What's on your mind?

I hate days that go by quickly and then the night drags on, like, is it time for bed yet? LOL!

Received my Bible journals today! I decided to start better organizing my notes because keeping everything in regular notebooks was becoming a challenge to keep orderly. I wanted to preserve my Bible's condition, you know... Not covering it in endless notes, highlighter marks, and pen? In my quest to find effective Bible study methods and note-taking approaches, I found that people have purchased Bible journals specifically for writing in. The one below is for the New Testament. The old testament one I've yet to open, but I wanted to see what they looked like. Nevertheless, they are beautiful!

I wanted the plain black journals due to their larger size and simpler appearance, they're more similar to notebooks in that regard. However, the black ones were roughly $100 more expensive and I couldn't justify spending more money on something which serves the same purpose. They are really lovely though! Super shiny! Additionally, I bought some leather Bible tabs to make it easier to navigate my Bible during study sessions, eliminating the need to open to a general area and then flipping through the pages one by one. Save a little time.

I want to just dive in right now, but it's really late and that's a bad idea because I won't sleep if I do. But along with these journals, I also purchased two small books. One provides guidance on how to study the Bible, which I believe will be beneficial. The other book breaks down the individual books of the Bible, offering concise summaries, authorship information, historical context, key verses, and sometimes intriguing facts about each book.

I'm interested in finding more books like these, but ones that explore various approaches to reading the Bible. I'd like to find at least one that helps me gain fresh perspectives on the texts. I remember someone telling me that sometimes the scripture is meant to be poetic but we fail to read it as such, however reading it as if it's poetry will help highlight things that may have been overlooked. I also find it amazing how everyone sort of interprets things differently and I'd love something that offers different perspectives so that I can continue to gather knowledge, cross reference between the different versions, to help better my understanding. Just something that gives you different ways to engage the Bible. If anyone knows of such books, please let me know! Either way, I'm looking forward to my Saturday study session!

GodDoesListen55 said:

I hate days that go by quickly and then the night drags on, like, is it time for bed yet? LOL!

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Hahaha! I understand what you mean in a way! Hopefully you'll be on your way to bed soon!

Just saw a video that said, "How tall was Jesus?" and I realized that I have no idea. Never crossed my mind! So I looked it up.

They believe he was 5'1"-5'5", because that was the average height of men during that time according to scientific data and archeologists. And as the Bible never said anything in regards to Jesus' height, it's assumed that he was of average height, as other figures in the Bible have been referenced as 'tall' or 'short'.

So... Curiosity quenched. Never even thought about it, but I did learn something I didn't know!

Tranquil Bondservant said:

I personally don't like sharing my testimony but seeing as both you and Dragonfox have requested it and it glorifies God to do so, I will. It's not going to be going into details because I don't like thinking about it and talking about myself isn't something I enjoy doing with folks I'm not close with, in public or on a public forum. Plus remembering the feelings I had isn't fun either. I'll give enough information though and it should be plenty to give a good outline. Also please forgive the serial use of brackets as it's hard to tell the story without annotations.

When I was a kid people tried to violently murder an immediate family member by stabbing them 16 times. This experience caused me to have debilitating PTSD for over a decade and caused 3 depressions (each lasting at least a year minimum) by the time I was 20 and one after then. After 3 and a half years one of the people who tried to murder my family member got out of Jail and it nearly broke me as a person worse than the actual event did. When I was 16 I came across Dawkins & Hitchens, apostatised and became an Atheist. At 24 The Lord brought me back to Himself and for another year and a half I still suffered from debilitating PTSD. Some time around when I was 25 and a half The Lord miraculously healed my debilitating anxiety that came with PTSD (anxiety causes depression too so that's healed also). I still have some behaviours that flow forth from the PTSD (the meticulous writing is just one) but they're likely habits from pretty much spending a decade constantly in fight or flight.

I'm essentially a different person now and I hate the black, hate filled, vengeful creature that I used to be. I unfortunately intimately understand the hate demons feel when they look at men and I understand the heinousness of sin and why that which does the opposite of God is heading for Gehenna. On the flip-side to that the absolute immense, immeasurable and unfathomable grace, mercy and love God has for His children and His gift of eternal life with Him forever blows me away.

