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Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Rhetorical Juxtapositions: A Democratic Presidential Primary

What are you thinking about as you sit there on your living room sofa, maybe with your spouse or significant other, or maybe with some friends and family, feet reclined casually and a cold one condensating seductively on one of your fashionable coasters?  My guess is that you're probably not thinking about any of these details in the room around you, or about the power of democracy and the responsibility of you as a citizen to make an informed decision about which presidential candidate to vote for.  My guess is that you're probably not even really thinking at all.  Your consciousness is probably running on its default setting and you are transfixed in a weird sort of lazy attentiveness by the luminescent television screen, around which your furniture is centered--much like how the pews in large churches concave around the pulpit.

This lazy attentiveness is insidious and pernicious in the subtlest ways.  It ensures your absolute undivided attention on the screen and the colorful images and the vibrant sounds coming from its direction.  It ensures that you absorb all of the data it's transmitting.  It does all of this, but with the understanding that you're not really thinking too abstractly about what it all means and that you're probably not considering how this passive consumption of corporate sponsored, doctored, and in-real-time edited political information is anti-choice.

Ask yourself this question: is it a good thing for American democracy that the introduction to a presidential primary debate is formatted almost exactly like high-stakes sporting events?  And what does it say about us as "informed" citizens that we're okay with this?  And what does it imply about how the corporate elites view the general public?

In our natural default setting we just accept the situation for what it is and before we realize it we're buzzing with excitement over the fact that in a few minutes we'll be seeing "the Democratic presidential candidates go Head-to-Head, brought to you LIVE, by CBS News."  At this point the game is already lost because we've accepted the lens of the CBS News cameras as our lens, our default point of view.  This is all a fabrication of course, but we, viewing from home, don't realize it; we're just casually sipping our beers as we wait for the action to kick off.

But because we've already accepted the lens of the CBS News cameras as our own, we don't realize that this is an incredibly unnatural experience from the perspective of the candidates themselves.  I mean, imagine yourself behind a podium on a stage, with hundreds of people in the audience staring at you, and several $10,000 cameras pointed at you which you're fully aware are live-streaming your face to millions of strangers all over the country.  And we expect--even demand--that these people need to be "relatable" and appear like normal human beings in order to earn our votes.  But in order to appear relatable and normal to us at home, these politicians have to do the most unnatural and non-relatable things.  I'm describing, at least tangentially, the profession of the modern actor whose job it is to appear vividly human on screen and to be comfortable in front of these cameras and spectators.  Our politicians however, are not trained actors; but many of them try very hard to perform nonetheless.

It's blatantly clear to us that the former Mayor of Baltimore and Governor of Maryland, Martin O'Malley, is uncomfortable on stage.  We see his hands shaking and we can hear his voice tremble with nervousness.  But he's still trying his best to do the required puppet dance of modern national politics.  He quickly finds the appropriate camera, points his index finger sternly, and delivers the most painfully feigned of emotional oratories that I've seen so far from any candidate.  He wants so desperately to seem sincere; his eyes squint slightly as he delivers a soft and powerful emotional point, and then they widen brightly along with his smile and the volume of his voice as he extols another vague and intense American virtue.  It makes me squirm in my seat, and I avert my eyes.  It's kind of like when a new acquaintance that you're still unsure about makes prolonged intense eye contact with you as you speak, and nods her head vigorously with wide eyes that refuse to release your gaze.  It's a proper nightmare for anyone with even the slightest bit of social anxiety.

But O'Malley's obvious act of sincere desperation is small cheese compared to the heir apparent of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.  Former First Lady, Senator from New York, and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has been playing this nightmarish national political rite of passage much longer than the former Maryland Governor who's clearly in over his head.  Her political persona is so far developed for the big leagues that we don't squirm with discomfort when she speaks--at least not the same sort of discomfort that we attribute to O'Malley.  If Clinton makes us uncomfortable, it's not because we can see through her act or because it's obvious to us that she's uncomfortable on stage herself.  Quite the opposite is true.  She's much too comfortable on stage, and much too talented at playing this game.  If you pay real close attention to her--not to what she's saying, but rather to how she's saying it--you find yourself getting increasingly furious at the skill with which she's able to appear sincere.  She scans the room slowly, punctuating her points with quick and emphatic finger jabs.  She is fully in her element and is thriving upon the awareness that, in those moments when she has the floor, every single person in the room is taking her SO seriously.  She's the expert, the experienced politician, the professional, the calculated and stern leader.  She wears all of these masks, and she wears them well.

The only discernible cracks in her otherwise perfect political facade are revealed when she gets indignant--as she did in the second debate when the only human on stage challenged her financial bona fides with respect to Wall Street.  Ignoring the absurdity of her subsequent deflection, which didn't address the criticism at all and instead attempted to justify huge financial ties to Wall Street by invoking 9/11, notice her demeanor throughout her response.  It seems that there is an inverse correlation between how impeccable her routine is and how effectively she's criticized by opponents. This is the only crack in an otherwise impressive unnatural feat.

Normal human beings are anxious creatures whose level of comfort diminishes as the level of scrutiny upon them increases.  And the only thing that seems to be preventing the former Mayor of Burlington, and current Senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders, from losing his self-conscious shit up there on stage among all of the lights and cameras is his deep conviction in progressive principles that he feels are lacking in establishment politics.  He's indicated before that he likes his job as a Senator and wouldn't be running for President if he thought any of the other candidates could take on the monied interests in Washington.  And if you watch his behavior on stage, you have to believe him.  He is by far the most uncomfortable person in the room--although, a strong argument could be made for O'Malley.  But the only reason O'Malley maybe looks comparatively more uncomfortable than Sanders is because O'Malley is still trying to fight his discomfort and conform to the same rhetorical schtick that Clinton is already doing much better.  Sanders on the other hand is unapologetically uncomfortable and, were it not for his populist/progressive agenda, would probably admit that he hates every minute of being on that stage.

Put simply, of the three remaining Democratic candidates for President, only one of them isn't playing the game that's expected of them.  Sanders scoffs at Clinton's answers on stage, and barely contains his frustrations enough to remember to politely acknowledge that he has a great deal of respect for the Madame Secretary, before going on to call the business model of Wall Street "fraud," breaking all implicit rules that urge him to keep his trap shut.  His demeanor doesn't change depending on the situation he's in.  He isn't an adept political chameleon (like Clinton), nor does he even pretend to want to be (like O'Malley).  His Brooklyn accent sits heavy on his voice.  He gets passionate about a point he's making and he stumbles over his words, often screwing up the emphatic result he was aiming for.  He tries to thread a very difficult needle on gun control and bring some much needed nuance to that discussion, even though he knows it won't be received well in a partisan Democratic room.  It's as if all of the subtle signs that govern the behavior of every modern American politician fly completely over the head of this grumpy old Vermont Senator.  I don't think any of it's flying over his head though.  Especially considering that this is a man in whose office hangs a poster of Eugene V. Debs, I think all of those signs are painfully obvious to him.  And I think he's deliberately ignoring them, and for that reason (among many more), he's the most qualified candidate on that ridiculous stage.


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Monday, March 30, 2009

Our Trip to Albuquerque

This past weekend Brian's Grandparents Peggy and Jim blessed us with a trip to come visit them in Albuquerque. Our plane left bright and early Friday morning and we arrived in Albuquerque around 9:30 am. After a nice breakfast at Perennials Restaurant (owned by the parents of Neil Patrick Harris) we went back to the house to get settled. It had snowed overnight and the mountains looked beautiful! I wish I had a picture to show you. After relaxing for a bit, Peggy, Brian and I went shopping. I got some cute pair of shorts and some tops from Gap Maternity and Brian got a polo. Friday night we went to dinner at a nice restaurant.
Saturday morning we all got ready and went to Best Buy to get Peggy and Jim a webcam / microphone for their computer. We are trying to get everyone connected to Skype so we can do video conferencing when Addison arrives. This will be a great way to keep the distant family in touch. If you are already on skype, look us up! cbetzen and bcbetzen are our usernames. After Best Buy we went to Model Pharmacy and had lunch at a wonderful deli downtown.
Wayne and Melody arrived in Albuquerque around 1:30, we all hung out at the house for a bit then the girls went shopping and the guys went gambling. After our afternoon venture we went back to the house where Peggy prepared a wonderful meal of Orange Ruffy, Asparagus, Mac & Cheese and salad. For desert, we dug into an Edible Arrangement that arrived earlier that day from some of Peggy's friends.
Sunday morning came way too fast and it felt like it was too soon to leave. Our flight left at 9:30am and we were home by 2:30. We were so sad to go, but feel so blessed to have had the time Peggy and Jim. We look forward to seeing them again soon.

