I don’t watch Dr. Phil anymore.  Not because his tell-it-like-it-is style is too much – have you met my husband?  Except my husband adds: The world would be a better place if you listened to me.  (That’s a royal ‘you’.)

No, I broke it off with Dr. Phil when Miss Q turned one-and-a-half; I also dumped Young and the Restless, around that time too.  Funny how one day TV can be on, while your toddler plays, and the next, she’s mesmerized by a fight scene.

It hasn’t been a smooth break, I still check in on my shows, just to see what they’re up to.  It’s handy that Miss Q’s rest-time coincides with certain programming.

Now that Miss S is on the scene, I haven’t been afforded such luxuries, as I had on my mat-leave with Miss Q.  Miss S doesn’t get to hang on the couch with me all day, watching daytime television.  She isn’t programmed, like her sister, to pick up on the theme music for Y&R or dance with Ellen.

Okay, there is, possibly, the argument that Miss S is hugely benefiting from our daytime, TV-free life.  Music is better for the brain.

But, I miss the long uninterrupted snuggles, Miss Q and I had.  How lovely it was to curl on the couch together while she nursed and fell asleep.  Sure, this got a little tedious after November and May sweeps, when shows either went into re-runs or off the air, but we got over it, found something quirky to watch.

Not to say Miss Q and I spent our entire year off tied to the box.  There were still parks to explore and neighborhoods to walk around.  My husband and I put our money into a quality stroller for that purpose; and let me tell you it was (is) worth the 35-or-so-Elizabeth’s we sunk into it.

Miss S and I get our snuggle time, but it’s always broken: during quiet time, Miss Q, without fail, has to go pee the moment Miss S and I settle on the couch with Oprah; not because she’s stalling, or jealous, she just genuinely has to go.

Honestly, the hardest part of being a newly minted mum of two is dividing my time.  Both girls need me 24/7, in different ways.  As much as I love my baby snuggle time, I make sure Miss Q gets alone time with me.  It’s important time for both of us.  And, of course, while I type that sentence, I feel like I need to also type: Miss S’s and my time is just as important, even though that was a given.  Ahh, the pangs of mother guilt: the need to make life equal.

But the thing is, as much as I’d like my daughter’s life experiences to be the same, they already aren’t.  One spent the first year of her life watching daytime television and probably thought Victor Newman was her father, while the other doesn’t have a clue who he is, but is entertained by her big sister for hours.

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: “God is my oath; God is abundance.”

The name is a transliterated form of the Biblical Greek Ελισβετ (Elisabet), which is a Hellenized version of the Biblical Hebrew feminine name, אֱלִישֶׁבַע‎ (Elisheva).

Elizabeth appears twice in the Bible, once in the Old Testament as the name of Aaron’s wife and once in the New Testament as the wife of Zachariah and the mother of John the Baptist.

Elizabeth has remained fairly consistent in the U.S top 100 for over a hundred years. She currently ranks in at # 9 and the lowest she has ever come in the U.S. charts was in 1945 at # 26.

In Australia she is the 37th most popular female name (2007), in Canada, she ranks in at # 20 (2008), in England/Wales she came in at # 40 (2008), in Ireland at # 63 (2007) and in Scotland at # 68 (2008).

The name was borne by several saints and European royalty. Among the most notable bearers were, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, a 12th-century Hungarian princess who was known for her acts of kindness and charity toward the poor and Queen Elizabeth I of England, including the current reigning Queen, Elizabeth II.

The name Isabel/Isabella are relatives, but have becomes so far apart from its original source, that they often occur concurrently in many European countries with Elizabeth, hence is why I shall devote a different post to Isabel/Isabella, but I shall cite her several times in this article as a variation whenever needed.

I believe one of the reasons why Elizabeth has been a long time favorite, is because of her versatility. She can be shortened to a variety of different nicknames, especially in English. The most popular are: (I have cited the ones that have commonly been used as independent given name with a black club)

Bess, Bessie, Beth♣, Bets, Betsy, Bet, Bettie/Betty, Bezzy, Bit, Bitsy, Biz, Buffy, Elisa♣, Elise♣, Elle♣, Eliza♣, Ella♣, Ellie, Elsa♣, Elsie♣, Ibbie, Lib, Libby, Lilly, Lisa♣, Liz, Lizzie, Liza♣, Tetty, Tibby and Tizzy.

Other forms of the name include:

Latinate Forms
Forms found in Latinate/Romance languages

• Sabela (Asturian)
• Elisabèt, Lisabèt (Bearnais)
• Elisabet (Catalan)
• Babette (French: originally a diminutive form, used as independent given name, now considered extremely dated)
• Élisabeth (French)
• Élise (French)
• Lise (French)
• Lisette (French: originally a diminutive form but exclusively used as an independent given name)
• Bettina (Italian)
• Elisa (Italian/French/Portuguese: appears in Boccaccio’s Decameron as the name of one of the female story tellers).
• Elisabella (Italian: obscure)
• Elisabetta (Italian/Romansch)
• Elisa (Italian/Sardinian/Spanish)
• Elisanna/Elisena (Italian: obscure)
• Elisetta (Italian)
• Lelisa (Italian: obscure)
• Lisa (Italian/Spanish)
• Lisella (Italian: obscure)
• Lisena (Italian: obscure)
• Lisetta (Italian)
• Lisina/Lisinda (Italian: obscure)
• Lisanna (Italian)
• Elisabetha (Late Latin)
• Elizabetta (Liguru: a minor language spoken in Italy)
• Elisabeta/Elisèu/Eliso (Occitanian)
• Elisabete/Elisete/Elsa (Portuguese)
• Babèu/Eisabèu/ Lisabèu (Provencal: Babeu is a diminutive)
• Elisabeta (Romanian/Spanish)
• Lisabetta (Romansch/Corsican)
• Lisabbetta (Sicilian)
• Isabel/Ysabel (Spanish/Aragonese/Catalan/Galician/Portuguese)

Germanic Forms
Forms used in Germanic languages

• Elsabe (Afrikaans)
• Liesel (Alsatian)
• Elisabet (Danish/Faroese/Swedish/Norwegian)
• Elsebeth (Danish)
• Else (Danish)
• Lise (Danish/German)
• Lis (Danish/Norwegian/Swedish)
• Lisbet (Danish/Norwegian/Swedish)
• Lisbeth (Danish/German)
• Els (Dutch: a diminutive form, occasionally used as an independent give name)
• Elsa (Dutch/German/Swedish)
• Liesbeth/Lijsbeth (Dutch)
• Liesje (Dutch)
• Eliza (English: originally a diminutive, exclusively used as an independent given name)
• Elsba/Elsbet/Elsuba/Elusbet (Faroese)
• Elspa (Faroese)
• Lisabet/Lisbet (Faroese)
• Elsebe/Elsche/Eske/Telsa (Frisian)
• Bettina/Bettine (German: a borrowing from the Italian)
• Elisa (German: a borrowing from Romance languages)
• Elisabeth (German/Dutch)
• Elise (German/Danish/Dutch/English/Norwegian: a borrowing from the French)
• Elli (German: diminutive form, occasionally used as an independent given name)
• Elsbeth (German/Swiss-German dialectical form)
• Ilsa/Ilse (German/Dutch: initially a diminutive form, popularly bestowed as an independent given name, now considered dated. il-SEH)
• Lies/Liesa/Liese (German/Dutch)
• Liesel/Liesl (German: originally a diminutive form, used as an independent given name, now considered dated)
• Lilli (German: originally a diminutive form, used as an independent given name due to its association with the flower)
• Lisa/Lise (German/Dutch/English/Swedish/Danish/Norwegian)
• Sabeth (German: obscure)
• Aileisabaiþ (Gothic)
• Elísabet (Icelandic)
• Ellisif (Norwegian)
• Lieken, Lüke, Lücken (Plattdeutsch)
• Bettan (Swedish: originally a diminutive form, occasionally used as an independent given name, but now considered dated)
• Lisen (Swedish: originally a diminutive form, used as an independent given name)

German diminutive forms are Betti, Elis, Elli, Elschen, and Lieschen.

Slavic Forms
Forms used in Slavic speaking countries

• Elisaveta Елисавета (Bulgarian)
• Elizabeta (Croatian)
• Alžběta (Czech: alzh-BYEH-tah)
• Eliška (Czech: originally a diminutive form, used as an independent given. eh-LEESH-kah)
• Elisabeti Елїсабеть (Old Church Slavonic)
• Eliza (Polish: eh-LEE-zah)
• Elżbieta (Polish: elsh-BYEH-tah)
• Halszka (Polish: archaic. HAHLSH-kah)
• Halżbieta (Polish: archaic. halsh-BYEH-tah)
• Elizaveta/Yelizaveta Елизавета (Russian)
• Jelisaveta (Serbian)
• Alžbeta (Slovak)
• Ažbeta (Slovene)
• Betina (Slovene)
• Elica (Slovene: originally a diminutive form, used as an independent given name. eh-LEET-sah)
• Elisa/Elis (Slovene)
• Elizabeta/Elizabet (Slovene)
• Elza (Slovene)
• Jelisava (Slovene)
• Lizabeta (Slovene)
• Špela (Slovene: originally a diminutive form, exclusively used as an independent given name. SHPEH-lah)
• Hilža (Sorbian)
• Lisaveta/Yelysaveta (Ukrainian)

Czech diminutive forms are Běta, Bětka, Bětuška, Betynka, Bětuše, Betyna, and Líza. Slovakian diminutives include: Beta, Betka, Betuška, Betinka, Betuša and Betina. Polish diminutive forms are Bieta, Ela (the most prevalent), Elka, Elunia and Elżunia. Slovene diminutives are: Beta, Beti, Betika, Ela, Eli, Elzi, Špelca, Špelica, Špelka, Jelica, Lili, and Lizika.

