WOW!! Julie, you are such a pretty lady! Like the old saying goes, "it runs in the family" If your mom could see you now, she will be proud! *HUGS

My dad came back home yesterday, after a 4 month long voyage! I am finally getting to spend some quality time with him, after so long! He is a Marine Chief Engineer and part of his job involves undertaking long voyages of 4 to 6 months. He's pretty much in charge of the engine room of massive cargo ships (such as bulk carriers). He used to sail for a year at a time, when he was younger.

One word....Dorothy!! No. Not as in 'The Wizard of Oz'! This band's song 'Wicked Ones' has been featured in ads for companies like Levis. These guys are based in Los Angeles and are pretty bad ass! Here is the Levis ad: And here is the official video for the song 'Wicked Ones' : And here is another bad ass song! Check out that bass line, baby!!

Happy Birthday, Virginia! Since you like the music of Maroon 5, here is a fun album to help you celebrate your special day

A brilliant book on one of Cricket's most intriguing contests!

E-Books Are Damaging Your Health: Why We Should All Start Reading Paper Books AgainJan 11, 2015 09:00 AM By Lecia Bushak Reading in and of itself has plenty of benefits for our minds: Studies have shown that reading over the course of a lifetime (or even starting to read consistently when you’re well into your 60s and 70s) can prevent mental decline. Along with keeping your mind sharp and enlarging your knowledge base, reading can expand your sense of empathy, too. A 2013 study found that when people were transported into the emotional travails of books' characters, they grew to become more empathetic in real life. So the act of reading is great, of course. But the way you’re reading also has an impact on your physical and mental health. In our technology-driven world, the paper book has been replaced by electronic devices — Kindles and Nooks, and even reading on your laptop or smartphone. Good old-fashioned books are no longer seen as practical. There’s something simple and special, however, about reading a classic paper book that e-books seem to lack. Recently, I was reading before bed while I drank a cup of chamomile tea, and I found that it not only relaxed me, but I fell asleep almost immediately, I slept soundly through the entire night, and I woke up feeling refreshed. I found myself pondering events and scenes in the book, the imagery glowing in my mind in place of my typically exhausting anxieties. I’m going to believe it wasn’t a coincidence: Putting aside my phone — which, in addition to texting, has access to the cyclical, distracting spirals of Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat — and focusing on a tale that took me outside of myself, somehow, inexplicably, helped me feel better on many levels. Researchers have been examining the differences between reading regular books and e-books for years. Many of the studies have shown that reading old-fashioned books has plenty of advantages over e-books, which can be gateways to other electronic distractions, all of which screw with your sleep. This is why you should ditch the screen for printed pages. 1.You're Missing Out On Important InformationA 2014 study found that readers who used Kindles were less competent in recalling the plot and events in the book than those who used paperbacks. Researchers still aren’t quite sure why this occurs, but it might have something to do with being able to physically and visually track your progress in a real book. “In this study, we found that paper readers did report higher on measures having to do with empathy and transportation and immersion, and narrative coherence, than iPad readers,” said Anne Mangen of Stavanger University in Norway, an author of the study, according to The Guardian. “When you read on paper you can sense with your fingers a pile of pages on the left growing, and shrinking on the right. You have the tactile sense of progress, in addition to the visual. … Perhaps this somehow aids the reader, providing more fixity and solidity to the reader’s sense of unfolding and progress of the text, and hence the story.” Digitization of text also means it’s likely to be more fragmented, full of disturbances and links that can lead you to anywhere on the Internet. Reading on an iPad with the ability to check Facebook provides an avenue to take “breaks” way too often. And in order to retain information, you need to read in long, undisturbed chunks of time. 2.E-Books Get In The Way Of SleepytimeA recent study out of Harvard University found that reading an e-book before bed lessened the production of an important sleep hormone known as melatonin. As a result, people took much longer to fall asleep, experienced less deep sleep, and were more fatigued in the morning. “The light emitted by most e-readers is shining directly into the eyes of the reader, whereas from a printed book or the original Kindle, the reader is only exposed to reflected light from the pages of the book,” Charles Czeisler, lead author of the study, told the BBC. “Sleep deficiency has been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic diseases like obesity and diabetes, and cancer. Thus, the melatonin suppression that we saw in this study among participants when they were reading from the light-emitting e-reader concerns us.” In contrast, reading an old-fashioned book can actually help you sleep better. By taking your mind off the things that you may normally stress about before falling asleep, a book can clear your mind and also make you sleepy, easing you into a full night’s rest. In addition, soft light being reflected off the pages of a book doesn’t signal to your brain that it’s time to wake up like the glaring screen of an e-book or phone. 3.Screens = StressReading helps you de-stress faster or just as fast as listening to music, taking a walk, or having a cup of tea or coffee, according to a 2009 study. When researchers measured heart rate and muscle tension, they found that people relaxed just six minutes into reading. But reading on a device might cancel out this effect, and may even impact your stress levels negatively. Repeated use of mobile phones or laptops late at night has been linked to depression, higher levels of stress, and fatigue among young adults. Constant use of technology not only disrupts our sleeping patterns and throws off our circadian rhythms, but it fosters a shorter attention span and fractured focus — online, we jump from meme to meme and link to link, checking Facebook intermittently. Social media and technological distractions also always seem to foster guilt and regret, and before we know it, three hours have passed and our brains feel like mush. It's hard to put my finger on what exactly draws me to paper books, and makes me avoid electronic ones. Perhaps it's the tangible qualites: Turning the pages of a book helps me mark my progress, and underlining prose that stands out to me makes reading a very intimate occasion. It could also be the science behind it: that regular books ease our minds into sleep. But it's likely that reading allows me to rely on a singular focus to transport me to a new world, leaving all my stresses and personal problems behind. I stop the selfish cycle of technology that centers around checking my Facebook or Instagram, or taking selfies, as I wait for my brain to get rewarded from notifications and likes. Real books allow me to step outside myself and enter someone else's world. The modern world, after all, can be tiring. Reading an old-fashioned paper book might seem out of style, wasteful, or impractical. But don’t underestimate the simplicity of holding a physical book in your hands, flipping through the pages, and not having anything else to shift your focus to. Commit to the classic paper book and you'll get the full, healthier experience. Source : http://www.medicaldaily.com/e-books-are-damaging-your-health-why-we-should-all-start-reading-paper-books-again-317212

You're very welcome!

