So if I've been asking for the gas bill for oh say the last three week.   Person A told me that person B had it last and to ask him about it.  I've asked person B for it at least three times and still have not seen said gas bill.  So i call the gas company to send out another of said bill so that I may be able to pay said gas bill.  Gas gets cut off before receiving a copy of the gas bill.  Consider these things:

1) I asked for gas bill at least three or four times.
2) Person B said they would get gas bill too me, but it never showed. (It was last in their position.)
3) I called gas company in order to pay it, but they won't let me do anything (including paying it) without account number on said gas bill.
4) Check online and was told the same thing. (So can't pay gas bill without the stupid piece of paper.)

Question is, is it really my fault the gas got shut off even though I tried to get the info to pay it multiple times?

So lately I've come to realize that some people are truly meant to help you in life and also are meant to actually help and stay. I've come to realize that Mike (tauzero )is one of these people for me. I honestly have never really been able to truly love somebody without having a doubt somewhere in the back of my mind whether or not I was loved just as much. But with him, it's different. I know it and I don't doubt it. He really is an incredibly awesome person. Few people would take the time or energy it takes to deal with me when I'm having one of my freak-outs, or even be able to notice when it's about to happen. He has helped me in more ways that one and I truly do love him. His gentle way and calm demeanor is something I have needed and wanted for so long. And for once I can actually feel like it's time for me to heal instead of being the one to be the nurse to everyone else. So here's to me bragging on him for being a truly wonderful and magnificent soul which is much deeper and beautiful than few have cared to see. Thank you honey. I love you.

1.I've come to realize that my last kiss....made me feel loved. :)

2. I am listening to ...American Idol top 36 round 2!

3.I talk...about some very odd and interesting things.

4.I love...the sound of rain on the window when napping.

5.My best friend...is not who everyone thinks he/she is.

6.My first real kiss...sucked now that I think about it.

7.Love is...something that comes in many forms that too many people, sadly, fail to see most of the time. You are often way more loved than you think you are.

8.Marriage is ...an institution that has caused our society to lose the original meaning of the union. I prefer a good ole handfasting.

9. Somewhere someone is thinking ...Holy crap! I acutally love him/her.

10.I'll always be...Irish, insane, ADD, and somewhat damaged.

11.The last time I cried was...last night on the way back to Mike's. It's been a rough month.

12.My cell phone...a watch too! No really, I wear it on my wrist. (Go googel CECT M810 if you don't believe me.)

13.When I wake up in the morning...I have to take a moment and get oriented and figure out where I am exactly.

14.Before I go to bed… I do a little meditation and send out good "Good night! Luvs ya!" vibes to those near and dear to me.

15.Right now I'm thinking about...how hillarious this Norman character on idol is.

16.Babies are...overrated at times.

17.I get on Facebook...when I'm bored and feeling nosey.

18.Today...has just began.

19.Tommorow I will be ...back to work after the ick.

20.I really want to be...in Boone, NC at the moment.

21.Someone that will most likely re-post this...Not sure really.

So I have the strep throat and I'm feeling sort of fuzzy. But I read this and thought I'd share.

Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people. ~Randy Pausch.

So, today when I was about to leave work I noticed I had a text from tauzero saying he had a bad headache and was craving chocolate. I asked him what kind of chocolate, but what he wanted I'm not allowed to eat. (Damn you Maggiano's tiramisu!) So, I told him I'd make him a chocolate cake with chocolate mousse in between the layers with chocolate icing. Well, I get to the Buckhead Kroger and find out they don't have any chocolate mousse mix (and damn you if you think I'm going to make it from scratch). So, I give tauzero a call and inform him of his icing choices. He chose strawberry. With said decisions I made four-layer chocolate cake layerd with French Vanilla Coolwhip and strawberries with strawberry icing and chocolate drizzle. We have named it the Chocolate Strawberry Explosion. And OMG it's awesome and gluten-free. And here's how you make the cake:

Ingredients

1 package Bob Red's Mill Gluten-free chocolate cake mix (and all of the stuff needed to prepare said cake mix)
1 can strawberry icing (of the gluten-free varietal)
1 tub French Vanilla Coolwhip
About a dozen strawberries
Chocolate drizzle
9x13 or some other rectangular varietal of cake pan

