Sara

[color=#b0000b][size=1][quote name='Split Keyblader]So hopefully my wife knows what it means to "Get your tubes tied,." [b]Only one kid for me. Otherwise no sex afterwords.[/b'] Not getting a visectamy. No way are my boys going to get killed. So to speak.[/quote]Somehow I doubt that this is going to be a problem for you.[/size][/color]

[color=#b0000b][size=1]I ended up disabling the guestbook for this reason. [/size][/color]

[QUOTE=Split Keyblader]I'm only 13 what do I care. Actually i care a lot. People my age can't wait to "Do it". Wonder why. Eh guys will be guys I guess. "Get the lube" I guess. Anywho i can't wait till health classes "Sex talk". (Being sarcastic) As told by ginger was funny when all the girls saw a baby coming out. Yes I watched as told by ginger. But techniquely Cosmo reveals some facts. I read an article. Curiosity killed the dog. if you get the joke. So hopefully my wife knows what it means to "Get your tubes tied,." Only one kid for me. Otherwise no sex afterwords. Not getting a visectamy. No way are my boys going to get killed. So to speak. But positions aren't all that good to use. Make one up yourself. Kama sutra my ***!!! Unless your hu hephner who has had rigor mortis more times then a graveyard. :D So really is it fun? i hope so. But guys take head. I ummm meant heed. Sorry :animenose . but guys have substitutes It will not be said on here but.Jack might know. hint hint.[/QUOTE][color=#b0000b][size=1]I am utterly speechless.[/size][/color]

[quote name='Raiyuu][FONT=Trebuchet MS]@ the relevant people: Is American sex education genuinely so bad that you learned more from [i]porn?[/i'][/font][/quote][color=#b0000b][size=1]My school-sponsored sex education was comprised largely of unrelated, extended metaphors. [b]Example:[/b] [indent]Sex between two people is [i]duct tape.[/i] You have a piece of duct tape, and the first time you stick it on your arm?and [i]rip[/i] it off!?it HURTS. The tape is doing it's job. It's BONDING. It's sticking to you. It's sticking [i]your partner[/i] to you. It's [i]important[/i]. But the second time I take this piece of duct tape, and stick it on someone else...it comes off more easily. And the next time, it comes off even more easily. Eventually, you reach the point where the duct tape doesn't do [i]anything[/i]. It doesn't stick. It doesn't mean anything. It [i]doesn't fulfill its purpose[/i]. It's useless.[/indent] [b]Example[/b]: (This was shown on a video, with the appropriate mixing.) [indent]You have these three jars of paint. Red, yellow, blue. And they're beautiful colors. And you have a paintbrush. Now, watch what happens when we dip the brush into the paints. We dip it in the red?and we can shake it off a little bit, but when we dip it into the blue, [i]no matter what we try to do[/i], a little bit of yellow gets into the blue jar. And if we take that paintbrush out of the blue, and put it into the red, now we've got blue paint in the red jar. And we go back to the blue.... (This continues until there are three jars of brown paint and one very dirty paintbrush.) HOWEVER, if we put this plastic cover over the paintbrush before we dip the paintbrush into the paint... (Brush, with cover, is dipped) And put a clean cover on the brush before we dip it into the red paint.... (Brush is shown with new cover, and dipped into a different color)... Our paints stay clean, and so does our brush![/indent] I kid you not. [/size][/color]

[color=#b0000b][size=1]I'm pretty happy with my life right now. It's a different kind of "happy" than I felt last year, when I was a little giddy with my relationship, but it's still good. This summer was more boring than last summer?having broken up with my boyfriend, there wasn't anyone I could call up to hang out with at any given time. But I did some cool stuff with friends, made a little money, and helped out around the house. It was a pretty worthwhile summer, if not something I'll look back on and say, "Oh [i]man![/i] Remember the summer of '06?" I've been having some ups and downs with regards to the break-up, but I'm much more confident and assertive now that I'm no longer in that relationship. I'm [i]definitely[/i] happier than I was six months ago, or even nine months ago. My former boyfriend and I are still on the rocks, and I don't know if that will ever change. Hopefully it will, but I've learned that [b]when someone else is making you miserable, it's no longer your responsibility to make them happy.[/b] If only I'd known [i]that[/i] a year ago, things might have turned out differently. Oh, well. Life goes on. =][/size][/color]

