| Some posts are friends only... |
[Sep. 8th, 2006|06:19 am] |
Some of my posts are open for the public to view. Most are now for friends only. In the future (as of the 6th of September 2006), most of my posts will be for friends only. I chose to do this for many reasons. One being that my struggle with infertility is very painful and emotionally draining and I find I can be more honest and open keeping those posts for friends only.
Read my profile and interests and if you'd like to be added as a friend. Please leave a comment.
Graphic credit goes to Crystal
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| New Layout - The Chronicles of Narnia: Lucy and the Wardrobe |
[Sep. 7th, 2006|05:58 am] |
My new layout - The Chronicles of Narnia: Lucy and the Wardrobe - what do you all think of it? Like it? Like it better than my other one? Any comments? Any other fans of The Chronicles of Narnia (the books and/or the movie?) |
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| Cool Star Trek Character Quiz |
[Sep. 3rd, 2006|09:21 am] |
My computer went totally wonky on me and it took me forever to post this entry!
I found this quiz at a friends MySpace (via his LJ) and just had to take the test (being a die-hard fan of Star Trek:The original and ST:TNG I couldn't resist. The results are right on! Deanna Troi was one of my favorite characters and I am a bit of an empath myself...I can easily feel and take on the emotions of others (not always a good thing, but sometimes very helpful in life and relationships) although I'm not a strong empath like her (hey, it was science fiction!), no Betazoid blood here...all human last time I checked! (LOL). I'm a Trekkie and not afraid to admit it!
Your results:
You are Deanna Troi
| Deanna Troi |
| 100% |
| Uhura |
| 95% |
| Chekov |
| 60% |
| Beverly Crusher |
| 60% |
| Geordi LaForge |
| 60% |
| James T. Kirk (Captain) |
| 55% |
| Jean-Luc Picard |
| 40% |
| Will Riker |
| 40% |
| Leonard McCoy (Bones) |
| 35% |
| Mr. Scott |
| 30% |
| Worf |
| 25% |
| An Expendable Character (Redshirt) |
| 25% |
| Spock |
| 15% |
| Data |
| 11% |
| Mr. Sulu |
| 10% |
|
You are a caring and loving individual.
You understand people's emotions and
you are able to comfort and counsel them.
 |
Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Test
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| Help! My header and side bar graphics not showing up! |
[Aug. 30th, 2006|10:25 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  frustrated | ] |
| [ | music |
| | It Hurts Me - Kate Bush | ] |
Anyone else having problems with LJ? I'm pretty good with HTML and when I tried to make some changes to my layout tonight, it started showing up without the header on top and no side bar. So, I went to a document where I had saved my coding in case anything happened and re-entered the coding and still no header or side bar! I even tried to use my old layout of the little girl and it shows up missing the header too! My graphics are stored at my own account and if I put in the addy for the graphic, it will show up, but just not in my LJ! The other day I had this problem, and was able to fix it by re-entering the original coding for the layout, but it didn't work this time. I'm sooooooooo frustrated. My LJ looks like crap!
HELP! Anyone have any ideas? |
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| My cat Socks died last night.... |
[Aug. 28th, 2006|03:54 am] |
My cat Socks died last night, Sunday, around 8:30pm PST. It had been 16 days since we had taken him to the vet. I think we just prolonged the process by taking him to the vet and giving him the IV fluids and all the meds. But it did give me a chance to say good-bye to him. We knew he was really starting to get bad again about 5 days ago and then yesterday, you could really tell his time was short. We buried him with a purple wash-cloth with a dragonfly on it (since the dragonfly is supposed to symbolize a link to the spiritual world) and we wrapped him really nicely in a towel. I threw the first dirt on him, I put a dragonfly garden ornament sticking up from his grave. Although, I'm really sad, I told Socks last night that he could give up and go on if he needed to and to not stay here just for me...he and I had a pretty strong bond after 16 years and he had seen me through an abusive relationship and a lot more. I feel like lost a buddy. But I am glad he is out of pain now, last night I could tell he was in pain. Thanks to all my LJ friends that have been supportive of me while I dealt with the whole situation.
I have more to post about other things in my life, but for now, I will just grieve my loss. |
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| Totally addicted to these blogthings! |
[Aug. 23rd, 2006|05:47 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  awake | ] |
| [ | music |
| | The Sea - Loreena McKennitt | ] |
HELP! I'm totally addicted to these blogthings!!!
| You're 70% Irish | 
You're very Irish, and most likely from Ireland.
(And if you're not, you should be!) |
Well, hey, I already knew that!
| You Are: 30% Dog, 70% Cat | 
You and cats have a lot in common.
