Evangelion1.11 (you are NOT alone)

This release from the tail end of April on Manga recently arrived here.
It's a re-envisioning of the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime from the mid 1990's by its creator Hideaki Anno but done in a cinematic form which was highly regarding for stretching the possibilities of anime as an art form.
This new version comes in four parts of which this is the first having the eight episodes of the original and then some more.
I don't generally care much for mecha as a genre but this held may attention last night as I watched it all the way through.
Shinji, a boy entrusted to fly an EVA to save the rebuilt city of Tokyo-3 from the rampaging angels is an interesting character, being a worrier and having a severe lack of confidence which is not helped by his fathers lack of affection for him.
His job is to defend Tokyo-3 or die trying
I don't own the original in the Platinum Edition that many rave over but it seemed to me they resigned in the CGI preserving the feel of the series while allowing advances in anime production since them to be used in telling the story.
I really enjoyed this.

Prep school for Jo?

It's seldom off my mind however bizarre it may seem to some but to be absolutely honest I just feel like doing a year or so in a Prep School but for over 18's who feel or developmentally are very much 8 to 14 year olds.
Something like actual lessons with day trips out and assignments to hand in completed and shared meal and recess times.
I really feel I need that structure and to be treated more like the child I am on the inside.

Now That's What I Call Music!

Yes back in late 1983 this classic series of compilations started as I remember well seeing the ads on TV and in the record stores -remember them? with the bold idea of making good on the promise of earlier chart based compilations by labels such as Ronco and KTel by having less tracks, the full versions of songs (no more crude edits) and a nice short blurb about each track.

The blurbs are that good I keep going back to from for a background reminder!

As intimated I actually bought a good many of these during the 1980's for the simple reason they had all the chart songs I liked and what was more the sound quality was extremely good for the most part. If an album had more than four songs I liked it was often cheaper to by these albums for anything other than the artists I personally collected such Duran Duran where you'd want the picture sleeves and non album b sides.

You see in the 1980's a lot happened not least in how we listened to music starting with the lp record going through a period where the cassette was the hip thing and finally to where we're at today, the compact disc and in all this change sometimes it was hard to know what version to buy.

In the main I bought the lp versions having a decent phonograph based system by 1983 but by 1986 was spending quite a bit of time using cassette Walkman players and 'Brixton briefcases' aka portable stereo radio cassette recorders, so I did get Now 8 originally on pre-recorded cassette and had Now 3 on tape too as it was a freebie with a Walkman I bought.

Equally the arrival of Now '86 a special cd only compilation did result in me putting off getting Now7 on lp or tape and I bought Now 9 which was a single cd because it was felt a double like the lp version was too expensive for the usual buyers meaning I missed several tracks and Now 10 which was a double cd (the first).