[color=#b0000b][size=1]It's coming out this week, you guys! Who's excited?[/size][/color]

[quote name='White][color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma]And if I didn't give you a set amount of pixels to work within then it wouldn't have been assured that each member got the same amount of work space.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote][color=#b0000b][size=1]Well, we don't exactly have the same amount of work space right now, either. No matter what I do, a huge portion is obscured by a giant mug of beer. :p[/size][/color]

[color=#b0000b][size=1]There aren't any word-game threads on the first page of the lounge right now. There's the discussion about The Game (I lose), and there are two image-heavy threads ("motivational" posters and [i]another[/i] caption contest). Don't let them bother you. The O. Lounge is a catchall; there's bound to be stuff there that you don't like. I personally am not a fan of current events threads where the first post is quoting an entire article from a news site.[/size][/color]

[color=#b0000b][size=1]Or possibly sleep deprivation. Or possibly she just wants attention and doesn't know how else to get it.[/size][/color]

[color=#b0000b][size=1][quote name='the article][size=1']Some other reported findings are that rough, dry skin became well, skin became rehydrated, wrinkles round the eyes were smoother, morning tiredness had been remedied, physical condition had improved, menstrual cramps had been alleviated and hair had grown thicker and faster. [/size][/quote][i]This[/i] interests me. If there's a way to isolate these effects, I'd be all over it. My breasts, however, are large enough as it is.[/color][/size]

[color=#b0000b][size=1]ITT, we discuss [i]one thing[/i] we learned from each year of compulsory school that we attended. For me (an American who attended kindergarten and has finished grades 1-12), this comes to thirteen things. If you attended pre-school, your list may be slightly longer. If you have not yet graduated, your list will be shorter. If you're from a country with a different school system, please explain it for us clueless Americans. [center][b]THIRTEEN THINGS I HAVE LEARNED[/B] [i]presented in a format suitable for a corny inspirational poster[/i][/center] [indent]?[b]Kindergarten[/b]: You can stick pins through the tips of your fingers without actually hurting yourself. This will impress your friends, but not your teachers. ?[b]First grade[/b]: During musical performances, it is important to wear your sparkly gold hat in a way such that the audience can [i]actually see your face.[/i] Everyone is wearing the same costume, but your parents are only there to see you, so it's nice if they can tell which gold-clad child you are. ?[b]Second grade[/b]: Whether you fit 30 or 80 droplets of water onto the surface of a penny depends largely on the size of your droplets. Most pennies are actually the same size. ?[b]Third grade[/b]: No matter how long it takes you to write out all of your math problems, you will not get any credit if you forget to actually [i]solve[/i] them. ?[b]Fourth grade[/b]: Recorders are [i]awful[/i], and should never under any circumstances be played in church. ?[b]Fifth grade[/b]: It [i]is[/i] possible to be so nervous that you throw up. All over the hallway. ?[b]Sixth grade[/b]: Cheerleading is overrated (but not all cheerleaders are idiots). ?[b]Seventh grade[/b]: Adjectives modify nouns. Adverbs modify everything else, and this actually [i]makes sense[/i]. (This was such a revelation...I can't even tell you how long it took me to understand what adverbs actually were.) ?[b]Eighth grade[/b]: Do not give a sappy "we've been classmates for so long" tape to a girl with whom you are not actually good friends, and who may become your enemy in high school. (The thought of this tape [i]still[/i] haunts me!) ?[b]Ninth grade[/b]: Study hall is [i]boring[/i]. Take art classes instead. ?[b]Tenth grade[/b]: Spanish and German are not the same language, but it is possible that an absent-minded language teacher may forget this. ?[b]Eleventh grade[/b]: Doing [i]some[/i] of the work for a group project is somehow more stressful than doing [i]all[/i] of the work for yourself. ?[b]Twelfth grade[/b]: If everyone likes what you're doing, you're doing something wrong. There are many people from whom approval is decidedly A Bad Thing.[/indent] [/color][/size]

