funny by accident. http://shanaray.posterous.com social media, tech, food and wine in a world that takes itself too seriously. posterous.com Mon, 28 Feb 2011 08:02:00 -0800 cats, bad photoshop & @jamesfranco = awesome. http://shanaray.posterous.com/cats-bad-photoshop-jamesfranco-awesome http://shanaray.posterous.com/cats-bad-photoshop-jamesfranco-awesome
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Love James Franco's Profile picture on Twitter!

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/560682/123460598.ITSTKDJy.IMG_0172copy.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1bet9cTN11D Shana Ray sharayray Shana Ray
Sat, 26 Feb 2011 09:12:00 -0800 google rolls out new search tool for recipes. http://shanaray.posterous.com/google-rolls-out-new-search-tool-for-recipes http://shanaray.posterous.com/google-rolls-out-new-search-tool-for-recipes
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Thumbs up for this roll out! Already hungry for some new ideas!

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/560682/123460598.ITSTKDJy.IMG_0172copy.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1bet9cTN11D Shana Ray sharayray Shana Ray
Wed, 23 Feb 2011 19:28:00 -0800 definition of shanachie. http://shanaray.posterous.com/definition-of-shanachie http://shanaray.posterous.com/definition-of-shanachie
shan·a·chie  (shn-k) also sen·na·chie (sn-)
n. Chiefly Scots
A skilled teller of tales or legends, especially Gaelic ones.

Anyone ever heard of this word? I haven't, but I think it describes me well.

Shanachie

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/560682/123460598.ITSTKDJy.IMG_0172copy.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1bet9cTN11D Shana Ray sharayray Shana Ray
Sun, 13 Feb 2011 20:03:00 -0800 top geeky fonts! http://shanaray.posterous.com/top-geeky-fonts http://shanaray.posterous.com/top-geeky-fonts

There are thousands of familiar fonts out there if you think about it. From beverages (everyone knows the Coca-Cola font) to rock bands (AC/DC, for instance), you can use a famous font for just about anything and people will instantly recognize where it’s from. This can be a lot of fun for geeks, especially if you have a project you want to customize, such as a blog entry about Lord of the Rings (Elvish script, anyone?) or a birthday invitation with a superhero theme. Listed below are 25 of the geekiest free fonts available for download.

  1. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    Topping the list is the Star Trek font from the original series. It made the number one spot because geeks love Star Trek. It’s a scientfic fact. But before you segue into a “Kirk vs Picard” debate, rest assured that there are many other Trek fonts where this came from— including alien languages. So for those of you who are brushing up on your Klingon or Cardassian, you are in luck.

  2. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    Star Wars fans are just as enthusiastic as Trekkies, so this font should interest a lot of geeks. The style is based on the classic 1977 logo from A New Hope that is still being used today on, well, everything. This is easily one of the most recognizable fonts in movie history and is recommended if you feel like traveling to a galaxy far, far away.

  3. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    Yes, the most successful sci-fi franchises have the word “star” in the title. Originally a major motion picture, Stargate then became Stargate SG-1, the longest running sci-fi series of all time. We’re not sure what the technical term is for the circle above the “A”, but it is a cool font, nonetheless.

  4. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    This is a no-frills typewriter font that geeks everywhere should recognize. Each episode of the X-Files used this font for the credits, as well as the Law & Order-esque subtitles that accompanied major scene changes.

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    Harry Potter has become a multimedia phenomenon, making creator J.K. Rowling the richest woman in England. Due to popular demand, this font was created to mimic the same used for both the books and the films. Fashioned to look whimsical, the “P” appears like a lightning bolt, similar to the scar on Harry Potter’s forehead.

  6. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    Like Stargate SG-1, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a wildly popular series based on a mediocre film. This font, the same used for the show’s opening title and official merchandise, looks like dripping blood. It serves as a great multi-purpose font, as it could be used for anything Halloween or horror-related.

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    You can’t have a Buffy font without the Angel font. Angel, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off series, respectably held its own for five seasons. This is the stylized font used in the opening title sequence of the show. It’s not as bold as the dripping blood on the Buffy font, but fans will definitely recognize it.

