- Ce pot face două mâini dibace?
- Satisface două persoane în acelaşi timp.

- Ce e mică, neagră şi se urcă pe perete?
- Igrasia.

- Ce e mică, verde şi creşte pe copaci?
- O familie de muşchi.

- Ce e mic, negru şi păros?
- Un bondar.

- Ce e mic, negru şi are multe picioare?
- Un păianjen.

- Ce e mic când se-ofileşte şi mare când înfloreşte?
- Un penis.

- Pălărie-ntr-un picior, ghici ciupercă ce-i?
- O umbrelă

- Ce e mic şi are fosfor la un capăt?
- Un chibrit.

- Ce e lung, gros şi maro?
- Un trabuc.

Blog #1!!! Find out what’s happening with my JTV lifecasting and where you can find me!!

When coming out of savasana (corpse pose) we roll to the side and ease ourselves back to a seated position using our arm strength. This way we aren’t jolting our calmed flow of energy, we are moving mindfully and keeping our lower backs safe from potential strain which could occur from a jack knife movement we’d normally get up with. However,  this doesn’t answer the question, why the right?

It has been said we roll to the right to allow our hearts to stay open, continuing to give and receive. I have also recently learned it’s a symbol of the sun rising from the east to the west, dawning a new day after a great rest.

Anatomically we roll to the right so there isn’t any unnecessary pressure and weight on our open heart, keeping a stable blood pressure. As well, the right side of the brain is more meditative then the left allowing your mind to wake up gradually from savasana.

I would suggest resting on the left side of the body after a meal which will stimulate digestion. Also, for those students that are pregnant, for better circulation.

 What are your teaching/research interests?
At the moment I am interested in Professional Placement and how to best support students while on placement.  My research interests have been varied from health education, arts-based research, the visual arts and identity to popular culture.  I also believe that researching my own practices is really important – so a lot of my recent research has been around that. 
 
A favourite educationalist/author/theorist and why.
My favourite author is Megan Boler and her ideas around “A Pedagogy of Discomfort”.  I find this a key book to remind me about the complexity of education, but also to encourage us as teachers to take risks and push ourselves into uncertain areas.  The other key book that I would rate up there was one of my favorite is “Black Ants and Buddhists” by Mary Cowhey, I think we all need one inspirational (but realistic) story on our shelves.  The one I enjoy reading out aloud is “Who Flung Dung” by Ben Redlich.
 
What are you reading currently?
Kidwrangling by Kaz Cooke.  I am trying to read all I can about toilet training.  I am also reading “Disrupting Class” by Christensen which I borrowed from a colleague.

We had user testing this Monday, and we got our levels tested(as well as testing the year 2s and 3s work). Overall we got positive feedback and I was quite happy with my individual feedback too.

The only negative thing was said to my level was: that I needed to have better collision detection.
I got someone to record this testing session, I’ll upload it to youtube once i’ve fixed it(it has a orientation problem). Then i’ll post it here too.

During a lengthy Q&A session on Nintendo’s official website Shigeru Miyamoto revealed that the critically acclaimed Mario 64 initially had a multiplayer mode, but it was sadly scrapped due to hardware restraints.

Iwata: Ever since Mario Bros., you’ve had your heart set on making a multiplayer Mario game. You’ve tried each time, but it’s never quite come together… Even with Mario 64, it started with Mario and Luigi running around together, didn’t it?

Miyamoto: That’s right. The screen was split and they went into the castle separately. When they meet in the corridor, I was incredibly happy! (laughs) Then there was also the mode where the camera is fixed and we see Mario running away, steadily getting smaller and smaller.

Iwata: Yes, that’s right.

Miyamoto: That was a remnant of an experiment we did where Mario and Luigi would run away from each other but you could still see them both. But we were unable to pull it off…

Source

Here’s some interesting Q & A regarding outliers.

Q: What is the effective date of the new outlier policy? In other words, what determines if a given claim is subject to the new outlier policy?

A: The new outlier policy communicated in the HH PPS Rate Update for CY 2010 (CMS-1560-F) is a CY 2010 policy, and thus applies to claims paid at the CY 2010 rates.

