#Crafty Resolution 2019

[nasa]

NASA Inspires Your Crafty Creations for World Embroidery Day

It’s amazing what you can do with a little needle and thread! For #WorldEmbroideryDay, we asked what NASA imagery inspired you. You responded with a variety of embroidered creations, highlighting our different areas of study.

Here’s what we found:

Webb’s Carina Nebula

Wendy Edwards, a project coordinator with Earth Science Data Systems at NASA, created this embroidered piece inspired by Webb’s Carina Nebula image. Captured in infrared light, this image revealed for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth. Credit: Wendy Edwards, NASA. Pattern credit: Clare Bray, Climbing Goat Designs

Wendy Edwards, a project coordinator with Earth Science Data Systems at NASA, first learned cross stitch in middle school where she had to pick rotating electives and cross stitch/embroidery was one of the options.  “When I look up to the stars and think about how incredibly, incomprehensibly big it is out there in the universe, I’m reminded that the universe isn’t ‘out there’ at all. We’re in it,” she said. Her latest piece focused on Webb’s image release of the Carina Nebula. The image showcased the telescope’s ability to peer through cosmic dust, shedding new light on how stars form.

Ocean Color Imagery: Exploring the North Caspian Sea

Danielle Currie of Satellite Stitches created a piece inspired by the Caspian Sea, taken by NASA’s ocean color satellites. Credit: Danielle Currie/Satellite Stitches

Danielle Currie is an environmental professional who resides in New Brunswick, Canada. She began embroidering at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic as a hobby to take her mind off the stress of the unknown. Danielle’s piece is titled “46.69, 50.43,” named after the coordinates of the area of the northern Caspian Sea captured by LandSat8 in 2019.

An image of the Caspian Sea captured by Landsat 8 in 2019. Credit: NASA

Two Hubble Images of the Pillars of Creation, 1995 and 2015

Melissa Cole of Star Stuff Stitching created an embroidery piece based on the Hubble image Pillars of Creation released in 1995. Credit: Melissa Cole, Star Stuff Stitching

Melissa Cole is an award-winning fiber artist from Philadelphia, PA, USA, inspired by the beauty and vastness of the universe. They began creating their own cross stitch patterns at 14, while living with their grandparents in rural Michigan, using colored pencils and graph paper.  The Pillars of Creation (Eagle Nebula, M16), released by the Hubble Telescope in 1995 when Melissa was just 11 years old, captured the imagination of a young person in a rural, religious setting, with limited access to science education.

Lauren Wright Vartanian of the shop Neurons and Nebulas created this piece inspired by the Hubble Space Telescope’s 2015 25th anniversary re-capture of the Pillars of Creation. Credit:  Lauren Wright Vartanian, Neurons and Nebulas

Lauren Wright Vartanian of Guelph, Ontario Canada considers herself a huge space nerd. She’s a multidisciplinary artist who took up hand sewing after the birth of her daughter. She’s currently working on the illustrations for a science themed alphabet book, made entirely out of textile art. It is being published by Firefly Books and comes out in the fall of 2024. Lauren said she was enamored by the original Pillars image released by Hubble in 1995. When Hubble released a higher resolution capture in 2015, she fell in love even further! This is her tribute to those well-known images.

James Webb Telescope Captures Pillars of Creation

Darci Lenker of Darci Lenker Art, created a rectangular version of Webb’s Pillars of Creation. Credit:  Darci Lenker of Darci Lenker Art

Darci Lenker of Norman, Oklahoma started embroidery in college more than 20 years ago, but mainly only used it as an embellishment for her other fiber works. In 2015, she started a daily embroidery project where she planned to do one one-inch circle of embroidery every day for a year.  She did a collection of miniature thread painted galaxies and nebulas for Science Museum Oklahoma in 2019. Lenker said she had previously embroidered the Hubble Telescope’s image of Pillars of Creation and was excited to see the new Webb Telescope image of the same thing. Lenker could not wait to stitch the same piece with bolder, more vivid colors.

Milky Way

Darci Lenker of Darci Lenker Art was inspired by NASA’s imaging of the Milky Way Galaxy. Credit: Darci Lenker

In this piece, Lenker became inspired by the Milky Way Galaxy, which is organized into spiral arms of giant stars that illuminate interstellar gas and dust. The Sun is in a finger called the Orion Spur.

The Cosmic Microwave Background

This image shows an embroidery design based on the cosmic microwave background, created by Jessica Campbell, who runs Astrostitches. Inside a tan wooden frame, a colorful oval is stitched onto a black background in shades of blue, green, yellow, and a little bit of red. Credit: Jessica Campbell/ Astrostitches

Jessica Campbell obtained her PhD in astrophysics from the University of Toronto studying interstellar dust and magnetic fields in the Milky Way Galaxy. Jessica promptly taught herself how to cross-stitch in March 2020 and has since enjoyed turning astronomical observations into realistic cross-stitches. Her piece was inspired by the cosmic microwave background, which displays the oldest light in the universe.

The full-sky image of the temperature fluctuations (shown as color differences) in the cosmic microwave background, made from nine years of WMAP observations. These are the seeds of galaxies, from a time when the universe was under 400,000 years old. Credit: NASA/WMAP Science Team

GISSTEMP: NASA’s Yearly Temperature Release

Katy Mersmann, a NASA social media specialist, created this embroidered piece based on NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) global annual temperature record. Earth’s average surface temperature in 2020 tied with 2016 as the warmest year on record. Credit: Katy Mersmann, NASA

Katy Mersmann is a social media specialist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. She started embroidering when she was in graduate school. Many of her pieces are inspired by her work as a communicator. With climate data in particular, she was inspired by the researchers who are doing the work to understand how the planet is changing. The GISTEMP piece above is based on a data visualization of 2020 global temperature anomalies, still currently tied for the warmest year on record.

In addition to embroidery, NASA continues to inspire art in all forms. Check out other creative takes with Landsat Crafts and the James Webb Space telescope public art gallery.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

#NASA #creativity #fiber art #embroidery #art #art challenge #needlework #crafts #handmade #textile art #cross stitch #stitching #inspiration #inspo #Earth #Earth science #Hubble #James Webb Space Telescope #climate change #water #nebula #stars

[stitchesstringsandotherthings]

Week 4: Ear Warmers

The Craft: Crochet

What I Made: For week four I wanted to whip up something quick, and decided to make an ear warmer! Seemed simple enough. Oh, if I only knew...

The Reasoning: Well this week I have several shifts later at night than usual, and walking through January weather isn’t the warmest thing. Plus I had some yarn that I couldn’t fit in the suitcase where I currently keep my stash, and I bought new crochet hook meaning I finally had one big enough for the super bulky yarn! Use up the excess yarn I hadn’t been able to yet, and get a useful accessory in the process. Seemed like a win win! 

How I Made It: Well lets be honest here. It actually took me several tries. 

Attempt #1: I took the super bulky yarn and chained it to the width I wanted, using a size L crochet hook, then double crocheted down until I had the length I needed for it to fit my head. I wanted a twist in it, so I twisted it once before I joined up the sides with slip stitches. 

Trying it on I expected it to be done at this point, quick, simple, soft, warm. Unfortunately I not only didn’t like how it looked in general with the twist, but because I decided to crochet it width onwards, the way this yarn changed textures meant the different kinds of yarn didn’t really flow into each other well here. So I unwound all of it and started again. 

Attempt #2: This time I decided to chain a loop to the size for it to go around my head comfortably, and then double crochet in the round until it was the width I wanted. I gave up on the twist idea entirely, in favor of another thought I’ll explain in a moment. 

Once I had it wide enough to cover my ears I really was glad I’d changed my style, because this pattern of the changing textures not only looked better but it felt more uniformly warm. 

