Rebehm's Desk

2011-11-27T23:16:00.001-02:00

What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now? sweet pea body wash and a bar of regular soap

Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? Nope.

What would you change about your living room? Add more shelves and replace the furniture. Other than that, I like it. :)

Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? What dishwasher? We do it by hand around here and take turns. Actually, with three ladies chipping away at it, it isn't a tough chore.

What is in your fridge? turkey, cheese, avocados, tea, coucous, soda, fruit juice, eggs

White or wheat bread? wheat multi-grain whenever possible. My hand-made breads are usually white though.

What is on top of your refrigerator? An economy-sized pack of paper towels, can cozies, a couple of those insulated sandwich holders, a thermos-ish water jug, two flashlights...

What color or design is on your shower curtain? frosted glass door with a fancy design worked into it.

How many plants are in your home? Inside the house, nothing right now. Outside is a different story as we've all take to gardening. :) 'Tis fun.

Is your bed made right now? As made as is possible in its current condition. :)

Comet or Soft Scrub? Comet or Old Dutch Cleanser (no fumes!)

Is your closet organized? Packed from top to bottom. If that is organized, its organized!

Can you describe your flashlight? One is blue plastic with a flashing red led light. Another is shiny blue aluminum. We have three black aluminum ones of varying sizes. Then there's the camping lanterns - mostly yellow or green plastic. We have oil lamps & candles too.

Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home? plastic pitchers

Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? Technically it isn't iced, as the three pitchers of tea are cold only because they are kept in the fridge with the fruit juice. Current cold tea favs are:: Earl Grey, Constant Comment, & Mandarin Orange

If you have a garage, is it cluttered? packed like the closet, except for Dad's work area.

Curtains or blinds? Mostly homemade curtains

How many pillows do you sleep with? I don't count them. I just mound them up with a good book - and sigh contentedly.

Do you sleep with any lights on at night? We have security lights outside the house that answer for nightlights inside as well. Occasionally we'll leave a bathroom light on low as well.

Standard toothbrush or electric? Sonic! I love it!

What color is your toothbrush? white

Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch? We don't use the front door. We DO have an ornate rubber mat out back. If it makes people feel welcome, great!

What is in your oven right now? Nuttin' but those wire racks right now.

Is there anything under your bed? It's comprised of drawers containing shoes and spare blankets.

Chore you hate doing the most? the pets' bath day when I have a pile of homework due really soon...

What retro items are in your home? Too many to list. :) Did we mention that we like old fashioned things?

Do you have a separate room that you use as an office? Not really. Everything is kinda open, but that's actually been helpful at times.

How many mirrors are in your home? Not many. There are two in the bathrooms & one full one in the sewing area. I know we recently bought another handheld too.

What color are your walls? Highly variable. You sure you have time to have me list them all?

What does your home smell like right now? It smells like a candle and salisbury steak.

Favorite candle scent? some nice floral scent :)

What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now? bread & butter slices.

What color is your favorite Bible? Mine is blue.

Ever been on your roof? Nope.

Do you own a stereo?
Sort of. I prefer my ipod though. Then what I'm listening to doesn't interfere with household activities.

How many TVs do you have? Well, when you have an extended family you tend to get strange answers to questions like that. My parents have two - but my grandmother & I each have one. All are hooked to mostly older game consoles & video players. We don't watch that much tv.

How many house phones? 3

Do you have a housekeeper? Sure! Me and Mom! lol

What style do you decorate in? highly eclectic, leaning toward older styles

Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints? Solids accented by pretty prints in coordinated or contrasted colours on cushions

Is there a smoke detector in your home? yes

Sailor Moon freebies - Preview

2011-11-27T07:44:00.001-02:00

Here's video showing a few of the things I've been working on. :)

2011-11-20T15:22:00.000-02:00

Your Friendship Style is Independent

You love your friends, but you don't always need them as much as they need you.

You like to do your own thing. Sometimes this means taking a break from your friends and carving your own path.

As long as your friends give you the space you need, you are happy to be there for them whenever you can.

Your friends lean on you for advice and problem solving. You tend to be "the rock."

You and an Empathetic Friend: Go well together. Your Empathetic Friend understand and accepts you... but may be too needy sometimes.

You and a Gregarious Friend: Get along well, as long as your Gregarious Friend is happy to only see you occasionally.

You and another Independent Friend: Have a love / hate thing going on. When you agree, things are blissful. However, more often than not, you butt heads.

You and a Philosophical Friend: Are somewhat a matter of opposites attract. You're both thinkers, but you think very differently.

What's Your Friendship Style?

===========================================================

You Are A Green Girl

You feel most at home in a world of ideas.

You're curious and logical - and enjoy a good intellectual challenge.

You're super cool, calm, and collected. Very little tries your patience.

Your only fear? People not realizing how smart and able you are!

What Color Girl Are You?

======================

Your Beauty Element is Water

Feminine and dreamy, your beauty style is classic and very vintage.

But you never look out of style! You have a way of making classic looks modern again.

When in doubt, you go for what's tried and true. You're all about red lips and nails.

People consider you to be a timeless beauty.

What's Your Beauty Element?

============================

You Are Riding Boots

You are very sophisticated. You have refined tastes, and you don't fall for cheesy trends.

You are naturally chic and stylish. You can pull together a great look in no time flat.

You don't need a lot of flash or bling in your life. You prefer the glamour of the understated.

You treasure wisdom. You are attracted to ideas and things that have stood the test of time.

What Kind of Boots Are You?

=======================================

You Are Cowboy Boots

This doesn't mean you're country, just funky.

You've got a ton of attitude and confidence.

You're unique, expressive, and even a little bit wacky.

You wear whatever you feel like â€“ and you have your own sense of style.

You are straight shooting and honest. You tell people how it is.

Low maintenance and free wheeling, you're always up for an adventure.

You should live: Where you can at least get to wide open spaces

You should work: In a job that allows you to take change

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

================================

You Are a Lynx

You are a quiet observer of the world around you. Your wisdom comes from listening carefully.

You've always been extra sensitive and aware. And it's made it difficult for you to fit in.

You see past people's outward personas. You are able to penetrate a stranger's soul.

What you've learned about people is both beautiful and ugly. And you keep these secrets to yourself.

What Big Cat Are You?

===================================

You Are a Persian Cat

You are very high-maintenance, at least as far as keeping up your appearance goes.

But you're surprisingly low-maintenance in every other aspect of your life.

You are peaceful and sweet tempered. People enjoy your company.

You are loving and a good companion, but it takes you a while to trust people.

What Breed of Cat Are You?

=====================

Questionaire

2011-11-12T15:53:00.001-02:00

I got this quiz from Shushan's Shore.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
1. Grab the book nearest to you,
Turn to page 18, and find line 4...

"He had no photographer to record every event: these photographs, which show the doorway boarded up and men carrying baskets of limestone chips and sand to fill the staircase, were taken when he repeated the operation some weeks later."

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can.
What can you touch?
A wooden shelf

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
Doctor Who, the story arc "Silence in the Library"

4. Without looking, guess what time it is. 4:00 p.m.

5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time? 3:49 p.m.

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
Mom and my brother theorizing about the show that's on

7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
Sometime ago. I was feeding my cats.

8. Before you started this survey, what were you doing?
Blogging on another topic

9. What are you wearing? a black dress and a red sweater

10. Did you dream last night? I did, but the dream was very incoherent.

11. When did you last laugh?
A few hours ago

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
Wallpaper, a pair of Victorian-esqe lamps, some Christian images, an old portrait of a gentle lady clad in colonial dress

13. Seen anything weird lately?
There is always something weird going on, no matter where you are. Weirdness is normal, imho.

14. What do you think of this quiz?
Not entirely sure...

15. What is the last film you saw?
That would be Howl's Moving Castle.

16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, What would you buy first?
I suspect that it would be something practical...

17. Tell us something about you that we didn't know before.
I love unicorns for what they symbolise as much as for their beauty.

18. If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be.
That many people have trouble seeing the difference between a mask and a face.

19. Do you like to dance?
Sort of.

20. Should Christians get involved in politics?
Yes.

21. If you could invent anything, what would it be?
Not too sure...

22. If you could go anywhere, where would you go?
That would depend entirely upon the current situation.

23. Would you ever consider living abroad?
See above. I would if I fell in love with a foreigner and he wanted to be near his family, but that is one unlikely scenario. That probably won't ever happen and that is just as well for everyone involved.

24. What do you want God to say to you when you meet Him face to face?
Well done! Welcome home!

25. What was the last music you heard?
Cantoluna by Secret Garden

Daily dose of random...

2011-10-08T04:45:00.003-02:00

If you're a Bleach or MLP fan, then you might get a giggle from this one. :D

I'm not a MLP fan, but this thing is just too good not to share. It makes almost too much sense, when you think about it. lol

Now I know why Pinkie Pie bugs me. All that pent up energy waiting to happen... lol (j/k)

Sailor Moon Suit - Done!

2011-08-21T22:52:00.001-02:00

The suit is finally done! I added morphs where I thought they might be useful; such as to add motion to the skirt and collar.

The delay was because I had an inspiration for making the collar work much more conveniently than that version in “Under Moonlight”. (The mapping on that alpha version drove me nuts!) The downside was that I had to build it from scratch. It came together quickly, thankfully.

All of the goodies are in the “Cosplay Closet” folder. They are on my family’s website. (click this link to get at it – It’s under Downloads>Cosplay Closet)

This first set contains the leotard, the 1st season skirt, sleeves, collar, and gloves.. There are also matposes and materials to make the stuff easier to use. I’ve also uploaded the tiara, neckbands, and earrings in a separate pack to make downloading easier. (combined, the two sets have quite a large filesize)
They are up at our family’s website – Wryter’s Fyre.

RPG World - "Lost data"

2011-08-12T01:52:00.001-02:00

Series and art by IanJ – this particular comic and dialogue by Rebehm

Lol I’ve been on an RPG World kick lately. Mom and I were talking about how IanJ had ended his comic, and came up with this one. I hope he likes it.
I suspect this scenario has happened to many dedicated gamers at some point or another; an old favorite console or game goes on the fritz at a bad moment… and destroys hours of data into the bargain.

RPG World - "Lost data" by ~Rebehm on deviant ART

I just HAD to make Cherry's dress after reading that particular story arc again. :)

"Come dance with me" by ~Rebehm on deviant ART

Sailor Moon Freebie Update

2011-08-11T22:25:00.000-02:00

Okay, the first freebie I've finished is up. You'll have to go to its page to pick it up, though.

Taken from the page:
It's finally done!
Actually, I meant to submit this last night. We had a storm that knocked out the power until the wee hours of the morning. Oh well.

Edit: This was built for Aiko3. :)

This set includes the following:
-One pair of shoes
-Three Textures, one red, white, one orange
-Ankle Straps
-One pose

Both Sailor Venus and Princess Serenity have very similar footwear to Rei, hence the other textures.

This is GNU fan art; I do not own the concept for Sailor Moon.

Mars Heels - Version 1 by ~Rebehm on deviant ART

Fanfic

2011-08-11T19:17:00.001-02:00

I’ve been writing more fan fiction lately. I did finish the first part of that prequel I promised. Later sections require some editing and refinement before I will be happy posting them. :)
Anyway, it got me thinking about the whole process of writing. Even if you’re just writing a fan fiction, you need to think about who the characters are and that can be a pretty involved process. That is why when some folks are writing something original they base their characters on real people. Many famous authors have done this, sometimes pleasantly, sometimes negatively. But I digress.

He’s going to be in my tale so let’s consider Jadeite from Sailor Moon.

In the anime, he strikes me as a very shallow, sexist, and power-hungry creep.

Here is why; He tended to judge by appearances. If he saw a cute girl, he automatically assumed she was helpless and had no compunction about bullying her - in fact he took pleasure in it! It made him feel better about his situation back in the Dark Kingdom; he was trying to suck up to Beryl but wasn’t getting anywhere.

Did you notice how all his youma had to look good to him as well as to humans? They complied in hopes that Jadeite would favor them. He noticed their efforts to please him and used their feelings to manipulate them with praise and flirtation. A few, like Tethys, proactively flirted with him to avoid treachery. It did not stop him from jumping ship when Sailor Moon and her buddies turned up.

To him, those girls were merely pawns in his game. He acted as though he could not truly love another creature. I don’t think that the bad guys would treat each other well unless they could benefit from it.

The creepy part is that there many people who are quite that mercenary.

His creator seems to have written him as a warning to teenage girls living in Japan because there are people - males and females - who are every bit as manipulative as she wrote Jadeite being.
What creeps me out about him is just how many people that I have seen act like him.
Too many people feel that people and relationships are useless unless they aid in the pursuit of wealth or fame. Too many people seem to find characters like Jadeite or Lelouche Lamperouge of Code Geass clever and wise. Even when they do not view you as an obstacle in their quest, they are not exactly loyal or feel tied down by the relationship if it doesn’t produce the results they seek.

However, there is one thing I would like to acknowledge: Manipulation and charm are not always used to harm. It is merely a tool, something that some folks are taught in harmless endeavors like marketing. Like any other tool, it can be misused. However, it becomes a problem if paired with badly balanced pragmatism.
Either allowing emotions to rule you or failing to listen to your heart are two extremes to avoid.

