Photograph by Shaun Carmody.
VISIT his photo blog ‘Fab Parent’ here.

Who doesn’t have seeing the northern lights on their “kick the bucket” list?

If you’re wondering where on earth is the best place to see the aurora borealis, check out this list of TP bloggers who have successfully experienced the natural light show in the sky.

1. Reykjavik, Iceland

Dc314 went on a Northern Lights bus tour in Reykjavik

“As we are heading back, and midnight approaches, the right side of the bus could see the northern lights. The bus pulls over in the middle of nowhere and everyone gets out in the street. We saw the dancing white light in the air, and it was actually pretty cool. We got to see it for about 30 mins. Then we drove a little more and hopped out of the bus again. I was able to take a few pics, but unfortunately I am not able to hold a camera still for 10 seconds without a tripod, so they are a tad blurry (you can get the idea). Interestingly enough, the lights are green in the pictures, instead of white. At about 1 a.m. we head back to the city. We finally went to bed and called it a night, very tired but very happy to have witnessed this natural phenomenon.” – Dc314

2. Svolvaer, Norway

Everardt snapped this picture while searching for Moelje in Norway

“When I came outside I happened to look up in the sky and there were 2 pale green bands of light in the sky. All of a sudden there was some electrical activity and I just managed to get my camera out in time to photograph the northern lights.” – Everardt

3. Iqaluit, Canada

Yours truly in the northern tundra

“On our way home, I look up in the sky and it is FILLED with green and grey colours. The northern lights! On my last night in Iqaluit, the sky is clear enough to see it! It’s not more colourful than in Yellowknife, but it’s a LOT more monstrous. It just fills up the entire sky with dancing light. It lasts for about 30 or 45 minutes and just abruptly as it began it stops.” – starlagurl

4. Tromso, Norway

Jimborussell in Norway

One of the workers rushed into our tent and excitedly pronounced that the Northern Lights could be seen outside. I was outside in a flash and stood there gaping at the sky for about an hour. The lights were quite faint, but definately visable. They covered a third of the sky at their most intense, and fluctuated and moved slowly in large waves which seemed to point downward from the heavens in a way I find very difficult to explain. They didn’t last all that long, but were amazing. – Jimborussell

5. Fairbanks, USA

Margiewilson spent a week enjoying the wilderness in Fairbanks

“The afternoon was great, but the evening was better than we could have ever have imagined. We were told that the night would be a good night for the Northern Lights, so we could hardly wait to see them. Around 9 p.m., the first line of Lights were showing but they came and went. We went outside and another band of light was showing around 10 p.m. A group of us were outside in awe of the lights and we were all trying to get pictures of the lights. The lights started dancing around in the sky and we were mesmerized by them. We watched for a while, then went to the room and watched from the balcony. The lights were very active that night, there were some other people watching from their balcony and when the lights went dancing again one man from Russia started screaming and jumping around on the grass saying it was a miracle. And I think it was. What a wonderful way to end the day. We will never forget the sight and we are so thankful that we were able to experience the colors in the lights.” – Margiewilson

6. Tok, USA

Neeterb and her dog in Alaska

“As we prepared for bed, Warren came in and said he thought we were going to see northern lights. Back outside to stand with our necks craned to see the display that seemed just for us. To the naked eye, the lights appeared faint and white. I wasn’t able to get pictures with my camera, but Warren did. The lights, to the camera, were actually green. Absolutely astounding and another checkmark off my list of things to see in Alaska.” – Neeterb

7. Yellowknife, Canada

Lolly's fiancee proposed under the Northern Lights in Yellowknife

“We found a dock on Great Slave Lake and watched the northern lights until they disappeared and the sky started to lighten again around 1am. It was then that Senica proposed to me on bended knee – how romantic!! What a beautiful setting on such an auspicious day – the highlight of the trip, literally!!” -

8. Cantwell, USA

Docn saw a glimpse of the Northern Lights amidst a herd of caribou

“After cooking myself dinner and resting for a bit I headed back to the dog sled jump off point to check out the norther lights…which were amazing. Even cooler though was the fact that as I was standing there checking out the lights I started to hear what I thought were footsteps…quadraped footsteps…then out of the corner of my eye I saw what was making the noise…Caribou…they were all around me…apparently they were crossing the road where I was parked…I couldn’t get any pictures because it was pitch black…but they were everywhere!!!” – Docn

9. Edmonton, Canada

Nancydeb visited the West Edmonton Mall and saw the Northern Lights in the same day!

