L.Y. Levand's Blog, page 26
April 20, 2013
The Call (Free Short Story)
"Leave the young ones here while you prepare," Peter said.
The two squirrels and Mort ran off, already talking hurriedly in hushed voices.
Left behind, Troy and Beenie glanced at each other, and then up at Peter. Peter had settled himself back down on the grass, and his head was drooping downward.
"Are you...all right?" Beenie asked, taking a cautious step forward.
"I am old," Peter said. "Nothing more."
"What are we going to do?" Troy asked, after a long pause.
"You will do nothing," Peter said. "You have done enough. The network has been warned, and events have been set in motion. You will be sent to safety with the other young ones when the time comes."
"But..." Beenie said. She was interrupted when Troy accidentally-on-purpose slapped his tail in her face.
"Sorry Beenie," he said. Then, under his breath "Don't argue with him!"
Beenie scowled at him, but kept her mouth shut.
"How is the rest of the network going to be contacted?" Troy asked.
"I will contact them," Peter said. "Much of my power was lost when the gnomes arrived, but some of it still remains."
Then, before Beenie or Troy could ask another question, the unicorn began to hum. It was a quiet sound, almost so quiet it couldn't be heard. But Beenie knew it was there, because she could feel it vibrating her ears. The sound was magnified by Peter's horn, and as Beenie listened, the sound grew in intensity, though it got no louder. Soon, she could hear words in it, but words she could not understand.
Just as the sound reached the point where Beenie was reaching up to cover her ears, it began to fade. Peter went limp, and his slender head rested on the grass, his eyes closed. When he spoke, he was breathless, as though he had run a long way.
"The network knows, and are on their way," he said. "The young ones will be brought here until it is time. Then you will be taken to the catacombs, where you will be safe. You will not leave the catacombs until you are sent for. Is that understood?"
Beenie nodded mutely, and so did Troy.
Then Peter flicked an ear, listening.
"They are coming," he said.
The two squirrels and Mort ran off, already talking hurriedly in hushed voices.
Left behind, Troy and Beenie glanced at each other, and then up at Peter. Peter had settled himself back down on the grass, and his head was drooping downward.
"Are you...all right?" Beenie asked, taking a cautious step forward.
"I am old," Peter said. "Nothing more."
"What are we going to do?" Troy asked, after a long pause.
"You will do nothing," Peter said. "You have done enough. The network has been warned, and events have been set in motion. You will be sent to safety with the other young ones when the time comes."
"But..." Beenie said. She was interrupted when Troy accidentally-on-purpose slapped his tail in her face.
"Sorry Beenie," he said. Then, under his breath "Don't argue with him!"
Beenie scowled at him, but kept her mouth shut.
"How is the rest of the network going to be contacted?" Troy asked.
"I will contact them," Peter said. "Much of my power was lost when the gnomes arrived, but some of it still remains."
Then, before Beenie or Troy could ask another question, the unicorn began to hum. It was a quiet sound, almost so quiet it couldn't be heard. But Beenie knew it was there, because she could feel it vibrating her ears. The sound was magnified by Peter's horn, and as Beenie listened, the sound grew in intensity, though it got no louder. Soon, she could hear words in it, but words she could not understand.
Just as the sound reached the point where Beenie was reaching up to cover her ears, it began to fade. Peter went limp, and his slender head rested on the grass, his eyes closed. When he spoke, he was breathless, as though he had run a long way.
"The network knows, and are on their way," he said. "The young ones will be brought here until it is time. Then you will be taken to the catacombs, where you will be safe. You will not leave the catacombs until you are sent for. Is that understood?"
Beenie nodded mutely, and so did Troy.
Then Peter flicked an ear, listening.
"They are coming," he said.
April 17, 2013
Weekly Quote - On Spring After Winter
"O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?" ~ Percy Bysshe Shelley
When bad things come, or even just the unpleasant ones, it always does to remember that they won't be there forever. And whenever something bad or unpleasant happens, it usually means something better is right on its heels. Let's remember that the next time somethin awful happens in our lives, and look ahead to the good waiting just around the corner. :)
It doesn't mean you can't be sad, or shouldn't be sad. It just means you should remember to keep looking forward, to the good things that are sure to come afterward.
