The Past Week via Twitter: 2012-05-13
by V.E. on May 13th, 2012
filed under twitter
- You're not kidding. RT @TheYaoiReview: I have determined 1986 was an awesome year for music. #
- @annelisebaer haha that's exactly what my sister said. in reply to annelisebaer #
- @AceSexologist yeah, it's always so enlightening, isn't it? >_> in reply to AceSexologist #
- @TweetsofOld now THAT's a gift. in reply to TweetsofOld #
- @donnatalarico @fienen wtf. WTF. in reply to donnatalarico #
- Haha, right? We're just not that important. LOL RT @WilIyWonkaa: No, you don’t have “haters”. People just don’t like you. Get over yourself. #
- I have an article about New York that's related to this one about Chicago http://t.co/hlkJibQF (here's mine: http://t.co/Gzl3ySnU) #NYC #
- @Dredgly haha weren't we talking about hating surprise visits when I was there? in reply to Dredgly #
- THANK YOU. RT @AdviceToWriters: A first-rate critic is always less important, and less interesting, than a second-rate writer. JULIAN BARNES #
- RT @TWLOHA: "You have to put in many, many tiny efforts that nobody sees or appreciates before you achieve anything worthwhile."—Brian Tracy #
- RT @AdviceToWriters: Most writers regard the truth as their most valuable tool, and therefore are most economical in its use. MARK TWAIN #
- gasp! can it be? have I actually read a sports article http://t.co/etJJYtB1 AND agree with it? I think the world just may be ending. #
- un-fucking-believable. http://t.co/XG6bRqoG no love for North Carolina right now. or, you know, possibly ever. #
- @estherium your name isn't even a strange name. after 3 years, seems like a sign of laziness, even if it WAS strange (or strangely spelled) in reply to estherium #
- RT @AdviceToWriters: Write first and always. Painting, music, friends, cinema, all these come afterwards. HENRY MILLER #writing #
- @AdviceToWriters I really wish my friends/family understood this, but no. in reply to AdviceToWriters #
- You said it! RT @Dredgly These advertisements on Twitter are kinda irritating. in reply to Dredgly #
- Had a dream about @PhillyD last night wherein I asked if could interview him and his staff & look at company records for a Masters thesis. #
- @PhillyD seemed open to the idea but also wary about what I was going to write. He was a chill guy in the dream, though. Very weird. #
- Weird b/c I dreamed abt @PhillyD I mean, not that HE was overly weird. On my mind b/c I looked @ his intern application http://t.co/W0lBSCvG #
- Laughed and cried at the same time. RT @zachbraff: Well @donald_faison, I guess we can cross North Carolina off the retirement state list. #
- @Dredgly yay! I'm glad you got them! Was a bit worried about shipping haha. in reply to Dredgly #
- @Dredgly I never really know what to get for you, so it's a relief when you like what I pick ^_^ in reply to Dredgly #
- RT @thinkprogress: Last time North Carolina amended their constitution on marriage it was to ban interracial marriage http://t.co/yZBxbx90 #
- @Dredgly <3 <3 <3 in reply to Dredgly #
- Am I for realsies alone in my house right now? No family and no grandma, either? Woooo! It's naked time! Lol just kidding…. or am I? ^_^ #
- No, I was just kidding hahaha. But it IS nice to have some time to myself for once. #
- RT @JohnFugelsang: Gov Jennifer Granholm's insanely perfect takedown of Mitt Romney's lie that he helped save Detroit. http://t.co/UidN95HI #
- @PhillyD hahaha I kind of love you right now, sxephil. in reply to PhillyD #
- Lol… L. Ron Hubbard figured that out, too. RT @PhillyD: Religion is so fun when you figure out how to use it. #
- wtf that's a seriously awesome party. RT @estherium this beats even the party i threw for eevie last year. #losing http://t.co/EAPNzxw8 in reply to estherium #
- Yes! And it was worth it. RT @DanPorterfield: Ever slip into a timeless zone of focused thought when it all clicked? Celebrate that. #fandm #
- After NC, this is good. RT @ACLULGBT: BREAKING: President #Obama supports marriage for same-sex couples. More soon! #LGBT #
- RT @TweetsofOld: Pauline Webster, a.k.a. John Whittman, "married" Etta Jelley. Seems to be no law against a woman marrying a woman. MO1906 #
- @TweetsofOld love love love that. in reply to TweetsofOld #
- RT @debaoki: for you Angelenos, the "When in LA" gif-filled tumblr. enjoy! http://t.co/SkNNs3Z6 #
