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Rob's Interview in Explore Magazine (Taca Airlines)

sharpysunshine — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 04:51:09 -0800

His mother used to be a model; from her, Robert Thomas Pattinson inherited his good looks and a passion for acting. Pattinson was born in May 1986 in London, and his father is a car salesman. But it was his mother who encouraged him to become an actor and helped him land his first big role at age 15-when he became the good-looking Cedric Diggory in one of the famous Harry Potter films. That’s where the director of Twilight saw him a couple of years later. Not convinced that Pattinson could bring vampire Edward Cullen to life, she made him travel from London to Los Angeles for a screen test. The test was a love scene with the one who would become his co-star in the saga and also the young lady who stole his heart: Kristen Stewart. Fans of Pattinson, who love him unconditionally without knowing him, would melt at the opportunity of speaking to him and seeing him just the way he is behind the scenes. He’s a bit shy, smart and very affable with occasional acquaintances-à la Johnny Depp, one of the actors he admires. His blue eyes are always smiling, especially without the discomfort of the contact lenses that he must wear while playing Edward in Twilight, New Moon and the upcoming movie, Eclipse. Edward is the character that, in spite of himself, has made Pattinson extremely famous around the world. “It’s too much attention. I still don’t understand why something like this happens, and I think I’ll never understand it. It must be that pale skin is very sexy (he jokes). It’s very hard to see as normal the fact that girls see you, start screaming and ask you to please bite their necks. When I was going to school, just the opposite happened to me. You lose a lot of privacy, but I’m not complaining. Don’t let it be misunderstood; I’m just trying to survive the new fact of having turned into a phenomenon almost as big as the vampire I play,” he says while seating on the edge of his chair, leaning his elbows on his legs and holding his face in his hands-one of his favorite poses. Like Stewart, he keeps messing up his hair, which very much despite himself has also become his trademark. “Before, I used to wash it once a week. I didn’t pay attention to it at all, and now everyone makes sure I don’t cut it,” he says, smiling. “My hair has its own life, how silly.” He hasn’t been able to go back to London and live there for an entire year because he’s been working non-stop, and hotels have become his permanent abode. His friends say that he’s looking for a home in L.A. to live with Stewart. Theirs is a relationship with only photos as a witness and not the actors themselves; that’s because, among other things, their publicists forbid journalists from asking them about it. Pattinson just finished filming the third part of the vampire saga, Eclipse, which will once again focus the frenzy upon him when it premieres in June. He also filmed the romantic drama Remember Me, which is also about to premiere and in which he plays a rebellious youth in a story similar to that of Romeo and Juliet. It’s about a forbidden love between two youngsters whose parents hate each other. According to the critics, the film helps to show that before the heartthrob that he doesn’t want to be, Pattinson is a great actor. They must send you hundreds of screenplays. What makes you choose a movie like Remember Me over others? The screenplay is amazing, and that’s the first thing I look at-and also my character. At first, I thought it would be just one more story. When I read it, I realized that it was a drama that would allow me to express myself as an actor. I hadn’t read Twilight and, nevertheless, Edward also obsessed me-especially the idea of getting into the skin of an immortal being and sharing his doubts. I wouldn’t want to be immortal at any price, but as an actor this saga lets me be like that from time to time. You also played Salvador Dalí in Little Ashes. What did you learn from that experience? I began to paint pretending I was him, and thanks to that movie I discovered how much I like painting. And I thought Dalí was a genius; the more I read about him, the more his mind fascinated me. There, I play a young Dalí, who just returned to Spain from London and who likes to play jokes on his friend Federico García Lorca, playing with his emotions, telling him he’s gay. It was three marvelous months in Barcelona, and another British actor and myself were the only ones who knew how to speak Spanish, how embarrassing. But I fell in love with the city. Did you use to travel a lot before having to travel for purely promotional reasons? I loved traveling, and that’s what I miss most about my life before Twilight. Now I like to go on promotional visits to places like Tokyo, where I can walk around more peacefully and lead a pseudo-normal life. When I was younger, I took a long trip to Berlin. I always liked exploring cities, going to their clubs. I’m a musician; I had a band and like that atmosphere. Now I make up for it by composing when I’m at the hotels, during filming. I want to produce a record but when all of this passes, later on. People on the street call me Edward; if I launch an album, they’re going to buy it thinking that Edward is the one who’s singing. How strange! In New Moon, you only appeared in one of Bella’s dreams. What will Eclipse be like? I can’t say much in advance, but only that it’s not as intimate as the other two, because many of the characters are at war. Taylor [Lautner] and I have many scenes in which we seem jealous of each other, and that was pretty easy because it’s incredible how much he transformed his body. It’s amazing. All of a sudden, Taylor turned into a Jacob that is the prototype of a teenager’s dream. All the same, our characters unite in the movie to save Bella. Are you somehow similar to your vampire, Edward Cullen? Can you understand the passionate love he feels? It’s very hard to compare yourself with a vampire. What I like most about him is that he’s very operatic, very white or black, always going to extremes. He loves but can’t enjoy it because he’s afraid of his love killing her. I think the movie is a perfect metaphor of sexual abstinence (laughs). Edward is conflictive, and I also am. He’s a bit dark, and I have my depressive moments. And as far as his approach to love, I think we’re alike. I like lasting emotions; I want to be with someone for 10 years and not just for 10 minutes. Like Edward, I’m very intense. You and Kristen became really famous at the same time. Did you help each other understand the phenomenon? It’s great to share intense experiences with someone who’s also trying to understand what’s happening around her. It’s not easy to become a poster stuck on a teenager’s wall; there’s no school to prepare you for that. Kristen is a great actress; I learned a lot from her. But basically I think that we’re alike in that both of us want to be actors, just that-we never tried to be posters.