Directions

1.) Prepare cake mix and bake cake
2.) Give cake generous amounts of time to cool
3.) Cut cake in half to form two 9x6.5 rectangles and transfer to seperate plates
4.) Let cake cool even more
5.) Cut each smaller cake in half to form four (total) layers
6.) Place a generous amount of FV Coolwhip on first layer and spread evenly
7.) Slice strawberries and place on top of coolwhip.
8.) Place cake layer two on top of coolwhip and strawberries.
9.) Repeat steps 6 and 7.
10.) Place cake layer three on top of coolwhip and strawberries.
11.) Repeat steps 6 and 7
12.) Place cake layer four on top of coolwhip and strawberries.
13.) Ice the four-layers of awesomeness with the entire can of strawberry icing.
14.) Place sliced strawberries on top.
15.) Drizzle with chocolate drizzle.
16. ) Cut and enjoy, but remember to refrigerate.

Um?  I love sushi?  I'm not to sure why I was correlated to this.  I don't really eat it all that much anymore.

So due to the fact that there aren't any 24 hour laundry mats around and I ended up closing for a coworker tonight, I decided to wash all my work clothes by hand.  Sans anything electric or mechanical.  I was not about to drive out to Gwinnett to borrow either Mike's or my parent's washer or dryer, and most of my friends go to work early.  Before dad installed a washer or dryer in the farm house, my mother taught both me and my bro how to accomplish such tasks.  I used to bitch and whine about having to wash clothes on a regular basis, but the process has made me grounded and relieved a lot of the stress I've been dealing with lately.  (And as of late I've realized the source of most of said stress.)  I feel oddly accomplished, have used less water, and actually did it quicker than having to do two sepearate loads in the washer.  The clothes are now hung to dry, and I'm off to bed so I can at least get some rest before having to open tomorrow. 

Next time you're in an insult war with someone pull out the term "bitch bucket" and watch the reaction.

This new comment brought to you by witchygreen .

Originally posted in sophocles 

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

- What I create will be just for you.
- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
- You will receive your item before the end of the year (or sooner).
- You will have no clue what the item is going to be. It could be a story or poetry. It could be a piece of handmade jewelry or an art doll. I may draw, paint, collage or knit something. I might bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you have to repost this meme and make and send out five surprises of your own.

Ready, set, make! :)

10 weird things about me!

( Muahahah )

So, our college system has become way to leniant when I get and A for this. Dude, I wrote it in about an hour and I'm aware of the amount of fluff involved. LOL. I rock.

