Various Artists- No Idea Presents Fest 8
released November 2009 on No Idea Records

This CD is a compilation of bands that played at the Gainesville, FL Fest 8 on October 31st and November 1st 2009. There are 32 different bands (well, 33 but the last track doesn’t appear to be on the CD) represented on this compilation. It’s mainly punk/hardcore with a little extra thrown in. I really don’t know where to begin for suggestions but see below for tracks that have been confirmed as not safe for airplay and be adventurous! I would recommend Track 1 and Track 14 for starters. There are also clean cuts from No Friends, Dear Landlord and Off With Their Heads. It’s rare to find good compilations nowadays and I think this is a great way to introduce someone to new bands.

FCC: 3,8,12,13,19,31
Try: 1,2,4,7, 9, 14,15,16,17,18,22,27,29,32

3.5/5

Who amongst us does not feel a lift
Stepping outside through the street door?
Problems that are theoretical and arise in bedrooms
Become air and footsteps beneath the gorgeous light.

Watch a sunset with Dan and Bethany in the Florida Keys.

Feb. 2 – Special Election for US House Seat in Florida’s 19th District

After Congresman Robert Wexler resigned his seat to become the director of the Center for Middle-East Peace and Economic Cooperation, a special election will be held to fill his former position. A district with a strong Democratic slant as well as a strong Jewish population, the election originally received some attention when Governor Charlie Crist placed the general election date on the last day of Passover, outraging local Jewish leaders. He has since changed it.

Before this general election in April, both parties have to choose their nominee. Democrats have two choices in February while Republicans have three.

Click here, after the new year, to receive an absentee ballot. Click here to register to vote.

Democrats

Recently endorsed by the local SEIU and seen largely as the establishment favorite, Ted Deutch is looking to trade in his job in Tallahassee for Washington. Currently a State Senator, Deutch has built a reputation on issues of health-care and related to Israel. He was served in the legislature since 2006. To learn more, click here.

Ben Graber is no stranger to taking on the establishment. A former State Representative and a former Broward County Commissioner, Graber ran against Wexler in 2008 from the left, targeting the Congressman’s positions on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. To learn more, click here.

Republicans

Voters will also get another look at Wexler’s 2008 Republican challenger, Edward Lynch. A business executive who moved from his own telecommunications business into the world of consulting, Lynch hopes to have better luck this year, receiving 28% of the vote last time around. To learn more, click here.

Joe Budd was the only candidate to qualify for the ballot by collected the necessary signatures instead of forking over a ballot-qualification fee. He hopes that this is a sign of strength as he runs for office for the first time. A financial planner, Budd is a father of three and a deacon at his local church. To learn more, click here.

Curt Price has worked as a public servant before, but far from the political side of things. A retired police officer who served for over 20 years, Price also built a private security company with his wife and now runs the small business full time. To learn more about his campaign, click here.

Say for a moment there’s a stage and an actor
Who’s pronouncing the name of the city of ‘Prague’.
Yet the city he speaks of is not that city that there is
But a compound location, accessible only in art.

We started off with the idea of a tree for Bailey’s ashes, but some how it turned out to be this beautiful fountain and garden. Her tree is nearby just out of the view of the picture. It is a peaceful place to sit and watch the fish in the pond, drink morning coffee and feel Bailey’s presence. It’s also the view from our bedroom, so we can sit and gaze at this piece of zen when the mosquitos and humidity get to be too much.

Our friend Doug has a landscaping & lawn maintence company (CurbAppeal by Doug), whom Bailey adored. He created this patch of beauty and serenity by hand, even digging out the pond himself. The plant concept was his too. So I just have to say, Thank you Doug.

We started off with the idea of a tree for Bailey’s ashes, but some how it turned out to be this beautiful fountain and garden. Her tree is nearby just out of the view of the picture. It is a peaceful place to sit and watch the fish in the pond, drink morning coffee and feel Bailey’s presence. It’s also the view from our bedroom, so we can sit and gaze at this piece of zen when the mosquitos and humidity get to be too much.

Our friend Doug has a landscaping & lawn maintence company (CurbAppeal by Doug), whom Bailey adored. He created this patch of beauty and serenity by hand, even digging out the pond himself. The plant concept was his too. So I just have to say, Thank you Doug.

There was not a lot of choices this year since I got the chart plotter last year and the auto pilot goes with the system. I therefore put the bucks down yesterday for the Fruno auto pilot. We are going to use the old hydraulic pump and see how that works. That saves about $500.00. Fruno had a price increase last spring, even with a world wide recession going on. I figured they would have discounted that away. Well not much. I did get a little discount, but not much. They will be putting it in sometime before Christmas, they say. I am working part time again and matched with the low tides at this time could be a tough for finding a time to test the system. I know what are you doing at 2 am. We will cross that bridge when we get to it.

