Arteaga Blog

Singles

Are You Shy, Tongue-Tied, and Single?

Comments Off 22 November 2011

Are you tired of feeling isolated, but don’t know how to reach out and talk to people? Would you like to go out on dates but are too shy to meet someone? Many people find themselves in this predicament. They would like to have a relationship, but they have trouble starting conversations and being friendly.

I have a client who is a 39-year-old never-married man who would like to meet someone to date. He’s nice-looking, has a promising career, and is a sweet guy. He’s also shy. He finds himself immobilized when he is in a group of people he doesn’t know. He has a routine of work, gym, grocery store, TV, and working on his car. He visits his parents once a week, and also goes to business conferences, but when it comes to social events where he might meet someone, he has to push himself hard in order to get out and talk to people.

My client told me he looks for something noticeable about a person he’d like to know, that he can comment on when he does make it out in public. He needs conversation starters. Knowing that props and unusual items help a shy guy or gal start talking, let’s explore some possibilities:

* Carry your favorite book.

Carry your book or have it peeking out of your carry-all. You might meet someone who has read it; someone who has heard about it and wants to read it; or someone who asks you about it and wants to know more. Having a book or magazine can also act as a sorting tool. Your choice of subject matter will either appeal to someone or it won’t, and can be an early indicator of interests and compatibility.

* Think about your clothing.

If you are in a place where the dress is casual, a phrase printed on your shirt might attract responses from others. but think carefully about why you say; if it is too sarcastic or mean-spirited, you will set a tone for the conversation that you may regret. Wearing something unusual, as long as you don’t feel weird in it, will also open doors to talking to others.

* Consider wearing a hat.

You can also have a slogan or catchy phrase printed on it. Hats elicit comments, but don’t wear one if you don’t look good in it. It’s important to know what suits you and what doesn’t. Ask your best friend or someone who will tell you the truth. But hats often draw attention and conversation to you.

* Carry some props that indicate your work or hobby.

If you are carrying an item that is related to your field of study, work, or one of your interests, you have just given others an avenue to follow to a conversation. Your butterfly net, field binoculars, camera equipment, skis, snowboard, paint set, carpentry tools, needle work, or fishing pole are all worthy of attention and questions. If you are traveling somewhere and walking through a terminal carrying your tennis racket, musical instrument, bird cage, or scuba gear, notice if people are looking at you as though they would like to make comments. (True, the bird cage may look a little strange…but it will attract conversations.) People will probably want to know where you are going and what you are doing. You may find it easier to talk to strangers when you are both focused on the prop.

Some of the above ideas also can give you cues and clues to watch for in others, so you can have an opener. And if you cannot think of an appropriate prop, then go to the mall and learn to talk to strangers. I suggest that you find an older person, the same sex as you. Go in a department store, or hardware store, and look for people who are browsing. Get near them and ask a question, such as, “Do you know anything about these towels? Have you ever used these before?” If the person is not friendly, move on to someone else. But do not give up until you have practiced talking over and over. Learning to start conversations may be hard, but it doesn’t have to be impossible. You can move from “shy and tongue-tied” to “shy but full of try.” Everyone loves people who try.

Post Divorce

Domestic Abuse – How To Recognize If It Is Happening To You

Comments Off 22 November 2011

There are many women all over the world these days that are going through domestic abuse. This is a serious problem, but many women don’t even realize that this is happening to them. That is why you need to know how to recognize if this is what you are going through.

First, you need to know what exactly this type of abuse is. It is when a family member or loved one dominates you using either emotional or physical violence. They are doing their best to take your power away from you by controlling you in every aspect possible.

Now that you know that important information you need to know that there are many ways you can determine if you are being abused. Here are some of the signs for abuse that you want to be on the lookout for.

1. If your partner accuses you of being unfaithful when you know you have been faithful.

2. Does everything they possibly can to keep you from spending any time with your friends or family.

3. Likes to criticize you for any small thing, even without provocation.

4. Whenever they are able to they will do their best to be sure they humiliate you in front of people, no matter where you are.

5. Breaks your possessions on purpose, especially any that mean something special to you.

6. When they use alcohol or drugs, they turn violent and take their anger out on you.

7. Threatens you with violence for any small thing you do, even when they are not drinking or doing drugs.

8. They use violence on you when they are angry, even if you didn’t do anything.

9. Takes control over the amount of money you are able to spend or even make.

10. Likes to make you do things against your will.

These are just some of the more common signs that you are going through abuse. If you believe you are being abused, then you can’t let it continue because it won’t stop until you make it stop.

