Oh, Indiana.

So Indianapolis Public Schools are in the spotlight because of something that I think is pretty annoying. You all remember the school library when you were growing up. For me, it was a source of education that I could turn to outside of school hours. Thankfully, it wasn't my only way to learn about other things in the world, as my parents never put any parental locks on my computer, but I know that this was not always the case, and is not always the case, for many teenagers out there today.

Naughty or Nice? That's right, it's the AFA again.

Happy melodies chiming about roasting chestnuts while you shop... Gorgeous and gaudy ornaments dazzling from every corner of a store... The gentle jingling of money dropping into the till... Yeah, you guessed it... It's Christmastime again.

Just a quick update.

My cat got bitten by an animal and I took him to the vet a few days ago... He's doing a little better, but still having a little bit of trouble walking around places, as he's got a giant cone on his head and still hasn't figured out that it doesn't fit in small areas.

It was an abscess that needed to be lanced and drained, so he's got a tube in his shoulder that leaks puss once in a while, which is really gross. And he's spent the last few days stoned out of his mind. But he's doing a bit better today, so that's good.

I've been mostly out applying at jobs and taking care of the cat, while still trying to find ways to be creative at home. I have started painting a box, which I will line the insides with soft fabric hopefully. It is nowhere near done, but I'm proud of myself so far.

I've also been trying to be supportive of my boyfriend, who has been having a really rough couple of days lately. He had a problem last night with a guy who ended up stealing $200 worth of merchandise from the store. It's been pretty rough on him, but I'm holding out hope that things will turn around quickly for him. For now, I am having a slight WoW withdrawal, as he has spent most of his free time playing WoW without me in this last week, and it makes me a bitter jealous lady. Haha.

-Manda-

Thank You Hulu!

With busy schedules, running errands, paying off debt, picking up the kids, dropping off the kids, picking the kids back up, and doing that whole thing over and over and over and over again, I'm sure anyone could get frustrated about missing their favorite TV shows.

Thank goodness for Hulu. I get busy sometimes, end up running to the store or flat out forgetting about when my favorite TV shows are on, and I know many people out there can relate. I've been able to catch up on most of my missed episodes simply by going to hulu.com.

It's a streaming website that allows you to watch TV shows, movies, behind the scenes clips, and much more. It's absolutely wonderful for catching up on missed episodes, the news, or even for expanding your tastes in television. With everything from The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien to Family Guy to Nova and much more, this website does us all a huge favor and lets us watch things we've missed for free.

I've enjoyed watching from this website for a while now, and would definitely suggest it to my friends. The only not-so-good thing I could think to say is that a lot of their movie selections are composed of several older films which younger people these days might not find too interesting... However, if you're looking to take a step back in time and watch something from your youth, it's worth a shot to take a look.

All in all, Hulu is definitely awesome and something that I would--and do--recommend to everyone I know. Hulu is currently (as I'm aware) only available to those in the United States. I'm hoping for it to be available in Australia soon, as I've grown quite addicted to this form of enjoying television, and am planning on returning to Oz someday. :)

-Manda-

Nerdy Gifts

Nerds. You know them, you love them, you may be one. When a birthday or a holiday rolls around, you may wonder to yourself, what can I get him/her this year? Wonder no more, I've recently discovered some pretty awesome stuff that any nerd, myself included, would just love to get their hands on.

Cat Paper Clips, for example. Not only do they have cats on them, but they are paperclips. It's simply the perfect gift for those who can relate to Angela from The Office.

The Juice Bar Portable Solar Charger is a fine choice for the eco-friendly nerd on the go. My boyfriend bought a solar charger a while ago, and it's perfect for those moments when your Nintendo DS or your cellphone are low on battery and there's no socket in sight. The one he has is just about the same size as a regular non-flipping cellphone, which makes it easier to carry around with you.

For those of you who lock themselves out of their house every so often, I encourage you to take a look at this interesting Sprinkler Hide-A-Key. Not only is it discrete, but it's very clever and I don't think many people would think to pull up your sprinkler, unless they were being a complete jerk.

