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Women Winemakers Shaping Maryland's Wine Industry
Maryland's Mighty Vanguard, Women Winemakers
March is women's month. Many organizations are hosting events to recognize women in the wine industry. As recently as last week, Women of the Vine & Spirits Symposium Works for Advancement of Women in the Industry was held in Napa, California. Over 700 women and men gather to tell the stories of women in the industry.
Women are making noticeable advances in winemaking although the industry is still predominately led by men. Largely because vineyards are owned and operated by men especially in Old World and traditional wine producing countries, like France and New Zealand. Progressive regions, like California, are reporting an increase of women in winemaking. According to Wine Enthusiast Magazine 2016 article, "The 2015 graduating class from UC Davis's enology and viticulture program was about half female, up from just one third in 1999." This is exciting news, but the same article reported the number of top winemaking jobs growth did not ascend as quickly. The Women Winemakers of California Survey indicated "progress appears steady but slow" for ownership and lead winemakers.
Are Maryland women experiencing similar opportunities as the west coast? To help me answer this question, I consulted Catrina North, Winemaker at Crow Farm and Vineyard (Kennedyville, MD). Catrina answered a resounding "YES". That was not the answer I was expecting. There over 70 wineries and vineyards in Maryland. There are only four women who are lead winemakers in Maryland. Old Westminster Winery, Port of Leonardtown Winery, and Knob Hall are the other vineyards in addition to Crow Farm and Vineyard. Four out of 72 does not appear extremely promising. How is this environment progressive?
Catrina explained Maryland is a new wine region. It is emerging, similar to how the New York's Finger Lakes region was 10 years ago. Maryland is shaping its own path. The industry is not confined by tradition or does not have regulations limiting what types of grapes can be planted. Because of this, vineyard owners and winemakers are eager to try new and different vinifera to the region. They are also exploring new planting techniques. This brings Catrina back to why Maryland is as progressive as California. With an environment that is welcoming to setting new rules, it also embraces more women in leadership. Maryland has female vineyard owners, and women on winemakers' staff.
Catrina's baby face hides the fact she has been making wine for over 12 years. She studied winemaking in Australia in 2006. She was one of four women out of a class of 100. Her path to wine was direct. Unlike her male counterparts, who began careers in other industries and later pivoted to wine. Catrina's career path began with studying the sciences to wine, similar to other female winemakers. This is notable because women are entering the business very early in their careers. Catrina and other women will have a longer and greater imprint on shaping the wine culture in Maryland.
This imprint is visible already. Lisa Hinton, Old Westminster Winery winemaker, uses pétillant-naturel method for making sparkling wines. Not a frequently used method in Maryland, but she is realizing success with it and trending in other markets. Port of Leonardtown Winery's winemaker, Lauren Zimmerman talents have been recognized at many national and international wine competitions. Port of Leonardtown Winery as recently as this winter received several awards for its red wines at the East Meets West International Wine Competition.
Catrina enthusiasm for making wine is contagious. It is inspired by Crow Vineyard's wine club members and the great team she works with. She is trying new techniques with the Vidal Blanc grape and I cannot wait to try it. This spirit shared by others and is spreading across Maryland. Thus, propelling the state to the forefront of the wine industry.


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subset: commoncrawl


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My office is on the 25th floor of an office building in downtown Minneapolis. On any day when I look out my windows, I see peregrine falcons cruising, looking for prey–pigeons, mostly. It is not unusual to see a falcon dive-bomb a pigeon, bring his carcass to a ledge on my building, and eat him. Concrete canyons like the ones my office overlooks have turned out to be excellent habitats for predators like the peregrine falcon, and they have flourished in recent decades.
Still, both falcons and pigeons are native to a more rural environment. This BBC video–filmed, seemingly, with a miniature camera mounted on the back of a pigeon–shows an encounter between a peregrine falcon and a group of pigeons, up close:


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TL Audio Ebony A2 and Fat Track user Hank Shocklee has been nominated for a Grammy® in the category of Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or other Visual Media for his work on the American Gangster original motion picture soundtrack.
The Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment film teams Oscar® winners Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe to tell the true story of criminal mastermind Frank Lucas, who came up from the streets of New York in the '70s. It was produced by Academy Award®-winning producer Brian Grazer and directed and produced by Ridley Scott.
Hank Shocklee, who was extensively involved with the project, wrote and produced new songs for the film and soundtrack including the title song by Grammy-nominated platinum artist Anthony Hamilton "Do You Feel Me" which was composed by megaplatinum Grammy-winning and Oscar®-nominated songwriter Diane Warren.
"Do You Feel Me" along with other original compositions you hear in the film are featured on the American Gangster original motion picture soundtrack album via Island Def Jam. Shocklee says, "Ridley Scott wanted someone to bring an authentic sound to the film and create music with a retro late 1960's to mid 1970's feel to it. I loved working on this project because it allowed me to go in the studio and imagine a period in time that was the very beginnings of hip hop, where blues, soul, funk, latin and afro-beat all started to mesh together and inspired the sounds of the hip hop generation on the streets of New York".
Hank Shocklee, who is best known for his innovative & unique production style and for founding the group Public Enemy is behind some of the most significant music and film projects of the last two decades. Also a veteran industry executive, the former Universal Records Senior Vice President now serves as President for Shocklee Entertainment. Currently he is preparing for his new project Bomb Squad alongside his brother Keith Shocklee which will be released in 2009.
View more:
TL Audio TLAudio Ebony A1 discrete Class A preamp


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LI's 'Fit Fem,' Sylvia Nasser, gets us bikini-ready by June (in style!)
Sylvia Nasser, 29, of Hicksville, started her in-home personal training and online fitness company, The Fit Fem, with one goal in mind: to give women a fun yet effective way to get fit and feel better about themselves.
Nasser runs her business at thefitfem.com, trains women throughout Long Island and teaches weekly kickboxing classes in Jericho.
"The Fit Fem Studio focuses on getting women healthy, but having them appreciate and embrace their bodies during the process," Nasser says.
And part of feeling good while shedding those pounds, she says, is having the right workout wardobe.
With less than two weeks until spring, we talked to her about the workout essentials you need to get on the right track, fast.
What does your workout wardrobe include?
A bright colored T-shirt or tank that is dry fit, a durable sports bra, colorful sneakers and tight cropped workout pants usually from Nike and Lululemon. Two things I can't live without are a good sports bra (every woman needs a good sports bra while exercising for support and to absord sweat) and colorful sneakers that are supportive of your feet.
For those new to the gym scene, what should they buy first?
The first thing you should buy is a good pair of sneakers. This is important; you should go to a sneaker store and get fitted because if you don't have the right support and your feet always hurt, you will stop working out.
What's your tip for a quick workout fashion pick-me-up?
Adding color to your wardrobe will boost your mood and make you want to add more energy to your workout.
What are some of your favorite fitness brands?
I love Lululemon. It is a bit pricey, but their material lasts for a long time, they feel great on the body, they have the dry fit component and they are very fashionable. They can be worn outside of the gym and during any workout, not just yoga and running. I am fond of Nike; I love the colors and the fit material. They are more athletic in style and the quality is great. They can be washed numerous times and they have very high-energy colors.
Is it worth it to spend more on high-end fitness clothing?
For the avid fitness enthusiast who has a little extra to spend, Lululemon is definitely the way to go. If someone is new to fitness and is used to wearing ripped-up, 10-year-old T-shirts and sweatpants at the gym, Old Navy would be an excellent option because it has cute gear at a really affordable price.
Why is what you wear while working out important?
There is a psychological factor. As a trainer I see it in my clients. When my clients wear something that is old and worn and torn they lack confidence and don't give their all during their workouts. You have to dress to impress even if it means impressing yourself. When you look better you do better.
Any tips for plus-sized women at the gym?
A lot of times, plus-sized women feel that they have to cover their curves and wear big T-shirts and sweatpants to the gym. They think they are hiding, but they appear larger than they are. There is nothing wrong with a plus-sized woman wearing form-fitting pants and tops, because when you wear flattering clothing it boosts self-confidence and it will make you want to work out harder.
What is the most common workout style mistake you see?
Wearing a size too small or too big and not wearing a sports bra are big workout style mistakes. Lack of support is very unflattering.
There are some pretty cute swimsuits coming out this summer. How do you recommend we get our bodies beach-ready by June?
I normally suggest an average of four to five days worth of cardio and two to three days worth of strength, as well as at least one day of stretching and flexibility workouts like yoga to really see results by June. I currently have a jumpstart weight-loss program called Going to Miami. It was specifically designed for women who want to lose those extra pounds for the summer or for a beach vacation. I offer nutritional guidelines along with a five-day meal plan, 16 unique workouts and customized newsletters for each day of the program.
Can you give us a sample workout?
Here is a sample workout routine that can be done anywhere and any time that is part of the Going To Miami Jumpstart Weight Loss Program. This one is a Tabata routine; there are four exercises. Each exercise consists of 20 seconds work and 10 seconds rest, repeated seven times. Allow for two minutes rest in between each exercise.
1. Power Jacks
2. Mountain Climbers
3. Bicycle Crunches
4. Plank Jacks
This workout is done once a week, but if you want to do this on your own you can take any exercise (also includes running on a treadmill or elliptical) and do seven or eight rounds of it (20 seconds work and 10 seconds rest). It's my favorite way to work out because it requires no real equipment. It's short and it's intense, and it's been proven to show more results than steady state cardio!
Nasser can be contacted at email@example.com, or through Facebook or Twitter. Check out her top workout gear picks at exploreli.com/shopping.
We're revamping our Comments section. Learn more and share your input.