Last Wednesday before I left work I heard that there was bad weather on the way. I was still planning on following my normal post work routine of going to the gym and then running errands for Brian. I called Brian after work and he said I should probably go home and just work out on the Wii Fit just in case the weather does get bad. I get home and turn on the forecast and no doubt about it, we were going to get rain. The rain started coming down really hard and then I looked out side and it was hailing. It must have hailed for about 10+ minutes. I called Brian to tell him and he asked if it was coming his way (he was out on the road in the Sprinter), I said "no baby you are good". I decided to go upstairs and check the radar again to make sure and come to find out I was wrong. He called me a bit later to tell me that I am a horrible meteorologist (I could have told him that, haha) and that he is parked under a bridge on Mopac. The good news is that the Sprinter, cars and house are all ok. The Explorer did not make out so well though. I am just glad I came straight home from work or the Camry would have had some serious damage. We do have an insurance adjuster coming next Monday to check out the house just in case we have roof damage.

24 Week Doctors Appointment

We saw the doctor for our 24 week appointment last Thursday. Little Addison is doing great! Her heartbeat is staying strong at 142 and fundal height was 25.5 cm. Dr. Solomon is predicting that we will be having a big girl since she is measuring a week and a half larger in size. This does not mean I will be delivering early (all her organs etc. are developed at 24 weeks), it just means that our girl is growing like a weed. Maybe I should slow down on the calcium, haha.
Our next appointment we will do a full round of blood work including the dreaded gestational diabetes test. We will also have a sonogram! I cannot wait to see a her. While feeling her kick and hearing her heartbeat is wonderful, there is nothing like actually seeing her on a screen.
Keep praying for a healthy baby!

24 Weeks: Ear of Corn

From the Baby Center:
Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Friday, March 20, 2009

The Registry is Complete

Yesterday Leanne came in town and we finished up the baby registry. We are now officially registered at Babies R Us ( and Baby Earth ( Registering is quite a cumbersome task and I am so thankful Leanne was able to help me finish everything up.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

23 Weeks: Have you ever cry laughed?

All is still well here... it seems like some of my symptoms from the first trimester have come back (exhaustion, vivid dreams, nausea), but nothing too severe.
This past week I had one instance when my hormones went completely out of whack.... I was CRY LAUGHING! What is that you might ask... well I was crying because my feeling were hurt but laughing because what he said was funny. Poor Brian, his eyes were wide open not knowing if he should comfort me or laugh with me. We eventually cracked up laughing and are still laughing about it. So yes, cry laughing is by far the most bizarre emotion ever, but will be a funny memory that Brian and I will never forget.
From the Baby Center:
Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

Monday, March 16, 2009

4 Months to Go!

It is hard to believe that 4 months today (+ or - 14 days per our doctor) I will be giving birth. We were 4 weeks when we found out we were pregnant and now we are approaching 23. Some days it seems like the longest pregnancy ever and other days it is flying by. I am just truly humbled by this pregnancy. While it has not gone without complications (all of them have turned out to be minor, no harm to the baby), we feel totally blessed to have this HEALTHY baby girl in my belly. Yes I know we still have 4 months and there will probably be a few more mountains to climb before Addison makes her grand appearance. All I know is God can move mountains and I will trust that He will do so in every situation we are faced with. One of my favorite songs right now is "Mighty to Save": and Hosanna: Addison and I listen to these songs every day, Matthew 17:20 He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Friday, March 13, 2009

18 Week Sonogram on DVD

Our 18 week sonogram was recorded on a VHS, why such obsolete technology was used is beyond me, but some things we have no control over. So 4 weeks and $25 dollars later our video was transferred from VHS to DVD, thank you Walgreens. Last night Brian got home from and we sat down for dinner to watch the video of our sweet little girl.
So the video starts playing and we immediately have issues determining what part is her head, body etc. Brian and I were both watching it going there is her head... no wait that is her body... hey I see a leg or is that an arm.... hmmmm we need our technician!
We ended up just turning the video off after a few minutes... as always it is nice to see our baby, I just wish we could figure out the body parts.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

22 Weeks: Addison now weighs 1 Pound

Well it is nice that I can assign one pound of my weight gain to our precious daughter. All is well in the baby world. Her movements and kicks are definately becoming more pronounced, which is exciting (unless it is a kick in the bladder).
Right now we are just enjoying the little life that is in my belly.
From the Baby Center:
At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

The Furniture is Ordered!

Today I ordered all the furniture for Addison's room. I still may need to get a couple of small tables for the room, but the big purchases have been made. I guess we have good taste because the rocker and dresser are both back ordered until April and May. We ordered everything with an Espresso wood finish.

Monday, March 9, 2009

21 Week Bump

I am going to try to take more pictures of my baby bump. Everyone keeps asking me for them, so here you go! Here we are at 21 weeks, it may not look much different than 20 weeks, but I can tell you it feels different. On Sunday while we were standing up praying at Church I opened my eyes and could not see my feet. I can see them when I rock forward a bit, but it was still pretty funny. My belly button is also starting to fill in, which feels kind of freaky.
So here is a picture of Rodnee and I in Addison's pink room. Addison is a very active little girl! She loves Christian rock music and her daddy's voice. Yesterday I got my first good kick in the bladder, that was an interesting feeling.

Addison's Room Is Tickled Pink

On Saturday Tania & Kimball came over to help paint Addison's Room "Barely Pink". I use the word "help" loosely because they actually did about 85% of the painting! Barely Pink is the lightest pink that Behr offers and let me tell you, there is nothing barely about it. In fact, if we would have done anything darker it would have been WAY too much. I must say it is the perfect pink and will look awesome with the dark wood furniture. Barely Pink is much lighter than the bedding, so I really think we have the pink under control. Brian likes the color as well.
The next step will be to add wainscoting to the main wall that the crib will be against (it is the back wall you see when you walk into the room).

20 Week Bump

Here is my 20 week baby bump picture. Brian and I went to a Cedar Park Chamber event on 2/28 and had a mini-photo shoot when we got home. I love my little bump!
Just for fun, the picture below is what the dress looked like on me at my 30th birthday party last September. I am starting to fill out, but in a good way.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Our Bumbleride

I just realized I never mentioned that we received our stroller and it is delightful! It was very easy to assemble, looks great and is a smooth ride. I cannot wait for Little Addison to be here so I can take her on a walk. I will admit that I periodically push the stroller around the house. Rodnee seems to like it as well, Brian made me promise not to take him on a walk outside in the stroller, hehe.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

20 Weeks: Our Carrot

Everything is going great! Addison is very active in my belly, Brian felt her kick 10+ times in a few minutes last night. Her movement is something I just cannot get over, I love ever kick! This week she had the hiccups because I could feel her consistently every few seconds, super cute! We are already so much in love with our little girl.

I just sit in awe of how far we have come... it seems like just a few weeks ago she was the size of a blueberry, now she is the size of a carrot! We have come a long way, I can only imagine what it will feel like when she is the size of a watermelon, haha. I am pretty sure that is week 40. Brian told me this morning that we need to take belly pictures this weekend, there is definitely some roundness going on in my stomach. It looks cute! Sometimes my new body shape depresses me, but then Addison kicks and then I feel it is all worth it. I can lose the weight and need to focus more on this gift from God growing in my belly. From the baby center: Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

20 Week Appointment: Baby Had a Growth Spurt!

Last Friday we had our 20 week appointment with Dr. Solomon. The baby is doing great! Her heartbeat was 142, which is strong. The only "surprise" was my fundal height measurement (measurement of my uterus). It is typically one centimenter for every week I have been pregnant. So I should have measured 20 centimeters, but instead I measure 21.5 centimeters. Dr. Solomon's eyes got wide and said that they baby had a growth spurt, hehe. I thought I was feeling a bit bigger (rounder). So anyways, the baby is doing great, which is all I care about. I was cleared for airplane travel until 34 weeks (beginning of June), after that I have to stay within 2 hours of Austin just in case. I have a 20 week picture, I will post later this week.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Our Rockin' Recliner

One of the great debates regarding Baby Addison has been what kind of chair will be best for rocking, feeding and sleeping. I was advised by several people to get a chair that I could fall asleep in. Some of the different options are a glider w/ ottoman, glider/recliner, traditional gliders with a cushion and a wooden rocker. The "nursery" brand chairs are comfy, but expensive. Brian and I had many discussions and decided to get a Lazy Boy rocking recliner for the living room and a wooden glider w/ ottoman for the nursery. I still have my mom's rocking chair and moved it into our bedroom.
This is the Lazy Boy recliner that we ordered over the weekend. It is SUPER comfy. The great feature of this chair is that you can recline and still rock, which will be a wonderful feature when the baby arrives. We chose the Lazy Boy over a "nursery" brand like Best Chair Storytime series because of the solid construction and it looks less nursery like.
This is the glider that we will be ordering for the nursery. It is also durable, super comfy and a more cost effective choice.
This past weekend we moved all the furniture out of the nursery so we can start painting and move the new furniture in. The bed went into the office, the rocker went into our bedroom and the dresser went into our closet. It all looks great! I plan on ordering the furniture sometime this week. Very Exciting!