The best way to get away from your abuser is to get help from outside the home. You can see help from friends and family, but the best thing to do is to go to the proper authorities for help.

Domestic abuse is not something anyone wants to believe they are dealing with, but too many people do. Don’t ever assume that it will just end or get better over time because it won’t. You have to do the smart thing and get away from your abuser and seek as much help as you can get. Otherwise, you will find that your life is literally in danger; so do something about it now because you are the only one that can decide you have had enough.

Enhancement

A Custom Wiring Harness for Enhanced Manufacturer Output

Comments Off 22 November 2011

Cable manufacturing and assembly has become a very large industry in the past few decades. Its widespread growth is due to the ever-increasing demand for high performance machinery that is advanced in technology and generally more compact in size. Though standard harnesses are available for many different industries, a custom wiring harness may be helpful for manufacturers that have more unique and specific needs and want to be able to produce the maximum possible output for their machinery.

For the past few decades, industries like the automotive, aviation, and more recently renewable energy have become reliant on wiring harnesses to make their vehicles and machines operate more efficiently. The advantages of using a wiring harness over just placing loose wiring inside their machine are many.

With automobiles, airplanes, medical equipment and other kinds of large machinery, often several miles worth of cable and wiring is required to make them operate at maximum output. Without a cable harness, these loose wires would take up far too much space and force builders to make their machines much bigger. Furthermore, the installer can put in the harnesses in far less time than a pile of loosely connected cables and wires. The process has been revolutionary for many industries and helped bring about several breakthroughs that benefit consumers worldwide.

When it comes to which type of wiring harness to choose, manufacturers generally select either a standard or customized harness. Some builders choose the standard harness if they are constructing machinery that is more general in nature. Others decide to order a custom wiring harness when they feel they have more specific requirements that cannot be met from the standard variety.

Harnesses are popular in the automotive, aviation and electrical engineering industries, among others. These industries are continually coming up with more unique designs that are not as conducive to a “one size fits all” group of wiring. For example, because the military is known to be on the cutting edge of aviation technology, they have a constant need for customized harnesses to fit their newly designed airplanes and tanks and give them the output they need.

The automotive industry is another place where new designs are being conceived every year. There are always new passenger cars and trucks, sport utility vehicles, commercial vehicles, all-terrain vehicles, and many more. There are also a growing number of hybrid and electric cars coming on the market today. With the global trend toward meeting sustainability standards, this trend is expected to continue.

Along with all this newly designed machinery is the need for customized wiring that can fit their exact requirements. There are several cable assembly engineering companies that can meet the needs of these customers. However, they are not all created equal. There are a few things a designer should look for in a custom wiring harness manufacturer to be sure they are working with one that they will be satisfied with.

First, the company they work with should be able to provide anything from a simple wiring harness all the way up to a complete customized solution with multiple leads and connectors. It is also helpful to work with a company that has been in the business for a while. Cable assembly and wiring harness manufacturing is a growing industry and there are many new companies that have popped up in recent years. Because a company is new does not necessarily mean there is something negative about them, but on balance a company with at least a couple decades in the business and an established track record of performance is usually a preferable choice for customers who are looking for some transparency in their electronic cable and wire assembly partner.

Finally, a company with a strong focus on the quality of the custom wiring harness they deliver will normally ensure that the manufacturer will receive a harness that will be built to fit their needs and maximize the electrical output of their vehicle or machinery.

Dating

There She Goes Again

Comments Off 22 November 2011

Nymphet maintains an online profile on Facebook, where she mentions that she works for an escort service in Vancouver. A former roommate of mine, Alyssa, e-mailed her as a joke for me. We created a message that suggested a woman was hitting on her. She mistook the comment as a play for her boyfriend, whoever he is.

The last man I saw her in town with was one of those Gospel Mission types with a drug problem. He seemed much older than her, and was clearly in his fifties or sixties. She has always liked rough men, though I have no idea why.

Nymphet did this about seventy-five times during a six-year period. She had four boyfriends during that time, including a live-in fiance for over two years. She had two children with him, including one she forced on him by pretending to take the Pill and then flushing it down the toilet. The motivation was revenge against him for forcing her to put the first unwanted child up for adoption.

She had attempted, without success, to regain legal custody of her child from the adoptive parents, in order to force him to support her financially. There was never any limit to her manipulation. She would sink to the lowest depths to get what she wanted, at other people’s expense, if only because he delighted in the process of forcing others to serve her needs first. Other people’s feelings were never important to her.

