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|West Point Lake park - absolutely a gorgeous place!
I drove down yesterday afternoon so I wouldn't have to leave my house at 3:30 in the morning! I am SO glad I did that. My friend BJ joined me so we could split the room cost. She and I went out for dinner and had pizza at this charming little place that was really out of the way and looked like a dive but tasted delicious! Afterward, we drove out to the venue to make sure we knew how to find it. This was one of the best decisions we made because this morning driving out there in the dark it was hard to find and I'd already been there!
|I couldn't get my GPS to pull up the address - this is what the map showed when we pulled up! LOL
|Empty transition - it would be rocking in less than 12 hours!
|Swim finish - always happy when it's not a huge hike up a hill!
|This is the last half of the swim course. Wow, it's so beautiful! The picture doesn't even do it justice!
|Yes, this is really as far as it looks. It was FREAKY!
|Flat Niffercoo
|Mike the Bike spent the night with me! ;)
We got dressed and packed up all of our stuff to head out to the lake. We ate breakfast in the lobby of the hotel. Since we'd be finishing after check-out time, we went ahead and checked out of the hotel before we left for the race. It was so dark at 5AM when we left. Transition opened at 5:30 and we both wanted to be there right when it opened. Going out to the middle of nowhere where the lake is just got darker and darker. And then we had to walk a good distance from the parking area to transition. BJ has a hat that has a light on it. I have my visor light, but the battery is dead. From now on, my triathlon packing list will include this light.
Transition set up went smoothly. We hit the bathroom (not the porta potty lol) and tried to exchange my shirt for a bigger size. These are supposed to be Ladies Cut but these are more like Juniors. I was told to come back after the race, but by the time I finished, there were no more in my size. So I will wear the teeny tiny shirt! At home. ;)
|Transition - and yes, other folks did show up next to me! LOL
|Yes, this is how you look awesome so early in the morning! All it takes is a wetsuit!
|BJ and I are rocking the wetsuits and green caps!
They were announcing a water temperature of 59 which seemed impossible because they said on Monday the water temp was 64. It was warm and sunny all week - how could the temp drop by that much? I was concerned about my goggles leaking like they did on Thursday's workout, so I decided to brave the "very cold water" to test them out. I tentatively placed a foot in the water - and it felt great! A little cool, yes - but nothing like the day we did OWS practice at Lake Lanier! I went out futher, did a goggle test, got my arms wet, and then came back out for the meeting. And then... it was time to start!
2 people went at a time every 5 seconds. I like this sort of start! We lined up according to race number which indicated our projected swim time. If people are honest about their abilities, this works out great! I got in the water right before BJ and waded out until I could swim. My goggles started to leak right away so I stood back up and fixed them and tried again. I did my best to remember to relax and not get my heart rate up. The water felt good so that wasn't a problem. But my chest was feeling constricted and that was a bit unnerving. I knew this was a common occurrence but my mind was having a field day with me today. And what was the first thought that popped into my head? How can I do a Half Ironman if I can't even do this distance?? I had barely even made it to the 2nd buoy! @@
By the 3rd buoy, my chest was feeling much better and I was getting into a rhythm. The water was a bit choppier here, and I was swallowing some water, so I started breathing only on one side (away from the waves). I am so glad I've been practicing this in the pool! This one guy kept cutting me off and he was so annoying. I'd just get into a good rhythm and he'd cross over in front of me again. And then towards the end of the swim, we joined up with the sprint distance folks (who started later than we did). That was HORRIBLE! Tired, slow Oly folks were joining in with fast Sprint folks and the water was horribly choppy. I was not a happy camper. I finally made it to the shore and was so proud of myself. I stood up and was very wobbly. I wasn't expecting that!
The pavement hurt on my bare feet but I got back to my transition area, dried off my feet (which weren't dirty at all so didn't need to be rinsed first), and put on my toe socks. I was afraid this would be hard because the toes and wet feet, but it wasn't! I had a pretty fast transition - my fastest ever T1!
Because of the wobbly swim legs, the bike started out harder than I expected. I was afraid I was going to be cold, with the wind and the wet body, but I wasn't (which should have told me what I was in for on the run LOL). The course was listed as "rolling hills" and they weren't kidding. These hills were steeper but shorter than the ones I am used to. It was a beautiful course, though, especially at the turn around/water bottle exchange at Glass Bridge Park. I looked for pictures but couldn't find any. Trust me, it's gorgeous there! BJ and I kept pace with each other pretty much like we do on a group ride. She was very, very strong out there! My Garmin tells me I set a 40K record pace of 14.6 mph! So if that's why the bike seemed hard, I will take it! On the way back to the transition area, a guy who was leaving with his bike (because he was finished) took the time to encourage me. Which was nice. Coming from someone who is finished and leaving before I'm done with the bike! LOL
Fastest T2 time here! That's very encouraging! Nothing remarkable happened here!
More encouragement from other athletes during the run, more than I've ever seen before. It was fantastic! But my mind was having a FIELD DAY with me. BJ was right ahead of me and we do different intervals so I'd pass her while she walked and she'd pass me when I walked. After nearly 2 miles of this, when I came up on her again, I started talking to her and doing her intervals. This helped distract me from my crazy mind and I asked her if I could stay with her. I don't know how I didn't realize this since I did look at the course map, but we ran on the dam that forms the lake.
Simply beautiful, but do you see any shade?? Yeah, me either. And it was HOT. Much hotter than I have been training in. And I was just running out of steam. BJ and I just kept plugging away and having her company really made the miles go so fast! I'm so thankful that she didn't mind me hanging out with her.
We finally come back to the Finish line and I am looking for the photographers but I see none. In fact, I see NOBODY at the finish. There is a clock, but that is it. When we went out on our run, I could hear someone announcing names as people were crossing the finish line. And there was lots of cheering and excitement. We crossed WELL within the time limits and there was not a soul there. I was NOT a happy camper. It makes me even more glad that I crossed the finish with BJ because she was excited for me to be finishing my first Oly. I'm sorry, but it is NOT COOL to close down the finish line festivities before all finishers have crossed. Typical course cut offs for this company are 4.5 hours for Oly. We were finishing right around 3:36 according to my Garmin - 3:45 according to the official clock.
|Oly Tri finisher!!
I had to leave right away to make the 2 hour drive home so my mom could go back home in time for work tomorrow. The drive home helped! Thankfully, my mind actually worked me into a better attitude for a change. Shocking! And when I got home, look what was waiting for me:
|My funny 12 year old made me a sign! She cracks me up!
|Chocolate. Cake. Enough said!
|My mom bought me a new medal holder since my other one is full to overflowing! Hubby will have to hang it tomorrow!
So there is the race report. I may remember more things later but now it's dinner time and I'm really, really hungry! LOL I am so very glad that I did this race early in the season. SO many wonderful lessons learned (will outline them in a post tomorrow) and such a valuable experience for me as I get ready to focus on Augusta. Which is 5 months from tomorrow! WOW!


