tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79940782024-03-07T02:25:01.392-05:00The Flibbertigibbet"So, Leta, is it difficult to live your life so that whenever you need to illustrate a point, you have an anecdote from your personal experience?" No, not really.Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.comBlogger1048125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-19227459722299162252018-07-21T20:47:00.002-04:002018-07-21T20:47:55.116-04:00Ghost Light<a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Flibbertigibbet-Leta-Halls-Blog-ebook/dp/B07BHF32CQ" target="_blank">A compilation of posts from this blog is now an e-book</a>, thanks to Leta's father Charlie.Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-44126198123289370732018-03-23T16:38:00.001-04:002018-03-23T16:41:47.019-04:00410 Gone<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.00784314); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
It is with a heavy heart that I must report the passing of The Flibbertigibbet's owner, Leta Hall.</div>
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An <a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/washingtonpost/obituary-print.aspx?n=leta-hall&pid=183609904" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-image: linear-gradient(rgba(68, 68, 68, 0) 50%, rgba(68, 68, 68, 0.247059) 0px); background-position: 0px 1.15em; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; background-size: 1em 2px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.15em; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">obituary</a> ran in the Washington Post. Her father is compiling an e-book of her posts from this blog. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/leta2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-image: linear-gradient(rgba(68, 68, 68, 0) 50%, rgba(68, 68, 68, 0.247059) 0px); background-position: 0px 1.15em; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; background-size: 1em 2px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.15em; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Her Facebook page</a> will remain up, converted to memorial status.</div>
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We miss her more each day.</div>
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-- <a href="http://davidgorsline.info/" target="_blank">David Gorsline</a></div>
Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-24644151635076592016-11-23T21:17:00.002-05:002016-11-23T21:17:16.377-05:00Shorter line<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">At the grocery store earlier this evening and the ladies room was down to one stall. The very nice maintenance guy offered to let us use the men's room, an offer I promptly took him up on. He guarded the door until I was done and there was one man waiting to use the facility, looking very annoyed at having to *wait* for *a bathroom.* I said "thank you!" and thought </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4267b2;">#CheckYourPrivilege</span></span><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="_58cm">.</span></span></span>Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-33431843976556587152016-11-11T13:09:00.003-05:002016-11-11T13:10:34.549-05:00Meanwhile in America<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
I wear my freedom rings to say that I stand with my LGBTQ family, friends, neighbors, and strangers. I stand with them and want them to have all of the rights, privileges, and safety that I do.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
I wear a safety pin on those rings to tell any woman of any religion, color, or nationality that I am a safe person to approach if they feel unsafe.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
I attend a church that defies the idea that 11:00 Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America.</div>
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This election changes none of those things, it only underscores my need for them.</div>
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To all my friends, liberal, conservative, and all others, I ask that we look to our best selves and our highest ideals, to listen to each other, and to encourage love and respect for all.</div>
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The future bends toward justice but we need to help prepare the way by how we treat each other.</div>
Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-47282942454470956352015-02-05T15:02:00.002-05:002015-02-05T15:02:53.333-05:00I made a math joke<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Oh, God, what's become of me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">An email exchange between me and one of the contracting staff:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Me: Remind [project manager] that typing in the names of the folks
up the chain [into the form I'm processing before he sends it to me] makes me think that they’re already seen / approved the [form] which
will bite me one day. And then I’ll be looking for revenge.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Contracts Administrator: Yes, I’ll remind [project manager] (again) not
to fill in names. I think he is trying to be helpful, sigh.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Me: Yeah. Tell him that he’s being<span style="color: #1f497d;"> </span><span style="color: red;">(helpful)</span>. </span><br />
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Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-34377379688010751322014-07-09T16:16:00.000-04:002014-07-09T16:19:21.620-04:00This is your pilot speakingI've been researching twin engine aircraft for work recently and my favorite part about that is reading aviator-written descriptions of planes, handling, and the trade-offs with a second engine. And my favorite part of aviator-written descriptions? Their fondness for off-hand understatement.<br />
<br />
For example, these are from <a href="http://www.avsim.com/pages/1111/Carenado/337.html" target="_blank">AVSIM Commercial FSX Aircraft Review</a>'s* description of the Cessna Skymaster. And, again, the first one is my favorite. The last is my second favorite.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>It has two of everything to maintain and replace, increasing operating and ownership costs. But, of course, it has two engines and that second engine just might save your life one day. Owners usually agree the extra cost is well worth it within minutes of an engine failure at a critical time.</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>---</i></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-center;"><i>My favorite Skymaster quote is from a pilot who had an engine failure in IFR** over the mountains at night. ATC asked, "Sir, are you declaring an emergency?" The Skymaster pilot replied, "No, I'm declaring an inconvenience."</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-center;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-center;"><i>---</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>In early days it was not uncommon to see aborted takeoffs of the C337 simply because the pilot failed to notice the rear engine had conked out somewhere along the taxi stage and the pilot also evidently failed to do a proper engine run-up and mag check prior to takeoff. Posted placards state, at the insistence of the FAA that the normal operation should be to lead with only the rear engine for takeoff then follow with the forward engine. This is to ensure the rear engine is actually running at normal power for takeoff. Rotation and climb out would not be a good time to discover your twin is actually a single. Single engine takeoffs are prohibited.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>This is one of the reasons you see the C337 taxi with the tractor engine completely shut down. One, you don’t need two engines to taxi, two, you save on fuel and wear and tear on parts, and [three], you probably won’t attempt a takeoff if the prop you are looking at is not turning.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>---</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-center;"><i>I like the engine sounds*** so much that I load up the C337H in FSX, start the engine or engines, turn up the volume, minimize FSX, and then work on my writing or editing or forum surfing with these sweet sounds in the background. It reminds me of those old days sitting in the hot sun in Miami waiting for takeoff clearance surrounded by big iron. It drives my wife nuts.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-center;"><i>---</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The standard line is that there is very little indication of a rear engine failure. Other than the sputtering sound, the sudden and noticeable pressure on the restraining harness against your chest and the rapid loss of about 15 to 20 knots in airspeed, there aren't many clues. If someone cannot feel this and see the drop in fuel flow and cylinder head temperatures, they probably should not be flying anything.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*An aviation simulator. The actual plane is described as part of the complete description of the simulator. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">** "Instrument flight rules (IFR) is one of two sets of
regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the
other is visual flight rules (VFR)." So saith the Google and the Wikipedia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*** Having two 210 hp engines hanging forward and back rather than off to the sides means that the plane is consistently described as being very, very noisy. Like being inside a lawn mower.</span></div>
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Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-46652176050656064712014-07-08T18:49:00.000-04:002014-07-08T18:49:27.698-04:00We are not the droids they're looking for<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the more interesting things about having my name and email on the company website is that I am the person most likely to get emails from random-ish strangers. Specifically, I get mail for people looking for customer service for companies with initials like the one I work for. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have suggested to my boss that we could generate some revenue by billing those companies for the pleasant (and even possibly helpful) replies that I send. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here is a selection. Some were more fun to handle than others, but Number 1 will always have a special place in my heart. I wouldn't mind having that lady on my side in a similar situation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">#1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">From:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> [name]<br /><b>Sent:</b> Sunday, February 03, 2013 2:59 PM<br /><b>To:</b> Hall, Leta<br /><b>Subject:</b> Poor, Poor Customer Service<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was just at your Sturgis, Michigan store. Ahead of me in line was a woman with a return. She had her receipt, but the barcode wouldn't scan and the date was smudged, but it was clearly a TSC receipt. The manager, Will, was called to the front and turned the woman away, saying that she could not return the item because of the barcode and date. She was not even given a cursory apology. Then, after she left, the cashier got on the phone and said, right in front of me "Yeah, I have a lady who just got crappy with me about a return" and proceeded to read off the woman's phone number. This entire incident was rude, unnecessary, and a breach of privacy. I was a long-time customer, but seeing how my future returns and private information might be handled in the future, and that I might be described as a "crappy" customer in front of other customers after I walk out of the store ... well, I think this issue should be addressed. The customer was not even being rude; she just said "I don't understand". Wow.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">[name and address]</span></div>
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<b style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">From:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> Hall, Leta</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><b>Sent:</b> Monday, February 04, 2013 10:27 AM<br /><b>To:</b> [name]<br /><b>Subject:</b> RE: Poor, Poor Customer Service<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 11pt;">Good morning, Ms. [name],<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 11pt;">I agree with you – that sounds *<b>awful.</b>* Unfortunately the TSC you’ve reached isn’t the same as the one you’re hoping to reach. The TSC that I work for doesn’t have any stores – we provide engineering services. <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 11pt;">If you wanted the Tractor Supply Company their website and customer service contacts can be found at <a href="http://www.tractorsupply.com/" target="_blank">http://www.tractorsupply.com/</a>.<wbr></wbr> I hope you are able to reach the right person and get a good resolution.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 11pt;">All the best,<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 11pt;">Leta Hall<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 11pt;">Corporate Administrator</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">#2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">From:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> [name]<br /><b>Sent:</b> Friday, March 28, 2014 3:09 PM<br /><b>To:</b> Leta<br /><b>Subject:</b> WX-110110CSO-CBK<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hi Leta –<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Can you please provide a detailed spec sheet on the following part # : <span style="font-size: 7pt;">WX-110110CSO-CBK<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The customer isn’t happy with the quality and would like complete details of the material, etc<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Please advise<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thank you!<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>[name and contact info]</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">From:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> Leta<br /><b>Sent:</b> Friday, March 28, 2014 2:30 PM<br /><b>To: [name]</b><br /><b>Subject:</b> RE: WX-110110CSO-CBK<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hi [name] ~<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Unfortunately, I can’t provide that spec sheet. The TSC that I work for are engineers. <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It looks as though the item you are referring to is made by TSC America and while I can find their product suppliers easily on the internet, I am having trouble finding the actual company. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be more help but hope that you are able to find the information that your customer needs. <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All the best,<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Leta</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">From:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> [name]<br /><b>Sent:</b> Friday, March 28, 2014 3:33 PM<br /><b>To:</b> Leta<br /><b>Subject:</b> RE: WX-110110CSO-CBK<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thank you so much for taking the time to respond J don’t find that much now a days !<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You have a super weekend!<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 10pt;">[name]</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">#3</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">From:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"> [name]<br />
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, June 10, 2014 1:57 PM<br />
<b>To:</b> Leta<br />
<b>Subject:</b> Tsc conventionally raised or organic meat?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Dear
Ms. Hall,<br />
<br />
Is the meat in tsc's tsatziki steak flatbread conventionally raised or organic?<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
[name]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">From:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Leta <br />
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, June 10, 2014 2:06 PM<br />
<b>To:</b> [name]<br />
<b>Subject:</b> RE: Tsc conventionally raised or organic meat?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Good afternoon, Ms. {Name],<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">I think that you are trying to contact the Tropical Smoothie
Café, rather than [my employer]. We don’t (alas) have
any flatbreads, just lots of engineers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Tropical Smoothie’s customer service folks can be reached at
<a href="http://www.tropicalsmoothie.com/contact-us">http://www.tropicalsmoothie.com/contact-us</a>.