Toxic Best Friend?

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:01:25 -0800

I've been very close to my best friend since our freshman year of college, in fact we were roommates all four years. We traveled together, had the same group of friends, and spent a lot of time together. After we returned from our post-graduation trip, she even lived with my parents and I while we looked for jobs (at no expense, obviously). We're both 23 now and still living in the same big city we went to school in, although not together. We still hang out every week and talk online at work all day, however things have definitely changed. While she had a boyfriend for a large part of college, I had been single my whole life. Until last year, when I started dating and fell in love with her and her boyfriend's roommate (she moved from my parents house to his apartment for a few months and we were going to move in together once I found a job and saved some money too). Very soon after I began dating him last February (a matter of a few weeks), she began acting incredibly rude toward him and our relationship in general, told me he grated on her soul, we were annoying her, and that she wanted to scrap the plan of her and I moving in together (something she had made my "project" and insisted I had not worked on, despite her obvious lack of involvement even though I looked for places). The four of us had many times hung out as friends before he and I became involved, she even helped set us up and encouraged the relationship before it actually started.Obviously this left a very sour taste in my mouth, especially after I had been a virtual third wheel to her relationship on too many occasions (even so far as her inviting her boyfriend on our post-grad trip to Europe without ever really asking me). While we had some tense words here and there things had been seemingly normal for a few months and I felt a huge sense of relief. I was (and am) completely in love with my boyfriend, but I felt like a little bit of my joy had always been spoiled because of her reaction and refusal to give my boyfriend the same friendly and open treatment I'd shown hers but I was beginning to move past the whole thing. My best friend and her boyfriend had since moved out of the apartment (and broken up) and me and mine were now living there. I should say that while we were all under the same roof when I would stay with him that I gave them a lot of space and we kept to ourselves a lot of the time so as not to impose. Anyway, this October her and I got together alone for a drink after work and in the course of the conversation it came out I had asked my boyfriend to come to a local bar to watch a football game we were watching that weekend with friends. Well, she blew up at me going on about how she didn't want my "douche" of a boyfriend to spoil her Sunday football viewing and protested that I should have asked permission first. What the hell? I thought we were past things (and by her own admission she had previously stated she'd let everything go and that HE was the one continuing this feud). I'll say it here, he's never so much as said a word out of line to her in the entire time I've known him and continues to feel horrible that she has been completely hostile toward our relationship because he sees how upset I get and how let down I've been. To be honest, if it were the reverse, I can't say I'd have been as civil and understanding as he's been toward her to this day.Needless to say I was done, so when she kept badgering me I simply walked away and ignored her half-assed text message explanation. I sent her a lengthy email a few days later expressing my frustration, disappointment, and overall perplexity at the way she treats me, my relationship, and people in general. My boyfriend and I have now been together over a year and are incredibly happy together, however I am still sadden by my best friend and her behavior. Although I have pressed for it, she has never really had much to say for why she acted that way, though she has admitted she was out of line and has apologized once. She does her best to be friendly with him now, but has her moments still. He is on good terms with my entire family (a very large one at that), and all of our other friends (trust me, I've asked, repeatedly) so I'm at a loss. Simply put, I think she misses having me be at disposal all the time, but this is also due to us having full time jobs now not just my relationship. What should I do? I've tried to talk to her but she can be very condescending, rude, and has trouble admitting her own faults, to anyone, not just me. I'm starting to wonder if this friendship is worth the stress I keep getting from it and whether this isn't a perfect definition of a toxic friendship past it's expiration date. What course should I take next?

