http://elfwreck.insanejournal.com/258446.html

I've said some very harsh and negative things about the military, mainly because I think some very harsh and negative things about the military. (And if you want to know what those are, pester me to make another post, on a different day. This isn't the time for them.)

My father, who lives with us, is a veteran. He served in Viet Nam because he was drafted; no bold sense of patriotism made him enlist. When he got his notice, he was told by friends and mentors that he had a good chance of getting out of it--he could claim to be a conscientious objector, since he had such a long history of activity in the church, and had attended (or was attending?) a religious college.

He declined to try. Said that, if someone came into his house to try to harm his family, he'd have no objection to killing them, and that should be the line for conscientious objectors. He went off to war. (Or, erm, "police action.") This was, hmm, early 60's? Pre-1965, I believe.

My dad's bright. Clever and funny and educated and understands how things work. One of those people who can take apart a broken toaster, fix the burned-out wire in the middle, put it back together with three odd bits of metal left out... and it works better now. Also, people *like* him. He's friendly. And he plans ahead--he's the guy who remembers to bring not just a can-opener to the campout, but a pair of tongs for fetching things that get dropped into the fire. And he has that edge of spiritual wisdom that make people pay attention when he talks.

When he'd been in the Army for a short while, someone approached him about the potential of officer's training. While "fun and likable" aren't specifically officer-oriented traits, they can help, and "smart, insightful, plans ahead" are terrific traits for officers. So, he was asked, what did he think of potentially becoming a Lieutenant someday? Or a Captain?

Dad's reply was something like, "One year, seven months, and twelve days."
Which got back a, "huh?"
"That's how much longer I have to serve. Sir."

The ability to dedicate himself to being a competent and useful soldier didn't mean he was going to let anyone think that he *wanted* to be there for one moment longer than he legally had to.

Veterans aren't just career military men and women, although they get most of the press. Nobody holds parades just to honor people who showed up, carried a gun for two years, never shot anyone, and went home to find spouses and start families and tried to put the whole thing behind them. We hold parades for heroes, not for support staff.

Most of the military is support staff.

Most of the military is not heroes. Is not combatants, even many of those on the front lines... they have weapons and training and they drive trucks or build camps or cook food or fill out forms, and they're technically "in combat" but neither get directly shot at nor shoot anyone.

And that doesn't make them lesser soldiers. Doesn't make them less honorable, less worthy of recognition of their efforts than the lucky adrenaline junkies who come home with a chestful of medals. (Or the unlucky adrenaline junkies who come home in boxes.) Any consideration of the military needs to consider the millions who showed up, either voluntarily or by legal mandate, did their time, and left.

I'm not knocking our heroes; I like a good hero story as much as the next fangirl. And I'm not dissing the ones who are career military, who find fulfillment in the service of either military structure or patriotic ideals. I can't claim to understand what they get out of it, but I can respect their choices and honor their efforts.

But on this Veterans' Day, I'm going to be thinking about all the ones that don't get the media attention. The kids who went to Iraq to get their college paid for, spent a couple of years bitching about lack of movies and girls, and came home, drank too much for six months, and got jobs in machine shops. The ones who went to Viet Nam and made fake award certificates for "Most Beer Drunk During Enemy Fire." (The ones who went to Viet Nam, came home, and never again paid a shred of attention to marijuana laws.) The ones who went to Korea, slogged around in swampy grasslands, and came home with an affinity for rice and spicy cabbage. The ones whose half-White children and quarter-White grandchildren are still in their mothers' homelands, because sexuality doesn't acknowledge national borders or language barriers.

The ones who didn't lose life or limbs or sanity, didn't devote their whole adulthood to the cause, but made it possible for those who did, to accomplish what the military needs to accomplish.

This entry is crossposted at http://elf.dreamwidth.org/280863.html. You can comment there with OpenID from your LJ or IJ account. Comments so far:

From elf 

One of those patriotic holidays

I've said some very harsh and negative things about the military, mainly because I think some very harsh and negative things about the military. (And if you want to know what those are, pester me to make another post, on a different day. This isn't the time for them.)

