Desde que he vuelto a retomar las salidas en bicicleta los fines de semana me encuentro en más de una ocasión, en medio de una reunión, pensando en aquella bajada en la que hice un recto al no ser capaz de frenar a tiempo, en mi hermano pasándose en las mismas curvas que yo, en aquel salto, en el sonido de la suspensión cuando aterricé con la rueda delantera… benditos 400 euros de amortiguador… el cuadro con suspensión trasera vuelve a rondarme la cabeza.

Hasta los fines de semana me parecen más largos desde que he vuelo a salir con la bici. Ahora espero con impaciencia la lluvia, el barro,  los charcos buahhh!!!!!!

… no obstante manda collons!! que asta en un camino de cabras me han plantao ¿un radar? WTF!!!

I had the shock of my life on Wednesday morning when I had a call from my son’s headteacher telling me that his behaviour had got to the point that they were going to have to suspend him from school. It wasn’t just the one incident – it has been a build up of rude and agrressive behaviour that stems from his frustrations and the way that he subsequently lashes out at other people in anger. This is the culmination of many months of problems at the school that I’ve not mentioned so much in my blog as I’ve been so pre-occupied with getting out my thoughts on stuff with AP and getting to bed before 3am in the morning that I’ve not had TIME to write about everything else.

My son is 9 years old and was diagnosed at age 6 with ADHD and Aspergers Syndrome (Autism Spectrum Disorder) – although I had been pushing for a diagnosis of something since he was 2.5 years old! He takes medication called Equasym XL daily to keep him calmer and more focussed and generally I find that the meds combined with good parenting and support from the school keeps him on a fairly even keel.

My son’s ”combined disabilities” for want of a better term mean that as well as the ADHD side giving him a total lack of focus, the Autistic side gives him a great deal of difficulty in understanding and social communication. Although he understands cause & effect and consequences, he has trouble actually applying this to real life circumstances. If you were to give him an example of a playground scenario where one child ends up being hurt by another child and ask him to talk about what each of the children involved could have done differently to avoid injury and confrontation, then he will literally give you a text-book perfect answer. He KNOWS what he is supposed to / should do … but cannot actually get his brain to c0mpute this at the time which leaves him frustrated and lashing out in anger.

Thankfully my son is very well supported at the middle school he’s at. It is a combined primary/middle school which has meant that the same teachers / staff / support workers/SENCO etc get to know the children from ages four through eleven during those really valuable formative years. It has also meant he’s been with the same peer group throughout all of that time as well, so the other kids have had a chance to learn / tolerate him to a certain extent. There have been good and bad aspects of all of the above, but I’ve been really lucky with the support I’ve had from the school on a personal/parental level.

The headmaster Mr P is a very fair man and has given my son a lot of leeway for his “disabilities” – he also understands my personal situation as a single mother of two, (where the father attempts involvement) and basically it all comes down to me (and my support from AP!) Mr P understands my situation with my ex and has actually given me compliments many times on how well I handle things on my own and I’ve had lots of ticks in the good mother box from Mr P about the things AP has suggested that I’ve implemented!

I am SO LUCKY that although I am a single parent, I’m not alone because… even though AP and I don’t live together … he has been such a huge influence on the positive parenting that has made a big difference to my kids. It is so crazy how a man in his early 30s who has no children … has such great ideas/values on parenting!!

It’s okay that this makes me really horny, right?

Seriously AP will make such an amazing step dad and an incredible father that it makes my body twinge in all kinds of wonderful ways!! I LOVE the way he gets so wound up at my ex’s lack of real involvement! AP was with me when I got the call from the school’s headmaster informing me that my son was suspended and he was really there for me.

The upshot of things is that I’ve grounded my son for two weeks. I chose this time period because there is three weeks left of school and four weeks until Christmas (it’s on a Friday this year) which gives him four whole weeks where I expect absolute exemplary  behaviour out of him because not only is his mother severely pissed off with him (I didn’t use those words!)   Santa is watching very very closely!! being suspended from school puts you firmly on the naughty list and you have to work extra hard to get off the naughty list, then even harder to get back onto the good list. So far he thinks all he is getting is coal for Christmas!

Grounded as far as I am concerned means absolutely NO computer and NO television whatsoever. There’s no checking email and they aren’t even allowed to use the computer for homework purposes … and not even allowed to glance over the shoulder of someone else on the computer! If you are grounded and in the room when the TV is on, then it will be on either news, or the Discovery / National Geographic channels with an educational documentary on! You are not allowed to play outside at all and if you even mention the words “I’m bored” then you have to do lines (two sides of A4 lined paper) You also forefeit bedtime hot chocolate and bedtime snacks and get nothing more than a juice to take up to bed. IF you are caught breaking any of the rules of grounding then extra time will be added to your punishment depending on the gravity of your crime.

I love being a mean and cruel mother because IT WORKS. The punishment is all my own except for the addition of lines which was AP’s suggestion. I actually used it on my son yesterday after the phone call from the school and it was an excellent way of getting him to realise just how much trouble he was actually in. I made him write two sides of lined A4 paper saying “I must not be aggresive at school.” I made him start it three times because he wasn’t writing it out neatly enough, then on the fourth time I let him get halfway down the second side before pointing out that any crossing out or mis-spelling meant he had to start all over again.

He was crying his eyes out, flopping on the floor, swinging on the chair and trying to come up with every excuse possible NOT to sit there and write out lines, but I simply maintained control, kept the consistency going and told him tough luck because until every single line of both sides of paper said NEATLY the words “I must not be aggressive at school” then he wasn’t allowed to move even to go to the toilet.

Being so very harsh on him was VERY DIFFICULT even though I was utterly furious that it had got to the point of a suspension!!!! It was a very hard thing to do because in my heart I kept wanting to make excuses for him due to his ADHD & Aspergers and give him reasons to get away with his behaviour … but in my head I knew that the absolutely right thing to do was to come down on him like a tonne of bricks, so that is exactly what I did and IT WORKED! One of the hardest things to do as well was knowing that this all kicked off on a Wednesday … the one night per week that the kids go to their dad, and that during the day on the Thursday when my son was suspended … it would be entirely my ex’s responsibility to make sure that our son was punished.

I don’t ever give my ex credit whatsoever when it comes to parenting our children because of past experience and more proof than you can shake a big hairy stick at that he is indeed a crap father!! BUT what I’ve realised I need to start doing is to give him credit for growing and changing as a person over the last year we have been apart, and for having a vested interest in our kids’ futures.

I was very impressed  by my ex’s parental involvement in this and it was nice to see. Ultimately I would love to have absolutely NO contact with my ex at all, but for the kids it is important that we get on to a certain degree as it will make them emotionally healthier when they are older. I even rang my ex tonight to give him a compliment on the way that he handled everything today and admitted I had been tempted to pick our son up from him at 9am today to make damned sure that he worked hard during those school hours!! I even told my ex that it was AP that turned around to me and said “Nessa seriously, you have to give your ex a chance to prove that he actually can be a good father to those kids. We all know that SON would do much better if you were there with him, but give his father a chance to take care of things too.

