seen a freshman guy get cupped before school today, and it was so obvious he'd done it on purpose. It was probably the highlight of his life, proving what a tough ass he was by getting detention in high school.
Lauren was in chemistry, hiding inside her conscientious student look. Notebook open, pen in hand, thoughtful expression. It was ridiculously easy. If she felt Mr. Greenway's eyes on her, she bit her lip as if she were struggling to understand something, then made a mark in her notebook. From far away she would look like she was taking notes, but in fact she was adding details to a picture of a tree she'd drawn yesterday. A Japanese maple. She was terrible at the leaves. In fact, she sucked at drawing. Everyone used to say how good she was, but they were wrong.
Across the aisle and one desk forward, Amanda twisted her copper-red hair around her finger. Her jeans were a little floody, and Lauren saw that she was wearing socks with smiley faces on them, as if she were still in middle school. Amanda could be so weird that way, not caring about stuff.
They had four classes together this fall. "That's great," Lauren's mom had said when Lauren told her, although it wasn't, exactly. It was Amanda, and it was great in exact proportion to how it was not so great: it gave Lauren someone to hang out with, and it made it impossible for her to hang out with anyone else.
"Great." With Lauren's mom everything was either "great" or "too bad." What would you like me to say? Lauren imagined her mom asking, and she turned away, then realized that she'd actually turned away, actually moved her head, here in chemistry. She looked at Mr. Greenway, worried that he'd noticed, but he was writing on the board, oblivious. The periodic table hung to his left. Lauren had not meant to look at it, but she'd caught a glimpse—those rows of little boxes, the meaningless letters inside them—and her stomach flipped. It was the middle of October, and she could no longer maintain the pretense that she was going to start getting it soon. Every time Mr. Greenway talked about the periodic table, she thought, OK, listen, but something happened to his voice, like he just loved the periodic table, and she couldn't listen. She spaced out. Sometimes she thought of the quilt on her parents' bed, how when she was little she'd lie there and play a game of mentally connecting like fabric with like fabric, a game to explain why the quilt was exactly as it was, as if it had to be. Or she'd think about lunch: where she and Amanda might sit, and whether or not she'd see what's-his-butt.
Who, speaking of: class was almost over. Her heart pounded as she watched the classroom clock click from six of to five of. Just five minutes until the after-chemistry pass. She ran her fingers through her hair, then lowered her head and examined her teeth with her tongue. She cupped her hand under her mouth and exhaled, but her breath just smelled like the classroom, not that she ever got close enough for her breath to matter. Some idiotic magazine article had said you should pinch your cheeks to bring color to them, but color wasn't a problem—her face was always on fire when she looked at him. At the moment she was also sweating between her boobs, which she absolutely hated.
"Lab tomorrow," Mr. Greenway was saying. "Don't forget your flameproof suits." He smiled his pathetic aren't-I-funny smile just as the bell rang, and Amanda turned and rolled her eyes at Lauren.
"Don't forget your dick brain," she said, meaning Mr. Greenway's, but Lauren was in no mood. She'd missed the before-school locker pass, so she didn't even know what he was wearing today. She preferred this pass to take place out beyond the science complex, under the open sky rather than on the busy covered walkways, where she always felt invisible. Plus she could see him for longer out there, see him leaving his English class if she got out there early enough. Walking that swinging walk. His arms, his legs. She imagined him naked walking like that, and her face got even hotter, if that was possible. Herself naked near him—she wanted to barf.
"Laur-en," Amanda said, and, nearly at the door, Lauren looked back. Amanda for some reason was still at her desk, still putting her stuff in her backpack. Fuck—now the pass would take place on the science walkways, no question. She might even be too late altogether.
"Do you mind waiting?" Amanda whined, and Lauren waited, and by the time she got outside it was too late: he was past her, heading for his physics class, wearing his blue T-shirt with the faded red ladder on the back, from his painting job two summers ago. On the front, she knew, just over his heart, it said: JEFF.
Excerpted from Songs Without Words by Ann Packer Copyright © 2007 by Ann Packer. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Meet the Author
Ann Packer received the Great Lakes Book Award for The Dive from Clausen's Pier, which was a national bestseller. She is also the author of Mendocino and Other Stories. She is a past recipient of a James Michener award and a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. Her fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Ploughshares, and other magazines, as well as in Prize Stories 1992: The O. Henry Awards. She lives in northern California with her family.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Brief Biography
- Hometown:
- San Carlos, California
- Date of Birth:
- 1959
- Place of Birth:
- Stanford, California
- Education:
- B.A., Yale University; M.F.A., University of Iowa
- Website:
- http://www.annpacker.com/
Customer Reviews
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I thought this was a quiet book about relationships between mothers and daughters and friendship. The writing was good. I felt drawn in and concerned for the characters. It wasn't an exciting book. I believe the characters grew though, quietly. I know this book didn't get great reviews and the comments on this website reflect that. I thought the book was thoughful and reflective on those relationships. I enjoyed it. I look forward to more books from Ann Packer.
I really like Ann Packer as an author and greatly enjoyed her two previous works. However, I was disappointed with this book. I agree with the other reviewer, it was dull and flat. I think it was well written, but it didn't seem like the author was writing about much. There just wasn't any vigor and I could have predicted how it would end. I would not recommend this book to others. I kind of feel bad saying that as I was so looking forward to something new from Ann Packer. Please read her other two books and hope for another great one in the future as I know she has it in her.
Read this book if you are interested in yet another detailed depiction of the lives of quiet desperation playing out in American suburbs. Ann Packer was hailed as a gifted chronicler of the interior lives of women after her debut novel, The Dive From Clausen's Pier '2002'. In it, a young woman wrestles with feelings of guilt after her fiance, for whom she has lost all passion after an 8 years and 6 months courtship, becomes a quadriplegic when he breaks his neck in a diving accident. Her second novel, Songs Without Words, has a somewhat less arresting premise, though it still involves life-changing bodily harm. Liz and Sarabeth have been best friends ever since the latter's mother committed suicide while they were in high school. Now in their 40s, they find their relationship shaken to its core after Liz's 15-year-old daughter, Lauren, attempts suicide. In a nutshell, Sarabeth feels awkward and lost as she is not used to providing emotional support. Meanwhile, Liz is hurt, then fed up that Sarabeth still seems to want to be mollycoddled when Liz obviously has greater worries on her mind. Packer takes pains to establish her character's personalities, the better for us to understand their psychological motivations. The problem is that these personalities are not very interesting. Liz is a happy housewife devoted to her children and yoga, while her husband Brody plugs away at a technology firm and plays tennis to relieve stress. Lauren is a shy, artistic type shunned by the cool girls in school and infatuated with a conventionally good-looking senior, while her younger brother Joe is a strong, silent soccer player. Lastly, Sarabeth is the wild child, making lampshades and falling for married men when she isn't sitting in her bohemian shack stressing out about her life's lack of direction. Packer drags us through the minutiae of her characters' lives in an attempt to expose the cracks running just below the surface. Her prose, though elegant, also lacks any turns of phrase or imagery that might move the reader, settling for the obvious cliches. Perhaps in an attempt to channel teenage angst, she chooses to convey Lauren's deep despair with sentences plucked from a high school girl's poetry notebook: 'Her stupid blue dress from last year brushed her shoulder. Life was endless, endless.' In her haste to explore the complexities of the human psyche, the writer seems to have forgotten that the individual human is what makes a psyche compelling, or not. If this book were a song without words, it would be one overwrought hackneyed and ultimately forgettable tune.