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The inauguration ceremony was attended by local authorities - Mr. Eduard Balan, Deputy Mayor of the town Ungheni, entrepreneurs and representatives of the mass - media. On behalf of the Bank, the ceremony was attended by Mr. Marcel Chirca, Director General, Mr. Beniamino Contessotto, Vice – Director General and Mr. Riccardo Buscaglione, Commercial Assistant.
In his welcoming speech, Mr. Marcel Chirca mentioned that "the renovation of the branch office represents a strategic approach to sustainable development plan of the Bank by creating well-equipped working places and providing banking services at a high level of convenience for bank customers."
Mr Beniamino Contessotto added that "this branch is considered a strategic point for the Bank in terms of its geographical location and the high potential of development of this region."
The renovated branch corresponds to the image standards of Veneto Banca Group, as well as to the highest standards of customer service - universal cash desks that provide a full range of banking services. Besides, the renovated office has more free space that allowed arranging of the rooms for the negotiations with customers.
The branch provides a full range of bank products and services that fully meet the requirements of individuals and businesses, including crediting, deposit operations, account maintenance, cash management, bank cards "Visa" and "MasterСard", Internet banking, international payments, including 9 money transfer systems, currency exchange, etc.
Branch no. 2 is equipped with a non-stop ATM for the cardholders of "Visa" and "MasterСard".
Copyright © 1997-2018 EXIMBANK
171/1, Stefan cel Mare si Sfant Blvd, Chisinau MD 2004, Republic of Moldova
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: 373-22-301-102 Fax: 373-22-601-611

subset: commoncrawl


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12 hours in New Orleans is just enough time to get a solid feel for what the city has to offer.
From eating cannolis at Angelo Brocato to trying oysters at the French Market, Sonia Gil explores the eclectic food scene during her brief stay, making the most of her NOLA dining experience. Watch Sonia's adventures in the video above.