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President Barack Obama said Wednesday the nation needs to start talking about tougher gun laws. That might be the end of the conversation.
The White House offered no specific follow-up. Neither did congressional leaders, who say they have no plans to pursue legislation, which faces broad congressional opposition…
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, was noncommittal when asked if Democrats would get behind legislation to restrict the sale of large magazines or assault rifles. "There are important voices on both sides of this issue," she said.
The polls still show considerable support for practical measures to curb gun violence. For example: a 2011 New York Times/CBS News poll found that 63 percent of Americans favor a ban on high-capacity magazines; just as many supported an assault-weapons ban. The same year, a Washington Post/ABC News poll found that 83 percent supported financing a system in which people treated for mental illness would be reported to a federal gun registry database to prevent them from buying guns; 71 percent favored this for those treated for drug abuse.
Such numbers should give heart to those who seek solutions to gun violence. Yet so many progressive donors have given up on financing the cause of gun safety. And although President Obama took an important step forward in a New Orleans speech Wednesday night, so many progressive politicians sit back and assume that the gun lobby will win again.
There is a word for this: surrender.
The suddenness and confusion of that moment points out the folly of the politician's belief that an armed civilian could have easily taken out James Holmes. Imagine the scene: speakers blasting, larger-than-life heroes and villains on the screen, and suddenly real gunshots, a man in a gas mask firing one of three weapons — a shotgun, handgun and rifle, with extended magazines for extra ammo capacity — into the panicking crowd. Even a highly trained, armed police officer would have been caught off guard. Try adding a bunch of untrained, armed civilians into the mix — this type of intervention could have made things much worse…
The pro- and anti-gun groups need to sit down and let common sense rule. We register automobiles and require proof of driving proficiency before granting driving licenses. Is it so unreasonable to consider a national or state-by-state registry for firearms? While I'm not totally opposed to concealed carry laws, why not require comprehensive background checks, psychological screening and training? And while it might be considered un-American to prevent an ordinary citizen from owning an assault rifle, would it be too much to ask why he needs to have a specially modified 100-round magazine?
As a former policeman, I know that such measures would help law enforcement do its job. As an American, I hope that they could help us head off the next tragedy of this type.
Several months ago our family had an extremely troubling personal encounter with a man obsessed with my (and my wife's) political writing, an encounter that occurred on the heels of angry blog comments that openly wondered about our address. I understand and sympathize with the infantry officer's lament that he doesn't want America to be like Iraq, where you carry a gun everywhere, every day, but his lament is irrelevant to my family's unique challenges. I also understand — just as the cop argues — that a gunfight can be a terrifying, confusing, dangerous affair, but is it more or less terrifying when the criminal is the only one armed? In reality, while mass shootings are exceedingly rare, law-abiding citizens use guns every day to protect themselves from situations less dramatic but no less consequential to their personal safety.
The self-defense experts on the Times editorial board say that I don't need anything more than a 10-round "clip" to defend my children, my wife, and myself, but the cop on the same page of the paper talks about how even trained professionals can blow through high-capacity magazines in a true firefight. Why don't we let the citizen decide what he or she needs? A free society trusts its sane, law-abiding citizens to make the right kinds of judgments regarding their own lives. We can't delegate those judgments to a government that almost always can't protect us in our moment of maximum need, nor will I sacrifice my family's safety to a pie-in-the-sky vision of a liberal, gun-free utopia.
In other words: Dear New York Times, don't tell me how to defend my family.
The wise men of Washington tell us that candidates are silent on guns because to speak out is to incur the wrath of the National Rifle Association. But polls consistently show that gun owners, including NRA members, overwhelmingly support the common sense measures that mayors across the country have been trying to get Washington to pass for years…
The NRA is a $200 million-plus-a-year lobbying juggernaut, with much of its funding coming from gun manufacturers and merchandising. More than anything, the NRA is a marketing organization, and its flagship product is fear. Gun sales jumped after Obama was elected president, based on the absurd — and now demonstrably false — fear that he would seek to ban guns.
There is one particular fear the NRA manufactures with great success: fear of electoral defeat. Romney has walked away from the assault-weapons ban he once supported, and in nearly four years, Obama has offered no legislation to rein in illegal guns. In Congress, the NRA threatens lawmakers who fail to do its ideological bidding, although its record in defeating candidates is much more myth than reality.
By the standards usually set for our politics, the NRA is a model organization. We say we want people more involved in the process. The NRA's more than 4 million members are highly engaged. The organization's recent national conference in St. Louis attracted 73,000 people — one of the largest conventions ever held in the city.
We say there's too much partisanship. Single-mindedly committed to its cause, the NRA endorsed about 60 House Democrats in 2010.
And we say that we value the Constitution. Gun-control advocates, nonetheless, treat the Second Amendment like an "ink blot" (to borrow Robert Bork's famous phrase for the Ninth Amendment). They consider it an anachronism, an unfortunate lapse by James Madison, a forlorn leftover from the 18th century. They were all duly shocked when the Supreme Court ruled, in its 2008 decision District of Columbia v. Heller, that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to bear arms.
No one, during fair political weather or foul, has been as unstinting in its protection of that right as the NRA. For that, we should be grateful.
Via Mediaite.


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Some people may be nervous about sleeping suspended in mid air. However I am here to tell you fear not! With a little practice and a lot of imagination you will soon be wondering how you ever slept on the ground. Whether you are taking it on trail, on the beach, or just feel like watching the night sky in your neighborhood, a hammock will change the way you travel, the way you sleep, and will have you perpetually thinking, "I could hang my hammock from that…"
Light and portable
Not only are ENO hammocks made from parachute material, which is obscenely strong and light, if you decide to use a hammock instead of a tent you are eliminating stakes, tent poles, and bulky sleeping pads. If it's going to be a rainy night, bring along a lightweight tarp. Your back will thank you in the long run.
Nothing's more comfortable than sleeping on top of air
Ever spent the night wedged between a root and a giant, immovable rock? Or perhaps you're in the Yukon territory, sleeping, ever so unpleasantly, on top of thousands of muddy hummocks. One amazing aspect of sleeping in a hammock is that you are essentially sleeping in mid air and, as far as I can tell, there aren't any pesky tree roots or rogue rocks up there.
You look like an Ewok
Gather a group of friends, tie up your hammocks, grab a book and recreate your favorite Star Wars scene. I like to imagine myself in an Ewok forest, sheltered, ever so cutely, by a race of teddy bear people. Get a jacket with a furry hood and you're half way there. Furthermore, having a hammock allows you to look up at the stars and imagine what the galaxy was like "a long, long time ago."
Cuddling is NOT an option
If you're lucky enough to have a two-person hammock then you already know that effective cuddling strategies are a must. You could complain about how you inevitably roll onto your partner or you could embrace it and see it as an opportunity to practice your spooning positions.
No hot-boxing allowed
If you've ever been the unfortunate victim of a hot-box (when someone farts in your tent) then worry no more. With the glorious open-air nature of a hammock you will no longer need to fear the putrid fumes of your tent mate.
Will work on any tree
If you have two sturdy, immovable objects, you can hang a hammock. Whether you are amidst the dense evergreens of the Pacific Northwest, the palm trees in the tropics, or scattered amongst the bare landscape of Joshua Tree, you can find a happy, temporary home.


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Contributor(s): Bob Campbell, Steven Weinberger
As of December 2009, THL is using G-Technology, Inc. external hard drives. Purchase these from GovConnection (or CDW-Gov) with an LPO through Mick Watson.
Information to order from GovConnection:
2TB G-Raid Gen 4 Storage hard drive
G-Technology, Inc.
Item #: 10356351
Mfr #: GR42000
Always format external hard drives in NTFS format. Windows reads and writes to this natively. Mac OS X reads and writes to it by installing the following free software: http://sourceforge.net/projects/catacombae/files/NTFS-3G%20for%20Mac%20OS%20X/2009.4.4/NTFS-3G_2009.4.4-catacombae.dmg/download
If you have questions about this software for Mac, see the following page: http://www.ntfs-3g.org/releases.html
You can also consult http://macntfs-3g.blogspot.com/
Arin Bennett, manager of the Digital Media Lab, also suggested this method Jan 2010, but we would have to check to see 1) if a Mac could read the NTFS section of the hard drive and 2) if a Windows machine could read the FAT32 section:
You could partition the free space on your NTFS harddrive as FAT32 which would allow you to save your processed images and read/write on both PC and Mac. That is, you read the images off the NTFS partition and write the new images to the FAT32 volume.


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LED Tube SMD3014 manufacturer,Shenzhen Huancai Li
Supplier Details
Shenzhen Huancai Lighting Technology Co.,LTD
Free Member (2011)
[ Shenzhen, GU, China ]
Business Type: Manufacturer
Supplier has 187 products
Quick Details
Packaging and Delivery
Product Description
Huancai LED Lighting LED lighting is Guarantee of quality and confidence in the industry, and realise the product specifications standardized, mass production of a unique business model in led lighting industry.
Huancai develop and manufacture full range of the LED lighting applications product, and products mix diversification
- LED lighting series include: street lamps, floodlights, wall lights, lamp, bulb, led tube, lamp and other series of tunnels, some of which has our own petents.
Honesty, practical,high efficiency,development,We win, the customer win.
National agency,worldwide agency, consignment, join hot in cooperation
Looking forward to your cooperation!
Mobile:86-13430669550 Mr Wei
Basic Information
About Us
Shenzhen Huancai start 2003,is is a high technology manufacturing enterprise with R&D and sells LED products in the optoelectronic lighting series.
