tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20020430228190515692024-03-05T07:03:45.068-03:00Bringing up SalamandersNydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.comBlogger813125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-36728883606850138792015-03-12T20:22:00.003-03:002015-06-12T14:57:35.219-03:00On being humans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Andrew Smith is a popular American author who recently was interviewed by <a href="http://www.vice.com/read/failure-of-male-societies-869"><b>Vice </b></a>and at some point he was asked, "On the flip side, it sometimes seems like there isn't much of a way into your books for female readers. Where are all the women in your work?". To which he replied, "<i>I was raised in a family with four boys, and I absolutely did not know anything about girls at all. I have a daughter now; she's 17. When she was born, that was the first girl I ever had in my life. I consider myself completely ignorant to all things woman and female. I'm trying to be better though</i>."</div>
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Then hell broke loose. For this line, he received an avalanche of brutal criticism. Feminists drooling in anger bullied - yes, bullied, there's not a better word for that - him because how dare he says his experiences with women were less than enough to create convincing female characters? From that single reply, they decided that Andrew Smith is a misogynist who deserves ostracism, whose sexism is disgusting, yadah yadah. </div>
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I feel sick about how quickly a man's words can be twisted and taken out of context to justify someone else's anger and frustration. For instance, Tessa Gratton wrote, "<i>The interpretation is that women are less than human, or at the very least, inherently different from men. That is one of the oldest sexist arguments in the entire world</i>." Where for goddess' sake did Andrew Smith ever say that?</div>
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Yes, his books are focused on male characters who face challenges in life, who suffer abuse, who get over their fears. His secondary female characters are not as well developed. But you don't see him dismissing women in any of his books.</div>
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What the bullies don't mention is that in the same interview he says, about his new novel: "<i>The book is really about the failure of male-dominated societies. Every single one of these male-dominated societies is really misguided, a failure—the survivors on the boat, too. They just think that they’re doing something that’s good and really, they’re not</i>." Does that sound misogynist to you? It sure doesn't to me...</div>
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This man was abused by both his parents, didn't have a healthy female role model as a child, and was surrounded by brothers, not benefitting from growing up with girls around. He didn't become a man hating women, though, and if he's more comfortable writing about the masculine perspective, so what? </div>
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He said he's ignorant about all things women, and this is a reason to attack him? He openly admitted his issues, and that he's learning to be better while raising his daughter, which is way more than many men out there would be willing to do. Actually, this is nothing new, there are several articles and books about "understanding the female universe", etc. It is a worldwide well-known joke that men don't understand women. </div>
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The writer Chuck Wending wisely said, "<i>I took his statement as being honest and as one that ended with an understanding of his need to improve. Aren't there actually shitty people we can be mad at?</i>" </div>
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But some people decided to unfairly pick Andrew Smith as a scapegoat, just because they can, because it's easier to immediately assume whatever they want, accuse and attack.</div>
Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-41133922501471923312015-03-04T18:57:00.001-03:002016-04-12T22:36:12.468-03:00Seeing gold where gold is.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Soooo recently Amanda Palmer was criticized as not being a real feminist for showing public displays of affection towards her man. They said, "If you happen to be an internationally adored cabaret artist, is probably not to coo and gaze adoringly at your bestselling fantasy author husband for two hours in public". </span><span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can read her awesome response to this piece of ridiculous call-out </span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://amandapalmer.tumblr.com/post/29415876584/real-feminists-dont-gaze-at-males"><b>here</b></a></span><span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. </span><span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I so relate to her post, and I applaud every single word she wrote.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I obviously believe in and demand equal rights for women and men - socially, sexually, politically, professionally, etc., the same way I support equal rights for everybody, socially, sexually, politically, professionally, etc., because these are human rights, plain and simple.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But I don't feel like I'm less of a woman or as if I don’t have a life just because I openly (and often) talk about the man I love. I'm not misandristic, which is what their "You're not a real feminist if you..." rant smells like. </span><span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Because it's okay to talk and write about how bad and cruel some men really are, but when, like me, you have an amazing guy in your life, who loves, supports, admires and makes you feel wonderful, you should act as if it's nothing?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You don't need to have someone to have a happy, complete life. But when by one of these incredible twists of fate, among billions of people, you stumble upon an incredible person who becomes an important part of your life and you feel this immense love for them, and who makes you feel like the most beautiful and smartest person in the world, of course you can adoringly gaze at them in public, if you want to, literally and metaphorically.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'm pretty sure there are some eyes-rolling every time I post another ("... there she goes again...") photo of Tim and I on my very active "Decaturian Delight" Facebook album. But I love doing so. I don't hide my feelings nor am I shy about them. I wish all men were with their women the way Tim is with me. Hell, I wish everybody was like him, period. He suffers with severe depression, which makes life awfully hard for him, but it doesn't prevent him from being a fun, witty, smart and brilliant man.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As many of you know, in January I visited him in Decatur and it was a nightmare for my health, when I had a kidney/bladder infection (with a night at hospital with him) and spent the whole month poisoned by Levaquin, with all the terrible side effects you can imagine that debilitated me to the point of feeling like a poor miserable mouse. So that's when someone shows their true colors. He was seeing me at my worst: often helplessly crying, physically weak to the bones, disoriented, half-walking, half-dragging myself from room to room, throwing up my guts, unfocused - in a nutshell, ultra sick like I've never been before. And how did he behave and treat me 24 hours a day, seven days of those (very long) weeks? With love pouring through his eyes. Never impatient, never a harsh word. Always with a smile for me, always with my hand in his, always with his arms around me to sleep. Always sweet, fun, loving and caring. All the time. Because that's who he is, and that's how he always treated me since we first met. And that's how every person should treat their loved ones.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, roll your eyes if you must, or enjoy the joy with me, because yes, I do value the man I love, I brag about him, and I do think life is too damn short to save my PDAs for special occasions.</span></div>
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Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-69688616969388311032014-03-19T14:17:00.000-03:002014-03-19T14:17:57.739-03:00ABC Wednesday - J is for Jakers!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's ABC Wednesday and <b>J </b>is <b>Jakers!</b> for me.<br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">When Lucas was little, we used to faithfully watch a TV show called "<b>Jakers! The Adventures</b> <b>of</b> <b>Piggley Winks</b>". We loved it so much we didn't mind watching the frequent reruns, as they were always worth it. We would cuddle on the couch together, and for half an hour we were taken to another time.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Jakers! is about the life of a smart and witty 8 years old little pig called Piggley, who lived in Ireland during the 50s with his parents and little sister at their Raloo Farm (they reproduce the gorgeous Irish landscapes with an adorable touch of old style). He has two loyal friends: Ferny, a little bull, son of Don Toro, a big and very sweet blacksmith, and Danna, a smart, teasing little duck who loves reading and lives by a pond with her grandmother. Together they have the funniest adventures, always inspired by Piggley, a natural leader whose imagination is endlessly rich. They go to the local school, and their teacher, a brilliant, serious goat, tries every day to open their minds and teach them to have integrity and to have a good character.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The interesting thing is that Piggley's adventures are told by himself as an adult in present time to his twin grandsons, granddaughter and his daughter, with whom he lives in the USA. Every time his grandkids start fighting over something they disagree, he comes up with a story from his childhood related to the kids' problems, and brings them a moral lesson in the sweetest way.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As a kid, Piggley and his friends are always involved in all kinds of funny - sometimes moving - situations, and he is the one who convinces his friends to live their life to the fullest as all kids should do, enjoying their days and nights in between their daily chores. He loves myths and legends, and often follows his heart to reproduce or confirm something he reads in his books, which guarantees lots of fun moments.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">My favorite character was Willey, an absolutely hilarious sheep living in Raloo Farm (originally voiced by no one else but Mel Brooks). He is the only talking sheep among its flock, and he drags them to the most absurd situations, believing they can be more than mere sheep eating grass. His dream is to go to Broadway and become a star, so his failing attemps to make his fellow friends to join him in his enthusiasm for dancing and singing are priceless. I was always looking forward to his appearances.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This cartoon has so many nuances to the storytelling, with a delicate approach and beautiful, fun metaphors to the situations kids may face in their lives when they must decide what's the right thing to do. It's all about friendship, love, integrity and being faithful to your heart.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We would always talk about the episodes and I used to love getting to know Lucas' response to them, and how he would react in the same situations. A great chance for him to learn about right and wrong, in a really fun, cute way. It's perfect for young kids and grown-ups young at heart.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">To read another cool J entry, visit my dear favorite author, at <a href="http://www.tim-byrd.com/"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>Under An Outlaw Moon</b></span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">To read more great ABC entries, and if you want to join the project, visit the <a href="http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com.br/?m=1"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>meme's main page</b></span>,</a> and have fun! :)</span></div>
Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-41012587085466650482014-03-14T18:41:00.001-03:002014-03-14T18:56:31.534-03:00ABC Wednesday - I is for Indecision<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">
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<span style="background-color: black;">ABC Wednesday was two days ago, and<b> I</b> was <b>Indecision </b>for me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;">I'm so late, but do you know when you get stuck and simply can't choose anything to write about, no matter if you made a huge list of possible words? That's me this week on the ABC Wednesday. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;">I could blog about some interesting people, like Isadora Duncan, whose biography I read when I was 9 and in ballet classes. She impressed me so much I wanted to dance like her, barefoot and with only some ethereal colored cloths covering my body - highly discouraged by my ballet teacher...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;">Or I could write about Isaac Asimov. His books were a fantastic source of awe for my childish mind, who made me love sci-fi stories, and helped me to learn how to analyse right from wrong and how tricky situations can get to the point of making you wonder what's best for you and others...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;">Or I could talk about Imaginary friends, like when you're deep inside the virtual world and lost friendship is a click away, erased from your life because of moods, different opinions, or lack of contact without a word. Sometimes respect and patience are luxuries in the virtual world...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;">Or about the Impeccable service my sweetheart and I had at a local restaurant where we used to have lunch while he was here spending Summer with me. The waiters were gentle and super efficient, the food was delicious and their Internet connection was basically perfect (my town doesn't have a First Class connection, alas).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;">Or Indiana Jones, the cool, incredible hero and his fun adventures, who helped an entire generation go through their teen years.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5cPaLpaj5ts/UyNlCcj0ByI/AAAAAAAAFoE/UnTBIWS2eBo/s1600/imagesCA1NNQV0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5cPaLpaj5ts/UyNlCcj0ByI/AAAAAAAAFoE/UnTBIWS2eBo/s1600/imagesCA1NNQV0.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;">I could talk about Ice creams, Islands paradises, Insights, Intercourse (mmm...), Intelligence, Incubbus, Impressionism, Imagination, Inspiration, Innocence, Instinct... So many Ideas that makes my Gemini soul Indecisive.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;">It's better to end this post here...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;">To read another cool I entry, visit my dear favorite author, at <span style="color: #f1c232;"><a href="http://tim-byrd.com/"><b>Under An Outlaw Moon</b></a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;">To read more great ABC entr<span style="color: white;">ies, and if you want to join the project, visit the </span><a href="http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com.br/"><b><span style="color: #f1c232;">meme's main page</span></b></a><span style="color: white;">, and have fun! :)</span></span></div>
Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-10301636797633405552014-03-07T12:30:00.002-03:002014-03-08T04:17:42.382-03:00A day at a time<div style="text-align: justify;">
I had this saved as a draft to publish today, but Tim posted his ABC Wednesday, showing the other side of this issue, that I'll reblog after this part:</div>
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I'm reblogging Tim's post here because he gives an important perspective for those who, like him, suffer with depression.<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> I've been following his struggles against the Black Dog since I started reading his blog a bit longer than a couple of years ago. When I fell in love with him and became his girlfriend, I naturally wanted to go deeper and learn everything I could about depression and everything that encompasses it - for me it's important to understand how this terrible illness affects his mind and soul, and how he deals with the world:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>"As I write this, it is late enough Thursday night that it’s Friday morning. I had a long, dreary fucking day, the depression kicking my plan to be productive right in the crotch, and I napped quite a bit. I’m not getting enough writing done. I’m not exercising enough. I haven’t finished cleaning the Byrdcave.</em></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>But, that’s progress. If I’m not getting enoughwriting done, that implies I’m getting somewriting done. If I’m not exercising enough, that must mean I’m exercising at least some. And if I haven’t finished cleaning the Byrdcave, that would mean that I did start cleaning it. And all that is true, though it’s weak tea for a guy who is really trying to pick his life back up after it was stomped flat by the black dog of depression.</em></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>Anyway, lots of napping during the day leads inevitably to being wide awake when it’s so late that it’s early. And I’m feeling pretty good. I started playing God of War: Ascension, which got my blood moving, and now I’m listening to great rock ‘n’ roll, dancing like no one’s watching (I’m actually quite good at that), and singing like no one’s listening (not quite as good, though I won a singing contest in a bar in Spain one time, long ago). Mark Twain would be pqroud."</em></span></div>
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This was written when he was feeling stronger, and you could see his wonderful soul shining so bright. To read the whole post, click <a href="http://tim-byrd.com/2014/02/21/here-have-some-rock-n-roll-song-of-the-week-22114/"><b><span style="color: #f1c232;">here</span></b></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">.</span><br />
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But these last days the awful Black Dog has been taking the best of Tim's days and nights, and he posted this <a href="http://tim-byrd.com/2014/03/07/help-i-need-somebody-abc-wednesday-3514/"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><strong>poignant, heartbreaking article</strong></span></a> at his blog today:</div>
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<em>"Do you understand <span class="g5b17tn62n" id="g5b17tn62n_4">suicide</span>?</em><br />
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<em>I do. I don’t want to do it, but I have it on my list of options. Worst <span class="g5b17tn62n" id="g5b17tn62n_5">case</span> scenario sort of thing. This is because I have chronic, often debilitating depression, and it often makes me doubt I have the ability to maintain my life for its natural duration.</em></div>
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<em>Lose the people I love, not able to take it? Suicide’s an option. Don’t <span class="g5b17tn62n" id="g5b17tn62n_7">sell</span> enough books and fall into poverty? Suicide’s an option, better than living in a soggy box under a bridge. Fall into a permanent depressive funk in which I can’t even take care of myself day-to-day (which is what started to happen to me last year, which is why I re-entered therapy, got back on the meds, and had <span class="g5b17tn62n" id="g5b17tn62n_3">electroshock therapy</span> for the second time in three years)? Suicide is always there.</em></div>
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<em>It’s like the cyanide capsule hidden in my molar, ready to be crunched in dire circumstances.</em></div>
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<em>Not a <span class="g5b17tn62n" id="g5b17tn62n_2">day passes</span> that I don’t think about it, at least in passing. It’s a bloodsoaked thread woven through the fabric of my life, not dominant but always dripping. It’s been this way for years.</em></div>
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<em>Do I think I’ll do it some day? No. Would I be surprised if I did? No.</em></div>
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<em>So yeah, I understand suicide. It is dark and terrible and fucked up, but it can also be practical. Or at least seem so to a mind in pain.</em></div>
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<em>I tell you that so that you know I’m talking to you from the darkness. It can be tough to tell most of the time, because I’m largely a low-key yet upbeat guy, forthright about my problems but not whiny or melancholy or gloomy to be around. But I live in the darkness of this disease, and I speak as something of an expert. And the thing I want to tell you is this:</em></div>
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<em>Help them.</em></div>
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<em>If you have someone in your life who suffers from <span class="g5b17tn62n" id="g5b17tn62n_6">depression</span>:</em></div>
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<em>Help them.</em></div>
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<em>One of the hardest things to do is to ask for help. I will go days without doing the dishes, or taking out the <span class="g5b17tn62n" id="g5b17tn62n_8">trash</span>, or going to get the mail, or showering. I’ll avoid the phone and not answer emails. I am utterly useless during those times, and I am mostly without hope. During times like this, I lose all my faith that I can do the things I want to do with my life. I think of the places I’ll never go, the people I’ll never get to hang out with, the books I will never be able to write, and I despair.</em></div>
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<em>I hate asking for help. So I don’t. But I need it.</em></div>
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<em>So, if you know someone with depression:</em></div>
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<em>Help them.</em></div>
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<em>I think there are many lives lost that may have been saved had the people who cared about the folks in pain actually found meaningful ways to be there for them. It can be a burden, yes. But if you care for them, you won’t think of it in those terms, or at least won’t let them know you feel that way. Help them get the professional assistance they need. Cook them a meal every week. Help them clean their home (even little things like taking out the damned trash can make a difference). Talk to them, show them you care about them, show them you have faith in them.</em></div>
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<em>Help them.</em></div>
