L.Y. Levand's Blog, page 41
October 21, 2012
October 21st, 2012
I read an article on cheating recently. And that got me wondering how, exactly, I feel, and what I think, about it.
I think it's wrong to cheat in a relationship. I think that's something most all people would agree to. I've been cheated on, and I can say that it's very painful - even if found out after the end of the relationship. It's an incredible breach of trust, and knowing you weren't enough for that person, or weren't what they wanted, is a terrible blow to your self-esteem.
If you claim to love someone, then you shouldn't do something you know will hurt them. That's the way love is - you don't, or shouldn't, want to cause pain to the loved one. But it still happens anyway.
Do people just not care anymore? Do they understand what love is? Or are they just...lazy?
I think it's wrong to cheat in a relationship. I think that's something most all people would agree to. I've been cheated on, and I can say that it's very painful - even if found out after the end of the relationship. It's an incredible breach of trust, and knowing you weren't enough for that person, or weren't what they wanted, is a terrible blow to your self-esteem.
If you claim to love someone, then you shouldn't do something you know will hurt them. That's the way love is - you don't, or shouldn't, want to cause pain to the loved one. But it still happens anyway.
Do people just not care anymore? Do they understand what love is? Or are they just...lazy?
October 20, 2012
October 20th, 2012
"Why aren't you afraid?" Troy asked.
"I don't know," said Beenie. "I'm just not."
"But everyone's afraid of the gnomes," Troy insisted. "Even my mom's afraid of the gnomes. Even my dad's afraid of the gnomes."
"What are they going to do?" Beenie asked. "I don't even live here. I live in the field."
"I don't know, Beenie," Troy said. "I live here, you know."
"But you were hiding! You were trying to make me stop," said Beenie, her hands on her hips.
"They won't care," said Troy.
"I want to know what's in that package," Beenie said.
"Then you can find out by yourself," said Troy. "The gnomes are mean and nasty. Maybe they'll leave you alone, since you live far away, but they won't leave me alone."
"Fine," said Beenie.
"Don't get eaten," Troy said sadly as he scurried away. "And remember my mom said she would take you home, so don't get lost."
Beenie knew he was trying to convince her not to go, and it wasn't working.
"I don't know," said Beenie. "I'm just not."
"But everyone's afraid of the gnomes," Troy insisted. "Even my mom's afraid of the gnomes. Even my dad's afraid of the gnomes."
"What are they going to do?" Beenie asked. "I don't even live here. I live in the field."
"I don't know, Beenie," Troy said. "I live here, you know."
"But you were hiding! You were trying to make me stop," said Beenie, her hands on her hips.
"They won't care," said Troy.
"I want to know what's in that package," Beenie said.
"Then you can find out by yourself," said Troy. "The gnomes are mean and nasty. Maybe they'll leave you alone, since you live far away, but they won't leave me alone."
"Fine," said Beenie.
"Don't get eaten," Troy said sadly as he scurried away. "And remember my mom said she would take you home, so don't get lost."
Beenie knew he was trying to convince her not to go, and it wasn't working.
October 19, 2012
October 19th, 2012
Have you ever had one of those days?
You know, the ones you just don't remember the day after?
That's happened to me quite a lot recently. Not because I'm having serious memory issues (I hope) but because some of my days have been so busy that when I go to bed that night exhausted, I can't remember what happened when I wake up in the morning. Well...I can, but it's like a half-remembered dream day. I didn't have any down-time, so I guess my brain decides it didn't happen. Strange. And inconvenient when you know you were supposed to do something, but can't remember what it was...
You know, the ones you just don't remember the day after?
That's happened to me quite a lot recently. Not because I'm having serious memory issues (I hope) but because some of my days have been so busy that when I go to bed that night exhausted, I can't remember what happened when I wake up in the morning. Well...I can, but it's like a half-remembered dream day. I didn't have any down-time, so I guess my brain decides it didn't happen. Strange. And inconvenient when you know you were supposed to do something, but can't remember what it was...
October 18, 2012
October 18th, 2012
Kym has a very interesting family.
One day at work, Kym doodled on a piece of paper. If you know Kym, she draws eyes. Lots and lots of eyes. So she drew an eye, in black ink, on a small square of paper. Then she made the mistake of leaving it on the counter at work.
Two days later, what does she find but her doodle! Rubberbanded over her cousin's left eye, with a caption akin to 'designer eyepatches! Available in 2013!'
She'd thought they'd like her pinkish origami pumpkins, but it turns out they're far more entertained by her 'eyepatches.'
One day at work, Kym doodled on a piece of paper. If you know Kym, she draws eyes. Lots and lots of eyes. So she drew an eye, in black ink, on a small square of paper. Then she made the mistake of leaving it on the counter at work.