EXCLUSIVE: Chris Weitz Returns to The Twilight Saga: New Moon for the Blu-ray and DVD Release

sharpysunshine — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:04:21 -0800

There's never been a phenomenon aimed at young women quite like Twilight, and its seeped into every aspect of the current pop consciousness. The first film based on Stephanie Meyer's romantic supernatural novel series was a success, and it created a new era of vampire fetishism the world of entertainment had never quite seen before. When the second film in the franchise The Twilight Saga: New Moon opened, it was deemed a box office blockbuster and one of the biggest surprise hits of the year, grossing $706 million worldwide to become the fourth largest domestic hit of 2009. Now, the film is poised to make a killing on DVD and Blu-ray when it is released at midnight to its throng of impatient fans on March 20th. Taking over the directorial reigns from Twilight's Catherine Hardwicke was Chris Weitz, who continued to push this franchise towards cinematic greatness. Best known for his work as a producer on the American Pie franchise and for helming The Golden Compass, the director managed to create a truly epic chapter in the The Twilight Saga, though his tenure as a director on this series has been limited to just one film. To celebrate the upcoming DVD and Blu-ray release, we caught up with the director to find out more about the experience. Here's what Mr. Weitz had to say about The Twilight Saga: New Moon: I'm sure you've seen the Jimmy Fallon skits. Which begs the most important question of the day: How bothered is Robert Pattinson? Chris Weitz: How bothered is he? Here's the thing. I am a pop culture moron. You'll have to tell me what happened. Pattinson climbed into the tree with Fallon for Late Night's Bothered skit. Chris Weitz: I haven't seen that. How bothered is Robert? He doesn't seem terribly bothered at all. No. I think he will be able to handle it. What has the transition been like from New Moon to Eclipse? Is David Slade bringing his own style to the project? Or did you guys discuss how to get the look and feel of what both you and Catherine Hardwicke have created into what he wanted to do? Was there a lot of back and forth between you three directors for continuity? Chris Weitz: I think the continuity is supplied by the actor and the series of books. I can guarantee that David is bringing a new look and feel to it. Just as New Moon looked different from Twilight, I'm sure Eclipse will look different from New Moon. That is good. I don't want to make anybody follow any type of particular aesthetic. The reason he was brought on was to make every movie different. I think Eclipse is much more action-intensive. For instance, I am pretty terrible at shooting action. He is much better in that regard. Were you disappointed that you wouldn't be continuing on in this world? Or was once enough? Chris Weitz: That was always planned. David needed to go into prep while I was cutting my movie. Because these films are staggered in terms of their release. There was no disappointment. I miss the cast. I do. I liked them very much. By the time I was done with New Moon, I was completely exhausted. I don't think I could have done it anyway. If that was ever the plan. I paid attention to the promotional tour for this film, and it looked exhausting. What did that entail for you exactly? Chris Weitz: It was very strange. It involved a lot of traveling. For a couple of weeks every day, you would show up in a new country, go do a press conference, and then be displayed to what could only be considered a stadium full of Twilight fans. Who were screaming so loud, your ears would short out like a speaker that has its volume turned too loud. It was unlike anything I have ever encountered in my whole life. There is something really wonderful about that. There's also something wonderful about knowing that isn't going to happen every time I step out in public. As for the kids, it's a bit different. They have to deal with the ramifications of this franchise for the foreseeable future. Did you almost feel like an interchangeable cog? Or do you feel like you were able to bring something out of the franchise that another director may not have found in the material? Chris Weitz: Let me see. I don't know if that is for me to say. You would have to ask the actors. What I really care about is working with the actors. Giving them free reign to do what comes naturally to them. I would say that our relationship is very, very close. That is what makes it work. That's what the fans care about. Okay? I've done lots of CGI before. That stuff is very familiar to me. And I was able to work with the people who'd get it right. But what mattered most was working closely with the actors. This may have been one of the most popular yet most critically derided films of the past year. What do you think the fans see in it that the critics just don't get? Chris Weitz: The critics are probably people that haven't read the books. Thus, they're not attached to the books in a way that the fans are attached to the books. I'm not incredibly surprised that it took a bit of a critical drubbing. There is an adherent disconnect between the fan base of the books and the critical base of people who review movies for a living. No surprises there, really. There aren't many Twihards amongst the reviews working for newspapers and websites. Also, it's a very female driven franchise. We still live in a state where pop culture is dominated by male desires. I've heard this many times over from friends who have seen the film: New Moon is a more male friendly film. Did you consciously try to make the film more appealing to those young males in the audience? Or do you think guys are just buying into that so they don't feel ashamed about watching the movie? Chris Weitz: (Laughs) It might be a more male friendly film. There are more things in there that fanboys tend to get into. Like special effects and fights. Those types of things. If I were male, I would care a lot about Kristen Stewart. Also, this is a great place to meet girls. But guys don't always think that way. They prefer for things to explode. Guns to be fired. We never really set out to make it male friendly. I don't know. Perhaps once something becomes big enough in the popular culture, everyone feels they have to check it out. The most interesting characters to me are Eric Yorkie and Tyler Crowley, because, as someone standing outside the franchise, you never hear about them. How important do you feel Eric was to this second chapter? And how did you want to utilize him on the screen? Chris Weitz: Its great to give a young actor a chance at any time. One thing that my brother and I always try to concentrate on is that everyone on screen thinks they are the stars of their own movie. Subsidiary actors, or character actors, are very important to us. In a lot of films, characters only exist as foils for the main actors. To me, it's always a pleasure to not only choose experienced actors or very popular actors. But to also give people their shot at it. Let's switch gears for a minute. There's all this talk swirling around about American Reunion. Can you tell us anything about this upcoming fourth installment of the American Pie series? And Who you will be bringing back? Chris Weitz: I know that Universal wants to do it. We want to be involved in it. Because of the affection we hold for the story and the characters. We want to get as many former cast members back as possible. Its funny, but look at someone like John Cho. He had a very small part in all three films. Now he is a big deal. He's in Star Trek and FlashForward. I'm not sure if we'd be able to get him. Since we first cast him in the original film, I thought he was great. And it would be great if we could get him back, too. It's been ten years, and a lot has happened in terms of comedy since that first "Pie" gag. Do you guys have a plan for that one great set piece that always ties the films together? Chris Weitz: 3D! (Laughs) 3D sperm jokes. In some ways, like any reunion, it would be about the nostalgia element. For the time that it came out. For how people felt when they first saw it. And now to experience it again with all the pathos and humor that implies. You say 3D sperm jokes. You need to have that scene be one where the audience is told to put the glasses on at a certain point in the film, just like the characters. And then do the 3D sperm joke. Chris Weitz: (Laughs). I know what you are talking about. You hear a tone, and then you put your glasses on. That is a very 1950s kind of concept. We were just talking about that today. Who knows? I am sure that everything will have to be in 3D now that Avatar is successful. Everyone will have to bring their glasses. The Twilight Saga: New Moon DVD and Blu-ray will be in stores on March 20th at midnight! Be sure to reserve your copy today.

