Boyette's Blog
Just another dating blog, about home and community
Sadie Jackson – Stood Up
Posted by pancaaa7 in Nov 22, 2011, under Relationships
“I cannot believe this is happening again!” an agitated Sadie exclaimed out loud to the empty seat across from her. She had been rather proud of herself yesterday when she let go of the space of hate in her heart for the idiot who had forgotten to call her when an emergency kept him from meeting for their first date.
One week ago, after an hour of sitting at a table in the coffee shop, pretending to look like she was meant to be there alone, she finally walked out regally holding her back rigid and her head high. She vowed she would not give that fool the dignity of even a phone call to find out what happened. She would NOT respond to his emails. When he called to apologize profusely, she would hang up without so much as a word.
Of course, that was all in her mind. In reality as soon as she got home, she logged into her account to see if there was a message from him. There was not. She then sent him a text to see if he was all right. No response. Then she left him a scathing voice message letting him know that she expected to be treated better; that she deserved the respect of at least a phone call if he could not keep the date; that her time was far more valuable than wasting it on the likes of him. Instead of feeling better, once again, Sadie was more crushed than a soda can run over by a car.
She sought solace from her best friend, Lindy, who seemed to be far more reasonable in seeing all sides of a situation. She agreed that Sadie’s first response would have been more appropriate, just leave it be and move on. Chalk it up to another fatality of online dating. Then while they were hiking, Sadie answered a call from the fool who had stood her up. He was full of apologies, explaining that his little girl had fallen at the playground and cut her chin. He had taken her to the emergency room, and in the midst of that drama completely lost track of time and of the scheduled date.
He begged for another chance saying that he had enjoyed his conversations and email exchanges with Sadie, and was terribly disappointed at having missed the chance to meet her. All Sadie’s bravado seeped into the ground cover of the trail she was hiking, and with it her resolve to never subject herself to another disappointment.
Lindy’s voice of reason also encouraged her to be open. “If he sounded sincere and you really want to meet him, then what have you got to lose,” she had asked Sadie.
“My pride,” was Sadie’s reply. Yet, she was touched by his calling and besides, what kind of heartless monster would she be not to understand that his little girl’s need for stitches was a priority?
So, here she is sitting once again at Barnes & Nobles alone at a table for twenty minutes now. She purposely arrived on time, not early.
“I must be the fool,” she dryly offered the empty space across from her. As she reached for her phone to call Lindy, a call was coming in.
“Is it your turn to stand me up?” Bill’s voice greeted her.
“Don’t even go there,” screeched Sadie into her cell phone. I have been sitting here waiting for you. How could you be such a jerk?”
“Sadie, what are you talking about? I’ve been here for over half an hour. I have watched every person walk through the door.”
“Bill, I don’t know what game you are playing, but I am not interested. Let’s just forget it. I am going home.” Sadie hung up the phone and walked out to her car. Only once inside did she allow the tears to flow.”
“Dear Sadie, please find in the attachment a copy of a receipt of a book purchased 5 minutes after we spoke on the phone this afternoon. I was at the bookstore as we agreed. I purchased a book to show you that I was there. Obviously you were upset today. I apologize if I contributed to that. However, I am not sure how. I arrived at the designated place early in anticipation of meeting you.
I am very confused that you did not see me. I am even more surprised that you hung up so abruptly. Maybe this is not such a good idea, although I like to give everything a chance of 3. Please consider giving it one more chance. Let’s scratch Barnes & Noble. Let’s meet for breakfast.”
Sadie is greeted by this email when she logs into her email account. The receipt clearly shows May 10th and it IS from Barnes & Noble. HOW CAN THAT BE?
“I was there!” she shouted to her laptop. “This is crazy!”
So of course, Sadie dialed Lindy’s number. “Lindy, you are not going to believe this. I am looking at a copy of a receipt that Bill emailed to me. He purchased a book at B&N today. The time confirms he was there. It makes no sense.”
“Hmmmm, that’s weird. Sadie, are you sure you knew what he looked like? You haven’t the best luck with meeting men who match their profile pictures?”
“Not again. If that’s the case, I really don’t want to meet him. He asked me for a third chance. None of this makes sense.”
“Sadie, I just thought of something. Look at the address on the receipt.”
“The address? Oh my goodness! Lindy this is so funny! He WAS at B&N, but in South Nashua! I was in Manchester. Now whose fault is that?”
“Sadie, knowing you the way I do, my bets are on you confusing the meeting place.”