- I miss the rain. #
- @AMirrorForBooks holy shit you have a twitter? in reply to AMirrorForBooks #
- @AMirrorForBooks also, Marcy will be the rockingest congresswoman ever in the history of congresspeople. in reply to AMirrorForBooks #
- @AMirrorForBooks of course. in reply to AMirrorForBooks #
- @AMirrorForBooks so what made you jump on the tweeting bandwagon? peer pressure? Hahaha in reply to AMirrorForBooks #
- @Dredgly I love you so much, Day. in reply to Dredgly #
- Seriously, though, please do this. RT @stevemelius: Someone please get a custom #jonessoda bottle with a picture of @ThePhoenixJones on it. #
- Good advice! RT @brainpicker: "Stop wasting your time on someone who only says tender things to you when he's drunk." http://t.co/Wkjgow7a #
- @AMirrorForBooks so this is a personal twitter? or a work one? in reply to AMirrorForBooks #
- RT @AdviceToWriters: There’s no money in #poetry but then there’s no poetry in #money either. ROBERT GRAVES #writing #
- Hell yeah! RT @TweetsofOld: Twenty-eight ladies have seceded from a church in Elmwood b/c they were not allowed to vote in a meeting. CT1868 #
- @AMirrorForBooks haha way to blur the lines between public and private, man. in reply to AMirrorForBooks #
- Sing it, soul sister. RT @estherium @estherium: i hate romney so damn much. he's a bad person. http://t.co/AJTTOzZP in reply to estherium #
- @Dredgly what! awesome!! congratulations woot woot. in reply to Dredgly #
- RT @embeedub: Kaylie Jones, whose father was James Jones, quotes Susan Cheever: "When your father is a lion tamer, you learn to tame lions." #
- @Nate_TheMan_ although I can relate, there's really nothing like riding your own bike down the highway. in reply to Nate_TheMan_ #
- RT @brainpicker: Colbert: What’s the best thing a parent can do for a child? Sendak: Take them for what they are. http://t.co/hwCyjJhi #
- RT @nnaboulsi: @brainpicker challenge them to be more. Accept where they go. #
- Hah wtf RT @TweetsofOld: Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the bowels–a perfect guardian of health.NY1905 #
- @brainpicker thanks, Ray Bradbury. I might have that quotation printed up on cards to give out to people who tell me I'm not a "real writer" in reply to brainpicker #
- Gross. RT @TweetsofOld: Theodore Warrenburger was bitten on the ankle by a rattlesnake. The leg has since swollen & the skin has burst.TX1895 #
- @Dredgly @zekor whaaaaaaat?! awesomesauce, I tell you! in reply to Dredgly #
- @heeeybattabatta hahaha that's something I would do. you're just seeing once for each of you, anyway. no problem ^_^ in reply to heeeybattabatta #
- RT @brainpicker: “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” Cicero’s timeless words http://t.co/iHELBQnM” #
- RT @Idit: @brainpicker I wonder what Cicero would have said about digital libraries and virtual gardens and parks…hmmm… #
- RT @ErikDeutsch: You haven't achieved true success until someone hopes you get mauled by a bear – consider it a sign of distinction #
- RT @brainpicker: “I don’t write for children. I write — and somebody says, ‘That’s for children!’” Maurice Sendak http://t.co/1SDZ2Xva #
- @brainpicker I'm pretty sure I will never have that problem. #children #writing in reply to brainpicker #
- I already RTed this, but I don't care. RT @AdviceToWriters: I’m not happy when I’m writing, but I’m more unhappy when I’m not. FANNIE HURST #
- @annelisebaer I first read that as "teeny baby manatees" and was like O.O whaaaat >_> in reply to annelisebaer #
- Wooooow go sexism >_> RT @postsecret: AZ baseball team forfeits state title rather than play against team with a girl http://t.co/2JjREZDC #
- RT @AdviceToWriters: Authors get treated like weirdos in their own homes but have only themselves to blame: http://t.co/bP460YdF #writing #
Korean w/ phone number
by V.E. on May 9th, 2012
filed under lost/found
Here’s something I found at the end of April this year and haven’t managed to scan and upload the image until today. On the front (left image), it says:
# 15 [Korean]
( [Korean] )
818)427-7879
Actually, I’m not sure if it’s Korean, but it’s my best guess; it could be Chinese, Japanese, or Thai. In any case, I can’t read that part since I don’t know any of those languages even well enough to recognize which one it is.