<em>You may just save their life."</em></div>
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This is the hard daily life for depressed people. It's a roller-coaster, when some days you may see the light at the end of the tunnel, and some days you simply can't feel the ground under your feet. I want to reinforce what he just said. If you truly love someone with depression, be there for them, even if it seems like your efforts and your presence are useless, if you think that your warmth and love will not help (sometimes I feel that way, especially being so far away from him most of the time, but I ignore it, because I believe it's not true): constant doses of love always help, and it's a welcome caress in their hurt souls. Be the caring, stable hand, their shelter, never give them up. Those we love are such wonderful, sweet and unique people to be with, no matter what they think about themselves when times are hard. We know better.<br />
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The Black Dog eventually goes to sleep for some time, and the ground can be firmly felt again under your loved ones' feet, and they will want to celebrate the good days with you - and you will want to be there to dance with them, until they need you to build that warm, loving nest again.<br />
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Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-33431868638201429122014-03-05T17:33:00.001-03:002014-03-05T19:27:56.229-03:00ABC Wednesday - H is for Hecate.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LyQJMdCUU8A/UxaS4sgd9bI/AAAAAAAAFlg/hBaGb8GMITM/s1600/ABC14yin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LyQJMdCUU8A/UxaS4sgd9bI/AAAAAAAAFlg/hBaGb8GMITM/s1600/ABC14yin.jpg" height="153" width="200" /></a></div>
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It's ABC Wednesday and <b>H</b> is <b>Hecate</b> for me, <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">and here is how She got into my life.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sm4An7w-K6w/UxaTr_M4EnI/AAAAAAAAFlo/U-IyrSDPmJY/s1600/untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sm4An7w-K6w/UxaTr_M4EnI/AAAAAAAAFlo/U-IyrSDPmJY/s1600/untitled.png" height="390" width="400" /></a></div>
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In brief, She's a Greek goddess, daughter of the Titans Perses and Asteria. Goddess of Crossroads, birth & death, challenges and struggles, witchcraft and magic, ruling over the earth, skies and the sea. For many people, She represents the Triple Goddess - Maiden, Mother and Crone. Powerful and determined, a deity not to be taken lightly.</div>
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When you're pagan and practice regularly, you may start getting attached to a specific deity when doing your prayers, spells and rituals. One you feel connected to, who represents the guidance, protection and strength you need, or whose characteristics you can relate to, or both. It's a powerful symbol for you to focus on, to make the connection between this world and the spiritual world easier to be established. Each pagan goddess and god have a beautiful myth to explain their origins and power.</div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hecate was not an instant choice for me when I started walking my path. Due to my own nature, I tend to lean to "more cheerful" deities, and in the beginning Gaia (representation of our Earth) and Brigidh, the healing and creative goddess, were closer to me - and still are. My favorite male god has always been Cernunnos, the protector of Nature, among other things, for his comforting and imponent, sensual guiding figure, who always gave me this feeling of being in good hands when summoning him.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">My patroness goddess had a long way to get to me. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As I create hand-embroidered pagan dolls in felt, I'm constantly challenged by customers to create deities from different pantheons I'm not familiar with, and studying them is a source of delight for me. Knowledge is never too much.</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> In contradiction, I consciously avoided contact with the concept of Hecate, not wanting to aknowledge her existence in a closer way. I was scared of her power and direct connection with the Underworld and Death, that in my intentional ignorance was all I knew about. Contrary to my innate curiosity, I avoided researching about her, only having occasional glimpses when reading references related to other myths. So I had a stupid misconception that kept this beautiful deity away from my life for a long time.</span></div>
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But a few years ago a friend ordered a Hecate from me, and I finally had to go deeper on my researches to make an appropriate doll with the right symbols. And my misconception started to be broken. Other people loved the doll and ironically She became a hit.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-anzPZcp5GcY/UxeLPFd4pPI/AAAAAAAAFl8/5OmT5wJmNhE/s1600/228673_215625555134113_6534905_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-anzPZcp5GcY/UxeLPFd4pPI/AAAAAAAAFl8/5OmT5wJmNhE/s1600/228673_215625555134113_6534905_n.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
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At last, three years ago, I got a big order of 30 Hecate dolls for a pagan event, and I was surrounded by her amazing energy for weeks on a daily basis. Day after day I brought her to life under my fingers, embroidering her symbols (torch, key and Wheel) and at each stitch, my irrational fears were gradually taken away, and my respect and love got stronger. Having one of her favorite animals, a black dog, constantly crossing my way in the streets during this period just added in a fun way to the fact that I had my patroness goddess almost begging for my attention - just, She doesn't beg. Somehow I think She was gently pulling my ear and telling me to stop being so childish in my apprehensions about her.</div>
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And that's how I surrended to this incredible goddess, and She became part of my spiritual life, making my path richer and deeper with Her powerful symbolism. Now I know I'm in good hands when I summon her. :)<br />
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To read another cool H entry, visit my dear favorite author, at <strong><a href="http://tim-byrd.com/"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Under An Outlaw Moon</span></a></strong>.<br />
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To read more great ABC entries, and if you want to join the project, visit the <strong><a href="http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com.br/"><span style="color: #f1c232;">meme's main page</span></a></strong>, and have fun! :)<br />
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<br />Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-69305042857885078642014-02-26T09:31:00.000-03:002014-02-26T09:32:18.471-03:00ABC Wednesday - G is for Ghosts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-900xehAQi10/Uw0RoO8UNwI/AAAAAAAAFjo/2DsqpbuiN6A/s1600/ABC14yin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-900xehAQi10/Uw0RoO8UNwI/AAAAAAAAFjo/2DsqpbuiN6A/s1600/ABC14yin.jpg" height="153" width="200" /></a></div>
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It's ABC Wednesday, and <b>G </b>is <b>Ghosts </b>for me.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Blue Girl in the Dark Forest, by Sugwon.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">This is a delicate subject for many people. Those who don't believe in ghosts may get enraged by accounts made by the ones who believe them, and those who believe may get mad at those who don't share their belief - although it really doesn't matter, either way, as long as we respect different opinions. I personally love ghost stories, and my family has a few about encounters with them - who knows if they were real or not? ;)</span><br />
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We could go deeper and talk about emotional ghosts, the ones who haunt us from a past we insist on living in instead of moving on, or the ones who prevent us from fully living the present by blocking our self-esteem and balance, or those who haunt us from the distant lands of the future, when fears and insecurities come long before anything happens.</div>
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Whether you believe or not in the existence of ghosts, they're here to stay, at least in movies, books, songs and art. They're sometimes depicted with a gentler eye, when characters have an insightful, rewarding experience, but usually it's all about fears, sleepless nights, nightmares, goosebumps, looking-behind-over-shoulders.</div>
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I just wanted to share with you guys some favorite representations of supernatural appearances, in varied types of art.</div>
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<b>The Ghost of Oyuki</b>, by Maruyama Okyo, is a favorite, because it's lovely, with a peaceful feeling to it - legends say that Okyo once woke up in the middle of the night with the sensation of being watched. And there was this lovely ghost woman staring at him:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yUMg0qMp8O8/Uw1k0lJ724I/AAAAAAAAFkI/co-5X41hyNk/s1600/maruyama_okyo_the_ghost_of_oyuki.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yUMg0qMp8O8/Uw1k0lJ724I/AAAAAAAAFkI/co-5X41hyNk/s1600/maruyama_okyo_the_ghost_of_oyuki.png" height="320" width="84" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Alfred Kubin's art is subversive and maybe too disturbing for some tastes, and this piece always seemed very ghostly to me:</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cn1gd6ubNYc/Uw1rchMYEiI/AAAAAAAAFko/lZHwJK7_Xk0/s1600/5579148420_897beac245_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cn1gd6ubNYc/Uw1rchMYEiI/AAAAAAAAFko/lZHwJK7_Xk0/s1600/5579148420_897beac245_z.jpg" height="292" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>The Brown Lady</b> is a famous supernatural photograph, among others - some are artificially altered so badly they become a joke. Regardless of its authenticity, I always loved this ethereal image:</div>
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There are lots of movies about ghosts that I love, and recently I watched a very moving Chinese flick with my sweetheart, called <b>Rouge</b>, about a lonely ghost played by Anita Mui. It's all I can say, to prevent spoilers, but if you like a beautiful, delicate love story, check it out:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5f_ax9sZBcs/Uw1wX6q3LVI/AAAAAAAAFkw/RrbA8gchl84/s1600/roug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5f_ax9sZBcs/Uw1wX6q3LVI/AAAAAAAAFkw/RrbA8gchl84/s1600/roug.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
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Of course, I watched <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Whisperer"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Ghost Whisperer</span></a></b>, the TV show starring Jennifer Love-Hewitt, following her hard times trying to help anguished spirits with unfinished matters. I used to cry my eyes out at the end of each episode, when she always managed to send the poor ghosts to the Light in the most touching ways.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2frRyR5v7x4/Uw3craQFjRI/AAAAAAAAFlM/nCh-0ILRi_M/s1600/MV5BMTUzODQ0Nzg3OV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNDI0NDg2__V1_SY317_CR9,0,214,317_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2frRyR5v7x4/Uw3craQFjRI/AAAAAAAAFlM/nCh-0ILRi_M/s1600/MV5BMTUzODQ0Nzg3OV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNDI0NDg2__V1_SY317_CR9,0,214,317_.jpg" /></a></div>
