shazdancer

Well, how better to declare yourself a Very Special Person than to proclaim yourself the Man of God for Our Day and Time? If you can't be God, you can be God's favorite. And if you can't be God's favorite, you can be the one of God's best, and feel entitled to judge and abuse everyone else. So you get a MOG, and mini-MOGS.

Well said, 3cents. Narcissists are at their core extremely insecure people. They are very afraid that people will find out how fallible they are (instead of just accepting that we all are fallible). So they invent a whole persona, a super-being, to use WordWolf's image. A Very Special Person. And they look for people to worship that image. They spend most of their energy controlling everyone, positioning them to adore the image. But some people get too close to the Narcissist, they start to see through the facade. The Narcissist can't stand this, and really can't stand to lose control of the situation. So he plays power games, constantly putting others in their place a few steps lower than his Very Special Self. No matter what others do, they can never fully please him -- the Narcissist will change the rules to keep them confused and off-balance, and they are so busy trying to please their adored Very Special Person that they don't stop to realize that they are being abused.

Kevlar, that is tooo funny! How you can get the riddle of the sphinx, the riddle of the garbage truck, and Martindale is an all in one post. Truly a thing of beauty.... As for this comment by skyrider, That was how it went for me in 1980. Hubby got caught drunk, and poof! we were both kicked off of Staff. VPW talked to him while he was drunk and made the decision to send us both to AZ. I was not allowed to speak to VP -- the closest I got was to DEW, who said I'd "be blessed" by going with my husband. I almost got dead instead.The "blessing" was in finding out what TWI was really like, and that it stunk from the top down. Didn't matter that I'd been a faithful Wayfer for nine years, and had every program they offered. Thanks, TWI! The only thing better than being in TWI is...NOT being in TWI! Regards, Shaz

Wow, neat! Pond, it is an aerial photo. Click on it for a larger image, and it's easier to see that the whitish lines are the camels as seen from above. The black images are their shadows.

Oh, I've GOT to go this year! But it will probably hafta be Saturday or Sunday. And what are the dates for the Fryeburg fair? I know that's a biggie, but I tend to go to the smaller, quieter ones, so I haven't been to this one yet. Keep in touch, I'd love to see you all. Shaz

So sorry to hear, David. Would you consider going to the sentencing (or having a member of the family go) to speak up on your sister's behalf? Perhaps the family member could emphasize that he serve every day of his 4-year sentence, and that his license be suspended for life. That way, at least he gets a life sentence of a sort, which will impact his ability to work, shop, and socialize. Heck, if most of you could show up, it would send a strong message to the court that this guy severely impacted a family. And his drinking at the time of the accident should figure into the sentencing phase. Be sure the prosecutor brings that up. These are just suggestions -- I'm not trying to tell you what to do. Do what seems best for the healing of your family. I just think I would heal better if I felt I had made a public statement, and perhaps helped keep this guy from doing it to someone else. (In my own accident, I found out a bit about the driver's background -- she made a mistake that cost me my car and my health for a bit, but she wasn't drinking or drugging.) Take care, Shaz

And I bet it don't stink, neither...! Actually, Pirate, don't worry. New baby poop just doesn't look like that. Call it "artistic license." I hope they earn a ton of money for a good charity. Shaz

Sorry, dear Strange One, I think you have to have QuickTime to see it. They used to have some other video interviews on the site, but I think they took them off. Feel free to snoop around on that site, though, some of the info is pretty good. Peace, Shaz

See a trailer for the film HERE . Click on "View Trailer" on the lower left-hand side. Members of the Lyme advocacy community are very excited about this film and this company. They have done wonderful things getting AIDS information out in the open in the past. They are still seeking funding to finish the project. Let me know what you think. Regards, Shaz

You know you are at Greasespot too much (or at sea too long) when your spouse has to register and post just to get to talk to you.... Cracked me up, Mrs. Medic! We will all tiptoe quietly out, and leave you two alone in the Cafe.... Just lock the door on your way out. :D Shaz

I came late to the discussion, but reading your thread made me think of ehrlichiosis, tick-borne co-infection to Lyme disease: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/ehrlichia/Signs/Signs.htm People get several of these other co-infections with Lyme (I had one called babesiosis), and makes their illness that much harder to treat. The moral of the story is: flu is NOT typical in the summer! If you or one of yours has flu-like symptoms in the summer time, get it checked out. It may be bacterial, and requiring treatment. Glad your guy is better -- if he doesn't completely recover, drag his sorry tushy in to be examined! Take care, Shaz

I don't have a cellphone. I just don't want to be tied to my phone. It stays home when I go away. Oy. I was climbing down from Bradbury Mountain on July 4th. Passing a beautiful overlook, I could hear man speaking loudly. Yup, on top of a mountain, sharing his cellphone conversation with the world about nothing important. Dooj, for giggles, read (or get the audiobook) to Stephen King's "Cell." (Just skip the gory descriptions.) The people all turn into zombies one day when listening to their cellphones. King makes a lot of snide inferences about people blindly accepting technology, just because it's there. Son Jake and I were listening to it on a trip. Then our jaws dropped open as we passed a college campus, and EVERYONE on the sidewalks seemed to have one pressed to their ear. We wanted to lean out and shout, "Don't do it!" I will probably succumb and get one someday. God help me. :D Shaz

