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Recently I was introduced to a set of forums that revolved strictly around blogging. After exploring for a couple hours over the course of a few days, I realized that they had much, much more than just forums....and that even their forums were quite amazing, ranging from technical support, to suggestions on how to improve your blog, to even just fun conversations. I'm a member of a popular writing board, in general, but their blog board is nothing compared to this one....and it's quite outstanding given the fact that they've only been around for a few months.
Babbling won't cover everything they offer, though, so I'll shut up and just give you the link. If you're interested in knowing 'anything' more about blogging, then it's worth your clicks. Enjoy!
Here's the link to link.....blog directory, tons of articles, and lots of resources.
And here's the link to link themselves. Come join us! (There's my plug for the day, lol).
~Edit~ I don't want to simply delete any posts I've made, but I no longer support this site and don't want to point people in the wrong direction.
BloggerTalk
Top 12 Photos--Shriveling Zebra
A Maasai man passes the carcass of a zebra in Kenya, where thousands of animals have died due to starvation or thirst. The area is part of a vast region in east Africa, encompassing some of the continent's poorest and most arid zones.As many sites and such have been doing, BBC News put together their top lists from the past year....specifically top 12 photos in this case. This particular one stood out to me, and I felt it was worthy of re-passing along. Sad, no?
Quirky Lurky
~~~Edit 3-19-09: Due to the recent layout change, Quirky Lurky is coming off the sidebar and I've moved him into his original introduction post below. Don't forget to stop by and feed him every now and then. ;-) ~~~
And if you clicky the link under him, you can go play with all the other little creatures that I'd love to adopt (like the monkey you can send swinging through the trees or the penguin you can toss a fish and watch him dive or the cute panda or.....), but force myself not to.....for the sake of 'you' people, and not wanting to make you wait for 50 million e-pets to load before you can read my crap.
So you should thank me....and feed QL a steak. Hehe.
Pass The Torch
Another service announcement of sorts here, but please head over to Pass the Torch and leave a comment. She has a sponsor who will donate a dollar to St. Jude's for every comment. Currently, she has just under 100, and would like to reach her limit of 500 by Saturday. Your comment doesn't have to say much....just leave something to say hey, you read the post, and you support the cause....or even "here's a comment," lol. Just do it. Now. *Growls*
(And no worries...it's legit...she's a regular on one of the writing forums I've begun frequenting...she's not just looking for traffic, and money really will be donated...otherwise, I wouldn't pass it on).
The Most Random Survey Ever
1) What side of the heart do you draw first?
*Draws a heart* I believe it's usually the left...not that I draw hearts on a regular basis anyway.
2) Can you dive without plugging your nose?
I can't even dive, so I wouldn't know. If I dunk my head under water, I don't necessarily have to, but it's prefer.
3) What color is your razor?
Which one? Let's see, I have a blue Venus razor...I have a pink one (I don't usually buy pink, but I wanted to try out their vibrating one, and it was only available in pink at the time)....I've got a black trimmer...and I have a black and silver Seiko. Oh, and I have dark purple-y maroon-ish colored one that was mailed to me a couple months ago as a free trial, and I liked it enough to keep it and continue using. I might even buy the next set of blades for it.
4) What is your blood-type?
Um...uh oh....I used to know this, but now that I'm being asked, I can't think of it for the life of me. It seems like I'm A something...but I'll have to call my mother about that one. *Makes a mental note*
~edit~ Nope, I'm O+. This, of course, came after my mother trying to tell me while she was on the phone, and her getting into a debate with the caller about RH- and PKU tests (huh?), with her eventually telling me that I'm O-retarded. Gee thanks, lol. (And the debate is still going on, by the way....I left 10 minutes ago, and they're still talking about it....geez...I'm the most common blood type...period...hehe).
5) Who would you want to be tied to for 24 hours?
Ryan...and no, we're not going into the reasons why, hehe.
6) What is a rumor someone has spread about you?
I don't usually get rumors spread about me. People tend to like me too much. Well, okay, that and the fact that I'm good about keeping personal things about me private, so that they don't exactly have any dirt on me anyway....and if they try to make something up, people know better (actually, come to think of it, even if it's true, people wouldn't usually believe it, lol). I can only remember one rumor about me, and that was in like 8th grade maybe....and we're so not going there either.