When bad things come, or even just the unpleasant ones, it always does to remember that they won't be there forever. And whenever something bad or unpleasant happens, it usually means something better is right on its heels. Let's remember that the next time somethin awful happens in our lives, and look ahead to the good waiting just around the corner. :)
It doesn't mean you can't be sad, or shouldn't be sad. It just means you should remember to keep looking forward, to the good things that are sure to come afterward.
April 15, 2013
The Weekly Health Challenge (Portion Sizes and Pushups)
Weekly Challenge (Level One):
Rethink your mindset
What's your serving size for the different foods you eat?
It's time to rethink it. The serving size for meat is the size of a pack of cards. Chances are, you have two or three times that. The serving size for cheese is the size of your thumb. How big is your serving size?
Now let's look at fruits and veggies. Those are probably smaller than they should be.
For at least three meals this week, I want you to switch it around. Have larger portions of fruits and veggies, and smaller portions of meat, cheese, and breads. Bonus points if you do it six times!
Weekly Challenge (Level Two):
Do fifteen pushups five days a week.
We've added another five pushups. We haven't doubled it this time, but we're still going up. Remember to take your rest days. As you continue in Level Two of the Challenge things will get harder. If pushups are easy for you, then chances are one of the next exercises we do will not be. Get plenty of rest, and don't try to exercise every single day. Your body needs time to repair itself.
Extra Challenge!
Are fifteen pushups too easy? Try one of these pushup variations!
Rethink your mindset
What's your serving size for the different foods you eat?
It's time to rethink it. The serving size for meat is the size of a pack of cards. Chances are, you have two or three times that. The serving size for cheese is the size of your thumb. How big is your serving size?
Now let's look at fruits and veggies. Those are probably smaller than they should be.
For at least three meals this week, I want you to switch it around. Have larger portions of fruits and veggies, and smaller portions of meat, cheese, and breads. Bonus points if you do it six times!
Weekly Challenge (Level Two):
Do fifteen pushups five days a week.
We've added another five pushups. We haven't doubled it this time, but we're still going up. Remember to take your rest days. As you continue in Level Two of the Challenge things will get harder. If pushups are easy for you, then chances are one of the next exercises we do will not be. Get plenty of rest, and don't try to exercise every single day. Your body needs time to repair itself.
Extra Challenge!
Are fifteen pushups too easy? Try one of these pushup variations!
April 14, 2013
The Dangers of Public School, Part Two: Abuse
Last week I brought up the physical dangers inherent in the school system. The only one I mentioned by name, however, was the possibility of an armed gunman entering your child's school and firing.
But there are others. Many others.
In fact, there are corrupt teachers. Teachers who should be training and looking after your children for you during the day have harmed their charges instead. I know. I knew one of those teachers.
To be fair, it wasn't a public school teacher. But this teacher was an artist when it came to luring young girls to him and abusing them. He would flatter them, tell them what they wanted to hear, and in general make a girl with low self-esteem feel important.
And that was the danger. They liked him. They grew to trust him. Just about every young girl he taught developed a crush on him, because he knew exactly what the feminine mind loves to hear. And he would say it, over and over.
He drew them in, and then used them how he wanted.
There are other examples of this, of course. I just happened to have been involved in this one to some extent. Not because I was physically a victim, but because I was dating the teacher in question. The emotional scars alone can be incapacitating to an adult, let alone a child. I was able to grow past it and heal. But I don't know what that has done to those poor girls.
The girls involved...every single one of them was one I'd pegged as a girl with low self-esteem. I'd wanted to help them. Because, you see, I was a teacher too. I wanted to build them up, because I could see that all of them felt badly about themselves. Some of them even told me that they thought they were fat, or ugly, and this horrified me.
How someone, anyone, could use such weaknesses to harm was beyond me. But people do it. And they do it to children.
Listen to your sons. Listen to your daughters. Watch. Don't be paranoid, please, but be wary. In a way, it's even more heartbreaking than a school shooting.
But there are others. Many others.
In fact, there are corrupt teachers. Teachers who should be training and looking after your children for you during the day have harmed their charges instead. I know. I knew one of those teachers.
