In the last few posts, an experience has been mentioned that has been plaguing my mind. Writing about it is difficult, because I didn’t know what to make of it. The emotions were tenebrous and raw. Things have bubbled up to the surface that are making me re-examine key aspects of my social existence. One could say that it was writer’s block or maybe simple hesitation to confront personal issues. Everyone likes to believe that they are psychologically fit as fiddle. A point of pride for me has always been superb abilities of mental self regulation. Not that it has failed me, but the desire to vent all of this is strong.

A couple weeks ago, some friends and myself went to a bar type bar to take in the Cavs game and get sloppy. I arrived a bit late due to a lengthy phone conversation with my mother K-Dawg, about the horrible turns my career/life were taking. Coming in, the group quickly waved me over and a cold Great Lakes Christmas Ale was placed in my hand. Not too bad of a start. My recently married buddy Roy was there, along with Kuz-nax and some others. Among the assembled ladies were Roy’s wife, someone’s girlfriend, and much to my dismay, Miss Facebook Fuckaround. You won’t believe it, but that was her greeting to me. Literally, “There’s my Facebook friend!”. This can’t be made up. She dug right in with letting me know that she loved my status updates and that they were so hilarious and did they really happen and she shows her friends them because she thinks I am so very, very funny. I know. Part of the title of this damn blog is “Jester”, alluding to the fact that the author at least believes that he is humorous. These situations are detestable, but they are well endured and not a slip of internal repugnance is displayed.

Finally, the match started as the patrons all rose to cheer our Cleveland Cavaliers. Sports generally bore me. My only exception is football. There are tactical elements at work that can change the course of a game instantly. Every player has an individual task, but can alter their job in a subtle fashion for the advantage of their team. Plus, Sunday gatherings of gridiron homage are accompanied with fine food, drink, and social interaction with comrades. However, a majority of folks tend to love basketball and going with them to some watering hole at least gets me out of the house. It’s either activities mildly detested or putting a dent in my Netflix Instant Queue. Christmas Ale was pretty good this year and the establishment’s chow was not too rough on the palate. Slowly it all began to slip away from me. Amongst the men, I became the guy on the end seat at the movie theater. You know, the one that gets left out of various discussions? Not that they can be blamed really. The Lonesome Jester knows little about basketball, except that Lebron James is the best maybe. Our ladies were on the topic of work with a side of female type stuff. All that one could do in such a predicament was to keep sucking down brews while feigning attention to giants tossing an orb.

Fatigue started to set in. Thunderdome had been especially truculent that week, which had greatly taxed my already exhausted frame. Miss Facebook Fuckaround began to inquire if I was bored. Yes, but we all know that was not said out loud. A major pet peeve of mine is when people continually ask of my state of being. She kept in on it though, proceeding to bring other feminine compatriots to her mission of “What is Wrong With The Lonesome Jester?” Fan-freaking-tastic. All this did was further aggravate me. Another beer appeared in front me and vanished in moments. Great Lakes is not of the chugging type. It is fairly high octane and will knock your socks off when consumed with abandon. Optimum pre-hydration had not been performed, as I had been over eager to get to the bar. Constant queries into “what was wrong” were pushing me towards an even darker mood….also greater want of bed and slumber. Eager she-bears fervently ripping at my honey pot head for the sweet gelatinous goo inside.

Unbeknownst to me, the gentlemen had either caught vibes of what was transpiring or perhaps Roy’s wife said something to him. They then brought over two Miller Lite Advertisement girls saying that it was my birthday in the hopes of free stuff and convincing one of these dolled up suds hussies to get with me. I reached for a game face that had apparently been misplaced six glasses ago. “You don’t look very happy birthday boy. What’s wrong?” The flicked match lands atop the fuel and fertilizer collection. “I was just diagnosed with terminal cancer.” To be fair, there is no good way to reply to this. Her eyes widened and she stammered, “Oh, uh, I uh, have cancer too.” Almost went from filled with bile to outright laughter. She and her partner exited without word. The group wrote it off as one of my bleaker examples of humor.

After the Cavs victory, a band took the stage. Surprise, surprise they were going to be covering chart toppers of the eighties? Oh huzzah…….

Most frequenters of this blog are aware of my stance on ensembles of this genre. At this point it was done. My companions had left me for the dance floor. The kooky single aka Chandler Bing was not currently to their taste. Not their fault; he was being a miserable shit. After quite some time, he was waking up to the resounding notion that this was not where he belonged. These people, kind as they were, were not his. Our interests did not intersect on most points. Finding a new social circle is difficult at this juncture. Easy access to a wide pedigree of people is about four years behind me. What can one do? Just tag along and provide witty commentary on the proceedings. Take the ephemeral rapture that comes with extracting their mirth. Drink deeply and maybe it will seem as though the merriment is shared, not directed at its source.