The fiance walked, and paid her child support in exchange for sex. An old friend of mine, Jody, commented that this arrangement was fair and she should not complain. We were sitting on a bus in 2000, having a conversation about this matter, while she filled out an application for an education grant. As the bus meandered through the suburbs, we discussed Michelle’s history and sexual preferences. “What did he pay her a month?” Jody asked me.

“Well, Miss Sex-for-Rent has requested four hundred a month, in return for three nights of sex and companionship a week,” I told her sarcastically. “She’s upset that he demands certain times and nights, since she wants time with her new boyfriend, Michael,” I said.

“Does he actually work? Is he gainfully employed?” she asked.

“He’s a swing manager at a local fast food restaurant and gets off at midnight, but she makes him wait to come over until the morning, after Adam has left. I don’t think she wants one to find out about the other. He hates the restrictions on night activity, since he likes to sleep during the day.”

“Why doesn’t he sleep over at her house, during the day?” Jody asked. “He could always come over after Adam is done. I mean, they are the ones who agree to screwing shifts. Michael is second-best, he can always wait outside on the couch or she can give him a cot to sleep on. He has to realize what is going on, surely.”

“He has a leather couch in his mother’s basement that appeals more to him than Nymphet’s double bed, since she never changes the sheets. She has a party crew coming up from Regina, Saskatchewan, over this weekend. I think she wanted to wash the sheets before they arrived. She had one guy in mind for action, since she has used up all the guys on the local party hotline, off the streets and in the clubs downtown,” I responded to her casually.

“She’s a type-A sexual personality. She must always outdo herself. If she expects him to pay for sex, she will have to serve him on demand,” Jody stated to me. “If you expect a guy to pay cash for sex, you can’t call the shots on the time and what have you.”

“Strange, isn’t it?” I pointed out.

Jody put away her application and pulled a drink out of her large tote bag. She took a sip and closed the lid again. Her blue eyes stared back at me, intent on continuing the conversation.

“My boyfriend took off after I got pregnant. I have never seen a child support check, but if you want to screw for it, that’s fine by me. Just don’t get haughty and demanding about it,” Jody said.

“That’s too bad,” I said sympathetically.

“I can’t even work because of epilepsy, so I am on disability and in school for this early childhood education course. There is still another year left. If she wants to screw him for money, she doesn’t get to call the shots about the arrangement,” Jody told me.

“Her new boyfriend buys her hundreds of dollars in groceries and drives her around. After she kicked me out, her mother told me not to worry about rent for three weeks there. I paid her fifty dollars and she told me to forget the rest,” I said to her.

“That seems fair enough,” Jody said to me.

“Nymphet then attempted to stick a hundred-dollar grocery bill on me, along with a lunch and some beer she bought for me. The groceries are hers, not mine. She drank a bottle of vodka that I bought. I also lent her five hundred dollars that she never paid back. I bought her lunch and dinner several times and always paid my share of the bill. I don’t think I should have to pay for the beer, which was a treat and a gift, if her ex-fiance drank my vodka. I recall that her new boyfriend, Michael, drank some of my beer and coffee liquor as well,” I told her.

“What set it off?” she asked me.

“The bottle of liquor set her off. As well, I brought over an old box of hair color and seven dollars in change. She had forced me to try to collect welfare and had prevented me from returning to my temporary job as a canvasser for the phone company by dragging me all over town to welfare, the bank and other places. The bank manager refused to release the money I had locked into a registered retirement savings plan, since he claimed that he could produce a letter for welfare,” I told her.

“You cannot have a savings plan and receive any welfare,” she said.

“Welfare refused me. I had no access to my savings and my unemployment insurance claim had not finished. It was closed while I worked the temporary job, which I could not finish since she forced me to spend three days in line at welfare, two days in workshops, and two appointments with a counselor,” I said.

“No wonder she started the sex campaign for money with her exes. She can’t manipulate people into welfare,” she responded.

“The rest of the time, I was left to take care of her stupid child while she went off with one of her men. I had no key and she threatened to throw me out. My mother didn’t want me back in, since she resented that I left home without being married. She wanted me to stay at home until marriage, or else, leave and live on the streets because she is crazy,” I told Jody.

“They are both nuts. That is confinement, like being in jail,” Jody told me.

“Nymphet then tried to obtain rent money from me, when I paid it to her mother. She wrote me a letter in which she claimed that she was collecting the money, when the money is paid to her mother. She as a trust fund, child support, a monthly disability check, and a monthly welfare check. Three months before she applied for welfare, she took $5,000 out of her bank account. Unknown to them, she runs a part-time business that earns between $800 and $1,200 a month,” I told her.