However, someone who has gotten skilled at charming people and persuading them to do what they want often develops a tendency to not entirely understand that this method can fail, even with the best of intentions backing it. Sometimes, if the person is not entirely ethical, he or she blames their target, whether it is his fault or not, for their own failure when their efforts backfire. Again, I’ve seen this happen time and time again.
Here’s an example of one soul who was harmless though entirely too pragmatic.
Mom had an intelligent friend who was really good at charming people and persuading them to do what he wanted most of the time. He wasn’t a bad man; usually he used his considerable talents to encourage people to be their better selves. It wasn’t weird to see him gently diffuse a potentially unpleasant situation.
However, he sometimes got a bit… put off his stride or confused when Mom didn‘t do or say what he expected her to. He was used to steering the conversations he had with people.
Mom carefully observes what people say and do so she can understand them better. He wasn’t used to talking to someone who paid attention to who he really was.

This guy meant no harm, but his behavior did encourage me to learn to think carefully about a person’s actions before truly trusting him or her. It is really important that people try to look past what someone projects; in other words at his basic attitude and behavior. I believe this is what God means when He said, “By their fruit, you will know them.” (paraphrase)
Incidentally, this is one skill reading comprehension does help someone learn. Thinking about what you’re being told is an essential part of being free. Mind you, this is also true of marching to your own drummer.
Incidentally, this is also true of choosing your friends. Social standing doesn’t mean beans if they will easily betray you! If you observe what they do and say and carefully think about what you noted, you will know them as people much better.
Interestingly, the Bible actually tells Christians to do exactly that. God wants his people to think, but not judge. It is wise to be cautious.

Don’t let the dark ruminations above fool you; this tale is going to be extremely silly. Don't expect anything like what my mother does. I like what she does and admire her, but my stuff tends to be more cutesy and just plain stranger than hers.
That’s why you’ve not seen my fan fics sooner. My old stuff was truly horrible. I didn’t feel like inflicting it on anyone. For instance, I once tried to write a Myst/Harry Potter crossover. It was supposed read like a script. That thing was awful! I especially hated how my dialogue came out. It didn’t help that I was reading Candide at the time. ( That semester, Mom had me studying the Enlightenment and we discussed the great thinkers and their philosophies. I read Candide and some of Divine Comedy to gain a better understanding of Voltaire‘s philosophy. I loved that semester) The dialogue in that turkey sounded very forced, especially after reading the delicate phrasing and clever language usage typical of Voltaire’s writings.

Then again, Mom and other writers say that learning to write a story is like learning how to draw: when you start out you’ll make many pieces you will cringe at later, but eventually you’ll make something you’re happy with. :D
The other part is that what Mom and her friends were doing was truly special and I felt my scratchings didn’t measure up. There were so many kinds of thinkers and artisans in this group. The group that did all of this influenced the world.

Learn from my mistake; if you’re a brand new writer, don't expect your efforts to compare to the marvelous adventures captured on text by a college student who loves classical literature and old legends with all his heart; instead learn from his example!

The only thing that really came out well enough to share from before was a one shot about Harry Potter grieving. (It has a better ending than it first sounds, by the way.)
I just sat down one evening and wrote it after doing my homework and rereading Darnay’s Linking Story for the umpteenth time. I really loved that particular story. It is like being there exploring with the characters. I was thinking about what I really liked about both portions( in this case, Mom’s pacing and the kind of description Darnay used) and decided to see if I couldn‘t learn from their example while using a different theme and working from a different series.

Anyway, there is more to come; this project just keeps growing!

Echoes and Various Thoughts

2010-11-19T03:24:00.000-02:00

I was listening to “In God’s Garden” by John Michael Talbot and had few thoughts as to why we Christians seem dead to other folks.
For one thing, I think we are like butterflies. A butterfly pupa looks dead. Yet a beautiful insect will emerge from it. It is still alive. When we are reborn, we have to learn much about God and His ways. We need to learn to spend time with God. Same as caterpillars have to eat and grow before they become pupae, we have to feed our souls with God‘s word. The longer we seek God and try to serve Him, the more transformed we are. Here on Earth most of us are simultaneously caterpillars and pupae. This learning phase will never be truly over until we go home to God.

Fan Art Finds = Legend of Zelda Edition

2010-10-17T23:26:00.000-02:00

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

The legend of Zelda by =Lavah on deviant ART
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Zelda by =Elenath- on deviant ART
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

The Zelda legend by ~Pertheseus on deviant ART
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Zelda: The White Labyrinth by *animetayl on deviant ART
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Zelda and Link by *yagatama on deviant ART
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Epona by ~Epona-Waverider on deviant ART
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zelda: Days and Knights by *animetayl on deviant ART
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

eve the eggshell by ~j-fujita on deviant ART
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kingdom Hearts II - Start Over by ~junsui on deviant ART
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Kingdom Hearts II by ~Angel-Dark on deviant ART
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Epona's Song by ~nebulafire on deviant ART

-------------------------------------------------

BOOMerang by ~nebulafire on deviant ART

------------------------------------------------------

Zelda: Link, Epona and Zelda by ~morganalefay on deviant ART

--------------------------------------------------------

link + epona by ~okama-no-kama-tsukai on deviant ART

-------------------------------------------------------

Link and Epona :Sunset: by ~Sage-of-Winds on deviant ART
-------------------------------------------------------

Zelda by ~bchan on deviant ART

For those who have dogs...

2010-09-26T01:06:00.003-02:00

Try playing this for your pup. :)

Loquacious Chihuahua

2010-09-26T01:02:00.002-02:00

Isn't he cute? Jack seemed to like him too. :)

Roses

2010-05-19T21:31:00.001-02:00

Last year, I started planting roses. Around Mother’s Day is a very good time to look for inexpensive bushes. Mom and Grandma were delighted when I brought home these beauties.
Only a few bushes were actually blooming at the time but one that had bloomed a bit was a gorgeous purple rose bush. It was a perfect present for Grandma as it turned out to be her favorite rose. There were also some really pretty mini bushes that Mom really liked.
I planted the bushes for them when I got home. They were both thrilled.
I got them a few more this year too.

This is a pic of the purple bush

Purple roses are a bit unusual in my area. I have never seen any growing in the area until they were brought in during that sale last year.
My neighbors kept sneaking peeks at my grandma’s bush, which is not an easy feat to achieve considering the distance between our house and theirs! lol
They looked so silly! They could’ve gotten a much closer look if they’d wanted. If they had simply wandered up to the door and said “Hello” to us, they’d have gotten a good look at the flowers and probably a glass of iced tea too!
Silly people.

Here are a few of the minis.

The red ones are for my mom and the yellows are for my grandmother. Grandma really likes yellow roses.
The orange and white rose was planted to complement Mom's red roses. Somehow it makes me think of the opening lines from one of Yeats's poems.

" Where dips the rocky highland
Of Sleuth Wood in the lake,
There lies a leafy island
Where flapping herons wake
The drowsy water-rats;
There we've hid our faery vats,
Full of berries
And of reddest stolen cherries."

There are legends about fairy gold. I think this flower looks like something a fairy would like. :)

This is of one of the Queen Elizabeth bushes. This rose type’s history is also pretty neat too. The Queen Elizabeth is the first known grandiflora rose and it was bred to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
It is also the most popular kind of grandiflora rose out there. It is by far the hardiest one.

The only down-sides to caring for this bush are that you must wear gardening gloves while weeding around it or your hands can get very scratched up and that Japanese beetles seem to love eating the blooms. Dad taught me how to ward off the beetles though so that isn’t an issue for me. :P
It turns out that Japanese beetles hate marigolds. They avoid plants growing near an established patch of marigolds. The beetles also hate Seven 5% dust. Even when the dust is no longer visible, it still repels the pests.
There is are other things to watch for; deer and rabbits. They do love to eat roses, though they leave mine alone. If you’ve got a dog then walking him near the bushes frequently can help discourage deer and other herbivorous marauders.

I really like this bush because its blooms make me think of my parents and because its scent is lovely and so delicate.
The way its blooms develope is kind of strange. The buds start out very dark -they're nearly black - and gradually lighten up to a bright red.
Here's an example>

Yes, it really is that vivid. Knock-Out roses only get more vivid as they get healthier. They are very cheerful plants and have a reputation for hardiness in most climates.

Fan Art finds

2010-04-19T04:27:00.004-02:00

Sailor Moon - Vocaloid Style by *Hosino-Hikaru on deviant ART

=================================

Blackballed by *mimi-na on deviant ART

I kinda like Giselle. Even though she's ditzy, she is sweet and has a can do attitude.
===========================

Moonlight Densetsu by ~Usagi-Tsukino-krv on deviant ART

=========================

Beautiful Serenity by *silver-eyes-blue on deviant ART

==============================

Spirited Away: Promise by ~arriku on deviant ART

======================

pretty soldier sailormoon by ~yukiusagi1983 on deviant ART

=========================

Yuna by *medli on deviant ART

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T23:26:00.003-02:00

May Christ e'er be our companion
May true friends stand by our side
May her history remind us all
Of Ireland's faith and pride.
May God bless us with happiness
May love and faith abide.

==================
I made this similarly to how I made the doll tiaras for the party, only it is a bit more complex. It was going to be a hair bun cover.

2010-02-28T15:32:00.000-02:00

Time for a MEGA update!

Yeah, it's been so long since I last blogged! I hope you had a really nice holiday season. Ours went okay except for my poor brother catching a cold not long before Christmas. New years was much the same, except everybody had caught said cold. Stinking thing stayed with us through January and much of February. We watched the occasional light snowfall and snuffled at each other. For the first time in a while I had time to really play a video game. I finally beat Final Fantasy 1.

Thankfully around St Valentine's Day we had a respite from the bug - right on time for a party we wanted to attend. We got to make a craft for everybody which was well received. Most of the components are handmade. I was in charge of making the headgear - sewn felt hats based on an actual hat pattern and beadwork tiaras.

People especially liked the hats and the penguin dolls. I really happy about it because it is the first time I've ever tried to make a top hat that actually worked out.
I'll have to post some pics some other time. :D

2009-11-15T05:58:00.002-02:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Inuyasha: The Final Act - Review

2009-10-12T22:09:00.005-02:00

Wow, it is as good as I hoped it would be!

Where do I begin?
The humor is nicely timed; it feels natural. In fact, the timing generally quite nice.
The voice acting and the animation is more dynamic than the previous series. The graphics are beautiful and subtle; they add to the action without demanding attention.

My only gripe is that the pacing feels a little rushed. So far, Sunrise has been combining chapters in this new series. This decision makes sense, but I think adding a few seconds for a transition wouldn't have hurt.

All in all, it is a pretty nice continuation of the Inuyasha series.

2009-10-12T21:48:00.002-02:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

New Inuyasha Update - Location!

2009-10-03T23:22:00.005-02:00

The first episode is on Shonen Sunday.

New Inuyasha Episodes!

2009-10-01T00:47:00.006-02:00

Tomorrow, there will be new Inuyasha anime episodes for the first time in years!

Hulu is hosting Inuyasha. It looks like the entire series is on there. If you've already seen these episodes, then check this out! After October 3, there will be new Inuyasha eps on there too!

Alice in Wonderland

2009-09-30T21:48:00.004-02:00

This looks promising! Many folks easily forget just how madcap(pun intended) Lewis Carrol's stories really are. However, I am hoping that Tim Burton will keep in mind that these stories were written to entertain a child.

2009-06-02T04:05:00.000-02:00

We hope you had a happy Memorial Day.

Watch Memorial Day Fireworks in Family | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Treed Vampire: a comic

2009-04-14T15:21:00.000-02:00

Click the image above to see it properly.

This vampire is just not having a good afternoon. First he ticked off a unicorn by trying to eat it. Then he stomped on the werewolf’s tail while he was chasing a rabbit. After that he woke an owl when he jostled her nest.
He’s going to need every ounce of his considerable speed to escape once he is out of that tree. ;)

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T17:45:00.000-02:00

Happy Easter!
If you click the image above, it will take you to see a larger version.
I hope God blesses you and yours this year and always. :)

More Quizzes

2009-04-09T12:40:00.005-02:00

You Are 61% Creative

You are beyond creative. You are a true artist - even if it's not in the conventional sense of the word.
You love creating for its own sake, and you find yourself quite inspired at times.

How Creative Are You?

I love making something unique as long as it is also nice. It can be nearly anything, too.
-----------------------------------------------

Your Gemstone is Amethyst

Dignified, impressive, and wise.

You have a deeply spiritual soul

What Gemstone Are You?

I don't know about that. I seek wisdom, but most days feel pretty darn silly. :P

Then again, the Biblical definition of wisdom is definitely not about feelings. Wisdom is a way of life, in more ways than one. It is about thinking things through, intelligently applying your knowledge to do what you know is right in God's sight, and relying on God.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Your Nail Polish Color is Purple

How you're unique: You are artistic and expressive

Why your style rocks: You pay special attention to color and fabrics

What this color says about you: "I'm creative and know how to take care of myself"

What Color Nail Polish Best Fits You?

Purple nail polish is fun. :) You do have to be careful what you wear it with though. It's easy to make it look weird.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your Word is "Love"

You see life as possibility to form deep connections with a few people.

Relationships are the center of your world, and you always take time to bond with those you love.

You are caring and giving. You enjoy helping those you love.

And when it comes to romantic love, you feel passionately ... even in a very long term relationship.

What's Your Word?

---------------------------------------------------------

Your Cupcake Says You Are Lovable

At parties, you tend to be a social butterfly. You enjoy making conversation and making sure everyone is having fun.

