What Do You Need?

[ratherastory]

This is a non-fandom post. I stole it from a friend of mine in a different place, because I think this is where the power of fandom can be harnessed for good. I've been feeling a little out of place and useless in the world lately, and this seems like a good way to get rid of that feeling.

Feel free to link this around, too, if you'd like. The more people see this, the more likely everyone will have a chance at getting what they need.

ETA: You don't have to be my LJ friend to participate. In fact, I highly encourage you to participate no matter what! Go ahead and ask for something. You never know what people might be able to provide.



<center><a href="http://ratherastory.livejournal.com/229333.html"><img src="http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss325/Mousme79/Sea_otters_holding_hands-1-1.jpg"></a></center>

What do you need? (Copied from a DW friend, so not in American, but you can Google translate. I like how it reads.)

(We can solve our own problems and help each other. Here's a spot to do so. Leaving it open...Non friends comments screened by default but I'll release them as soon as I see them.)

What do you need? Not what do you want? A million pounds, a fairy godmother, a nicer car.

But what do you need? A friend in Spain. Or Norfolk. A car that works, to get your kids to school. An old and unloved mp3 player that has been chewed by a cat but still works. A loan of fifty quid, for a week. Someone to trade emails with. People to visit your online shop. A hand-made card to make you feel loved. More friends on your journal. A copy of the Oxford English Dictionary, not too old. Advice on doing your own taxes. A loving but firm kick up the bum to get on with that project. Someone to talk lampwork / knitting / martial arts with. Clients to photograph in return for train fare or lunch. Help with your vet or medical bills, a dollar at a time. A used wheelchair. An unwanted bookcase. Reviews on Amazon. A cat-sitter. Reassurance because you're getting married / having a baby / getting your first job / struggling in college and need a pep-talk.

Sound off. Send people here.

ALSO? GO AHEAD AND FRIEND SOME FOLKS. Might as well frenzy a little bit too. Pleased to meet you.

Comments

[mymuseandi.livejournal.com]

Brilliant. I can give you a hug if you need one. *BIG HUG*

Or a smile :)))

Or just a Hi. Hi

I'm doing them all in reverse order LOL

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

You're awesome. :D

[imaginarycircus.livejournal.com]

I need it to be April 24th already. *tears hair*

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

*pets*

What's April 24th? Is there anything you need that could make your life easier between then and now?

[jennytork.livejournal.com]

Someone to hold me accountable for 3 things:

1) Story progress
2) Housework projects
3) Prayer and Bible study

[greeneyes-fan.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. I might be able to manage that if we make it a two-way street. For most of the next 4 months, I will have lots of work and personal projects and no structure. PM me if you want to set it up.

[faithinfaith.livejournal.com]

Maybe you and I could do some praying or bible study together? It would be nice to have someone to discuss things like that with. I'm a protestant, but I do not care what you are :)

[fearsclave.livejournal.com]

Healing vibes for a strained calf muscle. It is not responding to threats of Viking acupuncture.

[primrose-1.livejournal.com]

*vibe* *vibe* *vibe* I hope you feel better soon! I'm trying to get a shoulder muscle healed up myself!

[chloe-amethyst.livejournal.com]

Hugs to you for feeling out of sorts! I hope it gets better.

I'm looking for good mojo to recover from outpatient surgery today. It's painful, and being completely alone through the next 6 weeks of recovery kind of sucks.

[sandycub.livejournal.com]

I am sending you lots of mono for your pain and my hopes you feel better soon!!
I'm sorry that you are going through something like a medical situation on your own! Feel free to PM me if you need to talk, vent or anything else!

HUGS!!

[greeneyes-fan.livejournal.com]

Hang in there. Surgery is evil, but it gets better, and online fandom helps a lot.

[primrose-1.livejournal.com]

You had surgery today, and you're alone recovering for six weeks?!? Oh sweetie, you hang in there, and recover fast!

[taste-is-sweet.livejournal.com]

You can message me, too! :)

Good luck! Please take care of yourself!