Our company specialize in LED lights which applied in householder,outdoor,business center and landscape. We are rely on Science and Technology,focusing on energy-saving.keeping continuous innovation and closely following development trend of lighting industry around the world.We positively follow the new concept of "technology makes country prosperous,enviromental protecion,energy saving??.We are committed to shaping the leading position in the LED energy-saving industry.
We are in line with the tent of "market demand as premise,building a world-calss brand of lighting industry as goal,based on excellent quality,centered in the innovation,service leading of brand strategy".We will provide highly efficet,safe,engergy saving and environment protective lighting products and considerate service for our valued customers.
Through unremtting efforts and continuously innvoation,our products are exported to Europe,Japan,America, South-America and Southeast Asia.
Main Products:
Led tube light,LED bulb light,LED cup light,LED spot light,LED landscape light,LED street light,LED underground light,etc.
Member History
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text:
Monitor, track and identify poorly performing SQL before moving to production. Expert advisors speed application deployment with improved query design, statistics quality and index values.
Deep drill down to identify problems at any time from any location. See where transactions spend time. Ensures organizations get a complete view of performance across the enterprise.
Workload management helps you align system resources to business priorities and improves utilization to defer upgrades.


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YOU ARE WATCHING: My Strange Hero
Have a nice day! All The Best
My Strange Hero
When Kang Bok Soo was a high school student, he was falsely accused of committing acts of violence and ended up expelled from school. Those who brought the accusations against him were his first love, Son Soo Jung (Jo Bo Ah), and a fellow student Oh Se Ho . Kang Bok Soo has now become an adult, but in his life, nothing seems to go right for him. To get revenge on Son Soo Jung and Oh Se Ho, he decides to return to the same high school. There Kang Bok Soo gets involved in a series of unexpected cases.
Genres: Comedy, Mystery, Romance
Country: South Korea
Movie: My Strange Hero
Production Co:
Release: 2018


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Note: Windows XP End of Support -- What you need to know (PDF)
- Date: Oct 29, 2007
- Version: 5.48.30
- Size: 2.7 MB
- Format: EXE
Web-based PostScript Driver Installer
DescriptionWeb-based PostScript driver installer for the Phaser 8400. Microsoft WHQL certified.
- Recommended
- PostScript
- Date: Jan 5, 2016
- Version: 5.469.9.0
- Format: WWW
Xerox Global Print Driver
DescriptionThe free Xerox Global Print Driver manages Xerox and non-Xerox printers on your network with a single, easy-to-use interface. It dramatically simplifies enterprise printer management for IT managers, making it easy to add and update printers without changing drivers.
- Global / Mobile
- Package-Aware
- V3 Driver
Note: Please re-select your Operating System and Language choices after you are re-directed to the Global Print Driver web page.
For more information about the benefits and features of the Xerox Global Print Driver please go to: www.xerox.com/global
- Date: Oct 29, 2007
- Version: 5.48.30
- Size: 5.3 MB
- Format: EXE
PostScript Driver
DescriptionWindows 2000/XP/03/08/Vista/Windows 7 PostScript 32-bit driver files for the Xerox Phaser 8400. This driver uses the Add Printer Wizard and offers full support of the printer-specific features for the Phaser 8400. Microsoft WHQL Certified.
- PostScript
- Date: Nov 18, 2004
- Version: 220.127.116.11
- Size: 2.5 MB
- Format: EXE
PCL Driver
DescriptionWindows 2000/XP/03 PCL driver. This driver uses the Add Printer Wizard - Select "Open" when prompted during the installation process.Note: This Driver should only be installed when printing from an application that requires a PCL driver. The PostScript driver is recommended for printing from the majority of applications.
- Date: Aug 19, 2000
- Version:
- Size: 1.3 MB
- Format: EXE
Windows PostScript PPD Driver Files - 32/64-bit
DescriptionWindows 2000/XP/2003/2008/Vista PostScript driver files for the Xerox DocuPrint, DocuColor and Phaser products. This driver supports 64-bit versions of Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista/Windows 7 as well as 32-bit versions of Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Vista/Windows 7.
- PostScript
Utilities & Applications
- Date: Mar 8, 2016
- Version: 188.8.131.52
- Size: 3 MB
- Format: File
Font Management UtilityDescriptionFont Management Utility.
- Date: Oct 1, 2014
- Version: 184.108.40.206
- Size: 30.6 MB
- Format: EXE
Usage Analysis Tool for Xerox PrintersDescriptionUsage Analysis Tool for Xerox printers. This tool allows system administrators to automatically track printer usage and obtain job accounting records.
- Date: May 29, 2007
- Version:
- Size: 105.5 KB
- Format: EXE
Xerox File Downloader UtilityDescriptionXerox utility for downloading PostScript files or PostScript fonts to PostScript printers over any connection.
- Date: Jan 31, 2007
- Version:
- Format: WWW
Novell Distributed Print Services (NDPS)DescriptionClick the file link to visit the Xerox NDPS Gateway download page. Xerox NDPS Solution allows use of Novell NDPS with many models of Xerox printers .
- Date: Oct 29, 2006
- Version:
- Format: WWW
Xerox CentreWare Web Device Management SoftwareDescriptionRobust, easy-to-use, Web-based tool helps increase organizational efficiency by managing and reporting on all of the networked SNMP printers and multifunction devices across the entire enterprise-regardless of manufacturer.
- Date: Oct 5, 2005
- Version: 3.0
- Size: 2.1 MB
- Format: EXE
Xerox MaiLinx Remote Internet PrintingDescriptionXerox MaiLinx Remote Internet Printing software. MaiLinx allows printing to one or more Xerox printers over the internet directly from Windows applications. The print jobs are sent via email.
- Date: May 10, 2005
- Version: NA
- Size: 29.5 KB
- Format: EXE
SetScreen UtilityDescriptionSetScreen utility for controlling the halftone screens used by Phaser printers.
- Date: Aug 17, 2004
- Version: NA
- Size: 38 KB
- Format: EXE
JetFix Snippet FilesDescriptionJetFix snippet files. These should only be used if the Eliminate Light Stripes procedure does not clear a blocked printhead jet. The JetFix snippet files perform a special printhead cleaning/jetting function. Read the readme file included before using the JetFix snippets.
- Date: May 20, 2004
- Version: 4.x
- Size: 952.5 KB
- Format: EXE
PostScript Printer Description Files (PPD)DescriptionPPD files for Xerox DocuPrint and Phaser printers.
- Date: Jan 9, 2004
- Version: 4.x
- Size: 63.5 KB
- Format: EXE
Application Specific Files (PPD)DescriptionXerox Phaser 8400 application files (PPD files).
- Date: Oct 28, 2003
- Version: NA
- Size: 496 KB
- Format: EXE
MIB Files for SNMP ProtocolDescriptionXerox Phaser and DocuPrint N-Series MIB files for use with the SNMP protocol.
- Date: May 13, 2002
- Version: 184.108.40.206
- Size: 8.4 MB
- Format: EXE
PrinterMap Printer Administrative and Management SoftwareDescriptionXerox PrinterMap printer administrative and management software.
- Date: May 8, 2002
- Version: NA
- Size: 431 KB
- Format: EXE
Network Utility FilesDescriptionPC network utility files for Phaser color printers.
- Date: Jun 9, 2000
- Version: NA
- Size: 74 bytes
- Format: File
PostScript SnippetDescriptionPostScript snippet to set the printer to print multiple copies
Note: It is highly recommended to consult with your Network or System Administrator before performing any software (firmware) update. Some updates may cause the machine to become non-compliant and cease to work as intended with the environment in which it is installed.
- Date: Jun 10, 2004
- Version:
- Format: WWW
Printhead Firmware UpdateDescriptionPhaser 8400 Registration Form and Printhead Firmware update file downloadsNote: If your Phaser 8400 printer's serial number is below RPC044426, complete the registration form and click submit. If your serial number is higher than RPC044426, you do not need to download this update.
Color Profiles
- Date: Feb 19, 2004
- Version: NA
- Size: 487 KB
- Format: EXE
ICC ProfilesDescriptionXerox Phaser 8400 color printer ICC profiles.
- Date: Feb 11, 2004
- Version: NA
- Size: 3.8 MB
- Format: EXE
PANTONE® Color Calibrated Tables, Charts and Application Library files.DescriptionXerox Phaser 8400 PANTONE® color calibrated look-up tables, charts and application library files (ACF, BCF, CLIB, AI)
- Date: Dec 28, 2001
- Version: NA
- Size: 331 KB
- Format: EXE
PowerPoint Color ChartDescriptionPowerPoint Color Chart to display the colors your printer produces and assist color matching decisions based on the printed output.


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Although I can't enter every Carnival of Genealogy, the 72nd seemed rather special:
Mothers! Mother's Day is right around the corner and this is the perfect time to honor your mother, grandmother, godmother, step mother, den mother, aunt, neighbor, or friend who happens to be a mother. If you've written about your own mother for the COG before, consider writing about another mom on your family tree. Let's make all our moms famous!
My mother died far away at age 57. I was on a different continent at the time and my siblings had to take care of the arrangements. No-one who is over 50 thinks that 57 is "old." No-one who is under 50 wants to think their mother will die some day. Such were the times and circumstances, I can only remember my overwhelming grief, anxiety and bewilderment pouring out uncontrollably in a washroom at Heathrow airport.
Sometimes I think the younger you are when you lose a parent, you are so stunned you have trouble later remembering the funeral and burial details. Sometimes I think hardly knew the whole person who was my mother. It takes maturity to recognize a mother as an individual, not "just" a mother who only exists in relationship to the me. Much of it I did in hindsight. We are all less than perfect individuals, even mothers and fathers.