Ah, Oregon Trail. I remember sitting down in the hallway computer center at my elementary school and immediately logging onto that game. Not only was it educational, but hell, it was one of the most fun games a kid could play at the time, aside from Sim City. Enter the Oregon Trail T-shirt. Yessss.

Winter is on its way, and we all know that means the temperature is beginning to drop. Time for your nerd to cuddle up on the couch in his or her Snuggie and watch a few movies. But why settle for a Snuggie when your geek could be sleeping in the belly of something far, far nerdier? Maybe it's time for the Tauntaun Sleeping Bag. Whoever thought this up deserves the highest of props--it's adorable, and I'm willing to bet that it doesn't smell anything as bad as the one in the movie did.

There are just so many awesome things out there that would be better than a pair of socks or a new tie. Well, maybe unless it looked something like this. But anything less deserves a slap on the wrist. Nerds these days are everywhere, and you gotta show how much you love and care for them, because they're the ones fixing your cable and helping you set up your email. So spoil 'em. I love nerds.

-Manda-

ComputerGear Fun Computer Gifts 'N More

ThinkGeek Stuff for Smart Masses

J!nx Clothing for Gamers and Geeks

Why do people do this?

If this is all I can see of you at night at the last second when you're walking on the side of the road, then you are doing something VERY WRONG.

Tonight I was driving out to pick up my brother from his girlfriend's apartment as a favor to my parents, who were busy with other things. It's currently raining very hard out, and there is so much water on the roadway that a single car coming my way felt like daybreak trying to blind me.

My eyes have a tendency to be sensitive to light. When I drive at night, and a car is coming on, I do what my driving instructors always told me to do, and look to the white line on the side of the road, so I don't focus on the oncoming car and wind up permanently installed into their windshield. The only problem is, the lights still blind me temporarily, especially when they're new lights, or those crazy blue ones, or when people are rude enough to have their brights on. It's frustrating, but what else can I do?

So I was driving along on the road that I live just off of, and about to take a curve, knowing full well that there was a car coming, as I could see the reflections off of the water-covered roadway. I turned my attention to the white line of the curve, to guide myself (though it was insanely difficult to see thanks to the water reflecting light again), and try to slow down on the curve as quickly as I can. Suddenly, from nowhere, two figures clad entirely in black hoodies and dark pants are standing RIGHT next to my car, and instinctively I pulled the wheel closer to the yellow dividing lines in the middle of the road. Luckily I didn't cause an accident, but it put me in a scary situation.

Right after I picked up my brother, I was trying to turn right out of the parking lot, and suddenly was face to face with the figure of ANOTHER man in black, and I nearly ran HIM over as well! After we got into town again, I had my brother run into the store with the list from my parents. He quickly got everything on it, then we left. I saw a young lady in black cross the street at the cross walk, jog about ten feet from the other crosswalk, and then wait on the sidewalk until she had a chance to jaywalk across the street.

What is with people not thinking about what they're wearing, and then practically leaping in front of cars?! It's dark out. It's raining. Visibility sucks. Not everyone has 20/20 vision like I do, and even then I found it hard to spot them. Why are you wearing black at night? Do you care at all for your safety?

Please, please PLEASE, if you're going to walk at night, think to buy a reflector of some sort, or at least wear bright clothing so that you're easier for drivers to see, because who knows... The next time you go for a stroll in your black hoodie could be the day that somebody's grandmother becomes a killer.

-Manda-

Just a quick splash of color.

Just a quick post... I've never been too good at "action-ey" poses... But I figured this one was semi-decent enough to post, so here it is. I'm not sure if she has a name yet, but she's clearly got a stick and is apparently ready and willing to use it.

I always liked how the Disney animators who did the Kim Possible series drew lips... So that was my attempt at borrowing that technique.

-Manda-

Autumn

Autumn is my favorite season of the year. Being from the Pacific Northwest, that means most of my Autumn is filled with rain and power outages, but there's something mystical about this time of year that just draws me to it.

