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- Female Dominant Stories : Beyond New Yearã¯â¿â½ã¯â¿â½ã¯â¿â½s Eve
This is the sequel to my earlier story ?New Years Eve?, about two married couples, all Seattle Police Officers, who one drunken night engage in a wife swapping encounter. It picks up the very next morning.
The next morning I was very hung over.I?ve had worse morning?s after in my life, but not too many. I was awakened to the sound of little Alex, Michelle and Mark?s younger child, crying for her mother. Before I even opened my eyes I knew I was in bad shape.My head throbbed rhythmically with the beating of my heart, my mouth was as dry as the Sahara, and my stomach felt as if a can of Drano had been poured down it.
?Mommy!? I heard the insistent cry from the direction of our younger daughter?s room. It wasn?t one of mine, I knew. After a moment?s thought I remembered that Mark and Michelle?s kids were staying with us.That thought brought with it a vague sense of embarrassment and shame that seemed related to something that had happened last night. What had I done?
?Oh Jesus.? A voice moaned beside me. It wasn?t Stephanie.
I opened my eyes, wincing at the bright light in the room and turned my head to the left. Beside me was Michelle, her hair tattered, her bleary red eyes looking at me. Only her head stuck out from beneath the covers.
?Oh my God.? I mumbled, remembering what had happened last night and early this morning. We had started in the living room and had eventually ended up here, in my bed. We had fucked, sucked and enjoyed each other until probably close to 2:00 AM while Stephanie and Mark had presumably been doing the same in our guest bedroom.I could taste her vaginal juices on my lips even now. I had vivid recollections of her cramming her tongue as far up my ass as she could physically make it go. I remembered frantically searching through the master bathroom for some form of lubricant, finally finding some baby oil, so I could fuck her up the ass. I remembered coming in her ass while she?d screamed out her encouragement in the most guttural language imaginable. What had we done?
I could see many of the same thoughts going through my best friend?s wife at the same moment I was thinking them. ?This is uh?.? She said softly.
?Kind of an awkward moment, isn?t it??
?Yeah.? I agreed. ?How much do you remember??
?Everything.? She sighed. ?You??
I nodded.
?Well.? She shrugged, embarrassed. ?What can you do??
I shrugged back.
?I guess the four of us are gonna have to sit down and have a little talk.? She opined.
?Yep.? I agreed.
?Mommy!!? Came little Alex?s voice once again. It seemed near tears now.
?I?d better go get her.? Michelle told me. She started to get up and stopped as she noted I was still looking at her. She blushed. ?Would you mind uh? looking the other way while I get up??
?Sure.? I said, understanding.
Within fifteen minutes we were all up and dressed and all obviously feeling like shit for more than one reason. We could barely look at each other, could barely talk to each other. What had we done to our friendship?
To our marriages? Could we recover from this?
We fed the kids breakfast, all of us nearly puking over the smell of eggs frying. Once their hunger was taken care of and they went off to play with each other, we sat down at the dining room table, the flashpoint for last night?s sordid festivities, and discussed the matter. We?d been very close friends for a very long time and after an awkward beginning, the discussion moved along nicely.We agreed not to let what had happened affect either our friendship or our marriage.We agreed to never, never, never, discuss what had happened either with each other or with other people (you couldn?t begin to imagine what we would have endured had our colleagues at Seattle PD gotten hold of this story).Most of all we agreed never to let it happen again. We gave our solemn oaths.
We did okay with most of the promises. We didn?t let it affect our marriages or our friendship and we never discussed it at all. Steph and I carried on with our routine sex-life, as did Michelle and Mark. We continued to get together anytime the four of us all shared a mutual day off. At first the get-togethers were sedate, without much drinking going on. We all seemed nervous about consuming alcohol since it had been the catalyst for the New Years Eve encounter.
But gradually things returned to normal. We began drinking more at the get-togethers. Our standard raunchy talk picked back up (although we were careful not to mention the events of THAT night).And then, I suppose it was inevitable, one drunken night, after the kids were in bed, we ended up playing a game of strip poker.Michelle and I lost and, as a penalty, we were required to screw each other on the dining room table. Once again I retired with her to my bedroom that night while Steph and Mark took up residence in the guestroom.
The next morning we had another discussion. This one had more honesty attached to it. We all admitted that we LIKED the spouse-swapping activities as a means of variety. We agreed that, as long as all parties were in agreement, that we would continue to do them on the nights of get-togethers.
We agreed that only at the get-togethers would such activities take place.
>From then on we were happier people. We stuck to the rules and I got to screw Michelle once a month or so while my wife got to screw Mark. Our marriage became, if anything, a little stronger from this; we now shared a deep, black secret that we kept from the rest of the world. For ten months this went on.
And then things changed once again.
Mark?s father lived in Northern Montana. Each year during hunting season Mark and I usually traveled there to do a little deer and elk hunting with Mark?s old man. It was a tradition I?d come to enjoy immensely even if we were unsuccessful in our hunts. This year however, Steph and I had taken out a second mortgage on our house in order to put in a redwood deck, a hot tub, upgrade our landscaping, and pay off some credit card debts that we had.
Out of state hunting tags in Montana are outrageously expensive. That, coupled with the lost time that Steph would have to take off work in order to cover my childcare obligations would have put a little too much of a ding in our suddenly shaky financial picture. With almost painful regret, I had to decline the hunting trip for the first time in five years. Mark commiserated with me but of course didn?t hesitate to go off by himself anyway. He left the third of October, planning to be gone for three weeks.
Since Michelle and Stephanie worked the same shift out of the same station, I was incorporated as a babysitter for Mark and Michelle?s two children during their working hours. I didn?t mind. I loved their two kids like they were my own and my own two children loved having them come over every day. The only drawback was, that since Michelle and Steph worked swing shift, which ran from 2:00 PM to Midnight, that Michelle?s kids would have to be put to bed at our house, woken up when Michelle got there, and then driven across the city to Michelle?s house at one in the morning. She put up with this for only two days before it was decided that she would simply stay the night in our guest bedroom during workdays in order to ease the burden of transfer. It made for a slightly chaotic atmosphere in our suburban house during the two women?s workweek but it was tolerable.
Steph and Michelle worked Tuesday through Friday. On Friday night, at about 11:30 PM, while all four kids were asleep in their respective bedrooms, I was awakened from a sound sleep by the telephone that sat beside my bed. Blearily, without opening my eyes, I groped for it, finally locating it by feel. I put it to my ear.
?Yeah?? I said crossly.
?What are you so pissy about?? I heard my wife say in a cheerful voice.
I creaked my eyes open and looked at the clock. ?You woke me up.? I told her, no humor in my voice. ?What?s up??
?You grump.? She accused lightly, then said, ?Michelle and I are gonna go over to The Chambers for a few drinks. Just wanted to make sure you knew.?
The Chambers is a cop bar located a few blocks from the station where they worked. ?Cool.? I answered, not caring about anything but getting back to sleep. I had to be to work the next morning at 6:00. ?Just remember you got kid duty tomorrow.?
?I remember.? She told me. ?Love you.?
I muttered a ?love you? back and then slammed the phone back down.
Within a minute I was sound asleep once again.
The sound of our automatic garage door opening woke me up sometime later.I opened my eyes a crack and glanced over at the alarm clock on my nightstand. 1:58 it read. They?d stayed a little longer than two drinks worth at The Chambers I thought fleetingly before closing my eyes once again.
Before I could drift off, however, I noticed that my bladder was uncomfortably full. I reluctantly dragged myself out of bed and walked to the master bathroom to take a leak.
As I was standing at the toilet, dressed only in my birthday suit, filling the toilet, the bedroom door slammed open. I glanced over and saw Michelle come staggering in, making a beeline for the toilet I was currently using. So intent on her target was she, that she didn?t even notice me standing there until she was well inside the room. When she did see me, her eyes widened in frustration.
?Shit.? She barked. ?You would have to be using it right now.?
I wasn?t terribly concerned with the fact that I was standing naked before her. After all, she?d seen me naked more than once. Once you?ve had someone?s tongue stuck up your ass, it?s hard to be modest about mere nudity before them. ?Why don?t you use the other one?? I asked.
?Steph?s using it.? She said, fidgeting around. I could smell the odor of alcohol wafting off of her in waves. ?She dove in there right from the garage. She had to pee worse than me I guess. Would you hurry up??
I let the last of my piss dribble out and then shook myself off. I flushed the toilet and stepped away from it. Michelle unbuckled the fanny pack she wore and tossed it to me. ?Can you stash this for me?? She asked, unbuttoning her pants and dropping them right before my eyes, treating me to the now familiar view of her hairy blonde bush. She slammed the seat of the toilet down and plopped herself onto it. She had barely settled in before the sound of pee gushing into the toilet reached my ears. ?Ahhhh.? She moaned.
I took her fanny pack, which was heavy with the weight of her off-duty gun and carried it into the bedroom, setting it up high on our television stand, well out of the reach of inquisitive children. As I turned around from this action I found myself facing my wife, who also smelled strongly of alcohol. She had a drunken smile on her face and with her right hand she reached out and grabbed my dick, which was still flapping in the breeze.
?Hey baby.? She said, caressing me. ?Glad you?re up. I need some of this.?
?I have to get up for work in three hours.? I told her, though I was stiffening at her touch anyway.
?Wrong.? She said, starting to jack me now. ?You have to ?get up? for work now. I want some dick baby.?
?Oh God.? Said Michelle from the bathroom doorway. ?I thought I was gonna burst. Don?t ever let me leave a bar without peeing first Stephie.?
She stopped, looking at where my wife?s hand was and the state of my cock.
?Oops, I?m sorry, guess I?m interrupting.?
?It?s okay.? Steph giggled. ?It?s not like you haven?t seen it before anyway.?
I raised my eyebrows a little at this. By unspoken consent we never discussed our get-together activities with each other except when they were actually occurring. Steph had just violated this unwritten rule. Probably because she was drunk.
?Well yeah.? Michelle stammered, somewhat embarrassed. ?Well, I?d better be hitting the rack.? She gazed almost longingly at my cock in Steph?s hand as she started for the door.
?It?s too bad Mark?s not here.? Steph told her, letting go of me and unsnapping her own fanny pack. ?You?ve got to be at least as horny as I am.?
Michelle gave her a sour look.?Sure.? She said. ?Rub it in. You go ahead and get yourself some dick. I?ll just borrow a cucumber or something out of the fridge.?
?You don?t have to do that.? I offered. ?My dick?s big enough for two. And it?s not cold either.?
I had just been joking, the same raunchy humor we typically displayed.
But Michelle paused, eyeing my dick once again. ?I don?t think Stephie wants to share tonight.? She said regretfully.
Steph tossed her fanny pack up high next to Michelle?s. She looked at the two of us while she reached for the hem of her sweater. She shrugged. ?I don?t mind.? She said. ?But I get his cock in me first. You can sit on his face while I fuck him if you want.?
?Really?? Michelle and I asked in unison, unsure if she was joking or not.
She pulled her sweater off, revealing her bra-clad tits. Though she was feigning disinterest in what she was offering, I could see that she was definitely aroused at her suggestions. Her chest was flushed and covered with goose bumps; ironclad evidence of extreme horniness I knew. ?Why not?? She asked, reaching around for her bra clasp. ?I?m always willing to help out a friend in need.?
?What about Mark?? Michelle asked, now displaying arousal signs of her own. Her voice, though protesting, lacked conviction. ?I not sure he?d like the three of us getting it on while he?s away.?
?Well,? I said, adding my two cents. ?I guess it?s his tough luck for going hunting while the rest of us stay home.?
?Besides,? Steph said, removing her bra and dropping it to the floor.
Her nipples were standing out proudly. ?We can repay him once he?s back. You don?t mind, do you?? She asked me.
?No.? I said quickly, willing to agree to pretty much anything at this point. They were talking about a three-way. Every man?s dream. I wanted in.
?I find you make a good point.? Michelle said, reaching for the hem of her own sweater.
Steph kicked off her shoes and socks and then dropped her pants and panties to the floor. My wife is very petite, standing about 5?-5? and weighing in at a hundred and twelve pounds. She keeps herself in good shape, running twenty miles a week and, like always, I enjoyed gazing upon her naked form which was marred only by the stretch marks on her abdomen from childbirth. She pushed me back to the edge of the bed, forcing me to sit while she kneeled down on the carpet and took my cock into her mouth. Steph is an accomplished cocksucker, one of the few women in the world it seems that actually likes to do it. She bobbed softly up and down on me, using strokes and techniques she knew I liked.
