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

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 had 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.
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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.
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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

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. :)
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Sailor Mercury by ~k-BOSE
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Sailor Jupiter by ~Lokklyn

Lokklyn's rendition of Sailor Jupiter is both cute and kinda unusual. She looks like a opaque glass figurine.
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::.Going Fishing.:: by =brigette
Even Link and Zelda like their down time. :)
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Indiana Jones card 239 by *icarus126
I really like this guy's character.
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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
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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.
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Sailor Soldiers by *soichiru-alan

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Muppet Music by *RobbVision

This is just CRAZY!

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!

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! :)

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

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

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 :)

I am a Violet What Flower Are You?

According to this, I am a walnut tree.

Brand New Harry Potter Trailer!

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

Attention.exe by ~FranceHopper on deviantART

Carman's Music

I hope that these powerful songs will bless you greatly.

"Radically Saved"

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"Lord of All"

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"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! :)

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 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 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)

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?

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

Cute Cat Videos from YouTube

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

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

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

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 :)

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Sailor Mars by ~k-BOSE
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ZELDA- Twilight Princess by *eponagirl
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WIP cloud + tsurugi by *Wen-JR
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cloud by *EatToast
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Commission - Ami Mizuno by ~ChibiRikku
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FFVIII Gunblade - Origin by *mogcaiz
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KH2: Pirate Sora by *Risachantag
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One Winged Angel by *Dahlieka
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-LootKingBallieBoo- by *-coey-
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Quiche Blog

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

Monoceros by *Tammara
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Glass Ghosts by ~Spibbles
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Alpha by =ellastasia
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Ancient Echos by ~wolfman007
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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

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

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

Heh, I have some more fun pics to share.

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

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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
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Gardening by ~Probablee
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Calin by *Hito76
This one is just plain cute! I always did 'ship these two.
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"Alice and the Gryphon"
What a lovely image!
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"Of Crumple-horn Snorkacks"
----------------------------------------------------

the final battle by *NorthernBanshee

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Keyblade - Kingdom Key I by *mogcaiz
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As promised, A silly Lord of the Rings video

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


Online Videos by Veoh.com

Neat Fan Art Pics

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! :)
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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.
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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.

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Deathly Hallows by *leelastarsky

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

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

What an atmospheric piece!
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Nephrite:The King of Stars
by *kir-tat


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

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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*
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Sesshoumaru, terror of da seas by ~majinthing

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Meme Fun

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