Mar a bhitheas vyth go bragh

Writer's Block: Role model

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:20:49 GMT

Is there any character from a novel or film that serves as a role model to you? What kind of advice do you think she or he would give you regarding any major issues you're facing right now?

Submitted By masakali

View 681 Answers

I have a couple. In middle school, I loved the main character of Jean Auel's Earth's Children series (which started with The Clan of the Cave Bear), Ayla. She was beautiful, extraordinarily competent and intuitive. She spurred me to try to learn a little bit of everything so I would never be at a loss.

Once I got older, I discovered Aeron Aoibhell from Patricia Kennealy-Morrison's science-fiction/fantasy hybrid series The Keltiad. The Ard-rian ("High Queen") of an interstellar empire, a Ban-draoi Domina ("Lady Woman Druid", a leader of that order) and a Fian warrior, she reminds me that strength comes from within, and passion must be guided by forethought, not simply gut reactions. I have a Spanish temper- she has an Irish temper-and she reminds me to take a deep breath and act from a position of strength instead of just anger.

I try to use their example in my every day life because I find it makes my life easier to gather knowledge and act from that instead of flying melodramatically off the handle. I admit it's easier said than done.

Intelligence and religion

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:16:02 GMT

Mesdames et messieurs, this all started with a horribly insulting poll on Facebook about whether atheists are smarter than Christians. I got on my soap box on a friend's page and mentioned that one thing I can't stand are those who stand and presume they are more intelligent than others based on their faith (or lack thereof). I got this response, emphasis mine:

Lisa Prior: stephaniie...I was joking with Dave..everyone has a choice in life...and there are dummies in each view...though scientifically the more intelligent you are the less likely to believe in organized religion. This is a simple fact. one I have seen over the years of my life. No one faith is better than another or smarter but there seems to be more agnostics and atheists who are highly intelligent or geniuses. They tend to have less belief in things they cant measure or define. So the best we can do is keep an open mind and a sense of humor! [sic]

I don't know this chick. I wouldn't know her if I fell on her. But the sheer willfull ignorance of this statement from a professed Wiccan just got under my skin. Historically, sweetheart, you're wrong. The most educated people were Muslim or Christian; the only way to guarantee a well-rounded education was to go to a religious university. Even now, some of the most highly educated people work with and for the Vatican. If you want to practice revisionism, please do it to someone who has swallowed the Kool-Aid.
That's why I'm the more general Pagan and not something like Wiccan. Wicca started with Gerald Gardiner in the 1950s with a claim that he had the truth regarding the practices of Pre-Christian Europe... and for years they've bought it. Now, I will play Devil's Advocate on my own argument and say that since most of the Pre-Christian European civilizations didn't have a written language, we have no way of knowing one way or the other. But, even source materials like Caesar's The Gallic Wars are suspect because he wasn't an historian. Even the historians of the time felt no compunction to keep their work accurate, especially if they had a political axe to grind! Since faith tends to be handed down in an oral tradition, things get mixed up either in translation or because humanity has imperfect memories!
And don't even get me started on how much we as a global civilization lost during the Dark Ages.

In my experience, Pagans are just as bad as Christians when it comes to historical revisionism. Some so-called historians try to tell people that 200,000 died as a direct result of anti-witchcraft hysteria, ignoring the fact that the Inquisitions focused on more than just butchering witches and burying their knowledge. And Pagans were just as bad in persecuting Christians- it's all the Bible, folks. That's the reason they celebrate Christmas in the winter; if your neighbor thinks you're celebrating with him, he's less likely to murder you.

Long rant short, from what I can tell in my experience (which I can almost guarantee is greater than Lisa's), there is no correlation between intelligence and faith. Faith cannot be quantified and you'll find as many ass-backward Pagans as you will Christians.

Dumbledore

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:38:15 GMT

Thank You.

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:08:02 GMT

Fiddler's Green
Halfway down the trail to Hell,
In a shady meadow green
Are the Souls of all dead troopers camped,
Near a good old-time canteen.
And this eternal resting place
Is known as Fiddlers' Green.

Marching past, straight through to Hell
The Infantry are seen.
Accompanied by the Engineers,
Artillery and Marines,
For none but the shades of Cavalrymen
Dismount at Fiddlers' Green.

Though some go curving down the trail
To seek a warmer scene.
No trooper ever gets to Hell
Ere he's emptied his canteen.
And so rides back to drink again
With friends at Fiddlers' Green.

