Are You a Slave to Your Kids?
Are You Spending Too Much Money on Your Kids?
Parenting can be expensive, but it doesn't have to leave you broke.
There's no way around it: Having kids is expensive. But just because parenting changes the way you handle money doesn't mean it should leave you broke. So how do you know if you're spending too much money on you kids?
I have learned a lot about parenting since my daughter was born in 2014 (and my son came along two years later). I've also learned that the financial temptations and pressures I faced before parenthood became even more intense with kids in the picture.
We all want to provide well for our families. But buying kids too much can be hazardous to you and to them. Here are five signs you're spending too much money on your kids.
Parenting changes the way you handle money, but it shouldn't leave you broke. tweet this!
1) You buy them the best of everything.
It's completely natural to want good things for your kids, or even to want the best things for them. But the marketplace has taken this desire to extremes.
Companies market a host of high-end luxury items to new parents. Whether it's expensive diapers, designer baby clothes, over-the-top strollers or high-priced toys, these items take advantage of your instinct to provide well for your children.
If you fall into the habit of buying the best of everything, you're going to end up spending too much money on your kids throughout their lives. Focus instead on buying things they will enjoy at reasonable prices.
2) You go overboard with health and safety.
Keeping your kids healthy and safe is important. But how far will you go, and how much more will go go, for the perception of additional safety?
From organic foods to high-end automobiles, you'll find lots of products that seem safer and healthier than lower-priced alternatives. But are they really?
Is it smart to pay double the price for something that's only marginally better? tweet this!
The truth is that nearly every children's product today has to pass government-regulated health or safety inspections before reaching consumers. When you pay more for a super-safe product, that product might have performed slightly better in safety tests than its low-priced alternative. But is it smart to pay double the price for something that is only marginally better?
3) You're keeping up with the little Jonses.
Trying to keep pace with your friends and neighbors is one of the biggest mistakes people make in their finances. And when you have kids you may find yourself struggling to keep up with the appearances of their little friends.
You don't want your children to feel jealous of their friends' toys and clothes. But will they really notice? You don't want other parents to judge you for buying cheap stuff. But why do you care what they think?
You don't want other parents to judge you for buying cheap stuff. But why do you care what they think? tweet this!
Try to keep up with the little Jonses and you'll likely find yourself spending too much money on your kids. It might feel good now, but it will only hurt your family financially in the long run.
4) You have trouble saying no.
If you're a parent, you should be the person setting the financial agenda in your house. But if you find yourself constantly caving to the demands of kids, you may not really be in control.
Kids don't understand money. They don't know the difference between what is cheap and what is expensive. And they have no regard for your budget. So from time to time, they're going to ask for things that you really can't afford to buy them.
If you don't learn to say no, you might make them happy in the short term. But in the long-term, you're modeling compulsive behavior and irresponsible spending. That's a pattern that they're going to pick up on and repeat later on in their own lives.
Giving in to your kids' demands for stuff hurts you now. And it may hurt them in the future.
5) You're neglecting your own needs.
Most parents sacrifice for the benefit of their children. That's a noble thing to do. But you have to be careful about how often you do that.
If you make a habit of neglecting your own financial needs, it's going to catch up with you sooner or later.
Caring for your kids shouldn't stop you from giving to others, saving for emergencies or investing for the future. And you also need to make sure you have enough money to take care of home and auto maintenance, buy health and life insurance and fund other important purchases.
If you make a habit of neglecting your own financial needs, it's going to catch up with you sooner or later. tweet this!
If you forego life's essentials for too long, you might eventually run into serious financial trouble. And the last thing you want is for your grown kids to forego their essentials to take care of you.
Just like other aspects of parenting, learning to handle your family's finances is a journey you take one step at a time. And like any journey, you'll do better if you travel with friends.
If you want to change your family's financial future, join me and lots of other people walking this road alongside you in our Facebook group, FINANCIAL FREEDOM. Every day, I share insightful articles, encouraging photos and personal stories to help you stay focused and motivated to build a better future for your family.
This group is a a great place to interact with me and ask me questions. You'll find encouragement from others there too, as they share their experiences and tips that can help you in your own life.
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Maybe if I just lie here the ball will come to me.
Do you seriously have this much snow now??
Yup, Loren! Snow and ICE! Woo'ville seems to be the only place that's still treacherous.
I'm sure she's very effective. Who could resist that look?


Hogan Homes, one owner. 3 bedroom 2 bath very well maintained home. close to schools, shopping. Large eat-in kitchen. breakfast bar and pantry. Plenty of closet space. Large Master with walk-in closet. Separate utility room. Covered Patio and large backyard.


You may have seen the news last week that the FDA approved Vertex Pharmaceutical's Kalydeco™ (ivacaftor), a drug used to treat people with cystic fibrosis (CF) who have a specific mutation of a gene called CFTR. CF is a miserable, inherited disease that afflicts about 30,000 people in the US. It causes stick mucous, making breathing labored, infections frequent, digestive problems the norm, and early death (around age 37) a patient's destiny. About 4 percent of those have the mutation targeted by Kalydeco, meaning that it will be useful for only about 1,200 people—a true orphan drug. From the data summary in the drug label, and anecdotal reports in the general press, this group of patients improves—sometimes a lot. They feel better, their lungs work better, they get fewer infections, they gain weight. They have to take the drug—a pill—twice daily, continuously. If resistance to the drug has emerged, I am not aware of it—but I'm not an expert in CF.
The drug had been in development since the late 1990's, first by a venture-backed company, Aurora Biosciences, then by Vertex after an acquisition in 2001. The pivotal clinical trials included 213 of the 1,200 potentially eligible patients—a remarkable effort by the company, the doctors treating the disease, and the patients participating. Clinical trials are not finished; the FDA will require Vertex to do a (small) clinical study to address the potential for certain drug interactions, but that's not a big hurdle. Also, data are not yet available to show the drug is safe and effective in children under age 6.
The FDA approved it in 3 months after getting the data for review—a true fast track.
Oh, and it will cost $294,000 a year per patient.
On its website, the company advertises a financial assistance program it says (press release dated 1/31/12) includes free drug for people with no insurance and an annual household income of $150,000 or less, and co-payment/co-insurance support for "up to 30% of the list price of the medication," after "a minimal out-of-pocket obligation," for people of any income who have insurance. Since insurance co-pays for specialty drugs like this commonly are a quarter to a third of the total price, this sounds like, in effect, secondary insurance from the manufacturer to help people afford it.
I think it's a good deal. I can't guess at the details of Vertex's financial calculations based on the publicly available information I can find. They told the SEC that they had about $1.4 billion in revenue last year, almost all from its approved hepatitis C drug and other payments in their hepatitis C work, and about $190 million in profit. They expect to spend roughly $750 million in the next year on R+D all told. I don't know how much they spent developing Kalydeco. The San Diego Union-Tribune said "millions of dollars of [Vertex's] own money." The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which will get royalties from Kalydeco sales, contributed $75 million to the drug's development.
So, although I can't fully defend the pricing, it sounds like this drug is worth the price. In thinking about these "expensive drug" questions, I suggest: 1) Realize that drug companies are medically-oriented businesses, not an arm of the medical profession, and therefore subject more to business than medical ethics when it comes to financials; 2) Challenge the too-simple notion that "making all drug companies non-profit" will reduce costs or be beneficial to society, since the issues of financing expensive development and recouping costs do not go away, and non-profits' operations can be distorted by the actions of sinful/fallen actors; 3) Judge each case on its own, separate merits—Kalydeco sounds to me like a much better value proposition than, say, Avastin for breast cancer did; 4) Resist the Manichean "drug-companies: evil" grunt; 5) Affirm that there is a societal obligation to make effective but expensive drugs available for those who need it. That means that, whatever set of payment arrangements we adopt, I'm all for my tax dollars or insurance premiums being used to get this drug to a stranger who would benefit from it.
I realize that doesn't magically solve the issues raised by expensive new drugs, but I submit it provides a framework for proceeding.


TEOCO, a provider of assurance, analytics and optimization solutions to communications service providers (CSPs), has released version 2.2 of DIMENSION, its end-to-end visualization and capacity planning tool for mobile networks.
Additionally, DIMENSION has also added LTE to its UMTS and GSM radio capacity planning capability. The updated version also includes greater flexibility in the data being measured – users can add custom data such as costs or performance management parameters to the data.


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The Academy's rigorous course of study prepares young women for successful college careers. Course criteria, goals and objectives and qualifying exams ensure proper placement of students in the College Preparatory, Honors and High Honors courses each year. A wide variety of elective courses complement a solid foundation of required courses. Every effort is made to place each student in courses best suited for her.Whether her future lies in mathematics and science or humanities and the arts, Holy Angels' 8-day modified block schedule gives each Angel the opportunity to explore her intellectual interests.


My kids are head over heels into My Little Pony, and my husband and I get schooled and tested regularly on names, cutie marks, and storylines. If you can relate, find inspiration in these hand-picked ideas!
Rain or shine, backyard or livingroom, this rubber horseshoe game can be played indoors or out. Get it on Amazon.com.
Simply strung plastic tablecloths transform into a super-fun background for a party photo booth! This brilliant idea comes from Camille over at Makoodle.
The folks at Mom Junction picked 25 of the best My Little Pony coloring pages to keep little ones busy and happy!
Who will blow the fluff balls the fastest? Recollections Photography shows how clumps of cotton candy can fly across the sky with kid-powered wind.
Lindsay at Artsy-Fartsy Mama designed this MLP bingo game as a free printable. I love the idea of using marshmallows as tokens.
Courtney from I Watch Them Grow came up with this awesome take on pin the tail on the donkey, and it's about 20% cooler.
twisting and sprinkling lots of glitter!


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Q: How to make my Mac sleep when I close the lid while connected to an external display? Having an external monitor connected prevents my Mac from sleeping when I close the lid. Is there any way to opt out this feature?