Eugénie haïssait les jeudis. La plupart des employés, quels que fussent leur corps de métier, n’appréciaient guère les lundis, pour des raisons évidentes. Bien sûr, elle ne portait pas non plus les lundis dans son cœur, mais cela n’avait rien à voir avec les jeudis. Durant ce jour, chaque semaine, elle devait organiser une réunion avec ses collègues sur le programme de la semaine suivante. Le travail en lui-même n’était pas problématique, mais les personnes qui l’entouraient lors de ces réunions l’exaspéraient merveilleusement. Et aujourd’hui avait lieu une réunion assez spéciale, puisqu’il fallait finaliser tous les préparatifs pour l’anniversaire du Roy qui se tenait dans un peu plus d’une semaine. Pour l’occasion, un budget bien défini était débloqué, et il incombait aux créatifs du ministère de trouver les meilleurs idées pour que le Roy se divertît comme un monarque devait le faire. Ces créatifs, Eugénie les avaient devant elle, bavassant depuis maintenant une bonne demi-heure quant à l’ordre d’apparition des festivités.

—    Allons bon ! s’écria l’un des deux. Vous n’y pensez pas ! Je suis d’avis qu’une journée comme celle-ci doive commencer lentement, mettre notre Roy dans une ambiance chaleureuse et réconfortante, pour finir de plus en plus incroyablement !

—    Je suis sceptique, répliquait le deuxième. Le Roy ne pourrait-il pas rapidement s’ennuyer si la célébration commence trop mollement… ? Non… je serais plutôt d’avis de commencer assez fort, puis de diminuer le rythme pour ne pas trop le fatiguer, et de repartir de plus belle pour finir en apothéose…

L’atmosphère était pesante, et ces deux comparses n’arrangeaient en rien la situation. Les deux se trouvaient assis l’un en face de l’autre ; une montagne de documents les séparait et, dans la continuité de cette ligne de démarcation, présidait Eugénie, dont l’exaspération aurait été visible par n’importe qui extérieur à toute cette mascarade. Si elle avait fumé, elle aurait probablement rempli, en plus de ses poumons, un cendrier à elle seule. Elle n’aimait pas sa position de médiatrice, au beau milieu de cette table en acajou, plantée dans cette pièce trop grande pour elle. Cette table ovale, Eugénie l’observait depuis le début de leur assemblée ; d’expérience, elle savait ou regarder pour tantôt admirer sa courbe ovale aux deux extrémités, tantôt étudier avec attention les différentes taches ou traces observables depuis sa position. Ici, l’on pouvait apercevoir une absence de vernis où des dizaines d’écritures se superposaient – quelles stupides choses ses collègues avaient pu noter durant ces dernières années ? Là, une tache blanche laissait supposer un liquide renversé, puis frotté pour le faire disparaître ; le vernis lui aussi avait fait les frais de cette intense friction qui avait dû, à n’en pas douter, requérir l’attention de tous les membres d’une quelconque réunion ce jour-là.

Ses pensées furent interrompues par l’apostrophe de son collègue de gauche, celui qui préférait commencer léger pour finir en fanfare.

—    Eugénie ? Vous écoutez ? Nous voudrions connaître votre avis sur la question !

Lorsqu’il s’exprimait, elle avait l’impression de voir des points d’exclamation au dessus de sa tête. Il n’arrivait pas à parler sans s’exclamer ; Eugénie avait l’impression, en l’écoutant, de lire des mauvais slogans publicitaires remplis de points d’interrogations, censés aguichés le chaland, mais qui avait plutôt tendance à la repousser. De ce fait, dans sa logique de donner des surnoms à ses collègues, celui-ci se nommait Point d’Exclamation, ou Point d’Ex selon les moments.

—    Voyons, essayons de récapituler toutes les activités qui auront lieu ce jour-là. Tout d’abord, je pense que l’on est obligé d’en classer certaines par rapport à d’autres, selon la disponibilité des intervenants.

—    Certes, oui ! Voilà pourquoi il n’est pas facile de faire ce planning ! Donc, les festivités sont le défilé militaire, le défilé de voitures, le cirque ambulant et leurs animaux. Quoi d’autres ?

—    Nous avons aussi… le banquet… le concert de musique… un spectacle de sons et lumières suivis d’un feu d’artifices… le gâteau d’anniversaire surprise… la troupe de théâtre…

—    Et enfin un bon dodo, intervint Eugénie.

