lol.

just kidding. i’m fine with it, if im there. if im not, im kinda bothered. letting anyone touch them is crossing the line.

Not all of Mardi Gras in New Orleans is the giant street party you see on the news every year. That happens, but it is restricted to the French Quarter and mostly to about 7 blocks of Bourbon Street.

Mardi Gras is a family holiday for those of us who live here. We go to King Cake parties, balls/dances, and take our kids to watch the parades + catch beads.

If she is with her family she will have more of a local-type Mardi Gras than what you are concerned about.

Go to www.mardigras.com for more info on Carnival in New Orleans.

That said, there are some krewes that have large parties after their parades instead of balls. I believe that some of these are by ticket these days, but I don’t know which ones. For more information, go to http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/.

You don’t say where you live, but most balls are the night of the krewe’s parade. If you are coming to New Orleans only for the weekend through Mardi Gras Day, you are limited in what you will be in town for. Check out the websites.

Here are two sites to check out: Endymion Extravaganza http://www.endymion.org/ExtravaganzaTickets/tabid/60/Default.aspx, Pygmalion Fest http://kreweofpygmalion.org/default.aspx,

Islands can be beautiful and fun too, if you like the sea. For example, Samui, Phuket, Samed, PP, etc..

Some amazing seafood as well

Bah, there are far too many places to visit in Europe that are worth the time, effort, and money that I could recommend. Just don’t try to fit too much into too little time. If you can only go for a week, don’t go to more than 2 cities. In two weeks, 4 cities is the max. There’s just too much to enjoy in each city to justify staying for only a couple of days. Even smaller towns, like Trier in Germany, have had me going back 3-4 times to enjoy them some more.

Really, though, just pick a couple of cities and enjoy the culture and beauty you’ll be basking in.

Basically it boils down to how much time you have. I would suggest taking at least 5 days for every city.

http://www.killington.com/winter/index.html

Windsor offers plenty of shopping opportunities where you can find great deals, and products which may not be offered in the U.S. Although the city and surrounding towns in the county have numerous specialty shops and stores, there are two major shopping centres: Devonshire Mall and Windsor Crossings. The latter is considered to be “outlet”-type shopping, and features name-brand stores such as Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss, etc.

The casino offers world-class entertainers, and depending on when you plan on coming to Windsor, you may be interested in what Caesar’s Windsor has to offer. Although you have to be 19 and over to enter the gaming floor and the majority of the restaurants, the “Colosseum” (where shows are held), and a restaurant as well as hotel is available for families of all ages. The city also has an art gallery, and many of the bars/pubs feature very talented local artists. Windsor has plenty of restaurants to please the pickiest of eaters, so finding affordable food at a great price won’t be difficult.

Anyways, there’s plenty to do in Windsor beyond the obvious…enjoy your stay!

First of all, let me just say that I understand completely where you’re coming from, and have often felt the same way myself. So to answer your first question, I’d say yes, it is absolutely normal to feel the way you do (not fun, but normal). I think the problem is that we mostly see two types of people in our youth society. One type of person is the uber-social, completely friend-oriented type who never has trouble finding friends or boyfriends. Then we see the other type, the kid with no friends and no prospects, basically, who spend all day in the corner pulling out their hair. There isn’t a lot of room for the person in the middle, so for you and I, it’s more difficult to feel like we are “normal”.

The first thing I can tell you is that being cautious is not a bad thing, to an extent. You have the right to feel completely comfortable, confident, and safe in your relationships, romantic or otherwise. You also have the right to experience relationships, though, and sometimes caution can be crippling.