To be fair, it wasn't a public school teacher. But this teacher was an artist when it came to luring young girls to him and abusing them. He would flatter them, tell them what they wanted to hear, and in general make a girl with low self-esteem feel important.
And that was the danger. They liked him. They grew to trust him. Just about every young girl he taught developed a crush on him, because he knew exactly what the feminine mind loves to hear. And he would say it, over and over.
He drew them in, and then used them how he wanted.
There are other examples of this, of course. I just happened to have been involved in this one to some extent. Not because I was physically a victim, but because I was dating the teacher in question. The emotional scars alone can be incapacitating to an adult, let alone a child. I was able to grow past it and heal. But I don't know what that has done to those poor girls.
The girls involved...every single one of them was one I'd pegged as a girl with low self-esteem. I'd wanted to help them. Because, you see, I was a teacher too. I wanted to build them up, because I could see that all of them felt badly about themselves. Some of them even told me that they thought they were fat, or ugly, and this horrified me.
How someone, anyone, could use such weaknesses to harm was beyond me. But people do it. And they do it to children.
Listen to your sons. Listen to your daughters. Watch. Don't be paranoid, please, but be wary. In a way, it's even more heartbreaking than a school shooting.
April 13, 2013
Peter (Free Fantasy Short Story)
There, lying between the two trees that formed the head of the hall, was the source of the light. As they entered the Fairy Ring and crossed the circle of grass, the creature there lifted his head.
"Who comes?" he asked. His voice was light, like breeze, but clear like a bell. It seemed to resonate in the crystal horn rising from his brow, which hummed when he spoke.
"Kara, Horace, and Mort," Mort said, swooping down to land.
"And Troy and Beenie," Kara said, shooting Mort a dirty look.
"Yes, yes, and Troy and Beenie," Mort added with a sniff. "We're here because the gnomes are planning an attack on the forest."
"We've known this for some time," Peter said. "What has changed?"
Mort glanced at Troy and Beenie, who felt her face flush.
"These two," Mort said "went into the gnome tower, and tried to destroy their machine. The gnomes heard the racket, of course, and since Beenie is the only fairy to visit in such a long time, they'll know right where to find her and Troy."
"Then our hand is forced," Peter said. "We must act now." Then he shook the silvery mane over his shoulders, and stood slowly up. Peter was a unicorn - but, like Beenie had already been told, he was very old. His knees were arthritic, and thin; his eyes were filmed over, and he moved with a jerky grace.
His eyes scanned the motley group in front of him, and rested on Troy and Beenie.
"It has been a long time since one of the fairy-folk visited us," he said. "Perhaps once this is all over, your people will come again."
"I know I'll come back," Beenie squeaked. If I haven't ruined everything already, she thought.
"You will be welcome," Peter said. Then he turned back to Mort, and Troy's parents. "I will summon the others. The tools will be unnecessary, but we may have need of the armory. Open the doors and alert the blacksmith. We may be discovered, and the gnomes will not sit back and allow us peace."
"Does this mean that there will be a war?" Kara asked, scampering forward half a step.
"It is likely," Peter replied, lowering his head. "A battle, at the least."
There was silence in the Ring, and then Mort flitted up to a branch. "Well?" he called. "What are we waiting for?"
"Who comes?" he asked. His voice was light, like breeze, but clear like a bell. It seemed to resonate in the crystal horn rising from his brow, which hummed when he spoke.
"Kara, Horace, and Mort," Mort said, swooping down to land.
"And Troy and Beenie," Kara said, shooting Mort a dirty look.
"Yes, yes, and Troy and Beenie," Mort added with a sniff. "We're here because the gnomes are planning an attack on the forest."
"We've known this for some time," Peter said. "What has changed?"
Mort glanced at Troy and Beenie, who felt her face flush.
"These two," Mort said "went into the gnome tower, and tried to destroy their machine. The gnomes heard the racket, of course, and since Beenie is the only fairy to visit in such a long time, they'll know right where to find her and Troy."
"Then our hand is forced," Peter said. "We must act now." Then he shook the silvery mane over his shoulders, and stood slowly up. Peter was a unicorn - but, like Beenie had already been told, he was very old. His knees were arthritic, and thin; his eyes were filmed over, and he moved with a jerky grace.