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And I finish this very long post with a poignant studio version of <b>The Ghost of Tom Joad</b>, performed by Bruce Springsteen...<br />
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To read another cool G entry, visit my dear favorite author at <a href="http://tim-byrd.com/"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>Under An Outlaw Moon</b></span></a>.</div>
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To read more great ABC entries, and if you want to join the project, visit the <a href="http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com.br/"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>meme's main page</b></span></a>, and have fun! :)</div>
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Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-59791897228077074202014-02-19T21:46:00.001-03:002014-02-19T21:46:23.631-03:00ABC Wednesday - F is for Flamenco<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hr5EX5XIVbA/UwSzGz7BngI/AAAAAAAAFi8/5ntUCXk7t9k/s1600/ABC14yin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hr5EX5XIVbA/UwSzGz7BngI/AAAAAAAAFi8/5ntUCXk7t9k/s1600/ABC14yin.jpg" height="153" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's ABC Wednesday and </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: white;">F</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> is </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: white;">Flamenco</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I always liked to dance and to watch dance performances. And flamenco is a style that always captured my heart. The passion, energy, sensuality and emotion that overflow from the dancers' feet make me want to get up and start spinning around with them every time I watch a good performance. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My absolutely favorite flamenco dancer/choreographer is Antonio Gades. I became a huge fan in my early teen years, when I first watched him in the wonderful movie Blood Wedding. I had the pleasure of seeing him and his Company, many years ago, dancing at a stage built on Ipanema beach, under a beautiful full moon. Talk about magic, it was amazing! Gades is one of those dance professionals who puts his soul in every step, and you go along with him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Talking about Antonio Gades naturally leads to talking about the Spanish director Carlos Saura. He has an extensive list of great movies (Cria Cuervos</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"> is one of my favorites), and during the 80s he created a fantastic musical trilogy starring Gades: <b>Blood Wedding</b> (based on Garcia Lorca's story, to drool at), <b>Carmen </b>and <b>El Amor Brujo</b>/<b>A Love Bewitched</b>. All the choreographies are intense and gorgeous, and Gades, of course, is a hot shining star who takes the audience's breath away with his performance. Cristina Hoyos - an equally hot, super talented icon in flamenco dance - was his partner in the trilogy (although in Carmen she doesn't play the main character). </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;">Three beautifully dramatic movies about love, loss and death in a </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;">passionate</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;"> l</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;">atin</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;"> way that those who love musicals will appreciate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Here's a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9-eGw9QFf0&list=PL1U2tX_I5LAihMXmGWcm7ZDsG2FOFgsLE&index=2&hd=1"><span style="color: #f1c232;">beautiful sequence</span></a> in El Amor Brujo, if you want to watch it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">And of course, flamenco is Paco de Lucia. His furious guitar became a legend and he broke the barriers as a guitar player, acclaimed not only by flamenco lovers, but also by other non-flamenco guitar legends like Eric Clapton and Eddie Van Halen. His <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLpWEc8-Hl0&hd=1"><span style="color: #f1c232;">powerful style</span></a> is a delight to listen to, when I'm in the right mood for it... like right now. ;)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">To read another cool F entry, visit my love and favorite author, at <a href="http://tim-byrd.com/"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>Under An </b></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://tim-byrd.com/"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>Outlaw Moon</b></span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To read more great ABC entries, and if you want to join the project, visit the <b><a href="http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com.br/"><span style="color: #f1c232;">meme's main page</span></a></b>, and have fun! :)</span></div>
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Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-51246613683890184042014-02-12T06:41:00.000-02:002014-02-12T12:15:27.899-02:00ABC Wednesday - E is for E. E.Cummings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W5SKG0KvaOQ/Uvta-HE3QTI/AAAAAAAAFiY/Nr-g-wCC23M/s1600/ABC14yin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W5SKG0KvaOQ/Uvta-HE3QTI/AAAAAAAAFiY/Nr-g-wCC23M/s1600/ABC14yin.jpg" height="153" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's ABC Wednesday and <span style="color: white;"><b>E</b></span> is <b><span style="color: white;">E. E. Cummings</span></b> for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'll be brief this time. Although I definitely don't agree with his political choices (he was a Republican and fan of McCarthy), I love his poems, as they translate feelings and emotions with a delicate accuracy that speaks to my soul.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>i carry your heart with me(i carry it in</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>my heart)i am never without it(anywhere</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>by only me is your doing,my darling)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>i fear</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>and whatever a sun will always sing is you</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>here is the deepest secret nobody knows</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To read another cool E entry, visit my love and favorite author, at <a href="http://tim-byrd.com/"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>Under An Outlaw Moon</b></span></a> (his adventure novel Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom is <a href="http://tim-byrd.com/2014/02/03/valentines-sale-doc-wilde-and-the-frogs-of-doom-3-99-three-bucks-off/"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>currently on sale</b></span></a> to celebrate Valentine's Day)!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To read more great ABC entries, and if you want to join the project, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">visit the <a href="http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com.br/?m=1"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>meme's main page</b></span></a>, and have fun! :)</span></div>
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Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-33064723206074636652014-02-05T07:00:00.000-02:002014-02-05T18:00:23.189-02:00ABC Wednesday - D is for Destiny<div style="text-align: justify;">
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It's ABC Wednesday, and <span style="color: white;"><b>D</b></span> is <span style="color: white;"><b>Destiny </b></span>for me.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E6Qr4gYE0L8/Uu0CeTC6t8I/AAAAAAAAFg0/pa5z4tatKgc/s1600/1526669_10151941333787449_884881581_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E6Qr4gYE0L8/Uu0CeTC6t8I/AAAAAAAAFg0/pa5z4tatKgc/s1600/1526669_10151941333787449_884881581_n.jpg" height="400" width="370" /></a></div>
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Bear with me, everybody. I'm spending precious time with my love here in Brazil, once again sharing Summer with him. So I naturally become this melting butter, seeing everything through rose-colored glasses, and apparently only able to talk about how wonderful my sweetheart is. ;)<br />
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I believe mostly everything happens for a reason, that nothing happens by chance. It's a concept that might be unfair when we think of the deep suffering people go through in their lives. This is not an universal truth, and I'm being very superficial on the subject. But in general, at least for me, every time I had a bad experience, or when I thought I couldn't take another hit from the gods, I made it through, and later - weeks, months, years later - pieces fell into place, and those specific moments in my life made sense at last. The same happened when I had some good experiences, i. e. when I got a job that introduced me to key people who would eventually help me later, or when I was at the right place, at the right time and met someone extraordinary, like <span style="color: white;">Tim</span>.<br />
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We are two luck people who found love at a phase of our lives when we had already dealt with our own issues and were basically okay about who we are. We know how to appreciate life, and we really value those who are with us, when value is due. No place for drama, paranoia, or ghosts created by our minds. We don't waste our time this way.<br />
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There's something amazing on how life worked in these mysterious ways, and gave another meaning to all decisions we made.</div>
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When we first met in person, after months of perfect online match (story for another time), it was instantaneous perfect live match. As if our bodies, minds, hearts and souls were just patiently waiting to finally bond and react in all levels possible and feel at home with each other. </div>
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I always like to play with the fun thought of this huge world map with us two tiny bright colored dots moving around in different directions as our lives progressed along the years, slowly but definitely converging to that exact point where us dots would become one when meeting, mixing our colors, and never being apart again, even when silly distance keeps us in different continents for now. </div>
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So yes, <b><span style="color: white;">Destiny </span></b>is one of the words when I think about Tim, and <b><span style="color: white;">Delight </span></b>is what I feel when I'm with him.</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">To read another cool D entry, </span><span style="text-align: justify;">visit my love and favorite author, at </span><span style="color: #f1c232; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://tim-byrd.com/">Under An Outlaw Moon</a> </span><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: white;">(his adventure novel Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom is </span><a href="http://tim-byrd.com/2014/02/03/valentines-sale-doc-wilde-and-the-frogs-of-doom-3-99-three-bucks-off/" style="color: #f1c232;">currently on sale </a><span style="color: white;">to celebrate Valentine's Day)!</span></span></div>
