I keep a gratitude journal and update it almost daily. It wouldn’t be hard for me to list out the things I am thankful for. But let’s give it a try, anyways.

I’m thankful for the family I was born into. The closest relatives I have in Houston is my mom’s first cousin, Tita Edith’s, family. Tita Edith’s kids, Anthony, Joanne, and Gino, are the cousins I grew up with and the cousins I will be connected to in the future. They’re pretty awesome human beings. Seeing them this past Thanksgiving was amazing and I’m thankful for them. We don’t see each other a lot, but I’m trying to change that and become more involved.

I’m thankful for the family I chose. I was able to see my great friend Chloe. Her mom and step dad were Mr. and Mrs. Clause for the Uptown Park Lighting Festival. Her husband, Chris, couldn’t go, because he recently had surgery on his collar bone and  going through crowds wouldn’t have been smart. Chloe’s great Uncle George couldn’t go either, because of the crowds, as well. He has a walker and it would have been hard to navigate through the crowd. So Chloe invited me. I hadn’t seen her in awhile, since school has been taking up my life. And it was awesome to see her. She is one of the nursing school friends I am working hard to keep.

At the VIP section in front of Maggianos having appetizers. yum!

The fireworks after the Christmas trees were lit. Absolutely beautiful!!

Afterwards, I spent the night at Jackie’s. Her family was having a late Thanksgiving dinner. Jackie has a sister, Eva, who I love dearly. She is the type of person who has such an open heart. She knows that I am important to Jackie and has welcomed me in their family whole heartedly. Jackie’s mom and dad have made me feel welcome as well. I’m glad I was able to spend time with them, too.

I had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. I had more than enough shares of turkey! And got to spend time with loved ones. The only time I spent alone was when I was driving.

I got my replacement phone today. It didn’t come with a SIM card, which defeated the purpose of getting my phone, but I just bought one at the TMobile store. I was able to get ahold of my loved ones through Google Voice. I had this phone number for my side business as a photographer. But it came in handy because I was able to text and make calls through the internet. If anyone needed to get ahold of me, they could text my Google Voice number and all the texts would go straight to my email. Pretty cool!

My great friend Lizzie’s wedding is tomorrow and I cannot wait to celebrate her and Nelson’s union. I asked many people to keep Lizzie and her baby in their prayers. And with the grace of God, she and her baby girl are doing well and are healthy! If that isn’t something to be thankful for, I don’t know what is.

When I woke up this morning, the first thing I saw was this angel’s face.
And having her in my life is absolutely a great blessing that I thank God for everyday. She has changed me in ways I could not fathom. I hope the start of the holiday season has treated you well.

Notícia do site Whiplash:

Membros de bandas de death metal pioneiras como AUTOPSY, POSSESSED, DEATH, REPULSION, SLAUGHTER, OBITUARY, MASTER, e OBSCURITY estão entre as mais de 100 bandas de metal de 30 paises que participam com suas receitas favoritas do livro “Hellbent For Cooking: The Heavy Metal Cookbook”, de Annick “The Morbid Chef” Giroux.

Com lançamento previsto para 24 de novembro, o primeiro livro de receitas destinado ao apetite voraz do público de Metal trará encantadoras receitas, como bife com cogumelos a la Jack Daniels de Matt Olivo do REPULSION; asas de frango incinerantes de Dave Hewson do SLAUGHTER, testículo Viking ultra masculino de Richard Christy do DEATH/CONTROL DENIED; e bolo de gelatina de morangos com pretzel e salada de Jeff Becerra of POSSESSED.

“Eu geralmente me arranjo quando estou doente comendo isso” diz Chris Reifert do AUTOPSY, sobre suas bombas de bacon e jalapeño mumificadas.

“Hellbent” é um generoso banquete metal, com 224 páginas inteiramente coloridas de Annick Giroux, alimentando apetites vorazes com seus tira-gostos favoritos, carne de boi, porco, cordeiro, aves, frutos do mar, comida vegetariana, sobremesas e drinks. As receitas são dos integrantes de bandas como THIN LIZZY, MAYHEM, ANTHRAX, KREATOR, Sepultura, DESTRUCTION, POSSESSED, OBITUARY, ACCEPT, DORO, GWAR, TOXIC HOLOCAUST, SAINT VITUS, AMEBIX, URIAH HEEP, BUDGIE, e muitos outros – mais de 100 bandas de aproximadamente 30 países, incluindo Estados Unidos, Canadá, Alemanha, França, Paquistão, Malásia, Japão, Grécia e Brasil. Para todos que curtem Metal, os portões da cozinha estão abertos – agarre suas armas de nutrição em massa e deixe o banquete começar. Morte às falsas refeições!