Two days later, what does she find but her doodle! Rubberbanded over her cousin's left eye, with a caption akin to 'designer eyepatches! Available in 2013!'
She'd thought they'd like her pinkish origami pumpkins, but it turns out they're far more entertained by her 'eyepatches.'
October 17, 2012
October 17th, 2012
"We have more ability than will power, and it is often an excuse to ourselves that we imagine things are impossible." ~ Francois de la Rochefoucauld
I hope I never say 'that's impossible' again. Because I think I will forever call that sentence the excuse. I thought it was impossible for me to be a published author, but that wasn't true. I thought it was impossible to keep up a daily blog, but that wasn't true. How many times do we really believe that something is impossible when it's not?
Do you have a story about how you overcame something 'impossible'?
I hope I never say 'that's impossible' again. Because I think I will forever call that sentence the excuse. I thought it was impossible for me to be a published author, but that wasn't true. I thought it was impossible to keep up a daily blog, but that wasn't true. How many times do we really believe that something is impossible when it's not?
Do you have a story about how you overcame something 'impossible'?
October 16, 2012
October 16th, 2012
My grandparents had a mystery plant in their garden this year. They didn't know what it was, until it started producing white...things. Then, they thought it was a melon of some kind. A honeydew melon, maybe. But as the little mystery produce got bigger, my grandmother realized that it wasn't honeydew. It was a pumpkin vine - with white pumpkins.
She showed it to my baby sister, who's going to be six, and said "Look, white pumpkins!" and my sister, in all her five-year-old wisdom, said "no, pumpkins are orange!"
She showed it to my baby sister, who's going to be six, and said "Look, white pumpkins!" and my sister, in all her five-year-old wisdom, said "no, pumpkins are orange!"
October 15, 2012
October 15th, 2012
With the holidays getting closer, most of us couldn't care less about the foods we eat. Except, of course, that they all taste good. But what's going to happen when New Year's rolls around, and it's time for those resolutions? Are you going to pick healthy eating out of guilt?
Perhaps it's time to brush up those tastebuds and learn how to enjoy your food, without feeling awful afterward.
What's your favorite holiday food? You know, the one that you eat too much of every year. Maybe you have lots of them that you have a weakness for. Step one, finding your weakness.
Perhaps it's time to brush up those tastebuds and learn how to enjoy your food, without feeling awful afterward.
What's your favorite holiday food? You know, the one that you eat too much of every year. Maybe you have lots of them that you have a weakness for. Step one, finding your weakness.
October 14, 2012
October 14th, 2012
Silent Day of Solidarity.
As someone who has many pro-life friends, I've been hearing about this for weeks. It's a day for people who stand against abortion to show their support for the pro-life movement. They tape their mouths and wear red armbands to identify themselves.
I've also seen arguments about abortion. Many arguments, and debates, that get heated very quickly. Abortion is a sensitive issue, and an extremely personal one. I saw a blow-up recently, because one of my friends called abortion murder, and people thought that she was jumping the gun.
So I would like to explore this issue with you today.
The definition of murder as given by The Free Dictionary is this:
1. To kill (another human) unlawfully.
2. To kill brutally or inhumanly.
3. To put an end to; destroy: murdered their chances.
4. To spoil by ineptness; mutilate: a speech that murdered the English language.
5. Slang To defeat decisively; trounce.
For our purposes, we will use the second and third, since abortion is legal in the United States.
There are people who say that a fetus is not human until birth, or until a certain point in their development within the uterus.
Citing definition three, 'to put an end to; destroy.' An abortion is ending something that, if left alone, would develop into a human child. Citing definition two, abortions done after twenty weeks cause pain to the child, or, if you prefer, fetus, and could possibly cause pain earlier than that.
However, even without the pain issue, this fetus would grow, without the intervention of an abortion, into a human child. Abortion is ending this life, in that it cannot continue, again, citing definition three.
But some kind, loving people ask about women pregnant as a result of rape. Some people, due to their protecting nature, don't want to heap guilt upon these women by calling abortion murder. And yes, they have been violated. They have been hurt, and taken advantage of. The questions are these: if abortion is murder, then which is worse: the rape that caused the child, or to punish the child for the sins of the father? And if abortion is, by definition, murder, then why sugar-coat it? Surely these strong women can handle the truth.
Two wrongs don't make a right, as the old saying goes. Is the presence of one egregious wrong, the rape, making it the right thing to do by taking the life of the resultant child?
As someone who has many pro-life friends, I've been hearing about this for weeks. It's a day for people who stand against abortion to show their support for the pro-life movement. They tape their mouths and wear red armbands to identify themselves.