If the truth be told I didn’t think my ex would do a very good job of it today at all. I had visions of our son being plonked in front of a TV while my ex “worked from home because he’s so very busy at work”, but what I was actually greeted with when my ex dropped off the kids tonight was both sides of paper completed with the lines I had set our son, plus what the school had set him as work while he was suspended. He had apparently finished all of this by 2pm so my ex made him write out multiplication times tables until 3pm!

I was most impressed. Ohhhh not in any “ohhh look at my ex-husband” kind of way!! Trust me, my thoughts as far as that are concerned stay firmly in the “ewwwww!” camp. I can’t believe I was ever attracted to him and I know damned well that it was my thinking that “ugly blokes won’t cheat on me” that led me to date my ex-husband after my ex-ex … it was more that my ex actually bothered to take an active role in parenting HIS children. It was interesting to see.

My ex and I had quite an interesting phone conversation tonight. I’d said to AP earlier that I thought possibly that my ex’s relationship with his new girlfriend was over based on something he’d said about not being sure what he was doing for Christmas… and during the conversation I had with my ex – he confirmed that it was over I’ll admit part of me did a little silent dance because I am secretly happy that my ex is alone again … but part of me really does feel for him.

I almost got the impression that my ex was trying to flirt with me over the phone, so I changed the subject back to our son and we hung up not long after the subject change.

I am NOT INTERESTED IN MY EX. That is so long gone that the thought of even going there makes me feel physically sick. I am so totally and utterly in love with AP that even if my ex were a more tempting prospect .. I still wouldn’t be interested on  a physical OR emotional level!

AP and I have had the m0st amazing 24 hours over our Weds night together … and if anybody asks me what the big bolt screwed into my ceiling is for … then I will tell them with a very straight face … it’s for hanging things on

Am I a bitch for being happy that my ex’s relationship didn’t work out? Should I feel bad for wanting to say “I told you so” when my ex wanted to tell the children about his new girlfriend and I considered it waaaaaaaaay tooooooo soooooon?! Am I happy and living life with a great big grin???? YOU BETCHA!!!

ON ENQUIRY to dgm on 26082009

THE HINDUOnline edition of India’s National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 25, 2008
Opinion – Letters to the Editor
The merger of the subsidiary banks with the SBI will give pension as a third retirement benefit to the employees. Yet, the trade unions oppose the merger. The banking sector is moving away from office-based banking with the advent of technology. The trade unions’ allegation that the government’s initiatives will affect branch expansion is thus unconvincing. And bank employees by themselves cannot stop the flow of FDI into any sector.

The two-day strike, which will achieve nothing, will only help private banks increase their business.

R. Sajan,

Aluva

To,
The First Appellate Authority under RTI Act/
The Dy.General Manager,
State Bank of Travancore, Zonal Office,
Panampilly Nagar,
Ernakulam
_______________________

Sir,
As I am aggrieved by decision No. DGM/EKM/AS/304 of your Central Public Information Officer, I hereby file this appeal for your kind decision.

1. Details of appellant
1.1 Full Name : R.Sajan
1.2. Full Address :Ramuvinte Veed; Desam, Aluva 683103
1.3 Phone/Cell No. : 9447105579
1.4 Email ID :rsajannair@gmail.com

2. Details of CPIO:
2.1 Name/Designation: Chief Manager-Admn
2.2 Full Address : State Bank of Travancore, Zonal Office, Ernakulam
2.3 Name of Public Authority: State Bank of Travancore

2 First Appeal Under Right to Information Act 2005

3. Details of RTI application to CPIO:
Date of Application : 02/06/2009
Date of receipt by CPIO :

4. Particulars of payment of filing fee:
Paid Rs.30/- by SBT bank draft

5. Details of information sought:
Please give the following information in detail—

1. Furnish date on which SBT first housed any of its offices in premises at Mercy Estate, Perumanoor.
2. Furnish 1.date of such first occupation and 2.date of signing related Lease/Rent agreement
3. Furnish details of offices housed there from then till now, with dates of occupation and relief.
4. Furnish details of rent paid, area used, periods, dates of signing/renewing leases from then till now, with details of cases of occupation prior to signing/renewal of leases, arrears of rent thus paid in bulk, and details of rent/lease enhancements from time to time.
5. Furnish names and addresses of officials who proposed, recommended, inspected and sanctioned the leases/hiring from time to time from then to now.
6. Furnish whether the issue of close proximity of the Bar was considered at any time by any official of any time and if not, why.
7. Furnish whether security hazards and issues of decency due to such proximity was considered or pointed out any time.
8. Furnish details of Bank’s offices that are housed in Bar premises (e.g.; Kaduthurutty, Ettumanoor, Perumanoor, Edappilly Training Centre etc etc).
9. Furnish distances from Office door to Bar door in all cases.
10. Furnish details of all loans made available by the Bank for construction/repair/modification of premises at Mercy Estate, with amounts and conditions of sanction; and dates of closure.
11. Furnish names and addresses of officials, who proposed, recommended and sanctioned such loans.
12. Furnish details of KSEB power supply at Bank’s Mercy Estate offices, like permitted loads, monthly usage from 1996, charges paid therefore. Furnish KSEB sanctions/orders.
13. Furnish date from which electricity power was bought from Mercy Estate owners. Furnish usage per month in Units from then, agreed rates of cost, demanded rates and charges paid from the beginning till now, as well as details of bills with usage and charges therein.
14. Furnish total estimated power required monthly for running equipments and fixtures at Perumanoor branch with details of equipments and fixtures; power drawn from KSEB monthly for it; power drawn monthly from Mercy Estate for it with individual break up of usage from each agency.
15. Furnish name and address of officials who proposed, recommended and permitted buying power from Mercy Estate; dates and orders of sanctions. Give copies of sanctions/orders.
16. Furnish details of officials who are given such powers and authority of decision/sanction for it as per Bank’s delegation of powers.
17. If no such authorized procedure and sanction were done, furnish reasons therefor.
18. Furnish whether Mercy Estate has been authorized in Kerala Electricity Supply rules to re-sell KSEB power. Has Bank verified it? If not, why?
19. Has the Bank reported to or obtained sanction from the authorized KSEB/Government officials for such illegal obtaining of power from a private person/persons? If not, furnish why?
20. What is the total amount paid to Mercy Estate from beginning till now on account of electricity charges? Have Bills detailing units of power and rates been obtained for paying it? If not, why? Furnish Bills for the past 60 months.
21. Has the matter of un-metered payment of power charges illegally to Mercy Estate brought to the notice of the GM [V], MD, DGM [EKM] by anyone? If so, what action has been taken? Furnish details of action taken with dates and names of officials involved. If no action was taken, furnish why? Have complainants been advised of action taken? Has action been taken instead against persons who brought this issue to the Bank’s notice?
22. Furnish names and addresses of officials who negotiated, recommended, sanctioned, and signed the latest renewal of Lease with Mercy Estate. Furnish enhancements in rent allowed. Furnish date of signing the latest deed. How much bulk amount was paid as arrears, if lease was from prior date?
23. How much money does the Mercy group owe the Bank now? Furnish names and addresses of officials who proposed, recommended and sanctioned the loans to the new Mercy Business Hotel. Give the names of the officials who recently proposed and allowed release of securities of the loan.
24. Have any of the Bank’s officials been promoted after their banking/lease involvement with the Mercy group? Have any of them been promoted at the first chance itself? If so, give details of all the candidates that came for the promotion and the number of chances that they have so appeared. Is any official thus involved with Mercy Estate due for promotion to AGM or other post this year?
25. How many allegations of corruption related to taking of premises on lease have been noticed by the Bank during 1997-2009? What action has been taken on them?