I hope they are able to provide the information you’re seeking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">All the best,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Leta<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Corporate Administrator<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">#4</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">From:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> name<br />
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, July 02, 2014 8:48 AM<br />
<b>To:</b> Hall, Leta<br />
<b>Subject:</b> cable inquiry for vietnam<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dear [misspelling of my name],<span lang="DE-AT"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I am working for [company], a Austrian company, which produces various kinds of lighting kits for
vehicles. We would like to establish a business in Vietnam and therefore we
need several cables. I found out that you company as well has a branch office in
Hanoi, correct?<span lang="DE-AT"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If yes I kindly ask you provide
me with a contact person, or forward this E-Mail to a person in charge.<span lang="DE-AT"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have enclosed you a folder
with the several different cables we need! <span lang="DE-AT"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For each cable type (cable
number) you can find a technical datasheet and a picture. Please check whether
the production of each single cable is possible for you or not. <span lang="DE-AT"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you can produce those cables
I need the following information from you:<span lang="DE-AT"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">From each type we need 600 km
per year.<span lang="DE-AT"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We want to have the cables in
big cable rolls. Is that possible?<span lang="DE-AT"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Besides I wonder what the
minimum order quantity is?<span lang="DE-AT"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I kindly ask you to send me an
initial price quotation for each cable type /cable number. <span lang="DE-AT"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thank you in advance and I hope
to hear from you soon<span lang="DE-AT"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Best regards<span lang="DE-AT"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">[name]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="DE">Von:</span></b><span lang="DE"> Hall, Leta<br />
<b>Gesendet:</b> Mittwoch, 02. Juli 2014 16:53<br />
<b>An:</b> [namen]<br />
<b>Betreff:</b> RE: cable inquiry for vietnam<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dear [name],<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’m sorry to tell you that the TSC that you have reached is not
the TSC you were looking for. I believe that you are trying to reach
Tractor Supply Company (<a href="http://www.tractorsupply.com/">www.tractorsupply.com</a>).
Their page for cables and connectors is <a href="http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/search/cables-connectors">http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/search/cables-connectors</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our web addresses are similar so this confusion happens a
lot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All the best,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Leta<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-12430457387863552082014-06-18T17:14:00.000-04:002014-07-08T18:49:54.443-04:00A Wider Circle's Great Eight<span style="font-family: 'Californian FB', serif; font-size: 13pt;">This
year in Silver Spring Ben & Jerry’s </span><i style="font-family: 'Californian FB', serif; font-size: 13pt;">Free
Cone Day</i><span style="font-family: 'Californian FB', serif; font-size: 13pt;"> (held every April) featured volunteers from <a href="http://awidercircle.org/" target="_blank">A Wider Circle</a>,* a
local organization which furnishes homes, provides clothing and trains people
for the workforce in the D.C. area.</span><span style="font-family: 'Californian FB', serif; font-size: 13pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: 'Californian FB', serif; font-size: 13pt;">Every year on </span><i style="font-family: 'Californian FB', serif; font-size: 13pt;">Free Cone Day</i><span style="font-family: 'Californian FB', serif; font-size: 13pt;">,
Ben & Jerry’s give away </span><i style="font-family: 'Californian FB', serif; font-size: 13pt;">free ice
cream</i><span style="font-family: 'Californian FB', serif; font-size: 13pt;">** and they host a charity who is allowed to fundraise in the store.***</span><span style="font-family: 'Californian FB', serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Californian FB', serif; font-size: 13pt;">Give the charity a few dollars and you get a
key ring tag for 10% off on ice cream for the next twelve months.</span><span style="font-family: 'Californian FB', serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Californian FB', serif; font-size: 13pt;">In addition to the</span><i style="font-family: 'Californian FB', serif; font-size: 13pt;"> free ice cream</i><span style="font-family: 'Californian FB', serif; font-size: 13pt;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">So,
really, one isn’t just scarfing down <i>free
ice cream</i>, one is being a <i>philanthropist</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Anyway,
this year was A Wider Circle’s opportunity and the nice volunteers handed out
information on the organization and how to help. I still have the bookmark they gave me with “The
Great Eight” on it. If you are looking
for a quick shopping list of “things to buy but not for me” and have donated
enough boxes of pasta and cans of veggies for a while, they suggest:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">1. Tissues and toilet paper<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">2. Laundry detergent<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">3. Whole grain pasta****<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">4. Low-sodium beans<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">5. Paper towels and cleaning supplies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">6. Cereal and oatmeal<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">7. Diapers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">8. Low-sodium, low-sugar canned fruits and
vegetables.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;">I
take food with me for the food bank every time I go to church and every so
often the shelter gets some of my beloved hotel toiletries. I’ll probably go to the store this weekend
and pick up some paper goods for donation.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif";">*From
their website: “A Wider Circle’s efforts
focus on the provision of basic need items, education, and long-term support.