Unfortunately the 'perfect sound forever' cd wasn't as my copies of Now '86 and Now 9 are very hard to play and with having a few of the original lps a bit the worse for wear, I'm replacing these cds and a couple of albums that are noisy
.
The Collection thus far:
Now 1
Issued 28 November 1983
The one that started it all off, it contained no less than 11 no 1 singles and almost all are memorable and issued on cassette and lp which I bought and countless thousands all did. This was released on cd eventually to mark 25 years of NOW being established.
Now2
Issued April 7 1984
Titled in roman numerals (II) the cover was plainer but it contains many of the best songs from the end of 1983 and early 1984 by the likes of Slade, Duran Duran, Rolling stones, Fiction Factory, Frankie goes to Hollywood and Queen.
My copy was very noisy with a slight skip on Radio Gaga and a scratch that runs thru the first four tracks on side two with a big skip on Undercover of the Night.I scored a mint copy for only £2 plus mailing!
Now3
Issued August 11 1984
This album launched the era of the Pig thanks to Danish Bacon which dominated the next few issues being on the front cover. I originally bought this on tape it had yet another mix of Two Tribes not otherwise on the 45 and have just gotten a acceptable play copy of it on album.
Now4
Issued December 8 1984 and the very first NOW to have CD issue - a single one - that outside the London area you just didn't see so I got the lp. This album has a special mix of Paul McCartney's No More Lonely Nights that didn't appear on vinyl!
Now5. I had this on vinyl but lost it! Too bad as it had the last classic Duran Duran single and Marillion's Kayleigh amongst others.I just got a good play copy of this very cheaply which was a relief as I was badly let down by one seller who sent me a Excellent copy that looked as if it had been used as a scratching post by a cat. There is a tiny scratch just at the start of side two but otherwise it is as new playing wise.
Now6
Issued December 7th 1985 and I brought this new that Christmas. Can anyone forget Baltimora's Tarzan Boy with that jungle call?
Now7
Issued August 23 1986 .
This one I missed out on as only just over an handful of the songs featured in cd only NOW '86 album that's a whole lot of missing hits such as Owen Paul's Your My Favourite Waste Of Time and Pete Wylie's Sinful.
hidden unlisted on side three at the end is 'hidden track' Queens A Kind Of Magic.
NOW '86. This was a cd only compilation a cross between Now7 with 5 songs from Now8 being the first NOW to have West End Girls on it but the cd ceased being playable several years back and I'm only left with a copy on MiniDisc although I still have the case and inserts.
I recently got a mint replacement copy.
Now8
Issued December 6 1986
That was the second Now album I had on cassette but when the tape got damaged I picked up okay copy of the record version that I've been able to replace for a mint one.. There was a 18 track single cd version of it issued at the time with the reason for being a single cd because cds were very expensive compared to records back then and it was felt the average NOW buyer wouldn't stump up over £20 for 2 cd set. I acquired the cd version, pressed in Germany recently.
Now9
Issued April 4 1987
From the year of the Yuppie with padded shoulders, braces, mobile phone like a brick with a big antenna sticking out and loadsa money, this one sold more on cd than the others did.Perhaps with the chart being a bit lame at the time the short playing time of the cd was more acceptable and with cds going more mainstream people wanted the singles on cd and this was good way of doing it.
I have the cd bought new but am looking for a replacement as the disc is deteriorating due a pressing problem although I have made a back up copy.I managed to get a copy in really good condition apart from a tiny indent on the out edge of one of the two discs on Monday (5/16/2011) for a very cheap price from the person I got the better Now 2 copy from. Just needed a clean to remove fingerprints. What surprised me is the LP seems to have been mastered separately and sounds fuller than the cd version and has 15 tracks missed of the cd although that only managed 61 minutes out of possible 74 back then. As we're talking about missing songs by acts like Erasure, Bon Jovi A-ha etc it's crazy!
Now10
issued December 5 1987 - The first NOW to go to 2 cds and at a discounted price too I got this on cd.Stylistically House Music was coming on and featured on the second disc.I recently got a copy of the lp version for comparison.
Now11
issued April 2 1988
Somewhat typically I drifted back to vinyl as most of the artists I like who issued singles during this period I already had the cds of and I was dropping off buying 45's so this was the cheaper option for pop and house music.
Now12
Issued July 23 1988 The Summer of 'Acid House' captured.
Now13
issued December 3 1988
Now14
Issued April 1 1989
The last new Now album I bought on lp as i was moving toward cd centred listening at the time making an edited version for replay on my Aiwa cassette walkman I used back then.
Now15
Issued August 26 1989 I remember making the cassette edit on a TDK AR 100 minute tape for my walkman
Now16
issued December 2 1989
Now17
Issued May 5 1990
By this point I was losing interest in chart music as had drifted mainly toward 'club' sounds such as House, Madchester and HipHop so this was the last album I bought new.
Smash Hits -Now that's what I call 80's
Issued August 1987
I originally had the cassette but that got mangled and was left with a copy on cassette a friend had copied from the lp before I got mine which I transferred to MiniDisc. Unfortunately the only machine that could play this tape right lacks the type of noise reduction he used back then so on the quiet parts the high notes are raised together with any crackles. I recently go the cd version but this misses off the Summer '81 #1 smash hits One Day In Your Life by the late Michael Jackson for some strange reason.
Now -The Christmas Album: a compilation of 18 songs with a Christmas theme such as I wish It would be Christmas everyday, Thank God it's Christmas, Last Christmas and Do they know it's Christmas time that came out on lp, cassette and cd in November 1985 as a single album.I have the lp version and have the 1989 near equivalent It's Christmas on cd.
Now 1983 (Millennium series) Bought to fill a few gaps apart from being a kind of cd equivalent to the original Now lp and part of Now 2.
Now 1984 (Millennium series) Ditto having material scattered across Now 2,3, and 4 with only a tiny selection from the third  making a period cd.
Now 1985 (Millennium series) - bought the 1999 2 cd set as it had most of hits from 1985 and being missing NOW5 it was a reasonable stop gap.