Salt & Pepper Shrimp Salad from Ann Mah author of Kitchen Chinese (novel)

Dark Haired Girl — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:16:50 -0800

Recipes from the kitchen of Ann Mah
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SALT AND PEPPER SHRIMP SALAD

1 lb. shrimp (about 12), peeled, cleaned and patted dry
1 tablespoon minced garlic
¼ cup minced green onions
2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted
2 to 3 tablespoons dry cocktail sherry (pale)
2 tablespoons salt-sugar-pepper mixture
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Olive oil for stir frying

4 cups arugula or mixed salad greens, washed and spun dry
½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Salt-sugar-pepper mixture:
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons salt
6 tablespoons ground black pepper

-Toss arugula or salad greens with the vinegar and oils and distribute evenly to four salad plates.
-Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a wok or sauté pan until smoking.
-Toss the shrimp with the salt-sugar-pepper mixture (about 2 tablespoons) and add at once to the hot pan.
-As the prawns cook, sprinkle them with 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Add more oil if needed. Turn the shrimp and repeat with another 1 tablespoon of cornstarch; the cooking process only takes a few minutes.
-When the shrimp have just turned pink, add the minced garlic and toss. Add the green onions and toss. Add just enough sherry to create a sauce that barely coats the prawns.
-Remove from heat.
-Add the pine nuts.
-Distribute 3 prawns per salad plate. Serve immediately.

And for the next course, read:

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KITCHEN CHINESE:
A Novel About Food, Family, and Finding Yourself
By Ann Mah

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In Beijing, Peking duck has been prepared the same way since the imperial era. The delicacy is so embedded within the culture that a specific kind of duck is bred exclusively for use in the dish. After being scalded, dried, and roasted for hours in a wood-burning oven, the bird is ceremoniously sliced by the cook directly in front of the diners.