Julie, thank you for sharing this lovely photo of your mom, with all of us. I know that today must have been very difficult for you and I am so sorry that you had to go through the pain of losing her at such a young age. Sending loads of positive vibes and hugs, your way!

I think I might have found an online store that sells copies of this book! Just select Australia as the shipping destination, while checking out. Here is the link: http://www.abebooks.com/book-search/isbn/0733304125/ Good luck!

Wishing You A Very Happy Birthday, CP!

Thank you, Strider! Yeah, I can tell that the author of this book (Simon Hughes, who was a cricketer himself and who is now known as 'Cricket's Analyst'), has thoroughly researched the topic and has made it such a fun read! Do try and get yourself a copy! It is really worth it!

Will do, Julie! I had a brief look at the name index at the back of the book and there seems to be quite a lot of references to Mr. Morris! Sorry if this seems overly inquisitive, but what is the name of that book on Mr. Morris? I am just very curious to know! Hopefully, Mrs. Morris will be able to find a copy for Mr. Slave!

Hi Strider Had I ventured into this thread a couple of hours earlier, I could have warned you about the rather infamous Scotch brand 'Finlaggan'. Darn it! I wish I had, to have prevented you from having such a lousy experience! You see, in my quest to begin my exploration of single malts, I do scour the internet, searching for options and a couple of folks have warned people about this single malt, complaining that it is way too peaty for its own good (specifically terming this single malt as a 'peat monster'), in terms of tasting almost like a combination of coal and sulfur! I love my whisky to taste fresh and acidic, but I would really hate to taste coal in the mix! Excessively smokey whiskies, are sure not worth tasting.

You're very welcome, Morgan! Hope you had a wonderful birthday!

This book is wonderful, Julie! I have already finished the 1st chapter that gives such a detailed account about how 'The Ashes' series actually began, going as far back as England's tour of Australia in 1862! I was also introduced to so many interesting little tidbits about forgotten legends such as Fredrick Spofforth and Billy Murdoch and the manner in which cricket was played those days (when an over consisted of just 4 balls, etc)! Can't wait to dig into chapter 2 (which is all about the evolution of English and Australian cricket in the 1900's)! You and Mr. Slave, will really enjoy this book! Perhaps you can gift it to him, for Christmas (if he hasn't already celebrated his birthday), to make up for the disappointment of that book on Mr. Morris, getting lost in the mail?

Was thrilled beyond measure to find this in the mail, this morning! It's a book that I ordered slightly more than a month ago and it had to be imported all the way from the UK. The seller had delayed shipping by 2 weeks and I was so scared that it might get lost in the mail! Beyond stoked that it arrived today! Highly recommended for those who not only love the game of Cricket, but who also love to explore its glorious history! This sure as hell, beats downloading the e-book version!

This beauty is stuck in my head almost constantly, these days!

A Very Very Happy Birthday, Morgan! Hope you get to crank up some Led Zeppelin and Primus! BTW, since it is your birthday today, I wanted to send you the gift of laughter! Hope you got my PM on the other site! Here is a rockin' birthday song for your listening pleasure (it's got guitar riffs and a cool sax). Enjoy!

Dinner last night was a bowl of glorious chana dal, immersed in an onion and tomato based pav-bhaji masala curry, served with 2 rotis and a bowl of onion, tomato and cucumber raita.

Couldn't agree more, Dd!

Cheers, CP!

THAT is epic, Dd! This principle holds even in the case of wine and spirits! While I took the time and trouble to conscientiously photograph my bottles of Jack Daniel's and Black and White Scotch whisky, I just could not be bothered to photograph my bottle of Teacher's Highland Cream, as the taste of the whisky itself left a lot to be desired!

To celebrate my dad's birthday last weekend, I had my first taste of Teacher's Highland Cream. I have come across plenty of rave reviews about this particular brand of Scotch and being a whiskey enthusiast (don't worry, CP - I will be adhering to the spelling conventions in the next couple of sentences ), I had to check it out for myself. I'm afraid that the whisky itself was a bit of a let down. Getting down to it, here's what I liked: 1. Sharp acidic taste (especially during the 1st taste) 2. Detection of a very spicy flavour (especially on putting a couple of drops of water into the whisky to accentuate the flavours) 3. A smattering of honey The biggest let down for me, was the after taste! After tasting honey and spices (such as Cinnamon), I was not at all thrilled to be tasting what seemed like cold, leftover tea coupled with ample amounts of artificial sweetener! After doing some searching on the internet, I came across quite a few disgruntled whisky enthusiasts (who were previously fans of 'Teacher's'), emphasizing that 'Teacher's Highland Cream' isn't the same as it used to be, citing major differences in quality during the past couple of years, driven by changes in the production process. Can't say that I disagree with them!