~One Winged Hyu~

~One ray of light sheds a million crystalline tears~

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Wed, 29 Jan 2003 03:00:59 GMT

~Hold back the Rain~

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Tue, 28 Jan 2003 20:56:12 GMT

I am addicted to journals!!??!!

I just got a blurty account @ http://www.blurty.com

http://www.blurty.com/users/bondageseraph

Its free.. Oooh.. I snagged myself a community too.

~This is the type of stuff that I hate to see when I wake up in the morning~

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Tue, 28 Jan 2003 14:28:03 GMT

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Midwest/01/27/boy.chained.ap/index.html

People that chain their three year old's to beds for stealing food is wrong..

They wouldn't be stealing food if they got enough to eat.

There is Nia's social injustice for today

~Tomoyo is a sweetheart~

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Mon, 27 Jan 2003 03:30:45 GMT

Thank you to http://duklyon-cafe.org/ for the lovely icon of Tomoyo. Tomoyo is my favorite Card Captor Sakura character quite honestly.. couldn't help it really. I worship the creator like a goddess.

Not much in the way of updates, I did get drunk tonight but we did watch an episode of Chobits as well as an episode of I Me My Strawberry Eggs. Had an argument with husband and even threw up.. it was an eventful evening to say the least.

Oh yeah about my previous post.. that was all because I had a weigh in for the military and I failed it. Because while I can lift weights, I am too bulky and I have too small of a neck and therefore I had to stand in front of the commander and get a UIF. Means I might not get to deploy.. I only have a year in the military however.. *sigh of relief* I am glad of the military because I met my husband, but I don't like it because the standards are inane.

Well that's about it. I will more then likely post tomorrow.. now to comment to some lovely journals. *hugs*

~Funereal March~

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Thu, 23 Jan 2003 18:42:12 GMT

http://www.blackbox.ne.jp/usr/hinagikutei/gallary/2002/pic/2002-05.jpg
http://www.blackbox.ne.jp/usr/hinagikutei/gallary/2002/pic/2002-08.jpg
http://www.blackbox.ne.jp/usr/hinagikutei/gallary/2002/pic/2002-10.jpg
http://www.blackbox.ne.jp/usr/hinagikutei/gallary/2002/pic/2002-15.jpg

Not many pictures however I don't have all that much time this update, need to get back to work so that I can face the firing squad. BTW to anyone that reads this, I need tons of good wishes and prayers! Thank you!

~It only takes a minute girl~

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Wed, 22 Jan 2003 12:56:19 GMT

I don't care what -anyone- says. Everyone is entitled to their quirks and I lurv Take That. I am downloading tons of their songs. Boy bands don't count if they are british! Yup yup, that is my byword

"It only takes a minute girl.. to fall in love.. fall in love.. That's one minute for ya."

Robbie Williams has one hot voice but I still like Gary Barlow's voice.

Anyways I have just woken up after dreams of turning my RP world into Big Eyes Small Mouth material. Yes I am a RPG-aholic, cept I haven't played in awhile. I jump at the chance to play with my husband.

My RPG journal is http://www.livejournal.com/users/songsofsylvia *heh's* It hasn't been updated in awhile.

~Too hot.. too hot yeah..~

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Wed, 22 Jan 2003 00:36:16 GMT

http://www.kpopmusic.com/photogallery/clickb/clickb10.jpg

Oh my goddess.. gimme my smelling salts.

I especially fancy the white blonde pritty boi.

Oh how I so want a japanese slave boi!

~Shakin mah booty, Shakin mah booty~

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Mon, 20 Jan 2003 02:24:02 GMT

~Don't judge me~

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 16:58:09 GMT

Might as well write something now and post it, because I am feeling particularly angsty. Most of it has to do with my husband and once again I ask myself.. why did I not just stay with Mel? At least she didn't make me insecure.. even if Alexi does make me insecure unknowingly. However it differs because when I tell him it makes me insecure, he rips into me.. telling me that I am paranoid and silly.

I am sure all you lesbians out there are saying.. "Shoulda stayed with females"

Yeah, well Alexi has a -very- feminine soul.. and I recognize that.. but he -is- male. Especially when it comes to porn and I am not saying all porn, but porn involving real women and he says they are not real.. but somewhere they do exist. This is just my logic. Anime porn.. no problem there and yaoi is nice.

I just called him up and apologized for being a bitch.

Mainly because I hate conflict.. even though I get into more then my share of it.

On the plus side, I finally got a radio so I can listen to music at work.. I smote those who oppose me with the goddess Utada Hikaru!

He just came into the office, bearing 3 roses and the clock that I wanted.. the "Three Monkeys" clock. (Has the three "See no evil, Hear no Evil, Speak no evil" monkeys surrounding a tree that happens to have a clock at the center) I feel loved.

I am sorry for being a bitch.. really I am.

