User:Rlevse/sandbox

Home	Talk	About me	Awards	Articles	eMail	Contributions	Images	Notebook	Sandbox	Todo	Toolbox

Marúaweka! (Greetings!) Phaedriel, born Sharon K., will be your hostess while you visit this excuse of a user page. Please make yourself comfortable, and while you look around, allow me to quote the memorable words of Dr. Hannibal Lecter as reminder of the conduct I expect my visitors to observe: Discourtesy is - unspeakably ugly to me. Like my beloved grandpa once told me, a grain of kindness is all it takes to turn thorns into flowers. I was born somewhere in the late 1970s, with a mixed descent composing of a quarter Finnish, a quarter Irish and half Comanche. After a quiet and lovely childhood spent at a sleepy, yet beautiful town where my folks still live, I moved to the most wonderful city in the United States, where I currently live and work. Before you ask me, like many people do every now and then - yes, I do have a Comanche name. But please, even if you're curious, I'd prefer not to be requested to say it. Some things, especially very intimate ones, are better left unsaid. Thank you so much for understanding, my friends! Wikipedia and my interests I am a Wikipedia Administrator, which basically means I'm here to help you in any possible way I can. So, if you came here looking for assistance, you're not going to get shy on me now, are you? Please, give me a call and I'll do my very best, I promise. In September '07, I also became an administrator at Simple English Wikipedia. If you haven't yet, I encourage you to visit the place, and make a contribution or two if you have some time to spare. It's a beautiful project with plenty of future, and a small, hard working community. Your help would be most appreciated. Thank you! I discovered Wikipedia by accident when searching for information about Quanah Parker back in September '05, but although I kept coming every now and then, it wasn't until December that I got caught in the Wiki-web. I registered on Wednesday 7th, and made my first edit here. At first, my intention was simply to write an article about the Peoria War; but then I felt like writing another, and then another, and then... At this point, I experienced the evolution most of us here go through at some point of our wiki-career, and Wikipedia became a part of me for good. Languages and History play a very important role in my life, and if I could pass my time learning every language known to men, I certainly would. My ancestry also compels me to research and write about the Comanche and other Native American tribes and the Indian Wars, along with many other related topics. I founded the WikiProject Indigenous peoples of North America and created the Indigenous peoples of North America Portal, which became Featured in August '06. There's so much information to upkeep and update, so many great pictures to classify and upload, so many beautiful cultural manifestations to write about, that I've engaged myself in a life-time task... and I love it! A few short facts about yours truly Sometimes it may take me long to reply to you, but I invariably will try. If a few days pass without reply, please forgive me - I'll get back to you as soon as I possibly can, I swear! If I can, I'll do my best to help you, and all messages and emails requesting my help, no matter what, have my absolute priority when replying. I have always believed in Wikilove, and in the fact that just a drop of kindness can make a difference. Times may change, people may come and go, policies may evolve, but the one absolute truth that remains is that making a fellow editor feel appreciated can and will help our project. That's a belief I will defend as long as my heart beats, with every fiber of my wiki-being. In need of a new userpage design? Hey! Even Jimbo uses my design now! :) I take great pleasure in helping other users in need, and I simply love to design Wiki pages. So please, if you want me to lend you a hand with your own user page, just give me a call and I'll see what I can do. Results not guaranteed! It will typically take me a few days to fulfill your request, in strict "first ask, first serve" order. Just let me know if you really, really want me to stick my hands into yours! Some of the userpages I've designed CasliberAAAAAAAAAA Antandrus KnowledgeOfSelf R Ryan Postlethwaite Akradecki Flubeca Jokestress MONGO Ragesoss OldManRivers Jossi VanTuckyAAAAAAAAAA GlassCobra Kingboyk Jimbo Wales AjcfreakAAAAAAAAAA Chrislk02 Ta bu shi da yu Karrmann Wizardman Videmus Omnia Dihydrogen Monoxide Orane AshLin Status: NOT taking up requests until I clear the following (if I've agreed to make yours and haven't added it here for a couple of days, please remind me!) Current active requests: Anecdote, Laleena, Jonathan, PrestonH, Skeeker, SarekOfVulcan, Angel David, Freechild Spot #1 on my favorite vandal list I have lost count of the times this page has been vandalized, but there's always some vandal who, rather than offending, manages to make me smile. So here it is: the ever coveted first place goes to this gentleman *applause*. Brief list of devoted impersonators and the like: [1] [2] [3] [4]. And the ultimate tribute! :)
	Purge this page See previous Today's Wikipedians Do you wish to suggest someone? Please do it here - thank you!