(Click for larger image.)
On the back (right image) on the top it has realty information, upside down: the name of the realty and its address in La Canada Flintridge. Near the bottom, I have handwritten in relatively neat printed letters:
10:30 am approx.
28 April 2012
in front of LC post office
Underneath that is the upside down picture of Anita Gray (I assume), a realtor working for Dickson Podley, and her contact information (phone number, email address, and website).
The Past Week via Twitter: 2012-05-06
by V.E. on May 6th, 2012
filed under twitter
- The a-ha moment sounds like it's from some movie. RT @brainpicker: A 5-step plan for generating great ideas, circa 1939 http://t.co/6zph2xr0 #
- There is always something to say. RT @Zekor: A page is a lot when you have nothing to say >_> #
- Woo! Go vegetarians ^_^ RT @Dredgly: @zekor I'm vegetarian so wouldn't work for me. in reply to Dredgly #
- RT @mandyvandeven: RT @lfb27 Here's the thing: #abstinence totally works. But #abstinenceonly DOES NOT WORK b/c there ARE other ways 2B safe #
- Good poem, even if it's not his best. RT @poetrynews: Can you say “The Red Wheelbarrow” four times fast? http://t.co/PVuc5CGY #
- brb cryyyyying RT @mandyvandeven: Sometimes you can't help but cry on the way to work… http://t.co/PRyuI1Z5 #
- @brainpicker @markcwebster I concur, sir. in reply to brainpicker #
- that is, you can't NOT #write RT @AdviceToWriters: only reason for being a professional writer is that you just can’t help it. LEO ROSTEN #
- Pretty sure Stephenie Meyer didn't get THAT memo >_> RT @AdviceToWriters: Use adverbs as if they were rationed. JULIET GARDINER #writing #
- @brainpicker how about "boys need to be careful where they look because females exist"? does THAT sound any better? not good either way… in reply to brainpicker #
- May the fourth be with you! #StarWarsDay oh, how #punny .. ^_^ #
- @maymaym yes, yes I've had that problem. really. in reply to maymaym #
- This. RT @AdviceToWriters: As far as I'm concerned, “whom” is a word that was invented to make everyone sound like a butler. CALVIN TRILLIN #
The Past Week via Twitter: 2012-04-29
by V.E. on April 29th, 2012
filed under twitter
- Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Going to the panels "Poetry: thoughts that breathe, words that burn" & "Publishing: finding new voices" #
- On the train right now woo hoo. #LATimesFestivalofBooks #
- Half of recent college graduates are unemployed or underemployed. I'm a stastic, people. T_T /cry RT @dosomething: http://t.co/AMaXEEMV #
- @xxxchurch what about a *known* future to an *unknown* god? in reply to xxxchurch #
- RT @brainpicker: Space Shuttle Discovery rolls into its resting ground, celebrate its legacy: a magnificent Sagan remix http://t.co/IQ0kK8Ue #
- Omg what. RT @BarackObama: President Obama and Jimmy Fallon slow-jam the news: http://t.co/dXz3KYbp #
- made me cry. seriously. tears. "End of an Era: The Final Shuttle Launch" http://t.co/ifNBv2rr #
- @Joe_Giomboni I keep trying to get other people to watch it b/c it was so good, but they're just like, "oh, it's just a kid's movie" T_T in reply to Joe_Giomboni #
- When poets turn to fiction http://t.co/Hfk0uLJC #
- @Joe_Giomboni I know! I was forced to watch it by myself (worth it!) b/c people thought they'd be underwhelmed. Great movie. in reply to Joe_Giomboni #
- @CherylOvers yeah, no. not impressed with Bill O'Reilly right now. or, you know, practically ever. in reply to CherylOvers #
- RT @NaNoWriMo: It's Poem In Your Pocket Day! Tuck a favorite poem in your pocket and share with the world. #pocketpoem #