You hardly have any restraint. You only hold yourself back when absolutely necessary.

The most important thing in your life is love.

You are laid back, flexible, and easy to get along with. To know you is to care for you.

The Cupcake Test

------------------------------------------------------------------------

You Are a Lynx

What Big Cat Are You?

-------------------------------------------------

The Chocolate Oracle Says You're Creative

You are unique, creative, and fascinating.

You don't do what's expected of you.

You go for what's unknown and uncharted.

You are lively, goofy, and a total blast.

You're incredibly happy, and you always are lifting spirits.

You love to be in love. You crave romance, whether you're single or not.

You feel lost when you don't feel passion... you need someone to adore.

The Chocolate Oracle

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

You Color Your Life With Subtle Coolness

You are a full of grace and peace. You don't let yourself get worked up.

You tend to be a bit reserved. You only speak when you really have something to say.

You aspire to a lot in life, and you're quietly working on your plan to take over the world.

How Do You Color Your Life?

---------------------------------------------------------------------

You Are Basil

You are a mild mannered person. People feel naturally calm around you.

You are warm hearted and loving. You have a close knit circle of friends and family.

You have the courage to be who you are in life, even if others disagree. You're proud of your uniqueness.

You are good at caring for and healing others. You are naturally soothing.

What Herb Are You?

--------------------------------------------------------------------

You Are a Salty Person

When it comes to snacks, you're more likely to grab a bag of chips over a bag of cookies.

There's a good chance you're male (men prefer salty snacks)...

Or at least, you feel very comfortable in male dominated environments.

Your taste tends to be complex, sophisticated, and adult.

You tend to crave your favorite restaurant meal... or mom's cooking.

Are You Sweet or Salty?

----------------------------------------------------

You Are "Wow"!

You are a firecracker. You're completely unpredictable.

You love a good adventure, and you're always up to something a little crazy.

You love surprising people and defying expectations. It's great to see the shock on someone's face.

You are alert and ready to act. You know opportunities don't come often, so you jump on anything that comes along.

What Japanese Smiley Are You?

--------------------------------------------------

Your Easter Egg Says You Are Religious

You are a deeply spiritual and passionate person.

Easily moved, you feel emotions strongly and clearly.

You are compassionate, loving, and kind.

People feel inspired by your strength and convictions.

The Easter Egg Personality Test

---------------------------------------------------

You Are a Pegasus

You are a perfectionist, with an eye for beauty.

You know how to live a good life - and you rarely deviate from your good taste.

While you aren't outgoing, you have excellent social skills.

People admire you and feel very comfortable around you.

What Mythological Creature Are You?

-----------------------------------------------------------

You Are: 50% Dog, 50% Cat

You are a nice blend of cat and dog.

You're playful but not too needy. And you're friendly but careful.

And while you have your moody moments, you're too happy to stay upset for long.

Are You More Cat or Dog?

--------------------------------------------------------------

You Can Be Deeply Passionate Sometimes

You are a loner, and you're fine with that. You find the most fulfillment in solitude. And you never feel more lonely than when you're in a crowd.

You fall in love with ease and confidence. Even if you've had bad experiences in the past, each new love is a reason to start completely over.

You are deeply passionate about several things in your life. You're not passionate about much... and the few passions you have are truly obsessions.

Your sense of humor is intellectual and obscure.

The Beach Test

------------------------------------------------------------

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T21:11:00.000-02:00

I hope you're having a good one! I thought this quiz about the occasion and the history of Ireland was pretty cool.
Enjoy!

Potioneering Madness :D

2009-03-17T15:07:00.000-02:00

I ran across this silly generator during a search trawl. :)

This was my result....

The Potion Maker
rebehmium is a cloudy, frangible gold solid pulled from the blood of an ostrich.
Mix with rebehm! Username:
Yet another fun meme brought to you by rfreebern

Mom got this one when we used an old username of hers...

The Potion Maker
salarium is a cloudy, porous grey solid drained from the bones of a sphinx.
Mix with salar! Username:
Yet another fun meme brought to you by rfreebern

Together, we got THIS!

The Potion Maker
salarium is a cloudy, porous grey solid drained from the bones of a sphinx.
rebehmium is a cloudy, frangible gold solid pulled from the blood of an ostrich.
Mixing salarium with rebehmium causes a violent chemical reaction, producing a milky ochre potion which gives the user protection from twisted plans.
Yet another fun meme brought to you by rfreebern

I ran Grandmother's username through the generator too. We all think it is cool that her result includes a colour she really likes.

The Potion Maker
uvaldeowlium is a cloudy, lumpy purple solid created from the leaves of a narcissus bush.
Mix with uvaldeowl! Username:
Yet another fun meme brought to you by rfreebern

Combining this with Mom's result yielded us another interesting potion!

The Potion Maker
uvaldeowlium is a cloudy, lumpy purple solid created from the leaves of a narcissus bush.
salarium is a cloudy, porous grey solid drained from the bones of a sphinx.
Mixing uvaldeowlium with salarium causes a violent chemical reaction, producing a milky opalescent potion which gives the user protection from death.
Yet another fun meme brought to you by rfreebern

I combined my result with Grandmother's. This is what came out.

The Potion Maker
uvaldeowlium is a cloudy, lumpy purple solid created from the leaves of a narcissus bush.
rebehmium is a cloudy, frangible gold solid pulled from the blood of an ostrich.
Mixing uvaldeowlium with rebehmium causes a violent chemical reaction, producing a milky sky blue potion which gives the user protection from angry glares.
Yet another fun meme brought to you by rfreebern

The Potion Maker
shushanium is a milky, runny lavender gel obtained from the bile of a sphinx.
uvaldeowlium is a cloudy, lumpy purple solid created from the leaves of a narcissus bush.
Mixing shushanium with uvaldeowlium causes a violent chemical reaction, producing a translucent orange potion which gives the user the power of x-ray vision.
Yet another fun meme brought to you by rfreebern

I also used a retired username.

The Potion Maker
ladyowlshadowium is a milky, runny red gel distilled from the muscles of a wolf.
Mix with ladyowlshadow! Username:
Yet another fun meme brought to you by rfreebern

The Potion Maker
ladyowlshadowium is a milky, runny red gel distilled from the muscles of a wolf.
salarium is a cloudy, porous grey solid drained from the bones of a sphinx.
Mixing ladyowlshadowium with salarium causes a violent chemical reaction, producing a translucent grey potion which gives the user the power of incredible speed.
Yet another fun meme brought to you by rfreebern

The Potion Maker
ladyowlshadowium is a milky, runny red gel distilled from the muscles of a wolf.
uvaldeowlium is a cloudy, lumpy purple solid created from the leaves of a narcissus bush.
Mixing ladyowlshadowium with uvaldeowlium causes a violent chemical reaction, producing a translucent purple potion which gives the user the power of transfiguration.
Yet another fun meme brought to you by rfreebern

New Trend in Anime? I sure hope so!

2009-03-13T18:51:00.002-02:00

Yesterday, I found out that Bandai Entertainment has opened a new channel on Youtube to showcase a few of their products. Right now, they've got many hours worth of one series called Code Geass as well as samples of others, including the famous Gundam Wing. I've never seen those and as such can't vouch for it, but this way anybody can check it out easily. :) Since this is the copyright owners uploading it, people can watch it without guilt or worry. I hope other companies will consider showcasing their wares this way. It would draw in new people who like to try before they buy. Being unable to do that is why more people haven't gotten into anime. They had to rely on mere written reviews and just plain being in the right place at the right time.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T21:35:00.003-02:00

Happy Valentine's Day '09 by ~Rebehm

I hope you have a wonderful day with your loved ones.

Beautiful Dreams Emerging in a Tide of Song

2009-01-15T19:58:00.013-02:00

I’ve been on a bit of a Sailor Moon kick lately, because I am writing a prequel to the comic Mom and I did. Someone also made a Poser outfit meant to look like the senshi uniform. I‘ve also had fun with that. I’m going to try making a skirt that looks more like the one in the anime to go with the rest of it, as well as the jewelry to go with it. I’m also trying to make Usagi’s hair. If I can make it work in Poser, I’ll make it available for download, ditto for the skirt and the jewelry.

Yes, I know I have a form of the hair to work with. However, I’d like a somewhat more realistic version to go with my style and figured that someone else might also like this option. They’re actually coming out reasonably well. If nothing prevents me, I may try making Naru’s hair too. I like Naru and wouldn‘t mind doing a picture of her sometime. She’s a sweet character.

I’ve even got an image done of ChibiUsa’s (for want of a better word) buddy Pegasus done! I’ve wanted to portray him for awhile now. I am especially happy with how his mane came out. To see a larger version, click on the thumbnail.

"Beautiful Dream Emerging"

His pose and the lighting are partially inspired by Eighties fantasy calendars. Mom had kept some especially beautiful ones of unicorns and pegasii that she also enjoys looking at. :)

This time, I painted his mane and tail. It wasn’t as tough to do as I had thought it would be. The main thing is making sure that the hair is flowing where you want it to. Imagining that the hair is water pouring over the character’s scalp helps with envisioning how it should behave.
I worked on this while listening to songs from the Eighties. "Glory of Love", "Kyrie", "Mad About You", "That’s What It Takes", and others seemed appropriate.

One set of lyrics in particular evoked some musings on the nature of love and why people admire the knights in old legends and fairytales.
The chorus from Peter Cetera‘s “Glory of Love” echoes two beautiful dreams. It embodies many maidens' dreams of true love and it evokes many a man’s desire to be heroic.

“I am a man who will fight for your honour.
I’ll be the hero that you’re dreaming of.
We’ll live forever, knowing together that we did it all for the glory of love.”

What’s even better about these dreams is that, with God, they can come true.

Another theme that comes to mind is this: Do lovers love each other enough to stand beside each other in spite of opposition?
It’s a reoccurring theme in classic literature as well as Sailor Moon. It keeps you wondering if the story will end well, doesn‘t it?
They are similar in that they are both born from choices. You decide to whom and what you will be faithful to.
You make this choice every time you have the chance to be kind or to be cruel.
You are not born with the knight’s creed inscribed in your heart and mind. You decide if you are a knight or not.
I know real knights like this exist and that they‘re every bit as inspiring as their written counter-parts. I’ve met a few. :)

As Dawn comes, Memories of the Night Fade into the Morning Light

2009-01-15T18:55:00.008-02:00

In other news, I read the Twilight series, because they had been recommended to me in several places I like to visit and had been told that this series of books was a great romantic tale. I wasn’t impressed with Twilight. It isn’t my thing at all. I felt they were too much like someone’s messed-up romantic fantasies and not enough real story. I ad been told these books get better as the go along. I have read books that weren’t wonderful at first but got a lot smoother, more intelligent, and more enjoyable as they went along. Not so with Twilight. The writing itself got a bit better towards the end, but the story just got less and less family friendly as it went along.
Mom says her literary forums think they are very poorly written too, so it’s not just my opinion.
The characterizations especially left much to be desired.

Take the vampire Edward for example.

His selfishness was being explained away in ways that, as we often say around here, wouldn’t hold water.

He was very rude to Bella when he met her. Officially, this is because he is close to attacking her in the classroom. Later he goes on (several times!) about how Bella seeks him out when it’s the other way around. He only protects her when he has no excuse not to, he is going to gain something from it, or when her father and the local Native American tribe will come after him if he doesn’t. He didn’t bother to research what would happen to her when they had a kid before actually fathering said child, even though he knew that she could easily die.
Edward kept getting angry every time she didn’t do whatever he wanted or even if she merely spoke to another guy about neutral topics like school assignments, the weather, and how gym class went, even early in the relationship when he was still being rude to her.

He led her on, dumped her, and then expected her to get back up with him when he finally waltzes back into town. He claimed he was letting her go, but he obviously still thinks he owns her. He doesn’t seem to think he should be starting over, or mending his ways.

Edward’s behavior stemmed from selfishness.

That is not love.

He wanted to be with her but he didn’t respect her or truly love her. If he had really loved her, he would have wanted to take much better care of her. He would have been a lot more concerned about her feelings and safety.
Please consider 1 Corinthians chapter 13 which outlines the nature of love. I feel that it is relevant, since love builds you up, not tear you down.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Corinthians 13

1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Edward's behavior is not loving.

Love means caring about others. Love is wanting the best for the other person. Love means that you will look out for the other person’s interests. It also means being willing to let someone go if that person seeks to break ties, because by letting him go you are respecting his decisions.

I REALLY can’t condone his behavior. I don’t get why this mess is being held up as a romantic ideal. He’s an abusive jerk!
At least the actor who played Edward said he didn’t like the role. I was surprised the guy signed up for it at all, considering that the last role I saw him in he was playing a really nice guy. It may have been another case of the actor didn’t do his homework beforehand.

In real life, a relationship like Edward and Bella’s generally ends badly. I ended up witnessing one. Ultimately, the guy betrayed the girl. She wasn’t a nice person, but we did feel kinda sorry for her.

Whoof, needed to say that! It’s been awhile since I last read such an atrocious book. Even most of the fan fiction I’ve come across over the years hasn’t been this bad!

