[water quality]

9/1/2002 12:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

PH - 7.6
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - 30ppm
Ammonia - 0ppm

[garfunkel, the sequel]

9/1/2002 4:30:00 PM

purple_stardust

Rusty decided that I needed a new fish, so we drove to Hagerstown to check out the selection there. I didn't see any that I really liked, so we went to the Winchester Petsmart, where I found this fish. Her tail isn't as pretty as the original Garfunkel, and she has white "eyebrows" instead of black, but still, she's a very pretty girl.

Comments:

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/8/2002 8:28:14 AM

Aww she's cute!

[also]

9/1/2002 4:45:00 PM

purple_stardust

And my hair really is definately black. I was hoping it was just the poor lighting in this house. But no. It's black. I didn't mean for it to be black, but black it is.

Comments:

From:	slow_like_honey
Date:	9/1/2002 5:30:16 PM

Better black than the neon orange I accidentally dyed my hair last May :/

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/1/2002 5:46:49 PM

You have a point.

(I ended up with lemon yellow once, during my Marilyn Monroe phase!)

From:	slow_like_honey
Date:	9/1/2002 7:34:17 PM

Re:

Black isn't so bad, and it might fade into a dark shade of brown perhaps?

From:	gypsydance
Date:	9/1/2002 5:36:47 PM

Don't worry, it'll fade into a nice color within a few days. (Says the girl with purple hair.)

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/1/2002 5:44:59 PM

OMG, I dearly LOVE your new colour/style! I usually read from my friends page, but I clicked to see if I'd missed a post about your [purple!] hair. I love it! I *tried* to use my colours with that style, but I couldn't make it look right. :\

From:	gypsydance
Date:	9/1/2002 5:58:32 PM

*blinks*

I have a picture? I don't remember having one, but maybe I do somewhere. Hrm.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/1/2002 7:21:41 PM

Oh! No! I meant the colour/style of your Live Journal page!

(But if your hair is purple, I'm sure I like that too.)

From:	clarice
Date:	9/1/2002 11:03:11 PM

Still better than the brilliant red I ended up with last december -- and I absolutely do not have the complexion for bright red hair. I quickly had a friend dye it black with purple tips which unfortunately washed nearly completely out, so now, 9 months later, I have a strange amalgamation of redish-brownish-blackish hair.

[ anyone?]

9/1/2002 8:55:00 PM

purple_stardust

Every time I log into Live Journal, I get a message saying that my password is too easy to guess, and I should change it. I don't think it's a bit easy to guess, but I suppose I could be wrong. So I am going to test my theory. I have 42 people on my friends list. If my password is so easy to guess, surely one of you know what it is.

Comments:

From:	copperpoint
Date:	9/1/2002 9:44:39 PM

rat-tacular?

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/1/2002 9:47:10 PM

Nope, but I like that!

From:	copperpoint
Date:	9/1/2002 10:54:54 PM

Re:

Rat-a-tat-tat-tacular.
Rat-tastic.
Ratariffic.
Ratalicious?
Ratatouille.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/2/2002 7:49:37 PM

Ratabulous!
Ratterful!
RATOPIA!!!

From:	clarice
Date:	9/1/2002 10:53:00 PM

Gaaarfunkel. (with less a's.) No... too easy.

I got that message, too, even though my password was not easy to guess and was a random food product. I think they notify you if your password is anything in the dictionary or any commonly occuring word. I just changed to a foreign word so they'd stop telling me it was too easy to guess.

From:	instantclarity
Date:	9/1/2002 10:57:47 PM

I get the same message every time, and I'm not changing anything. I think they might just want us to use letters and numbers, or something like that.

[gratuitous kitten pic]

9/1/2002 9:45:00 PM

purple_stardust

Comments:

From:	closertofine
Date:	9/2/2002 8:53:20 PM

Oh that is way too cute.

[zipp-o-rama]

9/1/2002 10:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

I am happy to report that I may have a black and white dumbo "Z" line in three or four weeks! The irrepressible Zippy Zoot and the darling Roo have been put in a cage together to mate. No interest so far, but the night is young. They're both such wonderful personalities; I am very excited about this cross!

Comments:

From:	samuraikitty
Date:	9/1/2002 10:32:00 PM

Eeeeee!! You couldn't send a male over to Oregon... could you? Eep eep.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/2/2002 4:48:12 PM

I wish I could! I am so psyched about this litter!!! =D

*bouncing*

[bored]

9/2/2002 12:05:00 AM

purple_stardust

I created a test journal so I can play with new settings. Such fun.

[the weekly inbox cleaning]

9/2/2002 12:30:00 PM

purple_stardust

I just answered *seventeen* emails from people wanting rats. As soon as I go through the Live Journal comments that I meant to reply to, my inbox will be cleeean.

[jabberwookie]

9/2/2002 1:55:00 PM

purple_stardust

Still playing with the test account. I'd really like to use the "disjointed" style - gypsydance's journal is an excellent example of this - but with my current colour scheme, but I can't get it to look right. I would like the "disjointed" style more if it were centered, I think, but I have never edited styles, I have no idea what I'm doing, and I'm suffering from a severe lack of motivation to learn. Alas.

[purplicious]

9/2/2002 4:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

I finally got the test journal to be both disjointed and very purple. Woot. I'm not sure if I like it well enough to change my regular journal, though. Opinions?

[hair today, gone tomorrow]

9/2/2002 5:55:00 PM

purple_stardust

So, as I have mentioned, my hair is now black. Now, I didn't want black hair, but black hair I have. And I don't really hate it, I just never intended for it to be black.

Anyway, Since it is black, I was thinking that now might be a good time for the purple streaks. Except, now I'm wondering if chunky streaks are a good idea, since my hair is wavy, and all the nice chunks of purple will mix in with the black.

I have a hair appointment tomorrow. I think I am going to get it cut a little bit below chin-length, as all-one-length as possible, and I thought about asking her to put in some streaks, but I'm not sure now if it would look okay.

Argh! I don't know what to do!

Comments:

From:	muridae
Date:	9/2/2002 7:45:25 PM

So how did you get it black anyway? What were you going for?

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/2/2002 7:50:59 PM

Just a darker shade of brown. I guess my hair was too porous, and now it's black. :(

From:	closertofine
Date:	9/2/2002 8:44:35 PM

I always wanted long dark hair, like my mom's. I used to love to wear her black wig. I liked what little bit I could see of yours. :)

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/3/2002 10:24:33 AM

Thanks. I would like to have long dark hair too, just not THAT dark.

From:	instantclarity
Date:	9/2/2002 10:32:47 PM

I think your hair looks good right now, but the dye will probably fade a little bit anyway. I don't know what kind you used, but it should settle down a little bit. Mine isn't magenta anymore. I was a little bit sad about that. But anyway--I say do the streaks, it all grows back in the end!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/3/2002 10:26:05 AM

Clairol Ultress, dark brown... I hope you're right! I just washed it for the first time since I did it, so we will see... :)

[mail call]

9/3/2002 10:45:00 AM

purple_stardust

* Credit card offer (hahaha)
* Earthlink CD (yeah right)
* B'nai Abraham newsletter
* The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents
* The 14k gold circular barbell that I ordered months ago.

Comments:

From:	rattyluv
Date:	9/3/2002 2:30:42 PM

great book

Hey Nessie,

I just wanted to let you know that I'm reading a really great book right now. It's called "The Red Tent". It's written by Anita Diamant, who also wrote "Choosing a Jewish Life, Bible Baby Names, The New Jewish Baby Book, The New Jewish Wedding and Living a Jewish Life." If you get a chance to read it, I think you would enjoy it. It's about a family of shepherds, mostly about the women in the family. It's compared to the Bible, if written by women. I can't put it down!!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/3/2002 5:18:34 PM

Re: great book

Oh cool, I'll check it out! I just finished Choosing a Jewish Life, and I REALLY liked it, and Diamant's writing style. I bought Living a Jewish Life, I liked her so much! :)

[help me rhonda]

9/3/2002 5:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

I'm back, and so is what's left of my hair. It's really freaking short, as you can see. Rhonda was nice. She does my mom's hair, but she has a wildly long waiting list, so I had my mom make the appointment a while back. Anyway, she cut my hair short and added some temporary blue streaks - you can only really see them in the sun, but they're there. She blow-dried it and curled the ends under, which I won't do (too lazy!) but you get the idea. I think I like it, but I am reserving judgement until I wash it myself. I haven't had it this short since I was a kid, and it's freaking me out.

Comments:

From:	gypsydance
Date:	9/3/2002 6:09:06 PM

I like it. :)

From:	muridae
Date:	9/3/2002 6:14:17 PM

I think it looks really nice! It's very casual but classy.

From:	wombatrat
Date:	9/3/2002 7:12:25 PM

Hey, I like it. It looks good on you. :D

From:	sf_rose
Date:	9/3/2002 7:49:51 PM

Me too!

I like it... Too bad your face's in shadow. =0p

From:	closertofine
Date:	9/3/2002 7:59:19 PM

Oh it's sooo cute! I love it!

From:	laurarn
Date:	9/3/2002 8:14:35 PM

OMG I *LOVE* it!!! It looks great on you, even if you aren't used to it. I just got mine ALL chopped off and it took a while to get used to it but now I wouldn't trade it for the world. It's so easy. Plus I got it highlighted. You'll love it after a while, cause it looks SO good. :)

From:	plaidrats
Date:	9/3/2002 10:59:48 PM

i think it looks great :)

From:	rattyluv
Date:	9/4/2002 9:45:24 AM

help me rhonda

Eeeeeeeekkkkkkkkk I LOVE it girl!! That's sorta how my hair is, except that there are a few layers left to grow out.

[reason #1037]

9/3/2002 5:25:00 PM

purple_stardust

Rusty came home early today, and this is the conversation we had:

Me: "What are you doing home so early?"

Him: "Why, is your boyfriend still here?"

Me: "Well, he's crawling out the bedroom window now, but you can probably catch him, if you wanted to say something to him."

Him: "Yeah, I want to tell him that HE has to buy the next set of rat cages!"

He amuses me. :)

Comments:

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/3/2002 9:41:10 PM

awwws!

[question of the day]

9/3/2002 9:55:00 PM

purple_stardust

Is it possible for a person to grow a second set of wisdom teeth, ten years after having the first set removed? Are there any dental experts on my friends list?

Comments:

From:	copperpoint
Date:	9/3/2002 10:24:28 PM

I'm no expert, but I know several people who have claimed that that happened to them.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/3/2002 11:07:16 PM

It feels like it's happening to ME. I had both sets removed years ago, and now it feels like the bottom ones are coming back. :\

From:	copperpoint
Date:	9/4/2002 12:23:27 AM

eek. Well, on the bright side, you might have a week of eating nothing but pudding.

From:	plaidrats
Date:	9/4/2002 12:38:05 AM

it happens in my family..it skips generations though..(thank fucking god!)

[for future reference...]

9/4/2002 12:20:00 AM

purple_stardust

Zippy Zoot and Roo are mating tonight!

Comments:

From:	instantclarity
Date:	9/4/2002 1:24:14 AM

*cues the rattie porn music*

[dinner]

9/4/2002 1:25:00 AM

purple_stardust

Fish with green beans and cranberry sauce. I obviously need to go to the store.

[cry for help]

9/4/2002 12:45:00 PM

purple_stardust

I'm hot and sick and my head hurts and somebody please just shoot me now.

Comments:

From:	gypsydance
Date:	9/4/2002 4:26:41 PM

No. If I have to live through it, so do you. And I have long, thick hair. So nyah.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/4/2002 4:50:52 PM

Oh yeah? Well I have... I have... I have KITTENS! So there.

From:	gypsydance
Date:	9/4/2002 5:15:10 PM

I have two cats and an Englishman. Wanna trade? ;)

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/4/2002 5:19:42 PM

Hmmm... I have been wanting an Englishman... =D

[update]

9/4/2002 1:45:00 PM

purple_stardust

I'm cold and sick and my head hurts and somebody please just shoot me now.

[and furthermore]

9/4/2002 2:45:00 PM

purple_stardust

The hissy fit that I had with the obviously insane gas company bimbo did not help my headache.

[it lives again]

9/4/2002 4:45:00 PM

purple_stardust

I took three aspirins and a short nap, and my head still hurts but not nearly as much as it did, which is good because contrary to the evidence shown today, I really do have better things to do than sit around and whine.

[ratlist competition]

9/4/2002 5:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

* Rattie on Board!
* Brux if you love Ratties!
* Ask me about my rat children.
* WWTRD? (what would the ratties do?)
* My rat could eat your honour student.
* ~~Rats: the OTHER white meat.~~
* Rats: the OTHER great pet.

(rat bumper stickers)

Comments:

From:	instantclarity
Date:	9/5/2002 1:05:11 AM

I like the second one. =^^=

[renee]

9/4/2002 11:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

RENEE can be a French form of RENATA from the Latin renatus meaning TO BE BORN AGAIN or a variant form of IRENE, from the Greek meaning PEACE.

The letters featured in this piece are RESH NUN YUD. Taken together they spell RENEE.

Each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet has a special meaning and a story to tell. Here a few brief ones about the letters on this painting.

RESH is the 20th letter of the Hebrew alphabet and has a numerical value of 200. RESH makes a sound like the R in Radiant. RESH means BEGINNING or HEAD. When one spells out the letter RESH in Hebrew, it is RESH YUD SHIN. YUD and SHIN spell YESH - THERE IS. The letter RESH means BEGINNING. So it is possible to say that the RESH literally means THERE IS A BEGINNING.

NUN is the 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet and has a numerical value of 50. NUN makes a sound like the N in Now. The NUN has the head of a ZAYIN. The body is an elongated Zayin. NUN means SHINE, SPOUT, SPREAD in Hebrew and FISH in Aramaic.

The YUD is the 10th letter of the Hebrew alphabet and has a numerical value of 10. YUD makes a sound like the Y in Year. YUD is a simple point. It is the smallest letter in the alphabet and yet is frequently associated with the very large concept of EMANATION, the highest level in the Four World paradigm of Kabbalah.

Comments:

From:	mysticpenguin
Date:	9/5/2002 1:14:43 AM

That's beautiful! Is it yours?

I found your journal while I was surfing around and thought your interests were, um, interesting. And I just love your username.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/5/2002 10:42:52 AM

No, it was painted by a woman called Sarah Leah, who makes paintings with hebrew letters. I want to buy it, though. If you click on it, you can see some of her other stuff.

I wondered where you came from, but I liked your username too (I love penguins!), and when I saw you had Simon and Garfunkel (I live Garfunkel!), I added you back. :)

From:	rattyluv
Date:	9/5/2002 9:47:41 AM

name

Boohoo they don't have Joell, only Joel. :-( Why did my parents have to give me such a weird name?

[oooh, a new toy!]

9/5/2002 12:25:00 AM

purple_stardust

Laurie, you'll love this: www.smallblueprinter.com. Trust me.

[mah-jongg]

9/5/2002 11:20:00 AM

purple_stardust

Kyodai Mah-jongg is probably the best version I've ever played.

[m i a]

9/5/2002 11:20:00 PM

purple_stardust

Kyodai Mah-jongg. Can't stop. Erg.

Comments:

From:	gypsydance
Date:	9/6/2002 1:01:49 AM

How VERY bizarre and coincidental. I'd just re-downloaded that yesterday.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/6/2002 1:09:29 AM

That IS bizarre! I have loved Mah Jongg since I first got my first computer, but my older games wouldn't run on WinXP, so I found this one... and I LOVE IT. It's so much more customisable than the other versions I've had, and I love that I can make my own tiles! =D

From:	mysticpenguin
Date:	9/6/2002 3:26:54 AM

Ah, Kyodai, eater of time. A friend of mine gave me a version of Mah Jongg on CD that's almost like playing the real game, so that's my favourite actual Mah Jongg game. But I have so much fun playing with all the layouts and tiles sets and junk Kyodai has. And Clicks is almost as addictive as Snood.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/6/2002 9:41:06 AM

Have you played the real game? I never have, though I've played every software version I could get my hands on. I need to find a real set, since Rusty and I both like the computer version.

And the TILES! OMG, you should SEE all the tiles I downloaded yesterday. Absolut ads. Winnie the Pooh. Cats. Stained glass flowers. Dummies book covers. It's nuts. Oh man, I was just thinking, I didn't see a set of penguin tiles, but wouldn't that be hardcore?

From:	muridae
Date:	9/6/2002 8:58:42 AM

Gah, if I disappear and no one ever sees me again, it's because I'm stuck in my house playing Mah-jongg. I blame you. =P

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/6/2002 9:43:11 AM

Heh. You have been assimilated.

Did you see the tiles that other people have made? Collecting the tiles is almost as addictive as the actual gameplay. I am going to be making a set of Shining Force tiles...