As she did this I watched Michelle undress. Her sweater and bra were already on the floor, revealing her large tits. Her nipples, nearly twice the size of Steph?s, were also standing erect with arousal. Michelle is a big woman, though proportioned nicely. She stands nearly six feet tall and though the potential for fatness is undoubtedly in her, she keeps on top of it with the same twenty miles per week running schedule. Though not as accomplished a cock sucker as Steph, she had a near-obsession with being fucked in the ass;
something that Steph and I never did after one failed attempt early in our marriage. She dropped her pants and panties and walked naked over to me.
While Steph continued to slurp and suck on my cock, Michelle sat next to me on the bed and put her arms around me. Our mouths came together in a deep, tongue-slurping kiss and I felt her large, alluring body pressing against me. With my left hand I stroked her tits, gliding softly over her nipples. I trailed my hand downward across her abdomen, which was marred with a set of stretch marks too, and through her thick nest of light brown pubic hair. I dipped my fingers into her folds, finding them very wet and warm. She sighed as I inserted two fingers and began to bang her softly.
Steph pulled herself off of my cock and stood up, continuing to jack me softly with her hand. When Michelle and I broke our kiss, she leaned forward and put her lips to mine, picking up where Michelle had left off. She probed with her tongue while pushing the two of us to a horizontal position on the bed. My fingers were still moving within Michelle?s drenched cunt. With my other hand I reached out and touched Steph?s smooth upper thigh. I moved northward until I reached her nest of curly black pubic hair, which was far less dense than Michelle?s was. I found that my wife was quite wet herself as I softly began to finger-bang her too, matching rhythm with the hand inside Michelle?s body. While Steph kissed my lips, Michelle put her mouth to my neck, sucking and biting on it gently. The experience of having two mouths working on me simultaneously while my two hands were in separate pussies is beyond description. Like many men I?d fantasized about such things before, usually while jacking off, but even the most vivid and detailed fantasy does not do justice to what it actually feels like. Feeling female flesh pressing upon you from two directions can make you believe that there really is a kind and benevolent God.
Steph broke our kiss, giving my lip a lingering suck as she pulled back. She straightened herself up and then lifted her leg, passing it over mine so that she was straddling me. She moved her crotch forward, forcing my hand to break free, and then inched it up until it was against the head of my cock. She rubbed me through her wet lips for a moment and then sank down upon me, driving me in to the hilt with a wet squish. I sighed at the exquisite sensation of sexual congress.
Michelle raised her head from my neck and turned to watch for a moment as Steph began raising and lowering herself, slowly at first, upon my throbbing cock. She smiled and then pulled herself forward until her tits were dangling in my face. I sucked one of her nipples into my mouth, caressing it with my tongue while fondling the other tit with my hand.After a moment of this, she pulled herself to her knees on the bed and straddled my chest, facing towards my face.I could feel her pussy resting on my sternum, leaving a wet spot. Slowly she moved herself forward until her pussy was hovering directly over my face. Her musk filled my nose as I stared at her swollen lips and protruding clit. I put my hands to her waist and pulled her down to me, inserting my tongue between her vaginal lips and tasting the tangy nectar of her secretions.
As I licked and sucked Michelle?s pussy, eliciting grunts and groans of approval, Steph picked up the pace of her fucking, rubbing the top of her puss against my cock with each thrust. I knew that my wife enjoyed this position immensely since she could rub herself to an orgasm in this manner. My hips began to thrust back at her.
About then I happened to look upward, gazing along the length of Michelle?s body. I saw that Steph was supporting herself by holding onto Michelle?s shoulders and resting her chin in the hollow of her neck. My wife had her eyes closed, a blissful expression on her face, her fingers kneading Michelle?s shoulders softly. This was definitely interesting (you certainly wouldn?t catch two heterosexual guys doing such a thing) and I continued to strain my eyes upward as I sucked Michelle?s clit gently and continued to thrust in and out of Steph.
I was rewarded for the painful angle my eyes had to maintain in order to watch. After a few moments, Steph?s hands slowly glided downward in a hesitant manner. They passed over Michelle?s chest and then worked their way south until they were cupping her large tits. She began to squeeze and knead Michelle?s breasts, experimentally at first and then with more passion.
Michelle?s breathing picked up as she looked down and saw whose hands were caressing her.She filed no protest against this and in fact seemed to enjoy it. Emboldened by Michelle?s lack of protest, Steph then began kissing and sucking on the side of her neck. Michelle smiled sexily, throwing her head back. After a moment of this, she turned her head to the side and their mouths met, at first exchanging cautious, gentle kisses, but quickly escalating to deep, tongue swirling, soul kisses. Steph?s left hand trailed downward, leaving the breast behind and a moment later I found a finger between my mouth and Michelle?s clit. Steph began rubbing frantically while I went back to running my tongue in and out of her drenched lips.
Michelle began to buck up and down upon my face almost immediately.
Their kiss broke and she began to scream out her trademark obscenities that signified approaching orgasm. Steph?s hand began to rub faster and firmer across her clit.
?C?mon baby.? I heard Steph panting from above me. ?Come for me, come for me. Let me feel it.?
?Motherfucker!? Michelle yelled through clenched teeth, slamming her pelvis violently upon my face.
?Yesss!? Steph encouraged, rubbing faster.
?Oh you cunt!? Michelle panted. ?You bitch! Oh God!!?
She came harder than I personally had ever witnessed during my encounters with her. Her juices literally poured over my face, drenching and nearly drowning me.
She pulled herself off of my face and stared at Steph, who was still bouncing atop my cock contentedly, a satisfied smile on her face.
?Is that the way you?re gonna play?? She asked, lust in her eyes.
?Yeah.? Steph said, panting too. I?d never seen her look so aroused before. ?And you liked it you bitch. Didn?t you??
I felt my own orgasm straining as I listened to the two of them talk to each other. Even at their raunchiest, I?d never heard them call each other bitches and cunts before. They seemed to be getting off not just on the physical aspects of what was going on, but the verbal ones as well.
?Yeah.? Michelle breathed. ?You lezzie slut. I LOVED it. How do you like this??
With that she leaned forward, putting her face right at the union of our two crotches. I felt her blonde hair tickling my stomach as she inserted her mouth between my wife?s legs and started sucking on her clit. Her chin rubbed against my cock as she did this, adding to the sensation of my cock thrusting in and out of Steph?s cunt.
Steph, who was usually pretty quiet in the sack, squealed loudly as she felt Michelle begin to suck her clit. Her thrusting became rapid and erratic and she screamed her way through a jarring orgasm less than ten seconds later.
This was all a little too much for me. I felt tingling in my nether regions and my own hips began to spasm erratically. Orgasm had its way with me and I began to shoot in my wife?s clenching pussy with extreme force.
When my thrusts slowed down and finally came to a stop, I opened my eyes to see Michelle sucking my wife?s left tit frantically. She pulled her mouth away and stood up, grabbing Steph under the arms. She lifted upwards on her, pulling her off of my wilting cock, spinning her around, and tossing her bodily onto the bed beside me on her back. Steph, I could see, really liked the rough treatment she was receiving. Michelle grabbed her legs and forced them apart, staring at her drooling vagina.
?I?m gonna suck his come out of your pussy.? She told Steph in a commanding voice. ?And you want me to, don?t you, you cunt??
?Yes.? Steph nodded, still panting.
?Tell me.? Michelle said. ?Tell me what you want me to do, you lezzie. Tell me!?
?Suck my cunt!? Steph ordered. ?Suck me off you bitch! Do it now!?
As I watched in aroused amazement, Michelle leaned forward and buried her face between my wife?s spread thighs. She began lapping frantically, slurping and sucking and rubbing her face around. Steph squealed in pleasure, calling her a bitch or a slut every now and then. My cock, which had wilted with post-orgasm, sprang quickly to life once again. Steph inched backwards to the head of the bed, allowing Michelle to climb onto the bed with her. Michelle?s butt was sticking up in the air, displaying her cunt and asshole to me.I stared for a minute, watching this erotic sight and then, feeling left out, I positioned myself behind Michelle and inserted my cock into her pussy from behind.
Michelle moaned out her approval at this as I began to move within her. I grabbed her ass cheeks for leverage and fucked while watching her eat my wife, who was moaning constantly and twisting her head back and forth.
After a few minutes of this, Michelle raised her head out of Steph?s box and turned it towards me. ?My ass.? She told me. ?Fuck my ass!?
As she dropped her head back into Steph?s crotch, I pulled my dick out her pussy.I ran my fingers through her folds for a moment, wetting them and then inserted two fingers into her asshole, lubing it up. Michelle?s asshole was tight but it was well worn and used to having objects in it. It only took a few seconds before it was ready for penetration. I placed the head of my wet dick against it and slid in, feeling her grip me tightly. I began fucking her ass, rubbing her clit at the same time with my free hand.
Stephanie shortly began to buck and moan her way through a screaming orgasm as Michelle ate her. When her thrusting stopped, Michelle grabbed her thigh and pulled on it.
?Roll over!? She told Steph. ?I wanna eat your ass out.?
?What?? Steph, somewhat shocked, asked.
?I?m gonna eat your ass you cunt!? She said, pulling on her leg again. ?Roll over!?
Steph obediently rolled onto her stomach. While I continued to slam in and out of her rectum, Michelle spread my wife?s butt cheeks apart, baring her puckered anus. She moved her face forward and buried it in the valley.
My wife moaned in surprise at the sensation. I knew what she was feeling.
When it came to ass eating, Michelle KNEW what she was doing. She had actually made me come before just by doing that.
I continued to ass-fuck her and rub her clit until she squeaked through another orgasm. She ass-sucked and rubbed Steph?s clit until she had another orgasm. She then turned her head and looked at me.
?She?s ready for you.? She told me, probing two fingers in and out of my wife?s ass. ?Come and ass-fuck this lezzie slut.?
?No.? Steph protested. ?It?ll hurt. We?ve tried it before.?
?It?s okay baby.? Michelle said, her voice soft and soothing now.
?Just relax yourself when he goes in and it?ll feel great. Don?t clench down.
You?ll love it.?
Steph offered no more protests and Michelle grabbed my cock and pulled me forward. She put the head against my wife?s slippery asshole and rubbed it up and down. She whispered encouragement to Steph the whole time. Finally, when she thought she was ready, she pulled gently on my butt cheeks, moving me inch by inch into my wife's ass.
?Ohhhh God.? Steph groaned. ?It hurts! Get it out!?
?Shhhhhh.? Michelle soothed, leaning forward and kissing her ear.
?It?s okay. Just relax yourself. Don?t clench. Let your body get used to it.?
I had pulled myself out the moment Steph had said it hurt. I had no desire to cause my wife pain. But when Michelle, still planting kisses on Steph?s face and neck, gestured for me to try again, I leaned forward once more. This time I moved slower, allowing her body to get used to the intrusion. Her ass was incredibly tight. Almost painfully so. Michelle?s, by contrast, was flabby in comparison.Inch by inch I sank down until the entire length of my cock was buried within her. I stayed there, not moving.
?How?s that feel baby?? Michelle asked her.
?Uhhhhhhggg.? Steph replied.
?You ready for him to start fucking??
?Yeahhhhhh.? She breathed.
Michelle nodded at me and slowly I began to move in and out of her. It only took a moment before she was moaning in pleasure and thrusting back at me. As Michelle had taught me, I reached under with my hand and began rubbing her clit while I ass fucked her. She really dug this.
Once we were well involved in the anal sex, Michelle got up and moved to the front of the bed. She inserted herself between the headboard and Steph?s head, spreading her legs obscenely. She grabbed Steph harshly by the hair and pulled her face down.
?Eat me you lezzie cunt!? She commanded. ?And you?d better do it right.?
Steph enthusiastically slurped and sucked away at Michelle?s pussy while I thrust in and out of her rectum. It didn?t take long before we were all panting and sweating our way through our respective orgasms. Steph came first, actually screaming in the manner of Michelle. Michelle was next, screaming out her trademark obscenities while my wife sucked the come out of her. I was last, spewing a load deep within my wife?s bowels.
To my amazement, Michelle actually came around behind Steph after I was done and began sucking on her ass once again, slurping my come out of there.I wasn?t disgusted by this and Steph didn?t seem to be either but I vowed not to kiss her anymore until she brushed her teeth.
Finally we all fell to an exhausted heap in the bed. The two women curled up on either side of me and shortly afterward we were all asleep.
The alarm clock woke me up at 5:00 AM.I had to go to work. I was bone-tired and my body was sore as I extricated myself from between the two women and headed for the shower. When I was dressed and ready for work, the two of them were still sound asleep, though they now had their arms around each other, their bare tits pressing together.
I found myself springing another hard-on as I witnessed this and briefly considered calling in sick before my better judgement kicked in. As I left the house that morning I reflected that another discussion was in order once Mark came home from Montana.


