Welcome to my life

( I encourage you all to read this. Yes, it is long BUT worthwhile. )

The empire strikes back

In recent weeks, we've taken huge steps towards blocking spam accounts on LiveJournal. In fact, we've suspended as many as 30,000 accounts in a single day! We've implemented several pre-emptive measures to prevent the creation of spam accounts, and we've honed our detection of suspicious content. Spam bots are a crafty lot, so we'll continue to refine our tactics and keep up the good fight to keep you safe from spam attacks on LiveJournal.

RSS feeds again

If you're addicted to xkcd_rss, icanhaschzbrgr, or other syndicated feeds, we're pleased to report that we've resolved the update error that was mucking up your RSS feeds. While content was being pulled correctly, it wasn't being posted to the feeds themselves. Late last week, we finally nailed down what we hope was the root problem, so content should post properly. We thank you for your patience.

Wii have killer CSI Deadly Intent contests!

c_s_i

If you're a gamer who loves CSI, have Wii got news for you! c_s_i is sponsoring killer contests. Simply post a question to a member of the CSI crew. The winner will get a free copy of CSI: Deadly Intent for Nintendo Wii (with a retail value of $39.99) and get their question answered by a member of the CSI writing team! There's also a fantastic monthly contest. To enter, join c_s_i, play the online version of CSI: Deadly Intent, and respond to a two-part query for a chance to win a Wii! Entries will be judged on composition and originality. Sorry, but you must be a U.S. resident and over 18 years old to participate. Check out the rules here.

Enveloped in postcards

Last week, we asked you to send in postcards to help us decorate our drab concrete walls. Here's a photo of the results so far! Thank you so much and please keep them coming! You can mail them to Frank the Goat, Esq., c/o LiveJournal, Inc., 539 Bryant Street, Suite 210, San Francisco, CA 94107. Be sure to include your username, since we'll be giving ten random users paid account credits.

Photos of the week

If you haven't visited our new LiveJournal photo community, you're in for an amazing visual trip. LiveJournal users from around the world will take you on a scenic journey to everywhere. Post your own pictures or kick back and enjoy at lj_photophile. You can view some of this week's awesome photos after the jump. Please start tagging with geographic location, since we'd like to track all the places around the world represented in this community. Keep on commenting too!
( Read more... )

Hey girls! How was everyone's Halloween! My was fantastic! Sorry I've been gone but I did a road trip with friends up to Calgary (lower drinking age) went to a concert and got more drunk than I've been in my entire life.The good thing is I dind't eat much BUT I drank a lot. So I didn't gain, but I didn't lose either. I've been at the weight I am now for 6 days. It's sooooo hard. I keep eating less and less each day hoping it will go down. I guess well see. I never drink that much so I think my body is adjusting. Anyway, back to reality today, school and such. Done eating for the day too. Just had some coffee and a piece of toast. Missed you girls! Hope you're doing well!

<3

hey ladies,
so its been awfully quiet the past few days.  anyway, i've fallen off the abc train, this past weekend just kind of messed it up, but i'm not going to start it again right away. for the month of november im going to be doing the protein shake diet,and then probably at the start of december do abc. 
Today i'm going to do a jillian micheals workout before i go to dance and hopefully it'll jump start it. i've got two biggest loser and two jillian micheals and i'll alternate doing them each day.  plus on top of that i'm going to do my own workout in the morning, but after school is when i'm going to do the jillian micheals and biggest loser before i go to dance.  also i saw some jillian micheals protein powder at the store but does anybody know about it? i didn't stop to read the label because i was in a hurry.  Anyway i'll let you guys know how it goes.

