text:
Loving Madrid.
So, I will try to do a longer post about the day later, when I'm not so exhausted. But I'm going to try to sum up the night now just in case I don't have the opportunity to later.
There was a moment tonight. Maybe it was when I was squished between Guy Fawkes, a Venetian Princess and a man with a banana costume while a DJ dressed up as Max from "Where the Wild Things Are" spun a remix of Florence and the Machine… maybe it was moshing with the black spy from Mad Magazine and Jigsaw from "Saw"… or maybe it was dancing with the giant beer bottle while Big Bird was on stage rocking out…. Whenever the moment was, it was when I really realized how lucky I was to be in Venice, experiencing my first real rave in a three hundred year old square, for Carnevale. Tomorrow is my last full day here, and we've kinda run out of things to do. What I'm hoping is buy some cheese, bread and wine and have a picnic on one of the islands nearby. This place has been crazy fun, and as I fall asleep with glitter and face paint, I'm truly happy with my decision to come here, to Europe, to Italy, to Rome, and to Venice for spring break. Good night, I'll try to post something less gushy and with more details tomorrow.
So about last night….
When I last left you, we had just woken up from our nap, and were ready to go out for the night. Because of the activities of the night before, which should never be spoken of outloud again, Grace and I decided to take it easy and explore the city and carnevale sober. We were planning on just going to San marcos, but decided to ask the hostel people where we should go instead. Luckily we did, because they gave us different areas we never would have thought about. With only a quick glance at a map (one glance too many, if you ask me) we headed out. On the boat we met a nice Guatemalan woman who had lived in Venice for the last ten years. She explained to us what was actually going on in Venice on Tuesday.
After we got off we started walking. It's a good thing we didn't just go to San Marcos, because it was a ghost town. Ten o clock at night was the least crowded I have seen it. Sure there were still probably a hundred or more people, but nothing like the tens of thousands during the day. We started walking to the big party area, not fully understanding the directions, just knowing we had to walk straight and slightly to the left. So we took any streets going straight or slightly to the left. All of a sudden, I heard music coming from a very sketchy looking alley. We walked down the alley, which led to another, even smaller alley. This was one you had to shuffle sideways through to make sure you didn't hit anything. At the end of that alley we came to a tiny square, where a bunch of local venetians were singing and dancing. There were two men with guitars, and everyone else was singing along. They were playing the beatles "Let it Be", just translated in italian. It, and I've said this a lot in Europe, was one of the most surreal moments of my life. Finding this tiny, well off the beaten path, where everyone was just singing along (yes we joined in), everyone in costume, people leaning out from their balconies, just magical. We were going to leave after Let it Be, but then they started playing Ob La Di, and so we stayed and joined in again. I have some video from the moment, that I hope to upload when I get back to Rome. I kinda want to go back tonight, but I know we will never be able to find it again. That was probably, to me so far, the defining moment of this trip to Venice.
So after that priceless moment, we were worried that there was no way to top that moment. We decided not to think about it and kept wandering. Finally we found another square, this one much larger, with a dj and college aged students. We hung out there for a bit, but we decided to keep moving and try to find the other college party area. It was pretty early in the night, and we weren't drinking a lot, so we were fine with moving on. It was kinda cool to see a dj and everything outside and this square, probably hundreds of years old, turned into a giant dancefloor.
We were feeling pretty cocky at this point, having not gotten lost and found where we were going so easily. So I guess it was a matter of time we got seriously lost. We knew we just had to follow the grand canal (easier said than done), but we followed it the wrong way, and walked across the island. We ended up somewhere we couldn't find on the map, and had to ask a nice Frenchman for directions. He was kind (though wasn't great at English…) and was a big help. After about ten more minutes of walking, we made it to an even larger square. Here was the serious party. There was a band playing, every one was moshing, lots of drinks, lots of other things, just an all out party. Problem was, I wasn't drunk. And I had no intention to get drunk. So we watched the band. They were kinda old school, kinda punk. A cool mix, involving a cello. Very interesting. They played shout and we all danced along.
After that we decided it was time to walk back, which actually took quite a long time. We made it to San Marcos, and even saw another band, this one playing music from the Renaissance, which was a little more like what you'd expect from Venice. I got in a dancing circle, where we spun around really fast and did other dance circle things you'd see at a B'ah Mitzvah (apoligies if the spelling is wrong.). It was fun, like the rest of the night. Then we caught the boat and headed back to our hostel.
Overall, it was, like every day here, amazing. And we did it without drinking, which is an extra plus for my wallet. I can't wait to see what happens tonight!
Second full day in Venice began on a somber note: Krys had to leave for classes at 5 in the morning, meaning our little gang of three became an even smaller gang of two. This was fine though, while we miss krys, we still had a lot of fun.
After breakfast in the hostel, we decided to do the Gallerie dell'Accademia. The trick was getting there. We got on the wrong boat, going the other way, so we decided this would be a perfect time to tour the entire grand canal. After 45 minutes and ten or fifteen stops, we got to our stop, which was supposed to only be three away from the hostel. Turns out krys was the navigational one of the group. Whoops.
We finally got to the museum and walked through it. It was pretty cool, though a lot of it was closed for renovation, so we didn't get to see the famous da Vinci sketch, "Man with four arms and four legs", or whatever it's called. Everything else though was very cool. That combined with the Ufizzi in Florence means I've seen a pretty good chunk of Renaissance art.
After that we found a cheap cafe for lunch. In the cafe there was a map on the wall. By looking at that map, I calculated the game plan for the day: we would walk a few blocks down to the Peggy Guggenheim collection, then we would cross the boat, and walk through nearly the whole city until we got to Saint marks square (yes I'm just using it's English name. So sue me.) amazingly, I was able to navigate the rest of the day from what I remembered on that dinky map. If you know me, you know why I'm impressed with myself. Too soon to call me The Marco Polo of our generation, but still pretty impressive.
We went to the Guggenheim. Which was just a trip, going from one of the best collections of Renaissance paintings in the world to a collection of modern art and cubism. The picassos were very cool, as were the Dali paintings they had. What I liked more about the Guggenheim is they had a little something written about each painting. It was easier to understand that way. The view of the grand canal was great from outside too.
Then came the next problem: walking to San Marco's, completely basing our path after a tiny map I had glanced at in a cafe three hours earlier. Miraculously, i actually figured out where I was going. I was pretty proud of that.
In San Marcos we went into the basilica. Now, I have come to consider myself an expert at Italian Duomos, having been in at the very least seven main ones, and countless minor ones. I have to say, the Venetian one had more gold than any other church I had seen. The ceilings were all golden mosaics. It was very beautiful. We went up to the top, which was nice because it wasn't too high that it was colder, but it was still above the crowd. We stayed up there for about 30 min, just staring at the carnevale crowd under us. After that, we decided to go back and take a nap. Then we were going to go out for the night.
The night will be discussed in the next tumblr post, because it deserves it's own.
Ok, so I haven't done this lately, but I decided it would be a good job today because I'm in Venice. So starting from the beginning:
Krys came into Rome on Friday, as anyone who follows me on twitter probably knows. On that Friday, Grace (Elizabeth B will from here on be referred to as Grace… long story) and I made sure she saw every touristy thing there is to do in Rome. Which made for a pretty exhausting day. What didn't help was the fact that I then had to wake up at 730 AM to catch a train to Venice.
We were looking forward to the train ride. We had bought a lot of bread, cheese, wine, and potato chips. It was only upon boarding the train that we learned krys was in a separate carriage. So after twenty five minutes of silence while a couple of French hipster chicks blabbed and Grace slept, Krys and I finally decided to explore and try to find a carriage open. We did one better: we found an entire car open. The conductor even checked our ticket, and let us stay. So for the rest of the time. Grace, Krys and I drank wine, ate bread and cheese, and had a great time. When we got into Venice, our jaws dropped at the beauty. On the Bus (which was really a boat) I think each of us at one point or another was found repeating "Holy shit… we're in Venice. Were actually in Venice. My god." We got into the hostel, where grace and krys went to their Girls Only room, and I went to my coed room. This is the first true hostel I've stayed at. It certainly is an interesting experience. Grace and krys just commented that they like this place because it isn't awkward. I like this place, but I must disagree on the awkwardness thing for my coed floor. For instance, there is no identifiable man or woman bathroom. It's very integrated. This would be ok… But some of the showers don't have shower curtains. So, while I found the one bathroom with shower curtains for my showers, other people don't. That means, I open up the stall door, and boom. There's someone in the shower. It's…. Awk…. In …. The Hawk (inside joke). Anyways, that's the only thing I'm going to bitch about. It's fun, and great stories. Now, after we checked into the hostel, we went over to San Marcos Piazza or whatever it's called. It. Was. A riot. Everyone had a drink in their hands, everyone had a mask or a costume. In fact, only having a mask would make you one of the more conservatively dressed people. We quickly each bought masks (I bought an awesome cape too!!) Then we found a (relatively) cheap pizza place, and then we tried to find a bar crawl we had heard about. We got very, very lost. Which is really what you need to do. Grace wanted to pull out a map. I refused, and krys led the way. We finally ended up at the train station, which is where the bar crawl was supposed to have begun. We were late though, so it was no longer there. We decided to find a place for a drink. I had seen a couple of Americans with the largest pints I had ever seen, and suggested going back there.
When we got there, we begun talking to the Americans. They were two US soldiers, from the Airborne division. They were stationed in Italy, and were having one last night of fun before heading out to a certain country that begins with a L and rhymes with "Fibya". Yes, next week. They might have been fucking with me, but I seriously doubt it, the way they were talking. One of the guys was hilarious. He was cracking jokes, and making fun of people walking by. Reminded me of Brian Wilson of the SF Giants. The other guy was one of the drunkest I've ever seen. He literally passed out in his chair. It was basically David-hasselhoff-eating-a-hamburger-off-the-floor drunk. I would make a Charlie sheen joke here, but I haven't really followed the story. He was drooling, and just gone. His friend started messing with him, moving his arm on top of his head and watching him try to move it, spilling beer on his pants to make it looked like he pissed himself. It was one of the funniest things I had ever seen. Like, I almost fellover laughing. I took video of him falling out of his chair, which I will post when I have good Internet. Finally the owner of the place we were at threatened to call the cops. I offered to help carry his friend, but the other guy got him, so we said goodbye and moved on. Our next goal: try to find a way to top that story. Sadly, we did not accomplish that, merely because that story was too funny to ever really top.
The rest of the night was a blur. We drank more, wandered, got lost, got found, went back to our hostel, fell asleep. I woke up in the morning and had my experience with the shower. Then I had a bowl of chocolate rice krispies, then met up with Grace and krys, who both had trouble getting up at the proper time after the night we had. We then went to piazza San Marco to start our first full day in Venice. We first saw all the people in masks and costume. I can't stress this enough, this place is like Halloween, just 24/7. I loved the infectious atmosphere of the whole place. After that, Grace wanted to go to Doges Palace. Since no one else had a preference, we decided to start there. First impression of the place wasn't good. You start off in a room with all these old columns, and you think that's all you're going to see and it's going to be a big rip off. Then it continues. And continues. And continues. Finally, you've spent three hours and you aren't anywhere near done. The paintings were magnificent, reinforcing my growing suspicion that I have become an admirer of art. We saw a beautiful (and probably famous) fresco rendition of the Paradiso. It was very large and very complicated. You couldn't help but stare in amazement. We also went over the Bridge of Sighs, which was a little bit of a letdown, but still, when added with everything else it was worth it. One of my favorite places I have seen in Europe so far.
After that, we went to Murano. We were pretty tired at the time, and after looking at some of the beautiful glass (and, depressingly, the prices of which we can never afford), we found a quaint caffe and ate lunch and had a couple of glasses of wine while along the Canal. Right now, there's only one phrase that I can think of to describe that perfect moment: "REALLY AWESOME." After a full night of sleep, I feel like I can think of a better phrase then.
After that we found a soccer game to watch. I think it was a high school game, Krys theorized a local club team was playing. I don't know, it was cool either way. Then we found an official bocci ball game to watch, which was also riveting. At that point I realized we were going downhill in sports to watch, and before we would have inevitably downgraded to lawn croquet I decided we should go back. After a nice nap on the way back, I finally got the Internet and started to type this on my iPhone. So if it seems weird, it's because I typed this whole thing on an iPhone.
Anyways, looking toasted the future: were going to go to piazza San Marco tonight, and I heard there's a great happy hour relatively
i realize that i havent updated the tumblr in a while, i am writing something on tuscany now. as a preview, here was one of the top ten views we had. not the best, but pretty good.
Walked home. This was my view. OF SAINT PETERS. Suck it, Robert Langdon.
Prob. my all time favorite show!
On a note not concerning Italy, I am sad that my eight year old self didn't have a chance to grow up watch and enjoy show, yet delighted that my twenty one year old self can today.
I don't know if that's worded right… I'm tired. Good night.
(PS, I also think Carthage should be destroyed)
Got my goals done in Florence, and then some. Started the morning with a hot shower. Then we went over to Uffizi. This I wasn't originally excited about… I hadn't heard of it and I'm pretty sure it didn't have David in it. But it turned out to be awesome. It's a large Medici Palace with the Medici family's art collection inside it. More busts I will ever see again. Augustus, Julius, Tiberius. Others. From there we met up with some people and had a lunch consisting of a mozzarella and tomato panini, fanta, and gelato. Florence gelato is better than most gelato in a country already known for it's gelato. Which is saying a lot. It's like Michael Jordan on the dream team. The other players are all very good, but MJ is soooo much better. This will hopefully be the last early 90's basketball metaphor I make in this post.
After that we went to The Duomo. The duomo is very cool, because it's actually a dome inside a dome. Yes, I'm trying to reference Inception. Because that's all I could think of. I was so excited I kinda went ahead of everyone else. Which made for some great photos of me on the other side of the inner dome, which is a plus. Except then I went the wrong way and started going down. I realized my mistake about fifty steps down, and had to turn around and walk back up. So that was a minus. But I did finally make it to the Top of the dome. The view from up there is one of the most extraordinary views I've ever seen. I took some video and pics of it, which I'll try to upload later today.
Then I was struck with one of my patented Brilliant Plan: taking a picture of someone on the ground from the top. I quickly explained my idea to Elizabeth Simpson and ran down the dome. Which, thinking back, probably wasn't the smartest idea, but luckily no one was in the way and I didn't fall at all.
Once I got on the ground, I had one of the most improbable meet ups ever. Like, this one takes the cake of randomness (I really would eat a cake of randomness… It'd probably taste like a mix of strawberry, chocolate, and rattlesnake… Very random.) I was on the ground staring at the top of the done yelling in my phone when a guy came up and said "excuse me, do you remember me?"
My first thought was he was this guy who lives near me in Rome who keeps hitting on me and asked me to facebook him (I ignored that guy but I keep randomly seeing him on the bus.)
But then he said "from catholic university?" I was still stuck. Maybe a college dem that I knew?
"Jimmy Hendry's friend from the Rally to Restore Sanity." That was when it clicked. He had stayed on our couch. We watched one of the Bourne movies or something. Now, four months later, thousands of miles and an ocean away, on a little square in Florence, we met again. We shook hands and talked. He's studying abroad in a small italian town. There are creepy pictures of us meeting from top of the duomo. We decided we were going to try to meet up for carnivale.
Anyways, that was the random, improbable coincidence of the semester.
Right, back to the old stuff: to make these paintings and sculptures even more fun, we started attempting to take pictures of all of the famous art. If you haven't attempted to sneak pictures of famous art while security guards yell at you, I would definitely recommend it. I was yelled at three or four times, but I got great pictures of very famous art, including the bust of Augustus, and the self portrait of Raphael. My greatest challenge, of course, was The David.
It was probably just as mesmerizing as everyone says it is. It's huge, and nearly prefect. Elizabeth claims that the head is out of proportion, but it's still very detailed. As we were watching it, someone else was trying to take a picture, and the guards got up and walked up to him yelling. We used this as the perfect distraction and got a couple of perfect pictures of him. It was pretty cool.
Now I'm going to a guys night out dinner thing. Then maybe going to a pub crawl? Not really sure if that's going to work out, but it's going to be awesome.
Until next time,
Viva Firenze!
(PS, I also think Carthage should be destroyed.)