L’humour ne fonctionnait visiblement pas avec ces deux énergumènes. D’autant plus qu’elle se sentit obligée d’intervenir et de couper court à cette récapitulation qui avait été une très mauvaise idée en présence de ces deux-là. Car si l’un ne jurait que par l’exclamatif, l’autre était incapable de parler franchement et abusait des points de suspension. Vraiment, cela n’aurait pas pu être pire si elle avait été en train de lire un mauvais roman, où la ponctuation cachait de gros problèmes d’imagination ou d’un discours maladroit. Ou les deux. De facto, le doux sobriquet « Suspension » avait ainsi vu le jour.

Roy 2.0 was such a drastic overhaul. I had to completely redesign Roy with working joints so he is able to be an actor in my upcoming film Roy.

I started out in Maya, 3d animation software, and tore my original model apart. The original model was not adequate enough to build upon so all the shapes had to be remodeled with more polygons.

After I was happy with the new model, I decided to test print just a leg to make sure that the joints I had just designed would work. The coolest part about 3D printing is if your print doesn’t quite work, print another one!!

The leg came out really well, the foot was a little loose, but that was easy to fix.

This is my workstation, it’s very state of the art… haha, well, almost. There is a cool haptic device for Claytools. When working with any 3D model for printing, Claytools is a must. I was able to test most of my joints before printing them, so out of 16 physical joints, 2 had to be redesigned.

Next came the final print:

There he is!! It was really exciting to see all my hard work come to life! Technical specs: Every joint was snap-together except the head and hip joints. The thighs are held to the torso with elastic, and the friction that is there is enough to hold the whole body up. The head is a ball and socket joint for full range of motion, and then some. Also I made his head with removable faceplate capabilities, but after printing it, I discovered a better way of doing the same features. I am going to print a head with a slot for a magnet, then all the facial features will be easily movable metal pieces.

When I do a final print this is what Roy will look like. Overall, it was a very fun experience, and I am really excited to use him in the film!

Cerceii mei, facuti special pentru a se asorta cu pardesiul in aceleasi nuante. Nu-i dau, doar ma laud

1974 Topps League Leaders Card Starring Jim Palmer & Tom Seaver

This card celebrates the incredible seasons that both Jim Palmer and Tom Seaver had during the 1973 major league baseball season.

Each player led their leagues in ERA.  Palmer led the American League with a low 2.39.  And not to be outdone, Tom Seaver led the National League and the majors with a mighty impressive 2.08.

Two of the best pitchers from the 1970’s on one baseball card.  And a perfect addition to my Jim Palmer player collection!!!  

Oh, and just to close the circle, each of these great pitchers won the Cy Young award in their respective leagues that year.  For Palmer, it was his first of three.  And for ‘Tom Terrific’, it was his second of three awards.

Hello and once again welcome,

In an attempt to enrage our current fan base, which yes is nobody at all. We need to think of ways to reel in the sea of readers that want to indulge themselves into our delightful ’posts’. So this raised a question in our brains, what do we have to talk about to get these streams of ‘blogging experts’ to leaf through our blog?

We sat, drank tea and came up with a simple list:

1. Talk about extreme views that may bring a waterfall of violence, anger and hatred to our page?

or

2. Talk about things people actually care about with less passion and enthusiasm, such as the recession?

So we naturally chose the more exciting one of the two. The violence, anger and hatred. This also posed another question in front of our maturing eyes, what kind of topics bring such passion out in people? This one was a little bit harder than the previous inquest, but us being us, we pondered on the thought and came up with another simple list.

1. Sexism

2. Religion

3. Driving

4. Homosexuality

or

5. Vaccimulgency

So once again we chose the most intriguing one of them. Religion. This not being my favourite subject, it is one I have been coerced upon to learn for all of my life. So a subject I might be able to conjure up some factual quotes from. It is also a subject I have had in my head for various days now, simply because an epiphany happened to me a few days back in time. It made me think, why are there no amazing statues of Jesus looking very powerful and epic? It seems to me his powers have been forgotten over the billion years he’s been with us. We all clearly forgot that this man made another man’s ear appear from nothing but air! Weather you believe in the Christian faith or not, he should, not wait definitely be classed as a superhero! and naturally a superhero needs to have a life-sized, solid concrete, epic statue placed within the grounds of someone’s land! This rule has been written in the ‘Superheroes Guide Book of Amazement‘ for trillions of years! It raised a vital question, Jesus is a fictional character to some people, so can he be classed as a superhero? I’m voting for a yes! Jesus FTW.