I'm grateful for the peace I have every day in God and also for the ability to live, eat and breathe Him every single day. He is my entire life now and I don't want any other. He is my peace when I rest my head on my pillow at night and He is the reason I wake up every morning. I love Him so much.


"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." -2 Corinthians 12:9

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Bond, thanks for sharing & having the courage to share. You have a very special testimony. Maybe with prayer & God's work, it will become easier to share. I'm sure he can if you would like to. But no pressure. I'm excited God continues to dwell in you!

Plenipotent said:

Received my Bible journals today! I decided to start better organizing my notes because keeping everything in regular notebooks was becoming a challenge to keep orderly. I wanted to preserve my Bible's condition, you know... Not covering it in endless notes, highlighter marks, and pen? In my quest to find effective Bible study methods and note-taking approaches, I found that people have purchased Bible journals specifically for writing in. The one below is for the New Testament. The old testament one I've yet to open, but I wanted to see what they looked like. Nevertheless, they are beautiful!

I wanted the plain black journals due to their larger size and simpler appearance, they're more similar to notebooks in that regard. However, the black ones were roughly $100 more expensive and I couldn't justify spending more money on something which serves the same purpose. They are really lovely though! Super shiny! Additionally, I bought some leather Bible tabs to make it easier to navigate my Bible during study sessions, eliminating the need to open to a general area and then flipping through the pages one by one. Save a little time.

I want to just dive in right now, but it's really late and that's a bad idea because I won't sleep if I do. But along with these journals, I also purchased two small books. One provides guidance on how to study the Bible, which I believe will be beneficial. The other book breaks down the individual books of the Bible, offering concise summaries, authorship information, historical context, key verses, and sometimes intriguing facts about each book.

I'm interested in finding more books like these, but ones that explore various approaches to reading the Bible. I'd like to find at least one that helps me gain fresh perspectives on the texts. I remember someone telling me that sometimes the scripture is meant to be poetic but we fail to read it as such, however reading it as if it's poetry will help highlight things that may have been overlooked. I also find it amazing how everyone sort of interprets things differently and I'd love something that offers different perspectives so that I can continue to gather knowledge, cross reference between the different versions, to help better my understanding. Just something that gives you different ways to engage the Bible. If anyone knows of such books, please let me know! Either way, I'm looking forward to my Saturday study session!

View attachment 336587View attachment 336588View attachment 336589View attachment 336590

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Wow those are pretty!

You have such good ethic, desiring to study & learn! You are doing it right! What an investment!

Just a quick note: it can be dangerous going in with the attitude ‘it’s poetic’. Paul's letters are clearly instructions, for example. & just b/c something’s poetic, that doesn’t mean it’s metaphor either. But yes, lately I’ve been trying to view it as more poetic. It can help w/ memorization & gives beauty in the truth - it was written to attract!

I'm going to get a journal specifically designed for Bible notes next time I'm at the Christian bookstore by my house. I just use generic notebooks & want to move on from that. I'm also getting folders to organize note pages from church studies & to maybe eventually move the pages from the notebooks into.

... I have no idea why these didn't pop up for me yesterday. Sorry if this is out of order! I'm completely confused.

Tranquil Bondservant said:

I personally don't like sharing my testimony but seeing as both you and Dragonfox have requested it and it glorifies God to do so, I will. It's not going to be going into details because I don't like thinking about it and talking about myself isn't something I enjoy doing with folks I'm not close with, in public or on a public forum. Plus remembering the feelings I had isn't fun either. I'll give enough information though and it should be plenty to give a good outline. Also please forgive the serial use of brackets as it's hard to tell the story without annotations.

