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Icy Metallic Dog Leash with Rhinestone Accents, 3/8" Wide x 5' Longe

bestnursingbra — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:22:09 +0000

Icy Metallic Dog Leash with Rhinestone Accents, 3/8″ Wide x 5′ Longe Review

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Icy Metallic Dog Leash with Rhinestone Accents, 3/8″ Wide x 5′ Longe Feature

3/8″ wide x 5′ long
Should not be used as a tie out.
Hand washable.
Construction meets or exceeds pet industry strength requirements.
Lead free.

Icy Metallic Dog Leash with Rhinestone Accents, 3/8″ Wide x 5′ Longe Overview

Suitable for use when walking small to medium size dogs, this stunning “icy metallic” blue vinyl leash will make your pet feel like a million bucks! It’s designer look is completed by a smooth, sleek finish and a dazzling rhinestone studded accent. For attachment to the pet’s collar, this leash also features an easy to use, durable bolt snap.

Icy Metallic Dog Leash with Rhinestone Accents, 3/8″ Wide x 5′ Longe Specifications

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Dec 23, 2009 19:22:09

Which Pronunciation Should We Teach Our Students? [Part Two]

englishwithjennifer — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:42:18 +0000

Let me address the teacher’s own speech in greater detail. This is an important factor to consider in answering our main question about which pronunciation we should teach our students. It is not so simple to say, for example, that standard American English should be taught in ESL programs in the U.S. It is also not so simple to say, for example, that British English (RP) should be the norm in EFL programs in Russia. Why? In the case of ESL, not all teachers speak the standard form of English in that country. In the U.S., for instance, a person from Texas and a person from New Jersey can have very different accents. In the case of EFL, there is often increased diversity among teachers. At one school alone, there may be native and non-native speakers, and the native speakers may all be from different countries: Ireland, Wales, Canada, the U.S., and more.

In the face of such variation among teachers, how can consistency be achieved? I stated that consistent models are needed for learners to establish a solid pronunciation base. Let me take this idea further now that we are considering the realities of ESL and EFL programs. There does not have to be only one form of English taught at one school, but within a single classroom pronunciation instruction should be limited to one form of English. Consistency is created by the teacher. The teacher’s own speech needs to be natural and consistent.

Let me first address native speakers teaching in the classroom. I can comment more boldly on this group, since it is the one I belong to. I believe there is a danger if teacher tries to change his or her natural pronunciation to conform to a standard form of English. It is my opinion that the effort to produce speech sounds and patterns that radically go against one’s native speech can lead to an inconsistent model for students. A teacher who speaks a regional or cultural dialect (e.g., Boston English) should speak clearly yet in a way that is natural and authentic. This teacher should also make students aware that his or her speech varies from the standard. For the most part, I believe I speak standard American English. However, I am aware that I fall into the group of speakers who pronounce words like cot and caught the same. When I must cover these vowel sounds in a pronunciation lesson, I am careful to note this pattern of mine. I have used audio samples of other speakers to supplement my instruction so that learners could hear the two distinct sounds.

Both as EFL and ESL teachers, native speakers should strive for consistency. Even when native speakers find themselves in an EFL setting, and their form of English is not the one generally preferred in that country, I would argue that it is best to continue speaking with their native pronunciation and not try to adopt another accent. For example, when I taught English in Russia, I made no attempt to adopt a British accent, though British English was often favored there. My Russian students heard my North American flapped Ts, hard Rs, and everything else considered standard in that form of English. I should note that most students came to me with previous study of English, so a pronunciation base was already in place. If they spoke to me with sounds and patterns more typical of British English, I allowed it. I only corrected their pronunciation when clarity was lacking.

In the case of teachers who are non-native speakers, I can comment with much less authority. My experience is secondhand: I have observed foreigners in the ESL setting who taught pronunciation lessons competently and effectively. My conclusion for this group of teachers would be that solid training, especially when followed by full immersion in a particular form of English, provides a pronunciation base that non-native speakers can rely on while teaching. Whether the setting be EFL or ESL, the need for consistency is just as strong for the non-native speaker. In fact, this need is coupled with a second one: the need for an accurate assessment of one’s own accent. For non-natives who are aware of a lack of accuracy in their own pronunciation (e.g., with a particular vowel sound), recorded materials can supplement and increase the consistency of instruction.