And so when man and horse go down
Beneath a saber keen,
Or in a roaring charge of fierce melee
You stop a bullet clean,
And the hostiles come to get your scalp,
Just empty your canteen,
And put your pistol to your head
And go to Fiddlers' Green.

From Wikipedia:"The story of Fiddler's Green was published anonymously in a 1923 U.S. Cavalry Manual, and is still used by modern cavalry and artillery units to memorialize the deceased. The name has had other military uses. Fiddler’s Green was an artillery Fire Support Base in Military Region III in Vietnam in 1972 occupied principally by elements of 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry, and also was the name of the U.S. Navy's enlisted mens club in Sasebo, Japan from 1952 to 1976. The informal bar at the Fort Sill Officers' Open Mess used to be known as Fiddler's Green and it is the name of the stable and pasture used by Parsons Mounted Cavalry, a cadet group at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, and that of the bar at the Leaders Club in Fort Knox, Kentucky."

And as a personal aside, my father, COL (Ret.) Michael Heredia, served with the 2nd Squadron, 11th ACR in Bad Kissingen, Fulda and Wildflecken, Germany.

Allons!

Halloween Pictures

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:48:52 GMT

Remember, kids! You can click on the pictures to make them bigger.

Lisi dressed up as her steampunk pirate character. I didn't think to ask for the name but she made most of her costume.

James and Lisi as their steampunk characters

Zach as Dr. Frankenstein, not "Frahken-schteen."

I dressed up as a Siren, an Atlantean assassin. This is not Amyri (the version I created for NERO) but Adonna, closer to my original idea.
On a completely girly note, I got the leinne from Ebay and the boots from the Halloween store. You can't see it in this picture, but I'm wearing black wings: in the original story idea, assassins had black raven wings.

This is the close-up of my rank insignia. As the youngest assassin (and one of four), I have only the stylized swan and a single barely adorned swirl.

Essay for vaccination

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:47:12 GMT

While I don't have children, I feel very strongly that all children must be vaccinated, especially now that the courts have proven the link between autism and vaccines specious.

I found this essay on Slate presenting a perfect reason why people should: it's not just about you.

Guess what?

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:33:13 GMT

A. Chicken butt.

B. It's my BIRTHDAY!

It's a trick question because both apply and, as you can tell, I'm 29! YAY for me!

Since I scheduled my wedding so close to my birthday, I didn't ask for birthday presents but I made an aside comment to my mother about it- this time NOT hinting at anything- so she and Bruce turned the rehearsal dinner into a birthday celebration. I got two things appropriate to my chronological age: a tanktop from the Pyramid Collection warning the world that I feel a sin coming on and a Celtic Woman CD. The rest: a Tinkerbell bed canopy, a peeg figurine from G-Force, Tinkerbell body glitter and cash. My sister felt so badly about not being able to come because no one knew about Gordon's leave (Gordon came home from Afghanistan very early this morning) that she bought me perfume from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab AND sent something for the wedding.

I have no idea if Bruce and I will do anything tonight to celebrate. I have my hopes (come on, sushi!) but we'll see.

Everyone together now: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STEPHANIE!

Song assistance, if you please

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:16:13 GMT

Okay. I need help thinking of ocean-themed songs appropriate to play before the wedding. I would prefer something in a New Age, jazz or pop genre (heavy metal would NOT be appreciated by the guests, even if I would find it really funny...) that talks about the sea.

What I have so far:
Beyond the Sea- Bobby Darin
Orinoco Flow- Enya
Lucky- Jason Mraz with Colbie Caillet
Biloxi- Jimmy Buffett

Suggestions?

How can I keep from singing?

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:14:47 GMT

I mentioned in an earlier entry that I got a job for the Kansas regional office of Medical Technology Associates, Inc. What I have explained ad nauseum to anyone who asks me how I'm doing, I'm actually working for MTA, Inc. through Pro-Staff in a temp.-to-hire position. The original assignment lasted for six months.

The six months will end on October 18th.

By October 1st, I will be a full-time MTA employee. They want to keep me!

When Brian and Shayne from Northwestern Mutual fired me for not learning fast enough, that was only the third time in my life that I had been fired. Something in me snapped that day; at the core of me, I carried the belief that I will always land on my feet, that my will shapes the world and I am brilliant. Upon my termination, I finally had to face the idea that I might fail and that I might not be as bright as I think I am. Nearly a year later and with Bruce's help, I've finally gotten that core shored up. We finished the final caisson yesterday with the announcement that MTA will hire me.

