ladysophiekitty | Entries tagged with real life

“‎I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
— Martin Luther King Jr.

Current Mood: blank

A big thank you to everyone who wished me happy birthday!

I had a very nice (and quiet) day. Still have my birthday party, celebration with my sister, and presents from my grandparents left so it's not quite done yet! :)

Current Mood: bouncy

this is a wonderful rape discussion guidelines post. It's really well thought out and well-phrased.

Obviously this is a sensitive subject, so if this kind of thing bothers you, I wouldn't check it out.

Current Mood: thoughtful

It brings such a feeling of warmth in my heart I had to share. I've been watching it whenever I feel down, and it is great at making me feel happy again.

Current Mood: peaceful

Stole this from

terriblyiconic Usually I would put something this lengthy under a cut, but I think that since it's such a helpful thing, I won't this time. Sorry for all the f-lists I'm hogging! *g*

A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:

The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.
The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who's clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing.
They also look for women on their cell phone, searching through their purse, or doing other activities while walking because they are off-guard and can be easily overpowered.
Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning, between 5: 00 a.m.and 8:30a.m.
The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery store parking lots. The number two: office parking lots/garages. Number three: public restrooms.
The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to another location where they don't have to worry about getting caught.
Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.
If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.
These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands. Keys are NOT a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.
Several defense mechanisms he taught us are: If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it?, or make general small talk: ' I can't believe it is so cold out here,' ' We're in for a bad winter.' Now you've seen their face and could identify them in a line-up; you lose appeal as a target.
If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP! or STAY BACK! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back . Again, they are looking for an EASY target.
If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes), yell I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.
If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the Arm (between the elbow and armpit) OR in the upper inner thigh VERY, VERY HARD . One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands - the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it - it hurts.
After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you'll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble and he's out of there.
When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.
Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts!!! You may feel a little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.
Tip from Tae Kwon Do : The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!
Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans: If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you....chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.
Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc.) DON'T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.
If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.
A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot or parking garage:
1. Be aware: look around you; look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.
2. If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
3. Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY (And better paranoid than dead).
ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!).
If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times. And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, preferably in a zigzag pattern!
As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP! It may get you raped or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well-educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked 'for help' into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.
Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her 'Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.' The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over The policeman said, 'We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.' He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night. DO NOT open the door for a crying baby --- This should be taken seriously because the Crying Baby theory was mentioned on America's Most Wanted recently when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana.

Current Mood: sore

You all by now probably know my views on prop 8. But I just had to share this amazing thing.

xlivvielockex posted this amazing thing that Keith Olbermann said about Prop 8, and I just had to post it here:

( behind the cut )

Current Mood: indescribable

At first it made me depressing seeing all the yes on 8 signs popping up everywhere. Then I remembered that my city is 2/3 democrat and 1/3 Republican and the few Republicans there are like to make a big show to make their numbers seem larger while only half the democrats actually put no on 8 signs. The rest of us just agree.

from autobadgirl
1) Being gay is not natural.
And real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning, tattoos, piercings and silicon breasts...

2) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay.
In the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

3) Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior.
People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract. Lamps are next.

4) Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all;
Hence why women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

5) Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed;
And we can't let the sanctity of Britney Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage be destroyed.

6) Straight marriages are valid because they produce children.
So therefore, gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our population isn't out of control, our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.

7) Obviously gay parents will raise gay children.
Since, of course, straight parents only raise straight children.

8) Gay marriage is not supported by religion.
In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

9) Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home.
Which is exactly why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.

10) Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms.
Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.

Re-post this if you believe love makes a marriage.

I must admit that I don't watch American Idol, nor did I finish watching Dreamgirls. But I just read the horrid news about jennifer Hudson.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5014790.ece

Losing one family is bad enough, but losing a whole bunch at once? That's just...well, there are no words to describe. I wish I could give her a big hug. She's going to need a lot of support to get through this.

What a bad, bad, bad year.

