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Comprehensive Funeral Plan
A Comprehensive Funeral Plan makes sure that you and your loved ones are laid to rest with dignity and respect. With an affordable monthly premium of P85.00, we guarantee cover of up to P15,000.00 for you and your family when it is needed most. We also offer cover for your parents-in-law and extended family for a low additional monthly payment.
What does it offer me?
Cover will be provided on death of the policyholder or a member of their family, according to the following benefit scales:
Table of benefits (Pula)
|Main member
|Child 14-21 years old
|Child 6-13 years old
|Child under 5 years old
Features and benefits
The policy will remain in force for 12 months with no premium required for the immediate family on death of the main member.
Grocery benefit
The grocery benefit provides an additional benefit to the surviving family of P500 a month for six months after the death of the main member or their spouse. This benefit is paid as a lump sum of P3,000.00 together with the funeral benefit.
Double accidental death benefit
If the main member or their spouse dies from unnatural causes then the funeral benefit is doubled.
Tombstone benefit
The tombstone benefit provides an additional benefit of P3,000 payable to the surviving family on death of the main member.
Optional benefits
i. Parents and parents-in-law
Parents and parents-in-law can be covered for an additional premium. A maximum of two parents and two parents-in-law can be covered. The benefit is P5 000.00 for each insured.
ii. Extended family
Up to four extended family members can be covered for an additional premium. The benefit is P5,000.00 for each insured.
Who qualifies?
The Comprehensive Funeral Plan is only available to Stanbic Bank account holders. The benefit is taken up on a voluntary basis. A family can consist of one policyholder, one spouse and six children
Maximum number of policies
The maximum number of policies is three per person.
Waiting period
Your cover is only valid after a six-month waiting period for natural deaths, which means six months after your cover is approved.
Payment method
Debit order.
Payment of benefits
All valid claims will be paid within 48 hours of receipt and verification of all the necessary supporting documents.
How to apply?
For more information:
- Email the Bancassurance team at: [email protected] or
- Email our Customer Care Centre at: [email protected] or
- Call us on 00267 3618555 or 0800 600 685.


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McDERMOTT LIBRARY
The McDermott (Cadet) Library provides collegiate and professional-level reference, research and reading collections that support the academic and mission needs of the Academy. The Clark Special Collections, located on the 6th floor of the Library, houses a wealth of historical materials related to manned flight, air warfare, falconry, and the U.S. Air Force. McDermott Library's online system provides access to the library catalog as well as to thousands of electronic resources.
Note:国产偷拍视频 For security reasons, access to this library is restricted to Academy cadets, faculty and staff. To arrange an escorted visit, contact the Administrative Offices, listed below.
McDermott Library
2354 Fairchild Drive, Suite 3A10
United States Air Force Academy, CO 80840
Administrative Offices
(719) 333-2590
Reference / Information
(719) 333-4406
Sunday, 2 to 10:30 p.m.
Monday – Thursday, 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, Closed
The Base (Community Center) Library supports the Preparatory School 国产偷拍视频and provides services and resources for Academy staff and their families, including audio books, children's story time, computers, reading materials and more. The DFLIB system also supports the Academy's departmental reference collections and field libraries in staff agencies.
Base Library
5136 Redtail Drive, Suite H103
United States Air Force Academy, CO 80840
(719) 333-4665
Sunday, Closed
Monday – Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
国产偷拍视频 Closed on Federal Holidays

subset: commoncrawl


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Menopause - that's miles off. I'm only in my thirties. BUT WAIT! If your periods are heavier than ever before it could mean the menopause is lurking. You may be in 'perimenopause' as we speak.
It's when menstruation comes to an end and fertility starts to shut down. As women age their oestrogen levels drop, ready for the time that we can't have kids any more. For some this is a blessing, for others it's a nightmare.
Menopause comes to us all, but before medically defined menopause (the cessation of periods), comes the perimenopause. The average age of menopause for women in the UK is 51, but it can happen as young as 40 or as old as 60. HRT can help some women with menopause symptoms, and it's worth investigating this if you need some support.
They vary of course but here are a few.
Like some cosmic joke, menopause can interfere with your cycle however it pleases. You'd think those periods would be drying up, but no. Research from the International Journal Of Obstetrics and Gynaecology found that heavy bleeding was frequently observed in 91% of women approaching the menopause. Experts say this can last up to eight years. Please don't cry. There is a reason for it.
During perimenopause your hormones go on a wild rampage, just like a group of five-year-olds racing space hoppers. Many women find that, as they've aged, their cycles have settled, so it's infuriating and upsetting to find them causing teenage havoc once again.
Researchers think that sometimes progesterone levels drop low whereas oestrogen levels can go high, and this leads to a build up of uterine lining. When that sheds you're in for the mother of all periods - what goes in must come out.
This heavy flow can include large blood clots, and some women find themselves changing tampons and pads every hour, even waking during the night to change sanitary protection. This is called menorrhagia or 'flooding', but short of building an ark what can you do?
It's so unfair that our hormones decide to play merry hell with us just at a time we're feeling a bit rubbish about growing older. If you are suffering with heavy periods it's worth talking to your doctor about dealing with perimenopause.Please don't suffer in silence, the menopause is a difficult time for some women and there is help out there.
As March is the month raising awareness on 'Endometriosis Awareness'... Continue reading


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Electricity & Power
Siemens overdelivers on promise in Egypt Megaproject
Ahead of schedule in Egypt:
Siemens connects 10 percent more power to the grid than contractually agreed upon. Together with its local Egyptian partners, Siemens is erecting three gas-fired combined cycle power plants, each with a capacity of 4.8 gigawatts, for a total combined capacity of 14.4 gigawatts.
"We made a promise to Egypt and we kept our word. And by doing so, we not only overachieved in performance, we also broke all records in modern turnkey power plant construction. This was only possible by an outstanding collaboration between the Government, the Ministry of Electricity, the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company and a dedicated and competent Siemens team," said Joe Kaeser, President and CEO of Siemens AG. "This underscores that Egypt and its people and any other nation or partner can count on Siemens to support mission-critical developments in their economy and society. Siemens is the best partner for such megaprojects, which can make a difference for entire nations," Kaeser added.
H.E. Dr. Mohamed Shaker, the Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, said: "The role of energy in economic development is undeniable. This is why we are committed to efficiently meeting Egypt's growing energy demand through balancing supply and demand, optimizing the country's natural resources like natural gas and renewable energy, as well as ensuring a competitive energy sector through technology and know-how transfer." He added: "Siemens power projects will definitely make an important contribution to our power strategy. With a focus on building local talent and capacity, the company is also training 600 Egyptian engineers and technicians, who will contribute to Egypt's future of energy. I believe these projects are a great example of how Egypt recognizes the importance of working with international long-term partners, like Siemens, to drive the country's sustainable economic growth."
After completion in May 2018, the three power stations will be the largest gas-fired, combined cycle power plants ever built and operated in the world. Emad Ghaly, CEO of Siemens Egypt, said: "This is a major achievement for our country and our people. I am proud that the Siemens team was selected to contribute to this success. The plants will supply enough electricity for 45 million people and enable Egypt to achieve USD1.3 billion in fuel savings on an annual basis. With these projects, we provide an essential contribution to stabilize both the energy supply and the economy in our country, which has an outstanding importance for the whole Middle East region and Africa."
Together with local Egyptian partners Elsewedy Electric and Orascom Construction, Siemens is supplying on a turnkey basis three natural gas-fired combined cycle power plants, each with a capacity of 4.8 GW, for a total combined capacity of 14.4 GW. The three power plants – Beni Suef, Burullus and New Capital – will be powered by 24 Siemens H-Class gas turbines, selected for their high output and efficiency. The scope of supply also comprises twelve steam turbines, 36 generators, 24 heat recovery steam generators and three 500 kV gas-insulated switchgear systems. The dimensions of the megaproject are enormous: More than 20,000 workers are engaged at the construction sites during implementation. Over 1.6 million tons of material are being handled.
(Siemens AG Press Release)


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Customize your gift. Purchasing online, you can choose from many different gift card styles and pick the gift dollar value. The recipient will have their choice of yoga class packages, massage therapy or a combination of the two.
Email or print and give out gift certificate. The certificate will have the recipient's name and your name entered as well as the dollar value of the gift. You may also add a personal message onto the certificate. You order yourself online. Pick the email delivery date or print certificate and share the gift. Let an OMazing staff member step you through the process if you'd like us to help.
Credit card style gift certificates are also available for purchase at the studio. These all come with a matching envelope. Use them to mail or hand deliver to friends and family.
Your Name (required)
Your Email (required)
Your Message
Yoga OMazing~1849 NE 106th Avenue~Suite 200~Hillsboro, OR 97006
(off Cornell Road 1/4 mile west of NW 185th Avenue)
©2014 through 2019 Yoga OMazing All Rights Reserved


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About This Item
We aim to show you accurate product information. Manufacturers, suppliers and others provide what you see here, and we have not verified it.
You can expect lasting durability with this 100% cotton, unisex adult big and tall T shirt; our designs are printed on the highest quality national brand T shirts such as Gildan, Delta, Alstyle, and more. In addition to being 5.3oz with an 18/1 thread count, all our shirts are preshrunk and feature a double needle collar, sleeve and hem perfect for both men and women.
- Each one of our designs are officially licensed and 100% authentic. The designs are created by our incredibly talented in house graphic art team who often hand draw and illustrate each Tee shirt design.
- 100% Satisfaction is guaranteed! If you are unsatisfied with our product, we will replace it or refund you immediately.
- Our shirts are machine washable. Tumble dry low. Not to mention, our graphic tees are the perfect holiday gift, birthday present, or just treat yourself!
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About our prices
We're committed to providing low prices every day, on everything. So if you find a current lower price from an online retailer on an identical, in-stock product, tell us and we'll match it. See more details atOnline Price Match.


