[Nem]

Well, Zimmerman's finally been charged with murder. 2nd deg murder. Or at least today I finally found out about it and could be bothered to comment =p

My reading of the case is that it's the old chestnut: go for something big and then comparisons will make people more likely to accept something less. Proving intent would be difficult, they're probably after manslaughter at the worst.

That said, there's no real doubt about the justice of the thing in my mind. This guy stalked and murdered a child. By the laws of decency and common sense, even if not necessarily in a clear-cut manner by the laws of the land.

Whoever first represents a reasonably credible threat to the other person's well being, as judged by a jury, must forfeit the ability to use self defence as an argument that makes any sort of sense. Otherwise I can sit outside your house in my car, stroking my shotgun and making eyes at you, waiting for you to snap so I can blow your head off legally.... And you won't know one way or the other whether ignoring me will end up with that happening....

Threat displays only work because they tie into a credible implication of violence. They have to cost you something. And considering how long court cases take it has to be something that is given up straight away rather than something that you go to court and then get deprived of.... Makes a lot of sense that it would be your ability to claim self-defence.

Today I have a cup full of the tea that was left in the pot this morning. How it got to be this acrid and disgusting I'm not sure. I really don't know quite what they do to it, but it's always like this when they make it. There's a film on top of the thing. If I run my finger through it bits of that film break off and clump together on the surface.

I've half a mind to go downstairs and pour the pot away. Certainly not going to finish this cup. Ewwww. Gross gross gross. >_<
_________________
Never forget,
We stroll along the roof of hell
Gazing at flowers.
- Issa

[YatesOfYore]

Finished reading the Hunger Games Trilogy. Very intense! I will spare you my review of it.

Because if I started, I would not stop.
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Keeper of Nanashi's Vambraces and the Amethyst Trees.

PS: Don't panic! I changed my username - I'm not an impostor!

[Tenshi]

Today I check in on the forums. What to say...

Really, barring all that's going on, I have only one frustration to voice:
It is a bizarrely cruel irony that once you have stopped taking some certain medications, there is no imperative to continue or resume. This soon leads to a remarkably low point where you shun contact, hole yourself in your room, set all your messengers to invisible, and write horribly depressing and not overly good poetry.

Actually, while the poetry is done in rhyming format of a more modern nature, it's not half bad for whining. I kind of liked it. I can't share it though, it says too much. <b>*hiss*</b> The precious secrets, they would takes them..

I won a rather prestigious award for my writing on Monday.

I have a final exam on Friday. More the week after.

Today I am tired of censoring myself, not saying everything, but likewise being unable to open up about things. It's frustrating. Actually, I was 99% close to deleting huge chunks of this, too. But hey, a misery shared is a misery... Spread? Meh.
_________________
. Dubbed "Usagi" by AsA .
Keeper of the Siderean Swords

"If by chance some day you're not feeling well, and you should remember some silly thing I've said or done, and it brings back a smile to your face or a chuckle to your heart, then my purpose as your clown has been fulfilled."
Red Skelton

[Asa]

Misery shared is misery halved, or it's supposed to be. I know how hard it is to find people who understand - even after sharing you feel like, "What was the point?" However, this forum is full of people who sympathize, if they can't empathize. It's a good place to be.

Congratulations on your award!

Speaking of the forum, I think I weirded my classmates out yesterday. One of them finally asked why my email was registered under Asa and not my real name, and I said, "Oh, that's because I use it for people who don't know my real name." That was the first concept they couldn't quite grasp.

Then they worked up the courage to ask how did I meet people who didn't know my real name, and I said, "I belong to an online forum."

Gasp! "You mean you go into chat rooms?"

"No... it's a forum. Slightly different."

^_^ I think they probably avoided me more than normal for the rest of the day.
_________________
Self-styled Forum Grandmother, because I hand out nicknames and hugs whether you want them or not. ^_^

Keeper of the Library and the Gateway to Haven

Nem: "It's the sort of face you just know is getting ready to poke you with something sharp."
BS: "...then insist you eat a brownie."
__________________
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this and all is mended...
Give me your hands if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

[Tinu.]

Usa: You can share things with us you know--if you want to. No one here is going to betray your trust or judge you about anything. *hugs*

Asa: Ha! I've had that conversation so many times!

Yesterday I survived class workshop with only a minor breakdown (that wasn't even really related to what was going on). People liked my story! Yay! And I got some positive feedback from my teacher that makes me really happy. ^_______^

Today I'm going to see "Cabin in the Woods" with a friend. Not sure about this, hmmm. . .

This evening it will be Friday morning in India, which means that my sister-in-law will be going in for her interview. If you guys could pray/send good thoughts that way I'd much appreciate it. I'd really like to actually meet her.
_________________
Keeper of Gaia and all the books on Earthsong

"If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid."
~Einstein

[Nem]

@Tenshi: A misery diluted? =p Studies tend to show that we... resonate... with emotions to a certain extent. So you introduce some unhappy that makes everyone a little more unhappy but the interaction makes you a bit happier... You'd eventually raises the total amount of happiness as the process fed your new happy back into the equation? :/

I guess the trick is not to feed too much unhappiness into the equation and tip the balance the other way >_> Depressive spiral type things =p

But we've got plenty of free happiness going so it seems unlikely that would happen.

#

Say there's a thought: I wonder what the maximum happiness/empathy point is. Because if you empathised too much, you might absorb and spread the unhappy faster than the happy. Especially if unhappiness decreased empathy.

#

Congrats on the award, too ^_^

#

Wow, foruming is that unusual? I can't think of anyone I know - other than the old women next-door - who wouldn't know what a forum was, or would look on membership as weird O_o

....