Having loved the dive from clausen's pier, i was really excited to read something new by ann packer. i couldn't have been more disappointed. after an initially interesting start, the story fell totally flat and i had to force myself to get through the book.
This read was a major disappointment. I had high expectations after Ann Packer's 'The Dive From Clausen's Pier.' 'Songs Without Words' was flat, boring, and entirely predictable.
I LOVED Packer's first book, The Dive from Clausen's Pier, and was so excited to read this. Wow, was I disappointed. Just very boring with not much going on . The only redeeming quality was that I could relate to some of the friendship stuff and was interested in hearing about stuggles between lifelong friends. But that was not even worth the read, really. I wouldn't reccomend it.
When I reached 'Part 3' of the book, I thought, finally something will come together. I now have about 50 pages left and am beginning to doubt that anything of much interest will happen. I was away on a trip with not another book to read so I just kept reading. I will finish the book but with not much anticipatation. The characters are shallow and never fully develop. Very depressing and dysfunctional characters in much need of seeking professional help. I felt that the premise of the book could have been a good one if developed properly. But, the plot is thin and stagnant. Am glad that I did not buy this book but was able to take it out from the library. If you feel you still want to read 'Songs Without Words' I suggest you go the same path.
The Dive From Clausen's Pier is one of my favorite books, and I have anxiously awaited Ann Packer's next novel. I was thrilled to happen upon this book on accident at the library. Unfortunately, it was a major disappointment. When I read the book jacket, I really couldn't figure out what the story line would be. After reading the book, I figured out why... there really isn't much of a story. Besides a couple key events, the majority of the book is each character wrestling with their emotions, with excruciating and repetitive detail. The book is painful to read, and not in a good way. The characters are very one dimensional and none of them are fleshed out in a way that makes you care. Take Lauren. We never understand why she experiences such depression and self-loathing. And Brody, the husband, who is filled with anger in the book from start to finish, and never really experiences any growth. I was so frustrated reading it, but I kept at it just to see if something major would happen or if the characters would change in some way. I love reading about how humans react to tragedies in life and some of my favorite books are by Elizabeth Berg, who really has a knack for these subjects, but is able to say it in far fewer words and still maintain a healthy and engagiing storyline. Songs Without Words was just trying too hard to give deep insight into how we relate to each other when bad things happen. I needed more 'show' through a strong storyline and less 'tell' with each character's inner observations. Two stars are a generous rating for this book, but I do have faith that Ann Packer will wow us again with something as amazing as Clausen's Pier.
I was really excited to read this book, because the premise, two lifelong friends who suffer a 'falling out,' sounded extremely promising. Also, I really enjoyed 'The Dive from Clausen's Pier.' I was sorry to find this book deathly dull. Nothing happens in the lives of these women that are worthy of a busy 'and choosy' reader's attention or interest.
I got half way through and could not bring myself to invest anymore time.
I have read several of Ann Packer's books and really enjoyed them. This one however does not fall into that category. Somewhat disappointing to say the least. It was disjointed on its format and I honestly could find no thread to focus on. Different than her others.
i wish i had it in me to stop reading a book once i've started. this book was mind-numbingly horrible. i'm actually angry about the time i wasted reading this book. it seemed just worthless babble to me, i still can't figure out the reason the brother even existed. i could go on forever. save yourself valuable time and stay as far away as possible from this garbage.
When you throw a stone into a pond, the ripples travel out to the edge. The stone and its point of entry aren't the only aspects disturbed by this action. Similarly, Ann Packer analyzes the effects of disaster on a seemingly perfect family in her novel, Songs Without Words.   The plot is centered on the friendship of Liz and Sarabeth, childhood friends with a sister-like bond. The two have been through a lot together: growing up on the same street, broken hearts, and Sarabeth's mother committing suicide in their teen years. Now in their forties, Liz and Sarabeth have distinctly different lives. Liz has everything she has ever dreamed of with her life as a homemaker, soccer mom, and doting wife. Sarabeth is unsatisfied with her single existence and stagnant business. However, they think that they always have each other to lean on.   Songs Without Words starts off in a promising direction. The characters are well developed and there are hints at drama to come. Liz's daughter is struggling with depression, high school, and her self image. The main problem is that all the action is over within the first one hundred pages. The rest is wallowing in sorrow and anger. Lauren, Liz's daughter, attempts suicide. It rocks the core of the family. Liz questions her adequacy at her life's work, her children and her marriage. A loving couple sees each other as enemies instead of allies. Sarabeth is torn between her friendship and the struggles that memories of suicide bring back.   Although the dissection of human relationships is fascinating, it alone does not bode well for a novel. There must be action involved, and action Songs Without Words lacked. What I thought was a page-turner slowly fizzled into a pity party. Liz hates her husband, her best friend, and herself. Sarabeth refuses to get out of bed. Lauren can only see her own problems when changes she brought to the life around her are conspicuous. The life was completely sucked out of the pages, and I found myself getting depressed, much like all the characters. Perhaps Packer could have capitalized on the mental hospital Lauren finds herself in, or expanded on the lost relationship Sarabeth morns. Instead she chose to use her valuable words to explain lamps, cookies, and the eye color of Lauren's crush. I found reading this book a depressing and mundane mess. Words are the only source of communication writers have with their readers and Packer gave us Songs Without Words and words without meaning.
