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!

middlings

Greetings, friends, family, and assorted sentient beings. 

The reason I haven't blogged in a while is the usual affliction: not having a single bloody thing to write about. 

What have I been doing:

watched The Phantom Menace in 3D which was fun

thinking about how to cram (yet not doing it) and get a a diploma early so I can be legally high school free

not really...I hope....

wishing for summer

wishing I was at med school hacking dissecting cadavers (sort of kidding...mostly...)

(oops maybe I shouldn't have written that)

listening to large Labs snoring

watching Star Trek

waiting

being cautious

reading Pride and Prejudice for school  (favorite characters: Mr. Bennet because he is witty and Mr. Bingley because he's so dumb and clueless)

hating on Peeta and Gale for being one-dimensional characters

.....

What I haven't been doing:

blogging (obviously!)

skiing (I wish)

hiking through wildernesses (ditto) 

making pasta salad

rescuing princesses

dancing

looking for the Holy Grail

playing Whack-a-Mole

working at SETI

joining Starfleet 

.....

What I wish I could do:

explore wildernesses

make my father's back heal instantly (prayers please)

write a novel

get an M.D. just so I could say legitimately "I'm a doctor, not a ____!" to someone

find mummies buried under the front porch 

or else an ancient castle

i'm not sure

go to the north pole

ensure that my sheep are pregnant

stop the human race from being so hopelessly stupid and blind

.....

That's it for today folks. Have a wonderful weekend.

~ Diana

a plea for disagreement

Okay, so I was reading a blog today, and I came accross an extremely (I think I use that word too much) disturbing GIF.


It was about gay rights (which is not our topic today), yadda yadda yadda, and ended with these two panels. Yes, that is Josh Hutcherson, AKA Peeta in the Hunger Games movies, but whatever.....AVENGERS. (Just had to get that out there)






Does that disturb you? I am seriously creeped out.


And futhermore, we're not gonna let anybody say anything bad about anyone.


WHAT?


It's almost like living in a dystopian novel, where no one is allowed to say anything bad about anyone else. They already label "hate crimes" in some countries. And in the early 19th century "libel" (or saying anything about the ruling party) was a crime.
I believe that disagreement helps shape us. for as C.S. Lewis says, "You are a soul. You have a body." Not the other way round.

Proverbs 24:6 ~ "For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellers there is safety." (i.e, not just one accepted view) 

How will we know the truth if we can't test it against untruth (rather irrelevant in a post-modern society sadly)? In America we still have the Constitutional right to say whatever we want, however loony it may be. If you want to say that you think gay marriage, abortion, or government interference is wrong, you should certainly be able to say so, without it being labeled as a "hate crime" or what-have-you. Conversely, the opposite views can say what they want. The truth is still there. Everything is biased one way or another.

I mean, hate IS wrong, but it only hurts the person hating, so unless it leads to unlawful acts, whose business of it is if you hate something?

It is only when people sit, think, and argue that the true course of action can be determined. Like Socrates. Like Jesus pitting His truth against the Pharisees and Jewish leaders. WHY do we believe a certain thing about a certain issue? 

The type of thinking that the estimable Josh displays leads to a creepy Orwellian society, where no one thinks but merely receives (e.g. public schools) and everyone doesn't care anyway because we're all distracted  by the endless predigested entertainment through our televisions, computers, iPads, iPods........

True thing, that.

Truly disturbing.

And I'm aware this really wasn't one of my most logical or best written posts, but bear with me, okay?

My dad got to come home from the hospital today, so we are all happy about that. Please keep praying for his recuperation. :-)

TTFN, ta-ta for now, if I may quote Tigger.

~ Diana


P.S. AVENGERS. See what I meant about endless entertainment? Still, May 4th IS coming.

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