ferretrunner

Good point. But, I'm not all that strong a member. Obviously.

"My ferret can beat up your honor student." I like it. I really do.

I'm sorry about the knee. I really hope it didn't sound like I was slamming you. I wasn't trying. It can just be frustrating sometimes. I hope things work out for you, employment wise. Wherever that takes you. :)

If God came to my house for dinner... the ferrets would love it. lol. I remember a RS meeting where someone was talking about how would you be if Jesus came to your house- would you be too worried about the "mess" to enjoy the company? I started laughing, with this visual image of my ferrets greeting Jesus like they greet most of my company- trying to climb on His lap and/or up His pantlegs. Seriously, though. God would likely find me dressed as I am everyday. Casually or work casual. Simply this- if God is my Heavenly Father, do I have to dress to impress? I know talking about comfort- it doesn't "matter." Ok, that's fine. However, in all honesty, yes, being told (or implied) that I have to wear a dress/ skirt to Church to "show" I'm respectful is something that has kept me from going to the Church in the past and may in the future. I don't show up wearing dirty/ ratty/ revealing clothing. The clothes are nicer than what I would normally wear even to work. LOL. As a matter of fact, some of my presentation clothing is more expensive than some dresses I could be wearing.

jbs, Good luck. Personally, civilian contracting annoys me. THey pay contractors 2-3 times what they pay the military to do the same job. But... I hope it works for you for the employment.

Ok, so here's the deal. The bishopric came to visit me tonight. LOL. I thought I was "busted" but it was cool. They wanted to meet me, as my records were transferred but I hadn't attended but one or two meetings. I enjoyed the time with them. My question: I've been struggling with testimony and being inactive for a few years now. During that time, I didn't pay tithing. I am planning to start back up in Church. Do I have to pay tithing for all that time I missed? Like back taxes? Man... I hope not. It'll take me years to catch up. I was too embarssed to ask the bishop. It's kinda stupid.

Injuries in accidents are more severe if someone is not wearing a seatbelt. I would have no problem with someone choosing not to wear a 'belt, so long as there is a law that states in an accident, that person is 100% responsible for his/her medical bills, regardless of fault. Why is it fair to expect a someone to pay for injuries that were avoidable by wearing a seatbelt. There's a big difference between paying a bill for a broken arm and cuts and paying for someone who's in ICU after being ejected from the vehicle (not wearing a 'belt). OP- I agree. There needs to be a helmet law for the donor cycles.

I know we're supposed to wear modest dress to Church. But why the insistence that women "have to" wear a dress/ skirt? What is wrong with a nice pant suit or other attractive outfit? LOL. A few weeks ago I was at Ft. Hood. I had to work Sunday afternoon. I went to Sacrament wearing ACUs. That was actually the most comfortable, accepting feeling I had in Church for a long time. Personally, I HATE skirts and dresses. I don't feel safe in them. I don't feel respected in them. I don't feel comfortable. So, when I force myself to wear one to Church, I am horribly uncomfortable and spend at least part of the time looking at my watch, waiting for the meetings to end so I can go change clothes. If I wear slacks, I sometimes feel people are looking at me strange and/or judging me for not dressing "right." When I was in my uniform, it was duty related. I was comfortable and was accepted by the Congregation. A lot of them were military and I wasn't the only one with "release time" to attend religious services.

Your gift for writing can be a powerful blessing to the church. Perhaps you can give a copy of your essay here to the bishop? It sounds like you have a good community. Keep doing what you need to do for yourself. If you're not wanting to sit in the front, stay where you're comfortable. It's ok. I'm neurotypical and I don't like the front pews, either. =)

I also have a tattoo. I'm not an active member. But, The tattoo reflects part of my life journey, it's not offensive (unless you don't like ferrets), and it isn't something I feel called to have removed. I probably won't get anymore.

