“Mummy!”

“Wha-?”

“I can’t get to sleep!”

I rise slowly through the fog.  How does she manage to startle me awake like this, standing right beside my bed and talking in my ear, when I hear the slightest whimper from her younger siblings two rooms away?  “You can get to sleep, you were asleep when I went to bed.  Go back to bed, lie down and close your eyes.”  She mutters her way back to bed, and I lie in mine, awake now, trying to re-capture that dream I was in the middle of.

Half an hour later, just as I drift off:

“Mummy!” She’s done it again.  “I need to go toilet!”

“You are seven years old and perfectly capable of going by yourself.  You don’t need to wake me up to tell me at [grumbles] 3:30am!”

“But it’s dark.”

“You can turn on the light.”

“But it’s dark outside.”

Deep sigh.  “There is nothing I can do about that.  It is the middle of the night.  It’s always dark outside in the middle of the night in this part of the world.  Go.”

“Well I can’t go then!” and she stomps back to bed.  I wonder briefly whether she will wet her bed and how much drama this will lead to.  I wonder whether the stomping and grouching will wake the younger two.  Somehow while wondering, I start to drift off…

Half an hour later, she woke me again.  To ask a different question, but she was jiggling while asking, so I dragged my weary bones out of bed and not-especially-gently took her through the house to the loo.  Sure enough, when I turned on the light, she complained that it was too bright.  I can’t win.  It is dark at night, and when you turn on the light it is bright.

My best advice to her: sleep through it.  But what would I know?  She rolls her eyes.  “Mu-uuum!”

As Christmas is getting closer, we wish to shop and buy gifts for our loved ones. I too get very excited when I had gone for shopping however sometimes it happens that in all the excitement I do purchase something, which may be my friend who accompanied me for shopping, liked it or sometimes when a sales person tells that it is worth buying. When I return from shopping, I do realise that the price I paid was not worth or I should have known few important things before I made my final purchase.

However, this time I had decided that before I buy any kind  of gifts I will ensure that I purchased right , best , and paid perfect price for it and not carried away with others decision. I checked out online sites to search for gifts and compared the stuff but again I felt that how could I buy anything when I haven’t seen how it looks and how much does it weigh.

I wanted some help this time to take best decision to buy best gifts for my loved ones. Luckily, I stumbled upon this site called shopwiki, which gave me all information and guidance, which I was looking for. As I wanted to buy watch for my boy friend and nice jewelry for my dear sister, I found exactly what I was looking for. Buying guide for jewelry and watches helped me a lot and I am sure you will also learn a lot. Next time when you go out for shopping make sure have checked out buying guides to take wise decision.

A topic debated for decades now. Personally, I’d give the edge to Pearl Jam. They just keep producing albums and never seem to sell out. Nirvana, on the other hand, is overrated. Granted they pretty much helped kick open the doors publicly to grunge, their music isn’t as good as PJ’s. The overall consensus leans towards Nirvana however. I guess another poll for another time would be “Would Nirvana be considered the Top Grunge Band if Kurt Cobain Never blew his brains out??????”   Think about it. Anyways, it would have been nice to see a dangerous performance lastnight at the American Music Awards, but I was let down again of yet another year of lackluster hip-hop lip sync acts. I’m wearing my worn down flannel shirt right now…peace out….

This piece is an illustration for the cover of The Pearl, a novel by John Steinbeck.

The story revolves around a poor Mexican family. The husband earns his meager income by diving for pearls. When his son is stung by a scorpion he searches for a pearl to pay for a doctor to heal his child. He finds a perfect pearl in the ocean that brings optimism and joy to the family but it also places a burden on the family they have a great difficulty dealing with.

You can buy a limited edition print of this painting in my Etsy shop.

New up on the website are these necklaces, so pretty and completely handmade to order. Genuine ivory 6mm pearls have been strung onto stainless steel beading wire and then finished with 100% sterling silver clasps and findings. A stunning, delicate swarovski crystal heart measuring 14mm is then hung from the centre of the necklace. Great for an evening out as the crystal makes it just that bit more fancy, length is around 16.5″ long

Inspired by vintage necklaces and old school glamour, it would make a great gift for any pin up, retro, rockabilly kitten,

a choice of 4 colours, pictured below is the crystal and red coloured hearts.

Buy me here!

The curtain tracks in our lounge have been failing for a while.  A few of the hooks had come apart, and the curtains were starting to sag off the tracks.  We’d even got as far as purchasing a replacement for one of them – not the other, because it was too long to fit into the car when all the carseats were in place.

