A semi-colon props goes out today to Bears football player Devin Hester. It takes guts to wake up the next day after something like this happens to you. I can’t imagine it on live TV. But now he knows how it feels to wake up and chat with your GI after a colonoscopy, and much less, become friends with him. Way to promote colon cancer awareness dude, and it’s not even March yet!

PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Chicago Bears’ Devin Hester lost more than the game last night!

The Chicago Bears played the Philadelphia Eagles yesterday. While the Bears are likely upset over their fifth loss in six games, wide receiver Devin Hester may have it the worst.

With just a minute to go in the game, Hester was tackled from behind. Unfortunately for him, the resulting “pantsing” was caught on live TV!

Milla, Freddy og Oda er bestevenner, og de elsker alt som har med hest å gjøre. Freddy er den eneste som har egen hest. En dag de tre jentene er ute og rir ser de en død hund ligge i skogen. Et forferdelig syn! Og de bestemmer seg for å si ifra til mannen som bor på en gård like i nærheten. På denne gården ser de en hest som er så utrolig tynn. Jentene blir skikkelig sinte og da kommer mannen på gården ut og kjefter på dem. Neste morgen har denne hesten forsvunnet og mannen beskylder Milla, Freddy og Oda for å ha tatt hesten hans. Mannen truer jentene med å ta hunden til Oda, Albert, hvis ikke de leverer tilbake hesten hans. Men de har jo ikke tatt hesten hans! Derfor bestemmer de seg for å finne ut hvem som virkelig har tatt hesten.
Dette er den første boka i serien om Milla og vennene hennes. En spennende bok for de som liker hester.

The Devin Hester Ass Show

This whole ordeal wouldn’t have happened if Chicago saviour Jay Cutler could hit his receivers in the hands. Hey, he has no problem hitting defending players right in the hands, so why not Devin Hester?

I’ll admit it.  I would never, in a month of Sundays, put Sadie on my daughter’s birth certificate.  It would be Sarah, thanks very much, just in case she grows up to run for office or take up brain surgery or otherwise wants to sound like a mature, serious adult.

I’m not necessarily in the majority.  And I’m not necessarily right, either.  Plenty of women named Julie and Jodie have turned out just fine.  And plenty of Sarah/Sadies are irritated at having to constantly explain that yes, Sadie is a nickname for Sarah.

So for your consideration, I’ve pulled together a list of ends-in-ie-names just might stand on their own.

I’m excluding choices like Katie and Maggie -  names easily connected to formal versions, as well as feminizations like Billie and Charlie.  And if it more commonly ends in -y, you won’t find it here – so no Mollie, Lillie or Lucie.

That still leaves bunches of names:

• Arlie – Arline started out as a well-born child kidnapped by gypsies in a nineteenth century opera, but today she’s the outdated Arlene.  Arlie might be a short form, or she may related to a surname.  Either way, she sounds fresher than the -een ending original.
• Birdie – Lady Bird was worn in the White House.  Actress Busy Phillips bestowed this avian appellation on her daughter.  While there are more subtle ways to evoke the finely feathered, Birdie isn’t quite unthinkable.
• Bonnie – Worn by the ill-fated daughter of Rhett and Scarlett in Gone With the Wind – who was actually named Eugenie Victoria.  She means pretty – and she is just that.
• Callie – If Kelly and Kaylee are independent given names for girls, why not Callie?  She’s also a possible nickname for classics like Caroline and Charlotte, as well as the less-expected Calla, Calista or Calliope.
• Dessie – In Ireland, Dessie is a nickname for Desmond – and thus, exclusively masculine.  In the US, it sounds more like a riff on Bessie.
• Dulcie – She’s sweet – literally, from the Latin dulcis.  Longer form Dulcinea conjures up the Judybats, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Don Quixote – though the literary Dulcinea was actually named Aldonza.
• Erie – Eir was a Norse goddess; Éire, a Celtic one – she lent her name to Ireland.  Eiry is a Welsh girl’s name – related names abound, all meaning snow.  Erie may be linked to any or none of the above, and could rhyme with fairy, or have a totally other pronunciation.
• Hattie – You might put Harriet or Henrietta on the birth certificate, but millinery references aside, Hattie has some style.
• Hettie – Another possibility for Henrietta,  as well as Hester or Hestia.
• Lettie – Formal name options include the salad-esque Lettice, or the lacy Letitia.  If Victorian valentine isn’t your style, Lettie might appeal.
• Lindie – Lucky Lindy was aviator Charles Lindbergh’s nickname.  The Lindy Hop was a swing-era dance craze named in his honor.  Linda is a Baby Boomer – as are elaborations like Melinda and Belinda.  But today, Lindie might work as a nickname for hippie chic tree name Linden – or on her own.
• Lottie – Charlotte is in the US Top 100 and rising, but it seems as very few Charlottes are answering to this nickname – so far.
• Maisie – Like Maggie, she could be a diminutive form of Margaret, via the Scottish Mairead.  But if Daisy stands on her own, maybe Maisie does, too.
• Millie – Mildred might be too dowdy to ever make a comeback, but Millie is Thoroughly Modern.  She’s also a spunky nickname for the super-sweet Millicent.
• Minnie – Yes, there’s the mouse.  But there’s also the actress – who was actually born Amelia Fiona Driver.
• Tillie – Matilda is ever so fashion forward.  Short form Tilda brings to mind the actress.  Then there’s Tillie – perhaps a bit too cute, but possibly wearable on her own.
• Trudie – It’s hard to imagine naming a daughter Gertrude.  But Trudie seems like a logical sister for Sadie – spunky, retro and not too flimsy to stand on her own.
• Zadie – If Sadie stands along, why not her zippy cousin?  The z-to-s switch has worked out just fine for novelist Zadie Smith.
• Zelie – There have definitely been women named Zelie, but her exact origins are unclear, though some link her to the French Zéline and she brings to mind the Yiddish Zelig.