Baltic Forms
Forms used in the Baltic States

• Eliisabet (Estonian)
• Elts (Estonian)
• Etti (Estonian)
• Ilze (Estonian)
• Liisa/Liisi/Liis (Estonian/Finnish)
• Liisu (Estonian)
• Eliisa (Finnish)
• Elizabete (Latvian)
• Līze/Lizina (Latvian)
• Elžbieta (Lithuanian)
• Eliissá/Liisá/Liissá (Saami)

Celtic Forms
Forms used in Celtic based languages

• Elesbed (Breton)
• Eilís (Irish: IE-leesh)
• Ealisaid (Manx: ALE-is-sed)
• Ealee (Manx)
• Ealish (Manx)
• Ealasaid (Scottish)
• Elspeth (Scottish)
• Bethan/Betsan (Welsh)

Other forms

• Elizabeta (Albanian)
• Ilizabith إليزابيث (Arabic)
• Il-Shvai ܐܠܝܫܒܥ \ܐܠܝܫܒܚ (Aramaic)
• Elsapet (Armenian)
• Yeghisapet (Armenian)
• Zabel (Armenian)
• Elixabete/Elixabet/Elizabete (Basque: former are pronounced eh-LEE-sheh-BEH-tah and eh-LEE-shah-Bet)
• Elixi (Basque: eh-LEE-shee)
• Elisheba (Biblical Hebrew)
• Eliso ელისო (Georgian)
• Lizi (Georgian)
• Elisavet Ελισαβετ(Greek: Modern)
• Zeta (Greek: Modern)
• Ilsipat (Greenlandic)
• Elikapeka (Hawaiian)
• Elisheva (Hebrew: see Hebrew script above)
• Lizzamma (Hindi/Indian)
• Erzsébet/Orzebet (Hungarian: ER-zhey-bet)
• Aley/Aleyamma/Aleykutty (Malayalam)
• Eli/Eliamma (Malayalam)
• Elizabetta (Maltese)
• Erihapeti (Maori)
• Elizabet (Turkish)

Hungarian nicknames includes Bözsi, Erzsi (ER-zhee), and Zsóka (ZHO-kaw).

Medieval Forms
Forms no longer in usage from Medieval Europe

• Ysabel/Ysabet (Catalan, Valencia, 16th-century)
• Elisaued (Cornwall, England, 10th-century)
• Elizabez (England, 13th-century)
• Lylie/Lilion (England, 13th-century, possibly nicknames)
• Elisota (England, 14th-century)
• Elseby (Finland)
• Isabelot (France, Paris, 13th-century)
• Yzabé (France, Bordeaux, 15th-century)
• Besina (14th-century Italy, Venice, possibly a diminutive form)
• Isabetta (Italy, Florence 15th-century)
• Bechte (Germany, 15th-century, most likely a diminutive form)
• Beth (Germany, 15th-century, diminutive form)
• Bettlin (Germany, 15th-century, probably a diminutive form)
• Bytzel (Germany, 15th-century, diminutive form)
• Els (Germany, 15th-century, diminutive form)
• Elsslein (Germany, late 15th-century)
• Elsslin (Germany, 15th-century, probably a diminutive form)
• Eltzabet (Germany, late 15th-century)
• Lyse (Germany, 15th-century, diminutive form)
• Elsebeth (Germany, 15th-century)
• Elzebeth (German, in Silesia, 14th-century)
• Nele/Neleke (German, in Silesia, 14th-century, most likely than not, diminutive forms)
• Elysant (Normandy, 1190)
• Helisent (Normandy, 1221)
• Isabellis (Normandy, 12th-century)
• Ysabels/Yzabels/Yzabela (Occitan, Saint Flour, 14th-century)
• Elitze (Sweden, 15th-century)
• Elsika/Elsiko/Elzeke (Sweden, 15th-century)
• Elsby/Elzeby (Sweden, 16th-century)
• Aleseta (Switzerland, Sion, 14th-century)

Name-days are: November 17 and November 19.

Recently at the LA Coliseum, the sexy ladies of the Lingerie Football League displayed their ample assets as they discussed strategy to win this years LFL championship title.

They promised plenty of potential wardrobe malfunctions and tight end manuevers…

Click here for more information on this years LFL schedule…

http://www.lflus.com/

…NOW…ONE OF THOSE WARDROBE MALFUNCTIONS…

Voilà une dizaine de jours que je rédigeais un article inhérent à une requête simple: la mise à disposition de conteneurs et bacs poubelle.

Le message est visiblement très bien passé puisque depuis hier, c’est chose faite à proximité de mon immeuble d’habitation.

Et pour l’occasion, ils n’y sont pas allés de main morte, pas moins de 4 gros conteneurs poubelle qui arrivent d’un coup d’un seul, à point nommé. Les riverains ne sont pas habitués à cela, car évidemment ils n’en ont jamais eu à disposition! Ils n’auront que l’embarras du choix, quel conteneur pourront-ils bien choisir pour déposer leurs déchets n’est-ce-pas?

Mais en tout cas, je m’en réjouis pleinement et c’était là tout le sens de ma requête, c’est plus de propreté dans les rues de notre ville et plus de responsabilisation des habitants, les invitant à non plus déposer leurs sacs poubelle sur les trottoirs mais dans les conteneurs prévus à cet effet.

WHITE DIAMONDS AND SAPPHIERS By ELIZABETH TAYLOR For Women – EAU DE TOILETTE SPRAY 1.6 FL. OZ. Review

Check Price Now!