So, on that note, here is the story behind my first firing:

I worked part-time one summer for a small copy shop in Leavenworth, KS. At the time, the two full-time employees were two holier-than-thou Catholics who had graduated from Immaculata High School (Leavenworth's Catholic Preperatory High School). Most of the Immac students I had met during my tenure at Leavenworth High School (the public high school where I spent my 9th and 10th grade years) were exceedingly conscious of the money it took to go there: some because their parents could afford it and others because they had been kicked out of all the public high schools in the area and went as a last resort. Those two women, once they found out I was a lapsed Catholic, made it their duty to let me know just how much better they were than I... ignoring the fact they were BOTH unwed, single mothers living with their "baby daddies." Yeah. REAL Catholic...

Anyway, after nearly two months, I finally had it with their attitude whenever I would ask for help so one day after work I went and bought a copy of Anton LaVey's Satanic Bible from the local WaldenBooks and sat in the back during my lunch period reading it and taking notes.

They let me go after that.

Oh my starry-eyed surprise...

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:48:16 GMT

We all have sins in our backgrounds for which we have to atone. They weigh more heavily on some than others; there are some who can justify any level of pain they cause another being while others stay up o'nights reliving everything they've ever done wrong.

Peter David and John DeLancie said the first murder occurred in the night. It became a race memory and now we're afraid of the dark. Some people look up into the skies and feel only the press of a vast and uncaring universe. Some feel eyes endlessly judging sins both mortal and venal. Some sit back and reflect that the wrongs done them should mitigate the pain they've dealt to others.

Recently, science has come to the consensus that all elements heavier than hydrogen and helium were born in the hearts of stars, fused from the lightest of gases into the heaviest of metals by the forces at their cores. When the star can no longer burn, it explodes into a nova (Latin for new), spewing all those elements into the Universe. The elements of life started in stars: we are made of star dust.

When I look to the sky, I think of the hymn How Great Thou Art:

Oh Lord, My God
When I, in awesome wonder, consider all
The worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the Universe displayed...

I can see the past and the future: I see light that may no longer exist and the current forms of the beings that might be. As hard as it can be to forgive, I have to remember that forgiveness doesn't mean forgetting and that to "err is human and to forgive Divine." I also know that if you can forgive and love yourself, it makes it easier to do the same to others. As Heinlein said, "If you don't like yourself, you can't like other people."

It's much easier said than done but it helps on those nights when I feel the weight of my unkindnesses.

Chimes and wind and autumn

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:40:53 GMT

Around the time when the weather cools, I start feeling restless. I feel the need to be out in the wind and the slanting sun. I start wearing my heavier scents and pull out my jewel-toned clothes and amber pieces. I pile the covers on the bed and open the windows at night. Autumn is minx weather.

I'm feeling the need to get tattooed (no, Stephanie, not until AFTER the wedding!) or at least get that second set of piercings I've talked about- that would make five all told. Bruce wants to put me in contacts before the wedding.

It's TIME for CHANGES.

Perhaps I'll actually clean my apartment this weekend. That would be a hell of a change...

Hurray!

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:56:00 GMT

FINALLY! I got all my music! I found Hans Zimmer's "503" from Angels and Demons online in a .pdf format! EEEE!

I think I found the sheet music for "The Kiss." We'll see when the book gets here.

*dances... lots...*

I dreamt I dwelt in marble halls...

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:31:10 GMT

I woke up this morning from a dream where I roamed around a marble mansion getting ready for a ball. It was my home, or rather, it was the family estate and I was a member of the family. Our colors were royal blue and gold; those colors were in all the formal rooms. The stone in the house was cream marble with gold veining. I remember thinking that my dress, which looked like the dress I chose for my wedding, matched the "Red Room" before I woke up.

I've had dreams of this sort before, which is weird, because I have never been wealthy. Not even remotely close. When I went to KCKCC, because the house we lived in on post had three levels, Fabian started the rumor that I was and variations on that theme have haunted me ever since.

In case anyone has missed it in any of the previous entries, I am neither wealthy nor well off. Neither were/are my parents. We were not nouveau riche or even vieux riche (and I don't care if the latter isn't a term). My parents aren't doing badly because my father worked very hard from day one to achieve his dream of soldiering. He retired from the Army -getting the retirement pay to which he was entitled for 29 years of service- and started working as a government contractor. Any money they have is not mine. It was never mine. I had the amazing life I had because my father worked for it. I live paycheck to paycheck and I work for everything I have.