I could go on – there’s Winnie and Elsie, Flossie and Roxie.  But I’ll stop here and just ask: would you consider a short, ends-in-ie name for a daughter?  And if so, would you put it on her birth certificate or opt for a more formal version?

171109 // Sip, mi gatita estrella. La reina de este blog, la magestad de mi hogar ilustró una nota (muuuuuuuuuuy buena, por cierto) en la revista Newsweek.

We’ve seen fictionalized Emily Dickinson; members of the Tudor court; and more Jane Austen spin-offs than I can count (Austenland, The Jane Austen Book Club and Jane Austen Ruined My Life, for starters — not to mention Mr. Darcy’s Daughters, Darcy’s Passions, and Darcy & Elizabeth: Nights and Days at Pemberley). I’m intrigued by a new historical novel about a character I haven’t thought about since 10th grade English class: Hester Prynne.

You may remember that at the end of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale had died and Hester and her daughter, Pearl, had left Boston. Many years later, Hester returns alone and Pearl (presumably) lives happily ever after as a wealthy lady (on account of her inheritance from Chillingworth). . . until now.

In Hester, by Paula Reed, the title character moves to England and falls in with Oliver Cromwell. Hester is “entangled in a web of political intrigue, espionage, and forbidden love” as she is forced to help Cromwell in his scheming – or risk a death sentence.

The novel will come out on February 16, 2010, although you can read an excerpt now on Reed’s website.

Which classic literary hero or heroine would you like to see in a contemporary novel? (Or do you think spin-offs ruin the original?)

By Michael MacLeod

ROYAL Bank of Scotland is dishing out free dollars and drinks at Dunkin Donuts to its American customers – while going cap-in-hand to the UK Government asking for more bail-out cash.

The financial giant owns USA-based Citizens Bank and Charter One Bank, which are currently offering $220 (£120) to anyone who opens a new account.

Citizens Bank has even opened a branch in a Boston Dunkin Donuts outlet, offering a month-long free coffee subscription with new accounts.

The Taxpayers’ Alliance hit out at the “super gold-plating” of American customers.

They claimed it was “insulting” to offer the sweeteners to American customers while UK taxpayers’ money is being used to prop up RBS.

But the bank said their offers lured in “tens of thousands” of new customers.

RBS needed a £25.5billion injection of UK Government funds last week and revealed plans to cut 3,700 jobs.

Cash giveaway

Boss Stephen Hester said they had an immediate requirement of £13billion to keep it afloat.

Yet just weeks beforehand, the RBS-owned Citizens Bank was literally giving away money in a game show-styled “Cash Cube” to celebrate the opening of a cash machine in a Dunkin Donuts shop in Bellingham.

