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 Thursday, August 19, 2004 Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 8/19/2004 06:20:47 PM Why? Its summer...I needed a tan. :) And, cause Stormy mentioned it and I therefore had to find it. Grab the drool buckets. 
Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 8/19/2004 11:09:47 AM Saturday, August 07, 2004 I know, I know, I'm a terrible person. I've just been so busy that I haven't had the energy to type up a blog til today. When I wasn't doing schoolwork for 3 accelerated classes, or VBS, or tending kids, or tending hubby, or driving to Dallas, or driving back from Dallas, or going to church, I was generally sleeping. But, thank the Lord, at least some of that is done for the moment. I finished two of the accelerated classes: Excel and Christian Theology. Excel was easy, just time consuming. Christian Theology almost kicked my butt. Luckily, its done now. Now I've got 2 accelerated classes, and one will finishe up this Tuesday. Well, I'll still have to do a final for it, but I won't have to drive down anymore for a while. For about a week, I'll have only one class, before I start Intro to Sociology. *makes a face* Sounds fun, huh. Well, enough about that. Let's talk about Farscape. I've watched up through Dream a Little Dream and I am just head over heels for this show. I mean, there's the positively lickable John Crichton; the tough as nails, but with a soft, mushy center Aeryn and Dargo; Zan (Xan?) who is alternatively the voice of reason and mother figure, and the alarming fry-your-brain girl; Chiana, the thief with the heart of gold, who I just can't help but love; Rygel, who we're not supposed to even like, but I can't help wanting to cuddle like a teddy bear; and Pilot, who usually seems the only reasonable being on the ship, but has his own demons to deal with. I mean, there is nothing not to love! My favorite, so far, is The Way We Weren't, which was simply beautiful. The acting, the storyline, simply just amazing. Made me cry and everything. *sniff* Ok, see now I'm all rambly and stuff. People going on only a few hours of sleep should not type blogs. Off to watch some more Farscape. Next up...Out of Their Minds! *squeee* Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 8/7/2004 06:37:49 AM Friday, July 16, 2004 So, why is it, exactly, that on my parents computer, my banner *points up* is quite a bit lighter than it was on mine and the background of my blog is blue instead of black? What color is my background for you guys? *puzzles on this for a moment* Still at the parents. Yep, this is a long visit. I love my family dearly, and we are having a great time, but I'm ready to get back home. For one thing, I miss my hubby. It surprises me that, after almost 11 years together (9 years married, 2 dating) that I still have a hard time being away from him for long periods of time. He truly is my best friend (with benefits! ;) *waggles eyebrows*). Also, I miss my Xbox. I bought a new version of my Morrowind game, and now I want to play it. But, alas, no Xbox on which to do so. Plus, there just happens to be a large selection of Farscape episodes waiting at my house, calling my name! WAH! That, I think, is the worst, as we were getting to the really good ones when I left. Some new news, I started a new job. I am now "Assistant to the Director of Distance Education" at my school. :) It sounds pretty cool, huh. *g* What's really nice about this job is that the money helps pay for my tuition, plus, it looks really good on a resume. Not only that, but I get to do the job from the comfort of my own home. Yep, no getting dressed up, driving around. I can do this job in my pj's if I wanna. And I'm sure I'll wanna quite frequently. It involves some recruiting, sending out book lists, and class lists, and other basic admin duties such as that. So, as you can see, I'm really just a glorified admin. But, I'm really excited about the job! Ok, that's all the news I got for the moment. Plus, I'm sleepy. And I gotta get up early tomorrow cause I'm going shopping with my sisters and mom. And, we're eating lunch at The Cheesecake Factory! YUM! :) Extra pounds, here I come! :) Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 7/16/2004 09:02:36 PM Tuesday, July 06, 2004 Ok...right...update. Who's frellin idea was it for me to go back to school anyway? I mean, I was quite happy being the somewhat less smarter person I was. So, who gave me the idea I needed to improve myself anyway? Oh yeah. That was me. *sigh* School is giving me the headache to end all headaches. The *uber* headache. Is the last year like this for everyone? Is it normal to enter each class with the thought "I don't care how I do, just as long as I get it done so I can be finished with this mess." I mean, I vaguely remember, way back when I started, that I cared about my grades and my GPA and what I was learning. I even seem to remember being excited about my classes, although *that* might've been a dream. Those feelings are now overshadowed with the endless exhaustion of class after class after class. So, yeah. I'm pretty ready to be done with it. Anyway, that's why I haven't been doing much around the net of late. Well, that and the recent vacation to St. Louis (where great fun was had by all). But, what does it say about me that I *just* got back from vacation and already feel like I need another one? I'm thinking it says I have to gorram much to do. And, gorramit, its frelling interfering in the things I *want* to be doing. Photoshop sits unused since my last desktop. The fanfic I was writing is collecting dust, as my muse has found herself buried under Christian Ethics, Christian Theology, and Intro to Excel. Even the Farscape dvds aren't getting watched as often as I want to be watching them! (And, I'm pretty sure *that* qualifies as a crime in some states!). Why can't I be independently wealthy and completely happy in my non-college degree state? Ok. This overwhelming session of complaining and poor me is done now. This pity party blog is brought to you by: the headache, the homework, and the letter C (for caffine, since I am now so addicted to it, it would take a 12 step program to pry me away from the Dew). Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 7/6/2004 08:20:36 AM Saturday, June 19, 2004 Still playing around with Photoshop. I'm beginning to see how this can easily become another (of my many) addictions. Anyway, click the link to see my latest invention. Again, it somewhat with the crappy, but I'm still learning all those refining techniques. Its called Hero. Hero And, it may be crappy, but it's still awfully nice to have those men on my desktop! :) Let me add too, that this pic sort of copies Cibby's Mr. Beautiful Kane desktop. That wasn't intentional, it just sort of came out that way. The Cibbers is amazingly creative, so I'm not surprised I would unconciously imitate her. Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 6/19/2004 10:08:52 AM Monday, June 07, 2004 Yep, this is my first attempt at building my own template. After playing with Photoshop for a year, and finally giving in and picking up that Photoshop for Dummies book, I have actually made a banner and put together a template. Its really pretty crappy, and yet I can't seem to stop the feeling of pride. At least I finally did something that looks halfway decent. So, this setting probably won't last very long, but I had to show it off. Crappy, yes...but I did it! :) Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 6/7/2004 09:32:46 AM So, my Sunday morning started like any other Sunday. I got up, helped my kids get ready for church, begin getting myself ready and so on and so forth. We usually see very little of my hubby on Sunday mornings because, being the minister, he's usually up really early and gone pretty early. But yesterday, he woke up not feeling all that great. Sort of dizzy and light-headed and a little nauseous. So, he goes and lays (lies?) down for a while. I get my stuff together for my Sunday school class, get the kids stuff together and then go in there to check on him. He's still not feeling great, so he's just going to lay down during class and then come up to the church in time to preach his sermon. I ask him, jokingly, if I should bring the sermon I wrote for my Biblical Communications class with me. Imagine my surprise when he says, might not be a bad idea. I laugh it off, but I did take it with me, still thinking it was silly to do so. We have class, after class I go and call my hubby. He's worse, not better, and now can't even sit up with feeling like he's gonna hurl. So, I tell the elders. They make the joke, "Now you'll have to preach" and we all laugh. Then they say, its okay, so and so has a sermon they can do. Great, says I, feeling really relieved, and go back and call hubby and let him know all is well. I head out of my hubby's office, turn down the hall and see an elder walking towards me with this worried expression on his face. He says, "So and so actually DOESN'T have one. So, you still have yours?" It was at this point that the dinosaurs took up residence in my stomach. I mean, my hubby and I had bandied back and forth the idea of me giving this message sometime on a Sunday night, but, to be the "preacher" on a Sunday morning? Oh my God (and that would be me calling on the Lord, not taking his name in vain! *g*). So that would be how I found myself preaching a sermon on a Sunday morning. It was an experience, let me tell ya. I was glad when I was done so that the dinosaurs would go away. I didn't do too bad, all things considered. Got some nice compliments. But, I'm thinking that, from now on, I'll leave the preaching to my husband. I suddenly find myself quite liking the "preacher's wife" role! :) Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 6/7/2004 08:52:08 AM Thursday, May 27, 2004 So, I am now a bona fide Farscape addict. Don't get me wrong, I had seen several of the last episodes of last season. But, its really hard to come in at the last minute of a show like that, simply because you no clue what's happening. However, now that I've had the chance to see the first couple of episodes, I am SO ready for more. Lots more. Particularly more of John. I like him. Muchly. :) I am so glad to find another show to take up my time with too. I mean, if you ask me, there's something illegal about not having a show to obsess about every week. It intrinsically wrong on some level. Yes, just nod and agree with me, you all know I'm right. My Netflix queue is growing by the minute. I have all of the Farscapes waiting to come my way, all the Angel's, along with the first 2 season's of Highlander (a show I loved even before Angel). And, I also put the first 2 season's of 24 and the first season of CSI on there, so I can watch them and get hooked as well. 24 I've seen some of before and know that I will be hooked by the end of the first ep (I mean, its the Keif!). Not sure about CSI, but I heard it was good, so we'll give it a try. Yes, Netflix is my new crack! I also picked up Return of the King on Tuesday. I haven't gotten to watch it yet (I'm having to pick my tv time very carefully, what with school and all), but I will be feeding my LoTR addiction here pretty soon too. Of course, I will also be purchasing the Extended just as soon as it becomes avaliable. Yep, I told you...its an addiction. Can't stop myself. This summer promises to be a summer of addiction, with me constantly needing to be working on homework, but choosing instead to watch dvds. I find this a strangely happy thought. And in closing I say this...who the frell needs network tv? Nope, not me. ;) Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 5/27/2004 12:12:40 PM Thursday, May 20, 2004 So, the Angel finale last night was great. Here's what happened: Wes beat up an old geezer-y sorcerer dude and used some of his magic to restore Fred to her pre-Illyria state. Together, they joined the group at the alley. Lindsey truly reformed and was by Angel's side in the big demon battle. A whole bunch of slayers, along with the Scooby gang showed up to help with the big battle. Then, in an absolutely amazing move, Cordy descended with an army of the "heavenly hosts" and together, they mashed the Senior Partner's army like itty bitty bugs. It was GREAT to watch. After, they all went and had drinks and laughed and relaxed together. Truly, it was an amazing finale. I'm glad that everything worked out so well. That's my story, and I enjoy it, so leave me to my delusions, please. Otherwise, I will again begin to foam at the mouth in my anger at the WB. Its really not pretty. Denial Land is a much better plane of existence. Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 5/20/2004 08:47:26 AM Monday, May 10, 2004 So, in the best news EVER category we have this... In the progressive tests done in the last couple of weeks, my bro-in-law's tests have all come back at a "0" rejection rate! Which means that the meds are doing the job and we can at least put off the transplant for several more years. We are all dancing about that! Thank you all greatly for your prayers, good thoughts, and wishes! In other news, this is supposed to be my last year of school. In order for it to *actually* be my last year, I'm gonna pretty much have to kill myself to get it done. But, gorram it, I want to be done bad enough, so...hand me the knife! I am, once again, enrolled in 2 accelerated classes, one of which is so accelerated its going faster than I might be able to keep up with. But, I'm hanging in there. It will all be worth it when I walk across the stage and get to call myself a graduate! But, boy will I be tired! :) Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 5/10/2004 07:57:20 PM Wednesday, April 28, 2004 It was time for a good rant, and do I have a big one this week. On Monday, I got a call from my sister. Her husband, who had a heart transplant about 1 1/2 ago, was in the hospital, because his body had begun to reject the new heart. The reason for the rejection? As it turns out, his doctor didn't prescribe him enough medicine. My bro-in-law called the transplant center (where his doctor is at) and told him that he needed his anti-rejection pills renewed. The doctor said fine, they would call him in a prescription and he could pick it up. He is supposed to take 5 mg of the meds 2x a day. Instead of prescribing him 5 mg 2x a day, the doctor prescribed him .5 mg 2x a day. So, since the end of February, instead of 10 mg of anti-rejection meds, he was only getting 1 mg. After a while, unsurprisingly, his body began to reject the foreign heart. Now, is the doctor or anyone taking blame for this. Oh no. They are all playing pass the buck as hard as they can. One of them even went so far as to try and pass it off onto my bro-in-law saying, "well, didn't you notice it was different?" Well, OF COURSE he noticed. But, the doctor had been talking about lowering his meds (though not by THAT much) and, the doctor's office had called in the prescription! Seeing as the doctor's are the ones who go to school for this stuff, my bro-in-law figured the doc knew what he was doing and didn't think much about it. Which, if you think about it, is what just about all of us would've done. So, now we sit in pretty much a holding pattern. They have him on heavy steroids right now, and will be starting him on the heavy duty anti-rejection meds that he took right after the heart transplant. Next week, they will do another biopsy and then they will see what needs to be done next. As it stands right now, they give him a 50% chance of the meds working and stopping the rejection and a 50% chance that they won't work and he will need another transplant very soon. But, even in the best case scenario (the meds are working), this heart has been damaged. So, instead of this heart being given a 10-12 year lifespan, it now has more like a 5-6 year lifespan, before another transplant will be needed. Wow. You just gotta love the medical industry. Anyway, any prayers and good thoughts you wanted to send this way would be greatly welcomed. Hugs to you all! Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 4/28/2004 07:15:53 PM Thursday, April 22, 2004 Well, I'd love to discuss last night's Angel. What I saw of it was pretty darn good. But, since my WB station cut out about 20 minutes from the end, well...I can't discuss it. Be glad you couldn't see me last night. It was not pretty. My family ran in fear of my wrath, the next door neighbors trembled at my rage. ;) I was pretty darn agitated, let me tell ya. Had the higher ups at the WB been in my path last night, well...let's just say, they would so be having some problems today. Not that I blame them for the messing up of my channel mind you, that had to do with local problems. However, it IS their fault that one of the things that made it so upsetting was that it was one of the last few Angel's. For that, I'll probably be mad at them forever. Luckily, Cibbers has volunteered to send me the ep, so that I can see it as well. So, the horrible anger has cooled. Though, I'm still pretty irritated by the whole thing. And it cut off at a very crucial and climactic moment, let me tell ya. *sigh* Ok, maybe I'm not as over it today as I thought I was. *wry grin* Its just...I watch one tv show. Angel is pretty much it. I'll catch bits and pieces of other things, but I have yet to have anything grab me like Angel did and does(well, not since they canceled Firefly and Farscape anyway). Angel is the only show I will not miss. So, why is it exactly, that my tv had to go out then? Urgh. Complete subject change here... Ok, I am doing some research on ladies groups at churches and really need some info. I'm hoping some of you guys will help me out. Those of you who go or who have gone in the past, when you have the opportunity, if you wouldn't mind sending me an email and telling me about the women's ministries that you do/did get involved in and the ones available at the church you go/went to. What did you like about them and what were their weaknesses? What would you like to see more of, insofar as women's ministry is concerned at your church (or the church you attended way back when) and what really just drives you crazy or drove you away? There's no huge rush to do this. Its not for an assignment or anything. I'm actually...well, I'm actually considering writing a book on women's ministries today and how they work/don't work and what we can do to meet the needs of today's woman. Those of you who don't care one way or the other, don't worry. This won't be regular discussion material here at the blog. In fact, its highly doubtful I'll discuss it much at all. However, I know some of you attend some kind of church and some you have attended in the past. I would love to get your perspective on this. Ok, I'm off to see if Caritas is working yet. For some reason, I've been unable to get on for awhile. With all the puter trouble I've been having lately, its probably my computer. :( Edited to add: Let me just say too, that anything you send me on the women's ministry stuff, will be kept in complete confidence. I will not be sharing the info or posting it or anything like that, just using it for research. Any answers will be kept completely between you and me. Just wanted to make sure that was known. Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 4/22/2004 12:05:39 PM Thursday, April 15, 2004 So, there was a new Angel last night. And it was very good. I enjoyed it and was so glad to have Angel back on Wednesday nights. And yet, throughout the whole thing, there was just this bittersweet taste in my mouth. And I kept thinking, "only 5 more after tonight, only 5 more." God, I just hate the WB right now. And Fox. And also the Neilsen ratings. And the group of people that are Neilsen families, because they spent their time watching idiot reality shows instead of really good, original shows that meant something. Ok, hate's a strong word; and one I try not to use. So, in the words of my old friend Buffy, I "violently dislike" them. :) I wish I had the memory on my computer to put a video program together. Every time I try I end up with a really slow pc and a vid that won't run right. But, I heard a great song today and it made me think of Angel and how much I'm gonna miss it. Yep. I'm depressed at the moment. Plus, my "2-weeks-that-were-supposed-to-be-a-vacation" turned into my "2-weeks-where-I-worked-a-bunch-at-work-and-church." Why can't I be indepently wealthy and not have to do anything? I mean, really, is 2 weeks of laziness too much to ask? Hey, but my house is really clean. Ok, I'm taking my pathetic mood elsewhere. Sorry to be all blah and stuff. I'll probably have recovered my normal perky mood by...well, I hope by tomorrow. *hugs to all* Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 4/15/2004 07:30:10 PM Thursday, April 08, 2004 So, this post goes to those of you who are quite politically minded and follow the news very closely (as opposed to me, who just uses Headline News to catch up every morning). I was watching Condeleeza Rice (sp?) testify for a bit today. I'm wondering, why exactly she is having to testify? I'm not saying she SHOULDN'T be, mind you, its just I have no clue as to what they think she did/didn't do that requires her to defend her actions prior to 9/11. What it looks like, is that they think she, and those in her staff, somehow didn't do something that could have prevented 9/11. If that is why she's on trial, what was it she was supposed to have done? I'm asking honestly, because I truly have no clue as to why this is going on. Please feel free to tag me (points to the left) there, or, if your post is longer, to email me at ryianathomas@yahoo.com. If you have reliable news sites that offer some of the why's behind this and the evidence they have against her, I would appreciate it as well. I like to be informed before making a decision about things. Thanks! Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 4/8/2004 07:16:37 AM Monday, April 05, 2004 Found this at kdeweb's blog. I pretty much agree with their assesment.  Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc. Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 4/5/2004 01:02:10 PM Sunday, April 04, 2004 My presentation went fabulous! I mean truly great! Once I got up there and started speaking, I just wasn't nervous any more. In fact, the professor of my class, who I used to attend church with several years ago, asked me to consider coming up to Colorado (where he now lives) and being the speaker at their ladies retreat! My initial response was to ask if he was sure he knew who he was talking to. He assured me that he did, and that he thinks I would be a great speaker. Yep, I am still flying high on that! :) I now have two weeks off, and I'm trying to decide what I want more: to sleep for 3 days solid or spend 3 days catching up with everything and everyone on the net! The decision goes back and forth depending on my mood! *g* Anyway, I will most definitely be around more. I know you all were just dying without me. ;) For this moment, I'm afraid the sleep thing is winning out. So, I'm off to nap! Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 4/4/2004 01:59:22 PM Thursday, April 01, 2004 Can I just say, right now, in total frustration...WHAT is my thing with faulty tagboards? I mean, is it too much to ask for a free tagboard that actually WORKS like its supposed to? *sigh* Ok, I'm sort of back. My friend has returned home to her less crazy but still jerk of a husband. He's sort of in counseling. We'll see what happens. Yep, still not happy with it. By sort of back, I mean that I'm here, updating my blog, but I should be preaching my sermon one more time. Yep, you heard right, preaching my sermon. The class I'm in right now, Biblical Communications, requires each student to put together and then deliver a 20-25 minute message. I'm scared out of my mind. I'm not shy by any stretch of the imagination, but I don't like getting up in front of people to talk about serious things, and I take the Bible pretty darn seriously. So yeah. Sort of in panicked mode. So, might send a few nice thoughts my way. Or one of you who is really good at public speaking might lend me your brain and mouth for a couple of days? :) But, after Saturday, I will have two weeks off. Boy, can I not wait! You can bet I will be visiting all of your blogs and catching up with all of you again. I have missed you guys mucho muchly! So, be looking for me around Monday or so. :) Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 4/1/2004 02:26:40 PM Thursday, March 11, 2004 Ok, sorry for the long wait between updates. This will, unfortunately be a quick one. My best friend is in town again for an extended visit, so I will probably be pretty sparse for the next 3 weeks or so. Add to that a trip to San Antonio for a conference and a weekend workshop in Dallas at the first of April, and you'll find that Ryiana is a busy gal this month. Plus, suddenly they've upped my hours at work again. *sigh* I am, of course, still sending in my postcards to have Angel renewed. Although (no one shoot me!), I'm actually sort of glad for the 5 week hiatus this time, because I have no *clue* when I would watch it! However, you can bet I won't be telling the WB that! :) Lots of hugs to you all! Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 3/11/2004 07:15:25 AM Thursday, March 04, 2004 *pulls out soapbox and climbs up on it* Ok, here's my rant for today. McDonald's has decided to do away with their Super Size items. Fine, good, whatever; I don't super size my McD's stuff anyway. However, the reason WHY they are doing it really irks me. Evidently, groups in America have been putting the pressure on McD's to "healthy up" their menu, to help with the growing problem of obesity in America. Now see, I have a big problem with this, because I don't want the government, other people, or organizations having a say in what is on the menu at the resturants I visit. If I decide I want a greasy hamburger and some fatty french fries, that is my right and I don't want to not have those available to me because some other people don't have self control. Now, don't get me wrong, I get that there are some cases of obesity out there that have to do with physical conditions and the like. I'm not trying to discriminate against overweight people or something. However, the vast majority of overweight people, and specifically overweight children, have less to do with physical problems and more to do with self control on the part of that person (or that person's parents, if we're talking about children). I am not a size 5. I'm carrying around an extra 30 lbs more than I should right now. But, the reason behind that is because *I* don't take the time to exercise and eat right. However, getting and being healthy is *MY* responsibility, not the responsibility of McDonald's. It is as if these organizations think that, by getting McD's to "healthy up" its menu, they can have McD's become the "self-control" people like me need to be healthy. Nope. Won't happen. People like me will just to the other places that haven't done the changing. You can't force someone to decide to be healthy. If that were possible, there would be no anorexia or bulemia or overweight people. There'd be no smoking, no STD's, no alcoholics, etc and so forth. Each of us is responsible for our own choices and the consequences resulting from that choice. *sigh* I do realize of course, that part of the reason behind this move, is because some parents do not take the care of their children that they should be. Some parents take their kids to McD's practically every day, rather than attempting to provide at least some balance to their child's menu. But, I mean, McD's is gonna have to become The Tofu Hut if they really want to help those kids. A little less grease is not going to make it any easier on those kids. There is still no balanced diet going on there, even with the attempt to healthy up. In the end, parents are gonna have to realize that having kids means you have to work, even when you're exhausted, to provide the things your kids need, not necessarily the things they want. It means, you'll have to sacrifice (read, get up and cook a better meal, or heck, choose a better resturant) so that your kids will get what they need. Parents will have to learn to have self-control themselves and then teach their kids to have the same. That is part of the job description of a parent, I'm sorry to say. Not easy, not fun, but darnit, I wish those parents would start doing it, so I don't have to give my occasional greasy french fry! *steps down off soapbox* You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming. Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 3/4/2004 07:00:45 PM Wednesday, March 03, 2004 I truly must apologize for confusing everyone by printing that Sean *I play the same character in practically every movie I'm in* Penn won the Best Actor award. I actually dreamnt that. As it turns out, there was tie for the Best Actor nod, between Bill Murray and Johnny Depp, who were both deserving of this great honor. Thanks go to One for waking me from my Penn induced nightmare. :) (Shhhh....I happen to like living in Denial Land, thank you very much.) Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 3/3/2004 06:43:26 AM Monday, March 01, 2004 I enjoyed the Oscars. RoTK swept up, with 11 wins. But, even I was starting to crack New Zealand jokes by the end of the evening. *g* Personally, I think I would've been down to just saying "ditto my last thank you speech" after the 5th or 6th time up there. Also, if I had been a presenter for an award that RoTK *wasn't* nominated for, I would've had such a hard time not being mean and saying..."And the award goes to...Lord of the Rings". Because it would've been funny. Yeah, I know, I'm mean. ;) The only problem I had was with Sean Penn getting the best actor award. Now, I thought he deserved the award for his role in I Am Sam, but Mystic River just creeped me out. And besides that, the award should've gone to either Johnny Depp or Bill Murray. But, unfortunately, the Academy doesn't ask me before voting. Which they totally should. The best part of last night? That would be when I finished my Philosophy final and sent it in and thus closed the door on Aristotle, Plato, and Descartes for what, if I have any luck at all, will be the rest of my life. :) Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 3/1/2004 07:45:15 AM Wednesday, February 25, 2004 *steps up to the mike, taps on it a few times* Hello...excuse me, um, WB people? Were anyone of you watching tonight's show? Cuz, if you were, I believe that now is the time for you to go grovel at the feet of Joss Whedon and beg him to come back to you. I mean BEG. I kid you not. Tonight was Angel at some of its finest points. The past several eps have blown me away, but tonight's was just...amazing. It was poignant and sad and made me cry about a dozen times. Not gonna spoil, as not everyone has seen it. But, if you WB execs are watching...now's the time to retract that whole cancellation thing. Hey, people all have crazy moments, we get that. Just make it right, and all will be well with the world. Did I mention the part where NOW is a good time? Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 2/25/2004 08:24:04 PM Saturday, February 21, 2004 This blog entry is in response to this article found at the Whedonesque website. I will start off by saying that this person is entitled to their opinion. However, *I* am entitled to disagree, and since I do, will post this here. This person has obviously not been completely happy with the last couple of seasons of Angel and, I tend to think they are one of those "Buffy first, then Angel" fans. I get this from this statement: "Buffy went 7. It did, but Angel isn't Buffy. The quality has been spotty this season and last. New characters have substituted for new ideas. It's still watchable, still fun, but what would it be like a year or two from now." Now see, this is all this person's opinion. In *his* opinion, Angel has not been as good as Buffy was, hasn't been as good the past couple of seasons, and really just needs to be let go. And hey, since sci-fi and fantasy are really on the outs at the moment (according to him), we ought to just lay back and let these things die. Hey, it will all just come back around soon, and then we'll have some things we like back on tv. I disagree. First of all, I am extremely happy with Angel, particularly *this* season. Yes, I miss Cordy, but that hasn't taken away from my enjoyment of the show. Not every episode is my favorite, but then, even in a show's *best* season (as looked at from the end of a show) not every episode will be one I absolutely adore. For instance, season 2 of Buffy is my favorite season of that show. Yet, I didn't like every episode; some displeased me. But, as a whole, I loved the show and loved that season, and continued to love it as time went on. Angel is exactly the same, and has actually surpassed Buffy, at least for me. I think there is PLENTY more stories to tell and I'm not ready to just step back and let it die. And, ok, as a sci fi and fantasy fans, should we really just fade into the background, quietly standing aside while the networks air a huge mush pile of crap, hoping that at some faraway date in the future the networks will FINALLY pull their heads out of their posterior regions and bring back good genre television? Not just no, but HELL NO. I was doing some research on the Nielsen research people. Do you know that they only use 5000 people to do their surveys of what Americans are watching? Basically, they randomly select a supposedly diverse group and see what each different type of person is watching. So, if the majority of yuppies in that group watch friends, well then the vast majority of yuppies probably watch Friends. If the blue collar workers watch Everybody Loves Raymond, then they figure the vast majority of blue collar workers watch Everybody Loves Raymond. However, there are 200 million people in American, and well over 90% of them have at least 1 tv. 5000 families is not even CLOSE to being able to decide what most of America watches. Not only is it not in the ballpark, its not even in the freakin COUNTRY! And, what says that just because these yuppies watch a certain tv show that the majority of the rest of the yuppies in the country do? How can the fate of most of television rest on 5000 families? I am sick and tired of standing by and watching everything I like be taken off of tv on the whims of 5000 families. I'm sick of turning on my tv and having everything on there be mindless, vapid, shallow forms of entertainment based one some skewed version of reality that some tv exec thinks is funny. If we, as genre tv fans, stand by and do nothing while they take these shows away, then how will any of these stations and networks know that there are fans out there who want to see this type of show? Why would they *ever* consider bringing it back, when there's no one standing up and saying " I want to see THIS". What we oftentimes forget is that tv networks are not REALLY in control of what's on tv. In truth, we are. As long as we remain quiet and just say, "Well, really, what can I do about" then they will continue to do exactly what they want, and what we want to watch will either never be shown, or be taken off the air far before its time. We have to stand up and let these networks know what WE, as the viewing public, want to see. No, Angel is not a dinosaur. It, and other shows like Firefly and Farscape, are the endangered species, and that means they need people like us to stand up and help protect them. Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 2/21/2004 10:35:22 AM Friday, February 20, 2004 I'm sure you've all heard on the news about the upcoming release of Mel Gibson's "The Passion." As I've written before, I have some concerns about this movie. As a student of the Bible (in that literal, getting a degree in it sort of way), I take interpretation very, very seriously. Because of that, I have had some concerns with how things in that movie will be portrayed. Then today, I got an email about some who are boycotting this movie, so I go to investigate. There is some significant worry from some people, mainly from some of those of Jewish faith, that the movie will cause a rise in anti-Semintic actions and thoughts around the world. This notion literally surprised me, as it hadn't even occurred to me as a possibility. I was surprised by this notion, because the thought that Jews were responsible for Christ's death has never even occurred to me. To me, anyone who thinks that has no understanding of what the New Testament says at all. According to my beliefs, *I* killed Christ, by the fact of my sins. So to hear that there are people out there, who would use something of such magnitude as my Savior's death as an exuse for their own bigotry just makes my blood boil. Jesus NEVER needed us to avenge him. And to think that there are people who identify themselves as a Christian, and think this way just appalls me to no end whatsoever. Not only this, but to attempt to harm Jewish people TODAY for what happened 2000 years ago? I literally...I sputter with anger at this thought. I am not going to boycott "The Passion", in fact I will go see it. I will go see it because of my deep love and faith in Christ. I will go see it with my brain working, though. I will feel some anger in thinking about what happened to Jesus; what he had to suffer. But I will not be angry at Jews, or even at the now very long dead men who made the decisions to kill him. No, I will be angry at me, because it wasn't really those men's decisions that held him on that cross. It was his great love for me. So to any of you, who might go see this movie, I ask that you please, please remember the truth of the story of Christ. His death had little to do with the Jews, except in that He died for them as well. They are in NO WAY responsible for His death and the story of the gospels and of the crucifixion is to make us realize OUR sin and need for redemption. It is not to make us seek vengeance for something without which we would be lost. If the movie makes you angry for what Jesus suffered, then place that anger in the right place, at your own feet, don't try to point it elsewhere. I don't usually talk about this kind of stuff here, as I know that people of all kinds of belief systems and thoughts visit, and I'm not trying to convert anyone or make anyone uncomfortable or anything like that. But, when I read the article, the thought that there are crazy people out there that think this way just makes me so incredibly angry. I now return you to your regularly scheduled WB bashing. :) Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 2/20/2004 07:28:42 AM Tuesday, February 17, 2004 Good for a quick laugh... So, I stop by my blog to see if anyone has tagged me (and look! I have tags! Hooray!). As I'm reading over my last blog entry, and still feeling alot of the burning rage that prompted the entry, I look up at the ads that sit at the top of the page. I have no idea what they will say the next time you guys visit, but right now there were 2 ads for anger management classes. *shock* D'ya think someone's trying to tell me something? :) LOL. Well, it gave me a good laugh anyway. And, Onesy, I lime you muchly. Your tag cracked me up too. Also, to CultTVGirl, sorry to mash on Charmed. Wasn't actually trying to cut it down, just not understanding why it stays and Angel goes. And Lex on Angel...I could live with that. :) Comfort *hugs* and chocolate kisses to all. Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 2/17/2004 08:58:16 PM Sunday, February 15, 2004 Really, what can be said about the WB's decision to cancel Angel? Besides, "YOU FREAKING IDIOTIC TWO-FACED SCUM-SUCKING PIGS FROM HELL!!!!" Ahem. Yep. That's about where I am at the moment. The emails and postcards I send are cordial, professional, and postive, but on the inside, I really want 5 minutes alone in a room with the big chief at the WB. Actually, I want to put all the WB's decision makers in a basement room with two evil vampires and lock them in, after saying..."I just can't seem to care." What makes me the angriest about it, I think, is that it was just such a SHOCK. Like many others, this is the one season where I was sure we had no worries about renewal. I mean, if they were going to cancel, why the frell were the doing the whole "we love Angel, its doing so good" spiel? Why all the supposed support? I feel stabbed in the back by the WB. Along with that anger, is the anger at them for their reason for cancelling. According to them, its because they have to make room for "fresh, new" shows. Ohhh, like their own vampire show the copying sneaks are starting? Or, like the plethora of "reality" shows that now cover my tv? Great. Truly. Color me SO not thrilled. But, ok, they have to let one go...why Angel? Why not Charmed? I mean, I don't think Charmed is the worst show ever or anything, but its not near as good as it used to be and hasn't been in a couple of years now. The shows are just plain silly at this point, and each one just seems to be an excuse to show off three beautiful women in a variety of skimpy outfits. The whole thing just pisses me off to no end. I mean, Angel is pretty much the only show I watch these days. I don't even watch Enterprise anymore. Angel is it. I think, if there isn't going to be anymore Angel next year, that I'll go along with my hubby and get rid of our cable and save myself $45 a month. *sigh* I know, I'm way overboard here. I just...imagining no more Whedon ANYTHING just...turns my stomach. And the way the WB did this, its just wrong. My plan at this point is to send 1000 postcards myself to the WB, to make sure they know how serious I am about this show. It'd be cool if a bunch of fans all sent 1000 and then we could cover them in postcards. Sounds good to me! Alright, I'm going away now to stew for a bit before going to bed. It doesn't help that I'm all over exhausted right now. But, the WB are still big-time jerks. *sticks tongue out at stoopid tv execs* Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 2/15/2004 08:42:49 PM Thursday, February 12, 2004 Go ahead, ask me what's wrong with my tagboard. I have no. frelling. clue. I swear, I have like the worst luck EVER with tagboard. I find one, get it all set up, it'll work great for awhile and then BAM, things just go wrong. *sigh* So, I am in the process of replacing this one. Hopefully, I'll have a new one up soon. Man, I miss getting tags. In other news, I'm not getting as much back on my taxes as I would've liked, but still a goodly amount. It is all spent of course, as it will go straight to my lovely credit card bills (really, really not loving the credit card companies these days). But hey, money is money, y'know. Ok, that's all I got for today. My brain is mush due to being