Read it and weep

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Wed, 15 Jan 2003 14:31:22 GMT

http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/books/01/15/media.bloomsbury.harrypotter.reut/index.html

Finally what we have all been waiting for! *squees*

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Tue, 14 Jan 2003 13:59:48 GMT

I am replaying Chrono Trigger currently.. mostly any time I replay CT it is merely for sapping. I love Magus, I will make no pretense on that score, in my very humble opinion the game -was- about him. And everytime I see Toma I squeal, I think husband thinks me kinda crazy. *giggles* But right now I am in the future for the first time, about to discover the origin of Lavos.

Y'know, I like all the characters in CT.. even Ayla. But Magus is the best.. I should start a fanclub. Hey, I need to work more on my CT fan-fiction. It's about.. dum dum dum.. MAGUS!

If there was one video game/anime guy who I would leave my husband for if the guy became suddenly real... guess who it would be?

MAGUS!! <3

~Some pics for your all viewing pleasure~

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Sun, 12 Jan 2003 03:20:13 GMT

~Fly me to the moon and let me play among the stars~

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Sun, 12 Jan 2003 02:57:43 GMT

I used to think that my favorite version of Fly me to the Moon was the one that played at the end of each Evangelion episode..

Until I heard the Utada Hikaru version!

I order you all to go to WinMX and download the version of it by Hikki!

RAWR! -->*intimidation that doesn't work to well since Nia only ends up sounding like a gay tiger*

"In other words please be true.. in other words I love you.."

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Fri, 10 Jan 2003 16:34:20 GMT

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/South/01/10/gay.rights.ap/index.html

I don't want to be dogging the Christian Coalition but how -dare- they tell other people how to live their lives, be it sexual orientation or religion. However I am of the firm belief that religion should not function into bill and lawmaking.. the separation of church and state.

Everything is going to hurt at least one person that is sensitive.. no getting away from that.

I bet I am hurting people with this Yuna icon right now.

*evil grin*

My husband thinks Riku is a slut, I told him to bugger off.

I love foreign phrases

~Light a candle, lay flowers at the door~

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Fri, 10 Jan 2003 01:45:30 GMT

What in a cemetery are you? by FictionalVixen.

Yes, it was bound to come out sooner or later.. only fitting that I get the Mausoleum...

I wanted the angel though.. *pouts*

I love angels in cemetaries..

Q

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Thu, 09 Jan 2003 20:25:13 GMT

New pic.. I am not a fan of Yuna because

1.) I think she is a crackwhore.

2.) Lulu looks a hell of a lot better

3.) All she can do is giggle and simper when Tidus enters the scene and we all know that Tidus and Auron were getting it on the whole time.

but unfortunately, the pic matches my journal color scheme and being a virgo I need color coordination.

If I get something better, I -will- dump this picture.

Question for everyone:

What is your favorite video game?

~Very interesting~

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Wed, 08 Jan 2003 20:16:54 GMT

How to Share the Gospel with Pagans

by Gwydion

For starters, I am not a Christian. I am and have been Pagan (Wiccan in particular) for several years now. So why am I writing this? Because I understand that believing Christians feel they have an obligation to share their religion with others (I was Christian once and participated actively in missionary work at that time). I have also observed over a number of years that believing Christians tend, however unintentionally, to ignore their own strengths, and to consistently put their worst face forward when dealing with those who do not share their faith. This is especially obvious when they are dealing with Wiccans, Druids, or other "pagan" religions. I have thus written this outline in the hope that it will help Christians understand better who and what Pagans really are, and, in the process become more effective in sharing their beliefs.

Don't Attack

First and foremost, never, and I repeat, never attack. I make a point of reading every Christian tract on Paganism I encounter on the Internet or elsewhere, and the overwhelming majority of them are based on attacking Pagan religions, and those who practice them as "evil, " "devil-worshippers" and "calling them to repentance before they are doomed to hell forever." I have written to the authors of these tracts, asking exactly what they meant to accomplish by writing what they did. The two purposes that are always mentioned are...

1. to protect Christians from being "lured away" from the true faith.
2. to persuade Pagans to return to Christ.

Unfortunately, attacks such as these usually fail totally on both counts.

To begin with, I have never yet seen anyone converted back to Christianity by threats and attacks on them . I say "back" for a good reason. Unlike the majority of Christians in this country who are raised in their faith and accept it almost as a matter of course, most Pagans have made a conscious decision to become what they are - usually after a long period of study, reflection, and practice. They thus have a strong personal and spiritual commitment to their religion. Remember also that the great majority of Pagans in the U.S. come from Judeo-Christian family and cultural backgrounds, and a scripture-filled attack usually does little more than confirm that they made the right decision in the first place.

