Triple Conjunctions of Planets Tonight

Triple Conjunctions of Planets Tonight



What is a Triple Conjunction?
It is when 3 planets line up so they can be seen at the same time.This is a rare thing.But, lucky us, tonight beginning about 30 minutes after sunset, we will be able to see Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury !Wow.And you won't even need binoculars or big telescopes,though, of course, that would help.To read more about this rather rare experience, HERE'S THE LINKAnd to see a short video produced by NASA plus more important information about where to look, when, etc., HERE'S THE LINK....

Speaking on watchdog journalism, Bowdoin College, Oct. 16

Speaking on watchdog journalism, Bowdoin College, Oct. 16





Tomorrow night, October 16, I'll be speaking on the importance of (and challenges facing) watchdog journalism at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. It's free and open to the public.


The talk is entitled "Watchdog Journalism: The Vital Role of a Threatened Discipline" and kicks off at 7:30 pm in the Throne Hall's Daggett Lounge in Thorne Hall. Come by if you can.

My next public talk is on American Nations at the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust annual meeting -- support the Trust, however -- and I'll be talking about Lobster Coast at the University of Maine Farmington in November. Details, as always, from my book tour page.

Only now does it occur to me ... SCREAM 3

Only now does it occur to me ... SCREAM 3

Only now does it occur to me... the seven faces I did not expect to see in SCREAM 3. And, no, I will not be referencing the Jay and Silent Bob cameo appearance, because that would be just silly. As for the film itself, it's fairly enjoyable– at it's best it feels like WES CRAVEN'S NEW NIGHTMARE, and at it's worst, well, it feels like SCREAM 3. Anyway, on to those unexpected faces:#1. Legendary producer/schlockmeister Roger Corman as one of the producers on the fictitious film-within-a-film, STAB 3.
#2. Lance Henriksen as "John Milton," another one of STAB 3's producers.
You wish he had more screen time, but he still gives a touch of weight and a lot of "evil eye" to what is basically a throwaway role. I think he's supposed to be the bizarro, low budget James Cameron or something, because there's a poor man's TERMINATOR-style robot in his office (Lance also appeared in THE TERMINATOR, ALIENS, and PIRANHA II).#3. Patrick Warburton– aka Elaine's on-again-off-again boyfriend "Puddy" from SEINFELD.
He plays a short-lived bodyguard who is, basically... Puddy.#4. Heather Matarazzo, aka Dawn Wiener from WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE.
Definitely one of those actresses whose first high-profile role was so raw and real that she will forever be identified (at least with me) as that character. She has a fun, bit part as a former flame of the Jamie Kennedy character from SCREAM and SCREAM 2.#5. A Whit Stillman lead. (Matt Keeslar, from THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO.)
Longtime readers of this site know that I'm a Whit Stillman fanatic, and there's such a tremendous specificity to the scripts and casts of Stillman films that it's extremely strange to see the actors in different contexts, especially when said context is the third installment of a self-referencing turn-of-the-century madcap slasher series. Anyway.#6. Parker Posey.
One of the patron saints of 90s American indie film, it's always a pleasure to see Parker Posey. Even in the worst of films, she brings a manic, bitchy, metropolitan energy to her roles which surely brings a smile to the lips of even the most hardened and cynical of filmgoers.
Her presence here– as the onscreen alter-ego of Courtney Cox in the fictitious STAB 3– goes a long way to making SCREAM 3 an extremely watchable movie. Without her, it wouldn't have half the charm.#7. Carrie Fisher.
She makes a rare appearance (now with a more pronounced Kathleen Turner/Lauren Bacall-esque smoky vocal intonation) as a woman working in the bowels of the studio archive who happens to look a lot like Princess Leia– only she lost the part to "the one who slept with George Lucas." Well played, and truly unexpected!

Lord Finesse x Slice of Spice Boxset

Lord Finesse x Slice of Spice Boxset


Wait... Stop the presses!! The postman just delivered a package filled with several "Slices of Spices" 12 inch vinyl gems from the Lord Finesse catalog. Mr. Smith if your reading this, I salute you once again for releasing this beautiful and limited boxset of Underboss remixes. As you seem to do so frequently, you've one up'd yourself once again and I thank you for servicing me with the goods. If your not in the know about the label known as Slice of Spice then you should get familiar with them (http://slice-of-spice.com) and all of their rare and unique vinyl releases. They've released some heavy joints over the last year or so, most which sell out almost immediately and definitely pieces that you'll want in your crates for years to come. I think it just might be time for me to make my Slice of Spice x Lord Finesse mixtape!

High Risk Issued for November 17

High Risk Issued for November 17




The Storm Prediction Center has issued a High Risk outlook for today, as the threat for severe weather has been deemed to be very high.