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To read more great ABC entries, and if you want to join the project, visit the <a href="http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com.br/"><span style="color: #f1c232;">meme's main page</span></a>, and have fun! :)</div>
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Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-79564120605742945332014-02-03T21:23:00.003-02:002014-02-03T21:25:49.630-02:00Valentine's Sale with Doc Wilde!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5-1SCNKu03U/UvAkuIJKouI/AAAAAAAAFiI/mGdYErvVAbk/s1600/frogs-cover2013-trimmed-final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5-1SCNKu03U/UvAkuIJKouI/AAAAAAAAFiI/mGdYErvVAbk/s1600/frogs-cover2013-trimmed-final.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://tim-byrd.com/2014/02/03/valentines-sale-doc-wilde-and-the-frogs-of-doom-3-99-three-bucks-off/"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom is on sale for Valentin's!</b></span></a><br />
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Grab your copy, you won't regret it! And if you ca spare some minutes, spread the word, and review this awesome book, it helps a lot!<br />
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Supporting indie authors is always cool. :)Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-58503660189475201382014-02-03T10:19:00.002-02:002014-02-03T10:52:05.120-02:00Tigers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qWN10fGxTiA/UuzwzZjkN-I/AAAAAAAAFgU/288COaQ1JW0/s1600/Ferocious-tiger_1920x1200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qWN10fGxTiA/UuzwzZjkN-I/AAAAAAAAFgU/288COaQ1JW0/s1600/Ferocious-tiger_1920x1200.jpg" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
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Almost everybody has a physical curse, something that makes them feel miserable from time to time or on a regular basis. It may be a chronic back pain that makes every step a torture. It may be a burning stomach making it impossible to eat. It may be legs that refuse to take you anywhere, or painful joints that keep you from moving. I'm not talking about a serious illness. I'm more talking about these "little" things that can ruin days but not threaten your life.</div>
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My curse is a tiger. A big bad tiger that stalks my brain-village for decades. Medicine calls it migraine. I call it a Tiger, borrowing the expression from my twin friend Amy, who suffers with the same <i>maladie</i>. It's the best way to describe the debilitating pain I feel every time I'm cursed with its visit. I can feel its powerful fangs ripping off my scalp, its claws thrusting deep in my skull, reaching for my gray cells. It's a stupid, mean beast that makes every inch of my body cringe, and prevents me from enjoying a beautiful sunny day, keeps my son and my love away from me while it's around, and basically wastes my precious time.</div>
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Oh, before some sweet soul wants to suggest techniques or natural/non-natural meds to fight this tiger, thank you, but I know them all, and while being careful about what I eat and drink definitely helps a lot on making the visits less often, there's not much I can really do about it. During the crisis I become this 90-year-old vampire lady who can just take her meds and stay motionless in bed, in the dark, avoiding contact with humans, afraid of lights and noises, until she's back to her younger self again. It sucks big time.</div>
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And I'm blogging about it because venting is good and I get slightly pissed off when tigers try hard to ruin a beautiful day with my son or my love (like last week). But I almost always manage to kill it before that happens. Because it gotta take much, much more - if anything - than a stupid tiger to ruin my perfect moments with my loves. ;)</div>
Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-25801044302779706742014-02-01T10:16:00.001-02:002014-02-01T10:23:36.397-02:00Updates on Artless and Heartless situation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7fMNA0v46KY/UuzlEoceQYI/AAAAAAAAFgE/cuNJtqGzkic/s1600/12736_10151138190707986_496673603_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7fMNA0v46KY/UuzlEoceQYI/AAAAAAAAFgE/cuNJtqGzkic/s1600/12736_10151138190707986_496673603_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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I have already <a href="http://bringingupsalamanders.blogspot.com.br/2014/01/here-is-2014.html"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>posted </b></span></a>about what happened to my boyfriend Tim Byrd when he hired this artist to work on the cover and inside illustrations of his next Doc Wilde book. Here is an update on his situation, where he finds out that seems like he wasn't the only one to fall in her trap:</div>
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<b><span style="color: white;">http://tim-byrd.com/2014/01/29/hiring-artist-tess-fowler-good-idea-or-bad/</span></b></div>
Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-6143518562960288832014-01-29T11:53:00.000-02:002014-02-05T18:20:36.555-02:00ABC Wednesday - C is for Carioca<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's ABC Wednesday, and <span style="background-color: black;"><b><span style="color: white;">C</span></b> </span>for me is for <b><span style="color: white;">Carioca</span></b>.</div>
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In Brazil, those born in Rio de Janeiro City are called <b><span style="color: white;">Cariocas</span></b>. I'm carioca, born on June, 06, 1969 in Vila Isabelneighborhood, famous for also being the birthplace of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noel_Rosa"><span style="color: #ffd966;">Noel Rosa</span></a>, a songwriter who composed beautiful sambas during the first half of last century.</div>
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Just not to be misunderstood, I don't think that Cariocas are better than people born in other cities. It's simply that in this case I can only talk about what I know. So I'll talk about people born in Rio, and how they react to their environment. Of course, it's not an established pattern - attitudes and tastes will vary immensely in such a big metropolis, but in general if you are from Rio, there's a great chance that you will like the sun, enjoy being part of crowds when live music is the subject, and your feet will be moving in rhythm whenever good music is played.</div>
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Cariocas usually love Nature - living in a city with an exuberant flora and exquisite mountains certainly helps on this. There are places along the beaches in Rio where people will spontaneously applaud the sunset, simply because it's such a gorgeous thing to watch. The Arpoador rocks are a wonderful spot to enjoy this special time of the day. </div>
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They will prefer open spaces, especially on Summer time, when the heat is high and no matter where you are, you'll breathe in warm gulfs of air. The beaches get unbelievably crowded by sun lovers, the hot sand burning bare feet, lines and lines of colorful sunshades covering every inch of space available, a wild cacophony of children playing, sellers walking around screaming their products, friends chatting while laying on their beach towels getting a brown tan, beach volleyball players cursing bad catches.</div>
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Cariocas love beer. Tons are drank per capita every year, and any reason is a good reason to drink a super cold beer: to celebrate a baby’s birth, to mourn a dear one’s death, to close the evening after work, during a soccer game, on birthday parties, on the streets, at home, at the beach, in cars. In Brazil you’re allowed to drink while walking in the streets, and sometimes you see people holding a can of beer on the way back home. Caipirinhas are also very popular drinks, made with cachaça (sugar cane hard liquor, lemon, sugar and ice cubes), and are also delicious - my favorite beverage after cerveja.</div>
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Soccer is a passion for most cariocas. There are four main soccer teams in Rio, and when they play, it’s always an event. Local and national championships are taken very seriously by supporters, and they go to the stadiums and cheer for their teams as if their lives depended on the results, and every goal is celebrated with such energy and enthusiasm that can be heard miles away from the place. Unfortunately, it’s more and more common to see organized cheer groups being increasingly violent against the opponents, and furious, ridiculous fights after important games happen more often than I would like to know about. But the passion for their teams have a healthier side that shows up when they bring their soccer flags and simply focus on the game, chanting choirs and having a good time.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jOh_MEswW_M/Uuj63cyZc-I/AAAAAAAAFfg/mvEASG72LrU/s1600/n_fluminense_estadio_maracana-2251169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jOh_MEswW_M/Uuj63cyZc-I/AAAAAAAAFfg/mvEASG72LrU/s1600/n_fluminense_estadio_maracana-2251169.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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And of course, cariocas love music. Along the year, hundreds of concerts take place in the city. Rock, bossa nova, samba, popular Brazilian music, pagode... There’s a huge variety of music going on, local and from abroad. Many times, stages are built at Copacabana beach for free concerts, and crowds peacefully gather to sing along, dance and celebrate their favorite artists. Samba is a chapter apart, since it’s a big subject for cariocas, almost as powerful as soccer. There are Samba School groups that perform and compete at the huge annual Carnival parade, and people root for their favorite Schools to win. It’s a wonderful event known worldwide (ironically, I’ve never watched it live), and that lasts two nights long.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TC59SRAiILY/Uuj-SI9HzcI/AAAAAAAAFfs/sjlCRoYprTM/s1600/carnaval_rio_viradouro-586x390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TC59SRAiILY/Uuj-SI9HzcI/AAAAAAAAFfs/sjlCRoYprTM/s1600/carnaval_rio_viradouro-586x390.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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In general willing to help others, having a good, positive mood, an easy-going way of living their life while working hard to bring food to their families. They never give up hope and humor, and face the daily challenges with their chin up and a song in their heads, most times. It’s a colorful community, a beautiful mix of heritages and backgrounds that enriches the city. Summing up, I like being a Carioca Witch, even if not living in the city any longer - the spirit remains the same. ;)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_ZVGS5T77a0/Uuj_cVEeHGI/AAAAAAAAFf0/Yk2tHx5VjPo/s1600/eu-lucas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_ZVGS5T77a0/Uuj_cVEeHGI/AAAAAAAAFf0/Yk2tHx5VjPo/s1600/eu-lucas.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">To read another cool C entry, visit my love and favorite author, at </span><a href="http://tim-byrd.com/" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #ffd966;">Under An Outlaw Moon</span></a><span style="text-align: justify;">!</span><br />