Another Round of Enthusiast Art Finds

2009-01-14T02:37:00.001-02:00

This time, I felt like representing a few different stories as well as the usual. :)
================================================

On the Road Again by *Wen-JR
I love what this gentleman has done with his lighting and texturing. The angle of the composition is dynamic. It looks as about as good as the movie did. :)
-----------------------------------------------------------

Sailor Mercury by ~k-BOSE
-------------------------------------------------------

Sailor Jupiter by ~Lokklyn

Lokklyn's rendition of Sailor Jupiter is both cute and kinda unusual. She looks like a opaque glass figurine.
--------------------------------------------------------------

::.Going Fishing.:: by =brigette
Even Link and Zelda like their down time. :)
-------------------------------------------------------------

Indiana Jones card 239 by *icarus126
I really like this guy's character.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

mother by *EatToast
My little list just wouldn't be complete without a comic somewhere! So here's EatToast's take on the infamous confrontation scene. lol
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Sailor Moon II by =Giname

Sailor Saturn by *Giname
Giname did a great job with Hotaru's expression! She looks both formidable and gentle, not any easy balance to achieve. His watercolour technique is lovely.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Sailor Soldiers by *soichiru-alan

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Muppet Music by *RobbVision

This is just CRAZY!

2009-01-04T23:40:00.002-02:00

Not in the good way either.

"For those of you who haven’t heard the news yet, on February 10, 2009, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act comes into effect. One of the major changes that this program will bring into play is a mandate that everything sold for children 12 and younger will have to be tested for lead and phthalates, and anything that isn’t tested (or that fails) will be considered hazardous and cannot be sold. Read more about the CPSIA at the L.A. Times and some interesting blog commentary from the fashion industry.

For new products, this isn’t an issue at all and is in fact a good thing. Many products are already being screened with such tests, and those that are not will be required to begin such testing shortly or will be pulled from the market. In terms of safety for my children, I’m quite happy with the effects of this law on new products.

Where things get interesting is with used products. Consider your local resale and thrift shop. Currently, all of their secondhand children’s clothes will have to be tested for lead and phthalates. Given that many such stores aren’t high-income operations - many are nonprofits - these shops simply cannot afford to do the testing on the children’s clothes on their shelves.

So what happens? Most thrift shops are currently not accepting any children’s clothing at all. Sometime in the next month or so, all thrift shops will have to clear all of their children’s clothing from the shelves … and send them to the landfill.
"

from Bookroom blog on the same issue

"If changes are not made to CPSIA immediately, then we will see millions of items of children’s clothing, toys, and books destroyed because they can no longer be sold in the United States. Our already burdened budgets will be pushed to the extreme as soon as we are faced with a steep rise in the cost of children’s products, due both to the extreme costs of testing and the disappearance of thousands of products from the market. CPSIA doesn’t affect only toys. It also includes clothing and shoes, the very necessities of life.

Retailers will not be able to do their own testing. We are not permitted to buy equipment or test kits to evaluate our own products. Instead, we at Jacobsen Books would need to purchase testing for every copy of every children’s book in our inventory. Since lead testing costs $100-$400 per product, it’s obvious that we’ll no longer be able to carry $2 to $5 children’s books. Unless action is taken soon, our favorite corner in our little store will no longer invite children to come, look, read, and enjoy.

Back in 2007, we all read with horror about the lead contamination of products purchased from China by the biggest toy retailers in the country. Normally, we like to see the punishment fit the crime, but in this case it looks like the biggest offenders will be rewarded by the progressive elimination of their smaller competitors."

Whoever wrote this law clearly has not had to live the way a number of folks have had to. Sure it isn't a huge problem if you're rich and your kids like what is on the racks at the retailers. Never mind that many families have to budget their funds or might want to dress their sons and daughters more traditionally. Never mind the current depression! Never mind that many little girls like pretty dresses better than jeans and that boys also like to spruce up occasionally. Your average corporate run store just doesn't sell those kinds of clothes very often.

I am sorry for ranting, but this is going way too far.
This law really cuts down on choices people have. Being able to sell your own stuff or trade it is a right that folks have needed for as long as civilisation has existed.

If you want to make kids healthier, then get the corporations to quit putting out so much pollution!
On that topic, the new reusable bags that places like Farm Fresh have helped with this problem. It is good that folks can do that again.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-22T04:26:00.010-02:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We've updated SantaPenguin.com! There are a new card up, a few wallpapers, and some more goodies for you to enjoy. I am quite happy with the theme for this year's card. It was another work that came from talking with Mom. I had wanted do something with a modern Santa and Saint Nicholas leading a horse-drawn sleigh through a woodland. She suggested the reflection in the pool of water. :)
Preparations for Christmas have kept me quite busy this month. I still can't believe how much time has passed! Hopefully, things will slow down soon for a short while.

Quizzles Again! :)

2008-12-19T03:21:00.000-02:00

Your Personality is Somewhat Rare (ESFP)

Your personality type is playful, charming, open minded, and energetic.

Only about 7% of all people have your personality, including 9% of all women and 5% of all men

You are Extroverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

====================================================================================

What Your Fridge Says About You

You aren't greedy, but you don't really deprive yourself either. You strike a good balance with the stuff you buy.

You tend to be a fairly thrifty person. You splurge occasionally, but you're mostly a saver.

You are a very adventurous person. You love to try new things, and you get bored very easily.

You try to be responsible, but you don't always succeed. Your heart is in the right place though.

You are likely to be married - and very busy.

What Do the Contents of Your Refrigerator Say About You?

=================================================================================

Your Extroversion Profile:

Cheerfulness: Very High
Assertiveness: High
Sociability: Low
Activity Level: Very Low
Excitement Seeking: Very Low
Friendliness: Very Low

How Extroverted Are You?

=========================================================================

You Are Austin

A little bit country, a little bit rock and roll.

You're totally weird and very proud of it.

Artistic and freaky, you still seem to fit in... in your own strange way.

Famous Austin residents: Lance Armstrong, Sandra Bullock, Andy Roddick

What American City Are You?

=================================================================

You Are a Smart American

You know a lot about US history, and you're opinions are probably well informed.

Congratulations on bucking stereotypes. Now go show some foreigners how smart Americans can be.

Are You a Dumb American?

I am American and proud of it!(though I like foreign folk just fine)
=====================================================================

You Are an Excellent Cook

You're a top cook, but you weren't born that way. It's taken a lot of practice, a lot of experimenting, and a lot of learning.

It's likely that you have what it takes to be a top chef, should you have the desire...

Are You A Good Cook?

Oh, I don't know about that, but at least I don't usually burn anything and my brother usually doesn't take one look or sniff and yell "EWWWW!". lol
===========================================================================

People Envy Your Compassion

You have a kind heart and an unusual empathy for all living creatures. You tend to absorb others' happiness and pain.

People envy your compassion, and more importantly, the connections it helps you build. And compassionate as you are, you feel for them.

What Do People Envy About You?

=======================================================================

You Are Very Happy

Your life is totally together, and you enjoy every day.

And you don't need a quiz to tell you that!

You know how to find pleasure in the little things...

And even when life isn't so great, you have a good sense of perspective.

How Happy Are You, Really?

That comes from knowing God. Telling Him thank you for the blessings He has given us does a lot for making me a much happier person.
=======================================================================

You Are Fairly Skeptical

You're not the type of person who will fall for anything...

But you do keep your mind open to all sorts of possibilities.

You figure that anything could be true. After all, the world is a strange place.

However, you're going to need some convincing before you can believe in aliens or reincarnation!

How Skeptical Are You?

==============================================================================

You are Milk Chocolate

A total dreamer, you spend most of your time with your head in the clouds.

You often think of the future, and you are always working toward your ideal life.

Also nostalgic, you rarely forget a meaningful moment... even those from long ago.

What Kind of Chocolate Are You?

==========================================================================

You Can Hang With the Guys and the Girls

You've struck a good balance between girlie and laid back.

You can keep it casual but when you dress up, you are as girly as the next girl.

How Feminine Are You?

==========================================================================

Your Friend is Not Fake

You have a true friend - and you're smart enough to know you're lucky to have such a great friendship.

So let your friend know that you really appreciate all she's done for you... and for keeping it real!

Is Your Best Girl Friend Fake?

===============================================================================

You Are A Good Friend

You're always willing to listen to your friends.

And you're the first to lend a shoulder to cry on.

You're there through thick and thin. You won't stop being friends with someone when times are tough.

In fact, you're such a good friend that many people consider you their "best friend"!

What Kind of Friend Are You?

==========================================================================

You Are Best Described By...

From the Lake, No. 1

by Georgia O'Keeffe

What Famous Work of Art Are You?

Some Updates

2008-11-25T10:35:00.003-02:00

Autumn this year was unusually pretty. Most years everything goes straight from green to brown, from summer to what passes for winter. It usually doesn't stay very cold for long. Mom said it had reminded her of a mountain autumn.
For now, the weather is back to more typical temperatures. It actually reached over 50°F today.

The weather has been unusually cold here. It even snowed up the road last week! Folks here often have to wait until after New Years to get any snow at all.
The only year I can remember being colder here was the winter of 1999/2000. It had snowed lightly off and on for the week or so prior to Christmas. By Christmas Eve, we were not paying attention to the Y2K scare - we had an ice storm! The power outage it caused lasted from Christmas Eve until after New Years Day.
It was beautiful to look at. The sunlight on the ice that enameled everything sparkled and shimmered as the clouds went by. I remember picking up a small leaf that was encased in ice. Once the ice around it was split, I could see the lacy mold of the leaf's form in one piece.
It wasn't a bad winter and what happened later that year had kinda made up for it.

I don't have a whole lot to add to Mom's update post, except that getting ready for my brother's birthday was a lot of fun. His delight when he saw us setting up the decorations made me happy. :D When I was setting up the centerpiece on the kitchen table, he kept bouncing in to check on progress. It was so cute! This wasn't the first year we've decorated for his birthday, but I'm glad he liked it.
He was fairly bouncing off the walls the entire day. :)

I had also had a nice birthday. :) It was quiet and a lot of fun, just the way I like it. I really liked what my family gave me. Amongst the neat gifts my family gave me were the tiara in the slideshow, a pretty cosmetic box which my brother gave me, and the Celtic pendants my parents gave me are also beautiful. One has a cross on it, another has a horse surrounded by knotwork, and the last is a Celtic knot.
We watched a movie, hung out together and talked, and had some pizza.

Movie Fun

2008-11-12T18:52:00.003-02:00

Recently, we went to see Madagascar 2. I enjoyed it very much. It had a much better storyline than the previous one had. It was more complex and and was a lot less frantic. Don't misunderstand; I do like the first one, but the sequel came out a lot better. The extra time Dreamworks spent on its development made an enormous difference.

Afterwards, while waiting in the lobby I found a box of posters and trailer reels the theatre was giving away. These two caught my eye. Click the thumbnail below if you'd like a closer look at them.

I am kind of surprised that these two were there! Both are for upcoming family films that look like they will be a lot of fun.

Inkheart

Watch Inkheart Official Movie Trailer HD Full Quality in Entertainment Videos | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

I think this trailer is fun.

Tale of Despereaux

Despereaux reminds me of Reepicheep. lol He is so cute! As you've probably guessed, we're all looking forward to this movie.
I heard that Emma Watson is too.

I didn't find this trailer on a demo reel, but it is still neat! Mind you, I hope Zelda is a little less dark than the trailer insinuates.
The Legend of Zelda - Live Action!

Quizzes again :)

2008-11-09T14:21:00.000-02:00

I am a
Violet

What Flower
Are You?

According to this, I am a walnut tree.

Brand New Harry Potter Trailer!

2008-10-26T18:03:00.003-02:00

All right!! This trailer is so cool! I really liked how it shows things from the heroes' perspectives (which is a good contrast to the previous trailer) and has some humour.

If you want to see the previous trailer, look below.

Watch Harry potter 6 teaser in Entertainment Videos | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

2008-09-28T22:48:00.000-02:00

Attention.exe by ~FranceHopper on deviant ART

Carman's Music

2008-09-28T22:39:00.006-02:00

I hope that these powerful songs will bless you greatly.

"Radically Saved"

==========================================

"Lord of All"

===========================================

"No Monsters"

Even though my folks and I never were crazy about horror flicks or violent shows, I still found his song "No Monsters" to be a blessing.

Here's why.
When I was in second grade and still going to public school, I had been transferred in the middle of the year because of religious persecution. In my old school, my last homeroom teacher there had been very Snape-like(in fact, was marginally worse than Snape.) She had a oppressive hierachy in her classroom in this order: At the top were children who shared her religion and would seek to please her in any way they could including harassing the others; in the middle were those souls who were either undecided or had been converted to this religion and had not been admitted to the top tier for social reasons; at the bottom were people like me who had been taught the Christian faith or had decided to be true to themselves by doing what they had always done.
She was particularly unfair to children who were monotheistic, which is frankly weird considering that those of us she had to work with had been raised to respect authority and were careful to not cause her trouble. That was one major source of stress.
The second ingredient of my nightmares was comprised of the reading material she assigned us. Again, as in other matters, she showed partiality in the reading portion of her curriculum. Monotheistic kids were getting almost nothing but horror stories and the darker side of fantasy(I can remember seeing, though not reading, Goosebumps on her shelf), stuff about witches, vampires, and ghosts. She would push these books harder at me if I said something Christian. She had almost nothing normal, or even normal fantasy(stuff about critters like fairies, unicorns, elves, griffins).

