Kallisti Imani

Stay out of debt as much as possible. Learn to do without. Save for the things you want. You'll need to establish credit (which will help you to get an apartment) so get one major credit card and one major retailer card. Make sure that you have the money saved for whatever you are going to pay for with those cards. Now, here's the "tricky" part. Every 6 months or so, take 2-3 billing cycles to pay a larger purchase off. Pay more than the minimum but less than the full amount. Paying your cards off on time and in full each month sounds like the way to go, but it doesn't prove to creditors that you can manage your debt. Being able to pay off a larger purchase on a consistent basis will be what helps your credit score. (I've worked as a credit counselor). Learn to cook. Not just ramen and grilled cheese. Learn to cook a full meal (meat, veggie, starch & a dessert is nice... of course if you're a vegetarian, a meat substitute is fine). The point is, having the ability to cook a full, balanced meal will be a skill you'll use your whole life. Try new foods. If you don't like everything you try, that's ok. Always be willing to give something at least a little taste. Someone else mentioned keeping your living space tidy. Things don't have to be immaculate, but your life will be so much easier if you keep things reasonably tidy. You'll be able to find what you want when you want it, you won't waste money buying things that you already own and it's another skill that you will use your whole life. Bonus points if you clean the bathroom from time-to-time (If I ever meet someone who cleans the bathroom, they move to the top of my "marry this person" list... probably not important to you now, may become so in the future). Actually go to your college classes and learn something. Study. Volunteer. The more you can learn (in a broad sense) the better off and more versatile you'll be when it comes to a career. Wait until you finish college and have traveled to get married and have kids. Experience life and get to know yourself. It will make you a better partner. And if you decide to never get married or have kids, that's a perfectly valid choice, too. You'll make mistakes... try to learn from them and accept that it's the process we all go through...continuously. Oh... and always remember Wheaton's Law - "Don't be a dick"

Third week of 9th grade a senior I'd never spoken to or seen before cornered me in the library and told me she'd beat the shit out of me if I didn't bring her Doritos the next day (how's THAT for random?) I didn't bring the Doritos (I didn't have any money and honestly didn't think she was serious... like I said, I'd never seen her before) but sure enough, she beat me up. And thus started 2 years of brutal bullying. She and her friends would punch me when walking between classes. I got pushed down the stairs multiple times. Any time she saw me on the street walking or riding my bike she'd try to run over me. And I never knew WHY. My parents eventually went to the school to ask them to do something and were told "we're sorry... that student comes from a broken home and there's really nothing we can do". (This was a long time ago, so things are really different now, societally). I ended up going to boarding school shortly thereafter. (There's a really long story there... won't go into it) but, to this day, I have zero clue why this girl targeted me.

I'd choose invisibility. Preferably being able to be invisible whilst fully clothed. The ultimate package would be invisibility + teleportation....the possibilities are endless.

I'm this way, too. I have an odd sleep schedule and school was utter hell for me. I went to a boarding school for three years and had a teacher once want to meet at 7AM on a Saturday morning and I pretty much laughed in his face and he said "well, what are you going to do when you get a JOB that requires you to be in at 7AM?" and I told him I'd never even APPLY for a job that required that. Anyhow, now I work for myself and have managed to get on a sleep schedule that does not require 7AM but still allows me to interface with the "real world" a fair part of the day. And then I get all of my real work done between 11P~2A anyhow! I think we need to be MUCH more accommodating of people's natural sleep cycles. I think we would be far more productive if not forced to conform to a sleep cycle that doesn't work for us. And really, in the electronic world of today, how much REALLY needs to be done face-to-face? Retail, restaurants and those sorts of businesses, I suppose... but forcing people out of their natural sleep cycles just leads to people being tired at school and work and being tired = being less productive, so I have a really hard time seeing how that is possibly good for business.

