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#I might make an alt version w flowers
lorenfangor · 2 years
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(this is a bit of a bonus for WTB - we ultimately wound up going in a different direction, but I wrote a lot of this and wanted to share it with you guys! consider it the alt version of Tobias and Gafinilan meeting)
“Rachel?” I asked, feeling myself tense up like I was ready for a fight.
“Yeah?”
I turned my head. She was standing behind me, her head resting on my shoulder. It felt nice, but we couldn’t stay like that. There were hoofbeats, far-off but coming closer. Deer didn’t make those noises, and horses didn’t walk like that.
“That’s not Ax.”
“What?” She let go of me, stepping back, bracing her feet against the ground. Ready to go, in a second, just like always. Just like old times.
I shook my head, shut my eyes, and slid back into my hawk body as I ducked into some bushes and crouched down. I was the fastest morpher now except for Cassie, thanks to years of life as a hawk, and it only took me about a minute before I’d left the blond, gangly human body behind me.
<Rachel?> I asked again.
<Behind you,> she said. <Don’t look too hard, I got a cat morph from Cassie’s barn. Right now I’m trying to keep this guy from eating you.>
<I didn’t think Cassie’s barn had cats, with the clinic there,> I said.
<This was a stray,> she told me. <Brought in by a neighbor. Poor guy got hit by a car. Didn’t make it, but I got the morph.>
<That’s morbid,> I answered, fluttering up into the nearest branch to get a look at the little clearing where the Andalite tree was.
<Not as morbid as it could be,> she shot back. <Shit, I forgot how cocky this thing is. No wonder Jake liked being a tiger so much, you know?>
<Cut the chatter,> I said, sounding too much like this was a mission, and I knew she’d swat at me for it later.
<So how do you know this isn’t Ax?>
<Because,> I said, watching as an Andalite came running up from the opposite side, nimbly sidestepped several bushes and little flowers, and skidded to a halt awkwardly in front of the big tree, <that’s Gafinilan.>
It had to be. He - it was a he, I could tell pretty much immediately - was too big to be anybody else, with the body of a big draft horse and hooves the size of dinner plates. Every muscle in his back and shoulders was defined, and his stalks were up and alert to survey the clearing, and his tail arced up over his hips and spoke all on its own of a gentle demeanor. He commanded my full attention, as he looked at the tree, and I wanted to talk to him.
I started to demorph.
<What are you doing?> Rachel asked, and suddenly being reminded of her made me hesitate. I wondered where she was. I wanted her beside me, when I spoke to this Warrior. I wanted him to meet both of us. I stopped the demorph, still mostly-bird except that I’d lost a lot of feathers. That surprised me - normally I couldn’t do that kind of thing so easily.
<I want to talk to him,> I said. <It’s Gafinilan, Rachel, it’s not like he’s a bad guy.>
<The Ellimist said things might be different,> she said. <What if he’s one of the differences?>
<Then you go grizzly and tear his head off,> I decided, resuming the demorph. <It’s not like you couldn’t.>
<And what if he threatens you? What if he doesn’t realize you’re on his side? What then? How far do I let this go?>
<If he Torfs me - >
<Torfs you?>
<Uses his tail to knock me out. He does that successfully, you can tear his head off.>
<Works for me. I better get to a place where I can demorph.>
<Right,> I said. I’d been sliding from hawk to boy pretty slowly. I was way less graceful and controlled than Cassie was, but it felt a little like nothing I could do would be a fuckup, like it was all gonna be okay, and that unexpected confidence made me steadier. When it was done, I held on to the branch with my hands and slid my legs out from under me, hitting the forest floor with just a little thud instead of a crunch of leaves.
He still noticed, eyes flicking up in my direction.
I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and stepped out into the clearing.
“Hey,” I said. “What, uh… what are you doing here?”
Oh, you dumbass, I thought, at the same time Rachel said <‘What are you doing here?’ What the hell?>
His eyes softened, and his stance opened up. I noticed the way his hips swung out behind his primary spine and primary shoulders as he moved, using his forelegs as a pivot point, and the light grace of his steps struck me. He was huge, bigger than anybody, even Visser Three, but he moved so carefully that you’d never guess it. Even his tail and its large-but-proportionally-modest blade were almost polite, aware of flowers and moss and vines. It was… weird, to look at him and see all of that at once.
His stalks dipped and rose, taking me in quickly, an awkward-looking kid in bike shorts and a swim shirt. His eyelids squinted in a way that I knew meant ‘confused frowning’ thanks to Ax, and then an expression of sudden epiphany followed.