Sadly, parents can't wrap up their kids in bubble wrap and keep them from getting hurt. How you and your family treat your son will have A LOT to do with how he handles life's hurts and challenges. IF he does discover he's gay, the fact you love him unconditionally will help to prevent some of the problems with depression, etc. For what it's worth, I've noticed that the younger generation seems to be more accepting of GLBTQ than the generations before. At his age, there may be even more acceptance by the time he hits the age that real cruelty starts. Where he may run into more challenges is faith. I know the LDS church isn't really accepting of homosexuality (IMO). LOL. I always preferred more "male" oriented things. I was more into sports and being outside playing than dolls, etc. WHen I was 7, I "stole" one of my brother's GI Joe's uniforms for the Barbie my grandmother gave me for Christmas. This was back in the day that GI Joes were full sized action figures, not the small ones you see today. I also cut her hair short. LOL. And I ended up straight and in the military.

Go on the internet and research the rental laws in the state where you live. I am fairly certain that normal, routine repairs (such as an air filter) require either 24-48 hours notice (depending on the state) or a request from the tenant. Even with a tenant request, they're supposed to notify you that they are entering. Emergency repairs (such as a leaking bathtub flooding the downstairs apartment) do not require notice in advance. Can anyone help you with the webcam setup? You might also see if your state has a landlord/ tenant legal line. I know my home state has a consultation line. If you're a student, your college might have legal services for students. If you're LDS, can anyone at your Ward help? Maybe there's a lawyer there who would be willing to assist you. Or someone to help set up a camera. Or something. Good luck.

True, but the comments he had allegedly made about suicide bombers were still under investigation, if I understand the situation correctly. In that case, he was afforded the same rights as everyone else: inncocent until proven guilty. No charges had even been brought. Signs were missed but the real life situations are always complicated.

The entire religion of Islam is not a risk. There are extremist factions of Islam that pose a risk. I think in this country, we'll always be at risk for extremist terrorist attacks because of the values and foundation of our country. One of our Constitutional rights is freedom of religion. That doesn't give "permission" for illegal extremist acts. But, it makes guarding against them more challenging. We can't restrict someone from serving in the military, for example, because of their religious practices. We can't decide to run extra background checks on Muslims. Or even on American born citizens who have roots in the Middle East. They get the same background check as every other applicant. If something shows up, then they can be barred from service. I agree, though. There were warning signs that were missed. However, not every person knew every warning sign. They're being seen as a whole because several individuals have come forward with incidents they may not have been as concerned about if it was just an isolated incident. Taken as a whole, it's obvious. Taken in individual signs, it's not as obvious but there were still "clues" that needed to be explored. Seeing something in hindsight is always easier.

This is a transcript from the black box of flight 93. Flight 93 Dedication Website Just a couple of quotes: "9:33:34 In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate." 10:03:02 Allah is the Greatest 10:03:03 Allah is the Greatest. 10:03:04 Allah is the Greatest 10:03:06 Allah is the Greatest 10:03:06 Allah is the Greatest. 10:03:07 No. 10:03:09 Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest 10:03:09 Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest Then the plane is crashed. The Heroes of United Flight #93 ** stands for flight crew Alan Beaven Andrew Garcia Christian Adams Colleen L. Fraser CeeCee Lyles ** Christine Snyder Deora Bodley Donald F. Greene Deborah Anne Jacobs Welsh ** Edward Porter Felt Georgine Rose Corrigan Hilda Marcin Honor Elizabeth Wainio Jason Dahl ** Joe DeLuca Patrick “Joe” Driscoll Jane Folger Jeremy Glick John Talignani Kristin Gould White Lorraine Bay ** Lauren Grandcolas Linda Gronlund Leroy Homer, Jr. ** Louis J. Nacke II Mark Bingham Marion Britton Mark “Mickey” Rothenberg Nicole Miller Patricia Cushing The Black Box Transcript -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Audio

I just found out a member of my unit was wounded. I wonder often what can I do? I know I can't impact the global world but I hope I can be a hand of compassion to those who need it. A big topic at work today was "self care." We work with the afteraffects of trauma every day. We hear the stories and connect to the vets. NPR was discussing this event and the topic of "vicarious traumatization" came up. In other words, was his exposure to second hand trauma of working with returning Soliders traumatizing to him and a factor in the event? Dude, there are thousands of therapists working with trauma. The vast majority of us don't go on shooting rampages. THat just ticked me off. Who knows what caused him to go shooting? In the long run, I'm not sure it really matters, unless that factor can help some of those impacted by his violence to heal. What matters is taking care of our wounded- those wounded physically, emotionally, and spiritually- by this event.

