Neechan

I don't find the appeal of e-books, because I am not capable of falling in love one. I can fall in love with my beautifully crafted hard back collection.
 
For me, there's just something more meaningful in holding a book in your hand. It's something I am able to really connect to, rather than just stare at. Besides the magic and the love I feel for holding it, it's just I don't like things like this being called 'useless.' Just because something is easier, more convenient, does not make the old thing better or obsolete. We're turning into a society where 'what's the point of going outside? You can just sit indoors and play on your tablet.' Books are the same for me. Plus it is actually very healthy to put down the electronics and do something that doesn't require batteries or a plug in on occasion. We're heading toward Wall-e land.
 
But not everyone has that special feeling. I wish everyone did, and people enjoyed actual books like I do, but it's just not reasonable to expect everyone to have that viewpoint. Still, I just don't ever want books or playing outside or talking to someone in person to be a thing of the past.

I have a really simple fix, though it's not actually something on the site per se... Honestly, I think they need to work on their advertising! If they advertise better with well placed ads (like I've always said, during a show like Adventure Time when people of all ages are watching!) then they could draw in a lot of new customers. New customers means more players means more money going into the site, which in turn should ultimately solve all the other problems the site currently has.

I don't find the appeal of e-books, because I am not capable of falling in love one. I can fall in love with my beautifully crafted hard back collection.
 
For me, there's just something more meaningful in holding a book in your hand. It's something I am able to really connect to, rather than just stare at. Besides the magic and the love I feel for holding it, it's just I don't like things like this being called 'useless.' Just because something is easier, more convenient, does not make the old thing better or obsolete. We're turning into a society where 'what's the point of going outside? You can just sit indoors and play on your tablet.' Books are the same for me. Plus it is actually very healthy to put down the electronics and do something that doesn't require batteries or a plug in on occasion. We're heading toward Wall-e land.
 
But not everyone has that special feeling. I wish everyone did, and people enjoyed actual books like I do, but it's just not reasonable to expect everyone to have that viewpoint. Still, I just don't ever want books or playing outside or talking to someone in person to be a thing of the past.

All right! So I've picked up The Vampire Chronicles in a big giant ornate book from B&N. I've started with Interview with the Vampire, and I've gotten through the first section (I notice there are no chapters- about the only thing so far I don't like about the book) up until him entering his coffin for the first time. Assuming everyone here has read it because there are small spoilers, here's what I think so far:
 
First off, Anne Rice's writing style is a huge comfort for me, since it is very similar to my own writing style. Especially with using '...' for pauses, which my editor really prefers I not do. I just find the using '-' doesn't convey the pause well enough, or that it expresses too much alarm or excitement. Going with that, I notice that Anne makes no effort to use alternate descriptive words for her characters. It is always 'the vampire' and 'the boy.' While I do try to have more variety than that, it relieves a lot of pressure that I felt in trying to think of new descriptions I haven't previously used. Especially in my most recent chapter, where two of the characters are referred to in majority as 'the man' and 'the child' since their identities were meant to be secret (it's a flashback). So, like I said, it all makes her writing feel comforting to me and makes it easy to read. However, going with that, the main character- the Vampire in question (I'm not sure yet if his name is Lou-iss or Lou-ee, since he's meant to be French) tends to speak in away that makes me have to reread small sections a few times before I understand what's happening, like when his brother fell. It took me a minute to realise that the brother had fallen down stairs, and didn't just drop dead.
 
I am having a small bit of trouble, too, with the fact that the entirety of what I read so far was from Louis speaking. I understand that it is 'Interview with the Vampire' but I guess I expected a first person narrative and not a 'big block of dialogue with he-said-she-said' sort of thing. The dialogue is hard to keep up with, because, like I said, sometimes I have to reread to understand what actually happened because of how Louis speaks.
 
