Friday around the Web

Be Brave (or At Least Pretend), Musical Revelation, Past/Present Photo Project, and Random Name Generator

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Be Brave–Even if You’re Not, Pretend to Be
Why bother doing this? Because if you’re not brave, you don’t live your life…take it from me!

All Music is the Same Four Chords
As a musician, I heartily disagree with the title–what they mean is that quite a bit of POPULAR music depends on a 1-6-4-5 chord progression (as depicted in the video). But the accompanying video is still flabbergasting nonetheless.

Back to the Future: Photo Project
Neat concept of taking a picture from the past and recreating it with the same person in the present.

Generate a Random Name
Good for fun as well as good for inspiring character names for writers!

Thursday in the Zone

My Favorite 2014 Clix Rulings Change

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fav2014clixrule
After catching sight of the 2014 Rules thread on HCRealms, I scanned through it, and I found something amazing.

Rule Book, p.20-21: The Relic Roll is no longer once per game per character.

COMMENCE THE HALLELUJAH CHORUS! 😀 The old version of the rule had kept me from playing the Relics, essentially, because I am notoriously horrible with single-die rolls (not sure why). Shapechange, Leadership, and especially Super Senses are once-in-a-blue-moon wins for me, so I merely glossed over the Relics, thinking, “Well, with my rolls, I’ll never get to pick up the darn things anyway!”

This, I think, could bring Relics as a type of Special Object back into more routine gameplay (read: Casual). Special Objects in general can inject elements of fun and thoughtful playing into a casual game–whacking somebody with a Stepladder or having to play carefully around a Shield Disruptor, for instance. I could see the same happening with Relics, as long as everybody agrees to keep it casual and fun. Now that there are multiple chances for a character to pick up a Relic, the object can affect the game for a longer time, and it could pass from hand to hand, like teammates passing a basketball back and forth.

What do you think about this ruling? Do you think it makes Relics more or less playable? (And while we’re at it, how about the other 2014 rulings changes in the linked article?) Leave your thoughts in the comments!

For Further Information

Search Relics on HCRealms‘ Units section by choosing “Special Objects” under “Rank” on the Advanced Search!

Wednesday in the Word

Support Your Church Leaders

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17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those who work is preaching and teaching. 18 For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.”**

In these two verses, Paul emphasizes how a leader’s good work in the church should be rewarded. Whatever duties the person performs, he or she should be treated with respect while fulfilling it (1st quoted verse), and should be compensated for time and effort afterward (2nd quoted verse).

Why does Paul stop and make this point about church elders/leaders? Because often church leaders get critiqued rather than supported, even in our modern church. When too many people start wanting the church to cater specifically to them, pleasing everyone while still serving God can be an impossible task. The truth is, leading even a small ministry is difficult, but often we regular members forget just how hard others are working behind the scenes to make each Sunday morning and Wednesday night happen. Hearing only criticism and getting no support from the church body can thus make ministry service a thankless task.

Paul’s advice here, then, is for church members to consciously remember to praise and reward their leaders, rather than ignore and/or chastise them. It’s not that regular members need to go out and buy their church leaders a new car every month, and for certain the congregation should not start praising and worshipping a human instead of God. But kind words of appreciation and a little monetary support can be more of a blessing to ministry leaders than we’ll ever know.

**(Side note: the first Scripture quote in verse 18 comes from Deuteronomy and the second comes from Luke–by this time, the New Testament writings were as trusted by Christians as the Old Testament.)

Tuesday on the Soapbox

Fat-Shaming is Pointless

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yourresponsetomybody
image source

myonlyweightproblem
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The two images above explain exactly why fat-shaming is pointless. When people judge someone harshly based on their weight, insinuating that they’re lazy, disgusting, mentally slow/disturbed, etc., they are making all sorts of assumptions about them which have no basis in fact. The only thing fat-shamers are REALLY saying is “I don’t like how your body looks.”

I dealt with this a LOT during middle and high school, and I still get people occasionally who think that because of my size, I am something to pity or someone who needs “advice” on how to “live properly***.” I used to take people’s opinions of my body very seriously, because I thought they were telling me the truth about what I was–that I was disgusting and horrible and didn’t deserve to live.

But no more. Now my response to fat-shaming is: “WHO CARES?” Certainly not this big girl. If they don’t like my body, fine–it isn’t theirs to worry about.

***Note: Medical obesity IS a definable problem which keeps a person from being able to live normally because of body size. Recovery from obesity should be treated as seriously as any disease is treated, with the proper emotional support instead of just shaming the people who “ended up this way.” Why? Because there are usually multiple medical causes of obesity (thyroid problems, stress, hormonal imbalance, medicine reactions, lower body injury/instability, etc.). (And no, we don’t all sit on our couches going through boxes of Twinkies! If you think overeating is the sole cause of medical obesity, then please educate yourself.)

Medical obesity is not what I’m speaking of in this post; “fat-shaming” occurs mostly because a person’s body does not conform to current size standards of beauty, which are highly Photoshopped and thus unrealistic anyway.

Monday in the HTMLab

I’m Not a Typical Blogger (and That’s OK)

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nottypicalblogger
As a blogger, sometimes I feel pressure to be more like the other members of my website genre. I look around on other blogs and think, “Man, I ought to be doing that–I bet I’d be more popular.” Have you ever thought that?

For instance, I see other bloggers post zillions of pics of their offline lives, and I feel guilty that I don’t take enough pictures. Or I see them post blurbs about their real lives, almost like a diary entry of sorts, and I end up feeling dumb because my real life is literally not interesting enough to write about all the time. (Trust me, I’ve tried many times to keep a journal, both offline and online, and I even bored MYSELF to death.)

