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I am so sorry you got stung on the ass. :( That's awful; I am, however, glad the discomfort is fading.
Question ... How much fun did Stabb poke? Hmm?
23:50 Oct 21 2011 Times Read: 700
Sahahria, you are a peach. Thank you for being so willing to share your knowledge and love for natural healing alternatives.
Your health journey has been so inspirational to me, and your enthusiasm and selflessness in helping is just...sweet. Not the hackneyed old cliche' sweet, but the "I want nothing more than to share what I can to help you" sweet.
Guess what?! I ordered a juicer today. Looking forward to any good advice from you on that, too! It should be in on Monday or Tuesday.
If it's been a while, why not give it a fresh look?
00:15 Oct 17 2011 Times Read: 770
Today's entry is a bit of a public service. I'm going to talk to you about a subject that I bet a lot of you have forgotten, a place in your community that wants to give you access to free stuff, lots and lots of it.
The Library! When was the last time you went into your local library? It's not that place mom dragged you to long ago. It's moved along with the times. In today's library, you will find public access computers, classes on all sorts of subjects from Microsoft, keyboarding, job skills, local interest courses, cultural subjects, literacy, and language. I taught an ESL (English as Second Language) a couple of years ago and now I'm taking a lecture series, myself.
There are book clubs to join where you discuss plot, author, and literary devices. There are reading times for kids. There are Foreign Film series. My library even has a Scrabble Night on Tuesdays and a Japanese dance course.
Too much trouble? No problem! Did you know that you can now access your library online? If you have a device, you just download an app and you can check out kindle books (and other formats like epub) for 2 weeks at a time. Via Freegal, you can legally download 3 songs per week...lots of current hits, too! Podcasts, and audiobooks just waiting for you. Online book clubs are there for the busy person, too!
So, what do you need? A library card. And did I mention...it's all FREE!
I love my library card. I just took Stabb yesterday to get his first American library card! Today, we chose our 3 Freegal tunes. I'm browsing the list of audio books for my car. I love listening to books while I drive. I also like walking while I listen to a book...somehow it's less like exercise that way. We chose a class that we want to do together that sounds fascinating and I'm getting really excited about the one coming up in November that I'll do alone.
One of the earliest things (after taking care of loved ones) I would do if I won some stupid amount of money, or had it come to my hands any old way - would be to endow libraries.
Amen, sister. I forgot to mention all of the videos, too! We talk to our clients at the Center about all the library offers.
Back when I was very very broke, I couldn't afford cable so I took my son to the library for story time, books, and every Disney movie ever made. We also watched Roan Innish and other movies I would never have found without a library.
I'm donating the book, Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children to the library because VW got her own copy. My daughter just finished it and I want to think about young readers oohing their way through that book. Thanks for the recommendation, VW!
"...classes on all sorts of subjects from Microsoft..."
I think I threw up in my mouth a little bit. Long live reinforcing dependence on proprietary data formats for the naive user, I guess. At least the .epub ebooks are a ray of sunshine (also, www.2epub.com)
All that aside though, I concur. I halfways live at my university libraries most of the year... the things are indispensable. If you don't have a piece of plastic that gets you into a library, fix that.
I worded that poorly. Microsoft courses are taught, but the courses are not FROM Microsoft. I know what you're saying, but for a person looking for work, knowing Microsoft Office could give them an edge. It's a fact.
Although you've nailed a very important source of education at the library, I have to say on a sad note that more and more of the smaller ones in the UK are being closed due to the reduced amount of funding.
That actually does make a lot of the difference. I *like* the idea of picking up new skills and knowledge (as well you know). I don't like the idea of Microsoft cramming itself down unsuspecting peoples' throats like they have some sort of patent on storing information, but for once that doesn't seem to be what's going on.
I'll take my nerd rage outta your library post, now :p
Your nerd rage is welcome to melt my posts any time. I didn't realize how badly I'd worded that sentence. I think when I started it, I had some notion of "from this kind of class to that kind of class" but I just ended up doing a list that sounded like it jumped outta Bill Gates' pants.
Once a husband and wife rode down the Grand Canyon on mules they had rented. On the treacherous descent, the wife's mule lost his footing and jostled her off his back. She walked up to the mule and eyed him, saying, "That's ONE!"
A little while later, the mule misstepped again, causing the woman to slip off. She eyed him and said firmly, "That's TWO!"