text:
Zale Corporation (NYSE: ZLC) is a mid-tier retailer of fine jewelry, operating approximately 1,900 retail locations throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, as well as online. Zale Corporation's brands include Zales Jewelers, Zales Outlet, Gordon's Jewelers, Peoples Jewellers, Mappins Jewellers and Piercing Pagoda.
Zales has a tenuous market position because it lacks the scale of mass discount retailers like Wal-Mart, and its reputation as a mid-tier jewelry seller makes it difficult for it to compete for wealthier clients that frequent high end stores like Tiffany. The company's focus on middle income and young adult customers also makes it more vulnerable to economic downturns than its higher end competitors, because these two groups tend to reduce their spending more drastically than higher income customers.
Given the number of players and the commodity-like nature of the product being sold, the retail jewelry business is extremely competitive and fragmented. ZLC faces increased competition from the growth of mass merchant retailers like Wal-Mart, the largest jewelry retailer in the combined U.S. and Canadian markets[1]. Discount retailers like Wal-Mart have aggressively pursued and captured a large portion of the price-sensitive consumer jewelry market. At the upper end, Zales must compete with stores like Tiffany, a company who has more successfully associated its brand with high-end jewelry items. Moreover, Zales must also deal with increasing competition from internet vendors like Blue Nile, which ranks just behind Tiffany and ZLC in diamond ring sales after just a decade in the business. Internet retailers are often able to sell the same product for much lower prices thanks to lower overall costs.
The supply and prices of diamonds in the world markets are significantly influenced by a single organization, the Diamond Trading Company[2]. This company controls the marketing of a considerable bulk of the world's supply of diamonds. It also sells rough diamonds to diamond cutters at prices determined solely at its own discretion.
Traditionally, discretionary purchases like fine jewelry are the first to ebb when the economy takes a downturn and consumer spending slows. Since a majority of the store brands under Zales's Fine Jewelry segment target the middle income consumer base, the company is also more vulnerable to economic downturns than higher end jewelry sellers.
The U.S. and Canadian retail jewelry industry accounted for approximately $63 billion of sales in 2008, according to publicly available data. Zale Corporation has a 3% market share in the combined U.S. and Canadian markets. The largest jewelry retailer in the combined U.S. and Canadian markets is believed to be Wal-Mart (WMT). Other significant segments of the fine jewelry industry include national chain department stores (such as J.C. Penney (JCP)), mass merchant discount stores (such as Wal-Mart (WMT)), other general merchandise stores, specialty retail jewelers (such as Signet Group (SIG)) and apparel and accessory stores. The remainder of the retail jewelry industry is comprised primarily of catalog and mail order houses, direct-selling establishments, TV shopping networks (such as QVC , Inc.) and online jewelers.
|Revenue (millions USD)
|Revenue Growth (%)
|Net Income (millions USD)
|Net Income Growth (%)
|Net Margin
|Zales Corporation
|Blue Nile[5]

