Hello.

So, I woke up this morning to a phone call from my mother. My paternal grandfather passed away very early this morning, around 4 am. A little later this morning, my maternal grandmother went to the ER for vomiting and chest pain. Apparently, her gall bladder is having issues, and she's going to have surgery to have it removed on Thursday. I also found out that my cousin's two year old son has cancer, diagnosed right after christmas, and had surgery to remove the tumor, a kidney, and a few lymph nodes. He'll need to go on Chemo, and possibly even full radiation.

And all of this was tossed on me on my birthday.

Some time ago, I came across the idea that the term 'Hermaphrodite' is strictly derogatory. While I can agree with this in respect to actual humans- the term is typically used on trans-genders as a way to imply that they don't qualify as their gender identity. I do _not_, however, agree with this at all when referring to fictional characters, especially those that aren't even trying to appeal to reality. A very large number of furry characters are hermaphrodites, and I mean no insult by saying that.
The definition given to Hermaphrodite in this argument was something along the lines of an individual possessing fully developed and fully functional sexual organs of both genders. Even under this strict definition, I understand that most furry Hermaphrodites _do_ fall under it, so it is not at all insulting or controversial to use the term. However, I take issues with this definition. A male does not have to have fully developed or fully functioning sexual organs to qualify as a male. A female does not have to have fully developed or fully functional sexual organs to qualify as a female. Why should a Hermaphrodite have to have fully developed and fully functioning sexual organs of both male and female to qualify as a Hermaphrodite?
All of that being said, I typically try to refer to people by the gender term they prefer, whether male, female, hermaphrodite, or otherwise.

I feel like I had more to say on the subject, but can't think of it. So, thoughts?

Yup, heading back to Maryland today after two weeks of leave. I spent the first week in Minnesota with my Family, and had a Family Reunion that weekend, which was fun. They always are. After that, though, I came Home to my Mate/Mistress, Care/Sidi/shadow_mage. We've been spending the entire Week Together, doing all Our things and having lots of fun. We went Out Together to do some shopping, where We picked up a few gifts for each other- I got her a coloring book, a Mad Libs pad, a Hello Kitty ball, a new Webkinz, a new home phone, and a new headset for her computer, along with a few things I brought- the movie 'Hop', a flowery hand bag, and a pretty rock, although I'm not sure what kind it is. She got me a few games for my XBox 360- 'Dark Souls', 'The First Templar', and 'Tekken Tag Tournament 2'. I've played all three of them a little now, since I brought my XBox with, and I've enjoyed them; Care/Sidi/shadow_mage seems to have enjoyed watching me play them, too, which is good.
We also watched the movie 'Hop', which was pretty awesome. shadow_mage has a review up on her LJ, and did it more justice than I could. It is a very good movie, though, and I recommend it to anyone who likes comedy. We also watched 'The Silver Lining Playbook' and, again, shadow_mage has a better review than I could write for it on her LJ. It, too, is a very good movie, with a solid plot and a good look at hard-to-define mental illnesses.
Other than that, though, We've been mostly snuggling and cuddling and just sharing Our Time Together, which is very good and I am very happy with. All in All, We've had a very good and happy time together. -grins- Even better, I'll be moving in with her this Winter. I can't wait!

My Mate, Mistress, and Queen shadow_mage is open for work as a freelance editor. She has no professional background, but the customers she has had are all satisfied with her work.

IN REAL LIFE: (IN CANADIAN DOLLARS)

Do you have any stories, poems, character sheets, fanfiction, papers, resumes, or any other written documents that you think are a little off on the grammar, spelling, or need little something to make it really speak out to people but, you don't want to do it yourself?

If requested, I will also do full wording changes, by doing a strike out on the original text and rewriting in red. Corrections will simply be made in red.

HOW IT WORKS: You would contact me through the site or by my email address (elvengoddess01@gmail.com), sending me the document you want edited, and when I'm finished, I would email it back to you. I can always be reached by email, in general, and can answer any questions you may have.

ORDER FORM
Type of Document
Time you would like it to be finished:
Is it a short, medium, or long document

PRICES

Short one to ten pages long: $5.00 CAD
Medium ten to twenty five pages long: $15.00 CAD
Long twenty five to thirty five pages long: $25.00 CAD
Longer than thirty-five pages: $35 and up, on agreement

PAYMENT METHOD: Paypal (elvengoddess01@gmail.com)


********


IN SECOND LIFE: (IN LIDEN DOLLARS)

Do you have any stories, poems, character sheets, fanfiction, papers, resumes, or any other written documents that you think are a little off on the grammar, spelling, or need little something to make it really speak out to people but, you don't want to do it yourself?

