Touchstone

[quote name='Dale_Valley']Well 1st of all, for 16, i wound up presenting chikins at a livestock show. i dont recomend doing so. (though i did get some major money) . but, um, i would sugest simply getting a couple of friens, eating at a casual restarant, seeing a movie, then go to some place, an overlook, a beach, somplace semi-secluded. take some CDs some drinks, (preferably non-alcohlic) and just sit out there with your best buds atlking and hanging out.[/quote] [FONT=Georgia]That pretty much sums up my sixteenth birthday! I went out to lunch with good friends, browsed the bookstores (my idea of fun), saw a movie, just hung out and had a good time. Now, if I was allowed to drive, this would be a very [i]different[/i] story, but I'm not so...it was localized fun. But it was a nice sweet sixteen. :animeswea I'm now looking forward to my eighteenth birthday, where I'll probably find some election to vote in during my day of euphoria.[/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia]There's been criticism of Mormon missionaries who go door to door, and I'd like to say something about that-I think what they have to say is really INTERESTING! I come from a big Episcopal family, and know a fair amount about my own denomination, but really nothing about Mormon beliefs. It was really fascinating, and I found the guys who stopped by to be really nice. The Book of Mormon is still in my room, and I've read some of it. I think it's cool to learn about different things...what people know little about they can make fun of. Badly. As others said, only those who know a lot can be experts at poking fun of. When you're ignorant you get malicious. I will admit, it is hard for me to come to grips with a denomination that is only about a century or so old, but then mine still gets crap because of Henry VIII. Mainly Catholics bring this up :animesmil But, what I haven't grown up with and haven't known I can't condemn because that would be wrong, and I'd ultimately end up looking like an idiot. And I think we've established that Catholics get more fired on. :animesigh [/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia]I go through fads a lot, since every time I look around I seem to find a new and interesting group to listen to. Most often I'll listen to a band exclusively for weeks or months, but there's always that one band that comes back and I get stuck on for a while-Belle and Sebastian. Their latest album The Life Pursuit is a piece exhibiting their real maturity, and the flow of the album is just perfect. And no one can write song lyrics like them :animecry: It's so wonderful! Each song is a snapshot of a person, a city, an emotion, it's poetry that moves. The other day I realized I've been a fan for six years. Nothing has been able to replace them. :catgirl: [/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia]I have done many stupid things with my friends, most of them involving truth or dare :animeswea Since I've always been kind of secretive about things, I would always choose a dare-which is just asking to be hit with the most disgusting tasks ever. One time, I think I may have been asked to kiss a toilet...I don't want to contemplate whether I went through with it or not. But the worst was when I took truth, and was asked "What is your deepest darkest secret?" Now, a year later this was beaten out of me, but I did not want to say it-I was horrified! So I quickly backed out and did a dare, which was to eat a whole sardine from a can. It was the most vile thing I've ever eaten-I was gagging, and wanting to throw up. But I wouldn't tell my secret, so I ate the whole thing. It took me half an hour. Years later, I think: wow, at thirteen I was a real idiot.:animestun [/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia]My favorite would have to be Cowboy Bebop. The interactions between the characters are so great, and Ed is just hillarious. I could spend a day just watching it :catgirl: And the animation just blows me away. I also really enjoy Hellsing and Vampire Hunter D-I may have to steal those from my friend;)[/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia]I enjoy all those genres of manga, but the one thing I absolutely cannot do without is: [b]comedy[/b]. If no humour can be found in tragedy than it is just meaningless, one dimensional. I'm a big fan of [i]Angel Sanctuary[/i] and [i]Death Note[/i], but that is because through the terror and the struggles the characters face, there is still that element of comedy mingling throughout the story. Like when Kato accidentally sells his body for experimentation in the 13th volume, or L's insistence on sitting crouched on a chair practically in pajamas while everyone around him is in a suite. So yeah, I need that comedy! :catgirl: [/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia]This one song seems to poignantly express my whole life (or at least, my adolescence). I look competent and brilliant on the outside, but no one knows the painful secrets that I've lived through. And I try my best to escape from my troubles, but still walk with a limp through life. [B]Beautiful[/B] [I]by Belle and Sebastian[/I] She lay in bed all night watching the morning change She lay in bed all night watching the colours change She lay in bed all night watching the colours change into green and gold The doctor told her years ago that she was ill The doctor told her years ago to take a pill The doctor told her years ago that she'd go blind if she wasn't careful They let Lisa go blind The world was at her feet and she was looking down They let Lisa go blind But everyone she knew thought she was beautiful Only slightly mental Beautiful, a bit temperamental Beautiful, only slightly mental Beautiful She thought it would be fun to try photography She thought it would be fun to try pornography She thought it would be fun to try most anything She was tired of sleeping They let Lisa go blind, let Lisa go blind, let Lisa go blind They let Lisa go blind She's looking like a queen But if you knew what's going on in her life There'd be a thousand barren mothers there to talk to her If you knew what's going on in her life There'd be two hundred troubled teenagers to sit with her And to talk to her If you knew what's going on in her life What's going on in her life What's going on in her life There would be a documentary on Radio 4 She made herself a pair of orthopaedic shoes She thought it was the answer to the fashion blues She mad herself a pair of orthopaedic shoes But she walked with a limp[/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia]I think that if you both see yourselves in a long term, committed relationship, it's fine to move in together. When I'm older I'll definitely end up doing it, because before I vow to stay with someone till death, I want to be sure they're the [i]right[/i] person. I had to watch my parents divorce, and no way am I going to fall for someone without knowing them intimately. Though, I don't think the goal necessarily has to be marriage; if you eventually part ways, it doesn't invalidate the time you've spent together. [/FONT]