“We did get to see the green haze of northern lights one night when we were in Edmonton. I was surprised they were visible even in town with all the street lights but there they were, so that was pretty cool.” – Nancydeb

10. Isle of Skye, Scotland

Hannahfoster with the standing stones in Callandish, Scotland

“The second night we were high up on the hills on the Ilse of Skye and that view was pretty awesome too. The night we stayed there we could see the Northern Lights. They weren’t that spectacular because we werent quite far north enough but still it was a pretty glow in the sky.” – Hannahfoster

Friday the 13th: a date that can often conceive notions of superstitions, curses, and the infamous Jason Voorhees.   Tree Shurts:  a company dedicated to the exclusivity of fine products. Red Square.  One of the dopest live music venues in Albany.  So what happens when you combine these three?  You get one of the illest parties of the year called the Tree Shurt Massacre. Except the only thing that was massacred at this party were the bottles and maybe a few Dutch’s. The place was packed, the music was live, and the girls were dancing.
You know it’s a Tree Shurt party when the vibe is mad chill and even though some heads were in the sky the people were all very grounded. It was like being at a party with hundreds of my closest friends. That’s how Tree Shurts gets things done. Besides the music, another item that was featured was the projector.  Throughout the course of the night, classic as well as modern counter culture movies were played such as Reefer Madness, Half Baked, and How High. The music was too good to turn the movies audio up loud, but it still added a variety of visual displays. Also displayed on the projector were some after effects of the Tree Shurt Logo vaporizing. More to come on this graphic later. This party sounds off the hook right? It Gets better.  Tree Shurts also raffled off a $270 dollar water pipe package provided by Northern Lights.

Tree Shurts would like to thank everyone that made this possible. Frances and Rich for bartending and supplying the PBRs and George for working the door at Red Square (redsquarealbany.com),  DJ Playground (djplayground.com) and Truemaster Trimingham (beatshotmusic.com) for spinning always the dopest beats, Jermaine Wells and Ill Funk Ensemble (illfunk.com), Nacirema (naciremamusic.com) and Odus Budd (myspace.com/odusbudd) for blowing the roof off on stage – EVERYBODY MUST SUPPORT THESES BANDS, Scooch for Filming ($1000 Weddings) and Lease of Projector, Nicholas Groll for taking Photography, Margaret, Tina and Anna Rita of Some Girls Boutique (somegirlsboutique.com) for working the booth, Breezy and Floodman for helping me open and close down the shop, Timmay, Nelly, John Dubba, FiggityFasso, Emmy Awards, and Karabocker for Packaging, Sean the Intern for the helping hand, Jody Cowan for promoting us on his Radio Show, Forward Printing for the Shurts, Stripes, Capital Signs and Walmart for supplying the packaging  materials, Northern Lights for providing the Bong for the Raffle, Kevin for giving us a story to tell the next day (He is the first stranger to buy a Tree Shurt on the Streets, who keeps winning the bong raffle, cuz he has outstanding Tree Shurt Karma), Sprout for not being able to get in but still kickin it outside all night, and my mother for supporting and wishing us the best every damn show even though she is nervous to wear a Tree Shurt cuz she’s a school teacher.

So the next time it’s Friday the 13th,  forget about those old time horror flicks and think about how Tree Shurts would get it done! This is the Exclusive Movement.

Kevin won this bong a week after breaking the the bong that he had won at the original Tree Shurt Party held last 420

Sprout hung outside all night to keep the party flowing when people were taking breaks from the music.

Damn man what was in that…………

This is how Tree Shurts gets down.

A to the mother fuckin K homeboy!!

“There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.”  Charles Dudley Warner

I revisit this quote a year and a half later, because I am in the beginning phases of another trip.  When I last posted these wise words, it was to indicate the start of the trip and christen the beginning of my voyage before leaving port and crossing the pond. This time, I am not about to set sail for unknown lands, rather I am in the very spontaneous, incipient part of the journey.  I like to call this the “Wouldn’t it Be Cool If…” stage.  The phase when every idea sounds good, cost means nothing and possibilities are endless.

 So now that you have the preliminary background, let’s address the first stage.

This particular pilgrimage will not include touring around the most visited European cities, although it may — remember: possibilities are endless.  It probably won’t include a Glockenspiel chiming through a German town or the Eiffel Tower set in the horizon of the City of Light.  In fact, the only lights I aim to see are those of the natural variety — the Aurora Borealis, or better known as the Northern Lights.

Photo kindly shared on Flickr by nick_russill

Now, wouldn’t that be cool? 

Feel free to join me in this expedition through the many stages of planning, traveling and visiting a new land.  Hopefully, you will take delight in the journey and share any tips you may have!

Bon Voyage!

Simply brilliant. Hotel & Igloo Village Kakslautten in Finland.

Definately on the must see list

Abisko has been scientifically designated as one of the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights.

Abisko is situated smack in the middle of the Auroral Zone and due to its topography there are very rarely cloudy skies. Coupled with spectacular mountains and lakes Abisko truly is a special destination.  It is also around 100kms from the magnificent ICEHOTEL® so we’ve added a night there for good measure!!

When I visited Abisko, I returned slightly in awe. This place is wild and it is spectacular. I had visited many parts of Lapland but none had left such an impression on me. There isn’t really anything surrounding the accommodation here, no shops, no bars…. there in lies its beauty. Abisko also has a reputation for being one of the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights and has views of Lapporten (Sami Gate) a very important symbol of Lapland both of which add to the atmosphere.

Source: Nature & Kind Travel Collection

Energi murni yang memenuhi penjuru kota dengan keharumannya yang menyegarkan. Aroma dinamisnya akan mempesona Anda dengan kesegarannya dan menggairahkan Anda dengan modernitasnya. Aroma buah dan bunganya akan memercikkan kesegaran bagi indera Anda, ditambah aroma white musk-nya yang tidak hanya memberikan kesejukan, namun juga memikat hati setiap orang. 50 ml.