I'd like to make physical appearance a non-issue. I went to a funeral once and the deceased was someone who worked in IT management. He was also a biker. The funeral brought in a couple HUNDRED people - everything from guys in full leathers to guys in three piece suits. And everyone there was kind and respectful of one another. The deceased parent's were AMAZED at how many lives he had touched. They had no idea how beloved and respected their son was and it was sortve sad that they had to find out at his funeral. I've met wonderful people who were covered in tattoos and had a f*ckton of piercings and I've met people who were "respectable" three piece suit wearing "high society" folks who were completely terrible human beings. So, I'd like to make it socially acceptable to look the way you want to look without it being used against you.

I had an occasion where I was without sleep about 60 hours, but normally 36 hours is the point at which I absolutely cannot keep my eyes open any more. As I get older, it's getting harder and harder to stay awake for long stretches... it's also getting more difficult to sleep for more than 4 hours at a time. Way more often than I'd like, I lie awake in bed knowing that I *should* be sleeping. I recently went on a trip where I traveled via Amtrak. I was up for about 20 hours, slept 2 right before I left and then really didn't sleep again for about 37 hours. Then I woke up where I was staying and had a little freak-out because I was still in that half-asleep state so I wasn't sure if I was dreaming and the place I was seemed vaguely familiar (my Mom's house, where I'd been once before). I am not at all a morning person, though, so I keep really weird hours if left to my own schedule.

Same here... it was quite a while ago, but I used to spend every Saturday for about 3 years playing RPG's (and socializing) with a group of people. I miss the friends, but was never too great at the RP part of things (and being about the only female in the group made it a little more awkward). This is probably going to sound weird, but on some of the tougher days at work over the years, I have made my day into an adventure game and given myself "points" for achievements (Called difficult customer and only got cussed at twice! + 10 points!) which helped make the day go faster.

Until I was in my mid-twenties, I did a lot of camping. My family went camping almost every summer and (because it was safe to, at the time), I used to sleep in a tent in the backyard ALL THE TIME when I was a kid. I haven't been camping for quite a while now and I don't know if I would do it again. But it's something I enjoyed once upon a time.

Hate is a strong word... so I don't really "hate" anything about myself, but I have things that I dislike: I have a really difficult time with relationships... this includes friendships, work relationships, romantic relationships. I've come to realize that the problem isn't with other people, it's definitely me. But I am not 100% sure what, exactly, it is that makes it so difficult. I suppose part of it is I am a very "all or nothing" sort of person. If I am 100% emotionally invested in someone, I will go to the ends of the Earth to make them happy... even if making them happy ends up making me miserable. I either absolutely love and adore someone or really couldn't care less about them and I think most people are much more "middle ground" in how they feel about people. I overthink and overanalyze things. It's not even a conscious thing and things I said or did YEARS ago still bother me. I also remember things said and done for, well, for a LONG time. I try really hard to "forgive and forget", but the reality is that I am likely going to remember an emotional situation for decades. I cry really, really easily. And it's not just when I'm sad. I cry in pretty much any emotionally intense situation (sad, angry, intensely happy). I know it has hurt me professionally, I know it drives people I am romantically involved with insane. I've spent a LOT of time trying to break myself of it and I'm better than I was when I was younger. I once asked a therapist if we could work on it and was told that it would "warp my personality very intensely" to do so and was advised against pursuing it. Sometimes I find myself wondering if the warped personality might have been preferable. I know that people think that I do it on purpose to get what I want or to be manipulative, but that's not true. 95% of the time, I don't WANT to cry when I do. And then I get so angry with myself about crying that I cry harder. *sigh And... I INTENSELY dislike being lied to. I know sometimes people think that a lie spares feelings, but when I find out later I was lied to, it makes the situation (to me) so much worse. And I know that the crying thing seems to cause people to lie to me because they don't want to deal with me being emotional about something. Sometimes I want to tell people "FFS, just say what you need to say, hurt my feelings and then we'll just move on". Finally, my upper arms...if I had the power to change one thing about my body, I think my upper arms would likely be the top of the list... or in a tie for the top of the list. I am constantly looking at all of the latest exercise trends for a way to tone my upper arms.

