Zeke

I've had a number of interviews that seemed to go very well, the potential employers liked me, they were very nice and enthusiastic during follow-up calls, but then they never get back to me even when they said they would. I don't know why this is. I don't think I'm interviewing badly, because as I said they seem enthusiastic throughout the interview process, but then they suddenly lose interest. I'm afraid my previous employer may be badmouthing me, but I don't know that for sure, and I also feel like I don't have a good reply when potential employers ask why I'm no longer at the employer.

I was fired from there and told I was 'not a good fit' with no further elaboration. I was the youngest, newest employee at a place that has a reputation for a high turnover with their young employees. There were very few of us there, and my direct supervisor was constantly making mistakes and blaming them on me. I'm afraid she may still be doing this when potential employers call. (I don't have this place or her down as a reference, but they are on my resume because the experience I gained there is important). I don't know how to answer questions about this employer in an interview without badmouthing them, which I don't want to do.

Anyone have any advice? Thank you in advance.

I've checked all over Friskies and Purina's web sites and I can't seem to find this information. I've come across kcal for other Purina foods on Petsmart and Petco websites, but never Seafood Sensations, which is what my cat loves. She's overweight, so I want to figure out just how much she should be getting rather than cutting back essentially at random. I need this number to do so though. While I realise Hill's Science Diet would likely be a better choice to combat obesity, Hill's gives her terrible gas and I don't have a big enough place to live with it. Can anyone help me out?

I promised myself if I saw one more question asking 'Team Edward or Jacob' I would then ask this. You know, in the interest of not instead succumbing to murderous rage and trying to stab my neighbors to death with a pencil, as they would be extremely confused and likely not appreciate it.

So who wants to join Team Tayledras? The Tayledras are from Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar novels, for those of you who don't read decent literature. They are completely awesome and live in the kind of place I pictured when I thought of Heaven as a kid. Everyone should read the books. They actually deserve to be read.

Join the team, tell me your favourite Hawkbrother!

I'm torn between Darkwind and Firesong myself. And Vree. Vree is love. Actually, I thought Rris rocked too. And Aya. And Tyrsell. Snowfire was also pretty awesome. Screw it, I liked all of'em.

When all the other little girls wanted to be princesses, I wanted to be a Lost Boy. Princess never even crossed my mind.

(I am female, by the way).

Other things I wanted to be: A pirate, a Hawkbrother, Link from The Legend of Zelda, or a werewolf.

What is something ridiculous and/or impossible that you wanted to be when you grew up?

I've noticed this recently. More and more often, my classmates, coworkers and peers are impressed that I can spell things correctly.

This is a basic language skill. I learned it in the first grade. When did it become unusual? More importantly, WHY did it become unusual?

I see signs all too often that are misspelled. I see misspellings and grammatical errors in newspapers and published books. Once, I could put these down to typos. But when it's the same word consistently misspelled?

I've gotten praise because I understand basic spelling and grammar guidelines. This shouldn't be praiseworthy, it should be an everyday thing.

If you're someone who spells lyke dis, why do you do that?

If you're someone who doesn't, what do you think of it?

I've got a bit of an odd belief system. It's a mix of Wicca, Taoism, Native American spiritualism, earth worship, Zen Buddhism and the Bushido Code.

(I did say it was odd).

I'm not totally clear myself on how I came to these beliefs. I was raised in a family that let us study religions on our own when we were old enough to show an interest in it and then to find the one that we believed.

Please understand, although it's a difficult belief system to explain especially to someone who doesn't know me, I do believe in it with all my heart and soul. I would appreciate if no one takes this as an opportunity to turn me to a different path than the one I've chosen.

Now, my grandparents have only recently figured out that I'm not a Christian. They always knew I had some level of nature worship entwined with my beliefs but they've only recently learned what those beliefs are.

Not only were they upset, they don't want me to answer honestly when anyone asks my religion. They, and my mother, are all very insistent that in this society (I live in the northern US) I will be viewed as different and possibly dangerous and even feared for my beliefs. They've outright said people may think I worship Satan.

Do you think any of this is true?

All right, some background on this- I'm 21 and have never danced before except for a tiny bit of astonishingly bad ballet as a child, a bit of bar-dancing which hardly counts since I was the only person still sober at the time, and one impromptu Redneck Dance Contest on the roof of a station wagon where the entire point was to suck.

I'd really like to learn to dance, but I don't mean couple-dancing like at the school dances (I eventually started skipping those to go camping with the guys, that isn't my idea of dancing) or hip hop.

I mean dances like the tango, like round dances, or even something sexy like belly-dancing although I've got a heck of a lot of weight to lose before trying that one. I like dances with set steps.

I'm overweight but trying to lose it (and sort of succeeding), I'm overly busy now with school but should have some spare time and an income in a few months. I'll never have a lot of money to spare with the career path I've chosen since I wanted to do a job I love.

So, where and how can I learn to dance like this, without having much money to spare? I'll even settle for learning to tabledance, honestly.

This was written in the last few minutes, inspired mainly by a good day and partly by the song Lord of the Dance/Simple Gifts by Blackmore's Night.

I'd like some feedback, although it was written spur-of-the-moment and more because I felt like sharing some of my good mood than for any other reason.