[flags]

9/6/2002 10:30:00 AM

purple_stardust

Kyodai Mah-jongg. I'm using flag tiles, and I am appalled at my own ignorance. I know the USA, England, Isreal, Australia, Japan, and the Czech Republic (of all things), but for the most part, I do not recognise these flags. I assume that I learned this stuff in school, but it's gone now.

What country has blue on the top and red on the bottom, and that's it? I don't want to go to that country; they don't seem very imaginative.

[also]

9/6/2002 10:45:00 AM

purple_stardust

I am going to start my own country, and my flag is going to be purple and green and blue, and it's going to have little stars, and my official animal is going to be a purple rat. So there. Now, I just need to overthrow New Jersey...

[moping]

9/6/2002 2:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

I decided - for various reasons - not to go to High Holiday services. No money, no clothes, and no motivation certainly played their parts, but mostly I guess, I just don't feel Jewish enough to go. It just seemed like too important of a service for me to feel comfortable going as a bystander. Of course, now I feel horrible and guilty for not doing anything and I'm a wreck and I really resent all parties involved that I wasn't born Jewish. So I'm just going to sit here and cry. So there.

Comments:

From:	sf_rose
Date:	9/6/2002 2:36:08 PM

Of course, now I feel horrible and guilty for not doing anything and I'm a wreck and I really resent all parties involved that I wasn't born Jewish. So I'm just going to sit here and cry. So there.

Please don't this to yourself...it's a process. Bake a cake and celebrate the coming of the New Year...start small and plan for next year!

Shanah Tova!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/6/2002 4:40:11 PM

Gam lakh, and thanks for the moral support.

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/6/2002 3:40:05 PM

Oy!

*whips out some matzo ball soup* *huggles* you can have my meger jewish heritage iffn you want
:)

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/6/2002 4:41:03 PM

Re: Oy!

Maybe you could legally adopt me...? :)

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/8/2002 2:39:24 AM

Re: Oy!

sure! you could be my sis!

[rosh hashanah]

9/6/2002 7:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

Shanah Tovah to all of you... I hope you have a sweet and wonderful new year!

[monumental news]

9/6/2002 9:30:00 PM

purple_stardust

First the setup: I don't cook. Really. I don't mean that I don't like to cook, I mean I don't cook. Occasionally, if I absolutely have to, I will heat up TV dinners or fix a box of macaroni in cheese in the microwave, but I don't cook cook. Seriously, about two or three years ago, our stove/oven broke. I told the landlord, and he said to call the appliance place and get them over here. I still haven't called, because, what do I really need a stove/oven for, anyway?

All that being said, I made my own matzo balls tonight! No, really! I mixed up the eggs and meal and rolled them into balls and boiled them in the microwave and everything! And they were actually edible! I gave Sarah some for dinner, and Rusty tried one too. He'd never had them before, so he had no basis for comparison, but he said it was pretty good. I was certainly impressed with my bad self. :-}

I feel all goofy tonight, and this condition is not helped by the realisation that the new hairstyle makes me look like Beezuz and Ramona. Gigglesnort.

[mah jongg madness]

9/7/2002 12:15:00 AM

purple_stardust

I started a new community: . I am hoping some Kyodai players will find it, so we can make and trade some cool tilesets. I have a bunch of them planned. Heh.

Comments:

From:	rattyluv
Date:	9/9/2002 9:18:45 AM

mah jongg madness

How do you make your own tiles? Do you have to pay to get the full program to do that or something?

[always with the hair]

9/7/2002 12:55:00 AM

purple_stardust

It occured to me earlier that I might want to "do" my hair like this again. Then it occured to me that I don't even own a blow dryer. Shit. I am probably the only girl in America that doesn't own a blow dryer. Though I do have makeup now! And a dress!

Comments:

From:	clarice
Date:	9/7/2002 1:09:16 AM

I don't own a blow dryer!

My only dress is mid-60's vintage and my only makeup is a tube of free Clinique lipstick.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/7/2002 1:19:41 AM

Yay! At least I'm not alone! =D

From:	muridae
Date:	9/7/2002 1:15:38 PM

If it makes you feel any better, I didn't have a blow dryer until I decided that I might want to do my hair like the hairdresser did. I bought a hair dryer, but I still never use it.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/7/2002 1:56:17 PM

Yeah. I used to have a tiny one (I bought it because it was so cute and tiny and pink and green), but I threw it out at some point because I never used it. I DID find an old curling iron in the bedroom; no idea if it still works. :\

[rattery update]

9/7/2002 1:10:00 AM

purple_stardust

ZBR Beatrix had no babies. I am afraid she may have been pregnant and re-absorbed the litter, and in case that is what happened, I won't be attempting to breed her again. This makes me very sad, as she is such a wonderful girl, but that is also the reason that I won't risk her health. My rats are pets first.

Blossom, on the other hand, is HUGE. I am hoping that she will have a large litter, since my waiting list was counting on a litter from Beatrix. She is starting to settle in, so I am expecting (and hoping!) baby ratlets soon.

Roo continues to be her normal sweet self. I haven't decided whether or not to put her and Zippy Zoot back together in case the mating didn't "take" the first time, or wait and see. I hope she already has a little black hooded boy in there for me! :)

ziggabella.com

[kvetch]

9/7/2002 2:45:00 AM

purple_stardust

John Basedow - he of the "six-pack abs" infommercials - bugs the ever-lovin' shit out of me. He doesn't know it, but he is really a grotesque little mutant. By the way, have I mentioned how much I'm NOT into the muscle-y types? Yuck.

Comments:

From:	katarina42
Date:	9/7/2002 2:56:47 AM

Heh, I know what you mean. A little muscle tone on a guy is nice but the overly muscular type doesn't appeal to me either :-P It's just not aesthetically pleasing or attractive >_<

The absolute worst, though, is this guy on the wrestling program that my husband watches - he's so built up that his *neck* is muscular. It looks like someone injected something into his clavicle - he looks like a frickin' bison >_< *shudders*

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/7/2002 6:12:56 PM

EWWWWW. The worst are the guys whos necks are so muscular, that the bottom is wider than the top, and their head looks like a big trapezoid. So gross.

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/8/2002 3:17:31 AM

you noticed that too?
i think there is somthing wrong with his neck... it too long or somthing... and his head is too small for his body...
he's yucky.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/8/2002 10:15:14 AM

Also, his facial features are small and pointy, AND, his waist is freakishly small. He's creepy, I tell you.

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/9/2002 3:27:40 PM

Re:

and my mom thinks hes cute....YUK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[finally]

9/7/2002 10:35:00 AM

purple_stardust

Blossom is having her babies right now! Hooray!

Comments:

From:	gypsydance
Date:	9/7/2002 11:00:55 AM

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Ratbabies. PICTURES! I wanna see the ratlings.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/7/2002 11:50:29 AM

Oh, I didn't know you liked rats! I will DEFINATELY be posting baby pics. :)

From:	arkady
Date:	9/7/2002 1:40:29 PM

Heh...she looks like a cute girly version of my boy Taliesin!

What colours are you hoping for in the litter?

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/7/2002 1:52:51 PM

All blue marked dumbos. The father is Brutus, an English blue berkshire. :)

[we're all a little looney!]

9/7/2002 2:45:00 PM

purple_stardust

01. Bugs Bunny
02. Homer Simpson
03. Rocky and Bullwinkle
04. Beavis and Butthead
05. The Grinch
06. Fred and Barney
07. Angelica Pickles
08. Charlie Brown and Snoopy
09. SpongeBob SquarePants
10. Cartman
11. Bart and Lisa Simpson
12. Fat Albert
13. The Powerpuff Girls
14. Daffy Duck
15. Pikachu
16. Gumby
17. Betty Boop
18. Top Cat
19. Mickey Mouse
20. Popeye
21. Gerald McBoingboing
22. Scooby Doo
23. Underdog
24. Josie and the Pussycats
25. Heckle and Jeckle
26. Arthur
27. Winnie the Pooh
28. Felix the Cat
29. Mr. Magoo
30. George of the Jungle
31. Ren and Stimpy
32. Tom Terrific
33. Tweety and Sylvester
34. Bill (Schoolhouse Rock)
35. Space Ghost
36. Yogi Bear and Boo Boo
37. Mighty Mouse
38. Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner
39. Superman
40. Batman
41. Daria
42. Wonder Woman
43. Donald Duck
44. Alvin
45. Boris Bedenov and Natasha Fatale
46. Woody Woodpecker
47. Porky Pig
48. Bobby Hill
49. Speed Racer
50. Tom and Jerry

[head count = 13]

9/7/2002 6:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

Comments:

From:	copperpoint
Date:	9/7/2002 6:22:10 PM

Adorable, yet horrific at the same time. That's a lot of rat babies.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/7/2002 6:51:27 PM

Hard to say, isn't it? Well, in about two weeks, they'll be definately adorable. :)

From:	copperpoint
Date:	9/7/2002 6:58:21 PM

Re:

I know. If I wasn't living with my parents, both of whom hate rats, I'd probably be in line for one.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/7/2002 7:02:00 PM

Oh, how cool. I never took you for a rat guy. Well, we're not too far apart; whenever you get your own place, I can set you up! =)

From:	copperpoint
Date:	9/7/2002 10:50:29 PM

Re:

Heheh. "whenever I get my own place," being the key phrase there.

From:	gypsydance
Date:	9/7/2002 6:22:40 PM

Eeee, how cute! They look like little sausages with tails! :)

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/7/2002 6:52:15 PM

See, I would have said swarming jelly beans, but the sausage thing works too. :)

From:	borracho
Date:	9/7/2002 6:40:10 PM

Uhmmmmm...

Uhmmmm...

EEEEWWWW!!!EEEEEWWWWWW!!!!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/7/2002 6:55:35 PM

Re: Uhmmmmm...

This, from a man who has superimposed his girlfriend's photo into his own usericon with a big red heart. I don't want to hear "eeewwwww!" from YOU, Mr Sappy Pants. ;-P

From:	copperpoint
Date:	9/7/2002 11:03:13 PM

Two more things...

About how big are they? I'm no expert but I'm fairly certain ratlings aren't that big.
Can we get another link to your rattery page? I can't seem to find it.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/8/2002 10:26:05 AM

Re: Two more things...

They are each about the size as the last two joints of my pinkie finger (and I have pretty small hands!). That's a tiny bit smaller than my last couple of litters, because there were way more babies in this litter. However, I did have one poor Siamese girl who gave birth to SEVENTEEN babies, and those pinkies were TINY!

The website is www.ziggabella.com ... if you click on "The Nursery", there are links to photos of previous litters, so you can see what they look like once they get some hair. :)

From:	copperpoint
Date:	9/8/2002 11:16:53 AM

Re: Two more things...

Ah, pinkies. I haven't heard that term since I had a friend who owned a scorpion.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/8/2002 6:01:39 PM

Re: Two more things...

Eww, scorpions eat pinkies, really? They're such gross creatures, it doen't surprise me, but still... yuck.

From:	copperpoint
Date:	9/8/2002 7:31:24 PM

Re: Two more things...

Eh. They're fun things to own, but they're not pets. They can't interact with you, other than hiding or stinging.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/8/2002 11:30:16 PM

Re: Two more things...

And they're uglier than all-get-out. Don't forget that part.

From:	copperpoint
Date:	9/9/2002 12:32:21 PM

Re: Two more things...

They're not cute like a rat is, but I still find them interesting to look at, even if it is in a grotesque sort of way. They're so unpleasant and mean looking that they can't help but be fascinating, in my book.

From:	muridae
Date:	9/7/2002 11:18:07 PM

I like taking a big pile of ratlets and holding them in my cupped palms. They're so tiny and warm and wiggly.

They look like they're going to have really adorable markings.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/8/2002 10:29:09 AM

They ARE wiggly! Blossom has been a very good momma so far, and has barely left them for a second. I am going to lure her away later so I can inspect them more closely! :)

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/8/2002 2:59:11 AM

awws! yAy for little rattie babies!

From:	rattyluv
Date:	9/9/2002 8:48:39 AM

Yayyyy finally

Go Blossom, Go Blossom!!! Well, you wished for a big litter right? hehe I can't wait to see the markings when they come in next week. Do you know eye colour and sex, etc??

[...]

9/7/2002 8:35:00 PM

purple_stardust

Absolut fuck-up. That is all.

[absolut hangover]

9/8/2002 4:55:00 PM

purple_stardust

Ugh. I remember now why I stopped drinking.

Comments:

From:	borracho
Date:	9/8/2002 6:30:12 PM

Drink water Sug!

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/8/2002 7:45:10 PM

Never, never blame the alkyhol. I think you'll find it was the mixers that were at fault, or food, food is bad!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/8/2002 11:37:13 PM

There were no mixers, or food, involved. Just a fifth of vodka, straight up. Obviously, the poor quality glass is at fault. =D

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/9/2002 9:54:10 AM

Re:

Which is why you must always drink straight from the bottle, as the manufacturers intended!

[it lives again]

9/8/2002 11:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

Oh look, the drunk is back. Yes, another lost weekend. It all started Saturday, when ... oh, fuck it. It really doesn't matter. What it all boils down to is, Rusty is more concerned with college football than with me, and I have two choices: either shut up and live with essentially being single for three months out of the year, or break up with his sorry ass. I will say this: if we stay together, from now on, September through December, I am Single. With all the implications that that title holds. Fuck him. I'm so sick of it. All of it. And I think I might throw up. Again.

Comments:

From:	artmomz
Date:	9/9/2002 12:03:36 AM

I probably know what you mean...at least up until a point since every body is different & all.

I cried *a lot* during my first football season with my husband, but after that I decided to fake interest rather than lose him altogether. It seemed to work okay, like it gave us a new sense of camaraderie or something even though I still have no clue what everything means. My husband quit drinking way before I met him (except for a couple of times that we got ourselves sick for old time's sake...blech). Anyway, at least he doesn't act like a drunken football goober, that would be irritating.

[stuff]

9/9/2002 2:30:00 PM

purple_stardust

I feel remarkably well, for having consumed as much vodka as I did. Probably because I threw up after every couple of shots. I need to face the facts; my stomach is completely trashed, and can no longer handle such behaviour. Feh.

In other news, Jamie fixed a badly leaking hose on my washing machine, so now I am playing catch-up with the laundry. That's a hoot. I need to clean the old lady rats'cage, but I think I will wait until Rusty comes home, so he can watch the girls while I do it. And I need to do dishes, though I doubt that will happen today.

And four of the babies have died. I'm not sure why; I think they have been born a bit prematurely, as they were awfully small. I have increased Blossom's fat and protein intake, so I am hoping that the rest of the litter will survive.

Comments:

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/9/2002 2:55:25 PM

awws...poor babies...
*huggles to you and blossom*

[movie news]

9/9/2002 3:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

Max: Was Hitler human? There is a new movie that attempts to humanise Adolf Hitler. My gut reaction was "erm, NO" ... but upon further thought, I think I want to see it. The Jewish belief is that humans are not born "good" or "evil", but make those decisions for themselves. I tend to agree, though some individuals (Hitler being a prime example) certainly give pause to that theory. Still, if Hitler started out human, it would be interesting to know what went wrong.

Thanks to angelsil for posting about this movie.

Comments:

From:	catmoran
Date:	9/10/2002 11:40:26 PM

it would be interesting to know what went wrong.

Not just interesting, but possibly educational. There's a vague possibility that knowing how it happened could reduce the chance of it happening again.

Did you see the salon.com review?

[festivus]

9/9/2002 4:10:00 PM

purple_stardust

In my ongoing attempt to figure out what to do about December 25 as a Jew (with my family NOT being Jewish, mind you), I found the following links interesting:

* Holiday Origins: Christmas - in which it seems to me that Christmas as the birth of Christ is on pretty shaky ground, and

* You Call it Christmas, We Call it Yule - which sounds more like the secular event that my family celebrates every year.

Comments:

From:	tues
Date:	9/9/2002 4:57:09 PM

I was always taught (by my public school teachers, no less!) that there is overwhelming biblical proof that Jesus was NOT born on December 25. of course, this isn't something I care to research further, but if I were a christian, i'd definitely be uncomfortable recognizing the birth of Christ to be 12/25. oh well! ^_~

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/9/2002 5:01:10 PM

guess what book i found in my school library...
"how to be a jewish witch" and it covers yule/haunaka...its kinda insteresting actually...

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/10/2002 1:49:54 PM

Oh wow, I will have to look for that; it sounds interesting! :)

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/10/2002 8:41:43 PM

Re:

how i know you'd like it...