This morning, Pearl pulled back the lounge-room curtains for us.  And they fell on her head.  One of the plastic track-supports snapped, and ping-ping-ping, another six followed suit.  Poor kid got an awful fright.  We reassured her, but her mood was not really improved by Fainjin wandering around proclaiming “Pearl bwoke da house!”

A trip was made without children or car-seats,  in order to procure the second curtain track, and we set about removing the old ones and replacing them.  Of course, that meant that I had to wash the curtains, too, once I had a close-up look at how grubby they were.  Sigh.  A word of advice – don’t buy curtains that say “Hand-wash only”.

In order to attach the new tracks, a couple of new holes had to be drilled.  Fainjin was initially quite concerned about this, but his look of alarm lightened when I grinned at him.  He grinned back, and said, “All ok?  Daddy not bweak da house?”

“No,” I said, “it’s all ok”.

“Ok.  Daddy fixa house!  Yay!”

He’s so cute.

Pearl Jam. One of the most successful alternative rock bands in the world. On Friday the 20th of November, 2009, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to see them live. They did not disappoint.

Though we were seated in the stadium, and missed out on the feeling of being crushed against the barrier by hundreds of people and being within mere meters of the band (despite the notion sounding ridiculously uncomfortable and painful on paper, it really isn’t that bad, and is entirely worth it), we did have very good seats that provided us with an almost direct view of the stage and the two screens situated either side.

The first support act, Liam Finn, was very good. Though I’d only heard a few of his songs, the way in which he played his guitar parts, looped them around, and then went to play the drums and sing for a bit was very clever. He gave off so much energy while he was on stage, jumping up and down all the time, singing into the mic while practically lying down, and then leaping about with all sorts of instruments, he certainly got the crowd going and put a lot of effort in.

After about a half hour wait, Ben Harper and the Relentless 7 came on for their support slot. Having heard next to none of their songs, I was pleasantly surprised. Harper’s slide guitar playing was very skillful, and his voice practically radiated around the stadium. It was amazing, he managed to put so much emotion into his songs, while moving from the softer more delicate songs to vary his style throughout the set. Edit: It was during Ben Harper’s set that Vedder came out to join them in a rendition of Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie.

By the end of the support acts, the stadium was close to having filled up entirely. The front mosh section was absolutely packed.

It was about 8.30 when Pearl Jam came on, and it’ll come as no surprise that the crowd went crazy. Beginning with Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, a brilliant acoustic number which contains one of the best moments for the crowd to join in on vocal duties, they continued to proceed through the majority of their most popular hits for the next 2 hours. Playing well known numbers such as Alive, Jeremy, Even Flow, and Daughter, amongst the many other songs they pulled out, it was impossible to go away from the concert being disappointed. Although I’m unfamiliar with some of their more obscure songs, as I only have a best of and a live album, I’m sure that they mixed up their set list and played some other fan favourites as well. With the number of songs they have up their sleeve, they have a stunning amount of freedom in terms of the material they play.

Initially after playing for about an hour, they left the stage and finished up. But as everyone there knew, it was merely a pretext for the next few encores that were to come. The first encore involved inviting Ben Harper out to cover Queen and David Bowie, with Under Pressure. (Edit: Sorry about that, got mixed up. Thanks for the correction) After playing another 8 odd songs I’d say, they left again, only to be called out by an enthusiastic and loving crowd for a few more. This time, Vedder invited Liam Finn out to do a duet, which was very good. It was great in the way he not only interacted with the crowd, telling stories and dedicating songs to people, but also in the way they involved the support acts in their own. They were so dedicated, that they continued playing until after the lights in the stadium were back on, normally an indication of a completed gig.

In the end, it was an amazing experience. They had so much energy, playing and running around for hours, and they involved the crowd as well. It’s really these kind of bands that put on a great show for their fans that are the good ones live. A brilliant concert, well worth the $100+ ticket price.

Faceted Smoky Quartz and Freshwater Pearl Necklace

Notes from the Artist:

This lovely necklace is made with a 15×20mm faceted Madagascan Smoky Quartz briolette gemstone, 6mm Smoky Quartz gemstones, 5mm cultured Freshwater Pearls, Bali .925 sterling silver and small glass beads. The necklace measures 16-3/4″ in length and closes with a sterling silver hook clasp.

BE ADorned Jewelry is carefully packaged in a gift box and shipped within two business days of receiving payment.

