Lab Fever: Living, Loving and Laughing With America's #1 Pet

Book Description

Owning a Labrador retriever is a true joy; here is a trusted and loyal companion with a winning personality. Athletic and graceful, it will retrieve a frisbee in the backyard or a downed goose in the autumn marshes. But owning a Lab also has a certain, characteristic downside as well: they love to steal your favorite chair (and shed on it too); have bad breath and other less than perfect grooming habits; and still receive more love and attention than you do. Through Bruce Cochran's cartoons, lab owners and all dog lovers are sure to relate to and laugh at the quirky antics of the lovable lab.

Customer Reviews:

Laugh Out Loud Funny!.......2005-08-23

Do you own a Lab, or know someone that does? If so than you have to read this little book! The little cartoons Bruce Cockran comes up with for lab behavior are so typical that it it is just plain funny. From shedding to stealing your spot on the couch, there is a cartoon for every Labrador trait!

This book is the perfect gift for a Lab owner, it will bring a laugh to anyone who has one of these funny dogs!

Lab Fever is Fantastic!!.......2005-07-23

How did Mr. Cochran know my lab? This book is PERFECT for any dog lover, but especially lab lovers. I highly recommend it as a gift to someone or for yourself. I'll treasure my copy forever, just as I do my labs!

Another awesome book!.......2002-01-17

Mr. Cochran has another hit to his credit. I'm definately going to get ALL of his books. He really gets into the mind of labs and their owners with this one. I'm on labs #13 and #14 now, and they're as memorable as my first. I've bought several of these for friends, and they've loved them too. Bravo Cochran!

Lab Lovers.......2001-01-11

If you have a lab, you will love this little book. It made me laugh, totally the typical traits of lovable, wonderful labs.

Book Description

For Romans, bathing was a social event. Public baths, in fact, were one of the few places where large numbers of Romans gathered daily in an informal context. They went to meet friends, drink wine, pick up sexual partners, and generally while away the idle afternoon hours. Despite the disapproval of the morally superior, the popularity of the baths endured for over a millennium and spread to every corner of the Roman world.

This book is the first to study the Roman public bathing experience primarily as a historical, social, and cultural phenomenon rather than a technological or architectural one. As a result, many issues are developed here that have to date been addressed only superficially. Fagan reconstructs what a trip to a Roman bath was like. He asks when and why the baths became popular at Rome, who built and maintained the abundant bathing establishments, and what sociological function the baths played in the Roman empire's rigidly hierarchical social order.

To throw light on these everyday topics the author deploys a wide variety of evidence, including literary allusions; the remains of the baths themselves, graffiti scribbled on bathroom walls; and, above all, formal inscriptions that throw light on the ubiquitous bathing culture.

In the course of this study Fagan challenges some widely held beliefs about baths, ranging from such broad notions of baths as palaces of public hygiene or places where the social identity of the bathers broke down, to more mundane matters such as the habitual donning of bathing costumes.

This volume will be of great interest for those studying luxury and public ostentation, municipal life, and the meaning of Roman leisure. Comparative evidence from other bathing cultures will also interest social anthropologists and historical sociologists.

Garret Fagan is Assistant Professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Pennsylvania State University.

Customer Reviews:

Great source of information on roman baths.......2007-03-16

Provided valuable information for research on communal bathing in ancient Rome.

Not For Me.......2002-04-16

I took a chance with this book because of a positive review I heard about it on CSPAN. The title of the book fairly accurately describes the substance of the book, the cultural significance of the baths in the Roman society. The book is full of very interesting facts about the actual buildings themselves, the customs involved in the process, the people you would encounter and more. The author does a good job of writing the book, she keeps out of the "I'm a professor and you are not" type of writing where you feel about a foot tall after the first chapter. She tells a story in a way that the general reader can follow along. With all that said, I still did not overly enjoy this book and the reason for that is really that I am only marginally interested in the Roman world. I tried to force a book on myself because the reviews were good. If you are interested in the Roman world I am sure you will enjoy this book, if you are like me and this is a passing phase then you may be suited with something else.

FASCINATING STUDY!.......2001-10-06

Half of this 437-page book is dedicated to bibliography, epigraphic samples and the like; what remains is not only educational, but highly entertaining. All aspects of ancient roman bathing are covered with great panache and the bawdy commentary of the bathers themselves (particularly Martial) will elicit surprise and laughter.