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To read more cool ABC entries, and if you want to join the project, visit the <a href="http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com.br/"><span style="color: #ffd966;">meme's main page</span></a>, and have fun! :)</div>
Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-15177819814947751482014-01-25T12:54:00.000-02:002014-01-25T13:08:53.864-02:00Adventure Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My ten years old little witch is a huge fan of this cartoon. I even made dolls </span>for him, <span style="font-family: inherit;">in felt, representing Finn & Jake, the main characters, as a Christmas gift. He loved them:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He keeps telling me how awesome and surreal the stories are, and that I should watch it. I'm embarrassed to say that my problem with Adventure Time has to do with two things:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1. The characters' looks (maybe it's silly having issues on their raw, primitive features, but I just don't.like.the.way.they.look), </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2. The dubbed version aired here: the voices, slangs and expressions in the dialogues are really bad. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lucas uses to tell me in details his favorite episodes on our way to and from school, and I do like what I hear. We always discuss the morals and situations on them, which is a great chance to know how be feels about some aspects of life, and to help him to develop his own sense of what it's right and wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But still, I hesitate on watching the show, and I feel bad about it, as it's like I'm being prejudiced about a superficial side, not considering what's really important in the cartoon, and that is not how I am. Not to mention that he would obviously love if I watched it with him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Then I stumbled upon a <a href="http://abduzeedo.com/collection-adventure-time-fanarts"><b><span style="color: #f1c232;">site </span></b></a>looking for some cool AT fan art to share with him (because I may have issues with it, but I'm a good mom who loves to find fun stuff that I know he will enjoy, and there are some pretty cool AT art out there), and in this site they say:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Adventure Time have become on of the most popular animated series of the last 5 years. Picturing some really weird and psychodelic stories of the last human boy and his talking shape-shifting dog friend in the land of Ooo. Even though this brief explanation may sound weird, I advise anyone too watch at least one episode of this innovative cartoon."</span></div>
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It's not the first time that I read comments praising Adventure Times. Zack Stentz (who co-wrote X-Men First Class and Thor, among others), said: "How great is that Adventure Time? A cartoon aimed at young boys is making an ongoing evisceration on Pick Up Artist/Game culture. How great is that?"</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Along with my son's enthusiasm, these specific comments ended up arousing my curiosity. So this year I'll give it a try... And make a certain little witch very happy. ;)</span></div>
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Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-52135815421133625052014-01-22T09:04:00.000-02:002014-02-05T18:20:50.558-02:00ABC Wednesday - B is for Buffy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's ABC Wednesday again, and <b><span style="color: white;">B</span></b> for me is for <b><span style="color: white;">Buffy The Vampire Slayer</span></b>.<br />
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In August, 2012, my sweetheart introduced me to this amazing, smart, fun and moving TV show. I’d never watched it before, because back when it was aired here in Brazil during the late 90s, it was set at a time when I was at work, and after a couple of seasons they stopped airing it, and it never had a rerun.</div>
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So it was a delight when I started following the adventures of this courageous girl against evil. It was cool to see such a truly powerful female character in action all by herself and not in some male hero’s shadow to justify her own legitimate power.<br />
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It was the beginning of our sweet tradition of watching TV series together on evening dates, keeping us even closer despite being in different hemispheres, which made Buffy very special to me. We would watch the episodes, then discuss and comment on them afterwards, sharing lots of fun moments. And that's what we still love to do, several TV shows and movies and games later... </div>
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For those not familiar with Buffy, she’s a modern-times vampire slayer, living in a small town surrounded by...vampires, of course. And demons. And monsters (and some mean teen boys and girls, as in any other place). She’s this fearless young woman who didn't choose to be a leader. Because she doesn't want to be a leader, she doesn't want to fight. She doesn't want to see the darkest side of herself arising to break through the even darkest sides of creatures she definitely wishes they didn't exist, when all she wants is to have an impossible normal life, go to high school (she goes), date someone sweet (she tries to), hang out with her friends at the local night club (sometimes she even manages to do that). And yet, she fights, she leads the friends who help her in her challenges, and she never stops. And amidst all the dangerous madness going on, you see that the show goes deeper than the simply modern tough hero vs villains cliche. Each character has layers and layers of depth. A turmoil of feelings and emotions unfold in so many ways as the episodes progress, that you can hardly breathe watching them dealing with their own nightmares while fighting all those evil creatures. Doubts arise, fears come to surface, emotions explode, relationships are born and die, and all you can do is to watch and get moved by them. </div>
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Carrying the weight of being the only hope of humankind would already be too demanding to anyone, but it's especially hard to someone who’s just leaving her teenager years, and who’s got so much energy and life inside herself, to someone who’s so fragile despite all her physical and mental strength. She walks the thin line between being a warm-hearted human and a emotionless creature, but she chooses to always feel, to always keep her inner fire burning, when it would have been much easier to fight and to live if she had decided blocking her heart and soul to her own needs, to be more efficient and objective in her quest. </div>
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Joss Whedon brilliantly created and directed this show, keeping the audience’s hearts beating at high speed for 7 seasons (and kept them beating for other 3 more seasons in comic books version, with awesome art and storylines. I’m currently reading them, and all I can say is WOW!). His talent always amazed me, and there are episodes that truly took my breath away, so creative and unexpected they were. I wish I could say more about some specific ones, but it would ruin the surprise to anyone new to the show and willing to start watching it. So if you’re into great dialogues, great fight scenes, great characters and great emotions and fun, check this TV show out. You’re not going to be disappointed. </div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">To read another cool ABC Wednesday entry, visit my love and favorite author, at </span><a href="http://tim-byrd.com/" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #ffd966;">Under An Outlaw Moon</span></a><span style="text-align: justify;">!</span><br />
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To read more ABC entries, and if you want to join the project, visit the <a href="http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com.br/"><span style="color: #ffd966;">meme's main page</span></a>, and have fun! :)</div>
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Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-33017076612734294432014-01-16T18:09:00.000-02:002014-01-20T08:31:01.961-02:00Learning while loving<div style="text-align: justify;">
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One of the many wonderful things, part of the package of being in love with my sweetheart, is that he is a writer. And a <a href="http://bringingupsalamanders.blogspot.com.br/2012/03/when-great-author-comes-to-our.html"><b><span style="color: #ffd966;">damn awesome writer</span></b></a>. For a person who loves reading since I was a kid, it's a super bonus. It's a pleasure to read his stories, as well as his deep, sharp, moving and playful <a href="http://tim-byrd.com/"><b><span style="color: #ffd966;">blog</span> <span style="color: #ffd966;">posts</span></b></a>. We are always chatting about books we've read, what we like or not, and he's constantly introducing me to new writers. In a nutshell? It's FUN.</div>
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For instance, as I posted here, I'm back to the blog meme called <a href="http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com.br/"><b><span style="color: #ffd966;">ABC Wednesday</span></b></a>, where participants blog about any subject of their choice that starts with the letter of the week (we just started a new round, on letter "A"). And Tim decided to join the weekly meme too, which was already great. But the cool side is that, as he's here in Brazil deliciously enjoying with me our Summer date for several weeks, we have the chance of exercising the grey cells in inspiration and warm-up for our meme posts. It's a privilege watching first-hand how his mind works in the writing process, and an extra privilege to learn different ways of testing the frontiers of my limited writing skills in English, expanding my vocabulary, stimulating me to go further and deeper, to better express myself on my second language, which is a very good challenge.</div>
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Everybody who blogs loves to write to some degree, otherwise they would have a Tumblr account and simply post images. When we blog, we talk to our friends, we write sometimes long posts to share our experiences and our lives, our work, our passions, our motivations, our issues, our problems. And communicating as well as possible is always a must not to be misinterpreted, so I guess everybody who blogs obviously loves to learn how to improve their writing skills, to reach more deeply their friends' minds.<br />
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So dating a brilliant sharp-minded writer is a double five-star specific bonus, since he's this kind of guy who's always willing to help me whenever I have a doubt (which happens more often than I like to admit, lol), supporting me and quenching my thirst, as I crave learning and getting to know new things, not only to evolve and to stretch my mind and soul, but because it's fun and rewarding, when the company is right, as it is. He just made me want even more to blog again after a huge hiatus. So bear with me, I'll be around here as often as my time allows me to! ;)<br />
