We are currently waiting for 2010 events ,services, trainings and activities to be published

The year has fled by yet again and now it’s time to think about making some gifts for the holidays.

This year I’ve decided to give some potpourri. Potpourri is usually a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant material, used to provide a agreeable natural scent in houses. You can place it in bowls or small cloth bags, or as I did, in glass jars.

I prepared it today, but really I started it last summer when I picked and dried roses and lavender.
I chose to use the glass jar because it shows the pretty dried flowers. The jar held a candle until recently, so it was also a good way to recycle the jar. When the candle was done, I took out the leftover wax and put aside for remaking into candles. I then cleaned the jar thoroughly.

This is a before and after photo of the candle jars.

I mixed rose petals, a dried orange peel and some lavender in the jar. I then added some vetier root powder as a fixative to keep the scent strong. Orris root can also be used.  I added some rose and some lavender essential oils to the mix and gently stirred with a wooden spoon. I put on the lid and tied on a pretty ribbon. Wala!  A finished gift ready to go. The cost was minimal and it only took a few minutes. Also it made my home smell nice while I was making it.

I have all the ingredients assembled.

Time to mix in the scents and the fixative.

The finished product!

I save pretty jars and interesting containers throughout the year. I also collect flower petals, pine cones and whatever I come across. Then when it’s gift time I have lots of material on hand to work with.

There are many things that can be added. Allspice, cloves, cinnamon bark, mint, any kind of sweet smelling flowers are all great additions.   A winter themed  one could have small pine cones mixed in and scented with wintergreen, for instance. You are only limited by your imagination

I really enjoy making small gifts for friends on many levels. I enjoy planning what I am going to make each year.  I put on some good music and spend an peaceful quiet afternoon having fun creating presents for my loved ones. I also like not driving to a mall and fighting the crowds to purchase mass produced objects that are most likely made in China.  And of course, I like to recycle and reuse whatever I can, remaking what would be trash into something useful and attractive.

I hope that if you try it you will enjoy creating gifts as much as I do.

Thank you all for trying to attend and to those who could make it to the 2009 End of year Formal Meal.

Every one is busy

The Guides chose the this years theme to be Christmas.  So when the arrived out came the decorations and they got busy to work on the inside and entry to the building.

Many hands make light work.  So every body just pitched in to get everything ready.  The tables were put into place, the settings done beautifully. Table decorations were made.  An angle brought by a Guide graced the table.  Serviettes and fans were placed all around.  The Guides had made place mats too.  At the last minute a parent wisked off the un-laminated ones and thankfully these were done.  Spares were in the office so guests and leaders had these. The tables had sparkles and streamers along the middle.  The walls had streamers, tinsel and decorations all around.  The main door had a welcome poster – which was a really good idea.  One I had not thought of.  And the outside doors and windows were decorated as well.  There were even the Units Flags and the World Flag out on display at the head of the table settings.

We had to guess at how many people were coming as until the last minute we really did not know.  How ever there was enough food thankfully as many people brought deserts, cakes, chips and snacks. Not enough place settings and chairs.  But everyone was happy and any blotch ups were worked around.

Hot or cool drinks were served by the Guides to Guests.  The older Guides helping and serving the smaller Guides and guests.

The main course was beef and chickens.  The meats were slow cooking … the beef got microwaved as well to finish

A picture says a thousand words.

the meet cooking process.  The chickens were brought down piping hot.  We ended up with a basic red and orange salad and oven cooked big chips / wedges as a main meal.

The food ended up being placed on the side tables buffett style.  The refreshments, then the main course, and lastly the cakes, little merranges, chips, dip, scones/jam and cream,

The youngest got served the main course first.  The invited guest (oldest first!!!) and leaders were served the deserts and nibbles first the second time around.

The dish washers were glad that the plates were plastic ones and the dishes just kept being done through out the preparations and dinner.  Another advantage of everyone bringing something from home…when you’ve got roped into the general clean up and dish washing jobs.  Which the Guides and friends and family worked together and did very well.

Food on the side

Many times through out the years activities have had left over products.  These are saved and recycled for another time.  Hence the meal costs were down as we did not have to purchase serviettes, plates, cutlery, cups, table cloths, tea towels (we ran out and more were simply  brought along), place mats, cordial and decorations.

So anytime you have spares of anything think of us.  We will utilize them.

At the end of each year there is a Formal Meal.  Begun by Debbie for the Unit it was previously organised by the Unit. At the end of September there were two Guides asked to speak to a restaurants chief .  Discussed were menus, colour schemes, times and dates, dress codes and preparation of food.  The meal was paid for by each Guides family  before the end of October. At home dresses were chosen, hair do’s and shoes sorted out weeks before the event.

2009 saw this change late in the planning procedure.  Firstly we had to get everyone registered.  By this time earlier plans had to be changed. The formal meal is now a District Event. With help the 2010’s Formal End of Year Meal is now Saturday – December 4th 2010.

• Notice of the Formal Meal will be in the District Calendar on the web. The Units calender – which in turn are created by the Guides.
• Activities will be throughout the year.  ie  place mats, invitations, table decorations [mugwomps], serviettes, grace and vespers sheets, serviette holders, place cards … These will be stored in a large plastic container [somewhere in the office]
• Invites to family, friends and people who have helped throughout the year will go out weeks before to this meal. The invites will be hardcopy cards, posters and emails.
• RSVP needs to be received by mid November.
• Please send a suggestion or two of the meal preparation  you are to bring with the RSVP.
• Your RSPV will be confirmed to you by mid November.
• Confirmation of what part of the meal preparation your family has offered  to bring will be sent to you as well.
• The District will supply the meat varieties and preparation.
• All parts of meals to have the actual ingredients within them printed / written out.
  
• Please supply the recipe.
  