On the third mishap, the woman dusted herself off, pulled a pistol from her pack and shot the mule, saying with finalty, "That's THREE!"
Her husband, shocked by his wife's behavior, cried out, "Honey, what are you thinking? That's crazy!"
She turned to him, pointed, and said, "That's ONE!"
The reason for the One. Especially with all the grammatical folderol. Heh.
01:16 Oct 11 2011 Times Read: 838
I've been misreading my misreading. I thought it was Nilfheim, and my brain turned that into Milfheim. I JUST noticed the l comes after the f. *Sniffleheim* I'm gonna miss ol Milf.
Before I get into this topic, it's probably a good idea to be clear about what I am trying to do and what I am Not trying to do.
I want to talk about journal comments. I do not want to slam anyone or bitch about an experience I had which clearly just equals a couple of disagreements on nothing drama-worthy. I am not fishing for, "f them", "you're right", or anything like that. I want opinions about how we leave comments and how we receive them.
I'll begin by relating my experience. A VERY bright member, whom II like to read, posted an entry about something they found humorous. I had a different reaction, seeing it as a little cruel instead of funny. (The author didn't do the prank, just found it funny.) I considered not leaving any comment at all. I saw another reader agreed that it was funny. In the end, I left my genuine reaction, "seems more mean than funny." The comment is no longer there. I presume it was deleted, but it may have been a casualty of an edit, I suppose. Since this entry is about my curiosity about comments, it really doesn't matter.
Do you leave comments that disagree with the member's point of view? Not to pick a fight, but to offer a conversational alternative? Do you think we should, or is it going to come across as you being negative no matter what you intend? Should we just say nothing unless we agree? Do you want only comments that agree with you, or do you welcome a disagreement?
I have seen people get very upset in journals when someone disagrees with them, spouting "This is MY journal and I can say what I want." I agree, but if you accept the PUBLIC default by not clicking on private, that choice comes with outside commentary. You can disagree with it. You can delete it. You can talk with the commenter about why you disagree. You can think about an opinion that isn't yours. It's that last one that I value.
I rarely delete a comment. I only do so if someone is abusive and vulgar to another commenter. I like to leave the opinion out there and let the commenter own it. I DO get that disagreeing is harder, both to offer and to receive. Far easier to type LOL even when something nags a bit at you about what you just read. But is that what we should do? Does it concern you at all that offering a difference of opinion can so easily offend someone?
What to you want in your comment boxes? What governs you as you leave comments? Is there room for reactions that do not jive with our own?
Heh. I disagree frequently. Or ... channel Uncle Inappropriate. I have yet to actually delete a journal comment, though there have been a few which were, as you mentioned, casualties of edits. (Sorry, Bloodlife and Niflhei..Milfheim? ACK Ducky.)
I kind of like when someone disagrees with me and provides a cogent reason why. I like learning new ways to think. I like discussion on differing viewpoints. Hell, I even like being proven wrong ... on occasion. More than occasionally, and it smarts. Or stupids. Or something. :P
That's really well-said, Requiem. I do, too. I make lots of private entries that are for me to express myself to myself unchallenged. But it's still not easy to have someone come into your stuff and say, "Nuh unh." It might be valuable, though. It can make you ask, "Why do I think this?" Questions like that can help strengthen your position or challenge it to change.
In general if I disagree with an entry I just don't say anything. Sometimes actions speak louder than words. Everyone knows that I usually voice my opinion but if it is a friends entry and it's that important to me that I need to say something opposing I will just message them rather than risk hurting their feelings or pissing them off. Regarding my entries, I get all kinds of comments, I'm good with it :)
This as an interesting topic. I never looked at it in this light as my only fear was adding humour to an entry only for it to be misunderstood and I have been hung for it.
Members who have got to know the you behind the journal (yet through your journal) will only see the honesty and integrity that is you, and if you leave a comment that views your opinion then they would know there is no personal malice behind it, it is just that 'a point of view'.
I welcome any comment. Not because I'm a comment whore or to see support from my friends (although that's always welcomed). I see it that we can express ourself among like minded people.
There are various reasond as to why I don't leave comments, but it should never be considered it's because I disagree with an entry.
Sometimes you own entries stun me into silence at there beauty (Exhalations) or make me want to leave a comment the size of a novel.
