tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-204174682024-03-23T13:46:20.819-04:00Life, the Universe, and EverythingI'm interested in a wide variety of different (seemingly unrelated) things. I make no promise to write regularly, as that would be quickly broken. Sometimes I'll write a lot in a very short time period, then I'll write nothing for months.Vaessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07979699498941676128noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-88217708190888182292018-05-21T08:50:00.000-04:002018-05-21T08:52:52.321-04:00Promise Me (by NateWantsToBattle) in Supernatural GIFsI was listening to the following song (an Undertale themed song by a musical YouTuber I admire) while driving and it kept pulling Supernatural GIFs to mind. I mentioned this to my son and he demanded I actually put it together so he could enjoy it too. Feel free to reply with any improvements you find… I only spent a couple hours grabbing the GIFs I was missing (some, the “pie,” “genocide,” and “stop asking to me leave” are EXACTLY what I wanted).
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15Pf4-3xYSs">This song on YouTube.</a>
<br />
<br />
<h2>
“Promise Me”</h2>
<h3>
(by NateWantsToBattle)</h3>
<br />
Oh sweet child, it’s so nice to finally meet you<br />
Now welcome to your home<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_Nq6ts2DzduFSGLPnULW6iVrDOk4tgAgB8kg_5b5nT7JGt80qPufcca3h73ZV9ndvqbFvgcJGvVHjq81FQZ44SvmYacInWFqfIU4_ZIORNWumuldSqef_qL5wopyESWNRion/s1600/Dean+Let%2527s+Go+Home.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="540" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_Nq6ts2DzduFSGLPnULW6iVrDOk4tgAgB8kg_5b5nT7JGt80qPufcca3h73ZV9ndvqbFvgcJGvVHjq81FQZ44SvmYacInWFqfIU4_ZIORNWumuldSqef_qL5wopyESWNRion/s320/Dean+Let%2527s+Go+Home.gif" width="320" /></a><br />
Safe and sound, underground they’ll never reach you<br />
And you’ll never be alone<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_uF_SdwLSr8iQl3Bo_aTfi2-KaJUublHsgbxfQ7rzKdfM0Bn0DtiGBU0U0PM-ihw88FuWIGuyCMQwyjLhDfpkDWlHCC32SK_wy6NLD4_ioDBKMxzOHc-qJJ1stYi4t2V_tdUh/s1600/Cas+I%2527m+Alone.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="500" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_uF_SdwLSr8iQl3Bo_aTfi2-KaJUublHsgbxfQ7rzKdfM0Bn0DtiGBU0U0PM-ihw88FuWIGuyCMQwyjLhDfpkDWlHCC32SK_wy6NLD4_ioDBKMxzOHc-qJJ1stYi4t2V_tdUh/s320/Cas+I%2527m+Alone.gif" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
We’ll live a life, just you and I<br />
Now settle down, have a slice of pie<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpXKp9W_NcXY9YnAeK6v_E8y2OfnHnCnaAjiG-A36EdaZ_2tRfbqHie2Nv6ka4kyQIhARYRXpT5XOLABbwPUJVvW9vVIHI8cEkyIdTXjXnMnXCEuHX62-HOVpHETQzBv-HSIZ/s1600/Dean+Pie.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpXKp9W_NcXY9YnAeK6v_E8y2OfnHnCnaAjiG-A36EdaZ_2tRfbqHie2Nv6ka4kyQIhARYRXpT5XOLABbwPUJVvW9vVIHI8cEkyIdTXjXnMnXCEuHX62-HOVpHETQzBv-HSIZ/s320/Dean+Pie.gif" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="281" /></a><br />
I’ll stay here by your side<br />
I only wish to see you smile<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFTNI3Cqq02Fnjb9cO7dNlTb5ZHfRGElWvnEUXudVcO1470YpaVd5xHjAKchkIdOUmBYcypWgEJ4oQeWhwjI0P_u0L_t6BuOjRJ23yeQVlg7j2iV2qlbNGnH7adAPmUEVpl7c/s1600/Cas+Break+to+Misha+-+You.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFTNI3Cqq02Fnjb9cO7dNlTb5ZHfRGElWvnEUXudVcO1470YpaVd5xHjAKchkIdOUmBYcypWgEJ4oQeWhwjI0P_u0L_t6BuOjRJ23yeQVlg7j2iV2qlbNGnH7adAPmUEVpl7c/s320/Cas+Break+to+Misha+-+You.gif" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="281" /></a><br />
You’re such an interesting child<br />
Now there’s no need to fight<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9VNDMyeuSvw7MPLpDKglfIWKPD69h1kK36puXzYd23NjsOzlAVjDf5_RxEi9xGfTD7pqn45dJ8c_F4Ijpq-TkslPRC-R68rcny6aeszOGlBkTHZinXom8MpnMBs2Wyv47vKc/s1600/Cas+Don%2527t+Want+to+Fight.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9VNDMyeuSvw7MPLpDKglfIWKPD69h1kK36puXzYd23NjsOzlAVjDf5_RxEi9xGfTD7pqn45dJ8c_F4Ijpq-TkslPRC-R68rcny6aeszOGlBkTHZinXom8MpnMBs2Wyv47vKc/s320/Cas+Don%2527t+Want+to+Fight.gif" width="320" height="147" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="230" /></a><br />
Just promise me<br />
That you’ll never leave<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmqWBNSuyN5RCF8N1MQk75P3wLrDxRma-9xKuTgZj8Ttit3c-kuKaFA1xpY2rcQSgfyHKKLRpDxec6CIRmwB1ST6ev1sZ8gl-LHPJ6pAeJD0fM9wP74X0yORR2agisQrWfn3b/s1600/Dean+Not+Leaving+Without+You.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmqWBNSuyN5RCF8N1MQk75P3wLrDxRma-9xKuTgZj8Ttit3c-kuKaFA1xpY2rcQSgfyHKKLRpDxec6CIRmwB1ST6ev1sZ8gl-LHPJ6pAeJD0fM9wP74X0yORR2agisQrWfn3b/s320/Dean+Not+Leaving+Without+You.gif" width="320" height="156" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="243" /></a>
<br />
<br />
Oh sweet child, it’s so nice to finally meet you<br />
Now welcome to your home<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0SatxFX6WEUFSBIyqmtwgdQT90DdGGRozRo9btCjUFpMc96D1wwnVNo7aD6ZS_IAG3SHI4T32frzgDvwT33f20vZmqtrr9BYFqGzK_ncGFdqwwVAfbQsGo651BICRCuHWtfXJ/s1600/Dean+Find+Idiot+and+Bring+Home.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0SatxFX6WEUFSBIyqmtwgdQT90DdGGRozRo9btCjUFpMc96D1wwnVNo7aD6ZS_IAG3SHI4T32frzgDvwT33f20vZmqtrr9BYFqGzK_ncGFdqwwVAfbQsGo651BICRCuHWtfXJ/s320/Dean+Find+Idiot+and+Bring+Home.gif" width="320" height="173" data-original-width="540" data-original-height="292" /></a><br />
Safe and sound, underground they’ll never reach you<br />
And you’ll never be alone<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh33gjwiRvBfi6vZBRZoszKZ0JMt3-iFQ-B0j4PCdgpm4GVzdjmsotAeMw34U5-9GOio7m516fe158EEqMkLqyfnLslzMqtMnqWBEXmfuvHZAIUDoBOR7z-c15N7799ic4c0FaH/s1600/Dean+Can%2527t+Do+This+Alone.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh33gjwiRvBfi6vZBRZoszKZ0JMt3-iFQ-B0j4PCdgpm4GVzdjmsotAeMw34U5-9GOio7m516fe158EEqMkLqyfnLslzMqtMnqWBEXmfuvHZAIUDoBOR7z-c15N7799ic4c0FaH/s320/Dean+Can%2527t+Do+This+Alone.gif" width="320" height="307" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="480" /></a>
<br />
<br />
My only wish is just to reach you<br />
So many snail facts I could teach you<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqloWS_917cAz42_9y9RXJRw8gajQEB0czO_dcjJ1EXexvb2sSZmpl7LC0Mt60ahpKGDEJDsIwArCfgfBCklN_cJ_heIQhwTiQ2vXfzMjla_YauMiSqVikLrTrITEKyY7WPyz/s1600/Dean+Google+It.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqloWS_917cAz42_9y9RXJRw8gajQEB0czO_dcjJ1EXexvb2sSZmpl7LC0Mt60ahpKGDEJDsIwArCfgfBCklN_cJ_heIQhwTiQ2vXfzMjla_YauMiSqVikLrTrITEKyY7WPyz/s320/Dean+Google+It.gif" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="540" data-original-height="303" /></a><br />
Stop asking me to leave<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0PfjEMA8FHrg9Tg3ZAiT8EBDaFDkgwH5hfP39vqIjm8FKFS-oeTrvZVcALMkPDG3joKSkpd3OYiXr2XyJStnQySvq29eO-nu2v96bq0s0EYgfBHgT5-8dKCtjC0KdWjLGqb4/s1600/Dean+to+Cas+You+Can%2527t+Stay.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0PfjEMA8FHrg9Tg3ZAiT8EBDaFDkgwH5hfP39vqIjm8FKFS-oeTrvZVcALMkPDG3joKSkpd3OYiXr2XyJStnQySvq29eO-nu2v96bq0s0EYgfBHgT5-8dKCtjC0KdWjLGqb4/s320/Dean+to+Cas+You+Can%2527t+Stay.gif" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="245" data-original-height="138" /></a><br />
Don’t run away, just stay inside<br />
Don’t live a life of genocide<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwXehdQbHidJiDN0j_1rcOR84vZp08OXtD8iUBkIFO2CFdl13iuOmkyl1hOBs3fnup1LrOewKND747ivxVEuXbkzVJKv1jIGCtjwjACc3YTI5qsduH3UkDw07onawClkYJLU8n/s1600/Dean+Mark+of+Cain+Murder.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwXehdQbHidJiDN0j_1rcOR84vZp08OXtD8iUBkIFO2CFdl13iuOmkyl1hOBs3fnup1LrOewKND747ivxVEuXbkzVJKv1jIGCtjwjACc3YTI5qsduH3UkDw07onawClkYJLU8n/s320/Dean+Mark+of+Cain+Murder.gif" width="320" height="179" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="280" /></a><br />
Can’t you just stay with me?<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVhsq5mQOvC2XwKnaNglPfHt1jSMXJ4Z4KHU0Etdy4JS2sY5Q6DgXbbdMAh_wyyxocqX9f_mxIzzTUWT8AHP_pTAyBJTxm0njYiWPu3U3fybZmYWxA1qM2LPBrhU4PdgFPPf8/s1600/Dean+Stay+With+Me.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVhsq5mQOvC2XwKnaNglPfHt1jSMXJ4Z4KHU0Etdy4JS2sY5Q6DgXbbdMAh_wyyxocqX9f_mxIzzTUWT8AHP_pTAyBJTxm0njYiWPu3U3fybZmYWxA1qM2LPBrhU4PdgFPPf8/s320/Dean+Stay+With+Me.gif" width="320" height="128" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="200" /></a><br />