	Walk tall as the trees, live strong as the mountains, be gentle as the spring winds, keep the warmth of the summer sun in your heart, and the Great Spirit will always be with you. Native American saying
The Soundtrack of Wikipedians The purpose of this Soundtrack of Wikipedians is to try and provide a collection of those songs that you, the people with whom I spend big part of my time, listen and enjoy. I believe that one learns a great deal about a person, and can also understand his/her character and ideas better, if one gets to know "their" music. It'd be very nice if as many Wikipedians as possible could find this space and gift us all their all-time favorites, those songs that define their mood and character, those that make them daydream or feel better, those that bring them dear memories... or simply that music that they really like! And of course, anyone can change their selection at any time since we all evolve from day to day, and our music with us.

Friends I miss with all of me Katefan0 - Left on May 29, 2006. No need to say why, only that, of all people, she was the one that deserved it the least. Kate took me under her wing when I was beginning, and I can still feel her warmth. Zoe - Left on February 1, 2007 after dealing with a most unfair and undeserved situation. One of my greatest regrets on Wikipedia ever is not getting to know her better before she departed, just like one of my fondest memories is cheering her up when she was sad. Aaron Brenneman - Last edit on February 27, 2007. Vanished after that. Emailed him, but no reply yet. Bright like few others and always quick with a sharp joke, Aaron is truly unique. I'd give anything to hear him call me "chika" again. Sango123 - Last edit on October 1, 2006. Has not replied the tons of emails we've sent her. The perfect wikipedian, the perfect friend. We all miss her deeply, and all of us remain concerned about her. The Halo - Retired on May 1, 2007 for reasons he shared with me, and I don't blame him. I have no words to express how much I miss him here, but I know he'll always be there for me. Sergeant Snopake - Retired on September 29, 2006, and made a few edits on December. Left for reasons that are known too well. A wonderful editor and one the shiniest souls I've met. Banes - Barely active during the later months of 2006, no edits since November 17. Retired from the project. One of my first wiki friends ever, always cheerful, helpful and kind. Francs2000 - Last edit on July 15, 2006. Decided to move on. Graham is one those persons you can't help but to admire and respect wholeheartedly, even when you disagree with him. Jaxl - Disappeared on December 2006, in disgrunt, for reasons I still don't know. I should have been there to try and help him with whatever was tormenting him. Latinus - Vanished on March 2006. Until today, I have no clue what happened, nor what made him choose to move on. One of the first people to ever notice I existed, and I may well say he turned me into a Wikipedian. Elaragirl - Last edit on April 11, 2007. In her own way, she worked hard to improve Wikipedia. A series of tragedies and other personal hardships, combined with mounting online frustrations, led to her departure. Her presence is sorely missed by many.