Clare was an only child of Latvian descent. She was quite beautiful. Photographs do not capture the distinction of her eyes, one blue and one green. Her parents spoiled her, and also restricted her. She was bright in school—creativity was her forte, in writing and particularly in drawing. Playing the piano and riding horses were other passions. Her heart's desire to attend art college in Boston or New York, where she had relatives, was strongly vetoed by her father.
So she earned a job as a local newspaper journalist in the 1930s, having to content herself with her language and grammar skills. Nevertheless, in a small town, Clare was relatively sophisticated. Her parents and relatives imbued a then-exotic European influence that suited her spirit.
Marriage and children somewhat stifled her creative side for a while, unless you count sewing and baking. But she found an outlet eventually in art courses and exhibitions. The hiring of maids (remember DPs? "displaced persons") and kids off to private schools gave her the chance to step outside the motherhood role. As a widow, she re-focused her energy to steer the family business for a while.
Clare had sadness in her life too. Was she mis-matched in marriage? Did she ultimately feel unfulfilled? Did she inherit a genetic predisposition to addiction? She lost her first child. She suffered the poor choice of a second husband.
Mom never knew her children succeeded in their own ways; she never knew all her grandchildren and they didn't know her. We all lost. I don't want to make her famous. I like to think of her best when she felt happy.
With Chief Walking Buffalo, Banff, 1952; family photograph collection, BDM.
10 May 2009
2 comments:
- Janet Iles said...
Thanks for sharing your tribute to your mother.
It must have been very difficult for you to be far from home when your mother died.
- Sunday, 10 May, 2009
- Judith Richards Shubert said...
Brenda, your Mom was truly a very beautiful woman. Now her grandchildren can know her through your eyes and words.
- Wednesday, 20 May, 2009
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Chateau Pontet-Canet Futures Pre-Sale 2016
Château Pontet-canet:
After a difficult viticulture season in 2007, we had hoped for a little more peace. Unfortunately, life choose otherwise. While the first grapes were emerging in the vineyard, Gérard Tesseron was taken from us brutally, leaving as he had lived: with discretion and humility. His passing put the year's difficult climate into some perspective compared to life's tragedies. By then, our success ... Read more
After a difficult viticulture season in 2007, we had hoped for a little more peace. Unfortunately, life choose otherwise. While the first grapes were emerging in the vineyard, Gérard Tesseron was taken from us brutally, leaving as he had lived: with discretion and humility. His passing put the year's difficult climate into some perspective compared to life's tragedies. By then, our success in containing the pressure of unparalleled illness had become quite trivial. The vinestock carries within it the memory of the successive generations that have shaped it at some point in its life. It is, however, facing the times ahead, by bearing future crops and forces us to serve it with the same state of mind. We have therefore pampered the young grapes with just as much devotion, but with a heavier heart than usual. Life has given us a few subtle ways of helping plants to withstand delicate periods more easily. That was especially useful this year, in which we had four months of rain and a shortage of sunlight over the course of the summer. We have made gains in terms of precision in our commitment to natural viticulture, in which the vinestock is gently and harmoniously supported throughout its development. Without the traumas of 2007, which improved our knowledge, we would certainly not have been able to navigate our way through the 2008 viticulture season quite as successfully. More anecdotally, and for the first time in over 40 years, we heard the sound of horses' hooves in the courtyard once again. This is still just an experiment aimed at doing all vine work using horses, in order to avoid compacting the soil. A major change is taking shape. But nothing is simple in adapting the use of horses to modern demands without drifting back to outdated practices. A review will be conducted after two seasons. Nonetheless, the horses did not take us away from the vineyard which needed the attention of all concerned in order to deal with the changeable weather. Thankfully, September was much more lenient. The grape-pickers, who arrived in the last week of the month, were able to remove the leaves from all of the vines in the vineyard so that the grapes could enjoy the slightest ray from the gentle autumn sun. That allowed us to wait until the very beginning of October to start harvesting the Merlot grapes; the yield was particularly low after a blossoming that happened in cold, damp conditions. Then it was time once again to wait for the Cabernets, with another break for several days. Finally, on the 8th of October, we began the harvest for the Cabernet-Franc, then the Cabernet Sauvignon the following day. The Petit-Verdot harvest began on the 15th. The last bunches of grapes were cut down on the 16th under still-sunny skies. Despite the unpredictable weathers menaces, these were certainly the most peaceful harvests we had had for a long time. The sorting tables, worked by meticulous yet relaxed staff, again showed their priority in respecting the fruit itself before the grapes fall into the vats by gravity. The vinifications were both straightforward with relatively easy fermentations and highly complex as the extractions had to be continually adapted depending on the tastings conducted several times a day. It is still too soon to guess the qualitative level of the wines and attempt to find the slightest resemblance with any of their predecessors. It will be itself first and foremost, and that is the main thing. But it will also carry with it all the love that we feel for this magnificent domaine. Everything is telling us to calmly wait for next spring's tastings. We will be happy to welcome you from the 1st of April to taste the Château Pontet-Canet 2008. Read less
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The Power of a Praying Wife
by Stormie Omartian
Learn More | Meet Stormie Omartian
CHAPTER 1His Wife
The hard part about being a praying wife, other than the sacrifice of time, is maintaining a pure heart. It must be clean before God in order for you to see good results. That's why praying for a husband must begin with praying for his wife. If you have resentment, anger, unforgiveness, or an ungodly attitude—even if there's good reason for it—you'll have a difficult time seeing answers to your prayers. But if you can release those feelings to God in total honesty and then move into prayer, there is nothing that can change a marriage more dramatically. Sometimes wives sabotage their own prayers because they don't pray them from a right heart. It took me awhile to figure that out.
My Favorite Three-Word Prayer
I wish I could say that I've been regularly praying for my husband from the beginning of our marriage until now. I haven't. At least not like I'm suggesting in this book. Oh, I prayed. The prayers were short: "Protect him, Lord." They were to the point: "Save our marriage." But most commonly they were my favorite three-word prayer: "Change him, Lord."
When we were first married, I was a new believer coming out of a life of great bondage and error and had much to learn about the delivering and restoring power of God. I thought I had married a man who was close to perfect, and what wasn't perfect was cute. As time went on, cute became irritating and perfect became driving perfectionism. I decided that what irritated me most about him had to be changed and then everything would be fine.
It took a number of years for me to realize my husband was never going to conform to my image. It took a few years beyond that to understand I couldn't make him change in any way. In fact, it wasn't until I started going to God with what bothered me that I began to see any difference at all. And then it didn't happen the way I thought it would. I was the one God worked on first. I was the one who began to change. My heart had to be softened, humbled, pummeled, molded, and reconstructed before He even started working on my husband. I had to learn to see things according to the way God saw them—not how I thought they should be.
Gradually I realized it's impossible to truly give yourself in prayer for your husband without first examining your own heart. I couldn't go to God and expect answers to prayer if I harbored unforgiveness, bitterness, or resentment. I couldn't pray my favorite three-word prayer without knowing in the deepest recesses of my soul that I had to first pray God's favorite three-word prayer: "Change me, Lord."
Who, Me?…Change?
Don't say I didn't warn you. When you pray for your husband, especially in the hopes of changing him, you can surely expect some changes. But the first changes won't be in him. They'll be in you. If this makes you as mad as it made me, you'll say, "Wait a minute! I'm not the one that needs changing here!" But God sees things we don't. He knows where we have room for improvement. He doesn't have to search long to uncover attitudes and habits that are outside His perfect will for us. He requires us to not sin in our hearts because sin separates us from Him and we don't get our prayers answered. "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear" (Psalm 66:18). God wants our hearts to be right so the answers to our prayers are not compromised.
This whole requirement is especially hard when you feel your husband has sinned against you with unkindness, lack of respect, indifference, irresponsibility, infidelity, abandonment, cruelty, or abuse. But God considers the sins of unforgiveness, anger, hatred, self-pity, lovelessness, and revenge to be just as bad as any others. Confess them and ask God to set you free from anything that is not of Him. One of the greatest gifts you can give your husband is your own wholeness. The most effective tool in transforming him may be your own transformation.
Don't worry, I struggled with all this, too. In fact, every time my husband and I came to an impasse, God and I had a conversation that went something like this:
"Do You see the way he is, Lord?"
"Do you see the way you are?"
"Lord, are You saying there are things You want to change in me?"
"Many things. Are you ready to hear them?"
"Well, I guess so."
"Tell Me when you're really ready."
"Why me, God? He's the one that needs to change."
"The point is not who needs to change. The point is who is willing to change."
"But God, this isn't fair."
"I never said life is fair. I said I am fair."
"But I…"
"Someone has to be willing to start."
"How important is preserving your marriage?"
"Very important. The other options are unacceptable."
"I rest My case. Let's get on with changing you."
"Help me to have a good attitude about this, Lord."
"That's up to you."
"Do I have to pray for my husband even if he's not praying for me?"
"Precisely." Copyrighted material
"But that's not…okay, okay, I remember. Life's not fair.
You're fair!"
(Silent nodding from heaven)
"I give up. Go ahead. Oh, this is going to be painful!
Cha…change…I can't believe I'm saying this." (Deep breath) "Change me, Lord."
Painful? Yes! Dying to yourself is always painful. Especially when you are convinced that the other person needs more changing than you. But this kind of pain leads to life. The other alternative is just as painful and its ultimate end is the death of a dream, a relationship, a marriage, and a family.