When I was a kid people tried to violently murder an immediate family member by stabbing them 16 times. This experience caused me to have debilitating PTSD for over a decade and caused 3 depressions (each lasting at least a year minimum) by the time I was 20 and one after then. After 3 and a half years one of the people who tried to murder my family member got out of Jail and it nearly broke me as a person worse than the actual event did. When I was 16 I came across Dawkins & Hitchens, apostatised and became an Atheist. At 24 The Lord brought me back to Himself and for another year and a half I still suffered from debilitating PTSD. Some time around when I was 25 and a half The Lord miraculously healed my debilitating anxiety that came with PTSD (anxiety causes depression too so that's healed also). I still have some behaviours that flow forth from the PTSD (the meticulous writing is just one) but they're likely habits from pretty much spending a decade constantly in fight or flight.

I'm essentially a different person now and I hate the black, hate filled, vengeful creature that I used to be. I unfortunately intimately understand the hate demons feel when they look at men and I understand the heinousness of sin and why that which does the opposite of God is heading for Gehenna. On the flip-side to that the absolute immense, immeasurable and unfathomable grace, mercy and love God has for His children and His gift of eternal life with Him forever blows me away.

I'm grateful for the peace I have every day in God and also for the ability to live, eat and breathe Him every single day. He is my entire life now and I don't want any other. He is my peace when I rest my head on my pillow at night and He is the reason I wake up every morning. I love Him so much.

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Thank you deeply for your openness. I truly empathize with your journey, and I'm genuinely thrilled for your transformation. Your account reflects a powerful testimony. I can sense, from your words, the depth of your past experiences and the incredible strength it took to endure the pain, fear, and anger of almost losing someone in that manner. Your journey of overcoming these challenges through your faith in God is truly remarkable.

I completely understand the sensitivity around sharing intimate details, but I believe your story is a beautiful and heartwarming testament to the immense power of God and the transformative influence of the Holy Spirit. Thank you sincerely for entrusting us with this.

Tranquil Bondservant said:

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." -2 Corinthians 12:9

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Amen!

DragonFox91 said:

By wanting to over-giving me stuff, I mean, I’m usually the recipient of gift-giving & people want to give me gifts & over-give me gifts. It’s selfish not to give, yes, but it can also be selfish to say no to people wanting to give you gifts, ‘I don’t want it’. No, I need to be joyful when they want to over-give me. Even if I don’t want it, don’t care for it, wish they wouldn’t. It’s like rejecting Jesus’s gift.
So I'm turned off by gift-gifving maybe b/c I need to work on grattitude for rec'ving gifts. As I've gotten better that, I need to work on surprise gift-gifting myself.

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I face a similar challenge, although I'm not sure if our situations are identical. Nonetheless, your perspective is quite intriguing and will certainly assist me in adjusting my mindset. Thank you for sharing!

peaceful-forest said:

I did not have a good day at work. Yesterday was bad too. I want to quit. I can't stand it where I work anymore. I don't know where I would go. Will you all pray for me?

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I'm so sorry to hear that peaceful! Keep your chin up, and I'll be praying for you! You can reach out to me just to vent if you want! I'm here for you!

I'm thinking about the significance of discipline in our connection with God. I've grappled with impatience throughout my entire life, and we live in a world where instant gratification is the norm. We crave quick and easy solutions, even when it comes to engaging with the Bible. We seek the SparkNotes version, the explanatory video, rather than immersing ourselves in the disciplined practice of reading God's Word. Reflecting on Genesis, I'm reminded of Adam and Eve's story. God created everything, and it was good, including the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This implies to me that the presence of the tree in the garden was a good thing, and the knowledge it offered was also good. However, God cautioned, "Don't eat from it or bad things will happen." Yet Eve was deceived by the serpent's promise of immediate knowledge. Could it be possible that, with patience, discipline, and trust in God, we might have eventually been allowed to partake from that tree? Maybe we weren't ready because we lacked the discipline to handle it.