6. Particulars of Decision of CPIO:
Letter reference No : DGM/EKM/AS/304
Date of CPIO’s Decision : 07/07/2009
Date of receipt of decision by the appellant: 13/07/2009

7. Brief facts of the case:
As available here.

8. Reasons/grounds for this appeal:
The Reply has deliberately omitted and suppressed easily available facts as if to hide lack of transparency of actions.
Item:
4. Dates of signing of lease and renewals are not given. Details of occupation prior to validity/revalidating of lease are not given. Arrears of rent of such instances paid in bulk are not given. Records of them are readily available.
5. The officials have done it all in their official capacity. As soon as an Officer takes charge, his name etc are published on the Office Notice Board for the information of the public. This procedure has been circularized by SBT and is government instruction. There is nothing private in the matter. The CPIO has not even given the job titles and job addresses of the officers involved at the time of the actions. There is no issue of commercial confidence etc. These are done under public tender.
6. to 9: Environment study is done before leasing premises. Review is done in every higher official’s visit and Audit. Records of them are available. If claimed not available at CPIO, the relevant portion of the Petition should have been sent to concerned office and information obtained.
10. There is no fiduciary relationship here. If such stand were correct, no activity of any financial institution can be revealed under RTI. The matters are subject to scrutiny by any government agency including the CBI or courts of law.
11. Please refer to 5 above.
12. The reply speaks of ‘arrangements’. Were there not documented agreements? How can a Bank owned by the public enter into secret ‘arrangements’? Does the Branch not have KSEB connection in its name? That records of payment of charges to KSEB and the landlord for the periods are not available anywhere is false.
13 to 21 excl 14, 18, 20. No reply/details are given. RTI Act is subverted. All details are ordinarily available if matters are transparent. There is wilful suppression.

18. as above.
20. as above.
22. as above.
23. See 13 to 21 excl 14, 18, 20. See 5 and 10.
24 to 25. See 13 to 21 excl 14, 18, 20.

9 Any other information in support of appeal:
1. Kindly call for and peruse Guidelines for Officers designated as First Appellate Authority under the RTI Act, 2005 – No.1/3/2008-IR issued by the Government of India Ministry of Personnel, P.G. and Pensions-Department of Personnel & Training at New Delhi, on 25th April, 2008.
Among other things, the guidelines insist that:
“5. The Act gives the citizens a right to information at par with the Members of Parliament and the Members of State Legislatures. According to the Act, the information which cannot be denied to the Parliament or a State Legislature shall not be denied to any person. It also includes information relating to any private body which can be accessed by the public authority under any law for the time being in force.
The Act requires furnishing of information so available after the lapse of 20 years even if such information was exempt from disclosure under sub-section (l) of Section 8. It means that the information which, in normal course, is exempt from disclosure under sub-section (1) of Section 8 of the Act would cease to be exempted if 20 years have lapsed after occurrence of the incident to which the information relates.
Sub-section (1) of section 8 and section 9 of the Act enumerate the categories of information which is exempt from disclosure. Sub-section (2) of section 8, however, provides that information exempted under sub-section (1) or exempted under the Official Secrets Act, 1923 can be disclosed if public interest in disclosure overweighs the harm to the protected interest. Further, sub-section (3) of section 8 provides that information exempt from disclosure under sub-section (1), except as provided in clauses (a), (c) and (i) thereof, would cease to be exempted after 20 years from the date of occurrence of the related event etc The RTI Act has over-riding effect vis-à-vis other laws inasmuch as the provisions of the RTI Act would have effect notwithstanding anything inconsistent therewith contained in the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and any other law for the time being in force or in any instrument having effect by virtue of any law other than the RTI Act.
If the subject matter of the application concerns any other public authority, it should be transferred to that public authority. If only a part of the application concerns the other public authority, a copy of the application may be sent to that public authority, clearly specifying the part which relates to that public authority.
Deciding appeals under the RTI Act is a quasi-judicial function. It is, therefore, necessary that the appellate authority should see to it that the justice is not only done but it should also appear to have been done. In order to do so, the order passed by the appellate authority should be a speaking order giving justification for the decision arrived at.”

2. Any fees that needs to be remitted for the information may please be informed and would be remitted on receipt of such demand.

10. Prayer/relief sought for: All information as sought in the original Petition may please be furnished.

11. Grounds for prayer/relief sought for:
Easily available ordinary information that is available in honest acts is seen refused to be furnished.

12. Personal Presence at hearing: YES

13. Enclosures:

14. Declaration:
I hereby state that the information and particulars given above are true to the best of my knowledge and belief. I also declare that this matter is not previously filed with any information commission nor is pending with any Court or tribunal or authority.

Place: Desam [submitted electronically through Email]
Date: 05/08/2009

Signature of appellant

The Honda Wave 125 rear shock absorber always rated as soft by most of the user. Actually it is design for comfort but some how Malaysia road is so bumpy and result the absorber worn out quicker. I have seen most of the user has change to aftermarket absorber for better

performance. My absorber set was just passed 100,000km. I always have a pillion on board and recently I just feel like riding horse on a bumpy road. When exiting corner the bike will swing to the opposite direction. Due to safety reason it should be replace.

I did some online research and survey at spare parts shop. Most user recommend brand Gazi, Showa and YSS. The former two are not easily to find and many imitations in market. Other unnamed brand is range from RM70 to RM100. Some even come with gas canister which look kind high tech but the dealer told me it is more for cosmetic rather than performance. The best option left is YSS which has wide range of models and inexpensive. I google and found JuniorZ is carrying YSS dealership in Malaysia. I make a trip to his store at Batu Caves.

The YSS absorber is made in Thailand and exported to many countries include Japan, Europe, Australia and America. I believe it has OEM quality in this industry. The model for my bike has few colour variants; gold/black spring, gold/red spring, blue/white spring and full chrome. The gold and red spring suit my bike most.

First impression of YSS absorber is – HEAVY. It is about 4kg compare with my existing 3kg each. It doesn’t feel cheap quality and the soldering is very well and neat. The spring is very high quality too with hard plastic cover. The best thing of this absorber is adjustable for different weight load. It has 3 levels setup from 60-160kg, 160-220kg and 220kg up. But you need some force to adjust it since it is very tight. The absorber design is up-side-down type which gives your bike more racing look.

After mounted with YSS rear absorber immediate I feel my bike has gain weight. I need to adapt the new weight to put on double-stand. The bike acceleration is a little affected because of the weight but it is OK since my bike got good torque. The riding is smooth and comfort, even with pillion at back. I still maintain the 60-160kg setup since both person weight is in that range. When doing cornering alone, it is tight and hard. I can make a 80km/h curve confidently. Overall I am very satisfied with the ‘upgrade’ and it only cost me RM120.

It is that time of year, here in this part of the world, to give thanks for, well, everything. Gratitude is an incredible force in my life. I have been given the opportunity to do, be and explore so much in my life, especially over the last year and a half. I often joke about thanking certain people for “getting me into this” or pointing me down this road or showing me just how good it feels. This week, however, I am making it a point to honestly thank those people who have enabled me to live this life. There are a lot of people who helped me get this far, and who constantly encourage me to keep going. There are also people that I am grateful to, who have no idea where their support and teaching has allowed me to go. I thank them to, though more quietly and tactfully.