If I'm treated like that again, or unreasonable expectations based on any perceived wealth are put upon me again, I will rip the offending party to shreds.

I trust I won't have to repeat this.

Jedi Knight Obama

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:17:04 GMT

I'll just bet his midichlorian levels are off the scale... and we all know Dick Chaney's under the Vader clothes.

Palin's resignation speech, edited for public consumption

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:05:53 GMT

Patricia, this is for you.

I blame the caffeine chloride

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:03:13 GMT

It's a joke from high school. You know, back when being hyper just meant you were chock full of caffeine and /or sugar and no one accused you of being "bipolar" or of having ADD/ADHD. For the record, I have none of those conditions. I just get really excited easily. Yes, I have been accused of that by the know-nothings of the world.

ANYWAY.

THE LIST OF EXCITING THINGS FOR TODAY:

1. I'm learning how to do a viking weave!

2. Today is the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

3. Roma, for far too long have I neglected you. Seriously, you and I need to talk.

In Solidarity

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:49:09 GMT

Baby, do you understand me now
Sometimes I feel a little mad
But don't you know that no one alive
Can always be an angel
When things go wrong I seem to be bad

But I'm just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood

Baby, sometimes I'm so carefree
With a joy that's hard to hide
And sometimes it seems that all I have do is worry
Then you're bound to see my other side

But I'm just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood

If I seem edgy I want you to know
That I never mean to take it out on you
Life has it's problems and I get my share
And that's one thing I never meant to do
Because I love you
Oh, Oh baby don't you know I'm human
Have thoughts like any other one
Sometimes I find myself long regretting
Some foolish thing some little simple thing I've done

But I'm just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood
Yes, I'm just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood
Yes, I'm just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood

Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
The Animals
_____________________________________________________
Bruce is the first man with whom I've carried on a long-term relationship who not only keeps me grounded but who's willing to forgive me when I take something too personally or when I make a naive mistake. As I mature, I hope to keep my theme song as Enigma's "Return to Innocence" and let this fall by the wayside.

This is only partially serious.

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:00:16 GMT

SERIOUS PART

I listened to NPR yesterday while driving to Lawrence to pick up Bruce and I heard that President Obama proposes linking teacher pay to student achievement. That angered me so much that I, for the first time in my life, will write a letter to the President. I haven't decided quite what I'd like to say but I have a couple of points that need articulation:

a) He needs to surround himself with people who've actually taught -for a number of years- in urban and rural schools and not people who got their degree in School Administration without ever stepping foot in a classroom.

b) Lasting educational reform will only occur when education, not athletics, becomes a cultural priority.

c) Cutting educational spending to balance a budget may balance the budget but will screw up everything else for years to come.

d) Talent and Gifted programs are under the Special Needs umbrella. Often those children are ignored because the average teacher doesn't know how to cope.

e) Talented and dedicated teacher candidates are run out of education programs because they don't follow the status quo. The status quo isn't working anymore and leads to the perversity known as No Child Left Behind.

I'll post the letter here for final critique before I send it off.

THE UNSERIOUS PART

I can shave my legs again! I was a little late this morning because I needed to drag out the weed wacker... the diesel powered one. While drying off, I notice that I have broken out into hives. I wish I would at least get the bees if I have to get hives as free honey would be awesome! Why aren't these benefits built into humanity? I bleed for a week, but hey! for a week, my boobs look amazing. Things like that.

Why wasn't I consulted?

mpf

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:36:13 GMT

I have a headache. I've had a low-level one for the past couple of days.

Bleh.

On the upsides:
1. I had Pad Thai for lunch. I love Pad Thai.

2. The War Badger wrote me a note in German and I was able to translate about a 1/3 of it without the help of a translator. Not bad since I haven't had German since 8th grade, and always went off post with someone who spoke it.

3. I will be able to make jewelry tonight.

I got a sunburn

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:21:22 GMT

AND IT ITCHES.

ARGH.

I was supposed to go see Ryan and Jacq for the 4th but I ended up staying way too late at another party (I blame the ONE margarita I had... tequila doesn't sit well with me but I wanted it so badly!) and when I realized the time, I was tipsy and burnt.

I wore a handkerchief top and linen capris, so I have the strangest burnlines ever. My nose, decolletage, shoulders, knees and shins are burnt. I drank a large glass of water and slathered myself in aloe, which helped, but now I just itch... and I can't scratch because it hurts. I can't kneel or shave my legs so I'm wearing jeans.

They rub.