These three components work in concert to create lasting change in the lives of
those we serve. A Wider Circle says no to nobody! Anyone in need of help can
find it here. In addition to all of the individuals and families that call us,
more than 300 government, social service, and nonprofit agencies regularly
contact us for help in serving their clients.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif";">Items can
be dropped off 7 day a week, 365 days a year at our Center for Community
Service: 9159 Brookville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif";">**which
is awesome<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif";">*** Last
year it was the <a href="http://www.warl.org/" target="_blank">Washington Animal Rescue League</a>, so … kittens! And puppies!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Californian FB","serif";">**** Or
gluten-free …<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-54127776483226416922014-06-15T13:52:00.001-04:002014-06-15T13:52:01.341-04:00I'm reading <i>Easter Rising: A Memoir of Roots and Rebellion</i> by Michael Patrick MacDonald and got to this passage on page 22 which may be the most surreal thing I've ever read in a memoir.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
My first afternoon there I was just about to leave the store when one of the clerks took down a Patti Smith record that was propped on a fireplace mantel that was left over from the days when the shop had been an apartment. I had seen Patti Smith a couple of years earlier on the Saturday morning TV show <i>Kids Are People Too</i>. She wore an oversized man's blazer and her gaunt face made her look something like Jesus on the cross. She sang Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life" surrounded by an audience of entranced eight-year-olds. The show host* had announced her a "punk poet" and "the female Mick Jagger." As a kid I hadn't been into rock 'n' roll. All we ever listened to in Southie was soul or disco even though the neighborhood wasn't safe for black people - or anyone else different from us - after the busing riots. Still everyone knew who Mick Jagger was - especially after the Rolling Stones' "Miss You" became a disco hit. If Patti Smith was his female counterpart I was surprised I'd never heard of her. Seeing her on TV on that Saturday morning gave me the willies, and I couldn't get her blank stare out of my head all day. I was probably eleven and couldn't believe she was on a show for kids younger than me, singing the worst soft-rock ever but turning it into an intense dirge with her deep and onimous voice. The show's host asked her "Are you punk rock?" She simply answer, "No," her blank stare unmoved by the host's enthusiasm. "Well, we think you're punk rock, right, kids?" the apple-cheeked host shouted, to the cheers of dozens of eight-year-olds screaming, "Yeah!" I had no idea what was going on. Punk rock? And the Debby Boone song? And that frightening gaze?</blockquote>
<br />
Oh, look, here it is:<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/TauRfN9u2Qw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Be sure to listen to the question portion where she says that she wanted to be a missionary.<br />
<br />
And if you want to read a more light-hearted description of the whole thing, try <a href="http://www.openculture.com/2013/10/patti-smith-sings-you-light-up-my-life-with-composer-joe-brooks-on-1979-show-kids-are-people-too.html" target="_blank">this article on Open Culture</a>.<br />
<br />
And the rest of the book? Definitely recommended.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
* Michael Young<br />
<br />
<br />Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-8998710412492651372014-04-18T10:42:00.000-04:002014-04-18T10:42:13.931-04:0014 is the mew 72From vetstreet.com, so that Pekoe gets enough candles every January.<br />
<br />
<h2 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #ab483a; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5; margin: 15px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
How Old Is My Cat?</h2>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We all love easy answers, so after the idea of "dog years" became popular, we started seeing the same methodology applied to cats: Take the lifespan of a cat, compare it to a person, then get your formula, which is why you may frequently hear that 1 cat year equals 4 human years.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’re ahead of me already, I bet: A 1-year-old cat is far more mature than a 4-year-old child, and a 2-year-old cat is fully mature, which can never be said of a human 8-year-old.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Because cats have less size diversity than dogs do, however, in this case we actually can make the formula work, if we start calculating at a cat's second birthday. The first year takes a cat to late adolescence, and the second into young adulthood. You can then start counting in fours: Figure a 2-year-old cat at 24 "human years." and add four years for every one thereafter, making a 4-year-old cat the equivalent of a 32-year-old person. That makes a 9-year-old cat about 52 in human terms, and 16-year-old cat about 80.</span></div>
Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-33788911603566726852014-04-17T14:30:00.000-04:002014-04-17T14:30:32.638-04:00How to let your friends know that you're coming to see their show<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>Gayle and I will be there to applaud for you guys on Friday. We'll sit in the front row so that you don't miss us. </i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>And we'll wave at you every so often so you can remember where we're sitting. </i></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<i>Try not to suck.</i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<i>love,</i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<i>Leta</i></div>
Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-35008820207521557522014-03-19T16:34:00.003-04:002014-03-19T16:34:53.904-04:00RaisinsI once asked my Mom why she didn't like raisins very much and she said that she had a cookie once that she thought was chocolate chip and it was really oatmeal raisin. And that she has never forgiven those raisins.<br />
<br />
So it's really a pity that I can't show this to her. <br />
<br />
<img alt="raisins and trust issues" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEiqr3NVetzip_ErgxnXEPpdGUe2Mi7s8zmtZ5CqXuwCuei46hey8Cl2LsXXny7j_5XBmlCXv3QzARconp0m1pAP05fN5rOVetT8zuYcJ35i-Er_JFmufGNmFQ0pBoKJLvVRSt-iIBksxrtnIaaluzxP-Alt4cFrHyWf7Sdf_jbCAr8zkRS-XcAWpMZV=s0-d-e1-ft" />Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-45152671286306756662014-02-13T18:51:00.000-05:002014-02-13T18:51:14.105-05:00Ann's daughter, part 2I am still my mother's daughter. If looking pretty much like photocopy of her doesn't make that case, then there's always how I spent today.<br />
<br />
We got about 12 inches of snow last night, so ...<br />
<br />
I got up this morning on time,<br />
had breakfast,<br />
checked on-line to see if Ride-On* was running (no),<br />
shoveled out my car,<br />
tried to sell the kid near me who was helping his Dad on the moral imperative of cleaning off the top of the car (with illustrative anecdote), and<br />
went back upstairs and changed into dry pants.<br />
<br />
Then I made real hot chocolate with milk, **<br />
enjoyed it while listening to public radio,<br />