Another important point to remember is that, to most Pagans, the need to attack others is viewed as a sign of fear and lack of self-confidence on the part of the attacker. There is an common expression in the Pagan community which runs -"Fear conquers understanding. Understanding conquers fear." It is generally felt that if a person has a strong grounding and foundation in their own religion, they will not feel any need to fear - or attack - others. While a fiery assault on Paganism makes many Christians feel better about their faith, and themselves as a "defender of the truth", the Pagan sees it as a kind of spiritual immaturity on the part of the attacker, and as a result will take neither the person, nor the message, very seriously.

Finally, attacks frequently have an odd way of backfiring. No matter what the pamphlets may say to the contrary, the overwhelming majority of Pagans are fundamentally good and decent people, who live their religion to the best of their ability, and raise their children to become mature, responsible members of their communities. They usually have numerous friends and relatives who recognize them as such, and who often don't appreciate strangers' attacks any more than the Pagans themselves do.

Last year during the holiday season, a young woman in her early twenties and her young son came into the Hope Mission, a local charity organization which provides food and shelter to the homeless. She definitely looked a little different, she had a nose ring on and was wearing a pentagram necklace. A man working at the mission suddenly confronted her and demanded to know why she was there. Before she could answer he saw the pentagram and shouted, "You're one of those witches that was in the park back on Halloween!" He knew because he had participated in a church-organized demonstration against the "open circle" the local Pagan group had held there. He then became very hostile, calling her an evil devil-worshipper in front of everyone present and shouting that "her kind" had no business coming into a Christian center and that she would receive nothing from them. To her credit, she stood her ground, and a moment later several of the other volunteers came to her defense. It turned out that the woman and her son had come to the mission to donate food for the holidays, and after doing so left without a word to the man who had berated her so publicly. The workers who had stood by the woman, however, had plenty to say - mostly about her generosity in donating the food despite his rudeness and how he had had no right to talk to her like that, even if she did belong to a group that the church did not approve of. They seemed to feel his conduct to be "un-Christian" at the very least, and hardly the kind of example that would make the young woman he'd insulted want to come back to church. In the end, he had little choice but to turn away looking like the perfect fool he had been.

Get your facts straight

If you are going to have any chance at all in sharing your message, it is critical that you understand clearly what Pagans actually believe. You don't have to agree with these beliefs, but it is important that you see Pagans as they see themselves. The tracts I have read are usually filled with a fascinating assortment of pseudo-information regarding Pagan beliefs, usually accompanied by numerous Biblical scriptures, often used completely out of context. They are a poor way to learn about Pagan beliefs, as they are almost always written by hostile outsiders who have little or no personal experience with Pagans.

To start with, Pagans do not worship the devil. The simple fact is that to the great majority of Pagans, the Christian devil has no more meaning than the Christian god does. This may be even more disturbing to many Christians, but to understand Paganism this first point must be clear. I don't doubt for one minute that there are some people in this world who actually participate in "devil-worship" as Christians see it, and that those people may do some very sick, disgusting things, but you might be surprised to find that Pagans are as offended by such people as Christians are.

Pagans do not renounce Christ. There seems to be a common belief the writers of these tracts that when Pagans are initiated into their religion they renounce Christianity. This usually accompanies claims that Pagans are devil-worshippers. Again, while there may be people that worship the Christian devil and such people may renounce Christ, Pagans do not. Neither Christ nor the devil ever appear in Pagan initiations, or in any other Pagan rituals for that matter.

Pagans do not hold "grotesque Satanic rituals" on Halloween. Actually Pagans seldom, if ever, refer to this day as Halloween. To us, it is called Samhain (pronounced sow-en), a word which means "summer's end" To the ancient Celtic people it was New Years day, and many Pagans celebrate the new year at this time. Others celebrate the new year at Yule. To most Pagans Samhain is a sacred day - a time when the last harvests are gathered in before winter's arrival, and the time when family members who have passed away are remembered and honored. It is also considered a time of reflection, a time to look back on the year's accomplishments and make plans for the future. Finally, it is the time when Pagans reflect on their own mortality, and the time when the focus of life turns from physical concerns to spiritual ones. Samhain is only one of eight times of the year that Pagans celebrate - all of them focusing on a particular season or phase of life.

Pagans do not sacrifice children, animals, or anything else on their altars. Tract writers seem fascinated with the idea of animal and human sacrifice and this is always included in lurid descriptions of alleged Pagan rituals. Do modern Pagans sacrifice animals or people? No. Did they do so in the ancient past? Possibly. Sacrifices were part of nearly all ancient religions, the Biblical Hebrews being no exception. There are detailed descriptions in the Old Testament as to exactly what to sacrifice, and how it was to be done in order to be accepted. The idea of sacrificing was and still is that you must give up something valuable to you in order to gain something even more valuable or important. As many people in ancient times took this in a literal, rather than in a spiritual sense, and since they were primarily farmers and shepherds, the logical sacrifices were some of their crops or their animals. In many cultures human life was considered the ultimate value, and a human sacrifice was seen as the ultimate offering to god. According to the Bible Abraham was told by no less than Jehovah himself to take his only son and sacrifice him as a sign of his faith. While this turned out to be only a "test, " and Abraham ultimately did not have to do it - it was clear that the idea of human sacrifice and its meaning was not unknown to him - he did as he felt he had been commanded to do. As the concept of personal sacrifice moved from the physical to the spiritual realm, actual physical sacrifices ceased, and is now no more approved of in Paganism than it is in Christianity. Are there individuals and groups who still do it? No doubt. Is it a part of Paganism as a whole? No.