O que eu acho: realmente muito interessante, apetitoso e acima de tudo, exótico…Já imaginaram algum deles indo dar uma dessas receitas no Mais Você ou no Com Sabor da Palmeirinha? KKKKKKKKK

I have been obsessed with mandarin oranges. The ones that come in a cup. They’re so good! It’s been a really rough week for me. I haven’t done well in my internship. I feel like I’m starting to get burned out. Not necessarily burned out of my internship, but just a general stress level. I’m always worried I’m not good enough. It’s always higher towards the end of the semester.

I just finished doing a video project for my Practice Lab and it turned out well! Hopefully we can play it on another DVD player. We had to play social workers and it turned out great.

There are a couple more projects we need to worry about before the year ends.

I was able to meet up with Lizzie this past week. If you’re the praying kind, please keep my friend Liz in your prayers. You need not know why, God will know what to do with your prayers. She really needs it, though. More specifically, her unborn child. Thanks in advance.

So let me explain why Donald Miller was such a big deal to me.

Back in 2007, I went to Mexico for an internship in nursing school. I met a really great person there, Katy, who was reading Blue Like Jazz. She recommended it to me. When I got home, I went through some of the hardest tribulations in my life. I left nursing school, against everyone’s wishes, and I went to chase my dream in social work. During my first semester as a Sociology major, I read Blue Like Jazz and it changed my life. It made me happy. And most importantly, it renewed my faith. I questioned my faith when I was 12. And I looked at other people’s faith and found theology interesting. But, it never really quite fit me. I believed in God and Jesus. And that was that.

But this book lit a fire in my soul and made me passionate about my faith. A friend of mine, Monet, introduced me to Beth Moore, who teaches a bible studies at First Baptist Church, in March 2008. I don’t know why, but I went with no question. No one held my hand, I just picked up my Bible and went. And with that, my faith grew and made me grow as a human being.

I credit Donald Miller and Beth Moore for my transformation. I have continuously attended Beth Moore’s study since March 2008. And I had the pleasure to meet her and give her a hug. But with Donald Miller living in Portland, it was rare that he would have a speaking engagement in his previous home of Houston.

Then he had a new book tour for his current book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. And he came to Pasadena. And Priscilla and I met him. And it was grand.

It was a big deal because my faith has come around full circle. And I had him to thank for it. To be able to meet him was an unbelievable privilege.

I’m off to watch 2012 and Precious.

If a man walked down the street with sideburns, a cravat and a top-hat I would probably be extremely tempted to yell something rude or obnoxious.  Or I would assume he was attending a very fancy-fancy dress party.  Either way he would, by definition, be a bit of an idiot.  However, if I was born in the right era (also known as the 19th century), I would not have to guess at someone’s level of sanity due to the convenient fact that a man in stockings and a tailed coat walking around London/Sydney would be completely normal.  And I could wolf-whistle (perhaps not) 1) without being a pervert, and 2) without having my own sanity questioned.

I say this, as I have just arrived home from “High-Tea” at a very close friends breast-cancer fundraiser.  And the best part of the night (and the best part of most of my nights) was watching Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility and noticing every female in the room squealing as Mr. Darcy (the owner of a quizzical brow and the miserable half of Derbyshire) appears at the ball.  Yes, he can fill out those tight-tight-TIIGGHHTTTT trousers (so nicely, in fact, that not much is left to the imagination), but it is more than that which ensures the devoted love of every girl between the ages of 14 and 60, and some below and beyond these barriers as well.  And I cannot quite put my finger on it. 

Colin Firth, as the argument goes, makes the B.E.S.T Darcy.  The Hollywood star, Matthew Macfadyen, doesn’t really come close- but despite the disparity in looks (Mr. Bingley is the looker in this film)/acting ability/etc we still all go weak at the knees for him.  The line “You must let me tell you how ardently I admire and love you,”- which FYI is featured on anything from mugs, towels, t-shirts and other acceptable gifts- as I glance around the room, is mouthed by every person- and we all know Elizabeth Bennet’s retorts to everything.  In fact, I believe we are all so well versed in Austen, that given a time-machine we would blend in rather successfully with locals.  We also manage to freak each other out afterwards, sipping tea and saying such delicate compliments as: “Your complexion is rather fine today, and I do believe that it is due to Lady Wallis’ execution of her plan to take a turn out in the open air with you, after sitting so long in one attitude”. Yes, Austen is good for the maintenance of the English language as well.

