shazdancer

The spouse who wants to abuse you would be happy to have you commit to forever. And that spouse will continue to remind you of your commitment. Sort of like TWI. Regards, Shaz

Okay, boys and girls, today's word is... FLAMMULATED. As in, "Let's go on a nature walk to search for flammulated owls." No joke, saw this word on a nature magazine cover. CW, if you are this much of a word nerd, you MUST start going to Scrabble club, you'd love it! Regards, Shaz

Lawdy, Catcup, and think of all the times in the PFAL Class that VP sticks his finger in or near his ear.... :unsure: :o Shaz

Hi, WG, Coolchef got you started in the right direction. Yes, the 4-stamps-with a number are called plate blocks, and there is only one plate block on each sheet of stamps, so they are worth a little more. Airmail stamps are often worth a little more, as are the higher denominations in a series, as less of them were printed. Condition is also important -- unless it is very rare, you want a stamp that has the gum on the back, no rips, nicely centered, all its perforations, mint condition. Another specialty is stamps that have major printing errors on them, like missing or misprinted colors, or no perforations where there should be. (Not to be confused with coil stamps, that came off of a roll, and were perforated on 2 sides only.) The nearest large library in your area will probably have a current or near-current set of stamp catalogues. Figure a selling price would usually be about 1/2 the list price. You can also check out eBay and see what some stamps are actually selling for. You could have some fun looking up some of the collection. From 1950+, though, you are probably not looking at a lot of value. But you can learn a lot of history from the commemoratives. Hey, rascal, you may have some value in that collection. Pre-WWII, and stamps that were the first for their countries, generally have value. So go look up some of the older ones in those international stamp catalogues. Have fun! Regards, Shaz (Helped in a stamp business a loooong time ago....)

Well, David, if you'd lived in Waterbury, CT a coupla years ago, you would've gotten this lovely guy as your mayor...Waterbury Mayor Gets 37 Years Then there's the former Governor, John Rowland, convicted of federal racketeering charges. He took kickbacks from building contractors. Bridgeport's Mayor Ganim, same thing, accepted favors from contractors. Good ol' boys network is alive and well in the Nutmeg State. Regards, Shaz

Ah, bad on me for just assuming! My apologies -- I just can't keep up with everyone's backstory, let alone their gender! ;) You're a guy collecting Hallmark -- did you/do you collect Beanie Babies, too? Can't tell you how many men I met during the craze who did -- all for investment, of course. Heck, I'm equal opportunity. I'll join your cult and take your Pony even if you're a guy. Just don't make any VPW moves, or you will WISH you were a girl.... :P Regards, Shazdovey (did Ornament Club membership one year -- does that qualify me for the Intermediate Class?)

Aww, but dmiller, Dovey has found the last lost Pony for Christmas ornament that has eluded me for centuries, er, since October! She has disclosed the secret to Abundant Ornament Collecting. I owe her my life! Um Dovey, do you have a class to teach me the keys so that I may always have an abundance of ornaments in my life in this dayandtimeandhour? I mean, I am abundant now, but I want MORE than abundance. :D Shazdovey Now, everyone turn in your Sing Along the Doveys to #666, "All I Want." Take it away, Rhoda.... "All I want for Christmas is my Po-ny gift, My Po-ny gift, See my Po-ny gift. All I want for Christmas is my Po-ny gift SO I can wish you Merry Neiiiigh...."

It's okay, Digi. In Phoenix, they just put their lights on the saguaros instead. Dovey, you're worth every penny. Unfortunately, I can't pay what you're worth, but I'll join your cult, okay? Merry Christmas, Shaz

Merry Christmas, Sudo, and peaceful holidays to everyone. Shaz

Dear Sudo, I LOVE the picture of your tree at night. My son keeps turning off the lights in the kitchen (where our tree is) to get the full effect. And he's Mr. Too Cool! I love it. Dear Dovey, You're on! Could you save me one for after the holidays? I sent you an email. Merry Christmas, everyone! Shaz

I had a feeling you were talking Hallmark, WD! I think I will wait on that $100+ horse, though I have the #3 one. Maybe I'll check on eBay in the summer, when prices for such things will be lower. And I'm missing this year's "Pony for Christmas." Can't find it, they seem to be selling out of the popular ones so they can be sold on eBay. And yeah, I now try and take good care of the boxes. But I'm determined not to get (too) anal about it. I'm one of those closet "ornament shifters," too! Regards, Shaz