7) How do you feel about carrots?
Should I feel 'anything' about carrots? Actually, I kinda do have an emotional connection to them. When I was little, I used to always want to like them...even though they grossed me out. Every couple months, I'd beg my mom to buy me some so I could try them again. Because my tastes often changed, and I was so insistent on liking them, she kept buying them for me. Now, I am proud to say that I will indeed eat carrots....and I'll like them. I still can't stand them cooked, but nice and crisp is quite yummy indeed, especially if I have a bit of dip for them.
Oh, and I also feel the need to point out a friend of mine who has the username involving her past obsession with carrots. Our first conversation was about her old carrot eating habits, and it just went from there. All in all, I feel pretty happy about carrots.
8) How many chairs at the dining room table?
Well if I had a dining room table, I could answer that question. The bed I typically eat on, has no chairs...but it has four legs, so maybe it's like a chair in itself...9) Which is the best Spice Girl?
Um, I'm trying to remember their names....I was never big on them, although I will give them credit for allowing "Wannabe" to spread my school like wildfire.
10) Do you know what time it is?
2:15!! (Yay for being able to cheat by using standard computer clocks...that wasn't really a random question...I'm not sure why it's even here....)
11) Do you know all the words to the Fresh Prince Theme Song?
No, but I know a good portion of them....
"Now this is the story all about how, my life got flipped, turned upside down, and I'd like to take a minute just sit right there, and I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel-Air....(music).....In West Philadelphia, born and raised, on the playground is where I spent most of my days, chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool, and all shooting some b-ball outside of the school, when a couple of guys, who were up in no good, started making trouble in my neighborhood, I got in one little fight and my mom got scared, and said you're moving with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air. I whistled for a cab and when it came near, the license plate said "fresh" and had a dice in the mirror. If anything I could say that this cab was rare, but I thought, nah forget it, go home to Bel-Air. I pulled up to a house about seven or eight, and I yelled to the cabby "yo, home, smell you later." Looked at my kingdom I was finally there, to settle my throne as the prince of Bel-Air. (I remembered more than I thought....probably missed a few words here or there, but damn...that's pretty good, hehe).
Now ask me to do the Carlton. 'I' can't do it, but I sure can point you in the direction of a few people who can, hehe.
12) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator?
Calm the people down around me. If I was alone, I'd push the little help button, call someone, and then sit patiently until they unstuck my elevator.
14) True or False: All's fair in love and war?
I beg to differ, but then there are people who beg to differ with me, and then we beg to differ with each other, and it just gets to the point where we're not even thinking about love 'or' war any more, so it doesn't seem to matter.15) Do you know how to use some words correctly, but not know the meaning?
Um, I can't really think of any.
But....it does remind me of a blog I was reading yesterday, and I pledged to use the words she was talking about. So here they are....twatwaffle, and kerfuffle. I do believe I could use them correctly, lol, but I'm not sure I really want to know where "twatwaffle" originated from.
16) Do you like to sleep?
Sure thing....unless, of course, it's interrupting the rest of my life, in which case, I'd rather be doing other things, and despise that eventually I'll have to stop and rest.
17) Do you know which US states don't use Daylight Savings?
Offhand, nah. I know Arizona doesn't....and Indiana is kinda screwy with only parts of it not following it, and other parts of it using it anyway. Messed up.
18) Do you know the song Total Eclipse of the Heart?
Of course. Bonnie Tyler. ~edit~ I was going to start singing it for you, but I think she does it better. Listen to this instead:
19) Do you want a bright yellow '06 mustang?
Oh no! In fact, it's a huge pet peeve of mine. Personally, I can't stand yellow on cars anyway, but to ruin a Mustang with it? No thanks!
To make matters worse, just as my tuition was due last year, and I was hoping my dad would help me out, he showed up at my doorstep (he's 7 hours from me, but I needed a ride back home for the holidays, and he apparently worked it out with my mother while I was out of the country....I was given 5 minutes warning that he'd be there!)......driving a bright yellow Mustang '05. Oh, I could've killed that man, *adds an lol so it seems like she's joking, lol*
So, um, no....no bright yellow Mustangs for me....