Songs Without Words is a touching story about family and the trying times many families go through. The two main characters Liz, an artsy mother and loving wife, and Sarabeth, a single but proud woman, have been friends since thier middle school carrers. Now grown and approaching middle age, they both are going through somewhat of a midlife crisis. Sarabeth has just gotten out of a relationship with a man she was deeply in love with. The only problem is that he was a married man. Now Liz on the other hand seemed like her life was flowing smoothly. Her marriage was good and she had two children in high school. Her son Joe played varsity lacrosse and was doing pretty good in school. Her daughter Lauaren was a different story all together. She was struggling not only in school but also in other aspects of her life. Lauren was having trouble coping with the difficulties in her life and ended up resorting to drastic measures. If you are interseted in knowing more about finding out what happens to Lauren, her mom, and Sarabeth I suggest puting Songs Without Words on your list of to read books.
Songs Without Words was a touching novel about the strength of childhood friendship that creates somewhat of a family bond. I loved the characters in this book, Packer did a wonderful job giving insight into their lives and minds and at the end of the book you're left wishing to know more about these characters and how the rest of their lives turn out.
the book was enjoyable enough to read, but really had little substance. I felt like I did not know the characters. I wished we had more to read about. My favorite was the daughter with the issues.


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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Guest Blogger: Kim Long on Researching THE ALMANAC OF POLITICAL CORRUPTION
Every time I pick up the ALMANAC, besides chuckling merrily at our history of political malfeasance and skulduggery (however bad today's scandals seem they were 1,000 times worse a hundred years ago -- see Potter, Robert) I am just awed by the amount of research that went into the ALMANAC. How does one go about compiling the most important (and somewhat hilarious) political scandals in the past 300 years along with some of the best political cartoons and pictures? How does one even find out that a politician once tried to annex Ireland and that a New Jersey State Senator elaborately faked his drowning by leaving oxygen tubes on the floor of the Caribbean?
I asked Kim to blog about how he researched the ALMANAC, and here's what he had to say:
My most recent book, the Almanac of Political Corruption, Scandals, and Dirty Politics, will be published in September by Bantam/Dell. Nathan Bransford handled the sale, and provided useful input during the proposal stage. At 368 pages, this project attempts to span the history of political corruption in the United States with a chronology of various people and events that make up this story, a different approach than the thousands of other titles, almost all narrative nonfiction, that have covered the subject. I have written other books using this type of almanac format and find it an engaging way to present information, from serious topics to trivia.
But with politics, various complexities compounded the task of research, organization, and writing. Most of the effort here, as with many nonfiction book projects, was expended in the former category, finding information and answering questions. What comprises corruption in the history of politics? Who was involved? What happened? The "big" stories -- Watergate, the impeachment of President Johnson, the Teapot Dome scandal -- are so well-covered that they present a problem of too much information. In a project such as mine, room has to be made for lots of entries, so reducing large stories to digest-sized items often took as much time as researching smaller stories from scratch. As journalists and reference professionals know, condensation is a tough slog.
However, most of the research involved combing published sources for lesser known stories, with newspapers, periodicals, and books my primary sources. With few exceptions, this meant relying on published indexes or online searches of full-text archives. Browsing was one method, hunting for topics that met my criteria in a discovery process without strict rules, as in "you know it when you see it." The other method is searching, the quest for answers when specific information is already known, such as proper names, geographic locations, or other keywords.
Online databases make the former method practical, but not always straightforward. Consider the range of keywords that might link a politician to a misdeed: "arrest," "indictment," "sentence," "fine," "accused," "parole," etc., not to the mention the dozens of potential activities that might have been involved: assault, murder, bribery, fraud, kickbacks, larceny, misdemeanor, felony, public nuisance ... the list is lengthy.
The multiple keywords defining politicians also added complexity to both browsing and searching. In order to do a thorough hunt, other alternatives are necessary as well, including, "mayor," "governor," "senator," "congressman," "representative," and so on. Even these narrowed alternatives might miss opportunities to uncover a scoundrel, as early newspaper accounts, which were typically partisan, might skip the official title altogether in favor of an insulting adjective, derogatory nickname, or party affiliation. And sometimes, merely, "The Hon. ..." Ultimately, it was combination of keywords that produced results, some combinations being more successful than others.
To ensure further discovery, another avenue I employed was to find shortcuts, previously published accounts that included names, events, and specific misdeeds. The muckrakers of the late 1800s provided one such field as did scholarly publications that focus on a single issue, such as bribery or election fraud. Here, thanks to the demands of academic publishing, potent details are often included, leading back to Internet searches armed with specific keywords. A single newspaper article could also be a gold mine, as when the Chicago Tribune or the Washington Post assigned a reporter to provide historical perspective on a contemporary misdeed by a local politician. An article on yet another alderman sent to prison in Chicago, for example, might provide a list -- a long list -- of previous escapades involving other aldermen.
At the other end of the research spectrum, some characters defied uncovering. Either because their actions were local and did not make it to the readily-available archives for national publications such as the New York Times, or they were truly obscure and lost to history. Felix McConnell is one example. I stumbled across a short newspaper article announcing his death while scanning hundreds of entries turned up in a browse for "congressman" and "suicide"; he killed himself with a pocket knife in December 1843. But despite being a national politician -- he was a Democratic representative from Alabama -- there was little else about his life until, by accident, I discovered an illustrated history book published in the 1940s, in which McConnell was depicted brandishing a knife on the porch of a Washington, D.C., hotel, an event that was newsworthy at the time, and enough to make him eligible for an entry in my book.
Unfortunately, without being able to track down a source or permission to reuse this illustration, I was left at the last minute with a hole in the page where his entry was placed, and not enough time to repaginate all of the pages that would be affected by simply closing up the text to replace the graphic. Luckily, in a second search of historic texts in a local academic library, I found a juicy bit of information I had missed the first time around. It seems that McConnell's one claim to fame while he was in Congress was to propose that the United States annex Ireland.
Research can be tedious, repetitive, and benumbing to the brain, but the payoff is discoveries both significant and trivial, the browsing incidents and search accidents that end up populating my books.
And, in the case of political shenanigans, there's always tomorrow's morning newspaper.
12 comments:
- Dave F. said...
This book sounds like fun. I think I'll be putting it on my Christmas List. That means, buy it , read it first and then give it away. Isn't that so naughty.
- September 27, 2007 at 11:47 AM
- amanda h said...
I can't wait for this book to come out. I'm hoping there is a special section on Louisiana.
We do have a cottage industry of especially corrupt politicians. Edwin Edwards (governor many times) said once "The only way I can lose is if I'm caught in bed with either a dead girl or a live boy." (It was the racketeering that finally did him in.)
