2009 was an exciting time for Ben Nunery and his soon to be wife Ali. The couple was not only about to get married but they had just closed the deal on their first home. To celebrate both occasions they decided to take their wedding photos in their empty home with the help of Ben’s sister, Melanie Tracy Pace of Loft3 Photography. Two years later, Ali tragically passed away after a battle with a rare form of lung cancer.

Now a full two years after her passing, Ben and daughter Olivia have decided to move out of the house. As they stood in the now empty home getting ready for the big move, Ben’s sister got the idea to recreate the photos from that special day.

Ben wrote about the experience, saying:

“Many people have asked me how I felt while doing that photo session. What I want them to know is that this isn’t a story about grief and loss and hurt. Yes, I’ve gone through those emotions and still do but that’s not what I want people to see in these photos. This is a story about love. The memories of Ali don’t live in that house, they live with us, in our hearts.”

 

[via today.com]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like all newborns, baby Wengenn likes to nap—a lot. His mom, Queenie Liao, an artist and photographer decided to turn this quiet time into an art project entitled, Wengenn in Wonderland.

Similar to Anna Eftimie’s Blackboard Adventures, the Chinese artist creates amazing scenes around her sleeping boy, putting him into all kinds of fantastical adventures. Wengenn must be a deep sleeper as some of the sets are quite elaborate. His various sleeping positions are also entertaining; back, front side, you name it, he’s slept it. A perfect muse and a smile-inducing photo series, who knows where Wengenn will go next!

First spotted on Bored Panda, the images have gone viral and led to a published book entitled Sleep Baby. You can see the entire 32-picture series on Facebook.

[Wengenn in Wonderland Facebook Album via Bored Panda]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An ambitious, car-sized rover named Curiosity touched down on Mars one year ago from Monday.

At 1:32 a.m. on Aug. 6, 2012, NASA's $2.5 billion investment paid off as Curiosity landed all four wheels on Martian surface

But the rover still had a long way to go. In the year that followed, Curiosity unraveled some of the best-kept secrets about the mysterious Red Planet, from finding an ancient stream bed where water once flowed to drilling into a rock and confirming Mars was once suitable for life.

This week, NASA celebrates the rover's first year on Mars. Here's a look back at some of Curiosity's most memorable moments, both historical and quirky Read more...

More about Space, Nasa, Science, Mars, and Curiosity

A proposed “adrenaline park” won’t go in an Apex building as initially planned, but developers say they have their sights set on a location near Research Triangle Park. Carolina Sports Holdings, which is a partnership formed by Triangle entrepreneur Myles Owens III and Dreamsports Center owner and CEO Steve Werner, want to open an indoor sports facility with skydiving, surfing, skateboarding, ropes courses, high-speed go-carts, a massive trampoline arena, and other attractions. They announced…

queenofthemoodswingset2 has added a photo to the pool:

Peach Liqueur

Recipe from www.honeycreek.us/recipes/peach_liqueur.php

about 2 ½ lbs peach skins (from ½ bushel of peaches)
1 lemons worth of zest
1 cinnamon stick (per bottle)
Vodka (enough to cover the skins)

1 cup sugar syrup (split between 2 quart jars)

Put the peach peels, zest, cinnamon and vodka in 2 quart jars. Let sit for 1-2 weeks, shaking occassionally. Strain fruit out (I used cheese cloth). Add sugar syrup and store another 6 weeks. add more sugar syrup if needed.

Sugar syrup: 1 cup sugar ½ cup water heated until it dissolves. Cool before adding to liqueur.

Proportions
One cup syrup plus three cups 80 proof vodka equals 60 proof liqueur. Two cups syrup plus three cups 80 proof vodka equals 48 proof liqueur. If a 100 proof vodka is used, increase the sugar syrup by 1/8 cup. For a "crème de" liqueur, double the amount of syrup called for in the recipe. The greater the amount added, the lower the alcoholic content. Sugar syrup should be adjusted to personal preference and to the outcome of the liqueur's taste since variation can occur.

So my "friend", who screwed me and multiple friends over, called me out of the blue, asking me to wipe these computers clean. Obviously they are stolen, and since cops couldn't find their own asshole if they tried, I am doing everything I can to get [...]

From the 1970s into the 1980s, Underground Raleigh - officially known as the Village Subway - was one of Raleigh's hottest hotspots. It was a subterranean set of nightclubs, restaurants and an arcade under Cameron Village.

