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Chapter 1 : Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
|Rating: Mature
|Chapter Reviews: 18
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Picture yourself in a boat on a river,
with tangerine trees and marmalade skies.
That's where you'll find her.
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
As all things came about, it had all started with the passing of an era. To them, it was the beginning of their lives. For others, it was merely another night in a time of peace.
To her, it was the cataclysmic start of her career. From now on it would all scale upwards; she would become someone, rather than just the freckled nerd in the corner. To him, it meant no more reading or writing anything. This was his peek; right there, with firewhisky clogging his mind and the cap askew, covering his new (questionable) haircut. He would no longer be the heartthrob or the talk of the town. He would merely become a meek face in the crowd, rather than that one.
Gilded frames and empty smiles would tell the tales years after, but in that moment, their minds scaled possibilities that life soon would have to shatter. She did not know of her divorce or the loss of her child. He did not know of his lonely death by the fire, aged in tones. She didn't know the sense of being full and empty all at once, or that you could be sad all the time yet thankful all the same. He didn't know that love indeed could be vivid, mind-blowing and hateful, or that success was within his grasp. That night signalled their life in short it was the spinning of their world in the lamentable artfulness that their story was.
Yes, it had all started with the passing of an era. For one single night, the curvatures of time would meet, two people overtaken by the spinning of their worlds colliding. The whirl of dreams would connect, and though fate had never meant them together, the saga of the two would flood the memories emblazoned in their minds.
To them, soul mates or not, it was the first time they would learn to lose something, even if it were themselves. To her, he would always be the guy she learned to love. To him, she would forever be His Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
The sky is clustered with deep starry looms of gold. The moon shines palely down from the starry sky and an owl hoots softly from the thicket of trees. It is a warm night, filled with promises and greatness.
Four youngsters run across the dark grounds, laughing loudly in swirling clouds of smoke, cloaks twisting in the air behind them. They breathe youth and promise to the world as they run along the cobblestone floor. It is one of those nights that will be etched into their minds all their lives, a moment they, when older, will recall again and again, claiming that this this, head tipped back, retreating with dried-up ink and wrinkled parchment; this is what life is all about. Life does not get more honest than this.
We really must be going, Tilly, breathes a tall girl with spectacles as she topples over by the great fountain. She sinks down onto one of the white marble steps and rests her head dizzily against the stone pillar. The world is caving in.
Tilly does not answer, but merely giggles, her face colouring the night golden. Weve graduated, Lucy really, were accomplished, and and -
The rest is lost in another case of the giggles. Luckily, a tall, lanky boy hands her a champagne bottle. She takes a long drag of it before handing it back.
Im just so happy, Graham she exclaims and throws her arms around the boys neck, who lets the bottle fall from his hands carelessly.
Careful, there
A burly boy with brown wavy hair, catches the bottle inches from the floor. He does not waste a second in taking a swig of it. The couple does not notice anything and continues kissing passionately.
Lucy opens an eye, peeking at him. Always the hero, Lorcan.
The boy lifts the bottle in a salute. Someones gotta think of the booze.
She sniffs, that would of course be you.
She is content for once. Seven very hard and long years have been overcome, though at times she feels like the years have rather overcome her, instead.
The student shrugs, and takes a step closer to her, his cap is slightly askew and she wonders briefly if this is the latest trend.
You know me well should I be concerned, miss ?
Lucy. She extends a sweaty palm that Lorcan immediately grabs.
Pleasure, Lucy havent seen you around before, mayb-
Actually weve been in the same classes for the past seven years you looked after my notes in Ancient Runes Broke my favourite quill twice -
Sorry he laughs, ruffling his hair. Im bad with names.
Nah, I think its just mine, Lucy notes dryly, not really feeling up to the task of being pleasant. Another awkward pause passes between the two.
Well, Lorcan looks away and dusts off some invisible dust, I must be going, it is late and all
Yes Lucy gets up from her place at the marble stair. Look at the time.
She mentally smacks herself. Stupid cow, Lorcan is the Quidditch captain and the heartbreaker of their year how is he ever going to remember her?
The brown-haired boy makes to walk away, but turns around to face her again.
You could accompany me? His eyes meet hers briefly before flickering away. He appears to be just as surprised as she is at this development. Lucy pauses with the bottle still at her lips.
This is it this is now - they will spur on from this moment.
Slowly, she puts the bottle down and straightens.
A-accompany you? She whispers faintly, pushing her glasses up her nose.
Lorcan seems to make a double take. He shrugs, scratching the back of his neck, Yeah, um, in honour of school ending and all - I just ahem
A silence settles between the two in which both try to ignore the slurping noises coming from their friends by the well. Crickets are singing in the night air with the moonlight spilling over them. The world can play romance even when they fail. He is Lorcan Scamander, extraordinary Quidditch star and she is Lucy Weasley, extraordinary boring.
O-kay he mutters and turns away, walking down the flowerbeds in fast strides. The round shape of the moon enlightens his silhouette, sending a twang of romantic hope through her rigid bones.
Lucy stays by the fountain for a little while, dazed. Deciding against it, then deciding that it really doesnt matter at all. In five hours' time, the train will be transporting her home; back into the mind-numbing stupor that constitutes her life. This is the last time she will ever hear his Irish drawl. Before she has a chance to rethink it all, she is on her feet, hand in the air,
So, basically what you have to do is stir the potion counter-clockwise instead of clockwise for exactly fifteen minutes
Uhu, thats great, darling
And then you simply take a snippet from your hair just a small bit
Yeah, um - love, mind helping me out here?
And then it woah, boy!
You werent listening!
No, you werent listening
She fumbles to save the conversation because Lorcan is standing stark naked in the dormitory, only wearing white socks, looking slightly comical with that darn cap coyly askew on his head. At the moment she is not able to do anything but panic at the tingle in her lower abdomen. Lorcan is staring at her intensely, his smile curving upwards as it lights his features with amusement.
Fancy some, love?
I dont really I-I mean I dont really know Oh, God. Why am I telling you this!
He is watching her, wearing this slightly goofy grin, which is unbearably endearing.
So this is new?
You dont usually go home with strange boys after dark?
No, I dont go home with . Anyone.
She fights back the blush and looks down at her feet. Her mary-janes are dirty. She had cleaned them this morning, thinking it would be the last time. And now she is standing in the boys dormitory, four hours before the train leaves, wearing her soiled shoes. She sneaks another peek at him and finds him just as naked, standing by the window with the moonlight bathing him.
He steps forward, and then he is kissing her. His mouth is slightly sloppy, but sort of earnest against her, and he is backing her into the bed, fingers slipping over mountains and valleys. A breath escapes her in a gasp as he parts her legs and steps closer. His skin burns against hers as he nuzzles into the crook of her neck. He feels very real. He is this solid mass standing right in front of her, nudging her, pressing into her and and Merlin, his hands -
Y-yes ?
Take off your clothes.
His smirk spreads against her skin and she hears herself say oh and even to her it sounds so quiet and innocent, not like she is supposed to sound. The air is laced with something that is bigger than them this is serious, and Lucy suddenly finds the situation very adult. An image of her own six year old self, playing with dolls and gushing, making kissing sounds. Barbie loves Ken. They are going to marry and cook on their stove every day from now -
Lorcan sounds very old too and she cannot quite recognize him anymore; this shaded side of him in the midnight darkness.
A deep murmur resounds from the back of his throat and all the while it scares her, and she feels like going back to her own bed, it is also really interesting in a way that makes her stomach tweak. His face is all scrunched up so close to hers and she spots a birthmark on the tip of his nose. He is breathing hard against her skin but he is just as taunting as always, wiggling his eyebrows at her with his face way too close to hers. He kisses her again in the fashion that leaves her wanting for something more.
Ill help you, yeah? Lorcan says in a rough whisper, his hair carelessly falling into his eyes.
She can feel his hot breath trickling her collarbone as he slowly unbuttons her conservative blouse. This is it, she thinks. This is the unravelling of Lucy Weasley. Most of the boys are still out, but she can hear the soft snoring to their left behind another door. She is halted by the sound for a moment, appreciating the subtleness of it; the normalness of it, committing all of these sounds to memory. It is what she will recall years from now.
My, oh my
The garment slides open soundlessly and Lucy feels very bare all of a sudden. Youve been holding out on us, A blush creeps up her cheeks at the intensity of Lorcans stare. She is only wearing a simple black bra and yet he is looking at her as if shes God's gift to earth.
Theres a song about you, Luce, did you know? he breathes against her jaw.
Um. No?
Yes, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. The Beatles. I think I was always meant to find you underneath the starry sky.
Youre so full of shit, Lorcan.
True that. He smiles and Lucy giggles against his lips. Lorcan pushes the blouse off her shoulders completely. It billows to the ground behind her and he steps closer, his hands traveling around her body, exploring.
On the bed now with her skirt riding up around her waist and Lorcans body matched up with hers. Lucys heart is pounding against her chest roughly, and she knows that this is it, this is it, this is it
Lucy Lorcan moans softly against the nape of her neck.
He draws her name out in a way that her name should never ever be stretched out, and Lucy just sort of grunts in reply. She is holding onto the back of his neck as he snakes his tongue back into her mouth, feeling slightly woozy. Mere hours ago he didnt know her name, and now it is coming out in hot gasps of air against her shoulder.
She murmurs his name too, and Lorcan just says, yeah, yeah, yeah, all fast in a row, because hes got his jeans open now.
She meets his eyes for the first time in the dark, and the vibrant green eyes make her insides reverse themselves, and she can feel her breath hitch momentarily as Lorcan grins down at her. It is a different smile to all the others she has seen the past seven years. It is sincerity mixed with something else and it blows her away by the intimacy of it all. Her body is reacting all on its own now, like it changes everything with this boy between her legs. Like her body knows that this is something special.
Lorcan pauses for a second, and laughs and kisses her hard,
Were going to be great, Lucy Weasley.
She can feel the wheels turning.
She wakes up naked and alone in the boys dormitory.
Lorcan shows up five minutes later with a mug of coffee and a nervous smile. He hands her the mug, which she accepts gratefully. The trains leaving soon.
Oh? Lucy tugs a strand of hair behind her ear, her voice an octave higher than normal, sounding all wrong to her ears. She thinks of things she should say, great time, thanks, lovely, but she cannot quite make the words fall over her chapped lips. It had been cringe worthy and awkward and fast, but good really good in the sense that someone had gauged her reaction, created a reaction on her with the main purpose of pleasing her. That's very special.
Lorcan sits down by her legs and she sips her coffee slowly as she allows reality to settle in.
We Im I dont usually do this he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. I mean, I do do this he gestures between them and Lucy cringes slightly. but I dont do coffee and breakfast Small talk
So you just bang them and get on with it? Lucy asks puzzled.
For a moment she thinks she has finally overstepped it, but Lorcan affirms sheepishly.
Yeah. Pretty much.
She can't believe it; Lorcan doesnt know how to talk to girls. He tries to save it, though, I dont do girlfriends, thats why
Lorcan shifts in his seat again and pulls at the bedspread.
Youre different, though.
Different how?
Chin down, Lorcans eyes turn up to meet her gaze. I actually want to know you.
Know me as in know my tongue or know me
Gods, no know you like a mate youre not my type at all, he laughs nervously.
But, you know, he shrugs, youre cool.
No Im not, she laughs because she is anything but cool the past seven years have proven just that. Lorcan raises an eyebrow at her with the good old expression adorning his features, and she realizes that she wants this too she could use him as a friend.
Id like that, though.
Good. He smiles brilliantly, but then adds, as an after-thought.
That said, I wouldnt mind some good old loving if you ever feel up to it Merlin knows that there will soon be growing cobwebs down there if youre not careful, he grins and she can recognize him in the curve of his smirk once more. Playfully, she smacks him, telling him off.
They sit for a moment in silence then, and she sips her coffee one more time, before glancing up.
I need to get my clothes on. She says finally, cursing her flushed cheeks inwardly.
Oh Lorcans eyes dart down to her naked form hidden by his eiderdown. Alright. I guess Ill see you soon?
Lucy nods, definitely. Well meet up, yeah?
He grins at her again and she can feel the tinge of wonder as he smirks. She knows he wont call and neither will she, but she succumbs to romanticising reality once more.
He hesitates for a moment before he leans in and pecks her on the cheek.
See you around, Lucy.
See you around, Lorcan.
The first time he calls, he's sloshed.
She has trouble appreciating this at three oclock in the morning, standing in her slippers in her ice-cold apartment, knowing very well she could be sleeping. It's been months since their awkward sex-encounter, so when his number shows up on the screen, she's more than anything afraid to answer it.
Lorcan, you called! Its a bit late, though?
Oh, so its with that hat on?
Lorcan, as much as I love whiskey and... naked guys - that miiight not be the best
Lucy doesn't hear what else they are, because Lorcan begins talking to someone on his end, the high-pitched voice resounding through the phone. A few minutes later, the line cuts off.
She stands there, for some minutes, twirling the cord between her fingers as she listens to the silence, suddenly missing him, suddenly wishing that he were standing inside her kitchen, off his face, wearing boxers and his dark blue blazer, staring gawking breathing very hard as he laughs, Lucy, Lucy, Lucy.
Suppose London's a bit lonely.
You couldnt just magically hex it up there instead? Lorcan puffs behind the green sofa as they slowly climb the stairs.
And what would the fun be in that?
Well, I wouldnt be having a heart attack for one... getting arthritis at an early age
Thatll teach you to stop with those fags -
Lorcan rolls his eyes at her, beet-red in his face as they take another set of stairs. He grumbles darkly and Lucy picks out stubborn and rubbish, and she makes an effort at hiding her smile.
Next time I decide what were going to do, Lorcan grunts as they step across her doormat.
And end up at one of those so-called clubs again? I think not.
Hey! I didnt know that girl was going to think you had the hots for her
No, but you didnt exactly help, now did you?
Well. I just figured that
You just figured youd take the mickey
She was hot
God, Lorcan, youre such a guy
I think we established that a year ago three times, mind you
She meets his eyes across the couch, slightly annoyed, then again slightly amused which is a combination she often finds herself in whenever Lorcan Scamander is around. His eyes are dancing with mirth, trying without success to stop a smile from spreading across his face.
Their friendship has blossomed in the past year, so much that he is now one of the only people she feels close to anymore. Moving into a new apartment (again) in the middle of a big city is something she has always feared, but with him by her side with his stupid Irish drawl and pervy jokes, it suddenly doesnt feel nearly as lonely.
You getting a bit frisky, love? Those rosy bits tingling a wee bit? His smile spreads even wider as he wiggles his eyebrows at her suggestively. Ridiculous man.
You look like an overzealous pumpkin when you do that
A mighty handsome pumpkin it must be
Youre impossible.
He grins, Oh no, love. I think weve established that Im all too possible.
She shoves the couch against his gut, her stern frown not quite masking the smile spreading across her face. Idiot.
(This is how she will remember him).
They will take turns in calling. The ever present sense that they should somehow have begun with the rest of their lives is still foreboding and yet at twenty-one, they cannot seem to master wariness very well.
Lucy is working at the local fish- and chips-store, selling food for money she saves for that rainy day.
Lorcan is procrastinating. While drinking. (He is Irish, isnt he?) Quidditchs fucked, his lifes fucked, the girls are fucked. Surrender to this.