Players walked away with as much money as they could catch from the air.

Dunkin Donuts boss John Dawson defended the move, saying: “We strive to identify ways to make life more convenient for busy people on the go.’’

The cash giveaways angered Matthew Elliot of the Taxpayers’ Alliance.

“outraged by this”

He said: “UK taxpayers and RBS savers in Britain will be outraged by this kind of marketing activity.

“In the week when every one of us was giving an extra £500 per person to RBS to keep it afloat, it’s a slap in the face to existing UK savers who are getting extremely poor returns.

“The idea that Americans are being super gold-plated, when customers in the UK are propping-up the state-owned RBS, is rather insulting and needs to be addressed.”

Martin Bischoff of Citizen’s Bank said: “Our recent offers have enabled us to attract tens of thousands of new Citizens Bank and Charter One customers.

“As part of our focus on exceptional service, we look forward to providing our customers with banking solutions to achieve their financial goals.”

See more of our pictures at our Flickr site and videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

Re: Randy Owen, of “ALABAMA”

Re: Randy Owen, of “ALABAMA”
Posted by: [name edited] (ID *****0756) Date: July 08, 2006 at 20:51:47
In Reply to: Re: Randy Owen, of “ALABAMA” by [name edited] of 8226

That’s OK. Thanks for the quick response.

I can tell you that Mattie’s father was William Hester.

It doesn’t look like there were any other children besides Joseph Earnest. In the 1900 Census, the Houshold of William Hester (66) included: Sarah H (wife, 67), Earnest J Owens (Grandson, 13), Kissia(sp?) Cobb (Granddaughter, 12), Mattie Owens (daughter, 32).

There is a “Baugh” a few doors down. Can’t make out the man’s name, but it starts with an “L”. He is 81. Wife is “Lizzie”, 87.

Re: Randy Owen, of “ALABAMA”

“…As mentioned below, Randy’s great grandfather was Joseph Owen, although the county marriage records list him as J.H. Owens. His whereabouts are still unknown after Joseph Earnest was born.
I have my Owens family in 1860 Cherokee County alabama, Blue Pond, with the following census information:
Newton R. Owens, 28
Louisa Owens (maiden name Mitchell), 30
W Owens, 5
John M Owens, 4
Joseph Owens, 2
Mary E Owens, 1

 

Newton was killed in the Civil War.

From the 1870 census I have what’s left of the same family:
Owins L, 42
William M, 16
John M, 14
Joseph H, 12
Sousannn M, 8

I believe this Joseph H is Randy’s great grandfather.

As I said, I don’t know where he is buried, but Louisa and William are buried at Black Creek Cemetery. Also at Black Creek are Callie Hester, 1895-1959, his wife Ethel B. Spears Hester, 1897-1977, and their son John Clifton Hester (infant-1920).[...]“

- – - – -

Owen family lead found online.

- CAA

That just says it all. 37 carries. 189 yards. 1 TD

No Chicago Bears fan needs to be reminded of the debacle that the Cincinnati Bengals handed them last Sunday, but I will. Can I just say for the record that I did suggest in my last Bears post that they needed to 1) GET the run game going and 2) pressure Carson Palmer. Both did not happen….AT ALL.

The result. Well a 10 to 45 slaughtering at the hands of the Bengals. Forte crawled for a measly 24 yards on 6 carries. While Carson Palmer dropped 5 TD bombs for 233 yards in 20 completions out of 24. I said that fans don’t need to worry, but forget that…now the Bears fans can start panicking about their offensive line. IT JUST PLAIN SUCKS. Bottom line, no one can argue that fact especially if you have seen all 6 Bears games thus far. Do not justify it, accept it. Yes Chris Williams is new at right tackle, but for the rest of the line there is no excuse that a Chicago Bears team can not run. This O-line is mistake-prone for being a fairly veteran line. Frank Omiyale got owned for a second week in a row. It is just embarrassing play.

This just can not be a regular sight for a "franchise QB"

The worst part of it all? Pass protection has been compromised now too. Cutler has been pressured all season – and the stats are there to show for it – but Cutler has made enough plays to bail them out. Well the Bengals showed that if you put the Bears in a deep hole, Cutler can not do it all to bring the team back. The Chargers said it a few years ago when Cutler was with Denver – if you fluster Cutler he will kill you with mistakes. Cinny forced Cutler’s gunslinger mentality and the result was another 3 interceptions to the season. I don’t want to label Cutler “a more accurate and mobile Rex Grossman,” especially with the way the O-line has been playing, but Cutler botched two snaps and threw INTs that were very reminiscent of Rex. Bottom line, if the Bears want to see Cutler flourish management needs to reevaluate the offensive line. We need to protect our future investment.

