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Tuesday, 30 March 2010

it came from a land Down Under

Received a parcel filled with goodies from my Australian cousin last week! I meant to put pictures up sooner but I've only just located my camera cable (tidied my room today...).

Me and Lauren (aforementioned cousin) used to be pen pals, but it's been at least 10 years since we last wrote I think... We recently became friends on Facebook, and a reminiscence of mine about my time in Australia (more specifically my fond memories of their delicious strawberry centered Freddo bars) prompted the idea to exchange parcels.

There were 5 assorted Freddos (although the caramel one has a koala on it who is NOT Freddo), 2 Creme Eggs which I ate before the picture was taken, a roll of bubblegum, a tube of Vegemite, a "stubby" holder, and an awesome mix CD.

Thanks Lauren :D

Wednesday, 24 March 2010

cycling in the city

Had my trial shift for a certain sandwich delivery company today, following the interview I detailed in the last post. I intended to get up at 6.30, leave by 7 and cycle to the DLR station but instead I got up at 7, left by 7.15 and got the bus to the DLR station. Figured I may as well use my weekly bus pass, although the buses took longer than I allowed for and I ended up being half an hour late for the trial. I did manage to get the DLR for free though (entirely by accident!).

Introduced myself to the office team, explained why I was late and apologised, then had a complimentary coffee while I waited for my shadowee to arrive. Introduced myself to him (René) when he arrived, then selected a spare bike, watched him set up the trailer, and we set off into the streets. Literally.

It's been a while since I've cycled in the road, so it took a bit of getting used to. Especially in Central London with buses, taxis, trucks and cars all over the place! Was slightly daunting at first but became easier with time. First stop was a car repair place, then we went to a Citroen garage and made a delivery at an office.

There were 11 stops overall, and most were offices. It was interesting seeing the range of places available to work in, although for the most part it just made me glad not to be working there! People were generally friendly, and sympathised with René about a competitor stealing his business (sympathy doesn't cost anything; they still bought food from the competitor because it was cheaper).

The four hours went surprisingly quickly, and the cycling was really fun. After the last stop René gave me the bike with the trailer to cycle back to the depot, and it handled quite differently to the one I'd been riding thus far! Luckily though I took into account the wider turning circle and avoided tipping the entire thing over. Upon returning to depot I spoke to the office team again and told them I'd really enjoyed it, then thanked René for showing me the ropes, received five sandwiches in 'payment', wished him luck for the future, and headed home.

DLR journey was relaxing, and it was free for the second time today. I genuinely tried to pay, but there was no information booth at the station and the community support officers there had no suggestions. To be honest though, if TFL can't put the facilities in place to assist passengers who have a problem paying their fare, they probably don't deserve the fare.

Prolonged my journey home by experimenting with buses, then chilled for a while before heading to the Post Office to post something I'd sold on Amazon. Unfortunately I got stung by lack of research, and it cost me more to post it than the buyer paid for it. Annoying but educational I guess.

Tuesday, 23 March 2010

short paragraphs #1

Had an interview in London in the morning; bought a travelcard despite already being over budget for the week as I figured that one week over budget and a job is better than one week under budget and no job. Arrived in London earlier than planned so grabbed a £2 King Deal in BK and sat on a bench in Waterloo to eat it. Then walked to and along the river until I reached the bridge nearest the job; walked the rest of the way along back streets.

Several others were waiting for the interview, so I took a seat in the waiting area read the company literature. Eccentric lady called us all into a back room and began conducting a group interview - something I've not experienced before. Think it went well though, I was sitting in the middle and answered everything well because I had an opportunity to think of a response and listen to the others each time. Felt bad for the guy to my right because he had to go first from each time and his answers were weaker because of it.

Got called for an individual interview afterwards, asked a couple of questions, then was told that "a decision was being made about me now". This statement was accompanied by a frown, so I assumed I had been unsuccessful, but wasn't the case: trial shift was arranged for tomorrow. Unfortunately though, Friday was now triple-booked, meaning I had to decide how to go about resolving the situation. Pondered on the train home and sent a text and an email when I arrived; seems to have done the trick.

Had a miniature lay in today, then got up and got ready for my first shift at my weekend job (despite the fact it wasn't the weekend). Arrived early again, so sat on a bench with a Boots meal deal and a book. Received tour of the kiosk and the upstairs storeroom, as well as my uniform (apron and camp hat), a run down of the company policy and procedures and a heap of forms to fill in. Also received complementary coffee which was nice.

Shift went well, it was 5 hours which seems to be fairly typical, and as with my trial I had a go at everything. Learned how the machines worked, the difference between Espresso and Cappucino, how to make sweet and savoury food simultaneously, and had a chat with each of my co-workers. Good start, I felt. Met Mum and Bro after work for dinner in Nandos which was nice, then got some sweets and headed to the flat via local supermarket. Had some cider when we arrived, then watched TV for a while before bed.

Had bacon and egg scramble for breakfast, then went for a quick walk on the beach with the remote controlled quad bike. Bro had the control but hasn't yet grasped the concept of steering, so he chased the quad bike around 'til the battery died. Got in the car when this happened and drove into town. Brief shopping trip followed, we had 38 minutes on the parking meter which proved long enough to get a few things, then headed back to the car and to the next item on the day's agenda.

Arrived at the zoo around noon. Got in for £0 with annual passes which is always a touch, then walked "the usual" route. Passed tigers, monkeys, baboons and boars, stopped for pizza, then saw elephants and small cats before stopping at the swing park for a coffee and looping back up to the gift shop via the gorillas. Was fun as always, but especially so with Mum and Bro. Headed home via supermarket to grab ingredients for tonight's dinner party; sat in the car park for 20 minutes listening to Classic FM while Bro slept, then did an extremely brisk shop.

Had a bath when we got back to the flat, then started cooking. First time I've cooked for more than 4 (that I can recall) so it was a bit intense, but the meal turned out well. I made mild beef burritos with poutine, salad, and an optional chilli mix. Sharon and co arrived in the final stages of preperation, and Connie and Dan gave me a hand with the last bits.

Ate together, then Bro went to bed and the rest of us started a game of Blackjack. A Lindt Rabbit was the prize at stake and after a long game it went to Sharon. Blackjack was fun, as was the whole evening, but personally I prefer Poker! Sat at the table talking afterwards, then went to bed shortly after Sharon and co left.

Miniature lay in again, then started getting our stuff ready and locked up the flat before heading to Grandma's. Drive there took around an hour, during which time me and Mum spoke and listened to music. Bro was watching a DVD.

First time I'd seen Grandma's new house, and I liked it. Smaller than their old one but in a good way; more cosy and homely. Had usual lunch (salad, chips and other bits) and apple pie, then went for a walk on the beach. Threw stones at the water for a while then turned back when we started getting cold. Saw the garage and garden when we got back and discussed how they could be improved, then had a coffee and a chat before leaving to go home. Michael gave me a couple of pairs of shoes which he doesn't wear any more, which was nice!

Drive home fairly uneventful. Got in and had bath, then got ready for curry at Uncle's. Mum and Bro dropped me off and stayed briefly, then played Wii with Uncle and cousin before eating Uncle's home made curry (with real panir cheese!). Cousin went to bed shortly after, then me and Uncle spent the evening talking, drinking and playing various video games. Ended up staying the night.

It was a good end to a good weekend.

Monday, 22 March 2010

first post (despite evidence to the contrary)

Hello, all.

At the moment this blog is midway between being formulated and being actualised. My current blog, sugiharagami, has encountered numerous layout-related problems which I am unsure how to resolve, and I feel its title/theme is not wholly relevant to its content.

The title of this blog is a portmanteau of the words latitudes and platitude; the former being the geographical location of a place relative to the Equator, and the latter being a "trite, meaningless, biased or prosaic statement that is presented as if it were significant and original" (Wikipedia, 2010). The word is meant as a pun referring to the recurring theme of travel in my blogging and the stereotypical image that blogs are just a place for people to rant whatever is on their mind in a not particularly eloquent fashion.

I plan to move old posts from sugiharagami to this blog over the next few weeks, to put all new posts here, and to alter the layout to something a bit more aesthetically pleasing, so keep checking back.

Tuesday, 9 March 2010

(2.0109 x 1013) ÷ (6.692 x 109)

According to the World Bank, the population of Earth at 13:36pm GMT March 9th 2009 is 6,692,030,277. My library account number is 20109006909273, and logic would therefore dictate that mine is account number 20109006909273 to be opened.

If I subtract 1 from the population of the world to represent me, then divide by my library account number, the number I get is truly staggering: it appears that EVERY person in the world has, on average, 3004.9 accounts with the libraries of the borough in question.

That would explain why I always have to place a hold on the book I want.

Tuesday, 2 March 2010

pessimism / optimism

Winston Churchill once said "a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty".

Christopher Lee (me) once said "what are you, then, if you see both?"

Because surely there are opportunities in every difficult situation, and once you identify and overcome the difficulties, the opportunities are presented to you. Surely also it is unrealistic to think that there will be no difficulties to overcome just because an opportunity has arisen.

I can't tell whether W.C. was being very cryptic and implying that everyone is simultaneously pessimistic and optimistic, or it is merely one of his weaker quotes.

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Sunday, October 24, 2010

Learn to Sign week - resources!

So, you've started signing.  You've had a few lessons, you've perhaps met some Deaf BSL users.  You're keen on the language and you want to learn more.  What's next?