As nature begins its slow waltz into the somber and dark world of winter, we can see the beauty that life and death have. While trees can flower and bloom in the Spring, stand proudly and beautiful in the Summer, there is nothing else like seeing the leaves changing as they begin to drop from their chilled branches. There is beauty in life, and there is beauty in death. It's the story of our lives; we're born, we live, we fade, and die, just like how it happens in nature.

Someday, I hope to have children. I understand that there is no simple way to explain the complexities of life and death to children... But I hope that the graceful spiral that nature dances as she is born, lives, and dies, will help me in explaining these concepts to my children when the time does come.

That all being said, I love the Pacific Northwest. I love hearing the rain pour down on the roof above me. Some find it distracting, making them unable to sleep. I find that it's extremely calming. When it's pouring, I'm much like the old man who's snoring.

One thing that I can't easily sleep through, though, are lightning and thunder storms. Ones in the Pacific Northwest are fine. But there was one in particular when I was visiting in Australia that made me uneasy and unable to sleep. It was extremely loud and bright, and felt like it was right over my boyfriend's house. Scary. o.o

-Manda-

Minimizing Stress

Lately I haven't been having the best of times, so I have been trying to find simple little ways to keep myself from stressing out over the small things in life. So far I've tried meditation, funny websites, music, watching tv, and drawing to keep myself from blowing up at the nearest bystander.

But the most simple thing I have found that helps as a sort of preemptive strike against the stress demons at bay is what you are seeing to the left.

Simply by turning my phone all the way down I have effectively removed myself from whatever drama can creep up into my life from friends or family who know my phone number.

It was so simple!

I'm not sure as to why I hadn't done this before. I am constantly bombarded with passive aggressive texts from people on a daily basis. But this phone, this $50 hunk of crap, is mine. Why should I allow myself to be exposed to that sort of negativity? So, All Sounds Off it is.

On the topic of meditation: I am not good at this yet. I still have a tough time fighting for my little inner voice to just be silent for a few minutes. It's as though every time I sit down and close my eyes, I get through the first few moments of silence...and suddenly am interrupted by an echoing voice in my head babbling about something interesting that happened a few months ago. And from that thought comes another, and another, and another, until I find it completely impossible to focus--or, not--on anything at all. I realize that it takes a lot of dedication and practice, but I think it may be a while before I can even go 30 seconds without my inner voice bubbling up like an excited child at a parade.

Once I do manage to do this, though, I feel like I will be much more prepared to deal with the negative energies that come from others. Even if it just gives me time alone, I will see it as a huge victory, and may have to reward myself for my patience.

-Manda-

.. ／l、
ﾞ（ﾟ､ ｡ ７
　l、ﾞ ~ヽ
　じしf_, )?

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Public Rudeness

Rude

[rood]

-Adjective, rud -er, rud -est

1. Discourteous or impolite, esp. in a deliberate way: a rude reply.

We have all come across a rude person before in our life. Whether it was a friend not sharing as a child or a coworker treating you like crap, we've all been there. But how we deal with it is what makes the situation either calm down or escalate to more problematic levels of tension.

That being said, those who work in retail are very limited as to what they can do in situations where the customer is being rude. They could choose to defend themselves, or they could choose to simply let it roll off their shoulders. The majority of the time, they are encouraged to smile and nod, letting the customer get away with whatever rude behavior that they have been displaying. There's really no other way around it unless you're in a position of some sort of power in the store.

I've got a few stories, just as I'm sure you or your friends who work or ever have worked in the service or retail industry may have. As you may or may not know, I used to work at a fairly well-known pizza chain when I was in high school. I often worked nights, as I was at school during the day, and this meant I'd get people coming in for their dinner.

One particularly quiet night, I was working the front when I saw a woman approaching the store with cell phone in hand. She opened the door, walked up to the desk and stood there. I walked over to the counter, as that was what I was supposed to do, and asked her what I could get for her. She swiftly replied by snapping her hand up in between her and myself, extending a single finger to show that I was meant to wait for her.

Yes, I was irritated, but really there was nothing I could do but wait for the woman to finish up her phone call. Afterwards, she ordered her pizza and left. But I could not understand why someone would walk all the way up to the place where you order your food, only to hush the cashier and make them wait when there's clearly more important things (such as cleaning up the store) that could be being done.