subset: commoncrawl


text:
11.17.06UMC appoints new
regional sales manager
United Mineral and Chemical Corp. has appointed Jennifer Marques sales associate for the St. Louis/Kansas City region. Marques' sales responsibilities will include daylight fluorescent, phosphorescent and organic pigments, along with products from the chemicals division. She brings seven years of sales and marketing experience in the chemicals industry to her new position.


text:
The Pro Bowl has left Hawaii for the year, but Redskins tackle Trent Williams is taking home a seven-stitch souvenir.
The man who gave Williams the injury via the use of a champagne bottle (it should be one of the weapons in Clue) also owns the nightclub in which the incident occurred. According to the Honolulu Star Advertiser, Michael Miske Jr. has been arrested and charged.
It happened at Miske's M Nightlife nightclub at Restaurant Row. Though the Star Advertiser doesn't mention it, Williams also was reportedly Tasered.
The NFL later warned players to avoid that specific establishment.
Miske, who was charged Sunday and held with $250,000, has a lengthy rap sheet that includes 10 total convictions and six felonies, dating back to 1993. He apparently has never actually been sentenced to jail.


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Police logs - Aug. 1
Groton City
Christopher M. Watrous, 30, of Pomfret Center was charged Wednesday with conspiracy to commit third-degree burglary, first-degree criminal trespass, third-degree larceny, fourth-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit fourth-degree larceny.
Antonia Detillo, 28, of 152 Branford Ave. was charged Tuesday with third-degree criminal mischief and second-degree breach of peace.
Quentin D. Ward, 30, of 76 Federal St., New London, was charged Tuesday with third-degree criminal mischief, first-degree criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.
New London
Kimberlee M. Edwards, 30, of 24 Katie Lane was charged Wednesday with driving an unregistered motor vehicle, driving with a suspended license, failure to carry proper insurance and illegal use of a cellphone.
Karina McCree, 26, whose last known address was 65 Shaw St. was charged Tuesday with breach of peace and interfering with an officer.
Juan Rodriguez, 41, of 41 Merchants Ave. was charged Tuesday with criminal attempt to commit burglary, criminal mischief, possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia.
State Police - Casino Unit
Joseph Osterberg, 25, of Newington was charged Wednesday in Mohegan Sun with sixth-degree larceny and breach of peace.
State Police - Montville
Jamal Young, 26, of Lisbon was charged Wednesday in Montville with second-degree failure to appear in court.
Marc Lamontagne, 48, of North Smithfield, R.I., was charged Monday in North Stonington with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and improper parking.
William Connors, 40, of 137 Slater Ave. was charged Monday in Griswold with disorderly conduct and third-degree assault.
Edward Blesso, 51, of Pine Meadow was charged Friday in Montville with evading responsibility, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and carrying a firearm while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
David Sylvestre, 56, of Canterbury was charged Sunday in Norwich with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The state judicial branch website has information on the outcome of criminal and motor vehicle arrests. Go to: http://www.jud2.ct.gov/crdockets/SearchByDefDisp.aspx.
Newtown and North Haven are both committed to the Manly Discipline of the Running Arts


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CENTRAL POINT — Central Point voters will fill four school board seats in the May 21 election. Two incumbents are unopposed and two will face challengers.
In the race for Position 1, incumbent June Brock is challenged by newcomer Tracy Jackson.
Brock, owner of B&R Tax Service, has been on the board since in 2001. She decided to continue on the board, she said, after the recent retirement of Superintendent Randy Gravon.
"I kind of wanted to help get our new superintendent on solid ground and give her the benefit of the experience of my last few years," Brock said.
The district could increase its efforts to communicate with the public, Brock said, but she believes the district is being well run.
"I'm happy with the direction that we're going, but there are just little things that need revamping."
A trained teacher and a stay-at-home-mom, Jackson said she was asked to campaign by friends and neighbors because of concerns that the district is not receptive to citizen opinions.
Jackson voiced concerns about lack of communication with taxpayers and the perception that the current board is not open to public feedback.
"I'm running because ... I want to be involved in turning the flow of power back to where it's supposed to be," Jackson said. "The flow of power is supposed to go from the citizens to the representatives on the board to the district. Right now, it's a little backwards."
Jackson has concerns about Crater's small-schools design, and she said the district and high school are "administratively top-heavy."
"Most families in this economy are doing more work for less money," she said. "Crater High has three principals for fewer than 1,500 students, when there are bigger schools in this valley with only one principal. And a lot of families are still really unhappy with small schools."
In the race for Position 5, Ed Lindbloom, who was appointed last summer after the death of longtime board member Kerry Bradshaw, will face Catherine Salmon.
Lindbloom, a financial advisor and former head girls soccer coach at Crater High School, said he wants to help the district make sound financial choices in coming years as the economy recovers.
"The district has tougher financial decisions to make in the future than we've had to make in the past. There's the hope the economy will recover and we can add teachers and programs back in, but we need to decide the best way to do that," he said.
In addition, Lindbloom said, he would like to see the district come up with methods other than bond levies to fund improvements.
"We have the Crater Foundation that ensures every graduating senior from Crater gets a scholarship. I think we could ask the community for help with other things," he said.
Salmon, Lindbloom's opponent, is a recently retired school district employee who said she wanted to remain involved after 36 years in the district office.
"I attended (Central Point schools) from the first grade, and I just can't even imagine not being involved in some way with the district. Before Kerry passed away, I just couldn't imagine running against any of the incumbents," she said.
"I really think the district is already going in a great direction, and I just want to be involved," she said.
In the other two races, Bret Moore in Position 2 and Jolee Wallace in Position 4 are unopposed. Both were elected in 2009 to four-year terms.
Buffy Pollock is a freelance writer living in Medford. Email her at firstname.lastname@example.com
Pair of positions up for grabs on school board in Central Point
CENTRAL POINT — Central Point voters will fill four school board seats in the May 21 election. Two incumbents are unopposed and two will face challengers.


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The West Virginia Apprentice Hunting and Trapping license (Class AH) is now available online, according to Frank Jezioro, director of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.
The license allows people to try hunting without completing a hunter education course.
"Hunter safety education can be a hurdle for novice hunters and we're really expecting to see many new hunters take advantage of this opportunity," said Jezioro. "After these novice hunters get a taste of the experience, we believe they will complete hunter safety courses and become lifetime hunters."
Apprentice licenses can only be purchased online at www.wvhunt.com by people who have not previously held a hunting license. Residents who have reached their 18th birthday can purchase a Class AH license for $19. This license includes the same privileges as a Class A (resident hunting and trapping) license, so holders must buy a Class CS Conservation Stamp.
Nonresidents who have reached their 18th birthday can purchase a Class AAH license for $119. This license includes the same privileges as a Class E (nonresident hunting and trapping) license, so holders must buy a Class CS/LE Conservation Stamp/Law Enforcement stamp.
Resident and nonresident youth ages 15 through 17 can buy a Junior Apprentice Hunting and Trapping License for $16. The Class AHJ license for residents includes the same privileges as a Class XJ (junior sportsman hunting/trapping/fishing) license. The Class AAHJ license for nonresidents, combined with a Class CS/LE stamp, includes the same privileges as a Class XXJ license.
Hunters may buy up to three apprentice licenses within five consecutive years. Apprentice license holders must be supervised by a licensed hunter at least 18 years of age.
"We're hoping this license will help us recruit first-time hunters, whether they be youth just getting a start or adults wanting to give hunting a try," said Curtis I. Taylor, chief of the Wildlife Resources Section of DNR. "Hunter recruitment is a prime topic around the country and is key to continuing the successful management programs we have implemented in the past."


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Bridge with netctl
A bridge is a piece of software used to unite two or more network segments. A bridge behaves like a virtual network switch, working transparently (the other machines don't need to know or care about its existance). Real devices (like eth ones) and virtual devices (like tap ones) can be connected to it.
This article explains how to create a bridge that contains at least a ethernet device. This is useful for things like the bridge mode of qemu, setting a software based access point, etc.
Install the netctl package from the official repositories.
- Install the bridge-utils package from the official repositories.
- Copy
- Create a bridge called
br0to have, at least, your real Ethernet adapter (assuming
eth0) and optionally a tap device (assuming
Description="Example Bridge connection" Interface=br0 Connection=bridge BindsToInterfaces=(eth0 tap0) IP=dhcp ## sets forward delay time #FwdDelay=0 ## sets max age of hello message #MaxAge=10
If you are using an static ip see man pages of netctl, also edit
/etc/resolv.conf as necessary.
- You can bridge any combination of network devices editing "BindsToInterfaces" option.
- If any of the bridged devices (eth0,tap0,...) had dhcpcd enabled, disable and stop the
firstname.lastname@example.com. Or set
IP=noto the netctl profiles.
- Finally, enable and start your
Tips and Tricks
Manually adding/removing network devices
The bridge-utils package provides
brctl, to manipulate bridges. You can use it to add a device, like this:
# brctl addif br0 eth1
Read the manual for more info:
man brctl


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"Two and a Half Men" star Ashton Kutcher has bought a home in the heart of the Hollywood Hills for an undisclosed amount. The house had most recently been listed at $10.8 million.
The modern-style house, completed in 2007, has views of the Hollywood Reservoir and the Hollywood sign. Kutcher had been leasing the property when reports surfaced that Justin Bieber had toured the house and might be an interested buyer.
The three-story home has five bedrooms, eight bathrooms and nearly 9,400 square feet of living space, according to the listing. It sits on more than half an acre with a swimming pool and spa. Features include a gym, a sauna, a wine cellar and an elevator.
Kutcher, 34, will play Steve Jobs in an upcoming film about the former Apple chief executive. The actor starred last year in the film "No Strings Attached."
David Findley of Partners Trust and Drew Fenton of Hilton & Hyland were the listing agents.