20) What's something you've always wanted?
I'm not sure...I don't tend to want much, and when I do, it's something obtainable so I can achieve it myself.
21) Do you have hairy legs?
Actually, they are somewhat hairy at the moment. Now that I'm at home, I can't step out of the room for more than 5 minutes without someone yelling at me because one kid or another has done something (I timed it yesterday....3 minutes, 46 seconds, hehe). I did partially shave them last weekend when we went to get Santa pictures done, and I realized last minute that everyone was wearing skirts instead of jeans like we usually do, so I did a quick lotion shave on the lower half so I could wear panty hose without them looking incredibly horrible, lol.
Uh, not that you really wanted to know 'that' much...
22) Would you rather swim in the ocean or a lake?
I can't swim, so I'd rather have a pool so I can stay in a shallow end and swim around underneath while still being able to touch the bottom to push myself up for air....yes, that's right, I can swim underneath, but for the life of me, I can't stay on top (except for floating, which I 'can' do....just don't try to get me to move at the same time).
Now if you gave me a snorkel, I could swim under the surface for hours upon end, so I guess in that sense, and ocean would treat me quite nicely, right?
23) Describe your hair.
Well, it has a great personality...temperamental at times, but for the most part, if you give her what she wants, she'll reciprocate. Like most other thing, she has her days where she's not feeling the greatest, but as a general rule, she's happy and full of life.24) Do you have Entomophobia?
*Googles* Insectophobia? Oh dear heavens, no! Oh, the stories I could tell about my interactions with bugs....like the time when I was around the age of 7 and brought my mom a pair of jumping spiders in my closed hands, and then opened them in her face to show her while she was napping. And I'll have you know, I still think I had every right to be upset that she smacked them out of my hand....I worked hard to catch those suckers, and she just swatted them away...I don't care if they could've bit me. *mad face* (And yes, I know spiders aren't insects....but the same applies for a whole array of bugs)
25) Are you an adult?
They keep telling me I am, but I much prefer my child-like nature. I can be as serious as adults are 'supposed' to be, and I've been that way for years....but as a general rule, I'm a child at heart, and I hope to always be that way.
26) Where is/are your best friend(s)?
Not here...they're spread out over the U.S. and I only see them occasionally....or better yet, the select few I would rank in my top category of friends, are people I've never met in person, and I only interact with them online.
27) Do you have a tan?
I have freckles...do they count?! I don't tan very easily now (when I was younger I did...hence all the freckles), and when I do, it rarely lasts any more. I had a bit of one over the summer (I'd hope so....I worked at a summer camp), but now that it's the dead of winter, I think not.
28) Are you a rachel ray addict?
Puh-lease....I knew Rachel Ray before she even thought about being popular, lol. Okay, so that's only because the only time I watched t.v. was during a break between classes over lunch hour, and she just happened to be on at that time...and I'd watch her on commercials of other shows. Although I'm far from an addict, she's one of the few names I recognize, and would still watch if it were offered to me.
29) Do you enjoy spending time with your mother?
Of course. It can be crazy, but considering she's my best friend, in the best sense of the phrase, then I definitely enjoy the time I spend with her....whether it's a 2 minute phone call between classes, a night throwing walnuts at each other at 3 in the morning, while one of us laid on the couch, and the other in the floor (don't ask), or having a serious discussion about the wonders of the world, there's always something enjoyable.
30) Are you a sugar freak?
Simply put, no. Now, I do enjoy sugary items from time to time (think chocolate), as a general rule, I don't eat or drink much sugar.
31) Do you like orange juice
I don't often drink it, but when I do, I enjoy it. I used to be rather picky with it (I really, really didn't like pulp), but now, it's so rare, I don't particularly care....as long as it's cold and, uh, orangey.
32) Where do you wish you were right now?
Here....but there are a few people I wish were here with me. And soon, I'll head back to my place, and I'll be happy to be there, but for now, this is working just fine for me.