What is quite interesting is the way every female, when the topic arises, is suddenly an expert in all matters Austen.  It does not matter whether it is a vague question, a guess at events following the end of the book, or a discussion about the successfulness of a film-version- we all manage to become authorities on the art of directing, writing, character casting, psychological evalutation, marriage therapy and acting.  Such is the power of Pride and Prejudice.  We cannot bear to think that the director would choose to “butcher the art of Austen” by placing Mr. Bennet’s words in Lizzy’s mouth during the Mr. Collins piece.  Oh, no, the absolute travesty!  How dare they?  It is such a quaint little trait- the ability to analyse an Austen recreation so thoroughly that one would believe they are a literary critic- and every female possesses it. 

No other book or film has made me feel the way that Pride and Prejudice does.  I feel like a walking stereotype.  A ridiculous and hopeless romantic.  I am neither of the two, but I do not deny that the almost-engagement scene gives me literal shivers.  Jane, Lizzy, Lydia, Kitty and Mary are like sisters to me, and it is this sort of talent that Austen has- the talent to make us FEEL for the characters, that inspired my simple Facebook status “My good opinion once lost, is lost forever <3 Darcy” which inspired 72 comments, most of which derived around casting the ‘best Darcy’- which ended up with the following cast list:
Darcy- Clive Owen
Bingley- That teacher guy from Glee
Lizzy- Uncasted but possibly Emily Blunt, although many disagreements here
Wickham- Johnny Depp
Directed by Tim Burton.

I have had more conversations about Darcy than I care to admit.  And I have pined after anyone with similar traits. 

Yet despite all this, and the obvious disadvantage here of being biased as a female, I think I have cracked the Darcy Code.  It is all in the character.  As we have loved, and pined over (and, admittedly, drooled over) Mr. Darcy for so long- whether it be the BBC mini series, the Lost In Austen episodes, the Hollywood version, the Book or the tens of thousands of rewrites and parodies (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Mr. Darcy, Vampyre and so forth)- it no longer matters who acts the part.  As long as they fit the vague criteria- tall, dark and relatively handsome, we are all ready to accept any Darcy into our hearts- although the director better be ready for a protesting mass of fans should any part of the book be altered in any way.

Lizzy had been back at work for a few weeks now and was grateful for the time away from her mother. Not that the people on the set were treating her any different than her mother was. At least they were not following her around and continually wanting to know what she was doing and where she was going.

Lizzy’s mother decided to call the producers and director the day after the accident and tell them that Lizzy thought she was deliberately attacked and that she had been hearing voices prior to the incident. Now everyone knew the story and treated her like a mental patient. Right now Lizzy really hated her mother for doing that to her. It seemed her mother was deliberately trying to ruin her career, but for what reason Lizzy had no idea. . The only thing Lizzy could do right now was her job and do it well without any new problems. She had to show the producers and the rest of the cast and crew she was stable.

There was one good thing that came out of that night.. Someone would always be posted at the door and do a sweep at the end of the night before locking up. This way no one was on the set alone anymore. Lizzy found out this was suppose to be happening on the night she had the accident. Security said they checked and never saw or heard Lizzy. She told the producers that maybe she was changing her clothes when they were checking for anyone left on the stage. The producers made the rule that the security person waiting has to be there an hour to make sure everyone is out of the soundstage. This really pissed off Shane, who was supposed to make sure everyone was off the stage. Shane got reprimanded for not waiting around long enough to account for people getting out of wardrobe. Lizzy did not care. At least she was not the last one off the stage anymore.

When the news media found out about Lizzy’s accident they stared reporting it as a possible Ghost attack, contributing to the rumors about that particular stage. They were even reporting that Lizzy had told a few people privately that she had been hearing her name being whispered late at night and other obscure happenings. Lizzy started getting more fan mail from the news reports especially since her character was into the occult on the show now. If the producers were thinking of firing her as a liability, they quickly changed their minds once the fan mail started rolling in.

There were a few days after Lizzy first got back that she had only a few lines and it looked like she was going to be written off the show. But by the end of the next week that had all changed. Now Lizzy was the star and she wanted to keep it that way. The cast and crew were starting to relax around her as well as she kept going and doing her job without any problems.

Now only if her mother would stop following her around the house. She had not moved out yet because of her father. The sweetest man she knew. He was genuinely concerned about her and tried not to smother her. Whereas her mother just would not leave her alone.

One thing Lizzy did shortly after she came home was put a lock on her bedroom door. Lizzy found that hysterical. The locked door drove her mother crazy. Her mother he was not able to walk in on Lizzy whenever she wanted. Served the witch right for telling on her to the producers, she thought. She was going get even with her mother for that one and for not believing Lizzy at the hospital. Her father was another story. He was completely supportive of Lizzy and had no problems when she put the lock on her door. Lizzy even gave him the only other key just in case she lost hers. He promised he would not tell Lizzy’s mother he had a copy of the key.

