That Last, Lingering February

[This won out between a recap of my daughter's ninth birthday weekend and an update of my favorite posts from the second half of February! Don't worry, we'll get to the birthday weekend tomorrow, something to start Sarah's tenth trip around the sun ... Have a great day, David]




　
1. The abosolute very first time i SAW Star Wars:A New Hope i was 9 and my sister was 3. My parents went to a drive in theater (which is now an apartment complex and a giant empty field) to see Smokey and the Bandit. Now i was bored and my sister was figgity and i looked out the back window of the station wagon(yes a station wagon, my parents werent cool til i was about 27 ) and saw (and i didnt know at the time) C3-P0 and R2-D2(all i really saw was shiney robots) and i watched the whole movie(- about 5min or so)with no sound mind you, bc it was so visually stimulating to me at the time. I dont remember the first time i heard it but i was a fan already bc of this experience. When did you FIRST see Star Wars: A New Hope?

[1977, when I was five at a drive-in theatre with my mom and dad in Illinois -- in case you wanted to know :) ]




　
2. I don't think there's anything wrong with making up your world through the process of writing. I, however, can't do it that way or I end up with Generic Fake Europe #25863.

How I worldbuild all depends on what I think of first. If it's a cool character, I figure out how they grew up, who their family is, how they get along with each other, what the culture they come from is like, how well they fit into this culture etc. Within reason, of course. For most stories, it doesn't really matter what their favorite kind of ice cream is.

If my first idea is some aspect of culture, like what would a society where women got paid for being mothers be like, I figure out why they do things that way (most people are infertile) and how it affects daily life (the people determined to be fertile all live in compounds and have rigid schedules of breeding). From there I can branch into religion, economic stuff, and whatever else I feel like.

If my first idea is for a species, I figure out what they're like physically, whether they have abilities different from humans, etc. Then I figure out what mindset this would give them. (People who live for 1000 years would see things a lot differently than humans. So would flying people.) This can give me ideas for their religion, government, etc. If humans or other races are present, how do they all get along?

If my first idea is for a magic system, I'm usually screwed. I come up with a nifty system, and then can't figure out what world it belongs in or what plot might work well with it. I have lots of orphaned magic systems. *sniffle*




　
3. Having three children who struggle with reading (which is something I have always SUPER excelled at) is a struggle for our whole family. [This poster's husband] and I hurt watching them struggle. They hurt because they know they struggle and most of their friends don't. I watch two out of three kids literally have melt downs EVERY night when it is time to read. I have to work on my patience when it comes to read because reading is so easy for me, and I lack the patience to sit with them through their agonizingly SLOW reading pace. Which isn't their fault, not at all. It's just how they are learning. So I have to reel in my anxiousness and impatience when it comes to their home work. My husband hates it because they seem to 'take after him' when it comes to schooling, and it makes him feel like crap. He wants his children to succeed in school and love learning (and they do love to learn). I too hate reading competitions. NOT everything in life is a competition! There are plenty of things to be competitive over (sports!), but education should not be a competition. Not every child is going to be the fastest when it comes to reading or math. That's ok. It shouldn't MATTER if you are super fast at doing it, as long as you CAN Do it and you can get the right answer. You shouldn't have to go maniac fast and get a prize at the end because you read 999 words in under a minute or whatever. So I do agree with the article here (though I DETEST using the word 'loser' when talking about children!! Especially discussing children and how quickly they learn. No. MY children are NOT losers, nor will I use that word to describe their struggles with reading)



4. Wait and see. The multiverse isn't over until Amanda Waller sings.



5. Sounds like someone is thinking too hard about the logic of a comic book city



6. Dreadstar was pretty serious and dealt with child abuse and had Vanth beat a villain to death with a chain. Then it had Peter David turning it into a heavy-handed comedy. Dreadstar was many things: light entertainment was not one of them.



7. HAHA The only thing I like about having these two geese out here is they scare city people. Just had the fedex driver honk until I went outside because she got scared by them. Who needs a guard dog, when you have geese?



8. Blood makes you related,
Loyalty makes you family.



9. mobi is kindle. epub is everything else. lol



10. Monday ~~ A day when the people around you have IQ levels no higher than the temperature outside ~~& baby it's cold out there



11. For those of you that know me- you know that I'm a defender & advocate of giving ex-offenders a second chance.... for I am an ex-offender. [Not ME, but the person posting this.]

I may some very bad choices in my life over 25yrs ago when I was in my 20's in was very active in drug dealing. I no longer live that lifestyle and I'm proud to say I'm now a mentor to many of those that have been incarcerated.

During the Oscars- John Legend said in his speach:
"...We live in the most incarcerated country in the world. There are more black men under correctional control today than there were in slavery in 1850."

Prisons are big business & very profitable at that. Prisons are modern day slave camps now. Most that are incarcerated need help... not jail time.

Just something to think about.



12. [God] can take me or leave me to fight. He built me and filled me with knowledge, strength, and insomnia with no ill effects. There HAS to be a reason.



13. It's always a good idea to consult with resident authenticity expert Senator Vreenak.



14. Interview time! Keep your fingers crossed.
HOpefully this one won't be prejudiced against age, or weight. Last interview, the mean age in the office was 26. The only person over 35 was the Doctor and he was about 70. Guess he wanted young hot girls to look at, not middle aged fat woman [and my good friend who posted this is NOT fat!] that can get the work done. Hopefully this one goes better!