From:	gypsydance
Date:	9/9/2002 10:42:21 PM

Do what I do. Celebrate it anyway. I don't believe in ghosts and goblins and weird shit (and all the other myths surrounding it), but I still celebrate Halloween. I don't go for the whole "St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland" crap, but I still party on St. Patrick's Day. No one says you have to believe in the myth to celebrate it. Celebrate the STORY of the birth of "our Lord" instead of the alleged event. Nothing wrong with it, in my opinion. Besides, when you look at the very basics of the story, it's quite lovely and moving. It's a story about love and sacrifice. Nothing at all wrong about that.

[grrr]

9/9/2002 8:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

Are you ready for some football?

Erm, NO. I hate Hank Williams Jr and all that he stands for. In fact, I would like to beat him to death with a ~~single broken brick~~ ~~frozen trout~~ ~~stinky orange sneaker~~ ~~Donny Osmond album~~ my bare hands, and then feed his pulpy carcass to the wolverines. Not that I've given this a lot of thought.

Comments:

From:	dayoh
Date:	9/10/2002 12:11:40 AM

[dinner]

9/9/2002 11:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

Macaroni and cheese made with salt, olive oil, whole milk, and extra butter. With a Hershey bar and Coke. The dinner of champions. Just for shits and giggles, I would love to know what my cholesterol level is.

Comments:

From:	dayoh
Date:	9/10/2002 12:05:44 AM

Yum!

[mah jongg]

9/9/2002 11:25:00 PM

purple_stardust

New Kyodai record: 6:47 minutes - Traditional layout, Monopoly (US) tiles. Woot!

Comments:

From:	dayoh
Date:	9/10/2002 12:04:15 AM

Congrats! I love mah jong.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/10/2002 1:48:18 PM

Me too! It's addictive, I tell you!

[argh!!!]

9/10/2002 12:30:00 PM

purple_stardust

My two-month-old DVD player is dead. Why???

Comments:

From:	borracho
Date:	9/10/2002 1:14:13 PM

Because you only paid $100 for it.

What is it doing/not doing?

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/10/2002 1:30:20 PM

It's not doing anything. NO power. I have tried unplugging it and plugging it into other outlets, nothing. That's what's freaking me out, I'm used to electronics not working, but they usually do *something* ...

From:	borracho
Date:	9/10/2002 2:29:38 PM

Re:

It's probably a fuse. Very simple thing, but if it's not close to a professional grade model, you can't change it yourself.

Take it to your local TV/VCR repair guy...these are better than your Circuit City types...and tell him that you think it is a fuse. He should be able to look at it while you are there, change the fuse and charge you less than $5 if anything at all.

Don't get ripped off.

This has been a message from your Uncle Harry.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/10/2002 2:32:59 PM

Oh, excellent! Thanks for the input, Uncle Harry! =D

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/10/2002 5:09:38 PM

Isn't it still under warranty?

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/10/2002 8:52:49 PM

i didn't do it! I swear!

[mail call]

9/10/2002 1:25:00 PM

purple_stardust

I got a catalog from a company called Girlfriends LA. They sell trendy teenager clothes. On the cover, they proudly announce that they sell 27, 29, and 4XL! So they have this one poor overweight teenager who appears on page after page, modeling these ridiculous clothes that no overweight person should be wearing - on page 13 she models a too-tight stretch-knit red Rocky Horror Picture Show tee with black stretch capri pants and a glittery silver belt that wraps not once but twice around her ample middle. The other girls are thin and perky and wear clothes that are stupid but not so completely unflattering. I feel sorry for this girl.

There is another girl - you can see her here - her hair... wow. If anyone ever did that to my hair, I would kill them where they stood. It looks like maybe she threw up in it, or went to bed with it wet and then slept with it under the pillow. Were she not in print, I would wonder if it was on purpose. On page 17, she sticks a retarded little bow in it, as if that helps. I would like to mail her a hairbrush, and a mirror.

The catalog offers your standard mall fair - retro cartoon stuff, Monday-Friday underwear (apparantly teenagers don't wear underwear on the weekend), furry flipflops, etcetera. But this is what really gets me about this company - they sell these "Sock Hop Sneakers" that are blatant Chuck Taylor rip-offs, but cost more than real Chuck Taylors! Why? Why would anyone buy these shoes?

Comments:

From:	tues
Date:	9/10/2002 1:43:03 PM

those Girlfriend LA people keep sending those catalogs to me. when you mention "it looks like maybe she threw up in it", I knew exactly whom you are refering to! mon Dieu! I can't belief somone would style their models hair like that. although, it does make me feel better about myself if someone with hair like that can get a modeling job. it makes me feel really swank. ^_~

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/10/2002 1:47:01 PM

LOL! Isn't that awful??? I was sitting there trying to decide if she was blind, or just didn't own a brush/mirror, because certainly no one would go out that way on purpose! I too feel a lot better about myself after looking at this catalog.

[hmph]

9/10/2002 2:05:00 PM

purple_stardust

I'll just fix this DVD player my own damn self, that's what I'll do. How hard can it be? I just need a phillips screwdriver and a hammer...

Comments:

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/10/2002 8:49:25 PM

uh oh.

[or not]

9/10/2002 3:05:00 PM

purple_stardust

Well, nothing inside the DVD player looks obviously loose, so I guess I will take borracho's advice and take it to a TV/VCR repair guy to check the fuses. Hmmm, must find yellow pages. I wonder how late those people stay open...?

Comments:

From:	rattyluv
Date:	9/11/2002 8:44:27 AM

Isn't it still under warranty? If so, why not just bring it back to the place you bought it and get a new one? Just a suggestion. A DVD player should not have issues that soon. How many discs did you try in it? What exactly isn't working? We've had some problems over the years with our, and there sometimes is a simple explaination.

[snicker]

9/10/2002 7:55:00 PM

purple_stardust

This is for angelsil. The bear doesn't seem so bad now, does it?

[tee hee]

9/10/2002 8:50:00 PM

purple_stardust

I have a new Live Journal friend: catmoran. I gotta like a girl who does this.

Comments:

From:	catmoran
Date:	9/10/2002 9:31:18 PM

Why, thank you! Hmm. Mr Potato Head hasn't been out much lately. I need to speak with my colleages about that.

From:	jacquez
Date:	9/10/2002 10:43:26 PM

Hee!

Cat's cool.

[yummy]

9/10/2002 9:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

rattyluv - I found a way to make the quesadillas even better! Remind me on AIM. :}

[9-11]

9/10/2002 9:11:00 PM

purple_stardust

01. Where were you when you heard about the attacks on the Pentagon and WTC?
At home, sitting at my desk.

02. What country/group did you suspect immediately?
None at first.

03. Who were you with? How did you react?
I was alone, and I was too shocked to react.

04. Who did you call first?
My mother.

05. What did you do the rest of the day?
Watched the news. That's what we did for the rest of the month, really.

06. Did you have any friends or family killed in the attacks?
No, thank G-d.

07. Do you think 9-11 should be a holiday?
I think it should be a national day of remembrance, but not a bank holiday.

08. Do you think even a % of the money donated really made it to the families?
Some, though probably not nearly as much as should have... but that's typical of charities, unfortunately.

09. Did you feel an increased sense of patriotism? Did it last?
Definately. I was very proud of the way that our country banded together, and also touched by the shows of support from other countries.

10. Have you flown since the attacks? How soon did you fly again?
I haven't flown, but I would.

11. Have you been to ground zero?
No, but we plan to go eventually.

[freak patrol]

9/10/2002 10:35:00 PM

purple_stardust

I have been playing with the random user feature. There are a lot of odd people that use Live Journal, and most of them aren't old enough to drive. Thank G-d.

Comments:

From:	gypsydance
Date:	9/10/2002 10:46:30 PM

We like to sit and hit random and make bets on whether it'll come up with a black and grey color scheme with some "gothy" teenager or something. ;P

When I hit the link from your entry, I got

savva.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/10/2002 10:59:57 PM

She's very eloquent! =D

From:	thanny
Date:	9/10/2002 11:02:25 PM

oh my god DO NOT SUCCUMB TO THAT!!! it's so depressing. they're all just 15 y.o. girls who can't spell and do too much pot. the future of our country. yikes.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/10/2002 11:06:50 PM

I feel like I'm watching reruns of that SNL skit with the two angst-ridden goth teenagers who do the cable access show from their parent's basement...

From:	thanny
Date:	9/11/2002 8:22:06 PM

hahaha azrael abyss! i had a special love for that skit, seeing how it was based in my 'hometown' tampa (goth captial of the worrrrrrrld!!), and i knew so many losers like that.

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/11/2002 1:16:38 PM

The random function scares the bejibblies out of me. No-one is ever over 14, they stab their arms with thumbtacks then post pictures of their 'cuts', and declare themselves 'goth' because they like Linkin Park *snigger*. But you know what's worse? wHeN tHeY tAlK lIkE DiS aNd sEnD mAd PrOpZ tO aLl Da HoMiEz iN dA nU hAmPsHiRe cRu! ~~***@~~~~:::)))) ^_^ LOLOLOLOLOLOL ROFLOFL

[ I like the phrase "splendidly retarded"]

9/10/2002 10:55:00 PM

purple_stardust

I also added chicky to my friends list, because she was the number one person when I used the similer interests feature, and her journal amused me.

[oh nooo]

9/11/2002 1:05:00 AM

purple_stardust

I drank too much Pepsi and now I have the hiccaburps. Grrr.

Comments:

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/11/2002 1:10:33 PM

Mmmmmm.. Pepsi-induced higglybups! You da MAN! :)

[prolific nonsense]

9/11/2002 1:15:00 AM

purple_stardust

I just realised that I posted TEN times ~~today~~ ~~yesterday~~ on September 10. All of them equally compelling and thought-provoking posts, I'm sure. Yup. Yup. Yup.

::: giggles and falls over :::

[09.11.2001]

9/11/2002 8:45:00 AM

purple_stardust

We remember.

[september 11 memorials]

9/11/2002 9:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

We've watched the news all day: ABC, MSNBC, CNN, C-Span, Fox News. It would seem morbid, if you didn't know that we did that every day. Anyway, the ceremonies were quite tasteful, though I was disapointed that we didn't see more coverage of foriegn services. One of the most touching things in the aftermath of this tragedy, I thought, was the outpouring of sympathy and support from other countries.

Comments:

From:	mysticpenguin
Date:	9/12/2002 1:04:37 AM

I didn't watch much TV today, being that I wasn't home. But I was impressed with the taste level of what I did see. Surprisingly enough, my neighbourhood Meijer's put on a really nice little remembrance this morning.

[the lazy chef]

9/12/2002 12:30:00 AM

purple_stardust

Cold mac and cheese = yummy. Cold matzo balls = not so good.

[dilemma]

9/12/2002 7:30:00 AM

purple_stardust

Speaking of being a news whore... I really need to go to the bank, but Bush is speaking to the UN at 10am, and I don't want to miss it. It's much easier to mock the speaker when you've actually seen the speech. So now I'm trying to decide whether to try to get up and back by 10, or wait until after the speech to go.

[mail call]

9/12/2002 10:30:00 AM

purple_stardust

I went ahead and went to the bank and post office early, and made it back by 10am - only to find out that Bush's UN speech is actually scheduled for 10:30. Grrr. Anyway, I got cool Jewish mail today...

* a Blue Box from the Jewish National Fund; now I can do away with my Maxwell House tzedakah can. The money goes to protect and preserve Isreal.

* the Celebrate Kids CD for Sarah; it has Jewish songs for kids. Some of them - The 613 Commandments and Aleph Bet Boogie - sound pretty educational, so maybe it will be like a Jewish Schoolhouse Rock for both of us.

* a postcard from sjcarpediem from Jerusalem! Thank you Stephanie!!!

I like this mail much better than my usual fare of utility bills and sales flyers. :)

Comments:

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/12/2002 9:05:25 PM

have jar with plants and a spork... send addy.

[dinner]

9/13/2002 10:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

Rusty took me to El Ranchero for Mexican food. Yummy!

[friday five]

9/13/2002 10:50:00 PM

purple_stardust

1. What was/is your favorite subject in school? Why? Drama, Psychology, English. Because I was a drama queen who liked to mess with others' minds while correcting their grammar. I still am and still do.

2. Who was your favorite teacher? Why? Mrs Miller (Drama 4) and Mr Moffit (Psych). Mrs Miller was the sweetest teacher ever, and Moff was just funny. He didn't know it, but he was. And I liked their classes.

3. What is your favorite memory of school? Smoking pot in the auditorium with my flaky theater friends, smoking pot in NYC with my flaky theater friends, smoking pot at play competitions with my flaky theater friends. I forgot the rest.

4. What was your favorite recess game? I hated recess.

5. What did you hate most about school? Teenagers.

http://fridayfive.org

[rat stuff]

9/14/2002 1:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

Since the foot injury and subsequent steroid shot, my baby Brutus has lost a lot of weight. Since this is accompanied with tiredness and appetite loss, I am starting to suspect heart disease, unfortunately. If I am right, this is really going to affect my blue line, and I will need to find a healthy male to outcross to soon, or lose the line completely. I need to talk to smarsh97 about this...

Anyway, my immediate concern is Brutie's weight loss. I went out and bought some Ensure Plus this morning. He likes it, but only if he can lick it off my fingertips - it isn't nearly as tasty in a dish, apparently. Not that Brutus is spoiled, or anything.

Comments:

From:	copperpoint
Date:	9/14/2002 1:52:46 PM

Someday you'll have to explain to me what Dumbo and Blue mean in the first place.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/14/2002 2:39:17 PM

Dumbo is an ear type - the ears are larger, rounder, and more on the sides of the head. The other ear type is standard, which is what you usually see in pet stores. Blue is a colour, a sort of bluish-grey, like blue cats. The guy in this icon is a blue dumbo.

Hey, I saw on your website that there's a Mayhem in Salem part II coming? If you ever go back to the pirate museum, do you think you could get me one of those black golf balls? *charming smile*

From:	copperpoint
Date:	9/14/2002 4:03:19 PM

Re:

Actually the photos are already taken. But I'll probably be up there again eventually.

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/16/2002 3:25:07 PM

poor lil guy! give him huggles for me..

[xxx]

9/14/2002 2:25:00 PM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

CD - Neil Young - The Needle and the Damage Done

]

I caught you knockin' at my cellar door
"I love you, baby, can I have some more?"
Ooh, ooh, the damage done.

Not in this post, you pervert! I'm looking at porn on my computer. Yes, you read right: PORN. I wasn't trying to look at porn, I was trying to look at hacker sites, but the two are pretty inseparable. Porn fascinates me. I stare at it the way you would a car wreck, or live surgery on TLC. I used to work in a porn store, which was a amusing but disturbing experience. People were so paranoid, obviously fearing that someone would see them in the porn store. Umm, hello, if someone sees you in the porn store, its because they're in the porn store too. But I digress.

Internet porn is odd, because it's almost always made for guys. There seems to be two choices: women and men together (clearly for straight men, as I don't think many women are turned on by watching another woman oozing guy juice from every oriface), and two or more guys together (the target audience there is pretty obvious). Of course, there is also porn that features two or more women together, which you might think would be viewed by gay women, but everyone that I ever saw buying it in the store, was a guy. At any rate, if you're a heterosexual woman, you won't find a lot of appropriate porn on the internet.

From that standpoint, I have to say, porn is really gross. Sex is gross, now that I look at it. It really isn't pretty. One of my earliest memories of childhood - and I have very few - is my very liberal mother giving me the sex talk. I clearly remember being very concerned about the effects of sex on the bed sheets, and I couldn't imagine that someone would want to do such a thing. A few years later, she gave me a book on the subject, and inside the cover she wrote "Yes, it gets the sheets messy, and yes, people really do it for fun!" I'm still not sure I believe her. Now that look at it, it seems to be more messy than fun.

As a teenager, I had sex for the usual bad reasons. As a young adult, I had sex because I was drunk. Now, I flucuate between feeling like I should want to have sex, and thinking that its just too messy. Internet porn is confirming the latter.

Comments:

From:	gypsydance
Date:	9/14/2002 3:29:17 PM

*dies laughing*

I got the sex talk when I was fairly young, after my much older sister had just had a baby. After mom finished up, I just sat and stared at her, and finally asked, "Kim and Jerry do THAT?" She said yes, and I vowed to never do it because that was just too yucky. Not long after that, I went to visit my sister for an overnight trip. I laid awake all night, worried that they were doing THAT in the next room, and feeling very ill.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/14/2002 10:23:12 PM

Ewww, I know! I was horrified to think that my parents had done something so icky. Still am, actually.

From:	clarice
Date:	9/14/2002 10:32:32 PM

I agree, sex is rarely worth the mess. ...And it only took me a year or so to reach that conclusion.

