text:
President Asif Ali Zardari's longest sojourn outside the presidency ended on Tuesday when he returned to Islamabad after spending 49 days either abroad or in Sindh.
"The president has reached Islamabad," his spokesman Farhatullah Babar told Dawn. He will leave for Lahore soon to meet opposition PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in Raiwind to offer condolences on the recent death of his brother Abbas Sharif.
"According to the schedule, the president was to visit Raiwind on Tuesday but he changed his mind. He is expected to visit Lahore soon," the spokesman said.
A source in the ruling PPP said the president would stay in Lahore for a few days to consult party leaders and coalition partners on the issue of a new province to be carved out in Punjab. He will also take up the issue with Mr Sharif during his visit to Raiwind.
On Monday, the president spent his 49th day outside the presidency.


text:
A construction crew is preparing to break ground on the highly anticipated Trader Joe's in Libertyville this week, a few weeks later than company officials had originally anticipated.
But developers said the brief delay wouldn't stall the grocery store's grand opening. Tom Williams, a managing partner at Paragon Real Estate, said it was still on track to open by the end of this year.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The SM East's boys basketball team's magical string of victories to open the 2013 season came to an end Saturday as the Lancers fell to host McPherson High School in its statewide invitational tournament Saturday.
The Lancers, now 10-1, fell 40-53 to the Bullpups.
They'd beaten Wichita's Maize High School 64-47 Thursday and Blue Valley West 48-36 Friday to make it to the title game. Senior Vance Wentz scored 19 points in the victory over BV West.


text:
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
what did you say?
Going along with this, I thought today's post could be written by all of us. Partly because I am still struggling with my mysterious sickness and partly because, with everything bad going on in our little community right now, I think we all need a chance to let out some of our anger and frustration .. . and maybe have a few laughs in between. So get out your memory bank and your boxing gloves:
What is/are the dumbest thing(s) someone ever said to you about infertility? And I'm not talking about "just relax." I'm talking the kind of thing that made you want to get in your car and run this person over with your vehicle. What did you say back to him or her? And what did you really wish you could say back--the response in your head that you could never seem to form into words?
I'm really interested in reading everyone's responses. I hope that bitching and moaning about stupid people will make for a brighter Wednesday afternoon.
[Don't forget: tomorrow is the last day to vote for RESOLVE's Hope Award for Best Blog (and for best book). Click here to cast your ballot.]
84 comments:
- Crossed Fingers said...
It's Gods way of telling you you shouldn't have kids.
- June 23, 2010 at 11:08 AM
- Just Me...C said...
Well I don't know if this really fits in but after spending thousands ttc and finally achieving that goal in 2008 - the day I discovered that I'd had a missed m/c - the woman that checked me out as I was frantically trying to hold my shit together until I could get in my car had the audacity to say - "oh honey, im sure its for the best. There was probably something horribly wrong with that baby."
- June 23, 2010 at 11:10 AM
- Jin said...
Dumbass: "So now I guess you're over this infertility thing?"
WTF? I'll never be over this!
- June 23, 2010 at 11:11 AM
- someday-soon said...
All my husband had to do was look at me and I got pregnant.
Get drunk, it worked for me.
Maybe you should just move on to other things and having kids isn't in the cards for you.
- June 23, 2010 at 11:12 AM
- S said...
Katie, I'm glad you asked because this perfectly suits my (bad) mood today. . . .
Here are a few I've heard:
**Wow, I wish I could give you some of MY fertility! (from a friend a year younger than me with two under 2)
**Maybe you were meant to do this--meaning my volunteer work with abused/neglected children--instead of having your own child. (from my own mother!)
**Have you thought about charting your daily temperatures/using a Clear Blue Easy Fertility Monitor? (not bad suggestions for someone just starting TTC, insulting to someone who has told you she has already been trying for over a year and has seen a RE)
I do have to balance this by saying that the majority of my friends have been nothing but supportive and a model of what a "friend to an infertile" should be.
- June 23, 2010 at 11:13 AM
- Glass Case of Emotion said...
- After a miscarriage: "Well it could have happened further along, I am sure it means something would have just been wrong with the baby."
- After miscarriage "Just be glad you weren't born with a kid with a horrible disease, that would be much worse."
- "Do you want my kids?"
- Laughing at trying to conceive "Oh I don't even know what that means, trying. Ha ha ha."
- "Why don't you just adopt?" or "Have you thought about adoption" Next time someone asks me that I am going to say "No, what is that? Ad--oppppt-tion? Can you tell me more?"
I am sure there are more but I can't think of them right now.
- June 23, 2010 at 11:18 AM
- Aimee said...
After my first failed IUI: "you'll get used to life without kids"
- June 23, 2010 at 11:22 AM
- Ashley said...
"everything happens for a reason" (take that and shove it up your butt...it doesn't help and i'm sure tired of hearing it.)
"it was just so easy for us" (whoopty freaking doo, do you want a cookie?)
"didn't you do that ivf thing last week, does that mean you are pregnant?"
(yes, because it's just a one day deal, not at all stressful and it always works...thanks for asking.)
"well you could always adopt"
(whaaa?!?! you mean i've had that option for 4 years now and hadn't even thought of it..you're practically a genius!)
Drumroll for all time favorite..............................................................
"i know how you feel--i had to have my dog put to sleep last week" (true story)
(yes--those 2 things are exactly alike and you are absolutely retarded)
YES--I'M CRANKY TODAY!!! hahaha
- June 23, 2010 at 11:25 AM
- Gurlee said...
Sorry to be repititous but my MIL, whom I loved dearly has said both
-all he had to do was look at me and I got pregnant.
-you could always adopt.
umm, can you say not HELPFUL!!
- June 23, 2010 at 11:35 AM
- Christa said...
God will give you a baby when he thinks you're ready.
Can DH's brother donate his sperm to you two? He knocked up his girlfriend pretty quick...
Have you considered adoption?
You should ask your doctor if you have that endometriosis thing. I hear it can be bad for fertility (said to me after 3rd loss and emergency laparoscopy in which I was told I had NO endo).
Did they have to put his swimmers in your eggs for that iou procedure yesterday? Are you pregnant yet? (asked by MIL about our IUI).
Be positive! (said by FIL)
This is the tip of the iceberg...
- June 23, 2010 at 11:35 AM
- Simple said...
Hello .. long time reader & lurker here!
A fellow IF blogger (http://breakatthebend.blogspot.com/)
has created a very new blog:
- June 23, 2010 at 11:40 AM
- erika said...
"It happens when you are ready for it!"
or the comment on my loss:
"It wasn't the right time for you."
Both give me the Pavlovian reflex to punch the person in the face anymore. God save the next one in the line!
- June 23, 2010 at 11:46 AM
- Elizabeth said...
I have had it UP.TO.HERE with comments on my Twitter from this girl I was friends with in high school!!
She knows I'm infertile and still says this shit!
"go see baby, then come to my house, hang with my 2 for awhile, leave balanced and content with your life"
"there are some pluses to not being preggo/no kids- sleep, good health, free time, money, happy married, less stress, etc "
- June 23, 2010 at 11:49 AM
I've heard the same one as Glass Case post miscarriage, from my mom - at least it didn't happen further along.
From my male neighbor (they needed ART for their first, so you think he'd be more sensitive) - enjoy the time without kids, they'll drive you crazy!
- June 23, 2010 at 11:50 AM
- Simple said...
Me again .. I want to correct my earlier comment -
It may have been http://sohardtrying.blogspot.com/ who created the STFUfertiles blog.
(just want to give credit where creditt is due & to whom!)
- June 23, 2010 at 11:56 AM
- suchagoodegg said...
Email convo with a friend who is 2 years younger than I am...
Dear friend: "When are you guys going to have a baby? Ali needs someone to play with!"
Me: "We're traveling so much and Hubs is still in school...it's just too complicated right now."
Dear friend: "It's a BABY, not rocket science!"
Me: Tears down my face in front of my computer
- June 23, 2010 at 12:05 PM
- Kelly said...
After one of my losses...
I don't understand why you're so upset. It was so early and really was just a bunch of cells.
At least you can get pregnant
- June 23, 2010 at 12:11 PM
- Kelly said...
I forgot...
Maybe you two weren't meant to have children.
When a friend knew we had been trying for seven months with no luck (at that point) and I bought up my stepson...OH! Well then you already have a little one!
Perhaps this is God's way of telling you something.
How much more of this are you going to do to yourself? I mean, you're choosing to put yourself through all this pain.
- June 23, 2010 at 12:14 PM
- Ashley said...
I already commented but I can't stop reading this stuff. Maybe I was wrong and everything does happen for a reason, because if some of this stuff had been said to me, there would be a lot more broken bones in this world than there are now. I am fuming--just reading this!!!!
- June 23, 2010 at 12:16 PM
- Basic Girl said...
Hmmm, the worst for sure was at thanksgiving where hubby's drunk aunt become obsessed with when we were having children, and starting going on and on about how you just have sex, lots and lots of sex...and finally asked, you do have sex right? We didn't say anything since she was so bombed, but she never let up and we ended up leaving early that night! Hope you feel better soon Katie!!
- June 23, 2010 at 12:17 PM
- serenity said...
My dad, when we told them that we were having trouble giving them grandkids: "Do you guys need tips?"
My mom got up and walked away, saying "WAY TMI here."
Uh. Thanks, Mom and Dad. For the support.
- June 23, 2010 at 12:25 PM
- Lula Mae's fertility trek said...
"It is probably for the best. Children are not what they are cracked up to be. I have not been able to read the Sunday papers since my son was born."
- June 23, 2010 at 12:26 PM
- Amanda said...
My older sister(who is 33) is pregnant with her 3rd child. I asked her if she was planning on having anymore children after this one and she said to me:
"Well, probably not. I am getting too old to have kids."
I could have punched her!
- June 23, 2010 at 12:37 PM
- COME ON BABY said...
Me: At the time having my 7th and final tubal pregnancy (I hope)
My friend: Currently pregnant by a refugee she met at a bar. One night stand and he was cheating on his wife or some shit.