I am grateful to my husband for taking this journey with me. I am grateful to the one who took us to our first demonstration. I am grateful to the one who invited us to our first poly meeting. I am grateful to the one who invited us to our first dungeon and hosted my first kinky birthday celebration. I am grateful to the one who took me to my first Practice. I am grateful to the one who taught me the love of rope and the joy of suspension. I am grateful to the one who showed me how beautiful I am. I am grateful to those who welcomed us into this community. I am grateful to those who have brought love into my family. I am grateful to those who have taught me about myself. I am grateful to those who have accepted who I am. I am grateful to those who have listened and those who have offered advice. I am grateful to live in a time and a place where I can live my life however I chose.

Thank you for reading my blog.

“Un zeste de lumière” 60 Euros.

Lorsque Nina m’a contacté pour que je découvre ses créations on peut dire qu’elle a tapé dans le mille puisque je suis très intéressée par la créa à partir des matériaux issus de la récup . Nina donne du potentiel à des matériaux qui n’ont pas la vocation de participer à la création de luminaires. 

Nina aime traiter la force des matériaux, la douceur des lignes, l’intrigue sculpturale, qui ont l’art d’apprivoiser la lumière…  Et c’est une sacrée réussite.

Coup de foudre pour ”Un zeste de lumière” qui me fait un peu penser aux créations de Michel de Lucci.

“Zig zag ruban et cie”

Je me ressens aussi beaucoup de générosité et de folie douce chez cette jeune créatrice qui vit à la Rochelle et qui n’a même pas 30 ans.

Quand je pense à tout ce que je récupère et que j’entasse dans mon atelier au cas ou j’aurais une idée de luminaire et quand je constate qu’aucune idée ne sort je n’ai même pas mal puisque des designers comme Nina existent.

” Bébé moderne”

Nina aime travailler le métal rouillé, brossé, galvanisé et le mixer avec le bois patiné, saturé par les coups, usé par le temps… Ses luminaires ne sont pas onéreux.

C’est une bonne nouvelle pour tout ceux qui désirent faire l’acquisition d’une pièce de design original.

“C mon C erpent”

Le site de Nina imagine pour vous http://www.ninaimaginepourvous.com/accueil.html

I’m still feeling the after-effects of an insanely busy show this past weekend.

For those of you who stopped in to say ‘hello!’ – Thank You!! It was great seeing some old friends and meeting new ones! Especially my wonderfully supportive TNGers, I don’t know what I would’ve done without you guys. I was a little worried when there was but a small handful of us on Friday, and didn’t see the swarm come in until late evening pouring over into Saturday!

Doing fifteen suspensions in 2.5 days is exhausting, especially when you’re included in those numbers. It was a pleasure suspending previous bottoms I had suspended, giving a good friend her first suspension, and even teaching a few new friends some basic techniques! I even tied some innocent bystanders that seemed overly curious about rope bondage. It was the first time I had done a self suspension in a vanilla setting for hundreds of people that cycled through the dungeon. I rarely tie my chest into self suspensions as it’s too constricting to manoeuver in it once I’m tied. However, I tried a few different techniques and did a variation of a futomomo-tsuri and a regular inversion. I was terribly nervous before the weekend began, but a very kind gift from one of my mentors helped ease some of those fears. The note of encouragement was truly touching – words can’t truly convey my gratitude. I can assure you that the rope was well used and felt wonderful in my hands!

The air was cold on dry on Friday and the speed at which I was pulling my ropes was fast as usual. The combined dry cold air managed to crack my knuckles and opened some old wounds which dripped blood on some of my rope. No permanent harm done, I threw a bottle of hand cream into the duffle bag for the next day.

One of my ‘rope’ friends also convinced me to purchase one of her amazing hand-crafted leather strap-on harnesses. I’m the proud new owner of a beautiful white leather harness from Aslan Leather and a silver dildo to match of course! There were two distinct responses from the men that saw me sporting a silver cock on Saturday. They either glanced and quickly glanced away shielding their eyes, or they overtly gawked and continuously stared. It was really quite hilarious! My very first strap-on, and a blog post to be added in the future regarding its purpose…

All in all it was a great weekend, even though I had really no idea what to expect! Thank you Master John and Lady J for orchestrating the masses of volunteers and demonstrations! It was a pleasure meeting and working with you both this weekend!

Now we’re back to my wonderfully vanilla life, and a long work week ahead.

For the fifth time, here’s a list of topics that I probably should have written about in separate blog posts, but never did.

Saaaad eyes. Turn the other way ...

Charlie Weis, college dropout

In college, have you/did you ever get the feeling that it wasn’t worth studying for an exam? You know that cumulative final in statistics is tomorrow, but it doesn’t make a difference. Either way, you know you are going to fail that class. You could get 100 and it won’t change a thing. That ‘F’ is coming like tomorrow’s sunrise. Go out. Get drunk. Sleep in. Walk with confidence into that exam session and just wing it for all you’re worth. Guess your ass off. Bubble in all answers as “C.” What have you got to lose? It doesn’t matter. You’ve already failed.

Yeah, that’s how I think Charlie Weis is viewing the rest of this Notre Dame season. Just winging it.

Lawler’s law: More Iranian jokes

In the NBA, especially in Los Angeles, there will never be another Chick Hearn. But Ralph Lawler, who is the long-time announcer for the hapless Clippers, is pretty good in his own right. His “BINGOOOOO!” calls on 3-pointers are well-known throughout So. Cal.

So I wondered why he wasn’t on the call for last night’s upset win over the Denver Nuggets. Now, at the bottom of the following link, we have the answer.

Personally, that transcript is pretty funny. I understand that FOX Sports had to cover its ass, but that really shouldn’t warrant a suspension. Although I have never liked the term “back-door pass.”

Courtney Lee doesn’t deserve this

I will support my boy Courtney Lee until the end. And I think it’s unfortunate that his talent is being wasted on what could possibly be the worst NBA team this decade: The 0-13 New Jersey Nets. The NBA record for consecutive losses to start the season is 17, set by two teams, including the 1998-99 Clippers. I remember that squad had one of the ugliest professional athletes I have ever seen: Keith Closs.

He got uglier after getting LeGarretted and then beat down in that clip. Also, the background noise at 1:46 just makes me laugh.

Former Rockies and Astros pitcher Ezequiel Astacio is also in that ugly discussion, but I digress.

Looking at the Nets’ schedule, this team has a strong chance to do something special. There is no way that they win any of those upcoming road games. So you would have to figure that their next best chance to win will come at home Dec. 4 against the Charlotte Bobcats. Plenty of good seats still available!

So, over-under 18.5 losses for the Nets before their first win? I’ll take the over.

Also, over-under 15 more games until head coach Lawrence Frank is fired? This is the final year of his contract.

