Mystical · Divinations

APRIL IS AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH!!!

As the possibility of a Spectrum disorder looms over our house, I feel inclined to go a little overboard on this one.  April is autism awareness month in the US.  Please use this month to raise your awareness of the Spectrum disorders!!  

Some sites:
http://www.autismspeaks.org/
http://www.cureautismnow.org/site/c.bhLOK2PILuF/b.1021889/k.BFD8/Home.htm
http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/autism.cfm

And to help money for autism, watch these videos below.  Every time they are played $.49 is donated to "Autism Speaks".
http://whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/213154
http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/189202

I've also got a lineup of blinkies, and I hope to acquire/make more during the month.  
   

       

 

   

That's it for now...more later!!!

Current Mood:

content

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
lollymj!!!!!!!!

Current Mood:

happy

Ugh. It's official. While they've been pretty constant, they are officially back like before...

What? Why, Molly's hives of course! Since her major outbreak she has constantly had little ones around her mouth, ones easily dismissed as "teething rash" (but they aren't.)

Current Mood:

aggravated

I am SOOOOOO dead right now.  I hurt, I'm sore, I'm exhausted (the cause for my soreness).  I went to bed at my usual time last night, approx. 1AM.  I fed Kennedy right before I went to bed, so I figured I'd have a good, long night to sleep.  

2:40AM ~ Molly gets us up by moaning....Loudly.  After 5 minutes of it, I get up and go get her bottle...take it in and feed her.  She downs it.  I lay her back down figuring she'll crash.  No such luck.  She moans for another five minutes.  Then, I believe silence.

3AM ~ I suddenly remember Denver lost his tooth yesterday, is expecting a dollar under his pillow tomorrow.  I get up, dig out a dollar and sneak into his room.  Can't find the damn tooth, and in the search for it, Denver wakes up.  I go back to bed, wait ten minutes, try to sneak back in, he hears the door opening.  So much for that.  So, I go back to bed.

3:15AM ~ Molly starts again...continues for about 20 minutes, finally goes to sleep.

6AM ~ Kennedy wakes up, crying for a bottle.  I stumble out of bed, get her and feed her.  Denver is up and comments that the tooth fairy forgot him.  I head back to the back, grab the dollar and go make a quick switch.  Go back and feed Kennedy.  Pass out during, but am woken up by Denver, "Mom.  Tooth fairy came while I was eating."  Yeah, okay, great *snore*  Startle awake a few minutes later to realize Kennedy had finished.  I set her down in the playpen and head back to crash.

7:15AM ~ Erik wakes me up to say bye.  Says Kennedy is up, but just playing.  LEaves a few minutes later.

7:30AM ~ Both girls are crying...either at the same time or alternating.  There is always someone crying, one, the other, both...doesn't matter...

11AM ~ I put Molly back in bed....she's being quiet, but not sleeping, playing.  Kennedy is alternating between fussing and wakefulness...no sign of a nap yet.  Praying she drifts off soon.

*thunk*

Current Mood:

exhausted

It started out shaky because I had left to take the girls to their respective sitters.  Unbeknownst to me, Erik had gotten out of work REALLY early, and gotten home abut 4:30...but because he'd taken Marc's Saleen into work, he didn't have his house keys...I come back at 5:20ish to a "I'm really pretty pissed at you right now"...I'd forgotten my cell and he hadn't been able to reach me!!  BUT, we got ready and out the door a little before six and headed downtown, sufficiently calmed, although tense about making it 'on time'.

We get to the Conrad and check in...they give us our room key (18th floor...we're impressed)...we get up to the room, put down our stuff and head back down.  We're stopped in the lobby by the concierge...they'd given us the wrong room.  We were actually in 912.  So, Erik goes and shifts the bags (we should've insisted we get to keep the room because it was their error...but I digress).

As the group of us is standing there waiting for the department head, there's a guy walking around the lobby.  I'm thinking he looks REALLY familiar, so I watch him, we all do.  Pat (the department head) gets downstairs and we file out and all of a sudden someone says..."Wait.  Was that JOHN MADDEN?"  We all look at each other, then back into the lobby.  I said that I thought it was...the valet pipes up, "It is.  Check out the bus around the corner."  So yeah...we had our brush with fame *Giggle*

We walk to the restaurant and head in...party of 13 (with reservations, of course) and get to our table.  I got a nice glass of Shiraz and water, Erik gets a good german beer (little splurging), and we order our steak (only...everything else was family style ordered for us..chef specials or something).  The appetizers are all seafood...I only can tolerate two things on the table (I'm so not into seafood)...but the crabcakes were WONDERFUL...as was the cajun-style popcorn shrimp.  