Well, there's a whole load of online resources you can use.  Bristol University has the fabulous Centre for Deaf Studies (I blogged about it here) and they have a whole host of resources for you:

Deafstation - for people fluent in BSL, providing daily news and information (in BSL) - if you're just starting to learn and you watch this don't get too worried if you don't understand it all.  You'll get there I promise!
Signstation - For people learning BSL.  It has video, pictures and information about BSL, Deaf people at work and Deaf awareness.  A really useful resource for people at level 1 and level 2.
Mobile Sign - a video dictionary with over 5000 signs.  For people who work with Deaf people, have Deaf customers or want to learn how to sign.  You access the dictionary from a mobile phone phone and download the signs required.
Deafresource - Provides information on the Deaf Community, sign language and Deaf Studies.
VOGS - It provides guides for working with Deaf people covering topics such as using Interpreters, facts about Deaf people and sign language and frequently asked questions.  VOGS means 'Vocational Guidance Standard Model for Deaf People'.

VOGS is more of a professional resource, but have a look round them all and see if you think anything's useful.

But wait! There's more!
Signs of God - Signs for use in a Christian setting
Christain Signs - as above.  There is a Deaf church, would ya believe it.
Science Signs - for a science education

Signhealth - the healthcare charity for deaf people
Forest Books - selling all sorts of books about the Ddeaf and hard of hearing world.  Fiction, academic theories, language books, help for professionals working with Ddeaf people, technology. journals, teaching aids, loads of stuff.  It's fabulous.
Deafread - the best of deaf blogs and vlogs from around the world.

Surrounding Deaf culture, there's the Deaf poet Dorothy Miles, who creates and performs poems in BSL, the Deaf comedian John Smith, performing routines in BSL, and Lee's BSL Songs.

You can also check out my Deaf sites and resources post for more links.

I hope this has all been helpful to you and that you've enjoyed the series.

Lord Runolfr said...

You may find this ASL Version of Re: Your Brains amusing.

Saranga said...

that was fabulous!


text:
creative output of a 14-year-old male

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Fourths (Intro)

Fourths (Intro) by munchybot

I'm updating Fourths. This is what I have so far.

  1. I'm begging you, please at least say your leaving on Atmosphir. :(

  2. ohaider. This is awesome, but its not why i am bugging you. Thats because i have no other way to contact you.

    Id like you to make some music/sound effects for a game im sorta working on. I doubt it will be finised, but i am determined to get a working proper level, and it needs musics, so im asking you. Please email me at so we can talk 'bout schtuffz.

  3. hey bro. remember me? its coo if you dont. haha just looking back on my old life when I played atmosphir and stuff. still love your blog. yep thats about it.

  4. Hey there! Yup, you're the dude who got me into Atmosphir :O

    I haven't played in forever either, but man you missed out on some crazy stuff. I put out somewhere near a hundred levels, was voted top designer of all time, and got 20/30/whatever LOTDs. Anyway.

    I don't update the blog much anymore. You should take a look at my soundcloud account(s), and my new one since I ran out of room on the other,

    so that's that

  5. WOW.
    yeah in a way Im not suprised you were voted top :D haha bro you should keep uploading stuff on here. its really interesting.

    so that, is that.

Leave a comment, foo!


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Sunday, January 1, 2017

How Do I Keep A Balanced Life in the New Year?

This was the talk I gave at church today. I was the final speaker so I had to create an "accordion" talk. That's why some things are bolded and underlined. I did good, better and best (which is discussed in the talk). The bold is best, the underlined is better, and the rest is good. haha! That way no matter how much time I had, I could cut and be sure to include the important stuff. I finished at the exact minute I was asked to. Woo-hoo! I was proud of that. :D :

I had to laugh when I received the phone call asking me to speak, because I was told the topic was on balance. Anyone who knows me is aware of how much I hate this word because it’s something I’ve been striving to achieve for years. During the past two years, instead of choosing New Year’s goals, I have been choosing a word. Can you guess what that word is? Why, yes, it has been the word “balance”. So, when I was told I was speaking on balance, I had to laugh because it’s obviously something Heavenly Father feels I need to continue working on.
The majority of this talk comes from: Let Him Do It With Simplicity by L. Tom Perry, Good, Better, Best by Dallin H. Oaks, Obligations by Gordon B. Hinckley, and the book Mary, Martha, and Me by Camille Fronk Olson.
In Mosiah 4:27 we read, “And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
This made me think of Martha and Mary from the new testament.
Luke 10:38-42
“Now it came to pass, as they went,
That he entered into a certain village:
And a certain woman named Martha
Received him into her house.
And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’s feet,
And heard his word,
But Martha was cumbered about much serving,
And came to him, and said,
Lord, dost thou not care
That my sister hath left me to serve alone?
Bid her therefore that she help me.
And Jesus answered and said unto her,
Martha, Martha, thou art careful
And troubled about many things:
But one thing is needful:
And Mary hath chosen that good part,
which shall not be taken away from her.
I found a poem that sort of ties this story over to my topic pretty well.
Poem by Shirley Adwena Harvey called “To Mary – Who Sat at Jesus’s Feet”
Your dark eyes never left His gentle face
As you sat listening near the Savior’s feet
While Martha’s hurried steps kept constant pace
With the rhythm of your heart’s excited beat.
Your sister’s call to serve was never heard,
You gave no thought to feasting or attire –
Your ears were strained to catch each precious word
As spirit burned within you like a fire.
You knew this was the moment you should seek
The needful things to fill your longing heart
And joy-tears must have trickled down your cheek
When He said you had chosen that good part.

Dear Mary, in your sweet, far-sighted way –
You teach us of priorities today.

What did Jesus say about what Martha was doing? Nothing. What did he say of Mary’s choice? “Mary hath chosen that good part.” Jesus never requires that we choose one or the other: household duties or gospel study. Daily life requires our attention to both – by men and women alike. Too often, however, spiritual nourishment is swallowed up in the temporal crises of the moment.
When addressing young adults, President Gordon B Hinckley challenged his audience to create balance in life by attending to four obligations: “one’s vocation, one’s family, the Church, and to one’s self.”
About the vocation he said, “Choose a vocation where you will be happy. You will spend eight and more hours a day at it through all the foreseeable future. Choose something that you enjoy doing. Income is important, but you do not need to be a multimillionaire to be happy. In fact, you are more likely to be unhappy if wealth becomes your only objective. You will become a slave to it. It will color all your decisions. You need enough to get along on. You need enough to provide well for your family… The greatest task of all, the greatest challenge, and the greatest satisfaction lie in the rearing of a good family. There must also be time for service in the Church. Otherwise these very important dimensions of your life will be relegated to a back burner.”
This made me think of an experience Paul and I had. We were renting a small, 800 sq ft home and we were expecting our first son. Paul began working all the time and I was incredibly frustrated with him. I sat him down one day and told him I did not marry him for money, I married him for a husband and expected him to be one. After that, he stopped taking those extra shifts and we just budgeted better or went without something, but it worked.
Family: “A good [relationship] requires time. It requires effort. You have to work at it. You have to cultivate it. You have to forgive and forget. You have to be absolutely loyal one to another. [Your family] will become the source of your greatest pride and happiness. Rear [children] in love. You don’t have to kick them around. You don’t have to get angry with them. You just have to love them. If they make mistakes, forgive them and help them to avoid a repetition. But let them see in you their truest and best friend, their constant support.”
Church: “serve in the Church. Let the Church be your dear friend. Let it be your great companion. Serve wherever you are called to serve. Do what you are asked to do. Every position you hold will add to your capacity.”