Pagans have no interest in luring your children out of the church. There are two very simple reasons for this. First, Pagans do not proselytize. They have no missionary program. In fact, it is not very easy to become a Pagan. Pagans generally don't teach their religion unless asked to do so by someone who has specifically sought them out. They also tend to carefully screen those who come to them, and many are rejected if they turn out to be seeking instruction for the wrong reasons - rebelling against parents and their parents' faith, desire for power, to be "cool" or "different." Religion is viewed by most Pagans to be a very personal and sacred matter, something never to be imposed on another against their wishes.

The second reason is that Pagans do not generally believe that Paganism is the "only true way." This doesn't mean that they believe that "anything is okay if you are a good person." What it does mean is that Pagans are less concerned with which particular religion a person follows, and more concerned with what kind of person their religion helps them to become. They tend to see religion as a road leading to the summit of a mountain (the summit being the ultimate goal of religion). People tend to start at different points of the mountain's base and work their way up, and there are many roads that lead to the summit. Christianity and Paganism are only two of them. There are many others. The closer to the summit one gets, the closer the roads become to each other, until they all meet at the top. Now, if you are preparing to share the gospel with Pagans, you clearly don't agree with this view, but you need to understand it, as promoters of a "one true way" are often seen through Pagan eyes as "taking the road to be the destination."

A final note. Don't attempt to tell Pagans what they "really" believe in, especially if your information is based on the tracts I've encountered. Imagine being told by a Buddhist that the Last Supper is clear evidence that Christians practice a form of ritual cannibalism each Sunday. When you attempt to explain to them the actual meaning of the Last Supper, they interrupt you to say, "It says right in the Bible that Jesus himself said 'Eat, this is my body' and 'Drink, this is my blood.' Eating a man's body or drinking their blood to take on their attributes is a common idea among savage peoples that practice cannibalism!" They then tell you that you may think that the Last Supper has a deep spiritual meaning, but that it's actually a barbaric rite and quote teachings from the Buddha that "prove" it.. When you press them to tell you exactly how they could possibly "know" such a thing - obviously you, as a practicing, believing Christian, should know far more about the subject than they possibly could - they reply that they read it in a pamphlet called "How to respond to the Christian missionaries" by a well-known Buddhist proselytizing organization (yes, this is a real example from a real tract).

Accept the Fact that there is a Dark Side to Christian history
- and then Focus on the Positive.

When you begin to talk about Christ to Pagans, you are likely to be presented with a number of negative comments about the Christian church (yes, many Pagans are touchy about the attacks leveled on them in the media and, being human, may very well do some attacking of their own - it's not right, but you may well come out understanding why attacks on others just don't work). Some of these comments will include the destruction of many cultures by missionaries - and the armies that always accompanied them, intolerance of other faiths, denigration of women by the church. These negative comments tend to bring out what I call the "defender of the faith" syndrome. They immediately rise to the church's defense, saying that these statements are simply not true, and denying that "real Christians" could ever do such a thing. Every negative allegation is either denied or explained away (there are evil people who used the Lord's name for their purpose, but that doesn't make Christianity evil).

The point here is that when people look at another faith, they are quick to see the negative side and slow to see the positive. The Inquisition (usually called "the burning times" by Pagans) did exist, and many innocent people -Christians as well as Pagans- were burned, tortured, and maimed in the name of "destroying the body to save the soul." Women were denigrated through much of Christian history (there was in fact a major church conference, attended by Thomas Aquinas among others which debated seriously whether women even had souls) and in some sects still are today. The massacre of cultures (and peoples) by missionaries and their armies did happen many times in history (although hardly by Christians alone), and the hate-tracts on Paganism I almost daily encounter on the Internet are clear enough example of the degree to which intolerance exists. I would love to be able to say that Paganism doesn't have it's dark side, but the Celts were not all "loving souls who hug trees, drink herb tea and wouldn't hurt a fly, " by any means. There were, and are today, many people who call themselves Pagan and then do some very unsavory and unpleasant things. The Roman emperors who declared themselves gods existed, as well as many other cruel and barbaric customs among different Pagan peoples. There are many unpleasant, negative facts about almost any religious group that does or has ever existed on the earth. But to focus on them is to miss the point.