Steaks were...steaks.  Not sure what the fuss is all about...doesn't taste much different than what you'd get at Outback (sorry, Ruth's, but it's true)...but everything else was delicious.  I got a chocolate souffle for dessert...OMG...Talk about heaven on a plate.  It had a delicious strawberry sauce with it.  I swear I died when I bit into that.  

Then we get back to the Conrad...option to go out drinking/hanging out with the group...we decide to remain in.  We made ourselves comfy, rented X3!!!  YAY!!  I got to see half-nakey Logan again!  

In the morning we take our showers...and the towels...My God...the towels were like sponges...but SOFT.  Ugh...wonderful, we almost stole them *giggle*  Erik did steal the soap, and I stole the body wash.  Should've stolen the slippers...they were great.  

My biggest (and pretty much only) complaint for the night is while the bed was luxurious, no doubt...it was all down...and I'm allergic.  I was sniffling all night.  and it was almost TOO soft, I woke up with a sore back.  BUT...it's a complaint I don't mind having *giggle*

Sooo, we're obviously home now.  About to head back out for my nephews bday (and to look at a truck for sale).  It was nice to be child free for a night and in SUCH luxury...and all things considered, the cost of the room wasn't as bad as I thought it would be (not that we paid for it)...I expected it to be 300-500...and with valet parking, what we took from the bar, and the movie it all came to $243.  I told Erik we should have gotten room service *giggle*  

But, anyway.  More to tell on regular day to day stuff, but I had to divulge this.  (L&J..I'll tell you everything later...well, within reason).  

Current Mood:

cheerful

Yes, I'm sad.  But I watched the first ever season of this last year, and I will watch next years 3rd season.  I have never liked reality shows before...Hate Survivor, Hate Big Brother...hate Bachelor...never watched AI  (until this past year)...just avoided them all together.  But when I saw a dance show like it last year, I had to watch...and I'm hooked.  It's Erik's fault for getting me hooked on AI...because he had to watch the auditions (the only part he watched).  Anyway, Dancing with the Stars starts soon...so does the new season of a lot of shows.  Now I just have to finish this seasons Project Runway...keep an eye out for Top Chef...I'm a reality show junky now...well, not really, still wont' watch Survivor or Amazing race or antyhing.  BUT, I have watched a few episodes (I always forgot it was on) of Treasure Hunters.  It looks really interesting.  

So yes...I'm a TV whore anymore...that and my computer.  I really need a life.  We'll find out Tuesday if I get to have one sooner rather than later.  Podiatrist appointment.  If it's non-surgery correctable, I go back to work in a few weeks...if I require surgery...it'll be a couple of months.

Van sold.  Looking for a car/truck now.  

Um..Oh yeah...tomorrow night we get dinner at Ruth's Chris  then we have a night at the Conrad downtown.  We have no kids, no cost (except parking)!!  His company is paying for it, and it's going to be SO nice.  I feel like I have SO much to do to get ready for it...but I don't care.  Molly is going with Colleen...Denver and Kennedy are going with Mom & Dad (won't get into my pissy part about this)...and Erik and I go downtown for a night to ourselves.  It will be great :D

Current Mood:

calm

Molly:
Length ~ 32.25 inches = 50th%ile
Weight ~ 17# 2oz = no %ile.  

She is still below the charts on weight (way below)...but she IS growing at a good pace, so the doctor is unconcerned.  She also wasn't concerned about us missing the second GI appt. on Friday.  We agreed that my current plan (feed her whatever the Hell she wants/we're eating, and moniter reactions), will work fine.  I've determined through that that dairy in small doses aren't so bad...in large doses is when she gets ill (mac&cheese/pudding mess her up)..and peanut butter is also not so good (despite "not" being allergic to it...bad reaction next day...all over splotchy and crankiness).  