- RT @NaNoWriMo: No pocket for your poem? …no excuse! These 3rd-graders sewed special poem-only pockets! http://t.co/vjj8JxBD #pocketpoem #
- I can't decide between sonnet 18 http://t.co/eJEQX2zO and "Tell All the Truth" http://t.co/GTzL6j0a my two favorites of all time! #
- lol way to use big words, Mr Bellow. kind of true, though. RT @AdviceToWriters: A #writer is a reader who is moved to emulation. SAUL BELLOW #
- I've done that, too. RT @postsecret: One of my secrets is, if people call attention to typos in my tweet, I get embarrassed and delete it. #
- @brainpicker I really REALLY dislike Hemingway, but even I'll admit he was right sometimes. Still harsh to hear, though. in reply to brainpicker #
“Empty Promises” review
by V.E. on April 28th, 2012
filed under recap/review, spirituality
Empty Promises: The Truth About You,
Your Desires, and the Lies You’re Believing
By Pete Wilson
Thomas Nelson Publishers
10 April 2012
I feel like I always start these reviews with, “Well, I was interested and the book looked promising, but I was disappointed in the end and I just wanted something more.” Unfortunately, I fear that’s the case with Pete Wilson’s Empty Promises, too. And—pardon the play on words—this book just seemed like it was filled with empty promises.
For whom is this book actually written? From the title, it sounds like I should’ve been more convinced by the author’s argument/explanation (which is, simply put, that Jesus and the god of Abraham are the only way to true happiness) than I actually am now that I’ve finished it. Based on the content of the book, the title is misleading. It’s full of contradictions: Wilson states on one page that humans have no inborn desire for celebrity (and he writes it as though it’s obvious), and yet on the very next page he employs gender essentialism. (Wilson also oh-so-helpfully makes use of ageism and white guilt and infuriatingly misuses the word “jealous” throughout.) He writes that praying brings us closer to the god of Abraham, but beware because praying for prayer’s sake is actually a distraction!
Maybe I should’ve known that this book is for Christians because it was written by a Christian pastor and it deals with spiritual matters, but I was really hoping that it could speak to me, too. In that respect, I wasn’t disappointed, though the things I discovered about myself I doubt the author intended. The premise of Empty Promises is based on the idea that people inherently have an emptiness that only the god of Abraham can fill and that to (attempt to) fill it with anything else is not only foolish but also sinful. I discovered, then, that I don’t believe that people necessarily have an inner emptiness. (I believe it’s possible and certainly many people have feelings of deep emptiness, but I don’t think it’s inherent.)
In roughly the middle of the book, the author tries to debunk the idea that all love is conditional (ie: “If I do [X], God will love me”) and writes that the god of Abraham loves us no matter what, despite our sins and failures and that “adding to the gospel” is actually what makes us think that God’s love has limits/conditions. I discovered (it was quite the 3 AM epiphany, actually, no joke!) that all love is conditional, it’s just that the condition may surprise us. In this case, God’s condition is Jesus. “But God loves people who don’t believe in Jesus, too!” you say. Well, it’s possible (as anything is possible), but according to Christian scripture, Jesus is still the only way to God and everyone else is SOL/going to hell. Is that conditional, or not? You tell me.