Just promise me<br />
That you’ll never leave<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjzaLgUHBNaXaIPZsCbmuZOMVKiauI5-j0G20atLeOgKKYH9v5ojLiEHpuQcFlCfd5KFP2q_dDEgw00FIbty2aL1J8V6plrwYqUf8ZC4W2frLYVWcxLImXXtzsHuMch0JigaH/s1600/Dean+I+Did+Not+Leave+You.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjzaLgUHBNaXaIPZsCbmuZOMVKiauI5-j0G20atLeOgKKYH9v5ojLiEHpuQcFlCfd5KFP2q_dDEgw00FIbty2aL1J8V6plrwYqUf8ZC4W2frLYVWcxLImXXtzsHuMch0JigaH/s320/Dean+I+Did+Not+Leave+You.gif" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="282" /></a><br />
Why can’t you see<br />
This life was meant to be now?<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrq1NK5tF18abs6FfnES8LQEPsyM_G18R_n4fwv9cI48U8k_7__emcxaWbxz3ENltaUVDBpKBpUclzCMYEcAZFfnKreyyIlVghQhLNn_jFjhsnsZHGsJ6tDFcg7WpaYelkRF4M/s1600/Cas+You+Taught+Me...+Make+Your+Own+Destiny.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrq1NK5tF18abs6FfnES8LQEPsyM_G18R_n4fwv9cI48U8k_7__emcxaWbxz3ENltaUVDBpKBpUclzCMYEcAZFfnKreyyIlVghQhLNn_jFjhsnsZHGsJ6tDFcg7WpaYelkRF4M/s320/Cas+You+Taught+Me...+Make+Your+Own+Destiny.gif" width="320" height="160" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="250" /></a>
<br />
<br />
Oh sweet child, it’s so nice to finally meet you<br />
Now welcome to your home<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO6Fj1-mDSnrHTQWSvYyTsrAmtE9vC5IuyWz7jij6K1gxbbpxvJB54JFdnXKycUoqj44BP42CZUkvJZukjIkS7bS-wvmnxAaFMcGOc0XHARZYoIzSp6wdaG_r7PuQNXy_LOBie/s1600/Jack+I+Am+Home.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO6Fj1-mDSnrHTQWSvYyTsrAmtE9vC5IuyWz7jij6K1gxbbpxvJB54JFdnXKycUoqj44BP42CZUkvJZukjIkS7bS-wvmnxAaFMcGOc0XHARZYoIzSp6wdaG_r7PuQNXy_LOBie/s320/Jack+I+Am+Home.gif" width="320" height="150" data-original-width="540" data-original-height="253" /></a><br />
Safe and sound, underground they’ll never reach you<br />
And you’ll never be alone<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7xMUugGwL0RrN6CV9KSEmyGOCY98hN1_3pPPtoeqCyUoSLGV8VPzbru9J-_jenSv4-a_R4hyphenhyphen7q4SpeJcrwNAkEp2uugaaOfz1mawJBGRjv0RQ-j3bgvDH3qY7z-tjyH1dQvr/s1600/Cas+Face+Amara+Not+Alone.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7xMUugGwL0RrN6CV9KSEmyGOCY98hN1_3pPPtoeqCyUoSLGV8VPzbru9J-_jenSv4-a_R4hyphenhyphen7q4SpeJcrwNAkEp2uugaaOfz1mawJBGRjv0RQ-j3bgvDH3qY7z-tjyH1dQvr/s320/Cas+Face+Amara+Not+Alone.gif" width="320" height="160" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="250" /></a>
<br />
<br />
You look so much like someone I used to care for<br />
But now they’ve gone away<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbVLT1KQs8PvrNNUIJCpy76X5olp3BGzu4Tqwe33dIRUY9l7rDzo-edQE8HbNn7AvDCXa4DSGKwtKmscW3wJEBOyp_RvA1SsRS0QvgFEYELb7Tpe5cciu8mr6VvAFIqlrOpZI/s1600/Cas+Do+You+Even+Care+That+They%2527re+Gone.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbVLT1KQs8PvrNNUIJCpy76X5olp3BGzu4Tqwe33dIRUY9l7rDzo-edQE8HbNn7AvDCXa4DSGKwtKmscW3wJEBOyp_RvA1SsRS0QvgFEYELb7Tpe5cciu8mr6VvAFIqlrOpZI/s320/Cas+Do+You+Even+Care+That+They%2527re+Gone.gif" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="400" data-original-height="225" /></a><br />
A life of darkness is bound to try and tempt you<br />
So promise you won’t stray<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyptjWwNm1cAv_6c2X218kqL-g8mWgWzdl4OsGFmvwa-ZJy1rladdUyUWbtiDycgsT62qd-NyblICVpx_QGpOISpPW7JGXxSJkGsv515RJoNgYOoDZNUDp9GwKWwaifYxKOjGd/s1600/Dean+Promise+Me+You+Won%2527t+Get+Out+of+Bed.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyptjWwNm1cAv_6c2X218kqL-g8mWgWzdl4OsGFmvwa-ZJy1rladdUyUWbtiDycgsT62qd-NyblICVpx_QGpOISpPW7JGXxSJkGsv515RJoNgYOoDZNUDp9GwKWwaifYxKOjGd/s320/Dean+Promise+Me+You+Won%2527t+Get+Out+of+Bed.gif" width="320" height="176" data-original-width="245" data-original-height="135" /></a>
<br />
<br />
Please promise me…<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODZ-wSitc7SIf3tid12zWGYMDdalnY5lwPWGEkrsZFfFxc_KnXlwSnIR6hCL5K9RFhMDgdkizTg9af3tvPak6mVeiQg1hRcTPJdsI4JVIifU0KalIX-hjam6nYLPeak580oT2/s1600/Dean+I+Promise.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODZ-wSitc7SIf3tid12zWGYMDdalnY5lwPWGEkrsZFfFxc_KnXlwSnIR6hCL5K9RFhMDgdkizTg9af3tvPak6mVeiQg1hRcTPJdsI4JVIifU0KalIX-hjam6nYLPeak580oT2/s320/Dean+I+Promise.gif" width="320" height="320" data-original-width="245" data-original-height="245" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://vaesse75.tumblr.com/post/174093786093/promise-me-by-natewantstobattle-in-supernatural">This post in Tumblr.</a>Vaessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07979699498941676128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-72886142961008204712011-06-14T14:23:00.000-04:002011-06-14T14:23:39.123-04:00The Essential Nature of Vampires<p>If you have no experience with the Buffy and Angel TV shows, this will lose you completely. It also will be a bit spoiler-y. I'm not even going to try to review what I say for that aspect. So, if you haven't watched the whole series and plan to, you might want to finish that before you read this. On the other hand, if you read what I've written, you may better be able to analyze its truth as you watch.</p><p>I've been thinking and pondering and, recently, debating/discussing with my brother the core personality traits of the two main vampires in the Buffy/Angel TV shows. They stand apart in major ways from ALL of the "background" vampires. I wanted to know what was it about them as individuals that made them so different. In doing this analysis, I think I've also figured out why I like Spike better... but more on that later. I started with Spike, because he's my favorite and he's relatively easy.</p><p>But, before I explain, let me give you the rules I was trying to follow. To be a core trait, it must be something that was present in the individual before they became a vampire and remained present throughout their vampiric life (both good and evil). There were some snags along the way as I tried to fit various explanations into that rule, but I think I may have it nailed down now.</p><p>Spike is, at his core, a poet and a romantic. This is easy to see as a human. It's not too hard to see in his relationships with Dru and Buffy throughout his vampiric life. But it becomes a bit tough to explain some of his actions in that light. However, I believe I have an explanation (and I don't think it's a cop-out, though you may disagree). Because this romantic poet nature isn't ideal for survival as a vampire, Spike intentionally decided to follow a course of reckless violence. He didn't really have much of a heart for it, though he did develop a taste after it became a habit. This habit (formed over HUNDREDS of years) was hard to break, and it took the implanting of the anti-violence chip for him to leave it behind... though that still doesn't make a habit easy to break. It's quite possible that his being required to act against his core nature is an explanation for his almost suicidal pursuit of Slayers. And that same violation of his nature is why he had such a problem with his returned soul, it made him insane (though I'm sure the meddling of the First had a lot to do with it too). Sacrificing himself for his love fits perfectly with his personality, and his return in the Angel series would be frustrating as it conflicts with the poetry of his sacrifice.</p><p>Angel was much harder. To find his core you must reconcile his basically hedonistic ways as a human with his artistry as Angelus with his rat-eating Angel phase prior to Whistler's intervention with his super-hero Angel phase after teaming up with Buffy. My brother and I tried to stick various things in, but none of them fit, as they conflicted with at least one of his phases. But I think we finally found it when we ended up with selfish, immature, and prideful. As a human, these all fit... his pride being the hardest to see, but it is what kept him from trying overly hard to please his father. As Angelus they are fairly obvious... the immaturity a bit less so. Rat eating Angel we'll get back to. Super-hero Angel is all of the above, but from the point of his introduction to Buffy, she becomes a part of his self-interest, so his protection of her is essentially selfish. Rat-eating Angel is the conflicted stage for him. His pride is mangled by the return of his soul, and he doesn't manage to find a method to repair it on his own. His alliance with Buffy repairs his pride, and because of that, her presence as part of his self-interest makes sense. Early in his Angel phase (before re-becoming Angelus the first time), selfishness motivates him as he tries to ease the pain in his soul. After he realizes the impossibility of that goal, his pride takes over his motivation. Immaturity is easy to see throughout his existence, but none more so than his pouting over Spike's returned soul. The artistry of Angelus' crimes bear testament to his pride and immaturity. He plays with his victims for fun, and takes pride in his ability to play them.