xoxo

aiyatheydidnt
The Chinese version of ONTD, AIYA is a dynamic international community that welcomes users who share a love of contemporary Chinese pop culture. Dedicated to celebrity gossip and entertainment news, you'll enjoy gorgeous photos and breaking stories featuring the glitterati of mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

wendylady2
Designed to rescue fashion victims everywhere, this Brit-based community reads like a rag-ezine. Published once or twice weekly, you'll view bizarre highlights of the global fashion scene through captivating photos and delightfully snarky editorial. Sit tight for a virtual fashion tour from the runways of New York to Milan to Paris and back home again to London in homage to the adage: you can't buy good taste.

soldiers_heart
A passionate community for veterans of all ages (mostly American), plus families, friends, and supporters. View poignant snapshots detailing life in combat and back on civilian soil in the form of original artwork, personal narratives, poetry, and photos. Be forewarned that members don't shy away from describing their disappointments, disabilities, and struggles.

EDIT: If you're reading this, our maintenance is OVER! The problem was not found on our equipment, which means we'll have to work with our ISP to fix this small problem -- which also means another maintenance window in the future -- but at least we have eliminated our side.

Thank you everyone, and a special shout out to rekoil for giving me a great suggestion AND also the opportunity to feel like I've just called in to a local radio station.

Have a great day, night or afternoon wherever you may be.

---

Hi everyone, sorry for the late notice but I'm going to have to do some testing on 1 of our 4 internet circuits TONIGHT; Friday night or Saturday morning depending on which time zone you're in.

Most of us shouldn't notice any impact, though there may be some slowness or lag when I switch traffic on to our other ISP circuits and then another hit when I stop the tests. If a page won't load or times out, try hitting refresh 1 or 2 times and it should load then. If it doesn't work at all... trust me, I'll be typing really really really fast to try to undo whatever I just did. Hopefully you'll have some Halloween candy (if you're in the USA and celebrate that kind of thing) nearby to take away the bitterness of a small site outage. :(

Here's the handy-dandy Website That I Always Use to get a feel for when the maintenance will start in your area. Our site traffic historically dips on Friday afternoons until Saturday morning which is why we tend to pick this time for maintenance work.

( tech details )

status.livejournal.org will, of course be updated before and after the maintenance window. Or else marta will get mad at me. :D

bt

In response to user comments from last week, we want to let you know that we'll remain LJ cut-free for the next month in order to get more eyeballs on our evolving newsletter. As for product coverage, that continues to be our top priority. For more granular detail, however, we recommend you join lj_releases.

Super-tweak for Yandex search

Some of our beta testers expressed privacy concerns using the Yandex search engine. Here's why: Last week, when you ran a search, you could see the usernames (and only the usernames) of everyone who commented on an entry, even if that entry was switched to Private or Friends Only after it was originally indexed. You could NOT see the actual comments from Friends Only or Private posts. In response to your input, we've implemented a fix to keep all user activity currently marked Friends Only or Private completely hidden. If you'd prefer your public content not to be indexed by Yandex, click here and use the settings labeled Search Inclusion (this covers your entire journal) and/or Comment Search Inclusion (which covers comments only). To test drive Yandex search now, click here.

Postcards from the edge

Several years ago, we asked LiveJournal users to send postcards to help us decorate our dull, white-washed offices. Since a good idea warrants repetition, we're at it again (same issue, new address). We hope you'll surround us with LiveJournal love by sending your postcards to Frank the Goat, Esq., c/o LiveJournal, Inc., 539 Bryant Street, Suite 210, San Francisco, CA 94107. We'll post snapshots right here. Be sure to include your username, since we'll randomly pick 10 lucky recipients to win free paid account time.

Conquer Writer's Block

Here are some excerpts from this week's most popular question of the day:

If a friend or relative makes a racist or homophobic remark, do you tend to confront them or let it slide? Are you more likely to confront them if it offends you directly or someone else who seems reluctant to speak up?