     

     

  8. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    For children of the 1980s, this film is still considered a favorite. In fact, its cult status has recently prompted director Richard Donner and producer Steven Spielberg to write a Broadway musical based on the movie. The Goonies’ title logo, particularly the skull above the “I”, is still recognized by people over twenty years after the film’s release.

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    Goth geeks will love this Crow font, based on the title logo from James O’Barr’s classic graphic novel. This is also the same font used in the Crow films, which never seem to quit returning from the dead (pun intended).

  10. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    Sliders was a low-budget science fiction series that flew under the radar for five years. It must have a strong cult following, however, because this font can be found all over the Net. This design is borrowed from the show’s opening and closing credits.

  11. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    Japan has made a great impact on American popular culture in recent years, thanks to a growing interest in anime and manga. However, before any of that was popular in America, we were enjoying heavy doses of Japanese monsters, or “kaiju“. This font comes from the original Godzilla (1958) film credits, making it the oldest of the geeky fonts on the list.

  12. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    If you think the Ghostbusters craze is over, then you clearly haven’t been to a sci-fi convention lately. There’s usually at least one guy walking around the place in a jumpsuit, with a homemade proton pack strapped to his back. This font is proof of the Ghostbusters’ enduring popularity, although it is only really recognizable when you use the “O”.

  13. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    Galaxy Quest was a hit comedy that accurately spoofed sci-fi culture, but it did so with affection and for that reason, many geeks love it. While it may not be universally familiar to people as the font from Galaxy Quest, this is an attractive and practical font to have available on your word processor.

  14. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    Matt Groening’s cartoon series Futurama is a geek favorite. In fact, the canceled series will be returning to television in 2008, largely due to public demand and high ratings that the show’s reruns consistently earn. There are several variations of the Futurama font, including the alien script used on the show.

  15. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    Comic book fans will immediately recognize this Fantastic Four font. No, this has nothing to do with the Jessica Alba films. This is old school, Silver Age Fantastic Four font.

  16. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    This Blade Runner font is from the title credits of the 1982 film. Nominated for two Academy Awards, this is one of the most well-respected sci-fi films of all time. There is still a huge following, particularly on the Net, which explains why there is a need for the creation of this typeface.

  17. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    Back to the Future was one of the greatest adventure films of the 1980s, even spawning two successful sequels. Make a “flux capacitor” reference in front of a geek and he/she will likely get it. Naturally, the fans demanded a downloadable version of this familiar, italicized font.

  18. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    Jim Henson’s Dark Crystal was a groundbreaking and imaginative film that many geeks fondly remember from childhood. The font from the film is impressive, even if you don’t immediately recognize it. A variation on standard calligraphy, this one-of-a-kind typeface would be a nice touch to many creative writing projects.

  19. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    Charmed was truly one of those shows that never seemed to end. Alas, it has finally been canceled, but many geeks pay tribute to the show by using this elaborate font. Fans will recognize the witchy design from the show’s opening credits. This one will also be useful for anything Halloween-related.

  20. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    This is a simple, bold font that may not seem branded, but any horror geek can tell you that it just screams, “Evil Dead”. While Sam Raimi may be making millions off his Spider-Man franchise, Evil Dead was the cult classic that got him where he is today.

  21. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    While there are plenty of fonts on this list to please horror and sci-fi geeks, we shouldn’t leave out the British comedy geeks. This classic design is similar to the font used in the second series of Blackadder, which is set during the Renaissance. As such, this font can be used for many projects, not just ones related to the comedy series.

  22. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    Alias was a popular action series that had enough intelligence to attract more discriminating viewers. With a strong geek fanbase, Alias’ famous title font has been beautifully translated into this downloadable typeface. This design is cutting edge and would work well on a project such as a rock band’s flyer. Concerning this font, here’s a tip: typing in the upper case will produce white lettering in a black box, while the lower case will produce black lettering in a white box.

  23. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    There is just no getting around it, Batman Forever was a terrible movie. However, this misguided film did produce a pretty cool font and, thanks to the power of merchandising, it is a recognizable font. This still won’t replace the two hours of your life spent watching Batman Forever, but it’s a start.

  24. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    This is just about the grooviest font ever designed. While this certainly isn’t practical for the office newsletter, you should be able to use this Austin Powers-inspired font for some fun projects.

