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Valentine’s Day: spontaneity and surprise versus tradition
Jan 7th
Valentine’s Day has lost its spontaneity.
Where are the surprise proposals; the romantic getaway weekends; the spa treatment packages for two?
Lately it seems this historic day of celebrating love and commitment is presented in a heart-shaped tiffany jewelry box of chocolates and a bright pink teddy bear that shouts ‘I love you!’ with the press of his paw. Nothing tugs at a woman’s heart strings more than that.
Besides the fact that the chocolate doesn’t fit into our newest diet plans and the teddy bear is shoved in the back of the closest with last year’s, we seem to have left our effort and thought at the Valentine’s Day aisle.
Although the holiday may have started with traditional “cheesy” gifts in early childhood, now is the time, especially with our down-turned economy, to utilize the power of creativity to take the unconventional leap into personalization.
It’s understandable that a gift doesn’t make or break a marriage, but the spontaneity in itself brings our fast-paced lives to a halt and reminds us what it means to love and be loved.
While creativity varies by person and expectations vary by relationship, start by thinking of what your partner appreciates the most; listen for clues about a book she’s been eyeing or a DVD he’s been wanting to see.
A home-cooked meal might be all they’ve been craving, and having the night off with their sweetheart is silver earrings the perfect combination, topping it off with a shared dessert.
For the men, make a gift basket of lotions, candles, massage oils and a new pair of pajamas for your sweetheart. Maybe include that book she’s been wanting? Nothing says ‘I love you’ like the opportunity of a relaxing evening.
And for the women, present him with a few additions to his collectibles collection over that home-cooked meal and then indulge in his favorite dessert fire-side.
Since 2009 brings Valentine’s Day on a Saturday, it might even be possible to take a day trip to the beach in Monterey with a picnic lunch in tow; the seaside venue can be a much-needed escape.
For those interested in “going big” for the holiday, spend the evening in San Francisco checking out clubs and restaurants that otherwise might not have been on your itinerary.
Or stay local. Los Banos has a wide variety of restaurants that cater to the style of food your spouse might be silver key rings interested in. Los Banos’ downtown scene on Sixth Street also has a plethura of specilty shops to help in creating the perfect gift; such as, Pearson’s Jewelers, Simply Unique Flower Shop, Pereira Jewelers, The Peppermill and Los Banos Flower Shop.
But what’s more than the gift is the experience. Spending the time alone, relaxing and enjoying each other’s company is a great way to show love and affection for each other.
Valentine’s Day is about the experience you only talk about or the night off that doesn’t fit into your schedule any other day. Take advantage of the weekend holiday, get creative and make your event unforgettable.
Eastgate outlasts Demidov to capture his 1st bracelet
Dec 14th
Tournament director Jack Effel, who uses his mike to acknowledge celebrity tiffany jewelry players in the crowd at the World Series of Poker, gave a big shout out of another sort Monday.
“Let’s hear it for the money!” said Effel, drawing a roar from fans who had seen a mountain of cash piled high on a table.
Peter Eastgate, a 22-year-old from Denmark who became the youngest player to win the WSOP’s Texas Hold ‘Em Main Event early Tuesday, earned first-place money of $9.15million after beating Ivan Demidov in the longest final in WSOP history.
The two-day final table play took 274 hands and 15 hours, 28 minutes, surpassing the previous long of 14 hours, 10 minutes in 2005.
Despite the endurance, this was not a winner-take-all tournament. Of the 6,844 players who entered, 666 finished in the money. That ran from Eastgate down to finishers 617-666, who made $21,230 for the price of their $10,000 entry fees.
All nine finalists already had been paid $900,670 for at least ninth place. So Kelly Kim, 31, silver earrings of Whittier, Calif., who started the final table with the lowest chip count, was keenly aware what it meant when he finished eighth instead of ninth.
“About 380 (thousand dollars),” Kim said.
Make that an additional $387,547 that Kim got for winning eighth-place money of $1,288,217.
Not that the ninth-place money was chump change for Craig Marquis, 23, of Arlington, Texas, who dropped out of college to pursue professional poker.
“I’ll probably be playing poker for a few years. I have enough money now where I don’t have to sweat the small stuff,” he said.
For second, Demidov, 27, of Moscow, won $5.8million, which is a whole lot more than the $560,000 total that Doyle Brunson got for winning back-to-back Main Events in 1976-77.
Demidov acknowledged he will share most of his winnings with a Russian financial supporter who silver key rings helped him get here.