You're both smart and in charge - with a good amount of attitude.
However, you do have a very playful side that occasionally comes out! |
I'm surprised I didn't come out 100% cat! *meow*
| Halloween Horoscope for Virgo |
Eh, Halloween is not exactly you favorite holiday.
You costume is usually pretty simple - if it exists at all.
Costume suggestions: A scary mask or whatever you wore last year
Signature Halloween candy: Tootsie Pops |
That one is sooooooo wrong. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I go all out and dress in full costume (my closet is full of elaborate and unique costumes) and Tootsie Pops are not my favorite Halloween candy!
| Your Irish Name Is... | 
Maeve McKenna |
'Tis a good Irish name, I'll take it! (LOL)
| You Are 60% Obsessive | 
You're somewhat obsessive, especially when it comes to a couple things (like horrifying thoughts or cleanliness).
As long as your quirks aren't interrupting your life, it's all good. |
I had to take that one....I love the TV show Monk and my last employer actually asked me if I had seen the show (this was when the show was pretty new) because I reminded her of the character Monk! I guess I am a bit Monkish (LOL).
| You Are 80% Psychic | 
You are so very psychic.
But you already predicted that, didn't you?
You have "the gift" - and you use it daily to connect with others.
You're very tapped into the world around you...
Just make sure to use your powers for good! |
My strongest ability is in the area of being an empath. I can really pick up on other people's feelings.
| 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. |
Empathy...well, actually I have empathic abilities, so this one is right on!
| Your Pirate Name Is... | 
Lieutenant-Colonel Jenny of the High Seas |
Aye, I'm a pirate wench at heart! |
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| Video Journal entries are too cool! Kitty a bit better. |
[Aug. 17th, 2006|07:49 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Vegas, baby! | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  bouncy | ] |
| [ | music |
| | You Are Not Alone - Patty Griffin | ] |
Gee, I feel like I'm waaaaay behind the times, just got finished watching a LJ friends video journal entry....I've got to get myself a webcam or whatever it takes to make one of those. It's so much more personal! Anyone else have experience with making a LJ video entry?
BTW, my cat Socks is feeling somewhat better.....I'm starting to come around to the fact that I'm going to have to accept whatever happens and be thankful for the time I've had with him, and hope he'll be around for at least a little while longer.....
Hope everyone is having a great week! |
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| Cat has been very sick. |
[Aug. 15th, 2006|02:06 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Vegas, baby! | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  drained | ] |
| [ | music |
| | The Prayer - Andrea Bocelli & Celine Dion | ] |
My 16 year old cat Socks, in a matter of 3 weeks, went from being chubby, healthy for his age, and had a healthy appetite to me starting to notice he was asking for food but not eating much, then his behavior changed and he wasn't asking for food anymore and he all of a sudden got very ill. I took him to the vet last Wednesday and he was underweight and dehydrated. They did some lab work and he does have liver disease, but he also had a very bad upper respiratory infection. But we had to get fluids into him ASAP. The choices were admit him to the cat hospital and they give him an IV drip of fluids or send me home with an IV fluid kit where you stick the needle in a certain place under the skin. Since I do have some medical training, I knew I'd be able to handle that. Two days later after the results came back the vet put him on 2 types of antibiotics (one being an immune booster), antibiotic eye drops, and meds for his liver. Almost $500 later, he does seem to be responding, but he's not out of the woods yet...we'll have to give it a few weeks when some of the meds run out, and I stop giving him the IV fluids and see what happens. I cannot afford any more treatments. So, all I can do is say a prayer, give him lots of attention, and hope I get to have more time with him. He has been a real buddy to me.
There's been a lot of stress tied to all of this and other areas of my life and I haven't had much time to write in my LJ. |
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| People seem to want to know... |
[Jul. 22nd, 2006|02:36 am] |
I received a few emails and have been asked what my religious belief system really is? (If you see the very bottom of this entry, I talk about one of the interesting emails I did receive). Em...well...I'm a cradle Catholic and still am a practicing Catholic. Although, I don't go to Mass as often as I should. My brother and his wife and family are Evangelical Christians and spent some years traveling abroad being missionaries. I've attended other churches...Baptist, Evangelical, Methodist, Presbyterian, I've been to a Jewish temple once and even visited a Buddhist temple for a class in high school.
I'm a very spiritual person and consider myself a Christian. I enjoy reading about the history of the early Christian church. Actually, I like to read about all kinds of history in general! I enjoy studying alternative healing therapies...and find the writings by St. Hildegard Von Bingen on crystals and stones and their healing properties to be quite interesting.