text:
Eligibility and Selection Criteria
College undergraduates with at least 50 semester hours of credit interested in pursuing a career in the sciences are eligible. Relevant fields of study include the natural sciences, engineering, computer sciences, and mathematics. Applicants will be considered for appointment without regard to race, creed, color, sex, national origin, age, handicap status, or other nonmerit factors. Selection is based on these criteria: (1) scholarship, curriculum, and experience; (2) career objectives and scientific interest; and (3) match of interest of applicant with available research projects. All online application information must be received at LPI no later than January 17, 2014. Notification of selection will be made by March 14, 2014. Successful applicants should be prepared to make a decision regarding the offer to participate within two days of notification.
In order to be eligible for the LPI Summer Intern Program you must qualify. Due to security issues, citizens of U.S. State Department Designated Countries (See link under "ECP Notices" at http://oiir.hq.nasa.gov/nasaecp/) are not eligible.
LPI and DSLS Summer Interns, Dayl Joseph Paul Martin, University of Manchester (UK), Caitlin Marie Altomare, Lafayette College, Christopher Michael Hoff, University of Massachussetts Amherst, Wanda Feng, Smith College, Kelsey Williams, Brown University, Angela Maree Dapremont, College of Charleston, Eva Fattah Lalor, Temple University, Laura Michele Corley, University of Hawaii, Alastair William Tait, Monash University (Australia), DSLS: Jordan Brewer, UTMB Medical Student, Patrick McGovern, LPI Staff Scientist, Mouna Petitjean, Université Paris-Sud (France), Anthony Michael Frushour, Appalachian State University, DSLS - Nicole Pechanec, Graduate Stanford University, Michael Conner Bouchard, Missouri University of Science and Technology and Atsushi Takenouchi, The University of Tokyo (Japan)
Ellington Field Tour, June 28, 2013

subset: commoncrawl


text:
recclesssavage said: :O Omg, thank you. That meant ALOT coming from you(:
no problem :)
Kanye looks kinda cute….
kanye looks sexy as hell <3 aha
Kanye is a pretty mutha fucka!
Kanye look perf.
Jay-Z still ugly
as for Kim…
(Source: therealpuppyish, via trillest-kid-on-the-block-deact)
(Source: yourdarlingflies, via tiny-the-mindless-mockingjay)
theroyalmarajlife said: hii
hi dria
(Source: youcan-blowme)
Red - I love you.
Deep Red - I'm in love with you.
Pink - I could stay on your blog for hours.
Yellow - You're amazing.
Peach - You're pretty.
Blue - I want to get to know you.
Purple - You're hot.
Brown - I would fuck you.
Green - I would date you.
Black - I hate you.
White - Delete your tumblr.
(via destiny-jenae)
Instagram:johnney2live ❤
Tell me it's real😘


