GentlyFeral

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Posts by GentlyFeral

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  118

  If you could have one date with anyone, who would it be?

  by obiwan in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  i've thought about this, the problem is there are so many wonderful choice's, i don't know where to start!

  i always had a thing for tiffany, the singer, when i was younger!

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  GentlyFeral

  JT Leroy, just for coffee. No expectations.

  GentlyFeral
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  14

  How Do You Feel About Watchtower Enablers???

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  enabling has been defined as "taking responsibility for the destructive behavior of other people so that they do not have to deal with the consequences of their own.

  it is also enabling to pretend that the destructive behavior is not occurring.

  such enablers often deny and minimize.

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  GentlyFeral

  undercover,

  Chill. You're right -- but I just want to point out there's a difference between walking away from other people's self-inflicted problems and making excuses so they can keep screwing up their own and others' lives.

  GentlyFeral
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  19

  friends over here and over there

  by frenchbabyface in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in reading topics and chating with nice people ... i just feel like i want to know all of you .

  i'm a 36 woman from paris, no friend (huh !

  ), no familly (anymore) but a great funny son .

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  GentlyFeral

  It's a pleasure to meet you, frenchbabyface. I've been trying to teach myself French for the past year, and have not made any progress. I really need to concentrate on my textbook!

  I don't know much about French culture yet, beyond Rimbaud and a few other Symbolists, and Truffaut, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. I'm learning, very slowly.

  GentlyFeral
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  13

  Lurkers! What Happened to the Puritans?

  by metatron in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  yes, what ever happened to the puritans?

  in the us, these were the guys with.

  the funny belt bucket hats who ate turkey with the indians (oops, native americans).. they were religious fanatics who thought the end was soon, just like some folks.

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  GentlyFeral

  Euphemism,

  By the time that a JW parents studies the Knowledge book with their child, the kid has already heard at the meetings all the teachings that it contains.

  I respectfully disagree. Many's the time I've mentioned a concept that was done to death in meetings, only to hear my children express surprise that they were ever expected to believe it.

  "What, you thought I was paying attention?" <-- direct quote

  GentlyFeral
• 
  58

  If You Ruled Your Own Country......

  by Frannie Banannie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  what would life be like for everyone who lives there?.

  frannie b

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  GentlyFeral

  I think if I had my own country we would be conquered in no time because there would be no military ,people would have all kinds of rights and freedoms they don't have today and I believe the partying will be so hard core that noone will notice an advancing foe before it's too late . ohhhhhhh crap .

  heathen and I actually agree on something for once!

  ...But I *would* have a military force, for defense only. Like Switzerland. Everybody has to do military time & I hear they're damn serious about it, but have they ever invaded anyone else? It is to laugh. They even rejected UN membership 3-1 in a popular vote.

  Military involvement outside Kaleidoscopia's borders would require a 2/3 majority vote of the PEOPLE.

  Oh, and gay marriage would be legal from day one.
  Marijuana would be legal (and taxable), but I think I'd set up the weed tax to favor small farmers :)

  Hate crime perps would be deported. Threatening people with hellfire would be classified as a hate crime.

  Immigration policy would favor those in need. We might actually RECRUIT teens who were kicked out of their homes for being, queer, or leaving their parents' cult churches, or suchlike...Yeah, I definitely like the idea of an Israeli-style Law of Return, but for hippies and other salutary freaks.

  Otherwise: the engines of law would be driven by the rights and needs of children.

  GentlyFeral
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  38

  Roots

  by Xena in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  in speaking with some people the other day i realized i have no roots....no long term frienships....no family connections.

  i went to a party and almost all of the people there knew each other from high school or college or family friends.

  i felt so out of place.

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  GentlyFeral

  When I was a kid I had very few friends and didn’t function well in crowds.

  When I became a jaydub I abandoned my worldly friends and made a few superficial friendships in the bOrg (and a few fairly deep ones, too; but those are gone).

  When I woke up I hung out with a UU church – friendly, comfortable, liberal – and made some friendships there that I have let lapse since I moved on.

  I have one or two friends that I love dearly and see once or twice a year! I’m a miniscule part of their lives and though I’m jealous of the people who have a bigger part in their lives, I’m reluctant to make the effort to be more involved with them.

  do you ever wonder if you will find your place in this world?

  Yes, but it’s not about friendships; for me, that's an economic issue.

  I’m waking up to the realization that I’m phobic about being responsible for people. I’m attracted to bright, troubled people (I’m one myself), so I’m terrified of eventually having to abandon someone who needs me too much, just for the sake of my own survival.

  And even in less threatening circumstances, I do feel “alone in a crowded room” – sometimes because I don’t know how to do the small-talk thing, and partly because being in a crowd wears me out.

  GentlyFeral
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  28

  Top 100 Banned Books 1990 - 2000

  by closer2fine in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  how many have you read?

  - you deviants you..