1. I find it easier to stand up for other people, and i wouldn't let it slide if they made a rude or hurtful comment.
2. Usually if a friend makes a racist or homophobic remark, I tend to let it slide. I think that while i would not say such things myself, I have no right to censor those around me.
3. This happens all of the time. I confront some relatives, but I refuse to if they are drunk or watch Fox News.
4. I'd let it slide if it was just a private remark... As much as I despise bigotry and intolerance, I know that you can't change people-they have to change themselves ...
5. Confront! confront! confront! Politely, but without equivocation.
6. SPEAK UP. Always, always, always speak up. Letting something slide lets ignorance win. No matter if it offends me directly, or someone else, I will confront the speaker and let them know that's not ok.
7. I don't get offended personally. As an immigrant, woman, gay and person of color if I took every single potentially offensive remark seriously I wouldn't get anything done.
8. I punch them in the balls. With my mind.
9. I do speak up, but often very timidly because I feel that I'm white and therefore I don't really have any authority to lecture someone on what's racist and what isn't...
10. Generally speaking, I do not let this shit fly, because it reduces me as a person, to this non-person and it replicates the destructive discourse that makes sure that sexual minorities, racial minorities, women, people with disabilities, trans people and every intersection thereof into something other than human... And sometimes... I'm just too tired to deal with it, so I roll my eyes, make a sarcastic remark and hope the conversation moves on quickly.

For more daily questions and user comments, join writersblock. FYI, we don't want to invade your privacy, so we haven't credited individual users for their responses. We'd appreciate your feedback on this!

Spotlight community of the week

We can't resist making one last midnight trip to the ol' pumpkin patch. If you adore crazy costumes, fiendish festivities, and bottomless candy consumption as much as we do, this community has just what it takes to light up your jack-o-lantern.


halloween_fan

Photos of the week

We received so many incredible photos, we had to close our eyes and point. We uploaded a selection of awesome images at our new lj_photophile community. Please join and start posting (try to keep the width at around 625 for the sake of consistency)! We'd love for you to tell us more about your photos! You can help us select spotlight photos by commenting on your favorites. Once again, we thank you for making our online world more beautiful!

shutter	pancetta	ilya_gorokhov

Curtains

Thanks, again, for tuning in. We look forward to seeing you next week.

hi ladies,
so i yesterday was 500 cals or less and i used every last calorie in one meal, i was doing so well and then when i got home at 9:30 my parents had dinner waiting for me. well i was so exhausted by the time i got done eating it that i didn't purge it, and the thing was, i only ate about half of it. well needless to say i gained. 
today is day 10 and it is a fasting day and i'm actually going to fast today and tomorrow. one huge problem is that this week because its halloween at the studios, we are giving the kids candy, well i brought in mini-bubbles and those rubber gelly braclets one because i wasn't sure about allergies the kids might have, and secondly so i wouldn't sit there and eat the candy as well.
well tomorrow is day 11 but i'm going to fast tomorrow too, i'm going to fast right up until friday for dinner and then the whole weekend and i'm increasing my workouts. 
still taking the zantrex pills, mainly before i work out, they help alot, well they help me alot anyway.
I was reading in my nutrition book that some people can lose up to four pounds of sweat in one hour of exercise. i would love to lose four pounds in one hour. but of course i don't. anyway ladies, i'll keep you guys updated.

xoxo

Take 15 minutes out of your life to read this. If you have ANY questions about laxatives ASK THEM HERE AND NOW, this post is tagged so you can find it easily for future reference.


( It's DEFINITELY worth your time to take a read through this )

 my brother is dating this girl taylor.
i just ichatted with them, and she babbled for half an hour about how she's "like totes an internet celeb." delusional bitch. 
ughhhh i really wanted to go visit my brother (he doesn't give me shit about my eating habits and i could use a break) but i swear to god i think she literally has a learning disability. 

Hey girls. I lost another pound. Excited. Still about 7lbs away from my lowest weight.


I just made dinner. It took me like 2 hours to get the ingredients right and in specified amounts so I knew exactaly how many calories were in it. Then when everything was done and cooked I kind of freaked out and threw it away. Now it's covered in used tea bags and completely useless. What a waste of time. I was too worried about not knowing the calories.

