Our Mosaic

Ahhhhhhh! Been away so long!

2010-09-16T15:18:00.000-07:00

Ooooooo. How long has it been since I updated? Too long. Way to long.

The speakers on our computer died, so unfortunately, I have had to put my learning Arabic on hold. :(

Everything else hasn't slowed down. Um...what have I done? Oh, my mind is whirling, where to start, so much to catch ppl up on.

Um, first, I'm dating again. I had stopped for a few years because I gave up on finding a life-long mate. I have a new approach: have fun. I think I was a little too pushy before. I'm more laid back, now.

Second, I have started writing again. An original novel, plus a fan fiction series. (Star Trek/Buffy/Resident Evil - yep, I'm a nerd).

Went and watch the new Resident Evil. I love it! I think the movies are just as awesome as the games. I personally love Alice, and I was angry when the movies came out that they didn't have the original people in it, but then I found out how much it cost to even have one original RE character from the games over. Well, I knew it was selfish of me (and the rest of the fans) to demand original game characters. I grew up and took it like a true fan - enjoy the movies, and not whine about how my fave character didn't make it in - unless, of course, I was willing to pony up the money. (Rebecca's my fave, by the way. *Sniff*. She isn't even in the rest of the games! Ahhh *wail* Okay, I'm better.)

Ummmm.

Sewing again. Maybe I'll finish that teddy bear for my sister I promised her a few years ago?

Stopped exercising. Maybe I should start again.

My new place is almost finished. I can move in soon! Yippee!

Love everyone who comes along to the blog!

Anna

Brownies

2010-07-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I think I'm bored with my life right now. Seriously.

Tash wants me to bake her some brownies, so I have that to look forward to. Yayness ^^ I make them with Fry's cocoa. I've never tried anything else. Maybe I should? Just to shake things up?

Everything I write turns out to be crap, except for fan fiction stuff. How lame is that? Or maybe I just don't like my ideas. (I whine whine whine)

I think I'll go listen to Korean Music. Girl Generation! They are the best. Put them on and make me brownies.

Just Updating

2010-07-05T15:40:00.000-07:00

I haven't wrote anything in a long while, so here I am. My fanfiction.net has finally been updated. Instead of one story, its two. Ooooo. Also, I changed my name form Cadao.Osperus to plain old Osperus. I like the name. Means pickled fish.

Yum.

Actually, not really. I just like the word.

Getting back into my exercise routine. I was a size 22 in the beginning of this year. Now I'm a sixteen. My aim is size six. I'm getting there!

Moi

HIV video at TED

2010-04-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

2010-04-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

We all struggle with something in our lives. I believe we struggle with a mountain of things others probably don't even notice. Well, here are two things I struggle with: my heart and my weight.

For the majority of my life I could not exercise because of my heart, and so I became quite obese despite eating healthy. I was eating too much for someone who did too little (and was very small), and I tried my best not to eat. I thought the less I ate, the better I was going to be. Well, a few years ago I hit size 22. I don't do scales or pounds, so I don't know how much I weighed, but if you want to guess it I am 4 foot 11.

The reason I don't do pounds is I know someone who is an athlete will weigh the same or more than someone who is just fatty. The athlete has more muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. Or at least, that is my understanding.

But this post is not suppose to be about facts regarding weight management, and how much one person weighs compared to another. That isn't important here. What is important, is that when I reached that size, I was told by my doctor my heart had finally healed from the trauma it had endured when I was four. Actually, he told me it was healthier than most people at my age! Can you imagine my surprise? I wasn't very active and I was told constantly that if you just lazed around then you're going to die young.

Which isn't necessarily true, but it is no contest on who has a better life - the ones who take care of themselves or the ones who don't? Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. I guess I was one of them in the health department, though I can tell you my life wasn't very fun. I had always wanted to run, or even walk quickly.

My doctor then told me something I didn't even know. I could have children. My heart would have gave out by the third trimester, and both me and child would have died. He thought I had known this since he told my mother, but she didn't tell me or my Dad, or anyone! It was good news, for sure, I just didn't know it was an issue.

So that was a really good thing to hear. If my body could go through pregnancy than I could begin working out, right? I could lose my inches, and finally be a size 6!
Unfortunately, you cannot combat 14 years of being told you cannot stress your heart by suddenly saying you can stress it out.

