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Below are the most recent 25 friends' journal entries.
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| Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 |
spinfrog
|
9:19a |
"holiday" music is like two+ months of auditory Chinese water torture.. |
| Monday, November 9th, 2009 |
evilandi
|
11:17p |
Yeah, there was a Con. ACNW! Good times had by all. Quotes! "He has a theme..." "Oh, that Prince..." "No. Nononooo. I know everyone in this building. This is NOT happening..." "I'm glad we finally remembered where the Pokemon reference came from about your dead grandmother..." AND the one that nearly made me spit out my drink, "...and he'll be having an Astroglide and Coke." |
| Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 |
dj_stitch
|
1:10a |
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| Monday, November 9th, 2009 |
dj_stitch
|
11:15p |
back on the path
Hah, it's always funny to me how immediate the rewards are when you finally let whatever the most recent lesson Life was trying to teach you sink through your (my) thick skull. Or, as I put it to my favorite ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) ziptie, "The reward for being open to abundance is abundance." So yeah, Operation: Re-Otterfication proceeds apace. My breast lump scare has been shown to be just that--a scare, and not more. The ultrasounds showed what the radiologist said with "98% confidence" was a benign fibroid. I'll be self-monitoring and will follow-up in six months, but it can stop occupying a place of primacy in my thoughts. In the meantime, I've been making a conscientious effort to be joy-seeking and joy-loving, and to not take things So Bloody Seriously, and the universe is responding. I had a glorious weekend filled with snuggle piles and tribe-time, made a new friend/more-than-friend (omg-she's-so-cute-squee! I think I might be twitterpated), have a visit this week from my oldest friend to look forward to, and got A's on my Spanish midterm and midterm Shakespeare paper. As icing on the cake, today and yesterday were in the high sixties and sunny. Also? I totally get to do yoga with Amanda Fucking Palmer this weekend: http://bit.ly/4EVSr4. What a strange and delightful fangirl thrill. I've had a smile on my face since Friday. I'm basking. Current Mood:  happy |
jtrumbore
|
9:51p |
Dress Diary - Blue Fairy
Don't ask why, but I got this hairy idea to make myself a Blue Fairy outfit. No pattern, just me trying to fit myself without even a dummy my size. This is probably going to be a disaster, but I'm sure to have fun along the way! ( Lots of pictures behind the cut. ) |
savannarama
|
11:12a |
Yikes.
Maclaren Stroller Company Announces Huge RecallExcerpt: Stroller company Maclaren USA announced a huge stroller recall this morning affecting more than 1 million strollers after a dozen reports of children's fingertips being amputated when they put their hands into a side hinge. |
| Sunday, November 8th, 2009 |
mrsloane
|
8:35p |
|
muse
|
9:03p |
last week
There are times, awkwardly fumbling, that we offend or hurt others. The mirror is our eyes. There are other times, when other people, also awkwardly fumbling, hurt us. This is a part of being brave enough to feel and express emotions. Some would say that it's connected to what makes us truly human. Humanity carries with it all the weight of individuality and the freedom of expression. Seizing that honesty comes with the price of potential pain. If I know anything of myself, it's that I do not operate with the intent to harm or otherwise injure other people. I try not to assume others mean harm when they hurt me. I've learned so much in living in this city. My view of the world has both gotten wider and also, shrunk. Living in one of the most racially divided and physically violent cities in the United States has enabled me to think and rethink many of my views. I can understand why stereotypes exist, and am also grateful for the people who press beyond those. There's so much that's truly ugly here, so much of the darker side of humankind--from cop-shootings to a high murder rate to the forced sex-trafficking of illegals in Chinatown. Sometimes, I ride the bus and am the only person offering her seat to an elderly person or a pregnant woman. A few weeks ago, I saw a motorist hit a bicyclist and speed away; last week, someone critically injured eight-year-old twins, same situation. I'm seeing more than I might have ever seen before, even as I feel oppressed and small and insignificant. Maybe it was good for me to escape the naive bubble I lived in at Arcosanti. I'm starting to feel that the world is not a place of good intentions, which breaks my heart. If you meet someone who possesses true honour, cling to that person and shine forth the beacon of your own light upon him or her. It's really rarer than one thinks. It's not that I've grown cynical, it's just that I've seen and experienced more that's truly hurt my heart and soul here. I never wanted to view the world this way, and I know that I cannot and will not go back. I must press forward and tend to my own light. I