Posted on CMS’ website, on the home health agency center page at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/center/hha.asp, CMS has communicated that final instructions (via the normal Change Request/Transmittal process) describing the changes that will be made by Medicare contractors to implement this new outlier policy are currently being developed and are expected to be released sometime in early December. HHAs should note that HH PPS billing instructions are not changing as a result of this policy. CMS will provide an update as to the status of those instructions at out next Open Door Forum (ODF) on Wednesday, December 2nd.

On that same page of the CMS website, under the section entitled, “How to Stay Informed”, there are links to 1) the web page where the public can sign up to be on the HH PPS mailing list (called our listserv). The same information posted to our website, was also sent out via an announcement using this listserv, and 2) the web page where folks can learn how to sign up and participate in our Open Door Forum for Home Health, Hospice, & Durable Medical Equipment.
The direct link to information on the Open Door Forums is: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/OpenDoorForums/17_ODF_HHHDME.asp
The direct link to information on the upcoming December 2 ODF is: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/OpenDoorForums/Downloads/H3DME120209.pdf

Q: HHAs, and consultants to HHAs, are looking for guidance as of how to handle patients whose episodes fall into the outlier category. HHAs currently have wound care patients and diabetic patients who are unable (severely disabled) to self inject their insulin and fall under outliers. HHAs are concerned with access to care for high resource patients that currently result as outlier episodes. What are HHAs to do with such patients?

A: As stated in the final rule, CMS is sensitive to the concerns voiced by the industry with regards to insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) receiving diabetes management support as well as the support and disease management needs of patients with chronic diseases such as other types of diabetes, CHF, and wound care. CMS is sympathetic to the fact that some beneficiaries who need help administering insulin. As noted in the final rule, in our view, there is no reason to expect a large number of insulin patients unable to treat themselves would all be utilizing a single provider, and this is, in fact, generally the case in all areas of the country except those with sever program integrity issues.

Our analysis shows us that approximately 70 percent of HHAs receive between 0 and 1 percent in outlier payments. That being the case, we find it highly suspicious that outlier claims could legitimately be as high of a percentage as we are seeing in certain areas of the country. Suspicious, excessive billing of outlier claims is the reason behind the new outlier policy that includes the 10% cap. As we explained in the final rule, when we account for the areas in which there exist program integrity concerns with suspicious billing activities the vast majority of the remaining home health agencies have outlier dollars below 10 percent of their total home health payments and thus will not be affected by the new outlier policy. In fact, after excluding HHAs in areas of the country where fraudulent billing practices are suspected, we expect that less than 2% of all Medicare HHAs will be affected by the 10% cap on outlier payments and of that less than 2% of HHAs, almost all are located in urban areas where beneficiaries have other choices.

We also expect that the ability of HHAs to receive up to 10% of their total payment in outliers would partially compensate HHAs for the care associated with this subgroup of beneficiaries. The outlier policy in the HH PPS was NEVER intended to fully compensate HHAs for episodes that incur unusually high costs due to patient home health care needs. Rather, the intent of the outlier policy is to mitigate the negative financial impact that unusually high cost patients have on HHAs. We believe that our final outlier policy for CY 2010, that includes a 10% per-agency cap on outlier payments, is consistent with that intent.

Under Medicare’s home health benefit, HHAs are expected to provide education and training to help IDDM (and other diabetic) patients self-manage their diabetes. Many homebound patients with diabetes require short-term management for skilled observation, assessment, teaching, and training activities. If the patient is unable to learn to self-manage, including self-administer medication, the HHA would be expected to provide the teaching and training to a care-giver or family member. There will always be a subgroup of patients who cannot learn self-management, do not have a willing and able caregiver, and/or have no community support. However, as already stated, our analysis shows that to be a very small percentage of beneficiaries (when excluding areas of the country where fraudulent billing practices are suspected).

We also encourage HHAs to take advantage of the help and support available from organizations such as the American Diabetes Association, the Indian Health Service, and the American Association of Diabetic Educators regarding innovative techniques associated with diabetes self management training (DSMT). Collaborating with these organizations may allow HHAs to achieve greater success in enabling patients and/or their caregivers to better achieve self-management, and may provide the HHAs with innovative care suggestions regarding their patients.