She calls to tell me she is pregnant (She knows what I am going through by the f-ing way). I give her the standard congratulation on your second bastard child (not bitter, not bitter). She then proceeds to tell me she is like built like a "pioneer woman", healthy and strong. Continued by I makes healthy babies…….
Really!!!!!!! Good for you.
Update. Another jab!!-
My friend gave birth yesterday to a beautiful healthy baby girl (that is truly great news and I am happy everyone is happy and healthy).
Friend calls and leaves a 6am message (TODAY, so this post is so fitting)
"Jenny I am laying here with my amazing baby. She is so beautiful. She has been looking up staring at me for thirty minute. She keeps cooing."
Great news, couldn't you have called someone that isn't infertile?????????????
- June 23, 2010 at 12:37 PM
- Anna said...
Oooooh I gotta goodie:
We are hoping to do an embryo adoption soon, and my dad said to me "yeah, but what if you do this embryo adoption thing and then 2 months later turn up pregnant?"
- June 23, 2010 at 1:00 PM
- babytears said...
After my first IUI failed, a colleague told me I should just buy a 2 seated convertible and enjoy my husband. I was livid!
- June 23, 2010 at 1:03 PM
- Mrs. Lemon said...
Mine was recent as well...my friend says:
Well, my sister failed IVF and now everytime she is with my two boys she says she thanks god everyday that they never had them. She then proceeded to say, well maybe it's becuase you and your husband went through a rough patch a while back, someone is telling you not to do it.
Really, Really Fertile lay person... You MORON! I responded with, well, my husband and I could never imagine living childless and would adopt before doing that and with all we have been through as infertiles our relationship is stronger than pretty much anyone we know. I wish I had said than yours.
- June 23, 2010 at 1:13 PM
- Secret Sloper said...
My former therapist:
"Miscarriages are just the body's way of getting rid of something that was imperfect. If you have twenty miscarriages, you should give thanks twenty times that your body works correctly."
My friend telling me about how she got knocked up the month *before* they started trying:
"Gosh, being pregnant is really hard sometimes."
What I actually said: Yeah it is, but it sounds like you're over the worst of it.
What I thought: Bitch, I was pregnant once, too. I can think of a fuckton of things that are harder. LIKE HAVING YOUR DEAD BABY SCRAPED OUT OF YOUR UTERUS.
My friend who gave birth the day after my missed m/c was diagnosed, checking in on me the day after my d&c:
"I know how hard it is when things don't turn out the way you want them to. I was so upset when they told me I needed a c-section, I wasn't even excited to meet the baby."
In addition to the standard: all in God's time; there was something wrong with it; that wasn't meant to be your baby; bet you'd change your mind if you spent a night with my kids; you'll get pregnant right after you adopt; you worry about this too much.
- June 23, 2010 at 1:19 PM
- Jackie said...
Said by a close friend, about 2.5 years into the IF journey (after asking the dreaded "Are you pregnant yet?":
"[Her boyfriend] said that Alex needs to go deeper and be better in bed."
Oh really... So the problem is with our technique now... Thanks for not only making me feel like s**t about being infertile, but also for making a snide comment about my husband's performance. Much appreciated.
It doesn't bother me that much that her bf said that - he's a typical guy - but did she really have to relay the "advice?" A TRUE friend wouldn't ever say that.
I didn't talk to her for like 2 months. I couldn't even bring myself to explain the reason why to her.
- June 23, 2010 at 1:28 PM
- kayee said...
"God knows when it's your time, it's time." So the other times I got pregnant, God took them away because it wasn't my time?
"Have you ruled out adoption?" ah no, I just haven't ruled out my other options. Stupid people!
"You are so lucky you don't have kids." Ahhh my favorite one. Thanks, all this heartache I have been going through was pointless, apparently I'm lucky!
- June 23, 2010 at 2:12 PM
- Jem said...
At an office birthday party: "You don't know how to cut cake because you don't have kids."
"My mother's cousin got pregnant after adopting."
- June 23, 2010 at 2:19 PM
- Kelly said...
I just got one today on FB. I'm going to delete it in a minute.
(From a male friend)...Oh, by the way, my wife is pregnant. With twins. We weren't trying and now we're having two! Life is over.
Are you fucking kidding me?
- June 23, 2010 at 2:35 PM
- Angie said...
(After a failed cycle) "Well, on the bright side, at least you can have fun trying another month!"
- June 23, 2010 at 2:41 PM
- Holly said...
After mt miscarriage someone said that my baby must have decided that now was not the right time to be born and I should figure out what I need to change in my life.
- June 23, 2010 at 3:02 PM
- Salisa said...
This isn't about infertility but after my first miscarriage I got "Well its really just a dot at that stage anyway."
- June 23, 2010 at 3:20 PM
- AL said...
From my Mom: "Maybe you can't get pregnant because God wants you to wait until your sister gets married and gets pregnant so you two can share this experience together."
Really, mom? That's why, not my shitty ovaries?
- June 23, 2010 at 3:24 PM
- T said...
"Have you tried baby aspirin?" If I am coming out that I am infertile we are waaaaay past baby aspirin!
"Just wait till you have kids!" Guess what!? I have been waiting...waiting for years! I could actually patten waiting!
My all time fav....
"I do not want to get my tubes tied. I mean what if our house burns down and all our children die. I would want to be able to have more." Oh yeah...i could not make that one up if I tried! That thing has actually reproduced...several times
- June 23, 2010 at 3:26 PM
- Rebecca said...
Text from my husband's high school friend: we're having our second! You two really need to pick up the pace!
From my department secretary: your mother wants grandchildren, you know. She may not say it to y ou,but she really wants grandchildren. She doesn't push so Im going to push for her everyday. She wants grandchildren.
From a former boss who was visiting with his granddaughter: this is Rebecca, she's not even a mommy.
And, fresh from the doctor's lips two days ago: (with a chuckle) how good of actors were they at the hospital? (smile) The sac is undersized and misshaped and there's no heartbeat. I didn't want the radiologist to give you the news.
- June 23, 2010 at 3:33 PM
- Leslie said...
I think for me, it was start the adoption process and it will happen for you. This happened to my mom actually with both my brother & I and she thought it would work the same for us. It does not work that way for everyone!
- June 23, 2010 at 3:47 PM
- TwoDogMama said...
ICLW - And actually I came from Kelly's blog and I love this post. I have so many about adoption that I made a list awhile back http://unexpectedlifeevents.blogspot.com/2010/01/things-not-to-say-to-someone-who-is.html
The best ones I get over and over are:
1. You'll get pregnant once you adopt. Oh really? Well, since I don't have ANY fallopian tubes (meaning no highway to connect everything)that's not going to happen unless God starts dropping fallopian tubes down from the sky.
2. Where is your baby you are adopting from? Pennsylvania? You mean the United States? People give their babies away here?
3. Once you adopt you'll forget all about your desire to get pregnant and deliver a child.
Oh I could go on and on. Another good one - right after our first adoption (it was disrupted) match my boss told me my face looked pregnant! WTF? I guess she meant I looked fat which is what I said to her. Oh no she told me, she meant I was glowing. Ugh!
- June 23, 2010 at 4:10 PM
- Mrs. Barrenness said...
Here from the Stirrup Queen's blogroll...
In a discussion with a coworker about endo and PCOS, coworker tells me she has endo. She explains that when you're standing up, all the scar tissue and endo stretches out. She swears that she got pregnant standing up and recommends that dh and I do it standing up to get pg.
In telling my parents that we were taking an indefinite break, my own father tells me that it will probably happen when we relax and stop worrying about it.
Another coworker told me that a female in my family (mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, etc.) must have been exposed to something environmental that contributed to my infertility.
The one that takes the cake is the friend from high school who asked if there was any sin in my life that I needed to deal with. She explained the connection between physical ailments and sin. I immediately deleted her from my friend list on FB.
Please write the book! It looks like you would have a lot of contributors.
- June 23, 2010 at 4:23 PM
- JC said...
You already know this...but the worst ever was from my bitch MIL. She said something to the effect of "if you just had fun and were a happy person then you would get pregnant." Didn't respond and that changed things forever. I hated her for months and now I just don't tell her what's going on. It really pushed her away from me/F.
- June 23, 2010 at 4:25 PM
- CW said...
Oh all very good. I have heard all of the above.
personal favourites
- I was speaking with my boyfriend and we reckon that all you need to is ust get someone to kickstart his testes and then you will have kids
- I didn't want to tell you I was pregnant because I couldn't deal with your reaction
- do you know when you ovulate (hmmm let me think do I?)
- June 23, 2010 at 4:30 PM
chatting with my ex, who now has 3 kids:
Ex- "when are you guys gonna have kids, you're not getting any younger?"
Me- "we plan to, it's just not that easy for some of us"
Ex- "what's not easy? all you have to do is have sex"
Me- "no, really, it's NOT that easy for everybody"
Ex- "seems like with enough sex it would be"
Me- "if you REALLY want to know, Google PCOS"
Ex- (after he googles) "oh i get it"
- June 23, 2010 at 4:45 PM
- Anna said...
These just in-
"Motherhood is amazing and everyone should get to experience it."
~Oh, really? Hmm. See I thought I'd been dreaming about something that sucked for the past 3 years.
Me: "I really thought last year would be the last time I'd be childless on Mother's Day."
Her: "Well, I guess God didn't agree with you."
- June 23, 2010 at 5:37 PM
- JL said...
Oh my gawd, I have heard soooo many of these. I didn't realize so many stupid people existed in so many corners of the world.
- June 23, 2010 at 7:29 PM
- Michelle said...
"It's in your power to change this, just stop thinking about it" - Dad
"Kids aren't that great anyway" - Aunt
"Just wait till you get pregnant" - Pregnant friend complaining about her large baby
- June 23, 2010 at 7:44 PM
- Noelle said...
Regarding my severe IUGR baby at 27 weeks:
My aunt: I believe that if your baby dies then something was wrong with it and it just wasn't meant to be. God does things like that.
Really, did he tell you that? Do you have that in writing?
Regarding my miscarriage and from a special ed teacher: When you miscarry your baby is sick, and you don't want to deal with a sick kid. Believe me. I deal with them all day.
- June 23, 2010 at 7:49 PM
- Emmy said...