  25. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


    While this typeface may not be very familiar when it isn’t spelling the word “alien”, sci-fi fans should be pleased with this subtle font. It is exactly like the font used in the original Alien trilogy, making it a popular design for over 25 years.

Yay!

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/560682/123460598.ITSTKDJy.IMG_0172copy.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1bet9cTN11D Shana Ray sharayray Shana Ray
Thu, 10 Feb 2011 20:21:00 -0800 random acts of awesome from @melodyt973. http://shanaray.posterous.com/random-acts-of-awesome-from-melodyt973 http://shanaray.posterous.com/random-acts-of-awesome-from-melodyt973

Love you too melody!

Photo

+Shana.

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Fri, 03 Dec 2010 16:49:00 -0800 how #followfriday is SUPPOSED to work. http://shanaray.posterous.com/how-followfriday-is-supposed-to-work http://shanaray.posterous.com/how-followfriday-is-supposed-to-work
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Ohhhh.. The Oatmeal once again makes me chuckle with their witty and informative comics. This one is RIGHT on the money in terms of that which is #FF.

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/560682/123460598.ITSTKDJy.IMG_0172copy.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1bet9cTN11D Shana Ray sharayray Shana Ray
Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:33:00 -0800 hey #sonoma friends - we are trending! http://shanaray.posterous.com/hey-sonoma-friends-we-are-trending http://shanaray.posterous.com/hey-sonoma-friends-we-are-trending

A first - Sonoma is a trending tweet in the San Francisco area! Seems like @California has some promotion at the Sonoma Lodge that they are promoting on Twitter and people are talking about William Sonoma. Not anything exciting, but still kinda cool! 

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/560682/123460598.ITSTKDJy.IMG_0172copy.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1bet9cTN11D Shana Ray sharayray Shana Ray
Tue, 23 Nov 2010 10:44:27 -0800 happy thanksgiving from @IronHorseVyds. http://shanaray.posterous.com/happy-thanksgiving-from-ironhorsevyds http://shanaray.posterous.com/happy-thanksgiving-from-ironhorsevyds
I received this from Joy Sterling when I got into work today. It reminded me to buy some Iron Horse bubbles before I head to my dad's house in Sacramento for Thanksgiving!

Thanks Joy! :) 

Its_the_law_-_2010

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/560682/123460598.ITSTKDJy.IMG_0172copy.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1bet9cTN11D Shana Ray sharayray Shana Ray
Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:19:00 -0700 your help with #wow10. http://shanaray.posterous.com/your-help-with-wow10 http://shanaray.posterous.com/your-help-with-wow10

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Hey everyone, I just wanted to remind you that the Wisdom of We 2010 Seminar & Tweetup is coming up this Friday!  We are putting together the final list for food at the Hilton Sonoma Wine Country, so I wanted to ask all my friends who said they were going to come, to buy tickets ASAP (for those who have planned events, you know what it's like...) so we can have a better count of who is coming! 

Also, there are a few updates to the event that I wanted to share with you all! 

 

1. Jeremiah Owyang, a web strategist, social media blogger and friend of Robert Scoble and Shel Israel will be moderating the seminar.  This means he will be keeping our speakers in check, but also answering questions that you all may have.   

 

2. Please let wine club members, friends or guests know that they have until Tuesday to book your room at the Hilton for a special price of $119.00 (plus taxes) online at http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/STSSCHF-WOW10-20100910/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG

 

3. Many wineries will be offering special deals just for attendees on Saturday, Sep 11th. Check out our blog for more details: http://wisdomofwe.com/.  

 

4. This is a networking event, so please spread the word about the event throughout your communities and ask people you haven't met before, as well as friends to join you!  Our hashtag on Twitter is #WOW10 & url to buy tickets is http://bit.ly/WOW10.

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at sray@democrasoft.com.  I look forward to seeing you all there!

+Shana. 


The details:

Date: Friday, September 10, 2010 from 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM (PT)

Location: 
Hilton Sonoma Wine Country
3555 Round Barn Boulevard
Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Price: $25 if you buy online. $40 cash/ $45 credit at the door.  We also have special deals if you want to come to JUST the seminar or JUST the tweetup.  Email sray@democrasoft.com for more info. 