<Do not be frightened,> he told me, and I wanted to laugh at how earnest he sounded. <I am a very friendly dream.>
“A dream, huh,” I said. “Okay, what are you doing here? This is my - my friend’s tree.” I wanted to smack myself in the face for that, too - why lie, when I knew who he was? It’s not like I’d had the chance to tell him before that hey, he’d served with my dad, maybe worked under him directly - why not tell him now?
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riverbanksquid · 3 years
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--MODS (ver. 1.16.4 ~ 5 only)--
EASY; OBVIOUS
better third person (TEST THIS 🚨)
wool to string wool tweaks is better ✅
tameable rabbits ✅
more flower bushes ✅ + custom mod for more small flowers 🔲
string lights ✅ (In-game book with recipes/tutorial?⚠️)
botany pots ✅ (learn recipes ⚠️)
invisible armor (actually 1 utility armor slot and 1 visible armor slot but same thing) ✅
NEW
added camels ✅
added chimneys ✅
bell noise when fish on fishing line ✅
can sleep slightly earlier (before stars show up) ✅
better caves, better mineshafts, and stronghold saver ✅
DID NOT add better portals because no they aren't ❌
supplementaries ✅ (hanging signs, notice boards, item shelves, fireflies, etc.; life is good)
added endermail (endermen will deliver packages for you) (do test this one 🚨 it's hard to do in creative)
added flower doubler ✅
added "kelp acts like bonemeal" ✅ (note: only one of either kelp or bonemeal will grow a vine and I forget which 🚨)
added "eggs hatch when they despawn (but only on hay bales and also only when there are fewer than X chickens around already)" ✅
added sleeping bags (skip night without setting spawn point) and hammocks (skip day) ✅
added ability to use banner pattern on bed ✅ (test this 🚨)
added tea ✅ (are the teapots and stuff placeable though..?? 🚨)
BIG DEAL; CONSIDERING
create ✅ (disabled ugly ores and custom stone types in worldgen; they aren't needed to make water wheels which are ALLLLL I care about 📝)
quark (some. mob variants, maybe vertical slabs, oddities for item pipes, etc) ✅
mcmmo 🔲 (pros: taming. cons: I don't actually even like mmos)
inventory tweaks quark has everything we need actually ✅
tree felling ✅ (serilum ver.) (it's so good) (NO AUTO-REPLANTING)
lava lamps ❌❓
ON THE LOOKOUT
one person sleeping makes night be over (check which version this became a thing in) QUARK HAS ✅ BUT TEST IT THOUGH 🚨
always show coordinates and ONLY coordinates (no F3 PLEASE) (Resource pack I got for this seems not to be working. Alt: serilum's gui compass. 🚨) 🔲
immortal neutral mobs (incl. bees) Does not appear possible with any currently existing mod. However, friendly fire prevents damage to pets and I have added passive endermen to prevent aggroing our very tall friends, which should mitigate this as much as possible. ✅ WATCH OUT for cats and rabbits though, that is very much still a massacre waiting to happen. CROSS-TEST WITH RABBIT TAMING 🚨
mooblooms & moolips ✅ CHARM HAS REALLY GOOD ONES
dog variants ✅ betterdogs. Con: to get specific dog type, name of type of dog must be in nametag name, which is mildly weird. Pro: fuck it !
legible signs. (editable signs also?) ✅ vanilla tweaks and quark, respectively.
feathers + leather without killing mobs ✅ charm "chickens drop feathers passively" rule, plus combination of "rotten flesh to leather" & all-paper books.
renewable saddles + name tags ✅ saddle recipe + nametagtweaks. (note: I think I actually have more than one thing installed that adds a nametag recipe but whatever. do test both of these though 🚨 also horse armor?)
more stars/more interesting night sky 🔲 (I hate texture packs. maybe I have to fucking make one)
candy colored texture packs and shaders 🔲 (I DUNNO, YOU GUYS)
BETTER STAINED GLASS? ?? also glass slabs, stairs, etc. might have to do this myself 🔲 (absent by design may add the shapes, as would glasscutter if it were ever updated to 1.16. try absent again now that optimization mods are working? the stained glass though, I do actually have to fucking do myself; nobody understands my aesthetic tastes apparently. CROSS-TEST ABSENT W/ QUARK'S FRAMED GLASS BLOCKS? 🚨)
GOING CONCERNS
proximity chat (found a voice chat mod that might work. to test. 🚨)
teach everyone how to screenshot
NEW PROBLEMS
"In Control!" does make mobs noticeably less lively if you're not within a couple dozen blocks of them. BUT the performance increase is VITAL... play with settings.