I want to emphasize a final time the need for consistency – consistency in production. I make this point to teachers and students alike. Be consistent in production, but learn to comprehend varieties of English. From around the world English learners often write to me, asking which accent they should try to master. I have noted that other online teachers give the same advice that I do: We tell students that the ultimate goal is to be understood and not to sound exactly like a native American speaker, a native British speaker, or anyone else. Unless you are training to be an actor or voice artist, accent elimination should not be the goal. Reducing the influence of L1 to achieve clarity in L2 is the goal. Having a foreign accent does not necessarily interfere with communication. Which pronunciation should we teach our students? Clear pronunciation.

Dont-cha-no.........

sm86 — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:44:29 +0000

When I grew up in Minnesota, I always use to think that Minnesotans didnt really have an accent. Well at least southern Minnesota. Sure, sometimes there would be a word or two but nothing widespread like in Drop Dead Gorgeous. That’s just north of the Twin Cities and near Fargo, which isn’t actually in Minnesota.

However, since moving, I have noticed that being back in the state, the accents are pretty strong. Lot’s of ooooooooo’s and a’s and the bags pronounced like b-ay-gs. Dear lord, it’s terrible.

Snow storm is a brewing and they are predicting to last several days which essentially means that its quite possible that all my friends and family in other places will be trapped there and I will be trapped here. Ugh. Being home is relaxing but I’m bored and I want to see my friends. boo-urns.

how to speak with a British accent

kimberlysays — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:42:05 +0000

I found this video about British accents that I really enjoyed. In it, a British woman divulges her opinions on an American dialect coach teaching people how to speak British, and points out the American woman’s…stupidity, basically.

I don’t think this video is just about imitating dialects. It’s obviously more or less about the way I think a lot of Brits think about Americans and their habits, beliefs, and confidence.

This video is almost 7 minutes long, so don’t watch it unless you have a lot of time on your hands or if your life is going nowhere and you like British accents and want to hear a British accent.

Here's lookin' at you, kid. (er, something like that)

alcix — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:40:33 +0000

Work work. Still sick, but at least the sore throat is gone. Now I’m stuck with the stopped up nose and coughing. -_- I hate being sick. I get so irritable. Small things that normally don’t bother me become great annoyances. Earlier, while in the grocery store, getting some juice for work tonight, every person that walked by I immediately started to degrade in my head. From the woman who had around six kids, known only in my mind as the vagina clown-car lady, to the group of old people congregating in the middle of the aisle, who I insulted, mocked, and insulted again in my head. I couldn’t help myself, it just happens. People with annoying voices, slow people, people who fit their stereotypes (oh boy did I have a mental go at them).

It’s odd going from mocking someone in your mind to saying “Thank you, you have a good night too” as walk out with your bag of groceries.

This morning I finally got around to getting the wheel studs replaced on my truck, now I’m safe to drive to my grandma’s for christmas, mumble grumble. I did notice that when surrounded by people with Texas accents, I tend to slip into that way of speaking myself. I carried on a short conversation with an older guy for about 10 min, all the while my voice growing more and more Texan like. Yet, when I actually try to sound Texan, I fail horribly. Heh, go figure.

Tonight, among some other things, I am going to work on those Christmas cards so I can get them sent off. It seems, however, that I am sending more cards than I ordered. So, a trip to Wal-Mart in the morning to buy a few more cards.

-sniffles-

Hmm, now I can breathe out of one nostril, but not the other. Here in a few they’ll probably switch.