We've also determined that at 15 months she has begun her terrible twos.  Crankyness and jealousy abound.  The diaper thing...well...we're kind of stuck.  She's too little for the potty chair right now, so it's messing up that plan...but we're going slowly.  She was impressed with her reading fascination...and developmentally we are doing great!  The amount of intelligible words she speaks is right on...as is the fact that she has her own language (toddler speak is fun).  So all is well.  

Kennedy:
Length ~ 23.5 inches = 50th%ile
Weight ~ 10# 12oz. = 7th%ile

Doing WONDERFUL!  No issues, no problems.  Her crying jags every night are "normal" for babies her age...she should grow out of them in the next couple of months.  It's just painfully annoying when it occurs *G*  Doc was impressed with her rolling skills (she's been rolling over for well over a month now) and her strength (seriously..YOU try pulling that thumb out of her mouth...)!!  So, all is good!

***

I'm going to be making a podiatry appt. for myself.  Long story short, pretty sure I'll need surgery which will delay my return to work.  I want to know for sure what's going on before I go crawling on my knees back to Bob Evans for my job back :P

Um...that's it for now...

Current Mood:

happy

plagiarism

n 1: a piece of writing that has been copied from someone else and is presented as being your own work 2: the act of plagiarizing; taking someone's words or ideas as if they were your own 


in·spi·ra·tion   
n.   3.  Something, such as a sudden creative act or idea, that is inspired. 




Seems pretty clear cut. Seems like you would easily recognize the difference. I thought that was true. Being “inspired by” someone's story is one thing. Taking the story that 'inspired' you, making it a “B” storyline and altering just a few minor details...is plagiarism.

For example:

Inspired by:

The MC is a plucky woman with a heart as big as her mouth...for her mouth often opens before she thinks.

You read this story and say “oooh...I like her...” So you create a character somewhat similar (maybe her big mouth loves chocolate instead of speaking her mind), but place her in a totally different story.

Or

The MC falls in love. Goes through a series of trials, and loses her love in the end.

You read this story...and think, “Oh. I like that she had to travel to London...” So, you write a story and weave a trip to London in.

On the other hand...Plagiarism:

The MC is a plucky woman with a heart as big as her mouth...for her mouth often opens before she thinks. The MC falls in love. Goes through a series of trials, and loses her love in the end, but learns a valuable lesson about herself.

You read this story, and say, “Wow. That was incredible. Such a touching story.” So, you pick up your keyboard, and start writing. You write a story where this MC is now your “B” story character. The trials she goes through are the same, but in a TOTALLY different order...and she loses her love EARLIER in the story...but continues on to learn her valuable lesson. BUT, hey, she's the “b” character...so it doesn't matter..right?

WRONG. THIS IS PLAGIARISM. You've taken the same story, exactly, and just altered a few minor details. It doesn't make the story yours. It makes it someone else's. You can't say it was “inspired by” just because you flipped events and made it a secondary (or third level) story! It's still the same story.

I've heard the argument that themes and stories are repeated, and it's how the author writes it that makes the difference. This IS and CAN be true...however...you can't take an ENTIRE lifeline of a person, rearrange it slightly and call it original. IT DOESN'T WORK!!! It's fine to be inspired, and to “borrow” little details here and there, all writers do it at some point in time. But don't take someone's entire frickin' story and claim it as your own. You didn't write it, you didn't create this heart and soul of a story and breath life into it...someone else did.

This applies to everything...fanfic (I dont' give a shit if it's “not copyrighted” it's still bloody ignorant), original pieces...and pure crack. If you can't get off your lazy ass and write your own story...then don't write at all.

Yes. I'm disgusted. I'm pissed. I'm frustrated. I'm extremely hurt. I've been encouraged to say something and take action. This is my only action. I won't be reporting the occurrence, I won't be doing anything further. I know I'd said I was dropping it...but I've decided that I have to officially and finally make a final word and get it off of my chest. It's a long post, but I don't care.

For the writer's out there...take a hard look at your stories. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...but plagiarism is not. Keep that in mind the next time you sit at your keyboard.

(definitions from dictionary.com)

Current Mood:

angry

Day 3 of ? in the new meds.  After two violent days of adjustment, where emotions were all jumbled, first day focused, second day fluctuating...Erik now feels "stoned" and unable to focus.  I'm taking this as a good sign, and that he's just not used to not having his thoughts spinning rapidly in his head.  We'll see, though...it is only day three.  