I took a moment to weave in the ends of this larger part of the ear warmer. Next I chained only a few, and single crocheted several rows to make a long but skinny rectangle. I intended to use this to cinch in the front of the ear warmer, instead of putting in a twist. 

I wrapped it around the large circular part of the ear warmer, matched the short ends, and slip stitched them together. I chained one, pulled through, trimmed it off, and weaved in my ends. I then carefully turned this little ring inside out so that the slip stitches were hidden between it and the larger ring. 

It was at this moment that I took  second to try on my ear warmer. It looked decent, though the front bit didn’t do very much cinching, instead stretching far more than I hoped. And speaking of stretching more than I hoped...

When I took off my glasses, the whole thing slid very easily over my eyes. Despite checking the fit multiple times while making it, I somehow ended up making it way too big. In basically every way. 

But surely, not all is lost! It’s time for:

A Patch Job!

So I attempted to just sew a line down, making the ring smaller. I then folded this excess ‘fabric’ over and slid the cinching cuff over it to hide the fix. I did this three times, testing the fit before I tied off any ends. The first time, it was too loose still. The second I actually made it too tight and the cinching cuff couldn’t hold the excess. The third I found a nice medium. Truly, a goldilocks situation for sure. 

Surely, SURELY I had fixed it. My quick ‘whip it up and use it’ project had now taken two days, and much of my sanity to fix. I had a late shift that night and was hoping to finish this before work so I could actually use it. I tried it on, hopeful. 

And discovered I had what my brain can only refer to as ‘a rhino horn’. Plus it wasn’t even covering all of my ears without falling into my eyes STILL. At this point I assumed my failure to success was the fault of the super bulky weight yarn, and threw the whole thing to the side and headed to work, my ears still chilly. The next day it was time for 

Attempt #3: Which, spoilers, is the magenta yarn you might’ve noticed in the ‘what I made’ portion of this post. Same as last time, since it did work in theory but turned out too large, I made a chain, slip stitched to the first chain, and double crocheted in the round. For a WHILE. Since this yarn was much smaller it took a lot longer to get the width I wanted. 

Not as many pictures this time since it’s essentially the same as last time. Crocheted a large circle, and then a tiny rectangle to cinch in the front. Wrapped the small around the large, slip stitched it shut, turned the small one inside out, and tried it on!

At this point I’d finished two, unraveled one and altered the other, other attempts. I was ready to be done, even if it wasn’t perfect. 

Conclusion: I made it just wide enough to cover my ears, but the cinching bit either wasn’t wide enough itself, or it just didn’t work right. If I have the ear warmer at an angle that covers my ears, it falls into my eyes. Plus this yarn was way less soft than the first, some weird yarn I got in a bag at a thrift store for cheap. It sort of like a pipe cleaner without the wire, to be honest. My conclusion is that this craft? Didn’t work out for me. I stored the first one (in the multi-textured yarn) away to unravel to use for something else, maybe a soft scarf. The second one, I actually gave to a coworker on an impulse. (since I DID wear it on my walk to work to give it a genuine attempt, before dismissing it). It looked REALLY cute on them, and so I’m glad I made it, but I’m even more glad it’s not still floating around my stuff. I think this yarn would be better for a bag than something I wear. 

#Crafty Resolution 2019 #Crafts #Crochet #Craft Fail

[juchechat]

KAPPC Chairman's Statement

[October 27 Juche 108 (2019) KCNA]

Kim Yong Chol, chairman of the Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, (KAPPC) made public a statement on Oct. 27.

The statement reads:

The U.S. is now more desperately resorting to the hostile policy towards the DPRK, misjudging the patience and tolerance of the DPRK.

Faulting the DPRK on its measure for bolstering up its military capability for self-defence at the recent meeting of the First Committee of the 74th United Nations General Assembly, the U.S. delegate said the U.S. would not enter the U.S.-DPRK dialogue with its eyes shut and north Korea must come up with a new methodology for FFVD, which got on the nerves of the DPRK.

The U.S. is persistently pressurizing other countries into implementing the UN "sanctions resolutions" and is leaving no stone unturned to get the anti-DPRK resolutions passed in the UN General Assembly, using its satellite countries.

The U.S. strategic forces commander nominee, speaking at the Senate, called the DPRK "a rogue state" out of an evil intent, and the warlike forces of the U.S. military are reportedly planning nuclear strike exercises against the DPRK.

The situation points to the U.S. intent to isolate and stifle the DPRK in a more crafty and vicious way than before, instead of complying with our call for a change in its calculation method.

The DPRK-U.S. relations that could have been derailed and fallen apart several times due to such hostile acts and wrong habitual practices on the part of the U.S. are still maintained. It goes to the credit of the close personal relations between Chairman of the State Affairs Commission Kim Jong Un and President Trump.

But there is a limit to everything.

The close personal relations can never be kept aloof from the public mindset and they are never a guarantee for preventing the DPRK-U.S. relations from getting aggravated or for making up for.

The U.S. trumpets the crucial measures taken by the DPRK for confidence-building as its own "diplomatic gains" but no substantial progress has been made in the DPRK-U.S. relations and belligerent relations still persists that there can be the exchange of fire any moment.

The U.S. is seriously mistaken if it is of the idea of passing off in peace the end of this year, by exploiting the close personal relations between its president and the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK for the delaying tactics.

My hope is that the diplomatic adage that there is neither permanent foe nor permanent friend does not change into the one that there is a permanent foe but no permanent friend.

#dprk: news #dprk: korean u$ relations

[jade-island-lives]

Tales of Merlia: Shadows of the Abyss: Shadows of the Abyss: Progress: 12-30-18

“Delilah, honey, is something wrong? You look more jumpier than usual, and that’s saying something.”

Delilah felt hot tears brim at her eyes, she squeezed her eyes shut, causing them to slick down her cheeks and her to bring up a sleeve to wipe them away.

“I-I...I need help. I want to go to Aunt Mathers, but she’s so stressed and tired that I don’t want to add onto it but this is really scary and I think I might be dying and-”

Hahaha, I told you I’m a monster.

The last snippet of the year is Delilah having major anxiety? Aren’t I just the worst?

Eh, I felt like I needed to leave the anxiety of this year in the past, so I condensed it into this little snippet.

Not gonna lie, this year had it’s ups and downs. I got a job, got to college, and did well in my first quarter. I got to go to the beach for Christmas, got to the third draft of Shadows of the Abyss (Tales of Merlia). I got to read so many books and amazing WIPs. I made friends, and so much more.

But there have been some personal things going on. Anxiety, depression, and personal problems. I lost friends, I fell down and got hurt, and I’ve made plenty of mistakes, and I have some major regrets.

I can’t say that 2019 will be a good year, but I can’t say it will be a horrible one. I don’t have any resolutions, but I do just want to keep going. I want to write, help, be at ease more. I want to make mistakes and just live. That’s all I want for the next year.

So, if I don’t say it. Have a safe and happy New Year my loves. <3

@editedandwrittenbyhannah @lady-redshield-writes @stone-goddess-writing @futureauthor-mabye @rachywritessomething @dontwaitforinspiration @namingtoohard @the-crafty-fox @toboldlywrite @wchwriter @boothewriter-deactivated2018122 @miniaturemagic @jaimistoryteller

#writing #writeblr #Tales of Merlia #i'm so tired #need sleep

[yiwen-wang]

Scene reference

I found some photos of rooms that have been messed up by cats as a reference for the set design

https://kittybloger.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/20-bad-cats-making-a-mess/

https://www.island-cats.com/?p=36165

https://cheezburger.com/11317509/cats-messing-stuff-up

http://www.wardoontv.com/2019/12/01/backlash-against-marie-kondo-style-minimalism-has-sharing-women-sharing-snaps-of-their-messy-rooms/

https://scraphag.wordpress.com/2011/01/08/resolutions-and-excusesa-good-crafty-start-for-2011/

[jlslipakauthorthriller]

Brilliant, audaciously rogue police officer, Harry Hole from The Snowman and The Thirst, is back and in the throes of a new, unanticipated rage–once again hunting the murderer who has haunted his entire career.

