Wow. Just wow. :grouphug:

Guess what! I finished it! That dang short story has been hanging unfinished over my head for what seems like the longest time, but now it's done! Woo hoo! Hooray! Happy dance! (Well...if by "done" you mean a first draft that still needs a good editing pass before I let anyone else look at it...heh...) But it feels good to at least have it "done" in that sense, and I needed somewhere to holler about my accomplishment...lol. So thanks for that. :)

Love these! Keep 'em coming!

I voted tier 7 because I don't feel like I really relate to any of the categories. Although, tier 6 would definitely be my fallback. And reading the blog post made me think the blogger might throw rocks at me, given the chance.

I sometimes use a cane for minor balance/spacial orientation issues bequeathed to me by my stroke. Since this issue doesn't seem to be getting better any more I'm probably stuck with it, so I've decided to embrace it and start collecting fun canes. I recently connected, through a friend, with a craftsman who makes beautiful magic wands, and I liked his work enough that I asked if he made any larger, cane-sized pieces. He said he actually had a couple of them in progress that I could see when they were finished, but also offered to make me a custom cane in my price range if I wanted. We're still chatting about specifics, but he tells me that my price range could include an inscription in the nifty Elder Futhark runes he uses to inscribe his magic wands, and if I want, I can choose what it would say. So now I'm trying to think of clever, wise, or otherwise interesting quotes, proverbs, scriptures, sayings, etc. that one might inscribe in Elder runes on a hand crafted walking cane so that when someone asks me "what does that actually say?" and I tell them, they will be enlightened and impressed (lol). And I thought, who do I know who would have really cool quotes about journeying, or wandering, or staffs, or some other cane-related lore-ish wisdom. And I thought...ooooh! The Hive Mind, of course! So if you were having such a thing made, what would you have inscribed on it?

Tawlas you are a planning queen! Stefanie, hang in there, it does get better. Critter, tests and colds at the same time? I'm so sorry! Fabulous spring break day here so far. The only "productive" thing I've done so far is a load of laundry. I slept seriously in (like until 10 am!), I had a nice long soak in the tub, and then I went out for lunch with an old friend I haven't had a chance to sit and talk with for a really long time. Her kids were at their dad's and mine are old enough to leave at home playing video games, so we sat there for 4 hours gabbing. Talk about luxury! I think I love spring break. Sucking it up while I have the chance. Now to do some dishes and figure out what I'm making for dinner since I haven't bothered with menus and grocery shopping this week. Yesterday I worked on the DSPD paperwork, made some progress on the short story, and got a little laundry and cleaning done, so all in all, it's been a pretty good week in spite of the dratted head cold.

Spring break here too. :) Which for me means: * trying to get caught up on laundry, cleaning, and yard work, * trying to get some paperwork pulled together for the disability office, * attempting to sort out the mess left behind by my predecessor in my new volunteer committee position enough to figure out what it is that's actually expected of me in this position, * hopefully finish that dang short story that's hanging over my head and draft a couple of blog posts And I have come down with a head cold, which came with a bad attitude. (Can you hear the violins playing in the background? ;) ) Also, my parents, who were expecting to come for a visit later this month so they could see us before taking off for another two-year stint in Germany, got a phone call last week asking if they could be ready next week instead of in June, and will be bumping their visit up to this weekend, after which they'll be catching a flight. So there's that to get ready for. (The kids' bathroom MUST get cleaned!)