From:	johno
Date:	9/15/2002 3:46:15 AM

"If you think sex is no sweat, you're doing it wrong."

[newsflash]

9/14/2002 4:45:00 PM

purple_stardust

Bananas are even more gross than internet porn.

Comments:

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/14/2002 7:20:36 PM

Banananas are obscene! Unless they're smooshed up and put in sandwiches, then they're smashing!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/14/2002 8:32:39 PM

EWWWWW!!! I couldn't actually eat them! I have literally thrown up just from handling them. ::: shudders :::

[gazillions]

9/14/2002 5:05:00 PM

purple_stardust

Bill Gates is now worth 43 billion dollars. That's not even a real number. Mishegass.

[one week old]

9/14/2002 6:45:00 PM

purple_stardust

One splitcap, two berkshires, three barebacks, two masked, and one variberk.

Comments:

From:	catmoran
Date:	9/14/2002 8:59:24 PM

Aww.

Am I the only one who thinks that baby rats look like teensy weensy puppies?

BTW, I think the ratty in your icon is adorable.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/14/2002 9:46:01 PM

Thanks... and they DO!!! Wait til you see 'em at two weeks, they look like tiny laborador puppies with their big fat heads. =D

From:	catmoran
Date:	9/14/2002 9:56:15 PM

Re:

they look like tiny laborador puppies with their big fat heads.

I don't remember what my babies looked like at that age (one litter, from a sweet little girl who was knocked up when I got her). I was too busy playing with them. They were so hysterical, using my hand as playground equipment, even before they had their eyes open.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/14/2002 10:06:17 PM

The funniest thing I ever saw was when a gang of 2-3 week old babies tried to abscond with their a chicken bone that I'd given their mother. Mom was off having "away time", and they dragged that bil ol' drumstick all over the cage, trying to figure out what to do with it. =D

From:	catmoran
Date:	9/14/2002 11:47:08 PM

Re:

trying to figure out what to do with it

Oh, that is too cute. I have this Keystone Kops type image in my head. Re-enacted by ratlettes, of course.

That reminds me of the silliest thing Roo ever did. I'd been handling some food, and without thinkout about it I stuck my hand into her (and her mom's) cage to play. She grabbed my thumb between her teeth and scurried off to the corner of the cage to enjoy her 'treat'. Of course, I had to cooperate with the scurry, which I did partly out of curiousity and partly because I didn't want her tightening the hold she had on my thumb.

When she got to the corner she stopped to inspect her prize more closely--and looked absolutely mortified. Poor thing. For days after that, she was *so* careful whenever I handed her anything.

From:	borracho
Date:	9/15/2002 12:58:26 PM

One ewww, two ewwwwws, three ewwwwws, two ewwwws, and one ewwwww. Did I mention ewwwww?

[another newsflash]

9/14/2002 8:30:00 PM

purple_stardust

In case I haven't made it abundantly clear, I HATE FOOTBALL!!!

Comments:

From:	grimkitten_
Date:	9/14/2002 10:40:11 PM

I second that!!

[bored]

9/14/2002 10:30:00 PM

purple_stardust

I am bored. Bored, bored, bored. Words cannot begin to describe how completely and utterly bored I am. I am sooooo bored. How bored are you? Well, I am so bored that I am going to go wash dishes. I am that bored. Okay, I lied - so I'm not that bored. But I'm pretty damned bored, I can tell you that.

I think I will go play Shining Force I. I hope I get my dragon soon.

[breakfast]

9/15/2002 11:55:00 AM

purple_stardust

Rusty fixed homemade waffles for the rats. Sometimes, I like him.

[newsflash]

9/15/2002 12:05:00 PM

purple_stardust

And by the way, have I mentioned that I *want* George Stephanopoulos?

[need input]

9/15/2002 2:45:00 PM

purple_stardust

I've decided to create another website for my daughter. I can create a subdomain for her under ziggabella.com - the question is, what username would be good for her? So far I have thought of...

* diva.ziggabella.com
* lil_diva.ziggabella.com
* babydiva.ziggabella.com
* diva_baby.ziggabella.com
* baby_diva.ziggabella.com
* toddler_diva.ziggabella.com
* sarahbear.ziggabella.com
* girliegirl.ziggabella.com
* sarah_snyder.ziggabella.com
* hebrew_princess.ziggabella.com

Any input? Thoughts, suggestions, new ideas? Anything?

Comments:

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/15/2002 3:17:28 PM

Heheh, 'Diva' is the UK Lesbian magazine!

But 'babydiva' is good, as is 'sarahbear', but don't tell anyone I thought it was kind of cute, or my reputation will be ruined!

From:	grimkitten_
Date:	9/15/2002 3:23:16 PM

She is such a lil beauty!!!

I like babydiva and hebrew_princess the best. :)

From:	muridae
Date:	9/15/2002 3:37:40 PM

strawberry.ziggabella.com, of course!

From:	rattyluv
Date:	9/16/2002 10:26:14 AM

How about jewjewbean? Or would that offend? Just as sweet as the candy. :-)

[banned books]

9/15/2002 7:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

DVD - Schoolhouse Rock

]

I have read these banned books...

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Forever by Judy Blume
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
Blubber by Judy Blume
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Deenie by Judy Blume
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Cujo by Stephen King
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Carrie by Stephen King
Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (unfinished)

{yoinked from jacquez who yoinked it from catmoran}

Comments:

From:	samuraikitty
Date:	9/15/2002 7:50:09 PM

Why why WHY would anyone have such little respect for intellectual freedom as to try to ban a book?? I've read a lot of those books on that list, and I can think of no reason for them to be banned. People confuse me so much.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/15/2002 8:00:06 PM

IF its school library, I can understand not including some of the obviously adult books (like Private Parts, and Sex by Madonna)... but Shel Silverstein??? What could they possibly find wrong with Shel Silverstein's book? Ugh. I liked Judy Blume's quote on that page:

“[I]t’s not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be
written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship.
As always, young readers will be the real losers.” — Judy Blume

She is so right.

From:	samuraikitty
Date:	9/15/2002 10:34:18 PM

Too true. It's so sad.

From:	mysticpenguin
Date:	9/15/2002 10:57:55 PM

That's exactly what I was thinking. While I could kind of pick out parts that prudes would object to from the books on that list, Shel Silverstein? What in the world has he written that could possibly be considered offensive?

And ironically enough, most of the books on this list were things I was required to read in school at one grade or another.

From: instantclarity

Date: 9/15/2002 11:18:46 PM

I think he wrote one poem that mentioned a "brassiere"... oh dear, I weep for the youth of the nation! :P

From: purple_stardust

Date: 9/15/2002 11:24:39 PM

Oh my. I must run and remove that book from Sarah's room immediately, lest we all burn in hell. /end sarcasm

From: instantclarity

Date: 9/15/2002 11:33:52 PM

Re:

Well naturally, she can't hear about such unmentionables.......

From: purple_stardust

Date: 9/15/2002 11:51:05 PM

Good Lord, no! Next thing you'd know, she'd be wanting to buy them, and start growing breasts, and thinking about boys! And that will never happen, if she never hears the word brassiere. We must protect our children!

[there needs to be an eye-rolling emoticon}

From: purple_stardust

Date: 9/15/2002 11:19:24 PM

I think I read some of the others in school too (like Huckleberry Fin) but I didn't list them because I wasn't sure.

And you're right, I was going down the list too, looking for possible reasons - thinking "okay, Tiger Eyes was a little sexy, Harry Potter has the occult, Huck Finn and the race issue..." but Shel Silverstein ??? WHY? Oy!

"Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout would not take the garbage out..." - oh yes, I see it now, that line alone would obviously cause anarchy among the toddler set.

::: rolls eyes and mentally throttles the right-wing Republican fundamentalist Christian faction for trying to protect us all from Satan :::

[danger, danger, danger]

9/15/2002 9:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

{ www.fontmagic.com }

[speaking of books]

9/15/2002 10:10:00 PM

purple_stardust

I think I would like to read this: Irreconcilable Differences by Steven Rosenthal.

[breakfast]

9/15/2002 11:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

A peanut butter eclair that Rusty brought me when he went to the store. Yes, I'm just now eating breakfast. So I'm not a morning person, okay?

Comments:

From:	gypsydance
Date:	9/15/2002 11:15:25 PM

Eating? I figured you'd be fasting for Yom Kippur... or is that only an orthodox thing?

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/15/2002 11:45:47 PM

I should be, but I decided that the High Holidays are something that I would be uncomfortable observing until I've officially converted. :\

From:	gypsydance
Date:	9/16/2002 12:23:10 AM

Ah, okies. Wasn't sure if it was just an orthodox thing or what. :)

[dinner]

9/16/2002 1:00:00 AM

purple_stardust

Papa John cheese sticks with jalapeno cheese sauce, Reeses cups, Coke.

[diet]

9/16/2002 1:15:00 AM

purple_stardust

Which brings me to the post about my weight. For years I obsessed about my weight, to the point of being dangerously thin, and doing even more dangerous things to stay that way. When I got pregnant with my daughter, I gained WAY more weight than I did with my two boys, and I kept a lot of it. I tried dieting for a while after I had her, but the weight wouldn't budge. That was almost two years ago.

A few months ago, I started eating a lot more than usual - a whole package of mac and cheese, for example, as well as several packs of peanut butter cups. I switched from Diet Pepsi to regular Coke. The bizarre thing is, while I certainly haven't lost weight, I haven't gained any, either. I certainly should have; the above is in addition to me eating these dinners after midnight instead of in the evening, and still geting absolutely no exercise! I am truly a lazy narf monster.

So the thing is, I really miss being thin. On the other hand, it's not like I'm grotesquely fat now; if I can eat anything I want, and never gain any more weight, that seems like a pretty fair trade! Decisions, decisions.

Compliments of www.myvirtualmodel.com, found by grimkitten. Coolness!

Comments:

From:	instantclarity
Date:	9/16/2002 3:21:36 AM

I loooove playing with My Virtual Model!

From:	rattyluv
Date:	9/16/2002 10:20:59 AM

diet

How friggin cool that is. I tried it too, and here's my model. hehe

http://www.myvirtualmodel.com/mvmhome/jsp/fashion_adv.jsp?#

[censored]

9/16/2002 12:50:00 PM

purple_stardust

***** ****** ******* ******, why can't I get a ********* vet appointment when I ******* need one? One of my **** kids is becoming a ******* veterinarian, and that's all there is to it. **** this ******* ****, ******* it!

Comments:

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/16/2002 2:58:51 PM

hrm... and i thought i had a sailor mouth.... whats your snail mail addy?
i got a plant and a spork waiting...

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/16/2002 3:43:44 PM

Oh, COOL! What is your email addie again?

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/16/2002 3:47:22 PM

Re:

wampi_the_silver@hotmail.com

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/16/2002 3:46:20 PM

Okay, I sent it to your hotmail addie. Let me know if you get it. Thanks! :)

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/16/2002 4:35:44 PM

Re:

[mail snail]

9/16/2002 4:10:00 PM

purple_stardust

wampithesilver - we had talked about mailing snails before; can you really do that? And how? The reason I ask is, there is a snail in my betta tank that looks really blue, sort of a blue-grey colour. I don't guarantee that he's really blue, but if you're interested, I can send him to you. :)

Comments:

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/16/2002 4:47:34 PM

yano those oh so nifty to go snack cans? you get one fill 3/4 with tank water and some brocoli insert snail in the middle ducktape can lid put it in a bag with wet paper towels put in box with peanuts and send him 3 day priority snail mail (lol)
I would love another blue snail but alas... until I get another tank I can get anymore snails... I have 130 or so already...hrm...

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/16/2002 4:58:17 PM

They don't need any more oxygen than that?

PS - If you already have 130, I wouldn't think one more would matter! LOL

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/16/2002 5:08:54 PM

Re:

well I've shipped em before that way without any problems the bigger guys i'll send in a bigger container with more air space but for the little snaily guy thats usually good...

[fontastic]

9/16/2002 4:25:00 PM

purple_stardust

I am still wading through fonts at fontmagic.com. I'm up to Snot, on page 107 out of the 127 pages of novelty fonts. I cannot stop. I emailed the link to my mother, who told me that I was an enabler. I am not an enabler. I just want someone to share in the madness. I'm like an alcoholic, buying my [also alcoholic] buddy a beer. I have downloaded 180 fonts so far, and I haven't even approached all the other categories - kiddie, script, handwriting, the list goes on and on. I need help.

Comments:

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/16/2002 4:41:47 PM

ever been to fontsnthings.com?

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/16/2002 4:59:09 PM

Speaking of being an enabler... ;)

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/16/2002 5:08:46 PM

Re:

who...me?!
*looks around innocently*
ever looked at flamingtext.com 's font library?

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/16/2002 5:18:36 PM

Stop it! Stop it! LA LA LA LA LA - I CAN'T HEAR YOU - LA LA LA LA LA!!!

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/16/2002 5:22:32 PM

lol!
:P

From:	thanny
Date:	9/16/2002 5:18:25 PM

oh i feel your pain; i have 972 fonts at the moment.

and thanks for the links! i shall browse until my eyes roll back into my head.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/16/2002 5:26:47 PM

LOL! I had less than 500 fonts until I found fontmagic.com...

There was a really great freeware program that I used to have on my old computer; it let you look at all the characters of a given font, or you could type in what you wanted to see. I need to find that proram again, because I know a lot of the ones that I've downloaded are similer, plus some of the ones that came with the computer, I hate. If I could see them all at once, I could delete some of them, it would be easier to sort through the ones that I DO like. Hmmm...

From:	mysticpenguin
Date:	9/16/2002 7:06:05 PM

Jeesh, and I thought that I was bad with 150 or so. They're such addictive little things.

[font whore]

9/16/2002 5:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

But I need a font called Meglomaniax, right? I mean, I might use it for something, sometime. And really, what's one more? /end rationalization

Comments:

From:	muridae
Date:	9/16/2002 5:34:35 PM

@@#$%&^*^(&*(#@!~!#

I was TRYING to avoid that site.

But LOOK! THEY HAVE THE KISSMEKISSMEKISSME FONT!!!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/16/2002 5:47:44 PM

I KNOW!!! I already downloaded that one. You should look in the novelty fonts; I downloaded a cute cheese font with mice, and one that is all black cats. I repeat: danger, danger, danger.

From:	muridae
Date:	9/16/2002 6:07:05 PM

I'm a font maniac. I LOVE fonts. I'm like a pathetic font junkie. You know those random disks of fonts? I'll even buy those just in case they have a cool font on them. And I have font books -- like, for publishers. Huge oversized books full of the newest fonts for that year.

{sigh}

From:	thanny
Date:	9/16/2002 6:23:44 PM

I HAVE NO TIME FOR THIS. I JUST DOWNLOADED 'DISCO 2000', AND 'DISTANT GALAXY' IS JUST WAITING TO BE MINE!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

fuck i wish i didn't have today off. i'm going insane. work usually keeps this in check :0/

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/16/2002 10:43:46 PM

LOL! *I* should get a job; G-d knows I NEED something to keep me in check!

[the worst yet]

9/16/2002 5:30:00 PM

purple_stardust

I just downloaded a font called Abcdaire Enfantin because - get this - I might want to print out the letters and make a colouring book for Sarah, someday. The fact that I am just as likely to learn to fly, is irrelevant. I really, really, really need help.

Comments:

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/16/2002 5:43:08 PM

Aaaargh! "I won't click on that font link because I'll be there all night downloading" and then "Oh, well it won't hurt to see what that Abcdaire Enfantin font looks like..."

Eek! In the space of 5 mins I've grabbed 30 new fonts!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/16/2002 5:45:36 PM

HAHAHA!!! I have a friend in the murky font mire! I've been here since last night; it's good to see you! =)

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/16/2002 6:03:11 PM

Re:

I've been dragged into the murky world of font addiction before, I thought I was free!

*throws away her 18 month F.A. chip*

You caught me at a bad time! MozFish is dead...and the fonts...must..be able to write in pseudo-Russian!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/16/2002 10:54:10 PM

I know, same here. It goes in cycles; I download install a couple hundred fonts, I get tired of not being able to find useful fonts amongst all the silly ones, I delete about half of them. Then about three months go by, and I do it all again. {sigh}

PS - you can write to me in pseudo-Russian, and I can answer you in pseudo-Hebrew! =D

[my friends list]

9/16/2002 5:45:00 PM

purple_stardust

You see how lucky you guys are? You get to watch my daily obsessions unfold and take on lives of their own. You get to see me completely lose control over what I want (and need!) to be doing with my time. You get to watch as I lose my mind - one rat, one fish, one book, one font - one obsession at a time. Usually people have to be professional psychiatrists to see this. You're so lucky! Or not.