WHITE DIAMONDS AND SAPPHIERS By ELIZABETH TAYLOR For Women – EAU DE TOILETTE SPRAY 1.6 FL. OZ. Feature

• Shop with Confidence: 30 day Money Back Guarantee.
• Our Guarantee: We Only Carry 100% Original Brand Names NO IMITATIONS OR KNOCKOFFS
• SUPER FAST SHIPPING!
• Wholesale Prices on All Items!
• LJSHOPPING: SMILE, ITS CHEAPER HERE!

WHITE DIAMONDS AND SAPPHIERS By ELIZABETH TAYLOR For Women – EAU DE TOILETTE SPRAY 1.6 FL. OZ. Overview

WHITE DIAMONDS AND SAPPHIERS 1.6 FL. OZ. EAU DE TOILETTE SPRAY WOMEN. DESIGNER:ELIZABETH TAYLORDIAMONDS & SAPH. for women by Elizabeth Taylor was launched in 1993. It is a refined oriental woody blend of lilac rose peach orchid amber and vanilla. DIAMONDS & RUBIES is recommended for evening wear.

WHITE DIAMONDS AND SAPPHIERS By ELIZABETH TAYLOR For Women – EAU DE TOILETTE SPRAY 1.6 FL. OZ. Specifications

White Diamonds And Sapphiers

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Nov 26, 2009 10:10:03

32inch lcd hdtv

Very happy Sashimi added.

So yes, my long suffering fans… I have returned, perhaps 5 kilograms heavier than when I left, with an immeasurable desire for ostrich biltong, and a nice tan.

The holiday to South Africa rocked. We got to do some familial bonding time, and a fair amount of time got spent with the friends. Mr & Mrs B… many thanks for the awesome trip to Knysna and back… much obliged. Now come and visit us so we can return the favour. Wooz and SPF… it was great to be able to spend so much time with you guys… thanks for taking the leave and making it all possible. Chris and Lily and Megan… thanks for the accomodation and for letting us skank up your bathroom one week before your wedding.

So. This Blog has been built up by three weeks absence, and is bound to be a little longer than normal. As usual, if you want to skip the personal stuff, jump ahead to the line of asterisks at the end of this piece.

South Africa. Well well. It was an absolutely awesome trip. One of my favourite things to do in the whole world is to get a car that I like driving and then to take a long road trip. And the wife and I got to do just that with her family. The four of us piled into their car and drove off on what worked out to be an insanely expensive, but very enjoyable experience. And my god did we shop. Everything from Chutney to Cuckoo Clocks went into that car.

Let’s see, first stop was the Willows in Port Elizabeth. This was a classic little caravan/chalet place, and we got a two-bedroomed chalet for the four of us. Very comfortable, very clean and so close to the sea that even my youngest students could throw a stone into the water from the living room. We were there for two nights… and used the time soaking up some much-needed shopping. And thus began my fixation with finding the perfect pie on the holiday. See… the wife and I recently stopped being vegetarian and started eating seafood. Well… poultry has been added to the pile of edibles now… meaning that Chicken was back on the menu. (For the record, we still don’t eat mammals…. which means that yes, TURKEY is back on the menu for Christmas.) With chicken scratching at the doormat, I started in on Chicken Pies.

Woolworths to the rescue. AWESOME chicken and mushroom pie. Try it. Very good.

An aside – If it feels as if all the wife and I did on this holiday was sleep and eat, well… we feel that way too. It was a great holiday.

After PE, we drove on to Sedgefield…. chosen because it was nice and close to Knysna, which was where our friends Stompie and Jax were getting married. Yes… we did it all on this trip, weddings included. The place in Sedgefield was fantastic, the view was simply unbeatable.

Stompie and Jax threw themselves a Euro-funded Afro-ethnic wedding. And it was really a great evening. Good to be able to catch up with them again, as we hadn’t seen them since leaving Ireland. The wedding itself was out-standing and if their friends are anything to go by, they’ll be blessed in the future.

After the wedding it was a case of doing some family time in and around Knysna and George. We took in the sights of Hoekwil and Wilderness, the former very rustic, the latter full of sea spray.
Much seafood was eaten. Much chicken was eaten.

One of the highlights for the wife and I of the Sedgefield trip was a visit to the Wild Oats Farmer’s market… where local farmers sold their wares. (Mainly foodstuffs, but some raw produce too.) We got to soak up a little culture…

It was here that I found the undisputed BEST chicken pie in South Africa. The Steam Whistle Stop Pie company, operating out of god-knows where, but with a stand at the market.

After Sedgefield, there remained only the trip back to East London, which took much longer than expected. This is because of a little known family problem. Fact: If you place two women with disposable income in the back seat of a car, they will hatch plans to visit as many farm stalls as possible on the way back home. This is in a misguided effort to fill the car with very fattening farm foodstuffs and home produce. Thus, some 600 kilometres, 23 pieces of fudge, a half-dozen bottles of chutney, three full wheels of cheese, and 39 farm stalls later….. the entire Western Cape was denuded of produce, the car was groaning on its springs and we got home. To a huge dinner cooked by my sister in law.