God can resurrect the deadest of marriages, but it takes humbling ourselves before Him and desiring to live His way—with forgiveness, kindness, and love. It means letting go of the past and all hurt associated with it and being willing to lose the argument in order to win the battle. I'm not saying you have to become a person void of personality, feelings, or thoughts of your own, or be the whipping post for a husband's whim. God doesn't require that of you. (In fact, if you are in any kind of physical or emotional danger, remove yourself immediately from the situation to a place of safety and get help.
You can pray from there while your husband receives the counseling he needs.) Submission is something you give from your heart, not something demanded of you. Jesus said, "He who loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matthew 10:39). But laying down your life is something you willingly do, not something that is forcefully taken from you. What I'm saying is that your attitude must be, "Whatever You want, Lord. Show me and I'll do it." It means being willing to die to yourself and say, "Change me, Lord."
The Ultimate Love Language
Something amazing happens to our hearts when we pray for another person. The hardness melts. We become able to get beyond the hurts, and forgive. We even end up loving the person we are praying for. It's miraculous! It happens because when we pray we enter into the presence of God and He fills us with His Spirit of love. When you pray for your husband, the love of God will grow in your heart for him. Not only that, you'll find love growing in his heart for you, without him even knowing you are praying. That's because prayer is the ultimate love language. It communicates in ways we can't. I've seen women with no feelings of love for their husbands find that as they prayed, over time, those feelings came. Sometimes they felt differently even after the first heartfelt prayer.
Talking to God about your husband is an act of love. Prayer gives rise to love, love begets more prayer, which in turn gives rise to more love. Even if your praying is not born out of completely selfless motives, your motives will become more unselfish as prayer continues. You'll find yourself more loving in your responses. You'll notice that issues which formerly caused strife between you will no longer do that. You'll be able to come to mutual agreements without a fight. This unity is vital.
When we are not united, everything falls apart. Jesus said, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand" (Matthew 12:25). Prayer brings unity even if you aren't praying together. I've seen great tension relieved between my husband and me simply by praying for him. Also, asking him, "How can I pray for you?" brings an aspect of love and care into the situation. My husband will usually stop and answer that question in great detail when he might otherwise not say anything. I know of even nonbelieving husbands who respond positively to that question from their wives.
The point in all this is that as husband and wife we don't want to be taking separate roads. We want to be on the same path together. We want to be deeply compatible, lifelong companions, and have the love that lasts a lifetime. Prayer, as the ultimate love language, can make that happen.
I Don't Even Like Him—How Can I Pray for Him?
Have you ever been so mad at your husband that the last thing you wanted to do was pray for him? So have I. It's hard to pray for someone when you're angry or he's hurt you. But that's exactly what God wants us to do. If He asks us to pray for our enemies, how much more should we be praying for the person with whom we have become one and are supposed to love? But how do we get past the unforgiveness and critical attitude?
The first thing to do is be completely honest with God. In order to break down the walls in our hearts and smash the barriers that stop communication, we have to be totally up-front with the Lord about our feelings. We don't have to "pretty it up" for Him. He already knows the truth. He just wants to see if we're willing to admit it and confess it as disobedience to His ways. If so, He then has a heart with which He can work.
If you are angry at your husband, tell God. Don't let it become a cancer that grows with each passing day. Don't say, "I'm going to live my life and let him live his." There's a price to pay when we act entirely independently of one another. "Neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 11:11).
Instead say, "Lord, nothing in me wants to pray for this man. I confess my anger, hurt, unforgiveness, disappointment, resentment, and hardness of heart toward him. Forgive me and create in me a clean heart and right spirit before You. Give me a new, positive, joyful, loving, forgiving attitude toward him. Where he has erred, reveal it to him and convict his heart about it. Lead him through the paths of repentance and deliverance. Help me not to hold myself apart from him emotionally, mentally, or physically because of unforgiveness.
Where either of us needs to ask forgiveness of the other, help us to do so. If there is something I'm not seeing that is adding to this problem, reveal it to me and help me to understand it. Remove any wedge of confusion that has created misunderstanding or miscommunication. Where there is behavior that needs to change in either of us, I pray You would enable that change to happen. As much as I want to hang on to my anger toward him because I feel it is justified, I want to do what You want. I release all those feelings to You. Give me a renewed sense of love for him and words to heal this situation."
If you feel you are able, try this little experiment and see what happens. Pray for your husband every day for a month using each one of the thirty-one areas of prayer focus I have included in this book. Pray a chapter a day. Ask God to pour out His blessings on him and fill you both with His love. See if your heart doesn't soften toward him. Notice if his attitude toward you doesn't change as well.
Observe whether your relationship isn't running more smoothly. If you have trouble making that kind of prayer commitment, think of it from the Lord's perspective. Seeing your husband through God's eyes—not just as your husband, but as God's child, a son whom the Lord loves—can be a great revelation. If someone called and asked you to pray for his or her son, you would do it, wouldn't you? Well, God is asking.
"Shut Up and Pray"
There is a time for everything, it says in the Bible. And it is never more true than in a marriage, especially when it comes to the words we say. There is a time to speak and a time not to speak, and happy is the man whose wife can discern between the two. Anyone who has been married for any length of time realizes that there are things that are better left unsaid. A wife has the ability to hurt her husband more deeply than anyone else can, and he can do the same to her. No matter how much apology, the words cannot be erased. They can only be forgiven and that is not always easy. Sometimes anything we say will only hinder the flow of what God wants to do, so it's best to… well…shut up and pray.
When Michael and I were first married, I didn't say much if I felt something was wrong. I stuffed my feelings inside. After our first child was born, I became increasingly vocal. But the more I voiced my objections and opinions, the more he resisted and the more we would argue. Whatever I said not only accomplished nothing in the area I wanted it to, it had the opposite effect. It took me a number of years to learn what millions of women have learned over the centuries.
Nagging doesn't work! Criticizing doesn't work. Sometimes, just plain talking doesn't accomplish anything either. I've found that prayer is the only thing that always works. The safeguard you have with prayer is that you have to go through God to do it. This means you can't get away with a bad attitude, wrong thinking, or incorrect motives. When you pray, God reveals anything in your personality that is resistant to His order of things.
My husband will not do something he doesn't want to do. And if he ends up doing something he doesn't want to do, his immediate family members will pay for it. If there is anything I really want him to do, I've learned to pray about it until I have God's peace in my heart before I ask. Sometimes God changes my heart about it, or shows me a different way so I don't have to say anything. If I do need to say something, I try not to just blurt it out. I pray first for God's leading.
It took me a long time to figure this out, however. It happened one day when I came across the Proverb, "Better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and angry woman" (Proverbs 21:19). For some reason it struck a nerve.
"But, Lord," I questioned, "what about 'Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed' [Proverbs 27:5]? Don't we wives have to tell our husbands when something is wrong?"
He replied, "There is…a time for every purpose under heaven… a time to keep silence and a time to speak" (Ecclesiastes 3:1,7). "The problem is you don't know when to do either. And you don't know how to do it in love."
"Okay, Lord," I said. "Show me when to speak and when to just keep quiet and pray."
The first opportunity for this came right away. I had started a new weekly women's prayer group in my home, and it was so life changing I suggested to my husband that he start a similar group for men. But he wouldn't hear of it.
"I don't have time," was his not-too-pleased-at-the-idea answer. The more I talked about it, the more irritated Michael became. After getting my "Be quiet and pray" directions from God, I decided to try that approach. I stopped talking about it and started praying. I also asked my prayer group to pray along with me. It was more than two years after I stopped mentioning it to him and started praying that Michael abruptly announced one day he was organizing a weekly men's prayer group. He still doesn't know I prayed. Even though it took longer than I would have liked, it did happen. And there was peace in the waiting, which I wouldn't have had if I had not kept quiet.
Queen Esther in the Bible prayed, fasted, and sought God's timing before she approached her husband, the king, about a very important matter. There was a lot at stake and she knew it. She didn't run in and scream, "Your hoodlum friends are going to ruin our lives!" Rather she prayed first and then ministered to him in love, while God prepared his heart. The Lord will always give us words to say, and show us when to say them if we ask Him. Timing is everything.
I've known people who use the excuse of "just being honest" to devastate others with their words. The Bible says, "A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back" (Proverbs 29:11). In other words, it's foolish to share every feeling and thought. Being honest doesn't mean you have to be completely frank in your every comment.
That hurts people. While honesty is a requirement for a successful marriage, telling your husband everything that is wrong with him is not only ill-advised, it probably doesn't reveal the complete truth. The total truth is from God's perspective and He, undoubtedly, doesn't have the same problem with some of your husband's actions as you do. Our goal must not be to get our husbands to do what we want, but rather to release them to God so He can get them to do what He wants.
Distinguish carefully between what is truly right and wrong. If it doesn't fall clearly into either of those categories, keep your personal opinions to yourself. Or pray about them and then, as the Lord leads, reveal them for calm discussion. The Bible says, "Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few" (Ecclesiastes 5:2). There are times when we are just to listen and not offer advice, to support and not offer constructive criticism.
Not for a moment am I suggesting that you become a timid doormat who doesn't ever confront your husband with the truth— especially when it's for his greater good. (More about that in chapter 30.) By all means you must clearly communicate your thoughts and feelings. But once he has heard them, don't continue to press him until it becomes a point of contention and strife.
If you do have to say words that are hard to hear, ask God to help you discern when your husband would be most open to hearing them. Pray for the right words and for his heart to be totally receptive. I know that's difficult to do if you have a few choice words you're dying to let loose. But hard as it may seem, it's best to let God hear them first so He can temper them with His Spirit. This is especially true when talking has ceased altogether and every word only brings more pain. I wish I had learned earlier to pray before I spoke. My words too often set up a defensive reaction in my husband that produced harsh words we both regret. He received my suggestions as pressure to do or be something, even though I always had his best interests at heart. It had to come to him from God.