I think i took too many different kinds of medicines…my head is spinny lol

Ba-naaaaa-na not Ba-nah-na

mumabroad — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:56:35 +0000

Will, my 3 1/2-year-old is developing his verbal skills quickly. The only problem is that he is getting an English accent. It’s seems odd to me that two parents from the East coast of America have a son who sounds like Tiny Tim. One of my amusements has been trying to get him to say words with an American accent. Lately, we have been working on ‘banana’. The Brits say ‘ba-nah-na’, as does my son. I’ve been somewhat successful lately but he’ll only say American ‘banana’ when I prompt him. He went over to his friend (3-yr-old) Jessica’s house to play and she heard him saying ‘banana’ my way and immediately said, “That’s not right! It’s ba-nah-na!”. Thereafter, Will only said it the British way. Oh well. I guess peer pressure starts early.

I’ll work on ‘tomato’ next.

Daily Crush

melsanie — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 02:43:40 +0000

Funniest Video I Saw In 2009

Glen Maganzini — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 03:07:38 +0000

Maybe. Maybe not.

Accents to Accentuate Your Personality!

Don't Tell Mom — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:55:48 +0000

Even you can learn accents using Sarah Jensen’s patented Pork and Bean method:

Cat Chat, and what it means

kidsmusicsongs — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:55:58 +0000

Cats have a variety of ways to show their feelings. Most of the communication by body language. Cats can transmit their feelings through the use of their bodies, with the tail, eyes and voice. In this way you can tell whether sad, happy, excited or scared.

The communication is body language, almost all cats, it is not surprising that much of communication is by its tail. This cat the cat is used to other cats, animals, and talkPeople. A straight tail indicates that your cat will feel the control and he is very confident. A slight hook on the right rear is a way of saying "hello" to other animals and humans. A tail is held horizontally by a cat with the tip rushed is a sign of interest. A tail strike means that your cat is upset.

The eyes are not only beautiful, but uses an expressive function of communication in chat. Chat with eyes that are open, I'm curious about myor notification. And as for the direct eye contact may indicate that your cat feels aggressive or believes there is a threat. Opacity of the eyes can mean that your cat is sick and not feeling well.

Vocalization is another outlet for your cat to tell you how he feels. Meows, hisses, screams, and cats purring are all part of your arsenal of communication. Meows can be short and friendly and showed the need for attention or lack of food, while a long cry, or excessive use ofVocalization probably means that they are bored or in a state of wakefulness. Noise and Hum are other sounds that can teach your cat to the state of emotions. Whistle be used if your cat under threat. A grunt is used if your cat is angry and used a groan when he was on the defensive. Fusa is a pleasant sound, and is made by the vibration of the vocal cords of the cat. Purring can be observed when caress and comfort of our cats purr, but also catsif they are afraid. It is believed that purring is a great way with the cat to calm down.

Your cat has many ways to express his feelings. Take your time, observer, cat today and see how you can choose.

LamsonSharp 6-pc. Block Set - Wood Handle/ Silvertone Accents

kidsmusicsongs — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:55:07 +0000

LamsonSharp 6-pc. Block Set – Wood Handle/ Silvertone Accents Review

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LamsonSharp 6-pc. Block Set – Wood Handle/ Silvertone Accents Feature

Forged – Hardened and tempered high-carbon stainless steel
Dymondwood resin-infused wood handles are heat and water resistant
One-piece, forged, full tang blades
Lifetime warranty – plus – Sharp For Life!
Made in the USA

LamsonSharp 6-pc. Block Set – Wood Handle/ Silvertone Accents Overview

LamsonSharp Silver Forged 6-Piece Knife Block Set – 39967

Includes:
3.5″ Paring Knife
6&qu

LamsonSharp 6-pc. Block Set – Wood Handle/ Silvertone Accents Specifications

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Dec 17, 2009 04:55:04

adidas Women's Sport Trainer Lite Training Shoe

shoecarnival — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 08:00:18 +0000

i bought the red/silver/white, it is really nice, but the size was bigger than usual, my wife like it and she keep it, but i advice who ever will buy it, choose .5 size less than what you use to wear

adidas Women’s Sport Trainer Lite Training Shoe Reviews

A shoe for the athlete who knows that the harder you train, the better you get. Featuring elite performance with adiPRENE technology in the heel and dynamic materials and colors.