"If it doesn't happen, it's just because you weren't meant to have kids. It's just not for everyone"
A parent on a field trip (I'm a 1st grade teacher): "I don't blame you for not having kids. If I spent all day like you do, I wouldn't want them either"
- June 23, 2010 at 8:16 PM
- apieceofwood said...
From SIL after talking about someone who was having issues with their pregnancy / baby
"You know what it's like, oh well you don't actually do you"
From MIL after saying we were considering adoption
"Are you mental? Why would you do that and take on some other people's kids. You should be out there living your lives"
And my personal fave, that I get time and time again
"You have your dogs, they are your babies and a lot less trouble"
- June 24, 2010 at 12:20 AM
- S.I.F. said...
I just think you're making this too big a deal. It really isn't that bad. If I were you, I would just adopt. (said by one of my formerly oldest and dearest friends as she patted her 8 months pregnant belly and while her perfect 2 year old ran around our feet.)
- June 24, 2010 at 12:47 AM
- Tiffany said...
After many BFN'S I got the..
"Well you're lucky, daycare is so expensive."
What? Are you kidding me? Knowing how much it costs to put your kid in daycare does not make me feel better about not being able to get pregnant! BIT*H!
- June 24, 2010 at 4:06 AM
- Suzy said...
said by a friend, right after my recent miscarriage "Dont worry you'll get pregnant again"
Oh thanks, I'm all better now...
- June 24, 2010 at 6:37 AM
- KeepOnTrying said...
After my first miscarriage my sister told me that she was the only one in the family who didn't know what I was going through because she never had a miscarriage and she wished she had one so she could relate. WTF? Wow – she really doesn't get it if she is wishing it upon herself.
- June 24, 2010 at 7:21 AM
- A said...
WOW, I can't think of any that haven't been posted already. But geez, it is just awful that we have to go through all this crap!!
- June 24, 2010 at 7:26 AM
- Mrs. S said...
The comments that get to me are the ones made by people that don't know we are ttc.
'Why don't you two have kids yet?'
'I didn't think you wanted kids since you haven't had them yet?'
'You two must not feel ready if you don't already have kids.'
'Why would anyone want one of THOSE?' while pointing to a tantrum throwing 3year old.
'Kids just hold you back.'
- June 24, 2010 at 7:34 AM
- Candidly_Andrea said...
Not quite the same thing but some of the most hurtful were:
From my grandfather at Christmas the first year we started trying: It's not you, it's him (pointing at my husband) >>> really? how would you know that and why would you think that?
From my grandfather the next Christmas (drunk as a skunk): Your grandma and I are really dissappointed in you
This past Christmas he didn't say anything - then again I avoid him now.
- June 24, 2010 at 7:35 AM
- Tillie said...
mine was the advice I was given by a "friend" when told I was TTC...I put it on my blog cause it was so flipping absurd. http://www.anuttierlife.com/2010/06/fertility-friday-seriously-huge.html
- June 24, 2010 at 7:37 AM
- Sup yo. said...
My favorite was a co-worker who did the OK sign and then jammed her finger into the hole repeatedly while saying, "See Jenny, this is how you have sex to make babies."
- June 24, 2010 at 7:39 AM
- brunettebeachgirl said...
I have a LPD (lutenal phase defect) and while I understand that not everyone knows exactly what that means, I can only offer so much information before I want to punch you in the throat with your stupid ass comments. For example from my MIL...
After my chemical... "Uggh, why don't you guys just try naturally for longer." Me - "Well b/c without a Lutenal Phase (mine is one 3 days long) I could get pregnant a million times but never have enough time to actually make it past my first period" Her - "Well, You don't want to have to use drugs, that's just not natural." and the kicker, when we finally got pregnant she asked "Great you didn't even have to use the drugs, I'm so glad it was natural" Me - "Ummm, we did use Clomid and HGH and progesterone" Her - "Oh....."
- June 24, 2010 at 7:42 AM
- Glass Case of Emotion said...
Oh yeah after a m/c
"You should just be happy you CAN get pregnant."
"You can always make another one!"
"I don't understand why you are so upset, it's not like it was alive very long."
- June 24, 2010 at 8:19 AM
- The Baby Race said...
Lots of just relax. Lots of if you try to adopt then you'll get pregnant. Lots of oh well, you get to enjoy sleeping, babies are terrible. And I really really hate the ones that are like, are you having enough sex? do you need tips?
- June 24, 2010 at 9:34 AM
- Marianne said...
LOL. It's all been said here. If anything, these should be made and put on a poster so that we can give them out to friends and family.
- June 24, 2010 at 10:18 AM
- jrs said...
all of what has been said.
i can feel my blood pressure rising just remembering it all.
the latest was a few weeks ago when i was holding one of my friend's twins (IVF conception) in the foyer at church and a guy who always notices who doesn't have kids and has repeatedly given my husband advice on what we should eat to help the process, (obviously I avoid the guy like the plague), but he came up to me and said, oh, your baby is so big.
I just gave him a blank stare and a "you are ticking me off" look and didn't say anything. Then he said, just joking and walked away.
Oh i was mad.
- June 24, 2010 at 10:24 AM
- 2catdaughters said...
"People who can't have kids are just uneducated about how it all works." said Houseguest from Hell.
"I'll be your surrogate." said by my unemployed trainwreck sister who got k/u by an inmate she met in rehab.
"You're not pregnant yet? Let me have my daughter call you and give you some tips." said by my former secretary whose weed smoking daughter is 22 yrs old with 3 children by 3 different men.
"What's wrong with you? How can you possibly not want one of these?" said by MIL's friend while holding her new grandson.
"I need YOU to tell ME when you're going to have kids. I DESERVE to know." said by MIL to DH at last Christmas
I've also heard the "So and so stopped trying/just relaxed/went on vacation/stopped thinking about it and she got pregnant" crap too many times to count.
- June 24, 2010 at 10:55 AM
- Enough happiness said...
Great topic.
My male doctor recently told me to go on vacation. He is a lupus specialist so I cut him a little slack.
- June 24, 2010 at 12:30 PM
- Bean stalk ballads said...
Really .. take one of my kids... then you wont want them... (friggin moron)
- June 24, 2010 at 2:16 PM
During my IF journey I have had a couple m/c, during my second u/s of my last pregnancy, the nurse who was performing the procedure abruptly told me 'yep' the baby had stopped developing around 5 weeks (she assumed my Dr had already told me my numbers were leaning that way). Trying to absorb this and hold back my up coming mental breakdown I did my best to ask relevent questions and inform her what path I wanted to take from there. As she looked at me unsympathetically I told her I needed to have the tissue tested and wanted varius other testing started on me. She looked right at me as I cried and said 'Really?! It's ONLY the second one!' The fact that I didn't hit her right then is amazing. And just for kicks as she left the room she told me not to worry, that I was 'still very young and had more time then most to get over this one'. Ick, I still kind of want to run her over.
- June 24, 2010 at 2:18 PM
- Kim said...
My Mom said when we hadnt even been diagnosed and just realized it wasnt happening timely but knew our sperm and tubes were good "Have you considered a surrogate?"
A Surrogate?! Really mom, would you like to explain why, when My tubes are fine and his sperm is fine?! I often wonder if they are just speaking out of their asses.
- June 24, 2010 at 7:31 PM
- Nicole said...
I love this post idea. Mine is probably when I went to visit a friend who got pregnant on the first try to take her a smoothie and a body pillow because she was feeling sick. I broke the news that we had just had our RE appt and would have to do IVF-ICSI if we ever hoped to conceive. The first words out of her mouth,
"Well, maybe you're just meant to adopt. I mean, SOMEBODY's got to."
My jaw dropped. It's been 3.5 years since then and while I'm not still mad at her, we have not been friends since. Who wants a friend like that?
Also, DH and I were walking out of our old OB's office and the door to the U/S room was open. A girl I had seen with puffy red eyes earlier was in there with her DH and the evil u/s tech. Pretty sure she'd just gotten the news that she was m/c. I heard the tech say, "Oh, so was it a frozen one? Do you have any eggs left frozen?" We didn't hear the next comment, but knowing the tech I'm SURE it was, "Well, you can try again with those."
- June 24, 2010 at 8:18 PM
- Nicole said...
OMG, the put dog to sleep I know how you feel one is INSANE!!!
- June 24, 2010 at 8:21 PM
- Nicole said...
Oh, and now that we are pregnant, EVERYONE (and I do mean, EVERYONE) loves to say something to the effect that now we probably won't ever have trouble with our next kids.
Seriously?! Even if my body somehow miraculously reset itself, DH would still be shooting bad sperm. Don't take away from how hard this is, and will continue to be in our life later. This is a miracle, not a cure. It WILL NOT be easy from now on. We didn't just take a while to get pregnant on our own and now my body knows what to do. Our reproductive junk is defective. We required 3 tries at the most scienfitically advanced form of intervention there is to get this baby. Are you completley stupid?!
And even if we did somehow conceive on our own, we still would feel a moral obligation to use the embryos we have in the freezer. So even IF we are cured by this miracle pregnancy, we will still have a couple FETs ahead of us.
UGH!!!! It infuriates me! Especially when they persist with the comment after I explain that it's highly unlikely.
- June 24, 2010 at 8:28 PM
I have to add one more, anonymously, because it's sensitive.
My husband's 60-something mother offered to be a surrogate for us.
It was well-intentioned, but a) ew ew ew and b) that's not the problem. (and c) EW!)
- June 25, 2010 at 4:13 PM
- Nicole said...
At the hair salon just barely... my normal girl had a grunt do my shampoo while she finished up some other stuff. While washing my hair she proceeded to tell me how pregnancy is just awful (she's never been pregnant. I agree that it's no cake walk but... are you seriously complaining about it already?!) and so she's never going to get pregnant. But she wants kids someday (she thinks). So she's going to pay someone else to do it for her.
Just for fun. Just because she doesn't want to do it. And of course because she has NOOOOOO idea how horrible the medical process to achieve that would be, not to mention how expensive. It just really bothered me to hear someone act like they were going to voluntarily do IVF like it was no big deal.