The rest of the trip was spent with friends and family. I got to get in a fair amount of roleplaying with Wooz and the bunch, and even GMed a demo session for Jebb and his bunch. An obnoxiously large amount of time was spent virtually supine on Wooz’ patio drinking coffee… which is the perfect way to conduct oneself on holiday. Besides, the view from there isn’t half bad either.

Three weeks flew by with absolutely no regard for how much it cost us to get there, or indeed just how long 14 hours in economy class feels. (Particularly when you are bloated on fudge and chicken pies.)
There were tears, there were hugs and then we were gone.

To everyone who made the effort, thanks a hell of a lot guys, it was a vastly enjoyable experience.

************

And let’s get on with the jokes and stuff shall we?

The Truth About College:

SOCIOLOGY: For sheer lack of intelligibility, sociology is far and
away the number one subject. I sat through hundreds of hours of
sociology courses, and read gobs of sociology writing, and I never
once heard or read a coherent statement. This is because sociologists
want to be considered scientists, so they spend most of their time
translating simple, obvious observations into scientific-sounding code.
If you plan to major in sociology, you’ll have to learn to do the same
thing. For example, suppose you have observed that children cry when they
fall down. You should write: “Methodological observation of the
sociometrical behavior tendencies of prematurated isolates indicates that
a causal relationship exists between groundward tropism and lachrimatory
behavior forms.” If you can keep this up for 50 or 60 pages, you will get
a large government grant.

This weeks musical talent comes to you from the talented Ms. Nina Simone. This one is called Strange Fruit. And if it is depressing, well, it is meant to be. Give yourself a search for the lyrics. Sometimes, I am sad to be a human.

And that is that.. .. if there appears to be a lack of linkage in this blog, sorry… but 3 weeks without internet means that I didn’t find as many interesting things. Next time. K?

Ciao
Yeti out.

My son came home from PreK with a paper pilgrim hat the other day.  After admiring his handiwork, my mind went to the obvious place.  

Pilgrim names.

Spokane’s Spokesman-Review reminds us that back in 1620, first baby born to the Pilgrims in New England was named Peregrine.  Big brother was called Resolved.  

There were, of course, plenty of men called John and William and women named Mary and Anne.  

The more interesting masculine names worn by Plymouth Rock arrivals included:

• Isaac
• Bartholomew
• Love
• Wrestling
• Moses
• Desire
• Degory (though he may have been Gregory.  Or Digory – we don’t know much about him.)
• Giles (brother to Constance, Damaris and Oceanus)
• Oceanus (born en route to Plymouth – see above)
• Solomon
• Jasper
• Myles (Standish, of course)

There were fewer women, but a few stand-out names:

• Remember
• Humility
• Constance (sister to Damaris, Oceanus and Giles) 
• Damaris (see above)
• Priscilla

I’ve read estimates that only around 25% of the Purtians ever had names that would’ve seemed unusual in their day.  If that’s true, then 75% answered to ordinary appellations for their time, like James and Elizabeth.  

It also seems surprisingly consistent with modern day experience.  Around three-quarters of all kids born in the US receive a Top 1000 name.  In the nineteenth century, names ranking in the 900s were only given to a few kids; today, names at those same rankings are worn by a few hundred.  Really unusual names have never been terribly common – but neither was there a moment where every boy was Robert and every girl was Jane. 

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 novel of scandal amongst the Puritans, The Scarlet Letter, introduced a few unusual names not worn by the original settlers, including Hester and Pearl.  Most of the other names were unremarkable – Arthur and Roger aren’t popular today, but they don’t make you think of the novel, either.  

Even in fiction, not every Puritan was called Flee-Fornication.

Happy Thanksgiving!

by Elizabeth

Since I’ve been married and living in our own maison, I’ve spent a lot of time daydreaming about what it would be like to host the holidays. (Ok, this is something that I’ve been fantasizing about for years actually, but lets just say it’s preoccupying my thoughts more than usual this year!) What traditions would we keep, and what would we change to make the holidays our own? And perhaps most importantly, what would we EAT?!

Like a lot of families, our Thanksgiving menu is pretty much the same every year. After all, it just wouldn’t be right if we didn’t serve our grandparents’ cornbread dressing. This menu is a complete break with family tradition, and is enough food to feed an army, but we’re daydreaming here!

We would start with Fig-Walnut-Goat Cheese tapenade and Prosseco, while everyone admired my lovely table.

We would have Fried Turkey, because I love it and it’s quick and easy! Seriously the juiciest turkey, ever.

And for sides how about:

Cornbread and Chorizo Dressing

Cranberry Jalepeno Relish

Truffled Potato Puree with Mascarpone

Balsamic Braised Cipolline Onions with Pomegranate

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Parmesan Roasted Butternut Squash

And for dessert, I adore Pumpkin Cheesecake. This one with Caramel Bourbon Sauce sounds to.die.for.

Happy Thanksgiving Y’all!

All images © FOX

[Ed. Note-- Hello monsters! You all know Erika, Glee recapper extraordinaire. Presented is her recap of last week's show. Season 1, Episode 10: "Ballad" SPOILER ALERT, duh.]

Last week: Everyone was handicapped and Sue Sylvester was human.