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Everything Clement Greenberg wrote as an art critic was exactly what Baudelaire said criticism should be: partial, passionate, political–embodying "an exclusive point of view, provided always the one adopted opens up the widest horizons." It couldn't have been fun for artists to find themselves athwart Greenberg's exclusivity, though not many had to face judgments he'd been storing up for years, as Georgia O'Keeffe did when he reviewed her retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in 1946: "The lapidarian patience she has expended in trimming, breathing upon, and polishing these bits of opaque cellophane betrays a concern that has less to do with art than with private worship and the embellishment of private fetishes with secret and arbitrary meanings." And that was one of his more sympathetic comments on O'Keeffe. She sounds like Laura Wingfield polishing her glass menagerie. How things have changed in sixty years: The very qualities Greenberg invoked to bury O'Keeffe would now more likely be used to praise an artist's work.
Yet his criticism remains alive, because of a rare ability to do two things at once: to deliver a clear, coherent and seemingly authoritative synthetic overview of art's development through time and even (or so he imagined) into the near future–a view so forcefully argued that it served either as a guide or as a lightning rod for dispute–and to articulate intimate aesthetic experiences with acute vividness. His attack on O'Keeffe, for instance, is imbued with a pungent sensuality, suggesting that his revulsion is rooted in an intense sensitivity to what the art really is; even those who adore O'Keeffe's work might learn something about why they love it, as well as about why someone else would hate it. Indeed, Greenberg could anticipate what some would hate in the contemporary painting he loved best, Jackson Pollock's: "I already hear: 'wallpaper patterns,' 'the picture does not finish inside the canvas,' 'raw, uncultivated emotion,' and so on, and so on," he wrote in a 1948 review for The Nation. Yet he was sure he knew better, and startlingly enough, he was also sure that he would know better still before long: "I am certain that 'Phosphorescence,' whose overpowering surface is stalagmited with metallic paint, will in the future blossom and swell into superior magnificence; for the present it is almost too dazzling to be looked at indoors." Greenberg was a past master at taking with one hand in order to give with the other, thereby assuming an air of prophetic wisdom even when acknowledging his own limitations.
The son of Eastern European Jewish immigrants who had arrived in New York not very long before his birth in 1909, Greenberg was a slacker full of sexual frustration and inchoate ambition well into his 20s. Irregular employment meant all the more opportunity to read intensely–poetry, fiction, German philosophy–and to frequent New York's few modern galleries. Yet there was nothing to suggest that he had any calling for art criticism or indeed any calling at all. For all his drawing and versifying, his only notable accomplishment was his supreme confidence in his own judgments, especially negative ones: Letters of the early '30s declare the Whitney Museum "rotten" and O'Keeffe, already, "lousy, by the way."
But a knack for such judgments can hardly have looked like a way to make a living. After working here and there around the country for his father's chain of stores and falling into a short-lived marriage in California, Greenberg ended up with a civil service job back in New York, where he mingled with writers and artists in Greenwich Village. He immersed himself in the ideas of Leon Trotsky and became friendly with Lionel Abel, a literary critic for Partisan Review, and Harold Rosenberg, who would also later emerge as a famous art critic–and as Greenberg's despised rival. Through Rosenberg he met a young painter named Lee Krasner, who invited him to lectures by her teacher, the German émigré painter Hans Hofmann. Although Greenberg's fantasies of becoming an artist himself never led anywhere, Hofmann's ideas remained a constant reference.


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Former Raiders linebacker Winston Moss said Monday that he is willing to listen to Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie if he is interested in him for the team's coaching vacancy.
"If the Raiders were to call and ask, I'll be ready to speak with them," Moss told the Associated Press, one day after the Packers were eliminated from the NFC Playoffs by the New York Giants. "But nothing's changed from last week. I feel good where I'm at. If there's an opportunity that comes up in the future, we'll probably cross that bridge at that time. But at this present time, right now, not a lot to talk about."
Moss is the assistant head coach of the Packers. He also coaches the inside linebackers.
He spent four of his 11 NFL seasons as a player on the Raiders. He still has fond memories of those days.
"At the time, Al Davis was there, Art Shell was my coach," Moss said. "And we had good times. I had some of my better times as a player in the National Football League with the Raiders. Whatever I've taken from the past with the Raiders, and Al Davis not being there anymore, you've got to say going forward that it's going to be different.
"It's going to be different from the standpoint of, Reggie wants to go in a new direction, so I'll sit down and speak with Reggie to get his vision, what direction he wants the organization to go in. That's going to play a lot in to it."
As I reported earlier today, McKenzie has said in the past that he would hire Moss as his head coach if he got the opportunity.
That opportunity came when the Raiders hired McKenzie last Tuesday, with owner Mark Davis giving McKenzie sole authority to hire the head coach.
Moss said he already has a firm grasp of what he wants to do if he gets a head coaching job.
"There's always opportunities to put yourself in the same position as a head coach would and see how you would do things or what you would change or what you would add or what you would take away," Moss said. "So with that being said, I've done that, I feel good about the vision, the goals, the beliefs that can be instilled within an organization that would give me the opportunity to be a head coach."
In other news, ESPN reports that fired Raiders coach Hue Jackson will interview with the St. Louis Rams on Wednesday about their offensive coordinator vacancy.
Jackson filled that role with the Raiders in 2010 before he was promoted to replace the fired Tom Cable as head coach in 2011. Jackson will interview with recently hired Rams coach Jeff Fisher.
Follow me on Twitter: @corkonthenfl


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Undergraduate Regulations
Grading System
A Superior
B Above Average
C Average
D Below Average
F Fail
FN Failure for Non-Attendance
I Incomplete
R Repeated Course
CR Credit Without Grade
W Withdrawal
The William Woods academic grade point average (GPA) is determined by multiplying the quality points assigned to each letter grade (A = 4; B = 3; C = 2; D = 1; F =0) by the credit for each course taken at William Woods. The resulting total quality points divided by credit hours attempted produces the grade point average. The grades of F and FN carry no quality points, but the credits attempted are calculated into the student's grade point average. Grades of I, CR, and W do not carry quality points, are not tabulated as hours attempted, and do not affect the grade point average. Transfer courses are not included in the grade point average. Revised 11/01/2005


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Patrick Jane serves as an independent consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), using unusual psychological methods to solve crimes. He uses his relationship with the Bureau to try and track down the serial killer who murdered his family.
Share page
Titles, characters and all other elements are the trade marks and copyright of TVNZ or its licensors. All rights reserved. Further details available here.


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So many people who love anime have their own definitions of what makes a good series. Some love shounen, some love shoujo, etc etc etc...
But instead of defining what makes a good anime for you, how about what anime helped define you? What series made you the person you are today? So which series changed you so much that you still feel that you carry the characters with you everyday, wherever you are.
For me, I grew up watching Dragonball Z as many Asian youths did. I think it was easy for Asian children to love DBZ because there was never an Asian Superhero or an Asian Batman. Fortunately we had Goku and Vegeta and their ever growing story. And I find that I grew up with Goku and his family especially with his children Gohan and Goten. Goku and the gang lived with the morals of 3 big shounen elements: friendship, effort and competition. As simple as though 3 elements are, I've lived heavily through this moral code in my life and I do hope that I've been a better person in life by looking at Goku as my all time role model.
TL;DR-Instead of asking what anime has helped entertain you, what anime has shaped you into who you are today and please share how!
Check out my anime blog thoughtfulbear.ca
maybe astro boy made me like futuristic stuff
His Holiness Optimus Maximus Decimus Meridius Colossus Nemesis Nexus Genesis
I guess it's a combination of many anime, anime sort of makes me think about life a lot, so I can admit anime has made me a different person, but I think I'm a lot wiser because of it. I would say that the one that hit me the most would be "Kokoro Connect" so yeah, It makes me a lot more timid and thoughtful you know.
Hong kong to Iran, chicks think I'm the man.
Mine is definitely NANA. I like to believe that NANA is what made me a better more mature person. There were some good quotes that helped me through tough times too. "Even though it hurts, if you keep on living good things can still happen." Such a shame that it's still on a hiatus....
The only way to truly escape the mundane is for you to constantly be evolving
Brycism wrote:
I guess it's a combination of many anime, anime sort of makes me think about life a lot, so I can admit anime has made me a different person, but I think I'm a lot wiser because of it.
I wouldn't say I'm a lot wiser because of it, but yea. there are some anime that make you stop and think about life in general. for me, the two anime that had the biggest impact on me were Fate/Stay Night and Clannad.
glass, once broken, can never be restored perfectly
For me it was Welcome to the NHK. It had profound themes and ultimately teaches one not to be reliant on others. Do things that you enjoy, but never lose sight of what is real because we can only control what is real.
Kenichi made me restart Tae-Kwon-Do and upgrade my fighting game collection.
Sport anime like Eyeshield, Captain Tsubasa and Slam Dunk always motivate me to play pick-up games with friends and such.
Burned Out Meter: Anime at 80% - Manga at 95% - Video Games at 2%
I'm a bit too stubborn of a person for anime to really "change" who I am, but some stuff can really hit me hard.
I found out I'm a sucker for ghost stories thanks to Clannad and Dusk Maiden of Amnesia.
I like psychological stuff thanks to Evangelion. That show really says what needs to be said about a lot of the crap that I do. It's definitely closest to the answer you're looking for.
I like the fantasy adventures thanks to Hayao Miyazaki's movies.
But nothing has really made me a "better person," so to speak. A lot of shows have good messages, and I really take those to heart, so it's more of a slow evolution if anything. And I think I'm much more understanding of others than I was before, but I've always tried to be like that, so >_>
One bad thing: I'm much more comfortable holing up in a room by myself than I should be. I really need to get out more lol