Pierre Thin-derson-Niles

I know that Memphis Tigers forward Pierre Henderson-Niles lost a lot of weight before last season (70 pounds in 3 months?!?! I will personally trade three years of my life to have that kind of metabolism!). But while I watched the Memphis-Kansas game this past week, it was pretty incredible to see the transformation his body has undergone. I remember seeing him on the bench during Memphis’ 2006-07 season. His warmup jersey looked like a king-sized bed sheet. I can’t believe this guy on the left used to weigh 350 pounds.

“The Bill Belichick Play”

I forget which college game I was watching tonight, but an announcer hinted that a team may go for it on fourth-and-short in its own territory. The color analyst responded, “So, you think we could see a Bill Belichick play here?”

I am a bit of a Patriots hater, but man, I can’t express how much I hope that name doesn’t stick. It wasn’t all about the call, people! Blame the execution!

MLB awards: Correct so far

It is turning out to be a very deserving season to those who won MLB awards. Coghlan and Bailey? No problem for rookies of the year. Lincecum? Fine. I was so glad to see Zack Greinke not only win in the AL, but win by a landslide. Although, it’s “negative” for him to win. Mauer and Pujols should be no-brainers to be named MVP this week.

Tracy and Scioscia? Dead on, and anyone who argues for another side in the AL isn’t seeing the whole picture.

Yes, there was Nick Adenhart and while it feels heartless to use him as a campaign point, his death certainly counts for a lot. But also look at what Scioscia had to deal with on the field. Vladimir Guerrero missed 62 games. Torii Hunter missed 43. Yet, he filled the holes and made stars out of players such as Maicer Izturis.

No John Lackey and Ervin Santana for the first five weeks? Oh, no worries. Scios will plug in Matt Palmer and just turn him into a stud. Jose Arredondo and Scot Shields lost for the season? Well, that’s why God created KEVIN FREAKIN’ JEPSEN AND JASON BULGER! WHO? WHAT? I think Ray Bulger could have risen from the dead to give the Angels some quality innings with Scioscia’s tutelage.

And the Los Angeles Angels still won 97 games and came within two of making it to the World Series. That is classic managing.

In closing, I’ll say …

… that I wish Ken Griffey Jr. would just retire. He hit .214, OPS’ed .735 and is slowly ruining all of my childhood memories.

… I hope you enjoy week 11 in the NFL. Unfortunately, it looks like the most important game of the day wil be decided by a horrible backup QB. Downgrade all Broncos for fantasy purposes.

Being carried off the field wasn't enough? Jeez, just leave already!

What is this bullshit? Here’s an artist’s conception of how this makes me feel:

Parte 1 de 3:

Parte 2 de 3:

Parte 3 de 3:

Vía: [YouTube - EElliott26]

Technorati Tags:ingenieria, puentes, colgantes, discovery, channel, building, ultimate, bridge, suspension

Head teachers from Jersey are questioned by politicians over the suspension policies in their schools…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: high school education. The blog is also related to: primary education.

I go to Practice every week, for the crew I’m on. We practice our craft for the weekend shows. We go to reconnect with each other, to talk and play and share together. We go to teach the newer members, as well as the guests. We go because we are always learning, always finding something new, always have room to improve.

We practice flogging against the wall, against the cross and on each other. We do electric scenes, checking the wands and trying out the toys. We practice our brand of fire play, training on all three stations. We don’t have the space for much suspension practice currently, but once in a while we get that, too.

But, for crew, practice isn’t enough. The skills are there, we learn what to do. But our weekends are full of strangers, with different reactions, different bodies, different needs, wants and desires. For us to “perfect” our craft, we need more than just our Practice night. We need to work with all sorts of different people, under the low lights and loud music. We need to deal with drunk, sober, shy and loud. What we do is very different, and very unique. It takes more than swinging a flogger or firing up a violet wand.

For me, it also takes a desire to serve and to share. I could just attend practices, and have time with them and do what I want to do. I could just be another attendee and sign up on the lists. I volunteer for crew to share the experience. To provide others the opportunity to learn and do what they might not have a chance to do otherwise. It fills a need in me to give back, to contribute to the community. Just going to Practice is no longer enough for me. I want more.

Shizzle!

Michael Turner has a high ankle sprain! Crap!

Ronnie Brown has multiple foot injuries! Excrement!

Brian Westbrook may be out for the season after suffering another concussion! Bile!

Yes, it was a feces-like day for fantasy owners in week 10. But more than those injuries, Maurice Jones-Drew robbing you (and himself) of six points, or Bill Belichick’s-gutsy-but-understandable fourth-down play call, this highlight analysis by Dan Marino tops the pile.

I love it.

But in the last couple of months, we’ve had announcers draw scrutiny for a joke about tacos and, of course, running from the cops (because you can never see it enough). And yet, I’ve heard very little about this, which I would consider the worst offense of the three. Maybe it’s because no one cares to watch studio halftime shows. Maybe it was just a slight slip. It doesn’t matter that much to me, but when two announcers have been pretty much forced to apologize for a joke, shouldn’t another announcer, even if he is an NFL Hall of Famer, have to do the same when he drops one of the seven dirty words on live TV, even if was just an accident?

Panthers 28, Falcons 19

I had the pleasure of facing Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith in fantasy this week. So, of course, they had their best outings of the season. Smith caught two touchdowns and was stopped one yard short of a third after a 19-yard reception. Delhomme finished just his second game without committing a turnover all season. But this offense is still run-heavy. The Panthers ran the ball on close to 60 percent of their plays Sunday. Thus, both Delhomme and Smith will be inconsistent options going forward, no matter the matchup. Their performance says more about the soft Atlanta pass defense. Perhaps another Steve Smith scores twice in week 11.

Two more touchdowns for Jonathan Stewart!? OK, that’s six touchdowns in his past six games and he is looking like a decent No. 2 RB in deeper leagues. I do fear trusting him a bit because there are going to be a few games of less than 50 yards as well. Even though he was listed as questionable to play, DeAngelo Williams

For the first 20 minutes of this game, Michael Turner looked to be well on his way to a 200-yard game. And then he took a shot to his right ankle and now he may be on his way to a two-week absence, at least.

Jason Snelling looked very good in relief and becomes a must-own player. The Falcons are still a running team. Snelling doesn’t have Turner’s speed (and it’s a good thing because nothing that is synonymous with fast rhymes with Snelling), but he is a big back who will get goal-line carries and plenty of touches. He’s also an adequate receiver.

There’s still no word on when Jerious Norwood will return from a hip injury to re-claim his role as the team’s No. 2 running back.

Matt Ryan seemed to panic a little bit without Turner behind him, but for whatever the reason, this was his fifth consecutive sub-par game. Ryan’s remaining schedule isn’t friendly to quarterbacks, but I’ll give him one more week — a game against a Giants defense with a terrible secondary — before I really start to panic.

Good to see Roddy White overcome the tough matchup and a bum knee to catch seven passes for 98 yards.

Dolphins 25, Buccaneers 23

Ronnie Brown is definitely out for Thursday's game and maybe longer

Now with Brown hurt, Ricky Williams becomes the only viable fantasy play on the Dolphins. Williams should get a ton of work this Thursday against a bad Carolina rush defense (see above: Michael Turner). But the question is how long will Brown be out of action. At first, it looked like he suffered an ankle injury, but now the news seems a little worse and he has doctors looking at his foot. If he has a mid-foot sprain, that could have him on the shelf for a few weeks. Upgrade Williams accordingly.