I'm glad you did. You and Pandora took me in a direction I hadn't had in mind, friend v. member you don't really know. It's a valid ptoint. I certainly express disagreement differently among friends and family than among strangers or acquaintances. You leave me wishing I had added a little more to my referenced comment that reinforced that I wasn't trying to poke them in the eye.
Just as with how people use their journals, is similar to how they conduct their social lives. What I'm about to say does not relate here but simply with what my own experiences have shown me.
People tend to interact with others for basic reasons. Some of us like to learn: we are the types that like disagreements. While some may view them as "conflict" and therefore try to not rock the boat, for us it is a way to learn, explore and get to know another person.
Then there are those who want drama- want the whole shabang... they are what I personally view as attention whores.
I've also seen those who this is "paradise" meaning they don't want real world interaction- they want plesant- and only that. They want to vent, they want to rant and then they want it how they want it. There can only be the discussions they want because anything more would make it more "real".
In truth all of us hit on these basic aspects at one point or another. But it is our own boundaries we must maintain. Personally, my journal here is where I think things out.
Sometimes without much thought, but pure feeling. Other times I use it to express differing things I've seen/done/found. Always it is about me and my journey. It is the only place I put all of me. Yes there are private entries, that I simply don't want to share right now, but mostly it is so I can put out how I REALLY am as many of my real life friends read it here. This way those I am too far from can come see my journey every step of the way with the time they have; or not.
It is here for myself, and them however they choose it. The rest I welcome their comments, I truly love discussions and don't shy away from the ones the brink on arguments provided it stays respectful.
We all have so much to teach each other, and so little time here... it is a gift to have the differences. Then again, it is our diversity that forces me to stretch my boundaries, experience new things and change my mind... moment to moment sometimes.
But that growth to me is beautiful no matter how it comes.
I prefer people to be candid when responding to my journal entries, provided that those responses aren't mean-spirited or assumptive.
I think that, as journaling has evolved with the Internet as its medium, commenting has become an intregral part of the process, as necessary a part of organic expression as journal-writing itself. This is the first time in human history I can think of where keeping a journal has become a social art, and I think we're still sussing out the rules.
I don't generally delete any message left in my journal- as you pointed out... if it's being made public it's almost 'agreeing' all that aren't blocked can post. If someone is clearly out of line, their own words spotlight that, and I don't need to delete it to 'make things right'.
I want honesty in my journal. That doesn't mean I want it full of negativity... but if it happens, like you said- that's for them to own.
I am with most here- I do not delete comments unless they are rude to me, or another poster. Rude is comment on someone, not on their opinion. “You are fat.” Gets deleted. “I think you misunderstand the idea behind criminal punishment..” does not get deleted. I like debate in my journal, welcome it.
But the only ones I will comment on in depth are entries like this, where you ask those who read to express their feelings. Other then these kind of questions, if I disagree with something the poster posted, I keep it to myself.
Why? I read to learn about people, to see all sides of them. Every word, video, poem written shows you a side of that person. I understand I will never know the person unless you live in their shoes, but you do learn a percentage of their soul, how they think, see life. If we start to comment on what we have problems with, would that not make them edit their own journal, feel the freedom the keyboard gives be tapered? I think it would, or they will turn hostile like you said. And that will not lead me to read their journal at all as everyone should be able to handle a comment that disagrees with them on a computer screen.
You click into their ‘world’ known as a journal, you treat them with the respect they should be shown. If I read and start to dislike how they express themselves is when I stop reading the journal.
So many wise opinions here. Thank you all for taking time to weigh in on this. Good point about the rules still being fluid and needing more "sussing" out. And I love that good old southern term!
Sahariah highlights the different ways we all might use the same tool, and Images reminds us that a post invites comments, but expects them to be respectful, leaving the journalist the responsibility of how they will receive the feedback.
I feel lucky to be part of a community that is full of so many different views. This has been eye-opening to me!
I welcome a disagreement, not for anything other than the simple "different views" from another person and the conversations that can come from them. If a person can actually show me something that I can not see for myself, such as a different side of something, or teach me something that I did not know to begin with, I welcome those comments. Other than the occasional edit that deletes a comment, I can only remember one time I actually deleted a comment due to the graphic nature of it and the sheer meanness of it.
