TikiPrincess

I went to a private school, and they were really strict about students attending classes. I could skip P.E. by claiming menstrual pains, but that's about it. They would call your parents if you didn't show up to make sure you had an excuse, and they took roll at every class, so I didn't really get a chance to skip school. If I did fake being sick, which happened at least once each semester, I usually had to spend it at home typing up an essay or report that I had fallen behind on.

I live in Southern California in a little suburb of Los Angeles. Aside from the traffic, which I mostly avoid, I really love living here. Except right now in the 113 degree Fahrenheit heat. It wouldn't be so bad if this wasn't the third straight day. Or if I happened to have air-conditioning. And really, the days aren't so bad because I can get away and find somewhere else to go to that has air-conditioning. It's just the nights that are bad. And it was even worst to come home last night to find the power out so I didn't even have the comfort of my many fans to get some sort of breeze going through to ease some of the sweltering heat. It was a lovely 96 degrees at midnight! And because the electric company has been a bit overloaded from all the transformers breaking from overuse, our power still hasn't returned 14 hours later. I bought 60 lbs of ice and filled my coolers with everything from the freezer. Unfortunately, I did a recent Costco run, so it was pretty packed in there. The fridge is pretty much toast, but luckily we haven't kept much in there except drinks because we've been going on several weekend trips. I'm now writing from the comfort of my parents' house, which also doesn't have air-conditioning, but has the internet and fans. However, I'm still perspiring even though I'm just sitting in front of the fan and typing. I can almost feel my brain cells melting!

Well, as was mentioned in the other thread, Trap isn't a graphics only website. People wander in and out, get interested in other things, or put their efforts into sigs for contests on more graphics-focused forums. I was actually going to enter last weeks, but I got a bit distracted by real life and missed the deadline. And like the others have mentioned, school is starting and it seems to me that the majority of the Trap population is still in school, so they've got other things to worry about at the moment. Interest will ebb and flow with time, but until you get consistent no-shows, I'd say keep it up.

Remember boys, it IS the size that counts. How you use it is extra

Well, I've always had a really active imagination. I remember watching Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in the theater when I was young (I know, I'm totally dating myself by admitting to that). We were sitting in the back and I was absolutely sure that a hand was going to reach through the curtain behind me and try to remove my still-beating heart from my body. I've always been afraid of the dark. The pitch black of night always seemed so suffocating to me, and even as a teenager, I would sometimes sleep with the light on just because I couldn't stand the darkness. I remember having an anxiety attack in the 8th grade because my brother thought it would be fun to lock me in a closet that had the light switch outside. :XD: I'm not allowed to watch horror movies now because I get too freaked out by the stupidest things. And I go around turning all the lights on and making my husband check in the closet and nudge him like a million times when I hear a noise.

I agree, it's hard to get a job at sixteen. My cousin applied for a job at McDonald's for his first job and got turned down. So he went back in a full suit and tie and told them that he was very serious and dedicated to obtaining a job. Needless to say, he got hired after that. You need to show people through your actions that you are responsible and capable, and merely filling out an application isn't going to do that. Try to create a full resume to submit with your application and include a cover letter that explains why you would be an ideal candidate as opposed to the rest. Then call the store a few days after submitting your resume and ask if the manager has had a chance to review your application. If he/she has, this will put you to the front of his/her mind. If not, then your application will probably be the next one to be reviewed. The other thing you might want to do is think out of the box. Is there a service that you could provide that might be needed? Dog-walking, tutoring, and other odds and ends jobs can help earn money while building up a resume. It also shows initiative and entrepreneurial drive that employers and colleges will appreciate. And, even though it doesn't pay, you can also put in some volunteer hours at an organization. The job market is all about networking and getting your name out there. Despite your age, this rule still applies.

