SMG

I've got 3 tom cats. Cupid, my baby, is 8 years old and has long black fur. Then there is Jethro who is 3, an Oriental mixture and jet black. Rounding out the trio is Frogger, a 3 yr old silver tabby who has this knack for getting into mischief.

Not every single fat kid was spoiled rotten with junk food or neglected by parents. I am one of those people who were just simply "born fat." I didn't find out until I was an adult that my thyroid wasn't working as well as it should have been. Probably off topic, but I felt the need to put in my 2 pennies.

I am 28 years old and could really care less about my age. I'm just glad that I made it through my teens and early twenties in one piece! No one believes me when I tell them my age. Most want to peg me at 21 or younger, which is frustrating when you want to be taken seriously. :S

You wife has a heart of gold! She sounds like a great person! :)

That's awful. I wish the sister in law would have a little more compassion. My father died on Christmas when I was a child. If I could get away with it, I probably wouldn't celebrate it. Buuut, my family is big on it, so I can't do that. It's always been hard for me. So I can understand how it's not a fun time to get through. /hugs

I think the big thing is to know when to "pick your battles," so to speak. Some people have things that are non-negotiable, absolutely MUST-have ideas about a partner (like he/she must not be a cheater, must be a decent person, must be willing to go thru the temple when able, etc). Other things, like hair color or what they do for a living, may not be as important when you try to look at it from "I want my marriage to be a celestial marriage" perspective. Buuuut, lots of people can get hung up on the little things. "Devil is in the details" and all that, ya know.

The teachers' unions are exactly one half the reason why I stopped pursuing a degree in music education. I had done some reading up on them and determined that I wanted NOTHING to do with those unions professionally.

Sometimes, a family can't afford to move away. Also, there are areas where the nearest different ward is more than an hour's drive away.

Wow. That man is an utter creep. I sure hope the authorities find and arrest him.

The story of that poor little girl broke my heart. But thank Heaven for big-hearted people like Shaq.

Hope is Where We're Starting From - Justin McRoberts (I was lazy and googled it! )

/me gets a headache and wonders why her eye just started twitching.

My name/handle consists of my first, middle and last initials. My avatar was something I used to call "my self portrait" because people referred to me as one of those creatures. I picked it because I thought the black and white cow looked cute.

My pet peeves: -"Wall o' text" paragraphs. If they're more than 2 inches long on my screen, I skip them 9 times out of 10. -Using "their," "there," and "they're" incorrectly. My teachers beat the correct usages of them into my head from the age 6 onward. This one REALLY gets to me. -More than 3 incorrectly spelled words in a paragraph. Did I mention I had rather draconian Language Arts/English teachers? Spell check and Dictionary.com are my friends.

In my ward, if you're over 30, you just need the instructor's permission. Then again, we're on the smallish side of things, and the teacher generally welcomes an extra few faces. :)

I like to wear one pieces with the little skirts on them. I'm quite shy about showing off any part of my body that isn't my head, hands or feet, so those burquinis are quite tempting! =X

The average X-ray isn't as deadly as people may think it is. 1 x-ray per year for 9 years isn't going to increase risk of anything, IMO. Also, regarding the change in BSE recommendations. I would rather have my doctor tell me "SMG, that's just a plain ol' cyst in your breast there." Than to be pooh-poohed about the lump I'd hypothetically find only for it to turn out to be malignant. You can survive embarassment 100% of the time. Cancer? Not so much.

Those numbers are pretty... frightening. While speaking on the subject of STDs, one of my nursing professors happened to mention that our (my) county has the highest rate of chlamydia in the state! *shudders* In reality, EVERYONE who is sexually active, monogamous or otherwise, should get tested routinely!

I hope not. Johnny Depp just doesn't "light my fire."

What makes a person beautiful has almost nothing to do with how they physically appear. I've met TONS of "pretty people" who acted so ugly that I wanted to barf. That being said, tend to appreciate clear, healthy pale skin and symmetrical features the most. I associate tans with painful sunburns and find pale skin to be more appealing. I gave up trying to match my "culture's" ideal of beauty, because it is an unobtainable and unhealthy standard. It caused me quite a few issues and vast amounts if anguish as I was growing up. I suspect that it was a factor in my depression a few years ago, but not the only, or even the major, cause. There's no way I can grow to be any taller than my current 5 feet 3 inches, and I have health issues that make weight loss a harder-than-normal feat to accomplish. That being said, I take measures to take good care of my skin, hair and teeth. I don't tend to show much of my teeth when I smile because my front teeth are slightly crooked. I try my best to exercise, provided I'm not too exhausted from work or classes. Normally, I walk or jog for a couple miles every other day.

I have 2 black cats and one gray tabby cat. All 3 of them are house-only cats and are locked in my bedroom on Halloween (because they try to get outside...) I think it is terrible that someone would harm an animal for amusement. The shelter that I adopted my 3 kitties from had several cases of kitties rescued around Halloween. These poor critters had been beaten, burnt or cut. The lady who runs the shelter was so angered and horrified that she allows NO adoptions from the week before to the week after Halloween. It's just not safe. There's been cases of "adoptees" being found hurt.. or worse if they've been adopted during the Halloween weeks.

My talent? I make people think I'm crazy when I'm really not.

It IS a bummer about you not getting the shot, but priority DOES need to be given to those who at higher risk. =/ That population is usually the "very old (65+)" and the "very young (under 12)" and people who have chronic illness like diabetes or the like.

I have to admit that I'm VERY jaded about this whole "pandemic" about swine flu. As you may or may not know, I am a nursing student. A couple weeks ago, I did shift in the local ER for some clinical hours for school. Small town hospital. We had more people come in than usual that night. 90% of them thought they had the swine flu. None of them did, according to the ER physician. I don't like all of this media hype. I think it is scaring people needlessly. A sniffle seems to suddenly require a trip to the ER instead of staying home or going to the regular clinic. It takes up resources in the emergency department that should be used on people who are sicker or hurt worse. Here's the big IMPORTANT thing to remember: You treat swine flu just like THE REGULAR FLU!! Keep your butt at home and rest. Drink lots of fluids. Take tylenol or ibuprofen as needed for fever or pain. You should be better in 7-10 days. The thing is, the people get so angry at the health care workers who tell them this. Believe me, if your case was bad off enough to require being hospitalized, we wouldn't be talking about staying home and drinking lots of fluids! In short: get your flu shot, cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, keep your hands clean and away from your eyes, nose and mouth; and try to avoid other people who ARE sick. Unless you're over 65, under 18 or have an impaired immune system, you should be okay with just taking precautions.

I LOVE Holloween! It is the one time of year that I can indulge in my ... eccentric.. side and not get any strange looks! I love being creative with make up (what little of it I can find that does NOT cause an allergic reaction for me) and costumes. If I were to make a 6 ft pair of fairy wings and a "Tinkerbell" dress, dye my hair pink and purple and wear lots of sparkly and "non-traditional" color make up (think green lipstick and the like), I would justifiably get odd looks any other time of year! Halloween? Nah, I'd blend in! For this year, I plan to wear old torn up clothes, zombie make up and put on a sandwich board that says "Will work for brains."