However, what do we tend to do? We want immediate gratification. We make excuses, rationalize shortcuts, and convince ourselves that getting what we want now is superior then working hard for it. How often does this approach truly work in our lives? It's analogous to pursuing a hobby or learning an instrument. We can choose the arduous path of mastering it through daily practice, understanding its intricacies, and gradually improving our skills. Alternatively, we might opt to learn a single song and declare, "I know how to play this instrument," bypassing the fundamentals of tuning, reading music, or becoming proficient. Can we create our own music effortlessly and make necessary adjustments? Do we comprehend chords and notes? Can we play from sheet music? Can we repair our instrument if it breaks? Do we even truly desire to learn and possess that instrument? If so, why not commit to the process, despite its challenges? Yes, it's tough, but how much more would we appreciate the instrument and our music if we took the harder, disciplined path?

How many times in our lives have we taken shortcuts to attain something wonderful, fulfilling, and amazing? Did we truly cherish and utilize that shortcut-acquired thing wisely? Wouldn't we have appreciated it more if we had put in the effort to earn it? Wouldn't we have gained deeper knowledge if we had exercised discipline? How deeply do we treasure and value things that we got by finding a shortcut...?

Anyway, those are my thoughts for now. I'm going to take a walk with my friend. Blessings to you all!!!

Plenipotent said:

Thank you deeply for your openness. I truly empathize with your journey, and I'm genuinely thrilled for your transformation. Your account reflects a powerful testimony. I can sense, from your words, the depth of your past experiences and the incredible strength it took to endure the pain, fear, and anger of almost losing someone in that manner. Your journey of overcoming these challenges through your faith in God is truly remarkable.

I completely understand the sensitivity around sharing intimate details, but I believe your story is a beautiful and heartwarming testament to the immense power of God and the transformative influence of the Holy Spirit. Thank you sincerely for entrusting us with this.

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Thank you, I appreciate the compliments but all credit and glory should go to God. Any compliment you give me goes straight to Him because He is the One who not only saved me but has transformed and healed me. I was never incredibly strong and in fact the whole thing broke me for over a decade. I look back now and see God's hand over my life through people He brought into it and other circumstances so I can't even take credit for what little endurance I actually had (not that I would even want to ).

Tranquil Bondservant said:

Thank you, I appreciate the compliments but all credit and glory should go to God. Any compliment you give me goes straight to Him because He is the One who not only saved me but has transformed and healed me. I was never incredibly strong and in fact the whole thing broke me for over a decade. I look back now and see God's hand over my life through people He brought into it and other circumstances so I can't even take credit for what little endurance I actually had (not that I would even want to ).

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I'm grateful for your response... It truly sparked some introspection on how I receive compliments in my own life and how I can do so in a manner that brings glory to God. I appreciate that! Your response was useful.

Plenipotent said:

Could it be possible that, with patience, discipline, and trust in God, we might have eventually been allowed to partake from that tree? Maybe we weren't ready because we lacked the discipline to handle it.

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I've seen this line of thinking before and I can see why people extrapolate to it but having knowledge of evil means that you're no longer free to choose only good. In the new Heavens and new Earth because sin is removed/deleted and won't exist anymore, we will always choose options that are in line with God's will and because we're in Christ we will always desire to (kind of like how you always want to now, apart from the desires of the flesh). It's one of the reasons why I use the term "real choice" instead of "free will" because our will is always bound by the parameters of existence and sometimes circumstance (Edit: you're still responsible/culpable for your choice, the reasons for it and everything you did that lead to it). Evil is that which is opposite of God so even partaking of it would be wrong. It may have very well been called the knowledge of the tree of good and evil because it required disobedience and doing the opposite of God to eat from it.

The promise from the serpent was "you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gen 3:5). They were already like God, they were made in His image. The only way to eat from the tree was to have something in the Garden commit evil by deceiving or lying to them or by sole rebellion without any external factors. The serpent gave Eve the same reason to eat from the tree that he had for his own rebellion "you will be like God". So no matter which way you slice it I don't think we can ever say that Adam and Eve were able to eat from the tree. I'm not saying this to correct you or anything like that because on it's face it is something that seems like it's possible, I've even heard a pastor say it before, but when extrapolated more the opposite position has more weight imo.

Tranquil Bondservant said:

It may have very well been called the knowledge of the tree of good and evil because it required disobedience and doing the opposite of God to eat from it.

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Ooooh, that's an excellent observation. I should keep that in mind for future readings, allowing myself the opportunity to contemplate it more deeply.