Eragon – Christopher Paolini
Northern Lights – Philip Pullman
Stormbreaker – Anthony Horowitz
Emma – Jane Austen (Clueless)
Shawshank Redemption – Stephen King

This video shows the movement of energetic aurora over Saturn’s northern hemisphere, taken my the Cassini spacecraft over the course of four days. Saturn’s aurora is caused by the same process as found on Earth but the results are much, much larger…some of the lights seen here stretch nearly 750 miles above the edge of the planet!

This is the first time Saturn’s aurora has been filmed in visible light. The images were originally black-and-white; the orange color was added later by the Cassini imaging team to highlight the aurora better. The actual color of Saturn’s northern lights isn’t yet known.

Read the official release here.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

]]> http://jewelrydesignchronicles.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/one-more-friday-post-another-way-cool-stone/ Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:23:25 +0000 TJDC http://jewelrydesignchronicles.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/one-more-friday-post-another-way-cool-stone/ http://corideroza.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/7-wonderments-from-homeschooling/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:38:55 +0000 corideroza http://corideroza.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/7-wonderments-from-homeschooling/

For the past four years my family has gone to a co-op for science. This has been a fun experience. Each year changes a little more. This year is earth science. Right now, they are all studying the 7 natural wonders of the world. 

Their teacher and fellow mom is doing a fantastic job and has lit a fire under my kids to learn more to get points so they can get a stamp in their ‘passport’ as they “travel around the world”. Some of the things they can do to earn points is: draw pictures of the different wonders, create a game to play, read/bring in a book on a wonder, calculate the distances from point A to B, and other research. My kids have really been going at it. Lovely!

J is in the process of creating a 7 wonders game based off the game Fact or Crap. Our wall map has a route from PA to the Grand Canyon, Az to Paricutin Volcano in Mexico, to the Rio de Janeiro Harbor, to Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe, to the Aurora Borealis in the North Pole, Mount Everest in China, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and ending with an ice cream party in Hawaii. (Dad will help with the distance calculations.) Internet searches are being made, and pictures of being drawn. Overall, this has been fun and I’m learning a lot as well.

I began thinking of the all the wonders they are studying and the fact that they are natural, not man-made. So this is what I came up with and looked in awe at the wonders God has made in children.

1. Like the Grand Canyon, children are deep and profound (thinkers) and have many layers to them. Searching out each layer takes time and gentleness. And like the river that runs south to north through the canyon, sometimes kids just have to be different and go against the flow; whether it be strong-willed, super-smart, or painfully shy.

2. Kids grow FAST! Paricutin volcano was seen growing by a farmer (b/c it began in his corn field) and then by the town a short time later. Within the first year of its life, the Paricutin volcano had reached 3/4 of its height. That’s some fast movin’! And I’m always telling my kids to stop growing (you know I wouldn’t miss watching them grow for anything in the world)! 

3. Have you tried looking at things from your child’s perspective lately?The harbor at Rio de Janeiro is said to best be seen from all the different perspectives offered in the area. Sugar Loaf mountain and Corcovado offer two unique views of the harbor.  God gave children the ability to see with eyes that we adults usually forget about. Remember the movie BIG? He made a difference in a huge toy company b/c he saw things from a child’s point of view. And like the unique views from the mountains of the harbor, kids have several ways of looking at things. I know my children WOW me on a pretty regular basis.

4. Kids are NOISY! But look at them and listen to them like you might if you were seeing Victoria Falls in Africa – awe-inspiring beauty and deafeningly loud. There have been times when I hear the kids making lots of noise for no apparent reason. But when I go to ask them to stop I listen to what is being said. There have been some awesome worship songs being sung, some prayers being sang and sweet communion going on with the Lord. A couple of times I have walked away smiling and praising God – and there may have been a tear or two – but don’t tell anyone.

5. Kids are just plain fun to watch! The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) is fun to watch – even if it’s just on TV or the internet. To quote a website we’ve been using to get some information for school, ”The best ways to experience the aurora or northern lights is to stand in amazement and watch them dance across the sky.” The things my kids come up with in their imaginations are crazy and then to watch them put on a show for you. Maybe it’s not Broadway material, but hey, it’s free and definitely entertaining.

6. Reach for the stars! Capture the moon! Go out of this world! OR maybe it’s just to reach the summit of the highest mountain in the world – Everest. Do kids know how to dream or what?! Dream big – you could change the world – even if you fail. What are the dreams of your kids? Mine go back and forth from many things, but I am building their strengths and letting God add what he needs to. When I was in college and doing my student teaching, there was a 5th grader who wanted to be an astronaut. I don’t know if he’ll make it that far (he’d only be out of college now a couple of years), but I sure wasn’t going to discourage him that dream. A friend of mine has an autistic daughter whose dream is to be the first Christian autistic film director. I have seen some of the strengths in her that she would need to accomplish this feat – and her parents are doing what they can to cultivate this dream for her.  