Sneaky Cheap
The idea of damaged chi really concerned me, so went and googled "chi damage." Number one on the list was answered the question of whether or not homosexuality damages chi (oh puh-lease)....and number four discussed the damage of the Chi-Chi earthquake (there were 2,415 deaths (including missing people)....I wonder if people have gone missing because of SneakyCheap site).
But ya know, then I realized that I thought achy to mean hurt...as in damaged...when in reality, maybe it's just a stomach ache from a bug or from eating too many sweets (stealing too many items?)...or maybe, just maybe SneakyCheap is in love, and his sole existence is aching for another website that compliments its every purpose. But then...how does that tie into his chi? Maybe he already lost his love, and now his chi is aching for it to come back. Maybe it should try some acupuncture or a something to clear up its pains (after all, we don't want his aching chi to continue affecting everyone else's chi, too....it'd turn into a negative chi epidemic, and the world has enough of that already, right?). Or how about rearranging its list in a feng shui appropriate manner so that its chi can be freed up and become more positive?
*Sigh* But alas, I doubt I'll ever know why its che is aky....unless, of course, the owner of the site tracks back links to his site, in which case, let's hope he answers my questions! :P
Lip Tattoos
Of course, he has everything copyrighted, and even has the whole "don't duplicate/republish" stuff, so I'll be nice and not show you a few here. It's unlikely that you'll head on over considering I don't have anything to tease you with, but whatever....his loss, not mine, lol. There really are some interesting ones, though....I mean, who thinks to put 'Vegan' on the inside of their lip? I'm lovin' the "thought crime" one, too....wonder why the inside of the lip is where these people chose to put their tats....
Oooooh!! Go check out the glow in the dark ones. There are 18 pages of those, as opposed to the 2 1/2 of the lip ones. Here's the main site if you're interested in looking at the geek tats, fairies, or even the removal ones (some are rather graphic, so careful). A ton more categories, too...
10 Minute Email
10 Minute Email Service
I'd never heard of this service, so feel free to flame me for being behind the times, but I sure wish there would've been something like this a few years ago (or that I would've known about it), when I was really into signing up for various things, but hated the spam it got me. Now, I rarely give a site my real info anyway, and even if I do, I have a couple spare accounts for this purpose alone. For everyone else, here's the description of the site:
I'd never heard of this service, so feel free to flame me for being behind the times, but I sure wish there would've been something like this a few years ago (or that I would've known about it), when I was really into signing up for various things, but hated the spam it got me. Now, I rarely give a site my real info anyway, and even if I do, I have a couple spare accounts for this purpose alone. For everyone else, here's the description of the site:
Oh, and fyi, if you need a bit more time, you can click a button that'll refresh your time in 10 minute increments.
Welcome to 10 Minute Mail.
By clicking on the link below, you will be given a temporary e-mail address. Any e-mails sent to that address will show up automatically on the web page. You can read them, click on links, and even reply to them. The e-mail address will expire after 10 minutes.
Why would you use this? Maybe you want to sign up for a site which requires that you provide an e-mail address to send a validation e-mail to. And maybe you don't want to give up your real e-mail address and end up on a bunch of spam lists. This is nice and disposable. And it's free. Enjoy!
Christmas Card
And here's the Christmas card for everyone. I don't typically like e-greeting cards...they're usually tacky or impersonal...and well, this one isn't personalized either, but I can't see many people calling it tacky. Go ahead and take a couple minutes to make it beautiful, and then move along with your busy lives. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season (no matter what the holiday or your plans are). I'll be posting more in the following weeks (I have posts saved...they're just not consistent with the holiday season, and I want to get 'those' kind of posts out here first). Take care everyone!
The Christmas Card I'm Stealing to Share With You
Christmas Blog Things
| Your Holiday Personality is Caring |
 You like to reach out to people all year long, but you're especially giving during the holidays. Make those you love homemade presents (like cookies or scarves). Call someone who might be feeling a little down. Give to your favorite charity. |
I don't like going to blogs that are full of surveys and 'this is what a random generator says I am', but the occasional one is fun, so I'm passing these on for others. This is the Christmas category from BlogThings and should satisfy anyone's craving for a random time waster of cutesy Christmas descriptions. Ranging from 'Which reindeer are you?' to 'What crappy Christmas gift are you?' to 'What kind of gift giver are you?', it's all there....