[color=#b0000b][size=1]And I'd like to sign up, as well.[/size][/color]

[color=#b0000b][size=1]My hair is longish, darkish, and wavyish. I'm thinking about dying it red with some of my mom's leftover hair dye (assuming she didn't toss it out). It would be kind of an exciting change, I think?I've never really done anything with my hair before. I'm also thinking of cutting most of it off when I get back to school. I've been wanting to cut my hair super-short for a while, but I keep putting it off. I've had really long hair for most of my life, and the idea of losing so much at once is just a little terrifying. =][/size][/color]

[quote name='Tical Blue']I'll head your warning and alter my path - simple - I shall become a junkatarian (like a vegetarian, but with junkfood >_

[color=#b0000b][size=1][quote name='Split Keyblader']Technacly I have still not lost. I have still not thought about this game.[/quote]For someone who claims to have their mind on other things, you certainly have given the nature of the Game a lot of thought. [quote name='Retribution]Thread lock [b][i]please?[/i'][/b][/quote]Suck it up, Retri. :p[/size][/color]

[quote name='White][color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma]I've decided to not take part in The Game. [/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote][color=#b0000b][size=1]Impossible. To know [i]of[/i] the Game is to [i]play[/i] the Game. Denial will get you nowhere. [quote name='Retribution][size=1']Won't we lose as soon as someone posts in here, thus bumping the thread back into plain sight?[/size][/quote][b]Details:[/b] There is a twenty minute (in my part of town) "grace period" after the last mention of the game. During this time, you may think of the Game without losing. But basically, yeah. You can lose the games dozens of times a day, and the only way to win [i]is not to realise that you are winning[/i]. Basically, everyone loses. In bitterness, they announce their loss: this is a sneaky tactic used in order to get [i]more people losing[/i] than you.[/size][/color]

[color=#b0000b][size=1]Anorexia nervosa isn't a crime, guys. It's an eating disorder. Your friends and parents aren't accusing you of anything; they're just concerned. While most of you guys grew up hearing about Anorexia in conversation, in pop-culture, in jokes (ugh), and in health class, it really only came into the public eye in the early 1980's. Your parents didn't know what it was while they were growing up, and now?in a post-Karen Carpenter world with teen idols like Lindsay Lohan and the Olsen twins?they've got a kid who is super-skinny. As parents, they're [i]programmed[/i] to be concerned. Don't hate them for it. If it really bothers you, talk with them about it. [/color][/size]

[color=#b0000b][size=1][quote name='Sojiro']If this thread doesn't encourage posting, what's the point?[/quote]Don't get smart. [quote name='Aceburner']By the way, are you following Sojiro and trying to discredit him 'cuz he thinks Ninja over Pirate? Because if you are, that's not cool :animesmil . [/quote]I very much doubt that. However, the ninja/pirate dichotomy is indicative of a much larger difference in worldviews. That is to say, one who favors pirates will tend to disagree with a ninja-supporter on many things, regardless of whether the two are aware of the other's ninja/pirate choice.[/size][/color]

[color=#b0000b][size=1][center][b]Gmork[/b] [img]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=25714&stc=1[/img] [b]Scrunt[/b] [img]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=25715&stc=1[/img] In conclusion, evil wolves with funny names scare me to pieces.[/center][/size][/color]

