Zarcie

Hey, thanks for sharing the artwork. I have been thinking for a couple years about getting a tattoo but what to get? I refuse to get flowers or hearts on my lower back like every other girl in the entire world so it was nice to see something original and meaningful. Maybe I'll get some ideas now

Not only are you a cutie but you're a cat person! Hugs from over here!

PASS ON THE ADVICE! Seriously, I could have written what you did about how to turn down people you're uninterested in and saying no to people. I swear sometimes that the word 'no' does not exist in my vocabulary. I dance around its meaning but I just can't say it. Like last week I couldn't say it and now I'm working an extra shift at work on my spring break. I think trying to be nice and still turning people down is an important skill that has to be learned. I guess its one neither of us have yet to learn. So good luck and be sure to pass on the wisdom!

Sorry about your dog Dom. I completely understand. My family has had our dog since I was 4 years old. She is one old puppy! She can't see very well anymore, her hearing is gone (though we are of the opinion that she has selective hearing) and like your dog, her back legs just don't work like they used to, but our vet tells is she's not in any pain and she's still a healthy dog. She's still playful, loving, and just as protective of us as she was when she was younger. Every once in awhile we get worried about her, but we'll probably have her for at least another year and I know there is no way we would give up that year just because we had to take an extra minute to help her up the stairs. That being said, the day we see that she's in pain I hope we'll be able to make the right decision. Good luck Dom and keep us posted!

That was excellent! I somehow suspected where your post was going. A fellow user always knows. Now I don't feel so bad about how my coworker and I scrabbled for ever last bit of leftover dark chocolate ganache today. There are definite high points to haveing a part-time job at a chocolate shop. I'm my own supplier! You are a brave soul to try and resist the temptation, but I fear chocolate will always win. Damn, now I need some too!

Hey Dom! Have a good time skiiing. I'm sure you'll do fine and have lots of fun. Thanks for the chapter (you are sooo good to us ) and stay warm out on the ski hills! -Zarcie

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOM!!! Hope your birthday is great with lots of hugs and maybe even a hug from your pretty boy, hehe. Eat lots of cake and ice cream for us, yum!

You are such a good big brother I know there are a lot of places on the web that do fanart, but after a fast search I can say it will probably take you and your sister a while to find what you are looking for unless someone else here knows of anything. I do have a friend who is going to school to do anime and is actually working in a really cool job while doing it. I would be happy to ask him if he had any hints for you, but I think what he will probably say is for your sister to look around her community. Sometimes the public school system in my area will offer a variety of art classes in the evening and also during the summer. We also have community colleges and other art centers that provide classes to the general public. See if you find any programs in your area. Again, I don't know if they would have anything specificly for illustration, but the more she explored different art styles the better. She could also go to the library (I have library on the brain) and spend some time with the picture books. She can pick out a few books that have illustrations that she really likes and use those as mentors. That way she could experiement with different styles and even see if she can find some information on those illustrators to see how they got started. My personal favorite is Mo Willems who is the author and illustrator of Don't Let the Pideon Drive the Bus,A Pideon Finds a Hot Dog, and Knuffle Bunny among others. Mo rocks! Here is a link to a site called "The Purple Crayon" http://www.underdown.org/ Its has some information about the market for children's books and illustrations. It might also have some other links your sister might find helpful. Good luck!

Crying emo boys and vomit do not a good evening make, and all in front of your new friend too. Hopefully you can guilt your boyfriend into finding a nice way to make it up to you. Sorry you didn't have a good evening, but I truely love your blog. You always seem to have something happening. Good luck with your bf, your friend, and apparently your new fan club. Maybe you should start carrying tissues around in case you see them again. -Zarcie

Hey Dom, Its amazing how things we see when we're growing up can effect so many of our actions without our even realizing it and then it just dawns on us one day where it all came from. I know whats its like to find out one of your parents was unfaithful. I found out a couple years ago that my mother had cheated on my father. Do I believe fidelity is important in a relationship? Absolutely. Do I blame my mother for what she did? No. Not even right after I found out because I knew my father. Can I really be mad at her for one moment of weakness after 19years of being married to a nonparticipating member of a relationship? He was a nonparticipating father too. I did find however, and I think you are finding it as well, that it really messes with your head when you look at your own potential relationships. You say you have a fear of commitment. I have a fear of relationships period. I realized it after the second time someone asked me out and I couldn't rest until I found a reason why it just wouldn't work (though, I still like to think that those guys really were creepy stalker types). I do better now that I know I have this issue and I think you're on the right track if you're thinking of the impact seeing and hearing about these things has on you. If you know you have a fear of commitment and where it comes from thats the first step in finding ways to keep it from holding you back. I don't really know you, but you sound like a good guy. DON'T let it hold you back. Good luck with this Dom. -Zarcie

oh, I like the layout of your site. Sophisticated, yet functional. I used to have a website, a star wars fanfiction site, but alas my freeserver deleted it after I neglected it for too long. Now I just have my online journal. But bravo to you and I'd be interested to see how creative other people here have gotten with their html skills.

I live in a growing suburban area, but for the most part there's still this small town feel to a lot of the area. You would think this general level of friendliness with the people you meet would mean at least a moderate amount of eye contact, but really I find that there is little eye contact here, even with the people you are relatively close to. I had the opportunity to spend a year in London and I found I was a little startled at first when people would make eye contact with me. While its true that Londoners are in general rather private and don't make conversation while on the Underground I don't think that makes them unfriendly or uncommunicative. On the contrary, I thought that they utilized eye contact as a way of communicating (thats actually how I got my first date over there, hehe ) a lot more than Americans and while London is a large city their personal space is also a lot smaller. I remember one time when one of my professors came over to talk to me I actually took a step backwards before I could stop myself simply because I was used to having a larger distance between myself and the person I was talking to then she did. Despite their lack of spontanious conversation I also found the culture their endearing simply because of the way they speak and greet the people they do know. For example, my friends and I adopted the custom of a kiss on both cheeks when we saw each other. This is rather intimate as you get right up into the other person's personal space. Also, at my local Waitrose shopping market the cashiers would always say something like, "How are you today my love?". Its these little intimate gestures and expressions that make me really miss London. I think the amount of eye contact has more to do with culture then the level of population, though I'm sure that is a factor too. This is just a thought and I have no real proof to back it up but I think in general Americans are less trusting then people of other nationalities which might explain the difference in the use of eye contact and the amount of personal space here as opposed to the UK or Canada. My sociology professor told my class how at a dinner party while he was talking to someone he would take a half step forward every once in a while and eventually backed the guy up all the way across the room. It would be interesting to try a similar thing with eye contact. The next time you meet someone try and look them right in the eye during the course of the conversation and see what they do. Do they try and look away? Do they find a way to end the conversation quickly? Do they increase the amount of space between the two of you? Can you tell I'm a psych major? lol

Someone on one of my mailing lists recommended Dom Luka as an author. I LOVE his writing and now I look here to find more!

I have eight piercings, none of them genital (I'm not brave enough for that!). I have both earlobes dones, two cartilege piercings in each ear, two of which I got done only about a week and a half ago. I also have my eyebrow and my navel pierced. If anyone is thinking about getting a cartilege piercing, its no fun to get both ears done at the same time. I've done this twice. Stupid or what? As I said before, my most recent two were done almost two weeks ago and I am just now to the point where I can kinda sleep on either side of my head. As for the eyebrow, I would highly recommend it. Doesn't hurt much and heals fast, though it is a pain when you get your towel stuck on it when you dry your hair. Ouch!