7. Finally, the Great Barrier Reef. I go back to Psalm 139:14 “I am fearfully and wonderfully made”. The Reef is the largest eco-system in the world. Think of all the coral and plants and fish that can be found there. The sand bars and the deep parts. What a fantastic place to visit (one day). Scientists are still learning things about the Reef. Now, think about the complexity of the human body and how great it is. Cells and cell division, organs that work precisely at the right time in conjunction with other organs, eyes that see upside down to be turned around so we see right-side up, hair that grows, but is really dead, and so on.  Scientists are still learning about the human body and always will I imagine. Parents all over the world count fingers and toes upon the arrival of their newborn child. Isn’t He great and marvelous and awesome and mighty…?

These are the things I thought of today. My kids are wonderfully made and they have a destiny that I desire to see them walk in. I hope this has been an encouragement to many. God bless!

These are just a few photographs of the magic that is Finland…

(all pictures taken from Flickr)



<3

Yaymie

xxx

November 11, 2009
Churchill, Manitoba

Mid-morning stroll

As with last year, there’s a tribe of people who gather in the kitchen with whiskey and beer after the day’s adventures and classes have concluded.  It’s a convergence of two different groups of students and biologists, sharing bear stories, ghost stories, and exchanging ideas to make positive change.  The late night kitchen gathering is one of my favorite parts of this annual adventure (yes, I will be back every year) and I find it hard to tear myself away during the early morning hours.  It’s even harder to get away when excusing yourself leads to group protests and pleas to stay for “just one more story.”  Eventually, one by one, we make our way to bed between 1:00am and 4:00am and before you know it, the alarm is going off to signal another day of Arctic adventures.

As we were on our way toward the coast to observe polar bears this morning, a bear crossed the road ahead of us.  He took his time, enjoying his walk, as we pulled off to the side of the road to appreciate him.  When he crossed the street, the bear turned and looked at us and then started scratching his neck on a sign.  I crept down the steps leading to the open bus door and took a picture of the bear standing behind the sign.  It wasn’t until we returned to the Studies Center this evening and I transferred my pictures to the computer that I saw what the sign said: “Please Do Not Disturb.”  When thinking about climate change and our impact on Arctic ecology, this picture sends an important message. (More after the picture)

Please Do Not Disturb

We continued to make our way to Cape Merry, spotting bears and observing their behavior.  We also noticed that more sea ice had accumulated in the bay overnight.  Chuck told us that with a few more nights below freezing the ice would solidify and the bears would be able to go out and hunt again.  We saw several bears along the coast, looking at the water as if they were willing it to freeze.

In search of a quiet place

We saw quite a few bears along the way to Cape Merry and it was a beautiful, sunny day.  One bear was sleeping in a patch of willows close to the side of the road.  There were several trucks that pulled over to watch the bear.  Seemingly aware that he was under observation, the bear stood up purposefully, looked at us and crossed the road.  Why did the polar bear cross the street? To get some rest.  Once safely on the other side of the road, the bear traversed down a little hill and laid down, barely within view.  One by one the trucks of onlookers pulled away.

When we arrived at Cape Merry we noticed a lot of fox tracks, but we didn’t see any fox.  It was almost as if the foxes were taunting us with their tracks: “Look over here!” “Oh, now I’m over here,” “You just missed me!”  After spending some time at Cape Merry, looking at the fort and learning about the history of settlement in Churchill, we boarded our bus.  We only saw one Arctic fox last year and it was during a 6:00am bear watch so it was still dark out.  I was really hoping we’d encounter more foxes this year and was encouraged by the number of

"I'm up here!"

tracks we saw.  Just as everybody succumbed to the idea that the foxes around Cape Merry were out of view, a little white Arctic fox appeared on the side of a hill.  The fox made its way up the hill as we pulled over once again to watch it.  We all reached for our cameras and got some great pictures of the fox, backlit, on top of the hill.  Arctic foxes always appear joyous, as they seem to bounce around the snow and rocks.  When you actually do see an Arctic fox it’s as if the fox knows you’re taking pictures and it provides picture perfect poses in the best light of day.

We continued making our way out of Cape Merry until somebody spotted another fox coming down a hill.  This time it was a cross fox – a mix between a silver fox and a red fox.  The dark, multi-colored fox was digging and burying its nose in the snow.  Then, the cross fox looked up at us, nose covered in snow, and made its way toward our bus.  The fox observed us curiously before running off alongside the hill again.

Just as we were pulling out of the main road that leads to Cape Merry somebody yelled out

Cross Fox

“fox!”  Once again, we pulled over to have a look. This time it was a beautiful red fox, curled up asleep on the rocks.  We all expressed our gratitude and feelings of being blessed with several fox sightings.  Not only did we see 3 foxes today, we saw 3 different kinds of foxes.

We made our way back to the Studies Center and felt satisfied, having seen at least 10 polar bears and 3 foxes in one day.  After dinner and our evening lecture, Frank told us that if the Northern Lights were out tonight, he’d take us to see them.  Sure enough, around 11:00pm we got word that the Northern Lights were visible.  Those of us who were awake boarded the bus and drove approximately one mile, away from the light of the Studies Center to see the Lights.  We were awestruck as we watched the Northern Lights display.  The green light morphed and shape-shifted, at times appearing to cover the entire sky, all the way down to the horizon.  In line with our perfect, magical day, we saw 3 shooting stars among the Northern Lights.