The Realm is gone.  Closed the curtain and threw away the key.  We have a good-bye splash page...but everything else is gone.  Hosting expires November 3rd and then it will be an unused URL until the end of 2007.  Bye-bye Realm.

Kennedy is puking everywhere.  Her reflus is definitely gotten worse.  She hates the prevacid and spits it all out, so it's still hurting.  I've been keeping up the reglan, but it doesn't stop all the reflux.  Other than that, she's doing wonderful.  Very happy, chatty (i.e. cooing) baby.  

Molly is good.  Still pulling off her diaper if she can get to it.  In most cases, she's gotten very good at undoing her snaps on her outfit, that's how she did it yesterday.  So...we're getting a potty chair.  When she does take it off, the diaper is usually dry and she usually pees right after...so we're taking the chance.  We should have the potty chair by the end of the week.

Denver is the same.  He's miserable with the heat wave days we're having because none of his friends can play outside...and I make him come back in every half hour to get some water.  So, he spends most of his day pouting in his room.  Hopefully the heat wave breaks soon.

I'm working on Chapter 2 of my novel.  Already have 1000 words.  I did crappy drawings in PSP of the layout of town and Lisabeth's shop.  So, things are going relatively well there.  Although right now I've been inspired to work on something else, the novel is still my main focus and always open all day long :D

That's it.  I think.  Oh, we find out whether I'm going to get a niece or a nephew on the 18th...so long as the kid cooperates.  Keep your fingers crossed for a girl.  My brother wants a boy...but I know he needs a princess to spoil :D

ETA:  I forgot to put this part in here.  Sunday, Denver was returned to us from camping.  Phyllis (MIL) mentioned that they'd had a little birds and the bees talk.  It irked me a little, because I'm not sure I want them discussing that with him because I can't moniter what's being said.  But, I digress.  In the conversation we got to the subject of him being on medicaid and how he's covered until he's 18, unless Erik adopts him because Erik is his stepfather and so his income doesn't count...Denver heard, despite me speakign quietly and I got the "What's a step-father?" question.  He's so bloody smart (seriously, his passion is science, he can tell you anything about our solar system, and the speed of light, how long it takes for the light to travel from the sun to the earth, about bugs, about the weather...he's a science geek...)so I know that it's going to start coming up a bit more.  I mean, to him...Erik is and always will be "Dad"...he's been his dad for half of his life now, but soon the fact that the last names are different is going to take more precedence.  He already knows his name isn't the same (Told grandma he wasn't a junker...to which she replied that he certainly was, whether or not his last name was the same)...I'm sure pretty soon it's going to be questions as to how I had a baby if Daddy wasn't around then.  So, it's started...I just hope I can handle the questions as they come...and hope they come to me or Erik, not anyone else...

Current Mood:

calm

Erik took the car in to have the breaks worked on.  He told them just to do the rotors, and rotate the tires...that they could check the brake pads but he was sure they were fine.  We were figuring $100 for the whole kit&kaboodle.  It was only $50!  The pads were fine, they turned the rotors and rotated the tires!  Erik says he thinks it needs an alignment, too, because now that the breaks are smooth, it's pulling a tiny bit...but it's not an immediate concern.  So, we saved a little there. 

And I've gotten the prologue and Ch. 1 done on my novel.  I still haven't finished writing down all the backstories...but I have the most important ones down...so hopefully from here it's all good :)  I'm going to get a flash drive to store them on...Erik suggested it...he's so sweet and supportive about it :)

Current Mood:

blah

Fast forward 6 months...

His "Significant" raise is barely $40 a week.
His "Double" bonus (we just got it today)...is $150 after taxes.

BASTARDS.  We have three fucking kids.  We have a furnace that doesn't work, so our house is friggin' freezing in the winter and a bathroom that is full of god damned mold that we have to get rid of!  You can't lie to a guy like that!!  That's a load of bullshit!  He could have been in the warehouse all this time making OT instead of being your damned "CLERK" as you tried to put on his business cards.  FUCK YOU ALL.