Whole Foods Market announces that it is recalling Crave Brothers Les Frères cheese in response to a recall by the Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese Company of Waterloo, Wisconsin. The cheese is being recalled because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

With the 2013 Hopscotch Music Festival just a little more than two months away, the festival has just released the full schedule for the three-day event so music fans can start planning their trek through downtown Raleigh. There is only one venue change this year. White Collar Crime is out this year (it closed) and the Kennedy Theater on East South Street is in. Check out our easy-to-read

Architects Specht Harpman converted a 425sqft Manhattan micro-apartment into an amazing, multi-tiered living space by building up into the apartment's 25' (!) ceilings. It's got a bit of that shipbuilder's vibe, with cabinets built into everything, including the staircases. I love the tiny swatch of grass, too. I live in a very small place, and looking at this makes me want to explore how to cram more into our little place -- we get about 650 sqft of livable space out of an 18' square/22' tall place that's laid out in two storeys. Using this kind of technique, it seems like we should be able to get a much more livable and spacious place.

Manhattan Micro-Loft | Residential | Specht Harpman

Read 16 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Tammy Mercure is quite possibly the most prolific photographer working in Appalachia today. There. I said it.

Don’t believe me? Bookmark her Tumblr, track it for a week or two, then email me to tell me you owe me a beer. It’s dizzying how often she shoots and posts (3 or 4 days a week by her own estimation). It isn’t just with reckless abandon that she puts her work out there. It’s good work. Solid. But, see for yourself.

I’ve admired Mercure’s (pronounced like ‘mercury’ without the ‘y’) for a few years now and finally had a chance to meet her at this year’s LOOK3 – Festival of the Photograph in Charlottesville, VA. It was like meeting a long lost relative for the first time. We talked about place, family, and growing up. We also talked about making pictures, photobooks, self-publishing (be sure to check out TCB Press), and a host of other things (including our mutual appreciation of David Mayfield). I shared my idea of possibly starting a ‘Looking at Appalachia’ podcast and she was more than encouraging. More on that later.

I asked Mercure to share some of her work with us and she agreed, despite being in the middle of relocating from Bristol to Nashville.

All photographs © Tammy Mercure.

The XploreAir Paravelo is a flying bicycle. The front is a collapsible bike that docks with a trailer containing a flexible wing and a biofuel-powered fan with an electric starter motor. In the air, it apparently operates like a powered paraglider. The two inventors have a Kickstarter running to develop a commercial model they hope will sell for $16,000. More info at CNN. You can watch a video of it flying below.

Everything was going smoothly for Miss Utah Marissa Powell. She had made it to the top five in the Miss USA pageant, and was vying for the coveted tiara Sunday night — until she majorly flubbed the interview portion

Celebrity judge NeNe Leakes asked the 21-year-old the following question: “A recent report shows that in 40% of American families with children, women are the primary earners, yet they continue to earn less than men. What does this say about society?”

Check out the video above to watch Powell’s response, which people say gives Miss Teen South Carolina — who famously bombed her question in 2007, below — a run for her money. Read more...

More about Viral Videos, Tv, Us, Entertainment, and Miss Usa

Did you know that ambient electronic music pioneer Brian Eno starred in an ad for Purina brand cat food, in an alternate universe? Richard Metzger at Dangerous Minds has an exclusive, here. Also large size version of this spectacular find.

The beer from bands trend continues with a new brew from the chart-topping Ska band Madness. The beer, described as "A lager that's an ale" was brewed in conjunction with Growler Brewery (formerly Nethergate) in Essex.



Gladness is 4.2% alcohol and a combination between an ale and a lager- or as the band's publicity calls is “A lager that’s an ale – that’s totally mad.” It is brewed using local Maris Otter malt, a traditional ale variety, and Tettnang and Saaz hops, which are usually associated with European-style lagers. The blonde beer is said to be highly refreshing with a lovely subtle hop flavour and aroma, reminiscent of a pilsner.



above: Paul Gower, left, head brewer at Nethergate's Growler Brewery, Madness frontman Suggs, center, and keyboard player Mike 'Monsieur Barso' Barson celebrate the launch of the band's official beer, Gladness

Named after a line in their well-known song "Madness", the beverage will be stocked at 800 venues, owned by Nicholson's Pubs, across the U.K. for the next three months.

Buy Madness Music

By Sara In AZ

I don’t know how Tikimama did it, but she managed to find the MOST perfect, time capsule, vintage trailer I have ever seen……it even still has the original furniture!!! Mad, mad props and many, many thanks to Tikimama for finding this little gem of a trailer and for sending the link along to me.

So, you ask, what does this fantastical and magical vintage trailer  even look like??? Well, behold…….this is the Craigslist ad for the Vintage 1960 Rollohome Park Model Trailer.

I almost passed out cold when I saw the pink and aqua sections on the outside of the trailer…..I knew I had to be in for something special on the inside! But first, let’s check out the whole exterior.

It seriously looks like it is in amazing shape…..no rust…..no damage……total perfection.

I LOVE how the front angles out like that.

It even has screen doors!