</p><p>I think I have covered all the bases here. If I've missed something, please let me know so I can revise my opinion or figure out how it fits.</p>Vaessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07979699498941676128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-6615527730268197062010-04-30T12:17:00.001-04:002010-05-20T16:52:54.994-04:00Children and the FutureWhen my son was very young (between his birth and one year of age), I did an extraordinary amount of research on different parenting styles and techniques. I did this because I wanted to be the best mother possible. And part of the reason for this desire is the fact that since I was eight years old, I've never dreamed of a career as anything BUT a mother. Being a mother and homeschooling my child has been my plan since age eight, and nothing I've seen since then has encouraged me to deviate from that goal.<br />
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But, for some reason, I did not begin the research until after my son was born. Until his first birthday, I followed more traditional methods of parenting (something I now regret, though I'm thrilled I learned as early as I did).<br />
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Anyway, I did lots of research. I did web searches and followed links. I borrowed books from the library. I can't remember the exact paths I followed, but I wandered and read and pondered and considered and eventually found myself aligning to a concept of unschooling (and more specifically radical unschooling) as being closest to what I wanted for me and my son.<br />
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It's not the easiest path to follow, because it's not the path followed by the majority of the world. It's hard for those who haven't done the research to see the benefits to this path. It's hard to encourage some of those closest to my son that despite the fact that I don't push, he's learning all the time, every day. He's just doing it at his pace. He may not start reading at the age those in more traditional school do, but he will also not be taught that reading is a chore, is difficult, requires instruction, must be taught, or any of the other false "facts" that most schooled children learn.<br />
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My son reads. He may not sit down and read a book, but he most certainly reads. He may not know how to sound out every word he comes across, he may not recognize every word he sees, but that's not all that reading is. Reading is pattern recognition. It's recognizing symbols and interpreting their meaning. He's done that since he first saw the "golden arches" and called it "McDonald's." But this isn't reading enough for more traditionally minded people. Additional aids have been acquired, and he is free to pursue them at his interest, but I will NOT require his use of them, as that is counter to everything I believe. And even without them, his reading has improved to the point that most would recognize it as early reading.<br />
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My son does math. He was refilling the soda section of the refrigerator (which has eight spots), counted out six cans and then stated that he needed two more. That's subtraction. We got a box of ice creams with six treats inside. He was able to figure out that if we two shared it we'd get three each, but if we included his father, we'd only get two each. That's division. He may not do math the way the kids in school do, but he's not lacking for math ability. In fact, this method of learning math may very well leave him without the math anxiety that plagues many people (myself included). Because instead of something that's artificial and difficult, math is a part of his daily life.<br />
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My son has passions and focus. He can spend hours playing with his LEGOs or exploring our yard (we live on 22 acres in a very rural part of Virginia). He is completely fascinated with Star Wars, and has established at least one acquaintance on that basis (someone he can call to ask a Star Wars question when I don't know the answer).<br />
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My son is very helpful and sweet. He may not always do exactly what's asked of him (he's not expected to, it's his life, after all), but more often than not, he's willing to help out when he's asked.<br />
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My son is curious and expressive. His pronunciation may not always be perfect, but it is improving. He asks great questions (though at times a bit too many for my personal preference). He is able to express his feelings, though not always in ways that most people would prefer, still in ways that do no harm to those around him.<br />
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In all, I'm thrilled with how well unschooling is working for me and my son. I just wish that those around him could see that it's not just him alone that makes him the person he is (though that's certainly a part of it), it's also the freedom and support that he's been given. I doubt any other parenting style would have led us to the person he is today. And I'm completely unwilling to take the chance that I'm right by trying more traditional methods.<br />
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As for me and my family, we unschool. And that means that my son has the freedom to learn at his own pace. My job is to be there to provide whatever support he desires and to make sure he's aware of just all that the world has to offer. I provide opportunities, show possibilities, and allow him to accept or reject them as he chooses.<br />
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The advantage of this parenting method is that by the time my child is an adult, he's already been making his own decisions, responsible for his own actions, and confident of his abilities for a very long time. He won't be suddenly thrust from having all his decisions made for him and being required to follow instruction to being allowed to choose for himself.<br />
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He may not follow the path that I would in his position. In fact, I'd be astonished if he did. He may not follow anyone's specific idea of what they consider "success" to be. But I have no doubt that he'll be successful in whatever he chooses to do, as he is today. I've heard it said that he needs to be prepared for the "real world." I disagree. He already lives in the real world. There is no portion of the real world that cannot be handled with a combination of cooperation and choosing consequences. He may choose a traditional job and follow the rules of the office (choosing consequences). He may choose a traditional job and work with his boss to find creative solutions that meets both his and the boss's needs (cooperation). He may work for himself. He may decide not to work at all, but to travel and explore and do without material things. But regardless of the path he chooses, it'll be his path. He'll know what the options are, and he'll be able to follow his heart. And that's all I ask for his future.Vaessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07979699498941676128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-18998054950971607792009-11-21T13:44:00.004-05:002009-11-22T13:24:22.793-05:00Twilight Saga - New MoonOh. My. God. The New Moon movie was simply outstanding. For those of you that read the book, this movie is perfect in following the spirit of the book. Where it deviates (as it must, for it is film), it is well done. It's almost better than the book in places. It certainly is a lot closer to the book than I had reason to dream, including certain things thta I couldn't imagine how they would be done in film.<br />
