Hindsight

My wife is out with some of her friends on a "Girl's Night Out". I think they went to Channelside to have dinner and get into mischief. Hopefully she doesn't get into too much mischief.

William crashed out early tonight and I am dreading having to wake him up and bathe and feed him. He looks peaceful rocking back and forth in his swing.

Sometimes I scoot around the interwebs and check up on old friends to see how they're doing. You see, the telephone and I...well let's just say that I would call the phone an acquaintance rather than a friend. Some might even say that I am a "bad phone talker". So I don't call anyone, usually. Okay I call some people (you know who you are) but on the whole I am, or have become, introverted (phone wise). Back to my point, I was a bit surprised to find out how little some of my old friends have changed. Now, before you get all, "I change, I grow and change every day" I'm not talking about anyone who reads this blog (conveniently) I'm talking about people I have not seen or talked to in years. I go onto their myface and spacebook pages and, wow, favorite music...the same, favorite pastimes...the same, and that quote from that movie that came out in 1999, yeah, still there.

Hmm. Before you think I am just sniping people for being consistent with their tastes let me say that consistency is good. But so is growing and changing. Growth is good. A few new favorites are ok. So are some new friends and sometimes even ways of thinking.

I'm 33 now. It's unbelievable how much my life has changed throughout the years. I think that's why I like working with kids because I remember what is was like in the 7th and 8th grade. How tough it was to be "cool" when I wore plastic framed glasses that almost hid my eyebrows. Not that I'm "cool" now but every experience of my (still young) life has shaped me, even the unpleasant times.

Share life with people. We all have it, that catalogue of experiences, emotions, and sensations that we can use to empathize with one another and build one another up. Use "you" to encourage those who are in a place in their life that you've already been in, help them navigate. Not pontificating, but giving, giving of us to help others. Not "be warmed and filled" but "hey, man, here's something real that I can share with you."

Take care.




PS
(I am cool actually)

(Just kidding)

(No I'm not, I really am cool)

November

Well, it's been a while. I don't like updating my blog once a month but it looks like that's how it worked this time.

Basketball season is in full swing and we have seven more practices before our home opener. We have been implementing the same offense that the Memphis Tigers ran last year, the dribble-drive offense. It's got good symmetry and lets your players be players. It also puts alot of emphasis on your players making good reads and reacting to the defense so we'll see how our players handle it.

I heard on Oprah the other day that some of her staff get together before every show and pray for President-Elect Obama. I wonder if they did that for President Bush? I'm just sayin'...

I've been posting a bit on some writing blogs which is great practice and helps keeps the writing skills sharp, but also reduces the post on AAUM (this blog). I also threw a post up on Absolute Write and I recieved alot of positive feedback.

I watched sports for most of the day today (Michigan won) rested and played with my son. I love Saturday.

TTYL

October

It's hard to tell what month it is here in the tropics. October is much like September which is much like August. Sure, the rain lets up a bit and the temperature drops from the low 90's to the high 80's but that's about it. No annual color change is noticable in the foliage and leaves litter the ground only as much as they did in the preceding months. Nothing special.

Florida has two seasons, dry and rainy, and if anyone ever tells you, "Oh, it gets cold in Florida too," they're lying. Mid 40's is not cold especially when you grew up in a place where there was a real possibiliy of freezing to death if you were caught in a blizzard.

It's funny, I overheard a conversation where a mother was commenting on how cold it was at the college her son was attending...in the artic wilderness of North Carolina. Yeah, watch out for packs of marauding wolves coming down from the mountains around Chapel Hill.

I picked up Lord of the Flies from the library at school, you know, cause I work with 7th and 8th graders and I need some insight. I saw the movie a long time ago but I don't remember very much of it. The book's always better than the film anyway, well, almost always.

I'm also thinking about reading one of those vampire-love books the Twilight series I think it is. I'm really interested to see if they are well written or just gimmicky fluff written to enthrall middle school girls. (see Eragon and switch the word "girls" to "boys")

I have to go get dinner now. I really want to get working on my manuscript. It is killing me that I haven't been able to work on it lately. But when you have 160 middle school poems, memoirs and short stories to edit it doesn't leave time for much else.

New books read so far this year:

The Name of the Wind
The Lathe of Heaven
Dune Messiah
Lord of the Flies
Next, Ender's Game

-Adios

At Life's Grindstone

Well, here I am again, blogging.

Getting any writing done has been really tough. I'm trying to juggle family, writing workshop, mundane things that I have to do (i.e. lawn care, laundry, et.al.)and spending quality time with the family.

I was able to spend time with a lot of my family this weekend and it was great. It was just a really chill and relaxing time. Plus, it was a distraction from the Michigan game.

I have a lot of work to do this week. Each of my eighty students submitted two manuscripts to be graded. So, I have one hundred sixty poems, short stories, memoirs and who knows what else to grade this week. Ah, well, I wouldn't trade it for teaching Algebra again.

At any rate, I should go and...do something.

I hope to continue working on the new manuscript. I just have to start scheduling an hour or so every day. I'd much rather have two or three hours to work, but I just don't think I can swing it on my current schedule. One hour will have to suffice.

Until next time

Offworld II

"Sometimes doing a friend a favor forever changes the history of a billion universes."

-Finmore Williams


After fiddling with the manuscript a bit I've posted some rough draft of the redux over at offworldstory. Just use the Titan link in the Virtual Hangouts section of the blog. Comments are welcome and encouraged.

Week, End!

This post's title is a command more than anything else. Man, am I glad it is Friday. Seriously, is it Thanksgiving yet?

I was a tad off about the U of M game last week, but how was I supposed to know that it was going to be a fumblefest? I am becoming a part time Buccaneers fan as the Lions are the worst team in professional sports. Are the Pistons playing yet? After the Lions it is hard to complain about reaching the Conference Finals the last six years in a row, even if we do lose almost all of them in maddeningly disinterested fashion. But guess what? The Pistons look good again this year. Go good management! I think Joe Dumars should be the GM for the Lions AND the Pistons and Chauncey Billups could play free safety...

Phil's latest post summarizes exactly why I cannot in good conscience vote for Obama, no matter how trendy. I don't really get into politics but Palin was a genius pick. Honestly, who saw that coming? Alaska? Hockey Mom?

You know I chose to write my senior thesis on The Silmarillion. It's not even a book really, not like LoTR, it's a collection of histories. It was an ambitious pick, and not a good one. There's not enough continuity.

I need to start working on my manuscript more. It's really hard to find time during the week so I have to take advantage of the weekends.

I worked out a couple of times this week and I feel good. Incredibly sore, but good.

I have to go pick up some baked ziti and garlic rolls for dinner.

Don't let the man get you down.

Redux, so far

I've retooled the manuscript, a lot. Kept the same setting, some of the same characters, added a bunch of new characters/locals, and changed from third person to first. Here's a sample:


I was taken violently from my home world like so many others but I was unaware of why. I was ignorant to the vast system of checks and balances that keeps the omniverse in a constant and tenuous state of equilibrium. I failed to realize that I was only currency, another flesh-coin from some out world that had to pay its tribute to the Telek.

“Ted,” I whispered, “you there?” A chorus of stifled sobs echoed off of the cold metal walls.

“We’re dead man, dead.” A voice whispered in the darkness.

“Ted,” I whispered again, “Ted, you there?” Someone close by was mumbling what might have been a prayer. I felt along the wall whispering Ted’s name as I went.

“We’re dead. This is it. This is hell.” The voice was louder this time.