Time:
MacMurray Ranch Tasting & Sign In - 5:00 - 5:30
WOW10 Seminar with Robert Scoble and Shel Israel - 5:30 - 7:00
WOW10 Winetasting Tweetup with the Wine Road - 7:00 - 9:00

 

For more information click here: Wisdom of We 2010 Seminar & Tweetup

 

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/560682/123460598.ITSTKDJy.IMG_0172copy.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1bet9cTN11D Shana Ray sharayray Shana Ray
Mon, 05 Jul 2010 20:38:00 -0700 picposterous = useless. http://shanaray.posterous.com/picposterous-useless http://shanaray.posterous.com/picposterous-useless

I just used this picture to test out my new Posterous app for the iphone 4.  Wow. I can upload a picture... Wait, I can do more by emailing my picture in...  I hope to see a better app coming soon!

 

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/560682/123460598.ITSTKDJy.IMG_0172copy.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1bet9cTN11D Shana Ray sharayray Shana Ray
Mon, 10 May 2010 19:08:00 -0700 #RRVSingleNight Contests! http://shanaray.posterous.com/rrvsinglenight-contests http://shanaray.posterous.com/rrvsinglenight-contests

Each week we will be holding two different social media contests for you to win tickets to our Single Night event on June 5th.  One on Twitter at @NextGenWine and one on Facebook.

Facebook:

Every Monday until the event we will be adding an image to the photo album, “Single Night Contest” and  we want you to share the image of the week with your Facebook friends and leave a comment about what you love most about the Russian River Valley. We will pick one of the commenter/sharers at random to win a ticket to Single Night in the Russian River Valley on June 5th at C. Donatiello Winery

Twitter:

Every Monday until the event we will be adding an image to Twitpic and we want you to leave a comment about what you love most about the Russian River Valley.  Make sure to leave it on the Twitpic image and add the hashtag #RRVSingleNight.  These are both mandatory for you to be eligible to win! We will pick one of the commenters at random to win a ticket to Single Night in the Russian River Valley on June 5th at C. Donatiello Winery


Click here to find out more info about the event.

Cheers!

One Facebook/Twitter Winner per week. Only one entry per person, per social network, per week.  Members of the Russian River Valley Winegrowers cannot be eligible to win.

I am getting more excited about this event by the day!  I hope you are too. :)


+Shana.

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/560682/123460598.ITSTKDJy.IMG_0172copy.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1bet9cTN11D Shana Ray sharayray Shana Ray
Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:27:00 -0700 yet another 3rd party twitter app. http://shanaray.posterous.com/yet-another-3rd-party-twitter-app http://shanaray.posterous.com/yet-another-3rd-party-twitter-app

twibbon.com is a site where anyone can create a cause worthy Twitter image overlay.  A great idea for people to show their support for an organization, or an awesome wine conference coming up.  So, Wine Blogger Conference attendees, please add this image to your Twitter profile by clicking on the widget (okay widget failed, please click on the link) below and adding your Twitter info!

http://twibbon.com/join/WBC09


My only problem with it is that it makes the image smaller, but even so, I see potential in organizing the masses behind one cause (i.e., LIVESTRONG)

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/560682/123460598.ITSTKDJy.IMG_0172copy.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1bet9cTN11D Shana Ray sharayray Shana Ray
Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:43:00 -0700 some goode controversy. http://shanaray.posterous.com/some-goode-controversy http://shanaray.posterous.com/some-goode-controversy

I just got done watching Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht's latest Diggnation video on the Murphy Goode Dream Job and the fact that the MG team decided to NOT place the top vote getter, Martin Sargent, into the top 50 finalists. 

As a wine snob, yes, I was totally insulted by the white zinfandel drinking in his video (update - the Boone's Farm Watermelon), but that was kinda the point.  He used his social media skills and humorous non-stuffy wino approach to get his friends and followers to vote for his video, thus proving his popularity and obvious need to learn more about wine.  Alex had a great point that even if MG didn't think that he was right for the job that they should have looked at what the "people" wanted and put him into the top 50 anyways.

"It is all about the power of people when you want to do anything."