[QUOTE=Retribution][size=1]However, I urge you to be mathematic in your money division (I think $66.66 is the common agreement here). But since they screwed you over, a nice one-up to them would be including a $15 service-charge just like a store's restocking fee. Of course, if you'd like to take the moral high-ground, just give them their $66.66 and leave a guilt tripping letter.[/size][/QUOTE][color=#b0000b][size=1]I very much doubt that these people are guilt-trippable. If they were, this wouldn't have been a problem in the first place. My favorite math problem: [indent]Days scheduled: 12. Amount paid: $400 $400/12=$33.33 per day Normal days worked: 9. 9 x $33.33= $299.97 "Overtime" days: 1. Overtime pay rate: Time and a half. $33 x 1.5=($49.995 rounds to) $50.00 Event: Cancellation of contract [i]results in[/i]: Forfeiture of half pay for each remaining day. Days remaining after cancellation: 3. Money forfeited by cancelling contract: ($49.995 rounds to) $50.00 [b]Out of $400[/b]: [indent]-$299.97 for normal pay. -$50.00 for extra day. [u]-$50.00[/u] for cancelled contract $ 00.03 owed[/indent] But only because of our limitations with repeating decimals and money. Basically, the math works out that we're even. :p[/indent] In the end, yeah, I think I'm just going to write them a check for sixty-six dollars. I talked with my dad last night, and right now all signs point to "defensive, manipulative whack-os." The [i]last[/i] thing I want is to have to deal with these people again.[/color][/size]

[color=#b0000b][size=1]Thanks for your input, everyone. I appreciate it, and I'm taking it into account. [quote name='Charles']Edit: Also, couldn't you have invited your friends over while you were at the house? Sounds like a free party house.[/quote]They actually told me at the beginning of the summer that I was welcome to invite friends over to hang out. Thank goodness I didn't; I don't want to think about how that might have gotten turned against me here. :p I admit that I didn't leave the house spic and span--yes, there were dirty dishes in the sink: a plate, a bowl, and two cups, [i]neatly rinsed and stacked[/i] and placed in the sink with a couple things they had left there themselves. The TV might have been on. One of their TVs doesn't always turn [i]off[/i]; it just shows a blank screen. If it was like that, I'm sure I didn't turn it the rest of the way off. (Honestly, I'm not even sure which button I need to press to kill the power to that thing.) And the blinds, yes, were closed. (They implied in their email that I maliciously closed the curtains by their plants in order to deprive them of sunlight and kill them.) It's my habit to close the curtains when I leave a house empty, and I don't deal much with plants--it didn't occur to me to leave the window clear for them. What bothers me is that [i]each of these things[/i] must have happened before. I've closed the curtains before, left the TV on for the dogs (intentionally, in the room where the dogs stay), and left dishes (again, rinsed of any food) in the sink. (As far as that goes, it's a long story, but when I have babysat for them in the past, they've told me not to worry about dishes.) If they had a problem with any of these things on the other occasions, they should have told me so that I could avoid doing them in the future. If they didn't have a problem in the past, they shouldn't bring them up now. DaSilva: I'm home for the summer, but I go to college in the Twin Cities, so I'll be back in MN in about a month. =][/color][/size]