((((((Aw, Dove!)))))) Thanks, marypoppins, my son is incredibly better, and still has more to go. It is great to see him smiling, laughing, and involved in life again. This is gonna be a great Christmas! Okay, now about the ornaments.... Mine have no color scheme, though some of you that have that, it sounds very nice. My mom had given me some Hallmark ornaments when my oldest was born, and more with the next baby, and I have added many more to the collection over the years, some to commemorate certain events, and some just because I like them. I liked the rocking horse/hobby horse ones, so have several of those, which go on the tree, probably killing their collectible value, but not their enjoyment. :) I also have plenty of ornaments with that are handmade, or were given to me by students or family, that also adorn the tree or the apartment. And I have two ornaments that go back to my childhood. One is a a wobbly-looking skater that was "my" ornament when i was little, and one is a pink Christmas tree that was my grandmother's. They are a little worn, and go one the back of the tree, where I can see them. I also have a small collection of those "Rodney the Reindeer" stuffed anumals that Hallmark makes. One big one I just found at a church sale, and a few little ones. They are all hanging out on top of my bookshelves this year. Cute. Now for my funniest Christmas ornament: Hands down, the award goes to "Severed Santa Head!" That's what I call it, anyway. It's a composition-and-cloth ornament about the size of a baseball, a gift from a student, that looks like a realistic shrunken head of Santa, with no body! The effect is kinda icky, and it suits my warped sense of humor, so I put it up somewhere in my home every year. (One of those "what were they thinking?" kind of presents!) This year, he is looking down at us from the top of the 'fridge, on the mug tree. I think he's makin' a list! It's gonna be a great Christmas. Shaz

Oh, these posts are wonderful! Thanks for the Christmas present. I'm all smiles. I'm a nut about getting a real tree. When we were kids, and moved to the "wilds" of CT, my dad got into the habit of taking us to a tree farm to cut down a tree. I have done that a few times with my kids since -- red cheeks and cocoa included. But there were times when I could barely afford a tree, like when I was first divorced, with two young kids. I was able to buy a cut tree at the Boy Scout sale on their last day for 1/2 off, a nice little balsam for $15. We had very few decorations, so I made a bunch out of pictures cut from Christmas catalogues, and pine boughs collected from tree cutters. Nice. Last year, I was too sick with Lyme disease to have the energy to get a tree. My bf didn't care, so we didn't get one. But we managed to spend Christmas at my oldest daughter's, and she loves Christmas even more than I do! We also all went to a Christmas Eve service at her church: my daughters, my son, and my mother. Real sweet. This year, I am feeling great. I would consider myself in remission. I have energy again, enough to lose the weight I had gained, and to jettison the bf, who had turned into something else. My son (who also has Lyme, and is still in treatment) wanted to know, "Can we get a tree this year?" Absolutely! I wasn't in the mood to tramp into the snow, so we checked out the tree sale at my local farmer's market. The first tree he showed us was just the right size, and when I found a bird's nest in it, that was it! The 6-footer was just the right size for my son and me to haul up the stairs and set up in the kitchen. Bird's nest and all. More about the ornaments, later. :) :) Shaz

Hi, everybody! You don't call it a "ho-ho" tree or something foolish, do you? Is your tree real, or artificial (fake!)? Did you cut it yourself, or go to the parking lot next to the hardware store? Do you use tinsel icicles, tinsel garland, or do you have the thing flocked in pink snow? And how about the decorations? Do you color coordinate the whole thing, or do you have an eclectic tree with junior's egg carton ornament made five years ago on it? What's your favorite ornament? Do you have any ornaments or decorations that come with stories? I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours.... ;) Merry Christmas, Shaz

I dunno, WW, how about by laughing...:D :D Shaz

One more possible take on this... If your son was late to practice, he probably missed warm-ups. So perhaps the 30 butterflies (whatever they are) were meant to give him a fast warm-up so he could join practice. On the other hand, if the coach indicated to the kid it was punishment, the coach is a dork. :D As a gymnastics coach, I have to give kids warm-up assignments when they're late to practice. I try to present it in a "here's what you gotta do to catch up" manner, but abbreviated warm-ups are usually not much fun, and the kid will have to work separately from the group until she is ready. We don't always know why the kid was late -- sometimes she tells us, sometimes the parents tell us. If the kid is chronically late she doesn't feel like a part of the team, so we try and talk to the parents and figure out a solution. And I'm with karmic -- let the kid handle it, unless the coach is a TOTAL dork! Regards, Shaz

Maybe I answered my own question. Reading over the "What's Chr** doing now" thread, it seems like there was a lot of wrangling over the making of a new foundational class. Perhaps CG was po'ed that he wasn't allowed to keep the money he was raking in on PFAL. I'm speculating here, but I'm thinking that his march on Headquarters was designed to get the BOT to loosen the purse strings, and let more money stay in Gartmore. (And remember how much of the POP was devoted to how hard they were working on the Gartmore property?) So instead of saying, "Give me more money," Chris told them in the POP how they were all off the Word (meaning FINANCIALLY off), and how VPW loved what CG was doing, and would have supported his efforts more, except the mean BOT wouldn't listen to him anymore. When the BOT eventually woke up and said no to CG, he wailed about how hard their hearts still were, while all the while he went about to make his break and produce his own version of PFAL. When there's a major power play, it's usually about sex, adulation, or money. In this case, I'm betting on money. Regards, Shaz