To her credit I don't think she has a clue what the word surrogate or gestational carrier even mean, let alone that her plan will require IVF or what THAT means. Still though... what a joke.
I guess I just think also that if you are some kind of a cosmetologist (nails, hair, make up, etc.) and you talk to people you don't know all day... maybe you should take an extra dose of tact and comment censorship every morning before work.
- June 25, 2010 at 4:56 PM
- Jessica said...
Wow..this really struck a chord..75 comments so far. Everyone that has been through IF has at least one story. Here's one of mine...
Male friend (MF): So what's been going on in the baby making department?
ME: We are STILL trying!! Spending lots of $ on treatments.
MF: Just relax and it will happen
ME: That is the worst thing you can say to me right now...just drop it!
MF: I know for a FACT that it works because it happened to my sister.
ME: Busted out laughing and walked away!
- June 25, 2010 at 5:54 PM
- Erin said...
"If you don't want to have surgery, you could always just adopt."
"I got pregnant on my first round of Clomid, so I totally get what you are going through."
"It took us 3 months of trying to get pregnant, so I know how awful you feel."
"Well, I bet it's a relief to be done with all that infertility stuff now."
"See? I told you that you would get pregnant eventually."
"You didn't even have to do IVF, so it couldn't have been that bad."
- June 26, 2010 at 8:57 AM
- Ashley said...
I am sure somoene has already mentioned these but here are a few that I have heard...
"Have you tried charting your temperature?"
"Have you tried having sex on day 15? That's what I did. Just sex on day 15 and I got pregnant the first month!"
"You are still young. What would you want kids for anyway?"
"Maybe you are doing it wrong. Have you tried _____." Yes, I pratically sleep with my hip up on a pillow afterwards. Moron.
"Try going on a vacation. That's what worked for us." Thanks, but I am so poor about one IVF failed cycle, flying to hawaii for two weeks isn't really in our budget.
"You think you love your puppy. Just want until you have children. A puppy is nothing like the love you will have for you child." Um...ya think?! Stupid person. I know my dog is not the same as a child. But thanks for reminding me.
- June 26, 2010 at 2:06 PM
- Damn the Rabbits said...
Wow, these comments contain some real doozies.
"If you aren't willing to do IVF, then you didn't want kids that badly in the first place."
(In response to my telling said friend that we may not do IVF.)
- June 27, 2010 at 12:08 PM
- Mrs.Wood2126 said...
I was thought I was the lucky reader who thought I had nothing worth while to add to this unfortunate list but boy was I sadly mistaken. That same night I was informed by my "best friend" that.....
"we will not support you when you finally get knocked up" and "I am throwing away my life with fertility treatment"
This is all coming from a women who is gifted with 2 beautiful children
- June 27, 2010 at 4:34 PM
Don't worry you and your husband have common features - you can adopt a baby that looks just like you.
- June 28, 2010 at 7:36 AM
- Kristen said...
My SIL and I were talking about getting pedicures the next day and I mentioned that my husband had a friend coming over but I didn't have to be there. My BIL, while holding his second perfect daughter, says "Wait who's going to watch your kids...oh wait you don't have that problem" I somehow kept from crying in front of everyone. To his credit, he did realize that was a REALLY stupid thing to say and apologized over and over.
- June 28, 2010 at 9:26 AM
Oh, it's cathartic reading these!
One more to add: three years ago, when I was just starting this whole process, I told a somewhat-close friend that I was going to start infertility treatments. She said "oh but now you can just adopt! And you should adopt one of those black babies from the inner city!"
...this was coming from a woman with multiple advanced degrees, including a Ph.D. Clearly, education does NOT make one immune from ignorance and basic stupidity!!
- June 28, 2010 at 5:48 PM
Just came across this and have to add one.
This was a year ago, from a friend who knew that at the time, I'd been TTC for 18 mos (still going, btw).
She was telling me that she was pregnant--on her first month trying. "Those two weeks waiting to test were the hardest two weeks of my life."
One 2ww, ending with a positive outcome. I know that was her experience, and I'm sure those weeks were challenging. But having lived life in two-week increments, never having a positive outcome, it stung.
- July 3, 2010 at 7:25 AM
did you know you can only get pregnant once a month?
- December 23, 2010 at 6:20 AM


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We have updated our Privacy Policy and encourage you to read it by clicking here.
How do you use resource management with your local zones? Do you even do such a task? If so why and what do you consider when setting it up?
All good quesitons, our environment does require us to utilize resource management.
The main reason we use it is to keep our Oracle licenses in check, if we didn't then the number of licenses needed would be staggering. We all know how it goes, developers need x number of instances for all the projects the business tends to levy on them. This in turn makes that much more administration duties for the admins and resource usage. They take it up to the CIO and then it comes back down to the infrastructure team as "the business needs this, I don' t care how you get it done but get it done". Oh yea and keep us legal and ethical while you take care of it.
The second reason is that it makes good practice, especially if you have more than one type of environment using the same physical hardware. This keeps them serperate so that if one environment is having an issue and "crushing" the server it is easier to troubleshoot. Thnk about it, the fingure pointing, which we all know happens, can't if they are seperate envrionments with seperate resources (except for I/o of course and a couple others that are rare cases).
With update 6 of solaris you can setup resource management right in the local zone configuration. Limit the cpu shares, the number of cpus or the percentage of cpus to use. You can also limit the memory usage in the same manner as well as the swap. It is getting so that you can have as true a virtual server as one can get. While yes the kernel and I/o remains shared those are the rare cases that an issue will reside there. *unless of course you run a 5TB oracle transaction database with heavy report usage from a server with 1 1GB HBA to an EMC clariion storage array. Then yes, you will probably have a bottle neck in your I/o stack somewhere.
Back to my thoughts on resource management. If you run local zones and have more than one on your physical server then set them up. If not for a need then, it is cool to check out and try.
We currently are not doing the memory management, however I feel that will come as things grow. We are about to have 3 tier 1 environments on the same physical server. While most of the sys admins felt that is going to be an issue down the road, the powers that be over ruled them.
On this server there are 6 cpus, with 2 to 4 cores per cpu and 2 threads per core. The combination of cpu types on this server leaves us with 32 virtual cpus. The 3 environments require 8 cores, 4 cores and 4 cores. It got a little tricky here in that I wasn't sure if the processor sets used cpus, cores or vcpus (virtual cpus). After some testing I determined that using processor sets uses the vcpus. LZ1 (Local Zone 1) needs 16 vcpus, LZ2 needs 8 vcpus and LZ3 needs 8 vcpus. The next trick was since the physical server has a mix of Ultrasparc VI and Ultrasparc VII+ chips how do we set specific vcpus to certain zones. If you use the method of adding the number of cpus to the zone configuration then you get what is next, we wanted to make sure that LZ1 got the first 2 physial cpus as to not have environments share a physcial cpu.
In order to do this I elicited a little help from a friend (and an excellent Sun Engineer). He helped me determine that by using a service we setup a pset and pool with the poolcfg command when the server boots. This service is dependent on the pools service. In that service we use configuration files with the poolcfg command to use the transfer option and put specific vcpus into the pool which is assigned to the zone in the zone configuration. In this case I determined that vcpus 0-3 and 8-11 were the first two physical cpus on the server. We then made the zones service dependent on this new poolsetup service that was created. This way the zones don't try to start before the pools are setup and successful.
Now when we get to setting up the other two zones all we have to do it add lines to the exitsting configuration files referenced by the new service. It will setup all the psets and pools needed and once successful then the zones service may start the zones.
It is working well with the single local zone so far and I don't expect any issues with adding more local zones to the process.
Great riding weather down south here. Except of course for the storms lately.


text:
General Skessesh
|Head of Skessesh
DescriptionThe leader of these forces must fall! The naga's offensive will be broken with no one to command them.
I saw the coward retreat into one of the abandoned buildings here. Cut your way through the others and take his head! Lady Shandris will want to see it for herself.
Has the general fallen?
Good riddance to foul creatures. May the naga slither back into the sea and never return.
You've proven yourself on the battlefield, <name>. I would ask more assistance of you in defending our lands here.
You've proven yourself on the battlefield, <name>. I would ask more assistance of you in defending our lands here.
RewardsYou will receive: 80
GainsUpon completion of this quest you will gain:
- 7,850 experience
- 350 reputation with Darnassus
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The Wowhead Client is a little application we use to keep our database up to date, and to provide you with some nifty extra functionality on the website!
It serves 2 main purposes:
- It maintains a WoW addon called the Wowhead Looter, which collects data as you play the game!
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You can also use it to keep track of your completed quests, recipes, mounts, companion pets, and titles!
So, what are you waiting for? Download the client and get started.


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Paul Reiser Trashes NBC to Jay Leno
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Comedy, Late Night, Talk Shows, NBC, Cancellations, Gossip, Ratings, Video,
Paul Reiser was originally scheduled to appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to promote his new NBC series, The Paul Reiser Show. But the network didn't cancel his appearance after they cancelled his show. The series was nixed after just two episodes, and Reiser didn't bother to hide his disenchantment with the network… even on one of their own shows.
"They don't traditionally make bad decisions," he said of the network, tongue-in-cheek, to the (current) Tonight Show host. Leno has had his own troubles with NBC, but managed to get re-hired after he was fired from his TV show. We're not sure the same will happen to Reiser.
Click to continue reading Paul Reiser Trashes NBC to Jay Leno
Read More | Huffington Post
Kelly Ripa, Susan Lucci Comment on AMC Cancellation
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Daytime, ABC, Cancellations, Gossip,
It's official: All My Children has been canceled. ABC delivered the news in a shocking double elimination, axing AMC and One Life to Live on the same day.
Kelly Ripa, who played Hayley Vaughan Santos on the series, has already released a statement. "All My Children means so much more to me than any place," she said of the set where she and husband Mark Consuelos met. "We had our children there, it was a big part of our lives, and I think that to cancel a show that has been on television for so many years, what are you going to replace it with?"
Click to continue reading Kelly Ripa, Susan Lucci Comment on AMC Cancellation
Read More | Perez Hilton
Glenn Beck's Fox News Show is Over
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Talk Shows, Cable, FOX, Cancellations, Gossip, News, Rumors,
But… what will Jon Stewart talk about on weekday nights? Glenn Beck is leaving his popular Fox News show, putting an end to his controversial but extremely attention-getting run on the Glenn Beck Program.