Charm (I think?) villager adjustments COMPLETELY fuck up the village near spawn. (Solution: maybe just turn them off... they're not that good. Also, may be able to get away with JUST turning off lumberjack and leaving beekeeper on. Test savanna and extreme hills villages with these rules.)
Better Caves fucks up the cool tunnel I wanted to make next to the ice spikes but I might just worldedit it into submission lol
Quark mob variants are OKAY. I do actually need to test 🚨 whether quark and charm can both have them enabled at the same time and have that like. work. Because charm's are slightly cuter in general but I like quark's purple cow hsjdjfjf
Chimney mod is cool but oh my god I have to 🔲 turn the amount of smoke particles it generates down
QUARK CANDLES ARE MADE FROM TALLOW AND NOT BEESWAX FOR SOME REASON... but charm's only come in one color. also neither of them cluster like the ones from 1.17!!! I HAVE COMPLAINTS 🔲 (solution: different mod OR custom mod OR crafttweaker)
also quark's blossom trees are a cute idea but they're ugly. fix? 🔲 AND fix the decorated paper wall and lantern.
related: macaw's doors has sliding paper doors. pros: MANY MORE DOORS, TRAPDOORS, WINDOWS. cons: choice paralysis? cluttered recipe book?
🔲 STILL DO HAVE TO PUT MORE FLOWERS.. IN IT..THE GAME.
wooden axe is the wand tool for worldedit and so does not work as an axe. I'm pretty sure there's a way around this but I think it's funnier to just ban the use of wooden axes specifically. unhinged server laws. also yes I want everyone to have access to worldedit. yes I will murder and kill them if they use it to be rude. we live in a society
the nether is still ugly. there's not really anything I can do about that though
🔲 Limiting factor on arrows is now flint, which is annoying to get, so maybe do something about that too.
🔲 also I totally have not found a good lead recipe so that too
🚨🔲🚨 and finally: this post is now way too long so I have to work on making a coherent file that lists included features, and another that lists stuff I'm still looking to add remove or change. NOT EVEN I WANT TO READ ALL THIS !!!
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crimethinc · 7 years
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No More Presidents : A Narrative from the 2005 Inauguration
An earlier version of this narrative appeared in the first issue of *Rolling Thunder: An Anarchist Journal of Dangerous Living. It has become more poignant with the passing of time: what if anarchists and others had somehow succeeded in making the invasion and occupation of Iraq impossible? Perhaps the Islamic State would not have come to power, and the Syrian uprising could have turned out differently. What if anarchists had been more successful in opposing Obama, so Trump could not have presented himself as the only alternative? What horrors loom ahead in this next administration—and what would it take to forestall them?*
January 20, 2005, Washington, DC. The second inauguration of George W. Bush.
The riot police were already pouring out of their vehicles and suiting up when we arrived at the reconvergence point. Our first march had hit a wall of armored police before we could reach the checkpoints surrounding the inaugural parade route, and we’d spent the following hour lost in the multitudes outside those checkpoints, trying to figure out where our friends were and how to attain critical mass again. We passed the riot police and crossed the street into the throng assembling at the point we had agreed the previous night.
Many people were gathering here, but there was no clear indication as to what to do next. As far as any of us knew, now that the initial march was over, no one had a backup plan. At a discussion the night before, when I’d broached the question of what we would do if the march failed to break through the checkpoint, one maniac had coldly responded, “What’s with all this talk about backup plans and exit strategies? People are fucking dying in Iraq.”
“So what are you saying, that we should just go until we all get arrested?”
“Well, yeah.”
Things hadn’t played out that way in the streets: we hadn’t gotten through, and we hadn’t been arrested. Now we needed to come up with a new strategy—and quick, before the motorcade passed.
The prospects of this weren’t looking good. People were milling around indecisively, conferring in small groups; there was a feeling of dejection in the air. To one side, some activists were bickering about the decisions made during the earlier march. Others—from the looks of it, not the most experienced protesters present—had actually sat down in a circle to hold a formal collective discussion, which didn’t seem to be turning up any answers either. This, while riot police were massing across the street! Perhaps they wouldn’t arrest us all right here, but the longer we dallied, the more difficult it would be to get past them.
I went from one cluster of friends to the next—in each one, ideas were being tossed around, but none seemed to be sticking. In my pessimistic frame of mind, it struck me as a microcosm of protest politics in general: every clique has a pet plan they’d like to see put into action, but none is willing to do more than talk about how great their plan is.
There was no sense in joining the marketplace of ideas. I returned to the friend I trusted most, the one with whom I’d shared so many experiences at other demonstrations. “Listen, nothing’s going to happen unless somebody decides something and goes for it. I trust you to make the call for both of us. Just pick a plan, and count me in.”