put on coat, scarf, hat, and gloves, and<br />
walked to work.***<br />
<br />
Pretty much every single item on that list comes right out of the <i>Ann Snow Day Handbook</i>. One time, when Sara and I were kids, there was a snow day on the day we had a dentist's appointment. So instead of rescheduling, letting us sleep late, making French Toast, and playing board games, Mom rousted us out of bed <i>before our normal get up time</i> because <i>Mom made 8:00 dentist appointments</i> and, because our dead-end street didn't get plowed very often <i>made us walk the mile and a half through the snow</i> to our appointment. ****<br />
<br />
I'm pretty sure that it was uphill both ways, too. Mom had lots of hardy pioneer spirit.<br />
<br />
She would have been so proud of me today. *****<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">* The county run bus system.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">** Mom wasn't a fan of processed foods. Among the things that Sara and I loved that Mom hated were Pop-Tarts, tubes of raw cookie dough, and Swiss Miss. Once, in an effort to lure us away from the grey powder, she made us "instant cocoa" from powered milk, powdered sugar, and cocoa. The fact that we thought that it was "good but not Swiss Miss" and "kinda weird" probably gave her a real nice warm glow inside.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*** So that I didn't lose my good parking space. It's easier to walk a mile in this weather than it is to get over losing the space one has shoveled out.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">**** It can safely be assumed that I am still outraged by this. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">***** Of course, she would also be very confused because as I remember any shoveling that she asked me or Sara to do -- or anything else that even hinted of hardy pioneer spirit -- made us complain loudly and piercingly or quietly and sullenly. Probably me more than Sara. She had at least <i>some </i>hardy pioneer spirit. </span>Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-64165239902839826052014-02-12T21:06:00.001-05:002014-02-12T21:07:23.091-05:00LagavulinI was given a bottle of Lagavulin 16-year-old for Christmas. I hadn't opened it yet because I've been finishing the bland-but-pleasant Concannon (Irish Whisky) that I had bought for myself, largely because I liked the name.<br />
<br />
And often trying something new because you like the name is fine. You might end up with something you love. I found a wine that I love that way.*<br />
<br />
Lagavulin not only has a cool name, but the back of the box has <strike>marketing </strike><i>educational </i>text which I reproduce here, for the pronunciation help if nothing else. <br />
<br />
And tonight I'll give it a try while I continue to read <i>Last Call</i>, Daniel Okrent's fascinating look at Prohibition.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*I can't actually remember the name, but I remember the label, so I'm sure there will be more of it in the house soon. </span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Lagavulin </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Many believe that this is one of the oldest distillery sites in Scotland. In 1816 local farmer and distiller John Johnston founded the first legal distillery here at Lagavulin (pronounced Laga - voolin, after the Gaelic Laggan Mhouillin, "the hollow where the mill is"). </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Today, the four onion-shaped stills at Lagavulin are neatly tucked into a whitewashed jumble of buildings by the sea on Islay's (pronounced Eye - la) rocky southern shore, guarded by the imposing ruin of Dunyvaig Castle. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There's nothing hurried about life on Islay or about dark, intense Lagavulin, which receives the slowest distillation of any Islay malt, then spends sixteen years in old oak casks before being bottled. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Pungent and potent, this is the great Islay malt. With richly peaty, deep, smoky flavours, it has an intense, long, ambrosial finish. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Lagavulin is the majestic Islay destination on a journey around Scotland's six malt whisky making regions. The other Classic Malts are:<br />
Glenkinchie - Lowland<br />
Dalwhinnie - Highland<br />
Cragganmore - Speyside<br />
Talisker - Island<br />
Oban - Western Highland</blockquote>
<br />
See? Now I feel like I've learned something.Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-37139900110647421352014-02-11T12:48:00.000-05:002014-02-11T12:48:14.708-05:00Scheduling<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Whenever Mary Ann would ask me to direct for the children's theater, I'd always ask for the June slot because that's when my theater year is usually least active. Looks like I'm not the only person who thinks that way. <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23px;">From a New York Times <a href="http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/10/linda-lavin-to-star-in-new-nicky-silver-play/?nl=theater&emc=edit_cu_20131211" target="_blank">ArtsBeat piece</a> on Linda Lavin agreeing to be in Nicky Silver's new play <i>Too Much Sun:</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Whether Ms. Lavin would like the play was only one potential hitch. There was also the question of whether she would be busy filming episodes of the sitcom “Sean Saves the World.” Mr. Silver took a gamble on that. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“When I was talking with Vineyard about doing the play,” Mr. Silver said, “I asked for the last slot in the season, because that would be hiatus time. It’s hard to cast plays in New York with TV going on, but that last slot is always your friend.”</span></blockquote>
<div class="story-body-text" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4375rem; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 540px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="story-body-text" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4375rem; margin-bottom: 1em; max-width: 540px;">
<br /></div>
Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-16124225971981134102014-02-10T22:17:00.001-05:002014-02-11T12:31:21.905-05:00My people*<img alt="9 Chickweed Lane" src="http://assets.amuniversal.com/6ccc60406f350131eb9b005056a9545d" height="125" width="400" /><br />
<br />
<br />
I am German and English on my Mom's side and English and Irish on my Dad's side. So I am one quarter German, half English, and one quarter Irish. Nonetheless, I ascribe 90% of what I am and what I do to either my German background or my Irish background. <br />
<br />
As I never wear socks with sandals and never would, I don't tend to attribute any of my character or behavior to being of English descent.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.gocomics.com/9chickweedlane/2014/02/10#.UvmTEBCwKtY" target="_blank">"9 Chickweed Lane" by Brooke McEldowney</a><br />
<br />