I copped out today. Took dd to her therapy appointment, and afterward she was too emotional to go straight to school, so we bummed around Wal-Mart and bought her a new fish. (Apparently I was in push-over mode as well...lol... but she has been keeping her room clean lately, which is a big deal for that child, and she's really been wanting a fish for a long time, so...) Then I took her to school for art and orchestra (drama was almost over when we got there). And I gave both kids a day off from their homeschool stuff. Seems kind of lame when we have spring break already planned for next week, but ds was so relieved that he gave me an actual hug (a big deal for THAT child). And then I took a nap, caught up some dishes, and so forth. It felt good not to be rushing off anywhere or trying to get anyone to do anything. Dd read the directions and got her new 1 gallon fish tank set up for her betta fish all by herself, so in my head that counts as English--reading, understanding, and following written instructions. So a happy day, but largely unproductive. I also got a new car harness for our little dog (who so far has only ridden in the car in a crate--I'm not a fan of loose doggies while operating a motor vehicle). I put her in it when I went to pick dd up from school, and the little scamp managed to squirm out of it before we even made it halfway. When we got there, I stuck her back in it, and snugged up the straps a bit before I went into the school to get dd, and when I got back the dang dog was sitting happily in my seat. So we snugged it up even more and put her back in the back seat with dd. She stayed in the harness all the way home, but I have a sneaking suspicion that was because dd was there petting her and giving her lots of attention. She might just be too aerodynamically shaped in the wrong places to keep a harness on effectively. Dang critter.

Aw thanks! I definitely intend to keep writing. The story I'm working on is another Viper story for the web site, also as "bonus material" for the book(s). My agent is assembling a list of editors to approach for a novel series and will be sending out the first pitches in another week or so. She seems very optimistic, so I'm trying to be too (although it also makes me incredibly nervous...lol). I'm also in the pre-writing planning stages for another novel set in a different universe. We'll see what happens. :)

I hope it's okay if I dive in and play too. :) School for us today was just the kids' classes at their public schools (they're both doing part time ps, part time homeschool right now) and a field trip to the aquarium. The aquarium wasn't really in the plan for the week until my very spontaneous sister called to say her family was in town for a few days, and did we want to get together with them and do something. Since we rarely get to see them, I wound up shuffling plans. My husband is on break this week (he's gone back to teaching at a nearby university) and is trying to stay out from underfoot, but every time I get any sort of break in my schedule (or at least what looks to HIM like a break) he wants to take me to a movie or out to dinner or something. Dinner tonight, just the two of us, at the Japanese steakhouse was nice, but I am TIRED now. I should probably go to bed. I wanted to put a few hundred more words into this short story I've been banging my head against for far too long now, but I think that's just not going to happen since some of the pistons in my brain are not firing now. Maybe I can finish a blog post I have half written and call that good for the writing today. Tomorrow, dd has a therapy appointment in the morning, then school classes (drama, art, orchestra), then math, history, and English at home. Ds's brick and mortar classes are every other day, so tomorrow he only has his homeschool stuff. At some point I need to figure out what exactly we're doing with him for next year. There was some disagreement among various parties at the school as to whether he was eligible to participate there again next year (long, sordid story involving confusing collisions of disability laws, education laws, and homeschool laws), but we finally got that all straightened out as of Monday, and they're going to give him one more year and then re-evaluate. So now I need to figure out what we're doing there, what we're doing at home, and whatnot. And to complicate matters, he's turning 18 here in a couple of weeks, which throws him into a whole new category at vocational rehab and the disability services office, and I'm going to have to figure all of that out too. But anyway, I think TOMORROW all I have to worry about with him is math, English, independent study (my most recent attempt at getting him to take SOME kind of initiative in his own education), and whatever homework he has for his concurrent enrollment computer class. I also need to email his doctor for some paperwork we need for the disability office. (I hate paperwork. Don't have autistic kids, they generate WAY too much paperwork.) And tomorrow afternoon I am going to TRY to make some progress on that dang short story. Or possibly take a nap. I might be in dire need of a nap by tomorrow afternoon. It has been a long week already, and it's only Wednesday.

Thanks Isabel. I kind of thought that's what this was, but then everyone seemed to be talking about school planning and I wasn't sure if it was just for school things, or if it was for whatever craziness a person happens to be trying to get done. Maybe I'll dive in on one of these threads some time. Honestly, I could use a little outside ...er...motivation (shame avoidance? support? lol...whatever). I'm totally giggling at your assumption that I have anything resembling self-motivation. I am definitely enjoying the writing, but that doesn't mean everything else isn't caving in around my ears. (And sorry everyone for dredging up last week's thread, I had a few days when I couldn't get back here, and then I decided it wouldn't make sense to reply to this post on the new week's thread. So...this is me doing the best I can. Thanks for understanding. :) )

So tell me about accountability threads. (And please pretend I'm new here. And possibly brain damaged. ;) )

I wish I could do better at explaining. The Wikipedia entry was part of his original question. I'm still processing it myself. (And I know Wikipedia is not always the best source for such things.) At this point, I'm not sure it matters, as he seems to have happily moved on to other things, so I'll probably just let it lie since I don't know enough about the nuances to discuss it intelligently. I do appreciate everyone's help, though. I always find it interesting to learn more about other people's faiths. Thank you.