In reference to the final obligation of one’s self, he expounded with this:
You need time to meditate and ponder, to think, to wonder at the great plan of happiness that the Lord has outlined for His children. You need time to read. You need to read the scriptures. You need to read good literature. You need to partake of the great culture which is available to all of us.
To go along with this, many times parents, especially mothers, forget to put effort into themselves because it’s all put into the family. We must take care of ourselves or there will be nothing left to put into serving the church, our family, or any of the other things on our to-do list.
Balancing your life seems so much better in theory. In reality, it gets a little complicated. Have you ever seen those randomly shaped rocks that seem impossible to stack, yet people somehow manage to balance them perfectly to make works of art? Sometimes I feel like my life is one balancing act after another. Just when I’m finally feeling on top of things, the kids will get sick, the dishwasher will break or my eyes will be opened to intense suffering somewhere in the world, and I’ll realize that my “dishwasher woes” are completely inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. As I’m deciding how to best balance my time and energy, I often feel like I’m staring at a big pile of rocks that simply don’t fit together.
(Janette Wright) wrote, “My 4-year-old is trying to learn to balance on his bike. He tilts to one side and the other. He screams, ‘Mom, did you see that?’ He is my last. I will only see this feat accomplished by my own child one last time. The dishes can wait, the clothes washer can be balanced later, the computer time can be put on hold, e-mails returned later and The Schedule delayed. I don’t want to miss the Best for Good. I want a more balanced life!”
(Linda Eyre) said, “One secret to finding balance ‘involves something we call serendipity. … Serendipity usually happens because of a crisis or when you are least expecting it! It might be just getting a great idea because of something that one of your kids said or did. It might be just taking a minute to enjoy a gorgeous sunset. It might be getting a call from a long lost friend, just when you thought it was so important to accomplish something else. An annoying interruption by a child becomes an opportunity!”
(Suzanne Christensen) said, “The biggest challenge is finding the right balance. The amount of time we have to ‘spare’ changes with the different stages of our lives. There is no perfect day where we squeeze everything in. Something usually has to fall to the background while we focus on something else. It would be tragic to tip the scale so much that we forget to enjoy the stage we are in now. Find joy and learning in the simple things every day.”
Lessons I’ve learned on balance through my years of trying and trying again to find balance:
Balance requires practice. Each day I learn a new way to balance my life. Each day I end up with something new to juggle. Practice is required for me to gradually improve the balance of my life.
Balance is a temporary state. Every day is different. Every day has new challenges. If we have one balanced day, it doesn’t mean the next day will go just as well. Perhaps a child is having a bad day and throwing temper tantrums continually… the next day may be different. It will make the scales completely different and balance has to start all over.
Balance is possible. It is. It really is. Sometimes it’s only for a day. I have achieved a day where I’ve gotten my personal scripture study and prayer, worked out, done my chores, showered, did school with my kids, got them to all their extra-curricular activities, planned upcoming lessons, got the kids to do their chores, had dinner on the table, got the kids to take their showers, got family prayer and scripture done, and got children to bed on time. Okay, so I cannot think of very many days this miraculous goal has been achieved, but it has happened, which means it is possible.
L. Tom Perry speaks about four basic needs of man: food, clothing, shelter, and fuel.
Let’s talk about these four basic things for a moment. The counsel on food in the Word of Wisdom found in the booklet For the Strength of Youth states, “The Lord has commanded you to take good care of your body. To do this, observe the Word of Wisdom, found in Doctrine and Covenants 89. Eat nutritious food, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. When you do all these things, you remain free from harmful addictions and have control over your life. You gain the blessings of a healthy body, an alert mind, and the guidance of the Holy Ghost. …”
The second thing he mentioned was clothing - President N. Eldon Tanner once cautioned us with these words: “Modesty in dress is a quality of mind and heart, born of respect for oneself, one’s fellowmen, and the Creator of us all. Modesty reflects an attitude of humility, decency, and propriety.”
Third, shelter - One of the better ways to simplify our lives is to follow the counsel we have so often received to live within our income, stay out of debt, and save for a rainy day. We should practice and increase our habits of thrift, industry, economy, and frugality. Members of a well-managed family do not pay interest; they earn it.
Fourth, fuel – Spiritual Fuel - The Lord has given us a beautiful plan about how we can return to Him, but the completion of our mortal journey requires spiritual fuel. We want to emulate the five wise virgins, who had stored sufficient fuel to accompany the bridegroom when he came (see Matthew 25:6–10). What is required to maintain a sufficient store of spiritual fuel? We must acquire knowledge of God’s eternal plan and our role in it, and then by living righteously, surrendering our will to the will of the Lord, we receive the promised blessings.
Elder Oaks once spoke on organizing our life into categories of “Good, Better, and Best”.
There are many good things we can do. Unfortunately, there are so many good things to do that there isn’t nearly enough time in the day to do them in. We should prioritize all these good things and look at the things that are better. Even then, there are things that are best that should be done before those better things. Are you following?
For a while, I put three columns on my to-do list for the day. I labeled the first one “Best”, the middle one “Better”, and the third one “Good”. The items I needed to do for my spiritual well-being I put under “Best” – such as reading scriptures, saying prayers, planning FHE, family scripture, and family prayer. Under “Better”, I wrote the things that absolutely had to get done that day – do a paper for school, pay the bills, fold the three baskets of clean laundry, take Ryanne to dance or Collin to martial arts. Under “Good” I wrote the things that would be nice to get done – take the kids to the park, clean out the fridge, give the dogs a bath…etc. Using this method, I was able to prioritize my list of things I needed to get done in the day.
In choosing how we spend time as a family, we should be careful not to exhaust our available time on things that are merely good and leave little time for that which is better or best. Elder Oaks told a story of a friend who took his young family on a series of summer vacation trips, including visits to memorable historic sites. At the end of the summer he asked his teenage son which of these good summer activities he enjoyed most. The father learned from the reply, and so did those he told of it. “The thing I liked best this summer,” the boy replied, “was the night you and I laid on the lawn and looked at the stars and talked.” Super family activities may be good for children, but they are not always better than one-on-one time with a loving parent.”
Parents should act to preserve time for family prayer, family scripture study, family home evening, and the other precious togetherness and individual one-on-one time that binds a family together and fixes children’s values on things of eternal worth.
Family experts have warned against what they call “the overscheduling of children” because families spend far less time together. Time in team sports has doubled, unstructured outdoor play has fallen by 50% and free time has declined by 12 hrs/week all in the last generation.
President Gordon B. Hinckley has pleaded that we “work at our responsibility as parents as if everything in life counted on it, because in fact everything in life does count on it.”
The First Presidency has called on parents “to devote their best efforts to the teaching and rearing of their children in gospel principles. … The home is the basis of a righteous life, and no other instrumentality can take its place … in … this God-given responsibility.” The First Presidency has declared that “however worthy and appropriate other demands or activities may be, they must not be permitted to displace the divinely-appointed duties that only parents and families can adequately perform.”
Church leaders should be aware that Church meetings and activities can become too complex and burdensome if a ward or a stake tries to have the membership do everything that is good and possible in our numerous Church programs. Priorities are needed there also.
Elder Richard G. Scott said: “Adjust your activities to be consistent with your local conditions and resources. … Make sure that the essential needs are met, but do not go overboard in creating so many good things to do that the essential ones are not accomplished. … Remember, don’t magnify the work to be done—simplify it.”
The instruction to magnify our callings is not a command to embellish and complicate them. To innovate does not necessarily mean to expand; very often it means to simplify.
Some uses of individual and family time are better, and others are best. We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families.
Here are some other illustrations of good, better, and best given by Elder Oaks:
It is good to belong to our Father in Heaven’s true Church and to keep all of His commandments and fulfill all of our duties. But if this is to qualify as “best,” it should be done with love and without arrogance. We should, as we sing in a great hymn, “crown [our] good with brotherhood,”9 showing love and concern for all whom our lives affect.
To our home teachers and visiting teachers, I suggest that it is good to visit our assigned families; it is better to have a brief visit in which we teach doctrine and principle; and it is best of all to make a difference in the lives of some of those we visit. That same challenge applies to the many meetings we hold—good to hold a meeting, better to teach a principle, but best to actually improve lives as a result of the meeting.
One of the greatest challenges of life is to not give in to the stresses and strains of life and to endure while staying positive and optimistic. Maybe we should remember the words of Robert Browning when difficulties and challenges come into our lives again. “The best is yet to be.”                                                                                In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Sunday, November 27, 2016

That unattainable dream of all moms....

After church today, I decided I was going to try to take a nap. Of course, first I had to answer lots of questions at church, learn they wanted me to sing at a small program on Tuesday and then practice a song real fast with someone. Then I went home and had to make sure children and hubby were all fed. I created a group for out cub scout pack, rechartered the pack (which is a lot more work than it sounds), filled out forms, emailed leaders, created documents for the pack.... yada yada. I'm also a book blogger and have gotten very behind. So, I decided I needed to read. I did that for a while, but then my eyes wouldn't stay open so I curled up in bed.

Suddenly, I jump up with wide eyes screaming and laughing. My darling husband decided to come in and tickle me. Once he finally stopped, I asked him why he did that. He was trying to wake me up. *insert eye roll here*.

I put my head back on the pillow and I heard the whine. Yes, the one that the dog makes as soon as your head hits the pillow because they know that's the perfect time to pee. Of course, no one else in my family can hear this high pitched whining. I have no idea why. I shimmy out of my warm blankets and stomp my way down the hallway to tell my children they need to let out the dogs. Of course, this cannot be an easy task. The kids have to argue about which task is whose. Finally, I tell them who does what and they still don't agree. Mean mom has to yell and they do their tasks. The kids and dogs go outside and play.

Finally, finally!!! I get to sleep. YAY for sweet unconsciousness. Unfortunately, it doesn't last long because I can hear the children and the hubby talking loudly. My daughter going, "Mom sure has been asleep for a long time!" I look at my phone... less than an hour.

I sigh.... and get up.

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Yes, school is back in session, at least in our home. :) Remember, we do 6 terms of 6 weeks on and 2 weeks off so we only get about 4-6 weeks off for summer. My kids are now in 3rd and 5th grade! I can't believe it. Anyways, here is day 1 of school. So, here's out day until the end of school.

I generally let the kids sleep in. So, they do breakfasts around 8:30am.

At 9am we start chores. In case you're wondering about the headphones, Collin loves listening to audio books so he walks around the house all day listening to an audio book. I figure there are much worse things he could be doing so it doesn't bother me until I need to talk to him. LOL!

She often sits in this little cubby under the desk to do school work or read.
 After math we did literature. I am currently reading The War That Saved My Life aloud to them. They are loving it. After each reading session we have an activity and discussion questions we go over.

Lunch Break!

After lunch break we go into writing (This is Collin's least favorite and can often be very stressful so we have to have a fun subject after it). In this picture they're working on persuasive essays of why the animal they chose is the best animal in the world. Ryanne chose a dog and Collin chose a manticore.

 So, this is how I do direct instruction. Schools have smart boards, I have a laptop I plug into the television. :) It works. This was science. We're doing a unit on energy for this 6 week term because we're doing a history unit on WWII. We're going to go into nuclear energy and atomic energy later in the unit so I thought they'd fit well together. We alternate history and science -- science 3 days and history 2 days each week.