- September 27, 2007 at 12:41 PM
This book sounds like a perfect Chrismas gift for my eldest son who attempted a run for Congress in '06 as a Libertarian. Might even add some fuel to his blog. Thanks Kim!
- September 27, 2007 at 1:02 PM
- JaxPop said...
Congratulations Kim on the book - sounds like it's right up my alley. Thanks Nathan for setting up the 'guest appearance'. Can't imagine the hours & effort that you put into a book like this. I write fiction that incorporates history - I call it faction - & do enjoy the research part, but nothing approaching the daunting task that you must have faced - especially the near dead ends.) It sounds awesome. I just finished reading a book last night & was doing the hmmmm "what's next" routine - I think your book has jumped to the head of the line & if it's at B&N now - I'll pick it up & start on it tonight. Good Luck with it.
- September 27, 2007 at 1:48 PM
- Other Lisa said...
Congratulations to you, Mr. Long - and congratulations to Nathan as well! I've already ordered my copy.
My job frequently involves research - but it's generally a lot more shallow. Still, I have some appreciation for what a huge project this must have been. How long did the research phase take?
- September 27, 2007 at 1:54 PM
This post really says a lot about the value of good research.
Even those of us writing fiction can learn something from Mr. Long. It makes sense that good research can help us to draw our readers into a story so that they will want to keep turning the page.
- September 27, 2007 at 2:29 PM
- K.C. Shaw said...
Okay, I think I'm sold. And my birthday's coming up! Time to stick this one on my Amazon wish list. This kind of book is just up my alley anyway--fun, informative, and clearly very well researched!
- September 27, 2007 at 2:56 PM
- Linnea said...
Congrats to you both for what sounds like a tantalizing read! Had to laugh, though, when Kim said research could be 'tedious, repetitive and numbing to the brain'. I love it. To me it's like going on a treasure hunt. My last novel was heavily researched and my current WIP is too. Part of the fun is uncovering things that aren't widely known. I've found a couple of beauties this time. Thanks for doing all the research, Kim. I'm going to thoroughly enjoy reading your book.
- September 27, 2007 at 4:39 PM
- Michelle Moran said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- September 27, 2007 at 5:51 PM
- Michelle Moran said...
Best of luck with this book, Kim. It's obviously been both thoroughly and lovingly researched! I've already placed my order, and can't wait to dig in!
- September 27, 2007 at 5:52 PM
- Ello said...
Even without the guest blog I was going to buy this book solely for its terrific title! My only fear is how big it is, I mean we are talking political corruption here...
I love research but I completely agree that it can be tedious and mind numbing, but it is all worth it when you get those kernels of information that make the whole process worthwhile. Best of luck with the book, but I think it is going to be a topseller! At least definitely here inside the beltway!
- September 27, 2007 at 6:10 PM
- Michael S. Hugh said...
I totally agree with you - Research can uplift any novel or short story.
I have to rush out and but this to see if any of the coup attempts (documented in the Library of Congressional records) are included in this book
All the best with sales
- September 28, 2007 at 12:05 PM


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William "Bill" Powers Jr. is the 28th president of the University of Texas at Austin, the flagship campus of the University of Texas System and the fifth-largest university in the nation. He was appointed to the position by the UT Board of Regents in 2005, following a five-year tenure as dean of the University of UT's School of Law.
Born in Los Angeles, Powers earned his bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley, and then joined the U.S. Navy. After his discharge, Powers enrolled at Harvard Law School and graduated magna cum laude in 1973. After clerking in the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Seattle, he took a teaching position at the University of Washington School of Law. In 1977, he joined the faculty at the University of Texas School of Law. He is married to Kim Heilbrun, a commercial real estate lawyer, and has five children.
Powers has written several books, dozens of articles and given hundreds of speeches. He has served as legal counsel to the congresses of the U.S. and Brazil, as well as the Texas Legislature, and he has chaired or served on dozens of boards, panels, conferences and committees. In 2001-02, he served on the board of failed energy giant Enron, both as a member of the litigation team and as chairman of a committee that investigated what went wrong. Some faulted him for taking the job, citing a conflict of interest — Enron had donated $3.5 million to UT-Austin, $276,000 of that to the law school — but Powers' frank assessment of Enron's failures in the committee's report silenced critics.
In 2000, Powers was appointed dean of the UT law school. He made student diversity a top priority — on his watch, the number of black students quadrupled, and Hispanics doubled, putting UT at the top of tier-one law schools in minority enrollment. He brought in $55 million in private donations, worked with the Legislature to deregulate law school tuition and aggressively recruited top professors nationwide.
In 2006, Powers, the sole finalist, was appointed UT-Austin president by the Board of Regents. He oversees operations at the massive campus, including its thousands of employees. He has the power to hire and fire deans and athletic directors.
UT-Austin is one of three universities in Texas regarded as "tier one" institutions (the others are Texas A&M in College Station and Rice University in Houston). It has one of the largest endowments in the country, and the largest budget for its athletic department.
Exactly what makes a university tier-one is variable, but generally it means any university that spends a sizable amount on research, graduates at least 200 Ph.Ds per year and has a strong academic stature. Such institutions, loaded with expensive faculty and facilities, come with a growing price tag for the state and college students, more and more an issue nationwide as student college loan debts soar. But UT-Austin, in particular, has a state constitutional mandate:
"The legislature shall as soon as practicable establish, organize and provide for the maintenance, support and direction of a University of the first class, to be located by a vote of the people of this State, and styled, "The University of Texas..." (Article 7, Section 10 of the Texas Constitution)
But maintaining such a mandate is an expensive proposition. In the 2011 legislative session, state leaders commanded state agencies — including state universities — to come up with five, and then later an additional ten percent in cuts to their budgets, which put pressure on administrators to raise tuitions and other fees.
In his January, 2011 State of the State address, Gov. Rick Perry called for a $10,000, four year degree program — including books — at state universities. Degree plans that closely match those criteria are actually available at UT-San Antonio and UT-Permian Basin, albeit under narrow circumstances, making Perry's proposition at least plausible, if not for a tier-one university. But the proposal reflects an increasingly popular notion among many about the proper role of higher education. On one hand, there is the traditional idea of the hallowed academic institution. Against that, there's the view that students should be trained for jobs, quickly and efficiently, using management and incentivizing techniques more familiar to businesses.