* Updated April 2011 by Jo

Comics

When I was younger I grew up reading comics which are usually combinations of short stories written for children in a series of frames with the drawing, speech bubbles for the characters and a little bit of plain text to set the scene of the frame.
The stories are usually centred on universal aspects of childhood, such as parents, authority figures, school, war or adventure stories with heroes and having fun with other kids.
Some comics are written to appeal mostly to one gender but most I read were for both such as the Dandy and the Beano pictured.
In many ways the Beano had it all as far as I was concerned with the adventures of Dennis the Menace,  the lovable roguish boy fighting dad, every authority figure there was, Walter (the goody-goody boy) with every trick in the book. That said in earlier editions he'd get his comeuppance once in a while when Granny would arrive on the scene and spank him with the 'Demon whacker', a notoriously hard leather slipper!
My favourite though was Minnie The Minx. She was a bit like Dennis but with a Tan and obviously a skirt on compared to Dennis flannel shorts but more cunning with a tomboy aspect to her personality always scheming to get her own way . She'd have me in stitches every week!!!
My other favourite as The Bash Street Kids set in a old run down inner city primary school with loads of wacky characters engaged in a constant battle with 'Teach' who carried a cane with him who himself was under pressure from the Headmaster. In older episodes he's cane the kids from time to time for their misdemeanours in class or on trips.
I still love reading them and buy the annuals.

How girly are you?

How Girly are you? Your Result: Little Girl Girly   This species like to stay young girls forever. They tend to ware bows, ribbons, in their hair until they are 70, and talk like little girls through out their lives.
Semi-Ultra Girly	 
Just Girly	 
Ultra Girly	 
Not So Girly	 
Tom Boy Girly	 
Valley Girl Girly	 
Girly...F***K That!	 
How Girly are you? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

I love to be dressed up like this.
In soft   flowing  skirts with frilly slips and pretty socks.

Disability Ettiquette and me.

I've never made a post quite on this topic before in my life but as I'm pawley (tm) at the minute typing this with one paw before more rest I thought I would.
The way you treat a person with disabilities can leave those who are not themselves disabled  unsure, some in the disabled community disagree strongly and yes for LG people like me there are other usually unseen factors. Hardly surprising then some take the line of least resistance and say nothing and yet others are at the "Does he take sugar "stage talking straight to the nearest adult near the disabled person completely ignoring them.
A few general pointers:
Talk straight to the person not being afraid to ask how they are. The time to be talking to another is when it is clear the other person isn't understanding you.Offer to write a note of the any main points if it's something the person may need to do.
A person in a wheelchair is a wheelchair user. It's how they get about like you may use your legs and so aren't 'confined'  or 'bound' to it. The limitations in getting about happen generally through the actions of non-disabled people through the barriers they without thinking put up such as making it difficult to enter a building by putting in stairs or using very narrow aisle, not fitting loop hearing systems for the deaf or making prevision for a person to help those with limited sight and so on or even attitudinal ones like thinking nobody disabled comes so why bother considering their needs (maybe that's why they don't!)?
Of course disabled people aren't angels but as you're not, you already know that as they're just like you really!

