Fractured.Logic

That is a more common scenario than you might think, hon. It's amazing how much of a communication barrier can exist between one and their kith and kin. Though I love and admire my step-father, he and I have had numerous occasions where we absolutely do not get along, and are unable to communicate. It is very good to hear that you are regaining some of your normalcy and ability to function. People often underestimate how important it is to feel stable and secure in your actions, on a regular basis. My step-father had a very heavy drinking problem for a long time, including pre-breakdown. He was never a violent drunk, mind you, but it caused him to suffer pancreatitis and is irreversibly diabetic because of it. I never really know what goes on in his head... but I'd be willing to believe that you are closer to the mark on that observation than I've ever been. But, I'm a firm believer of the saying, "It takes one to know one." You have the greatest understanding of your circumstance, and the greatest ability to relate to others suffering in a similar fashion.

Ok, so to briefly describe the inspiration for this topic:I replied to a topic in "Meditation, Pranayam, Yoga" under "Health and Fitness" earlier today and was happily browsing for others to comment on. After a few moments of scrolling back and forth, I happened to catch sight of a new topic post in the same forum area that I'd just been commenting in. A little concern popped in my head, since I'd experienced a loading issue on my end when I'd posted my reply. So, I checked the subforum to make sure my post had been accepted. I found that everything was fine, so I just figured that that forum section was particularly active today, and clicked back to "Open Discussion" to browse some more.While perusing, I caught sight of my name as I was scrolling, in a section I didn't recall posting in. So I took a closer look and recognized the topic title I'd recently replied to in the other area. I clicked on the topic link to make sure it was the same one; it was. So I double-checked the forum area: "Spirituality and Consciousness," which listed a subforum called "Spirituality and Meditation: Yoga, Meditation, and Pranayam".This inspired me to look closer at the other topics in both subforums. They matched, identically.So I am, therefore, led to believe that they are, indeed, the same subforum listed twice, in two different sections, with slightly different names.What are other members' and mods' opinion(s) concerning the nature of this doppelganger scenario? It doesn't seem to be very troublesome, but I keep recalling subjects mentioned about cleaning the Trap up a bit, and removing unnecessary/old sections among other things. Is this something that the Trap would benefit from fixing?

I found the title of this topic misleading. :(I have often wished to help be a part of a movement which brings Microsoft down from the pedestal which Gates bought and coerced and monopolized his way to achieving. I hate people like that, with a passion, and it would delight me to no end to help pull the rug out from under him and remind him what it's like to be on most of our level.I have never believed in stepping on others, or forsaking honesty and integrity, in order to get ahead.So I, of course, hoped that this topic meant that Microsoft had finally made the ultimate blunder and was being forced out of business. Woe that such a hope is dashed before it had a chance to exult and dance for joy.--Still, I am happy that another program bites the dust. It's only a matter of time, as far as I'm concerned.[/Evil]

I would love to collaborate! :angel: Collaborating is one of my most favorite things in the world - especially when it concerns art and poetry/storywriting! [Emote]~Poofs into her leezard-form and happily skitters in dizzying circles to express her elated excitement.~[/Emote] -- So I took a look at those two links you provided. I am not sure if it would fit this new piece, or not, but I am very impressed with his work! It is very beautiful, indeed. I can see why you find it so inspiring, and it has given me some ideas for future work that I would like to bounce off of you at a later date. Keep in touch with the concepts. I am going to upload the new linework I did tonight. Grandma took my daughter for a trip, so I will have some time to play with graphics tonight, after I do my daily housecleaning. I will make some time at the library this weekend to make a disc and upload the resulting image(s) to my Photobucket account. Talk to you soon!