Sports and Music. Both packed with vibe, aggression, anticipation, excitement, noise, energy, and soul. As an athlete, hearing a song that boils your blood and widens your eyes is just one small characteristic in which music   can transcend physically into your own actions and thoughts. Eclectic restaurants and lounges are effective with paralleling their visual atmosphere to the aura it emits. Sport venues are no different. Rarely, unless you are at a   cricket match, will the arena blair ‘Mozart’s 21st concerto   in C major’ at the height of battle. 4th and 2 and one play to win or lose the game, here are the top 10 (due to change with time).

10. Eat the Rich – Aerosmith

9. Shoot to Thrill – AC/DC

8. Beautiful People – Marilyn Manson

7. Breakdown – Tantric

6. Desire – Ozzy Osbourne

5. Take the Power Back – Rage Against the Machine

4. Let it Rock – Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil’ Wayne

3. Man in the Box – Alice in Chains

2. Animal – Pearl Jam

1. Welcome to the Jungle – Guns N’ Roses

They’ve revamped the Curve, Storm, and Bold – why would they stop at the Pearl?  Thanks to CrackBerry and Salomondrin, we get our first look at what the next generation Pearl (9100, also known as the “Stratus” or “Striker”) will look like.  Though the SureType keyboard is the same (barring some font differences), the design and trackpad are symbols of RIM’s new direction.

Via:BBerrydog 

Adeline, Eleanor, Amelia, Theodora, Beatrix, Sidony, Madeleine, Clementine, Henrietta, Ione, Lila, Delphia, Adele, Adela, Dora, Vera, Evelyn, Greta, Ingrid, Fern, Opal, Finola, Olive, Lyra, Willa, Angeline, Petra, Mina, Pearl, Mehitabel, Ellen, Keisha, Thora, Lucinda, Ramona, Naomi, June, Sarai, Thea, Evanthia, Thomasina, Tilda, Mirabella, Iole.

What do you think of these? which do you like? dislike and why? which could you see on a child born in the next couple of years?

This CHANEL brooch is absolutely gorgeous. The perfect way to add a pop of color to a jacket or dress, this amazing piece also has a hook enabling it to be worn also as a pendant attached to a gold chain or strand of pearls. Treat yourself to this amazing piece of vintage Chanel history!

In a Maltese cross design, this amazing piece is composed of Gripoix poured glass in shades of azure and royal blues, faux pearls and clear stones set in gold tone hammered metal. Pearls have been pressed in areas to create a more natural look.

Signed: Chanel Made In France.

Condition: Vintage, Excellent. Small scratch on large pearl. Other very minor flaws may be present but, given the item’s age, this brooch is still in overall excellent vintage condition. Please message us with questions.

Measurements:

Diameter: 3″

Width: .5″

madisonavecouture@gmail.com

The BlackBerry Pearl 8100 was, and still is, a lovely little phone, pocketable, and rocking that little milky trackball that gave it its name. There’s finally a true successor coming down the pipeline (the flippy 8230 not really counting) though it ditches the iconic pearl for a now-standard (and hopefully more reliable) touchpad. There’s a similarly swoopy SureType keyboard and the overall dimensions look very much the same, meaning this should fill the tiny BlackBerry void once again — whenever it ships

A lot of people do not like oysters. Even more people get really sick from eating oysters. The only time amazing things, like a pearl, come out of oysters, is if they’re sufficiently agitated by a grain of sand. No one wants to be compared to an agitating piece of sand or an intestine-resembling mollusk. I don’t get it.

Diversos sitios han comenzado a publicar una serie de imágenes de la próxima generación de la línea Pearl de BlackBerry (81xx), la que tendría como numeración 9100 y nombre clave Stratus.

A simple vista se puede apreciar que su diseño esta inspirado en la BB Bold 9700, pero manteniendo el tamaño y el teclado SureType característicos de esta línea.

Dentro de las mejoras incluidas en la BB 9100, se cuenta el uso de un TrackPad, puerto microUSB, BB OS 5.0, conectividad 3G y Wi-Fi.

It has been much anticipated but we are finally getting confirmation pics of the new 3G Pearl 9100. I don’t have the pictures to post, but I hope to soon.
The new 3G Pearl borrows its design mainly from the Bold 9700. At first glance it basically looks like a scaled down version of the 9700. The 3G Pearl though, does keep its SureType keyboard. It is very sleek in all black with chrome at the top and bottom. Most noticeably though is the track pad. Yes, it seems all Blackberrys to come will include this great feature.
The overall design really doesn’t stray away too far from the original Pearl. But fans of this candy bar design will surely love the fresh new look.