I'm telling Erik to do what he wants.  I'm sick of him being jerked around like that.  He can't even talk to them about it  because he's on his last 36 hours of half-meds and is too edgy, he'd go off on them.  I'LL go off on them!  STUPID BASTARDS.

Current Mood:

pissed off

Kennedy's reflux is becoming more obvious, and as she can no longer sleep in the car seat (she's pushing herself out of it), I'm dealing with getting her to sleep in the portacrib.  I tried to prop it up for her, but she just slipped herself down sideways so she's flat again.  After spitting up three times, she's finally asleep.  I have to keep a close eye on her now.  (The reflux is still two hours after feeding, though, and the spit up is practically clear)...should make for an interesting few nights.

We're on day 4 of 7 of half meds.  Yesterday was tough for Erik, it was his first day working like that.  His ever 'Miss Sunshine' coworker got pissy the one time he used rotten language on the phone with another coworker.  He told her to get over it...if she has a problem using bad language, that's fine...she doesn't have to force it on him.  I agree totally...I respect people's decisions to keep their language clean, but they should respect mine if I get upset enough to use it.  But, he told his supervisor what was going on, which I think is great...and his supervisor said to just not let it be felt by the customer's and he'd be alright.  *nods*  Very good as well.  Erik is definitely feeling the effects, including the extreme exhaustion, but we're working together to get through it.  He came home last night and crashed an hour later.  I got him up for his meds, and he stayed up for nearly an hour before crashing hard again.  I've already told him that whatever he needs to do, do it.  If he has to call me every hour to vent off steam, I don't mind.  We're halfway to new meds now...and I expect it will be a couple days after that before he really starts to feel the effects...but at least we're making progress.  Continue to keep him in your thoughts, and pray it does not get too rough for him this week.  

Molly...she's a sponge...I'm anxiously searching for the magnetic alphabet letters to work with her on.  We have her A, You're Adorable book, but with the kids crawling on the letters, Ithink she's distracted by them.  But she is SO into reading.  She sat on my lap for 10 minutes yesterday, and every time I finished the book, she'd open it back up and point to the A to get me started again.  The ONLY thing that stopped her was Erik's arrival home.  She literally ran to him...it was WONDERFULLY CUTE!  But, I'm determined to get a good start on these letters with her so terribly interested in books.  I imagine she'll be reading as early as Erik and I did (we were both reading full-length books at 3) if I do it right...at least I can hope :)  I've been on ebay part of the morning and I found some great wooden magnet letters that have capital and lower case...and a storage box for them.  I'm probably going to bid on a set.  I also found the foam mat alphabet/number puzzle/floor covering things...a huge set with starting bid of $.99  I might just bid on those, too.  We want to use them for the floor in the girls room when we switch everything around next year, anyway.

Okies...that's it for today.  At least for now.  I really have to get started on my backstories.  I failed myself in my challenge of completing 5 yesterday...I only gave myself three today, and I really want to reach that goal.  Anyone can feel free to prod me to achieve it :D

Current Mood:

calm

So last night, Vil finally found the song that Natalie danced to Wed. on SYTYCD.  Well, as we started going through the artists songs...we decided she was the soundtrack to our trauma drama...meaning fics and RPGs.  Nearly all of her songs reminded us of something, some coupling, some pair...and one in particular just floored me with it's similarity to my second novel, Eclipse of the Heart.  The artist is Leah Andreone...her voice is haunting, and the music is wonderful  We downloaded song after song last night...28 to be exact.  I'm listening to it now...yeah...new obsession?  *G*  Hey, we like it.  Anyway, the song that reminded me of Eclipse was called "You Make Me Remember"...and it's just frightening the similarities it has to my character through half of the novel!  I'm just sucked in by this music...must...burn...CDs...*runs away*

Oh, and Molly is walking EVERYWHERE now.  I didn't say that already, did I?  Well, just in case...I'll state it again..she now prefers walking to crawling!!!  After being babysat by Colleen on Saturday and hanging out with the 4 year old Jacklyn, she's decided that walking is the shiznit and that's all she does about 95% of the time now!!  I'm so happy and proud...