“Lindy, that is so unfair. You know, come to think of it. We did not specify one. I guess I just assumed we’d meet there since he lives in Manchester.”
“Interesting, Sadie. I am guessing that because you live in Nashua, that he went there. This guy sounds pretty nice, actually.”
“He wants to meet for breakfast. Where should we go?”
“Why don’t you let him decide and make sure you get the address AND name of the place you are meeting. Oh, and Sadie, make sure you get the right day.”
“Very funny!”
Sadie Jackson, a fictional heroine, is back on the dating scene for the third time. After two trial marriages, she is bound and determined to get it right. She can be nauseatingly optimistic and enjoys recounting her dating experiences with humor and compassion. Follow her dating escapades in this work of fiction that will be updated on a regular basis.
The Men In Black Of The Music Industry
Posted by pancaaa7 in Nov 22, 2011, under Readiness
A&R stands for Artists and Repertoire. These individuals are responsible for selecting the musicians and artists that get signed to various labels and record companies. A&R may also act as ‘talent scouts’ and scan musical venues or unsigned artist haunts such as live performances and clubs, as well as listening to the demo’s which arrive at record labels’ doorsteps.
The phrase A&R was initially coined by label representatives who would look for ‘Artists’ and their ‘Repertoire’ or music. They are also responsible for developing and steering an artist’s career within the walls of the industry after an artist has signed a record deal. They may even find the right type of songs for artists to perform, helping them to find the right producers, studios or engineers to work with.
Most A&R reps need special types of skills to make it to their position. These might include a good prior understanding of the in’s and out’s of how record labels and music companies work in general, and although not compulsory, a professional certificate or degree in the Advertising, Marketing, or a Promotional field is of value to an A&R Reps CV.
A&R personnel are really under pressure to find star talent and big ‘hits’ for the record industry. This is the bottom line. In order to make this possible it is quite certain they will have to keep a sharp eye on current music trends at all times, and find out what the current popular sound or act is. Latest trends with Reps have been to acknowledge artist’s that are already whipping up some steam with their music in their own right. If an artist is creating a whirlwind of popularity, and selling a few thousand CD’s independently, it is much more likely the A&R of a suitable label will find out and tune in to their relative success and offer them a deal. The logic behind this is, the artist has already developed a public image and proven themselves enough musically to attract fans in their own right. With that kind of proof so visible, the A&R don’t have to work too hard to ripen the seed!
The advantage to A&R reps is they don’t have to worry too much about talent development in so much as promoting the great talent they have already found. Of course this means that the less popular you are in the music world, the less likely the A&R are going to choose you as the next big thing. There have been many cases where a specific style/act has been picked out of obscurity and been shown the red carpet, but recently, many independent artists are trying even harder to promote themselves, cutting out the middlemen and pocketing their own profits. The ideology being ‘I’ll just do it myself and if I ever happen to get the real deal then that’s just a bonus’.
In a lot of cases normal every day musicians have the ability to promote themselves to a large extent without the backup of A&R or record label finance. With the advent of so much internet interaction between unsigned bands, the booming rate of home based music production, and the amount of promotional support by so many music related websites, the possibility of making a decent little musical profit off your own back is now more possible than ever before.
What are A&R representatives looking for?
Well apart from being interested in your musical talent, there are many obvious things an A&R rep will consider before evening bothering to hand you a contract! They will quite possibly be very interested in what’s going on in your personal life, your past history and your reliability. Their job will be on the line if they convince the record company to invest a lot of money in your act and for whatever reason you end up letting them down. Anything from what is happening in your private relationships ie: girlfriend/boyfriend, family, do you have any problems with them? They want to know how reliable you are and if you are suitably willing and capable of standing in the spotlight.
You didn’t think they would give you a deckchair, a Pina Colada and fill up your Bank Account did you?
Any artist they would seriously give consideration too should be prepared for a high level of commitment and hard work in a cut-throat and often cruel business.
You won’t necessarily be able to spot an A&R representative down the pub, even though you could be standing right next to one at your local. These fellas will have good social skills as well as the clever ability to negotiate with performers. Good communication and an eye for spotting quality artists and talent is high in their agenda. So perhaps it pays to do your very best when performing live or circulating your music.
You never know when the Big Brothers of the Music world are watching you!
Humans and The Ever Ending Need to Pit Good Versus Evil Now Have A Problem
Posted by pancaaa7 in Nov 22, 2011, under Online Dating
It has often been noted that to build a team, any type of team; society, religion, group, or committee you need an enemy, whether human or just an adversity to overcome. Human enemies are beatable, we intrinsically know this. Of course, if you can’t find an adversity to triumph over such as a great flood, Tornado, Hurricane, Typhoon, Earthquake, Tsunami, Volcano, or other natural disaster, then you’ll need a viable opponent you can conquer, something you can call; Evil!