text:
Categories > Cartoons > Teen Titans > Define 'NOrMAL'
Define 'NOrMAL'0 Reviews
Loved by many, Robin only hated. Hated by the world and everyone else, Kori only loved. As their lives entwine, their past not only destroys them, but beliefs on their own normality as well.
AUTHOR: faux nostalgia (me)
GENRE: romance, angst, drama
SUMMARY: loved by many, Robin only hated. Hated by the world and everyone else, Kori only loved. As their lives entwine, their past not only destroys them, but beliefs on their own normality as well.
stage o1:
Define ' NOrMAL '
stage o1
/My Daily Diary, Entry #1 of today's event:/
' Writing is not simply about telling other people what you want them to know in words. It is about secretly expressing yourself in a way that no voice can convey. '
That is what Raven tells me.
I have met her and befriended her before summer started this year, which was three and a half months ago. I am still new to this place, to this world... although I am born on it.
I do not know why I have been well kept 'in the box', as Raven tells it, for nearly my entire life. But as I was saying-err-writing, I am told that authorship is a great way to endure the troubled mind.
Is Raven correct?
I do not know.
Although I am human, I have not seen the world properly yet. Mother and Father, and even Sister, tells me that I am too fragile to encounter it. They tell me that many obstacles will be in my way and 'deviants', as Sister puts it, will wallow my sight with their 'ugly eyes'.
I do not know.
I do not get it.
The world is wonderous.
It is a what you call, a 'paradise', yes?
Jump City is a wonderous place, no doubt. I am able to express my feelings to both Raven and this daily book she has given me out of the blue. I am happy.
If I were to secretly express myself in a way I cannot voice out... I will write the word 'happy' all the way down the page until I reach the second page.
Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. Happy-
I am sorry for not fulfilling such an assumed easy task.
I have forgotten how tiring it is to write a word repeatedly so much... and so fast. I think I will just continue with what I have in my mind.
I do not think I have mention anything about Raven in today's daily event. If I had done so, I will repeatedly write it again.
She is the person who told me to not just express my feelings with actions or voices. But also with words or pictures. I am satisfied to learn this for I have not written this right now.
Have I not mention that Raven is my bestest best friend in the world?
I believe I have not.
Very well. I will write about her here.
Although we are bestest best friends, we are not... exactly alike.
Since I am new to this outside world, I still do not understand what it is for people to 'get close' to each other. I have asked friend Raven such a question yet she merely replied the same monotonous ' ... ' when such... elating topic picks up.
I guess she and I are not alike in more than one way. But she is the only person who quite understands me.
It is... like you say.... yin and yang? Black and white? Peace and war? Fire and water? Light and dark?
Oh, yes.
Light and dark.
As to say, I am mostly... more uplifting than she is. Even if we are not exactly similar I feel the aura that we are the same in emotions.
' Bright people have their own shadows, as shadowed people have their spark of light. '
That is what she told me. I believe she is right.
I believe we are different outside... yet similar inside.
I believe we almost have the same past.
I believe that we also share the same pain.
Do we not?
(If you are attempting to read this, friend Raven, do not worry. I have no words written here against you. Merely, just a praise :) )
Then... Raven, have you anything bright in your soul, then? As I have anything shadowed in my heart?
She giggled.
I am told that I have many talents. That if I could write, I can write. If I can draw, I will draw. If I can, I can. That is what Mother, Father, and Raven tells me.
I think they are right.
Found City has always been my home. I think I will miss it dearly. As of now, I will enjoy Jump City for the time being.
Mother does not want me home yet. She is rather content that I had befriended someone so quickly.
I feel she is rather... surprise.
Sister is quite shocked, too. I do not know why.
They are acting very strange.
I love to write.
I deeply love this daily journal book. I am able to write my feelings when nobody is around to share it with.
The wondrous of it all is that, I am currently writing out in the park. I feel the breeze against my skin and hair. It is not quite cold, and neither is it quite warm.
Autumn is a wondrous time of the season, yet I cannot wait for winter.
It is quiet and white and the snow is very bright-oh, look, friend Raven! I have made a rhyme! I am able to write another short poetry! This time, it is not so depressing!
She smiled.
This is a point were I begin to wonder.
Why are people so.. different?
I imagined the world revolves around people who are the same. But they are different. Raven is different. My other classmates are quite different.
Why is Raven treated so... ' normally ' whilst my new school friends treat me as if I was never born in this planet?
' The world is a cruel place... Life is never fair... Nobody is the same... '
Raven has made sure it was correct.
I had just came out of my 'in the walls' many months ago. My new school year is quite... I do not know... intimidating?
Raven says they are always intimidating. I quietly understand her pain for she is what they call ' depressed ', or, was it not ' gothic '?
Yet I do not know why they call me a ' wannabe '. I ask Raven why I am called that. She tells me that I merely try too hard.
Am I really?
Do I really?
I ask her why classmate Kitten refers me as a... what is the word...? A ' bitch '? I am not a dog, and neither am I a female canine. I am a human being like her. But Raven does not reply.
There are many things I do not understand... especially this-
"Excuse me. Do you know where the new hospital around this area is? I've been kinda circling 'round but I can't find it anywhere."
Innocent sad eyes met a pair of eyes hidden beneath a thick black sunglasses that mimicked a little like looking glass.
Kori Anders quietly widened her eyes and stared at the boy who had just spoken to her. Or, rather, stared at her stunned reflection.
"Ulp...?" she squeaked silently.
The boy gave her a look, his brows shooting up with a 'what the hell?' look.
"Um... can you tell me where it is?" he repeated.
Beneath his politeness, she felt the tint of impatience. Her stomach did a frightening flip. The boy stared at him.
"Uh..." he muttered, "do you know where it is? It's all right if you don't I can just someone else..."
There was a moment's pause before the boy decided to turn around and walk away. Instead, Kori Anders flipped her book the other way and skimmed through her wrinkled pages.
The boy watched as she quickly drew something with slight nervousness. When she was finish, she quickly ripped the paper and shoved it to his chest. The boy took a step back, confused.
"Uh... thanks?" before she could hear him, she turned around and ran away.
The boy frowned.
"What the hell...? What was that all about?"
Kori Anders quickly turned the key and opened the gates. It took quite a while to reach the entrance door since it was practically half a mile away from the front garden. Too bad her parents had to be this plenteous.
"Oh... you're back already?"
Kori looked up to see her sister passing by.
"Sister," she huffed. "I thought you were partying today?"
"Oh puh - lease/," the black haired look-alike rolled her eyes, " I'm already exhausted from /yesterday's party."
Then, she frowned.
"Hey, I thought you were living what that freak of a friend of yours."
Kori straightened up and sent her sister an expressionless gaze.
"Please do not call Raven such a monstrous word, sister Komm," she remarked. Although she sounded a little harsh, there was a hint of sadness in her voice.
Her sister flicked her ebony hair over her shoulders and 'tsk'-ed.
"Whatever," she muttered, "oh, and it's Blackfire, to you, sister /Starfire/."
Kori pursed her lips.
"Very well, sister Blackfire," she murmured, "I will retire to my untouched room. Friend Raven is doing her job at her book store. I cannot go in the house for the door is locked."
"Pfft, didn't the goth give you a spare key?" Blackfire chided.
Kori gave a timid chuckle and rubbed the back of her head.
"Um... I have forgotten it inside the house again," she breathed nervously, "I believe I will have to stay for the night in my old home until I am able to call my friend... again."
Blackfire clucked her tongue.
"So... then what's the hurry, sis?" she asked. "You never were so excited for coming home here."
She didn't entirely sound concerned. She just liked the gossip.
"I was happily writing at my daily journal when a boy I am not quite comfortable with began to converse with me," Kori answered quietly.
Blackfire sneered.
"Aw, and he didn't try to violate you or anything?"
"No. I was able to run away before he could say any more."
"Oh. Well that's a bring-down to my life," Blackfire pouted sullenly. "Typical you. Careful, sis. Innocence can be easily broken. And I don't just mean your heart. Any boy will try to make a woman out of that body of yours." Kori heard her chuckle and walk away.
Why does she always advice me such disturbing phrases?
She turned around and quietly slipped into her room. She shut the door behind her and sat on a large bed. With a sigh, she stared at the familiar surrounding.
Thank goodness it is the last day of the week-end tomorrow. I do not like the memories of this place at all.
1 o'clock A. M.
Raven turned the door knob and raised an eyebrow when it didn't turn.
What the hell...?
Kori never locked the doors when she came home and it had always been her the last one to come home and lock it instead.
In an instant, she knew the girl wasn't inside.
"She can't be," she murmured, "there's no other place for her to go but my place and..."
She trailed off. With that she gave an exhausted sigh and pulled out her own keys.
"Geez," she muttered, "don't tell me you forgot your stupid keys again. Am I supposed to glue the notes I stuck on the fridge in your brain instead?"
She opened the door and took off her boots, pulling her hood down as she set the light to the right luminosity.
With a weary sigh, Raven headed to the living room and slump down on the soft mattress. The dimness radiated her usual mood of vacant as she stared at the TV in front of her.
Out of all the places you hated, you just had to stay at the worst possible spot.
With another useless sigh, she picked up the phone and dialed her number.
"Better call you up now to make sure you're still sane."
"Yes. I would like to be picked up. It is not a bother for you? I thank you. I will watch out... Really? One can shove a paper note through someone's brain? Is that not possible? Oh... ha-ha, a joke, yes? All right... I will wait half an hour. May my sanity be saved. See you outside friend Raven."
Kori hung up and fiddled on her pen as she placed her chin on her palm. She stared at her journal and sighed.
My Daily Diary, Entry #2 of today's event:
As I was writing... I do not think I understand this world. Is it strange for a human to not understand beings that are also humans?
Is it strange for a human being to not understand her world?
People ask me if I was normal. I do not understand. Normal is something regarded as a normative example. Is everyone suppose to be normal?
Am I not normal?
Why do people call me a ' wannabe '? I am told that I merely ' harum-scarum ' or go ' happy-go-lucky ' for attention. Why can people not be as happy as I can be?
I am like that but they do not know me fully yet. I think I will have to make them understand that in order to make the world round, one must be happy and make another happy and make another happy.
That is what I have seen in a cartoon show I have watch that Raven did not like. Hence was it too.. happy?
I do not know.
I do not get it.
She paused for a couple of minutes.
My name is Kori Anders. I am called Starfire by certain people who knew my past. I do not know why I look like I am right now.
I am only a human being.
Human beings have feelings.
So I am a human being.
Am I not?
Human beings stimulates different looks and sizes, yet... we are just all the same.
Inside and out. Correct?
I do not know.
I am seventeen-years-old, two months younger than Raven. My birthday is in summer yet I prefer the opposite season. I like the color purple. Green suits me quite well, also. I am quite taller than everyone because I constantly wear ' high-heeled platform boots '.
I like to be tall.
Is that why I want to stick out?
I want to make friends. I do not want to be afraid
I want to share my feelings with someone. Someone who is also not friend Raven. She is a great listener yet she cannot fully express her own feelings.
I would like to help someone's feelings.
Is that why I want to stand out?
Is that why I wish to receive attention?
Kori breathed and scanned her journal. A flashback occured and she jolted down more words crossing her mind.
My Daily Diary, Entry #3 of today's event:
Sometimes, I fear the world. I do not know why, but there is really many obstacles crossing my journeys.
Sometimes... I fear humans, though I am also one.
I fear certain kinds, such as that boy who had asked me directions. I have seen him during the last two months of last year's school year I had attended.
He is a troublemaker.
He not quite... kind looking.
He is always wearing such thick shades to hide his eyes. It is rather so thick that I am only able to see my own reflection clearly as daylight.
I have always seen him wearing it all the time. I hear that he does not listen to anyone. He is a top student, yet... he looks unacceptable to be in business.
That is plausibly because he is always seen with his... motorcycle?
It is a strange looking thing, anything I have ever seen.
Girls are always following him like a mouse and its cheese. I have seen him doing felonious things at such an underage.
I do not like him.
He is very scary.
He has not attended the first month of this year's school term. I believe he is in my class.
I clearly remember which class he is in.
I also fear that he will be seated next to the empty seat beside mine...
I am scared.
I do not know why.
He is frightening.
However... there is a nimbus of hidden feelings that is masking his features. I can feel them. I believe it is a term that friend Raven calls 'hiding behind a mask of conceit'. As she is also doing.
He is called Robin... I think. One boy who I always see walking around with him seem to call him that. Such a carefree flight of name for such a troublesome being...
He is scary to me.
I do not think I like him that much.
But perhaps... he was once a shining person whose darkness overpowered him up so much... making him a shadowed person who has forgotten his spark of light?
I do not know.
But I fear I may be correct.
to be continued
A/N: This is based on the manga MARS by Fuyumi Soryo.