Okay, so Martin didn't make it into the top 50.... Instead a seemingly wine-knowledgeable selection of people made it into the semi-finals and then an even further selection of social media "gurus" and people who already know about wine made it into the finals.  I am not here to debate their choices or what I think about the top 10 (yes, I do have some reservations about some of them, but thankfully I will get to meet all of them this weekend to really form my opinion on who I personally think would be best suited for the job -- because we all judge... Don't pretend you won't be either).

The thing is that it just shows that MG doesn't really "get" social media, thus, as Alex pointed out, they really need this correspondent to help them into the Web 2.0 world.  But not even acknowledging the top vote getter until the black-lash started, and then to almost insult people who really felt their votes mattered, is just so "anti" social media, that it almost bothers me.  Though, I am happy that in the beginning, MG stated that they didn't know anything about social media and that is why they started this job search in the first place. 

Now, what I think MG needs to do to smooth over all of this is to apologize.  By simply saying that they messed up, (IMHO) everything will go away and everyone can go back to concentrating on what really matters --- The top 10 candidates and how this job search has helped bring wine social media marketing to the minds of the "everyday" consumer and not just to the wine bloggers.

These are just some of my thoughts.  This will be a subject of debate during the next few weeks (especially during the Wine Blogging Conference), so I am curious to hear your thoughts....


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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/560682/123460598.ITSTKDJy.IMG_0172copy.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1bet9cTN11D Shana Ray sharayray Shana Ray
Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:13:00 -0700 live strong. http://shanaray.posterous.com/live-strong http://shanaray.posterous.com/live-strong

Hud-live

Wow.  Such a simple thing as a one click button to change my Twitter avatar has caused me to go back over nine years ago to when my friend Hudson lost his battle with Cancer.   It was just a year after he was supposed to walk across the stage with us at graduation (yes, my 10 year reunion is coming up in August) and he was my first true experience dealing with death.

Anyone who knows me, knows that my sarcasm is a bit over abundant (that is me putting it nicely) and his wit and sarcasm could beat me every time.  Below is an image that made it to our High School yearbook when we together won the title as biggest flirts, i.e., MOST LIKELY TO BE SUED FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT. :)

The Livestrong Organization has been a big part of Cause Marketing via social networking and they just started a campaign where Twitter members can overlay their avatars with one click on  http://livestrongaction.org/avatar.  What an amazingly simplistic and powerful symbol to show your support for those living with Cancer and bring the issue to the fore-front.  

Here's to the Livestrong team, Lance Armstrong, the 28 million living with Cancer and anyone that enjoys sarcasm!

*shana.

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/560682/123460598.ITSTKDJy.IMG_0172copy.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1bet9cTN11D Shana Ray sharayray Shana Ray
Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:46:00 -0700 wineries are finally getting the hint http://shanaray.posterous.com/wineries-are-finally-getting-the-hint http://shanaray.posterous.com/wineries-are-finally-getting-the-hint
That they need a dedicated social media director (or whatever nifty new title you want to call it) to help out with making sure social media is an overall part of the winery's culture. Congrats to St. Supery for leading the way by hiring bacon loving Rick Bakas as their social media rockstar... I look forward to seeing more wineries follow in their delicious footsteps (and by delicious I mean their Sauvignon Blanc not the bacon).


 

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/560682/123460598.ITSTKDJy.IMG_0172copy.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1bet9cTN11D Shana Ray sharayray Shana Ray
Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:08:00 -0700 my new job, courtesy of @winetwo http://shanaray.posterous.com/my-new-job-courtesy-of-winetwo http://shanaray.posterous.com/my-new-job-courtesy-of-winetwo

I am now helping out with Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey's online presence.  You may be thinking, "What? When did Shana get into politics?"  I can tell you it was a very welcomed shock to me as well and if you want to hear more, please visit here to read all about what I have been up to over the last few months and why I have been so secretive!

p.s.  This wouldn't all be possible without meeting Amy, the daughter to the Congresswoman at the Wine 2.0 event in SF a few months ago!  Thank you to Cornelius Geary and Smoke Wallin for hosting such a great event... You never know who you will meet while wine tasting!

 

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/560682/123460598.ITSTKDJy.IMG_0172copy.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1bet9cTN11D Shana Ray sharayray Shana Ray