So far, in this first section, I've discovered that I really like Lestat. I don't like the way he started out seeming like a somewhat decent guy, and then snapped at his father just for asking where he went during the day. He had already been acting like somewhat of a jerk before that, but that was the first part where I sort of felt the same way that Louis did. I just don't like him. I wonder at this point if that view will change when I read The Vampire Lestat? =P
 
But the biggest thing is that I have a vampire of my own, and he's actually frequently compared to both Louis and Lestat- which is part of the reason I wanted to read this series- and I can totally see why. He's got the quiet dignity of Louis, but can be easily set off by little things like Lestat. And, since I know my own character so well, it makes me feel more connected to both of these two and makes me more interested in what is coming next.
 
That was kind of book report-y. Sorry for that. I write all the time but I actually haven't read a book since Tenth Grade! (The entire Harry Potter series in one week, The Hobbit in a day, The Fellowship of the Ring in a day and a half, and halfway through the Two Towers, I burnt out and haven't picked up a book since~!!)
 
Anyway, I'm thinking of going and reading more because I'm a masochist and who really needs sleep? I'll keep you all posted on how I feel as I get further in =D

And today I finally got the Forgotten Shore Avatar! All the random dailies are slowly coming to me~~

Without hesitation I'm back on Maraqua! All Star last year. Let's see if I have the drive for two in a row!

Maybe this is noobish but I consider TDN my guild. It is a guild of types as lending, networking, venting and account improvement all happens here. Y'all help me with any questions I have and I reciprocate.

Super happy to report that I now never, ever have to play Kiko Pop again!

Super happy to report that I now never, ever have to play Kiko Pop again!

Super happy to report that I now never, ever have to play Kiko Pop again!

Super happy to report that I now never, ever have to play Kiko Pop again!

Super happy to report that I now never, ever have to play Kiko Pop again!

Thanks for all the suggestion guys. But hey, good news! I've been almost back-pain free for 24 hours now :D I don't want to jump the gun, but I got a new mattress and a pillow topper and I think it was partly the old mattress that was causing the pain. Obviously all the lifting didn't help, but this has been a huge relief for me~

Thanks for all the suggestion guys. But hey, good news! I've been almost back-pain free for 24 hours now :D I don't want to jump the gun, but I got a new mattress and a pillow topper and I think it was partly the old mattress that was causing the pain. Obviously all the lifting didn't help, but this has been a huge relief for me~

For like a year now my lower back has been hurting. It started with just bending over and now it's pretty much constantly no matter what I do. I'd go to the doctor but I can't afford it, given that... well, no one in this house has a steady job and I'm the only one (of course) without health insurance.
 
It doesn't help that I'm stressed out of my mind. We finally moved into a bigger house, but now the whole house is covered with boxes of stuff that belonged to my roommate's grandmother. All because her mother doesn't believe in getting rid of anything at all. Her mom even got mad at us for putting an 'antique chair' in storage because there was no room for it (I'm serious, the only space to move on the entire first floor is a pathway from the front door to the kitchen.) because SHE says that she told EVERYONE that it would get ruined there. But despite her complaining about it, she hasn't gone to get it. Apparently there was absolutely no reason it should have gone there. But there's no space here for it and she knows it. I don't understand the deal.
 
In addition to that, I, with my bad back, had to move all of dear old departed granny's furniture (I am a tiny 22 year old indivudual) because none of mom's sons actually showed up to help. Making my back and my stress worse. Sigh.
 
I wish I could at least get some pain killers or something, but the shortest wait for a free clinic around here is about two months now.

"Wet" heat can penetrate better with back pain, too. You might want to try a wet towel microwaved in a partially open ziploc, then wrapped in a towel and pressed against the painful area. If I were you, I'd also look into yoga for back pain. Strengthening the surrounding muscles and stretching out the tight areas can really help.