must recognise the light in others, and be brave enough to stand tall even when I feel defeated and tired. I came to Philadelphia for love, and while this city is not filled with the brotherly love it purports, it taught me how to love truer and gentler than I ever have. The last two weeks have been so fucking rough. Last Monday, a man entered the store wanting cash back without a receipt. When my associate gently told him our policy, he became verbally abusive, even using curse words and threats. I asked him to leave and he proceeded to verbally batter me. I repeated my demand that he leave and called security. He left only to return a half-hour later with his hand in his coat. "I'm back, bitch," he announced and proceeded to lay into me with a security guard standing there idly. The man claimed we were racially profiling him. When I emphatically told him that we weren't and that the policy would remain no matter his skin colour, age, or gender, he became more furious. He pretended to shoot me and kept staring me down and yelling "Bang bang." With his hand in his coat and his associates wearing street tattoos, I thought he might. I had that flash that one gets before something dangerous happens. He smashed things around. People cleared the store in a panic. Finally, the security guard requested he leave--after I told him to do so. As the man was leaving, he pointed the faux guns of his fingers at me and yelled, "Now, I'm gonna fuck up your life. I'm going to call your company every day about you." We called the police, our company, and the head of security. Then, we had to call the police again because he and his friends were calling the store repeatedly, asking when we closed and when we were leaving. Friday, I got word that he'd called the consumer complaint line to report a grievance. He claimed I called him racial names like mixed, which is ironic because that's how I identify, and the man had beautiful dark skin and didn't appear racially mixed in any way. Besides, who cares if he was? I certainly didn't. The company backed my associate and me. He didn't like it, and called the store on Tuesday to say, "Bitch. It ain't over yet. I'm comin' for you!" and other charming things. Wednesday, he showed up, and security chased him out. Each time, we keep calling the police to add this to the report. We have two different names for him and a phone number, but nothing. When he told me he was after me, I could see in his eyes it was not an idle threat. I'm very good at knowing what is and is not a true threat. I am told to keep calling the police and that they can't do anything unless they see him near me. Friday, his two friends--who were present during all of this--came in ostensibly to shop. I think they were taking the temperature of the store. Security swarmed the store, and the friends called the suspect, laughing, and taking camera-phone pictures. I don't feel safe. I feel completely threatened, and for the first time I'm being threatened by a total stranger, and I don't understand why. Those of you who know my past know that it's been a good ten years since I almost lost my life due to an abusive partner. I know this stuff already; I don't need reminders that this System is inherently flawed and further victimises victims with the hoops we have to jump through to get someone arrested. I'm fucking angry that I'm a victim in this because I never thought I'd be one again, yet I'm having panic attacks, looking over my shoulder, and thinking that this might not be a good city for me. All I know is it's hurting me and causing me to look at the world in an even different way, and I'm not sure that it's a good thing. There are times, too, that others hurt us, and all we can do is make ourselves safe and trust that it'll all be okay. I don't know that it will be, though. I just know that I feel very scared and very alone and it hasn't faded for me. Shaun has been amazing and supportive, but just because he is those things doesn't mean he should have to be those things. I've got to get it together before I fall apart. I've overcome too much to be feeling this way. I just can't stop myself from feeling this scared or shake the feeling that this man is going to seriously injure or kill me. |
| Monday, November 9th, 2009 |
painless_j
|
12:48a |
|
| Sunday, November 8th, 2009 |
spinfrog
|
12:04p |
Not sure how I feel about the healthcare reform. I am not a lawyer but to me it seems that a government-run health insurance refusing to pay for a legal medical procedure - that's just seems wrong, no? :/ |
| Saturday, November 7th, 2009 |
rjl20
|
2:07a |
Thoughts on Christopher Monfort
According to the P-I, Christopher Monfort, the person shot by police earlier today and suspected of the killing of Seattle Police Officer Tim Brenton on Halloween, had two traffic infractions on his state record, and that’s it. I did a quick lookup at the Washington Courts site, and found that those two infractions were from 9/14/2007 and 3/11/2009. What that site doesn’t show is that on 10/16/2009, Monfort was cited in Seattle for driving without insurance. I got that from the Municipal Court of Seattle’s site.