Will has a pop quiz for our favorite little singers: What is a ballad? Brittany says it’s a male duck. That would be a mallard, sweetie. Kurt contends that it’s a love song, which is close, but not quite. Apparently, new sectional rules require a ballad (Thanks indirectly to Rachel). On that note, just how many songs will New Directions be performing at sectionals?

Anyway, Will is dividing the Gleeks into pairs to sing ballads. Matt (the not-Asian football player) is at the hospital because of a… spider in his ear? Or would that be a nifty tool that many stumped writers refer to as a plot device? So Will is taking Matt’s place for the time being.

If that isn’t enough, Will wants the pairs to be decided by fate. The match-ups are as follows: Puck with Mercedes, Artie with Quinn, Finn with Kurt, Tina with “Other Asian” (Does anyone know his name?!), and Santana with Brittany. Kurt looks like his wildest dreams are about to come true.

Will, who is saddled with Rachel, does not look as enthusiastic. Artie asks for clarification on what a “ballad” is and clever Rachel suggests a demonstration. Will and Rachel sing the Lionel Ritchie and Diana Ross duet “Endless Love”. The voiceovers speak for themselves.

While Kurt, Puck, and Finn are thinking about Diana Ross, underwear (er…lack of it), and butts, Rachel is falling head over heels in love with Will. Will, on the other hand, realizes he made a bad call. No, really?

Meanwhile…Quinn is getting married. No, wait, she’s just getting into a white lacy dress in preparation for the Chastity Ball. Huh. While her mom gushes, Quinn is missing her Cheerios uniform. The fallen cheerleader captain is putting on the baby pounds, which makes her dress just a tad too small. Her mother is delightfully unsuspecting… right? Quinn’s dad, excited about the dress, the ball, and Glenn Beck, announces that he’s invited Finn over for Sunday dinner. The daughter looks… terrified.

Rachel is traveling down a dark road. She schedules a present and gives Will a satin, star-covered tie. What?

In other news, Emma is back! And blurting things about Will’s major sex appeal. We love Emma. Sit tight, kiddies, because Will has the harrowing tale of Susie Pepper to share with our dear guidance counselor.

Susie is strange, socially awkward, and mildly attractive. Oh, and completely obsessed with Will. Or was. Until Will got sick of the presents and the stalker phone calls at 3am and told her to stop. She then attempted suicide with… the hottest pepper in the world? Only in Glee. Luckily, she lived, after an esophagus transplant, three days of a medically induced coma, and intense psychotherapy.

Emma, in her wisdom, suggests that Will should sing his feelings to Rachel.

Kurt and Finn are working at their ballads. Finn snaps at Kurt. Kurt blames it on girls. Is he trying to turn Finn? We’re rooting for you, Kurt.

Finn, completely clueless, spills on his anxiety about Quinn giving away the baby. His baby. Er…what he thinks is his baby. Kurt has a song ready for Finn to sing. And we learn that Kurt plays piano. Why are all these children so talented?!

Finn gives a rendition of “I’ll Stand By You” from The Pretenders.

He sings it… to the sonogram. Maybe he should think about investing in a better football helmet, once he’s done paying baby bills.

However, he should have done this with his computer facing away from his door because Momma Hudson walks in and sees him singing to the sonogram. Busted! She confronts him and he breaks down in tears. She holds him and tells him that everything is going to be okay—the perfect, understanding parent.

Quinn, however, is not happy. She is pissed that Finn broke down and received comfort from his mother because no one can patch up her chew toy. Right? Honestly Finn, baby that is not yours aside, what do you see in her? The other Gleeks look on, pitying the constant baby drama.

Kurt is acting as an inside agent. And still trying to convince Finn to be gay. “It’s because she’s a girl,” he says. Our Kurt admits to being madly in love with Finn, his “knight in shining armor.” He says it only got stronger after bonding over Glee, football, and skin care. (O…kay?)

Kurt finds Finn’s stupidity “charming.” His ultimate plan? Get close to Finn so that he’ll be the shoulder for Finn’s tears when Quinn disappoints him. Which she will. Hopefully.

At practice, Will has a ballad for Rachel. Emma is also present, saying that she wanted to learn the “power of the ballad” for SAT prep.

Actually, she was there for moral support. Also, Will needed a witness, in case the plan went foul.

Will sings a mash up of “Young Girl” by Union Gap and “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” by The Police. Wow. Will has quite the dreamy voice.

Emma and Rachel are loving it, especially when he belts it out on the piano.

I’m sorry to say this Will, but this was NOT a good idea. Rachel totally misses the intent. Emma’s moral support evaporated into breathless fan girl applause.

Oh, and now Susie Pepper is stalking Rachel.

So Kurt is helping Finn dress for dinner at the Fabray’s. They discuss their respective dead parents (because Finn is raiding his dad’s old clothes) and get onto the subject of the baby. He compares himself to his father and gushes about how pathetic he is because he can’t tell Quinn’s parents what is going on. Kurt suggests having the right weapon.

Kurt suggests that Finn use that “power of the ballad,” which is like the Gleek equivalent of the Force. Use the Ballad, Finn, use the Ballad!

Meanwhile, Will comes home to… Rachel? Oh snap.