• The Formal wear is good clothes for those attending the meal.
• The setting of tressel tables is to be in a horse shoe .
• Decoration of the main area will begin at 10.30.  All decorations will be made prior to the day so that all needing to be done is to place them up and around.
• Activities for free time sorted out well in advance.  A kitchen fly for shelter set up on the day at the back of the office grounds.
• Kitchen fly to be in place for erection by 10.30.
• First Aid kit and safety preparations will be made prior to the event. [as per every event]
• A Risk Analysis  Plan (created for the event [as per every event])  is to be on display in the entry hall.
• Sign in book to be in the entry hall.
• Photo release forms to be in the entry hall for those who are not members of the Girl Guides {Associate Adult, Adult or Youth members]
• Photos taken will be sent to each persons email address if indicated they would like a copy of their/ their Guides photos sent directly to them.
• Meal will begin at 1pm.

We are in need of:

• a kitchen co-ordinator,   [position filled]
• a hostess/ host co-ordinator.
• a decorator co-ordinator,
• an outside activities person  {will be taught about kitchen flies]
• a craft / artist and music coordinator.
• a Public Relations person for the event.
• a Photographic co-ordinator.
• a clean up co-ordinator.

Please note the adult coordinators job is just to make sure everything is there. Every so often check on progress.  The Guides are able to run things from this point.

Welcome to my beginner’s guide To BlueFTP.

This is a (hopefully) easy guide for those who may not know exactly what to do and some features of this app require root permissions so you have to have root access.

Root will allow you to receive from any device meaning your friend can connect and send you content given you are also using a custom ROM such as Cyanogen or T.A.G.

Without Root you can connect to any device and download/upload files but only devices like your’s using BlueFTP can connect to you for example G1 to G1 otherwise devices can’t connect to you and remember thats only if the device is bluetooth compatible and set to discoverable (refer to device user-manual for more info.

To learn how to root please see my other posts.

Another small note is some phones such as HTC Hero, Galaxy and behold II may not be able to use this if they have software lower than 2.0 as the bluetooth drivers are broken on those lower software levels.

Start Up:

Upon opening you may get two pop-ups depending on your use of this application and bluetooth settings.

These pop-ups are

- Ask to enable bluetooth (if not already enabled)
- Application change log (shows 3 times per update)

If you want to send or receive files via bluetooth you will need to click OK or click cancel if you only want to use BlueFTP as a stand-alone file manager.

Once you clicked that it will display a message saying enabling bluetooth layer wait for this message to disappear and the change log will then show once you have read that click the button below the writing (it may not say last time like seen in the screenshot below).

Once bluetooth is enabled you will get one of two screens depending on if you have root access or not.

If you dont have root you will get the following message

If you have root access you won’t get that message above instead you will get a few of these

These are call SU Permissions and will enable you to send and receive files and as i said above you will get about 2 or 3.

I recommend clicking always allow to prevent having to do it on every start-up.

Once your passed those pop-ups you will see an icon in the notification bar of your device which tells you bluetooth is enabled and ready to be used.

You have now completed the Start-Up process.

Settings:
I will now explain what the settings mean.

To access these press menu and click more and select settings you will then see the following

Object Push Profile (OPP  for short) is the settings for receiving files here is what the ones above mean.

Enabled – This means it’s all set and ready to receive files.

Start at boot – This means if you turn off your device when you switch it on again BlueFTP will start automatically.

Stop when close – This means when you close BlueFTP it will shut off receiving of files.

Show notifications – This will display messages inside your notification bar to let you know when a file is received.

Show messages – This will display “flying” messages to let you know when a file is received.

See next screenshot for more

Alert on receive – This will display directly on the screen to let you know when a file is received.

Destination folder – This is where you define where you want the received files to be saved to.

Concurrent connections – This is where you choose how many devices can send you stuff at the same time (max 7)

I will discuss the rest after the next screenshot

File Transfer Profile (FTP  for short) is the settings for sending files here is what the ones above mean.

Enabled – This means it’s all set and ready to send files.

Start at boot – This means if you turn off your device when you switch it on again BlueFTP will start automatically.

Stop when close – This means when you close BlueFTP it will shut off sending of files.

Show notifications – This will display messages inside your notification bar to let you know when a file is sent.

Show messages – This will display “flying” messages to let you know when a file is sent.

See next screenshot for more

Alert on receive – This will display directly on the screen to let you know when a file is received.

Alert on send – This will display directly on the screen to let you know when a file is sent.

Shared folder – This is where you define where you want the files you wish to share to come from.

Concurrent connections – This is where you choose how many devices you can send stuff to at the same time (max 7)

Sending:
Here is what the contact sending looks like

Just mark the contacts you wish to send and the following screen will show

This is where you either choose the device you want to send to or search for a new device (more info below)

I’m now going to explain how to send files by bluetooth, this method works for any files you wish to send.

First locate the folder with the file/s you wish to send and click the box/es of the file/s you wish to send so it will look like this

Once you have selected the files click menu and the screen should now look like this

Select send (it will display how many items you wish to send for example 6 items) and you will now get a screen like this

It will automatically search for new devices in your area (normally only effective as far as an average sized bedroom so ensure the user is close when trying to connect )

If you can’t find your friends device ensure they have a bluetooth capable device and that there bluetooth is enabled on their device.
Also some devices need to be set to discoverable in order to be found so if that is the case please set to discoverable also before send an item (refer to phone user manual of your friends device or contact their device provider with your friend’s device make and model for more info).

Remember BlueFTP doesn’t give the device you’re sending to bluetooth.

Once you have located the device your after on your Android device long click it and select “Create pairing”

You should then get the following message on-screen

Enter the password to which the other device your connected to will have to input.

It can be any password you want I use 0000 as its easy to remember for the other user.

Once you have the password click OK

Tell your friend using the other device you’re sending to the password and a they should get a pop-up asking to input password.

This is where they enter the password you choose.

Once they done that you will get the following message on-screen

This is alerting you that the pairing has been successful and you are ready to send.

Before sending however if you think you will send the friend your currently sending content too at a later date I recommend adding the user as a bookmark by long clicking on your friend’s phone on your device.

It should come up like this

Select Add bookmark and this will save the device for future sharing/receiving.

You may now connect to the device by long clicking your friends device on your screen until the following appears

Select Connect and this should now show

Wait till this completes and it should automatically start send the files you marked above and the screen will look something like this

Wait for that to compete and if sending multiple files the screen above will display each file one at a time not all at once so wait for a message saying sending complete or something like that.