There is a bottle between them. Two glasses on the table, both filled to the brim with golden liquid. Finally, they have succumbed to melancholia. Her apartment smells of pizza and disappointment and yet they are sitting on the floor, toasting to life the future. (There's still hope.)
Youre sexxxxy, Luce, Lorcan slurs at her, his lips turning slightly. You know, in that sassy, nerdy kind of way -
He reaches for her hand and rolls his thumb against the back of her hand. It's not a grand gesture, but it is something. Lucy peeks at him.
Were drunk, she informs him cleverly.
Lorcan ignores this, inching across the floor, coming face to face with her. He likes to call this a friendship, which it is, but there has always been a beyond aspect to it all. (Read: Sexual tension). He doesnt exactly know what it is, but he's going to figure it out. Soon.
Really? Again? Lucys voice is low and breathy.
He ignores this, too.
There are the drunken phone calls of course, and the forced trips to museums that Lucy always drags him along to. But there is a reason why they havent lost contact like all his other school-friends have. He just doesnt know what makes Lucy Weasley all that different.
Youre kind of special, Lucy in the sky with diamonds
She raises an eyebrow, Gee, thanks, Mr Quidditch Captain.
Sod off, you know my careers fucked. Im serious
Yes, youre always serious youre so freaking serious it bleeming annoys me
It will always be about drunken confessions and shady comments, and just as he cups her cheek, rubbing his thumb across her lower lip, he wonders if she'll remain. Lucys eyes are very large and round, the press of her warm breath hitting his face softly. She's never a stranger but he misses her all the same, and he feels slightly at a loss as he stares at her blue eyes. It's all about choices and chances, finding the motivation and grasping the moment. Lorcan has never been great with grand gestures.
He thinks about mentioning his father, explaining it all all the jokes, the shitty behaviour, his good-for-nothing attitude. How a person can crumble, how the fear eats him up.
The image of his crazy mother, dancing in fields of sunflowers, churning in his head. How there are different kinds of crazy. There are things he could say: sorry, bastard, youre better off, thank you. But the words catch at the back of his throat and Lucy just smiles at him. Lorcan understands that he is pretty lucky, though he is losing the moment, Lucys hand is suffocating his palm, their breaths matching. He has never been good with words, thinks he might want to become good with words, to try harder, and
Her lips purse to define an instance: Youre a good man, Lorcan.
It will always come down to this.
Life at twenty-five is exhausting.
Success is non-existing, and Lucy honestly expected that she would have made it by now. Her future was supposed to be bright and promising even her teachers promised her that her teachers. But they have proven to be yet another group of adults who are just as ignorant as children. Nobody has got the foggiest.
Chill out, Luce, he will grin and take another drag of his cigarette. We all feel lost at twenty-five.
The years are on her side still, yet she feels just as feeble, incompetent and unsure as she felt at seventeen. She's rounding the corner, she feels. The corner between failure and success. People at her age have accomplished something by now; all those great personas people talk about are at her age now. Age is something she has somehow thought would not happen to her, yet it is. She has passed it off as insignificant, yet there is nothing more pressing than time. She is getting older, bit by bit. And she has no patience for aging.
Is this life for her, she will ask, unable to grasp it all. All those possibilities that once painted the horizon a flurry of colours, all overlapping each other, have now morphed into one single shade of grey. Gone are the rainbows, gone is the air burned with dreams. All that's left are burnt bridges. There is nothing beyond this.
He is all smiles and fags, nipping about and fiddling with Quidditch at times. She finds comfort in the nonchalance of his life. She will keep falling; keep tumbling on her way through life, but he is an anchor. He is her anchor.
Right now, he is stretched out on her couch, his shirt riding up as he puffs out smoke. She remembers her dead mother, remembers her lonely dad. She'll allow the thoughts to enter her mind for a limited amount of time. Five seconds. Count to five and think of the small county house, how there was no body to bury, how all the mirrors had been shattered in the house. Recall the words of love.
And then move on.
Its not like were going to fail, Lorcan says from the couch, and his voice is certain but his eyes are not. You cant fail at life
She wonders if her father ever gets lonely without her.
The difference between twenty-six and twenty-seven is a briefcase.
When they meet it's pure coincidence, a fleeting glance through the crowd as their eyes meet inside the Ministry. The difference between her Lorcan and this Lorcan is startling as he walks across the glossy floor with his hair sleeked back, clean-shaven. She stares as he nears her; it's all she can do. The baggy t-shirts and the five-pound Super Man watch have been abandoned. Hes all attitude and jutting bones now. At some point he sees her too. She sees the panic before he masks it behind a large smile.
They have become strangers, but even as he walks towards her, she recognizes the slagging of his jaw and the small smile curving across his face.
He stops a few feet away from her. The air is static as he looks at her with those green eyes.
Lorcan, she sort of laughs, because, okay, the last time she saw him he had his pants down around his ankles with his breath in her ears, as these quiet little hiccups of broken sound left her throat. They may have been (very) drunk, and there may have been some crying involved and some broken confessions. Fathers, Mothers, Ive always fancied you, yeah?
But the status remains. They havent spoken for a year.
Funny thing, huh?
Been a while
Um, yeah.
Well. How are things?
Oh? They are. Um great
Well. Im a salesman, see?
Fancy that.
Yeah, who would have thought? Better dressed anyways -
Lorcan scratches the back of his neck, laughing nervously. He takes a step closer and they are at eye-level, eyes meeting hesitantly. She will remember him then. Store a picture in her mind.
That one memory is nagging in the back of her head. His eyes crinkling at the edges and his breaths harsh in her ears just as he'd held onto her as if she'd disappear on him. As if he had depended on her as if his life were her.
The stranger in front of her seems nothing like that wee lad she used to know, so she's relieved when she recognizes his warm eyes.
Be my friend again, she says in that way of hers that is half-demand, half-question.
Lorcan looks at her for a while, then, his mouth wrinkles,
And what makes you think Id want to be yer friend, Luce?
Im the only one who can stand your obnoxious tone
That it?
No she offers reluctantly.
You miss me, he states kindly. His eyes are gentle, but his voice teasing.
And you dont?
Nah, he lies, smiling, because yes, he does, but he thinks he loves her. He can't quite form the words, so he offers her his hand instead.
She stares at it for a moment before looking up at him. It is a face she's adored since she was seventeen, which is strange to think about, as parts of her life are already beginning to pass. She can feel the culmination of it all, the memory of his heated voice, his moans. Lucy, Lucy, Lucy.
Oh, its like that? Shes dry.
He is quiet, and pulls at her hand, flexing his fingers over her wrist. The tone goes from their usual banter to seriousness and it sneaks up on her, just like discovering she loves him. She lets him intertwine their fingers, watching as his smile broadens.
And then it feels oddly like joy.
December New Years Eve
She is moments from ending. Moments.
Voices are echoing all around her, louder and louder, counting down to her conclusion.
The clock ticks on.
She can feel the entirety of earth rolling beneath her stiletto heels and she feels humble again, stirring the universe. Remembers Lorcan, remembers his womanizing ways - reminds herself that yes - indeed, there is no possible way for them. She tries to look past it, shivers in her frilly dress - all the memories. The image of her mother's lifeless form, the grand family. Mum at Christmas, Father reading the paper, old Molly looking down her nose at her. Stupid Lucy. Stupid, stupid, little Lucy.
She wonders if Molly still comes around his house every week, refilling his fridge. Molly, cross-eyed with disappointment, Dad needs us, Lucy, needs us -
He appears then, like a knight in shining armour.
"Nobody should spend New Years alone."
To breathe is to forget. To breathe is to pretend.
"I'm Lucy."
She once told Lorcan that she didn't have time for love and had watched him wiggle his fingers at her. Cobwebs, Diamond-girl.
Charlie clinks their glasses and she knows that this is the beginning of her latest chapter. Lucy in love.
Why are you looking at me like that?
It's like Newtons First Law of Motion: objects that are in motion will remain in that same motion until compelled by another force. She can feel her life shifting as she is unable to steer it away from this. Lorcans gaze is one she wishes to avoid.
Im not looking at you in any way.
You are. Youre like going all freaking Yoda on me
No. Youre allowed to to
His exhalation is shuddering, like staccato raindrops against windowpanes.
Youre allowed to have babies with whomever you please.
There's a song about you, Luce -
She thinks about those words a lot, now.
There is great patience in the press of Charlie's mouth. She keeps her eyes open when they kiss.
( A sign ).
They meet for dinners, all three. Her protruding belly is like a flashing neon-sign of love. Nuclear-family coming up.
Lucy feels like a record playing backwards, played out like her mother - Molly's words again: I don't think they knew who they were or - or who they could be
Everyone has regrets. Everyone has scars. Lorcan has three.
The dawn rain feels like a catharsis.
She stands there for some time, allowing the rain to soak through her clothes, pushes away any images, erases sentences, a distant touch. Charlies face, his mouth, sloppy against the side of her throat his hands hands caressing her (missing) bump.
Charlie - faithful, beautiful Charlie. Well survive this were greater than this -
He emerges then, into her dreams and thoughts, woven into each corner of her mind. She can recall the smell of his hair, the thrill of his laughter and his Irish taunting voice, his breath between her thighs I still think about you. Is that mad?
Five seconds. Count to five and recall it all. Lorcans drunken kisses, the tingles in her toes, her wedding wows and Mollys stern look. Are you sure? The bloody mess on the floor, and Charlies screams, Oh, Merlin, Merlin, Merlin
Gather it all up. And then surrender.
(Newtons law).
It is not until later that she notices him standing by the tree.
Im sorry, Lucy.
Sorry about what? About the loss of my child or my failed marriage?
It is almost harder to look at him than it is to look at the scars on her stomach. She is overtaken by the whimsy of the moment as she eyes him. His eyes are very clear, like waterfalls, all haunting and beautiful. She can drown in his eyes.
Say something crude joke Just. Just dont look at me like that, Lorcan its its not fair -
She cant breathe. Dont. Dont apologize
She can feel her heart thundering in her throat, her knees, the sound rebounds inside her head, round and round as he steps closer. He opens his mouth to say something, and then then he is kissing her.
This kiss is way different to any other kiss they've shared. This kiss is all wet, mixing with tears as he kisses her harder, with teeth as if he wants to consume her or knock her teeth out, or both. She wants to consume him too, and they are equal in that sense as his hand slides along her shoulder. She arches against his touch, gasping for air. He says her name, all quiet in a voice that doesnt even sound like his own and she hears him exhale, feels it against her skin, as he breaks away for a second, only to come right back, sliding across her jaw.
They break apart, foreheads resting against each other. The drumming of her heartbeat loud in her ears. His eyes burn in the darkness. Words are scribbled in the air, mere memories of the dismembered sunset in the horizon. Her hands grip his arm painfully tight, fingers digging into his skin as if he alone is enough to keep her here.
For the moment, he is.
They dont see each other after this.
She is fitting many things into her life. That he isnt all she has, (but she definitely wants him.) That life will hit you. Hard. She wishes she had listened more. To her wisdom, to her family. To the wisdom she would ignore. She must take the road forgotten.
She visits her father. (Her mothers grave is beautiful).
And your husband? Her fathers drawl is unforgiving.
She sinks,
I was mistaken.
The truth, at last.
Are you drunk? She asks, watching amused as he tries to tie his shoes standing up, his knees nearly touching his nose.
I may be He slurs as he holds up a hand, looking at her through a tiny gap between his thumb and index finger, a wee bit tipsy
A wee bit? She steadies him as he tries to lean casually against the wall outside her apartment but stumbles instead. Suddenly, his arms are around her waist, his breath tickling against the side of her neck. Telling him it was all right to come over after he woke her up at three in the morning was a bad, bad idea, she realizes, but she is suddenly thinking about his hands pressing into her sides, his mouth nibbling at her ear.
Can I come in, love?
She is certain that she has heard wrong and begins cooing small nonsense about drinking and bad livers to him, her hands nuzzling his hair motherly.
Luce His voice is low and dangerous, one hand still gripping her waist, and suddenly she isnt sure he's that drunk anymore, her fingers stilling. His forehead bumps against hers and she finally raises her eyes to meet his.
Three oclock in the morning, standing in her crappy stairwell with the burgundy walls, and Lorcan is inching towards her, his face super close, and she is thinking about how this really crashed and burned the last time, but he is saying her name (slurring, really), and she lets him step into the apartment with his eyes glued on hers, fingers spreading across her back, legs stepping in between hers as he moans her name. Lucy.
They make their way into her living room, dancing, waltzing in a zig-zag across her wooden floor. Him stepping forward, her retreating, blue eyes glued to those green orbs.
He smiles and she can't help but return it, sort of laughing, Lorcan.
We could be good, you know, he murmurs as he stumbles into her, awkwardly pushing against her, his mouth smearing across her jaw.
She can make out the stale smell of whisky and cola on his breath mixed with a scent that is unmistakeably his, and she allows herself to focus on that instead. He presses her against the wall leading to her kitchen and she clutches his hips as she bumps her head against a frame.
They are at eyelevel and she looks at him properly for the first time. His eyes are swimming slightly but not enough so that he wont remember this and he is breathing very loudly. She blinks and looks into his eyes again, feeling gravity hauling at her once more.
He trails a finger along her jaw slowly. I didnt mean to get rough.
S okay, she breathes, feeling lightheaded as his gaze remains on her face. She can see the realization settle in his face before he registers it himself. It dawns on his face and she can see the wheels turning in his head.
He lets go of a breath, Ill remember this tomorrow.
That you will.
His hair is longer than when she first met him and his shirt is unbuttoned in a drunken attempt at sexy, but other than that he looks like the bloke she went home with on Graduation-day.
He blinks at her again, tilting his head to eye her. It is a face she remembers from before all of these chaotic aspects to her life began, and a rush of dramatics overcomes her,
Do you want to remember?
It was evidently the wrong thing to say, because Lorcan sighs very loudly, and takes a step back, releasing his hold on her.
I think its better if I dont, he says, sliding down the wall beside her.
It's a rejection at best. She's immobilized for a second, staring into the air before her before she joins him on the ground. He kind of squeezes-strokes her knee and it reminds her more of how her grandmother used to touch her. They have slipped into fondness instead of passion once again.
I asked her to marry me, Luce.
His body is slightly bent and she cannot see his face, but she can see how his lips are parted. She realizes she has no idea how to answer. Her thoughts have not touched Gladys Hitchen, yet she knows they have something going on she just did not think that it would -
She settles on Congratulations.
His hand ghosts along hers and she retracts it slowly, as if her reflexes cannot keep up to date.
Said fiancées have privileges. He rubs at the back of his neck, so she moved in, Luce.
The morning light is spilling in, and it's as if a spell has been broken. The lure of the night has been erased and she leans back against the wall, surprised at how fast they can switch from lovers to friends. She just wishes he would stop saying her name like that. Its Lucy.
I just Lorcans expression is torn, his eyes bloodshot and the alcohol still reeks off him, and she just really wants him to shut up in this moment.
Just I had this thought he's talking in a sober voice and she liked it so much more when he was breathing against her neck. You know maybe, maybe this is for me? Maybe I can have this too?
He fingers the threads of her carpet before he glances at her. She hears herself say his name, all quiet in a voice she doesn't recognize, but Lorcan looks up at her and she realizes that this is all too late.
Im going to bed.
He leaves with a murmured kiss against her forehead. Lucy closes her eyes and presses her feet to the ground, wondering, wondering if this is it for them. Will this be all they'll share?
The emptiness is stale in her mouth. She wanders about the apartment, searching looking for signs. All items - furniture, books, the rug all chant, yes, it's been here all along.