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  GentlyFeral

  1. Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite; a very sweet story about a marriage that breaks up amicably when daddy comes out.
  2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou; autobiography, well worth your time.
  3. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier; a creepy book about a boys' school.
  4. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain; includes one of the most edifying (morally uplifting) scenes in American literature, in which Huck declares "Well, then, I'll go to hell" rather than turn his friend over to slave-catchers.
  5. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck; another good read, rather dated now.
  6. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling; I gave up a little way into the third book - kind of discovered that the velvet was flannel and the jewels were paste. Wouldn't hesitate to let my kids cut their teeth on it, though. Great prep for Tolkien :)
  7. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman same genre as Daddy's roommate, but without the divorce. Two upstanding lesbians take their little daughter on a camping trip while the girl ruminates on their life.
  8. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger; my daughter thought this was melodramatic and overrated.
  9. The Giver by Lois Lowry; not terribly nuanced, but a good introduction to classic dystopian SF themes. On a par with The White Mountains et sequelae by John Christopher. Good prep for those and H.G. Wells et cetera.
  10. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine; poorly written but imaginatively plotted. A good way to bait the reluctant reader into fantastic literature. Baby steps to Poe!
  11. The Color Purple by Alice Walker; two words: Wow. And wow.
  12. Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel; great idea, but the language is clumsy. I gave up after the second volume.
  13. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson; a plainly told, believable story about a foster child. Not-scary prep for the fine, horrifying works of JT Taylor (Sarah; The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things).
  14. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle; more good "infant" SF; this has dated a little more than her other works, but still holds up.
  15. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak; ok, so you can see the little hero's peepee for one pic, but it's not a central focus of the book, ya know? Nothing the young male reader hasn't seen before.
  16. The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard; Much better than Jackass. I especially liked The Stupids Die.
  17. The Witches by Roald Dahl; a conspiracy-theory comedy with hilarious special effects.
  18. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood; One of the better dystopian tales of the past 20 years.
  19. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison; her first novel, I believe. Song of Solomon (see below) is a much better investment of time/money.
  20. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee; Hmm! 'bout time to read this again!
  21. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes; I'm a sucker for stories about underdogs and geniuses - this character is both.
  22. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein; can't imagine why this was banned! Wonderful rambunctious light verse.
  23. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley; the classic of dystopian fiction.
  24. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl; WTF? Why was this banned?Read it, read it!!
  25. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut; incomprehensible, but fun.
  26. Lord of the Flies by William Golding; a study in the formation of totalitarianism, suitable for children ages 12 and up; or maybe as young as 10.
  27. Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen; Don't know this one. Raymond Buckland is the classic author; Scott Cunningham is for utter newbies. Read whatever the hell you want and then make up your own.
  28. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain; I prefer Huckleberry Finn, because it is less light-hearted.
  29. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison; a fabulous wandering cast-of-thousands novel about a small Southern town, complete with human dignity and guilty secrets.
  30. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene; A fairly decent kids' book about growing up as an outsider and the conflict of compassion with cultural expectations.
  31. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman; is this the classic fairy tale? I always loved the thought of tiger butter.
  32. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell; a charming little book about a boy who discovers marketing and explores food phobias.

  Damn....not even half?

  Well, hell; this week I'm reading JT Taylor's The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things and The Birth of Christianity by John Dominic Crossan;then I'll read Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam and Thou Art That, by Joseph Campbell; and I've just finished The Jesus Mysteries.

  gently feral
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  15

  As a faithful JW, did you ever shun people or family ???

  by run dont walk in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  when you were still faithful to the borg, did you shun family or other people, because of the watchtower ???.

  when you look back now, what goes through your mind ??

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  GentlyFeral

  To my everlasting shame, I shunned my best friend after she was DF'd for being pregnant and unmarried. Not only did I shun her, but she helped me to do it. She was the one who brought me news of her disfellowshiping, along with a FAREWELL GIFT -- a little fridge magnet that said, "Thank you for being a friend."

  We never spoke again, and by the time I DA'd and thought to contact her again, she'd moved out of the area and the trail was ten years cold.

  I still miss her. Wanda Carr, if you're reading this, PM me!

  GentlyFeral
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  21

  How superstitious are you?

  by ozziepost in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for some time now, my profile shows that my average posts per day are 6.66. now to some people this could be a bad omen.

  do you find that you try to avoid certain things because of "superstition"?.

  well, are you superstitious?.

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  GentlyFeral

  funkyderek,

  Hmmm. I believe in causality.

  Me too, but I also believe in ... let's call it correlation, because "coincidence" just doesn't sound quite right. For me, a personal correlation is: black candle + lighted match = unemployment. It's happened to me before.

  I don't believe that the material world is all that exists. Well, most of the time I don't, except when advocates for the spiritual world get too extreme

  I believe that superstition can be a healing art, if you use it to allay and control fear rather than allow it to generate new fears.

  More later, perhaps.

  GentlyFeral
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  30

  What kind of fairy are you? *** Fluff Alert ***

  by Elsewhere in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what kind of male faerie are you?

  take the male faerie quiz.

  what kind of female faerie are you?

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  GentlyFeral

  "Ieles are large bi-pedal cats from Romania, Eastern Europe and parts of Russia. They wait near crossroads for human prey whom they suck blood from. Often they will sing or dance to lure humans off the main road. They cannot go into the middle of a crossroads - or their power is forever grounded.

  "Don't like your results? Want to cheat? I won't tell. Other possible results:
  Chi Spirit
  Drac
  Dryad
  Dinnshencha
  Ieles
  Pillywiggin
  Snow Fae"

  Naturally, there were questions were my preferred answer was not an option.

  I wanted to be from the Americas, which was not on the list. Neither was "explore the universe and bait the gods to see what would happen" on the list of favorite pastimes.

  GentlyFERAL