Today, we randomly opened Eternal Road – The final stop to page 209. With my eyes closed, I pointed to the page, and my finger landed closest to the word “appointment.” This is our prompt today.
First posted on April 21, 2014 by Marie Ann Bailey and me. I don’t know why we posted it back then but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Maybe it is still a good idea although neither Marie or I use dating services.
Top Ten Things Not To Do When Signing Up With an Online Dating Service
10. When signing up for an online dating service, do not use your old high school senior photo in your profile. If you do, at best, your future dates might forgive you for being somewhat more overweight and wrinkled than your photo suggests. At worst, you might get sued by future dates for emotional and psychological trauma especially those who thought they were going to date an 18-year-old.
9. When signing up for an online dating service, do not say that you live in a foreign country because you want to appear exotic. If you do, at best, your future dates will be relieved to find out that you actually live within driving distance of them and they don’t have to pay exorbitant sums of money for a first date. At worst, your dream date who really does live in the country you claim to live in will out you to everyone else in the service and you will have to change your profile and your identity and actually move to a foreign country.
8. When signing up for an online dating service, do not claim to be a great cook when you still can’t make a decent peanut butter and jelly sandwich. If you do, at best, your future dates will prefer to dine out anyway and will never find out your lie. At worst, your dream date will wind up in the ER after you actually try to prepare a romantic, home-cooked meal for your first (and now last) date.
7. When signing up for an online dating service, do not inflate your educational background so you can appear to be more intelligent than you apparently are. If you do, at best, your future dates will not be interested in your opinion on the Dunning-Kruger effect anyway and you’ll be saved from having to present yourself as an example of it. At worst, your profile will be tagged as someone who suffers from the Dunning-Kruger effect (overestimating your abilities) which you will find frustrating since your last name is not Dunning nor is it Kruger.
6. When signing up for an online dating service, do not minimize your educational background to appear to less intelligent than you really are because you are afraid of intimidating anyone. If you do, at best, your future dates won’t be interested in degrees anyway just as long as you can enjoy conversations with each other. At worst, your future dates will look like the cast from “Duck Dynasty.”
5. When signing up for an online dating service, do not claim to be fluent in any language when all you can say is “Hello” and “Goodbye” in that language. If you do, at best, all your future dates have the same native tongue as you, but no foreign language fluency so they get excited when you say “Bonjour” and “Adios” in the same sentence. At worst, your dream date will be fluent in the language you claim to be fluent in (let’s say, French, for fun) and invite you to a romantic getaway to Paris where the best you can do is say “Bonjour” to everything anyone else says to you, with the result that two hours into the romantic getaway, your dream date leaves you at a café with just your French-English dictionary to help you find your way home.
4. When signing up for an online dating service, do not claim to not have cats when you do just because the dream date you picked out is allergic to cats. At best, you never get together with your dream date but the second best date not only asks you out but also happens to like cats (and then you live happily ever after). At worst, your dream date comes to your place for coffee and, within five minutes, develops red, itchy eyes, sneezing and coughing fits, and a facial rash, even though your cats are not in your house because you had them boarded. All of this results in you being on the hook for your dream date’s trip to the ER and allergy medication as well as the boarding fees for a date that went nowhere.
3. When signing up for an online dating service, do not use a glamour photo for your profile, even if your friends insist it will get you more dates. At worst, all your future dates also use glamour photos so no one can complain when none of you look glamorous in real life. At worst, see the worst case scenario for #1 and then double it.
2. When signing up for an online dating service, do not present yourself as a social butterfly when in fact you get panic attacks when you have to speak to more than one person at a time. If you do, at best, your future dates will be flattered when you say you prefer evenings alone so you can get to know them better. At worst, your future dates will think your Howard Hughes profile is creepy since they assumed you loved the party life and eventually leave you to your evenings alone as a party of one.
Today we are headed for the Lakeway Activity Center to check out the art and craft show. We are catered by APT 115 of Austin, and our entertainment is Simon and Garfunkel.
Menu
CHEESE AND CHARCUTERIE – Cornichons, Pickled Watermelon Rind, Baguette
FOIE GRAS TORCHON – Gala Apple, Black Truffle Hone
SWEET POTATO PANCAKE – Creme Fraiche, Herbs
VICHYSSOISE – Scarlet Crab, Brown Butter, Arugula
GARDEN SALAD – Rose Vinaigrette, Black Sesame
COLUMBIA RIVER KING SALMON – Sea Bean, Beurre Rouge, Pecan Crumb
On one hand, waking to the sound of an alarm, the first thought was to make sure everyone was safe. On the other hand, the attempts to round up and evacuate those in the house were met with some degree of resistance. It was then that the source of the alarm was discovered. The coffee machine had somehow figured out how to copy the screech of the smoke detector. There it was screeching like a banshee. One touch of the trouble button disclosed the reason. The water level was low. Filling the reservoir caused the alarm to come to a sputtering halt. The halt acted like a signal for the two Baskerville hounds to cease their protestations.