It could be... Logic doesn't play into these types of things. He may never deploy but if he's convicted by courts martial, at the least, he'll spend the rest of his life in Ft. Leavenworth. He could get the death penalty. There's a huge difference between injuring yourself and killing others. I've known Soldiers who self-injured to avoid deployment. Usually, the end up getting in trouble and deploying anyway. Of course, that depends on the severity of the injury. I can understand why Soliders are getting tired. It's been a hard 8 years, with multiple deployments. I'm not sure what the answer is but we need to figure out a way to start bringing more troops home without destabilizing the area any more than it already is.

Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, opened fire at a military processing center at Fort Hood around 1:30 p.m. Central Time. He killed 12 people and wounded over 30 others. It is unclear why he did this. Maj. Hasan is a pyschiatrist. This news just shocked me. I'm a mental health professional and in the Army Reserve. He murdered and wounded civilians and Soliders. I can't imagine what the families are going through. And his family, also. In a real sense, they "lost" their son, brother, cousin as well. It's a tragedy however you look at it. He was born in the US but his family comes from Jordan. I understand he is also Muslim. At first, there was concern this was a terrorist attack, but it appears to be another "random" shooting. I think people are going to continue to make assumptions based on his ethnic background and religious beliefs. I hope it doesn't give way to more hatred and violence... Complete article here: Officials: Fort Hood shootings suspect alive; 12 dead - CNN.com

I rarely attend church anymore. The ones I remember really liking: O My Father, It is Well With My Soul There are a couple of others that I don't remember the names. They were the more energetic and joyful ones, though. Christmas time: Still, Still, Still - that melody is incredible.

I'm not a big fan of Obama. But, to imply that all libs lie... lol. All politicians lie. Conservative or liberal. THey spin the truth to fit whatever story they're trying to sell. Including Bush. He and Cheney did a lot of damage to the US. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Obama's going to be able to do much to fix it.

I think everyone hates those employee self-evaluations. There's a difference between bragging and being boastful and acknowledging your skills, contributions, and abilities. If you are reporting a set of facts: I completed projects a,b,and c, and I brought 50 new customers into the business, etc. - that's not the same as bragging. Part of the difference is motivation: are you seeking attention, seeking to take something away from someone else, or factfully reporting on the good work you've done? Are you trying to draw attention to yourself? Our talents are gifts. But, like gifts, we have to work to develop them. You can't get the "goody" in the present without unwrapping it, right? I can be a great musician, but if I don't practice and develop the gift, I wouldn't make good on the talent.

The largest problem wasn't her as VP. What if McCain passed away while in office? Do you think she'd be a better President than Mr. Obama. I shudder to consider....

Sue, I'm with you on this one. My best attire are pantsuits. I hate being told "you have to" wear skirts/ dresses. It's not really rebellion. I don't want to show up in jeans, t-shirts, flip flops, shorts, etc. I just want to dress to look my best in a way that is also comfortable.

Living Wills and medical directives are very common. IMO, everyone should have some paperwork in place indicating what they would like to have done in the case of extreme emergencies. Personally, if I am brain dead, I don't want to "live" connected to a machine. I'd rather be allowed to go. My family knows this and they have the documentation to make that decision if it ever becomes necessary. We get so afraid of death in the US and often try to keep ourselves or our loved ones going. I'm not for euthansia- that's a different concept. I do support hospice and informed choice.

Hopefully, not very many times. But, emergencies happen. And all it takes is one emergency to do some considerable damage to someone's life savings, if not wipe them out altogether. If they have life savings. Many of the lower income are living hand to mouth. Of course, many of them are currently uninsured or minimally insured. I don't have much in savings right now. When I was laid off, most of my savings went to make sure my mortgage was paid on time and moving expenses. I couldn't absorb an ER bill at all right now without going into debt. Even if I don't end up in the ER, I still plan to get my preventive medical exams. THe yearly woman's exam and mammogram are important. And, with my strange hobby of running 26.2 miles... well, injuries can happen. Personally, I don't want to have to travel to Mexico to get medical care. Since my Spanish is very rudimentary, I can't imagine trying to explain to a doctor what symptoms I have.... I ride a Raleigh Sport. Nice bike. Mainly, I use it to cross train and for fun rides in wine country out here.