(Okay, so I have to go take one so I have a picture at the top, lol...then it's back to wrapping presents! ~~Christmas personality, it is, and it's right on the money...)
Hippo and the Dentist, Part Two
Remember my post about the hippo's dentist bill (which had an awesome shot of a hippo's open mouth until it was removed :(....yes, I know, I should upload them to PB before posting here, but then I'd have to sign into a different account, because I don't want my main username to be linked here)? Well, here's another picture of a dandy hippo and his lovely mouth. This time, he's using preventative measures so he doesn't have such a large dentist bill. Here's the story about Thug:
LONDON -- Pygmy hippopotamus 'Thug', has his teeth cleaned with a new giant toothbrush at the London Zoo. The hippos' teeth are regularly cleaned by zoo keepers as part of their care routine and until now a broom for each hippo has done the job perfectly. Keepers decided the brooms just weren't snazzy enough for the hippos and ordered two giant 5-foot toothbrushes for the pair, a pink one for Thug and a blueone for Nicky. (12/13/06 AP photo)(I found it!! And by total accident...not by searching....hehe)
It's A Big Ad!!!
One more video, guys....this one because it makes me giggle and I've played it more than once. :-))
So Cold Water Freezes Instantly
It's been fairly warm here, but we're expecting temperatures to drop soon. I was sort of dreading that until I saw this video. I sure hope I never have to experience it being that cold. :( Hehe...
Firefox
That's it. I had to download it anyway. I wasn't going to mention anything about it, but as I was checking in over at Lisa's, I noticed that she has a firefox button on her site....and I couldn't resist the urge to copy the coding, add it to my own, and then point it out to everyone. Hehe. You'll now notice a "Take back the web" firefox button like the one above, over on my side bar. Relish in its beauty.
My Little Squirrel Monkey
Orphaned squirrel monkey Loki clings to his toy duck at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, in this Jan. 19, 2006, file photo. Loki, who lost his mother shortly after birth eight weeks ago, has been hand raised by zoo staff and will be introduced to the rest of the Squirrel Monkey's when once he is weaned and learns to regulate his body temperature.That's me! No, really. Remember when I compared my mother to a dog who raised pumas? Well, I'm currently acting as a toy duck until the dog can continue. The clinging is what reminds me because my little one has been clinging to me like crazy while the others are gone. She will be reintroduced to the wild in a few weeks, but for now, I'm the duck and she's my little squirrel monkey. Awww...
Laundry Attack
At one point, this big gal with long arms, resisted while I was multi-tasking by looking inside the dryer. As I looked back to the washer to see what the problem was, she immediately snapped me in the face with her wet fists and momentarily knocked me into a state of shock. There I was, trying to 'help', and she just had to try to start a cat fight. I didn't want to reciprocate, though, so I merely pushed her back inside, and made her stay there to think about what she'd done while I continued helping the others. I understand she was under a lot of stress and pressure, and I have chosen not to take legal action, however, I do want to make this public so that if she makes further offenses, they will not be taken as lightly.
Gah!!
Okay guys, so I'm still here. I headed back home last Friday with the intentions of being here for a few weeks....but was immediately swamped and haven't had much time to be here on my blog. To make matters worse, I'm using someone else's computer because my laptop isn't configured for the internet connection they have so I can't just switch cords and be on mine. 'That' means, all of my bookmarks are over there, and I won't be visiting the majority of you for a while. Sad, I know, but it's really quite the pain to have the laptop opened in front of me to copy down all the addresses when I want to visit them. A break won't hurt me anyway, right?
Ya know what really sucks, though? I have to use IE here. I'm so tempted to download firefox like I did the last Christmas break, but it irritates my mother, so I'm trying to avoid it. I've been here a mere few days, and it's seriously driving me crazy. I didn't realize how many errors and problems IE had until I had been switched over to firefox for so long and tried coming back to IE. Bleck. Really....bleck!