“She lied about her rent on the welfare application, since she failed to mention that she lives in her parent’s basement, that she is not single, and that the rent is only $250 a month. She claimed that the rent was five hundred a month,” I told her.

“You are not allowed to collect disability payments on welfare. They take the child support and use it against the welfare payments, since you cannot collect welfare and child support at the same time. She lied about her rent. She is running a business out of her home while she hides the income. She is seeing two guys. They give her money. She works as a hooker of sorts. She thinks she is wonderful,” Jody commented.

“I wrote her back. I wrote that her mother had rejected any money from me, and if her mother wanted, I could write her a check for a hundred dollars. I finally moved back into my parents, found a job, and have successfully opened up the other locked-in savings plan that I had with another bank,” I told her.

“What happened?” Jody asked.

“I never received a call or letter from her mother. Since she told me she didn’t want the money, I took that as a sign that she didn’t want it. Nymphet then threatened to take me to small claims court and started leaving notes in my mother’s mailbox as well as calling and leaving strange messages. I contacted a lawyer at the legal aid branch, and he told me that without any proof, she had no basis,” I said.

“She cannot get money out of you if she doesn’t have a rental agreement and isn’t the landlady,” Jody agreed.

“She didn’t have a rental agreement, forced me to leave in the middle of the month and wasn’t the owner or landlady of the property. Since the owners, her parents, had forfeited the right to rent, I was fine,” I told her.

“Good. What about the rest?” Jody asked me.

“Well, the lawyer and my mother told me that the groceries she bought for herself were her problem. As well, the beer and restaurant bill were also her problem, since she could not prove that she had lent anything and her generosity was her mistake. You can sue someone for stealing property, taking a car, causing damage, or making false claims,” I stated.

“It’s not likely that the court would hear her out,” Jody agreed.

“If you give someone a very large amount of money without an agreement, the court may not even hear the claim. If you lend money to someone, without any agreement in writing and payment plan, you have little chance in court,” I told her.

“There is no chance of getting your money back. There is no way she can demand payment from you for money owed to her parents, which they reject any claim to,” Jody said.

“Fine. I am not vindictive. I wanted this mess to end. I sent her two nasty letters, not threatening or harassing ones, just very intellectual and sarcastic ones in response to her notes and calls. I have to guess what I am reading. I have made it clear what I think of her in general terms,” I told her. “I’m curious. Does she routinely see guys from Saskatchewan?” Jody asked me. “Maybe it’s a one-off, like a bad golf game.”

“No. She picked them up online, and apparently, he called her several times. They have three-ways,” I told her. “There could be more involved, I think.”

“I thought he hadn’t come down yet at that point. Was it with two guys?” Jody asked.

“She kicked me out before the gang-bang lovers came down. I think my presence got in the way of her plans. She also arranged for her mother to take the kid up to the cabin at Christina Lake for the weekend. See how she had it all planned, with Adam away and all,” I told her.

“What about this other boyfriend?” she asked.

“Apparently, he started at a vacuum cleaner outlet doing some job, maybe sales. He still works at the fast food joint three nights a week. They cut back his shifts and he wants to support her. I think he smokes a lot of pot. That Mercedes in black looks expensive,” I told her.

“He sounds too busy for the gang-bang,” she said. “So what about a three-way? Like, before, did they do that at some other time or were you meaning something else?”

“I meant a three-way phone conversation. She also speaks to former friends off hotlines, ones that haven’t given up on her due to her seedy reputation. That and she doesn’t always deliver the goods, so to speak. She has a habit of not showing up. They feel she has avoided the action after making hefty promises. She has become a chronic no-show, which means that she is no longer an easy and reliable lay, according to the local grapevine,” I said.

“I see. She is a rotten grape. She has been passed around too many times, like bad wine in a large carafe at a wedding,” Jody responded.

“She developed a seedy reputation in clubs downtown and the scene hasn’t changed over lately, so the same people she screwed last time are still around. I think the stories about gonorrhea and chlamydia, combined with her status as someone’s girlfriend and the mother of two kids, have gotten around the club scene. She has actually avoided drugs for two years, which makes her much harder to bang on the side of bed mantle,” I told her.

“That might explain the brain damage. She has spent too many nights banging a guy while banging her head against a bed frame and a wall,” Jody snapped.

“I imagine,” I told her.

“She is a gun ready to go off. She was just lining up the bullets and preparing to pull the trigger.

There was no way she could go two years without wanting to get back in the game,” Jody said.

