mizluna

Borrowed from Kat...

2006-12-23T16:42:03Z

the Wit

(52% dark, 38% spontaneous, 15% vulgar)

your humor style:
CLEAN | COMPLEX | DARK

You like things edgy, subtle, and smart. I guess that means you're probably an intellectual, but don't take that to mean pretentious. You realize 'dumb' can be witty--after all isn't that the Simpsons' philosophy?--but rudeness for its own sake, 'gross-out' humor and most other things found in a fraternity leave you totally flat.

I guess you just have a more cerebral approach than most. You have the perfect mindset for a joke writer or staff writer.

Your sense of humor takes the most thought to appreciate, but it's also the best, in my opinion.

You probably loved the Office. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check it out here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/theoffice/.

PEOPLE LIKE YOU: Jon Stewart - Woody Allen - Ricky Gervais

The 3-Variable Funny Test!
- it rules -

If you're interested, try my best friend's best test: The Genghis Khan Genetic Fitness Masterpiece

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 99% on darkness

You scored higher than 99% on spontaneity

You scored higher than 99% on vulgarity

Link: The 3 Variable Funny Test written by jason_bateman on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Long lost update...

2006-12-17T02:08:12Z

My life is whacked. I havent updated in forever.... in mid-late Sept, the husband of a friend went to jail. He is an alcoholic with a history of violence, including chopping up D's mommy van with an axe, driving WITH HIS CHILDREN while drunk, and punching holes in the walls of the house. D had finally had enough, and threw him out.... he then proceeded to go to the cellar, emerged with a loaded, unlicensed, unregistered .357, and threatened first D and the kids, then himself. Now, the kids are a boy, almost 16, and three girls, almost 10, almost 4, and 18 months.... D had no idea the weapon was there, and R didnt say how long it had been in the house. The police were called, and he is now 3 months into a possible 18 month stint courtesy of the county prison system. R had trashed the transmission on D's car, and had been driving her van to work (he is a very talented master carpenter), so she had taken a leave as a school bus driver, and was caring for the two youngest at home... as there was now no income, she had to go back to work, so I entered the picture as the nanny. I stay at the house from Sun to Fri with my 2 cats (there are 3 other cats there, a large shepherd/husky mix, 3 rats, and 4 tarantulas.) I am doing okay with all of it, as are the children and D, but it is more exhausting than I ever thought possible.
Financially, the household has been rendered bereft.... the house is going into forclosure, she cant even trade the van in for a lesser model because of the damage R inflicted, and the house has been trashed by him... a 100+ year old Victorian with horsehair plaster, 2 massive oil tanks, and drafty as hell. D was able to get fuel assistance, but because of our outgoing governors budget cuts, we have already used up the alloted winter's benefits. Thankfully, it has been mild. So far. I have signed the children up for gifts through the Salvation Army and the Y in the town where I live, so there will be a christmas for them. It wont be a total loss.
I absolutely adore the kids... Josh is almost 16, and is going through the school-hating, pot smoking phase; I simply have no experience dealing with it, and it is difficult, but we are struggling through. Compared to what he COULD be doing, he is a good kid. He could be more fiercely devoted to helping his mom, but he is very protective of her and his three sisters... everyone should have a big brother like him. Sky is almost 10, and a budding artist... she makes everything into artwork- a bunch of pretzel sticks become a playground on the kitchen table, she draws on any empty surface she can find, and she is building a city of "eraser people". I love to watch the cogs turning when she is creating. Rani (pronounced Rainy) is almost 4, psychic as all get-out, and the devil in blonde curls and princess clothing. She pushes everything to the nth degree, changes her clothes 10 times a day, sees the spirit children that reside in the house, and blames everything on THEM. She is a.... challenge, and is teaching me patience every freaking second of every freaking day. :D She also NEVER STOPS TALKING. If anyone has ever seen The Three Amigos, Rani IS the talking bush. 'Nough said. Kaia is a blonde, thumb-sucking, cuddly, pudgy, chatterbox. I want to dip her in chocolate syrup and eat her with a spoon. Quite simply, I want her for my own. D says no. Did I mention that D is a medium? Her kids are learning well from her.
One very disturbing and interesting thing has happened since my nannydom began. Some of you know that I turned 45 last summer, and had drunk my way through my breeding years... there will be no regret greater than that in my life. I have also been peri-menopausal for several of the 7 years that I have been sober, and had finally accepted the fact that I wasnt going to be a biological mother. I had been menses-free for 11 months, and had suddenly started spotting the last month or so, then went full-blown at the beginning of December. I spoke with my SIL, who is an OB nurse, and she said she had seen that happen before... women who are very close to menopause can be "thrown back out" of it by being in a household with young children, and especially when caring for them daily, and also being with a very fertile woman. I have been through a very tough week of thinking that maybe I COULD have a baby after all, and finally coming to the conclusion that it is not the right thing to do on many different levels. I know in my heart that it is the right decision, but it was very sad and stressful coming to that conclusion.... but it is settled, and I can get on with things again.
On the other home front, my 15 year old (half) sister attempted suicide the week before Halloween. She recovered physically, but is having trouble dealing with her life right now. Thank you to all who sent good stuff her way while this was going on... I am very grateful. Her psychiatrist is trying to find antidepressants that will work for her... the conclusion is that she had been on the wrong meds and doses prior to the attempt. Even knowing the greater likelihood of SI in teens on antidepressants, and being watched VERY carefully, it happened. Anywho, this is getting rambling, so I will stop for now. We are still accepting any and all vibes, reiki, etc for the people in my life... and thank you all. May you who celebrate have a happy and blessed Yule/Solstice season.