Ann Fox
Herman
Summer of the Gods
12 November 2008

Summer of the Gods was an interesting retelling of the Scopes trial in a way that few actually ever hear. Previous to reading the book, the only information I had on the trial was a vague memory of my high school US History class and from the movie “Inherit the Wind.” I had previously thought the Scopes trial to be a fast-paced quick witted trial in which each side had tried to tear the other one apart. I had also had the assumption that Scopes was arrested for teaching evolution and his career had been ruined. This, however, was not the reality of the Scopes trial. In reality it was a much calmer and organized effort in which the defense and the prosecution did not try to attack each other as viciously as “Inherit the Wind” has portrayed. It also did not cause as much hoopla nationwide as was portrayed but the press, but did fill the small town of Dayton to the brim for the few days previous to the trial and during.
There was some truth to the retellings of the trial such as certified scientific experts being ruled out as witnesses and the heat and uncomfortable atmosphere in which the trial was held, but not nearly as many people came to see the trial as was believed and the debates were not nearly as heated as portrayed in the movies. The press and other fundamentalist groups did blow much of the trial out of proportion. The press did so in order to create a large following of the trial. Many fundamentalists did it in order to gain support for their faith and to claim victory over the evolutionists, when in reality the trial was more of a draw than a victory. Truth be told, the neither press nor fundamentalists were the main support of either the defense or the prosecution.
In reality was there were much larger political backings behind the Scopes trial. The ACLU was one of the main players in this decision. Having wanted to try to gain a foothold in American politics, the ACLU saw the Scopes trial as a means to get their foot in the door. Now, a very avid and influential political machine, the ACLU did not gain the popularity and power they had hoped from the trial, but rather actually stood to lose from the trial. They had chosen Scopes for this calm demeanor and boyish looks. (Many had said Scopes looked as if he was still a young college boy.) Scopes served to be a non-threatening man whom his students respected and looked up to. Most of the boys which testified in the trial spoke very highly of the educator, and even stayed in the crowd throughout the trial for support.
The post effects of the trial were also very eye-opening. It became more and more apparent that the antievolution law in Tennessee seemed to be more of a regional thing than a nationwide attitude held by most of Americans. (The opposite of what much of the publicity of the trial had led many to believe.) In many northern states fundamentalist Christian groups tried to get antievolution laws put on the books, but were widely denied and the decisions were overturned. It seemed as if many Americans saw evolution not to be a threat, but rather as an important part of a well-rounded science education. Some states, such as Texas, did mandate edited versions of text books which excluded evolution, but did not completely outlaw it, however.
Some say the Scopes trial was one of the biggest trials of the 20th century. In reality it was less important and had less impact that appears. Larson hints that after the hype had subsided, the Scopes trial drifted to the back of the American conscious and into the history books. Much of the hype from the trial was due to an inflated media perception of what was actually happening. The smallest disagreement was seen as a huge battle and the most insignificant fact was seen as insanely important. Many people who have seen, “Inherit the Wind” consider it to be the true way in which the Scopes trial played out. The men who wrote the play which the movie is based off of have stated that the play is not history and only a small portion of dialogue was actually taken from the transcripts of the Scopes trial (p. 240). Much of this seems to mirror some the debates in which we are seeing in regards to the debate over fantasy and science fiction in schools.
Since the Scopes trial many things have changed in regards to what can and cannot be taught in school. Much of this can be attributed to a changing society and a change in attitudes. With changing attitudes we began to see a larger switch to a need for Academic freedom. Larson writes, “These legal developments made antievolution statues seem virtually un-American by the 1960’s, and led fundamentalists to seek other avenues of recourse against Darwinian teaching.” (p. 247). This also hints at the fact that the people who wanted these antievolution laws to remain in place were only a small minority of the population, just a loud and boisterous one at that. Many Christian groups are still currently trying to influence what can and cannot be taught in schools, but in that regard, the Scopes trial did have an impact on the American educational system.
Unlike the 1920’s, in the 1960’s American society saw a much more blended society in regards to religion and culture, and we began so see laws which help to protect citizens which may not share Christian attitudes and beliefs. The federal court system now helps to rule out “progressive state economic regulations” using the 14th Amendment. The Scopes trial helped to get the ball rolling in this regard. Larson states:
The process began the same year as the Scopes trial, where the Supreme Court first ruled
that the ‘liberty’ protected from state infringement by the due process clause
incorporated into the First Amendment Right of free speech. (p. 249).