Rather than becoming a "defender of the faith, " focus instead on the transforming power that the Christ can have on individual lives, and the positive factors of the faith. Does it surprise you that a Pagan writer can respect and even revere Jesus? It shouldn't. You will find out rapidly in working with Pagans that very few of them have any hostility to Christ whatsoever. The hostility you will encounter will be towards those who claim to be his representatives, and their unwillingness to let others claim the same right to worship in peace that they demand for themselves. Clearly you will not find this easy to accept, but, again it is crucial to understand Pagans as they understand themselves if you are to have any success sharing your message. There is a powerful and very positive side to Christ's teaching. Pagans are fully aware of both sides. It will be your task to emphasize the positive.

Treat Pagans as People First

In James Michener's book Hawaii, there is a incident where two missionaries, who had been working with the Hawaiians for many years clashed over the impending marriage of one of them to a Hawaiian woman. Despite the fact that the woman was a baptized, believing Christian, the marriage was fiercely condemned. Reverend Hale quoted Biblical scripture on how the marriage constituted "being yoked with unbelievers" and condemned his former friend for "consorting with the heathen." The response to this attack was a strong rebuke to what I have found to be the greatest mistake would-be teachers of the Gospel can make. He stated that "our work here is based upon a profound contradiction. You love the Hawaiians as souls to be saved, but you despise them as people."

Think carefully about this statement. On many occasions Christians have approached me in, what was at first, a friendly manner. Sometimes I was invited to their homes for dinner, sometimes to church social activities or services. There was a conspicuous effort to "get close" to me, and the topic of religion came up very often. This continued until it became clear that I wasn't going to jump into the baptismal pool right away, and that I was firmly committed to my religion. Then the "friendship" cooled off rapidly, phone calls ceased, and many times I was later treated with open hostility by the very people who had taken it upon themselves to approach me.

This is perhaps the most disturbing tendency Pagans encounter in Christians who would share the Gospel with them, and also one of the chief reasons Christians are often bluntly considered to be hypocrites in Pagan eyes. Pagans generally do not approach people solely for the purpose of sharing their religion, and if they become friends with someone it is real friendship, with the person. This is not to say that Christians don't do the same - I have also met many Christians who value friendship, and who accept me, even if they don't like my religions views. But a crucial question that any would-be missionary must ask themselves before they begin is whether they can be a genuine friend to those they would teach - a stay a friend even if those people don't accept their message. After all, one can never be sure where you're going to run into each other. Some of my Christian acquaintances are astonished that, as a Pagan, I support the right of students to meet together for prayer in a public school classroom if they wish to. I then ask them, "why not?" That right applies to all, and I would like to think that if a group of Pagan children wished to have a drumming circle in a classroom after school (much safer than many places I could think of) they would have the right to do so. If Muslim students wanted to meet and discuss their religion in a classroom after school, they should also have this right. And for those who don't have any religious belief - they have the same right NOT to participate.

Accept that You Can't Win Them All

Realize before you begin that you will not convert everyone you meet, and know when to stop. Many missionaries I have met seem to regard it as a personal failure if someone they are teaching decides not to join their church - or as a deliberate rejection of them. In most cases, neither is true. If a Pagan finally tells you that they have found their path, and wishes you well on yours, that simply means that you need to let go, and as one Mennonite pastor I heard put it, 'remember that I cannot see all things, and leave it to the Lord to judge." You don't have to accept their beliefs, or agree with them, but since you never know what the future may hold, suspend judgment. That is the spirit of religious tolerance (which never did mean you have to accept another religion - merely that everyone has a basic right to believe according to their conscience.

In closing, remember the Golden Rule - which in one form or another runs in all religions. Treat Pagans you would teach with the same respect, as people, that you would want for yourself. You may very well find yourself dealing with missionaries of other faiths one day (it happens - evangelical movements are growing rapidly among Muslims, Buddhists, for example). These guidelines should serve you just as well when you stand on the other side of the discussion - as the person they would convert.

Bright Blessings!
(a Pagan closing often used in writing)

Gwydion

~She's a plastic bomb, reprise~

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Tue, 07 Jan 2003 18:42:19 GMT

I am never going to be able to take lunch again for as long as Alexi is in PMEL. I can only take lunch at 11:00 because I am the scheduler for MT Home, amd Alexi can only take lunch at 12 now. Since he has the car to go home, he gets to go home and I FUCKING CAN'T!

But they won't let me off at 2:30 unless it is a gym day so I am stuck at the office, no respite, nothing!

Plus there is over time.

And he says that "I can't drive you to work in the morning when I go to ALS because I need my beauty sleep:

Fuck him....

~From my dearest Troy's DJ~

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Tue, 07 Jan 2003 13:41:06 GMT

i have issues. but i also recognise this fact and do what i can to resolve those issues. i may have spent a long time letting those issues control me, but now i'm ready to take the upper hand and wonder about the world around me. i'm getting to be well-balanced, but i'm not quite there yet.

how mad are you?

this quiz was made by piksy

I'm maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad.. is the glass half empty or half full.. mmmmmhhhh.. drinkie!