mizluna @ 2006-09-11T20:28:00

2006-09-12T00:34:14Z

I am suffering from an oversaturation of 9/11, although the memorials are to be expected, and are not totally unwelcome. It is just making me feel numb. I am remembering where I was at the time, and it is a diffuse mix of stuff. First of all, I was fairly newly sober, and preparing to move from a structured living environment to the world in general for the first time. I had been staying with friends and the grandchildren they are raising... a girl, then 11, a boy, 13, and another boy, 3, who I just wanted to eat with a spoon. I adore him. The morning of the attacks, the older two had left for school, and I was preparing to meet with a friend to discuss renting a bedroom in his large apartment.... I called him to tell him I was on my way, and heard something in his voice. I asked him what was wrong, and he told me. I made it to his house (with the little one in tow) in time to see the second tower hit. The kid fell asleep on the futon between us, and we sat and watched in silence, only later on realizing that we had somehow made an indelible connection, and that we would (platonically) share a home... the household arrangement didnt last, but the friendship does. Anyway, when the kid and I got back home later that day, the older two knew what had happened, and with their grandmother and I, were watching it on CNN. Two huge differences in perception were shown to me that day.... the older boy, raised (initially neglected by an addicted mother, and left to watch TV for company, and mind his younger siblings) on video games, yelled "nice shot!!" when he first saw the tape of the second tower being hit. He thought it was a game. When his grandmother explained that what he had seen was real, and that hundreds of people had just died, the look on his face was incomprehensible. He just could not SEE it as real. This is not meant to be a diatribe against the violence of video games (I am not a partaker of any), I was stricken by how inured he was to violence of all kinds. In contrast to that was the response of the little one, who, each time he snuck a peek at the repeating footage, thought that the building was being struck over and over again. Being only 3, he had trouble expressing what he was seeing and feeling, and it was the most distressing situation in which to be.... how DO you explain this to a toddler? There was no way to keep the images and discussions from him. As with all kids, they eventually faded from his memory. The older kids, sister in particular, both expressed that they had no idea such a thing could ever happen. Even with the crappy lives they had until moving in with their grandparents, experiencing things NO child should ever experience, both were simultaneously shocked and saddened; we said prayers nightly for all involved... those killed, and their loved ones. On a side note, I wonder how many young men and women joined the armed services as a result of 9/11? And how many of them have given their lives subsequently.