I had to read this noxious stuff because the teacher kept giving me assignments that made not reading not an option. That teacher kept insisting that I keep those tomes, even when I protested. I did not like it and with good reason because it did affect me adversely. I found it increasingly harder to be good and nice(I have wanted to be like Jesus my whole life). I had more and more trouble remembering to pray. My sleep was becoming more and more restless. Nightmares came much more frequently with the passing weeks. For the first time in my life, I feared closet monsters and other boggles that seemed to love to tramp through my room in the dark.
It took only a fortnight for my mother and father to put two and two together. During this time, we had gotten a recording of Carman's music that included the "No Monsters" song. Between that and Mom and Grandma telling me that God allows His children to tell demons to get lost and that we don't need to live in fear, I began to revert to my old self.

In the end, I was transferred to a school where my teacher was much more tolerant of differing beliefs. I remember her fondly since she was kind to all of her students and gave everyone in her class a fair hearing.

At my new school some weeks later, my new teacher told everyone to bring their favorite book in to read to the class. At the time, my favorite book was "No Monsters" which was based on the song. I badly wanted to bring it in, but my imagination immediately sped back to that one horrible teacher's behavior(even though I knew my new instructor was alright and not like my old one at all)and for a minute I was afraid. In the end, I did bring it in. I was very glad I did. The other students loved it! A number of them also knew the "No Monsters" song and were happily chattering about it for the rest of the day. Even my teacher seemed pleased with it. She even invited me to bring it in again sometime!

Quizzles Again! :)

2008-09-28T20:21:00.000-02:00

You Are Austin

What American City Are You?

=================================================================

You Are a Smart American

You know a lot about US history, and you're opinions are probably well informed.

Congratulations on bucking stereotypes. Now go show some foreigners how smart Americans can be.

Are You a Dumb American?

I am American and proud of it!(though I like foreign folk just fine)

==============================================================================

You are Milk Chocolate

What Kind of Chocolate Are You?

==========================================================================

You Can Hang With the Guys and the Girls

You've struck a good balance between girlie and laid back.

You can keep it casual but when you dress up, you are as girly as the next girl.

How Feminine Are You?

==========================================================================

Your Friend is Not Fake

Is Your Best Girl Friend Fake?

===================================================================

You Are Classical Music

You are a somewhat serious person who enjoys studying subjects deeply.

Art of all kinds interests you, and a good piece of art can really effect you emotionally.

You are inspired by human achievement, and you appreciate work that takes years to accomplish.

For you, the finer things in life are not about snobbery - they're about quality.

What Kind of Music Are You?

=================================================================================

Your Personality is Somewhat Rare (ESFP)

How Rare Is Your Personality?

Eh, not really. I just want to be reasonably good company.
====================================================================================

Cute Cat Videos from YouTube

2008-09-28T19:31:00.007-02:00

I think this cat knows what his owner is saying. :)

It is so cute how these two seem to be holding a conversation. I've seen our cats do that too, but haven't managed to film it.

This is just silly and fun.

It is neat how some talking cats have accents. This critter's English accent is pleasant.
I also knew a sweet old cat who had a very strong Southern accent. She talked a lot and she could say almost anything she wanted to in American English. Some of her favorite things to say included "out", "I can't"(it sounded like "Ah cain't"),"now", and "what?".

Summer-y

2008-08-19T18:08:00.006-02:00

We’ve had a rather eventful summer. I advise reading my mother’s blog about this summer‘s events, if you are curious. I don‘t have much to add to it, except that I pray that my uncle rests in peace and that his wife and daughter turn to God for comfort, hope, and strength. God will not shun anyone who seeks Him.

Wall-E did surprise me. Wall-E and Eva were more emotive than I had thought possible. They really didn’t need speech to communicate. I also liked how the human characters were willing to learn how to cope.
It was visually beautiful. The characters were quite likable too. :)

Journey to the Center of the Earth was also fun, if a bit silly. It looked like someone on that production team likes the Girl Genius comics, as well as Jules Verne and similarly themed stories. : )

Mom and I are developing another comic in between chores and other things.
I am learning a lot with this comic, too. I am getting better at making custom textures and working from references. This time, my brother is helping me a lot by telling me what will help a character's pose look more believable. He really has a keen eye for this kind of thing. :D

I learned a lot about resource management in Bryce6 and Daz Studio with first one.
Here are some of the things I learned during the last comic.

(1) Always prepare the scenery BEFORE adding your characters to the file.

(2) Use Bryce primitives to make your objects when you can because they render much faster than imported meshes do.

(3) Prepare your objects in separate scene files and save your things to your object library so you can add them to your scene later. (you don’t have to save the scene files themselves)

(4) Never import more than two characters directly from Daz Studio simultaneously. Poser characters are polygon-heavy. More polygons in a scene mean waiting longer for your picture to render.

Quiz Fun

2008-07-01T20:01:00.000-02:00

=====================================================

Your Brain's Pattern

You have a dreamy mind, full of fancy and fantasy.

You have the ability to stay forever entertained with your thoughts.

People may say you're hard to read, but that's because you're so internally focused.

But when you do share what you're thinking, people are impressed with your imagination.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

====================================================================

You're Not Exactly a Hippie...

While you're not a hippie, you've got the spirit of one.

Like most hippies, you have deep beliefs and unusual interests.

You may not buy into hippie fashions, music, or heavy drug use.

But at heart, you are a free spirit and suspicious of the status quo.

Are You a Hippie?

=========================================================

What Your Fridge Says About You

You like to be surrounded by things you love. You aren't exactly greedy, but you can be materialistic at times.

You tend to be a fairly thrifty person. You splurge occasionally, but you're mostly a saver.

You don't tend to be a very adventurous person, but you do surprise everyone now and then. You have a bit of a wild side.

You try to be responsible, but you don't always succeed. Your heart is in the right place though.

You are likely single - and a workaholic.

What Do the Contents of Your Refrigerator Say About You?

=========================================================================
I can lose myself in a project, but I am not a workaholic. :)

More Enthusiast Art Finds :)

2008-07-01T17:18:00.000-02:00

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Sailor Mars by ~k-BOSE
-------------------------------------------------------------------

ZELDA- Twilight Princess by *eponagirl
----------------------------------------------------------------------

WIP cloud + tsurugi by *Wen-JR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

cloud by *EatToast
------------------------------------------------------------------

Commission - Ami Mizuno by ~ChibiRikku
------------------------------------------------------------------------

FFVIII Gunblade - Origin by *mogcaiz
---------------------------------------------------------------------

KH2: Pirate Sora by *Risachantag
-------------------------------------------------------------

One Winged Angel by *Dahlieka
------------------------------------------------------------------

-LootKingBallieBoo- by *-coey-
-------------------------------------------------------------

Quiche Blog

2008-06-21T17:22:00.002-02:00

Mom made some quiche recently, which is a quite a treat. That’s because we specially prepare the fillings. Mom had cooked three kinds. Bacon and cheddar cheese, sausage and sautéed onions, and feta and spinach, all of which came out very well. We make several at a go and store most of them for later enjoyment.

Since these tasty pies are quite attractive to look at, I decided to take a few pictures of them and of the process of making them. I think this is the first time we’ve ever photographed it.

I liked the play of light and color in this spinach quiche waiting for its egg mixture.

Here we have the bacon and cheddar quiche cooling. Yes, we drink a lot of tea. The weather stays warm almost year-round here, so usually we ice it.

The warm part of the year is quite long and now we are firmly ensconced in it. Only the humidity and the smoke from a very serious fire down south make it unpleasant.
Folks in the Carolinas, especially near the Great Dismal Swamp, have had serious problems with an enormous fire that has been burning there for days. This blaze is so large its smoke has drifted for hundreds of miles north. It was thick enough to make watching a baseball game in Norfolk difficult. It is so bad that even here in an air-conditioned building I can smell it clearly sometimes… over a hundred miles from the nearest fire.
Please pray for these people. Fires there usually aren’t this severe.

Please pray for those poor souls who lost much to floods in the Midwest. The damage is more extensive that the news reports lead you to believe.

Horses and Unicorns

2008-06-09T00:54:00.004-02:00

Monoceros by *Tammara
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Glass Ghosts by ~Spibbles
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alpha by =ellastasia
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ancient Echos by ~wolfman007
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2008-06-03T18:00:00.002-02:00

An interesting week has past here. I renewed my library card at the local library and was impressed by the courtesy of its staff members.
The day after that we had some rather impressive storm clouds go by. We only got a little rain from it.

Happy Memorial Day

2008-05-28T18:20:00.005-02:00

I hope you all had a good Memorial Day. Ours was pleasantly quiet - except for the fireworks. :) We filmed them this year.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

An Awesome Find! Coding Instruction Program

2008-05-24T18:26:00.007-02:00

I just found this awesome app named Alice that teaches its users how to code through visual means. It is a completely free program.
It was designed by college professors at Carnegie Mellon University for use by their students, but kids can use it too!

To get to it, just click on the blog title.

More Enthusiast Art Finds

2008-05-19T21:17:00.001-02:00

Heh, I have some more fun pics to share.

As before, all of the thumbnails will take you to the full-sized original.
Enjoy!

---------------------------------------------------------
Looking at Gold-Seven's lovely paintings inspire me to keep trying with my own work.

Harry Potter--Exuberance by *Gold-Seven
The bittersweetness of this piece really is striking. Poor Sirius. At least, he looks happy here.

Harry Potter--Marauders by *Gold-Seven
---------------------------------------------------------

Gardening by ~Probablee
----------------------------------------------------------

Calin by *Hito76
This one is just plain cute! I always did 'ship these two.
--------------------------------------------------------

"Alice and the Gryphon"
What a lovely image!
------------------------------------------------------

"Of Crumple-horn Snorkacks"
----------------------------------------------------

the final battle by *NorthernBanshee

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keyblade - Kingdom Key I by *mogcaiz
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As promised, A silly Lord of the Rings video

2008-05-08T03:30:00.003-02:00

This is the silly video I mention in that meme I took yesterday. Enjoy!

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Neat Fan Art Pics

2008-05-07T20:53:00.005-02:00

I like to sometimes go looking for some neat artwork. Today I will
share some of my fan art finds. Amongst them you'll see several series
and themes represented.

All of the thumbnails will take you to the original. I really recommend taking a closer look at these lovely pictures.

Just so you know, if you don't see the images on my blog you will need to turn your ad blocker down.

Some are just pretty or cute, others are funny, and more are inspiring.
Enjoy! :)
---------------------------------------

Discworld
Leila Wood has done a truly beautiful job on her portrayal of the Disc.
I think that anyone who enjoys inked artwork should go take a look at the version she posted.
--------------------------------------------

Wizard's Conclave by Anneth Lagamo
Heh, y'know of the four wizards there in this image the three I know probably *would* team up, each for his own reasons.
I strongly urge you to go see the full version on this talented lady's site if you like wizards at all. I love her control of the brush and pencil strokes and her use of texture in this lovely drawing.

------------------------------------------------------------

Deathly Hallows by *leelastarsky

This image won a Book Seven cover contest at the Leaky Cauldron.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sometimes Destruction...
by ~Mayte
"…is necessary, if you’re Godzilla and you have a wicked bad piece
of debris stuck between your giant serrated teeth and you can’t just
pick it out with your claws and / or tongue."

Monster flicks aren't my thing, but this one was funny enough to earn a
prime place in my little list.
The mere thought of Godzilla tending to his teeth... lol
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Sailor Moon: I'm with you...
by *daekazu

What an atmospheric piece!
--------------------------------------------------------------

Nephrite:The King of Stars
by *kir-tat

I am not a fan of villains, but this painting of Nephrite really is beautiful.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some funny Inuyasha comics I found!

Mystery solved by *mylittlejoy

"Mysteriously my Inuyasha pockets stopped falling on the ground ever since I placed my Garfield pockets on a separate shelf....lol."

Yeah, Garfield REALLY doesn't like dogs. Inuyasha could probably have fun picking on that cat. He could have something edible out and eat where Garfield can't reach him or get the cat to chase him to get it. He's quick enough that the cat can't catch him. *giggles*
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sesshoumaru, terror of da seas by ~majinthing

-------------------------------------------

Meme Fun

2008-05-07T18:11:00.004-02:00

1. Grab the book nearest to you,
Turn to page 18, and find line 4...

"I hope all of us will learn a few lessons on the way."

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can.
What can you touch?
A bookshelf

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
Mario Kart

4. Without looking, guess what time it is. 4:00 p.m.

5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time? 5:24 p.m.

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
The air conditioner chugging away

7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
Some time ago. I was taking dry laundry down from our clothesline.

8. Before you started this survey, what were you doing?
Looking up fun stuff to share.

9. What are you wearing? a red cotton skirt & a pink top

10. Did you dream last night? Not really.

11. When did you last laugh?
This afternoon. I had found this really silly Lord of the Rings video on Veoh. I will probably share it soon.

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
Wallpaper and several other things

13. Seen anything weird lately?
There is always something weird going on, no matter where you are. Weirdness *could* be considered normal.

14. What do you think of this quiz?
I like it.

15. What is the last film you saw?
I am not sure. I haven't been watching very many movies lately.

16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, What would you buy first?
I really don't know. It could be something practical or something silly. Who knows?

17. Tell us something about you that we didn't know before.
Nope. I have few secrets.

18. If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be.
That many people have trouble seeing the difference between a mask and a face.

19. Do you like to dance?
Sort of.

20. Should Christians get involved in politics?
Yes.

21. If you could invent anything, what would it be?
many things

22. If you could go anywhere, where would you go?

That would mostly depend entirely upon the my circumstances.
I'd probably visit Texas or the UK, especially Scotland.