A: You can simply click on the Apple in your menu bar then click Sleep while leaving it open. This will make both monitors go black. You can close the lid afterwards if you like. Opening the lid or pressing keys on keyboard will awake the device from sleep.
It's just made to go to another monitor when closing the lid as most people only use the external monitor instead of 2 monitors.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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GARDA MEMORIAL DAY
Garda Remembrance Medal (RTE picture)
A new name has been added to the Garda roll of honour. It's that of Detective Garda Adrian Donohue, shot dead during a robbery at Lordship near Carlingford in County Louth in January. At a ceremony on Saturday (May 18th) at Dublin Castle, his widow Caroline received a special medal in his honour. The presentation was made by Justice Minister Alan Shatter, during the annual Garda Memorial Day. Mr Shatter said the brutal murder of Adrian Donohoe was an unspeakable crime and life-changing for his family.
Detective Garda Adrian Donohue
"The addition of Adrian's name to this roll of honour brings to 87 the number of members who have been killed in the line of duty. It is 87 too many", the Minister said. He added that the government had expressed their revulsion and deep sadness and on theirs and on his own behalf he extended again his condolences to the detective's family and to all members of An Garda Síochána.
Garda commissioner Martin Callinan said Adrian Donohoe's murder was still very raw in their memory and rested very heavy in their hearts. "It is at difficult times such as this that we experience the true meaning of the extended police family through the unending support and overwhelming solidarity offered," he said. He added that it was tragic that Garda Donohoe's name had been added to a roll of honour that continued to get longer.
Detective Garda Donohoe, aged 41, was the first member of the Gardaí to be shot dead on duty since the murder of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe in 1996. The getaway car used by the robbery gang was found by the PSNI burnt out in a forest near Keady, County Armagh, days after the killing. Police on both sides of the border have carried out searches and have issued a number of appeals for information.
Memorial at Garda HQ
NEWS	Alan ShatterDublin CastleGarda Adrian DonohueGarda CommissionerLordship Leave a comment
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


H.R. McMaster reverses Michael Flynn's decision to send regional and country specialists to the Situation Room rather than keeping them close to the president.
National security adviser H.R. McMaster has invited top National Security Council staff back into the Oval Office for calls between President Donald Trump and foreign leaders, reversing a decision by his predecessor Michael Flynn to exile senior directors to the Situation Room during state calls.
For the first time since Trump took office, senior directors and country directors were present on Monday and Tuesday in the Oval alongside deputy national security adviser K.T. McFarland for calls with leaders from Israel, Japan, South Korea and Kenya.
The change was made after an all-hands meeting at which McMaster invited NSC staff to submit notecards with their concerns about procedures, according to NSC spokesman Michael Anton. The absence of senior staff in the room to offer guidance to the president in real time was a top response. "That was a pretty consistent issue," Anton said.
Flynn was forced to resign last month amid reports that he misled the vice president about his contacts with the Russian ambassador to Washington during the transition. During his short tenure, Flynn and his deputy David Cattler were frequently the only NSC officials present in the Oval Office during the calls.
Under President Barack Obama, a senior director for the region and the country director would be in the Oval Office along with the national security adviser during foreign calls. "If there's an issue that the president wasn't prepared for, he would look around the room for guidance," said Brian McKeon, former executive secretary and chief of staff for the National Security Council under Obama.
That was true under other presidents as well. "In previous administrations, the senior director almost always would be in the Oval Office and brief the president for a few minutes prior to the call, assessing what the foreign leader would likely say and explaining U.S. objectives. He or she would then listen in and scribble a note if something unexpected came up," said Sandy Vershbow, who served as senior director for European affairs at the National Security Council during the Clinton administration.
Banishing the National Security experts to the Situation Room was perceived as a way for Trump to put physical distance between himself and career staff who served under Obama, according to NSC officials. Trump subsequently accused career civil servants of leaking transcripts of tense telephone calls he had with his Australian and Mexican counterparts.
Chief strategist Steve Bannon and chief of staff Reince Priebus have been present in the Oval Office for nearly all of Trump's calls with foreign leaders, as has Trump's son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner. Trump's spokesperson Sean Spicer has been present during some calls, breaking with tradition of keeping press aides out the room.
Brett Bruen, a former NSC director of global engagement under Obama, said that having professional staff involved is important even if the president is fully briefed.


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THEN: "ISLAMIC EUROPE? RIDICULOUS!" NOW: "ISLAMIC EUROPE? INEVITABLE – AND TERRIFIC!"
European elite changes its tune - to enable surrender.
Bruce Bawer
https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/271087/then-islamic-europe-ridiculous-now-islamic-europe-bruce-bawer
French police watch Muslims praying in the street during a protest in March 2017. (AFP)
One week back in 2007, I was paid a not inconsiderable sum of money to fly first class from Oslo to Washington, D.C., on the Tuesday and to fly back on the Thursday, so that I could give a hour-long lunchtime talk on the Wednesday to an audience of American and international diplomats. Given that I had been compensated so well and given, as it was explained to me, that I had been accorded the star spot, the sole solo turn, in the middle of a day-long conference consisting otherwise of panel discussions about Western Europe, I foolishly expected a friendly reception.
My first doubts in this respect began to arise only moments after the event kicked off. Sitting through the morning's panels, I heard one highly credentialed individual after another – professors, politicians, and retired and active diplomats from various countries – join in predicting a glowing future for Western Europe. Socially and economically, they all agreed, prospects looked a lot brighter for Western Europe than for America. Not a single one of the dozen or so panelists diverged from this consensus.
After three or four hours of sunny prophesizing, everybody lined up for the buffet. When they were all back in their seats, I was introduced and, from a lectern up front, proceeded to serve up a condensed version of the argument of my 2006 book While Europe Slept. I described the rise of Islam in Western Europe, the failure of Muslims to integrate, and the consequent increase in gang crime, welfare dependency, forced marriage, sharia-run enclaves, and numerous other ills – the usual litany. Western Europe, I maintained, was undergoing a radical metamorphosis that, unless drastic action were taken, would ultimately bring its liberal democracies crashing down.
It's easy to read an audience. As I spoke, I could feel the snappily dressed, self-impressed-looking crowd growing restive. When I was done and they were invited to ask questions, I didn't get questions but incredibly condescending razzes, remonstrations, and reproaches. A German envoy reacted angrily to my account of some recent incident – I don't remember what – that had taken place in her country. Her colleagues from a couple of other countries had similar bones to pick. "These are just anecdotes!" one diplomat thundered dismissively. I tried to engage them in a reasonable give-and-take, but they weren't having it.
What made the experience especially striking was that over the course of the previous year or so I'd given a number of talks about the same subject in Europe and North America. The audiences had been composed not of credentialed foreign-policy experts but of ordinary citizens. All of them had recognized that what I was saying was true. During the Q&A sessions, they'd been eager to express their gratitude that someone was talking about these matters, eager to recount their own horrific experiences with the consequences of mass Muslim immigration, and eager to vent their frustration at political leaders who refused to listen to them, to care about their sufferings, or even to acknowledge the plain objective facts.
On that day in Washington, after my lunchtime talk was over, I thought that despite the reception I had received, it would only be polite to stay for the rest of the day's proceedings. I sat there in the audience, then, as the first of the afternoon panel discussions got underway. It began with all of the panelists voicing outrage over my remarks and basically calling me an idiot. One of them, while professing to be astonished at my incomprehensibly buffoonish and offensive views, noted that, remarkably enough, Walter Laqueur – the distinguished elder historian, world-class Europe expert, and sometime professor at places like Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Chicago – had just published a book (The Last Days of Europe) in which he made arguments that were essentially identical to my own. It didn't occur to that panelist to wonder why, if I was so wrongheaded, Walter Laqueur actually agreed with me.
In any case, once I heard myself being bad-mouthed from the stage, I got up and bolted. I've never been sorry that I went, however. For one thing, it was a nice payday. For another, it opened my eyes big time. This was supposed to be a gathering of some of the world's most knowledgeable people on the subject of contemporary Europe. Yet they were either ignorant of, or in deep denial about, things that ordinary people all over Europe – people whom they would surely dismiss as lowbrows – knew all about. That event sent my opinion of diplomats plummeting to rock bottom. It made me even more cynical than I already was about persons who were considered experts simply because of institutional credentials. Years later, when people started talking about the Deep State, I knew what they were talking about, because I'd been in the room with it that day.
I mention that event in Washington not because it was an outlier in my experience of public discussions about Islam but because it was thoroughly consistent with what was, at the time, the reigning attitude of the Western cultural establishment toward any expression of concern about the topic. I recall, for instance, an omnibus review in the Financial Times of While Europe Slept, Bat Ye'or's Eurabia, Melanie Phillips's Londonistan, and Walter Laqueur'sThe Last Days of Europe – four books by authors with very different backgrounds but making very similar arguments. How to explain this? Were we all part of some cabal? The reviewer wasn't troubled by that question. Indeed, he wasn't troubled by any of the hundreds of exceedingly troubling anecdotes in any of our books. No, as far as he was concerned, our books were just dystopic jeremiads written by hysterical bigots. Western Europe was in great shape. Islam wasn't about to take over anything.
One more example. In March 2007, Newsweek ran a "special report" on "Europe at 50." That piece, too, cited a handful of recent books about the rise of Islam in Europe, my own included. Like the Financial Times reviewer, the Newsweek writer was thoroughly dismissive. Citing our worries about Western Europe's Islamization, he wrote: "To most who live in Europe – or have visited lately – all this seems wrong, even absurd." Far from being in peril of Muslim domination, he asserted, Europe was moving from strength to strength: "50 years after the EU's march to unity began, it is now Europe, not the United States, that's held up as a new lamp unto the nations."
Cut to 2018. As it turns out, it's not Europe but Islam in Europe that's been moving from strength to strength. As the number of terrorist atrocities, mass car burnings, and gang riots and rapes across Western Europe climbs relentlessly, it's harder and harder to hold up Europe as "a new lamp unto the nations." Consequently, the elite's message about Islam in Europe has begun to shift. Only the day before yesterday, it seemed, they were telling us – and many of them, to be sure, are still telling us – that it's preposterous to suggest that Western Europe's present order is on the verge of being undone. But now at least some of them are starting to sing a different tune. Yes, they admit, Islam is taking over Western Europe – but hey, there's no reason to worry about it!
Case in point: on March 28 of last year, the Dutch newspaper Trouw ran an interview with Maurice Crul, a professor at the Free University of Amsterdam who "has been conducting research on migration and integration for twenty-five years." Since only every third Amsterdammer under age fifteen is of Dutch descent, noted Crul, ethnic Dutch people will soon be a minority in that city. The same holds for other major Western European burgs. For Crul, the lesson here is obvious: integration "now works in two directions." Meaning what? Meaning that Western European natives who have been complaining for years about the failure of immigrants to integrate will themselves henceforth be obliged to integrate into the new, multicultural urban landscapes.
"White Dutch people have to get used to this idea," Crul insisted. Trouw's interviewer neglected to ask him exactly how much of Muslim culture the ethnic Dutch, as part of their integration process, should be expected to accept as majoritarian norms. Forced marriage? Imam-approved school curricula? Honor killing? Should Dutch women who don't want to be raped start wearing hijab? Does Crul, who's been studying this stuff for a quarter century, have any clue that what he's talking about is gradually accepting and accommodating Islamic strictures until all of Western Europe is under sharia law?
Crul isn't alone. This past August 6, the German newspaper Tagesspiegel published a column by Barbara John, a retired 80-year-old politician who belongs to Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union Party. John noted that in some major German cities, people with foreign backgrounds already outnumber native Germans. In Frankfurt, for example, 51.2 percent of the population is non-German. This trend, John pronounced, "is irreversible." It "awakens fears," she added. "But they are unfounded." She held up Rotterdam and Amsterdam as examples of immigrant-heavy cities that are doing just dandy. "After all," she stated, the new majorities in those cities consist of "many immigrant groups, which differ enormously in education, ethnicity, religion, culture and finances," and are thus divided from one another, and from ethnic Dutch people, in many ways.
Yes, there are people from all kinds of backgrounds in Western Europe's largest cities. But only one of those backgrounds is problematic. At this point, no one needs to be told why. At present, Muslims make up about 17% of the population of Antwerp and Brussels, 22% of Birmingham, 25% of Marseille, 11% of Amsterdam, 13% of Rotterdam, and 13% of Frankfurt. Immigration patterns and demographic trends indicate that those numbers will increase steadily in the years to come, and eventually, I repeat, all of Western Europe will be under sharia law. Or, as John puts it so prettily, "many things will be different and some things will be better."
Well, she'll be dead and it won't matter to her. But to the children and grandchildren of today's Western European adults – people who never voted to have their countries turned over to foreigners and, ultimately, governed by Islamic law – it will matter. To read these blithe reassurances from the likes of Maurice Crul and Barbara John is to recognize them as precisely the kind of people who, at that 2007 conference in Washington, mocked those of us who warned that Western Europe was in for an impending transformation of colossal proportions. Now our warnings are beginning to be treated as received truths, even as those of us who issued the warnings continue to be treated as pariahs. For the nature of our perceived offense is starting to shift, too. These days, more and more, the crime isn't predicting a Muslim takeover of Western Europe. The crime is complaining about it instead of humbly and obediently adapting to it.
Bruce Bawer is the author of "While Europe Slept," "Surrender," and "The Victims' Revolution." His novel "The Alhambra" has just been published.
Labels: Europe, Islam and The West


