These strangers whose faces I know
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| Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 | |
snopes_dot_com
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3:00p |
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| Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 |
ravengirl
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7:40p |
Tooling Around : Stream of Consciousness Babble
Yesterday, I saw video of a Boston woman, totally drunk, falling onto subway tracks and the train stopping just in time. Today, a Florida woman crashed into a tank of fish at the airport and had her baby on her lap. They survived. And a Chicago bus crashed into someone's brick house, leaving the family homeless. But no one died. I've long believed that, when you're drunk or stoned, altered in an induced-fashion, it's not only dangerous to drive, but to walk or ride a bike as well. But two out of three of these recent reports are drivers who, what? Were going too fast? Were driving recklessly in general? Were distracted by babies or passengers or something else? I have no idea. Inside the car, there was always the possibility of being distracted. Radio, tapes, CDs, talking with your passengers; followed by phones, and unthinkable things like texting on phones, putting on makeup, shaving one's face. Any number of things occur. An item falls and lodges itself beneath your gas pedal, you drop a CD between seats, your child in a car seat in the back needs something. These things happen all the time. But as I've gotten older, the possibilities scare me more. When I was in high school, I noted that my friends driving while listening to rock music seemed to go faster, take more chances. I started listening to classical music while driving and it did actually help me feel calmer. I considered myself a safe driver for many years after, no matter what I chose to listen to. But as I got older, I started to get angry at other drivers. This was the opposite of calming and no amount of classical music helped me come to terms with people passing me on the right in a one-lane street. It became my pet peeve. I developed a small case of "road rage." I stopped driving and use public transportation regularly. You may already know this, but I had to learn that one can also become upset with other drivers while on a bus. *sigh* The train is a bit better. *snort* It took a few years, but I sometimes get mad at my bus driver or the other drivers around him or her. I use NPR to distract me as much as possible! People and vehicles are not a perfect match, but I've little idea how to improve this relationship. I'm still waiting for hands-free cell phone use to become mandatory EVERYwhere and for those breaking that law to be ticketed. Chicago law bans cell phone use, but nearby Evanston and surrounding areas have not done so. It's quite often that I see a driver run a red light. weave in traffic, block traffic throughout an entire green light in Chicago, phone at their ear. Did you know that it's legal for a cab driver in South Korea to watch television as they drive? With that, I turn to my TV. From the sofa. |
ravengirl
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6:33p |
NCS: Collect Call: Metric
If the fire's out baby, How you gonna keep me warm? Supposing you let me, with the door wide open no one can leave I know its a lie, I want it to be true The rest of the ride is riding on you Over goodbyes we'll buy some place For wishing you could Keep me closer, I'm a lazy dancer, when you move I move with you Keep me closer, I'm a lazy dancer, when you move I move with you If somebody's got soul...You've got to make them move I know it's a lie, I want it to be true The rest of the ride is riding on you Over goodbyes we'll buy some place For wishing you could Keep me closer, I'm a lazy dancer, when you move I move with you Keep me closer, I'm a lazy dancer, when you move I move with you LISTEN HERE (click) |
averiguar
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7:11p |
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ravengirl
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5:54p |
Iconage: A Little Help
Hey guys, I can't find my Leviticus icon and I know some of you have used it. I have no idea who made it because that info was WITH the icon, but it's a GIF and it shows what Leviticus says about fishing and eating meat and shaving. It's anti-homophobic. I would love to use it again, so if you could point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it. |
lettersnotsent
[ kellylafer ]
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1:13p |
May Interest You
Hi everyone, I'm working on a new documentary series that will focus on women between the ages of 18 and 28 struggling with difficult issues like eating disorders, self harm, and intimacy issues. Let me know if you're interested or if you have any questions! Feel free to message me or e-mail me directly at kellylafer@gmail.com. I'm kinda new to LJ so please be patient with me! Thanks! - Kelly |
__rosieposie
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10:06a |
Last night, we lay on a gray mattress, tangled in sheets and a dotted comforter and countless pillows. He wrapped both arms around me and I pressed my head backwards, into his chest. "Do you like me?" I asked sleepily. "Someday I'm going to say no," he said quietly. "...someday. But yes, I like you." I closed my eyes and felt our breathing co-ordinate in&out, in&out. "Someday I'm going to say no..." he murmured again and we fell asleep together. |
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snopes_dot_com
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3:00p |
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| Monday, November 9th, 2009 |
ravengirl
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11:57p |
Cross Posting
I've been on this thing for nine years, and I've never understood why people apologize for cross-posting.