CMS believes that its final outlier policy for CY 2010, that includes a 10% cap on outlier payments at the agency level, in concert with a new 2.5% outlier pool (as opposed to the existing 5 percent outlier pool), and returning 2.5% back into the rates, along with a reduction in the fixed dollar loss (FDL) ratio from 0.89 to 0.67, to be the appropriate policy at this time.

As with the implementation of any new policy, CMs will continue to monitor for any unintended consequences that this new policy may cause.

Similarly, through monitoring of the HH PPS if CMS finds that the new CY 2010 outlier policy is not effective and/or achieving our goals, an alternative (as discussed in both the proposed and final rules) would be to eliminate the outlier policy altogether (in future rulemaking).

Yesterday, I blogged that I wanted to create a “Agile in Plain English”-type of video.  As is typical when I have an idea, when I search the internet, I find it’s already been done, usually exceeding my expectations.  Such is the case with this YouTube video by Rodrigo Coutinho.

I found this, along with 8 other Agile resources on the About Agility Blog Post: Nine Useful Agile Resources.  Good stuff!

With my DK closing the gap to 80, I’m trying to find more tanking info since that’s the only role I’ll be filling. I’m running in to a few issues, though.

The information I’m finding is either outdated or non-existant when talking about pre-raid/heroic gear, but I suppose I could just use the older list and add in the normal ToC 5-man loot myself. I’m also interested in trying an Unholy tanking build but from what I’ve been told and what I’ve read, Blood is the best single target spec and Frost is the best AoE spec while Unholy falls through the cracks as the “anti-magic gimmick tank” or a “poor mans Pally tank”. I’m not opposed to trying Frost and I’m liking Blood so far, I just want to try Unholy for the anti-magic clubhouse, Boneshield and having a perma-Ghoul.

My main focus at 80 will be tanking heroics and maybe some of our “fun runs” for Naxx or Ulduar, but nothing end-game or too serious. I also have no intentions on dual-weild tanking. It’s just unappealing.

So on that note, I have a few questions and hopefully some of you have answers.

Are there any significant disadvantages that I would have running with an Unholy tanking build over Blood or Frost or does it really just boil down to personal preference?

If there are disadvantages, what are they?

What is Unholy lacking that doesn’t allow it to run on par with Blood or Frost?

What spec do you prefer to tank with and why?

What made you choose that spec over the other 2?

Can you recommend any good DK tanking blogs, forum threads, etc.?

This position is an Application Administrator to support operations within our client’s department. This position has a critical role in delivering our services to clients and ensuring successful ongoing operation of our applications and services. It services a highly interactive software development build/release process as well as a rich operational environment with many interrelated applications/database services. The candidate should be self-motivated, detail oriented, adaptable to change and must work well in a flexible team environment with developers, QA, operations staff, system administrators and managers.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Application and database support

• Provide on-going database administration in both back-end and front-end with application infrastructure support for our client’s administration systems, including the deployment of new applications.
• Review the physical design of existing databases for optimal database structures, database performance tuning, security, database backup/recovery strategy, implementing high-availability, and pro-active and reactive performance analysis, monitoring, troubleshooting and resolution of issues, capacity planning, monitoring data growth and system utilization, trend analysis and predicting future database resource requirements.
• Install web-base applications from ground up to full-ballooned implementation and support, including configuration at Unix/Linux/Windows system level, back-end integration with database, front-end integration with user-interface, final delivery to users to fulfill users’ requirement and on-going maintenance.
• Take the lead in ensuring that application and web services are configured and tuned according to application needs; provide troubleshooting as needed.
• Work with System Administrators to ensure test and production boxes conform to the software application configuration needs.
• Support the department-wide infrastructure application for database management, system monitoring and notification, job scheduling, deployment, provision and patching automation, application topology and service level management for campus-wide system performance.

Build/release activities

• Manage the build, tagging and release processes for a number of interdependent Java web applications and background processes in the QA and production environments. Ensure the build and release process is scalable and repeatable.
• Work with the development team to ensure efficient and understandable build procedures are adhered to and conform to a standard process for configuration and release management
• Develop and maintain tools that automate the building of software releases for an Agile-based development process. This is one of continuous integration, where the automated build process can be run many times a day if necessary.
• Work with and support the QA team to ensure automated test suites run as part of the continuous integration build process.