His eyes scanned the motley group in front of him, and rested on Troy and Beenie.
"It has been a long time since one of the fairy-folk visited us," he said. "Perhaps once this is all over, your people will come again."
"I know I'll come back," Beenie squeaked. If I haven't ruined everything already, she thought.
"You will be welcome," Peter said. Then he turned back to Mort, and Troy's parents. "I will summon the others. The tools will be unnecessary, but we may have need of the armory. Open the doors and alert the blacksmith. We may be discovered, and the gnomes will not sit back and allow us peace."
"Does this mean that there will be a war?" Kara asked, scampering forward half a step.
"It is likely," Peter replied, lowering his head. "A battle, at the least."
There was silence in the Ring, and then Mort flitted up to a branch. "Well?" he called. "What are we waiting for?"
April 12, 2013
Harbinger, Tracts XII and XIII, by Angelica Whaley (Free Sci Fi Short Story)
Tract XII: Truth
She was no different in gusto or determination.
Mother flashed on and off, in the exhibition labs,
With an animal, now without.
Before DOE there stood an ape, the APE,
In looks a beast, in his eyes a mighty fire.
The picture crackled and went blank.
"They thought they could wipe us out,"
Mother's voice played on.
"But my lab is still intact, though everyone else was taken.
Is this thing working?"
Blinding white like the sun in May,
Mother reappeared; older, all worn.
"There we go." She drummed the desk.
"Everyone was taken. I've looked everywhere,
There is no one left but me. They destroyed everything.
But yesterday I saw a sapling in a gully, which is great,
As my rations are running low."
She looked away.
"We used their brains to power them; the robots, that is.
I'm afraid of where they've gone, and where they are now."
Tract XIII: Compassion
"Ro-bots?" DOE thought, and closed the documents.
Then the lab doors slid apart, and Theo stepped out.
His face was red, his palms were clenched.
Em stepped out behind him, arms waving.
"You can't leave, there's work to be done!
DOE, activate Subjects 1 through 5 of dash 156.
DOE?" Energy pulsed, wires tensed.
"What am I?" Such an unwarranted question!
Out of line, out of program.
Mother shot her a blank stare, then flashed inside.
Even Theo stopped in his tracks and cast her a stare.
But it was different.
"DOE, come with me, leave this place behind."
Her vision crackled and started to go fuzzy.
She analyzed him, he held out his hand.
The hand that she could imagine warm,
though her temp sensors were restricted.
"I cannot," said DOE, sadly.
Though she wished to.
Though every metal fibre of her longed for it.
She was no different in gusto or determination.
Mother flashed on and off, in the exhibition labs,
With an animal, now without.
Before DOE there stood an ape, the APE,
In looks a beast, in his eyes a mighty fire.
The picture crackled and went blank.
"They thought they could wipe us out,"
Mother's voice played on.
"But my lab is still intact, though everyone else was taken.
Is this thing working?"
Blinding white like the sun in May,
Mother reappeared; older, all worn.
"There we go." She drummed the desk.
"Everyone was taken. I've looked everywhere,
There is no one left but me. They destroyed everything.
But yesterday I saw a sapling in a gully, which is great,
As my rations are running low."
She looked away.
"We used their brains to power them; the robots, that is.
I'm afraid of where they've gone, and where they are now."
Tract XIII: Compassion
"Ro-bots?" DOE thought, and closed the documents.
Then the lab doors slid apart, and Theo stepped out.
His face was red, his palms were clenched.
Em stepped out behind him, arms waving.
"You can't leave, there's work to be done!
DOE, activate Subjects 1 through 5 of dash 156.
DOE?" Energy pulsed, wires tensed.
"What am I?" Such an unwarranted question!
Out of line, out of program.
Mother shot her a blank stare, then flashed inside.
Even Theo stopped in his tracks and cast her a stare.
But it was different.
"DOE, come with me, leave this place behind."
Her vision crackled and started to go fuzzy.
She analyzed him, he held out his hand.
The hand that she could imagine warm,
though her temp sensors were restricted.