Ryanne didn't finish all her math during math time so here she is finishing up her math worksheet.
 The kids then had to finish their chores. They went out to play. Then I fed them a quick dinner before I took Ryanne off to dance, again. :)

Jedi Training Camp

Cub Scout Day Camp was a Jedi Training Camp this year.
Flying the X-Wing

They made light sabers

Around Town

We've been doing stuff around home this summer.
kite flying

splash pad - Ryanne was barefoot and the ground was hot so Collin carried her. :)

When did he get so cool? Actually, he's not. He said, "Look Mom, I look like a teenager." haha!

 At the Community playhouse

 Watching the Tortoise and the Hare. Ryanne got to go up and help. Yes, that's her in the bonnet.

Running with the dogs. Arwen is a much better running partner.

Ryanne has been baking.

We have had several water balloon fights.

Ryanne likes to bring me little weed flowers wrapped in grass.

I completed the Summer Strong Challenge and earned this stuff for free!

Pokemon Go has been fun!

 Swim party with dance team.

More Pokemon Go

We also celebrated Ryanne's Gotcha Day!

Day at the Beach

A friend of ours decided to just go to the beach for the day for their birthday so we went. It was us and four other families from church. Tons of fun!

Selfie with beach background.

 Just playing in the ocean.

 Now just playing in the sand.

All the kids! :D


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Thursday, May 8, 2014

Lost Platoon of Graveyard Atoll.

Early this morning the Papa and Chip were driving to the beach. As per usual once Chip has a captive audience the ideas flow in rapid succession. The subject today was songs for Chip's new recording with his band White Lodge. One song in particular I think will resonate well with my readers.

Lost Platoon of Graveyard Atoll.

In moonlight where all beauty sleeps, the night does purr the jungle creeps
And on the shore amidst indigo tides a choir of souls chant old war cries.
The spirits sing about battle lost, on how their lives were the final cost.
Never able to return home, in sand and thickets rest their old bones.
Not so faraway the world has changed but on these sands 1944 remains.

[ chorus ] Their eyes flicker and burn like candles in the night above the beach they haunt till first daylight.

Words property of  Hudson Tesoriero 2014.


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The Church of St Edmund, King and Martyr in Assington is a small friendly Church, which is part of the Benefice which comprises the churches of Bures St Mary’s, Little Cornard and Assington.

Visit us

The church is open every weekend during the daytime. Should you wish to gain access on a week day, please contact one of the churchwardens who can make arrangements for it to be unlocked for you. There is vehicular access to the churchyard on any day of the week during daylight hours.

Morning services are held at Assington Church most Sundays at 10:30. Services are led by different members of the ministry team from across the Benefice and are always informal and welcoming. Generally, Holy Communion is celebrated in Assington on the second Sunday of each month with Morning Prayer on the fourth Sunday of each month.

On the third Sunday of each month, there is a family service with activities for children, followed by refreshments and an opportunity to socialise! Major celebrations such as Harvest Festival and Christingle are planned to coincide with these dates where possible. There are also a number of special Church events / services throughout the year including a summer fete, harvest supper and carols by candlelight.

There is no service in Assington on the first Sunday of each month when a Joint Benefice Communion Service is held at St Mary’s, Bures. In any month when there is a fifth Sunday a Joint Benefice Communion Service is held alternately at Assington or Little Cornard.

We have an active Parochial Church Council which works hard to ensure that the Church is a central part of village life and that the historic building and surroundings are well maintained.

Our history

The Church is a beautiful Grade 1 listed building dating from the early 1400’s set in idyllic countryside, surrounded by the lands of Assington Hall.  However, a Church was first recorded on the site in the Domesday Book of 1086.  The current Church was owned for over 300 years by the Gurdon family who also owned most of the village and farms, until the estate was sold in 1938.

The Church tower, which was renovated in 1863, has gothic arched windows, angled buttresses and battlements.  It has an octagonal corner staircase turret which is entered from outside the Church.

The main part of the Church also has battlements around the top on the outside and the roof is covered in clay peg tiles.  The windows are perpendicular gothic.  Internally, it has a wooden roof of braced cambered beams with crown posts, supported by stone bosses of angels and roses. There are rows of wooden Victorian pine pews and Victorian brass candle holders on stands placed alternately at the ends of pew rows.

The north vestry (which is entered via the door next to the organ) was added in 1860.  The Chancel (the area of the Church leading to the altar) is recorded as having been falling down in 1827.  It was rebuilt at a cost of £3,000 but we understand it took until 1868 for the final bill to be paid for this!

At one stage, there were six bells in the Church tower dating from the mid 14th century to the mid 17th century.  The Great Bell (Gabriel) was reported to have been fixed in 1784.  However, it appears from recent inspections that the current bells were all cast in 1890 by John Warner and Sons, London.

The Churchyard contains, among many family graves, a large monument to the Gurdon family as well as a memorial to the only World War 1 soldier brought home to Assington. The Churchyard is also a haven for plants and wildlife.  During a study undertaken in 1993, a total of 101 different wild flower varieties were recorded in the Churchyard!

Contact us

If you would like any further information about the Church or our services, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of our Church Wardens as follows:

Roger Britcher – 01787 211021

Bronwen Stacey – 01787 210354

Thank you for taking the time to read this information about us and our lovely Church – please do come along to join us for one of our services or events, you are guaranteed a warm welcome!


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Things to do

Ferntree Waterfalls
from Daniel Harrington

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  • walking

    Walking Jenny Clayton Circuit Grade: EasyTrack: UndulatingDistance: 8.5kmTime: 2hr returnStart: Middle Creek Visitor CentreOpportunities exist for an easy walk or a relaxing bicycle ride on a loop circuit. This area of…

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    Camping Car-based camping is available at Bailes, Middle Creek and tents only at the smaller Ferntree area.

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Monday, December 14, 2015

Sometimes parishes want a puppy instead of a pastor. . .

Pastors generally work long and hard, feel guilty about what they did not get done, and make great sacrifices for the sake of their people.  I do not say this so that you pity your pastor but that this is a general truth and fact (even no matter the denomination).  So when you read a column by a well meaning individual whose basic point is that pastors should not be doing what they are doing or they will prevent the church from growing, it is like twisting a dagger into the back of a hard working and well meaning pastor.

When the pastor has to visit every sick person, do every wedding and funeral and make regular house calls, attend every meeting, and lead every bible study or group, he or she becomes incapable of doing almost anything else.  Message preparation falls to the side, and providing organizational leadership for the future is almost out of the question.  The pastoral care model of church leadership simply doesn’t scale.

It’s somewhat ironic, actually.  If you’re a good pastoral care person (and many pastors are), people will often love you so much that the church will grow to two hundred people, at which point the pastoral care expectations become crushingInevitably, pastoral leaders with larger churches can’t keep up and end up disappointing people when they can’t get to every event any more.  Caring for 30 people personally is possible. Caring for 230 is not.  Many pastors burn out trying.

There is some truth to everything -- even wrong headed criticism.  It is true that pastors cannot and should not do everything.  It is true that pastors often do what is visible and urgent while allowing what may be more important to slide by.  It is true that people have very unrealistic expectations of their pastors.  But the model so often given a pastor by the mega church is that you are too important to do pastoral care and we need you to be the visionary leader instead.  And this is just plain wrong.

Pastoral care IS exactly what the pastor is charged with doing and must do.  There are a host of things pastors do that they need not do (vision casting, administration, and kingdom building are a couple of them) but pastoral care is what ONLY a pastor can do.  By pastoral care I do NOT mean visiting everyone all the time or attending every meeting or running the business of the church.  I mean caring for the people of God with the means of grace.  THAT is pastoral care -- whether in the hospital room or living room, nursing home or apartment, to individuals or to large groups.  Pastoral care is what the pastor and only the pastor can do -- serve the people of God with the means of grace.

That means giving great attention to worship, to the liturgy, to the preaching that takes place within the liturgy, to the rhythm of life through the church year, to the instruction of young and old (catechesis), to the visitation of the sick and shut-in, to the admonition of the erring and those who neglect the means of grace, hearing confession and absolving sinners, burying the dead, preparing people for baptism and parents for the baptism of their children. . .   These are exactly what pastors can and must do or they are not pastors.

Yes it is true.  Churches want puppies rather than pastors, pets rather than shepherds.  Pastors are guilty of being people pleasers and wanting to be loved by their people more than they want to be faithful to Christ.  We are flawed and sinful individuals, to be sure.  Where is it that God has said that pastors are judged by the numbers of people in a building rather than by faithfulness to the Word and to the responsibilities exclusive to the pastoral calling?

The goal of Christian leadership is to lead, not be liked.  There it is.  Pastors are not really pastors at all (according to this way of thinking) but are leaders.  When the Scriptures speak of the ministry they do not speak of leaders (at least as this author defines them) but as the shepherds who care for the sheep with the means of grace God Himself has provided.

I will admit it.  I do a ton of stuff I probably should not be doing in the parish.  I feel personally responsible for everything that happens here.  I want us always to be our best and do our best as a congregation.  I am conscious of the money entrusted to us for programs and resources and insist that we be the best stewards of these resources for God's glory.  I am too often tied and worn out.  But the funny thing is that in the business world this would be normal and yet in the church I stand condemned by those who think there is a more efficient use of my time.  They may be correct about some things but that is not the kind of pastor I want to be or I believe I was called to be.  I am the shepherd whom God has placed among this people to administer to them His gifts through the Word and Sacraments.  That is what is given to the pastor to do.  The people also have a distinct and profound minister of service to one another and to the stranger who does not yet know Jesus Christ.