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If your only experience of the Twilight Saga is the original movie (Twilight), this one leaves that in the dust, like a Porche racing a plastic tricycle. It is so much better that I almost want them to remake Twilight with the same actors, but a different director. It really shows how much an actor's ability is helped and/or hindered by the director.<br />
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At this point I've seen it in theater twice. The first time was for the midnight premier and the second time was a matinee so I could take my five-year-old son. I want it to come out in DVD already so I can start watching it multiple times daily... it is just that good.<br />
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My exposure to the Twilight Saga began last Christmas when I got the series from my in-laws. I read each book (and they're not small books) in less than eight hours, and I wasn't able to dedicate all that time to just reading. I have re-read the series many times since then... I'm guesstimating about 20 times by now. Stephenie Meyer may not be the world's greatest author (or so say critics), but she does one thing VERY well. She is amazing at putting you in the character's shoes. Along with virtually everyone else who has read the series, I fell in love with Edward, sympathized with Bella, agonized over the love triangle decision, and generally felt a part of what was happening in her version of Forks, Washington.<br />
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***** Minor SPOILER ALERT for TWILIGHT and NEW MOON movies *****<br />
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When I first watched Twilight on DVD (I didn't see it in theaters, as I wasn't even aware of the series at that point), I was very dissapointed. The acting wasn't very good, the story was mangled, the characters weren't true to form. But it did one thing for me. It gave me a visual reference for my enjoyment of the books. (I am not very good at visualizing books, I <b>feel</b> them, I just don't <b>see</b> them.) After watching the special features on the DVD and understanding a bit of the reasoning behind the choices, I grew to enjoy Twilight as a movie. I still cringe at certain parts (both of the "monkey" lines and the forest "vampire" scene in particular) and feel that some changes were so out of character that they still grate (the existence of a book about the <b>top secret</b> Quileute legends and Edward's confusion at the police station when he can <b>READ MINDS</b> topping that list). But I can watch the movie and enjoy it. Plus, the soundtrack was amazing.<br />
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New Moon was my favorite book of the series. The heartbreak is SO well done. I went into the New Moon movie hoping it was better than Twilight, but not expecting much. I have found that the more I like a book, the less I generally like it's film adaptation. But then I got to see what was done in the New Moon movie. I can nitpick, sure. There are tiny things I'd try to change if I were director. But I can't find any real fault. Purists may complain about some of the changes. But there's not a single change that isn't true to the SPIRIT of the book (which was not true of the Twilight movie adaptation).<br />
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The "months" of the book were something that I couldn't begin to think how to duplicate in the movie. I was so impressed by the mechanism in the book that it didn't even occur to me to try to do it in the movie. But New Moon did and did it well. The actors proved that with the right director picking the right takes and encouraging them in the right direction, they DO know how to act. It wasn't bad casting and/or acting but bad directing that made the acting in Twilight as bad as it was.<br />
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***** END of SPOILER ALERT *****<br />
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The balance of action and romance makes this, in my mind, a perfect date movie. It is so well done that it doesn't require the parenthetical explanation that was required to make Twilight make sense. If you've seen Twilight and hated it, go see New Moon. If you loved the books but are leary of the movies, go see New Moon. If you haven't read the books, go see New Moon. It is JUST THAT GOOD.<br />
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Rich hasn't made it out to see New Moon yet (he's worked every day since the premiere), but plans to take Tre and I on his first day off. That will make my third (and probably, unfortunately, last) time seeing it in theater. I plan to buy it on DVD the day it's released, if I don't pre-order it. In case I'm not completely clear... I LOVE THIS MOVIE!Vaessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07979699498941676128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-87191503604118106552009-08-24T21:08:00.000-04:002009-08-24T21:08:40.991-04:00Nose BleedLast night we had a bit of excitement. Tre fell asleep on the floor in front of the TV (a place he often choses to rest). We were watching a movie and planned to move him to bed when the movie was over. However, about a half-hour after he fell asleep, we looked down to see that Tre's face, arms, and the floor around him are covered with blood from a nose bleed. I got him into the shower to clean him up, his nose started bleeding again, and it took a while to stop.<br />
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He's had quite a few nose bleeds this summer, though prior to this summer, I don't think he had any. So, we're heading to the doctor soon (probably Wednesday, due to scheduling conflicts tomorrow) to see if there's any particular problem that might be causing this recurring problem. I don't think the house is excessively dry, but that is something we've considered. He's had the nose bleeds both here at home and in Tennessee visiting his grandparents, so it doesn't seem that dry air is very likely, though we're not ruling it out.<br />
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I hate it when something is bothering my son and I have no way to fix it right away. It makes me feel a bit more powerless than normal.Vaessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07979699498941676128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-62684733142523231782009-08-22T07:05:00.004-04:002009-08-22T07:32:17.387-04:00ChangeAs of this past Wednesday there's been a fairly major change in my life. My sister-in-law stopped working for my mother's company, so I stopped watching Andy. All by itself, this doesn't sound like much of a change. However, Andy's absence from my childcare plans means that I'm much more able to follow a path of consensual parenting with Tre and Wyatt. So, even though Andy was a MAJOR challenge all by himself, I've found that my work has INCREASED since I've stopped caring for him.<br /><br />If this doesn't sound right to you, then you probably don't know just how much work is involved in consensual parenting. When things are going smoothly, it can seem incredibly simple. In fact, it can seem an awful lot like "un-parenting" (or letting your child parent themselves, something very akin to neglect). Nothing could be further from the truth. The groundwork that must be laid to make this smooth sailing possible is extremely time intensive and requires a lot of creativity. Plus, problems are much more difficult to solve when you can't revert to the "do what I say because I told you so" method of traditional parenting.<br /><br />It isn't until I discovered that Andy's absence has actually increased my workload that I realized just how far away from consensual parenting I had slipped. He's been so difficult to work with, and reverts to violence so quickly, that I had basically fallen into a pattern of solving problems by separating the kids (a solution none of them was very happy with). Now that I am actually working on helping Tre and Wyatt solve their disagreements through consideration of each's position and looking for a mutually acceptable solution, it's not so easy.