Comments:

From:	catmoran
Date:	9/16/2002 6:20:43 PM

one obsession at a time

Better yet, you almost drag me into a new obsession.

(I do *not* need more fonts, I don't know what to do with the ones I *have*.)

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/16/2002 10:57:59 PM

Silly girl, you need to practice your rationalization techniques. For example, you see a nice font where all the letters are on black cats. Common sense would dictate that there are few practical uses for such a font. BUT! Good rationalization says hey, what if you need to make a Halloween card someday? =D

From:	muridae
Date:	9/17/2002 2:11:32 PM

THERE'S A FONT WITH BLACK CATS?!?!?!?!?!?!?

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/17/2002 3:33:30 PM

I have found three! :)

Bad Black Cat: http://www.fontmagic.com/cate/fun16.html
Cats Meow: http://www.fontmagic.com/cate/fun32.html
Nine Lives: http://www.fontmagic.com/cate/fun86.html

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/18/2002 1:27:51 AM

Also Border Cats (dingbats) - http://www.fontmagic.com/cate/ding6.html :)

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/16/2002 6:28:23 PM

It's good training for my future career as a psychologist. I owe you one ;)

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/16/2002 11:00:02 PM

See? It's a public service that I'm offering here. Free guinea pig for all the psych majors out there. :)

From:	muridae
Date:	9/16/2002 8:29:42 PM

Sometimes we even get to influence you to get new obsessions. Oooh!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/16/2002 11:04:16 PM

YOU! That's right, YOU are the one you led me back into goldfish, not to mention stripey stockings and Tori Amos! But I introduced you to Shining Force, so I guess we're even. :)

From:	artmomz
Date:	9/16/2002 8:40:16 PM

That's awesome. ;o) And before you, I didn't even know people kept rats as pets. I don't know why it never occured to me, it just didn't. I'm off to ponder this...

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/16/2002 11:21:06 PM

It's probably because you've only seen them in pet stores, where they're usually sold for snake food. A lot of people actually start out by buying feeder rats and keeping them as pets, and then they see what great pets they are and love them so much that they go seeking more information, which leads them to shows and breeders, who usually provide them with even prettier rats in more unusual colours and markings, and then they see that you can get them with even cuter ears and curlier fur, and by that time they're completely hooked and their home is over-run with cages and they have a zillion rats. Or at least that's how it happened to me. :]

[hair update]

9/16/2002 11:50:00 PM

purple_stardust

I forgot to mention that when I washed my hair for the first time after getting it cut, I was surprised to find that it looked pretty good for just letting it dry on its own! I expected for it to be a lot curlier when it was shorter, but it turned out to be the exact opposite! I guess maybe all the waviness was in the length...? Oh well. At any rate, it's good enough for home and shopping and such.

For exceptional occasions, I bought a purple and black blow drier. For shits and giggles, I tried it out tonight. I think my hair turned out pretty well, considering that I had no experience with a blow drier! I even curled the tips under with the antique curling iron that I found in the bedroom, and it looks almost as good as when Rhonda did it. I think that if I am going to do this on a semi-regular basis, I should buy a new purple and black curling iron to match my new purple and black blow drier.

And yes, I did already buy a purple and black hairbrush to go it, because the purple and white hairbrush that I had, would never do. It is very important that everything be colour-coded. I need to find a purple and black vented brush too.

Yes, I'm just a little bit obsessive. Gak. Oh well, back to fontmagic.com ...

[one more thing]

9/17/2002 12:15:00 AM

purple_stardust

I *hate* fonts that are all capital letters, and no small case. That is all.

[by jove]

9/17/2002 12:30:00 AM

purple_stardust

I think I have it! The perfect rationalization to the rampant font-collecting!

Are you ready for this?

I need them because when I finally get around to making covers for all those mp3 CDs that I've burned and that I intend to burn, I will need a wide range of fonts to go with the wide range of styles on those CDs. Duh! I mean, I can't make a Metallica CD and use the Kindergarden font on the cover, right? Right?

Somebody back me up on this!

/thunk

[dinner]

9/17/2002 12:45:00 AM

purple_stardust

Half of a leftover cheese sub (age unknown, but it's held up remarkably well), chedder cheese pretzal combos, and Reese's Cups. Regular Coke.

[who pissed in my wheaties?]

9/17/2002 10:50:00 AM

purple_stardust

Here is one that is in the top ten on my list of pet peeves: People who get cell phones but never turn them on. Especially when said people give you the number like they're doing you a big favour - "ooh, here, I got this cell phone number, now you can always get ahold of me." Yeah, right. If anyone sees my ex-husband out and about, please tell the smarmy little twerp to call me. Better yet, smack him and turn his phone on.

Comments:

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/17/2002 11:47:50 AM

Can I add to that? People who not only leave their phone switched off, but don't check their email. You send them a text message saying "you have email, check your inbox dammit" but they never get either message until it's way too late, usually after you've ~~killed yourself~~ phoned their home phone to tell them "check your mobile you twat".

Argh.

The Phantom Cereal Pisser must've got me too!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/17/2002 12:44:32 PM

That would also be my ex-husband. {sigh}

Is everything okay with you?

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/17/2002 4:03:18 PM

Yeah I'm fine, just pissed off with myself for feeling miserable!

[ah-ha!]

9/17/2002 4:10:00 PM

purple_stardust

The Font Thing - a must-have font viewer and organiser for Windows.

Comments:

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/17/2002 4:33:19 PM

Aaargh, you're killing me! The fonts are taking over my life :)

9/17/2002 8:35:00 PM

purple_stardust

Happy 9th Birthday Christopher!

Comments:

From:	laurarn
Date:	9/17/2002 10:38:49 PM

OH MY GOSH you have GOT to be kidding!!! Kissy-fur is NINE. Holy cow they are growing up fast. And SO cute!!

From:	mysticpenguin
Date:	9/18/2002 1:31:29 AM

Oh, gosh. He's a cutie!

From:	artmomz
Date:	9/18/2002 1:36:02 AM

Hey...I want some of that cake! :o)

From:	muridae
Date:	9/18/2002 8:29:36 AM

Happy birthday Christopher!
Christopher it's your birthday!
Happy birthday Christopher!

From:	sf_rose
Date:	9/18/2002 9:50:58 AM

Yay!!!

He's a cutie! Happy Birthday to Christopher!!! =0)

[fontmagic.com]

9/18/2002 12:35:00 AM

purple_stardust

I have made it through the horror fonts. Onward to the dingbats...

[postcards from the edge]

9/18/2002 1:15:00 AM

purple_stardust

Look what my mom brought for me; six postcards from Jerusalem that she found at an antique mall! The one above is dated 1921, the same age as my grandmother. Now I just need to think of a good way to display them. My mom is the coolest mom ever! :}

Comments:

From:	rattyluv
Date:	9/18/2002 8:38:12 AM

mom

Well DUHHHH :-)

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/18/2002 5:03:14 PM

can I borrow your mom?

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/18/2002 5:41:50 PM

No. But you can have my father! ;)

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/19/2002 8:30:22 AM

Re:

lol!

From:	topi
Date:	9/19/2002 6:41:27 PM

Hello!

Hey! Just added you, thanks for adding me!

I love the postcard! Post more of them! It does a Jewish heart good.

YS

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/19/2002 7:47:39 PM

Re: Hello!

Well, if you insist... ;) I just scanned the others, will post them a bit later!

[the grand total]

9/18/2002 2:30:00 AM

purple_stardust

I am finally done exploring fontmagic.com. The damage: 488 new fonts. Ouch.

Comments:

From:	thanny
Date:	9/18/2002 12:10:45 PM

haha i just made it through 'b' (i know i'd give up if i browsed by section).

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/18/2002 7:27:44 PM

You are obviously far more sensible than I am!

[zzzzz]

9/18/2002 11:10:00 AM

purple_stardust

I really should go and fix myself a cup of coffee, lest I slip into a coma.

Comments:

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/18/2002 2:23:17 PM

There should be a million monuments erected to honour whoever discovered caffeine.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/18/2002 7:26:58 PM

Yes. And they should all be very big and made of solid gold. Coffee is the food of the gods.

[mush alert]

9/18/2002 12:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

I found a beautiful sentiment in one of those continually forwarded emails...

Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to,
doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
Of course, sometimes they're just an emotionally retarded asshole.

Comments:

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/18/2002 12:23:01 PM

>Of course, sometimes they're just an emotionally retarded asshole.

You're great. That just made me overfeed the bettas because I laughed too hard and knocked the food over!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/18/2002 7:34:35 PM

LOL! Sorry! =)

From:	muridae
Date:	9/19/2002 8:15:28 AM

I <3 you.

[geneology]

9/18/2002 12:55:00 PM

purple_stardust

Jonah, I have a question for you. My grandmother is old and not in great health, and my mother and I are trying to figure out the family geneology while my grandmother is still around, since she is the last immediate family member of that generation. We have gotten to a point and hit a wall. There was a woman called Sarah Smiley. She was from England and she married a man called John Watson. They lived in Fairmont WV for most of their lives, we think. She gave birth to a son in 1891, to give you an idea of the time frame. We have no other information on her.

I know it's a long shot, but we're desperate. Have you ever heard of this woman, or have you ever had family in West Virginia?

{This post is only viewable by copperpoint.}

Comments:

From:	copperpoint
Date:	9/18/2002 7:02:44 PM

To the best of my knowledge, the Smiley's in my family were originally the Shmuelovich's who moved from Romania to Canada early in the 1900's. There, the name was changed to Smilovich, and when they moved to Boston the name was naturalized to Smiley. Sorry.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/18/2002 7:20:46 PM

Oh, okay. Thanks anyway! :)

From:	copperpoint
Date:	9/18/2002 10:43:11 PM

Re:

I was sorry to hear about Brutus. Would I be out of place saying "This was the noblest rodent of them all"?

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/18/2002 10:47:56 PM

Not at all! :)

And thank you... I know I sound like a flake to non-rat people, but he really was a special boy.

[rest in peace]

9/18/2002 4:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

Comments:

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/18/2002 4:49:43 PM

*hugs*

I'm so sorry.

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/18/2002 4:50:39 PM

aww..poor lil guy.
*huggles*

From:	catmoran
Date:	9/18/2002 5:15:22 PM

Oh, poor baby. :-(

From:	muridae
Date:	9/18/2002 5:24:35 PM

From:	dayoh
Date:	9/18/2002 5:54:26 PM

*hugs* poor little guy.

From:	driftwood
Date:	9/18/2002 8:39:21 PM

I'm so sorry Renee. And Brutus was Tucker's daddy too, wasn't he?

:(

[brutus]

9/18/2002 8:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

Thanks to everyone for their sympathy. Brutus was a very special boy.

I took him to the vet this morning. She x-rayed him and said that she thought he had a diaphramatic hernia, which we assume he got when he fell and injured his foot. Surgery was possible, but it was very expensive and she said the odds were almost non-existant that he would even survive the surgery, much less recover. I asked her what she would do if it were her pet, and she said she would let him go. So I did.

Comments:

From:	grimkitten_
Date:	9/18/2002 9:45:53 PM

*hugs* I'm sorry.

[in geek news]

9/19/2002 2:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

Today is the ~~10th~~ 20th anniversary of the first internet smiley face! :-)

Comments:

From:	cellio
Date:	9/19/2002 2:46:53 PM

20th, actually.

From:	gypsydance
Date:	9/19/2002 2:51:44 PM

Glad someone else noticed. I was sitting here thinking, "I know my math is bad, but I don't think it's quite THAT bad..."

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/19/2002 3:03:29 PM

Shit. Wishful thinking on my part, I guess. ;)

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/19/2002 3:31:39 PM

Aaah.. but is it? http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/27122.html

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/19/2002 4:22:27 PM

Oh no! The plot thickens...

[breakfast/lunch]

9/19/2002 4:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

Do I want to eat something? No, I don't think I do. Oh well.

Comments:

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/19/2002 4:35:37 PM

Spoonfuls of peanut butter from the jar, washed down with Pepsi, and cranberry Vodka!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/19/2002 4:49:12 PM

I would be a lot more inclined to eat, if I had those things! Especially the vodka...

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/19/2002 5:04:19 PM

Re:

I won't open the cranberry vodka because it'll disappear! If it's any consolation I've been too lazy to eat properly, and gone for a heady combination of cereal bars and headache tablets, washed down with Pepsi!

From:	grimkitten_
Date:	9/19/2002 8:32:09 PM

I think you want a pizza with basil pesto seasoned crust with green and black olives and red onions with lots of feta and mozzerella cheese. Oh, wait I just ate that......I have leftovers if you want to come get it. :)

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/19/2002 8:53:23 PM

LOL! I just ordered a pizza with anchovies, but now that you mention it, I think I should have gone to your house!

[postcards]

9/19/2002 9:55:00 PM

purple_stardust

Especially for topi: Postcards from Israel.

Yes folks, it's official. I have a collection. You know what this means - I have an obsession. Because, you know, anything worth doing, is worth doing to excess.

Comments:

From:	muridae
Date:	9/19/2002 10:03:43 PM

Because, you know, anything worth doing, is worth doing to excess.

hell yeah!

From:	artmomz
Date:	9/19/2002 10:57:43 PM

raises hand

agreed!

From:	topi
Date:	9/19/2002 11:22:46 PM

THANKS!

YS

[dinner]

9/20/2002 12:00:00 AM

purple_stardust

Domino's thin crust pizza with anchovies. Nutty Bar. Regular Coke.

[ooh, a survey thingie]

9/20/2002 10:00:00 AM

purple_stardust

Blatantly stolen from grimkitten...

01) your live journal "user name" & what it means:
Mad Nessie ... madnessie ... madness-ie ... get it?

02) on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest) how well does your livejournal represent who you actually are?
I would say 9. I think my journal is an accurate reflection of how anal and obsessive-compulsive I am. It's not good, but it's accurate.

03) how much about your life do you post to lj?
Oh geez. From my perspective, quite a bit, but a lot of my posts are heavily filtered so not everyone sees every post.

04) is there anything you refuse to post about?
I try not to post a lot about my kids, and I don't usually post details about my sex life... though if I had a sex life, I might.

05) on a scale of 1-10 how interesting do you think your own journal is to others?
Probably about -7.

06) from who/how did you find out about lj?
It is all muridae's fault.

07) has anyone ever joined lj because of you?
laurarn, ayzalove, rattyluv, midnitediva, rustyspike.

08) what proportion of your posts are friends only?
All of them.

09) what is your favorite interest on lj?
Judaism.

10) has anything on lj ever caused you to establish, rethink, or even change your belief or position on something?
Oh sure. I have "met" a lot of people on LJ that have made me think, though most of my core beliefs are permanent.

11) how often do you respond / comment on other peoples journals?
Whenever I have something to say.

12) do you prefer to write in your journal, read other journals?
I like to do both!

13) have you ever had something mean said to you or been stalked, harassed, or got into an argument/flame war on lj (or did it to someone else)?
Someone (not on my friends list) posted something anti-semetic once. His comment was deleted.

14) have you ever banned someone from your journal?
Yes, the guy from #13.

15) who are your favorite lj friend(s) and why?
Gad, what a loaded question! I love ALL of my friends, of course.

16) how many of your lj friends have you actually met?
Well, midnitediva gave birth to me, and I sleep with rustyspike. muridae and striking_minors, rattyluv and smarsh97, and laurarn are IRL friends, and I have also met driftwood and jacquez.

17) of all of the people on lj you know of, who is the most like you?
rattyluv and muridae, probably.

18) why are you most likely to add someone to your friends list?
If I see they've made a particularly snide, funny, or thought-provoking post in a friend's journal, I look at their journal, and if it's also snide, funny, or thought-provoking, I might add them.

19) do you automatically add friends to your journal if they add you first?
No, I usually check them out first.

20) what is the most likely reason you wouldn't add someone to your friends list?
If they are racist, sexist, anti-semetic, rude, or childish.

21) is your "significant other" on lj?
Yes, but he rarely posts.

22) have you ever wanted to meet someone on lj?
Yeah, there are a couple of people on my friends list that seem pretty fun to hang out with. Of the more local people, one of these days I am going to catch up with pocket_entropy and go fish-shopping. I could go Blenko Glass touring with blairmaru, and closertofine could join us. And I still think that sf_rose and I should crash grimkitten and borracho's wedding.

Comments:

From:	sf_rose
Date:	9/20/2002 11:07:34 AM

YES! YES!

And I still think that sf_rose and I should crash grimkitten and borracho's wedding.

DAMN! I want to cry like a Jewish mother.... My babies have grown up and now look...

I wish we could go. Tell you what, if I win the Lotto between now and January, we're THERE!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/20/2002 11:40:54 AM

Re: YES! YES!