Liver, Liverwurst and the stuffing my parents made when I was growing up that had ground up giblets in it. NO THANK YOU! Please leave internal organs (Livers, Kidneys, Hearts, Gizzards, etc.) out of my food. My Mom LOVED to cook (and eat) Liver and Onions. Although my stepfather and I generally did not get along, if we knew she was making liver, we always found something that "oops, we forgot we had scheduled" and went out to dinner. It is one of the very few things I thank my stepfather for... I am also not fond of the tentacally parts of octopus/squid. Calamari rings = fine... but...No Tentacles, please.

When I was 4 or 5 I had pneumonia, had to go to the hospital and they tried over and over and over to draw blood and ever since then I am TERRIFIED of needles (for medical purposes). However... I have tattoos and although there was slight pain involved, I did not find tattoo needles as terrifying as blood draw needles. I would rather spend 8 hours being tattooed than 8 seconds having someone try to draw blood or give me any type of injection.

It's been an issue my entire life, as far back as I can remember. In Jr. High and High School, I used to swim competitively, would go to practice 5 days a week, 2 hours a day plus ride my bike the 10 miles to the pool and back and didn't lose weight in spite of all of the exercise. That being said, I have no health issues due to weight (Not diabetic, no high blood pressure, no heart issues) and it's not as if I am constantly eating or eating junk food. (I have people comment all the time on how little I eat). Doctor has investigated thyroid function but says I am not a candidate for thyroid meds, I simply (as the doc put it) "have the metabolism of a near-dead sloth". I was always "the fat kid", I was constantly put on diets as a kid, and as I mentioned, I used to do a bunch of exercise and none of it ever made a damn bit of difference. I have also been told I am a very poor candidate for weightloss surgery. I got bullied and beat up ALL THE TIME In school, I have been snickered at and called horrible names for as long as I can remember, my stepfather MERCILESSLY picked on me and the phrase I hate the most is "You could be so pretty if you were thin". That being said, I refuse to spend my life obsessing over it and feeling bad about it. Barring some major illness or very expensive, invasive surgical procedures which I have no desire to undergo, I am what I am and even if other people can't look past it, I am pretty at peace about it.

I have my license and I have access to my Special Somepony's vehicle but I've only ever owned my own car for two years of the MANY that I've been a licensed driver. Theoretically, I will some day inherit my mom's car, which is a Toyota Camry but, at the moment, I am doubting it'll ever happen. It's a really nice car, drives well (I've driven it) and currently has under 50,000 miles on it and has literally been driven only by a "little old lady" (my Mom, who is in her late 70's). I'd love to have my own car, I think it would make things much easier. But I can't afford it right now.

Feeling a bit down. Feeling very lonely. Wishing things were different right now. Happy for a picture I got sent to me today. Hoping for an email when I get up tomorrow.

I have trouble falling asleep. I just lay there in the darkness with all sorts of anxiety. I have trouble STAYING asleep. Something will wake me up (cat, noisy neighbor, full bladder) and then getting back to sleep is a crapshoot. Last night, went to bed before midnight and was up at... 2:40AM. WIDE AWAKE. (Following a nightmare) I went back and laid down about 4:30AM, finally drifted off around 6AM but that was short-lived. Drifted off again about 7AM. I am a nightowl by nature but get really tired of taking grief for it. If I stay up until I can't stay awake any longer and don't have an alarm set, I have the ability to sleep 14-16 hours. That happens once in a blue moon. Most of the time, I go to bed at 4-5AM and am up around 11AM. It's nowhere near enough sleep, but since I have to interact with clients during "business hours" I do what I have to do. This usually means that 6PM-8PM is absolute agony for me because I am SO tired but can't go to sleep. And guilt largely keeps me from getting enough sleep on weekends (if I am sleeping, I can't spend time with my special somepony... I am willing to sacrifice sleep to get to spend time with my sweetie).

Physical Abuse - Hit me once and I'm gone. Animal Abuse - Not even once. Cheating - If we have a monogamous relationship, then, no, you can't have a "side piece". When I find out (and I will), it's over. Drug use - If for no other reason that it's a waste of resources. Won't hold a job/won't work - Yeah, I was sole breadwinner for well over a decade... temporary out of work is different from not working, not looking, not trying. Unless, you are, you know, independently wealthy. If we live together and you won't help clean the place we live... we're gonna have words. Psychological/Emotional Abuse - I'm hard enough on myself. I don't need/want someone else running me down. Lies - I may be hurt by something you say/do... but if you lie about something and I find out, it's going to make the situation MUCH worse. Just be honest... I may shed a few tears, but I'll likely get over it & we'll move on. And, at this point in my life, if you have kids under 18 or want kids... that's a dealbreaker for me. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.