Harry Hole is not in a good place. Rakel–the only woman he’s ever loved–has ended it with him, permanently. He’s been given a chance for a new start with the Oslo Police but it’s in the cold case office, when what he really wants is to be investigating cases he suspects have ties to Svein Finne, the serial rapist and murderer who Harry helped put behind bars. And now, Finne is free after a decade-plus in prison–free, and Harry is certain, unreformed and ready to take up where he left off. But things will get worse. When Harry wakes up the morning after a blackout, drunken night with blood that’s clearly not his own on his hands, it’s only the very beginning of what will be a waking nightmare the likes of which even he could never have imagined.

Out July 2019

416 Pages approx.

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

I’m not a big crime mystery book reader, but when offered to review this book, I decided I’d give it a read. My book that I received has the knife on the cover. Frankly, I like it better than the other book cover. This book can be read as a standalone.

This has been an ongoing series starring the main character, Harry Hole, a detective who isn’t doing very well in this story.  He appears to have hit rock bottom, drinks too much and is experiencing self-loathing among other things. Then he loses a friend to a serial killer.

There are explicit moments in the story that were a bit hard to handle but necessary for the story-line. I found the author’s writing  very crafty/clever and uses Harry’s personal conflicts to hide the hints/clues that would normally expose who the killer is if they were there. There is the hunt for the killer scenes and then there is the personal conflict existing in Harry’s life. I think both complimented each other and kept the book from growing tedious and boring. You’re left guessing to the very end and shocked by the resolution and reveal.

I like Harry, despite all his problems. He’s well-fleshed out and develops nicely as the story progresses. You get to know him through Nesbo’s writing and how he functions during different situations. He’s complex, yet forthright and enduring. There’s a strength about him, even an inner strength, despite all the things going on with him. It’s impressive writing.

Nesbo has a definite talent for weaving tales regarding crime. His books are character driven and complex. He takes them to rock bottom before bringing them kicking and screaming to the top again. He doesn’t make it easy for them. They’re flawed beyond belief and are at constant odds with themselves. This is what makes them so believable and enjoyable to read about. They’re realistic as are their struggles.

The crimes itself in the book, although sometimes drawn into the spotlight, seem secondary to the story to me. Sure, sure, you have all the killing, evidence and crime scenes like all the others. This is more about the characters and what’s going on in their heads that make them so twisted. That’s what makes Nesbo’s books different from all the rest and his Harry Hole novels a must-read.

I gave this book:

KNIFE, A NEW HARRY HOLE NOVEL, by Joe Nesbo, Random House, Penguin Randum House Brilliant, audaciously rogue police officer, Harry Hole from The Snowman and The Thirst, is back and in the throes of a new, unanticipated rage--once again hunting the murderer who has haunted his entire career.

#character driven #character growth #cold cases #complex characters #Crime Mystery #detective #great character #investigations #killers #murder #mystery #self-discovery #serial killer #series

[momentsofmamahood]

I was inspired by Jayci’s last week post about new year resolution about choosing one word to focus on for the year. And the word I am choosing for this year is 💡 CREATIVITY. 💡 Being creative helps me feel fulfilled, especially that being a SAHM can be mundane some days… My goal is do something CREATIVE every night after my kids go down for bed. Creativity doesn’t necessarily means crafty or creating something. To learn more how you can be creative listen to @notsoserioussarah podcast episode- “Unlocking Your Creativity.” She’s great and hilarious. Comment below on what things you’re doing now using your creativity. Mine is in the comments! - - - - - - #MofMwednesdayswithamy #mom #mommy #mama #mommy #momlife #bestofmom #mommylifestyle #mofmresoultions #mofmhacks #resolutions #newyear #newyearsday #newyearsday2019 #2019 goals #goals #creativity #unlockyourcreativity #notsoserioussarah — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2VG0oWx

#Instagram #IFTTT

[stitchesstringsandotherthings]

Week 3: Three String Necklace

The Craft: Beading

What I Made: For week three I actually started a different project and then realized I’d run out of time before finishing and cranked this out in a day instead! It took me longer than I thought it would since I have to finish beading in one sitting. 

The Reasoning: I’ve actually got a LOT of beads that I hold onto for ages and ages without using, and I wanted to try and use some of them. Specifically, I wanted to use the butterfly and dragonfly centerpieces in some way together. I’ve always really liked them, but couldn’t commit to an idea. I decided to make it a three string necklace because I don’t have any, and I liked how many different colors I could use. 

How I Made It: First I had to actually get out all the beads that fit the color scheme and style that I was after — specifically Pink, blue and purple. I’m only now as I’m typing this realizing that’s the colors of the bi flag, even though I put them in the wrong order. I’m not bi, but my best friend is! I’m glad that wearing this necklace will remind me of her now. 

After I had all the beads I wanted to use either on my desk or near at hand— I actually ended up digging out a few more shortly after I took this photo— I had to start planning out what strings would be which colors. You might notice I’m using old containers for Listerine strips to hold beads I only have a small amount of together! I really like this and recommend it to anyone who beads.

At this moment I realized I didn’t have nearly as many purple beads as I thought I did, so I had to change purple to be the shortest strand with the butterfly. I had a LOT of pink beads, so that decided which went with the dragonfly, and left blue in the middle. The hardest part of that was finding a bead I liked for the center piece that went with the dragonfly and butterfly but didn’t outshine them. I’m pretty sure the blue flower does that. 

Once I had all the bigger beads planned out I got a long strip of my purple jewelry wire and started threading beads on, starting with the center bead and putting the mirroring ones onto both ends at the same time. I actually did something new this time, and didn’t pre-plan all the tiny seed beads that I used to but space between the large ones I wanted to shine. It gave me more wiggle room as I created and is definitely something I’ll do again. With the colors I decided that each strand would have some of all three but a clear primary color. I’m not sure how well that worked with the blue or purple strands in the end though, as I discovered I didn’t have nearly so many options with those seed beads.

At the very end I put on a crimp bead — a small metal bead that you flatten with pliers to hold the ends of jewelry wire together or keep beads from moving out of place— and a jump ring. I threaded the wire back through the crimp bead and a few of the beads on the end, pulling it tight and clamping the crimp bead down, and trimming off the excess. I did this to both ends! 

That meant one strand was finished! 

At this point I realized I didn’t really like those two big pink beads being RIGHT next to the dragonfly but it was way too late to change it and I really like the rest of the necklace, so that’s one hiccup. Always look at the beading work very critically the entire time, so you don’t feel locked into an early decision! I actually took a food break here because I’d already worked for several hours to get this far, but the next two strings were shorter and hopefully quicker, right? Well... they were shorter. 

So now I had three necklaces without a clasp, waiting to be combined together into one mega necklace. I opened a jump ring, slid one half of the clasp — an x and o clasp that I find really easy to manipulate— and then one end of each of the three strands onto, in order of length. Then I closed the jump ring and did the same to the other side with the other half of the clasp. 

Conclusion: I really liked making this, even if it took longer than I thought and doesn’t perhaps look quite like I imagined! It’s heavier than the jewelry I’m used to, and I’m not sure what I’ll wear with it, but it’s waiting in my jewelry case to be used! If I don’t end up wearing it as is I can still open that last jump ring and give each necklace it’s own clasp, meaning I could choose to wear just pink or blue or purple instead of all three! I definitely missed beading, but remembered why I don’t do it very much. It’s an all or nothing sort of project— once you start you can’t really stop or you lose your progress and carefully selected bead pattern. 