~She's a plastic bomb~

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Tue, 07 Jan 2003 13:36:21 GMT

The fucking nazi,

I am referrring to my husband.

He is going to ALS (Airman Leadership School) and his class doesn't start til 8. Problem is I have to be into work an hour and a half earlier... 6:30 to be exact.

He told me that I could -walk- to work.

In the freezing cold Idaho winter weather.

You know what? Fuck him.

I will walk to work, and I will not be happy with him for the entire two week period that he is at ALS. We shall see how he feels.

ALS falls on Valentine's day though so he had better think of something mighty creative to make up for me having to walk to work every day.

Of course it isn't like I haven't adjusted my schedule to fit his. We have one car in our family and so he gets the car. That means that when he takes lunch at a later time, (1:30) they won't let me take lunch at that time and so I am stuck having lunch in the office because there is nothing to do. Sure I would go to the BX and spend money but we don't have very much money to spend. The Library is not home and there is nothing else, sure I could eat outside but hey, its 23 degrees out outside..

Did I say that my office job was hell?

I am suffering through my office job at lunch just so that he can make himself happier by taking off from work earlier when I have to work a nine hour + day.

The least he could fucking do would be to drive me to work every day at 6:30 while he was at ALS.

I have vented and I do feel better now.

Damn husband.

~Come on, Drool! You know you wanna~

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Mon, 06 Jan 2003 20:59:47 GMT

~Must be lucky weather when you find the type of friend that you need~

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Mon, 06 Jan 2003 14:02:23 GMT

Well this weekend was uneventful.. on the plus side gaming was done and I got to play my bishy Adrian Travis in the Robotech campaign. He is a hottie, 23 in PB and plus 29 in PP and 24 in PS. (Personal Beauty, Personal Prowess, and Personal Strength) His sidekick is played by my husband, William Wonkowski, because his character looks like an Oompa Loompa from Willy Wonka. Together we are an unstoppable force. Of course William is a rat bastard, the Nabiki of the RoboTech World.

So much fun though, I lost my voice Saturday night because I was laughing so hard.. *hee's*

Sunday we went to see our new kittens, Mei-lin and Kero. They are so adorable. Later this week we also found out that the little kitty that we thought a guy, is actually a female.

Screw gender, Shaoran is still my little prince. He ain't no girly!

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Wed, 01 Jan 2003 07:08:37 GMT

Happy New Year everyone!

May you be prosperous, happy, lucky and loved!

Goddess/god bless you all!

hee

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Tue, 31 Dec 2002 16:02:45 GMT

What Kind of Relationship is Right For You?

~A little late for Christmas but still

thewitchesthree@hotmail.com — Tue, 31 Dec 2002 01:18:47 GMT

--This is long, it is also a fic.. so sue me~

Part 1

The stars still hung in the skies early christmas morn and everything was peaceful and still much like most of the early songs of yule proclaimed. Nothing stirred, not even mouses who were more then likely snuggled in their little mouse beds. The lights that adorned Graiestones twinkled comfortingly, like a beacon in the night. Darryn Lachesis had spent hours up there on the roof, braving a precarious tumble down its turrets just so that the house would look in his words, "Absolutely gorgeous". And it did in its own right. For Graiestones glittered like an open chest of treasured jewels.

The house was still inside as well, no less glittery for christmas lights sparkled in the front room, strings of holly and tinsel lined edges of the doorways and little memories of Christmas past lay scattered here and there and the homey aromas of cinnamon and evergreen created an ambiance of home, family, love.

It was quiet but yet not -everyone- was sleeping. A soft soft of padded footsteps bounded down the stairs and a head peeked out from around the corner, looking into the front room with keen interest before he dropped to his hands and knees to army crawl toward the living room. Yes Janus Cyrus Zeal hadn't been able to sleep for excitement over what Santa brought him and as much as Darryn harped about him not getting any presents because of the various naughty things he did through the course of the year, he didn't care. I mean he -tried- to be nice for the past month and he was repentant the last week of the holidays. Now it was payback and boy Santa had better dish out for tedious hours of 'being good' that he had faced. He wrinkled his pert nose at the thought of it and then continued his crawl, the jammies that he wore were a fire engine red that clashed completely with his white streaked purple and blue hair. Fortunately he was a child and didn't have to worry about color coordination quite yet.

He scrambled to his feet once he was clear of all the little creaks in the wooden floorboards and then stood there looking at the pile of presents that lay around the sparkling christmas tree, then his eyes darted to the filled stocking that hung from the fireplace.. he could see a few toys peeking out but the darkness didn't help him to discover what they were at the distance which he stood. Very casually he cast his eyes at the coffee table and blinked as he saw that the cookies that he had left were all gone, and the milk glass stood drained. He ran over there as fast as he could and peered at the glass before he caught sight of the form laying asleep on the couch.