“Monfort may have been recently laid off from a job as a security guard or private investigator, a Seattle police source familiar with the investigation said.”
Aside from being a $550 fine, that charge on the 16th would have been his third inside just over two years. I don’t know where he worked or what the terms of his employment were, but I’ve seen job listings for which you couldn’t have three or more traffic violations within the past three years. If his job had such a requirement, that Seattle ticket would have been the reason he was laid off.
The court mailed him his hearing notice on the 28th. It probably would have reached him on the 30th or 31st. If he’d been stewing for a while, that could have set him off. If he’s not the guy, then that all doesn’t mean anything. But if he is, it sounds like as good an explanation as any for what happened.
Incidentally, the suspect profile the SPD released on the 5th said, “We do believe that although he shot a police officer, he may in fact admire them and even act like them.” The car he was driving when he got the insurance ticket may have been a Crown Victoria with a spotlight, like a cop car. Records show it was a 4-door Ford, anyway, and his neighbors report that he drove a car that looked like a Crown Vic.
 |
| Friday, November 6th, 2009 |
mrsloane
|
5:08p |
|
sleet01
|
12:24p |
|
spinfrog
|
4:21p |
|
bostonsteamer
|
11:41a |
Bad polyglot joke
Q: What does a Frenchman say when he wants strawberries in Israel, and he's in a hurry? A: "Tout suite" ("Toot" is Hebrew for "strawberry") |
savannarama
|
9:00a |
|
| Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 |
dj_stitch
|
10:58p |
One of those "Well, duh" epiphanies:
You know what? I've been much too stressed, and it really isn't fun. My spirit has put on way too much weight. Project: Re-Otterfication starts NOW. Hand me a dandelion and my combat boots. |
fieria
|
2:02p |
The part of the Orca card agreement that I feared would exist does, in fact, exist.
I understand the ORCA system will record data each time I use my Business Card. Data will include the date, time and location of the card when it is presented. I understand this data is owned by the ORCA Agencies and is accessible to the City. The City will not use ORCA data to monitor an individual employee’s performance on an ongoing daily basis, but rather will use ORCA data consistent with the Commute Trip program goals. The City will not use information obtained from ORCA as the sole basis to discipline a City employee. -- So the options are: 1)Pay a buttload out of pocket to use the bus and not have my movements tracked. 2)Accept the Orca card, ride the bus for free. Know that if I don't ride the bus enough to work, the card will be taken away and "discipline" may commence. It's not the terrible choice that I anticipated, but I would like to re-iterate my hatred for the Orca card--the setup is definitely Big Brothery and mainly benefits coorperations. The only way individuals benefit is by having one card to pay for all transportation. TINSTAAFL. |
malora_ann
|
9:52a |
Chrome fails to create a women's actual/average size in bike clothes
Rather annoyed that once again, bike clothing completely "made for women" is only made for women size 10 and under- I sent the below note to Chrome. Swobo did the same thing. Advertising theire women's knicker in size Large but it fits again, a size 10. http://www.swobo.com/catalog/product_inf o_w.php?cPath=1044_1046 This is so frustrating! Why can't they create REALISTIC SIZES? I don't mind being average and being called Large, honestly. That doesn't bother me. Sizing doesn't really make any literal sense anyway, when a size 12 can be the same inches in circumference of the waist as a size 14 or 16, depending on the manufacturer and construction design/material type. Fabric, even denim, stretches and gives. But that is all not the point. The point is that I am so pissed because I just want a decent pair of biking pants to wear in a size 12, 14, or 16 or even higher than that! Chrome and Swobo bike stores completely FAIL at supplying women with good clothing sizes. ________________________Letter to Chrome__________________________________ ___
http://www.chromebagsstore.com/apparel/womens-apparel/vanya.html
While I appreciate your women specific garments, and your note of "sizes run small" - when you choose to carry nothing bigger than a size 10 you are excluding a large client base, as well as the average US women. It's pathetic and it's bad business.