I tried in vain to begin an exercise program for the past three or four years. (I can't remember the last time I saw the heart specialist.) I would quit everytime I began since I tried to do far to much. For about a week I would do situps, pushups, and walking every day. Then I would stop because I was afraid my heart would give out. I knew the doctor had told me I could, but I was terrified of it stopping. I was frightened throughout my childhood that the stupid thing would quit while I was sleeping, forget when it was working really hard! I also quit because doing all that everyday when you hadn't done anything is extremely tiring. That is why you do it three times a week at the most. Walking you can do everyday.

I ended up in the hospital with the flue last year. I was told it was the regular flue, and I really had nothing to worry about from that. BUT, they kept me for almost a week. And it wasn't because of the flue. It was because I was so dehydrated, they put me on IV. It pumped water and salt into me constantly. I also had a dangerously low amount of, well, everything. Crash course!

This was a wake-up call for me. I had to shape up. I spent my whole life limiting what I ate and drank so I could be healthy. Now I was dangerously close to dying from doing so. Even though they were giving me so much, I had to drink, drink, drink. At first I drank only a little and the pickline did most of it. But as the week wore on I drank more and they slowly brought down the IV's amount it was giving me. It also had the unintentional side effect of giving me more exercise, as I had to run to the bathroom. I almost gave up right then, thinking, 'how can people live like this?!'. I was used to going to the washroom rarely.

When I got home I began small. I drank more. That was it. Then I slowly increased my food intake.

Two months ago I began to exercise. Nothing drastic. I walked up and down our driveway once a day. We live in the country, so this was a five minute walk. Not much.

But I steadily lengthened the walk. One round up and down the driveway, then two. Now I walk to the corner of the block and back to the house - a twenty minute walk, twice a day. Last month I added stretches to the mix, something I should have done at the get-go but I had what my dad calls a brain fart - you knew it should be done but it didn't occur to you that you should do it.

I was a size 22 when this year started. I was a size 22 two months ago. But today I am a size 18, a size I hadn't been since I was 18. I am now 23.

If you take anything from this post, I hope you take this : it is not too late to change something you thought you could never change. I thought I was to die very young from my heart. I feared I wouldn't see my late teens. No one had said this, I had just assumed. After all, how far can someone go if they can't even walk fast without fear of their heart failing? Now look at what I am doing!

I am losing my inches. But best of all, my heart is going to be stronger than it was. I plan on living a long time.

Outdated Dictionaries

2010-04-02T19:00:00.001-07:00

Noir Died

2010-04-01T14:04:00.000-07:00

If you've come across Our Mosaic before, then you know we have tons of the felines. We may gripe about them from time to time, and it is true we are looking for homes for them.

Yesterday we lost one.

His name was Noir, and he was gentle, quiet, and very much kept to himself. Another cat had gone after him, biting him on the legs, tail and balls. We don't know why. Noir was the oddest cat we had - he never fought, and the only time he got up in someone's face was to purr. Perhaps yet another cat was dropped off and didn't like him getting close. I don't think any of the other cats would have done this to him, not without an actual fight. He had no defensive wounds. None of the other cats had any new wounds. (I say new because Dante likes to get into fights with Teal'C.). It seems to me he only got injured while running away.

We called the vet but was told there was nothing to do except keep him warm and hope he pulls through.

We did as the vet told us to. We cleaned his wounds, wrapped him in a warm towel, and kept him inside. He didn't move much, and he didn't lose a lot of blood, at least not in the house. We've looked for the fight area, but we have yet to find it. We can't find any blood and it doesn't look like he dragged himself.

So we don't understand. Why was he injured? It doesn't make sense.

Slavery

2010-03-31T14:22:00.000-07:00

This is sad but very important. You need to watch this.

Tax

2010-03-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

Hey fellow Canadians! Tax! (Argggg). Well, I came across this nifty little article on what many don't realize is deductible.

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/taxes/article/bankratecanada/25/more-tax-deductions-you-should-know-about

Okay, I'm done for now.

Yep

2010-03-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

Racism is something I despise. So this video is quite nice, especially since it says we are all the same race anyway, so stop being such an idiot and accept you aren't better than someone with a different color.

Another Video

2010-03-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

I just had to share this video! Her name is Chimamanda Adichie, and I think her talk is wonderful as she speaks about the value of not jumping to conclusions just because you hear one version of the story over and over. She also touches on her childhood, and her writing.