As the lights faded and the display subsided, we boarded the bus and made our way back to the Studies Center.  Just prior to pulling into the parking lot, an Arctic hare hopped right across our path – a magic rabbit to bookend a perfect day.

Northern Lights (photo courtesy of Jeremy Beheler)

The northern territories of Canada were never on my list of places to see, and if it wasn’t for this gig I probably would have never come.  It’s a fact that less than 1% of Canadians make it up here in their lifetime, and less than 1% of New Yorkers have ever heard of Nunavut.  Whitehorse is probably the prettiest place I’ve ever been.  Yellowknife had just about the nicest people I’ve ever met.  Iqaluit was the coldest I’ve ever been in my life.  That’s a lot of #1’s.  Blog-worthy stuff.  Take a look at some of the pictures we got.  They sum up where I’ve been the past week and what it’s been like.  Cold.

On our last night in Iqaluit, the boys and I decided we needed to hit the snow and see some cool shit before we left the north and return to normal civilization.  We trekked about a mile down the road to find a good restaurant we heard about.  You would think it would be easy to reach one of the towns most popular establishments, but for some reason we had to crawl on a pipeline, dangling precariously over the icy edge to cross a ravine separating the main road and the restaurant.  I hit my Indiana Jones stunt quota for this year.

After a few days without decent food I was happy to be in a fine dining room where I would get to try a new type of meat:  Caribou.  This might be normal for some, but I don’t know where the hell in New York anyone’s serving this stuff.  Oh, and for those of you who don’t know, caribou is reindeer.  Tee hee hee.  Ladies and gentlemen, sirloin of Rudolph is one of the TASTIEST THINGS I’VE EVER HAD.  So tender and flavorful, it put a lot of my experiences with beef to shame.  We also got an order of musk ox stew, which was very comparable to beef stew.  After the caribou, I wasn’t too impressed with musk ox.

When I got back to the hotel I googled some pictures to see what animals met their maker for my fabulous meal:

Being our last night and not having accomplished anything on our to-do list, we decided to head out into the wilderness and try to catch a glimpse of the northern lights.  Keep in mind, everyone in town for the past two days had been telling us we will never be able to see it because of too much ambient light and not a clear enough sky.  But the clouds had cleared up, so we knew if we were gonna have a shot at seeing this natural wonder, it would have to happen right then and there.  We knew which direction to head, towards the edge of town and up a small mountain where Iqaluit civilization ends.  It was the only spot with no ambient light from street lamps, houses, or the airport.  It took us a good hour but we made it halfway up the mountain side.  We stopped to take a breather, shivering from the -30 degree wind and snow.  By now we had noticed, I shit you not, icicles hanging from our eyelids.

Manny frozen solid

We looked up, saw a ton of stars and a few clouds, but nothing that resembled Aurora Borealis.  We were bummed, but decided it would be a shame to go this far and not climb all the way to the top.  After another painful hike, we looked up again and saw a dim green streak across the sky.  “IS THAT IT?! IS THAT IT?!”  Now we were running, full force, knee deep in snow, to try to get to the top of this monstrous mountain.  I tell you it was ten stories high if it was a foot!!  Now exhausted and at the summit, we looked up again and saw the crystal clear, luminescent green shimmering stripe.  Some people live in areas where they see this every night outside their homes.  I do not.  This was worth the effort.  Manny thrust his fists into the air shouting in excitement and disbelief.  Apparently it was wise of us not to trust the advice of the locals.  We tried several times to take pictures, but with lousy point and shoot digi cams, no luck.  I don’t really care though, I saw it.  Northern Lights:  Check.

There were very interesting experiences last week.  I’ve definitely never had to drum outdoors under extreme conditions like that before.  Although we had a lot of pleasurable times, there were a few disappointments on this trip.  We did not get to see any polar bears.  Didn’t get to go dog sledding.  The guy who told me he would sell us fresh seal meat for breakfast never showed up.  You would think black market seal traders would keep their word wouldn’t you?  Either way, this was a great trip with great friends.

I’m now in Newfoundland, much more normal living than in the north.  Everyone’s taking part in some ridiculous ritual called getting “Screeched in” where you take a shot, kiss a fish, and declare yourself an honorary citizen of Newfoundland.  No thanks college boys, I’ve never been into the fraternity thing.

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From dog sledding on frozen fjords to the elusive Northern Lights, this a rare opportunity to live the legend now at unprecedented value with this spectacular once in a lifetime offer.

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The Northern Lights Lounge T-Shirts are printed on Deep Royale Hanes 100% Combed Cotton Beefy Tees. These shirts have the contemporary cut most sought after today with vintage styling. Pre-shrunk for that great fit wash after wash. Great vintage fit without the vintage holes and stains.                 Sarah A.  gives an all around great overview of this bar with her post on Yelp. Also, it is definitely worth checking out this video of the Northern lights lounge in Detroit to  get  a better visual  of  what they have to offer.