I felt the same way for awhile, despite the fact that I'm a "minority." Because Asians and Pacific Islanders are considered the "model minority" and usually do a good job of assimilating into the American culture, we don't get the kind of "kick-backs" that other racial/ethnic groups get. In fact, getting into college was even more competitive since over-achieving Asians had to compete with each other for a select number of spots.But we were still able to celebrate our ethnic/racial heritage and culture, unlike the white students. I discussed it with one of my friends, who's black, about the whole idea of reverse racism or people being racist against whites. Thankfully, she's the type of person you can have this kind of conversation with and not get into a huge argument about race issues. She doesn't bring up the whole slavery issue as a blanket statement, but rather as a situation that created a mentality which has persisted throughout American history and shaped the black perspective in America.The way she explained it to me is that while black people and other minorities can be racist against whites, the control of power in this country is still largely in the hands of white males. Because minorities lack the individual power to create change and because they are still, for the most part, subject to prejudice, they must form groups and coalitions to gain leverage. Whites, on the other hand, are still the dominant race whether they are a population majority or not. Even in California, perhaps the most liberal state where minorities make up a greater percentage of the population than whites, the state legislature has been predominately white. Despite the fact that we seem to love electing actors to the governor's office, the majority of governors have also been white males.So aside from incidences where whites are passed over for an ethnic minority, the race overall still controls the country and has a degree of power over the rest. Therefore, there's no need to band together against oppression. A white individual has the status and power to fight for him/herself.Anyways, that's how she explained it to me and it seemed to make sense. Minorities don't have the individual power to make their racism count.

My friend turned me onto this website weffriddles.com. It's not those silly riddles that you used to read in your Highlights magazines as a kid. The answer to each level is the url for the next level, so it's less likely that you could enter a random letter or word and get to the next level. In fact, the answer isn't always necessarily a word or letter. Though the first few levels are rather simple, the further your progress requires you to do a lot of "out-of-the-box" thinking and go through multiple steps to reach the next level. Right now, I'm on level 43. They've got a forum to give you hints and push you in the right direction, but they try not to give spoilers because the whole fun of solving the riddle is figuring out the answer.

When I was 16, I thought I knew what was best for me. I was a good kid. I didn't do drugs, drink, or go to wild parties. I was a good student, respectful to adults, well-informed on world affairs thanks to my dad always listening to the news or NPR, and considerably well-read compared to many others my age. Despite being a rather well-behaved youth, I still cringe now when I think how naive and foolish I was at that age. However, I understand what you mean. You're in that awkward in-between stage where you're old enough to explore your own beliefs and ideas, to think and act independently and be responsible for your actions, but you're still in that youthful boundary testing phase where most kids do stupid things to find out how far they go without being punished. It's probably worse for you than most others because you're intelligent enough to reason each side of the issue. You know why adults treat you like this, but you also know why these stereotypes and restrictions shouldn't apply to you.My suggestion would be to prove that you shouldn't be lumped with all the other kids your age. One of the first steps to establishing independence is to get a job. If your parents won't let you or no one's hiring, then try volunteering with an organization like the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, or something like that. This will show others your level of responsibility, earn you some extra cash that your parents can't have any say over, and give your college apps a nice padding.

I'm gonna have to go with Mike's on this one. The render is much cleaner and clearer than Will's. I also think that the text is far too plain. It works fine, but nothing spectacular or eye-catching. With Mich's, it just didn't seem to pop out to me the way Mike's did. I think it would have been a nice effect to have the "BEACH BUM" text follow the curve of her leg, or to mute some of the colors and make the blue in her bathing suit really saturated, kinda like in the movie Pleasantville or those Hallmark cards.

The two of you shared something very special, not just because he was your first, but also because you supported him through a very difficult period as you described it. It's a bond that you'll always have. Based on what you've written in your post, however, there seems to be a good deal of co-dependency in your relationship. Possessiveness is never good as that lumps you in with all of the other things he "owns." For him to become paranoid like that, to become possessive of you and calling you so frequently, shows a great deal of insecurity that needs years of therapy to even start to overcome. Your admittance of sleeping with other men purely on a sexual basis reveals certain insecurities that you need to deal with. I'm a big advocate of sex, I think it's a wonderful thing, but sex without emotion is empty and unfulfilling in my opinion.It seems to me that you probably both have issues that you need to discuss with each other, but rekindling the flame doesn't seem like the best idea right now. There's no doubt that he's left an impression on your soul and he's inextricably a part of your past and helped shape who you have become, but maybe it's time for you to discover who you are as an individual, without his influence. Knowing yourself is one of the greatest gifts you can give to yourself and your partner, whoever that may be.