“We’re not dead you idiot. We’re in some kind of cell.” A soft voice from the black answered the morbid fellow. “This is some kind of holding tank.” Knuckles rang against metal.

“Stop it you fool,” a woman cried, pleading, “they’ll hear you.” Fear blossomed in my mind. Fear of what kept us trapped. Only once had the deep blackness surrounding us been breached. A circle of light had formed and inside the circle stood a creature out of nightmare, all scales, claws and teeth. It had reached out and snatched a gibbering man from the floor and dragged the poor fellow screaming into the shining circle, the death circle. Then, as suddenly as it had come, the light winked out silencing the doomed man’s pleas for help. Everyone began whispering after that.

The silence was palpable as I waited in the cold darkness, waiting for the death circle to shine down again like God’s wrath. Silence for an hour, then two. I renewed my voyage through the sea of bodies whispering for Ted. Listen, whisper, listen. Always keeping one hand on the solid metal wall. Despite the numbing sensation I experienced after only a few minutes contact with the freezing surface I refused to step away. The wall was the one remaining bastion of reality in the waking nightmare in which I found myself.

As I passed along I could feel knots of bodies, people crouching in groups of three or four, whispering, crying, huddled together for warmth. Other travelers passed by me unseen whispering the names of friends or loved ones, groping through the blackness for a familiar touch, scenting the air for a lover’s perfume or the scent of a favorite soap.

Thorsday

Yes, it is again Thorsday. I really don't have much to say. I am reading The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin. So far so good, I just started it though.

My new manuscript keeps evolving. It's weird how pieces of what I've written over the last 5-7 years are now coming together into this book idea.

Some of the poetry I write I like and some of it I go back and look at and I'm like, "What is this pile?". Ah well, at least I don't hate it all.

I am probably in the worst shape of my adult life right now. I'm not sure how many times I could get up and down a basketball court. But, have no fear, conditioning for the Lady Lancers Varsity Basketball Team starts next week and guess who will working out with/coaching the team..uh huh. Btw, I really like the new offense that Coach Wilson has chosen, very organic, very versatile. It's the same offense that the Memphis Tigers ran last year.

Tomorrow we have a pep rally at school during 8th period so I don't have to teach health class. Needless to say I am overjoyed. I'm not sure if you've ever discussed the anus with a room full of 8th graders, but let me tell you, it's a treat.

Video games, where have you gone? I haven't played one in about a month.

I missed the deadline for a fantasy football league I was invited to. I felt bad, but really I don't know if I could have even spared the time.

I think Michigan will beat Notre Dame on Saturday, but not by a lot.

13-9 Michigan in a barn burner.

Remems.

-Seems like the internet used to be more fun. Now I just get on to do my banking, read my e-mail, check blogs and read about sports news. Actually, I do alot on the net. Maybe I'm just so used to the internet now that it's not fun anymore. I remember when Al Gore invented the internet. It was a great day for America.

-I've been thinking alot about my past. It's been fun. I've known alot of really cool people. Though, I don't know if I have been the best friend. In fact I know I haven't.

-You know, it's hard to see yourself as you really are. Mental clarity of self, I think, is one of the greatest things anyone can possess.

-Everyday I drive into Tampa to work and I think about growing up in Roscommon, a town of, what, 800 people? I pass more people than that on my daily commute. It was a good place to grow up though.

-I never thought I would live in a home with granite countertops. I didn't even know granite countertops existed until I was in my late 20's. Now I'm a countertop snob!

-Hadoken

Here We Go Again

Michigan's opening game loss this year was easier to understand than last year's and therefore less painful, maybe not to watch, but to come to grips with.

The Good: Michigan's defense in the second half looked liked a defense that can carry them until the offense get's better. Unfortunately, the defense only looked that way in the second half.

Michigan's conditioning really showed in the penalties Utah racked up and the way Michigan's defense seemed to get stronger as the game went on.

The Bad: Michigan's sputtery offense. There was a question about the ability of Michigan's current squad to run the spread offense well. Let me answer that question. No, no they can't. At least not yet.

The Ugly: The "blazing" foot speed displayed by the Michigan quarterbacks. Quarterbacks tripping in the open field. Overthrown balls, underthrown balls, dropped balls.

All-in-all this loss showed quite a bit of promise for the future. However, Michigan sorely needs the personnel adjustments/offensive upgrades that are in the wings for next year.

Go Blue!

What what!?

So tired
Hands like lead
Hang down
Words leap from my fingers
Leaking energy

Now that that's over I will post a Haiku by Ian, one of my students. Ahem:

Bulbasaur

Bulbasaur is green
it makes Pikachu jealous
when Ash chooses him


Ah, literature.

I finished THE NAME OF THE WIND and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it. Bast intrigued me.

It made me want to write more and get my mind a-workin' again.

Writing Lab is going well. For the most part my students are good writers. Like I needed to tell you that after posting "Bulbasaur".

Lataz

First Person

Here's what I got so far tonight. I have to go to bed.

After my pa died I took up with the caravans. It was honest enough work, the pay was decent and I was able to see the sights from Shark’s Way up the Green Road all the way to Xin, The City of Wonders. I met Jon in Sillsdale, a run down mining town half-way between nowhere and the backwoods. There had been a misunderstanding regarding his national loyalty. The gentle folk of Sillsdale were King’s Men to the last and Jon, being from Lion’s Haunting and a Zagari, was thought to be a Freelander, which he was.
I had no wish to embroil myself in a political debate that seemed determined to end in bloodshed, but I couldn’t help jumping in on Jon’s side as he was outnumbered and I have learned, many times to my chagrin, that my loyalties most often lie with the lone wolf rather than with the pack. Besides, I would have bet all the silver in my boot on Jon against the entire town. Goats included.
“It’s a matter of diving right!” One of the locals was shouting up at Jon, the pitchfork in his hand quivered, mirroring the skinny fellow’s body. Jon, for his part, stood still as a stone, arms crossed tightly over his armored chest, a dark mountain staring down at the sputtering farmer through bars of his helm. “You Freelanders will be the end of us with your pagan ways. Some men are born to greatness, some are born to serve, but we all must follow our furrow until the end of our row. No man can change his destiny. It is written in the heavens!”
“And what man knows his destiny? We make our destinies everyday, in everything we do. We can all claim divine right as we are all children of the Maker. What is a king? He is man as I am.”
Shouts of treason and a few curses that even I had never heard before flew from the gathering crowd and some of the townsfolk stooped to gather stones from the dusty street. I had a feeling curses would not be the only things flying from the crowd that afternoon.
“Friends” I shouted, smiling “come now, let us be civil.” A score of hot faced farmers turned toward me in unison. My smile tried to slide from my face but I forced it firmly back into place. “After all, as this man said,” I lifted my hand toward Jon, “we are all children of the Maker.”
Murmurs of agreement rose from the sweaty throng. Pitchfork spoke up. “You one a’ them Freelanders too?” His face twisted in disgust at the word “Freelander”.
I tucked my thumbs behind my belt and tried to look relaxed and harmless even though the farmer’s stares made me terribly anxious and uncomfortable. “Me, ah, no. I am not much for politics. My father was a cleric you know, eighteen years ministering to the good folk of Joram’s Rift. I was always in the books, and helping my pa around the temple of course, didn’t really have time for much else.”
The farmers relaxed visibly. Many shook their heads in agreement as I spoke. I knew their type. Joram’s Rift had been full of them. They appreciated a chaste life, a life of order and hard work. There was safety in rules and ritual a safety the good folks of Sillsdale would kill to keep.