text:
Introducing the Roxy Montauk Classic August 3rd – August 4th!
New this year! The Roxy Montauk Classic lands at Ditch Plains, Saturday August 3rd and Sunday August 4th. Come see female surfers of all ages (6 years and up) compete in Longboard and Shortboard divisions along with Roxy team riders, including: World Longboard Champion Kelia Moniz; artist, pro surfer and Roxy wetsuit designer Kassia Meador; and the pioneer of women's surfing and 4x world champ Lisa Andersen will be joining the fun on the beach.
Giveaways, fun games and athlete signings will take place during the day on both Saturday and Sunday along with amazing surf action that only legendary Ditch Plains can provide! Roxy will be spinning the wheel to raffle off free custom tank tops, Sunbum sunscreen products and Paul Mitchell prizes! Also, Paul Mitchell stylists will be on site to create custom beachy hairstyles throughout the weekend (braids or waves anyone?)! Register online here for a chance to surf and compete in this inaugural New York event!
For a look back at the recent Roxy Waikiki Classic at Queens Beach click here.


text:
- Home
- Concerts
International Latin superstars Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull will share the stage at the Los Angeles Staples Center on Oct. 10 to play some of their greatest hits, including their latest joint collaboration "I'm a Freak." This Friday night performance will kick off this formidable duo's two-night run at this world-class L.A. entertainment venue.
Staples Center Seating Information
Floor Level seats for the Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull Staples Center concert will be divided into Sections 1-6 facing the stage, which will be set up near Sections 115 and 116. You can also watch the concert from many seating options in the 100-300 Levels on Oct. 10. A number of luxury suites are located between the 200 and 300 levels, offering top-notch amenities, such as personal wait staff. Keep in mind that some seats in sections may have an obstructed view of the Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull performance due to the placement of the stage.
Staples Center General Information
You may not bring large bags such as suitcases or backpacks into Staples Center for the concert on Oct. 10. Outside food and beverages, coolers, noisemakers, balloons, and laptops are also prohibited during this Friday night show. You may photograph Pitbull and Enrique Iglesias' performance with a small, attached-lens camera as long as you do not use the flash, but professional camera equipment and recording devices are not permitted.
Staples Center Parking Information
You can choose to park on site at Staples Center or in a number of nearby privately owned lots on Oct. 10 if you elect to drive to the concert. You can also access the Los Angeles venue via public transportation using the Metro Bus, Metrolink, or commuter rail options.
Staples Center Gate Times
You can enter the Staples Center gates approximately 90 minutes before the Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull concert begins on Oct. 10. As the show is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. local time, doors should open around 6 p.m.
Group Selector:


text:
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WTAQ) - The man who attacked Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was sentenced today to 12 years in prison, plus 10 years of extended supervision when he gets out.
21-year-old Anthony Peters was expecting a shorter term. Prosecutors recommended only nine years in prison, after Peters struck a plea deal a few weeks ago. But Milwaukee County Circuit Judge David Hansher ordered the longer term.
Barrett was leaving the State Fair last August when he saw Peters try to grab his one-year-old daughter from the girl's grandmother. The woman cried for help and as Barrett called 911, Peters hit him with a tire iron.
In court today, Barrett emotionally gave his side of the story and he thought Peters would kill him that night. He suffered a broken right hand that may be injured permanently.
He also had head and facial injuries. Barrett has said as little as he could about the attack until today. He's kept a low profile about it during his Democratic campaign for Wisconsin governor.


text:
As the controversy over whether to base the F-35 fighter jet in South Burlington continues, a new problem emerged for the jets Friday -- the Air Force grounded all F-35 flights nationwide. A routine inspection at Edwards Air Force Base in California found a crack on an engine blade. Manufacturer Pratt and Whitney is launching an investigation to find the cause. So all flights have been grounded as a precaution.
PO Box 4508
Burlington, VT 05406-4508
Primary Phone: 802-652-6300
Primary email: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
The Glenn Beck Program 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
On Air Now.
On Air Now.
When taken at face value, diet soda seems like a health-conscious choice. It saves you the 140-plus calories you'd find in a sugar...Read More »
Life is stressful enough, but to have foods that we consume at work that can contribute to our stress, it's makes us wonder! Here i...Read More »
My friend recently introduced me to a Calorie Counter & Diet Tracker called 'My Fitness Pal.' She swears by it and it allowed h...Read More »
The Northland Go Red For Women Challenge is back! The American Heart Association is looking for 10 women to participate. If you'd ...Read More »
For this blog I reached out to my friends at Thrive Nutrition and intern Bailee wrote this. If you'd like to reach out to her about ...Read More »
Just The Facts 158 million people will participate in Halloween $6.9 billion will be spent on Halloween 600 million pounds of ...Read More »
Most Halloween Candy is not good for you. However, some are worse. Check these out: http://shopping.yahoo.com/photos/the-grossest-...Read More »
This salad looks yummy. Though I would make it much bigger and cut up the apples smaller. I love the added orange juice to the dres...Read More »