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Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-28049623314518447432014-01-15T06:01:00.000-02:002014-02-05T18:21:06.717-02:00ABC Wednesday - A is for Afternoon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year I'm getting back to one of my favorite blog memes, the cool <a href="http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com.br/"><strong>ABC Wednesday</strong></a>. I was part of this for a couple of years, and I had a blast, as this is a fun way to exercise the imagination, working your way through all the alphabet (the project is to post about anything you want starting with the letter of the week), while visiting other bloggers and seeing what they come up with - always an awesome diversity of ideas.</div>
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So I'm back to the ABC, and for me, A is for <span style="color: black;"><strong>Afternoon</strong></span>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">art by Joseph Wise</span></div>
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Definitely my favorite part of the day, when we can watch the sky lazily changing its colors from the bright blues through darker shades, bringing yellows, oranges, reds and purples, like a gorgeous watercolor being painted in a huge full scale before our eyes. When I walk along the streets to fetch my son at school by 5:30pm, I can see the birds around on a playful flight going up and down, observing the world below, unaware of their own freedom, making me jealous of those powerful wings that can take them anywhere, higher and higher, before they get ready to settle down on the trees branches and start their beautiful evening choir.<br />
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These short walks alone are a silent ritual when my feelings react to the afternoon fall, making them so alive, when lines of free, amorous thoughts wildly cross my mind and I treasure every one of them, at each step I take.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cLvv3quV6I8/UtVW8s4p8fI/AAAAAAAAFck/doRA47B4IVg/s1600/night-forest-blue-moon+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cLvv3quV6I8/UtVW8s4p8fI/AAAAAAAAFck/doRA47B4IVg/s320/night-forest-blue-moon+(1).jpg" height="132" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">art by Jeannie in a Bottle</span></div>
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<span lang="EN">Back home, I get a last burst of energy, with a urgent feeling in my hands as I work on the delicate threads of my hand-embroideries, as if trying to keep the pace before the natural lights fade away and I can’t use the outside brightness. Then my body starts to get ready for the night ahead. I deeply breathe in, letting myself release the tension of the day and enjoying now the powerful blackness of the sky definitely saying goodbye to the afternoon watercolor shades, and bringing the delicate myriad of stars to its veil, until a new day is born.</span><br />
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To read another cool ABC Wednesday entry, visit my love and favorite author, at <a href="http://tim-byrd.com/">Under An Outlaw Moon</a>!</div>
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To read more ABC entries, and if you want to join the project, visit the <a href="http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com.br/">meme's main page</a>, and have fun! :)</div>
Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-38772852639916435802014-01-13T16:15:00.001-02:002014-01-13T16:28:21.501-02:00Artless and Heartless<div style="text-align: justify;">
Here is 2014... And I start the new year with a fair warning to professionals seeking artists to illustrate their work. Sometimes you just don't know who you are dealing with, and when a professional goes public (as they always should, for the benefit of other possible victims) about their bad experiences dealing with unreliable artists, sometimes this is the only way to know who you shouldn't work with.</div>
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Here's the link to Tim Byrd's blog post about his unfortunate bad experience with artist Tess Fowler. It's a long post, but totally worth reading.<br />
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<a href="http://tim-byrd.com/2013/12/29/tess-fowler-why-she-is-no-longer-the-artist-for-doc-wilde/">http://tim-byrd.com/2013/12/29/tess-fowler-why-she-is-no-longer-the-artist-for-doc-wilde/</a></div>
Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-12153945042098852312013-12-31T16:36:00.001-02:002013-12-31T17:08:50.447-02:00Sweet 2013<span style="font-family: Noteworthy; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24px;">It's been a BIG while since I last blogged. So much going on in my life that time was too short, but we can stretch time if we really want to, so I plan to blog much more often in 2014, because it has always been fun to share my moments with you guys. :) But before the year is over, I would like to thank this year...</span><br />
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For my wonderful son to be growing up by my side so healthy, with his beautiful heart and mind. He is such a strong, fun and smart boy, always being the source of pride and joy for me. It's a privilege to be his full-time mom.<br />
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For the dear relatives who supported me when I needed, especially two very important ones: my amazing mother, unbelievable in her unconditional love mixed with good mood and wise words.<br />
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And my sister who has always been there for me, showing how a sibling should be. She's this gorgeous golden angel looking after me all the time.<br />
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For my virtual friends also so supportive, fun and sweet, being more real than many people in my non-virtual life. I have old friends who are literally a big part of my life (you all know who you are!) And I made some good new friends who are becoming sweet stars in my sky too.</div>
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For my Carioca Witch page that became my sole income when everything else jobwise failed - thanks to so many cool old and new friends who loved my witcheries and kept me a happy busy craft witch along the year.</div>
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For my spiritual path that got stronger inside of me, with my patroness Goddess being more present than ever for me.<br />
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But mainly, I thank 2013 for bringing me the best, sweetest and most beautiful love I could ever want. Not even in my wildest dreams I would imagine it could be possible to love this much and to be loved back the same way.<br />
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No matter how many bad, difficult moments I had this year (and there were quite a few), there wasn't a single day that I wasn't deeply, deliciously loved. I had and have true love every single day of 2013, from good morning wishes to good night kisses.<br />
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I am hugely blessed and lucky to have this wonderful, brilliant, talented (he's the kickass indie writer who created <a href="https://www.facebook.com/doc.wilde?fref=ts&ref=br_tf">Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom</a> fantastic adventures I already talked about here), supportive, fun, hot (he is hothothothot. Have I said he's hot already?) man in my life. My love, my best friend, my soulmate. He made the whole year worth living, and gave my life a completely new meaning.<br />
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And January is simply going to be perfect just because Tim will be with me.</div>
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I wish you all a blessed and great New Year, I hope we're all connected again in 2014! :)<br />
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Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-19605458229107856752012-10-11T16:33:00.002-03:002012-10-12T01:19:41.089-03:00Characters that make me say...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm having a great time right now reading some awesome comics, thanks to a very dear friend who's sharing his collections with me. And it made me remember when this experience with comics started in my life, and I wanted to share some of my favorite characters with you all (poor you all...).<br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">When I was a very little kid, years before learning how to read, I had a cousin who had all the Asterix books. I used to love getting into his bedroom when we were visiting my aunt's house and leaf through those stories, being mesmerized by the colors and the characters' funny expressions. I loved the mess around me, with books spread around while I looked at those fun strips. That was my very first contact with comic books, and I never stopped loving the irreducible Gauls and their ironic sense of humor when I learned how to read.</span><br />
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Then, during the same period of time, at my grandma's, I found at my aunt Sandra's room a Little Nemo book, with that walking bed adventure. For a 4 year-old girl, those images were powerful and kind of scary, but I couldn't stop turning the pages - which gave me some nightmares later that night, very appropriately...<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lpgel9eLoWA/UHYOazkRf6I/AAAAAAAAFJM/IlsYH4EI2rw/s1600/Little_Nemo_alone3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lpgel9eLoWA/UHYOazkRf6I/AAAAAAAAFJM/IlsYH4EI2rw/s320/Little_Nemo_alone3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As I got a bit older, I naturally loved Disney's comics and read them a lot, as my brother had a huge collection. Uncle Scrooge, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse... My favorite character was the Phantom Blot, because he was mysterious, smart and would always try to fool Mickey (who was not one of my favorites then - he had no sense of humor, an unforgettable personality flaw).<br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Monica's Gang is a sweet and very popular Brazilian comics. I've read them throughout my childhood, sitting on jaboticaba tree's branches (if I wasn't reading Agatha Cristhie, that's it, lol), and now my little witch loves them too. The adventures of the brave toothy little girl in red dress and her inseparable bunny doll is a treat for generations.</span><br />
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I also always loved Mafalda, the lovely Argentinian little girl with strong personality and hilarious lines about politics and the world's situation during the 60s, created by Quino (that's how I learned to read in Spanish, btw!).<br />
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My mom simply adored The Phantom and Mandrake, the two great heroes created by Lee Falk, and we had several of their books at home, so of course, I had to read them too, and learned to love both characters, for my mom's delight. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">My dad also loved them, but his favorite comic book was Beetle Bailey. I can still hear his laughter while reading the lazy recruit's clumsy and funny adventures, and we shared fun moments reading it side by side too.</span></div>
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Then I grew up and my taste changed, and I fell in love with X-Men. Mutants fighting evil and prejudice, trying to get along as a team with their own differences and traumas, how cool is that? Stan Lee's brilliant mind and Jack Kirby's fantastic art filled many of my days and nights. </div>