Tranquil Bondservant said:

The promise from the serpent was "you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gen 3:5). They were already like God, they were made in His image. The only way to eat from the tree was to have something in the Garden commit evil by lying to them. The serpent gave Eve the same reason to eat from the tree that he had for his own rebellion "you will be like God". So no matter which way you slice it I don't think we can ever say that Adam and Eve were able to eat from the tree. I'm not saying this to correct you or anything like that because on it's face it is something that seems like it's possible, I've even heard a pastor say it before, but when extrapolated more the opposite position has more weight imo.

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No, this is incredibly beneficial. It broadens my thinking by incorporating aspects I haven't previously contemplated and offers me the chance to view things from alternative perspectives. It's somewhat akin to a scientific approach in my mind, The idea that when you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. That kind of reasoning can't occur if you're solely examining something from one angle. In my view, you need to explore it from various angles and assess how they all fit together cohesively. That's precisely why I'm interested in having a comprehensive book on this topic. Not specifically Genesis, but just all manner of viewpoints.

Plenipotent said:

No, this is incredibly beneficial. It broadens my thinking by incorporating aspects I haven't previously contemplated and offers me the chance to view things from alternative perspectives. It's somewhat akin to a scientific approach in my mind, The idea that when you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. That kind of reasoning can't occur if you're solely examining something from one angle. In my view, you need to explore it from various angles and assess how they all fit together cohesively. That's precisely why I'm interested in having a comprehensive book on this topic. Not specifically Genesis, but just all manner of viewpoints.

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Thank you for understanding. "Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17). The way iron sharpens iron is by clashing and engaging with each other. When it comes to Biblical topics unless it's egregious or we're specifically discussing something I don't like correcting or challenging people because sometimes depending on the disposition of the person it can feel embarrassing and actually be a stumbling block to them. Your point wasn't egregious and it was only a small part of the whole thing but you seem like somebody who would welcome it which is why I felt like I could .

Plenipotent said:

Ooooh, that's an excellent observation. I should keep that in mind for future readings, allowing myself the opportunity to contemplate it more deeply.

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Also thank you but it only came to me when I was responding to you. I had never thought about that before so thank both God and yourself .

Tranquil Bondservant said:

Thank you for understanding. "Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17). The way iron sharpens iron is by clashing and engaging with each other. When it comes to Biblical topics unless it's egregious or we're specifically discussing something I don't like correcting or challenging people because sometimes depending on the disposition of the person it can feel embarrassing and actually be a stumbling block to them. Your point wasn't egregious and it was only a small part of the whole thing but you seem like somebody who would welcome it which is why I felt like I could .

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Absolutely! I appreciate the different opinions and it's absolutely true, iron does sharpen iron. Gets my brain juices going.

Tranquil Bondservant said:

Also thank you but it only came to me when I was responding to you. I had never thought about that before so thank both God and yourself .

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Well even better than! We both got a nice take-away, so praise God!

---- I keep getting passed illegally. Today everyone in the car gave me the finger as they did it. I did nothing wrong. It's an ongoing issue. It makes me feel so upset - angry & sad. It makes me wonder are they like that to people they know? Could they be even worse than that to people they know? Is there something wrong going on in their life? It's usually teenagers.

---- My pet fish had babies! There are 6-7 of them. I bought a little thing to put them in in the tank for protection. They are so tiny! They look like a little hair each.

--- I had my first cavity after 31 years! They must've given me laughing gas, b/c I thought it was so funny the left side of my mouth felt like it wasn't there! You can't talk clearly!

DragonFox91 said:

---- I keep getting passed illegally. Today everyone in the car gave me the finger as they did it. I did nothing wrong. It's an ongoing issue. It makes me feel so upset - angry & sad. It makes me wonder are they like that to people they know? Could they be even worse than that to people they know? Is there something wrong going on in their life? It's usually teenagers.

---- My pet fish had babies! There are 6-7 of them. I bought a little thing to put them in in the tank for protection. They are so tiny! They look like a little hair each.