Anywho, on top of the effects that the funky schedule, the loss of bookmark access, and the dreadful IE issues will have on this blog, I feel the need to warn you that this may indeed start to read like a 'mommy blog' for the next few weeks. It's not intentional, but I'll have my girlies the majority of the time, and it's hard not to mention my pride and joys while I'm here. Besides, kids say some of the cutest things, and why should I resist taking advantage of their blog material?
Dipping in the Kitty
Him: How's your kitty?
Me: I ate it...
Him: You ate it?
Me: *sad voice* Yes, I ate it.
Him: Why'd you eat it?
Me: I wanted to taste it....
Him: Why'd you eat it then? Why didn't you just taste it?
Me: I didn't mean to eat it!
Him: How could you 'not' mean to eat it?
Me: Because I was tasting it, and it just sorta happened.
Him: How'd that happen...? You could've just tasted it...
Me: Well, it's sorta like when you see a huge, delicious chocolate cake....and you just want to taste it. So you dip your finger in the icing and you taste it. Well, you can't stop there, can you? It's just too good! So you dip your finger in again, and again, and before you know it, the whole freakin' cake is gone. .....Well, I couldn't just dip my finger in the kitty because...well...that's kinda gross. *pause to stop the giggles that are approaching* So I, uh, just tasted it once, and when I went back for more, I just ate the whole damn thing. See? I didn't 'mean' to eat the kitty....it just sorta happened.
*pause*
Me: I am soooo sorry. I didn't call to talk to you about dipping in the kitty. Really, I didn't....
Him: *silence*
Me: Wanna kitty?
Him: *finally the laughter* Wow.....
And 'that', my dears, is what happens when it's 4 in the morning and a guy asks how the kitty is that you'd been talking about previously. If it weren't so incredibly random, you might find sexual connotations in there somewhere......but really, it was just pure, random 'real' kitty talk. To make matters worse, when I spoke about eating it earlier (yes, I had actually already eaten the thing several hours later....so it's 'his' fault for bringing it back up), I spoke of the hairballs.
I think 'dipping' in the kitty was so much worse, though.
Close Your Eyes....
And Now Back to the Quirkiness....
Urban dictionary says:
Unconventional, surprising, odd.Can you say "bitter"?? There's more:
A word often used by narcisstic scenesters when they describe their oh-so-unique selves in their Livejournal user info pages in attempts to sound like interesting people.
LJ Bio: I am: Quirky. A Poet. A Photographer. Talented. Incredibly interesting. & Better than you. Add me!
It is a word best used by one person to describe another. Those who apply "quirky" to themselves thereby call into question their very own "quirkiness" by seeming gleefully self-aware (just like everyone else).I feel slightly better here because I 'never' would've labeled myself quirky. Actually, I don't really even like the word. I've been coined 'crazy' numerous times, but it seems that the new crazy is the old 'normal', so everyone thinks they're crazy. When I started this blog, I was at a loss as to what it should be named, so I went with "The Quirky World of Jessi." Technically, I wasn't even describing myself....merely my world....but now that it gets called Quirky Jessi more often, I've left it at that. I'll likely change the name of the blog at some point, but for now, it's sufficient, I think.
(Doesn't that look delicious??)
I'm liking this one even more, though, because it sounds like how 'I' would describe something:
Hehe. Am I awkward, though?
Something that is cool but is not said to be cool because that would be uncool and to call yourself uncool would also be uncool but being uncool in a cool way would be quirky
Shaun is not funny therefore his gay friends think he is unique and quirky. But he is not. This is an example of not being quirky, a quirky wannabe if you like.
Opposite this and you will find quirky.
Unusual and awkward? I suppose I am at times. I must say, though, at the time when I was reading this stuff, I was quite insulted that quirky was considered such a negative thing in the LJ example. I can totally understand, though, because that's kinda how 'crazy' is seen, too. Someone who is self-proclaimed as crazy, is indeed, nothing more than 'normal' usually.
A word used to describe an annoying and difficult to use keypad on a mobile phone. Derived from the word QWERTY, which is the standard layout of computer keyboards and the normal definition of 'Quirky', to discribe something unusual and awkward.