Summer endings

2006-09-04T16:38:04Z

It has been a while since I updated. There was town fair on my street last weekend... very cool. The entire street was shut down on a Tuesday night, the tents went up Wednesday, and the fair started Thursday. Mostly food and such, but there was live music, and mobs of people. As much as I prefer "country" living to city, and even though this town is much smaller than the place I grew up, it is a cool little neighborhood. As my apartment is on the third floor overlooking the street, I had a birdseye view of the whole shebang for the weekend. From my window, I watched young ones from a karate studio demonstrating their skills, including a boy of no more than 13 or 14 punching through 4 sheets of pine. The best part was when the fair shut down for the night.... silence. No traffic and no people. Except for the freaking streetsweepers that came around at 2:30 each morning. All in all, it was fun to have seen this, and the cats had a ball spying on the people and activities. My ceilings look absurd; I have had to duct-tape the edges of Mars' entry points to the suspended tiles, and he is STILL finding ways in- he fell onto my bed during the night last week. This is getting really old. This is Labor Day weekend, the weather has been overcast and cool thanks to the dregs of Ernesto, and the college kids have come back with a vengeance; the pool hall/bar next door has been rocking all weekend long, and it reminds me of when I was in college....away from home and few responsibilities. Since I just moved here a couple of months ago, it will be interesting to see how the area changes with the students back. It definitely will not be as peaceful as it has been. This upcoming week marks the start of serious job searching. The bills are paid from August, which sucked rocks for me, and there is even food in the fridge. The time is now to get moving. Wish me luck.

Pfffftttt

2006-08-22T17:21:54Z

I am now 71 and 5/8 hours into being smoke free. Bite me.

Flying cats redux

2006-08-19T15:32:19Z

He did it again.... I awoke this morning to a crash in the living room. This is what I found....

This is the beast that made this mess....

The good thing is I think I have found his point of entry... a small hall closet in which he has to climb STRAIGHT UP THE WALL to get to the suspended ceiling tiles. The closet door doesn't close completely, so it is blocked with a large picture and a heavy wrought iron candelabra. It has been three hours since he descended from above. We shall see how long it lasts.

Summer

2006-08-19T00:50:59Z

Such confused feelings about disparate situations have taken me today. One the one hand, it is high summer, and I am watching a beautiful sunset over the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains (ok... over the foothills of the foothills). While I am not a big fan of summer for the most part, not tolerating heat and humidity well, this is the best part of the season. I spent some time in a favorite place; a small airport up on a hill, surrounded by fields, with a city in the near distance. At this time of the season, the fences are bowing under the weight of wild roses and daisies... the sun setting through the fields turns the whole world a deep glowing gold. Wildflowers and grasses are heavy with seed and flow in the breezes. Crickets are in full chorus, and it is cool enough to turn off the AC and open the windows. Falling asleep to fresh cool air and cricket serenade makes me feel peaceful, and grateful for living where I do.

However, an event of the last few days has turned my stomach; again. The arrest of the alleged killer of JonBenet. The guy just doesn't feel "right". While I have no doubt he is a seriously disturbed and dangerous pedofile, I don't feel he did what he claims. What has me more disturbed than that, is again the insistence of the media in referring to her as a "beauty queen." She was NOT a beauty queen... she was a little girl. A child. Her parents painted her up like a Vegas showgirl, and presented her in uniquely adult fashions. Women worldwide are at risk of assault and more just by the nature of men. Would this child have suffered this fate had she simply been allowed to be a kid? Her parents saw dollar signs in their daughter's made-up eyes... not a little one who is learning to read and write, and discover the joys of the world. I will never know the pain of losing a child, especially to such violent means, and I am in no way trying to minimize the pain that this family has suffered, but did it HAVE to happen this way? At all?? Why couldn't they just have let her be the child she was? Parents are supposed to protect their children, NOT expose them to a world they are not prepared for, and surely not to those who would harm a child for their own satisfactions. Blessings to that poor little girl, and a pox on the killer. And a pox on this sick freak who is getting jollies out of his fantasies.