When it comes to human leaders, well they will often choose various groups, such as wealthy people, or folks of other religions, nations, or some such thing as the bad guy “them” or they. And in doing so, many politicians and leaders inherently know that calling a group’s leader “an evil person” works well in rallying the troops for the battle cry, or organizing the people in rising up against a common cause.
Yes, some evil doers are much better than others. Hitler was an excellent “evil doer” to go after, so too were other notables in history. Amedinejad, Kim Jong Il, Gaddafi and others are, hmm, well, indeed perhaps decent evil bad guys from an American perspective, but will they suffice for the loss of our most villainous evil enemy? After all, the mental images of Osama bin Laden living in a secret cave running Al Qaeda does make a rather interesting spy novel, with potentially decent movie rights to the script.
Unfortunately, he’s been taken out (yes, that’s a good thing), but now what? You see, we now need a new “evil bad guy” to hate, in order to hold together our societal fabric and build unity. Silly isn’t it? But luckily, there are no end to potential things to call evil, and even Congress has asked to re-assign drug cartels as terrorists. Okay, and maybe they are, and that can work for now, but will it work long-term?
Often, there is something I’ve noted by those who lead by misdirecting hatred and negative energy to others, and that is; it all eventually comes around full-circle. For instance, Osama bin Laden labeled the West, and the US as evil, and looky what happened. Perhaps, our leaders will stop labeling things evil early and often, and rather concentrate on their own mirrors. And this is not to say that Osama bin Laden wasn’t an evil thinker, doer, and man, certainly he was all of that and more, but perhaps it’s time to reflect on all this looking at it from outside the box.
Maybe we all ought to learn from his mistakes prior to labeling another or a group of humans such things ourselves. Hey, don’t shoot the messenger, it’s all just philosophy after all – in mankind’s struggle to create and conquer evil, and the on-going thirst to understand good versus evil. Please consider all this.
Learn How To Become A Real Mentalist
Posted by pancaaa7 in Nov 22, 2011, under Love
Mind reading has been around for thousands of years now, and is becoming even more popular these days due to the high popularity of celebrity mentalists and the ever popular TV shows such as “The Mentalist”. But have you ever wanted to learn the mentalism tricks for yourself? And use your new found supernatural mentalist powers to impress and wow your friends and family. As an aspiring Mentalist myself for years now, I’ve found a lot of useful and very helpful tactics and methods to reach my goal; Of becoming a true mentalist.
I’ve written this article in order to try and help people who want to start learning this amazing skill, and to dispose of the myth that mentalism can’t be learnt. AS that is simply not through, as no person is born with these seemly magical powers. There is a skill and method to mentalism which can be learnt quite easily, and with practise and patience you’ll soon be astonishing people with your newly acquired magical powers.
Here I’ll describe briefly some of the basic methods involved in mentalism tricks:
- Knowing the right questions to ask
There are sets of non-obvious questions which you can ask a person in order to figure out what it is that they are thinking about. You will not get the answer directly (as this would defeat the purpose of the trick), but what you will get is a good under standing of where that person is at. And combining this with some of the other methods you’ll be able to READ THEIR MINDS.
- Realising the clues
As the old saying stands; Every mystery leaves a clue. This is so true in the world of a mentalist, and learning the key things to recognise is crucial. Everybody gives off clues whether or not they mean to, its human nature and 99.9% of people can’t control this, it just happens.
- Predictability
People are predictable, plain and simple. And after you have been honing your mentalism skills for a time, you’ll start to notice patterns developing. Similar reactions to certain situations, similar thought patterns when presented with a particular question or situation.
These are just three of the basic methods which real life mentalists use today, day in and day out. And there are plenty more: Misdirection, Concealment, Body language, Facial Expressions so many more…
The above methods however do require practise to master. And you’ll find that once you know what the methods are, you’ll be practicing them throughout your normal day without even knowing it.
Now if you fancy learning some quick mentalist tricks to get started on straight away, and start amazing your family and friends, I’ve included the link to a FREE Mentalist site I’ve found below, its pretty cool actually so feel free to check it out.
I hope this article has help you in some way, so from one aspiring mentalist to another, Can You Read My Mind!!!