I'm within driving distance, so we just need to get you out here... START PLAYING!!! =D

From:	borracho
Date:	9/20/2002 11:47:24 AM

Re: YES! YES!

I don't know if this takes the fun out of it for you but you two would never be considered crashers. You are more than welcome.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/20/2002 12:19:48 PM

Re: YES! YES!

Oh. Oh well, it still sounds like a hella good time! =D

From:	sf_rose
Date:	9/21/2002 3:14:15 PM

Re: YES! YES!

"CA-CHING!!!!" =0)

From:	muridae
Date:	9/20/2002 11:44:26 AM

06) from who/how did you find out about lj?
It is all muridae's fault.

Hee hee! That's right! Just another obsession to toss onto the pile. I'm such a baaaaaaaad influence. =D

Oh geez. From my perspective, quite a bit, but a lot of my posts are heavily filtered so not everyone sees every post.

Now I'm gonna be all obnoxiously paranoid that I don't get to see anything personal!

:* mwah!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/20/2002 12:23:48 PM

You ARE a bad influence! Do you have any idea how much time I spend here? Do you have any idea how much money I've spent on these goldfish? Do you have -- well, the Live Journal and the goldfish are the worst of it. BAD!!!

From:	muridae
Date:	9/20/2002 5:09:22 PM

Now I'm gonna have to find something new for you to obsess over...

=D

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/21/2002 1:27:27 PM

Great. Can you make it something less expensive than the goldfish, this time? :-P

From:	closertofine
Date:	9/20/2002 6:14:10 PM

Oh yeah I am there!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/20/2002 8:38:19 PM

Yay! I seriously want to go down into that part of the state and buy some glass.

From:	grimkitten_
Date:	9/21/2002 12:09:25 PM

I hope that you guys can make it. When I get my invitations I'm going to scan it and put it on LJ *under a filtered post* to invite some LJ people. It would be awesome if you could come!!!!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/21/2002 1:29:18 PM

Yay! That would be so cool. Not only would it be cool to watch you guys get married (after we watched you get together to begin with), but I would love to see a Jewish wedding. :)

[oops]

9/20/2002 10:15:00 AM

purple_stardust

I mispelled "Israel" not once, but three times in making my postcard site. Well, I can't spell, but at least I'm consistant. Der.

Comments:

From:	borracho
Date:	9/20/2002 11:42:57 AM

Damn that cut and paste.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/20/2002 12:15:49 PM

That must be it. I mean, I DO know how to spell "Israel" and even if I didn't, I was sitting right here looking at the word! :\

[the "close" filter]

9/20/2002 12:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

Actually Laurie, you and Joell and my mother are in a special filter - only you guys get to see the posts about my impending divorce and the juicy stuff about Rusty. See? You're special. ;)

Comments:

From:	muridae
Date:	9/20/2002 12:18:27 PM

Wooooooo!

So the divorce will actually finally happen? Jamie finally signed the papers?

From:	rattyluv
Date:	9/20/2002 1:01:50 PM

divorce

LMAO I'll believe that when it's finally happened. hehe

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/20/2002 2:43:27 PM

Re: divorce

Eh, we filled out all the papers, but still haven't filed them yet. First the boys started school and we were busy with that, and now it's just a matter of having the extra money. One of these days - probably when we're both about 90 - we WILL be divorced. :\

From:	muridae
Date:	9/20/2002 4:35:48 PM

Re: divorce

It's gonna be like seven more years!

Did you go in for the counseling on how to break it to your poor, suffering, traumatised children yet?

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/20/2002 8:30:46 PM

Re: divorce

No, but I am sure that when I do, after these eight years of separation, they will be shocked and surprised. /rolls eyes

[ratfest]

9/20/2002 4:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

rattyluv and smarsh97 are leaving for Ratfest 2002 this evening. /pathetic sigh

Comments:

From:	muridae
Date:	9/20/2002 4:28:52 PM

Wow, I didn't even know there was going to be a ratfest. That looks kinda fun!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/20/2002 4:33:11 PM

I know. I don't even really want to GO, I just want one of Bella's ratlets. Sandy WAS going to drive down, and bring me one back, but then she had to take off work for surgery, so she didn't want to take off more time, so she's flying. I can't really blame her, but that doesn't stop me from giving them both the guilt trip. :)

From:	muridae
Date:	9/20/2002 4:54:57 PM

I hear Bella has nice ratlets. Maybe you could get her to UPS them.

<ducks>

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/20/2002 8:21:44 PM

Yeah! Hey Bella, send me some of those blue dumbo "lizards"! =D

From:	muridae
Date:	9/25/2002 1:17:29 PM

That's never gonna stop being funny! :D

[note to self]

9/20/2002 4:25:00 PM

purple_stardust

Self, call the friggen' dentist, already! Fillings do not grow back on their own. Ow.

Comments:

From:	topi
Date:	9/20/2002 6:40:01 PM

I totally second that thought!!!

YS

[true enough]

9/20/2002 9:40:00 PM

purple_stardust

What's Your Magic Power?

[do do do do do do do do]

9/20/2002 10:25:00 PM

purple_stardust

John Edwards is full of doo doo.

Comments:

From:	borracho
Date:	9/21/2002 10:00:02 AM

AMEN! Beautiful Sister!!!

[groovy]

9/20/2002 11:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

{ Asylum Sand Art Therapy }

Comments:

From:	muridae
Date:	9/20/2002 11:58:31 PM

That is so much fun! Must repost the link in my journal. =)

[dinner]

9/20/2002 11:50:00 PM

purple_stardust

Leftover anchovey pizza. Reese's Cups. Regular Coke. Whee.

[you say tomato, I say huh?]

9/21/2002 12:50:00 PM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - Fox News Channel

]

I am trying to be diligent and read these Judaism books. This is good. Except, I swear, I think I honestly have a learning disability. Or maybe a learning block. My brain refuses to process foreign (to me) words. I've always been this way. I was an excellent student until I took (and failed!) high school Latin. Then I failed high school French. Well, guess what? I'm failing Jewish, too.

I read the stuff but it doesn't "stick". The basic concepts do - one non-corporeal G-d, etcetera - but when it comes to stuff that involves foreign words - nada. This is NOT helped by the way Judaism has multiple words for the same thing - Sukkot/Succoth, Hanukkah/Chanukkah, etcetera. We won't even get into Shabbot/Sabbath/Shabbos, and the names for G-d.

And this confusion is all caused just by the transliteration of Hebrew words, not the Hebrew itself. The Hebrew itself could cause convulsions. I am hopeless. :\

Comments:

From:	topi
Date:	9/21/2002 1:53:13 PM

You forgot "shabbis"!

YS - Mr. Funny

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/21/2002 2:15:54 PM

/smacks Topi upside the head.

From:	slow_like_honey
Date:	9/21/2002 2:43:55 PM

All the Hebrew words have me soooooo confused too :/ Especially since I'm also learning how to speak Chinese :p

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/21/2002 2:48:01 PM

Oh geez... I think if I tried to learn two languages at once, my brain would just explode. =o

From:	slow_like_honey
Date:	9/21/2002 9:38:52 PM

Re:

Yeah, so for now I think I'm kinda putting the Hebrew aside unfortunately because I need to pass Chinese at school and I'm hoping I'll just slowly be able to pick up a bit of Hebrew here and there as I learn instead of jumping in and trying to learn it all at once right now, ya know?

From:	samuraikitty
Date:	9/21/2002 4:00:45 PM

Your high school offered Latin? No fair!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/21/2002 4:39:06 PM

Eeewww, Latin. Yes, it did... though what compelled ME to take it, I'll never know!

From:	cellio
Date:	9/21/2002 8:03:18 PM

The confusion is mostly in the transliteration. "Shabbat" and "Shabbos" aren't two different words; they're two different accents applied to the exact same Hebrew word. I actually wish that more books printed the actual Hebrew in these discussions instead of the transliterations; you'd see more consistency and you'd learn to recognize key words.

Here's something that might help you: start to compile a glossary of Hebrew words you encounter. As you encounter alternate spellings of what is clearly the same word, cross-reference them. Sometimes the simple act of writing something down (actually writing, not cutting and pasting) helps me to remember things. And in this case, you're building up a handy reference.

What books are you reading?

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/21/2002 8:36:36 PM

You know, you gave me a great idea! If I took notes, like I was in school, that would probably help a lot with comprehension! I DO usually find that I remember things better if I write them down. Thanks!!! =D

PS - I'm *trying* to read Settings of Silver, ATM.

From:	cellio
Date:	9/21/2002 10:34:41 PM

Taking notes helps. I don't usually take notes on books, but I tend to take copious notes in classes. And I write things down in other ways, like in my journal.

PS - I'm *trying* to read Settings of Silver, ATM.

I don't know this one. What is it about?

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/21/2002 10:42:21 PM

I don't know this one. What is it about?

Really? That one was recommended reading by two different rabbis and several online friends; I assumed it was standard conversion reading! It is a general information book, it seems to cover a little bit of everything. You can read more here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/080913960X/qid=1032662352/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/102-2810033-2675329?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 :)

[hmmm]

9/21/2002 2:45:00 PM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - Fox News Channel

]

I think I may contact Beth Shalom about converting. It's a further drive, but they offer formal classes, they have Saturday morning services, and I think they're more conservative than B'nai Abraham. Also, I like their online calendar.

[seething]

9/21/2002 5:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - Fox News Channel

]

I'd really like to be getting drunk right now. Unfortunately, Rusty has taken the car "to work" and left me here with the baby. Nevermind that I'm usually alone with the baby 12 hours per day, 6 days per week. Nevermind that I needed to go to the store today. Nevermind that I needed his help with cages today. Nevermind that we never do anything together anymore. This wouldn't piss me off nearly so much if I wasn't pretty sure that he isn't working at all, but sitting at the office watching football. Not that I can drive by and see, since I don't have the fucking car.

Comments:

From:	slow_like_honey
Date:	9/21/2002 9:49:04 PM

*hugs*

[better now]

9/21/2002 9:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - Football

]

Arguing politics and religion with Rusty. All is well.

[jewhoo.com]

9/21/2002 9:25:00 PM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - Football

]

This just cracks me up:

Daffy Duck's voice was modeled, according to many Warner Brothers' studio animators, after the tyrannical head of the WB cartoon studio, Leon Schlesinger, who was Jewish. Schlesinger had a pronounced lisp. The first Daffy cartoon was screened for him and everyone held their breath. Schlesinger happily declared, "Jethuth Critht thath’s a funny voithe! Where’d ya get that voithe?".

[awww]

9/21/2002 10:10:00 PM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - Football

]

I think I'm going to have to keep this little guy. He looks just like his daddy Brutus, right down to the shape of his tummy spot. When I had them out taking pictures, he actually licked my thumb. I think I'm in love... /swoon

Comments:

From:	catmoran
Date:	9/21/2002 10:53:16 PM

Look at the itsie toesies!

Furry babies turn me into a big sap.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/22/2002 10:43:51 AM

I know, they have that effect. Even Rusty, who is this big red-headed viking looking guy, talks baby talk to the ratlets. =D

From:	catmoran
Date:	9/22/2002 3:24:16 PM

Re:

Have you gotten any photos of this for blackmail? {g}

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/22/2002 5:49:08 PM

Ha ha ha ha ha!!! I have pictures of him wearing a tiara! =D

From:	instantclarity
Date:	9/22/2002 3:16:02 AM

Baxter is reeeeeally cute. My condolences on losing Brutus--that's really tough. :(

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/22/2002 10:34:56 AM

Thanks, on both counts. :)

From:	gypsydance
Date:	9/22/2002 3:53:59 AM

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! If I didn't have such hunter cats, I'd be just about convinced that I need a rat. Baxter's sooo cute!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/22/2002 9:57:55 AM

You should, someday! Cats *can* be okay with rats; mine get along. My mom's cats, OTOH, would probably terrorise the rats. A lot of it depends on whether the rats are used to cats from their previous home. If they don't act afraid of the cats, then the cats don't seem as interested in them. My rats have actually been known to chase the cats, which is an interesting sight. :)

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/22/2002 9:43:58 AM

Awww he's tiny!! That pink nose... he's definitely a keeper!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/22/2002 10:33:39 AM

Isn't he cute? There is another one that has more interesting markings, but this one looks like Brutie.

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/23/2002 4:50:24 PM

Re:

It's nice that you have one that looks so much like Brutus. He was a very handsome rattie indeed, long may his genes live!

That little one is adorable. funny how the sight of a pink, squirmy human baby makes me nauseous, but a tiny, squirmy ratlet melts my heart!

From:	muridae
Date:	9/22/2002 11:27:29 AM

squeak!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/22/2002 1:09:39 PM

Indeed.

From:	wampithesilver
Date:	9/22/2002 12:32:26 PM

Aww! what a cute little guy!!!!!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/22/2002 12:46:58 PM

Thanks! :)

From:	artmomz
Date:	9/23/2002 12:39:39 AM

Ohh...now that is cute...

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/24/2002 11:40:10 AM

Thanks! :)

[dinner]

9/22/2002 12:30:00 AM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - The Cosby Show

]

Fish Cakes with tarter sauce. Easy Mac. Peanut butter fudge cookies. Regular Pepsi.

[today]

9/22/2002 8:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - The 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards

]

We had a good day! We watched the Sunday morning talking heads shows, and then finished assembling the new Martins R-680's, and re-arranged the rats accordingly. Now I've ordered dinner, and it's time to vegitate! Hooray!

[private post to vinci]

9/22/2002 11:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

Hey, if you ever need to talk, I've been there. {hugs}

Comments:

From:	pocket_entropy
Date:	9/22/2002 11:46:36 PM

*tightsnugs* Thank you.. I am so very glad we met.. I'm really sorry. x.xA

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/23/2002 12:17:25 AM

What on earth are you sorry for? It's a medical condition, not something to be ashamed of. Would you apologise if you had cancer or schizophrenia or chicken pox? Of course not, and you shouldn't apologise for this either. The only difference between this and any other medical condition, is that people are less understanding about this - and for that, THEY should be ashamed, not you.

You hang in there, it WILL get easier, I promise. If you ever want to talk, my email is renee @ziggabella.com, or I'm ziggabella 2001 on AIM. Please don't feel that you need to keep quiet so as to not upset anyone. You need to worry about YOU first. Okay?

[dinner]

9/23/2002 1:15:00 AM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - All in the Family

]

Papa John's cheese sticks. Peanut butter fudge cookies. Regular Coke.

[ack]

9/23/2002 7:00:00 AM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - Fox News Channel

]

I woke up this morning and could not breathe. This was alarming to me, since breathing is usually something that I'm pretty good at. Geez.

Comments:

From:	muridae
Date:	9/23/2002 8:21:23 PM

What's the big idea? I know I'm cool, but come on, you don't need to copy me THAT much! =P

<cough>
<hack>

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/23/2002 8:42:56 PM

But... but... you're my HERO! I want to be just like yooouuu... {hack, gasp}

From:	muridae
Date:	9/23/2002 11:06:10 PM

<snort>

9/23/2002 12:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

Happy 2nd Birthday Sarah!

Comments:

From:	laurarn
Date:	9/23/2002 9:27:49 PM

That pic is TOO cute. And I can't BELIEVE she is 2!!!!!!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/24/2002 11:39:16 AM

We can't either. You should have seen us the night before, whining that our BABY was now a TODDLER. /sigh

From:	laurarn
Date:	9/24/2002 7:16:23 PM

Does this mean it's time for number FOUR?????

From:	topi
Date:	9/23/2002 9:31:17 PM

Awwww She's so cute!!!!!!!!! I want kids now!!!!!!!!!

YS

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/24/2002 11:38:26 AM

Thanks! You should definately have one, they're a ton of fun... most of the time, anyway. ;)

From:	tues
Date:	9/23/2002 9:58:23 PM

soooo adorable! =)

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/24/2002 11:37:38 AM

Thanks! :)

From:	muridae
Date:	9/23/2002 11:04:33 PM

Awwwww! Look how cute she is!

Do you think when she grows up she will be a petite person or a big viking person? =D

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/24/2002 11:37:19 AM

LOL! Eh, she's tiny, fortunately. That dress is 18 months, and it's still big on her. All my kids are little mini mes, all she has from Rusty is his big toes. I have like, killer genes or something.

[dinner]

9/23/2002 11:45:00 PM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - Cheers

]

Fish Cakes with tarter sauce. Easy Mac. Peanut butter fudge cookies. Regular Coke.

Comments:

From:	closertofine
Date:	9/25/2002 6:22:08 PM

I love Kraft mac & cheese. Is the Easy Mac as good?

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	10/3/2002 6:53:06 PM

It's GREAT! I originally bought it for my daughter, but it's the perfect as a snack or a side dish for one.