Meditation, if one truly sticks with it, is extremely soothing. Even if you can't completely blank your mind, it's basically like a reboot for the brain. It can help you deal with things that were previously overwhelming you, or it can give you a fresh perspective on something that had you confused or uncertain. The plus side to meditation is that you can personalize it to you. That means that you can conform it to your lifestyle instead of conforming your lifestyle to it. You can make as little or as much time for it, and any small amount will help you, even if you take a minute in your workday to stop and close your eyes and take a deep breath. When I was first poking at an extended education, I took Tai Chi classes for my physical education credits. I found it so amazingly relaxing that I kept taking it again, every single term, and I would also attend the extracurricular meetings in the park on the weekends. You can get to the point where you literally feel the stress melting away and leaving your bones (I did!)... just from controlling and consciously slowing your breathing (which, in turn, calms your heart rate). I have never tried Yoga, but it is something I fully plan to make the time for in the near future. I have heard many wonderful things about it, and it is recommended for anyone to try, no matter what your preferences, religion, or otherwise. There are some people who look down on Yoga because of it's religious associations, but one who practices Yoga is never required to ascribe to alternative beliefs. The oriental culture has had millennia to perfect health and fitness, and it stands to reason that their people have one the highest averages of good health in the world. That's well worth paying attention to.

It's very large, even on a 1280 x 1024 desktop resolution scale. That's the first thing I notice (I have a horizontal scroll bar as well as a vertical, and have to move both to see what's on the initial page). If I hadn't have been intentionally looking at the site to review it, I probably would have missed the navigation section (or I would have become annoyed with the scrolling and not even bothered to look for it). Sorry if that comes across as harsh. I don't typically care about vertical scrolling near so much as horizontal scrolling... since I can't use the mouse wheel to accomplish the latter. I love the visual color scheme, though. The pastels work very well together, and I like the "aged parchment" appearance of the relevant site content. Can you do anything about the "dead space" hanging between the Latest News section and the Navigation section? I'm not sure if that would work well, or not, given the image you are using in that area. Another suggestion would be to center that image in the area of separation, and possibly make it a little smaller. The left side of the page is a lot cleaner than the right side of the page, on further observation. On the right side of the page, on my screen, the pastel blue header stops and the page extends horizontally for an additional... I'd say about 3/8 or 1/2 of an inch. I notice that you have aligned the subheader with the girl and the quote, and the main page content to the right. However, they do not align vertically with the edge of the pastel blue header. Also, the blank space on the left side of the page that remains due to the right alignment feels a bit uncomfortable to look at. What if you reduced the width of the pastel blue header (at least to the margin of the Donate tab), and then aligned the rest of the page with that edge (fitting the content on the right margin as snugly as the pastel blue header fits on the left margin)? I like the search function being placed underneath the pastel blue header, but it is easy to miss (especially with all the scrolling required to view the page as it is now). My last observation concerns the footer of the page, where you list the links for Entries, Comments, and Admin. In it's current state, I have to bluntly say it sticks out like a sore thumb. On a left alignment, placed an inch below the main page content, and ending where it does, it takes away from the pleasant atmosphere you've created. It makes me think of when my little girl gets one of her 2-year-old scrapes; accident prone + daredevil tomboy = I think that if you altered the footer to align evenly on the left and the right, with those links centered, and got rid of the space between the main page content and it, you'd have a much more eye-pleasing presentation on your hands. I hope that helps you out, hon :angel: Keep me posted on the progress! And feel free to bug me whenever you like with specific questions or requests for help!