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ALU Easel - Professional
Matt black anodised professional aluminium easel that is very easy to set up. Lever handles enable simple adjustment of the legs and the image holder. Also included is a nylon bag to protect the easel when travelling. Maximum image...
€37.21 *
Standard Wooden Easel
The standard wooden easel is solidly made in outstanding quality. This oiled beech easel comprises a multi-adjustable image-height function and an infinitely adjustable image holder. Easily assembled, this easel can accommodate images...
€58.53 *
Metal Easel - Designo
Our Designo metal easel is a collapsible designer easel. Its telescopic legs enable it to be easily adjusted and locked into place. Supplied with carrying bag and pallet-holder. It has an infinitely adjustable image-holder and a secure...
€37.21 *
Image Crib out of Oiled Beech
This high quality image crib made of oiled beech is a wonderful opportunity to present many images at the same time. It is foldable, very stable and weighs around 4kg. Dimensions: Length 50cm, Width 50cm, Height 84cm Quality: oiled beech...
€79.85 *


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Freesia Information
The term freesia refers to a genus of flowers that includes 14 different species. Freesias are flowers that originally come from Africa, and they are popular flowers both in arrangements and as single, cut flowers in vases.
According to Teleflora, freesia are the flower used to celebrate 7th anniversaries, and they symbolise innocence and friendship.
Freesias are tall plants that grow from a tuberous root known as a corm. It can get up to 1 foot high, and it features long narrow leaves that are light green in colour. The stalks are slender and tend to be the same height. Freesias produce loose clumps of flowers at the top of each slim stalk. The funnel-shaped flowers face upward thanks to a sharp bed in the stalk, and depending on the species, they can range from white, to red and pink to purple in colour.
The freesia is named after a 19th-century German physician named F. H. T. Freese. It originally comes from southern Africa. The first two species of freesia to be cultivated in Europe include Freesia caryophyllacea, which was thought to be an ixia; and freesia corymbosa, which was thought to be a gladiolus. Freesia was discovered by the horticultural world in 1874, and 10 years later, it had a regular presence in the nursery trade.
Freesias can be propagated through using seeds or through offsets of bulbs, where one bulb will grow a cluster of smaller bulbs around them. They should be planted in locations with full sun, where temperatures drop down between 4.44 and 7.22 degrees Celsius at night. The freesia requires thorough watering while the leaves and flowers are developing, but watering should be reduced to when the soil feels dry after the plant is properly established.
The freesia is an plant that is attractive to birds, butterflies and bees, all of which can help pollinate your garden. It is also resistant to deer and may be grown in beds or in containers. When they are cut, freesias last well in a vase filled with water.
Time Frame
Though freesias are technically a perennial, it takes some effort to convince them to bloom repeatedly. The freesia needs to be stored between three and four months at 29.4 degrees C, after which the corm is planted at progressively lower temperatures for several weeks. Then the temperature is raised, equally slowly, after which the plant is ready to grow again. This mimics the seasonal changes in southern Africa, where the freesia comes from. Freesia planted in the fall will bloom the following spring, while freesias planted in spring will bloom during the summer.


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Asia Music Festival will Kick Off for 2nd
For updates on the festival plse log on to www.asiamusicfestival.net.
First it was the award winning Rainforest World Music Festival with Sarawak's traditional Sape', the boat-shaped lute that has become the symbol of the festival, then it was the Borneo Jazz, bringing jazz from around the world to Sarawak. Now it's the Asia Music Festival with its repertoire of music from across Asia.
Asia Music Festival now in its second year will be held in Miri, this 3 to 4 October 2014. This festival promises the most electrifying eclectic mix of live music on stage comprising bands only from the Asian region. It will take place at the Eastwood Valley Golf & Country Club, an enchanting location, with lush greeneries and the forest looming on the horizon. Right out of this tropical jungle is carved a golf course. As you close your eyes and take a deep breath, the stress of life will be overtaken by the soft singing of the cricket and the smell of fresh air of the countryside.
With its objective of attracting the Asian expatriate community working in neighbouring Brunei, the local Bruneians themselves, our neighbours from Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia as well as those in Indonesia, Singapore and the region, the atmosphere is planned to be that of a carnival as apart from the night shows, there will also be fringe events starting in the early evening. There will be tattoo enthusiasts, handicraft, food from every corner of Asia and many more!
Based on the success of the inaugural Asia Music Festival, this year there are plans to bring bands from China, India among others, featuring a mix of music genre which we are sure will appeal to festival goers.
Tickets at presale prices of RM25 for adults and RM10 for children and students aged 3 to 18 years are now available from all Visitors' Information Centres in Kuching, Sibu and Miri as well as online. Tickets will also be available at the entrance of the venue but this will be priced at RM30 for adults and RM15 for children and students aged 3 to 18 years respectively.
For updates on the festival plse log on to www.asiamusicfestival.net.
Come live the adventure with our music festivals in Sarawak!
*all picture taken at www.asiamusicfestival.net


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This walkthrough shows you how to create metric sets, add them to a dashboard, and apply filters.
This article shows you how to exclude select data points from the visualization without introducing filters and parameters.
This article demonstrates how to create a custom user hierarchy.
This article explains the advanced section of the metric set's settings.


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WILMINGTON, N.C.—Visitors to most schools in the New Hanover County district at the start of the new school year will be viewed on video before being allowed in. For the 42-school district, which previously "relied on people" for access control, that's a big security move, its safety director said.
NEW YORK—Cameras, access control, intrusion detectors, magnetometers, radio communication: There's much involved in designing a new facility's complete security system. When you're designing that system for the 9/11 Memorial Museum, Plaza and Pavilion, which opened in May, it's even more complicated.
Viscount, the access control system that is software-based and does not have a panel, will be highly visible at ASIS, according to CEO Dennis Raefield.
Raefield joined Viscount at COO in December of 2013 and became CEO of the company, replacing Steve Pineau, in January of 2014. In February, Viscount "raised $2.4 million in new cash in a private placement." He's used that funding to "staff up" adding tech support and sales people including hiring Michael Pilato, as VP of sales and marketing. Pilato has worked for Schlage/Ingersoll Rand, Assa Abloy, Honeywell Security, and Sensormatic/Software House (now Tyco).
"We went from 26 to 36 employees," Raefield said. "We now have dedicated tech support from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on-call support 24/7," he said.
Viscount has been in business for 12 years, but its Freedom Encryption Bridge access control product is relatively new. It made traction with the federal government, in banking and it is installed at Microsoft's GSOC.
"Our biggest deal is with the Department of Homeland Security, the CIS (Citizens Immigration Services) Group. [Freedom] is installed all over the country in 30 different sites and the plan is to roll out 200 more sites in the next year," Raefield said.
Freedom is doing well for two reasons, Raefield said. "One. It's highly secure from hacking for a very simple reason. The traditional [access control] panel has a database ... that is highly vulnerable to hacking. ... What we did is very simple. We took that database out of the panel," he explained. "We use a little thing called a bridge that converts all information at the door ... sends it to the company's own computer. Our software is on their server and the server makes the decision [about access]." This makes the IT director much more comfortable than a traditional access control system where a security appliance that is out of the IT director's hands is hanging on the company's network, he said.
Because the Freedom access control system is behind a company's firewall, it is as secure as any other application on an end user's network, Raefield pointed out.
Raefield noted that the recent Target data breach which received so much publicity and resulted in the firing of the Target CEO "was not a frontal assault on the IT infrastructure" but rather a "backdoor breach"—the result of a stolen HVAC contractor's password. That kind of backdoor breach cannot happen with this access control system, he said.
The second reason the federal government likes Freedom, according to Raefield, is that "our little bridge is much less expensive that anyone's panel. ... "You take out the expensive control panel and the dedicated computer for security and you now have a significaly lower total cost of ownership," he said.
The security director now can worrry about physical security instead of managing hardware and computers, he added.
Viscount Systems did about $4.1 million in revenue in 2013. About $3 million of that came from Viscount's legacy telephone entry system, a product called Mesh Enterphone, which is used in highrise buildings. It's been a "stable bread and butter" product for Viscount for 12 years. Raefield is also investing in that product, making it "high end with a touch screen." It can also be integrated with the Freedom access control system. The remaining $1 million in 2013 revenue was from Freedom, which Raefield said went from $0 to $1 million in one year. Raefield expects Viscount, which is a publicly traded company based in Vancouver, to do "between $6 and $8 million" in revenue in 2014.
Asked about whether Freedom can be used as a managed access control system, Raefield said yes. "The long term strategy is that [Freedom] will be able to be managed on site, in the cloud, any of the above, because it's all software."
Viscount is currently working with major integrators such as Stanley, Convergint and Johnson Controls. At ASIS, the company plans to make its case from a big booth to the integrator community that "this is the next direction and a smart direction," Raefield said.
Pilato said that Freedom has been rigorously tested by the federal government, it has shown itself to be "secure, scalable architecture" and it's ready for wider deployment in the commercial market, in K-12 schools, in banking and elsewhere. "ASIS will be the official commercial launch of Freedom," Pilato said. "The commercial side of the house is ready for prime time."
TORRANCE, Calif.—Hudson Yards has selected AMAG Technology's Symmetry Enterprise v7.0.1 Card Access Control System to secure 10 Hudson Yards in New York City, the first office tower under construction in the development.
SAN RAMON, Calif.—ONVIF, a global standardization for IP-based physical security products, announced recently that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Security Industry Association, signaling cooperation toward the further development of IP-based interope
ATLANTA—If Delta Air Lines' Operations Control Center is incapacitated due to a fire, extreme weather or bomb, it can set up within 15 minutes at a duplicate facility already in place nearby. That's been proven during yearly drills.
BURNABY, British Columbia-Viscount Systems, a provider of security software and services, won two additional U.S. federal government contracts to secure facilities in Maine and Florida.
STATESVILLE, N.C.—After a day of heavy lifting on the job as an electrical contractor, Don Childers, COO of Security Central, made the following remark to a coworker: "There has to be a better way to make a living than this."
Though 18 states had previously legalized marijuana for medical use, it was the pair of initiatives passed in Colorado and Washington that legalized the substance recreationally that seems to have made the security industry more attentive to what kind of possibilities lie ahead in this new and rapidly expanding market.
It's not difficult to see why. Those operating dispensaries and growing facilities will require security solutions for many of the same reasons an end user at a jewelry store would: They have to protect hundreds if not thousands of lightweight and expensive consumer products. End users will likely pull out all the stops on an integrated solution, relying on motion detectors, sensors, access control, dozens of cameras with status monitoring and, perhaps for larger storage facilities, virtual guard tours. Because the industry is in its nascent stages and still very much evolving, it's difficult to forecast what the industry will look in even five to ten years from now.
New York-based DirectView Security, a provider of onsite and remote video and audio surveillance solutions and a subsidiary of DirectView Holdings, recently announced in a news release that it's entered into "early stage discussions with several marijuana industry companies to provide a number of potential video surveillance and access control solutions."
Though in many states marijuana laws are becoming more lax, the substance remains illegal under federal law. This adds an interesting wrinkle to the current security landscape in connection with this market. Federal pressure on banks has made it extremely difficult for pot dispensaries to get loans. As a result, they've had to rely primarily on cash, making them an even bigger target for robbers than they already were.
It's been well documented that ADT last year made a policy decision not to sell security systems to businesses engaged in the marijuana industry because it's still illegal under federal law. It's conceivable that other companies both large and small will also take that approach. But it will be interesting to see what companies take the reins in the market and to see to what kind of impact it will have on business.
In the news release, Roger Ralston, CEO and chairman of DirectView, expressed a good deal of optimism about doing just that: "Having worked to provide security products and solutions for large hotels and several banks, we have a strong understanding of complex security needs and how to provide the most cost-effective solutions," he said, adding that he views the new market as "strong growth driver for our business in the coming years."
Martha: I just returned from the Milestone conference where partners, including Axis, extolled the virtues of the VMS. Why does Axis really need to develop its own access control product?
© 2020 United Publications ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