[COLOR=Indigo][FONT=Georgia]That's great looking. What kind of script do you have in mind, though?[/FONT][/COLOR]

[FONT=Georgia]You guys are sick! :catgirl: This is one courtesy of my evil cousins. My uncle is deaf in one ear, so he's hard of hearing, and my cousins find it hilarious to mouth words without actually speaking. My uncle will shout "What? What? Speak up!" before realizing they aren't saying anything! I swear, find a gullable person and do this to them-they will seriously think they're going deaf:devil:[/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia]Recipes, you say? Well, I do have one that I created, which I simply call "a bunch of **** in a tortilla." It's not very hard to make, and is actually good...if you're tongue swings that way. [b]What You Need[/b] 1. One tortilla. I prefer corn tortillas, but whatever. 2. Plain Greek yogurt. 3. Chinese spicy sauce (you know, it's red with a green top...maybe you don't know this.). 4. Fillers of your choosing (e.g. turkey, cheese, etc.). [b]What You Do With It[/b] 1. First, find your tortilla (they're sneaky). Next, put it in a toaster oven for...however long you like it. This should make the tortilla blow up like a balloon. Which is cool. But don't do it for too long or it will look like a deflated football that spontaneously combusted. 2. Next, mix the yogurt and Chinese sauce stuff in a bowl. 3. Stuff your blown up tortilla with your fillings. 4. Pour the yogurt stuff in. 5. Eat. Contrary to all appearances, this actually tastes good! :animeswea Seriously.[/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia]My dream job would be to own my own unique studio, where all kinds of wonderful projects are made and where I can use all my artist talents and just die happy. I could write my novels, write my comic scripts and work with artists to make them a reality, and write animated movie and show scripts and watch them come to life. *faints from happiness* Oh God, that would make my life complete! Because I love doing so many kinds of art that I have a hard time deciding just on one. ...But most likely I'll follow Neil Gaiman's path-write novels and comics by myself. Which is still fun, though of course I won't get paid as much as him. But I don't give a **** about money...as long as I at least have a habitable place to live.[/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia]I'd have to say Johnny Greenwood of Radiohead is my favorite relatively recent guitarist! He's one of those musicians that can really convey emotion through their playing, like on The Tourist. And then he can just rock out like on Electioneering and 2+2=5. His style kind of reminds me of David Gilmore, but more crazy, loose, and modern. [/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia]Oh God, this used to be a favorite thing for me to do as a little kid with my friends. We did the whole classic preparation in the bathroom, chanted "Blood Mary" three times, saw our [i]own[/i] reflections in the mirror, screamed, and ran out of the bathroom. That's pretty much how it went. It's just a fun way to scare yourself.[/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia][COLOR=DarkRed]Momus-Stars Forever: [/COLOR]I am absolutely enraptured with this album, there is no other word! There's never been one like it. All the songs are about real people, who sent in a description of themselves via Momus' website [url=http://www.imomus.com]imomus.com[/url] and a cheque for a thousand dollars (apparently he had some "legal" troubles...though he wouldn't say exactly what). Anyway, each song is a fantastic description of a person, the music unique on each track based on their description. And the interesting thing is you're not sure if they were telling the truth or not. I've gotten these songs stuck in my head for what seems like forever :animeswea [COLOR=DarkRed]My Favorite-The Happiest Days of Our Lives: [/COLOR]This album is so under-appreciated, and it's a crime-the whole thing is genius. My Favorite is a great combination of experimental styles and '80's New Wave. The songs are haunting depictions of teenage lives, with beautiful melodies are brilliant lyrics. What's funny is I actually got my whole family hooked on them. Yeah, I haven't bought CD's in a while-so I've had a long time to digest these :D [/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia]God, there are some real wackos out there. If they're so concerned with having any neighbors at all, why don't they move into the desert? All this has been reminding me of my dad's crazy landlord in England, Trevor, who thinks everything is an "environmental" disturbance. We live on the top floor, and under our flat lives this nice German couple, and the husband plays the cello. Most nights if you lie on the floor you can hear him practising, and I've always enjoyed it. But not Trevor-he writes it up on his little "bulletin board" outside his door. He's complaining about freakin' professionally played Bach! For some reason though he doesn't mind our washing machine making the floor vibrate. People are strange.[/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia]I hate it how some neighbors just will "assume" it's your dog that's crapping on their lawn! I mean, I walk around with a bag of steaming poop and they come out an yell at me, when I'm obviously cleaning it up and am very conscientious about it. :animesigh The cycle never ends; a dog craps, someone gets angry, and then finds a scapegoat. I remember one year when I was living in an apartment I had this couple living next to me. Well, at eleven o'clock on a school night when I was trying to get to bed I heard this loud obnoxious pounding coming through the walls. This went on and on, and there seemed to be laughter, a party going on in the background. Well, my mother goes next door to see what's up, and it turns out that they had decided to put together an Ikea desk...and hold a party. Yeah them. But my biggest pet peeve was in my last house, on the dog walk route, there was this house with the most ANNOYING light ever create! It was fluorescent, and it buzzed like a mosquito magnified a million times. My mother and I walking past it would always contemplate taking a baseball bat to it. I guess the best you can do with annoying neighbors is be civil and hopefully they'll stop. Or if not, pray that they move.[/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia]I personally think that movie is irresponsible and fear mongering. I've seen clips of it...honestly, it was poorly acted, stupid, melodramatic, and totally premature. Does anyone remember Y2K? all the commercials (there was one for a car that said if your electricity goes out from Y2K, you can watch TV in your car!), news reports, people buying tons of powdered milk from the grocery store? Nothing. Happened. But it was the same kind of media hype. Until bird flu is [i]actually a threat[/i] I will get vaccinated. Now, it's not. There's no use giving yourself an ulcer over what "might" be. [/FONT]

