Friendship is certainly the finest balm
for the pangs of disappointed love.

~Jane Austen”

I’ve been struggling to finish this post for a few days now. Last Friday, my PC went to the pasture, so we ordered a new one, but it’s not a high-end computer. It came with everything I needed, except good graphics. Intel HD Graphics 2000 sucks rocks….and then some. I don’t know why anyone would put it on computers today. It’s not even supported by Intel anymore. I don’t know what they were thinking when they began integrating graphics into the motherboard, but it barely runs a browser. Don’t even think about running a graphic intense program for very long. I’ve spent a lot of time frozen and unable to do much, but I have ordered a new GPU card so that will be fixed soon.

On another note, when you have no computer, you do a lot of reading. I was surfing on my Kindle the other day and found this article about the many different friendships that you can find in Jane Austen’s books. If you have not noticed already, I am a huge Jane Austen fan. I love all of her books (Have all but one book, I think) and have watched all of the adaptations. Her books are full of wisdom that was far beyond her times. My favorite is Pride and Prejudice, but it is closely followed by Emma. Emma covered a lot about friendships. She talked about what genuine friends versus fake friends are. There are the user types, the two-faced types, the keep your enemies’ close types, the real friend with bad advice types, the one who should “know better” types, and the improver types. To me, the worst is the improver types.

There is a character in Emma who is considered the “improver” friend. In the beginning, Emma was encouraging Mr. Philip Elton to court Harriet, but he wanted Emma. He mistook her attentions as encouragement and thought that she knew of his intentions. She did not. In the end, he married Augusta Elton, a loud, pretentious woman who had more opinions and voiced them than she did intelligence.

An improver friend like Mrs. Elton thinks that they know everything and all they know is nothing. Improver friends don’t listen to what you tell them since they assume they know already. They pretend that they care about you, but they don’t really. They will tell you what you need until you cave-in mixed in with passive-aggressive statements and what seems like “genuine” care of your feelings. This is the worst fake friend that exists, in my opinion. They don’t care about you, your opinion, or what you feel. They will push until you conform to their ideal of what is best for you. Or they drop you.

One of the worst things to do with me is to pretend you care while pushing your opinion of what I “need to do” on me. Don’t tell me what I need. I’ll figure out what I need and tell you. Don’t assume you know what’s best for me. I’m 45 years old. I’ve been through a world of hurt and have a hard past, but I still need to make my own decisions on what I need, not what someone thinks I need. The saying “assumptions make an ass out of you and me” applies here. The more you assume, the more pissed off I become, and the more I fight against it. Assuming you know my needs doesn’t make you a friend. No, that just makes you some asshole with a god-complex and a narcissistic opinion pusher with fake intentions and a whole lot of opinions.

I love Jane Austen. Her books are full of love, life, search for happiness, and some heartbreak. She covers issues that women faced most, and her wisdom was beyond her times. Jane Austen covers a lot of these tropes in her books. In Emma, it was Mrs. Elton. In Pride and Prejudice, it was Miss Bingley. In P&P, Miss Bingley was the nice to your face, kind of friend who only wanted to be friends with someone if she could get something out of it. She was transparent in her condescension and disdain for Elizabeth Bennet. She was willing to use anyone for her gain and didn’t care who she stepped on in the process. Her characters were all rich and had a depth to them that they are popular even today. Her plots were at times cliché, and some of her characters were extreme, but I still love them all. Even the characters who are hated. My favorite is Pride and Prejudice. My second favorite Austen book is Emma.

There are a lot of lessons to learn in Jane Austen’s books, Adventurites. What is your favorite? Share in the comments if you like Jane Austen. Which book is your favorite and why? Until next time. Have a good day, Adventurites! Laters! ~LA

Friendship Lessons Credits:

Head: LeLUTKA Bento Head – Lilly.2.5

Body: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V5.3

Skin: Amara Beauty – Kenna fair – BR BROWS

Eyes: Avi-Glam – Striking Eyes – Lelutka Applier – 12 RARE

Hair: TRUTH HAIR – Unravel

Glasses: DAZED – Niji Glasses

Top: MOoH! Violet top bold

50% discount which is just 99L. Feb 19 – March 4 in the main store

Shorts: Tres Blah – Marlow Denim Shorts (Maitreya) – Dark

Pose: [ west end ] Bento Poses – Hey Baby Hey – P02 – Lara Users – Dubai Event Feb 2021

No matter how long the winter, Spring is sure to follow ~ Charles Dickens

Good morning, Adventurites…I’ve been sitting on this for a few days now. Yesterday I just didn’t really want to write. This Spring is bittersweet. Usually when we say “Hello, Spring” it is with great cheer and relief that the winter is over. It amazes me that this time last year we were all starting to discover the details of the pandemic and throughout this last year we have all lost so much… friends, family, coworkers…. Doctors, nurses… people we never thought we would lose in such a short time period. 500,000 + deaths for the U.S. alone. That’s more than all of the losses the U.S. experienced during World War II. It saddens me. Especially since a few of those numbers touched me so close to “home.” They say we have two types of families. Those we are born with and those that we make. My made family has been devastated in the last few months. We’ll never be the same again.