Men and women often bathed together. They came to socialize, to ogle and comment on various body parts, and to solicit sexual favors while partaking of erotic frescoes and lewd graffiti. They snacked on odd combinations like fish, eggs, and lettuce, sometimes drank until wildly inebriated, and often pandered shamelessly for dinner invitations.

Thievery was a common complaint so many paid to have their clothing guarded. Ironically, bathing was unsanitary; the customers lathered liberally with oil and then scraped off the resulting mess with metal instruments called strigils. Some of the baths used water recycled from the "public troughs". Those who entered the baths with a slight open wound might subsequently develop grangrene! In addition smoke from the heating furnaces could seep into the rooms spoiling the gaiety of the occupants.

It's all here-everything you want to know about the ancient bathing experience including 24 pages of b&w photos and bath plans. Breeze through the 220 or so pages of readable text and then scan the footnotes for other enlightening tidbits. Great stuff, but steer clear of this book if you do not enjoy a highly-detailed, scholarly presentation.

Fascinating and scholarly.......2000-06-22

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It's full of anecdotes from people of the time (particularly memorable was the complaint about how noisy the baths were from the calls of the sausage vendor to the man in love with his own singing voice...) as well as archaelogical finds.

It *is* a scholarly book. I expected it to be full of footnotes and appendices -- and it is. But I found the text engaging and the facts fascinating -- and the subject thoroughly covered. I come away from the book with a clear idea of the who the bathers were, how they bathed, what else they did in the baths and the importance of bathing in their society. Other books I;ve looked at on this subject focus mainly on architecture and aquaducts, but this book answers the questions about ancient baths that I'm interested in -- the people-related questions, and does so with intelligence and a dose of dry humor.

Could Have Used A Good (Editor's) Scrubbing !.......1999-12-21

This book makes me remember why I chose not to go to graduate school! Every page is filled to the brim with footnotes and the appendixes, index and bibliography, etc. are as long as the book is itself! The author hems and haws so much and is so hesitant to commit himself to a definitive statement that I wanted to grab him by his lapels and give him a good shaking! The middle section of this already brief book (220 pages of actual reading material....but don't forget those footnotes that sometimes take up 1/2 a page) is mind numbingly boring and almost enough to totally ruin the book. This section deals with who actually decided to build or repair the baths and is full of statistics that I'm sure make Mr. Fagan's colleagues happy but will not endear him to the public. You might be asking yourself at this point, "So why is this vituperative joker giving this book 3 stars?". Good question! The answer is because the first and last thirds of the book are quite interesting and well-written! You learn who went to the baths and why. You get a lot of fascinating material concerning the social aspects of bathing. Some people would go to the baths and spend all of their time trying to wangle a dinner invitation out of somebody. Vendors would set up stalls outside of the baths selling light snacks to the bathers. Some people would go the baths looking for sex or just hoping to get a good look at some nude men or women. People would bathe because they thought it was good for their health, but when Mr. Fagan explains that in some baths the sick could bathe with the healthy and that people would commonly oil themselves up and then scrape off dirt and oil into the communal bathwater, you wonder just how healthy the whole thing could have been! So, overall I found this book worth reading although next time around I hope a good editor gets ahold of Mr. Fagan.

Baths and Bathing in Classical Antiquity (Architectural History Foundation Book)

Average customer rating:

This book brings ancient Roman baths to life.

Baths and Bathing in Classical Antiquity (Architectural History Foundation Book)
Fikret Yegül
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Textile & Costume | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Beauty & Fashion | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Rome | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Medieval | World | History | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

Accessories:

philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 0262240351

Book Description

Bathing in antiquity elevates a prosaic function to the level of a civic institution for which there is no counterpart in contemporary culture. Enriched by over 500 illustrations, many of them by the author, Baths and Bathing in Classical Antiquity is an important sourcebook for this ancient institution. Through hundreds of examples, it reviews and analyzes the structure, function, and design of baths, seeking to integrate their architecture with the wider social and cultural custom of bathing, and examining in particular the changes this custom underwent in Late Antiquity and in Byzantine and Islamic cultures.