Pressing the two coffee button soon gave me the liquid soothin’ syrup that promised to quell the hammer on anvil chorus that was playing in my head. After the third sip, another chorus joined the cacophony. It was the Westminster chime routine of the doorbell touching off another round of the Bark-You-to-St. Louis symphony. Throwing two stuffed toys into the soundproof room and slamming the door after the eager fetch-it twins brought peace back to the valley.
Checking the security monitor, all that was visible was the blurred outline of something running in a circle. The “Who’s there?” challenge was answered with a “beep beep.” Knowing further communication was futile, the security system shutdown began.
The SWAT team needs to be put on standby. A quick text to the leader confirms that status. Also, the flight of A-10 Warthogs must be diverted. Another call to the commander puts that worry to rest. The SEAL team needs to be called off, and a call to the leader makes that possible. A call to the tow truck driver stops the deployment of an M1A1 Abrams Tank. The control panel simplifies the shutdown process of the security system. The boiling oil vats are put on standby, the turret mortars disengaged, the Trebuchet on safety, the concertina wire rolled, the Claymore mines reset, the tower Gatling guns on safety, the moat net dropped, the alligators fed, and the IEDs and shoulder-held rockets put away. The Proton torpedoes switched off. The gamma ray beams covered. The high-powered maser guns switched to standby, and the nanorobots were chained in the basement. The locks on the door are thrown. And the door opened.
Running in a circle was a roadrunner bird. On one pass, an envelope flew out of the blur into my hand. It was from Linda Hill. A thanks you to the bird caused it to stop and raise one leg in the classic “Tip me” fashion. “Here’s a tip. Avoid all things ACME,” and slammed the door. I opened the envelope, and a note was inside. It read:
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “hand.” Use it as a noun, use it as a verb, use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!
What if stopping life-threatening bleeding could be as simple as injecting a gel? That’s the promise of TRAUMAGEL, a groundbreaking, plant-based bleeding control gel now being used by first responders across the country, including a metro Atlanta fire department that recently used it to save one of their own.
Developed by Cresilon CEO and co-founder Joe Landolina, TRAUMAGEL works in seconds to control bleeding from gunshot wounds and other traumatic injuries. It’s supplied in a compact 30-ml syringe and can be quickly applied in the field before a patient bleeds out, a risk responsible for more than 35% of all prehospital deaths.
A TRAUMAGEL GEL syringe sits in front of its package. (Cresilon)
A medical breakthrough born in a winery lab
The story behind TRAUMAGEL starts with a teenager in a winery lab. Joe Landolina, now CEO of Cresilon, developed the technology when he was just 17.
“My grandfather was a retired chemist who owned a vineyard in upstate New York,” Landolina explains. “I would work alongside him in his winery laboratory every single day after school from a very young age. During that time, I developed a strong love for chemistry, especially plant-based chemistries from ingredients found in nature around me.”
That love turned into research. “At the age of 17, I was experimenting with polymers extracted from the cell walls of algae and discovered a matrix that would instantly bond to living tissue,” he said.
He took the idea to New York University’s business plan competition, and Cresilon was born. The company now operates out of a 55,000-square-foot biomanufacturing facility in Brooklyn with nearly 100 employees.
TRAUMAGEL works in seconds to control bleeding from severe injuries. (Cresilon)
Real-world impact: Faster bleeding control in the field
TRAUMAGEL is already changing how medics respond in high-pressure trauma situations.
“TRAUMAGEL has impacted how we respond to traumatic injuries in any situation,” says Lt. David Kleiman of Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services. “In the past, with junctional injuries, like the neck, armpit, or groin, we were using traditional methods like digital pressure or wound packing. That required multiple crews and took time.
“With TRAUMAGEL, we can administer a hemostatic agent that controls bleeding in seconds,” he continues. “Crews can move on to quicker assessments and treatments and get the patient to definitive care faster.”
How it saved a firefighter’s life
In one recent case, a Cobb County firefighter was injured during a response at an abandoned house. He tripped on a hill, cut his hand on broken glass, and attempted to stop the bleeding himself. But it didn’t work.
“He eventually realized he couldn’t control the bleeding and made his way back to the engine,” Kleiman recalls. “The crew noted that he was pale and sweaty and that his turnout gear was saturated in blood. Traditional methods failed, so they administered TRAUMAGEL. It instantly stopped the bleeding.”
The firefighter was then treated for blood loss and fully recovered after surgery.
Cresilon CEO and co-founder Joe Landolina (center) and his team stand with Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services. (Cresilon)
From fire departments to the Department of Defense
Cresilon’s bleeding control gel is being tested in even more demanding environments.
“In addition to getting TRAUMAGEL into the hands of all first responders across the country,” Landolina says, “our proprietary technology is being studied for broader applications by the U.S. Defense Department’s Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.”
That study is focused on penetrating traumatic brain injuries (TBI). “Preliminary findings demonstrated promising results in the ability of our technology to control bleeding and provide neuroprotection following a TBI,” he says. The team plans to pursue further research based on those results.
What this means for you
Severe bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death from trauma. With TRAUMAGEL, emergency teams can control that bleeding quickly, even before a patient reaches the hospital. This tool isn’t just for battlefield medicine or professional EMS. In the future, you could see it in hospitals, dental offices, and even home first-aid kits. TRAUMAGEL may become a new standard in emergency bleeding control, and that means faster care, better outcomes, and more lives saved.
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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.
Today I randomly opened Circumstances of Childhood to Page 159. With eyes closed, I pointed to the page. The word closest to my finger is “meetings.” That is our prompt.
This post was initially run on March 10, 2014, co-authored by Marie Ann Bailey and me. Since there are still negative reviews out there, maybe it might be helpful.
Top Ten Things Not to Do If Your Book Gets a Negative Review
10. If your book gets a negative review, do not read the review, especially if the rating is one star. At best, the reviewer will admit the review is based on having read only a couple of pages of your book, and you can chide yourself for even bothering to read one word of it. At worst, you will read the review so many times you can quote it by heart, begin to believe it, and eventually get one star tattooed on your back to atone for imagined errors in your career choice.
9. If your book gets a negative review, do not respond to the review in any way. If you do, at best, the reviewer will ignore your comments and let others decide if you just have a case of sour grapes. At worst, the reviewer will take great delight in responding to your comments, goading you into an outraged frenzy, whereupon the website will block you from seeing any more reviews.
8. If your book gets a negative review, do not search for and then comment on other books that the reviewer has reviewed. Even if you have read those books, at best, you will be taking precious time away from your writing just to get even with the reviewer. At worst, the reviewer will realize it is you and seek a court injunction on the grounds that you are unstable, as evidenced by your spending so much more time reviewing other books rather than writing one.
7. If your book gets a negative review, do not ask your family or friends to target the reviewer with their own commentaries. If you do, at best, the reviewer will just ignore them, and eventually they will lose interest. At worst, they will all end up in an unsightly battle of words, and then they will all get banned from the website, and your family and friends will turn on you like a wounded Leopard.
6. If your book gets a negative review, do not assume a false identity and write reviews of your book to counter the negative review. If you do, at best, no one will know it’s you, and eventually, you will just feel as if you are a loser. (You think?). At worst, someone will uncover your identity and both you and your book will be pulled from the websites, leaving your readers to believe you’ve been arrested or kidnapped.
5. If your book gets a negative review, do not start a campaign against negative reviews, using the negative review as an example. At best, the campaign will quickly fizzle out as so many do without the reviewer ever knowing about it. At worst, the reviewer will see your campaign and accuse you of libel, slapping you with a lawsuit so expensive that you will be doomed to write PR copy for the Russians full-time for the rest of your life in order to pay it off.
4. If your book gets a negative review, do not think that you should suddenly switch genres just because one reviewer doesn’t “get” your book. If you do, at best, you might discover writing erotica causes you to take too many breaks during the day, so you can try out scenes with your significant other, and so your productivity suffers. At worst, you might discover that while you may now enjoy writing erotica, you can’t get your children’s literature agent or any publisher’s interest in your new book.
3. If your book gets a negative review, do not take the reviewer’s advice to quit writing and take up dishwashing as an occupation. At best, the long hours at the sink will only cause your imagination to go into high gear, and you’ll be back to writing within a few days. At worst, your brain will turn to mush from the dull drudgery, and by the time you can retire from said occupation, you will have forgotten how you got stuck as a dishwasher in the first place.
2. If your book gets a negative review, do not think one bad review trumps all your positive reviews. If you do, at best, your faithful readers will not mind that you’ve suddenly changed narrative styles because you are talented in any style you choose. At worst, you will find yourself writing solely for the reviewer who doesn’t care about you or your books, and your readers will have to stage an intervention to prevent you from reading any more negative reviews.
1. If your book gets a negative review, do not stop writing. If you do, at best, you will suddenly have more time on your hands than you know what to do with. At worst, you will disappoint your readers and they will accuse you of emulating J.D. Salinger, which, of course, you cannot afford to do until you actually become J. D. Salinger.
Today we are going to visit a ceremony in Lakeway for the remembrance of the day 80 years ago when the Japanese surrendered to end World War II. We will be going to Heritage Park and will be catered by Jeffreys of Austin. Our entertainment will be Lee Greenwood.
Menu
Tournedos de veau & escargot – veal tenderloin in bacon, escargot, butterwhite bean, confit tomato, peppered ham jus
Gulf snapper en papillote – lemongrass carrot broth, baby turnips, king trumpet mushrooms & thai basil
Pekin Duck breast “au Poivre” – roasted rapini, le puy lentils, bronze fennel, caramelized figs & banyuls vinegar
Braised beef short rib – crushed English peas, caramelized shallot vadouvan curry & preserved garlic
Grilled meats
Dean & Peeler Floresville, Texas, USDA Prime, all-natural Black Angus beef
8 oz tenderloin fileT, 16 oz ribeye
Mishima Reserve Northwest, reserve ultra, all-natural Wagyu beef
6 oz tenderloin filet, 12 oz New York strip, 16 oz ribeye
Niman Ranch Midwest, USDA Prime, all-natural Black Angus beef 24 oz bone-in strip, dry aged 32 days
26 oz bone-in ribeye, dry aged 32 days, 42 oz porterhouse, dry aged 32 days
Wood Roasted Chops
16 oz Colorado rack of lamb, served with mint jelly
16 oz tomahawk pork chop, served with truffle butter
Let’s get going.
We are here at the Heritage Center.
Welcome remarks by Patrick D. Hall, Rear Admiral USN (retired).
The invocation by Pastor Scott Rogers.
The Star Spangled Banner by the Wildflowers.
Moving remarks by Tom Kilgore, Mayor of Lakeway. The Spirit of Freedom monument behind the mayor has over 500 names of those from Lakeway who served during World War II.
Presentation of the memorial wreaths by Admiral Hall and Nancy Jo Forage.
A beautiful rendition of Taps played by Emily Muckelroy of Lake Travis High School.
God Bless America by the Wildflowers.
The Benediction by Pastor Scott Rodgers.
We are all reminded not to forget the men and women of the greatest generation who answered the call for freedom.
Now it is time to enjoy that freedom with music and food. I hope you have an easy week.
The coffee machine flashes a sign on the touch pad. “Clean me or go to a hotel for coffee.” Punching the “clean” button was the better alternative. Yes, the wait was 20 minutes, but it was well worth it. Holding a fresh hot cup of coffee with its curative vapors was my reward. A careful hoist of the cup and one sip plugged the hole that metaphorically appeared in my skull. No sooner done than someone brought home the stupidity of a doorbell. The Westminster chimes triggered the protective instincts of Twiggy and Tempeste. Their defense systems engaged at full volume and pitch, which potentially could make ears bleed.
A toss of a handful of kibble into the soundproof room, followed by the slamming of the door, brought a sweet peace from the hounds back to the valley. Checking the security monitor for the infidel stupid enough to ignore the “Do not ring the doorbell” sign, a horrific sight met my eyes. It was none other than the Tasmanian Devil holding a letter and drooling on my front porch. No need to go through the hoops of asking him to drop it there, since from experience, Tasmanian Devils are short on conversation.
With a sigh, I begin the security shutdown process. The SWAT team needs to be put on standby. A quick text to the leader confirms that status. Also, the flight of A-10 Warthogs must be diverted. Another call to the commander puts that worry to rest. The SEAL team needs to be called off, and a call to the leader makes that possible. A call to the tow truck driver stops the deployment of an M1A1 Abrams Tank. The control panel simplifies the shutdown process of the security system. The boiling oil vats are put on standby, the turret mortars disengaged, the Trebuchet on safety, the concertina wire rolled, the Claymore mines reset, the tower Gatling guns on safety, the moat net dropped, the alligators fed, and the IEDs and shoulder-held rockets put away. The Proton torpedoes switched off. The gamma ray beams covered. The high-powered maser guns switched to standby, and the nanorobots were chained in the basement. The locks on the door are thrown. And the door opened.
The devil begins to spin, and my weak “Howdy” goes unanswered. The letter flies from his hand and falls to my feet. From inside the tornado comes a spinning paw. No doubt an attempt to hound me for a tip. Scooping up the letter, I shout: “A soft answer turns away wrath…mine is No!” and slam the front door. It is a good thing the door is made of steel, since it sounds like the Devil hopes to tear it down.
The letter contains a message from Linda Hill. It reads: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “starts with ‘ho.’” Find a word that begins with the letters “ho” and use it any way you’d like. Have fun!