adidas Women’s Sport Trainer Lite Training Shoe Features

Air mesh upper for maximum ventilation
Molded EVA midsole
adiPRENE+ insert for forefoot propulsion and efficiency
Molded EVA with TPR element for optimized energy return and comfort
Flex grooves for optimum forefoot flexibility

Check Price and Read More Details of adidas Women’s Sport Trainer Lite Training Shoe…>>

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Boarding School Accent

perfectionatrix — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:27:05 +0000

Girl who felt like perfect gardens, futures filled with swimming pools, garages to fit import cars in, and emotional abuse, thought of you when I was driving back to Frederick Saturday. Congratulations on surviving, stumbling upon my way and not long after realizing you had nothing else to say. If I had a sensor that could tell me anything I would ask it to alert me when it captured your daydream, thinking of my eyes or the way laced fingers felt, afterglow & sighs, secrets made to tell. Then I would watch that sensor til I withered to a husk and you would break my lock to save me, whisk me off to country clubs and margaritas on verandas, khaki shorts and leather sandals, conversations about stocks and efforts to breed pandas – what I mean is I can see it, I know how it could happen and I know that I could be it and I’d probably be happy but there’s something awful else I guess that doesn’t want to see it – knows submission or completion is too far to be seeking or hastily achieving. Girl who felt like collared shirts, sculptures from the local crowd, prescriptions packed up in your purse, voice a notch or two too loud, I don’t say this because I don’t mean it.

Inexpensive and EFFECTIVE Holiday Decor

dross08 — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:42:27 +0000

YOU: ”I’m overwhelmed and don’t have time to get my house decorated for the holidays.”

ME: ”I’m here to help.”

YOU: ”But I don’t have tons of money and I don’t like all that hokey holiday stuff.”

ME: ”I’m here to help.”

YOU: ”Hmmm . . . it better be festive AND practical.”

ME: “Are you hearing me? I’m here to help!”

Let’s review our lesson, shall we?

1. Stop with unnecessary junk decorating.

2. Go outside and clip some evergreen boughs or ask to purchase the clippings from a local Christmas tree seller. Usually they will give you discarded branches, but it’s proper to offer to pay.

Put the aromatic boughs on your mantle, in a pretty bowl (with oranges, etc) , or in groups of staggered-height old vases.

3. Buy a warm throw blanket . Use it for creature comfort. Use it for art.

We have throws at our store that mimic heavy woven sweaters, or others that have the texture of a plushy baby blanket. My favorites are the fake fur throws. They look like something you’d want to wear in the heart of a Iowa winter.

They look like Christmas.

Did I help?

Dianne Ross

Phelan’s Interiors

363-9634

He wishes I were his ninja girlfriend.

lizwb — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:45:57 +0000

Ah. If only I were available; and if only he were HIM, which he’s not, since HE is not HERE, and HE … well, that’s another blog post, and frankly, none of your beeswax, anyway.

Still. It was nice – I think – being called a ninja.

Considering when I met him, I was shouting: “You suck!” at him.

I had an excuse. The house in which I live here in California is a virtual palace: in addition to all the black leather furniture, the stone floors, the decks festooning every outdoor wall, and the pool house – which houses, ha-ha, not only an in-ground pool and Jacuzzi, but also a pool table – AND an arcade, an air hockey table, a fuzball table, and other fun-fun-fun activities…

… but also the crappiest television service I’ve ever endured.

This would NOT be so terrible if I did not have two daughters, 13, and 10, who live with me in tranquil nowhere, and when they are bored, expecting me to be “Julie McCoy, their cruise director,” because apparently horses to ride, miniature horses to visit, three and half-acres (with a pond) to stroll around on, and the aforementioned Pool House of Joy are not QUITE as entertaining as, say, iCarly, or SpongeBob.

So there were actually two gentlemen – and gentlemen they were, indeed, to suffer such abuse at the hands of a tiny, leather-clad loudmouth, when all they really did was politely inquire:

“Excuse me: may we ask what service you use for your TV?”

Which triggered extreme wrath indeed, and the following blast, when I spotted their spiffy little “DirectTV” shirts.

“I have DirectTV, and you SUCK,” I said.