Night

Yep, it's night. Tomorrow is the first day of school. I think I am ready. I am reading The Name of the Wind right now and so far I am enjoying it. It makes me want to try to write in first person. I've never written narrative in first person. I'm going to go try it right now.

Peace be unto you.

'Canes

There is supposed to be a hurricane coming this way so the start of school has been delayed.

I am trying to decorate my school room this year with inspiring pieces of art. So far I have a couple of nice pieces but I am still looking for more.

I am trying to keep working on the manuscript but it is hard to find time these days. Preparing for school is really keeping me busy.

I best go bathe my son.

-Later

Toby Had It Right

The title speaks for itself. I never attended the church where Toby pastored and I wasn't exploring the blogshpere when he was writing about his sermons and vision for the church so the old posts on his blog were a new read for me. I am posting an excerpt from one of his posts. It really made me think. If you want to read the rest of the post or the others that were recently re-posted just hit the link titled "Toby" in the Virtual Hangouts section.



"A great group of Christians isn’t a church, though.

A church is a group of Christians who, together, have submitted themselves to the Lord whom they have returned to because of the forgiveness and salvation they have been given by him.

They are a body.

Our church isn’t. Great group of Christians. Not a body, though.

This is why people have left. Perhaps they should not have been there. What I mean by that is, some Christians do not want to be apart of a body of believers who are collectively fleshing out the Lordship of their Master. They want to be apart of a group of Christians. If we were what we were supposed to be there would be no room for those who want to “play” Christianity.

So some have come and joined and have left, because we aren’t a body. Some have come and gone because they wanted to be apart of a body, but we were just a group of good Christians.

In my opinion, this is where divisions come into play. In a group of Christians you’re allowed to have you own view of how the Christian life is to be lived out. In a group of Christians you can even persuade others to follow your view; even if it goes against the pastors. Which, by the way, is going to happen. Most of the time the pastor is trying to lead people in his way of living the Christian life. Others disagree. Divisions come, as they must, because it’s a group, not a body. Divisions come because collectively they are not under the Lordship of Jesus.

In a group various families live their lives their way, inspite of the church. In a returned, submitted body, they together try to figure out how their Master wants them to live life. Together. Not the pastor’s agenda. Not the deacon wanting it done the way it was done in his old church. Not the big family wanting it done the way their favorite radio preacher says it should be. Not the aspiring preach wanting it to be done the way his favorite Christian influence thinks it should be done.

A body of returned submitted believers, together seeking their Master’s will in how things should be done.

After all that’s what they returned to him for. That’s why they washed away in the waters of baptism all their thinking and views. That’s why they have come together under him. He is their head. What does the head want the body to do and be? That’s what a church wants to do and be.

1 Corinthians 1:10 tells us that they were a group of Christians, but not a church. Some of them wanted it done the way Rick Warren said it should be done. Others were of the Fundamental movement. Others rang in saying they were middle-of-the-roaders, but they wouldn’t mind it if we still keep the old music. Others chimmed in, wearing tee-shirts and spiked hair saying their were of the emergent crowd. See what I mean?"

Oblivion

I bought Oblivion back when it came out. 2006 I think it was. But, due to time spent crafting my Night Elf Rogue into an unstoppable killing machine it sat mostly on the shelf.

Well, I have now been WoW free for almost 5 months and so I was jonesing a bit for a video game to play, but not another MMO because of the time investment required. So, I popped in Oblivion. And I have to say it's been a lot of fun.

The game is totally open ended. Oh, you start with a quest to deliver the Amulet of Kings to this monk, but if you want to hunt deer, wolves and bear in the mountains the whole game you can do that too. Incidently, I shot myself a nice eight-point buck the other day near Blackmarsh. There are so many secrets to the game, some you just stumble on and some you really have to think to figure out. I mostly read some walk throughs...

The two guilds that are available for you to join at the beginning of the game are the Fighter's and Mage's Guilds. They're businesses that cater to helping people recover family heirlooms from crypts and finding lost loved ones in the mountains. I made the highest rank possible in the Fighter's Guild after a long quest line and alot of, well, fighting. Now the guild pays me about 1k gold a month and I pretty much assign how much the guild centers on recruiting and how much the guild centers on actual contracts. The Mage's Guild I've only dabbled in but once I get recommendations from all of the Mage's Guild leaders in the smaller cities I get to go study at the Arcane University in the Imperial City and perhaps even rise to the rank of Archmage! Whoopeee!

Anyway, the best guild I've joined so far is the Thieves Guild. It's the hardest one to get into. There are no guild halls, none of that. You gotta talk to certain people, bribe this guard, talk to this beggar, meet a guild member in a garden near the docks at midnight, steal some stuff to prove that you are awesome. Once in the guild you start sneaking into castles, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor all the while foiling the guards and selling all the Count of Leyawin's silverware to the fence you know down the street. I'm pretty sure the Count of Skingrad is a vampire and I am going to sneak into his castle later to find out. Oh, you can become a vampire as well and play the entire game as a vampire. You get bonuses and stuff but you have to suck blood. Eh, there's some give and take there.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of the game is the Create a Class feature. Yes, if you want to be a Bounty Hunter be one. A Jedi? A pirate? A ninja? A combination of the three? Yes. Go for it. Me, I created the Aiel Class. And yes, I can run down deer and kill them with my dagger. There has been just one hitch. There are no spears in the game, so I had to improvise a bit and my Aielman has become sort of an Aiel/Ninja.

Will the Dark Brotherhood come to you in your sleep if you murder someone? Yes. But I protest that Gaul, my Aiel/Ninja, murdered anyone. I was engaged in melee combat with a member of the Blackwood Company and I simply got the drop on him before he could take me out. And then this guy in this dark robe comes to me in my sleep and asks me to go kill some guy and become a member of a secret (and creepy) order of assassins known as the Dark Brotherhood. Well, let me tell ya, my Aiel/Ninja ain't no murderer so I have yet to take the DB up on their offer.

Mountain lions killed the bandits that were chasing me the other day. The cats just sprang out of the grass by the side of the road (much like the bandits) not far from the Imperial City and starting mauling. And then I killed the mountain lions.

Happy Gaming

Summer Time, Love and Basketball

Being a teacher I don't "work" in the summer. Yes, I know, it's awesome. That's why I'm a teacher. And, I have to admit, I like working with kids. They are alot like adults without alot of the emotional scarring/hang-ups we grown-ups collect as we get older.

Anyway, back to not working. I live a mile from a nice beach. Now, it's on the bay not on the gulf so it's not great. But it is natural and it is at a small resort so it's nice. I live 25 minutes from St. Petersburg beach which is white sand for miles, on the Gulf of Mexico, really nice. But where do I spend my summers? Right here for the most part, on the computer, reading and writing.

Granted, summer in Florida is very rainy, it rains every day, usually in the afternoon. So being inside is ok. I go back to "work" in a couple of weeks. I am teaching all of the middle school writing labs. Really, I can't think of a better job. Well, ok, playing for the Pistons would be cool. Maybe, getting a book on the New York Times Best Seller list.

All that to say that even though I didn't get to the beach as much as I could have, or Busch Gardens (30 minutes away) or get out on the boat (just kidding I don't have a boat unless you count the raft I cobbled together out of our old dining room chairs: Cuba here I come!) I'm feeling pretty good about this summer. I don't feel like it got away from me. Which is good. It's not fun to look back at any period of time and feel like you wasted it.