How much to do for someone or what can I assume?
So-called health professionals, carers and disabled people argue all day about this but I'd sidestep the coffee at the conference chat and just ask if there's anything they'd like some help with (Don't say "Are you alright" cos most feel so uncomfortable about not been seen to cope that they'll say yes even when they do need help).
Assumptions? dangerous game between "Don't patronize me, I'm an adult" from a wheelchair user with an IQ around 100+ and those who for developmental reasons may look all of 50 but are very much like much younger children and as such are extremely vulnerable.
Personally I'd ask for things like ability carrying hot liquids, meals etc accepting a decline unless I know the person well enough not to leaving most other things to them but say for "this activity everybody will be reading or writing-is there anything with this you'd like some help with" because somethings like difficulty in reading aren't obvious and may be unrelated to a physical disability.

LG's and disability ettiquette.
This isn't something you'll find discussed at some 'respectable' conference as most of us who are involved around 'age play' communities have a better take on the link between chronological age and differing mind ages -that we have often two one 'adult' and one younger and oscillate between the two than most including the learned professionals.

My own take on it is it's reasonable to say when it comes to how to deal with illness or injury, the person is feeling it at their child like age and for a few possibly that developmental level too. The absolutes are you cannot breach legal rights over-riding them as developmental issues such as ability to understand a situation are covered thru exemptions under Mental Heath, so you can't take them against their will to a hospital cos' 'they're only a child really' unless it fits under the exemptions. This is because the groan ups use chronological age as the basis for your legal rights.
For 'unwell' childlike works - They're poorly, it's a good idea to remind about what they can do to help manage it, do offer sympathy (back to grazed knees) and so on.


What works for me (the 101 of managing me in RL or online)
Background: My hands got injured at work 16 years ago and they become inflamed at the tendons very easily that results in an inability to use them.  I seldom write with a pen.
I'm unsteady on my feet, have cerebal palsy and dyslexia effecting math, reading,spelling and short-term memory.
This side of me is 'at 12'.
What keeps me going when I'm poorly is my spirit - my LG spirit to be exact - so it's one of the most important things you need to keep up.
It's appropriate to suggest I rest even on occasions insisting I do because it's the child like sense of missing out that can keep me from resting. Something like "Please be a good girl, switch off your computer and rest if you're poorly" is fine.  I won't snap at you. Honest!
Nobody should feel bad for adding the suggestion I change if not already into my LG attire when resting because it will 'turn on' the LG spirit more in me, it helps a lot and I NEED to get better.
There's a difference between what is known at the intellectual level and what is felt building up in to your heart and spirit - the engine that keeps you going emotionally.
In real life hugs work wonders as do laps. Online it's harder but you can express 'hugs' and affirm the power of my LG Spirit to keep me going which oddly enough helps if I'm feeling down. The trouble with down is it has a downward spiral and it helps to talk me back up the top.
You may need to talk me round to see a doctor cos I get scared of different places and can't remember names well and that can put a block on me thinking about it.

Mousetrap!

I just love traditional children board games such as mouse trap although the colours of the parts have altered since I first played it.
They always came out at parties, weekends and inevitably Christmas with my siblings and friends and part of the fun wasn't the game so much as the socializing we did whilst playing.
This game was frist invented by Ideal in 1963.
This is what comes with the game:

1 Gameboard

4 Mice

30 Cheese Cards

1 Die

1 Instructions

28 Mouse Trap Building Parts and Accessories

As you'd expect, the object is to trap mice in the mousetrap, while avoiding getting trapped. By rolling the dice, you proceed around the game board, collecting cheese pieces and building a mousetrap bit by bit. Once complete, you set the wheels in motion, as it were, to try to capture the opposition's mice. But this is no ordinary trap. With this contraption you start by turning the crank, that rotates the gears, that push the lever, that moves the shoe, that kicks the bucket, that sends the ball down the stairs and into the gutter, that leads to the rod that releases a second ball, that falls through the bathtub and onto the springboard, that catapults the diver into the washtub, that causes the cage to fall and-whew.- hopefully, capture a mouse. The last "mouse" left uncaptured wins.
The crazy zany game of catching rodents using the wildest mousetraps in the world. Flush the toilet to activate 1 of 3 great traps.
I'd love to play this with anyone for hours at a stretch!