Congratulations you have now passed steps to sending files via BlueFTP.

Let’s talk about receiving now and then exiting before we complete the guide.

Receiving:

So you want to receive a file from a friend.

Firstly make sure your device can handle the file your friend is sending you.

- Ensure you have enough free space on your device.
- Ensure the file is compatible with your device e.g a MP3 track and not a theme for a Sony Ericsson (it will not work on your device).
- Ensure they have a bluetooth capable device and that there bluetooth is enabled on their device (refer to phone user manual of your friends device or contact their device provider with your friend’s device make and model for more info).

Method One:

Unless already paired previously with the device you want to receive a file from and you have root or the device you want to receive from is the same as your device and is using BlueFTP you will get the following

If you don’t have root and the device your friend’s using (along with BlueFTP) ain’t the same refer to method 2 below.

Those who got that message must now enter the code your friend has chosen (so ask your friend what the password they put in was).

Once you’ve input the correct password you will get the following Pop-Up

This means you are receiving the file so wait for this to complete before doing anything.

If you got notifications and/or alert on receive enabled via BlueFTP settings you will get something like the following

Method Two:

This method is for those who don’t have root and their friends device is not the same as your device or if your having issues with method one.

First step is open BlueFTP and ensure both your bluetooth and your friends bluetooth is on and your friends device is set to discoverable.

Next using your device click remote inside BlueFTP if you do it right you will see something similar to the following

Now use search and locate the device.

Once located choose the device you want by clicking it once then the following will appear.

Now locate the file/s you wish to send

Press menu and select Download

Now you will get the following pop-up

Wait for this to complete (you may get more then one of these but just wait)

Once completed click menu and select Disconnect.

You will then get the following

Press OK and you will disconnect from the device you got the files from.

This is all you need to do to receive a file.

Exiting:

Last step is basic and that is exiting the application.

It’s simple, all you do is press your back key on your device until you get something like the following

Select the appropriate option for you and then your complete.

This concludes the beginner’s guide to BlueFTP.

Please give the developers a break and read this fully before e-mailing them with issues as it may not be BlueFTP’s fault.

I’m also willing to assist you should you have an issue so leave a comment below.

Time sped forward and another memory played out.

 *****

“DaeNoth, look!” Ionee cried out to the lagging DaeNoth, as she stood on the edge of a small, rock-filled vale. It had taken her forever to convince DaeNoth to venture outside the Forest of Reflections, and she only got him to agree because she promised they wouldn’t venture into any populated areas. Now that they were outside the protective shell of the Aurisen enclave, DaeNoth had grown fearful of every little thing. She had wanted to see the crystal fields ever since she had heard some of the other Aurisens talking about them, and this was the first time she had managed to convince DaeNoth to venture forth from that artificial bubble of synthesized life inside the Forest of Reflections.

The one time she had snuck out on her own, DaeNoth had become so hysterical. After that, he rarely left her side so she had little opportunity to sneak away. However, because he insisted on following her everywhere, she managed to coax him into trying more and more things, as her desire for new experiences continued to draw her. Her need to experience real life was too compelling, so her only recourse was to convince DaeNoth into trying things with her.

Ever since she had heard of the crystal fields, she had connived and coaxed DaeNoth until now, here she was. One of the first things she had noticed was that the crystals of this world sang to her. They touched a place deep within her that only some of the most ethereal of compositions had ever spoken to. To be able to immerse herself in a place containing so much music and power, was simply too much to resist.

As she waited for DaeNoth to catch up, she let the energies flow over and around her. She stood at the edge of the first crystal field, her eyes closed, just listening with her whole being to the call of the crystals. One crystal, in particular, seemed to stand out from the others, and she allowed its call to lead her through the rocky terrain.

When DaeNoth finally caught up with her, Ionee held the newly freed crystal to his forehead, “Can you feel it now?”

“It seems very vibrant, yet soothing…” he turned to look at Ionee, who was smiling widely. “What type of crystal is it?”

“I do not know what it is named, only that it is some type of beryl. But you are correct, its song tells me that it would be a powerful healing crystal—offering both revitalization and comfort.”

They clambered over the rocks, Ionee following the voices of the crystals as they sang to her. As they scrambled over a particularly cumbersome stretch of loose rocks, DaeNoth lost his footing. His right ankle twisted and his foot wedged itself between several of the larger boulders, and as DaeNoth fell forward, a loud cracking sound echoed in the air.

At the sound of DaeNoth’s ankle breaking, Ionee stopped her mad dash across the rocks to see what had happened. Seeing DaeNoth sprawled across the rocks, she hurried back to help.

“DaeNoth! DaeNoth, are you all right?” She cried out as she crossed the loose jumble of rocks back to where DaeNoth’s body now lay. As she reached him, she noticed that a second DaeNoth stood next to the body. Drawing nearer, she realized that this second DaeNoth was not a solid image. She could see bits of the landscape through him. Hesitating, she looked from this ghost-like DaeNoth to the DaeNoth lying on the rocks.

“DaeNoth?…” she reached out to touch the not so solid image that stood near, and her hand connected with nothing. The only sensation was a light prickling of the hairs on her hand and arm as it passed through the image of DaeNoth.

*It is I, Ionee…yet it is not,* the image spoke directly into her mind. *I jumped out when the ankle broke. I could not face the impending pain.*

*But what of …* and squatting, she reached out and touched DaeNoth’s hair, and caressed the cheek of the fallen DaeNoth. *It still lives…* she turned her eyes up toward the translucent image of DaeNoth, *but how…?*

*I am still connected to the body, but I do not feel what it feels. I do not sense what it senses.*

*But how did you manage this? I thought once we accepted the physical form, we had to remain with it or it would perish.*

*There are levels of integration. You are fully integrated, while I am currently only minimally integrated. I can maintain the body, but only in a minimal way. I need you to help me heal it, so that I may return.*

His comment brought her back to herself, and she realized that her hand still rested on the body’s back. Looking back toward the physical form of DaeNoth, she saw that she would need to free his foot before she could heal it. Moving down to where the rocks wedged against his foot, she carefully began prying at them until she managed to shift one enough to free his foot. Gently, she unwedged his foot and straightened his ankle. Then holding her palms above it, she focused her energies on healing it.

