Ayshela

Ayshela whirls through and POUNCES X-Sabre, huggling him thoroughly and wishing him a very happy birthday! Giving him a note to the bartender good for one drink of his choice on her tab, she smiles, huggles him again, and vanishes in a blur of motion.

*giggles* yeah, she didn't seem too happy with my response to the situation and i'm sure would have been happier with her excuses getting her somewhere.. which they didn't.. it wasn't actually until i reached home that i realized that it was *that* t-shirt i was wearing.. and promptly died laughing when i saw it in the mirror.. though i'm sure there are those who believe that effective parenting and supporting your children *is* a bad example. neh.. their problem. i just thought it was funny. ;> Maybe the bad example is in intimidating school officials who *get* no squiggle room in dealing with the problem they created? *shrug* *laughs*

oh! oh good! there are MUCH better things to be murdered with than boring old kitchen utensils, after all!

Okay, Wednesday's come and gone pretty well, i've gotten through the long distance appointments in such good time that i'm actually back home before school's out, for once! This turns out to be a very good thing because i come home to find a nastygram from Ben on my computer that he's being hassled about wearing his sunglasses at school, **for which he has authorization from the neurologist**. *snarl one* Knowing exactly where he placed the letter containing *our* copy of said authorization, i step into his room and lift it off his desk and go storming out the door fully intending to see the person in question about this before school gets out. I hit the office door, and - surprise surprise - there's no one to be seen. I stand there patiently for a moment, tapping the envelope against the desktop, before an "assistant principal" asks if she can help me? I identify myself *and* the issue i'm there about and hear someone calling from the office beyond her, asking for me by name. Oh GOODIE! This sounds like the person i spoke with on the phone initially, who *should* have known better. *snarl two* I step into her office and explain that i have just gotten home and found a note from Ben describing a problem he'd had with wearing his sunglasses - and that's as far as i get before she's breaking in: "He said there had been an authorization faxed in and we've looked all over here and we just don't have it." (snarl three) "Well, you do now." "Well, it would have only gone to one of two desks, it's not like it could have gotten lost anywhere within the school and we don't have it." "Well, you do now." "I know i spoke with you on the phone and you were going to get an authorization addressed to the staff faxed to us -" "Yes, i did. When i hung up the phone from speaking with you i phoned the doctor's office and told them specifically what you required and gave them the fax number that you gave me. That letter is MY copy of exactly what THEY faxed to YOU." "Oh. Well the only other place i would have sent it is to the school nurse and she doesn't have it either, so we must not have gotten it." "Well you do now." "Yes. Well, umm, thank you for bringing this in, and i'll make sure he doesn't have any more trouble with this." "Good." And angry mother turns toward the door. Now, stop there - look down at this angry mother and read her T-shirt, which she's forgotten she's wearing today. It reads: I have determined that my sole purpose in life is to serve as a bad example. *angry mother dissolves in maniacal laughter*

oh lordy.. things like: In a crowd you can usually be found: and then answers ranging depending on your sociability and crowd comfort zone, from "in the thick of things, of course" to "with my back firmly to a wall" to "crowd? IN a crowd? are you insane?"

Intruiging! And most definitely accepted! i'm looking forward to seeing more from you two. Turns Vanessa gently and points her in the direction of the Room of the Fiery Hearth

This is definitely the place to post your application, which i am pleased to accept. There is equally definitely a place for you and your writing here, and if you would like to write with Ness i would also encourage her to apply. We aren't in the habit of turning away qualified writers, here. =) As for your co-authored stories - The Hearth Room would probably be the best place for that. It's sub-titled for one author stories only, simply because we don't want the round-robin type stories posted there. As i think about it, though, there would be no reason why collaboratively written stories couldn't be posted there. Welcome. =)

suhweeeeeet!!!

*nods* i agree that the short and broken line lengths work well for this. i think they show, in a more concrete form, the broken thought patterns so common with such a circumstance - the way thoughts seem to start and trail off to nothingness, or turn to something else entirely.

Ayshela wanders in rubbing her eyes and trying to look around her. "A birthday?" She kicks the morning scornfully. "It's nowhere near a nice enough morning to be a birthday!" She pries her eyes the rest of the way open only to have them seared by sunlight. "GAH!!!!! Okay, okay, i take it back! it's a lovely morning!" she gasps as she scrambles for her sunglasses. With her eyes properly protected she wanders over to Ozymandias to give him his extra extra extra large Ye Olde CuppaJoe and a still-sleepy birthday hug. She then wanders off aimlessly mumbling something about a quad tall peppermint mocha, but since no one could hear her clearly that's unconfirmed. OOC: Happy Happy Birthday to my very favorite Ozymandias!

an excellent question. if you find out, let me know, will you?