One of his friends had an idea—apparently, she’d seen a flatbed truck parked near the checkpoints loaded with wooden pallets we might be able to seize, with which to try to break through the police lines. This seemed hard to believe, but stranger things have happened.
So we had an idea. But how were we going to set it in motion? My friends went around to a few other knots of people, making the proposal. Everything just seemed to turn to mush: “Yeah, we could do that… or maybe we could…”
Regrouping quickly, we decided—insanely, impetuously—that we would just go, the ten of us, and try it, since we had to do something. Ten was a quixotic number with which to storm flatbed trucks and charge police checkpoints, but at this point it seemed like a quixotic attempt could only be an improvement on what would happen otherwise.
We stepped out onto the street opposite the now thoroughly prepared riot police and set off in the direction of the trucks. To our surprise, a dozen more people trailed after us—curious what was happening, perhaps, or just responding instinctively to movement.
Another of my friends seized the chance. “Come on! This way! Join us!” he shouted, waving his arms. I put my riot whistle between my teeth and blew series of blasts in a marching rhythm.
In a matter of seconds, the whole crowd poured off the corner and into the street behind us.
Now something was happening, and the initiative was ours. Behind, the riot police reoriented themselves, as if submerged in molasses, and prepared to follow. We were already well down the street, moving swiftly, once again appreciative of each other’s presence and sure of our collective strength.
It struck me that there was a lesson of sorts in what had just transpired, but before I could explore this thought further, we were swarming over the trucks, unloading the pallets.
Could we really do this? In the full light of day, here we were, commandeering a full truckload of defensive materials in the most occupied zone of the capital city of the most powerful nation on earth. Why hadn’t we done this during the larger march earlier in the day? If we had been equipped then, we certainly could have gotten to the checkpoints, and history might have played out differently. We had passed construction sites, garbage heaps, and plenty of other opportunities to gather what we needed. Did we really want a revolution, or just a protest march?
It remained to be seen if we would be able to get to a checkpoint this time, either. There were police behind us, presumably on the streets to either side of us, and in much greater numbers ahead. I kept close to my companions. We were moving swiftly, almost running.
No squad cars or baton-wielding officers blocked our path. Perhaps as we had reentered the area they had not at first identified us as the anarchist menace against which they had mobilized police from all around the eastern half of the country. We arrived at the street running parallel to the parade route, a scant block from the checkpoints. We could see one of the checkpoints ahead of us, a fence of towering black metal grate with lines of hulking armored police behind it.
Now the police behind us were catching up, and we sighted a larger force in armored vehicles approaching up the street on our left. If we went straight for the checkpoint ahead, we would be surrounded. Instinctively, the crowd veered to the right, increasing speed; some threw down their pallets in the intersection as a makeshift barricade to slow our enemies’ pursuit.
A couple blocks more and we arrived at another checkpoint, having somehow eluded our escort. Here, before the fence, we suddenly paused as the gravity of what we were doing hit us. A thick cordon of police waited ahead for us, behind the metal fortifications. There were only a few dozen of us, really, and we were scarcely equipped with hooded sweatshirts and bandannas, let alone the tools it would take to get this fence down while protecting ourselves from the troops behind it. We were a shoddy bunch in a time that called for far fiercer forces.
At this moment, when, in our hesitation, it seemed like we all might go no further, I heard a familiar voice behind me:
“Ten! Nine! Eight!”
It was the maniac from the meeting the night before. He was wearing a motorcycle helmet, shouting at the top of his lungs with a cool certainty. Until now, his impetuousness had been a liability—but here, he was the only one with enough morale to imagine we would actually follow through with what we had come to do.
“Seven! Six!”
This was obviously insane behavior. A few unarmed, skinny lunatics could no more break through this fortification than a bundle of flowers could flip a tank.
“Five!”
Our arms were linked tightly, binding us into lines. My friends and I were in the third line of perhaps seven. Over the heads of the taller people in front of me, I could just make out the front line of police, readying industrial pepper spray dispensers.
“Four!”
There was nothing else for it. If we didn’t do something now, it would just be embarrassing. By the final numbers, we were all screaming:
“Three! Two! One!”
I exchanged a glance with my bosom companion, at my side to the right. In an instant, it conveyed, “This is absurd. But fuck it, here we go.”
“Yes. Here we go,” his eyes responded.
An instant later, we were surging towards the checkpoint—and then, before those of us behind the front line could see the object of our charge, everything went black and our lungs seized up. The crowd heaved forward and broke against the line of police officers showering us with pepper spray, then fell back choking in disarray. The fence shook, rattled, and was still.