I do not make sheep and I am not called to manufacture them.  I am called to faithfully preach and teach the Word of God and to administer the means of grace and God has promised to do the rest.  Whether or not my congregation grows may be my fault if I am unfaithful in this administration of the means of grace but if I am faithful within the boundaries of my mortal flesh, God will produce the results He has intended.  His Word cannot return to Him empty handed.  I will try to spend less of my time doing what is not my urgent priority or calling as a pastor but I refuse to be the kind of  Christian leader like this author and so many others intend.  The Church is not a business in search of market dominance but the kingdom of God in which the Word and the Sacraments are the means through which the Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole people of God.  I wish we Lutherans could rejoice in this instead of living in envy of every big box mega church down the street.

I used this book as a resource, and told them that we would never break 200 in attendance unless I stopped doing pastoral care.  It was a tough, but we made it.  We now have a church of 2300 people with almost 1100 in attendance on weekends.  If that is what it takes as a business model to have a church succeed in worldly terms, well, I guess I will have to learn to be content with failure.

1 comment:

Janis Williams said...

So many of we "sheep" fail to understand what the "undershepherd" does because we are not the same thing. Yes, pastors are sheep also, and need shepherding. Yet we sheep are not shepherds. How would it be if real sheep told the shepherd where to graze, made sure he took care of the ones that baahed just for the sake of it (while shutting out the truly sick ones)? The undershepherd is here to care for our souls. Trust him to do it, as he is responsible to the Great Shepherd.


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Sunday, July 02, 2006

The Bearded Man

We sort of had a flag in church today. :-) My husband's July 4th tie says, "United We Stand." Note the bushy beard. He's getting ready for an National Muzzleloaders Rendezvous next week. Bearded Eagle and Singing Owl (us) will be meeting up with Happy Otter and Two Foxes (daughter and son-in-law) in Iowa for a much-needed week of fun and relaxation (we hope).

Jus' fer fun, here are a few pictures of past events.

Happy Otter

Bearded Eagle and SingingOwl (still coloring my hair then)<

Little-Too-Much and his woman

Blowing on the fire

Anyone near Waverly, Iowa? Come out and see us next week!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Keep up the good work


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Friday, May 6, 2011

Come in Dick Tracey...

for those of you who are my age or older, that familiar line was a staple in the Sunday paper. You know how the Sunday paper went. Dad got the front page section and the sports, Mom got the local and the celebrity section and the kids got to share the funny pages.
Well Dick Tracey was always a favorite of mine. The vivid colors, the hero of course and the villians. But the coolest thing about Dick Tracey was all of his gadgets. He had all of these neato gadgets that every kids wanted.
Well as I was thinking the other day, most of the gadgets that Dick Tracey had we all have now. Bundled in one little phone package we have the most ingenious scientific gadget ever made. Have you ever really thought about what a "smart" phone can do?
Email? Check.
Day Planner? Check.
Clock? Check.
Adress Book? Check.
Calculator? Check.
Navigation System? Check.
GPS? Check.
Web Browser? Check.
Music Player? Check.
Video Player? Check.
Camera? Check.
Video Camera? Check.
Gaming System? Check.
Facebook? Check.
Pager? Check.
Memo Pad? Check.
And a Phone all wrapped into one little tiny box we can wear on our hip, put in our pocket or slip into a purse.
Calling Dick Tracey! Come in Dick Tracey! I have better gadgets than you do!

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Thursday, May 5, 2016

Cinco de Mayo—How Americans Get it Wrong

Young Americans honor Mexican culture on Cinco de Mayo.

Note:  This is the sixth year I have run essentially the same post with a little tinkering on the margins. And, damn it, I will continue to do it until your all get it right!
Today is, as every hearty partier will tell you, is Cinco de Mayo.  In the U.S. in recent years it has become kind of second St. Patrick’s Day decked out in sombreros and serapes instead of emerald green, toasted to with Coronas with lime and shots of tequila instead of Guinness and Jamison’s, and laid out with two-for-one taco deals instead of corn beef and cabbage plates.  It is celebrated without apparent irony even by those who cheer Trump, pelt busloads of children with curses and rocks, and who send semi-literate screeds to the newspapers railing against those damned lazy, criminal immigrants.
Mexican-American restaurant owners and importers of spirits and trinkets appreciate the business.  Grade schools have the kids make paper hats and sing Spanish songs for a one day lesson in Mexican culture.  And immigrant communities hold fiestas and parades, glad that for one day of the year the rest of the country is paying attention to them in sort of a good way.  If you ask most of the revelers what they are celebrating, they will mumble something vague about Mexican Independence Day.
Of course they are wrong.  Independence Day is Diez y Seis de Septiembre (September 16th) celebrating the day in 1810 when Father Miguel Hidalgo read the Gritto de Hidalgo  beginning Mexico’s War of Independence from Spain.
In Mexico Cinco de Mayo is a minor patriotic holiday observed mostly in the State of Puebla.  It celebrates the victory Mexican patriots over a large, modern and well equipped French army in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.  It was not even the final victory of the war against the French, who did not evacuate the country until 1866.
Juarista troops badly whooped ass on a French army at the Battle of Puebla.

In 1861 the President of Mexico, Benito Juarez, had been forced to default on Mexico’s heavy debt to European powers.  Britain, France and other powers all made threats to redeem their debts by force if necessary.  They were warned by the United States, which invoked the Monroe Doctrine, not to intervene in Mexico.  French Emperor Napoleon III recognized the U.S. would be too preoccupied with its own Civil War to take action and dispatched a large French Army to take control of the country
After initial success the occupying French Army with its Mexican allies, numbering 8,000 men was met by 4,000 Mexican troops loyal to Juarez under the command of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín and soundly defeated.  It was an enormous moral boost for the Mexicans, but only delayed the French march on the capital of Mexico City.
In 1864 a plebiscite conducted under French guns invited the Austrian Hapsburg Prince Ferdinand Maximilian to sit as Emperor of Mexico with his wife Carlota as Empress.  Maximilian did have support of some Mexican conservatives, large land owners, and the Catholic Church, but despite his liberal bent—he continued many of Juarez’s land reforms and even offered the former President the post of Prime Minister—Mexican patriots refused to recognize his rule or the French occupation that made it possible.
Juarez and his supporters engaged in a grizzly war of attrition against French forces.  With his army slowly being bled away and the costs of occupation far outstripping any profits to the empire, Napoleon III began to withdraw his support.  When the American Civil War ended and American intervention with a new, modern, and battle hardened army became a distinct possibility, the French Emperor finally withdrew his troops.
Emperor Maxmillian badly miscalculated his popularity with his subjects.

Maximilian, deluding himself that he was truly the popular Emperor of Mexico stayed behind with his loyal generals to fight it out with the Juaristas.  Carlota made a desperate trip to Europe in which she traveled from capital to capital begging for assistance for her husband.  When she failed, she suffered an emotional and mental breakdown.  One by one Maximilian’s loyal armies were defeated.  He was captured by republican troops after trying to make a break-out from the besieged city of Santiago de Querétaro on May 15, 1867.  The would-be Emperor was tried by court martial and executed by firing squad on June 19.
But if you ask any reveler at the bar tonight about any of this, all you will probably get is a blank stare and, if you’re lucky, a Margarita.

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Wednesday, August 8, 2007

"Dog" Days

August is usually referred to as the "Dog Days" of summer, at least in Ohio....this early August 2007 is no exception. We have been in the 90s with humidity to match since the calendar changed from July(a rather mild July at that). Sitting here with my XM Radio tuned to Channel 6(60s music and nothing else).

Today was a Dog Day...took Reagan, the 9 year old Airedale, out to the vet for her allergy shot this morning...have had at least one Airedale in the family since 1974, raised many a litter of pups in those 33 years, and had some good dogs, only a few "clunkers"....the Airedale is a regal breed, and not many have been involved as our family with them over the years.

The rest of the day will consist of picking up Sam at the bus stop in Dayton, now moved back to 3:15....22 hours via bus, not a fun thing...but I guess the young can handle it if they have to. State Football Rules Meeting at Lima tonight at 7:15, so although nothing physically demanding, it will be a long day by the time I return from Lima. On a similar note, I picked up another scrimmage, this one, a Freshman game at Celina next Thursday.

27 Years ago

____________This week in 1980 I was making my transition from radio News Director to DJ, having moved from Dodge City back to Celina. My best friend Rick Pearson and I headed back to Dodge to pick up my Jeep Cherokee and a few belongings...the Jeep was in the shop for repairs, I had to have another driver, and Rick was willing and able. We headed out to Kansas, and the next few days were a story in itself.

Borrowed my brother Mike's Ford Pick-Up and headed west, hot it was, as we headed southwest out of Salina, Kansas(yes pronounced the same as Celina, Ohio), with a cooler full of beer and pop, we picked up a guy our age hitchhiking to somewhere southwest of Dodge City, so we told him to grab a bag in the back of the covered pick up and sit back there, in the heat there was no way we were going to sit 3 in the lone bench seat....told the guy to have a couple of beers and pop if he wanted and make sure he opened the side windows, we would open the sliding window so he could get a share of the A/C....the guy ended up pounding down about 4 beers in the 150 mile stretch of Highway 56 to DC....we dropped him off at a watering hole, just kind of poured him out....he thanked us for the ride and beer.

The Jeep was ready, but we wanted to see the Rockies, so the next morning, after staying at my rented house(good through the end of the month), we headed out across the hinterland of western Kansas into Colorado. West of Pueblo, we arrived in Canon City the next afternoon....asked around for the best scenic road to Cripple Creek, and were given directions to what the locals called Red Horse turned out to be a great view for sure....Red Horse was a one(2 lanes at times) dirt road winding path towards Victor and Cripple Creek. Once there we hit a couple of bars and talked with the locals(mind you this was before they turned these basic Ghost Towns into Condo Cities)....we ended up sleeping in the back of the truck on the shores of Cripple Creek, next morning we got up, panned for a little gold(Rick was a Geology Major at Ohio University), found some specks, bottled it, and headed back for Dodge.

