11 tag

Savanna at Pandas, Lightsabers and Cameras, Oh My!! tagged me for "The 11 Tag". This particular tags seems to be going around the blogging world like a virus, and while I'm late to the game, I shall endeavor to participate. Thanks, Savanna! <3

The Rules:

1) Post these rules.

2) Post 11 random things about yourself.

3) Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.

4) Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.

5) Go to their blog and tell them they’ve been tagged.

6) No cop-outs in the tagging section like, “If you are reading this” or “if you follow me”. You have to legitimately tag people!

11 Random things about myself:

1. I adore the numbers 5,7 and 77. I like 7 because it is a special number in the Bible, and 5 because it is so neat and mathematical, like a building block. I would like 5 kids when I get married (someday, if) because then the total number of people in my family would be 7. How cool is that?!

2. I don't like socializing. At all. One or two new people I can handle, but people in large groups terrify me.

3. I want to earn an M.D. someday just so I can say "I'm a doctor, not a ----!" to someone, courtesy of Dr. McCoy.

4. These are kind of boring random things. Is this cheating?


5. I really cannot stand most country music. It makes me want to either throw something at the radio or jump off of a cliff and drown. 


6. I consider myself a fangirl for War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. I really liked the book. 


7.  I raise sheep and chickens. 


8.  I never ever lie. However this virtue is minor when compared to my numerous other faults.


9. My room is painted blue, and I have the words "Don't Panic" tacked up above my bed.


10.  I hate winter. 


11.  I don't really like Jane Austen books. I think her characterizations are fantastic, but they just aren't my type of book.




SAVANNA's QUESTIONS:


 1. What do you think of homeschoolers?

I support homeschoolers, being one myself. Independent learning is the way to go.

2. What was your favorite TV show as a child?

As a child we never watched TV (excepting the occasional movie) voluntarily, strange as it sounds. Thank you to my mother for not getting me hooked on it! Now I still don't watch much TV, but I'd have to say Star Trek (from the 1960's; I haven't seen much of the spin-off series yet) and Get Smart, which is vapid, amusing, funny and has the greatest retro looking outfits. 

Star Trek I like because it is really neat, and strange. The original series of Star Trek has the most entertaining characters. TNG (The Next Generation) characters don't come close. It also has some really neat storylines, and amusingly hokey battles and special effects. Plus, it has Spock. :D

3. What is your main passion in life?

Hmm..

follow where God leads me, and I want to accomplish something big. Something that will last beyond me.

4. If you could choose one song to represent your life, what would it be?

....... I don't know. Hopefully an epic movie theme!

5. Ice cream or Popsicle?

Ice cream all the way. Support the dairy industry. Coffee ice cream especially. And vanilla bean.

6. Who is you favorite villain (from a movie or TV show)?

Darth Vader (duh) Klingons (because they're awesome) and Borg (resistance is futile). I'm sure there are more but it escapes my mind.

7. Who do you greatly admire in this world?

I admire great people who stuck to their principles, like John Adams (and Abigail Adams), Winston Churchill, Steve Jobs because he started Apple, and I can't think of anymore right now.

8. How would you describe your clothing style?

Classic, bohemian, retro, practical.....my clothing style isn't particularly unique.

9. Do you like thrill rides (roller coasters, etc) at amusement parks?

They make my stomach hurt, and I detest crowds. No.

10. Have you ever been to Disney World or Disneyland?

Nope, and not particularly interested in going either. Too crowded, expensive, and I'm not really a big Disney fan.

11. How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

Self-absorbed, capable, introverted.




AND NOW, my QUESTIONS:


1. If you could be anything you wanted to without working for it, what would you be?
2. Summer or winter?
3. Can you ski?
4. Would you rather live in the past or in the future if you couldn't live now?
5. Star Trek or Star Wars? Both?
6. Dogs or cats?
7. If an alien suddenly landed in front of you right now, what would you do first?
8. Define the word "awesome".
9. Do you think only drinking white (with milk) coffee is racist?
10. How many kids would you like to have?
11. Favorite number?




I tag, hmm.....Mary , Evelyn, Tanichcha, and David.  You're on!

sheepish

Sheepish antics.

{via}

 If you've never raised sheep before, you probably think of them as boring, rather stolid balls of wool, who happen to possess tasty loins. All of this is true; but there is much quiet joy and peace in their very stolidity. Hang out with a flock of sheep for a while and you can't help but realize the overarching rhythms which make up the animal world.

photo from gopetsonline.com

{via}
Sheepish actions never change. The things they do now (eat, breed, poop, give birth, play) are not new, and they aren't going  to change anytime soon.

{via} Babydoll Southdowns--AKA the cutest sheep ever.

