I'M LATE,I'M SORRY! (:P)

GEMINI AUGUST HOROSCOPE BY SUSAN MILLER

You'll be in a highly social mood, ready to meet and greet others, but there will be obstacles to fun and love, particularly during the first half of August. Don't try too hard, for if you do, your frustrations will multiply. It might be better to beg off social obligations and new opportunities to meet potential romantic partners in the first two weeks.


Venus and Mars, now in Libra, will light your fifth house of love, a lovely place for these two romantic planets to be - but heavy-duty Saturn will be in that house too, in close proximity. Saturn could, unfortunately, spoil the pudding. Saturn wants you to work, not play, and will make conditions difficult until you cave in to work-related demands and pare down your social schedule. Worse, with Uranus stirring the pot too, you may have confrontations with friends, or a serious disagreement with one. Alas, sometimes life is that way. Be cheerful though, for your love life will go far easier in the second half of August, so you won't miss too much.


Do your best to make plans to travel to a new setting before summer slips away. The new moon August 9 will allow you to find the ideal location that offers a chic experience but is also affordable luxury. The fact that Neptune will be prominent suggests a locale near water would be ideal, and being there will inspire your creative side, too. You may even get an invitation from a wealthy friend to spend time at her cottage - accept!


This month, travel really does bring you all sorts of fortunate possibilities in addition to the chance to wind down. Mercury will be retrograde from August 20 to September 12, and because this planet is your ruler, you won't find anything too pressing going on at home, so you can safely duck out.


Your career will get a mighty boost from Uranus' move back to Pisces on August 14 though January 22 - this is fantastic news, for it means your work will come to light and be appreciated. Uranus is soon to link to good fortune Jupiter, a lovely cosmic coincidence that will certainly raise your profile.


Yet you won't have to wait until Jupiter enters Pisces in September to see some exciting developments. This could happen at the full moon August 24, so plan to be back from your journeys then. Lots of pretty fireworks will light up your professional sector ruling reputation and applause, and you'll want to enjoy all the fuss about you that comes your way. You may be finishing up a long-term project or reaching the end of a negotiation for a new job that comes with great responsibility and power. Whatever occurs, you'll be ready to tell the world.


Neptune will be close to that full moon, so if you are in a creative field, you'll show the full range of your talents near that full moon August 24. Pluto, now in a financial house, will beam excellent support, so you are likely to be very pleased with the financial rewards that this full moon delivers too, most likely in terms of a bonus, fee, commission, court settlement, or other one-time chunk of cash. This full moon could easily mark a watershed moment in your career, so start now to make it a special moment by interviewing for a new job, going after publicity, or by taking another assertive, but judicious, risk.

'SAY YOU'RE ONE OF THEM'- ONLARDAN BIRI OLDUGUNU SOYLE Uwem Akpan

I have just finished reading that book. To be frank, it wasn't 'the book of my life' (!)

I often get this feeling when I read best sellers. There must be something wrong with me,or the critics.. Simply... I didn't like it and hardly finished it..

BUT...... Of course,I will let you read some different reviews from Amazon..

By A. O. AKEMU


Before I bought Say You're One of Them, I had heard the hype about the book. It was supposed to the work of an original voice from Nigeria, a Catholic priest, who weaved stories of the continent's ills and grace, with the dexterity of a traditional basket maker. After reading the book, I am left wondering what all the hype was about.

To be sure, there are some good stories. I liked the eponymous short story, Say You're One of Them. It is told from the perspective of a ten-year old middle-class Rwandan girl, whose father is Hutu and mother Tutsi. The little girl notices her mother dressing up for an evening out--without her father. After mother disappears into the night, her paternal Hutu relatives storm the house looking for her mother. One of the assailants almost rapes the girl. In time, they discover that mother had dressed up only to hide in the ceiling. In the presence of the little girl, Hutu father is forced to kill his Tutsi wife--with one blow of a machete. The scene is thoroughly macabre. Finally, the little girl's life is spared. She is let out onto the streets with the admonition from her father, "if they [resumably the Hutu] ask who you are, say you are one of them".

However, I was disappointed with the longest story in the book, Luxurious Hearses (a play on the word, Luxurious Bus, which, in Nigeria, connotes buses used to ferry passengers on long intercity trips). The story is about Jubril, a Muslim boy with an identity crisis. His mother is from the Muslim north of Nigeria and his father from the Christian South. Jubril, along with other passengers on the bus, is fleeing religious riots in northern Nigeria. On the bus, Jubril's parochial conception of the world is challenged by his experience of the kindness of southern Christian Nigerian strangers (mostly women, to Jubril's alarm). His trip is cut short when he reveals his religion: the passengers kill him by slitting his throat.

The author introduces various passengers into the bus to give multiple perspectives on Nigeria's toxic religious milieu: an animist chief, an atheist army captain, and a Roman Catholic market woman. This device is so transparent that I almost choked with disbelief. The characters are hopelessly one-dimensional; thoroughly unbelievable.

Jubril's village companions (almajiris) are the most unbelievable of them all. They are supposed to be barely literate, fundamentalist Muslims, yet they have a commanding grasp of regional politics and even articulate their grievances with Jubril in English and the local patois. As a Nigerian, who lived in northern Nigeria for six years, I think that Uwen Akpan stretches the English vocabulary of the almajiris. While they seethe with riotous religious zeal against the infidel, I find it difficult to see how they can be as articulate as Uwen Akpan portrays.

Say You're One of Them makes for interesting reading, but don't go away thinking that he has captured the 'compelling reality of Africa's children', as one reviewer put it. Such hyperbole is unjustified. I would recommend that you read and enjoy it for what it is: entertainment.



By Ms. Hilary Truscott "sista-h" (london)

This book is a collection of stories all written from the point of view of a child-whatever happens in these stories is seen ,witnessed experienced from total innocence and it is shocking emotional and yet hopefull too.It made me think how children experience all kinds of situations from a purely innocent perspective and it is the adults in the world who inflict such horrendous experiences on them -for what?- greed- power-self gratification-.Just because the events in these stories take place in Africa does not mean that we in the west are somehow exempt from this or that this only happens 'over there'--we have similar horrendous things that the youth here go through too i.e sexual physical and emotional abuse glue sniffing drug taking alchoholism etc.etc. The writing is honest and this book will open your heart and hopefully enable us all to see that we all need to treat each other with more love and respect and we must care for all the children in our lives with respect, honour and dignity and LOVE .Read this book -it will change you!!!!!!!

IN SUMMER THE SONG SINGS ITSELF...

HOLIDAY !

Hi All,

Don't you worry.. I'm not dead.. I was just on holiday.. (I still am though) So, here's what I did during the 'Çeşme' part of my holiday...

ON HOLIDAY.. Where I've been..

ÇEŞME.. ÇEŞME.. ÇEŞME... My favorite place,the place where I want to live for the rest of my life... I spent my holiday with my family at my husband's family's summerhome.. Our summerhome is in Ildırı,Çeşme.

Ildiri, a quiet seaside village 20 km. northeast of Cesme, was ancient Erythrai. Those who climb up to the Acropolis at dusk are rewarded with beautiful views as the sun sinks over the bay and islands.

Çeşme lies (~ 80 Km) west of Izmir on Turkey's Aegean coast, it is within easy reach of Izmir or Adnan Mendres International Airport (via a modern 6 lane highway) and can also be reached by ferry from the Italian port of Brindisi, or the Greek Island of Chios (in Turkish called Sakiz) The name Çeşme (“Cheshme” derived from the Turkish word for Fountain) has always been a popular summer resort for the residents of nearby Izmir and over recent years the “secrets” of Çeşme have been discovered by an ever growing number of European tourists. The region is a combination of rich agricultural land enclosing unspoiled turquoise bays with beaches of fine white sand and (as its name suggests) natural hot water springs.

ON HOLIDAY.. WHAT I'VE READ..

My holiday book was 'A Fraction of the Whole' . It was a beautifully written novel which takes you to one place from another like a squash ball. I loved it..

Let's have a look at some other comments from Google;

A Fraction of the Whole is narrated by Jasper Dean who is telling the story of his father, Martin, and his uncle, Terry. Their stories begin in Australia, where Martin was in a coma for four years as a boy and remembered every word read to him while comatose, and Terry was a criminal who achieved folk hero status for taking his revenge on a bribe-taking cricket team. Martin and Terry longed for the same woman, and as Martin became obsessed with rising above his brother's shadow. Martin's inspired lunacy led Jasper and him to different parts of the world as each of his schemes led through unexpected twists and turns to become another adventure where Martin was determined to impart all of his offbeat wisdom to his son. Steve Toltz's debut novel has received positive reviews with the Seattle Times saying, "The real pleasure in reading this book is the pace and the language. While there is a narrative thread, what Toltz has done masterfully is have his way with every aspect of modern life. He racks 'em up and knocks 'em down with a laser wit, a fine turn of phrase and a devastatingly funny outlook on everything human."

YESTERDAY...

It was an awful day yesterday.. I had to accompany one of my relatives who had an abortion.. Witnessing and sharing her grief from the beginning to the end hit me so bad..

As her marriage was problematic and she was on anti-depressants,abortion seemed to be the only choice she had..
We went to the doctor's office first. When he started to examine her with ultrasound,I saw the heartbeats of the baby.. How I wish I didn't..

Then we went to the hospital for the operation. When they got in the OR, a newborn baby came out from another one.. Birth and death at the same time...

Oh,boy.. All I thought for the rest of the day was the selfishness and cruelty of mankind..

I wish I was a bird..

The Silent Cry

Too many voices stay silent
Horrendous acts of butchery
Endless babies aborted

So sad and done so selfishly
Inception of life so precious
Life taken for so little reason
Ended with scalpel in hand
No one to stop death's season
Taken lives by the millions

Cries that will never be heard
Reaching beyond the silence
Years of a child's unspoken word

http://allpoetry.com/poem/1671202

:))

WHICH TYPE OF WOMAN ARE YOU ?? :))

Sweet Ally...

I really miss this show... few others have made me feel so involved.

I started watching Ally McBeal midway thru it's second season and immediately got hooked. It's tendency to keep you involved in the daily goings-on of all it's characters was overwhelming... from the tiniest mishaps to the larger issues, Ally McBeal never ceased to amaze me. I got infatuated with one of the characters (John Cage) and his ability to play a variety of emotions in the same episode always kept me on my toes. Overall, I'd say the show deserves more praise than it did initially...

I miss you Ally...

summer blues..

Plato and Platypus walk into a bar... (Platon bir gün....)

A very very funny book to read and understand Philosophy through everyday life jokes.. For the people who find Philosophy hard to read in normal text books.. Haven't finished yet,but I'm having great time with it.. Let's have a look at other people's reviews..




This New York Times bestseller is the hilarious philosophy course everyone wishes theyd had in school

Outrageously funny, Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . . has been a breakout bestseller ever since authorsand born vaudevilliansThomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein did their schtick on NPRs Weekend Edition. Lively, original, and powerfully informative, Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar . . . is a not-so-reverent crash course through the great philosophical thinkers and traditions, from Existentialism (What do Hegel and Bette Midler have in common?) to Logic (Sherlock Holmes never deduced anything). Philosophy 101 for those who like to take the heavy stuff lightly, this is a joy to readand finally, it all makes sense!

.......

I love this book! I couldn't stop laughing while reading the book and I still can't stop. I (unlike most people) really enjoy philosophy and this book made it even more interesting. I really wish intro philosophy teachers would assign this book for their classes. It would really helps students appreciate philosophy more.
The book is easy to read and most of the jokes are great and really help to bring the philosophical points home. The authors themselves are also funny. I laughed just as much from what the writers said as I did from the jokes throughout the book.
I cannot wait to read the other books in this series and I will definitely recommend this book to all my friends.

I know,I was born in the wrong decade.... (c:

video of the day!!

Thoughts from a harried mom, who is beginning to think some time in a minimum-security, white collar crime prison is looking pretty good.

I WANT TO BE LOCKED UP..

I want to be locked up
Away from everything,
Free from all the craziness
A mother's day can bring.


No planning, shopping, cooking
Three healthy meals a day,
Served up with love to finicky kids
Who throw most of it away.


No constant interruptions,
Dirty laundry on the floor,
Driving everyone every place,
Sibling rivalry (It’s war!)


No one asking me to do things,
Getting mad if I forget,
Me giving up my very self—
I’m the family marionette.


Prison sometimes looks appealing
(Or maybe the looney bin),
I get free time and three square meals;
With nothing to do, I win!


I want to be locked up
For freedom, time and such,
There’s just one obstacle for me:
I love my kids too much!


By Joanna Fuchs

Welcome to the home of Homer.. İzmir..

İzmir, historically also Smyrna, is Turkey's third most populous city and the country's second largest port city after Istanbul. It is located along the outlying waters of the Gulf of İzmir, by the Aegean Sea.



Homer
Homer, referred to as Melesigenes which means "Child of the Meles Brook" is said to have been born in Smyrna. Combined with written evidence, it is generally admitted that Smyrna and Chios put forth the strongest arguments in claiming Homer and the main belief is that he was born in Ionia. A River Meles, still carrying the same name, is located within the city of İzmir, although association with the Homeric river is subject to controversy.

the older ads were way too creative..

Gemini Horoscope for July 2010 by Susan Miller

Here's the July horoscope for the bipolar twins... :))

Over the past year - and possibly last month - you may have seen one or more radical shifts in your financials. The eclipses are concentrating on the two sectors of your chart that deal with money, so are in the process of reinventing your attitude, your lifestyle, and your management regarding money. More specifically, you are changing the way you earn, save, spend, and invest. Although you may have had a few scary moments since the eclipses first came by in Cancer-Capricorn July 2009, you are heading to a more secure place, something you may see by the time you enter July.


Last month the eclipse in Capricorn on June 26 might have created a situation that required you to write a hefty check or make a certain financial agreement, perhaps in terms of a payment plan, commission deal, or contractual agreement.


Happily, this month, just AFTER the solar new moon eclipse of July 11 in Cancer (19 degrees), you can now even up your ledgers. If you didn't lose money, you will still be happy to see more! Sometime in the weeks that follow this eclipse, you may get a surprise check, receive an offer to do a lucrative project, or be awarded a new professional position that pays well. Alternatively, you may make a big purchase or sale.


I am excited about the eclipse of July 11, for it is a new moon that will open a whole new path. Uranus (surprise) and Jupiter (generosity and expansion) will both be outstandingly supportive. This eclipse is so good it may bring you a financial miracle just in the nick of time. Of course, with Uranus, whatever you THINK will happen won't, but something else will! Whatever it is, it seems to have you dancing on the tables!


The eclipse last month, June 26, was lunar, and therefore a full moon, which is always emotional. Full moons mark endings, but this month's new moon eclipse will mark a beginning and will promote objectivity and reason, not drama. All eclipses reveal certain truths that change everything, requiring almost instant decisions and adjustments.


In the financial realm, as a few examples of what may have come up (or still will), you may have learned something about your accountant last month that gave you pause. Or, you may have been horrified to learn that a trusted partner has helped himself to some of your money without your knowledge. You may have noticed a bad error on one of your financial statements made by the bank, or you may have had to act quickly to stamp out identity theft. Last month's eclipse was a very harsh one, so certain circumstances required your quick attention. If nothing was wrong, the eclipse had nothing to show you, so in that case you may have sailed through that eclipse easily. But even if you won the lottery or inherited a million dollars, you still had to quickly figure out how to handle the money or risk losing it all.


This month's July 11 eclipse will bring better news than last month. You won't be looking back but rather forward. Offers to make money should start to come in, and you would be wise to investigate them all. This is quite clearly the best time of the year to earn more income, whether by getting a new job or promotion or if self-employed, by reeling in a new or client. Nothing will happen prior to the eclipse of July 11 - news will come after.


This eclipse is unusual that it will be so outstandingly friendly. Thanks to the help of Uranus and Jupiter, a friend seems to play a key role in the financial opportunity that comes up. Uranus is the planet of surprise, so you won't see this news coming - in fact, it all may come out of left field. It is possible that someone in your immediate family will be somehow involved too, either because this person will work with you as part of the job description, or because a family member will provide the tip or introduction to the VIP who will open the door for you. With Saturn opposed to Uranus, it could mark a big departure from what you've been doing in the past and set you off on a new path.


Jupiter will move back to your house of fame and honors in September and remain there during the duration of the year. This suggests that something you are cooking up now could become public knowledge in a few months - and generate respect for you quite impressively. This all tells me you may have a tiger by the tail, so don't let go! Give all the opportunities that come up now all you've got. Both Uranus and Jupiter will be in Aries, so this suggests something very new and entrepreneurial will catch your eye, and the newness of it all will excite you.


With eclipses going on in Capricorn and Cancer, make sure you don't forget about any financial deadlines or details that you have to attend to in a timely manner. Eclipses look for weak links. If you are doing everything right - sending in payments on time and being responsive when asked for documentation or information - you won't likely have problems. If you can't pay on time, then make an agreement with your creditor or government (in the case of taxes) so that you will be on record as being in compliance. Eclipses are very strong, and you never want to take any sort of risk near an eclipse.


Some Gemini have been dealing with the close of an estate or the sale of others' (or their own) possessions. You may be presenting a business plan to get venture capital, selling a family member's house, or dealing with an insurance claim, child support, or a court case where a large sum of money is at stake. That was all a topic of discussion last month, but this month your attention will shift to earning money, not dealing with packages of money, like one of the examples I just gave.


If the tide took a source of income out over the past year, this eclipse is strong enough - and generous enough - to see the tide bring in something and it seems better than the one lost. That's why you should put the pedal to the metal this month. Rarely have your prospects been THIS outstanding for increasing your stash of cash.


On another note, this month you may be considering the idea of doing some maintenance on your apartment or house. You may be repairing the window seals, cleaning out vents, reupholstering or cleaning furniture, or painting one or more rooms. July and August will be perfect months to clean out closets and to generally get ready for the coming holidays later in the year.


If you want to buy furniture or do anything special to your home, do so soon, as Mercury will be retrograde from August 20 to September 12, not a time you want to be spending for anything expensive, and certainly not for furniture, a mattress, an electronic item, or kitchen appliance. Problems with Mercury will show up as soon as August 6 or so - you would want to act in July if your plans are elaborate.


Now that Saturn will leave your home sector for good this month on July 21 - having been in this house since September 2007 - you will be able to breathe a sigh of relief. You may have struggled to pay a mortgage, had problems with the sale or purchase of a house, or had a great deal of responsibility for a possibly aged parent or other family member. The burdens you shouldered will start to fade and soon will be a distant memory, for Saturn will not be back to this area of your chart again until 2036.


With Venus gracing your home sector this month, you might want to give a party. Perfect - you can do so anytime between July 9 and11.


The end of July will bring news from afar or the opportunity to take a long trip. This will be brought to you by the full moon, July 25, and thanks to incredibly strong support from Jupiter (luck), Uranus (surprise), and Mars (action). This tells me the trip may be to see a friend, or if you cannot travel, you may host a friend in your city. This month seems to brim with surprises and this full moon seems to bring you that.


Alternatively, you may get a surprise assignment or position from a foreign company, say, a foreign publication or TV station / cable company, or you may seal an important contract with a company overseas. News from a college or university could be excellent too, and if you need to take any sort of qualifying test at this time, you will do well.


This full moon, July 25 (but exerting a field of influence of plus or minus four days), is surrounded with a ring of sparkling aspects. Let's look at them.


On July 22, the Sun and Saturn will be chatting over a friendly lunch, allowing you to make fun plans to go away on a short trip if you like.


A day later, on July 23, the Sun and Uranus will be in sync and you'll get a nice surprise from a friend.


Sun and Jupiter will be at perfect angles on July 26, the day after this full moon, clearly one of the most beneficial days of the month for you. Gee, friends will certainly have your best interests in mind and help you in ways that touch you deeply.


If you have a birthday that falls at the end of May, near May 24, plus or minus five days, you will feel the energy of this full moon most, but as you see, it would be hard to imagine any Gemini of any birthday being left out.


Mercury, your ruler, will be extra friendly on the following days, and because your ruler will be a virtual Chatty Cathy, that could be significant to you. It looks like you have an action packed month. Add an eclipse to the mix (happily, a friendly one) and you will have a month that will move VERY fast, with events barreling toward you at rapid rate. In each of the following days, Mercury will be contacting a major planet, so you may want to write down these days on your calendar as advantageous to you.


July 1, travel to see pals or to sign papers. Positive results will come, thanks to Mars in good position. It's also a perfect day to write or do just about anything!


July 9 talks lead to long-range stability and home-related plans, thanks to Saturn's influence.


July 9 also - brilliant ideas will come to you (thanks to Uranus).


July 11- a friend will do you a huge favor (thanks to Jupiter).


July 30 - good financial talks (thanks to Pluto).


Romantically, Mars will enter your true love sector on Thursday, July 29, but will immediately get into an angry row with Uranus. This is a hot aspect and could spell trouble for a friendship or a romantic relationship. People around you will be quick to snap, so keep your head down and out of the line of fire. It would not be the best date night.


Still, having Mars in your romantic sector will be good, and he will stay until September 14. So while you may have a bumpy ride on or near July 29, as you move away from this date, things will improve impressively. August and early September holds possibility for increasing your social life.


Saturn will move into your house of true love to settle in until October 2012. You had a little taste of Saturn from the end of October through early April, but that was a short run, and now you will have a longer experience. Actually, compared to where Saturn's been for over two years, you will find this an easier place to host Saturn.


I say this because anytime a big planet is on one of the key angles of the chart (first, fourth, seventh, or tenth houses), the planet acts in a particularly strong, even wild and untamed, way. You have had Saturn in the fourth house of home for more than two years. Having Saturn here had you pinned to home and family, and to some degree restricted your movements.


Now, in Libra, Saturn won't be in hard angle to your Sun, but rather in a very compatible angle to your Sun. This means you will more easily absorb the lessons of Saturn than you did with Saturn in Virgo. Virgo is earth, you are air - you may have felt smothered by the responsibilities that were keeping you pinned to home base.


Now, with Saturn in Libra, you will adopt a more realistic approach to your love life. You have matured, and you will be ready for a serious relationship. If you are attached, you may be ready for marriage, a house, a child - the whole package. If you already have children, you may want to help your child in a significant way. You and I will talk more about Saturn in Libra, as it's a huge trend.


Most romantic dates: July 1, 3 (lovely), 4, 8-9, 16-17 and 23-26.


The fifth house is also the house of creativity, so in the coming two years, you may start a big project that requires you give all that you have to give. Still, working on this assignment could make you a star, dear Gemini, and that certainly will be worthy of your effort. Be aware that any creative project undertaken now would take more time and money than you expect, so just factor that into your plans and estimates. Again, it would be worth it!



Summary


The unexpected financial news that resulted from the solar eclipse of last month, June 25, will likely be on your mind as you enter July. If you are concerned about your finances, the solar eclipse of July 11 may help you find a new source of income to replace any losses you may have endured. Pluto will oppose that eclipse, though, so be prepared to be competitive and to present your case assertively and with purpose. As they say, negotiate fiercely - as if the rent were due tomorrow. Energy attracts energy!


Some Gemini are dealing with finances that include venture capital, an insurance company, or court case, or are in the process of splitting money in a divorce. Last month's eclipse may have ended things, but if not, watch July 25, as sometimes an eclipse will assert news a month to the day later plus or minus five days. The days surrounding August 6 will also be important.


Stick to your guns, for Mercury will be in perfect angle to Jupiter, indicating your assertive nature and businesslike approach will be met with admiration. Your confidence will prove to VIPs you are the one they need for the job.


With Mars in fastidious Virgo still lighting your home sector, you have the perfect opportunity to clean closets, paint, wash windows and do other repairs, and to check off other maintenance tasks you've meant to do for your home. With Saturn back in your home sector, you might be thinking about tearing down walls or improving your home's structure in some way. Do so between now and July 31, your very best time to get a project done on budget.


With Venus present from June 10 to August 7, you'll love the changes you undertake - you may never want to leave! If you can't get things done in July, you will have more help from the planets in September, so by time the holidays arrive at year's end, your apartment or house can be shipshape.


The upcoming opposition of Saturn and Uranus in July's last week may make you feel pulled in two directions, with the needs of those in one camp clashing with those in another. You will have to try to please everyone as best you can, but don't stress too much. You are a multi-tasking Gemini, after all, so if anyone can pull a rabbit out of a hat, it's you.


Love has been erratic for you, but with Mars about to light your true love sector on July 29 until September 14, you'll start a two-month period where romance will be fun to find. The summer holds plenty of potential. There'll be only one day when you have to be super careful, when Mars and Uranus will be at one another's throats, July 30 - not a good night for fun and love.


Travel could be on the agenda all month. The brilliant full moon weekend of July 24-25 could give you the chance to go quite a distance. If you have no plans, be spontaneous! This trip will be special in every way and could help put other life developments in better perspective.

The best soundtrack album ever: TRAINSPOTTING...