If requested, I will also do full wording changes, by doing a strike out on the original text and rewriting in red. Corrections will simply be made in red.

HOW IT WORKS: You would contact me through the site or by my email address (elvengoddess01@gmail.com OR you can Notecard me with it if you want), sending me the document you want edited, and when I'm finished, I would email it back to you. If you Notecard me with it, my Second Life name is Obsidian Snowdrop. I can be reached by Second Life Instant Message if you ever have any questions as well.

ORDER FORM
Type of Document
Time you would like it to be finished:
Is it a short, medium, or long document


PRICES

Short one to ten pages long: 1235L
Medium ten to twenty five pages long: 3705L
Long twenty five to thirty five pages long: 6175L
Longer than thirty-five pages: 8645L and up, on agreement





----I have had about 5 editing jobs since I started this last August, totaling around $50.00 so I know I can do this. I just need to get the word out more. Please if you'd like my editing services, or think you might know someone who does, or would, please contact me using either of the ways above. Also, if you'd like, please feel free to spread these Ads around too, as this is my only way to make a bit of extra money using my skills, and I can always use the work. Thankyou-----

Helping shadow_mage's friend tieran spread the word about her openings for Donation commissions!!!!

http://tieran.livejournal.com/222467.html

Commissions to balance out $460 vet bill!
My dog had to go into the vet’s for some xrays to find out why his back legs were hurting him so much, and why he hardly wanted to do anything anymore. Fortunately, it’s nothing horrific, just early onset of arthritis (poor pup D: ). Between that and the heartworm medicine, the vet trip ended up being a whopping $460!
So, in order to make up cost, I’m going to be doing commissions for donations.
There’s no minimum donation cost (well, kind of. You do have to donate at least $1.00 ^^; )
But the more you donate, the more you get!
$1.00 - gets you a sketch in traditional media. Single char, no background.
example: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/3760938/
http://www.furaffinity.net/full/3975409/
At least $10 – I will ink and flat color the sketch for you digitally :D
example: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4127163/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3188500/
At least $20 – I will add in simple shading
example: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7123491
At least $30 - I will add more complex shading and texture, as well as a simple background
example: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3940802/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6679786/
Any more than that – we’ll talk and figure out what you’d like! (because woah, you’re awesome o.o)
Don’t want to donate? Well you can still get art!
Spread the word about this journal, be it on your personal journal or on a community, and I will do a FREE ICON* for you :D Just post this link somewhere, then post below with a link to wherever you posted! Simple as that!
Thank you for reading, and thank you in advance for considering donating to the cause!
*(note: paid donation commissions take priority, icons will be done afterwards. Also, depending on the amount of commissions/icons it may take me a while to get to you. I DO promise, however, I will keep an orderly queue so you can see where your piece is in line, and you're free to contact me for info :3 )

Yeah, this entry is very, very late. But, you know what? That's okay. Because I said so.

My Christmas leave from the ship was very short (only like a week and a half, if that), because of the ship's horrible, hectic schedule. So, I spent a few days in Minnesota with my family, to celebrate Christmas. Got a wolf-head hat and a sketchbook from my older sister Amber, and a... beefstick from my younger sister Candy. Impressive. :D

After that, I went to be with Mistress/Sidi/Care/shadow_mage for four days. Overall, the Time Home was amazing, as always. Mistress is my Heaven.

The first day, since I arrived pretty late, We just snuggled and watched some TV and "Breaking Dawn Part 1" together, after eating dinner, which I picked up on the way Home from the airport. We also made a list of things We'd need to upgrade Mistress' computer, Hestia. The hard drive crapped out on her, so We had to fix that, for sure.