Culinary traditions like this one are central to every culture around the world. For this reason, food has the power to forge connections between strangers when language fails. In Ann Mah’s debut novel, KITCHEN CHINESE (February 9, 2010; Avon), Isabelle Lee learns this crucial lesson when she trades the New York magazine world for the Beijing magazine world.

Despite being Chinese-American, the move to Beijing proves difficult for Isabelle considering that she only knows the kind of Chinese that is spoken in the kitchen. Luckily, this includes the language of food and Isabelle secures the position of restaurant critic at Beijing NOW, an expat magazine. Though lonely the first few weeks in her new home, she finds that conversation and laughter over shared plates of spicy Szechuan specialties, pork and chive dumplings, and bottomless Mongolian hot pots soon transform locals and other expats into friends.

Along with culture shock, Isabelle faces the challenge of reacquainting herself with her older sister, Claire, who lives the glamorous expat lifestyle as a high-powered attorney. While their personalities couldn’t be more different, Isabelle soon suspects that she is not the only one who ran away to China.

After many moments of cultural confusion, Isabelle can't help but wonder if moving to Beijing was a mistake. Or is this frenetic, vibrant city of the future the perfect place to figure out who she really is?

About the author: Ann Mah worked in book publishing before moving to Beijing for four years, where she was the dining editor for That’s Beijing, a monthly English-language magazine. She writes regularly for the South China Morning Post, Conde Nast Traveler, the International Herald Tribune, and on her blog, www.annmah.net. In 2005 she was awarded a James Beard Culinary Scholarship to study in Bologna, Italy. Born in Orange County, California, she now lives in Paris.

www.annmah.net

Oregon Man Gives Employees the Company

stephley — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:17:05 -0800

MILWAUKIE, Ore. â€” Scores of employees gathered to help Bob Moore celebrate his 81st birthday this week at the company that bears his name, Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods.

Moore, whose mutual love of healthful eating and old-world technologies spawned an internationally distributed line of products, responded with a gift of his own â€” the whole company. The Employee Stock Ownership Plan that Moore unveiled means that his 209 employees now own the place and its 400 offerings of stone-ground flours, cereals and bread mixes.

"This is Bob taking care of us," said Lori Sobelson, who helps run the business' retail operation. "He expects a lot out of us, but really gives us the world in return."

Moore declined to say how much he thinks the company is worth. In 2004, however, one business publication estimated that year's revenue at more than $24 million. A company news release issued this week stated that Bob's Red Mill has chalked up an annual growth rate of between 20 percent and 30 percent every year since.

"In some ways I had a choice," Moore said of what he could have done with the company he founded with his wife, Charlee, in 1978. "But in my heart, I didn't. These people are far too good at their jobs for me to just sell it."

It's not that the offers aren't there. Hardly a day goes by that Nancy Garner, Moore's executive assistant, doesn't field a call or letter from someone wanting to buy the privately held company or take it public.

"I had four messages waiting when I returned from a recent vacation," she said. "Three of them were buyout offers." Garner said she and other employees are floored by Moore's plan, under which any worker with at least three years tenure is now fully vested.

"We're still learning all of the details," Garner said, "but it's very humbling to be part of a company that cares this much about its employees."

An employee stock-ownership plan, or ESOP, is a retirement plan in which the company contributes its stock to the plan to be held in trust for the benefit of its employees. The stock is never bought or held directly.

Vested employees are sent annual reports detailing their respective stakes in the company. When those employees quit or retire, they receive in cash whatever amount they â€” and the company, through increased revenues, new sales and controlled costs â€” are due.

"Eventual payouts could be substantial," said John Wagner, the company's chief financial officer and, along with Moore, one of four partners.

Moore said he began thinking about succession about nine years ago. He'd heard about employee-stock-option programs and got much more serious about the idea three years ago.

That Moore has now pulled off what few other company owners would even dream about comes as no surprise to longtime acquaintances, such as Glenn Dahl, owner of NatureBake bakery in Milwaukie.

"Bob's a force of nature," said Dahl, whose family's Gresham-area bakery was Moore's first wholesale customer in the 1970s. "He's always been that way. He gets an idea and just makes sure it happens, one way or the other."

Moore's own background is in electrical and mechanical engineering, but he fell in love with the mechanics of stone grinding in the 1960s after reading about old stone-grinding flour mills.

At about the same time, Charlee began sharing with him her delvings into the nutritional benefits of eating whole-grain foods. The couple put their passions to work by starting, with their three sons, their first milling operation in Redding, Calif.