As the ankle returned to normal, the ghost-like DaeNoth flickered as it hovered above his physical form. Then it just seemed to merge into the body, and the DaeNoth beneath her hands began to moan and stir.

Ionee helped DaeNoth sit up, then she gave him several more healing boosts to remove some of the bruises and cuts he had received when the body had fallen against the rocks. As she did so, she kept thinking about how he had freed himself from the body. When he was once again healthy, she could no longer put off her curiosity. “How did you jump free of the body? How long can you remain that way? Can you see and hear everything that goes around you?”

“Do you not even care that I was hurt?” DaeNoth grumbled, though in truth, he was rather touched to have so much of her attention, no matter the reason. Standing, he brushed the dirt from his robe, and tried to neaten himself as best as possible. Ionee also stood, but her eyes continued to probe his as she awaited some answers.

Finally giving in to her silent demands, DaeNoth found a medium sized boulder to settle himself on and Ionee found a spot next to him. “One of the elders explained about the seven connection points between us and the physical forms that we have created. Each one has a different purpose. Any of these points can be released without harming the body, except one—this one, here,” and he touched her abdomen, placing the flat of his hand just beneath her breasts. “If this one is released, then the physical form will die,” and he pulled his hand back.

“But how do you release the others without releasing that one, also?” Ionee persisted.

“I told myself to step free of the body and I did. So, as the body fell forward, I remained standing. However, you have to make an effort to sever all connections, and I did not do that. I merely wished to save myself from experiencing the pain, which I assumed would occur once I felt the bone in the body break. Therefore, I focused on releasing only those connections that would hold me within the body.”

“Are you saying that the body can be animated without our actually having to be within it?” Ionee leaned forward as if afraid to miss a single word.

“Yes…I suppose someone could,” DaeNoth said thoughtfully. To animate the body at a minimal level you would need two connections. This one,” and he indicated his abdomen, “and the one here,” he touched his forehead. This one directs the body’s basic movements and thoughts, while this one,” he touched his abdomen, “directs the body’s basic life force.”

“What about the others? What do they do?”

“The lowest connection, there,” and he indicated a spot at the base of Ionee’s pubic region, “connects the body, and you, to the planet. The next one, here,” he touched a finger to her stomach, “gives you a connection to self. It helps the body understand who you are. The connection near the body’s heart, lets the body feel and react to your emotions. This connection,” and he touched a finger to her throat, “lets you use the body to communicate.”

“Very interesting…” Ionee ‘s thoughts turned inward for a moment. “So, how do you release these connections?”

“Well, you just let go,” DaeNoth paused to try to come up with a better way to explain it. “It is similar to taking off these clothes, only in this instance, the clothes represent the physical form.”

“I want to try.” Ionee sat up straight, then her body began to slump forward. DaeNoth jumped up and caught Ionee as her body slid from the boulder, and eased her onto the ground.

*This is fascinating,* a ghostly Ionee said, as she watched DaeNoth lower her body onto the rocky ground.

*Ionee!* a frightened DaeNoth admonished. *You should not do this. Return this instant!* He demanded from his position next to Ionee’s physical body.

*Why? If it was all right for you to do this, why is it too dangerous for me to try?*

*I only did it because I was frightened. It is not something you should take so lightly. You could harm yourself.*

*How can I harm myself? I am simply in my natural state.*

*No, you are not. Not for this world. For this world, you need to retain your physical form.* DaeNoth scolded. *You need to return. If you remain absent for too long, the body will die.*

*What if it does? I will simply create another.*

*You know that is forbidden. If the body dies you must return to the transitional plane.*

Ionee’s hovering image shook her head in disdainful frustration. She had heard all the rules and explanations, too. So, she knew that what she did was up to her. It was her life and her choices, and his restrictiveness was becoming intolerable. Just once she wished she could do what she wanted, without all of DaeNoth’s attempts to control everything. And what I want is to see where real humans live, she thought.

Suddenly, she was standing near the edge of a busy cobblestone street. Several people walked by, and another nearly walked right through her. As a horse-pulled carriage came near, the horse reared. Shaking its hooves nearly in her face, she ducked. When she opened her eyes, she was lying on the ground at the base of the boulder, with several large, pointy rocks digging into her back.

Startled to be back at the crystal fields, let alone back inside her physical body, Ionee stammered, “Wha…what happened?”

DaeNoth, happy to have her back, gripped her in a hug and held her tight. “Thank goodness you came to your senses and returned.”

Ionee barely returned DaeNoth’s hug, but he didn’t seem to notice. Her mind was on what had just happened. She was positive that she had actually been in one of the human’s cities, even if was just for a few moments, she had been there. Slowly, a smile curved her lips upward and she started planning how she could use this new technique to see more of this world called Danaria.

You might think that I’m all about the money, seeing how excited I got at being paid for two radio appearances, and now with my excitement at making buku bucks just for doing one show per month, but that’s not true.

It’s just that Dave and I have plans, dreams, hopes of being independent in our chosen fields, but lately life has been putting some mighty big financial roadblocks in our way—the roof of the house started leaking, and we had to borrow from our 401Ks to get it patched (patched, not even replaced); the washer and dryer had died and so we had to replace them (I mean, c’mon, they were only 10 years old, what’s with that?); and the mechanic said that my car (which was only 9 years old) would cost more to repair than the it was worth, so now we had a car payment that we really couldn’t afford. So, when a chance to get ahead a little on the bills presents itself, well, we tended to get a bit happy and carried away.

I had gotten to Dave’s office with the radio’s offer and instead of trying to explain my elation, I simply handed him the document. As he read it, his eyes grew larger and the look of shock was soon replaced elation almost as great as mine. After some whoopying and hugging, which garnered quite a few stares from a number of co-workers, we escaped his office for a celebratory lunch at one of our favorite little restaurants, Berghoff’s on west Adams.

“So you think I should go ahead and take the deal, right?” I asked as the waiter took away our dirty dishes and left the bill.

“I think it looks good,” he said signing the bill and handing it back to the waiter. “But it wouldn’t hurt to have Bill check it over.”