J.K. Rowling Inspirational Speech Harvard 2008

2010-03-25T08:45:00.000-07:00

Here is another video, this time on imagination, goals, and life for humans. I agree with J.K. on so many levels.

http://www.ted.com/talks/jk_rowling_the_fringe_benefits_of_failure.html

Mars Talk

2010-03-25T08:14:00.001-07:00

I love Mars! Here is a video, it was filmed in 2009, and it is a talk about life on Mars - did it happen, how it could have happened, and if there is life there now. The presenter is Joel Levine

New Born Kitten!

2010-03-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

Uggggggg. One of the wild cats that found there way into our house gave birth to a kittens! It is her first litter (she was born in our construction zone last year)and she abandoned the first kitten to continue the birthing process. She refused to come get it, so after a night of nursing we tried to give it back to her. That was very risky - she could have killed it, but we did not have the time or resources to feed the kitten. She accepted him without fuss, though she wasn't too impressed we knew where she was - in our living room, of all things. She gave birth under a table, behind some boxes. We have yet to complete our house (thanks crap economy) in her defense it doesn't look like humans live there - it basically is a storage room with a TV and video games.

Still, we are there all day and most of the night, so I'm not really sure what went on in her head.

I'm glad our cats are gentle and curious, but not so curious as to go near her.

2010-03-10T17:47:00.000-08:00

We have cats. Lots of cats. They also like to play with my glasses. For the last year I have been using my subscription sunglasses because I couldn't find my regular.

I found them. The little demons had hid them in a pathway behind boxes, boxes, and more boxes. (Our house is always in construction, because my father says yes to helping people. We haven't finished since he got the permit years and years ago...I wonder, do you need to renew permits if you never finished?)

So yes, I can see again without the darkness! Yay! Par-tay!

I am also closer than ever to getting my bedroom. I can't wait! Of course, I might move out before the room is completed...

I can live with that.

Women Atheists

2010-03-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

I was reading comments on the Friendly Atheist, and someone made a point that most Atheists that are 'out there' are male, older, and not really-run-of-the-mill. This was in response to Julia Sweeny getting married and dropping the 'atheist label'.

He or she asked to think of an atheist, I'm presuming in the public sphere.

I thought of two females right of the bat, and both are normal women who left because it was healthy for them to do so - at least from what I understand. I don't know them, so you can't really take what I say as truth, just my opinion.

One is 'the Whore of All The Earth', a reference to 1 NEPHI 14:10, which says any woman who isn't with the Church is a whore. Her real name is Leah Elliot and she is a blogger.

The other is ZOMGitsCriss. Her name is Cristina Rad, and she is a Youtuber. Both are brilliant but normal, both are female, and both are not old.

Oh, and then there's us, but we're not famous enough to count. We're both female, young (23 and 18 to be exact) and Atheists.

Am I normal? Well, my imagination is quite, erm... elaborate :).

Let's not get into that.

Palm Reading

2010-03-03T10:42:00.000-08:00

I like learning about people's beliefs. I've learnt many things along way, including palm reading. It is a fascinating art, one which tells you what you already know, and if you like hands you can see many different ones!

I tried reading my own today, and it was actually dead on. My mom read hers and even though she denied it, it was pretty much dead center as well.

Do I believe that palm reading can tell the future? Not any more so than if you thought back to what you did, then made predictions about what you will do according to what you have done. Keeping a diary and reading it to discover what you will do would work just as well.

But it wouldn't be as fun.

Youtube is Allowing Illegal Activity While Banning Fully Legal Videos

2010-03-02T07:23:00.000-08:00

You probably know this, but for quite some time Youtube has been a coward. Or perhaps just a bigot, I'm not too sure.

It has to do with Creation Science. These Christians don't like it when someone proves they are wrong. Instead of talking about it, they claim that the Atheist - yes, videos that they would never make let alone own - are their property to get them off Youtube. And Youtube is allowing it.

So why should you care if you aren't an Atheist? When they are done with our videos, where do you think they are going to go? That's right, they will start in on another group that opposes their world view. That means if you are not a Conservative Christian, your account could be banned.

Think I'm making a leap? If they successfully continue doing what they are doing, they will know they can get away with it for anything.

They will go after other Christians if it gets so bad they can silence anyone.

Do you believe in reincarnation? They don't. They see those videos as offensive. Do you want to keep those videos up there? Then help us stop them - stop them from being bullies.

