Fred: So you don't worry that it's possible for someone to send out a biological or electronic trigger that effectively overrides your own sense of ideals and values and replaces them with an alternative coercive agenda that reduces you to a mindless meat puppet? Shopkeeper: Wow. People used to think that I was paranoid.

'Time Bomb'


Natter 77: I miss my friends. I miss my enemies. I miss the people I talked to every day.  

Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, butt kicking, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.


P.M. Marc - Aug 15, 2023 9:23:36 pm PDT #23988 of 30000
So come, my friends, be not afraid/We are so lightly here/It is in love that we are made; In love we disappear

Your package was one of the first to arrive. In fact, she's opening your package in the first picture I showed on FB Buffistas of her opening mail.

Oh, I recognized the envelope and laughed! I figured the odds of anyone else having sent something in a safety envelope that's probably older than my child were slight indeed.


P.M. Marc - Aug 15, 2023 9:25:29 pm PDT #23989 of 30000
So come, my friends, be not afraid/We are so lightly here/It is in love that we are made; In love we disappear

Grape Nuts:

JenP, I am planning on it!


Cass - Aug 15, 2023 9:48:31 pm PDT #23990 of 30000
Bob's learned to live with tragedy, but he knows that this tragedy is one that won't ever leave him or get better.

Oh, I recognized the envelope and laughed! I figured the odds of anyone else having sent something in a safety envelope that's probably older than my child were slight indeed.

Only because I can't find my mailing station area in moving boxes.

I have good stuff but sometimes the random envelope just happen.

I miss my physical address book. I mailed people all of the time. I flew a lot and liked using pen on paper with a physical address book. It was comforting to me.


askye - Aug 16, 2023 6:14:59 am PDT #23991 of 30000
Thrive to spite them

Beekaytee I read your post and I am so sorry you had to go through all of that. I am glad you found out you were so wanted and they tried so hard. I don't think anyone is ever too heal. One of the group therapies I did there was a woman in her mid 70s and my mom has finally decided to go to therapy and she just turned 80.


askye - Aug 16, 2023 6:16:22 am PDT #23992 of 30000
Thrive to spite them

Speaking of handwriting does anyone know of a good book or something to help improve handwriting? Mine has always been terrible and I hate it. I've seen books about decorative lettering or things like that but is there something to just help every day hand writing


beekaytee - Aug 16, 2023 8:27:06 am PDT #23993 of 30000
Compassionately intolerant

Beekaytee I read your post and I am so sorry you had to go through all of that. I am glad you found out you were so wanted and they tried so hard. I don't think anyone is ever too heal. One of the group therapies I did there was a woman in her mid 70s and my mom has finally decided to go to therapy and she just turned 80.

Thanks for the kind words, askye. I really am fine. Given all the internal work I've done over the years, these...many...revelations are falling under the category of 'interesting' rather than painful. They are really just opportunities to exercise my internal fortitude.


beekaytee - Aug 16, 2023 8:32:24 am PDT #23994 of 30000
Compassionately intolerant

Oh, and askye, I've worked with a number of older folks on regaining their handwriting skills after arthritis and atrophy have taken hold. If you search on 'handwriting worksheets' you will find hundreds of thousands of 'trace-along' exercises to reestablish good handwriting habits.

Contrary to the 'science' of graphology, my written language has changed SO many times. It's like those match the hairstyle to the decade quizzes.

So I regularly use the worksheets to 1) slow my writing down so I'm not so sloppy and 2) Reshape my letters to be more legible.

It's a lifelong issue for a left-hander! Especially one who is a hand-dragger vs. a crab claw/overhand writer.


dcp - Aug 16, 2023 9:13:27 am PDT #23995 of 30000
The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know.

...left-hander...crab claw

Back in 3rd grade, when we started learning cursive writing, I was the only left-hander in the class. The teacher's only instruction to me was, "Well, just follow along as best you can." It was a very discouraging learning experience, and my handwriting has never been very good.

Then in 1998 I got a PalmPilot, and learned its specialized alphabet to use with its stylus. I got to where I was very quick and very accurate with that, but it took a toll on my pencil/pen handwriting from which I have never recovered.


JenP - Aug 16, 2023 9:38:12 am PDT #23996 of 30000

I remember a boy named Ben in my, I guess, kindergarten class who got shit for holding the pencil inbetween his first two fingers and guiding with his thumb, I think.

I remember thinking how mean it was of them to point it out and try to change it, because, I tried it, and it worked just fine! They probably weren't even particularly mean about it, but it stuck with me. Ben, I hope you've done you in this life and are having a fabulous time.


EpicTangent - Aug 16, 2023 9:45:50 am PDT #23997 of 30000
Why isn't everyone pelting me with JOY, dammit? - Zenkitty

Speaking of handwriting does anyone know of a good book or something to help improve handwriting? Mine has always been terrible and I hate it. I've seen books about decorative lettering or things like that but is there something to just help every day hand writing

If you search on 'handwriting worksheets' you will find hundreds of thousands of 'trace-along' exercises to reestablish good handwriting habits.

This is the one I got: link but a quick Google for "Cursive Handwriting Workbook for Adults" turned up about a jillion.