I nodded. Bill, our neighbor and friend, was a lawyer. He handled primarily wills and probates, but I reasoned mentally, that a will was a type of contract, so he should be able to advise us on this.

Dave walked with me back to his office, and then he went upstairs to his round of meetings. Meanwhile, I continued walking to the train station. Using my cell phone, which I carry only for emergencies (such as when I get lost—and I get lost a LOT—and I need to call Dave so he can help me figure out where I am, and then get me where I’m trying to go), I called Bill. He agreed to see me, saying that he could squeeze me in between Mrs. Camden at 2:30 and Mr. Rowr at 3:30. Bill has an office in downtown St. Charles, so once I got off the train I would only have to walk a few blocks from the train station to get to his place.

The train got to the St. Charles stop a little after 2. Since I had some time before my meeting with Bill, I wandered around the town square park admiring all of the scarecrows that had been created for the annual scarecrow festival. Closer to 2:40, I went over to Bill’s office and let the receptionist know I was there.

The meeting with Bill was quick and relatively painless. He adjusted a couple of minor statements and had me sign the document with his receptionist and him as witnesses. We then agreed that Dave and I would host him and his wife to dinner at a restaurant of their choosing to pay him back for his service, and I was on my way back to the train station.

The first train, the commuter express, zipped past. Ten minutes later the next commuter train pulled in and I hustled on board as everyone else tried to get off. There were no seats available on the car I had gotten on to, so I stood in the aisle with one hand braced against the back of a train seat.

As I stood in the crowded train swaying with the movement, I wondered who at the radio station could be the person who was pinging my energies. There were a number of offices opening right off of the reception area, and several more off of the two hallways at the back of the reception area. Yet, both times I had been toward the front, so it had to be someone in one of those offices, or so I surmised.

I was trying to remember which of the offices had had lights on in them and so were probably occupied when I had arrived this morning, when a particularly tight corner caught me unawares and I overswayed. My hand knocked into the back of the head of the passenger in the seat and the woman turned to glare at me. I gave her an apologetic look as the conductor announced my stop.

I jostled, pushed, and finally shoved my way through the crowds and onto the train platform. I tend to get a bit rude when getting off the train, but then I’m always so afraid that the train is going to start up again while I’m still onboard and trying to get off. I know the conductors are watching and trying to make sure that everyone gets where they need to, but I also know that with the mobs of people on these commuter trains that the conductors can’t see everyone or everything. So, I always have this little panicky fear pushing me forward sometimes to the point that I’m standing at the door to the car two stops before I need to get off. Dave just laughs at me, but then he’s not as short as I am and no one is going to overlook him in a crowd.

Back at home, I was again looking at the deal from the radio station, when I decided I would go down there personally tomorrow. I could fax or mail the agreement to them, but if I went down there to deliver it in person I just might be able to find the person whose energies were pinging mine; the person who just might be responsible for pulling me into their nightmares.

And, just so Dave wouldn’t think I was wasting the entire day, I could go to the library and finish the research I needed to complete that article my editor had asked me to write. Having a plan of action made me feel better, and I turned toward the stairs for the bedroom and nearly fell over.

There are a number of questions about waxes that come up again and again, such as:

How do I prepare a surface for waxing?
How long should I leave the wax before buffing off?
How long must I leave it before adding a second layer?
When is it fully cured?

This advice is, for the most part, about wax but much of it holds true for sealants.

Let’s tackle the first matter: Bonding

For a wax to bond to paint, it must be clean. There are a number of ways of cleaning paint in preparation for a wax – a 50/50 solution of IPA and distilled water, a dedicated inspection spray (like Menzerna Top Inspection, or Meguiars Last Touch), a pure hand polish (such as Meguiars #7 or #81), a paint cleanser (like Serious Performance Paint Cleanser or AIOs, like Car-Lack68 NSC, AG SRP) or a dedicated pre-wax cleanser (such as Dodo Juice Lime Prime Lite, Zymöl HD Cleanse or Swissvax Cleaner Fluid).

The paint should be squeaky clean and gleaming.

Now, let’s apply the wax – use bare hands or a foam applicator. The use of bare hands should be restricted to pure waxes, such as those from Dodo Juice, those that state they should be applied by bare hand like Victoria Wax or those which fashion dictates like Zymöl and Swissvax. If you get an adverse reaction when applying wax by bare hand, wash your hands thoroughly using a pH neutral soap with moisturisers and apply a moisturiser after drying. Foam applicators should definitely be used with waxes that have an obviously high solvent content, such as Collinite 476S. Disposal gloves can be worn as further protection from solvents in wax products and this is a practice that is advocated by professionals who are in contact with such chemicals on a regular basis.

Many engineered waxes will contain some cleansing elements and often the high solvent content will assist with the cleaning up of the surface and evaporate quickly to allow the wax to then bond to the paint. More pure waxes also contain solvents and will do this as a natural by-process, but to a lesser extent. Neither excuses poor surface preparation!

Bare hand application is simply a case of transferring an amount of the wax from the pot to the palm of one hand, lifting it with the fingertips of the other and working is against the fingertips of the first hand. Use fingertips to apply in a stroking/grooming action going back over the area to even up. Foam pad application is also as simple as patting a moistened applicator into the wax and then spreading over the car – unless the instructions state otherwise, use long strokes in a fore/aft direction on the top panels and up/down on the side panels. Apply as thin a layer as possible, since “less is more” … read on.

We now step back and leave the product to haze.

This is the point at which the wax will bond to clean paint and often called curing. Curing is a process which will continue long after the wax haze has been removed, so I prefer to call this bonding although the curing process does cover this phase and the next. When considering hazing, we see how “less is more” – haze is simply waste product that is removed when the wax is buffed off and serves no purpose to the overall look or protection, since it is simply not on the car! Furthermore, a whisper thin layer will haze over quickly and the solvents evaporate more rapidly – I believe this allows the wax to bond more effectively, although I have no scientific backing; just the long term effect that the wax has on paint when observed over a period of months.

Once hazed, the wax is ready to remove.