“I think it was just a weekend gang-bang while Adam was away on a business trip. Last I heard, he is no longer assistant manager at Joey’s Only Seafood. He is now staff trainer and recruiter. They had a team of trainers in Vancouver that he had to meet with over the weekend. He was gone for three days, so she was gearing up for the weekend,” I told her. “They planned to come up in a white van from Regina for this encounter with her. I think there were three or four of them.”

“Did she start hanging out with a new group?” Jody asked.

“Christine,” I said.

“That’s what happens when you hang with girls like Christine. They go absolutely mad and run around with a knife. What’s up with the welfare clothing program?” Jody asked.

“Christine got bags of clothes, mostly baby stuff. She gave them away or sold them. I went to her apartment and refused to return and I wouldn’t buy any of it. I wonder if she stole them,” I told her. “She had been calling Michelle and issuing death threats to her. She claimed this story, along with so-called claims of Christine stabbing her with a knife, but there is no knife wound. I think Nymphet was exaggerating about the knife.”

“Well, if there is no knife wound, it doesn’t matter. They are both crazy and deserve one another. She picks great friends to hang with. Leave her to the gang bangers,” Jody said.

I never spoke to Nymphet again. I have seen her around, with her boobs hanging out and crack cocaine burns and pock marks on her once-pretty face. She went through people’s garbage cans and flaunted her tanned body before cars near the old people’s mall, in the central area. She leaned into the cars and solicited them for sex. She wore high-heeled sandals, an ugly tight purple spandex top with denim cut-offs, and another time, one of those full-body short sets.

In response to the email, she accused my roommate of going after her guy and blocked her, though his picture is nowhere to be found on the blog. There used to be pictures of her online, but they recently disappeared. She has always photographed well, like the model she once wanted to be. They were up again more recently, and as graphic as usual. Underwear is not a favored piece of clothing in her wardrobe.

Work, as well, has never been an interest of hers. Work got in the way of partying, drugs and sexual interludes with many different men. She worked at a fast food restaurant for a year, picked pine cones on a farm, and stuffed alfalfa sprouts into bags at a small food-processing factory.

She was fired from the fast food restaurant and the alfalfa sprout place, so she entered into the education assistant program and did volunteer work with disabled kids and as a candy-stripper and orderly at the hospital. She straightened up at times, when she wasn’t on the streets, in some guy’s bed, scoring at a nightclub, or sleeping on the beach while living in parks and on the streets. Such are the effects of uncontrolled addiction and severe manic-depression.

Commitment

History of Ancient Roman Glass

Comments Off 22 November 2011

The term “Roman glass” is a very broad, general term, and refers to a specific age under Roman rule as opposed to a specific area. The Roman Empire was so vast that there were many different styles coexisting within its realm, even though a unifying “Roman” theme can be recognized throughout the pieces.

In the 1st century BC, glassblowing was invented in Syria. In the same period, the Roman Empire was founded, and through its conquests and trade it subsequently spread a unique culture.

Alexandria and Syria exported their glassware to Rome, from which the works were then brought to Roman colonies in Europe. Thus, Rome was critical in spreading the art of glassmaking to Europe.

In 1st century AD, large scale glass manufacturing occurred in Syria, Palestine, and Alexandria. One Syrian glassmaker called Ennion even left his name on his glassware. Generally, Syrian glassmakers often produced utilitarian glassware, while Alexandrian glassmakers focused on luxury objects. Many also moved to Italy and other Roman colonies, and glass houses spread quickly through Europe. Soon, Cologne would be a glassmaking center as important as Alexandria. The styles of these different locations were very similar to each other.

Like this, the Roman period started an unprecedented flourishing in the glass industry, during which even the common people began to have access to glassware. Some household glass types that were commonly used were janus flasks, which displayed the head of persons on a flask, and victory cups, with laurels and inscriptions for decoration. Mirrors and windows were also produced using glass.

Artistic glass also continued to be produced. For example, cage cups, which were bowls or cups with rounded sides, were created. These cups had pierced decorations attached by struts. This decoration was not fused to the surface; instead, the entire object was created out of a solid block of glass by under-cutting. Because the process is so complex, surviving pieces are very rare and it is difficult to reproduce even today.

After the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, the glass industry also suffered a dramatic decline. With arts and crafts, there is a general tendency to follow the up and downs of politics. This tendency is even more marked in more expensive types of art. Thus, while utilitarian glassware still produced, artistic glassware naturally lacked demand as political and economic circumstances were unstable and people could not afford to buy luxury.