Okay so that may not have angered you, in fact your probably thinking what is this nutsack, sorry nutcrack on about. Well, me along with a select few would maybe like to read the sacred writings of the Christian faith, The Bible, but its a little hard in the hectic life of today. Were all busy running back and forth, making sure we don’t get made redundant for getting the sugars wrong in the bosses coffee. Us simple people need The Bible to maybe be a tad shorter and in a language that is readable to the human mind. Maybe a website has already done the laborious job for us, but it’s just not the same as a dust-covered book that your granddad has pulled from the bedside table. I want an authentic looking, ‘granddad would approve of’, Bible.

We need a re-write of The Bible, a re-write by a clever, funny, ‘I can take a joke and not break your legs’ kinda guy. This person I’m not sure of yet but who cares. To me The Bible needs to be authentic but graphic. laymen terms. simple. user-friendly. Like a well contracted website. So this brings me back to my epiphany, I’m thinking of creating a graphic re-write of The Bible and also Jesus in a new light, with superhero status. Perhaps to be called, ‘The Bible: Uncut’ or ‘The Bible: Uncensored’ … along with ‘Jesus: Our Lord and Saviour’ (That will be the plaque on the statue)

So have a ponder on my thoughts, feel free to be infuriated and I hope you enjoyed the read. Tell your friends, we kind of need them.

Peace, Ryan.

1986 Fleer Superstar Special with Darryl Strawberry & Tim Raines

What can I say, this is a card featuring two of my favorite players from my favorite baseball era – the 1980’s!!

The card’s theme is ‘Instant Offense’ and I don’t know if a better title could have been established for these two All-star players.

Both Strawberry and Raines were multi-faceted players whose offensive skills were some of the best in the league.  With blazing speed, home run power, and great control at the plate, there was nothing that these guys couldn’t do to ignite offense!!!

Another great card in my Darryl Strawberry player collection has found a new home!!!

* Dewi magazine, June 2005

The debut opening of Roy Petley’s gallery in London caused an uproar in the West End, with people seen queuing down the street to get in. In fact, that wintry October night saw so many people in the gallery that the fire department responded four times to heat alarms going off in the building.

Roy Petley (photo: Titania Veda)

This dream of an art gallery began many years ago by a boy abandoned to a children’s home. Trapped in a dark and dreary world, even the beatings by his guardians could not curb Roy’s irrepressible spirit. “My escape was painting and drawing, the reality was horrible. I quite liked the fistfights but I didn’t like the beatings,” he confides. Becoming the first ever to receive a scholarship at the children’s home at the tender age of sixteen, Roy left for Brighton University but after his first semester he decided to go to Florence in the arms of a beautiful woman. His thirst for the foundations of art, well-drawn, well-coloured and well-painted works naturally drew him to the Italian masters of old; Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo. Several years later, after living through his work in Italy, he returned to his homeland, England. There, he exhibited on the Green Park railings, a then melting pot of would be artists.

A chance meeting with the Duchess of Kent was the beginning of a lifelong friendship with the British royal family. The late Queen Mother and the Prince of Wales are collectors of his works, the late Queen Mother being particularly fond of his Norfolk landscapes. A whirlwind romance with an adoring public commenced, with sell-out shows following him wherever he went, from London to Barbados, Dublin to Dallas.

To satisfy his love of beautiful sports cars, three Alfa Romeos, engine red Ferraris and an E-type Jaguar once decorated his backyard. He even appeared on Good Morning Texas, flanked between William Shatner who “was on before me trying to promote a video game for Star Wars”, and a piano-playing-pot-bellied-pig who refused to perform. “It wouldn’t play the piano because it was camera shy”, Roy deduced.

Roy’s rags to riches story caught the eye of both the BBC and Sky Television, resulting in documentaries on his life and his art, and forced a change on his outlook on life. “I used to have people lining up to buy my work – but once the BBC did their documentary on me, they ended up banging on my front door trying to buy a paintings, it became a nightmare!” he exclaimed. Once dubbed the Best Dressed Man in London, this sort of major publicity was not in line with Roy’s solitary nature. In the early nineties, he chose tranquillity over fame and moved to a lonely farmhouse in the south-west of France. “I left England to become an unknown, to have a peaceful life”, he said. He quickly applied his energy to rebuilding his new-found home, which was soon to be featured in House & Garden, Homes & Gardens and Interior magazine.

the last of the sun by Roy Petley (courtesy of Petley Fine Art)

An impressionistic painter, he finds inspiration in his surroundings. In the summers, he is often found by local fishermen knee-deep in water, drawing models draped in flowing white dresses and adorned with wide-brimmed hats that Roy is known for collecting, or painting his neighbour’s children licking ice lollipops in his rose garden.