On the set, only a few of the crew had teased her. Lizzy just ignored them and the teasing started to go away. One of the actors, Jered, had told her secretly that he had experienced the same thing on a few occasions. He told her how all the lights kept going on and off, someone was whispering his name and he was sure he was being followed one night. He was also glad there was someone on the stage late to make sure everyone got out. Sweet Jered, he never teased her or looked at her funny like everyone else did when she got back. Jered was a sensitive kind of person, which was the best way she could describe him. Of course he did not let on that he was a sensitive kind of person except to the people he trusted. Lizzy wasn’t sure if he was gay or not, she never asked and he never said one way or another. All she knew was he seemed to be the only one who believed her and did not treat her as if she were “Broken”. Lizzy had to thank her mother for that unwelcome title every day.

Shortly after Lizzy got out of the hospital she started having strange dreams. They were so vivid they seemed real. But they could not have been real because she could never be like the person in her dreams.

Lizzy had woken up a few nights soaked in sweat remembering the most awful things. This was suppose to be after her car accident and she was going around trying to hurt people in the hospital. There was one little girl she verbally taunted for days and Lizzy had to be put in isolation. The little girl was comatose after Lizzy had traumatized her.

She remembered fighting with the nurses and trying to bite them and screaming like an animal. Every time she had the dream, right before she would wake up, she would be standing in a doctor’s office with a bloody knife. Sometimes Lizzy would be standing over someone with the bloody knife, sometimes she would be standing in the doorway with the bloody knife.

Once when she woke up she had been standing in the doorway of the doctors office facing the hall and watching the orderlies coming for her while she laughed manically holding the bloody knife. In all of her dreams she was holding a bloody kitchen knife because she had just butchered the doctor.

These dreams frightened Lizzy, something about them felt very real. But she could never kill anyone and she would remember if she had. Lizzy was also having other dreams of killing some of the people on the cast. After these dreams, she would not wake up drenched but she was still disturbed about having them.

Lizzy kept all this to herself. Her mother knew something was going on. She was standing in the door one night when Lizzy had woken up. After that night is when Lizzy decided she needed the lock on her door. Since then her mother kept insisting she go see a psychiatrist. Lizzy believed they were all quacks and they had no idea what the hell they were doing. She would not go see one. Her mother would not give up the idea. Lizzy took to screaming at her mother to shut up, and that she did not know what she was talking about. Lizzy was fine and she kept telling her mother that. Lizzy could not be seen as mentally unstable right now. Whenever the producers asked her how she was doing she always put on a happy face and told them “Everything is great!”  “The new direction of the character is a lot of fun. All the fan mail is fantastic. Thank You”. Lizzy would then walk away leaving them with the idea she was truly okay. And aside from the nightmares she felt fine.

Lizzy and Jered were starting to become friends. They were around each other so much. The writers made them lovers on the show so that meant rehearsals and same time on set and the same times off pretty much. She did not mind, Jered was great and easy to talk to. She did not confide her nightmares to him though. She did not trust anyone enough to do that.

One day at lunch in Lizzy’s trailer Jered said he overheard two guys talking about how they “Scared the shit out of Lizzy one night”. Jared told Lizzy who they were, Umberto and Dave. Jared went on about how they had to be the same guys that were harassing him as well. Jered thought they needed to do something to get back at the guys, but Lizzy said she would not have anything to do with it. She was having a hard enough time fitting in again thanks to her mother. After a while of talking about it and Lizzy still refusing to be involved Jered finally dropped the revenge plot and they went on to other topics and then rehearsal.

A few weeks later Jered and Lizzy were getting ready to shoot their last scene for the night when they heard screaming and a loud crash. Everyone on set ran to the commotion. On one of the living room sets Umberto lay tangled with the coffee table and couch. It was hard to make him out, His body was mangled from the fall but it was clearly Umberto. The producer called it a day and told everyone not to go anywhere. The police were on their way and they may want to talk to everyone.

Lizzy and Jered walked silently to wardrobe to change their clothes. Neither spoke to the other. They were both thinking of the conversation in her trailer during lunch a while back.

Blogging on a touchscreen device is insane!!

I have had a really crazy weekend. Worked through the weekend and went to Lizzy’s bridal shower. It was so much fun!

I have had dizzy spells all weekend long and I couldn’t drink the delicous alcoholic beverages that wrre served at the bridal shower. Apparently, I am dehydrated and that can cause dizziness. It was strange because my vitals were normal. At one point, I couldn’t even walk I was so dizzy.

Tomorrow, I start taking the lead at my internship. I start talking to kids on my own and start mediating groups. It’s very nerve racking.

I just have to remind myself that the things worth doing are the things you fear the most. I just need to jump in there and get with the program!

In a few hours, Priscilla and I will be attending a lecture by one of my favorite authors, Donald Miller! I’m so excited to see him in person. He had such a huge impact in my life with his book “Blue Like Jazz”. His book led me to the faith I lost as a twelve year old.