*nods* thus the necessity for proofreaders. we all tend to read what we *mean* it to say, instead of what it actually says.

with the blood thing.. you're missing the "It" at the beginning of the sentence. It would read more smoothly and accurately "It wasn't the blood that did it for me" and i quite agree that contentment and blissful peace would be different things, but you had it stated as "content" not "contentment" which it would, more properly, be. Small, technical stuff for a piece already submitted. Things to note for future writing, though, and should you decide to polish this for another purpose. *hugs*

okay.. technical stuff first. You have a *lot* of comma splices here. Yes, i realize this is rather a pot-and-kettle situation, i'm prone to them myself, but it is something to watch for. There are a lot of places here where you've kept running along as one sentence because the thoughts are very closely tied, but it should be split into two separate sentences. If you want to improve this, i'd look closely at that. Next to that would be apostrophes - "his heart's" and similar things. Then, going through in order: This is confusing. You had slammed all of yours shut, but still others were allowed to swing wide? How's that work if you slammed them all shut? It wasn't the blood, to complete the sentence? contentment? Own this one, hon.. "I started" =) with sheet.. with a sheet? with sheeting material? this one catches me when i read through because it's a little unclear specifically what you mean, though it's a truly delightful image. =) And now to the hard part. i recognize that this is probably lengthy writing for you. Nonetheless, it is compelling and well narrated. Part of what makes this so difficult for me is that i want to stop at various points and say "yupyup, been there, done that". If i point out that your upper arm is more readily hidden than your lower, it would degenerate into a discussion of cutting, which is hardly the point because that's merely a means to an end and you'd get much the same effect repeatedly slamming your hand into a wall. The point is the control which you gained, for even a few short moments - and which you went on to regain over yourself and your life. When i reached the point of your sitting there staring blankly, unable even to speak, i found myself nodding and wanting to cry with remembered pain. That is the *hardest* point to get through, and you've my admiration for being able to do so without finding someone else to give you orders. All too few have your strength. An excellent piece, hon. A well crafted slice of life (if you'll pardon the awful and unintentional pun). Be good to yourself. You deserve it. And keep that sense of watchful caution against anyone who won't be good to you. *hugs*

*smiles and bows* thank you. i'm glad you didn't mind my jumping in on that one.

*will post other feedback on the story once i've found a bit of emotional distance from it.*

*laughs* oh, i love this! amazing sometimes how much you just need to *say* some of that before you get back to the business of loving someone, isn't it? *g* definitely, have your say, and i'll stand here and cheer as you do! =) *hugs*

i'll answer that one, if i may.. Running Start is a program which allows and encourages high school students to take college classes. High school classes are generally scheduled in one half of the day to leave the other half open for scheduling classes at the community college. There are lists of classes at the college which fulfill high school graduation requirements, so that you can be earning college credit while completing your high school requirements - and usually without the high school drama. Additionally, depending on your class load and willingness/ability to stretch yourself, you can earn credits much *faster* at the college, potentially completing two years' high school requirements in one year. For those who are ready to work at an adult level, it's an excellent program.

oh, i'd believe it.. because i got it, but refused to post on it, because i despise and resent the "here you go, do you think you're smart enough to figure this out?" tone of it.

*grabs Kythrah for a Happy 25th Birthday Happydance* Happy birthday, sweetie! Hope it's as loverly as you are. =)

excellent, MUCH clearer! =) sounds like fun.. and i do appreciate the point on PMing you from the original account with the name of your secondary.. *hustles off to PMland to do that*

YAYS!!! *happydances with all the recently promoted*

Since everyone here either is a mother or has a mother Happy Mothers Day to all our mothers, and to the mothers of all our beloved members.

Ayshela carefully hangs the birthday banners, making sure the candles don't threaten the edges or the strings of the balloons. Two cakes sit awaiting the crowds, one for Shadow of the Butterfly with 21 candles, and one for Dean the Adequate with 23. Ensuring that the refreshment tables are fully stocked and ready, Ayshela awaits the crowds, hoping that everyone arrives before the candles melt to puddles of wax. Happy Birthday to you both!

*laughs* no fear of that.. i'm equally glad that not all days *are* friday as friday tends to be insanely busy for me.. as long as we don't get stuck in some mad plot which has every day *monday*.. *shidder* But, however much i may recognize that there are advantages to and needs for the rest of the week, i do properly appreciate my friday evenings and the advent of the weekend and *theoretical* downtime. =) *giggle* Besides, i have free weekend phoning, and THAT i truly look forward to!