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GSEs Standardize Condominium Project Questionnaires to Increase Consistency, Improve Process
March 29, 2016
Working together under the Uniform Mortgage Data Program®, an initiative undertaken at the direction of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae (the GSEs) have developed standardized Condominium Project Questionnaire forms. The new forms provide greater consistency and clarity for lenders as they work to collect information to determine eligibility for mortgages secured by units in condominium projects.
Condominium Project Questionnaire
For each mortgage secured by a unit in a condominium project, the GSEs require lenders to determine the eligibility of the condominium project. Project eligibility requirements include items such as financial viability, the residential nature of the project (for example, does the project also include commercial space, hotel operation, business income, etc.), and the ownership structure.
Until now, condominium homeowners' associations (HOAs) and condominium management firms were asked to fill out and update many different versions of lenders' condominium project eligibility questionnaire forms, making it a time-consuming process.
The GSEs created the new standardized forms based on lender and industry feedback collected over the years, as well as from a recent GSE survey. The following forms provide lenders with a convenient way to collect information from the HOAs about the condominium project in a consistent and easy-to-understand format:
- Condominium Project Questionnaire – Full Form (Fannie Mae Form 1076/ Freddie Mac Form 476), which provides a list of eligibility questions to support a full condominium project approval process for new and established condominium projects, and
- Condominium Project Questionnaire – Short Form (Fannie Mae Form 1077/Freddie Mac Form 477), which provides a shorter list of questions to facilitate a limited or streamlined review of condominium projects.
While lender use of these new condominium project questionnaire forms is optional at this time, lenders are strongly encouraged to begin using and retaining them in the project review file. As part of a lender's underwriting review of the project, these forms will help streamline the evaluation of condominium projects and create greater consistency and efficiencies throughout the industry.
The GSEs will be updating their respective selling guides to incorporate the optional questionnaire forms at a later date. Please note that while Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are working together on this standardization effort, the GSEs' condominium project review and eligibility policies and requirements remain separate and unchanged by the release of these forms.
A More Streamlined Process
With the new forms, lenders, HOAs and management firms will benefit from:
- A streamlined process: The forms require information in a consistent format, regardless of the lender. HOAs and management firms will be able to complete either the full or short form once, and then easily update the forms as information changes, saving them time and effort.
- Greater consistency: With clear and consistent terminology, lenders, HOAs and management firms will have a common understanding of the data needed for the condominium project evaluation process.
- Faster, easier: Lenders are likely to receive the required information more quickly as HOAs and management firms become familiar with the standardized forms and can update the data more easily. The result is likely a faster turnaround as lenders gather the information they need for their project eligibility review.
Please share the new forms with your loan originators and the HOAs and management firms that you work with today. Encourage them to use the forms for all future loans secured by condominium units. If you have questions, please contact your Freddie Mac representative.


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|Exactly what the Army Recruiter told us
I am weird. I find my humor at the thrift store t-shirt rack. It really is cheapest form of entertainment . I never buy these shirts but they sure make me laugh. People will really put just about ANYTHING on a t-shirt. Sometimes the t-shirt is funny and inappropriate. I enjoy those the most.
Check out my entire series - Diary of Mediocre Homemaker
I am linking up to Write 31 Days.
|Pea in the Pool


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When we first decided to move out on our own I vowed I would use my crockpot religiously. Really, why wouldn't I? Dumping a bunch of ingredients in a pot and letting it do its thing, well that sounded just fine with me. Truth is, if my relationship with my crockpot were a marriage, I broke my vow a long time ago and this marriage would be a sham!
Crock pot cooking for me is really just a work in progress. I love the idea of the crock pot but the execution is where I struggle. There's a million recipes online but my patience waivers too much to actually choose one. So I thought of something, actually a lack of dinner ingredients forced me to think of something.
Why do I need a recipe to make this crock pot work? I don't! So I tried the dump and go, and here's the result…
Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken
- Whole chicken
- Bottle of buffalo sauce
- Drizzle of Red Hot Sauce (probably not necessary as it's pretty much the same as above)
- Sprinkle of the following spices:
- Basil
- Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Oregano
Directions: Dump them all in the crock pot & cook on low for 8 hours
The verdict… Huge success! It's easy, low in calories, and delicious. The dump and go agreed with me on this one. Crockpot – I love you.