23. Would you ever consider living abroad?
I'd have to need to before I would choose to.

24. What do you want God to say to you
when you meet Him face to face?

Well done! Welcome home!

25. What was the last music you heard?
"Inside Out" by the Traveling Wilburys

Quizzes

2008-04-10T20:35:00.000-02:00

You Would Be a Pet Cat

Independent and aloof, you don't like to be dependent on anyone.

And as for other people, you can take them or leave them. You often don't care.

You live your life by your own rules. And you have deep motivations that no one truly understands.

Why you would make a great pet: You're not needy or greedy... unlike other four legged friends.

Why you would make a bad pet: You're not exactly running down to greet people at the door

What you would love about being a cat: Agility and freedom

What you would hate about being a cat: Being treated like a dog by clueless humans

What Kind of Pet Would You Be?

Cats aren't always like that. It is all in how they are raised. If you tame a cat, give it a lot of love and keep it near you as often as you reasonably can, especially while the cat is still a kitten. The cat will usually bond to you and decide that it loves you back. We do this with every cat we own and almost always end up with a loving loyal companion. Whenever ours notice us usually they will keep us company. Deep inside, same as humans have to do, the cat has to choose whether or not he is a friend.

Your Nail Polish Color is Red

How you're unique: You have an incredible eye for style and art

Why your style rocks: You are classic and classy - and that's hot!

What this color says about you: "I'm smart, sassy. And I know it."

What Color Nail Polish Best Fits You?

Your Love Quote

Love is like pi -- natural, irrational, and very important.

What Love Quote Suits You?

You Are 68% Lady

Overall, you are a refined lady with excellent manners.

But you also know when to relax and not get too serious about etiquette

Are You A Lady?

You Are 53% Creative

You are a quite creative person. You're always involved in at least on interesting project.

Keep it up and keep learning. Your creativity may bring you great things someday.

How Creative Are You?

What Your Peanut Butter And Jelly Sandwich Means

Your eating style is reserved. You are a bit of a fussy eater, and you have very specific ways you like your food prepared.

You don't really have a sweet tooth. If you go for dessert, you tend to go for something light.

Your taste in food tends to be pretty flexible. You may crave sushi one night, and your favorite childhood recipe the next.

You are a tough person who isn't afraid to live life fully. There isn't a lot that scares you.

Precise and controlled, you can be a bit anal retentive when it comes to how you like things. You're definitely a perfectionist.

What Does Your Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Say About You?

Happy Valentine's Day! :)

2008-02-13T03:01:00.004-02:00

Hello!
I hope that you all have a happy Valentine's Day! Click the image to see the e-card full sized.

2008-02-05T21:06:00.000-02:00

You Are Strawberry Ice Cream

A bit shy and sensitive, you are sweet to the core.
You often find yourself on the outside looking in.
Insightful and pensive, you really understand how the world works.
You are most compatible with chocolate chip ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

Your Love is Represented by a White Rose

While you may or may not be totally naive, you do approach love with an eternal innocence.

You love like you've never been hurt. And you put all your faith in your partner.

Your philosophy on love is: be honest and be yourself.

What Rose Represents Your Love?

Your Inner Color is Blue

Your Personality: Your natural warmth and intuition nurtures those around you. You are accepting and always follow your heart.

Your Career: You need to help others in your job to feel satistifed. You would be a great nurse, psychologist, or counselor.

What's Your Inner Color?

You Are Cherry Kiss Lip Gloss

You're a total girly girl.

You take pleasure in the simple things in life, from cute t-shirts to stuffed animals.

No wonder Cherry your signature flavor. It's delicious, sugary, and fun - like you!

What Flavor Lip Gloss Are You?

Your Vocabulary Score: A

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary!

You must be quite an erudite person.

How's Your Vocabulary?

Your Superpower Should Be Manipulating Electricity

You're highly reactive, energetic, and super charged.
If the occasion calls for it, you can go from 0 to 60 in a split second.
But you don't harness your energy unless you truly need to.
And because of this, people are often surprised by what you are capable of.

Why you would be a good superhero: You have the stamina to fight enemies for days

Your biggest problem as a superhero: As with your normal life, people would continue to underestimate you
What Should Your Superpower Be?

You Are an Oatmeal Raisin Cookie

On the surface, you're a little plain - but you have many subtle dimensions to your personality.

Sometimes you're down to earth and crunchy. Other times, you're sweet and a little gooey.

What Kind of Cookie Are You?

You Should Learn Japanese

You're cutting edge, and you are ready to delve into wacky Japanese culture.

From Engrish to eating contests, you're born to be a crazy gaijin. Saiko!

What Language Should You Learn?

I thought I was going to get Spanish as a result. Mind you, I'm not complaining!

You Are a Blue Flower

A blue flower tends to represent peace, openness, and balance.

At times, you are very delicate like a cornflower.

And at other times, you are wise like an iris.

And more than you wish, you're a little cold, like a blue hydrangea.

What Color Flower Are You?

What Your Pizza Reveals

People may tell you that you have a small appetite... but you aren't under eating. You just aren't a pig.

You consider pizza to be bread... very good bread. You fit in best in the Midwest part of the US.

You like food that's traditional and well crafted. You aren't impressed with "gourmet" foods.

You are generous, outgoing, and considerate with your choices.

You are cultured and intellectual. You should consider traveling to Vienna.

The stereotype that best fits you is guy or girl next door. Hey, there's nothing wrong with being average.

What Does Your Pizza Say About You?

You Are Noon

You are upbeat, ambitious, and never at loss for energy.

You have a lot that drives you in life. The desire to be the best, and a secret hope of fame and power.

And while you definitely have a Type A personality, you are still fun to be around.

You have a ton of charisma and a genuine interest in others.

What Time Of Day Are You?

You Are a Carousel

You are young at heart and a truly playful person. No one would ever accuse you of taking life too seriously.

You are definitely in things for the fun. You find joy easily, and you are often building up anticipation for your next adventure.

In relationships, you tend to want to be babied and taken care of.

And while you may be a bit high maintenance, you are incredibly loyal.

Your life is simple and satisfying. Each day you treat yourself to something you enjoy.

You have a lot of emotional attachments, and experiences are extra vivid to you.

You tend to be nostalgic and sentimental. The past is important to you.

Comfortable around all living things, you have a special connection to animals and children.

At your best, you are whimsical, free spirited, and creative.

Even if your schemes seem a bit strange, they usually work out wonderfully.

What Carnival Ride Are You?

What Your Hands Say About You

You are logical, analytical, and rational. You have good verbal skills.

Idealistic and dreamy, you tend toward the impractical. You have a knack for getting yourself in sticky situations.

Brainy and intelligent, you are intellectual to the point of being incomprehensible.

Your emotions tend to be nervous and potent. Your energy - both positive and negative - deeply impacts your life.

What Do Your Hands Say About You?

Your Gemstone is Aquamarine

Intuitive, tranquil, and trusting.

You inspire others to have faith in themselves.

What Gemstone Are You?

You Scored an A

You got 10/10 questions correct.

It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors.

If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs.(Not really)

As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human.

And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes.

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

You Should Own a Husky

Athletic, free-spirited, and perfect for cuddling

What Kind of Dog Should You Have?

I like this kind of dog because I used to have a husky mix who was a sweetheart. She was very brave and fairly calm too.

Of Enchantment Wrought by Written Word

2008-01-29T16:28:00.002-02:00

I hope you had a good Christmas. It was mostly pretty quiet here.

I had had some thoughts about comunication and would like to share them with you
Have you heard a song and thought it sounded like how someone you know talks? As often as not people recognise folks they know through that person's choice of words as well as his voice.

Words effect people strongly. They can be used to strengthen someone's convictions or to attempt to change them. Words are also be used to reveal truths or to conceal them. In this blog, I talk of their use in showing someone's thoughts.

Sometimes people share a dream, a beautiful vision which may call out, asking to be set into some medium. How are they going to share this dream? Most likely, they will convey it through their speech. The enthusiasm in their voices and in their choice of words will paint a beautiful image across the listener's mind.
People have also used word choice and the overall tones to turn folks away from something the writer finds undesirable. For instance, the word "herbalist" is a more positive word than the term "quack". It is obvious which term an alternative healer would prefer to be called since the term herbalist indicates that the person knows what he is talking about when it comes to herbal medicine.

Someone can change the future and affect how others remember history through his use of words. This powerful gift from God has been used since mankind's beginnings to both harm and good. How many times have you read in your history books that some great(or not so great) leader was advised to take a particular course of action? To see that today, all you have to do is read the news!

Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.
Proverbs 25:15

Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 12:18

Please consider what the Bible has to say in James 3.

James 3
1Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. 3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt[a] water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

2007-11-09T18:29:00.000-02:00

My birthday was quiet and a lot of fun. One part I thank God for is that Dad felt better that day than he had all week!
One of the things my family gave me is a blue 'Zelda' ocarina. Its tones are rather pleasant. I know I have heard similar trills in many folks songs.
It seems that ocarinas can be made from many things.
This guy made one from broccoli.

Here is one he made from a carrot.

Here is a tutorial for making your own ocarina!

Speaking of Link's ocarina, here are some funny glitches people recorded from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Make sure you have a back up file before trying these!

"21 bottles in the wall..."

Unlimited Sword

Getting Started with Computer Graphics

2007-10-25T01:46:00.000-02:00

If you would like to try making your own cg art, then this post is for you.

It is possible to get an earlier version of Bryce for free. The company that sells Bryce is giving away Bryce 5 and 5.5. I think 5.5 can also work with Daz Studio, but it won't come with it(I think). That would be a separate download, but it is free too.

Bryce 5.5 is here.

Bryce 5.0 is gentler on older computers and is quite stable. This is the program I learned most of my techniques on. However, it will not run Daz Studio.
You can get it here.

If you're going to try Daz Studio(which you can get here), then this might interest you. It is a collection of animals with a few cartoon characters.
They are here.

I would also like to recommend these tutorials. This set of tutorials was once used a a beginner's course for Bryce5. (Corel sold Bryce to Daz, by the way) The Mulawa tutorials are another approach to the same. They were written for Bryce 4, but the same principles apply to Bryce 5. By the way, Peter Sharpe's tutorials are highly recommended for learning how to get some neat effects in Bryce with little effort. Many of these are fairly easy to follow, too.

I hope you enjoy this.

Girl Talk: An Inuyasha/Sailor Moon crossover comic

2007-10-20T16:10:00.000-02:00

This would be even funnier if the boys were obviously speaking Japanese (the girls could then be practicing their English. ) Inuyasha is smart! He could surprise them that way. He does occasionally haul off with Kagome's textbooks when he thinks she won't notice. Darien would understand IF he could hear them, but its up to Inuyasha to listen in. Darien is too polite to do that anyway.

This really is a joint project.
I was playing around in Bryce6 and Daz Studio with some assorted bits one evening and decided to do a picture with Kagome and Sailor Moon together in Tokyo. I didn't want it to just be them, I wanted it to show them talking. Mom also thought the idea was fun and while we talked about it she came up with some funny dialog. lol I loved it, thus this comic was born.

Oh yes, as I recall Inuyasha did behave badly the first few times he visited Kagome's family.

Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi
Sailor Moon belongs to Takeuchi Naoko
The comic and the images belong to yours truly.
As usual, if you would like to see the full-sized version click the thumbnail.

Inuyasha was a fun challenge to put together, though I didn't have to solve all of that puzzle myself. I had seen another person's work using Poser and, while I liked what she did, I wanted to do my own thing. She gave me an idea of where to start.

This picture is what kicked it all off. I was playing with some free sailor suit stuff and wondered if I could make Kagome. Once I made her, I decided to see if I could adapt the same pieces for Sailor Moon. I had picked up Sailor Moon's hair free a long time before and had one day planned to recreate her anyway. Well-it worked and then I had both Tokyo residents...what if they met? What if they went shopping together and had lunch?

Mom told me she was impressed by how well 'Darien in the Park' came out. I was glad at how it came out too. He was much harder to put together than I'd anticipated. I was glad I could work in a few touches from his alternate identity. Fans will know what I mean.

Sailor Moon is such a cheery person. It is good to see her picture done at last. In the Sailor Moon cartoon they use a lot of pastels and light colors and unusual shades like the green in Darien's coat. I tried to keep that mood.

I wanted the portraits to reflect the backgrounds in the cartoons.

2007-09-29T20:01:00.000-02:00

Mom's quizzes seemed like fun so here are the results.

Your signature color is Pink Chiffon

There's nothing saccharine about you — your sweetness is one hundred percent natural! A gentle, thoughtful romantic like you must be paired with a color that's soft and warm — but still has a subtle sophisticated sheen. That's why Pink Chiffon is the perfect color for you! You're probably known for making the most of every situation and trying to see the best in people. But while you may be cheerful and innocent at times, you're nobody's fool. You may see the world through rose-colored glasses, but you can still see, after all.

While you make wise insights time after time, it's probably your good nature and perpetual optimism that are what you're known for and what make you a joy to be around. Even those who sometimes make fun of your Pollyanna-like proclamations will turn to you when they need a friend and some cheering up. So keep pink, Chiffon. With you around, the world's a better place!

What's Your Signature Color?