REQUIREMENT FOR SKILL AND COMPETENCIES:

• Expert hands-on with shell scripts, other scripting languages, preferably Perl, and tool automations
• Minimum 2 years database administration experience in Oracle and 3 years Application administration experience in Unix/Linux infrastructure environments is required.
• Hands-on experience of Oracle databases 10g for 24/7 database operations and tool automation in installation, configuration, backup/recovery, startup/shutdown, data refresh, and application integrations.
• Experience with OEM/Grid Control is highly desired.
• Knowledge and understanding of large scale ERP implementation and support like Oracle Financial and PeopleSoft systems.
• Expert knowledge of Apache and Tomcat, and other web/application servers such as JBoss
• Strong Unix and system administration skills with basic network and security knowledge
• Strong experience and ability in web applications deployment, configuration and integration from both OpenSource and Commercial based systems with or without sophisticated vendor support.
• Java/J2EE based programs
• Java/servlet/JSP based web applications
• Experience with Subversion, PVCS or similar source code repository
• Experience with Maven and familiarity with automated build processes
• Experience with the Agile development methodology and concepts of extreme programming and continuous integration
• Understanding of the layers/tiers of web applications and the communication protocol between the tiers with networking protocols (TCP/IP, HTTP, SSL, DNS, FTP, etc.)
• Ability to multi-task and work in a team environment is critical and should have excellent communication skills in both verbal and written forms.
• Ability to manage multiple competing priorities and work under pressure in high stress situations
• Excellent communication skills in both verbal and written
• Ability to work under pressure and to deliver results in a complex and dynamic operational environment

Qualifications

Minimum 5 years as an IT professional in build/release and application/database administration, plus one or more of the following areas: IT infrastructure operations 24/7, systems analysis and design, or application development.

Education
Bachelors Degree in Computer Science, Engineering or related field or equivalent experience

If you are interested, please send your resume to tsotelo@mindsource.com.

Agile Development is all the rage these days, so I’m doing whatever I can to learn it.   There are all kinds of white papers and information, and it all looks pretty straight-forward to me.   Of course, employers all want experience, so I’m volunteering at SnapImpact, a non-profit group that created an iPhone app for volunteerism.  That’s me in the corner with the purple shirt, looking all Boulder-techie and Agile, hoping some employer will see me and say: We must have HER!

I want to create something like “Agile in Plain English” (I love those “in Plain English” little videos put on by commoncraft.)  First I’d start with “User Stories in Plain English.”

User stories are a simplified way of describing user requirements, basically following the format of

As a ___
I want to ___
So that ___

These “user stories” describe WHAT the user wants…not HOW it will be done.  At SnapImpact, we  came up with several user stories from different types of users.  Here are a couple examples of non-profit user stories:

As a nonprofit
I want to make people aware of our opportunities
So that people will volunteer and show up

As a nonprofit
I want to show our good/promote our accomplishments
so that we will get funding

I’m tempted to write a big long commentary about the importance of requirements gathering and then do something witty like creating a requirements document for my life, but I will save that for another day and time.  For now, here’s an article that describes user stories vs. use cases.

And now:

As a person
I want to eat breakfast
so that I’m not hungry

//

These Q&A sessions with authors have fallen off the map, for a lot of reasons. But as opportunities trickle in, we’ll run with them.

Today brings one such opportunity. Henry Baum’s new novel, The American Book of the Dead, just emerged. In addition, Baum has been at the forefront of the self-publishing movement, as the creator of the influential Self-Publishing Review site and the founder of Backword Books, a collective of independent literary authors. (Full disclosure: I was set to join Backword before my novel, 600 Hours of Edward, got picked up by Riverbend Publishing.)

In the questions and answers that follow, we’ll dig into Baum’s new book as well as his views on where publishing is … and where it’s going.

Q: You’re at the forefront of indie publishing, with a book (North of Sunset) that has been hailed as a standout among self-published works and a Web site that is a must-read for those who are going it alone. At what point did you realize that self-publishing had morphed into something bigger than the pejorative vanity publishing?

Actually, as soon as I got the first copy of North of Sunset from Lulu. The formatting of the text was a mess, but I was holding an actual book in my hands. The ability to see myself in print was a revelation. I’d spent years writing a novel prior to North of Sunset, years more trying to get it published — had an agent, etc. A draining, dispiriting experience. I’d published traditionally before in the U.S. and abroad, but when I got that first copy of the book after suffering to be in print for so long, it was like: Finally, I can bypass the madness.