I staggered back about fifty yards with the friends on either side of me, all of us blind and unable to breathe. There we paused and helped each other to regain use of our eyes and throats. A cynical television cameraman hurried up to capture this poignant moment; I chased him off. We cleared out of the area before the police could secure it. Maybe they were under orders not to arrest us en masse unless we did something really dangerous.
I later heard that after our charge, they shut down all the checkpoints around the parade route. I’m not sure whether to believe it was because of our meager effort. I also heard that the truck we unloaded was stocked with grappling hooks, too, with which we could more easily have assaulted the fence had we taken them along with the palettes. Grappling hooks? What were grappling hooks doing there?
But again, stranger things have happened.
Why didn’t we arrive prepared for the work we came to do that day? We could have given our opponents a run for their proverbial money, had we been ready—we simply would have needed protective gear and the conviction that we were really going to go for it. It came out in conversation afterwards that a couple of the friends who had been at my side when we charged the checkpoint—some of the most courageous and capable among them, in fact—actually had goggles and vinegar-soaked rags in their backpacks. Somehow they had forgotten to put these on when it came time to charge the fence.
Why do we sabotage ourselves like this? By and large, our own hesitations seem to pose a much greater threat to our efforts than the assembled might of the police state. It’s as if, even when we are staking our lives and freedom, we find it hard to believe it is really happening. We know well enough in our heads that if we are going to do anything to interrupt all the injustices in progress, we must do so here and now—but it’s another thing entirely to behave with our bodies as if this is the case. When we don our masks and raise our black flags, we seem to enter a tentative, imaginary world in which we don’t take responsibility for believing the things we’re doing are actually possible.
Clearly, as my story shows, it is possible for a few maniacs to seize defensive materials, charge police lines, and change the course of history a little bit—all this, without even getting arrested. It only remains for us to do these things with the sense that the stakes of the struggle are our lives, that we can actually win—to take the goggles out of our bags and put them on before the pepper spray comes out, literally and figuratively. People have done this before—in Quebec City, in Genoa, even in Washington, DC. It’s not too much to ask of ourselves.
Next time, we’ll show up with both backup plans and motorcycle helmets, ready to leave the world we’re familiar with behind once and for all. We won’t hesitate or falter. We’ll know just how lucky we are to get a chance to live and act outside the cages prepared for us, and we won’t count on getting another one.
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brianalves069-blog · 4 years
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5 Advice for Utilizing Word for Company
Helpful functions can conserve you money and time 
   Watch on modifications that individuals are making to files. 
   You can shut off this “versioning” function by clearing the check mark from “Automatically conserve a variation on close.” Or, you can erase specific variations. Simply highlight the ones you wish to discard and click Delete. 
   If Rocky Jones is one of the individuals getting the letter, you may desire the salutation to be Dear Rocky. If your relationship with Dr. Rocky Jones is more official, the salutation may be Dear Dr. Jones. 
   Often, the advancement of a file is so difficult that we forget what we’re attempting to do. Recalling at previous variations can assist. 
   If you are distributing a proposition to your personnel, you do not desire it incorrect for the completed item. An excellent way to prevent that is a watermark that states “Draft,” “Confidential,” “Sample” or anything else you ‘d like. 
   Here are 5 functions within Microsoft Word, the word-processing software application in Microsoft Office that I utilize in my service to conserve money and time. 
   Produce and develop your business’s letterhead, picking from a variety of totally free clip art from Microsoft. 
   When a sales strategy or another file is gone back to you, it is in some cases tough to see modifications made by others. Word has an easy method to reveal them to you. 
   In addition to letters, you can resolve envelopes and labels with Mail Merge. It can make life a lot simpler. 
   Essentially, Word utilizes a list of names and addresses from a table. The table can be developed in Word, in Microsoft Access and even in Microsoft Outlook. All belong to Microsoft Office. 
   When you desire to look at an old variation, follow the exact same course. Highlight the variation you desire and click Open. 
   Or you desire to reveal a modification in your personnel. Word’s Mail Merge tool streamlines things significantly. 
   Bear in mind that there is a great line in between cool and annoying. If individuals need to have a hard time to check out the file due to the fact that of the watermark, they might quit. Make sure you have “semitransparent” or “washout” chosen. 
   Send out the very same letter to many individuals without dealing with each independently. 
   To utilize the watermark, click Format > Background > Printed Watermark. Make your choices and click OK. If you anticipate to utilize a watermark frequently, produce a design template (see No. 1 above). 
   Producing a letterhead does not need to be made complex; it can be as easy as the business name, address and phone number. Word offers a variety of font styles, and you can differ type sizes. 