Anywho, that prompted me to check another site to see if there were other meanings, but I stopped after the next one, which was this:
| Braille 6 Dot |       | |
| Braille 8 Dot |       | |
| Sign Language Spelling |       | |
| Morse Code | --.- ..- .. .-. -.- -.-- | |
| Binary | 1110001 1110101 1101001 1110010 1101011 1111001 | |
| Hex | 717569726B79 | |
| Pig Latin | uirkyqay |
That ranks as quirkily fun in my book! I never would've thought to look up how it looked in Braille or sign language. Oh, but you've gotta visit the link because there's an audio link at the bottom where it will 'say' quirky to you! It has this little robotic accent, too, and I 'love' it!
There's Nothing Quirky About Pro-Ana/Mia
I found myself on a Pro-Ana/Mia board last night. (And no, I won't link to them....if you want to see what I'm talking about, you can search for yourself). For those who aren't sure of what that means, it's a site where people who are anorexic, bulimic, or have other eating disorders, come together and discuss their methods and give each other support on continuing. I found myself flip flopping back and forth between sheer anger and sheer sadness, both involving tears. If you're not that familiar with the disorders, don't jump to conclusions or start saying how stupid it is....for those girls (and occasionally guys), this is a constant battle. I could go on and on about what I think about the sites who 'support' continuing the battles. I could give you links to article after article after article of different places like Oprah where this stuff has brought national attention. I could help explain the inside workings of 'why' they feel the need to do such things to their bodies. I could even tell personal stories of how I've been there when people were going through it (I've never done any of this stuff myself, nor have I ever had the desire to).
But honestly, none of that mattered last night. All that mattered was that I was reading about 'real' girls. They weren't statistics. They weren't text book cases. They weren't national headlines. They were real people with real problems with real feelings....and I was reading their real words. It was truly heartbreaking....and it's not going to just go away. I've seen a lot of things, and heck, I've even seen 'this' stuff before. I've been to the sites before. But last night, holy cow, people. I know many of my regular readers are my own age, but I feel the need to reach out to you guys anyway and say "hey, if you notice something, help them!" And for those parents out there, pay attention. Seriously....these girls are doing it right under your noses and you don't even see you. You may think of an anorexic girl as just an insecure twig with a body like the one above, but some of these girls start when they're much heavier....some of them will never achieve the body they want, but they're hurting themselves trying anyway. They'll never be "cured," but they *can* be helped....not without people paying attention, though. And certainly not when their only support group is a family online that is 'furthering' their disorder when no one else knows about it in person. Don't think you can help them by yourself either....it won't happen....and you could make it worse even....but if you're the first person to reach out, that's the important part.
I feel myself getting ready to head into a full blown ramble about this, and I don't want to do that to you. I have quirkier things to discuss....but this falls into the same category as my AIDS/HIV/poverty post and how to stay warm without a heater....and even the brief blurb on chemo. It may not make any difference to 'you', but to someone, it's everything....whether it's an eating disorder, AIDS, cancer, poverty, or something you can't even put your finger on, it's there.....and unless you're paying attention and keeping yourself open, you're not even going to notice....
(Oh geez...I was going to leave it at that and add a couple pictures, but it's hard to look away or not get angry when you see the things they have for inspiration.....the videos and the posters that tell them how wonderful it is. There are a few that I really want to post, but I don't want to promote this to anyone or give resources to someone that has struggled with it before or is currently struggling with it now. One of the things on this particular poster, though, says "Thin is always in. Those who say otherwise are usually fat, aren't they?". Or how about "It is always better to fade away into nothingness than to have a cheeseburger clog your arteries." (You don't have to 'starve' yourself to be healthy....grar!). The thing is, this particular photo isn't even of those stick thin girls with bones poking out everywhere. It's of a perfectly healthy girl with curves and all. She doesn't look 'sickly' or 'ill' at all.....but there's no way that starving yourself will ever give you a body like that....none.....)