I want a Youtube where I can watch videos - not be forced fed one version of Christianity. It isn't that far off unless we do something about it.

This Is Me

2010-02-25T17:32:00.000-08:00

There are many things I love about being Canadian. Four distinct seasons and wide open spaces are only two things in a long list about why Canada is one of the best countries to live in. (Still, I'm in love with Australia and New Zealand. I at least want to visit them before I die)

Since becoming an Atheist I learned about how religion plays roles in other countries. It horrifies me. I never thought about it before, as religion doesn't play a part in how my life is run in Canada - certainly not by law.

The best thing about Canada is religious freedom. It amazes me how many rights are taken away in far too many countries just for not being one with the crowd. It is so foreign. I don't have to worry about my rights being taken away simply because I don't believe in Ra or Luna, or any other god or goddess.

I am lucky I was born in a country where my journey could be navigated by me, and not by anyone else. I was born, raised Christian, and in an attempt to get closer to God read the Bible. Well, tried to. I read all of the NT, and bits of the OT. I decided the Bible was wrote by men, and had no divine hand at all. I still believed in a higher being though, so I went searching for a religion that fit what my parents had told me about God. Strangely, it was the one religion that Christianity spoke out against that fit the bill: Wicca. I became a self-proclaimed Wiccan, only to discover magic didn't work, and anyway, I was really just going around in circles.

At 21, I was tired of trying to make everything fit. But I decided to try one last thing. Sylvia Brown! Everything she said made sense. I remembered bits from her books (like when you in heaven and such) but I read one line that made me rethink the whole thing. It said insects are not in heaven.

Let me get this straight, I thought, God made us, all creatures, and he loves us and we will join him. All will live and work together in heaven. Lions with deer, Elephants with coyotes. But no insects?! Insects are alive, and they are creatures. I also remember them in heaven. I've done research on memory and come to the conclusion I remembered 'heaven' because I wanted to.

Throughout my whole journey I had been reading up on science. Evolution really held my interest. Far from what most creationist say, I loved evolution because I thought it confirmed God existed. He's the perfect father, right? Patience is a key element of that - and evolution is never finished.

After Sylvia Brown, though, I really looked at the world around me. What did I see?

Well, nothing different actually. I just removed intelligent design from the equation, and you know what, for the first time in my life I understood.

Fast forward two years, and what you have is me. I tried to be Wiccan for most of the last two years because I felt I needed something, (and when I was little I was more Wiccan than Christian) but a few weeks ago I realized I didn't need the security blanket anymore.

There are many things I love about Canada. Oddly, freedom wasn't on my list. Now it's at the top.

Tigger

2010-02-14T14:33:00.000-08:00

We let Tigger off his leash, and the silly doggie has ran away. We can't find him, but Tash thinks someone might have picked him up since there are no paw prints leading away from the yard. But....why would someone take our dog?! And why would he go with them?

A Snippet of Life

2010-02-02T13:31:00.000-08:00

The house is eerily quiet, and I am trying to decide on whether or not to put on music. Maybe I'll play the Sims. Tash and Steph are with mom at the store. Dad's at work. Tigger's not howling and barking at the cats.

two

thirty

afternoon

Wow, my day's going by slowly. I've accomplished everything I wanted to do except play the Sims, (and write a blog post, which I am doing obviously because you'll read it when I'm done). Perhaps I'll study my Japanese. :)

Yeah

2010-01-30T23:35:00.000-08:00

Okay. Here I go. No more procrastination. I want to write, so I am going to write. I'm not sure what I am going to write, but I will write. This is me writing. Anyone else seeing a delima here? Yeah, all I'm putting down is I will write. So what should I commit to my blog?

Thoughts wrap themselves around my brain, getting tangled together hopelessly, and then my brain wants to sort them out but can't so I end up freezing. In short: writer's block.

Hated, dreaded, despised writer's block.

(How many times will I write 'write' in this post?)

I just paused to lock my hands together and stare at the keyboard. I need to shake myself out of this prison, this unable-to-writeness.

Gosh, now I'm cold.

Probably should go to bed.

NO!

Huh. Twisting my hands seems to be the only thing I can really do right now. My mind is blank, or rather, it doesn't know what to do.

I could complain, but who wants to read that? I could do an amusing story, but then, I'd be to nervous to post it.