We spent one more night in the rental house, packed our cooler with ice and beer...Rick drove my Jeep, I drove the Ford back....all-in-all it was only 4 or 5 days, but one of the most memorable "vacations" I had. The next week I was sitting behind the mic at WCSM, doing the morning show.
prh 8/8/07

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Monday, March 24, 2008

Weekend Wrap-Up/High School Baseball

We had Easter dinner(brunch/lunch) at our house yesterday. Sister Marty, brother-in-law, 2 of their 3 daughters, one daughter's fiance'. Hal was home from Dayton, and Sam made it back from Edmonton, Canada, around noon. Watched some basketball, had some conversation, and a nice 3 hour get together for the Holy Day. With the family spread around the country for Florida to California, and Ohio.....these type get together's are not all that frequent, and a welcome.

Basketball Weekend________

With my favorite Duke Blue Devils eliminated, my prediction "Brackets" are pretty much "Blown Up"....I hit a good 15 or 16 on day #1 Thursday, but it's been all down hill since. I've got a few teams, including Kansas, my Champion pick left, but for the most part at least half of my teams moving on have been eliminated.

Mersman building________

As you can see from the photos above...the 100 year old Mersman Table building across the street is now almost a complete pile.....the photos are from November, January, and yesterday....with the Ohio EPA controlling process, this mess will still take a while to guess is another 2 years before the debris is gone.

The major league season begins on March 30th, with a full schedule in force on Monday March 31st. Our High School baseball season begins on the 31st as well. Actually we have scrimmages scheduled for tomorrow and Thursday, Sam and I are together at Fort Recovery High School for a Varsity Scrimmage tomorrow, but I doubt if that will happen....the sun may be out for now, but I doubt if even the predicted 40 MPH winds tomorrow will dry things addition we have a 60% chance of looks like the season will get off to a slow start. Sam and I are also together March 31st at Delphos Jefferson......with about 40 regular season dates(including 6 double headers), we are together about 18 times. We usually only work 6 or 7 dates together a season, but with the gas prices and the fact we work well as a team, we are contracting more varsity contests together each season.

Still to be decided this week is if mom is going to come home early(this week) from Naples, or will stay into or through April, and her and brother Mike come back together. If she decides to come home this weekend, I will fly to Fort Myers/Naples Airport Thursday, and stay with Kelly and her husband Mike, then drive mom back to Ohio over the weekend....will figure that out by tomorrow, so I can make plans either way.

Shrinky said...

It's great to document the old builings as they go. When Canary Wharg was beeing renovated (in London), back in the days before digital photography, I went around the entire area recording it all in black and white.

It was the same with Billingsgate Fish Market, before it closed. It supplied to the trade. I had to get up at 3am to go round there. I didn't realise security were following me all the way around. Apparently, you needed permission to photograph - but they were cool, let me keep my shots (eventually).

Buck said...

With the family spread around the country...

I sure hear that! It's a rare family in America who lives in the same town together, or even the same state, these days. It's a great good thing all y'all were together for the holiday, Pat.

The Hermit said...

Hope you had a top flight easter, Pat.


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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

My Dad Was on TV! He's so famous.

Back in September,  my dad made an appearance on a public access show called, "Living Longer, Living Better." They were taping a Veteran's Day episode and were fortunate it enough to have two Tuskegee Airmen join them, as well as my dad, (served on the USS Bon Homme Richard and another man who served aboard the USS Hornet.

Dad, aka Stephen T. Robinson, to all you folk, served his country from 1968 to 1971. He's very proud of his contribution. He was a boiler tender - he endured quite a lot of heat, to say the least. I'm very proud of him as well. I love hearing his stories about his experiences on board. Sometimes it's hard for me to process it all, so I take it in smaller chunks. (Kinda like if my mom wanted to tell me more about working in insurance. Or if Rocky wanted to tell me what it's like working in a TV studio as an Engineer, (he knows and does SO much!) I like hearing the experiences, but the technicalities sometimes just float on by). *kind pat of understanding*

Aww, isn't he handsome?

 Dad's Caption: "I'm the one with his elbow hanging over, just above the K in deck. We're watching the Miss USA ladies wave at other ships."

As far as the show goes, I feel like the host didn't know what she was getting into, when she interviewed the Tuskegee Airmen. Boy, did I want to hear all that they had to say. I want at least a whole hour with them. From what Dad said, LeRoy is a firecracker. Dad was able to get their autographs and talked with them a bit. He was tickled, to say the least. Dad's in the second half of the interview, and he and his mustache do a fine job on screen. Ha! I'm also proud of him, in that he was himself. Truly, that's the hardest thing for me to be on camera! He wasn't frozen, he was calm, and came across really nicely. He's a natural at being natural.

To note, Rocky did the voiceover for the show, and I'm pretty sure he did the editing. He probably even did some camera work. I don't know, he's all over the place with his talents and technical abilities. Let me tell you this, if you want someone to help out in any production for TV or film - you best want Rocky Robinson on your team. Okay, back to Dad and the show....

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Flying the Nest: It's Time to Decouple Tokenization from HCE

by Hans Henrik Hoffmeyer 0

In the world of mobile payments, tokenization has gained notoriety as the underlying technology enabling banks to secure mobile NFC payments using host card emulation (HCE). There is no contesting that this is a big deal; the combination has triggered a profound shift in the mobile payments ecosystem, reducing deployment complexity and giving banks a commercially attractive route to market.

But if banks want to harness the true power of tokenization, they must first separate the two technologies in their minds. Tokenization is the enabling technology; it can be used to secure any kind of value transaction. Securing HCE-based NFC payments in Android mobile wallets is just one application. An important one, for sure, but only one.

This is an important distinction. Nets’ Nordic and Baltic territories consist of some of the most ‘digitally ready’ markets in the world. The Nordics boasts 99% domestic broadband penetration, for example, and 69% of the population use digital channels to access public services, including healthcare. This means that new digital products are adopted very quickly. Take mobile transactions, for example. Currently these are growing at more than 90% every year and the region is attracting more than 1000 new mobile payment users every day. In contrast, manually performed transactions are decreasing at a rate of 19% per year and, by 2020, Nordea Bank estimates that 60% of all transactions will be performed via mobile devices.

With populations as digitally advanced as this, banks and their digital payment partners, like Nets, need to look beyond the payment itself and consider how mobile wallet solutions can cater for wider applications and services if they are to meet customer expectations and stay ahead of the curve.

As a result, Nets, together with the more than 200 Nordic and Baltic banks that we serve across these geographies, consider the mobile wallet to be far more than a mere payment instrument on a mobile device. To us, it is a facility where loyalty and other value added services can interoperate, and a host of additional services can also reside, relating digital identity, mobile banking and, of course, payments.

Currently, Nets connects more than 300,000 merchants with Nordic and Baltic banks, putting us in a great position to support both sides of the payment transaction. As a result, our customers are already talking to us about providing the ‘full stack’ mobile wallet solution, as a single, fully outsourced white-label managed service, including:


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Annuity; income provider

What is an Annuity?

Annuities convert your pension savings into an income.

Since April 2015 you will have been able to withdraw as much of the money you want to that you've saved into your pension, once you reach 55. You can also access your defined contribution (DC) pension (if you have one) as you choose from the point of retirement and not have to purchase an annuity.

Be careful, any annuity or drawdown income will be taxed as income.

How do Annuities work?

An annuity is a financial product that enables you to convert your pension savings into a monthly or yearly retirement income for you to live on.

The amount you will get depends on things like how old you are: the younger you are when you retire, the less you get each year, whether you want your annuity to pay an income to your spouse or partner when you die.

It's worth thinking about talking to a financial adviser about the best type of annuity and which company will pay you the highest income.

Open Market Option

If you have a pension fund, you should be told that as an alternative to buying an annuity from the company you have saved with, you have the option to take the fund to another company and buy it from them.

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Annuity providers will be allowed to vary the amount of income they pay. You may wish to take less to begin with and larger sums later on. New rules will allow you to take a lump sum from an annuity, provided you agree to this when you buy one.

Your family will be allowed to be paid from your pension after you die. Guaranteed annuities pay out to your beneficiaries after you die, but usually this only lasts for 10 years after you bought the annuity.

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There are many different types of Annuity. Find out More »

The main types of annuity include:

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A pension is a long term investment. The fund value may fluctuate and can go down. Your eventual income may depend upon the size of the fund at retirement, future interest rates and tax legislation.


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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Put a bird on it...

Our lovely girls. We've got two chickens and three ducks and they sure do treat us well. We have gorgeous and delicious eggs and lots of entertainment. We love em. Do you want to know their names?
Well, we've got Speckles and Ginger- the naughty chickens. Bella, June, and Morgan- the indian runner ducks. (Mable is in duck heaven) More on them soon!

                                                             ^  mizz ginger

                                                                    ^ duckies!


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February 5, 2015

...if any?

Every January I do a search of bills introduced in the Oklahoma legislature dealing with adoption.

This year, along with a few others, OK SB 110 came up under a search regarding "birth certificates".
Kansas has never sealed original birth certificates from adoptees.

Oklahoma, however, has failed to ensure this right to its adopted citizens.
In fact, some of the language of OK SB 110 is quite concerning.