I’m glad I get the chance to see him live. I hope there’s some sort of meet and greet.

Lizzy was finally living her dream. She was young, a main character on a primetime television show and people were starting to recognize her when she was running around town. She was finally making her own money and supporting herself doing what she always dreamed of doing. Lately she had been contemplating getting her own place, she was tired of her parents supporting her “out of work actor” lifestyle. Though they never said anything and were always encouraging, she just felt it was time to be on her own.

Lizzy’s mother had become very protective the last few years and wanted to know where she was all the time. Sometimes she would even walk in on her unannounced. But despite being barged in on frequently Lizzy forgave her Mom all the times she was overprotective, she had almost died a few years earlier from a bad car accident. She was in the hospital for several weeks and the doctors were not sure she would even make it. Lizzy did not remember the accident or the few months afterward. The doctors said she would eventually get her memory back but as of yet, nothing.

Lizzy was on her way to the studio, she had a late call today and regrettably would be the last actor out of the studio. It ended up being a long busy day; she was pretty worn out when she finally wrapped her last scene for the night. The soundstage really gave her the creeps late at night. The rumor around the studio lot was that a cast member haunted the stage that was killed during the filming of the 1925 film. There were reports of people seeing a dark figure walking about the stage, but none of the current cast or crew had experienced any of this or at least admitted to anything. Maybe this was a story the studio managers came up with to make the studio seem more exciting.

Some nights when Lizzy stayed late she would hear strange noises and whispering in the dark when no one was there. Other times lights would suddenly come on as she was walking through the stage, then they would suddenly go out as she approached them. She always chalked it up to some of the crew playing tricks on her and cleverly hiding, but no one ever admitted to it.  A few times she could swear someone was calling her name in the dark, that’s when she really got freaked out and would practically run out of the soundstage.

Lizzy had asked other crew and cast if they had experienced anything weird late at night. She always got the same answer, “No”. Some of the guys on the crew started teasing her, all in good fun but she wondered if anyone of them knew something and were not telling her.

Most nights she was off early enough but lately she was getting more scenes written for her, her new character twist was going over well with the viewers. The writers had her turn to witchcraft to get even with a boyfriend who had cheated on her. She guessed her going “Carrie Underwood” on his car in an earlier episode wasn’t enough.

The director called cut and announced that was a rap.  All across the stage you could hear sighs of relief from everyone. Lizzy gathered up her things and headed to wardrobe to change. By the time she walked out of wardrobe after changing the stage was empty and most of the lights were out. She started walking toward the exit but she stopped. She was too tired tonight and did not want to take the chance of anyone playing pranks like before. She knew she would go running from the stage screaming bloody murder tonight if that were to happen. She rummaged in her purse for her pepper spray, just in case. She quietly laughed to herself thinking of peppering someone who jumped out at her. Would serve them right for playing tricks on her.

A few lights were left on above the sets but she had to walk along the outside walls behind the sets and the lights did little to light up the area. It was shorter to walk through the sets to the exit door but there was more stuff to trip over, not to mention that it was a labyrinth that way. It was a straighter shot and less to worry about along the outside wall around the sets, just darker than the rest of the soundstage. Lizzy was not looking forward to the walk.

Lizzy could scarcely make out enough light to see where she was going. Despite the frantic butterflies in her stomach she marched on. She wanted to get out as soon as possible and go home. Thankfully her car was parked near the stage, a perk for being one of the cast members on the show.

Her ears were buzzing from the adrenaline running through her. She wanted to run to the exit door but she knew there were all kinds of electrical wires snaking across the floor and lights up against the walls all along the way. It was hard enough to navigate during the day so she knew it was going to be slow going in the dark.

Lizzy tried to concentrate on not tripping over anything; she kept her hand just barely touching the outside wall as she made deliberate steps to make sure she made it over any wires. When she brought her foot down she did it gently in case she stepped on something. She wondered if this were how blind people had to deal with getting around. She would have to remember this and use it sometime in her acting.  She thought this was kind of a funny moment to be thinking of using an action for a potential acting role. She laughed to herself realizing you pick up the oddest things when you least expect it. “This is good” she thought, she was keeping her mind on other things and not completely freaking out, “One foot in front of the other,” she told herself.

She was moving along better than she thought she would be, she hadn’t tripped, there was no whispering, the lights weren’t going on and off and nothing else strange had happened. It was just Lizzy, the darkness and the obstacles in the dark.

She could see the glow from the exit door light getting brighter as she reached one of the corners of the soundstage. The exit door was just past the next corner. The light from the exit door made things a little easier going and thankfully there were less wires and lights to get caught up in along this wall.  After tonight she was going to talk to one of the shows producers and make sure someone stayed to make sure everyone got out late at night. This was just too nerve-racking to go through again.