Pity me, just don't touch my knees.

Writer's Block: Local Favorite

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:06:52 GMT

What's your favorite thing to show out-of-town guests when they come to visit?

Submitted By mercyb

View 502 Answers

I live in a suburb of Kansas City, MO. I know the perception of our town is that of a podunk one-horse-town but nothing could be more wrong. I'm not a native but I love it here because we have all the benefits of big city living, with few of the inconveniences. That said, if I had out-of-town guests, this is what I would do:

1. Take them to Weston to O'Malleys, the wine cellar turned bar, for an evening of Irish music and great drinks. If they came in October, we'd go to Irish Fest to hear Connie Dover.

2. Visit the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, one of the premier art museums in the country. The second floor is dedicated to Asian art.

3. Go to Vulcan's Forge/Aquarius in Westport, a New Age/Jewelry store. After that, we'd wander around Westport.

4. Visit metropolitan Kansas City: downtown has the River Market, The Steamship Arabia exhibit (a steamship crashed in the 1800s and when it was found years later, just about everything in it was perfectly preserved!) Liberty Memorial (for World War One) and Union Station/Science City.

5. Drive to Lawrence, the home of the University of Kansas. It's quirky large university town, with a small town feel. We'd wander up and down the main road, Massachusetts, called Mass Street, looking at the one-of-a-kind shops and restaurants.

6. Go to Indigo Wild in the Warehouse distict. They make and sell natural and organic soaps, make-up, oils and the like. I love their almond scented and frankencense and myrrh scented bath products.

7. Take a tour of FT Leavenworth. I lived on post for many years, off and on, and used to work for the Frontier Army Museum Gift Shop. We would take a picnic lunch and take a walking tour to see the Buffalo Soldier Memorial, the old historic homes - if they visit during the spring, we'd get tickets to the Tour of Homes- the Memorial Chapel, the Frontier Army Museum and the National Cemetary.

8. If they were here in the summer, we'd go the Kansas City Renaissance Festival in Bonner Springs.

I don't care for Kansas City- style barbecue so I wouldn't take them to Arthur Bryants or to Gates but I might take them to KC Masterpiece. If we felt particularly pretentious, I might take them to the Country Club Plaza for high-end shopping. I used to work here too; If nothing else, it has some great restaurants.

Writer's Block: Conversion Rate

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:03:29 GMT

Have you ever considered converting to another religion?

View 504 Answers

I grew up a devout Roman Catholic. I went through most of the sacraments, sang in the choir, brought up the offering and acted as a lector. When I hit Confirmation at 12, the lay minister teaching the class told me "Shut up. You lack faith." when I asked genuine questions about Catholic dogma. He didn't refer me to the parish priest or the Bible, just shut me down. It destroyed me. I discovered other holes in Christianity that I couldn't reconcile and stopped going willingly to Church.

I converted to Paganism at the age of 19 when my hobby of astronomy and Greek Mythology culminated in discovering that people still worshipped those Gods. Something resonated with me and I converted. I'm almost 30 and I've never looked back.

Pinch me, I'm dreaming.

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:52:46 GMT

I had a few minutes to spare at work today so I looked back at my archives. I look back at the melodrama, the poor choices, the medical problems and it forces me to look forward to today.

Bruce is amazing.

I'm so freakin' lucky.

swoon

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:48:26 GMT

Mark Harmon may be replaced as my television hottie as I have fallen in love with Zach Quinto, the actor who plays Spock in the new Star Trek movie and Gabriel Sylar in Heroes. Bruce has taken it well since he realizes that he cannot match our love; it's epic, it's special and it's imaginary.

Gaze upon his hotness.

Parenting lessons aren't out of the question...

Tue, 26 May 2009 17:58:25 GMT

I think it's about time for my Cookie Awards but instead of me just whining about celebrities, I'm going to do a special "Social Awareness" edition. I've also decided that parents who don't get their child vaccinated- for whatever reason they spout- are little better than child abusers.

1. The courts proved that the supposed link between vaccines and autism is specious. I TOLD YOU SO.

2. Diseases that had started to disappear in First World countries (like polio and whooping cough) are resurging because parents aren't vaccinating against it. Children are dying of preventable diseases! This makes me so angry, I can't think straight. NPR had a piece about parents who aren't talking to their pediatricians before making these decisions; they're relying on their FRIENDS. Make time to talk to your doctor. Period. There is NO excuse to justify endangering the life of your child and the people around him or her.

Oh, and North Korea... you're stupid.