The next time she sees him, he is indeed married and they are drinking cheap champagne from the nearest Co-op at Tillys second wedding.
Graham is staring all dopey-eyed at the bride and Lucy tips the drink back as she ignores the jealousy that coils inside her. Lorcan has yet to even look at her.
He does look at her, though. It is later, after the bride and groom have had their first dance, after she has stood in the crowd of singles to catch the bouquet and after Grahams drunken attempt at snogging Tilly, the bride. He finds her by the bar, clinks their glasses together, exclaiming Luce! as if no time's passed at all.
Three years, she seethes. And breathe.
So, Graham clearly hasnt moved on, He leans back against the bar, and she's surprised at how familiar his voice still is. She knocks the glass of cider back in one take because really, who is she kidding?
Uhu, is her fantastic response.
Lorcan doesn't seem bothered by her complete inadequacy at keeping up a conversation, but leans towards her. He is wearing a new cologne. It's stronger and spicier, and she tries desperately to find him somewhere in the folds of his Armani suit. Her eyes glide over his features, taking in the slick hair, his white teeth and tanned skin. Its the same face she has adored since she was seventeen, but he didnt have a beard then. Somehow she feels that the beard is the smallest change.
Lorcan meets her eyes before she can make any further assessments. (Not that she hasnt been ogling him all night.).
Any bets on how long this one will last?
Six months tops
Nah, I say a year at least
Youve always been such a romantic, Lorcan.
It might just be that youre a terrible cynic?
He is watching her, some intense emotion in his eyes that she cant make out. At the moment she can't do anything but stare back and raise an eyebrow.
Me? Im just trying to be rational.
Lorcan snorts loudly but says no more. They return to observing the crowd once more, the grip on her drink is very tight. Tilly is slow dancing with that Tom-guy and Lucy has to admit that he is a decent, stand-up bloke.
She sneaks a peek at Lorcan and finds him staring at her. He looks terribly old, and Lucy remembers with a start the difference between thirty-two and thirty-four. She's once again mesmerized by his long eyelashes and she turns around to face him fully, inspired by this image in her head.
Theres a great view from the top she says, knowing that this might be a very bad idea indeed. Lorcan looks at her for a moment, his lips curling, not saying anything.
Just as she is about to wander off, he tilts his head to look at her.
Great view you say?
The best.
He pushes the chair out slowly, grabbing her hand. It wraps around her with a familiarity that both excites her and frightens her.
Then we must see it, mustnt we? He sounds half-teasing. It's how he often speaks to her, and she fumbles with her dress as his breath tickles her ear.
It all happens very fast. (Newtons law, you see?)
They walk up onto the rooftop, look out on the city light. Make chit chatter. Hows life? Work good? Good to see you.
Then she says she misses him. Lorcan has brought a bottle with him, he opens it with the flick of his wand.
Then theyre both drinking.
Then she tells him.
It's Christmas when they meet again, but this time it seems silly greeting him with a Merry Christmas when six months stand blaring against the ignorance of their relationship.
There's a wrinkle spreading across his forehead. She eyes it warily, finding it concerning to see age displayed on him. She did not think age would overcome them.
Hey Luce, he greets her with a small smile.
She loved him once. Maybe she still loves him, but she knows now that thoughts like these are irrelevant and somehow she cannot erase the past sixteen years. The lines in her face have been drawn. He has known her half her life, and this game this pull and push - has defined half her life. It's all very different and then it's all very much the same.
He's here. She's there.
It seems I've joined the club, eh, he laughs and flails his arms out. "Now I'm a divorcée, too."
They stare at each other for some time; she can feel her face slowly breaking.
After a moment, she surrenders.
Im sorry.
He says Lucy, the way they do in those horrid BBC shows her mother used to watch, without the East Ender drawl but just as heartfelt and dramatic with the tinge of his Irish slur.
His hand is tangled in her hair and his nose is skimming along her jaw.
Lucy, he says again, like she is precious and his mouth closes over hers. And then he is kissing her, kissing her harder with teeth, moaning.
She feels her back connect with the wall and his fingers are digging into her waist as if he wants to keep her for all eternity, and Merlin, his hand slips underneath her blouse, pushing it up.
And she loves those little sounds, loves the little signs of life, loves how they lose their mind. A tongue slips between her lips and Lucy feels like they are seventeen again, meeting for the first time. He's taught her everything. She knows now that love is indeed beautiful, that she's capable of loving this greatly. She knows now that books and cleverness serve no one. She remembers her mother, her father, and knows in her heart that she could not have saved them, but that she will save herself.
Lucy, Lorcan says again.
He says it quietly, maybe in defeat, or maybe not, because he looks at her, like really looks at her and she cant really think anymore. Her hand is under the collar of his shirt, and she cant stop making these breathy little noises that Lorcan seems to appreciate because he groans against her throat.
Her forehead bumps against his and he sort of laughs, lifting her up, kissing her thoroughly, Lucy, finally, finally.
She's kind of blown away by the perfectness of it all.
(See? It was all meant to happen.)
Happiness is a colour, warmth splashed onto the canvas of life.
"You know, some would say we're moving a bit fast - you know, moving in together - marriage, and all -" Lorcan nuzzles his face into the hollow of her neck, smiling into her skin.
"What? You don't think nineteen years of fooling around is enough time wasted?"
Lorcan merely laughs, grabbing her waist tightly as he pulls her against his body.
"All those years were great fun, though," he murmurs, his hot breath trickling across her neck.
"Yeah, you shagging all those birdies must have been great fun - remind me why I married you again?" She gasps as a moan catches at the back of her throat, "Let's just be normal from now on, yeah?"
"Normal?" He scoffs, his hips pressing into her side, "You don't know the meaning of normal, Lucy Weasley -"
(He'll pick this spot, years from now. Love, he'll whisper.)
"It takes time, Luce -"
"It has taken time - a year of it!"
Lorcan looks at his wife, unable to hide his smile. "You can't just tell your uterus to whip a baby up like that -"
A smile filters across her face. "I just want it now -" she sighs softly.
He rubs her arm affectionately. "We'll have lots of fun practicing, right?"
She smacks him. Hard. "We have been practicing - a lot."
His breath is hot against her skin. "Somehow I never tire of it, though."
There are weddings, funerals, life, baby's breath. There are smiles and laughter, there is her. I love you, love you, love you, love, love, love, love -
Newton's law again.
"Cancer? Cancer -"
The doctor is a large man with brown spectacles, sitting there in front of him, her hand in his, Lorcan feels young again.
His voice is small.
"But - but - that's an ancient disease - you - you must have cured it - it's a Muggle -"
A hysterical laughter is bubbling in his throat, the irony hitting him out of the blue. But I was the one who smoked -
"I'm sorry." The man is looking down at his large hands, the sunlight filters through the blinds behind his desk and Lorcan is mesmerized by the light, knowing that this is not happening - this is all a dream - they are trying for a baby - for - for life.
Lucy stares up into his face. She lifts her arm up to sweep across his jaw.
"It's okay," she tells him gently. But it's not, it's not -
"Your wife's dying."
And the world comes undone.
(Such time you've wasted).
Lucy once told Lorcan that she didn't have time for love and had watched as he'd wiggled his fingers. Cobwebs, Diamond-girl, cobwebs -
Lorcan shifts in his sleep, his lips skimming across her skin, and she knows now that love is right here, between her hands, right next to his sleeping face. I love, love, love, love, love you - love you -
It's June - their month, and summer (she) is ending soon. They have shared it all. Trips up and down memory-lane, making memories for a lifetime. Now, it's time for yet another chapter in their life. Dead Lucy.
She's awake in their old apartment. There are no kids here but on the flayed walls of her home she can see her entire life displayed, the entirety of happiness rendering her speechless for a moment.
Lorcan calls her attention once more, as always, nuzzling his face against her shoulder. She touches his chin gently as she eyes the shadow of a beard cluttered across his jaw. Whispers We did well, didn't we? at his sleeping form. She can feel the rhythm of her life in patterned beats against the hollow of the night. This is the gift of death - realization. They're it.
(Oh, the irony.)
You will be splendid, her whisper is less of her own, more of the moment, directed at the heavens above, commanding -
I can't bear it if -
Maybe her dreams never came true the way she expected, but those arms of his, circling her waist, hold a modicum of a victory beyond her fathoming. She will abide the law, rendered powerless in the arms of fate. Caught like a leaf in the current of an unstoppable air, she is powerless.
But strength can be other things, too. It can be the endless sea of his eyes that she'll never finish seeing.
Lately, all she thinks it is, is a memory.
Running across charred stones in the courtyard of Hogwarts. The memories come back as clockwork, more often whenever she looks at him. They lodge themselves behind her ribs, festering even as she attempts to shrug them off. This is her life. It is the breath of air in the space between their bodies.
Master this, she murmurs, wrapping the words around a sip of water. The liquid is cold and for half a flash, she thinks, We died long before this.
Things happen in pieces. And her life has finally been collected. She stares at Lorcan's face for hours, folded neatly together in the curve of his arms, his breath hitting her face as if life is just that inch away from her. She remains awake so she can stare at what she will come to lose.
She didn't think sorrow could be smart like that, but she can feel the defeat of loving someone as it steals it all. She knows she will have to tell him the farewell that's whirling inside her head. Imagines, her hands gripping his as she tries to tell him that this is okay. It's not - it's not -
A dream with the familiarity of a memory:
Lorcan breathing against her stomach, a girl - a girl -
She takes a breath as her chest clenches painfully. We could call her Sarah -
Silly Lucy, she breathes as the deep breath of Lorcan washes over her.
(Remember: it almost was).
The last time he meets her, she is dead and he wishes he were.
Oh Merlin, the words come out in a slow breath. Oh Merlin, oh Merlin oh Merlin oh Merlin no no no no no no
He shakes her desperately. Her hair slips down, hiding her face. It's blank completely blank.
Wake up Goddammit wake up
(Her eyes are open, Lorcan).
The air is escaping in wheezing gasps of pain, his chest hurts and his head is cloudy. Lucy, no, Lucy, Lucy
He folds himself into her favourite chair in the corner of their apartment. Refuses to near their (death) bed. People have been contacted. Her father
How could you, how could you?
History bakes its moments. He reaches for her hand time and time again, recoiling as he keeps forgetting that Lucy isnt here anymore.
Forty-three years old now. Aged in tones. He feels cold, alone and so very old. There are dreams now, mostly in colour, voids of words he will never hear clearly enough to remember.
He wants to remember it all again, to relive their love. The failed attempts at love, their life together, running across the courtyard of Hogwarts, shagging in his dormitory, feeling like life was just unravelling.
His life has been unravelled.
And nothing remains.
He touches his face and then his eyes. It takes a minute, but he knows that he is crying. It wasnt supposed to be this way. It wasnt supposed to end like this.
About life she'd ask:
What did you expect?
More, hed whisper.
Surrender to this.
(The beginning, once more.).
And so, Lucy Weasley walks down the boys stairs in the early morning of her very last day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The sun is shining in through the high windows to the Common Room, tainting everything a golden hue. A thrill shoots through her and she shudders as the fear of the future coils in her gut.
She finds herself plopping down onto the old couch in front of the fireplace one last time, surrendering to melancholia. Here she is, seventeen years old and clueless and sneaking back to her dormitory after her (only) wild night. The future is rising up before her, a succession of empty days, each more daunting and unknowable than the one before her. What will she do now? What will fill her life?
Lucy? LUCY!
She turns with a start as Lorcan appears in the doorway of his dormitory, slightly out of breath.
He spots her by the fire and a smile filters across his mouth, Oh. Great. Youre here -
Um. Yes? Lucy smiles uncertainly.
Lorcan makes his way down the stairs quickly, coming to stand before her, slightly out of breath.
I didnt mean that.
Didnt mean what?
What I said before. I dont want to be friends.
Oh. Her face falls slightly as a blush spreads slowly across her freckled cheeks. Okay.
No Lorcan bends down to be at eye-level with her, I meant that I want to be more than friends
Happiness starts coiling in her stomach, her voice pitching, Oh?
Yes Lorcan nods, I want to be able to do this all the time.
Do what?
And then Lorcan puts a hand on the back of her neck, pulling her face to his, catching her lips with his effortlessly. A broken sound escapes her as he steps closer, hand gripping at her waist tenderly. They kiss there in the Common Room in front of the fire, dawn peeking around the corner, their breaths coming in gasps.
Lorcan's heart thrums hard and fast, urgent - full of life. There are smiles and gasps, mouths and hands that all scream youth.
This is where it all begins. Everything starts here. Today.
They break apart, panting lightly. Lorcan runs a finger along her lips,
So, Ill see you soon?
Yeah. I think Id like that.
Great. Well. See you soon, Lucy.
See you soon, Lorcan.
Goodbye. Goodbye.
(Surrender to this)
A/N: I don't know what to say? Exams do this to me? I dont know if its the complete lack of time that has spurred my creativity on or if its the sense of the end of all things known by me, but Im spitting out more ideas than I can count. Finishing them is a completely different matter. Anyway, my coherency is limited, due to yet another litre of coffee in my bloodstream, it seems that I never learn -- returning to this one-shot See, I read this book and it completely consumed my world? One Day. Yep, I was inspired and this was what I came up with. It's long - probably too long, but I'm no good at shortening stuff down so this is how it'll stay. Please remember to review!
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Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
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text:
CoolFan from Port Designs
Buy Now...
This is a simple looking device that just sits under the notebook, it's fan is all but silent and as it takes the warm air away from the notebook then that should run more efficiently.
It is 25.5x28x2cm and weights not a lot. The figures given are the maximum as it is heavily waisted and only 14cm in the centre. There is a 7cm area in the centre of the centre and this is powered by a 45cm long USB lead that fits into the base of the unit and can then be powered by any USB port on the notebook.
As an aside I am writing this on a very warm afternoon with the unit vertical beside me and plugged into a USB port on my desktop and a lovely cool stream is being blown over my keyboard and hands and then bouncing up to my face so I am several degrees cooler than I would otherwise be.
Port Designs are better known for their laptop bags but if global warming continues then anything that cools is certain to be a winner.
If you use your notebook as a 'Desktop Replacement then it can sit under it and even provide the tilt to allow the keyboard to have rake. However most laptops are still used on the lap and there is an area in the lap area that is best not to get overheated in the male of the species. I am certainly not going to be more specific just believe me that this area should not become overheated by notebooks.
I have used this for several hours with a notebook running on batteries and did not notice a great deal of extra battery use, certainly on mains power no detriment should be found.
In the vertical position (being used to cool the hands and face) there is a slight hum but not at a pitch to be annoying. When in it's more normal horizontal position it seems quieter but then it is under a notebook and that would muffle the output so it would appear all but silent.
I see from reading the .PDF file from the website link below that the fan is guaranteed for 25,000 hours and that is stated to be three years of continuous use.
I have had the Coolfan running beside my keyboard for an hour as I put the finishing touches to this article and the temperature is two degrees lower than it was an hour ago and I can assure you that it is no cooler outside, in fact at 16.30 on a clear afternoon it is probably warmer.
The unit is black apart from the top face that is blue and there are two rubberised strips on the top and bottom edges of the top face to aid adhesion of the notebook.
This is a simple product and a look at their website will show this is one of four designs. The likely price for the Port Designs CoolFan is around £22.99
http://www.portdesigns.com/accueil.cfm?langue=2 then click products, then E.O.S and then CoolFan.
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subset: commoncrawl