I poked at my hardcopy of the poem and altered the phraseology again. I still can't say whether it's done, or not. I plan to think on it for a while and allow some time for people to leave comments and creative criticism. So, in the meanwhile, here is the most updated variation of the poem: Corporeal misanthropy: Ambivalence kithes self-destruction; Tempestuous vilification excretes a residue, And spreads across one's tongue like The oil of Szechuan peppers. The essence of Fire pervades; the Osculum slackens, and drool burbles from the germ-infested Nether. Cavities accumulate exponentially, spreading Infection to the root of all evil, and decomposing one's own Carcass before it is buried. Formaldehyde, in theory, might also preserve A shred of the truth. Tho', when the tentative, fledgling Lie expounds upon itself to create a magnificently grotesque Legacy of its own, we light the conflagration and hope that the Ashes will bear our own proverbial phoenix; were it that Cumulative, rampant flames were the answer to every Indiscretion? Terra would vie against Jupiter for its noxious Existence; a charcoal whose effulgence would wane, consumed by Sulfuric dolour and the dark of the unknown. Abhorrence is the floodlight that beams its Radiance down, pinioning the flight of one's Citizen Kane; this Enigma, which reveals the concubine that is one's consummate hypocrisy. Lubriciously, one covets their contradictory companion, propagating Unremittingly; the seed of this dreadfully fertile womb Rears its terrifying head. Friend and foe are, in the end, the same Kaolin green ware; the inevitable massacre rends shattered fragments in mass and Individual acumen, alike. It is said that destruction clears the path for New life to amass and breed, but at what cost; what life are we fertilizing our figurative Ground to yield its harvest of? Imbolc's Br?d quavers with sonorous ire, that her ancient rites have suffered such Nescient perversion; egocentric manipulation forebodes an ominous fate. Mue the guilt that one wears like a second skin, and consciously Eschew for the sake of pandering to the current definition of sagacity. The Nascence we say that we wish to inspire is shelved in the abandoned athenaeum, To garner dust as if each obfuscating speck were the most precious of Acquisitions. Without it, we shall remain uneducated; the ignorant Laic who lazily tread this well-beaten path. Conjure from decrepit tomes the essence of Sirona; would she Resuscitate the dreams and notions that, once upon a time, Exemplified a species. Our blood has thinned; Vitality wanes as the primordial connection with a cosmic heartbeat is Inundated by the consuming obsession to understand. One treats the universe as a Cadaver, preserved and prone beneath one's indiscrete scalpel, and should it be so Elated that we have bestowed the opportunity to reveal its most precious of Secrets to these, our prying minds!

Well, if it makes you feel any better, I've gone and confounded my own mother with this one. Thank you for the compliments, kasperooney, and I find your comments helpful The style is not one I can claim entirely as my own, however... I have just skewed it into the twisted phrase it currently finds itself If you would like to research the style and experiment with something like it, look up "acrostic poem" sometime :angel: It's a great method for starting out with freestyle, in case my comment in your topic interested you enough to follow up on the idea.

[Action]Deposits two cents into the talkbox.[/Action] I found a site that not only tests your wpm, but also tests the accuracy of each finger! It's quite fascinating! http://www.programmingart.com/free/utilities/typetest/ It is free to use. They also invite you to download it (also free), and implement it on your own site if you are a webmaster! I thought that might spark a bit of interest around the Trap. And as for my personal achievements... I type anywhere between 80 and 130 wpm depending on what the content is. :angel:

I really, really like the presentation of this website. It's clean and functional and easy to browse. I do not understand Albanian, either, and I agree with Dave Morton that translators would inhibit more than elaborate. However, I could figure out what a lot of the content referred to by the images, and picking out key words spelled similarly in English. You appear to be very interested in a variety of medical-related topics, and that is a very admirable thing to present to others. Knowledge, and the communication of it, is power... and you have a wealth of it in your website. Use it carefully! 10/10, full marks!

Thank you, DD :angel: Terra is a common alternative name (at least, as far as I have been aware) for Earth, yes. I've attempted to keep fire, environment and human behavior as the main, recurring themes. Have I decently succeeded thusfar, in your perspective? The latter, new sections have also introduced an aspect of literature and lore, which is another thing that fascinates me. Imbolc, for example, is a celebration of pending spring and warmth that dates back, in one form or another, to (at least, if not further) the Neolithic era and its evolutionary stage of sapiens. Br?d is one of the many names of the Celt goddess associated with this celebration, poetry, healing and smithcraft, and who is attributed to the multi-cultural reverence of holy wells, sacred flames, and healing. I stopped trying to fluff the feathers of my poetry, or its meaning(s) a long time ago, thankfully! It is a release of expression and emotion for me, and I greatly enjoy the reception of reactions and interpretations of others when they read it. Thank you so much, for the compliments, and I am very glad you are thusfar enjoying my work.

Welcome to the Trap, Sabastian Would you care to share, publically, what specific skills you bring with you, and what you hope to gain from your experience here? I am certainly very interested! How long has it been since you moved from Amsterdam? Do you miss living there? What excites you about living in New York? -- Anyhow! To help you feel more comfortable with how things work around here, I am providing you with your own personal copy of my compiled starter links! Please read them fully and thoroughly, and don't be shy with any questions you may have! That's what the rest of us are here for! Take care, and I look forward to talking with you soon!