While it was not the worst thing to ever happen, it was still rude of her--in my opinion--to stand at the counter while chatting on the phone. It just puts the cashier in an awkward position. The thoughts that run through our heads are mostly, "What the heck do I say?" "How do I deal with this person?" "Does he/she honestly expect my best if I can't even get theirs?"

So please, if you're going to go up to a service counter, hang up the phone. Not only does it make the cashier feel weird for not being able to serve you the best way possible, but it makes you look like a complete bitch.

Just some food for thought.

-Manda-

deviantART and Pr0n.

Credit to Yuri-Yurie on deviantART for this lovely photograph with a message.

I have been a member of deviantART for four years now, and have had a mostly good relationship with the people of the website's community. I've only run into a few jerks here or there, and even then, it did not phase me much.

The human body is a beautiful thing. We can all agree to that. And there is some beautiful nude art out there. But there are some things that just make me cringe.

I had such an experience earlier this evening. I had just logged onto deviantART, and was looking through the most recent postings on the main page. The first thing that grabbed my attention was the image of a young woman with ejaculate dribbling out of her mouth.

My first instinct was to make sure I didn't accidentally stumble onto a porn site. I looked up again, and it was confirmed, I was on dA. Face in palm, I followed the link, as I had felt the need to click the "Report" button, which is something I'd never done before. The process was remarkably easy, and I was soon alerted that the image had been taken down. I was pleased.

I don't mean to burst anyone's bubble; I'm sure that dude was super proud of himself for jizzing in that chick's mouth. But I don't think that dA was the right place to put it. I mean, I remember when I was younger, it's very easy to lie about your age on the internet, especially when there's no one to enforce it. Any child could have said they were 18, and found themselves looking into the gaping maw of some strange woman with ejaculate all over the place. Personally, that's not something I would want my kids to see.

I know the nature of children, though. They'll always find a way to check it out. It's just the way we're all made-curious and thirsty for knowledge. It's why we played doctor as children, or why we snuck over to our older siblings' homework when they were taking the Sex E.D. classes.

If you've got some classy nude photography, nude paintings, sculptures, whatever... Then that's fine. But the sort of thing that I saw today was simply unacceptable in my eyes. Please, when you're posting things online, think of the small kids who are lying about their age on the website you are on. Do you really want little 11 year old Susie to see your pierced junk? I didn't think so.

-Manda-

I LOVE ETSY.

I just found the cutest necklace EVER. It is seriously the most adorable thing I have seen in a while.

I also found several other adorable Koala-themed items. Gawd I love koalas so much. Why must they be so adorable!?

Here is a beautiful Koala print, which would be a lovely little thing for a baby's bedroom IMO. When I have kids, I'm definitely decking out their rooms in koala stuff. There's just no way around it. These creatures are just too awesome not to cover a baby's bedroom with.

This adorable stuffed koala toy is something I would buy for my kid too. It's just so adorable not to. The price tag is a tad high, but it's a price I'd be willing to pay to have this little guy in my life.

=

Wombats are adorable too. This is one of the stuffed animals my baby got me for my birthday last year. I sleep with it at night, because it's just so easy to squeeze. I love me some Australian animals, all right.

-Manda-

Cancelled.

Well, my World of Warcraft time is finally up. I had just leveled my second character to 80 (the current level cap) a few days ago, and suddenly--POOF--all gone. I guess it's for the better, though. Until I can afford to pay the $15 my slight addiction requires per month, it's better off that I'm going to have time to focus my efforts elsewhere. This will greatly speed up my help around the house, my lack of exercise, and hopefully my job search. All things to be pretty happy and excited about, I suppose. But I'm not here to talk about work or exercise today. The thing on my mind as of right now is the negative reputation we WoW players get from the non-WoW players.

Let me share with you a story. It was on my grandfather's 80th birthday. My mother and aunts had managed to gather most, if not all, of the family from that side of things, at a little restaurant in our town. It was nice, everyone seemed in good spirits, and aside from the expense of the place, things went very well.

