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If a wheel falls off a wagon which is rolling up hill, how long will it take to shingle a dog house?
Posts: 55 | Registered: Mar 2005
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You don't want me as a politician. Ironically, that's where my highest mark is. Ironically, that's probably because of Hatrack (woo! Understanding American Politics!). Ironically, my lowest marks are in English. Ironically, I want to write.
*dies*
I can do a double major and a minor. The original plan was Major in English and History and Minor in Politics.
Don't even get me started on the "where does music come in to all of this" issue.
EDIT: Ideally, I'd end up with four majors. However, I only want to do four years of school.
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Karl: I find that many of my friends don't really talk to me unless I begin talking to them and I believe that they don't really want to be friends with me. So I decided I wouldn't talk to them unless they talk to me. Needless to say, I 've lost about 20 friends (Ive counted) and I want to commit suicide. What do I do?
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Trashcan_Man, it sounds like talking with someone trained to help people with these sorts of things would be a very good idea. If you already have a relationship with a health (mental health or physical health) professional, then now would be the time to call them.
If you do not, then if you are a student, try the resources available through your school or university. If you have insurance, you can work through that channel and find out where to start. Or you could check out your local free mental health clinic (many places have this).
Should none of these answers fit, try calling one of the national hotline numbers here. Or use the instructions at that site to find a state or local number.
This is the sort of thing you need experienced help in dealing with. Of course --of course -- we are hear to listen, commiserate, keep you company ( ), and offer whatever support we can. That just is never going to be as much as someone who knows the resourses in your area and has proper training can do. To pretend otherwise would be a grave disservice. We care too much to do that.
You aren't alone. Stay around and chat. And tell us when -- not "if," but when -- you have also linked up with a professional, so that we can all sleep a little better at night.
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So, what's going on in your world today? What are you going to be doing? Me, I am going to check on Tom & Christy's non-human children (cat, fish, bird) after I get some yumminy Earl Grey tea with chocolate in me.
After that, I have to ruthlessly slash apart some of my writing for work.
I think this requires chocolate fortification, don't you? Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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Trashcan_Man, CT's advice here is excellent; I can't recommend highly enough that you do as she suggests.
Teshi, why is it that you're wanting to major in English? Is it just because you want to write? There are valid reasons for choosing English as a major, but I don't feel like wanting to be a writer is among them. The best way to become a writer, I think, is to write.
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Noemon: I realise that, and I am a firm believer in it, but I also love to learn about other people's writing. It certainly enables me to think about my own writing in different ways.
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Ah, okay. That's a good reason to major in English. Out of curiosity, when you've graduated do you intend to support yourself through your writing, or do you have other plans, or do you intend to just let the future happen when it happens (the last of these being what I did--majored in Classics with a minor in Religious Studies, got a MA in Education with a focus in teaching English as a second language, and then ended up getting into the IT field. Worked out pretty well for me, although if I were going back and doing it over I'd probably pick a different major)?
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Ideally, I'd support myself through writing. Realistically, the future happens when it happens.
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Do you miss the Mormon church? What would you say that your purpose is in life (or what makes you get up in the morning)? Do you find that purpose as satisfying as you found purpose through the Mormon perspective when you believed?
Posts: 1947 | Registered: Aug 2002
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definitelynotvichysoisse: If a wheel falls off a wagon which is rolling up hill, how long will it take to shingle a dog house?
Three feet.
Noemon: How much does a mirror weigh?
Mirrors do not weigh. They reflect.
Teshi: Should I major in English, History or Politics?
You should major in English Political History.
But seriously, if you are truley that undecided, I'd suggest majoring in English. That should help you in just as wide a number of fields as the other two, and will provide skills that are essential in just about any field. And if you're just starting, you can always switch majors your second year, usually without too much trouble, if you find your heart pulls you elsewhere. (Caveat: this is coming from someone who has an Associate in Applied Science from the Community College of the Air Force. )
CT: Tell me, KarlEd, will I love you as one of my very favorite people absolutely forever? Only if you come to PA and meet the real me. Until then you can only love what you can glean from my writing. Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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Trashcan_Man: I find that many of my friends don't really talk to me unless I begin talking to them and I believe that they don't really want to be friends with me. So I decided I wouldn't talk to them unless they talk to me. Needless to say, I 've lost about 20 friends (Ive counted) and I want to commit suicide. What do I do?