Something strange happened to me the other day. Actually it was a month ago probably by now. I was playing basketball at this park with my friend Lamar and some of these people he knew from his church. It was winner stays and my team was pretty much whooping up on everyone there. And do you know what I did after the second game we won? I sat down, and I said, "I'm sitting this one out." Huh. I was playing good, scoring, rebounding, handling the ball, dropping a sweet dime here and there. The jumper was suspect (double rims ftl) but I was getting what I wanted inside. The fact was I just didn't want to play anymore. I didn't want to play anymore.

And at that moment I seriously thought about retirement. I felt like the love just wasn't there anymore. Then I got back in the game and hit a turn around in the post that would have made Rasheed Wallace stand up and cheer.

But I'm still seriously thinking about retirement.

1983-1989 The Golden Age of Cartoons

In no particular order:

M.A.S.K.

Spiral Zone

Transformers

G.I. Joe

Thundercats

Dungeons and Dragons




1. Lifter-Bruce Sato probably had the best mask. I actually had the Brad Turner Motorcycle/Helicopter...Condor, yeah, awesome. But my brother had Matt Trakker's flying IROC, dope.

2. I would really like to see a current rendition of those heavily armed, single-wheeled motorcycles the good guys drove but not the wheel-chairs with tank treads the bad guys rode on. If you don't know about Spiral Zone and you were born before 1980 then shame on you. Wikipedia: Use it.

3. Transformers: Well, the Decepticons could fly so I thought that gave them a pretty big advantage. But the Autobots did a pretty good job considering they were mostly tow-trucks and volkswagons and what not. I had Starscream, Ravage, Rampage, and a few others.

4. The Joes and Cobras were probably my favorite toon of all. The toys were at their coolest when they directly modeled the military units of the time. My brother's Skystriker really looked like an F-14 right down to the payload. I mean you always had your A.S.P. type vehicles (which was very cool btw) but the realism was what made the toys for me. Favorite character: Stormshadow, Cobra Ninja.

5. Tygra was my favorite and I can't find any information on the Black Widow Shark, but I know it was on the show. Also, Lynx-O was cool cause he overcame his disabilities.

6. Oh yeah and that D&D cartoon. The one with Dekion the skeleton who is really a Celestial Knight is probably my fave. I really thought Eric was voiced by David Schwimmer but alas, it was Don Most.

List your fave cartoons, of the 80's or any era!

Old Newman

Vacation was great. We really needed to get away for a while. The weather was perfect for the days we were in Michigan. The only bad part was the flight to Detroit from Tampa. There was alot of lightning around the plane and the turbulance was so bad it woke William from a deep sleep. He just scowled at me and went back to sleep though. He was great all trip.

It was great to see my family and friends. It was a "Phil and Pam + Fam." kinda trip which as you probably already guessed = Fun.

Magic was good, lots of fun, competative games for the most part. Football was a good time, though I think it made everyone sore and volleyball was great.

The trip back was good, though my mom was sitting a few rows behind my wife and the baby and I and when I politely asked the guy who was sitting in our row if he would like to trade seats with my mom he got all huffy and started swearing and giving me crazy eyes. I said, "Hey man, you don't have to move." He mumbled and ran to the back of the plane to my mom's old seat. To be honest he started sweating and rolling his eyes when he saw us coming with the baby. He looked kind of like Newman from Seinfeld with gray hair. The weird ending to the story is that we saw him at the luggage carousel and actually rode the parking garage elevator with him to where we parked. I thought I would thank him again for the seat as we exited the elevator. "Thanks again," I said. "CRAZY EYES," he replied.

Crazy eyes indeed, Old Newman, crazy eyes indeed.

Revelation 21

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

5 ¶ And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Ome'ga, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Follow the Leader

Why do you have to be a nonconformist like everybody else?

-James Thurber

War

He, therefore, who desires peace should prepare for war.

-Flavius Vegetius Renatus from De Rei Militari

Love

Such was ever love's way; to rise, it stoops.

-Robert Browning

Summer Time, Magic Season

Yes indeed, the best months of a teacher's year and I am smack-dab in the middle. It's hot, it's rainy, it's good writing weather. Thunder is rolling outside right now, though as I look out the sliding door I can see blue sky.

William is playing on his "jungle mat" complete with monkeys and toucans. Been working on the new manuscript, doing laundry, dishes, lawn stuff, hanging out with William and building some new decks. It's time for Summer Magic. That's right, all the pageantry, the glory, the thrill of victory and the agony of the combo deck gone wrong. Witness the pack-produced power of the Mortivore, the maddening effect of the third Blatant Thievery of the game and the raw power of Mana Geyser + Fireball.

SEE YOU IN JULY FOR THE CARNAGE!

Blogging

I've got a new blog up, Titan.

http://offworldstory.blogspot.com

I'll post material from my new manuscript for your comments.

Stop by and take a read when you get a chance.

New Car Smell

I got the car washed a few days ago and when they asked what scent I wanted in the car I hesitated. Vanilla I like but it can be overpowering, as can Cherry. I settled on New Car. Everyone likes that new car smell right?

Well, my wife went to get groceries yesterday and I was bringing them in. I couldn't help but notice the fascinting scent wafting from the Altima's cabin. New Car Smell? Try, Old Folks Home. What an aromatic bouquet of Ben-Gay, Depends and Polident. It must have taken a few days to really "kick in" because I honestly had no idea that anything remotely that bad smelling was available to the average consumer. I could see its military applications, but a smell like that is only so useful to us civilians. Needless to say my wife wants me to remove the offending odor pads and replace them with something more fragrant. Like Hot Dumpster.

GO THERE

Check out Arianna's blog and her "Lifehouse Everything" post and watch the video. I thought it was going to be corny and ended up with tears in my eyes.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

What would you do if you woke up tomorrow deathly ill only to realize that everyone you know has vanished and the city you live in is in ruins?

That's the situation in which Omeym finds himself in "The Last Vial" the new manuscript from the same guy who guilted you into reading CHOSEN.

Will Omeym survive long enough to save himself, find his people and topple an empire? Only time will tell how Omeym decides to use "The Last Vial".

*Not available in stores.
*Or anywhere else.

WEDNESDAY

William is excited because Wednesday is trash day!


Yep, put the trash out this morning at about 8. I have alot of trash because we are redoing all the mulch and some of the plants in our flower garden. All the old mulch and weeds are in huge, black, plastic bags. They're heavy. So I dragged them all out to the road so the trash guys could take them. Well, it's 2pm now and they're still out there in a sky-scraping ziggurat of trash. I'm not sure if I'm going to move them or not. Dragging them back up the driveway will solve nothing. Whether the trash guys take them or not they're going to have to be moved and keeping them near the curb makes it easier to move them. I bet my wife makes me move them away from the road though. Who wants to bet? Oh, nobody is taking that one?

William and I went for little run this morning which was nice. We have to get out early before it gets to hot.

Forecast for today: Hi of 92 with 85% humidity and a 50% chance of rain this afternoon. Ah, summer in Florida.

Well, being a house husband I have alot of things I need to get done such as, finish the laundry (FOLDING!!!) take care of Baby William and try to get some writing and reading done.