*The Germans, not the Nazis. Just ... thought I'd clarify that.Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-86893769775625128372014-02-09T09:30:00.000-05:002014-02-09T09:30:19.764-05:00The bisque is recommended<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Fenner also spent a few years in Washington, working for the Justice Department, and he shared quite a few meals there with John E. Smith, a lawyer from Atchison, Kansas, not far down the Missouri River from St. Jo, who was then working for Senator Dole and later became the house attorney of an Omaha trucking company. Fenner still likes to talk to Smith about eating in Washington - the Cuban food at the Omega and the Middle Eastern food at the Calvert Cafe and the chili at Hazel's Texas Chili Parlor. Fenner believes that Hazels' recipe was so secret that she carried it with her to the grave, although some other Washington eaters believe that it was handed down intact to a man with a tattoo, and still others believe that it was not the sort of recipe anyone would have to guard very closely.* Fenner's favorite restaurant in the Washington area was the renowned Silver Spring fish house called Crisfield Seafood Restaurant. He misses practically everything about Crisfield's. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"They know how to treat children," I heard him say once. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"They know how to treat oysters," said Morisseau, who did some eating in Washington himself.**</blockquote>
<br />
My Dad used to have lunch at Crisfield's pretty often because it was just a few blocks up Georgia Avenue from Hopkins APL where he worked, but I have an even better connection to Trillin's paragraph: Two of the people who "knew how to treat children" at Crisfield's were Ned and Nancy, my friend Mollie's parents. Ned ran the raw bar and Nancy ran the cash register and you'll never meet two nicer people. <br />
<br />
I got to know them during the years that Mollie and I were housemates and during part of that time Mollie was the day care provider / favorite aunt / playmate for then babies and later toddlers, Charles and Samantha. Mollie's folks are the kids adopted grandparents and even though Ned and Nancy have retired to North Carolina, the families are still close with lots of visiting. They <i>do </i>know how to treat children.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Crisfield's is still open in the same location. Omega closed after a fire. <a href="http://www.mamaayeshas.com/" target="_blank">The Calvert Cafe</a> was renamed Mama Ayesha's in 1994 after its founder Mama Ayesha Abraham, who died in 1993. It's still be run by her family. And Hazel's Texas Chili Parlor is also closed but is the gastronomic mother, if not legal entity parent, of chili parlor chain Hard Times. This <a href="http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/38462/how-dc-invented-texas-chili-mac" target="_blank">article </a>from DC's City Paper tells the fascinating story.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>**Alice, Let's Eat</i> by Calvin Trillin. Page 122 in the 1978 copy of the Vintage Books paperbook I have.</span>Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-56959889861135032622014-02-07T16:04:00.000-05:002014-02-07T16:04:01.767-05:00Typical work email<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">From our receptionist who has had to put up with me for nearly 15 years:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>From:</b> [the front desk]<br />
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, February 07, 2014 3:31 PM<br />
<b>To:</b> Leta<br />
<b>Subject:</b> Boxes in mailroom<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My reply:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>From:</b> Leta <br />
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, February 07, 2014 3:43 PM<br />
<b>To:</b> [the front desk]<br />
<b>Subject:</b> RE: Boxes in mailroom<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thank goodness. I was afraid the kittens wouldn't get here
before the weekend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #1f497d;">Can’t believe the vendor forgot the air holes *</span><b style="color: #1f497d;">again.</b><span style="color: #1f497d;">*<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hey, do we have a litter box anywhere around here?</span><span style="font-family: Californian FB, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-28029645666519743862014-01-20T21:28:00.000-05:002014-01-20T21:28:59.049-05:00Inclement Weather Policy<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "CG Omega","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I asked my boss and he confirmed that this is, indeed, the basis of our Corporate Inclement Weather Policy:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "CG Omega","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "CG Omega","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">On <st1:date day="19" month="5" w:st="on" year="1780">May 19, 1780</st1:date>,
an unexplained, near-total darkness
fell over much of <st1:place w:st="on">New England</st1:place>, at <st1:time hour="12" minute="0" w:st="on">midday</st1:time>. The more superstitious
believed that doomsday had come. In <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">New
Haven</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Connecticut</st1:state></st1:place>,
Colonel Abraham Davenport spoke out against adjourning the town council on
account of the darkness. He said: "I am against adjournment. The day of
judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause
for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish,
therefore, that candles may be brought."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-65034221714010439252014-01-20T17:58:00.002-05:002014-01-20T17:58:31.855-05:00My Civic Duty<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By the time I reached the Age of Majority in Maryland I was a tax payer, with a vehicle registered with the MVA, and registered to vote. In Maryland, one is (or was, at the time I first became eligible) eligible* to serve on a jury once every three years. Montgomery County is (or was, I should check this**) a one-day or one trial jurisdiction, unless one is chosen for Grand Jury service, which is three months, once a week, usually on Thursdays. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So my history of being called for jury duty looks like this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In my 20s: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- I got a summons for Jury Duty, showed up at the court house, and found that the only possible trial for that day had just settled, so we were released. Time spent doing my civic duty: about 15 minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- Three years later I got a summons for Jury Duty, showed up at the court house with a bad cold, a box of Kleenex, and cough medicine. Dozed in a chair until we were released around noon. Time spent being on site and willing to do my civic duty: 3-ish hours.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- Three years later I got a summons for July Duty, showed up at the court house, and was part of a group chosen to be interviewed for selection. It was a robbery case and I had had my purse snatched a few years previously, so I was dismissed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In my 30s:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- Three years later? No summons. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And none ever since.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Frankly, I was beginning to wonder what they thought was wrong with me. I'm pleasant, I know how to dress for a grown up occasion, what? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, even though I figured that I would get a bureaucratic run-around, I called the Jury Office for Montgomery County.