Chad 8-5. A True Entertainer. A True Sportsman. Consoling an injured Alex Brown.

The defense? What can I say? There are no words for their epic collapse. FOX ran a stat that said the Bears haven’t been rung up on this badly since nearly 10 years ago. Couldn’t stop the run. Couldn’t stop the pass. As the first half wore on I started to LOVE Chad Ochocinco even more. If you watch him and his actions (not just this game), Ochocinco is a true professional when need be. He the talked the talk before the game, but was all business on the field. To back it up…that’s freakin’ awesome. Chad 8-5 just makes the NFL exciting.

IF there is any positive from this game it is that Devin Hester had 101 yards receiving – but he still fumbled on a pretty crucial drive. I was wrong about suggesting it might be a shootout. I was wrong that Benson would run only around 100 yards. I was wrong about the score and the outcome.

…and because the Bears blow I have officially jumped on the Vikings bandwagon. Yes, it was that bad yesterday. The reasons for why the Vikings? For one, I’ve been an Adrian Peterson fan since his Oklahoma days. I told my roommate that Peterson was a much better runner than Reggie Bush was when both were in college. No one believed me then. I was wrong on one part – Peterson is a much better player than Bush. Secondly, I respect the hell out of Brett Farve. Thirdly, I hate the Packers and would rather see the Vikings take the division any day. And lastly, because the Vikings play the game the way the Bears are supposed to – great running game and hard hitting defense.

Because of that, here is a clip of A.P. going All-Day on Steelers’ William Gay (rhymed that, ha!):

Cutler's awesome helicopter TD run

After last Sunday’s Redzone meltdown against the Atlanta Falcons, the Chicago Bears hope to go on the road and get a win against the Cincinnati Bengals. With the season more than a quarter of the way finished, the glaring problems of the Chicago Bears are becoming obvious. One of the problems is that the Bears can not run the ball, and it is not all of Matt Forte’s fault either. After a very good rookie season, Forte is struggling to get yards but the difference between this year and last year is the offensive line. The Bears O-line is just not run-blocking very well. My pre-season observations led me to believe the Bears O-line would struggle protecting Jay Cutler but instead the O-line is struggling to get any push in the run game. An indication that the offensive line is to blame rather than Forte is that opposing teams have been hitting Forte in the back field (that’s my personal observation). Running lanes have been scarce so far. The biggest problem – and unfortunately one that is out the Bears control – is the injury bug that has hit the Bears. The linebackers corps has been hit the hardest but the defensive tackles have been injured as well. Last week in the fourth quarter of the Atlanta game, Pisa Tinoisamoa suffered a season-ending injury to his right knee. The linebackers unit has already missed star MLB Brian Urlacher (out for the season) and all the other Bears linebackers except Lance Briggs have been injured at some point of the season and missed time (that includes pre-season and regular season). The latest high-profile Bear to be injured is Tommie Harris, who will not suit up for Sunday’s game. Israel Idonije has already missed time but did come back to play last week against Atlanta.

Are these problems worrisome for Bears fans? Surprisingly not yet. The Bears have been competitive in every game so far, but football adage says that the great teams win the close games. The Bears are 2-2 in their close games and 1-2 on the road. Not bad for a pretty tough starting season schedule. Despite the injuries to the defense, the unit has hung in there with good play from the fill-in linebackers of Roach, Williams, and Hillenmeyer. ‘Peanut’ Tillman has played very well, and Briggs is playing like Briggs – which is always good. Yes, there have been some defensive lapses here and there (evident last week when the Bears struggled with the no-huddle). Hopefully, the injuries are over as the unit can not afford anymore losses as then it would become worrisome (thankfully, the Bears are deep at both the linebackers and D-line). As for the O-line run-blocking I just can’t see the Bears turning on the switch permanently, but now would be the time to do so as the Bears enter the “softer” part of their schedule. The Bears can not put it all on Cutler’s shoulders and that became clear last week when Cutler threw an interception in the redzone. Had a running game been established, that crucial INT might have not happened.