"The State Registrar shall seal and file the original certificate of birth, if any, with the certificate of decree of adoption...the State Registrar, upon receipt of a certificate of a decree of adoption, shall prepare a supplementary birth certificate in the new name of the adopted person with the names of the adoptive parents listed as the parents...

"IF ANY..."

Two little words can bring big consequences.

Not only is it ridiculous that adopted people are issued a new "amended" (falsified) record of birth which lists parents who never gave birth to them, but also their original birth certificate (if any) is "sealed" from them indefinitely.

It is unlawful to falsify official documents in America except for the birth record of adoptees.
In fact, laws do not ensure that we even have an accurate and unfalsified original birth certificate at all.  At times adoptive parent's names are put on an original birth certificate, before an adoption is even finalized.
This is a travesty.
It strips us and our children of important on-going family medical histories, genealogy, and identity.
The only ones "sealed records" laws protect are those who lobby government officials and make their living from the supply and demand based billion-dollar per year adoption industry in America.
Adoptees are made to feel like commodities when money exchanges hands in the "sealing" of our identities, and unethical and coercive practices can be hidden behind "sealed records" laws.
   Adoption touches almost every family in America in some form or another.  Genealogists have predicted that within another few generations NO American will be guaranteed an accurate family tree or genealogy because of "sealed record" laws in adoption.
They were enacted during the "Baby Scoop" era of the 40's, 50's and 60's to protect newly formed adoptive families, when vulnerable unwed mothers were given no other choice but to surrender their babies for adoption.

The Supreme Courts of both TN and OR have determined that restoring the right of adoptee's access to their original record of birth is constitutional because first mothers were never guaranteed (nor asked for) perpetual "confidentiality" under the law.
In fact, if a first mother surrenders her child for adoption, but for some reason the child is never adopted, but remains in foster care, the original birth certificate is never sealed.

They only serve to protect the adoption industry and the newly formed adoptive family, while they fail to protect the rights of the very children they claim to serve.
Statistics have also shown that abortion rates in states which have passed adoptee access legislation have declined more than the national average, while adoption rates remain consistent.

Interestingly enough, this proposed bill also states,

"To protect the integrity of vital statistics records, to insure their proper use, and to insure the efficient and proper administration of the vital statistics system, it shall be unlawful for any person to permit inspection of, or to disclose information contained in, vital statistics records, or to copy or issue a copy of all or part of any such record except to the person who is the subject of the record or in such person's interest unless ordered to do so by a court of competent jurisdiction..."
Adoptees are "the person who is the subject of the record", yet sealed records law in adoption prevents us from accessing our own records.
We are the only U.S. citizens denied access to our own original record of birth.
OK SB 110 goes on to propose...

"Each month, the State Department of Health shall transmit to the Department of Human Services a record of all registered births that have occurred within the state for the immediately preceding month. The Department of Human Services shall use such records for the purpose of assisting in the administration of programs related to children, including but not limited to child welfare, adoptions..."
This bill would require the OK Bureau of Vital Statistics to automatically forward every child's birth certificate born in Oklahoma to the OK Department of Human Services...whether that child and family is a client of DHS or not.
To me, this seems like an over-reach of power.
Even more so, it further disenfranchises every Oklahoma born adopted person, who is still denied access to their own records.

1 comment:

write my assignment cheap said...

The proper legislation regarding the adoption of children is a good sign. It is required for the benefit and to follow the human rights with respect to adopted children.


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Monday, 22 April 2013

Instagram life...

Sometimes all you need for a perfect weekend is:
  • sunshine
  • good food
  • quality time with loved ones
  • curling up and watching a film with popcorn.  This weekend we watched The Descendants.  Oh George!
  • getting excited about researching your dream holiday...

(Instagram name: angie_peanuts_pearls)

~ walks with Lena in the spring sunshine

~ a naughty treat (for me only) after a walk

~ getting tips for my holiday.  I am counting down the weeks!

How was your weekend?

  1. Ben & Jerry's and a good movie? My kind of recipe for a good weekend! And if you really are planning on going to New York sometime, I'm so stinkin' excited for you!

  2. New York sounds amazing! We went to the USA a few months back and booked a trip to Portugal this weekend :) It was lovely to see some sun this weekend!

  3. Sounds like the perfect weekend to me!
    Your dog may be the cutest thing I've ever seen!!

    The Dress Code


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Thursday, January 25, 2007

I know life isn't fair. I know it's not even supposed to be fair. And I know that for all the whining and hand wringing I do, there are a billion people who have stories to tell that are far worse than mine.

Like, for example, the two little orphaned African boys living in a mud hut, sleeping on tattered plastic sheets, eating when they can - like when the rain isn't pouring through the holes in their thinly thatched roof and putting out the fire they use to cook whatever food they can find. Their lives are immeasurably harder than mine, and from where I sat on my puffy loveseat watching theirs play out on the TV, my life kind of looked like a cakewalk. Mostly.

But even though I know I have a charmed life in a million and one ways, I still want to throw myself on the floor and whip up the world's biggest grown-up-lady tantrum. Legs kicking, arms flailing, screaming, crying, gnashing of teeth - the whole nine yards. And maybe one more yard for good measure.

Why oh why can't I get pregnant?

I've done it before. Granted, my record isn't stellar. We go to bed childless each night despite seeing two pink lines three separate times in the almost four years we've been trying. But I did it. I conceived. And had it not been for the fucked up medical system I would have put our toddler to bed a few hours ago. Read him a story, tucked him in, kissed him goodnight.

Instead I'm here ranting about the unfairness of life, and trying not to feel guilty about ranting about it.

Because, you see, I turn on the tap and clean, safe water pours out. I'm healthy (well, if you don't count the busted uterus). I'm loved. I love. I have money to buy food. I have money to buy the hiking boots I want. I was able to afford a good education. I had opportunities. I have opportunities. I have friends. I have family. I can see and hear. I can walk. Most of my hair isn't gray. I've lost almost 40 pounds. I'm full. I have security. I am understood. I have respect. I don't have insomnia. I'm not incontinent. I can run up the stairs. I have a backyard. I can dream. I have good memories. I am capable of making more. I have ideas. I laugh. I have straight teeth. I have a roof over my head. I have access to a doctor when I'm sick (or afraid I have breast cancer). I don't have to beg to survive. I don't just survive. I have nine million pens and about 15,000 balls of yarn in my stash.

But I don't have my babies - any of them. And someone - the gods, mother nature, fate - seems to think that's exactly the way it should always be.

That can't be fair. No matter what else I have, that can't be fair, can it?

JMB said...

You're right-you do have a lot of very good things in your life. However, that can never quite fill that hole that you feel. It's not fair, and it's OK to want to rage against it until you can't rage any more.

I wish I had something better, more comforting to say. All I can say is that I understand where you are coming from. And yes, it sucks!

miraclebaby said...

of course it's not fair. (((hugs)))

Ruby said...

I have read this post so many times. Each time I come back and hope to find the words that could help you feel better.

I can't. They don't exist. I remember the feeling, and regardless of how sincere or cleverly spoken the words were...They didn't help. How could they when they don't change anything.

Just know that your not alone. I'm sorry.


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Pearl’s Oyster Bar

You can taste Pearl’s Oyster Bar’s innovative fusion of Creole, Southwest, Asian and Mediterranean influences in its fresh seafood. Pearl’s offers a sleek, contemporary space decorated with New Orleans’ coastal accents on the south end of Classen Curve in Belle Isle. You’ll often find guests enjoying perfect margaritas on the patio during our popular happy hour.

Always updating our menu and décor, we have remained Oklahoma City’s seafood leader for over 30 years. Our goal is to provide ongoing excellence in food, wine and service to our guests. We think you will find the atmosphere inviting, the spirit generous and joyful, and the overall experience, one you won’t soon forget.

pearls-facebook  pearls-facebook  pearls-facebook

Pearl's Restaurant Group

5641 N. Classen Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73118
Half mile north of Northwest Expressway on Classen
South end of Classen Curve

Kitchen Hours

Open Monday – Thursday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Friday 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Saturday 10:30 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.

pearl’s famous

Yields 8 stuffed squash halves

8 oz. margarine, melted
2 cups dried breadcrumbs
1-1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Anisette Liquor
1 pound spinach thawed and drained
2 tablespoons scallions
4 each yellow cooked and cleaned squash
1/2 cup Hollandaise sauce

  1. Boil small yellow squash.
  2. Remove squash from boiling water.
  3. Split squash sideways and hollow and clean removing seeds.
  4. Set squash aside.
  5. Mix margarine, breadcrumbs, garlic, cheese and anisette together in a mixing bowl.
  6. Fold spinach and scallions in to the mix and blend by hand.
  7. Stuff squash with spinach mixture.
  8. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until hot in center (or microwave for 1-2 minutes).
  9. Top with hollandaise sauce (optional).

Let us host your next event at Pearl’s! Our rooftop patio is great for party’s in spring, summer and fall, and the Diamond room can host up to 50 guests.

book an event

Join us every Saturday from 10:30 AM – 2 PM, and Sunday from 10 AM – 2 PM for our Champagne Brunch and “Famous Bloody Mary Bar.”

brunch menu


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Archive for July, 2010

Welcome to my blog

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

I am not sure how many of you remember the late 80’s when St Barth Properties was born. After falling in love with St Barth in 1986, it was a natural progression. All I needed was a telephone and a fax machine and some magazine and newspaper advertising to get the word out.