I think that if the leaders had ever said exactly what it was that was so messed up, they would have to reveal how petty they were -- or how vile. Try these on for size... "Suzie isn't walking in the love of God in the renewed mind in the household." i.e. Suzie doesn't notice that it drives me nuts when she cracks her gum at the water cooler. "Suzie isn't walking in the love of God in the renewed mind in the household." i.e. Suzie wouldn't put out when I asked her to service my MOGiness. So instead, leaders spoke in such vague generalities that we thought, Ooh, that's so heavy! Listen to all the spiritual insight that guy has! Yeah, my gripe with TWI fits what he said, he must be thinking the same thing I am. He must be getting revelation! (Wish I knew how to get that....) So what was CG's real gripe? It wasn't the sex scandals, because he would have implicated himself. It doesn't seem to be that he wanted to take over, or he would have taken the helm right after the POP, as the BOT was eating out of his hand. So I guess my question is, What was the BOT doing to CG that pi**ed him off so much that he initiated the POP letter so long after VPW's death? Regards, Shaz

TooGray, I have only one word for you (repeat 3 times)... Cows! Cows! Cows! :) :D Shaz

The heart of any Christian leadership training program should have been to teach people how to love and care for people in a godly manner. A lot of loving, caring, intelligent people went into that program. A lot of goose-stepping, boot-licking, dictator wannabes also went into that program. Guess whose mindset was encouraged over and over again in that program? Guess whose mindset was overlooked, even minimized? That's why I have a problem with the Corps program. Not that there was discipline. Hell, I was raised on discipline, and trained for a career in a very disciplined field. The rigors of the Corps were no big deal. It was the demonstration of love missing from the leadership that was a big deal. Thank God some people kept their heads on straight anyway. Regards, Shaz

Well, WW, not quite. I'll buy it that it was a prank. But what I DON'T get is all the preparation behind it. Throwing you in the pond is one thing -- no cost involved, and very little planning. Impromptu. But this ceremony thing -- costumes, special effects, the fire, digging up Jack-in-the-pulpit root, laughing at his own followers. WTF? Did they use their ministerial/academic robes? Can you imagine any other pastor of any other congregation doing something like this? And I doubt a branch leader would have ever been allowed to do such a thing. Although I don't see anything "spiritual" behind this display of "boys will be boys," I see a lot of psychological insight into the heart of a guy who couldn't care less about his "people." Regards, Shaz

Yeah, I remember there was some talk about this (maybe it was from you, TheEvan). It just sounds so bee-zarre -- spending all that time on costumes, effects, planning for a mock ceremony -- when what they told everyone they were about was "moving the Word." What was the point of it? To separate the "spiritually mature?" It all just sounds like so much immature male machismo. I can't imagine some Branch leader getting away with a thing like that. Smacks of Wierwille again abusing his power, just because he could. Regards, Shaz

Yeah, Johnny, preparing and going through the trial will be very traumatic. She will have to relive what happened and rehearse what facts she wants to emphasize, over and over. It is very tough to have to "live there," when what you want to do is go on with your life. Regards, Shaz

Hi, Psalmie! I'd be interested in hearing how your surgery turns out, as I have blown my ankles more than once also, and they can be painful at times. Meantime, you want to get your wrists, elbows and shoulders stronger, gradually. I like the idea of wrist supports. Exercise? Try push-ups, but do them this way to use the same muscles you will be using on crutches: Get a stepstool, block, large book, or parallettes (they are like small parallel bars with feet). If you use a something other than parallettes, you are going to put your palms at the edges, fingers hanging down the sides, so choose something about as wide as your shoulders. Put the prop up to about shin height, and your feet on the floor. Do 5 push-ups in this position, rest, 5 more, rest, and 5 more. Work GRADUALLY up to doing 10, rest, 10, rest 5. Lower the prop until it is ankle height. That should do the trick. I am not a physical therapist, I just like to think through exercises that help this old dancer body run with the youngsters. Regards, Shaz

Johnny, I hope she doesn't blame herself for letting him into their lives. These guys are masters at deceit. If you doubt that, remember how many of us were fooled by VP. Why did he choose her? Probably because she was a good person, a person who would not immediately suspect his little quirks to be red flags for a problem. A giving person, who would work extra hard to keep things running smoothly, allowing the abuser more free rein to develop his evil intent. I hope you let her be as ANGRY as can be at that evil man. She should be able to go on someday, but she will have to get through this tragedy at her own pace. Therapy with someone with experience in these matters helps. Having someone like you to hear her out helps -- after awhile, we just don't want to talk about our problems that much anymore! And yes, I also recommend "The People of the Lie." Regards, Shaz