Check it out y’all….original furniture AND original lamps!!!! Do I spy a small sputnik-y light in the ceiling too??? Whooooooo-Hooooooooo!!!

The bedroom, I love all that wood…..and that sweet little ceiling light too!

Whoa, an awesome vintage bathroom with perfect looking pale yellow fixtures.

And finally……………you had me at hello………….this FAB vintage kitchen with original pink appliances!!!!! I die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have just died and am now residing in pink appliance heaven!

And that kitchen table set too!!! Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I seriously think this trailer is worth every single penny of $5500………and more!!! If I was ANYWHERE near Wisconsin I would snatch this baby up in a heartbeat!

Please, please tell me dear readers…..will one of you please rescue this epic vintage trailer? If you need help storing it I have the perfect place…..my backyard! Let me know!!!!!

Google announces they have acquired the Israeli startup Waze, which produces a social-driven drive-route-mapping technology that has transformed the way I get from point A to B here in Los Angeles. Rumors are Google paid $1.3 billion.

Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Land:

The big questions are (1) will this acquisition be allowed and if so (2) will Google allow Waze to be an independent product and brand? Google did imply that Waze will eventually be brought into Google Maps completely, saying the software and company will “operate separately for now.” Google also said they are “excited about the prospect of enhancing Google Maps with some of the traffic update features provided by Waze and enhancing Waze with Google’s search capabilities.

And, will they transform that godawful UI. I hate the cartoony characters and the gamified cute-bloat, and it'd be great if there were a way for it to suck less battery. But it's such a great service for car-centric cities like LA that I have put up with all that crap, happily. Will be interesting to see what happens next.

Watch the band perform acoustic arrangements of four songs from its new album, Trouble Will Find Me. Though singer Matt Berninger had barely rested his voice from a show in the area the night before, the septet dutifully gives a lush, gorgeous performance.

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Residents in the Wakefield Pines area of north Raleigh reported seeing a black bear in the neighborhood on Sunday, police said.

David Richoux sent me to this intriguing post about Kei-camping Cars. These are extremely tiny and as far as I can tell may only be available in Japan. However, I think we can check out the use of space and apply to our own tiny living arrangements or plans.

Here is what they say about the little camper…

Kei car is Japan’s unique vehicle standard, which is 3.4m in length, 1.48 in width, and 2m in height with 660cc engine.

Based on this Kei car, Kei-camper is developed by creating a space like a studio apartment, installing a bed and a table inside the vehicle. You might be surprised to see such a small camping car, but you will be even more amazed after hopping into the car. The equipments inside are full of Japanese unique mechanism and mastery techniques.

Apart from being a tool for hobbies and travel, owners ranging from 20s to 60s use the car for business, travel, or even as a mobile office.

With a major conversion of the luggage space, those camping-car style cars can be more expensive, but you will enjoy the luxury of being fully equipped, including high ceiling, sink with water tank, and cooking facilities. Curtains are also attached onto the aluminum window, and the car is spacious enough to be called a moving studio apartment which accommodates up to four adults. Many of these types have a pop-up roof structure, and are registered as standard-sized car as the size becomes bigger than other kei-campers. This type of kei-campers continue to be popular and are in short supply due to its reasonable price of two to three million yen [approximately $20,000 - $30,000]. These days, the delivery of the car takes six months after placing the order.

According to the distributor a fully-fledged kei-campers hasgood insulation, warm enough to survive in winter with only a the heater. The distributor also recommends 4WD type for those who intend to drive in snow to go skiing.

Link to original Tokyo Tomo Travel Guide Post.

2009 Toyota Corolla with smoky Mountain license plate Z286SM Stolen June 3, 2013 between the hours of 9:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. A Kindle reader, a small camera in a blue case and a man's stainless watch were inside the car. The car was parked near th [...]

Forty-one people reported becoming ill in recent weeks after eating at a Nantucket Grill location or attending an event catered by the restaurant, public health officials said Friday.

Apollo 11 astronaut and author Buzz Aldrin can now add "singer" to his resume. At a Smithsonian Magazine conference this week, Aldrin hopped on stage with Thomas Dolby to belt out "She Blinded Me With Science."

Technically, Dolby was the true soloist in this act, while Aldrin, 83, interjected, "Science!" and showed off his quirky dance moves. Either way, the moment was undoubtedly the highlight of the conference. (We can say that with confidence.)

Aldrin has been traveling around the country touting his new book Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration, in which he outlines his plan to send a human to the Red Planet by 2035. Aldrin spoke at Smithsonian's “The Future is Here” conference on June 1. Read more...