Loudly.

Maybe, kinda, too loudly.

To their credit, they were shocked and dismayed, instead of outraged and defensive, which, also frankly, (apparently Today’s Word Of The Day) would have been MY reaction.

The tall, blonde DirectTV guy, about six feet, six inches tall – putting him at about a foot and a half taller than myself, bent slightly over me apologetically, with a dash of defensiveness.

“Well,” he said, “all you had to do was call 1-800-DIRECTTV.”

Still enraged, I stared back, eye to, well, chest. “How would I KNOW that? Is it on the screen, at night, when it would be a smart time to LET me know? When I might be inclined to order? Like I said. You SUCK.”

His babyface fell. “You can call them right NOW,” Blonde Jock suggested helpfully.

“YOU call,” I dared him, crossing my arms over my chest.

Charmingly, he took my dare.

“I will,” he said, pulling out his flip phone.

And he DID.

(Later, the ex-footballer confessed, after we became Lifelong Friends For Five Minutes, he’d always wanted to learn how to ballroom dance. “Good choice,” I advised him, “You’ll get laid for the rest of your life.”)

Between the two of them, we got my service upgraded to the next level, easily and quickly. The only potential glitch was the customer service phone rep was Southern, and started out a little brusque, but that was easily dispatched when I laid on the Georgia sugar: that is, calling him “sir” (he was obviously older than I was) and deliberately mentioning my other home in Rocky Plains.

Amazing how things go smoother south of the Mason-Dixon line when you’re “from around there.”

It WAS funny watching the DirectTV Duo listen to me switch up accents quicker – and way better – than Angelina Jolie or Meryl Streep.

By now, we were all great friends; I’d pulled out my iPhone with the graffiti cover for admiration, as well as my ever-present Leatherman, for further admiration. (Blonde Jock is planning to get the iPhone soon, as was intrigued with my mirrored privacy cover.)

And, of course, anyone with a penis is always intrigued by a genuine Leatherman.

(If you don’t know what the Leatherman tool is, http://www.leatherman.com/)

ANYWAY…

After show and tell, the conversation turned to the fact I’d just been run over by a truck, which was true.

“So, you’re like, a ninja,” said one of them, in an impressed whisper.

Ninja? Aren’t ALL moms?

“I wish you were MY girlfriend,” he said, in a sort of awestruck tone. “Or that you could train my NEXT girlfriend.”

Thinking this would be a good time for me to mount my white steed Silver and “Hi-Ho” off into the sunset, since any time any conversation veers even remotely into the territory of “can I have your number?” or “girlfriend” or even “what’s your name?” I tend to get a bit skittish, I laughed and said there was fudge calling me at the front of the store (which indeed there was) and waved good-bye – where, in fact, the sistah selling the chocolate pound of wonder and delight even walked me to the very front of the line. How cool is that?

Ninja?

Nah. Just a woman, following the Secret, Closely-Guarded Girl Manual.

The maturity of a 10 year old boy...

Madame Wong — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:35:35 +0000

When we lived in Georgia and the big kids were in High School, we would get calls from said school every week or so. The way the system works is there is a recorded greeting and then whomever is talking can record the notices that need to go out. The secretary in charge of the greeting has a very thick New York accent. Nothing wrong with that – my husband is from the Bronx. It just became amusing over 4 years to hear “This iz a cawl from XXXXXXXX High Skewl.” I would even joke about it at the elementary school where I worked as another office employee had a daughter in the same grade as my twins. I would occasionally answer the phone like that as well, attempting to smother giggles while I did so.

So, big kids graduated and no more amusing accented calls. We moved to Maryland. I realized that we needed to change the greeting on the answering machine – it had the GA info. I got the stupendous idea of trying to channel the High School secretary in the message. If you’ve ever seen the movie Working Girl, think of Melanie Griffiths as she calls Harrison Ford’s office – “This iz Tess McGill’s awffice, cawling for Jak Trainah, can ya hold?”

Our new message has me, a person with no discernible accent from a childhood spent in Florida, talking with the thickest New York accent ever.