Your past is past (I'm glad my past is, too!). You have made good things out of your life. Too bad that Z is still wasting his. F Z

Howard was also known to greet the fair sex with a not-so-holy kiss. I was a recipient of one of those once, and silly me, chalked it up to him not knowing how to kiss! Nice to meet you, too, Howard. Ew, Shaz

G) Ideas to Encourage Reading in Young Children Encouraging Reading Tips Reading Is Fudamental -- More Tips H) Maintaining Reliable Transportation Car Maintenance Tips More Car Maintenance Tips J) Powerful Paragraphs and M)The "Write" Stuff" -- this depends upon what you are writing the paragrah for. Is it for a resumé or bio? a recommendation? scholarly writing? These all have Web sites on the Internet to address those needs. K) Sola Scriptura: An Overview of the Protestant Reformation The Basics on the Reformation -- there are lots of sites that will give you a good overview Digital Library on the Reformation -- this is the database that many universities use. You can try it out for 30 days for free, then buy it. Or belong to a real university. L) Some Practical Aspects of Business Etiquette Business Etiquette Links International Business Etiquette Email Etiquette in Business There ya go, Shaz

Building an Understanding of Vehicle Purchasing Car Buying Tips More Car Buying Tips The First Freedom: Religious Liberty in America Religious Liberty, ACLU The North American Religious Liberty Association Highlights of African History and Culture African History on About.com African History on the BBC, multimedia Can we say...Google? and free? and they do it better? Regards, Shaz

Oh yeah, Sushi, they're not kidding about the road. Toward the top (you know, the really steep parts) it's just a gravel road, and graded. And cars PASS each other on that thing! Yeah, it took my breath away. And it wasn't just 'cuz of the view. But it is way cool to drive up and see the trees get smaller and gnarlier, then disappear altogether as you get above tree line. I even found some wild blueberries at one of our stops. Some of the most severe weather in the world is on the top of Mt. Washington, so they have a weather observatory up there. Last August when we were there, it was thick with fog, and chilly. Back at the bottom, it was sunny and hot. Caves and mountains, the best trips in the summer. Regards, Shaz

Yeah, GeorgeSt., it's an amusement park. Sounds great, Chas! We drove up Mt. Washington last year. (Couldn't afford the bus or train, which would have been much nicer!) I hadn't been up since I was a kid. Even my cinical teenager said, "Whoa!" And now he wants to HIKE it. Mom has said okay, but only if we don't have to hike back down! Find that place near Santa's that serves do-it-yourself ice cream sundaes, too. A little pricier than other places, but worth the fun! Have a blast, Shaz

LOL at the format for fellowship, mstar! So true. A few years after leaving TWI, I had moved back to my home state, and I poked my nose out to see what kind of fellowship I might attend. Found a local offshoot, that was pretty much doing the TWI thing minus Martindale. After a few meetings they asked me to teach, and when I got there, saw that my hostess was setting out one special armchair with a lamp, a side table, doily, etc. I hadn't heard that there had been a "suggestion" to everyone to do this, but I saw where she was coming from. I sat on the floor. She got where I was coming from! Such a li'l radical, Shaz

"While vacationing on a deserted beach in China, Lindsey Lohan lost a contact lens. The paparazzi came out of hiding to help find it." Heck no, Toppers, they came out of hiding to watch her look for it! :D

I don't have a problem with ritual per se. Formal symbolic gestures can add meaning to an event. For example, I'm thinking most of us went through the ceremony of a wedding -- we didn't just sign a paper and say, "Okay, we're married now," and get on with life. We wanted to have a significant event to memorialize the importance of the commitment. But memorial becomes empty ritual a few ways. One is by not informing the participants that a ritual is about to be performed. People can't "play" if they don't know the "rules." And since Wierwille had always made fun of the traditions of men, it was difficult to accept him parading around in clerical robes. It made me uncomfortable. Another way to make ritual meaningless is to put the form over the substance -- to lose the meaning of the gestures in preference to repeating the gestures exactly. Ritualizing communion (hold your hand like this, read this, do it only on this day) was one that I disagreed with. I ran communion when I thought people would be helped by it, and though I tried to be a good little Wayfer and run it like a ceremony, I just couldn't get all twisted into doing it one way only. I don't think it was an accident that TWI had more and more rituals added as time went on. As the heart went out of it, ritual replaced it, just like any religion. Regards, Shaz

YES!!!! Thanks for letting us know, Lisa. I am sure that the amount of time and energy spent on this must have been horrendous. But i think you have established a precedent that can help many other families stay safe from abusive exes. Score one for the women who want to protect their children! And kudos to the court for standing up for the best interests of the children. My thanks. Shaz

LOL, glad all the guys picked up on that one right away. It gives me hope for your gender ;) ! Shaz (non-male)

ROFLMAO, dmiller! Dose that dog look sheepish in the picture, or what! "Oh-oh, I did a baaaad thing...." 1909 Steiff bear owned by Presley, ouch.

I can remember when VPW suggested that people teach the PFAL materials in Twig. (And of course, a suggestion was supposed to be taken as a command!) Musta been around 1980 or even before. I remember thinking that was for people who didn't know what to teach, or how. I just kept on going with what I thought people needed/wanted to hear about. And taught that abundant sharing was sharing of your abundance. And had communion whenever I thought it was needed. I think I would've eventually been kicked out 5 times over, if I hadn't walked away first! Regards, Shaz