The average US women's size is 14 in pants, but you don't go above a 10. Who does your marketing research for sizing? Can you let me see their results in searching for their appropriate clothing size market?
Understanding that your average bike rider is typically more "fit" than the average US women, and understanding that your clothing is quality and expensive, so you would expect only serious riders to buy your clothes - what about the thousands of women out there who are a size 12 or 14 or even larger who ride bikes and want quality clothes?
Please forward on to your researchers this article and potentially ask them if they can consider providing more useful sizes:
http://calorielab.com/news/2009/04/09/average-sized-woman-clothing/
Trust that I will be sharing your lack of consideration and your exclusion of the average woman with my friends.
Seriously disappointed,
MaLora |
| Monday, November 2nd, 2009 |
rjl20
|
4:56p |
Disregard for the safety of others
In my previous post, I wondered what it took to get someone convicted of vehicular homicide or assault, if they weren’t drunk or high when they committed the crime. I found one example, a guy who drove with his windows fogged over to the extent that he didn’t see someone in a crosswalk. I posited that driving blind was another way to satisfy the “disregard for the safety of others” condition, and here’s some more evidence for that:
“Although none of Mr. Foos’ doctors could cite the precise condition of Mr. Foos’ vision on Sept. 17, the inferences from their testimony establish that his vision was seriously impaired on that date,” the appeals opinion stated. “Mr. Foos’ decision to ignore his impaired vision and the advice of his doctors establishes that he drove with disregard for the safety of others.”
That’s Randall Foos, who killed 19 year old Sara Beth Casey in 2003 by driving into her while she rode her bike. So there’s another data point. Ways to get convicted for vehicular homicide or assault include being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, driving with non-transparent windows, and driving with a medical condition that affects your vision. I’m still looking for any indication that a history of driving infractions is enough to do it. It ought to be.
I’d like to point out to the “no morality without religion” crowd and to the folks who think I wrote about Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz because I’m an anti-semite, that Randall Foos was a pastor at a Kennewick church when he killed Sara Casey, and that after he illegally left the state following his conviction, he got another job as a pastor in Las Vegas. So, you know, I’ll go a step farther than I did with Rabbi Schwartz, and say that not only should Randall Foos never be allowed to drive again, he also isn’t fit to lead a congregation. I hope they throw the book at him.
 |
burgunder
|
9:29a |
|
| Sunday, November 1st, 2009 |
mrsloane
|
11:20p |
|
| Monday, November 2nd, 2009 |
painless_j
|
3:48a |
Kuroshitsuji question and request
Now that I've watched Kuroshitsuji (yes, Amy, I loved it :D), I would love to read some fanfiction. Share your favourites please? Mind one thing though, well, ok, two things: 1) amanuensis1's on my flist, so I've read her K-fics. And 2, closely related to 1: I would prefer the focus to be on devotion and bond between Sebastien and Ciel rather than kink or morbidness of the story. OTOH, I would prefer it to be in character and in-verse nevertheless. The second thing is a question that keeps bothering me. I think it might be answered in the manga, which I started reading but when I finish it remains unknown because I've found myself a job. But then again, hearing opinions on how much the anime differs from the manga, maybe not. In any case, the question is very spoilery ( so I'm hiding it behind the cut ) |
| Sunday, November 1st, 2009 |
mrsloane
|
3:55p |
dumb
I just burnt my hand |
dorkart
|
11:48a |
pvp resto tree