Anyone? |
lettersnotsent
[ diex_romantic ]
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11:08p |
Self, We need to stop this routine right now. Every few months its another guy breaking our heart, and I'm not sure how much we can take anymore. Melissa, Thank you for being such a backstabbing, jealous, lying, hypocritical, selfish little cuntbag. You started making me talk to Victor because you didn't trust him, but you said it was alright if we liked each other. You can't take back a friend pass, and that's EXACTLY what you did. You got mad when I told you I was with him, but got over it, or so we all thought. You swore to me up and down that you were so over him, wanted nothing to do with him, wanted him dead, etc., but then you went and fucked up our relationship three fucking times. Apparently, third times a charm, because now we're done for good. Today was the first time you guys talked in how long? And now everything from your past is resurfacing. IT WAS FIVE YEARS AGO. GIVE IT UP ALREADY. There's so much more I can say right now, but I'm not sure if I can even put all this hatred and pain into words. Victor, You're kidding, right? After everything we went through. From trips to the hospital and near death experiences, to you telling me you can see us together for a long time, and how you can see yourself falling for me. Now you wanna be back with her?! The past five years hasn't worked between you two for so many reasons, and you sat there tonight telling me all those reasons. So what makes this time around any different? Nothing, and you know its the truth, because you even agreed when I told you that before. I can't come to understand any of this. Like I said above, IT WAS FIVE YEARS AGO. What happened to "Baby, I love you, I never wanna hurt you"? So much bullshit from the past few months, and now you tell me you want to fucking MARRY her?! Please tell me this is some cruel joke. Because I look like a complete jackass now. I told everyone how we were so good together, and how you mean so much to me, and I finally found a guy that cares for ME, and the way I am is good enough for him, and how I'm his world, all for it to be some sick lie. And then you have the nerve to tell me that you want things to go back to how they were, and for the three of us to just be friends? Is that even possible? If you want to be "friends", that includes me being around for your relationship. That's really funny Vic. Thats funny if you think I' gonna sit there and watch the boy I care so much for be with another girl. You must be on crack or something, because thats really ridiculous. I told you things NO ONE knows about me, and you threw all my trust away for one simple conversation. Something that, when it doesn't work six months from now, you're gonna be devestated, just like you always were with her. If it hasn't worked at all in the past five years, whats going to change now? I just can't understand any of this. This is really all I have right now. I can't even fathom the emtions running through me right now. But, thanks for hurting me, kid. Third times a charm. Current Mood: betrayed |
averiguar
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11:37p |
Posted using TxtLJ
Post(mobile blackberry post) What's up out there people? I miss you guys in LJ land! I'm BACK though! Hooray!!! Reply & tell me what music yur listening to :) |
fake_lj_deaths
[ jessehanus ]
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9:13p |
Help for school article
Hello everyone, I'm a third-year journalism student at RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) and am in the process of writing my final story for my newswriting class. I am writing about Munchausen by internet and it was suggested by the moderator of this site that I post here. I am looking for anybody with personal experience relating to this topic. Maybe you have fallen victim to this disorder, had a friend who did, or simply witnessed an account of it. I would love to hear from you. Once completed, the article will be posted on ourblook.com under the university project section. I am interested in doing short phone interviews, email, or skype. Whatever works for you. My article is due on Friday so the sooner I can hear from people, the better. Thank you,
Jesse
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ravengirl
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5:07p |
The Lost Army of Cambyses
VANISHED PERSIAN ARMY SAID FOUND IN DESERTBones, jewelry and weapons found in Egyptian desert may be the remains of Cambyses' army that vanished 2,500 years ago.
