Yes, Allegra now has a blog, and if you’re unfamiliar with who we are and what we do, we’re about to introduce ourselves in a big way! For 24 years, Allegra has provided the Colorado Springs market with quality print, copy and mail services. But now, we’ve expanded our service offerings to include marketing and creative design – all with the goal of providing you, our customers, a full-service, single stop advertising solutions partner!

We can only do EVERYTHING!

Is that statement a big bold? Perhaps. But don’t look at it as a grandiose statement, look at it as a promise and commitment to our customers to provide you with a reliable marketing partner, capable of delivering any marketing, advertising, print, direct mail, sign or copy services you need. We want to enhance the value of your business by offering you a single point of contact to get whatever you need done, done.

Allegra is not just a printer pretending to be an advertising agency. That’s not who we are. We are a marketing solutions provider who happens to own its own presses, copiers and has its own sign and mailing facilities.

We are a company of specialists with decades upon decades of experience in varying fields capable of providing sound advice, timely suggestions and quality results.

We are a local company who sees the value in developing lasting, long-term relationships with our customers through quality service, competitive pricing and an unwavering belief that our commitment to our customers and their success in turn guarantees our longevity.

But enough about Allegra. In fact, this is the one and only marketing message you’ll see from us in this blog. The reason you’ll want to come back again and again is for the free stuff. That’s right, I said free stuff – as in free design tips, free marketing facts and free insight on the latest developments in the marketing and print industries.

We encourage participation, so if you see a post you like, let us know about it. If you disagree with something, tell us.  In fact, go chat amongst yourself and come to your own conclusions. This blog exists solely to help you be more successful at what you do.

If you’re looking for a deal, be sure to follow us on Twitter @allegramktg for constant updates and special promotions on any of our services.

We can only do EVERYTHING!

English & Italian: Means “cheerful, lively” in Italian. It is not a traditional Italian name. It was borne by a short-lived illegitimate daughter of Lord Byron. (Behindthename.com)

First off, a Thanksgiving news alert:  I don’t plan to post on Thursday, November 26 or Friday, November 27.  I’m headed off to visit my in-laws in Detroit, and they have these crazy ideas about people sitting in the same room and enjoying each others’ company.  :)

It’s been a quiet week as the US readies for the holiday.  

Well, not entirely quiet.  The second Twilight flick,  New Moon, premiered.  Names spotted among those turning out for the festivities included designer Rachel Roy brought her 10 year old daughter Ava.  Rachel and husband Damon Dash also have a toddler called Tallulah Ruth.  (via Celebrity Baby Blog)  It’s interesting to see parents who embraced Ava ten years ago, when she was still on the rise, using Tallulah more recently.  Anyone else think that the once-outlandish name that had everyone abuzz when the Moore-Willis clan used it will go mainstream?  And if a search for “baby names Twilight” brought you here, check out this post: Not Just for Vampires Anymore.

In other celeb news, Tiffani Thiessen tells Extra that she and her husband aren’t considering “any freaky names.”  She doesn’t mention whether going through life as Tiffani-Amber colored her view.  We’ll have to wait and see.

On to some real life name-spotting:

• I just returned from Target.  I was buying toddler tights while another mom was trying to persuade her daughter to try on a coat, but the daughter?  Was fleeing to the just-steps-away toy department.  The name the mother was calling?  ”Miracle!  Miracle, come back here!”  Insert your own joke about it-taking-an-act-of-God to distract a 3 y.o. from the toy department here;
• Bewildertrix has spotted Leonidas George.  My baby brother swears Leonidas will be the name of his firstborn son, should that happy event ever come to pass.  She also uncovered an Elisabetta Ivy.  And a Zuma.  (No Gwen Stefani isn’t in New Zealand – he’s Zuma Louis, a non-celeb baby brother for Ava and Remi.)
• For Real Baby Names spotted Dafne.  It may be a valid foreign variant, but to me it is like Jorja/Georgia - this one just looks better as the more familiar Daphne. 

Now for two Language Lessons from that sage font of wisdom, Nancy:

• Hard G vs. Soft G – Sometimes they’re interchangeable – as in Jorja/Georgia – but other times, swapping a J for a G leads to confusion;
• Doubling consonants – Ditto doubling a consonant.  It’s another popular way to make a name “unique,” but it can also cause confusion.