In 1978, the couple moved to Portland to retire. Moore's idea at the time, reflecting his long-held sense of spirituality, was to learn the Bible in its original languages. A chance walk past a closed mill site near Oregon City changed everything.

"I call it my emotional epiphany," Moore said. "Whatever excuse I care to give, I was just sucked into it like a vortex."

A 1988 arson destroyed the mill, when Moore was 60. Undeterred, he rebuilt the operation, moved once because of space needs and now occupies a 15-acre production facility and a two-acre headquarters and retail outlet along Oregon 224 in Milwaukie.

Three production shifts, running six days a week, turn out a line of goods distributed throughout North America, Asia and the Middle East.

The company earned an extra splash of international recognition when a team traveled to Scotland and, apparently feeling its oats, won the world's porridge-making championship.

Employees are just now grasping the meaning of Moore's birthday gift.

"It just shows how much faith and trust Bob has in us," said Bo Thomas, the company's maintenance superintendent, who has put his four children through college during his two decades there. "For all of us, it's more than just a job. Obviously, it's the same way for Bob, too."

For Moore, meanwhile, nothing about the new arrangement will change a thing. He plans to do for the foreseeable future what he has done every day for decades.

"I may have given them the company," he said, chuckling, "but the boss part is still mine."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011111010_birt...

Rachael Ray Slims Down

FitSugar — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:00:19 -0800

With all the burgers, beers, and EVOO Rachael Ray downs, I've always wondered how she stays so fit - I'm sure constantly being on the go helps. Just this week, Rachael was in Miami hosting her Burger Bash as part of the Food Network's annual South Beach Wine and Food Festival (SBWFF). And while I wasn't as lucky as Yum to sample the fare, I did get to read all about Rachael's exercise secrets in People. That's a worthy replacement, right?

While at the SBWFF, Rachael shared she went into serious exercise mode after having a cyst removed from her throat last year. Post surgery, she started running 3.5 miles every day: "The gym used to be my adversary. But that has all changed. Now, I look forward to it every morning." And when she talks morning, she's not kidding! To allow for gym time before heading to the TV studio to film her talk show, Rachael is usually up before 6 a.m. and raring to go. She runs for 30 minutes before heading to the gym for an hour-long workout on the elliptical. I'd say the gal loves her cardio!

How much weight has she dropped? Learn the details when you read more.

She can't tell you for sure how much weight she's lost - Rachael doesn't count calories or weigh herself - but there's definite progress. She says that her body has changed, her mind is clearer, and she's dropped several dress sizes. She doesn't slack off either. Even while letting the good times roll at the SBWFF, Rachael made a point to work out at a local Miami gym.

Hitting the local gym is a great tip to have when traveling yourself - I also pack workout DVDs and a resistance band before hopping on a plane.

Five myths about the U.S. Postal Service

liliblu — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:51:56 -0800

What are your thoughts on the United States Postal Service?
By John E. Potter
Sunday, February 28, 2010
For 235 years, the U.S. Postal Service has delivered your mail in snow, rain and dark of night. However, tough market conditions are creating new challenges for our business. Misconceptions about the future of our enterprise abound; dispelling these myths will show that we can continue to deliver the mail.