12:27 am.

Sheesh.

Glah blah! :P

That was me sticking my tongue out while being crossed-eyed, if you didn't know.

Well, I guess this wasn't a long post, but hey, I did one, so we're good.

NOTE: I did no editing. Laugh all you want at my mistakes.

Just An Update On What I'm Doing

2010-01-21T06:31:00.000-08:00

Good morning whoever. I've decided to do an update on the random things in my life, just to help me get in the groove of blogging everyday.

After my whine yesterday I actually managed to get some of my fic written. Isn't that exciting. Probably not to you.

A week of so ago, the guy who built our computer took it back because it needed some serious fixing. So me and my co-blogger have been working off of a temporary computer. It is actually very frustrating despite it having been an excellently running computer. The other people in the household have the nerve to use the family (temp) computer. Maybe I should get my own.

Wait. No. I can't. Because of the goddamn recession I am getting FOUR HOURS EVERY TWO WEEKS. Anna informed me that if people would just part with their fucking money we wouldn't be in this mess. If you think about it, it makes sense.

Okay. While I'm in an angry-ish mood, cats. Oh, cats how I hate thee. Back in January 2009, I decided to get myself one cat. Now, a year later, we have fucking 19 and it's straining the money train and with the renovations going on in the house, it is frustrating. Worse than that, nobody wants to take any of them away! My younger sister is going to post an ad on Kijiji...

On a happier note, I've been wired on Left 4 Dead since I bought the first game, so naturally, I've been reading, writing and watching all things L4D; I happen to come across a hilarious YouTube channel Left 4 Dead Addicts. It's funny and worth watching. Not recommended for younger people.

Fan Fiction

2010-01-20T08:25:00.000-08:00

I've been working on this fan fiction for Left 4 Dead. I've been working my ass on it and it is slowly coming along. But it doesn't seem to matter how long I spend on it I cannot seem to get the fucking chapter together. It's not like I have writers block. Or would having the whole chapter planned out and not being able to write it count? I don't know.

Anyway, I've got ten reviews, all positive on what I have posted. You'd think this would be enough motivation. I think it is lack of confidence. I read other fics and they are so much better in terms of writing ability and they seem to be able to keep them more in character and it kind of discouraging to me. Also I'm worried about whether or not my readers are going to like it.

I think I should just suck it up and write the goddamn thing.

Instead of doing this.

Click here if you wanna read it.

Changing

2010-01-04T15:30:00.001-08:00

All my fictional works will go onto my other blog from now on.

Christmas

2009-12-27T17:42:00.001-08:00

Christmas
My sister, Nicki, and I were talking last night about our childhoods. I can't remember why exactly we got on the topic, but it made me dwell on my own memories long after the conversation was over.

Christmas has always been special to me. It was the one of two times a year I felt like I was part of a family. The gifts were great. The food was better (my dad is the best cook ever, he mixes things you wouldn't think of, and the recipes are never duplicatable), but the best part was . . . no fighting! Clean house! We actually ate at the table, and together.

My most vivid memories are always around the Christmas tree, or the table. The tree would give the living room a gentle glow. I never really wanted to unwrap the presents. If I did the picture would be ruined. We always did, of course, and somehow my older brother, Adam, gave the best gifts every year.

As I've mentioned, Christmas was one of the times we all sat at the table. Adam carried the conversation along, talking about anything and everything, and Dad would make us laugh (or my mother groan, like the one year he taught us to sick our tongues out with mashed taters on them) and Mom would complain about the cheese in everything, and well . . . it was Christmas. :)

The only memory I don't like about Christmas was the few years where Mom and Dad dragged us kids out of the house to look at Christmas decorations. I really didn't care if Red Deer was alight with Christmas. It was great to look at as long as it wasn't the sole purpose of leaving the house. Then we kids got cranky.

Now that I'm older, my perception of Christmas has changed. I really love the outdoor decorations now. Gifts are no longer wished for. And the music...ug, the music.

I hate Christmas Carols simply because they are never ending. There are only so many times you can hear Jingle Bells without wanting to take bells and smack them over the head of whoever wrote the song.

I also am tired of hearing the loud Christians whine about how Christmas is ruined. The only ones ruining it are the Christians that shout how its being ruined.