Reflecting this philosophy, in late 2011, newly appointed chairman of the University of Texas System Board of Regents Chairman Gene Powell hired Rick O'Donnell to the new position of special adviser to the board. O'Donnell, a former official in Colorado's higher education department, had written a policy paper for the conservative think-tank Texas Public Policy Foundation that questioned the need and usefulness of much of the research that goes on in universities. Supporting this point of view was fellow TPPF board member Jeff Sandefer, himself the author of a much-discussed document that outlines "seven breakthrough solutions" for reforming the higher-education model.
Perry's alma mater, Texas A&M, implemented measures similar to those proposed by Sandefer and O'Donnell, to widespread distrust and criticism. Less than 2 months into his job, O'Donnell was fired, but the fundamental division remains over the higher-education approach.
In May 2012, rumors swirled that Board of Regents Chairman Gene Powell, in concurrence with other regents, had directed chairman UT system chancellor Francisco Cigarroa to fire Powers. The reason: Back in 2003, state lawmakers gave up the power to regulate tuitions at state universities, turning the decision over to their boards of regents. Tuitions across the state rose rapidly — 50 percent at UT-Austin by 2009 — and that year, with students and parents increasingly alarmed, lawmakers crafted legislation imposing a moratorium on hikes. As momentum for the freeze built up in the Legislature, Powers moved to cap UT executive salaries, which had risen nearly as sharply as tuition rates. The legislation finally failed, but the message was sent: universities, control your costs.
As the 2012 spring semester ended at UT, Powers recommended tuition hikes of 2.6 percent for in-state and 3.6 percent for out-of-state students. Regents rejected the in-state increases, a move Powers criticized publicly, starting the rumor of his imminent firing.
A social media campaign to preserve Powers' job ensued, and although both Cigarroa and Powell later denied the UT president's job was in danger, the issue of making higher education both first-rate and affordable — which no one, including Powers, denies is a defining challenge — remains.


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Derry Township, Westmoreland County
State police reported that a truck driven by Edward Rohrer, of New Alexandria, collided with a car driven by Jodie Booker, of Latrobe, at 12:23 p.m. Tuesday on Route 981 at Conrad Court.
No one was reported to be injured
o o o
Kaitlyn A. Flickinger, 24, of New Florence, lost control of her vehicle Thursday afternoon on Route 22 and crashed into a concrete barrier, according to state police at the Kiski Valley station. Flickinger was not injured, police said.
Young Township, Jefferson County
A car driven by a 17-year-old boy from Sprankle Mills hit a guardrail and two traffic signs, then ran down an embankment along Main Street near Dutchtown Road at 7:57 a.m. Wednesday, state police at Punxsutawney reported.
Troopers said no one was injured.


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Paper Illusions
Has anyone heard of or used Paper Illusions for their walls?
I know of the stuff but it strikes me as gimmicky and a real pain if you ever want to take all those pieces of wallpaper off.
Why not pick a nice paper pattern or do a faux finish you like in the first place?
I admit a bias against poorly done faux finishes that don't really seem to belong. Faux marble walls in a ranch home with 8' drywall ceilings for example.
The couple of websites I found that were dedicated solely to Illusions made it seem gimicky to me as well that is why I wanted to ask around. I know Lowes and some other online stores that I have found sell it but it is not their main item. My sister-in-law bought some from Lowes a few years ago and she loves it. I was concerned about the "marble" look too because I am going with a country theme since I live in the boonies..ha!
My issue is basically we live in a house that was built in 1950 and some of the walls were not taped and mudded properly. We cannot afford to replace the drywall right now which is what I would LOVE to do. So, I need something that is going to cover up slight bumps in the wall. I am fixing nail pops and mudding spots as we speak but it will NOT be perfect.
I am thinking a heavier paper would work better.
I personally think it's tacky. But that's my opinion.
Does anyone have any experience wallpapering less than perfect walls or even less less than perfect walls?..ha.
From my experience major surface defects will show up in the paper installation and can effect adhesion. Obviously a paper with a random pattern might not show so much. Best to surface the walls though.
I've mentioned NuWal before. You can get it from Abitron. It is a resin system where you apply resin and a new membrane and works well if you have lots of cracks, gouges and so forth. It is not as easy to apply as the YouTube video suggests but it does yield a new surface.
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UK Immigration Law
Have UK Immigration Law Questions? Get Answers Now.
No we do not wish to live in the UK after we are married, I will return to Australia & he will return to Algeria, I will then apply for a Australian Spouse visa for him as we both want to live Australia.
Dear XXXXX,
There is another coupple of question's I have, there is a British Embassy in Algeirs not far from where my fiance lives, is Tunisia a better option for him to apply for a visa ??
Also I dont know how difficult it will be but me & my fiancee have not met in person we talk daily online & by phone & have done this for nearly 1 year, so Im not sure how we will provide evidence of our relationship ?? my family & friends understand we want to marry & so does his family & friends.


text:
Let your loved ones know that they are always in your thoughts.
Bug a friend or loved one, to let them know you are thinking about them with this cute...
Put a smile on someone's face and send your get well soon wishes with this card.
A beautiful visual with a beautiful message.
Send lovely flowers and butterflies to wish get well soon.
Year 1971. A beautiful prayer for anyone that has some faith. English and Portuguese...
Just thinking of you as I often do.
A real cute healing wish for your friend/ family/ loved one.
A nice caring ecard...
Send over warm hugs to someone to wish a special and beautiful day...
Let your loved ones know that you are thinking of them!
A cute way to tell someone that you're really sorry.
Wish someone a great day with this fun e-card.
Send this sweet teddy bear to friends/ loved ones who can't be near you. Let...
To your friend or family member who is sick, send this get well soon ecard.
Please wait...
Please wait...
Get a weekly dose of stories on friendship, love, misadventures and special offers. It's free, read it once and you're hooked!
Read the latest newsletter or Editor Bob's Blog


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Tips to Treat Arthritis
Posted on Aug 29, 2013 in Senior Health
One in five adults in the United States has been diagnosed with some form of arthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Despite the chronic pain associated with the condition, there are simple steps you can take to treat arthritis and manage its impact on your life.
Exercise, particularly in water: For osteoarthritis, the most common form of the condition, exercise is one of the most effective ways to control pain and increase range of motion. The buoyancy of water lets people exercise with less impact on joints. Mills-Peninsula offers an arthritis aquatics class in a heated pool and led by an Arthritis Foundation-certified instructor.
Maintain a healthy weight: Even a few pounds less weight on your joints makes a difference in daily comfort and your ability to stay active.