My family tree is full of ancestors that were Baptist ministers, Irish Catholics, German Lutherans, Quakers, Church of England, Puritan Ministers and Deacons, and one great-grandmother - we *think* her family may have been Jewish. My great (x9) grandmother Margaret (Stephenson) Scott was wrongfully hanged as a witch during the Salem Witch Trials. So, I come from a varied background. I try to keep an open mind and be accepting of others. One niece is Pagan, one sister believes in reincarnation, some are Catholic like me, many are Evangelical Christians and some in my family don't follow any kind of spiritual path at all. But my core beliefs were ingrained in me as a child going to Catholic school. I like being Catholic, although Rome likes to say that we over here in America are Cafeteria Catholics, meaning we pick and choose what we want to believe and what rules we want to follow.
I felt I should address this issue since a woman emailed me saying her teen-aged sister was looking for Wicca information online (which seemed to upset the woman) and my journal came up as one of the places she visited. I don't have any information in my LJ about Wicca, maybe she was interested in the subject matter of some of my other entries (?) The only reason I can think of why she may have ended up here at my LJ was because I am a fan of the TV show Charmed and have a few icons related to characters. But for me, the show was merely entertainment.
Many Blessings to all! |
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| Did Lizzie do it? |
[Jul. 22nd, 2006|02:32 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Vegas, baby! | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  calm | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Deilig er Jorden - Hannah Krogh | ] |
My niece is fascinated with Jack the Ripper and even spend several weeks in England and took the "Ripper Tour." She thought it would be cool if I could link our family up with Lizzie Borden...well, I was able to do this, but it was on my mother's side and this niece is only related to me on my father's side...Elizabeth Andrew Borden aka Lizzie Borden and I are 7th cousins, 4 times removed.
So, what do you think? Did Lizzie do it? Was this Sunday school teacher really innocent? Some believe the Irish maid Bridget Sullivan had something to do with the murders (there are so many theories out there! I found the one about Lizzie and the Irish maid to be somewhat interesting). At the time of the murders Bridget was 26 years old, and had been working as a live-in maid in the Borden household since 1889. There is no evidence that she was other than an upstanding young woman. She had emigrated from Ireland in 1886, and belonged to a socially discriminated class, the Irish of Massachusetts. Her testimony was straightforward, consistent, and neither helpful nor damaging to Lizzie. She did not spend the night of the murders in the Borden house, but at a neighbor's, although she spent the next night (Friday) in her third-floor room, leaving the house on Saturday, never to return. One legend is that Bridget was paid off by Lizzie, even to the extent of being given funds to buy a large farm back in Ireland. While it is likely that Lizzie or her sister Emma did provide the funds for transport of Bridget back to Ireland, there is no evidence that Lizzie gave her any additional money. The story of her being well-off appears to be untrue, since she returned to the United States from Ireland a few years later, married and moved to Butte, Montana, where she died in 1948 in very modest circumstances.
Lizzie may have been found innocent, but she spent the rest of her life being shunned by her community.
One of my favorite Lizzie Borden movies was the 1975 made-for-TV movie, The Legend of Lizzie Borden. Elizabeth Montgomery (of Bewitched fame) played Lizzie Borden.
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| Opened up my journal for comments..... |
[Jul. 21st, 2006|10:47 pm] |
Guess I was a bit afraid to open up my journal to comments from all registered users and not just friends....then a wise woman opened my eyes, what do I have to hide?...and I can always edit, or delete comments...we'll see how it goes...not sure how I feel about it yet....not sure anyone else cares either (LOL)
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| What did you want to be when you grew up???? |
[Jul. 21st, 2006|05:03 am] |
Just a question and answer to help pass the time...
So, what did you want to be when you grew-up...were you a little girl (or boy) that said nurse, doctor, mail carrier, waitress, or maybe even a princess/price, soldier or astronaut? I was watching something educational on TV recently and suddenly it came back to me that I had wanted to be a Japanese Pearl Diver!
We watched a movie in class, I think when I was in 4th grade, and it was all about Japanese Pearl Divers and from that day forward (at least for the next 5 years) that's what I wanted to be. Now mind you, I grew up in San Diego, was familiar with the ocean (the beach was and still is one of my favorite place to be!) and knew how to swim but was thousands of miles from the waters surrounding Japan, didn't speak a word of Japanese and their wasn't an Asian in my family tree anywhere..they didn't show any blond haired, blue-eyed pearl divers in the film! But that didn't stop me from practicing holding my breath at the public pool each summer day. I thought these women were the coolest thing...long black hair, pretty, and they were wearing very little; they were exotic and could hold their breath for long periods of time underwater and brought up lots of oysters with pearls of all kinds, white, off-white, black and even two pearls in one oyster sometimes. And there was such a history and rich culture surrounding them.