As someone else mentioned, I am a bit cautious about who I befriend online just because I don't want someone's parent assuming the worst. (Not looking to make "real life" connections, but... people get weird about that stuff). I do have a pretty broad spectrum of ages in folks I am friends with in my non-online life or places like Facebook where I am friends with the older teens of my friends. In my lifetime, I've been both the "baby" of my group of friends (the youngest) and the oldest of my group of friends.I think there is a lot to be learned from people both younger and older than myself. I think it can often be helpful for someone younger to have an older person who is not their parent/sibling to ask for advice. Your mileage, however, may vary.

I'll start by saying that I'm older... so... a lot that was "ok" when I was young would probably get parents in a heap of trouble in this day and age. Stepfather yelled... A LOT and for the least little things. I would have to wash dishes and he'd stand there and tell me they weren't clean enough and make me re-wash them for hours. And he filled the sink with water so hot it was just short of scalding. Also, I was really weak in math and would not only have to do the math homework I brought home but hour upon hour of math problems that my stepfather made for me (he was a math teacher by trade). Mother... on the rare occasion I did something to tick Mom off and Stepfather wasn't home, her weapon of choice was spanking with a wooden spoon. The last spanking I ever got I was 14 or 15 and she hit me so hard with it the wooden spoon BROKE. But both parents were more the type to inflict psychological damage...and, in retrospect, the spankings were nothing compared to the psychological stuff (because a sore behind heals... a scarred psyche may not).

I like to think that my story is a romantic story... Once upon a time (because that's how stories start), a woman logged into an online world. After a couple of months, she found that she kept running into someone in this world over and over so they struck up a conversation. This progressed to a friendship. And then to phone calls and emails. However, the man and the woman lived almost 2000 miles apart. Not much hope for a hot romance there. However, the woman then got an opportunity to travel to somewhere that was much closer (only a couple hundred miles) to the man and they made arrangements to meet. The weekend passed in a flash and they both returned to their respective homes...very reluctantly... pretty sure that they would never see each other again. They continued their phone chats, emails and online relationship. One day he was talking about how tired he was of his life where he lived and she (half-jokingly) said he should come live with her. A couple of weeks later, he packed all he could into his pickup truck and drove from where he lived to where she lived. 5 years later, they moved from somewhere cold and horrible to somewhere warmer. It's been almost ten years now...Can't say that things are "sunshine and lollipops" every day, but my biggest regret is that we didn't meet sooner. I wouldn't trade him for anyone. I love him with all of my heart (plus, he got me into ponies, so, YAY!) That's my romantic story... what's yours?

I voted "trust" but honestly, all of those qualities make for great friends. I like to be friends with people I can laugh with, for instance. There has to be understanding for the potential for a long-term friendship. But, I like to have AT LEAST one friend with whom I have a high level of trust. Someone I can talk to about things and be really, deeply honest. Loyalty ties into that... you don't want to discuss deep secrets/emotions with someone and then have them either walk away or spread your business out for the world to see.

I have worked for some real doozies in regards to bosses... Had one boss who would scream at me in her office for about an hour a day, every day. Most of the time not even work related. That went on for nearly a year. I needed the job. She eventually got let go (or quit, depends on the version of the story you believe) when she yelled at the Executive Director. Had another boss who would wait til 5 minutes til quitting time and then hand me 4-6 hours worth of work that needed to "be on his desk first thing in the morning". And he outright refused to pay overtime. (Illegal? Why yes... but he didn't care). The worst clients I've ever had to deal with were doctors who would repeatedly ask "Do you know who I am??" (and, most of the time, I hadn't a clue beyond the fact that they were a doctor, but in their minds they were "SOMEONE VERY IMPORTANT"). That's why I am working so hard to be my own boss now...so if my boss is an a*shole, it's my own fault!