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Additionally, a PDF of this document is available for download.
It is the purpose of this policy to provide personnel assigned to the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center (MCAC) and participating agencies with guidelines and principles for the collection, analysis, dissemination, retention and destruction of information regarding the Automatic License Plate Recognition Operations Center data and facilitating compliance with all applicable laws.
This policy applies to all assigned personnel within MCAC, those working under contract with the MCAC, and to those who use its services (Users).
The Maryland Coordination & Analysis Center will comply with all applicable laws and regulations as they pertain to the collection, use, and dissemination of data obtained through the License Plate Reader (LPR) program. The MCAC will house and maintain the LPR Operations Center System and access to the system will be managed by an LPR Program Administrator.
Primary responsibility for ensuring compliance with the provisions of this policy is assigned to the Executive Director, MCAC. The Executive Director will designate an LPR Program Administrator, who will be responsible for the overall management of the LPR Program.
Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR), also known as License Plate Reader (LPR), provides automated detection of license plates. The LPR system consists of a high-speed camera, mounted either at a fixed location or on a mobile patrol vehicle, and a computer to convert data from electronic images of vehicle license plates into a readable format, and then compare the information against specified databases of license plates. The system attaches camera identification, date, time, and location information, to include GPS coordinates, to the digital image and it is maintained electronically in a central location to provide a means of ensuring the license plate number was properly converted. The digital image can include additional information such as:
If a given plate is listed in the database, the system is capable of providing the vehicle's location, direction of travel, and the type of infraction related to the notification.
Identifying the intended uses of LPR data is critical in assessing any privacy and/or civil liberties implications due to the networking within the MCAC of LPR data collected by participating law enforcement agencies.
The Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center has, as one of its core missions, the sharing of information, thereby assisting law enforcement agencies in the fulfillment of their duties. The MCAC's Operation Center, which is the statewide central repository for license plate reader data, serves specific public safety goals. Specifically, LPR data may be used for, but is not limited to, the following purposes:
A. Mission
B. Data Collection, Retention, and Dissemination
C. LPR Operations Center System
Case Management Systems: Case management databases, tips and leads files, records management systems, criminal history records, and other non-intelligence databases used and maintained by the MCAC are not Criminal Intelligence Files and are not required to comply with 28 CFR Part 23 (http://www.iir.com/28cfr/FAQ.htm). Much of the information stored in these databases tends to fall into one of two categories: uncorroborated information (such as tips) or fact-based information (such as arrest or criminal history information).
Criminal Activity: A behavior, action, or omission that is punishable by criminal law. A crime is a public, as opposed to a moral, wrong; it is an offense committed against (and thus punishable by) the state or the community at large.
Criminal Case Support: Those administrative or analytic activities that provide relevant data to law enforcement personnel regarding the investigation of specific criminal activities or trends, or specific subject(s) of criminal investigations.
ELSAG: ELSAG North America Law Enforcement Systems, the contracted provider of the LPR Operations Center System.
Hot List: The hot list is a file which contains the license plate numbers of stolen vehicles, stolen tags, AMBER, SILVER or BLUE alerts, lists of license plate numbers known to be associated with specific individuals such as wanted persons or missing persons (i.e. wanted for homicide, rape, robbery, child abduction, etc.), terrorist watch lists. The Motor Vehicle Administration also provides Suspended or Revoked Registrations. This hot list is scheduled to be updated twice daily and does not rely on real-time communications with State or Federal data sources. LPR hot lists are compiled to serve agency-specified needs. Manual Entry is always available, allowing additions for specific license plates. The hot list is essential to LPR systems as it is required in order to notify law enforcement that a vehicle on the list is near an LPR camera.
Legitimate Law Enforcement Purpose: Means the investigation, detection, or analysis of a crime or a violation of the Maryland Motor Vehicle (MVA) laws or the operation of Terrorist or Missing or Endangered person searches or alerts.
License Plate Reader (LPR): The License Plate Reader Technology consists of an infrared strobe and high speed cameras combined with computer algorithms capable of converting the images of license plates into computer readable data. LPR systems use cameras to capture images of vehicles and their license plates, from both mobile patrol vehicles or from fixed positions, converts them to text and compares them quickly to a large list of plates of interest. This system also records the location, date and time of each license plate read. The resource is available as a tool, allowing the law enforcement officer to identify the last known contact with a vehicle and also to report the list of vehicles located in a specific area at a given time. When a target plate is located, the user may be notified with a message alert tone.
License Plate Reader (LPR) Program Manager/Administrator: The employee designated by the Executive Director of the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center (MCAC), who is responsible for the oversight of the LPR Program.
License Plate Reader (LPR) Operations Center System: The system that manages the data collected from LPR systems (fixed and mobile), downloads hotlists and automatically secures the license plate data in a central server. This management is automatically run without user intervention. The Operations Center database provides an inquiry tool, tracks history, analyzes and manages license plate data. The MCAC will manage the LPR System Operations Center and assume the role as a central clearinghouse for all license plates scanned by various law enforcement agencies. The Operations Center will also manage the distribution and update of hotlist data, in addition to providing a storage and query tool for the plate information being collected in the field.
MEMEX: The Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center's internal information management system, a software tool capable of consolidating data and information, managing cases and providing an audit trail.
Need-to-Know: Requested information which is pertinent and necessary to the requestor agency in initiating, furthering, or completing an investigation.
Non-Criminal Intelligence Files: Data, frequently raw and unanalyzed, compiled by law enforcement agencies in the conduct of normal business, such as suspicious activity tips, numbers and types of calls received from the public in agency call centers, situational awareness/officer safety information, etc. These files may also include open source (i.e. news media and publically accessible internet) information. Such files do not include personally identifying information (PII) such as name, Social Security Number, birth date and address, etc. with regard to any particular individual.
Right-to-Know: Requestor has official capacity and statutory authority for the information being sought.
Requests for Information/Service (RFI/S): Defined as a request for any information or service, routinely provided by the MCAC, which is made by a law enforcement or homeland security or public safety agency such as: general, unclassified or classified information, suspect targeting information, basic or advanced research (database and information system checks), analysis of a terrorism or violent crime issue, and notification of officials of general and/or specific intelligence information or threats.