Protect your joints: Keep arthritis pain under control by limiting the pressure and pounding on joints, according to the Arthritis Foundation.
Talk to your doctor. Some prescription medications and supplements can help reduce symptoms, as can relaxation techniques.
Learn self-management strategies: Mills-Peninsula offers an Arthritis Self Management course, originally developed at Stanford University to help improve quality of life for people with arthritis. This class offers a small-group setting in which participants can share and learn helpful tips and skills for living well with arthritis.
"The class explores different facets of living with arthritis and how to take charge," says Jennifer Trizuto, senior physical therapist at Mills-Peninsula. "You can learn techniques to better manage fatigue and pain and even cut down how often you need to visit your doctor."
Visit the Mills Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center for additional resources and information.


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Everything You Need To Know About OCD
You're far more likely to successfully overcome OCD if you educate yourself about the condition, so this article will share with you some of the key pieces of information about OCD. By using the information that follows, along with everything else that you already know about OCD, your chances of making your OCD a thing of the past will increase significantly.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder, as the name suggests, is all about obsessions and compulsions, so let's take a look at each of those things in turn - starting with obsessions. The obsessions associated with OCD are simply the thoughts you have that you don't want to have, that you have more often than you'd like, or that are unpleasant and scary in nature.
These thoughts are often violent and disturbing, and for many people with OCD these are made even more terrifying since the violent thoughts are often directed towards their loved ones. By definition, these obsessive thoughts are very difficult to stop, and for some people with obsessive-compulsive disorder there is only one way they can find relief: compulsions.
Compulsions are the second component of OCD, and they are simply any physical behavior that someone feels compelled to perform. Some common compulsive behaviors include hand-washing, counting, hoarding, and repeated checking of things such as whether doors are locked and whether ovens are turned off. As was touched on earlier in this article, people with OCD often develop compulsions as a result of their obsessive thoughts. With those obsessive thoughts refusing to stop through any other means, the compulsive behaviors become a distraction technique, and performing them ultimately becomes the only effective way to stop them or lessen their debilitating effects. This vicious circle of obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors can quickly spiral out of control, with sufferers frequently coming to depend on the compulsive behaviors to keep severe anxiety and panic attacks away.
There is one treatment option for OCD that appears to have a much higher success rate than all other options, ans it's called exposure therapy. This is where someone intentionally exposes themselves to the thing that triggers their anxiety or obsessive thoughts, but instead of using compulsions to ease their discomfort as they normally would, they resist for a short time and only then allow themselves to perform the compulsion. The idea with this approach is to slowly increase the length of time until the compulsion can be performed. Eventually, for many people with OCD, this leads to a reduction in anxiety to the point that the compulsions no longer need to be relied upon, and if you've tried everything else you can think of to overcome obsessive-compulsive disorder then perhaps exposure therapy is something you should consider.
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Recently, Mike G (Tombstone), Mike P (Creek Walker) and myself hiked over on Bradley Fork in the North Carolina section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The always creative Mike Gourley wrote several blogs on our fun day. These young men have been hiking with me off-trail finding history. They have a understanding and appreciation for the places I've shown them and learning more about the folks who lived here before the Park took over their lands.
They have a connection to the Park, but it's a little different than what I have for the Park in that my ancestors lived in these woods. As I've researched and hiked these mountains for years I've found more connections to my direct family. After our hike and a little research I've discovered that the young woman's grave on Bradley Fork is a distance cousin of mine. This young gal life reminds me of so many others who lived in the Park only to die young.
When the Mike's find stuff and get excited about the broken pieces of history I think of the folks who used the items. When we took on the deep weeds and possible snakes, etc to find "Stuff" and I found this little old child's wagon it reminds me of my youth. Then, I quickly try and figure who lived near by inside the Park along this creek.
Sometimes we find unique things and of course we get lucky and find the future. Here we found an episode of where Star Trek's ship was sent back in time and turns out their ship was actually quite small.
You have to be a little crazy to hike with us or be able to laugh as our minds tend to wander into different worlds of reality as we push through the pain of climbing ridges and fighting the "Ugly". But, again it's all worth it to us. We continued our hike and visited the waterfalls along the trail. Then, it was the short walk up a 100 yard hill to a single grave.
This is where my mind goes from fun to a more serious tone and I began to focus on who this young lady was and how she lived. Why is she here in a place not really near a home place? Whose daughter is this? It becomes a goal that sometimes I go deep into the same night finding answers. And I did.
The tombstone reads the daughter of Thomas and Clarinda Huskey. No dates and no doubt a newer tombstone that was placed there years after the small orginial rock (foot stone) was placed to remember this girl. The newer stone was placed over 5 feet from the small rock (which makes it seem to be an adult grave). But, I believe this is a grave of a young gal that didn't reach her 10th birthday. I'm sure that someone who may still be living within this family might know for sure. Here's what I found.
Thomas Jefferson Huskey (born July 11, 1840 and died October 29th, 1928) was most likely born up the lower sections of Roaring Fork Nature Trail road (near Mynatt Park or in the Sugarlands) and is almost as mysterious as the grave when figuring out his early history. Around 1861 in Sevier County he married Emily Pritchett (who seems to possible died sometime soon after). Also in 1861 his sister Caroline married a John W. Pritchett. In 1862 he moves over into Cosby and married Sarah "Sally" Valentine and they have 3 children that I know about from 1863 to 1867. A daughter from Sally and him married Noah Gilliland (Gilliland section of the Park in Cosby). It's possible Thomas has other young daughters buried inside the National Park and maybe all alone too. His brother Welcome Huskey had also married a Valentine. Welcome had died in 1862 during the Civil War in Nashville at a Union hospital of Typhoid Fever.
I find that Thomas "Tom" has married again in 1876 in the Sugarlands by Preacher Evans to Clarinda Conner (she was born January 15th, 1852 and died in 1936). They move in 1877 to Bradley Fork (according to a Great-Great Grandson I found on line). In 1900 census Clarinda "Clara" states she has had 7 children and 7 were living. Then, in 1910 she states that she has had 8 children and 7 are living. This means she has lost a child between 1900-1910 and that would be the girl's grave we visited on Bradley Fork. Did she lose a young baby or did she lose a older daughter? I'm not sure, but believe it must be a daughter under the age of 10. And why is she in this special place? What happen to this young lady? She's near a waterfall and maybe it was her favorite.