RoyalBeachRentals.com is giving away a vacation for eight people to the white sand beaches of South Walton, Florida

South Walton Beach, Florida – December 04, 2009/Royal Beach & Golf Resorts/Press Release – RoyalBeachRentals.com, featuring  the best of Florida’s Emerald Coast professionally managed vacation rentals in  coastal communities of Santa Rosa,  including,  Dune Allen, Seagrove, Blue Mountain,  Watersound, Seacrest, Seaside, Watercolor, and Rosemary Beach , is pleased to announce they are giving away a lavish Florida beach vacation for up to EIGHT people to a lucky Facebook Fan. This free vacation give-a-way is valued at over $1,500.

The winner, and up to seven other companions, will have the chance to relax, refresh, and rejuvenate by visiting the famous Beaches of South Walton, 18 miles of sugar white sand beaches along the beautiful Scenic 30A highway, staying at the luxurious Blue Mountain Escape beach house.

The Blue Mountain Escape beach house (3 bedrooms/4.5 baths), boasts soaring ceilings, travertine floors, large flat screen TVs, integrated stereo system, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, private pool, is dog friendly (additional fee) among its amenities. While in the area, the vacation winner can enjoy and experience everything this area has to offer. The Emerald Coast offers world renowned golf courses, savory award-winning cuisine, and outdoor activities and events in the picture perfect setting. This could be a life enhancing vacation! Hurry! Contest ends soon – so enter NOW.

The contest is simple to enter and is open to legal U.S. residents who are 25 years and older and who are Facebook Fans of Royal Beach and Golf Resorts. The winner will be drawn and announced on December 22, 2009 with the last day to enter the contest being December 21^st at 11:59 PM EST.  No purchase is required and airfare is not included as part of the prize. Full details can be found on the website.

About Royal Beach & Golf Resort

Royal Beach & Golf Resorts was established to create a unique, custom, hand-tailored escape to the Beaches of South Walton along the Emerald Coast of Florida. Royal Beach & Golf Resorts offers cottages to luxurious beachside retreats which accommodate small groups to large families. Please contact Royal Beach & Golf Resorts at stay@royalbeachrentals.com or 866-534-0841 to reserve your vacation today.  This press release was submitted by Visual Data Systems on behalf of Royal Beach & Golf Resorts.

####

For Immediate Release

December 04, 2009
Melissa Steelman
Royal Beach & Golf Resort
marketing@royalbeachrentals.com
1.866.534.0841 (Toll Free)

Woozy brass,
And now my eyes do sleep.
Woozy brass,
The dreams, the dreams ran so deep.

Nine days from landing in Key West, Florida. Check out the map:

God had let a book fall in the street.
I picked it up and read it:
It told me all I needed to know.
Closing the page, I thanked God.

Jacksonville, FL

It’s been a while since I have updated, business has exploded and U.S. Equipment Sales is on target to having a $1,000,000 year in it’s first year. If you counted our cooperative deals with other companies and brokers, we have already passed that mark for the year.

There have been some recent events in the Florida market and I want to chime in on them and see if anyone out there has any more info on these suspicions.

A week or so ago, I got an internal email from a friend that was addressed from the VP of Briggs Equipment. It said they are closing all of their Florida and South Carolina branches down in stages over the next few months. This is a blind side. I would have never thought in a million years it would be them. I have suspicions on several other local competitors, but not ever Briggs. I always try to read through the words and see the intent with everything I get. It oddly coincides with a press release from Ahern of Las Vegas that they will be opening (or acquiring) 15 new branches over the next few months. They just opened a branch in South Carolina so this marriage of equipment companies makes sense. They have a presence in nearly all southern states with the exception of Florida, Alabama, and a couple others.

It sounds a little conspiracy theory-like, but I would not be surprised. I have tapped a couple of my sources but have no response yet. If you know of any pending merger, I would love to hear. As far as the Case line, I am not sure why anyone would NOT want the line. A new dealership would not have exorbant expectations with this market which gives them a great opportunity to build. The pool of experienced staff has never been better in the area. Case is a high quality brand with a great municipality presence. It’s a no lose situation. Obviously the bigger rental companies are not going anywhere. United is still on top, Sunbelt and RSC are not far behind. Sunbelt has made some tremendous implementations and fleet movements that are borderline genious. They will be effectively raising their utilization with new greenfield stores while still capitalizing on their remediation and industrial markets. Ring Power has the money to survive this and ramp back up almost immediately once the market shows signs of life again. Nortrax will survive, but not the same as it once was. The JCB dealers will have a tough time, but JCB as a company has a great support team and will help the dealers re-calibrate their purchasing and sales. There are a few rental companies that I will not name that will face an almost certain failure. They whored up the market and only became known for being the “lowball”. That is never a good marketing strategy.

As I said before, if anyone has inside knowledge of the Briggs Equipment or Ahern deal, please drop me a line and let me know.

Side note: Now is the perfect time to get a guy like Bryan Rich (NationsRent) or Bruce Dressel (Sunbelt) to come in and fill Briggs gap. The facilities are already in place, the candidate pool is impressive, the Case line is strong, and the rental industry is going to start recovering over the next 12 months.