Yegul explores the complexities of ancient bathing from several points of view. Sociologically, the baths with their vast appeal for all levels of society - were seen as the epitome of democratic ideals and institutions. Politically, they provided the perfect vehicle of propaganda: their lavish and magnificent interiors reflected the might and prosperity of the Roman empire and the apparent generosity of the emperor himself.

Architecturally, baths are at the vanguard in the development of Roman building technology. Some of the earliest uses of concrete as a building material and the most innovative applications of the aesthetics of concrete - bold, curvilinear forms, vaults, and domes involved bath buildings. Because of their status as transition between purely utilitarian structures and the more conservative, traditional forms of public and religious architecture, the baths helped to propagate and make acceptable new ideas and new styles in architecture.

Fikret K. Yegul is a practicing architect, Professor of the History of Architecture, and Chair of the Art History Department at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Customer Reviews:

This book brings ancient Roman baths to life........1998-03-03

Fikret Yegul makes the assertion that baths and bathing in the ancient Roman world were an integral part of daily life for a multitude of reasons: social activity, hygenic and intellectual. It was not uncommon for baths to contain reading rooms, lecture rooms and libraries. The baths helped to unite the Roman world in a unique fashion. These structures were adaptable to various cultural settings and tastes. Consequently the habit spread from one end of the Roman world to the next. In the west there was remarkable experimentation with design, shapes and planning. This book makes the Roman day make sense and sheds new light on the intellectual leanings of the Romans.

Bene lava a Roman would say while scurrying off to the bath. Fikret informs us that a Roman would refresh not only their body with waters of different temperatures, steam rooms and massage rooms but also their mind. Bathe a Roman would do at least once a day. At the bath an ordinary Roman would experience a variety of opportunities: a dip in a cold pool, immersion in a tepid pool or in a hot pool or even spend time in a steam room. All the while there were opportunities to watch roving jugglers, short skits or poetry readings in a lecture hall. Roving vendors for food and bath supplies wandered about. There were parks and libraries in the large baths. Plenty of room and places for peace and quiet to read, relax and discuss. There were exercise grounds for mild or strenuous exercise. Some teachers held class at the baths. Not only were the baths designed with places suitable for teaching but rooms such as that for the cold pool (frigidarium) had displays of famous sculpture. In the bath complex of Agrippa there were 300 plus statues throughout. Elaborate fountains sent water cascading over statuary and fine, rare marbles. The baths were not religious centers; these were open to all; a place to refresh, relax and restore the intellect and body: mens sana in corpore sano.

A temple complex required certain adherence to time honored rules of design. This was not so with the baths. Thus these became places for experimentation and creativity. Vaults and domes reigned supreme. It is as though some architects took paper in hand, grabbed a compass and began experimenting. Imagine a building as a very large rectangle divided up into several very large rooms. A roman architect would with compass and ruler in hand break up that building into pieces, make each room a dome or an octagonal room or a vaulted room of varying lengths, size and height. Then each of these new buildings he would rearrange into an intelligent and visually appealing pattern which would enhance the bathing experience. And accommodate more efficiently larger numbers of people than the original large rectangular building.

Fikret discusses with clarity all of these issues. He also covers attitudes toward baths, bathing morality and a wide range of issues.

Average customer rating:

Bathing in Public in the Roman World.
Garrett G. Fagan
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000M4UY6Y

Book Description

As an agent of Mithril, Sosuke Sagara has seen more than his share of the battlefield, but now he will have to face the most formidable enemy of all - the workplace! From restaurants to video rental shops, Sosuke throws himself headlong into the fray, but it's going to take some serious firepower to make it through this nine-to-five skirmish!

Book Description

Following the success of our previous retro, nostalgic Mini Kits™, this lighthearted kit sends up the classic tacky lawn ornament, scaled down to desktop size. A pair of mini flamingos with their own patch of lawn comes with a book celebrating America's beloved bauble of bad taste as a symbol of kitschy fun in the sun.

Customer Reviews:

Pink Flamingos Gift Set.......2007-01-09

Everyone was laughing when this gift was opened. It now sits proudly on the owners kitchen window. A neat little gift that brings a hint of nice weather all year round!