text:
In the background
On Thursday evening I was waiting at Spencer Street Station (yes, Spencer Street, not Southern Cross) for my train. It wasn't arriving for about 10 minutes so I decided to go up and have a look at the Sock Shop to see if I could find any interesting stockings to add to my already monstrous collection that takes up an entire large drawer in my bedroom.On Thursday I had been at work. Yes, work! I've managed to find myself a job, and a most fantastic job indeed.I am a builder of giant puppets!I think I must have the only job in the world where the large, pendulous boobs of a blue bunyip get in the way of me doing my work properly.On this particular Thursday evening I was still wearing my work clothes. "Work clothes" are basically anything I can find that I don't mind getting paint and glue on, and are cool enough to withstand the heat in the large, un-insulated tin shed in Footscray that is the workshop. This Thursday's work clothes were a pair of fisherman pants, and a bright lime green t-shirt acquired from the time I was an Orientation Volunteer at Uni. Both clothes and me were adorned in a layer of dirt and sweat, my newest accessory.In less long winded terms I was not looking (or smelling) my rosiest.This Thursday was the Thursday that Channel 7 for some reason had decided that they were going to film inside The Sock Shop at Spencer Street Station. I don't know why, or for what, but they had cameras there. I didn't really notice them when I walked in, but suddenly it was me, the woman who worked there, and the Channel 7 crew inside the tiny shop. The man behind the camera smiled slyly at me as I perused the wall covered in printed tights. The smile was one that said "why hello darling, don't you look just TERRIBLE today. What a shame you'll be featured in this cutting edge story about the rise of the sock trade we're showing on the next edition of Today Tonight.". At least, that's what his smile said to me. It could have just been a general friendly smile and an unfortunate facial defect made it seem otherwise.I was somewhat alarmed at the cameras this particular Thursday. Thoughts immediately entered my head of all the people from high school who would turn on Channel 7 that night to recognise a very dirty and dishevelled me looking at striped stockings. I imagined them calling out to their high school boyfriends who they now live with in the same postcode as their parents, yelling from the lounge room "look, it's that Erica from high school! Hasn't she turned out horribly!". These kinds of thoughts enter my mind quite often, most often when I'm at the supermarket and notice someone from my year level selecting tomatoes. The general response to this is for me to duck down behind the bananas, and slink slowly away from the produce section with my basket, hoping they don't notice me as I grab a head of broccoli on the way past. In the supermarket you can hide. On television you can not. Did anyone see me? Was I featured in a story on Sunrise about places to shop in Melbourne? Did Kochie make an uncouth remark about the horrid looking girl in the background of the last shot? Did the woman he sits next to whose name I don't know laugh and scold him fondly for it? Or did I look so terrible that they decided they couldn't use any of the footage at all? I may never know...Did anyone see me on television?I hope not.Labels: Channel 7, puppets, television, train stations, work
posted by Erica
Labels: Channel 7, puppets, television, train stations, work
Things I was given money for whilst busking in Rundle Mall
Having awesome shoes.Having an acoustic guitar.Playing John Denver.Having a lovely smile.Being from Melbourne.Being actually able to hold a tune.Being felt sorry for.Being sunburnt. (They also offered me sunscreen)Labels: Adelaide, busking, Erica Ordinary, music
posted by Erica
Labels: Adelaide, busking, Erica Ordinary, music
SMS conversation with my mum
Wednesday night, in Adelaide, some time around 10pm.Mum, out of the blue: What have you been doing?Erica, somewhat tipsy: Hi mum, i've busked in rundle mall, then explored the city. We have been watching an arty gig thing tonight and will probably do similar the rest of the week.Mum, unguageable emotion: Sounds interesting.Erica, somewhat drunk: It is.Labels: Adelaide, family, mum, SMS
posted by Erica
Labels: Adelaide, family, mum, SMS
I have begun to nudge some rather large wheels. In fact not just rather large, incredibly large. The very first, tiny step towards motion that could very well be the furthest motion my life has seen so far.I never told you about my trip to Adelaide. Or the events leading up to that trip. All you received was that one tiny bit of information. That I was going to Adelaide. Those who read ericaordinary.com would have gleaned a little more, but not much.Adelaide was a whim. His name is Rob, and I walked myself out onto a limb toward him that could have snapped at any time. It turns out that it didn't, and I arrived back in Melbourne on my feet. Not just on my feet: floating at least two off the ground. Before the Friday night when I arrived we hadn't even kissed. We had thrown sticks at and flirted with each other on the lawn of the Treasury Gardens, and shared two very brief goodbye hugs. The final night he was in Melbourne we stood next to each other watching The Mountain Goats, and, although all I could think about was putting my arms around him, TimidErica took over. We simply stood, side by side, and I have never felt anything such as what was running through my arm when it brushed his.Why did I choose a boy named Rob from Adelaide?Because something was switched on inside me when we met. Something, now that I'm aware of it, if it were ever to leave I think I would feel emptier than I have ever felt before. I have found myself planning my months ahead to include his visits to Melbourne and mine to Adelaide, yet this Wednesday it will only be four weeks since we first met.I have also found myself making a second trip to Adelaide, because the 15th of February is too far away to wait for him to visit Melbourne.I've found myself peeking at jobs advertised in Adelaide on Seek whilst applying for those in Melbourne.I've even found myself actually emailing off an application to one particular job in Adelaide. Originally curiosity; increasingly appetising.And I have found myself tentatively researching business and music opportunities in the state of South Australia.These are the kinds of things a boy named Rob from Adelaide can do to me. He uncovers wheels I never would have thought existed before three and a half weeks ago.I'm scaring myself ever so slightly with possibility.Can anyone give me advice?Labels: Adelaide, boys, future, Rob
posted by Erica
Labels: Adelaide, boys, future, Rob
Gone fishing
I wasn't quite sure how to tell my mum so I just blurted it out at the dinner table. Just after slicing the very top of my little toe off on a folded up banana lounge belonging to my Aunt. We were all eating chickpea and corn enchilladas that my middle sister had made, and it was the first time I had sat down to dinner with my family in some months."I'm going to Adelaide for the weekend.""You are? What for?""To see a guy who I kind of really like,""And yet another weekend goes by without cleaning out the garage...or the spare room..."And thus was the reaction of my mother.Is it crazy to travel ten and a half hours on the bus to Adelaide? Especially when the number of hours you have seen this person for are less than the number of hours you will be on the bus?I will be back on Monday night.There are so many butterflies in my stomach right now that I can't tell where they stop and I begin.Labels: Adelaide, boys, busses, dinner, insanity, mum
posted by Erica
Labels: Adelaide, boys, busses, dinner, insanity, mum
Hurry up my chimney baby!
Merry Christmas everybody!Santa Baby (right click and save target as to download)Performed by Nayfn and Erica(Christmas 2005)Labels: Christmas, mp3s, music, Nayfn, recordings
posted by Erica
Labels: Christmas, mp3s, music, Nayfn, recordings
My mum and I have very different tastes. I walked around for quite some time yesterday trying to find an interesting, Melbourne made piece of jewellery for her Christmas present but instead came home with a dress for myself.Today my middle sister and I went shopping together."Have you got anything for mum yet?" she asked."No... she was really hard to buy for," I replied.It was then that we walked past Barbecues Galore and I had my Brilliant Idea."What about a new lounge chair for outside? That old wood one is all falling apart.""Yes, that's a great idea!"We walked into Barbecues Galore and found one outdoor banana lounge that was well out of our budget. Onward and downward to Kmart we went! It was there we found a perfect lounge, and after a telephone consultation with Dad carried it together to the registers, paid for it, and then carried it through the throngs of angry shoppers and to my car.This was where our troubles started (if carrying a large lounge through big crowds in intense heat wasn't trouble enough). As you will remember, after the Camira died I bought a new car. Tyvvie is a lovely automobile, but she is very little. Bianca and I set the lounge down on the bitchumen of the car park and stood with our hands on our hips looking at the boot."How do we do this?" Bianca asked."I'm not exactly sure," I replied, trying to mentally rotate the image of the lounge and place it into the mental image of the inside of the car.We opened the car, folded down the back seats, and then pushed the lounge into the boot. We pushed and pulled, this way and that, until we were able to get all but one leg inside the car."It's not working!" I called from my position at the back seat while Bianca pushed from outside the boot. "We'll have to fold the front seat down too."I opened the front door and started winding the disc at the side of the passenger seat until it lay against the back seats. We resumed our pushing and pulling, and then suddenly all four legs were inside the car. Standing back, we wiped the sweat off our faces and admired our handywork."Erica..." Bianca said."Yes?""How am I supposed to get home now?""Oh..."I realised."You'll have to take the bus..."Labels: cars, Christmas, gifts, mum, sisters, summer
posted by Erica
Labels: cars, Christmas, gifts, mum, sisters, summer
Why I went away...
because I couldn't think of anything to write about.because I wrote it all in emails and letters instead.because my blog felt different with all these people around.because I got tangled up in a South African boy and forgot about many other things.because I thought I was falling in love and it scared me.because he broke my heart.because people keep telling me to write something.because I ran out of stories I wanted to tell.because I am not anonymous enough.because it is my blog, and my outlet, and I need to decide when I write and when I don't.
posted by Erica
MSN: jelli_babi
Next Gig
Stay tuned...
recent posts
In the background
Things I was given money for whilst busking in Run...
SMS conversation with my mum
Gone fishing
Hurry up my chimney baby!
Why I went away...
Erica Ordinary
March 2003
April 2003
May 2003
June 2003
July 2003
August 2003
September 2003
November 2003
December 2003
January 2004
February 2004
March 2004
April 2004
May 2004
June 2004
July 2004
August 2004
September 2004
October 2004
November 2004
December 2004
January 2005
February 2005
March 2005
April 2005
May 2005
June 2005
July 2005
August 2005
September 2005
October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
October 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
Little Black Sheep
Eon Automatic
Section 8 Market
Found Magazine
123 I Love You
Adelaide Writer
April March
can you fly like you mean it?
Diary of a Dilletante
Express Train
fluffy as a cat
Get On The Blandwagon!
Grammar Nazi
Hecho En Mexico
Hooked on Heat
Humour Archive
I'd Rather Swallow Razor Blades
Jellyfish Online
Knotted Paths
No Wallet Evolution
Quasi Boho Alterna-Whatnot
The Inane Asylum
The Teej Mahal
The world forgetting...
Things I've Written
Toothpaste For Dinner
Torn Curtain
Two Minutes Happiness
Treading Water 101
Waiter Rant
What's New, Pussycat?
Whip Up
You Knit What??
My Recipes
Christmas Pudding
Quick Sex Pizza
Spinach & Ricotta Canneloni
Vegan Date & Pecan Loaf
Liquid Velvet
Pumpkin & Sage Filos
Spring Harvest Risotto
Mexican Wedge Mountain
Current Obsessions
Homemade Ice Cream
Soda Fountain Recipes
Maybe Moving Out
Currently Spinning
Bic Runga
Patti Smith
Currently Reading
The Ship of Destiny - Robin Hobb
Currently Crafting
Patchwork Scarves
Aussie Blogs


text:
Hello there!
So.. Yes, I love food like most of the people out there, and I love photography as well. My photos aren't professionally taken, as I usually take them with my phone. But anyway! I still enjoy sharing these photos with everyone because good food (photos) deserves to be shared! Does anyone else like looking at food photos like I do, because it always makes me happy doing so ;) Alright, I shall end here. Have a nice day, and thanks for visiting my food blog!


text:
Autocomplete map of the United States Dec 08 2010
Dorothy Gambrell looked up all of the state names on Google and made a map of what the autocomplete suggestions were. Here's part of it:
Lots of sports and schools.
Dorothy Gambrell looked up all of the state names on Google and made a map of what the autocomplete suggestions were. Here's part of it:
Lots of sports and schools.
Dorothy Gambrell applies every Photoshop filter to an image in order and posted the results, including all the tweens. (via waxy)
I mentioned passenger travel on cargo ships the other day. Dorothy Gambrell and her companion went on an around-the-world trip a couple of years ago, traveling mostly by boat and train. To get from North America to Asia, they booked passage on a cargo ship leaving from Oakland and bound for Taiwan. You can read about their adventures online...start here and use the "next entries" link at the bottom of the page to keep reading.
They warned us. They warned us about the food. The freighter agency literature mentions several times that the food may not be what Americans are accustomed to -- for example, it says, "there may not be dessert." The first morning's breakfast is called "Hunter's Toast," which turns out to be toast smothered in something like liverwurst and topped by a fried egg. Breakfast is usually one part egg, one part meat, and one part toast except when it is sausage and a puddle of tomato sauce. Breakfast is served from 7:30 to 8:00am, which means arrive at 7:30 and leave at eight. One pot of coffee and one pot of hot water sit on the table next to the basket of tea bags and peanut gallery of condiments.
What a great adventure wonderfully told. (thx, matt)
Front page
About + contact
Site archives
Ads by The Deck
And more at Amazon.com
More at We Work Remotely
Subscribe to Quarterly and get a real-life mailing from Jason every three months.
Hosting provided EngineHosting


text:
I saw that United States Interagency Council on Homelessness was doing an open forum on the issue of youth homelessness and figured that they would want as much input as they can get! Click the "read more" to find out more information on how you can offer opinions to USICH on broad strategies to lessen youth homelessness.
+ Read More


text:
She's very nice, asked a lot of questions. I tried not to stammer my way through it I think I did all right. She told me she'll be in touch with next steps.
We'll see what happens.
I feel like I'm going to be sick from my nerves...
I emailed my friend who passed on my resume to HR. She told me she's on the interview panel and that she'll be interviewing me.
The recruiter I spoke to said that there will be two interview (of I'm selected) panels of 8 to 9 people broken up into two separate interviews.
Those types of interviews are nerve wracking. Ugh!
"Sometimes it takes a good fall to know where you really stand."
-Hayley Williams
One should rather die than be betrayed. There is no deceit in death. It delivers precisely what it has promised. Betrayal, though ... betrayal is the willful slaughter of hope. ~Steven Deitz
You are EXTREMELY well spoken and intelligent and funny (in a great way - not obnoxious like me!)
You've got this, love. Keep us posted!
I just got off the phone with my mom and told her all about it. She said "I'm not telling anyone because I don't want to jinx it."
Jrazz, Thank you for the compliment. You're hilarious, not obnoxious.
Oh! Another thing! I talked to my friend last night at my son's baseball game (they won their playoffs and are now going the championship game Thursday) because I wanted an "inside scoop" about the travel that is involved. That part makes me nervous because of my "situation." She said that it's mandatory to travel once a year but I could schedule it where I fly in and out on the same day. She's done that a number of times. So that puts my mind at ease a bit. Now to get over my horrible fear of flying
[This message edited by simplydevastated at 8:49 AM, June 11th (Wednesday)]
you can do this !!!
Thanks TN! When I was still working I interviewed with a different insurance company. That interview had three people - the manager and two employees. I've never had one like this before. I anyways take notes and a keep a list of questions in my folder. I also bring the job posting so I have something to reference if I think of another question on the fly.
[This message edited by simplydevastated at 8:34 AM, June 12th (Thursday)]
I circled the 23rd on my calendar so I will remember so send mojo!!
I have a ton of feelings I'm going through right now. I'm all over the place.
Oh, and if I do get this and I have a client in San Fran you're the first person I'm calling and you're bringing me out to the 49ers stadium. Just sayin'


text:
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- A teacher is facing a serious charge as of April 12 and is accused of having sexual relations with a student.
Jessica Boyers is a language arts teacher at Highland Middle School. Police arrested her Thursday night but on Friday she's out of jail. Boyers was arraigned on Tuesday morning.
Students say they were very surprised and "creeped out" when they found out about the arrest.
Some of the students were handed a letter at school on Friday to pass along to their parents.
"They gave me a note at the end of class that said there was a teacher that got arrested this morning and that it was sexual abuse to a student," Zachary Batovsky, a Highland Middle School student, said.
Police say Boyers had been caught with one of her students in a parked car in Buechel Park.
"Last night it was about 9:45 or so and our crimes against children detectives were called to Buechel Park on a report of a couple inside a car engaged in some type of sexual contact," Alicia Smiley, with the LMPD, said.
The arrest sent shockwaves through the school.
A Highland Middle School 7th grader, Joseph Ireland, says he noticed something different about Boyer's interactions with the student she was found with.
"She was mean sometimes and she was nice to just that one kid," Ireland said.
Boyers has been released from jail and she is on non-instructional duty while the investigation continues. She's been a teacher at Highland middle since October.
Boyers also coached cross country and swimming. Before she started at Highland Middle School, she was a substitute teacher.