   Microsoft likewise provides complimentary design templates for letters, labels and types. (Most run in Word, although some need other software application programs. 
   You might wish to include art to your letterhead. You can scan in your logo design and utilize it in your letterhead. Or there is another alternative. 
   You can likewise utilize a photo for a watermark. You can utilize an illustration or photo of a flower that would appear on whatever you print. 
   That’s simple to do in Word. Every time you close the file, that variation will be conserved. 
   Many people do not utilize every function built-in with their software application applications. We tend to identify those we discover handy and stop. 
   Utilize a faster way for a number of your jobs. 
   Here are the directions for Word 2002/2003: First, open the more recent Word file. Search to the initial Word file. 
   Include a watermark to a file so everybody understands that it is a draft. 
   For some jobs, I can work much faster utilizing the keyboard than the mouse. You most likely understand the requirements: Ctrl+ C to copy, Ctrl+ V to Paste, Ctrl+ Z to Undo, Ctrl+ A to Select All and Ctrl+ P to Print. Here is a list of other faster ways you may discover useful as you utilize Word. 
   Something every organisation requires is main letterhead. You do not need to purchase it. If you understand the style you desire, you can develop it in Microsoft Word and wait as a design template to utilize again and again. 
   If you desire to include a flower, Microsoft has more than 1,000 styles. The clip art collection is offered to signed up users of Word. 
   Click Tools > Letters and Mailings > Mail Merge. To pick receivers of your letters search to your list of contacts in Excel, Outlook or another database. 
   For Word 97/2000: Click Tools. Discover the initial Word file and click it when so it is highlighted. 
   The finding out curve here is much steeper than putting whatever in Excel (likewise part of Microsoft Office). I’ll utilize Excel as the example however keep in mind that you have more options. 
   Start this procedure with your letter. The exact same letter goes to everybody; you can’t do a great deal of customisation. When you compose the letter, leave area for the individual’s address and the salutation. 
   A watermark is plainly noticeable on the file, however does not harm the legibility of the writing. You can even develop it in a range of colours. 
                               Keystroke. 
 Outcome. 
 Alt+ Ctrl+ C. 
 Copyright sign. 
 Alt+ Ctrl+ Period. 
 An ellipsis. 
 Alt+ Ctrl+ R. 
 Registered hallmark sign. 
 Alt+ Ctrl+ T. 
 Trademark sign. 
 Ctrl+ B. 
 Bold text. 
 Ctrl+ E. 
 Centres a paragraph. 
 Ctrl+ End. 
 Skips to the end of a file. 
 Ctrl+ Enter. 
 Inserts a page break. 
 Ctrl+ F. 
 Opens the Find menu. 
 Ctrl+ G. 
 Go to a page, bookmark, footnote, table, remark, graphic or other place. 
 Ctrl+ H. 
 Opens the Replace menu. 
 Ctrl+ Home. 
 Skips to the start of a file. 
 Ctrl+ I. 
 Italics text. 
 Ctrl+ N. 
 Creates a brand-new file. 
 Ctrl+ S. 
 Saves a file. 
 Ctrl+ Shift+ F. 
 Changes the typeface. 
 Ctrl+ Shift+ P. 
 Changes the typeface size. 
 Ctrl+ U. 
 Underline text. 
 Ctrl+ W. 
 Closes adocument. 
 Ctrl+ Y. 
 Redo the last action. 
 Esc. 
 Close an assistant or suggestion window. 
 Shift+ F3. 
 Modifications the case of letters. 
 Tab. 
 Move in between cells in a table.
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littleblackdomicile · 7 years
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WHAT CAN YOU DO TO JUMPSTART THE FALL?
Oh, there is nothing better than a 3 day weekend when a “little” holiday falls on Monday.  You know what kind of holiday I am talking about.  One that does not require loads of planning, preparation or extra commitments.  These 3 day weekends allow us to spend casual time with friends and family and still have a whole “free” day to ourselves.  Perhaps like me, you’ve eaten well, laughed hard and are thinking about what you might be able to “get done” around the house with this glorious free day.  There is also nothing that feels better to me than accomplishing something that has been nagging me but keeps getting pushed back on the To Do List.  So I think I’ll plan a bit of “labor” for this Labor Day.
So on this Motivational Monday I’ll share how we, myself and Mr. LBD, have mastered what seems to be the number one organizational problem in America, and two other areas I like to get in order this time of year.