I've also seen arguments about abortion. Many arguments, and debates, that get heated very quickly. Abortion is a sensitive issue, and an extremely personal one. I saw a blow-up recently, because one of my friends called abortion murder, and people thought that she was jumping the gun.
So I would like to explore this issue with you today.
The definition of murder as given by The Free Dictionary is this:
1. To kill (another human) unlawfully.
2. To kill brutally or inhumanly.
3. To put an end to; destroy: murdered their chances.
4. To spoil by ineptness; mutilate: a speech that murdered the English language.
5. Slang To defeat decisively; trounce.
For our purposes, we will use the second and third, since abortion is legal in the United States.
There are people who say that a fetus is not human until birth, or until a certain point in their development within the uterus.
Citing definition three, 'to put an end to; destroy.' An abortion is ending something that, if left alone, would develop into a human child. Citing definition two, abortions done after twenty weeks cause pain to the child, or, if you prefer, fetus, and could possibly cause pain earlier than that.
However, even without the pain issue, this fetus would grow, without the intervention of an abortion, into a human child. Abortion is ending this life, in that it cannot continue, again, citing definition three.
But some kind, loving people ask about women pregnant as a result of rape. Some people, due to their protecting nature, don't want to heap guilt upon these women by calling abortion murder. And yes, they have been violated. They have been hurt, and taken advantage of. The questions are these: if abortion is murder, then which is worse: the rape that caused the child, or to punish the child for the sins of the father? And if abortion is, by definition, murder, then why sugar-coat it? Surely these strong women can handle the truth.
Two wrongs don't make a right, as the old saying goes. Is the presence of one egregious wrong, the rape, making it the right thing to do by taking the life of the resultant child?
October 13, 2012
October 13th, 2012
"Why would the hedgehog tell the gnomes about us?" Beenie asked. "I didn't do anything."
"You asked questions, Beenie! The gnomes don't like that." Troy answered. "Can we leave? I don't want to stay here?"
"All right," Beenie said with a sigh. As they left, she looked over her shoulder to where the hedgehog had disappeared into the underbrush. It was weird, she thought. What could gnomes and hedgehogs want with packages?
"What do gnomes eat?" Beenie asked.
"I don't know, and I don't care," Troy squeaked. "They're gnomes. They eat whatever they want."
"What could they need those packages for?" said Beenie, frustrated.
"Forget about it," Troy said. "It's not important."
Beenie glared at him, crossing her arms.
"Okay," he said. "Okay. Maybe it is important. But even if it is, it's none of our business. We don't have to find anything out."
"But if it's important, then don't you think we should make sure that someone knows?" Beenie asked. "What if nobody knows?" Troy stared at her, his nose twitching.
"Aren't you afraid?" he asked.
"No."
"You asked questions, Beenie! The gnomes don't like that." Troy answered. "Can we leave? I don't want to stay here?"
"All right," Beenie said with a sigh. As they left, she looked over her shoulder to where the hedgehog had disappeared into the underbrush. It was weird, she thought. What could gnomes and hedgehogs want with packages?
"What do gnomes eat?" Beenie asked.
"I don't know, and I don't care," Troy squeaked. "They're gnomes. They eat whatever they want."
"What could they need those packages for?" said Beenie, frustrated.
"Forget about it," Troy said. "It's not important."
Beenie glared at him, crossing her arms.
"Okay," he said. "Okay. Maybe it is important. But even if it is, it's none of our business. We don't have to find anything out."
"But if it's important, then don't you think we should make sure that someone knows?" Beenie asked. "What if nobody knows?" Troy stared at her, his nose twitching.
"Aren't you afraid?" he asked.
"No."
October 12, 2012
October 12th, 2012
So, I was manning the counter at work yesterday, and I was the only one there. The store was clean, the inventory was taken care of, there were no customers, and the phone wasn't ringing.
When my coworkers return next week, they'll see the fruits of my labors. The...ahem...corner of the front counter is now populated by about ten origami water bombs decorated to look like jack o lanterns.
That project complete, I was still bored with nothing to do. So a sign declaring that corner 'the pumpkin patch' came next. It was immediately followed by two cut-out bats, and a string of orangey-pink paper chains draped around the counter.
I also left a very detailed picture of a face on a piece of paper by the computer. Do you think anyone will notice?
When my coworkers return next week, they'll see the fruits of my labors. The...ahem...corner of the front counter is now populated by about ten origami water bombs decorated to look like jack o lanterns.
That project complete, I was still bored with nothing to do. So a sign declaring that corner 'the pumpkin patch' came next. It was immediately followed by two cut-out bats, and a string of orangey-pink paper chains draped around the counter.
I also left a very detailed picture of a face on a piece of paper by the computer. Do you think anyone will notice?