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inasmuch as it concerns Field Notes:
Composting. Sowing seeds. Harvesting bounty. Getting my hands dirty... You realize these are all metaphors for writing, right?
after two weeks this is the blog post you get
Wed 2017-06-14 01:05:01 (single post)
- 4,600 words (if poetry, lines) long
Hello the blog! It's been a while. Er. Sorry? But I'm back, at least for now.
There were a lot of factors that, multiplied together, produced a couple of pretty pathetic weeks around here. The big one was roller derby. Are you suprised? Nobody is surprised. Well, I'm a little surprised. I mean, yes, two back-to-back tournament weekends, sure, but what about the weekdays in between them? Where the hell did they go?
I've also been caught up in the tedious and terribly familiar down-the-drain roundabout that happens when I get behind on my work. You know this song, right? The first verse is where you know you're late and you hate yourself for being late and if you had any worth as a person and a writer you wouldn't be late. In the second verse, all the bad feelings built up in the first verse form a Humongous Wall of Avoidance between you and catching up on all the late stuff, and by the end of that verse you're later still. During the bridge you lament all the other writing tasks you're not getting to because you have to give the late stuff priority. The third verse is just the second verse over again, louder, and it repeats until fade-out (studio version) or until the audience gets sick of it and goes home without requesting an encore (live version).
I am not going to say anything as decisive as "But I'm all done with that now!" Whenever I do that, then the next day I tend to crumple under the weight of expectation. But I will say, without making any predictions that might emotionally or mentally jeopardize my tomorrow, that I had a damn good today.
Friday Fictionettes: To make Mt. Overdue easier to climb, I decreed that release dates in June 2017 would be the 2nd through 5th Fridays (there is a fifth Friday). Then I proceeded to miss the June 9/2nd Friday deadline. It's all good, though; I've posted it this morning. Then I went on to knock a typewritten page off the top of the overdue Fictionette Artifact stack and also to log the first session towards this Friday's release. So everything is either A) caught up, or B) hopeful.
Short Stories: "Caroline's Wake" came home yesterday with a form rejection. I processed that today in the usual type-a manner then sent the story out to the next market on my wish list that was open to submissions.
Daily Freewriting: I did it. So there.
Household crap: Paid bills. Dealt with dishes both clean and dirty. Cleaned up the produce drawer in the fridge according to good sanitation and food rotation protocols. Ate a big ol' pot of lentils with mixed greens because they are full of magnesium and protein and iron and stuff and also I have a lot of them--CSA is back in session! And I rode my bike to pick up this week's share because the weather was beautiful and exercise is good.
Roller derby: Travel team practice. In consideration of their hard work at the tournament this past weekend, most of the All Stars (A-team) took the night off. So tonight was primarily the Bombshells (B-team) preparing for our June 24th bout. I got something like two and a half solid hours working closely with the other blockers in my "pod" and we all practiced both playing offense on an opposing wall and resisting offense played on our wall.
I've also started coming in an hour early for extra individual skills work. It started out with just Papa Whiskey fine-tuning my plow-stops and blocking form last week, then another skater joined us this week, and a third skater expressed interest in joining us next week. I've taken to calling it "pre-practice study group."
So. That comes to four hours on Tuesdays. But I feel awesome. I'm on skates, I'm part of a team, I'm rostered for the upcoming bout, and I have a home on a pod within that roster. Skating is life. Life is good.
Not gonna lie, I was disappointed not to get rostered with the All Stars for these two tournaments. But, surprisingly, the not-getting-rostered blues wasn't the big deal. I mean, yeah, I had to process my disappointment, sure, take some time to myself to grieve the version of tomorrow I wasn't gonna get. But then I had to put that aside and prepare for the tomorrow I was getting, the one where I got to assist the coaching staff and cheer on my team and participate in all the team stuff surrounding the games.
No, I'll tell you what the big deal was. THE big deal was not skating at the tournaments and not skating at weekend practice, either, because I was at the tournaments I wasn't skating in. It's not just that roller derby skaters need to skate, and not putting on skates for a week at a time hearts their hearts. It's that, on the one hand, you're not "good enough" to be on the main roster, but on the other hand, you're also not getting a chance to improve, because you had to miss practice to be an alternate in the tournament you're not on the main roster for! Arrrrgh.
Now, us two alternates, we did end up getting rostered once. It was for the Saturday morning game at Mayday Mayhem, which two of the regular skaters got called away from because of work. A couple blockers had to jam, so a couple more blockers were needed to take their place in their lines. I think I wound up playing in two, maybe three jams. I don't know. Not the point. Point was, I got to be a skating member of the team for one game. I participated in the team's on-skates warm-up, which made up a little for not having a Sunday practice that weekend. I got to put on skates! For the first time that whole weekend! It felt so damn good.
So that's why a four-hour Tuesday practice is awesome, and why I'm contemplating attending the optional Wednesday practice too. Because skating is life, and skating better makes life better.
And also there won't be practice on Father's Day, so I'm making up for lost time in both directions.
Anyway, that's where I'm at.
Oh, good grief, is it nearly 1 AM already? *sigh* Why only 24 hours in a day? Why haven't they patched that bug yet?
when you get to the ends of things you might look back
Tue 2016-10-25 23:38:42 (single post)
Would you look at the size of those carrots? This is the last week of veggie shares from my CSA, and those are finale-sized carrots. I dug up the potatoes I'd planted this year in hopes of matching those carrots in a soup, but all I seem to have grown are potatoes the size of kidney beans. Large kidney beans, like you'd make red beans & rice with, but still. Even smaller than the potatoes you might see sold as "pee wees." Will nothing match those carrots for grandiosity? Perhaps I should go buy some parsnips. And a huuuuuuuge daikon radish.
Speaking of retrospectives (I kind of was, if you squint a little), I've reached the point in The Artist's Way where Julia Cameron tells you to reread your Morning Pages. I've been doing so, but slowly, because even only going back to the beginning of the year, even given that I've only been doing them on weekdays, that's a lot of pages and there are other things I'd like to do with my waking time after all. I'm taking along for the ride a brand new blank notebook that I bought in New Orleans at the Trem� Fall Festival in which I'm jotting down any insights which arise.
it's interesting, and sometimes disheartening, to see what problems remain an unchanged part of my life, and most of them my own doing, too, like "Mustn't get distracted and try to multitask other activities during Morning Pages" or "Mustn't let the day leak away through the cracks in the hours." It's refreshing to see, from what I wrote in anticipation of my very first All Stars practice as a just-made-it A/B crossover skater, that I no longer have the insecurities and self-esteem issues I had back then. (I still have insecurities in that area, but they're different insecurities.) It's surprising to see turns of phrase striking the page like sudden lightning with no indication I thought twice about them at the time I wrote them. ("Pin the blame on the donkey"--ouch. "Morning Pages as a devotional practice"--really? Wow, yes, really.) There's a dream back in early January that I don't think I paid much attention to the morning I jotted it down, even though I'd just come back from a family visit, undoubtedly because I was dealing with more dramatic emotional upheaval fresh from Christmas afternoon, still too blindsided by that to notice the chronic low-level background unease that the dream was pointing out. ("I have brand new arrows. Dad borrows them. He says he has to prep the arrows for use. He does this by breaking them about 6 inches behind the arrowhead. He doesn't understand why I'm angry, nor will he promise to stop doing it, so I have to hide the remaining unbroken arrows in the attic behind a loose board in the wall." SHIT THAT'S UNCOMFORTABLY REAL.)
I'm taking notes and hoping to learn from them. And flinching sometimes. *flinch* It's cool. It's just the contents of my head from ten months ago. No big deal. The contents of my head are often thorny.
In other news, "It's For You" came back last week with a rejection letter and went back out again today with fresh reserves of hope. This is its twelfth time out in the slush mines. I know very well that, in this business, twelve isn't that high of a number, nowhere near high enough to mean I should give up on a story, but it's sometimes hard to remember that. I just keep telling myself, "Remember how that other editor loved it and passed it on to the second round? This is a good story! Someone will buy it!" But what would really make me feel better is having a brand new story to send out to meet the nice people. Only one way to make that happen, though. *cracks knuckles, surveys revision queue*
blogging for people who ought to be editing
Tue 2016-10-18 23:41:45 (single post)
- 101 words (if poetry, lines) long
I was wrong--today was not a day with no appointments. Thankfully I remembered before it was too late. Tuesday! Tuesdays mean farm share! So I went and picked that up around 1:00 PM. There were sweet bell peppers and hot poblano peppers and another little half pound baggie of tomatillos and a lovely bunch of carrots and some tasty green chard. Dinner was peppers stuffed with a mixture of sausage, rice, and kale. The leftover stuffing mixture will get rolled up in those chard leaves. The fridge is full of tasty veg and life is good.
I was moving unaccountably slow today and also trying to do all the chores along with my writing, so I didn't quite get to everything I wanted to accomplish. But the daily gotta-dos got done, and "It's For You" went back out on submission. It joins the one I sent out last week (a drabble newly retitled "A Few Words Before We Begin") in the field. I'm sending stories out, y'all! That's what a writer does! (Also the laundry and the dishes are clean, and tomorrow I might just vacuum. RUN AWAY.)
I bought an ebook copy of Rachel Aaron's 2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love and have been reading it this afternoon. I wasn't sure at first whether it would hit the spot with me; my problem isn't lack of word count when I'm generating draft, but rather lack of progress when I'm revising. Still, I'm finding many things she says apply. Or might apply, anyway.
I'm thinking very hard about her theory of not-writing, which is to say, writing avoidance--put simply, she says it's because you don't like what you're writing. That can be either because the story is boring, or you're off on the wrong track, or the scene you're working on doesn't actually belong in the book, or you've got the wrong main character; something, in any case, is wrong. Once you put it right, she says, the writing will be enjoyable again and you won't avoid it anymore because you'll want to do it.
Like I said, I'm thinking very hard about it. It makes sense in terms of the short story I'm having such a hard time revising, but its applicability is less obvious as regards my difficulty starting the work day in the first place. Maybe the answer is "You're bored with the routine of doing morning pages and then freewriting and then a half hour on the week's fictionette." Maybe I need to shake up the daily task list, reorder it, put in the number one slot whatever seems the most fun. Maybe the daily freewriting would be more fun if... something. If I changed it up somehow. I mean, it's supposed to be fun. It's supposed to be playtime. Maybe I'm just bored with the current crop of writing prompts and I need something more silly and playful.
Anyway, Part II has a chapter called "Editing for People Who Hate Editing," which sounds like it just might be something I need to read. I'm looking forward to it, anyway.
life is what obliges you, when you're planning to be virtuous, to be virtuous in some other way
Tue 2016-09-13 22:56:54 (single post)
Ever had one of those mornings where you wake up ready to do all the things, and then life gets in the way? Right. Like that. I even got up early for an 8:00 a.m. dental cleaning, came home around 9:00, and didn't go back to bed. I was awake all of the hours, but life kept wedging its way into every one of them. Appointments! Errands! Cleaning! Importunate hummingbirds!