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And of course, Wolverine, my favorite antihero. Eternally struggling with his obscure past, the loner with a furious beast inside of him.</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Years passed and after watching Alien and researching about the astonishing art in it (it was also when I came to know the fantastic </span><a href="http://www.hrgiger.com/" style="text-align: justify;">HR Giger</a><span style="text-align: justify;">), I found out about Jean </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Moebius</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> Giraud, which lead me to Blueberry, the awesome and so different cowboy who always tried to protect Native Americans.</span></div>
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Working as a drawer many years ago, I had access to dozens Heavy Metal magazines, and it was like a party finding again the art of HR Giger and Moebius, among other great artists in fun, erotic sci-fi stories.<br />
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I could talk endlessly about several other fantastic characters that I learned to love along the years, but I don't like the idea of having readers falling asleep over the keyboard while scrolling down my long post, lol</div>
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Right now, I'm deeply into Batman B&W, more X-Men and Fray - my new favorite female character -, and I can't express the TONS of fun I'm having, loving every turning page! It's wonderful to be behind these stories, because I can enjoy them as if they were brand new - and they are, for me. :o)</div>
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Comic books are a part of me since I was that little child, and I grew up loving and respecting the creative minds behind each page and line, and to have a passion for the universe they created and shared around the world. I am always thankful for having a family who opened my eyes to this realm of magic, fantasy and different realities. And I feel thankful now for not losing this passion and love, feel ing warm inside knowing that I will always have new stories and adventures to discover and enjoy. I'm a child at heart, and I plan to stay this way, and to pass this same spirit to my little witch.</div>
Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-400743148578900572012-10-09T17:18:00.002-03:002012-10-09T22:06:47.001-03:00Ostara and a new phase.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So our Ostara was a bit different this year... It all started when the little witch, the night before the sabbat, a few minutes before sleeping, while watching his decorated altar, told me that he knew it was me who bought the traditional Kinder Eggs to put at his altar.</div>
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Some input is needed here: it may sound weird that my 9 years old son still believe in Santa, Easter and Ostara bunny and tooth fairy, but that how we raise kids in our family. As long as we can, we keep the fantasy going. At Christmas, all the kids stay in my mom's bedroom while the adults arrange the presents under the Tree in the living room, and my brother goes "ho ho ho"to let them know it's time to come out and see what the good Santa left for them. At Easter, Lucas prepares a little nest where the Bunny can place all the chocolate eggs he gets from his mom, grandma, aunts and uncles, and this bunny-witch who types leave little flour paws on the floor. When a baby tooth falls out, his tooth holder keeps it safe under his pillow so the tooth fairy can trade it for a R$ 1 coin. The same thing with Ostara. Every year, we decorate our altars, and on the little witch's, we place the old, lovely <a href="http://www.pookapages.com/Ostara_Crafts.htm">egg holders from the Pooka pages</a> I printed and we colored many years ago. He always gets three Kinder eggs and looks forward to them. </div>
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Back to Ostara night. It totally took me by surprise, even knowing that at 9, it wouldn't last long. I went to his bed and started explaining to him that I was the one who bought the chocolate eggs, but all the moms in the world have this mission, to keep the fantasy and the gods alive in their kids' hearts, and that we were their messengers. This way we would keep the meaning of sharing this lovely tradition alive. But, of course, when I started talking, I burst into tears. And of course, typically in the spirit of a good dramatic Brazilian soap opera, Lucas started crying too because he didn't want me to be sad. He said he wasn't upset, and that he still loved and believed in the myth. We stayed there for some minutes, hugging and wipping each other's tears and making jokes about it, and all was well again.</div>
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Why did I cry? Because this is the end of a beautiful phase in his life. There are many other beautiful, challenging phases ahead, but this one, of innocently believing in a lovely fantasy, is over. This definitely marks his new stage, more than the number of his shirt or shoes. It was his first real growing up moment. I remembered all these years behind, when he would be marveled at the sight of bunny paws on the floor and on the window, and the chocolate eggs carefully placed at his altar, and I know things will be different now - not bad, but different. He's still a kid, who loves to play Dragon Ball and Harry Potter fights with his friends at school recess time, and loves to play hide-and-seek with me at home, and play peteca, and draw monsters and pirate ships, and to ask me to make felt dolls out of the drawings he creates. He watches Cartoon and Disney XD now, but still watches Backyardigans, sometimes. He still loves <a href="http://www.monica.com.br/">Cebolinha comics</a>, and loves to pretend to be a robot.</div>
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But he's definitely growing up. And I'm happy for him, of course. I can't wait to see what kind of man he will be in the future, and I'm thrilled to be able to raise him to be a nice, well adjusted and happy human being, helping him to have long, strong wings to fly high. But sometimes I just wished that the clock could gently slow down its pace. But, then again, it's wonderful to watch my lovely little witch growing up into such a cool way. Maybe I just need an extra heart.</div>
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Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-85333219570050183402012-08-31T09:55:00.002-03:002012-08-31T09:55:17.144-03:00Blue Moon ritual<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh, tonight we'll have the last Blue Moon until 2015! I'll miss the great power this Full Moon brings, so I'll surely be at home to honor this special event, patiently looking forward to seeing it again in three years. You can read a good article about the Blue Moon <a href="http://www.space.com/17391-blue-moon-tonight-night-sky.html"><b>here</b></a>. Did you know that Neil Armstrong's memorial service will be held today? Good vibes could be sent to the man who took that step so many of us always dreamed to take!</div>
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So tonight we'll make our little Esbat, putting the names of relatives and friends into the little witch's cauldron, to be burned at our healing & protection ritual, praying for the Goddess & the God's assistance. I'll post about it at my Facebok wall, so if you want to have your name, your relatives or friends added to the cauldron, just leave a comment <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NydiaMacedo">there</a>. :o)</div>
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Hope you all have a lovely Blue Moon night!</div>
Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-65017049721801068782012-08-21T11:09:00.001-03:002012-08-21T11:15:53.137-03:00It's Hercules Day!<div style="text-align: justify;">
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When I was a kid, one of my favorite Brazilian writers was Monteiro Lobato. I have already mentioned him <a href="http://bringingupsalamanders.blogspot.com.br/search?q=monteiro+lobato">here</a> a long time ago.</div>
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One of his books, in two volumes, was "The Twelve Labours of Hercules":</div>
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It was an amazing experience for me to follow the adventures of Lobato's main character, Pedrinho (Pete), who travels to Ancient Greece with his friends to meet the powerful demigod and witness his incredible labours. Monteiro Lobato talks about Greek mythology in a language suited for children, making the reading a pleasure, and putting the book down an almost impossible task. It was when I learned to love the ancient myths and when my curiosity to learn more and more about this beautiful culture was born.</div>
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His adventure, in a nutshell: Hercules, who was son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene, was driven mad ,when he grew up, by Zeus' wife, Hera, since she couldn't do anything else to get revenge fo her husband's infidelity (as if this wasn't his standard behaviour!). Hercules kills his wife and kids while out of his mind, and is totally horrified when he recovers his sanity and realizes what he has done. As part of the punishment for his evil act, he's doomed by the God Apollo to work for the King Eurystheus for twelve years and also perform the <a href="http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/labors.html">12 Labors</a>. Only fully reading his fantastic saga to understand how strong this demigod was.</div>
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Today is in his honor, a perfect day to remember that sometimes you just can't give up, that determination is the only key to carry on and to get where you want. Many times we do need to simply keep walking while fighting our inner demons.</div>
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Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2002043022819051569.post-30434461797762571442012-08-16T20:26:00.002-03:002012-08-17T01:08:56.742-03:00A special Imbolc<div style="text-align: justify;">
We had a beautiful Imbolc night this year. A sabbat blessed by Brigid with a Full Moon to make things better, extra powerful night!</div>
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Our ritual was simple, as usual, but full of good vibes. Last Yule we started a new tradition of adding the names of relatives, friends and their own relatives and friends to the little witch's cauldron, for a healing and protection spell. I posted a thread at my Facebook wall, where those who wanted to add their names could comment. Later that evening, I wrote down each name with purple pen on a sheet of paper, then cut them separately. The little witch carefully folded each one, and placed them all in his cauldron, covering them with lavender buds and rosemary, plus a bit of his healing potion:</div>
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We focused on the proper intentions while opening the circle. The flames were, as always, a bliss apart, wildly dancing as we prayed and thanked the Goddess and the God for our time, asking Brigid to protect and heal those in need.</div>
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We had cornbread and orange juice as part of the ritual, and we closed the circle with a lighter heart. Lucas feels so at home with our rituals that he knows exactly what to say and to do, on his own quiet way.</div>
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In August 31st, we'll have another Full Moon - the last Blue Moon until 2015 -, and again I'll post a thread at my Facebook wall, inviting my friends to add their names to the cauldron, so if you want to be part of our ritual, stay tuned. :o)</div>
Nydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07850948495881140098noreply@blogger.com1