“Thank yew for cawlin’ XXX-XXX-XXXX. We kan’t come ta the phone right now but if you wood leave ya name and ya numbah after the beep, we’ll get back to ya as soon as possible.” Every word is deliberate and it just has the perfect cadence of a professional switchboard operator.

Had my husband call the house from his cell when he got home that night so he could listen to the message. I thought he was going to have a coronary, he laughed so hard. The big kid in college flipped out as well, the first time she had to leave a message.

The wonderful thing about this recording is the fact that we apparently got the phone number of a couple who a: have alot of friends who like to call all the time and b: don’t like to pay their bills so we have their creditors calling every day. I think the message scares them off….

*editors note: My husband wondered why I titled this “The maturity of a 10 year old boy”. Perhaps because it is so silly to giggle maniacally over bad accents & general goofiness. Kind of like laughing over fart noises…

Amy -- Starfish and Sand Dollar with Mickey Mouse Head Accent!

shanonmedley — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:22:46 +0000

I created 3 differnt options that you can take a look at….

Option #1: I used the starfish and sand dollar layout. The last layer of cardstock is a striking aqua blue and the middle layer is a light purple shimmer textured cardstock. The Swarovski crystal Mickey Mouse head is place above all the wording on this invitation….

Option #2:

For this one I used almost the same cardstock color scheme…the only difference is that the bottom layer of cardstock is slightly darker in color and more blue than the previous and also this one has shimmer sheen to it where the first one was a matte cardstock. I used the starfish layout and placed the Swarovski crystal Mickey head accent above your names. I also used the font that you had mentioned that you liked and accented the names in a sea foam green color….

Option #3:

Here is the same starfish layout as the previous one. For this one I decided to try a sand colored pattern paper for the middle layer and I used the shimmer lavender for the bottom layer. The same font was used for this one but instead I accented your names in lavender.

I’m a PC and Even I Have a Mac: Conversations With Strangers at Work

gojira — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 03:57:00 +0000

Man I Don’t Know to Woman I Don’t Know: I need an umlaut.
Woman I Don’t Know: You what?
Man: I need an umlaut.
Me [chipper, decisive, loud]: I can get you an umlaut! Here youuuu, ohhhh [midswoop, face falling, devastated] is that a…a…um…PC?
Man: It’s okay.
Me [chipper and decisive again, less loud]: I’ll email you an umlaut!
Man: Don’t worry about it; I’ll google for it and copy and paste it in. That’s what I usually do.
Me [crestfallen]: Oh, okay.

If your daily newspaper is late tomorrow, it’s because the reporters got held up looking for an umlaut.

Extreme Bathroom Makeover

pennyzeller — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:33:05 +0000

It was a scary decision…made by the man of the house – the only male member of our house to be exact.

No, it wasn’t a decision to parachute out of a plane or bungee jump from a bridge into the Snake River Canyon. It wasn’t the decision to become parents to 24 children in 24 hours or to sail the Atlantic Ocean in a canoe or board the space shuttle for a trip to Saturn. No, it was a much scarier decision – the decision to redo our upstairs bathroom.

Yes, my innocent-seeming husband, Lon had a secret identity as an extreme bathroom makeover artist. Of course, he hid this identity well, so how could we have known? “We would never have guessed. He seemed so…so normal,” said a neighbor who chose to remain anonymous.

Innocent-seeming Lon had a secret identity

The day started out peaceful and calm. A nice breakfast and a relaxing day could have been in order, but that wasn’t the case. When I saw him coming up the stairs with enough tools to make the tool department at Home Depot appear lacking in comparison, that’s when I knew that our bathroom would NEVER be the same.

So perhaps I should back up a bit and start at the beginning. Lon decided that we needed a new bathroom faucet. He could barely fit his large hands under our current faucet and he mentioned that the current one seemed so “blah.” So, off to the store we went and found a beautiful brushed nickel faucet. Thus began Lon’s obession with brushed nickel.

The innocent-looking faucet that started it all...