#Crafts #Crafty Resolution 2019 #Beading

[htdy]

Challenge 30, right?

Hi there bb,

In another life, I think I’d make one hell of a boyfriend. (Does that sound really cocky????)

I will certainly post to htdy more often!!! I think... I will rely on this blog more. Hopefully it’ll be a way we can grow together!! I’m really grateful to have you in my life because there’s no one else who I’d want to embark on this journey with. Thank you for being vulnerable and open with me. Thank you for letting me be vulnerable and open. I’m here to stay!

Snaps’ New Year Resolutions (Read: Mission Possible!!)

Keep a photo diary. One photo per day (or a video if that suits the day better). It can be of anything (e.g. the sky, a building, your shoe, a selfie, a short or long vlog). Write down in as brief (i.e. a word - “worried”) or as a long (i.e. think back to my thesis introduction) as you feel necessary to supplement your photograph. Do this every day, even if it’s the worst day of your life or the best day of your life. Take a few minutes to snap a picture and add a caption. You don’t need to post your photos here if you don’t feel like it, but this is an actual photo diary, so it’s gotta be organized together somehow. I trust in your crafty, creative, pinterest-loving self :* 

I believe that if you want to become a photographer, or even take up photography as a hobby, then you must take pictures. Of anything. Of everything. Even if it’s the most inconsequential slice of toast. Even if the photo turns out blurry. Even if the lighting is bad. Beginning is the most important step. The second most important step is to keep going no matter what. I know you already take photos, but... you don’t need to always be happy to live a life worth living. Your memories are saturated far more vibrantly with how you felt than what you did.)

“No.” 

1. Practice saying no when it’s hard to say no.

”Can you edit this X for me, I’m really busy tonight? “ (But you have work yourself to do.) “No.” 

2. Practice saying no without apologizing when it’s in no way your fault. “

I’m sor- I’m not available but thanks for asking.” 

3. Practice saying no without providing an explanation when you don’t need to explain yourself. “

I’m not interest in X beca- I’m not interested, but I appreciate the thought.” 

(It’s not easy for anyone to say “no.” I’m sure everyone feels guilty even if they deny it.  I feel so much guilt every time. It’s just that... you can’t help but care, you know? Sure, if you say “yes,” you avoid disappointing the other person who’s asking you....but don’t you end up disappointing yourself? And you’re the most important person in your life.)

This next one is a task rather than a resolution. Make a list of the most important goals you have for yourself. They can be about anything, but make them as self-focused as possible. What I mean by this is that you aren’t allowed to consider how your goals might affect your family, your friends, your significant other - or how their hypothetical opinions may affect your aspirations. This is about you. Keep this list as a secret for yourself. Make a reminder on your calendar for 1 month, 6 months, and a year from the date of the conception of this list. On these days revisit your aspirations and beside it, write down if your desires may have changed, or perhaps not, if they’ve stayed the same. (Note: If you’re wondering if these goals are only about you doing stuff alone, then I should clarify that they can be about anything that is important to you. i.e. If one of your goals is to go on more road trips with friends, then write it down!! I just mean that I want this list to be a guilt-free, fear-free, shame-free arrangement of what matters the most to you.) 

Play your guitar once a month. To make sure you really did play once a month (or more if you feel like it), I request that you upload an audio clip of your guitar playing here :) It’s okay if you think it sounds bad lol, it’s not like I know how to play Daniel hahahah so I’m not going to judge you horribly

Purchase a watercolor set and pad and have some fun. I’d say get a cheap one at first. Just have fun with the colours and paints and get the feel of it. It’s for fun anyway! People can create wonderful things independent of the price. There’s no time restraint for this one, except, perhaps, do it before the end of 2019 hahaha. Post your results! 

Skype me more than once a month!!!! 

And let’s make another Pink Peach Productions Video with “When We First Met” as the bgm over the summer

Treating yourself is only one part of putting yourself first. Do the things you love, do the new things, and be firm with yourself so you can be sweet with yourself (cheesyy????)

I love you a million billion trillion light years and I wish you good luck and good fun in this new year. Nurses who work with other people daily must especially learn to take care of themselves, and put themselves first! It’s the balance of things!!! 

xoxo

peachbun

#nyr #re:challenge

[mikkomix]

No resolutions for me this year. Instead, I wrote down my goals for 2019 (and 2020!), then steps to get me there. @nofilter.wtf deck wasn’t shameful when I asked for advice on how to proceed. 😋 http://bit.ly/2AsEw85 Visit www.itrydiy.me for everything crafty!

#IFTTT #Instagram #ITryDIY

[scrappykat]

Changes Coming to This Blog in 2020

Changes Coming to This Blog in 2020

Hi all 🙂  Thanks for stopping by and/or subscribing.  As you may have noticed, a lot of the information on my blog (while still useful to some) is a bit outdated.  It’s been years since I updated my organization methods, did a video our photographic room tour of my much smaller, newer craft room, or posted any tutorials or tips.

One of my goals for 2020 is to update my blog regularly which means…

View On WordPress

#2020 changes #blog updates #changes coming to blog #coupon codes #craft room organization #craft sales #crafting tutorials #cyrstal katana pick up tool #giveaways #Kat&039;s Favorite Crafty Things 2019 #kathleen driggers #new year&039;s resolution #organization tips #update blog

[frontmezzjunkies]

Jacqueline B. Arnold as La Chocolat, Robyn Hurder as Nini, Holly James as Arabia and Jeigh Madjus as Baby Doll from Moulin Rouge!. Photos: © Matthew Murphy, 2019

My Top Ten Theatrical Experiences of 2019

By Ross

So here goes. I’m not that good at making lists, especially in an order that defines saying one thing is slightly better or somewhat worse, because on any given day, the order and assigned number might shift around quite dramatically.  But on this cold NYC morning, this is what I was thinking. Of course, my special mentions are as long as this list of my top ten (by twice), but so be it.  I feel grateful every time I walk in the theatre, particularly since becoming an Outer Critics Circle voting member. There is just so much to love about New York City’s dynamic and eclectic theatre scene, and although I wanted to add a few from London, England, Washington, or Toronto, I tried my hardest to keep it tuned in to what is happening on Broadway and Off this calendar year. So disagree or agree. It’s all good, and let me know your thoughts. I always love hearing about someone’s passionate loves.

J.D. Mollison (center) and the cast of Octet. Photo by Joan Marcus.

10: Octet

“This one certainly got under my skin and had me thinking late into the night. It also forced me, quite intensely and wisely, to think twice before each and every impulse I had to look at my phone…It’s insanely beautiful and achingly real emotionality that forces itself on me even as I attempted to fall asleep after I got home from this enlightenment…The simpleness of this musical has one of the more important messages that the world seems to be desperate to hear and learn.” Full Review 

Danny Burstein. Photos: © Matthew Murphy, 2019.

9: Moulin Rouge!

“Truth. Beauty. Freedom. And above all things, Love. That’s what is splashed before our hungry eyes and ears at the Moulin Rouge! – The Musical decadently and gorgeously mashing together with high-wired spectacular spectacular-ness…Within this new musical, directed dynamically and deliciously…” Full Review

MaYaa Boateng and Roslyn Ruff. Photo by Henry Grossman.

8: Fairview

“Utterly fascinating and forceful play. Like a good food fight, it wildly throws out implied conventions and disturbing vantage points…It transitions dramatically into a heady examination of race, strongly held expectations, and white privilege. Layered on top is an upsettingly accurate internal dialogue…Directed with resolution and unabashed confidence…the piece pounds us forward dramatically, challenging us to overcome.” Full Review 

Heidi Schreck. What the Conststution Means to Me. Photo by Joan Marcus.