Twilight and Why the Argument Around it Bugs Me

2009-12-22T14:38:00.000-08:00

I do not like romance stories. In fact, I find them boring. I prefer stories like Lethal Weapon, the Terminators, and I also like mysteries, like Murder She Wrote, or science fiction - Doctor Who, Star Trek.

So Twilight isn't something I really would like to read or watch. I read the first book anyway after watching the movie. My sister bought it, and no, I wasn't forced to watch. I was impressed with the music, the acting could have been better but it wasn't bad, and yeah, the vampires sparkled. All in all, I didn't like it for one simple reason: I'm not into romance.

Now, if you don't like Twilight, good for you. If you think it's okay, power of freedom! If you love it, excellent! But why, those of you who hate it, do you have to tear it down so much?

I am tired of hearing how it has no story to it. Pardon? Did you actually read the book or books? If you did then you would know it has story, lots of story. Not only is the story about a girl who falls in love with a vampire, but it is also about a young girl who has to get used to being in a new school, living with a parent she barely sees, and oh yeah, moving to a different state. The story of Twilight also encompasses the emotions of family, loyalty, and self-sacrifice. So what exactly is non-story here? I mean, really. Read the damn book or books before you spout nonsense.

Second thing I'm sick of hearing: vampires don't sparkle. Actually, they do. It is written into the story.

Seriously, if you have a problem with vampires sparkling, then you have to find fault with vampires being intelligent, attractive, and looking like humans. Check out vampires - they are NOTHING like the vampires you seem to be in love with. Sparkling is the newest change, and the least 'worrisome'.

Third thing that bugs me: Bella has no personality. Um, yeah she does, actually, she has likes, dislikes, flaws, and things she's good at. She has her own speech pattern, and her own way of dressing. She is independent, not really spontaneous, and she cooks. Guess what? This makes up her personality. If you want to know her more, then read the books.

Fourth thing: people whining about how the vampires should be eating humans and leaving the animals alone. Warning bells! Not all animals are human, but humans ARE animals. Forgetting that little thing for the moment, let's look at this.

Would you really want the blood of a murderer flowing through your veins? Or a rapist? A child molester? I mean, the thought of even touching those monsters makes my stomach turn - yes, they should be punished; yes they need to be put away, but really, eat them? I wouldn't want the taste of a torturer in my mouth.

As for the 'innocent animals being eaten' - what kind of drugs are you on? Obviously you know nothing of animals. Even deers aren't gentle sweet creatures - deers are deadly wild animals. Just because they turn tail instead of fighting does not mean they are defenseless or weak. Just because they are beautiful does not mean they cannot kill you.

Before you spout things, do some research. And for fuck sake, if you are going to bash a story, READ IT FIRST.

Alright, fine.

2009-12-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

Alright, fine. So we've both been slacking in the blogging department. What can I do about it? Write a post.

Music. Ah, yes, music. My iPod. I love my iPod. Wanna know my Top 25 according to my psycho iPod? Probably not. Here it is anyway.

1) Droppin' Plates - Disturbed

2) Supermassive Black Hole - Muse

3) The Game - Disturbed

4) Fever - Adam Lambert

5) High Heels - Lola

6) Down With The Sickness - Disturbed

7) Down With The Sickness - Richard Cheese

8) Abracadabra - Sugar Ray

9) Whataya Want From Me - Adam Lambert

10) Meaning Of Life - Disturbed

11) Shout 2000 - Disturbed

12) The Fight - Shiloh

13) Festival Song - Good Charlotte

14) Acadia - Marianas Trench

15) Stupify - Disturbed

16) Cemetery - The Headstones

17) Son Of A Bitch To The Core - The Headstones

18) If I Had You - Adam Lambert

19) Meet Me Halfway - Black Eyed Peas

20) Get Up And Dance - Faber Drive

21) Magnet - Lindsay Lohan

22) Last Resort - Papa Roach

23) 100 In A 55 - Pop Evil

24) Music Again - Adam Lambert

25) Shut Up - Black Eyed Peas

A lot of Disturbed's album Down With The Sickness rotation.

And the song I am currently listening to as I write this? Empty Bed Blues by Bessi Smith. 1930s jazz. B-e-a-utiful.

And happy Winter Solstice to those who celebrate it, happy Christmas and whatever else this late December Holiday season.

Finally, A Post!!!

2009-12-11T06:46:00.000-08:00

Hi, there. I've been one of the bloggers on this pretty much since it started, and finally, I'm writing a damn post.