While I do not always agree with law and I admit that the justice system is flawed, I would think it a violation of my rights for the government to be tracking its citizens' DNA. We don't even have everyone's fingerprints in the database, we don't need to be tracking DNA. That kind of information can so easily be misused. I also think that there aren't enough people donating blood that we don't need to scare away more potential donors by asking the Red Cross (btw a private company not affiliated with the government) or other blood drive operators to test for DNA. Their services and resources are much better spent doing what the organization intended to do. As for your third point, I'm sorry, I misread your original post. However, not all babies are born in hospitals and most hospitals are overworked and understaffed as it is. And my response to your second point would suffice for this as well. We don't need to scare away women giving birth by the threat of reporting them to the police. The whole point of this law is that she is allowed to give up her baby, no questions asked. You have no idea what their thought process has or hasn't been or the anguish that she may or may not have experienced. It is not our place to judge, only to give her the compassion she needs. Not everyone believes in a soul, and there are some who believe it exists, but are not concerned with it. There are a multitude of beliefs in this world and many of them differ from yours. The debate on abortion is on another thread, but that is neither here nor there. Whether you agree with the law or not, the law is still in effect and abortion is an acceptable practice in the eyes of the law. Anything else is between each person and his/her god or gods. That being said, I will not discuss theology with you because I choose to honor and respect the beliefs of others. I have spent too many years exploring my own beliefs and coming to terms with the religion I was raised to believe to disrespect someone else's. For clarity's sake: The rich that you speak of will not give families the financial support that's necessary to raise children. They're costly little beasts :XD: Honestly, though, the adoption process is flawed as is the legal system; however, it would take a lot of money to cut bureaucracy and make the necessary changes to make them both efficient and effective. But some of the more deserving parents simply cannot afford to go through the process financially while someone like Angelina Jolie and Madonna can simply pick up a child from some third-world country. The joys and pains of parenting shouldn't be reserved for the rich who can afford to have children. IMO, advertising and music is much more pervasive than TV perhaps because, like you, I rarely watch it. Advertisements are much harder to escape and must encapsulate an entire message in a single image for print or 30 seconds of air time radio, tv, etc. Unfortunately, money makes the world go round, we cannot exist as a society without placing economic value on things, whether it's beads or coins or cattle. Appealing to someone's moral sensibility won't sell nearly as much as appealing to their base desires. Kudos to those who can rise above it, but for the rest of us... we are only human. @Mermaid - As much as I am grateful and appreciative of your support, I urge you to make your own informed decision on the matter and believe what your heart tells you. I do not claim to be right. I only state what I believe to be right for myself, and I have spent much time discovering my beliefs and choosing the path that I want to live. Perhaps that will change as I grow and learn more, only time will tell. But truefusion has many good points that I choose not to agree with because of my own experiences and filters from my knowledge base. Be a free thinker and believe what your heart believes.