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Breakfast with books reviews old & new titles
Find out about new books while enjoying pastries and coffee at Warwick Public Library Thursday, Jan.10, at 10 a.m.
Breakfast with Books: Winter Event reviews the best books of the past year and gives a sneak peek at upcoming titles. There will also be readings from some of the favorite books of the year.
Register online at warwicklibrary.org or call 739-5440, x4. For more information, call 739-5440, x128. The Library is located at 600 Sandy Lane.
This event is free and open to all.
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Have a DIY Holiday
New MSK templates let you make your own hanging decoration or notebook.
Presents brimming with Passion
This holiday season, find a gift that appeals to the talents, interests and passions of your loved ones.
Moleskine cover for iPad 3 and 4
A hybrid tool keeping digital and analog devices together for seamless transitions from one to the other. Includes a Moleskine Volant notebook. Now available for iPad 3 and 4.
File away your 2012 notebooks with an MSK Sleeve
How is your notebook doing? Share it with us in the myMoleskine gallery using the #endofyear2012 tag and download an MSK Sleeve.
The AbracadabrApp hack
A Moleskine Reporter notebook becomes the AbracadabrApp: record two-sided videos on your iPhone using this analog app.
Share your full Moleskine Planner with us
Just a few blank pages remain in the 2012 Moleskine Planners. They are getting fat. Share your pictures of your full Planners with us on the myMoleskine gallery using the tag #endofyear.
Deliver the Photo Book through your own film
A unique way of delivering a very personal present: a Moleskine Photo Book.
Create a gift that goes beyond words
New Moleskine Ornament note cards bring a touch of the handmade to the holiday season. The ready-to-send mini notebook that turns into a unique hanging gift when taken apart.
To dungeons deep and caverns old: The Hobbit is reborn.
For the big adventure of everyday life. A new limited edition celebrates Tolkien's literary masterpiece, The Hobbit.
An archive of 21st century creative thinking, in the making.
The Detour Book collects sketches and notes of internationally acclaimed modern thinkers and artists, unveiling their creative process in the making. The book is the outcome of an ongoing cultural project that has travelled worldwide since 2006.
Smart Phones vs Moleskine Notebooks?
With Moleskine notebooks sharing is a bit more complicated. But they need no batteries nor cables. No pinch-zoom function available on paper, but note taking can be quicker.
The Little Prince, Star Wars or Peanuts?
Who do you want by your side for the next 12 months? The Little Prince, Star Wars or Peanuts? Choose your 2013 limited edition planner.
2013 Colored Planners
A new animation presents the 2013 colored planners.
Celebrate Halloween with Moleskine
Ghostly, gruesome and ghoulish notebooks. Join in at the gallery and win a Black Page Album.
1962-2012. The audio cassette
celebrates 50 years
Created in the '60s, it changed the way of playing and listening to music forever.
Inspiration and Process in Architecture
Four internationally renowned architects are described through their drawings. Moleskine is publishing a new series of illustrated monographs.
Introducing Moleskine Photo Books and Photo Albums
Create and print your own Moleskine Photo Book or Photo Album and have it delivered to your door.
Coloured Storage Panel
To organize, protect and transfer objects easily from one bag to another. In orange, blue and classic black.
Booklight. For nighttime readers, in new colors
Orange and cerulean blue, the new colors chosen for the Moleskine portable booklight.
Fluorescent Roller Pens
Gel ink you can see. The transparency of Fluo Pens
Evernote Smart Notebook
Moleskine and Evernote re-imagine how individuals keep their ideas wherever they sit along the analog-digital continuum
Author a month - Éva Szentgyörgyi
Éva Szentgyörgyi is the July 2012 "Author a month"
Moleskine Journal
The re-designed Moleskine iPad app features the attributes you cherish most in Moleskine tools: simplicity and elegance
Beer Journal
Beer Journal. For people who love malt and hops.
Website Launch
The Moleskine Company Redesigns Its Website
Mini Shells
New add-ons in the Travelling Collection. Rubbery material on the outside, inside a modular space that can be arranged to accommodate your needs. A loop to hang a set of keys, a mesh pocket for tickets or earphones, an extremely malleable partitioning elastic.
Grey Cahier. Seven illustrators for a new color
Seven illustrators, seven notebooks, seven brand new covers, each one different from the next. Hand-painted to introduce a new color to the Cahier collection: grey.
Black is... The new album is all black
Black cover. Black bookmark. Black elastic. Black pocket. And - for the first time - black pages. It's the new Moleskine Black Page Album, presented by a new video, a look into the possible meanings of the color black. In two models and three formats.
The colors of 2013
Four new colors join the iconic black and classic red: yellow, green, pink and purple. They are the new 2013 Moleskine Planners. In Large format only. Artist Rogier Wieland tells us about them in a new stop-motion animation, coming out in the fall.
Urban Sketchers: the world one sketch at a time.
In Santo Domingo, from July 12 to 14, for the third international symposium dedicated to outdoor sketching. Three days of workshops with sketch artists from around the world.
The camera-notebook. Moleskine Holidays
When the year begins in July
Moleskine 18-month planners are back. Designed for the academic world and for anyone for whom the summer is an important turning point of the year. Cover in black or red, hard or soft. Weekly layout.
In case of loss, please return to…
On the first page of each of his notebooks, Bruce Chatwin wrote his name, address, and a reward for anyone who returned a lost notebook to him. Moleskine does the same on its notebooks and now also on its luggage tags.
Author a month - Alena Kudryashova
Alena Kudryashova is the June 2012 "Author a month"
What does an Invisible City look like?
An art project inspired by Italo Calvino's novel Invisible Cities. Moleskine joined with a new limited edition notebook. Presented at Eyebeam Art + Technology Center, NY.
Half way
Six months have passed and our planner is already half full. And half empty. The elastic has loosened slightly, small marks on the cover tell our story, recounting the flowing of days and pages.
The Moleskine case. Soft to the touch
Designed for Moleskine reading glasses, this multipurpose case can also be used to hold pens, pencils and other small objects for daily use. Rectangular in shape, it closes with an elastic, like a notebook.
Notebooks, art and museums
Special projects include a collaboration with the MoMA in New York, the creation of a special art guide for the National Gallery in London and a limited edition for the Joan Mirò Foundation in Barcelona.
Moleskine first temporary store
Moleskine first temporary store just opened in Rome - Stazione Termini. Come visit us!
Peanuts, the 18-month planner. With so many Mondays
Take life philosophically. With the humorous philosophy of Peanuts. This is the inspiration for the new weekly planner designed for students and academics. Characters Charlie Brown and Snoopy silk-screened in high contrast on the cover. Can be customized with subject labels.
Shells. For e-readers and tablets
Soft protective shells to carry your cloud of analog and digital objects with you. Black, with a touch of orange on the zipper and a loop for earphones. Inside there are series of add-ons, removable panels, elastic bands and pockets to organize your space in the best way.
The Big Ones
Big A3 albums, large A4 journals, desk objects, for professional use or fine arts. Also, folders, colored envelopes, binders. Welcome to the Moleskine large format.
The Tote Bag
The shape recalls the classic Moleskine notebook. The color is black, inside and out. It can be carried in your hand or over the shoulder. Can be customized with a series of add-ons: multipurpose cases, panels and shells. The base is rigid and waterproof. It holds a laptop with up to a 15" screen.
The Moleskine Praline. You choose what goes in it
The chocolate praline bonbon turns one hundred. To mark the occasion, here is a recipe for the new Moleskine Praline, created by master confectioner Ernst Knam. Presented in the Chocolate Journal or downloadable from myMoleskine in the templates area.
Click pens and pencils
A new video presents the latest additions to the 2012 Writing collection: a click pen and pencil and an accessories set which includes a sharpener and a special Moleskine eraser. Designed by Giulio Iacchetti.
Restaurant Journal. A very personal dining guide
A new notebook to map our food experiences around the world. Inside there are subject sections to be customized, an international glossary with culinary destinations and curiosities, and blank pages to fill with notes, photos and colored labels.
Democratic painting in Berlin
Walls of a deconsecrated church transformed into giant blank pages upon which social themes are discussed through drawings. Moleskine at the Berlin Biennale with artist Pawel Althamer.
A time capsule for handwriting
The Eighth Book of Ecriture Infinie is making its second appearance in Venice, at the literary festival, Incroci di Civilità. Another opportunity to contribute to the project by leaving your mark on one of the large blank pages.
Ever Tried Analog SMS Texting?
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of SMS texting, Moleskine presents a new limited edition, a notebook that becomes a ballistic device for launching analog text messages. Maximum range: 5.18 m.
The Moleskine Orchestra
Moleskine objects hacked and morphed into musical instruments by Felix Thorn, visionary composer. Performing at la Rinascente for Milan Design Week as part of the project, "Hacked, 100 Hours of Rebel Creativity."
Moleskine backpack, now also in a small version
A new video presents the Moleskine backpacks: semi-rigid rubber base to protect them and keep them standing upright when put down, waterproof material. Now also available in the Small version.
African Tales in Lagos, Nigeria
Moleskine dedicates a special edition to the Lagos Black Heritage Festival. Directed by literature Nobelist Wole Solyinka, the LBHF explores the African diaspora from Lagos, the largest city in Africa.
Lead that doesn't break
A new video tutorial presents the Moleskine Pencil Set: rectangular in shape, with a highly resistant tip, in limewood or cedar, with matte case exclusively in black. The graphite version is joined by two fluorescent colors, yellow and orange, and new accessories
Special editions: Hong Kong Film Festival
Moleskine is participating in the festival with a special edition and a small exhibit. Director Peter Ho-Sun Chan, the show's guest of honor, will be featured.
Moleskine on Pinterest
Moleskine on Pinterest: follow the official page and join the myMoleskine board! Find out how to participate.
Art Journal. Art that leaves its mark
A new notebook to converse with art. Inside there are subject sections to customize, a calendar marked with important contemporary events around the world and a timeline that traces the history of art from impressionism to the present.
The joy of university notes
Blank pages for writing and underlining, that you can go back to again and again to re-read and study: today, Moleskine notebooks and journals for taking notes; tomorrow, encyclopedias of personal information.
Restaurant Journal Templates
Download and test the page layouts of the Restaurant Journal: plan or relive your gourmet experiences.
Messages: the new MSK templates
Download, print, cut out and stick on the new templates created specifically to personalize the new postal notebooks; three items, one of which comes in five different themes. At myMoleskine.
Bookworm and the literary festival
The Bookworm International Literary Festival includes an exhibit of decorated notebooks, a Moleskine seminar and an edition with customized band and cover. March 9 to 23 in Beijing, Suzhou and Chengdu.
Messages: the new postal notebooks
A new video presents Moleskine Messages, a new way to think of and use your notebook which, for the first time, transforms itself, turning into an envelope that you can address and send in the mail.
Moleskine Shells described by Pix
A new phantom anchorman demonstrates the function of the Shells, the new collection of cases designed to organize, protect and carry your cloud of analog and digital objects.
Celebrating digital graphics
2D projects, 3D graphic motion and animation. The Cut&Paste festival showcases the most skilled and fastest graphic artists. A Moleskine special edition notebook celebrates the festival.
Bricks and blank pages. New video with LEGO®
For grown-up children who have never stopped flying. A new video presents the limited edition of LEGO hacked notebooks, with a real LEGO plate set into the cover. The inner pocket holds a collection of stickers.
Chocolate Journal
A notebook for chocolate lovers, enthusiasts and professionals. Inside there are subject sections, useful suggestions, a cocoa map and the recipe for making the special Moleskine Praline.
Flat pages
With just slight initial pressure, Moleskine notebook pages stay open and flat. A feature of all Moleskine notebooks that makes it especially enjoyable to write, take notes and draw.
Sensory portraits of Moleskine
In New York, the first edition of Moleskine Portraits, a new sensory-art workshop open to the public. The central theme is the portrait and its sensory expressions.
myDetour and notebooks from the Ateliers
A new exhibit to leaf through. Works collected from the different myDetour stops together with those created by artists from the Fondazione BLM.
For big kids. Moleskine meets LEGO®
The legend of LEGO bricks joins the legendary notebook.
Portraits in New York
Moleskine presents a new artistic-sensory workshop at Exit Art, a cultural center for contemporary art in Chelsea, in Manhattan. The central theme is the portrait in all its forms.
The Moleskine reading stand
Designed to hold e-readers, tablets and books. It can be set in two positions, one for reading and one for writing. It is one of the tools in the Reading Collection.
The Utility Bag
It holds everything you need for a weekend or become a spacious overnight bag which can be customized with the Storage Panel and Multipurpose Cases. It can be carried in your hand or over the shoulder.
Women Create Life
Moleskine collaborates with Women Create Life, a contemporary art and design project supporting the World Health Organization, with a special edition notebook.
The modular flap on the Messenger Bag
Open on two sides, it is suited to various uses. Rolled up papers, tubes, umbrellas, jackets, newspapers, maybe a bouquet of flowers. Everything fits in the adjustable double flap with snaps.
Colored mini stickers
Black, purple, green, red, blue and brown. These are the ink colors chosen for the Moleskine pens and the matching stickers, included in every package. To mark and personalize pens and notebooks.