text:
Here at Plataformatec we use Github Pull Requests a lot for code review and this usually yields tons of constructive comments and excellent discussions from time to time. One of the recent topics was about whether we should use scopes or class methods throughout the project to be consistent. It's also not hard to find discussions about it all over the internet. The classic comment usually boils down to "there is no difference between them" or "it is a matter of taste". I tend to agree with both sentences, but I'd like to show some slight differences that exist between both.
Defining a scope
First of all, lets get a better understanding about how scopes are used. In Rails 3 you can define a scope in two ways:
class Post < ActiveRecord::Base scope :published, where(status: 'published') scope :draft, -> { where(status: 'draft') } end
The main difference between both usages is that the
:published condition is evaluated when the class is first loaded, whereas the
:draft one is lazy evaluated when it is called. Because of that, in Rails 4 the first way is going to be deprecated which means you will always need to declare scopes with a callable object as argument. This is to avoid issues when trying to declare a scope with some sort of Time argument:
class Post < ActiveRecord::Base scope :published_last_week, where('published_at >= ?', 1.week.ago) end
Because this won't work as expected:
1.week.ago will be evaluated when the class is loaded, not every time the scope is called.
Scopes are just class methods
Internally Active Record converts a scope into a class method. Conceptually, its simplified implementation in Rails master looks something like this:
def self.scope(name, body) singleton_class.send(:define_method, name, &body) end
Which ends up as a class method with the given name and body, like this:
def self.published where(status: 'published') end
And I think that's why most people think: "Why should I use a scope if it is just syntax sugar for a class method?". So here are some interesting examples for you to think about.
Scopes are always chainable
Lets use the following scenario: users will be able to filter posts by statuses, ordering by most recent updated ones. Simple enough, lets write scopes for that:
class Post < ActiveRecord::Base scope :by_status, -> status { where(status: status) } scope :recent, -> { order("posts.updated_at DESC") } end
And we can call them freely like this:
Post.by_status('published').recent # SELECT "posts".* FROM "posts" WHERE "posts"."status" = 'published' # ORDER BY posts.updated_at DESC
Or with a user provided param:
Post.by_status(params[:status]).recent # SELECT "posts".* FROM "posts" WHERE "posts"."status" = 'published' # ORDER BY posts.updated_at DESC
So far, so good. Now lets move them to class methods, just for the sake of comparing:
class Post < ActiveRecord::Base def self.by_status(status) where(status: status) end def self.recent order("posts.updated_at DESC") end end
Besides using a few extra lines, no big improvements. But now what happens if the
:status parameter is
nil or
Post.by_status(nil).recent # SELECT "posts".* FROM "posts" WHERE "posts"."status" IS NULL # ORDER BY posts.updated_at DESC Post.by_status('').recent # SELECT "posts".* FROM "posts" WHERE "posts"."status" = '' # ORDER BY posts.updated_at DESC
Oooops, I don't think we wanted to allow these queries, did we? With scopes, we can easily fix that by adding a presence condition to our scope:
scope :by_status, -> status { where(status: status) if status.present? }
There we go:
Post.by_status(nil).recent # SELECT "posts".* FROM "posts" ORDER BY posts.updated_at DESC Post.by_status('').recent # SELECT "posts".* FROM "posts" ORDER BY posts.updated_at DESC
Awesome. Now lets try to do the same with our beloved class method:
class Post < ActiveRecord::Base def self.by_status(status) where(status: status) if status.present? end end
Running this:
Post.by_status('').recent NoMethodError: undefined method `recent' for nil:NilClass
And :bomb:. The difference is that a scope will always return a relation, whereas our simple class method implementation will not. The class method should look like this instead:
def self.by_status(status) if status.present? where(status: status) else all end end
Notice that I'm returning
all for the
nil/blank case, which in Rails 4 returns a relation (it previously returned the Array of items from the database). In Rails 3.2.x, you should use
scoped there instead. And there we go:
Post.by_status('').recent # SELECT "posts".* FROM "posts" ORDER BY posts.updated_at DESC
So the advice here is: never return
nil from a class method that should work like a scope, otherwise you're breaking the chainability condition implied by scopes, that always return a relation.
Scopes are extensible
Lets get pagination as our next example and I'm going to use the kaminari gem as basis. The most important thing you need to do when paginating a collection is to tell which page you want to fetch:
After doing that you might want to say how many records per page you want:
And you may to know the total number of pages, or whether you are in the first or last page:
posts = Post.page(2) posts.total_pages # => 2 posts.first_page? # => false posts.last_page? # => true
This all makes sense when we call things in this order, but it doesn't make any sense to call these methods in a collection that is not paginated, does it? When you write scopes, you can add specific extensions that will only be available in your object if that scope is called. In case of kaminari, it only adds the
page scope to your Active Record models, and relies on the scope extensions feature to add all other functionality when
page is called. Conceptually, the code would look like this:
scope :page, -> num { # some limit + offset logic here for pagination } do def per(num) # more logic here end def total_pages # some more here end def first_page? # and a bit more end def last_page? # and so on end end
Scope extensions is a powerful and flexible technique to have in our toolchain. But of course, we can always go wild and get all that with class methods too:
def self.page(num) scope = # some limit + offset logic here for pagination scope.extend PaginationExtensions scope end module PaginationExtensions def per(num) # more logic here end def total_pages # some more here end def first_page? # and a bit more end def last_page? # and so on end end
It is a bit more verbose than using a scope, but it yields the same results. And the advice here is: pick what works better for you but make sure you know what the framework provides before reinventing the wheel.
Wrapping up
I personally tend to use scopes when the logic is very small, for simple where/order clauses, and class methods when it involves a bit more complexity, but whether it receives an argument or not doesn't really matter much to me. I also tend to rely more on scopes when doing extensions like showed here, since it's a feature that Active Record already gives us for free.
I think it's important to clarify the main differences between scopes and class methods, so that you can pick the right tool for the job™, or the tool that makes you more comfortable. Whether you use one or another, I don't think it really matters, as long as you write them clear and consistently throughout your application.
Do you have any thought about using scopes vs class methods? Make sure to leave a comment below telling us what you think, we'd love to hear.
Tags: activerecord, rails, rails 3.2, rails 4, scopes
Posted in English | 18 Comments »
Rails 3.2 is out with great features on spotlight: faster development reloading, faster router and explain queries. However, every Rails release ships with minor features that do not get that much attention but still would be a great fit to your application. This blog post is about my five favorites "hidden" features of Rails 3.2.
1) Smarter
This feature written by Prem Sichanugrist provides a very simple but welcome clean up to your views. Both
content_tag_for and
div_for now accepts an array of records and automatically loop over each record. Therefore, instead of writing this:
@posts.each do |post| content_tag_for(:li, post) do ... end end
You can simply write:
content_tag_for(:li, @posts) do |post| ... end
2) Smarter migration generators
It is funny how some parts of Rails as old as the migration generators continue receiving improvements day after day. Rails 3.1 already added a feature that automatically generate indexes for associations, by simply invoking:
rails g scaffold Comment post:references title:string body:text
With the above, Rails will detect that post is a reference and it will automatically 1) add a
post_id integer column, 2) add an association to your model and 3) add an index to that column.
Right after 3.1 came out, I have pushed another small feature to the migration generator that simply makes the type attribute default to string. Therefore, you no longer need to write:
rails g scaffold Person name:string email:string
You could simply write:
rails g scaffold Person name email
Oddly enough, the idea for this feature came when I was preparing a presentation and the scaffold command could not fit in a slide (the so-called Presentation Driven Development). Anyhow, this small addition would not be enough to make to the best five "hidden" features of Rails 3.2. That's when Dmitrii Samoilov comes in.
Dmitrii sent a pull request that allows you to specify which columns should have an (unique) index. So one could write:
rails g scaffold Person name:index email:uniq
And the generator will automatically generate an index for name and an unique index for e-mail. There are other features there as well, so don't forget to checkout the CHANGELOG.
3) Flexible exception handling
When Rails 3.0 came out, one of the features that people suddenly missed was the ability to better handle exceptions. The issue was: since Rails 3 became a lot more Rack "fluent", we had to move some features to the middleware stack and this forced us to move the whole exceptions handling as well. Rails 3.2 attempts to bring some customization back to the game by allowing you to set your own exceptions rack application that is invoked when a failure happens. For instance, you could set the exceptions application to your own router in your
config.exceptions_app = self.routes
Now, every time there is an exception, your router is going to be invoked. Therefore, to render custom 404 pages, you could simply add to your router:
match "/404", :to => "errors#not_found"
And implement the logic in the controller as you wish! However, there are a few things to keep in mind if you go down this road:
- You need to use
matchin your routes and not
get/post/put/deletebecause such exceptions can happen in any HTTP request;
- You won't be able to see your custom exceptions in development unless you set
config.consider_all_requests_localto false in your
config/environments/development.rb. The reason is, if the request is considered local, Rails will always favor to show the debug exceptions page;
- You can always access the original exception in the controller at
- It is not possible to set cookies, the session nor the flash after an exception happens. They all were already serialized back to the client;
- Finally, the default exceptions application used by Rails that simply renders a page in
public/STATUS.htmlis available here: action_dispatch/middleware/public_exceptions.rb
Remember that whatever you do in the errors controller, it should not be anything "fancy". Keep it simple because something already went wrong with your application!
4) Custom partial paths
In order to render a partial for a given model, Rails 3.0 retrieved the partial name by calling:
model.class.model_name.partial_path. Grant Hutchins & Peter Jaros noticed that this was not very flexible because the class was responsible to define the partial path and therefore they decided to move this responsibility to the instance. In order to better understand how you can use this feature, let's consider the following practical example.
Imagine your application have an activity feed and each activity in the feed has a certain type. Usually, each type is rendered differently. For example, if you consider a to-do-list application, activities could be both "marking a list as favorite" or "marking a task as done". Usually, applications solve this by looping for each item and rendering its respective partial, something like this:
@activities.each do |activity| render :partial => "activities/#{activity.kind}", :locals => { :activity => activity } end
Now, you can solve this problem by defining
to_partial_path in the model (the method
to_partial_path is part of the ActiveModel API and can be implemented in any object. The example above implements it in the model for convenience, but it could be a presenter, another ORM, etc):
class Activity < ActiveRecord::Base def to_partial_path() "activities/#{kind}" end end
And then invoking:
render :partial => @activities, :as => :activity
This will now work on Rails 3.2 because even though all activities are of the same class, each instance is actually responsible for telling Rails which partial should be rendered.
The difference here is not only in brevity, but also in performance. Although the first snippet works fine, it is slow. In the scenario where only one kind of activity happened, the first snippet will go through the render stack 30 times and lookup the same template in your filesystem 30 times. If you read Crafting Rails Applications you know that this lookup is cached, but even though it would certainly be faster if we didn't have to do this 30 times, but once.
That's where
render :collection or
render :partial with an array comes in. In such cases Rails will retrieve all templates up front skipping duplicates, and this new feature allows us to take advantage of it even if the partial lookup is dynamic. So, in the scenario where all the activities are of the same kind, the template lookup will happen just once and no longer 30 times. In other words, best case scenario becomes
O(1), worst case scenario is still
5) Filtered chain logging is back
Another very small change that will make development more pleasant is that Rails will now log "Filter chain halted as CALLBACK_NAME rendered or redirected" every time a before/around/after filter in your controller halts the request. This was the case in Rails 2.3 but somehow got lost when Rails 3 came out. It is one of those small things you don't know how much you missed until you see it again!
And what is your favorite Rails 3.2 "hidden" feature? Don't forget to take a good look at the CHANGELOGs and check out many others improvements!
Tags: crafting rails applications, exception handling, rails 3.2
Posted in English | 14 Comments »