1. The Postal Service wastes taxpayer dollars.
The Postal Service, reorganized in 1971 as an independent agency of the executive branch, operates as a commercial entity. We rely on the sale of postage, mail products and services for revenue.
A small annual appropriation from Congress reimburses the USPS for free mail for the blind and absentee-ballot mailing for overseas military personnel. Otherwise, we have not received taxpayer funds to support postal operations since 1982; in fact, though we're often described as "quasi-governmental," we're required by law to cover our costs.
2. The Postal Service is inefficient.
Ten years ago, it took 70 employees one hour to sort 35,000 letters. Today, in that same hour, two employees process that same volume of mail. Though the number of addresses in the nation has grown by nearly 18 million in the past decade, the number of employees who handle the increased delivery load has decreased by more than 200,000.
According to the U.N.-affiliated Universal Postal Union, we deliver nearly half of the world's mail. The World Economic Forum, host of the annual summit of global power players in Davos, Switzerland, consistently ranks the U.S. Postal Service among the top 4 percent of more than 120 nations' and territories' postal services.
But keeping operating costs down is the greatest testament to efficiency. Since 2002, the Postal Service has cut its costs by $43 billion, including by $6 billion in 2009. These savings have come through workforce and overtime reduction, the renegotiation of more than 500 supplier contracts, the consolidation of facilities, the closing of administrative offices, and cuts in travel expenses and supply budgets.
Despite such efforts, the Postal Service was added to the Government Accountability Office's "high-risk list" last July to help put it on a more sustainable financial path. The GAO assessment, with which we agree, accurately reflects the Postal Service's fiscal condition, but the announcement also noted that many of the actions we've taken to reduce costs should continue.
We've also asked Congress to eliminate the statutory requirement that we deliver mail six days a week. A switch to five-day delivery would help us save more than $3 billion a year while still devoting appropriate resources to delivering the mail.
3. Mail is not reliable.
Independent quarterly surveys conducted by IBM confirm that the Postal Service has achieved record reliability levels. In the last quarter of 2009, on-time overnight delivery of single-piece first-class mail was at 96 percent for the fifth straight quarter, an agency best.
We're not only punctual, we're trusted and secure. According to the Federal Trade Commission, as little as 2 percent of identity crimes occur through the mail. Theft of a wallet or purse is responsible for 5 percent -- meaning your documents are safer in the mail then they are in your pocket.
4. The USPS is not environmentally friendly.
There's no way around it: Delivering mail uses fossil fuels, and mail often produces paper waste. Still, the Postal Service is greener than you think. As long as consumers and businesses use physical mail, we're committed to finding ways to process it responsibly.
Our fleet of 44,000 alternative-fuel-capable vehicles is one of the largest in the world and includes electric, three-wheeled electric, hybrid electric, ethanol, fuel-cell, biodiesel and propane technology. More than a half-billion packages and envelopes that we provide free annually are recyclable and made of environmentally friendly materials. The quality of the raw materials in our packaging, including tape and labels, makes the USPS the only shipping company to meet the stringent eco-design and manufacturing standards set by McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry in its Cradle to Cradle program.
Last year, we recycled more than 200,000 tons of paper, plastics and other waste -- the equivalent of saving 1.67 million barrels of oil, according to an online Environmental Protection Agency calculator. There are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified post offices, a 2.5-acre green roof on a major facility in downtown Manhattan, solar photovoltaic building systems and other sustainable building designs in use across the country.
Still, saving the environment doesn't begin and end with the Postal Service. That's why we encourage our customers to "read, respond and recycle." In 8,000 post offices nationwide, signs remind P.O. box customers to open their mail, take whatever action is necessary and place the waste in our recycling bins. The EPA reports that standard mail represents less than 2.1 percent of the material in our nation's landfills. (By comparison, disposable diapers represent 2.2 percent, glass beer and soft-drink bottles 3 percent, and yard trimmings 6.9 percent.)
5. The USPS can't compete with the private sector.
The Postal Service can and does compete. Our closest competitors, UPS and FedEx, don't threaten our business; as two of our biggest customers, they help build it. Our competition pays us to deliver more than 400 million of their ground packages every year in residential areas and on Saturdays. In turn, the USPS contracts with UPS and FedEx for air transportation to take advantage of their comprehensive air networks.
Although stamp prices have increased about 33 percent over the past 10 years, this increase is in line with inflation. By comparison, private carriers raised their prices by as much as 60 percent between 1999 and 2009. The Postal Service is, and has always been, a bargain.
It's no secret that the Postal Service has been losing money since 2007. What are not well known are the financial demands of the Postal Reform Act of 2006 -- demands not faced by the private sector. Though the USPS is self-supporting, its finances are tied to the federal budget because postal employees participate in federal retirement plans. In 2006, Congress required that the USPS prefund 80 percent of future postal retiree health benefits. This will cost more than $5 billion a year through 2016. No other federal agency or private company carries such a heavy burden.
Without the prefunding requirement, the Postal Service would have been better able to weather the recent recession. In 2008, prefunding contributed to a loss of $2.8 billion. Without it, we would have been $2.8 billion in the black.
Though we operate in a difficult legislative and economic environment, we are prepared to forge ahead. On March 2, we are releasing our plan for future financial viability and greater business flexibility -- a plan that will keep the Postal Service thriving for years to come.
John E. Potter is postmaster general of the United States.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/25/AR2010022504888.html?hpid%3Dopinionsbox1&sub=AR

My BF is a massage therapist & all his best friends are girls...