--- I had my first cavity after 31 years! They must've given me laughing gas, b/c I thought it was so funny the left side of my mouth felt like it wasn't there! You can't talk clearly!

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Sounds like a pretty eventful day you had, Sir Dragonfox.

And yeah, pay no mind to those who gave you a middle finger over how you behave on the road, especially if they were mere teenagers. You know how it is; teens for whatever reason feel that they absolutely must be cringey edgelord little punks today just as they were in the latter decades of the 20th century. And, just as some of us here unfortunately were - at least on occasion - in our own time as teenagers.

Plenipotent said:

Well even better than! We both got a nice take-away, so praise God!

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You seem like quite a lady, Miss Pleni.
^-^

DragonFox91 said:

---- I keep getting passed illegally. Today everyone in the car gave me the finger as they did it. I did nothing wrong. It's an ongoing issue. It makes me feel so upset - angry & sad. It makes me wonder are they like that to people they know? Could they be even worse than that to people they know? Is there something wrong going on in their life? It's usually teenagers.

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I'm genuinely sorry to hear about your experience. I hope you're doing well despite it all! Driving can indeed be a source of anxiety for many people. I think they forget that we're operating large, potentially dangerous machines, and mishandling them can have serious consequences. Often, it's a matter of perception and impatience rather than a personal attack on you.

I would offer that you don't take it too personally, even if you were doing something that others perceived as wrong. How people respond is a reflection of their own inner state. I recently watched a video about squeezing oranges, and the message was something like this: "When you squeeze an orange, what comes out? Orange juice. Why not apple juice? Because that's not what's inside of an orange. Similarly, when you 'squeeze' people, what comes out is whatever is inside them."

People may try to justify their actions by saying, "I reacted this way because that person did that!" or "They made me act that way!" But in reality, their reaction stems from their own inner state. So, when someone gives you the middle finger, it think it's more than likely that it has little to do with your actions, and it's more about them reacting to being squeezed. Whether you did the squeezing or not, what comes out of them isn't your doing. The reasons for their behaviors are probably very diverse, but it's highly improbable that you're the one who placed those emotions inside them, ya know?

DragonFox91 said:

---- My pet fish had babies! There are 6-7 of them. I bought a little thing to put them in in the tank for protection. They are so tiny! They look like a little hair each.

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Aww! That's so nice! Congrats on all the new fishes! Are you planning to name them when they start developing their own features?

DragonFox91 said:

--- I had my first cavity after 31 years! They must've given me laughing gas, b/c I thought it was so funny the left side of my mouth felt like it wasn't there! You can't talk clearly!

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Hahaha! I understand. It's super amusing when it feels like your face is drooping or swollen, but you can't really feel it. Trying to drink out of a straw and you're not sure if your mouth is actually closed or not. Sounds like it went well and you had a great time!

I think it's a good thing you left laughing. I'm certain dentists would much prefer you leaving laughing and in a good mood.

SarahsKnight said:

You seem like quite a lady, Miss Pleni.
^-^

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Well I am indeed a lady. A human lady. Absolutely no chance that I might secretly be an iguana who, through an elaborate and intricate scientific process, has somehow gained the ability to transform my advanced thoughts into text. Because that would just be utterly absurd and impossible..........

DragonFox91 said:

---- I keep getting passed illegally. Today everyone in the car gave me the finger as they did it. I did nothing wrong. It's an ongoing issue. It makes me feel so upset - angry & sad. It makes me wonder are they like that to people they know? Could they be even worse than that to people they know? Is there something wrong going on in their life? It's usually teenagers.

---- My pet fish had babies! There are 6-7 of them. I bought a little thing to put them in in the tank for protection. They are so tiny! They look like a little hair each.

--- I had my first cavity after 31 years! They must've given me laughing gas, b/c I thought it was so funny the left side of my mouth felt like it wasn't there! You can't talk clearly!

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They didn't give you laughing gas unless they put a nose piece on you. You have to breath in the gas to experience that sedation. But freezing does feel very weird haha. It's even more odd when the numbing starts to lessen and you can feel sensation returning. It's very tingly.