Janelle's Journal

12/16/2007 16:10 #42538

More to life than money and careers
Category: sims

I have everything you could want in a Sims life. My husband makes high-end gnomes for sale. I'm purusing a career in modeling. We have every toy in the Sims toybook...but I just can't help like feeling that there's more to this life...

In these days and times, Sims are so disconnected from one another. They need to get back to their communal roots and rediscover the religious Sim life in commune with one another. So I present to the SIMS world, my Sims religious compound....

The building on the far left is the children's barrack.
In the middle front building on the bottom is the recreation room.
The middle back building is the cafeteria.
The building on the far right is the barrack for my faithful adherents!
Who wants to move in?

On top of the front middle building is my special apartment that I share with the husband. Can't be a cult leader without some swanky digs, right?

carolinian - 12/20/07 17:22
A compound isn't truly compound until there's more than one wife and a minimum of three underage concumbines.

james - 12/16/07 21:34
Can I stir the kool-aid?

jim - 12/16/07 20:13
Wrong account? :)

drew - 12/16/07 19:58
My family hasn't quite settled in yet. We have to do that first before we can recruit adherents.

drew - 12/16/07 17:35
Just for the record. no such swanky digs at Lafayette Church.

jim - 12/16/07 17:15
How are the residents settling in?

mike - 12/16/07 16:14
Those are some crazy swanky digs! I am very jealous!

12/14/2007 14:57 #42518

"Just Say No"
Category: life

...applies to more than just drugs!

james - 12/14/07 21:28
credit is a drug the government would never war against.

vincent - 12/14/07 21:13
I hate to say this but I think that the best thing for this country would be an economic depression, a la 1930's style. This country has gotten way too fat and stupid for its own good. We have gotten to the point where we have made it economically prohibitive to be frugal. Want to put money away in the bank? You'll get taxed on the interest and you will never compensate for inflation. So you will lose money in the long run.

Want to splurge? Take out a home equity and write it off on your taxes. Consume, Consume, Consume, Borrow, Borrow, Borrow. If you spend more than you can afford, don't worry the government will bail you out. You're 23 making 30,000 a year and want to buy a $800,000 house? No problem, GW will come up with a plan to save your house. After all we have to keep housing prices up and not let those suckers that have saved for years to put down a downpayment. Saving is BAD, Spendiing is GOOD. That's how we keep this country well oiled, and in debt.

drew - 12/14/07 15:56
That article is too tame.

It should say things like.

"These people are rediculous. Why would you borrow money for a hottub? Why would you buy a 12 year old an expensive phone at all, never mind the fact that you don't have the money. What they need to do is stop borrowing, and get really familiar with the salvation army. Apparently they thought that buying all kids of stuff would make them cool, but it obviously didn't work."

12/07/2007 09:01 #42422

Who gets the whooping cough?!
Category: religion

Whooping cough broke out on Bob Jones University forcing them to close classes a week early for the semester. Who the hell gets whooping cough in the US these days? Homeschooling students at BJU whose parents refused to vaccinate them as children do. And then they pass it on to the people who had whooping cough vaccinations as children but never got boosters as adult, because you're not really expecting to be exposed to the whooping cough as an adult in the US. The only reason I got the whooping cough booster was because it was bundled in with diptheria and tetanus (DPT) and I needed the tetanus for going to Vietnam.

Two years ago, measles broke out among youth at church. Again, mostly home schooling kids whose parents rejected vaccines. Homeschooling kid goes to Romania, brings home measles. Who sends their kids overseas without vaccinations?

There is an anti-authority issue; *there is a suspicion of vaccinations (which extends to outside the christian homeschooling community as well) and there is this:

A concern with using vaccinations that come from cell lines that originate in aborted fetuses. The greater Christian community can help with the anti-authority issue and the public health community can help with the suspicion of vaccinations issue. It also seems worthwhile if the medical community explores the use of vaccinations not using a cell line originating from an aborted fetus. It could encourage these homeschoolers to vaccinate their kids and decrease these weird break outs of diseases that shouldn't occur in the US anymore. Doctors and biologists on the board...is it feasible?

