Rob @ MindSay 
thomas
Billie and his team had laid out a healthy buffet that included a wide selection of smoked and candied meats alongside local produce and fruits from around the world.
And below here's a shot of Susanna Kislenko playing hostess with one of ARC's new clients.. oh I wish I could remember his name. He has a solar panel company I think.Cool guy.
This was a 'two room party' and one environment contained a wide selection of beverages and coat check and the other room held the food. I wondered which room would be popular first? Turns out they both grew equally and there was a nice migration cycle that happened as people mingled - there was of course people in the hallway too but that was something Billie and Alyssa and other staff members tried to keep to a minimum.
Of course the highlight of the evening was Billie's impromptu screening of his new trailer for the ponzi scheme video. Everyone feels bad for Billie who lost so much money to a con artist two years ago - and although I find it remarkable that so big and so powerful a ponzi scheme could occur in the highest eschelon of society... he doesn't, because it happened to him.
That's VespaChick behind Billie Mintz, and that's Jennifer Grant beside her, and that's my big head in the foreground. I can't remember Jennifer's boyfriend's name but he was very interesting too.
Here's to ARC Institute 2009!
Rob is one of my good friends. We met a little over a year ago at work - at the time, he was delighted by how easily he could make me blush. Said friendship built over the summer and IM, when we discovered that we could argue about theology, books, music, friendships, human nature - just a lot of stuff we both enjoyed. He's amazing at backrubs, generally people find it easy to trust him. I think. He's also got cerebal palsy, which means that he spends a fair amount of time hanging out in a wheelchair, and he says sometimes people have a hard time with him because of it. I've yet to see it, but okay.
Alex is another friend of mine, got engaged to my dear Micro Psycho on Sunday. We've known each other since I started going to FCC. He's occasionally referred to as, "All-American redneck farmboy." Not a comment on his intelligence, but rather his size and his approach to problem solving. He's big, he's strong, and if there's a practical solution to a problem, he'll go directly to it and not care if anyone's offended. Generally a pretty friendly guy, but nobody's doormat. We like Alex. Useful to have around if you want a small piano or hay bale dropped on someone, or your back cracked.
Liz is sweet, petite, and a little bit random - she's in show choir with me. I don't know her as well as the guys, mostly because she's a newer person in my life, but really, it's hard to NOT like Liz. She has a genuinely cheerful attitude that prevails in almost every situation, and she's darn cute. She and Rob are also engaged.
Coincidentally, all three of them live in the same house. Well, Alex rents from Rob, and there's some chaos in Liz's world that just made it sensible for her to be living with her fiance. Or something. So, Rob's house.
The rest of this story is almost entirely from Rob, with bits from Liz and a few things from Alex's fiancee, as I see her more often than I see him. Particularly since the event.
3:30 a.m., Rob wakes up because Liz's dog is barking. He half turns over to get up and see what's up, then the dog stops. Waits a minute to see if there's anything more, shrugs, and then turns back to go to sleep, throwing an arm over Liz as he does so. He makes a point of mentioning this last bit - why?
Because Rob knows that I know that his reflexes, whether in spite of or because of his condition and a few surgeries, are rather stellar. Startlingly stellar, really. And a minute later, when a 4'x8' section of sheetrock fell out of their ceiling over them, it cracked over Rob's elbow, where he'd gone into a protective stance over Liz.
It's been ruled a natural gas leak. The immediate wall between the bedroom and the backyard was largely missing, so Liz and Rob crawled out. Rob could only make it so far, and Liz dragged him the rest of the way to the edge of the yard (I did mention, she's little), where they both collapsed.
Alex has other problems. He's trapped in his room, the floor above Liz and Rob. He managed to break the window and dive through it, and found the rest of his housemates. He carried Rob to a neighbor's house, and another neighbor carried Liz.
The house is obliterated. Photos of it show the frame of Rob's Cruiser inside the frame of his garage - nothing else. The rest of the house is simply gone.
Alex's truck is okay, as he'd parked it on the street, and Rob apparently had his phone in a pocket. Everything, absolutely everything else, is gone. I amend that - Alex went back to the site yesterday and found Liz's engagement ring in the backyard.
Every other house on the block was evacuated because of the high gas levels, but fortunately there haven't been any more fires. Yesterday, Rob and Liz went to get their eyeglasses replaced, and today they're moving into an apartment not far from where he (and I) work. The chair that was custom-made was lost in the explosion (he doesn't use it in the house - he keeps it in his car), but fortunately his best friend has his original at her house, and she's bringing it up today.