That evening, while I was making dinner, Lon announced he had to run up to Home Depot to buy something to fix our toilet. Inside I panicked. After all, I don’t do well with outdoor plumbing. He returned a short time later with a brown bag and unknown contents within it. “I have to fix the toilet,” was all he said as he hastily retreated into our upstairs bathroom and shut and locked the door, leaving me to fear the worst…that our toilet was leaking everywhere.

Moments later, Lon emerged with a grin on his face. He beckoned me to come see the “fixed” toilet. He was so filled with excitement – excitement I hadn’t seen since he’d purchased his new hunting gun (we’ll save that story for another time). With a wave of his hand, he showed me the latest brushed nickel addition to our bathroom.

The latest brushed nickel addition

Keep in mind while gazing at the picture above that this bathroom is a small one. The special super-sucker toilet is standard size, but even so, the toilet flusher took up a large portion of the tank and really weighed it down!

We had also decided on one of those curved shower curtain rods, likely because we spend entirely too much time in hotels on book tours. Anyway, our small bathroom now only had a new shower curtain rod, toilet flusher, and faucet. Most would be content with small, but nice aesthetic changes, however…

During a moment of weakness, Lon mentioned that he’d never liked the bright colors I’d chosen for our bathroom. The purples, pinks, turquoises, and shamrock greens had been too much to handle. Now I admit, I like bright colors, so at first I couldn’t understand his concern. But as he began to detail the prospect of redoing our upstairs bathroom, I began to become more open-minded. After all, I could adjust from bright colors to mundane, yet modern browns and creams, or could I?

I put on my best happy face at the thought of our extreme bathroom makeover

Sadly, the paint we chose was the wrong color. No, not a soft chocolate brown, but more of an avocado poop brown. Sadly, we only noticed this after I had painted the entire cabinet. Off to the store we went to get some new brown paint. We then began the process of repainting the entire bathroom in cream-colored earth tones for the walls and accented by a true chocolate brown…

Lon begins the tedious task of taping off the things we don't want painted (like the tub)

Later…

Lon is later attacked by an especially aggressive piece of plastic

I did my part by taping newspaper to the white ceiling so it would remain white…

A professional covers the ceiling with protective newspaper

Everthing that is removable is also removed from the bathroom, including the toilet. Children are sternly warned NOT to use the toilet in the hallway.

Caution...do not use!

The bathroom is now ready to be painted…

Waaaaaa! What happened to my bathroom?!

Several days and headaches later, our bathroom emerges into a modernized new room done entirely by motivated do-it-yourselfers, complete with new flooring, paint, saphire accents, crown moulding, and, yep, you guessed it, a brushed nickel lighting bar!

Our beautiful new bathroom

My creative husband adds a few special touches…

Lon adds moulding and tile accents to our new lighting bar

Lon builds into our cabinet drawers an excellent idea complete with dazzling color…

I absolutely love Lon's idea of floor tiles and accents for our cabinet drawers!

The crown moulding outlines and finishes the look...

Phew! We finally finished our extreme bathroom makeover – and on a budget too! And yes, I do like the new colors a lot.

Oops, we interrupt this blog for a very important newsflash…oh no! Lon is suggesting we remodel the office. YIKES! Gotta go… by the way…join me next week for my helpful and humorous blog about five things a man shouldn’t buy his wife for Christmas!

Accents

kimothy — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:49:09 +0000

The New York accent is pretty much the most annoying accent on the face of the planet. I can’t stand to listen to it.

Almost every other accent — Indian, British, French, etc. — is somewhat pleasant to listen to, if you’re not trying to discern what the person is trying to say. But the New York accent is deplorable. It’s like fingernails on a chalkboard.

Yet another reason I need to get out of this place.

Damn you, Hannah Montana

nuimgeography — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:07:27 +0000

A couple of weeks ago we had a family gathering for my grandmother’s birthday. When my cousin from Dublin arrived, my uncle greeted her by saying, “Christ Olivia you’re as fat as a fool.” My cousin looked at him, not knowing whether to hit him or to break down in tears. My cousin’s not fat at all, and my uncle wasn’t trying to insult her about her appearance. “Fat as a fool” is actually a compliment at home. It means someone looks healthy or vibrant. But my cousin, being from Dublin and not from the countryside, wasn’t to know, hence the awkward silence that followed.

