links of interest Seeing as how I'm thinking of starting a design business, I felt these might be helpful in getting myself some pricing. I never realized just how expensive commercial web design is. Seeing as how I've got two people interested in my work for their businesses that are fairly close to me and my family... I'm not sure if I can give them some of these prices without batting an eyelash.
Well, lucky for me, I'm over 35... but I don't envy the people young enough that this is going to effect. The military is not for everyone. Now, someone who claims he wants to cut back on the military is starting his own little mini-military? Uh... hello? They did this to kids in Nazi Germany and they're still doing it to kids in Communist Cuba.
And this is what we elected into office.
Check out the Emanuel interview, too. Does he think it's a joke? He keeps laughing!
Senator Obama was asked about his stance on the American Flag. Obama explains his National Anthem Stance based on the question proposed by General Bill Ginn USAF (ret.) regarding why he doesn't follow protocol when the National Anthem is played.
The General also stated to the Senator that according to the United States Code, Title 36, Chapter 10, Sec. 171... "During rendition of the National Anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform are expected to stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart." At the very least, "Stand and Face It."
Senator Obama Live on Sunday states, "As I've said about the flag pin, I don't want to be perceived as taking sides," Obama said. "There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American flag is a symbol of oppression. And the Anthem itself conveys a war-like message. You know, the bombs bursting in air and all. It should be swapped for something less parochial and less bellicose. I like the song 'I'd Like To Teach the World To Sing.' If that were our anthem, then I might salute it. We should consider to reinvent our National Anthem as well as to redesign our Flag to better offer our enemies hope and love."
"It's my intention, if elected, to disarm America to the level of acceptance to our Middle East Brethren. If we as a Nation of warring people, should conduct ourselves as the nations of Islam, whereas peace prevails. Perhaps a state or period of mutual concord between our governments. When I become President, I will seek a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity, and a freedom from disquieting oppressive thoughts. We as a Nation have placed upon the nations of Islam an unfair injustice."
"My wife disrespects the Flag for many personal reasons. Together she and I have attended several flag burning ceremonies in the past, many years ago. She has her views and I have mine. Of course now, I have found myself about to become the President of the United States and I have put aside my hatred."
"I will use my power to bring CHANGE to this Nation, and offer the people a new path of hope. My wife and I look forward to becoming our Country's First Family."
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you heard it right. This could possibly be our next President.
thoughts on life I had a thought today. It's been how long since I've updated this thing... but I decided to put it here. I might link from other places... but that wasn't my thought.
My thought was people... people and how they interact with one another.
See... life has drama. Sometimes, it's spelled with a capital 'D' and emphasized on the AH part by spelling it so: "Drahmuh". But, still... it's there, and it's annoying. However, how we deal with that drama is what matters.
One thing I have noticed during my time on the web is that drama seems to build on itself. One person flails and whines, expecting a pat on the back and a "Poor you" from their online 'friends'. However, as soon as one of those friends offers some advice on how to fix the situation, stop signs of negativity and roadblocks appear everywhere, shooting the ideas down faster than they can take off, and the complainer often gets huffy, says how the complainee just doesn't understand anything, and that the world is out to get them.
Please... if the world was really out to get you, you probably wouldn't have survived as long as you have.
Now, I don't mean this to sound directed at any particular person that may know me in real life or online. If it happens to sound an awful lot like you, however... perhaps it's time you sat down and took a long, hard look at yourself from an outsider's point of view.
That disclaimor said and done with... here's my point: If you feel like everyone hates you, who's fault is that really?
Think about it. If every most of the situations in which you have to interact with someone result in varying lengths of time in undue stress, arguments, and momentary/possibly permanent hatred, maybe the problem isn't the rest of the world. There's an old joke out there that says, "I'm not crazy. Everyone else is." It's a cute saying, but it sort of makes a point. People who really are crazy don't know they're crazy. However, they probably think non-crazy people are. If you think you're fine, but everyone that comes into contact with you either hates you right off or ends up hating you sometime down the road, what does that say about you? After all, humans can be their own worst critics, but they can also be terribly blind when it comes to the personality mirror.
If nine out of ten people come out and tell you that you're acting a certain way, then you probably are.
I'm a misfit. I admit it. I never really quite fit in during high school. I was in a group of people that the 'A-List' didn't like... we got looked down on by snobs... whether our clothes weren't 'in' or we didn't pick on other people or we didn't fit into their definition of 'cool'. Whatever. It was high school... everyone was extremely shallow. However, I did find my niche, and I'd say I have some pretty good friends now. Yet, even in this band of oddballs and geeks that I've somehow found myself belonging to, we have those that are even more outside of that. And, we still have cliques of 'the popular people' and 'the lowlife scum' of the geek world. It just never goes away.
Apparently, I've been lucky. I've ended up on the mostly good side of this group. Then again, I'd like to think I'm fairly laid back and don't freak out over the small stuff. At least, I try not to. I've gotten a bit more in touch with myself over the past several years while going to school and growing up after high school. I had pushed a lot away and down inside myself that I shouldn't have. Yes, I had a rather nasty temper if I didn't, but that nasty temper did some bad things to me when I held it in after being told the old wive's tale, "If you ignore them, they'll stop making fun of you because they'll get bored." A load of crock if I've ever heard one. Please.
So, in my effort to find myself again and dispell the constant dark cloud that hangs over me lately, I started on a journey of self exploration several years ago. It involved starting this blog. I'm hoping that, by looking back on it, I can figure myself a little and maybe see things from the outside. Of course, that would probably work better if I wrote in it more, but we won't go there, shall we?