With the improved visibility Lizzy started walking a bit faster and took her hand from the wall. She was almost to the next corner and just past that was the exit door. She started to breath a sigh of relief. A bit past half way down the corridor she could see the light from the exit door just past the corner.  Her heartbeat started to return to normal.

A few more feet and she looked up again, at that moment a black shape moved out of the corner in front of her and passed in front of the light as it moved away from her past the exit door. Everything about Lizzy stopped, she couldn’t take a breath and her heart slammed to a halt in her chest. She was not sure what she saw. It was hard to really see anything in the dark especially when she was trying to walk without tripping over something.

Lizzy stood there for several seconds listening to the sound of her own breathing once it started again; it was the only thing she could hear. She started to feel the effects of the adrenaline that was set off. She had to make sure to steady her breathing to keep from hyperventilating.

After a few moments she began to question if she really saw anything. What if there really was a ghost, she could then add to the rumors of the stage being haunted.

Lizzy forced herself to call out to anyone that might be there, no one answered. Lizzy’s legs were weakening with fear and there was shuffling in the direction the shadow had disappeared. If there was anyone there they were not answering her. Lizzy called out again thinking maybe whoever it was had earphones plugged into their ears. Still was no answer.

Lizzy’s fear was starting to get the best of her. Her body was telling her to follow her buckling knees into a curled ball and wait if out. She thought if she made herself really small it would all go away. Then the whispering started. Suddenly there was a loud crash behind her somewhere, like a light fell over. This set Lizzy into action and she took off running for the for exit door.

All be damned, she was going to get the hell out of the sound stage. Lizzy kept stumbling over wires and fell a few times trying to get out of the sound stage as quickly as possible. She was close to hysterics and was doing everything she could to hold back the tears and screams.

Finally she was only a few feet from the door, she put her hand out to push it open as she kept moving. Suddenly someone called her name and they were right next to her. It was too dark to really see anyone. She leaped sideways away from the voice in a panic and right into the wall next to her.

As well as the wall, Lizzy had flown into a standing light and knocked it into the wall. The light was bouncing back as Lizzy tripped over the cord trying to get her balance again and fell to the floor. Lizzy looked at the shadowed figure that had called her name. It was now standing over her holding something. Lizzy raised her hand holding the pepper spray she carried in her jacket pocket, ready to use it on the shadowed figure but she was too late.

As everything went black Lizzy heard her name whispered in the dark.

Lizzy woke up that morning in the hospital. She was not sure where she was at first, just that everything was really bright and she had an enormous headache. She tried to sit up to get a better look at her surroundings but laid back down immediately as the room began spinning and stars appeared in her vision.

Lizzy covered her eyes when she heard someone walk in the room, her pounding head kept her from looking to see whom it was. Someone touched her shoulder and whispered her name. Immediately Lizzy reacted and tried to jump out of the bed, the headache and room spinning stopped her from succeeding. She lay in a whimpering ball on her bed covering her eyes and trying to hold her head and will the pounding to stop. The hand shook her gently and this time the whispered voice she heard was familiar. She stopped whimpering and calmed down, when she rolled over she slowly opened her eyes; it was her mother who had been whispering her name.

Lizzy started crying realizing that it was her mother, she was safe, and she was out of the stage. She did not remember what had happened after she was hit on the head but she was now glad she was somewhere else with her mother. She cried for a few more minutes and her mother just let her get it out while holding Lizzy.

Later when Lizzy had calmed down and stopped crying her mother told Lizzy that one of the crew guys found her early this morning near the door, it looked as if she had tripped on one of the cables attached to a light.  As the cord wrapped around her ankle she pulled the light on top of her head, thus giving herself a nasty concussion. The crewmember called security right away and they called the ambulance. The doctors were not sure the extent of the concussion due to her being unconscious. They had checked for bleeding on the brain but all the tests came out okay.

As Lizzy’s mother finished recounting the tale to her a doctor walked in. The doctor asked Lizzy a few questions, checked her pulse, eyes and asked if she remembered last night. Lizzy was not sure what she remembered and told that to the doctor.  A few moments ago she would have sworn she was being stalked in the soundstage, and someone whispering her name.  She did remember the cord and falling to the floor but she was beginning to wonder if she just imagined the whispering and the shuffling. But then she remembered the shadow standing over her holding something in their hand.  Lizzy decided not to say anything to the doctor.

As soon as the doctor left Lizzy told her mother what really happened and that she had been hearing whispers for some time now on the stage late at night and all the other crazy stuff that had been happening. Lizzy’s mother just looked at her, her face had gone pale and it looked like she was about to cry. Lizzy became concerned for her mother. Maybe she was panicking her. Lizzy asked “Mom, what is it?”