And yes, sheep do play. They jump around, run and leap up with all four legs off the ground for no apparent reason, like a carefree young child on a beach. 

This is very amusing to watch. Not so amusing is the crazed rush of every single animal towards you when you're carrying their food....

{via} Irish sheepz.

{via}

Source unknown. I have this photo as our laptop background.

Ram playing 'king of the hill' in the Faroe Islands. {via}

Also for no apparent reason, I write out a sheep essay and post in on my blog.

I love sheep.

My two Katahdin ewes, with their goat friend, Billy.

Sadie the Ewe.

My girls. <3

"The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs."

~  Psalms 114:4 

L. K. F. part one

little known facts:

0001.  Old fashioned egg beaters make great stress relievers. Weird, I know.

0002. I'm hungry.

0003. Velociraptors are exceedingly interesting. 

{via}

{via}

This was a great book, but definitely not for younger readers.

                            0004. I really love these pot holders. So fun to play with  use.

{via} Nor my photo, unfortunately....we only have two.

0005. I really hate when people have music on their blogs. Very annoying!

0006. I wish I was more than 1/8 Scottish. Kilts, bagpipes, haggis, cool accents and sheep are oh-so-awesome. Except I don't understand Robert Burns very well.

not my picture. source unknown.

The Macfarlane (my maternal grandfather's last name) tartan.

0007. Let sleeping dogs lie.

0008. I'm hungry.

0009. If anyone has any post ideas, I would be greatly indebted if you'd leave me a comment. Inspiration is running dry.

0010.

0011. “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

"Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him well."

“To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?"

HAMLET SPAM. Booyah!!!

0012.  I promise to post something better soon. 

0015. Ducks.  

~ ~ ~ finis ~ ~ ~

homeschooling myths: a guest post by Evelyn

Hello, all you inhabitants of the blogging world! I'm Evelyn, crawling out from my rock because Diana asked me to. :D More specifically, because she asked me to write a guest post on homeschooling myths.
As homeschoolers, we are often judged by unfair myths, passed down from skeptic to skeptic. I am here to set the record straight.



Homeschooling myth #1: Homeschoolers are not properly socialized.


My answer: Oh, that's right! Thank you for correcting the error of my ways! I remember now... The entire point of public school is the social aspect! Duh!


Not. If I, or any other homeschooler, were enrolled in the public school system, it would be to gain an education.
I will admit that it is true: The AVERAGE homeschooler probably does spend less time in the same room as peers. Notice that I say "In the same room." 


Homeschoolers have about the same time for active socilazation as children in the public school system.
Is this a bad thing that they spend less time in the presence of their peers? Let's look at this for a minute.


We have two students, the same age and gender, studying for the same lesson. Let's say that they are fourteen-year-old girls. One is homeschooled, one is not.
The homeschooler is at home with her mother and four brothers and sisters. The younger kids get noisy, and the girl retires to her room to study.
Then, she needs additional assistance from her teacher, usually known as Mom. She is only competing with four other students for the teacher's attention.
Now let's switch to the public schooler.

She is studying in a room of, oh, let's say twenty-five other students.
To her left is her best friend, excitedly whispering the latest juicy piece of gossip into her ear.
To the right and behind her is the boy who has recently chosen her as the perfect target for his pencil-throwing skills.
 Directly in front of her is that oh-so-cute boy who has managed to catch her eye.
The girl finds herself distracted. Too bad for her, as she can't leave the room.
Then she has trouble understanding some of the material in her lesson. Again, too bad. So do fifteen other students, and she must wait her turn.

Homeschooling myth #2: It's illegal.


Not so! As long as the student meets the requirements for his or her state, it is perfectly legal.
Some states are harsher when is comes to homeschooling than others. The state of Missouri requires 1,000 hours of instruction during the official school year, with at least 600 of those hours falling within the basic subjects of reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science.

In Minnesota, a homeschooled child must be given an annual assessment with a nationally standardized achievement test to ensure that he or she is meeting all requirements.

Besides, homeschooling parents still pay school taxes. Either way you're getting our money, so get off our backs. :P

Homeschooling law #3: Homeschoolers can't get into good colleges. (Or any college at all.)


A valid concern. However, once you do your research, you may consider this myth busted.
Nowadays, many colleges actively seek out homeschoolers.
 Abilene Christian University, in Abilene, TX.
Alaska Bible College, in Glennallen, AK.
Albion College, in Albion, MI.
All homeschooler-friendly colleges. Do a Google search and you can find very extensive lists.

And while there are many more myths out there, (don't even get me started on prom) it would take much too long for me to bust them all, and you would get bored.
So thank you for reading, and thank you to Diana for letting me write this!
-Evelyn


Thank you, Evelyn! Great post.
~ D

guest post by Savanna

Hey! I'm Savanna, you may know me from my main blog Pandas, Lightsabers and Cameras, oh my!! Diana kindly asked me to do a special guest post for her. Obviously, I accepted this honor. Today I'm going to talk about how I got into blogging and why I love Star Wars so much.