Truly unusual names are always found at Nameberry, and this week’s posts were no exception.  Check out the Lost Boys’ Names of 1880.  Why aren’t more boys named Zeb?  Or Hardy?  Others – including titles like Squire and Commodore – are best left to history.  (I work with a man in his 50s named General.  I don’t get the impression that he thinks much about his name one way or the other.)  For a change, the girls’ list is almost less interesting – maybe because I wouldn’t raise an eyebrow if I met a 2 y.o. called Mahala or Texas. 

Let’s end on a controversial note: the shortcomings of the Baby Name Wizard.  I recently noticed a post on Swistle (a big BNW adherent) that troubled me.  Just a few days earlier, Nancy recounted a similar story on her blog.  

An expectant mother, mom to Sophia, wrote to Swistle about the name Allegra.  She and her husband loved the name Allegra.  Loved the way nicknames Allie and Sophie sounded together.  But she worried about the allergy medication association.

Swistle wrote: “I love the name Allegra—and every time I want to suggest it, I back away because of the allergy medicine. I’m ANGRY at the company that stole it.”

Swistle’s poll was evenly split: 52% no to Allegra; 48% yes.  But here’s the thing: Swistle’s framing of the question – “Is the name Allegra too associated with allergy medication to be used for a baby?” made it pretty clear that she thought Allegra was beyond consideration.  (Swistle is usually so judgment-free that I was really surprised by that.)

The mom herself recently wrote in:

“We ended up naming our daughter Lucy. I love her name, but I regret not being gutsy enough to go with Allegra. Personally, I’d encourage anyone considering the name to go for it. No matter what name you choose some people will like it and others will hate it.”

Lucy is a fine name.  I like it lots.  But how sad that much naming advice often tends to push parents to the middle, rather than embracing the names that we really love. 

I suspect the allergy medication reference is fleeting.  When the blogger at For Real Baby Names spotted a Dexy Adelaide, I mentioned the 80s pop hit “Come On, Eileen” – and sent ForReal running to Google.  Dexy, it appears, no longer means “one-hit wonder responsible for lodging the phrase too-rye-aye in my brain.”  And it hasn’t been that long.  It makes me think Allegra will be free of medication association by the time Allie hits the teenage years, if not sooner.

Thanks for reading!

Another common condition that most persons hate to deal with is allergies. It’s really hateful when your eyes starts to itch, when you start sneezing, when your nose starts running or when you get covered in hives. In fact, one out of 3 persons is affected and among those affected are not only adults but also children including babies.

Firstly, let us define what allergies are. Allergies are actually abnormal immune system reactions to things that are typically harmless to most people. Once you become allergic to something, your immune system mistakenly believes that this substance is harmful to your body. Allergic reactions can be mild or it may be severe. Mild in the sense that the one who has allergies may only have a runny nose but it is already considered severe when one suffers from difficulty in breathing. For instance, an asthma attack is usually an allergic reaction to something that is breathed into the lungs by someone who is susceptible.

There are various ways to treat allergies and one of which is taking in medication like Allegra (fexofenadine) which can be best sourced out from CheapPrescriptionDrug.net.

What is Allegra? Well, it is an antihistamine that reduces the natural chemical histamine in the body. The said histamine is that which can produce symptoms of itching, sneezing, runny nose and watery eyes. This medication is indicated for the treatment of hay fever or seasonal allergies and similar allergy symptoms in both adults and children.

It is best to take precautions at all times and this holds true way when taking in Allegra medication.  Thus, first, prior to using Allegra, you should inform your doctor first if you are allergic to any drugs or if you have a kidney disease. Second, although it is not known if Allegra is harmful to an unborn baby, it is still best to inform your doctor if you are pregnant or if you have plans of becoming one during treatment before you take in this medication. And if you are breastfeeding, inform your doctor of such fact even if it is not yet known whether fexofenadine passes into breast milk or if it could be harmful to a nursing baby. Third, if you are taking medications other than Allegra, your doctor should be informed of what these medications are, whether they are mere vitamins, herbal products, minerals or other drugs that was prescribed by other doctors. This is so because there are those medications that can affect Allegra. Fourth, if you think you have used too much medicine or if you have suffered any allergic reactions such as difficulty in breathing, hives, swelling of your lips, face, throat or tongue, cease from using Allegra medication and seek medical help immediately. Last but not the least, never ever take more than the dosage prescribed by your doctor. Do not hesitate to ask your pharmacists if you want to know more about this drug either personally or through an online support just like that which is offered by Cheap Prescription Drug.