We've been calling back and forth since it happened, and we share the same sentiment - it's bad, but at least they're alive. We're so, so thankful that they're alive. Everyone's saying that it's a miracle that they got out of there. Rob has some ice burns from being dragged, Alex has some scratches from the window and the landing, and I'm not sure about Liz, but they're alive. It's also great talking to Rob, because he's one of those people who's a blended pragmatist and philosopher. His general take on the whole thing is a very calm, "Taking it a day at a time," and at this point he's just getting tired of retelling the story. It's also great because Liz is there with him, and despite how scary the ordeal was, she's now back to being cheerful and finding things to laugh at in the world.
Rob's already talking about rebuilding on the same site, just clearing everything out and starting new. He tends to enjoy construction projects, and he also has this belief that the fire's not going to kick his butt and make him move. He makes me laugh, and it feels so good to laugh with him again, even knowing that it could have happened that we'd never talk with each other again.
"Treasure one another in the recognition that we do not know how long we shall have each other."
-Joshua Loth Liebman
http://www.athleticsafrica.com/Outgoing/athletesdiary.html
Oh my fu*king god.
I just got home from the Movies with my best friends Kim and Brittany.
We saw Halloween. It is a really great movie. You can deffently tell that it was written by Rob Zombie. It has tons of cuss words in it. But thats my type of movie. Not to menchon it had every single cast member in it from the first two movies that he made. Including Sherri Moon Zombie. She looks much older in this move. But since she plays the mom I guess that she would. Anyone else see it? I love Rob Zombie and I love his work.
I guess that its just me thou. My friends and I are pretty weird. If you like all the other Halloweens you will most deffently love this one. So if your board and have nothing to do and have maybe eight bucks lying around. Grab your best friends and your car keys and head to the movies.
Much love.
Later;)
I hate how my parents will take there anger out on me..my brother is in the hosital because he has something like strep throught, possibly mono, possibly an absess (sp?) in his throught. For the last few days theyve been taking there anger out on me constantly..yelling at me non stop for little things..usually nothing. I got in trouble yesterday morning for pushing in a chair..no lie. Pushing in a fucking chair. I had really baggy pj pants on so I was holding them up when I was pushing in a chair and my Dad starting yelling at me saying to stop "dragging it out" and get upstairs and get ready for school (I wasnt "dragging it out"at all..it was actually 40 minutes till I had to leave for school, and I just had fisnished breakfast..didnt even sit down for a minute in the chair to let it digest, just got up and pushed in a chair and I got yelled at.) Last night I finally had enough of that bullshit. I didnt eat supper yet and it was nearly 10pm and I was getting yelled at, so I got some spaggetti. I even got yelled at for that because I didn't have a porkchop with that! My dad said that I was going to wind up in the hospital because of that. Well I guess I can't do anything to please them can I! I dont get supper, I get yelled at. I get supper, I get yelled at, so I just started yelling back: "No matter what I do I can't seem to please you can I! I get supper, and I get yelled at STILL! Well, your just mad about Robert and your taking your anger out on me! Thanks! I feel sooo LOVED!" All while doing this I was walking out of the living room, up the stairs, into my bedroom, with a plate of spagetti in my hand, and slammed the door. I ate it, then while I was doing that, about 10 minutes later my mom came up and starting apologizing for my dad. Pfft..thats ridiculus. She can't apologize for dad because she does it to more than she thinks! The other day I was in a different argument with my parents so I stopped yelling and I didn't speak at all..like at all, even when they were trying to talk to me I didnt look at them or ignologe them because I didn't wnat to get in trouble for anytrhing I said. My mom then starting saying that I was stupid, irresponsibe and ignorant because I didnt do alot of chores aroud the house. Humm, well I also have to do homework, volunteer, go to school, and go to piano lessons. My mom dropped out of school in grade 10, she dosent have a job. She has to do laundry, cook, and clean the house. Thats about it. The rest of the time she drinks, smokes, plays cards on the computer and does puzzles..watches tv sometimes to. I may not do alot around the house, but if you add it all up I do more work than her. My brother even said that when he had to stay home for a week from school for something HE did more work than her, and I can say that hes probably right.
I'm basically the anger dump for my family, whenever someones angry they take it out on me. When my brother Mike's annoyed he calls me an emo bitch. when Robs annoyed he yells at me (i wished him yesterday on the phone to get better and he started yelling at me because I said "well obviously your prtty sick..i hope you fel better" then hes like "Well no SHIT im sick!:| I hope I get better to!"). When my parenst are annoyed they yell at me and insult me, and I know thats its just me getting yelled at to for no reason, bceuase if last night my parents were worried about another one of their kids going to the hospital, they would of been yelling at Mike, because he got fucking wasted in his room with his friends, went out for a smoke(my parents don't know that he smokes when he drinks though), came back in, then left for a concert. My parenst were at the hospital when he smoked but they new about the drinking and the concert.... So I get yelled at when I eat spaggetti but when my brother gets drunk and passes out for hours its no big deal! It just shows who the favourites are in my family!
K thats enough ranting for now, its almost the end of 1st period. I just needed to get that stuff off my chest...
- 
Kristal
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