More about Viral Videos, Space, Nasa, Science, and Karaoke

The Triangle Curling Club announced this week its purchase of a 14,500 square-foot facility for $215,000 with plans to build the Southeast’s first major curling facility. Positioned on 7.2 acres of land located at 2310 So Hi Dr. in Durham bordering Research Triangle Park, the facility will house a four-sheet ice surface dedicated solely to curling. The facility will open by February of 2014 at the latest, and possibly as early as Nov. 2013, just in time for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi,…

[tweetmeme]Thirty years ago tonight, U2 braved a cold Colorado rainstorm to perform at the fabled Red Rocks Amphitheatre just west of Denver, a concert on the band’s War tour that was filmed and released on video as “Under a Blood Red Sky,” cementing Bono and Co.’s reputation as live act and, arguably, marking the moment they truly entered the rock mainstream.

Although the band had come up in the U.S. with the support of college radio, Red Rocks was U2′s coming out party to a wider American audience — and while the band would remain a staple of alternative radio throughout the ’80s and ’90s, the site of Bono waving that white flag on MTV changed everything.

The film originally was released on VHS in 1984 — the companion Under a Blood Red Sky live album actually only features two songs form Red Rocks — and finally came to DVD in 2008. Below, you watch the band’s performance of “I Will Follow” pulled from that recent DVD release.

 

U2, “I Will Follow” at Red Rocks

 

PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS

• Milestones: U2’s ‘Joshua Tree’ is 25 today; watch full 1987 ‘Save the Yuppies’ concert
• Milestones: U2’s ZOO TV Tour opened 20 years ago tonight — see news footage
• Stream: Full U2 ‘Achtung Baby’ tribute album ‘AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered’ from Q
• Video: U2 ‘From the Sky Down’ trailer — documentary about ‘Achtung Baby’
• U2′s ‘Achtung Baby’ box set: 6 CDs, 4 DVDs, 2 LPs, 5 7-inches — and Bono’s fly shades

 

 

“A Dog is, on the whole, what you would call a simple soul.”

In the early 1930s, T.S. Eliot — beloved poet and man of ideas — penned some whimsical verses about cats in a series of letters to his godchildren. In 1939, they were published as Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, which went on to inspire the famed Broadway musical Cats in 1981 and which was famously illustrated by the great Edward Gorey in 1982. In this wonderful recording from 1947, remastered in 1992 and found in T.S. Eliot reads T.S. Eliot, Eliot reads “The Ad-dressing of Cats” — one of the most delightful poems from the book, also included in the beautifully illustrated 1953 anthology Best Cat Stories:

THE AD-DRESSING OF CATS

You’ve read of several kinds of Cat,
And my opinion now is that
You should need no interpreter
To understand their character.
You now have learned enough to see
That Cats are much like you and me
And other people whom we find
Possessed of various types of mind.
For some are same and some are mad
And some are good and some are bad
And some are better, some are worse –
But all may be described in verse.
You’ve seen them both at work and games,
And learnt about their proper names,
Their habits and their habitat:
But

How would you ad-dress a Cat?

So first, your memory I’ll jog,
And say: A CAT IS NOT A DOG.

Now Dogs pretend they like to fight;
They often bark, more seldom bite;
But yet a Dog is, on the whole,
What you would call a simple soul.
Of course I’m not including Pekes,
And such fantastic canine freaks.
The usual Dog about the Town
Is much inclined to play the clown,
And far from showing too much pride
Is frequently undignified.
He’s very easily taken in –
Just chuck him underneath the chin
Or slap his back or shake his paw,
And he will gambol and guffaw.
He’s such an easy-going lout,
He’ll answer any hail or shout.

Again I must remind you that
A Dog’s a Dog — A CAT’S A CAT.

With Cats, some say, one rule is true:
Don’t speak till you are spoken to.
Myself, I do not hold with that -
I say, you should ad-dress a Cat.
But always keep in mind that he
Resents familiarity.
I bow, and taking off my hat,
Ad-dress him in this form: O CAT!
But if he is the Cat next door,
Whom I have often met before
(He comes to see me in my flat)
I greet him with an OOPSA CAT!
I’ve heard them call him James Buz-James –
But we’ve not got so far as names.
Before a Cat will condescend
To treat you as a trusted friend,
Some little token of esteem
Is needed, like a dish of cream;
And you might now and then supply
Some caviare, or Strassburg Pie,
Some potted grouse, or salmon paste –
He’s sure to have his personal taste.
(I know a Cat, who makes a habit
Of eating nothing else but rabbit,
And when he’s finished, licks his paws
So’s not to waste the onion sauce.)
A Cat’s entitled to expect
These evidences of respect.
And so in time you reach your aim,
And finally call him by his NAME.

So this is this, and that is that:
And there’s how you AD-DRESS A CAT.

Complement with the soul-warming Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology and Eliot on idea-incubation and the mystical quality of creativity.

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