Little brown eyes turned grey as he growled just a little and crawled up onto the couch. Keeping his balance firmly on the precarious edge, he looked down at Darryn's sleeping face and then crossed his arms over his small chest and huffed. Yep, the camera lay there on the table, untouched. A casual glance said that the exposures were still there meaning that Darryn fell asleep. That pissed little Janus off and he aimed a careful foot at Darryn's ribcage and then kicked... hard.
From dreams of sugerplums and fairies Darryn was jostled out of sleep by a sharp pain in his side. He woke up immediately and fell off the couch but not before running Janus off the couch with him so that they both fell to the floor but not before knocking the coffee table over.

"Damn Darryn, get your fat ass off me!" Came Janus' muffled little squeak. Darryn groaned and picked himself off the ground and looked down at Janus. He should of known better then to have fallen asleep on Christmas Eve especially considering this was the same routine -every- Yule. Janus waking up to poke around the Christmas tree to see how much he could sneak out of his stocking without his mother finding out.
"You better not let your mother hear you saying that else you are going to get your mouth washed out with soap." Darryn said groggily and then glanced at his expensive italian watch, he then raked his fingers through his hair, mumbling. "It is four in the morning, go back to bed."

Janus just looked up at Darryn with impunity, ignored the threat and put his hands on his hips. "Santa came you didn't come n' get me, ya got no picture specially when I gave you the camera. You fell asleep!!!" Janus brought down his foot on Darryn's own in a childlike rage but it didn't hurt because of the size of his feet in comparison to Janus's

"Well I was tired." Darryn said defensively and sat down on the couch to grab up his pillow and rest his head on it. Janus jumped up onto the couch and yanked the pillow out from under Darryn's head.

"Oh no you don't! If I am stayin up you're stayin up." Janus pouted and then plopped down on the couch beside Darryn, much like the sulky child that he was at least when he didn't get his own way.

"No one is forcing you to stay awake, brat prince." Darryn rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, mimicing little Janus's mannerisms. "You know I bet you that stocking yonder is stuffed with coal."

"No it ain't." Janus averted his eyes to the stocking hanging on the mantle and squinted just a bit to discern the shadow on top of it. "It looks like the end of a toy truck." Janus guessed and started to wiggle around on the couch, all antsy because he wanted his stocking now.

"That is just to decieve you. He knows he has to work extra hard to con the conman." Darryn said with assurance.
"I ain't a con-man Darryn." Janus glanced over at Darryn as if he was smoking crack.

"You are like your father in more ways then you think."
"Oooooh! I gotta go wake up mommy and daddy!" Janus jumped up from the couch as the idea ran through his mind and he was almost off the couch but he felt Darryn grab the back of his pjs so he was just dangling there in the air while Darryn laughed at him. He attempted to kick Darryn but only got air. "Lemme go Darryn, else I'll kick your ass.. promise." Janus had a mutinous expression on his face.

"You seem to want to kick everyone's ass these days however I am going to go safely deposit and lock you in your room until a more reasonable time.. like nine." Darryn said as he got up from the couch, still holding Janus by the back of his PJs. It was easy considering that Janus was three years old and still very elvish and petite.

"Nine?!?! That is.." Janus started to use his fingers to count away the hours but since he didn't really know how to count that well he improvised, "..tons of hours away!"

Darryn walked up the stairs with Janus in tow and chuckled to himself, "This is your mom and dad's first christmas together, and I am going to make sure that they enjoy it without you waking them up at an ungodly hour of the morning."

"That's nice cuz I don't believe in god!" Janus grimaced as Darryn opened the door to his room and set him down in there and quickly closed the door and turned the key in the lock which they used so that Darryn didn't go down to the living room to watch TV during the night, it was logical especially when Darryn had his little suite of rooms complete with a bathroom. "Darryn lemme out!" He started to bang on the door and then kicked too. "I'll tell mommy on you!"

"You do that but I will laugh when she thanks me." Darryn grinned and then walked off to get a few more hours of sleep down in the living room, of course too dense to wonder how Janus got out of his room in the first place.

Janus smiled and took out of his jammies one of his mother's hair pins, bent it and started to pick the lock much like Uncle Toma taught him to do. Uncle Toma must be good for something he thought to himself as he heard the door click with the familar sound of the lock disengaging. He bounded out of the room and made his way to the stairway leading up to the third story where mommy and daddy's room was. By golly he was going to get his presents now.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Magus held Corrine in his arms and snuggled them even deeper under the covers where the coldness of December could not get to them. It had been a new expirience for him this Christmas and it was the first one that he spent away from Zeal in a long time. Usually a christmas at Zeal had entailed staying around when he would of much rather spent time alone in his lab, meeting people that he cared little less then a fig for and watching Violetta and Setzer do the lovey dovey thing while he sat and watched with acute envy while appearing to act nonchalant. Not this year though and he had the warm body lying next to him to prove it.