But, it's this moment of self-reflection and thought that I think everyone needs at some point in their lives. Reality needs to get through. Whether by a sharp slap in the face or by a little nudge that says, "Hey... look at me," it needs to be acknowledged. I've been watching some people who are coming to this conclusion in their own ways... kicking and screaming... quietly giving in... or just completely falling apart and denying it all together.
The truth is reality bites, but it's going to get through to us whether we want it to or not. So the question comes back to me...
If most everyone you come into contact with ends up hating you, then there must be something on your end that needs to be rethought...
bailing out because of who? NY TIMES September 30, 1999 Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending By STEVEN A. HOLMES In a move that could help increase home ownership rates among minorities and low-income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corporation is easing the credit requirements on loans that it will purchase from banks and other lenders.
The action, which will begin as a pilot program involving 24 banks in 15 markets -- including the New York metropolitan region -- will encourage those banks to extend home mortgages to individuals whose credit is generally not good enough to qualify for conventional loans. Fannie Mae officials say they hope to make it a nationwide program by next spring.
Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people and felt pressure from stock holders to maintain its phenomenal growth in profits.
ages and ages Well, it's been an awfully long time since I've written anything here. I haven't really had the drive to. Then there was the fight with my domain name.
Don't even get me started on that.
I did manage to get the old one back for a while. Then again, I don't know how much longer I'll even have a website up. It all depends on money and interest. Frankly, it would do me good to set this up as some sort of online portfolio. I know that. A showcase of my talents...
Blah blah blah.
I'll get around to it someday. Famous last words, right? Yeah.
In the meantime, I've been keeping better track at my LJ here. The other LJ sort of went belly-up, since I really only made it to watch friends that had LJs. It's still there, though. I found it when going through some old friends' profiles. *chuckle*
epic year ?JANUARY? 1. Who kissed you on new years? No one
2. Did you have a New Year’s Resolution this year? Haven't since I resolved not to make anymore
3. Does it snow where you live? Sometimes
4. Do you like hot chocolate? Yup
5. Have you ever been to Times Square to watch the ball drop? Yup! It was so awesome! *pokes Brian*
?FEBRUARY?
1. Who was your Valentine? No one
2. When you were little did you buy Valentine’s for the whole class? I did a couple times
3. Do you care if the groundhog sees its shadow or not? Nope
4. What did you receive for Valentines Day? Mom got me chocolate
5. What did you give for Valentine’s Day? Nothing
?MARCH?
1. Are you Irish? Yup (Sullivan... duh)
2.Do you like corned beef and cabbage? Oh, yeah... especially cooked in Guiness
3. What did you do for St. Patty’s Day in 2007? Had family over for our big corned beef and cabbage meal
4. Are you happy when winter is pretty much over? Yup... I hate the cold
?APRIL?
1. Do you like the rain? No... it makes me depressed
2. Did you play an April fool’s joke on anyone this year? Nope
3. Do you get tons of candy for Easter? Nope
4. Do you celebrate 4/20? 4/20?
5. Do you love the month of April? *shrugs* I'm indifferent
?MAY?
1. What is your favorite flower? Hm... peach colored roses
3. Finish the phrase “April showers…”: Bring May flowers... duh
4. Do you celebrate May 16th: National Piercing Day? Eh? I didn't even know it existed.
5. Is May anything special to you? Yup. My parents' wedding anniversary, and it's the month when I joined IORG in 1992. It was also the month of the anniversary I had with my first boyfriend... I have no idea why I remember that.
?JUNE?
1. What year did/will you graduate from high school? 1995 (I'm so old...)
2. Did you do anything fun during this Month? Not particularly
3. Have a favorite baseball team? Go, Yankees!
?JULY?
1. What did you do on the 4th of July? Nothing this year
2. Did you go to the fireworks? Nope
3. Did you blast the A/C all day? Probably... I don't remember if it was hot, but Mom loves the A/C
?AUGUST?
1. Were you doing anything special at the end of your summer? Going on job interviews and started my new job
2. What was your favorite summer memory of ‘07? Uh... nothing in particular
3. Did you have a sunburn? Yup... spent some time on my motorcycle without sunscreen
4. Did you go to the pool a lot? Nope... it was closed again this year because of a money dispute between the two condo boards
?SEPTEMBER?
1. Will you be attending college/school? I wanted to, but I started a new job with a killer commute, so I have to rethink my schedule and school choice
2. Do you like fall better than summer? Meh
3. Did anything to happen this month? Nope
?OCTOBER?
1. What was your Halloween costume? I didn't have one
2. What is your favorite candy? KitKat
3. What was your favorite thing(s) about this month? My birthday on the fourth! (but... I turned... erk... 30!!!!)
?NOVEMBER?
1. Whose house do you go to for Thanksgiving? We usually host... dunno what we're doing this year
2. What are you thankful for? I'm thankful for a lot of things... I can't pick just one
3. Do you love stuffing? Yup
?DECEMBER?
1. Do you celebrate Christmas? Yup
2. Have you ever been kissed under the mistletoe? Yup
3. Get anything special last year? Not really... it was a downer Christmas because my grandmother passed earlier in the month last year
4. What do you want this year? New camera, new laptop, PS3 or Wii... money... gift cards for clothes...
5. What do you love most about December? Not really sure...
:: Evanescence, "Imaginary" - In my field of paper flowers, and candy clouds of lullaby... I lie inside myself for hours and watch my purple sky fly over me.
[::..all about me..::]
:: name - Jessica-Lynne Sullivan
:: nicknames - Jess, Jessi, Jessi-Lynne, Tigger, Duchess (and others from my online RPG personas)
Marie