Self-taught, Roy experiments with all mediums, disclosing how he changes “mediums when I want to change my mind-set”. At his leisure, he moves effortlessly from pastel to oil, watercolour to sanguine. He speaks of each medium with equal passion, stressing on the ability to draw well being essential when working with any medium, particularly watercolour – “There is no changing it…there is only one chance”. He continues on saying, “watercolours are my reference for my oil paintings, an oil painting becomes a fuller version of the watercolour on a canvas.” He describes how Degas used to work with charcoal before drawing in the pastel, but prefers himself to draw with colour immediately. He is also is quick to illustrate that “pastel is a dusty medium and after a short period of working with it, I am always happy to return to my natural medium – oil.”

The subjects of Roy’s works are as varied as his mediums, drawing upon inspiration from anything and everything – portraits, still life, cityscapes and landscapes have all felt the touch of his brush in his paintings. “I usually have an idea of what I want to do before I begin, I see the world through my paintbrush and palette – all that remains to do is to recreate the image that I see in my mind.”

Whether it be landscape or still life, light and shadow are the basis of his works. There is a certain light and youthfulness, a grace and joyfulness that emanates from his paintings. He depicts an untouchable innocence that is reminiscent of childhood and days gone by. Although it may seem an old-fashioned and romantic world, this is Roy’s world as it exists today. Each painting draws you in, engages you with its subtle colours and soft lines.

sunlight in the dark canal by Roy Petley (courtesy of Petley Fine Art)

It is said that once you have had a show in Cork Street, you have made it in the art world. Having exhibited in galleries on the street for over a decade, Roy had reached a point in his life where he wanted to give something back. In his youth, Roy himself had approached gallery after gallery, carrying his portfolio, and had been turned away. In later years, the same galleries would beg him to exhibit with them – he wanted to provide artists with the opportunities he never had, with “a gallery they can trust, where artists feel comfortable”, where the open doors and laid back atmosphere would encourage artists – especially the younger ones. In the autumn of 2003, he did just that. “I started up the gallery because I was really fed up with how artists are treated”, he explained.

Petley Fine Art sets itself apart from other galleries because as Roy proudly states, “this is the first time an artist has owned a major gallery promoting work other than his own”. True to his word, Roy has raised the bar for the whole area by filling his gallery with only the finest paintings and sculptures from an international pantheon of artists. “We have famous artists, infamous artists, and also young artists just starting out in their careers – regardless of where they are in their careers, it is their talent that attracts us to them.”

It is this refreshing concoction of artists that gives the gallery its lively character and explains why artists enjoy exhibiting there. Neil Forster, an artist of Petley Fine Art and an established portrait painter whose sitters include The Prince of Wales, speaks highly of the gallery. “I thought this gallery opening in “the” art street of London and offering art with no over-intellectualizing or posing, is so refreshing that it must in time be one of the most visited galleries in London.”

Roy is also quick to point out that a lot of effort has been made to ensure nothing distracts from the paintings. His long-standing motto being, “the art is foremost, the gallery secondary and all emphasis is on the artists”.

Filled with boundless energy and enthusiasm, Roy floods his gallery with the same vitality he fills his paintings. Now with three galleries spread across Europe, Petley Fine Art seems to be going from strength to strength. As for Roy, does he miss the good old days when he was a struggling painter? “Well,” he laughs, saying, “I have artists ringing up at 4 AM telling me their problems with their wives who are jealous of their models. One artist calls up and says can I come see you now? I think, what’s going on here?”

Petley Fine Art
9 Cork St
London
W1S 3LL
+44 207 494 2021
http://www.petleys.co.uk/

Just days after major league baseball named its American League MVP, I received a signed baseball from the 1988 winner.

Jose Canseco’s popularity and stranglehold on the hobby were at an all-time high in 1988.  The MVP was part of the most dynamic offensive team in baseball and his 40+ home runs and 40+ stolen bases during that 1988 campaign put him into elite status.

So when I read about the signing at www.sportsgraphing.com, I jumped at the chance to get his autograph and decided to go with an inscription that was as rare as his incredible feat.  Now seeing the ball in person, I know that I made the right decision!!!

Pretty sweet huh???

Another great autograph added to my growing signed baseball collection.  And if you’re keeping track at home, this signed Canseco ball is #17.

… Dave R  from the blog ‘Dinks And Dunks’!!!!