Thankfully, I was able to convince myself with a clean conscience that some bits of life counted as writing. "Business copy-writing, pro-bono." Sound good? Right. Well, that bit of business copy-writing pretty much filled up my afternoon shift and brought me to four-hour mark; this blog post will bring me to the coveted five-hour mark.
And if it doesn't... well, I have ever so many other writing tasks need doing. And for once I'm not suffering a total enervated poop-out after derby. (I had derby tonight. Yes, my team's still on break, but heck if I'm going to miss a RollerCon debriefing practice. That's where they teach us all the things!) So. Hi.
Here's a bit of life that is tasty: the weekly CSA pick-up. The bread's a walnut sourdough this time because the regular wasn't available sliced at the moment and I was feeling adventurous. John seems to like it too; he's been munching on it while taking notes on the bout footage our team's going to be studying tomorrow evening. Collards, kale, and chard are all making an appearance. So are tomatoes, cucumber, and squash. Peppers are back--turns out they really are just bell peppers, despite that last week's did have more of a hot edge than I expect in a bell. Must have been all that hot and dry weather (where did it go, by the way? Woke up this morning and it was overcast and drizzly. Are you telling me fall is finally here?). And, making its exciting debut (at least in this venue), corn! These ears were grown at a farm in Longmont which appears to have set up a trade with the Diaz Farm for mutual fresh yumminess.
Today was a good day for eating farm fresh goodness. Breakfast was one of those hashbrown/omelet/fritter concoctions featuring kohlrabi leaves still kicking around in the crisper drawer. Also garlic, because by now I've got oodles. Lunch was Annie's Mac & Cheese, var. "Peace Parmesan," featuring kale and yellow squash from the Diaz Farm and ground Italian-style sausage from Spring Tree Farms. That would be the show pigs farm in Longmont CO, not the wedding location in Tennessee--although Baconator has hosted a few weddings on her farm, to be sure, and they were lovely affairs. But mainly she's about the pigs--hence the skate name--and she always gives her roller derby league advance notice when she's about to process a critter into sausage. We buy it up like woah, because it is delicious.
Cooking experiments inspired by Patricia McKillip's The Book of Atrix Wolfe also continue, sometimes almost by accident. Last week Wednesday I left my chiropractic appointment and wandered up the road to Skeye Brewing. Skeye has beer, and not much else. But Skeye wants you to drink more of the yummy beer, and if that involves helping you pick a tasty nearby food joint to order delivery from, then by all means. I ordered the crispy duck from one of the Chinese options (I honestly don't remember which; it's the one with a minimum delivery order of $12 instead of $15. I'll pay better attention next time). I brought home the bones and what shreds of meat I wasn't able to devour all in one sitting, and I wound up over the weekend simmering it with bay and cloves for soup, remembering the bit where the fictional head cook decrees a similar fate for the bones of a ham that went uneaten because of Plot Crisis. When it had simmered for a few hours, I drained the broth, put it back into a pot, added what meat was left along with the leftover fried rice, and had a fine light-yet-hearty soup for dinner. It was a lot like dirty rice, only soupier.
So with a certain amount of life out of the way, I go now to enjoy the bits of life that involve doing absolutely nothing productive until bedtime. Huzzah!
literary kitchen experiments in the near future
Tue 2016-09-06 23:59:59 (single post)
It's always exciting when the weekly CSA share has a new vegetable in it. This week featured the first green peppers of the season. I think I will put mine in my Pseudo-Medieval Chicken Experiment tomorrow, about which more in a moment. The rest of the share was: Salad greens, zucchini and/or yellow squash, cucumber, kale, collards, tomatoes, and the weekly loaf of bread. And little bitty peaches as a sort of lagniappe; a friend of the farm had given them a ton of 'em, so they were passing the yummy along to their members. I'd consider putting the peaches into the Pseudo-Medieval Chicken Experiment too, only I've already eaten them all.
OK. So. Chicken experiment. Here's the thing: I just reread Patricia McKillip's The Book of Atrix Wolfe. One of the main characters scrubs pots all day in the castle kitchens, so the reader gets to hear a lot of kitchen talk. And a lot of the kitchen talk is the head cook telling everyone what to cook. And they're cooking for the king, so you better believe they're cooking some amazing things. In quantity.
Supper was a prolonged drama of great pies of hare and venison with hunting scenes baked in dough on their crusts, vegetables sculpted into gardens, huge platters layered with roast geese, woodcocks and pigeons, and crowned with tiny hummingbirds made of egg white and sugar.
...as they drizzled a latticework of chocolate sauce on a stewed pear, and placed walnut halves on small tarts of egg and cheese and finely chopped mushrooms.
"I grated the barest fleck of nutmeg into the raspberry sauce," the sauce cook said....
I want to try it all. But there are no recipes, only these descriptions. I am astounded to be unable to find such a thing as a Cookbook of Atrix Wolfe out there in the wide Googlable world (though in my searches I did come across this article by McKillip herself retelling her most memorable kitchen disasters). I'm just going to have to improvise and research and experiment.
Some things described herein are a little beyond me...
"So I boiled the boar's head in a stock of onions and pepper and rosemary; salt I added later, and garlic," a stew-cook said to another.... "I debated raisins and cranberries, but decided on garlic instead, and tiny onions and tiny red potatoes. The brains and tongue are simmering with leeks and cloves."
...mostly because I'm not sure where I'd find a boar's head, nor a pot big enough to boil it in, nor enough people willing to try the results of the experiment with me. Most people I know draw the line at brains. If I'm cooking something uncertain, I cook in small quantities and for myself alone; the experiment may not succeed, but its audience is guaranteed to eat it regardless.
Other descriptions sound a lot more like something I could do without a lot of prep or complication:
"Sauce. Orange and honey for the duck, pear and onion for the pheasant."
So I did a little searching and found a recipe involving a sauce of pear and caramelized onion, and when I went to the grocery today I made sure to pick up a pear and a couple chicken breasts (they did not have duck or pheasant that I could see). Tomorrow or maybe Thursday I'm going to see what I can do with it.
on the last late fictionette and the near future of skating
Wed 2016-08-31 23:47:10 (single post)
- 1,143 words (if poetry, lines) long
All right! Here is last Friday's fictionette, the one for August 26: "How the Drought Was Ended" (...and at what price). There's a touch of political satire in there, if you're looking for it. It's not a big thing. It was just, given the premise, how could I resist a little poke? Anyway, you can read the teaser excerpt via the link above (here it is again!). For subscribers, there is the ebook (pdf and epub) and the audio (mp3). The latter is useful if you want to know how I pronounce the name of the Royal Hero. (You, of course, may pronounce it any way you like.)
I suspect I'll wait until Friday to release the Fictionette Freebie for August 2016. Yes, that means waiting until September 2, but it also means I can roll that announcement out with that of the first Friday Fictionette of September. Presuming I upload the thing on time. I darn well intend to. I am tired of this always-being-late nonsense!
In the meantime, I get to breathe a little. I am officially off from All Stars practice until September 20th. It's nice to have a few weeks during which I'm not working my butt off three nights a week. And, weird though it is to see my arms utterly bare of bruises, it's very nice to have a few weeks during which I'm not getting voluntarily beat up for the love of roller derby--this, in fact, is the stated purpose of having a month off; we're supposed to take this time to heal. But I miss being on skates!
Today I did a little something about that, going for a bit of an evening trail skate with my good friend and ex-next-door-neighbor Seven of Grind. (Not ex-neighbor. A five-minute walk means we remain neighbors. But before we moved, it was a 5-second walk barefoot and, if necessary, in a bathrobe.) I think we were on skates for the better part of an hour, and there were uphills and downhills and bumpy bits to toe-stop-walk over. A bit more agility and cardio than going to the Wagon Wheel would have required (we were planning on going, but not enough people RSVP'd to justify holding the adult skate session this time around), but also a bit less endurance over time, so it evens out.
Then there was yummy food and tasty beverages at the Rayback Collective, Boulder's newest... well, I don't know what to call it. Food truck park and microbrew oasis? Community space? Permanent street party? It's very Boulder, is what it is. I've had a good time hanging out there in the past for some quality playtime on my laptop. Its location right on Elmer's Two Mile Creek Greenway makes it a great place to meet friends, gear up, and start skating, which is essentially what we did.
I could see myself doing this, or something like this, once a week during my "roller derby vacation." Possibly more. Taking the time to heal is good, but there's no call to let the skating muscles get entirely out of condition.
Oh! Almost forgot: Attached please find the weekly Still Life With CSA Vegetables photo. It features:
- The weekly loaf of sourdough bread,
- garlic,
- tomatoes (including a Green Zebra - yes, it's ripe),
- collard greens,
- kale,
- radishes,
- and a bag of young salad greens.
Here is what I've been doing with the collard greens: I have been shredding some four or so leaves into a mixture of grated potato, grated turnip, and minced garlic, all bound up with a couple beaten eggs and seasoned with garlic salt and both black and red pepper, the resulting hash/fritter/omelet/pancake fried in canola oil until thoroughly cooked and crispy on both sides. Spread apple sauce on top, and breakfast is a time of great joy.
a short story for when i can't manage a longer one
Tue 2016-08-23 23:53:51 (single post)
OK. So. D2 Wichita. That... was a thing that happened.
It is much easier to talk about vegetables.
Yesterday I managed to drag myself up to Longmont for chiro and then back down to Boulder to drop off the rental car. Then I managed to walk home from the Hertz establishment (via the Parkway Cafe for brunch and the bank for check deposits). Today I managed to get out of the house like a regular human being and bike up to the farm for CSA pick-up. I keep saying "managed" because it feels like an accomplishment.
Quite a few of my teammates--and my coach, too--had to go back to work on Monday. I am not sure how they managed it.
While I was at the Parkway Cafe, one of the waitstaff looked at me and said, "So who's been beating on you? Roller derby, right?" I said, "Yeah, about four teams worth. It was playoffs." When she brought me my check she told me to "go home and heal up." I have come home from derby looking bruised before, but this time around, I looked like a plague victim. It was ridiculous. And I had a swollen, tender lymph node on the right because apparently sufficient blunt force trauma can trigger an immune system reaction. Turns out that four games against D2-level teams can do that to a body.
Nevertheless, like I said, I did manage to bring home the veggies today. What we have here is the weekly loaf of bread plus kale, collards, kohlrabi, tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, and radishes. I immediately broke into that bounty to use up most of the rest of my stuffed chard leaf stuffing from Thursday: breakfast sausage, wild rice, garlic, chives, parsley, salt, pepper, red pepper, and an egg. This time I blanched all the kohlrabi leaves from this and previous weeks, and some of last week's kale, to wrap it up in, overlapping leaves where a single leaf was too small. That, plus some cucumber-and-tomato salad, was dinner.
The stuffed chard leaves worked out quite well, by the way. I munched half of them on the ride over to Wichita and the other half on Friday between games.
Do I sound a little scattered? I'm still a little scattered. Getting better. Managed to get some writing done and also some league admin stuff--mostly the bout production and forum admin stuff that was waiting for me. Spent most of the evening pruning spam registrations out of the database, as that takes mercifully little brain.
The weekend used up all of my brain. Well, most of it. What little mind it didn't use up it simply blew. Lots of minds were blown. Because out of our four games, we won three. We came in as the #8 seed but walked away with 5th Place. We came within 15 points of beating the #1 seed, and we did beat the #2 seed, making WFTDA history thereby. Then we drove home, essentially going "That game. OMG that game" to each other pretty much all 550 miles of the way.