When we live by the power of God rather than our flesh, we don't have to strive for power with our words. "For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power" (1 Corinthians 4:20). It's not the words we speak that make a difference, it is the power of God accompanying them. You'll be amazed at how much power your words have when you pray before you speak them. You'll be even more amazed at what can happen when you shut up and let God work.
Believer or Not
If your husband is not a believer, you probably already know how much good it does to keep talking to him about the Lord if he didn't respond the first number of times. It's not that you can't ever say anything to him, but if what you say is always met with indifference or irritation, the next step is to keep silent and pray. The Bible says a wife can win over her husband without saying anything, because what he observes in his wife speaks more loudly than what she tells him. "They, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives" (1 Peter 3:1-2).
God says He speaks of things that are not as though they were. You can do that, too. You can say, "I'm not going to pretend, but I'm going to speak of things that are not part of my husband's life as though they were a part of it. Even though he doesn't have faith, I'm going to pray for him as if he does." Of course you can't force him to do something he doesn't want to do, but you can access God's power through praying for His voice to penetrate your husband's soul. No matter how long you have to pray for your husband to come to know the Lord, even if it takes his whole life, the time will not be wasted. In the meantime, whether your husband is a believer or not, you can still pray all the prayers in this book for him and expect to see significant answers to them.
Creating a Home
I don't care how liberated you are, when you are married there will always be two areas that will ultimately be your responsibility: home and children. Even if you are the only one working and your husband stays home to keep the house and tend the kids, you will still be expected to see that the heart of your home is a peaceful sanctuary— a source of contentment, acceptance, rejuvenation, nurturing, rest, and love for your family. On top of this, you will also be expected to be sexually appealing, a good cook, a great mother, and physically, emotionally, and spiritually fit. It's overwhelming to most women, but the good news is that you don't have to do it all on your own. You can seek God's help.
Ask the Lord to show you how to make your home a safe haven that builds up your family—a place where creativity flows and communication is ongoing. Ask God to help you keep the house clean, the laundry done, the kitchen in order, the pantry and the refrigerator full, and the beds made. These are basic things a man may not compliment his wife on every day (or ever), but he will notice if they are not done. My husband may not look in the cupboard for a lightbulb or a battery for months. But when he does, he wants it to be there. Nor does he want to come home late from work one night and find that there is no bread for a sandwich. I do my best to make sure it is there. I ask God to help me maintain a house that my husband is pleased to come home to and bring his friends. It's not necessary to have expensive furniture or a decorator in order to do all that. My first home was small and had secondhand furniture I bought from yard sales. I painted the entire place myself (with the help of a girlfriend) and made it look attractive. It just takes some thought and a little care.
Part of making a house a home is allowing your husband to be the head so you can be the heart. Trying to be both is too much. God placed the husband as the head over the family, whether he deserves it or not and whether he rises up to take his position or not. It's God's order of things. This doesn't mean that one position is more important than the other. They work together. If your husband is to be the head of the house, you must allow him that headship. If you are to be the heart of the home, you still must take the steps necessary to do so, even if you are a major contributor to the financial support. Trying to reverse that keeps a constant struggle going.
This doesn't mean that the wife can't work and the husband can't care for the home; it's the attitudes of the heart and head that makes the difference. There were weeks of time during the finishing of each book I've written when my husband took care of the house and the children so I could meet the deadline. It never minimized his headship or caused me to usurp his position. It was something he did for me. There were times he needed me to work so he could rest. It's what I did for him. It's a delicate balance for most people, so it's best to pray that the integrity of the two positions in the home—head and heart—are not compromised.
Keeping order in the home doesn't mean it has to be perfect, but it shouldn't be out of control. If you are working as hard as he is to bring home a paycheck, the responsibilities should be shared in the home. If he doesn't want to share them, spending a certain amount of money for someone to help you a few hours a week is a lot cheaper than a divorce, a chiropractor, a therapist, a medical doctor, or a funeral. Ask God to show you about that.
Everything I've said about the home goes for your body, soul, and spirit as well. Some effort must be put into maintaining them. I once heard a radio talk show where a woman called in to complain to a popular psychologist that her husband told her he no longer found her attractive. The host said, "What are you doing to make yourself attractive?" The caller had no answer. The point is, being attractive doesn't just happen. Even the most gorgeous women in the world do much to maintain their attractiveness. Queen Esther was one of the most beautiful women in her country and she still spent a year beautifying herself before she met the king.
We have to ask ourselves the same question. "What am I doing to make myself attractive to my husband?" Do I keep myself clean and smelling good? Do I see that my internal self is cleansed and rejuvenated with regular exercise? Do I preserve my strength and vitality with a healthful diet? Do I dress attractively? And most important: Do I spend time alone with God every day? I guarantee that the more time you spend with the Lord, the more radiant you will become. "Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised" (Proverbs 31:30).
You can't afford not to make this investment in yourself, your health, and your future. It's not selfish to do it. It's selfish not to do it. Pray for God to show you what steps to take and then enable you to take them. Invite the Holy Spirit to dwell in you and your home.
Letting Go of Expectations
Shortly after we were married, my husband called from work and said he wanted me to prepare a certain chicken dish for dinner. I went to the store, got the food, prepared the dish, and when he came home, he walked in the door and said bluntly, "I don't feel like chicken tonight. I want lamb chops." I needn't tell you the thoughts that went through my mind because I'm sure you already know them.
This was not an isolated incident. Similar ones happened far too frequently. I can't count the number of times Michael promised to be home for dinner and called ten minutes after dinner was ready to say he was going to work late and would eat out with his coworkers. I finally learned that it did no good to be angry, hurt, or resentful. That only made matters worse. It made him defensive because he thought I didn't understand his situation. I realized it was healthier for both of us if I rearranged my expectations. From then on, I prepared meals as if only I and the children would be eating them. If Michael was able to join us, it was a pleasant surprise. If he didn't, I could live with it.
I've learned that when disappointing things happen, it's best to remind myself of my husband's good qualities. I recount how he sometimes helps with the household chores and the cooking. He is faithful and does not give me reason to doubt it. He is a believer who goes to church, reads his Bible, prays, and has high moral standards. He loves me and our children. He uses his talents for God's glory.
He is a good and generous provider. Things could be a lot worse, so I won't complain about whether he's home for dinner or not. I think if I could help a new wife in any area, it would be to discourage her from coming into her marriage with a big list of expectations and then being upset when her husband doesn't live up to them. Of course there are some basics that should be agreed upon before the wedding date, such as fidelity, financial support, honesty, kindness, basic decency, high moral standards, physical and emotional love, and protection. When you don't get those things, you can ask for them. When you still don't get them, you can pray. But when it comes to specifics, you can't require one person to meet all of your needs. The pressure to do that and fulfill your dreams at the same time can be overwhelming to a man.
Instead, take your needs to God in prayer and look to Him for the answers. If we try to control our husbands by having a big list for them to live up to and then are angry and disappointed when they can't, we are the ones in error.
The biggest problems in my marriage occurred when my expectations of what I thought Michael should be or do didn't coincide with the reality of who he was.
Let go of as many expectations as possible. The changes you try to make happen in your husband, or that your husband tries to make in himself to please you, are doomed to failure and will bring disappointment for you both. Instead, ask God to make any necessary changes. He will do a far better job because "whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it" (Ecclesiastes 3:14). Accept your husband the way he is and pray for him to grow. Then when change happens, it will be because God has worked it in him and it will be lasting. "My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him" (Psalm 62:5). Your greatest expectations must be from God, not your husband.
With All Due Respect
It's interesting that God requires the husband to love his wife, but the wife is required to have respect for her husband. "Let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband" (Ephesians 5:33). I assume no woman would marry a man she didn't love, but too often a wife loses respect for her husband after they've been married awhile. Loss of respect seems to precede loss of love and is more hurtful to a man than we realize.
The consequences of losing respect for your husband can be very serious. King David's wife, Michal, watched her husband dancing for joy before the Lord in front of the people, without his kingly clothing and in his undergarments, as the ark of the covenant was being brought into the city. Michal not only didn't share his joy, she had contempt for him (2 Samuel 6:16). She was critical instead of trying to understand the situation from God's perspective. She paid a dear price for her lack of respect; God's judgment caused her to be unable to ever bear children. I believe we not only bring defeat into our marriages and to our husbands when we don't have respect for them, but it shuts the door to new life in us as well.
In another example, Queen Vashti refused to go to the king at his command. The king was giving a feast for his friends, he was in a party mood, and he wanted to show off his beautiful wife. All he asked of her was that she put on her royal clothes, don her royal crown, and make a royal appearance to the people he was entertaining. She declined, knowing full well it would be humiliating for him.
"Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command brought by his eunuchs; therefore the king was furious, and his anger burned within him" (Esther 1:12). The result was that Vashti lost her position as queen. She not only wronged her husband, the king, but the people as well. Unless a wife wants to lose her position as queen of her husband's heart, and hurt her family and friends besides, she mustn't humiliate her husband no matter how much she thinks he deserves it. The price is too high.
If this has already happened to you, and you know you've shown disrespect for your husband, confess it to God right now. Say, "Lord, I confess I do not esteem my husband the way Your Word says to. There is a wall in my heart that I know was erected as a protection against being hurt. But I am ready to let it come down so that my heart can heal. I confess the times I have shown a lack of respect for him. I confess my disrespectful attitude and words as sin against You. Show me how to dismantle this barrier over my emotions that keeps me from having the unconditional love You want me to have. Tear down the wall of hardness around my heart and show me how to respect my husband the way You want me to. Give me Your heart for him, Lord, and help me to see him the way You see him."