text:
See you on Wed/Thurs, IHOP!!! Happiness in BGC 🐷🐷🐷
A (paper) bag of happiness?!?! 😭👍🙊👗👗👗🎽 (at Forever 21)
Yummy cupcakes for 2 piggies 😜 #smores #redvelvetcheesecake (at Blushing Cupcakes)
They have arrived!!! New shoesies c/o @karazapatos! Nude peeptoe wedge, Gold Georgina cowprint flats and light gold tstrap glittered flats ❤❤❤ worth the wait! Thank you Cheribelle 👍
Back when everything's simple and one doesnt need to worry about Valentines. I miss college. I miss UP 😔 #speca #lovapaloco (at University of the Philippines)
Lets have a toast for the douchebags, assholes, scumbags, jerkoffs 🍸🍸🍸 loool @ponfi10 (at Rue Bourbon)
For the better.
Have a happy life and hopefully, this is the last time I'll say goodbye.
Hello from Siddhartha Gautama 😉
VCF's Feb/Valentine series has always been a treat. Looking forward to this teehee 😁😜👊 (at Victory, Quezon City)


text:
Welcome to the 2014 Galvanizers Association Galvanizing Awards! You've come to the right place for inspiration and information on how to enter your project to the free, annual competition which has been running for 20 years. There's no entry fee to pay and you'll be invited to join us at the lunchtime ceremony on Thursday 26th June in London to hear the winners announced. All projects are judged on merit, not scale, across five categories. We'd like to hear from you whether you have a small, artistic installation or a large-scale industrial building so that we can celebrate the diversity of galvanizing.
- Print Article