And the muse returns to assault the spongy, receptive grey matter :angel: It is, by no means, done... but the initial goal has been reached! Now to poke at it incessantly and shape it, and possibly grow it furthermore! -- Corporeal misanthropy: Ambivalence kithes self-destruction; Tempestuous vilification excretes a residue, And spreads across one's tongue like The oil of Szechuan peppers. The essence of Fire pervades; the Osculum slackens, and drool burbles from the germ-infested Nether. Cavities accumulate exponentially, spreading Infection to the root of all evil, and decomposing one's own Carcass before it is buried. Formaldehyde, in theory, might also preserve A shred of the truth. Tho', when the tentative, fledgling Lie expounds upon itself to create a magnificently grotesque Legacy of its own, we light the conflagration and hope that the Ashes will bear our own proverbial phoenix; were it that Cumulative, rampant flames were the answer to every Indiscretion? Terra would vie against Jupiter for its noxious Existence; a charcoal whose effulgence would wane, consumed by Sulfuric dolour and the dark of the unknown. Abhorrence is the floodlight that beams its Radiance down upon one's perfect jailbreak scheme; this Enigma, which reveals the concubine that is one's consummate hypocrisy. Lubriciously, one covets their contradictory companion, propagating Unremittingly; the seed of this dreadfully fertile womb Rears its terrifying head. Friend and foe are, in the end, the same Kaolin green ware; the inevitable massacre rends shattered fragments in mass and Individual acumen, alike. It is said that destruction clears the path for New life to amass and breed, but at what cost; what life are we fertilizing our figurative Ground to yield its harvest of? Imbolc's dear Br?d should quail that her ancient rites have suffered such Nescient perversion; egocentric manipulation renders a far more ominous fate. Mue the guilt that one wears like a second skin, and consciously Eschew for the sake of pandering to the current definition of sagacity. The Nascence we say that we wish to inspire is shelved in the abandoned athenaeum, and left To garner dust as if each obfuscating speck were the most precious of Acquisitions. Without it, we shall remain uneducated; the ignorant Laic who lazily tread this well-beaten path. Conjure from decrepit tomes the essence of Sirona; would she Resuscitate the dreams and notions that, once upon a time, Exemplified a species. Our blood has thinned; Vitality wanes as our connection with a cosmic heartbeat is Inundated by the consuming desire to understand. One treats the universe as a Cadaver, preserved and prone beneath the scalpel, that should be Elated to reveal its most precious of Secrets to these, our prying minds.

a red-apocalyptic chiaroscuro... :angel: I had to research "chiaroscuro," but now that I understand what that means, I'm almost physically drooling with inspiration and anticipation! What a fantastic idea... but I will wait to see what you have in mind before implementing any ideas of my own.I will hopefully be able to upload the new and improved linework before the end of the week. If you would like to mess around in the meanwhile, feel free to download the original up above... I would recommend working with the black and white version, though, as it would likely be easier to clean out the white background and turn it into a layered piece (if Xara works with layers... I'm not actually familiar with that program).

I do not recognize the second subject and I think I might recognize the third, but I'm not entirely certain.On an artistic level, I happily cheer and applaud you; very lovely rendering and composition!Iron Man and Magneto certainly don't receive nearly as much attention as they ought to, and ... hmm, not sure if the fourth is supposed to be "Kung Fu Panda" or a Pandaren... but as I'm quite fond of oriental culture, martial arts, tai chi and such forth, I am subsequently quite fond of that signature!Please explain more about the second and third pieces... I love them on a visual level, but I would really like to understand them and why they inspired you.

Welcome, Gentong Never feel the need to apologize for how well (or not) you feel you speak English. You speak well enough for an American to understand you, and that's a pretty substantial accomplishment (I hope )! If you ever would like some help improving your English, though, let me know! It's one of my best subjects! Now, I'm heavily biased in favor of the Trap, but they are certainly better than any other hosting provider that I've ever tried to cooperate with in the past. To help you get started and feel more comfortable with participating, please read the following content fully and thoroughly. You will probably have questions, but that is what the rest of us are here for! Don't be shy! The only stupid question is the one that is never asked! So, take care and have fun. I look forward to seeing you around!