These are only two obvious problems, while there are a lot more positives for the Bears. For one, Jay Cutler has been pretty damn good, and while he has not been flashy he has been a big part of the reason the Bears have been competitive this year. Another positive is the play from the wide receivers this years. I’m not quite ready to jump on the Johnny Knox bandwagon just yet, but it is not hard to see he has been pretty special so far. While Devin Hester has not come up on the stat sheet as fans would like, he has done the ‘little things’ that has impressed me. Hester route running is pretty good not playing the position for too long, and I’ve seen him make some big time blocks that most receivers don’t make. Plus, Hester has made some pretty tough catches in traffic. Aside from the Green Bay bomb and Calvin Johnson nearly having a field day, the Bears secondary has been the third positive in the Bears early season. In pre-season I really thought teams would pick the secondary apart but they have not been as bad as I expected. Lastly, the special teams – specifically the punting of Maynard and the kicking of Gould – have been awesome. Maynard especially impressed me with his punts landing inside the 20 yard line. Hey, its not pretty but field position goes a long way.

Gould & Maynard

Knox & Hester

By Wes French

I’m a firm believer in the idea that a team can lose a game more than their opponent wins it.  If you’re reading this and say “how is that possible, one team wins and that’s it” you need to simply watch a replay of last night’s Bears-Falcons game or read this recap.  I recommend my version; it’s shorter, less painful and probably won’t give you that same frustrated feeling as Chicago’s redzone offense.

The Bears led time of possession by eight minutes, out-gained the Falcons by 120 yards and were penalized for five less yards yet still managed to lose.  Here’s why…(in no particular order)

1. Four redzone possessions, seven points. You cannot expect to win games in the NFL when you leave 9-21 points on the field by making good on just one of four redzone opportunities.  Combine this O-line with Cutler’s redzone troubles and the Bears may end up with the worst redzone efficiency since christ was a teenager.

2. Three plays inside the Atlanta one yard line: no gain, no points. First down-incomplete pass; Second down-forte failed dive over the pile, fumble recovered; Third down-pitch to Forte, hit and fumbled on the two, Falcons recover.  Ron Turner is still trying to figure out how his players would have failed him on fourth down.

3. Offensive line…or lack thereof. Frank Omiyele can’t start again next week, can he? (the answer is no, let’s go Josh Beakman!) Olen Kruetz is the most overrated O-lineman this decade.  Pace was fine until the last drive, where he was called for two penalties (the last on 4th and 1 for the game) and gave up a sack.  It seemed like every time Matt Forte got the ball there was a red wall of defenders where his line should have been, which leads me to…

4. 83 Rush yards isn’t completely horrible, except when 34 of those yards come from your QB, 11 from a WR and the remaining 38 on 18 carries by your RBs. Forte had 23 yards on 15 carries.  Jay Cutler had 30 on one run.  In fact, every other ball carrier had a run longer than Forte’s long(5) as Garrett Wolfe had a run of 12 and Devin Hester had one for six.  The really sad part? The Bears still out-rushed the Falcons(68) but each of their ball carriers had runs longer than Forte as well(11,8,7,6).

5. 43 pass plays/23 runs. So much for attempting to have a run game.  Then again with the way this team run blocks they may as well let Cutler throw the ball 50 times a game.  How much do you think all that play action on the final drive helped?

6. Turnover battle: Bears 3, Falcons 2. No matter what happens in the rest of the game the team with fewer turnovers normally wins.  Seriously, look it up. Oh and when two of your three giveaways are inside the opponent’s 20 it probably doesn’t help that trend.

7. “Hey Lovie there’s three WRs on the right side.  I think we should put two DBs over there to cover them then.” The defense was pretty good throughout, but how do you not cover Rody White at all times?  They had two guys covering three receivers, one bubble screen later and the game was tied.  Also Lovie claimed they weren’t prepared for the no huddle late in the half.  Which is logical since no one runs the no huddle with time running out in a half. C’mon.