It looks like Tampa Bay has their quarterback for the next decade in Josh Freeman. He isn’t a fantasy commodity right now and needs to hang onto the ball more (six fumbles in three games), but he looks to be blossoming into a star in a few years. Look at this throw to Maurice Stovall. That is mega-pretty.

Other than Freeman, Kellen Winslow is the only other skill position player who had a nice day for Tampa Bay. He will be inconsistent as Freeman has ups and downs, but as a tight end, you could do a lot worse. He may be a top-10 play for the rest of the season. But still, not a soldier.

Derrick Ward returns to doing nothing. And just when he was getting your hopes up after scoring last week, right??? Whatever. Disregard him, please.

Cadillac Williams scored a short touchdown, but it was just his third this season and he hasn’t run for more than 80 yards in any game since week one. He’s hardly a top-25 running back and will probably continue get more respect than he deserves from defenses with Freeman at QB.

Vikings 27, Lions 10

OK, I think I’ve finally gotten a beat on the Vikings’ offensive playbook:

Play 1: Have Brett Favre roll out and chuck it up to Sidney Rice.

Play 2: Let Adrian Peterson do the rest.

Rice caught seven balls for 201 yards. … 201 YARDS?? HOLY JESUS!! He is becoming a stud. If only he could score a few more touchdowns.

Unfortunately, he’s becoming the only Vikings receiver worth starting. Bernard Berrian turned in another dud.

Visanthe Shiancoe caught three balls for 43 yards, but he’s never going to give you many fantasy points unless he scores.

The most positive part of this game from a fantasy standpoint for the Lions was that Calvin Johnson had eight receptions for 84 yards. He looks completely recovered from his week five knee injury and I would say that he is a must-start going forward, even though he has just one touchdown this season. He’s just too talented.

As expected, Kevin Smith didn’t do much against the Vikings, but at least he averaged more than four yards per carry. He should be fine next week against the Browns.

Jaguars 24, Jets 22

With all of the heat that Bill Belichick is getting this week for a questionable decision, Jones-Drew expects the most criticism. When Brian Westbrook took a knee at the 1-yard line, the Eagles were ahead of the Cowboys, 10-6. When MJD stopped one yard short of his second touchdown Sunday, the Jaguars were losing. I understand that there was still 1:48 left, but leaving it up to a field goal situation is risky. Last night, we saw the Browns block an extra point. That’s basically what the Jaguars had to convert for a win. There could have been a bad snap, bad hold, possible block, possible shank, penalty, etc. That’s too many risks for a team to take points off the board, especially when you are still losing.

At least he did apologize to his fantasy owners. Many of them are surely pissed off (Not me! I was facing MJD this week and because of his decision, I ended up winning this week by one point!), but let’s put it in perspective. This occurred in week 10. Westbrook’s non-touchdown occurred in week 16, which is the championship week in many leagues and directly decided the winner in some of them. MJD made a play similar to Westbrook’s, but for fantasy purposes, they can’t really be compared. One touchdown in week 10 isn’t going to make you lose a league. Or at least it shouldn’t, unless you are the Dick Jauron of fantasy football.

No hard feelings, right?

In other news, Mike Sims-Walker was basically shut down by Darrelle Revis for most of the day … and then he had one play matched up against Lito Sheppard and made up for a rather pedestrian day. I’m not sure what that end zone dance is, but that’s neither here nor there.

I thought Mark Sanchez would have a nice game against a beatable Jacksonville secondary, but he was very underwhelming. There were some costly drops, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that he and Kerry Collins are now the only quarterbacks to throw multiple interceptions against the Jaguars. With all the bye weeks over, Sanchez is basically an injury replacement from here on out. As a comparison, I would have more faith in David Garrard, who was very acceptable again.

Thomas Jones scored a short touchdown. Note that he has a very comfortable schedule for the rest of the season.

Braylon Edwards had more yards than Jerricho Cotchery, but Cotchery had twice as many receptions and a touchdown. He is the No. 1 WR in this offense, no doubt. By the way, Edwards also lost a fumble on one of his three catches. And can you really trust someone with these kind of hands?

That’s two nice games in a row for Dustin Keller. He has 14 catches, 134 yards and a touchdown in the past two contests. He was a bust early on this season, but Sanchez is starting to look for him more (or starting trust his wideouts less. You decide).

Bengals 18, Steelers 12

Oh, this was a tough game to watch … and this was just the third-most boring game of the weekend. There are not many stats to talk about here, but it is worth noting the low outputs from Rashard Mendenhall and Hines Ward. Still, I’m not too worried about either player. This was just a celebration of great defensive football.

The biggest news coming out of this game is the status of running back Cedric Benson. He burned many owners with a 22-yard day, but that’s because he left in the first half with a strained hip. But, unlike the other running backs who came out of week 10 injured, his injury doesn’t sound serious. He will be a game-time decision, but I would expect him to play.

So the Bengals went out and signed Larry Johnson on Monday. His fantasy value? Well, it’s better than it was a week ago. Bernard Scott should be picked up, though. He is clearly Benson’s primary backup.

There were not a lot of good performances in this game, but I’m not worried about anyone here. Although, you should continue to temper your expectations of quarterbacks who are facing the Bengals’ pass defense.

Saints 28, Rams 23

There were a lot of letdowns by favored teams on Sunday (Broncos, Jets, Falcons, Steelers), but this was close to being the biggest upset of the season. A part of that was due to the fact that the Saints’ secondary was decimated by injury, but this was still the best performance out of the Rams’ passing game all season. And a lot of it just screams “Fluke!” to me.

Donnie Avery with two touchdowns? Hahahaha! Oh, that’s a funny one.

Rookie Brandon Gibson with seven catches for 93 yards? No thanks.

Either way, you can’t doubt Steven Jackson. He recorded his third consecutive game of more than 100 rushing yards and scored for the second straight week. And on his way to those numbers, I think he killed a Saint or two. He looks like he is playing for a playoff team. It would be so easy for him to give up this season, but he is tremendous. Imagine what he would be doing on a team with some actual talent.

Reggie Bush is trying his best to become a No. 2 RB in fantasy, but I still can’t buy it. Maybe I’m being too strict, since he scored two more times Sunday, giving him five touchdowns in the past five weeks. But in those games, he has only 35 touches. There is no doubt that he has been very good around the goal line, but this is getting ridiculous. He is not that type of player and is still just a flex play right now.

Mike Bell: eight carries for 30 yards. He’s done. He has become the third option around the goal line. He used to be No. 1 in that area. Now he just gets spare carries of no real meaning.

Pierre Thomas had 11 carries for just 37 yards. Against the Rams, it was a very disappointing game, but I’m going to write it off as just a bad week. Thomas had scored in the three previous games before week 10 and is still getting about 15-18 touches a game. Bush is getting half of that, so Thomas is still the clear favorite in the Saints’ backfield.

Of course, Thomas’ game wasn’t nearly as bad as Marques Colston. Two catches, 17 yards and he lost a fumble trying to jump into the end zone. Ugh!! He now has just three catches in the past two games, but the real alarming number is that he only had two targets in this game. It’s not as if the Rams’ pass defense is to the caliber of Carolina’s or the Jets’. This is a little concerning, but you still have to start him. It could be just a slump. Let’s see what he can do this week against another poor pass defense: Tampa Bay.