# 1
THE CLOSET
We will start with the biggest task first. Talk to 10 people in a room and 11 of them will admit they have too many articles in their closet. Clothes, shoes, hats, purses, belts…yep it’s all crammed in a space we count on every day to work for us. The nagging need to edit hangs over our heads.  Seems like lately, words like minimalism push us to undo what we have spent a lifetime doing.
We are a society of consumption.  We have been trained to not let go of something we worked towards and paid for with hard earned cash.  How many times do we pick up an item to purge then change our minds because of what it cost?  Yet out we go shopping to buy more.
What if we have evolved and want to lighten up?
 But where to start?
There are so many views, tips and guidelines on how to overcome procrastination and ease our anxiety about choosing to live with less.   Frankly, some of the suggestions are so complex and time consuming, I burn out simply reading about the process.
The Solution To Stop Closet Clutter Once And For All
I chose to create a habit so simple it has been successful from day one.  If you are interested, here is what we do instead of following someone else’s system that would make me feel like I was running a race.
Each time I purchase a new item for my wardrobe I purge one.
If I buy 4 items….4 items go into the donation bag.
I use the shopping bag the items came in as the donation bag.
I immediately place the donation bag in the front seat of my car.
I drop the bag at a donation center on my next trip out.
I award myself with a consumable treat of my choice.
  Empty Shopping Bag
It’s easier to purge when I’m excited about the new purchases which are just fab! Within a short time, I have collected pieces that indeed are fabulous.  This really makes me think about what I am willing to give up when maligning new purchases.  I am shopping smarter.
Donation Bag of Castoffs
Already dropped at Goodwill and I’m sure someone else is enjoying the personal shopping service I have provided!
# 2
THE SPICE CABINET
I remember setting up my first apartment and longing for spices.  Yes I know, not exactly what most kids venturing out dream of.  Yet after living in a house where salt, pepper and cinnamon were the extent of the exotics, I needed to have a spice rack!  Well, I didn’t really need one.  The multiple spices I bought, without any knowledge of how to use them, dried up to big globs of nothing very quickly.
    Even though we cook often, and do perhaps use more spices than others, we often still have too large of quantities that do not stay “fresh”.  We do not buy spices in bulk.  I have learned to grind and blend individual spices instead of buying something I won’t use again.  Now, older and wiser, you think I’d know what spices I use.  Nope.  I still have an entire cabinet where spices go to die.
So once again, I will clean out this cabinet and feel accomplished when I get it all in order.  I’d love to show you my tidy, chic cabinet that smells like India or China when I open the door (love those smells) but it does not exist…yet. I do know I am seriously leaning towards a less is better system with simple containers that can be cleaned and used over and over.
Small, Airtight Containers, To Refill Often
I have researched and found that World Market Cost Plus does sell smaller quantities of both common and exotic spices.  The jarred version is a minimalistic design that allows most of the spice to show which helps me find things quickly.  The bagged version can be used to refil the jars.  The cost is good and they ship if a store is not near you.  In recent months, Bed Bath & Beyond has incorporated the World Market Food and Wine section into some of their stores.  Living with less and fresher spices is something I can do.
    Remember in #1, the mention of a consumable reward when a task is done?  Is there any better reward than cheese to help us forget what was in the donation bag we just dropped off?  Or what spices we just tossed?  Not for me.  I will never be one of those people who give up cheese on purpose!  Now onto the last task I may take on today.
#3
CHANGING UP SEASONAL FLOWER POTS
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 Photos Via Pinterest
Changing up summer plants to the rich colors of fall was always something we looked forward to.  Just a few more months of rich color and texture before tucking everything in for the winter’s sleep.  Now that we live in Florida, we do not get to do seasonal gardening as much but we do try to keep our container gardens interesting.   This is one task that is rather quick to do and offers big rewards all in itself.
Ok, that’s it.  Three areas I have identified that I’d like to put forth a bit of “labor” this Labor Day.  I may do one, all or none of them.  Since we have the closet under control, it will just need a little tidying up.  It would be nice to have these other areas all set to help us enjoy the fall season, especially as we get closer to the larger holidays.  How nice would it be to have our homes a little more squared away and systems that work automatically?  In other words, good habits.  Earlier this year we wrote the post below that has a more detailed list of other items in our homes that the “One In One Out” rule might work with in your home.  Take a peak.  Let us know your secrets for tackling the areas that nag you in the comments below.
One In One Out Rule
Since 1887 Americans have been celebrating Labor Day to honor all the people who make America work every day.  We are proud to be in this group.
Thank You 
      3 Ways To Spend Your “Labor” Day At Home WHAT CAN YOU DO TO JUMPSTART THE FALL? Oh, there is nothing better than a 3 day weekend when a "little" holiday falls on Monday.  
