Melinda Stanners

Reply to Game on or game off in Gaming JoeUser Forums

The first ten years are the most important years in a person's life, as far as mental development and socialisation goes. With mental development, the more a child uses their imagination, (and I generalise here) the more intelligent they become, because they are strengthening the synapses required for abstract thought. Where the action in the child's 'world' is not driven by imagination, but if given them, they are still a passive user because their co

Reply to I would really like to have businesses do what I pay them to in Blogging JoeUser Forums

I completely understand where you're coming from. I have the same outlook about professional behaviour that you do, and I too suffer through people not doing what they are supposed to. There are mistakes, and then there's negligence. Sometimes people verge on negligence. Maybe we're not intimidating enough?

The wedding planners in Misc JoeUser Forums

So, last night my friends Apryl, Rose and I went to our first Pilates class (and it was great, absolutely fantastic), and when we were gorging on pizza afterwards :) Apryl came up with this idea: That we should start a wedding planning business. No kidding. We have Rose the accountant for the business side, Apryl the archtect for interior d

Cake Break! in Business JoeUser Forums

One of the nicest things about my workplace is that every so often, the people who have had a birthday in recent months bring cake for all to share, and the division gathers and feasts at afternoon tea time. It's just wonderful :) Not just because I love cake, although that too is true, but because it brings the division together to socialise in a way that we

My somewhat estranged father in Home & Family JoeUser Forums

This is great, because since selling his photography studio last year he's just drifted from one crappy job to another. FINALLY he's landed, and he seems pretty happy about it. I'm glad that he's found a new place to settle, because there's something satisfying about imagining my father wearing a tie and going to an office and working with people that he lik

Reply to This was us the other day in Misc JoeUser Forums

I remember. It makes me sad that my kids will never experience that kind of fun and freedom - our world is filled with fear for children now in a way that it wasn't when I was growing up. I mean, I used to walk a couple kms to school, ALONE, every day. At school we were taught not to talk to strangers, to scream and run away. Now the only preventative measure taken is shutting their children inside with their playstations... so much

Reply to What makes him do it? Why do I put up with it? in Sex & Romance JoeUser Forums

I hope that things will become clear to you too and that this will help you grow stronger. I know from experience that people telling you how great you are doesn't change the way you feel about yourself. I really hope that you will come to see how much more valuable you are, you're worth more than this guy! I'm glad you're taking the time out to think about you here. I for one

Reply to man says he prefers 'non-bimbo' women in Misc JoeUser Forums

I didn't even know that electric eyelash curlers existed. Somehow this knowledge doesn't rock my world... This is greatly affirming, as I too am pale (although blonde and freckled), opinionated, and independent. However, this comes with it's own set of problems. My mother tells me I'm intimidating... so find me a man who isn't so easily frightened!! Yeesh, just because I work for the department of defence in land operations research

Reply to Welcome Everyone in Welcome JoeUser Forums

I have also seen that some users have a list of their favourites. I'd like to know how to get one of those up too Thanks Patrick

Reply to What makes him do it? Why do I put up with it? in Sex & Romance JoeUser Forums

Honey, would I be right in suggesting that you put up with such crass and neglectful behaviour because you don't feel that you deserve anything better? My mother married my abusive father because she thought that he could see what she was really worth, and she thought that men that found her wonderful and attractive were crazy. It sounds silly, but because of abuse she had a very skewed self image. There are some kinds of men out there that ha

Reply to Twenty Reasons Why The PTA Doesn't Want Me in Misc JoeUser Forums

The question is, do you really want to be wanted by the PTA? I find those people so hard to connect with... especially the ones who don't have cocoa puffs for dinner. Hey, sometimes it's the only thing that works, yes? As for the coasters, I'll support you on the Coaster utilisation movement. Especially when Coke is involved

Reply to The ephemeral Johnny Depp in Movies & TV & Books JoeUser Forums

Exactly! Who is this strange man????