Beck will still work with Fox News through his company Mercury Radio Arts. He joined Fox at the start of 2009 and immediately doubled ratings in his time slot (and gave left-wing pundits too much to talk about). But his energetic persona has managed to create a lot of controversy, too. He accused the President of the United States of racism and lost Fox News approximately 400 advertising agreements (the number of advertisers who refused to support Beck's program with their ads).
Fox News channel chairman and CEO Roger Ailes had very little to say on the topic. "Half of the headlines say he's been canceled… the other half say he quit. We're pretty happy with both of them."
What the hell does that mean? We've no idea, but good luck trying to get a straight answer out of Fox News on any day of the week.
Click to continue reading Glenn Beck's Fox News Show is Over
Read More | Yahoo! News
VIDEO: Is All My Children Getting Canceled?
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Daytime, Drama, ABC, Cancellations, Gossip, Ratings, Rumors, Video,
Susan Lucci, soap opera Queen, recently appeared on Good Morning America to talk about the possibility that All My Children's epic run may be coming to an end. You can hear her comments in the video above. News first broke on TV Squad that ABC was considering calling it quits on the long-running soap.
But, Lucci didn't have a whole lot to offer on the rumors. "We'll see," she said of possible cancellation. Lucci also said the show has many "passionate" fans in its corner. But ratings for the show are dramatically down (34% from last year), and it's in last place.
And that does not bode well for the soap, which has been on the air since 1970. Lucci has been with the show for its entire run.
Read More | Popeater
No Worries, Charlie Sheen Certain Show's Coming Back
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, CBS, Gossip, Rumors,
Two and a Half Men fans needn't fear for the future of their show: Charlie Sheen says it's coming back. And in case you haven't heard, the man's got "tiger's blood," so we're pretty sure he's in a position to make this sort of statement.
Charlie Sheen gave the news to Wired 96.5 in Philadelphia while speaking with personalities Chio and Shila. "Absolutely the gig's coming back, I have absolute faith in that." And who are we to argue with absolute faith?
"My super powers are blowing it up completely," Sheen continued. "I think we're winning this morning." Well, when you put it that way…
Read More | Perez Hilton
Charlie Sheen Rant Cancels Two and Half Men Production
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, CBS, Cancellations, Gossip, Rumors,
Charlie Sheen isn't finished with the Two and Half Men producers -- not by a long shot. The troubled actor engaged in a well-publicized rant against the minds behind his CBS show in which he called Chuck Lorre a "stupid, stupid little man," along with a few other things.
CBS immediately canceled production of the show for the reminder of the season, and potentially all eternity. Sheen, who is currently in the Bahamas, turned to TMZ again to respond to the news. In an open letter, he said Lorre "tried to use his words to judge and attempt to degrade me."
Click to continue reading Charlie Sheen Rant Cancels Two and Half Men Production
Read More | E! Online
TV Extensions, Renewals and Cancellations (1/12)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Comedy, Drama, Prime Time, Reality, Sports, ABC, Bravo, Cable, FOX, Grey's Anatomy, Cancellations, Renewals,
Here's an update on the shows you will and won't be seeing in the months to come:
- Castle (ABC) - Season 4
- Cougar Town (ABC) - Season 3
- Downsized (WE) - Season 2
- Grey's Anatomy (ABC) - Season 8
- Hardcore Pawn (truTV) - Season 3
- Jerseylicious (Style) - Season 3
- Judge Karen's Court (Syndicated) - Season 2
- Mad Men (AMC) - Season 5
- Man vs. Wild (Discovery) - Season 6
Click to continue reading TV Extensions, Renewals and Cancellations (1/12)
Read More | TV Line
Sarah Palin Quits Alaska Show?
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Prime Time, Reality, Cable, Cancellations, Rumors, Video,
Don't act surprised. Rumor has it that the woman who resigned as Alaska's governor has decided to walk away from her TLC reality show.
It seems that Sarah Palin's Alaska -- which was based on enjoying everything the state has to offer -- has reached the end of its one-season run. TLC just might have to give Kate Gosselin another show.
TLC has offered no official comment, but producer Mark Burnett has not returned to Wasilla, Alaska to begin work on Season 2. The show nabbed 3.2 million viewers with its premiere, big numbers for cable, and sources say that Palin enjoyed making the show.
So why would she quit while she's ahead? Most are speculating that the
former politician wants to be ready for the upcoming election season, and she just can't commit to reality TV and being the next president all at the same time.
Be afraid. Be very, very afraid.
Read More | E! Online
TV Extensions, Renewals and Cancellations (12/19)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Kids, Late Night, Prime Time, Reality, Sci-Fi/Horror, Talk Shows, ABC, Cable, FX, TNT-HD, Cancellations, Renewals,
Here's an update on the shows you will and won't be seeing in the months to come:
- The Closer (TNT) – Will end after Season 7
- The Hasselhoffs (A&E) – Remaining eps could air at later time
- Stargate Universe (Syfy)
- Terriers (FX)
Click to continue reading TV Extensions, Renewals and Cancellations (12/19)
Read More | Deadline
TV Extensions, Renewals and Cancellations (12/2)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Animation, Comedy, Daytime, Drama, Food & Home, Kids, Music, Prime Time, Reality, Sci-Fi/Horror, Cable, CBS, FOX, HBO, Showtime, Medium, Renewals,
Here's an update on the shows you will and won't be seeing in the months to come:
- Aarti Party (Food Network) – Season 2
- Adventure Time (Cartoon) – Season 3
- Auction Hunters (Spike) – Season 2
- The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS) – Renewed through 2012-13
- Cupcake Wars (Food Network) – Season 2
- Dexter (Showtime) – Season 6
- Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files (Syfy) – Season 2
- Funny or Die Presents (HBO) – Season 2
- Ghost Hunters International (Syfy) – Season 3
Click to continue reading TV Extensions, Renewals and Cancellations (12/2)
Read More | Variety
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text:
Ok, I am ordering a bottle of Havana and if that does not work, then Cuba.
So, here is what I have
L'Air du Desert
Red Vetyver
Selling or trading my CDG 2 Man. Like the white smoke, but it is too linear and it goes skin scent on me in 2 hours.
So I am thinking of something more wintery, since MI and Red Vetyver are my summer and the GIT and LDDM go all year round for me.
I think I tend to the tobacco/spicey/incensey scents, since I like Piper Nigrum and stuff.
Here are some I was thinking of
Frapin Caravelle Epicee. Tried a sample and it was nice
Read up on Parfum d'Empire Wazamba. Pretty promising
Frank #2
I have tried the Les Neredies Imperial Oppoponax and that was too vanilla. I used to wear Obsession. I think my preferences would be classifed as Oriental for the most part?
So, longevity and much projection, is it one of these three or something like it? By the way, the price points of these three are good, but some of those at luckyscent are too much for me. $130 for 100 is about as high as I want to go this time around


text:
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text:
1. The Center for Inquiry Northeast Ohio will be holding its 2012 conference on the topic "On the Barricades: Reason vs. Religion in Public Policy" on Saturday, October 6, 2012 from 9:00am to 4:00 pm in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Independence, Ohio.
More details of the program and registration information can be found here.
2. The CWRU chapter of the Center for Inquiry will be hosting Eddie Tadash who will talk on "Is America a Christian Nation?"
The talk is free and open to the public and will be held on Sunday, October 7 at 6:00 pm in Room 322 in the Wickenden building on the Case quad of the campus.


text:
KARACHI: The Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST) has given student organisations and parties 24 hours to remove wall chalking, flags, banners and posters from the campus or, the administration will do it for them. Since the beginning of the year, nearly 13 students and a police officer were injured in clashes. The administration has also decided that students with identity cards will not be allowed to go on campus. If a visitor has to enter university premises then, a special pass has to be made a day before.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 13th, 2012.


text:
I have written very lengthy trip reports on the Asia and Europe forums, so I'll try to get do this with the fewest words possible...
Mom, dad and I.
Saw Continental $99 fare for weekend to OKC. $114 with tax.
Saturday 3/29
CO Express IAH-OKC on a ERJ145. Got 12C exit row for myself. Plenty of legroom.
Got intermediate car from Hertz, though Continental.com special. $24 for 2 days. Corolla or PT Cruiser. Corolla.
I-40 east towards Fort Smith, AR. Few places to eat. Found diner in Salisaw, OK for late breakfast.
Walk around Ft Smith National Historical Site. Drove over to Van Buren, AR to see my ex-employer USA Truck, Inc.
Went north on the newly opened I-540. Then NE through twisty backroads to Eureka Springs. Corolla handles okay, but wish I was driving my Subaru STi.
Passion play not started until April, so whole town very quiet. Checked out the Christ of Ozarks, and the town center. Wonder how crowded it'll be in summer. Had latte and hot chocolate and cake at an independent cafe. Very nice, as it was only about 50F.
Overnight in Bentonville. Got 2.5* Courtyard through Priceline. $48+fees for each room. Very nice.
Dinner at O'Charley's, a Chili's/Applebee's clone that we don't have in Houston.
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rkkwan's short TR for short OK/AR trip
I have written very lengthy trip reports on the Asia and Europe forums, so I'll try to get do this with the fewest words possible...
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Sunday 3/30
Swam at the nice, but overly warm, indoor pool at the Courtyard.
Mom and I had Full buffet breakfast, $9.95; dad skipped the hot stuff, $7.95. Quite decent. First stay at a Courtyard, impressed.
Checked out the Walton's 5-and-10 cent store in Bentonville center. Everything closed and quiet on Sunday morning.
Headed west back into OK. $2.25 on Turnpike. Drove through downtown Tulsa to have a good look of the Williams Tower, by Minoru Yamasaki. It's a 1/2 sized clone of a WTC tower.
Spent about 2 hours at the Philbrook Museum of Art. Collection okay. The Italian-villa style building and garden very very nice.
On way out of Tulsa, saw an old-fashioned, oversized Arby's sign. Made a U-turn to grab a sandwich.