In 1928 the Asheville paper has a story about Thomas J. Huskey as a great bear hunter inside the Smoky Mountains living in Bradley Fork. He died a month later, October 29, 1928 on Kirkland Creek in Swain County, NC and the paper had said he was 111 years old. His GG-Grandson said he would have to die in the 1950's to be that old. He's buried at Holly Springs Baptist Church in Bryson City, NC.
His parents had moved from Gatlinburg into the Soak Ash Community inside the North section of the Park and are buried in Emert's Cove Cemetery.
Tom's Grandfather, John Trotter (1777-1856) married to Polly Haggard and Asa White is also my 4th Great Grandfather on my daddy's side of the family. I have hundreds of cousins buried inside the Park, but the ones who are all alone have a special place in my heart. I want to know more.
For example, I found this crossing a creek. Does it mark a home place or maybe a grave? The old map shows a home place at this location. I also found out that a Maples family also lived here for about 20 years who are also distance cousins of mine from Gatlinburg. There were living next to the Bradley's.
Soon, the first freeze will come upon the high tops and send the little nasty things under ground and we'll be out like we were years ago searching for the answers of the Fork.
Enjoy the mountains and remember the folks who lived and died in these woods.
Mike Maples Blog Index for Go Smokies
Views: 643
Always a pleasure to read your blogs Mike. Take care and be on the lookout for me come November!! The Flatlander returns to the Smokies!!
Excellent Mike! Lifetimes of learning in them mountains. Looking forward to have the trio together in less than a week.
Thanks Janet and Marlene. Ben, looking forward to Monday and also tell your Mother...Happy Birthday from the mountain Jedi. See ya then.
Awesome! See you on Monday my friend
Love the history. The people that lived there make it real. Thanks for sharing!
Great Blog and I am one of the crazy ones that LOVE to hike with you three


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The use of the internet has brought many unique benefits to online marketing. These benefits include lower advertising costs, 24 hour communication and instant access to a global audience. The unique nature of the internet has made client relationship management more accessible.
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Bow House Farm Riding School is a horse Riding School/equestrian centre in Bishops Castle, Shropshire offering horse-riding lessons and/or other equine facilities, stables, dressage, saddlery or livery.
Please mention Riding-Schools.com when phoning or contacting Bow House Farm Riding School. We'd appreciate it!
To contact Bow House Farm Riding Schoolhorse Riding School/equestrian centre, please call their phone number or visit their website address:
- Phone: 01588 638427
Main Facilities
- Show Jumps
- Dressage Arenas/Lessons
- Livery
- Riding Lessons/Instructors
- British Horse Society (BHS) Approved
- Local Countryside Hacks
- Saddlery
Contact details
Bow House Farm Riding School
Bow House
Bishops Castle
Phone: 01588 638427
Driving Directions
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Items in Cart:
WARNING 802 series 2.5 Million Volt
Crime is a reality everywhere in South Africa. The stun gun has become the fastest growing item on people's security shopping list. A stun gun is a self defence device which disrupts the message the brain sends to the voluntary muscles. Just touching an attacker with a stun gun for one to three seconds will deliver a high voltage shock, causing loss of balance and muscle control together with confusion and disorientation, bringing the attacker to his knees and making him incapable of further aggressive activity. When confronted with an intruder or attacker, just the intimidating electrical 3 million volts of sparks will make the strongest man think twice coming close to you. Should the attacker persist, simple by touching him for 1 to 2 seconds of discharge, will startle the subject rendering pain, muscle spasm confusion and shock.
What more to the stun Gun:
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GAMP® Good Practice Guide: Manufacturing Execution Systems - Guide Launch (D01)
|8 June
CEUs: 0.6
Sponsored by the GAMP® Community of Practice.
This seminar will launch the new GAMP® Good Practice Guide: Manufacturing Execution Systems, A Strategic and Program Management Approach, which features how to develop and implement an integrated systems program based on a technology-independent structure and methodology. Attend this one-day seminar to learn how a company can apply a functional strategy to specify, verify, and manage all relevant system/ application capabilities through the ISA hierarchy instead of a single-application approach. See how a company can assess the current state and define the manufacturing-related systems domain using existing and/or new systems/applications to contribute to lean design and a higher assurance of compliance. A panel discussion among speakers and attendees will allow for an interactive exchange of ideas. This is a Good Practice Guide launch; registrants will receive a copy of this guide. Attendees will see practical industry examples that help decrease risk, and have the potential to save money by optimizing current resources and system functionality. This one-day seminar will walk through a methodology to assess what you have and what you want to accomplish -- before investing in expanded or new technical capabilities.
How You Will Benefit
At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:
- Understand how to produce and document a computer integrated manufacturing (MES) strategy that will ensure that the user organization has an efficient, compliant, system that will establish a steady state in the company
- Plan an effective program ensuring that effective MES support governance is in place including risk and
configuration management
- Describe EPR (Electronic Production Records), Electronic Batch Records (EBR), Review By Exception (RBE), and Electronic Work Instructions
Who Should Attend
Program and project managers, senior stakeholders responsible for strategy, engineers, IT, operations and quality personnel involved with specifying or verifying systems functionality affecting manufacturing, or linking the enterprise and laboratory systems to the shop floor
Communities of Practice (COPs)
Knowledge Elements Addressed in the Guide Document
- 1 - Product Development
- B. Technology transfer
- 2 - Facilities and equipment
- D. Controls and automation
- 3 - Information systems
- 4 - Supply chain management
- A. Materials management
- 5 - Production systems
- A. Production unit operations - drug (small molecule) and biologics
- B. Production management
- 6 - Regulatory compliance (includes drugs, environmental, health and safety)
- B. Standards, practices, and guides
- 7 - Quality systems
- A. Risk management and Quality Management System (QMS)
- B. Systems validation (changed from Validated Controls)
Related Technical Docs and/or PE, JPI articles
- GAMP® 5: A Risk-Based Approach to Compliant GxP Computerized Systems (Fifth Edition, February 2008), Appendix S2
- MES article PE May/June 2008, deSpautz and Ruklic
Continuing Education Units
ISPE will provide continuing education units (ISPE CEUs) for all North American seminars and courses, including educational programming at the ISPE Annual Meeting. CEUs are nationally recognized units of achievement designed for those individuals continuing their education in their chosen field or profession.
Delegates attending European seminars and courses will receive a Certificate of Attendance, as ISPE CEUs are currently not offered at European events. Verification of CEUs is based on attendance as well as satisfactory completion of all evaluation materials. Statements of credit will be sent via email within four weeks of evaluation materials. One hour of education programming equals 0.1 ISPE CEU credits.