Come join us on a holiday of a lifetime in Norway, husky sledding during the day, outdoor jacuzzi at night while watching the beautiful Northern Lights! Option of snowbiling or ice fishing. Check it out at www.extremeireland.ie

An easy night with positive, smiling guest together with the northern lights made it to a good experience.  Wether: SW coulds, wind S 4 ms, some clouds. The sky was almost clear all night, only some patches of clouds.

Be Yourself; Everyone Else is Already Taken!

“Wherever you are, whatever your age, you are only a thought away from changing your life.” Dr. Wayne Dyer

Do You: Meditate and Reflect on Yourself

Recently, I decided to work on a series of get-to-know-you short interviews with some remarkable people I’ve met through several social networking sites; men and women who cherish the interactions they have with others and share their gift of communication by joining the social media conversation – each in his/her own unique way. My format is quite simple, I ask my interviewees the same/similar set of questions and get wonderful answers back that are varied and insightful.

This week, I bring you another remarkable person, Deana Wilmink Martina. Deana and I connected on Twitter back in the day when sending out marathon Follow Friday kudos were ubiquitous. We soon found out, through our online conversations, that we both traveled around early in our lives, settled down in countries that weren’t our place of birth, married and manage busy households, love uplifting quotes and brilliant photography. While I live and work in New York and she in The Netherlands, our friendship has grown in spite of our virtualverse/twitterverse beginnings and our distance.

Deana’s new blog, Blogging Baby Boomer, covers a range of topics on life, work and other matters. As a self declared baby boomer, she is always eager to learn, share ideas, enjoy sports and a good laugh. While Deana might not play Bocce, Tennis is her sport of choice, she has solid ideas on making money from and for the baby boomer crowd and interested readers of the piece by Scott Adams of Dilbert fame. will enjoy her blog too.

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” Confucious

View over Curacao

At Home: Deana and Pointer

Foundation Questions:
Tell us a bit on your background: Who are you? Where did you grow up and where do you live now?
I’m Deana Martina, 61 years old and married to Ronald Wilmink. We are parents to two sons; Patrick and Niels. The eldest (Patrick) is 21 years and Niels is 19, turning 20 next month. Both are students and they still live at home with us. I was born into a big family. My mother had 8 children. She was a twin and had two sets of twins.

I was born on Curaçao, an island in the Caribbean. I was 5 years old when my mother started to get sick and soon she took one of my sister’s and me to an orphanage, where I lived until I was 18. My mother never really got better and died when I was almost 11 years old. I must say that it wasn’t a pleasant time… I have always tried to block out that time in my life, so I could turn my life around without looking back.

When I was a teenager, I decided that I would not copy my mother’s life. I didn’t want my children to have the same experiences I had growing up. So I chose to live a completely different life from my mother’s life. I left my native Island when I was 22. I went back home soon after, then I returned to Europe again at 29 and never left. Today, the village of Wildervank in The Netherlands is home to me and my family.

“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it…”
- Mahatma Gandhi

Groot Wildervank via RTV Noord

What do you do for a living?
At the moment, I am both an entrepreneur and a stay-at-home mom. I’m building a home based business and recently started writing a blog called Blogging Baby Boomer where I share my views on life, work, books and more. I was an employee for 37 years until I lost my job in 1999. For a short time during my 37 year career, I worked as a Credit Controller. The rest of my time in the Corporate World, I worked in the Accounting department of a mid-sized firm. I was responsible for payroll for 21 years.

After searching for new work for quite some time, I decided to follow my own path and start my own business. I’m building a Network Marketing Business from home and using the internet to expose and expand it. Making valuable network and wellness connections are important parts of the business. Before moving to this village, Wildervank, in the countryside, I lived in the City, Groningen, for 24 years and had a network that I don’t have anymore. Rebuilding/building my network will add to the excitement of being an entrepreneur.

Why did you choose the path you now follow?
Being out of a job and living on what my husband earns was not giving our family the room to do anything extra. All our savings were used up during the years after my job loss. I felt that I could do a lot more than just wait for my retirement. Once I realized, in my opinion, that employers will not hire older employees, I chose to become an entrepreneur. I now have some new goals in my life. The transformation from an employee to an entrepreneur is very exciting because I can aim higher and reap the full rewards.

When did you decide to make key changes in your life?
I started to make changes in my life at a fairly young age; leaving the Caribbean, moving to Europe and building a new life there. I’ve been married once before and Ronald is my second spouse. We met at a tennis tournament, where we both competed. We love the sport and continue to play mixed couples tennis at our Country Club.

“Be yourself, everyone else is already taken!” Oscar Wilde

View over The Netherlands via Larry Kikstra

Share your world view: How do you live your life and manage your household?
Officially I’m a stay at home Mom, building a home based business. My husband has a job and brings in the family income. We live in a country where everyone is entitled to get a Scholarship to study at a University or College, as long as they qualify and get admitted. Regardless of your parent’s financial situation, every college bound student in The Netherlands receives a scholarship.