The proper way of taking in this medication is by taking the disintegrating tablet on an empty stomach with a full glass of water. Take the medication at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after a meal. Usually, this medication is taken twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. If in any case you have missed a dose, use it as soon as you remember. But if it is near the time of the next dose, skip the missed dose and resume with your usual dosing schedule. Don’t ever “double up” the dose just to catch up with your missed dose.

Now, the proper place to obtain Allegra is Cheap Prescription Drug Online Pharmacy. Because it is a US licensed pharmacy, that it offers a free online prescription from a US licensed doctor, that it offers discreet shipping, FedEx overnight shipping and a 24/7 toll free support, buyers are pretty much assured that Cheap Prescription Drug is one that can be considered as an online pharmacy of the highest standard.

I laughed when I read the name of the show… The Face It Show.

You can’t peg this group into one of your little holes…

It’s the Funk – Rock – Hip Hop attack on your earhole..

Get some dammit… bring yourself and don’t be the one reading about it the next day.

www.roomoneone.com

www.myspace.com/roomoneone

]]> http://foxbrownfox.net/2009/11/18/sneakin-peeks-room-11-rehearsal/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:43:42 +0000 foxbrownfox http://foxbrownfox.net/2009/11/18/sneakin-peeks-room-11-rehearsal/

Eff the Bullshot… AfroPunk!

That’s Room 11 – that’s Allegra Dolores – and THAT’s DOLORES on the Mic!

Chicago… you did this.

Rarely Used list of Girls (2005) only 3 have entered the top 100. Are names really slow to enter and creep or do they suddenly appear at like 600?

Aeron, Aine, Allegra, Amity, Arabella, Ariadne, Artemisia, Aviva, Avril, Beatrix, Britt, Calla, Caprice, Cassia, Cecily, Daria, Dimitra, Donatella, Eleni, Ellery, Elodie, Emeline, Emlyn, Esme, Fifi, Finola, Gaia, Gemma, Hadassah,Hermione, Hollis, Honor, Isadora, Jemima, Junia, Kateri, Kiki, Lark, Lavender, Lilias, Linden, Lyra, Maisie, Mattea, Mehitabel, Melia, Mercy, Niamh, Olympia, Orly, Pippa, Romy, Shenandoah, Shoshana, Stefania, Tamsin, Tayla, Thomasina, Tilda, Topaz, Tova, Vashti, Venice, Verity, Zilla.

Arabella 2005- 795, 2006- 649, 2007- 648 2009-657

Gemma 2008- 888

Hadassah 2007- 996, 2008-988

and the SSA website has gone down for me so I can’t find the rankings for Tayla for the last 5 years?

- – - – -

the doctor told me about those itching matters at the appointment, for which he was present.

also my mom did tell me about the mail.

Ladies… the fellas think we have no rhyme or reason to how we feel… and what makes us angry.

Allegra Dolores tries to make it plain for you – while the Room 11 band does that funky thing they do.

Life is too short… why don’t you get out my face???

Allergies: Seen that? – Generic Allegra from Mylan Laboratories
ben roethlisberger
kaw
Phish Festival 8 Coverage Get It All On JamBase!
halloween pumpkin carving
pit bulls and parolees
Michael Jackson Autopsy Photo to Be Leaked Soon?
Dalian Shide&s New Stadium
homebuyer tax credit
blood angels
mike schmidt

The second time with Medium was helpful just like first time. Josiah Roe and Becca Reese had a presentation about web design process with their own examples. They pointed out the importance of sketching and grid system for wireframe process. Also, they talked about user path and how important it is for the designers to think on the users’ side. The examples were helpful and it was great to hear from them. Thank you for coming to teach us! :]

After Web Media class, the class headed to local printing company Allegra. Allegra is a small commercial shop that target medium to large businesses. They are the first printer in Chattanooga who adopted digital printing and sheet fed style printing. I was fascinated by all the things they can do in the shop. They offer design service as well as printing with various options. After the tour was finished, they gave us awesome water bottle, stickers (die cut!), and personalized memo pad. It was unexpected yet nice surprise. All the employees greeted us with smile and we learned a lot from them.  Thank you!

Photos by T.J. Bowman.

Twins.

Kaia & Layla, Gaia & Evelyn, Elizabeth & Samantha, Beth & Amy, Edie & Beth.

Names with hyphens (boys in brackets)

Lola-Jean, Arden-Grace, Mia-Moana, Nola-Mae, Chlea-Jade, Janesta-Rose, Matilda-Rose, Abigail-Maree, (Dar-rel), (Cee-Jay), Marlee-Rose, Sophie-Lee, Danny-Jo, Tracey-Lee, Kobyn-Rayne, Indiana-Rose, Marie-Louise, Poppie-May, Bella-Tiarne, Miabella-Rose, Destiny-Pearl, Tiana-Jade, Danika-Leigh, Safahri-Jade, Taitum-Jaymz, Liliana-Jade, (De-yon) Summer’Jayne, Alexis-Grace, Payton’Lea, Shana-Lee, Tiana-Jae, Matildah-Rose, Ka’tia, Torrie-lee.

Girls

Belinda, Victoria, Adelaide, Amy, Bethany, Lauren, Eva, Kendall, Bridie, Gisele, Melanie, Erin, Yasmin, Clare, Natalie, Michelle, Faith, Rhianne, Ruby, Carissa, Jacinta, Keeley, Laura, Samara, Elle, Nina, Lola, Louise, Violet, Callista, Anastasia, Zoe, Carmen, Helen, Felicity, Melissa, Elena, Valentina, Freya, Delilah, Amelia, Isla, Julia, Cassandra, Imogen, April, Morgan, Lucia, Poppy, Tess, Winter, Angela, Molly, Jacqueline, Bonnie, Jade, Alice, Ebony, Rebecca, Aurora, Celine, Monique, Lisa, Madeline, Bronwyn, Lucinda, Willow, Carly, Daisy, Camille, Raffaella, Piper, Lara, Nadia, Angela, Lucy, Libby, Nikita, Thea, Chelsea, Cleo, Reese, Arianne, Catherine, Francesca, Toni, Ingrid, Katherine, Paula, Sabrina, Roxy, Bronte, Mariah, Sandy, Sasha, Dakota, Cara, Tiffany, Tyra, Holly, Miranda, Julie.

Shirley, Luella, Annie, Shirley, Marnie, Bessie, Amity, Lucille, Rosa, Lulu, Mimi, Reba, Elsie, Pearl, Iris, Rosetta, Olive, Tilly, Babette, Heidi, Yvette, Tabitha, Eloise, Hermione, Diana, Clementine, June, Beth, Josephine, Mina, Chrysanthe,Hazel,  Daphne, Mabel, Amaryllis, Georgie, Lillian, Dahlia, Teodora, Ivy, Esther, Arabella, Ida, Meg, Olive, Aubrey, Jane, Cynthia, Alison, Juliette, Mary, Allegra, Eleanor, Mariette, Evangeline, Klara/Clara, Kit ,Dina, Lolita, Olympia, Sally, Edith.

Coco, Quincy, Angel, Caprice, Jewel, Majenta, River, Jazz, Avalon, Cherish, Cairo, Rain, Winter, Shiloh, Harmony, Elodie, Saige, Lucky, Vienna, Paisley, Tigerlily, Maple, Indigo, Pyrate, Trinity, Tulip, Nevaeh, Porsha, Serenity, Hope, Kitty, Arden, Anakie, Pixie, Alaska, Demi, Ocean, Chardonnay, Patience, Melody,Nevada, Dusty, Harper, Modesty, Chevy.

Monieka, Nikkisha, Alyvia, Khloie, Sascha, Talieya, Illiana, Havania, Neva, Ashlan, Adahlia, Somma, Lyla, Cloe, Alecia, Eliesha, Addicyn, Cheyanne, Alexxa, Avah, Wynta, Aaleah, Aleksa, Marleya, Tessah, Chaylee, Jayde, Shae, Chelce, Natalee, Armahni, Scarlotte, Summah, Alaliela, Izabella, Serynnia, Shaela,  Nieve, Azaiyah, Ellenore, Shilah, Mychaela, Avaril, Sylvannah, Innika, Ayva, Rosemari,Jimima, Trelyse,

Ellia, Cianna, Jylea, Quaylah, Imara,Temika,Araya,Inara, Allyra, Aleka, Ashadiah, Arkie,  Zahni, Paea, Ecren, Ejren, Kokoda, Risha, Damara, Taniesse, Aashaylee, Daija, Delana, Folosade, Zoni, Oceah, Chimme, Zari, Irem, Ayansa, Janaiah, Alara, Shallyn, Tithi, Sharell, Shylynn, Tekeia, Tiese, Daisharn, Saybra, Sena, Nour, Mataya, Mohala,

Dempsey, Logan, Kirby, Blake, Emlyn, Kameron, Espen, Chandler, Eliette, Isaiah, Harvey, Shelby, Zia, Gabriel, Sidney, Jayden, Tully, Elliot,  Blaire, Darby, Finnlay,

Keali, Kiana, Kiahla, Kiyarah, Kaylia, Kalara, Khyaura, Kaitara, Kiyarah, Kirrali, Kyndra, Kadelle, Kiesha, Kyndral, Kymani, Keiley, Keana, Kiralee, Kasia.

Asta, Amika, Talya, Kaya, Shanti, Tahnee, Sakura, Aroha, Sachi, Priya, Sabra, Lia, Alessia, Aniela, Sora, Ximena, Donatella, Natalya, Halina, Athalia, Maja, Amani, Natassja, Aomi, Amal, Isha, Luciana, Quiana, Myfanwy, Zaira, Leda, Layal, Manaia, Mahina, Soleil, Solange, Jaya, Mahalia, Zavia, Azura, Seren,

Opel studiaza posibilitatea de a lansa in 2012 un city car care sa rivalizeze cu Ford Ka, Fiat 500, Renault Twingo si cu versiunile derivate din VW Up!. Modelul ar putea primi denumirea de Allegra.

Cunoscut in interiorul companiei sub numele de cod “New Small”, viitorul model de oras va fi construit pe platforma lui Agila sau Corsa si va avea o lungime putin peste 3 metri. Vehiculul va fi oferit exclusiv in versiunea de caroserie cu 3 usi si se va pozitiona in gama Opel sub Agila in 5 usi.

Potrivit unor informatii preliminare oferite

de un insider, noul Opel Allegra va fi desenat la Centrul de Stil General Motors din Coreea de Sud. Interesant este faptul ca GM va continua sa-si puna amprenta pe viitoarele modele produse de Opel chiar si dupa iminenta vanzare catre compania canadiano-austriaca Magna International, pentru a reduce costurile de dezvoltare ale viitoarelor sale modele Chevrolet.

Desi nu este nimic oficial, se presupune ca Allegra se va situa intr-o zona tarifara de circa 5.500 de euro. Noul model va intra in productia de serie in anul 2012, probabil la uzinele unde este asamblat noul Corsa.

sursa www.auto.ro

Petra

Maple

Girls: Halle, Alaiela, Amelia Mary Rose, Layal, Isla Grace, Lianna, Charlie Parker, Dahlia, Julia, Havana, Scarlett, Taryn, Gabriel, Cassandra, Poppy Jane, Shaela Dawn Rose, Jahnesta-Rose, Saybra, Azaiyah, Elodie, Amali Hineauta, Mahlia, Izabella, Imogen Grace, Teodora, Dakoda, Lani, Ida Maria, April, Ivy, Chevelle, Imani, Iziah, Serynnia, Morgan Elizabeth, Esther Ruth, Nieve, Sidney Violet, Amira, Winter Serenity, Angela, Arabella, Jacqueline, Imogen Allegra, Meg, Eesha, Ellenore, Manaia, Iva, Lola, Honora, Jakora, Kasharla, Alice, Genevieve, Camille, Lyla, Lilly, Mabel, Marika, Laekin, Malaika, Sadie Nicole, Pearl, Angelie, Anjea Coco, Freya, Janae, Ruby, Stella, Tilliah Rose, Leilani, Teale, Sasha, Ellazae, Ashli.

Yesterday after our speakers from Medium schooled us on web design, my classmates and I piled into our vehicles and drove to Allegra Printing. This was my first time to see a printing press in action.

Todd Oates

Once we arrived Todd Oates and the rest of the Allegra staff greeted us with open arms. Todd, who is the location manager, told us a little bit about Allegra’s history; for instance, it began as a family business in the 1970s and was Chattanooga, TN’s first digital printing press. After conversing for a bit, we began our tour.