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:04:24 -0800

My BF is a massage therapist which is a great profession yadda yadda BUT a couple of weeks ago he told me that one of his female friends came to see him at work on a Sunday and he gave her a free treatment. (This female friend is also someone who he catches up with on weekly basis for coffee or breakfast.) I spoke to him about this a couple of weeks after it had happened and he said he feels like he needs to help her since he is an international student from Canada and she is from Northern U.S. they share common interests. Their weekly catch ups are so he can listen to her boy problems. Since finding out they catch up so regularly and he treated her in his spa, when no-one else is there, I am really having trouble feeling connected to him and trusting him and wondering if he is as serious as he says he is about me. It is a concern because my parents are thinking of helping me buy property and I am thinking of letting him live with me. Even though he told me about the spa situation with his friend when he visited me that same afternoon, I still think there is something fundamentally wrong with that situation and just can't seem to get over it. Added to this is the fact that he pretty much drove her to uni every week last semester because she didn't have much money.... Hmmmm...
All of his best friends are girls and I have also spoken to him about this ie "do you acually have any friends that are male?" and he says he finds it hard to relate to guys and since he has been studying Natural Medicinen he has really only come into contact with a lot of girls.
I have already had a good friend say to me "Be careful he is not using you for a visa" but I don't think this is an issue as he hasn't asked about moving in with me yet and he has moved from a coastal town to an inland one where I live so he can be closer to me and my son and I as well as university.
This is not the end of the story however! I am a single Mum and he is great with my 12 y.o. son and helps us out a lot (surely this is something you would do only if you were a) crazy or b) in love with someone?) To add to this, recently I travelled to Japan to go snowboarding and stayed in a quad room, my good friend and an ex BF came along for the trip. My current BF was meant to come to but he couldn't make it due to financial reasons. The whole time I was away, I had no feelings toward my ex BF whatsoever and absolutely nothing happened between us - mind you each of us were in someone's company at all times during our stay. So having said this I can totally appreciate having friends of the opposite sex.
Of course, I do not want him to stop seeing his friend(s). But since I spoke with him about his female friend who he had at the spa and have let him know I am really uncomforable with the whole situation. He has gone ahead and told his female friend that he can't catch up with her at the moment because it makes ME feel uncomfortable - not because HIS beaiviour was perhaps innappropriate....
Maybe this is an innocent situation that has come about because he doesn't have crisp boundaries about his work and social relationships or maybe there is definitely something up. Whatever it is, it seems like a really complicated situation! What are your thoughts?

week 1 theme: 15 hour plane ride

c0rkie — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 08:15:42 -0700

Charcoal - shopbop.com

3.1 Phillip Lim Embroidery Shift Dress

eLUXURY - Louis Vuitton - Monogram Dentelle Speedy Louis Vuitton LV

Maloles Zoe Ballet Flat

Andy Warhol 15 Watch Collection Andy008 (White) - Watches

Juicy Couture 'Lolita' Rimless Sunglasses

Arden B: Pale yellow jacket

week 1 theme
Scenario: your long distance boyfriend is picking you up at the airport, after a 15 hour flight. talk about feeling like crap! what are you going wear to minimize the jetlag look yet still hot enough for your man to want to take you to the mile high club?

pants // made of 70% cotton/30% linen. comfy yet wrinklefree. since i'd prollie be shifting in my seat alot, wearing loose pants would feel more comfortable to me. there's also pockets to hold your ticket stub, chap stick, or other lil knickknacks.

shirt // but sold as a dress? looks more like a tunic to me. long sleeves and enough neckline coverage to keep warm from the cold a/c airplanes seem like love blasting. and who'd want to cover themselves with those dingy blankets they give you? can we say ew? unsanitary-ish? also the sleeves are short enough so you won't accidentally dip them into the airplane food they give you.

jacket // practical yet stylish. the sleeves are poofy enough to fit the poofyness of the sleeves of your shirt (dress). and can double as a blanket when you get cold in the middle of your flight.

shoes // decided on flats that slip on/off. they're also stylish enough to make your feet feel loved while they swell up in size due to elevation.

purse // we all know all stylish jetsetters MUST carry a designer bag. and what's more classic than traveling with a speedy? an UPDATED speedy! :D perfect size to hold everything you need during your flight; such as boarding pass, passport, travel size beauty essentials, pair of clean undies, book and/or magazine, ipod, the sleeping eyepatch thing, money, etcetc.

watch // gotta make sure you're on time to board your plane! too bad your watch can't make sure there's no delays lol. picked out this white/gold gem to match the color scheme of my outfit.

sunglasses // and of course, a must have for any long haul flight to cover up those jet lagged looking eyes.

and we're off to see the boyfriend! :D

HIV and AIDS - Get Important Information!

Samson Adhikari — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:28:51 -0800