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Dave Cockrum's Outsiders
In 1973, Legion artist Dave Cockrum created a group of heroes and villains that he proposed as additions to the Legion universe. Only two made it into the series. The first was Wildfire, whom he originally wanted to call Starfire. Wildfire debuted in Superboy & the Legion #195 (June 1973). Starfire's would-be companions were designed as an off-shoot called the Outsiders. The Outsiders included two characters from the ominous Adult Legion tales from Adventure #354 (1967): Reflecto (who'd been pictured) and Power Boy (who appeared in name only).
Soon Cockrum moved to Marvel Comics, and some of his rejected Outsiders characters found their way into the all-new X-Men: Nightcrawler was taken lock-stock-and-barrel, and Trio was refashioned into Storm. They debuted in Giant Sized X-Men #1 (May 1975).
Though his villain group was never named, Cockrum took to calling them the Strangers in a 2002 interview for TwoMorrows' Legion Companion (if not before). Only one of them appeared at DC; Tyr made the grade in Superboy #197 (Sept. 1973). The Stranger called Wolverine is interesting because it predated Marvel's own hero. Cockrum used his feral looks when redesigning Timber Wolf.
After moving to Marvel, Cockrum created a not-so-subtle Legion parody, the Imperial Guard. They first appeared in X-Men #107 (1977). His Wolverine character took root as the Guard's Fang.
Interview with Dave Cockrum by Peter Sanderson
Excerpted from the X-Men Companion (Fantagraphics, 1982)
Cockrum: "When I became a pro and I was doing Legion of Super-Heroes, I proposed four new Legionnaires and Nightcrawler was one of them. But Murray Boltinoff's response was that he was too weird looking."
Sanderson: "And we can't have weird looking people in this book about aliens."
Cockrum: "That's right, and the only one of the four that they used was the one I originally named Starfire, but who wound up being called Wildfire after being named Erg-1 for a while. But I also had a guy who was a weather handler called Typhoon who had a flowing cape with a dark cape with yellow trim. And I had a girl who had wings but not out of her back: they were from her arms like bird's. She was green and her name was Quetzal and she had long flowing hair. If you put Quetzal and Typhoon [he meant Trio, not Typhoon, ed.] together you got kind of a strange version of Storm."
Sanderson: "Len (Wein, New X-Men's original writer) told me that Storm was an amalgam of Typhoon and Black Cat."
Cockrum: "Yeah, that was afterwards. When I did up the original X-Men designs, one of the characters was called the Black Cat. Take a look at Storm without the white hair and without the cape, and that's essentially the Black Cat. She had dark hair which was sort of like Wolverine's, tufted on top with the ear effect. And she could transform either into a cat—I preferred the idea of a house-cat and a panther—and she could also half-transform into a humanoid cat."
Later that same interview—
Sanderson: "How about Wolverine? Did you have anything to do with his creation?"
Cockrum: "No, but I resented his existence for a long time because I had come up with a Wolverine and shown it to Roy (Thomas, editor of the X-Men at that time) before this Wolverine. I had a series of characters I suggested could be X-Men… How should I put this? I did a montage piece of art with a lot of brand-new characters on it, none of whom was really identified as anything. One of them would up later being used as Tyr in the Legion of Super-Heroes, the guy with the gun on his hand. But anyhow, two of them were brother and sister. She was a vampire who, by one method or another, was going to try to keep it under control, possibly just bite people once and leave them alone, and not kill them off. He was a vulpine type: animalistic, bestial, feral, whom I called Wolverine."
Sanderson: "Complete with claws?"
Cockrum: "No, he didn't have claws. But he had fangs and he was a nasty son of a bitch. He had almost the same haircut that Wolverine has now. In the interim, somewhere along the line, Roy suggested to Len, 'How about a Canadian mutant called Wolverine?' I assumed Roy just forgot that I showed him my Wolverine. I was kind of miffed about the whole thing, but it seemed kind of pointless to carry it on. I never did like Wolverine for a long time..."
» SEE ALSO: Dave Cockrum's Outsdiers & Devastators