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Feel the Blues with all that Jazz
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Wednesday, October 24, 2012

It's Been Far Too Long

I've gotten a few comments and emails saying, "Hey, when are you gonna update?" or "Your blog is a blessing. Hoping you'll update soon." These comments are, of course, encouraging. After all, even a mediocre and amateur blogger likes to hear her work is read. As a preface, I'd like to say that this post can't be comprehensive and I can't let myself write that long. So I'll be hitting the highlights and hoping for lots of comments!

We went with Jeremy's parents on Labor Day weekend to Pigeon Forge, TN. Naturally, it's required that all homeschooling families have educational vacations. We took the kids to Oconaluftee Indian Village in Cherokee, North Carolina. It was very interesting to see how the native Americans lived 250 years ago.

Cherokee women making beaded art and jewelry.

John wanted to stay the night in this Cherokee home replica. Always the outdoorsman.

Climbing on the side of the mountain.

The biggest kid!

They all wanted to get out when we reached the path to Clingman's Dome. I was about to have a heart attack because it's straight down about a billion feet just passed that wall.

Helping, Mom!

We also visited the Ripley's Aquarium. This would have been much better if there had not been 10,000 people in there and not a speck of light anywhere. But we did eventually get through it and we didn't even lose a single child.

We've had two birthdays in the family. Josiah turned 3 in August and Noah turned 1 in September. We'll be celebrating Ethan's birthday just next week. Autumn is a busy time of year. Check out these cuties!

How about that curly hair? It completely matches his personality.

The whole crew!

Josiah is a complete joy. What a ham he is! He is such fun: cuddly, spunky, and full of personality. Did I mention he loves Thomas the Tank Engine? Can't you tell??

Then we had another birthday boy a few weeks later....

Guess who's one!

I was pleased with how Noah's turtle birthday cake turned out. I'll spare you all the story where I misspelled Noah's name.
hmmm...something tasty here.

Maybe someone could offer a bit of help for me. I have been on Blogger since something like 2002. My profile doesn't reflect that long because I used to publish with a different profile, but I've since deleted it. So I said all that to say that I guess you can't teach an old dog new tricks, I guess. I could work with the old blogger interface very nicely. This one feels like I wrestle and wrangle with it constantly. I've thought about using a different publisher, but then that means putting time into it. Time to learn new software...time I just don't have. So, am I crazy? Is the new interface cantankerous or is it just me?

8 edifying expressions:

Kristy... said...

Your blog is a blessing and your family is BEAUTIFUL ... SO glad to see your update!

Anonymous said...

Thank for updating. Always enjoy reading your blog.
God Bless.

Anonymous said...

Hope you had a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving. Now that the Christmas season is upon us, I pray you will have the strength and grace to do all that is needed with a household with young children in it. And keep up with the added extras at church.
God Bless and Have a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.

Anonymous said...

Wishing you and your family a very
Merry Christmas and a Happy and Blessed New Year.

Lori said...

Hello! It's been a long time. I see no one has answered your question about the new blogger. It's not just you. I'm still having problems finding things.

The new dashboard and other elements are very similar to Wordpress. But they still miss the mark when it comes to the Wordpress dashboard.

It definitely took me a while to learn my way around all the new layout, but like I mentioned; I'm still having to search high and low for things that in the oddest places. Like the "manage reading list" (on the right beside the Google Reader button).

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

Anonymous said...

Concerned about you! Haven't seen you on here or facebook for quite some time. HOpe all is will with you and your family.
God Bless

Kristy... said...

HEY, we miss you around here!
BTW I gather by your pinterest posts you are expecting again??? CONGRATS if so!

Anonymous said...

Hope you had a Merry Christmas and that your new year is being blessed.


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The Scope of the Three Rules

As I’ve mentioned in the Production page, this channel has three basic submission rules.

  • No explicit depictions of human sexuality,
  • No promotion of religion,
  • No promotion of hatred.

This doesn’t mean there can’t be any reasonable discussions on these subjects. It simply means that your submission can’t actively promote or exploit these particular subject matters. For example, you can discuss issues related to human sexuality, but you can’t actually show anyone engaged in sexual activity.

It’s important to understand that the scope of these rules extends to paid advertising.

Recently, the Conservative party has been running advertising on Canadian radio and television in an attempt to prevent the formation of a coalition government. This coalition would be formed by the Liberal and NDP parties, with the Bloc Québecois promising not to interfere in the process or vote against the coalition government for a set amount of time.

However, considering the Bloc Québecois’ close relationship with the French Canadian population, by constantly emphasizing the “Separatist Bloc” in their ads, the Conservative party is giving the impression that French Canadians are responsible for the current political crisis. Because of this indirect and passive promotion of hatred against French Canadians, the ads would not be cleared for broadcast on this channel.

When I originally proposed my concept for a public access television channel on many public on-line forums and listed my basic rules, one individual jokingly suggested that I add “No politics” to the rules. After hearing the Conservative ads, I’m starting to wonder if I should.

About François Caron

I'm the station owner.
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Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Facing Alzheimer's: A Personal Story

Tonight on ABC News "Nightline": Facing Alzheimer's: A Personal Story

Airing tonight on ABC News "Nightline", Terry Moran takes a powerful and intimate look at facing the risks of Alzheimer's. “Nightline" airs at 11:35 p.m. (ET/PT) weeknights on the ABC Television Network (check local listings). The program is anchored by Cynthia McFadden, Terry Moran, and Martin Bashir. John Donvan and Vicki Mabrey are correspondents. James Goldston is the executive producer.

Also see:

Nightline: Why I Got My DNA Tested for Alzheimer's Disease


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70% off at Land of Nod!!

The Land of NOd

The Land of Nod is having their fabulous 70% off sale right now. Among their many items, here are just a few of my favorites...

If you haven't been over to Land of Nod yet, be sure to stop by HERE. It's an adorable online shop specializing in fun crafts, wooden toys, adorable bedding and more!

Blog Design By Restored 316 Designs © All Rights Reserved.


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Monday, March 23, 2015

Bee Block

This month's colours for the Elgin Piecemakers' Guild charity quilt block are gray, black and white.  I dug into my stash and found some gray fabric with bees on it.  Then, I found the chicken wire fabric, which looks like the shape of honey combs. I added in some solid black and made this block tonight.

Our meeting is on Thursday night so I am all ready.  I have some show and tell as well as the purple disappearing four patch charity quilt top and back ready to take along.  It will be fun to see everyone else's blocks this month too.

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This is your journey...

The content you are about to view contains adult material that may not be appropriate for all users.  By clicking Enter below, you agree to the following:

1. You are an adult (18 years or older, or 21 years old or older in some states!)

2. You understand that the content of this site may involve language, content, images, sounds and themes of an adult or controversial nature.

3. You understand that I expect you to understand your own limitations, as an adult you are ultimately responsible for your own actions, NOT Mistress Sophie.

4. In this site Mistress Sophie discusses BDSM topics such as phone sex, financial Domination, CBT, strap-on, foot stocking shoe and hair fetish, fetishes as objectification humiliation,  verbal, mummification, golden showers and sissy slut training and you understand that these discussions are for entertainment or educational purposes only.

5. In no event will Mistress Sophie or anyone else represented on ever accept requests for illegal activities.

6. Mistress Sophie practices Safe, Sane and Consensual activities, Requests for certain activities such as castration or kidnapping/ blackmail will be treated as role play fantasies only.

7. Bookmarking to a page on this server/site whereby this warning page is by-passed shall constitute an implicit acceptance of the foregoing terms herein set forth.

8. By continuing further you are stating that you understand and accept responsibility for your own actions, thus releasing the sponsors of this web page, Mistress Sophie and our service provider from all liability. If you don't agree with this statement, leave now.

9. United States and International copyright laws protect these pages.  Copying or re-distribution of ANY of the photos or content contained herein by any means is strictly prohibited.