How a Husband Should Love His Wife & How a Wife Should Love Her Husband
Posted by pancaaa7 in Nov 22, 2011, under Enhancement
Let’s think of love not as a word but an action. Instead of saying “I love you.” Show you wife that you love her. Be more loving! How can a man show his woman he loves her? By doing!
Forget about the box of chocolates and flowers. Any man can go buy these things. But any man cannot show love to his wife on a whim. The chocolates get eaten and make your wife fat and cranky; the flowers wither and die in three days. What about showing your love by doing things that you know your wife will enjoy?
~How Should A Husband Love His Wife~
When was the last time you wined and dined your wife? What about a mini-vacation? Are you the romantic type? If not find out how you can amaze your wife by being a romantic guy. What would that involve?
A woman likes a man who can cook. How about cooking her an intimate candlelit dinner for two? Don’t know how to cook? Get a cookbook and do it anyway. Have some fun in the kitchen and enjoy yourself.
Don’t forget, you wife likes to be touched and hugged without the pressure of sex looming in the near future. Sometimes the hugging and coddling is more important to her than the actual sex act. Not that she doesn’t like to orgasm but that she wants to KNOW that you love her more than the sex act itself. Hug her and cuddle her and you’ll most likely get what you want later.
The most important way to show your love is through your acceptance and validation. Are you the kind of guy that discounts his wife’s choices, desires, and needs through invalidation? This kind of behavior will cause all kinds of trouble in the marriage. Let me tell you why.
By invalidating your wife in whatever manner, you have essentially rejected her. She will feel as if her opinions, decisions, and beliefs don’t count and shouldn’t be regarded with importance. She will hold this within her consciousness and it will come back to haunt you later on in the marriage. This won’t be on purpose but mostly because you have hurt her. She loves you and when you invalidate her feelings, thoughts, actions, beliefs, views, and opinions, she gets hurt!
Let me tell you a big secret about woman, which also includes your wife. Your wife may ask you for your opinion on something because it is in her nature to get a second opinion but that does not necessarily mean that she will go with your opinion or your opposing viewpoint.
I’m not talking about the submission thing here either. What I’m talking about is just everyday thoughts and actions of your wife. If for some reason you really feel that it is best that you disagree with her thoughts and feelings, do so AFTER you have said something positive about the way she thinks and feels. Be understanding! If you actually validate her she will see it your way on her own, even if she won’t admit it.
Your wife may also like to vent her feelings more then you, not because she needs for you to find a solution so much as just being a sounding board. Give her validation in what she has to say, and then ask her if she is looking for an opinion and or solution first before giving her one. This doesn’t make much sense to you, but to us women it makes a lot of sense.
~How A Wife Should Love Her Husband~
It is my firm belief that it is easier to make a man happy than for a man to make a woman happy. I believe this because men really don’t ask for much. If they can camp out on the hard ground with the ants and other bugs how hard can they be to please? Yes, I know this sounds superficial but think about this for a moment. Have you noticed how much happier, and less stressed out your man is when he has his two most important needs met, sex and food?
It is also semi-true that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. They love to eat and they love to eat good tasty meals. When their stomachs are full, and they have been taken care of physically, a man doesn’t ask for much else.
Don’t forget, the home is a man’s castle. Knowing this, make every effort to keep his castle tidy and free of stressful situations that could upset his equilibrium. He has worked all day long and wants to come home to a loving and sweet wife, not a grouch and a TV dinner
Be appreciative of every little thing your man does around the house. Make your man feel like a man by being a woman. Give him a hug and a kiss where it counts, talk about your day together. Don’t reject your husband sexually. Make him feel good about himself by telling him so. Respect him for who he is and what he does!
Basically, a woman needs validated and intimacy, and a man needs sex and good food. Find ways in which you can give of your self in the marriage by being more loving in these areas.
And men, after you have shown your wife how much you love her, then you can buy her the chocolates and flowers.
Motorcycle Shipping
Posted by pancaaa7 in Nov 22, 2011, under Domestic Violence
Motorcycle shipping
…Is really easy if you are willing to spend about five minutes to check out a couple of things. First, if you go online, you will find several lead providers (they would offer you anywhere five to ten free quotes to compare different companies). This is not a good approach, because if you go on a lead provider’s website, all the brokers and carriers would call you 100 times a day trying to get your business! It might be very frustrating. I would only deal directly with a carrier or vehicle transportation broker using some of the review pages. Once you picked two or three of them, here are some helpful hints:
Door-to-door motorcycle shipping:
Make sure you are choosing a company who would offer a service in real-time and make sure it’s a door-to-door service (it’s the safest way and fastest way to have your motorcycle shipped). The average transit time should not be more than 5-6 days from the day the motorcycle was picked up!