<br /><br />But despite this fact, I'm absolutely thrilled. I know it's not easy now, but it should get easier as Wyatt and Tre develop more tools for solving disputes (which at the moment seem near constant, though I'm sure it's not as bad as it seems). The time I spend now in helping them learn how to work together consensually will pay off in their future well-being, and this goes for Wyatt too, even if his mother doesn't fully follow the same parenting standard.Vaessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07979699498941676128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-1618988328736849572009-08-16T11:34:00.002-04:002009-08-16T11:40:25.483-04:00And ThenThe last few days have been busy, but uneventful.<br /><br />Friday I was watching Andy and Wyatt (a friend's son, same age as Andy). Rich had off work, so he took Tre out in the mid-afternoon. Most of the day, the kids played in Tre's room with LEGOs and Thomas trains. I spent a great deal of time in with them, trying to keep fights from errupting.<br /><br />Yesterday was quieter. We ran errands in the morning ending in lunch at CiCi's pizza (an extremely reasonably priced all-you-can-eat pizza buffet we love). Then I came home and Beth (Wyatt's mother) came over and I spent some time helping her with her homework. While I was helping Beth, Wyatt and Tre played together until Tre got frustrated (in part because he was so tired) and we set them both down in front of a movie. After the movie was over, Beth and Wyatt went home and we watched Hancock as a family... Tre fell asleep part way through.<br /><br />Today Beth is coming back over with Wyatt for more homework help. Rich is back at work, so it'll just be us ladies and the kids. I expect it to be fairly similar to yesterday, so unless something major happens, I'll leave it at that until tomorrow.Vaessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07979699498941676128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-80239746710990759532009-08-13T23:15:00.004-04:002009-08-14T00:46:15.627-04:00The Wheels Go...Today was a day off (no other children to watch than my son), and I decided it might be fun to do something we've never done before. A few days ago, we drove by a roller rink that seemed to be closed, and I immediately did some quick research and found one not too far away that was open and had (what seemed to me) very reasonable prices. So, I asked Tre if he'd be interested, he said yes, and off we went.<br /><br />We got to the roller rink at about 4pm with a closing time of 5pm. This turned out to be a good thing, as Tre was only up for about 45 minutes of skating and if we'd gotten there much earlier I would likely have been upset by that. He's never had skates on in his life, and it's been about 10 years since I last had skates on. I have my own skates, which I love, but at the moment (likely because of my weight) they don't fit me right, they pinch my toes. Next time I go, I'll try a rental. (Now I have to decide what to do with my skates: keep, replace, donate and just go rentals...)<br /><br />But, we did go around the rink a few times. I went by myself, to start, remembering from the past that it only took me a lap or two to remember the basics. That was NOT the case this time. A combination of the time lapse and my complete lack of physical fitness had my legs quivering from the beginning of the first lap. In all, I did three total laps in the 45 minutes, interspersed with watching Tre's progress.<br /><br />So, what did Tre do, since obviously he didn't put on skates for the first time and shoot around the rink unassisted? Well, it turns out there were only two other skaters there as we arrived, both wearing roller blades. As I was finishing my first lap and trying to figure out how to get Tre on the rink safely (as I was not stable enough to support him), they offered to assist Tre in rolling around the rink. He made one lap, very slowly, with his feet shooting forward out from under him VERY frequently, while I made my second lap.<br /><br />After that lap, he wanted a break, so we both sat down for a bit. I was dripping with sweat, he was not obviously fatigued. I asked him if he thought it was fun, which he said it was. He was in an extremely good mood, but he said he wanted to go home. Iasked him if he'd be willing to do one more lap for me. He did not agree, but his attitude was such that I kind of pushed him to do it (if he didn't really want to, his attitude would have been different, tought to describe, but obvious to me). So, I encouraged him to do one more lap with the girls, and I did one more lap myself.<br /><br />This second lap of Tre's was much more successful (either from better support from his helpers, or Tre's learning, or some combination thereof). He still had problems keeping his balance over his feet, but nowhere near as bad. He was still positive about the experience, but still wanted to go home, so I started taking his skates off. I got one off, and he wanted to play for a bit with the one that remained. I remember doing that myself, pushing with the "solid" foot and skating with the other. He had a blast, but only did that for a couple of minutes before he was ready for the removal of the second skate.<br /><br />Afterwards, we put on our shoes as the girls traded their roller blades for roller skates (for those unfamiliar with the difference, blades have four wheels in a line front to back in the middle of the foot, while skates have them in a rectangle with two in front and two in back of the foot). I was surprised to see that competent roller bladers do not find it simple to trade over to skates. I knew that the skate to blade transition was difficult, having tried it once myself, but I figured that was due to trying to balance in a different direction (keeping the ankle centered over the blade).<br /><br />Anyway, as we were leaving, I figured out what was driving Tre's desire to leave early. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy himself or that he was really too tired, but that he wanted my assistance with his video game when we got back home. He's interested in going back as soon as we're able, and I happened to notice a sign as we were exiting indicating beginning lessons for kids his age. I inquired and was thrilled to find out that the lessons are the same price as a regular day skating and do not require signing up for any particular stretch of them. Simply show up and pay the price. The only drawback is that until fall (when they start lessons on the weekend) it is highly unlikely that I'll have time away from the other kids I'm watching on the day they offer the lessons. And I can't begin to imagine trying to supervise the transportation, funding, or supervision of three children under five years old with no skating experience in my little four door compact car to the rink for lessons.<br /><br />So, I'm looking forward to fall, and saving up for the next day we can go and just have fun at the rink!Vaessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07979699498941676128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-46944057219092757692009-08-12T12:20:00.010-04:002009-08-14T00:33:16.866-04:00Creative FunToday I had planned to go to the YMCA with Tre (as I'm not watching Andy), but they have an electrical problem. So, instead he's playing with his LEGOs. His creativity in making LEGO ships continues to astonish me.<br /><br />We traded his smallish collection of "Mega Blocks" for his dad's HUGE childhood collection of LEGOs last Christmas (passing his Mega Blocks on to his cousin, Andy) and a few small LEGO Star Wars kits. He started asking us to follow some of the instructions to build the pre-designed ships. But very shortly afterward he started putting the pieces together himself following no patterns. Some of the ships he has made look as if they COULD have come from instructions (in fact, I've asked if they did, but so far he hasn't followed the instructions to make anything without adult help). He builds a wide array of different things, but most are space ships of one sort or another. Many use pieces in (what to me are) very creative ways. He seems to have no pre-concieved notions of what the piece is "supposed" to do, but instead looks at it for itself and uses it where he thinks it will work best.