Happiness Project - Day 6

1. It's Friday!!!
2. Had quite a good time at the office, had farewell lunch for one of our colleague. Prawn mee!
3. Finished my article for the day!
4. Went for drinks with my friends and my sister's friends at Timbre. De-stressing time with good company and good music.
5. Survivor tonight! In fact, I'm watching it right now. Go Russell!
6. Russell just found another hidden immunity idol!! Omg, he's good!
7. Weekend is here!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Puddin'

It has been nagging at me that the citizens of Springdale were promised monthly invoices for the use of the tax dollars the city hands over to the Chamber of Commerce. Here is the proof that we have been lied to.

In October 2009, the Board of Directors Meeting Minutes state that the chamber will provide monthly invoices for money - taxpayer money - put into a holding account and used by the chamber.

In November 2009 as the city passed the budget without even considering whether the money handed over to the chamber is a worthwhile expenditure the newspaper said "the chamber will segregate the city funds from its other funds, Webb said, using invoices to make payments from city funds.

Also in November 2009, the Executive Committee Meeting Minutes refer to Webb invoicing an economic development account.

And as previously noted, in December 2009 "The chamber plans to continue quarterly reports to the City Council said Perry Webb, chamber chief executive officer and president. The reports will include invoices to show the money spent from public funds. Webb said."

Where are the invoices???!!!

Shakin' in My Shoes

The US Geological Society confirmed a magnitude 2.5 earthquake occurred at about 11 AM this morning in Centerton - approximately twenty miles north of Springdale.

According to Haydar Al-Shukri, director of the Arkansas Earthquake Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, a previously unknown fault in eastern Arkansas could trigger a magnitude 7 earthquake with an epicenter near a major natural gas pipeline. This fault, likely created in the last 5,000 years, has sparked at least one magnitude 7 earthquake in its history.

The fault is separate from the New Madrid fault responsible for a series of quakes in 1811-12 that caused the Mississippi River to flow backward.

Al-Shukri predicts this fault "...is going to be a major disaster."

2010 Best of Arkansas Survey

Click here to take the 2010 Arkansas Times Best of Arkansas survey.

Springdale Coach Arrested

The Springdale School District denies Brett Foster was an official volunteer coach for Har-Ber High School since he has been arrested on first degree sexual assault charges for having sex with an underage girl. However, he was allowed to ride with students on the bus and attend track meets.

The fact that the school didn't finish processing the paperwork doesn't negate the fact that he was put in a position of authority over the students he was given access to.

Happiness Project - Day 5

1. Writing you a postcard.
2. My old friend replied my email and it was just nice hearing back from him!
3. I went out with a colleague of mine to interview many bridal boutiques and well, it was definitely an interesting experience. Met so many nice and friendly people, and for that, I'm happy!
4. Got an email from you that says the skyline poster is on its way! I am super, duper excited! More on that later, I'll tell you the whole story when it arrives in my doorstep! :)
5. It's 9 pm and I'm going to sleep soon. Sleeping makes me happy.

No Regrets.

Something good will always come out of something bad. Don't be afraid to make mistakes.

Manchester United

All the elements necessary for a great bike ride were united in Manchester for last Saturday's Wake up the Earth Ride. We had great weather, a great group of people (14 at the start), and some remarkably clean, smooth roads for this stage of the season.

Even the solitary flat tire on the ride was dealt with in a united fashion, with convenient roadside assistance, many helping hands, and perhaps some divine intervention.

















There were some hills (for which the ride leader took some good-natured ribbing). But there were also some options over less strenuous terrain. The greater challenge proved to be some local farmers using the early spring weather to get a jump on the growing season by hitting their fields with their manure spreaders. Fortunately this didn't coincide with the long hills. It was bad enough riding by on the flats, eyes watering and throats gagging. One wonders if those poor guys dragging those spreaders around all day get any oxygen breaks. Wake up the Earth indeed!


Next week's ride will be Saturday, May Day, May 1st in Wayne. Frank has a great route planned for us, with more scenic roads, fewer hills, and hopefully less manure. See you there!

I'm Climbing For Cancer On My Birthday...Please Join Me In Supporting The HERA Foundation

Me climbing on "Super Slab," 2nd pitch, "Smith Rock," Terrebonne, OR. 2009


This year, for my birthday (6/10), I've decided to do something a little different. I'm going to turn my passion, climbing, into something of benefit to others. I'll be going to Boulder, Colorado to climb for the HERA "Climb For Life" fundraising event. HERA is a non-profit that invests 85% of the money raised to find a cure for ovarian cancer. Please assist me in raising money for this great cause. I'll be climbing the beautiful spires of Boulder thinking of my grandmother, Jo Ellen Barton, who died of cancer. Below is my personal donation page. I invite you to visit it, & make a tax-deductible donation today. *Thank You*

http://www.HERAClimb4LifeColo2010.kintera.org/almineclimbs4life




"Super Slab," 2nd pitch, "Smith Rock," Terrebonne, OR., 2009

Happiness Project - Day 4

It's a really crappy day for me, but I'm sticking to my Happiness Project, and here are the things I'm grateful for today:

1. I was re-reading my old emails and came across some emails from an old close friend that really brought a smile to my face. Memory really is a wonderful thing.
2. I am really grateful for my colleagues. They are all wonderful, amazing people that I feel so happy to have known. Today more than ever.
3. Comforting call from a friend (you know who you are). Thanks for letting me know you're there.

The Wayne Ramble

We had a great ride with great spring weather and a great turn-out last Saturday in Manchester. This Saturday, May Day, Frank Rosen will lead us on another great route from the Wayne Elementary School in Wayne - and if Tubby's is open, there may be an ice cream stop afterwards! Hope you can make it!

Saturday, May 1st - WAYNE

"The Wayne Ramble" - a tour of the lakes and waterfalls around Wayne, Leeds, Livermore, and Wayne.

START: 10:00 AM at the Wayne Elementary School, 48 Pond Road, Wayne.

DISTANCE: 25-30 miles.

TERRAIN: moderate, with some surprisingly flat sections.

HIGHLIGHTS: some very nice scenic shore roads, meadows, and waterfalls.

LEADER: Frank Rosen.

More Fluff & Stuff

The April 2010 Economic Development Report will be presented to the Springdale City Council tonight by the Chamber of Commerce.

This slick little newsletter or flier or whatever you want to call it - and you can call it anything but a report - is a pretty little fluff piece and virtually useless.

The local newspaper reported, "The chamber plans to continue quarterly reports to the city council, said Perry Webb, chamber chief executive officer and president. The reports will include invoices to show the money spent from public funds, Webb said."

I want to see the promised invoices and the City Council should demand to see them too. Especially the ones from their annual trip to Washington DC April 13-15 to pay off, I mean update John Boozman, Mark Pryor and Blanche Lincoln of the future plans for the Don Tyson Parkway.

Happiness Project - Day 3

1. Enjoying hot Milo in the morning has never been this good..
2. Finished my article for today and started a bit for tomorrow.
3. Knocked off a little after six, which was a very rare occasion!
4. Had a really enjoyable time having dinner and talking with my colleague. Thank you for opening up to me. :)
5. She ran out of money on her cash card so we were stuck in the parking lot. We tried asking some random kid to help us top-up the cash card and we would pay him cash in return, and he looked at us so fearfully like we were gonna rob him blind. That was hilarious!
6. In the end, a really nice lady lent us her cash card and we drove away gratefully! Meeting random nice people is the best, don't you agree?

there’s a piece of you that’s here with me. it’s everywhere i go. it’s everything i see.

Headshots, Harlequinn and Pig.

Well, I got some headshots done this week..and thanks to photoshop and me managing to not blink for every photo, some of them came out okay. I mean, every background extra needs headshots..it's not everyday you get to see yourself on TV or in a film walking down the street all blurry-like..I have no new extra jobs this week so I joined UglyNY, which is now called The Agency..maybe this will help some. East Fifth Bliss was fun, but they used me as a barfly like 4 times already so they probably won't use me anymore..The actors were great in it though and it was fun.
Then because this post is just so narcissistic and all I have to include this pic of my cat Harlequinn next to a wooden pig in my apartment..Don't worry-my next post is sure to be a drunken and offensive one! I'm just trying to promote myself right now..Oh yeah, my band is playing The Delancey this thursday the 29th at 11:30pm! Suckers!

Toast on the Coast

One of our fine readers has asked on more than one occasion if we have been able to determine who was invited to enjoy cocktails on the coast in San Francisco last September.

Even though we requested copies of all travel itineraries and travel agent statements from the Chamber of Commerce (which I cannot say were entirely provided) we are still unable to name names other than Rhonda Hughes, who signed the tab for the cocktail party.

Hughes turned in a reimbursement request form that Perry Webb approved. On this form it states the reason for travel is "TRC - San Francisco". But just how did she get to San Francisco without any airfare, lodging or car rental receipts? Is it even possible we just haven't found them yet?

I find it interesting that under the TRC codes of the CoC general ledger, the Hughes reimbursement is not listed, but I find it coded under 60200 (General Reimbursements). Relevant GL pages here.

Happiness Project - Day 2

1. I got to the office early! (I walked breezily and calmly, instead of running late like usual..)
2. I read "One Day" all the way in the train, and it was a good book. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
3. I finished my article for the day! Yeay!
4. Went for a meeting with Boss and bumped into an old friend whom I haven't seen in months! Definitely made my day :)
5. Met my sister and cousin for dinner and I got this really delicious salmon fillet with fries and baked beans!

Sometimes i think that we waste our words. and we waste our moments. and we don’t take the time to say the things that are in our hearts when we have the chance.

PASSION: "The Fire of Life"

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ~Howard Thurman









Route Name: "Carla The Stripper," Smith Rock, Terrebonne, OR., Apr. 2010

(I'm leading this route on the arete in the picture. I look like a little ant on the rock. My friend, Julie Z., is belaying me below)





It seems that outdoor climbing season has finally descended upon Central OR. Fri.-Sun., unless I'm treating patients up in Portland, I'm now out climbing. This will last until it gets too cold to climb outside again.



It feels good to see all the hardwork and training I put into "CrossFit" and "Bikram Yoga" over the winter pay off with my passion. I feel more confident about my strength, balance and flexibility this year than I did the year before. My endurance feels better, and my mind feels more focused.



What is your passion? Do you have one that draws you back to it, over and over again? Do you have several that overlap and accentuate one another (an example may be: dancing/acting/singing)? Is there a passion that has always nagged you to be expressed, but hasn't been given a voice yet?



When you give expression to the latent talents or tendencies within you, you'll find that a host of wonderful things will come your way. From new friends to new opportunities, you'll find that when you go after what's important to you, new adventures ensue. I have a friend who once said to me, "I just go after what I'm interested in. The Universe handles the details." How I interpreted her statement was in light of the following:



We all have hidden talents, or latent seeds that want to flower. When we "follow our bliss" its like the Universe gets "in step" with us, and does what it can to help us express those talents. We meet the "right people," are put in the "right situations" to help "nudge us along" in that direction. Its a wonderful cycle of expressing your passion, and being "rewarded" for it through a flood of abundant new experiences and people that come into your life.



Perhaps you've always wanted to be a dancer. All of a sudden, as you put thought-energy into wondering what it would be like to pick out your dancing costume, find a dance studio, or purchase your new dancing shoes, the lady on the bus turns around and says to you, "Are you a dancer? I thought I saw you in a performance last week." Or, "Hey, did you watch 'Dancing With The Stars' last night?" These "little things" are clues: clues that are affirming your intent with your new-found passion. Urging you to express it, hone it, love it, cherish it.



Passionate people are what this world needs. "Doers," not "talkers": "doers" make their passions come alive, and thereby inspire others to do the same as well. Passionate people make the world a better place. They inspire change, action and enthusiasm. Ask yourself what your top 5 passions are. Write them down. Ruminate on them, meditate on them, see yourself in your mind as not only doing them, but being successful at them. Pretty soon, you'll find the Universe "conspiring" with you to create all the right circumstances for your passion to find an outlet. Ultimately, that outlet is you...








Route Name: "Carla The Stripper," Smith Rock, Terrebonne, OR., Apr. 2010





"One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested." — E. M. Forste

Happiness Project - Day 1

1. Woke up late at 12 noon and sleeping makes me happy! It's such a luxury to be waking up late these days.
2. Had an amazing lunch at IMM, we tried out this Chinese restaurant and I ate so much good food!
3. Had pedicure with Sis. I love being pampered!
4. Got myself a new read! "One Day" by David Nicholls. So excited for the prospect of being engrossed in a book.
5. Talking to you now. :)

This picture brings a smile to my face, so I thought I'd share it here too. Seth and Summer are the cutest couple ever.

How you remind me.

But everybody moves on. Eventually.

Karl Pilkington can eat a knob at night!

Well, let's see..i've been rather busy lately..I saw some good movies..Well, Men Who Stare at Goats was pretty good..and odd..and this french horror film called Inside-where a crazed woman tries her best to chase around a pregnant lady and give her a DIY c-section with a pair of scissors so she can take her baby away..I guess it wasn't exactly "good" but it's on par with Martyrs if you like french horror films..which I do. I also can't stop watching the Ricky Gervais Show..so damn funny. I love Karl!

Here's a few pics from Mars Bar last week..a sexy mannequin. Jerry and Marky deep in conversation, and a protest sign someone had made complaining about the raised subway fares..kinda Ron English style..

Then some pics of the disgusting trash outside that damn wine bar..boxes and bags and urine-oh my! Then a few cute ones at ray's of a little dog sporting a Save Ray's doggie shirt..I have yet to come across anyone wearing the thong. Maybe at Mars Bar someone will show up in one..A girl can dream..

Memories

I’m sorry for a lot of things, but most of all that I never got the chance to tell you that, no matter what happens next, I’ll never be anything but grateful for every moment I spent with you. And even though I keep fumbling for the right words, all I really wanted to say was thank you.

Pictures speak a thousand words

It's late afternoon on Saturday, and my weekend just officially started!

I'm on my way out now for hair color appointment, so I'm just doing a quick post now to share with you some amazing pictures that I came across. I'm so in love!





There's just something really amazing about seeing the lights and trails of the city, don't you think? Or maybe it is just me?

Hahaha. Alright, I'll write some more tonight! I'm so happy it's weekend and overall, it's been a pretty good week. I can't say the same for next week...I have a feeling it's gonna be really hectic. Better enjoy this peace while it lasts!

Write Me A Check

Here are three more checks that we asked to see receipts or invoices showing their purpose.

What did the Chamber provide as evidence? See for yourself here.

Smoked Glass & Mirrors

For several years the Chamber of Commerce has written multiple checks in the amount of $1500.00 to Dotson's Glass & Mirror. Being naturally curious, we asked to see the receipts or invoices for what these checks were actually for.

Here is what we were provided. That certainly clears it up. I wish I had known all I had to do to get a check was make some scribbles on a note pad.

How's My Driving?

The sticker on the back of the O'Reilly Auto Parts delivery truck that crashed through the front of the Pontiac Coffee House in Springdale yesterday reads, "How's My Driving?" while the "OPEN" sign blinks above the blown-out window.

Photo by Sarah Bentham

Musical??

So look what I found this morning!

Alright, not the keyboard. The keyboard has been there for years. I'm officially divorcing you right now if you don't know that! But the guitar!

The guitar! Hello?!!

So, 2 questions may come up to your mind. First being, "you can't play shit! Why the hell is the guitar there?!"

Second is, "you can't play shit! Why the hell is the guitar there?!!!!"

It touches me how much faith you have in my musical ability. After all, I'm a very musical person. I watched Les Miserables musical and I didn't fall asleep, I thoroughly enjoyed that. I watched The Sound of Music and Fiddler on The Roof, which are like, the ultimate classic musicals! And I am a certified bathroom singer and a grade 5 organist! (the last was when I was in junior high school. Since then, it has been questionable.)

So what would you doubt my passion for music?! And you're right, I can't play guitar for shit, but hey, I can learn. Right?

(As soon as I stop having long, fully-manicured nails, I will get on that, I promise!)

Alright, who am I kidding? The only person who could play the guitar is my cousin. Tonight we jammed to Justin Bieber's "Baby". Everyone protested but I didn't care, I kept on singing "Baby, baby, baby ohhhhh! Like baby, baby, baby noooooo!" shamelessly.

Extra Stuff...East Fifth Bliss.

I've been doing a bit of extra work lately..Dont have a steady job right now..and I used to love acting so I figured i'd give it a whirl..Besides the sometimes 7am call times I am having fun..Here's a great pic of me at work! Walking like a REAL PEDESTRIAN WOULD! That's right..I'm THAT good! This is from East Fifth Bliss which was written by Douglas Light who used to live on my block..

Then a shot of us extras enjoying the sun on the stoop next to Blue and Gold Bar where we filmed..nice to sit in the sun and people watch..I love stoops!

Then a scene shot in the bar..Lucy Lui and Michael C. Hall are really fucking good..nice people and watching them get into character is fascinating to me..I didn't take pics of them..the most annoying paparazzi in the world was harassing them all day...Plus, I just like being there-I don't want to bug people for their photo. I kept telling he pap he was failing at his job..and singing that Lady Gaga song to him..Don't think he ever got the shot of Lucy he wanted, but he got a lot of me...Haw!

Then there's the film mascot Bella the cat from next door..what a sweetie..though she kept trying to kill birds..

And one of an extra, Ray and I chillaxin'..and a cute shot of Bella getting some love from me..I think I work one more time on this..a barfly..hahaha..Then i'll keep submitting for roles..If I had the dough I'd join the union in a heartbeat..Ah good old mega-millions..I can do it! I get to work in the record store this week too..Well, music and kinda acting..at least I enjoy what I do..Got some gigs coming up soon as well..