Praying like this will free you to see your man's potential for greatness, as opposed to his flaws. It will enable you to say something positive that will encourage, build up, give life, and make the marriage better. Love is diminished if we dwell on the negatives. Love grows if we focus on the positive. When you have God's heart for your husband, you will be able to see through new eyes. There are times when you can't understand where your husband is coming from, what he is feeling, and why he is doing the things he does, unless you have the discernment of God. Ask God to give it to you.
When you are praying for yourself—his wife—remember this model of a good wife from the Bible. It says she takes care of her home and runs it well. She knows how to buy and sell and make wise investments. She keeps herself healthy and energetic and dresses attractively. She works diligently and has skills which are marketable. She is giving and conscientiously prepares for the future. She contributes to her husband's good reputation. She is strong, solid, honorable, and not afraid of growing older. She speaks wisely and kindly. She doesn't sit around doing nothing, but carefully watches what goes on in her home. Her children and her husband praise her. She doesn't rely on charm and beauty but knows that the fear of the Lord is what is most attractive. She supports her husband and still has a fruitful life of her own which speaks loudly for itself (Proverbs 31).
This is an amazing woman, the kind of woman we can become only through God's enablement and our own surrendering. The bottom line is that she is a woman whose husband trusts her because "she does him good and not evil all the days of her life." I believe the most important "good" a wife can do for her husband is pray. Shall we?
Lord, help me to be a good wife. I fully realize that I don't have what it takes to be one without Your help. Take my selfishness, impatience, and irritability and turn them into kindness, long-suffering, and the willingness to bear all things. Take my old emotional habits, mind-sets, automatic reactions, rude assumptions, and self-protective stance, and make me patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and selfcontrolled.
Take the hardness of my heart and break down the walls with Your battering ram of revelation. Give me a new heart and work in me Your love, peace, and joy (Galatians 5:22-23). I am not able to rise above who I am at this moment. Only You can transform me.
Show me where there is sin in my heart, especially with regard to my husband. I confess the times I've been unloving, critical, angry, resentful, disrespectful, or unforgiving toward him. Help me to put aside any hurt, anger, or disappointment I feel and forgive him the way You do—totally and completely, no looking back. Make me a tool of reconciliation, peace, and healing in this marriage. Enable us to communicate well and rescue us from the threshold of separation where the realities of divorce begin.
Make me my husband's helpmate, companion, champion, friend, and support. Help me to create a peaceful, restful, safe place for him to come home to. Teach me how to take care of myself and stay attractive to him. Grow me into a creative and confi dent woman who is rich in mind, soul, and spirit. Make me the kind of woman he can be proud to say is his wife.
I lay all my expectations at Your cross. I release my husband from the burden of fulfilling me in areas where I should be looking to You. Help me to accept him the way he is and not try to change him. I realize that in some ways he may never change, but at the same time, I release him to change in ways I never thought he could. I leave any changing that needs to be done in Your hands, fully accepting that neither of us is perfect and never will be. Only You, Lord, are perfect, and I look to You to perfect us.
Teach me how to pray for my husband and make my prayers a true language of love. Where love has died, create new love between us. Show me what unconditional love really is and how to communicate it in a way he can clearly perceive. Bring unity between us so that we can be in agreement about everything (Amos 3:3). May the God of patience and comfort grant us to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus (Romans 15:5). Make us a team, not pursuing separate, competitive, or independent lives, but working together, overlooking each other's faults and weaknesses for the greater good of the marriage. Help us to pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another (Romans 14:19). May we be "perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (1 Corinthians 1:10).
I pray that our commitment to You and to one another will grow stronger and more passionate every day. Enable him to be the head of the home as You made him to be, and show me how to support and respect him as he rises to that place of leadership. Help me to understand his dreams and see things from his perspective. Reveal to me what he wants and needs and show me potential problems before they arise. Breathe Your life into this marriage.
Make me a new person, Lord. Give me a fresh perspective, a positive outlook, and a renewed relationship with the man You've given me. Help me see him with new eyes, new appreciation, new love, new compassion, and new acceptance. Give my husband a new wife, and let it be me.
In Jesus' name I pray.
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(Scroll down the page to view the charities database.)
The Terry Fox Foundation is one of the most successful and well-known charities in Canada, raising about $20 million a year for cancer research.
But it doesn't behave like most multimillion-dollar organizations.
"Go to any of our offices, they're not fancy," said Fred Fox, Terry's older brother and the foundation's spokesman. "A lot of the furniture is donated."
And it's not just the offices.
According to Fox, virtually everything the foundation does is done frugally.
"It's just the way we've operated: lean and mean," he said.
Fox said the foundation uses cheaper printing companies to produce its promotional materials, even if it means they're not quite as slick and glossy as other charities' brochures.
When volunteers for one of the foundation's 700 runs across the country asks what their budget is, they always get the same reply: $0.
"The people who are volunteering their time don't have a budget," said Fox. "So if they want to have water on site, they have to get it donated. We're not able to cover those costs."
While many of B.C.'s top charities pay their CEO $250,000 or more — and argue they couldn't attract top talent without doing so — the Terry Fox Foundation pays its national director less than $120,000.
"Everybody would like to make a little bit more money," said Fox. "But people make sacrifices, too."
The Terry Fox Foundation's focus on the bottom line may explain why its fundraising expenses are a fraction of some of B.C.'s other big charities.
For every dollar the foundation raises, it spends just 13 cents on fundraising. That compares to 24 cents for the BC Cancer Foundation, 30 cents for the Canadian Cancer Society of B.C. and Yukon and 45 cents for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of B.C. and Yukon.
"That's what Terry wanted," said Fox. "As much money as possible to go to cancer research."
There are more than 12,000 registered charities in B.C., ranging from multimillion-dollar foundations to neighbourhood churches. But the handful of really big charities in the province play a disproportionate role in the sector.
According to data compiled by Charity Intelligence, a Toronto-based research firm, B.C.'s 20 largest charities, by the success of their fundraising, receive nearly $800 million a year in donations. That's equivalent to about 37 per cent of all the money British Columbians give to charity.
At The Vancouver Sun's request, Charity Intelligence compiled reports on the province's 20 largest charities, looking at everything from how much each charity spends on fundraising to what it pays its senior executives.
Charity Intelligence is a small firm that does fee-for-service work for corporations and individuals, advising them on their charitable giving.
The firm used to be a charity itself but lost its charitable status in September after it failed to supply an annual return to the Canada Revenue Agency, something the firm's managing director, Kate Bahen, says was an administrative oversight.
Any organization that has a charitable purpose — such as the relief of poverty, higher education or the advancement of religion — can apply to the CRA to become a registered charity. The key benefit of being a registered charity is that it can issue tax receipts to donors.
By law, all registered charities in Canada are required to file annual returns with the CRA.
Charity Intelligence uses some details from those CRA reports, such as executive compensation, in its profiles. But it also looks at each charity's audited financial statements for clues about its finances.
"As analysts we go with the gold standard, which is the audited financial statements," said Bahen. "They have been done by an auditor — an outside source — and signed off on by the board."
Charity Intelligence's methodology is not without its critics.
Mark Blumberg, a Toronto lawyer and expert on charities, said he thinks increased transparency is a good thing for the charitable sector, but one can only tell so much about a charity from its financial statements.
"This is interesting material, but it isn't determinative," said Blumberg. "If you really want to know if a charity is a good charity, you need to do your own due diligence. You're best off if you go volunteer for the charity yourself."
Malcolm Burrows, head of philanthropic advisory services at Scotia Private Client Group in Toronto, agrees one should be cautious in reading too much into a charity's numbers.
"I think having this data provides checks and balances," he said. "But there are some very effective charities that are young or have an orphan cause that have high expense ratios. To suggest that charities should have a ratio of X or Y is to me a total misrepresentation because it doesn't capture the incredible diversity of charities and funding models."
One of the key indicators Charity Intelligence looks at is how much charities spend on fundraising, a key concern for many donors.
Bahen said one of the things that surprised her, in looking at hundreds of charities across the country, is that large charities often spend a greater share of their budgets on fundraising than smaller charities do.
"I would have assumed, as an economist, that the bigger you are the more cost-efficient you are," she said. "We're not seeing that. It's actually the big guys who typically lead in total fundraising costs and their fundraising costs are significantly higher than smaller, front-line organizations."
Bahen has a theory for why that might be: big charities are in such fierce competition with each other for donations that they're forced to spend more and more on fundraising just to keep up.
"It seems to be this arms race between charities to get a larger share of donors' wallets," she said.
The Canada Revenue Agency publishes guidelines that recommend charities keep their fundraising costs to less than 35 per cent of donations, though it notes there can be legitimate reasons for them to be higher.
Among B.C.'s Top 20 charities, only one — the Heart and Stroke Foundation of B.C. and Yukon — exceeds that limit, with fundraising costs last year equivalent to 45 per cent of total donations.
Bernice Scholten, vice-president of finance and administration for the foundation, defended the charity's high costs, noting many of its fundraising programs — like door-to-door canvassing and Jump Rope for Heart school fundraising drives — help raise awareness about heart disease and healthy living despite bringing in relatively little money.
For example, said Scholten, canvassers hand out free material on heart disease when door-knocking and Jump Rope for Heart encourages physical activity among young people.
"Our view is that we provide vital health prevention information and educational activities" through fundraising, she said. "We probably touch millions of individuals."
Last year, the provincial branches of Heart and Stroke were amalgamated into a single national charity, meaning the B.C. branch will stop reporting its finances separately beginning next year.