<br /><br />Some of his constructions are straggly, poorly supported monstrosities that seem to have no real rhyme or reason, but more often than not, they are now balanced, symetrical, and fairly functional. This whole process has been incredibly fun to watch.<br /><br />This afternoon, we're going to the local park for some play time outdoors, hopefully with other kids.Vaessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07979699498941676128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-60285903758715048602009-08-11T13:08:00.005-04:002009-08-11T13:14:45.445-04:00Side NoteBy the way, I just want to make it clear from the get go, that though I am absolutely convinced that the method of parenting I have chosen (radical unschooling, consensual parenting) is the best possible and I can't imagine trying to go down a different path, that does NOT mean that I am perfect at following the path I have chosen. I try, but I also fail.<br /><br />I think maybe that putting it out here and holding myself accountable for both success and failure may make the failures happen less often.<br /><br />Also, though I have decided to use this method to raise my son and have done the best I could to follow that path since he was about one year old, my brother and sister-in-law have NOT done so with their son, Andy, who I watch frequently. He has not been taught that violence is not the solution to problems, and it is usually his first solution (even his "dancing" is very violent motions). I am not at all sure how well I will be able to handle this, and I know that my interactions with him are significantly subpar compared to my interactions with my son, Tre. As I can't convince his parents to put in the effort required to raise him in a consensual manner, I don't know how far down that path I can go with him. I guess we'll all just have to watch and see how it all plays out.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-24319585013446579182009-08-11T12:54:00.003-04:002009-08-11T13:00:17.499-04:00Argh!So, today started out tolerable and has been going downhill since then. I have Andy all day today (I watch him while his parents work, and they have a VERY odd schedule). The boys weren't playing well this morning, so I put them in different rooms doing the same thing (playing video games). That worked briefly, until Tre got frustrated again.<br /><br />So, we did some group activities, dancing to music and the like, until that fell apart and devolved into something more like fighting. About that time I noticed it was about lunch time. I figured I needed something quick and easy so I went with canned spaghetti-o's. I tried the house can-opener, and it wouldn't engage the can. Grr. But, we have a hand can-opener as well. I tried it. I've NEVER been any good at getting it to work smoothly. After about 30 minutes, I had two cans half open and edible. By this time, I'm ravenous and the boys are under something resembling control, so I start on my lunch (I missed breakfast breaking up problems this morning). But by this time my temper is totally out of control. Now it's nap time for Andy, so hopefully I can rest, recharge and face the afternoon in a better mood.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-82403119515899820252009-08-10T20:52:00.002-04:002009-08-12T12:34:09.826-04:00Try, Try AgainI'm going to try to be a bit more regular about updating this blog. There are a variety of reasons I want to keep a better track of what goes on in our lives, but the topmost consideration is that I plan to unschool Tre, and keeping track of what happens each day on a blog seems a bit easier that just about any other form of recordkeeping.<br /><br />In that regard, today I was watching Andy for the afternoon. We got a bit of a late start, but Tre was feeling sociable, so he invited Andy to come "visit" early (I was supposed to start watching him about 2:30pm and Tre invited him back about noon.<br /><br />They played some LEGO Batman until Tre got ridiculously frustrated by Andy not doing what he wanted him to do (he was trying to accomplish a particularly difficult goal and Andy was making it more difficult). Tre and I had a conversation about the fact that when working cooperatively with others, we can't always make all the decisions as if we were playing alone. Tre seemed to understand, but it didn't ease his frustration any. He decided he wanted to cry loudly (seconds after giggling, he made this decision in a calm tone of voice). I told him that was fine, but I'd need to close the door between him and us (Andy and me). He agreed, and went back to crying for a minute or two more.<br /><br />After that drama, they played happily for a while, playing with Tre's Thomas wooden train set. That lasted an hour or two until they decided that it made more sense to jump on each other. Tre got tired of that well before Andy did, so I decided to come up with another form of entertainment.<br /><br />So, we all three got into swimsuits, I figured out where I could find an outside water spigot I had some reasonable access to, and I started filling up water balloons. The boys had a blast. They each tossed about 10 baloons at each other, only two actually hitting their targets. (One of those two was caught, undamaged.) They retrieved the broken balloon pieces in order to get their next balloon, so there was little to no trash left in the yard. Then we just took turns spraying each other with the hose.<br /><br />After that, we came back inside, changed into regular clothes, and watched some TV until Andy fell asleep. His parents came home within minutes of him waking up from his nap.<br /><br />This afternoon and evening, Tre has mostly spent playing LEGO Batman on his own. He's doing a great job, which is pretty impressive given that he's only five years old.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-15960808552441014452009-06-10T21:11:00.004-04:002009-06-10T21:15:39.906-04:00And Then Got BetterSo, after a night of scheming (with very little sleep) and a day of hectic phone calls, the light is back at the end of the tunnel, an escape route is hypothesized for the group as a whole as well as an alternate for our family (though neither are actually planned as of yet), and the stress levels are way down.<br /><br />Still, the trip to New Hampshire that was supposed to happen the end of this month is off, and that makes me sad.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-53427590118952332232009-06-10T02:22:00.004-04:002009-06-10T02:27:22.491-04:00It Hit the FanSo, I've been tooling along, minding my own business, living in the status quo for quite a while now. We haven't been making progress toward our goals, but we do know where we're heading and are on the same page in that regard. Then today the bombshell drops.<br /><br />Our housing situation is now in flux. We could need to refigure very quickly, and at the moment, we have no easy answers. The only decision that is "easy" is that the trip I've been looking forward to for the last year is off.<br /><br />Tempers are short, accusations and guilt-trips flying, and the light at the end of the tunnel has gone out.