-laters skaters

DUNE

I just finshed DUNE MESSIAH. I never read the original DUNE but I have seen the movie...a few times. I kind of felt like I was reading Jack London on crack because the text is saturated with humanism. I always find books with a humanistic slant to them morbid to read. Where's the hope? Mind you, I really like Jack London because there is a truth to his writing. Fact: wolf-dogs are better at surviving in the Yukon than men. But we come to that conclusion from vastly different view points. Jack says "Look at evolution at work. Buck knows better then to go out in a blizzard because thousands of years of ancestral instinct tell him to stay inside". I say, "God made animals to survive and thrive in the woods and Buck here is doing a pretty good job of that." While I don't discount instinct, I believe Buck's instinctual make-up comes from God rather than millions of years of genetic randomness.


The main character (Paul Muad'dib Supreme Ruler of the Universe) is prescient, he can see the future. But not only that, he can see every imaginable variation of the future. To put it simply he can see the "Butterfly Effect" and can choose his path accordingly. Unfortunately for Paul all his options are pretty crummy and he has to settle with the lesser of the evils between the end of humanity and intense physical, mental and emotional pain for himself and his loved ones. He, being the guy that he is, saves humantiy and loses everything else.

The Fremen and the Aiel have some interestingly similar qualities:

Both live in an incredibly harsh, desert, environment.
Both revere water and kill people who waste it.
Both have a complex tribal social structure.
Both are the most fierce fighters in their perspective worlds.
Both follow a saviour figure who comes to them from a far-away land, posseses awesome powers and leads them in victorious battle over people who have alot of water.
Both are regarded as wild, dangerous and fierce by off-worlders/wetlanders.
Both are the personal guard and advisors of their respective saviours.

That's just a few I could think of off the top of my head. But when I was reading the book I was thinking "Aiel" whenever the Fremen were described as a people.

Morpheus should have read about the Butlerian Jihad during the Matrix Trilogy. The Duniverse had it's share of the same problems. Thinking machines overran Earth. Earth was devistated by the use of atomics against the machines and every human on the planet either died or became a slave of the Omnius of Earth. Well, thanks to settling on other planets across the universe,(insurance, Neo!) the humans fought back winning the war, destroying the machines, cyborgs and cymeks. In the end, even calculators were banned and, thanks to genetic tampering, humans who could think like computers were trained and called Mentats and no one ever used a keyboard again.
The End

Until next time, keep an eye on your toaster.

Excerpt from "The Last Vial" (New WIP)

New manuscript in progress. Enjoy.

And it came to pass that in the three hundredth year of the reign of the goddess Thanak that a servant of Olo, Who Is, arose out of the West. From an ancient house he came a champion of old. Son of the Eagle, yea even the White Eagle, he walked among us a prince of the children of the sun. And he slew the Dreneshites and the Agorians and the children of Lod with the edge of the sword and he cut them in pieces before the eyes of Olo. Then the people wondered at his coming and trembled at his might. And they named him Ash-Azaz, the Endbringer, the Titan.

-The Book of Olo

Nemmen: A Fantastic Tale

Wow, haha. Turned out to be not so fantastic after all.

I guess I'll wait a while before trying to write something "funny" again.

I got some interesting reactions over at Absolute Write in the "Share Your Work" forum.

So, ah, yeah...

This is the view from a beach near my house.


I should be reading right now. I have been assigned a book to read for a meeting I have at school tomorrow, but I'm blogging instead.

It appears I need to add some people to my Virtual Hangouts. Jen and Tara both have very interesting sites. So, I'll get right on that...right after I finish my reading.

The baby swing has mystical powers and no matter how hard Baby William tries to fight against its sleep inducing effects he fails and falls asleep. "Baby Swing, I choose you!"

Got this new manscript idea planned out a bit. At least I got the main idea for the piece. Now it's time to embark on another danger fraught journey into the dark recesses of my mind. This time I'm bringing a flash light and a juice box. I'v never tried to write something that was funny. My works were always (except for some poetry) pretty serious. Which is odd because I am not (serious).

Writing Chosen was a great experience. It was a real learning experience too. It gave me confidence that, given enough time, I can put down 63k words on my computer and it comes out semi-coherent. Mind you, I was back-filling plot holes for a while before I decided to put Chosen away for a while. I expect I'll get the manuscript out again and maybe even try to get it published (again) at some later date.

I'm either going to go read for a bit or work some on my new manuscript tentatively titled "Nemmen: A Fantastic Tale".

-Later

It's Over

It took the Boston Celtics one more game to finish off the Atlanta Hawks then it did to beat the Detroit Pistons. Detroit's Bigs (Rasheed) killed them this game, and while the guards played great, it wasn't enough to beat a determined Celtic's team.

I imagine this will be the last we see of the Detroit Pistons as they are now. I doubt Joe Dumars will keep a group together who flame out yearly in the Conference Finals. Flip will probably get fired, but I'm not sure that this year's defeat was his fault. Flip doesn't throw the ball away on offense, Flip doesn't let Ray Allen go full-court for uncontested lay-ups. But ultimately, he will get blamed. Anyway, it's gonna be a long summer for the Pistons. They have alot to think about. But there is a bright side, two actually, and their names are Rodney Stuckey and Jason Maxiell. If Amir keeps coming along and Tayshaun (not the best series for Tay) keeps improving the Pistons have a bright future ahead of them. Maybe even a few more Conference Finals appearences.

But, the opportunity to contend for a title doesn't come easily or often in the NBA. It's a shame the Pistons couldn't have made more of their chances.

NO MORE EXCUSES

Dice has been giving his all this series and Boston seems to have no answer for him. He led all players last night in scoring (21 pts) and rebounding (16 reb). It's a whole new playoff now, best of three, but Boston still controls the homecourt. No more excuses for the Pistons. It's time to put some pressure on Boston, pressure they haven't felt so far this post season. Big game tomorrow night. Stay tuned...

ALMOST THERE

Only 2 more days of school left this week. Then I'm off to Miami for our annual Puerto Rican Memorial Day Extravaganza.

I have to got start the grill for burgers tonight. Burgers and fries, burgers and fries...

My pics for tonight are the Lakers and David Cook(sorry Archy).

Speaking of grills, mine has taken a beating since we moved from our apartment to our home. I think it may be because instead of sitting in a covered lanai it now sits in the wild and dangerous back yard.

Driving home from work the other day my friend John and I saw an obese man sitting in front of a gas station in a motorized wheel chair wearing nothing but what looked to be a hand towel over his danger zone. It was one of those moments when you both see something at the same time that is so unexpected you just stare and then look at each other in shock/disbelief while simultaneously shouting, "Did you see that?" We laughed but it wasn't a derisive laugh it was a nervous laugh because here was a puzzle we could not figure out. I thought I saw him motoring down the street in a black choir robe but without the hand towel it was hard to tell.

-Peas

NICE

Bill Simmons, the Sports Guy on ESPN The Magazine online writes,"Fans spend an inordinate amount of time analyzing the mental makeup of their favorite players, so you can only imagine how many hours I've spent thinking about Garnett. After all, I'm the same guy who once wasted an entire afternoon trying to figure out Hickory High's box score in that final game in Hoosiers. (If you care, I had Chitwood down for 30 on 14-of-18 shooting.)"

APATHY KILLS

I sometimes think that we destroy ourselves because we honestly think that we have nothing better to do.

It's Settled

Boston finished off the LeBrons tonight in a hard fought game 7. Personally I was glad that Boston won. Why? I'll tell you.