My father, who lives with us, is a veteran. He served in Viet Nam because he was drafted; no bold sense of patriotism made him enlist. When he got his notice, he was told by friends and mentors that he had a good chance of getting out of it--he could claim to be a conscientious objector, since he had such a long history of activity in the church, and had attended (or was attending?) a religious college.

He declined to try. Said that, if someone came into his house to try to harm his family, he'd have no objection to killing them, and that should be the line for conscientious objectors. He went off to war. (Or, erm, "police action.") This was, hmm, early 60's? Pre-1965, I believe.

My dad's bright. Clever and funny and educated and understands how things work. One of those people who can take apart a broken toaster, fix the burned-out wire in the middle, put it back together with three odd bits of metal left out... and it works better now. Also, people *like* him. He's friendly. And he plans ahead--he's the guy who remembers to bring not just a can-opener to the campout, but a pair of tongs for fetching things that get dropped into the fire. And he has that edge of spiritual wisdom that make people pay attention when he talks.

More at Source

This entry was originally posted at http://pj.dreamwidth.org/247568.html. Please comment here or there there using your LJ ID or OpenID.

• 09:40 "...if they were hungry and sick and living in a cardboard shack they would be more willing to give utopia a try." bit.ly/3cWAmt #
• 12:41 This just in: nudes in classic art can be erotic. bit.ly/4EIgVN #
• 12:52 Frank Lobdell, Reclining Model, 1974 bit.ly/4m3SUX #
• 23:45 "Artists, if they're any good, are engaged in a war against habit, complacency and indifference." bit.ly/1BwbA9 #

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http://www.cartoonlabs.com/comics/index.php?date=2009-11-11&show=sinfest

Sinfest
Tatsuya Ishida

So I have a HEAP of t-shirts now, but didn't have any inspiration. I flicked through my majillion inspiration folders on my computer and finally found one I wanted to. You'll prolly remember this style of dress made by vivifromage ! 

I was kind of stuck, because the batman tee has SUCH a big logo, but my mum happened to be up for the weekend, and mentioned the belt idea. So here it is::

( Please Click, you WILL love it! )


I think last time I posted here I was like 8 months pregnant or something! Well i'm STILL having to make clothes that fit me, because now I'm breastfeeding, and have been cursed blessed with some massive boobies! Oh yeh, and my hair has changed a million times since then too, it used to be black. Just trying to jog your memory! I hope ya'll havn't forgotten me!

Hello :) I'm hopping over the pond from Scotland to visit Vancouver this coming December. I have started my research and making lists of places I would like to go:

Capilano Bridge
Christmas Carol Ships
Vancouver Look out
Festival of Light

Does anyone have any thoughts on these? More so is there any knooks and crannies that are tucked away that a tourist may miss? And should be a must see? Bonus points if you have any info on wildlife related activities (I know my trip will fall outside whale watching season).

This is my first time to Canada, first time in Vancouver. Excited? You bet :)

I received this camera as a gift earlier this year but have no use for it unfortunately. I have barely used it(took a couple shots indoors). If you're interested, feel free to e-mail me at khwu87_@hotmail.com.

Product(s): Canon XS 10.1MP DSLR With 18-55mm IS Lens Kit, Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens, Canon EOS Rebel XS/1000D Digital Field Guide Tutorial Book, and Canon Lowepro Camera Bag

Canon EOS Rebel XS EF-S 18-55 IS Kit includes (retails at $599.99 before tax):
- EOS Rebel XS
- EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
- Wide Strap EW-100DBIII
- Battery Charger LC-E5
- Battery Pack LP-E5
- USB Interface Cable IFC-200U
- Video Cable VC-100
- Software (CD-ROM)

Lens included (2):
- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (comes standard with 1000D)
- Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens (retails at $289.99 before tax)

Added Value (2)
- Canon EOS Rebel XS/1000D Digital Field Guide Tutorial Book (retails at $21.99 before tax)
- Canon Lowepro Camera Bag (retails at $49.99 before tax)

Price: $750.00

http://www.snopes.com/photos/military/gebhardt.asp

Photograph shows a U.S. airman comforting an injured Iraqi child.