7: What the Constitution Means to Me

“As directed with a free-flowing and creative hand by Oliver Butler, it hits us deep and sharp, almost as complicated as the ripples of distrust and pain that strike through Schreck, shaking and overwhelming her composure that feels, most definitely, out of the box…It lightens my load, seeing the smart and funny ‘What the Constitution Means to Me,’ although my broken heart stays confused and perplexed in these trying times.” Full Review

James Jackson, Jr., John-Michael Lyles, Jason Veasey, Larry Owens (in red jacket and hat), Antwayn Hopper, John-Andrew Morrison, L Morgan Lee. Photo by Joan Marcus.

6: A Strange Loop

“Directed with crafty ingenuity…The thrills of that first number sent me into joyous giggles of delight and surprise. And it just kept getting deeper and smarter, wittier and wiser with each effervescent and boundary-free song. The show is like no other…There are times we don’t know whether to laugh, cry, or clap along to the sounds of this collision of hurt and humor, as the players all bring forth an authentic slap to each well crafted song.” Full Review 

Eva Noblezada, Andre De Shields, Reeve Carney. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy.

5: Hadestown

“The ‘Road to Hell’ has never been finer…With Mitchell’s spectacular retelling of the old Orpheus myth…It’s clear from the hot and fiery opening that…Chavkin has a pure vision of tense and muscular motion…The songs are beautiful…’Hadestown’ delivers a deeply resonant and defiantly hopeful theatrical experience, filled to overflowing with passion, artistry, and love, even as are hearts are crushed in the end by our human frailties.” Full Review 

Zawe Ashton, Charlie Cox, Tom Hiddleston in Pinter’s BETRAYAL at London’s Harold Pinter Theatre. Photo by Marc Brenner.

4: Betrayal

“A triangle built with a ballet-like precision within a circle against a long rectangular wall. This is the essence of this masterful revival. They are poised for interaction from that first visual, one by one, in pairs (for the most part), as directed with tight thoughtfulness by the gifted Jamie Lloyd.” Full Review

The full cast of SLAVE PLAY (On Ground L to R): Ato Blankson-Wood, James Cusati-Moyer, Sullivan Jones, Annie McNamara, Joaquina Kalukango, Paul Alexander Nolan. (In red boxes L to R): Irene Sofia Lucio and Chalia La Tour. (photo by Matthew Murphy)

3: Slave Play

“It’s provocative and uncomfortable, pushing boundaries and buttons that are hidden within every single soul in the theatre, daring us with staggering urgency to take notice and check our own prejudicial thoughts and politics…So sign up for this sexy and dynamic experiment and become engaged in a conversation that will likely continue long after the last group member leaves the stage.” Full Review

2: The Sound Inside

“The piece floats forward in segments, delicately ushering in the ideas of encapsulated loneliness and the acceptance of praise that resides within, ever so quietly…The two come together in a (Tony deserving) way that will haunt your imagination as you try to make sense of the imagined.” Full Review 

1: The Inheritance

“‘The Inheritance’ truly surprises us, moment to moment, with its tender power and strong parallel story-telling. It slides in almost unsuspecting, finding a way to deliver a heart breaking truth and an emotional reality that sends me, almost, over the edge. ” Full Review 

  Steven Skybell, Jennifer Babiak in Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

NYTW’s Sing Street, LCT’s Greater Clements, PH’s The Thin Place, Little Shop of Horrors, St. Ann’s Warehouse’s History of Violence, PH’s Heroes of the Fourth Turning, Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, ATC’s Blue Ridge, Public’s Sea Wall/A Life, ATC’s The Mother, St. Ann’s Oklahoma!, Gary: A Sequel…, Public’s White Noise, Rattlestick’s No One is Forgotten, LCT’s The Rolling Stone, Broadway Bounty Hunter, MCC’s The Wrong Man, 59E59’s Square Go, TNG’s one in two. I did not get a chance to see Fleabag or many others, as I only have me, and I do need to work occasionally and make some money to live and eat…And I have yet to see The Lehman Trilogy, but I will get my chance in the Spring. Along with the new West Side Story directed by Ivo van Hove and choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker that started previews early December. I’m guessing they might make my Best of 2020.

Heroes of the Fourth Turning Written by Will Arbery Directed by Danya Taymor FEATURING Jeb Kreager — Justin Julia McDermott — Emily Michele Pawk — Gina Zoë Winters — Teresa John Zdrojeski — Kevin Scenic Design: Laura Jellinek Costume Design: Sarafina Bush Lighting Design: Isabella Byrd Sound Design: Justin Ellington Fight Direction: J. David Brimmer Production Stage Manager: Jenny Kennedy Assistant Stage Manager: Madolyn Friedman

Greater Clements LCT 11-09 257 Greater Clements, written by Samuel D. Hunter and directed by Davis McCallum Lincoln Center Theater 11/13/19 Lighting Design: Yi Zhao Costume Design: Kaye Voice Scenic Design: Dane Laffrey Sound Design: Fitz Patton Photo Credit: T Charles Erickson © T Charles Erickson Photography [email protected]

Photo Credit: Julieta Cervantes

White Noise By Suzan-Lori Parks Directed By Oskar Eustis David Diggs Sheria Irving Thomas Sadoski Zoe Winters

#frontmezzjunkies gifts u his #bestof2019 #OctetNYC @MoulinRougeBway #TFANAFairview @TheatreforaNewA @constitutionbwy #astrangeloop @phnyc @hadestown @betrayalbwy @SlavePlayBway @nytw79 @SoundInsideBwy @Inheritanceplay My Top Ten Theatrical Experiences of 2019 By Ross So here goes. I'm not that good at making lists, especially in an order that defines saying one thing is slightly better or somewhat worse, because on any given day, the order and assigned number might shift around quite dramatically.

#broadway #broadway musical #Broadway play #broadway revival #off broadway #off broadway musical #off broadway play #off broadway revival #top ten

[petsupplyandmore]

Itch Aid Choices For Your Canine

Taking care of your pup could be a actually taxing, doubtlessly costly and undoubtedly continuous job. Regardless that it could look like canine are largely self-sufficient and don’t want an particularly great amount of care, there are literally all kinds of issues that you could do to verify your good friend lives a cheerful and wholesome life. Probably the most widespread sources of discomfort and unhappiness amongst canine, irrespective of how nicely taken care of they’re, is itchiness.

It’s necessary to notice at this level that seeing your canine itch just a few occasions isn’t essentially trigger for alarm. Wholesome, comfy canine itch as a part of their every day routine. They itch in the identical approach you and I would if there’s something caught of their hairs which is tickling the pores and skin they usually itch as a part of their common upkeep, in the identical area as after they lick and rub themselves. So, don’t panic once you see some itching, simply preserve your eye out.

If itching is persisting in an annoying, near-constant sense, that’s when you could begin interested by intervening. Intervening together with your canine’s itchiness means just a few issues, all of which often contain a prognosis of kinds. So, with out additional delay, listed here are some steps and concepts you’ll be able to put into motion to assist to alleviate your canine’s itching and scratching.

Acknowledge That It Might Be For A Entire Vary Of Causes

That is in all probability a very powerful of all of the steps. You don’t wish to attain instantly for an answer earlier than you actually know what the issue is. And, frustratingly, canine itching can imply an entire load of issues, all with a variety of potential implications. It’s attainable and definitely widespread sufficient that your canine has fleas. This might result in its personal resolution. Possibly it’s an issue together with your pup’s coat. Is it too oily? When did you final have tub time? Is it too dry? Has the climate modified not too long ago? Maybe it’s allergic reactions; canine are allergic to an infinite vary of issues, in the identical approach, people are, and plenty of of them are discovered within the fields that canine run and play in. They could even have gotten bitten by one thing or have developed some kind of rash.