text: (Photo by Christopher Polk/KCA2011/Getty Images for Nickelodeon) [ Selena Gomez Rushed To L.A. Hospital By Chris Reed June 10, 2011 We have learned from TMZ that Selena Gomez was rushed to the hospital following the taping of The Tonight Show. Sources say that Selena was complaining of headaches and nausea. Read More Category: Entertainment News Tags: selena gomez, Selena Gomez To Hospital, Slenea Gomez Sick Send to a friend! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr!


text:
This story is the second part in a two-part series on record retention.
In my last article, I broke the bad news that spending enormous amounts of money to store massive amounts of data is not the best idea given that most of that data is completely unneeded. There is good news, however. Given that so much corporate data is unnecessary, remediating that data is generally a positive ROI proposition. When you check on how much money your company spends on storage (online, archival, backup tapes, paper), prepare to be surprised. The cost of eliminating a substantial portion of that unneeded information is generally a fraction of the cost of keeping it—particularly when considered over time.
So, how do you get there? Unfortunately, this is a tremendous challenge and there are no easy answers. But there are some steps that every company can take to begin wrestling with the problem:
- Start now. Many organizations are paralyzed by the size and scope of the challenge, and end up doing nothing. It is critical to begin to address the problem as every industry study suggests that it will simply continue to grow at an exponential rate.
- Elevate the discussion. Data remediation involves virtually every constituency in the business, from legal to IT, and records management to operations. Success will depend on executive-level support and oversight from every quarter.
- Take records management seriously. Responsibility for records management should be moved out of tax or facilities, where it is often located, to a C-level position with appropriate support staff. The impact that effective records and information management can have on expense and risk reduction is incredible, but you don't have to start from scratch. Employ professionals who understand the discipline and its application to information systems.
- Know what you need to keep. A critical first step in remediating unwanted data is in understanding current preservation obligations. This means cataloging all of the legal holds as well as all the regulatory and business retention requirements that are applicable to your company. You must also consider whether there is a legitimate business reason to preserve records longer than required by regulation. Sometimes this information already exists in the legal and compliance departments but, if you don't know what you are supposed to keep, you can't know what you can safely dispose of.
- Target low-risk, high-reward applications. Chances are there are a number of information stores that constitute low-hanging fruit for a remediation project, including legacy systems (data stores that are no longer in active use), backup tapes and even boxes of paper sitting in off-site storage. A great place to start is enforcing existing retention obligations against paper records. Raise the bar for requesting an extension of the retention period. Too often destruction notices are routinely denied without real justification. With respect to legacy data and backup tapes, leverage emerging technologies that greatly simplify and reduce the cost of identifying information that can safely be destroyed. For example, Index Engines can help your company to index all of the information on a backup tape, allowing you to search the content and metadata of all of the files on the tape without having to restore the tape. The reduction in time and cost can be dramatic. Similar technologies can be used with legacy and even active data stores to identify unneeded information at a fraction of the cost and in a fraction of the time that was required even a few years ago. Every company has easy-to-target repositories of data, particularly now that we're beginning to overcome the technological limitations on data management. One or two quick wins will give your program substantial momentum.
- Develop and instill an information management compliance culture. This requires a potentially significant change in mindset for most employees, but it will be critical to future success. Begin by educating employees on the significant costs associated with maintaining enormous volumes of unnecessary information. Update record retention policies and schedules, and train your employees on them. Begin communicating the need for individual responsibility for information management. As good as the technology is becoming, in the near term at least, there will continue to be a substantial need for human involvement in the process, so start educating people now.
- Think creatively about retention. When all of our records were paper, we organized them in manila folders, the folders went into boxes and the boxes onto shelves. It was not unusual for companies to have hundreds, even thousands of records classifications. Today, however, with mixed-use data repositories such as Microsoft SharePoint and e-mail archives, the traditionally complex records classifications become unmanageable. It will be necessary, then, to think creatively about reducing the number of record classes and leveraging technology to facilitate the retention process. This is where your multi-disciplinary team of records management and IT professionals will shine.
Managing information in modern corporate environments is difficult, complex work. Taking it seriously, however, can reduce risk and significant amounts of money. At home, it may be fine to keep your old cigar box but, at work, it's time to clean house.