“It’s just Jesus,” the author writes, and not “Jesus + _____________”. Is it really so obvious? No, I don’t think it is. Jews, for example, would say that Christianity “adds on” to Jewish scriptures. So, what “counts” as gospel, and what’s been added? Well, if you’re a Protestant, the Book of Mormon has been added. If you’re Jewish, the entire New Testament has been added! Not to mention that Wilson actually adds things himself later in the book: Jesus + patience, or Jesus + knowing [God's] word, or Jesus + keeping [God's] commandments, etc.
Empty Promises raised more questions than it gave answers, and I can’t decide if that was the author’s intention or not. At one point, Wilson asks, “What do you do when your religion isn’t big enough for God?” Now there’s a good question, and I didn’t even have to think of it myself!
DISCLAIMER: I received Empty Promises free from Thomas Nelson Publishers in return for a review of the book. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
The Past Week via Twitter: 2012-04-22
by V.E. on April 22nd, 2012
filed under twitter
- That's amazing/depressing, even 100 years later. RT @annelisebaer: 100 years ago, right about now, the Titanic hit an iceberg at full steam. #
- People forget that. RT @AdviceToWriters: Memoir is not an act of history but an act of memory, which is innately corrupt. MARY KARR #writing #
- @ThornCoyle Sappho was a woman after my own heart. #
- As she wrote: haters gonna hate… RT @maymaym: #Fat #gamer‘s refusal to be shamed a strong object lesson to all: http://t.co/DMuypZMM #
- Need to remember this. RT @AdviceToWriters: You Have to Work Every Day: http://t.co/6RiLn8mg #writing #
- In writing, too, not just design! RT @stevepoling: Oftentimes, makes more sense to turn off computer & use pencil/paper http://t.co/Nfx8uJ07 #
- I had this very trouble in grad school. RT @pannapacker: How do our teaching practices harm introverted students? http://t.co/zeqq87Gf #
- @xxxchurch wow, really? way to give men credit for apparently not being able to handle their own sexual urges. >_> not impressed over here. #
- @Chiaki747 @hriefs @forbes people have to discover it SOMETIME. it's not like anyone is born knowing stuff like that. >_> sheesh. #
- Good read. No, really. RT @hriefs: Food's Biggest Scam: @Forbes on the great Kobe beef lie. http://t.co/irclPiCy #longreads #
- @hriefs @forbes makes me even more angry about the US gov raining down "don't steal; piracy is bad" rhetoric on the average American citizen #
- Talk about growing pains… Industry can't keep up with demand! RT @fschodt: NYTimes: Daring to Cut Off Amazon http://t.co/gO5x8qeI #
- Apparently, NG= a fuckin' genius. RT @herewecollide: "I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes." Neil Gaiman http://t.co/aOJadOWM #
- @yaoipress like a temporary relief fund? in reply to yaoipress #
- @yaoipress there's "succour" and "respite"… not sure of the context, so…? in reply to yaoipress #
- EXACTLY this. RT @idumpedyou: Amen. RT @DateIsOVER: I said "Hello" not "I'm interested". Know the difference! #
- Must remember this. RT @AdviceToWriters: It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. CONFUCIUS #writing #
- omg my own bed. #
The Past Week via Twitter: 2012-04-15
by V.E. on April 15th, 2012
filed under twitter
- @feliciaday do you think he's a "Sherlock" fan, too? #
- @anakochenTV @feliciaday EXACTLY what I was thinking. #
- RT @TWLOHA: "When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." —Henry Ford #
- @sammiguidera What? Noo…. What happened? #
- @sammiguidera oh hahahaha I thought you were talking about an actual mysterious girlfriend lol haha #
- Really struggling with conflicting desires right now. Let [me] just ask: when would you compromise your principles? #