More here @ fangtasian

I've been doing a lot of thinking, and have decided that National Novel Writing Month is a wonderful thing. Like many wonderful things it isn't for everyone, but here are a few reasons why I think it is often a wonderful experience.

• It teaches you to ditch perfectionism. I don't think it's possible to write a good novel in a month for moat people. I know one person who just might be able to, but she's a writing prodigy and somewhat insane.
  
• It gives you a goal. Sometimes people need a meaningful acheivement in order to boost their mood and self confidence. For most people 50 000 words in one month is a doable challenge. Reachable, but only with effort. This was the greatest gift an event has ever given me.
  
• It gets you writing, it may be something you never want to think about again after November, but you still sat down and wrote it!
  
• Spew writing can be cathartic. When you're busy trying to get as many words on the page as possible you don't have the time to judge each thought before writing. You need to allow your unconscious mind a certain amount of leeway. (How much depends on your writing style) It's also fiction. This combination lets you express things you would otherwise keep bottled up.
  

I'm sure there are more, but just let me leave you with this exerpt from the official F.A.Q:

If I'm just writing 50,000 words of crap, why bother? Why not just write a real novel later, when I have more time?

There are three reasons.

1) If you don't do it now, you probably never will. Novel writing is mostly a "one day" event. As in "One day, I'd like to write a novel." Here's the truth: 99% of us, if left to our own devices, would never make the time to write a novel. It's just so far outside our normal lives that it constantly slips down to the bottom of our to-do lists. The structure of NaNoWriMo forces you to put away all those self-defeating worries and START. Once you have the first five chapters under your belt, the rest will come easily. Or painfully. But it will come. And you'll have friends to help you see it through to 50k.

2) Aiming low is the best way to succeed. With entry-level novel writing, shooting for the moon is the surest way to get nowhere. With high expectations, everything you write will sound cheesy and awkward. Once you start evaluating your story in terms of word count, you take that pressure off yourself. And you'll start surprising yourself with a great bit of dialogue here and a ingenious plot twist there. Characters will start doing things you never expected, taking the story places you'd never imagined. There will be much execrable prose, yes. But amidst the crap, there will be beauty. A lot of it.

3) Art for art's sake does wonderful things to you. It makes you laugh. It makes you cry. It makes you want to take naps and go places wearing funny pants. Doing something just for the hell of it is a wonderful antidote to all the chores and "must-dos" of daily life. Writing a novel in a month is both exhilarating and stupid, and we would all do well to invite a little more spontaneous stupidity into our lives.

I drove my boyfriend to another city this past weekend so he could take his math subject GRE. I wanted to make it a special trip, so I hunted around for a simple, elegant, no-fuss cake to pack up and bring along. My friend sent me this recipe from Orangette's blog: Gâteau aux Noix, or French Walnut Cake.

This cake has a subtle flavor of white wine, and the toasted walnuts are absolutely delicious. If you're looking for a simple, quick cake to grab a hunk of after dinner, this is the perfect choice.



( recipe and photos )


To read more of my thoughts about this cake, view more yummy photos, or just to listen to me brood about my holiday schedule, please head over to my baking blog, Willow Bird Baking!

x posted to food_porn, cooking, and bakebakebake

Hi Everyone

So my sorority is having a potluck supper this Sunday. I need to bring a dish and really don't just want to bring a bagged salad or something really boring, it would be nice to bring real food. I have about 2 hours during the day to prepare whatever I making. If it can be prepared the day before and just cooked that day in those 2 hours that would work too. I'm looking low cost. There will be about 35 people there, but not everyone will eat every dish. Also I do have to transport the dish and we do have a ceremony beforehand something that would taste good and not have to be really hot would be ideal. I'd like to make some sort of warm dish, but cold recipes are definately good as well. I'll be getting there at around 5:30, we won't be eating until about 6:30, but the food can stay covered until then to keep somewhat warm.

Thanks in advance for any recipes you think would work for this occasion!!

I am looking for a super yummy can't stop eating buttery roll recipe. I love making rolls but for some reason... I can't find a good dinner roll recipe.

Anyone have one they love?

Has anyone seen a Nanowrimo: Dare to suck! icon? I can't remember if I've seen one here or not. At any rate, I would like one!