submerged in Philosophy homework all day long. All I gotta say about Philosophy, is that the vast majority of history's philosophers had WAY too much free time on their hands. They needed jobs, or books, or Xboxes are something. The men thought too much! :) Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 2/12/2004 01:40:36 PM Tuesday, February 03, 2004 My life is SO much fun. Really. I managed, somehow, to get a nerve pinched in my shoulder. Now, what this means is, that if I sit really still, don't move my head, neck or shoulder too much, and breathe shallowly, it doesn't hurt more than a dull ache. Fun, huh. Even funner...typing with one hand. Oh yeah, major fun here. *eye roll* On less "poor me" topics, how about Ms. Jackson and Mr. Timberlake? I wasn't watching the incident, I read about it in the next day's news, where Mr. Timberlake is quoted for saying that Janet's boob popping out was the result of a "wardrobe malfunction." Hmmm...this makes me wonder...what does Justin THINK is supposed to happen when you reach up and rip at part of a girls bikini top thing? Obviously, contrary to the impressions his songs likes to give, this is not something he is intimately familar with. :) I'm sorry, I know I'm being snarky, but I just found that to be a ridiculously hilarious statement. What's even funnier is watching CBS and MTV fall all over themselves trying to apologize. I'm one of those that thinks they shouldn't have done it, especially at a time when there were LOTS of kiddos watching, but I gotta admit, I'm finding the fallout from it to be quite funny. Though that could be the pain meds. Or maybe I just have a weird sense of humor. :) Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 2/3/2004 08:31:08 AM Monday, January 26, 2004 I came SO close to being a Nielsen family. We got this little thing on our doorknob the today. I saw it, brought it in and read it. Surprise, Nielsen is picking some people in your area to be Nielsen families. Please call this number...blah, blah, you get the point. Now, normally, this is the kinda thing I would file in the round file. But, I was hit with a wave of excitement. I mean, this is the big time! It was my chance to make a difference, to show the big wigs what us little people watch; to leave my tv on Angel 24 hours a day, so that I could up the ratings...my chance to DO something. :) I quickly dialed the number, attempting to slow my breathing and remain calm. After all, it wouldn't do to appear too excited, now would it. The nice lady answered and I (quite proud of my calm and professional voice) said, "I want to be a Nielsen family." Ok. Not quite the cool, calm, and collected start I wanted to make. But, she didn't seem to put off by it. She took down my address and then...everything went to pot. Turns out they are looking for people without cable or satellite (how the frell they think they're gonna find someone that watches tv without cable or satellite around here is beyond me. If I could get anything to come in on my tv w/out cable I sure as heck wouldn't be paying 45 bucks a month for it!). They also wanted someone without kids. So, I lost my chance to make a difference. I am back to being a small fish in a big pond. *pouts* See, now I need some Lindsey to make me feel better. *runs off to drool all over Cibby's blog* :) Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 1/26/2004 06:22:52 PM Thursday, January 22, 2004 THe quiz, it seems, is a big success. I quite enjoyed it, even if kdeweb made me think really hard. I'll be thinking up questions for Cibby now. Anyone else want to play, just drop me a tag! :) I leave tomorrow for Dallas again. We're going to celebrate my dad and sister's birthdays. So, we have to drive to Dallas. But, on the plus side, they're getting a babysitter and we get a free meal at Bennihana's (I have no earthly idea how to spell that!). Plus, there's the likelihood that I will get to see RoTK again on Sat, as the hubby still hasn't seen it yet and wants to! We got giftcards to the movie theater in Dallas for Xmas, so we can go. What could be better than that? ;) It is now 12:30 am, and after spending all day either working on Philosophy homework (OW! my brain!) or working at work, I am now tired. But let me leave you with these words. Lindsey is secksy as all get out. The man is just hotness personified. I love Angel, and seeing his chest last night (minus the slimy bug on it) was definitely nice. But Lindsey...he just...wow, words fail me! :) Oh yeah. And the episode was good too. :) Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 1/22/2004 10:31:16 PM Monday, January 19, 2004 Ok, kdeweb sent me some quiz questions. A big thanks to her, this is really fun and is a great way to get to know some things about each other. So without further adieu... 1. What is the most challenging thing about being a minister's wife? Woo boy, we come out of the gate with a zinger too. There are quite a few challenging things about being a minister's wife. Knowing that people look to you to be an example, even though you are absolutely no better or different then them. Dealing with the fact that your husband works an always "on-call" schedule. And many other challenges, as well as benefits. But I would have to say that the most challenging, at least for me, is learning how to deal with, and move beyond, other people's expectations of you and the "stereotype" that surrounds the "minister's wife." At the vast majority of the interviews my husband has been on one or more of the interviewing party would ask me if I played piano and taught Sunday school. As if that was a requirement or something. I was 18 when I married my husband and was completely unprepared to deal with these expectations. My first response was to hide away, but that was simply depressing. So, my second response was to rebel as much as I thought I could without loosing my husband his job. Extra piercings, hair colorings, and the like were the norm back then. Not that there's anything wrong with any of those things, mind you, it's just the REASON I was doing those things. Finally, after the end of a particular hard ministry, I sort of...sat down...with God and did a lot of soul searching. He talked to me quite a bit and He let me know that He had made me special, with certain gifts and abilities, and they WEREN'T playing the piano or teaching Sunday school. He reminded me that His and my husband's opinions were the only ones that truly mattered. And, He let me know that though my husband had been called to be the minister, I had also been called. I had a place; I just needed to find it. I find that just being myself and not much caring about the church's expectations really allows me to be much better at being the "minister's wife" then before. But, I still find the fact that those expectations exist to be extremely annoying, especially when I watch other young minister's wives deal with it. 2. If you had the power to resurrect either Firefly or BUFFY as a series which one would you choose? Oh man, I know I will catch some flack for this, but it would be Firefly for sure. I loved Buffy and it will always have a special place in my heart. But Firefly...Firefly just struck a chord with me. It was the first show my husband and I BOTH loved. And, it just wasn't given enough time to develop. Buffy had its run, it had its time to shine. If I could bring back one, I would definitely want to give Firefly the time to shine the way I KNOW it could, the way it did for me. 3. Which series of books do you enjoy the most - The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter? Oh my. Uh. It really sort of depends on what my mood is at a given time. I love both series and they both fill that niche for me, if that makes sense. I think, if I HAD to pick one, it would be The Lord of the Rings, simply because it is just this huge epic. But, I think I would be sorely depressed if I had to do without Harry Potter as well. 4. If Christ returned tomorrow and you had one more day to do anything that you wanted, what would it be? Its funny, I thought a long time about this question, and the answer I came up with...well, it might be kind of pathetic, I dunno. But, I think I would just want to do really simple things. Watch my favorite movie one more time, watch a good tv episode, play on the computer some, have some sex with the hubby (the Bible does say there won't be any marriage in heaven. I don't know if that means there won't be any sex, but I'd have to have some before the end, just in case *g*). Things like that. I work on my relationship with Him daily, so I don't think I would feel the need to go spend enormous time in repentance or anything like that. I think I would just enjoy doing some of the things that may not be available in heaven. 5. What one thing that exists in George Jetson's world would you love to have the most? Only one! Are you kidding??? I am technology girl; give it ALL to me, baby! ;) Ok, ok, really...one thing...uh... I think it would have to be the whole machine that makes all your food thing. You know you just say what you want and *Poof* there it is? That’d have to be what I choose. I hate to cook! ;) THE RULES! 1 - Leave a comment, saying you want to be interviewed. 2 - I will respond; I'll ask you five questions. 3 - You'll update your journal with my five questions, and your five answers. 4 - You'll include this explanation. 5 - You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 1/19/2004 04:11:35 PM Works out pretty well for me. Hmmm...wonder what my current hubby will think? :) Thanks to Sekkie for the link!  You are going to Marry orlando Bloom. He will always treat you right and is very romantic. He will do anything for you. He is very polite and has deep brown eyes and is very good looking (which is another plus!). He can make anythind cheesy look really good (like sliding down stairs on a shield shooting arrows or wearing pointy ears for example). Congrats!! Which male celebrity are you going to marry? (10 results that have pics!) brought to you by Quizilla Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 1/19/2004 01:46:13 PM Well, I had a fun day on Saturday. I came home from work, sat down in front of the computer to check my email with a cold Dr. Pepper, looking forward to a nice long evening of homework (that was sarcasm, in case it wasn't obvious *g*). For some reason, my DSL wouldn't connect, so I went through the repair center thingy for it. After trying a few other things, it suggested that I restart, so I did. And then...nothing, nada, zip, zilch...the CPU would not even turn the monitor on. I tried everything I knew, which granted isn't much, then my husband tried everything he knew and still nothing. By now, of course, I was in a panic because my classes are online and I had homework that was DUE. We've pretty much figured out that it was the motherboard. But, where I live, in the middle of ruddin NOWHERE, you can't just go out and buy a new motherboard. You have to order that kind of stuff, but in order to do the research necessary to get the right kind and order it you need to have internet access, for which you need a working computer....do you see the vicious circle we found ourselves in? *sigh* So, guess what we ended up doing? We went to the only computer store we got in McAlester, which is Staples. And, though I swore to myself that I would NEVER purchase another Compaq, I ended up paying over $500.00 for a new CPU so that I get get on and do my homework and keep up with my classes. What was even worse was, somehow I had locked the files on my old harddrive, so I couldn't get to my already over half-finished homework. I had to start all over. Lovely, huh. And I SO had an extra $500 just laying around. I mean, it grows on trees in my backyard! Really! *eye roll* So, that was the fun that was my weekend. How was yours? *wry grin* Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 1/19/2004 10:15:20 AM Wednesday, January 14, 2004 First off, thank you all so much for the comments and thoughts and prayers. It helps, believe me. You are wonderful people! Secondly, let me apologize for how dire my last blog entry sounded. While things were "incredibly trying and stressful", I realized in re-reading that it somehow sounded a whole lot worse then it was. Well, at least then it was for me. I was writing the entry on the fly, so I didn't really read over it until today. Sorry for worrying everyone. I and my family are truly ok. My best friend since the 5th grade came to stay with us for a couple of weeks to get a break from her newly psychotic and emotionally (and sometimes physically) abusive husband. Since leaving her alone for two weeks would, I dunno, break his control over her or something, he had to do alot of calling and such. Left 15 messages, of varying degrees of anger and hate, on my answering in the span of 2 hours one night. Add to that my friend's understandable depression and stress and you have...well...trying and stressful. And God, do I not sound incredibly selfish when I say that?! I loved having her here, and have absolutely NO problem with her being here. But, he did make things exhausting at times. And I really shouldn't be complaining at all. I have it really good. Its amazing how guilty that will make you feel at times. She has returned home, for the time being. Like I said, he wasn't always psychotic, and she's hoping there's still some chance for her marriage. Especially for their 3 year old son's sake. Its against my desire to have her out of the situation where she will be safe, but she is a grown woman and the decision has to be hers. She is a wonderful, loving person who deserves so much more then this pig headed, selfish jerk. *sigh* Anyway, that was the deal. Now, I'm back to life as normal (which I also feel guilty about) and ready for tonight's new Angel. I'm looking forward to the escapism. Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 1/14/2004 05:11:22 PM Friday, January 09, 2004 Forgive me for the lack of updates of late. My life is...incredibly trying and stressful right now. I can't give details, but if you don't mind sending some prayers and good thoughts my way, I'd appreciate it greatly. I promise to update as soon as time and life allow. Hugs to you all! Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 1/9/2004 11:24:18 AM Monday, December 29, 2003 Since I posted one of the insulting posts, I felt like I should post one of the responses to my "What is Literature" question that I felt was really helpful and well thought out. I greatly appreciate the thought and reason behind this person's email, as well as the fact that they spoke in a language I understood. No big words for me, that's just confusing. :) From this person's post, I can understand why some might think HP is not "Literature". Still don't really agree, but at least I have an understanding now. And, this person did his/her best to keep his/her personal feelings out of it and just give me some explanation. Ah to have a Lit class with someone like this as the teacher! Literature; boiled down to its essentials (or maybe glue) seems to be the works which have enough substance to withstand and endure both the vagarities of the popular market *and* subjection to the "critical process". There also needs to be a distinction drawn between "Literature" and a work which is a "Classic". And all three of these considerations depend a good deal more on commercial viability than anyone wants to admit. Think of it as an endurance triathelon. First: it has to be able to continue to attract readers whether the popular market is hot or not. This is where most 'best sellers' fail to make the grade. A high percentage of these are marketing phenomena only, they have just enough substance to support a major sales campaign and make money for their publishing houses. The minute the media hoop-la ceases the whole vehicle loses steam and eventually collapses. The rare book which continues to sell after its publishers can no longer be bothered to promote it has passed the first step toward being recognized as Literature. You will notice that most of the works which have been awarded this label have rarely been out of print. Their popular demand has remained high enough to make it worth their publishers' while to continue producing new editions. This pays dividends after the work has survived long enough to enter the public domain, when it becomes possible for *any* publishing house to produce an edition of the text without fear of competition by rival houses or the necessety to pay royalties to the authors or their estates. This is why most of the recognized "Literature" you have heard of is by dead people a generation or two ago. Second: There has to be enough substance to the *story*, or the telling of it, to generate a genuine interest in the motivations and conditions/situations represented *in the story*. This includes the characters as well, and, in the case of non-mainstream settings, the worldview as well. What this comes down to is that there *will* be people subjecting it to close examination, and it has to be able to stand up to this examination without falling *completely* apart. Authors are falable, and such examinations generally *do* uncover details that do not hold up to close scrutiny. But if the work resonates deeply enough with the times or the human condition this will only add to the debate. All works which are awarded the status of Literature have survived this debate, and have continued to reward subsequent examination of theme and structure. It is usually a considerable bonus if the work also can reward examination on the basis of style as well. This is the stage at which a work draws the attention of Academia. To do so does not automatically make a piece of work "Literature". A close examination of popular media is fair game for academia. Particularly in the context of comparisons with other works of popular media, or in a disection of what exactly is the cause of the popularity, and the identification and exploration of the universal themes upon which is draws. Works subjected to this attention may or may not become a candidate for inclusion into the standard academic curricula for that generation, and may be retained as such for future generations. The deciding factor in this regard tends to be the reliability of the continuing availability of the text. A publishing house is not going to keep a book in print merely because some teacher in some school would like to teach a class on it. Teachers teach classes on works which are out there where their prospective students will readily be able to get their hands on them. Third: A "Classic" and a work of "Literature" are not necessarily the same thing. But they tend to occupy the same space. Treasure Island is a Classic. Is it also a work of Literature"? Yes. It is. What about Alice in Wonderland? Yup. No question about that. Okay, what about Anne McCaffery's Pern stories? Er, well... They've stayed in print. People continue to buy them. They have been being read for the past 30 years. People *discuss* them. They show up in college English classes. Are they Literature? Well, maybe. Someday. It's too soon really to tell. Even if they are not, they are certainly classic science fiction (or science fantasy) of the 20th century. They are going to be referenced in any overview of the work of the period. But McCaffery is a living author, you tell me. Well, okay. What about the works of Georgette Heyer? Heyer died in the mid-'70s. That's closing on 30 years ago. Much of her work is still in print, or is still being reprinted. And I don't think the benefits of public domain status have kicked in yet, so we are seeing publishing houses that still have to get permission to reprint these works and pay someone for the privilege to do so. Is it Literature? Well, I doubt it. But it is closing in on "classic" status, and once it is public domain it could start gaining a whole new head of steam which would carry it through another couple of generations. And if Academia decided to adopt it...? However, regardless of how "classic" they may be, Heyer's work is still genre fiction, as is McCaffery's. And finding genre fiction which has been awarded the cachet of Literature is a scarce as hen's teeth. In this regard, Rowling is fortunate that her work is marketed as children's fiction. Because I can guarantee you that 5 out of 6 works of fantasy which have made the cut over the past 150 years are ones that were originally marketed to children. And if you can name six off the top of your head you will be doing better than I can. So, do I think that the Harry Potter series will eventually make the cut as Literature? It's certainly not impossible. It has most of the necessary groundwork in place. So far. The lack of a strong, individual lirerary "style" is the only really major drawback so far as I can see. Which is a damned strong performance for what is, after all, a "first published work" by a new author. But I'm not going to predict that it *will*. I'd estimate that it is going to take another 40 years before the other shoe drops on that issue. But if you ask me whether Harry Potter will become an enduring classie? Damn betcha. Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 12/29/2003 06:05:28 PM Many of you will remember one of my rants from many moons ago, having to do with literature, and the way some of the more snooty element of our world decide what is and isn't "Literature". Recently, on a list I'm on, we had a long discussion (that quickly turned into a debate, and finally turned into an insulting match) on whether the Harry Potter books are "Literature" or just popular fiction. It was this post that started the whole discussion: "Fascinating discourse regarding a children's book written by a children's author for children. Being the mother of two Harry Potter fans - one thirteen and one nine - I can tell you that all this bellyachingblahblahblah literary discourse just is so much spitting into the wind for them. The stories work in their mindsets. The HP world WILL NOT stand up to this sort of literary analysis. It is fun, it is not literature. It is not even children's literature. As far as analyzing Dumbledore and Harry - many teenagers are so wrapped up in themselves and their stuff that they do believe that adults are not on "their" side. Rowling is a mediocre writer at best. She excels at weaving her story. Her story is about a young boy who discovers that he has powers beyond his wildest imaginings. This story is about discovery, friendship, doing the right thing and having a good heart. What we bring to it in fandom is something else entirely." See, I have several reactions to this sort of comments. THe first, is to wonder what someone who feels THIS way about the HP books is doing on a Harry Potter list. The second is to wonder if she realizes exactly how insulting that sounds. Now, not everyone likes HP and not everyone is as crazy obsessed with it as others. I get that. To say that she doesn't think its "Literature", well, personally, I find that to be her opinion and so be it. But, she brings this out like this is straight up fact. Not only are these books not "Literature" they're not even CHILDREN'S "Literature". My question is, Who is she to say what gets to rise to the great glory of the title of "Literature"? [/end sarcasam] So, at some point in this long discussion on the list I, wanting to understand where those who said HP was great fun but NOT "Literature" were coming from, I asked what exactly was "Literature" and who decided this. The answers were less than satisfactory. It seems that the definition of "Literature" and who gets to decide when something gets to claim that title are as subjective as each person's opinion on whether HP is "Literature" or not. I find that I am still less then pleased with these "Literary" people. It seems the height of snobbery to me to say (insert proper aristocratic accent here) "X is REAL literature, while Y is just...*sniff*...popular fiction". If Y is touching the populace at large, meeting their needs, entertaining them, causing them to spend their free time reading that and engaging and long talks about it on the internet, then I would say that Y is just as worthy for the title of "Literature" as X. And, what IS it with those who think that a work has to be unpopular during its time for it to truly qualify as "Literature"? *sigh* Well, what do I know, I guess. I'm not some uber-educated person who's read every "classic" out there, so maybe I can't really see the distinction between "Literature" and popular fiction. I do know, that I'd take HP over alot of those "Literature" selections any day of the gorram week. So, there, I say. *sticks tongue out at literary snobs* :) Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 12/29/2003 07:43:20 AM Saturday, December 27, 2003 Ahhh...relaxation. What a glorious thing that is! :) Yes, the Xmas season has come to a close, and while I did spend time appreciating the reason behind the season for people of my faith, I was really glad to see it go. This has been one busy, crazy, exhausting holiday. Work has already calmed back down, plus we are no longer listening to Xmas music. Which, is a huge blessing, since we've been listening to it since before Thanksgiving. I'm all Xmas music-ed out. *shudders* Not only that, but I'm on a short break from school. No classes or homework til Jan 9th! Plus, I'm only working about 15-16 hours a week now, so I'm actually getting some TIME OFF! I capitalize that on purpose because its such a huge deal to me right now. Life is actually pretty shiny right now. Santa brought the kiddos some great gifts. The daughter got her own radio, which now plays fairly non-stop, but its in her room, so its all good. The son got a train set, which has taken up the majority of his hours of late. In fact, when he came in and saw that Xmas morning, we couldn't get him to open up any more presents. He was busy playing with the train! :) They got several other gifts apiece from us, and they have more coming from aunts and grandma and grandpa this weekend. My kids are spoiled rotten! :) The hubby and I did not exchange gifts this year. We are saving up to buy a new harddrive for our pooter. However, even if we weren't, I have pretty much everything I would've asked for already. My Two Towers SE, Pirates of the Carribbean, Firefly, Xbox game, my Trilogy Tuesday experience...I pretty much had a month long gift celebration. *g* Speaking of Firefly, we are finally getting around to watching them all. I LOVE this show. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. My hubby likes it alot too. After watching "Our Mrs. Reynolds", his favorite episode, he says to me, "They were really stupid to cancel this show." He NEVER says stuff like that. Rewatching has just made me all the madder at the scum-sucking pigs from hell over at Fox. They have no brains. I haven't gotten to the commentaries or anything yet. We're still making our way through the eps. But, I'm looking forward to it. And Joss...man, get to work on that movie script! I need more! AT the very least, I need ANSWERS! Who IS Shepherd Book, and what was with his ID card? Who are the men w/the blue hands and what do they do? Why did they do all this to River? And those are just the ones I can think of the top of my head! Firefly is my new precious! :) Ok, that's all for now. I think I might go take a nap. :) Have I mentioned how much I love time off? Hugs to all, and hope you all had wonderfully merry Christmases! Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 12/27/2003 09:19:13 AM Thursday, December 11, 2003 I know, I know...I am horrible at updating lately. *hangs head in shame* I try, really I do...but time is fleeting around here! I usually just adore the Christmas season, but this year, everything is just so busy that I'm really kind of ready for it to be over. I am greatly looking forward to Trilogy Tuesday, though. Ok, I got a couple of Disney pics here. I will have better ones, but it takes time to get them set up, and well...see about my time above. ;) This first pic is like the perfect pic to show my family. We LOVE to eat. And, while it was 20 degrees in some parts of the country (like here at home), we were sitting on a sidewalk in Florida slurping down ice cream. *g* 
And this one was at Universal Studios. My son did NOT like the big shark. We have one of my daughter from the last time we were there, where we're like holding her in the shark's mouth. She thought it was fun. I tried to put my son near the shark's mouth, and lost a good handful of hair in the process. *g* So, we decided that we'd just let him stay to the side. It was pretty funny.
Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 12/11/2003 07:57:14 AM Sunday, November 30, 2003 I'm BAAAAAACCCCCCKKKKKK! :) Hellos and hugs to all! I see you left the place in pretty good condition while I was away. Probably because you were all too busy eating turkey to do too much partying over here. ;) Mucho fun was had in DisneyWorld. We rode loads of rides, ate more food then anyone should really eat, but luckily walked most of it off. That is one huge park, now! My favorite ride was this Spiderman 3D ride that was at Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure. It was WAAAAYYYYY cool. My daughter was tall enough to ride everything but 2 or 3 rides and she rode everything they'd let her on. The kid has no fear. My son was alarmed at first by the noise and activity of the parks, but he adjusted and seemed to enjoy himself as well. He loved the Playhouse Disney Live on Stage show the best. I will have a couple of pics up as soon as I get them. They'll be dropped off tomorrow, so sometime by the end of the week I should have a few up. Now, I'm beginning to count down the days to the Trilogy Tuesday! *rubs hands together* Boy, I just LOVE having things to anticipate! ;) Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 11/30/2003 12:39:56 PM Wednesday, November 19, 2003 First of all, a HUGE, HUGE, shout out to Kane's Inferno, who has dealt with my constant emails over the past couple of days and has helped me get my pc working ALOT better! KI, you are the PRECIOUS! :) Secondly, thanks to all of you for the early B-day wishes. My B-day has pretty much gotten pushed aside due to the whole Disney trip (which is plenty fine, I'm one of the main ones pushing it aside). But, it is very nice to know that some people out there are thinking of me and happy for me to be among the people of Earth. :) Mucho Mushy Huggles to all of you! Thirdly, in 2 days, I will finally be on my vacation. 5pm on Friday begins my vacation and I am. so. ready. if for no other reason then, I'm gonna get a week with NO work and NO school! W00T! I will of course miss you guys muchly, but I will have plenty to tell and share upon returning. And, when we get our pictures back, I will be sure to post some. Don't worry, I won't make you sit through the slide show, just a couple of the really GOOD pics! :) Ok...that's it for now! This might be my last update before I go, although I'm gonna try to get on tomorrow or Friday morning for a quick goodbye! So, if you don't hear from me again, I heart you all! And, do try not to mess the place up too bad while I'm gone. I'm leaving snacks in the fridge, and there's Angel, Firefly, 24, CSI, Alias, and Farscape playing non-stop on the telly (hey, its my blog...play pretend! *g*). If you absolutely MUST have a party here without me, be sure to take pictures! ;) SMOOCH Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 11/19/2003 04:32:59 PM Saturday, November 15, 2003 Well, the computer works...mostly. :) It is better in alot of ways. The programs move faster and it moves from desktop to desktop faster. It still boots up slow as molasses. Not only that, but for some reason, our hard drive is only registering as a 37 gig when its supposed to be a 40-gig. Don't understand that, not at all. After the first of the year, we're going to see if we can't order a new hard drive, processor, and memory chips (bigger ones!) and upgrade the pc some. My hubby has completely rebuilt a computer before, so we're thinking we'll just do that to this one and maybe walk away with a much better computer. *crosses fingers* So, I'm back! Hooray! *g* And now...I'm off to do homework. Yuck. :( Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 11/15/2003 06:21:57 AM Friday, November 14, 2003 All right. After doing every thing I, my hubby, and pretty much all of our tech-smart relatives and friends knew how to do, we still cannot fix whatever the problem is with our 'puter. It is EXTREMELY slow. And I don't mean the internet. I mean booting up, launching programs, stuff like that. It sometimes takes it as long as 20 minutes just to close down one desktop and load up the next. It didn't always take that long. In fact, it didn't take that long a month ago, which would be right about the time I installed the Microsoft Updates that were recommended by my 'puter. I'm beginning to think that Microsoft just might suck as much as some people say it does. The pc ran really well and then, bam, it started doing this stuff. Then, recently, it stopped booting up at all sometimes. We'll have to restart it for some reason and it just won't boot up. We'll have to sit here and restart and restart, then walk away and let it sit for awhile. Eventually, we'll get it to come back up, but the processes has become annoying and exhausting. All of that explanation is to say that, after alot of stalling and denial on my part, we've decided to completely reformat the hard drive and start over. We have hopes that this will clear up the problem. *crosses fingers* I'm taking the time to share all this (incredibly boring information) so that if I don't show up for several days, you know that something went wrong and we're trying to figure it out. :) My husband and I have what I call "dangerous computer knowledge". Its just enough to get us into trouble. *g* So, throughout the day, send some good 'puter thoughts my way! Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 11/14/2003 06:04:16 AM Sunday, November 09, 2003 So, last night the hubby and I rented the movie "Identity" with John Cusack (who is just SUCH a cutie). The movie was...uh...interesting. That's the best word I got. It wasn't "bad" exactly, it was just...interesting. I figured out some of the mystery stuff pretty quick, but some of it surprised me. Its probably worth a rent, if you're bored one night and you've seen pretty much everything else at the video store. On a completely different note...why, oh why does no store around here have the Chaos Bleeds game? I mean, not Blockbuster, not Walmart...NO WHERE! ARRRGGGGHHHH! I've been wanting to play it, darnit! And then, the Return of the King video game also just came out. I wantssss it, I do, yessss preciousssss. :) And in other news, the busy is continuing on at breakneck speed. I'm keeping up, barely. But, it means I have to have discipline (YUCK!) and do my homework when I'd much rather be chatting away with you guys. *pouts* But, I'm taking a little time out today to talk about something really important....Angel. *g* For some reason, I woke up about 2:45 am and couldn't get back to sleep. So, as I am laying in my bed just letting random thoughts came at me, I start thinking about last week's Angel. Specifically the part where Angel tells Wes something to the effect of, "you know prophecies are bogus...remember, "the father will kill the son"?" Of course Wes didn't remember, because that's been mind wiped or reality shifted or something. But, as I lay there thinking in the dark am, it occurred to me...the "father will kill the son" prophecy DID come true. At the end of last season, Angel basically "kills" Connor in order to invent the new person Connor becomes: the one who is happy and well-adjusted with a good family. When Angel had W&H do whatever they did to reality, he in effect put Connor to "death" as was symbolized by the whole knife at Connor's throat thing there at the end. So, the father DID in fact kill the son. Hmmmm... This, of course, led to even more thought. Poor Wes fell under what I like to call the Oedipus syndrome (or I would if I knew how to spell it). You all know the story of Oedipus. A prophecy was made that said that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother. In order to prevent this from happening, Oedipus' parents send him away. Many years later, he unknowingly meets his parents on the road, kills his father and marries his mother. It was the very fact that they sent him away, causing him to not know them, that led to the eventual fulfillment of that prophecy. In the same way, it was Wes' actions in trying to prevent the "father will kill the son" prophecy, that set up the events that eventually led to the prophecy being fulfilled. How utterly sad is that? You do everything you can to help your friend and save his son, only to have your very actions be what set in motion the things you were trying to stop. Its probably much, much better for Wes that he doesn't remember. That would just be too much to live with. And no, I'm not touching the rest of comparison's we could make to the Oedipus story with a 10-foot pole. :) Ok, I done being philosophical and stuff. All these thoughts were hurting my head, so I had to get them out. Maybe I'll actually get some sleep at 3 am tonight! *crosses fingers* Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 11/9/2003 12:06:03 PM Thursday, November 06, 2003 Forgive me for the total lack of updates of late. I have been extra busy this past week, and it shows no signs of slowing down. *sigh* What was supposed to be a 15-20 hour/week job has turned into a 25-30 hour/week job. Which is okay, I need the money, but it takes up alot of time. Combine that with my full time school, mom, wife, and church schedule and...well, I'm lucky if I get to do more then look longingly at the computer every so often! Which, pretty much sucks. Plus, I'm having to double up on my school work for the next two weeks so that I won't have any the week we go to DisneyWorld (15 days and counting). Hopefully, it will slow down once I get that done. Hopefully. *crosses fingers* Ok, I'm off to work! *hugs everyone* Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 11/6/2003 08:09:10 AM Thursday, October 30, 2003 Someone SAVE ME!!!! So, I saw my first ever episode of 24 tonight. Up til now, I have pretty much avoided 24. Despite my love for the Keif, I'm not too into spy shows and the such. But, there wasn't really anything else on after Tru Calling, so I thought...ok, I'll give it a go. And now? Now, I'm completely, 100% addicted to this show! Even considering the fact that I had no idea what was going on half the time and that I didn't know the characters, I was completely and totally engrossed. I WANTED to know these people. I cared what was happening to them, and I hadn't ever watched it before! See, but this is a BAD thing. Cuz, the last thing I need is another addiction! Now, I'm gonna haveta find out when it comes on, figure out some way to make sure I can tape it, look up stuff on the internet about it, read fanfic...the whole 9 yards! Darnit, courting an obsession is hard work! Let me just say, to those of you who have thus far resisted the lure of 24, continue to do so! If you watch even so much as a small peek, it will plant suggestions into your subconsious and you will NEVER GET AWAY! *goes away grumbling to look up stuff about earlier episodes so she'll know what the frell is going on next week* :) Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 10/30/2003 07:23:05 PM Tuesday, October 28, 2003 Ok, so I've been following some of the reaction to the big Trilogy Tuesday thing that is coming up over at theonering.net. Now, I will admit that my perspective on things is somewhat skewed, since I have tickets and all, but I really felt like some of these people who didn't get tickets were going a little bit over the top. So, they didn't get tickets to the marathon showing. Its not like they can't see the movies at all. And, from the very beginning, the TT was advertised as an EXCLUSIVE event. Maybe some of them don't realize it, but the word exclusive signifies that this is not something that EVERYONE will get to do. People are wanting to boycott New Line and stuff. One person who emailed in went so far as to say that they weren't even sure they could watch Return of the King now. Ok...WHAT? Because New Line put together an exclusive event that they didn't get tickets for they're gonna deprive themselves of RoTK? Oh THAT makes sense. REally. Loads. I imagine, if I had not gotten tickets, I would've been disappointed. But, I wouldn't have been MAD about it and I would not have been writing angry emails to New Line demanding they add new showings. I would've said, oh well, and gone on with life. And I would've been one of the first in line for the first RoTK showing on the 17th. I know some of you didn't get tickets, and you were really disappointed about it, but I don't see you swearing off all thing New Line. Am I just not fanatical enough? Is that my problem? *shakes head in confusion* Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 10/28/2003 08:40:23 PM Monday, October 27, 2003 Ok, so I was reading about the lightening strike stuff over at the set of Mel Gibson's Jesus movie (thanks to Sekkie for the link), and I couldn't help but do some giggling about it. I mean, I don't know alot about the movie or what's in it or anything, but to have lightening strike twice while making a movie about Jesus...myself, I'd consider that a bad sign. Still made me giggle though. Not sure why, must be my mood. I am confused by this movie however. I realize that in the time of Jesus Rome was in charge and the language of Rome was Latin. However, Latin was rarely spoken by the common person back then. In fact, Greek (not classical, sort of a common man's Greek) was the the language spoken by most of the known world at the time. That would be why most of the New Testament was written in Greek in the first place. So, if you're going to make an "authentic" movie about Jesus (and I say that with the utmost sarcasm as I have serious doubts about what movie makers will do with a Jesus movie) why would you make the languages Aramaic and Latin? Even Aramaic wasn't as commonly spoken back then, but the Jews still spoke it, so I can get that one. But to make an "authentic" movie and not have the Greek? Just odd to me. But, that may be because I'm getting a degree in Bible geek, I don't know. Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 10/27/2003 06:38:26 PM Hello blog readers! :) Sorry for the lack of updates of late. The Christmas season is upon us, even though its only October, and any of you who've ever worked retail know that this is NOT a fun time in retail land. I've been getting quite a few hours of late. Plus, the past Friday I finally finished the huge 13 page paper I have been working on for the past 11 weeks. So, huge HOORAYS for that. Now I go into my next class, which is Hebrew Prophetic Literature. Oh boy. Normally, I would be pretty excited about this, as I am a lit freak and learning about differing kinds of lit and how they appear in the Bible is pretty interesting (to me, anyway). However, the teacher of this class is...well, lets just say he's not my favorite teacher, and I'm not his favorite pupil. *sigh* So, I'm not looking forward to it as much. Plus, I'm in that stage right now, where I am REALLY sick of school. I have to keep going, otherwise the government will start asking me to pay the money back. And of course, it would be stupid of me to quit now, after I've gone so far. But, the exhausted part of me REALLY wants to. Luckily, after this next class, I'll get a 2 week break at least. So YAY for that. OOOH, the insurance people finally came out and looked at my deer-damaged vehicle. After checking it out thoroughly, they have decided to send us - AFTER taking out our deductible - $2,500!!! So w00t on that! I was really shocked that they were going to send us that much, especially since the value of the car itself is only $3500. Since my car has no radio and no air conditioning (that only would cost $1000 to fix), along with the very pretty dents and no mirror or blinker, we think we'll probably just put that money aside and hopefully use it to purchase another vehicle at one of the auto auctions they have around here. You can get some really good deals at those things! Well, that's pretty much the update on me. I do plan on doing my blog visits later this evening, so I'll be dropping by to say hi to all of you! I missess you all muchly. And lest anyone think my mind is somehow gone...nekkid Angel...two days! :) *THUD* Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 10/27/2003 06:28:35 AM Sunday, October 19, 2003 So, I'm driving home from work the other night. Its about 10:15 pm, late, dark, the usual. I am in the process of changing lanes when a kamikaze deer suddenly jumps out in front of my car! I kid you not, I didn't even have time to REACT, it was just suddenly there. I didn't kill it, but it did manage to do considerable damage to my car. I'm now minus a left blinker and driver's side mirror and plus a huge dent in my hood and on the driver's side door. Luckily, the car is still drivable and it LOOKS like insurance is gonna cover it (so far, anyway). Unfortunately, the deer ran away before I could get any of his insurance information. Its SO much fun living in ruralsville Oklahoma. Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 10/19/2003 12:09:29 PM Friday, October 17, 2003 Just for Stormy... 