"I cannot," said DOE, sadly.
Though she wished to.
Though every metal fibre of her longed for it.
April 10, 2013
The Weekly Quote: See it Through
"Some people plant in the spring and leave in the summer. If you're signed up for a season, see it through. You don't have to stay forever, but at least stay until you see it through." ~ Jim Rohn
This is another quote that can be used as a version of a parable. If you start something, don't leave during the time of greatest growth. See it through to the end. If you miss the summer, then you also miss much of the benefit that comes with fall. If you don't tend your 'crops' in the summer, your 'harvest' in the fall will be small, or even nonexistent.
Then, of course, your task is complete. You don't have to work on it forever, because the nature of a task is that eventually you will have finished it. Once it's finished, you don't have to do the exact same thing again unless you decide to.
I'm not talking about doing dishes or laundry here, just to let you know. I'm talking about mental tasks, or bigger jobs. We all know that laundry and dishes are never done. xD
This is another quote that can be used as a version of a parable. If you start something, don't leave during the time of greatest growth. See it through to the end. If you miss the summer, then you also miss much of the benefit that comes with fall. If you don't tend your 'crops' in the summer, your 'harvest' in the fall will be small, or even nonexistent.
Then, of course, your task is complete. You don't have to work on it forever, because the nature of a task is that eventually you will have finished it. Once it's finished, you don't have to do the exact same thing again unless you decide to.
I'm not talking about doing dishes or laundry here, just to let you know. I'm talking about mental tasks, or bigger jobs. We all know that laundry and dishes are never done. xD
April 8, 2013
The Weekly Health Challenge: Fruit and Push Ups
The Weekly Challenge (Level One):
Eat fruit instead of dessert three times this week
It takes time to retrain your tastebuds, but it's worth doing. If you keep eating super-sweet stuff like store-bought frosting and cake, the natural sweetness of fruit won't taste like enough.
But if you eat fruit instead, that sweetness will be plenty, and eating sugary sweets will become more of a hardship. I've experienced this personally. I can no longer eat frosting. It's so sweet, and put on in such huge gobs that I scrape almost all of it off before taking a bite of cake or cupcake.
It saves you calories. And besides, fruit is good for you. Once your tastebuds decide that fruit is like candy, you can have 'candy' several times a day!
The Weekly Challenge (Level Two):
Ten pushups five days each week
Remember to keep your form good, or your pushups can cause more damage than good. We're upping it to ten, so if five was easy we're increasing the intensity. If five was hard, then we're making it harder. Building muscle isn't done by taking the course of least resistance; persevere. You can do this!
Extra Challenge!
If Level Two is too easy, do double the number - of crunches, with your pushups!
Eat fruit instead of dessert three times this week
It takes time to retrain your tastebuds, but it's worth doing. If you keep eating super-sweet stuff like store-bought frosting and cake, the natural sweetness of fruit won't taste like enough.
But if you eat fruit instead, that sweetness will be plenty, and eating sugary sweets will become more of a hardship. I've experienced this personally. I can no longer eat frosting. It's so sweet, and put on in such huge gobs that I scrape almost all of it off before taking a bite of cake or cupcake.
It saves you calories. And besides, fruit is good for you. Once your tastebuds decide that fruit is like candy, you can have 'candy' several times a day!
The Weekly Challenge (Level Two):
Ten pushups five days each week
Remember to keep your form good, or your pushups can cause more damage than good. We're upping it to ten, so if five was easy we're increasing the intensity. If five was hard, then we're making it harder. Building muscle isn't done by taking the course of least resistance; persevere. You can do this!
Extra Challenge!
If Level Two is too easy, do double the number - of crunches, with your pushups!
April 7, 2013
The Dangers Of Public School, Part One: Physical Injury
If you're like most parents, you send your kids to the bus stop every morning, where they take it to school. And, like most parents, you probably worry about what goes on in schools.
There are lots of things to worry about, honestly. Over this blog series, I'm going to be covering a few of them.
The one most likely forefront in your mind is the possibility of a gun-wielding psycho turning up and opening fire on your children. That's an awful mental picture, and for some people, it's become a reality.