Current Mood: shocked

lauratd posted this on her LJ and it was so good and I believe in it so much, I've copied it word for word to my journal. All credit goes to

lauratd

I have created a fundraising page called Love not H8 to help defeat prop H8

For those of you not familiar with proposition 8 (or as I call it prop H8) it is an attempt to rewrite the state constitution of CA to strip people of their rights to marry whom they choose.

The people pushing this proposition call themselves Christians but they are bearing false witness. They are putting out ads saying that churches will lose their tax exempt status if they don't perform same-sex weddings. This is a complete lie. Churches have the right to marry or not marry whomever they choose and the state has no way to force them to perform ceremonies they don't believe in. Which is as it should be. Seriously, do you think people want to be married by a minister who thinks their love is a sin? They don't . They want to be married by a minister who honors their love. So you can tell Aunt Martha that she doesn't have to worry that poor Fred Phelps will be hogtied and forced to watch boys kiss (unless he comes to the Folsom Street Fair, in which case, I make no guarantees).

As it says on my page:

I refuse to wake up November 5th and find out that people were denied their constitutional rights because I did nothing. I refuse to watch silently as people are denied legal rights because their love makes other people feel uncomfortable. I refuse to let hate win out over love without a fight.

I might not have the funds that the Church of LDS has, but LTD has Love on her side and if you feel like throwing some of your funds in with mine come on over to my Love not H8 page.

Also (this is

ladysophiekitty speaking) facebook friends who keep sending me invites to join groups for Prop 8? Yeah, not cool. I side with the gay people, capiche?

Happy Rosh Hashanah!

Current Mood: pleased

Dude, it's a bad year to be a celebrity.

Is it just me or does it seem like they are all dying off?

Also, I just took a really random online name thing, and:
S is for Shocking

O is for Old

P is for Philosophical

H is for Hot

I is for Irresistible

E is for Excellent

Well, my name does mean wisdom. And wisdom makes you seem older. So I'll take it as a compliment, thank you very much.

Current Mood: blah

I'm not usually one to read the latest celebrity news, and the occasional times I do, a lot of eye rolling ensues. But I was reading the yahoo news thing before checking my email, and I just read the sweetest thing. (gotten from http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/goddess/matilda-ledgers-guardian-angels/85?nc)

( the article )

It's nice to hear good things about celebrities for once instead of "this person has nude pictures online!" and "this celeb just went to rehab!"

I hope I never become one. It would suck big time.

Current Mood: touched
Current Music: Fallin' by Alicia Keys

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080816/ap_on_re_mi_ea/egypt_septuplets

... There are no words to describe. This beats the lady who had 18 kids in 11 years and gave them all J names.

Hey, at least they get free milk and diapers for 2 years.

Current Mood: shocked
Current Music: Serenata by Immediate Music

Mom really wants to watch the Olympics, so she called someone, and we now have DIRECT TV! We haven't had channels at my mom's house for twelve years. I always had to go to my dad's house to watch tv, and only local channels at that. But now, if say Bones changes their time again (because they do that A LOT) I can watch it no matter what house it's on at. Well, hopefully. It's a month by month thing, so it all depends on whether or not Mom likes it.

But OMG YAY!

Current Mood: bouncy

When I went to visit the house today, Mom found a bag with 2 boy shirts she had bought a few years ago that were never used. So later when we went to Central Park, we saw two little boy shoe shiners. Sadly, this is a common thing in Guatemala. A lot of times the children have to work to support the family. We went up to the two boys (both of them had hands that were stained black from the shoe stuff) and we gave them the shirts. They were so happy! You could tell they didn't get new clothes much because they kept stroking the tags. Now I feel really good.

Sorry for not posting. I haven't had much time to go on the computer, and when I do it's only enough time to read my friend's page and check my email. Plus, I really suck at describing things. Which figures, considering how much I love writing.