Reply to What Monty Python Character are you? in Humor JoeUser Forums

I agree that it could have benefitted from a broader Monty Python base. However, I am.... Mean lil fellow, arn't you? What Monty Python Character are you? brought to you by <a

Reply to Chocolate is a Food Group? in Misc JoeUser Forums

Chocolate stocks are a sure thing, they're not likely to plummet any time soon. I'd recommend buying those shares now... I'm quite fussy about the chocolate that I get excited about, just to break the stereotype I don't really like chocolate with fruit or nuts - I like caramel, but I prefer it in it's purer form. And dark chocolate is healthier, it contains more antioxidants tha

The ephemeral Johnny Depp in Movies & TV & Books JoeUser Forums

Did anyone else find 'Secret Window' slightly disconcerting in the wake of 'Pirates of the Carribean'? I know that it's a testimony to his wide range of acting abilities, but when considered in relation to 'Once upon a Time in Mexico,' doesn't it make you wonder a little bit? Just a little? I mean, the characters that an actor chooses to play says s

Reply to Lynched by a mob in Life Journals JoeUser Forums

This saddens me, especially in light of the fact that this kind of thing still happens, not just in Western countries but all around the world. For example, the Laotian government continues to hunt the Hmong people, systematically stomping them out, as part of a decades-old veangence relating to their participation in the Vietnam war. Is this fair? No. But it continues to happen, and will continue to happen until someone takes a stand. Proble

Reply to NEWSFLASH: Research isn't my calling in Misc JoeUser Forums

While I'm still disappointed that she wasn't involved in the crucial parts of my experiment, my ire has abated. In fact, I'm rather embarrassed now... However, I have been told that she may not come to the conference, leaving me to field questions alone... feeling a little sad and lonely now... But the next project will, indeed, be different.

Reply to Whistling - it's always more annoying when it's someone else in Misc JoeUser Forums

I agree. Most people can sing pretty much in tune, but whistling has such a tendency to go sharp or flat, and it's so shrill! It echoes inside, as well. Singing is good My wrath is withheld from singers!

NEWSFLASH: Research isn't my calling in Misc JoeUser Forums

Grievance of the day: Supervisors The honeymoon period has been over for a while, but in the absence of any extreme discomfort in my new job I simply thought that it was the sign of a perfect fit. Until my supervisor returned from her nth holiday to take over my paper and tell me that my discussion (not entirely written by me) is wrong. Let

Reply to My Foetus or My Murder? What is abortion & Why do we care? in Health & Medicine JoeUser Forums

I agree that people should have a license to procreate, because as a psychologist I would rather find another job, it it were possible to prevent the kinds of suffering and long-lived psychoses inflicted on people by their parents. You might be interested to know that at 20 weeks, a foetus has fully formed hearing functions, and at 22 weeks they can express emotion, ie scowling when the mother scowls, and smiling when she smiles. So they can

Reply to Whistling - it's always more annoying when it's someone else in Misc JoeUser Forums

Legally it's murder in the eyes of the law. However, one can plead provocation. Have you a poem about whistling?

Reply to I wish for a Blog-2-Speech converter in Personal Relationships JoeUser Forums

Yeah, tell me about it. I have the same problem, and I also tend to stammer under pressure. I'm not one of the world's greatest communicators unless you put a keyboard/pen in front of me, I'm just not that quick a thinker on my feet. And I get self conscious. My brain gets ahead of my mouth...and it's worse when I feel uncomfortable or am in a conflict situation. I think you'd be surprised at the number of people who share this malady.

Reply to Women Unite! Your Lives Are in Jeopardy in Current Events JoeUser Forums

I suspect that banning marriage wouldn't change anything. If men are sick on the inside then they'll do the things they do whether they've been married or not. Psychopathy isn't a disease that is conditional on legal conditions, rather circumstances can trigger episodes. And 'circumstances' occur in defacto relationships just as much as in marriages. If we banned marriage that wouldn't prevent defacto relationships from existing. An interesti

Whistling - it's always more annoying when it's someone else in Misc JoeUser Forums

Piquant observation and issue of grievance of the day: Whistling. Everyone does it. Everyone hates it when someone else does it. It's insidious, like a virus. Once one person starts, it seeps into the atmosphere of teh building, and before you know it, half of the building is whistling snippets of their favourite tune. Then, to your horror,

Legitimated Rambling Uncut in Welcome JoeUser Forums

Gone are the days when the only way you can get a message to the masses was by newspaper publication (or any other kind of publication). Stepping into the 21st century, I, too, am embracing the way of the future, the blog revolution. What follows may or may not be interesting. The people mentioned are real. The soap-box issues are real. And my hair colour is real. Just in