Here is how the scoring broke down:

Tim - Andrew Bailey, Andrew McCutchen, Zack Greinke, Chris Carpenter, Joe Mauer, Derek Jeter(2nd), Albert Pujols, Chase Utley(2nd)  8

WickedOrtega - Matt Wieters, Chris Coghlan, Zack Greinke, Chris Carpenter, Joe Mauer, Ben Zobrist(2nd), Albert Pujols, Hanley Ramirez(2nd)  9

Jordan - Matt Wieters, JA Happ, Zack Grienke, Chris Carpenter, Joe Mauer, Derek Jeter(2nd), Albert Pujols, Raul Ibanez(2nd)  6

Dan - Andrew Bailey, JA Happ, Zack Greinke, Adam Wainwright, Joe Mauer, Mark Teixeira(2nd), Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard(2nd)  9

Charles Beatley - Andrew Bailey, Chris Coghlan, Felix Hernandez, Adam Wainright, Derek Jeter, Joe Mauer(2nd), Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard(2nd)  6

unclemoe - Andrew Bailey, Chris Coghlan, Felix Hernandez, Tim Lincecum, Joe Mauer, Mark Teixeira(2nd), Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard(2nd)   11

Dave R - Andrew Bailey, Chris Coghlan, Zack Greinke, Tim Lincecum, Joe Mauer, Mark Teixeira(2nd), Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard(2nd)    13

BroadStreetBully - Gordon Beckham, JA Happ, Zack Greinke, Chris Carpenter, Joe Mauer, Mark Teixeira(2nd),  Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder(2nd)  7

Congratulations Dave!!!  With a score of 13 out of a possible 14 points you aced this years ‘Pick the Award Winners’ contest!!!

Please send me your mailing address so I can get your prize out to you.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, I did very well predicting the Award winners too.  A perfect 14 our of 14 for ‘30-YOC’!!!!  Too Sweet!!!!

‘Same Card, Different Paths’ – Card #19

1970 Topps - Card #189 – AKA – ‘The Thurman Munson Rookie Card’

Thurman Munson - An 11-year veteran and 7-time All-star, Munson’s life and career were tragically cut short when he passed away at the age of just 32.  A Rookie of the Year and MVP Award winner, Munson was a fan favorite for the New York Yankees.  He was a solid all-around player that had a knack for making key defensive plays while also driving in runs and hitting home runs.  Munson was a member of the Yankees championship teams of 1977 and 1978.

Dave McDonald – McDonald played in just 33 games between 1969-1971.  McDonald has 6 career hits, 1 of which is a home run.  He also drove in 6 runs while scoring 3 himself.

Jen ist genervt von ihrem BH, der schlecht sitzt und ständig kneift. Als sie ihren Kollegen ihr Problem schildert, beschließt Moss, sich dem Problem anzunehmen. Er will den perfekt sitzenden BH entwickeln. Kurz darauf wird Jen der Prototyp präsentiert und sie soll den Super-BH testen. Tatsächlich scheint er perfekt zu sein, doch ausgerechnet in einem wichtigen Meeting zeigt er seine Schwachstelle: Er erhitzt so stark, dass er Feuer fängt. Douglas, der neue Chef, sucht unterdessen nach seiner wahren “Identität”.

In dieser Folge trägt Roy verschiedene T-Shirts:
“The sun is trying to kill me” T-Shirt
“Magic Eraser” T-Shirt
“Bestario” T-Shirt (Tier mit Frauenkopf)

Wiederholung:
Donnerstag 03.12. 22:35 Uhr, Samstag 05.12. 00:45 Uhr

i have a friend called Roy (or Conrad Roy)

he is one of the new students who was in our church enGAGE this year and is now part of our leadership team for next year

i really like Roy, for a number of reasons:

he says ‘awesome’ a lot. now i don’t like it when people say ‘awesome’ a lot because i personally have reserved the word ‘awesome’ for God cos it seems a travesty when you say ‘God is awesome’ and then ‘that ice-cream is aswesome’ or ‘that hockey goal you scored last night, brett, was awesome’- it’s like you’re comparing God with an ice-cream – so for me i reserve the word ‘awesome’ for God. Roy uses it ALL the time and so it should really annoy me, but it doesn’t. because he is generally just so excited about life and everything in life that i think ‘awesome’ is his way of getting it out. and so his using the word ‘awesome’ is an expression of his zest for life and i LOVE his zest for life.

not only does Roy operate on a ‘glass half full’ way of thinking about his own life, but he will see his glass as full and overflowing and will look across and see your glass (which is smashed and lying on the floor) as half full and then offer you his. Roy has come and helped out my VOB hockey team a few times and is an amazing athlete (possible pole vault contender for next Olympicals) and i am not as good although have probly been playing the hockey of my life this last year and Roy has just been such a huge encouragement on and off the field and really helped me with my self-belief which in turn has helped me play better. in fact he set up my first of two goals i scored this season and was super stoked for me when i samessed him last nite about my second goal.

he is super animated when telling stories, especially bible stories which he starts acting out even without realising i think and is really fun to watch – again just his passion for the moment.