1. No LeBron
What more can I say. The guy is a force of nature and he gets calls. Now, when I say he gets calls I mean that LeBron may put you in the Walls of Jaricho while you go in for a lay-up and YOU will get called for charging. Or, LeBron may slap the ball from your hands and then hold your jersey as you try to recover it all the while winking slyly at the refs who shrug and wink back with impish grins and "thumbs ups". I know, I'm exaggerating...a little. But if you asked me, "Hey, would you rather play LeBron and have homecourt in the Conference Finals, or would you rather play Boston whose mainstays have never been this deep in playoffs as a unit?" I'll take the Celts everytime, thanks. Let's not even get into the bad memories from last year that would haunt my dreams. "Zzzz...No Lebron, no, not another and-1 layup...zzzzz."

2. Experience
I already touched on this but it has been made more apparent that the Celtics really haven't got alot of deep playoff experience from their starters, at least when compared to Detroit. I'm not ready to give Boston the "backs against the wall" moniker that has followed the Pistons for years, but doesn't it seem that Boston only wins when it really has to? Like in Game 7's against the Atlanta Hawks? I think experience, as a whole, is a bit overrated (see Rodney Stuckey). But just a bit.

3. Fatigue
Boston vs. Cleveland was a brutal, physical, emotional, defensive grind. LeBron and Co. took alot out of a Celtics team that had already endured a long series with Atlanta. The Pistons took care of business vs. Orlando and are fresh. If Detroit is aggressive coming into game one they could steal homecourt from Boston.


4. Matchups
I'll try to be as objective as possible here:

Point Guard: Billups vs. Rondo
Advantage: Billups
Chauncey wins this battle by virtue of his size, strength and experience. Rondo, however has the speed advantage and finishes well so Chauncey will have to be on his a-game defensively. To me this is the most exploitable mismatch on the floor for Detroit.

Shooting Guard: Hamilton vs. Allen
Advantage: Hamilton
This matchup was close before the playoffs started and Ray Allen was replaced by a well disguised Mateen Cleaves. Hamilton was such a force vs. Orlando when Billups went out that if he can carry some of that energy over to this series this matchup may overtake Billups/Rondo for the "Most Exploitable" award. Allen's defense has been porous and if his shooting woes continue we may see alot more of Eddie House being posted up by Rip Hamilton.

Small Forward: Prince vs. Pierce
Advantage: Even
Now, you might say, "Come on MW, you are clearly showing bias by calling this matchup even. Didn't Pierce carry the Celtics in Game 7 going toe-to-toe with LBJ?" And I would have to concede the point that Pierce was magnificent vs. LeBron but that we also have to take into account Prince's performances (both offensively and defensively) in these playoffs. AI-Neutralized, Hedo-See "The Block II". The aforementioned are the go-to perimeter players on their repective teams and Prince came up big against them both all the while shooting nearly 60% from the field and sharing ball handling duties. This is where not playing Cleveland really helps Detroit because Prince matches up with Pierce much better than with LeBron. Prince is taller than Pierce and Pierce, though he is a great player, is not nearly as physical as LeBron. This is going to be the key matchup of the series and if Prince can truly keep the advantage even then the Pistons will go to the Finals.

Power Forward: Wallace vs. Garnett
Advantage: Even
Even? There I go again, huh? As with Prince vs. Pierce this matchup is going to be key. Size wise they are nearly even with Wallace being a bit heavier and Garnett maybe a tad taller, but pretty even. I like this matchup, again, for Wallace's experience vs. Garnett's energy. They are both great scorers and great defenders (Rasheed is really underrated)and are mobile big men with range on their jumper. This will be a real battle and one I am looking forward to.

Center: McDyess vs. Perkins
Advantge: McDyess
Experience, mobility, outside shooting, and perhaps most of all, drive give 'Dyess the advantage in this matchup. Perkins is taller and heavier ( 6'10" 264 vs. 6'9" 245)and could cause problems in the post for the smaller McDyess. But if the Orlando Game 5 McDyess shows up and begins nailing jumpers and ripping away rebounds Perkins will quickly find his way to the bench with foul trouble.

The Bench: Detroit vs. Boston
Advantage: Detroit
I have to go Detroit on this one. I had the benches as even, but the more I thought about it, the more I think back on the preceding series I have to go with DP. The Celtics reserves are no slouches. Powe is nice, Big Baby has given DP trouble in the past, House is instant "O", Brown is a cagey vet, and Posey has alot of experience vs. the Pistons in a playoff atmosphere. But the Pistons counter with a deep bench of their own. Maxiell is a beast, Stuckey would start for the Celtics, and the list goes on. One thing that I noticed about Detroit during the Orlando series is that they wear you down. You might get on a roll and make some shots but Detroit just keeps pushing, keeps coming at you, patiently, keeps throwing fresh guys at you, guys who can play( Stuckey), althletic guys (Walter, Max, Theo,) stoppers( Lindsey, Aaron) scorers(Jarvis and Juan). They play physical, they create matchup problems and more often than not their energy changes the face of the game in the Piston's favor.

There you go, there's my matchups. Of course what really matters to these teams is drive, focus, energy and will. Who is driven to win? Whos is more focused on the goal each game? Who brings the most energy? Who will impose their will on the series?

It's gonna be fun.

A Balmy Sunday

Here's a Happy Mother's Day Pic of Yuisa and William.

I do a little bit of writing at absolutewrite.com/forums. It's free to sign-up and a great place to network with and learn from other writers.! And it's fun.


Here's my latest post on the Sci-Fi/Fantasy Forums in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy First Line Game.

Erasimasterus, Lord of Oakenwood and High Protector of the Holy Tree, stood before his gathered legions and holding an acorn high above his armored head screamed a battle cry that for countless generations had rallied the Squirrel Clans to war, "Protect your nuts!"

Yeah, it's balmy here. Windy, overcast and 84 degrees? That's balmy.

I'm hungry and I think I'll go grab a pouch of fruit snacks. We get them at Costco in the whoppin' 84 pouch box! That's what I'm tallkin' 'bout.

I went over to Homestarrunner.com cause I haven't been there for a while. It made me miss my Strongbad T-shirt which got ruined somehow (moths?) and my Cheat Commando's T-shirt (stolen?) ah well I always have my wife's Teen Girl Squad T-shirt (which I wore last night to Macaroni Grill thank you very much).

Smell that? It's summer, and it's right around the corner. Next week only four days o'school. Cambridge Christian's Varsity Baseball Team is going to the State Final Four in Sarasota and so we are only having school until 10:30 on Monday so people can make the game. Thanks baseball team.

I'm anxious to get started on my new project.

-Later.

The BIGS

Rasheed Wallace is not just a good player. He is great. He is nigh unstoppable when he gets it going in the post and because of his range he is a constant threat when he runs the high pick and roll with Billups. How many times have you heard this, "Rasheed shoots to many threes"? Wrong, Rasheed is versatile. His range is much more of an asset to his game than a detriment. He stretches defenses with the three ball. You think Big Z wants to come out and guard Rasheed 23 feet from the bucket? No, no he doesn't. Pulling shot blockers out of their comfort zones allows Prince to abuse people in the post and allows the Piston's guards to drive with impunity. Rasheed's fade-away jumper is the toughest shot to defend since the Skyhook. He's 6'11" his release is high and he's fading away. That's no slouch defending him in the pic, that's All-NBA 1st Teamer Dwight Howard getting torched. Despite the potentcy of his offense Rasheed is key to the Piston's title run because of his defense. He (along with the other Piston's Bigs)kept big Dwight out of his comfort zone and forced him into bad shots and turnovers. I like 'Sheed, always have. His emotion is his biggest strength and biggest weakness. But he is a great player and if you ask the Pistons, a great teammate. Ask them what they think of his outbursts and they just reply, "'Sheed's gotta be 'Sheed." Amen to that.