My favorite quotes are: “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken!” by Oscar Wilde and “There is no greater beauty than the real YOU” via Nappturality. Both impact the way I plan to market my new business. My view on the world is that we are in the information era and the Internet is the perfect way to educate and inform people about industries and products lots of people don’t know are available to them. The Wellness Industry is one major Industry that will grow in the coming years.

Paul Zane Pilzer had a definition of wellness in an article he wrote in 2004 in the magazine Success from Home. He wrote; “Here is how I define Wellness: Wellness is money you spend to make yourself feel healthier, even when you’re not “sick” by any standard medical terms.”

The Baby Boomer generation, those born between 1946 and 1964, is the largest generation around today and Baby Boomers are living longer than in previous generations.
They want to see better, hear better, be stronger, have a strong immune system and fight the symptoms of aging. So they will spend money in the Wellness Industry. The Wellness Industry will continue to grow and through the Internet, people can be educated and informed about the products and services available to them.

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.” B. Olatunji

Bloom by Mike McPinatton

Reflective Questions:
What motivates you to get out of bed?
This new life, building a people oriented business, studying people and building relationships with people offline and online is so exciting to me. Seeing my grown up sons enjoy life with their friends and learning a lot of new skills myself. Having my spouse support me in what I do; all of this motivates me to get out of bed.
One of my life goals is to help with projects on my native Island to raise awareness for the younger generation; especially girls. I want them to become whomever they want to become and to take responsibility for their own lives. I believe education is a way out of the difficult situations women experience while living in such a masculine community. They can change their own reality without having to flee the island, like I did.

What makes you happy/laugh?
I love comedies. Both of my sons have a good sense of humor and like to tell jokes, or funny stories. So does my spouse. We have a dog, Pointer, and he is always so happy to see us, even when we’ve left him for only 30 minutes or so. Looking back, as most people tend to do when they reach my age, I am happy with how I managed to live my life mostly on my terms.

What makes you sad/mad?
What makes me sad is when I think, read, hear and realize that so little has changed for many women and children on my native Island.
There isn’t much that makes me mad. I have to admit that because I don’t have bosses to report to like I used to when I worked and lived in the Big City, I am less angry. Now we live in a peaceful, small village in the countryside.

What would you do differently with your life if you had the power? With the world if you had the choice?
If I only knew then, what I know now, I would have done things differently. I would have started learning the skills to become an entrepreneur earlier in my life. I would have avoided conforming to the mass beliefs that holding a regular, 9 to 5 job was the ideal.

If I could, I would change the world around me, by changing things on my native Island. I would offer all young girls the opportunity to gain more knowledge through education and help them to become aware of the power we all have within us to become what we want to be. I will teach them to take responsibility for their own reality and be aware of the fact that male dominance can only continue if we permit it to continue.

“We don’t see things the way they are. We see things the way WE are.” Talmud

Look for the Light Within ~ Northern Lights via VladStudio

What guiding principle(s) do you follow to make your life meaningful?
First of all I have this mantra: Be yourself, everyone else is taken! I try to learn the Universal laws and the process of daily living; I learn what I need to function on my life path. Some other principles include, blocking out negative thoughts and deciding what I permit to enter my mind; becoming aware of the law of prosperity and “letting go” of things I don’t need for important things I need to reach my goal; and permitting only the information I need to help me get the skills I need to succeed. I believe I can become the person I need to be to have the success I’m looking for.

What word(s) of advice would you give to others today?
I would advice others, not to depend solely on a job, but to learn the skills to become an entrepreneur. Gone are the days when we imitated the actions of the majority and expected to have a job for life; that time is over. I would advice people to depend less on Government welfare as they change the rules anytime they want. Be responsible for your own income.

How would you like to be remembered?
This is a tough one. I haven’t thought about that yet… I don’t know. However, I would like my sons to remember me as a good mother and my spouse to remember me as a good spouse.

Happiness is…..?
Happiness is for me being surrounded by the people I love the most, knowing that they feel good. At a different time in my life I would have thought of something else. Now I enjoy chatting with my sister on the phone and laughing with her even though we live more than 300 km apart. Seeing my kids being happy makes me happy.

Deana Wilmink Martina lives in a beautiful little village outside Groningen and recently started writing a spirited Baby Boomer Blog. You may connect with her on Twitter at this link @DeanaMartina
What are your reactions to this subject? Enjoy the piece and share your feedback with us. Thank You!

PHOTO CREDITS:
Meditation Too ~ via Google Images
View over Curacao ~ via Google Images
At Home: Deana and Pointer ~ via DWM
Groot Wildervank ~ via RTV Noord
View over The Netherlands ~via Larry Kikstra
Blooming Canola Flowers ~ via Mike McPinatton
Northern Lights ~ via VladStudio

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank

I ought to explain that – I’ve spent the evening re-reading Cooties, one of the books of comics of Lenore the Cute Little Dead Girl by Roman Dirge. The man makes me giggle for reasons I never thought possible. If it was up to me, I’d get everyone in the world to read this, except when thinking about it I’m not sure everyone quite gets the weirdness of the book. I think you have to experience Lenore more than understand it – just accept that it’s written to be warped and that the kid is clearly insane (which maybe why I find it so funny, she reminds me of mini midget, or in fact how I would be if I had no inhibitions).