10. This is NOT a porn site or escort service.  There will NOT be sexual intercourse or any sexual activities  at anytime with Mistress Sophie or anyone else represented on NO EXCEPTIONS


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Friday, August 30, 2013

Lance Cpl. Dominic E. Ferguson,. Delta 3rd LAR

Lance Cpl. Dominic E. Ferguson on  security for his fire team during a platoon-level military operations in urban terrain and counterinsurgency exercise Aug. 15 at the Combat Town.  Ferguson is a Light Armored Vehicle driver with Weapons Platoon, Company D, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. photo by Lance Cpl. Brandon C. Suhr

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Thursday, November 3, 2016

Regaining the FORS: making optical ground-based transmission spectroscopy of exoplanets with VLT+FORS2 possible again

Boffin et al

Transmission spectroscopy facilitates the detection of molecules and/or clouds in the atmospheres of exoplanets. Such studies rely heavily on space-based or large ground-based observatories, as one needs to perform time- resolved, high signal-to-noise spectroscopy. The FORS2 instrument at ESO's Very Large Telescope is the obvious choice for performing such studies, and was indeed pioneering the field in 2010. After that, however, it was shown to suffer from systematic errors caused by the Longitudinal Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector (LADC). This was successfully addressed, leading to a renewed interest for this instrument as shown by the number of proposals submitted to perform transmission spectroscopy of exoplanets. We present here the context, the problem and how we solved it, as well as the recent results obtained. We finish by providing tips for an optimum strategy to do transmission spectroscopy with FORS2, in the hope that FORS2 may become the instrument of choice for ground-based transmission spectroscopy of exoplanets.

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Hawaiian Vacation: Day 5

photo-13Thursday was a bit ‘play it by ear.’ While I do an itinerary each year–ok, I must speak to the itinerary for a moment. Several years back, we didn’t have an itinerary. As a result, every day we came out of our hotel went something like this: “Where do you want to eat? I don’t know, where do you want to eat? Do you want to go to Duke’s? I don’t care, do you want to go to Duke’s?” People, this is a true story–heed my warning, don’t let it happen to you! Since then, I have done an itinerary every year. It outlines activities and eateries for every day. It doesn’t have to be followed to the letter but it does serve as a guide.

This year, I inserted a picture from past trips for each day’s activities, had a caricature  drawn for the cover–based on a photo taken at the Mighty Mo, had them printed, bound, wrapped in tissue, covered with beach stickers, secured with a lei, and then mailed one to everyone with a pack of macadamia nuts, a week before we left, to get everyone in the Aloha Spirit. I fear I’ve set the bar too high. But back to Day 5…

We spent the day on the blue line trolley tour. The tour guides were absolutely awesome! Both were Hawaiian natives, born and raised in the islands. We saw the beach where the infamous ‘From Here to Eternity’ beach scene was filmed. A famous blowhole. We stopped by Hanauma Bay and then toured the coastline, absolutely beautiful.

After the 2.5 hour tour, we grabbed a bite to eat at Round Table Pizza (yummy) and then strolled down Kalakaua for the movie on the beach. The night’s viewing was the season 4 premier of Hawaii 5-0 and the cast was there to celebrate. And for the after-show, the Jonas Brothers performed a free concert. Total chaos, but a lot of fun. Seriously, who goes on vacation and then happens to be in town for such a thing? Now, we just have to find out where they’re filming tomorrow so we can be extras in a few shots. We could play tourists!

Hawaii: An Oahu Travel Guide

photo-8For those that either know me or have read the ‘About Me’ tab, you’ll know that I go to Hawaii every year with my family. I’ve been incredibly blessed and fortunate to have started traveling there when I was in middle school and as such, will be going again this summer. We have visited several islands over the years: Oahu, Kauai, Maui, and the big island of Hawaii. So, quite often, family, friends, friends of friends, etc., will ask me for recommendations on what to see and do. This occurred last week when a former co-worker reached out to me because she’ll be visiting Maui and Oahu in a few months with her family. Since the list is fresh and the question is often asked, I decided to share more broadly. Here you go!

Maui: It’s been quite a few years since I’ve been to Maui, but it is my most favorite island. There is just the right mix of things to do and relaxation. The last time we were there we took ‘The Road to Hana’. To say it was bumpy would be an understatement–my father stopped speaking to me after the tour. Personally, I thought it was super fun and very pretty. I suggest a tour so you don’t have to worry about damaging a rental and if you do get a rental, tell them where you’re planning to go so you can get an appropriate vehicle because the terrain really is that bad.

Kauai: Without a doubt, this is the prettiest island (and considering we’re talking about Hawaii, that’s saying something). It’s incredibly lush due to the crazy amount of rainfall it gets in the mountains. This is the ideal island for honeymooners and/or couples that want to get away and relax because there is not much to do. I’ve heard of people taking helicopter rides to see the Nepali Coast, but I don’t do helicopters so…

Hawaii: If you like doing things outside, this is your island! There’s hiking. There’s horseback riding. And there’s the Volcano House, you simply must go. It sits at the top of Kilauea, which yes, is still erupting. You can see actual craters, historic lava flows, and steam coming from the vents in the ground. A few years back we took a tour (my father is big on tours) that went to see live lava flow at night. We, the tourists, stood several yards away and watched the lava flow into the ocean, the Hawaiian bus driver/tour guide stayed with the bus. It was a very cool experience but it was dark, we had 1 small flashlight between 3 of us, it was raining, and we had to hike through slippery, uneven lava terrain. But clearly I lived to tell the tale.

Oahu: Now this island is my home away from home. My father–who has been retired for over 20 years–likes to be in the midst of the ‘action’ in Hawaii, so we spend the majority of our time on this island. I often say that Waikiki is like New York City in paradise. NYC is my fave city in the world, so take that statement with the grain of salt. And because of my father and his aforementioned proclivity to want to do all things entertaining, we’ve explored.

  • Pearl HarborI recommend a tour, that way you don’t have to deal with getting tickets and then you can lump in seeing the Mighty Mo and possibly Punchbowl Cemetery. I believe Roberts Stars and Stripes tour is the only one that goes to Punchbowl.
  • Polynesian Cultural CenterI think this is consistently named the #1 tourist attraction on Oahu. It is a neat set up, seeing the different villages representing the Polynesian Islands. The canoe parade is beautiful so get a good spot ahead of time to take pictures.
  • Paradise Cove LuauThe location is gorgeous, food yummy, and drinks delicious. It is somewhat similar to the luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center, but I would recommend Paradise Cove—after all, Kimora Lee Simmons enjoyed it.
  • Navatek Dinner CruiseGreat views of Diamond Head at night and if you go on a Friday, they stay out an extra hour so you can see fireworks on the island from the ship. And the buffet is good.
  • Snorkeling at Hanauma BayPersonally, I hate snorkeling because I can’t breathe through my mouth and I hate stuff on my face, but even I did it. It’s very pretty and was definitely worth it. I think it’s closed on Tuesday’s, but double-check me on that one.
  • Climb Diamond HeadThe views are gorgeous, but the climb is no joke. A lot of switchbacks, 100 steep steps at one point, an iron spiral staircase, and then an opening in a rock wall to climb through. But your pictures will be awesome.
  • Iolani PalaceVery pretty and truly a place to go if you like history. The tours are given by volunteer docent’s and it’s downtown. If you take the trolley, you can hop off at the Aloha Tower and Marketplace and get some good pics at the top of the tower.
  • Red or Blue Line Trolley ToursIf you have a down time kind of day.
  • North Shore–Rent a car, see the surfers at Sunset Beach, eat at a shrimp truck, stop by Ted’s Bakery, and spend the day wandering.

Eat at:

  • The Hula Grille is my favorite restaurant. The purple (taro) mashed potatoes and the oil for the bread are yummy.
  • Duke’s is touristy, but you kind of have to go. The live music is pretty good and it’s on the beach. Plus, their breakfast buffet is AWESOME, so is their salad bar at dinner.
  • Keoni’s for breakfast is a bit of a hidden gem. I love their pancakes and corned beef hash.
  • Eggs n’ ThingsBut if you go to the original one on Saratoga Rd., you have to go when they open or at an off-peak time of day because it is just that crowded.
  • Pai’s DeliIt’s in the Outrigger Waikiki. A literal cut out in the wall on the bottom level of the hotel, they have the freshest sandwiches and veggies ever and the iced tea keeps you going back for more.
  • Any shaved ice stand will do, just have make sure you have one (or more).

You could also visit the Byodo-In Temple, the Dole Plantation (ride the little train), the Aviation Museum, take a submarine ride (pretty cool), and see the Society of Seven show. Oahu will not leave you wanting for things to do, trust me. So when you get back from your visit, drop me a line and let me know what you thought!