The question of the deposit:
Make sure they will not charge you a deposit up-front! Most of the companies to make their business profitable, would give you a low quote (usually about $100-$200 below the average price). They would make you sign their order form and then, you will be stuck with them for several weeks. If they are asking you for a deposit before your motorcycle would be actually picked up, stay away! Why would you pay when they did not actually do anything!
Motorcycle condition:
Make sure whoever would pick your motorcycle up will complete a brief inspection report including your motorcycle’s actual condition! I suggest to forget companies who does not have that.
Insurance:
If any company would offer you additional insurance that means they are working for an insurance company and they are not the actual carrier or vehicle transportation broker! All the carriers operating in US must have an active cargo insurance which varies anywhere from $50,000 up to $500,000 (depending on the size of their trailer). Any reputable vehicle transportation broker could have access to the carrier’s information. You can also ask the carrier to email you a copy of their authority and insurance policy.
Customer care:
Also very important: make sure you feel comfortable talking with their sales person! Ask him/her as many questions as you want! They will have to give you every detail about their service!
Italian Pottery Dinnerware – How to Find, Mix, Match, Buy and Care for Authentic Italian Pottery
Posted by pancaaa7 in Nov 22, 2011, under Dating
I am second generation Italian. My maternal grandparents, my Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop, immigrated to the east coast of United States from Popoli, Abruzzo, in 1910. Pop-Pop’s homemade wine and Mom-Mom’s pasta sauce cooked with home grown garlic, basil and tomatoes still fuel my DNA. Maybe that explains my ongoing obsession with Italian pottery.
Or perhaps, as I love to speculate, somewhere back along that Italian blood line, I have an uncle, a potter, who masterfully pulled up clay on his wheel, or a cousin who meticulously painted variations of ancient patterns on unfinished clay pieces (bisque) en process of becoming pasta bowls or biscotti jars.
Having made this happy disclosure and shared my speculations, I continue, knowing that you need not be Italian to share my passion.
Whether you’re in Italy in person (lucky you!), or visiting your USA hometown specialty shop that sells imported Italian pottery, or shopping on the web, the number of patterns, and the forms, shapes or functionality offered in each pattern is, for all practical purposes, endless. And, no matter whether you’re new to Italian pottery or a long-time collector, there’s always more to learn and consider.
Let’s just discuss Italian dinnerware and related accessories, because if they are you’re focus, they offer an embarrassment of riches and present you with a delightful dilemma. Where to start if you want to bring a touch of Italy to your home or buy a gift? How do you transform meals and entertainment into celebrations just by using hand made, hand painted Italian ceramics? How do you convert your kitchen counter into a conversation piece with an authentic Italian canister set? And, once acquired, how do you care for these Italian works of “arte”?
First, you need a reputable source to get a glimpse of what’s available in Italian pottery.
Then you’ll want to explore patterns (also known as Collections) and perhaps play with mixing and matching their pieces.
If you haven’t already, this would be a good time to learn about the centuries-old process of creating Italian pottery so you can fully appreciate the value of your investment.
And, finally, once you have them in your home, you’ll want to know how to care for your pieces to protect their beauty for generations.
Reputable Source. First, find a reputable Italian pottery source that offers a large cross-section of collections and a variety of products within those collections. They should happily answer your questions and delight in providing additional information so you can feel confident in the authenticity and quality of what you purchase. Why? Because like many popular, high quality items, knock-offs of Italian pottery do appear. Additionally, understand that descriptions like Italian design or Italian inspired do not necessarily mean Made in Italy. There are reputable non-Italian dinnerware manufacturers who openly market designs bearing an Italian reference.
Until you’ve touched the authentic work, seen the brush strokes, and come to understand some of the production intricacies, you’ll appreciate having a trusted source, one interested in helping if you request it. Especially if you are new to this adventure, you will also feel better about working with sources who guarantee their products and your satisfaction.
Mixing and Matching Collections. Italian pottery comes simple and elegant. It also comes bold, dramatic, colorful, cheerful, and full of astounding detail. Depending on your preferences, you may love the impact of full drama, prefer quiet simplicity, or decide just one piece added to your existing dinner set or kitchenware is absolutely perfect. You may also start with classic forms and later find bolder, bigger pieces more appealing as you get more addicted (sorry, I meant adventurous!) with your acquisitions. (Rumor has it that I once generously purchased a large piece to give as a wedding present. Somehow it ended up in my collection. Hmmm! I plead plausible deniability! )
Your one and only guide? Respond to what “speaks” to you even if it “matches” nothing. Keep in mind that eclectic epitomizes the magic of Italian pottery. So have fun; mix or match with abandon. Let that be your guide.
