Reading/Laziness

We've got fifty good years to spend out in the garden (explored), originally uploaded by tangled up in daydreams.

I should be reading for school but I'm so lazy. We are reading Second Chances by Wallerstein and Blakeslee. Its actually a really interesting book about divorce. It's a good idea to check out for anyone dating, or considering marriage, or living in our culture of divorce!

An interesting concept to think about is that the divorced family is not just a broken family-- its actually a new type of family in our society. It's a family system that has evolved to suit the needs of modern Americans. Totally weird!  Anyway, read it!

Sorry to rub it in

128/365 ~ Excuse me...., originally uploaded by kimrose....

I am so happy to not be working retail! Especially on "Black Friday"!  I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and enjoyed being with their family!

If you did go shopping today, remember that Christmas is about spending time with family not about spending money!

White Stag

, originally uploaded by nicole ☆ lynn.

White deer hold a place in the mythology of many cultures. The Celtic people considered them to be messengers from the otherworld. Arthurian legend states that the creature has a perennial ability to evade capture; and that the pursuit of the animal represents mankind's spiritual quest. The white stag played an important role in C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe novel. The white stag makes two appearances, distinct from each other: it pulls the reins of the White Witch, but is also responsible for leading the children out of Narnia. It has been suggested that this is a comment on the duality of good and evil.
(From Wikipedia: White stag)

The Seneca White Deer are a rare herd of deer living within the confines of the former Seneca Army Depot in Seneca County, New York. When the depot was created in 1941, a 24-mile fence was erected around its perimeter, isolating a small herd of White-tailed deer, some of whom had white coats. These deer are not albino, but instead carry a recessive gene for all-white coats. With the protection of the fence, the wildlife inside the depot flourished. In the 1950s, the depot commander forbade GI's from shooting any white deer. The deer population has since grown to about 700 head, approximately 300 of which are white, making it the largest herd of white deer in the world.
(From Wikipedia: Seneca White Deer)

I spend a lot of time looking at photos to post and I thought it would be kind of fun to have a Photo of the Month contest!  Nominate your favorite photos in the comment section of this post and one will be chosen and featured. We are going to start with December so if the photo relates to winter, holidays, etc. it's a plus, but not necessary.

Rules:
1. The photo must be from Flickr.com
2. The photo must have the "Blog This" option (you will only see this if you are logged in)
3. You must provide a link to the photo (duh). Example: "http://www.flickr.com/photos/siobhanbermingham/3126148368/"
4. Must not have text/signature of photographer. Example: John Doe Photography.

Exhausted

never leave my bed, originally uploaded by hello bum.

It's finally Thanksgiving break and I am exhausted! After all the frantic, late night essay writing I've been doing, I think I've lost the ability to write. I guess I have blogger's block.

Anyway, I working with a friend on his blog, Eat, Shit and Have Babies. I'll post the link once the site is officially up- so be on the look out for it!

Pole Dancing for Wii

Now, people of all ages can experience the fun of stripping!

Friendship

, originally uploaded by brainheartlunggut.

Four Bad Friends and Their Characteristics
The first bad friend, who takes anything:

1. Taking everything from you
2. Wanting a lot for very little (or wanting much in return for giving only a little) 
3. Doing service only when he or she gets into trouble 
4. Seeking only his or her own advantage.

The second bad friend, who is a great talker:

1. Talking of favors in the past 
2. Talking of favors in the future 
3. Trying to please you with empty promises or mouthing empty promises of goodwill 
4. Pleading inability owing to some disaster when something needs to be done in the present.

The third bad friend, who flatters:

1. Agreeing to the bad actions of you
2. Also, agreeing to the good actions of you
3. Praising you in your presence
4. Disparaging you behind your back.

The fourth bad friend, who is a fellow-spendthrift or who debauches:

1. Being a companion when indulging in strong drink
2. Being a companion when haunting the streets at unfitting times
3. Being a companion when frequenting shows and entertainments
4. Being a companion when indulging in gambling

(Who Do You Associate With: Good Friends Or Bad Friends? By U Jotalankara)

I totally fall into the fourth category!  I need to stop haunting the streets at night and engaging in debauchery!

Hassled

., originally uploaded by Federico Erra.

I got on the bus yesterday and the only seat left was in the very back of the bus right in the middle of a bunch of guys. "Whatever," I thought and just sat there. These boys were either younger college students or teens in high school. They were all the same ethnicity, but I'm not really sure what it was. They looked sort of Middle Eastern. They were rowdy and talked in a language that I am not familiar with. I felt like they were talking about me, but I just tried to ignore it.

There was a leader of the group which was more self confident than the rest. He was wearing a fedora (vomit!) and picking on one of the other kids who had a notebook. He ripped the notebook from the kid and said something like, "This guy is always asking me questions, can you believe it? Why don't you try to answer them?" I could barely understand him because of his accent so this isn't a direct quote. The notebook contained a list of questions about downloading music. Which is the most popular site to download music from etc. I was like, "I don't know anything about this. I download music illegally." and the incident goes on from there with them attempting to talk to me, laughing to themselves, and me trying to ignore them. I get off the bus and they wave out the windows at me and I resist the urge to make derogatory gestures at them.

Rosa Parks was right! The back of the bus sucks! I'm twenty-four, I'm too old to be hassled by immature guys! That's pretty much the reason I quit my last job! What the heck?!

Fox Scarf

Foks in Aqua by Celapiu
Would you wear this?  I don't know if I would, but I kind of like it.  It's silly, yet practical.  It is a bit expensive though.

More Yyellowbird

hooraycorn, originally uploaded by yyellowbird.

I love her photos.

Psychology Nerd

Inspired by Shopping Losts, I made a poster of Erikson's "The Eight Stages of Man." It's a pretty nerdy thing to do, but I need to learn them, and what better way than looking at them everyday?

Print yourself a copy and hang it next to your Visible Frylock poster.

What Facebook is for

(Discovered at Swiss Miss)

Eye Color: Recent Research

Window, originally uploaded by fabiogiolito.

Today, we were discussing genetics in Psychology of Women and our teacher happened to mention that the genes that determine eye color are a lot more complicated than previously thought. I was curious and decided to read up on it. If brown eyes are dominant and blue recessive than what makes green eyes? What exactly are hazel eyes?

I was surprised to find many recent studies about eye color. I thought I'd share some of the facts I learned. Here are some quotes from Wikipedia and the Eye Doctor Guide:

• The genetics of eye color are complicated and eye color is determined by multiple genes. The once-held view that blue eye color is a simple recessive trait has been shown to be wrong.

• Hazel eyes may contain specks of amber or gold, they usually tend to comprise many other colors, including green, brown and orange. Also, hazel eyes may appear to shift in color and consist of flecks and ripples; while amber eyes [which are considered different from "brown"] are of a solid gold hue.

• In 2008, research revealed that people with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor. Scientists tracked down a genetic mutation that leads to blue eyes. The mutation occurred between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago; researchers state that before then, blue eyes did not exist.

• Violet eyes result when there is not enough pigment in the eye to color the blood vessels so they shine through causing a violet like color.

Exerpt from "Doorway" by Io Echo

saved, originally uploaded by PaytonGuerra.

". . . This is a nightmare
I wanna date you
You get right under my skin
I wanna feel you

I've gotta shake you off
I wanna hate you
Your words they haunt me
I over-analyze. . ."

-"Doorway" by Io Echo