Of course, I get nothing out of this...nothing at all. *g*
Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 10/17/2003 10:23:16 AM Monday, October 13, 2003 Y'know, it really sucks when free services go paid. I mean, it just really does. I did finally get around to getting me a new tagboard, cuz I can't live with my tags now. What can I say? I've been fully assimilated into the blog collective and if I get disconnected, I'll self-destruct! ;) In other news, I bought my ticket for the LoTR's Trilogy Tuesday. That's right, I'll be one of those strange people, sitting in a movie theater for 10 hours to watch the trilogy straight through. And I can't wait! I love these movies and the thought of watching both extendeds and then going straight into RoTK on the BIG screen just thrills me to pieces. I do have to drive 2 and a half hours to Oklahoma City to go see it though. And, I have to see it all by my lonesome, as hubby has no interest in sitting a movie theater that long. But, I"m sure I'll meet up with some fellow LoTR aficionados there. I also have to say that my hubby is a wonderful man. He not only worked it out so that we could afford the $25.00 ticket price, but he's worked it out so I can stay in a hotel in OK City that night. Granted, that's as much for my safety as it is for anything else, since it'll be like , 1 or 2 in the morning when we get out, but still...you gotta love a man who'll support you in your obsessions, even when he thinks you're nuts! LOL Alright, that's all for now. Be sure to leave me a tag on my new tagboard! Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 10/13/2003 12:33:48 PM Friday, October 10, 2003 Someone sent me this picture. Supposedly, it was taken by a firefighter who was working to put out the Montana forest fires and so he can't get money for it. I don't know if that's true or not, but I think the pictures pretty neat. So, I'm displaying it. 
Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 10/10/2003 10:11:19 PM Monday, October 06, 2003 So, I watched the WB's "Tarzan" last night. It was ok, not super great or anything. However, there is one delicious reason to watch Tarzan every week. Its this man right here... 
If you're looking for an accomplished actor with amazing abilities...well, watch Angel. However, if you're just looking for someone to lust at...this is the show for you! ;)
Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 10/6/2003 02:00:19 PM Wednesday, October 01, 2003 I'm sorry, I know I haven't updated in a while. I got a job! Its not a high paying one, but I'm pretty happy with it. I'm a new associate at Goody's Family Clothing. Its just 20 hours a week, but that's just the extra amount we needed to start paying down on some of our debt and saving up for a new vehicle. Considering I spent the past 4 months driving a car with no air conditioning and no radio, I put the new wheels high on my priority list! :) On the bad side, however, is between my schoolwork and this new job, plus the usual family and church requirements, my 'net time is cut considerably down. Like LVM, I sorta have to get on a schedule and adjust to it and then I'll be back more. I greatly appreciate the comments on my paper. It was really pretty fun to write. We only had an hour to do some research and write the paper. Like I said, REAL informal. But, I actually quite enjoyed it, especially when compared to the MAJOR 12 page research paper I'm gearing up to write. *cringes at thought* You know, you might want to start sending me good thoughts now! :) Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 10/1/2003 04:11:43 PM Saturday, September 27, 2003 I had to write a sort of informal prep paper for a class I'm taking. It just so happens that the prep paper I chose to write is on the whole "Harry Potter book banning controversy" that has been going on for awhile. I thought some of you might enjoy to read it (its about 5 pages long), to see how THIS Christian views the whole Harry Potter debate. Considering all of you know what a crazed HP fan I am, you should have an idea of what its gonna say already! *g* Its in .pdf format, so you'll need Adobe to read it! If you have problems, or would like to discuss this or something, let me know. Harry Potter Debate Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 9/27/2003 12:34:27 PM Thursday, September 25, 2003 I heard this song today, not for the first time, but its the first time I've heard it all the way through. It really touched my heart and sort of gave me a "pick me up". It reminded me of the really important things in my life, the things you can't buy and often don't appreciate, but the things that are the best you could ever have. So, here's the lyrics, but its better if you hear it. This is "My Front Porch Looking In" by Lonestar the only ground i ever owned was stickin to my shoes now i look at my front porch in this panoramic view i could sit and watch the fields fill up with rays of golden sun or watch the moon lay on the fences like thats where it was hung my investments are in front of me its not about the land ill never beat the view from my front porch lookin in [chorus] theres a carrot top who can barely walk with a sippy cup of milk a lil blue eyed blonde with shoes on wrong cuz she likes to dress herself and the most beautiful girl holdin both of them yea the view i love the most is my front porch lookin in i travel here and everywhere followin my job i've seen the paintings from the air brushed by the hand of God the mountains and the canyons reach from sea to shining sea but i cant wait to get back home to the one he made for me cuz anywhere i'll ever go and everywhere i've been nothing takes my breath away like my front porch lookin in [chorus] i see what beautiful is about when i'm lookin in not when i'm lookin out [chorus] theres a carrot top that can barely walk (from my front porch lookin in...) a lil blue eyed blonde w/ shoes on wrong the most beautiful girl (beautiful girl) (from my front porch lookin in...) holdin both of them from my front porch lookin in... Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 9/25/2003 08:33:16 PM Tuesday, September 23, 2003 Well, guess what? Ignoring something doesn't make it go away. Isn't that one of the saddest of life's hard lessons? *sigh* When we got to the viewing for my grandmother, which was on Thursday night (after we had driven 5 and a half hours to get there), I had both my 6 year old daughter and my 2 year old son with me. Thus came the inevitable hard battle of deciding whether to let her go in and see the body or not. On the one hand, she's so very young and she doesn't really understand death's...permanence...yet. On the other hand, death is as much a part of life as breathing. And how will she learn to understand what death is unless she experiences some of this? God, how I wish she NEVER had to learn this particular life lesson! After alot of back and forth, we decided to go ahead and take her in. I don't think it traumatized her for life, but she had a really hard evening. I'm sure all of you remember the Buffy episode "The Body". Throughout this whole ordeal, Breanne often reminded me of Anya so much. I wanted to send Joss Whedon a letter telling him how spot on Anya had been, because THAT was Breanne. She didn't know how to act or to respond to all this "death stuff". Standing there, in front of the coffin where Nanaw lay, she turns to me and says, I don't want her to be dead, I want her to get up. Which of course, leads to tears in the people around me (but not in me, for some reason, it wasn't until AFTER the funeral that I really seemed to finally let go and cry). It is so sad, really, to watch a child experiencing their first taste of death and trying desperately to understand what all this means and how they're supposed to act. And yet, its touching in a way too, because the things they say are not platitudes or anything like that, but completely and totally REAL. Like I said, I couldn't cry at first. I don't know if I thought I had to be strong or what, but I just...couldn't. Finally, during her funeral, they read a poem written by one of my cousins. I had completely forgotten, until they read that poem, that I had named my grandmother "Nanaw". I couldn't say "grandma" as a child, and thus said Nanaw, and the name stuck. Soon everyone began to call her that. When they read a poem that mentioned "she was named Nanaw by a child we all know", I blinked in surprise and my eyes started to tear up. I still didn't really cry though. And I guess it kind of bugs me that I couldn't. Seems to me that a funeral is the place where you SHOULD be able to cry. That is sort of what its FOR after all. Anyway, after the funeral, all the friends and non-family members walked by the coffin first (and let me just say...that is a particular part of funerals that I just DO NOT like) and then it was the family's turn. It hit me then, as I walked by that coffin that this was it. She was gone and that would be the last look I ever had. God, that hurt so very much. She wasn't perfect, she made mistakes, she had problems, but she loved all of us SO much. Her entire life was dedicated to God and to her family. She had been such a part of us, even when I lived far away and didn't see her very often. And, now she's just...gone. And it really bloody well sucks, y'know? I'm so glad that she's not in any more pain, that's she's happier, and I know that I will see her again one day. That makes all of this easier. But still...death just isn't easy. Sorry for the depressing blog talk today. Escapism just wasn't working, and I felt the need to get some of it off my chest. Hugs to you all, I'm gonna go have a good cry. Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 9/23/2003 07:13:36 PM Saturday, September 20, 2003 I am finally back at home. Let me just say, its been a really long week. First of all, huge thank you's to all of you! Your prayers and good thoughts help to lift my spirit, greatly. Thank you for that. My grandmother's service was beautiful and sad. I might post more about it later, but I'm just really too tired...and I think it might be too close right now, you know? Its too fresh or something. Anyway, I'm ready to do some serious escapism, so I'm off to find me some really good fanfiction and lose myself in it. Hugs to you all, you are truly the best. Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 9/20/2003 07:02:52 PM Wednesday, September 17, 2003 Sorry for the lack of updates this week. My grandmother took a turn for the worst this past weekend. We hurried down to South Texas Sunday, thinking that would be it. The nursing home had turned her over to Hospice and basically they were just making her as comfortable as possible. By the time we made it down there, she had not eaten or drank for 4 days, and she had not spoken or been awake in 2. According to the nurses, she could hear us however, so we all spoke to her, telling her how much we loved her, we sang to her, and just got ready to let her go. When she was still exactly the same on Tuesday, we decided, having said our goodbyes, to go ahead and head back home until they called us. We got one hour outside of Dallas when the call came. My grandmother decided that she had done enough in this world and has gone on home. Its sad, and we are all grieving, especially, of course my mom, who just lost her mom. However, its also something of a happy situation too. My Nanaw is in no more pain and now, I know for certain that she is having conversations with Jesus. I told her before we left to say hi to Him for me, and I'm pretty sure she did. I love knowing that she's happy and well and I will see her again one of these days; it makes things so much easier. We are washing clothes and getting ready for the funeral, which will be on Friday. I should be home again by Saturday evening, so that will probably be the earliest I can post again. Prayers, thoughts, and comforting vibes are of course greatly welcomed. Love to all of you. Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 9/17/2003 06:46:05 AM Friday, September 12, 2003 Ok, so...David Boreanz will not be taking up the cape in the next Batman movie. Which, is sad, I'll grant you, since he would be very, very good at it. And I was quite looking forward to seeing him in that tight body suit. YUM. However, I cannot be too disappointed, because instead the part went to Christian Bale. That's right, my very own tanning bed Adonis. Oh be still my heart...and libido! So of course, with this absolutely DELICIOUS news, I must return Christian to my page...in all his mostly naked glory. Disclaimer: Please, please approach page with caution as it has been known to cause fainting, thudding, loss of breath, loss of concentration, heart palpitations and overpowering lust. Ahem...;)
Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 9/12/2003 09:21:02 AM Monday, September 08, 2003 So, I saw Bringing Down the House and Phone Booth this past weekend. Bringing Down the House was ok, but Phone Booth...WOW. I really loved this movie. The only other movie I've seen Colin Farrell in (so far) is Daredevil. He was ok in it, but I wasn't just wowed by him. But, in Phone Booth...OMG, he was really impressive. And quite hot, really. I like movies where they do something different, and its really cool that the majority of the movie takes place in a phone booth, on one single set. So, in honor of Colin's faboo job in Phone Booth, and of course, his general hotness, I present... Colin Farrell 
Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 9/8/2003 08:20:17 PM Friday, September 05, 2003 Got these from Cibby's blog...they made me laugh!  My inner child is sixteen years old!