[revenge is sweet]

9/24/2002 11:30:00 AM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - Dragon Tales

]

Many times in the past, I have opened the door to yell at the dogs to stop barking, and my mailman has been standing there sorting out the mail, and it always startles me, and he always laughs at me. Today, I was behind the house checking on some hanging laundry, and when I came around the corner, the mailman was coming down the walk, looking down at the mail he was sorting. I kept walking towards the door, and when he looked up and saw me, HE jumped! I laughed at him and told him that I'd been hiding back there all morning, just waiting for my chance for revenge.

[lefties]

9/24/2002 12:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - ABC News

]

Isn't left-handedness a genetic thing? My mom bought a My First LeapPad for Sarah's birthday. Despite the fact that Rusty and I are hopelessly right-handed (I can't even smoke with my left hand, it's useless), Sarah consistantly wants to hold the stylus with her left hand. My mother is somewhat ambidexterous, but no one else in the immediate family is left-handed. Weird. She *would* be the odd one.

Comments:

From:	muridae
Date:	9/24/2002 1:39:03 PM

I'm left-handed but no one else in my family is left-handed either. I don't know if anyone really knows why it happens.

Some of us are just born special, I guess. =)

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/24/2002 4:29:41 PM

I'm the only 'southpaw' in my family. Even my cousins are right-handed.

From:	copperpoint
Date:	9/24/2002 7:39:33 PM

I'm the only lefty in my family. See my earlier post about my father claiming he forced it on me.

From:	cellio
Date:	9/25/2002 12:35:59 PM

I'm the only person in my family with left-handed tendencies. (It was trained out of me at an early age, so I have this weird mix of things I do left-handed and things I do right-handed now.) Isn't it recessive?

[piss on 'em]

9/24/2002 8:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - The O'Reilly Factor

]

You! Yes, you! STOP APOLOGIZING!!! You know who you are.

[absolut rat]

9/24/2002 9:45:00 PM

purple_stardust

[dinner]

9/25/2002 12:15:00 AM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - The Cosby Show

]

White chedder mac and cheese with extra shredded four-cheese mix. Resee's Cups. Regular Coke. /behold the power of cheese

[digital elph]

9/25/2002 8:00:00 AM

purple_stardust

Laurie: http://madnessie.ziggabella.com/laurie/ - there are a dozen shots; some outdoors (which are a tad fuzzy, the wind was blowing), and some inside. Of the inside shots, most were taken in the living room in poor lighting, and one or two in the bedroom with worse lighting. The last couple are in similer conditions, but they are nice rat close-ups, so look anyway. =D

[panic attack]

9/25/2002 9:30:00 AM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - Fox News Chanel

]

Meeting with Rabbi Garfunkel in one hour. Eek.

Comments:

From:	rattyluv
Date:	9/25/2002 9:42:20 AM

Good luck

ashre ha-ish

From:	cellio
Date:	9/25/2002 10:41:47 AM

Good luck! (Ironically, I just got back not long ago from meeting with mine. :-) )

From:	topi
Date:	9/25/2002 10:48:39 AM

Both of you should post about the meetings!

YS

From:	cellio
Date:	9/25/2002 11:23:39 AM

I often do so in my own journal. Feel free to browse.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/25/2002 2:42:38 PM

But of course! =)

[meeting]

9/25/2002 1:30:00 PM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - All My Children

]

I had an appointment to meet with the rabbi at 10:30am, but she was late (she usually is), so we waited. I had to take Sarah with me, which worried me, but she was very well-behaved. When we were waiting in the lobby, she pointed to the wooden Star of David on the wall. I said "Star of David". I asked her later where the Star of David was, and she pointed right to it. She likes to look at the SOD pendant that I wear, so I guess she recognizes it from that, even though this one is a lot more abstract. She's a smart girl, though she calls it "Dobee" ... hey, she's only two. :-Þ

Anyway, Rabbi Garfunkel showed up about a half hour late. I told her that I was having trouble with the language thing, and she told me that she read once that there was like a language "template" that everyone has, and that for a lot of people, it atrophies at about age 12. I told her that mine wasn't atrophied, it was dead. She did not seem shocked by this, and gave me a few tips.

I also asked her a lot of questions that I had been jotting down as I thought of them... everything from observance levels of Shabbat and the kashrut, to the kabbalah, to the political situation in Israel, to the correct pronunciation of that dratted "ch" sound. We talked about the reform movement, and how a lot of people take that to mean that you just don't observe halachah, and not that you analyze what parts you feel you should observe, and how, and why. I told her that I thought the analyzing everything was the best part, and she agreed.

She asked me if I was going to services this Friday - it is Simchat Torah. I need to look that up and see what it's all about, and see if it's something I would be comfortable participating in at this point. Some things, I think should only be done by real Jews, if that makes sense. At any rate, it was a good meeting, and now I'm going to go read more of Settings of Silver. Shalom!

Comments:

From:	rattyluv
Date:	9/25/2002 2:31:12 PM

language

I'm not sure if you have tried this or not, but a friend of mine on my squirrel list is Jewish. She said she made and used flash cards to help her learn.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/25/2002 2:37:30 PM

Re: language

Oh, that's a great idea! I have thought about writing down words and their meanings as I come across them, and then getting Rusty to quiz me, so mayve I'll combine the two ideas. Thanks!

[random thoughts]

9/25/2002 3:45:00 PM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - General Hospital

]

* I meant to stop at Petsmart on the way home and look at lizards, but did not.

* I managed to remove both my bra and my pantyhose whilst flying down I-81.

* I should join the circus.

* Orangina, nifty!

* I wish I had some cream cheese.

* I wonder if this pizza dipping sauce is poisoned?

Comments:

From:	closertofine
Date:	9/25/2002 6:03:19 PM

Whoa you are TALENTED

[lunch]

9/25/2002 3:55:00 PM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - General Hospital

]

Vegetable crackers with pizza and jalapena cheese dipping sauces. Orangina.

[dammit]

9/25/2002 7:35:00 PM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - Fox News Channel

]

Rusty's mother is in the hospital. It doesn't look good.

Comments:

From:	topi
Date:	9/25/2002 8:05:21 PM

I don't understand...is this your hubby's mom? If so, I hope that whatever happens brings little suffering.

YS

From:	muridae
Date:	9/25/2002 9:33:21 PM

Oh no! I will be thinking of you guys and sending my best wishes.

From:	sf_rose
Date:	9/25/2002 9:37:23 PM

rusty's mom and you all have my prayers...

From:	grimkitten_
Date:	9/26/2002 1:08:59 AM

:(

*hugs*

From:	rattyluv
Date:	9/26/2002 9:59:36 AM

Rusty's mom

Shit, keep me posted okay? Tell Rusty his mom is in my prayers.

[belief-o-matic]

9/25/2002 9:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - The West Wing

]

{ beliefnet.com }

1. Reform Judaism (100%)
2. Liberal Quakers (90%)
3. Unitarian Universalism (89%)
4. Sikhism (81%)
5. Bahá'í Faith (81%)
6. Orthodox Judaism (78%)

I check every once in a while, just to make sure. ;)

Comments:

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/26/2002 11:26:08 AM

I'm sure mine changes every time! I think last time Reform Judaism was my number 8 or something, now it's 3! My top 3 are Unitarianism, Bah'ai Faith and RJ.

[dinner]

9/26/2002 12:10:00 AM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - The Cosby Show

]

Cheese sub. Mozzerella sticks. Reese's Cups. Regular Coke.

[bah]

9/26/2002 9:00:00 AM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - MSNBC

]

Well, the day is off to a wonderful start... NOT. Max and Mojo have been fighting. I woke up to find that the kichen was covered with little chunks of black hair, because Mojo is too much of a weenie to defend himself, even though he is younger and stronger than Max. And then I found the betta fish. Mojo, in his infinite wisdom, has taken to napping on top of the betta tanks, which are on top of the kitchen counter. Which is apparently where the fight started, because one of the betta tanks was on the floor, and so was the betta. This is the second time we've found her on the floor, mind you. So I refilled her tank and put her back in, and so far, she's still alive. Those betta fish are hardier than they look.

And now my kitchen is covered with water and gravel and chunks of cat hair, and I am giddy with anticipation of the rest of this wonderful day. /sarcasm

Comments:

From:	topi
Date:	9/26/2002 1:53:59 PM

That sounds like one kick ass fishy!

YS

[erg]

9/26/2002 3:45:00 PM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - General Hospital

]

I am hearing voices, and I don't think they're just in my head this time.

[today]

9/26/2002 8:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - Friends

]

I went to the post office and bank, resisted the urge to stop at Petsmart to look at geckos, stopped at the supermarket, and came home. Did nothing with the rest of the day except admire the raininess of it all. My old agouti dumbo girl Mischief finally died; it was for the best. Season premiere night on NBC, hooray!

Comments:

From:	rattyluv
Date:	9/27/2002 10:47:17 AM

today

Hey I'm sorry about Mischeif,but I'm glad she finally let go too. Hugs

9/26/2002 9:30:00 PM

purple_stardust

[er]

9/26/2002 10:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - ER

]

Oh. My. G-d. This show is too fucking intense. And not in a good way, either.

Comments:

From:	catmoran
Date:	9/26/2002 11:01:17 PM

? Why, what's happening?

I haven't seen ER in years...

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/26/2002 11:21:45 PM

The ER was evauating because of a smallpox-like disease, and Romano was on the roof preparing to put a patient in the helicopter and got his arm cut off in the propeller! =o

From:	catmoran
Date:	9/27/2002 11:46:29 AM

Re:

Gyah!! Bleah. I'm glad I quit watching it.

From:	thanny
Date:	9/27/2002 12:30:23 AM

SHIT YES.

i saw that and i just started freaking out. seriously freaking out. i wanted to vomit, and i couldn't stop shaking.

i'm not a queasy person, but jesus christ it really messed me up. limbs being ripped off of people gets under my skin like nothing else. ahh i cant even think about it or i'm going to get sick all over again.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/27/2002 12:34:16 AM

I KNOW!!!

I think the worst thing was, there was no build-up, no creepy music, no slow-mo... you never saw it coming.

::: shudder :::

[for future reference]

9/26/2002 10:50:00 PM

purple_stardust

Say Cheese by Gil Marks

One area of the kosher market that I have bemoaned during the past several shows was the lack of cheeses. This year, however, kosher cheese has experienced a major upsurge, and not only of standard American types. A small, but appreciated number of French and Mediterranean cheeses have also become available.

Food Works of Monsey, NY showcased their line, under the "Milk and Honey," "Lite & Lacy," and "Good Life Cheese" labels. Beginning with 5 types of cheese, the company now offers more than 50 types. "I started the company about 25 years ago," explained Gottesman, "because I was disillusioned with the state of kosher cheese. And cheese is the easiest thing to make kosher since it contains so few ingredients." Food Works plans to go nationwide to supermarkets in the next few months.

Natural & Kosher of Los Angeles, CA, a three-year-old company, featured American-made mozzarella, ricotta, feta, and strong cheeses. As the name indicates, the company is proud that all of its products are all natural with no preservatives. Natural & Kosher used the kosher show to introduce two new products, smoked mozzarella and a variety of sliced cheeses.

Country Farms Dairy of New Rochelle, NY featured five hard cheeses and five soft cheeses. New from the company is a lactose-fre dry farmer cheese. The four-year-old company, presently distributed in New York and Florida, will soon expand into the Northeast.

Arthur Schuman's Pastures of Eden of Fairfield, NJ features a more exotic line of cheese imported from Israel, including sheep's milk feta, creamy goat cheese logs, goat cheese pyramids, and kashkaval (regular and smoked). Schuman's newest product is Italian Parmesan sold in wedges.

Offering the most extensive line of foreign cheeses as well as one of the largest selections of American standard types is Ahava of Brooklyn. Among the company's newest imports are Macabee Camembert, Goat Camembert, Pont L'eveque, and Triangle Cheese and Montberg Blue. From Israel comes an extensive assortment under the Gidieon label, including Syrian Cheese and Marinated Mozzarella Balls, and the Golan label.

Unquestionably, the most distant location for sending kosher cheese to Kosherfest goes to Koromiko of New Zealand. The 105-year-old company has been producing a kosher line since 1985. Koromiko plans to enter the American market in February 2001 with three types, Monterey, Edam, and Cheddar.

{ Kosherfest 2000: A Major Step Towards Healthy and Upscale }

9/26/2002 11:45:00 PM

purple_stardust

What Am I, Chopped Liver?

I scored 41, on a scale of 0 to 66 ... 31-48: Tzimmes Jew.
Like this Sabbath-evening fruit and sweet-potato side dish, your Jewish identity is highly traditional, even as it adapts with changing times. A basic recipe is supplemented with various individualistic flourishes. Judaism plays an integral role in your life, though your identity is not defined solely by it.

I wouldn't eat it though...

Comments:

From:	topi
Date:	9/27/2002 12:06:03 AM

I just scored a 44, but I think I'll score higher in time as I grow within my Judaism. The same will happen to you.

YS

[shining force one]

9/27/2002 12:25:00 AM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - The Cosby Show

]

I finally got Bleu, my baby dragon. Hooray!

[dinner]

9/27/2002 12:50:00 AM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - The Cosby Show

]

Papa John's cheese sticks. Reese's Cups. Regular Coke.

Comments:

From:	tues
Date:	9/27/2002 3:43:33 PM

not to sound really stupid, but your dinners always sound VERY good!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/27/2002 4:02:32 PM

Thank you! I usually only eat once per day, so I try to make it something good! Not really diet-friendly, but good! :)

[ugh]

9/27/2002 11:45:00 AM

purple_stardust

No betta fishes on the floor this morning, but the day is looking bleak, all the same. My domain and related email accounts are down; I think it has something to do with the fact that I bought the domain through one company and then switched to DreamHost. The domain is expiring according to e-nameco. I have contacted DreamHost's tech support, so hopefully they'll be able to help.

[panic attack]

9/27/2002 2:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

I'm still debating whether to go to the Simchat Torah service tonight. On one hand, I feel that I should, since I haven't been to shul since before the High Holidays. On the other hand, I'm not sure that I'm comfortable with going to something like this, which seems like it should be a Jews-only type of celebration. On the other other hand, the rabbi specifically asked if I was going, so now I'm worried that if I don't go, she'll think badly of me. Like, maybe this is some sort of a test. I think everything is a test, and I don't want to fail the test, but I am completely terrified of going. I don't know what to do, and I feel sick.

Comments:

From:	topi
Date:	9/27/2002 2:39:42 PM

I used to think that everything was a test. "Gee, if I don't go to services tonight, will the rabbi bitch me out the next time he sees me?" I got over it though. It isn't a test at all. If people want to do Jewish things, then they will. I encourage you to go and experience the beauty of Jewish ritual! Do it nessie! Do it!

YS

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/27/2002 3:12:30 PM

Are you sure it isn't a test? because I don't think she'll bitch at me, but I am afraid that if I don't go, she won't think I'm serious, and I AM serious, I just have serious social anxiety issues... :(

From:	gypsydance
Date:	9/27/2002 5:14:53 PM

It's very likely not a test, sugar. She wants you to feel welcome and accepted. But you did talk to her about how you don't feel comfortable celebrating sometimes, since you're not fully converted, and she said that she understood that. I don't think anyone's going to look on you badly, either way.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/27/2002 6:18:51 PM

Thanks for the moral support! :)

From:	sf_rose
Date:	9/27/2002 2:49:08 PM

YEAH!!!

Go for it! And I'll do a Torah Dance with you, long distance...

We're Jews To Be--darnit! We're on our way to becoming Jews, so we need to become part of the community--tis not a test!

Just dance!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/27/2002 3:46:35 PM

Re: YEAH!!!

The dancing is a big part of the problem. I am terribly self-conscious anyway, and being expected to dance in public is liable to send me over the edge. The other thing is, I kinda knew what to expect with going to regular services. I don't know what to expect with this, and more forboding, I don't know what is expected of me. :\

From:	cellio
Date:	9/27/2002 4:02:30 PM

Re: YEAH!!!

Trust me: you will not be the only one who doesn't want to dance. (In fact, if you read my latest entry in my own journal, you'll see that dancing doesn't always happen anyway.) Many older members of my congregation wouldn't dance even if dancing were otherwise happening.

Some people will carry torah scrolls around the room. They might or might not dance. Other people will probably join the procession, dancing or walking or whatever. Others will stay in the seating area but reach out and touch the scrolls as they go by.

It's also Shabbat, so there will be a regular, familiar service tucked in there too. The carry-the-Torah-scrolls-around part is only one part of it.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/27/2002 4:28:58 PM

Re: YEAH!!!