Starry little treasures For defending my user page, I award you the Barnstar of Reversion! Thank you! Jwissick I, Last Avenue, award Phaedriel the Barnstar of Reversion for reverting vandalism on my user page. For being so kind and helpful. For serving wikipedia by spreading wikilove. And for taking the time to help others with their userpages: I, Banes, am honored to award Phaedriel this Random Acts of Kindness Barnstar Banes For Phaedriel, for her fantastic work on my user page - she made it look perdy :-) Design is not my forte and so I'm eternally grateful for her generous nature and cool design skills. Thanks Phaedriel! Ta bu shi da yu I award you the Barnstar of Good Humor for your ability to appreciate humor and for your ability to lighten up the mood! Hope all is well! Analogdemon For being such a kind, considerate, and thoughtful user, I humbly present you The Random Acts of Kindness Barnstar. Cheers, Sango123 (talk) Orane awards Phaedriel this "tireless contributors" barnstar for her tireless contributions to Wikipedia and her exceptional work at designing my userpage. Great job! Oran e (t) (c) (e) Phaedriel is awarded the Graphic Designer's Barnstar for her brilliant designer skills. Latinus. Congratulations Rlevse/sandbox! It is our honor to inform you that you've won Esperanza's Best User Page Award! Here's a token for your efforts. KnowledgeOfSelf - Banez - Rune Welsh For consistently having incredible reserves of kindness and patience towards all, I award you with this nifty little star. Merovingian {T C @} For being one of the kindest users ever to grace this project, and for reminding people why we love it here just by editing, I, The Halo, award you the highest honour one wikipedian can give to another: The Golden Wiki. For being beautiful inside and out, Orane awards Phaedriel the Golden Wiki award. Keep doing what u're doing. Oran e (t) (c) (e) For bringing life and vibrancy to the userpages of so many and being a beacon of hope to the encyclopedia, I award you this barnstar. Blnguyen | rant-line For being yourself and being funny at the same time (which a lot of people can't seem to do)! The one and only Cliff Wherever I go on Wikipedia, I see people - friends, non-friends and strangers - being made happier by you. I just thought you should know that seeing that has made me happier. ➨ ЯEDVERS For your magnificent contributions to Wikipedia, have this barnstar. --Draicone (talk) Looking at your recent contributions page shows such hard work on just one project (which sadly I have not even visited yet—but I will! I promise) before so many other "fun" things that can be done on here, so I think you deserve this. SPREAD THE LOVE!!!!! The one and only Cliff As I edit in a Wikiproject that is often plagued with drama, the way you show endless Wikilove towards me and every other editor you meet is something that I really appreciate. As a result, I present to you the Angel Heart barnstar as a token of my gratitude. Karrmann Here is another high honour for you, dear Sharon! The Golden Wiki award has been awarded you for the second time—and for the same reason as the first, with of course the added part that you're going to be a mother! Yours with much love, —  $PЯINGrαgђ  Always loyal! When I first started Wikipedia (Before I made an account) I remember you gave me some pointers such as how to insert a link. It was a kind gesture that went a long way, and before long I decided to become a member of Wikipedia. Thanks. ➨ Footballrocks41237 For your highly informative and helpful advice, delivered in a kind, friendly and civil manner, I, Anthony, award you, Phaedriel, the Original Barnstar! Thank you for cheering me up on MSN. Will (Take me down to the Paradise City) For your very kind thank you card, I, Michael, award you, Phaedriel, the Random Acts of Kindness' Barnstar.You have truly made my day a little better with your kind words. :) You can use this if you like instead of the other one, which turns out to be the Society Barnstar. $ΡЯΙNGεrαgђ (-C|ε|L|T-) Ahh, I can't believe you got 6 RAoK barnstars too. I award you your seventh RAoK barnstar so you're tied with me. ;p Moe Epsilon Here is a Barnstar Barnstar for you, given for giving users barnstars without anything in return (except for love, which we can all give you)! Springer (talk) I give Phaedriel the original barnstar, mostly because she has succeeded in so many areas that no specific barnstar could cover everything she has done, so I hope this does the job. The ikiroid (talk·desk·Advise me) I award you this Excellent User Page Award not only for having one of the most beautiful, detailed and insightful userpages on the Wiki, but also for all your work in helping other users improve theirs. Daniel Bryant Have this star I created. It doesn't match the beauty of the image you gave me, but I hope it's still special. - Acalamari Hope everything's going well! Love you, Sergeant Snopake Phaedriel is awarded the Barnstar of Life for being able to cheer anyone up. Latinus For bringing the community together with music, I award you