I remember going to "Pearl Parties" when they were the rage and you got to pick out your live oyster and you got the pearl inside. Of course they were cultured pearls, as most pearls are today. And I must admit that I bought myself a pearl ring about 6 years ago...but I've felt a bit guilty now and then that the oyster had to give up his life for me to have a pearl! That thought never entered my mind in my childhood dreams and fantasies as I joined these Japanese women on their next dive and lived out the entire scenario in my mind.
Here is some information that I found online about the Japanese Pearl Divers:
Ama divers are Japanese female divers famous for diving for pearls.
The word ama literally means "sea woman". Japanese tradition holds that the practice of Ama divers may be 2000 years old. Traditionally, and even as recently as the 1960s, Ama dived wearing only a loincloth. Even in modern times, Ama dive without scuba gear or air tanks, making them a traditional sort of free-diver. Depending on the region, ama may dive with masks, fins and torso-covering wetsuits at the most. Only divers who work for tourist attractions use white, partially transparent suits.
Ama are famous for pearl diving but originally they dived for food like seaweed, shellfish, lobsters, octopus and sea urchins - and oysters which sometimes have pearls.
Ama divers can keep diving well into old age. Usually they also have another job, typically working on a farm.
It's supposed that the majority of Ama are women because of how their bodies differ from men. They naturally have more body fat, which ensures that they can stay warmer in colder water.
So, what did you want to be? |
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| Anti-American in Ireland and England? |
[Jul. 21st, 2006|03:07 am] |
I was quite dismayed when I visited some Irish related communities here at Live Journal and discovered that there is some anti-American sentiments toward Americans traveling or visiting Ireland and England these days, because of our *wonderful* (sarcasm intended) Pres. GWB and the war in Iraq, etc...Since, in general, I am NOT a supporter of GWB and some of the decisions he has made during his presidency...I suppose I wouldn't run into much trouble myself. I was just surprised...I expected to hear this about Germany, France and some of the other western European countries, just never thought it'd be that way in Ireland too. My niece just returned from a 5 week stay in England (she also spent part of her time in Scotland and Ireland) and she thought that the Scots were the most friendly toward Americans.
I guess when I go to Ireland, I'll stick to seeing family in Galway and visiting with some of Roma's family in Derry and not get into political conversations....and maybe I'll wander over into Scotland and Wales and visit some of the villages where my English ancestors came from. And I must say that many in some of the Irish communities did say to go out and have a pint at one of the local town pubs with the live Irish musicians and just have fun and leave politics out of the discussion and most often you'll be fine and have a good visit there.
On that note, I was also surprised at how it was said that the Irish get sick of Americans coming over to boast about their "Irish roots." Well, there are a lot of us over here in America! Get over it!
Back to politics...
Here's to the next presidential race here in the States...and my hopes for the first female president in Hillary Rodham Clinton! And it'd be great to have ole Bill back in there as the first "First Man" and ex-President and have his wife be the President this time! Go Hillary! Got off the beat and track here, not even sure what Europe thinks of the Clintons...but I don't really care either. We need to step into the 21st century, there are women leaders in other countries (Helen Clark of New Zealand, Mary McAleese of Ireland, Tarja K. Halonen of Finland, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines, Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh, Luisa Diogo of Mozambique, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia and Angela Merkel of Germany) and in the past Margaret Thatcher of the UK, Maria de Lourdes Pintassilgo of Portugal, Vigdis Finnbogadottir of Iceland, Gro Harlem Brundtland of Norway, Hanna Suchocka of Poland and Edith Cresson of France come to mind.
For those following my name dropping in my family tree and genealogical research...I am related to both President Bush the father and GWB, I'm also related to Bill Clinton through his real father (who died when he was a baby). Bill was born William Jefferson Blythe and his step-father adopted him and he took the name Clinton. I have not been able to link myself of with Hillary Rodham Clinton. Mostly because her ancestors came to the United States from England and Wales only a few generations ago. Her roots go back to Europe very quickly.
I'm still proud to be American....despite having an arse for a President currently...I know, I know, you GWB supporters will think that I should be more *respectful* of our leader...but that's what's great about free speech in our country! And I'm not attacking him as a fellow human being, but I just can't joyfully accept some of the things he has done during his presidency. And this DOES NOT mean that I do not support our troops. I was a Navy brat born and raised in San Diego, so I have nothing but respect for our men and women serving in the armed forces.