Now, because my boyfriend lives in Australia, he was not here at the time. My cousins all brought their girlfriends and boyfriends, and basically it was just me and my younger brother who were without another that evening. Pretty lame. Most of my family is thin and fairly good looking, so it made sense that their significant others were all pretty, thin, young women.

Enter me. I'm short, overweight, and at the time, was working a part time job, still living in my parents house, and yes, was an avid WoW player.

So one of the girls turns to me, looking lovely and gorgeous and the antithesis of how I view myself, and asks me, "So, what do you do?" I had been trying to keep to myself that evening, as I was fairly uncomfortable being smushed in with the other people roughly my age, all of which were attending school of some sort. I looked up at the girl, and smiled, trying to be sincere.

"Oh, I work at [Insert discount store name here]."

She asked me if I went to school, which I replied I did not. She asked me if I was living out on my own, which I replied that I did not. She asked me what I did in my spare time, and I replied that I played WoW.

Then, the look.

You who play WoW or any MMO like it may know it. The raising of the eyebrows, no movement in the eyes, fake smile, as they nod quickly and reply that "that's cool" or some other similar phrase. Yes, she flashed me this look, and I did not pay much heed to it, thinking that it was over.

Well, of course it wasn't. She then proceeded to ask me about it, saying that sooo many people get addicted to it and that it's bad and people basically waste their lives doing it. All of this may be true. But she didn't exactly have to say it right there. Queue small bits of food such as nuts and wads of straw paper being flicked in my direction. Ahh, yes. Family, gotta love them.

World of Warcraft is extremely popular. People will even go so far as to buy several accounts, leveling several characters up at the same time. It can be a fun game most of the time. Yes, there can be those moments when you actually notice the grind, such as in the Nesingwary Quests. But there are good times too. Like when you /roll on something that's definitely an upgrade for you, and actually win. Or when you realize that your Guild is amazing. Or when you come across someone in-game that you could see yourself spending forever with.

I guess this is more of a reflective post than anything; I do enjoy playing WoW, even though it can be filled with idiots and gold sellers a lot of the time. I will be renewing my subscription after I have the funds for it, and I will play again. Until then, I can rest assured that my Warlock and Death Knight are waiting for me.

That being said, no, I'm not taking a shot at anyone in particular.

-Manda-

Artistic Slump

I feel like I've hit a wall in the realm of my artistic expression lately. Yes, I understand that I'm not awesome at drawing or painting, and that if you've gone to school for it, you're probably 10x better than I am. But we're not here to talk about you. >:]

I've been wanting to work this kink out for the past few months, but have been finding it extremely difficult to do so.

I've been trying to broaden my horizons as well. Before, I tried desperately to simply draw in the "anime" sort of style that is oh so popular everywhere anyone can look nowadays. After realizing this, and coming to the conclusion that anime wasn't as awesome to me as it used to be, I tried different things and put my spin on them, all while trying to find a spin that I had, if that makes any sense.

I've tried painting on a canvas, soft pastels, WoW comics, cartoons, and my favorite and currently un-matched in quality (by myself, of course), painting done on my computer using openCanvas. It's all been a fun and sometimes annoying adventure, but I'm just not sure where my style is. I felt extremely comfortable in the cartoons that I drew. The painting on oC was challenging, and I can't recreate the dedication I put into that single painting. Acrylic paints on canvas seems to go alright, but I find the cleanup to be both tedious and frustrating.

I guess it doesn't matter either way; everything that comes from my fingertips belongs to me, and expresses in some way how I am feeling about something in particular at the moment I am drawing/painting it. Even though it might not be the best in anyone else's eyes, or even my own, my work is mine, and no one can take that from me.

-Manda-

P.S.

Here, look at this koala :D

Facebook Keeps-A-Changin'

Facebook.

You all know it. You all (probably) use it. If not, then

good on ya.

I'm one of those many who were sucked into the fascination that Facebook seems to hold for those who liked MySpace, but didn't care for the way it operated. Yep. Facebook has got something for everyone. Status updates? Check. Sharing websites, images, and videos with your friends? Check. Groups dedicated to anything and everything? Got it. Games you can play? Sure thing. Blogging? Sure, that's what Notes are for.