This life sucks. Why can't I just eat like a normal person? Cause then I'd be more fat than I already am. Anyway, it's best I don't eat tonight since my boyfriend suprised me with breakfast this morning and even though I didn't eat most of it I can still feel it in me. How messed up am I? A lot. And my boyfriend is getting suspicious again. But I know he's holding off on talking to me about it because he doesn't want his suspcious to be correct. He's hping that by ignoring it it'll go away. He thought I was "over" it. As if I can just get over a disease. I'm a bad girlfriend.

I hope you're all doing well.

<3

DIET PILLZzZzZzzZz

Okay Queenz, sit down and get really close.

This shall be the be all and end all of diet pills.

Have any questions? Ask now.


( DIET PILLS )

So, TLDR, you're wasting your money and hurting yourself and they don't freaking work. 'Kay?

zOMG guiz eye want tew be a friend of ~*~Ana~*~

And now - if I have your attention; there is something under this LJ cut that I think ya'll should read, and/or bookmark

( So you think you want an eating disorder? )

halloween_fan
Here at LiveJournal, we never balk at an opportunity for high drama, wicked costumes, and gluttonous sugar consumption. But this community takes it one step further: Here, everyday is Halloween. Of course, the hallowed eve is particularly sacred to this spirited crowd. If you're looking for last-minute costume ideas for your black cat, faux eyeball candy, or stand-out haunted houses, dive in for a splash of pagan merriment.

picturing_food
Designing gourmet? Feast your eyes on these pixel perfect dishes with an accent on presentation. A visual smorgasbord of eclectic cuisine, ranging from fusion to down-home comfort foods. If the way to your heart is through your stomach and the way to your stomach is through your eyes, you're sure to leave with a good taste in your mouth.

bookish
Passionate readers share well-penned reviews on a broad sweep of genres, including fiction, YA, sci-fi, paranormal, fantasy, and good ol' pot-boiling suspense. Those of a lit crit persuasion are invited to introduce themselves before posting. And for the silent majority who prefer to bask in our neighbors' labors, there are thoughtful reviews, book list suggestions, and even great gift ideas to keep your library card and dowtime filled.

hey ladies,
so i've been absolutely swamped.  I didn't lose but I didn't gain either, which I guess is good.
I went out and bought another Biggest Loser workout, I bought the bootcamp one.  There is a yoga one that I want and also a sculpting one but they weren't in stock.  I also bought a Jillian Micheals workout called something about the trouble zones, which include love handles, muffin tops, inner thighs, and jiggly underarms.  Hopefully these will help too. I've decided i'm going to go once a week and buy one new one until I have them all. That money will keep me from buying binge food.  
Ok so this is really weird. We are doing a group project for abnormal psychology and we are doing "Should people with anorexia have the choice to refuse life sustaining treatment?" 
If that wasn't weird enough, one of the other girls in my group openly voluentered that she had an eating disorder.  She said she was anorexic for like a year and a half.  She has recovered now from what I understand and all I could think was  that i've had my ed for almost 11 years.  it didn't seem that long until i really thought about how long 11 years actually is.  Anyway, I have no intention of sharing that with the rest of my group, it'll look really weird especially if she is going to share her story with the class.  Again though , i jumped on the topic so they probably already know or think i'm a complete freak. 
Anyway, this week we are going to celebrate my birthday and i'm absolutely dreading eating out, although i even got to choose the place i'm still dreading it.  I've already picked out what i'm going to have and i'm not going to have anything to eat for the whole week leading up to it. 
Abc is going well too, just a bit nervous, i'm worried that i'm not working out enough. I always wonder if I could do more, but i'm never sure and if i do more, i'm not sure how much more i should actually do. 
anyway ladies, i'll keep you updated. 

xoxo