The next day, We spent shopping for all of Hestia's new parts- a 1TB HDD, new Graphics Card, 4GB new RAM, new 24'' Monitor, Windows 7, new Wireless Router, and a 1TB external hard drive. After getting all the parts, We picked out a new 40'' flatscreen TV for Mistress, though I had to go back and pick it up after We brought the parts home, since our hands were already full. That done, I put all the new parts in Hestia, and while Hestia installed windows and We ate dinner, We watched "When Strangers Click" on the new TV. The movie follows five people and their internet relationships, and is pretty good. Mistress and I both agree, though, that the best one was the guy on Second Life. He lives with his mother on a remote farm/ranch/cabin in Sweden, so there isn't much of a social scene. The guy, wanting something to do, joined Second Life as Jonas Bara. An aspiring musician, he owned his own virtual bar/club in Second Life about two months after joining it, and performed there every night. It wasn't until a woman, named Angel, came to his bar, though, that he really took off. She taught him how to balance his sounds, so that his guitar wouldn't drown his voice, or vice versa, and so the mic wouldn't crackle with his breath. She also gave him some fashion tips. With Angel's help, Jonas caught the attention of a publisher on Second Life, and was offered to become the first Avatar with his own record. Jonas had to go to the US to do the recording, where he also met up with Angel IRL for the first time. That meeting resulted in a son for Jonas and Angel. Two years later, they are married in Second Life, though Jonas still lives in Sweden and Angel and their son still live in the US. Through Skype and Second Life, the family keeps in touch every day, and they visit each other as often as they can.

The third day, We went shopping again, this time just for fun. We started with some coffee, which We drank while just chatting and relaxing in the mall, then We went to The Source, where We got new speakers and a new mouse for Hestia. After that, We went over to GameStop and browsed for awhile- We were hoping to find "Sims Medieval" to at least price for Mistress, but it wasn't in stock. Mistress did buy me Dragon Age Origins and Dragon Age Origins: Awakening as a Christmas/Birthday present, both of which are awesome games. We also went to the Calender Store, where Mistress bought me a beautiful Wolf Calender for 2012, and herself an awesome Dragon calender. Finally, We went to Zellar's to get new sheets and pillows for Mistress' bed. Once We got home, We just hung out and relaxed after getting everything set up and put away, and watched the "Glee Concert Movie" which was good, though it seemed choppy to me. Of course, it was more of a highlights reel/cast interview special of the Glee Concert Tour, so that makes sense. I also cut Mistress' hair during the day, though all We had for me to use was a pair of scissors. It ended up with layered rows in the back and sides by accident, but Mistress said she likes it, and has apparently been getting compliments on it since, so I agreed to cut her hair again next time I'm Home, no later than July.

The last two days, We spent together just having Us Time and watching TV and hanging out and even having computer time. Mistress re-introduced me to Neopets, and got me wanting Webkinz, though I'll probably wait until after I move to start that. We also found an awesome Pagan/Wiccan website that has all sorts of things, from trinkets to alter supplies, stones to Tarot cards, and all kinds of other stuff. We both had a blast looking around the site, and I bought an awesome Tarot Deck based on Celtic Shamanism and Shapeshifting. The site, btw, is www.dragonmoon.ca .

The Home Trip did end on an incredibly sour note, though... The last night I was Home, since I was leaving in the morning, Mistress started having intense stomach pains, shortly after We ate dinner. We hoped it would go away, or at least be bearable, after awhile, like most of her pains, but finally called for an ambulance and went to the hospital around midnight. It turned out to be do to an intestinal blockage, caused by a twist in her intestines that she's had _since birth_, which, coincidentally, is also what caused the constant side pains her doctors never believed her about. I spent as much time with her as I could, but had to leave to catch my plane, since there was no way for me to be able to stay longer without getting in trouble.

Even though she's back from the hospital and recovering well already, I'm still upset with myself for not being able to stay...

Alright, so... Christmas. Yay. Hehehe. Seriously, I do enjoy Christmas, but didn't do much this year- yet, at least. Not going on Leave until December 30th, which leaves me stuck in Virginia with nothing much to do. For example, yesterday, which was, in fact, Christmas Day, I got to stay on the ship all day. Hurrah, Duty.

December 30th is when the fun starts, though. First, I'm going to Minnesota to visit my family and celebrate a slightly belated Christmas, as well as New Years with them. Then, on January 3rd, I'm going to go visit shadow_mage/Care/Sidi/Mistress. We're going to be doing lots of things- the major one being fixing her desktop, Hestia.

All in all, I intend to have lots of fun during New Years.

Also, I suck at this journaling thing.

-Get into better shape; at the very least, get rid of my gut.

-Learn how to use Blender 3D better and make models, though animation can wait until next year, or so.

-Get a music synthesis program and learn how to use it. To make music for future animations, you see.

-Study German better. I like the language.

-Write more.

-Draw more (and better).