Process and “Investment”. These two topics are related in one important respect. At first, Italian pottery may seem expensive to you. However, if it is authentic, made in Italy, and imported into the United States, the pricing becomes more understandable. This is, after all, functional arte — hand made, hand painted in a lengthy, centuries-old process. Whether you use it, display it or both, your Italian pottery is an investment. The pieces (plates, platters, biscotti jars, butter dishes, wine coasters, footed bowls and much, much more) are canvasses for masterful painting of intricate, centuries-honored designs as well as contemporized forms and design.
Even if you are not ordinarily interested in process (the details of how things come into being), if collecting Italian pottery intrigues you, then you are sure to enrich your appreciation of the arte of this pottery by learning something about the process.
A final recommendation about the investment aspect — if your budget is limited, and even if it is not, buy the highest quality you can afford and make sure it’s authentic. Both elements are comfortably accomplished if you are working with a reputable source.
Use and Care. Understanding the pottery production process and acknowledging the value of Italian pottery as arte will help you protect it during your daily use and care. If you love it like I do, the joyful output of this ancient craft into modern-day masterpieces will easily offset the little extra loving care it requires.
Before you buy, there are certain assurances you want, which reliable Italian pottery sources will always openly provide:
The pieces are guaranteed to be 100% food safe in compliance with FDA standards and U.S.A. import regulations for lead and cadmium.
Large decorative pieces that are not meant to have contact with food will be clearly specified as such.
Over the years, your pottery can form tiny lines in the glaze (crazing). Durability of the pottery is not affected, only cosmetics, but proper care helps keep the work as beautiful as the day you unwrap it. So, here’s a primer on care after purchase. Again, any reliable source will provide much greater detail:
Hand washing is best.
If you use a dishwasher, a fine china cycle, low heat setting and high quality detergent is recommended. Provide ample space between pieces to prevent water pressure from rattling them against each other.
Microwave use? Strongly discouraged! And keep pieces off of and out of the direct heat of a stove top burner or an oven. The pieces are not designed for cooking or re-heating.
To avoid possible thermal shock and cracking, run hot tap water over dishes and serving pieces immediately before filling them with very hot foods or liquids. This is called tempering.
To deflect high heat in cups, mugs or teapots, insert a metal spoon while pouring a hot liquid.
To remove tea stains, soak with solution of chlorine bleach and rinse promptly. (2 tablespoons bleach per quart of water)
To prevent glaze damage, avoid scouring powders or harsh scrubbers.
While this Use and Care section may seem long, it is not intended to scare you. In fact, if you reread it, you’ll see that your pottery merely requires good old common sense. When in doubt, just answer the following question: How would I proceed if this were a Rafael fresco or a Michelangelo sculpture? Failing that, you should contact the online web store, your local shop or the person from whom you purchased your Italian pottery for guidance.
Most important of all, enjoy the adventure and pride of owning and using this Italian arte in your every day life.
Here’s to the Italian in all of us!
American Classic Cars I Have Owned
Posted by pancaaa7 in Nov 22, 2011, under Conflict
Some of the Detroit Iron manufactured after WWII until about 1980 can be considered Rolling Art. Several Companies like Packard, Hudson and Studebaker ceased building cars for one reason or another during the early part of this span, but they and the traditional big 3, Ford, GM and Chrysler did turn out some masterpieces.
As a kid just old enough to think about getting a drivers license, I would sit in my tree house and fantasize about the latest crop of finned behemoths pictured in the car magazines of the time. After careful consideration I would rank them according to style and features that I could really relate to and desired to possess. Always decisions. Should I have twin rear antennas and dual spotlights or would one of each do. Wire wheels were really neat as were the two and three tone paint jobs. I ended up choosing the most streamlined and elegant looking as my favorites always deferring to clean rather than clutter. I wasn’t one for fuzzy dice hanging from the rear view mirror, instead preferring power windows and air conditioning. Of course I always opted for the biggest V8 option and always dual exhaust both for easy engine breathing and the sound.
The late 1940′s and early 50s saw the transition from stodgy, subdued and functional to a more sleek and powerful motif which, year after year during the 1950′s, became a size, power and chrome enhancement race.