8. Inexcusable penalties. How about turning second and 10 into third and 25 on a late drive in the redzone for inexcusable? I mentioned Pace diving off side on the crucial fourth and one late already but having too many men on a punt return in the 4th quarter is totally unacceptable as well. The mistake gave Atlanta a first down at a crucial point in the game.  Chicago was bailed out by a Matt Ryan INT on the next play, but that shouldn’t overshadow just how dumb that penalty was.  Speaking of bad kick return plays…

9. Allowing 62 yard kickoff returns after tying the game late is bad. How do you gain momentum and give it away in less than two minutes realtime?  Score a huge game-tying touchdown and then let the opposing team return the ensuing kickoff inside your 40.  The Bears didn’t cover kicks well at all, allowing almost 40 yards per kickoff return and 20 yards per punt return.

10. Did I mention how bad the O-line was? The run blocking was so poor I almost overlooked the other O-line stats.  They allowed seven QB hits, including two sacks, and five tackles for loss.  They can learn from Atlanta’s line in film study this week.  The Falcons allowed NO QB hits and just one tackle for a loss.

All that said the Bears still had a chance to tie or win this game.  The redzone offense killed them.  The offensive line could have been charged with accessory to murder.  These two areas need to be addressed this week if Chicago plans on getting back in the win column at Cincinnati.

This game was eerily reminiscent of the Green Bay game to start the season.  Chicago struggled mightily in many areas of that game but still found themselves with a chance to win.  They rebounded well and rattled off three straight wins after that loss.  If this pattern continues they’ll go 12-4 and fans will want to scream, cry and fight the offensive line once a month.

081009 //

Conciencia: -Vas a seguir usando a tu gata como comodín porque te da paja sacar fotos?

Yo: -Si, Absolutamente. Las veces que sean necesarias.

061009 //  Así es, probando un lente que me prestaron a ver que onda. Modelo…ya saben quien es.

I saw more fresh evidence of mice, so I called Hester to see what was up. Also asked if she’d called me last night at 10:20 – it was her indeed! She wanted to let me know that the pest control guy was coming today… um, that’s certainly less than 24 hours’ notice as required by law, lady! I kinda THOUGHT that I heard banging on my door in the morning, but I ignored whatever it was in favor of more sleep. Guess I was just really tired! At least she’s verbally agreed to get me more glue traps… I’d like the rodents GONE, man!

Been having fun with the Friday night snack message to Richie and Grace – DOUBLE REVENGE, haha! Apparently, Mom’s cousin Eric is giving up Yee Poh’s one-way ticket back to Hong Kong, so she and Grandma can go together to Hong Kong on Oct. 14 – nice! I guess Mom and Dad will bring her back in December (the 21st?) when they go for Gordon’s wedding; Mom’s warned me not to have any wild parties in the townhouse when they’re gone. HA, AS IF I’D KNOW ANYONE TO HAVE ONE WITH! She also said to be there tomorrow before 11:30 so Cousin Eric can open the door for me… well, considering I got up at 1 PM today, I guess we’ll see? Haha.

Deep Down You Are Intuitive

You’re the type of person who understands other people and the world very well. You don’t let on to how much you know. You can tell so much from someone’s facial expressions or tone of voice. And you always know when you’re being lied to. You show the world exactly what you want to show. Besides being good at reading people, you also know how you’re being read. You know when you’re being manipulated, and you know how to manipulate someone if you have to. You usually don’t resort to it, though!

David Letterman had secret bedroom above Ed Sullivan Theater, sez ex-’Late Show’ staffer. An ex-”Late Show” intern unmasked herself Saturday as one of David Letterman’s former flings – and sources revealed the randy funnyman keeps a bachelor pad atop the Ed Sullivan Theater.
“I was madly in love with him at the time,” said Holly Hester. “I would have married him. He was hilarious.”
The NYU alum, who it appears went on to become a top Hollywood producer, told TMZ.com that the relationship started in the early ’90s when Letterman called and asked her on a date to the movies.
A year-long, secret romance ensued, she said, until the funnyman called it off because of their age difference.

01:31| Ibland är jag lite FÖR slarvig med språket. Det har ju i alla fall resulterat till flera röster på omröstningen, fler än väntat. Nyss har jag sett klart Bears matchen.

BEARS VANN!!! Tackar, äntligen fick jag se en riktigt Bears seger. Det såg hopplöst ut när SEATTLE ledde med 19-17 i fjärde quartern. Jag trodde inte det skulle bära, men då kliver nyinköpet och en veteran och levererar en TD. HESTER får en perfekt pass och det behövs inte mer för en TOUCHDOWN BEARS!!! Ställningen då var 19-23 när Bears bestämde sig för att gå för 2 och de lyckades få in även den!