This meme originated at Miss Medicina's Blog and got to me through Dysmorphia's LJ post. * What is the name, class, and spec of your primary healer? Ikkulu, druid, resto. Mhm... tree. * What is your primary group healing environment? pvp - battlegrounds and arenas * What is your favorite healing spell for your class and why? Wild Growth - heals me, my arena partner and his pet. Since mobility is important, instant heals: Rejuv, Lifebloom, Nature's Swiftness + Healing Touch (for the big heal). Swiftmend to annoy people that I have so many instant heals. Otherwise, Nourish for mana efficiency (especially with hots already on target.) * What healing spell do you use least for your class and why? Regrowth. It's very situational. I usually throw it on as Nature's Swiftness + Regrowth followed by Rejuvs and Lifebloom and Abolish Poison when being, uhm, loved by a rogue. With enough resilience (over 1K) and enough hots, the rogues tend to die from my Thorns (lulz!) * What do you feel is the biggest strength of your healing class and why? Mobility + instant heals. Ability to take a punch without instant dying. * What do you feel is the biggest weakness of your healing class and why? Big instant heals require setup or macros: Nature's Swiftness + Healing Touch, or Swiftmend (after putting HoTs on) or Nourish (also after putting HoTs on). Although it's better than back in Vanilla wow where you constantly kept casting big heals in anticipation only to be cancelling them at the last moment to preserve mana. Also, we're significantly weaker out of tree form - which is the only way to cast any offensive spells. (Also, can't pvp as ninja/pirate from Deviate Delight, bah!) * In a 25 man raiding environment, what do you feel, in general, is the best healing assignment for you? Raid healing my party (wild growth, rejuvs) or support healing for tank (hot-em up!). * What healing class do you enjoy healing with most and why? I'm usually the only healer (arenas) or treated as only healer (BGs). In PVE, anything will do. * What healing class do you enjoy healing with least and why? No preference. * What is your worst habit as a healer? Spamming Lifebloom without stopping, lol (although less so after all the nerfs)! Although doing arenas is teaching me about the importance of saving up cooldowns and proper mana management because every little bit counts! * What is your biggest pet peeve in a group environment while healing? People getting out of my range or out of LoS and getting into trouble. Sometimes I'm being immobilized by something and can't chase you to heal you! * Do you feel that your class/spec is well balanced with other healers for PvE healing? For PvE, yes. For PvP, no - while we're awesome at healing in PvP, we completely lack any offensive abilities. Yes, we have cyclone/roots/moonfire, which slows people down, but there is no way I can actually kill someone as a tree (unlike a priest, for example). * What tools do you use to evaluate your own performance as a healer? Arena Historian. Dead trees provide no heals! The battleground summary's "Healing Done" column. * What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about your healing class? That we have unlimited mana. While we do have a lot of it, and plenty of Innervate, in PvP, I also need to stack resilience. If I cast without stopping, my mana lasts about 2 minutes, while Innervate is on a 3 minute cooldown. You *can* get me oom, trust me. (Also, personally, I'm retardedly susceptible to Mana Drain and Mana Explosion effects.) * What do you feel is the most difficult thing for new healers of your class to learn? Figure out the benefits of all the healing spells and when to use them. Some of our spells look deceptively like non-HoTs, but they're very closely tied to them (Swiftmend, Nourish). * If someone were to try to evaluate your performance as a healer via recount, what sort of patterns would they see (i.e. lots of overhealing, low healing output, etc)? Overhealing, but otherwise, steady coverage. * Haste or Crit and why? Crit. I tend to use instant heals and people stack crit for damage, so I need to be able to counter it. * What healing class do you feel you understand least? Paladins. Flash of light something? Ooh, bubble! Shiny! * What add-ons or macros do you use, if any, to aid you in healing? XPerl with healing mode on (which shows you the deficit of health instead of total health on a target.) Gladius for enemies. * Do you strive primarily for balance between your healing stats, or do you stack some much higher than others, and why? With pvp gear, this is mostly pre-decided. I try to get mana regen in there as much as possible (although less now that I'm getting way better at running away and drinking.) After that, it'd be crit and haste. |
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melancholy