text:
By Alaa Allagta.
Source: Alaa Allagta Facebook page.
Link: bit.ly/2kr4G3B
Note: On February 7, 2017, Amnesty International published a report titled "Human Slaughterhouse" that exposes the regime's extrajudicial executions that happened inside the Sednaya Prison. Between 2011 and 2015, the Syrian authorities used to take groups of 50 people out of their cells to be hanged, this operation used to happen on a weekly basis, and even sometimes twice a week.
Amesty International's report estimated that 13000 people were secretly executed in Sednaya over five years, most of whom were civilians. The report also showed that the government intentionally creates inhumane conditions for the detainees, by torturing them and depriving them from food, water, medicine and medical care, according to Amnesty International.
Read Amnesty International's report in English.


text:
Reasoner- Returning Home
Credits & Info
- Uploaded
- Mar 13, 2008 | 1:56 PM EDT
- File Info
- Song
- 2 min 45 sec
- Score
- 4.28 / 5.00
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Licensing Terms
Please contact me if you would like to use this in a project. We can discuss the details.
- Score:
- Rated 4.28 / 5 stars
- Plays & Downloads:
- 11,925 Plays | 1,987 Downloads
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- Genres:
- Electronic - Ambient
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Author Comments
Rated 5 / 5 stars
i don't know how you do it. every single one of your songs reach me at an emotional level. some of them are so powerful that i can't help but to well up with tears. whatever it is you're doing, you do it amazingly. keep it going strong.
Rated 5 / 5 stars
you made me speechless from all your songs.
Rated 5 / 5 stars
*sniff* <:D
What a great song i love it! I am going to listen to these in bed a lot once my flatscreen is fixed. I love music like this a lot great job!
Rated 5 / 5 stars
I swear, I'm gonna download all of your songs and play them when I go to bed. These are so soothing, like I am in heaven. Plus it's a great way to counteract the death metal I listen to during the day time. ;P
Rated 5 / 5 stars
great ambient
Great ambient song, sensitive and sweet.