PERSONLIGEN är jag skeptisk BEARS defense utan Urlacher, kaptenen och själen av Chicagos defensiv, det kommer aldrig att gå. Idag ser jag fortfarande inte samma intensitet i Bears men det är helt klart en förbättring. MLB positionen avlastades inte bara andra utan också av tredje stringen, vilket jag gillar. När alla i laget spelar och avlastar varandra!! Cutler kastade bara 1 pick i den här matchen men jag tror att seatlle endast hade 1 sack, egentligen borde han inte ha kastat en enda. Tror INTE BEARS går hela vägen men jag hoppas helt klart!

49:ERS hade en tuff match igår, de ledde och när det var 10 sekunder kvar kastade KUNG FARVE en TD. Verkligen en Hail Mary pass som gick in helt makalöst, kan liknas med Forsbergs mål mot DIF. Rutinerat och med enorm pondus levererar VIKINGS QB. Jag tycker ändå att de borde ha fått vinna matchen de spelade en bra match, blockade ett field goal b.la. Som match i hel het var den väldigt underhållande!

PERSONLIGEN tror jag att VIKINGS kan gå hela vägen, de har alla delar av ett PERFEKT LAG. De har en tokigt bra running back, en galet bra SS som gör makalösa returer och en enastående QB som kan göra de avgörande passningarna. Visst är det väl lite väl tidigt att spekulera i vem som går till Super Bowl. Men jag måste bara säga att jag är fruktansvärt imponerad av VIKINGS.

HOCKEYBLOGGEN inför OMG.3

Färjestad – Timrå (3-1)
HV71 – MODO (4-2)
Luleå – Linköping (2-3)
Om jag verkligen kommer att orka köra HOCKEYBLOGGEN alla omgångarna, så kommer jag verkligen hata mig själv för att jag missade att kommentera den FÖRSTA omgången. Men som sagt den som läser vidare får se.

250909 // Mansa y tranquila está después de la cagada. Esperemos que su etapa introspectiva le dure…

230909 // Y van….miles. Pero por eso la amo tanto.

Me despierto a la mañana y descubro, extrañada, que mi felina fiel no está en la cama. Raro, ella siempre esta hecha una bolita al lado mio, tal cual nos acostamos a la noche. Perfecto. Saco la laptop, reviso unos mails, pongo la tele y me levanto. Voy al baño y…no viene. Ella adora verme como me lavo los dientes, una voyeur. Pero no apareció. En fin, me cambio, me peino un poco y voy al living. Y ahi estaba la evidencia, fatal y dramática. Tooooooodo un florero de vidrio, con sus respectivas flores derramando agua sobre la mesa. Cual cascada el agua caía por la mesa, seguía su curso por las sillas y terminaba en un hemoso lago en el suelo.

Y ahi entendí la ausencia. Se mandó la cagada y se dio a la fuga. Un rato después de limpiar todo y casi ya partiendo al trabajo salí al balcón y ahi estaba, sentadita en un rincón mirandome con cara de “inocente”. Le dije “te dejé tu comida en tu plato, chau Hester”.

Espero que en mi ausencia haya reflexionado sobre su cagadón.

In the quintessential Hawthorne manner, 17th century, Puritan Boston comes alive in the pages of The Scarlet Letter. One need not read far into the novel to realize that Hawthorne’s intent is to concern the reader with the lives and relationships of the central characters, Hester Prynne, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth, and Hester’s daughter, Pearl. The fact that Hawthorne draws less attention to the Puritan leaders and their government, suggests to the reader that he may approve less of them than those who have been labeled as sinners and law-breakers.

“’My theory is,’ Hawthorne told a friend, ‘that there is less indelicacy in speaking out your highest, deepest, tenderest emotions to the world at large, than to almost any individual. You may be mistaken in the individual; but you cannot be mistaken in thinking that, somewhere among your fellow-creatures, there is a heart that will receive yours into itself.’” (Wineapple)

I fine Hawthorne’s comment very interesting.  In the midst of taunting Puritan religion and tradition, Hawthorne also finds a way to share with us the inner most thoughts, emotions, and struggles of one individual who finds herself a victim of Puritan society.