If I post something that another disagrees with I welcome people to speak their minds and views upon it. If they don't feel comfortable about posting in it as a comment, I will reply to a message sent. I enjoy conversations and more times than not a journal entry I have written/another person has written has sparked pretty interesting conversations and has caused me to meet new people with the same (and different) views as myself.
For instance- I read a newer members journal lately, because of how it was written I couldn't understand it. I left that member a comment simply stating I did not understand the point he was trying to make and that to me, it didn't make much sense. He messaged me after that and went into further detail, the conversation was excellent. A real thought provoker. There was another time I left a similar comment, because I didn't quite get the point the member was trying to make and when I asked her to eleborate, she took it offensively and blocked me and had several other members of her coven rate me a one, simply because I didn't understand the point she was trying to make and asked if she could explain it better which she thought I was making fun of her writing. Which, I was just asking for a more indepth explanation.
I think, for some, that anything that isn't within agreement or praising the entry, some take real offense to it. I always welcome positive and negative critism. Different views make me think and show me different sides of things I couldn't see myself, or can open my mind to something I wasn't aware of in the first place. I will post to an entry if I feel compelled to, if it moves me, or if it sparks my interest enough that I am compelled to come back and not only reread the entry, but see what others thought about that particular entry, as well.
As for when you asked "Does it concern you at all that offering a difference of opinion can so easily offend someone?" If a person takes offense that easily to a comment that is in disagreement, I usually avoid them. I like open minded people, those who can see both sides to an equation and if they can't, those who are at least willing to give it a go and try to see the other's point of view.
"Is there room for reactions that do not jive with our own?" Personally, there is always room for reactions that aren't necessarily jiving with my own. How else is one to explore something new if one isn't willing to at least give it a shot and see both sides of something? See it from another's perspective?
"Do you leave comments that disagree with the member's point of view? Not to pick a fight, but to offer a conversational alternative?" I usually do. I love to talk, I love to learn about other people's views on things and I have a tendency to either comment or directly message the person about the entry. Sometimes people respond, although others prefer to use their journals as just a one way street- to just get thoughts out there rather than go back and forth debating or talking about the topic at hand. But I have met quite a few wonderful people on here, by simply messaging or commenting about a journal entry they have written. Even while my comment was in disagreement with their own views.
"Should we just say nothing unless we agree?" Depends on the entry and topic, I suppose. If it's about something that would be considered a personal reaction to something they experienced, I usually don't respond to it. But if some one posts a journal entry that ends or reads as a question (I have tendency of doing that a lot, myself) I am usually one to reply to it, even if I disagree. More cases than not, I have been pulled into conversations from the comments I left.
Heh, I have to log into a different computer, I can't see what this is and now curiosity is nagging at me going "you know you wanna see it, but you can't. Na-na-a-boo-boo!" LOL
I have always felt that is exactly as it should be.
01:55 Oct 09 2011 Times Read: 982
Joli: What's another word or way of describing the concept of an after-image or an echo?
Stabb: um...monkey poo?
Joli: You never leave me hanging, do you?
Stabb: It's a metaphor for the acquisition of the immutable pieces of our soul which harken back to our deep evolutionary emotions, enabling us to communicate across the boundaries of the differences between ourselves and our apish cousins.
I never giggle-snort unless I am laughing so hard, I can't breathe.
THAT was amazing. :)
Hei Hei! Minä en osaa suomea hyvin.
22:53 Oct 07 2011 Times Read: 1,010
Stabb went to Finland. I thought Norwegian was tough. Finnish is impossible! They have no c, q, f, w, x or z. so, poor Stabb had to ride to his meetings in a taksi.
The blueberry chocolates are, however, to die for!
COMMENTS
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LiamK
05:10 Oct 23 2011
Get one of those neck-pillows for affluent jackasses who pretend to sleep on airplanes. They're actually pretty good for coping with bum damage.
(Alright alright, let the comments roll in. What, none of you have ever sat on a sharp thing?)
Joli
05:37 Oct 23 2011
The discomfort has faded a great deal. Only my pride remains a tad bruised.
BLOODLIFE
09:56 Oct 23 2011
...and Stabb didn't offer to remove the venom?!!
Requiem
22:14 Oct 23 2011
I am so sorry you got stung on the ass. :( That's awful; I am, however, glad the discomfort is fading.
Question ... How much fun did Stabb poke? Hmm?