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A year ago, I was frequently raving about avocado as an ingredient in cakes/muffins- that is soo 2013 guys. Now it's all about the sweet potato! Yes, it sounds odd, but trust me, it works (hubby can confirm this!).
Category Archives: Cake
A Tea Loaf fit for an Earl (Grey)
Both myself and my darling fiancé are both tea-addicts, we drink it throughout the day, everyday. We literally have a cupboard full of all kinds of varieties: both tea-bags and loose leaf… green, black, spiced… you get the point! Carlos is particularly partial to a cup of Earl Grey. Earlier today we were sat leisurely in one of our favourite cafes, each enjoying a great cuppa (mine a Masala Chai, his an Earl Grey)… when I suddenly had a light-bulb moment… Carlos' favourite tea IN a cake! Continue reading
Douffins…12 quirky little hybrids
Now for perhaps one of my most popular baking ventures yet… wittily named 'The Douffin' by my man. It is what I refer to as a Doughnut-muffin hybrid. These naughty-but-nice little fellows resemble doughnuts with their sugar coating, and oh-so-satisfying ooze of jam when bitten into… however have a more muffin-like texture, although lighter. They are also baked in a muffin tray, rather than deep-fried like a doughnut (thus arguably a healthier option? ;-p). Continue reading
My first post! I had to sit and think carefully about what my first post should be about. I came firmly to the conclusion that I should start with what I believe to be one of THE staples of home baking: The Victoria Sponge.


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- 2004 Fremere, 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot,15% Cabernet Franc, Paso Robles
- 2004 Malbec, Paso Robles 85%Malbec, 10%Cabenet Sauvignon, 5%Merlot,* Only 3 cases left according to Shannon O'Neil (winemaker)
- Gioi, Paso Robles 60% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 5% Zinfandel. This made me crave spaghetti and meatballs almost immediately. Aged in American oak according to the winemaker. It had that distinctive caramel nose of most American oak aged wines. I love American oak with italian varietals. Yum!
- 2005 Easy Ed Red, 50%Cabernet Sauvignon, 50%Syrah, Paso Robles for the price point ($20 a bottle) Good QPR The name says what you need to know. This wine is easy like Sunday morning.
Maloy O'Neil makes a Lagrein ( blended with Sangiovese) According to Shannon O'Neil there is only 1 vineyard in California(French Camp Vineyard in Paso Robles) to source this grape and he, Chris Whitcraft and Mosby have been working with the varietal in the California.


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There's nothing Ernie loves more than an excellent adventure. Whether he's zooming around town on his rocket-powered skateboard or stealing an early peek at the cool new fossil exhibit at the Dinosaur Museum, Ernie never lets the strict rule of his mom, Sue (Jane Lynch) or his tag-along sister, Julia, keep him from stirring up some fun.
While visiting his best friend Max's house, daredevil Ernie stumbles upon Max's dad's latest invention: a sleek, egg-shaped time machine. When Julia bursts in on the boys' discovery, the time machine whirs to life and closes its doors on the three arguing kids. It whisks them away to a lush jungle untouched by mankind, where a living, breathing T-Rex named Tyra (Melanie Griffith) mistakes them for her newly-hatched children, joining her family with hyperactive dinosaur son Dodger (Rob Schneider).
Ernie can't wait to have his most incredible escapade yet, until he realizes the road back home is paved with obstacles. As creepy dinosaur rivals of Tyra's (William Baldwin and Stephen Baldwin) plot to take the time machine 'egg' to lure her into their lair, the kids learn it's going to take a lot of teamwork, and maybe even some help from Sue, to get Ernie, Julia and Max out of 'Dino Time.'
Clarius Entertainment presents a Toiion Production with Motif RMC in association with CJ E&M Corp, Leading Investment, and Visio Entertainment: "Dino Time." The film is directed by Yoon S. Choi and John Kafka, and the executive producers are Weon-Hwa Anna Lee, Taesung Jeong, Jay C. Gil, Sharath Sury and Dennis Rice. The film is produced by Joon B. Heo, Jae Y. Moh, Robert Abramoff, Jae Woo Park and David K. Lovegren and is based on a story by Joon B. Heo and Yoon S. Choi. The screenplay is written by Adam Beechen, Jae Woo Park, Zack Rosenblatt and James Greco.


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The world's largest Fortune 500 companies for 2017 have been announced by business magazine Fortune.
And China is home to more companies shaping the world this year, totaling 115 with 10 of them making their debut. The number of Chinese companies featured has increased for the 14th consecutive year.
10 new Chinese companies including Jack Ma's Alibaba
10 Chinese companies have made their debut this year: Anbang Insurance Group, Hengli Group, Yango Financial Holding, Alibaba Group Holding, Country Garden Holdings, Tencent Holdings, Suning Commerce Group, Xiamen C&D, Xiamen ITG Holding Group, and Xinjiang Guanghui Industry Investment.
The 115 Chinese companies on the list cover a wide range of fields including energy, oil refining, mining companies, real estate and construction.
Walmart ranks first for the fourth consecutive year. The world's six biggest Internet companies are split equally between China and the US. The Chinese giants are JD.com Inc, Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings, while the American companies are Amazon.com, Alphabet and Facebook, which appears on the list for the first time.