- I wouldn't have believed it; my faith in humanity is restored for tonight. http://t.co/dFTcMA5p "It Gets Better at BYU" brb crying #
- @TheYaoiReview lol you would. #
- Makes me wonder what effed up thing people in 100 yrs will think WE did RT @TweetsofOld: Corsets for the feet is the latest foot fad. OK1894 #
- Aaaaaaaand faith in humanity lost once again. T_T RT @hawkenking: @HirokoTabuchi yes but was the Titanic real? http://t.co/yfG62InQ #
- RT @yesteeyear: Today in 1912, The Titanic leaves port in Southampton, England for her first & only voyage. #History #
- Haha true. RT @AdviceToWriters: I wouldn’t want to live with a novelist. Writers are highly voyeuristic and indiscreet. PHILIP ROTH #writing #
- @maymaym THAT! Exactly that! I knew I wasn't wrong about having a hard time "making friends" #
- @AdviceToWriters I'm terrible at that. I keep other appointments, though so why can't I keep my appointments with myself?! #
- O.M.F.G. RT @sammiguidera: RT @VoiceOfOBrien: EVERYONE HAS DREAMS "9-year-old's DIY cardboard arcade gets flash mobbed" http://t.co/gysGWK0T #
- Whoa. #
- I just had an epiphany. #
- Whoa. Just… whoa. #
- Es regnet! #
- Alas indeed. RT @TheIHS: “Alas, how many have been persecuted for the wrong of having been right?” Jean-Baptiste Say #
- Yeah, no kidding. RT @AdviceToWriters: I’m not happy when I’m writing, but I’m more unhappy when I’m not. FANNIE HURST #writing #
- Oh yes you can, & people do all the time. RT @AdviceToWriters: You can’t blame a writer for what the characters say. TRUMAN CAPOTE #writing #
- Wooo! RT @AdviceToWriters: Next Time Someone Says the Internet Killed Reading Books, Show Them This Chart: http://t.co/kKTIij0p #literature #
- DO WANT. RT @randomhouse: Literary wedding invitations for the bookworms and the academics in love http://t.co/iomyisJ5 #
- Haha truth. RT @CatFoodBreath: cat haiku: Am I in your way? / Were you trying to work here?/ That's not my problem. #
- RT @maymaym: #Relationships w/o #abuse have 3 prerequisites: 1. transparency 2. freedom from partners' influence 3. equal investment. #
- @Zekor I retweet a bunch of things at once since my loose policy is to only check twitter once a day (or less)… Obviously. #
- @Dredgly June is bad, but the rest of the summer is okay after July 4th. when are you thinking of coming out here? #
- @Dredgly also!! I got your preeeeeeesent ^_^ #
- Yeeeeah, strange how often people seem to forget that, isn't it? RT @APippinger: … Pagan soldiers died for your rights too. Just saying. #
- Good on them ^_^;;; RT @TweetsofOld: Several of the gay bachelors of Marlin have recently made purchases of folding beds, I am told. TX1898 #
- @Dredgly wow Iceland? Coooool. #
- @Dredgly hahaha yeah, I don't have a passport either lol. #
- RT @BoweKnows "I ran into… what's hi–your friend–with the wheelbarrow. Remember, with the hat? He had all those fish" -If my mom tweeted #
- RT @AdviceToWriters: Writers get paid for what other people get scolded for: daydreaming. We’re supposed to wander. RICHARD WALTER #writing #
- @debaoki I'm going to Joshua Tree next week and I'm not going to lie, here: I'm dreading the Coachella crowds over the weekend. #
- Excited! RT @yaoicon: #YAOICON 2012: A NEW LEGEND BEGINS! Registration and hotel information is now available at http://t.co/WjfkJzV6 #
- RT @mandyvandeven: "Caring for myself is not self indulgence. It is self preservation that is an act of political warfare." ~ Audre Lorde #
- RT @bnapier: TODAY ONLY, my novel The Hollows, is FREE for Kindle. RTs appreciated. http://t.co/DY3wVXrz #
- haha you said it. RT @audreydodgen: @TweetsofOld Now it's just because they're too cheap to install their own. #
- DO WANT. yep yep yeeeeppers RT @mageweavedesign: LOL, forgot the link! http://t.co/oTMQqNLA #