I'm not sure where you live, but here in America, it's illegal to take a sample of DNA without consent unless it's from a crime scene. Not everyone can afford to go to the doctor for check-ups, nor do labs code DNA for routine blood samples. And have you honestly seen a baby after it's born? Children sometimes look nothing like their parents. My friend's baby was pale skinned when she was born, but my friend and her boyfriend are black. The baby didn't start getting her skin tone until a few weeks after being born. I'm guessing that the kind of woman who could do this isn't concerned about her soul. However, having a child out of wedlock seems to be much more accepted in our main culture. For a woman to "dispose" of a baby in a trash can or down a toilet means that she was desperate and couldn't afford the means to have an abortion or was too afraid of what would happen if someone found out. Some women don't have the fortitude to withstand the judgment of narrow-minded people. According to the decision of Roe v. Wade, abortion is legal in the United States. Aborting a fetus or embryo is considered an acceptable practice since it cannot exist outside the mother's uterus. A baby is a living, breathing being that can exist without the mother's support by means of formula and care from someone else. In the eyes of the law, these two things are different. Anything else is between the woman and her god or gods, and it is not our place to pass judgment. That doesn't put food on the table or a roof over their heads or clothes on their backs. If you have not been through the process or been with someone going through it, you can't know how frustratingly painful it is and how tempting it is to just shuck the whole thing. My friends were lucky enough to have one child naturally after many, many attempts, but after the wife miscarried for the fourth time after their little girl was born, she couldn't take the heartache anymore, so they looked into adoption. They were almost awarded their child, but at the last minute, the mother changed her mind. It was like having the miscarriage all over again. The media isn't restricted to TV. It's in books, magazines, movies, and advertisements. Women are told to act and dress a certain way and men are told to treat women a certain way. I fully believe that if women were not so objectified, then they would be cherished and respected and we would have less cases of rape, less underage sex as girls try to secure the affection of a boy because that's what they've been told gives them worth, and a much more happy society. Unfortunately, sex sells and since men aren't willing to objectify themselves and women have been conditioned since before time began, then our sex must suffer.

Sent you something to ease the burden :XD: Good luck on the move and we'll see you back soon!

@truefusion - FYI, DNA tests only work if you have a sample to compare the child's DNA with, but people can refuse to give a DNA sample, which certainly indicates some sort of guilt, right? And that's somewhat easier to do if you're in a small town, but in a metropolis like Los Angeles, there are hundreds of thousands of people in the surrounding areas, so how would they test everyone?I don't think that this law is a very good one because as Mermaid indicated, it allows women to go through the entire process of pregnancy and birth without suffering the consequences of that action. There are low-cost abortion clinics and family planning centers that distribute free condoms and low-cost contraceptives, but women are too ashamed or unaware of these centers. We have also had a string of unwanted babies found in dumpsters in my area, including a college student!, or that infamous prom attendant that had the baby in the bathroom stall and tried to flush it down the toilet. While I disagree with the law, it does seem much better for the baby to be handed to a hospital or public serviceperson rather than simply being left to die.I know I'll probably get chewed out for saying this, but as much as our society has improved concerning orphans and unwanted children, it is still far from the desirable situation for a child to grow up in. The foster system is still subject to abuse and mistreatment of children, the majority of whom never get placed with a family. Aside from that, the adoption process is so lengthy, in-depth, and costly that people are much more willing to buy a baby from a third-world country or on the black market than go through the proper channels. While I agree that there should be restrictions and such in place to ensure that the child will be going to safe and worthy parents, there should be some sort of happy medium where the people only have so many hoops to jump through; otherwise, the system deters people who would be great parents but can't necessarily afford all the legal work that goes with adoption. So if we're accepting this law, there should really be more improvements to the Social Services bureaucracy. But I think that's a given.As to the problem of girls becoming sexually active at a young age, I believe the change needs to come from other places besides school, which is so bogged down by rules and regulations that sex ed is rather laughable. For the most part, education starts at home, but girls get mixed messages because their parents and religion tell them one thing, and the media and popular culture tell them another. And when they get to puberty and adolescence, most kids have stopped listening to their parents and have started to explore their own boundaries and begun to think more independently from their parents' conditioning. If the media changed, then we would see girls' behavior change as well.

Oh Mike! That's an awesomely evil vector sig. Thanks sooooooo much! It's a wonderful surprise to come back to after being away for so long. I don't think I ever mentioned the shrunken head I've got stashed away under the bed. :XD: I'm surprised you found out about him. Of course, I do let him pop out every once in awhile... but only when I'm feeling very evil.

Well, I guess that all depends on what your post-graduation plans are. Although a GED is supposed to be equivalent to a high school diploma, in many cases it isn't. If you're planning on attending college, then most would take a high school diploma over a GED. If you just want to go to a community college or technical school, then a GED should be okay. But you'll probably be taking a lot of the same classes that you would in high school for the first year or so. If you're planning on going straight to the workforce, then expect to work minimum wage jobs if all you've got is a GED. But you could possibly work your way up to a managerial position.