Welcome, Kasperooney/Aditya I have a different situation which inspires the tightening of my wallet, but I still feel I can relate to you on the subject of alternative methods of payment for web hosting. When I found the Trap, I was awestruck, and I've become a very enthusiastic supporter and member since then! To date, I've earned over $22 credit in about a month and a half of being here! I am not sure what the currency ratio is for you, but I'm hoping that will impress you enough to further motivate your participation! -- Our dear Bani has done a fine job of getting you started. However, here are some more links that you should find very informative and helpful for feeling comfortable with the way things work around here. Always remember: quality above quantity! It makes a huge difference.

Poems are, most certainly, not required to rhyme, Harrison @ kasperoony : It does not feel like you invested much emotion or subjective interest into this piece. Mind you, the underlying humor is cute... but I am, personally, highly attracted to poetry that radiates passion and emotion from its writer. I would be curious to see what you could do with no boundaries implemented, though. Try it, sometime, and see what comes of it. Freestyle, while (often) initially difficult, is a liberating expression. You don't have to worry about intentionally rhyming, or trying to jam words together to achieve said rhyming. Occasionally, you will find rhyme appearing within a freestyle piece, but it's natural and unintentional... and that speaks far more volumes, in my opinion.

Ok, so the entire acrostic phrase, as I believe I have mentioned previously, is (so far) intended to be "catatonic fallacies are lurking in mental crevices." This is an open-ended statement which reads, in general reference, as a fairly "dark" observation. I am a pleasant-mannered, optimistic person, by nature, and the mother of a beautiful, 2 year old girl (who is, absolutely, the love and light of my life). However, I view humanity, it's progression (or lack thereof), how its actions affect itself and its environment, etc. with a great deal of critical cynicism. So, therefore, a fair amount of my poetry which refers to humanity and its behavior(s), reflects this. I am not entirely positive what this poem is supposed to be about (yet). As you may have seen/read, I am entirely prone to altering the phraseology and tone of the content as whim or muse may so inspire me. This is perfectly likely to happen again, as I re-read and proof the existing content. I have, to the best of my current literary ability, phrased this piece to be as grammatically correct as I have perceived possible. I am always open to creative criticism, comments, and suggestions concerning said content. I welcome anything you may feel you care to contribute. Those ' "intelligent" sounding words' are (I sometimes consider, unfortunately) part of a large vocabulary which has melted into my gray matter over years of being a bookworm and an elementary-grade-level spelling bee :XD: I have often been referred to as a "walking dictionary."

And my muse continues to churn my grey matter into literary, buttery goodness Corporeal misanthropy: Ambivalence kithes self-destruction; Tempestuous vilification excretes a residue, And spreads across one's tongue like The oil of Szechuan peppers. The essence of Fire pervades; the Osculum slackens, and drool burbles from the germ-infested Nether. Cavities accumulate exponentially, spreading Infection to the root of all evil, and decomposing one's own Carcass before it is buried. Formaldehyde, in theory, might also preserve A shred of the truth. Tho', when the tentative, fledgling Lie expounds upon itself to create a magnificently grotesque Legacy of its own, we light the conflagration and hope that the Ashes will bear our own proverbial phoenix; were it that Cumulative, rampant flames were the answer to every Indiscretion? Terra would vie against Jupiter for its noxious Existence; a charcoal whose effulgence would wane, consumed by Sulfuric dolour and the dark of the unknown. Abhorrence is the floodlight that beams its Radiance down upon one's perfect jailbreak scheme; this Enigma, which reveals the concubine that is one's consummate hypocrisy. Lubriciously, one covets their contradictory companion, propagating Unremittingly; the seed of this dreadfully fertile womb Rears its terrifying head. Friend and foe are, in the end, the same Kaolin green ware; the inevitable massacre rends shattered fragments in mass and Individual acumen, alike. It is said that destruction clears the path for New life to amass and breed, but at what cost; what life are we fertilizing our figurative Ground to yield its harvest of?