Today I'm up at silly o'clock. Blah. >_< Sleepy snoozy time now me thinks.
_________________
Never forget,
We stroll along the roof of hell
Gazing at flowers.
- Issa

[Tinalles]

Today I watched Akiro Kurosawa's "The Seven Samurai". Pretty good. Bit harsh on poor Shino though.
_________________
Keeper of The Remnant Minuon (cognomen Lucy, the Eaten One) and the Emissary Caeli

[Tinu.]

My Sister-in-Law got her Visa!!


That is all.
_________________
Keeper of Gaia and all the books on Earthsong

"If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid."
~Einstein

[Asa]

Hurrah!!! Congratulations, Nu! And Nu's brother and sister-in-law!

Today I woke up early to go shopping because my roommate and I are hosting lunch on Saturday, and it bloated from three people to eleven. We're also having a house-guest for Shabbat so I cleaned my room and put the extra mattress down on the floor. While I was cleaning I decided to do the dusting and bathroom as well, instead of waiting until the last minute. I also did a load of laundry.

All of that got done before eleven o'clock, including breakfast and two episodes of Getbackers.

Then I looked at my computer, and I looked at the book I got from the library, and I looked at my computer again... and got up to make a chickpea salad. That took ten minutes. I looked at my computer again... and started on my assignment due Sunday. Take errors produced by students and categorize them, then analyze them and decide if they're examples of interlanguage. I got started on that, then got up to make myself popcorn. Continued working, then watched a few Animusic videos on Youtube. Three hours later, I have mostly finished the assignment, and I'm going to stop working on it for right now. I only have a handful of analyses left the write, so I'll tackle those Saturday night, after a nap.

EDIT: Okay, so I forgot to post this. And hour after the above was written, I've ALSO cooked chicken for lunch, and wiped down the kitchen surfaces.

I feel so productive!

Also, people, go to kamibambiraptor's channel on youtube and listen to his piano music, he's amazing. He also made these long 'relaxing music' videos of light piano music, which are the sole thing that got me through this afternoon. ^_^
_________________
Self-styled Forum Grandmother, because I hand out nicknames and hugs whether you want them or not. ^_^

Keeper of the Library and the Gateway to Haven

Nem: "It's the sort of face you just know is getting ready to poke you with something sharp."
BS: "...then insist you eat a brownie."
__________________
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this and all is mended...
Give me your hands if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

[Nem]

Congratulations nu's sister in law! ^__^

#

Today my father scrunched his leg at the knee. :/

I didn't do it! ^^;

He can sort of hobble... >_>

If it's still around on Tuesday I shall insist on driving him to the ER. Think we should have gone today really, but he wants to wait and see how it turns out.

Today I was teaching a girl from next door to sew. She wanted to learn and her mother didn't know. Girls sewing their work to their skirts is quite funny. Or at least we both had a laugh about it. ^_^

Well, I say girl - she's almost as old as me =p
_________________
Never forget,
We stroll along the roof of hell
Gazing at flowers.
- Issa

[Asa]

'Girls sewing their work to their skirts'? Eh? What does that mean?


Today I hosted lunch for 11 people! Well, also my roommate. She had three guests, and I had six. It was actually a lot of fun. After lunch we chatted, ate cookies, whistled, and played Set. Then I went over to a family down the street and crashed on their couch (unintentionally!) until the Sabbath was over. Then I came home, washed the last dishes, and finished my errors assignment! It's incredibly sketchy still, not fully filled in and I didn't invest much effort into the analyses at all, but at least it's done.

Tomorrow I plan on waking up early and trying to finish a presentation I have to give in a week or two. Unless I go through - no, what I should really do is read seminar paper articles. *scowl* I'd managed to forget about those again.

Hmph, I hate the seminar paper. Anyway I have a few days of no classes coming up this week, maybe I can get some work done then.

Oh yes, one more thing. A couple years ago we suspect I had a MRSA infection. Complicated story, suffice to say I couldn't get it biopsied but I got a prescription for antibiotics anyway. Connection is that I have a painful infection on my elbow exhibiting the same symptoms, so I'm a little worried. Med Student Roommate says it's probably an infected whitehead, don't worry about it. I'll put cream on it for the next few days and see what happens, keep an eye on it.


So yes, that's the Asa update.
_________________
Self-styled Forum Grandmother, because I hand out nicknames and hugs whether you want them or not. ^_^

Keeper of the Library and the Gateway to Haven

Nem: "It's the sort of face you just know is getting ready to poke you with something sharp."
BS: "...then insist you eat a brownie."
__________________
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this and all is mended...
Give me your hands if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

[Tinalles]

I think that means the girl he was teaching to sew accidentally sewed the cloth to her clothes. Whoops! ^_^

This weekend I need to prep a 10-15 minute presentation for my job interview next Thursday. The tight time constraint is much more worrying than the subject matter ("Designing Academic Library Websites for Optimal Use").

It strikes me as really weird that they asked for a 10-15 minute presentation and then scheduled an ENTIRE HOUR in which to give it. If I show up and talk for ten minutes, are they really going to ask me questions for the next 50 minutes? Weird.

Thursday, incidentally, is pretty much the LEAST convenient day of the week they could have picked for the interview. >.<.

Today I slept late, then got up and complained on the forum. :-Þ
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Keeper of The Remnant Minuon (cognomen Lucy, the Eaten One) and the Emissary Caeli

[Nem]

[Tinu.]

[Tinalles]

Today I recommend reading this article about student loans:

http://www.salon.com/2012/04/22/protesters_furious_new_front/

It's long, but informative. Pass it on to your parents -- they may not realise just how predatory the student loan industry has become in the last thirty years.

Brief takeaway: private student loans are downright evil, and to be avoided at all costs.
_________________
Keeper of The Remnant Minuon (cognomen Lucy, the Eaten One) and the Emissary Caeli