Interesting. I am not sure I am un-confused, but I do feel slightly better informed. I'll have to check out the tollhouses when I have a little more time. :)

Thanks, this is helpful. It does sound (at least to me as an outsider) as though there is some similarity, even if the beliefs are not precisely identical.

I had understood theosis and purgatory to be somewhat different from each other as well, at least in Orthodoxy. If I understood correctly (not being Orthodox myself) theosis is a process which begins during life, not after death, whereas Purgatory would be more of a place or condition after death where a person might spend some time suffering for sin before being received into heaven. But please do correct me where I'm wrong.

Okay, I went back and looked now that I'm not trying to do this on my phone while in the middle of other things...sigh. His link WAS to the "theosis" article on Wikipedia, not the "apotheosis" article--which makes more sense in context with his question. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosis_%28Eastern_Orthodox_theology%29#cite_note-23 What he is wondering is why this is taught in Orthodoxy but not in Catholicism. I believe this friend is, himself, Catholic, and understands the teachings of Catholicism pretty well (better than me, I'm sure). I think what he wants to know is when theosis stopped being taught in the Western church, and why. For example, is there a council that did away with it? At what point did the two traditions divide on this question, and why? I suspect that if I went back to him and said it was because the Catholic belief is that people don't change what they are after they die, he would likely point out that he knows that, and also that the Orthodox teaching also does not include a change in the essence of what a person is after he dies, only a mystical unification with Christ and sharing of the divine nature through grace. At any rate, I think he's looking for where the historical split on the doctrine took place and why, not so much an explanation of what each "side" teaches. I thought I'd seen it discussed here before, and hoped someone could point me to a council decision, or papal declaration, or something.

Anyone?

Help me out here. A friend is wondering about why apotheosis as taught in Orthodoxy is not as recognized or embraced in the Western church, and specifically in Roman Catholicism. I would prefer to refer this person to authoritative Catholic information rather than try to explain from my own limited understanding of this complex subject. Can anyone point me to some good links? To be clear, I am not wanting to start a debate regarding the merits of one doctrine versus another, just to answer the question of why the teaching is important in the East but not in the West. For example, is it considered heretical or merely unfashionable? (Also, it's possible the friend meant theosis rather than apotheosis, but he said apotheosis and gave the link to that entry in Wikipedia.) Thanks!

I'm looking for more of this sort of thing: http://www.currclick.com/product/15563/Nature-Study-Journal--Copywork-Pages?term=nature+study+journal&it=1 Basically printable lined paper with good illustrations and no extra information (so many of the notebooking pages seem to have titles on them--that's not what I want, I just want lines and pretty borders).

Can anyone point me to a collection of lined notebooking pages with pretty borders, frames, pictures, etc., but without titles or copywork quotes or other writing on them? I need something my dd can do copywork and dictation on, and then color the border or picture. I found a couple of things over at CurrClick, but not much. Maybe I'm not using good search terms or something.

Thanks, all. I wound up getting a Dyson, and so far am loving it. :)

Thanks, I'll check those out. :)

When I click your link, it just brings me back to this thread... :confused1:

I would dearly like to find a compilation of short stories written at about a middle grade to YA level, maybe some fairy tales mixed with other clever, thought-provoking, and hopefully humorous stories. I think I've come to the conclusion that one of ADHD dd's problems with thinking reading is the pits is that novels take so long to get to the end of the story. I wonder if reading time might be more fun with a good compilation of stories where we can get from beginning to end of a story and have a good "ah ha!" moment, or emotionally satisfying happy ending all in one sitting. Any suggestions?