Customer Reviews:

An Excellent Horror Film Compendum.......2005-09-08

As a major horror fan, I can tell you that I've read a lot of essays and books on the genre. While there are many books that deal with specifics in horror films, vampires, serial killers, etc, "DARK PARADES" is the the first to discuss a unifying theory of all horror films: The Spectacle of Isolation. The book begins by drawing parallels between Avant-Garde Cinema and Horror movies, both on the opposite ends of commercial cinema. Avant-Garde representing "HIGH" culture while Horror represents "Low" culture. Later chapters in the book deal with specific directors oevres, specifically, the works of HITCHCOCK, RAIMI and CRONENBERG.

Highly recommended if you're a screenwriter, director, actor or whether you just love to watch Horror films.

Book Description

The Godfathers of Nu Metal are set for a triumphant return, with the imminent release of their brand new album. With over 5 million copies of their last record in circulation, these guys have certainly got a huge fanbase already and interest in Korn is sure to expand with their new release, making them the ultimate superstar heavy-metal icons. `Kreature Komforts` charts this magnificent journey and details the highs and lows of a band as they develop into world-class entertainers. Ideally suited to the average Korn fan's taste and budget, with equal parts intelligent text and full-colour photography throughout, the target market of 13-25-year-olds are certain to approve of the first full-length biography on this exceptional group.

Customer Reviews:

Kreature Komforts.......2003-05-14

This book gives you all the information on how the guys grew up and became Korn. It tells you about their success today. It also gives you a list of books, videos, audios, etc. that are all on Korn. You learn about Jonthan Davis's distrubing life and why he writes distrubing lyrics. If you are a fan of Korn then this book is for you. There are many book on Korn but "Kreature Komforts" is one of their best ever.

Book Description

Games should be a way for bringing more fun to your life. Too often, they bring anything but fun. The Well-Played Game is a guide for making games into experiences that bring joy and health to you and everyone you play with.

Customer Reviews:

An Underrated Classic.......2006-05-21

This is one of the most brilliant and overlooked books on games to-date. Drawing on practical experience "in the field", this self-made game designer/philosopher/educator/ethnographer does an in-depth analysis of the socio-psychological dynamics of (pre-digital) gameplay that is better than almost anything generated in the rapidly expanding academic field of Game Studies. For anyone interested in playing, studying, designing, or writing about games, this should be a perennial and oft-referenced bookshelf companion.

An Eloquent Celebration of Wisdom and Innocence.......2002-03-28

This is an updated version of a book DeKoven wrote many years ago (1978). Its title could also be "The Well-Lived Life." Those who have read his Connected Executives already know how much importance he gives to enjoyable as well as productive human activity. Throughout human history, playing all manner of games has been and continues to be one of the human race's defining characteristics. For whatever reasons, some people view "games" as being merely recreational while others view them as trivial. DeKoven takes "games" very seriously because he seems to believe, and I agree, that in our contemporary society, there is a great deal of pleasure but very little joy. Unabashedly, DeKoven celebrates the playing of games well for the joy it can provide. Those of us who have been associated with the Special Olympics can attest to the great importance of participation for its own sake, rather than for any awards to be won. There are no "losers" among the participants in Special Olympics. In the games which really matter, there never are.

In his Preface, DeKoven refers to a "unique and profound synthesis" whenever a game has been well-played. Having explored the meaning and implications of this synthesis, DeKoven concludes that having fun is much more important than winning. The greatest competitors (in athletics, politics, business, whatever) manifest the "synthesis" which informs and directs DeKoven's observations throughout the book. That is to say, an athlete such as Michael Jordan, a politician such as Theodore Roosevelt, and a business executive such as Jack Welch ultimately compete only with themselves. They are literally obsessed with playing the given "game" to the absolute limit of their capabilities. They hate to lose, of course, but what they hate even more is to lose because of insufficient preparation, concentration, and engagement. There can never be any joy for them in a less-than-best effort. The well-played game is a celebration of their potential fulfilled...whatever the final "score" may prove to be.

If I understand DeKoven correctly, his fundamental thesis in this book is that all "games" should be well-played within a framework of "rules" agreed upon by participants. Even in the absence of such agreement, each of us must still be guided by both passion and delight in the playing of them as well as we can. Such "games" range from marriage and parenthood to career and citizenship. What we must do, DeKoven seems to suggest, is to validate the playing of games for the fun of it, whatever the eventual result may be; also, in so doing, to affirm excellence of effort (both our own and others') and thereby extend and enrich a sense of shared community; finally, by playing each game well "we might be able to raise the stakes infinitely."