and he is super deep – still young and still a bit loud and can be distractive at times, BUT when he goes into the zone and starts speaking about deep stuff he has been thinking about in terms of life or God or church or sports for summer camp (which he is running – so amped to hang with him!) then he really is a deep thinker and you can see the quality of his realness.

so that’s why i like Roy (or rooi) – red spirited and highly contagious – and a definite leader in the future. And very privileged right now to get to call him my friend…

One thing all UNC fans have come to know, love and expect of Roy Williams is his fashionable selection of ties, most often courtesy of Chapel Hill outfitter Alexander Julian. The same man who put the argyle on the side of the basketball uniform is still turning heads with  what he’s putting around Ol’ Roy’s neck. So, here at The Rafters we decided to pay homage to the best accesory in college hoops, if not the entire sporting world, and document every tie Roy Williams wears this season.

First off, let’s go ahead and give the title of Best Dressed Coaching staff to the UNC bench. Very well done gentlemen.

Onto tonight’s matchup against Gardner-Webb, Roy matched up a blue and white dotted beauty over a white shirt. One of the more toned down of Roy’s choices thus far this season.

Roy chose a blue suit and also went big with the contrasting buttons. Sharp look.

Here’s this years stats:

Game 1: Florida International, W 88-72 – Small paisley in aqua and dark blue with pocket square

Game 2: North Carolina Central, W 89-42 – Large paisley in Carolina and navy blue and gold with pocket square

Game 3: Valparaiso, W 88-77 – Large paisley-ish in gold, navy, brown and Carolina with pocket square

Game 4: Ohio State, W 77-73 – Diagonal white stripes over light blue back with pocket square

Game 5: Syracuse, L 87-71 – Large paisley in Carolina and navy blue with pocket square

Game 6: Gardner-Webb, W 93-72 – Blue and white dotted with pocket square

[Some photos by N&O's Robert Willett]

The need for playtime is not limited to creatives or young children at school. As experienced coaches we know the effect of confinement and restriction on the human spirit. Extensive studies on people working in highly controlled, rule-bound, ‘enforced’ environments show that people HAVE to have space to use their creative potential to stay sane. Forced to conform, they will eventually suffer breakdown and insanity – or start breaking the rules. The more rules that are created (3500 new laws introduced in the UK in the last 10 years?!) and the more they are enforced, the higher the rates of absenteeism, physical and mental illness and unhappiness – and rule-breaking. Order is one thing. Oppression is another.

I’m intrigued that as a society we react so strongly to the confining of animals yet fail to see how utterly entrapped some people are at school, at work and at home.

• How is it that we’re shocked by young people preferring to live on the street, easing their pain with drugs, than to spend six hours a day in a tatty stress-filled classroom with peers they have grown to hate, being told what to do by someone who they no longer respect?

• How is it we are surprised when Social Workers, having spent years training to care for others in need, decide that they can no longer handle the sleepless nights, the multiple case conferences and overwhelming paperwork and finally the blame placed upon them personally when they have been unable to prevent injury to one of the vulnerable people in their personal ‘case-load’, and for their own sanity, they leave the profession for ever?

Roy and I are creatives.  I think the reason we get on so well as business colleagues may be that we understand what being ‘a creative’ entails: space for thinking and room for mistakes, approval, praise for the attempt – even if the initial result isn’t quite what you want – and a readiness to allow for an intuitive response to those inner prompts and to the

Southern foothills of the Pyrenees

world around us. Although our respective wives and children may raise an eyebrow from time to time (often!) and our colleagues in Powerchange may have need of the occasional bout of added patience, when that creativity matures, it’s life-changing. Awesome.

Roy’s ‘out of office’ passion is music – he has a huge personal library of songs, and a mass of detail about each song in his head. Mine is my motorbike (complete with my tent and clever little stove!)  – I love the freedom of the road, the sense of isolation inside a crash-helmet, the solitude of more remote destinations, and camping alone.

Completely different?  No. Music and motorbikes provide us with the ‘other-world’ thought-space we need to live and breathe. They provide psychological ‘downtime’ for our brains to rest and play. Both of us find that this downtime is often when we get our best inspiration and results in our finest work.  We may tease each other about the other’s taste, but we both know how important it is to live with a ‘playground’ close by and go there often.

Every human being needs to play.

For those of us who have forgotten how, now might just be the moment in your life when you decide to put playtime back into your life.  Just a little warning though: to do that, it is more than likely that something else will have to go – maybe several things – and you’ll need to be strong. You will need to reorder and simplify your world and stand against the huge pressure most people experience to do what they are told by some ‘expert’ or other.

Roy and I both know about that.  We’ve both reordered our lives, and continue to do so, and now maybe you want to do it too?

Come and join us in the fresh air of the playground! You’ll learn a lot of good things out here. We’re happier than ever we used to be in those stress-filled days.