Brought to you by Tickle

Your flavor is Sunny Orange

Your sunny disposition and happy-go-lucky attitude are the kinds of traits everyone loves to have around. Our bet is you're known as the chief supporter in your clan. If there's a bash to throw, you're likely the first one on the horn. If there's a crisis at hand, you can usually be counted on to rally the troops. Easy to talk to and fun to be around, you have a gift for blending perfectly no matter what the situation.

This positive energy extends beyond good times into every other aspect of your life. Whatever your career path or goals, your natural ability to win people over and communicate ideas with enthusiasm are two key secrets to your success. The same glass-half-full attitude that makes you a fab friend will work its magic in the workplace. And in the world of business, those kinds of good vibes are always refreshing.

What Flavor Fits You?

Brought to you by Tickle

Another Wryter's Fyre Update

2007-09-12T09:49:00.000-02:00

I was redoing some of my art on Wryter's Fyre.

This piece illustrates what I had in mind all those years ago.
(click the image to see the full version)
If you are unable to load the preview and would like to see the picture, click here

Thoughts On the New Harry Potter Book and the New Film

2007-08-07T15:12:00.000-02:00

Well, it happened. The end of the Harry Potter series has come and with its arrival has changed many long-held beliefs in the fandom. Some people loved this last stanza of the saga, some hated it, and still others don't know what to think of it all.
I liked it. I liked it a lot. Its tone was strongly reminiscent of the early books, which was a very pleasant surprise after reading the previous two books.(Do not misunderstand me. I enjoyed books five and six)
People had guessed at some of the plot points within this tome, but the way these events were introduced kept me guessing what would happen next. Some of the plot twists, however, were quite unexpected. I was surprised at Dumbledore's back story and at how some of the characters acted during different bits. For one thing, I had thought that Ronald's Aunt Muriel would be a nicer person than she turned out to be and that Xenophilius Lovegood would have had more moral integrity than he showed when he was put under pressure based on how Luna behaves and on what his name means(His name is made from two Greek words - xeno, which means outside and philius, which means love or affection). Kreacher's presence was surprisingly likable and his tale did kind of stir up some pity in my heart.

Anyway, I did go see the Order of the Phoenix in the theatre with my friend on her birthday some time back. The film was a lot better than I had expected it to be. We enjoyed it immensely. It was very smoothly paced and the balance between the war against Voldemort and the battle with the Ministry was done just right. Luna was charming and Neville showed quite a bit of backbone.
Neville is heroic in both the book and the movie. Even though he long believed himself to be inept and had been belittled for his lack of confidence, that kind brave heart of his won out when it really mattered.
Oh, one funny thing added to our enjoyment of the film. Every time the scene panned around Umbridge's office and showed the decorations on the walls, we all kept thinking about our new kittens at home. Personally, I think ours are cuter than the kitties on the plates(those little critters were cute in their own way, though). :P

Fun Quizzes

2007-08-06T17:17:00.000-02:00

Well, I was checking out a site containing some neat quizzes. I like how the owner wanted to make quizzes anybody could take. The Narnia one is especially good, if you ask me. I had no idea what result I was going to get. The Beatrix Potter quiz brings back fond memories. :)

Narnia Personality Quiz
Take this quiz at
Sparrow's Song

I did not expect to get this result, but hey I'm not complaining! lol

Which Beatrix Potter
character are you?
Take this quiz at
Sparrow's Song

Which Winnie the Pooh character are you?
Take this quiz at
Sparrow's Song

The Vatican Says "Drive Safely"

2007-06-30T18:43:00.000-02:00

(click the title for the article)
I never expected to hear the Vatican tell people to drive more carefully.

Harry Potter trailer

2007-06-22T02:00:00.000-02:00

Online Videos by Veoh.com

I liked this trailer and wanted to share it.

A friend of mine is delighted to discover that the film will be out in time for her birthday. So am I, since she does enjoy both the books and the films.

Both the English and American covers are quite intriguing, I think. In the English version it looks like Harry and his buddies are in a Gringott's vault. As for the arena on the standard American version, I cannot help but wonder if it is not the other side of the evil curtain.

Mom thinks Dumbledore really did trust Hagrid with his life and planned out that business on the tower with Snape beforehand but I'd heard he wasn't supposed to return. I do think Snape was still working with Dumbledore and we will see more surprises out of him.

It seems incredible the book and the movie are only ten days apart. On the one hand, I am glad they are so close together. During that time, I'm probably going to be very excited about it and drive my family nuts around then, so maybe it is not so great. :P
However, on the other hand, the down side is that we'll all have to wait until 2008 at the very least before we will see another film AND the book that is coming out in July is almost certainly the very last novel in that series. It may yet be that there is one more book to be written, but I heard it probably will not be a novel. However, another novel is not an impossibility.

Quizzes

2007-06-13T19:21:00.000-02:00

Which climate are you most suited towards?
Warm Climate You like things hot! To you, there's nothing better than lying on the sand with the sun overhead. Most people seem to share your preferences; you can probably make a lot of friends. Just don't try to have too much of a good thing, or you could get hurt.
Take The Quiz Now!	Quizzes by myYearbook.com

What kind of eyes do you have? (with pictures)
Eden You have eden eyes. Eden is the color of water. Your eyes symbolize your great flexibility. You are a creative person. You can think of many good ways to get your point across to people as you have very good communication abilities. When someone feels down or is hurt, you have the remarkable ability to help them and heal them. If you have too little going on in your life, you may be withdrawn and depressed, timid, manipulative, unreliable, stubborn, or suspicious. Some words to describe you: peaceful, sincere, affectionate, tranquil, intuitive, trustworthy, pure, loyal, healing, and stable.
Take The Quiz Now!	Quizzes by myYearbook.com

What Musical Instrument Are You?
Piano Almost everybody knows how to play the piano. Does everybody know how to play you? Perhaps. However, you can do a lot of cool stuff that the other instruments can. You can be used in almost any genre of music. If anyone wants to learn, they'd be well off picking you.
Take The Quiz Now!	Quizzes by myYearbook.com

What color are you? (Amazingly detailed & accurate--with pics!)

You are the color red. You are the most controversial of all the colors. You are often easily angered, but as easily as you got excited, you come down. When angered, do you have the tendency to be malicious? Afterwards, do you end up begging for forgiveness? Maybe. But you're incredibly generous, and, odd enough, needy. You love to hate, and sometimes, you hate to love. This color describes you as generally edgy. When in a bad situation, you're pessimistic, and when you're in a good situation, you're extremely optimistic. You're painfully tempermental, and sometimes it hurts the ones you love. But with an exciting and stimulating attitude, you enjoy talking to people and being social. But aside from your bold and outgoing attitude, you're attention-needing and attention-getting. You're a protective person when it comes to the people you love.
Take this quiz!

Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Which Pepsi-Cola or Coca-Cola soda are you most like?

SPRITE.
Take this quiz!

Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Which wand will yours be?

12 inches, yew and stardust. Flexible, unique, mysterious. A Gregorovitch wand no doubt, with remarkable workmanship and beautiful... even if it does have a tendency to get as lost in dreams as it's owner.
Take this quiz!

Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Which Writing Implement Are You?
Marker You definately like to make an impression. And you often make a big one. Sometimes you can make too much of an impression. Regardless, the impression that you make stays for a long time. Don't try to change your tune after the fact.
Take The Quiz Now!	Quizzes by myYearbook.com

Which Kitchen Appliance Are You?
Microwave You get things cooked quickly and efficiently. But that doesn't mean they always come out looking the best. What you gain in speed you usually lose in quality. On the plus side, people have come to rely on you every day; they tend to overlook your shortcomings in favor of your qualities.
Take The Quiz Now!	Quizzes by myYearbook.com

Update Time!

2007-05-26T02:12:00.000-02:00

Well, some of the pictures on Wryter's Fyre are looking old to me. Here is the first one to be updated. Why this is the first is due to simply having the inspiration for it. The idea kept bugging me for at least a month. During that month , it developed its basic composition (which had the Age's master high up on a hill overlooking the sea), the colour scheme(which is the same in this final version), the weather, and an estimate of the time of day from the story this is based on.

Of Saucy Sailors and Ogre Kings

2007-05-25T18:47:00.001-02:00

Yesterday I saw The Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At the World's End and Shrek 3. Both were even better than I had expected. Be warned that this post is spoiler-heavy.

Shrek 3 was a lot better than I had thought it would be. The storytelling was a lot smoother in this movie than it was in the first two films. The ogre babies at the end and in the credits were cute and so were Donkey's little ones! I was a little surprised at some of the choices made by the filmmakers, though. I am glad that Shrek mellowed out a bit. I think the job he starts off with in this film actually did him some good. It showed him that he could talk to and work with other people without them all treating him like a monster. It wasn't until he was around some narrow-minded teenagers at a high school that he received much of that kind of grief. (The sad truth is that in real life we teens DO have a disgusting tendency to be that way. :( I have only ever met a few people who openly thought outside the box the world tries to push all people my age into. )The moments that had bothered me in the trailer were pretty restrained in the film. They were the same but in the context of the movie they didn't stand out.

Pirates 3 was also better than I had expected. Jack as usual had his funny quips and Barbossa also had several good lines. The story behind Tia Dalma was quite surprising. I would not have guessed her secret prior to watching this movie. However, the movie was dark and rather violent. I know that while I'd gladly watch it again, I'd like to do so with the ability to fast forward past a few spots. For instance, though I am glad Will and Elizabeth are happy together I'd like to give them just a bit more privacy than the film does at the end. The battle scenes were not particularly graphic... until the film neared its end.

While in the line for Pirates3, we were beside a group of local teens were decked out in 'Pirate' style outfits. Their costumes were rather well made and looked good on their wearers, especially the ladies' dresses. Seeing these people made me wish I had thought to bring my camera so I could show you just how neat their costumes were. Walking next to them was like walking beside characters from the films. They even had "Captain Jack Sparrow" amongst them! I was glad I chosen a blouse styled like the ones in the films and had brought along my duplicate of Davey Jones's key and a small tiara comb. My grandmother had chosen a headband and outfit that was also appropriate for the situation.

I almost forgot to say that watching the trailer for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in the theatre is quite a different experience from watching it online. It was in front of Pirates 3, by the way.

Pottery Thoughts

2007-05-23T00:33:00.000-02:00

The trailers for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix are neat to watch. The acting looks promising and the scenery looks fabulous! Umbridge is rather well portrayed if you ask me. She DOES look like she could charm someone who didn't know what she really is.
The movie version of the Department of Mysteries looks a lot like my interpretation of it that I had posted on my site a few years back. How wild is that! I saw something similar in Goblet of Fire too. Another old fan art of mine has a sister in the films. A year or so prior to the film's debut I did a pic of Harry wearing a red t-shirt bearing the Hogwarts crest; in Goblet of Fire several kids were wearing black ones similar to Harry's t-shirt. lol
A local shop has taken to carrying a few of the licensed hats. I found a cute one based that looks like Prof. McGonagal's hat. I like the hat AND the character so that was a fun find. It looks good with a ribbon on it(a red one at the moment).

Some Spring Photos

2007-05-21T20:14:00.000-02:00

We've been busy in happy fashion this spring! Everybody in this house has been trying to catch the beauty of spring here with photos. Here are a few of mine from one especially balmy afternoon.

Here is Geometric Water. The ripples looked to me like what so many rendering programs attempt to duplicate. However, depicting a wake like the one this goose is leaving is still not an easy task. lol I guess it just goes to show that we humans merely imitate the wonders God has made and that we even now still have a long way to go before we really succeed at it.

I like the composition and the topic of this photo. Kids are cute and since the photo's other subjects were being nice that day this girl photographer is one happy critter!

This area has many charming backroads to explore. It is easy to get lost in enjoying their beauty.

The play of the lines reflecting on the water is why this piece was posted.

A few KH Quizzes

2007-04-24T04:13:00.000-02:00

You Are An ISFP

The Artist

You are a gifted artist or musician (though your talents may be dormant right now).

You enjoy spending your free time in nature, and you are good with animals and children.

Simply put, you enjoy beauty in all its forms and live for the simple pleasures in life.

Gentle, sensitive, and compassionate - you are good at recognizing people's unspoken needs.

You would make a good veterinarian, pediatrician, or composer.

What's Your Personality Type?

Eh, I try.

You scored as Namine. You are Namine! Namine is Kairi's nobody (supposedly). Namine spends alot of time drawing and can mess with people's memories. She is a sweet girl but very lonely with few friends.

Namine

85%

Roxas

80%

Sora

60%

Ansem the wise

50%

Kairi

45%

Riku

40%

Xemnas

15%

What Kingdom Hearts 2 character are you? pics included. (i love comments. Send comments!)
created with QuizFarm.com

What Kingdom Hearts 2 Character are You?
Namine Aww... you're Namine...
Take The Quiz Now!	Quizzes by myYearbook.com

She became likable after Chain of Memories, but apart from being the same gender we are rather different girls.

Anyway, I saw the trailer for Kingdom Hearts 3 and just had to jot down a few theories.

The old man the keyblade masters were facing appears to be clad exactly the same way the main boss in KH1 was. I wondered whether he was an elderly version of him or was the KH1 boss's teacher after the KH1 boss betrayed the ruler of Hollow Bastion. That dangerous old man's comrade was clothed the way Riku was when the boy went evil. Intriguing, yes? That guy looked like he could have been Xehanort.

I really wish that SE had kept those extra cut scenes in the original release of KH2. Those 'extra' videos really gave the game's story a richness that could have made this title a classic.

2007-03-24T22:51:00.000-02:00

Which Keyblade Keychain are you?