While some models went overboard with various excesses making their designs overburdened or clumsy, others managed to integrate fins, masses of chrome and color schemes that were a delight. All the manufacturers had their winners and losers but American cars of the period were all individually identifiable and definitely distinct and could roll down a super highway without a care.
The straight 6 and 8 motors of earlier periods soon gave way in the more deluxe models to V8′s, which couldn’t pull stumps like the old high torque low rpm straight eights, but could more lithely move a couple of tons of iron, glass and plastic down the road. By the mid 1950′s all American cars had settled on 12 volt electrical systems, 14 or 15 inch wheels, wrap around windshields, and with the V8 motor now the entrenched favorite.
It was a time in American history when each new car year was greeted with excitement and anticipation as each model sought to capture the limelight with its own distinct identity. Priorities were simple if not naive. Dazzle the customer with great expanses of sheet metal and chrome, brilliant colors and lots of buttons to push. Although mundane items like seat belts were introduced as selling features from time to time, the consumer wanted none of that as it didn’t add any value as a status symbol.
Slowly technological improvements did advance along with convenience and power options. Radial tires were a big plus adding smoothness, safety and longevity replacing thumping, rapid tread wear and numerous flats. Disc brakes were a definite safety advantage replacing the inferior drum and shoe method that could fade in emergency situations. Automatic transmissions became the option of choice and then ultimately became standard equipment. And of course, radios evolved.
In the mid fifties, signal seek or ‘wonderbar’ AM radios were introduced, followed soon thereafter by the transistor models which allowed for ‘instant on’ instead of waiting for the tubes to warm up. In the sixties, FM radio appeared, and at first offered ad and DJ free programming. That of course didn’t last long once the bandwidth became entrenched. By the seventies there were 8 track tape players which in fairly short order gave way to cassettes.
1959 marked the pinnacle of the auto as jet sporting gigantic rear fins, the ultimate appearing on the 1959 Cadillac with the 1959-60 Chrysler and DeSoto not far behind. In another year the DeSoto would disappear from showrooms and go the way of the Packard, Hudson and Nash. A sobriety of sorts gripped automakers after the fin and chrome extravaganza passed. Some really classy designs were introduced in the early sixties like the 1960 Pontiac, 1961 Buick, 1962 Cadillac and classic 1964 Ford.
Chrysler Corporation would, from time to time, introduce industry leading stratagems. Their Hemi (hemispherical head) Motor during the fifties was pure muscle and reliability as was their Torqueflight transmission. They introduced the ‘Forward Look’ in the later fifties which lead styling trends for awhile. Then again in 1965 they offered some really sturdy and classy cars that towards the end of that decade lead to the innovative fuselage cars. These were large sleek machines with an air frame sculptured look that I found quite attractive. Unfortunately Chrysler quality control started slipping badly during this period and didn’t recover for many years.
By the late seventies things started going downhill in Detroit. Automakers, paying little attention to quality control and mechanical efficiencies found themselves mandated by legislation to clean up their act, literally. As a result, all manner of schemes were employed to reduce engine emissions, most, in the early days, a maze of vacuum lines and fuel injection designs that were cumbersome and mostly ill conceived, leading to a myriad of problems and customer dissatisfaction.
It wasn’t long thereafter that the Japanese stepped in to fill the void and things have never returned to the days of American auto manufacturing preeminence.
Granted American cars eventually improved dramatically but market share by then was fragmented. I personally lost interest in Detroit around the mid eighties although some really nice cars have been produced since. Now, I am afraid, because of the fickle nature of Americans, demanding SUV’s and consuming a hugely disproportional amount of the worlds resources, the twin failings of overindulgence and lack of foresight in the face of world realignment, has pushed MoTown automakers to the brink of insolvency.
The 1950s through the seventies saw the apex and beginning of decline of the American auto as a distinct form of rolling art. A combination of art deco and modern gave way to downsizing and competition from abroad. Complacent management also failed to embrace, in a timely fashion, new concepts of quality control, preferring to market their vehicles through planned obsolescence.
No doubt, some of the greatest American masterpieces in rolling art were created during the 1920s and 30s, however, the height of Auto Americana, where form and function took on whole new dimensions of vim and verve, the 1950s, seems to have marked the peak of empire as well as one of its most distinctive products.