Follow CT's excellent (and more timely) advice. Aside from that, learn to make the effort to speak to and be around the people you like. The sad reality of life is that most people wait for other people to make the effort to be social. (That is why bars play loud music. If they didn't the silence would be deadly.) Forget waiting for others to initiate. Take charge and be the initiator of conversations, the inviter to parties, and the giver of gifts. You will find that most people will be takers and receivers, without thought of reciprocation, but you will be creating opportunities to encounter those people who are sufficiently advanced socially to respond in kind. You will encounter like spirits and will find your pool of genuine friends will grow over time. Never, and I mean NEVER, determine your own self worth by the way people treat you. By and large, people are shy and often thoughtless. This doesn't mean they don't like you. I usually means they are trapped inside themselves and could maybe use your help to get out.
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romanylass: Karl, have you and Chris ever thought about adopting?
Well, we haven't been together long enough to have any serious discussions about it. In light conversation, Chris has revealed that he thinks he is too much a kid himself to take on the responsibility. I don't see children in my future at the moment. I know that right now I have neither the money nor the energy to fight the legal battles that would be involved in adopting a child as a gay man. I like kids a lot, but right now I'm satisfied trying to be a positive influence on other people's kids. As TomD put it this weekend, "You do seem pretty avuncular." I chose to take that as a compliment. Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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I miss the social aspect of belonging to a church. So far I haven't been able to find any other institution that provides the opportunities for social bonding that church did. However, I do not miss many of the specifically Mormon aspects of going to church, nor do I miss any of the specifically religious aspects of church. That said, I don't see myself going to church again if it's just for the social aspect of it. I'd feel too much like an outsider and a hypocrite if I pretended to believe in order to fit in, and I'd feel like a heckler at a play everyone else was enjoying if I were openly skeptical. Add to that the fact that I don't know of any gay-friendly churches in my town and you can see why I don't see church in my future anytime soon.
What would you say that your purpose is in life (or what makes you get up in the morning)?
I don't think life itself has an objective purpose except to perpetuate itself. However, I think that each individual can find or create his or her own purpose or goals which can be satisfying. My self-imposed purpose is to create beauty and spread happiness, it is also to right wrongs and alleviate pain or suffering when I can.
Do you find that purpose as satisfying as you found purpose through the Mormon perspective when you believed?
Yes, I do. I still find joy in helping others. I find joy in other people's happiness as well as my own, but especially in smiles I know I had a hand in putting there. If anything, I find this purpose more satisfying because it seems more real to me. I also find it more satisfying because it is a purpose I have found for myself rather than one that was imposed on me from some (in my experience unknowable and unnecessary) external source.
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Noemon: Am I going to regret planting those [climbing] rose bushes so close to my house?
That depends entirely on what you expected them to climb on. I mean, they gotta climb on something. If it's your house, that can be very pretty and in some cases makes them easier to prune since instead of using a ladder, you can just reach out of an upstairs window.
While there are probably some good reasons to not plant a climbing rose near your house (bees might be one), there are some significant plusses. They add security as they make for very unfriendly hiding places for burglars and the like. They usually smell good and look good, and since most people spend more time closer to their houses than they do in far-flung parts of the yard, you're likely to fully enjoy them more.
ElJay: Oooooh, what color did you get???
Pink. (But that probably wasn't directed at me, huh? )
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Nonetheless, you were right Karl--they're pink. I got...hmmm, let's see... William Baffin climbing roses. And I came up with the idea of planting pink climbing roses all on my own.
The cascading roses that you suggested putting in the window boxes, ELJay, will be in at my local nursery next weekend, so assuming that the weather cooperates I've got my project for next weekend all lined up.
Edit--okay, what's wrong with my link? I've recreated it twice and it's still messed up.
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I actually haven't been posting nearly as many links as I usually do Hobbes--I kind of fade in and out with that.
ELJay, yeah, I'll definitely be sending you pictures, or if you're in the area you're more than welcome to stop by and see how it looks for yourself. I'm trying to decide, now, whether I should put in trellises between the plant and the house, or actually let the roses climb the columns. Having them climb the columns would definitely look cooler, but I was talking to somebody yesterday who was going on at length about what a bad idea it was to let climbing plants grow directly on your house. So...I'm undecided.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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I don't know. Does it work [URL=http://www.waysidegardens.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10067&langId=-1&mainPage=prod2working&ItemId=45031&PrevMainPage=advsearchre %20sults&OfferCode=R3H&scChannel=Roses%20AS]for me?[/URL]
[edit: apparently not. I assume it is because UBB code doens't like some character in the URL. ]
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I have this black netting stuff wrapped around the pillars of my back porch for my climbing plants to cling to. The net is fine enough that you can't see it from more than a few feet away, and not at all once the plants cover it, but the plants cling to it instead of the actual column. It's a pretty good compromise solution, since you do actually have to attach it to the house firmly to hold the weight of the plant. I'm sure your garden center would have it.