On another note, I'm thinking of getting a paid account so I can do the 100 icons thing. 15 isn't enough for me. Seriously, I'm addicted to collecting icons. I have hundreds saved on my computer. I just have to convince my mom. After that I need to figure out how to do mood icons here. I want either an Angel/Cordelia or Booth/Brennan mood icon.

Oh, and for the first time in a very long time I'm excited about writing again. Lately it's felt more like an obligation than something I enjoy doing, you know? But a few days ago I came up with a Bones series idea, and I am very happy about it. I started writing it with my friend, but she's kind of uncomfortable with the idea of writing fanfic for something that's not a book., So yeah, that's kind of a hassle. On the subject of Bones, a few days ago I bought the entire first season of Bones at the mercado for only 90 Q, which is a little under 10 dollars. They didn't have season 2 though, so I plan to buy it on amazon when I get back. And they had Buffy, but only season 1. I asked if they had seaons 2,3, and 5 (my favorites) and they said that they'd have them by tomorrow. Of course, it's Guatemala, so it'll take longer.

I just love how cheap everything is here.

Current Mood: happy

Stealing this idea from Lerdo's Wednesday Smiles.

Sometimes we can get so caught up in all the bad in our life we forget about the good things going on too. I know I do a lot. I thought, why don't we make ourselves feel a little better and acknowledge those good things? Why did I choose Wednesday? Because sometimes it's even harder to remain positive in the middle of the week. So post something (or somethings) that you are thankful for, looking forward to, or something you are positive about, or something that makes you really happy.

Me: I just started watching Angel. Now, admittedly I have seen episodes of this show before at a friend's house, but then the only memory I've had of Buffy was very faint images from when I watched the show ages ago. Now that I've seen Buffy, I get Angel more now. And it's awesome. I've also found another new show (this time new-new) called Joan of Arcadia that, even though it has a lot about God is not preachy and miraculously doesn't make me feel uncomfortable.

Also, tomorrow is the last day of school before I am out of that particular hell forever! But who knows whether I'll bump into another hell dimension... *really lame Buffy reference*

I had just gotten to my Dad's house and put my backpack down on the chair when I noticed a present on my desk. It was from my Dad and my step mom, Genevieve, congratulating me on graduating. I opened up the present on my desk (careful not to tear the beautiful humming bird wrapping paper) and it was a 1940 edition of the Wind in the Willows, given to my Dad years ago from my grandparents, and now given to me. I rushed out to give him a big hug. And then I just got a letter from these people I've known for a while but don't know that well who are about to move to Maine, congratulating me on graduating. These two things touched me a lot.

It's amazing how something simple can change your entire day. I'm feeling happy again, and I think I'm well enough to go to school. It's not like we're doing anything major tomorrow though, seeing as we don't have any of our textbooks.

Current Mood: touched

Well, I'm officially sick. Not surprising seeing as how I've had to sing this entire weekend (2 concerts plus a ton of rehearsals) and if there is a cold or cough going around, I'm going to get it. Seriously. This is my fifth time since September. As such, beware. I'm tired when I am sick, and when I am tired I get REALLY random. If you think I was random before, that was nothing, I promise you. And the fact that I spend the entire day yesterday trying to get my Tara mood themes to work and they just wouldn't? No help. So please, if you know how to put in your own mood theme, please let me know so I don't murder someone.

Fandom news: Yesterday I was at our local club working out (yes, I'm actually accomplishing something on my goals list for once!) and on top of each machine is a little television with a place to plug in your earphones and a remote so you can watch TV while you work out. I was browsing the channels when I came across the beginning of Law and Order SVU. I was like, "Hey, I used to watch this show (though another version) with my Dad sometimes. What the hell, I'll just watch it again." So I was watching it and the guest starring list was going on, when I noticed who was on the guest star list. EMILY DESCHANEL! I had a total fangirl moment, but I had to hold it back because all around me people were focusing on working out. So my pedaling went up to 190 pedals per minute before I calmed down and went back to 140. *end story*