Titans 41, Bills 17

Chris Johnson

In this photo, you can see Chris Johnson Chris Johnsoning to the Chris Johnson zone

Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson. Chris Johnson, Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson!!

Chris Johnson Chris Johnson. Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson.

Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson. Chris Johnson. Chris Johnson … JUST IMAGINE WHAT WOULD BE SAID IF GUS JOHNSON CALLED THIS GAME … Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson.

Chris Johnson? Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson. Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson Chris Johnson.

Oh, and the Bills finally have a scapegoat. Frankly, Jauron should have been fired after a debacle last season when Buffalo would have won a road game against the Jets, but instead of running the clock out, he let J.P. Losman drop back to pass and the Meadowlands saw how it felt to be on the fortunate side of a Joe Picarcek-like blunder.

Meanwhile, for this season’s standards, Terrell Owens had a great game (three catches, 85 yards). He also had another drop that directly led to a Tennessee touchdown. Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson continue to split carries evenly and crush each other’s value. Lee Evans had two touchdowns, but just four catches for 50 yards and one of those scores was thrown by Jackson.

It’s not quite the Browns, but this offense has almost zero fantasy potential. Other than Evans, who has shown some decent chemistry with new starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, I would want none of these guys on my team.

Redskins 27, Broncos 17

At the start of the season, I predicted that the Broncos would be one of the worst teams in the AFC. Well, it’s taken some time, but they are starting to display that form. Yeah, you can put a lot of the blame on Chris Simms, who you want no part of for fantasy and, for the Broncos’ sake, hopefully won’t be needed this week against the Chargers.

But that defense is getting carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey on the ground lately. They have allowed 353 rushing yards to starting running backs in their past three outings, including 114 to Ladell Betts on Sunday in what was his first start since 2006. Suddenly, this is a defense that you can run on with ease now.

For reference, the Broncos will have to face LaDainian Tomlinson and Brandon Jacobs in their next two games. Those are two backs who have been fairly unsatisfying this season. Let’s see how they do against Denver’s front.

Brandon Marshall had two catches, 115 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter. His value will plummet if Simms starts.

The Broncos found the mind they lost last week and gave Knowshon Moreno and he turned that into a respectable 97 yards. Nice to see Correll Buckhalter get out of Moreno’s way with just two carries.

I liked Betts entering this game, but even 120 yards and a touchdown was a little more than I expected. He got 27 touches, so it’s obvious that the Redskins will trust him for however long Portis is out, which seems to be the foreseeable future.

Chiefs 16, Raiders 10

So after all that speculation during the week of who would be the Chiefs’ main running back — Jamaal Charles, Kolby Smith, Dantrell Savage — the team made the right call, the call they should have made in the first place.

Charles touched the ball 22 times for 117 total yards, including a nice 44-yard touchdown. Smith had nine carries for 12 yards, and Savage lost a fumble and gained nothing but an ankle injury.

I’ve said it for a couple of weeks, but Charles is clearly the most talented back in Kansas City now. I can see Smith maybe getting some goal-line carries because while they are the same height, Smith is 20 pounds bigger than Charles. But Charles is quicker, faster, probably a better pure runner and a much better receiver. He should get 15-20 touches a week, no question. And considering that Kansas City has the easiest strength of schedule for running backs the rest of this season, Charles is going to be extremely valuable down the stretch.

Dwayne Bowe had a nice game with six catches for 91 yards … BUT THERE IS BREAKING NEWS!!! Dwayne Bowe has been suspended by the league for four games for violating the NFL’s rules against performance-enhancing substances.  Move Chris Chambers up your rankings slightly, but with the byes over with, you shouldn’t start him if you can help it. Bowe has been this team’s most consistent producer this year, but now he will be out until week 15.

The Raiders are obviously a mess and now that Darren McFadden is back, the one position where some Raiders are looked at for fantasy goodness is becoming very muddled.

As if the Chiefs weren't bad enough ...

McFadden got just four carries for 11 yards against KC. But I think he will get more as he works himself back to full strength.

Justin Fargas, who has been the team’s best RB  for the past month, gained 41 yards and a score on 10 carries. Not bad.

But it was Michael Bush who shocked us all with 16 touches for 129 total yards. Now, 60 of those yards did come on one big run, in which he got tripped up inside the 5-yard line, but 16 touches??? He hadn’t had more than 12 in any game all season. Oy vey! Going forward, it’s anyone’s guess what will happen here, but since I’m included with anyone, I’ll say that McFadden will be the running back that I want for the rest of the season. I think Fargas will get the most fantasy points in the very short term and Bush’s explosion was just a fluke.

We’ll see how this shakes out in week 11, but none are a great play against the Bengals.

Cardinals 31, Seahawks 20

The Cardinals’ passing offense did what it was supposed to do. Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald had very nice games. Anquan Boldin returned from his ankle inury with a purpose as he gained 105 yards on a team-high eight catches. And even with Boldin back, Steve Breastson was targeted often. He scored once and would have had a second touchdown if not for a holding penalty. And was that the Lights Out dance?

But it’s Arizona’s running game that deserves the attention. Tim Hightower ran well early, but it was Beanie Wells who was the finisher. He got more carries in the fourth quarter and ran with tremendous power. He was bouncing off guys and shoving them out of his face. He looked more authoritative than Hightower. He looked like the better running back.

And he probably is. There is a reason why he was a first-round draft pick. Hightower will stay on the field often for the Cardinals because the team does want him to keep starting for his blocking and receiving skills. But Beanie is clearly the best running back in Arizona and should be viewed as such from a fantasy perspective for the rest of the year.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh tried to make up for his rather disappointing season all in one week. Nine catches, 165 yards and maybe most importantly for his future this season, 17 targets. Meanwhile, Nate Burleson, who had more yards, catches and targets than T.J. coming into this game, got shut out. Obviously, that’s not going to happen every week. He still had five targets, so I am not worried about Burleson. And while Housh is merely a possession receiver, I really like his prospects for the rest of the season after this performance. His good chemistry with Matt Hasselbeck has really been on display in the past two weeks.

Tight end John Carlson catches a touchdown, but it was his only catch of the day and the ball was thrown to him only because no one was within 15 yards of him. Carlson was supposed to be a great sleeper tight end this year. But after his tw0-touchdown effort in week one, he just kept sleeping.

Julius Jones left this game early with what was initially reported as a broken rib but later turned out to be a bruised and bleeding lung with a possible cracked rib. Still, he seems unlikely to play this week against Minnesota. This means that Justin Forsett becomes a must-have in almost all leagues. He ran with great quickness against the Cardinals, racking up 123 yards and a touchdown on just 17 carries. He also had five receptions for 26 yards. Jones may be back soon, but he really doesn’t deserve to start anyway. Forsett has only 37 carries this year, but he deserves a lot more with the way he has run — 6.6 yards per carry average this season. Jones is averaging just 3.7 yards per with his 107 carries. Plus, Forsett is faster and a better receiving back.

Forsett may not get the chance he deserves this season, but you should definitely pick him up just in case he does.

That said, he’s not a great play against that tough Vikings front this Sunday.

Packers 17, Cowboys 7

Welcome to my analysis of the second most-unwatchable game from this past weekend. Just when you thought that the defenses weren’t safe, both of them turned out to be quailty fantasy starts in this game.