In 1850, The Scarlet Letter was received with much acclaim, selling 4,500 copies almost immediately. What is it about Hester Prynne’s plight that intrigued the 19th century reader then and the 21st century reader now?

You will develop your own impressions of Hawthorne’s protagonist as you read deeper into the novel. Meanwhile, explore the ideas posed by noted Hawthorne Biographer, Brenda Wineapple, as published in the June 2008 issue of History & Now. Develop 2-3 of her ideas concerning the reader’s fascination with Hester Prynne as you respond in a 75-100 word paragraph. Post your comment by 7:00 AM, October 1st.

Welcome, multi-published author and long-time high school English teacher Paula Reed.  Her upcoming book Hester will be published by St. Martin’s Press in February 2010. Support Paula’s Denver Writers team with a donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation by clicking here.

There is that classic question people ask writers:  Where do you get your ideas?  And the classic writers’ response: We don’t know.  For my latest novel, Hester, which is being released in February 2010, I know exactly where I got my ideas: Nathaniel Hawthorne and my classroom.

You see, I’ve been an English teacher for over twenty years, and for over half of them, I have taught The Scarlet Letter.  Ask any student who has had me as their sophomore English teacher in the last twenty years, and I guarantee that this is the novel they remember most in my class.  I know this because last year a student bounced up to me on the first day of class and said, “Mrs. Reed, you taught my mother!” (Her mother?  Am I really that old?)  “She said she’ll never forget The Scarlet Letter.  It’s one of her favorite books.”

Hands-down, my favorite class to teach is American Literature. My favorite unit? The Puritans. My favorite lecture? Calvinism. (How pathetic is that? I have a favorite lecture. And it’s on Calvinism.) My favorite book? Well, it’s not a part of the Puritan unit; it’s in the Romantics, but can you guess it? That’s right. I hand out copies of Hawthorne’s classic work and tell the kids that they must do their best to love it as much as I do. Barring that, they must pretend to. A colleague once told me that whenever she thought of Hester, she pictured me, and my dark-haired, dark-eyed daughter as the mischievous Pearl. (For the record, my daughter was always much better behaved.)  Sooner or later, it had to happen.  I had to write about this book.

As wonderful as the original work is, with its effusive, rich, and vivid prose, its compelling characters (specifically Hester and Roger), and its timeless moral (you should have been in my class the year I taught this and the Monica Lewinsky scandal hit), it is marked by Hawthorne’s great affliction. That is to say, it is a romance with a strong and vibrant heroine and a dud as a hero. (If you doubt that this is a pervasive Hawthornean flaw, read “The Minister’s Black Veil,” “The Birthmark,” and “Rappaccini’s Daughter.”  Do I sound like your high school English teacher, yet?)

And my students have asked the same questions over the years.  For pity’s sake, what did Hester Prynne ever see in Arthur Dimmesdale? After all, Roger is no peach, but he is a serious scholar who dabbles in black magic. That, at least, is interesting, but Arthur is a dishonest man who cares more for his image than his character, though he doesn’t have the strength to just accept that about himself. He isn’t even intellectually rigorous, Hawthorne tells us. His only virtues are his gifts for empathy and public speaking—not usually the sexiest traits (but don’t tell high school speech kids that). This is a relationship that needs further explanation if the reader is to believe that Hester has a modicum of self-respect.

There is also that big gap in the novel, those years between when Hester and Pearl depart from New England and when Hester returns alone. For a reader who has invested her heart in Hester, it is a gap that begs filling. She is such a magnificent creation, and she gets such a raw deal. Enter my affinity for a happy ending. Now, I would never dream of changing the destiny Hawthorne had given Hester. She is, after all, his creation, but it seemed to me that it was not exactly blasphemous to tweak the way that ending feels. And what about Pearl? After an entire novel in which this child is nothing but a symbol, Hawthorne breaks the spell and sets her free to be a real human being, then tells us nothing of her life. What sort of woman would Hester Prynne raise? How would Pearl look back on her one-dimensional, symbol-of-sin years? So many questions left unanswered…

So where did I get the idea for this book?  In my classroom, of course.  And where did the meat of it come from?  Thousands of questions asked by thousands of teens, hence the dedication in the front of the book:

To all my students over the years who have read The Scarlet Letter with me and loved it…or pretended to love it…or at least resisted the lure of SparkNotes and read every word Hawthorne wrote.  I love you.