I-44 ($3.50 Turnpike) to OKC. Walked around the State Capitol, then to the OKC National Memorial. It's very well done.
Checked in at La Quinta OKC Airport. $44 on Hotwire 2.5*. Very very old and tired property. I gave feedback to HW to say it's not worth the rating.
Dinner at a Cracker Barrel next to hotel. I love Cracker Barrel when doing road trips.
Tornado warning in effect just west of OKC. Reports of tennis-ball-sized hail. I got out at 11:30p to drive the Corolla under the canopy at a nearby gas station. Storm turned north, and I only saw pea-sized hails for a minute.
Got back to room and watched the very good weather reports on local channels. Very high resolution radar, down to the minute prediction for tornado/damaging wind and hail paths, and chasers to give live reports of tornadoes. Remind me of "Twister".
Monday 3/31
Got up at 4:45a, returned car at airport 5:15a. Both my parents were upgraded to FC on CO's 737, and I got myself a nice bulkhead seat right behind.
Saw amazing sunrise and took pictures.
Got back to Houston, picked up car and headed to work.
The End
Pictures. Lots of flowers. Canon 40D and 50mm/1.4. Single prime lens only.
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As always, great photos Ray! I really liked the cannon and flag ones, the florals and what great pictures of your mom in front of the flowering tree! Don't think I've seen your dad before, you look just like him!
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Deb - Thanks! Here's a better picture of my parents. Taken in Macau in January of this year:
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Incredible pictures Ray! The yellow tulip was almost startling when the picture came on screen. Beautiful colors!
I've always heard Tulsa was pretty and it did look it. Was in Eureka Springs probably 15 years ago and don't recalling seeing the Christ statue. I wonder, is that is new?
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OO - No, the Christ of the Ozarks was erected in 1966. So, definitely not new. But since I'm not Christian or religious, I've never heard of it before this trip, nor the "New Passion Play".
It was in the movie "Elizabethtown", but even I saw the movie, I don't remember about it.
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You came to OKC and didn't call me! I'm crushed. The Memorial in OKC is just 10 blocks from my house. Would have loved to have seen you again!
The Philbrook Museum in Tulsa is one of my favorites for the grounds and just the ambiance of the place. And it looks like the flowers were in full bloom. Gorgeous!
Thanks for coming to my fair city. Sorry the weather gave you a scare. Yes, our weather forecasting is very similar to Twister because they used our weatherman, Gary England, in the movie and for reference to the industry. What you saw in the movie is what you see broadcast on storm nights.
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BeachGirl - I would have, but my parents were with me, and we have so little time in OKC...
I've passed through OKC many times when I was a trucker. But first time to actually spend a little time. It was a good little trip.
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I loved your photos, too.
I also wanted to say that I greatly appreciate how you post so many costs and what travel sites you used to get them. Travel is one of several competing priorities in my life and price matters a whole lot.
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#19 is such a nice picture of your mom. I'm looking forward to meeting her at dim sum.
I should have thought to tell you about the peach orchard in Tulsa. We had great homemade peach ice cream one night there when the weather was too windy to balloon. Oh well, next road trip!
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Hunter Macro Edit
I was just wondering if it is possible (and if so, how?) to write a macro to only cast Hunter's Mark IF the target does not already have Hunter's Mark on it. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Dooble (talk • contr). 05:50, 21 November 2007
- Don't know if it's really possible. A problem I encountered often lately, you can find out whether the mark is on the target or not through /script (see UnitDebuff), but you cannot cast spells in that code, and you cannot give the info back to the normal part of the macro, or cancel the execution of the macro. ŋɑϑ 12:32, 28 November 2007 (UTC)
- If you cast a Hunter's Mark on something already marked, it simply refreshes the the original mark so that it doesnt run out. If your Mark is a buffed one it takes dominance, if the one already there is buffed yours renews it.
For some time i had revive pet, mend pet and call pet in different buttons (and used spell book to cast dismiss pet), but then i came up with a macro that combines all those:
#showtooltip /castsequence [nopet] reset=20 Call pet, Revive pet /cast [modifier:shift] dismiss pet; [target=pet, dead] revive pet; [target=pet, nodead] mend pet
I was really surpriced not to find this on hunter macro -page.
- Actually i noticed that the dismiss-part cant be at the end of the macro, rearranged the commands :)
Swithu 00:29, 23 February 2008 (UTC)
Petattack macro with dynamic tooltip? Edit
I'm using the one button pet attack macro, and have been scratching my head trying to get it to display a dynamic tooltip (or atleast icon) of the attack and follow commands. The problem is ofc that the pet attack and follow commands are not in the spellbook... Is there a way to get around this?
I have been experimenting by using #show and the name of the icons themselves as defined in the macros-cache.txt file, like below, but it doesn't work either.
#show [target=pettarget,exists]Ability_TrackBeasts;[target=pettarget,noexists]Ability_GhoulFrenzy /petfollow [target=pettarget,exists] /petattack [target=pettarget,noexists]
Any ideas?
Harrumph 13:40, 2 April 2008 (UTC)
I don't know how to do the tooltip, but Just use the ? icon to have it pick the icon based on the spell that it will cast first.
Dabombnl 05:53, 9 April 2008 (UTC)
- On a warlock macro I use with drain life and two ranks of drain soul on it, I used #showtooltip as the first line and the ? icon, and the icon and tooltip both look like whatever spell will go off when clicked. --Azaram (talk) 01:44, 2 June 2008 (UTC)
Removed Some Macros Edit
I removed all macros that had hunters and pets attack at the same time. Anyone who understand aggro knows this is a bad idea. Send the pet in first, then once he has a hit or two then start shooting. I understand that PVP hunters might do things differently, but the macros were titled "Farming" etc. for the most part. Anyway one suggestion going forward is for people to tag their macros with a PVP warning if they intend it as such. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Shotgirl (talk • contr).
- Removing macros because you don't like them is a bit much. Different people have different styles, and what works for me may not work for you. Whether or not it's something you would use is irrelevant; someone uses it or it wouldn't be here.--Azaram (talk) 02:52, 4 June 2008 (UTC)
- Also, this page doesn't belong to you so don't go around altering other people efforts. You deleted too much in the first place. You could simply have renamed the PVP macros, or put in a text explaining what you opinion of that macro is. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Jiminimonka (talk • contr).
Managing Mounts and Cheetah/Pack Edit
I made a macro that enables me to mount or throw on Aspect of the Cheetah or Pack with one click, and thought I might share it:
#showtooltip /use [indoors,nogroup,nopet][combat,nogroup,nopet][button:3,nogroup,nopet]Aspect of the Cheetah;[indoors][combat][button:3]Aspect of the Pack /use [flyable,outdoors,button:1]1 1 /use [flyable,outdoors,button:2][noflyable,outdoors,button:1]1 2
If you're alone (not in a group and don't have your pet out) and indoors, or alone and click with the middle mouse button, you will use Aspect of the Cheetah. If you do the same thing but are in a group or have an active pet, you will use Aspect of the Pack. If you're in Outland, outdoors, and left click the button, you will use a flying mount. The 1 1 indicates that the mount is in the first slot of your second bag, and may be adjusted to fit where your mount is. If you're in Outland, outdoors, and right click, or if you're outdoors but not in Outland and left click, you will use a regular mount (again, assuming that it is in the second slot of your second bag, can again be adjusted).
It sounds kind of complicated, but in my experience it's very smooth and easy to use. - Arnen (talk) 23:35, 9 June 2008 (UTC)
What's the deal with /castrandom? Edit
Lots of the examples (now, with all the pre-3.0 stuff cleaned up) utilize /castrandom in a bit of weird fashion. Can someone explain to me whats the idea eg. here:
#showtooltip Attack /castsequence Wing Clip, Raptor Strike, Wing Clip /castrandom [target=target, exists] Mongoose Bite
I mean I have, (and it still works!) used the version where you have /cast raptor and /cast wing on separate lines, in single macro (works due to the fact that wing clip is immediate and raptor strike is queued for your next attack with melee weapons). After patch 3.0 and change to mongoose bite I would like to have WC + RS + MB in same macro, and this seems like the way to do it - however, can someone explain WHY it does work?
I mean, /castrandom and a single spell after it kinda doesn't look how documentation intends it to be used...
Zarhan (talk) 09:23, 20 October 2008 (UTC)
Answer: I believe it has to do with the way castrandom will automatically bypass spells that are not available. For example, when you use it for a mount macro, it chooses the mount you have in your bag (previously, this no longer works since you always have all your mounts now). So by making the MB segment a castrandom, it automatically ignores that line of code if Mongoose Bite is not available.
Ok, makes sense. However, this lead me into theorizing... I tried to make a spam-dmg macro:
#showtooltip /castrandom steady shot, arcane shot, arcane shot, arcane shot, arcane shot, arcane shot, arcane shot, arcane shot, arcane shot
With the idea that whenever arcane shot is available, the randomness would pick it over steady (in this case with 8:1 odds), and otherwise shoot steadies - that way I could just spam the button (/castsequence reset=2/target arcane, steady,steady just fails occasionally).
Other variant I tried was
/castrandom arcane shot /cast steady shot
With the idea that if arcane wouldn't be available it'd skip the line and shoot a steady instead. Anyway, neither of these approaches didn't work - the former keeps complaining "spell is not ready yet" and doesn't shoot steady unless I really spam the button (Tried script UIErrorsFrame:Hide())- and latter one doesn't get to firing steadies at all.
Zarhan (talk) 20:53, 12 November 2008 (UTC)
Ok, I know the answer to this is probably no, but no ask, no gain... Is there a way to replace, for example, arcane shot with kill shot when kill shot is A) active and B) not on cooldown? Doesn't even have to be an auto fire macro, just one that when it's up and ready to go, is there to be hit. --Azaram (talk) 19:55, 5 December 2008 (UTC)
Another use for it would be something like 'If I have a tenacity pet, show taunt and Master's Call, if I have a ferocity, show lick your wounds and rabid'... anyone know of a way to do that, or a mod that can? Too many buttons for the pet bar now. :-p --Azaram (talk) 06:41, 9 December 2008 (UTC)
More cleanup Edit
I have updated the page to reflect 3.08 changes. Also broken the macros down into BM, MM, SV, and All Hunter Categories.