There really isn’t much to talk about here. On the Green Bay side, Aaron Rodgers was rather efficient and had two touchdowns. Donald Driver and Greg Jennings were basically the same (Driver: four catches for 50 yards. Jennings: four catches for 45 yards), so nothing got solved there. Ryan Grant gets 87 total on 21 touches.

Again, it was pretty unwatchable.

Tony Romo had 251 yards passing and a score, but also committed two turnovers. None of the Dallas running backs did anything of significance, but at least Marion Barber got the most carries … which he should, but you would think that they would give him more than five. Maybe that will change this weekend against the Redskins.

What was peculiar was that while Miles Austin was limited to just 20 yards on four catches, Roy Williams had 105 yards and a touchdown on five catches. Those numbers either match or set a season-high for the Cowboys’ “Number one” receiver. I think the attention being given to Austin lately — he has just five catches in his past two games — has made Williams more open and appealing to Romo. That’s got to be the reason why he has accumulated nearly 42 percent of his yards and catches in the past two games.

Of course, Williams still had a critical drop and lost a fumble. I’m glad his ability to be crappy hasn’t completely dissolved yet.

Also, Austin is still the best receiver in Dallas and will be for the rest of the season. No worries there. Williams is just not good enough.

Chargers 31, Eagles 23

Well, the big story out of this game really doesn’t have much to do with football. First, the Eagles need to make sure that Brian Westbrook is OK. Like, OK to live a full, unrestricted life. Not just OK to play in a game. Westbrook suffered his second concussion in four games and his prospects for the rest of this year now seem bleak. We should know more Wednesday.

I certainly think he won’t play for the rest of the season. I would let him take this offseason to think about his life and career — don’t forget that Westbrook recently talked about being concerned that these concussions will affect him after he has retired — and if he wants to play again, great. If he doesn’t, let him retire on his own terms and not when his body forces him.

With Westbrook out, LeSean McCoy becomes an easy No. 2 fantasy running back. He has played well in place of Westbrook this season and can also catch passes.

The Eagles spent most of the day flinging the pill all over the yard. Donovan McNabb finished with 450 yards and a couple of scores. So obviously, players such as DeSean Jackson, Brent Celek and Jeremy Maclin had very usable days. But Jason Avant with eight catches and 156 yards? That nearly doubled his season total in yards. I’m not buying at all, but I’d keep tabs on him. You never know.

Now THIS looks like the LaDainian Tomlinson we know. Damn, his wife should get pregnant every week!

But, I disagree with the announcer on that video. Tomlinson is not back. He is who we think he is: Old. Or at least older. He had a good game. Now see if you can get something for it.

Philip Rivers had another very solid game, but Vincent Jackson catches just one 10-yard pass. Hey, look up what he’s done this season and in recent weeks. No complaining if you own him, OK?

Colts 35, Patriots 34

I’ve linked to a lot of highlights in this post, but I am not going to direct you to that fourth-and-2 play. I can’t afford to see that again. My vision is already kind of blurry and I have a headache from seeing it 349 times.

Seriously, it was only week 10. The coverage being given to this makes it seem like this occurred in the AFC Championship game.

When I first saw that the Patriots were going to go for it on fourth down, I was certainly surprised, but it wasn’t like I was screaming, “What is Belichick doing?” It was a gutsy call, but it was only considered a bad call because it didn’t work.

If I had Randy Moss and Wes Welker on my team, I certainly wouldn't be looking first to Kevin Faulk to convert on a game-winning fourth down

In that fourth quarter, the Colts scored two touchdowns. Both came on 79-yard drives and both took less than 2 minutes. What’s to say that Peyton Manning and Co. couldn’t do that again? So, Belichick put the game on Tom Brady’s shoulder. It just didn’t work out. Again, if Kevin Faulk had gotten that first down, people would be hoisting Belichick on their shoulders all around New England. Analysts would be saying what a great call that was and how that’s the stuff that makes Belichick one of the greatest coaches ever.

But it didn’t happen. So now he’s an idiot.

The only problem I have with the play is the execution. I mean, Kevin Faulk? Not a fade or comeback route to Randy Moss on 5-foot-10-inch rookie cornerback in Jacob Lacey? And did you see how wide open Wes Welker was on that play!?

The play call was fine. The selection on the play was dreadful and should be criticized more than the decision to go for it in the first place.

And if you are Patriots cornerback Jonathan Wilhite on that last play by the Colts, don’t worry about interfering with Reggie Wayne. Tackle him if you have to! With just 14 seconds left and at the 1-yard line, the down doesn’t matter. Make the Colts snap it again. A number of things could have taken place.

Anyway, for fantasy purposes, everyone who you thought would have a good game basically did. Wayne and Moss were beasts. Both QBs tore it up. Joseph Addai continued to solidify his position as a top-15 running back with another multi-score game.  Pierre Garcon caught a touchdown, but Austin Collie had more receptions and both were looked to frequently (Garcon had 12 targets. Collie had nine).

Laurence Maroney got 13 carries for 31 yards and a touchdown, but Faulk got 12 carries himself and turned those into 79 yards. Much of that came after Maroney was benched for fumbling at the goal line. This is situation will become more confusing to follow once Sammy Morris returns, which could be this week.

Ravens 16, Browns 0

By far, the worst game of week 10 was the last one. It started out horribly with an injury on the opening kickoff, followed by a long replay review that shouldn’t have taken place, followed by the Ravens calling three timeouts within the first 7 minutes. (sigh).

For the Browns, Brady Quinn didn’t do much, as expected. But both of the interceptions he got credited for went off receivers hands. Tough luck. Not like it would have helped much, though. You know the Browns are horrible. Moving on …

Ray Rice maybe didn’t have the game that you expected him to have against Cleveland (104 total yards, one score), but it was good enough. I say that because it was good enough to give me that one-point win.

The only notable takeaway from this game is the lack of success from Joe Flacco. He was on fire early this season, but this was his third consecutive game with less than 200 yards passing, and he has thrown just one touchdown in that time. With two remaining games against the Steelers, plus a road game against the Packers and a meeting with the Colts, I’m not optimistic on Flacco for many of the following weeks. That will obviously have an effect on the only Ravens receiver you need to care about: Derrick Mason (three catches, 78 yards).

Ray Rice was pretty much the only reason why footage of the television broadcast of Ravens-Browns won't be incinerated

That’s it for this week. I would like to thank you for reading and ESPN for its 24 hours of college basketball keeping me company while I wrote this. For those of you who tuned in, wasn’t it cool to see live college basketball in the middle of the night? I don’t care if was Monmouth and St. Peter’s. Just the fact that it was live was so worth forcing yourself to wake up at 3 a.m.

On Thursday night, I’ll have a fantasy recap of the game between the Panthers and the Dolphins. Remember, no Ronnie Brown, so get him out of your lineup now or else you’ll be cursing at yourself later.

I picked up a set of monroe gas shocks at Advanced Auto Parts yesterday (monroe part number 5877). They’re a much better shock to use than what I had previously planned to use– these are designed to support the rear end of a Hyundai Excel whereas the others were for the front end of a late 80’s GMC G10 van. Here are a few links to discussions on this conversion:

British Car Forum

Second British Car Forum