“Lizzy, you cannot do this to me again” her mother said.

What was her mother saying, she just told her she was possibly assaulted and all her mother had to say was not to do this to her again. She wanted to scream at her, but the pain in her head became overwhelming and she blacked out again. When she woke up her mother was gone and it was dark outside. She had a feeling she would stay longer than one night if she kept blacking out. She was tired. She drifted off to sleep this time. In the twilight of her sleep she began to wonder if she really did hit herself with the light. But that story just did not feel right. As Lizzy slept she dreamed of dark shapes whispering her name.

I ain’t talkin bout no candy.

I have two awesome friends who I chill with at recess. It’s my last year of school recesses, so it must be special. I sit on the hill outside the school with my friend’s younger sister Lizzy and my new friend Nina, who’s brother is a bully at some of my friends’ high school.

So we just hang out. Meanwhile my class plays football and/or gossips on the hill. My class is boring. End of story. They suck. Nina and Lizzy rule. Goodbye.

Vivie’s playgroup is called the Bunnies.  We meet every other week.  We hosted the Bunnies Halloween Party yesterday and took this group shot.

The Bunnies on Halloween

back of Vivie's costume

Ainda não estreou “Sininho e o Tesouro Perdido” e as novidades sobre o terceiro filme da Sininho já começam a chegar. Agora apresentamos-te a primeira imagem do terceiro filme da fada mais conhecida da Disney.

Após “Sininho e o Tesouro Perdido”, iremos voltar ao Vale das Fadas em 2010 quando estrear em Blu-Ray e DVD, “Sininho e o Resgate da Grande Fada” (tradução directa de “Tinker Bell and Great Fairy Rescue”). Após já ter sido divulgado que o terceiro filme se passará no Verão e que contará a história da Sininho a ser apanhada pela rede de uma humana, os fãs da Disney já conheciam a imagem da rapariga que vai raptar Sininho:

Chama-se Lizzy e promete se tornar amiga da fada loira da Disney. No entanto, também já tinha surgido na internet uma imagem conceptual deste terceiro filme:

Mas só agora surge a primeira imagem oficial do terceiro filme e o blog Disney Portugal apresenta-te agora:

Embora pequena a imagem mostra a Sininho a espiar a Lizzie com ar de interesse. É possível também ver o logo do novo filme, embora seja natural que a cor da folha adopte a cor da estação do ano onde o filme decorre. Sendo o Verão deverá ser uma folha amarela.

Babes Love Baseball has teamed up with TBS Hot Corner to hold a contest to see who can write the best haiku for grieving fans whose teams are already or soon-to-be done for the 2009 season.

Be thoughtful or crass, sympathetic or sarcastic. We don’t care. We’re just going to choose the one we like best — from the comments section — and pick the winner on Monday, October 5th.

The TBS Hot Corner Prize Pack includes an Adidas Laptop Bag, a Nike Golf Longsleeve pullover, a sleeve of Nike ONE golf balls and a 16 oz. Tervis Tumbler. The BLB Prize Pack includes a BLB hat and t-shirt.

Okay, go.

Update: You win, Bassmaster. First, your haiku was fact-based. Second, it was not about football. Well done.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
that great!!! i never fed up to saw the movies, actually i be anxious to do read the novel because the movie has make me klepek-klepek what’s mean stuck on with the story.
This is the background of the novel from pemberly.com : First published in 1813, Pride and Prejudice has consistently been Jane Austen’s most popular novel. It portrays life in the genteel rural society of the day, and tells of the initial misunderstandings and later mutual enlightenment between Elizabeth Bennet (whose liveliness and quick wit have often attracted readers) and the haughty Darcy. The title Pride and Prejudice refers (among other things) to the ways in which Elizabeth and Darcy first view each other. The original version of the novel was written in 1796-1797 under the title First Impressions, and was probably in the form of an exchange of letters.

Jane Austen’s own tongue-in-cheek opinion of her work, in a letter to her sister Cassandra immediately after its publication, was: “Upon the whole… I am well satisfied enough. The work is rather too light, and bright, and sparkling; it wants [i.e. needs:] shade; it wants to be stretched out here and there with a long chapter of sense, if it could be had; if not, of solemn specious nonsense, about something unconnected with the story: an essay on writing, a critique on Walter Scott, or the history of Buonaparté, or anything that would form a contrast and bring the reader with increased delight to the playfulness and general epigrammatism of the general style”.

about the title is representatif of the character of lizzy and mr. darcy that both of them always geting into mischeif each other.