15. My afternoon coffee has a name. That name is Death Wish.



16. That moment when you really want to watch "Seinfeld" and it ain't on Amazon Prime and you find they've taken it off of Netflix. Misanthropy at Mach 10.



17. So here's the comeback quote of the day from Pastor Mark Behrendt of Galilean Lutheran in Corpus Christi. He's four years into creating Cross+Gen eduworship with folks from 2 to 82 meeting in the sanctuary every week between the regular services to sing, sign, skit, learn scripture, and share highs and lows. A couple weeks ago a Boomer 50-something came in for a while, then left saying:

Boomer: "It's too childish. This isn't for me."

Pastor Mark: "That's because it's NOT for you!"

As in: "It's for the future of the church! It's for the kids to be blessed with the wisdom of the elder! It's for the teens to know multiple redundant faith mentors. It's for the single mom to have aunts and uncles for her kids. It's for the elder widow to have a nephew like you in her cares and in her prayers. It's for the pastor to know that pastoral care is going on every week between services and every night in every home. It's for the fabric of the future church to be strengthened and blessed instead of weakened and stressed. No! It's not for you.

It's for us."

Tip of the Hat, Pastor Mark!



18. Perhaps the most positive (and potentially profitable) result from these three interchangeably misused terms - the NERD (such as yourself) is an individual of vast intelligence and curiosity coupled with a natural knack for academics and discovery. You not only appreciate technology, biology, and all the other 'ology's - you know what they mean and how they work, too! While Geeks are busy flooding comic-cons and using the internet while pretending to know how it works, you are busy coding the damn internet and earning your Masters or Doctorate (if you don't already have it/both). Of course the terms Nerd, Geek, and Dork will always have some overlap, but your test results show an innately intelligent individual with the drive and know-how to put you behind the classic horn-rimmed glasses and pocket protector of a well-educated, deeply intellectual N-E-R-D! You're welcome.
"Are You A Geek, A Nerd, Or A Dork?" from playbuzz.com, I took 022515, 1103 hrs



19. Well I wanted this year to be the year of adventures... Today I helped demolish a bathroom. Not gonna lie... That was AWESOME!

What next?



20. It's difficult being a goddess, but you'll bear the burden.



21. OMG, all the dumb is making me nuts! I propose a new challenge. How about we just read whatever the heck we like to read, regardless of the author's race, sex, or preferences? How about we read EVERYTHING we come across and give new genres a chance sometimes? How about we write HONEST reviews when we read something new so others can make better informed decisions when buying books?




22. Okay, I'm still shaking from the dream. I was like, "What in the world just happened!!!"

(Don't steal my Plot Bunny!!) Excuse the spelling mistakes, I just woke up to it moments ago. I wrote it down in an empty journal. I dreamt it was me in this place and it freaked me out sooo....

Anyways, I opened my eyes and found myself on the International Space Station. All I know is that I got a 5 year scholarship to write/live on the Space Station (How I was picked, I don't know, maybe you can help me with that). Suddenly, my time was up and I was sent back to Earth. When I got home, my family no longer recognized me (I thought it was because I lost a bunch of weight back on the Space Station). I thought they were joking around so I shrugged it off till my older sister told me that she really doesn't recognize me even after the countless attempts to help her remember. Then, I found out my parents were divorced and my dad took my little brother and...well, even my dad didn't recognize me.

I got so overwhelmed that I woke up...my first words were, "Holy crap...gotta write this down." Now, I don't know where the dream came from...but, I thought it was awesome...

What do you think?



23. When my son was a toddler I took him to a family party and at one point he was the only one out there dancing. There are moments in life you remember forever and its those moments that bring you peace in times of turmoil.

My son will be 21 this year but for me he will remain my little boy. Cherish the small moments in life. Let them fill your heart and remind you that even if you have nothing you have each other because within one another you are home.

I guess I say this because I'm sick of seeing reports about good families falling apart over trivial things.

Be happy my friends. Love one another. Accept one another and look passed faults and flaws. Be patient..Be kind. Be bigger than any problem or woe and let God sort it out



24. You're all wrong. Han was just trying to sound impressive for someone he assumed didn't know anything about space travel or smuggling (Obi-Wan). Obi-Wan knows he's lying, though. You can see it in his face after Han says it.



25. The Vision was sort of the Mr,Spock of the Avengers to me. [This was posted and I saw it the same day Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played Mr. Spock in Star Trek died; I responded that I appreciated the irony.]



26. DOES THIS SCRIPTURE CONFUSE YOU??

Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

What He's saying is that TO BE HIS DISCIPLE you have to love HIM so much that when you compare that love to that of your family - it seems like hate in comparison.

I love my mom and dad - and my husband, children, grandchildren - but I don't get to spend much time with them because I'm serving the King. I would die for any one of them - but He's my priority. You have to be willing to devote yourself to Him - and He's the one who sees to it that you take care of your family as well while you serve. When your kids need you to spend time with them, He arranges it. When you have responsibilities to your family.......He reminds you. He has to be FIRST, and our love for others SEEMS LIKE hatred in comparison.

This is for those who want to be DISCIPLES.........very few are called to be disciples.