quiz and meme spam

( ABC meme )

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I Am A: Lawful Good Elf Ranger Bard


Alignment:
Lawful Good characters are the epitome of all that is just and good. They believe in order and governments that work for the benefit of all, and generally do not mind doing direct work to further their beliefs.


Race:
Elves are the eldest of all races, although they are generally a bit smaller than humans. They are generally well-cultured, artistic, easy-going, and because of their long lives, unconcerned with day-to-day activities that other races frequently concern themselves with. Elves are, effectively, immortal, although they can be killed. After a thousand years or so, they simply pass on to the next plane of existance.


Primary Class:
Rangers are the defenders of nature and the elements. They are in tune with the Earth, and work to keep it safe and healthy.


Secondary Class:
Bards are the entertainers. They sing, dance, and play instruments to make other people happy, and, frequently, make money. They also tend to dabble in magic a bit.


Deity:
Mielikki is the Neutral Good goddess of the forest and autumn. She is also known as the Lady of the Forest, and is the Patron of Rangers. Her followers are devoted to nature, and believe in the positive and outreaching elements of it. They use light armor, and a variety of weapons suitable for hunting, which they are quite skilled at. Mielikki's symbol is a unicorn head.


Find out What D&D Character Are You?, courtesy ofNeppyMan (e-mail)

flat update

Essentially, there is no way I will let the landlady get away with a 20% rent hike. So, if she decides to hand over flat management to a management company in January, we are out of there. I've had a look around, and there are at least 5-10 places out there that match our specifications (two bedrooms, bath, shower, kitchen) at prices between £550 and £650. It won't be a problem to find something new.

What's bugging me though, and what kept me sobbing for an hour on Friday night, was the high hopes we had for this present flat.

See, we thought that this is where we would stay during the rest of the time we spent in Scotland. The home we would bring up our first child. I pictured baby playing in our nice big dining kitchen while I cooked dinner. We were planning to redecorate. We bought three new kitchen units from Ikea when we moved in.

But rental agreements in Scotland are usually six month assured tenancies - after six months, the landlord can do what they like. The reason for this is that unlimited assured tenancies are very difficult to cancel if the tenant stops paying the rent.

The landlady knew we took a long term perspective. Not now, not anymore.

Ideally, I'd prefer the landlady to defer raising the rent until July, because moving on January 1 or January 15 or December 15 will be extremely stressful. I can do it, no problem, and we will find a place, but it will not be nice.

We shall see what we can do.

emotions update

Since my decision to quit The Company and to immerse myself into research, teaching, and massage training, I've gradually come to life again. I'm far more active, agile, and even though I do some work most weekends, it's stimulating instead of draining.

My husband likes this change and supports me. This is good - I really believe in keeping "in touch" with your partner while I change, because I don't want to move away from him, if that makes sense.

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Went on a book buying spree in Waterstone's. The Evil Switch Card of Doom is now banned from my purse.

I bought:
- A book on Organic Chemistry, co-authored by 4 lecturers from Britain. This is a nice, hands-on book that emphasises processes and chemical thinking. It also clearly states the prerequisites for each chapter, which makes it well suited for self study. (I decided against the textbook recommended by sannalim because it did not have this feature. but I will definitely get it from the library for additional reading!) See, I've this antiquated idea that I want to REALLY understand the chemistry of essential oils. This requires going well beyond the pictures in our textbooks.

- The Victorians by A.N.Wilson. Am sucker for history
- The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker. The nature side by one of its most eloquent exponents
- They F*** You Up Your Parents, They Do by Oliver James. The nurture side by one of its most vocal exponents. James can distinguish between good and bad science
(these three books were on a 3-for-2 offer)

- A short story collection by Alasdair Gray. Beautifully crafted, beautifully told, three pounds off, nuff said.

- The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils, Julia Lawless. Recommended reference for my Aromatherapy course
- An Introduction to Aromatherapy by Louise Tucker.

Louise Tucker is a freelance writer who writes lots of course books for ITEC accredited complementary therapy courses. Her books are SHALLOW. There is no other word. They are nicely laid out, colourful, with lots of pictures and graphs. But they do not help you understand! The only reason I shelled out 12,50 for this thing was that it contains everything you need to know for the exam.

For learning my Anatomy and Physiology, I'm referring to Tortora & Grabowski's Anatomy and Physiology a lot. This is an excellent book for self-study! Before each major section, you get objectives, after each section, you have check points that force you to review the main points in the text. I was surprised at the amount of material I had quite frankly missed in my first, admittedly rather shallow, read through of many passages. Each chapter concludes with self-test questions and questions for critical thinking, and each figure has a revision question attached. Brilliant!