The High Risk has been issued for eastern Illinois and much of Indiana, likely pointing to the Storm Prediction Center's concern over potentially tornadic cells that may develop as they coagulate with one another to form a powerful squall line. Categorical outlooks issued below tell the story; tornadoes and wind are the top two concerns for today.


Hail Outlook

Tornado Outlook

Damaging Wind OutlookHigh resolution models have been continually projecting discrete cells in Illinois developing into an extreme squall line over Indiana and Ohio. The cells that develop in northern and central Illinois will have great potential to be tornadic, especially if they become supercells right off the bat. This environment is very dynamic with a 120kt+ jet stream and 60kt+ lower level winds combining with strong winds from the south to produce incredible shear and a very potent place for thunderstorms.

Initiation of these storms is expected around the noon hour Central Time in Illinois, and further intensification will occur explosively until the 3:00 PM hour, before coagulation occurs and the storms race eastward towards the Ohio Valley at over 50 knots, per recent sounding analysis.

This is a dangerous situation. If you are in the Moderate Risk (red) or High Risk (pink) areas on the top image, you are advised to prepare for potentially extreme weather, which may include tornadoes (some strong), potentially extreme damaging winds, and hail. The scope of this now-likely outbreak is displayed on excerpts of the Storm Prediction Center write-up below.
...TORNADO OUTBREAK WITH MULTIPLE SIGNIFICANT TORNADOES AND WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS EXPECTED ACROSS THE OH VALLEY AND SRN GREAT LAKES REGION TODAY......THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SQUALL-LINE APPEARS LIKELY DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON ACROSS THE OH VALLEY WITH THE LINE DEVELOPING SWD INTO THE TN VALLEY DURING THE EARLY EVENING.0-3 KM STORM RELATIVE HELICITIES OF 400 TO 450 M2/S2 WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR STRONG TORNADOES WITH SEVERAL LONG-TRACK DAMAGING TORNADOES EXPECTED TO OCCUR FROM ERN IL ENEWD ACROSS MUCH OF WRN AND CNTRL IND FROM LATE MORNING INTO EARLY AFTERNOON. AS CELL COVERAGE INCREASES AHEAD OF THE FAST MOVING FRONT...A SQUALL-LINE SHOULD ORGANIZE LATE THIS AFTERNOON. WIDESPREAD WIND DAMAGE WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE LINE ALONG WITH TORNADOES WITH ROTATING CELLS EMBEDDED IN THE LINE. THE SEVERE THREAT SHOULD RAMP UP SOUTH OF THE OH RIVER DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AS CELLS INITIATE SWD ALONG THE FRONT. THE POTENTIAL FOR WIND DAMAGE AND TORNADOES SHOULD DEVELOP AS A FAR SOUTH AS THE TN VALLEY DURING THE EVENING AS AN EXTENSIVE LINE OF SEVERE STORMS MOVES EWD INTO THE UPPER OH VALLEY AND CNTRL APPALACHIAN MTNS.SEVERAL FACTORS APPEAR TO BE COMING TOGETHER FOR A TORNADO OUTBREAK ACROSS THE OH VALLEY. THE FIRST FACTOR IS THAT THE SYSTEM IS NEGATIVELY-TITLED AND VERY WELL-ORGANIZED. THE SECOND IS THAT THE LOW AND MID-LEVEL JETS WILL BECOME FAVORABLY COUPLED IN THE OH VALLEY TODAY COINCIDING WITH AN OUTBREAK OF STORMS ACROSS THE WARM SECTOR. THE THIRD IS THAT SUPERCELLS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN DISCRETE INTO THE MID-AFTERNOON. THESE FACTORS COMBINED WITH EXTREMELY FAVORABLE LOW-LEVEL SHEAR PROFILES JUSTIFIES THE ISSUANCE OF A HIGH RISK ACROSS ERN IL...IND AND SW LOWER MI.

Andrew

Do Go Changing

Do Go Changing


You know thatsong that has the lyrics about not changing to try and please him? The ones where he loves you just the way you are? Its here in case you don't.
Billy Joel - Just the Way You Are

I was thinking about this song today, because I secretly like Billy Joel AND because its not true. The song should reallysay something along the lines of "I'd prefer it if you'd go ahead and change, but that's probably not going to happen so I'll love you anyway." I'm not sure it has the same ring to it, but it sure rings moretrue to me.

In reality, there are plentyofpeople we "love" but would love even more if they would just be exactly the kind of person we want them to be. Is that really too much to ask?I don't mean little stuff, either. I have broken my husbandof quite a few annoying little traits that I won't mention here. But, I'm talking about the kind of people who you don't know well enough or they won't love you unconditionally enoughto changeFOR you.