Ah! That's a good plan... I will sit near the old people! =D

From:	cellio
Date:	9/27/2002 3:06:33 PM

You are in the process of accepting the Torah as your own, yes? So what is wrong with joining in the celebration of said Torah? Your rabbi knows your status; if she doesn't want you to actually carry a sefer Torah yet, she'll let you know. It sounds like she wants you to feel a part of it, though, so if you go you won't be left out on the sidelines.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/27/2002 3:49:13 PM

That's part of the problem; I don't know what to expect, or what is expected of me. What does a Jew-to-be DO at a Simchat Torah?

From:	cellio
Date:	9/27/2002 4:05:11 PM

Probably the same thing everyone else does. If they do group aliyot, you probably shouldn't go up for that (because you wouldn't receive an aliyah on your own).

(It's traditional that everyone gets an aliyah on Simchat Torah. This is done by calling up groups of people. Last year where I went they did individual aliyot for most of it, then "all the men" and "all the women" to make sure everyone was covered. Or they might divide it up some other way.)

Ask your rabbi what's proper on your way in, if you don't feel comfortable just winging it. I'm sure it'll be fine, though.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/27/2002 4:24:46 PM

Thanks for the moral support!

[still debating]

9/27/2002 4:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

I would feel much better about this Simchat Torah, if I could drag Rusty along.

/me bursts into tears and throws up.

Comments:

From:	topi
Date:	9/27/2002 4:29:01 PM

A LITTLE YELLING MIGHT HELP...

GO ALREADY!!! WHEN I FIRST WENT TO HILLEL, THERE WAS TWO BLACK GUYS THERE 1) A RASTIFARIAN 2) ME!!!

EVERYONE ELSE WAS JEWISH, WHITE, OR MIDDLE EASTERN LOOKING. DO YOU KNOW HOW NERVOUS I WAS? THEN I WENT TO THE HIGH HOLY DAYS AND I WAS THE ONLY BLACK GUY! DO YOU KNOW HOW NERVOUS I WAS? THEN I WENT TO SIMCHAT TORAH SERVICES. I WAS THE ONLY BLACK GUY AGAIN. THE RABBI WAS ORTHODOX AND I WAS JUST A BLACK GOY WANNABE! DO YOU KNOW HOW NERVOUS I WAS? DO YOU? SO WHEN MY NEW FRIENDS ENCOURAGED ME TO HOLD THE TORAH AND MARCH WITH IT, I DID SO PROUDLY. THIS WAS SUCH AN IMPORTANT STEP.

I KNOW THAT YOU ARE NERVOUS! I KNOW! BUT YOU SHOULD DO THIS! YOU WILL FEEL SO AT PEACE ONCE YOU DO AND IT WILL MAKE THE OTHER STEPS YOU WILL TAKE SO MUCH EASIER. IN TIME, YOU'LL BE JEWING ALONG WITH EVERYONE ELSE!

YOU CAN DO THIS NESSIE! I KNOW THAT YOU CAN! AS A JEW, I FULLY SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE YOU!

done yelling now...G-d my throat hurts...ack...

From:	angel_renewed
Date:	9/27/2002 4:33:46 PM

Re: A LITTLE YELLING MIGHT HELP...

IN TIME, YOU'LL BE JEWING ALONG WITH EVERYONE ELSE!

/me falls down on floor laughing so hard I can't breathe.

Yeah! What he said!
[Who will be busy researching her next trip to Israel tonight. Bad Jew. No torah]

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/27/2002 5:08:51 PM

Re: A LITTLE YELLING MIGHT HELP...

Oooh, when are you going?

From:	angel_renewed
Date:	9/27/2002 5:11:51 PM

Re: A LITTLE YELLING MIGHT HELP...

Honeymoon in February! wheeee!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/27/2002 10:53:17 PM

Re: A LITTLE YELLING MIGHT HELP...

Wheee! =D

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/27/2002 4:35:37 PM

Re: A LITTLE YELLING MIGHT HELP...

I'd feel even better if I could drag you along, too. Thanks Yosef. :)

From:	sf_rose
Date:	9/27/2002 4:33:08 PM

What Topi said (kind of)

Repeat after me: This is NOT a test. No one will give you a hard time or make you uncomfortable.

Renee you'll do fine. Just go, sit quietly and watch. That's all you need to do.

But if it's making you feel physically ill, don't go...

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/27/2002 4:44:25 PM

Re: What Topi said (kind of)

Can I do that? Just sit there? Because I'm good at just sitting there! It's the dancing and the being singled out (it's a very small congregation, and I am the only convert-in-training there) that scares me.

From:	muridae
Date:	9/27/2002 4:57:12 PM

Re: What Topi said (kind of)

But you are not the only convert! I know it!

So you see, it's all okay.

As long as nobody chomps your head off. That would not be okay.

I hear they're all in a bomb shelter, though.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/27/2002 5:00:26 PM

Re: What Topi said (kind of)

LMAO! There are other converts, but not other converts-in-training.

*Everyone else, don't mind Laurie. She's completely insane.

From:	muridae
Date:	9/27/2002 5:03:25 PM

Re: What Topi said (kind of)

I'm just saying.

After all, I'm not the one who composes chicken haiku.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/27/2002 5:07:35 PM

Re: What Topi said (kind of)

This, from the girl who wonders if it's cloudy because it's going to rain, or because the darkness of death is coming to collect her. Mmm-hmm.

From:	muridae
Date:	9/27/2002 5:08:40 PM

Re: What Topi said (kind of)

Do I need to QUOTE the chicken haiku?

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/27/2002 5:10:07 PM

Re: What Topi said (kind of)

Meaniehead. :-Þ

From:	sf_rose
Date:	9/27/2002 5:03:03 PM

Re: What Topi said (kind of)

Of course. And if someone asks, just say politely you're not up for it.

That's what I would do if I were in your situation...just sit towards the back and watch...

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/27/2002 5:16:56 PM

Re: What Topi said (kind of)

Cool, thanks! I tried to sit in the back the first time I went to regular Shabbat services, but a very nice old guy named Ben told me to sit down front with everyone else. They're very friendly there! Which is good, but sometimes I would like to observe from afar, until I know what's going on.

From:	topi
Date:	9/27/2002 5:59:17 PM

Re: What I said (kind of)

See, I'm not the only one who believes in you!

Shabbat Shalom!

YS

[look what i can do!]

9/27/2002 4:55:00 PM

purple_stardust

Ha chatool ra. Heh.

Comments:

From:	grimkitten_
Date:	9/27/2002 7:12:02 PM

YAY The cat is bad!!!!!

Ha sus tov!!! WHEEEEEEEEEE

That cd rom is SO mine! Thanks for the link. :)

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/27/2002 10:11:49 PM

Ha barvaz ra! /laughs maniacally

[simchat torah]

9/27/2002 10:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

I went. The guitar player looked like Woody Allen, the rabbi did the walk-like-an-Egyption dance, and people were up on the bimah doing the Rockettes version of a song that went "Shake shake shake, shake shake shake! Shake your Torah!" ... It was like the Jewish Mardi Gras. Surreal. Interesting, but surreal.

When I got home, Rusty said that Sarah had missed me the whole time, and said he would buy a decent pair of trousers and start going to shul with me. I told him that he would have to wear a kippah, and he said he wanted one with a propeller.

Comments:

From:	topi
Date:	9/27/2002 11:36:16 PM

YES!!!

I am so proud of you!

You'll look back on this night an laugh at how nervous
you were one day!

Shabbat Shalom! =)

YS

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/27/2002 11:50:54 PM

Re: YES!!!

Shabbat Shalom, and thank you! :)

From:	muridae
Date:	9/28/2002 9:50:47 AM

Yay!

[dinner]

9/28/2002 12:50:00 AM

purple_stardust

[

Current Music

TV - The Cosby Show

]

Fish cakes with tarter sauce and cocktail sauce. Reese's Cups. Regular Coke.

[rattery]

9/28/2002 10:45:00 AM

purple_stardust

Last night, Roo gave birth to a whopping litter of one. /me sighs

[general apathy]

9/28/2002 4:50:00 PM

purple_stardust

I am thinking about removing my navel barbell and letting the hole close. Like a lot of other things in my life right now, I'm bored with it, and it just seems like more trouble than it's worth. On a related note, Rusty still isn't home from "work" yet.

[forecast]

9/28/2002 5:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

I see a really large bottle of vodka in my future.

[snark attack]

9/28/2002 6:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

Rusty gave me a ridiculous and long-winded reason for why he took the car.

Me: "Yeah, that's exactly what I figured."

Him: "There's no way you could have figured that."

Me: "Oh yeah, I was thinking about it yesterday, right after I was done being born."

He had no further comments.

Comments:

From:	topi
Date:	9/28/2002 7:51:21 PM

Me: "Oh yeah, I was thinking about it yesterday, right after I was done being born."

HAHAHHAHHHHAHHA Oh my...you're feeling Jewish already!

YA

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/28/2002 10:18:22 PM

Oh, I've *felt* Jewish for years... it's just a matter of making them agree to it. ;)

From:	copperpoint
Date:	9/28/2002 8:27:25 PM

*snort* good one

[die liver die]

9/28/2002 10:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

I love vodka. I wish I had a life, but if not, I'll take the vodka.

[classified]

9/28/2002 10:45:00 PM

purple_stardust

ISO: SWF ISO a nice Jewish boy/man/geezer who can tolerate children. Species unimportant. Hating football is a major turn-on. Tolerance of rain and rats is a plus. Will settle for breathing and not a football fan. Curly hair, crooked teeth; always good. Will consider other women. Inquire within.

Comments:

From:	clarice
Date:	9/28/2002 10:50:24 PM

...In other words, you're fishing for Art Garfunkel?

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/28/2002 10:55:12 PM

That would DEFINATELY work for me! =D

From:	copperpoint
Date:	9/29/2002 12:07:07 AM

eek.

[note to self]

9/28/2002 11:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

Write vicious email to Nick-at-Night about showing "Coach" reruns.

Comments:

From:	catmoran
Date:	9/28/2002 11:30:35 PM

Would this be because it's insipid, or because it's evil?

Or is it just on in the wrong time slot? {g}

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/29/2002 6:29:46 AM

All of the above, PLUS, I AM SO SICK OF FOOTBALL.

From:	driftwood
Date:	9/29/2002 10:15:27 AM

Eww, Coach...

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/29/2002 11:32:36 AM

I KNOW! That show was rank when it was new, and it's not gotten any more clever with age. Blech.

From:	driftwood
Date:	9/29/2002 11:33:53 AM

Re:

I agree. I always loathed it.

[trading spaces]

9/29/2002 1:30:00 PM

purple_stardust

Edward is like a gay vampire from Kentucky. He's very odd.

Comments:

From:	catmoran
Date:	9/29/2002 2:37:11 PM

Edward is like a gay vampire

That's where I've seen that hair before! It's not quite televangelist hair, but I knew I'd seen it somewhere before.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/29/2002 2:43:07 PM

It is quite alarming.

Also, I do not like his rooms. They are too dark, probably to keep the sun from creeping in and turning him to dust.

From:	artmomz
Date:	9/29/2002 2:51:50 PM

Blech...my husband ended up turning it off because the guy was way too creepy for us. I was so sickened by his hair that I actually didn't mind.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/29/2002 9:55:15 PM

He IS creepy, and that hair is seriously BAD.

From:	catmoran
Date:	9/29/2002 8:19:35 PM

Re:

Also, I do not like his rooms. They are too dark, probably to keep the sun from creeping in and turning him to dust.

Sadly, my leaky memory does not allow me to comment on his rooms. Well, I don't remember disliking any of the rooms from Saturday night, so I probably liked it.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/29/2002 9:53:29 PM

The one we saw today, he painted the walls RED. I could not live in a red room, I would go insane.

From:	catmoran
Date:	9/29/2002 9:56:55 PM

Re:

Oh, was that the one for the couple that didn't want their kid getting into the stereo equipment? And they had the groovy rug that the colors were all based on? I liked that one. It's not a color that would work in my own living room--my living room needs all the light it can get, since I never turn on enough lamps. (That's according to my Dad. He thinks Mom's family might be part vampire, and she passed it on to me. Hee.)

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/29/2002 10:28:30 PM

Hahahahaha!!! That's what my father always said about my mother and me! I know a lot of people like the darker paints, but I would feel weird in a room like that. I like more light-coloured walls and darker accessories.

From:	closertofine
Date:	9/29/2002 8:15:58 PM

LOL what a good description. I have only seen him on there once. I haven't been watching it much lately.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/29/2002 9:49:56 PM

My friend Joell got me to watch, and then Rusty started watching it when he was off work for the surgery, and now HE'S more hooked than I am! LOL

From:	jacquez
Date:	9/29/2002 11:02:59 PM

Heh! See, I keep arguing for vampire, and Nat for televangelist. I think we're content to leave it at "gay televangelist", though.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/29/2002 11:12:14 PM

Did YOU like the red room?

[dinner]

9/29/2002 11:30:00 PM

purple_stardust

Cheese sub. Bloody Marys.

9/29/2002 11:55:00 PM

purple_stardust

I am the princess (...with a pea)!
I am lovable and cute but very picky.

[mail call]

9/30/2002 12:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

Okay, cool experience of the day: the mail came, and I got a package from a woman in Kissimmee FL. I don't know anyone in Kissimmee FL, so I was puzzled. I opened the package, and found a huge stack of postcards from Israel! I thought they must be from someone on my friends list, who had seen my Israel postcard website, but then realised that I had used my PO box for that, not my street address. Turns out, my wonderful IRL friend rattyluv bought them for me on ebay, and had the seller send them to me directly. What a cool surprise!!! Thanks Joell! =D

[click for full-sized wallpaper]

9/30/2002 1:15:00 PM

purple_stardust

Comments:

From:	arkady
Date:	9/30/2002 3:08:06 PM

Assorted captions (thank Michael for most of these):

"Where's the Coke?"
"I thought it said 'Bring a bottle'..."
"Hey! Where'd it all go?"
"I've got mine - where's yours?"

From:	paraxeni
Date:	9/30/2002 3:29:39 PM

Too cute! My new desktop wallpaper, thanks!

From:	catmoran
Date:	9/30/2002 4:56:10 PM

Eeeee! He has ittle footies!

Erm, I mean, "cute rattie".

[old navy]

9/30/2002 10:30:00 PM

purple_stardust

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate, despise, loath, abhor, and detest the Old Navy commercials, and how much I would love to put Morgon Fairchild and Sherman Hemsley into a small and itchy burlap bag together and drop them into the Atlantic Ocean where they can claw each others' eyes out until the blood drains from their wretched, insipid, pathetic, washed-up, has-been bodies? Oh. Well then, never mind.

Comments:

From:	instantclarity
Date:	9/30/2002 10:37:03 PM

I totally agree with everything you said, Old Navy commercials send me into a blind rage. Enough so that I have always boycotted them. But then I happened to go IN the other day and buy two pairs of jeans, and they are the greatest jeans I own, so I gues the boycott is off. :o\ But yeah, those commercials need to die!

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/30/2002 10:42:17 PM

I will not buy Old Navy clothes, on principle. However, I am torn by the fact that The Gap, who I do like, owns Old Navy. I have not quite decided how to rectify this situation, knowing that the jeans and tee-shirts that I do LOVE, also fund those hideously obtuse commercials. :-\

From:	instantclarity
Date:	9/30/2002 11:14:31 PM

I still can't go in the Gap--their stores make me claustrophobic big time! But Old Navy has won me over; anyplace I can get low rise jeans like these for $20 (on sale) is ok in my book. ;)

From:	catmoran
Date:	9/30/2002 11:17:42 PM

how much I would love to put Morgon Fairchild and Sherman Hemsley into a small and itchy burlap bag together and drop them into the Atlantic Ocean

But that would require being *near* them. I'd rather hire someone to do it. This is the sort of thing that an assassin might even give you a group discount for. Assuming s/he can stand to be in the same zip code with them.

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	9/30/2002 11:28:34 PM

Do you know someone?

From:	catmoran
Date:	10/1/2002 6:00:03 AM

Re:

Do you know someone?

No, but scarily enough, I know someone who knows someone...

From:	purple_stardust
Date:	10/1/2002 5:23:35 PM

Note to self: be *very* nice to Catmoran... =D

[shopping]

9/30/2002 11:00:00 PM

purple_stardust

I need a new Zippo. The one I have now is a matte brass pipe lighter, but I want a slim, in either matte black or purple, or matte brass again. That is all.

[dinner]

9/30/2002 11:05:00 PM

purple_stardust

Leftover cheese sub from last night. Vodka and OJ.

[zippos]

9/30/2002 11:30:00 PM

purple_stardust

I like this one!

Comments:

From:	gypsydance
Date:	10/1/2002 12:36:37 AM

I got my kitty zippo from ebay. S'cute.