And more useful too.

The only pitcher to win Rookie of the Year, the Cy Young Award, and MVP  was Don Newcombe of the Dodgers.

**factoid courtesy of ‘Armchair Reader – Grand Slam Baseball’

My take - At first when I read this, I thought it was in the same year – and my jaw literally dropped.  Even though this is a career accomplishment, and not a single-season one, it is still incredibly impressive.

Sexta-feira, fui na Maldita, como eu bem já havia falado, né? E encontrei ozamigos e azamigas. Azamigas é só Karen Kopitar.

Gigi da Silva e Karen Kopitar se amam, e está provado nesta foto. Esse abraço não era social, era de verdade e vontade de esmagar, ok? A gente se olhou uma hora e começou a dizer o quanto se amava, gratuitamente, tá? Amo que Karen demonstra os sentimentos, porque a maioria das pessoas se assusta quando a gente demonstra muito amor, e, ou se afastam, ou reagem com indiferença.

Há também muito amor nesta foto aqui – o da esquerda é o meu bff, me ajuda em tudo que eu preciso e makes me happy when skies are grey (Rodrigo Maceira). O da direita é just too good to be true, José Roy de Souza, I love you, babe. hehe

E aí, tem o casal hype discotecandinho na buatchy, não falei que era só amor nas fotos?

Nessa foto aqui, Karen tá fazendo o Jesus Luz, levando a fama, enquanto Fernando trabalha de DJ. Brincadeiraaaaaa,  Karen – eu vi tu discotecando de verdade também!

Father Roy Bourgeois and the School of the Americas Watch got nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize!

Who Father Roy is…
What the SOAW is…

I’ve participated in the SOAW yearly rally twice and I believe very strongly in this cause. I am thrilled to hear about this nomination.

Jen will mit ihrem neuen Freund Peter eine Single Dinnerparty veranstalten. Leider sagen in letzter Minute drei männliche Gäste ab, weshalb die Party zu platzen droht. Sehr schweren Herzens beschließt Jen die Party zu retten und Roy, Moss und Richmond einzuladen. Bevor die Party beginnt, gibt sie ihnen noch Benimmunterricht, um nicht bloßgestellt zu werden. Tatsächlich läuft die Party sehr gut, bis die Drei all ihre guten Vorsätze vergessen.

Roys Piraten-T-Shirt könnt ihr hier kaufen.

Wiederholung:
Donnerstag 26.11. 22:35 Uhr, Samstag 28.11. 00:45 Uhr

One thing all UNC fans have come to know, love and expect of Roy Williams is his fashionable selection of ties, most often courtesy of Chapel Hill outfitter Alexander Julian. The same man who put the argyle on the side of the basketball uniform is still turning heads with  what he’s putting around Ol’ Roy’s neck. So, here at The Rafters we decided to pay homage to the best accesory in college hoops, if not the entire sporting world, and document every tie Roy Williams wears this season.

Well, the finals outcome wasn’t the way we wished it would have been, but Roy was in top form for two days in Madison Square Garden.

On Friday, Roy brought out what looked to be the same tie for Ohio State that he wore during his ESPN All Access feature: a light-blue with white diagonal stripe.

Here’s a look from the All Access piece.

It actually looks like exactly the same outfit. I’m surprised Wanda let Roy leave the hotel that way. I just take that as complete disrespect to Ohio State. I may have been worried about the game, but Roy doesn’t even bother with a new tie for them. I like the subtle insult. Also, ESPN showed the All Access piece during the game which is interesting. Would have thought it was filmed the same day had I not known better.

Almost forgot to note the pocket square and pinstriped suit. Also really like the vertically striped shirt with white collar. Nice contrast.

For the Syracuse debacle Roy went back to his standby paisley. Sorry for the lack of good shots, but it’s a navy and Carolina blue large pattern with maybe a hint of accents of a lighter hue.

Roy wore a paisely in the first three wins before changing it up for the fourth. After revisiting it, we take the first L.

Here’s this years stats:

Game 1: Florida International, W 88-72 – Small paisley in aqua and dark blue with pocket square

Game 2: North Carolina Central, W 89-42 – Large paisley in Carolina and navy blue and gold with pocket square

Game 3: Valparaiso, W 88-77 – Large paisley-ish in gold, navy, brown and Carolina with pocket square

Game 4: Ohio State, W 77-73 – Diagonal white stripes over light blue back with pocket square

Game 5: Syracuse, L 87-71 – Large paisley in Carolina and navy blue with pocket square

[Some photos by Inside Carolina's Jim Hawkins]

Download de track ‘Hij Wel’ hier: http://www.box.net/shared/a0sphihg05