Might be controversial, but I added "macro-spammer" recommended specs. These are largely based on EJ's calculations, combined with my knowledge of the hunter class for what I think will work best for new players. Open to comment. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Shotgirl (talk • contr).
Encourage new players to learn to spam macros is not something anyone should recommend, and definitely not EJ forum posters.
These macros listed are absolutely horrible. The SV one doesn't even have Explosive Shot, but even adding ES still makes them all terrible. They should be completely removed or noted that they are horribly inefficient. Kronchev (talk) 12:28, 22 June 2009 (UTC)
Hi everybody.
I'm having some problems trying to configure a MACRO with these sequences.
snake trap disengage concursive shot aimed shot serpent sting
I realy hope some help becouse I'm prety newbie in this making-macro world. Can you help me?
simple and obv Edit
Just removed the "I'm not sure if /assist pet works" because it, uh, it does
:/ Edit
Most of these are absolute trash. What's the policy for removing all of the worthless/non-working/poorly-written macros? -Auron 10:18, April 26, 2010 (UTC)
Hunter pet moves linked to hunter shots Edit
I have been looking over the hunter macro page and have found a few useful things that I can apply to reduce the icons on my action bar but what I am really looking for is a macro that links a pets move with a shot/sting. Example being I want to link gorilla "Pummel" (spell interupt 30sec CD) to something like "Aimed Shot" so I use the ability at a more appropriate time rather than every 30 seconds if I am fighting casters. Another one is linking a Wolves "Furious Howl" to pet attack which I have keyed to "f" so I cast both at the same time. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Balera (talk • contr).
4.0.1 Changes Edit
With 4.0.1 going live on US Servers this morning, I suggest that we wipe the page and only add in macros that are absolutely guaranteed to work with this latest patch. There are currently a lot of outdated and poorly written macros that will need to be modified and rewritten in order to be usable. Finally, why do we have by-lines for some of the Macros? That seems to, at the very least, go against what Wikis are about. You are generally credited in a pages History. ♥ sunsmoon (talk & cont) 09:39, October 12, 2010 (UTC)
- Example of Proposed Changes in a Sandbox Environment (please read my sandbox before editing!) ♥ sunsmoon (talk & cont) 16:37, October 12, 2010 (UTC)


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Artist description:
Kind of a character from Game of Thrones, but I changed the ref a lot. All rates and comments are appreciated!
Java Draw Created Dec 25, 2013 640 x 460px Unless noted Copyright 2013 xGJx.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
Post a comment
Love that show! Great draw!
What great shading you did on this drawing,,, good eye with the angle,,, cool lighting effect on this flame,, nice work ..fav
brilliant, well drawn, liked :)
I don't know how you drew this with a touch-pad...
great draw !
Great drawing, the armor looks really nice! Likee
great looking armor ! like
wooooow love the armour it looks amazing a great drawing like fav
Who was this? It looks like that guy who kept being brought back, but I really can't tell... I LOVE the armor it's so shiny and pretty. :D Damn cool man, you should do more GoT characters... Like Jon Snow. =P
also you hurt my confidence on my Jon Snow drawing...=0
The original ref was supposed to be Victarion Greyjoy. I changed it up though to be my own


text:
Total Sells Stake in Nigerian Project to Sinopec for $2.5 Billion
French energy company Total SA said it was selling its 20% stake and operating mandate in its Nigerian offshore project to a unit of China Petrochemical Corp for $2.5 billion, in a move that will bolster financing of its investment plans.
The deal is further evidence that state-backed Sinopec, Asia's largest refiner by capacity, is rapidly converting itself into a global oil company.
For Total, the sale and some others the...


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Britain celebrates Murray's feat
Britain awoke to a new era Monday, into a world in which the tennis-loving public finally has its own Wimbledon men's champion again.
"After 77 years, the wait is over," read a headline in the Daily Telegraph, a day after Andy Murray of Scotland beat top-ranked Novak Djokovic of Serbia in straight sets to win the title at the All England Club.
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With the victory, Murray became the first British man to win the Wimbledon singles title since Fred Perry in 1936. Murray's feat already has sparked talk of a knighthood.
"Arise Sir Andrew, knight of the holy grail," The Times of London wrote in its lead story.
Prime Minister David Cameron, who watched the match from the Royal Box, seemed to be on board with Murray getting knighted and thus joining the ranks of other sporting greats such as runner Roger Bannister and golfer Nick Faldo.
"I can't think of anyone who deserves one more," Cameron said.
Murray downplayed the possibility.
"It's a nice thing to have or be offered," he said. "I think just because everyone has waited for such a long time for this, that's probably why it will be suggested but I don't know if it merits that."
Britain's last women's champion was Virginia Wade in 1977.
Kastles win 33rd in a row
The Washington Kastles began the World TeamTennis season riding a 32-match winning streak, after back-to-back unbeaten championship seasons.
The Kastles beat the New York Sportimes 23-15 in their season opener Monday in Washington, D.C., for 33 straight victories — the same as the NBA Los Angeles Lakers won in the 1971-72 season for the longest winning streak in major U.S. pro sports history.
The Kastles would surpass the Lakers' total if they beat the Boston Lobsters on Tuesday. It is also safe to assume most sports followers don't consider WTT to be a "major" league.
The streak — and the debate about where it belongs in sports history — has brought added attention to the Kastles and WTT.
Hammon tears knee ligament
Guard Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Silver Stars has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee and is likely out for the season after playing one game.
The seven-time All-Star missed San Antonio's first 10 games because of a broken finger and played 12 minutes against Los Angeles on Saturday before getting hurt.
Hammon, 36, will have surgery this week, team officials said.
College football
LSU's Hill faces battery charge
Jeremy Hill, who was Louisiana State's leading rusher last season as a freshman, and another man were formally charged in Baton Rouge, La., with misdemeanor simple battery in connection with a late-April scuffle in a bar parking lot.
Hill, 20, and Robert Bayardo, who is not an LSU student, will be arraigned Friday.
The matter has put Hill's 2013 season in doubt because he is already on probation stemming from a January 2012 plea of misdemeanor carnal knowledge of a juvenile.
LSU coach Les Miles has suspended Hill, who rushed for 755 yards last season, pending the outcome of the case.
Lease agreement is signed
The prospective owners of the Phoenix Coyotes said they have signed their lease agreement for Jobing.com Arena.
Daryl Jones, partner with Renaissance Sports & Entertainment, tweeted that the lease agreement with the City of Glendale has been executed.
The Glendale City Council approved a 15-year, $225 million arena-lease deal with RSE during a special session last week.
If that deal hadn't been approved by Glendale officials, relocation of the Coyotes — perhaps to Seattle — was an option.
• The NHL New York Rangers re-signed Ryan McDonagh, 24, to a six-year contract worth $28.2 million.
• In Group B first-round CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer matches in Harrison, N.J., Honduras beat Haiti 2-0 and El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago played to a 2-2 draw.
• Golfer John Daly, a two-time major champion, has withdrawn from the British Open, which starts July 18.
Daly, 47, said he will have surgery on his right elbow Thursday that will end his PGA Tour season.
• Guard Jermaine Marshall, who averaged 15.3 points for Penn State's basketball team last season, plans to transfer to Arizona State. If he graduates from Penn State this summer, the 6-foot-4 Marshall would be eligible to play for the Sun Devils in the 2013-14 season.
Seattle Times news services


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Alas, whats a reality tv fan to do when you reach the finale of your favorite show and *gasp* theres nobody to root against? No reason to throw things at the tv? No hoping that theyll come in last so you can secretly enjoy the look of soul-crushing defeat on their faces? Theyve covered 30,000 miles and four continents, and this has got to be one of the nicest, most level-headed, non-bitchy groups to ever reach the finals. With the exception of Ron, of course, and even he seems to have stemmed his stress induced mini-Tourettes attacks in the last few weeks. Whether it was done through some serious soul-searching or the magic of editing, Ron has become much more tolerable. And I reserve the right to retract that statement if he shows his ass tonight.
The Ninja Lounge
Hopefully everyone packed their thermal undies, as theyre now headed to Anchorage, Alaska for the final leg of the race. First placers Ron and Christina take off first, followed by TK and Rachel, then Nick and Don. Several racers comment that theyve always wanted to go to Alaska (me too!) as they leave for the airport. As you may imagine, there arent a whole lot of flights from Taiwan to Anchorage, and the teams all end up on the same flight. TK stresses out over the fact that Ron and Chris werent visible when the rest of them arrived at the airport - the father and daughter were off looking up the address for 6th Avenue Outfitters to save some time once they landed. Somehow Ron got them access to a special lounge with internet access just by asking sweetly for a free upgrade.
The others hunt around the airport for Ron and Chris, finally giving up and taking seats to wait for their flight. Rachel plays solitaire while Nick complains that TK is freaking him out with his uncharacteristic nervousness, when - poof - Ron and Chris appear, all smiles. TK lets out a sigh of relief: Oh, man, I can start breathing again. Thank you!
They all hop on the plane, and Christina talks about how excited she is to be going to their final destination. Has anybody seen the movie Final Destination? Yeah, I would choose my words more carefully if I were on an airplane. Just sayin. Once they land and everyone is lined up to exit the plane, TK jokingly makes a comment on who the fastest running team might be. The old guys look nervous, but TK says hes seen Ron run like a ninja. I must have missed that clip.
Up Ship Creek Without a Paddle
Ron and Christina find 6th Avenue Outfitters first, picking up their bag of goodies and heading out to Ship Creek Boat Launch. Shes very careful in her pronunciation as she tells the taxi driver where to go. Hee. Ron unpacks their gear in the cab (gloves, fillet knives) as TK and Rachel arrive next. The hippies grab their bag from the counter and hop in the taxi, and proceed to lose precious minutes as the dimwit driver takes them to the wrong place. Thats okay - Nick and Don take the clue only, leaving their bag on the counter. Doh! Don rips Nick a new one in the cab after they arrive at the creek and realize what they did: You read the clue but you didnt understand it, so were f***ed. This isnt the only time that Don gets bleeped tonight.