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Georgette Heyer's COTILLION
July 4, 2009 September 6, 2013 / bookdaze	/ 9 Comments
COTILLION is one of my favourite Georgette Heyers, and one that has been gathering dust on my bookshelves for a very long time. So when I was looking for something different to re-read*, this sprang to mind.
A quick recap of the plot: Mr Penicuik, a rich miserly cantankerous man with no direct heirs, has finally had enough of waiting for his favourite grandnephew, Jack, to propose to his ward, Kitty Charing. He decides to force Jack's hand by promising his fortune as Kitty's dowry, provided she marries one of his grandnephews.
A pretty safe choice, seeing that Kitty has had a schoolgirl crush on Jack since, well, forever. However, Mr Penicuik fails to take into account Jack's dislike of being manipulated. And both Jack and Mr Penicuik have failed to take into account Kitty's embarrassment at having suitors bribed to marry her.
So instead of waiting for Jack, Kitty asks Freddy, another of Mr Penicuik's grandnephews, to propose. Freddy is nowhere near ready to get married and, having a sizeable fortune himself, is not swayed by the promise of a substantial dowry. But Kitty persuades him to agree to a fake engagement so that she can go to London, where she just might bump into Jack and show him what he is missing.
And so we are off…
Warning: I'm going into specifics about what I loved about this book so there are spoilers in this post. But read on if you don't mind being spoiled – or want to know how a Heyer Regency reminded me of Lois McMaster Bujold!
At the heart of COTILLION is one of the more popular romance plotlines – the fake engagement that turns into a real one. And yet it is done so beautifully that I wasn't quite sure how it would turn out when I read it for the first time. Upon re-reading it this time around and knowing that Kitty and Freddy end up together, the first scene when they meet was infinitely more enjoyable.
Kitty is a charming heroine, somewhat naive due to her upbringing in the country, but certainly strong-minded and good-hearted. I'll be honest and say that she is a run-of-the-mill romance heroine. And COTILLION would not stand out from the other Heyers if it wasn't for Freddy.
Because Freddy, unusually for a hero, is a very beta hero. Some of Ms Heyer's heroes are very alpha, and certainly Jack, who is arrogantly sure Kitty will come running when he snaps his fingers, is as alpha as they come – when he first makes an appearance, he is described as "… a tall man whose air and bearing proclaimed the Corinthian". Compare that to Freddy's entrance, that of "… a slender young gentleman, of average height and graceful carriage. His countenance was unarresting, but amiable; and a certain vagueness characterised his demeanour".
And yet, Freddy quietly steals the book – and the girl. He doesn't change from the Pink of the Ton he is introduced as in the third chapter, who knows exactly what to wear to the country and whose main concerns upon reaching his destination are that "… the high points of his shirt-collar were uncrumpled, and the intricacies of a virgin cravat no more disarranged than a touch would set to rights…". But somehow, over the course of the book, Ms Heyer slowly reveals the qualities that are hidden under the exterior (though of course, Freddy would scorn the idea that he has any depths). In the last chapters, he rides to the rescue, not as a dashing hero of the sort he disdains, but in a much more prosaic manner. A perfect ending. A very Freddy ending.
The next point may not mean much if you haven't read Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series**, but this realisation struck me like a thunderbolt halfway through the book… if Ms Bujold ever wrote a story with Ivan as the protagonist, it would be exactly like COTILLION. Freddy is Ivan.
Freddy's not the person who will plunge headfirst into reckless enterprises, he is persuaded to take part despite his inner voice screaming "no!". Well, not persuaded exactly, it's more that people know exactly the right buttons to press. Similar to how Miles gets Ivan to sign-up to the most hair-brained of schemes by making it impossible for him to refuse, Kitty gets Freddy to agree to a fake engagement by appealing to his better instincts.
He's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, certainly, yet family and friends underestimate him to their own peril. He's incredibly practical, and even more importantly, knows his way around society, which counts for a lot more than book smarts. It is honestly the perfect Ivan story.
Okay, random observation over.
There are so many passages I loved that when it came to deciding which ones to quote, I struggled. Here are the two I ended up picking.
The first is one with Freddy and his father together. I adored Lord Legerwood and his astute observations. There is affection and respect on both sides, but their exchanges never failed to amuse me, especially when Lord Legerwood's attempted barbs completely miss the mark due to Freddy's obliviousness. For example, in this passage where Lord Legerwood tries – and fails – to make the point that Freddy has been rather neglectful of his parents recently:
These led [Freddy] to seek counsel of his father, whom he met one day in St James' Street, and who exhibited great surprise at seeing him, saying that he had supposed him to have gone out of town again. But this shaft went wide. Freddy eyed his satirical parent in mild bewilderment, and said reasonably: "Can't have thought that, sir! Dash it, met you at Meg's two nights ago!"
Lord Legerwood sighed. "You have your own armour, have you not, Frederick? Of course I should have known better!"
"Offended you, sir?" asked Freddy intelligently.
"Not at all. How came such an idea as that into your head?"
"Notice more than you think," said Freddy, with simple pride. "Never call me Frederick except when I've vexed you!"
"Almost you encourage me to look forward to a brilliant career for you!" said his lordship, impressed.
I'll stop there, but I re-read the whole scene several times, laughing.
And this one with Kitty and Freddy also amused me. The two of them are talking entirely at cross-purposes; Freddy has finally had enough of people implying Kitty is going out behind his back with Dolph (yet another of Mr Penicuik's grandnephews) not because he cares of course, but because of how it reflects on himself and his family! He tracks her down to remonstrate with her, but Kitty is completely bewildered as she's actually trying to help Dolph woo his secret sweetheart***:
"Freddy!" cried Miss Charing, jumping almost out of her skin.
"And don't you say Freddy to me!" added Mr Standen severely. "I told you I wouldn't have it, Kit, and I dashed well meant it! Have the whole town talking!"
Kitty looked very much bewildered, but as it was plain that Mr Standen was filled with righteous wrath she refrained herself from protest, merely saying in a small, doubtful voice: "Frederick? Should I, in public, call you Mr Standen?"
"Call me Mr Standen?" said Freddy, thrown quite out of his stride. "No, of course you should not! Never heard such a silly question in my life! And it ain't a bit of use trying to turn the subject! Not one to take a pet for no reason, but this is the outside of enough, Kit!"
"I wasn't trying to turn the subject! You said I must not call you Freddy!"
Mr Standen stared at her. "Said you wasn't to call me Freddy? Nonsense!"
COTILLION has reminded me of how much I love Georgette Heyer's books. It's one of her lighter, funnier ones (though I must admit the Regency slang at the start of the book was heading towards impenetrable at times) and well, I adore Freddy. It remains a strong B+ read for me.
* I did attempt to meet Nath's Re-read Challenge for June – hey, I've only missed it by a few days.
** And if not, why not? Seriously. Start with "The Warrior's Apprentice". I mean it.
*** Another thing that struck me was how Ms Heyer referred to the characters. When either was on their high horse (horses?), the character was referred to as Miss Charing or Mr Standen, else it was Kit and Freddy.
TBR Day: PN Elrod's "Bloodlist"
April 18, 2009 / bookdaze	/ 6 Comments
This is posted as part of Keishon's TBR Day challenge, which is aimed at encouraging us readers with the towering TBR piles (you know who you are) to start tackling the books that have been languishing in there for eons.
This month's challenge theme: Urban fantasy, paranormal, SFR or fantasy
ETA: This was meant to go up on Thursday 16 April, the official TBR Day; however, I am apparently useless when it comes to scheduling posts. Ah well.
Book: Bloodlist (urban fantasy)
Author: PN Elrod
Copyright Date: 1990 (re-released in 2003 as part of "The Vampire Files 1" omnibus, featuring the first three books in this series)
Me and… Urban Fantasy: It's probably fairly obvious that I read a lot of UF nowadays. Heck, I used to read it even when it wasn't known as UF. However, I've realised that I rarely start new UF series nowadays. It used to be "oh look, a new book featuring [insert supernatural-creature-of-choice here], gimme that now!". Now it's more like "hmm… okay, interesting cover, what's the blurb" *reads first few pages* "mmm…. not sure, let me think about it" *puts down, wanders away*. I tend to stick to series I already know and love, or new books by authors I already read.
Why did I buy this book? PN Elrod's name was familiar to me as an editor of various anthologies, including the "Big Fat Supernatural…" ones with Charlaine Harris. I've also read a couple of her short stories featuring Jack Fleming, the vampire PI in this series, and liked them, so was curious about this series.
Why did it sit in my TBR pile for so long? Well, you know, yet another vampire series. I just wasn't inspired to start reading a new-to-me UF series. However, the twelfth book in this series, "Dark Road Rising", has just been released, so I remembered I had this in my TBR pile, and it fit in quite nicely with April's TBR Day theme.
What is it about? From Ms Elrod's website:
Vampire detective Jack Fleming's first case: solving his OWN murder! Waking up on the shores of Lake Michigan with no memory of how he got there is the least of Jack's worries as he comes to realize reports of his death were not exaggerated. But there's a positive side to suddenly being thrust into the ranks of the undead: you're always young, you live forever, and best of all–you can hunt down your own killer….
So what did I think of it? In short, I liked but didn't love.
I enjoyed the setting – "Bloodlist" is set in Depression-era 1930s Chicago and I found the period details fascinating. I also got a sort of film noir feeling from the book, what with the gangsters and their molls.
My favourite sections were the ones where Jack comes to grips with the fact he's a vampire and tries to figure out his vampiric powers. For some reason, these passages struck me as being realistic – err… well, as realistic as you can get with vampires! Jack is easy to like, there's no "why me"-type whining, and he just gets on with things. However, equally, I must say that I never really felt that invested in him nor the mystery of who killed him and why.
I somewhat lost my interest in the plot towards the end, and I suspect that if it wasn't for the TBR Day deadline, I'm not sure I would have finished this in two days. This was, however, one of the first books written by Ms Elrod, and I'm pretty sure she gets better over the years, especially if her short stories I've read recently are representative of current work.
My conclusion? Not the most addictive book I've read, but good enough to get me to continue with the series (obviously, it helps that my omnibus version also has books two and three). B- for me.
Re-Read Challenge: Elinor M Brent-Dyer's Chalet School Books
March 31, 2009 / bookdaze	/ 13 Comments
I've fallen out of the habit of blogging lately. My addiction to blogging comes and goes in spurts. I suspect it's probably inversely related to how much time I'm spending at work, which, at the moment? Way too much. Oh, I'm still reading everyone's blogs and commenting every now and again, but my own blog feels somewhat abandoned.
Anyway, here's something to try and get me out of my blogging slump: Nath's Re-Read Challenge. And I've chosen my Chalet School books for this one.
I mentioned a couple of weeks back that having come across the Girls Gone By Publishers site (which specialises in reprinting girls' fiction from the 20th century), I've not only ordered a couple of new-to-me CS books, but also started re-reading my own collection. I've re-read a good selection of my CS books since, ranging from the early Tirol days ("Jo Returns to the Chalet School"), the War years when the school moves back to England ("Peggy of the Chalet School", "Bride Leads the Chalet School") and then back to Switzerland ("The Chalet School Wins the Trick", "Summer Term at the Chalet School"). And err… quite a few more besides.
It's probably no great stretch of the imagination as to why I'm loving these re-reads – they're taking me back to my childhood days when the most I had to worry about was if I had finished my homework or not! Ah, those were the days…
Anyway, the Chalet School series, if you haven't stumbled them before, follows the establishment of a boarding school for girls on the shores of the Tiernsee in the Tyrol by Madge Bettany, who in later books, marries the head of a TB Sanatorium, Dr Jem Russell. The series spans a good number of years – the eldest daughters of Joey Bettany, Madge's younger sister and the first-ever pupil, lead the school in the final CS book, "Prefects of the Chalet School".
Some unique CS customs include its trilingual requirements, with all girls expected to be fluent in English, French, and German, and alternate days being dedicated to each language. There is much emphasis on outdoor pursuits, be it walks (and rambles), sports, or excursions, as fresh air and sunshine are thought to be directly linked to health. And each term brings its own major event, be it a Nativity play, the Sale (and yes, that's with a capital S) or a sports regatta. As with other boarding school stories, there are naughty Middles galore, with prefects and mistresses keeping a close watch over them.
However, it isn't just boarding school life with pranks and midnight feasts. More serious themes are tackled, for instance, the effects of WWII – "The Chalet School in Exile" deals with its German and Austrian girls having to leave and the school eventually having to evacuate to England. The school's close links with the Sanatorium (apart from Madge and Jem, quite a few ex-pupils and staff end up marrying doctors, not least of all Joey!) mean that a number of girls have relatives at the San and there is acknowledgment that not everyone will live, and even those who do may not recover fully.
To me, part of the charm of reading contemporaries written years ago is getting a sense of the social norms and values of the time, and the CS books are no exception. The girls get ticked off for using slang – for instance, the word "smashing" is absolutely taboo! They have to "croc", walking two-by-two in public places and keeping their voices low in case they disturb passers-by. In "The Chalet School Triplets", there is a school trip where they end up in a department store (with lifts operated by liftmen) and there is mention of how the mistresses "turned them loose, warning them to keep sight of each other", even though the youngest is "nearly sixteen-and-a-half". Nowadays, teens pretty much roam where they please at will, surely?
Re-reading these books (together with commentary from the CBB boards) also made me realise several anomalies that never struck me at that time. For instance, Joey Maynard (nee Bettany)'s close involvement with the Chalet School – didn't she ever want to let go? And how the teachers (or mistresses) stayed sane in the closed atmosphere, especially in the latter Switzerland books when they were based on the Platz, and it was a good hour to anywhere else. And oh, lots of other things which amuse me now 🙂
As much as I'm loving these, I'm starting to find a bit of same-ness seeping through – I will probably finish a few more that I want to re-read over the next couple of weeks… and then move on to my next obsession!
Re-Read Challenge: Elizabeth Peters' "The Mummy Case"
March 1, 2009 March 1, 2009 / bookdaze	/ 11 Comments
I made the deadline this month! Just.
Right, after umm-ing and ahh-ing about the choice of books, I went for an Amelia Peabody book. Despite only stumbling onto this series relatively recently (I read the first one just over two years ago, and the first book "Crocodile on the Sandbank" was written back in 1975), I love love love this series. I cannot describe how much I adore the Amelia books. It is one of my all-time favourite series. Ever.
In case you haven't read any of these books yet (in which case, what are you waiting for?!), these are mysteries set in turn-of-the-century Egypt. Amelia, her husband Emerson, her son Ramses, and other family members are keen archaeologists, who manage to embroil themselves in mysteries and mayhem during their annual excavations. And yes, there is a strong romance element in these books.
I chose "The Mummy Case", because this is the first book where Ramses (Amelia and Emerson's son) plays a large part – and I am completely infatuated with Ramses. This is the first time I've re-read TMC since finishing the Peabody series, and it was interesting to revisit these characters early on in their family life. I wonder if Ms Peters knew where she was going to take these characters in later books when she wrote the early ones?
These books are written in Amelia's POV, journal-style (though in later ones, Ramses and others' POV are also included), and Amelia is on fire in this book. Her relationship with Ramses is forefront in this one, with her attempts to conceal her pride in her son (even in her personal journal) hilarious. And I love her matter-of-factness about things; this is a typical paragraph:
[Ramses] was also alarmingly precocious. A lady of my acquaintance used that term to me, after Ramses, aged four, had treated her to a lecture on the proper method of excavating a compost heap (hers, in point of fact). (Her gardener was extremely abusive.) When I replied that in my opinion, the adjective was ill-chosen, she believed me to be offended. What I meant was the word was inadequate. "Catastrophically precocious" would have been nearer the mark. (p.6)
The running joke in this book is Emerson's reproaches to Amelia for being undemonstrative towards Ramses, but after one of the final scenes, I don't think he will ever accuse her of being unmaternal again!
As always, Ms Peters brings late 19th-century Egypt to life. There is one scene when Amelia and Emerson set out to a rendezvous with a possible villain in the midst of the old city at night – incredibly atmospheric and wonderfully suspenseful. Ms Peters' love and knowledge of Egypt shine through in her writing and always make me want to visit Egypt – this is an example:
[The pyramids of Dahshoor] are built of white limestone, and this snowy covering exhibits bewitching changes of tint, according to the quality of light – a mazy gold at sunset, a ghostly translucent pallor under the glow of the moon. Now, at a little past noon, the towering structures shone dazzlingly white against the deep blue of the sky. (p.132)
Ahhh… there is so much I loved about this book that I have no idea how I'm going to cover it all. The chaos that follows young Ramses despite his parents' best efforts, Amelia's passion for pyramids, Emerson's insistence that he doesn't want to get tangled up in mysteries (hah!), the multiplying mummy cases…
Oh yes, and the ending in this book is brilliant. Without giving too much away, Amelia and Emerson end up in what seems like a hopeless situation (and I do mean hopeless), and how Ms Peters resolves it and the aftermath is incredibly funny.
"The Mummy Case" is packed with hilarious scenes, Egyptian detail, characters that capture your heart, and a plot full of twists and turns. This is a wonderful installment in the Amelia Peabody series, and I'm glad I chose to re-read it for this challenge. In fact, I'll probably continue on to the others now.
Back cover blurb:
The irascible husband of Victorian Egyptologist Amelia Peabody is living up to his reputation as 'The Father of Curses'. Denied permission to dig at the Pyramids of Dahshoor, Emerson is awarded instead the 'Pyramids' of Mazghunah – countless mounds of rubble in the middle of nowhere. Nothing in this barren spot seems of any interest – but then a murder in Cairo changes all of that. The dead man was an antiques dealer, killed in his shop, so when a sinister-looking Egyptian spotted at the crime scene turns up in Mazghunah, Amelia can't resist following his trail. At the same time she has to keep an eagle eye on her wayward son Ramses and his elegant and calculating cat and look into the mysterious disappearance of a mummy case…
TBR Day: Lynne Graham's "The Boss's Valentine"
January 21, 2009 January 24, 2009 / bookdaze	/ 3 Comments
This month's challenge theme: Category romance
Book: The Boss's Valentine (category romance)
Author: Lynne Graham
Copyright Date: 2003 (re-released in 2008 )
Me and… Category Romance: I used to read tons of Mills & Boons (or Harlequins for those in the States) back in my university days, primarily because they formed the majority of the local library's romance collection. And then I moved to the big city and suddenly, there were bookstores! With proper romance sections! With American imports! So I gradually started cutting back on the number of M&Bs I read, and started buying based on the author instead of the back cover blurb. Now, only one author remains a M&B autobuy for me: Lynne Graham. I'm a sucker for her innocent English heroine and ruthless Mediterranean hero plots.
Why did I buy this book? It's a Lynne Graham. Refer to previous paragraph. Plus the fact they were re-releasing this with the old-fashioned covers. Ah, nostalgia.
Why did it sit in my TBR pile for so long? The downside of only reading one M&B author is that the books begin to feel very formulaic after a while. And unfortunately the opening chapter of this one were so clichéd, I never got past the first few pages.
What is it about? Naive ditzy heroine, who secretly would prefer to be a nanny but forced by circumstances to do a nine-to-five job in Marketing. A very alpha, very handsome Italian boss, who despite his best efforts, can't help noticing the junior that constantly messes up in Marketing. Company do. Alcohol. What else but a secret baby plot? With a Big Misunderstanding for good measure.
So what did I think of it? Okay, I hate to say this because it is a Lynne Graham and some of her books are on my keeper shelf, but the first half of this book bored me. I skimmed through most of it, though once Santino figured out he had a baby, things got interesting.
The whole nanny-turned-incompetent-office-worker and super-powerful-and-rich-businessman setup felt dated, and then the bitchy secretary setting up the Big Misunderstanding didn't make it feel any fresher.
But then, Poppy developed a backbone and faced life as a single mum, Poppy and Santino bumped into each other again, and then I got into the story. And there were bits that made me smile: Security turning a blind eye to Poppy trying to get out of the office the morning after, Santino sneaking upstairs to see his daughter for the first time, etc.
This really felt like a story of two halves to me, and I suspect part of it is due to me working in an office environment as well and rolling my eyes at Poppy's fumbling around with computers and coffee, etc, in the first few chapters.
My conclusion? Not one of Ms Graham's best, but I must admit I wasn't quite in the right mood for it. And my own experience may have influenced my reaction to the plot. I'm going to read her latest release and see if I feel differently or if I just need to take a break from her books for a while.
As an aside, what's happened to titles like "The Boss's Valentine"? Now we have "The Greek Tycoon's Disobedient Bride" and "The Ruthless Magnate's Virgin Mistress".
TBR Day: Donna Andrew's "Murder with Peacocks"
December 17, 2008 / bookdaze	/ 6 Comments
Book: Murder with Peacocks (cosy mystery) – excerpt here
Author: Donna Andrews
Copyright Date: 1999
Why did I buy this book? I'm always on the lookout for new cosy mysteries.
Why did it sit in my TBR pile for so long? Because my last couple of impulse buys in this subgenre have been, well, shall we say more miss than hit? But I read the anthology "Unusual Suspects" a couple of weeks ago, liked Donna Andrews' contribution, looked her up and realised that she wrote cosy mysteries. So I made a mental note to check out her books, then thought a bit harder, and delved into the depths of my TBR pile. Sure enough, Ms Andrews' "Murder with Peacocks" was there.
What is it about? Meg Langslow is going to have a rather busy summer, she's maid of honour for three weddings – her mum's, best friend's, and sister-in-law-to-be's. She heads back to her hometown to help organise the weddings, and finds herself involved in a series of possible homicides and near-fatal accidents.
So what did I think of it? This book won the Agatha Award for Best First Novel back when it first came out, according to the front cover. So after enjoying her short story in "Unusual Suspects" and seeing that award, it's probably fair to say I had rather high expectations for this one.
Unusually for a cosy mystery, there isn't much focus on Meg's profession – she's an ornamental blacksmith, but seeing she takes the summer off, I suppose there wasn't much scope for exploring the ins and outs of blacksmithing. The focus instead is very much on wedding preparations together with Meg's family and friends. Her hometown is populated with a whole cast of eccentric characters, of which her family are probably the craziest. It's not quite slapstick, but close to it, and sometimes it worked for me, and other times it didn't.
I thought the pacing was too slow at the beginning, though it picked up once the first murder occurred. The trying-to-throw-suspicion-on-everyone conversations were slightly boring, mainly because a lot of suspects just didn't feel plausible. Meg doesn't really play amateur sleuth in this one – it's her dad that takes up the investigation with gusto, and Meg just gets dragged into his various madcap schemes.
Character-wise, I liked Meg, but I felt as though she was rather doormat-ish in the way she just agreed to do everything for the three brides-to-be. I mean, she was doing them a favour in the first place. If it had been me, I'd told them exactly where to get off. And there could have been a tad bit more chemistry between Meg and her romantic interest. I wasn't really feeling the attraction on her part nor the frustration on his part. Having said that, I did like their blossoming relationship, and the ending made me want to read the next book.
My conclusion? I'm wondering whether my OCD-ish need to start series from the beginning means that I start with books where the author hasn't really hit his or her stride yet. Despite my issues with this book, I thought there was some promise here, so I'm planning on picking up more books in this series. B- for me.
TBR Day: Tara Janzen's "On the Loose"
November 19, 2008 / bookdaze	/ 5 Comments
Book: On the Loose (romantic suspense) – excerpt here
Author: Tara Janzen
Why did I buy this book? I first stumbled upon Tara Janzen's Steele Street books a good few years ago. Centred around a super-secret Denver-based special forces group, there was fast-paced action, lots of testosterone, and super-alpha heroes matched up with feisty heroines. Oh, and cars. They were fun entertaining reads – sure, they required some suspension of disbelief, but I was hooked. "On the Loose" is the seventh book in this series, and I picked it up a while back.
Why did it sit in my TBR pile for so long? Well, as much I loved the earlier books, this series went horribly off-course in the fifth and sixth books, "Crazy Love" and "Crazy Sweet", IMO. The characters underwent dramatic personality changes between one book and the next, the plots became off-the-wall crazy (and not in a good way), and I lost interest in finding out what would happen next.
What is it about? C Smith Rydell and Honoria "Honey" York-Lytton were the secondary h/h characters in "Crazy Sweet", and to be honest, they were the one redeeming factor in that book for me. Coming from totally opposite worlds, Smith is the hardened Special Defense Forces agent, and Honey the East Coast heiress and socialite. Reunited in this book, Smith has to escort Honey to the depths of the El Savadoran jungles, deliver a few million dollars and some gunpower to the rebels, and get them out safely again. All in a day's work for a man like Smith…
So what did I think of it? I've always mentally grouped Ms Janzen's books under the "If you like Suzanne Brockmann, you'll probably enjoy the Steele Street books", and to some extent, that still holds true. There are a lot of similarities between the books, not least being we spend a lot of the book in the hero's POV, and there's usually a secondary couple that ends up being the h/h of an upcoming book. Where it differs is that here, having a masculine POV appears to mainly consist of swearing and lusting after the heroine's body, and the plot tends to be weak and cobweb thin.
The plot in this book largely went over my head, mainly because I couldn't be bothered to try and keep up with the twists and turns. Everything, and I mean everything, was thrown in there as justification for the implausible storyline that had Honey trotting off to El Salvador with her Louis Vuitton suitcases – drugs, US political maneuvering, local governments, guerillas, blackmail, double-crosses, misunderstandings. Did I care? Not really.
I must admit to feeling some ambiguity when it came to the political aspects because I'm unfamiliar with South American politics and don't know which cause I'm meant to identify with – the government or the rebels? Maybe Ms Janzen is making a point that it's not black and white, and that there are grey areas, but I do like feeling that I know where things are in relation to my personal views. Perhaps this is where using an actual country as opposed to a fictional one makes it more difficult for a reader.
Okay, so I didn't care for the plot. But it wasn't all bad, I liked C Smith and Honey. I liked finally getting to know what the C stood for. I liked the humour. And I very much liked the intriguing Alejandro Campos that Ms Janzen introduced. So much that I may even buy the next book if it's his story. And I guess this is where Ms Janzen excels, she makes certain characters so compelling that you really really want to read their story.
My conclusion? Not the best book in this series, but not the worst either. It had some of the magic of the earlier books, and I may, just may, get the next book "Cutting Loose". C+ for me.
TBR Day: India Grey's "The Italian's Defiant Mistress"
September 17, 2008 / bookdaze	/ Leave a comment
Book: The Italian's Defiant Mistress (contemporary romance)
Author: India Grey
Why did I buy this book? I heard good things about India Grey's debut novel on the various review sites, so added it to my Amazon cart when shopping one day.
Why did it sit in my TBR pile for so long? The only Mills & Boon's author I read with any regularity is Lynne Graham – for some reason, I'm a sucker for her stories. So Ms Grey's book kept on being pushed to the bottom of my TBR pile… until I needed a slim book for TBR Day (yes, this is a very last-minute thing).
What is it about? Standard M&B back-cover blurb:
The Italian billionaire's inexperienced mistress Eve Middlemiss has come to Florence desperate for information. And only darkly good-looking multimillionaire Raphael di Lazaro, heir to the Lazaro Fashion House, holds the answers she's searching for. Surrounded by glamour and decadence, Eve is totally out of her depth – until she realises she is the one Raphael wants! If becoming the Italian's mistress is what it takes to find out the truth about her family, Eve realises she must feign the sophistication and experience she's sure Raphael is accustomed to – but that means making herself available to his every desire…
So what did I think of it? Standard M&B title, standard M&B back cover blurb, standard M&B characters and plotline? Pretty much so – Eve is an inexperienced virgin who just happens to be incredibly sexy and beautiful, Raphael a drop-dead gorgeous Italian billionaire. Having said that, I think when you pick up an M&B, you expect a certain type of story, and this definitely ticked all the boxes.
My main bugbear with this story was the plot. I hate the Big MIS plot device, which provided the main conflict in this story – Eve thinks Raphael is a drug-dealer, while Raphael thinks Eve is a not-to-be-trusted journalist. And towards the end, even more misunderstandings ensue.
However, I thought Ms Grey's writing was strong and I loved the background and settings. I thought it had a very British feel to the story – it's hard to pin down exactly why, but I definitely knew Eve was British. Not knowing many Italians myself, I can't vouch for the authenticity of the Italian characters and settings, but certainly they felt real to me!
My conclusion? Despite using the Big MIS plotline, I thought the writing was strong and the characters believable. I'm always impressed by how much story M&B authors manage to cram into a 200-page book. All in all, it was an enjoyable quick read and I will probably be looking out for Ms Grey's next books.
TBR Day: Neil Gaiman's "Stardust"
August 20, 2008 / bookdaze	/ 11 Comments
Book: Stardust (fantasy)
Why did I buy this book? My sister had a bit of a Gaiman glom some time back, and insisted that I read this one. We more or less share the same tastes when it comes to reading, so I took her word that this was a good one.
Why did it sit in my TBR pile for so long? I read the first couple of chapters about a year ago now, just before the movie came out. While I thought his writing had a certain charm, I just wasn't in the right mood. And once I've started a book and not continued, I have a very bad habit of not returning to it!
What is it about? From the back-cover blurb:
In the sleepy English countryside at the dawn of the Victorian era, life moves at a leisurely pace in the tiny town of Wall. Young Tristan Thorn has lost his heart to the beautiful Victoria Forester, but Victoria is as cold and distant as the star she and Tristan see fall from the sky one evening. For the prize of Victoria's hand, Tristan vows to retrieve the star for his beloved. It is an oath that sends the lovelorn swain over the town's ancient wall and into a world that is dangerous and strange beyond imagining…
So what did I think of it? Once I made up my mind to read this, I was totally engrossed. I thought it read like a charming fairy tale for adults. And for such a slim book (194 pages in my version), it packs so much story and is wonderfully-plotted. All the subplots somehow tie themselves in with the main thread and come together beautifully at the end. I say "somehow", because it's not at all obvious how they're going to fit together or resolve themselves, yet everything works out perfectly!
It's full of whimsical gems; this sentence describing the size of Fairie is a lovely example:
But Faerie is bigger than England, as it is bigger than the world (for, since the dawn of time, each land that has been forced off the map by explorers and the brave going out and proving it wasn't there has taken refuge in Faerie; so it is now, but the time that we come to write of it, a most huge place indeed, containing every manner of landscape and terrain).
Character-wise, Tristan, the protagonist, is a very engaging young man, and watching him grow into himself throughout the book was completely satisfying. All the secondary characters are nicely fleshed-out, and for a story that reads like a lighthearted fairy-tale at first, the evil characters do radiate a proper sense of menace and danger. Which makes it all the more gratifying when they get their come-uppance. And yes, there's humour – there were some bits that made me snicker.
The only thing that kept niggling at me – and this is very much just me – is that because I knew that there was a movie (sigh, I held off on watching the movie because I wanted to read the books first… time to hit the DVD rentals, I think), I kept on trying to visualise how a scene would transfer onto the big screen! Arrghh. I did try to stop myself, but I would catch myself doing it. Very annoying.
My conclusion? A very strong B+ and I think I'll have to track down more of Mr Gaiman's backlist. Does anyone know if his other books are written in the same style?
TBR Day: Anne Stuart's "Night of the Phantom"
July 16, 2008 July 15, 2008 / bookdaze	/ 7 Comments
Book: Night of the Phantom (contemporary romance)
Author: Anne Stuart
Why did I buy this book? I read a couple of Anne Stuart's older books last year and really liked them, so have been keeping my eye out for more of the same.
Why did it sit in my TBR pile for so long? I need to be in the right mood for reading contemporaries, because it's not one of my favourite genres.
What is it about? Ms Stuart describes this one as "…a dreamy, erotic take on Phantom of the Opera crossed with Beauty and the Beast, with ghosts and crazed fundamentalists thrown in for good measure." And that's a pretty spot-on description!
Megan Carey discovers her father, a construction business owner, has been cutting corners and using substandard materials using designs by a famed but reclusive architect. Somehow, the architect, Ethan Winslowe, has discovered this, and is threatening to turn her father in unless he turns up in person at his house. Megan lets her father persuade her to go in his place and plead his case. What she hasn't counted on is the fact Ethan lives in the middle of nowhere, the nearest town is populated with hostile people, and oh, he lives in complete darkness due to some sort of unspecified disability… or is it deformity?
So what did I think about it? I loved the gothic-ness of the storyline. How Ethan lives in complete isolation with only his faithful manservant for company, and how he hides himself away in darkness. And the build-up to Megan wearing Ethan down and him finally revealing himself – I was dying of curiosity to find out exactly how he looked!
Ms Stuart said in the foreword that she just let herself go OTT with this one, and the story did have some pretty fantastical elements. For instance, Megan is constantly moved between different rooms, each with a different theme – she starts off in a medieval dungeon-like room, is then moved to a castle room, a Southwestern-styled room, a Park Avenue penthouse, etc, etc. And the townspeople were just plain creepy.
What didn't work for me though was the mystical connection between Ethan and Megan, and how they could hear the other "calling" them. It was working very well as a straight contemporary (obviously suspending your disbelief to some extent!), but once the paranormal elements came in, it changed the story somehow, and I just found myself flipping through the pages to get to the end.
Finally, as a side-note, although this is a contemporary, it was written in the early 1990s, so some elements felt slightly dated. For instance, there was mention of items not really used nowadays, such as traveller's cheques, and lack of reference to everyday items, for instance, no mobile phones! This didn't bother me, but it made me realise how many changes there have been to everyday life in the past decade or so.
My conclusion? I loved the atmospheric set-up, but the mystical parts didn't work. I'll still look out for more of Ms Stuart's backlist, but this one wasn't a keeper for me. C+.