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Random Moats

Sometimes I feel like Howard the Duck:

In recent months, Buddhists of all persuasions have been speaking out against Dennis Merzel, who as an ordained Zen teacher (and a married man) had sex with some of his female students. What’s more, he runs a business that promises folks they can become enlightened in just a few hours, for a whole lot of money of course. He’s been thoroughly denounced and condemned by all.

At the same time, many of these same folks sing the praises and quote the words of Chogyam Trungpa, a guy who was just as bad if not worse. Trungpa, who died in 1987, was a so-called “master” in several Tibetan traditions who had sex with his female students, drank like a fish, allegedly used cocaine, and at times, behaved horribly.

I don’t get it. One guy is condemned and the other guy is lauded. And they’re both birds of the same feather.

I must have missed this. According to msnbc.com,a couple of years ago, the world’s most useless machine, a small electronic box that turns itself off whenever you try to turn it on, hit it big on the Internet.

Now, a hacker dude named Danukeru has developed version 2.0, and it’s even more useless. However, there is a twist. In the new version after you try turning it on enough times, it “flips out in a fit of rage.”

You can get your very own useless machine (sorry, version 1.1 only) right here.

A study by Oxford University has just been released in which researchers have concluded that the human psyche “seems to be rooted to religious concepts”. Their definition of religious concepts is belief in the “existence of supernatural agents or gods, and the possibility of an afterlife or pre-life.”

This is my kind of theism.

The Oxford researchers reached their conclusion based on the result of tests with young children around the age of five. The tests revealed that kids that age sort of naturally believe in supernatural stuff. I am not sure what that proves. Kids believe in magic and all kinds of things. I used to believe I had an friend named “Baa.” He was imaginary. I grew out of it by the time I was six, if not earlier.

The point is, as you grown up, you stop believing in magic and the supernatural, or you should. I am not so sure we are hardwired with a “God gene.” But I do think it is rather difficult for some people to cast off certain beliefs instilled in them at a very early age.

That is why I think people keep trying to drag God and Jesus into Buddhism. I say leave those guys alone, especially Jesus, the poor man has suffered enough already.

Speaking of religion, from the Telegraph.co.uk, here are five really weird ones:

1. The Prince Philip movement: “The Yaohnanen tribe on the southern island of Tanna in Vanuatu worship Prince Philip as a god . . .”

2. The Jon Frum movement: “Also on the island of Tanna is another cult which holds America in god-like esteem. The Jon Frum movement, which has been active since the 1930s believes an American man named Jon Frum will bring wealth to those who follow him. He is sometimes portrayed as black, sometimes as white.”

3. Jedi-ism: Yes, Star Wars is officially a religion. “In 2009, Daniel Jones, founder of the Jedi church in Holyhead was banned from a Tesco supermarket in Bangor for refusing to remove his hood for religious reasons.”

4. Raelism: “Founded by a French racecar driver named Claude Vorilhons, who renamed himself Rael, the Raelians believe that humans were created in an alien laboratory 25,000 years ago, that the aliens will be arriving in Jerusalem in 2025, and that Rael teaches peace and ‘sensual meditation’.”

5. The Church of All Worlds: “A neo-pagan religion founded in 1962 by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart and his wife Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart. It was inspired by a fictional religion of the same name in Stranger in a Strange Land, a novel by Robert A. Heinlein.” Now, that I can grok.

4 thoughts on “Random Moats

  1. I think part of the issue with Trungpa is that what happened with him is history, whereas with Genpo, it’s current. Even though the seeds from Trungpa’s lousy behavior are still flowering, it’s easier to disconnect that from the teachings he offered. He’s dead. His sangha has moved on. And what we have are his books and images of him that seem to fit the “crazy wisdom” narrative around some historical Buddhist teachers.
    With Genpo, you have a guy who’s still around, still trying to spin his image, and is doing so in an era where more practitioners are paying attention to ethics in communities.

    I, personally, feel that there are things Trungpa said in his writings that are very profound. And yet, there’s no way, with the history I have experienced in my own sangha, that I can ignore the shadow side with him. People have twisted some of his destructive behavior into deliberate dharma teachings, and that needs to be called out. Just as with those who are twisting Genpo’s destructive behavior.

    But I think there’s a difference when working with someone who is still alive, still teaching, still influencing. That some of the speaking out about Genpo might be beneficial right now, for his students, or even for himself if he’d listen. Whereas with Trungpa, it’s more about presenting an honest picture of him as a teacher with plenty of wisdom to share, but who’s life was at times, a hell of a mess, and who caused a lot of trouble that is still being addressed.

    1. You make a couple of good points there, Nathan. I hadn’t thought about it from that angle. Now that I have, it also occurs to me that Trungpa benefited from some celebrity endorsements, so to speak, and became somewhat of a celeb himself. And having artists, especially a couple of Beat Generation icons, behind him gave his crazy wisdom an aura of legitimacy. Merzel may have some celebrities too, I don’t know. Never heard of him until the sex scandal broke.

      I don’t know all the details of the scandal as I have had only tangential interest. I do think if he wants to keep teaching that it’s his business more or less. Now that folks know what he’s about, let the buyer beware.

      As far profundity goes, like beauty, it is often in the eyes of the beholder.

    1. Reincarnation yes. Rebirth not necessarily. Here is a short answer from an old post:

      Reincarnation is not a Buddhist concept.

      Reincarnation is the idea that the same soul or same person is reborn in successive bodies. Buddhism rejects the notion of a soul or a self that is permanent. You will never be reborn as the same person ever again.

      What Buddhism teaches is rebirth, the cycle of birth and death. You may carry over into your next life karma, or traces, of your former lives, but you will be a new, unique person with no real memory of the past. According to Buddha-dharma, it’s very rare to remember a past life.

      The concept of reincarnation found its way into Buddhism through the assimilation of folklore and native beliefs; strictly speaking, it is not part of the Dharma or teachings.

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How Nigeria can get out of recession – Ex-Gov Obi

Peter Obi

Peter Obi

Former Governor of Anambra state, Mr Peter Obi has identified three things that the Nigeria Government must vigorously pursued if the country must get out of economic recession.

Mr Obi was a Guest Speaker at the 1st Annual Conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) held on Thursday at Renaissance Hotel, Ikeja in Lagos.

Speaking on the theme “Sustaining growth through diversification of the economy”, he contended that Nigerian economy is already diversified.

Buttressing this, the former Governor said the non-oil sector is contributing about 80% to the nation’s GDP, noting that the tragedy is that the oil sector however accounts for 90% of our foreign exchange earnings.

He listed three ways to put the economy back on the path of growth.
According to him, government must as a matter of urgency embark on aggressive savings, diversification of the economy towards manufacturing and lastly investment in developmental education.

“Our economy is fully diversified because the non-oil sector is actually contributing about 80 per cent to our GDP today.

READ ALSO:  FIFA threatens to sanction Nigeria over NFF

“But the tragedy of our economy is that 90 per cent of our export revenue is derived from just one sector – oil”.

“Diversifying our economy through manufacturing and investment in education is what we require today to turn around our economy.

“And by aggressive savings we’ll be able to get the resources to bring about micro economic stability to the country, defend our currency and be able to attract FDI and portfolio investments and unlock the resources to invest in our deteriorated infrastructure,” Obi, who described himself as a trader and businessman said.

Another Guest Speaker and Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Mr Bayo Onanuga, charged GOCOP to come up with code of conduct for online media practitioners.

He also charged the leadership of the Guild to pursue capacity building for members through workshops and seminars to broaden their knowledge.

The NAN MD assured that his organisation would collaborate with GOCOP in generating contents, not only text but videos and photographs.

READ ALSO:  FIFA president, Infantino to visit Nigeria

On his part, the keynote speaker, Prof Akinyemi Onigbinde, posited that we need to restructure the polity before talking about diversification of the economy.

“Let me say this, and it is with all sense of responsibility, that the proponents of this ‘diversification’ theory, with respect to the chronically ill Nigeria economy, are not being honest.

“Indeed, I dare say they are being mischievous, just as they insist on playing Nero as our Rome prepares to go up in flames. Truth is, for Nigeria, it may well be one-minute to midnight, if we continue to ignore the ‘first principle’ in nation-building.

“So, what is responsible for Nigeria’s arrested development, to put it in a counter thesis to GOCOP request: Nigeria economy cannot enjoy a sustainable growth and neither can it be diversified because there is even no basis for economic growth.

“As I had earlier suggested, what economy are we to diversify? And As I had also insisted on, there can be no economy to be diversified, hence there will be no growth as to speak of ‘sustainable growth.’

READ ALSO:  JAMB CBT: Mass students' failure attributed to poor Internet service

“But let us, however, say that Nigeria will continue to remain in a state of suspended animation, economically, so long as some sections of the Nigerian nation space feel short-changed by the Nigeria political economy, due, largely, to the operations of present structure of the Nigerian state.