text: Vendeur: ukbox (3.035) 98.1%, Lieu où se trouve: UK United Kingdom, Lieu de livraison: GB, Numéro de l'objet: 152237824877 MPN: T746, Brand: Tetra, Les Détails: we are proudly UK based Reliable precise and easytouse aquarium heaters. Tropical freshwater and marine fish require a stable temperature of around 2427C in order to remain healthy and in good condition. The TetraTec HT range of heaters maintain a constant temperature via an inbuilt thermostat making it easy to provide the correct conditions. Easytoset temperature control allows adjustments of 0.5C within range of 20C 32C 1.6 m mains cable for easy fitting Safet ShutOff turns heater off if accidently run dry Can be fully submerged and positioned horizontally Electronic regulator for extra relability and safety Extra thick heatresistant borosilicate glass for peace of mind TUVGS tested safety and reliability assured Application Simply attach your TetraTec heater to the side of the aquarium using the enclosed rubber suckers. The heater must be fully submerged. Then set the temperature dial to the desired setting and turn on the power. The indicator light will illuminate when the heater is in operation. Always read the instructions carefully before use. Model Power Consumption Size of Aquarium HT50 50 W 25 60 litres HT100 100 W 100 150 litres HT150 150 W 150 225 litres HT200 200 W 225 300 litres HT300 300 W 300 450 litres By Pet Things - Fur, Hair, Fins and Feathers!Brand - TetraModel - T746Shipping Weight - 4.41lb/2000gItem Dimensions - L 0 inches /0cmBy Pet Things - Fur, Hair, Fins and Feathers!ukbox Payment:We accept PayPal only, you do not need a PayPal account, you can pay with your credit or debit card via PayPal.All items are brand new in the box. Our Service: We will handle your order fast, We will dispatch your item fast, We will serve you better! Shipping: We aim to dispatch within 1-2 business day, All postage costs listed are for UK mainland.Please ensure you specify the correct delivery address during checkout before checkout.Some of our shipments go out from a retail shipping company, in this case your postage details will be passed on to shipping company. Returns:We offer 14 days returns policy.In case of faulty or not-as-described items please contact us and we will arrange your return for exchange or for a refund.If for any reason you are unhappy with your purchase, or have simply changed your mind, please contact us We will then issue you with a return labels.You can return an unused items to us within 14 days with original packaging, you are responsible for paying for the carriage of items back to us. International Buyers:All items are dispatched/shipped from the United Kingdom mostly by Royal Mail priority airmail, Typically items arrives within 10-20 days, but some can take up to 30 days.Electronic Items has a UK standard power, you may need outlet adapter or converter to use them in your country.Import duties, charges or taxes are not included in the item price or shipping charges, These charges are the buyer responsibility onlyPlease check with your country customs to determine what these additional costs will be before buying.We cannot mark items as gifts or to mark merchandise values below the real value. Please contact us If you have any question or if you need our help. a


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GREENWOOD � A clutch basket by Tyrone Payne helped Pine Bluff pass its first-round in the 6A state boys basketball tournament.
GREENWOOD � A clutch basket by Tyrone Payne helped Pine Bluff pass its first-round in the 6A state boys basketball tournament.
Payne hit a two-point shot with 4.6 seconds left to break a tie, and the Zebras held on to defeat Mountain Home 58-55 Thursday in the final first-round game of the tourney. Pine Bluff (14-10) now has another test ahead when it takes on Jonesboro, last year�s 6A state runner-up, here at 8:30 tonight.
After Payne made his go-ahead basket, the Bombers were called for traveling. Rickey Clements was then fouled and made 1 of 2 free throws, still giving the Bombers a chance to tie. But their three-point shot before the buzzer was no good.
Mountain Home charged back into the game after trailing 21-7 through one period. Pine Bluff was up 31-22 at halftime, but its lead was only 39-36 going into the final 8 minutes.
�Starting out, we were in man,� Pine Bluff coach Carl Smith said. �We had to back out because of foul trouble. Mountain Home made some key baskets.�
Payne led the Zebras with 19 points. Darrian Kee scored 17 and Clements finished with 14.
The winner of tonight�s Pine Bluff-Jonesboro game will play either Benton or El Dorado at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.


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Sometimes you just need a break from your normal fat loss and muscle building goals and set a performance goal. A performance goal forces you to rethink your training, and may even jump start a stale training program.
The following are 2 feats of strength and endurance you can perform with just your bodyweight:
10 Single Bar Dips
You all know what parallel bar dips are. Now it's time to introduce you guys to single bar dips:
Single bar dips are tougher than they look. They'll make your triceps scream in pain!
20 Pullups
Another great feat of strength is to be able to do 20 pullups in a row. I'm almost there (18). Here's what 20 pullups look like:
As you can see, the goal is to perform dead hang pullups – all the way up, and all the way down. No bouncing, no jerking, no momentum.
Start training for these two exercises and guaranteed you'll boost your strength, endurance, and improve your body!
Another great way to increase your strength and endurance is to start using the movements in Scott Sonnon's Tacfit Bodyweight Workouts. Click on the next page to learn more:
Burn Fat with Calisthenics!
Finally...learn how to get in shape at home or in the park with limited to no equipment. Your bodyweight is all you need with these intense workouts...