*** Phone was promptly picked up by an actual person who was delighted to help me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She looked me up. And just like Gopher in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061199/?ref_=ttqt_qt_tt" target="_blank">Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree</a>, I wasn't in the book. It seems that Montgomery County thought that I had moved out of their jurisdiction. I said that, no, I've lived here a long time.**** </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And so the nice lady put me back in the system and mailed me an invitation to complete a Juror Questionnaire (Do you live here? Are you a criminal? Can you read this questionnaire? Are you old and possibly demented?). I've completed the questionnaire and now and waiting to once again join the folks who are entitled to decide the fates of others. I won't get to stand up and yell <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> "</span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">You're</i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> out of order!</span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">You're</i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> out of order! The </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">whole trial</i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> is out of order! </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">They're</i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> out of order!"*****</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In fact, I won't get to say anything in the courtroom, probably. But as a big fan of our civil liberties and the documents on which they are based that speak so highly of the right to a trial by a jury of one's peers, I am happy to be given the chance to be one of those peers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Truly. The joke is that one's fate is decided by 12 people too dumb to get out of jury duty, but is that really what we want? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'll be checking my mail!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">*This is one of those times where I agree with the bureaucratic language. Serving on a jury truly is a privilege and one is "eligible" to receive privileges. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">** I checked. All of these are still the case. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">*** David's reaction when I told him that I outed myself to the Jury Office: "You *called* the Jury .... Huh..."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">**** So it wasn't me, it was them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">***** Come on. Al Pacino in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078718/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">And Justice for All</a>, of course.</span>Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-59905749418124277742013-11-25T13:15:00.001-05:002013-11-25T13:16:12.919-05:00Useful skills<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Me: So Malinda was telling us that she had to go online to figure out how to tie a noose.* And I told her that I figured <i>that </i>out one night when I was backstage with some rope and some free time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">David: Huh. Well. I guess I'll sleep better tonight knowing that you don't have any rope in <i>this </i>room.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Me: Oh, that's okay. I can use always use the tie to your bathrobe. Or the drawstring from my pajama bottoms.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">David: .....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*For the gifts from the cast to the director and staff of <i>The Pillowman</i> at Silver Spring Stage. They gave each of us an adorable stuff hedgehog with a noose around its neck.</span></div>
Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-76595224672768657342013-09-15T08:40:00.001-04:002013-09-15T08:40:09.552-04:00A note on the text<div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">
“Were there many changes?”<br />“The play was very much what it was when it was first sent to him. All those scenes were there, the same flow of the play. But he would tweak the beats, and he'd shape the sequences within the scenes.”<br /><br />“How interested was he in the actors being faithful to his dialogue?”<br />“Oh, it's not even a question. I think everyone in the room understands that the language the playwright uses is not just the broad ideas. That there can be as much meaning in the syntax, or in the rhythms the playwright has written, as in the broader meanings of the theme. There was never any kind of 'we’ll improvise something here.'” </div>
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<br />On rare occasions Margulies would solicit advice from the actors.</div>
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“Did he accept your suggestions?” “He definitely responded to, but it was not like anyone ever went in and said, 'Listen, Donald, this is what I want to say here.'” </div>
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<i>Arye Gross talking about creating the role of Ira in "Brooklyn Boy" for Donald Margulies.</i></div>
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<a href="http://www.jewish-theatre.com/visitor/article_display.aspx?articleID=1260">http://www.jewish-theatre.com/visitor/article_display.aspx?articleID=1260</a></div>
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And PS:</div>
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“How was working with Dan Sullivan? How did he work with you on your character?”<br />“You’d just start going through the text, and he’d say 'Why don't you come in from this area over here?' He'd never tell you exactly what to do, but just a couple of broad strokes. And then as rehearsals progressed -- I think after two weeks -- we did a run through of the play. And Dan maybe gave each of us two or three notes. And you'd think ‘I'm doing so much, he only has these comments?’ And you start to wonder, well, maybe he doesn’t like me, he doesn't think I'm good enough that it's worth commenting on. But what you realize throughout the process is that his direction is -- he sculpts. You can do the whole play, and the only note will be 'You know, these two lines that you have, you're putting a little pause in between. Pull those right together.' And when I put these two lines together, boy, you find that one little adjustment is having a subtle shift on some kind of undertone in the scene. Or he'll give a little physical note that suddenly propels you into an entirely deeper meaning.” Dan’s style with the physical staging is similar, Gross explains. “For the most part, there's not a lot of work on staging, unless there's a problem. And then he's making a visual composition, a balance of where the audience’s eye will go, and who they should be looking at in a scene. I think Dan is a masterful director.” </div>
Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-69681767782356507672013-09-11T18:42:00.002-04:002013-09-11T18:42:20.031-04:00Check and checkOnly in community theater --<br />
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My "to do" list for today includes the following:<br />
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1. Scrounge empty cigarette packs. Preferably of non-girly cigarettes. (Check!)<br />