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-85451455484418190262008-11-11T09:35:00.004-05:002008-11-11T10:00:20.604-05:00The Covenant of Unanimous Consent<h2><i>A New Covenant</i> by L. Neil Smith</h2><p><b>WE, THE UNDERSIGNED Witnesses to the Lesson of History -- that no Form of political Governance may be relied upon to secure the Individual Rights of Life, Liberty, or Property -- now therefore establish and provide certain fundamental Precepts measuring our Conduct toward one another, and toward others:</b></p><h2>Individual Sovereignty</h2><p><b>FIRST,</b> that we shall henceforward recognize each individual to be the exclusive Proprietor of his or her own Existence and all of the products of that Existence, holding no Obligation binding among Individuals excepting those to which they voluntarily and explicitly consent;</p><h2>Freedom from Coercion</h2><p><b>SECOND,</b> that under no Circumstances shall we acknowledge any Liberty to initiate force against another Person, and shall instead defend the inalienable Right of Individuals to resist Coercion employing whatever Means prove necessary in their Judgement;</p><h2>Association and Secession</h2><p><b>THIRD,</b> that we shall hold inviolable those Relationships among Individuals which are totally voluntary, but conversely, any Relationship not thus mutually agreeable shall be considered empty and invalid;</p><h2>Individuality of Rights</h2><p><b>FOURTH,</b> that we shall regard Rights to be neither collective nor additive in Character -- two individuals shall have no more Rights than one, nor shall two million nor two thousand million -- nor shall any Group possess Rights in Excess of those belonging to its individual members;</p><h2>Equality of Liberty</h2><p><b>FIFTH,</b> that we shall maintain these Principles without Respect to any person's Race, Nationality, Gender, sexual Preference, Age, or System of Beliefs, and hold that any Entity or Association, however constituted, acting to contravene them by initiation of Farce -- or Threat of same -- shall have forfeited its Right to exist;</p><h2>Supersedure</h2><p><b>UPON UNANIMOUS CONSENT</b> of the Members or Inhabitants of any Association or Territory, we further stipulate that this Agreement shall supercede all existing governmental Documents or Usages then pertinent, that such Constitutions, Charters, Acts, Laws, Statutes, Regulations, or Ordinances contradictory or destructive to the Ends which it expresses shall be null and void, and that this Covenant, being the Property of its Author and Signatories, shall not be Subject to Interpretation excepting insofar as it shall please them.</p><p><i>Signed by Evenstar on October 3, 2008.</i></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-6262085484450232522008-08-22T12:05:00.004-04:002008-08-22T12:15:29.070-04:00Web Sites and Weight LossSo, I've been exploring weight loss support sites, and decided that while <a href="http://www.fatsecret.com">FatSecret</a> is a nice web site, it seems a little rough around the edges. I've recently discovered another site, <a href="http://www.sparkpeople.com">SparkPeople</a> (sign up <a href="http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/register.asp?referredby=3837924&from=friend"><b>here</b></a> if you're interested), which has similar features to FatSecret but excels in two main areas. First, it allows me to record measurements as well as weight. Second, its users seem to be much more supportive.<br /><br />So, if my weight loss tracker seems stagnant (or disappears) it's because I'm not using FatSecret to track my weight anymare. SparkPeople also has a weight loss tracker, but it seems to be generated in such a way that I can't easily link to it. If that changes, I'll put the link up here.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-47605147134256970812008-08-14T11:22:00.003-04:002008-08-14T11:26:49.504-04:00Busy, BusySo, today we're working on moving everything. Thankfully it's only a 12 minute drive from our current residence to our new one, so nothing spectacular is needed. Also, though we need the bulk of the move done before the 16th (that's when the electricity gets turned off, and no sense paying them if we're moving and going bankrupt anyway), we probably don't have to be 100 percent done by that point. Unfortunately, this is the only day prior to the 16th that Rich has off work, so it's really pretty much today or bust, but not quite.<br /><br />Amid all of this, I'm still trying to eat as well as I can so as to not lose ground on the weight loss thing.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-76551052836066321612008-08-13T20:17:00.005-04:002008-08-14T11:25:49.825-04:00Changes, ChangesWell, our financial situation just reached up and bit us on the ass. Our landlord has tired of being gracious and has told us we really need to pay up or ship out. Of course, if we could afford to pay up we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place.<br /><br />So, we're moving back into my mother's house. Not ideal, but the financial picture shouldn't change much and it's only temporary until we can pull together the money for the trip to New Hampshire.<br /><br />Will be BUSY moving everything tomorrow.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-23228414162177642982008-08-12T16:36:00.002-04:002008-08-12T16:38:08.211-04:00More Posts?I am going to attempt once again to get a bit more consistent about posting on here. Ideally, I'd like to post once a day with some little tidbit about myself, my thinking, and/or my family. We'll see how well this goes. :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-73449754021253056892008-08-11T19:10:00.001-04:002008-08-11T19:12:06.984-04:00Weight Loss CountdownI just did some quick figuring. Assuming that the little weight loss progress bar on fat secret (see it at the bottom of this post) changes colors exactly "on time," this is what I can expect.<br /><br />Red Bar (Start): 279.00lbs<br />Orange Bar (1/4 Lost): 241.75lbs<br />Yellow Bar (1/2 Lost): 204.50lbs<br />Green Bar (3/4 Lost): 167.25lbs<br />Blue Bar (GOAL): 130.00lbs<br /><br />Broken down further into more reachable goals (about 10 pounds each):<br /><br />Start weight: 279<br />15 - 270lbs<br />14 - 261lbs<br />13 - 252lbs<br />12 - 242lbs (orange)<br />11 - 233lbs<br />10 - 224lbs<br />09 - 215lbs<br />08 - 205lbs (yellow)<br />07 - 196lbs<br />06 - 186lbs<br />05 - 177lbs<br />04 - 167lbs (green)<br />03 - 158lbs<br />02 - 149lbs<br />01 - 140lbs<br />00 - 130lbs (GOAL... blastoff to healthy living!)<br /><br />At best, I can expect to lose 10 pounds a month. But that means 16 months to reach my goal. In 16 months of consistency and effort, I could be at my correct body weight.<br /><br />So, I'm now on a countdown to my ideal weight. Hopefully I'll be able to count down a number each month. At the moment I'm very close to being able to count down to 14 (263.1 as of today)... in a little more than a year I could be at my goal weight! Now, I gotta keep that in mind when I get discouraged...<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.fatsecret.com/member/Evenstar"><img width="75%" src="http://www.fatsecret.com/ticker/Evenstar.gif"/></a></center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-26407861599783511182008-08-08T11:14:00.006-04:002008-08-08T11:32:25.580-04:00Another Try at Remaking MyselfSo, as happens so often, it's time for me to try to get my life back in order. It's something I've tried over and over again, but so far have been unsuccessful at making it "stick." But I'm trying again and we'll see if I can make it work this time.<br /><br /><h3>Weight</h3><br /><br />I am obese. I am not happy with the way this makes me feel. I don't like the fact that everything takes so much effort. I don't like the fact that I don't have the endurance I ought to. So, I'm working on it. According to height/weight charts, I should be at about 130lbs. So, I'm setting that as a goal and am working on making it happen. I didn't get this extra weight overnight, so I don't expect to lose it overnight. I expect it will take a lot of time and attention. But I am going to make it happen!<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.fatsecret.com/member/Evenstar"><img width="75%" src="http://www.fatsecret.com/ticker/Evenstar.gif"/></a></center><br /><br /><h3>Work</h3><br /><br />For reasons already mentioned in my "New Hampshire Dreaming" post, I need to find a way to make my work more profitable. I work from home doing legal transcription. This is both a good and bad job for me.<br /><br />It's good, because I'm good at typing, I can set my own hours, I can stay home with Tre, I can make just about as much money as I want.<br /><br />It's bad, because it uses 90 percent of my body and 10 percent of my brain. I find myself getting distracted constantly. Even worse, for some reason my body doesn't handle boredom well. When I get bored, I fall asleep. It doesn't matter how much sleep I've got. I don't have to be tired at all, in fact. If I'm bored, I fall asleep. So, I end up trying to balance a tightwire between boredom (falling asleep) and distraction while I try to work.<br /><br />If only I could do something else while I was typing, something that used the parts of my body not used by the typing... but I have been unable, thus far to find that something. My typing requires one foot (to work the pedal which controls the start and stop of the audio), my ears (to hear the audio), my hands (to type what I hear), and my body (to be in front of my computer where this all happens). But I can (and have, in the past) do this work in my sleep.