“Truth is, so long as the centre holds a ‘veto power’ over the economic activities of Nigeria so-called federating units, so long will Nigeria manifest destiny remain dormant,” Prof Onigbinde said.

Representatives of GOCOP key partners like FRSC, Mobil, NLNG, EFCC delivered goodwill messages calling for sustained relationship while the GOC 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General PJ Dauke, presented paper on counter-insurgency.

At the end of the one-day conference, the newly elected Executive Committee of GOCOP was inaugurated under the leadership of Mr Dotun Oladipo, Publisher, The Eagle Online.

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Real reason Neymar left Barca – Father

Neymar Sr says his son made the world record €222m move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain out of respect for the Blaugrana talisman, Leo Messi.

The 25-year-old Neymar Jr last week moved to the Ligue 1 side on a five-year deal reportedly worth €600,000 (£540,000) per week after tax.

Though many analysts have opined that the Brazillian left the Nou Camp for the money, his father claimed his son left because he did not want to challenge the status of Messi out of respect for his teammate.

READ ALSO:  Davido has big manhood, refused to wear condom when we had sex - Baby mama

Speaking in a COPE report, Neymar Sr said, “Imagine a place where you are the protagonist of a club, where you are the idol of that club and everyone wants to transform you into the star that you do not want to be.

“Messi is the star and will always be the star. Not only because of the love and respect that Neymar has for Leo, he is his idol. Imagine that everyone said that Neymar has to be Messi’s substitute, he does not want to be his substitute. You have to leave Messi, he is the idol at Barcelona.

READ ALSO:  Ex-governor who was involved in plane crash, dies in U.S

“Neymar has to make his own way and accept the challenge he has. I think my son has been a man, shown respect [to Messi] and now he has to go his own way. He could go to any club and be in the spotlight, not that he wants to be number one.

“He is taking a risk. Can PSG guarantee him the Ballon d’Or? No. And it is crazy that people believe that. It would be easier at Barca, with the help of that team.”

READ ALSO:  Lagos sues Lekki Gardens boss, others
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Tuesday, December 13, 2011

"Atlas Shrugged" was a Warning, not a Manual: Looting via legislation

At some point in the recent past, Lowes made a decision that I'm confident they now really, really regret--they decided to sponsor the TLC TV show "All-American Muslim".

After catching substantial static, they decided to withdraw their sponsorship. As a private corporation, they have that right, just as they had the right to sponsor it in the first place.

Looters in Congress are upset.

A Michigan congressman spoke out against the company's decision Sunday, saying the company is "upholding the beliefs of a fringe hate group."

Yes, Lowes customers, you are now part of a "fringe hate group". Congratulations, and welcome to the crowd. Meetings are the second Tuesday of the month--you'll be notified of the location closest to you at the appropriate time.

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) also said Lowe's is choosing to disregard the First Amendment.

Mr. Ellison should be removed from office now for terminal failure to understand the Constitution that he swore to uphold and defend. The First Amendment applies to the Federal government. Via the doctrine of incorporation, it also applies to the states. It does not apply to private businesses or individuals.

However, the Big Red Stamp-o-FAIL goes to California Sen. Ted Lieu, who is threatening legislative action if Lowe's doesn't apologize to the offended Muslims and reinstate the ads on the show.

There's enough FAIL there that we may actually be able to witness it's implosion into a FAIL Hole, an item long postulated by physics but as yet unobserved. A Fail Hole sucks in all reasonable thought that comes too near, pulling into a place from which there is no escape. You know, sort of like California, but more intense.

Somewhere in the corporate bowels of Lowes, there is some poor soul who approved this decision, trying to figure out how they will live on unemployment until this is forgotten. I have to wonder if they were involved in New Coke as well?

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Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Finally some surf up in this joint...and in june no less. Not typical for this time of year in this neck of the woods, but than again who cares about typical versus not was fun. Stoke-a-mania to be in the water the other evening that's for sure. It's been too long. checkit.

mega lack of posts in the blogging department here at the fresh aspect headquarters as of late...getting things done...not to mention, outdoor time tends to limit screen time. anyways.

photos by: eric berglund

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Easy Spider Plant Care for Your Home

The good thing to know when you are trying to research spider plant care is that there is not a lot of work that you will have to do for this plant. One of the best attributes of a plant that you are going to put into your home is that it is not going to require a lot of your attention on a regular basis. The spider plant is definitely a plant that falls under the category of plants that do not require a lot of maintenance on a regular basis.

Anyone who is looking for a new kind of plant for their home should definitely consider the spider plant because they are rather easy to care for. Spider plant care is something that you will definitely have to learn about, but the process of caring for your spider plant is not exactly the same as growing your own vegetables in your garden. While there are certain things that you will have to do for your spider plant, you won’t really need to think about your plant for a majority of the day.

Spider Plant CareAnyone who wants to learn how to care for plants should certainly think about using the spider plant as a starting point because they are relatively easy to care for on a regular basis.

They are basically the perfect beginner plant, and that is why so many different people decide to play them in their home at some point. This plant can be grown in a number of different locations, including small containers and hanging baskets.

Simple spider plant care tips

The first thing that you need to think about when it comes to spider plant care is finding a way to make sure that you are giving that plant all of the nutrients that it needs. The best way to make sure that your spider plant is getting everything that it needs is to give it the right soil.

Choosing the right soil can make the difference between life and death for any plant, so you should always make sure that your plant is put in a pot with high quality soil.

One thing that you need to remember when it comes to the placement of your spider plant is that you don’t want to leave it too close to the window during the winter months. The cold weather will be too much for your little plant, so you need to make sure that you bring it closer to the interior of the home if it is too cold outside. A spider plant will simply not be able to survive if the climate in your own home begins to get a bit too cold.

Try to create a fleet of spider plants in your home

Having a number of different spider plants in your home is usually a good idea because they will help take some of the toxins out of the air. As long as you remember all of the different spider plant care tips, you should be able to take care of more than one plant rather easily.


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Articles Posted in the " girly " Category

  • The Internet is for Representation: Queer Heroes of Webcomics

    There’s a hard fact of life that every shipper must face: besides a few glorious exceptions, our queer interpretations of characters in mainstream media are unlikely to ever become canon. For every Willow Rosenberg and Ianto Jones, there are hundreds of Jim Kirks and Dean Winchesters – characters who are often coded as queer and […]


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Friday, January 28, 2011

Little Red Dress

Last fall my college roomie was in town to photograph a mutual friend's wedding. We try to coordinate family pictures whenever Melissa comes to Illinois, but this year Matt was in Seattle each time that she was here. Knowing that her visit in October was going to be my last chance at pictures for awhile, I decided to have her shoot me and Addy. (And the prints made a great Christmas gift for Matt!)
As soon as we set the date, I started debating what Addy and I should wear. I loved this dress kit from the first time I saw it, and I decided that this was a good opportunity to buy it! I think it turned out really cute, and it photographed so well.

Some of my favorite shots:
All photos are courtesy of Melissa McClure Photography.

The dress turned out great, we had a fun day with Melissa, and Matt loves the photos!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

The calm after the holidays

Wow, it feels like forever since I've blogged. Back in December I wrote up most of my Christmas gift blog posts and set them to publish after I knew the gifts were safely in their new homes. And aside from 1 gift, I think I've shared all of my creations. It sure was nice to sit back for a few weeks and watch my posts publish like magic. :) But now I have new things to share!
First up, a set of ipad pillows. As with all electronics, I hate having to buy accessories. I only bought a cover for my phone after I broke the first touch screen. Same goes for the ipad...I made sleeves for our ipads rather than spend $30 for 5 cents in plastic. But that doesn't solve the problem of propping the ipad up. I happened to wander across this post, and then later Diane emailed me to tell me that she wrote up a tutorial! I had to modify the size for my ipad, but that just entailed working with a larger piece of fabric! (I cut my fabric to 10" wide x 12" tall.)
 The car print is for Matt, the owls are for me. Both are Robert Kaufman prints.
Now I can easily follow a tutorial while I'm sewing!
One other change that I made from Diane's pattern was to stuff my pillow mostly full of poly fil. I used dry beans in the front bar for extra stability, and then I poured 1 cup of dried beans in to the main pillow area. I spread the beans on the bottom of the pillow and finished filling it with poly fil. I did try stuffing it with beans because that would eliminate the poof that poly fil creates, but it was so heavy! I think the poof will be squished down a bit with use.

Another project that I made recently was a basket for Addy's new bike! Matt's parents bought her a cute little bike for Christmas, and the first thing she wanted to do was carry her dolls and other toys around with her.