View all my reviews >>

I know I’ve already updated today, and I try not to update more than once a day, but I looked over my shoulder just before and saw this:

Really.
Must have been comfy, she was lying like that for quite awhile, just staring at me. Didn’t even move when I got my camera out, normally she does.
I love my Lizzy.

Just ignore my floor that needs to be vacuumed and crappy work shoes.

A month or two ago Alessi shared this song with me:

I like it. It’s so chattery in this video. People are very rude. Hush!

We watched this lastnight and found it to be wholly delightful. It was fun watching Amanda learn the ways of the World of Austen. It was also quite interesting to see some of the characters from another perspective. I even rather found myself liking Mr. Wickham. In this particular version he wasn’t really quite the cad portrayed by Austen. The actress playing Jane did a wonderful job and Mr. Darcy was beautifully portrayed as well. Both were exactly as one would expect them to be. My only complaint was not seeing more of Elizabeth in the modern day. It would be fun, I think, to see her in our world. Perhaps one could go back and make that into a series. I highly recommend this DVD to any Austen fan.

I miss you so much. I will always love you forever & ever.

We will be together again someday.

May God bless you & protect you always.

Liebe Leute,

lange lange haben wir hier nichts von uns hören lassen und es sind auch schon wieder 3 Monate verflogen seitdem wir in Deutschland waren.

Das Wichtigste zu Beginn… uns geht es gut! Die letzten Monate waren hier in Melbourne saukalt. Jetzt dürfte es bald mal wieder wärmer werden. Wir hoffen es!

Lizzy
Nachdem wir von Deutschland zurück kamen haben wir uns ein Auto gekauft, was uns viel flexibler macht. Ihr Name ist Lizzy

Einkaufstüten müssen wir jetzt auch nicht mehr schleppen. Ich, Lars, brauche das Auto ja auch so gut wie jeden Tag. Ich habe die ersten Monate meiner Selbstständigkeit damit verbracht viele Unternehmen zu besuchen und viele Leute kennen zu lernen.

Annika macht ihr Job auch Spaß und jetzt wird sie zusätzlich noch in eine neue Rolle eingearbeitet.

Wir sind gerade dabei alle unsere Fotos ins Internet hochzuladen. Alle Fotos von unserer Outback Safari könnt ihr hier finden:

Tour 1

Tour 2

Tour 3

Schmap:
Flickr veröffentlicht manchmal ein online Reisemagazin und eines von Annika’s Fotos wurde entdeckt und im “Schmap Melbourne Guide” veröffentlicht für St. Kilda Beach.

Melbourne Open Houses
Vor ein paar Wochen gab es in Melbourne eine Art „Tag der offenen Tür“-Veranstaltung von Gebäuden, die man besichtigen konnte, die man sonst nicht so einfach betreten darf. An diesem Tag gab es auch einen Fotowettbewerb, bei dem Annika natürlich nicht fehlen durfte . Die besten Fotos von den teilnehmenden Häusern wurden in verschiedenen Kategorien (z.B. Aussendesign, Innendesign) gekürt. Das waren Annika’s Beiträge:

Das waren die Bilder unserer Konkurrenten zu finden auf Flickr.

Das waren die Bilder der Gewinner.

Grampians
Nächstes Wochenende machen wir einen Kurztrip in die Grampians – ein Nationalpark etwa 250 km westlich von Melbourne. Danach melden wir uns wieder mit hoffentlich genialen Bildern und Eindrücken.

Nachtrag von Singapur 2007
Hier noch wie schon länger versprochen ein kleiner Nachtrag von Singapur, wo wir vor zwei Jahren Zwischenstop auf unserem erstem Trip nach Melbourne gemacht hatten.

Wir melden uns bald wieder wenn es bei uns wärmer und bei euch wieder kälter ist

Anni & Lars

I’ve already introduced you to my littlest brother. I rudely passed over the beautiful woman standing beside him, though.

I didn’t mean to be rude.

Let me now take a moment to introduce to you my sister, Liz.

Lizzy Lou.

Lizzy Llama.

Lizard Breath.

Elizabeth.

I mentioned once that I was there when she plunged from the depths of my mother’s womb.  It’s true. I was only 7 years old.  I made her a birth-day cake with strawberries and whipped cream.

She didn’t eat any.

She just cried a lot.

And the nurse wiped her butt with her hat and then put it on her head.

I was traumatized.

Now she helps me bake cakes for everyones birthdays.

She is an amazing cake baker.

And she also makes funny faces.

Its a family thing.

The developers are finishing with the new game updates and the new levels will be available soon.

In the new game, we can see the adventures of a series of new characters. Lizzy and Enviro-bear are the first of many characters that will cross over from other games to duke it out in Minigore monster mania.

Each character will be featured in its own episode and you can probably play the new characters with your friend in the game as what the above posters show.

Let’s see what the developers have in stall for us soon.