<br /><br /><h3>Housework</h3><br /><br />I'm also, at the same time, trying to improve the standards of housework in our house. I have not been able to keep things up to the standard I would prefer in our house. I've been so overwhelmed with everything else that's going on, that I just haven't been doing good at anything. But enough is enough. We're going to be here for almost another year, and I've got to find a way to make this place livable for that duration.<br /><br />From the moment we moved in here, it has always been meant to be a temporary situation. We never planned to stay here this long. So, in some ways, we've never really made it a home. Now we really have to do that. We can't (or at least I can't) continue living the way we've been living. So, add that to my list of things to work on.<br /><br /><h3>Social</h3><br /><br />I have discovered over our years together that I have a much larger need for social interaction than my husband does. Unfortunately, this means that I tend to not get my need for social interaction met. It's up to me to fix that. I have people nearby that I could spend time with. I could save some money and visit the people I know who live further away. I could meet this need without my husband. But I've got to stop waiting for New Hampshire. Yes, I expect it will be easier there, because there are already social situations there that I could just "plug into" to a major extent. But similar situations exist here, I've just got to find them.<br /><br /><h2>Summary</h2><br /><br />I've got a lot of work cut out for myself. And even if I accomplish all this, it will just be a beginning. I've got big plans for myself. It's time to stop living in the future and start making changes today. That way, when the future comes, I'll be ready to make the most of it!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-9660447604630593742008-08-08T10:59:00.005-04:002008-08-08T11:13:38.673-04:00New Hampshire DreamingSo, as you may be aware, we're trying to find a way to get to New Hampshire. (See <a href="http://www.FreeStateProject.org">this website</a> if you want to know the biggest reason why). My husband is FINALLY fully behind me on the idea (he's a teddy bear who loves the colder climates), but we face quite a few challenges before we'll finally make it there.<br /><br />To start with, we've both come down in the world from the economic starts we had. He was raised upper middle class (with the emphasis on upper). I was raised upper middle class (with the emphasis on middle). When we were first dating and early in our marriage we were DINKs (dual income, no kids) and lived the life. We were eating out at "sit-down" restaurants (of the Applebees, Olive Garden, and Outback ilk) at least three nights a week, sometimes more. We ordered our groceries on the internet and had them delivered to our door (which actually saved us money on the impulse buying we regularly did when actually at grocery stores). We were living in a condo in Montgomery Country, Maryland and doing okay financially.<br /><br />Then things fell apart. We both lost our jobs fairly close in time frame to each other and have never had jobs that payed as well since. We followed a dream of helping to run a family business, which never came together for a wide variety of reasons. Now we find ourselves living in a trailer park in southern Virginia just barely able to rob Peter to pay Paul and keep the ends together. Our credit is as low as it can go, and we don't have any savings.<br /><br />But we really want to make it to New Hampshire. So, we're starting to plan, hope, and scheme. If we can manage to save at least $500 a month and work on rebuilding our credit rating, we can probably make the move to New Hampshire in 9 to 12 months. That seems forever away from where I'm sitting, but when I look back it seems only yesterday we were worrying about the whole Y2K bug. So, I've got to find a way to not only keep doing what I've just barely been doing, but up the pace considerably. But if it gets us to New Hampshire, it's worth it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-2622169487974833322008-08-08T10:46:00.004-04:002009-08-14T00:33:49.035-04:00LanguageFor the last few months, my son has been playing with language. It's fascinating to watch, because this didn't start until after he had a pretty good grasp on functional English. What he does is makes up new words (that sound very similar, and he goes through phases on the words... first words that sound like "lee-low" now words that sound like "bingo"). After he's used his imaginary words he tells me, "That means..." and goes on to give them a new definition each time (even with the same exact words). The most common definition of just about everything is, "I love you", which is sweet.<br /><br />Initially when he started playing with these made up words, he called the Spanish. I just happen to speak some Spanish (though I don't use it much, I was pretty much fluent back in the early 90s). So, I've told him that Spanish is a different language and if he wants to he can learn it, but that the words he was using were a different language, and he really ought to call it something else.<br /><br />I enjoy watching this process and will try to occassionally update as he continues to grow in this and other areas.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-63130040193826217412008-04-30T19:38:00.005-04:002008-04-30T22:48:10.119-04:00BookCrossingI found a site I wanted to share with everyone. This site is: <a href="http://bookcrossing.com/friend/Evenstar75">BookCrossing.com</a>. It's been around for a while, but I just stumbled across it for the first time today. It basically lets you put a label on your books (with an individualized tracking number) and "release" them by handing them to a friend or leaving them somewhere they're likely to be found and enjoyed. Found books may be lucky enough to get a journal entry to record their travels so that the path the book takes can be enjoyed by the original sender and subsequent finders.<br /><br />Also, as a part of this idea, there are fairly regular book exchanges done as "book rings" or "book rays" where the books are passed from one person to another. (Ring books end up back at home, rays do not.) Though this is not the primary purpose of the site, it is certainly a fairly obvious modification of the original idea and happens pretty frequently from what I can tell.<br /><br />Please visit by clicking <a href="http://bookcrossing.com/friend/Evenstar75">this link</a> and see what you think. If you choose to sign up, my referral name is "Evenstar75." I get nothing out of it but credit for having referred people (so don't feel pressured by the referral thing). I just think it's a very nice idea of a way to pass along the books that you no longer want.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417468.post-74836438223775820262008-04-19T13:50:00.005-04:002008-04-30T20:07:47.371-04:00Imaginary FriendsSo, my son was telling me last night about his imaginary friends. He apparently has two imaginary friends. Luke Skywalker and WS. We spoke mostly about WS, because this was the first I've heard him talk about him. (He loves Luke Skywalker from the original Star Wars movies and the Lego Star Wars games that he enjoys playing.)<br /><br />WS is a boy with short brown hair and brown eyes. He sometimes stays at our house, sometimes at other houses, and sometimes lives in the trees. (We had this talk while driving, so the trees might have been added simply because they were part of the scenery.) He said that they shared their food (he shared his food with WX and WX shared his with Tre as well). He told me that sometimes WS's food was good and sometimes it was yucky.<br /><br />Anyway, it may be a very passing thing, but I wanted to make notes so that he would remember as he grows up... if I had imaginary friends growing up, I don't remember anything about them. And in that respect, I'll continue to add more detail as I hear more about him.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1