text:
Author Archives: Tracey Eckersley
North is the New South: BBQ Restaurants North of the Mason-Dixon Line
It's Foodie Tuesday!
One of things I love most about living in Kentucky is the food. Since moving here, I have fallen in love with Southern staples like shrimp n' grits, fried green tomatoes, and barbeque. Folks north of the Mason-Dixon Line have discovered what they are missing out on and Southern-style restaurants are popping up all over the place. Toronto is never too far behind the trends, so I wasn't surprised to hear that over half a dozen barbeque joints have opened up there in the last few months.
As much as I like to eat global specialties that are not available in Louisville when I come home, it was impossible to resist trying the Canadian version of my beloved Southern cuisine on a recent visit. So I headed to Electric Mud BBQ, which has captured the aesthetic of a proper hole-in-the wall.
Patrons crowd around a few small picnic tables or belly up to the bar to enjoy the small menu of smoked and fried delights. The small menu over the open kitchen displays both the expected (ribs, collard greens, coleslaw) and the exotic (duck ham!); a small, handwritten card offers even more Southern delights.
On this visit I stuck to the basics, starting out with an order of hushpuppies. Growing up, spring breaks were spent in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where I developed an addiction to these little cornbread fritters. Electric Mud's are even better than I those I remember, light and fluffy on the inside and delightfully crunchy on the outside. And the spicy horseraddish remoulade that they come with adds a whole new dimension to these little bites.
Who can resist something called Crack Rolls? Remeniscent of Parker rolls, these buns have a slightly more toothsome crust and a sprinkle of sesame seeds but what really makes them addictive is the compound butter made with spring onions and meat drippings. I would buy this spread by the bucket-full if I could.
Electric Mud provides more twists on the classics- perfectly cooked ribs (tender meat that is not so overdone as to fall off the bone) are coated with a spicy-sweet sauce but then covered in a healthy dose of crushed peanuts and spring onions. I honestly don't know why no one in the South has thought to do this before- the contrast of textures is out of this world!
While many variations of pork are standard barbeque fare, belly is a recent addition to Southern menus and Electric Mud's take easily outshines those that I have tried back home. Presented as a variation of the pulled pork sandwich, slabs of the tender, slightly fatty flesh are served on toasted white bread with a pickle on the side. The accompanying sauce is somewhere between a Carolina mustard-based bbq sauce and the traditional brown sugar and mustard glaze used to top an Easter ham. Whatever the inspiration, it's delicious.
All this meat can make a girl thirsty. Here Miller Lite longnecks and cans of PBR are replaced with a selection from local brew pubs as well as a few cocktails. The Porch Crawler, which combines Thai basil, gin, and watermelon lemonade might just become my new summer tipple.
I'm always aghast at the paltry selection of bourbons available at Ontario liquor stores but Electric Mud has three shelves of the stuff! And their Clydesdale cocktail, a bourbon-based margarita of sorts, is lip-smackingly good.
I was almost too full to try dessert but who can pass up banana cream pie?
Deconstructed Banana Cream Pie
Served in a mini Mason jar, this version layers graham cracker crumbs, custard, bruléed bananas, and a dollop of whipped cream. It's light enough to justify a few bites after a big meal.
I am thrilled to see that my hometown has not only embraced the barbeque tradition but made it its own. I hope y'all get out to try it!
Chowing Down in Chi-Town: A Visit to Slurping Turtle
It's Foodie Tuesday!
Chicago is known for many things: incredible architecture, world-class museums, endless shopping. And food, don't forget the food! Years ago I would have been referring to deep-dish pizza or massive steaks but lately big name chefs have been filling the city with hot spots that feature cuisine from around the globe.
Image: Slurping Turtle
I'm a huge fan of Top Chef and dream about visiting all the contestants' restaurants in this town, including season four winner Stephanie Izard (Girl & the Goat and Little Goat Diner) and fan-favourite Fabio Vivani (Siena Tavern). Top Chef Masters are also well represented: Tony Mantuan owns Spiaggia, while Rick Bayless has a plethora of Mexican restaurants in town. But the Master who really wins my heart is Takashi Yagihashi.
This past weekend I finally got to eat at his place, Slurping Turtle. The Japanese-born, Chicago-based chef is best known for the French-Asian fusion cuisine of his other restaurant, Takashi but since it is a little pricey for my graduate student-budget I am happy that there is a more affordable option.
Image: Random Acts of Kelliness
Given the name, it is not surprising that this place is known for its udon and ramen bowls, full of meat and veggies waiting to be slurped up noisily with the flavourful broths they come in. But the real star of the menu is the izakaya, small plates meant to paired with drinks (and there is a wonderful selection of Japanese beers, sakes, and creative cocktails to do just that).
Much of these little bites have an Asian-American flair to them. The Duck Fat Fried Chicken is more succulent and juicy than anything the Colonel offers, in small pieces that seem to come from some exotic miniature species. What really puts this dish over the top is the accompanying dipping sauce, a wonderfully creamy, slightly spicy siracha mayo.
Pork Belly Snack features tender meat enrobed in a rich, sweet soy caramel ginger glaze atop pieces of flattened bao dough. The pickled cucumber and onions are reminiscent of traditional southern bbq sandwiches; a small arugula salad with sweet onion vinaigrette, Asian pear, and black sesame seeds replaces American slaw. I would take this over a pulled pork sammy any day- and that's saying a lot!
Image: Slurping Turtle
The Bincho menu also offers an impressive variety of meats, veggies, and seafood cooked over white charcoal (known as bincho-tan in Japanese). I wish I had been with a group so that I could order a bigger selection (enoki mushrooms wrapped in bacon, shishito peppers with benito flakes, Washugyu beef, fried tofu- it all sounds awesome).
Unfortunately by this time I was pretty stuffed but the bartender suggested I get the octopus and it was the perfect ending to my meal. The flesh was a little toothsome but with a clean, slightly briny flavour enhanced by the smoky charcoal.
Image: Foodspotting
I only wish that I had thought to grab a raspberry-wasabi or yuzu macaroon to go.
If you are in Chicago and looking for a satisfying meal, you should definitely check out the simple, fun food on offer at Slurping Turtle!
Picking Up the Pieces: LEGO Design Projects
If you have had any exposure to children over the last few years then surely you have noticed the explosive renaissance that LEGO is enjoying amongst the smaller set. Packs have evolved from the simple combinations of bricks that I played with as a kid to complex set-ups like the Star Wars Death Star, which includes more than 3000 pieces (and a hefty price tag)!
There are stores dedicated to the stuff, catalogues to pore over and (as of last week) a hotel at the LEGOLAND Resort. I'm sure that many parents are sick of having all the bits and pieces underfoot but I must admit that seeing the bright little cubes brings out the kid in me. I just want to dive in and create.
I'm not alone. Artists and designers around the world are turning to LEGO as a medium of choice. New York-based artist Nathan Sawaya uses it to create dynamic sculptures.
French designers Simon Pillard and Philippe Rosetti, who work collectively as Munchausen Design, pulled off a colourful IKEA hack when they covered one of the company's kitchen islands with over 20,000 LEGO bricks. Now there is a home improvement project that would keep the kids occupied over the school holidays!
When Boys and Girls, an advertising agency in Dublin, approached the design and architecture gurus at abgc to redo their new digs, they had only one request: make the space playful but not juvenile. To inspire the team, Boys and Girls provided a Charles Mingus quote: "Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity." In the boardroom, the result was a stunning but sophisticated table crafted from over 20,000 brightly coloured blocks. How could one not be inspired sitting around this fantastic piece of furniture?
The folks at the graphic design company NPIRE in Hamburg did their own remodeling using sets from their childhood collections (as well as 80 new ones) to construct a dividing wall in their office space. And talk about dedication- it took over a year to complete! Check out the photos at My Modern Met for an overview of the slow, painstaking project.
Additionally, numerous designers and artists have been inspired to replicate the product in their own work. Lunatic Construction creates a variety of custom furniture pieces, from desks to coffee tables, using brick-like blocks in a rainbow of colours.
Swedish designer Staffan Holm taps into his childhood sense of fun, inspired by LEGO, to temper the gravitas of his CEO desk. He crafts the piece in solid beech and MDF coated in enamel paint to evoke the toy's iconic shape; the result is a masterful combination of modern and baroque styles.
Let's face it- we all need a little more whimsy in our lives. I used LEGO to construct the architectural fantasies of my childhood and seeing it now makes me smile as I remember the hours of imaginative play that it inspired. Seeing these creations makes me want to dive back in and build something just as fun but on an adult-scale.
If you had the time (and the blocks), what would you like to make out of LEGO?
Recipes for an Egg-cellent Easter
Spring has arrived but it seems that someone forgot to tell Mother Nature! It is so cold and grey here in Louisville that I find it hard to believe that Easter is this weekend. The weather has made me downright anti-social, so I'm tempted to follow See Jane Blog's lead and host an Easter egg-decorating party to help me and my friends shake off the winter blues. I love her party favours and printable invitations!
I haven't dyed eggs since I was a kid, so I was really impressed to find that so many bloggers have moved beyond the basic dunk n' dye method to create several stunning options. And because I hate to see good food go to waste, I have included some awesome recipes to use up those eggs!
Bright colours are just what I need right now to shake me out of my funk but traditional eggs can be a little gaudy. However, not these ones:
This one is so simple that even the kids can do it but the results are remarkably refined.
For those who are as obsessed by Pantone as I am, these are the Easter eggs for you!
I love the idea of using candy to give eggs a little pizzazz. And it matches one of this year's biggest fashion trends, the caviar manicure.
Just about anything can be used to decorate eggs; these cheery ones were made by with flower-patterned paper napkins and Mod Podge.
To match the vibrant hues of these eggs, I suggest Chakchouka, eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. To do this with Easter eggs, you will need to blow out the insides. To learn how, check out this tutorial. The yolks will be a little scrambled, but will still work in this recipe.
If you prefer a more subdued colour scheme for your holiday decoration, there are lots of pastel and neutral options out there:
For those who are concerned with chemical dyes, Rosalind Creasy shows how to achieve a rainbow of subtle shades using fruits and vegetables.
And regular brown eggs look anything but plain when patterns are added with a white-out pen.
A mix of plain and coloured eggs makes for a thoroughly modern and understated centerpiece.
Another way to add texture to your eggs is to wrap them in lace (also a big fashion trend this year) before dropping them in the dye bath; the result is extremely elegant.
The easiest way to make Easter eggs is to hard-boil them but, seriously, how many egg salad sandwiches can one eat? Instead, why not make Japanese Flavoured Tea Eggs, which are as sophisticated as the subdued colours shown above.
Black and white is not a traditional Easter colour scheme but for those who want to match a more modern décor, here are some suggestions:
The key to these are simple, bold graphics and awesome fonts.
This style matches well with a visually simple dish, like tamago nigiri, Japanese omelet sushi. While it looks easy, it can be quite a challenge to get the technique just right. Smoky Wok offers a wonderful recipe and photo tutorial and you will have lots of eggs to practice with!
No matter what style or recipe you chose, I hope that you have a wonderful holiday weekend full of egg-cellent fun!
Thank Goodness for Guinness! Recipes for St. Patrick's Day
It's Foodie Tuesday!
It has been so grey and gloomy lately that I'm ready for a little fun. Fortunately, it's Saint Patrick's Day on Sunday which, for me, means some loud Irish music, lively dancing, and a good hearty meal washed down with a Guinness or two.
Image: The Roanoke Times
If you haven't tried this dry Irish stout, don't be afraid of its dark, opaque colour. It is actually a relatively low-alcohol beer with a smooth, slightly sweet malt flavour. It pairs well with both savory and sweet dishes, which also makes it a great beer for cooking.
Image: A Communal Table
One of my favourite Irish foods is brown bread. It is served with almost every meal in Ireland and it is always delicious. It's nothing like the dry, often tasteless wheat bread we get here. A Communal Table's version adds Guinness for extra flavour and is a quick-bread, which is perfect for a timid baker like me.
Image: Postcards from Somewhere Here
It's a little warmer in Louisville this week but if it turns cold again, I'll be looking for some comfort food like Guinness and Onion Soup with Cheddar Croutons.
Image: Steamy Kitchen
Beer and cheese are a wonderful pairing but for those who like a little more cheese in the equation, Aged Cheddar and Guinness Fondue provides a modern take on this retro classic. Just don't get too tipsy around that molten cheddar!
Image: BBC Good Food
When people think about cooking with Guinness, everyday meals like beef stew come to mind. But it can also be incorporated in more upscale dishes, like a Guinness and Honey Glazed Pork Loin, which would be a showstopper carved tableside.
Image: Browned Eyed Baker
As much as I love the richness that Guinness brings to savory foods, I think it works best in desserts, especially chocolate ones. Stout helps to bring out its flavour in the same way that a bit of vanilla does. Browned Eyed Baker's Guinness-Milk Chocolate Ice Cream has both and yields a cool, silky treat.
Image: Jules Food
The only thing that could make it better is a healthy drizzle of Guinness Extra Stout Caramel Sauce on top-yum!
Image: Sprinkle Bakes
To go really over the top for the holiday, I'm tempted to make a Sweet and Salty Guinness Chocolate Pie with Beer Marshmallow Meringue. Sprinkle Bakes didn't hold back with this one, which layers a Guinness-infused chocolate pudding on top of a sweet and salty pretzel crust. If that wasn't enough, it is finished with a toasted marshmallow meringue that has even more Guinness! Now that is decadence worthy of St. Paddy's Day!
Image: Smithsonian.com
If you are heading out to pick up some alcohol for the holiday, grab a few extra cans of the beer that drinks like a meal and treat yourself to a meal that tastes like a drink!


text:
Search the Archives
Best SellersBest Selling Photos Best Selling Wall Art
Shop By GalleryBest of the 2014 Season Bengals Pride Paul Brown Stadium Players A.J. Green Andy Dalton More Players Vintage Photos
Shop By ProductPrints and Frames Wall Art Personalized Photos Panoramas Canvas
Home > Item# 739154
Share This Photo:
© Cincinnati Bengals
Customer Rating
Be the first to rate this product.
"I wanted to thank you for your excellent service and amazing product. I procrastinated this past Christmas season and ordered a photo much too late for my daughter. It was a large stretched canvas wrap that arrived before Christmas! Thanks so much for helping me make my daughter's Christmas such a special one. I will not hesitate to order from you in the future."
– Denise D. from North Carolina
Product Options
Best Sellers...


text:
Sell Your Boat
Recently Sold
Customer Services
Edit Listing
Camping Supplies
The Sportsman's Bag offers discount Firearms,Accessories, Hunting Supplies,Scopes,Optics,Knives,Reloading, Ammunition.
Calloose Caravan and Camping Park
Secluded family holiday park close to St Ives in Cornwall UK, set in a sheltered suntrap valley with its own stream.
Fun RV Rentals
Fun RV Rentals is an affordable online classifieds system bringing together RV renters and owners. Locate or rent a recreational vehicle today .
Everything About RVing
We know that Going RVing and Camping is fun and we hope that visiting our site makes it even more fun.
Campfire In A Can
Campfire In A Can® portable campfires are the only ones designed with you, the outdoor enthusiast and RV owner in mind.
Custom and Semi Custom RV Covers
Menufactured in the USA with USA made sumbrella fabric.
RV Resort camp
Mackinaw Mill Creek Camping Resort for RV's, Trailer, Tents on the Straits of Mackinac overlooking Mackinac Island, Mackinaw City .
Family Campers and RVers
Known as the "Friendliest People in the World", FCRV is an organization dedicated to camping fellowships, the preservation of our international heritage .
Camping Gear
The Smart Camping Guide for camping tips about camping equipment, camping tents .
Discount Campgrounds
Discount Campgrounds For $10.00 A Day Across The USA Everyday .
canopy-canvas tent sheds
Fabric structures including portable garages, hoop buildings, canvas tarp shelters, instant carports, tents .
RV Camping
you want to go today? Let's go camping! Find useful information about travel trailers, rv campers and outdoor life. Fall in love with camping or just renew your love for camping right here!
RV Park
McIntosh Lake RV Park and Campground is south Georgia's number one choice for RV camping.
A Timeless American Summer Tradition Rochester
Family campground situated on one of Indiana's cleanest lakes .
Camping Guide
The Smart Camping Guide for camping tips about camping equipment, camping tents .
Europe camping guide
European campsite list, travel guide .
Roselands caravan and camping holiday park
our holiday park has camping, Touring caravans pitches, static caravans, holiday homes and is Very Dog friendly.
CanopyCenter.com is the premier retailer of canopies in the world. You'll find the widest selection of canopies at the lowest prices!
VW Campervan Hire
vdubcampers offers Volkswagen Camper Hire on the South Coast of England .
Echo Services Inc © 2014. All Rights Reserved
Fishing Boats Used
Used Boat Sale