Not that anyone here makes icons while procrastinating. Oh, no, never that!

Yes. THIS.

I may not always think Safe, Sane and Consensual are the best blanket buzzwords*... but keeping your brain with you at all times is a good guideline for newer folks no matter WHAT community you're sticking your toe into. (And when it comes time to let the brain dive into the game at hand... make sure you've already used that brain in considering who you're trusting your safety and your sanity to while you are otherwise occupied.)

Jet has some other great gems (thimky stuff as well as erotica and other bits) at her website at A Sliver of Moonlight. The exchanges in the Newsgroup Natterings section can be quite thought-provoking for newer folks as well as those that have been around for awhile.

*Or at least not without some significant conversation about what SSC means to the people involved here and now thinking about this particular game, since there's a whole world of difference between some folk's definitions and in the middle of an intense -whatever- is not the time to discover that your partner's definitions are drastically different from yours.

I tee a tweet!

• 12:40 When I think I am climbing out of the hole - somehow the sides get steeper - I'm gonna rent me a backhoe soon! screw the climbing. #

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4 The Mighty Boosh NaNoWriMo icons featuring Howard Moon
(+ 7 Noel Fielding icons from Nevermind the Buzzcocks, episode 23x06)

Previews:


( Write like a colon explorer )

I have four pounds of conventional American hot dogs that I need to use before they go off. I don't like hot dogs very much just as hot dogs, though I can take them once in a while. I hate throwing away food, especially when I paid for it. Baking them in biscuit dough will get rid of six or eight of them, but I badly need a few ideas for making the rest of them interestingly edible.

I've already Googled around for a while and mostly came up with recipes involving cutting up the dogs and heating them with canned beans. Or baking them into "corn dog muffins". I want to go a little more exotic and less middle of the road than that, to put it mildly. I have a big pantry full of Asian, Mexican and Italian ingredients and seasonings along with all the American staples, and spicy-hot is no obstacle. Has anyone tried treating hot dogs the way they might treat, say, Chinese sausages or chorizo? Were the results acceptable/horrifying/surprisingly good? Kickstart my imagination, please. :)

Edit: Thanks very much for the nice assortment of ideas! I figured this group could easily kill off those dogs with its combined brain power. :)

I am currently making potato soup with fennel, leeks and shallots.  I am using the darker part of the leeks for a veggie stock and was wondering if I could use the stems of the fennel in the stock as well?  it smells the same as the bulb, but i'm not sure if it tastes different.  help????

My apologies for what's probably another stupid question...

I found a recipe for clam sauce I'd like to make here. At present I have minced, not chopped clams...

My question is, since I assume the canned clams are uncooked (alliteration ftw!), how do I know when they are cooked?

I've made clam chowder with them before, but since my recipe for that has the chowder simmering for an hour I never really thought about it.

Is it like shrimp, where they will change color? Or will I just have to guess?


Thanks =).

Hi all!

My good friend Caleb's birthday is on Sunday and all I can get out of him as to what he wants is cheesecake. So Cooking Community, hit me with your BEST cheesecake recipes, links, whatever.

Thank you in advance.

 I was shocked to find an email in my inbox last night that Diana's Grove will be selling the land after the 2010 Mystery School year ends. I'm still kind of sad and angry, and feel like I've had a metaphysical punch in the gut.

Having lived at Diana's Grove for several months, and having spent a lot of time there, this news doesn't come as a complete surprise. I know what many of the challenges Cynthea and Patricia and other staffers have faced with making Diana's Grove possible. 

But it still hurts. And my heart hurts not just for me, but for all my friends who are part of the Diana's Grove community. 

---

In 2010, Diana’s Grove Mystery School will be working with the story of Persephone. It is a story of cycles, and as we all know, part of the wisdom of cycles is that all things come to an end. While it is our intention that Mystery School will continue, Diana’s Grove Center, as you and we have known it, is coming to an end.

 

 

( Read more about Diana's Grove selling the land. )

 

 

Hey everybody! This is my first post here, and, as a matter of fact this is my first altar. It's an ancestor altar I made for Samhain. I'll explain the details.
( Ancestral Altar Behind Cut )