Right now I'm reading a ton of parodies on Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse, some of my least favorite books. Normally when I don't like something I might read a few negative things on it, feel better, and then move on with my life and feel a lot better. Not this time though. Every single fucking person at my school loves it, reads it, and talks about it. In fact, on Friday I saw someone wearing a Team Edward shirt. I'm not kidding. Even worse was that it was one of my friends. And it's everywhere else now, what with the entire internet population being obsessed with these books. As you can imagine, pure torture (why must I go to middle school/high school? Can't I just skip all that and go to college?). So as a way to let some of the bitchyness and anger and frustration out, and since I am not clever enough to do parodies like these people are (if you want to read these, let me know in a comment and I'll send you a link) and since either Bella and Edward are always doing something totally risky (not to mention it'll be kind of funny getting attacked by all the rabid fan girls) I'm going to write a story of all the ways they can die. (Wow that was a long sentence. *deep breath*) Since I don't have the first book with me at the moment, my first one will be my own creation.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: bitchy
Current Music: The Bitch Song by Bowling for Soup

I just noticed the 50 book challenge and I thought, "hey, that kinda sounds like fun." Only I've already gone way past 50 (probably at around 300 by now. I read extremely fast.) so I thought I'd change it to summer. I'll make a list here, and anyone interested can join in too. I'd love to hear what you're reading and what you think of it.

On another note, I also have the goal to finish a few stories this summer. I must admit that by now I am completely sick of some stories and would just like them done. I've been working on most of them for years. No exaggeration. It truly astounds me when people who write stories have written a really good story that has long chapters and is like 50 chapters and is done in a little over than half a year. Even worse when people are like, "I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've updated" and it's only been a week. It makes me feel horrible because I usually write one chapter for a story a month. Blame that dratted author's block which has gotten even worse lately. I just want to complete all my Harry Potter stories so I can decide whether I still want to be a part of that fandom or if I want to move on to other things. I'm thinking the former. Despite the fact that I don't like the books anymore, the plotbunny section of my brain has not turned off.

My third goal is to get in shape. I'm not fat or anything and I do exercise (mostly swimming, which I love doing and I'm really good at), but I am a horrible runner, and yesterday my P.E. teacher came up to me and told me that if I don't improve my mile time, I basically have to take all 4 years of high school instead of the two that we usually take. Not to mention that I'm going to be spending a lot of time at the pool and beach this summer, and I want to look good in my bathing suit. Yes, I do have some teenager characteristics, as surprising as that may seem.

I've also been singing a lot this weekend. Friday I had a concert for one choir, today I had a rehearsal for another concert for my other choir tomorrow. I have a bit of a sore throat today, which isn't good since tomorrow is such a big day and I have to hit some really high notes.

Anyway, it should be a good summer, and I have a lot of big plans. But then I usually do, and I never go through with most of them. Who knows? Maybe this summer'll be different. At least I'll get a ton of exercise with all the traveling I'm doing. A ton of reading time too, on the planes.
Until next time,
Sophie
P.S. what are things you do to get past writer's block? I could always use some new ideas to try out.

Current Mood: determined
Current Music: Here with Me by Dido

Remember my eating disorder post a few months back? I just saw this horrible, horrible post, and I'm absolutely terrified! I mean, how do you even respond to something like that? Is this what my cousin is feeling? What should I do about it? I feel like I really want to do something, but I don't know what. I just hope I never become like this.
( Read more... )

Current Mood: nauseated

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ladysophiekitty

Athena's Garden

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Strangeness and Charm

Entries tagged with real life

I've seen this twice, passing on the word.

(no subject)

Since I seem to be a linker lately...

Though most of you have probably seen this...

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Prop 8

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Oh my...

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To all the fellow Jews on my list:

Another note on celebs

How sweet...

Holy...

OMG YAY!

I feel really good...

Wednesday Positives

Graduation...

Sick

The 50 book challenge

I'm scared...

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July 2020

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