I'm getting tired...the best thing about this being MY journal is I can say whatever I want and although I'd enjoy feedback to some of my posts, I'm content with having it read only by myself...(LOL). I have to listen to enough crap IRL, I don't want to hear it from strangers. I also realize that posting about politics is always opening a Pandora's Box! So, if you have an opinion...please feel free to share it. I enjoy a good debate or conversation (as long as everyone is respectful of each other).
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| I'll share a bit of my poetry... |
[Jul. 20th, 2006|07:14 pm] |
This is a ballad poem written for a creative writing class I took in college....ballads were the way people would spread the news from town to town in the days long before newspapers, TV and radios! Although, I prefer writing Ghazal style poetry with mystical subject matter....this was my favorite ballad poem that I've written...Maybe it's because I'm related to Lizzie Borden....(LOL) no really I am...I have many types in my family tree. "The rats have fled but I'm hangin on."
Becky Sue McMartin
The bats are in the belfry
But soon the bells will be rung
And coppers will go a runnin’
To see what Becky Sue McMartin has done
She took poison from the kitchen
And laced the cup of tea so well
Serving it to her wicked stepmother
The dreaded witch of a woman; Lora Belle
Becky thought she hid herself quite well
In a musky candle-lit tavern room
But it was to no avail, for all heard the bell
For surely she would be doomed
All too soon they swiftly came upon her
And a lonely jail cell became her dwelling
Ringing out through the air; wild laughter
In her chamber could be heard wailing
A short stay surely hers would be
No trial, no jury would we see
For on the morrow morning
A grim discovery made by we
She took the white linens
And tied them with care
Upon the sturdy rafters
A perfect noose hung there
The bats are in the belfry
But soon the bells will be rung
For Becky Sue McMartin
In her jail cell freely hung
Anna A. Kasper - Copyright 2004 |
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| Hard to find a good singing teacher! |
[Jul. 17th, 2006|11:37 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  contemplative | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Breathe - Christy Nockels | ] |
Here is expert advice from my friend Margo who is a singing teacher (with a beautiful well-trained soprano voice) in England (wish she didn't live on the other side of the pond!)"
"As to singing teachers...for me it was trial and error....some of the best known (and expensive)don't do it for me...some of the least known (and financially reasonable)work wonders! Having said that..learning to sing isn't cheap...if someone has spent a fortune studying they aren't likely to pass on their knowledge for next to nothing. Personality is important too its a bit like finding a dancing partner....there's a lot of chemistry involved! ...there has to be; there is a lot of trust involved...singing is quite intimate...that's why we all get stage fright! To me all singing comes from the same tree...same roots , trunk, primary branches...classical singers use the whole tree , others styles clip off some branches(they can ...they get microphones!)...over here singing "coach" usually means they only do music theatre...I would always recommend a classically trained teacher not a coach (I have a coach to teach me songs but my teacher sorts out my vocal problems)....qualifications from a good school of music are an obvious plus, a good classical career in chorus or as a soloist is too....words to listen for are "bel canto" (lit. beautiful singing) support, intercostal-diaphramatic breathing (have to say..I teach it but rarely use the words!!!), they should be getting you to relax your jaw and lift your soft pallate ... watch out for anyone talking about "breaking down the voice in order to rebuild" it is usually a charlatan! I only personally know of a teacher at the Juliard School in New York and another one who is settling in Albany or Saratoga...I don't know if that would be of any use to you? Let me know where you are and I'll ask her if she knows of any and can recommend anyone in your area. If I were you I'd call the nearest College of Music..or University to start with...or see if there are any adverts in local music shops....over here there is an internet "music teacher" listing, it might be worth searching to see if there is one over there too.I personally advertise in the yellow pages as well though most of my pupils come tome by personal recommendation, usually from one of my current pupils while at music group/choir rehearsals, etc.."
****
Her advice has been priceless, but I've yet to find someone I'm happy with yet...everyone thinks they're a singing teacher here in Vegas! |
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| Does anyone really care about my musings??? |
[Jul. 15th, 2006|08:51 pm] |
Well, I was contacted by a stranger wanting me to give up my LiveJournal name and account so she could have the name Anchoress....I do have to admit that I signed on to LiveJournal so that I could make some commments to a friend's journal back in 2001 and that my journal sat empty until today, since I update my website often, I figured why bother posting here but I just couldn't give up my user name....too much meaning behind it...sorry girl...I had to keep it! |
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