On an upside, if that is possible, I wanted to share something uplifting and positive to help bring my spirits up a bit. And maybe it’ll help you too if you are feeling like I am. Here are some things that a few friends in the UFS group did that I am proud to share here.

One is a video about United Federation Starfleet. It is very well made and as a UFS member I am very proud to share it here on my blog. The video is by John Williamson, one of our members. This is what UFS is about and this is why I have been a member since 2011.

Another member, Heather, has written an article on startrek.com about her life being neurodivergent. She is one of our longest running members and we are all very proud of her for writing this. I wanted to share these this morning with you because I think they are awesome and positivity at the moment is a necessity.

Have a good day, Adventurites! I’ll write more later. Laters! ~LA

Hello, Spring Credits

Apple Fall

Apple Fall Bohemian Coffee Press
Apple Fall Milking Stool
Apple Fall Rustic Cart Coffee Table
Apple Fall Star Light – Leaning

Dust Bunny  Special Occasions Knitting Kit – brown

The Green Door

Aurora Hammock Bed Springfresh – TLC Event Feb 2021
Stafford Patio Loveseat-Birch-Pink-PG

Half-Deer

First Class Kitty – Shopaholics – Snow RARE
Metal Leaf Vines – Green – Vertical

JIAN

Kitten Collection :: Static (Snuggle Pile)
Kitten Collection :: Static (Sleepy 2)

Keke – Windflower Ground Cover

The Little Branch

LB_AppleTree.v2{4Seasons}*Animated
LB_BirdFlower{With Flowers Menu}
LB_BlackOakTree{Animated}4Seasons
LB_ElmShrub.v2{Animated}4Seasons
LB_Hill-v1{Low Li}
SouthernMagnoliaShrub{Animated}*4Seasons\

LOVE

LOVE – MIXED WILDFLOWERS – 15
LOVE – MIXED WILDFLOWERS – 16

Moss & Mink

{moss&mink} Notebook & Pens (Neutral)
{moss&mink} Planner (Neutral)
{moss&mink} Postits & Highlighters (Neutral)

Nutmeg

Nutmeg. Autumn Garden Bicycle (Rust) / Gift
Nutmeg. Getaway Frames w/Shadow Gift
Nutmeg. Getaway Ladder w/Shadow Gift
1. Nutmeg. Painter’s Attic Easel w/Canvas RARE
1. Nutmeg. Painter’s Attic Stool Adult RARE
9. Nutmeg. Painter’s Attic Canvas Set / 2
11. Nutmeg. Painter’s Attic Canvas Stack

ReKa. Wooden Chair Decor

Simple Reflections – Glass Vase of Peonies-White

Vespertine  – skipping wonderland stones/straight

What Next

Chimenea – Iron
‘Hello Spring’ Wreath Framed

I know I have a lot to do,
So many things — see them through.
There are clothes to clean, grass to mow,
Cookies to bake, seeds to sow.
But I really can’t do all these things in a snap.

Because you see, there’s a cat in my lap.

He stretches and rolls and gives me a wink
From his sleepy gold eyes — just a small blink.

I smooth his long tail and tickle his tummy.
He yawns and purrs to tell me that’s yummy.
The telephone rings. The paperboy taps.
No move do I make. There’s a cat in my lap.

Bright sunlight dances across the floor
To warm my small friend just a bit more.
A happy prisoner am I in my chair —
Some moments of peace — not a care.
I think I’ll take a little nap.
With this soft, furry ball, a cat in my lap!

By Karen Boxell

Catnapping Afternoon Credits:

 

What I’m Wearing:

 

Body: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V5.3

Head: LeLUTKA Bento Head – Lilly.2.5

Skin: Amara Beauty – Kenna fair – BR BROWS
Nails: Go Frock Yourself – Victorian Roses Nail Appliers

Hair: TRUTH Hair – Kitten

Ear Piercings: Yummy Accessories Curated Butterfly Earrings

Face Piercings: Kunst – Flower piercing

Bracelet: AvaWay – LETTER Bracelets & Rings Set Maitreya RIGHT Letter A-N

Pajamas: Neve by ColdLogic – sleepover
Pose: [ west end ] Bento Poses – Nap Time – Pose Set – Cosmopolitan (Feb 2021)

 

Decor and Landscaping:

 

 

I’m not going to write much today. I have too much in my mind to pull out any one particular thought at the moment. So I’ll leave you with this sweet valentine. The shoes and stockings are from Eudora3D available at the FaMESHedX event inworld. The nails are from Go Frock Yourself… see the linked...

Cute Teddy Valentine featuring products from Digital Farm Systems, Eudora3D, Simple Reflections, MOoH!, and The Little Branch... See Blog for details.