- By Rossella Lorenzi | Sun Nov 08 2009 10:30 PM ET
 Hundreds of bleached bones and skulls found in the desolate wilderness of the Sahara desert may be the remains of the long lost Cambyses' army, according to Italian researchers.
Alfredo and Angelo Castiglioni The remains of a mighty Persian army said to have drowned in the sands of the western Egyptian desert 2,500 years ago might have been finally located, solving one of archaeology's biggest outstanding mysteries, according to Italian researchers. Bronze weapons, a silver bracelet, an earring and hundreds of human bones found in the vast desolate wilderness of the Sahara desert have raised hopes of finally finding the lost army of Persian King Cambyses II. The 50,000 warriors were said to be buried by a cataclysmic sandstorm in 525 B.C. WATCH VIDEO: Take a closer look at a valley of bones that researchers think may belong to the fabled lost army of Cambyses II. VIEW A SLIDE SHOW: See some of the remains found in the Sahara Desert. "We have found the first archaeological evidence of a story reported by the Greek historian Herodotus," Dario Del Bufalo, a member of the expedition from the University of Lecce, told Discovery News. According to Herodotus (484-425 B.C.), Cambyses, the son of Cyrus the Great, sent 50,000 soldiers from Thebes to attack the Oasis of Siwa and destroy the oracle at the Temple of Amun after the priests there refused to legitimize his claim to Egypt. ( Read more... ) |
sundry_pieces
|
2:06p |
shedding
Do you ever pass someone and worry because you wonder what they are thinking that you have just thought they are thinking about you? This was the start of our merging. M was ahead of me, us -- nonliterally; we were walking side by side in the zoo. As it started. We were impel(ling) toward where we did not know we were waiting for us. I will not tell you what happened. I said no, M, you go an extra few steps; me, until -- (now) -- well -- I, I (have) STOP(ed) at a place; I (have) wonder(ed) what they think I am thinking... You are an extra few layers out in the stratosphere, regular, do you understand, this is why you are M, one further -- This is different it is rather like a tree ring, M, and instead of going outward and seeing those points as distinctions you are using them: footholds. Not outward. Instead of. You are climbing up them. She gave me her hand (she did not give me her hand) and up we went, both. Except that we didn't go up, we went bigger. Do you understand? No. There is no story to tell. There is no (here: such thing as) Story. Current Mood: fitting |
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snopes_dot_com
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3:00p |
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| Sunday, November 8th, 2009 |
ravengirl
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11:03p |
Limerence and I guess all those things you always pine for
"...one that lov'd not wisely but too well"
Othello Act 5, scene 2, 344
I begin to wonder lately if I've ever chosen wisely when it comes to my love life. I know that I've loved, and too easily at times, but honestly and truly. It's difficult to accept that I may never be loved in the ways I feel I deserve. No one has met the criteria and I cannot settle, will not settle, for less. The criteria itself isn't anything I don't do myself, so it's not as though the bar is set too high. It's just high enough, I think. And then I begin to wonder why I seem to be unlovable. There are stories that elaborate, but suffice to say, this is where I stand at the moment; hopeless in the face of a world where people accept each other's foibles and embrace the good in one another. For some reason, my foibles are not acceptable; I am not embraced. It's a short, it's a long, sad and forgotten life. It's a shame that the one thing I've always wanted will not come true. There is one man I've cared for who has met two out of my three important criteria, but we parted ways awhile ago. I sometimes despair that he was possibly the only one who will ever come close. I've been in relationships, I've dated enough, I've lost all hope. But it still hurts and I'm still not sure I'll ever get past these feelings of despair, thinking of him, still out there, circling. Current Music: Subject line gleaned from "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" |
ravengirl
|
9:20p |
Why I Was Confused About Taxes When I Moved To Chicago
Excerpted from Wiki:Illinois' system is exceptionally complicated. A brief overview is detailed on the Illinois Department of Revenue website.[57] The city of Chicago has the highest total sales tax of all major U.S. cities.[58] It is also one of the most complex. 10.25% is levied on all non-perishable goods purchased, while 2% is levied on qualifying food, drugs, medicines and medical appliances.[58] The Illinois Department of Revenue collects a 3% Chicago Soft Drink Tax and a 1% Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA) "Food and Beverage Tax", on prepared food and beverage purchases in the downtown area (These "downtown" boundaries are: Surf Street on the north, Ashland Avenue on the west, Stevenson Expressway (I-55) on the south, & Lake Michigan on the east. Furthermore, O'Hare and Midway airports also fall under the 1% MPEA tax district).[59] In addition, the Chicago Department of Revenue collects additional sales taxes on items such as fountain drinks, bottled water, liquor, and cigarettes.[60]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_taxes_in_the_United_States