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IBM is building a datacentre management platform based on its autonomic computing initiative, and says it has advanced the technology sufficiently to give users deep insight into their IT environments.
These capabilities are being included in a set of new and updated Tivoli product offerings, in tools for security, monitoring, services management, and change and configuration management.
One updated tool, the Tivoli Usage and Accounting Manager, is intended to tackle the problem of measuring resource use in shared environments. IBM says this platform will allow a company to understand down to the individual user level how resources are consumed, including information on CPU, I/O, networking consumption, and data storage.
That functionality makes it possible for IT managers to figure out who is using which resources in a business, says Alan Ganek, vice president of autonomic computing and chief technology officer at IBM Tivoli.
"You need to be able to understand how to attribute cost back to the business," says Ganek, who adds that the management tools allow users to measure services at the transaction level. Today, many IT managers have to make "gross assumptions" about usage and "lack the ability to attribute cost back to various departments," he says.
Another new tool, the Configuration and Change Manager, enables users to discover the relationship of various applications in their environments. It will allow users to, for example, discover all the applications that utilise a resource, such as a database, and determine what would happen if that database was taken offline. The inability to know these relationships is an issue for many IT managers, says Ganek.
Donna Scott, an analyst at Gartner, says IBM is trying to expand from "autonomic computing in products to autonomic computing for the datacentre." The company is setting higher and broader goals, suggesting that "they must feel that they made sufficient progress in each of the IBM product areas with autonomic computing".
Autonomic computing is IBM's bid to create self-managing and self-healing environments, and tools such as the configuration and change manager advance that work, says Ganek. "For self-managing and self-healing to occur in productive way, you need to have an understanding of what the environment consists of," he says.
Additional new offerings include the IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager, a package that monitors power consumption and makes adjustments to improve energy efficiency and reduce power consumption costs, says Ric Telford, vice president for autonomic computing at IBM.
The software allows customers to cap power usage, prevent cost overruns and monitor workload usage trends to enable better planning before deploying workloads across multiple platforms in datacentres, Telford says. Users have the option of designating important workloads to get more power based on the information provided, he says.
Agam Shah of the IDG News Service contributed to this report


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Just Say No
...to whack-ass companies with poor PR consultants.
I know, I know, I'm about half a year late in posting something about this, but you know, I was just waiting for a cute logo to display. Just in case you haven't heard of the Stitch N' Bitch lawsuit...you can read a bit about it at the link above, or just google "stitch and bitch lawsuit" for the scoop on this ridiculous company. I don't really have anything to add to the discussion as I'm not a copyright laywer--or, in fact, any type of laywer. Suffice it to say that I'm going to continue stitching and bitching as before.