Q: What has your publishing journey been like? Unlike a lot of indies, you’ve had some action in the traditional arena.

My first novel came out with Soft Skull Press, which was up and coming at the time, and is now pretty well-established. Actually, going back I had a novel before that with an agent and that didn’t sell. I hand-delivered my manuscript to Soft Skull myself, along with the demo tape of a band I was in, which the editor, Sander, said helped in his decision. That book’s endured, strangely. I wrote it when I was 20 years old and it’s come out in the U.K. with Rebel Inc. Press and France with Hachette Litteratures – maybe the equivalent of Vintage here. It just came out in another edition with Another Sky Press (anothersky.org). So it’s not as though I don’t traditional publishing. I’ve had many agents – a foreign rights agent, but I’ve had a fair share of bad experiences along the way with both agents and publishers. I think I might be a poster child for self-publishing, which is not something I ever wanted to be.

Q: Your third novel, “The American Book of the Dead,” just hit the market. In what ways are you applying the lessons you’ve learned about indie publishing in marketing this book?

Strangely enough, to not try as hard. What I mean by that is that with North of Sunset I went out of my way to try and find reviews and get the book listed wherever I could. I may run the Self-Publishing Review, which reviews books, but basically reviews aren’t that useful — they’re just kind of fun, to be part of the conversation. But in terms of selling books, it’s some wasted energy. So I’ll try to get some reviews here/there, but I’m not going to go crazy. So much social media didn’t exist when I put out that book — specifically Twitter, but also Scribd and the ebook revolution. In many ways, it’s a lot easier now. I mean, my novel shot up to the top of Kindle’s charts after a brief mention on a forum. Unloading that number of print books just isn’t realistic. But I’m also going to be patient — this is something that could build over time, as people discover the book, read it, pass it on, so I’m not nearly as desperate to “hit it big” as I once was. If it happens, great, but it’s much more likely to happen organically, slowly, than selling a lot of books all at once.

I’m also doing something very different with this book. I’m also a songwriter — I was a musician before I ever started writing fiction, but I’ve always kept it as more of a hobby. Now I’m really going for it and recording a song for each chapter in the novel @ theamericanbookofthedead.com. Something else I’ve learned is your marketing strategy has to be unique; it’s not enough that your book is good. This songwriting project is unique I think, and it also gives me a reason to take songwriting more seriously for the first time.

Q: You’ve gotten blowback from some in the indie ranks for suggesting that it’s not antithetical to self-publishing to insist on editorial weeding-out. What do you mean?

I’m a part of Backword Books — a collective of self-published authors who have banded together. In doing so, we’ve had to turn away a fair number of writers no differently than an agent or publishing house. Which sucks, in a way, because the reason I’ve gotten into self-publishing is because I so loathe the gatekeeping system. But what I loathe about the gatekeeping system is that it is money-driven more than quality-driven. I have no problem with a literary press selecting books the editor likes – that’s his/her prerogative. Gatekeeping isn’t bad by design, it’s just that the design has gotten fairly screwed up by the current system. But there are a fair number of self-publishing purists out there who think even the collective arrangement is anti-thetical to the DIY spirit. I don’t.

Q: What’s wrong with the traditional publishing model? How can collectives like Backword Books find the legitimacy of traditional publishing while also avoiding the problems that affect it?

I have no problem with traditional publishing — I’ve just been rejected (as have many other people) based on criteria that has nothing to do with the writing. My last novel was about Hollywood. I was told by an agent, “A book was just sold about the magazine industry, so that’s what people are looking for.” This is lunacy. Plenty of good books get published, but too many good books get turned away and authors aren’t given the chance to grow should a book not sell immediately. That’s not usually how art unfolds, with overnight success. It can take years, possibly, for an artist to hit their stride. Publishers can say: Well, self-publish and hit your stride, and we’ll talk then. I’m fine with that and I think that’s what’s happening with self-publishing and why it’s gaining legitimacy — because a lot of good writers with a decent track record are getting turned away.