Fabric is Castle Peeps by Lizzie House. The pattern is a tutorial here at Noodlehead. If you haven't seen to her blog yet, go check it out!

And finally, I have to share Addy's gift from my parents:
Now our days are really filled with sewing! We've already made a very simple skirt, a fleece hat, and a (no-sew) fleece scarf. Between the bike and the sewing machine, Addy has been keeping busy!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Addy's gifts, part 2

Again, I was inspired by From An Igloo. This was actually the first idea that I got from Christine's blog, the dolly backpack. She gave away a copy of the Dolly Outfitter's pattern for the backpack, and though I didn't win I did take advantage of the coupon code to order a copy!
This is a really great, straightforward pattern, and I think I will get a lot of use from it in the future. These backpacks would make great gifts, they sew up very quickly (I did most of the work on Christmas Eve!), and you can omit the doll carrier portion to create a regular backpack! I have to admit, my favorite part of the pattern is that the zipper casing/gusset fits perfects. To me, that is a sign of a well-written pattern!
I did change a few things - I did not use prequilted fabric, I used heavy interfacing in the doll straps rather than batting, nylon webbing for the backpack straps, and I made the straps and doll "pocket" piece with enclosed seams. That may not make sense unless you have read through the pattern, but it was just a small change that I made.
I used Castle Peeps by Lizzie House for the backpack.
I also stole borrowed Christine's idea to fill the backpack with doll clothes. I actually only included 3 outfits, one of which was store bought. But for a 3-year old, those 3 2-piece outfits provide lots of (mismatched) clothing combinations! I would like to make a few more things for her in the future, when I'm under less pressure. :)
The first outfit that I made was a skirt and knit shirt. The knit is from JoAnn's and the skirt is made from some left over Innocent Crush velveteen!
The second outfit is a pair of knit pants and matching shirt. Both knits were designed by Patty Young.
I found the skirt and pants very easy to sew up. The shirts were a lot more tedious, although I may try the same pattern in a woven rather than a knit. I just don't find knits very easy to work with (all of these pieces were sewn from Simplicity 5733). I'd also like to try making a few generic pieces like skirts and pants that will fit dolls of different sizes.
The backpack and clothes were all a big hit, which makes it all worth it!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Even Santa gives handmade!

Addy is on the fence about Santa. It's probably partly because we don't harp on the whole idea of Santa. We don't do the good girl/bad girl thing or threaten her to behave, and talking up the Santa thing just seems odd to me. It's also probably partly because I made many of her gifts. She knows my fabric stash too well, and she assumes that I make most everything in our house. In fact, she used to try to tell Matt that I made the plastic plates that she eats off of!

I have From An Igloo to thank for most of the gifts that we made Addy this year! For her main gift, Matt made this doll bed and I made the bedding. I had seen the bed months ago, but it wasn't until From An Igloo blogged about her doll bed that I remembered the project and what a great gift it would make for Addy. As a bonus, Christine blogged about the bedding that she made - that meant I could sew from her measurements which saved me some time!
For the pillowcases and quilt I used the City Weekend collection. The bed sheet was made from a woven that I had in my stash. I used a charm pack for the quilt, and decided to make it reversible! I also quilted it in a more modern style, with random straight double lines.
I'd like to pick up a fat quarter of one of the pink prints so that I can make another set of pillow cases to match the other side of the quilt.
I was a bit nervous that this gift wouldn't be a huge hit. With Matt living across the country, I never really found my holiday groove. In fact, we didn't even START this gift until 3 days before Christmas! But she loves it, and it's definitely something that she will play with for years. In fact, I made an extra sheet for the bed, and one of Addy's favorite things to do is change the bedding when her babies wake up!
Next up, more doll-relating gifts!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Pay it forward 2011: January (AKA Giveaway Winner!)

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the giveaway! I loved reading all of your comments, and I'm really excited to have some new readers!

A few days ago while I was working on a small batch of mug rugs I starting thinking about this giveaway. I waited a long time to do one, partly because I was nervous. But it was fun! So for the rest of 2011 I am going to continue in my "pay it forward" theme and have a giveaway each month! In fact, I already have the February giveaway prize done! And in true pay it forward fashion, the winner will receive two prizes. One to keep, and one to give!

Now for the winner of the January giveaway!

True Random Number Generator  9Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Comment #9 belongs to Amber, who has an adorable blog, Sew Wonky.
Congrats, Amber!

And to everyone else, thanks so much for joining in my first giveaway! Stop by again in February, if I don't hear from you sooner. Now go check out Amber's cute blog!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

My most favorite handmade Christmas gifts of 2010!

A few years ago I was chatting with Stephanie about Christmas gifts, and she mentioned the idea of drafting a family tree and having it printed on Spoonflower. Sounds like a great idea if you can draw. Or if you can use the fancy illustrator computer programs. Unfortunately, I have neither of those skills. Lucky for me, I can applique and quilt though!
I drew all of these applique pieces myself (this is honest to goodness the extent of my drawing capabilities), but many of the images were inspired by pieces that I found on flickr, such as this and this.
This family tree was for my mom and step-dad.

 Most of the fabrics are batiks. I machine appliqued all of the pieces, then hand embroidered the names, quilted them and bound them. I quilted the background in a small meandering and finished off the borders with straight lines about 1/2" apart. I should be able to add names to the tree if I hand embroider carefully!
I think my favorite part of this tree is the black batik border. Although I also love the color variations in the leaves. And the birds. OK, I can't pick a favorite part!

And this is the family tree for my in-laws:
 I love that the heavy trunk of the tree leant itself to the heart "carving". And at the base of the tree, my in laws.
This quilt was assembled and quilted in the same way as the first. The major difference is that I added our last name to the tree. It seemed to fit well with the design, whereas the first tree worked better another way.
Again, I have so many "favorite" parts of this quilt....the shape of the tree, the cute little acorns, the border fabric.
The two trees are so different, and I love them both! I don't think I could pick a favorite if I tried.

Don't forget to hop over here to enter the giveaway! It runs through Saturday, January 15.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

I've been tagged!

Yesterday morning I was greeted with a very sweet surprise. Lee at Freshly Pieced included my blog as one of her nominees for the Liebster Award! I had never heard of this award before, but maybe some of you have! The Liebster award is a way to spotlight the "little guys" - blogs with fewer than 300 followers.

I love the idea of this award, and it's helping me to find some other "little guys" to follow! It has also changed the way I look at the blogging world, because I've realized that a lot of my inspiration comes from the "little guys".

Here are a few blogs that I'd like to nominate for the Liebster award:

Felicity at Felicity Quilts - I first found Felicity's blog after she blogged a super cute Christmas mug rug. Check out her 2010 projects!
Amber at Sew Wonky - I just found Amber's blog, and it is full of cute projects!
Megan at Canoe Ridge Creations - I love the bright colors in this blog, and check out Megan's Amy Butler quilts! A girl after my own heart. :)
Kristie at OCD: Obsessive Crafting Disorder - Kristie is getting pretty close to 300 followers, but I had to add her in here. I love everything she creates!

Hop on over to these blogs and get inspired! Just don't blame me when your to do list doubles. :)

And thanks so much to Lee for nominating me!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Owl Love

My sister showed me these West Elm owls a few weeks before Christmas. Her sorority mascot was an owl, so she has a small collection of owl trinkets. From those simple ceramic owls, I got an idea for an owl pillow. My original vision included a slightly stuffed applique owl in varying kona neutrals. I used the owl applique and embroidery designs from this quilt pattern (because let's face it, I can't draw!).
My first attempt at the owl was a big flop. I cut a piece of batting from my owl template and then cut a piece of kona slightly larger. I clipped the curves and pressed the raw edges of the kona around the batting, and then appliqued the piece with a narrow zig zag stitch. The zig zag edge didn't turn out well, and I didn't want to hand applique the piece before I knew if I'd like the outcome. So I turned to simple fusible applique without the batting. I also decided to cut all of the owl pieces from a light grey (kona ash). Layering the pieces and machine appliqueing them gave the owl just enough dimension, while the pillow was subtle enough to look nice on a couch.
To finish the pillow front, I free motion quilted in a scallop pattern that reminds me of owl belly feathers.

And since this pillow was a gift for my sister from Addy, I added hand embroidery to the back. I can't decide if I like the front or back more!

I included an invisible zipper (my new favorite finishing trick!), which makes for a really clean finish.
It's a good thing that I don't have the right place in my house for this pillow, because that would have made it a lot harder to give away!

Head over to Stitched in Color and check out the Bloggers Pillow Party where I'm entering this pillow!