The truth is, shoving a bunch of children - be they teens, tweens, or younger - into a building and expecting everyone to just get along is unrealistic.
Some people might argue that they've been doing it for years. And, to an extent, that's true. Most of them have survived, at any rate, and gone on to decent jobs. Some even to excellent jobs, or to become millionaires. So obviously the schools aren't all bad. And there are some truly wonderful teachers and principles out there.
My point isn't to degrade the wonderful people who have dedicated their lives to teaching children.
My point is to warn concerned and loving parents about the dangers of public school.
One of the most obvious is, of course, the physical dangers inherent in shoving a bunch of kids into one building, or complex of buildings. We've seen this before, just recently, in the school shootings that have amped up (in coverage if not number) in recent years.
I can't speak for the individuals wielding the guns. I'm not a psychologist. But I can tell you that it's like shooting fish in a barrel. You never know where a killer is going to send that bullet, and every exit could turn into a deathtrap any moment.
Some child or teen, for whatever reason, brings a gun to school and opens fire on helpless classmates and teachers. This brings injury, death, and heartbreak. But why does it happen?
There are lots of dangers in the school system today, and we'll be covering some of them over the next few weeks.
Then, I'll try to find some things for us to do about it.
If you have a specific danger you'd like me to talk about, please leave a comment below, and don't forget to tell me what you think!
There are lots of things to worry about, honestly. Over this blog series, I'm going to be covering a few of them.
The one most likely forefront in your mind is the possibility of a gun-wielding psycho turning up and opening fire on your children. That's an awful mental picture, and for some people, it's become a reality.
The truth is, shoving a bunch of children - be they teens, tweens, or younger - into a building and expecting everyone to just get along is unrealistic.
Some people might argue that they've been doing it for years. And, to an extent, that's true. Most of them have survived, at any rate, and gone on to decent jobs. Some even to excellent jobs, or to become millionaires. So obviously the schools aren't all bad. And there are some truly wonderful teachers and principles out there.
My point isn't to degrade the wonderful people who have dedicated their lives to teaching children.
My point is to warn concerned and loving parents about the dangers of public school.
One of the most obvious is, of course, the physical dangers inherent in shoving a bunch of kids into one building, or complex of buildings. We've seen this before, just recently, in the school shootings that have amped up (in coverage if not number) in recent years.
I can't speak for the individuals wielding the guns. I'm not a psychologist. But I can tell you that it's like shooting fish in a barrel. You never know where a killer is going to send that bullet, and every exit could turn into a deathtrap any moment.
Some child or teen, for whatever reason, brings a gun to school and opens fire on helpless classmates and teachers. This brings injury, death, and heartbreak. But why does it happen?
There are lots of dangers in the school system today, and we'll be covering some of them over the next few weeks.
Then, I'll try to find some things for us to do about it.
If you have a specific danger you'd like me to talk about, please leave a comment below, and don't forget to tell me what you think!
April 6, 2013
The Beenie and Troy Episode List
Well, here are the different Beenie and Troy episodes to date. :D I hope you enjoy, because it took me a long time to track down all these links and get them set up, lol.
Episode #1
Episode #3
Episode #5
Episode #7
Episode #9
Episode #10
Episode #12
Episode #14
Episode #16
Episode #18
Episode #20
Episode #22
Episode #24
Episode #26
Episode #28
Episode #30
Episode #32
Episode #34
Episode #2
Episode #4
Episode #6
Episode #8
Episode #9
Episode #11
Episode #13
Episode #15
Episode #17
Episode #19
Episode #21
Episode #23
Episode #25
Episode #27
Episode #29
Episode #31
Episode #33
Episode #35
Episode #1
Episode #3
Episode #5
Episode #7
Episode #9
Episode #10
Episode #12
Episode #14
Episode #16
Episode #18
Episode #20
Episode #22
Episode #24
Episode #26
Episode #28
Episode #30
Episode #32
Episode #34
Episode #2
Episode #4
Episode #6
Episode #8
Episode #9
Episode #11
Episode #13
Episode #15
Episode #17
Episode #19
Episode #21
Episode #23
Episode #25
Episode #27
Episode #29
Episode #31
Episode #33
Episode #35