But honestly, none of that mattered last night. All that mattered was that I was reading about 'real' girls. They weren't statistics. They weren't text book cases. They weren't national headlines. They were real people with real problems with real feelings....and I was reading their real words. It was truly heartbreaking....and it's not going to just go away. I've seen a lot of things, and heck, I've even seen 'this' stuff before. I've been to the sites before. But last night, holy cow, people. I know many of my regular readers are my own age, but I feel the need to reach out to you guys anyway and say "hey, if you notice something, help them!" And for those parents out there, pay attention. Seriously....these girls are doing it right under your noses and you don't even see you. You may think of an anorexic girl as just an insecure twig with a body like the one above, but some of these girls start when they're much heavier....some of them will never achieve the body they want, but they're hurting themselves trying anyway. They'll never be "cured," but they *can* be helped....not without people paying attention, though. And certainly not when their only support group is a family online that is 'furthering' their disorder when no one else knows about it in person. Don't think you can help them by yourself either....it won't happen....and you could make it worse even....but if you're the first person to reach out, that's the important part.
I feel myself getting ready to head into a full blown ramble about this, and I don't want to do that to you. I have quirkier things to discuss....but this falls into the same category as my AIDS/HIV/poverty post and how to stay warm without a heater....and even the brief blurb on chemo. It may not make any difference to 'you', but to someone, it's everything....whether it's an eating disorder, AIDS, cancer, poverty, or something you can't even put your finger on, it's there.....and unless you're paying attention and keeping yourself open, you're not even going to notice....
(Oh geez...I was going to leave it at that and add a couple pictures, but it's hard to look away or not get angry when you see the things they have for inspiration.....the videos and the posters that tell them how wonderful it is. There are a few that I really want to post, but I don't want to promote this to anyone or give resources to someone that has struggled with it before or is currently struggling with it now. One of the things on this particular poster, though, says "Thin is always in. Those who say otherwise are usually fat, aren't they?". Or how about "It is always better to fade away into nothingness than to have a cheeseburger clog your arteries." (You don't have to 'starve' yourself to be healthy....grar!). The thing is, this particular photo isn't even of those stick thin girls with bones poking out everywhere. It's of a perfectly healthy girl with curves and all. She doesn't look 'sickly' or 'ill' at all.....but there's no way that starving yourself will ever give you a body like that....none.....)
Snark Attack Pt. 2--The Invasion of Snarkiness
And heck, while we're at it, let's give Snarky Puppy their five minutes of QuirkyJessi fame, too. Check out this:
*Giggles*
Actually, it gets better. Look where I found that: http://www.sitmom.com/Pages/snarkypuppy.html
Yes. SnarkyPuppy from sitmom.com. Cute, huh? Actually, they have snarkypuppy.com as their own. And I don't feel bad about saying anything about the flugelhorn because I'm linking all over the place to them and watch, I'm going to do it again. I was curious enough to go listen to samples of their music, lol....which 'you' can hear right here. Go ahead. You know you don't want to, but the curiosity is going to make you do it anyway. *Hypnotizes you*
Oh wait, you don't even know what kind of music it is...."The freedom and spontaneity of jazz, the depth and passion of world music, the energy and infectiousness of pop, and straight-up dirty groove of funky soul music manifested in a 9-piece band from Texas. Seriously." Uh huh, there it is folks. Snarky put into music. Who knew? First in 1906, then it spread rapidly across the internet, television, and even music.
Can I hide now?
Secret Santa Blogging Event
This post is actually just to pass it along to other regular bloggers about the Secret Santa event that's going on. Here are the guidelines and here's another little snippet of extra detail. Basically, it's the standard Secret Santa idea among bloggers with no strings attach. Post your wish list and some little elf may come along to grant your wish. Spread the holiday cheer by surfing through other people's lists and making them come true. You don't have to spend any money....one person's trash is another person's treasure....or it may not be a material item at all. I won't be participating because, well, I have a hard enough time telling my own mother what would be okay to give me....I certainly couldn't write a list in hopes of other people coming along and fulfilling them. I my just browse some lists, though, and see what I can do. ;-)
(Or, if you're just in the mood to give, in general....here's another little contest/event that follows the whole Pay it Forward trend. Do something nice....anywhere....)
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