Current Mood:

cheerful

Yesterday, I put Molly down for her quiet time.  She usually only naps once a day, but she goes down for quiet time twice...once in the morning and once in the afternoon.  Since yesterday was a busy, full afternoon for her because she ahd company and got to see her brother (who is with the inlaws again)...shortly after they left she got hyper-cranky, indicating her need for a nap.  So, I put her down.  I heard her playing for a bit, and then silence...she actually took a nap.  She slept about 2 hours, and then I heard her up.  It wasn't quite time for her to eat, but I made her bottle, and about 15 minutes later went to get her.  I smelled her full (i.e. poopy) diaper before I got to the room.  Pretty normal...so I go in and I'm talking to her, telling her she's stinky...she's grinning and giggling...and that's when I realize something is amiss...

As I approached, I realized her onesie, that had been fitting very well...was loose.  Upon further inspection, I discover there is no diaper on her...and that the poop I smell is slightly smeared...on her...and the bed...and that the diaper is on the floor, also with poop....

I don't know how she did it.  But, she managed to get into her well-fitting onesie and take off her diaper AFTER she'd pooped.  It was a bit of everywhere...Even I was disgusted (I expected Erik to be...but after Denver's issues, it takes a bit to catch me off-guard in the poop area).  We rushed her to the bathtub, wrapped in a towel.  Stripped her bed and got it right into the washer...Erik wiped down her bed with Lysol wipes...

So, yeah.  I think I can call it a lock.  Molly is going to be a HANDFUL with her diapers...Lord help me!!  

*giggle*  And yes, Laura...I AM laughing about it today...

Current Mood:

amused

I am done ranting about the whole thing with writing.  I'm literally sick to my stomach from it tonight and just refuse to acknowledge it any longer.  I've been asked directly about it now, but I can't come up with an answer that isn't just cruel or nasty...and I've been thinking about it for 3 hours now.  So.  It's done.  No more acknowledgement or comment.  It's done.  I'm moving on and getting out of the rut and gutter it put me in the past couple of days.  Onward and upward I say.

Speaking of my writing...on our date tonight, I asked Erik dead on what he thought about it.  He was very sweet...he even apologized and said that he didn't want me to think that because he didn't read it that he wasn't supportive...he just wasn't sure he could get into the genre.  Mostly, the romance part of it *giggle*  I told him I understood that...but I was afraid he thought I was being foolish for pursuing it.  He said I was brave for pursuing it *beams* And that he hopes, like I do, that I do see it through all the way.  He said that he knows my attention wanders (it really does), and he's worried that I'll disappoint myself...but he's totally supportive and I think he'll be super encouraging for the whole run.  Made me feel wonderful :D

Current Mood:

cheerful

I guess I'd made up my mind about this a few days ago; but tonight after talking with the two people I feel are my best friends, I made up my mind.  I removed all of my writing from the internet.  My fan-novels and shorts are gone.  One of my stories was violated, I felt...plagiarism is too strong of a word for what happened, but just barely.  It's agreed that I'm sensitive about it because this story is very important to me...especially since I'm rewriting it into an original piece.  I've been working very hard on the rewrite, researching my arse off, and creating backstories for the main characters of my story)...but I'm keeping the base storyline the same...so when the storyline itself is violated, intentional or not, it bothers me.  

So, in response, I've pulled it all.  This also gives me more freedom to work on what I want, when I want.  I can focus on my novel and making it the best piece I can...and if I happen to be so inspired, do something on the side to further the third novel in my series, or a short, or write a totally different genre.  The pressure is gone...and so is the fear of writing this story.  I realized over the past couple of days that I have recreated my original characters and given them so much more depth...and I'm no longer scared of writing this story as it should have been written the first time...as mine, my own story...I'm actually almost excited...though daunted by the prospect of selling it.

I've yet to decide what to do about having my storyline so closely mirrored elsewhere...I may just ignore it...or I may actually say something.  I have to admit at first I was surprised, then a little bothered...and then I worked into full fledged pissed off...now I just feel hurt.  Maybe I should take it as "imitation is the best form of flattery"...but considering the source of the "flattery"...I'm more hurt than anything else, though still a bit perturbed.  

From here on out, the only people reading my stories will be my two trusted beta readers, and maybe eventually I'll find someone around here that will do a third edit for me.  Tomorrow I see my FIL and will probably speak to him a little about it...see if he has any advice...but we'll see what happens :)

Anyway...I'm done rambling for the evening... 

Current Mood:

aggravated