It is indeed ridiculous that an target as phenomenal and lovely as a pearl is a product of an invasion and the self-preservation that naturally comes in after it. When an oyster is infested by an unknown substance or parasite that wounds its curtain, it releases nacre, a protecting constituent that is consisted of calcium carbonate in the forge of perfectly allied crystals. The lusher the outside object rests within the oyster, the more nacre is released and the resultant, a pearl. This surpassing accidental origination has been one of the most preferred ownerships in the world.

The Romans retrieved of it as the greatest symbol of sources of might, wealthiness, and social status. The Greeks, grand fans of aesthetics, revered it for its beauty. In Renaissance Europe, there were laws on the inhibition of wearing pearls, unless one was of royal blood. Nowadays, Cultured pearl necklaces have turned the purest feminine emblems of affluence and edification.

The Reservoirs of Flawlessness

The pearls that are applied in attaining Cultivated pearl necklaces are cultured by investing in the gentle interiors of an oyster a bead or any smooth tissue that is subsequently reaped, all embedded with involved and multiple beds of nacre.

A plenty of countries culture pearls. Some of them are Japan, China, Australia, the Philippines, and Burma. There are contrastive types of Cultured pearls, namely:

# Akoya – shimmering beauties from Japan and China with colors of passion such as rose, cream, gold, silver, and blue.
# Baroque – uneven processed pearls.
# Freshwater – produced in lakes and rivers applying mussels.
# Keshi – addressed seed pearls as fine as sand grains in the hourglass.
# Mab- half-round shaped pearls that are cultured against the inside of the oysters shell.

# South Sea – large ones acquired in the countries of the South Seas and Australia.
# Tahitian Black – Cultured in French Polynesia by practicing black-tipped oysters.

Perfection At Helm

Of all the gems in the world, simply pearls require no cutting and refining. It is perfect without any exact for further reshaping and augmentation. Cultivated pearl necklaces are extensions of this Perfection. They come in distinct lengths and flairs. Some of them are:

# Bib – multiple strands of peculiar distances.

# Choker – 14 to 15 inches extended that reaches the collarbone.
# Dog collar – necklace that accommodates around the neck with manifold strands.
# Graduated – with pearls that are set up in a gradual increment in sizes, with the greatest at the center.
# Matinee – 20 to 24 inches long.
# Opera – 30 to 36 inches long that gets to the breastbone when worn long.
# Princess – 18 inches long necklaces, graduated in fashion or uniformly.
# Rope or sautoir – maybe fastened or shortened.
# Torsade – diverse strings are enlaced with each other and held together by a fastener.

# Uniform – all the pearls appear to be of consistent sizes.

Cultured pearl necklaces have incurred varying meanings in variant cultures. To Hindus and Christians, they stand for enjoy and purity. To Muslims, it stands for spiritual Perfection. They are impeccable security against bad luck among Europeans. To the Chinese, pearls are the crowning origins of destiny, as was the subject in Steinbecks novel, The Pearl.

Envisage yourself clad in a soft but gracious long black dress, delicately sewed earth-colored business suit, or fine-fitting jeans and body-fit black blouse with the perfect necklace adorning your swan-like neck! Indeed what a sight! Cleopatra would have been jealous.

Proceed online right away and determine for yourself these Cultivated pearl necklaces at Queen Bee Jewelry.

Cultured pearl necklaces is the greatest symbol of sources of might, wealthiness, and social status available at http://www.queenbjewelry.com

This is Blair updating once again for Mom.

Both surgeries went well and Mom was moved up to her room around 6:00 pm on Tuesday evening. She was in pain and huge amounts of discomfort. She informed us all that every instrument in the place was an instrument of Satan, and she threatened at one point to call Frances, her stepmother who has been a nurse for decades, to get instructions on removing a catheter. We weren’t really worried, but we kept the phone out of reach and an eye on her hands for a while just to make sure.

She was discharged yesterday afternoon early after promising all the nurses and doctors… the UAB Medical Community as a whole, really, that she would rest and behave at home.

Dad just called to let me know that the reports from the lab have come in. The cancer was COMPLETELY contained to the uterus, and the doctors got it all. The cure rate at this point is 95%. Needless to say, the whole family is ecstatic!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. They mean more than you will ever know.

My how times have changed. In 1964 this area was definitely a gritty industrial area, a far cry from today’s trendy, glittery Pearl District.

(City of Portland Archives)

North Bank Station passenger depot handled passenger trains to Chicago and the east, Seattle, Astoria and Southern Oregon until World War I. It served intercity passenger trains until 1931. Though the building still stands, you’ll see a much different landscape if you stand at the corner of NW 11th and Hoyt in the Pearl District today. This photo dates to 1917.

(City of Portland Archives)