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FOXBORO — Richard Rodgers Sr. didn't know about the 32-yard reception his son, Packers rookie tight end Richard Jr., corralled in Green Bay's preseason game against the Raiders on Friday until an old friend mentioned it to him later that night.
At the same time young Richard, the former St. John's High stud, was continuing to stake his claim to the Packers' top tight end position, his dad was on the sideline at Gillette Stadium for the Panthers' game against the Patriots. Richard Sr., the former Holy Cross defensive coordinator, is in his third season with Carolina, second as special teams coordinator.
The news about Richard Jr.'s big catch as well as his continued progress obviously brought a bright smile to Richard Sr.'s face.
"I'm very, very proud," Richard Sr. said. "He's a good boy, a good young man. He's growing up, but he's still the same kid. I love him and he's making us all proud."
Richard Jr., a multi-sport athlete at St. John's and one of the best the school has ever seen, played for three seasons at the University of California, his dad's alma mater, before coming out for this year's draft.
The Packers selected him in the third round. He had a terrific spring and continued to make strides in training camp.
"I think Richard is getting better each and every day," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said last week. "He continues to impress me."
Richard Jr., 6-foot-4 and 257 pounds, has started all three Packers preseason games. He filled mainly a blocking role in the first two. On the opening drive of Friday's game, Richard Jr. caught a short pass over the middle from quarterback Aaron Rodgers and turned it into a 32-yard gain. The play set up a touchdown.
There was one other Rodgers-to-Rodgers connection, for 8 yards, on Green Bay's next series.
Andrew Quarless, Brandon Bostick and Ryan Taylor are among the other tight ends on the Packers' roster. Green Bay is looking to replace the production of Jermichael Finley, who suffered a serious neck injury last season and remains a free agent.
Richard Jr. moved to Worcester in 2004 after previously living in California, Oregon and New Mexico, all stops in his dad's collegiate coaching career. Young Richard was a baseball star first, but football was in his genes and being around college players, his dad and other coaches heightened his interest.
As Richard Jr. developed physically, Richard Sr. sensed he might have what takes to play at a high level.
"We're all proud of our kids," Richard Sr. said, "and we watch them grow up and we watch them play sports and do those types of things. With his size and his athleticism, I kind of knew he was special, but you never want to tell your kid, 'Oh, you're going to be great.' So I think I was more or less trying to keep him grounded. I was more on the 'keep working' side as opposed to the 'you're there' side, and I didn't even have to do that because he always worked hard. But early on I guess I knew he had the potential, but there are a lot of things that go along with that and he did the work on the field and academically and going to Cal, so it's all a credit to him."
Richard Jr. helped lead St. John's to a Super Bowl title and a Division 1 state basketball title. He also fielded football offers from Oregon, Notre Dame and Boston College before following in his dad's cleat steps at Cal.
Richard Sr. is a Golden Bears legend, having called "The Play" in the huddle to defeat Stanford in 1982.
Richard Sr. has always provided mentorship and support to his son, especially when young Richard was looking at colleges and thinking of foregoing his final year of eligibility at Cal, but he ultimately let him make his own choices.
"I told him the one school he had to go to was St. John's," Richard Sr. said. "He's made all his decision since then and he's done quite well."
Richard Sr. and Panthers head coach Ron Rivera were teammates at Cal. Richard Sr., who coached at the collegiate level for 23 years, left Holy Cross after the 2011 season to join Rivera in Carolina as a special teams assistant. He took over as special teams coordinator for the final seven games of 2012.
Last season, Richard Sr. oversaw a special teams unit that featured record-setting performances by kicker Graham Gano, punter Brad Nortman and kick returner Ted Ginn Jr.
"We've got good guys, a good team, a good organization," Richard Sr. said. "It's been a great experience so far."
Richard Sr. and Jr. talk regularly — it's easier now that their schedules are similar. Richard Sr. planned to call his son from the plane Friday night.
The Panthers play at Green Bay Oct. 19.
"It will be fun," Richard Sr. said. "I told the family they can cheer for him as long as we win. (Richard and I) will talk after."
Contact Jennifer Toland at email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @JenTandG.


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Russia: 6 teens trapped in avalanche in Siberia
March 3, 2013
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities say six teenagers are trapped in an avalanche in the region of Tuva in southern Siberia.
The Emergency Situations Ministry says a distress call came in late Sunday afternoon, Moscow time, from the remote mountain area about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of the Mongolian border. The Interfax news agency quoted local officials as saying that a 17-year-old boy who was hiking with the other teens had managed to escape.
Several dozen rescue workers are combing the avalanche zone.
It was not immediately clear what the teens were doing in the area, but Russian children's rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov tweeted that the youth were going to put up flags in the area as some kind of a lucky charm.


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am aye the only one who can create and delete his own threads?
Not sure if this is a serious question. I doubt the rest of the world would ever let an American, even one as popular as Clinton, head up the UN. There is just too much suspicion of us already.


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Have been using Freshlook Colourblends for over 6months, never had any problems and they are very well noticeable
Hola! Recientemente compre los lentes de color "Sterling Grey" . Me encanto como me quedaron. Estoy ... Read more
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See all 381 customer reviews on Freshlook Colorblends


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COLLECTION: Paint by Number by Chad Taylor
"Paint by Number" by Chad Taylor, Moods Hair Salon features a mixture of brilliant hair colors against a turquoise backdrop. From yellows to royal purple to aqua marine, Taylor says his inspiration for this collection was to create and combine a bold color palette while still maintaining a soft visual result with the overall image.
"I love working with bright hair color, but I believe that basic laws of visual design and beauty still need to be followed to produce a stunning, yet unexpected result," he says. Taylor shares with MODERN his comments about each of his looks in his collection.