An examination of the world by which they’re focusing their itching will possible reveal the entire story to you. However it’s important that you just carry out this step since you’ll waste time and put your canine via extra discomfort if you happen to leap to your personal conclusions in regards to the state of affairs. In the event you can’t work out what’s occurring by yourself, then you definitely may begin interested by taking your canine to the vet, only for some skilled steering.

Assault Of The Fleas

Fleas are tremendous excessive up on the listing of attainable explanations for itchiness in your canine. “It’s under no circumstances a sign of any kind of neglect or particular dirtiness, so there’s no have to be frightened about that. Fleas are extraordinarily resilient and really crafty, with a outstanding capacity o leap from host to host so your canine could have even caught them from a fellow canine down within the park”, suggests Maria Wilson, life-style blogger at StateOfWriting and BoomEssays. The vital factor is figuring out and addressing. Fleas are not any enjoyable for a canine, who will scratch endlessly with no approach of eradicating them. You’ll must get actual medicine concerned whether it is fleas that you end up waring with. Regular some kind of localized ointment or a every day pill will likely be prescribed to rid your poor canine of its undesirable friends. Simply just be sure you verify that it’s fleas earlier than going forward with the therapy.

Bathe Usually

An entire load of the potential causes of itchiness in your canine may be handled, relieved or lowered within the likeliness that they seem by bathing your canine recurrently. Bathtub time may be troublesome, to say the least, and requires you to have a superb little tub station if you happen to don’t wish to share the household tub together with your canine good friend. Moreover, it requires some endurance as canine could be a handful within the tub. Simply ensure you’re not in your Sunday greatest. An appropriate bathing schedule will cease issues like oiliness of their coat, dry pores and skin and might even assist shield in opposition to fleas and different unfriendly invaders.

Nevertheless, a fast warning. There’s such a factor as bathing your canine an excessive amount of. “In the event you put your canine within the tub each day, you’re truly doing your self and your canine no favors. Canines aren’t like people, they received’t develop odors from not washing in the identical approach. And, actually, on prime of that you may be denying your canine some actually beneficial oils that retains their coat wholesome”, says Lucy Hale, a pet author at UkWritings and EssayRoo. However, basically, it’s at all times a good suggestion to implement common washes. It’s best to discover that it actually helps your canine to cease itching.

Watch Out For Modifications To Weight loss program

Allergic reactions are a quite common reason for itchiness. Usually these will likely be environmental allergic reactions since your canine is extraordinarily more likely to be brushing its physique and legs alongside bushes and grass because it runs round within the park. This type of contact may cause localized allergic reactions in a short time. Nevertheless, if you happen to haven’t modified their strolling routines and there isn’t an apparent different offender, that doesn’t imply that allergic reactions ought to be dominated out for positive. Allergic reactions can simply stem from meals.

It’s necessary that you just monitor what your canine eats as carefully as you’ll be able to. It may be a problem since canine will incessantly eat something that they discover of their travels. Nevertheless, noticing a change in weight loss plan will permit you to simply determine the reason for an entire vary of issues, from abdomen points to itchiness. Meals allergic reactions may be exhausting to identify however may simply trigger itchiness. Moreover, sure meals don’t give your canine the precise oils and fat to take care of a wholesome coat which might additionally result in an excessive amount of itchiness. General, it’s necessary to observe weight loss plan and to consult with it if you happen to can’t discover different explanations to your canine’s itchiness.

Bites, Stings, and Ticks

In the identical approach that fleas may be harassing to your canine and inflicting actual itch issues, there are different animals which may doubtlessly have triggered issues that at the moment are making your canine itch. Ticks are like fleas however may cause extra severe points if left unmonitored. These parasites will trigger itching in your canine, however ticks can burrow very deeply. Ticks connect themselves to people and canine, significantly after strolling via fields or tall grass. In the event you’ve taken your canine for a stroll via fields and discover them itching one spot, that’s a very good indication that one thing has clung on.

Different attainable causes of itchiness could embrace bites from ants, spiders and different bugs. There’ll often be redness and swelling wherever the affected space. It ought to be pretty easy so that you can determine in case your canine has been affected by any such points. The most effective resolution for these is often within the type of lotions and ointments to assist relieve itching. If it’s a giant and apparent tick, then it is best to be capable to take it out with tweezers. Nevertheless, some ticks, any which have burrowed will have to be eliminated by a vet.  Utilizing exact devices, a sterile surroundings, and good lighting, to ensure you get that taken care of professionally.

Pores and skin Infections

Whereas inspecting your canine’s pores and skin examine for any kind of infection-like mark. It perhaps be possible they’ve some kind of pores and skin an infection. Once more, that is an space by which you need to search skilled recommendation. Probably the most widespread infections, an an infection which people can even get, is a yeast an infection. All such issues will have to be handled through prescribed medicine, from a vet. This may eliminate the basis an infection moderately than merely coping with the consequences of the an infection. You may lookup photos of widespread an infection rashes to offer your self a greater thought of what to search for.

Conclusion

It’s by no means a pleasant factor to see your canine in discomfort. It may be a really complicated factor taking care of them after they aren’t in a position to bodily describe what is occurring. By now, it is best to be capable to discover out what is occurring to your canine once you see it itching. Be vigilant and by no means be afraid to go to an expert to get some concrete recommendation.

Writer Bio:

Chloe Bennet is a life-style blogger at Australianhelp and Huge Assignments companies. She is a proud proprietor of an awesome dane named Chip. Additionally, Chloe teaches tutorial writing at Eliteassignmenthelp.com.

from Pet Supply and More http://petsupplyandmore.com/index.php/2019/04/12/itch-aid-choices-for-your-canine/

[gyrlversion]

Senate votes down Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs Green New Deal 57-0

The Senate roundly rejected Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal as expected on Tuesday with not a single senator voting ‘yes’ for the progressive star’s signature policy initiative. 

Ocasio-Cortez defended herself after the defeat and argued she encouraged the Democratic senators to vote ‘present’ instead of in the affirmative. 

‘I encouraged them to vote present, along w/ others. McConnell tried to rush the #GreenNewDeal straight to the floor without a hearing. The real question we should be asking: Why does the Senate GOP refuse to hold any major hearings on climate change?,’ the self-described socialist explained in a tweet responding to the lack of Democratic votes. 

‘The GOP’s climate delaying is costing us lives + destroying communities. Iowa, Nebraska & many in the Midwest are catastrophically flooded right now, in one of the 1st major climate change disasters of 2019. A #GreenNewDeal urges us to pursue a plan on the scale of the problem,’ she added.

Democrats slammed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for holding a ‘sham’ vote on the matter – it was a non-binding resolution, meaning it had no force of law, and needed 60 votes to advance in the legislative process, which was an impossible task given Democrats only have 47 votes in their corner. 

Most of the Democrats voted ‘present’ in protest while Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin, who represents the red state of West Virginia; Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona; and Doug Jones of Alabama voted no, as did Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats.

The final vote was 57 nays and 43 present.  

The final Senate vote was 57 nays and 43 present

The Senate roundly rejected Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal as expected on Tuesday with not a single senator voting ‘yes’

Ocasio-Cortez defended herself after the failed Senate vote

Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (left), who represents the red state of West Virginia; Kyrsten Sinema (right) of Arizona were among the ‘no’ votes

Republican Sen. Mike Lee mocked The Green New Deal on the Senate floor Tuesday

Sen. Lee brought a variety of props and photos to make his point

Ahead of the vote, Democrats and Republicans exchanged bitter words on the Senate floor while Ocasio-Cortez slammed the Republican senator who mocked her Green New Deal in a speech that used props and photos – including one of a Aquaman riding seahorse – to make his point.