Life's not fair! It's never been fair, but while Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 9/5/2003 12:04:29 PM Wednesday, September 03, 2003 Pic of the week is updated (and early no less) here. Trust me, you will all want to at least take a peek. We gots us a good one this week! :) Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 9/3/2003 12:11:01 PM Monday, September 01, 2003 Oh, be still my heart. Ladies (and gents, if there are any around here)...meet the man behind Eomer...Karl Urban. 
Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 9/1/2003 02:13:09 PM Thursday, August 28, 2003 Ok, the new pic of the week is up Here I also thought I'd stick up a couple pictures of the kiddos again, as I told Xander's Girl I'd do so. I need to get some new pictures!  
Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 8/28/2003 07:37:43 AM Wednesday, August 27, 2003 Had to do a new blog. I really liked the other one, but everything I wanted just wouldn't all FIT on it. This ones pretty cool, too though. It'll probably hang around for awhile. I need to learn how to make my own templates. But, I have no earthly idea how to even begin. Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 8/27/2003 03:58:38 PM Well...I'm fixing to do what I don't normally do and bring some current events/political talk onto my blog. I just...I've been thinking about this alot today and since I find myself in...well disagreement is maybe a strong word but its the best I've got...disagreement with many of my friends and family, I'm gonna try to talk it out here. Bear with me, please. I'm not looking to offend or start war or anything like that. I've been watching the case going on with the judge in Alabama who refused to remove the 10 commandments monument. Its caused a whole lot of thought on my part and a whole lot of arguing in my household because...I find myself agreeing with the Supreme Court people who wanted it taken down. As a Christian, I love the 10 Commandments and the thought of the 10 Commandments being put up in the courtrooms and what have you. The 10 Commandments are some of the precepts I build my life upon. I think it would be really great if everyone followed them. So, one would think that I would be one of the many appalled by the order to remove the monument. But, when I look at it another way...I can't help but agree with the decision. See, here's the thing: how would I feel if, instead of a monument to the 10 Commandments, it was a monument to the Koran, or the Satanist's bible, or something else like that? If I went walking into a courthouse to have my case tried by a judge, and saw a monument to the Koran (or something) sitting there, it would worry me. I would hope that the judge would hear my case and make a decision based on the law and the evidence, not on any prejudice against my religion. But, to see this monument and think "This judge is a (insert other religion here)", well...it would greatly concern me that he would start out from a mindset of bias against me. Because of that, I can see how people of other religions (or no religion) would be greatly concerned by a monument to the 10 Commandments being displayed. The second issue I have with all this is: we are instructed in the Bible to obey the law of the land as long as it does not interfere with God's law. Now, the Supreme Court telling him to take down the monument is not telling him to break one of God's laws. Yes, God does tell us to keep the 10 commandments written in our hearts and to study on them often. However, I find that to be more of a command to indivduals, not a command to keep a statue of them up in a courthouse. I completely understand his desire to put up the monument and respect his belief that it should be allowed to remain. However, as the Supreme Court justices were not asking him to forsake his religion, to stop being a Christian, not to believe in the 10 commandments, not to follow them, or anything else...I think he should have followed the law of the land. He could still do a press conference and announce his displeasure with the situation, but he should have followed that law. This is just my opinion on matters. I am by no means a Bible scholar or anything. However, I find myself standing across the fence from most other Christians on this. I am just such a huge supporter of the separation between church and state. I don't want the state deciding what I have to believe. It'd be great if everything was gonna be all Christian (for me, of course), but that's not what this country was founded on. It was founded on the freedom to choose our own religion and not be looked down on or punished for it. I wish everyone were Christians, but since they're not, I believe their rights to believe what they will should be protected. Insofar as they do not take away from my rights to believe what I will, of course. One of the supporters of the law to remove the statue ticked me off, though. He was an atheist and he basically says this morning, "This country does not need to believe in some supreme being, we don't need an old myth in this modern day. I'm really glad the Supreme Court is moving us in that direction." Ok, buddy. You believe whatever you want to. That's your right and your business. But, please do not decide "what this country needs", based on your on belief system I might add, by discriminating and putting down mine. The issue is about a 5000-lb statue, not about the disassembling of the entire Christian faith. In THAT regard, I can see the worries of some of the Christians. However, I'm not a big believer in the whole "slippery-slope" argument many of them like to use. Ok. That's it. Political rant now ended. Feel free to email me if you wish to discuss or debate or whatever. I will respond to everyone, as long as everything is civil. Flamers will be soundly laughed at and ignored. ;) Email is over there *waves to the left side of the blog* somewhere. Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 8/27/2003 12:21:27 PM Tuesday, August 26, 2003 Ok...WHERE IS MY TWO TOWERS DVD??? Do these people not know that I am sitting here waiting for it? Do they not know that I'm DESPERATE? Did they not read my PLAN??? Why is my dvd not in my hands right now? This is criminal I tell you! Criminal! They should be prosecuted. Or...or...electorcuted. Or...tarred and feathered...or SOMETHING! GRRRRRRRRRR! *sniff* Don't they know I had a rough weekend, and I wanted to make it all better by lusting over Aragorn and Legolas for awhile? I watched FoTR last night, and now, its time to watch the Two Towers. So, where in the gorram frell is it??? Yeah...I'm over eager and melodramatic. But, its ARAGORN we're talking about here. C'mon, you know you'd be just as anxious as me. :) Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 8/26/2003 01:35:38 PM Monday, August 25, 2003 Huge "THANK-YOU'S" to all of you for the prayers and thoughts and concern. I have just returned from South Texas and am attempting to recover from driving 16 hours in 2 days. My grandmother seems to be doing better. At this point, they are unsure what caused her to become basically catatonic. By the time that I saw her, she was somewhat aware, although still not really...there...if you know what I mean. The hospital doesn't think she had a stroke, but when we left they were focusing in on her heart, believing the problem to be something there. She still doesn't look so good, but she seems to at least be stable at the moment. Not a very long update, I know and I'm not quite sure it makes sense. I find that I am extremely exhausted and my brain has decided to pretty much shut down. I promise to be back on later, after a nap, some food, and a BUNCH of caffeine! :) Huge, if tired, hugs to all! Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 8/25/2003 11:44:46 AM Saturday, August 23, 2003 I just got a phone call from my sister. They believe that my grandmother (mom's mom), who is in a nursing home in Orange, Texas, had a stroke. The only thing I know at the moment is that she is completely unresponsive to stimulus and that they've taken her in for X-rays. She is almost 90 years old and she's lived a good, long life. She's said several times that she's ready for God to take her home. But, we will miss her greatly if she goes. It is hard for me to think about not talking to her again. She and I have always had a special bond, because she used to baby-sit me for my mom when I was little. She's the one who taught me how to tell stories and encouraged me to write poetry. She used to write beautiful, amazing poetry before arthritis took away her ability to write. She's been the only "real" mom my dad has ever known. She's not perfect, but she has loved us fiercely and truly. God, I will miss her so much if this is it. Anyway, please send a few prayers and good thoughts my way. Love to all. Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 8/23/2003 09:44:40 AM Friday, August 22, 2003 Nerdlet Joy! Oh happy day! Earlier today I ordered my copy of the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and managed to save myself 10 bucks in the process as well! w00t! It is due to arrive on Tuesday, Aug 26th. I'm pacing my floors already! I'm already planning a Monday night re-watching of The Fellowship of the Ring (y'know, just in case I forgot anything,  . Then, Tuesday night (cuz it WILL get here on Tuesday. I refuse to believe anything else!), I will settle myself on my sofa for a return to Middle Earth and watch TTT, including of course all the extra stuff on the dvd! *applauds, cheers, whistles* And, of course, I will also buy the Special Edition when it arrives in November. Maybe its the nerdlet it me, but I quite enjoy having both the theatrical release and the Special Edition, even if my hubby does think I'm weird  .
Also, got a lead on a job today. Its only a retail position at Goody's, but its the right amount of hours and will bring in the amount of money we needed. 15 hours a week is just enough in my book anyway! I wouldn't want this job thing to interfere too much in my 'net time! :)
Y'know, even with the whole all day homework thing, today's been a pretty good day.
Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 8/22/2003 08:33:39 PM Thursday, August 21, 2003 Ok, I'm starting something new with this new website. I call it, Pic of the Week. You can go Here and see what its all about. Enjoy! Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 8/21/2003 08:10:52 PM Allright...so, this is not the huge un-veiling of a great, awesome entire new website. I'm just too darn lazy to do that. But, here is my new blog. I'm still working out the kinks and doing my darndest to get rid of that very irritating --> that's up at the top. Apologies for the pop ups and stuff. I really wanted a site w/out them, but none of the others I looked at worked with the stuff I wanted to do. I would have probably been able to talk the hubby into staying with geocities, except geocities decided to throw a fit or something and refuses to let me update my blog there at all. Very annoying, I tell you...very. To make up for the long lull in between updates...I offer these pics. Enjoy! 
Aye, aye Cap'n Hotpants!
Go ahead...tell me the man's not total eye candy; all rugged and manly...ROWR!
If he was my boss, I'd never get ANY work done! He's just...bitable. *hey, keep those groans to yourselves!*
This man just looks at you, and you melt in a puddle of goo.
Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 8/21/2003 12:43:05 PM Test, test, test, test Ryiana Thomas cast a spell at 8/21/2003 12:19:46 PM |