I was talking to my mom about someone today, and we bothagreed that we wish they would see the unfair things they do thatare so clear to us.That rang a bell about some other people that I spend a good deal of time wishing would change but don't seem able or willing to. So, it takes us to a crossroads. These people are not going to change for us.We have to be the changers, and change the way we react to the things they do. If not, it will stay stuck in our craw (to use a good ol' southern phrase) and they will stay going right on along doing what they're doing. They don't suffer... we do, because we stew. But, stewing is a lot easier than a craw removal.

I can talk the talk, but I struggle to accept things I cannot change. I'd be a terrible AA member. I want to be able to talk through the issue and let them see the light. However, that has blown up in my face quite a bit. Usually its because the thing I am seeing just isn't seen. Apparently, my light is not universal. Who knew? Other times it could be because they see it, but they don't care enough to change. Another shocker! People might actually not want to mold themselves into my perfect image of them. Wacky. So, I am trying to change myself. To let things go. Put them down. Recognize that I cannot change people and make them who I want them to be. What I can change is how much room they take in my head, in my heart and how much time they take up in my day. I can change that, I think. But if not, I may need a recommendation of a good craw surgeon in the future.

before and after

Before and After


Well, my living room project is done! And I couldn't be more happy! Last Friday I picked out some pretty textured 'wood rose' wallpaper and started hanging it right away, and finished the room on Sunday. All by myself I hung this paper. Sounds bold, but I have never put wallpaper up alone!! So here is a picture of the before in case you missed it:
Terrible I know! :) And here is the after:
And a couple more angles:


The picture with the fan in the window looks odd, but this window looks into our breezeway which was once a porch. Someone just left the window intact when they enclosed the porch. And the fan is used to blow heat into the house from our wood burner out there. Works like a charm!
Here is one more up close pic of the texture on this paper. It really covers up the 5 layers of uneven paper underneath! So all I need now is some new furniture!!! Keep dreaming Pam!! lolThanks for stopping in to have a look, and a Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

15 Things I Wish I'd Known About Grief

15 Things I Wish I'd Known About Grief


A friend on one of my widow boards posted a wonderful article called 15 Things I Wish I'd Known About Grief by Teryn O'Brien. Here is what she writes:

After a year of grief, Ive learned a lot. Ive also made some
mistakes along the way. Today, I jotted down 15 things I wish Id known
about grief when I started my own process.I pass this onto anyone on the journey.

1. You will feel like the world has ended. I promise, it hasnt. Life will go on, slowly. A new normal will come, slowly.2. No matter how bad a day feels, it is only a day. When you go to sleep crying, you will wake up to a new day.3. Grief comes in waves. You might be okay one hour, not
okay the next. Okay one day, not okay the next day. Okay one month, not
okay the next. Learn to go with the flow of what your heart and mind are
feeling.4. Its okay to cry. Do it often. But its okay to laugh, too. Dont
feel guilty for feeling positive emotions even when dealing with loss.5. Take care of yourself, even if you dont feel like it. Eat healthily. Work out. Do the things you love. Remember that you are still living.6. Dont shut people out. Dont cut yourself off from relationships. You will hurt yourself and others.7. No one will respond perfectly to your grief. People–even
people you love–will let you down. Friends you thought would be there
wont be there, and people you hardly know will reach out. Be prepared
to give others grace. Be prepared to work through hurt and forgiveness
at others reactions.8. God will be there for you perfectly. He will never, ever
let you down. He will let you scream, cry, and question. Throw all your
emotions at Him. He is near to the brokenhearted.9. Take time to truly remember the person you lost. Write
about him or her, go back to all your memories with them, truly soak in
all the good times you had with that person. It will help. 10. Facing the grief is better than running. Dont hide from the pain. If you do, it will fester and grow and consume you.11. You will ask “Why?” more times than you thought
possible, but you may never get an answer. What helps is asking, “How?
How can I live life more fully to honor my loved one? How can I love
better, how can I embrace others, how can I change and grow because of
this?” 12. You will try to escape grief by getting busy, busy, busy. You will think that if you dont think about it, itll just go away. This isnt really true. Take time to process and heal.13. Liquor, sex, drugs, hobbies, work, relationships, etc.,
will not take the pain away. If you are using anything to try and numb
the pain, it will make things worse in the long run. Seek help if youre
dealing with the sorrow in unhealthy ways.14. Its okay to ask for help. Its okay to need people. Its okay, its okay, its okay.15. Grief can be beautiful and deep and profound. Dont be
afraid of it. Walk alongside it. You may be surprised at what grief can
teach you.
The link to the original is here: http://identityrenewed.com/2013/11/21/15-things-i-wish-id-known-about-grief/