Edit: I am such a derailer! I shoulda just bumped the landscaping thread...
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Hobbes: Why is Noemon neglecting his space related news thread?
Actually, he hasn't been posting nearly as many links as he usually does. He tends to fade in and out with that. He is apparently somewhere in the "out" phase of his fading at the moment.
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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quote:You don't want me as a politician. Ironically, that's where my highest mark is. Ironically, that's probably because of Hatrack (woo! Understanding American Politics!). Ironically, my lowest marks are in English. Ironically, I want to write.
My worst marks were in math, and my best marks were in philosophy and creative writing. Yet here I am in the chemical process industry.
Bottom line: marks are largely irrelevant.
Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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Noemon's un-asked, but implied question: What is the best way to have my roses climb my house?
Actually, contrary to name, "climbing roses" are not really "climbers" in the sence wysteria or ivy or morning-glory is. Roses do not twine around structures like wysteria or morning-glory, nor do they put out suckers or climbing roots like English Ivy or Boston Ivy. Climbing Roses actually are roses that just send out extra long, upright, somewhat flexible canes. To actually make them "climb" you have to anchor the individual canes to something. (I.E. you have to tie them to the trellis as strategic points or you have to buy some other fastening devices, all of which can be bought at a good nursury.) There are nails with wires or lead(Pb) strips attached which can be set into walls and then used to tie back the roses, or you can put up a trellis and use plastic twist-ties to fasten the canes to it. There are also some wire thingies you can cement onto a smooth wall with epoxy and then bend around the rose canes to fasten them.
Second implied question: I'm trying to decide, now, whether I should put in trellises between the plant and the house, or actually let the roses climb the columns.
Personally, I'd let the roses "climb" (see above) the columns. You can bend the canes as the roses grow and just tie them at intervals around the columns, avoiding the necessity of actually nailing anything into the columns.
The disadvantages of growing plants right onto the house is that plants harbor moisture (and insects), which can damage paint and wood over time. Also if you remove the plant later, there is almost definitely going to be a stain on the paint or some discoloration where the plant was. How much you can live with all this totally depends on how anal you are about a pristine paint job and how much you think you will keep on top of keeping the plant debris and bug free.
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Noemon sentence that begs to be addressed: That netting sounds like a *great* idea Eljay! I'll definitely be looking into it.
The netting ElJay is talking about is excellent for morning-glory or clematis or some other light vines, but I would be very surprised if it worked well for most climbing roses. In my experience the netting is too weak to "train" the canes of roses, and a more substantial vine like wysteria will just tear it off and laugh at you. YMMV.
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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*grin* It works well for getting trumpet vines started, too, but I'm imagining it will become superfluous in one more season, as the vine gets big enough to take over my back porch.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Thanks for your replies. You guys don't really have to worry. I'm not thinking about it as much. I feel like I should say something else but I don't really know what else to say.
Posts: 21 | Registered: Jan 2005
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Karl, thanks for all of the information! Much appreciated.
Trashcan_Man, glad that you're doing better. Nonetheless, it wouldn't hurt to talk to a therapist about the situation. You want to avoid tamping the subject down and laying a veneer of "being okay with it" down over it. Eventually it'll come to the surface again, and it'll be that much harder to deal with then for not having dealt with it now. I'm not necessarily saying that that's what you're doing, mind you; you just want to be careful to make sure that it *isn't* what you're doing.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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And the corollary to why am I still awake: Why do I stay up too late every night even though I am tired?
Posts: 5771 | Registered: Nov 2000
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Because you enjoy life so much you're afraid you'll miss something good if you go to sleep.
Ela: And the corollary to why am I still awake: Why do I stay up too late every night even though I am tired?
See above answer.
TtheS: When will I find true love and a good job?
When you start getting to bed before midnight on a weeknight. True love is looking for you right now, but he's got a day job and has to be in bed by 10:00 PM. (Though I didn't say he had to be sleeping by 10. )
Also, most "good jobs" require you to be sleeping at this hour. There's a good one on the horizon, but you'll have to be awake and well rested at the appropriate hour to get it. Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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