I like Facebook. I may not be one of those people who updates every 5 seconds on what they're doing, like those who Twitter, but hey if I want to leave something under my name that says what movie I'm watching, at least I can do that. But some things have been changing lately, and I'm not to certain I like what's been happening.

Mainly it's just the News Feed thing. When bored, I liked to scroll through this long, long list of what my old high school friends who I've since disassociated from were up to. Oh, they had a baby! Heyy, they added so-and-so as a friend! Neat, that person is into that sport! Though it is interesting to read every once in a while, I try not to get too caught up in the happenings of my News Feed.

A few days ago I noticed that my Feed was a bit shorter than usual. It confused me, but after playing around on the site a little bit, I found that if I wanted to see more posts, I had to click the "View Live Feed" link at the top of the screen. Lo and behold, there it was. All the juicy gossip I'd missed for the past few hours.

That small victory was bittersweet. I had conquered my problem: not being able to see what my friends had been doing; but I noticed that another problem had bubbled to the surface: I had been getting upset about not being able to see their updates. I had let Facebook get to me!

I guess it's normal for this age, though. Nothing is private anymore, nothing is sacred from prying eyes. If someone wants to know what you're up to, they have many ways to find out if you're on of the many who utilize websites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc. It just goes to remind you that you've got to be especially careful of what you put out there. I mean, there are all sorts of people out there, who would jump at the chance to catch you off guard if they found that you were "out to so-and-so store lolz." So let's be careful, shall we?

Just a thought.

-Manda-

Someday, it will happen.

Candles. I love them. I love them so much that I have a giant box full of them. It is about 1.5' by 2.5', and 1.5' deep. I love candles. A lot.

I want to make candles someday, and I would love to be able to sell them. I want to be crafty in oh so many ways, so that I may express my creativity and the way I feel about things, and possibly be able to profit from it at the same time.

I want to own a little shop in an area of a town that is known for cute little stores. I want people to look into my windows, see the many beautiful candles, decorations, tools, and want to walk in.

My dream is that my store will be small, but cozy. Hopefully I will be well-known by my customers. I want my husband (well, when I get one, haha) to come into my store to drop off lunch for me, and maybe a flower or two. My life would be sweet if I could have all these things. But I've got to work for them all to happen. I can do it. It will take time, but I can.

It's good to dream big.

-Manda-

Photo is borrowed from here.

Background Story

This is me. I'm a 21-year-old girl from the Seattle, WA area, yes I'm wearing my hair in horrible braids, and yes I'm wearing a nightie in that picture. I don't mind, though. I'm a bit off, I suppose. But I guess that's what makes me, me. I graduated high school, didn't go to college, and am currently unemployed, living with my parents. Yeah, it's not going so well right now.

I draw occasionally, and write from time to time. I enjoy reading, watching tv (like any good American does), and playing video games. World of Warcraft is my game of choice on the PC. On my Xbox I am a big fan of the Guitar Hero games. I used to be addicted to the Sims, and the Sims 2, and the Sims 3, but those games have kind of lost their sparkle for me. Yes, the Sims games have sparkles.

I have a boyfriend, who I met online, through WoW amazingly enough. He's the most wonderful man I have ever known, and I love him with all my heart. We met about 2.5 years ago, and have been crazy in love ever since. I visited him at his home in Australia for about 3 months this year. It was wonderful, and I hope to be back there again.

My favorite color is lime green, favorite animal is the koala, my foods of choice are lasagne, spaghetti, and meat pies from the bakery near my man's house. I drink tea every day, cranberry juice whenever I can, and on occasion will crack into a bottle of Mike's Hard Lemonade (though I prefer the Berry version more). My main aspirations in life are to someday own my own store and to have a family to look after. Yep, pretty run of the mill. But hey, it's the American dream.

Right now, I'm trying to find my place in life. I've spent the last few months trying to find a new job. It's been pretty tiresome, but I think I will manage to find one soon, as Christmas is coming up. Yes, things are going to start falling into place quite nicely, if all works out the way I hope it to.

-Manda-