this barnstar! smurrayinchester(User), (Talk) For your prompt blocking of sockpuppets, I give you this sockpuppetstar! Keep up the great work. -- Chrislk02 (Chris Kreider) For closing not one, but two controversial xfDs brilliantly. Will (is it can be time for messages now plz?) I Arnon Chaffin give you (Phaedriel) the Anti-Vandalism Barnstar for stop my brother from getting me blocked from Wikipedia, again Thanks! Arnon Chaffin I award this Barnstar to Phaedriel for adding a special flavour to wikipedia on her userpage (Strawberry?) and mine. (Lime? Spearmint?) cheers, Cas Liber | talk | contribs Sharon: yes... well, I flushed around 600 articles in the last 4 hours Will (is it can be time for messages now plz?) For your many contributions to Native American related topics, I hereby present you with the Barnstar of High Culture. TML For all of your work for the Birthday Committee, I award you The Random Acts of Kindness Barnstar. Happy editing! BoricuaeddieTalk • Contribs • Spread the love! Phaedriel, I award you my Hero of the Wiki award for this week. You are no doubt the most beloved wikipedian, especially among all who espouse high standards and strive to do what is right. Chrislk02 (Chris Kreider) I love your "<Wikipediannamehere>'s Day" idea. May I suggest tomorrow to be "Phaedriel's Day"? AndonicO Talk For some really quick clean-up, including that on a friend's userpage, I award you this fabulous RickK Anti-Vandalism Barnstar G.A.S This barnstar goes to Phaedriel for being such a kind and thoughtful Wikipedian and heart warming poems and helping users. Keep up the wonderful work. King Lopez Contribs For taking the time to congratulate another person, instead of just criticism, as is so often used today Politics rule Phaedriel, I award you the Excellant Userpage Barnstar for having such a nice userpage :) Clyde (a.k.a Mystytopia) To Phaedriel, for her superb efforts to enhance the sense of community around the wiki. We really appreciate all that you do here! Samir I, Magnus animum, award you this barnstar for being one of the nicest — if not the nicest — Wikipedian I have ever met. ~ ΜΛGиυs ΛΠιмυМ ≈ √∞ I, penubag, give Phaedriel a barnstar for being kind and exceptionally kind to contless people including, vandals.  Penubag  Thank you Dear Phaedriel for making my dream come true and keeping your promise and making sure that my day comes and for that I'm truly grateful ..Cometstyles For all your hard work and positive attitude. :) A Raider Like Indiana For creating simple beauty for so many users out of such complex coding, I hereby award you the da Vinci star. Da Vinci was able to see the keen beauty in how things work, you make beauty by making things work. AKRadeckiSpeaketh I, Sean William, award you with the Random Acts of Kindness Barnstar for going the extra mile to be nice without being asked. Working with you has been a pleasure, thanks to your pleasant disposition and perpetually cheery attitude. I'm amazed. Keep up the good work. Sean William This is awarded to Phaedriel for being so kind to help people out in Wikipedia, people like me. From ˉˉDuranDuran╦╩ Dear Phaedriel, here's a cheerful barnstar for your userpage. You're a nice person who makes Wikipedia a better place for everyone. I'd like to thank you once again for all your help. :) Roosa For your amazing skills at user page design. Thank you Sharon! KOS | talk I saw your excellent mediation efforts on Cherokee and believe you deserve this barnstar for your efforts there. MONGO I, The Random Editor, award thee The Surreal Barnstar. You fit the description perfectly. Any Wikipedian who adds "special flavor" to the community by acting as a sort of wildcard. Tλε Rαnδom Eδιτor (ταlκ) For never ceasing to be kind and always helping others. ~ Wikihermit

Being Indian is... Have you ever wondered what it's like to be Native American in the United States in the XXI Century? I'll tell you... It is watching John Wayne whip fifty of your kind with a six-shot pistol. It is being called "Pocahontas" by patronizing non-Indians. It is living on borrowed time after your 44th birthday. It is feeding anyone and everyone who comes to your door with whatever you have. It is feeling the stares of all the whites in any public place you walk into. It is knowing the Great Spirit. It is having a Christian missionary tell you it is wrong to believe in more than one Divine Being, then listen to him tell you about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Patrick, St. Christopher, St. Francis, etc. It is feeling that Little Bear, Prays-for-All, Big Heart are more beautiful names than Jones, Smith or Brown. It is observing children of your tribe watching a western movie and cheer for the cowboys. It is graduating from a government Bureau of Indian Affairs school and not being able to read a 6th grade English book from your white friend's urban school. It is never making quick evaluations of people, but reserving judgment until their actions show what kind of people they really are. It is never giving up the struggle for survival. It is not