Not only that, but all I’m doing is writing advice articles (most of the time) or trying to get across a philosophical point based off my own experiences. I don’t do any real “crafty” stuff that most bloggers are doing these days; I don’t make goodies for my visitors, and I don’t do giveaways…

Why Trying to “Fit In” with Other Bloggers is Wrongheaded Thinking

It’s pretty clear I’m not like other bloggers. And that is actually OK, even though I still worry about it sometimes.

After all, crafting and photos aren’t my passion, so why should I force myself into doing posts about them, even if it would make my blog more “popular” (which, considering the glut of blogs on such topics, wouldn’t likely work)? It would be as pointless as me in middle school wearing heavy makeup because all the other girls were doing it–I did it because I wanted to fit in, but I hated it and it felt fake.

Instead, why shouldn’t I focus my energy on writing posts that I thoroughly enjoy? My passion for my subject matter will come through and make my writing more compelling, and since I’m writing on topics that are fairly different from the blogger status quo, my site could even be a refreshing change for users. Just because I’m not getting a lot of comments doesn’t mean my blog is unsuccessful; just because I’m not doing what everyone else is doing doesn’t mean I’m not worthy. And the same goes for you and your blog/website.

The Takeaway: Your Blog Should Reflect YOU, Not Blog Trends

If you like to craft and you run a blog, definitely feel free to post crafting articles. If you love to take pictures, showcase them on your blog with no regrets. If you like to write about music and post songs/videos, do that to your heart’s content. And if you write about anything and everything because it interests you, go right ahead–the Internet is big enough for us all. We bloggers don’t HAVE to do anything to be popular…except post!

Friday around the Web

Your Soul Type Quiz, Clever Teachers, Modern Ruins, and Recycling Markers

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What’s Your Soul Type? Quiz
Take this less-than-10-minute quiz and find out what kind of person you are! (Apparently, I’m a Performer first and a Creator just slightly second…LOL, sounds right!)

The Teachers Who Got the Last Laugh (Pics)
LOL at the teacher who signed the detention slip “Gandalf the White”, and the teacher who started the “Quiz Shaming” wall for students who forget to put their names on tests, etc.

TheCoolist: 10 Creepy/Beautiful Modern Ruins (Pics)

DixonRecycle.com and Crayola Colorcycle
Programs to recycle your kids’ old markers–great way to color green, pun intended!

Friday around the Web

Top 100 Fiction Books, Hilarious Morning Text, Beautiful Austrian Places, and Being En Pointe

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Best Books: Top 100 Works of Fiction
The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Golden Notebook, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, To the Lighthouse, and 96 more! How many have you read?

Let’s Play A Game (hilarious text)
WOWWWW. Let’s just say this person would have been blocked from ever texting my phone again…LOL

Top 10 Most Beautiful Nature Spots Around Austria (pics)

En Pointe: Wikipedia Article
What it really means to “stand en pointe” in ballet.

Sunday in the Wild

Announcement: New Posts Will Appear After March 16th

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For the next couple of weeks (until at least the week of March 15th is completed), I will not be posting any new articles besides my weekly Friday around the Web posts, which have been done well in advance. Reason: I am currently involved in an awesome musical theater project which requires lots of practice time and rehearsals, so I want to do my best by it.

I’ve been saying for months that I was ready for a new creative challenge, and this project certainly is! It’s using my musical talents in ways I never expected. Yet it still pains me to have to pause activity here for even a short while, because I’ve kept this blog up and running consistently for the last three years, never missing a day. My OCD/perfectionist bug is going batty over this, but I know y’all will appreciate seeing quality articles rather than half-thought-out adrenaline-rushed posts spewed haphazardly all over this blog. 😛 And the amazing people I’m working with will appreciate my complete focus on the music!

Crooked Glasses will begin updating with all-new posts again soon! Till then, browse through my archive of posts for new-old favorite posts, and follow my Twitter, @cg_blog, for auto-tweeted older posts. (Have I ever said how much I love auto-tweet plugins? Because I really do. Especially when they work properly. :D) Bonus: when I return, I’ll have enough new experiences to fuel a whole slew of Saturday with the Spark posts! YAY!

Saturday with the Spark

Just Sing a Song! (Or Write a Poem, Or Draw a Picture…)

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justsingasong

This little song, “Sing,” first written for Sesame Street in the early ’70s, spawned many covers and gained lots of popularity–and for good reason! It’s one of my favorite “kid-friendly” songs because it has a great message, not only for kids, but for artists of all sorts. Check out the lyrics, below:

“Sing
Sing a song
Sing out loud, sing out strong!
Sing of good things, not bad;
Sing of happy, not sad…
Sing
Sing a song
Make it simple to last your whole life long!
Don´t worry that it´s not good enough for anyone else to hear;
Just sing…
Sing a song!”

The bolded section above is the most important part of the song, for me. “Don’t worry that it’s not good enough for anyone else to hear; just sing.” We singers–and for that matter, all of us artists/creative people–can get so wrapped up in worrying whether our gifts are “good enough” for the world that we strangle the creativity within us. It’s hard to put aside criticism and the fear of other people’s judgments, but it’s far worse to never even be creative for your own sake. “Sing” is a simple reminder to just enjoy our creative gifts, whatever they might be, and not to worry about what other people will think of our efforts.

Do you have a favorite song, quote, etc. to inspire you when you get discouraged about your creativity? Share it with me in the comments!