Also, I second the chiropractor. It's no cheaper than a normal doctor's visit, at least for me, but a decent one is much more likely to be able to provide you one-visit relief instead of a series of expensive appointments. (Note: you want one who is primarily concerned with the actual physical structure of the back, not a bunch of pseudoscience about chakras and balance and such. Good chiropractors are very similar to physical therapists who specialize in the back.)
 
Source: was hospitalized last year with back pain so severe they thought it was appendicitis. Paid thousands of dollars for a CT only to be told that "it was probably muscular and there was nothing they could do." Chiropractor immediately detected a vertebrae that was out of alignment, moved it back in, and gave me exercises to stabilize so it was less likely to happen again. (Much cheaper than the CT...)

Unfortunately, there are rude people on the internet. Sad. But luckily, there are still enough people on this site that the one person blocking your friend isn't going to keep them from ever being traded with again. Look at it this way; when someone unnecessarily rude blocks YOU, that saves YOU the trouble of ever having to deal with them ^_^

I'm sorry to hear that Neechan. I hope this doesn't sound too simplistic, but does aspirin help? Also, I know that some people get partial relief from heat applied to the back, such as from an electric heating pad. You should also Google reputable medical sites for back pain relief. Good luck.

Have you considered going for a massage? It might help alleviate some of the pain. I had horrible lower back pain when I was pregnant with my second child to the point where I could barely move. I went for a massage and after 30 minutes all the pain was relieved. I'd also suggest seeing a Chiropractor if you can. The good ones can pinpoint your problem areas and relieve pinched nerves as well as realigning your joints. Sometimes with back pain a doctor needs to be seen to rule out an injury or any underlying cause. You could also try a TENS device. My husband uses one called Dr. Ho's and it's helped him tremendously. They can be a bit expensive though, but at least it's not a one time thing.
 
I'd suggest trying to get into a free clinic like you mentioned, even if the wait is two months. At least it'll be something to help figure out why you're in so much pain. To help manage your pain you can do what's called piggybacking pain relievers. Always follow the labels and discuss with a pharmacist before following what I'm about to say. I'm not a medical professional but this was the advice given to me by my baby's doctor. What you can do is take a dose of ibuprofen since it lasts longer, if before your next does you're not getting any relief take an acetaminophen dose. Make sure you wait at least 2 hours after the previous medication so you don't overlap it too much. Ibuprofen has a 6-8 hour lifespan, while acetaminophen only has a 4-6 hour life span in the body. For my daughter I followed this method while she had a throat infection a few months ago, and an ear infection recently. It helped her get the rest she needed and to play comfortably.
 
Ugh that is annoying! If it's that big of a deal for her then she should be the one to house the chair and not put the burden of all the belongings on her daughter and yourself.

Oh haha, fail, I meant to say trophy! :p I don't know why I said avatar... hahaha. Fail! :-P

Finally, finally, finally!!!
 

 
(I also got Kasuki Lu yesterday, but that's not as exciting. And I went for Castle Escape, but no luck on that one. By the end of the day I was like 66.)

Oh, it was actually on Saturday but I forgot to post it; doing my dailies? I was at the The Discarded Magical Blue Grundo Plushie of Prosperity and I actually got a Y15 birthday gift bag. I unloaded it fairly quickly for 880k, which is far less than the 1mil most people ask for but I was just happy for the quick neopoints!

Oh, it was actually on Saturday but I forgot to post it; doing my dailies? I was at the The Discarded Magical Blue Grundo Plushie of Prosperity and I actually got a Y15 birthday gift bag. I unloaded it fairly quickly for 880k, which is far less than the 1mil most people ask for but I was just happy for the quick neopoints!

Oh, it was actually on Saturday but I forgot to post it; doing my dailies? I was at the The Discarded Magical Blue Grundo Plushie of Prosperity and I actually got a Y15 birthday gift bag. I unloaded it fairly quickly for 880k, which is far less than the 1mil most people ask for but I was just happy for the quick neopoints!

I just got it too!! Except I couldn't be bothered to go for the trophy score.