Ooooh, cool quiz! ...and resulting discussion of religion

So, which trickster is the Lunatic like?

I Am Ananse the Spider

Ananse the Spider of African folklore is both wise and foolish in the best tradition of tricksters. If you're like Ananse, you're clever and like to be thought well of, but sometimes you outsmart yourself. You're always trying to figure the best angle and you're intelligent and creative, but you have a crude streak. Still, you like to show off your knowledge and that makes you a good teacher..

Which Trickster are you?
Take the Trickster Test at www.isleofdreams.net

I was raised on Raffi, so in my head right now? "Anansi, he is a spider. Anansi, he is a man. Anansi, he is a clever one, he always has a plan." Good music there, if a little... well, being a flaming pagan now, I have to notice that there are quite a few things that I'd associate more with Christian themes in the music, a sort of "of course" that I overlooked. At thirteen, fourteen, what did I think about religion? "Of course I'm Christian. Isn't everybody?" Then I started to think about it a little more, and realized that many organized Christians look down upon magic...

Seriously. If you're a Christian, the best way to keep the Talented kids is to tell them that these powers were given to them by God, so you'd better use them as such. Don't make them need to seek another religion that will teach them how to use the powers. That's what happened to a few friends of mine back in Alaska. Granted, I wouldn't stay in a religion like that either.

I'm finding myself more religiously liberal now. Having gotten to know a few good Christians, not the "Good Christian" praised by those whose uptight ways are suited to marble statues, not humans; the ones who lie and cheat and are all-around nasty people, hiding behind the Church -- I'm talking about good, decent, honest, insightful, curious people, who have an honest faith and have touched the Divine by that face -- I am becoming more accepting when someone states that as their religion; I don't automatically go into the bashing defensive mode that far too many Pagans have had to adopt to keep from getting themselves trashed by the nasty ones. I'm willing to accept, finally, that Christians know the Divine too. I've somehow never doubted that with other religions. Odd.

Death

This is what looks to be another LJ meme wandering around, journalhopping. A person stopped at a car accident.

You can find the oddest things in LJ. You find journals that make you despair for the human race, if this is all it can produce. You find humor, you find spiritual insight. You find tragedy and heroism. You find death.

Somehow, you find new hope.

book wish

Migods. I just accidentally typed <snip> here, rather than <lj-cut>; clearly, my time on the Bujold list has affected my brain.
( Read more... )

Morning: Darkside, internet, golfballs, tests, more Darkside, senior project presentations.

Came to school. Hung with Darkside in the computer lab, looking for things on the internet. "You're right, you know. I'm not your type, and you're not mine." Very little reaction from him. I'm easing up around him, becoming more comfortable with him in the same fashion that I am with ralmathon.

Darkside shared some of his favorite message boards to lurk on to me. I giggled duly, and rested my arm on the back of his chair. Eventually, when his senior project partner (the one who was trying to make their database interface all pretty yesterday, and helping royally muck things up) failed to show, we went back to the cafeteria.

Tried to arm-wrestle him. He won, but it was a little more difficult than usual. He turned down an offer of thumb-wrestling, as no one ever wins at that. He requested that I watch his backpack, and wandered back to the lab to see if his partner was there yet.

As soon as he was safely out of view, I dove for my pocket and extracted a blue golf ball. I searched for an appropriate zipper. Alas, Darkside came back too soon; I was still struggling with his zipper. Rather Not Amused, he began digging through his backpack to find What's Wrong With This Picture. I indicated the golf ball. He let me know that normally this would have been an excellent joke, but today he was stressed-out and grouchy. He took some time to calm down.

There was foolishness with the golf ball. In revenge for its showing up in his backpack, he plopped it down the front of my shirt. We played keepaway for a while, gently. I tossed it at him and it landed in the crook of his crossed legs, giving him an extra ball there: blue. I laughed. It was at that point that it went down my shirt, I believe.

His lab partner finally showed up. I offered Darkside the golf ball; he declined it. We went our individual ways.

I took the A+ post-tests and wandered out to find Darkside again. Lab, of course, with his partner there. They hashed out some program problems, and I learned the wisdom of keeping backups before fucking with the database switchboard. Darkside corrected a few glaring errors here and there. I dropped the much-abused golf ball into Darkside's open backpack; he plucked it back out and made a dive for my neckline. I clamped it shut; he shoved the golf ball down the back of my neck, forcibly.

Much giggling.

Darkside went into computertrance. He's so adorable when he does that!

Eventually, we both went and hung out in the game room. It closes at eleven. so the guy left, locking the door and giving us instructions to let no one else in. We finally did leave when this kid came and pounded on the door -- little kid, looked about seven or eight. He gave us flak. We left, making sure he didn't get in.

When Darkside went somewhere I couldn't follow, I got lunch and then wandered aimlessly around for a while. Said hi to Gary in passing. He asked what I was up to. I told him: wandering. He asked if he could join me. Yep, sure he could. I sort of lost him in attempting to talk to Dawn, though. I said hi to her and wandered. Darkside re-appeared; the senior class was unsure as to which classrooms presentations were to be in. I tagged along; they found the room. I departed for Java.

I eventually showed up in Benes' Java class. He told us what was up (not much) and then shooed us off to go be useful or something. I showed back up in the room that 9CDA was in. Darkside saw only my back, sitting down in front of him. "What are YOU doing here!?!" he demanded to know. I explained. His lab partner laughed.

Presentations were long. Shrimpy's group spoke. Shrimpy mumbled. Darkside made the odd cutting comment. When class concluded, I went on my merry way home. Darkside's got a final tomorrow.

Some really nifty stuff here...

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/index.html