Backword isn’t everything it could be, I’ll admit — not yet. The thing that traditional publishing has over self-publishing is distribution. And it’s not as though Backword suddenly got a bookstore distribution deal by banding together. That’s one of our ultimate goals. If we’re able to achieve that, then it does change the landscape quite a bit because you take away the main issue that makes traditional publishing superior: distribution to brick and mortar stores.

Q: What is your ideal writing environment?

Hmmn, not having a full-time job. Unfortunately, I don’t live in that paradise. All I need is four hours right after the first morning coffee and that’d be great. I read that both John Steinbeck and Truman Capote only wrote full-steam for four hours — even though they had the time to do otherwise. Otherwise the writing started to get weak. I’m a person who writes in bursts, so I’ll write a novel in three months and then be totally drained and not write another word for a while. So, man, if I could have three months to just write half the day and record music the other half, that would be a dream. Right now, I get in writing when I can.

Q: What’s on your nightstand? What sort of things do you read for pleasure?

Well, I have so much reading to do for the Self-Publishing Review — so many writers counting on the site for reviews — that I feel guilty venturing out into other territory. Which is sort of unfortunate. Strangely though, I tend to read a lot of non-fiction — esoteric stuff. The American Book of the Dead is about the end of the world, evolution, consciousness, and other such ideas and I still haven’t lost my bug for figuring out just what the hell is going on behind the veil.

20/11/09, Veda Beaux Reves promoting her album Stars Edge

Q: While lost and dazed, in a tumultuous world of shiny, sparkly and misfit bags, I turn to you for assistance! I am looking for a spectacular messenger bag that can work both day and night, with fantastic hardware (like that found on older versions of Marc Jacobs) and noteworthy functionality (preferably a trailer home for the hard-working MacBook), and with delectable style… Most significant is the look of a cool hand bag with an across the body strap (or shoulder strap), with color taking a debatable stance. The most challenging aspect of all… is the price; although Balenciaga’s Arena Giant Covered City Bag and Proenza Schouler’s PS1 bags are most spectacular, emitting love rays to all those looking, they are sure to provide a “bread and water” holiday season- BAH HUMBUG!!! Alas, I turn to you, to dtangle me please with some enlightening sunshine! – S.G, Boston, MA

A: My dear reader, thank you for your amazing email. I love you. Moreover, I totally sympathize with your quandary. It’s so hard to find a beautiful bag that’s functional — but add in a low-cost caveat and you are really pricing yourself out of the best bags out there which are in the mid-level (not cheap, but consider them a value). I love a bargain just as much as the next girl, but as a professional-for-life, I will always need a luxe home for the stuff of my bread and butter. I’m guessing my girls out there will, too; so my advice is to spend the extra cash and get one you can love long time.

1.Gryson Olivia, $785– I don’t like to play favorites but if I had to pick one for myself, this would be it. I love the woven handles and Gryson uses the absolute softest pebbled leather which would be a pleasure to carry. The color works with everything and if you need to go from the office to a nice dinner no one would have any idea your chic bag was home to a pile of messy papers and a laptop! This bag is an investment but the versatility would pay off in the long run, when you no longer need to tote your MacBook around and have an assistant to take your dictation.

2.Tabitha Stardust, $400– I love the color and shape of this easy bag; it’s big when full and little when empty. Pale greys and ivories in winter are so luxurious and this would look great as an everyday carryall.

3.Matt + Nat Goldfrapp, $235 – A simple bag that will juuust fit your laptop and some files. Lots of pockets on the inside will keep you organized. This 100% vegan bag (23 bottles recycled!) will also win you some karma points.

4.Proenza Schouler PS1, $1,995– You are right – this bag is a fantasy! – but it’s so fabulous how could I overlook it? Doesn’t she look cute among all her little friends? The gold standard.

5.Coach Audrey, $798– My pal Coop has been rocking a really cute Coach from the new collection and I’ve been viewing the line with new eyes. I love the chain on this bag and it comes in a whole range of colors. Over at the coveted you can take a look at how great the bag looks when it is expanded and really get a sense of the size. This is a gorgeous bag and from what I hear Coach has got their quality issues resolved and is making classic, long-lasting bags once again. There are a lot of options here so make sure to check out their full assortment!