‘If this guy can be Senator, you can do anything,’ she said via Twitter, retweeting a tweet with photos and comments from Sen. Mike Lee’s floor speech making fun of her signature program.

‘GOP Senators are using their Congressional allowances to print Aquaman posters for themselves to argue that a #GreenNewDeal saving our nation from climate change is a ‘waste of money,” she also tweeted, adding an emoji of laughing face.  

Lee, in a colorful speech, used a variety of photos to make his point, including Aquaman on a sea horse, Ronald Reagan and a dinosaur, a still from the ‘Star Wars’ franchise of Luke Skywalker riding a tauntaun, and cows. 

‘After reading the Green New Deal I’m afraid of not being able to get through this speech with a straight face,’ he said as he began his remarks. 

He claimed the Green New Deal wants to eliminate airplanes – a likely reference to its goal to end reliance on fossil fuels – and suggested states like Hawaii would have to use a fleet of sea horses to travel instead. 

Standing next to a large photo of Aquaman riding a sea horse, Lee noted: ‘Under the Green New Deal, this is probably Hawaii’s best bet.’

He conceded that ‘a massive fleet of giant, highly trained sea horses would be cool, it would be really awesome. But we have no idea about scalability or domestic capacity.’ 

Lee claimed his floor speech which propelled him into a Twitter trending topic, was meant to illustrate how silly he believes the non-binding resolution to be. 

The Republican senator from Utah even claimed that ‘problems of human imagination are not solved by more laws, they’re solved by more humans, more people.’

‘The solution to climate change is not this unserious resolution we’re considering this week in the Senate but rather the serious solution to human flourishing. The solution to so many of our problems at all times and in all places is to fall in love, get married, and have some kids,’ he added. 

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez argued she encouraged the senators to vote ‘present’

Sen. Mike Lee claimed his speech was to show how silly he thinks the resolution is

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will stage a show vote on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed the majority leader for holding a ‘bluff vote’

McConnell put the vote on the calendar to force Democrats, including a slew of 2020 presidential contenders, to go on the record about the progressive plan in a vote that he knew would fail. 

But Democrats’ countered his maneuver with one of their own: voting ‘present’ – which does not count towards or against passage but does contribute to the quorum, meaning the lawmaker does not have a missing vote on their record.  

Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, the principle sponsor of the legislation in the Senate, called McConnell’s move a ‘sham.’

He said Tuesday before the vote that the GOP leader ‘wants to sabotage calls for climate action.’

And Ocasio-Cortez slammed the majority leader for holding a ‘bluff vote.’

‘The GOP’s whole game of wasting votes in Congress to target others ‘on the record’, for leg they have no intent to pass, is a disgrace. Stop wasting the American peoples’ time + learn to govern. Our jobs aren’t for campaigning, & that’s exactly what these bluff-votes are for,’ she wrote on Twitter on Friday. 

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called the vote a ‘political stunt.’

‘With this exercise, the Republican Majority has made a mockery of the legislative process. It is a political act, a political stunt. Everyone here knows it’s a stunt, including the Majority Leader himself. He put something on the floor and then votes no. What’s the point of that other than showing how hypocritical this act is?,’ Schumer said Tuesday on the Senate floor.

‘But with this exercise, they have also elevated the issue in a way I am sure they never intended. And for that, I want to thank them because now we’re finally talking about climate change,’ he added.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a presidential contender who is a co-sponsor of the Green New Deal legislation, also called it a ‘sham’ vote on Tuesday and said the ‘GOP is treating this like a political stunt, they are treating climate change like a game.’

She voted present.

All the presidential contenders in the Senate have signed on as co-sponsors of Ocasio-Cortez’s signature legislation: Sens. Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar and Gillibrand. 

McConnell plotted his crafty move as a way to force Senate Democrats to vote their view – a potential on-the-record move Republicans could exploit in the coming election.

The move would also pit the moderate wing of the party against its left flank, a battle Democrats will be fighting in the upcoming presidential primary.  

McConnell slammed Democrats for moving to the left on a host of issues. 

‘This whole Democrat effort to re-brand all the failed ideas of 20th century socialism with a little green paint – every member of this body will have the opportunity to cast a clear vote,’ McConnell said Monday on the Senate floor.

He continued his barrage on Tuesday. 

‘The Senate is going to vote on the far-left wish list that many of our Democratic colleagues have rushed to embrace – the so-called Green New Deal. For a relatively sparse resolution, this proposal has already traveled quite a fascinating path here in Congress. It originated with the most radical, farthest-left members of the new House Democrat majority,’ he said on the Senate floor. 

Lee said people will have to ride sea horses because the Green New Deal will ban airplanes 

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is asking his party to vote ‘present’

And the National Republican Senatorial Committee is using Ocasio-Cortez in attacks ads similar to how the GOP has used Speaker Nancy Pelosi in these type of ads for years.

In a tweet attacking Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas, who is considering a run against Republican Sen. John Cornyn, the NRSC said Castro ‘votes with AOC 94% of the time.’   

The Green New Deal is a statement of goals and doesn’t make specific policy proposals, nor does it specify how it would pay for its ambitious plans. 

The plan aims to slow climate change by ending the reliance on fossil fuels within 10 years; to upgrade power grids and existing buildings for maximum energy efficiency; to overhaul transportation systems; and to provide every American with a job and health care. 

The conservative American Action Forum estimated the Green New Deal will cost $93 trillion. Other organizations have found the deal too vague to get a full cost although Forbes estimated just six of the goals would roughly cost $2.5 trillion a year. 

  The post Senate votes down Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs Green New Deal 57-0 appeared first on Gyrlversion.

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#Entertainment News

[newyorktheater]

Nantucket Sleigh Ride is an old whaling term, as one of the characters explains in John Guare’s crafty new play. “Sailors would harpoon a whale. The whale would drag the sailors on a frantic race across the ocean – for hours – for days – until the whale died or the whale drowned the sailors.”

That’s more or less the ride  that poor  Edmund Gowery winds up taking in “Nantucket Sleigh Ride.”

It begins when a child-like duo from his past show up at his office with a bizarre request. Gowery (John Larroquette) is now a rich New York businessman, but he’s already had a jolt from the past this morning when he discovers that his name was the answer to a clue in the New York Times Sunday cross word puzzle – “’70’s playwright.”  Yes, Gowery had written a successful play, just one, decades ago. “Lightning struck me once,” he explains to all who ask. “That’s once more than it strikes most people.”

His visitors are brother and sister, Poe and Lilac (Adam Chanler-Berat and Grace Rex), and they want him to go back to that period of his life, the summer of 1975 on Nantucket Island, to fill the hole in their own memories. “The doctor said we can’t go on with our lives until we fill in the blank.”

So Gowery, with the help of the rest of a game 10-member cast, brings us back to that summer and a series of often surreal events that can be described as labyrinthine. Indeed, Gowery carries his favorite book, Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges, in his back pocket – and Borges (Germán Jaramillo) makes frequent appearances, delivering his words of wisdom.

It’s a mostly comic tale of ambition, neglect, corruption and deception that has far too many twists and teases and tumult to hazard even a brief outline. (Even the marketing material is content just to list some elements — “a giant lobster, Roman Polanski, a pornography ring, Walt Disney, stranded children, a murder”) Let me offer just a sample instead: Shortly after Gowery has strangled a frozen Walt Disney (“This is for what you did to Snow White. This is for what you did to Sleeping Beauty….Dumbo….Mary Poppins”), Elsie (Clea Alsip), the woman from whom he has bought a house on Nantucket, is so grateful that she offers to grant him any wish he desires. Gowery wishes to write a second play. Thunder. Borges appears.  Borges sits Gowery at the desk where Samuel Beckett wrote “Waiting for Godot” and Chekhov wrote “The Cherry Orchard,” hands Gowery a strange writing device called a laptop (remember, it’s 1975), and Gowery writes…”Nantucket Sleigh Ride.”