By the 1960’s laws had been put in place which banned prayer and well established religious practice from state-supported schools. These laws have not come without debate though. Since the Scopes trial there have been numerous issues from evolution to sex education which various fundamentalist groups have tried to get banned from schools out of fear of ‘moral deterioration of our youth’, but most courts rule that doing so would be violating free speech and also infringe on the 14th Amendment.
The issue over evolution being taught in schools seems to mirror some of the debate over whether or not certain works of fantasy or science fiction should be allowed in schools. Like in the Scopes trial, many of the people or groups which debate these works being taught are from a fundamentalist Christian background. They are in the belief that if children are to read fantasy or science fiction that it may steer them away from the Biblical fundamentals which they are taught. Schnoebelen writes about this issue in the article “Harry Potter: 'Making Evil Look Innocent”. In the article it is being argued that Harry Potter is allowing Wicca, a recognized religion by the US government, to be taught freely, while Christianity has been banned from being taught in state schools. (http://www.chick.com/bc/2001/harrypotter.asp). Harry Potter, however, is not really a very good representation of the Wiccan religion, and the supporters of this movement seemed to be ignorant to the facts as many of the supporters of the Scopes trial were. (In the Scopes trial many of the fundamentalists confessed to having limited knowledge outside of the fact that it theorized that man came from ape.)
The fact that the supporters of removing fantasy fiction from schools also hold strongly to the belief that it will cause children to stray from their faith. In the Scopes trial many of the boys who were taught evolution testified that being taught evolution had not affected their faith in God and that they still attended church services like they always had. It had just given them a different way to think about things. Reading fantasy fiction has yet to show that it causes children to stray from their faith. Many fantasy works, such as Harry Potter and the Golden Compass, have actually inspired a new wave of reading amongst American youths when the trend of reading for pleasure was beginning to diminish.
Much of the debate over what can and cannot be included in curriculum seems more to be about control rather than over morality. We allow ‘classics’, such as Shakespeare and Beowulf, to be taught in schools without much controversy. But these classics, however, hold more violence and sexual innuendos than any of the science fiction which is under debate. (Many actually argue, that many of the writings which have come under scrutiny actually help to reinforce Christian morals such as good conquering evil.) The same questions have been raised as to why evolution was such a hot button issue, but other areas of the curriculum in Dayton, Tennessee, had not been debated. An example would be as to why the Civil War was an important part of a student’s education even though it taught patriotism for a country which killed many a man. This clearly goes against the biblical teaching of “thou shall not kill.” Fundamentalists seem to have a filter as to which morals they choose to support or and which they choose to fight. This has seemed to be the case with both the Scopes trial and the current fantasy debate.
The other similarity is in both cases the media has blown the issue out of the water. Many people had never heard of the small town of Dayton, TN, until after the Scopes trial. The small town now goes down in the history books as the place where the “Trial of the Century” took place. In reality the trial was not nearly as heated or as important as many Americans were led to believe. (Some of the press even admitted to inflating the story or effect.) The same has happened with the Harry Potter debates. The debate as to whether it should or should not be allowed in school libraries was a lot calmer than much of the press led many to believe. It took less than a few hours for the Gwinnett County courts to hear one woman’s testimony and turn down her plea remove the fantasy novel from the school system. The local newspapers made it seem as if were drawn out for a few weeks. In more ways than one, this is a mirror to the Scopes trial.

Just a nota bene...
It has officially it crunch time for academic studies. To those of you who choose to defy me be warned I am not afraid to, and may actually enjoy, slapping the crap out of you to get you back in line...That is all.

The Donkey

Holy Mother of God, I'm not sure what the hell happened to ever make this wonderful piece of media. But it's awesome!

http://view.break.com/592648 - Watch more free videos

So it's been a while since I've written pretty much anything.  Whether it be part of the infamous book (ask if you don't already know, but at least I've gotten to Ch. 8 and 120 pages) or just a blog, my mind has been buzzing around like a squirrel on crack for the last oh few months?  That being said, and bearing many current changes, some changes are in order.  (Yay Skippy for change!)  Many of those near and dear lately have been somewhat concerned at my lack of normal goofiness, psychotic episodic adventures, and just other things that have a tendency to define me as me.  As one seems to think I have put my inner child in detention and have turned into the wise all knowing grandma.  (As one other puts it.  The female moses on a hill.  Hmmmm?)  So here is the last month in review in short:

1) Certain women leak crazy all-over the place and should not be allowed to have full custody of a child, but sadly the damage has already been done and child has adjusted.
2)We find a new place, work like mad to get funds for new place, take small loan from parents (in all seriousness I am very blessed to have the parents I do), sign lease at new place.  Awesome part is it is in the same complex with Anne and Mikey.  That and I get to live with Mr. Netherspawn and my gay husband. 
3)Move stuff to new place in which we realize Mr. Netherspawn has way more crap than either of us ever imagined
4)GSU sucks!  (Enough said.  Anne, you know exactly what I'm saying.)
5)Body is starting to give our from exhaustion, yet our soldier trudges on through the prep, emo, and ghetto that is much of metro Atlanta.

Yea, I've been busy to say the least, but at least this evening I get to go have wings with my short Jewish man (everyone should have one! LOL!).  I think it has been at least a month since I've seen Seth, and I kinda miss him.  I practically used to live with him three days a week, so yea, a visit is much in order.  But I digress.  Some of the changes that need to be in order:

1)Work a little bit less to spend some more time with mom and dad.  (They are having the empty nest syndrome big time.)
2)Finish the damn book.
3)Get two grown men to go on diet.  (They both need it and they'd feel better for it)
4)Get house unpacked and organized. (I am not having a repeat of the Verner house.  Hell's fury, seriously dude, hell's fury if it happens again.)

So that's about the last of it.  Have fun, I'm going to go talk about sex with a professor.  (For a class). 

Have you ever had one of those day where you pretty much hate the human race?  I am so there right now.