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Blogs for Katrina Relief 09/01/2005
I am inviting all my fellow Bloggers to join me in Blogging for Donations for Hurricane Katrina Relief.
Click here to find out more.
[Hurricane Katrina] [Flood Aid]
My name is Phil and I'm an alcoholic. This blog documents my journey on the "road of happy destiny," the ups and downs of building a new way of life for myself, and hopefully some miracles along the way.
I am inviting all my fellow Bloggers to join me in Blogging for Donations for Hurricane Katrina Relief.
I've been a little whacked out lately. I take Zoloft for depression. (Or, more accurately, sertralina, which is the same stuff, except in Mexico I get it over the counter at a fraction of the cost.) I went off it for a couple months when I first got sober this year, at my shrink's suggestion, and was a complete wreck. So I went back on it, with breathtaking results.
My blog site development is going really well. Here is my latest version.
I want to draw your attention to a scandal of Alaskan proportions. I was horrified to read of a Sunday School teacher tormenting preschoolers with terrifying visions of death. I can only be thankful my own toddler has not been subjected to such a monstrous ordeal.
I've seen some very cool stuff the past week or so in the blogosphere: thought-provoking, gut-wrenching, inspiring and funny. I've wanted to respond, but haven't had many chunks of time to do more than cursory reading.
Scott wrote this in his blog entry for this "tag" thingy that's been going around:
1 Year Ago: 269 days of sobriety. Not working. Just enjoying being sober. Working the steps. Here is my gratitude list from that day:
- For 269 days of getting more than I expected...
- To, day after day, sit with those whose greatest wish is that we all succeed
- That everyone who comes into the rooms makes us stronger
- That hope, given enough respect, becomes a comfortable reality
- To improve on not judging by appearance
- For those stronger than me who let me hold their hand
- That when I am not thinking of God I need not worry because God is always thinking of me
- For growing pains
Logan got tagged, now he's tagged me. Here's my first go-round -- I may add more or modify it later.
A blogging friend just closed down her blog and started a new one, withholding a few previously-known details about her identity. Why? She got into a jam at work, because someone read some things on her blog they didn't like.
I tend to blog about things in my life as they relate to recovery. There's been a pleasant, quiet day-to-day-ness in life and recovery lately, so I haven't seen much blog-worthy stuff going on. I'm eager to start on Step Two again with my sponsor this week. I'll have to make some decisions very soon about whether to move to LA or stay where I am, and therefore whether to move, and therefore where to find a job and start working. The future of my relationship with my wife remains uncertain and stressful. Fairly big stuff, actually. I'm nervous about it, but, by the grace of God, neither fearful nor anxious. I see a lot of things I need to do in my life and in my recovery, but, for the moment at least, they are not overwhelming me.
This was posted today as an anonymous comment to an old post on this blog. I want to highlight it here, hoping the poster will read this and benefit from any advice other readers may have.
This is my 36th day of being sober. Well, it depends on who you talk to; maybe I'm just a dry drunk.
I went into detox, obtained a sponsor, and completed steps 1, 2 and 3.
Since my release I have been attending 2 to 3 AA meetings a week, attending an aftercare program and have stayed sober. Still, I am harassed by my sponsor that I am not attending enough meetings and just making excuses. He said that AA comes before EVERYTHING! Is that really the case? He said that there has to be a substitute for alcohol, whether it is coffee, cigarettes or AA. If I AM making excuses and need a substitute for alcohol, does my daughter not count? Before I even started this program, I had commitments with my daughter.
I'm supposed to be married in November, should I just scrap the whole thing and start going to AA 7 nights a week. I really don't think that is practical is it? Maybe to some that is there only option.
My life has never been out of control. There has been some bumpy times, but certainly not unmanageable by any means. I went into this program on my own, no trouble with the law or anything. I paid for it on my own, insurance wouldn't cover it. I just felt that it would be a good thing for me to do, for my health, and my family.
Now I'm feeling very good about myself. My problem is with the way I have been treated by my sponsor. Nothing like "good job for staying sober for 30 days". Nothing but belittling me. That doesn't feel very good or rewarding.
I let my sponsor go last night and will be looking for a new one. I'm not counting out AA at this point; I want to give it another chance. Just not sure what is expected of me.
For the record; the ONLY time I really wanted a drink during the past 36 days was when I felt pressure from that sponsor. That's pretty sad when you think about it.


