Canid

It's not precisely what I wanted - you have no idea how hard these things are to draw! But this one is close enough I suppose. A purple-fuzzy thing fuzzing: That's right, you've been replaced! Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! *The starts crying in an infinately sad manner and Canid immediately stops laughing and cuddles it.*

In all likelyhood, she just thought it was a clever title and was not really making a profound point with it - "a clever pun" as Tamaranis puts it. However, being the Latin lover I am I can't help but respond to Peredhil's Greek comment... historia is also in my Latin-English dictionary, defined as history, inquiry and story. Further-more the closest of the latin words reffering to a male, to the english word "his" was he, whose Latin equivalent is "hic". *grins* Thus this implies that the word history was in no way derived from the male and that it can be broken down into his story just a coincidence. Just thought that'd be of interest. *Canid wonders mildly if she's started a rant trend... *

That was actually pretty-much the feeling I had when writing it - I'm glad it came across. I often have a very strong desire to write something, but nothing to write; this is what happened that time.

There are flaws in any system - you can't make them perfect. Especially not ones that have to fit everyone. There are differences in opinion, in method, in style.... And I sit in the classroom of my grade 11 English class and during spare moments vent my irritation about some of them. English, being the most open to interpretation is the key offender class-wise.... and here and there I find a problem that is, in my mind at least, unquestionably wrong. The grade 11 English course, through all of Ontario for all I know, is themed. The theme is the progression of a person from childhood to adult, and so literary themes regarding this are used in abundance, the most stressed of which is innocence to experience. In a sense, the theme can work. Innocence is a lack of guilt - yes, children are innocent. When a child, in a fit of rage, does something they never thought possible of themselves, realising suddenly what they have done - that they are guilty of something it is a loss of innocence. I am known to those who know me as an almost obsessively honest person. I don't lie. But I remember having lied for the first time - feeling horrified at what I had done and turning around a few seconds later to correct my mistake. That is an example of what is meant by the phrase innocence to experience. I am still an honest person - but from that day on I could not claim I had never lied. Now in class - we are covering poetry and short stories at the moment. Day after day of meaningless analysation of text about, in some form or another, childhood, to make sure we know how to find tone and metaphors and alliteration and themes and allusions, etc. Thus is used that idea of innocence to experience - except that it is MIS-used. No matter what the story or poem is about, someone says that one of the themes is innocence to experience - and according to the teacher, they are right! It is ludicrous! There is one piece after another where guilt is NEVER dealt with in any size, shape or form and simply because the poem deals with growing up (supposedly), the theme suddenly becomes innocence to experience. A poem on a child being taken into a gas chamber during the holocaust. The child is forced to realise it is going to die. Never does an angry or hateful thought cross it's mind in the poem. How has it lost it's innocence? It has lost IGNORANCE, yes. It has learned a cold fact about the world, but it is not guilty of hatred. It is never implied in the poem that there is ANY loss of innocence and yet this is supposed to be a theme? Today - poetry presentations. There is a poem about the magical world of imaginative games that children play in and how they lose the ability to do so when they are older. The poem says they are wiser now and no longer have the ability to do that. Four themes are put on the board by the students presenting - the very FIRST is innocence to experience. It isn't even EXPLAINED in a way that supports the term. The children have lost the ability to do that because they have lost their innocence? The poem never mentions it, the poem never implies it. I can compare that to taking a poem about the beauty of birds and saying it is about their contrast to what they EAT. The concept was never there to start with. I tried talking to the teacher about this one; she nods and discusses and as with many cases agrees with me - but then she turns around and says something that tells me she never even understood what I had been saying! Is my explanation unclear to you? Innocence to experience is used again and again in the school system in a COMPLETELY incorrect way. It HAS it's use - but it is mistaken for IGNORANCE to experience in SO many cases.... and the 'teaching' reinforces the error and they don't even realise they are doing it. It has been incredibly infuriating to me to bear this - especially when I must sit there and watch it reinforced every day. I've made one of my mottos innocence is not ignorance. I believe that on a level separate from this debate entirely, but it is relevant none-the-less. Two very different concepts have been mixed up and never corrected - please give your feedback and help me vent lest I go insane. Thank-you for reading. *Canid takes a bow. *

But a lot of those changes are not good ones - which bothers me all by itself.

Well, since it looks like we're out of responders, it's author's commentary time. The idea was to point out how wrong the "way to do things" is. I'm a person who doesn't like to fit into the system. I was born at home and have a home-parent as my mother (and hope, later in life to go down the same path - parenting should be seen as a career of sorts). A lot of skilled people get dismissed from higher paying jobs, or any job at all, because they don't have the right certificate - and in some cases where it's easy to see they are better than anyone else for the position, they are turned down for that alone - it's insane. ...and new ideas take over too fast. A lot of public services seem to just love introducing new techniques - new gadgets. But so much of it is not as good as the old. Just because a thing is new doesn't make it better. Overall I suppose I just wanted to say society should be more open to the excentric - but the poem itself is a varied commentary. *bows*

The person above me contributes to the Pen mostly with poetry.