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ASSISI, Italy (AP) — Pope Francis broke bread with the poor and embraced the disabled on a pilgrimage to his namesake's hometown Friday, urging the faithful to follow the example of the 13th-century St. Francis, who renounced a wealthy, dissolute lifestyle to embrace a life of poverty and service to the poor.
According to tradition, God told St. Francis to "repair my house," and the first pope to take the saint's name has made clear that he sees that as his own mission as well.
For Francis, that means reaching out to the most marginalized among the church's 1.2 billion followers, reforming the broken Vatican bureaucracy, and allowing the faithful to shake things up in their dioceses — even at the annoyance of their bishops — if that's what it takes to better spread God's word.
After all, the pope said, St. Francis was a radical himself in his complete devotion to his faith — a model that can serve Catholics today.
Here are the main goals Pope Francis has set out for his church, highlighted during his visit to the hilltop town of Assisi, whose native son has inspired his papacy:
Francis had lunch with a group of poor at a soup kitchen after demanding that the faithful "strip" themselves of their worldly attachment to wealth, which he said is killing the church and its souls. He delivered that exhortation during the most evocative stop of the day, in the simple room where St. Francis stripped off his clothes, renounced his wealth and vowed to live a life of poverty. Since becoming pope in March, Francis has made it clear that one of his principal objectives is a church that is humble, looks out for the poorest and brings them hope. The "slum pope," as he is known because of his work in Argentina's shantytowns, recently denounced the "idolatry" of money and encouraged those without the "dignity" of work.
Francis' first stop in Assisi was to an institute that cares for gravely disabled children, who in the words of the director are often seen as "stones cast aside," invisible and neglected by the world. Francis caressed and kissed each child, saying their "scars need to be recognized and listened to." It was part of the simple message of love that he has brought to others often considered outcasts, such as drug addicts and convicts. His "who am I to judge?" comment about gays over the summer was another reflection of this message of merciful welcome. It represented a radical shift in tone for the Vatican. Catholic teaching holds that all people should be treated with dignity and respect, so Francis was making no change in doctrine. But church teaching also holds that gay acts are "intrinsically disordered" — a point Francis has neglected to emphasize in favor of a message of inclusion.
Francis has called for a greater role for women in the governance of the church, while ruling out female ordination. He says the church itself is female, that Jesus Christ was married to the church and that Mary is more important than all the apostles. On Friday, Francis paid special attention to the women of the church, visiting the cloistered Sisters of St. Clare, an order founded by one of St. Francis' followers. In the Basilica of St. Clare, Pope Francis told the nuns that they must be mothers to the church and be joyful. "It makes me sad when I find sisters who aren't joyful," he lamented. "They might smile, but with just a smile they could be flight attendants!" He showed that same sense of humor later when he told a story about a mother who lamented that her 30-year-old son still hadn't gotten married — a reference to a generation of Italian men who seem unwilling to move out: "Signora," Francis recalled telling her. "Stop ironing his shirts!"
St. Francis was considered a radical disobedient for having renounced everything and given himself entirely to his faith, but that's just the type of radical witness Pope Francis wants for today's Catholics. Francis told Argentine pilgrims during World Youth Day in July to make a "mess" in their dioceses and shake things up. He hopes the church will stop being so inward-looking, and instead go out to the peripheries to spread the faith, just like St. Francis. The pope's first trip outside Rome was to Lampedusa, a southern Italian island closer to Africa than the Italian mainland. His eulogy for all migrants lost at sea denounced a "globalization of indifference," a prescient message given Thursday's shipwreck off Lampedusa that killed scores of migrants. As black mourning ribbons hung from Assisi's banners, Francis proclaimed Friday "a day of tears."
Assisi is known for its message of peace, drawing people of all faiths — and no faith — for annual peace pilgrimages to the basilica dominating the hill and its magnificent frescos by Giotto and Cimabue. The town takes its cue from St. Francis, who preached a message of peace and care for nature. But Pope Francis lamented Friday that the saint's message is often misunderstood, "sweetened" into something he didn't represent. A Vatican spokesman put it this way: "Too often his message is lost and we reduce his role to that of a gentle, whimsical hippie who fed birds, smelled flowers and tamed wild wolves." Pope Francis said the saint's message was to truly "love one another as I have loved you," calling for an end to all the wars in the Middle East, especially Syria. The pope has been steadfast in his call for peace in Syria, inspiring hundreds of thousands of people around the world to hold a day of fasting and prayer when it appeared military strikes against the Damascus regime were imminent.
Francis was elected on a mandate to reform the church, and he has set about doing that. One of his first stops Friday was to pray at the sanctuary of St. Damian, where the saint in 1205 famously was told to take a broken church and rebuild it. The pope has just finished three days of meetings with advisers from churches around the globe helping him rewrite the main blueprint for how the Catholic Church is governed. Ideas include having a "moderator" to make the Vatican bureaucracy run more smoothly and a diminished role for the Vatican's powerful secretary of state. In an indication that a shift is already underway, the secretary of state didn't accompany Francis to Assisi, though his eight cardinal advisers did — a symbolic changing of the guard in favor of less centralized church authority. The reforms also include involving lay men and women more in the life of the church. Just as St. Francis wanted.
Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield


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Magen Solomon remains very enthused and impressed. It's musical "magic."
Magen Solomon remains very enthused and impressed. It's musical "magic."
"They're sounding like an opera," she said. "It's astonishing. It's very, very gratifying. I know I've worked very hard. Everybody has stepped up to the plate and put in a lot of time and effort."
Of course, Solomon's dedication to detail and precision - along with her demanding standards - has helped the Stockton Chorale move up the quality scale since 2010.
Typically, she defers major responsibility. Still, as the nonprofit organization's artistic director and conductor, Solomon, 56, has made a major impact by programming challenging music and teaching it to between 60 and 70 sincere singers.
"Chorale music is a magical thing," she said. "People get it. They get what's so magical about it - and they get the opportunity to do it with friends. And they're doing Bach, Haydn and Verdi."
Since her arrival, Solomon, who lives in Oakland, has helped emphasize community involvement, organizing Try Us Out Tuesdays ("sing with us"). That's when people can check out the ensemble and, maybe, join.
"It's scary to sign up with a group," Solomon said, "I really feel anybody can sing. But they've gotta like the music, like the other singers and like the way I work. It's just opening our doors to them."
There are more openings, too. A Valley Youth Choir, led by Delta College instructor German Aguilar, recently was formed to complement the Stockton Youth Chorale, conducted by Joan Calonico, principal at Don Riggio School.
The Stockton Singers, led by Ricardo Campero, chancel choir director at Stockton's Central United Methodist Church, were added in 2012.
While Stockton has experienced some troubled times, Solomon is gratified that Chorale members can feel justified pride in contributing to arts in Stockton and the Valley.
Solomon's staying busy. As usual. In addition to her responsibilities with the chorale, she's artistic director of the 25-voice San Francisco Choral Artists and director of choral activities at Santa Clara University, where she taught from 1994 to 1998.
A New York City native, she grew up in a musical and artistic family in Boston. She once described herself as being "very nerdy, very square" as a young person who "already loved classical music."
That romance never has waned. She's earned degrees from Oberlin (Ohio) College and the University of Wisconsin (master's and doctorate).
In a 33-year career, she's conducted concerts nationally, guided the San Francisco Girls Chorus and taught at University of Southern California (2004-10).
Question: What's the "craziest/wildest" thing you've ever done or attempted?
Answer: Trying to have a normal schedule with a conducting career.
Q: What's your favorite book?
A: This is a pretty impossible question. In some ways "The Phantom Tollbooth" (by Norton Juster and Jules Feiffer) because it had such a profound effect on the way I see the world. But also anything by Jane Austen, Richard Russo, Anthony Trollope, Elmore Leonard, Julian Barnes, P.G. Wodehouse and Saul Bellow.
Q: What's your ideal meal?
A: Anything with good friends as fellow diners. But if it involves mussels, crispy, skinny french fries, Caesar salad and a great wine, all the better.
Q: What's your musical "guilty pleasure?"
A: Luis Miguel. The perfect driving music. It's like being in your own movie with your own soundtrack.
Q: What's your favorite Berkeley/Oakland restaurant?
A: If I told you, I'd never be able to get in again. But I will admit to being a huge fan of the Arizmendi Bakery co-op in Oakland. They make - hands-down - the best scones in the world, particularly the corn-cherry ones.
Q: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
A: London or Paris or Copenhagen, or ...
Q: What hobby(ies) do you have?
A: Running and, recently, salsa dancing.
Q: Do you sing in the shower?
A: No. Many people do and it's fine. I tend to sing when I'm doing housework or working in the garden. Or on really boring drives - '60s Motown is my favorite.
Q: Are you a morning person or a night person?
A: Definitely a night person with a very bad habit of staying up entirely too late reading novels.
Q: What's your favorite movie?
A: Again, no one favorite but pretty much anything with Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart/Lauren Bacall, Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers. Lots of the Pixar productions.
Contact reporter Tony Sauro at (209) 546-8267 or email@example.com.


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Cast members of The Sorcerer left onlookers spellbound with an exclusive open-air performance of the Gilbert and Sullivan classic on the Buxton Opera House forecourt.
The impromptu serenade by Oxbridge Opera Company kick-started a fortnight of glittering G&S shows to liven up the long summer nights.
Containing some of the finest melodies Sullivan ever wrote, The Sorcerer will be performed at the opera house tonight (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday).
It will be followed by The Mikado from Thursday August 14 to Saturday August 16. Set in the zany flashy world of modern fashion houses, The Mikado is an energetic production featuring costumes inspired by Jean Paul Gaultier.
A Feast of Gilbert and Sullivan on Sunday August 17 will recapture all the fun and magic of the original D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, with the 37-piece British Philharmonic Orchestra performing sections of every Gilbert & Sullivan opera.
Derby Gilbert and Sullivan Company will round off the season with performances of two contrasting G&S operas: The Pirates of Penzance on Thursday August 21 and Friday August 22, and The Yeomen of the Guard on Saturday August 23.
Tickets for the shows, priced from £16 to £26, are available from the box office on 0845 127 2190 or online at www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk.