text:
2009 begyndte året på en torsdag.

Regerende dronning i Danmark: Margrethe 2. 1972-

Begivenheder

Januar
 1. januar – Slovakiet indfører euroen og bliver det 16. medlem af eurozonen.
 1. januar – Al-Qaeda-terroristerne Fahid Mohammed Ally Msalam og Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan fra FBI's 22 mest eftersøgte terrorister, dræbes i et amerikansk missilangreb i Pakistan.
 3. januar – Efter en uge med israelske luftangreb mod Hamas i Gaza, invaderer israelsk styrker Gaza.
 5. januar – Stifteren af Liberal Alliance, Naser Khader, forlader partiet og bliver løsgænger.
 6. januar – Det tidligere radikale folketingsmedlem Simon Emil Ammitzbøll stifter partiet Borgerligt Centrum.
 15. januar – NASA finder tegn på, at der kan være liv på Mars. Tre jordbaserede teleskoper finder frem til, at der i Mars atmosfære er metangas og vand, der menes at stamme fra liv.
 15. januar – Pga. økonomisk krise i Sverige falder den svenske krone så 100 svenske kroner nu kun koster 67 danske kroner.
 15. januar – US Airways Flight 1549 nødlander i floden Hudson River i New York og alle 155 ombordværende overlever.
 15. januar – I en ny bankpakke bevilliger staten lån til den danske banksektor på 100 mia. kr. med en gennemsnitlig rente på 10 % pr. år.
 20. januar – Barack Obama indsættes som USAs 44. præsident.

Februar
 4. februar – Islandske Baugur Group, der ejer Magasin, Illum og Day Birger et Mikkelsen, træder i betalingsstandsning.
 7. februar – En række voldsomme skovbrande hærger den australske delstat Victoria.
 17. februar – Slagterivirksomheden Danish Crown bebuder nedskæring i afdelingerne i Holstebro, Rødding og Esbjerg, hvilket berører i alt 861 arbejdspladser.
 27. februar – Højtstående embedsmænd i Washington bekræfter, at USA trækker langt de fleste af sine soldater ud af Irak i august 2010. Op mod 50.000 soldater vil dog blive i landet indtil sidst i 2011, hvor der vil ske en fuld tilbagetrækning.
 28. februar – Den sidste person med livisk som modersmål, Viktor Berthold, døde 88 år gammel. Det liviske sprog tales dog stadig som andetsprog af ca. 20 mennesker.

Marts
 5. marts – Aktieindekset Dow Jones Industrial Average falder til under 7000 point for første gang siden 1997.
 7. marts – To britiske soldater bliver skudt i County Antrim i Nordirland. The Real IRA har taget ansvaret for angrebet.
 11. Marts – En skolemassakre rammer Tyskland, retteresagt Winnenden, nær Stuttgart, i den tyske delstat Baden-Württemberg. Se evt. Skolemassakren i Winnenden.
 17. marts – Naser Khader, der siden bruddet med Liberal Alliance har været løsgænger, melder sig ind i Konservative.
 19. marts – Josef Fritzl, der holdt sin datter indespærret i 24 år og fik 7 børn med hende, idømmes livsvarigt fængsel.

April
 2. april – Anders Fogh Rasmussen erklærer sig selv som kandidat til NATO's generalsekretærpost.
 3. april – Velfærdsminister Karen Jespersen meddeler, at hun trækker sig tilbage fra sin post.
 4. april – Statsminister Anders Fogh Rasmussen udnævnes til NATO's 15. generalsekretær. Udnævnelsen trådte i kraft 1. august samme år
 5. april – Lars Løkke Rasmussen overtager statsministerposten efter Anders Fogh Rasmussens valg til NATO-generalsekretær.
 6. april – jordskælvet i L'Aquila i det centrale Italien på 6,3 Mw kostede 294 mennesker livet.
 7. april – Statsminister Lars Løkke Rasmussen udpeger nye ministre til regeringen. To helt nye ministre bliver præsenteret, Inger Støjberg og Karen Ellemann.
7. april - Den tidligere peruvianske præsident Alberto Fujimori idømmes 25 års fængsel for at have givet ordrer til landets sikkerhedsstyrker om at udføre kidnapninger og drab på civile.
 16. april – Støtteskibet Absalon vender hjem til Danmark efter 8 måneders mission i farvandet omkring Afrikas Horn.
 16. april – Forretningsmanden Erik Damgaard bliver sammen med sin kæreste, Anni Fønsby, anholdt og sigtet for rufferi. Damgaard løslades dog efter retsmødet – men sigtelsen opretholdes – mens Fønsby må forblive varetægtsfængslet.
 17. april – De fire personer, der står bag The Pirate Bay idømmes hver et års fængsel og et samlet erstatningskrav på 30 millioner svenske kr.
 20. april – Danmark vælger at deltage i den omstridte Durban II-konference om racisme.
 25. april – Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir vinder Altingsvalget i Island den 25. april 2009.
 27. april – En ny form for svineinfluenza overføres til mennesker, hvor over 1.800 tilfælde er registreret på verdensplan, deraf er over 80 døde.
 28. april – Ledelsen i Vestas meddeler, at virkomheden vil afskedige 1.900 ansatte, deraf 1.275 i Danmark.

Maj
 1. maj – Det første tilfælde af Influenza A bliver konstateret i Danmark. En kvinde er blevet smittet efter et ophold i New York i USA.
 4. maj – Prinsesse Marie føder sin og Prins Joachims første søn på Rigshospitalet kl. 4.57.
 11. maj – Rumfærgen Atlantis besøger Hubble-rumteleskopet. Rumfærge-flyvningen begyndte med opsendelsen af Atlantis d. 11. maj 2009 og forventes at slutte d. 22. maj 2009. Hensigten med turen er at udføre reparationer og derved forlænge Hubble-teleskopets levetid.
 26. maj – Christiania taber i Østre Landsret en retssag mod den danske stat om brugsretten til fristadens område på Christianshavn.

Juni
 1. juni – General Motors indgiver Chapter 11-konkursbegæring. Det er det største industrielle kollaps i USA's historie.
 1. juni – Flight 447 fra Air France styrter ned i Atlanterhavet på en tur fra Rio de Janeiro til Paris. Alle 228 om bord frygtes at være omkommet
 5. juni - Montenegro bliver medlem af NATO
 7. juni – Der afholdes valg til Europa-parlamentet i Danmark. Samtidig holdes der folkeafstemning om tronfølgeloven.
 8. juni – Det danske valg til Europa-Parlamentet giver pæn fremgang til DF og SF, der hver vinder et mandat, mens S, R og J hver taber et mandat.
 8. juni – Folkeafstemningen om tronfølgeloven får som resultat, at loven ændres, da 45,5% af de stemmeberettigede stemmer ja.
 13. juni – Stein Bagger bliver idømt 7 års fængsel, for at have svindlet med 862 millioner kroner.
 14. juni – Ved det iranske valg blev den siddende præsident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad genvalgt med 62.63% af de afgivne stemmer.
 16. juni – Partiet Borgerligt Centrum nedlægges og dets eneste folketingsmedlem og stifter, Simon Emil Ammitzbøll, melder sig ind i Liberal Alliance.
 17. juni – Tre danske soldater dræbes i Afghanistan. Dermed har Danmark i alt mistet 25 soldater i Krigen i Afghanistan.
 21. juni – Grønland bliver et selvstyrende land og tager kontrol med retsvæsenet, politiopgaver og natur-ressourcer, i henh. til Folkeafstemningen om grønlandsk selvstyre 2008.
 26. juni sidste del af Svendborgmotorvejen åbener for trafik. Der er nu motorvej hele vejen fra Odense til Svendborg.

Juli
 1. juli - HB Køge, en samarbejds- og overbygningsklub skabt imellem Herfølge Boldklub og Køge Boldklub bliver grundlagt, og spiller i deres første sæson nogensinde i Superligaen, efter at Herfølge Boldklub vandt 1. division. Klubbens hold bruger Herfølge Boldklubs licens.
 15. juli – Flight 7908 fra Caspian Airlines styrter på en mark ved byen Qazvin i Iran, og alle 168 ombordværende omkommer.
 15.-23. juli – Blå Sommer 2009, Det Danske Spejderkorps' korpslejr, der løber af stablen hver 5. år.
 26. juli – Prins Joachim og Prinsesse Maries første søn døbes i Møgeltønder Kirke – navnet er Prins Henrik Carl Joachim Alain.

August
 1. august – Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Danmarks tidligere statsminister tiltræder som generalsekræter for NATO.
 10. august – A.P. Møller-Mærsk lukker Lindøværftet for nybyggeri efter færdiggørelse af nuværende ordrer.
 11. august- Nationalbanken udsender en ny 50-kroneseddel, med Sallingsundbroen på forsiden. Det er den femte 50-kroneseddel siden pengeombytningen i 1945
 13. august - politiet anholder den mandlige del af de afviste, irakiske asylansøgere, der har søgt tilflugt i Brorsons Kirke på Nørrebro
 16. august – Den konservative integrationsordfører Naser Khader skaber debat, da han foreslår at forbyde burkaer i Danmark
 18. august – Søværnets 3 korvetter i Niels Juel-klassen tages ud af tjeneste efter 30 års drift
 20. august - Afghanistan afholder præsidentvalg
 21. august – For første gang siden 2. verdenskrig viser halvårsregnskabet fra Danmarks største virksomhed og verdens største containerrederi, A.P. Møller-Mærsk, underskud
 25. august – Regeringens finanslovsforlag for 2010 viser et underskud på 86 mia. kr., hvorved Danmarks statsgæld fordobles
28. august - styresystemet Snow Leopard fra Apple bliver udgivet
 31. august – det statsejede Finansiel Stabilitet sælger den sunde del af Fionia Bank til Nordea for 900 mio. kr.
 31. august - Peter Skov-Jakobsen bliver viet som den 6. biskop over Københavns Stift

September
 4. september – 90 mennesker blev dræbt, herunder mindst 40 civile, da NATO-fly angreb to tankvogne, som var blevet stjålet af Taleban-oprørere
 5. september - Danmark afholder sin første officielle flagdag, til ære for danske soldater der er døde i internationale operationer siden 1948
 14. september – Ved stortingsvalget 2009 lykkes det Jens Stoltenbergs rød-grønne koalition at bevare magten
 19. september – En dansk soldat bliver skudt og omkommer i Helmand i Afghanistan. Det er den 27. dansker der omkommer under krigen i Afghanistan.
 21. september – Forsvaret får ikke retten til at nedlægge fogedforbud mod Jæger - i krig med eliten. Forlaget People's Press vil derfor udgive den, selv om den allerede er bragt som tillæg til Politiken.
 23. september − Et voldsomt røveri finder sted mod G4S' værdidepot i Västberga, Sverige.
 27. september – Takket være FDP's fremgang ved forbundsdagsvalget i Tyskland kan Angela Merkel fortsætte som kansler for en CDU/CSU-ledet regering med FDP.
 29. september – Otte ud af 12 tilfældigt udvalgte Superbest-butikker afsløres af DR's forbrugerprogram Kontant i at have fusket med datomærkningen.

Oktober
 1.-9. oktober – Den Internationale Olympiske Komité mødes i København til den 121. IOC-session og 13. IOC-kongres. Blandt andet blev Rio de Janeiro valgt som værtsby for Sommer-OL 2016 og Kronprins Frederik blev IOC-medlem.
 2. oktober - USA's præsident Barack Obama lander i Københavns lufthavn, for at forsøge at få De Olympiske Lege til Chicago
4. oktober – Forsvarschef Tim Sloth Jørgensen går af som følge af sagen om bogen Jæger - i krig med eliten.
 22. oktober – Windows 7, efterfølgeren til Windows Vista kommer på markedet.
 23. oktober – Kalle Pimp vinder Talent 2009.
 27. oktober – 2 mænd anholdes af FBI i USA for at have planlagt terrorangreb mod flere mål i Danmark, herunder Jyllands-Posten.

November
 1. november – Det nye tv-signal lanceres og det gamle analoge slukkes. Kabel-tv-udbydere vil i en periode sende både et analogt og digitalt tv-signal.
 9. november – 20-års jubilæum for Berlinmurens fald fejres i Berlin
 17. november – Kommunal- og regionsvalg.
 20. november – Herman Van Rompuy udpeges til at være EU's første præsident. Han tiltræder 1. december 2009, samtidig med at Lissabontraktaten ikræfttræder.
 24. november – Lykke Friis udpeges som ny klima- og energiminister, som afløser for Connie Hedegaard der blev udpeget som Danmarks nye EU-kommissær. Connie Hedegaard blev dog samtidig ny minister for FN's klimakonference 2009.

December
 1. december – Lissabon-traktaten ikrafttræder og Herman Van Rompuy indsættes som EU's første præsident.
 7. december – COP15 (Conferences of the Parties), FNs 15. klimakonference, en videreførelse af FN-konventionen UNFCCC, som afholdes i København og slutter d. 18. december
12. december - 100.000 mennesker demonstrerede i København med krav om en retfærdig klimaaftale ved COP15
 17. december – FN's klimakonference 2009, der afholdes i Bella Center, vedtager hensigtserklæringen Copenhagen Accord.
 22. december – Danmarks bruttonationalprodukt stiger med 0,6 procent i tredje kvartal 2009, og Danmark er således ude af recessionen.

Født
 4. maj – Prins Henrik

Dødsfald

Nobelprisen
 Fysik: Charles K. Kao, Willard S. Boyle & George E. Smith
 Kemi: Vankatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas A. Steitz & Ada E. Yonath
 Medicin: Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider & Jack W. Szostak
 Litteratur: Herta Müller
 Fred: Barack Obama
 Økonomi: Elinor Ostrom & Oliver E. Williamson

Politik

 5. januar - Naser Khader meddeler at han forlader posten som partileder for Liberal Alliance, som han selv var med til at stifte i 2007. Ny partileder er Anders Samuelsen

Sport
 1. februar – Ved VM i håndbold for mænd bliver Frankrig verdensmestre, mens Kroatien og Polen vinder sølv og bronze. Danmark bliver nummer fire.
 16. april – Michael Laudrup fyres som træner i Spartak Moskva.
 16. maj – Viborg HK vinder Champions League i kvindehåndbold over ungarske Győr.
 18. maj – Med finalepladsen i Madrid Open spiller Caroline Wozniacki sig ind på verdens WTA-ranglistens top 10 over bedste kvindelige tennisspillere. Hun er den første dansker der nogensinde er kommet i top 10 i verden, og den eneste kvindelige dansker i top 300.
 22. maj – VfL Wolfsburg bliver tyske mestre i fodbold for første gang.
 27. maj – FC Barcelona vinder for 3. gang Champions League, sæson 2008-09, med en 2-0 sejr over Manchester United
 30. maj – Viborg HK's kvinder vinder det danske mesterskab efter 29-21 sejren over Aalborg DH.
 31. maj – F.C. København bliver officielt kåret som danske mestre i fodbold 2008-09.
 14. juni-28. juni – Confederations Cup i fodbold afholdes i Sydafrika med Brasilien som vinder.
 4. juli-26. juli – Tour de France afholdes i Frankrig med korte smut til bl.a. Italien og Spanien. Alberto Contador bliver samlet vinder.
 2. august – Jakob Fuglsang vinder Post Danmark Rundt 2009. Det er første gang i løbets historie at den samme rytter vinder to år i træk.
 12. september – Caroline Wozniacki opnår sit hidtil bedste resultat, da hun når finalen i US Open, hvor hun dog taber til Kim Clijsters. Resultatet er stærkt medvirkende til, at hun ved afslutningen på sæsonen er nummer 4 på WTA-ranglisten.
 21.-27. september – VM i brydning 2009 afholdes i Herning
 10. oktober – Danmarks fodboldlandshold kvalificerer sig med en 1-0 sejr over Sverige i næstsidste kamp i kvalifikationsturneringen til slutrunden om VM i fodbold 2010.
 [16 august] Usain bolt slår verdens rekorden i 100 meter løb for mænd til vm i atletik

Film
 11. januar – Ved Oscaruddelingen modtager Slumdog Millionaire otte priser, heriblandt Oscar for bedste film.
 15. maj – Engle og dæmoner
 10. juli – Brüno
 17. juli – Harry Potter og Halvblodsprinsen
 13. november – 2012
 20. november - The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Musik
 31. januar – Sangeren Brinck vinder med sangen "Belive Again" Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2009
 3. marts – Judas Priest giver koncert i Horsens, opvarmet af Megadeth og Testament
 14. marts – Red Warszawa giver koncert i Kongens Lyngby
 27. marts – Den færøske sangerinde Linda vinder 2. sæson af X-factor på DR 1
 10. maj – Beyonce giver koncert i Messecenter Herning
 16. maj – Norges Alexander Rybak vinder Eurovision Song Contest 2009 med sangen "Fairytale", der opnår et rekordstort forspring til de efterfølgende sange. Danmarks bidrag, "Believe Again" med Brinck bliver nummer 13.
 5. juni - Nephew udgiver deres album DanmarkDenmark
 10. juni – Anden- og tredjesatsen af Frederik Magles symfoniske suite Cantabile bliver uropført af DR SymfoniOrkestret ved en gallakoncert i DR Koncerthuset i anledning af Henrik, Prinsgemalens 75-års fødselsdag
 15. juni – Morrissey giver koncert i Odense
 17. juni – Morrissey giver koncert i KB-hallen København
 19. juni – AC/DC giver koncert i Parken
 3. juli -Tracy Chapman giver koncert i Den Fynske Landsby i Odense
 8. juli – Bruce Springsteen giver koncert i Messecenter Herning
 11. juli – Britney Spears spiller i København
 20.-28. juli – Metallica giver fem koncerter i Forum København
 11. august – Madonna optræder i Parken
 16. august – Coldplay giver koncert i Messecenter Herning
 4. december – Snoop Dogg udgiver Malice 'N Wonderland

Bøger

 15. januar – Hanne-Vibeke Holst tildeles Boghandlernes gyldne Laurbær for sin roman Dronningeofret.
 16. september – Politiken trykker Jæger – i krig med eliten i en særsektion.

Spil
 The Sims 3
 Killzone 2
 Infamous
 Prototype
 Harry Potter og Halvblodsprinsen
 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Kilder

Eksterne henvisninger

09
Artikler om enkelte år


text:
Q: org.apache.commons.dbcp.BasicDataSource - release connections on connection closing? How to configure BasicDataSource so after ds.getConnection().close() connection really closed?
According to:
http://commons.apache.org/proper/commons-dbcp/api-1.4/org/apache/commons/dbcp/BasicDataSource.html#maxIdle
I need:
ds.setMaxIdle(0);
ds.setTimeBetweenEvictionRunsMillis(60*1000);

But I'm not sure...

A: Setting the max idle to 0, and setting the time between eviction runs to 60 seconds basically means that if you don't close the connection, the BasicDataSource will close it for you in 60 seconds.  If you force the connection closed, then it should be instantly closed.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
package org.obsidianbox.magma.item;

import cpw.mods.fml.common.registry.GameRegistry;
import net.minecraft.client.resources.I18n;
import net.minecraft.item.ItemPickaxe;
import net.minecraft.item.ItemStack;

import org.obsidianbox.magma.addon.Addon;
import org.obsidianbox.magma.lang.Languages;

public class SimplePickaxe extends ItemPickaxe {
    private final Addon addon;
    private final String identifier;

    public SimplePickaxe(Addon addon, String identifier, String displayName, ToolMaterial toolMaterial, boolean showInCreativeTab) {
        super(toolMaterial);
        this.addon = addon;
        this.identifier = identifier;

        setTextureName(addon.getDescription().getIdentifier() + ":pickaxes/" + identifier);
        addon.getGame().getLanguages().put(addon, Languages.ENGLISH_AMERICAN, "item." + identifier + ".name", displayName);
        if (showInCreativeTab) {
            setCreativeTab(addon.getGame().getTabs());
        }
        GameRegistry.registerItem(this, addon.getDescription().getIdentifier() + "_" + identifier);
    }

    public final Addon getAddon() {
        return addon;
    }

    public final String getIdentifier() {
        return identifier;
    }

    @Override
    public String getUnlocalizedName() {
        return addon.getDescription().getIdentifier() + ".item." + identifier;
    }

    @Override
    public String getItemStackDisplayName(ItemStack stack) {
        return I18n.format(getUnlocalizedName() + ".name");
    }

    @Override
    public boolean equals(Object o) {
        if (this == o) {
            return true;
        }
        if (!(o instanceof SimplePickaxe)) {
            return false;
        }

        final SimplePickaxe that = (SimplePickaxe) o;

        return addon.equals(that.addon) && identifier.equals(that.identifier);
    }

    @Override
    public int hashCode() {
        int result = addon.hashCode();
        result = 31 * result + identifier.hashCode();
        return result;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


I wares is an amazing collection between tradition and modernity, signed by Selab collective of designers ! There is a contrast effect between the formal classicism of the product and its colours. In porcelain, the teapot is mainly white but colored at the cove.Ideal to provide as much peps as elegance on your table !


If this golden rim were quenched, if life were no longer circled by an illusion (but was it an illusion after all?
by Times News Service The Museum of Illusions was formally inaugurated at the Muscat Grand Mall on Monday.
The museum, brought to Oman by Global Development and Investment, is the first of its kind in the region and includes the largest single collection of optical illusions in the Middle East.
The book focuses on cognitive illusions that have been extensively researched, such as illusions of control and hindsight bias, and seeks to identify the normative cognitive processes responsible for these illusions.
presents Intimate Illusions performing 7 shows set in the hip W Boston Hotel ballroom offering a truly memorable experience during your Boston night on the town.
Mike added: "Animated illusions are a useful way of doing this as they often involve visual principles that can be taken on board and used by designers to enhance their work.
has entered the fragrance category with Lasting Illusions, a line of fragrance mists for men and women that combine value and luxury.
With winter's shorter days and lower sun angles, you may easily find yourself facing the added complication of these illusions at in the first hour after dawn, during dusk and after dark.
Cognitive psychologists Chabris of Union College in Schenectady, NY, and Simons of the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, discuss commonly held beliefs concerning cognitive functions, or "illusions," that impact our decision making process: "the illusions of attention, memory, confidence, knowledge, cause and potential.


Extracardiac anomalies(ECA) refer to a series of abnormalities in the musculoskeletal system or thoracoabdominal organs. We present a case of complex congenital heart disease(CHD) combined with asplenia and review the management strategies for this disease.
A 2-year-old female patient was admitted to our hospital with symptoms of progressive cyanosis and shortness of breath after crying or activity for 2 years. Her blood pressure was 89/68mm/Hg and heart rate was 110bpm. A physical examination revealed a grade III/VI systolic murmur over 3/4th intercostal space on left sternal border and a grade II-III/VI systolic murmur over 2/3th intercostal space on right sternal border. Ultrasonography suggested congenital absence of spleen. Echocardiography showed functional single ventricle, transposition of the great arteries, severe stenosis of pulmonary valve and right ventricular outflow tract, atrial septal defect, abnormal hepatic venous return, and normal cardiac function. Computed tomography(CT) revealed complex congenital cardiac malformations: single ventricle, transposition of the great arteries, pulmonary artery stenosis, and only one coronary artery was seen originating from the aortic root and dividing into left and right coronary artery 12mm after the origination. Laboratory data showed elevation of hemoglobin (190g/l) and pro-brain natriuretic peptide (493pg/ml).
The patient underwent latero-terminal anastomosis of the superior vena cava and the right pulmonary artery (bidirectional Glenn procedure). The pulmonary artery pressure in operation after anastomosis was 20mmHg, and SpO2 was about 80%. The patient was followed up in surgery intensive care unit due to severe pulmonary infection postoperative. Tracheal intubation was performed two times and followed by a tracheotomy. Vancomycin and Meropenem were used for antibacterial treatment. The patient's condition was gradually improved 2months later, and she was discharged with continued oral anti heart failure and antiplatelet drugs. Echocardiography rechecked 6months postoperative revealed the bloodstream in superior vena cava to right pulmonary artery was unobstructed. CT showed the proximal superior vena cava was closed and the distal segment was anastomosed to the pulmonary artery, azygos vein and its branches dilatation, collateral circulation formation in the mediastinum, and the diameter of pulmonary artery was wider than before. Considering the complexity of the patient's heart malformation, total superior vena cava and pulmonary artery anastomosis in 2 years was recommended.
ECA occur in more than 25% of significant CHD, often manifest as multiple malformations and sometimes as isolated anomaly. The presence of ECA markly increases the mortality in patients with CHD. Asplenia is a common type of abnormality among them, and sometimes is considered as an indicator of complex congenital heart disease. Which may induced a high risk of life-threatening invasive infections, especially due to encapsulated bacteria, so prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment of asplenia are crucial for favorable prognosis. Treatments such as antibiotic prophylaxis, and immunization for encapsulated bacteria are recommended during perioperative period to decrease the risk of morbidity and mortality. In conclusion, a comprehensive and systematic examination for patients to exclude ECA is very important in the risk assessment and treatment planning for patients with complex CHD.


Derwent Graphic INSPIRE ME Marker Sketchbooks contain 80 pages of bleed-proof paper which includes lightly printed patterns to inspire your imagination.
Sketchbooks have 80 pages - 48 blank plus 32 pages with lightly printed dots, triangles, squares and hexagons (8 pages of each).
Sheets are micro-perforated on inner edge for easy removal from the fabric-covered hard-bound covers.
Sketchbooks include an elastic band closure and inside pocket.
Paper is 75 pound weight.
80 sheets of bleed-proof paper. 48 pages lightly patterned to help your imagination. Pages are 5-1/2" sq. hardbound.


Gambling? In Thailand? A Day at the Races.
Gambling is illegal in Thailand. So how is it that I found myself standing in line to place a fifty baht bet on a horse?
"I thought gambling was illegal here? How do they get away with it?" It's legal, in this instance, because it's run by the Military Police and the track resides on MP land. And when I say "run" by the MPs, I mean it — the races are heavily regarded as being rigged.
"If you watch," he said, "you'll see the jockeys looking around and slowing down as they near the finish line. I once saw a jockey jump off his horse at full speed to avoid winning. It must have hurt, but someone else would have hurt him a lot more if he'd won." And with that little tidbit of information, I was sold on the idea.
An easy twenty minute ride north of the Old City on a rented scooter deposited us at the track's front gate. An entry ticket cost twenty baht ($.70 US) and we were soon sitting at a plastic table inside a cavernous steel building, drinking 50 baht Leo beers over ice.
As I snacked on some chicken satay, Mark tried to explain the betting system and how to figure out the odds, how to bet on a horse to win versus to place, and more but I couldn't really get my head around any of it. I'm not much of a gambler in the first place and wasn't here to win big bucks. But I still wanted the experience so I decided to bet 50 baht on horse #3.
"They don't speak any English so you'll need to bet in Thai." He told me what to say and I got in line at the betting window. I stood there several minutes muttering it over and over to myself, then promptly forgot what to say when my turn came. The problem was easily solved by me holding up three fingers and handing him 50 baht with a stupid smile on my face. Sometimes the simplest ways are best.
Just a minute later, there was a howl over the loudspeaker and everyone in the building scurried for the open doors on the side. The race was on.
The stands outside were about half full — mostly Thais but there were a few expats. No tourists in sight. The horses were already turning the final corner and heading for the finish line as people cheered and craned to see if their choice was in the lead. The main pack thundered by and a loud groan escaped from the crowd, sprinkled here and there with a few cheers or applause. My horse came in second.
Mark had placed a "to place" bet where he had to pick two of the three top spots and he'd nailed it, winning 300 baht for his effort. He would, of course, spend the rest of the day reminding Paul and I of this fact. What a guy.
Back at the table, we ordered more beer and I scouted the food stalls, finding some spicy pork sausage for ten baht. The races were 45 minutes apart so we soon fell into an easy rhythm, drinking beer and swapping lies, then hurrying out to watch the end of the race. While drinking we'd chat up everyone we could, hoping for tips. If you want to win, you have to find someone with inside info — here the best horse isn't necessarily going to win.
The best tips, Mark explained, came from the MPs themselves. Just a few weeks ago, he'd bought a couple of them two bottles of whiskey and earned a whispered tip for the next race. He'd then collected his 1,000 baht winnings while the MPs proceeded to drink themselves silly, leaning on each other and singing, guns on their hips and helmets scattered about the table. "I haven't seen them here since," he remarked.
Hopping back in line to take advantage of my newly acquired insider information, I bet another 50 baht, feeling pretty good about myself. Looking around, I saw Thais betting thousands of baht — these guys were serious. And it wasn't uncommon to see men staring dejectedly at their race programs after a race with a stunned look that suggested they'd just lost money they couldn't afford to lose.
The loudspeaker howled and we all rushed out to watch the finish. My horse came in second. Again. When I asked Mark if Phil made much money betting, he just laughed. "He bets ten baht on each race." So much for my expert advice. I'd later see him shouting "wanker!" at a jockey who was far behind the pack. He takes his ten baht seriously.
We finally did meet up with a couple of MPs and spent time drinking whiskey and coke with them as we waited on the last race. They were a little quiet at first, but opened up as the bottle disappeared, posed for photos and even let us try on their helmets, with everyone laughing and communicating in pidgin English and Thai.
I had bet 100 baht on a horse I picked at random, determined to win at least once. It had good odds, too, so if it won, I'd get 400 or 500 baht. The speaker went off and we handed the helmets back and rushed outside for the last time. As the horses drew closer, I did a double-take. My horse was in the lead! As they passed by us, he was half a length ahead of the pack. And with maybe fifty feet to go, I saw him look around and sit up in the saddle, easing up at the last moment. The fix was in.
Haha this is a great story. I like to follow the horse racing here and there (mainly as a sport, and not gambling), and would never have dreamt of Thailand having something like this.
These are the best types of experiences, seeing locals what they do in their everyday lives out of the tourist's eyes.
I'll keep this in mind should I venture to Chiang Mai anytime soon. And I love the before/after shots!
Most delightful post! Tough I'm surely no gambler, it all seems like a great day and fabulous fun.
The "after" shot made me laugh out loud! Fun post, perfect ending.
I would go just for the food! And where are the pictures of you guys wearing the helmets?
The Travel Chica recently posted..My Little Wine Experiment: Can You Tell the Difference?
What a great time. That is something I like about slowing down when traveling, you get to try things that nobody else would think of doing. I love the before and after photos. Good times indeed.
I love that first photo! This sounds like a good time even if it is not too lucrative.
ha! Thanks, man. They were fun until one of them pulled his gun out and started showing it around.
That "after" photo left me in a pool of tears from laughing so hard. Thnx!
I love the motion blur of the first image. Have you considered posting your exif data with the lead images of your posts?
hey, Gail and I are gonna bet on the ponies at the Alameda County Fair this coming 4th of July holiday weekend, got any tips?
Looks like you fellows had a great time, me and my hubby check it out the first time we got to Thailand the place is really crowded. I wonder when could we get back there, I've always missed the delicious food that floods the street and the warm hospitality of the people.
I so want to do this when I am there in September! Great story.
P.S. Is that your new iphone in the drunken MP's hand?
Why the HELL is a link to this really old post just now showing up on Facebook? Tricky….


text:
package org.keycloak.adapters.saml.config;

import org.keycloak.adapters.saml.SamlDeployment;

import java.io.Serializable;
import java.util.List;

/**
 * @author Bill Burke
 * @version $Revision: 1 $
 */
public class IDP implements Serializable {
    public static class SingleSignOnService implements Serializable {
        private boolean signRequest;
        private boolean validateResponseSignature;
        private String requestBinding;
        private String responseBinding;
        private String bindingUrl;

        public boolean isSignRequest() {
            return signRequest;
        }

        public void setSignRequest(boolean signRequest) {
            this.signRequest = signRequest;
        }

        public boolean isValidateResponseSignature() {
            return validateResponseSignature;
        }

        public void setValidateResponseSignature(boolean validateResponseSignature) {
            this.validateResponseSignature = validateResponseSignature;
        }

        public String getRequestBinding() {
            return requestBinding;
        }

        public void setRequestBinding(String requestBinding) {
            this.requestBinding = requestBinding;
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        public String getResponseBinding() {
            return responseBinding;
        }

        public void setResponseBinding(String responseBinding) {
            this.responseBinding = responseBinding;
        }

        public String getBindingUrl() {
            return bindingUrl;
        }

        public void setBindingUrl(String bindingUrl) {
            this.bindingUrl = bindingUrl;
        }
    }

    public static class SingleLogoutService implements Serializable {
        private boolean signRequest;
        private boolean signResponse;
        private boolean validateRequestSignature;
        private boolean validateResponseSignature;
        private String requestBinding;
        private String responseBinding;
        private String postBindingUrl;
        private String redirectBindingUrl;

        public boolean isSignRequest() {
            return signRequest;
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        public void setSignRequest(boolean signRequest) {
            this.signRequest = signRequest;
        }

        public boolean isSignResponse() {
            return signResponse;
        }

        public void setSignResponse(boolean signResponse) {
            this.signResponse = signResponse;
        }

        public boolean isValidateRequestSignature() {
            return validateRequestSignature;
        }

        public void setValidateRequestSignature(boolean validateRequestSignature) {
            this.validateRequestSignature = validateRequestSignature;
        }

        public boolean isValidateResponseSignature() {
            return validateResponseSignature;
        }

        public void setValidateResponseSignature(boolean validateResponseSignature) {
            this.validateResponseSignature = validateResponseSignature;
        }

        public String getRequestBinding() {
            return requestBinding;
        }

        public void setRequestBinding(String requestBinding) {
            this.requestBinding = requestBinding;
        }

        public String getResponseBinding() {
            return responseBinding;
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        public void setResponseBinding(String responseBinding) {
            this.responseBinding = responseBinding;
        }

        public String getPostBindingUrl() {
            return postBindingUrl;
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        public void setPostBindingUrl(String postBindingUrl) {
            this.postBindingUrl = postBindingUrl;
        }

        public String getRedirectBindingUrl() {
            return redirectBindingUrl;
        }

        public void setRedirectBindingUrl(String redirectBindingUrl) {
            this.redirectBindingUrl = redirectBindingUrl;
        }
    }

    private String entityID;
    private String signatureAlgorithm;
    private String signatureCanonicalizationMethod;
    private SingleSignOnService singleSignOnService;
    private SingleLogoutService singleLogoutService;
    private List<Key> keys;

    public String getEntityID() {
        return entityID;
    }

    public void setEntityID(String entityID) {
        this.entityID = entityID;
    }

    public SingleSignOnService getSingleSignOnService() {
        return singleSignOnService;
    }

    public void setSingleSignOnService(SingleSignOnService singleSignOnService) {
        this.singleSignOnService = singleSignOnService;
    }

    public SingleLogoutService getSingleLogoutService() {
        return singleLogoutService;
    }

    public void setSingleLogoutService(SingleLogoutService singleLogoutService) {
        this.singleLogoutService = singleLogoutService;
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    public List<Key> getKeys() {
        return keys;
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    public void setKeys(List<Key> keys) {
        this.keys = keys;
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    public String getSignatureAlgorithm() {
        return signatureAlgorithm;
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    public void setSignatureAlgorithm(String signatureAlgorithm) {
        this.signatureAlgorithm = signatureAlgorithm;
    }

    public String getSignatureCanonicalizationMethod() {
        return signatureCanonicalizationMethod;
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    public void setSignatureCanonicalizationMethod(String signatureCanonicalizationMethod) {
        this.signatureCanonicalizationMethod = signatureCanonicalizationMethod;
    }

}


text:
Alumni News – Term 1 2019 — 06 Mar 2019
Posted on March 6, 2019 / Alumni News, / General news
We are proud of all our alumni and their achievements – big and small. Continue reading, or visit our website, to be inspired by the experiences, memories and journeys of some of our past students.
We welcome your news including personal or career highlights and milestones. Profiles may be featured on our website, around the School, via our social media platforms or in other Tintern Publications. Please email us to start sharing or complete our online alumni update form.
JANE LOCK
GOLF PRO AND COACH
"For Jane Lock this year has been what the experts believe is the starting point of a successful golfing career", stated the 1971 issue of the Brook. Almost 50 years later and we can say that was clearly an understatement!
Jane graduated Tintern in 1972, already having embarked on a successful golfing career. Jane was an active member of many sports teams during her schooling, and in Year 12 (Form 6) was Captain of the Baseball, Basketball and Swimming teams, and the Mansfield House Captain in 1971 and 1972.
In August 1969, while she was still at school, Jane attended a golf camp for junior girls at Flinders. From there her golfing prowess grew, winning the first of three consecutive Australian Junior Championship. Then in 1975 winning both Junior Championships and the first of three Australian National Championships.
Jane Lock represented Australia more than thirty times and set course records in six countries. After turning professional in 1981 Jane played on the European, Asian and USA tours, recording two wins on the European Tour.
In 1975, at the age of only 19, Jane was awarded the Member of the British Empire (MBE) for services to Sport and Golf. In 2000 Jane was again honoured with the Australian Sports Medal in recognition of both her playing and teaching career in Golf. Jane was them inducted in to the Victorian Golf Hall of Fame in 2015, which recognises high-level achievement and contribution to the development and status of the golf industry in Victoria.
Having completed her Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement) in 1981 Jane retired as a playing Professional in 1986 due to an injury, continuing on as a Teaching Professional to share her skills and expertise as a coach. Teaching at Bulleen Golf Driving Range before retiring in 2018 Jane has also contributed to golf through the Consultancy and Media work; developing instructional videos, featuring on many television shows, as a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines throughout Australia, and as a Channel 7 Course Commentator at the Australian Women's Open.
Although incredibly humble Jane is truly an inspiration!
LOUIS GYSBERTS
MEDICAL ENGINEER
Louis came to Southwood in Year 6. He excelled at mathematics and science, and was enthusiastically involved in many sports, musicals, choirs and the leadership team. After graduating from Tintern in 2008, Louis went on to study Aerospace Engineering at Monash University. He was a member of many university groups and clubs and immersed himself in university life. He studied for five years and spent three months backpacking throughout Europe. He completed his final year thesis with the Monash Unmanned Aerial Systems team to develop a search and rescue autonomous drone for the UAV Outback Challenge in Queensland. He achieved high academic results and consequently received honors of his year and was inducted into the Golden Key International Honors Society.
After graduating from university, Louis was keen to start his career in engineering. Within months of graduating from Monash, he landed a full-time position as an Engineer at Planet Innovation, an engineering consultancy firm. He worked on many projects including a smart IVF incubator to streamline the IVF industry in Australia and making it more affordable and accessible. After working at Planet Innovation, he became a mechanical engineer at MiniFAB, a medical engineering consultancy firm. At the moment he is developing a rapid point of care diagnostic system for infectious diseases such as Ebola, various cancer diagnostic devices and the Monash Vision Group's direct to brain bionic eye to bring sight back to the blind. He has utilised his skills in 3D printing and other rapid prototyping techniques to deliver world first solutions to some of the most difficult engineering challenges. He enjoys working on projects to better the living conditions and quality of life for some of the most disadvantaged people on the planet.
He hopes to someday own and operate his own modern and innovative consultancy firm. He still has a passion for aviation, astronomy and drone technology and routinely builds and pilots drones in his personal time.
CHARLOTTE GANDERTON
Physiotherapist and researcher, Dr Charlotte Ganderton (B.Hlth. Sci, M.Physio.Prac (Hons), PhD), completed her undergraduate physiotherapy degree in 2012 with honours in shoulder muscle dysfunction. Her exceptional success as an undergraduate student was highlighted by receipt of the Alan Hamer Research Prize, Bernard Rechter Graduate Research Prize for Honours, La Trobe University Patricia Cosh Leadership Award, the Australian Physiotherapy Association Board of Directors Student Prize and the prestigious DM Myers University Medal. She then went on to complete her PhD in lateral hip pain in 2017.
Charlotte has presented her research at national and international conferences, winning Best Academic Paper (Sports) at the Australian Physiotherapy Conference, and the Wendy Ey Women in Sport Award at the Sports Medicine Australia Conference in Malaysia 2017.
Throughout her career, she has experienced working in a number of different areas – performing arts, sports, private practice and the public health system, as well as tertiary education. This has enabled her to treat individuals from the acute setting through to return to work and sport.
She is currently travelling the world working as a Physiotherapist for Cirque du Soleil – Toruk, The First Flight.
Tintern taught Charlotte to continuously strive to challenge herself, professionally and personally. This is evident in her achievements so far, and no doubt will help her in future endeavours.
MATT JANE
During my Middle School years at Southwood, I had the opportunity to complete the Building a PC course ran by Sue Healey. Prior to this class, I had next to no knowledge in the field of technology, though the process of building a computer from the ground up sparked a passion that is still with me to this day.
I knew that I wanted to have a career that revolved around computer hardware, a product that was on the bleeding edge for consumers, that I could be proud to have been a part of. I studied Math Methods and Physics in Year 12 as they were prerequisites for Electrical Engineering.
RMIT University had an excellent, hands-on approach to engineering, and I was accepted into a Bachelor of Engineering (Electronics & Communications) (Honours) and Bachelor of Computer Science.
In my final year of study, I was Chief Electrical Engineer of RMIT Electric Racing. A team that competes in the largest engineering student competition around the world, designing, building, and racing a formula style electric race car. This provided me with the experience of developing an electric car from the ground up, managing team members from multiple disciplines, and competing under immense stress in a worldwide competition.
A representative of Tesla Motors reached out to me to discuss the possibility of employment after graduation. Considering my long-term interest in technology and the recent involvement with RMIT Electric racing, Tesla Motors was a dream company. After a fairly long and intense hiring process, I was offered a position as a Product Excellence Engineer at their Fremont Factory in the United States.
Within my role I focus on the production of Drive Units for the Tesla Model S and Model X. I help ensure that the production line is operating smoothly and producing the most excellent parts possible. If for whatever reason part quality slips, I help develop solutions, working with suppliers and production staff to bring it back up to the Tesla standard.
CELIA PACQUOLA
COMEDIAN & ACTOR
Multi-award-winning comic Celia Pacquola has cemented her position as one of the most in-demand comedians in Australia, while also forging a comedy career in the UK and abroad.
Her stand-out solo festival shows The Looking Glass, Let Me Know How It All Works Out, Delayed, Flying Solos and Am I Strange, have all garnered rave reviews wherever they were performed, from Melbourne to Edinburgh. In 2014 Celia was nominated for the Barry Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for the best show and won the Amused Moose Laughter Award at the Edinburgh Fringe. In 2016, Celia became the youngest woman to host the Oxfam Gala for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival/Network Ten.
Celia is also a talented actor with roles in the acclaimed ABC1 drama The Beautiful Lie, the AACTA award-winning Laid, Logie Award-winning drama Offspring and in Working Dog's series Utopia, for which she won an AACTA Award in 2015. Her wit and jokes will be familiar from guest appearances on Spicks and Specks, The Project, Good News Week, Dirty Laundry, Have Been Paying Attention? and more. Internationally, Celia has been a guest on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Chelsea Lately and The Rob Brydon Show. She was also handpicked to support John Oliver on his 2015 Australian Tour. Following this, Celia was invited to the 2016 Just For Laughs festival in Montreal to perform as part of the Carrie Fisher Gala, and then to London for an appearance on Live At The Apollo.
In 2016, Celia and her dear friend and Utopia colleague Luke McGregor starred on ABC1 in Rosehaven – a comedy series of their own creation. Celia finished the year with an AACTA Best Supporting Actress award for her performance as Dolly Faraday in The Beautiful Lie.
Image Credit: Andy Hollingworth
For further profiles please visit Meet Our Alumni on our website.
Tintern Alumni Jazz Band - An invitation to join
Avenue of Excellence Nominations
Class of 2009 - 10 Year Reunion

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Freshman guard Jacob Boonyasith during a Feb. 2, 2019 game against Holy Cross.
AU men's basketball is last in the Patriot League in threes made and attempted per game (5.4 and 17.1, respectively). But the Eagles still need the shot – or the threat of the shot – to open up their offense. With guard Sam Iorio and his 2.5 threes per game sitting out, Holy Cross decided to overlook American's range on Saturday. They also chose to overlook freshman guard Jacob Boonyasith.
Boonyasith had an efficient 17 points, going 5-10 from deep and filling in when the Eagles needed him most. Head coach Mike Brennan stressed the importance of Boonyasith's impressive performance in AU's 66-49 win on Saturday.
But the Eagles truly rely on off-ball movement to start their offense. They are often able to get off to hot starts because their energy and movement are the highest in the first half. This game was no different, to the tune of a 42-18 start.
With Beckton Jr. going backdoor, the defense became focused in on him, which created enough misdirection on the switch for Boonyasith to get open. It's these little misdirections that are so key to the offense. When the team ran the same action early in the game, Gasperini found Nelson, who drew a foul cutting to the hoop.
The Eagles are ninth in the Patriot League in assists per game (13.1 per game). Yet, the offense continues to thrive. The team doesn't need a ton of plays. Instead, it needs a ton of options.
Parallels can be found across not just teams, but sports. The Los Angeles Rams offense has been one of the most electric in NFL history this past season (even if their performance in the Super Bowl said otherwise). Their innovation differs from other teams. While other teams run out as many formations as possible, the Rams almost always run out of the same formation. They succeed because they have so many different plays and cuts they can run within that formation.
Like the Rams, the Eagles' success doesn't run in their myriad of plays – instead, it's the malleability of these plays that has sparked their four-game win streak. Their predictability is unpredictable.
The Eagles also prevent the three at the other end of the court. The team is first in the country in opponent threes made, allowing only 4.76 per game on 27.7% shooting (which puts them fifth in the country). Holy Cross went 2 for 15.
The cliche would be that the Eagles live and die by the three. It appears the Eagles are doing everything in their power to ensure they don't die by it.


text:
Pandora Post #21
Title: Pandora
Part Twenty-One: Revelations
Notes: This is the next part of a spin-off story of a series I posted on Literotica (titled Bonded, as Carizabeth) and the subject matter is m/m sci fi. This part is rated R for yummy man-sex. Perhaps one day I'll rate something R for another reason, but it hasn't happened yet. This will be the last post for at least a week, maybe two, because we start heading down country for the last time tomorrow. This part is correspondingly longer and hopefully more satisfying, to keep you sated and content while I wrestle my life into a bush taxi and hope for the best. Readers, you are awesome to stick with me, tease that I am. We're over halfway done at this point, I think.
The next time Garrett woke up, he was just as disconcerted as the time before. Only this time he was lying on his side, curled against a tall, lean body on a firm bed, covered with a sheet. It felt like a dream. It felt like a beautiful, excellent, latently lascivious dream, and he felt warm and happy and content, and so rather than open his eyes he snuggled further into his bedmate's side and reached a questing hand beneath the sheet.
A low chuckle interrupted him. "Don't think you're quite awake enough for that, darlin'."
Oh. Oh. Holy shit, it wasn't a dream, Garrett never got turned down in his dreams. That either made this a nightmare or…he tried to open his eyes and couldn't. No, still a nightmare, just a waking one. Although the fringe benefits of his current situation were pretty damn pleasant.
Recent memories crept back into his mind. They'd left the infirmary and gone to Garrett's apartment just long enough to grab his toiletries and clothes and, after a moment's pause, his journal. Garrett had never even gotten out of the wheelchair, although he figured he could find his way inside of his own place easily enough. He'd heard voices in the halls, murmurs, quiet exchanges of question and answer, and it bothered him more than he could say. Garrett liked to be in control of his surroundings. If something or someone rubbed him the wrong way he changed it, either by manipulating it or modifying his own actions. Now there was nothing he could do, no way to change himself to diminish the attention because he tacitly wasn't in control of himself. He had to rely on Jonah, Cody, Rickie and Jezria, and he both wanted their care and despised himself for wanting it.
Jezria had been very approving of the plan for him to stay with Jonah, even giving the pilot a week off from work to help care for Garrett. She came to meet them at his apartment, and together she and Jonah picked out clothes they knew Garrett liked, things they knew he needed and asked him enough questions to distract Garrett from himself. Cody had ridden along on Garrett's lap, begging the whole time to go faster, faster, and Garrett had been relieved when Jonah firmly said no.
Rickie then met them at Jonah's apartment and talked at length about the importance of counting steps, of keeping clothes and toys off of the floor (which was met with a brief flurry of activity) and especially of being patient all around.
"I'll keep monitoring your brain chemistry," she added quietly to Garrett at the end of her visit. "But if you start to feel depressed—really depressed, Doctor Caractacus, not just out of sorts or unhappy or impatient—let me know immediately, and keep talking to Jonah, okay? He wants to help you."
"I know," Garrett had replied. The doctor squeezed his shoulder briefly and then departed, letting him know that she'd be back tomorrow to give him another shot for the pain. Shortly afterwards Jezria left as well, and the brief rush of adrenaline that had come as he learned the new walkways of his temporary home had deserted him. Just then Garrett had wanted nothing more than to lie down.
Jonah must have read it in his face, because he called a friend to come over and take care of Cody for a while, then took Garrett back into his bedroom. He'd helped him get out of the scrubs, into a soft pair of sleep pants and led him to the bed, then lay down beside him. One of his arms went around Garrett's shoulders, and his mouth pressed a gentle kiss to Garrett's forehead, then his lips.
"This isn't how I pictured my first time in your bed," Garrett said ruefully, not quite managing the teasing tone he was going for.
"Me neither," Jonah agreed. "But I'm glad you're here."
"So am I." He was warm and comfortable and so tired, and after a few minutes Garrett had fallen into a deep, unmoving sleep.
Now he was awake and plastered to Jonah's side, and after a moment's consideration Garrett decided he was completely okay with that, and if Jonah's possessive embrace was anything to go by, so was he.
"How d'you feel?" Jonah asked.
"All right," Garrett said cautiously. "Not in any pain, at least."
"That's good."
"Do you really have the week off, or did I just dream that?"
"Nope." Jonah's voice was smug with satisfaction. "I've got the time approved and everything. It's good, this way I won't be worryin' about you all day long. Cody's still got school all this next week, so maybe he won't tire you out too much."
"He won't."
"I hope not," Jonah said. "You've been down for about ten hours. Care for something to eat?"
Garrett wrinkled his brow. "What time is it?"
"Eight in the mornin'. Cody's already at class."
"Huh. I must have been tired."
"You've got reason to be." Jonah's hand stroked along the side of Garrett's face. The suddenness of it made him jerk back, and the hand withdrew. "Sorry, I wasn't thinkin'."
"It's okay." Garrett fumbled until he found his lover's retracted hand and pulled it back to his face. "I don't want you to be afraid to touch me. I like it when you touch me." It grounds me, it comforts me, it makes me feel…I don't even know, but I don't want you to stop.
"Positive. You can touch whenever you want. Other people, not so much," Garrett amended, because he really didn't want to deal with grabby hands and overly-helpful tugs on his arms.
"Got it." Jonah's thumb smoothed over Garrett's cheekbone and down the shell of his ear before he drew his hand back a second time. "You want breakfast?"
His stomach rumbled uncomfortably. "Yes, but I need to use the bathroom and get changed first."
"You remember how to find it?"
Garrett wracked his brain for a moment. "Ten feet to the left of the bed, the door is beside the dresser so I should mind the corners?"
"Good memory."
"I do try."
"I'll put some clothes out on the bed for you if you want. Casual?"
"Semi-casual," Garrett said. "I have the feeling I'm going to be getting a lot of visitors today, and I want to look like I'm taking them seriously."
"You're right about the visitors," Jonah agreed. "I've already turned away three people, told them I'd let them know when you were feelin' up to guests."
"After breakfast."
"What would you like to eat?"
"Cereal," Garrett said after a moment. "Not that I don't love your pancakes but I don't want to spend half the morning fumbling with a fork and trying to hunt down bits of food. Cereal I can do without too much mess."
"Whatever you want." Jonah brushed his lips lightly over Garrett's, then got out of bed. "Your stuff's on the right hand side of the sink."
Getting out of bed was easy. Walking to the bathroom without feeling like a moron with his arms stretched out like that? Not so easy. Remembering where all of the fixtures were was even harder, and Garrett was incredibly grateful that no one was around to watch him stumble against the edge of the sink, or grope around for his sonic cleanser. He finally accomplished everything he needed to, but it took ten minutes longer than usual even though he had no hair to style and no makeup to apply.
"First order of business," Garrett told himself, resolutely looking forward towards the mirror he knew was there even though he couldn't see it. "Hair." Short enough he didn't need to style it was fine, but going without completely made him feel like he was back in the mental institution again, with doctors trying, and only partially succeeding, to remedy his condition with invasive brain surgery. Garrett was never sure how much of his gray matter had been replaced during that operation, but he did know that his temperament was markedly different once he recovered. He still had the mood swings, absolutely, and he was continually monitored, but a fundamental part of himself had been changed. Garrett barely recalled how he'd felt and thought before the surgery, but he remembered plenty of instances afterwards of his father staring at him, lost in contemplation with a look Garrett couldn't really describe on his face, but that seemed edged with sadness.
He didn't want to think about Miles right now. That would only make him feel guilty. Instead Garrett worked his way back into the bedroom and felt around for clothes on the bed. There was a set laid out, smooth fabric that matched top to bottom, felt thicker around the collar and hems, slim-fitting…Garrett knew this outfit. It was a perfect fit for semi-casual. Garrett pulled the clothes on, smoothing the creases into place, then slowly walked towards where he knew the door was. Slowly, slowly, the last thing he needed was a black eye or split lip from banging into the doorframe…there. Now five steps straight down the hall, past Cody's room on the right, up to the main living area. The dining room was straight ahead, with an open floor plan into the living room on the left and the kitchen on the right. Three steps and a right turn, six more steps and he should feel—
"Aha!" Garrett laid his hands on the counter.
"Why thank you," he smiled. There was a barstool to his left and he levered himself up into it, then started slowly creeping his fingers across the countertop.
"Sorry, hang on a sec." A moment later there was a ceramic clink right in front of him. "Had the bowl over here."
"That's all right." Bowl, yep, there it was, and a spoon, and resistance that told Garrett that there was plenty of cereal in it. Now he just had to eat without spilling all over himself. "Do you mind not watching? This is likely to be awkward."
"I'm here to help you, Garrett," Jonah replied, his voice unruffled. "Can't do that if I can't see you. I don't care if you spill."
"Darlin'…" Jonah sounded like he was trying to work out the best way to say something in his mind before trying it out loud. Finally he sighed. "Nothing you do's gonna make me think less of you. I don't care if you hold the bowl up to your lips and slurp out of it. I won't watch if it really makes you uncomfortable, but this is just day one of maybe two weeks, and you can't live on cereal for all of it."
Personally Garrett felt like there were a lot of things he could do that would make Jonah think less of him, but upon reflection he decided that watching Garrett mess himself up eating was minor by comparison. "Just don't laugh."
"I'd never." And he didn't, not when Garrett held the spoon upside down, not when he took nearly-empty bites, and not when he stopped after eating less than half of it with a sound of disgust. Jonah just cleared the bowl away, handed Garrett a napkin and said, "Care to talk to Lila? She said she brought you something."
Hair, excellent. "Yes, I'd love to see her."
"Let's get you set up in the living room, then."
"I've got this," Garrett assured Jonah. He got off the stool, moved through the dining room without banging his shins on any of the chairs, and remembered enough of the layout of the other room that he found the couch with no problem, and sank down onto it gratefully. "Ta-da."
"Nice work," Jonah agreed. "I'll call her, let her know she can come around now."
"Thank you." Garrett sat and listened to Jonah move around, the faint shuffle of his feet on the carpeting, the low and steady sound of his voice as he opened his comm. Garrett was a visual learner, he always had been, and even now he couldn't listen to those sounds without immediately painting a picture in his mind to accompany them. Jonah with his hair tied back, t-shirt, jeans, bare feet…or maybe not. "Come here," he said when Jonah was done with his call.
"Just sit next to me," Garrett requested. Jonah sat down, close, and Garrett reached searching hands toward him. Jonah's own hands rose up to meet Garrett's. "No, just let me look for a minute."
Garrett could almost hear Jonah nod his head. "Sure." He felt along Jonah's shoulders, broad and strong, in a button-down shirt, a little nicer than Garrett had expected. The warm, strong line of his neck flexed beneath Garrett's fingertips, and it turned out Jonah's hair was loose, and feathered backwards away from his face. Garrett traced his lover's features, from the top of his head and across his face, down his chest, over his abdomen and lower. He reached down and felt Jonah's feet, smiling when he found them bare.
"Missed a spot," Jonah said hoarsely.
"No, I didn't," Garrett replied, his hands finally ghosting over the bulge that he knew was pressing against Jonah's jeans.
"Oh, hell…we don't have the time, darlin', your friend's gonna be here any minute."
"Then you'll just have to save it for me," Garrett said saucily, feeling more in control with every stroke of his lover's body.
"I can do that," Jonah promised just as a knock sounded on the door. "Shit, you see? Goddammit."
"Think unsexy thoughts," Garrett advised. "Think of childbirth, that usually does it for me."
"That's cold, man."
"Hey, old fashioned human childbirth is not sexy. Miraculous and joyful maybe, but sexy? Try messy and agonizing instead. I'm so glad I'm missing my little sister's birth."
"Your parents are havin' another kid?"
"Not exactly…"
The knock came again, louder this time. "Okay, I can do this now," Jonah sighed. The couch creaked slightly as he got up and walked over to the door. Lila's worried voice greeted him, and a moment later she was beside Garrett on the couch, her hands clasping his tightly.
"I was so worried about you! When we heard what happened we all knew it had to be bad, and to lose your vision…Garrett, I'm so sorry."
"My eyes will grow back," he quipped.
"But not for two weeks."
Garrett was in no mood to have a pity party. "You're just jealous of all my sudden paid vacation time. I'm told you come bearing gifts. What did you bring me?"
Some of the fun came back into her tone. "Aren't you glad now that you let me take your hair? I was going to give the wig to Lawrence, but after we heard what happened he figured you'd rather wear your own hair if given the chance. It's backed to adhere and looks pretty nice, if I do say so myself."
"Because modesty is your middle name."
"Look who's talking. You want to try it on?"
"Don't make me look stupid," Garrett warned, but he bent his head forward accommodatingly. A moment later a smooth, slightly sticky skullcap settled over his skin. Lila tugged the sides down a bit, touched up the edges and then pressed her hand firmly over the short and, Garrett presumed, blond wig until it was firmly adhered.
"Very nice. Kind of macho."
"What did I tell you about giving me a marine haircut, woman?"
"It's not butch," she protested with a giggle. "Just, y'know…manly. And you are a man, so it fits."
"If my boyfriend laughs at me I will definitely hit you upside the head the next time I see you," Garrett threatened. "Where is Jonah, actually?"
"He went into the back. I think I hear the shower." Now that she mentioned it, Garrett did too. "So…he got over the kindergartener fiasco enough that he's letting you live with him during your leave. Niiiice."
"Jealousy is an ugly emotion," Garrett said.
"Oh shut up, I'm not jealous." Lila paused. "Well, maybe a little. He is a pretty hot guy, and his kid is just adorable."
For the next half an hour the two of them talked about their lovers, their work and went down dozens of nearly-inconsequential little tangents. It was the sort of light, careless conversation that Garrett enjoyed and excelled at. He would have felt totally normal if it weren't for the fact that he couldn't see. Nevertheless, by the time Lila left he was in a much more balanced mood, feeling like he could face the rest of his onslaught of guests with equanimity.
Jonah kept things from being too overwhelming, but there were a lot of people who wanted to poke their heads in. Shekar visited, and Andrews and Ruxin, the scientists who had wisely fled at the first sign of danger. Ruxin, full name Leonard Ruxin, seemed upset by what he deemed his "desertion" of Garrett and Martina, but Garrett told him not to be an idiot and after a few minutes of banter they were okay.
At noon Rickie came to give him another shot, and then Jezria visited with Captain Carson, followed by a few more official types who gave him their sincerest apologies for the surge that led to the explosion. Garrett accepted their rote concerns with rote gratitude and waited impatiently for them to leave.
His last guest of the afternoon was Lawrence Sims. Garrett was more than a little surprised that it wasn't Martina coming to visit him, and it must have showed on his face.
"She wants to come, but I felt she needed a little more time to pull herself together," Lawrence said as he slowly, carefully sat down on the couch. He sighed as he settled back, seeming to creak. It was so hard for Garrett to picture this man as a contemporary instead of an elder, even when he was blind. Blind Garrett could hear the wear and tear that steeped every one of Lawrence's movements in caution, the sighs and groans of pain and relief. It hurt to hear him shift in place.
They got through the initial, familiar question and answer phase in short order, and then Lawrence paused. When he spoke again, his voice was soft. "My wife acted rashly and foolishly, but she didn't do it to secure her image as a martinet. When she gets an idea in her head Tina gets driven, to the point where she can't see the forest for the trees. She was so focused on getting the backup generators for the hospital that she didn't realize the potential cost of her actions."
"Why are the generators so important?" Garrett asked.
"Because some of them are going to be supporting the cellular genetics lab in the hospital, whose power generators have already quit twice. She's got one of her pet projects under construction there, and it means a lot to her." Lawrence sighed. "I'm dying, Doctor Caractacus. It started as bone marrow cancer and has since spread to my lymph system."
Garrett was actually speechless. He fumbled fruitlessly for something to say, and after a few seconds Lawrence kindly ended the awkward silence. "Cancer is how most naturals end up dying. I've already beaten three different types, but they just keep coming. The vaccines don't work on me, of course, and surgery is difficult. Every recovery takes longer than the one before. Tina is trying to synthesize a marrow transplant that my body won't reject, making recovery easier, but it's not going well. I'm not telling you this to excuse her actions," he added firmly. "If one of our employees had acted in such a manner, Tina would be the first to talk about disciplinary measures, up to and including termination of contract. However, she's got a terrible blind spot when it comes to me, and you were the unfortunate victim of her persistence. I'm sorry about that, Garrett. She is as well, and she'll tell you herself soon."
"I had no idea," Garrett finally managed. "I'm so sorry."
"It's all right. I've had years to get used to the idea," Lawrence said easily. "I might not be that much older than you, but I feel old. I've never been under any delusions about how long I'd be around, and frankly this is longer than I had figured on. If you stay here, Garrett, you'll come to realize that taking care of the caretakers is just as important as making sure naturals live a full, healthy life. For us the end comes fairly fast. For our loved ones, like you and Mr. Helms, our end lingers for many years."
Years. Decades of life without Cody, decades of Jonah mourning the loss of his beautiful son, mourning the loss of his family and friends. Mourning the long life that he was able to live that Cody simply hadn't been born with the capacity for.
"I should go," Lawrence said. "Thank you for letting me ramble a bit. I hope your recovery is fast." He pushed slowly to his feet and set his cane down on the rug. "Martina will be by later this week."
"Thank you," Garrett said, a little numbly.
"You're welcome." Soft footsteps, the nearly-silent creak of the door and he was gone. A few moments later Jonah reentered the room.
"All done for now?" he asked.
"You want lunch?"
"No." Garrett stood up and headed carefully for the sound of Jonah's voice. His lover's hands touched his arms after a few steps, sweeping upwards to his shoulders gently. "What I'd really like is for you to take me to bed. I need you."
"I need you," he insisted. "It's not taking advantage and it won't be weird unless you make it that way, but I really need you right now." Around me, inside of me, all over me. I need you to fuck the future right out of my head.
"I can do that," Jonah said after a moment, and his voice was suddenly lower, and darker, and then his lips were on Garrett's and it wasn't gentle this time, it was hard and desperate. "Fuck, Garrett…"
"That's it exactly," he said. "That's what I need."
They made it into the bed without falling by sheer chance, because Jonah couldn't have been looking where he was going much more than Garrett was; their mouths never separated. Then they were on the bed and somehow Garrett was on top, and he ground his hips down ruthlessly onto Jonah's, rutting against him before sliding his lover's denim-covered cock between his ass cheeks. "Fuck me."
Suddenly Garrett was flipped over, and his suit was torn away from his body as Jonah went a little bit insane, kicking and biting and kissing every new inch of exposed flesh. "Want you," Jonah groaned, his words barely a rumble in the back of his throat. "You…now."
"Take me," Garrett insisted, his own voice far breathier than usual, all the force gone from his lungs as he struggled to breathe through the pleasure. "Please." He didn't want to be the aggressor, didn't want to manage or handle or conduct. All Garrett wanted was Jonah, all of his care and attention and the pleasure/pain of his body and soul. This wasn't an easy man, but Garrett had to have him anyway. "Jonah."
"Fuck, darlin', look at you." A hand smoothed through Garrett's new, short hair, tickling his scalp and adding another layer of sensation. "So amazing."
"Are you going to make me beg?" Garrett demanded.
"Need you too much," Jonah confessed, and he pulled away for a second, just long enough for Garrett to make out the hasty rustle of falling clothes before Jonah was back on top of him, hard and naked and incredibly hot. His lips moved down to tease Garrett's nipples as one of his hands, already slick, slid across his perineum and over his hole. He pressed one in slowly and Garrett sighed and relaxed, letting him in. Jonah's touches seemed to linger now in a way they hadn't when Garrett could see. He felt the fire of his lover's body caressing his long after a particular moment was over, and it wasn't long before he was burning too.
"Soon," Jonah murmured, pressing back inside with three of his fingers and pumping, first slowly, then faster.
Garrett wanted to make more demands but he couldn't, his voice had crumbled to ash. He spread his legs wider and welcomed all of Jonah's attention, almost sobbing with relief when he felt his lover adjust his position. A lift, a push and then Jonah was sliding smoothly into Garrett, and both of them moaned with contentment.
The last time Jonah had fucked him, it had been a slow thing, only briefly quickening at the end before they both had come. This time is was fast and hard from the start, the strain of weeks of avoidance and frustration and sheer wanting wearing away at their patience until all Garrett could do was grip his lover's forearms and take him, deeply, reveling in every thrust and glancing strike to his prostate while he fisted himself. Garrett came first, sooner than he'd expected to, with an almost surprised half-gasp, half-sob as he coated his chest with his cum. Jonah followed a minute later, slamming into his body as deep as possible before releasing into Garrett.
There followed a strange, warm, swimmy kind of time, dizzy and lethargic, where Garrett just lay there and let Jonah collapse against him, slowly recover his breath, withdraw and clean both of them up. Garrett just let him do it all, smiling slightly to himself, and when Jonah reached over and enfolded him in a hug he simply shrugged an arm over Jonah's waist, not willing to exert himself to grab yet. He felt utterly in the present, and he loved it. God, he loved it. He loved…
Oh, shit.
Posted by Cari Z at 9:05 AM 1 comment:
Labels: Garrett, Pandora #21
2 Years Stuffed In A Duffel Bag
The end is nigh. We're packing our house up, cleaning everything for the next volunteer and getting ready to leave our little town for Pagala, a village in the middle of the country where we'll be teaching at a girls' science camp for the first week of August. Then it's off to Lome for our close of service interviews, over the border to Ghana and poof! Back to America!
This post is mostly to let you know I will be without any means of communicating with you for a week in August, but that I'll definitely give you another chapter of Pandora before losing my source of blessed internet. Did you know Boulder, where I'm going, has free Wifi for all within city limits? WTF!?! What kind of crazy technological world is this!
We've rented a car. Five seats, and we have to fit ourselves, 2 huge duffel bags, a dog in his crate, two bikes, water filters and a gigantic barrel (which we're using to make a biogas generator at camp, not for the squeamish) inside/on top. Oh, and the driver. Daunting? Not at all! This is Togo, where cars routinely look like slow-moving mushrooms that someone half-tried to kick over. They list. They veer. They wobble precariously, and we're going to help in continuing that fine tradition in our last voyage south. It brings tears of nostalgia and terror simultaneously to my eyes.
More Pandora soon! I think we're over half done with it now. Holy jeez.
Review for Shadowed
Jenre, at her aptly-named Well Read blog, has reviewed my novella Shadowed. This is a squee-causing event, and as such deserves a post with a link for the interested: Shadowed review.
Here's a taste of said review: Those readers who liked Treasured are going to like this book too. It gives us an opportunity to delve deeper into the relationship with Daniel and Rhys as well as seeing some of Rhys' background. There's a good mix of emotion and action in the story coupled with some interesting paranormal ideas. Overall, I would recommend Shadowed with a grade of 'Very Good', and I'm really looking forward to more from these great characters.
Aww, thanks! I hope to write more for them.
As noted, Shadowed is the sequel to an earlier story, Treasured, and things are brought up in the review that remind me that there's still a lot of back story to resolve, and so I'd better get on it. Hopefully Pink Petal Books will contract me for a third installment. If you're looking for an intro to the body of work that is my fictional existence, I think this series is a fun way to go. You can get it here: http://pinkpetalbooks.com/Shadowed-by-Cari-Z.html.
And just as a reminder...
Posted by Cari Z at 3:46 PM 1 comment:
Labels: jenre review, Shadowed
Pandora Pt. 20
Part Twenty: Bombs Away
Notes: This is the next part of a spin-off story of a series I posted on Literotica (titled Bonded, as Carizabeth) and the subject matter is m/m sci fi. Forewarned is forearmed, although this chapter is of a necessity PG-rated.
Something was going on. Something was disturbing the darkness that he was surrounded by, that he slept in. It was waking him up, and he didn't want to be awake.
"Garrett? Can you hear me?" The sounds were strange, a little echoey, and he felt like he should understand what the words meant, but he really didn't.
"He's definitely coming to, just keep talking to him," another voice said.
"Come on," the first voice said, a little clearer now. "Come on, it's time to wake up."
"There, his fingers twitched. He's almost there. Would you like me to stay and explain the situation to him?"
"No, I think that's better coming from me. If he needs clarification on anything I'll call for you." There was a sliding sound, and then for one beautiful moment, stillness, before the voice started in again.
"Garrett?" Cool fingers stroked soothingly over his shoulder, and a low, feminine voice murmured close to his ear. "I know it's hard to come up, but you have to now. You've got some decisions to make."
"Sleeping," Garrett mumbled almost incoherently. God, his head felt like it was filled with sand, ears to eye sockets, and his throat was terribly sore. A moment later a straw pressed against his lips, and he sipped briefly, then opened his eyes.
At least, he tried to open his eyes. After a few seconds of straining he realized he couldn't, because there was nothing to open. No eyes, and perhaps no eyelids either. It didn't hurt, nothing hurt, actually, but he had good enough proprioception to know that he hadn't just had the optic nerves blocked. His eyes were gone. "The fuck?" He tried to sit up and hissed with sudden pain as the movement jarred IV lines that were attached to his neck and wrist. "What the hell is going on?"
"Garrett," the feminine voice said again, and now he could tell that it was Jezria, from the sound of her voice and the firm pressure of her fingers. "You were in an accident. Do you remember that?"
"Yes…" he said hesitantly. "Some." Sparks cascading through the lab, hot and blinding. Blinding…something blew up right in front of him. Them. "Shit, Martina?"
"Fully recovered. She's currently on administrative leave pending your statement. When you're recovered enough to—"
"Why am I in the infirmary?" Garrett demanded.
"Because," Jezria said very clearly and carefully, "You were badly injured. You lost your sight. Your face and upper torso were covered in second and third degree burns."
"Then why am I waking up blind?" Garrett moved his free hand over his face. The skin felt the same as normal, maybe a little smoother. "You've got my medical power of attorney that authorizes all grafts and transplants, I should be waking up with new eyes. Shouldn't I?"
"Yes, you should." Jezria's voice didn't change, even as Garrett's sharpened with accusation. "You would be if the transplant templates had survived the fire. As it was, those slides were all destroyed." She gripped his hand a little harder, obviously reacting to some expression of his that he couldn't see, that he could barely imagine. "Your will get new eyes, of course, Garrett. The doctors just have to do it the old fashioned way, and that means giving the tissue the time to grow. In ten to fourteen days, they should be ready for transplant. Apart from that, you're fine. All the skin damage was successfully repaired."
Holy. Shit. It wasn't the first time Garrett had been in an infirmary, far from it. It wasn't even the first time he'd been in an infirmary due to a severe injury. It was, however, the first time he'd entirely lost one of his senses. And his sight…how the hell would he take care of himself for ten to fourteen days?
He zoned back in to what Jezria was saying when he heard, "—course, now that you're awake we can arrange to contact your father, and—"
He heard Jezria shift in her chair, the only sign he could discern of discomfort. "Garrett, you should tell your family."
"I don't want them to know."
"What would it accomplish?" he parried, ignoring the curling, churning acidity starting to flare in his gut. "Miles is a busy man. It's not as if he or Claudia could get here in time to sit and pat my hand before the transplant. He's got enough to worry about on Paradise right now without distracting him with my latest fiasco."
"Miles is your father," Jezria said softly. "Of course he'd worry, but he'd still want to know. Claudia too."
"Claudia's getting ready to have a baby, she doesn't need to be fretting about this either. They can't help me, Jezria, they can't change anything. But I can help them."
"By lying to them?"
"I don't plan on mentioning it at all, actually."
"Lying by omission is still lying."
"Don't tell them, Jezria." His fingers found her wrist and he grabbed her, as hard as he could, which wasn't very hard given the drugs and the fact that he'd just woken up. "Don't."
She didn't say anything for a long moment, and when she did speak, her tone was acrid. "Fine. But I think you're making a mistake. Your family loves you and deserves to know when you're injured badly enough to be hospitalized."
"I'm not arguing with you about this," he told her.
"Well then. Enjoy spending the next two weeks on your back in the infirmary."
Garrett frowned. It felt strange to furrow eyebrows that were no longer there. "What do you mean by that?"
"Since you live alone, you'll be spending your convalescence right here. It isn't safe to let you try to care for yourself in your apartment, and you're not authorized to get sight implants."
"Why not?" he demanded. "I was authorized for them on Paradise."
"Paradise had ready access to significantly more advanced medical facilities than Pandora. You know how implants, particularly brain implants, can have a negative effect on someone's mental and emotional equilibrium. We're simply not equipped to handle the possible health ramifications of that right now."
"You think I'll go off the deep end." His voice was flat and cold.
"It's a possibility we have to take into account, especially given your history," Jezria replied. She reached out and touched his shoulder again. "I'm so sorry, Garrett. I know this must feel like some sort of punishment, but I swear I don't mean for it to be. I'm concerned for your wellbeing, and even if you had consented to inform your family, I would have asked that you remain in the infirmary while you wait for the transplants. I would invite you to stay with me, but people are always coming in and out of my apartments, and I know how much you value your privacy. Here you can get help without making things awkward."
"Garrett…" Jezria blew out a sigh, then changed the subject. "How do you feel about some visitors?"
Honestly what he really wanted to do was hit something until it broke, or he did, but that would hardly reassure the medical staff about his state of mind. Besides, he was already pretty broken. "Who wants to visit?" he asked.
"Who doesn't want to?' Jezria replied rhetorically. "Martina and Lawrence have asked, of course, but I thought that that should wait, all things considered."
"Good call." Garrett's mind was spinning out of control, and he didn't know if he could be polite with Martina now when he was barely civil to one of his oldest acquaintances.
"There are several of your coworkers who'd like to see you as well. Ms Englander wanted me to assure you that she saved enough of your hair to make a temporary replacement for what you lost, which due to heat damage ended up being everything."
Everything? He was bald? Garrett rubbed his free hand over his head and groaned. "Shit."
"She said the wig would be ready sometime tomorrow."
"How long was I unconscious?" Garrett asked.
"Three days."
Long time. His thoughts must have shown on his face, or maybe Jezria was just taking the conversation to the logical next step. "The damage was extensive, and the skin grafts took some time to set. It was easier for the doctors to keep you down while they worked."
"Oh. Right."
"The most fervent visit requests have come from the Helmses, Jonah and his son Cody. I didn't know you and Mr. Helms were seeing each other."
"We're…well, it's kind of complicated."
"Apparently," she chuckled. "But they're actually here now, if you feel like company. I have to get back to the office, but I'll be by again later this evening to see how you're doing."
"Wait." He reached out for her, his hand stretching into space. After a second she took it. "What do I look like?"
"What, as far as scars and the like?"
"As in am I going to scare a five year old kid?"
"Ah." Her palm touched his face briefly, her thumb smoothing over his cheekbone. "You look fine, Garrett. Your eyes are sealed right now, but it simply looks as though they're closed, not like there's a problem with the eyes themselves. You are hairless at the moment, but it will all start to grow back in a few days. Your skin is beautiful." She pressed her lips to his temple. "You're beautiful."
"Flattery will get you everywhere," Garrett said, and if he sounded a little hoarse it was just because his throat was still sore.
"Shall I let them in?"
"Can we get this IV out of my neck first?"
"Let me get the doctor back." The was the near-silent click of a button being depressed, and then a few seconds later the door slid open again.
"Doctor Caractacus, it's good to see you awake!"
Her voice sounded familiar. "Thanks."
"My favorite patient and his daddy are waiting outside to see you."
"About that…can we take the IVs out? At least this one?" Garrett fingered the line irritably.
"Sure we can. The lower one was just giving you nutrients while you were out, you shouldn't have any trouble switching back to real food." Her hands worked briskly as she spoke, freeing his hand and removing the shunt. "This other one is a direct blocker for your eyes. If you want to get rid of it you'll need to let me give you a shot for the pain, and I'll need to renew it on a daily basis until we're ready to do the transplant."
"That's fine."
"It will make you drowsy," she warned.
"Then let's wait on the shot until after they leave, but take the IV out now, please. Needles freak Cody out and I don't want him to see me like this."
"Of course," she said. He felt the line withdraw, and a warm trickle of blood slid down his neck. A moment later it was wiped away, and something sticky was laid on top of the hole. "It's a Green Space Ranger band aid," she told him with a smile in her voice. "I'm thinking Cody will like that."
"What's not to like?" Garrett deadpanned. "Thanks, Doctor…"
"Reynaud. Rickie Reynaud. Like the fox."
"The cartoon fox?"
"The cartoon was actually named for me," she confided. "My dad was the lead animator."
Garrett smiled, and it felt strange on the new, tight skin of his face. "No wonder you're up to speed on all the latest kid fads."
"Yeah, I'm good that way. I'll let them know you're ready for them."
"And on that note," Jezria added, "I'll be off. I'll be back this evening, Garrett."
"Thanks." He heard the two women walk away, their heels clicking in a way that men's never seemed to, not even when they wore stilettos. Maybe it was something in the hips…
His admittedly inane train of thought was derailed by the entrance of someone else with noisy feet, but noisy in an entirely different way. "Garrett!" The rapid feet stopped next to his bed. "Your hair is gone!"
"I know," Garrett said, trying to point his face in Cody's direction. "I'll grow some more soon though."
"You look weird," Cody said uncertainly. "And your eyes aren't open."
"He's not gonna be able to see for awhile, bucko, I already told you that," Jonah admonished as he sat down on the edge of Garrett's bed. Garrett felt the mattress move a little, felt the warmth of Jonah's body and caught the scent of him, so ephemeral he couldn't even name it as anything other than Jonah. He took in everything he could, and when Jonah laid a hand on his leg, for the first time since he woke up Garrett felt the low-level panic he'd been feeling recede.
"How ya feelin?" Jonah asked softly.
"Not too terrible. All things considered."
"You missed dinner," Cody said indignantly.
"I know. I'm sorry."
"Cody…" his father began warningly.
"We missed you," the child continued. One of his small hands found its way into Garrett's. "It's been sad without you."
"Oh." Garrett really didn't know how to take that. Part of him wanted to be annoyed, but most of him was aching, with loneliness and stupid sense of hope that he would never, ever admit to. "I missed you too. Both of you."
"They said you were sleeping."
"I was. I missed you even in my sleep."
"Me too," Cody confided.
Jonah cleared his throat. "What's the word, Garrett?"
"My transplants won't be ready for another two standard weeks," he said, not quite as matter-of-factly as he would have liked. "Since I live alone, that means I get to spend the next few weeks in here. I'm hoping they'll send someone for my own clothes though, because these," he plucked at the scrubs, "never make anyone look good."
"You'd make a paper bag look good, darlin'," Jonah told him, and he squeezed Garrett's knee. "And we were thinkin'…maybe you'd like to shack up with us. Until you're better."
Garrett froze for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, I think the drugs must be affecting my hearing. Did you just say you want me to live with you?"
"Better n'staying in here, isn't it?" Jonah asked defensively.
"But you—" Garrett tried to keep his voice from rising, but he was tired, and the panic was coming back. Jonah seemed to notice.
"Hey, bucko, could you go chat up the Doc for a minute? Ask what we'll need to do to take Garrett home with us?"
"Sure!" Noisy feet scampered off again, and then it was just Garrett and Jonah, and Garrett exploded.
"What the fuck do you mean, move in with you? Where do you get off telling me it's all right for me to stay at your place if I'm something useless you can put wherever you want, like some kind of goddamn decoration, when you won't even give me the courtesy of sleeping with you in your bedroom—just sleeping!—when I'm fully functional?"
"How does my being blind make it easy for you to open the door, so to speak? Do you get off on helplessness? Do you like having people be utterly dependent on you?"
"You're not helpless," Jonah snapped. "And neither is Cody, so take that line of thinkin' and shut it the hell down right now. You won't be totally dependent on us; 'n fact you'll have more independence once you get used to things there than you'd have here, and God knows how you love your independence." There was a bitter note to his voice that Garrett had never heard before, or at least never noticed.
"I'm offerin' this now because you need it, Garrett, and we need it too. Not because I want you to feel indebted to me, not because I'm tryin' to make up for being an ass earlier about you stayin' over, but because Cody and I have missed you like crazy for the past three days and I don't wanna keep missing you when I don't have to. I want you with us. With me."
"But…" Garrett felt the flames of his anger flicker out almost as quickly as they'd fanned up. "I can't really follow all this right now," he confessed, his voice small and tired. "I'm scared, and I'm still exhausted, and my fucking head is starting to hurt." It was, too, burning as though a needle was heating up right behind his eyes.
Jonah gently clasped Garrett's face between his hands. "I'll get the doc to give you somethin'. We can figure all this out tomorrow."
"No." Garrett laid his hands over's Jonah's, only fumbling a little. "Please. I do want to stay with you." Even though it frightens the hell out of me. "I really do."
Soft, dry lips briefly touched his. "Then I'll get to doc to give you somethin', and then we'll take you home."
"Pleasure's all ours, darlin'." Garrett was kissed again, a little slower, a little more thoroughly. "It's all ours."
Labels: Garrett, Pandoa #20


The recently concluded session had traders exchanging Trex Company, Inc. (NYSE:TREX) low level. Roughly 564892 shares changed hands compared to the one-week volume average 640080 shares. The first trade took place at $73.52 and the stock went up 2.59% to attain the closing price of $74.89.
Trex Company, Inc. is currently rated as outperform by 9 stock analysts, with the company still having around 7.58% shares outstanding that can be sold short legally. The value of their shares went up by 6.88% last month. Over the course of a year, the stock has grown by 26.16%. Financial analysts are becoming more bullish than ever, with the 6 analysts who cover the activities of TREX advising investors to buy. Experts on Wall Street have set a price target of $79.75 for the stock. The decision was arrived after looking at their 6.49% gain from current levels. At the moment, Trex Company, Inc. (TREX) trading price is around -17.47% below its 52-week high.
Trex Company, Inc. (TREX) was successful in overcoming the expected $0.36 as the stock recorded an earnings of $0.43 a piece during their last financial report presentation. Revenue, meanwhile, had a distance of -21% from the previous quarter, with the company recording $131.44 million in revenue.
The shares of Trex Company, Inc. (NYSE:TREX) have struggled and recovered 47.19% ever since it recorded its 52 week low. During the course of 5 days, the stock price volatility has remained at 2.72%, increasing the time frame to a month, the volatility recorded was 3.46%. The price of their shares has been successful in staying above its 20 day-moving average, staying at a distance of 12.44% and while its 50-day moving average is around 5.42%. In a look at the previous five trading session TREX stock has returned 7.11% and has spiked 7.58% when compared to its 200-day moving average that is $66.67. Trex Company, Inc. (TREX) will look to keep its 35.49% increase that it witnessed in the past year.
As the normal trading session ended, the stock of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA), fetched in a $-1.12 retreat to $24.61. The session began with the stock price at $26, hitting a high of $26.0512 before down again. For the week, analysts seem to be okay with their bullish with the consensus call staying at 1.8. Moderna, Inc. gets 2 buy analyst recommendations while 0 recommend a hold and 0 rated it as a sell. The shares of the company tumbled -17.39% from its high $29.79, with their overall market value now roughly $7.2 billion.
The mean recommendation of MRNA on Reuter's scale upped from 1.78 to 1.8 within 30 days. This figure implies that the majority of analysts rate it as a buy. The price target for Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) is now around $26.06 a share, implying the stock has what it takes to grow by 5.89%. The recent trading session also indicated the stock needs to add 62.54% more meet analysts' high consensus price target.
Superior Energy Services, Inc. (SPN): Getting Un-Liked By Institutional Investors?


Fairburn, Georgia (US) (September 16, 2013) - Pangborn Group, is pleased to announce the recent acquisition of the Product Portfolio of Shotblast Engineering Services Ltd. (SES), a leading UK manufacturer of surface preparation capital equipment. The acquisition was completed by Pangborn Limited, a UK based company and a subsidiary of Pangborn Europe located in Milan, Italy.
Pangborn Limited, which will be conducting business as Pangborn-SES, designs, manufactures, markets and services Wheel Blast and Air Blast surface preparation equipment, dust collectors and related products for the surface preparation market. The operations will be consolidate and centralized into the previous SES manufacturing facility located in Holywell, North Wales.
Hundreds of foundries, forges, steel producers and the extensive market of ferrous and non-ferrous steel component finishers worldwide have installed SES Standard or custom engineered systems.
Under the new ownership by the Pangborn Group, Pangborn-SES is positioned to continuously serve their large installed base of machines worldwide, and expand their product offering through the extensive, worldwide, Pangborn Group agent network.
For further information please visit our website www.pangborn.com where you will be navigated to the SES product range.
The Pangborn Group designs, manufactures and services shotblast and surface preparation machines and related products for a range of industries, including foundry and forge, metalworking and descaling, automotive and heavy truck, ship and rail, defense, and energy. The company has led the way in all aspects of the surface preparation industry with unique designs, heavy-duty applications, and best-in-class service and support. The Pangborn Group is headquartered in Fairburn, Georgia, and includes following further leading surface preparation brands: Berger Strahltechnik, Pangborn, Pangborn China, Pangborn Europe and Vogel & Schemmann.
For more information about the Pangborn Group please visit www.pangborngroup.com.


Coburg Fire District Station is located at 91232 North Coburg Road.
Coburg Fire District Board Meetings are every 4th Monday, 7:00 PM at the Fire Hall.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is announcing the release of a series of short videos they created to broaden public awareness of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' primary missions in the Willamette River basin and the current situation with the spillway gates at 11 of the 13 Willamette Valley dams.
US Army Corps of Engineers website.