That is one of the stupidest phrases ever; ranks up there in my book with "a penny saved is a penny earned." It has no meaning! AAAHHGG! A stupid little sentence that can't possibly sum up the complexities of life-oh, the humanity, the degradation of the written word! :animecry: (I hope you know I was kidding;)) Anyways, yeah, it basically means not to be greedy. Always makes me think of Marie Antoinette. Damn another false saying! ...She never said "Let them eat cake!"

[FONT=Georgia]That's really awesome your school has a GSA, I'm jealous! :catgirl: Anyways, I think the others offered some good suggestions; variety in a club is always a good thing. Maybe you can start discussion groups; there are a lot of interesting things you could talk about (like research into reasons behind sexual orientation, gay pride around the world, gay themes in art, homosexuality throughout history, homosexuality and religion, etc.). And the book club is a good idea; you can assign a book and at the end of each month you can discuss it-there's some really good gay literature out there. And getting involved with the school is important too; like during LGBT history month (October...I only found this out in November!), you can do presentations and discuss famous gay figures throughout history. And you could help promote awareness around the school, like during a school's diversity week, or something. Here's some articles from GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network): [url=http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/library/record/333.html]10 Awesome GSA Activities and Icebreakers[/url] [url=http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/library/record/369.html]Maintaining and Strengthening GSAs[/url] [url=http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/library/record/371.html]20 Ways Your GSA Can Rock The World![/url]-That is a sad title, but there are some good ideas :animeswea [url=http://www.gsanetwork.org/index.html]The Gay Straight Alliance Network[/url]-this has a list of all the GSA's registered in the country, resources, etc. Hope I helped some:)[/FONT]

*shudders* Dear God, and I thought that website with poop pictures was bad....

[FONT=Georgia]Angels and demonology are a little weird hobby of mine, so I've thought about this question before (not that I believe in them, it's just strange what structures people place around them!). I'm pretty sure I would be an angel, but not a stereotypical angel. I would be one of the strange angels like Raziel (Jewish mysticism), who are only concerned with universal knowledge and passing it on to the people of Earth. That's what I would do-inspire and make sure humanity continues to develop, not remain stagnant and ignorant. If only I could do that now! :animecry: [/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia]It is fact that the words of our National Anthem are set to the tune of a British drinking song. Most people are shocked and horrified when I say this, but it's the truth. I don't see why it can't be sung in Spanish. English isn't our national language, it's just the most predominantly spoken. As long as the message is the same I don't care-every translation isn't an exact copy of the original. It can't be, because some ideas can't even be expressed in other languages. They were just taking pride in their heritage and their country at the same time. It's pretty cool. [/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3]*AHEM HEM!*[/SIZE] If anyone starts to personally attack Derald again, I will inform a moderator about it and have this thread closed. I did NOT mean this to become "me against this guy," I meant it to be a theoretical discussion. Get over your egos and stop crowding this thread (you know who I'm looking at!). Thank you, and I hope we can pleasently continue with the discussion :animeswea [/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia]Wow, I didn't think this would turn into such a highly contentious debate! These were merely just some of my musings. It's been fun reading the result. My mind's perception of the coming future often changes with where I'm at in the present. At that time, I looked ahead and saw the black cloud of pessimism. Today, I see the starry horizon of hope. Hope that our generation will grow up and mature, work, have families, love. As Derald said, it's not only politics. But I think that while we grow we have a chance to mold ourselves and those around us. Our actions, however insignificant they may seem, have a large impact on the outcome of a life. A group of boys bullied me one year and that still hangs over me today at almost seventeen. We have a chance to overcome our parents' failures and to rise above and make a new stance in this world, one that doesn't involve deception and bloodshed. I'm going to beat you to it and say this is sappy, but it's the truth. I want our generation to stand up and fight apathy, ignorance, and hate! Maybe then the next generation will see this and continue on better than ourselves. Because only in increments can the future get better. [/FONT]