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text:
So, it was an ordinary Sunday afternoon. My brother was visiting V (now I say, V and not us; since genuinely, all he wanted was to spend time with her). Back to the point, so bhaia, SD, V and i stepped out for a nice afternoon stroll. Walked to bhaia's favorite coffee place and got our 'Turtle Mochas' the adults got chatting.. while V started exploring the coffee house.
I drifted away from our discussions of "these tough economic times" to just gaze at V. She was oblivious to us, oblivious to our conversations... she was wobbling in the coffee house, observing strangers as they walked by, gazing out of the glass doors on the street: A kid trying out the two wheel scooter while his mother had a watchful eye on him, a homeless man looking for change fallen on the ground, a cute hurried couple walking in the store, the server wiping the tables.. and she'd occasionaly look back and smile at us..knowing that we were watching her with the corner of our eyes....When I started to wonder: What goes on in this little mind of hers.
What does she think, when she looks at all these things, all these small things which we take for granted, are all new to her. Every situation, every place, every new face.. . What goes on in her mind? Wonder/ Amazement/ confusion/ anxiety/ excitement…..what?
I know the time will come soon, that she would say what she "wants" the pink scooter instead of the red one, the Dora dress instead of the Mermaid one...she will tell us exactly! .......and honestly i can't wait (SD frowns).
But i know, this time of her constant gaze and admiration of the world with those innocent eyes will go away soon! Very soon!
Every time we have friends over, or go somewhere.. it's a ritual for her. The first twenty minutes or so, all she will do is look around, stare at everyone's face to observe, and then slowly start walking around and investigate the house/ store.. to see which places where she can play without getting a "Uh- OO" from us. Just familiarizing herself!
Every morning, we take the elevator to go to the car parking, and in that small space she will stare at the "Gimme more coffee" struck faces of our building people… until they are forced to smile at her with those sleep deprived eyes.. and yes, then she will repeat the same process with the next person in the elevator. Trust me, the ride is may be 30-45 seconds, but she does this, every morning in our elevator!
While SD and I just look, just look at those cute, naughty eyes!
I say repeatedly, to one and all.. Having a child is a big de-stressing factor in our lives (Yes even those sleepless nights!). Minute i walk out of office to pick her up,i forget everything else.. all presentations.. all meetings and all due dates......... and all i can think of is what game do i play with her tonight! Its new every evening.. sometimes a play date, sometimes a fussy evening, sometimes her toys and me...sometimes us singing nursery rhymes and dancing to kiddie music with no care in the world, all leading up to the finale.. SD entering our home! The delight in her eyes, the excitement in her voice....and V throwing her arms up for her dad to hug her.......forgetting all her toys, sniffs and sobs and mum.... is the best part of the entire day for me!
And i know this time will go by fast.. very fast! Clichéd but true.
Monday, March 23, 2009
3 comments:
- Harsh said...
Damn.. You write good.
- March 26, 2009 at 10:50 AM
- GN said...
Thank You! It is the encouragement i need.
- April 2, 2009 at 10:52 AM
Very nicely written ...esp llloved the part 'What goes on in her mind? Wonder/ Amazement/ confusion/ anxiety/ excitement…..what?' ..I am sure science will advance to a point where we might know whats going on in their thoughts, what are they feeling (da..da ..dah); but I think I like it this way ...this way they have their own 'beautiful secret little world'!
- August 27, 2009 at 3:02 PM
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text:
<\/span><\/p>
JLL is marketing a property for sale on the corner of Karangahape Road and Upper Queen Street.
<\/p>
The corner site is on a ridge at the top of the town, looking down Queen Street to the harbour. <\/p>
This 359sqm freehold site is being marketed by Nick Hargreaves of JLL, through an expressions of interest campaign closing October 3. <\/p>
The property offers 522sqm of vacant retail and office space over three levels and has a rateable value of $2.35million. <\/p>
Hargreaves says the K Road area has huge untapped potential. <\/p>
"Imagine what Auckland will be like in 2023. When the City Rail Link opens in 2021, this part of town will be much more accessible, thanks to the new Karangahape and Aotea Stations. Trains will be faster and more frequent. For example, the trip from Kingsland station to Karangahape station will take six minutes."<\/p>
The new Karangahape Station will be located just three minutes' walk from this property. <\/p>
Auckland Transport says the major improvement to the urban area around Britomart Station, following its opening in 2003, shows how investment in transport can lead redevelopment nearby. It brought new life to what was previously an under-utilised part of the city centre and attracted large employers like EY and Westpac. <\/p>
"The City Rail Link will open up the city fringe suburbs like Newmarket, Grafton, Mt Eden and Kingsland, bringing a new level of vibrancy to these locations," Hargreaves says. <\/p>
Auckland Council expects city centre and city fringe residents to double to 140,000 by 2041 and forecasts that city centre and city fringe employee numbers will double to more than 200,000. <\/p>
Purchasers are doing everything from new builds to refurbishments, office upgrades and student accommodation in the fringe suburbs," Hargreaves says. <\/p>
"K Road is well known for its diversity. It is lined with quirky boutique, cafes, art galleries and fashion designers. <\/p>
The New Zealand Film Archive has its library and exhibition space there," Hargreaves says. <\/p>
"K Road is home to the Ironbank building, a visually stunning six-level retail and office development which includes an automated car stacker for 96 vehicles. <\/p>
"There is also a development of 65 apartments planned just around the corner at 8 Upper Queen Street, designed by award-winning Melbourne architects, to be built in 2017." <\/p>
"All of this bodes well for the future of K Road, which will continue to be an important, vibrant part of Auckland," Hargreaves says.  <\/p>
"For all of these reasons, we expect to see city fringe properties continuing to sell quickly over the next five years to savvy investors. And once the CRL is open, the appeal of the city fringe will be obvious to all," Hargreaves says.  <\/p>
<\/p>

City Link Rail development makes K'Rd-Queen St #freehold<\/a> #property<\/a> a smart investment #JLL<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/MUHq3dvoWb<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/SoD2fOOg6X<\/a><\/p>— JLL NZ (@JLLNewZealand) August 17, 2016<\/a> <\/blockquote>\u000a
<\/p>
The property is being marketed through an expressions of interest campaign, closing October 3. <\/p>
\u000a Read the NZ Herald story here<\/a><\/p>