You are the Oathkeeper Keychain!
Take this quiz!

Quizilla | Join
| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

This is my favorite keyblade.

--------------------------------------------------

What Howl's Moving Castle character are you??

You are Sophie! You are shy and polite, but can be stubborn.You don't like fighting either. You can be conservative sometimes too. And YOU LIKE THINGS CLEAN!!!!!
Take this quiz!

Quizilla |Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Sophie is such a neat character. I like how she deals with tough problems. :)

----------------------------------------------------

You Are Apple Pie

You're the perfect combo of comforting and traditional

Those who like you crave security

What Kind of Pie Are You?
Eh, not really.
-------------------------------------------------------

Your Leprechaun Name Is:

Stinky Shortlegs

What's Your Leprechaun Name?

You Are a Creative Gift Giver

Your gifts are one of a kind, special, and well chosen.

Whether you've made it yourself or searched all over town...

There's really no one who has more of a personal touch than you.

What Kind of Gift Giver Are You?

Mom and I both like to do things that are appropriate

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

2007-02-14T18:30:00.000-02:00

(please click the thumbnail above to see the full sized image. Artwork by Rebecca McGaw)

Happy St. Valentine's Day! If you use a cg proggy, then I have couple more treats for you. I made a ring and a pair of earrings. They are smart propped to Victoria 3, but I also made the base models available as .objs so they can be used in most programs.

Ring obj - Earring obj

Snooooooooow!

2007-01-28T21:32:00.000-02:00

I had not thought that we might see snow where we live this year. The cats' coats all announced that a cold winter was expected but the weather had stayed unusually warm. A few days ago, the snow fell thick and fast.

Christmas was a happy and quiet celebration for us.

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-18T19:22:00.000-02:00

Merry Christmas to everyone who visits this blog.

Well, this year we gave Santa Penguin, our family Christmas site, an overhaul. Mom has a new story up and Grandma Anne has some new sketches on it.

Enjoy!

Ugh, what a mess!

2006-11-21T23:07:00.000-02:00

As you and others have noticed some highly unethical tactics have been used to desecrate what was once a beautiful place of learning and wonder...

These three things are at the core of you all have gone through.

First, remember that repentance is a decision. It is nothing less than a chosen course of action that must be pursued if any changes are to happen.
It takes a desire to do what is right to make such commitment. It also takes courage and tenacity to hold true to that promise.

Secondly, anything can(and often will) flourish with encouragement. Praise and flattery were used to gain power. Depredation was used to put down rivals. Power lust, and the resulting power struggle are at the centre of the conflict.

Thirdly, slander is a deed and a decision. It is an illusion must be sustained by continual effort if it is to have any permanancy. So it has been.

You know, when Mom would happily talk of roleplay, that roleplay would often include spelunking, explorers sharing the joy of discovery(neat discoveries!), penguins, a hat with "wizzzard" written on it in sequins, a carnivourous couch, and goodnatured laughter. At the heart of the matter was an abiding friendship shared by the team. Yes, there were moments when someone would act insesitively intentionally. Yes, there were moments when trolls would come the way of the explorers. However, humility, mutual respect and the explorers' concern for one another overcame many obstacles.

That is what I saw during those times I had joined in prior to the revolution-regression. I understood why my mother was so fond of so many of you and of the Community.

However, this scenario changed when several people the community looked to began to promote many attitudes and actions that, in time, undermined the nature of the Old Community.
These included promotion of self over friends(sister to 'looking out for number 1).

Thankfully, healing can in the form of from-the-heart apologies and from-the-heart forgiveness.
I call for a counter-revolution to be brought about by a deliberate choice to treat others well!

Forgiveness brings healing and apologies open the door. Do not ever forget that.

God save you all. I will pray for you and for the truth to be known.

The Great Tree of Possibilities

2006-09-26T00:32:00.000-02:00

I was pondering the implication of the name "The Great Tree of Possibilities" again as I read my mother's Myst fanfiction Visitation.

You see, your average tree has a trunk from which all its branches spread. That trunk is essentially the visible starting point. Thus, the simile implies that all possibilites spring from one fact or one deed. What if that fact is based in more facts or that deed was caused by millions of others before it? When you reach the last of Tree's roots, what do you see? Those little tubers are in turn are in the soil. I think that soil is ultimately reality, truth.

I believe that even possibility must operate in firm fact.

As for how Ages come to be, I think that they probably come from the infinite mind of the Maker. Writers merely decribe places that either exist as possiblities or as fully functional worlds.

Is love worth the price?

2006-09-25T23:05:00.000-02:00

Is caring about others worth the occasional(and sometimes not-so-occasional) grief that goes along with it?

Well, God seems to think so. God knows everything about everything; past, present, and future. He cannot be tricked. Consequently, He must have known that He would be betrayed by many of His creations. He also knew that the ones who stayed with Him would still grieve Him from time to time until sin is destroyed. He still chose to make them and to allow them to think for themselves.

Because of His choice to make angels and humans and give them free will, I know God values love and free will very highly indeed.

The sorrow that often pursues love can come from an unkind word or deed, from an accident, from losing a friend to something...

In spite of the pain, God still chooses to love His creatures. In spite of the pain, love still enriches a person's life in ways indescribable.

Treat your friends well. Make sure they know you care. You never know when you could lose them or how.

A small happy glowing thing...

2006-09-13T22:36:00.000-02:00

...that was actually helpful during the power outage after Ernesto. It is a glass goblet made for the release of Lotr: Fellowship of the Ring.

My grandmother found this several days before Ernesto came. At the time, I just thought that its glow was just a pretty toy. However, that same glow made it possible for me to find it very easily in the dark.

In Memory of those who died on September 11 2001

2006-09-11T16:40:00.000-02:00

God, please have mercy on the souls of those who died. Please also help us who still live to do what is right before You. You are why America was never taken over. You gave America her prosperity. You set a covenant before us, that if we would do what is right and seek Your will, then we would prosper.

My old Harry Potter theories - Some were right, Some were wrong

2006-08-31T21:16:00.000-02:00

Here are some of my old theories from before book 6 and book 5.

----------------------------------------------------
Here is a theory that was right.

1 2 3 4 3 2 1 Pattern

This theory goes like this: The full series of the books will sort of "mirror" each other.
This is the pattern:
1 2 3 4 3 2 1

The events in book five that caught my attention. Lupin's inability to get a job and the reason for it, interference from the Ministry of Magic that almost causes fatalities, and Snape's memory are all storylines that can trace their first appearances to Prisoner of Azkaban.

Therefore, book five - book 3

Book six explained much of Voldemort's history and appears to have sort of resolved Ginny's crush on Harry.

Therefore book 6 - book 2

We know that book seven is likely to tie up many loose ends present in book one since they are the first and last books in the series.

Therefore, book one - book seven
---------------------------------------------------
If you've read the book, then you know whether this was right or not. If you haven't, well... I don't want to spoil it for you.

Prior to book 6 I had thought that Voldemort was actually a member of some obscure branch of the Black clan because of some descriptional similarities and the fact that most of the Blacks identified heavily with Slytherin and with what most wizards considered evil magic...

--------------------------------------------------
Now for something completely unconfirmed...

I think that Jo probably does show some national pride with the names of her characters as well as an excellent knowledge of old beliefs. I was reading Scotland: A Concise History one afternoon when I found two names that could also give us a little back story . I hope you find them interesting too.

The Headmaster of Hogwart’s name has many connotations. It is his first name that especially interests me. Not only does it mean ‘white’ in Latin, Albus could be a variant of Alba or Alban. Both were old names for Scotland used during the early middle ages. At the time it many folks called Scotland Albania.

Grawp:

This guy’s name was trickier. In both cases you had to sound out the old name from the name on which it may be based. It could have been based on Mons Graupius, a small mountain in eastern Scotland. Mons Graupius was the site of a major battle between the Roman army, which was led by Agricola at the time, and the Caledonians, who were led by their chief Calgacus.

It may be a bit of a stretch but his name could have also come from the Grampian mountain range. That range and the forest around it were often used against the Romans in guerrilla warfare. I suggest this because, in the story, there had been giants in Britain( and probably in Scotland) who’d mostly died out. Due to their own violent ways, they posed many problems to wizards trying to live in or near the mountains. Can you imagine giants trying to live and hunt near Hogwarts? If there had been a tribe of them near the school, over time the various headmasters of the school could have chased them away or set up numerous precautions against the giants. Once these things started to happen, the surviving giants could have migrated south, thus explaining why Hagrid and Maxime had to head through France to find them and why Dumbledore was saying that British wizards had been harsh upon giants.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three Fun Character Quizzes - and some Thoughts

2006-08-31T17:38:00.000-02:00

Well, here are some more fun quizzes.

You scored as Goofy. Your alter ego is Goofy! You are fun and great to be around, and you are always willing to help others. You arn't worried about embarrassing yourself, so you are one who is more willing to try new things.

Goofy

69%

The Beast

63%

Peter Pan

63%

Ariel

56%

Cinderella

56%

Pinocchio

56%

Donald Duck

50%

Sleeping Beauty

31%

Snow White

19%

Cruella De Ville

19%

Which Disney Character is your Alter Ego?
created with QuizFarm.com

I have always liked Goofy. Unlike Donald Duck, he doesn't throw tantrums or stay mad at any of the other characters in the cartoon. He is usually very nice to everyone. He was like that in Kingdom Hearts, too. He kept the team together by helping his friends past their quarrels. That totally made made the tone of the game, having him act like that. I think that more than once he behaved that way in the original Disney cartoons, too.

You scored as Congrats you're a Jedi. Hey, you're a Jedi! May the force be with you.

Congrats you're a Jedi

92%

You are an enemy of the Jedi (and the Rebel alliance)

42%

No way are you a Jedi.

33%

Are you a Jedi?
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Sirius Black. You are a gifted wizard and very loyal to your allegiance. Whilst you have a big heart and care very much about those around you, you can be a little arrogant and reckless at times.

Sirius Black

85%

Albus Dumbledore

80%

Harry Potter

75%

Ron Weasley

70%

Remus Lupin

65%

Ginny Weasley

60%

Hermione Granger

55%

Severus Snape

55%

Draco Malfoy

45%

Lord Voldemort

40%

Your Harry Potter Alter Ego Is...?
created with QuizFarm.com

When Sirius isn't fighting with Severus Snape, he can be a lot of fun. Snape appears to really draw Sirius's worst tendencies obtrusively in to the open. It is such a shame that they fight, especially since if they could get along they could accomplish some pretty impressive magical feats.

I wonder if Snape isn't an Animagus too. After all, it looked like he and the Maurauders kept close tabs on each other. They appeared to learn spells from fighting each other. Perhaps he turns into a cat or into another dog. I can just see him turning into a skinny black cat with a bad attitude and a distinct lack of loyalty. However, cats and dogs can get along nicely. They can even become friends - in some cases.

This brings to mind some other possiblities. For example, Pettigrew was not happy about becoming Snape's butler. In fact, Pettigrew always seems nervous around Snape. In Snape's worst memory, I was surprised that Pettigrew did not really do more than laugh nervously at Snape's predicament. Pettigrew is a rat Animagus. If Snape turns into a cat, then that would explain a lot concerning Snape's character.

Princess

2006-08-12T00:25:00.000-02:00

It is a very happy occurance when something just comes together. Such was the case with this picture. I am especially happy with how her pose came out.

For those who use Poser, I want you to know that everything in this picture except for her pose can be obtained easily for free.

The girl is Sara, a free toon character available at the Daz forums. Her dress and the background are from The Sara Project, which is a place you really should visit even if you don't intend to use Sara. They've got lots of free props. Her hair was made by Kozaburo. The tiara she is wearing is from RuntimeDNA. Her fan was made by PhilC.

A Brace of Quizzes

2006-07-10T20:10:00.000-02:00

Well, I found a couple of quizzes.

You Are Midnight

You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits.

Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle.

Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it.

You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.

What Time Of Day Are You?

---------------------------------------

Your Brain's Pattern

Your brain is always looking for the connections in life.

You always amaze your friends by figuring out things first.

You're also good at connecting people - and often play match maker.

You see the world in fluid, flexible terms. Nothing is black or white.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

-----------------------------------------
Errr, not really. But I liked how fractal-ly that purple pattern looks.

Textures for Sione's Tunic and Transmaps for it and for Sione's Half pants :)

2006-06-11T21:18:00.000-02:00

Well, right now, in the Daz forums there is a thread discussing some new free clothes for Aiko 3. These consist of a blouse, a pair of halfpants, a short dress, a an object called a tukui, and a carnation. Here is the link to the freebies if you don't have an account at Daz(hint: you don't have to buy a thing to have one). Please keep in mind that you may have to lower your cookie protection level and the level of you ad blocker somewhat in order to download Sione's stuff, so please use a little care as to what else you have up in a browser at the same time.

I really liked the blouse and since noone had made any textures for it except for the tunic's maker, I decided to make a new texture for it. :D

Here is what I did. This was rendered and tested in Poser6.

I would like to thank Bice for sharing the fabric tiles I used and I would like to thank Sione for sharing such neat outfits with fellow Poser users.

Make sure that when you use the lace texture for the halfpants that both the falloff and the edge are set to zero so that the rest of the pants remain visible.

Tunic Map

Lace Sleeves

Lace Edge for the Halfpants

Welcome

2006-06-11T21:10:00.000-02:00

Welcome to my shiny new blog, however you found this place.