Tenshi: Thank you, sweetheart! I don't remember if it was the asana position I was using for inspiration, or not... but that sounds right. I don't actually do yoga, although I'm determined to eventually get started when I can arrange my schedule to accomodate the local classes. Your compliments delight me, very much! Nitin: If you'd seen how many times I erased the legs on the original original sketch, you'd laugh. However, I assure you that the position is achievable! I did have issues with the perspective, though, because the limitations of 2D may make it seem like the legs are pulled in closer to the body instead of resting on the ground, like a pinwheel. I plan to edit the background to try and help this more apparent, I just haven't had the time to use my usual art editing software lately. And she is not supposed to be human, actually... I just used the bipedal skeletal structure Everything in the picture is supposed to appear skewed and distorted, and very exaggerated Completely intentional! I don't directly recall what I did with Pixlr, as I have never used it before. I was merely playing around with different options and effects, to get a feel for it. Inverse: Thank you for your compliments! The neck was another bit that I spent a while erasing and re-poking at on the very first, graphite sketch. I very much plan to color it. I first got the idea when I was playing with chalk, with my daughter, out on our driveway. I had taken a bright blue, a pastel pink, and a pastel yellow. The bright blue drew the exaggerated linework (which was, as I previously mentioned, just the face that inspired everything else). Then I blended the pink into part of the blue, and used it for the next stage of shading. Then I took the yellow and filled in the lighting areas. I loved the color blending, even though they weren't very realistic, and I wanted to see what else I could do with the idea. I had bought some markers to do some traditional-coloring of the image first, but they are duds and I have to take them back to the store My current idea is to use an non-realistic combination of colors which still exemplify the features and cooperate with each other (much like how purple and green interact... but I forget what that is called. I am ashamed to have forgotten a color theory basic... x.x) You (or any of our other graphically-talented members, for that matter), are welcome to download the linework and play with the colors on it... whether you'd prefer to go natural tones or not. :XD: I would actually be rather fascinated to see what others might make of it! I have since had the chance to do another hand-inked copy of the linework, by the way, with a bolder, more cartoonish approach. I hope to upload that soon so you can see it in comparison to the others.

Welcome to the Trap, Desertfighter! I will personally enjoy learning more about your game, and I know there are many others here who share a similar interest! Please update us soon! The Trap can be a bit overwhelming, at first, but that is only because there are so many areas of interest to explore. I love how the Trap covers so much; it makes certain that there are is a variety of different people to interact with and learn from (and, in many cases, teach things to)! When you can find the time, please read the following content fully and thoroughly. Regardless of your long-term goals here, you will find the information very useful. If you have any questions or concerns, don't be shy; the only stupid question is the one that is never asked! Take care, and have fun! I look forward to seeing you around, and reading more about your game!

Welcome to the Trap, CopyJosh! Although you are not here for the webhosting service, harrison is correct in that your contributions are always appreciated! There are many areas of interest here, including photography, that you will likely find a rewarding place to hang your hat. We recently had another member join us who is an excellent, hobbyist photographer. Please check him (AustinG) at your earliest convenience, as I am certain that you will have quite a bit to relate to and discuss! Even though you are not here for webhosting, I will include those links among the rest for you to read. All of the following content is useful to know, whether you intend to make use of it, or not. So, take care and have fun! I look forward to reading what you have to say, and hopefully conversing with you in the near future!

Welcome to the Trap, kailoki! I wish you all the best with your web designing ventures! If you ever need assistance, there are many people here who are very willing to help! Don't be shy with any questions you may have; that's what we are here for, and the only stupid question is the one that is never asked! Here is some additional information that you may find very useful:

Welcome to the Trap, top_don23. I have some questions for you, if you do not mind! 1. Would you, please, better explain your goals and interests in joining us? Are you intending to ask for signature requests or take and fulfill them? 2. Are you planning on earning credit, and therefore "buying" a website hosted with the Trap to advertise yourself, or detail other interests you may have? 3. What sort of skills do you bring with you, and what might you be looking to gain from your interaction with us? 4. Do you have any personal interests you might care to share? To get you started, please find the time to read the following content fully and thoroughly. It has a lot of valuable information to help you understand more regarding what the Trap is about, and how to get the most out of your own participation! So, take care and have fun! I look forward to seeing you around!