At first, I was thinking, "Well, what the hell am I going to blog?" Then I started getting what I referred to as 'BlogFear', of which is when one is in a state that they have a blog, but are seriously afraid of some idiot flaming them. But than Zackie and I discussed it and I am now pretty much cured of BlogFear.

So what exactly is this crazy chick blogging about?

I've got three things I wanna tell you.

9 out of every 10 mating pairs of giraffes are male. Yup, giraffes are a very gay species. :D

40% of cats are left-pawed, 40% are ambidextrous and the final 20% are right-pawed.

The Andrews Sisters were the first all-girl group to have sold a million records, and through-out their career had sold over 90 million records.

So there you have it. My first contribution to Our Mosaic!

2009-12-09T10:01:00.000-08:00

Hello world. I've come across a great webpage, one that is working towards the End of Slavery. Here's the address:

http://www.freetheslaves.net/Page.aspx?pid=284

So go there! Join up! We will end it!

Broken Butterfly (A Poem)

2009-12-07T11:11:00.001-08:00

She was wonderful.
She was beautiful.
Flying on the wind without care.
Then one day it all changed.
And suddenly the wind wasn't there.
Her wings became worthless.
Her world went still.
All she could see was no longer there.
People would say she could have been something,
but she is too dark and angry to be anything.
She could fly if she wanted.
She could soar with some friends.
But its like she's determined
To never be happy again.
She killed her own wings.
She killed her own wind.
She made herself useless.
Because she wouldn't
Wouldn't begin.
She could just leave,
and mend her wings.
She could just fly.
But she wants to be a broken butterfly.

Welcome!

2009-12-04T08:21:00.001-08:00

anancientspirit has joined the Mosaic.

ABANDONING ANIMALS

2009-12-04T08:13:00.000-08:00

I was originally going to write this just for my writing club, but I believe the subject is much too serious for me to keep it confined to my writing friends (and sometimes critics.) I feel I need to write this because an idiot in a small, dark car dropped off a Persian cat on our doorstep last year about a month before winter. I cannot remember if it was a blue car, or a brown one – or maybe it was black. It was strangely clean, so it was from the city. A country vehicle would be dirtier, even if you had just cleaned it.

The cat was obviously an indoor cat. Her fur was pristine white, and brushed. She was (is) very friendly, and she kept trying to get into our house. She would not eat the mice our cat, Tinker, brought her at first. I do not think she knew what to do with them, because she watched Tinker eat his mice with curiosity. When she figured it out, she was all too happy to munch.

We tried every name we could think of on the abandoned kitty. Fluffy, Furball, Princess, even Cleopatra. We gave up and just decided to call her Samwise, after Sam in LoTR. (Yes, we know Sam is a guy, and the cat is a girl. Nevertheless, we like ‘Sam’ for her name!) What a shock! She responded to Sam. I think her full name must have been Samantha before we renamed her. She actually meows when we say Sam. The other names she would look at us as if we were stupid. Got to love cats and their attitudes.

You know what we have recently out? Those low lives – those dirt bags that even scum despises – had her declawed! They forced a declawed cat that was obviously strictly an indoor cat into the country without her primary source of self-defense!

There is no excuse for those dimwits to have done what they had done to Sam. Only someone who is very selfish would have kicked a declawed cat out into the country. My family has had many cats over the years, and some of them came from homes that did not want them anymore. The rest were born on our acreage.

Animals that we have made part of our family are not human, but that does not mean they do not require respect, love, and a safe place to call home. We have no right- none at all - to take a cat, dog, or anything home with us unless we are going to be responsible. This means even if something happens and you cannot keep your friend – be it allergies, or money or lack of preparedness for a pet – you only have the right to find a place for the animal without dumping them.

Outdoor animals may take care of themselves, and do not require our help as much. True, we feed them, and provide them with their own house, but they usually find a better place to sleep anyway. Like, say, that wonderful place right above your bedroom, so they can wake you in the middle of the night by walking.

But what of indoor pets? This is more important, as most animals that are dumped are strictly indoor pets. We, the humans, are in charge of food, sleeping areas, and anything else our little (and sometimes quite large) non-human family member will need. That is a lot of work. Only someone who is mature, and has the time, can take it on.