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Christofer Löfberg, född 11 oktober 1986 i Stockholm, är en svensk före detta ishockeyspelare. I Elitserien har han spelat för Djurgårdens IF och Rögle BK.

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Män
Födda 1986
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Svenska ishockeyspelare
Spelare i Djurgården Hockey
Spelare i Rögle BK
Idrottare från Stockholm
Spelare valda i NHL Entry Draft 2005
Spelare valda av Detroit Red Wings i NHL Entry Draft
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Chicago International Film Festival
53rd Chicago International Film Festival Awards – A SORT OF FAMILY Wins Gold Hugo
A Sort of Family
Diego Lerman's A Sort of Family took home the top prize at the 2017 Chicago International Film Festival, the Gold Hugo, in the International Feature Film Competition. A Sort of Family, which had its U.S. premiere in Chicago, tells the story of a doctor's desperate journey to adopt a baby girl.
The Silver Hugo for Best Director was awarded to Joanna Kos-Krause and co-director Krzysztof Krauze for Birds Are Singing in Kigali (Poland), and the Silver Hugo Special Jury Prize was awarded to Félicité, (Senegal, France, Belgium) directed by Alain Gomis. Iranian director Vahid Jalilvand took home top honors in the New Directors Competition with a Gold Hugo for No Date, No Signature, and the Silver Hugo was awarded to Milad Alami for The Charmer (Denmark).
The Roger Ebert Award, presented to an emerging filmmaker with a fresh and uncompromising vision by Chaz Ebert, was awarded to Colombian director Laura Mora for Killing Jesús, and the Chicago Award was taken home by Stephen Cone for Princess Cyd.
The Founder's Award, given to one film across all categories that captures the spirit of the Chicago International Film Festival for its unique and innovative approach to the art of the moving image, was presented to Guillermo Del Toro's The Shape of Water.
"All of the films competing for prizes this year were outstanding, and I salute our jury for rising to the daunting task of selecting those that received the top honors," said Festival Artistic Director Mimi Plauché. "We are proud to honor such a diverse group of films, shining a spotlight on the extraordinary work being created by men and women throughout the world. This year's honorees span the globe, featuring talent from almost every continent, as well as one who lives only a few miles from the theater."
2017 Chicago International Film Festival Award Winners
Gold Hugo
A Sort of Family (Una especie de familia), Dir. Diego Lerman, Argentina.
This film amazed the jury in two ways that are difficult to achieve by themselves and even more difficult together. At a personal level, it delivers a journey of wrenching twists, maintaining tension while also enabling empathy with a complicated, sometimes reckless character in an impossible situation. At a political level, it draws attention to systemic abuses of women, especially poor women, that transpire all over our world. A Sort of Family synthesizes these two tracks seamlessly, with sterling craftsmanship and superb performances throughout.
Birds Are Singing in Kigali (Ptaki śpiewają w Kigali), Dirs. Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze, Poland.
This film sets itself a huge challenge, both artistic and ethical, of evoking a tragedy without simply re-staging its events or relying on sentimentality to move its audience. The tough, inventive direction allows such risks to pay off, alternating between realist and poetic styles in ways that achieve a tremendous emotional force, expanding the boundaries for how trauma can be commemorated on screen. The jury acknowledges with sorrow the many places around the globe where this story remains relevant, and honors Joanna Kos-Krauze as well as, posthumously, her late husband and co-director, Krzysztof Krauze.
Silver Hugo Jury Prize
Félicité, Dir. Alain Gomis, Senegal, France, Belgium.
This movie transports its audience to a vividly evoked community in Kinshasa, without indulging the stereotypes by which Africa is often depicted on screen. Instead, we meet a tenacious, complex heroine who insists on living by her own terms, even amid situations that deprive her of easy choices. The music in the movie is unforgettable, and its structure is itself musical, building in unexpected movements, interludes, and crescendos toward its rewarding conclusion.
Silver Hugo Best Actresses
Awarded ex-aequo to Jowita Budnik and Eliane Umuhire in Birds are Singing in Kigali (Ptaki śpiewają w Kigali), Dirs. Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze, Poland.
The only way to honor these two performances, so dissimilar in style yet perfectly in sync, is to award a joint citation. Each actress brought depth and power to the scenes that emphasized her character, making Anna and Claudine accessible to the audience without divulging all their secrets. When acting together, they conveyed a unique symbiosis, sometimes painful, sometimes comforting, that will bond these women forever.
Silver Hugo Best Actor
Awarded to Aleksandr Yatsenko in Arrhythmia, Dir. Boris Khlebnikov, Russia, Finland, Germany
The versatile Yatsenko, maintaining his fruitful collaboration with director Boris Khlebnikov, hits a new creative peak as a skillful but unreliable paramedic, eliciting the audience's contempt at times and its sympathy at others. The actor finds endless degrees of human imperfection between these two poles, giving a performance that allows the whole movie to work.
Silver Plaque Best Screenplay
Awarded to Mohammad Rasoulof for A Man of Integrity (Lerd), Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof, Iran.
Early on, this film introduces us to many different facets of its main character's life that barely seem to relate. Gradually and powerfully, the script teases out the connections, all of which culminate in a haunting finale. This structure requires patience and discipline from its writer-director Mohammad Rasoulof. In a festival full of modern spins on film noir, he gives us one of the best, set in an unlikely place.
Silver Plaque Best Cinematography
Awarded to Chayse Irvin for Hannah, Dir. Andreas Pallaoro, Italy, France, Belgium.
Hannah tells the story of a very guarded woman and is itself a guarded film, refusing to spell out the motives or contexts behind a lonely woman's behavior. The images, then, must convey feelings and ideas that the screenplay and character will not. Through meticulous composition, unexpected framing, and a finely calibrated color palette, they do just that.
Awarded to Václav Novak for The Line (Čiara), Dir. Peter Bebjak, Slovakia, Ukraine, Czech Republic.
The jury marveled at the natural locations in The Line, all expertly chosen and photographed. The built environments, too, abound with subtle and character-revealing detail. Without calling undue attention to itself, the scenery always served the entertaining story, while colorfully avoiding the visual clichés one might expect from a tribute to film noir.
The Shape of Water, Dir. Guillermo Del Toro, USA
The Founders Award is personally presented by Festival Founder Michael Kutza to the single film he feels best embodies the spirit of curiosity, optimism and love of film that led to his starting the Chicago International Film Festival 53-year ago. "The Shape of Water is beautiful, inspiring and the epitome of why I love the movies," remarked Kutza. "Del Toro is a master filmmaker, and this is one of his most magnificent films to date."
New Directors Competition
No Date, No Signature (Bedoune Tarikh, Bedoune Emza). Dir. Vahid Jalilvand, Iran.
The Gold Hugo goes to Vahid Jalilvand's No Date, No Signature (Iran) for the austere beauty of its imagery and the satisfying complexity with which this assured second feature explores dilemmas of guilt and grief in a medical examiner who may or may not have accidentally killed a small boy.
Silver Hugo
The Charmer (Charmøren), Dir. Milad Alami, Denmark.
The Silver Hugo goes to Milad Alami's The Charmer (Denmark), a gripping, beautifully lensed drama that continues to haunt us with its portrayal of paranoia and frayed human connection. The journey of an Iranian man seeking courtship in Denmark culminates in a final sequence so startling and deftly executed that it is guaranteed to provoke debate for years to come.
Roger Ebert Award
Killing Jesús (Matar a Jesús), Dir. Laura Mora, Colombia, Argentina.
The Roger Ebert Award goes to Laura Mora's Killing Jesús (Colombia), which contains the richest example of a quality Roger Ebert treasured in cinema. Mora's lead heroine tracks down her father's killer initially in pursuit of vengeance, until she realizes that his crime was merely a symptom of a corrupted society. The film is wise and perceptive in its suggestion that empathy itself can serve as a form of catharsis.
Documentary Competition
The Other Side of the Wall (Al otro lado del muro), Dir. Pau Ortiz, Spain, Mexico.
The Gold Hugo goes to The Other Side of the Wall, a film with two of the most riveting characters we've had the pleasure to see in a documentary. With intimate access, filmmaker Pau Ortiz tells the poignant story of a family in the midst of crisis, struggling to survive with their matriarch incarcerated. With extraordinary sensitivity, Ortiz presents their lives as an unflinching portrait of the ties that bind.
Mr. Gay Syria, Dir. Ayse Toprak, France, Germany, Turkey.
The Silver Hugo goes to Mr. Gay Syria directed by Ayse Toprak, a film that looks at the Syrian refugee crisis through the lens of the LGBT community. At times sad and at times humorous, she captures a slice of life of a community in transition.
Out-Look Competition
Gold Q-Hugo
BPM (120 battements par minute), Dir. Robin Campillo, France.
The Gold Q Hugo Film Award goes to BPM-Beats Per Minute (France) for its necessary honesty, unmatched portrayal of love and loss, but most importantly for embodying what it really means to make the personal political.
Silver Q-Hugo
God's Own Country, Dir. Francis Lee, United Kingdom.
The Silver Q Hugo Film Award goes to God's Own Country (UK) for its simple yet robust exploration of masculinity, desire, and unspoken intimacy within our most important relationships.
Chicago Award
Princess Cyd, Dir. Stephen Cone, USA.
Princess Cyd won for its clear tonality, lyrical storytelling, and graceful authenticity. With strong writing and relatable characters, director Stephen Cone crafts a very honest, very human story that features a capable and complex female lead. The entire cast plays a substantial role in bringing a subtle delicacy to this coming-of-age story, set against an intimate Chicago backdrop.
Documentary Short Film Competition
The Rabbit Hunt, Dir. Patrick Bresnan, USA.
No shot is wasted in this epic 12-minute observational documentary gem. It is truly our privilege to be invited on this journey as seventeen-year-old Chris and his family partake in a local right of passage as well as making ends meet while living in an industrial community in the Florida Everglades. Masterful and precise.
Gold Plaque
The Streets Are Ours: Two Lives Cross in Karachi, Dir. Michelle Fiordaliso, USA.
The Streets Are Ours: Two Lives Cross in Karachi chronicles two women who stand es examples of the ongoing struggle in Pakistan to open up creative and democratic spaces where people of all genders, sexual orientations, creeds and colors can express themselves freely and without fear. This film is a way to inspire people to voice their stories and to work with passion in order to overcome intolerance and silence.
The Painted Calf, Dir. David Pantaleón, Spain.
With its biblical soundtrack and the Canary Islands as a backdrop, this documentary is a reminder that film can say so much about a small place in the world simply through song, cinematography, and pacing. The Painted Calf is a special film because despite its simple story, the film transports the viewer visually, sonically, and most importantly patiently.
Animated Short Film Competition
Airport, Dir. Michaela Müller, Switzerland, Croatia.
Great art can make you feel like you are living an experience. Watching Airport gave us all the sensation we were in that space. A film that takes us to a place we don't want to go in the most kinetic, sensual way possible. An ominous, topical film that is never heavy-handed.
Drop by Drop, Dirs. Xá, Laura Gonçalves, Portugal.
Great transitions and flow combine to create a moving portrait of diminishing returns.
Beyond Fields of Paper, Dir. Yiyi Ma, USA
Special mention to Yiyi Ma for her moving portrait of an artist in transition.
Narrative Short Film Competition
Night Shift, Dir. Marshall Tyler, USA.
The jury awards the Gold Hugo to Night Shift for developing a rich character whose Dantesque journey of colorful self-reflection inspires us to break free and gamble on ourselves.
A Gentle Night, Dir. Qui Yang, China.
The jury awards the Silver Hugo to A Gentle Night for it's challenging look at familial complacency, which is exposed when cultural barriers are breached during a crisis.
Fucking Bunnies, Dir. Teemu Niukkanen, Finland.
The jury would like to offer special mention to Fucking Bunnies for its humorous take on finding common ground and celebrating our differences.
'Nomadland' 'Under the Open Sky' 'The Road Up' Win Audience Choice Awards at 56th Chicago Film Festival
Chicago International Film Festival 2020 Winners - SWEAT and THINGS WE DATE NOT DO Win Gold Hugo
Bruno Santamaría's THINGS WE DARE NOT DO Premieres in U.S. at Chicago Film Festival, Followed by DOC NYC
Iranian Film CARELESS CRIME to Premiere at Chicago Film Festival
56th Chicago International Film Festival Announces Lineup, Closes with NOMADLAND
World Premiere of John Belushi Documentary to Kick off Chicago International Film Festival
A Man of Integrity A Sort of Family (Una especie de familia) Arrhythmia BIRDS ARE SINGING IN KIGALI BPM (Beats Per Minute) Félicité God's Own Country Hannah (2017) KILLING JESUS (MATAR A JESÚS) MR. GAY SYRIA No Date No Signature Princess Cyd The Charmer The Line THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL The Shape of Water
THE PIRATES OF SOMALIA Starring Barkhad Abdi, Melanie Griffith and Al Pacino, Gets A Release Date


France and Portugal booked their passage to the 2018 World Cup as winners of their respective groups, while the Netherlands failed to reach the play-offs.
Didier Deschamps' France were confirmed as Group A winners on Monday after they beat Belarus 2-1 at Stade de France in their final World Cup qualifier.
All three goals were scored in the first half as Les Bleus took a 2-0 lead through Antoine Griezmann (27′) and Olivier Giroud (33′), before Anton Saroka (44′) pulled one back for the visitors.
Sweden finished runners-up in the group, despite going down 2-0 to the Netherlands at the Amsterdam ArenA.
A first-half brace from Arjen Robben (16′ pen, 40′) was not enough to take the Oranje above Janne Andersson's side, who ended the qualifying campaign with a superior goal difference after being tied on 19 points.
Portugal also secured automatic qualification to Russia 2018 after a 2-0 win over Switzerland saw them win Group B on goal difference.
The Swiss were leading the group going into the final qualifier, but found themselves trailing at the break through Johan Djourou's 41st-minute own-goal, with Andre Silva (57′) sealing the win for Fernando Santos' men in the second half, and with it top spot.
Meanwhile, Belgium cruised to a 4-0 win over Cyprus at the King Baudouin Stadium to finish nine points clear at the Group H summit, having gone unbeaten through the campaign.
Eden Hazard (12′, 52′, 63′ pen) starred for the Red Devils with a hat-trick before Romelu Lukaku (78′) wrapped up the three points.
Greece keep their World Cup dream alive with a 4-0 victory over whipping boys Gibraltar at the Karaiskakis Stadium taking them into the play-offs.
The Greeks only had one goal to show for their efforts in the first half, scored by Vassilis Torosidis in the 32nd minute, but a quick-fire brace from Kostas Mitroglou (61′, 63′) settled the nerves and Giannis Gianniotas completed the rout 12 minutes from time.
A slip-up would have opened the door for Bosnia-Herzegovina to clinch the runners-up position, and they gave themselves every chance by triumphing 2-1 against Estonia at A. Le Coq Arena.
Izet Hajrovic (48′, 84′) struck twice for the visitors in Tallinn to secure victory, after Ilja Antonov (75′) had briefly restored parity in the closing stages.
However, it was not be as Greece finished two points ahead of them in the group.


For the past 39+ years, Mr. Birney has been engaged exclusively as a trial attorney responsible for preparation and management of medical malpractice litigation actions on behalf of defendant physicians, medical groups and hospitals; including representation of physicians before the Medical Board, State of California, regarding licensure issues.
Mr. Birney has also lectured extensively at seminars throughout California and nationwide, focused upon risk management for the medical professional, including a video tape on management of the HIV+/AIDS patient.
- By election/invitation, defense lawyers specializing in medical negligence litigation; 30 practicing in Southern California and 30 practicing in Northern California.


All preschool classes are open to children ages 3-5 who are fully potty trained, or close to it! CDA is an allergy friendly school as well as open to working with families with children who have special needs. Additonally, CDA offers a $10 monthly discount for siblings enrolled at the same time. We believe that preschool days should work for a families needs, not the other way around. You pick the days that will work for you and we will make your child a welcome part of our class!
Let's work together to create a wonderful, educational experience for your child!
A non-refundable $65 registration fee is required for the entire 2019-2020 school year to hold your spot. This fee is used for student supplies and materials throughout the school year and is not applied to monthly tuition and includes a t-shirt and one free field trip!
Contact CDA for more information.
Four different class times area available to create the perfect schedule for YOU!
You pick the schedule that works for you for the school year to create the best learning experience possible for your children!
A great start to the early learning experience! It is encouraged that children come three or four days a week. We will enjoy circle time, art projects, reading, writing, large motor activities and much, much more! Classes are offered during the morning session and the afternoon as well!
Pre-Kindergarten Classes meet up to five days a week, for children entering Kindergarten the following school year. Classes are offered both during the morning session as well as the afternoon. We will enjoy circle time, art projects, reading, writing, large motor activities, along with a strong focus towards Kindergarten Readiness.


The public can also vote on a list of community voices who will join the panel, this vote will be done through selected media partner channels. The chosen representatives will be pillars of the local Hull community.
The Club will choose influencers (to include ex-players, sponsors, football industry influencers etc) that will form the rest of the panel. These representatives will provide relevant knowledge and experience.
The full panel will be revealed to the public. The profile on the Designer will also be Revealed.
Members of the general public can choose their favourite crest shape in order of priority.
Members of the general public can choose their favourite elements in order of priority, the ones with the most votes will be selected to be the final 3 for the design. Supporters will also be able to choose their crest shape of preference.
The panel will meet to decide the final crest with the Club.


Great Customer Service… a Dying Act?
Do the finger tips dig into your finger nails?
Are they too tight? Too loose?
Easy to put on and remove?
Provide good grip on all steering wheel materials?
After digging through several different brands and styles, I chose a pair of Alpinestars Tech 1-K Race Gloves. They easily met all my needs and the price point was right. Immediately used them at the next event I was able to attend and couldn't be happier. Fast forward a few months later, the gloves had only around 40 minutes of total use. I got a call from some friends to do a indoor go kart race at a local indoor track. A 3 hour endurance race in teams of 3. Couldn't turn it down so I committed and participated. After a rigorous drive and a good finish, I noticed something dangling on from my gloves. The tacky material on the palms of my rather new gloves had come off. I couldn't believe it since they were still quite new.
I call up Alpinestars customer service the next day. My expectation was that I would get your typical run around and investigation needed into how I used my gloves before they could do anything about it. Not so. 4 minutes into the call, I was speaking with a rep and an RMA number + shipping instructions was immediately given to me. The following day, they were in a bag on its way to Southern California. Once again, I expected this to take several weeks to process before I hear anything back. I was wrong.
Three days later, a kind gentleman rang my phone, notifying me that they have received my damaged gloves. To make the story short, they did not have any Tech 1-K gloves in stock and apologized for the inconvenience. To make things right, they decided to send me a brand new pair of a Tech 1-ZX Gloves as a replacement instead so that I do not have to wait for the same model to come in stock. I couldn't be happier. Within 10 days, I had a new pair of gloves sent back to me, minimal questions asked.
So the answer is simply, no. Good customer service is definitely not going away. We always hear the horror stories from your friends and family about how they were on hold for 30 minutes, got the run around, and nothing was actually solved. There are companies out there that provide this great service, and it does show that these companies do care about their customers. Alpinestars gave me that service level I didn't expect, and only hoped for. No doubt that this will make me a repeat customer.


I can think of a patient, in particular, he had ground his teeth down to the point where both the top teeth and the lower teeth were one half of what he was born with. So when you looked at him, you could tell a tremendous amount of wear. So full mouth rehabilitation for him involved full crowns on top, full crowns on the bottom. And we were able to stage it because that's fairly expensive. So we were able to stage it such that we spaced it out over a couple of years.
And his end result was life changing for him. So that's something that, unfortunately, the only way to treat that is to replace the tooth. And you can't do it just on one arch because it would just wear the other arch. So, that entails both arches being done. But if you can see your way to it, you can then save your teeth for the rest of your life. Instead of, his other option probably would have been dentures. So, this way we're able to save his teeth.
A more pronounced level of self-worth as you develop pride in your appearance.
A more complex diet with better nutrition as you're able to eat a wider variety of food.
A more articulate way of speaking as you're able to pronounce words more clearly.
A more youthful appearance as your face has better structural support.
Call our team today at (248) 721-4502 to schedule your complimentary consultation for restorative dentistry.
A full-mouth rehabilitation is a combination of services designed to restore your mouth's full ability to talk, chew, smile, and laugh. If you have been unable to chew properly or have been embarrassed by missing or decayed teeth, this may be the perfect solution for you.
Your specific needs and smile goals are unique to you, so it makes sense that your treatment plan should be too! Our practice offers a variety of restorative dentistry and cosmetic dentistry options that can be hand-chosen and combined to create beautiful, functional results. Whether you are looking for teeth replacement options or you need to repair your damaged teeth, we can help.
Dental crowns fit over the top of damaged teeth or, when placed on dental implants, will replace individual missing teeth.
Fixed bridges attach to your healthy teeth and fill in smile gaps left behind by missing teeth.
Dental veneers are thin wafers of material that quickly repair chips, gaps, stains, fractures, and worn teeth.
Inlays and onlays provide a mid-range tooth repair between a filling and a complete crown.
A Royal Oak full-mouth reconstruction can give you back a beautiful, gleaming smile. Call us today to schedule your consultation: (248) 721-4502. You can also request an appointment online.