This anecdote got me thinking: Ireland is a tiny country which covers a mere 70,280 sq km, yet the range of different accents and colloquial tongue that we find across the country is astonishing. Whether it’s the different dialects of Gaelic or the different accents in English, Ireland is full of the ‘wink and elbow language of delight,’ as Patrick Kavanagh aptly described it.

When you’ve been born, bred, and buttered in Cavan, moving to Maynooth is a life changing experience. Cavan is renowned for two things, men who are tight with their money, and a thick “bogger” accent. I quickly discovered that, instead of greeting each other with a “well?” or “much of it out?”, people down the country use this crazy, “hello,” word. I’d never heard of it before, but it seems to be all the rage down here.

I’ve also discovered that half the people I come across in college have a problem pronouncing words which start with “th.” They say “tree” when they mean “three” or “tanks” is apparently “thanks.” This has me in stitches because, being from the “counthry”, I have the opposite problem. We can’t pronounce any word with a “t” in it without throwing in an “h” for good measure, like in “butther,” “wather,” and even “counthry.”

After stumbling along for three years in NUI Maynooth trying desperately to adapt to this new breed of specimen I’ve encountered – best described as “cultured” folk that grew up in towns with more than one shop, an abundance of playstations, and a language seemingly far from the English I was reared on – there is no better feeling than when I come across one of my own… another person lost in a world of ‘’likes” and “whatevers.” But I can’t help feel that this kind of experience will be gone soon. Just like the diminishment of the Irish language, Ireland’s vast array of different accents and “twangs” are slowing dying out. Americanisation, globalisation, call it what you will, has given birth to a distinguished “Mid-Atlantic” Irish accent which is infecting our cities and countryside alike (I like to call it the language of “The Hills”). It’s a real shame that the sayings and slights of tongue which have survived the plantations, the famine, and which have been passed down through generations, are slowly being killed off by the likes of Hannah Montana, Friends, and other global influences.

Although we are privileged to be living in one of the most affluent and integrated societies in the world, its pains me to see the death of the colloquial languages that have been the cornerstone of Irishness. Whether it’s the incomprehensible Donegal man or the warm accent of the man from Kerry, surely we must strive to keep our identities intact.

A guest post written by Mark Farelly, 3rd year Geography student.

Monday Morning Comedy Jam: Margaret Cho

baji — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 06:28:13 +0000

Also, eeriely related to a prior post: Literature Rodeo.

Iowa Tinsel and Turquoise Transitional Tree

dross08 — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:30:07 +0000

Just like many of you, people around here get pretty excited about “decking the halls”!

So, today I am taking you inside the store on a Chritmas tree – glow- tour. Once again Alex Von Ahsen took the photos and I played with them.

Here’s what it really looks like! A classic in crystal, copper, silver and gold.

There are two tiny trees also on the first floor – very sparklie!

Next, off we go to the mezzanine. . . Turquoise colors bending under the weight of a mountain of tinsel! BLING and unexpected drama!

and upstairs: Oh! Tannenbaum: Hubba-hubba!

We have more!

Old world elegance.

Come in for cookies and coffee while you’re downtown this season.

You’ll love what we’ve done to the place!

Dianne Ross

Interior Designer / Phelan’s Interiors

363-9634

Update: Meredith — Cardinals, White Roses, and Blue Hydrangeas

shanonmedley — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:58:19 +0000

I am loving how this is turning out….too cute!!

I added some red/oranges to the female cardinal. and also changed the rose on the bottom left hand corner and on the response card. Also, overall the images on this invitation have better coloring than the last version I created…I thought that it was a bit washed out overall…this one the graphics are a touch brighter and slightly bolder…what are your thoughts?…do you like this coloring better?

Also, I kept the red and white middle layer since you mentioned you liked that. For the back layer of cardstock I used the blue shimmer textured cardstock that was used on the very first sample that I sent you in the mail….which blue cardstock do you prefer?