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2. Fall down. (Check!)<br />
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Now back to the real world...<br />
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<br />Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-34732219987911729012013-08-09T10:52:00.002-04:002013-08-09T11:10:21.801-04:00We're moving; I'm not moving<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My office is moving from Silver Spring to Crystal City.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And I've been thinking a lot about where I should live, based on what this will do to my commute. Friends suggested relocating to Virginia. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So I did some poking around on line for apartments. The move is not until March, but it never hurts to look. And I found a place in Arlington that was kinda do-able.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But. And it's a big but ... *</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I can't shake the belief that moving to Virginia and letting my tax dollars go to Richmond would send a signal that I most adamantly don't want to send. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In Maryland there is Marriage Equality. In Virginia, there isn't.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In Maryland, capital punishment is rarely applied** and is being considered for abolishment because it is the second most unfairly applied form of punishment in the US. (Crack vs. powder cocaine is the first.*** ) Virginia's execution rate per capita is 4th in the nation (after Oklahoma, Texas, and ... Delaware).**** </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I just can't bring myself to appear to "vote with my feet" that I am for the death penalty and against marriage equality. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm not against the death penalty in all cases and think that it can be a good prosecutorial bargaining chip but it hasn't been proven to be a deterrent, it's really expensive, and it's applied with unsupportable amounts of bias.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm very much for marriage equality. Enough so that I actually wrote to politicians supporting it. Writing to politicians is just asking to be put on solicitation lists which I hate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enough so that I bought a special license plate to say so.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am for marriage equality because I am for equality. And I'm for love. And families.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"But your vote would count in Virginia!" people like to say. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My vote in Maryland helped pass marriage equality. All my friends' votes in Virginia didn't stop a law writing homophobia into their constitution.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We are moving our offices to Virginia (among other reasons) because it is "business friendly" but I'm staying in Maryland because it is human friendly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">* ... pause for TWSS ...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">** 5 people in 35 years, 25th state per capita with a per 10,000 rate of .0009. HT to <a href="http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/state-execution-rates" target="_blank">Death Penalty Info</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">*** IMHO</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">**** 108 people in 35 years (second only to Texas w 472) and a per 10K rate of .188</span></div>
Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994078.post-73953662658444940932013-03-12T12:50:00.003-04:002013-03-12T12:52:13.516-04:00How to make my brain bigger<br />
I took a class in finance via <a href="https://www.coursera.org/" target="_blank">Coursera</a> a few months ago. Why? Because I thought that learning something about what my boss knows very well and deals with all the time would help me do my job a little better. And because learning stuff for free on the internet? Totes awesome!<br />
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My class was taught by Gautam Kaul of the University of Michigan. Yep, I was an "enrolled" student at the <b><i>University of Michigan</i></b> for a semester! And (ahem) <b><i>Princeton </i></b>for my world history class.<br />
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Here's the course description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #5f5f5f; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">This course is primarily devoted to the fundamental principles of valuation. We will learn and apply the concepts of time value of money and risk to understand the major determinants of value creation. We will use both theory and real world examples to demonstrate how to value any asset.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #5f5f5f; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><br />
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I loved that class. And worked my butt off. I found myself repeatedly saying something I do not actually ever remember saying while I going to University of Maryland on my father's dime: <i>I'd really love to, but I can't -- I have homework to do.</i> I skipped fun stuff to do finance problems sets (and later to write history papers); I chose watching videos of Professor Kaul and his electronic whiteboard over watching sit-coms or reading; and I pounded ideas about present value and future value into my head*. <br />
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It was really fun (no, really, it <i>was</i>) and it made my brain a little bigger. There's still lots of room for brain expansion so I'm going to take some more courses.<br />
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Introduction to Finance taught me the following:<br />
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1. The world runs on algebra;****<br />
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2. Finance is algebra with dollar signs;<br />
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3. Finance includes statistics;<br />
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4. Statistics for finance is algebra with dollar signs in Greek.<br />
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Oh, and ...<br />
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5. Net present value. <br />
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All the rest was commentary.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">* To wit: money now is always better than money later; compounding is the strongest force in the universe after duct tape**; and how to calculate payments versus total cost.*** </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">**Okay, I actually already knew that one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">***Which means that I will never be at the mercy of a salesman's calculations about what something will cost me. I can figure it out on my own!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">****As a collateral benefit, I now understand Algebra better than when I was actually taking it in high school. Sort of the way that taking French greatly improved my knowledge of English grammar.</span>Letahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613580066013000070noreply@blogger.com1