For the record, I'm not entirely gung ho on vaccinations. I fall into the group of people who are suspicious of vaccinations at times.

drew - 12/08/07 12:05
Wow, I really took myself to task there, didn't I?

You're right Janelle, I didn't open the links. I based it on the people in my family that didn't vaccinate.

drew - 12/08/07 11:13
(e:Drew), you clearly skimmed my post and didn't open the links. There are people who do not vaccinate because there is a cell line used in vaccinations that originate from an aborted fetus. Read the third link. It's the catholic church's stand on the issue.

drew - 12/08/07 10:43
they don't avoid vaccinations because of stem cells or anything like that. It's because of supposed links to autism and other problems that show up around the same time that vaccinations are given.

jenks - 12/08/07 10:22
ugh. I don't even know where to start. Why are people afraid of vaccines? I mean I know why, but it just seems crazy to me. And I'll have to look it up, but as far as I know, vaccines generally come from killed viruses, not stem cells (aka "aborted fetuses"). But, maybe that will all get better, because someone recently figured out how to get stem cells from SKIN- so maybe we can finally move ahead with (what I consider) valuable and important scientific research, and not be hung up by the whole pro-life thing. It's a no-brainer to me- but that's me being intolerant.

janelle - 12/07/07 10:34
Lol, I stand corrected (e:Ladycroft).

ladycroft - 12/07/07 10:12
actually, i had whooping cough last winter!

janelle - 12/07/07 10:03
The federal government couldn't force the HPV vaccinations on young girls without those same conservatives freaking out that the government was acting outside of its "ordained" role. It really isn't about, is this administration a "godly" one. It's about, is this action within the domain of a "godly" government.

drew - 12/07/07 09:55
'because they believe (now) that the federal government is "godly," it can do anything it wants. If Clinton were still in power, the govt would be attacked for torturing, wiretapping, and war, but apparently, "godly" leaders can do whatever they want, without being questioned.

But few governors or school boards have been deified the way GWB has been.

I guess we won't go bowling tonight. Homeland security is knocking at the door.

janelle - 12/07/07 09:43
I think not vaccinating your kids is not a scientific authority issue, but a government authority issue. The state can't make us vaccinate our kids.

Conservative christianity is okay with federal government authority to go to war, etc...because it falls under the domain of what a "godly" government is allowed to.

drew - 12/07/07 09:14
It's funny, 'cause recently, conservative Christianity has been cool with authority (to go to war, torture, wiretap, etc.) but this is a different kind of authority. It's not federal government authority (which was the enemy during the heyday of the civil rights movement), but scientific authority, and local school board authority, which are now feared.

Another funny irony. Some in this crowd take as gospel really shaky studies that imply that there are problems with vaccines, but refuse to listen to even the best of studeis that suggest larger, enviornmental problems.

Theologically, its because they are all about personal holiness, without acknowledging systemic evil. If something bad happens to somebody, its because of something that they personall did (which is true of a vaccination, but not neccisarily global warming.) In addition to this way of seeing the world not making very much sense, Jesus also specifically taught against it.

But it makes life easier to get through (until you get sick, at least), so lots of people go for it.

mike - 12/07/07 09:07
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!

12/06/2007 08:47 #42413

Birthday Ramblings
Category: life

I overheard a great conversation last night at the vet, sitting next to an older man talking on a cell phone.

"What did I tell you to do? Huh? He does that to you again, you tell him, I'm gonna smash your face in. Then you do it. Bop him in the nose. Tell the teacher about this. Did you tell the teacher? And then the next time he does it, you bloody his nose good. Don't worry, he's not going to do anything back once you give him a good bloody nose. He's gotta learn his lesson."

It was hard to keep a straight face during that conversation.