Removal is simply a case of folding up a microfibre towel into quarters and gently wiping the residue off. The curing phase will continue for up to a couple of days until the wax has reached its most hardened. Some waxes may be observed to “sweat” a little – Dodo Juice Supernatural is one very pure wax where this is quite apparent. The oils in the wax continue to evaporate and sometimes, a slight hologram effect can be seen on the paint and if left, a secondary haze may occur. This is quite natural and should be dealt with by a spritz of distilled water, ideally, or a QD and wiped over again with a clean microfibre towel.

The bare minimum length of time before a second layer of wax can be applied is about one hour. This allows the majority of any residual oils to evaporate and the outer skin of what is a micron thin layer of product to start to harden. This process continues over the next day, or so, and so ideally the surface should be left for a good day before applying a second layer of wax.

Some people advocate applying a second layer of wax almost immediately to ensure good coverage. While there is some merit to this method, it is better to ensure that the initial layer is applied with adequate coverage. There is one technique which might have some sound logic and assist with the rapid application of a second layer of wax – spit shining. This is a technique where chilled distilled water is misted over the surface after the initial haze has been buffed off to cause the outer shell of the wax to cure quickly due to the chilling effect. The second layer of wax is applied to the moistened surface and left to cure as normal. Some people advocate not removing the haze from the first layer and mist over that haze, applying the second layer of wax without buffing off the layer of first wax.

Spit shining aside, if a second layer of wax is applied too soon the solvents will simply wipe off the underlying, unhardened layer of wax and there is no actual gain in doing so. The curing process can clearly be understood as taking place as soon as the wax starts to haze and continues long after that haze has been removed. Since the word curing is set in most people’s mind as the process which takes place between application and hazing, we should call this phase hardening.

One final area to consider is the layered approach – applying a wax on top of a glaze, or a sealant. Simply put, the same rules apply – these products must be allowed to bond, haze, cure and harden before the next layer is applied. Some products will do this faster than others and some are more suited to waxes that are high in solvent content – the Car-Lack68 Nano Systematic Care polish is a very rapidly curing product becoming ready for the next layer within half an hour and when followed with their Long Life Sealant is a preparation ready for a wax as strong in solvents as Collinite almost immediately. Products from the same stable are in many cases designed to work together, so Chemical Guys EZ Creme Glaze followed almost immediately by Jetseal 109, left for half an hour and then topped with Pete’s 53 Black Pearl Signature Paste Wax is a routine that will work well.

I hope that this clarifies each stage of the waxing process, what is happening at each stage and summarises that wax should be applied to clean, well prepared surfaces in as thin a layer as possible given good coverage, allowed to haze over and then permitted to harden in its own time.

Have a lot of fun …

Woo.. Exams are over but I still seem to be just as busy.

(No, am not working or anything.)

Anyway, decided to help out for this year’s End of Year camp. It was fun, heheheh, considering when the four of us were most of the time having fun, goofing around and making their lives difficult, hahaha. Here are the photos;

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=126721&id=554555911&l=427866b0db

I’m sorry. Just too lazy to upload twice.

The next day, after camp we finally made our way into the Istana. Oh gosh, the greeneries were all so lush and.. posh! I’m sorry, I’ve never been to the open house before. Imagine squeezing in with so many people gives me the shivers. It felt so.. surreal!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=126731&id=554555911&l=025c60247

When I finally got my scroll from the President, again, it felt like a dream. I couldn’t believe I was standing in front of the President! I’m sorry if I’m starting to sound like a mountain tortoise. Probably because you see his face every where, on TV, in the school hall, on the papers.. When you see him in flesh you kind of feel like you are looking at his picture too.

I got really amazed by the ADCs. Hearsay they are all President’s Scholars. WOOOAAAH. I was so amazed by how their boots shone. Felt like asking him how did he make it so shiny but it would make myself appear stupid. Especially since I appeared dumb enough! Through all the practices, I kept saying “Good morning sir” even though it was obviously, afternoon. Gosh! But I finally said “Good afternoon” when it was my turn (for real). Phew.

Just in case you are wondering who’s an ADC, if you’ll notice one of the photos where a man in smart military uniform with hat, medals, badges and all standing with Ms Latifah, my family and me- that’s him. And they’re all so tall!

Speaking of tall, this year’s President’s Scouts Awards recipients were all so tall (except for one) that there was a slight problem arranging us for the group photo. Teehee. So I’m not that tall after all!

No raid for me last night, I had RL plans. Tzuké took the initiative to set up a meet and great for the M5. M5 stands for the Magnificent 5. That’s how we called ourselves when we finally got a 5 man party in TBC. “We” was Distefano, Beric (Tzuké), Nelek, Cheet and Jacopo. I think you allready know a part of the history and since only the people who were part of it read this blog, I won’t explain every gamehour in detail.

The M5 vs Ramparts heroic and the M5 vs The Botanica heroic were publications both Tzuké and me wrote in order to send it by email to the other party members. The goal was to inform ourselves better to avoid a whole night of wiping. And oh my, did we wipe a lot. I think the first boss in the Botanica (The one that does a tranquility ability and you need to run out of sight and take down the adds) has killed us more than all the Naxxramas bosses together. It took us more than a week to figure out how we needed to kill the b*tch. By accident we figured out that you could just walk past the first boss without needing to kill her, doh!

M5 started to change during the years that past. We met Gufflet while I decided to make a paladin to tank stuff in TBC heroics. Gufflet was a warlock, also know later on as Whiteacre, Zydraliam, Munado, Visch, Diffendo, Chaotix, Supergnome and probably some other names aswell.

Cheet took a break from the game and in came Masiv for tanking and Gufflet was our mean killing dps machine. Ah, those were the days. Spend numerous hours on one boss and during the next day, try to find every tiny bit of information about the boss. We laughed about the pdf files and the powerpoint presentations with boss strategies. I also made an Excel sheet were every toon had an overview of all the upgrades that were “easily” collected in the northrend dungeons. The final boss in Oculus was another bookmark in the history of M5. From there on, it went all uphill and we raided Naxx, Ulduar and Trial of the Crusader. We have became the guys that raid Black Temple and all others were still trying to level in Terrokar forrest.