Some theatergoers might such flights into Gowery’s dreams and nightmares (and Guare’s inside jokes) too confusing or twee, but the absurdity is paired with a carefully crafted plot that is like a mystery or a thriller, even as it pokes fun at mysteries and thrillers (and the people who write them.) Guare leads us step by step, offering enough of a concrete story to keep (most of) us in our seats.  Plot threads and motifs spring up throughout the play, sometimes like bon-bons, sometimes like little smoke-bombs, occasionally as clues. Again, an example: Just months earlier, The Nantucket Stage Company had put on his play, “Internal Structure of Stars,” and had invited him from New York to see it. He declined. Now every single person he meets on the island brings up the production one way or another, sometimes to complain about his absence, sometimes to boast about their performance, sometimes in odder ways: He calls the local grocery store for a delivery and we hear: “I’m sorry you didn’t get cast, but don’t hang up.”

That production of Gowery’s play figures prominently in the big reveal that resolves the mysteries, tying up most of the threads, maybe a tad too tidily — though to the less patient theatergoer the resolution might at least partially make up for the anarchic bombardment that precedes it.

As he does in his best known plays —  “The House of Blue Leaves” and “Six Degrees of Separation”  —  Guare tempers the slickly urbane tone, devilish wit and surreal imagination of “Nantucket Sleigh Ride” with an undercurrent of melancholy. The weight of the world is pressing down on Gowery. There are serious issues woven into “Nantucket Sleigh Ride,” such as how people deal with abandonment, the vagaries of memory, the loss of youthful conviction.

Jerry Zaks directs “Nantucket Sleigh Ride” with the same comic verve and efficiency as he did Guare’s previous plays. The set by David Gallo at first just seems to comprise a backdrop of rows of doors, one atop another. But then the doors open up to reveal the characters from Gowery’s past, as if abruptly appearing in his memory (and just as quickly disappearing.)

Larroquette does a fine, droll job as Gowery, who is an obvious stand-in for Guare. Guare’s name was once a clue in the New York Times crossword puzzle. Guare also spent time as a young man on Nantucket, and it changed his life. He is the one who started The Nantucket Stage Company, though it only lasted a season. He also met his wife there; their marriage has lasted 45 years. Unlike the character he has created, though, Guare, at age 81, has had way more than one play to look back upon. Lightning keeps on striking.

Left to right, Clea Alsip, Will Swenson, German Jaramillo, John Larroquette, Tina Benko

John Larroquette as Edmund Gowery

John Larroquette and Will Swenson

Stacey Sergeant and John Larroquette

Adam Chanler-Berat, Douglas Sills and Grace Rex

Nantucket Sleight Ride

Lincoln Center’s Mitzi Newhouse

Written by John Guare, directed by Jerry Zaks.

sets by David Gallo, costumes by Emily Rebholz, lighting by Howell Binkley, and original music and sound by Mark Bennett.

Cast: Clea Alsip, Tina Benko, Adam Chanler-Berat, Jordan Gelber, Germán Jaramillo, John Larroquette, Grace Rex, Stacey Sargeant, Douglas Sills, and Will Swenson.

Running time: One hour and 50 minutes with one intermission

Tickets: $92

Nantucket Sleigh Ride is on stage through May 5, 2019

  Nantucket Sleigh Ride Review: Strangling Disney And Other Imagined Memories by John Guare Nantucket Sleigh Ride is an old whaling term, as one of the characters explains in John Guare’s crafty new play.

[empowermentstrategies]

What If I Can't Do It?

"A hero is someone who, in spite of weakness, doubt or not always knowing the answers, goes ahead and overcomes anyway."  -- Christopher Reeve

As we approach the last week of January, I bet you’ve noticed some (possibly pretty serious) resistance to continuing your actions toward your New Year’s resolutions or general 2019 goals. I wanted to chime in at this point and remind you that this is completely normal, and that no one who accomplishes anything requiring sustained effort is always certain that they will prevail. Uncertainty assails us all as we reach for more than we’ve accomplished in the past; only when we’ve proven that we can do something, usually repeatedly, does confidence really start to root. Those who succeed find a way to cope with the worry, uncertainty, and doubt and keep moving and adjusting, failing all the way forward if necessary.

While you may be able to hold onto your enthusiasm for a new project in the short run despite difficulties, as weeks and months wear on, it will be challenged. Below are some strategies for handling the inevitable . I hope they help you to envision how you will work through tougher times, but know that the possibilities are endless, and a chief part of your job as CEO of your life and your mission is to expand this list and figure out which strategies really hit the bullseye of what you need in the midst of challenge.

Have a statement of what you’re working toward and why, and read it multiple times per day. Be descriptive and really write out everything you expect to have and feel when you’ve accomplished your goal. When you read this, you should feel inspired and as though your mission is a wonderful expression of who you are. When you read it, do not give in to negative, detracting thoughts, but just remind yourself why you started this process and why you still want the goal

When something comes up that tempts you to just run screaming and give up, remind yourself that it’s ok and part of being human to get frustrated

Be prepared to tinker your way to new solutions that may be unique to you

On the other hand, be willing to learn from others who have covered similar ground, or parts of it—you never have to do anything without the benefit of wisdom from others, even if it’s just in the form of reading books on a topic somewhere in the realm of what you’re working on, or looking up how-to’s on technical instruction online

Practice taking care of yourself when the tough times rear their ugly heads. What really works for you when you’re feeling overwhelmed and disheartened?

Naps?

Baths?

Cooking a beautiful and at least partly healthy meal that you and others around you can enjoy?

Spending time with certain positive, loving, accepting people or pets who help you to feel seen for who you are at your core?

Spending some time on a creative, fun hobby that brings you joy?

Inspiring music or other forms of art that remind you of the better things about humanity, and who you are and wish to be?

Moving your body in ways you enjoy?

Hikes or walks in natural surroundings to get you outside in the air and sun?

Getting a massage or some acupuncture or visiting some other kind of professional healer-type person?

Talking out issues with a friend or therapist?

Finding a support group for whatever you might be experiencing?

Teaming up with someone else who may need help and support as they work on goals as well, or with a coach who can assist you with your process?

Finding ways to laugh more and bring some hilarity into your life (just not at yourself in a derogatory way, though)

Just trying something, anything, new in your leisure time to get out of a rut

Addressing your emotions specifically, with Tapping or something else that helps you express and move past difficult feelings and get back to creativity

Planning treats into your regular routine that don’t contradict your goals so you always have something to look forward to

Etc.!

It’s easy to think up ways in which you’d like to succeed, but often much harder to actually bring these to fruition. I hope you have an enjoyable time in reaching your goals this year, but if you struggle at any point, there’s absolutely nothing unusual about that, and it doesn’t mean you can’t get to the results you want. It just means you need to be crafty as you go up against your challenges and keep getting better at something related to your goals every week. The self-renewal piece absolutely counts, because it’s what will help you to sustain your resilience when everything seems like too much.

And now I’m taking my own advice and going to get ready to see a fantastic improv group in LA that made me and my companions laugh really hard last time we went. I’ve worked really hard this week and I deserve some downtime! What do you need at this moment, or what would be most helpful? That’s your job to figure out as you take action, receive feedback from the world, and regroup to surge forward again. No matter what you’re up against, you can find ways to keep moving toward your worthy goals in ever smarter and more effective ways. Striving toward things that are meaningful to you is part of what makes life worth it, so keep modifying your techniques and even your goals if you must, but don’t give up!

#Resistance #Worry #Goals