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Edward Tarte Discusses the 'Mysteries' of Catholic Doctrine
September 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Edward Tarte Causes Controversy in Seminary School
August 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment
You can see Part 1 of this video here. [Hemant adds: I know I'm biased about Math, but I love this video from Edward!] [Read more…]
Edward Tarte Tries to See the Reality of His Seminary Years
August 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Edward Tarte's Seminary Memories: Benediction
August 16, 2012 by 14 Comments
Edward Tarte Reaches Out to a Mormon Ex-Student of His
August 10, 2012 by 3 Comments
Note: Edward has two earlier YouTube videos about his outreach to Mormons — and their outreach to him You can watch those two videos here and here. [Read more…]


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Home Collection Basics Set of four black spotted circles coasters
Item No.3070029209
Item No.3070029209
These cork coasters from Debenhams come in black with a white spotted circles motif and have an easy wipe clean surface.
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Bluestar Travel: Free Travel Website PSD Layout
This week we have a free Photoshop file for a travel or resort website layout. Designed in Photoshop and layered and grouped for ease of use.
This week we have a free Photoshop file for a travel or resort website layout. Designed in Photoshop and layered and grouped for ease of use.
Since we are on a photography/portfolio kick we thought we would upload/add a wedding blog that followed today's style and techniques for this genre of design templates. As usual it is built on a 960-grid-system with grouped layers and more. Much much taller template in terms of pixels but fun to work with.
Designed in Photoshop CS4
Free PSD template for a school, college or educational institute. Easy to edit. Built on the 960-grid. Custom colors, graphics and more.
Designed in Photoshop CS4
Castleton is a free to download editable Photoshop website template. This file was designed on the 960-grid-system and is very easy work with and edit. Great for an institution or business website.
Contains one layered Photoshop file designed in CS5
Vivaro is a free Photoshop business template built on the 960-Grid-System. It has a modern and Web 2.0 approach. Simple, clean and elegant layout that is easy to edit The layout is flexible and can be adapted to suit other business or individual themes.
Designed in Photoshop CS4.
Interpoint: Free PSD Business Template
This template is set-up for a baby blog or store. Perfect for any new business, freelance or personal project. Easy to edit, this template can work well for anyone.
Contains one Photoshop layered file. Designed in CS4.
This clean, modern and crisp under construction template comes in 8 different colors. Simple and easy to edit. All layers are grouped making it easy to work with. Zadoka font included.
Designed in Photoshop CS4
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Check out this free Photoshop file of a modern and sexy website layout. Perfect for photography, portfolios and more. As we like to say this file comes completely layered, grouped and named. Enjoy! ...
We are giving away a fun Photoshop layout for a food themed website. Built on the 960 grid system this cool design comes completely layered, grouped and easy to edit. Get your free copy and enjoy! Built in Photoshop CS5 ...
Today we have a free church web layout. Of course designed in Photoshop. The layout is layered, grouped and easy to maintain and edit. Perfect fit for that new client of yours in need of a new church website. Designed in Photoshop CS4...


text: LAS VEGAS, Jan. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- International CES 2012 -- Myriad Group AG (SIX: MYRN), the company powering billions of rich mobile social and web experiences on any connected device, and Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications today announced a joint effort to drive the Android ecosystem to televisions. Myriad's Alien Vue is now supported on a range of Broadcom set-top box platforms, simplifying the delivery of a new suite of Android-based interactive apps to the TV. See Broadcom's Dual HD Transcoding MoCA 2.0 Gateway SoC solution, powered by Myriad software at CES 2012 or view a demo of Myriad's Alien Vue solution prior to CES. "Broadcom is pleased to support Myriad Alien Vue, driving popular Android apps to the TV," said Aidan O'Rourke, Senior Director, Set-Top Box, Broadcom. "This enables a quick solution for set-top boxes using legacy operating systems to seamlessly deliver an exciting Android-based entertainment experience." The Myriad and Broadcom solution provides TV viewers an Android-like environment with access to thousands of new apps and entertainment services. Broadcom-enabled STBs with Myriad Alien Vue also support plug-ins like Myriad Connect & Share, which offer multi-screen functionality for personal and premium content. This DLNA solution gives TV consumers access to the Android marketplace while offering operators increased revenue opportunities. "Alien Vue provides a great alternative to those who want to harness the Android ecosystem, while leveraging existing investments and retaining control of their customer's TV experience," said Simon Wilkinson, Chief Executive Officer, Myriad Group. About Myriad Alien VueMyriad Alien Vue is a complete end-to-end Android solution powered by Myriad Alien Dalvik technology. The release includes an app store that can be fully branded. Myriad Alien Vue also supports additional plug-in components like Myriad Connect & Share, providing multi-screen functionality for personal and premium content. Myriad Alien Vue is unique in that not only does it allow customers to leverage their existing TV and set-top box equipment to access Android apps, it also works seamlessly with mobile phones and tablets giving users complete control over their TV experience.


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|Click here to view the item
|Baldowski, Clifford H., 1917-
|--Keep the dream alive! / Baldy, [1974 Jan. 15].
|1974 Jan. 15
The Clifford Baldowski cartoon depicts a worn out pair of sandals and a shepherd's hook lying at the foot of a mountain. A sign reading "Martin Luther King Center for Social Change" is pointing toward a long and winding road. The Statue of Liberty is lighting the way.
|Editorial cartoons | Visual works
|King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968 | Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change | Statue of Liberty (New York, N.Y.) | African Americans--Civil rights--United States | Civil rights movements--United States | United States, Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, 33.7489954, -84.3879824
|Baldy Editorial Cartoons, 1946-1982, 1997: Clifford H. Baldowski Editorial Cartoons at the Richard B. Russell Library.
|Digital Library of Georgia
|Clifford H. Baldowski Editorial Cartoon Collection (Digital Library of Georgia) | Digital Library of Georgia | Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
|Original Material:
1 item ; 34 x 44 cm. paper pen and ink. [Atlanta, Ga. : Atlanta Constitution, 1974-01-15]
|Rights and Usage:
Cite as: [Title of the cartoon], [Date of cartoon], editorial cartoon by Clifford H. Baldowski, Clifford H. Baldowski Editorial Cartoon Collection, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, presented in the Digital Library of Georgia.
The Baldowski cartoons created for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are licensed to the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Contact repository re: reproduction and usage.
|Related Materials:
Forms part of the Clifford H. Baldowski Editorial Cartoon Collection.
|Persistent Link to Item: