DIBS betalingsservice, har mildest talt drillet vores online tøjportal og vanskeliggjort at forpleje den danske

Mange folk kunne ikke komme igennem betalingsprocessen pga. DIBS

befolkning med modetøj fra landets fedeste nichetøjbutikker. Vi har sammen med andre store sites som eks. just-eat.dk oplevet flere weekender hvor hele betalingsflowet var nede ved DIBS og derfor ikke har været muligt at købe noget fastfood ej heller tøj.
Vi arbejder derfor pt. på en løsning som lagrer oplysninger om købet, så vi ikke behøver at kører det realtime og derfor kan vente med at “afslutte” købet indtil DIBS er oppe og kører igen, istedet for at vores besøgende får en fejlmelding og forlader siden uden at have deres tøj på vej med posten…

illustration by Samara Pearlstein

Dave Dombrowski has said that he wants to keep Justin Verlander clutched to his stripe-shirted bosom for as long as is humanly possible. This is despite the fact that Verlander is up for arbitration again in just a couple of seasons, and we all know how much Mr. D hates that whole process.

I know this ought to be a “file it under O for Obvious” sort of thing, but this is an offseason where practically every cat has been rumored to be bloody, dripping trade chum, we have been told that payroll must be panic-slashed or Comerica is going to implode where it sits, not even Paws is safe, etc. Given that, it’s nice to hear that some small degree of sanity, at least, still has a toehold at the top.

It will be interesting to see if Mr. Dombrowski manages to tart up a contract with Verlander this winter to avoid that next round of arb. He’s got a good track record so far, but it might turn out to be unavoidable this time. If so, he just might have to break out his most clashy, eye-rendingly color-combo’d striped shirt to express his sadness.

In other news, DIBS (Detroit Independent Baseball Scribes) is back! To celebrate its return we have reinstated the DIBS awards for this season. You are going to see this on every other Tigers blog ever, but just in case, here were the winners:

DIBS 2009 Season Awards, oooooooooh shiny

top position player: Miguel ‘the Puma’ Cabrera

top pitcher: Justincredible Verlander

breakout player of the year: Frederick Alfred Porcello the III (FredFred)

comeback player of the year: Justin Verlander again

I was going to tell you who I voted for in each category, but I totally forgot. Awesome, right? Anyways, these are pretty self-explanatory, although I wish that someone other than Verlander had won for Comeback Player of the Year, because we should spread the love around, you know? Man, I really can’t remember who I voted for in that one. It was probably someone like Bobby Seay or Ryan Raburn.

Curious as to who had a say in this? Your 2009 DIBS members are:

Bob Biscigliano, Detroit4lyfe

Brian Borawski, TigerBlog

John Brunn, TigerGeist

Ian Casselberry, Bless You Boys

Jennifer Cosey, Old English D

Austin Drake, Detroit Tigers Den

Greg Eno, Where have you gone, Johnny Grubb?

Bill Ferris, Detroit Tigers Weblog

Patrick Hayes, It’s Just Sports

J. Ellet Lambie, Eye of the Tigers

Mike McClary, the Daily Fungo

Kurt Mensching, Mack Avenue Tigers

Lee Panas, Tiger Tales

John Parent, Tiger Tracks

Mike Rogers, Fire Jim Leyland

Scott Rogowski, DesigNate Robertson

Eric Saelzler, Tigers Amateur Analysis

Jamie Samuelsen, Jamie Samuelsen’s blog

James Schmehl and Scott Warheit, the Cutoff Man

Blake VandeBunte, the Spot Starters

Matt Wallace, Take 75 North

and me, of course.

Damn, y’all. We need some more exciting blog names in this here blogosphere. I think DesigNate Robertson is the only truly creative one in the bunch, and don’t even get me started on the worst offenders, you cats know who you are. Stern glare, etc.

In additional exciting news, if nothing much happens in actual Tigers news, I will be putting up a contest with FABULOUS PRIZES sometime this week, so keep an eye peeled and a whisker wary for that!

Whether it’s in a bowl, a cone or just out of the carton or ice cream maker, I think ice cream is a fun food. Others (who likely lead more exciting lives) don’t agree. The evidence is all around in the ever  exciting ways people keep finding to make ice cream surprise and delight:

• Sooshi: This New Zealand product (pictured here) combines ice cream, candies and fruit to resemble maki rolls that will please even the fish phobic.

• Icecreamists: Dragging ice cream by the hair out of childhood and into the counter culture is this pop-up restaurant in London’s Selfridges department store. Its menu features alcohol-spiked ice cream concoctions (the word “sundae” just doesn’t fit) with names such as Axl Rose-water and The Sex Pistol (laced with absinthe) that kick conventional ice cream treats in the teeth.

• Dippin’ Dots: These pebble-shaped ice cream orbs are sold in mall kiosks and vending machines so that you can enjoy an unusual ice cream treat any time.

• Dibs: These frozen snacks are like ice cream M&M’s; they feature vanilla ice cream enrobed in a crunchy chocolate shell. The idea is that you can eat just one but in reality, you’re likely to keep grazing once you open the package.

Beyond the usual cones, sundaes and shakes, what’s the ‘coolest’ ice cream novelty you’ve seen or tasted?

I was surfing the web today, and I came across a cool site called supermarketguru.com. One of the many things they do is come up with supermarket hits and misses for each week. I thought this would be a great resource to learn about the latest and greatest (and maybe not the greatest) foods to hit the super market.

One of the foods it listed as a hit was called Rice Dreams. This product is parallel to the ice cream invention of Dibs, the

Photo courtesy of supermarketguru.com

bite-sized ice cream chunks.

Here is the description used on the Super Market Guru website: Portion control is where it is at and ever since Dreyer’s introduced us to bite-sized ice cream the world has never been the same. Now Rice Dream makes a non-dairy bite that is absolutely delicious, with just 1 g of fat and 1 g of sugars per piece. The chocolate coating which is made with coconut oil rivals just about any chocolate coating I have had on ice cream. This plastic tab is great for tamper resistance, but I would still like to see a plastic or foil lid inside to prevent moisture build up which could create freezer burn. Retails for $4.10 – 4.99.

To see more hits and misses in the supermarket and to see what else the site offers, click here.

I don’t see anyone else calling it.

Finally, after hours of slaving away in front of a hot monitor and going cross-eyed, I have finally got my word count for my review of Dibs In Search 0f Self down to 523, which will do as far as I’m concerned.  I would have done it last night but I didn’t have the energy any more.  Still haven’t managed to read any of that novel,  but I plan to have a little read while having a cup of herbal tea tonight.  I’m all caffeined- and anxietied-out, so much so that I slept 2.5 hours last night.  Ouch.  Better stick to the Rooibos tonight, then.  Note to self: don’t ever stay up late, it isn’t worth it.

Next on my planned list of work is to read Person-Centred Counselling in Action
by Mearns and Thorne, which I may also do a book review on. I technically only need one book review for starting my Diploma course, but it makes sense to have two to choose from.

After that, my only remaining mountain to climb before the course (apart from Disclosure Scotland paperwork etc) is to write a 2500-3000-word autobiography. This is the prep work I am not quite sure how to tackle yet, as I don’t know how congruent we are meant to be. I assume that as it’s a counselling course, the answer to that is “very”, but if so it means I am instantly making myself very vulnerable in front of people I don’t know, as it will be reviewed in a personal/professional development (PPD) group. Anyway, that remains to be seen.

Hoping to get a sleep now, but for anyone interested, my book review follows:

Dibs in Search of Self by Virginia M. Axline

(Penguin, 1990, first published in the USA, 1964)

This book examines the effectiveness of play therapy on a boy, Dibs.  Axline was a psychologist who wrote this book after helping Dibs, in order to aid future study.  Axline writes from her viewpoint as a therapist.  The format is a record of Dibs’ weekly play therapy sessions with Axline, describes Dibs’ behaviour and demonstrates how Axline uses reflective listening to allow Dibs to discover his identity.

Axline explains some counselling skills in this book, though not by specifying what they are.  Instead, someone already familiar with basic counselling skills can recognise them in Axline’s dialogues with Dibs.  This book is intended for students, researchers and therapists alike, but would also appeal to anyone with an interest in the field.  Axline’s style is formal and the chapters are clearly organised; one chapter for each play therapy session or event.  She describes Dibs’ activities captivatingly, making the book engaging to read and showing that she, too, is engaged with Dibs and her subject matter.

This book has affected me because firstly, before reading it I wondered how relevant it would be to me, as at first glance it didn’t seem closely related to counselling (apart from the presence of the word “therapy”).  However, after reading the book, I appreciated how this was relevant to me, as Axline gives many examples of using counselling skills.  Secondly, Axline explains her reasoning for not interrupting Dibs, which I helped me gain insight into her thought processes.   In my opinion, this book achieved its aim as it introduced play therapy and can be read or studied by professionals and non-professionals.  The book is an accessible introduction to play therapy, is immensely enjoyable to read and also gives a good insight into the mind of a professional therapist, which greatly appreciated.  The theme of this book is how play therapy can help a child who has been in isolation, and self-discovery.  Its thesis is never abandoning someone as a lost cause before trying once more to help them.  Furthermore, the book holds that through self-knowledge we gain valuable life experience and grow into complete human beings.

Axline supports this view in various ways throughout the book.  For example, she gives a detailed description of the playroom and Dibs’ activities via Dibs himself, so that the reader can imagine the scene and what Dibs’ thought processes are.  Giving the descriptions in this way draws attention to the detail he notices at the age of five, though his parents believe he is retarded (e.g. see Dibs’ description of the paints on p.35).  The events are told chronologically, allowing us to witness Dibs’ development along with Axline.  Axline asks for Dibs’ parents’ permission before recording data for her study (p.28); in this way she reminds us about ethical best practice.

This book is important because of its ongoing contribution to play therapy.  Although it chronicles therapy sessions, it also tells the story of how Dibs goes from being thought retarded and “[hostilely rejecting]…all who would come to close to him” (p.13) to being a “brilliant boy” (p.196).  Dibs in Search of Self is an inspirational book which I would recommend to others.

I call DIBS on the following:

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 - Micro Four Thirds DROOOOL

A Kindle 3 - whatever it might look like

See that?  GRATIFFITI.  I made up that word all on my own just now, sort of a combination of gratify and graffiti.  I’m sure you can prove to me in about 4 seconds that it’s already a word by Googling it or possibly showing me an Italian dictionary but that would be peeing on my parade, so just skip it, if you would be so kind . . .

I made up that word because today I am most grateful for some things that happened to me after writing my last installment of the Princess Rachel story.  The first thing was that my friend Shannon posted on her blog this picture of a little retaining wall near her home:

Here is the link to her blog, here.  She wrote that she snapped that picture recently when she was on a walk.  And you know what made me feel all smiley?  She added that she was inspired to put that picture up because of my Princess Rachel stories.  Inspired.  Aaaaah, listen closely internet, you hear that?  That’s the sound of me being happy.  So thank you, Shannon.  Oh and I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that Shannon is a new mom to OH EASILY THE CUTEST BABY BOY EVER IN THE WORLD EVER DID I MENTION HE IS INSANELY CUTE, named — are you ready for this — Booker.  BOOKER!  What a name, what a baby, what a new mommy!  (By the way, could every parent out there take a brief moment now to send Shannon your best “even-though-you-haven’t-slept-since-February-you-WILL-sleep-again-someday” vibe? Followed of course by the very annoying qualification “well-okay-you’ll-never-sleep-QUITE-the-way-you-did-before-but-you’ll-sleep-more-than-you-do-now.” Okay, great, thanks).

SO.  Fast forward just a bit to this morning when I got an email from my dear friend Kim who just got back from a trip to Kentucky (a Habitat trip where she and other very kind-hearted and generous people spent time building homes for people who need them).  In that email, Kim attached a picture that she took.  This is the photo:

YES.  Because not only is there someone out there named Johnny Peebles who is apparently (that apparently is for the cynics out there — you know who you are) doing something right, but also because the person used the word “hero.”  I love that gratiffiti uses good, romantic words like hero and princess and lovely, words that used to really MEAN something.  And still do, of course.

So I appeal to you, my readers (and by the way have I told you lately how much I love you?  Because I do, I really do), if you see any gratiffiti, take a picture of it for me. Email it to me at thesearedaystx@gmail.com.  I’ll post it here on the blog and hopefully send just a little more sweetness into the universe because of it and because of you.  By the way, I am already ALL OVER the idea of traveling around the country and photographing all the gratiffiti I can find and publishing it in my very first coffee table book, so don’t even THINK about stealing that idea.  Not that you would, trustworthy internet.  But still, DON’T.  In other words, dibs.

Themes for the long weekend update:

• Bad manner communications
• Criminal’s are all around us!
• Ribbbbbfest!
• Who saw Ni Hao Kai Lan?
• There’s another Lisa Marie Chen?
• Bikes make great stepladders
• Funnel Cake + Behemoth = Gravol

I’ll update when I get back from my meeting…BIG things up my sleeve

So lunch really filled me up.

I had my leftover salmon…again!

I told you there were a ton of leftovers. I don’t know what it was about today, but the salmon tasted so good! I think all the flavors from the yogurt sauce had time to marinate and gave the salmon so much flavor. I included with lunch some more organic brown rice-we have tons of that leftover too. And to change it up a little I added pasta sauce on top of the rice.

I wish I had a picture and the name of this sauce, but I got it at Magruder’s and have never had it before. It is so fresh tasting, and incredibly flavorful. I’m definitely buying this type again. It has vegetables, garlic, and basil..oh it was yummy! I also had a side of green and red peppers that were slightly heated in the microwave.

I cut them up before work, but didn’t have time to cook them, and I’m not always a fan of raw peppers. So I decided to heat them up in the microwave and add just a little cheese to them. I have to let you know that I’ve never done this before-but it was a great addition!

Like I said before I get to taste test cheese and work, and today I decided to go with a Pecorino Toscano Fresco. This is not your typical pecorino. This cheese is nothing like Parmesan and other Pecorinos and is fairly mild. It is fresh tasting, not stinky, and mildly sweet. Very smooth, and wonderful on top of green peppers!

After that meal I am stuffed! I better save room for my dinner tonight at Bacchus of Lebanon! Can’t wait to write my first restaurant review!

My afternoon snack consisted of an apple and a KIND bar. This flavor was DE-LICIOUS! Holy Moly! The coconut made it sweet, and it was chewy and crunchy all at the same time. It really made me happy. Not very filling, and more calories then I would have liked, but it seems fairly healthy-and is all natural.

I prefer my apples cut up. It takes longer to eat.

Have you ever tried these?

They are horrible for you, but we were passing them around at work, and I indulged in 1…or 2?

Oh I wish they were not so bad for you.

These don’t really go along with healthy living, but that is why I say I am every-OTHER-day gourmet. You can’t be good all the time.

Not even a few minutes into the movie, this autobot stood out…I wonder why?
Oh right, lol.

so last friday durring work i stopped in my local Chevron on Marine and Aviation to catch a ice cream of some sort cuz Southern California was like 85 degrees that day! so after cruising the freezer cooler for a good minute! it was a toss up between a UFO ice cream sandwich and DIBS! and DIBS won the SNACKERY battle!

these little shits are rather JAZZY! small bite size pieces. perfect for a cold treat on the GO!

not quite filled to the top but close enough. for like $2.25 these shits were pretty tastey… popped’em open put them in my cup holder and just DIBBLE DABBLED back to work!

so if your lookin for a nice ice cream snack and dont really feel like driving while eating a BOMB pop or some other ice cream on a stick. grab some DIBS and call it a day! but if there was a CHOCO TACO in the freezer those DIBS would’nt stand a chance! hahahahaaa…

B.Easy!

Don’t I love surprises?

At first I was suspicious of the heaviness of this plaid package. I decided to sleep on it and wake up and open it as if it were Christmas morning.

Merry Christmas to me.

I guess all of those naughty thoughts I had went undetected or forgiven. Either way…me loves.

Now I just have to figure out how to use it.