[faithinfaith.livejournal.com]

I'll send you all the mojo I can muster and some prayers too. :hug:

[disneymagics.livejournal.com]

I need help researching homeless unaccompanied teenagers (kids who have left home due to abuse or have been kicked out of their homes for whatever reason) in suburban America for an original novel I want to write. I have statistics and some information on what happens to these kids, but what I really need are case studies about actual children living on their own and trying to stay in school. The research I've done so far indicates that CPS will not do anythig for these kids if they are at least 13 years old and there is no sexual abuse. Many suburban communities do not have any resources to help homeless unaccompanied minors, so even though the teachers and social service providers know the kids are out there, they can do nothing to help them. I'd love to talk to social workers who have experience with these kids.

[gestaltrose.livejournal.com]

I am a fairly dedicated researcher. My email is gestaltrose@gmail.com. I am not a social worker, my brother works for the social system in Oregon I can ask him if he has any knowledge of it. I would think it changes from state to state. Is there any state of states that you have in mind?

[primrose-1.livejournal.com]

I work with Youth in Custody at a high school in our area. All of our students are wards of the state, and are either in foster care or group homes. These kids have case workers working with them, trackers working with them, and so forth. IF the state has found out that they are alone, they will be taken into custody and put in a foster home or group home system. Some of the kids that I work with are eighteen and about to graduate in a couple of months. They are technically aged out of the system, and it's the teacher for YIC that assigns "packets" of work for them that include getting bank accounts, finding an apartment, making menus for cooking on your own, and so forth. She's frequently the only one looking after these guys who literally have no one. I'm new on the job, and still learning the system, but if you have more questions, feel free to send me a message!

[blackrabbit42.livejournal.com]

I need someone with a little bit of legal expertise in the publishing world to tell me what to do.

I wrote three chapters for a textbook that was published in 2009 and I've never been paid. Looking through my papers, I can find something that I signed that says what I agreed to do, but I have the sinking feeling that I never signed anything that discussed how much I would be paid, that part was all verbal.

I just need to know whether it's a lost cause, or if not, what my first steps should be.

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Gah, that's frustrating. I had a similar problem with some translation work, back in the day.

Can you specify what country you're in, so people will be better able to help you? Legal systems and intellectual property laws will vary considerably from country to country.

[elliemurasaki.livejournal.com]

I need SnapPlayer to work on this fucking computer. SnapPlayer, if you're lucky enough not to be taking the Microsoft Word course I am failing, is the program wherein the quizzes and tests for said course are administrated. Every single time I open a quiz or test, one of two things happens: I get an error message saying an error has occurred (and it's exactly that specific, too) and this will not count as an attempt at taking the test (but it does count), or the program simply closes itself down, no error message, nothing. Tech support is mystified.

In related news, I need a new computer. (And if SnapPlayer fails to cooperate with the new computer, I'ma be pissed.) I've got three possibilities in mind. (1) manufacturer-assembled, (2) Dad-and-me-assembled from a barebones kit, (3) Dad-and-me-assembled from buying the pieces-parts individually. I need advice on which is the best course of action, given that 'minimizing expenditures' and 'not fucking up my new computer' are both top priority. I'm looking at an i5 processor, 8GB RAM, 1TB hard drive, Windows 7 possibly dual-boot with Linux Mint or whatever the latest Ubuntu is, and a Blu-ray drive; okay, the Blu-ray drive is a want, and not an urgent one (same place on the want list as 'monitor that's at least 1920x1080' and 'Supernatural S1-7 on Blu-ray', in fact), but I need DVD capability. Most I can afford to spend is seven hundred dollars, I'd rather spend only six hundred, it'd be excellent if I only spent five hundred, and if you can figure a way for me to spend only four hundred and you're willing to share your mailing address with me, I will personally bake and mail you a batch of cookies of your choice. No promises on whether they get there intact, but cookie pieces still taste fine and cookie crumbs make excellent ice cream topping. (Offer not necessarily good outside the United States, sorry; depends entirely on shipping costs.)