I have to be honest when McDyess began shooting jumpers in the 4th quarter each shot was preempted by a sharp inhale from your's truly. When 'Dyess get's rolling his jumper is nasty, but when he's off...well he's off. He was rolling in Orlando. McDyess brings alot to the team. His jumper, strength in the post on both D and O and hunger. He has got to be the hungriest vet on the team. He wasn't there for '04 championship and he tasted the bitterness of Game 7 in San Antonio in '05, the Heat debacle in '06 and the LBJ dismantling in '07. That hunger is important and I hope 'Dyess continues to motivate the team the way he did after he donned the mask this year. He was an absolute beast in Game 5 vs. Orlando. The Magic looked helpless as he flew all over the court grabbing rebounds, hitting shots, snagging loose balls and, along with the rest of the squad, playing suffocating D. Every player on the team plays a key roll but if McDyess continues to bring the strength and energy (particularly on the boards) that he brought vs. Orlando it will make the Piston's bid for the title that much stronger.

Tayshaun, the unsung All-Star, the Stopper, Mr. Consistent. Tay has more upside than any other vet on the team and it is easy to imagine him leading the team in the future. Flip moving him to point-forward was a nice move. He handles the ball well, makes good decisions and is another match-up nightmare. Where can't he score from? He pulverizes smaller players in the post and drives past bigger players to the bucket. His jump hook is very tough to defend and when he gets by his man he dunks the ball with authority. He shoots the three at 33% and is shooting inside the arc at a scintilating 56% in the playoffs. Of course he does all this AND draws the opposing team's best perimeter player where he becomes a walking migraine for the opposition. Just ask Andre Iguodala and Hedo Turkoglu.

I was going to include J-Max in this edition of DP Today but I will include him in my next segment: The Zoo Crew and You.

-Peace

You, Me and DP

This play stupified me, in a good way. The degree of difficulty, the implications of the game...there I go again. Prince, adding to his legend.


Here we are, You, Me and the DP. Back in the Eastern Conference Finals. Back to where we were humbled last year by a Cavaliers team that went on to get massacred by the San Antonio Spurs. The Magic series was a good one. After Detroit turned it around vs. Philly I began to take notice of their focus, their energy level and their aggressive play. Let's be honest, that's what it comes down to at this point for the Pistons. They have been to the Conference Finals 6 consecutive times, 6 times! They know they can score. They know they can pass and rebound. They know they can get stops. The question is will they be focused and make their shots? Will their energy level power them to secure rebounds and recover loose balls? Will they be relentless on defense? Will they be physical and force their will? If they do the aforementioned they will win the NBA title this year. There, I said it. There is not a team out there that can match up when the Detroit Pistons are focused, sharing the ball and locking things up on D. Not LA, not San Antonio, not New Orleans, not the LeBrons or the Celtics.

First of all the backcourt (and Chauncey getting the chance to rest will be key) is a match-up nightmare. Billups is not terribly quick (though I have been impressed with the way he had been finishing at the rim before the infamous "stretch") but he is strong, he doesn't turn the ball over and he is a versatile scorer (in the paint on a post up or 26 ft. from the basket on a pull-up three). Besides that, Chauncey brings a stablizing effect and on-court leadership to every game he plays. No matter what the score I never feel like a game is out of reach when Number 1 is on the floor for Detroit.

Rip is hitting his stride at the right time. In game one versus Orlando he was hitting his jumper with such consitency that I nearly broke down in tears for the beauty of it all. He also reminded me during the Orlando series that he is 6'7", fast, and able to post up better than I thought he could. He was an assassin from the free-throw line allowing him keep the pressure on the Magic even when his jumper wasn't falling. Now throw in Stuckey at 6'5" with 15 pts., 6 assts. and 0 Turnovers in a close-out playoff game AND Lindsey, (what is the guy, like 80?) who can still lock people up and has a knack for hitting shots when the team needs him to, and you have the makings of a championship backcourt. (Rodney, you can consistently shoot over smaller, quicker, players and drive past bigger, slower, players.Plus you are money from the line. One of these days you will realize that you really cannot be stopped and I hope I'm around to see it).

By the way, if I had to pick a player of the game last night 'Dyess would edge out the rest of the team for his 4th quarter performance. 11 points and 9 Rebounds in the fourth quarter of a close-out playoff game after you just heard that your grandma who pratically raised you had died back in Miss.? Guts, heart, drive, focus. 'Nuff said.


Next: The Frontcourt, More McDyess, Uncle Rasheed and the Incredible J-Max.

My Main Man

Billups will not be denied. I hope that they don't push him to play to early.

WTH PISTONS!?

O.k. I wait all week for the Piston's game Sunday night. I buy into the "deepest team ever-rested the starters all year-motivated to win because of the way they got smoked by Cleveland last year" hype. I was ready for them to live up to the hype. They seemed ready. They had the pieces. Then they go out and lose the HOME OPENER to Philly. Philly didn't even finish over .500 for the season! I'm done. I'm not watching the rest of the series. I'll just check the paper for the scores.

Do I think Detroit will win the series? Yes, I do. Did they send a message to the Celtics and Magic? Yes, they did. "We are the same old Pistons as last year."

Maybe this is just what the Pistons needed, a wake up call. Maybe they needed a humbling experience. Maybe this will jolt them into playing like every game could be their last, shutting down teams early and keeping them shut down. Because right now there is no way they can beat Orlando, let alone Boston or Cleveland.

Prince William

Here is the reason I have not been blogging lately, William Daniel. He looks a little bit different at this point as he is just over a month old now. This shot was taken as he left the hospital for the first time.

My days now consist of, get up, go to work, come home, change the baby, burp the baby, comfort the baby, bathe the baby, go to sleep. Oh, but it's not over after you go to sleep. No, the baby is a 24/7, equal opportunity (except for feeding) responsibility. I don't know what I expected but I'll admit I was not fully prepared for the level of care that this little person requires. It's not like I can say, "Hey, Will, entertain yourself while I cook dinner (something I have been doing alot more as of late. Mac and Cheese anyone?)."

He is awesome though. It's hard to describe but it's cool holding a tiny miracle in your arms.

Anyway I have to go because my hardboiled eggs are ready and I have to feed my wife who is in turn feeding the baby. It's the circle of life, like the Lion King but less hairy.

I'm have a new project lined up for the summer tentatively titled "Nemmen: A Fantastic Tale".

It's a satire on modern American culture full of memorable characters and hilarity such as the baby dangling, skin color changing King of Popp and the cunning Goblitician Snorg. Not to mention the elite female infantry unit known as Britney's Spears.

Peace

None

Basketball season is over. We lost in Regionals in a cold, dark gym near Orlando. I am sad to see our Seniors go as they are great leaders and great players but I am also excited about next year as we return three of our starters (two freshman and a sophomore)and a solid core of reserves.

It's nice to have more time in the day but from what everyone tells me once the baby comes (6 days til the due date) that goes out the window as well. Sometimes I think people are trying to give me the old "you just don't understand what you're in for" speech. I say, Bring It On! As Bonecrusher once said, "I ain't never scared."

My wife is nesting with the might of a thousand chickens and we are cleaning the house all weekend and making sure the nursery is in order.

Rick, I am sorry to hear about Moose, I hope he gets better soon.

Dave, blog something.

Mike, what about the Cosby Show?

Phil, nice trailer, thanks for posting it.

Jay, great pics. Sometimes I miss snow...sometimes.

Toby, RPG's are the best, sorry about your archer. Blame the healer imo.

Joe, I'm not sure if you read this, but I'm glad your trip went well.

Chuck, (see Dave)

Angie, Glad to see everything is going well.


peace and chicken grease

The Fall of Clan Kingshammer

Collin awoke to the barking of dogs. The interior of the longhouse was illuminated by the embers of a dying fire and shadows danced on the hide walls and swarmed over the sleeping forms of his family. Collin sat up pushing the bear skin from him and rubbed his eyes sleepily. After a moment the dogs stopped and Collin flopped back down on the hide covered pine boughs that made his bed. His eyes flickered once and closed. A scream sounded loud from close by and then the shouting of men and the war bells.
Collin was on his feet in an instant and he was not alone. His uncle Angrew was shouting as a score of his cousins pulled mail shirts over leather jerkins and grabbed weapons from the racks on the longhouse walls. “Step to lads,” Angrew cried hefting his war axe in his massive hands, “the bells call us to glory. Collin, see to your mothers and sisters, let no one past the door.” Angrew clapped Collin heavily on the back. A feral smile split his bearded face as he rushed out the door. Collin could hear him shouting, “Show no mercy lads, split them, gut them…” The rest was lost to the sounds of battle.
Collin took his place in the doorway hefted his broadsword and swung his shield into position. Glancing behind him he saw his first mother, Ursula and second mother, Agris handing weapons and shields to his sisters and cousins maneuvering them toward the back of the longhouse in a tight wedge with Ursula at the point. Collin smiled in spite of himself. He did not envy any attacker who managed to fight their way past him. Ebresh women were a match for any man in armed combat.
A giant warrior hurtled through the longhouse door barreling into Collin and sending him crashing into the empty weapon racks on the far wall. Ursula screamed, “Death to the Shogar,” and her war cry was echoed by a score of piercing calls as the women charged the hulking Shogar warrior. Collin’s head swam as he stood shaking to his feet. The Shogar’s head brushed the ceiling beams as he turned toward the women. The brute raised his obsidian studded cudgel as a spear struck him in the thigh and another took him in the shoulder. The Shogar merely grunted at blows that would have skewered a boar and swung his cudgel with all of his immense strength. Ursula raised her shield just as Collin crashed into the Shogar pushing him off balance and causing his attack to go wide. The Shogar fell to his knees and raised his weapon for another strike. The women crouched behind their shields bracing for an attack that never came as the point of Collin’s broadsword blossomed from the warrior’s neck in a crimson spray. The Shogar gurgled his final breath and fell forward onto the fire pit shrouding them in cold darkness. Collin’s victory shout was cut short as smoke filled the longhouse and flames leapt from the burning walls.
“They’ve set us ablaze,” Agris cried.
“Run children, run!” Ursula shouted.
Collin leapt out the door, sword leading. Fire, the entire village was aflame. Smoke mixed with the frigid night air seared his lungs as he searched for Angrew in the chaos of battle. Knots of Ebresh warriors stood locked in combat with the Shogar raiding party. The snow was stained red and littered with the bodies of dead Ebresh and dying Shogar. Flames from burning longhouses reached toward the stars and some of the nearby trees were wreathed in flame.
“Collin,” Angrew shouted from where he stood striking down a wounded Shogar. His axe caught in the giant warrior’s neck and he ripped the brute screaming to the ground dispatching him with a two-handed blow. “Collin, get out. Take them to Nevermoon. There’s nothing to be done here. Protect the clan. Go!” Angrew shouted as Collin hesitated taking a step toward his uncle. “Go now, before it is too late.”
Collin led the remnant of Clan Kingshammer into the freezing darkness, into the vast expanse of the Frostpine Forest, hoping beyond hope to reach the ancient fortress of Nevermoon before they were found.

Eldrick's Spark

Eldrick crouched low and shuffled as quietly as he could throw the tangle of wild grape vine and thorn bush that lined the fence row of his father’s farm. In one hand he clutched a short bow tightly against his rail thin body to keep it from snagging on the dense underbrush and with the other he steadied the quiver clasped to his wide belt. Dead leaves decorated his sandy hair and red welts were rising where the razorvine and quillweed had caressed his sun-browned skin. Ahead of him the trees grew tall and wide apart and the brush grew less dense. Behind him stretched miles of tilled earth and green clad pasture. The sun beat down mercilessly on Eldrick as he shuffled forward. Despite the shade the dense undergrowth seemed to amplify the heat rather than dispel it. The pungent smell of crushed greenery and sweet pollen filled his nose as sweat leapt from his tousled hair and slick arms to spatter the dusty ground.

Flies buzzed loudly ahead of him and through the itchy green tangle another sound made Eldrick’s heart skip a beat for fear. It was a menacing rumbling sound, a sound man had feared since the world was new. A vicious snarl followed, then the sound of tearing flesh and the crack of bone. Eldrick’s feet froze in place. His heart beat like a kettle drum in his ears and he was sure his breathing could be heard from several miles away. Fear gripped him. Fear of being rent and crushed and eaten, primal fear.

Eldrick slowed his breathing as his father had taught him. Slowly he raised his hand and gently brushed aside the thick strands of viper grass that blocked his view. Inch by inch a massive tawny shape materialized before him. Neck muscles bulged as the lion tore hungrily at the belly of the dead bull. Blood smeared the muzzle of the beast as it ripped great chunks of flesh from the bull. To Eldrick the lion was the most wonderful and terrible thing he had ever seen. The great cat was all muscle and power and beauty. A creature created to rule over all others. He looked nervously at the suddenly pathetic weapons in his hands, the curved stick that Men had named “bow” and the sharp feathered sticks in his quiver. He looked at again at the lion which had stopped feeding and turned its great golden eyes on him. Eldrick wanted to run, he wanted to scream and throw down his puny weapons and run, but he could not move. Mastery was in the lion’s eyes a knowing of the order of the world, of its place in the order of things. The lion was undisputed in this place as surely as an Eastern King on his throne.

A guttural rumble sounded from the lion’s bloody maws and reverberated through the trees and across the fields. Eldrick put a trembling hand to the quiver at his side and drew a goose fletched shaft from among its brethren. The lion growled blood curdling thunder and rushed. Eldrick’s arrow never found the bowstring as he was crushed to the ground by the powerful predator. Heat washed over him in waves, heat that made the sun seem cool, heat that stole his breath and replaced it with sulfur and brimstone. Then darkness came, cool and quiet and he was alone.

January 20

Things have been hectic up until today. Along with school, basketball, home remodeling, baby planning and cleaning I have been trying to get a little writing in (little being the key word).

The Cambridge Christian School Lady Lancers are currently 11-8 with districs coming up at the end of the month. You can check the team out here http://www.maxpreps.com/FanPages/Team.mxp/AreaID-7bcaf5fa-f8bd-4fe8-a970-f05012cd05b2/SchoolID-c4c227a5-9602-4a5c-9c01-956ff6d738a0/Girls_Varsity_Basketball_Winter_07-08/Florida

Our baby is due February 22nd so once basketball is over a whole new game begins. Today we have to run errands in the afternoon, go to Babies-R-Us, Target and a few other stops. I hope everyone enjoys MLK day tomorrow, hopefully you have some time off.