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chm-photography · 7 years
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As a digital black & white photographer, the 21st century isn’t exactly the perfect time to live in. Virtually all digital cameras take pictures in color and those that don’t cost a fortune. Of course, every camera has a black & white mode, but this only means the camera is doing the critical job of black & white conversion for the photographer – not exactly the perfect solution for the creative mind. So, how can we solve this problem and create an (almost) monochrome photography workflow with today’s digital cameras? How can we (almost) free ourselves from colors?
Why get rid of colors?
In every book about black & white photography, you will find a chapter about seeing in black & white. What they usually mean by this is the process of seeing in the field, of recognizing scenes and subjects that will work well in black & white. What they usually don’t discuss is the second part of the image making process, the making of the picture in your digital darkroom. Just because they can be mesmerizingly beautiful, colors can be as distracting here as they can be in the field. If you have ever tried to convert a photo of a beautiful sunset, a flower or a shiny (and colorful) new car to black & white, you might know what I mean. Colors often keep distracting me from what I want to capture in an image: A beautiful shape, the texture of the clouds, the shiny metal, you name it. At the beginning of the conversion process, the new impression of the colors leaves the monochrome image dull and boring in direct comparison and thus interferes with my creative process. Fortunately, I found a solution which I would now like to share with you.
Sunset over River Eden It’s hard to get those vibrant colors out of your head once you have seen them.
A two-step solution
In camera settings
The first step is adjusting the camera settings. I set my camera black & white but still let it save all my images as RAW files. This way, what I see on display is always monochrome, so that I can check my shots in black & white immediately if necessary. The files on the card, however, are still in color with all their fidelity. With my Nikon D7100, I can adjust the settings for this impromptu in camera monochrome conversion. I chose the highest contrast setting and a red filter emulation because this approximates my idea of a good black&white photo best. Your preferences may vary, of course.
The screenshot is in German. Here’s what it all means. Scharfzeichnung = Sharpening Kontrast = Contrast Helligkeit = Brightness Filtereffekte = Filter effects. Tonen = Toning
On the computer
The next step in our almost monochrome photography workflow must be taken on the computer. To get rid of colors here, I use a feature in Lightroom which was originally conceived for an entirely different purpose: Presets. I created a black & white preset, based upon the Red Hi-Contrast Filter preset which ships with Lightroom. I then apply it to all the images while importing.
This is where you can tell Lightroom to apply any preset during import.
For this preset, I chose settings according to my preference for sharp contrasts with deep blacks and bright whites. Here are my settings.
Of course, the settings won’t turn the new RAWs into a monochrome masterpiece, but that’s not their purpose.
So far, I only have only used this preset, and it has worked very nicely for me. But I can see myself create different black & white presets in the future, depending on the kind of photos I am importing. Obviously, landscapes require other parameters than, say, portraits or street photography.
Please note that there is one scenario when I don’t use a monochrome preset during import and that is my on-black animal portraiture. Here, I need to see the colors to evaluate whether it is possible to separate the subject from its background and put it on a black background instead. Removing the colors from the images would strongly interfere with this process.
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Color is an important factor when knocking out an animal out of the background of a photo.
Oryx
What are the benefits?
In addition to the advantage of eliminating the overwhelming influence of colors on my creative process (see above), I find it much easier and faster to judge whether the image works as a monochrome image and as I have envisioned it in the field. It’s easier to see if the composition works. Lines, shapes, symmetry, they all are now easier to perceive without the distracting influence of colors. I also find it much simpler to judge the potential of the photo for further processing. Sometimes, I even start processing an image in LR to check alternatives.
This way, I create a set of first drafts. For I don’t do my black & white conversion in Lightroom. I do it in Photoshop and Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 to take the image to places where Lightroom just cannot go. And in doing so, I benefit from the simple fact that even though I haven’t seen the colors of the photograph in camera or Lightroom, it has been there all the time. Even for a black & white photographer, color has its use in the monochrome conversion, so it is a good thing that I can when I send the image from Lightroom to Photoshop and later Silver Efex Pro 2, I send the color version. But now that I have found a clearer vision of where I want to take the image, I find myself immune from the distraction of colors.
More of the (almost) monochrome photography workflow
In my next blog post, I will use a minimalist architectural photograph to walk you through my complete processing workflow in Lightroom, Photoshop, Lumenzia (a Photoshop extension), and Silver Efex Pro 2. In the meantime, please feel free to write down your thoughts about this blog post, my solutions, maybe even alternative ideas in the comment section below.
  Free from colors – an (almost) monochrome photography workflow As a digital black & white photographer, the 21st century isn’t exactly the perfect time to live in.
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