6. Kooba Jagger, $595– This was the prettiest ivory bag I saw, and although I see it getting ruined more quickly than some others, I like the details and this would definitely work on lots of different occasions. Kooba is worth looking into as a brand because their bags are comfortable, well-made, and fashionable without being overbranded.

7. Marc by Marc Jacobs Petal Tote, $498 – One of my buyers at Bloomingdale’s said the other model in this bag, the Sasha http://savvy.purseblog.com/images/Marc-by-Marc-Jacobs-Petal-to-the-Metal-Sasha-Shoulder-Bag.jpg, is totally sold out for them and that they are getting more in December. I like it, but actually prefer this Barney’s exclusive because it’s sturdier and looks like it can hold more. Not everyone will be a fan of the girly hardware but I am so sick of the push-buckles it’s refreshing to see something new.

What is your aim for next year?

NR: The aim is going to be very high for me. I want to win races at least, and then we’ll see. We need to wait a few months to see how the car turns out but I’m confident that we’re going to have a strong package.

What does it mean to be the first German to race a Silver Arrows grand prix car in over 50 years?

NR: It’s incredible. It is definitely quite a special thing. The last time a German raced a Silver Arrow was 1955, so that’s a very long time ago. It’s about time there was a German in a Silver Arrows again.

Nika Lauda says that you have the talent to take on and beat Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. What is your reaction to that?

NR: It’s very nice to hear that from him and I definitely believe in myself as a racing driver and I’m really looking forward to next year because for sure I’m going to have a great car and I really believe that I’m going to be able to take them on for sure.

Which of the two of them is tougher competition?

NR: That’s difficult to say. We’ll see next year when they are up against each other. I’m not sure. I raced against Lewis, so I can say for sure that Lewis is a great driver and Jenson is a bit more difficult for me to judge but he is certainly a fantastic driver.

Do you regard yourself as German or Finnish?

NR: I definitely regard myself as a German, quite simply because I grew up with the German culture, we spoke German at home and watched German TV. So overall I’m a German.

You said during the year that you had a lot of options for 2010. You’ve now signed for one of the few manufacturer teams in F1 – how important a factor was that in your decision?

NR: It was definitely a factor that was important in my decision. It’s fantastic to be part of a great manufacturer like Mercedes and that together with the team that used to be Brawn GP is the best possible combination for me.

If the driver in the other car is Michael Schumacher, are you confident that you can take him on and beat him?

NR: I don’t want to comment on that, sorry.

Are you surprised that the driver in the other car is not Jenson Button?

NR: It was never certain [to be]. There was a high chance that it was going to be and now it has turned out not to be. That’s just how it went. I wasn’t that involved with what was going on so it was a little bit of a surprise, but not too much.

Would you like to have a German team-mate?

NR: I don’t really mind who my team-mate is. It’s just important that he fits well into the group so that we can attack together for Mercedes GP.

Have you already been to the factory and what do you know about next year’s car?

NR: I will go to the factory on Wednesday because I also waited for the announcement to be done. I’ve been in contact with Ross and the engineers about next year’s car to keep in touch, but I’m really going to start attacking on that front on Wednesday. I’m looking forward to visiting the factory and also there are a lot of people that I know from past years in F1 and it will be nice to see them again.

Who do you see as your main rival?
NR: I think it’s best to mention teams at this point and the main rivals will most likely be Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull.

You are the first driver to be contracted by Mercedes. How far do you consider yourself a team leader?

NR: It’s something that I would really like to grow into, to become a team leader. That’s what I’ll be pushing to do and you achieve that by working with the team, getting the respect of the team and becoming a team leader in pushing the technical direction and also in terms of results on the track. That’s something that you need to build up and I’m going to try and do that very soon.