DeKoven encourages me to wonder: What if we called "Time Out!" on verbal and physical violence in all forms throughout the world? What if we agreed to have a global picnic to which everyone is invited? In addition to an abundance of delicious food, there would be lively music, hot air balloons, pony rides, and group activities which include all manner of games plus kite flying, square dancing, and a karaoke contest. (Only heads of state would be allowed to participate in mudwrestling competition.) And why not have everyone wear one of those Dr. Seuss hats? Of course, such a global picnic will never happen but wouldn't it be fun? If national armies and allied forces can fight well together, surely they and their opponents can also play well together. DeKoven has almost unlimited faith in what the human race can accomplish if the "games" played celebrate both competence and joy...and are played well.

Book Description

In the authors' random poll of 1,000 working people, 80 percent said that a single coworker contributed significant stress to their workday. Everyone has worked with someone "difficult" - someone who could always be trusted to blow up or say or do something provoking or inappropriate. Psychologists Alan Cavaiola and Neil Lavender have studied this much-discussed but rarely addressed area. Their research showed that the conventional wisdom that some problem workers are "just nuts" was right: a sizeable number of such employees do in fact have full-fledged personality disorders. In Toxic Coworkers, they pinpoint a variety of personality traits and disorders, showing how they come about and offering effective strategies for coping with them. The authors cover the range of familiar types, from hyperactives, histrionics, and sociopaths to narcissists and obsessive-compulsives and provide concrete techniques for surviving them.

Customer Reviews:

Toxic Coworkers: How to Deal with Dysfunctional People on the Job.......2007-08-23

This book has really helped by putting a title to the different people I work with and for and where my frustration comes from. Also it has assisted me in dealing with the different disfunctions of personalities of the people with whom I spend most of my days with. I would recommend this book.

Dealing with dysfunctional workers.......2007-08-05

This is an interesting little book. It identifies some basic personality disorders and then speculates on how one might deal with such folks to limit the damage that they might do.

What is a personality disorder? The authors note that (page 4) "Personality disorders are long-standing disturbances in personality that usually begin in late adolescence and continue until adulthood." If the case is not too bad, such workers can be productive; if the disorder is pronounced, then real problems can occur in the workplace.

The disorders include the following: paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal, antisocial, narcissistic, histrionic, borderline, obsessive compulsive, avoidant, dependent, and passive aggressive.

For each, the disorder is described and examples provided. There is also discussion of how one might deal with either superiors or coworkers or subordinates who have one or another of the disorders. Some suggestions appear useful, others seem a little weak.

All in all, an interesting volume to read. See if you can identify any disorders in your workplace!

Is one person making you feel crazy?.......2007-03-30

As a physician, I have many patients come to me with physical or emotional symptoms of anxiety. If I discover that these symptoms are connected not throughout their experience but with just one person, say a boss, loved one or co-worker, I often recommend this book. This book brings personality disorders to the lay person. It is very readable and give specific techniques that with make things work smoothly with this person and examples of what will make things more difficult. This is a great read for anyone. I think we will all recognize people in our lives in each of the personality disorders. You will recognize your difficult person in one or more of the personality disorders. This book make you feel instantly sane because you can see that it's not you, that the difficult person can be acurately described by someone who doesn't even know you. An excellent book!

More of a reference book, but a very good reference book!.......2007-01-14

Not the type of book to sit down and just read. In my opinion, it is more of a reference book. Extremely long descriptions of each disorder, which is good in some ways... but the book tends to repeat the same characteristics in various situations... for example: Working with the Narcissistic Administrator, The Narcissistic Coworker and The Narcissistic Subordinate all define the same characteristics... just from different perspectives.

What the authors accomplish is to clearly spell out what you can expect in the workplace from each type of disorder, which is why I bought the book to begin with!

exactly as advertised. Quick shipping........2006-11-04

This is a book I won't go without in the future. Changing jobs with this book should be much easier, as the book helps you understand how to work with dysfunctional people on the job. If you have serious problems with people on the job, this is the book for you.

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