“I have a backer that pays for me, and, yeah, I’m going to share the monies with him, with him getting more than me,” Demidov said. “Without him, I wouldn’t be able to even come and play here.”
Such deals are not uncommon in poker. Last year, Englishman Jon Kalmar placed fifth and won about $1.26 million. He said he would share his winnings with British pros, who backed him financially.
Eastgate, who won his first WSOP bracelet, said he paid the $10,000 entry fee. Did he receive any backing that might entail sharing his $9.15million?
“That’s confidential,” Eastgate said.
There are other ways in which winnings are shared in poker. Away from high-profile tournaments, silver necklaces pros and amateurs play cash games among themselves.
When poker pro Erick Lindgren received his player of the year award for his overall performance in the 55-event World Series, he passed along a message to Eastgate and Demidov.
“Brunson told me to tell them that there is a cash game when they’re done tonight,” Lindgren said.
Cocke crime ring participant may have to testify
Nov 13th
A second defendant arrested as part of the FBI-led “Tradin’ Paint” investigation against an alleged Cocke tiffany jewelry County organized crime ring has agreed to plead guilty, according to records from federal court in Greeneville.
Brian D. Askew, 38, of Newport has agreed to plead guilty to one count of mail fraud, which carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years plus a fine of up to $250,000, records show.
Askew was one of 23 people arrested this summer as part of a joint state-federal racketeering probe into the so-called “Hawk Organization,” a crew of alleged Cocke County car thieves and drug dealers with ties to corrupt local cops. Four of the defendants have been charged with racketeering while the rest have been charged with an assortment of related crimes.
In court records filed last week, Askew admitted to arranging to have one of the Hawk Organization’s silver earrings purported leaders — 33-year-old Grant Williams — “dispose of” his 2001 GMC Yukon last year so he could then collect the insurance money, according to his plea agreement.
Askew told police on Oct. 5, 2008, that his vehicle was stolen from the parking lot of Knoxville Center mall, but in fact Williams had already taken possession of the Yukon and “disassembled it for parts,” records show.
Askew later received a check for $11,908.25 to settle his claim with Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance Co., records show.
In his plea agreement, Askew also agreed to “cooperate completely and truthfully with any and all law enforcement agencies” and to testify in court, if needed.
Earlier this month, Williams’ longtime girlfriend accepted the terms of a plea bargain that could require silver key rings her to testify against her former beau, records show. Kimberly Dawn Atkins, 25, of Newport agreed to plead guilty to cocaine trafficking charges and admitted to conspiring to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine, which carries a 5- to 40-year prison term.
J.J. Stambaugh may be reached at 865-342-6307.
Design takes time, rings are expensive, but the memory lasts forever.
Nov 6th
Following Friday night’s win vs.buy tiffany Bloomington, Komets forward Brad MacMillan thought someone was pulling a practical joke by hiding the Turner Cup championship ring he had been awarded prior to the game. That meant someone was likely to get hurt — until MacMillan was told that assistant equipment manager Andy Desmond had locked up all the rings for safekeeping.
Hockey players are just like little boys on Christmas when it comes to receiving championship rings, and, no, they don’t like to share.
Too much sacrifice went into winning them in the first place.
Seeing that joy on the players’ faces when they get their silver pendants rings is part of the benefits of owning a team, Komets General Manager David Franke said. Designing the rings is time-consuming and buying them is expensive.
“That goes along with winning championships,” Franke said. “It is expensive when you win, but it’s fun to put the rings together and give them to the guys and watch their eyes light up and hear the thank-you’s after the game. It’s very satisfying that way. If you win a championship, you should have something you are very proud of to keep that memory alive for your whole life.”
This year the Komets are awarding 78 rings to players, coach Al Sims, team staff, office staff, management and others associated with the team. The players and team staff got their rings last week, but 25 will be produced for off-ice personnel. Franke declined to say how much money is involved. Peter Franklin Jewelers co-owner James Ball said production on the rings started after the Komets provided ideas for the design. Peter Franklin Jewelers also produced the Komets’ 2003 and 2008 championship silver earrings. Each ring is personalized with a player’s name and number.
“David had some great ideas coming into this,” said Ball, who is also a Komets season-ticket holder. “Players and other members of the staff always want a hint of what they are going to look like. Sometimes I’ll run into the players over the summer, and they always ask how they look.”
Franke wore all four of his Komets championship rings Friday night, including the one from 1993.
“Some guys will never get another chance to win a championship so they need to be special,” Franke said. “It’s nice to have silver key rings this and be proud of it down the road later in life.”