On another note, today's my birthday. I'm turning 25. I've been turning 25 for a few years now. I wonder when I'm going to turn 30? So far, it looks like a nice birthday is ahead. My wonderful husband is making me birthday casserole and is going to watch my favorite musical, Oliver, with me. Just got it from my parents for my birthday. Good day, indeed.

ladycroft - 12/07/07 04:50
happy happy birthday!

drew - 12/06/07 19:07
metalpeter, I think the second idea sounds more fun.

jim - 12/06/07 18:45
Happy Birthday!

metalpeter - 12/06/07 18:39
I admit I have never heard of Oliver the musical sorry. But as long as you like it and have a good time that is all that matters.

(e:dre) I'm not sure if you should be classy and get a glass or just grab the entire Bottle and pretend you are Janis Joplin with a Bottle of Jack Daniels. Hope it winds up being a great time for you both.

drew - 12/06/07 13:29
I'll need the wine to get through Oliver :)

jason - 12/06/07 12:37
Well done! Have a glass of wine or three.

museumchick - 12/06/07 11:49
Happy (approximately) 25th birthday! I hope it's a great day for you.

james - 12/06/07 11:11
Pretend you are in prison and have Drew bake you a birthday cake with a file in it!

lauren - 12/06/07 10:40
Aww Happy birthday Janelle! You are only one year older than me! :)

And yay for Oliver..Food Glorious Food!

drew - 12/06/07 10:31
25 was a long time ago for (e:janelle), too.

We are going to have a talk about lying tonight.

leetee - 12/06/07 10:29
Happy Birthday, Janelle

paul - 12/06/07 09:29
Happy birthday!

mrmike - 12/06/07 09:21
Ah, 25. I remember it, long damn time ago. Enjoy, hope you have the best day.

12/05/2007 09:08 #42401

Bad Cat
Category: bad cat

People always wonder how the cute, playful black cat Tatanka could be a bad cat......
It might have something to do with the fact that I spent hours making gingerbread cookies; cutting them out in heart shapes; swearing everytime they didn't turn out right; baking them; cooling them; icing them; and then carefully putting them away in the pantry until the night of my party only to discover that the black cat had opened the pantry, climbed inside and took big bites out of each separate cookie. The black cat later got sick from eating said cookies and had a yucky poop two inches from his litter box...because he apparently couldn't make those additional two inches to poop INSIDE the litterbox...

james - 12/05/07 15:24
be careful Drew. Brain is a gateway organ.

First you have a bit of brain and soon as you know it you are mainlining spleens. It gives whole new meaning to Naked Lunch.

drew - 12/05/07 15:00
We curse when we cook or do brain surgery, too.

And we eat the mistakes as well.

Eating a couple bites of brain now and then doesn't make you a zombie, right? I mean, we can quit any time.

james - 12/05/07 14:19
can you imagine if we kept boars as pets. Maimed gingerbread men would be the least of our problems.

This is the second time you or Drew wrote about your cursing while baking. Baking is a whole different science than cooking or brain surgery, and much more difficult. But, unlike brain surgery when you make a mistake you can still eat it!

janelle - 12/05/07 10:23
Yes, you describe that feeling well, (e:Carolinian). He is an amazingly intelligent cat and never ceases to make (e:Drew) and I laugh. My other favorite story...I was sitting in the living room and I heard *crunch, crunch, crunch* from the kitchen. I went in and found that he had knocked a cereal box off the shelf, forcefully pushed his paw into the box and was scooping out pieces of cereal to eat. So we had to move the cereal boxes to the top of the fridge. He also learned to press the button that opens the trash can. I thought it was a fluke so I closed the lid and hid and watched him do it again very purposefully. So then we had to move the trash can!
I'm convinced that some day he will figure out how to open the refrigerator and then we'll really be screwed!

carolinian - 12/05/07 10:12
I imagine you must be feeling the mixture of frustration and pride a parent must feel when their kid breaks something but does it in a precociously intelligent manner.

jason - 12/05/07 09:16
Haha. Pets are awesome.