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Here the apostle advises them to shun the company and converse of scandalous professors. Consider,
I. The advice itself: I wrote to you in a letter not to company with fornicators, 1 Cor. 5:9. Some think this was an epistle written to them before, which is lost. Yet we have lost nothing by it, the Christian revelation being entire in those books of scripture which have come down to us, which are all that were intended by God for the general use of Christians, or he could and would in his providence have preserved more of the writings of inspired men. Some think it is to be understood of this very epistle, that he had written this advice before he had full information of their whole case, but thought it needful now to be more particular. And therefore on this occasion he tells them that if any man called a brother, any one professing Christianity, and being a member of a Christian church, were a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, that they should not keep company with him, nor so much as eat with such a one. They were to avoid all familiarity with him; they were to have no commerce with him; they were to have no commerce with him: but, that they might shame him, and bring him to repentance, must disclaim and shun him. Note, Christians are to avoid the familiar conversation of fellow-christians that are notoriously wicked, and under just censure for their flagitious practices. Such disgrace the Christian name. They may call themselves brethren in Christ, but they are not Christian brethren. They are only fit companions for the brethren in iniquity; and to such company they should be left, till they mend their ways and doings.
II. How he limits this advice. He does not forbid the Christians the like commerce with scandalously wicked heathens. He does not forbid their eating nor conversing with the fornicators of this world, etc. They know no better. They profess no better. The gods they serve, and the worship they render to many of them, countenance such wickedness. "You must needs go out of the world if you will have no conversation with such men. Your Gentile neighbours are generally vicious and profane; and it is impossible, as long as you are in the world, and have any worldly business to do, but you must fall into their company. This cannot be wholly avoided." Note, Christians may and ought to testify more respect to loose worldlings than to loose Christians. This seems a paradox. Why should we shun the company of a profane or loose Christian, rather than that of a profane or loose heathen?
III. The reason of this limitation is here assigned. It is impossible the one should be avoided. Christians must have gone out of the world to avoid the company of loose heathens. But this was impossible, as long as they had business in the world. While they are minding their duty, and doing their proper business, God can and will preserve them from contagion. Besides, they carry an antidote against the infection of their bad example, and are naturally upon their guard. They are apt to have a horror at their wicked practices. But the dread of sin wears off by familiar converse with wicked Christians. Our own safety and preservation are a reason of this difference. But, besides, heathens were such as Christians had nothing to do to judge and censure, and avoid upon a censure passed; for they are without (1 Cor. 5:12), and must be left to God's judgment, 1 Cor. 5:13. But, as to members of the church, they are within, are professedly bound by the laws and rules of Christianity, and not only liable to the judgment of God, but to the censures of those who are set over them, and the fellow-members of the same body, when they transgress those rules. Every Christian is bound to judge them unfit for communion and familiar converse. They are to be punished, by having this mark of disgrace put upon them, that they may be shamed, and, if possible, reclaimed thereby: and the more because the sins of such much more dishonour God than the sins of the openly wicked and profane can do. The church therefore is obliged to clear herself from all confederacy with them, or connivance at them, and to bear testimony against their wicked practices. Note, Though the church has nothing to do with those without, it must endeavour to keep clear of the guilt and reproach of those within.
IV. How he applies the argument to the case before him: "Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person, 1 Cor. 5:13. Cast him out of your fellowship, and avoid his conversation."
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Pixable: Browse Facebook Photos In iPhone-Like Interface [Chrome]
When we browse through our Facebook newsfeed, we come across a massive collection of all kinds of photos, uploaded by our friends and family. To see all these images we need a lot of time, and with all the effort, it is still possible that we might miss out on the ones that actually matter to us. This is where Pixable, a Chrome extension, comes in handy. This smart tool organizes photos in a gorgeous way and lets you see all of them in one slick pop-up. The extension is fully customizable, and after you've connected your Facebook account with Pixable, it instantly pulls photos from Facebook feed and creates a photo stream that you can view right in the pop-up. Additionally, Pixable ranks and sorts your friends' photos based on popularity and your connections, giving you a more personal viewing experience. With it, you can flip through feeds like New Cover Photos, My Likes & Comments, Top of the Day, New Profile Pics, Most Recent Photos and others. The extension makes sure that you enjoy your friends' photos by following them, and receive notifications when they upload or when they are tagged in photos.
To start off, click the button in the toolbar and a pop-up will appear with all your friend's photos organized into feeds like Most Recent Photos, Top of the Day, My Likes and Comments, New Cover Photos, New Profile Pics and more. Each feed displays the total number of photos, and you can click a feed to view the photos in a neat layout. At the top of the pop-up, you will also find other categories like Friends, Everyone and Me.
When a photo is selected from a category, it is displayed in an iOS-like interface. At the top, you will find the total number of likes and comments. In addition to that, click the Back button to view the album and click a friend's name to view all their albums. The forward/backward arrows allow you to navigate between photos found in an album.
You can click the arrow icon at the top right corner of the photo to access the Like on Facebook, Share on Facebook and Share on Twitter options.
Clicking the icon for the comments/likes lets you like or comment on the photo. Whenever you comment or like a photo on Pixable, the same is automatically replicated on Facebook; however, it is not possible to open an image directly on Facebook through this pop-up.
The best part is, you can follow friends by simply clicking the Follow button. With this feature, you will be able to view desktop notifications when they upload or are tagged in a photo.
The extension also shows you popular images from Flickr and Instagram. With Pixable, you can enjoy browsing photos in a visually appealing interface, without any clutter. We recommended all Chrome users to install this extension and give it a try!
Install Pixable For Google Chrome


text: Hi, everyone. I'm coding an open source project. Based on comments from here and IRC, I've rewritten part of it with a new approach to style. I'm looking for feedback. Do you find this code easy to understand? Please look specifically at comtypes.c and comtypes.h (I haven't worked on the other source files yet).