OMG that game. Those games. OMG this weekend.
That's the short story.
I may manage the longer version tomorrow.
tomatoes, wftda watch passes, and the dangers of 12-hour pseudoephedrine
Tue 2016-08-16 23:59:59 (single post)
So, pro-tip about those 12-hour Sudafed tablets. Turns out, it's not such a good idea to take one at 5:00 PM, not if they're the Non-Drowsy Maximum Strength variety. I did not actually get to sleep until... well, almost 5:00 AM, about 12 hours after I took the dratted thing. I really should have also bought a box of the 4-hour tablets, just for scheduling flexibility. Well. I'll know for next time.
Anyway, there's no way I can make it through a work day on only three hours sleep, especially if there's roller derby practice at the end of it. The last roller derby practice before playoffs, in fact. Kind of important. So once I was able to sleep I tried to stay that way for as long as I could. Which meant I wasn't out of bed until after one in the afternoon. Which meant not a lot of things got done other than the absolutely necessary.
One of those absolutely necessary things, of course, was biking up to The Diaz Farm for my CSA share. Yay, pretty pictures of delicious veg! Those two Early Girl tomatoes were the high point of this week's pick-up--the first fresh, ripe tomatoes of the season. I immediately ate one with about half a cucumber, sliced up and dressed with a creamy balsamic vinaigrette. I've been fortunate to have been getting a few small tomatoes here and there from my back porch plants--Sungold cherries, elongated San Marzanos, and little round Brillantes, all of them more orange than red (expected behavior for the Sungolds, not quite so much for the others) and probably a little stunted from their growing conditions. But these plump two tomatoes coming home from the farm today were quite a treat.
I've been thinking about ways to convert some of this bounty into road trip snacks. The carrots are obvious--just bring them like they are. Maybe chop the largest ones into sticks. Zucchini is also tasty raw. I still haven't made those carrot-and-kohlrabi fritters; those would probably transport well. My latest genius idea is sausage-stuffed chard leaves--blanche the chard until tender, put a dollop of ground sausage cooked with onions and garlic into each, then just roll the leaves up into little bundles. Kind of like dolmades, but with chard instead of grape leaves. (Baking may be involved. I forget. I need to check my recipes.) Then stick them in a plastic bag, shove 'em in the ice chest, and eat 'em cold in the car whenever hungry.
Speaking of D2 Playoffs, I've had a request to post ALL THE LINKS here. The link above features our tournament bracket (there's that link again!), showing who plays whom at what time. You can see that we start out in Game 2 against the Chicago Outfit at
10 AM Central (9 AM Mountain) Noon Central (11 AM Mountain) on Friday, August 19. After that, our schedule depends on wins and losses.
Edit: I keep saying our first game is scheduled for 10 AM because for a hot minute it was. But then they changed the schedule, giving us the noon game, and we all breathed a sigh of relief because a lot of us aren't getting into town until midnight that morning. Still, I seem unable to wrap my brain around it for the purposes of telling people when to watch us.
If you want to watch it live--and why wouldn't you? Three days of non-stop derby derby derby featuring some of the best teams internationally!--you can get set up to do just that over at WFTDA.tv. You can buy a watch pass just for this weekend, or you can buy the big ol' humongous package that covers your live derby viewing pleasure for both D2 weekends, all four D1 weekends, and Championships too:
- D2 Playoffs: Wichita, Aug 19 � 21 � BUY WATCH PASS ($12.99)
- View all available watch passes for the 2016 International Playoffs & Championships
Links will take you to the page on which you'd watch the stream, where you'll be prompted to log in. If you haven't yet bought your "virtual ticket," you'll click the green button with the price tag on it. That will pop up a window in which you'll log onto Cleeng.com, which is the outfit that WFTDA uses to manage the sale of watch passes.
I'm guessing that the bundle is divided into a U.S. and a Non-U.S. version because it includes Championships, which is being carried by sports channel ESPN3 for the second year running. When major cable TV gets involved, national borders become a Thing. The pass just for this weekend does not specific U.S. or Non, and the broadcast is just your regular WFTDA.tv livestream, which is essentially an HD Youtube video--it ought to be viewable from anywhere in the world. But I have had one friend in Canada (a flagmate on Puzzle Pirates, of course!) tell me that it wouldn't even let him log on because "it hates Canadians!" I have not yet confirmed that the link above is the link he tried, though, so I'm really not 100% certain about this. I double-checked Cleeng's FAQ, and it had a lot to say about watching from within the EU and so forth; besides, Cleeng is what they're using to sell the Non-U.S. watch pass bundle. (Maybe you should log onto Cleeng via the Non-U.S. bundle, but then back out before actually buying it, and then see if you can buy the watch pass via the D2 Wichita link now that you're successfully logged in?)
Anyway, if you're outside the U.S. and want to watch us skate this weekend, let me know whether the single weekend D2 pass works for you. Inquiring minds etc.
If you don't want to, or aren't able to, watch us live, then keep your eyes on the archives, as all D2 Wichita games will probably show up there early next week. Archived footage at WFTDA.tv is always free to watch.
That's it for me tonight--I'm going to be very good and do my at-home traction, but after that I'm down for the count. I took a 12-hour Sudafed just about 12 hours ago, so with any luck I'll actually get to sleep tonight. Good luck me.
close only counts in horseshoes and i am declaring this a game of horseshoes
Tue 2016-08-09 23:01:46 (single post)
Another Tuesday, another pile of gorgeous edibles coming home with me from the farm. We have cucumber, zucchini, garlic, kohlrabi, rainbow chard, rainbow carrots, mixed salad greens, and bread. I'm thinking tomorrow I'm finally going to try the kohlrabi carrot fritters recipe I came across the other day.
Heavy duty cooking was out of the question today. Today I had to use my lunch break to package the Asus X540 and bring it to FedEx for shipping. That was fun. And by "fun," I mean unnecessarily worrying. I was filling out the checklist, writing up a description of the problem, and I thought, "Hey, let's just double-check that it's still happening." AND IT WASN'T. I had the laptop unplugged and sitting next to the box I was going to put it in, and just for fun I pressed the power button, AND THE DAMN THING STARTED RIGHT UP. Stayed on, too, until I shut it down some forty-five minutes later. Didn't matter what I did--opened and closed the lid, picked it up and swung it around, tilted it this end up or that end up, carried it around the house--the dratted thing acted like it had never had a battery problem in its life. Like it had never refused to turn on while I was at lunch with no AC power. Like it had never crashed and died upon my unplugging it for travel, then cheerfully reported a 98% charge when I next plugged it in and turned it on.
I wrote up an addendum. "Problem is sporadic. Please investigate battery stability regardless of whether problem replicates." Also, "Problem may be with battery incorrectly reporting a full charge. After notebook had been plugged in for several days, I was unable to recreate the problem."
Then I biked the package to FedEx and sent it on its way. Then I spent an hour or so illustrating Fictionette Artifacts over pho and spring rolls. Almost done, y'all!
I still haven't submitted the story I've been meaning to submit, which feels kind of stupid. I should do it tonight, except I'm a little worried about my ability to assemble a respectable submission in Standard Manuscript Format with post-derby brain. Maybe I should just keep typing up and illustrating that last Artifact. Only, again, there's the post-derby brain problem. Typos! And there's only so much you can do with correction ribbon, especially when you've been back and forth over that ribbon about four times. (I really should order a new typewriter ribbon.)
Things are mostly on track. It hasn't exactly been the Tuesday I was planning on, but, y'know, close enough for horseshoes and rock 'n roll.
i should not be complaining about these problems, lots of people might wish to have such problems
Tue 2016-08-02 23:59:59 (single post)
It's Tuesday. Tuesday is CSA day. CSA day used to be Monday, but then Monday became a chiro day and that was just too many errands in one day without guaranteed use of the car. So now it is Tuesday.
Accompanying this post is a picture of the fresh, delicious things that came home with me from The Diaz Farm. The vegetables (rainbow chard, Italian kale, carrots, kohlrabi, a cucumber and a couple of green tomatoes for frying; there was also garlic but I have enough right now) correspond to a small-size share. The bread is an add-on I signed up for, and is delicious. The free-range mixed-flock eggs I buy on an as-needed basis for $5.50. You can also buy duck eggs for a little bit more (the rear six eggs in the picture are duck eggs). They are huge and delicious but a little harder to crack into and I am not always in the mood.
Here is how Tuesday is supposed to go:
- 9:00-9:30 AM: Writing (morning pages)
- 9:30-10:00 AM: Breakfast, brush teeth, water plants
- 10:00 AM-12:00 PM: Writing (freewriting, fictionette, submission proceedures)
- 12:00-2:00 PM: Bike up to farm for CSA pick-up, make myself some lunch, eat, goof off
- 2:00-4:00 PM: Writing (current story or novel project)
- 4:00-5:30 PM: Email and other communications. Dinner. Also pack gear and get dressed for derby
- 5:30-10:00 PM: All Stars practice (6:30-9:30) and associated travel time
- 10:00-11:30 PM: Foam roller and at-home traction session
- 11:30 PM-12:00 AM: Writing (blog post)
- 12:00-1:00 AM: Goof off a bit, read, whatever. Also get ready for bed.
- 1:00 AM: Go to sleep.
Hm. Written out like that, it sounds like a mercilessly busy schedule... except for the, y'know, 5-hour work day with the 2-hour lunch break. OK, it actually sounds like a really cushy job. AND I STILL CAN'T SEEM TO STICK TO THE SCHEDULE.
Problem the first: It really requires that I get up on time. That did not happen this morning. Possibly because I was unable to get to sleep until about 3:00 AM; my upper back was giving me grief again.
Problem the second: Once things start getting late, it's almost impossible to steal time from the rest of the schedule. If the morning writing shift gets cut short by an hour, then I just end my lunch break at 1:00 instead of 2:00, right? Except I cannot whittle "bike up to farm for CSA pick-up, make myself lunch, eat" down to one hour, even if I excise the "goofing off" part. Which for some reason I find myself practically unable to do. At least I wound up making my lunch so filling (big salad featuring today's veg and last week's mixed greens; far too much French toast made with heel of last week's bread) that I would up not needing dinner, so I could write right up to 5:00 PM. Cooking and eating takes up time, y'all.
Problem the third: There is a reason I only expect half an hour of writing after derby. If I lose some of my writing time to, er, "activity creep," well, it's going to be damn hard to extract that work out of myself after three hours of skating hard and turning left. Not to mention plyometric conditioning. The body has sucked all the carbs out of the system and the brain has no fuel to go on. Also I'm now a little sore from the foam roller and traction stuff.
(At-home traction involves lying on the ground with my neck supported by a triangular plastic device that looks a lot like a hands-free book holder. The head is allowed to loll back, creating the curve which we are trying to train the spine to achieve. The first sessions are short, but one increases the time as one grows accustomed to the experience. Ice on the neck and upper back after the session is recommended.)
But I am determined to see how far into August I can get with a perfect record of "perfect days," which is to say, days on which I've successfully checked off every item on my Dailies list in Habitica. And so, having only done three hours of writing rather than four and a half before derby, I return to my desk, determined to reach my goal no matter how tired I am. DETERMINED.
So. When this blog post is done, I'm going back to the embarrassingly belated July 22 Friday Fictionette. It's almost ready. The text is all done and the Audiofictionette is recorded. I just need to create the cover art, compile the .pdf and .epub, put the teaser excerpt together for release on Patreon and on this-here blog, and put everything up where you can see it. I expect I'll get some way into some of that tonight and, if I am very fortunate, publish the whole shebang tomorrow.
However, tomorrow is full of things--obligations as well as options--and I'm a little worried about getting everything done.
I can at least solve one problem by GETTING UP ON TIME, DRAT YOU. Do it!