So, M5 is still M5 but others have joined us: Beregond and Frédérique and Cheet returned with Mollotov after we asked his girlfriend if he could come out and play.

Yesterday Tzuké, Nelek, Beregond, myself and Jacopo had all meet up for a night of bowling. Jacopo had travelled through Strangelthorn Vale to get to us. He got stuck in a traffic jam and asked for a summon. So we threw some balls, Masiv claimed the dps meters and we talked about WoW, what else? It was our once in the year night out and I still thank my female companion to free me from the chain last night. This is the combatlog from last night:

You’ll probably notice that we started off strong, but as the night advanced, our overall dps decreased. Tzuké got drunk by drinking to much chocolate milk (the cold version, hot chocolate is for wooz) and we got probably blinded by Nelek’s bald head that reflected the discolights. Also pay attention at the names. The guy behind the desk didn’t really get it and he did his best not to laugh. (He better not laugh, I was in tanking specc!)

So, after bowling we found ourself an obscure pub and talked about our history in warcraft games. I promised not to post any pictures because we don’t want to risk that Estme will grab a plain to Belgium when she sees Tzuké…

Ah well, forget that:

As you all know, Masiv is a dwarf so I was trying to jump up and down to get above the table but the picture got taken to late…

This calls out for a follow up but this time we will try to pick a date when (as Tzuké said):

• Mollotov isn’t buying a house
• Frédérique isn’t going after Jacopo’s sister
• Munado isn’t sick
• Nelek doesn’t have to go play soccer
• And Masiv has got his right arm in plaster so Tzuké can beat me…

Welcome back to our third, and quite possibly, last installment in the Emmy-award winning instructional series, the Fancy Plans Guide to Childbirth. If you would like to catch up with the rest of the class, please click the following links:
Part I
Part II

This edition will deal with the decisions following the delivery (or as we call it, “afterbirth”). Please bear in mind that most of these decisions will have multiple choices, meaning there is no wrong way to proceed.*

*Except for the “do not do’s” listed below. Do not do those.

Young Starshine Freelove Wilson began to regret ever being born.

Post-Delivery Plans
Now that all the screaming and bloodletting is over, it’s time to celebrate your ability to create life through the magical act of “getting some.”

As your partner heads back to her area for some much-needed drugs and reconstructive surgery, feel free to take a victory lap around your Contact list, letting all your friends and relatives in on the vital statistics:

• Sex (“It’s a boy!“)
• Weight (“Less than infinity.”)
• Length (“Well, keep in mind that he’s less than 4 hours old and the room was a little cold, but I’d say a little under an inch.”)
• Birth Time (“Shortly after my explanation about the “thing” I had with her sister. Well, half-sister, if you want to get technical.”)
• Visiting Hours (“I’m sure she’d be happy to see you any time! You say you’re in the lobby? Come on up! She should be back from her crotch-stitching any minute now.”)

Or you can skip the procedure, in which case your child will be ambushed by the physician sometime in his mid-30's.

Circumcision
This used to be an easy decision (“Of course!”) but recently there has been somewhat of a backlash against it.

Simple rule of thumb: make your kid’s package look like yours. In addition to it being somewhat of a bizarre bonding thing, it will also help you avoid awkward conversations with your unsnipped son in the future.

Son: “Dad, why does your [insert stupid 'penis' replacement word here] look different than mine?
You: “Good question. You see, my parents were raised in a different era and they made a decision based on an outmoded set of morals…”
Son: “Oh. Are you talking about why they decided not to abort you?”
You: “I think you’re spending too much time with your mom.”

You say this book only contains the "best" baby names? I'll take two!

Choosing a Name
As the proud owner of a brand new child (with that awesome “new child smell”), you will be tempted to saddle your offspring with an imaginative name currently in use by no one else. The potent combination of anxiety and sleeplessness will play tricks on your fragile mind, raising the possibility of cursing your child with a lifetime of humiliation (“Chad Kroeger, Jr.”) or an early death (“River Phoenix,” “Jet Travolta”).

Stick with the classics like Justin or Michael. For the girls, try Jennifer or Jessica. These are great, nearly-Biblical names that have never been associated with skanky, marginal or vapid celebrities.

Some more examples:

• Gallant – Yes; Goofus – No
• Jermaine – Yes; Tito – No
• Jessica – Yes; Ashlee – No
• Billy Ray – No; Miley – No
• George Michael – Yes; Andrew Ridgely – No
• Rozz – Yes; Valor – No
• Uma – Yes; Oprah – No
• Sunny – No; Cher – No; Chastity – No
• Philip – Yes; Yancy – No
• Fresca – Yes; Tab – No
• Jif - Yes; Nutella – No

Heavy-handed metaphors exceeding 24 tons exit here.

The Future
Once you have your new arrival home with you, it’s time to start mapping out his life, starting with learning to read in multiple languages by age 3 and culminating in his Master’s degree from Harvard 20 years down the road, at which point you’ll be able to live off his earnings as a groundbreaking inventor/#1 draft pick.

You both will pick out hereditary traits you wish to encourage:

You:
Keep – Famous wit; full head of hair
Toss – Lack of self-motivation; blogger’s insecurity

Her:
Keep – Your full head of hair
Toss - Everything else, starting with that “famous wit”

You can also speculate on some “fallback” options for your pressured child, in case you have set the bar too high.* Some other acceptable choices are fireman, cowboy, homosexual, philosophy professor, protestor-for-hire, SAG member, hitman, psychic friend.

* As if.

Then sit back and watch reality set in as you come to the realization that the TV is doing a better job raising your child than you ever did while trying to keep the saving account/bail fund full of emergency cash.

-CLT

welcome to Mvm Guides

Dream guides are the beings that are with you in dreams that often come loosely disguised as someone you know well.  The guide forms the role of companion and if you were pushed to physically describe the person you were with you would find that you couldn’t – that they were just a voice and a presence.  Dream guides are companions escorting you through the vortices and changes of realities experienced as you move in and out-of-body and in and out of consciousness.  The role of a guide is that of a teacher or to enlighten.

We have guides in this physical reality yet we find it difficult to listen as we have trained ourselves to shut off from our intuitive voices as these messages often don’t make logical sense and are often contrary to your expectations.