Domestic Violence – Signs That Will Hint That You Are a Victim
Posted by pancaaa7 in Nov 22, 2011, under Commitment
Any individual is vulnerable to become a victim of domestic violence. There are many cases of this situation wherein the victim is constantly ignoring that she is but instead prefer to be silent about it. There are many reasons why an individual decides to just tolerate the wrongdoings of an abusive spouse and simply hide this very serious problem even if it causes them much fear and pain. However, it is important that you become aware that this problem cannot be resolve unless you speak out and reveal what is actually going on. It is essential that you get to know the signs of domestic violence from its beginning so that it will be easier to stop and completely put an end to – that is if you want to live a better and more peaceful life ahead of you. To help you out, this article will provide basic information about the warning signs that would provide hint that what you are going through is domestic violence.
If you think that the only form of domestic violence is through physical hurting, you need to be informed about this better. This is because there are different ways of abusing an individual. It can be through physical, which is the most common; verbal and even emotional. If your partner is constantly frightening you by means of using your kids or your family if you do not obey him or anything that he says, then you are definitely a victim. This would cause you to feel scared all the time, making it hard for you to do even simple things like eating without first glancing through each surroundings. Your partner is an abuser if he is resorting to destroying your things and other belongings.
If your partner is always trying to find fault in everything that you do like the food you cooked, the clothes you washed the house you cleaned and just about anything when he can blame you; indeed you are a victim of domestic abuse. This would make you very insistent on checking all your activities from time to time, as if you are a very obsessive-compulsive person. Although, you are not, you end up doing this for fear that he may again find a mistake in the tasks that you have completed.
Since you are always criticized you would in one way or another somehow feel that your partner is right. It is most likely that you will feel that there is something wrong with you and might even think that you are a loser resulting to the imminent loss of your self-confidence. It would make you feel useless since there seems to be nothing to be appreciated with the things that you are doing. This may even cause you to look much stressed and down. It would not be impossible that later on you would develop depression leading to a change in your personality like being too preoccupied with your thoughts.
The concern and support of loved ones is highly needed by someone who is going through the cruelty of domestic violence. Relatives should make it a point to enlighten the victim that this ruthlessness should not be tolerated. It is high time that the abusive relationship be put to a stop and once it has been finally decided, as a relative you need to make sure that the abusive partner have no way to get in touch or go near the victim. This is to ensure the safety of the victim.
All About Relationships: Keys, Styles, and Success
Posted by pancaaa7 in Nov 22, 2011, under Affairs
Knowing about relationships and their keys, styles, and secrets to success is essential, because love is never easy to navigate. There are so many things you have to learn to create the loving relationship you crave: how to give and take properly, how to love someone without smothering them, how to give your partner the space he needs, how to deal with jealousy, how to be more considerate of your partner‘s feeling–the list goes on and on, and you can’t hope to know everything there is to know about a relationship even if you’ve been in one for quite some time now.
There is one vital thing you have to know about relationships, though: A relationship is about respect. It’s not just about enjoying romantic dates, wonderful surprises, gifts, and laughter all the time. Respect is what will enable the both of you to resolve any conflict and understand each other better. When you truly know the other person, you will be more responsive to his or her needs, and be able to reach out selflessly.
Added Strength Together
Another important thing you must know about relationships is that a truly fulfilling one, which helps you to mature emotionally and grow with your loved one, goes well beyond being giddy all the time, and feeling like your heart is pounding and butterflies are fluttering in your stomach. Most people mistake these as the only signs of love, not realizing that these particular sensations abate after a while. As a result, some people think that feeling these emotions all over again with the next person they see means that they have to leave the one they’re with and pursue a relationship with someone new, when one of the secrets to a successful relationship is staying on even after the first blush of romance has faded and you are encountering conflicts that you have to tackle head-on, as well as face one sobering fact: that the course of love never did run smooth.
Relationships Styles
Each type of relationship can be considered to have its own unique style because its nature may vary in degree and involvement, as well as communication among participants, such as best friends or romantic partners. The degree of communication is actually the key parameter that distinguishes all relationships.
The style of communicating varies with every relationship style. Those who are in a romantic relationship are more likely to be intimate and use oral, written, and implied gestures which both partners understand. On the contrary, platonic relationships may be restricted to oral and written forms because they recognize their boundaries. This also applies to several other relationship styles. Those styles that are not romantic in nature mainly communicate verbally.
Relationships Keys, and Success
For any relationship to succeed, both partners need to understand the factors that can make this happen. Getting into a romantic relationship does not mean that both partners will enjoy each other’s company all the time. Well, there are moments when both need to work separately and have their own space. Partners who observe such patterns exhibit high levels of maturity in their relationship.
A healthy relationship is built on trust, respect, and above all love. These are the building blocks that make a relationship stand the test of time.