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_tomwaits_
[ xhellsfirex ]
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8:28p |
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ravengirl
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6:00p |
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ravengirl
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3:36p |
Hotel Reservations
I had reservations today about the hotel reservations I was booking for my mother and I in New York over the holidays. She's a senior citizen, so I checked the box that reads, "AARP/Senior Citizen." Please note the slash. When I got toward the bottom of the page, however, there was a notation: "Valid for AARP members only Must present ID card at check in." So, that seems pretty clear, right? I was irked! My mom can prove she's a senior citizen, so clearly they are giving a discounted rate to AARP members only, right? Instead of accepting this fate, I called the 800 number to better understand why my mother should pay so much more when she is, in fact, a senior citizen on a very limited income. The friendly woman I spoke with assured me that the rate is meant to be for AARP members AND senior citizens, so I told her how misleading the online reservation information is. I went back to the senior rate and began booking the room again, but something didn't sit right. I had this nagging feeling that we would be forced to pay a higher rate at this particular hotel in spite of my brief investigation. So I called the hotel directly and was told that the AARP card must be presented in order to receive the discount. I told Chirag, on the other end of the line, that I had checked with their 800 number and was told otherwise, so he has made a notation in their database that my mother will receive the senior rate without an AARP card. But still, it could go wrong. My only hope is that, if it doesn't go smoothly, the 800 number folks back me up when I immediately call them! |
ravengirl
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1:08a |
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snopes_dot_com
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3:00p |
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| Saturday, November 7th, 2009 | |
postsecret
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9:01p |
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ravengirl
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4:29p |
Saturday I Sat
Further proof that my mom is at least a little OCD, she told me yesterday that she counts things. In particular, we were speaking of removing fallen leaves from the tops of bushes. There were 56 in one bush the other night. Then she told me about other things she counts. I mean, some of this could be normal, but she shows other signs of OCD. In other news, I know it's wrong, but sunny days are depressing when you're a depressed person. You can't appreciate it, the beauty of the day, for what it is. It's almost as if the universe is taunting you, making you feel all the worse for not being able to participate with others in the enjoyment of a lovely day. Susan, my sister in New York, invited Mom out for the winter holidays. I was there last year for a few days at Christmas time and it was nice. I get to go again this year for a week, and I'm very grateful. I'm the kind of person who needs to be around people, but especially at the holidays. Laura, my other sister, and Ray, my brother, are nearly hermit-like and couldn't care less about such things, so we won't be seeing them for the holidays. But we will be spending time with Susan's in-laws, most of whom I really like. And I found a ticket just under 400 dollars, which is great for a holiday fare. I've been really fortunate with travel costs, for the most part. It seems I fly exclusively on Southwest Airlines these days, and for good reason. The only part I don't like much is that they're based at Midway. I know it's odd, but I enjoy the hustle-bustle of O'Hare airport at the holidays. Not that Midway isn't busy. It's just not as big as O'Hare, not as bustling. Most people would welcome the relative calm of Midway airport, but not me. Crowds energize me. Today was sunny. Today was crap. And I didn't go to Andy's Market, although I need groceries. And I don't wanna. Guess I'll eat my "emergency" can of chili. |
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newsaskew
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10:02a |
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