So… many lots to catch up with. Didn’t blog yesterday as we had a friend over and it’s really hard to spill your guts to the internet with people here.  I’ll end with the big news (hold your breath….), but start with the mundane catch up….

I finally got the photos of halloween off the camera (I know, I know, I still haven’t uploaded the rest of the welsh stuff, but for this evening, lets just ctahc up with this week!).

Now I know the pumpkin was for ythe kids, and they did get really excited about it, but I’ll let you into a little secret: I had so much fun carving that, like proper child like fun. It does seem I am a proper kid inside, it’s just that she doesn’t get out much.

There was also this on the camera. The last night with the doggy – I never thought I’d miss her quite as much as I do. It was a bit like having another REALLY bouncy child. And weirdly I miss the walking, even in the rain. She is a big furry bag of bloody heavy cuddles and I’m a little bit sulky that I can’t be dragged around a field of mud any more.

Still, she isn’t that far away and we do get to give her part time cuddles when we go to see Kitty & D. Which reminds me I must arrage a play date seeing as Kitty and I can now combine our mummy time!

So, the final piccy of the week is the midget rocking out to Three Days Grace with the Guitar Hero Guitar. I can’t believe she’s 5 already, but she manages to make me laugh every day. Today was her birthday party (pics of which are staying offline as they contain other kids, and they stay offline) which went really well – she ended my day with the bast goodnight hug. I switched out the light, sang them a song and blew them a kiss. Midget’s closing words were ‘I love you too, thank you for my party mummy, I loved it’. Big smile. My work here is done.

Finally, the big news! Mr T is terrible at keeping secrets from me (I see this as a good thing). So, I’m rather impressed that he’s been planning and plotting with my parents since September over my birthday. Thing is, he slipped up yesterday and I ended dragging the ruth out of him – mainly becuase I caught scent that he’d spent money. So… the truth is revealed and ok, my reaction was a bit blank. He finnally confesses he’s booked me and him a surprise trip to Iceland. Me: blank face… desparately searching brain for anything I know about Iceland…. all I can come up with is this:

This pillock here is Sportacus, the Icelandic oddball who backflipped his way onto our tv screens to confuse the midgets over who is real and who is a puppet ( at least the muppets allowed us to know they weren’t real, well humans at least). So, my reaction wasn’t what it should have been – especially having done a bit of research and now knowing I’m going to see tectonic plates, lava fields, geothermic spas, and the northern lights!!!! OMFG. Just look:

The outcome of this is that Mr T has earnt himself enough brownie points for him to walk like John Wayne for at least a year. I will accept turning 30 – especially if it means I get to watch one of the 7 wonders of the world with one of my own personal ones.

So for now I’m feeling pretty good. We’ve decided to give everything a rest until the new year. My brain and my body needs a break. Once we’ve had some time to think, things can start over. Maybe during that time I’ll get off my helter skelter. But for now I’m climbing up those steps to have a look at the view rather than jump off.

There isn’t a basement in Eskimo Joe’s, but Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights brought its own.

The Dallas-based rock outfit played “Devil’s Basement” from its upcoming album “Pardon Me“ outside of Joe’s right after a sound check.

Photo Editor Zach Gray filmed the sultry, folk tune in one shot.

Another scribbled ballad on crushed notebook paper that I found. I probably wrote it when I was high, cuz I’m pretty sure I don’t remember writing it.

I am unoriginal, the sum of every experience, a sum total of all the things I’ve seen and all the people I’ve scorned. I am a bit of you, and a bit of everyone else we know. But – I’m afraid of you. You scare the living shit out of me every single day with your putrid smelling hair and your eyes which always say nothing at all just like the shit that you spew. You make me feel confident in myself which really is something I haven’t felt since I cut myself off the balcony of a thirteen story building because I felt invulnerable there, but when I’m next to you, I’m reminded of all that I could have been and I was nothing next to the walking, talking, pile of shit that you are. You have more shortcomings than a pregnant teenager from the ghetto who has an abusive alcoholic dad and a dead mom. In the darkness you cast, I see light in myself. You shout and preach in the name of god, and the friends you have all love you for the conviction you ooze; you have more conviction than a black woman scorned, you preach of a god that you haven’t seen and I know you don’t believe in. In the darkess you cast, I see light in myself, like a watchtower said the joker to the thief! Said the Joker to the Thief!!!!!”

Obvious reference to Bob Dylan there, pretty powerful shit considering I was fucking watching the Teletubbies while getting stoned on Northern Lights. I think I was referring to the girl I was talking about in Broken Heart Sophistry – an old post of mine. Ah – well, I have an essay to write. Toodles, bitchez.

I felt this fitting for Halloween!

Yes, the mighty space overlords GWAR are on tour right now!  They are playing in Worcester, Ma  for Halloween; I’m sure it will be very entertaining!

They are coming to my home town (Albany, NY) on December 11, 2009 at Northern Lights.  Hi Fi will let you know about that show after a few days of recouperation.