Often when you are not listening to the voice of guide in this reality the guide will appear in a dream and impart its message directly through source (god). These dream beings are like cosmic midwives birthing one into different realities and realms of consciousness and explaining the meaning of things along the way.

Making money on World of Warcraft can be a pain and many hours, but I found this WoW gold guide. It explains all of these different techniques that work together so you can make anywhere from 100-400 gold per hour. That makes things a lot easier and I already got some items that I thought I would get a month later. The World of Warcraft secrets really do point out the obvious and easy ways to make gold quick and fast. It works very well and is easy to use.

It is also a much better alternative than buying gold from WoW gold sellers. It makes collecting WoW gold fast and for a cheap price. Once you read and understand the guide you will learn that the strategies are just legal in-game strategies so you can’t get banned for taking tips from this guide. The creator of the guide did exactly what he wanted to do by not putting up filler and only quality secrets for fast gold making. It also comes with a 8 week guarantee just in-case you change your mind (The guide is an e-book).

The 7 bonuses that come with the guide really do open up even more ways to earn World of Warcraft gold. I was amazed after thinking that they were just the same thing over or nothing new. I thought I knew what I was doing in the auction house, but boy was I wrong. There is also the fishing guide that really boosted up my gold that I didn’t even know the fishing is a good way of making gold. This World of Warcraft guide really helps, so if you would like to get a lot more WoW gold try it out. If you do end up going to the page and buying it for $37, you can go ahead and skip much of what he says. Everything here should tell you enough of generally what you are going to get.

Important Notes:

• You need either 1 Tank uncrittable while wearing heavy frost resist (warriors work well as do Droodss.) OR 1 Tank in Full frost resist not worrying too much about the uncrittable thing and Another in Full Threat Gear.
• This is very healing intensive and if you screw up you will likely die and you will not blame the healers.
• When you hear him ROAR its time for frozen blows. This adds a metric crap ton of FROST damage to his melee attacks (thus the Frost resist wearing tank) and also pulses 4K frost damage to the entire raid every 2 seconds for its duration.
• Turn on Projected Textures so you can see the blue runes on the ground.
• Don’t EVER stand in the blue rune circles, stuff falls on them hurts you for a fair bit and sends you flying.
• When he Casts Flash Freeze get NEAR but not on a LARGE blue rune circle, when the snow falls onto it run up to the top. DO NOT JUMP!
• Casters in between casts MOVE, he stacks biting cold (like Heroic Nexus boss but much much worse) if you get three stacks you’re a corpsicle!

The Fight.

Basically I will call this a two phase phase 1 is normal attacks and the like. Phase 2 is During Frozen blows which will happen about 10 times.

Phase 1: Tanking Spanking and Snow piling???

Straight Up you will see a bunch of NPC’s Frozen in Ice Free them all with the mage usually on the right as your priority, the Boomkin further to the left as your second priority.

During this phase he will run around whacking the tank and putting rune circles on the ground that you need to stay out of. He will also freeze people in place this needs to be dispelled ASAP or biting cold will kill them.

At various Points he will cast Flash Freeze, when he does more rune Circles will appear these ones however are huge, run over to them (not on to them) and wait for snow to drop onto them at which point you will have to run on top in order to not get frozen. Remember do not jump RUN ONTO THEM.

Once the cast finishes you will need to kill the Iceblocks for people who were slow arses, once you have done that you need to proceed to DPS the boss as usual baring in Mind that while this is going on he can go into phase 2 multiple times.

Phase 2: Frozen Blows

This is the phase where your healers get tested this is the phase where your DPS can cause a wipe near instantly… The part about not standing in it? That goes frickin quadruple here the healers will be stressed as it is don’t be a scrub GTFO of bad stuff. At this point depending on whether or not you have 2 tanks you would have the one with a ton of Frost resist gear pick him up as roughly 3/4 of the damage he does to the tank here is Frost and its painful.

Also DPS DO NOT GET HIT BY THE ICEFALLS the healers are stressed as it stands be mindful and learn to play I can not stress this enough OK! People who get hit by that in this phase are almost certain to die or cause someone who should not die to bite it. Hell healers watch your feet as well also if you class can self-heal on this section and your not after Hard Mode. Then Guess what BIND THAT SHIT TO A KEY MOFO! (Pally tanks excluded please)

Also he retains all features of phase one hes just meaner.

The Jist:

Basically this is a weird DPS race vs Survival Race, your healers will fall behind each and every Frozen Blows so you need to pay attention do your DPS and not be a scrub at the same time.

Specific Notes.

If you see what looks like a spot light save it for those with large casts, they stand in it and it halves their cast time basically. Now for healers this CAN be used to make healing through Frozen Blows easier but bear in mind it will also eat your mana with a fury few would understand and so should be used with caution though if your group is not getting hit by ice falls shouldn’t really need it….

The camp fires assign a mage or boomkin (someone that casts fast to stand next to this) and your healers as it has two affects. Effect one prevents you needing to move as it keeps the biting cold debuff from hitting you while near it, effect two is when you cast a spell on Hodir from near it you stack a debuff on him increasing spell Damage taken.

The shaman Casts a Storm Cloud on someone, generally speaking if it’s a caster they should all gather around as it increases their crit damage by some crazy amount. If its cast on melee well all the melee should basically get it because yeah they just should.

The healer NPC is a bit like that scrub priest who hardly ever heals, but likely unlike most scrub priests they know where the hell their dispel button is. This helps with Hodir chaining people to the ground other than that it’s the least important NPC.

Also Tanks will be having threat issues as you get massive DPS boosts so watch your god damn agro or one hell of a verbal bitch slap.

There are  so many people who would like a day trip in Pompeii when they are in vacation in Rome. The most easy but also more expensive way is by limo service, but they will spend more then 2 hours on the motorway.
Use public transportation is less expensive in the link www.rometopompeii.altervista.org, there are not just transportations info as trains, but also suggestion how to visit this famous archeology town, how much it will cost, discounts, guides, and much more.
To spend a week in Rome without to see Pompeii, is the same of to get in Venice without to see San Marco square