text:
The Castaways are available for private parties or public performance in and around the Seattle area. Washington, that is. State of. USA. World. Word.
But we'll travel. Call us.
Contact us:
pam @ nerdseyeview dot com
Pam Mandel at 206.910.1164
Pete Harris at 425.466.8295
- "I didn't know you could do THAT on the ukulele" — CY, Seattle
- "What a hoot! Not what I expected at all — in the best possible way!" — AM, Greenlake
- "You guys have such fun when you play that it's impossible for us to not have fun along with you." — LY, Queen Anne
Additional Booking Resources
Promotional Resources – Logos, high-res photos
Technical Specifications – Stage Plot, Equipment list


text:
Help STOP the Silence: Suicide Prevention and Support
Our program, Help STOP the Silence Suicide Prevention & Support, is a suicide prevention and support program based out of the Catholic Social Services Greater Hazleton office. The program was founded by Samantha Neaman, in memory of her son, Kyle David Koslop, who died by suicide in 2007 at the age of 13.
We are currently the only local program to provide in-school student assemblies, teacher in-services, and community & workplace assemblies providing education on, mental health awareness, how to identify at-risk behaviors to prevent suicide, and where to seek local help.
Annually, the first Sunday in May we host the Help STOP the Silence Walk to Prevent Suicide at Hazleton Area High School. This community awareness walk aims to reduce stigma, encouraging those at risk to seek help along with providing support for those left behind. All proceeds remain local in providing services to our community.
We are currently planning our 3rd Annual "Cougars DUNK DEPRESSION" Charity Basketball Game to also be held in May in an effort to remove the stigma associated with mental health and to raise mental health awareness in our school community. In particular, depression. Please check out the EVENTS Tab for information on all events.
Support for those affected by suicide is also provided. We have a trained volunteer to offer peer support to the newly bereaved. Additionally, we provide a support group to those affected by suicide loss. This is a no-fee open grief group that welcomes survivors of suicide loss at any stage of their grieving process. You don't need to sign up; just show up. Anyone in need of support after the loss of a loved one is welcome. Participants enter the group, leave, and return as they feel the need. This group,facilitated by a professional and peer, meets the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month from 6-7:30 PM at The Miorelli Counseling Center, Catholic Social Services, 200 West Chapel St., Hazleton, PA 18201. Because we're LOCAL, the funds we raise remain local benefiting local residents!!
200 W. Chapel St.
Hazleton, Pennsylvania 18201
Fax: 570.455.2707