Canid delays clarifying for a while, interested to hear people's un-influenced interpretations.

Hmm... I wouldn't describe blood as sweet personally. Salty; maybe. It definately has a rather unique metallic odour, but I've never noticed any sugary taste. *Canid sucks on the occassional papercut.... * *The wolf wonders around in the waiting room of the applicants, looking at the various crayon drawings Wyvern had put up advertising his new blood bank when a 'thing' wiggles past her rappidly on the floor. Her predatory instincts and curiosity kick in rapidly and the 'thing' doesn't last long. "Mmm, fizzy. "*

Canid would lift each spoon and blow on it's contents to cool it to her liking, repeating this until it was no longer nessesary as the entire bowl had cooled to the desired temperature..... not that she has any objection at all to cold soup.

Welcome to the world of the living, Please grab a ticket and take a seat. If you were born in a hospital you'll need to wait in that line to be tagged. If you were born at home we have some questions for you before you can recieve your health card. Welcome to the world of the walking, The world of the waking. Mummy's too busy to feed you now, have a nanny. Nannys are too expensive, go play with the other children in daycare and preschool. Welcome to the world of the learning, You need a pencil and eraser to apply. Today we're going to learn about letters. If you don't understand, there's no doubt in our minds that you need some medicine for your psycological problem. Welcome to the world of the working, Wow, you know everyting there is to know. I'm sorry, but you don't have the right piece of paper. Goodbye. Welcome to the world of declining, If you don't listen to us, you aren't doing it right. Logic meant nothing in the beginning, why should it mean something now? You're outdated habbits are annoying, there are better ways to do this, get out of the way. Why was that excentric person happy? Oh, and by-the-by people, no need to worry, I'm that excentric person at the end. *points*

Syllables..... Blackadder style. (Blackadder is explaining Charades to Prince George and Baldrick, demonstrating how they might express the word "bible".) Blackadder: For instance, if it was The Bible, I would go like that [holding up two fingers] to indicate that there are two syllables in it... Prince George: Two what? Blackadder: Two syllables. Prince George: Two silly bulls? I don't think so, Blackadder -- not in The Bible. I can remember a fatted calf, but, as I recall, that was quite a sensible animal. Oh, ah! It's it, um, er, Noah's Ark, with the, er, two pigs, two ants, and two silly bulls? Is that it? Blackadder: Two syll-a-bles. Prince George: What? Blackadder: Look, we're getting confused; let's start again, shall we? Prince George: No, let's not, Blackadder. I think the whole game's getting a bit syll-a, to be honest.

"I'm not a dog.... I'm a wolf!" Canid protests, pointing with her tail to the standard gray wolf saddle marking on her back.

Why didn't I think of this before? Ahem, this is THE BEST short film I have ever found on the web.... well worth the 14 minutes of your time. The Tale of the Rat That Wrote

Canid licks her muzzle self-conciously. "Congratulations Shade." Canid licks more. "Rats are very intelligent, I rather like the idea of having one as a pet." Canid's mouth drips and she licks furiously, unable to help but think of all those tasty little baby rats that a mere pair of rats could produce in a relatively short period of time...... baby rats with weak little jaws that can't do any damage........ Canid drools.

The person above me turned 16 today! (February 14th, 2003)

*Canid continues the song, regardless of downward turn - by the way, it's "stupid hats and plastic plates" .... Canid excuses herself for being a correction freak.* Happy birthday; now you're one year older! Happy birthday; your life still isn't over! Happy birthday; you did not accomplish much! But you didn't die this year I guess that's good enough. *Canid grins and won't complete the song since she doesn't have the patience for it - but it needed the chorus! * Happy Birthday Deadly Nightshade! :woot:

Not unless you're willing to risk losing flesh...... Ahem... the person above me chose a darkly elegant sig picture.

The person above me is known far and wide in the lands of Terra for his revolutionary politeness.... and his name means "half-elf".

"Hey! Those things are really cute!" Parachuter #3: "I bought mine discount!" "Ooooh! I'm really scared! Oooh! I'm shaking!" "Beware the Bunny?"

The person above me has a pointy and indestructable stick, known as the Big Pointy Stick (BPS for short) from whence he takes his name - he doesn't like it when the BPS gets drooled on.

The person above me hasn't finished cleaning up the graffiti she added to the pen with a brand new red crayon.

SKillfully written. *The wolf applauds.* I don't have such an array of friends, but like you I have sworn to myself that I'll never touch a drop. I congratulate you on your own decision.

The person above me knows French and loves cats.

Trilling sounds echoed through the warm night. I with my brush, I with my page. Child dancing in the moonlight. I with my pen, Brightness and rage. Uncertain notes screaming to be heard. Instrument cold, Left on the floor. Bitterly cold is reality's bird, But deep within, Beauty is heard. Artforms.