To answer your second question, you will develop your own coping mechanisms over time. Let me tell you a little bit about mine, and perhaps you can apply them to your situation. I have a lot of bad history, and while I’m blessed with a few incredible friends, I’ve always struggled in romantic relationships and have yet to be in one. My problem is that I get physically ill when feeling uncomfortable, so I’ve literally had to leave the table the few times I’ve dated to calm myself down. But this is necessary and helpful; when you feel yourself start to get anxious, excuse yourself. Bathroom stalls and I have a very close relationship. Excuse yourself to one and just sit there for as long as you need. Breathe deeply through your nose, and out through your mouth. Picture a place, preferably in nature, where you feel completely safe and at peace, and focus on that for a while whilst you breathe. Once you’ve calmed down, have a little conversation with yourself. Ask yourself what it is that’s scaring you at the current moment. Think about it a little, and once you know, ask yourself what would make you feel completely comfortable again. Would blowing off the date and going home make you feel comfortable? Then think about that, and tell yourself, “You can leave whenever you want. You have control here.” Generally I’ve found that just reminding myself that I can do what I need to do makes for an easier environment, and I have yet to actually need to go home. Once you feel calmer, return to the date, and I guarantee you’ll feel better from that point on.

You know what’s best for you, so follow your instincts when it comes to whether or not to go with your family. Yes, Africa would be an incredible experience. But it sounds like you’ve had several other incredible experiences, and maybe what you need most is a little stability. Moving around your whole life is hard, no doubt about it, so perhaps staying where you are and establishing some solid relationships would be just what the doctor ordered. You might also consider doing a little soul searching – some solo traveling or returning to a place you once lived where you feel you have strong roots. And remember, with all the methods of communication we have these days, don’t feel like you can’t develop close relationships because you’re afraid of leaving them behind. The strongest bonds are never broken.

I know this sounds cliche, but you’ll grow into yourself and your comfort zone. As time goes by, you’ll meet people who you can just open up to, and I understand that can be hard. There’s a lot of pressure to date, have a boyfriend, have a perfect relationship, but you’re young and smart and ambitious, and no one said you had to fall in love just yet. Cut yourself some slack, and things fall into place. Promise.

- Be well

I read the question too fast. I thought you said the user Sydney was gay/lesbian. lmao whoops.

Australia is an ENGLISH colony, NOT french.

I would think you’d up all over attacking it

who dat!

There’s your answer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardis_Gras

“The protagonist in this story is Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parks or as called by the older kids ‘Mercury’ because of how fast she can run. She also has the nickname “Squeaky” whose voice earned her that nickname. ”
~These sentences are complete sentences, yes, but don’t you think the first one is a bit flat?
The “or as called” part doesn’t seem to flow just right. I think you can fix it by keeping the first part and then merging it with the sentence about her being called Squeaky.
–Example: The protagonist in this story is Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parks, who is also known as “Mercury,” because she’s a very fast runner, and “Squeaky,” because of her high-pitched tone.

“Running is Hazel’s life, its all she can ever think about.”
~Alright, “its” needs an apostrophe and there should be a semicolon after life.
In the sentence right after this one, “bold” should be changed to “boldness in Hazel.”

“This quote shows the confidence in Hazel, but when Hazel says this anger rises in Gretchen and she starts to head to Hazels older brother Raymond who is mentally retarted.”
~You need to have a comma after the second “this.” Instead of saying “starts to head,” just go with “heads.” “Raymond” should have a comma before and after and “brother” should have one after. “Retarted” should be “retarded.

“The climax of the story is when the race is in progress. When the racers are neck in neck their feet pounding on the ground each step getting closer and closer to the finish line.”
~Combine these two sentences with a comma. And then, after “neck-in-neck,” put a comma and then another after “ground.”

Alright, there are a few more places that need some work…
-After “upset,” there needs to be a semicolon.
-You use the word “bold” quite a bit. Maybe you could look into some synonyms for it.
-After “Bambara”, there should be a comma, and the same after “author.”
-No comma is needed after “short story.”

Wow, you are good and copying and pasting.

Hope this helps!