Also: There's a bit of "(The) God(dess) is all around you" that went into this poem. I'm a Taoist, and my beliefs tend to out themselves in my writing to a certain extent.

I believe in laughter

I believe in light

I believe in sunshine

And in creatures in the night

I believe in springtime

I believe in love

I believe in holy trees

And laughter from above

There is beauty everywhere

If all you do is look

There is joy in a snowflake

There's worlds of wonder in a book

I believe in many things, and each of them is me

I believe in many people, and each of them is you

Everything I've said above

And all you've said below

It all has its own merit, and all of it is true

I've always wondered this and never gotten a coherent answer.

I am not remotely Christian. I'm Buddhist/Taoist/Wiccan, or close enough, and I have just as much faith in my beliefs as you do in yours. By my own beliefs denying my sexuality would be equivalent to a sin. It's what I was born with and by my lights something to celebrate.

No offense, but really, I don't care if the Bible says I should paint myself orange and dance naked on the rooftop at every full moon. I don't follow the Bible. I've gone to church a few times in my life, but usually I left when no one would ever answer my questions. Once I was asked to wait outside because I had dressed up and the nicest shirt I owned had dragon designs on it (I had NO idea before then that they were associated with Satan).

I did not understand and I'm not going to convert to your religion, any more than you are to mine, so please don't try that in the answer. Please don't quote the Bible at me either, as I've already said that I don't believe it.

I would really like an honest answer to this question.

I hate to ask this here, but at the same time it seems a good way to get an opinion on this.

Some background:

At the beginning of the book the two main characters are fleeing from a hostile tribe. They were handcuffed together as prisoners so they have to work together. There's a language barrier between them and the girl isn't sure of the guy's name, so she calls him Friend.

Friend then evolves into that character's nicknames.

My question is, would it be all right for his (nick)name to be Friend? Or does that seem lame? He has another name, it's just that none of the other characters really bother to use it even after they learn it.

Damn you and your automatic question marks, YA.

Sorry for asking an inane question like this, but I would really like an opinion that isn't from my best friend on this one and I'm not comfortable with putting this up on fictionpress since it's the prologue of something I'd like to get published one day. It's fantasy genre, and there's about a page and a half of character profiles and general background info to go along with this that I won't bore you with.

Story prologue:

I threw myself headlong into the nearest snowdrift as I heard the tribe go past our hiding spot. What had seemed a substantial hiding place by the light of the stars seemed pathetic in the dawn light. I heard a muffled grunt as my movement yanked my companion after me by the chain at our wrists, but he was thankfully wise enough to follow me further into the snowdrift and stay quiet. We huddled there as the still-falling snow swiftly covered the entrance and I repeatedly brushed away a small hole for better air flow. I didn’t realise I was shivering until the man I’d unthinkingly brought with me moved closer, said something cautiously in the musical Northern tongue, and wrapped his arm around me awkwardly. We were impeded by the language barrier as much as the chains but his intent wasn’t hard to discern.

We sat there shivering for probably much longer than was really necessary. Having actually escaped though, something that I gradually realised I hadn’t truly thought possible, I did not want to risk being recaptured. Bad enough we’d had to leave all those others as slaves. That grated against all that I believed in and I didn’t want to my imagine what Bolt would have to say of it. It would be nothing good; my little brother would never accept that there was nothing I could have done.

As we huddled in the excuse for shelter the block of snow provided I began to feel an ache in my wrist from the cold metal locked around it. Well, not so much ‘began to feel’ as ‘felt more acutely.’ It is, after all, kind of hard not to notice shackles when you’re trying to escape from a tribe of hostile strangers. The bite of iron made me shake with more than just the cold. There was still blood crusted onto the chains. I had killed a man. It could not even truly be called self-defense, since I’d snuck up on him while he slept.

It was a bonus for us that the guards out here had just as many faults as the ones back home. Show him for sleeping on watch.

Yeah, I held onto the hope that if I kept telling myself that often enough it would lessen the guilt.

I'm just curious. I like myths and superstitions and I have hazel eyes.

My mother's side of the family has a tradition that when the kids are mature enough, they research different religions at length and then choose to follow whichever one they find they believe in. This has culminated in a Catholic, a Buddhist, and one person of mixed beliefs in my parent's generation, and a Wiccan, an Atheist, and a Protestant in mine. My question is, does anyone else do this, or do you think it's a good idea?

Please don't preach at me, it won't change my beliefs. I just want honest answers to my actual question. I happen to think it's a great idea, but I'd love to know other people's opinions.

This was inspired by the Oprah question that's featured about how you would help a stranger if you had a thousand dollars to spend on them. Realistically, the vast majority of us don't have and likely will never have a thousand dollars to spend on a stranger, so my question is: What can you do right now, for free of for a small amount of money, to help someone else?

It can be something like shoveling a friend's driveway or clearing snow off a neighbor's car, or donating old blankets to a shelter, or calling someone you haven't talked to in a long time. It can be a stranger, but it doesn't have to be.

So, what would you do? And if you have the chance, go do it!

In my whole life I've never had a single nightmare. I was wondering if this meant anything, or if there is anyone else who doesn't have nightmares? I've always had a dreamcatcher in my bedroom- I don't know if that has anything to do with it.