Sheena Ratliff from Lens Flare Photos has amazed me with her talent and photography.  I’ve seen her grow over the years into an inspiring Destin, FL wedding photographer.  She has an eye for capturing the unfiltered emotion of a moment, the silly laugh, the tender moment, & the true relationship of a couple.  Talent bundled with passion creates a photography that can transform any of its subjects into art.

Bride sticks her tongue out at groom - Destin wedding photography

I added a video from her site highlighting one of the military wedding photo shoots she did below.  You need to understand that in this area we have a large number of Air Force personnel by being located close to the world’s largest Air Force base (Eglin Air Force Base).  She has a gift of working with military couples and understanding the kind of struggles they will face with yearly deployments and long distance relationships.  If you are looking for a photographer in the Ft. Walton Beach, Destin, Navarre, Pensacola, FL area I would highly recommend her work.

She also displays her clients work using this cool video software called animoto.  It allows her to easily upload a set of pictures, choose a song, a let the software do the rest to create a stunning presentation of her work.  What other tools do wedding photographers use to help show a client their portfolio?  What are your personal favorites?

Justin and Nicole…. – Click here to watch the video at vimeo.

If you have time feel free to browse the different videos posted on her blog.  I’m sure they will make you smile and appreciate even the simple things in life.

 Custom Website Offers Travelers Vacation Rentals for Every Budget and Need

 Orlando, Florida – December 2009/Magical Memories/Press Release – Magical Memories, a leading professional vacation rental firm, located just a few miles from the Disney World Resort in Central, Florida is pleased to announce that choosing Orlando vacation rentals in the nation’s top vacation destination has just become much easier through their newly launched website.

 The company’s newly designed website makes selection of the perfect vacation home rental as easy as a few clicks of the mouse.   This customized site is rich with hundreds of photos, interactive maps and descriptive content, allowing guests to find accommodations to perfectly suit their needs and budget.  An advanced search tool even allows travelers to choose a specific home giving clear and concise information simplifies the entire process of making reservations online. 

 “The new site puts consumers, and us, in a great position, surpassing the standard of online booking.  It is much easier for a traveler to choose accommodations on our site than others like Expedia or Travelocity,” explains Jeff Chase, Director of Sales and Marketing for Magical Memories.  “For instance, the ability to quickly and economically book by property type is available, while those looking for more specific options will discover a complete photo portfolio along with descriptive content for each individual rental.  Our real time inventory system only shows what’s available and the consumer has the option of booking immediately.”

 Additional advantages of the new site, www.MagicalMemories.com,   include: a Specials page offering fantastic promotions along with an option to ‘Join Our eMailer’ that sends automatic notification about new promotional campaigns.  Another great new option is Select Choice, a collection of upscale properties for guests who desire the highest standard of luxury and amenities.

 Abundant options are offered by Magical Memories, comparable to the finest resorts.  In-home spa services, personal in-home chefs, medical concierge and babysitting services are available. Guests may also buy attraction tickets online through a partnership with The Official Ticket Center.

 “We are very excited with the way the site turned out,” states Chase.  “I really believe travelers will see the difference and enjoy the experience we’ve created for them.

ABOUT MAGICAL MEMORIES

Magical Memories Management, Inc. manages more than $50 million dollars in second home real estate in the Central Florida attractions district.  With offices located only a few miles from the gates of Disney World Resort, Magical Memories offers more than 350 vacation rentals, including two to four bedroom resort condos, as well as three to seven bedroom luxury pool homes.  We pride ourselves on delivering a quality of service and standard of product that far surpasses our guests’ expectations.  We now make it simpler for you to create magical memories that will last a lifetime.  For more information, please visit www.MagicalMemories.com  or call (877) 265-9354.

####

For Immediate Release

December 1, 2009

Magical Memories

Dan Kline, Vice President

dkline@magicalmemories.com

(866) 628-0367

(This recipe yields 2 servings)

• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree’ (no added sugar/natural)
• 1/3 cup blended oatmeal
• 50g whey protein powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoons sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Optional- Add Stevia, Fruit or Butter to taste.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg. Blend in pumpkin, vanilla and sourcream.

In a seperate bowl, sift together all dry ingredients.

Combine wet and dry ingredients in blender. Blend well.

On a lightly greased skillet or fry pan, dollop out about 1/3 cup of batter to make each pancake.

This makes about about 4 pancakes.

Serve with your favorite topping. Be sure to make the pancakes a little smaller than usual since they’re a little fragile (no flour to hold them together as well as standard pancakes).

No one asks to be born,
Your parents make the decision for you.
In passion, brains addled with love;
You crawl from the wreckage of your mother into the currents of the world.

Yes . . the temperature is at 85 degrees! All is back to normal at the Family Life Center.

Come swim with us . . .386-328-1595 Memberships start at $32/mth.