And so we reach the last Detour Cut the Cod or Grab the Crab. *groan* Who writes these things? I feel embarrassed for Phil when he has to spout highly cheesy lines such as teams with the guts to dig into their work could finish fast. Or, teams without fast hands could find themselves in a pinch. Ba-dum-bump. Anyhow, teams can choose to either wade around in a ships hold, picking through a pile of 500 pinching crabs to find the one marked with a special band, or slice open a couple of enormous 50 lb. cod in search of a tiny capsule which holds the clue. The only crabs I want to see are steamed ones, on a plate with lots of melted butter. How can something so ugly taste so good? As disgusting as it may look, I would have went with the fish guts: there are only a couple of places they could have inserted the little capsules, and I dont think they could have shoved them in too far. And Ill leave it at that in case any of you are eating.
Ron picks a fish and gets to work, obviously not very pleased at the oozing blobs that roll out of the fish after he slices into it. He struggles with how to cut it up at first, but once its open Christina pokes around in the goo and finds the clue capsule pretty quickly. They sprint off to grab a taxi, and I hope they have time to wash up. Phew. TK and Rachel, meanwhile, have chosen to grab crabs and immediately rethink that decision after getting pinched repeatedly. Rachel squeals in pain as the crabs clamp down on her hands. I dont know if we chose the right one, says TK. They continue, and just as theyre about to give it up and change over to the fish, TK extracts the banded crab.
Just in time, too, since Nick and Don show up after having to backtrack and pick up their bag o swag. TK and Rachel take off, telling their cabbie to hurry. Theyre worried that Don will zip right through the fish, and he does it just so happens that hes done it before. But of course. Miner, camel milker, truck driver, printer, fish gutter...he's done it all. He slits the cod open, telling Nick to get in there and find it. With my hands?! is Nicks not-so-eager response. No, stick your nose in there and sniff it out, doofus.
Ice Age Nuts
Ron and Chris are off to 20 mile glacier next. They enjoy a high speed boat ride through the gorgeous scenery to get there, while the hippies cab driver once again proves that he doesnt know where the hell he is going, having to call for directions to the boat launch. TK is losing his trademark cool, quickly. A very yummy looking Phil tells us that the teams will have to climb the primordial ice to reach their next clue, placed on top. As soon as he said primordial I pictured the little squirrel from Ice Age popping out to look for his acorn. Proving that I watch way too many silly movies.
Ron and his pet hernia do amazingly well, climbing up the ice wall without too much trouble. Christina is the one who has problems, unable to swing her crampons up over the ice ledge. No, thats not a feminine product - crampons are the wicked looking spiked footwear theyre wearing. It's a good thing Nate and Jen are gone, they really didn't need deadly weapons in their possession while they argue about how Nate isn't man enough to climb the ice correctly. Christina is still struggling as TK and Rachel arrive, but finally gets her feet up there. Upper body strength was definitely a factor, as both women have to fight their way up the ice.
After a helicopter ride to an airfield and a taxi ride to Goose Lake Park, teams encounter their last task: the final Roadblock, and its an ass-kicker. Teams are given a pile of fifteen objects that they encountered on the race, and they had to pick ten to place on a stage, one for each leg. Sounds easy? Yeah, it was until they added these stipulations:
1 - only one item from each leg of the race
2 three items must be animals or animal by-products
3 one had to be a U-Turn
4 two had to be items brought to or already at a Pit Stop
5 two items had to have wheels, one of which was used at a Detour
6 one had to be an item of transportation in the shape of a stick
Ow, my head. Im glad I get to just sit back and watch this crazy mess. Weve got chickens, bikes, donkeys, rifles, sticks, stilts, U-Turn stands, camel milk, tea cups, propane tanks, BlackBerries, and even a bored-looking Japanese guy with a cleaning tank on his back. Ron defers to Christina on this one, saying that he has senior moments and her memory is better. Rachel wants to try, and TK sends her off with a kiss while Nick gets the nod since Don thinks hed be there for a f***ing year. He might regret not doing it himself.
Chris places her items on the stage, and waits for the clue to pop up. It doesnt. She only has one wrong, but she has no way of knowing that. She asks the guy if hes considered an animal (he doesnt respond) and changes several things around, making it worse and getting frustrated in the process. Poor Chris even channels Jen, saying frickin this and frickin that. Rachel gets three wrong at first, but keeps a cool head and figures out what she had wrong. Up pops her clue, and she bounces out to a celebrating TK. Christina tearfully finishes second. Nick is having trouble. Much trouble.
Something Fishy
The next clue sends TK and Rachel off to find a statue of Captain Cook. Thankfully, they have a new cabbie that knows his stuff. The clue at the statue directs them to find the Salmon Hooker. Its, well...a salmon statue dressed as a hooker, complete with a leopard skin outfit and garish lipstick. Those crazy Alaskans. The hippies find the fish after running the streets asking for directions, and rip open their final clue directing them to the finish line. TK is visibly shaking as the cab takes them to see Phil. Ron and Christina are right behind them, and Nick and Don...I have no idea. They never showed Nick completing the Roadblock, so I assume he didnt get it and they just told them to head on to the finish.
All of the teams are standing around the finish line, clapping and cheering at the first team to arrive - its TK and Rachel! They cut to Jen, a big phony grin plastered on her face. I love it. TK says it doesnt seem real, holding his head in his hands. He and Rachel share some love and a big smooch on the Amazing Bathmat as Ron and Chris come running up, in second place. She gets teary-eyed as she tells Phil that shes just glad to have had the chance to run this with her dad, and Ron talks about how much hes changed - lets hope it sticks. For once in my life, when I say I love you, I really mean it, he confides. The more I think about it, the less nice that sounds. Im sure he meant well, though. Nick and Don straggle in third, as Don gets applause for being the oldest person to have made it this far in the race. Props to Don!
Hugs, kisses, and congratulations are passed around the group, some of whom I can barely remember. Nice guys can definitely finish first, TK tells us. Being able to do the entire race, not compromising our relationship in any way, and in the process making great friendships just makes winning it that much sweeter. Amen, brother. Im off to light some incense and wait for the next Race.
Congrats and good luck to the final three! waywyrd@fansofrealitytv


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Rail shipments of fuel oils and crude petroleum were up 468,000 tonnes in May this year, a 74.1-per-cent increase from the same month last year, according to numbers released today by Statistics Canada.
The numbers reflect growing pressure to find more capacity to move crude from Alberta and North Dakota, where production is rising. With many North American pipelines at or near capacity shipping oil by rail has become increasingly popular as producers on both sides of the border look for ways to get their product to market.
Last week Canadian National Railway Co. reported second-quarter results that showed a 14-per-cent jump in earnings, with oil-by-rail revenue surging 150 per cent.
According to Statistics Canada rail shipments of all commodities were on the rise in May.
Gains were reported in 45 of the 64 commodity groups that Statistics Canada tracks.
Shipments of iron ores and concentrates increased by 562,000 tonnes in may, while potash and coal were up 385 000 tonnes and 367 000 tonnes respectively.
Overall, freight carried by Canadian railways rose 12.9 per cent to 29.3-million tonnes in May, the the largest volume of domestic tonnage for the month since since 1999.
This, despite the fact that traffic from connections south of the border fell 3.9 per cent to 3.3 million tonnes in May.


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4 Santa Barbara Hotel Pools We Can't Wait To Dive In
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It may be autumn, but things are only picking up on my calendar … how about yours?
Four exciting events in Folsom are on my list to share this week, with exciting connections to our El Dorado Hills community and El Dorado County.
June Carey workshop
The first is a major "heads-up!" for local artists — an opportunity to attend a three-day workshop taught by El Dorado Hills resident and nationally-renowned landscape painter, June Carey. The workshop will be taught at American Visions Art Gallery in Folsom, Oct. 6-8.
"This is a first for June and promises to be an extraordinary experience for artists from beginners to professionals," wrote Jack Hailey of American Visions on his Facebook page. "Out-of-towners might just want to come to Folsom for the three days."
Carey is nationally known for her serene paintings of California's wine country (including our local wine country in El Dorado and Amador counties) and the California missions. My personal Carey favorites are of the hillsides of El Dorado Hills before the construction of the Town Center.
Those interested in this unique opportunity should call (916) 351-1623 for registration details.
Collections and Curiosities
And now, for something completely different … (to quote from the Monty Python lexicon).
The Folsom History Museum has an eclectic exhibit that opened last weekend called "Collections and Curiosities."
"When word got out into the community that the Folsom History Museum folks were thinking about doing an exhibit featuring 'stuff that people collect,' Pam Conrad, the exhibit curator, became inundated with calls from people wanting to share their collections," said Melissa Pedroza, spokeswoman for the museum.
"It is amazing what people collect," Conrad added. "It has been such fun putting this exhibit together."
There is something for everyone: jewelry, toys, military memorabilia and more. Collections come from local communities, including El Dorado Hills. The exhibit runs through Nov. 6. Visit folsomhistorymuseum or call (916) 985-2707 for admission details and museum hours.
Vineyard Vistas
Finally, Folsom's Gallery at 48 Natoma brings us "Vineyard Vistas," an exciting exhibit of regional artists' interpretations of vineyards and harvest themes.
Oil and acrylic paintings by acclaimed artists Leslie Toms, Bob Miller and Stephen Ward will be accompanied by raku ceramic vases by Mary Mendlein. These artists from Napa, Sacramento and Placerville portray scenes as local as nearby vineyards in El Dorado County to far away destinations in France and Italy. This exhibit runs through Nov. 3.
Animal art
In addition to the "Vineyard Vistas" exhibit, the Community Gallery at 48 Natoma will also feature art work by some very unique artists — the residents, er, animal artists in residence at the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary. Pieces are offered for sale and the proceeds benefit the zoo. The animal art will be on exhibit through Oct. 27.
Group and free school tours of the Gallery at 48 Natoma can be arranged by appointment. To request additional gallery information or to schedule a tour call the gallery coordinator Cindy Abraham at (916)351-3506, or e-mail her at [email protected].
Submit your arts or entertainment event for consideration in Susan's column by emailing her at [email protected].