Have your say and share your views in the comments  – get writing now…

Reference Source:Autosport.com

I’m back from Texas, where I saw a lot of friends, had a lot of fun and sold a not-insignificant number of books. Pictures and such will have to wait; today, I’m back to work. But some quick hits from the long weekend:

• The highlight, easily, was Saturday night’s open house. Over the course of the night, we saw more than 100 people stream in, stick around for conversation and food and enjoy 600 Hours of Edward. Big ups to Mom’s Catering (that is, my mom and her stellar party-making skills) for making the evening a big hit. I saw former classmates, former teachers, friends’ parents, people I didn’t know (but now do). It was a great time.
• After Friday morning, I had a greater appreciation for the difficulty teachers face in trying to deliver a lesson, knowing full well they aren’t reaching everybody. I spent four hours with English classes (three at a time) at my alma mater, and I really appreciated being invited in by Richland High School and all the good questions about writing and life beyond high school.
• Thursday morning, I spent time with English classes at Harwood Junior High in Bedford, Texas. The organizing teacher, Donna Baumgartner, was my third-grade teacher back in 1978-79. Wonderful to see her, and wonderful to see so many kids who clearly love reading.
• After Harwood, I dashed out to the North Richland Hills Public Library for a reading and a Q&A. A lot of nice folks — many of whom I hadn’t seen in more than 20 years — came out for that. I’m looking forward to the next event at that beautiful new building.
• Off-topic but near and dear to my heart: My wife, Angie, surprised me with a tour of Cowboys Stadium on Friday evening. The Cowboys’ opulent new home is absolutely stunning and far more impressive than the actual team.

I’ve been gone from North Richland Hills long enough and have lived long enough that visits tend to hit me in squarely in my nostalgia. On this trip, it seemed there was a memory around every corner. I had a lot of fun showing Angie the places I wandered when I was a kid, pointing out houses where my friends lived, plots of ground that used to be open space, etc. The Dallas/Fort Worth area has grown with such vigor in the past couple of decades that much of the background of my childhood has been left behind. I suppose that’s progress, in its own way. To me, though, it often just seemed like the erosion of the place I knew.

At any rate, we stumbled home to Billings on Sunday night. As is always the case after some time away, it’s good to be here.

AND ONE MORE THING …

600 Hours of Edward received a lovely — and long-awaited — review from the LL Book Review. The site originally planned to review the self-published version of the book several months back and graciously agreed to delay the review until the book re-emerged.

A snippet:

I could go on and on about all of the really fine points of this book, to the point where I might rival the 80,000 words of the novel itself. The bottom line is this is a book which should be experienced.

Thank you, LK Gardner-Griffie.

“(…) A literatura é, assim, vida, parte da vida, não se admitindo possa haver conflito entre uma e outra. Através das obras literárias, tomamos contactos com a vida, nas suas verdades eternas, comuns a todos os homens e lugares, porque são as verdades da mesma condição humana.”

COUTINHO, Afrânio., “Notas da Teoria Literária“.

Regressando por estas bandas após meses afastada, trago novidades!

Periodicamente escreverei crônicas unidas por um tema comum: o cotidiano empresarial.

A série “Crônicas Corporativas” é um projeto antigo, eu sempre manifestei o desejo de transcrever algumas das situações que vivenciei ou tomei conhecimento através de amigos, que também atuam na área de Engenharia de Software, seja programando, planejando estrategicamente ou testando o sistema.

“Mas o que isso tem a ver com literatura, tema principal do seu blog?”

A frase acima não foi escrita por acaso e elucida bem o que quero transmitir.

Através da vivência no dia a dia das empresas, se pararmos para observar, conseguimos detectar vários tipos de comportamentos. E na minha opinião o mais interessante é observar o que tantas variantes humanas são capazes de realizar, de bom ou de mau, se unidas a outras personalidades e objetivos distintos. Unidas não por afinidade, mas por convenção para os interesses de uma empresa.

Teoricamente defendendo os interesses de uma empresa, contudo aqueles que acumulam alguma experiência no mercado de trabalho sabem que nem sempre apenas os interesses das empresas são defendidos. E é esta a janela que quero abrir com a série “Crônicas Corporativas”, mostrar cenas do cotidiano de uma empresa fictícia, que atua como fábrica de software, desenvolvendo sistemas sob medida para os variados ramos de atuação de seus clientes.

Um belo exercício de escrita, de observação e de tentativa de compreender a lógica humana nas grandes corporações.

Tenho certeza de que os leitores vão se identificar e, mesmo não atuando diretamente na área de Engenharia de Software, poderão saborear o clima corporativo, competitivo e por vezes desleal, que existe em todas as empresas, sejam elas pequeninas ou gigantescas multinacionais.

Para tanto, deixe visível o seu crachá de visitante e me acompanhe por gentileza.