Among B.C.'s Top 20 charities, the Canadian Cancer Society of B.C. and Yukon was second in fundraising costs at 30 per cent.
"In some cases, in order to be able to have a huge impact in a very challenging area such as cancer, you do have to invest money to make money," said Barb Kaminsky, the society's CEO.
The society also said it is careful to account for all its fundraising costs, including assigning a portion of its heating bill to fundraising based on the number of staff in its offices who work in the fundraising department.
While they have higher fundraising costs than other major B.C. charities, both Heart and Stroke and the Cancer Society spend less on fundraising now than they did three years ago, according to Charity Intelligence.
Most of B.C.'s largest charities have fundraising costs between 10 and 25 per cent. However, there are some far lower, like the Vancouver Foundation at just two per cent.
Catherine Clement, the foundation's spokeswoman, said that in fairness to other charities, the foundation is in a unique position because most of its funds come from endowments that were established decades ago and generate income every year.
And while the foundation creates new endowments every year, its reputation among large donors is so established now that it doesn't have to do much to attract them.
"We're not compelled to market in the same way" as other charities, she said. "People generally come to us."
Another key indicator included in Charity Intelligence's profiles is what charities pay their 10 highest-paid staff in salary and benefits, a figure charities are required to disclose to the CRA.
"There's a common myth in the public that people who work in the charitable sector are underpaid," said Bahen. "Looking at the biggest organizations, I would estimate their salaries are significantly above market rates in terms of benefits and salaries. Comparable at least to the private sector."
In its research, Charity Intelligence looked at the most recent CRA filings available for each charity, which was 2011 data for most.
Of B.C.'s 20 largest charities, nine pay their top employee — usually the CEO — between $200,000 and $350,000 in total compensation, a figure that includes salary and benefits.
And another five charities pay their top employee $350,000 or more. Of those five, three are universities, whose presidents run major campuses with thousands of professors and students.
But the $350,000-plus club also includes the Fraser Institute and the BC Children's Hospital Foundation.
On CRA's salary-disclosure forms, $350,000-plus is the highest compensation category listed, so there's no way from the forms alone to know how much above that level someone is paid.
BC Children's Hospital Foundation wouldn't say how much above $350,000 their top employee was paid, but said via email that the figure includes "one-time, additional compensation to a former employee." In other years, CRA forms show, the foundation paid its top employee between $250,000 and $300,000, not $350,000-plus.
The Fraser Institute would only say it pays its top employee no more than $450,000.
Neither charity would say who at their organization made that amount, whether it was their president or someone else. Both charities, however, defended their decisions to pay top dollar.
"There is a global marketplace for talent," said Niels Veldhuis, president of the Fraser Institute, a think-tank. "If you don't pay someone their market wage rate, they go elsewhere."
In an emailed statement, the BC Children's Hospital Foundation said it benchmarks all of its staff salaries — from the CEO on down — against similar-sized Canadian charities, aiming to pay at around the 75th percentile, meaning better than three-quarters of their counterparts.
"In order to attract and retain competent staff, salaries must be competitive with similar organizations," the statement said. "There is high demand for experienced fundraisers."
The fierce competition for talent in the charitable sector is even being felt at the penny-pinching Terry Fox Foundation.
Among B.C.'s Top 20 charities, the Terry Fox Foundation pays its top employee the least: between $80,000 and $120,000, according to CRA filings.
However, Fox noted its national director position has been vacant since last spring.
He said the foundation has been looking for someone who can take the charity to the next level: maintaining the Terry Fox runs while also finding new sources of revenue. But finding someone with those skills willing to take the job at the current pay has proven difficult.
Fox said he doubts the foundation will be paying its national director $300,000 any time soon. But he said it might have to bump up the salary a bit to stay in the game.
"In order for us to raise more money or go into a different area of fundraising, we might need to bring somebody in that's different than what we've had before," said Fox. "And we might have to pay that person a little bit more than what we've been used to."
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Carroll's financial disclosure foreshadowed scandal
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Dozens of mistakes on the former Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll's financial disclosure should have raised red flags for the Scott administration before she was chosen for the job, a government watchdog group says.
As a state legislator, Carroll failed to disclose a list of her assets for two years. She failed to list her debts for one of the years.
Integrity Florida calls the filings just the beginning of one error after another.
"How do you have a multiple mortgages, but you don't list any real estate?" said Dan Krassner with Integrity Florida. "How do you go from your first term in the state legislature to the second term and show an increase of net worth of more than $20 million? I mean, questions should have been asked long ago."
Carroll began her legislative career worth $500,000. The next year, it jumped to $2.3 million. She mistakenly then listed her assets at $23 million. Another filing shows her net worth $202 million.
"Just some of the messiest forms I've ever seen from a public official," said Krassner.
The problem is that under current Florida law, the Ethics Commission has no power to do anything when they see such grave errors or intentional omissions.
"They're responsible for what they report on there and we didn't have any authority to audit those forms," said Phil Claypool a former Ethics Commission attorney.
The Rick Scott campaign used two Washington, DC firms to vet Carroll. One of the firms, Caplin and Drysdale, also advised the McCain campaign in 2008.
According to journalist Mike Vasilinda, a high-level Scott campaign staffer said it was "pretty hard to believe" the mistakes were missed.
Advocates argue the Carroll case alone is reason for the Ethics Commission to have more power to investigate blatant errors and mistakes.
Copyright 2013 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Rian Johnson fans have been anxiously awaiting "Looper" for a long time, and the first full-length trailer for the film, which stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt, does not disappoint in the least.
The trailer does a great job of laying out what is a potentially confusing plot: JGL is a "looper," a mob hit man who specializes in killing people sent back from the future via time machine. It goes without saying that as a looper, it is imperative that you never let your prey escape. But when Gordon-Levitt realizes one of his targets is his future self, played by Brice Willis, he pauses just a moment too long.
The art direction's got a whiff of "Blade Runner" mixed with "Swingers", without borrowing so much from either as to feel derivative, and the action looks great. But we do have some random thoughts and questions:
- Gordon-Levitt is wearing a lot of prosthetics in an effort to look more like a younger version of Willis, and his voice in the narration sounds more like co-star Paul Dano's than his own. This wouldn't bother us except, we worry this role might not do anything to boost his bankability, and thereby get him more and better work. He's about as talented as any of his peers in Hollywood, and has integrity for days, but not enough people know who he is, dammit.
- Those three guys we see wrestling a man into a sack look a lot like Hasidic Jews, with their wide-brimmed black hats and the long black coats. Maybe it's a just a general look, we'll see.
- The problem we have with time-travel movies is that if time travel has been invented in 2070, than it should exist forever. If it's cheap and easy enough for a crime syndicate to use, surely someone would've gone back to early days to live like a king, no?
- And if you're a mobster with a time machine who's been betrayed or disrespected, and you want someone whacked, wouldn't it make more sense to send yourself back in time to the moment before the transgression and shoot the person then? If you just send them back in time to be killed, you haven't really solved anything, have you?
Gordon-Levitt starred in Johnson's first film, "Brick," a noir-ish murder mystery set in a modern-day high school, with JGL as a Sam Spade-esque teen trying to get to the bottom of things. It was a gritty whodunit with '40s-era dialog that would've made Dashiell Hammett proud, but featured kids and was bathed in California sun. It's an inspired and totally original piece of moviemaking. This newest collaboration promises more of the same.
"Looper" opens Sept. 28.


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Didn't do a huge about of playing last night. I got on at the appointed hour but was not selected to go to kara. We have a lot more peeps signing up now so it is to be expected I wouldn't go to all of them. I think that I might be taking over at least one Kara run, so then I guess I am guaranteed a spot in there.. LOL…
Anyway. I spent some time on Freez doing a few more of the quests I had around. I ran into Un'Goro and got the flight path there (almost feels like cheating with that FP now). Also worked on my enchanting skill which I got to ~320. My lockpicking is just under 250 now. I need to go chest hunting in one of the lockpicking training grounds.
On a side note, I signed up for PlayXpert today and will be trying it out tonight. It is a pretty interesting activeX overlay system that has "gizmos". The gizmo's consist of things like a web browser, chat program (aim/yahoo/etc), VOIP, taskmanager, etc. I think they actually call them widgets.. Gotta get my terminology straight.
So, I'll be messing with it tonight to see how it is and if it slows down the game, etc. If any of you have played with it before, let me know (either in feedback or comments). I really have no idea if I will use it or find it useful at all. It might just take up space on the screen and become annoying.. who knows! But I will try to remember to give you the low down tomorrow (if I end up using it).
I asked the RL if I could sub in tonight for the Prince on Fyra so that I could have a shot at the T4 helm. I don't know if he plans to take the same group from last night or not. There were a few more undergeared folk in the raid than I would have been comfortable with, but they did well nonetheless. Other than that, I would like to get back to leveling Freez. I really am having fun with him!


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Have you heard Pink's latest song? The one where she wants to punch you in the face, and you need to shut up but it's "true love....truuuue love?" My kids think that is hilarious. They shake their heads, and giggle and talk about how insane that is.
I remember in high school my English teacher told us the opposite of love was not hate. It was indifference. I didn't get that at all. Indifference? How could that be?
Fast forward 23 years and I completely understand. There is a fine line between love and hate. You can't feel that deeply about anything, or anyone without coming from a place of reckless abandon. My favorite line from John Greene's Fault In Our Stars is when he talks about not just choosing who you love, but "who you allow to hurt you." I loved (and hated?) that.
It was 55 degrees this morning- and delicious. My dogs kept running around my postage-sized stamp of a backyard, wondering where the heat went. The windows in the house are open, and I feel like my house just farted out 4 months of stale air.