[color=#b0000b][size=1]She came into my room with it, said she was embarrassed that they would be underhanded enough to bring her into the situation, and (on hearing my story) that she completely believed and supported me. She said I should think about how much money I wanted to give them, and give it to them along with the precise formulas and equations that led me to the decission.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=#b0000b][b]So there's this couple for whom I babysit[/b]; I know them through my mom. Early this summer, the husband gave me a list of weekends (including start and end times) for which he and his wife would like me to house-sit and take care of the dogs. I agreed, and after the last time I babysat for them, they gave me one hundred dollars cash (for the night of babysitting) and a four hundred dollar check "for the summer." I was a little uncomfortable with accepting the check because it meant I was obligated to dogsit for all of the remaining weekends, but didn't think too much of it. The first two weekends of housesitting went smoothly. [b]Last weekend, however, was a problem.[/b] The wife called me Thursday night to inform me that they were leaving at eight that evening, and that I "could just come over early." (They expect me to spend each night at their house.) I was pretty taken aback; the schedule said that they were not leaving until the next morning. I expressed my surprise, but she didn't really answer my questions except to explain that they were leaving early and planning to drive all night. (Which doesn't help the fact that they just assumed I would be able to come over that evening. When she called, I was trying to get some friends together to hang out for the night; I ended up canceling my plans before they were made.) I guess it wasn't really a problem, but I was uncomfortable with the fact that they seemed to assume that I was simply an "on call" petsitter, because that isn't what we agreed on. (I would be willing to [i]be[/i] said "on-call" petsitter if we had agreed on that, but we [i]didn't[/i], and I wasn't operating under that assumption.) Giving myself some time to think about things and sort things out, I wrote them a note Sunday afternoon before they got back. As near as I can remember, it went like this: [indent][i][Name] and [Name], I was a little suprised when you called Thursday night asking me to come over early. The schedule you gave me earlier this summer said that you would not be leaving until Friday morning, and I was not expecting to spend an extra night at your house. If you are planning to leave early next time, please give me some advance notice. Sara[/i][/indent] Today my mom came up to me with a printed-out email from the couple. Apparently they were pretty angry, saying that I had left them a "nasty note" and claiming that they had previously told me they might leave early (they didn't). They also said that I left dirty dishes in the sink (true, but there were four of them, neatly rinsed and stacked, and this has never been an issue before), that I left the television on (I don't think this is true, but it is possible), and that I "closed the blinds by the plants." (This is true, and probably my fault. We don't have plants at our house, and it didn't occur to me to leave the front blinds open for them; however, they have never mentioned this as a problem before.) Anyway, the long and short of it is that they are cancelling the final weekend and want some of their advance money back. They say that they paid $500 dollars for twelve days and they are cancelling the final two days, and that I should give them "whatever I think is fair." They closed the email with the comment "I thought we were helping her out with summer money, but I guess time is more valuable." My thoughts are this: [list][*]They gave me $400 dollars for the summer. [*]They [i]should[/i] have given me advance notice, and it is not unreasonable of me to ask that of them. [*]Regardless of how they felt about my performance, writing my [i]mom[/i] an email about how they "are dissapointed" in me is an unprofessional and underhanded way of doing things. They know how to contact me. [*]Yes, time [i]is[/i] more valuable.[/list] And my question is: [b]How much money should I return?[/b][/color][/size]

[color=#b0000b][size=1][i]Grave of the Fireflies[/i] is pretty tragic. It's hard to even enjoy the happy parts of the movie, because from the very start you have the beginning of the film overshadowing everything. [i]Doctor Zhivago[/i] also left quite an impact on me, although that may have been largely a result of its length. It's hard to walk away from a three hour epic without some kind of reaction. It's a pretty grim film, all things considered. And on that note, [i]Cabaret[/i]. Oh my goodness. There's nothing quite like foreknowledge of historical catastrophe to darken the mood of a story, is there? (This seems to be a trend in my list...) I saw a theatre production up at school, and I was nearly ready to jump of a bridge by the end of the musical. I loved it, though. The music kills me, but I love it so. Oh, and I'll throw [i]Serenity[/i] in there, simply because of the deaths. [spoiler]Although I have to admit that it had me on the edge of my seat as I tried to convince myself that [i]surely[/i] they wouldn't kill [i]everyone[/i] off...[/spoiler]. It certainly left me with an empty feeling.[/size][/color]

[color=#b0000b][size=1]Thanks, Des. I feel a little better.[QUOTE=Marsh][FONT=Arial] That's a pretty good oxymoron. Temporary stickies.[/FONT][/QUOTE]And that's not an oxymoron at all. Just because OB currently tends to use sticky threads for semipermanent features doesn't mean that there have not been or cannot be temporary stickies. [/size][/color]