Blogger's Pillow Party

Also, hop over here to enter the giveaway! It runs through Saturday, January 15.
Giveaway is now closed. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Sunday, January 9, 2011

2011: Projects, Resolutions and a Giveaway!

I thought I'd take a little break from showing you the Christmas gifts that I made, and tell you what I hope to accomplish in 2011!

There are lots of sew-alongs popping up, and I've really had to use restraint to not join every single one. I'm hoping that bloggers will continue with them throughout the year, because it's just silly if everyone starts at the same time!

If you find yourself with gobs of free time now that the holiday frenzy is past, here are a few that I've seen:
Postage Stamp Quilt Along @ p.s. I quilt (I really wanted to join this one, but my plate is already full!)
Sliced Coin Quilt Along @ Don't Call Me Betsy (Another fun one, I'll be bookmarking this to try out later in the year!)
One Yard Wonders Sew Along @ Pink Chalk Fabrics (I have this book, it's got a lot of great projects in it!)
Ticker Tape Quilt Along @ deeroo designs/Old Red Barn Quilt Co. (Great scrap buster!)
Lots of Apron Tutorials @ Sewing in No Man's Land (Check out her freebies, all of her patterns are free and they are adorable!)
Blogger's Pillow Party is a fun little contest going on over at Stitched in Color. I'm hoping to enter something!

And the last one I'll share with you is the Birdie Stitches Hand Embroidery BOM @ Little Miss Shabby. I'm not sure why I didn't see the Little Miss Shabby blog before now, but she's got tons of inspiration over there! This is the only sew along/quilt along that I've committed to for this year. I have my first block pieced and embroidered, and while I was at it I pieced the other 11 blocks.
(Ignore the blue marks, my marker lines haven't dissolved yet.)
The piecing is from the Sunkissed line by Sweetwater (LOVE them!!). Solid is kona in ash. Floss is DMC.

So, that was my first 2011 commitment. What else is keeping me busy?
Quilt up 1 quilt for my Mom
Quilt up a wallhanging that my Mom made Addy for Christmas, and didn't get a chance to finish.
Finish Start this coat. I'm giving up on the hair canvas b/c my wool is very thin. But I need to rework the front panels b/c it's huge in the bust. Did I mention that I already cut the wool AND finished the bound button holes? So yeah, I shoved that one in a closet to start on Christmas gifts.

Use the City Weekends line by Oliver + S to make a baby quilt for one of Matt's coworkers.
I picked up this fat quarter pack from my soon-to-be lqs, Quilting Loft in Seattle, WA. To say that I love this shop is an understatement. I've never seen so many modern fabrics, patterns, books, and samples all in 1 location. The prices were a bit higher than I'm used to, but about equivalent to those at the 1 shop in Chicago. As soon as I saw this fq pack I thought of the woman at Matt's work who is having a boy, so I had to pick it up! I also picked up a charm pack of City Weekend (which I already used), a yard of some fun boy/car fabric, and another charm pack of Fandango. This quilt is first new project on the list after I quilt the two projects above.

The last part of my sewing/quilting new year is to sew more from my stash and be grateful for the amazing things that I have. I go through waves of spending lots and feeling guilty about what I have, so this year I'm really trying to stick to it! And to share what I do have with others, I pulled out a pile of quilts to donate.
I found Margaret's Hope Chest, and they are the first group that I'm going to contact. I still need to dig through my plastic totes in the basement because I know that I have more to share!
I've also joined a group of crafters on Facebook who are going to "Pay it Forward in 2011". I'm sending a handmade gift to the first 5 people who commented on my Facebook status, and in turn they have to do the same!
My non-quilting resolution is to spend more time playing with my daughter and less time interneting during the day. That meant that I had to whittle down my blog reader list. In lieu of following so many blogs, I've started adding contacts in Flickr. It's a great way to keep up on what others are doing! Here's my photostream, if you'd like to add me as a contact. :)

Just one more thing before the giveaway details. ;) For the central IL locals (or visitors!), I have to share my recent visit at the Treadle II in Bloomington, IL. I was in this shop years ago for a shop hop, before there was much modern fabric out there. The owner is a really sweet woman, and the shop is FULL-floor to ceiling bolts of fabric, and racks of craft and sewing notions and supplies. I don't usually stop in there, because honestly I expected it to be full of calicos like I remembered it. But last week after we dropped Matt off at the airport I decided to take another look at the shop, and Oh.My.Goodness. There are no samples (or room for them!), but she has more modern fabric than my 3 local shops combined! She orders charm packs of EVERY line that Moda puts out, and from many of them she also gets jelly rolls, layer cakes, and yardage! I was hoping to find some old FMF or Heather Ross in there somewhere, but she must have a really great client base because most of her fabric is from the last 3 years, I'd guess. So, what did I pick up? Well, I had some charm packs in my hand as I waited in line to pay: Plume, 12 Days of Christmas, Hideaway, Sugar POP, and It's a Hoot. While I was waiting, I picked up a copy of Elizabeth Hartman's new book. I've seen it before, but I thought I'd flip through it once more. This time I started reading some of her tips, and couldn't put the book down. She has a lot of great techniques, and I was surprised by how much I learned from just reading a few paragraphs while waiting in line. So into my pile of goodies it went!
I've already read the entire book, and I have plans for a few of the charm packs. So although I bought more than I should have, I'm feeling pretty good about my purchases.

And now, the giveaway! My 100th post came and went, and then my blog anniversary came and went. I had plans to do a Halloween giveaway, and then I ran out of time. So, here we go!
I joined the Sweetwater Label Crew when they started it up a few months back. The January labels included a pattern to make covers for the little "brag book" photo albums, but those aren't really my thing. So I added the labels to the fronts of a few moleskine journals! I kept one to stick in my purse, and I have the other two to give away!
All I ask is that the winner "pay it forward" and share one of the journals with a friend.
And because everyone likes a little fabric, I'm going to throw in this charm pack:
The charm pack you can keep for yourself. :)

To enter the giveaway, just leave me a comment.
Tell me what projects you have in mind for 2011, any resolutions that you've made, what you'd like to see here in the new year...whatever is on your mind!
One comment per person, and if you don't have your email in your profile, please leave it in your comment so that I can contact you. Don't know if your email is in your profile? Here's how to check.
If you need to leave a new comment, please delete your first comment.
You don't have to be a follower, although I do love my followers!
The giveaway will be open for one week. I'll pick a random winner sometime Saturday night, January 15.
Good luck!

This giveaway has ended. Thanks to everyone who joined me in my first giveaway! I'm going to do monthly giveaways through 2011, so stop by again to see what's going on!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

All wrapped up!

I forgot to get a shot of all of the gifts under the tree this year. Bummer, since this was the first year that I ditched the wrapping paper for reusable bags! They were super simple to make, and fun to use. I'm planning on stocking up on some of the fun kid prints from JoAnn's when they go on sale, so that I can start using cloth bags for babies, birthdays, and all of the other gift giving events in our lives!
Here's the first stack that I made. I think I made up about 22 bags in total. About half of them were for our immediate family, so I have 11 left for next year. I can't wait to see how many are reused!

Monday, January 3, 2011

Some Nicey Jane Pillows

I ordered a charm pack of Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane line awhile back, and didn't realize until it arrived that the line only had 20-some prints in it. So I tucked it away with the other charms that I' Then a few weeks ago I went digging through my stash for some inspiration. I chose 9 prints from the pink colorway and 9 prints from the blue colorway to create pillows.
Each pillow was pieced as a simple 9-patch. I quilted the pink pillow with simple straight lines 1/4" from the seams. This pillow is a gift for Matt's grandma.
I decided to give the blue pillow to my good friend, Leslie. I'm not sure if it will go with anything in her house, but the colors and prints in this pillow made me think of her. I spent a lot of extra time on this pillow, because I wanted to do something special with the quilting. I settled on a free motion paisley print and I just love how it turned out! I'd really like to see this on a whole quilt, but it sure is time consuming.
The pillows were a big hit!

Sunday, January 2, 2011

The cubbie hole quilt

The entire time that I was arranging and piecing this quilt, all I could think of were the cubbie holes at Addy's preschool where the kids put their coats and backpacks. I actually have this similar, but more complicated, Aardvark pattern in my stash. I used that pattern as a starting point and simplified it to work with the yardage that I bought. I started with 10 half-yard cuts, and I used just about every little bit of it!
I bought a bunch of the Verna line by Kate Spain when I stopped at a quilt shop near my mom's house, and as soon as I got it home I knew that the fabric was perfect for my friend Suzanne. She just finished up her last year of medical school, so of course a quilted gift was in order!
 Backing is Kona with a small pieced detail.

Finished measurements were about 60"x80".
Quilted in a small meandering pattern.