There was no more loneliness for him, after all he had a family to share the holidays with. The most beautiful woman on the face of the earth sharing his home, heart and bed as well as a child that he delighted in for in the child he saw incredible magic potential.. that is if he could dig behind the little tyke's mischief making exterior. This is what he had wanted since almost the first time that he laid eyes on Corrine, this had been what he was willing to give up wrecking vengeance on Lavos for. After long last it had come, his time and he wasn't going to give it up for anything.

He burrowed his face against Corrine's neck and in his drowsy half sleep he didn't even hear the door squeaking open. Usually he was so quick to react to little disturbances like these but they didn't surprise him at all now because during storms Janus would hightail it to their bed to snuggle up between them.. and when the door was locked, well it was locked and Janus could very well bug Darryn about anything that he needed.

He then felt the bed move in several different places as a weight fell onto the foot of the bed, he groaned and opened one eye to peek out of the covers and saw Janus's smiling face sitting there. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" He rasped and shot a glance at the clock on the night stand which proudly read 4:30.
"Merry Christmas!" Janus chimed cheerfully and tilted his head to the side. "Mommy wake up, its Christmas. There's presents to open! Hurry up I want my presents." All came out of Janus's mouth in a flurry of good cheer.

Corrine stirred in bed and peeked over the edge over the covers, obviously tired. She smiled ever so slightly and shifted to look up at Magus. "Yes, he does this -every- year. You might as well get used to it." Corrine said softly as she leaned up to place a light kiss on the tip of his nose before attempting to reason with Janus. "I think you should go back down to your room and rest until me and daddy both decide to wake up."

"How can you -sleep- on Christmas?" Janus said with horror and just sat there with his eyes wide in shock. To his child mind he couldn't comprehend the fact that his parent's world didn't revolve around goodies and presents.

"We can sleep because you kept us up til midnight watching Rudolph the Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and all the other Christmas movies that you enjoy." Corrine retorted in that way that she had with dealing with their child. It never failed to impress Magus.

"But I ain't tired." Janus said as if that was a valid reason why they shouldn't be tired either.

"Tell you what imp.. " Corrine said and snuggled back underneath the covers. "You can wake Darryn up and have him get down your stocking for you. That oughta keep you occupied until after breakfast."

"Why can't we wait to have breakfast -after- presents?" Janus said, deciding to argue his point for the hell of it. Magus raised a brow and chuckled slightly.

"Do you -want- your stocking now? I am sure you could always wait until later for that."

Janus's mouth formed an oh and he knew instantly that he had been beat. So he jumped off the bed and bounded out the door with a gleeful grin over at least winning the battle in terms of getting the stocking. Down the stairs he ran loud enough to wake the dead, "Hay Darryn.. mom and dad says I can open my stocking!"

"How the hell did you get out of your room!?" They heard the faint voice of Darryn's echo in the living room. Both Corrine and Magus giggled and then curled underneath the covers to let sleep engulf him however with the racket that Janus was making downstairs it was virtually impossible so they basked in the warmth.

"You know, a few years ago I wouldn't of been able to imagine myself in this atmosphere." Magus nudged at her shoulder and looked into Corrine's sleepy purple eyes with little concealed amusement.

"You couldn't.. but I could. Now your brother is a different story." Corrine inched closer to Magus and wrapped her legs around one of his.

"Let's not talk about Setzer right now." Magus grinned and shifted so that he was staring up at the ceiling. Corrine shifted so that she was looking down at him, her long silvery hair tickling at his nostril, there was a smile on her lips to rival any of the angels in heaven, or at least he thought so.
"Of course not." Corrine murmured and then rested her head into the crook of Magus's arm, tickling the flannel covered underarm because she knew that he was extremely ticklish there.
"Hey hey hey.." Magus murmured and tried to roll away from Corrine however she was lying straight on his arm and thereby prevented his movement.

"You can't escape me." Corrine said with a laughing grin and then Magus paused to look up at Corrine's face and smiled just a bit. Having gotten his heart's desire, it didn't matter for he had no wish nor need to ever escape her.

"I think you have it the other way around." Magus murmured as reversed the tackle and without hesitation held Corrine without mercy nor hope of escape. "-You- can't escape me." He chuckled though there was a bit of seriousness to his voice that shadowed the lightness. Corrine knew what he meant and felt almost remorseful for what she had put him through. Very gently with her free hand she reached up her hand to stroke over his smooth pale cheek.

"You have my promise, Magus. I will never leave you again, call it a Christmas promise if you want. I know we talked about it since and likewise I know how hurt you were at the time."

"That is in the past Corrine. I have you and our son now, we are celebrating Christmas in our own family atmosphere and I couldn't be happier" Sincerity could be read within the depths of Magus's eyes and it made Corrine immensely satisfied to know that he was happy and that she had been instrumental in that happiness.

And so they lay there until the first rays of dawn started to seep through their curtains. They cherished the warmth and intimacy that lay between them, cherishing this christmas as the first of many that they would be together and knowing that this was just the beginning of today and forever