Pets are such wonderful additions to a family! They are loyal. They do not judge us. They do not lie, cheat, steal or harm us, allergies non-withstanding. Allergies are not an attack on us, either, as it is our own bodies that do the damage.

When we tell our pets, “This is your home too! I will take care of you, don’t you worry!” we had better not lie to them.

That is exactly what that moron did when he or she dropped off Sam at our home. They took her in. They made such a promise to keep her safe that they removed her major form of defense. Then what did they do? They took her to a strange place, and threw her out like a piece of garbage. Why? I do not know, and frankly, I do not care. To abandon an animal makes you selfish, lazy, and stupid.

We have had animals we could not take care of before. We found places for all of them quickly. We are a rather strange family in that we are not very active in the community, and we are way out in the country. If we can do it, what gives someone from the city (or more rarely, the country) the right of not finding a home for his or her pet? They are closer to sources that will take the pet.

Is it because some places charge? May I ask why these idiots think those in the country have money to take on an unexpected pet? Also, if they don’t want their so-called “beloved” pet to die in a shelter, what makes them think the animal will live in the wild? These sick people choose starvation over euthanasia for their pets. Wow, can you feel the love?

I have noticed in the city, pets are for indoors. In the country, pets are mostly outdoors and to have them inside is rather odd. So that is just more evidence of dumb people. Oh, a nice country barn should keep Fluffy during the winter! Forget that Fluffy is used to constant warmth in the house, and that barns are nowhere as warm as a house in the summer, forget when the weather hits minus thirty!

Grow up people. Animals are not a fad, nor are they accessories, dolls, or toys. Throwing them out is nowhere near the same as getting rid of that jacket from last winter. Yet, abandoned pet rates are so high each year that no one can say how many are left for dead. Pets eat, poop, sleep, have fears, and play. They breathe. They grow and think. They are alive. Can a jacket do that? Is a jacket alive?

Being human, I naturally think abandoning a child is worse than abandoning a pet. But I think the evils are quite close, though. Animals are not humans. However, humans are animals - it is sad that we have forgotten that fact.

Remembering (A short story)

2009-12-03T18:08:00.000-08:00

Salty air sends wisps of memories cascading through my mind. Laughter of so long ago as we ran along the beach, or caught our dreams on the waves. Our guardians used to call us back when we were younger.

We used to say, "They are afraid we won't come back, that's how happy we are here, alone together."

If the moon was high in the sky we had stayed too late - but did we care? Time was nothing. Happiness didn't have a time frame, or a stamp of reality. I remember it well. Stars would guide us along our paths. Leaves and shells surrounded us, and we whispered gentle touches. Silent melodies only we could hear. Even the storms that swept across the island could not ruin our lives.

Do you remember any of it where you are? Are you waiting for me? You told me to recall it all and to know that no matter what happens, you love me forever. Nothing can tear our love.

Your voice is in my ear when I need you. That one tune that you drove me to distraction with, that song I used to spite. I find my voice sings it sometimes. Laughter usually follows as I realize what I am doing.

I feel your hands when the sadness overcomes all other emotions. Fingers linking with mine, or flicking the bit of hair that tends to stick up. I even feel you poking me in the sides when I start to grumble like an old man.

Everything thinks I am so sad. One man says I will pine away for the rest of my life. I won't let that happen, I'll find another to share life with, but I will still remember you. That can't be a sin. Maybe your loss will always be in my heart, but sitting next to it will be joy, because you gave me that. You taught me to care about myself. You instilled the lesson of love. Strange, isn't it? How two children lost to the world can find solstice together.

Yellow roses used to be a sign of jealousy. Some still say they are. You said they were shaped out of gold.

The lady I bought one from thought I was odd, especially after I told her what I plan on doing with it.

So here I am with warm water in between my toes, salty air getting into everything, and stars guiding me along the shore. I take a deep breath. Moonlight dances around the horizon. My hand reaches out.

I let the rose fall to the ocean, let the currents sweep it away, and I hope that it will somehow end up at your grave.

2009-11-30T09:50:00.000-08:00

Hello world! My first blog post. Not really that exiting yet - hey, I just started.

Some things about me : I have two cats, a gold and white named Pharaoh, and a calico kitten called Skip. Freedom is something I firmly believe in. Hockey is a no go, but I do enjoy basketball if its on.

The reason I started this blog is I love to write and I want to share what I've written with the world. I hope my writing will be a light, something to look forward to.

See you soon.