text:
On Saturday, August 4, 2018, (8:30 AM-1:00 PM) the Tusculum Church of Christ will hold its annual "Caring by Sharing" clothing giveaway. Just in time for school, this incredible service event offers only FREE clothing for the entire Nashville community.
All tables were organized by gender, size, seasonal, school uniform, etc. – covering the entire gym floor. And these clothes are not, "I wouldn't wear it so I'll give it away" clothes – there are piles of name brand clothes – some even new – all free with no strings attached – a fact that often baffles first-time recipients.
Open to anyone, no specific requirements other than registration on day of the event!
Free childcare for infants through 6 years old provided while parents shop for clothes.


text:
Our house is an old farm house that is pretty close to our road. There used to be a blue spruce between us and the road, but something did it in, and we had it taken down last year. When it was up, grass wouldn't grow underneath it, what with it being an evergreen and all, so we put down mulch and bulb flowers for pretty much the entirety of our "front yard."
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Weekend Gardener
Our house is an old farm house that is pretty close to our road. There used to be a blue spruce between us and the road, but something did it in, and we had it taken down last year. When it was up, grass wouldn't grow underneath it, what with it being an evergreen and all, so we put down mulch and bulb flowers for pretty much the entirety of our "front yard."
Extruded by GDad at 4/29/2012 09:00:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: health, home improvement, small towns, weather
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Thank Goodness for Twilight
Extruded by GDad at 4/28/2012 07:16:00 AM 0 comments
Friday, April 27, 2012
Foto Phriday - Everyone Loves Babies
Extruded by GDad at 4/27/2012 05:30:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: photos
Thursday, April 26, 2012
A Star Is Born
The video with me in it played at the all-employee meeting yesterday. My image kicked off the video, and they came back to me a couple of times. I think I'll ask for a copy in HD of what they have.
Extruded by GDad at 4/26/2012 06:30:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: office humor
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Life's* Little** Pleasures***
I love it when a meeting gets rescheduled.
*If you can call it a life.
**Probably better described as "minuscule."
***Cessation of nearly-overwhelming sense of ennui.
Extruded by GDad at 4/25/2012 09:52:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: office humor
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
The Monkees
Now I'm a believer!
Extruded by GDad at 4/24/2012 08:03:00 AM 0 comments
Monday, April 23, 2012
Itsy Bitsy
John C was ranting about how cold it was in Small City, Midwest State, and how it had topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Arizona the previous day. When I got to work, I saw this spider in the break room soon after my VP was impressed that someone was on the floor at 6:30am. None of those three events were related, except that that were temporally proximal.
Click to embiggen.
Extruded by GDad at 4/23/2012 07:00:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: office humor, photos
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Angry Language Guy - Capitalization
Extruded by GDad at 4/22/2012 02:48:00 PM 0 comments
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Extruded by GDad at 4/21/2012 05:46:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: photos
Friday, April 20, 2012
Foto Phriday
Spring is here; spring is here!
Life is skittles and life is beer!
Now that the weather is better, although still a bit sketchy, a lot of people have started riding motorcycles around. GPop's bike is a 2003 Honda Nighthawk 750. It's a nice street bike. I had never seen a Nighthawk 650 before, but here's a picture of one next to my Honda Civic Hybrid (hmmmmmm). Please note the Cookie Monster strapped to the back. As always, click to embiggen.
Extruded by GDad at 4/20/2012 07:22:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: photos
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Dear Doctor
I had a doctor appointment yesterday for an annual physical. I am in fair health, for someone who drew my numbers in the genetic lottery. My dad and mom both have GERD, and I got it in spades. My insurance company has decided that Nexium is too expensive, so they are jacking around with my coverage to discourage me from taking it. Here is a letter I just wrote to my doctor, which is a follow-up to the discussion from yesterday, when I didn't have the letter from the insurance company.
Extruded by GDad at 4/19/2012 08:05:00 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Advice for President Obama
I have a way for you to ensure a second term.
In September, send that group of Navy SEALs to find and "take care of" Rachel from Card Services. Then advertise the victory.
Extruded by GDad at 4/18/2012 09:00:00 PM 1 comments
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Where my Boss Is - for a "Seminar"
Extruded by GDad at 4/17/2012 08:56:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: office humor, photos
Monday, April 16, 2012
Son's Thanks
Son's English class read The Last Lecture, and the teacher gave them a multipart assignment to create a portfolio of short essays around the topic of memento mori. One of the short essays was a eulogy. Son wrote it as though I were speaking the eulogy at his funeral. I joked with him that some of the less astute "left-enders" would probably write a eulogy in the first person. He graciously chuckled.
Later in the portfolio, I ran across two thank-you notes from him to GPop and me. He wrote that he was grateful that we had given him a stable, loving family, and that he just wanted us to know. He told me after I wiped away something that got in my eye that he had always written thank-you notes to people who had given him gifts for gift-giving occasions, but that he had never written one to GPop and me yet.
Extruded by GDad at 4/16/2012 10:30:00 PM 0 comments
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Fruit Kaboom
Extruded by GDad at 4/15/2012 10:30:00 AM 0 comments
Saturday, April 14, 2012
This is a bumbled bee I saw on the floor of the walkway to the parking garage at work.
Extruded by GDad at 4/14/2012 07:47:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: photos
Friday, April 13, 2012
Away to the Window, I Flew Like a Flash
This morning, I got up around 3:30 to use the bathroom, as is usual for me. After finishing, I got back in bed, and a few seconds later, I heard a big crash. I leaped up from the bed and ran out into the hallway to check for a sabertooth tiger, dire wolf, or perhaps that troublesome tribe of Neandertals from over the hill. Once I realized that there were none, and I was able to engage the frontal cortex and look around for the source.
Nothing in the bathroom.
Nothing on the stairs.
Son's room? The touch-activated lamp formerly on the nightstand was on the floor and turned on. Evidently, Son stretched out beyond the confines of the bed and had knocked the lamp onto the floor. Since nothing was broken, I turned it off and went back to bed.
Normally, when I get up around 5:20, I do the ablutions, then turn on Son's light and shut off his fan. This morning, I moved the lamp back to the nightstand, which of course turned it on. Generally, this does not wake Son up, but I saw eyes open this morning, and a finger snaked out from the covers and shut off the light. I turned the light back on and told him that he had knocked it off during the night. A finger snaked out from the covers and shut off the light again. At this point, I decided to let the alarm clock handle the situation, and I left for work.
Extruded by GDad at 4/13/2012 07:24:00 AM 1 comments
Labels: son
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Interesting UCE
I got this e-mail this morning. I really wonder what would happen if I replied. E-mail addresses changed to protect all of us, and other typos left untouched.
To: email@example.com
From: "Thoms Muller"
Subject: Legal Advice
Hi ,
My name is James Gilliard and I am in need of legal assistance in dealing with a marital agreement matter.
Please advice me if this area of law is within your field of practice so I can proceed with providing you with further information.
Cordially yours,
Thomas Muller
Extruded by GDad at 4/12/2012 07:51:00 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Possible Headlines for Today
"Romney Squeezes out Santorum"
"Santorum Wiped off the Ballot"
Add your own below...
Extruded by GDad at 4/11/2012 10:51:00 AM 1 comments
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Dente Canis et Sum non Medicus
At the drop-off for the birthday party, Neighbor Rusty's evil little Jack Russell (supposedly) terrier came over and bit Tremell's mom when she was getting back into her car. Duke is the dog's name. He is supposedly quarantined to Rusty's house for 10 days and is "under review" or something. Rusty initiated the review period with Animal Control.
Tremell's mom was quite insistent on asking me for medical advice. I advised her to consider her own health situation, consult with Rusty to make sure Duke had all of his shots, and perhaps chat with a family doctor, but I could not provide solid medical advice. She kept asking. In my mind, I kept answering, "Go to the d@m_ doctor, woman!" but on the outside, I simply repeated the lines about making sure she was comfortable with the outcome.
Also, she said her leg was "leaking" rather than "bleeding," which I suppose is a perfectly cromulent use of the word, and she didn't appear to be familiar with antiseptic ointment and adhesive bandages, so perhaps I should have been a bit more assertive about seeing a doctor.
Extruded by GDad at 4/10/2012 08:00:00 PM 4 comments
Monday, April 9, 2012
Dream Log - Monday Morning
Corbin Bernsen was giving me a shot of Novocaine to prep me for some dental work on my left incisor, which had a big chip in it.
Extruded by GDad at 4/09/2012 10:30:00 AM 0 comments
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Happy Easter
Lots of travel, lots of family, lots of food.
Now we sleep.
Extruded by GDad at 4/08/2012 09:30:00 PM 0 comments
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Under the Pink Moon
Son had a small group of friends over last night for a birthday party. There were 4 additional boys in our house. Their ages added up were less than GPop's age and my age added together. Ah, well.
In any case, I made pizza with colored dough. When I use the breadmaker, I often add food coloring to the bread dough. It doesn't change the flavor, but it adds some fun to the pizza. The boys chose purple and blue. Purple, because they liked it, and blue, because it matched Son's new motorcycle.
Our town is gradually getting out of the white-bread farm gestalt that it had been 10 years ago. One of the lads who was over, Tremell, is African-American. He is also the youngest of the boys, and was the loudest and fastest talker. I gave my rules near the beginning of the party.
GDad: Gentlemen, here are the rules. 1. I don't care for casual swearing. I will call you out on it. I expect you to behave like gentlemen, and I will treat you as such. 2. If I am awakened by noise once I go to bed, I will take all of you home, and I don't care what the hour is. 3. If I wake to find anyone out of the house, I will call to file a missing person report. Got it?
Daniel: Yes, Mr. Lastname.
Everyone else: [look pointedly at Tremell]
Tremell: Why is the black kid always the loudest?
GDad: [pause] I don't think I'm allowed to respond to that.
Everyone else: [general laughter]
Just for the record, Daniel is a very polite and intelligent kid. He is one of the few kids I've met who doesn't struggle with calling adults Mr. and Mrs./Ms. I think part of the reason some of these kids struggle is that many of their friends have parents with surnames that differ from the kid's surname, which causes confusion.
Later in the evening, we got out the 6-inch telescope and looked at the moon. GPop pointed out the Sea of Tranquility, and a couple of the boys expressed surprise that there were seas on the moon. I was flabbergasted at that gap in knowledge, so I explained about how astronomers in older times saw the dark areas and thought there was water there. I would have thought this was third grade knowledge, but perhaps I was a bit of an outlier with respect to astronomical trivia when I was a lad.
GDad: Look up there. That's Mars.
Boys: Oooo... that's cool. Let's look at that!
GPop: OK. Give me a minute. [futzes with telescope]
GDad: Does anyone know how many moons Mars has?
Boys: 2! 4! 7! None!
GDad: Yep, it's two. Do you know the names of the moons?
Tremell: Marquell and LaQuesha?
GDad: Hardly, but interesting guess.
Their noise didn't wake me up, but I guess their self-policing got a little silly. Eventually they fell asleep. The next morning, they awoke and ate pancakes. Before they went home, Daniel expressed interest in seeing my small collection of foreign coins. He was especially interested in the heptagonal (he used that word) dollar coin from Barbados. I told him that sometimes banks will have a small jar of those coins that get stuck in coin sorting machines, and that perhaps he could give them puppy dog eyes to get his hands on them.
They were gone by 11:00, and except for the Diet Orange Crush stain on the carpet, there was no damage to the house.
Extruded by GDad at 4/07/2012 11:30:00 AM 2 comments
Friday, April 6, 2012
What To Do
Let's say you're a minority - we'll go with race, since it's visible and in the news these days.
You're with a small group of friends who belong to this group. At a lunch in a food court, you notice one friend heading toward a place known for tasty food, but also known for its support of abhorrent policies and politics. Let's say it's "Circle Triple K." This is a place where you would not spend money in a million years, because you have some political awareness and have spent time developing a sense of money activism.
Do you advise your friend of the situation then and there, stay silent, or choose another course of action (such as blogging about it anonymously a few days later)?
Extruded by GDad at 4/06/2012 07:24:00 AM 0 comments
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Son and his Present
Son is riding his bike in this clip.
Yes, he has his motorcycle temps. Yes, we have limitations more strict than that.
Extruded by GDad at 4/05/2012 08:20:00 PM 1 comments
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Winter Days - 2011
This is video from over a year ago. Thank goodness we're past it.
Extruded by GDad at 4/04/2012 08:05:00 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Son's Birthday Present
GPop had the sales guy put "SOLD" signs on all of the floor models that Son was eyeballing a couple of weeks ago. Son's was assembled fresh in back and had a HAPPY BIRTHDAY sign and ribbon on it. I thought Son's head would split open from him grinning so widely.
It is a new 2009 Honda Rebel (250cc). Honda had surplus inventory, presumably due to the late 2008 market crash.
Extruded by GDad at 4/03/2012 08:04:00 PM 0 comments
Monday, April 2, 2012
Video Monday - Son with Dad
This is Son riding with Dad in Dad's 1959 Corvette. Dad got it when I was in high school. It had been in many pieces. It took about 2 years to assemble completely, and he even let me drive it when I turned 18, although I did drive around for a couple of hours and made my mom think I had died in a crash. The speedometer in that car goes up to about 130, but I can state very confidently that it does not have the ability, mechanically, to go more than 90 down a long hill.
Extruded by GDad at 4/02/2012 08:00:00 PM 0 comments
Sunday, April 1, 2012
All Grown-ish
Here's a picture of Son trying on the pants from his Viking costume. We were doing some spring cleaning.
I don't remember why son needed a whip. I think it was from the Renaissance Fair, although it could have been from some other nerd festival.
Extruded by GDad at 4/01/2012 06:00:00 PM 0 comments


text:
The Perfect Solution For Your Business
We know one of the responsibilities you have is to ensure the safety and maintenance of your company vehicles while minimizing costly downtime for your business. Our Jiffy Lube Signature Service Oil Change is a 10 to 15 minute service that will save you and your drivers time and money. Plus, you never need an appointment.


text:
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
(do something) to excess
To do or indulge in something too much. I started to lose weight once I stopped regularly eating to excess. I'll go to the pub with you guys, but I'm not drinking to excess tonight—I have to be up early tomorrow.
See also: excess
drink (oneself) silly
To drink alcohol to a point of extreme intoxication. Of course you don't remember last night at the bar—you drank yourself silly!
drink (oneself) to sleep
To drink alcohol until one loses consciousness or is unable to stay awake any longer. You have to drink yourself to sleep each night? You might have a drinking problem, Jerry. Dad drank himself to sleep in his armchair again.
drink down
To drink all of something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "drink" and "down." This smoothie is gross—I really can't drink it down.
drink in
To absorb and enjoy something thoroughly. A noun or pronoun can be used between "drink" and "in." Let's stop for a moment and drink in this fresh mountain air. I'm glad I was able to drink in the excitement and joy of our wedding day before it was all over.
drink like a fish
To frequently drink a lot of alcohol. I'm not surprised to hear that Karl got drunk again last night—that guy drinks like a fish!
drink to excess
To drink alcohol to the point of intoxication. This is an important event for me, honey, so please don't drink to excess and make a fool of yourself.
drink with the flies
To drink alone. Primarily heard in Australia. Come on, meet up with me at the bar! As it is, I'm just drinking with the flies, and it's depressing. Don't leave me here to drink with the flies—stay a little longer!
drink like a fish
Fig. to drink alcohol excessively; to be in the habit of drinking alcohol excessively. Jeff really drank like a fish at the party on Saturday. I worry about Nancy; she drinks like a fish.
drink something down
to drink something; to consume all of something by drinking it. Here, drink this down, and see if it makes you feel better. Drink down this medicine.
drink something in
Fig. to absorb something; to take in information, sights, a story, etc. Terry and Amy drove up to the top of the hill to drink the sights in. They drank in the beautiful view.
drink to excess
Euph. to drink too much alcohol; to drink alcohol continually. Mr. Franklin drinks to excess. Some people drink to excess only at parties.
drink like a fish
Consume large amounts of alcoholic beverages, as in He always drinks like a fish at holiday dinners. The expression, first recorded in the mid-1600s, alludes to the way fish obtain oxygen, which causes them to be open-mouthed and appear to be constantly drinking.
drink like a fishINFORMAL
If someone drinks like a fish, they regularly drink a lot of alcohol. When I was younger I could drink like a fish and eat like a pig. The father was not too bad but the mother drank like a fish. Note: People used to believe that fish drank constantly because they breathe through open mouths.
drink like a fishdrink excessive amounts of alcohol, especially habitually.
drink with the fliesdrink alone. Australian & New Zealand informal
1963 D. Whitington Mile Pegs 'Have a drink?' the larrikin invited. 'Or do you prefer drinking with the flies?'
drink like a ˈfish(informal) regularly drink too much alcohol: Her husband drinks like a fish.
drink in
To take something in eagerly through the senses or the mind: The campers drank in the view of the sunset over the mountain lake. The shoreline was so beautiful that I stopped for a while to drink it in.