only being proud of who you were born from, but mindful of how you conduct yourself in the world. It is having your friends and relatives accuse you of being a traitoress if you seek an education, earn more than $7,000 a year, wear a nice dress, buy yourself a perfume, drive a car less than three years old, and live in a three bedroom home. It is listening to your well-intentioned white brother try to tell you about your native spirituality. It is hearing from non-Indians how rotten the government has treated Indians, but still voting them back into office. It is listening to people tell you about their grandmother or great grandmother that was a real Cherokee Indian Princess. It is being greeted by non-Indians with pseudo names from real ancestors of your tribe. It is being told that Columbus discovered America from his ship, when we were watching him from the shore. It is watching your elders boast of Indian pride and leadership, between swigs of liquor from a half-empty bottle. It is seeing others forget the true meaning of Thanksgiving. It is living in two worlds. It is being human, with human thoughts and feelings like your non-Indian brothers and sisters. It is holding on to a piece of paper treaty that was signed, but never honored. It is seeing elders die and the language & customs with them. It is seeing Mother Earth destroyed by those who don't know Her. It is having the government treat you like a prisoner of war. It is sad, It is hard, It is crying, It is laughing,   Forever! An excerpt, slightly modified by myself, of Rick Kerchee Powelson's excellent website. I hope you read this, Rick - you're wonderful!

My thoughts on Wikilove Some time ago, I discovered a link at a user page to a certain website caught my attention. The sharp criticism of Wikipedia that I saw at that webpage didn't surprise me in the least; we are all rather used to the rants against our project and our community that seem to flourish in the web these days. However, there was a particular phrase that caught my attention immediately, and while I really didn't care much about the other accusations, incredibly enough, this one was actually able to hurt me: Wikipedia is not a place for happy people. No matter how much I try to push this idea out of my mind, every now and then, I find myself thinking about it. Sometimes I gain enough trust in ourselves to push it far to the bottom of my mind. Other moments, like now, I simply can't. While we're all human, and may (and do) give in to anger, bad mood and hurting speech from time to time, I can hardly think that the reason why we all ended up editing this encyclopedia was to unleash our frustration unto others. And if somebody did, well... the choice of a place to do such thing is odd, to say the least. Since I joined Wikipedia a couple of months ago, I must tell that never, ever, I've felt diminished nor discriminated in any way by another user; yet I know that it is in my personality to choose dialogue and a friendly approach, and that's simply not the way we're all made - it's in our human nature to be different from each other, and that makes none of us any better than the other. However, I did see, and continue to witness almost everyday, the misjudgments, the unfairness, the elitism, the hurting irony that comes from the mouths of brilliant people towards their peers - or worse, against the newcomers who try in good faith to be heard. I have no intention to judge any members of our community - reprehensible as it is, fighting fire with fire is a natural human instinct, and nobody's free of sin. And that's where we all have the chance to make a small, yet decisive difference: Love - or in our case, Wikilove. Just a little bit of it can make a valuable contributor, a great person, a knowledgeable editor reconsider his/her decision of leaving for good after an edit war or a failed RfA. Just 30 seconds of translating that smile and that hug that you wish you could give in person into a simple edit, can make a big change... in the quality of our encyclopedia. Just an hour ago, I received an email from somebody who basically told me to shove my attempt of cheering him up in a dark and moist place of my anatomy... on St. Valentine's day... the irony! I feel discouraged - how could I possibly feel otherwise? Wouldn't you? Wouldn't you simply want to dismiss any future attempts of sending a kind word, or a smile to someone who's obviously down? That's exactly how I feel now - but I won't do such a thing. I may be down, but I'm not dead - and my heart's alive and well, and I won't let it bleed for long. I do not take the Internet so seriously as to make me cry, so whatever this gentleman's intentions were, I'm sorry - he failed. But as long as I'm a member of Wikipedia, I will believe in Wikilove; and as long as my heart beats, I will continue to believe in Love. Now that, I do take seriously. And no member of our community, no matter how respected he is, will ever dissuade me... because I want to believe that Wikipedia can be a place for happy people. Sharon - Feb. 14, 2006