Peg and Steve Walsh

Peg and Steve's first trip to SBH in March 1986

Twenty-two years later I have progressed from working out of my daughter’s recently vacated bedroom/cum office where I answered the phone, faxed documents and sent out villa photos with a self addressed stamped envelope hoping for their return, answering a forwarded phone at my husband’s dental office (which I was managing at the time) to eventually printing a color catalogue with villa photos and embracing the computerized era and dominance of the Worldwide Web as a way to communicate (thanks to my son and VP Tom Smyth).

Now, I have been told that blogging is a further progression of what I need to do in this cyber-space day and age. I love to talk about St. Barth as it is my passion and blogging is like talking, so why not? My trademark Live Your Dream ® says it all.

My blogs will be mostly geared to St. Barth and all that is going on there. My husband, Steve and I live on the island six months a year and the rest of the year I travel back and forth from our home on Cape Cod usually with staff members who are doing site inspections of our villas and hotels and going to restaurants (both new and long-standing). I do love to travel however, so I may on occasion be blogging from elsewhere.

This blog is a work in progress, so if any of you have suggestions as to what topics you would like to see discussed, please let me know.


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Posts Tagged ‘Tom’s Natural Juice Bar’

Julie Nally’s St. Barth Trip Report

Thursday, May 18th, 2017

Discover some new St. Barth favorites

Julie Nally

Julie Nally

Our St. Barth Villa Specialist, Julie Nally (20 years with SBP) just returned from her spring inspection trip to St. Barth. She stayed at various places for a night or two, as is customary when the staff is on one of their reconnaissance tours that occurs twice a year. Julie spent a few nights at the new 5-star hotel, Villa Marie Saint Barth. (Loved it!) She said, “Standout Hotel: Villa Marie – Brand new boutique hotel located in Colombier. One of the room amenities I loved the most was the super soft bathrobe provided for all guests.  Bathrobes are obviously not a new item offered. However, this specific robe was the most comfortable and best fitting I have ever had. I wanted to buy one to bring home, but unfortunately, they are not for sale. Their branded Pure Altitude facial and body products provided are lovely as well.”

Villa Marie

Julie loved having breakfast, poolside, at the hotel Villa Marie

Julie continued to say, “The ambiance at the property is very nice…tropical, lots of vegetation, hillside.” The restaurant at the hotel is called, François Plantation in tribute to the former restaurant that used to occupy the same spot when the hotel with the same appellation was there many years ago. Julie dined there and said, “It was very good (gastronomique) a bit expensive, also.  Of course, right?!  LOL.” I’ve dined there a few times myself and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s well worth it and it’s always full, so please make sure to ask us to make a reservation for you.

François Plantation restaurant at Villa Marie

François Plantation restaurant at Villa Marie

Julie then checked into Villa Aronnax – This luxurious one bedroom pied-à-terre is in the heart of Gustavia. Julie loved it for its views, infinity pool and location. She said. “Aronnax – Great for a couple or solo traveler who wants to experience the heart of Gustavia and all it has to offer…delicious food, tasty treats, fabulous shopping, and lovely people to meet and converse with.  Being able to keep my car parked in its own designated spot and walk to Shell Beach earns Villa Aronnax extra stars!” Its proximity to Tom’s Natural Juice Bar was perfect. Julie would start her day with one of their fresh fruit & vegetable smoothies or acai bowls. She’d pick up some house-made hummus and sunflower crackers to fuel her for a morning full of villa inspections.

Gustavia sunset

Julie captured this Gustavia sunset while walking back to Villa Aronnax

Other tidbits from Julie. “Standout spots for the health-conscious traveler: In addition to Tom’s Juice bar, there is a new place in St Jean, Chez SO, specializing in organic salads made fresh daily at 6 euro/bowl as well as smoothies, sandwiches, and desserts.”

Julie inspected, many, many villas on her trip and told me her, “Standout villas: Villa LAO – Brand new, located high on the hillside in Corossol with three en suite bedrooms, all with a private Jacuzzi. The view is amazing and the location is private, peaceful, and convenient.” She also loved Villa Clés des Vents that is located in the gated community of Mont Jean. In her own words, “Incredibly private, serene, tranquil.   Furnishings and décor are classic but luxurious.  A ‘home away from home’ style and comfortability.”

Villa Clés des Vents

Villa Clés des Vents is one of Julie’s new favorites

I am heading back to St. Barth on Sunday to gather information for our next Live Your Dream magazine and looking forward to writing articles for your enjoyment. I will also be organizing and planning our beachside party when we unveil the magazine and launch the new season. It will be in the late fall. I can give you the exact date when I return. I hope to see you there!


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Le Scaphandre Et Le Papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
Directed by Julian Schnabel
Written by Ronald Harwood
From the book by Jean-Dominique Bauby

The eye is everything, the eye is the universe, the eye is God. And the eye is what Schnabel nails, that crucial POV. Crucial out of how the eye is all that’s left of Jean Dominque Bauby that works after an apocalyptic stroke leaves him severely crippled - - -well, that and his lucid brain. Disembodied but connective, biological yet psychic, it drinks in the world around it with a fetishistic relish, it ogles cleavage all boy and lascivious, it gums up when it gets so lonesome it could cry.

Bauby, he had no mouth and he must scream, sort of. And the eye was it- - - breaking down gregarious streams of consciousness into particles of code. I don’t quite get how it works exactly, this alphabet of twitches and tics, and don’t much care to, really. Knowing perhaps that as a feat of will, it’s a marvel, but as a trope, it can get distracting and turn gimmicky, Schnabel resists making its termite interstices and multiple moving parts central. He resists, too, making goo of injury. The human spirit rah-rah. The banalities of melodrama. Not that old school tearjerk is above him. Just lurid self-pitying, store-bought pathos, groveling for sympathy, cliche. The beach scene with Bauby and family gets milked for poignant crush once and never again and it’s the desperate yearning of Tom Waits’ All The World Is Green that does most of the work.

Bauby’s profound wreckage, reduced from robust to debris by the whip of fate. But it’s his loved ones that dismantle - - -and Max Von Sydow as his father disintegrates so brutally it claws lesions in my forebrain. Otherwise, Bauby’s funny, unrepentant, perverse, agog. What he sees through his cyclop gaze is a heightened state. Of bewilderment and awe. Of hallucination and catharsis. Slide past 35 and the horror story of locked-in syndrome seeps like ink into your brainfolds. That scene when it strikes Bauby gave me palpitations. I couldn't look. Locked-in syndrome is a terminal sentence. And the diving bell is more than a metaphor for Bauby's insurgent body. It’s the locked room the dying hole up in, the one with a less dispiriting view, with the possibility of uplift. Making peace with death,after all, is the ultimate triumph of the will. And its beautiful oblivion is what Schnabel aims for. No one is more alive than someone aware of his doom. It's a sad and awful thing but also a transcendent thing , a blissful thing, a state of grace, and when that rampant eye takes flight like a superpower , it soars high enough that it defies the gravity of the situation.

Noel Vera said...

It's easily the best film of last year. Of several years, batflicks notwithstanding.

dodo dayao said...

Agree,agree. Schnabel, I always liked his art but now,after his three films,he has my full attention as a filmmaker.

Andy Briones said...

I'm not a big fan of Schnabel as a filmmaker; I like his art though.


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Beating a path to my own forthcoming surge of yearend listmaking, despite fluctuating server malfunction, and taking a page from Richard Bolisay but picking only five plus one picked despite the potential nepotism, as I haven't been scrounging about and I find the whole MTV aesthetic a little annoying to begin with. I do regret having little in the way of Asian work but here be my favorite music videos from the year that was, mercifully free of those loathsome music video mannerisms, and ranked ,as ranking has become my new fetish but prone, as always, to changing, possibly even as soon as I've hit "publish" on this post.The songs kill,too, if you must know. Click on the titles to watch.

1. Lovely Bloodflow, Baths (directed by Alex Takacs and Joe Nankin)

2. Cold War, Janelle Monae (directed by Wendy Morgan)

3. Stick To My Side, Pantha Du Prince (directed by Amaury Agier-Aurel)

4.Window Seat, Erykah Badu (directed by Coodie)

5. Marching Song, Ebsen and the Witch (directed by Peter King and David Procter)

6. Where Are You My River? , Vigo (directed by Dante Perez)

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Review: Vivid

Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen At my parents’ house sits a shrine to our ancestors. There are photos of people I loved, and people I never knew: my grandmothers, grandfathers, the greats and the greats before them. Every morning, my mother kneels and prays. She closes her eyes and hums tunelessly, lighting sticks of incense. The air fills with their  ...

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MAS Pro is a Professional audio server for both multi-track applications as well as multi-zoning. Each of its 16 or 32 CobraNet channels can be synchronized together individually or by groups, and can be controlled independently or by groups. Its high quality CobraNet interface provides state-of-the-art audio quality.

Key Features

  • Rack size (2U)
  • 2 GB DDR2, SDRAM, 667Mhz
  • 1 x 128 GB SSD Flash Drive, capacity: approx. 10 hours / tracks
  • CPU Intel E6420 Core 2 Duo, 2.13 GHz, 1066Mhz, 4MB Cache Processor
  • 16 or 32 Cobranet channels
  • Remote configuration and control software with following functionalities
  • File up load
  • File selection per channels
  • Play, Pause, Stop commands per channels
  • MAS PRO can be completely controlled via TCP IP or Serial
  • Protocol commands: Play, Pause, Stop, Locate
  • Open Media, Close Media
  • Set Volume, Set Balance, Set loop, Fade, Setmono