As it turns out, Terri let her in. That crazy woman, amused by the crush, is exploiting Rachel’s feelings and applying it to housework. Like cleaning.

Terri is afraid that Will is going to leave her. Angry with his “slightly” unbalanced wife, he storms out of the house to take Rachel home.

Rachel tries to practice the ballad with Will. Her song choice? “Crush” by Jennifer Paige. Yikes.

Just as she gets started, Will cuts her off and asks her about Puck. Go Will. Massive save.

Later, Susie is threatening Rachel about Will… or is she?

As Rachel storms off to stalk Will or something, Mercedes is chatting on the phone with Tina about pregnant hamsters. And the baby drama.

She and Puck are just getting ready to start their rehearsal when Mercedes tells him about the group’s plan to sing a ballad to Quinn and Finn. Puck feigns indifference. And then blurts out that he’s the father.

Whoa, Puck! Mercedes, however, stays relatively cool. She tells Puck that Quinn chose Finn and to stop messing with her life.

Poor Puck. He really lacks sympathy.

It’s dinnertime with the Fabrays! Daddy Fabray is toasting to his wonderful family when Finn freaks out. He retreats to the restroom and calls his new best bud, Kurt. Kurt tells him to relax and remember what they practiced. Uh oh. That did not sound good. About to give him more advice, Kurt is cut off with, “I have to go. They’ll think I’m pooping.” Finn spends a couple of seconds in the mirror getting pumped.

Go get ‘em, tiger.

Wait… what?

Quinn’s warning alarms start to go off when Finn walks back in with a kitchen radio. Finn, ignoring Quinn’s protests, starts to sing “Having My Baby” by Paul Anka.

BAD FINN. VERY BAD FINN.

At first, the Fabray family thinks this is a cute joke. Finally, Daddy Fabray gets the message and stops the music. He is pissed.

Cue family conference time. Daddy Fabray is mad, Mommy Fabray is quiet, and Quinn accuses her mother of knowing all along and not helping her when she needed it. She says that in their family, “If you don’t talk about it, it doesn’t exist.”

Quinn is kicked out.

She begs her father for forgiveness, and help.

He leaves and tells her to get out.

Finn and his mother take in the pregnant teenager.

Then, to distract us from all the serious drama (PHEW!), Susie and Rachel have a bathroom heart-to-heart. She tells Rachel that they’re alike, looking for “boys we can never have.” Susie, the cautionary tale, leaves Rachel with a lot to think about.

Rachel and Will are now in practice. Will stops her before she says anything else and lays his cards on the table. He seems to be bracing himself for the worst when Rachel says she understands. She even brought pink flowers as an apology. Oh, and a note that says:

Will consoles her and tells her that someday there’s going to be a boy that will like everything about her. Then they ditch practice.

But Kurt and Finn are still at it. Kurt actually looks like he feels bad for what his master plan did to Quinn. Yeah, your plan kind of sucked, Kurt.

Trying to lighten the mood, Finn turns the subject to Kurt’s ballad. Kurt blurts, “I honesty love you.” Finn, our star quarterback who always wears his helmet, thinks that this is the title to a “positive and nice and stuff” song.

Mercedes comes in and saves Kurt a potentially awkward explanation. They lead Finn into the choir room. The rest of the Glee club starts the beautiful rendition of “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers. Artie and Mercedes sing the leads. Chills.

Finn is smiling and Quinn is on the verge of tears. The club drags Finn and Quinn out of their chairs for a Glee dance circle and lots of hugs. Mercedes has a killer high note that rounds off the episode with a hopeful, wonderful feeling.

Next Week [Ed. Note: Tonight, we know]: Sue returns to being a kitten-eating monster, we meet the competition, and people turn into hippies.

Black Pearls By Elizabeth Taylor For Women. Eau De Parfum Spray 3.3 Ounces Review

Check Price Now!

This perfume is absoulitly intoxicating!!!! It smells very much like Fendi’s Theorema but not quite as lemmony as Theorema is but just as gorgous. It almost gives the smell of baked cookies to me-it may just be the way my nose is percieving it but that is what it smells like to me and I cannot get enough of Elizabeth Taylors perfumes. This is quite suprising to me also because I never thought I would go for such inexpensive perfumes but Elizabeth Taylor has outdone herself on her scent lines. The only one perfume that I cannot tolorate is Diamonds and Rubies-way too something that does not agree with my nose. I recommend this to EVERYONE!

Black Pearls By Elizabeth Taylor For Women. Eau De Parfum Spray 3.3 Ounces Feature

• Made in Switzerland
• Packaging for this product may vary from that shown in the image above

Black Pearls By Elizabeth Taylor For Women. Eau De Parfum Spray 3.3 Ounces Overview

Launched by the design house of Elizabeth Taylor in 1996, BLACK PEARLS is classified as a refreshing, oriental, floral fragrance. This feminine scent possesses a blend of soft sweet spices, white rose, and amber. Accompanied by fruity notes of fresh citru

Black Pearls By Elizabeth Taylor For Women. Eau De Parfum Spray 3.3 Ounces Specifications

Elizabeth Taylor 126283

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Nov 25, 2009 10:00:23
INTOXICATING!!!! – Sonia M. Mcalear –
This smells like Fendi’s Theorema without the cost! Theorema comes in a EDP but for . and this comes in EDP for -they both smell very much alike to me. This stuff is such a beautiful scent!!!!! I recommend this to everyone. Its also very long lasting. The Sparkling Diamonds and Brilliant Diamonds do not last the distance like the Yellow perfumes by Elizabeth Taylor like White Diamonds, Diamonds and Saphires and Black Pearls-these go the distance hands down! Definitely worth the whole twenty bucks!

