Riven Liether

Yaoi-con is coming up in later October, so I don't have very long to prepare... Any ideas who I should cosplay as? My fiance will be going with me, and it would be cool if we could do something together. Female as well as male character suggestions are acceptable right now, so just toss out some ideas. (PLEASE, nothing from Naruto.)

My fiance has a tiny blue spot on his upper back, which we can only suppose is a birthmark. He's had it for years, at least as long as I've known him. He didn't know he had it until I pointed it out to him several years ago, simply because of its location.

It actually looks a LOT like the tattoo my mother got when she had sugury for breast cancer -- just a small blue dot, like an ink stain on his skin that has never washed off. But he says that he's never had sugury in the area.

I'm nearly positive that it's NOT a Mongolian blue spot; I've read that they are about 10 centimeters across, but this thing is tiny -- we're talking about a couple of millimeters across. And it doesn't seem to fall under any of the categories of birthmark listed in the Wikipedia entry on birthmarks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthmark).

Any other ideas what it might be?

I'm watching the infomercial right now. The entire King James version, both the Old and New Testament, fits on a two-disc DVD set.

One of the endorsements was made by a father who says -- and I quote:

"It was hard to keep the kids interested in Bible studies. But now, we all watch the Bible on DVD. It's not only brought us closer together, but it's definitely deepened our faith."

...O.o I'm sorry, but this is just pathetic.

Just for kicks, I recently put in a code that would allow me to fight any gym leader a second time so that I could get some extra experience.

Well, the code worked, but with an unfornatunate side-effect: Team Rocket is back at the Radio Tower and I can't rid of them. I tried talking to the leader in 5F Studio 1 (the one who, after you beat him, the Director comes in and gives you the Clear Bell), and all he says is "Object event." Any ideas on how to get rid of these guys? I idiotically saved, so I can't just turn the power off.

Real answers only, please.

I started taking rigorous walks since last week -- 2 to 3 miles a day. I either walk around the block about a dozen times or spend between 30 and 40 minutes on the treadmill at the gym. But since I started, I've had a dull ache in my lower back. It doesn't hurt when I exercise because I limber up quickly, but if I've been sitting down for a while and I get up, it hurt like hell.

I've tried reading the answers to similar questions on Y!A, but I don't use weights at the gym, so I don't think bad posture is the issue. Most of the time it's just irritating, dull ache, so I don't think there's some sort of serious problem here. But pain pills aren't working, and even 15 minutes in a massage chair--while blissful--did nothing to help.

I just assume that it's a result of working out after a long time of being a couch potato. My body isn't used to the activity yet. But do you have any ideas about what to do about it, or how long it will take for the pain to fade?

I once spent about five or ten minutes staring at my fiance, just admiring him, and when he caught doing it, he blew up at me. (We were in a public place, too.) I'm wondering if this is a typical reaction.

Share your story if you have ever reacted this way yourself, or caused someone else to do so.

Please answer with:

1. Your first Calvin & Hobbes book, and how you got it

2. Why you like Calvin & Hobbes

3. A favorite quote, strip, and/or saga, and why it has meaning to you

4. (Optional) How Calvin & Hobbes has influenced who you are today

Best answer will be rewarded 10 points! So, think hard!

...the really diehard Christians defending their faith tend to use all caps in every other word, especially on words such as GOD, LOVE, PERFECT, HOLY, FATHER, TRUTH, etc?

I find that incredibly interesting. Not all Christians do it, so don't think I'm hating. I'm an agnostic, anyway, not an athiest, since atheism still requires belief.

I've just been sorting through many of the answers to spiritual questions tonight, and it seems like they feel like they have to yell at the rest of us non-Christians to get their point across: that they believe (or

"KNOW") and that the rest of us are idiots for not believing, and deserve to burn in hell. It just seems like such an anti-Christian sentiment.

Thoughts?