Other thing I need is a few voices outside my head assuring me that I do indeed have things to say about myself for the insight resume thing on the Oregon State application. Hundred words each on: Leadership/Group Contributions; Knowledge in a field/creativity; Dealing with adversity; Community service; Handling systemic challenges; Goals/task commitment. (The voices inside my head are very loud and very negative.)

[claudiapriscus.livejournal.com]

That doesn't sound too unreasonable; what's pushing your pricing up to $700? Woot today has a deal on a similarly-spec'd laptop for (well, okay, it's only got a 320gb HD, it's not a quad core and 4 gigs of RAM, though it's expandable to 8, but it's also a laptop, so without pricing out everything on newegg, I'm guessing you could get a desktop with a bit more oomph for around the same price, if you kept your eyes peeled).

You've got my sympathy on the application thing: I'm struggling with cover letters myself right now, and those shitty mental voices just will not shut up. Sometimes I think what I really need for RL is a good beta to be that person who will poke big giant holes in the weak points, praise the good stuff, and check for typos.

[feathertofly.livejournal.com]

Does anyone know of any online support groups for eating disorder recovery? Or any online resources for setting up a nutrition plan that's balanced and will help with recovery? I think that would ne most helpful for me.

Also, could totally use a 'you're-not-a-bad-person-just-because-you-failed-an-art-class' pep talk. :)

[blackrabbit42.livejournal.com]

It depends on what you are looking for.

If you really are motivated to recover, you could start with the National Eating Disorders Association website (http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org) The information and resources tab can eventually lead you to something more local or online. The sites that are affiliated with NEDA are usually moderated and focused on recovery, and really try to vet out pro-ana and pro-mia elements, like "thinspiration" photos or dieting tips.

On the other hand, if you are just looking for others with eating disorders who have walked a mile in your shoes, who know what you are going through and share your pain, but not necessarily ready to take the first steps to recovery, you might try "prettythin.com". This site says that it is about recovery and support, not pro-ana or pro-mia, but in my humble opinion can be triggery and contains multiple pages of "thinspiration", etc. That being said, a lot of the members claim that this support group saved their lives by being there and accepting them for who they are.

I am a registered dietitian, but typically RDs stay in a very defined role on the ED team, we do not provide counseling. More often we would do calorie counts at the hospital, or recommend a diet plan to be prescribed by the doctor. If you are currently suffering from an ED, I would strongly recommend against using a nutrition or diet plan from anybody who is not working as part of a multi-disciplinary team- ie, MD, psychiatrist, dietitian, etc, all working together.

I hope this helps a little bit, feel free to e-mail me for anything I can help with.

And... OF COURSE you are not a bad person for failing an art class. More likely than not, the class failed you.

(((((Hugs)))))

[faithinfaith.livejournal.com]

I need a friend who loves BOTH Sam and Dean Winchester and someone who understands that sometimes family can be your worst enemy.

[laranlas-keryn.livejournal.com]

Nice to know there are others out there that are all for both boys :) And I hear ya on the 'worst enemy' deal... If you ever need to vent I'm here :)

[(Anonymous)]

I need hugs... My dad passed away yesterday and i could use all the good things i can get... Also, any advice on how to help my mom would be great...
ETA: my lj name is byzantine_era... Stupid phone won't let me log in:(

[blackrabbit42.livejournal.com]

(((((Hugs))))))) So, so sorry for your loss.

I lost my brother a few years back,(KIA in Iraq) and it hit our family, hard. Nothing, nothing, nothing you can do can make it better, but all you can do is be there for your mom. We all stuck together, all of us in one house for days, and that was really good. The one thing I wish had gone differently was hat my mom never went for any sort of counseling, and she really, really needs to. When the time comes, you might suggest it for your mom. If she doesn't seem like she wants to go, say it's for *you* and you need her there for moral support.

(((((hugs))))) again.