Smell Like a Million Dollars – Marcos Valenca – Recife – PE – Brazil
I gave Elizabeth Taylor’s Black Pearls as a present to my mother. She said the scent strength is moderate, lasts 6-10 hours and it’s a flowery fragrance. She loved it! The pure perfume version comes in an exquisite bottle.

HP MediaSmart Server EX495

I generally avoid the District if I can. The traffic is insane, the parking expensive, and it makes it a complex journey with three little ones. But since my brother and his girlfriend were here for a visit and she had never been to D.C., we took a morning and went in. The weather wasn’t great. Fortunately the rain held off til near the end of our sight-seeing, but due to time and rain we did make it a short visit.

We did stop by the Vietnam Memorial.

Fortunately, the Vietnam Memorial is right near the Lincoln Memorial, which was the one Olga said she most wanted to see. Can’t say as I blame her. It is one of my favorites.

With a double stroller, we took the elevator up and, not knowing when I’d be back, I had to get a couple of shots of my girls.

Cecilia adores posing for the camera so she was happy to oblige.

They had drained the reflecting pool in front of the Memorial and it was cloudy, but it is still a neat view.

Cecilia was particularly fond of the view. I think that was her favorite part. She might have loved running up and down the stairs, but I told her she couldn’t since they were wet and wet marble stairs can be slippery.

James has been having some discussions about ways in which our national religion might have become worshiping the country rather than God. So I took this shot for him when I noticed the word “temple” in the inscription. Plus, Lincoln is my favorite president and it is an awesome statue.

My brother Jon and his girlfriend Olga:

On the way back to the car, Cecilia said she got tired and even sat on the ground refusing to walk. So I put her in the stroller and carried Elizabeth while Elizabeth wore a blanket over her head to keep her dry. Since I was carrying Elizabeth though, Jon pushed the stroller. I had to get a picture.

Kindergarten Pilgrams!

Yesterday Elizabeth turned 5 months.

I weighed her at 14 pounds, 7 ounces and I think I must have mis-measured last month because she measured 26.5 inches this month.

She seems to have a growth spurt, recover and try to get back into a routine, then hit a learning spurt, recover and try to get back into a routine, repeat, repeat, repeat. I can have a hard time keeping up with her sometimes, but she is learning and growing wonderfully. She is practicing sitting up on the floor and in her bouncy seat.

She has absolutely mastered the push-ups and is trying to get her knees up under her. She has managed a few times to get up on all fours only to lunge forward catapulting her face into her quilt on the floor, but she is a sport, giggles, and tries again.

I am planning on introducing oatmeal cereal in December as she gets better at sitting up. She will reach that 6 month milestone on Christmas Eve. Writing that post will be a nice early Christmas present.

Serge Pugeault se vante constamment de la rapidité de la majorité municipale à entamer la réfection de la Halle du Boulingrin, alors que par le passé ce dossier paraissait au ralenti.

C’est clairement de la mauvaise foi car si Adeline Hazan et son équipe ont eu la possibilité de lancer aussi vite ce dossier, c’est grâce aux travaux d’études réalisés par l’équipe précédente. Il serait bon qu’ils ne l’omettent pas!

M. Pugeault met en cause la lenteur du déblocage de l’aide de l’Etat à la réfection qui était bloquée depuis 1996…C’est aussi objectivement l’une des causes du non avancement du dossier par le passé !

Surtout, c’est la preuve que gouvernements de gauche comme de droite n’avaient pas rempli cet engagement, alors même que Serge Pugeault se répand partout en affirmant que l’enveloppe accordée dans le cadre du plan de relance n’est que le rattrappage de cette promesse non tenue.

Enfin et c’est important de le souligner, c’est Jack Lang qui a classé ce bâtiment pour des raisons politiciennes en 1985, alors que sa qualité architecturale est très largement décriée.

M. Pugeault a la mémoire bien courte et une lecture partiale et partielle de ce dossier, il n’a même pas le souci de la cohérence dans les propos qu’il tient, trop occupé à politiser à outrance et à vouloir discréditer l’Etat et l’Exécutif…

“Elizabeth”

21-15-9 reps of:
Clean 135 pounds
Ring dips

Post time to comments.

James Hopkins sculptures focus on balance, perspective and illusion. Really nice stuff, especially his skull series from Vanitas.

New song, new video. Fun!

Last days of CBGB

Aqui les dejo un comercial de Telmex la compañia de telefonos de México, el cual te brinda un servicio de telefonia e internet, en fin, aqui les dejo este comercial que le gusta mucho a mi amiga Bebis! http://bebiss.wordpress.com