I’d also get some black cloth to drape over the black ones, you can get pretty inexpensive fabric at WalMart. That way you don’t have to worry about smudges and dust. Don’t know if this would affect how your articles are displayed or not, but you wouldn’t deal with the dust/smudge issues. Good luck

Just what is it you think the government is doing to be “in alliance with the oil companies” on this? Do you want the government to slap on price controls? Were you driving in the 70′s, when people lined up for gas for hours, and you had a hard time getting gas at all for awhile, and wondered if you’d even be able to get to work where public transportation wasn’t available? Or are you too young to remember that?

I have a hard time blaming the oil companies when I see all the SUV’s and large pickup trucks driving around, and I don’t feel too sorry for the person who says they spent over $ 75 filling up their tank – my Honda’s tank, dead empty, doesn’t approach that, and I can probably drive farther than the SUV on a full tank.

Good grief, don’t you conspiracy theorists ever get tired?

(Geez, I guess my chance for best answer on this one isn’t real good…oh well, not my goal).

Let us all stop driving for a while and you will see REAL problems for the oil companies.

Never mind the taxes, the prices, etc.

Stop buying gasoline and do without.

You will see a definite improvement on all levels with the oil companies.

Yes, you are just ONE person, but all of us together can change it.

( If we really want to change it )

He’s doing everything with it, except motivate job creation in America. The one thing everyone wants him focused on.

just… chill

He should get the sentence the crime warrants.

EDIT:
Since you only post rhetorical questions with body text containing cut-and-pasted articles and links (in clear violation of the Y!A TOU), nope, I don’t particularly care to read your rants. I mistakenly thought this was a legitimate question, not a self-serving PR posting.
You’re Mr. For Kids’ Sake, why don’t YOU know “who is looking into similar cases”?

Oh, yeah, people I have spoken to do care. There are a lot of good people out there just like you.

Have a nice day.

“So to help other children in the future, I’ve put together a list of things Elizabeth could have done to escape her captors:

1. Walked away.
It turns out that Elizabeth was held at knife-point and was as close as 10 minutes away from her home at times throughout her 9-month ordeal. Here’s an idea: walk home. Or if you’re a gimp, change “walk” to “hobble” and the same rules apply.

2. Don’t use wigs, sunglasses, and phony accents.
If you’re trying to break free, cut the bullshit and remove the disguise when you’re in public. If your captor walks away from you at a party and starts drinking beer, it’s a pretty safe bet he’s not a prophet. What are you clinging onto?

3. Don’t hang out at parties.
It kind of blows the credibility of the whole kidnapping story if you’re seen at a party. Next thing you know you have to make up some crazy shit about being brainwashed.

4. Anything.
Almost a year before Elizabeth Smart was found, there was a 7 year old girl named Erica Pratt who was kidnapped, bound with duct tape around her arms, legs and eyes, and left in the basement of a building:

Did she lie back and take it? Hell no. She broke a window, gnawed through her duct tape, and escaped. She was back home the next day before her parents could enjoy the solitude of having one less kid around, and she’s only 7 years old.

So keep these pointers in mind if you’re ever kidnapped and you’ll turn up at a party somewhere. Or a glove compartment.”

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=elizabeth_smart

There is really nothing else you can do except tell her the truth. Maybe she just doesnt get it. maybe she’s just expressing her anger towards you for her own insecurities and issues. Maybe she has her own issues with food? Maybe she’s anorexic herself and hoping you are so she can have someone to latch on to? I m just throwing out suggestions!!

If you are seriously concerned, please speak with somone in your life, clergy, school counselor, another friend, etc. You ar enot alone and you should not be harassed or intimidated.
I hope it works out!
Best of luck,
Amy Chairperson of local celiac support group

Also, consider gender. I’m not sure if obese girls are bullied any more or less than obese guys but anorexic guys (they do exist) are easily the most alienated of the bunch. No one can really understand why a guy would be anorexic because it goes against everything society tells us we should be. Obesity, on the other hand, is at least understandable considering we all have the motivation to eat, so it would make sense that obese girls get bullied less than anorexic guys.

Whew. You tapped a vein here, haha.