In May of 2011, I joined The Lakehouse Forums and became very well acquainted with the group of girls over there. Almost everyone on TLF had blogs and discussed Star Wars on their blogs. In June, I decided to join the pack and create one to keep up with all the girls and talk about my favorite things in life. My good friend Fallon suggested the name "Pandas, Lightsabers and Cameras, oh my" because I love each of those things so much. In the beginning, I just wrote about silly things in my life and complete randomness. After reading more professional blogs, I soon realized that my random blogging was dumb. It didn't express my personality correctly.


I sent out emails to a few different voice-actors and actresses from The Clone Wars in early August. Since I'm such a big Star Wars fan, I thought it would be fun to ask them some of my questions and make an interview post. My first interview success was with the voice of Ahsoka Tano and creator of Her Universe, Ashley Eckstein. It was such a joy to hear directly from her. As of right now, I've completed 11 interviews with various actors, voice-overs, and artists involved with Star Wars.


Through these interviews and other frequent posts, my blog has become more "professional" with just enough of my personality in there. Blogging has taught me so many great qualities. I've learned how to be patient during the interview process, kind to others when I get nasty comments, and overall...just a really happy person. I love meeting people in the world of blogging that share the same interests as myself. Since I've gotten such positive feedback from awesome people like Diana, I'll probably be blogging for a very long time.


Now, to the more interesting question....why do I like Star Wars? Well, as Fallon once said, "what's not to like?  I mean, COME ON!  Heroes with dysfunctional families in SPACE???  How can you be human and NOT like that?!" She's very right with that statement but I also love the saga because it's so pure. Good, clean fun and adventure. I was raised on these movies so they hold a dear place in my heart. Star Wars also inspires me to dream big, like Luke Skywalker. He was just a simple farmboy in Episode IV but became a powerful Jedi by the time Episode VI was finished. Plus, all the different characters and planets are fun to explore. My all time favorite character is Cad Bane, from The Clone Wars. His Western gunslinger look is just simply epic. I also like Han Solo for the similar reason...since he is a scoundrel. 


Well, that wraps up this guest post. I hope you enjoyed reading a little bit about me, my love for blogging, and Star Wars. Don't forget to check out Pandas, Lightsabers and Cameras, oh my for all of this and more! God bless and may the force be with you. 


Thank you so much, Savanna!  I really appreciate you taking the time to write all this. :D
To any lurking readers, if you would like to do a guest post  shoot me an email at dilbertina(at)gmail(dot)com.
~ Diana

letters to superman

be prepared for intellectual cotton candy. *click read more*



 disclaimer: i'm not super familiar with most of the superheroes here, but i'll do my best.

random pic of African elephant because I watched a how about elephant hunting today.

dear Ironman,

please get off my television screen.

with very little love,

supergirl

dear Captain America,

sorry, but Thor was a better movie.

 and genetic enhancement is wrong.

love,

annoying film critic

dear Superman,

umm....lose the tights. please.

i think aliens are cool though, even if they look like 

mild-mannered reporters with bulgy muscles.

stay super,

miss-i-never-saw-the-movie

dear Batman,

you annoy me.

 but you have the coolest gadgets!!!

stay away from Poison Ivy.

no love,

the egoist

dear Thor:

sheesh. i hope you learned your lesson. 

i really like the hammer; it is awesome! 

handy tip: coffee is better than pop-tarts.

Odin is my favorite though.

love,

i-saw-it-at-the-movie-theater-my-brother-made-me

dear Robin (Batman's sidekick)

buzz off. 

sincerely, 

d

dear spiderman,

you are my least favorite superhero. 

go marry MJ already and get out of the way!

ugh,

UGH,

UGH

dear ESB Yoda,

maybe you're not a super, but i like you best of all. 

you are cute, short, and and never-failing dispenser of wisdom.

teach that doofus Luke Jedi skills!

love,

an original trilogy fan

dear X-men,

God help us.

love,

triple ugh

dear Wolverine,

you're killin' my vibe with that helmet.

love,

miss-i-didn't-see-this-one-either

dear Men in Black,

you are hilariously cheesy, but please quit

a. swearing (although i'd swear too if aliens exploded on me)

b. making sequels

one was enough.

love,

Elvis

oh no! lowercase letters have invaded! 

If you want to write letters to superheroes on your blog, leave comment and let me know; I'll make a blog button!

It would be great to see letters from the perspective of a fan. Which I'm not.


I have a wonderful guest post coming up...soon.

Oh, and Happy 2012 !