text:
Everything's coming up yellow roses
By Richard Turcsik
Market Street blossoms in Flower Mound, Texas, with local produce, Texas-raised beef, artisan bakery products, unique gifts, competitive groceries, the biggest gluten-free selection in town and superior customer service. Officials at United Supermarkets have taken a "fresh" approach with the latest prototype of their upscale Market Street format. In the Flower Mound, Texas store, up to a dozen types of artisan breads are baked daily from scratch. House-made salmon jerky is the specialty in seafood, Texas-raised beef in the meat case. Shoppers can even enjoy a glass of wine or bottle of beer with their smoked Texas brisket platter from the Texas Kitchen prepared foods case. However, the most distinct difference is the big emphasis on produce. It has literally been placed front-and-center, right at the entrance. Produce can even be seen in Market Street's new logo, debuting with the store, which features a stylized Texas grapefruit and spoon—after all, it is the State Fruit of Texas. "Through focus groups and different projects that we've all been working on we realized that we are really proud of our produce," says Kurt McMillan, regional vice president of operations, Market Street/DFW, in the Frisco, Texas office of Lubbock, Texas-based United Supermarkets. "In most of our stores it is toward the back end of the store. It is the same design we've had for years. Somebody once mentioned, 'If you're so proud of it, why isn't it front-and-center?' We really thought about that and that is what we wanted to do." The other Market Street stores begin the shopping experience with a gift basket station and the dish giftware department. "We're all about food, so we made sure with this store that food was one of the first things you saw and that you were able to start smelling and touching it right when you walk in," McMillan says. Lots of stores kick off the shopping pattern with produce, but most run it in a linear aisle. This Market Street uses more of a boxy boutique approach. "So far it has been very well received by shoppers," McMillan says. The emphasis is really on local. "Texas Fresh" is blazoned on the department's back wall; signs over items give detailed family histories of the farmers—personally visited by United buyers—and a scoreboard-style sign at the front of the department states how many locally grown fruits and veggies are being offered today. "Local is such a big deal," McMillan says. "This sign changes every other day or so when we get our trucks in." On a blustery late January morning 37 locally grown fruits or vegetables were offered; during the peak summer growing season that number will easily surpass 100. The prototype, in the upscale Dallas/Ft. Worth suburb of Flower Mound, opened in December. At 55,000 square feet, it is noticeably smaller than the average Market Street, which comes in at around 72,000 square feet. Its size was reduced to protect a grove of old oak trees. United officials like the smaller footprint. McMillan says that the larger the store, the higher the land costs, overhead and utility bills. "We reengineered this store to take out some of the wasted space and take a look at our offering and keep the best of the best," he says. "We really think that this footprint can be something that can take us to the future." One of the "best of the best" offerings is the concierge desk, located against the front wall opposite produce. Different from the courtesy booth, the concierge is where associates assist customers with party planning, catering, corporate affairs and social events, like weddings and graduations. "This team is invaluable to us," McMillan says. "We do a tremendous amount of weddings and they help with every bit of that, including planning the cake, the food and even help with selecting the right champagne." Oprah's favorite coffee The shopping pattern then swings shoppers to the foodservice area of the store, anchored by Peet's Coffee & Tea Shop. United officials thought long and hard about selecting Peet's, McMillan says, noting that it would have been easier to put in a Starbucks, as did competitors Tom Thumb and Kroger. "Peet's coffee is Oprah's favorite coffee," McMillan says. "Peet's is huge on the West Coast. The biggest thing about them is the freshness. They don't roast the coffee until we order it and a lot of time it is only five days old when we receive it. In traditional supply channels that is not even possible. "In this market Peet's is a lesser known product, but our customers have tried it and continue to try it. If we were to get rid of it now there'd be a mutiny on our hands," he says. Adjacent to Peet's, fronting the foodservice seating area, is Libations—Market Street's beer and wine bar. "This is brand new to this store and we feel that once the weather warms up people will take full advantage of the outdoor patio," McMillan says. On the opposite side of Peet's is an AFC Sushi counter, followed by the Texas Kitchen hot food service counter featuring a stone pizza oven and smoked meats, including pork ribs and beef briskets. "The briskets are brought in from our Praters Foods central kitchen in Lubbock," McMillan says. "We found that we can do a better, more consistent brisket there than we can individually in the stores." Directly across from Texas Kitchen is Market Street's famous self-service salad bar. In addition to standard salad bar fixings there are more unusual components, including a blue cheese iceberg wedge, artichoke and palm hearts salad, carrot/pineapple slaw and legendary homemade soups. "Every city has a 'Best of' list and we are always listed as the best salad bar," McMillan says. "It is fascinating to us because there are some really big restaurants in the category and we beat 'em." To the left of Texas Kitchen is a Boar's Head Deli. "Boar's Head is a real good partner for us," McMillan says. "They are in Kroger and a couple of other places in town. There are other programs out there but Boar's Head quality is second to none. They have a great program and we just felt they matched up with what we were trying to do." The Deli area includes a 200-plus SKU service cheese case and leads into the Bakery. Thumbprint cookies "There are some really good par baked breads out there, but all of our breads are done in-house, 100% from scratch," McMillan says. Around a dozen are available daily, including Bay City sourdough, spinach feta, good-n-grainy and white chocolate apricot. Other popular items are brownies and cookies. "Our Thumbprint cookies are 100% from scratch," McMillan says. "We roll them out and cut them and the baker literally puts a thumb in it to make an indentation for the icing. It is a tedious process, but a signature item that has done real well." Across from the bakery is an extensive beer and wine department specializing in craft beers and staffed with wine stewards and beer cicerones. Along the store's back wall is the extensive service seafood and meat case. One unique item is the store-made salmon jerky, available in cherry habanero, pineapple mango and spicy apple varieties and made with salmon that is smoked in-house. A specialty of the adjacent service meat case is the Texas Tumble chicken breast, available in flavors that include beer brined, citrus rosemary, chipotle lime fajita and ginger teriyaki. "This is not just a marinated product, but we literally put it in a tumbler which is vacuum-sealed and pulls the muscle apart so the flavor and seasoning goes all through the breast," McMillan says. Two other specialties are the 21-day dry- aged beef and the Genuine Texas Beef—By Texans for Texans. "We are the only ones in Texas that have this," McMillan says. A key part of the grocery department is the self-service bulk section, featuring hundreds of items, including grinders where customers can make their own peanut butter, and stainless steel urns filled with local Texas honey, agave nectar, extra virgin olive oil and U.S. Grade A maple syrup. Another important grocery component is an extensive selection of gluten-free products. Not only is an entire aisle devoted to them, but national brand gluten-free items are also interspersed with their regular counterparts. "Most stores just have a small six-foot section, but this store has the largest selection of gluten-free products in the entire city of Dallas," McMillan says. "We don't just feel comfortable saying that—that is a fact." Local and regional items are stocked in grocery and United officials pride themselves that Market Street is price competitive with market leaders Walmart, Kroger and Tom Thumb. Due to its smaller size, this Market Street does not have a pharmacy, but it still has an extensive selection of HBC items, including many homeopathic remedies and unusual goods, such as fragrant cut-to-order Zumbar Goat's Milk Soaps, available in varieties that include Frankincense and Myrrh, Patchouli Oatmeal Lavender, Tea Tree Citrus and Grapefruit. "When people walk in we don't want them to think that this is just another me-too Kroger or Safeway," McMillan says. "These things help differentiate us." Another differentiator is the large selection of supplements in the living well department. "There are a lot of products in this area that will not sell to supermarkets, but only health food stores," McMillan says. "But when they came in to look at our operation they realized that we have a trained specialist in our store who is here seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. They realize that we try to uphold the integrity of this area and won't mix anything with artificial ingredients in this area." Adjoining the living well department is the dish giftware department, overflowing with unique items including hand-painted pottery, china, crystal and lamps. Items are hand-selected at merchandise marts, including the one in Dallas. "A lot of people who shop here really love this department," McMillan says. "You are not going to find your basic thing that is shipped over from China or picked from some catalog. Everything in this area had a decision made behind it." By stocking these types of unique items Market Street is holding its own against formidable competition that includes Safeway's Tom Thumb chain, Sprouts Farmers Market, Walmart Neighborhood Market and a Kroger directly across the street that was expanded and remodeled into a Kroger Signature format to combat its new competition. Adding more fuel to the fire, a Whole Foods is slated to open in town later this year. "This is certainly one of the most competitive markets that we are in," says Eddie Owens, director of communications and public relations at United. DFW is a much different market than the more rural Lubbock in West Texas, he says. "It has been a learning experience being down here and figuring what we have to do differently." Carryout service One thing management refused to change was United's renowned carryout service. "For 95-plus years we have been carrying out groceries," McMillan says, "and if you shop here today we will wrestle you for your groceries to carry them out. We feel that our biggest differentiator, especially in this market, is our service. Ultimate service is our mission statement." The practice has been quickly embraced by DFW residents. "It kind of takes you back to that Norman Rockwell feeling," McMillan says. Another benefit, he adds, is that it gives many teens their first chance at having a real job. "We employ a lot of young kids from 15 up. It is a great place for them to learn," he says. The carryout service has taken Metroplex residents some getting used to, Owens says. "When we go into a big community like this, number one, people don't expect it, and, number two, they are shocked when the kids won't take tips," he says. "We are such a fixture in West Texas that everyone knows about our carryout service and it is expected." Knock on woods Building the Market Street in Flower Mound was no walk in the park. In fact, the project was seven years in the making, thanks to a grove of old majestic oak trees growing in the back of the store site. "There are three main trees out here and believe it or not, these three trees almost held up the whole project," says Kurt McMillan, regional vice president of operations, Market Street/DFW, in the Frisco, Texas, office of Lubbock-based United Supermarkets. "This was supposed to be the third store we opened in the Dallas/Ft. Worth market and instead it ended up being our seventh." To preserve the trees and surrounding woodlands, Flower Mound officials declared the site an "urban forest" and have dubbed it "River Walk." Their ultimate goal is to have a smaller scale version of San Antonio's famed River Walk, lined with trees, shops, hotels and offices, McMillan says. As a result of the trees, the Flower Mound Market Street is somewhat smaller than its sister stores in the DFW Metroplex. While agreeing that the mighty gnarled oaks should be saved, United officials also wanted to ensure that their patrons could enjoy them. That is why they built a side entrance that leads to a breezeway that opens up into an outdoor patio/dining/event/playground area. "We hated having these beautiful trees back here and only having delivery-truck drivers seeing them, so we wanted to do something different," McMillan says. The result is a large patio wrapped in wrought iron fencing and filled with about a dozen umbrella-topped patio tables that will afford patrons an outdoor dining experience while shielding them from the shimmering Texas summer heat. "We hope this will be a place for sports teams, like the local Little Leagues, to come and meet after the games, and also a place where families can hold birthday parties. We are set up that we can do some live entertainment," McMillan says.


text:
- Treatments
- Liposuction
- Pictures
- 25-34 year old woman...
25-34 year old woman treated with Liposuction
*Treatment results may vary
Was this photo helpful? {{ voteCount + ' other' + (voteCountOthers == 1 ? '' : 's') }} found this helpful
Liposuction 31 year old Female Tummy Tuck on Female Gender: Female Procedures: Tummy Tuck, Liposuction in addition to an abdominoplasty for this thirty-one year old mother of one.Notice the dramatic change post-op of her now tightened abdomen,no skin laxity ,and improved profile. Liposuction during surgery was used to help contour for added body sculpting. ndividual results may vary.


text:
MOSCOW, March 3 (Reuters) - Russia's gas giant Gazprom said on Thursday it has raised a 2 billion euro ($2.2 billion) loan from Bank of China Limited, London Branch, the largest ever direct loan for the company raised from one lender.
It said the duration of the loan, first raised by Gazprom from a Chinese bank, is five years.
(Reporting by Katya Golubkova; writing by Vladimir Soldatkin)
Copyright 2017 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.
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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416792064076825073.post2063492183275511546..comments2016-02-20T15:38:33.796+00:00Comments on Confessions of TwiCrack Addicts: Oh, Epic LOL - Where Have You Been All My Twi-Life?!Linsane firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416792064076825073.post-48074997396077708942009-12-05T20:56:31.685+00:002009-12-05T20:56:31.685+00:00MST3K! I HEART THEM SOOOO MUCH! ok, no more shouty...MST3K! I HEART THEM SOOOO MUCH! ok, no more shouty caps, sorry.

That damn song, Bellas lullaby, I'll NEVER listen to it the same, ever ever again! LMAO!

I always thought the drive home from Port Angeles was the worst acting in the film. "line...line...." LOL! When Kristen says, "What is going on?" I always cringe. It's terrible. LOL!Kerrihttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416792064076825073.post-58468464984884110222009-12-05T05:20:57.302+00:002009-12-05T05:20:57.302+00:00"I want to chomp into your throat And watch you bl..."I want to chomp into your throat
And watch you bleed out on the floor
Then I'll bathe myself in your light essence as you die
Tear your heart out of your chest and crack the bones and suck the marrow out
Slice into your brain for sandwiches and maybe have an omlette made of…"email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416792064076825073.post-21720305183093218242009-12-02T11:29:28.244+00:002009-12-02T11:29:28.244+00:00Gah a disclaimer needs posted to warn people to NO...Gah a disclaimer needs posted to warn people to NOT watch when everyone else in the house is or shall I say WAS sleeping...LOLspunk ransomhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416792064076825073.post-77503407810102606582009-12-02T00:52:55.712+00:002009-12-02T00:52:55.712+00:00I must have watched that 30 times in a row. &quo...I must have watched that 30 times in a row.

"Oh, I went up to Twin Peaks and killed Laura Palmer"

"lines... lines..."

Okay, have to watch it again.Jenny Jerkfacehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416792064076825073.post-90862179136374609022009-12-01T22:46:47.553+00:002009-12-01T22:46:47.553+00:00omg, haha. "man, your blood would rock~"...omg, haha. "man, your blood would rock~"firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416792064076825073.post-10743863489172393542009-12-01T22:36:23.368+00:002009-12-01T22:36:23.368+00:00this is literally the funniest thing ever. it'...this is literally the funniest thing ever. it's worth the like $1 to download the entire rifftrax for twilight. i was laughing through the entire thing.ambie916https://email@example.com