In-house design department

Our visit kicked off in the in-house design department, which receives orders from clients and preps file formats ready for print. As a graphic design student, it was interesting to hear about some of the day-to-day interactions and situational humor that they experience, like heinous photo qualities or missing typefaces. Funny, I see similarities already. Heather, the graphic designer on staff, explained that sometimes she has to jump through design hurdles that she wouldn’t prefer to in order to please the client. I’m not sure how I felt about that but having previously done freelance work myself, I understand that the client’s needs must be met, whether they have impeccable taste or otherwise. As for missing file links…

Bonnie

The next room over housed two giant machines named Bonnie and Clyde. This room is called the Digital Print Center and it’s where…digital prints are made. Chandler, the print operator, was more than hospitable by showing us around and explaining her routine to us. As for Bonnie and Clyde, she says they totally have personalities: when Bonnie jams she screams, when Clyde jams he growls.

Roland

People, meet the Roland! Obviously, this is what larger print jobs, such as banners, are made from. Talking about some serious paper jams. In awe, I asked Todd how much this baby cost. The answer? Over 30 grand. Yeah, that’s more than the cost of my college tuition…and car…combined. Luckily, Allegra was nice enough to print some things off for us so we could see this machine work. Look at the photo gallery below and take note of its magnificence.

Roland

Gigantic ink cartridges

Printing in progress

Printing in progress

Classmates

Classmates

Trimmer

This is Andy and what he is doing is trimming the edges of some pamphlets that Chandler printed for us in the Digital Print Center. It looks pretty simple to operate. There’s a back wall to line the documents up against and then you just press a button to activate the blade. Seemingly unimpressive, this paper cutter looks like it could take a couple fingers off with eeease. Luckily for us, there’s a motion sensor that locks the blade when you cross its path. Watch those phalanges, Andy. Watch those phalanges.

Magnified CMYK

This image is the final result of a custom print job, which is more closely regulated. The dots are CYMK indicators that are viewed from a magnifier. This is how the printer can tell if an image is pristine or blurry. If the dots aren’t clear then it’s a misprint. There are two machines at Allegra that produce higher quality prints, which take more effort and measurement. Unlike Bonnie and Clyde, these machines are controlled by the printer instead of a circuit board. Dan is Allegra’s custom printer and he has complete control over the ink and speed of the document being printed on. images below shows details of one of these machines. The gallery below that shows envelops being printed.

Printing press

Rollers

Paper stack

Printing press

Cylinders

Last but not least, we were shown abbreviated binding and lamentation processes. I learned that when a booklet is saddle-stitched wire is used instead of staples. I also found out what a paddy wagon is (a cart used to adhere glue binding by hand).

Wire stitches

Lamenation process

Paddy wagon

Overall, I enjoyed visiting Allegra. It makes a grand difference to see a printing press in action rather than reading about it. You can only read about something you don’t understand so many times before it starts becoming nonsense. This was excellent. I can’t wait to go to the Times Free Press tomorrow to compare a small printing press to a large one. Thank you Allegra for being such great hosts and additional thanks for all the swag.

Process and Materials 2009

Truthfully, those long eyelashes gross me out

So while watching an episode of Shark Tank (if you haven’t seen it, it’s a cool business start-up negotiation show), I was subjected to a 30 second commercial that kind of pissed me off and confused me. Allegran, a pharmaceutical company that has made a lot of money from providing “help” for people that are insecure about their bodies coughcoughBOTOXcoughcough has come out with a new drug. Introducing: Latisse, “the first and only FDA-approved prescription treatment for inadequate or not enough eye lashes, growing them longer, fuller, and darker.” Oh that seem reasonable and stuff…wait…what?!

Now I’m not here to bash Allegran as a whole because when it comes down to it, they have produced some drugs/products that have real purpose. But seriously, what the hell kind of product is this? If you go on their website, they’re enticing women (let’s face it, very few men are going to be using this product) with Brooke Shields as the face to this brand. There are parts of marketing that make me sick – this is one of them. They’re getting women to believe that if they use this stuff they’ll have eye lashes like Brookey-poo. Oh, I’m sure she’s using this stuff all these years to have the lashes she has now. People, WAKE UP!

Supposedly, the FDA got unhappy with Allegran for their marketing campaign because they’re misleading women with this product (here’s the proof to that claim). Frankly, the side effects are barely touched upon in their campaign and insecure women all over the place just are disregarding all the warnings. These are the known side effects:

• Darkening of eyelid skin (this may be reversible once stopped)
• Possible increase in the brown pigmentation of the colored part of the eye (this is likely to be permanent)
• Itching, eye redness, dryness and irritation of the eye or surounding eyelid skin where Latisse may be applied.

Now I know none of those are life threatening or anything but what I’m trying to get to is this: ladies, is it really worth the risk? As a guy that loves looking at boobs eyes, I can tell you this: I’m looking at you straight in the boobs eyes, not around! Sure you may have “sexy” 3 foot long eye lashes in the end but what if you look like a raccoon in the process? Seriously though with all jokes aside, how much more length could you possibly want, 1/4 of an inch?

I just wish that people could be more secure with their bodies…but I know this is impossible in our society. But is there actually a legit market of women that want longer eye lashes? Are there women that exist that look in the mirror and get legitimately upset about their eye lashes? Would these women spend money on a drug that can help? I think it’s one thing to complain about weight but then I think it’s quite another when we’re talking small hairs attached to our eye lids. Ladies: am I being insensitive?

We joined the dance-tech.net community, and are finding them to be an valuable resource for information and discussion around using technology for dance creation and representation.  Our conversations about how to use new tech in our work with audiences has been a great challenge and we’ll continue to engage with it!

Un’estate fantastica. E un rientro degno della mia fama, mia cara!

Sono contenta per te. Fidanzati all’orizzonte?

Uomini quanti ne voglio, ma di fidanzamento manco a parlarne. Pussa via! Sono sempre più fedele alla mia vita di single viveur nella metropoli tentacolare. Grazie anche a conferme delle mie convinzioni: il matrimonio non fa per me. Proprio l’altra sera la sfiga – un invito cui non potevo dire di no – ha voluto che capitassi ad una cena di sposati. Orrore!

E’ stato proprio così brutto?

Peggio! Una folla sterminata di coppie con figli al seguito. Borghesissimi pseudo professionisti, crème de la crème di questa città. Pensa che le presentazioni prevedevano nome, cognome, stirpe familiare e titolo professionale.

Continua, ti prego!

Le donne mechatissime, lucidissime, ingioiellate come sante portate in processione. Gli uomini imbolsiti, ingrigiti, ingrugniti. I bambini griffati e viziati, imboccati – anche se quasi adolescenti – ad ogni angolo della casa. Che odio. Ma il peggio è arrivato al dessert, quando la conversazione ha imboccato la china dell’autoironia sul tema “vita matrimoniale”.

Oh mamma!

Mariti che ridicolizzavano le pance sformate e i culi enormi delle mogli, nonchè le loro discutibili manie in fatto di shopping. Le mogli – sfoderando brillanti e unghie laccate – lamentavano invece le interminabili permanenze in bagno dei rispettivi consorti, il russare e i rutti e tutte le variazioni maschili sul tema. Sono uscita da lì sentendomi una sopravvissuta, una miracolata!

Non siamo tutti così noi sposati.

No, certo! E’ che vi dipingono così!

Comunque, lasciali parlare ’sti tipi qua. Sono solo le ultime cartucce a salve prima di un lunghissimo inverno. Quell’ironia disperata e feroce di chi sa che presto un mare di clenil nebulizzato ci inghiottirà tutti, noi e loro.

I have a confession: all the pictures of Allegra (except for one) are pretty much not accurate of her disposition. It was raining that day, and Allegra, though a good sport, was a little afraid walking in a thunderstorm (not that I blamed her).

How she walks in the rain…cautiously, slowly.

Blinking the raindrops out of her eyes.

So you’ll just have to take my word as it is when I say that Allegra has to be one of the best treasures at the shelter. It’s not that she’s a Gold Star dog (having passed her temperament test with flying colors), or that she’s very attentive and obedient, and that she’s very gentle when it comes to giving kisses and making sure that you know she’s there for you. It starts when you first meet her and she wags her tail, and you can see the joy spreading from her tail to her smile. You just know that she loves you, no matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done, and it’s just a little bit heartbreaking, and you vow to never hurt her and make sure that she has the best possible life she could have.

The details: she’s a cattledog/pit mix, about one to one-and-a-half years old, and according to volunteers, very affectionate, playful, and social (in good weather, I assume . She also gets along well with other dogs and would be a great second dog or even just as an only dog who frequently visits the dog park!

Come meet Allegra in Kennel 27– she’ll make your heart melt. For more information, contact doginfo@apsofdurham.org

Finally, a picture that shows her sweet nature: