((With apologies to Alfred, Lord Tennyson and to The Psalmist.))
"Half a league, half a league
Half a league onward
Into the shadow of the valley of death
Rode I, a wanderer.
"Forward, and with great praise!
Faith in the Son!" I said.
Into the valley of the shadow of death
Rode I, a wanderer.
... ... ...
Cannon to the right of him,
Cannon to the left of him,
Cannon in front of him,
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell
Boldly he rode as well,
For His rod and staff, they comfort me
And I shall fear no evil."
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Placeholder - Thunderstorm
So...I've been REALLY busy recently, and while you'd think that would give me plenty of material to write about, mostly I'm content to keep my thoughts to myself. I do feel a little bad about being so inconstant about updating, so in lieu of a "real" update, here's a short excerpt from a short story I've been writing. This is an original work, so please do not use, modify, or reproduce without my permission.
___________________________________________________________
You never want to go outside when it's raining in the city.
Two-hundred foot concrete towers suck a lot of moisture out of the air, and those same towers create a wind tunnel that turns slight breezes into noticeable headwinds that drive the rain everywhere. Any raindrops that make it to the ground are the ones that are actually trying to - raindrops with a death wish. I've heard it's worse in big cities like New York, where the rain is not only already dead, but looking to take its revenge on anyone unlucky enough to be out in it.
Tonight had been even worse than that. A grand mal thunderstorm came in, just before the restaurant closed. It was too late to call a friend for a ride - sunrise mornings and office cubicles would keep them in tonight - but it was too early for a taxi to be the safest way home. Not that it mattered; my wallet was empty except for a fiver. That meant walking. Sixteen blocks, in the stygian rain.
Piggybacking wireless from an apartment across the street (I had no idea how long that signal would stay up - they were pretty dense to keep an unprotected access point in this part of town), I resigned myself to getting pissed on by the leaking awning as I huddled over my hand-held, trying to keep it dry. I wanted to storm back inside, tell Boss-man to get it fixed, but he would ignore the complaint. He always ignored me. He might do something about it if I could get the Brat to complain about it. Nothing else ever seemed to work.
The faint glow of my hand-held flickered. Donate money, donate money, Jesus loves you, donate money, free porn if you give us your credit number. Nothing from Brother, nothing from the Twins, nothing from anyone. Brother had sent me a call before going on a first date with some girl. "I need a favor. I need you to tell me I'm fun to hang out with. Convince me." He said he'd call back when it was over. That was three days ago. Must be a damn good date. The Twins were racist, superficial, loud, and flaky as hell...but they hadn't moved up north like everyone else. They were always good for a drink or a quick fight, and sometimes that was alright. The glow flickered again. Dammit...battery's about to go. With a sigh I pocketed the device, shook water out of my hair the best I could, and stepped back into the storm. Sixteen blocks... I became one with the rain.
___________________________________________________________
You never want to go outside when it's raining in the city.
Two-hundred foot concrete towers suck a lot of moisture out of the air, and those same towers create a wind tunnel that turns slight breezes into noticeable headwinds that drive the rain everywhere. Any raindrops that make it to the ground are the ones that are actually trying to - raindrops with a death wish. I've heard it's worse in big cities like New York, where the rain is not only already dead, but looking to take its revenge on anyone unlucky enough to be out in it.
Tonight had been even worse than that. A grand mal thunderstorm came in, just before the restaurant closed. It was too late to call a friend for a ride - sunrise mornings and office cubicles would keep them in tonight - but it was too early for a taxi to be the safest way home. Not that it mattered; my wallet was empty except for a fiver. That meant walking. Sixteen blocks, in the stygian rain.
Piggybacking wireless from an apartment across the street (I had no idea how long that signal would stay up - they were pretty dense to keep an unprotected access point in this part of town), I resigned myself to getting pissed on by the leaking awning as I huddled over my hand-held, trying to keep it dry. I wanted to storm back inside, tell Boss-man to get it fixed, but he would ignore the complaint. He always ignored me. He might do something about it if I could get the Brat to complain about it. Nothing else ever seemed to work.
The faint glow of my hand-held flickered. Donate money, donate money, Jesus loves you, donate money, free porn if you give us your credit number. Nothing from Brother, nothing from the Twins, nothing from anyone. Brother had sent me a call before going on a first date with some girl. "I need a favor. I need you to tell me I'm fun to hang out with. Convince me." He said he'd call back when it was over. That was three days ago. Must be a damn good date. The Twins were racist, superficial, loud, and flaky as hell...but they hadn't moved up north like everyone else. They were always good for a drink or a quick fight, and sometimes that was alright. The glow flickered again. Dammit...battery's about to go. With a sigh I pocketed the device, shook water out of my hair the best I could, and stepped back into the storm. Sixteen blocks... I became one with the rain.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Berlin
I woke up this morning, and was reminded today is the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down (I was a very young child when it happened). I think it would be very good for today to be a day for reflecting on the past, and planning for the future.
Peace, love, unity, and respect all over the world!
Peace, love, unity, and respect all over the world!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Actual content
Here's a quick update.
Some of you already know this, but I wanted to make a more general announcement of it as well, so that people who might want to know wouldn't be left in the dark. :)
Last week I started a new job. Every few years counties in NC are required to do a community reassessment, re-evaluating community, health, safety, and environmental issues in that county. Wake County is currently in the midst of this reassessment process, and they're gunning for one of the most comprehensive, far-reaching assessments in the county's history. In order to handle the volume of information they're seeking, Wake County has hired on a dozen or more young people (mostly grad students) to go into the field and survey people in the community. I am one of those students! Now, in addition to working at the restaurant here in Greensboro, I will also be at different points in Wake County three days a week, administering surveys and collecting data for the county!
Between the survey work and having class in Durham every week, I'm going to be on the road quite a lot in the next few weeks. It's one of the unfortunate side effects of living in Greensboro, but working in and around Raleigh! The surveying period should be over by the end of the year, so I should have a little more sanity in my schedule by then, but for the next 6-8 weeks, I'm not going to have a whole lot of free time or money (even though it looks like it's held steady for the past couple days, the price of gas is on the rise again). If the rest of this job goes like my first few days in the field, this is going to be a really good experience with some fun and interesting people!
And now you know. :)
Some of you already know this, but I wanted to make a more general announcement of it as well, so that people who might want to know wouldn't be left in the dark. :)
Last week I started a new job. Every few years counties in NC are required to do a community reassessment, re-evaluating community, health, safety, and environmental issues in that county. Wake County is currently in the midst of this reassessment process, and they're gunning for one of the most comprehensive, far-reaching assessments in the county's history. In order to handle the volume of information they're seeking, Wake County has hired on a dozen or more young people (mostly grad students) to go into the field and survey people in the community. I am one of those students! Now, in addition to working at the restaurant here in Greensboro, I will also be at different points in Wake County three days a week, administering surveys and collecting data for the county!
Between the survey work and having class in Durham every week, I'm going to be on the road quite a lot in the next few weeks. It's one of the unfortunate side effects of living in Greensboro, but working in and around Raleigh! The surveying period should be over by the end of the year, so I should have a little more sanity in my schedule by then, but for the next 6-8 weeks, I'm not going to have a whole lot of free time or money (even though it looks like it's held steady for the past couple days, the price of gas is on the rise again). If the rest of this job goes like my first few days in the field, this is going to be a really good experience with some fun and interesting people!
And now you know. :)
Placeholder
When the house is empty, I usually turn on some music to fill the silence (I know some people do this with the television, but my desk faces away from the TV set, so sometimes I honestly forget we have one!). This morning started out with The Ting Tings and VNV Nation. What an interesting day this has the potential to become!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Mid-day update
So, while I was writing my previous post, I was actually involved in another project. I realized last night that my change jar was almost full...which means that it was time to count and roll all my change and take it to the bank! I picked one of the Genius mixes on iTunes to listen to while I was counting, and let it run while I did my thing.
End result? $45.50! That's quite a lot! I was quite happy to hand over all my rolled coins to the teller at the bank, because that amount of money is going to cover gas for all the running around I have to do for the next two weeks (assuming the price doesn't go up too fast!). Now, starting over is going to be the hard part. Change-wise, I've got about 14 cents now, so I've got quite a ways to go before my change jar fills up again!
In other news, I went to the Carolina Renaissance Faire the weekend before last! In case you somehow missed out on that news (and I made a pretty dang big deal about it, even if I...forgot...to blog about it. Oops...), here's a link to a photoset from my trip.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/95781046@N00/sets/72157622457027987/
((right now I'm getting an error message when I try to access Flickr, but this should be the correct URL. I'll double-check the link this evening after work!))
Be well!
End result? $45.50! That's quite a lot! I was quite happy to hand over all my rolled coins to the teller at the bank, because that amount of money is going to cover gas for all the running around I have to do for the next two weeks (assuming the price doesn't go up too fast!). Now, starting over is going to be the hard part. Change-wise, I've got about 14 cents now, so I've got quite a ways to go before my change jar fills up again!
In other news, I went to the Carolina Renaissance Faire the weekend before last! In case you somehow missed out on that news (and I made a pretty dang big deal about it, even if I...forgot...to blog about it. Oops...), here's a link to a photoset from my trip.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/95781046@N00/sets/72157622457027987/
((right now I'm getting an error message when I try to access Flickr, but this should be the correct URL. I'll double-check the link this evening after work!))
Be well!
"I have no idea what to do..."
...is probably what my iTunes is thinking. I recently gave in and decided to try out the Genius feature that comes with iTunes, and after it went through all my music, it split it all up into "Genius mixes" that are supposed to all be related to each other based on some complex algorithm that takes tempo, genre, and iTunes store recommendations into account.
WELL, the "Rock Mix 3" that Genius came up with makes no sense at all. In the past 20 minutes I've jumped from Indigo Girls to Ludo (which you really should check out if you're not yet familiar. Love Me Dead is a fun song, and Save Our City is about the zombie apocalypse!), Fountains of Wayne to All God's Children (gospel-influenced southern rock), Journey to Blue Öyster Cult, COMBICHRIST, and now I'm back to Indigo Girls (also Voltaire, Neuroticfish, Alice Cooper, and Queen).
This doesn't make much sense! XD
WELL, the "Rock Mix 3" that Genius came up with makes no sense at all. In the past 20 minutes I've jumped from Indigo Girls to Ludo (which you really should check out if you're not yet familiar. Love Me Dead is a fun song, and Save Our City is about the zombie apocalypse!), Fountains of Wayne to All God's Children (gospel-influenced southern rock), Journey to Blue Öyster Cult, COMBICHRIST, and now I'm back to Indigo Girls (also Voltaire, Neuroticfish, Alice Cooper, and Queen).
This doesn't make much sense! XD
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Excerpt from "Tales from the Gallery"
((A few sentences from a project I've been working on!))
"Closest to the door were familiar-looking machines. Test your love prowess. How manly are you? How long will you live? The only difference was that the electronic sensors and LED strips from the games at the movie theater were replaced with decades-old grip bars and rows of incandescent bulbs. Still riding high from the excitement of exploring Harland's, I would have been a near-immortal-Charles-Atlas-sex-machine for just a quarter at the theater. There was no telling how I might fare here, though."
"Closest to the door were familiar-looking machines. Test your love prowess. How manly are you? How long will you live? The only difference was that the electronic sensors and LED strips from the games at the movie theater were replaced with decades-old grip bars and rows of incandescent bulbs. Still riding high from the excitement of exploring Harland's, I would have been a near-immortal-Charles-Atlas-sex-machine for just a quarter at the theater. There was no telling how I might fare here, though."
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The eyes have it
Today began with an adventure.
This morning, my razor broke. Since I use a cartridge-based razor, all I needed to do was replace the blade, but while I was fiddling with the mechanism, my hand slipped, the head went flying, and nicked me good right by the corner of my eye. Good thing it didn't go flying off just a few millimeters to the right (left, in the following photo), or I'd have been in trouble! Here's a not-too-great picture of the wound, although I'm sure no one would actually want to see it in sharper detail:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/95781046@N00/3924552076/
It didn't bleed too much, but the nick is RIGHT where the nosepad of my glasses rest, so I had to choose between irritation and blindness all day long!
In other eye-related news, when I got off work this evening I had received a voicemail from the vision center saying my new glasses were in! "Whaaa?..." you may be saying, if you remember that I got new glasses only about 2 weeks ago. What happened was that the when the vision center ordered the lenses for my frame, the manufacturer cut them incorrectly, and they started popping out of frames on day 2. The left lens especially was prone to trying to escape, which is a bad thing since my vision is worse in the left eye than the right. I went back to try to get adjustments done that day, and then the day after, but when the left lens tried to escape AGAIN (this time before I was even out the door of the vision center!), they offered to just go ahead and re-order everything and make sure it all fit properly. And now the end result is New Glasses v.2.0! They are the exact same frame and style, but hopefully a bit more agreeable than the glasses I've been wearing!
In NON-eye-related news, the Carolina Renaissance Faire is coming up, and the first day is 10 October! That's less than a month away; I'm so excited! I have lived in North Carolina since 1996, and have been to the Renaissance Faire 18 times in those 11 years (Eleven years because I'm not counting 2006 (I was doing an international internship in Europe then), and because the 2009 Faire hasn't happened yet). I'm tentatively making several trips to the Faire this year; anyone interested in going with me please contact me so that we can work out schedules and other details!
This morning, my razor broke. Since I use a cartridge-based razor, all I needed to do was replace the blade, but while I was fiddling with the mechanism, my hand slipped, the head went flying, and nicked me good right by the corner of my eye. Good thing it didn't go flying off just a few millimeters to the right (left, in the following photo), or I'd have been in trouble! Here's a not-too-great picture of the wound, although I'm sure no one would actually want to see it in sharper detail:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/95781046@N00/3924552076/
It didn't bleed too much, but the nick is RIGHT where the nosepad of my glasses rest, so I had to choose between irritation and blindness all day long!
In other eye-related news, when I got off work this evening I had received a voicemail from the vision center saying my new glasses were in! "Whaaa?..." you may be saying, if you remember that I got new glasses only about 2 weeks ago. What happened was that the when the vision center ordered the lenses for my frame, the manufacturer cut them incorrectly, and they started popping out of frames on day 2. The left lens especially was prone to trying to escape, which is a bad thing since my vision is worse in the left eye than the right. I went back to try to get adjustments done that day, and then the day after, but when the left lens tried to escape AGAIN (this time before I was even out the door of the vision center!), they offered to just go ahead and re-order everything and make sure it all fit properly. And now the end result is New Glasses v.2.0! They are the exact same frame and style, but hopefully a bit more agreeable than the glasses I've been wearing!
In NON-eye-related news, the Carolina Renaissance Faire is coming up, and the first day is 10 October! That's less than a month away; I'm so excited! I have lived in North Carolina since 1996, and have been to the Renaissance Faire 18 times in those 11 years (Eleven years because I'm not counting 2006 (I was doing an international internship in Europe then), and because the 2009 Faire hasn't happened yet). I'm tentatively making several trips to the Faire this year; anyone interested in going with me please contact me so that we can work out schedules and other details!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Well, it finally happened...
I was eating lunch with a friend yesterday, and I became that guy. You know the one. The guy who orders a salad, and not even on the side! I ordered a salad for my meal. What the heck is going on? Am I finally becoming a responsible adult? Next thing you know I'll be going to bed at 10:00 p.m. and eating bran muffins for breakfast instead of apple sauce! =P
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Nerd-citement
Okay, so we're having our first class in the computer lab this evening (class is just about to start, so I'll make this quick), and I noticed that NCCU's on-site computers all have an updated version of SPSS on them! When I was working on my undergraduate degree, I did all my statistical analysis on SPSS 14.0, so I got SUPER excited when I saw a desktop icon for 17! I didn't even have any data to enter, but I opened it up and started playing around. Yay!
"...two countries separated by the Atlantic Ocean"
I was trying to figure out why the formatting on the paper I wrote last night was so strange when I printed it off, so I was looking around in the settings of my word processor. For some reason the paper size was set to A4 (the international standard) which is longer than standard letter size...and which gave me an extra half-page of text once I formatted the document back to the proper size! That's a HUGE difference, considering I was working on only a 4-5 page assignment.
Most people I know complain about the length of papers they write, but I'm one of the few who probably worries from time to time that assignments I turn in may be too long. [chuckles]
My computer has been doing strange little things like this ever since I got back from England a few years ago. Even though I've tried to change them on more than one occassion, the time stamps on my IM client, my blog, and a few of the other web-based services I use still default to GMT instead of my proper time zone. Similarly, if I type "Amazon" into my browser's address bar and hit enter, I'll be taken to amazon.co.uk instead of amazon.com. I also had to adjust settings on my spell-check, because I kept getting red squiggles under words like "color" instead of "colour", "favor" instead of "favour", and "aluminum" instead of "aluminium" (...although that spelling might actually be standard; I'm not sure though!).
Most people I know complain about the length of papers they write, but I'm one of the few who probably worries from time to time that assignments I turn in may be too long. [chuckles]
My computer has been doing strange little things like this ever since I got back from England a few years ago. Even though I've tried to change them on more than one occassion, the time stamps on my IM client, my blog, and a few of the other web-based services I use still default to GMT instead of my proper time zone. Similarly, if I type "Amazon" into my browser's address bar and hit enter, I'll be taken to amazon.co.uk instead of amazon.com. I also had to adjust settings on my spell-check, because I kept getting red squiggles under words like "color" instead of "colour", "favor" instead of "favour", and "aluminum" instead of "aluminium" (...although that spelling might actually be standard; I'm not sure though!).
Monday, August 31, 2009
Work-in-Progress: "The Jabberwocky"
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious antics of the slithy tove,
While I nodded, sleep transpiring, suddenly there came a gyring,
As of some one gently miring, miring as if on the rove.
`A mome visitor,' I muttered, `gyring as if on the rove -
Here at my door, not at the grove.'
Distinctly I recall the day, yes it was in the bleak of May,
And amid the sundial's footstone gimbled, gyred all the toves
Eagerly I wished 'twas brillig; - 'til the snapping of a dry twig
Marked the passage of a green pig - the raths that now would come in droves -
'Twas brillig and the mome raths outgrabe piteously all in a drove
On the wabe here in the grove.
... ... ...
More to come later - my brain is fried tonight! Feedback appreciated!
Here's a link to a glossary of terms, just in case!
Over many a quaint and curious antics of the slithy tove,
While I nodded, sleep transpiring, suddenly there came a gyring,
As of some one gently miring, miring as if on the rove.
`A mome visitor,' I muttered, `gyring as if on the rove -
Here at my door, not at the grove.'
Distinctly I recall the day, yes it was in the bleak of May,
And amid the sundial's footstone gimbled, gyred all the toves
Eagerly I wished 'twas brillig; - 'til the snapping of a dry twig
Marked the passage of a green pig - the raths that now would come in droves -
'Twas brillig and the mome raths outgrabe piteously all in a drove
On the wabe here in the grove.
... ... ...
More to come later - my brain is fried tonight! Feedback appreciated!
Here's a link to a glossary of terms, just in case!
Monday, August 24, 2009
I made this!
Tonight, under the expert tutelage of KB, one of my dear friends, I learned how to knit! Well, I say I learned how to knit, but really all I got out of it was a crash course in the basic mechanics. I feel like I've got a ways to go before I can even call myself "proficient", let alone anything so daring as "good"!
...And I'm sure any experienced knitters out there will agree with me. ;-P
Anywho, along with the embarrassment of "I can't believe how terrible this looks!" is a personal pride in the act of creation. Or maybe it's vanity?
Either way, here's a photo! Don't you think it looks like California? I do!
Once I get settled into my semester and can get some stuff together, I'm going to keep working at it and try to become better! Thanks for lending me your supplies, your time, and your patience, KB!
...And I'm sure any experienced knitters out there will agree with me. ;-P
Anywho, along with the embarrassment of "I can't believe how terrible this looks!" is a personal pride in the act of creation. Or maybe it's vanity?
Either way, here's a photo! Don't you think it looks like California? I do!Once I get settled into my semester and can get some stuff together, I'm going to keep working at it and try to become better! Thanks for lending me your supplies, your time, and your patience, KB!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
"I don't know whether..."
Today would have been a good day to sleep in! When I got up a few hours ago, it was very grim and overcast. Now the sky is absolutely dumping down rain...and I'm about to have to leave the house! Ah well, such is the price for commitment to a job! Well, to be honest, it's more to the money the job provides than to the job itself. As anyone whom I've talked to recently can probably tell you, things have gone from "moderately frustrating" to "why the hell do I work here again?" over the past month or two. Still, that's where I work, and that won't change until I can get another job lined up!
But yes...money. That's been a big concern of mine, especially recently. Between tuition, student loans, and this semester's textbooks, not to mention gas for the commute to Durham, it's going to be very hard to save up any free cash for myself. I don't know how I'm going to save up for the Renaissance Festival in October! I need to figure something out. Fortunately I still have a month and a half!
Off to work now. Have a good (although maybe wet!) weekend!
But yes...money. That's been a big concern of mine, especially recently. Between tuition, student loans, and this semester's textbooks, not to mention gas for the commute to Durham, it's going to be very hard to save up any free cash for myself. I don't know how I'm going to save up for the Renaissance Festival in October! I need to figure something out. Fortunately I still have a month and a half!
Off to work now. Have a good (although maybe wet!) weekend!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
A sinister update
There's actually nothing malicious OR left-handed about this one...
We heard back from the service shop this morning, and it turns out that the problem was with the alternator as predicted. It shouldn't be a difficult repair, and we were told we should get the car back by the end of the day.
We heard back from the service shop this morning, and it turns out that the problem was with the alternator as predicted. It shouldn't be a difficult repair, and we were told we should get the car back by the end of the day.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
...In which things take a turn for the sinister
Yes the title's a pun, because I've recovered from being lost almost a half dozen times today by making timely left turns. It's so very annoying when people I trust give me directions I trust...but the roads end up not being like they described them at all! I have decided that the consensual reality created by the sharing and accepting of directions is the actual truth, and what is falsification and lies is, in fact, the road system I perceive. Roads in central North Carolina, stop making no sense!
Now that that's aside, here's a rundown of my day
- I didn't have to work today, which was good.
- My father and I got a late breakfast and had a very enjoyable visit, which was good.
- Because of extinuating circumstances, I almost didn't get to finish my homework for class tonight and also it was sheer lucky chance that I checked my school email a second time, because the location for my class was changed at the last minute! That would have been bad.
- I found out the price of an on-campus parking ticket. It cost more than any of my textbooks. That was bad.
- Since I now knew I'd be parking several blocks away from campus, I decided to leave early so that I could not only find a suitable parking spot, but go to the campus bookstore and buy a textbook or two. That was...well, maybe not good, but it was at least responsible!
- Nothing went as quickly as I was expecting. I didn't leave town until close to an hour after I'd wanted to. That was bad
- Fortunately, the commute was easy! That was good.
- When I found my parking spot, I had to walk to the student union in one million degree heat and 10 trillion percent humidity. By the time I got to the center of campus I was literally dripping, and I'm not normally a heavy sweat-er! That was bad.
- Fortunately, I had the foresight to pack a change of clothes, just in case! That was good.
- At the bookstore, not only did they not have a copy of a textbook I needed, but had forgotten to order books for that class until the day before, so the books won't arrive until next week (Weds or Thurs, the bookstore manager predicted)...and I have an assignment due THIS Friday! That was bad.
- I found a nickel on the ground. That was good!
- First day of class = syllabus day. That was bad.
- First day of class = short class. That was good!
- After class, I got to see Michael+Rachel, Tess, AND Jerry! That was good.
- When I got to the train station to pick up Jerry, my car died. Prevailing theory is that the alternator went bad. That was bad.
We had to call a tow truck and everything. We managed to get the car started for a little bit and drive a short distance, but then the engine died, the power steering locked up, and the brakes nearly did as well...right in the middle of an intersection! Oh, no! Fortunately, a police officer was in a parking lot net even 50 yards from the intersection (I decided it was "none of my business" as to why a cop was chilling out in an empty parking lot near a college campus). He helped us push the car off the road, and then we had a grand old wait for the tow truck to arrive. It actually got there fairly soon, and the driver was extremely nice! He was helpful and professional, and friendly as well. He towed the car to our regular service station, and we left it there with a note explaining the situation for the next morning.
I was supposed to help my lil sis move into her dorm tomorrow, and I have to work in the afternoon. Now I don't have a car to do either. I'm sure we can improvise for the former, but I'll be stuck begging for rides until the proper repairs can be made...and hopefully they're not very expensive! The nickel I found earlier today was heads-up, so I hope that means I'll have 5x more good luck than if I'd found a penny!
I have to say that even though a lot of bad stuff happened today, the timing and circumstances of it all were amazingly fortuitous. I was able to take care of all my school errands within the parking time allotment so that I didn't get a ticket, and was able to move my car to a more convenient location before class started. I think I'm going to like my Organization of Information class (the one I'm taking on-campus); it's small (only about 12 people), and it sounds like we're going to be doing some hands-on projects instead of merely a theory-heavy course! And as for the car situations...every time I thought I was lost, I was able to find my way back onto the route I wanted (or an alternative route that ended up being just as good!) by making a timely left turn. I don't know why it worked, but it did! And when the car died (the first time), I had just pulled into a parking space, so I wasn't in a dangerous position! And the second time, there was no other traffic on a normally-busy road that could have caused our situation to be even worse! It's quarter past 3 now, and I've only just recently gotten home after having left over 12 hours ago. It's almost as though, even though bad stuff happens, it happens in the best way possible.
Now THAT is a semi-charmed life!
Now that that's aside, here's a rundown of my day
- I didn't have to work today, which was good.
- My father and I got a late breakfast and had a very enjoyable visit, which was good.
- Because of extinuating circumstances, I almost didn't get to finish my homework for class tonight and also it was sheer lucky chance that I checked my school email a second time, because the location for my class was changed at the last minute! That would have been bad.
- I found out the price of an on-campus parking ticket. It cost more than any of my textbooks. That was bad.
- Since I now knew I'd be parking several blocks away from campus, I decided to leave early so that I could not only find a suitable parking spot, but go to the campus bookstore and buy a textbook or two. That was...well, maybe not good, but it was at least responsible!
- Nothing went as quickly as I was expecting. I didn't leave town until close to an hour after I'd wanted to. That was bad
- Fortunately, the commute was easy! That was good.
- When I found my parking spot, I had to walk to the student union in one million degree heat and 10 trillion percent humidity. By the time I got to the center of campus I was literally dripping, and I'm not normally a heavy sweat-er! That was bad.
- Fortunately, I had the foresight to pack a change of clothes, just in case! That was good.
- At the bookstore, not only did they not have a copy of a textbook I needed, but had forgotten to order books for that class until the day before, so the books won't arrive until next week (Weds or Thurs, the bookstore manager predicted)...and I have an assignment due THIS Friday! That was bad.
- I found a nickel on the ground. That was good!
- First day of class = syllabus day. That was bad.
- First day of class = short class. That was good!
- After class, I got to see Michael+Rachel, Tess, AND Jerry! That was good.
- When I got to the train station to pick up Jerry, my car died. Prevailing theory is that the alternator went bad. That was bad.
We had to call a tow truck and everything. We managed to get the car started for a little bit and drive a short distance, but then the engine died, the power steering locked up, and the brakes nearly did as well...right in the middle of an intersection! Oh, no! Fortunately, a police officer was in a parking lot net even 50 yards from the intersection (I decided it was "none of my business" as to why a cop was chilling out in an empty parking lot near a college campus). He helped us push the car off the road, and then we had a grand old wait for the tow truck to arrive. It actually got there fairly soon, and the driver was extremely nice! He was helpful and professional, and friendly as well. He towed the car to our regular service station, and we left it there with a note explaining the situation for the next morning.
I was supposed to help my lil sis move into her dorm tomorrow, and I have to work in the afternoon. Now I don't have a car to do either. I'm sure we can improvise for the former, but I'll be stuck begging for rides until the proper repairs can be made...and hopefully they're not very expensive! The nickel I found earlier today was heads-up, so I hope that means I'll have 5x more good luck than if I'd found a penny!
I have to say that even though a lot of bad stuff happened today, the timing and circumstances of it all were amazingly fortuitous. I was able to take care of all my school errands within the parking time allotment so that I didn't get a ticket, and was able to move my car to a more convenient location before class started. I think I'm going to like my Organization of Information class (the one I'm taking on-campus); it's small (only about 12 people), and it sounds like we're going to be doing some hands-on projects instead of merely a theory-heavy course! And as for the car situations...every time I thought I was lost, I was able to find my way back onto the route I wanted (or an alternative route that ended up being just as good!) by making a timely left turn. I don't know why it worked, but it did! And when the car died (the first time), I had just pulled into a parking space, so I wasn't in a dangerous position! And the second time, there was no other traffic on a normally-busy road that could have caused our situation to be even worse! It's quarter past 3 now, and I've only just recently gotten home after having left over 12 hours ago. It's almost as though, even though bad stuff happens, it happens in the best way possible.
Now THAT is a semi-charmed life!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Vacation post 8: Epilogue and appendix
Here's a list of people I met on the beach this past week:
Sam
Reed (or maybe Reid)
Scout
Toby
I also met their owners.
Yep...that's about how my social life went while I was one vacation. Aside from family (who have an obligation to interact with me) and people paid to talk to me (wait staff and tour guides mostly), the only people I met this whole week weren't people at all. I met dogs. For some reason, this amuses me to no end. I do love that Oak Island is such a pet-friendly place; unlike how I imagine some places are, this island really goes out of its way to present itself as a family-friendly, easy-going place. Hopefully I'll be able to come back before too much more time passes.
And, while I'm still thinking of it, here is the full list of websites I said I'd locate for you all (and a few others that I just think are good ideas)!
North Carolina Zoo - http://www.nczoo.org/
Oak Island Sea Turtle Protection Program* - http://www.oakislandnc.com/turtles.htm
The Fish House (delicious sea food!) - http://www.southporttimes.com/fishhouserestaurant.html
NC Aquarium - http://www.ncaquariums.com/fort-fisher
Fort Fisher - http://www.nchistoricsites.org/fisher/fisher.htm
Fort Caswell - http://www.fortcaswell.com/about/history
Knytt Stories - http://nifflas.ni2.se/index.php?main=02Knytt_Stories
Plants vs. Zombies** - http://www.popcap.com/extras/pvz/
*After looking over their website, I found the answer to my question! The gestation (is it correct to refer to gestation for a creature that hatches from an egg? Does anyone know?) period for a sea turtle, or at least the breed of sea turtle common to Oak Island, is 55-90 days.
**I know I didn't mention this one previously, but I found a demo for this game lurking on my computer (I must have downloaded it ages ago and just forgotten), and when I sat down to try it out, I enjoyed my pants off! Er, hmm...that's actually not a very good figure of speech, but you know what I mean. You can download a demo from their website, but the full version costs about $20. I don't have that kind of money on hand at the moment (also, I haven't had Internet connection all week except for a half-hour at Port City Java), but the website is cute and interactive, and it has some cool features as well! One of the most interesting is the ability to create a Zombatar, a "zombie-fied" avatar of yourself! It's really cute, and the Zombatar is totally free!
Sam
Reed (or maybe Reid)
Scout
Toby
I also met their owners.
Yep...that's about how my social life went while I was one vacation. Aside from family (who have an obligation to interact with me) and people paid to talk to me (wait staff and tour guides mostly), the only people I met this whole week weren't people at all. I met dogs. For some reason, this amuses me to no end. I do love that Oak Island is such a pet-friendly place; unlike how I imagine some places are, this island really goes out of its way to present itself as a family-friendly, easy-going place. Hopefully I'll be able to come back before too much more time passes.
And, while I'm still thinking of it, here is the full list of websites I said I'd locate for you all (and a few others that I just think are good ideas)!
North Carolina Zoo - http://www.nczoo.org/
Oak Island Sea Turtle Protection Program* - http://www.oakislandnc.com/turtles.htm
The Fish House (delicious sea food!) - http://www.southporttimes.com/fishhouserestaurant.html
NC Aquarium - http://www.ncaquariums.com/fort-fisher
Fort Fisher - http://www.nchistoricsites.org/fisher/fisher.htm
Fort Caswell - http://www.fortcaswell.com/about/history
Knytt Stories - http://nifflas.ni2.se/index.php?main=02Knytt_Stories
Plants vs. Zombies** - http://www.popcap.com/extras/pvz/
*After looking over their website, I found the answer to my question! The gestation (is it correct to refer to gestation for a creature that hatches from an egg? Does anyone know?) period for a sea turtle, or at least the breed of sea turtle common to Oak Island, is 55-90 days.
**I know I didn't mention this one previously, but I found a demo for this game lurking on my computer (I must have downloaded it ages ago and just forgotten), and when I sat down to try it out, I enjoyed my pants off! Er, hmm...that's actually not a very good figure of speech, but you know what I mean. You can download a demo from their website, but the full version costs about $20. I don't have that kind of money on hand at the moment (also, I haven't had Internet connection all week except for a half-hour at Port City Java), but the website is cute and interactive, and it has some cool features as well! One of the most interesting is the ability to create a Zombatar, a "zombie-fied" avatar of yourself! It's really cute, and the Zombatar is totally free!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Vacation post 7: Day Late, Dollar Short
I'm kind of amazed that almost half a week has gone by, and I've failed to mention the trip we took to Fort Fisher and the NC Aquarium. Someone does NOT get vacation points for that little oversight!
Anyhow, the other day me and mum and lit sis decided to take the ferry from Southport to Fort Fisher to do some sightseeing in that area. The ferry itself was pretty cool. Having lived most of my life in a relatively land-locked area, ferries are something new to me, except as transits at particularly quirky theme parks and other tourist sites. Therefore, they're small-ish boats, usually with standing capacity for 20-30 people (if that), that make voyages of 5-10 minutes. This was a SERIOUS ferry, however. The entryway was gated, and there was a $5 toll to go through. Instead of parking, we were told to wait in line and then DRIVE onto the ferry when it docked and we were given direction to do so. There were probably 50 or so cars on board when the ferry was completely loaded. Once the ferry embarked, we were allowed to leave our cars, and there was a passenger lounge and a few observation decks on the second level of the boat. No cheesy decorations, no "fun" music, just a half-dozen state employees in tan uniforms (like park rangers), each with some form of facial hair (I know that I personally saw moustache - thin, moustache - thick, goatee, and...I'm not sure what it's called, but the style of beard that is shaved thin so that it only follows the jawline. There was a photo of the ferry operators at the station on the other side, though, and the other men I don't remember seeing were also bearded and/or moustached), and a no-nonsense attitude.
After right around a half hour, we got to Fort Fisher. Fort Fisher is an old earthenworks fort that was built by the Confederacy during the Civil War. When Union troops were blockading southern ports to cut their supply lines and try to bring them down faster, places like Fort Fisher were built as impromptu lines of defense because more permanent structures were impractical, both because of the time and cost of building more permanent fortifications, and (this is my own speculation, but it seems very reasonable) because the heavy storms that often hit the North Carolina coast during hurricane season could be just as damaging to the fortifications as enemy fire. Anyhow, Fort Fisher was built as one of the last lines of defense for the city of Wilmington, an important Confederate port. The small number of troops stationed there put up a valiant display of soldiery against overwhelming odds (I may be mis-remembering the information I read so please excuse me if I got this wrong, but I believe the fort's defenders were facing 8 battalions of Union soldiers and heavy fire from around 50 Union warships). They were disadvantaged in nearly every way, and over the course of a long day of vicious fighting they were driven back and driven back and each line of defense was eventually overwhelmed, until, with only a single gun battery (called Buchanan's Battery) under their control, the Confederate soldiers surrendered to the Union troops. History is damn exciting when you learn about these parts of it, and the story behind Fort Fisher was extremely inspirational. Now, I'll admit that having lived the majorty of my life in the Southest United States, and having a tendency to root for the underdog anyway, I have a strong sympathy for the Confederacy. I don't mean to imply that I in ANY way support old ideas toward slavery or Civil War-era race relations...but the fact that an entity so obviously out-classed, out-resourced, and out-manned by their opposition, but led by inspired leaders and soldiered by men who were willing to devote themselves entirely to a cause (even if it wasn't fully understood) makes the Civil War an incredible story of hope and faith in the midst of chaos and turmoil. The Union's drive to re-unite this country and provide a greater level of freedom for all men, however, is equally inspiring. Since many Southern sources of history paint the Union as "bad guys" (I've even heard people jokingly (and some people completely seriously) refer to the Civil War as "the War of Northern Aggression), and even sources that attempt to be un-biased often portray the Union troops to appear as aggressors or instigators, it's harder to establish the same sort of rapport and sympathy toward the Union, even though their higher ideals were ultimately more just.
Anyway, Fort Fisher was really cool! Although over the decades since the end of the Civil War Fort Fisher hasn't received the care and preservation it probably ought to have gotten, a good portion of the earthenwork fortifications are still standing, and the public is allowed limited access to explore them. It was a hellaciously hot day when we went, but even in spite of that climbing all over the fort and taking pictures was tons of fun! According to mum, there used to be an entry point that allowed you to go inside the earthenworks and see some of the "cells" the soldiers would sleep in, or use as storage rooms, but the only entryway we were able to find into the fort was blocked off. Either that doorway no longer exists, or it's been closed to the public. That was very disappointing to find out! When I was a teenager, I spent a lot of time on retreat at Fort Caswell with the church I went to in Greensboro, and one of my greatest pleasures was putting on a good pair of shoes and exploring all the different fortifications at the site. If I'm remembering my history right (which I may not be; I haven't been to Caswell in several years now), Fort Caswell was first erected around the time of the Revolutionary War, and remained in operation (although to differing degrees) through the end of World War II. Now it serves as a Baptist retreat center, however. An interesting retirement for a military installation, no doubt. ( ;
So, while the fort-exploring part of my inner child wasn't entirely satisfied, I got all that I could out of walking on and around Fort Fisher, and then we went too the aquarium. I love aquariums. I don't like them QUITE as much as I like zoos, but aquariums (aquaria?) do have one feature that most zoos will never be able to compete with them on: AIR CONDITIONING!! Even though I'm an "adult" and I "know everything", I always find out something new when I visit an aquarium, zoo, or museum...even if it's an inconsequential bit of knowledge that I will never use except perhaps to show off my mastery of trivia at a party or something. I had no idea before this week just how many types of shark there were that lived in North Carolina waters! In my mind, sharks have always been sort of warm water predators, and while I know we're close to the Gulf of Mexico, I'd always assumed we were north of the massive warm-water current that flows north and east across the Atlantic Ocean (it's reall cool, it is! I found out a year or two ago that this current does some serious work to warm the temperatures of the Northern Atlantic, and accounts for a lot of the reason why the British Isles have a climate more comparable to that of Maryland or Pennsylvania, instead of Newfoundland (which is is much closer to in latitude). Either I'm wrong (which is possible), or sharks are a lot tougher than I thought (which is also highly likely), because I'm pretty sure the exhibit I saw listed over a dozen sharks native to waters off the coast of NC!
One of the coolest and most unexpected things I saw, though, was in the "wetlands" exhibit at the aquarium. The NC Aquarium is the home to an albino alligator! Albinism is caused by a genetic mutation that causes the skin not to produce melanin (it's either that or melatonin. I get those two mixed up all the time...although I'm PRETTY sure melanin is correct in this case), a chemical that causes pigmentation in the skin. Because albino creatures have no coloration, they are extremely susceptible to sunburn (something I can tell you all about, even though no one could mistake me for albino because I'm freckled), the exhibit the gator was housed in (which was in a greenhouse-like wing that had been modeled to resemble a wetlands environment) had been constructed with UV-blocking glass. Apparently albino gators are very rare. I read a little information while I was there, and only about 50 are known to exist in the world, and most of them have been raised by one breeder. This man had one breeding pair of gators that both possessed the recessive genes for albinism, and so a percentage of the eggs they produced hatched into albinos. Most of these glorious freaks of nature (because let's face it...that's what mutated creatures really are! ^_~ ) are either sold or leased to museums, zoos, and aquariums across the world. However, when hurricane Katrina hit a few years ago, the breeding pair that produced albino eggs got separated, and no known albino alligators have been hatched since that time. I have a few photos from the aquarium, but not too many. My camera is and old and fairly unsophisticated digital camera; it doesn't take pictures well at all in dark environments, and for some reason every aquarium I've ever been to has always had very muted lighting!
There's a possibility we might leave this afternoon, instead of tomorrow. It would cut our vacation "short" a day, but also give us some time to re-adjust to our natural habitat and have Sunday as a day of rest before having to get up and tackle the week ahead. I think mum might already be starting to feel anxious about the amount of work that's piled up for her this week, lil sis is preparing to move into the dorm, and my classes start week as well. We've all got a LOT on our plates, but at least I know I've got a paycheck (albeit a meager one!) waiting for me at home. Whether we do leave tomorrow, or later today, I guess it is time to try to get back into the frame of mind of the "real world". I've got textbooks to buy, jobs to apply for, and while I'm waiting to receive my rejection letters (I know, I know...I shouldn't have such a negative attitude about job hunting), I've got a restaurant to work at so that I can afford gas and tuition. I can't tell you how much I'll miss this, though. It's been amazing to be able to come downstairs every morning, take a seat at the kitchen table, and just write. And being able to look 6 inches above the screen of my laptop and have a clear view of the ocean above the dunes...that's been wonderful. I've felt inspired. I've felt calmer. Although I don't feel like I feel different, I know that I do - I was a stressed out wreck when we left, but now, even though the stress is still there, I feel better capable of dealing with it. Maybe time is a factor - a week ago I was days and days away from any significant landmarks, and I hate waiting (the single hardest part for me about applying for college, applying for grad school, and now applying for jobs is having to wait for an answer. I remember my last girlfriend just about drove me crazy with that as well; on the night I asked her out, she asked for a couple days to think about it. When I tentatively brought it up again a few days later, I was a complete nervous wreck, but I remember she told me "I knew I was going to say yes. I just like to take some time to think through decisions."). Now, when I get back home, I'll have things to jump directly into without having to worry about second-guessing myself, or overthinking the problems that may arise. If given too much time to think, I'm a horrible worry-wort. If given just enough time to plan and act, I think I'd be perfectly content.
It's been a good week.
Anyhow, the other day me and mum and lit sis decided to take the ferry from Southport to Fort Fisher to do some sightseeing in that area. The ferry itself was pretty cool. Having lived most of my life in a relatively land-locked area, ferries are something new to me, except as transits at particularly quirky theme parks and other tourist sites. Therefore, they're small-ish boats, usually with standing capacity for 20-30 people (if that), that make voyages of 5-10 minutes. This was a SERIOUS ferry, however. The entryway was gated, and there was a $5 toll to go through. Instead of parking, we were told to wait in line and then DRIVE onto the ferry when it docked and we were given direction to do so. There were probably 50 or so cars on board when the ferry was completely loaded. Once the ferry embarked, we were allowed to leave our cars, and there was a passenger lounge and a few observation decks on the second level of the boat. No cheesy decorations, no "fun" music, just a half-dozen state employees in tan uniforms (like park rangers), each with some form of facial hair (I know that I personally saw moustache - thin, moustache - thick, goatee, and...I'm not sure what it's called, but the style of beard that is shaved thin so that it only follows the jawline. There was a photo of the ferry operators at the station on the other side, though, and the other men I don't remember seeing were also bearded and/or moustached), and a no-nonsense attitude.
After right around a half hour, we got to Fort Fisher. Fort Fisher is an old earthenworks fort that was built by the Confederacy during the Civil War. When Union troops were blockading southern ports to cut their supply lines and try to bring them down faster, places like Fort Fisher were built as impromptu lines of defense because more permanent structures were impractical, both because of the time and cost of building more permanent fortifications, and (this is my own speculation, but it seems very reasonable) because the heavy storms that often hit the North Carolina coast during hurricane season could be just as damaging to the fortifications as enemy fire. Anyhow, Fort Fisher was built as one of the last lines of defense for the city of Wilmington, an important Confederate port. The small number of troops stationed there put up a valiant display of soldiery against overwhelming odds (I may be mis-remembering the information I read so please excuse me if I got this wrong, but I believe the fort's defenders were facing 8 battalions of Union soldiers and heavy fire from around 50 Union warships). They were disadvantaged in nearly every way, and over the course of a long day of vicious fighting they were driven back and driven back and each line of defense was eventually overwhelmed, until, with only a single gun battery (called Buchanan's Battery) under their control, the Confederate soldiers surrendered to the Union troops. History is damn exciting when you learn about these parts of it, and the story behind Fort Fisher was extremely inspirational. Now, I'll admit that having lived the majorty of my life in the Southest United States, and having a tendency to root for the underdog anyway, I have a strong sympathy for the Confederacy. I don't mean to imply that I in ANY way support old ideas toward slavery or Civil War-era race relations...but the fact that an entity so obviously out-classed, out-resourced, and out-manned by their opposition, but led by inspired leaders and soldiered by men who were willing to devote themselves entirely to a cause (even if it wasn't fully understood) makes the Civil War an incredible story of hope and faith in the midst of chaos and turmoil. The Union's drive to re-unite this country and provide a greater level of freedom for all men, however, is equally inspiring. Since many Southern sources of history paint the Union as "bad guys" (I've even heard people jokingly (and some people completely seriously) refer to the Civil War as "the War of Northern Aggression), and even sources that attempt to be un-biased often portray the Union troops to appear as aggressors or instigators, it's harder to establish the same sort of rapport and sympathy toward the Union, even though their higher ideals were ultimately more just.
Anyway, Fort Fisher was really cool! Although over the decades since the end of the Civil War Fort Fisher hasn't received the care and preservation it probably ought to have gotten, a good portion of the earthenwork fortifications are still standing, and the public is allowed limited access to explore them. It was a hellaciously hot day when we went, but even in spite of that climbing all over the fort and taking pictures was tons of fun! According to mum, there used to be an entry point that allowed you to go inside the earthenworks and see some of the "cells" the soldiers would sleep in, or use as storage rooms, but the only entryway we were able to find into the fort was blocked off. Either that doorway no longer exists, or it's been closed to the public. That was very disappointing to find out! When I was a teenager, I spent a lot of time on retreat at Fort Caswell with the church I went to in Greensboro, and one of my greatest pleasures was putting on a good pair of shoes and exploring all the different fortifications at the site. If I'm remembering my history right (which I may not be; I haven't been to Caswell in several years now), Fort Caswell was first erected around the time of the Revolutionary War, and remained in operation (although to differing degrees) through the end of World War II. Now it serves as a Baptist retreat center, however. An interesting retirement for a military installation, no doubt. ( ;
So, while the fort-exploring part of my inner child wasn't entirely satisfied, I got all that I could out of walking on and around Fort Fisher, and then we went too the aquarium. I love aquariums. I don't like them QUITE as much as I like zoos, but aquariums (aquaria?) do have one feature that most zoos will never be able to compete with them on: AIR CONDITIONING!! Even though I'm an "adult" and I "know everything", I always find out something new when I visit an aquarium, zoo, or museum...even if it's an inconsequential bit of knowledge that I will never use except perhaps to show off my mastery of trivia at a party or something. I had no idea before this week just how many types of shark there were that lived in North Carolina waters! In my mind, sharks have always been sort of warm water predators, and while I know we're close to the Gulf of Mexico, I'd always assumed we were north of the massive warm-water current that flows north and east across the Atlantic Ocean (it's reall cool, it is! I found out a year or two ago that this current does some serious work to warm the temperatures of the Northern Atlantic, and accounts for a lot of the reason why the British Isles have a climate more comparable to that of Maryland or Pennsylvania, instead of Newfoundland (which is is much closer to in latitude). Either I'm wrong (which is possible), or sharks are a lot tougher than I thought (which is also highly likely), because I'm pretty sure the exhibit I saw listed over a dozen sharks native to waters off the coast of NC!
One of the coolest and most unexpected things I saw, though, was in the "wetlands" exhibit at the aquarium. The NC Aquarium is the home to an albino alligator! Albinism is caused by a genetic mutation that causes the skin not to produce melanin (it's either that or melatonin. I get those two mixed up all the time...although I'm PRETTY sure melanin is correct in this case), a chemical that causes pigmentation in the skin. Because albino creatures have no coloration, they are extremely susceptible to sunburn (something I can tell you all about, even though no one could mistake me for albino because I'm freckled), the exhibit the gator was housed in (which was in a greenhouse-like wing that had been modeled to resemble a wetlands environment) had been constructed with UV-blocking glass. Apparently albino gators are very rare. I read a little information while I was there, and only about 50 are known to exist in the world, and most of them have been raised by one breeder. This man had one breeding pair of gators that both possessed the recessive genes for albinism, and so a percentage of the eggs they produced hatched into albinos. Most of these glorious freaks of nature (because let's face it...that's what mutated creatures really are! ^_~ ) are either sold or leased to museums, zoos, and aquariums across the world. However, when hurricane Katrina hit a few years ago, the breeding pair that produced albino eggs got separated, and no known albino alligators have been hatched since that time. I have a few photos from the aquarium, but not too many. My camera is and old and fairly unsophisticated digital camera; it doesn't take pictures well at all in dark environments, and for some reason every aquarium I've ever been to has always had very muted lighting!
There's a possibility we might leave this afternoon, instead of tomorrow. It would cut our vacation "short" a day, but also give us some time to re-adjust to our natural habitat and have Sunday as a day of rest before having to get up and tackle the week ahead. I think mum might already be starting to feel anxious about the amount of work that's piled up for her this week, lil sis is preparing to move into the dorm, and my classes start week as well. We've all got a LOT on our plates, but at least I know I've got a paycheck (albeit a meager one!) waiting for me at home. Whether we do leave tomorrow, or later today, I guess it is time to try to get back into the frame of mind of the "real world". I've got textbooks to buy, jobs to apply for, and while I'm waiting to receive my rejection letters (I know, I know...I shouldn't have such a negative attitude about job hunting), I've got a restaurant to work at so that I can afford gas and tuition. I can't tell you how much I'll miss this, though. It's been amazing to be able to come downstairs every morning, take a seat at the kitchen table, and just write. And being able to look 6 inches above the screen of my laptop and have a clear view of the ocean above the dunes...that's been wonderful. I've felt inspired. I've felt calmer. Although I don't feel like I feel different, I know that I do - I was a stressed out wreck when we left, but now, even though the stress is still there, I feel better capable of dealing with it. Maybe time is a factor - a week ago I was days and days away from any significant landmarks, and I hate waiting (the single hardest part for me about applying for college, applying for grad school, and now applying for jobs is having to wait for an answer. I remember my last girlfriend just about drove me crazy with that as well; on the night I asked her out, she asked for a couple days to think about it. When I tentatively brought it up again a few days later, I was a complete nervous wreck, but I remember she told me "I knew I was going to say yes. I just like to take some time to think through decisions."). Now, when I get back home, I'll have things to jump directly into without having to worry about second-guessing myself, or overthinking the problems that may arise. If given too much time to think, I'm a horrible worry-wort. If given just enough time to plan and act, I think I'd be perfectly content.
It's been a good week.
Vacation post 6: Apparently I think about sleeping a lot. Like, a LOT a lot.
There were thunderstorms again last night. Normally, I sleep damn well during storms, but maybe it was a worse storm than I'm used to, or maybe it had something to do with being in a new setting, but I woke up during this one. When the "I just woke up in the middle of the night" daze passed and I realized what was going on, I vaguely remember smiling, and then rolling over to go back to sleep. I can only assume that I succeeded, because I don't remember anything past that until I woke up for realsies this morning. It's the strangest thing, I think, but no matter if I'm on vacation or just going through my normal routine at home, I pretty much always wake up before my alarm goes off in the morning. Sometimes (especially if I've been very tired) it will only be a few minutes before, but more often my body gears up about 15-30 minutes before it's "supposed" to. This is pretty much a universal thing; it doesn't matter what time I've got my alarm set for, and I've never understood why.
Anyway, the weather has let off some. The view from the window I see is an interesting admixture of what I've described in days past. The ocean is an almost stony gray, but the sky holds tints of its familiar blue, in the places it's not blotted out by heavy clouds. The horizon is also clearly visible, although it's not the razor-sharp edge I remember from a few days back. All in all, things seem calm, but also subdued. I have a feeling there are going to be more storms later in the day. For now, though, I intend to enjoy the semi-bright dawn.
Yesterday was mostly a do-nothing sort of day. We didn't really make any plans for the day, and boy did we stick to them! Except for a few quick jaunts out to the beach, and a trip to the supermarket to pick up another gallon of water and a few other things, we stayed in the house for most of the day. At some point in the afternoon I ever fell asleep, which was highly unexpected; I have a HORRIBLE time trying to sleep during the day. At home, I have heavy light-blocking blinds in my bedroom window, and I still habitually wake up before my alarm goes off. If those blinds weren't there, I have a feeling that I'd rise with the sun fairly often, whether I wanted to or not. This would definitely not be a good move for someone who tends to stay up as late as I do. For the past week, however, it hasn't bothered me quite as much. For one thing, it gives me a chance to sit down relatively undisturbed and write (which, as I think I mentioned previously, is something I've been trying to get back into for quite a while). For another, I've been going to bed earlier than I normally would at home. Last night was the latest I'd stayed up in days (and I wouldn't have even done that, but lil sis and I were watching a Eureka marathon on the "Syfy" channel), and even then I was in bed just a little past midnight. I didn't take my nightly pilgrimage to the pier and back, but that's ok, because I was able to go during the afternoon with mum and lil sis. I showed mum the sea turtle nests that we came across last night, and once she knew what to look for, she identified another one that we hadn't noticed before, way back in the dunes! I walked about half the distance in the water (instead of at the water's edge), and it made a HUGE difference. I have long legs and a fairly quick gait, so normally when I'm out walking with my family (who are all at least several inches shorter than me) I have to check my speed or I'll end up several yards ahead of the others. Wading like I was yesterday, though, it was all I could do just to keep up against the disorienting motion of the tides, and at times I was even lagging behind! It was much more of a workout as well; by the time we got back to the house, I could really feel all the work I'd done in my ankles and thighs.
So, what else did I do yesterday? Aside from lamenting the fact that I didn't bring another book to read (yesterday was a lovely, low-impact day that was perfect for reading, and I'd already finished my book!), I spent some quality time with Newmark (which is the name I gave to my laptop). After my morning writing, I had a bit of inspiration left so I sat down and typed up a quick fiction. I've yet to go back and look at it a second time, so it probably sucks. Maybe it will be presentable after some editing, though! During the afternoon, after lunch and the exhausting walk through the ocean, Newmark and I decided to play Knytt Stories. Knytt Stories is a cute little game that I downloaded several months ago and never had much of a chance to play. It's a side-veiw platform/puzzle game that gives you infinite lives, a satisfying number of save points, and an entire world to explore. While each "level" has a specific goal you're supposed to achieve (rescue Baby Knytt, move all the animals to safety, foil the sinister plans of the evil Dr. Cliché, etc.), most of the game revolves around exploring the world to find power-ups that help you better explore the world. Especially on the easy levels, it's a low-stress game to play (especially nice that there's no time limit on the game), and while the graphics are quite simple, they're very pretty as well, and the background music is superb! Aside from the "base package", apparently one can also download additional levels, which I fully intend to do once I get back to the Internet.
In fact, I'd give a high recommendation for Knytt Stories to anyone who likes exploration and puzzle games, and as soon as I've got the address for the site you can download the game from, you bet I'll be posting it here!
Anyway, the weather has let off some. The view from the window I see is an interesting admixture of what I've described in days past. The ocean is an almost stony gray, but the sky holds tints of its familiar blue, in the places it's not blotted out by heavy clouds. The horizon is also clearly visible, although it's not the razor-sharp edge I remember from a few days back. All in all, things seem calm, but also subdued. I have a feeling there are going to be more storms later in the day. For now, though, I intend to enjoy the semi-bright dawn.
Yesterday was mostly a do-nothing sort of day. We didn't really make any plans for the day, and boy did we stick to them! Except for a few quick jaunts out to the beach, and a trip to the supermarket to pick up another gallon of water and a few other things, we stayed in the house for most of the day. At some point in the afternoon I ever fell asleep, which was highly unexpected; I have a HORRIBLE time trying to sleep during the day. At home, I have heavy light-blocking blinds in my bedroom window, and I still habitually wake up before my alarm goes off. If those blinds weren't there, I have a feeling that I'd rise with the sun fairly often, whether I wanted to or not. This would definitely not be a good move for someone who tends to stay up as late as I do. For the past week, however, it hasn't bothered me quite as much. For one thing, it gives me a chance to sit down relatively undisturbed and write (which, as I think I mentioned previously, is something I've been trying to get back into for quite a while). For another, I've been going to bed earlier than I normally would at home. Last night was the latest I'd stayed up in days (and I wouldn't have even done that, but lil sis and I were watching a Eureka marathon on the "Syfy" channel), and even then I was in bed just a little past midnight. I didn't take my nightly pilgrimage to the pier and back, but that's ok, because I was able to go during the afternoon with mum and lil sis. I showed mum the sea turtle nests that we came across last night, and once she knew what to look for, she identified another one that we hadn't noticed before, way back in the dunes! I walked about half the distance in the water (instead of at the water's edge), and it made a HUGE difference. I have long legs and a fairly quick gait, so normally when I'm out walking with my family (who are all at least several inches shorter than me) I have to check my speed or I'll end up several yards ahead of the others. Wading like I was yesterday, though, it was all I could do just to keep up against the disorienting motion of the tides, and at times I was even lagging behind! It was much more of a workout as well; by the time we got back to the house, I could really feel all the work I'd done in my ankles and thighs.
So, what else did I do yesterday? Aside from lamenting the fact that I didn't bring another book to read (yesterday was a lovely, low-impact day that was perfect for reading, and I'd already finished my book!), I spent some quality time with Newmark (which is the name I gave to my laptop). After my morning writing, I had a bit of inspiration left so I sat down and typed up a quick fiction. I've yet to go back and look at it a second time, so it probably sucks. Maybe it will be presentable after some editing, though! During the afternoon, after lunch and the exhausting walk through the ocean, Newmark and I decided to play Knytt Stories. Knytt Stories is a cute little game that I downloaded several months ago and never had much of a chance to play. It's a side-veiw platform/puzzle game that gives you infinite lives, a satisfying number of save points, and an entire world to explore. While each "level" has a specific goal you're supposed to achieve (rescue Baby Knytt, move all the animals to safety, foil the sinister plans of the evil Dr. Cliché, etc.), most of the game revolves around exploring the world to find power-ups that help you better explore the world. Especially on the easy levels, it's a low-stress game to play (especially nice that there's no time limit on the game), and while the graphics are quite simple, they're very pretty as well, and the background music is superb! Aside from the "base package", apparently one can also download additional levels, which I fully intend to do once I get back to the Internet.
In fact, I'd give a high recommendation for Knytt Stories to anyone who likes exploration and puzzle games, and as soon as I've got the address for the site you can download the game from, you bet I'll be posting it here!
Vacation post 5: Missed Connections
"I've actually tried to be very careful this week; I do sunburn very easily, so I've been making sure to cover up sufficiently, limit my time in direct sunlight, and put on sunscreen (which I absolutely despise having to wear) if I'm going to be out for a prolonged time. So far, so good! We'll see if I can keep it up for the rest of the week. ( ;"
Well, this shouldn't be much of a problem after all! Yesterday some thunderstorms came in about mid-afternoon, and "suggested" that we should go back inside for the day. Things cleared up by evening, and we went out for a VERY nice seafood dinner at a place called The Fish House. That place was delicious! And it was a very good deal for seafood as well. Seafood is normally well out of my price range, so it's a lovely treat to be able to get a seafood dinner at the beach! Since I haven't been to the beach in some time, I bet you can imagine how long it's been since I last had "real" seafood (Long John Silver doesn't count, naturally)! Anyhow, The Fish House was about as expensive as I expected it to be (actually a bit more than I'd expected, but considering how the price of food items has risen in the past few years I'm pretty sure it was still reasonable), but what surprised me was the food! For the price we ended up paying, I got time-and-a-half as much food as I was expecting! And it was very, VERY delicious. I got a plate with shrimp and broiled scallops, and it may have been one of the most delicious meals I've ever eaten.
The busboy(?) at the restaurant also caught my attention. She(!!!) was extraordinarily cute, in an understated sort of way. Her features were such that she looked like she was smiling even when she wasn't, and when she did smile (at one point during the salad course she came over to our table to give us tableware and napkins, apparently having forgotten that she'd already done it about 10-15 minutes before. When we realized what was happening, she and I and mum all broke into one of those "this is going to be a funny story tomorrow, but since I don't know you it all just feels awkward" laughs) it was positively dazzling.
...And so naturally mum had to go and ruin it all by saying I should flirt with her. Maybe it's just me, but there are few things I find more disconcerting than having my MOTHER telling me to try to make a move on someone. Either she really wants me to start dating again for some reason I can't fathom, or this is part of some all-too-subtle plan to ensure that I never date again! :D
Lil sis joined me in my walk to the pier last night, and although thunderstorms had come in earlier in the day, the sky was almost clear by the time the sun set. The stars over the ocean were absolutely beautiful. And while it would be my habit to go off on a semi-coherent ramble about the stars at this point, there's something much more exciting to talk about instead...baby sea turtles! Now, we didn't actually get to see any, but as we were walking toward the pier, we came to a point where there were about a dozen points of light and the silhouettes of even more people standing at a point toward the top of the beach. Curious about what was going on, I went up there to find out what was going on, and the people were standing around a sea turtle nest where a bunch of baby turtles had hatched! Unfortunately, we missed the main thrust of them...apparently most of the nest had successfully migrated to the sea about a half-hour before we got there, but there was one turtle left in the next. It must have been the runt of the litter, because it was having all sorts of trouble getting out of the next. We stayed around and watched for a few minutes before deciding to continue our walk; we decided we'd come back and check on the sea turtle's progress on our way back to the house. Sadly, even though we finished our walk and started to come back, nothing new had happened, and most of the crowd had dispersed. Maybe tomorrow night (which would be tonight) I remember one of the people there saying (there were a couple people there who were trained to work with sea turtles. I can't remember the name of their organization, or I'd totally give them a shout-out and a link to their website when I get back to the Internet!). They also pointed out another nest not even 10 yards away! This one was closer to the water's edge and, according to the people there, the nest had been created only about a week before. I don't know how long it takes sea turtle eggs to hatch, but how exciting would it be if this nest hatched while we were at the beach as well? Baby sea turtles!
And when I woke up this morning, it was thunderstorming again. It's amazing how different the ocean looks like that. The sky and water both are a steely gray, and instead of the severe slash that separates air from water the horizon blurs so you can't tell at all where one ends and the other begins. [insert poetic reference to the majesty of being utterly surrounded by the elements here]
I don't think we have any set plans for today. Maybe if the weather clears up by afternoon, lil sis and I will finally go out and try to fly our kite, or build a sand-sculpture (so far we have heavy lobbying for "giant ghost crab" from mum), and if it doesn't I reckon it will just be a lazy day around the house!
Well, this shouldn't be much of a problem after all! Yesterday some thunderstorms came in about mid-afternoon, and "suggested" that we should go back inside for the day. Things cleared up by evening, and we went out for a VERY nice seafood dinner at a place called The Fish House. That place was delicious! And it was a very good deal for seafood as well. Seafood is normally well out of my price range, so it's a lovely treat to be able to get a seafood dinner at the beach! Since I haven't been to the beach in some time, I bet you can imagine how long it's been since I last had "real" seafood (Long John Silver doesn't count, naturally)! Anyhow, The Fish House was about as expensive as I expected it to be (actually a bit more than I'd expected, but considering how the price of food items has risen in the past few years I'm pretty sure it was still reasonable), but what surprised me was the food! For the price we ended up paying, I got time-and-a-half as much food as I was expecting! And it was very, VERY delicious. I got a plate with shrimp and broiled scallops, and it may have been one of the most delicious meals I've ever eaten.
The busboy(?) at the restaurant also caught my attention. She(!!!) was extraordinarily cute, in an understated sort of way. Her features were such that she looked like she was smiling even when she wasn't, and when she did smile (at one point during the salad course she came over to our table to give us tableware and napkins, apparently having forgotten that she'd already done it about 10-15 minutes before. When we realized what was happening, she and I and mum all broke into one of those "this is going to be a funny story tomorrow, but since I don't know you it all just feels awkward" laughs) it was positively dazzling.
...And so naturally mum had to go and ruin it all by saying I should flirt with her. Maybe it's just me, but there are few things I find more disconcerting than having my MOTHER telling me to try to make a move on someone. Either she really wants me to start dating again for some reason I can't fathom, or this is part of some all-too-subtle plan to ensure that I never date again! :D
Lil sis joined me in my walk to the pier last night, and although thunderstorms had come in earlier in the day, the sky was almost clear by the time the sun set. The stars over the ocean were absolutely beautiful. And while it would be my habit to go off on a semi-coherent ramble about the stars at this point, there's something much more exciting to talk about instead...baby sea turtles! Now, we didn't actually get to see any, but as we were walking toward the pier, we came to a point where there were about a dozen points of light and the silhouettes of even more people standing at a point toward the top of the beach. Curious about what was going on, I went up there to find out what was going on, and the people were standing around a sea turtle nest where a bunch of baby turtles had hatched! Unfortunately, we missed the main thrust of them...apparently most of the nest had successfully migrated to the sea about a half-hour before we got there, but there was one turtle left in the next. It must have been the runt of the litter, because it was having all sorts of trouble getting out of the next. We stayed around and watched for a few minutes before deciding to continue our walk; we decided we'd come back and check on the sea turtle's progress on our way back to the house. Sadly, even though we finished our walk and started to come back, nothing new had happened, and most of the crowd had dispersed. Maybe tomorrow night (which would be tonight) I remember one of the people there saying (there were a couple people there who were trained to work with sea turtles. I can't remember the name of their organization, or I'd totally give them a shout-out and a link to their website when I get back to the Internet!). They also pointed out another nest not even 10 yards away! This one was closer to the water's edge and, according to the people there, the nest had been created only about a week before. I don't know how long it takes sea turtle eggs to hatch, but how exciting would it be if this nest hatched while we were at the beach as well? Baby sea turtles!
And when I woke up this morning, it was thunderstorming again. It's amazing how different the ocean looks like that. The sky and water both are a steely gray, and instead of the severe slash that separates air from water the horizon blurs so you can't tell at all where one ends and the other begins. [insert poetic reference to the majesty of being utterly surrounded by the elements here]
I don't think we have any set plans for today. Maybe if the weather clears up by afternoon, lil sis and I will finally go out and try to fly our kite, or build a sand-sculpture (so far we have heavy lobbying for "giant ghost crab" from mum), and if it doesn't I reckon it will just be a lazy day around the house!
Vacation post 4: Are you a pelican or a peliCAN'T?
I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm not going to be able to do anything productive this week. Part of me is frustrated and disappointed about that, but for the most part I'm perfectly at peace with that realization. While this week would have been a great opportunity to do things such as, say, apply for new jobs, the simple fact of the matter is that I'm limited to what resources I have available to me, and right now access to any sort of job listings database isn't among my them. ( ;
If I've done anything worth mentioning, it's that I've kind-of-sort-of found an escape from the writer's block that's been plaguing me for some time. While I may not be writing the way I want to, at least I'm writing. I have to say that starting each morning by waking up, brushing my teeth, and typing up what will eventually become a blog post, has been a real refresher. It's nice to be able to engage my mind in that manner, and more often than I typically have a chance to. This week I've also dabbled in a little bit of pleasure writing, too. It's nothing worth speaking of, but even a few paragraphs of fiction is a victory for someone who hasn't felt able to write in months! I have to say that one of the biggest pressures that may have been holding me back was the end of Requiem and the planning stages of Avernus. I don't multi-task extremely well and can better interact with ideas in serial, one at a time. I've wondered from time to time if I might have some glimmering of an attention deficit disorder, since in normal life I tend to be distracted very easily, and when I'm not distracted I tend more to hyper-focus. This is just idle wondering, though; I absolutely REFUSE to "self-diagnose" that condition. Mostly my refusal comes from social frustration; I have heard too many people use the excuse of "undiagnosed ADD/ADHD" to try to magic away breaches of social grace or good manners. In a few instances it could very well be true...but more often it seems like people simply flagrantly misuse ADD and ADHD in the same way people misuse "random" and "hyper". For some reason, this really bothers me! I'm usually very forgiving about people taking a casual or playful approach toward grammar, because I thrive off that sort of things; honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if close to a third of what I say devolves into some form or wordplay, punnery, or abuse of the rules of grammar (homophones are lovely, when it comes to things like that. Rhyming words as well). But for some reason there are just a few words that I feel adamantly must be used with precision. "ADD", "random", and "hyper" are definitely high up on the list. And whenever (ha!) a person says "whenever" when it would be more appropriate to simply say "when"?...for some reason that really makes my blood boil! I've not got the slightest idea why, though.
So far we've not done any of the "classic" beach things that people do; in spite of all our talk, lil sis and I haven't played in the ocean, we haven't built a sand castle (or a sand anything...although we did see a really good sand sculpture of a sea turtle the other day! I've got a photo of it, so I'll put it up as soon as I'm able), and we haven't flown a kite. We haven't been townies and homebodies by a long shot, however! I've spent hours out on the beach, and it's become sort of my habit to walk to the nearest pier (about a mile away) and back at sunset, or just after it. It's cooler than making the same trek in the middle of the day, and with the sun having taken it's leave for the day, a person as light-skinned as I am has a LOT less to worry about when it comes to getting sunburned! I've actually tried to be very careful this week; I do sunburn very easily, so I've been making sure to cover up sufficiently, limit my time in direct sunlight, and put on sunscreen (which I absolutely despise having to wear) if I'm going to be out for a prolonged time. So far, so good! We'll see if I can keep it up for the rest of the week. ( ;
If I've done anything worth mentioning, it's that I've kind-of-sort-of found an escape from the writer's block that's been plaguing me for some time. While I may not be writing the way I want to, at least I'm writing. I have to say that starting each morning by waking up, brushing my teeth, and typing up what will eventually become a blog post, has been a real refresher. It's nice to be able to engage my mind in that manner, and more often than I typically have a chance to. This week I've also dabbled in a little bit of pleasure writing, too. It's nothing worth speaking of, but even a few paragraphs of fiction is a victory for someone who hasn't felt able to write in months! I have to say that one of the biggest pressures that may have been holding me back was the end of Requiem and the planning stages of Avernus. I don't multi-task extremely well and can better interact with ideas in serial, one at a time. I've wondered from time to time if I might have some glimmering of an attention deficit disorder, since in normal life I tend to be distracted very easily, and when I'm not distracted I tend more to hyper-focus. This is just idle wondering, though; I absolutely REFUSE to "self-diagnose" that condition. Mostly my refusal comes from social frustration; I have heard too many people use the excuse of "undiagnosed ADD/ADHD" to try to magic away breaches of social grace or good manners. In a few instances it could very well be true...but more often it seems like people simply flagrantly misuse ADD and ADHD in the same way people misuse "random" and "hyper". For some reason, this really bothers me! I'm usually very forgiving about people taking a casual or playful approach toward grammar, because I thrive off that sort of things; honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if close to a third of what I say devolves into some form or wordplay, punnery, or abuse of the rules of grammar (homophones are lovely, when it comes to things like that. Rhyming words as well). But for some reason there are just a few words that I feel adamantly must be used with precision. "ADD", "random", and "hyper" are definitely high up on the list. And whenever (ha!) a person says "whenever" when it would be more appropriate to simply say "when"?...for some reason that really makes my blood boil! I've not got the slightest idea why, though.
So far we've not done any of the "classic" beach things that people do; in spite of all our talk, lil sis and I haven't played in the ocean, we haven't built a sand castle (or a sand anything...although we did see a really good sand sculpture of a sea turtle the other day! I've got a photo of it, so I'll put it up as soon as I'm able), and we haven't flown a kite. We haven't been townies and homebodies by a long shot, however! I've spent hours out on the beach, and it's become sort of my habit to walk to the nearest pier (about a mile away) and back at sunset, or just after it. It's cooler than making the same trek in the middle of the day, and with the sun having taken it's leave for the day, a person as light-skinned as I am has a LOT less to worry about when it comes to getting sunburned! I've actually tried to be very careful this week; I do sunburn very easily, so I've been making sure to cover up sufficiently, limit my time in direct sunlight, and put on sunscreen (which I absolutely despise having to wear) if I'm going to be out for a prolonged time. So far, so good! We'll see if I can keep it up for the rest of the week. ( ;
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Vacation post 3: Enter the Unexpected
"When I acknowledge that my own action isn't the most powerful force in my life, all is right with the world."
The words I wrote yesterday were a surprising premonition. All I have to say about that is, "...wow". As it turns out, there really WAS some higher power at work yesterday, or at leave forces beyond my control. What started out as a day of casual sight-seeing ended up not happening, and most of the afternoon was spent at the local hospital. Now, I don't need people to start worrying; the hospital stay was more of a precautionary act than anything else, and everyone is just fine now. There are definitely those moments of uncertainty when you don't know what's going on, however.
Aside from the more transcendental aspects of being at the shore (I stood at the water's edge again yesterday, this time to watch the sunset, instead of watching the moon rise. It was amazing), the vacation way of things has been an interesting adjustment to have to make. For one thing, the site we're staying at (an older beach home that's only a few dunes away from the ocean itself!) has no Internet connection, wired or wireless. Normally the 'Net plays a HUGE role in my daily life, probably taking up the second greatest amount of my time, after work (I'm not sure how school factors into that equation, because it DOES take up a good deal of my time when classes are in session, but I do most of my coursework on-line). I may venture out to a coffee shop later today. If I do, I'll be posting this entry from there, and it will be the first time I've connected to the world wide web in three days. Interestingly enough, my phone activity has plummeted as well. My own participation in that is pretty apparent - if the past few posts haven't given any indication, I have a strong tendency toward introspection, and when I'm in that state of mind I'm far less likely to initiate contact with people. Aside from a handful of short phonecalls to my dad, though, and periodic updates from Twitter (I linked Twitter to my mobile back when I was only following 3-4 people. I think it may be time to reevaluate that decision [laugh]), I've been in a state of relative isolation. It's been interesting to re-center myself, even for a couple of days, in a way that isn't buzzing with activity from social networks, and networking websites. I have to say I think the only thing I don't care too much for is that I'd hoped to continue working on some job applications whilst I was on vacation, and I haven't had a chance to do that because I've lacked an Internet connection. Hopefully I'll be able to submit one or two by the end of the week, depending on circumstances!
This vacation has sort of become symbolic to me. I'm starting to view it less as a getaway, and more of a time of transition. After this, I'm not going to be satisfied to settle for what I've had in the past. A new semester at school will be starting (my first on-campus class is scheduled for the Wednesday after I get back to town!), and I see no reason why I shouldn't be starting a new direction for my work as well. Without going into frustrating and boring details, the place I work at has undergone some drastic revision of work policies "in order to absorb the cost of the minimum wage increase". In my own personal opinion, with the direction the store has been going for the past several months, I think the Spartan employee benefits we actually recieve were the LAST things that needed to be revised...but who am I to argue that it won't save money if I'm not allowed to see the numbers? I'd been a little leery for some time about the work environment of my current job, but things all got put into perspective for me a few weeks ago. I took some time off to work at a three-week summer school/camp being hosted at a high school in a nearby city. The school I was working at was low-performing (some have cynically suggested that the the school being approved as an IB school was a ploy to get high-achieving students into the school and raise average test scores), had high levels of poverty, and a serious gang presence. In addition, I was having to commute almost an hour every day (instead of my usual 15 minutes). But in spite of all that, I was still MUCH happier working at that school than I had been at my current job for a very, very long time. That's not the way things are supposed to be, I decided, and it was my responsibility to change them. It's been a disheartening journey so far - many of the jobs I was most excited about I found out I didn't meet the minimum requirements for, and the ones I felt most qualified for have rejected me so far. I'm not particularly fond of being told "no" when it comes to something I really want, but I'm trying to take a long-term view of things: a good job is like a good relationship - it's not something you'll hate waking up for every morning, and you'll know it when the right one comes along. Two things in life to look forward to. ;)
On a less somber note, I unexpectedly ran into a friend yesterday whilst in Southport! After the bulk of the hospital adventure had ended, mum suggested we ought to go get something to eat (it was late afternoon by that point, and we hadn't really had anything aside from breakfast cereal all day), and lil sis suggested a place called Trolley Stop, a tiny little place a few blocks back from the Intracoastal Waterway (I STILL want to call it a sound, but apparently that's incorrect...). The Trolley Stop is famous for its hot dogs. Now, normally I don't like hot dogs (I know, right? I'm SO un-American.), but lil sis insisted that they were delicious there, and recommended I get a veggie dog since "they make you feel less gross" when you eat them. They were both good suggestions - I really enjoyed my Chicago-style veggie dog (although for some reason, I think that "Chicago-style" negates the "veggie" ;-P )! Whilst I was standing in line trying to figure out what I was going to eat, a heard a voice from further back in the line. "...Alan?" I looked back, and it was my friend Britt! Britt was a counselor at the same camp I worked at this summer, but she worked at a different site (each year, this camp operates at 3 different sites). I had NO expectations to run into anyone I knew, let alone someone I'd worked with so recently! She was there with some of her family. A bit later on her little brother caught me aside and basically gave me the 3rd degree about how I knew his sister. It was hilarious but also really heart-warming to see that kind of familial concern from someone so much younger than me.
So far I've spent every morning writing whilst looking out at the ocean. I think this is what life is supposed to be like.
The words I wrote yesterday were a surprising premonition. All I have to say about that is, "...wow". As it turns out, there really WAS some higher power at work yesterday, or at leave forces beyond my control. What started out as a day of casual sight-seeing ended up not happening, and most of the afternoon was spent at the local hospital. Now, I don't need people to start worrying; the hospital stay was more of a precautionary act than anything else, and everyone is just fine now. There are definitely those moments of uncertainty when you don't know what's going on, however.
Aside from the more transcendental aspects of being at the shore (I stood at the water's edge again yesterday, this time to watch the sunset, instead of watching the moon rise. It was amazing), the vacation way of things has been an interesting adjustment to have to make. For one thing, the site we're staying at (an older beach home that's only a few dunes away from the ocean itself!) has no Internet connection, wired or wireless. Normally the 'Net plays a HUGE role in my daily life, probably taking up the second greatest amount of my time, after work (I'm not sure how school factors into that equation, because it DOES take up a good deal of my time when classes are in session, but I do most of my coursework on-line). I may venture out to a coffee shop later today. If I do, I'll be posting this entry from there, and it will be the first time I've connected to the world wide web in three days. Interestingly enough, my phone activity has plummeted as well. My own participation in that is pretty apparent - if the past few posts haven't given any indication, I have a strong tendency toward introspection, and when I'm in that state of mind I'm far less likely to initiate contact with people. Aside from a handful of short phonecalls to my dad, though, and periodic updates from Twitter (I linked Twitter to my mobile back when I was only following 3-4 people. I think it may be time to reevaluate that decision [laugh]), I've been in a state of relative isolation. It's been interesting to re-center myself, even for a couple of days, in a way that isn't buzzing with activity from social networks, and networking websites. I have to say I think the only thing I don't care too much for is that I'd hoped to continue working on some job applications whilst I was on vacation, and I haven't had a chance to do that because I've lacked an Internet connection. Hopefully I'll be able to submit one or two by the end of the week, depending on circumstances!
This vacation has sort of become symbolic to me. I'm starting to view it less as a getaway, and more of a time of transition. After this, I'm not going to be satisfied to settle for what I've had in the past. A new semester at school will be starting (my first on-campus class is scheduled for the Wednesday after I get back to town!), and I see no reason why I shouldn't be starting a new direction for my work as well. Without going into frustrating and boring details, the place I work at has undergone some drastic revision of work policies "in order to absorb the cost of the minimum wage increase". In my own personal opinion, with the direction the store has been going for the past several months, I think the Spartan employee benefits we actually recieve were the LAST things that needed to be revised...but who am I to argue that it won't save money if I'm not allowed to see the numbers? I'd been a little leery for some time about the work environment of my current job, but things all got put into perspective for me a few weeks ago. I took some time off to work at a three-week summer school/camp being hosted at a high school in a nearby city. The school I was working at was low-performing (some have cynically suggested that the the school being approved as an IB school was a ploy to get high-achieving students into the school and raise average test scores), had high levels of poverty, and a serious gang presence. In addition, I was having to commute almost an hour every day (instead of my usual 15 minutes). But in spite of all that, I was still MUCH happier working at that school than I had been at my current job for a very, very long time. That's not the way things are supposed to be, I decided, and it was my responsibility to change them. It's been a disheartening journey so far - many of the jobs I was most excited about I found out I didn't meet the minimum requirements for, and the ones I felt most qualified for have rejected me so far. I'm not particularly fond of being told "no" when it comes to something I really want, but I'm trying to take a long-term view of things: a good job is like a good relationship - it's not something you'll hate waking up for every morning, and you'll know it when the right one comes along. Two things in life to look forward to. ;)
On a less somber note, I unexpectedly ran into a friend yesterday whilst in Southport! After the bulk of the hospital adventure had ended, mum suggested we ought to go get something to eat (it was late afternoon by that point, and we hadn't really had anything aside from breakfast cereal all day), and lil sis suggested a place called Trolley Stop, a tiny little place a few blocks back from the Intracoastal Waterway (I STILL want to call it a sound, but apparently that's incorrect...). The Trolley Stop is famous for its hot dogs. Now, normally I don't like hot dogs (I know, right? I'm SO un-American.), but lil sis insisted that they were delicious there, and recommended I get a veggie dog since "they make you feel less gross" when you eat them. They were both good suggestions - I really enjoyed my Chicago-style veggie dog (although for some reason, I think that "Chicago-style" negates the "veggie" ;-P )! Whilst I was standing in line trying to figure out what I was going to eat, a heard a voice from further back in the line. "...Alan?" I looked back, and it was my friend Britt! Britt was a counselor at the same camp I worked at this summer, but she worked at a different site (each year, this camp operates at 3 different sites). I had NO expectations to run into anyone I knew, let alone someone I'd worked with so recently! She was there with some of her family. A bit later on her little brother caught me aside and basically gave me the 3rd degree about how I knew his sister. It was hilarious but also really heart-warming to see that kind of familial concern from someone so much younger than me.
So far I've spent every morning writing whilst looking out at the ocean. I think this is what life is supposed to be like.
Vacation post 2: Walden by the sea
It seems like, no matter who you are, there's something about saying "going to the beach" that lights a spark in a person's eyes. For some people, I'm sure it must be all the campy beach shops and other touristy attractions. Some people are total beach bums/beach bunnies, and want to spend every waking moment on the water's edge. I even know a person or two who get most excited about the prospect of eating "real" seafood.
I'm a city boy; there's pretty much nothing I can do to deny that. Although I grew up in a county that had just gotten big enough to fund and populate it's own public school (a K-12 school - we weren't having to share facilities with the next county over any more!), I really began to come into my own when I was introduced to the cities of the world. I moved at a fairly young age from this little county to a suburban community, and then to a small city at a fairly young age. I learned how to "live city", but because I was still in a transitional sort of place (too big to be anything less than suburban, but still small enough that calling it a "real city" would be laughable). It wasn't until just a few years ago when I got my first exposure to some of the world's metropoles (metropolises?) that I realized just how deep my connections went. I spent 6 months in London doing research as an udnergraduate, and in the time I was there I began to live and breath the city. For no reason I could fathom, I had an almost intuitive understanding of the rhythms of the city. A few days before I had to fly back to the United States, one of the directors of my "programme" told me "you've been here a few months, and already you're as much a Londoner as someone who lives here." When I went to New York for the first time a year or two ago, it was even easier. I was there a week with my family (mum was there for a conference; lil sis and I came along to sight-see), and by the third day I had to bite my tongue to keep from complaining about "all the tourists". Budapest was probably my greatest adventure of all. Along with languages like English, Arabic, and Chinese, Hungarian is supposed to be one of the most difficult languages in the world to learn. Despite this extreme language barrier, I managed to have an incredible time there...although I really would have wished for closer company. Most of my days were spent in solitary exploration of the city, and being a slim redhead (moreso then than now; I've put on a few pounds since then) in a city full of stocky, olive-skinned natives made me begin to feel a little bit homesick.
But while the city may be my heart, it's in nature that you'll find my soul. I've already mentioned some of the reasons people may love to go to the beach, but as we were planning this trip, there was only one thought that kept coming back to my mind, that quickened my pulse and caught my imagination. I wanted to stand at the very edge of the water, to feel the sand beneath my toes and the tide washing up around my ankles. When you close your eyes, all you can feel is the sea breeze encompassing you. The sound of crashing waves drowns out most other things. The wet sand is firm until the tide rolls over your feet; then it feels as if it dissolves away, and there's that moment's sensation (no matter how firmly your feet are planted) that you're going to fall backward. Open your eyes and the first thing they'll be drawn to is the stark slash of light-blue against dark-blue, where the hazy sky ends and the ocean takes its place. It looks like some heavenly power took a ruler and a fine-tip pen and declared "this is where one shall end, and the other begin." It amazes me that, although hundreds of years of scientific teaching have convinced me that the earth is round, that the curvature is so slight that it appears completely flat. More than flat, it appears that the horizon had an EDGE...and I would believe that Thule, or Avalon, or the far shores of some other mystical kingdom were waiting for me on the other side. There's an incredible sense of wonder in standing at the edge of the ocean.
And that's what I look forward to most when I come to the beach. While I live according to the rhythms of the city, the city life and city pace is essentially human; it places the individual, and the accomplishments of individual people at the highest tier of acheivement. To me, cities sanctify humanity at the pinnacle of creation. To visit the mountains or, especially, the beach, and to immerse myself in the elements of nature (even of those elements have been "tamed" to the needs and whims of vaction-goers) is a lesson in humility and powerlessness. NO matter what I do, or how great I become, I'll never match even a fraction of the power of the wind, or the majesty of the ocean, or the wildness and revel of the sandy shores where all these forces meet the earth. When I acknowledge that my own action isn't the most powerful force in my life, all is right with the world. To stand at the edge of the ocean is an act of worship, a thanksgiving to nothing and to everything all at once.
I'm a city boy; there's pretty much nothing I can do to deny that. Although I grew up in a county that had just gotten big enough to fund and populate it's own public school (a K-12 school - we weren't having to share facilities with the next county over any more!), I really began to come into my own when I was introduced to the cities of the world. I moved at a fairly young age from this little county to a suburban community, and then to a small city at a fairly young age. I learned how to "live city", but because I was still in a transitional sort of place (too big to be anything less than suburban, but still small enough that calling it a "real city" would be laughable). It wasn't until just a few years ago when I got my first exposure to some of the world's metropoles (metropolises?) that I realized just how deep my connections went. I spent 6 months in London doing research as an udnergraduate, and in the time I was there I began to live and breath the city. For no reason I could fathom, I had an almost intuitive understanding of the rhythms of the city. A few days before I had to fly back to the United States, one of the directors of my "programme" told me "you've been here a few months, and already you're as much a Londoner as someone who lives here." When I went to New York for the first time a year or two ago, it was even easier. I was there a week with my family (mum was there for a conference; lil sis and I came along to sight-see), and by the third day I had to bite my tongue to keep from complaining about "all the tourists". Budapest was probably my greatest adventure of all. Along with languages like English, Arabic, and Chinese, Hungarian is supposed to be one of the most difficult languages in the world to learn. Despite this extreme language barrier, I managed to have an incredible time there...although I really would have wished for closer company. Most of my days were spent in solitary exploration of the city, and being a slim redhead (moreso then than now; I've put on a few pounds since then) in a city full of stocky, olive-skinned natives made me begin to feel a little bit homesick.
But while the city may be my heart, it's in nature that you'll find my soul. I've already mentioned some of the reasons people may love to go to the beach, but as we were planning this trip, there was only one thought that kept coming back to my mind, that quickened my pulse and caught my imagination. I wanted to stand at the very edge of the water, to feel the sand beneath my toes and the tide washing up around my ankles. When you close your eyes, all you can feel is the sea breeze encompassing you. The sound of crashing waves drowns out most other things. The wet sand is firm until the tide rolls over your feet; then it feels as if it dissolves away, and there's that moment's sensation (no matter how firmly your feet are planted) that you're going to fall backward. Open your eyes and the first thing they'll be drawn to is the stark slash of light-blue against dark-blue, where the hazy sky ends and the ocean takes its place. It looks like some heavenly power took a ruler and a fine-tip pen and declared "this is where one shall end, and the other begin." It amazes me that, although hundreds of years of scientific teaching have convinced me that the earth is round, that the curvature is so slight that it appears completely flat. More than flat, it appears that the horizon had an EDGE...and I would believe that Thule, or Avalon, or the far shores of some other mystical kingdom were waiting for me on the other side. There's an incredible sense of wonder in standing at the edge of the ocean.
And that's what I look forward to most when I come to the beach. While I live according to the rhythms of the city, the city life and city pace is essentially human; it places the individual, and the accomplishments of individual people at the highest tier of acheivement. To me, cities sanctify humanity at the pinnacle of creation. To visit the mountains or, especially, the beach, and to immerse myself in the elements of nature (even of those elements have been "tamed" to the needs and whims of vaction-goers) is a lesson in humility and powerlessness. NO matter what I do, or how great I become, I'll never match even a fraction of the power of the wind, or the majesty of the ocean, or the wildness and revel of the sandy shores where all these forces meet the earth. When I acknowledge that my own action isn't the most powerful force in my life, all is right with the world. To stand at the edge of the ocean is an act of worship, a thanksgiving to nothing and to everything all at once.
Vacation post 1: Roundabouts and Turnarounds
After spending most of the day on the road, we finally arrived at Oak Island about mid-afternoon yesterday. Although none of us really wanted to have woken up as early as we did, we left the house in the mindset that this was, in fact, vacation...and we treated it that way from the first step. Rather than grabbing a quick bowl of cereal and some fruit before we left the house, we stopped at a Cracker Barrel along the way and enjoyed a nice "sit-down" breakfast. That's something we rarely ever do.
I guess I should backtrack just a little bit. I'm on vacation this week. All week long, with my mother and my little sister. I spend a fairly substantial amount of time with my family, I suppose you could say, but there's a big difference between living and visiting with someone, and vacationing with them. I went into this trip, too, with high expectations. I haven't been on a vacation in over a year. I've taken days off from work to pursue fun diversions, like concerts and whatnot, but the closest I've had to a vacation was a weekend hiking trip I took with a friend back in February. My last "real" vacation was the trip my family took to the Monterey Bay in California, a graduation present for my sister and I, some time ago (I got my bachelor degree, and she made the all-important goal of graduating from high school within a week of each other!). Furthermore, we were going to Oak Island, a fairly quiet little island off the coast of NC, with one side facing the ocean, and the other side facing the sound. It doesn't have nearly the same glamour and glitz as the Outer Banks (which are further up the coastline, toward Virginia), but it's a lovely little island. Why did it matter so much that we were going to Oak Island? My mum and sis have gone several times in the past few years, for a weekend or a few days, or occasionally a slightly longer stay, but because of a demanding school schedule and an almost-as-demanding work schedule, I hadn't been able to go along with them to the beach since sometime in high school. I was about past due for a healthy dose of sand and surf!
The route we took was a pretty interesting one. We left home about 8 in the morning, and travelled east, reaching Oak Island via Asheboro...by way of the NC Zoo! What is this? Going to the zoo on the WAY to vacation? That's like two trips in one! Madness!
We had been to the zoo two other times this summer, but both trips had been last-minute, spur of the moment ideas, and we'd only been able to see about half the exhibits each time. The NC Zoo is split roughly in half - there's a North America exhibit, and an Africa exhibit, and right in the middle is Junction Plaza and just a little beyond that is the Sonora Desert exhibit (technically part of North America, but it's set so far off from everything else, it seems like it's own separate entity!). I love desert wildlife (although I'm not sure if it's a symptom or a cause of my love for the book "Dune" by Frank Herbert), and I'd been very disappointed that on our last couple trips, we hadn't had time to trek into the center of the zoo to see it. This time, though, my patience was rewarded, and we got to see Sonoran creatures in all their glory! The coolest part was something I wasn't expecting - there was a section of the exhibit that was down a darkened hallway and led to displays of nocturnal animals! I was able to get within feet of fascinating little beasties like sidewinders and couatis...and even real, honest to goodness vampire bats! I tried to get some photos, but as I'm sure you can imagine, camera + dark room does NOT equal very good opportunities, especially since I didn't want to turn on my camera's flash and potentially startle the animals.
Equally cool, although not the center of my obsession like the desert exhibit was, was a recently-added feature of the zoo. Called "Acacia Station", this new site is an observation deck that affords a great veiw of a portion of the Africa exhibit, especially the habitat where the giraffes, zebras, and ostriches roam. That itself is pretty cool, but the real draw is that during the middle of the day, giraffe feeding takes place there! My understanding is that eventually Acacia Station will be a paid attraction ($2 admission during meal-times, or something like that), but at the moment it's free. Even if a giraffe doesn't come and get right up in yo' grill, I say it's still worth checking out for the view!
And that was the first leg of our vacation trip. It was a hot, hot day, but there's something about being at a zoo that always makes me feel younger and more playful in spite of oppressive weather. Once we felt like we'd sweated enough, though (and had made sure to see the Sonora Desert exhibit!), we trooped back to the car for the main thrust of the trip. A quick mid-trip stop at Sonic for refreshment (I'd never had their cherry limeade before; it was pretty good!), and then on to Oak Island!
I guess I should backtrack just a little bit. I'm on vacation this week. All week long, with my mother and my little sister. I spend a fairly substantial amount of time with my family, I suppose you could say, but there's a big difference between living and visiting with someone, and vacationing with them. I went into this trip, too, with high expectations. I haven't been on a vacation in over a year. I've taken days off from work to pursue fun diversions, like concerts and whatnot, but the closest I've had to a vacation was a weekend hiking trip I took with a friend back in February. My last "real" vacation was the trip my family took to the Monterey Bay in California, a graduation present for my sister and I, some time ago (I got my bachelor degree, and she made the all-important goal of graduating from high school within a week of each other!). Furthermore, we were going to Oak Island, a fairly quiet little island off the coast of NC, with one side facing the ocean, and the other side facing the sound. It doesn't have nearly the same glamour and glitz as the Outer Banks (which are further up the coastline, toward Virginia), but it's a lovely little island. Why did it matter so much that we were going to Oak Island? My mum and sis have gone several times in the past few years, for a weekend or a few days, or occasionally a slightly longer stay, but because of a demanding school schedule and an almost-as-demanding work schedule, I hadn't been able to go along with them to the beach since sometime in high school. I was about past due for a healthy dose of sand and surf!
The route we took was a pretty interesting one. We left home about 8 in the morning, and travelled east, reaching Oak Island via Asheboro...by way of the NC Zoo! What is this? Going to the zoo on the WAY to vacation? That's like two trips in one! Madness!
We had been to the zoo two other times this summer, but both trips had been last-minute, spur of the moment ideas, and we'd only been able to see about half the exhibits each time. The NC Zoo is split roughly in half - there's a North America exhibit, and an Africa exhibit, and right in the middle is Junction Plaza and just a little beyond that is the Sonora Desert exhibit (technically part of North America, but it's set so far off from everything else, it seems like it's own separate entity!). I love desert wildlife (although I'm not sure if it's a symptom or a cause of my love for the book "Dune" by Frank Herbert), and I'd been very disappointed that on our last couple trips, we hadn't had time to trek into the center of the zoo to see it. This time, though, my patience was rewarded, and we got to see Sonoran creatures in all their glory! The coolest part was something I wasn't expecting - there was a section of the exhibit that was down a darkened hallway and led to displays of nocturnal animals! I was able to get within feet of fascinating little beasties like sidewinders and couatis...and even real, honest to goodness vampire bats! I tried to get some photos, but as I'm sure you can imagine, camera + dark room does NOT equal very good opportunities, especially since I didn't want to turn on my camera's flash and potentially startle the animals.
Equally cool, although not the center of my obsession like the desert exhibit was, was a recently-added feature of the zoo. Called "Acacia Station", this new site is an observation deck that affords a great veiw of a portion of the Africa exhibit, especially the habitat where the giraffes, zebras, and ostriches roam. That itself is pretty cool, but the real draw is that during the middle of the day, giraffe feeding takes place there! My understanding is that eventually Acacia Station will be a paid attraction ($2 admission during meal-times, or something like that), but at the moment it's free. Even if a giraffe doesn't come and get right up in yo' grill, I say it's still worth checking out for the view!
And that was the first leg of our vacation trip. It was a hot, hot day, but there's something about being at a zoo that always makes me feel younger and more playful in spite of oppressive weather. Once we felt like we'd sweated enough, though (and had made sure to see the Sonora Desert exhibit!), we trooped back to the car for the main thrust of the trip. A quick mid-trip stop at Sonic for refreshment (I'd never had their cherry limeade before; it was pretty good!), and then on to Oak Island!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Love, Lunch, and the Dog Days of Summer
This afternoon I had the day off from work, so I met with my mother and my sister for lunch. At some point, the following exchange took place:
Me - Oh that's right, you like onions.
Sis - I don't like onions, I looove onions.
Me - If you love onions so much, why don't you marry them? ...Because, you know, you could do that in North Carolina. [whispered] ...Unless they're gay onions. Then it'd be illegal.
Mom - In Georgia, we call those vidalia onions.
Me and Sis - [stunned silence]
Me - ...just because they're sweet doesn't mean they're gay!
Mom - [laughing] I have no idea where that came from.
Me - Oh that's right, you like onions.
Sis - I don't like onions, I looove onions.
Me - If you love onions so much, why don't you marry them? ...Because, you know, you could do that in North Carolina. [whispered] ...Unless they're gay onions. Then it'd be illegal.
Mom - In Georgia, we call those vidalia onions.
Me and Sis - [stunned silence]
Me - ...just because they're sweet doesn't mean they're gay!
Mom - [laughing] I have no idea where that came from.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
What the Internet can do for you.
Earlier today I needed to do a little look-up on an uncommon animal, specifically the Walia ibex (an endangered species of Ibex native to the Semien mountains of Africa). Just a few moments ago I needed to look up the address of a restaurant where I'll be meeting an old friend later this evening. However, my search engine was still primed to "Walia ibex", and the the location it defaulted to – before I could even enter the address I wanted – was for "Ethiopisch Café Restaurant Walia Ibex", an Ethiopian restaurant in Amsterdam!
How cool is that?
PLUR!
How cool is that?
PLUR!
Monday, July 20, 2009
It was generally agreed upon...
..that after last night, I am no longer allowed to freestyle.
"I got Lene callin' on me like I'm Doctor Jones
Bustin' up in yo case just like I'm Sherlock Holmes
I got good pronunciation 'cos I know phenomes"
"I got Lene callin' on me like I'm Doctor Jones
Bustin' up in yo case just like I'm Sherlock Holmes
I got good pronunciation 'cos I know phenomes"
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Go, Go, Go
Today I found Speed Racer on DVD for only $7.00, which is an excellent price - I remember the first time I tried looking for it after it was released, it retailed for almost $20.00 - a price I found surprising considering the mixed reviews it got in the theaters. Naturally, I couldn't give up that kind of opportunity, and I sat down to watch it as soon as I got back home!
Personally, I LOVE the Speed Racer film - although the motion and colors can be quite a lot for some people to handle (I understand that the movie's "epileptic" presentation was one of its biggest criticisms). Considering the intentional camp of the film, I think it's very well-acted, with an impressive emotional depth and a focus on some important themes such as loyalty, responsibility, and family relationships. While one could make an argument for a hidden level of complexity to the film that's not immediately apparent, it's actually the film's straight-forward simplicity that I love about it. Although patently unrealistic, there is almost no ambiguity about each character's role - the bad guys are thoroughly despicable (in many and varied ways), and Speed and his family are unequivocally good, honest, and wholesome.
So much of what I'm exposed to in the media these days seems to promote and rely on themes of confustion, uncertainty, and powerlessness. The Matrix is a contemporary cultural icon, and shows that decieve both their characters and their audiences (like Lost, and to a lesser extent the pantheon of CSI shows) are notoriously popular. By contrast, Speed Racer is simple, straight-forward, and unambiguous. Sometimes it's refreshing to have a hero who's just that - a hero.
Anyways, as far as Speed Racer goes, a fine piece of cinema it ain't. It's a ton of fun to watch, though, and I'd recommend it to anyone who can let loose enough to let themselves enjoy a fun and fast-paced movie, even in spite of the sensory overload you may experience!
PLUR!
Personally, I LOVE the Speed Racer film - although the motion and colors can be quite a lot for some people to handle (I understand that the movie's "epileptic" presentation was one of its biggest criticisms). Considering the intentional camp of the film, I think it's very well-acted, with an impressive emotional depth and a focus on some important themes such as loyalty, responsibility, and family relationships. While one could make an argument for a hidden level of complexity to the film that's not immediately apparent, it's actually the film's straight-forward simplicity that I love about it. Although patently unrealistic, there is almost no ambiguity about each character's role - the bad guys are thoroughly despicable (in many and varied ways), and Speed and his family are unequivocally good, honest, and wholesome.
So much of what I'm exposed to in the media these days seems to promote and rely on themes of confustion, uncertainty, and powerlessness. The Matrix is a contemporary cultural icon, and shows that decieve both their characters and their audiences (like Lost, and to a lesser extent the pantheon of CSI shows) are notoriously popular. By contrast, Speed Racer is simple, straight-forward, and unambiguous. Sometimes it's refreshing to have a hero who's just that - a hero.
Anyways, as far as Speed Racer goes, a fine piece of cinema it ain't. It's a ton of fun to watch, though, and I'd recommend it to anyone who can let loose enough to let themselves enjoy a fun and fast-paced movie, even in spite of the sensory overload you may experience!
PLUR!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Barefoot in the kitchen
This is a bad habit of mine. When I'm inside the house, I have a terrible aversion to footwear, unless I'm bitter cold and can't feel my toes already. And so, when I cook (which is more often than it used to be, but still probably not often enough), I tend to do so barefoot.
Some time ago I embarked on a similar endeavor, and with disasterous results. I was frying something in a skillet,and a drop of hot oil *popped* out of the pan and landed right on the top of my foot. After that time, I vowed never to cook whilst barefoot again.
Quite naturally, I was good on my word for all of 2 months before falling back into my old habits!
This time, however, things were a bit different. For one thing, I managed to avoid injuring or burning myself. More importantly, though, was the content of the food. In a lot of ways, I'm true to my roots - I grew up eating lots of meats and breads and potato starches, and so when I actually get myself into the kitchen, it's as natural for me to think "casserole" as just about anything else. Well, my sister is a vegetarian, and at her suggestion I used Morningstar brand "crumbles" (a vegetable-protein-based meat substitute) instead of the lean ground beef I would have normally cooked.
All in all, it was a good choice - the Morningstar defrosted and cooked quicker than the meat would have, and I didn't have to go through the additional step of draining that ground beef usually requires. And whilst the Morningstar did have a noticeable texture difference from regular ground beef, in the context of the casserole, it was hardly a problem at all.
I've not experimented with other Morningstar products, but so far they've received a positive opinion from me. I wouldn't use the crumbles to, say, make burger patties...but I imagine there's another product that's better suited for that purpose.
I am not vegetarian, and have no real intention of adopting a vegetarian diet, but I do try to monitor my meat consumption, especially red meats (this is both easy and difficult for me to do - the menu of the restaurant I work at is very meat-heavy, but we prepare far more poultry than red meat). It's nice to know that there are viable substitutes out there that are both readily available (the Morningstar came from the nearest grocery) and easy enough for a lazy cook like me to prepare.
...Because when one spends all day cooking for other people, the last thing I want to do it come home and have to cook for myself! ;-P
PLUR!
Some time ago I embarked on a similar endeavor, and with disasterous results. I was frying something in a skillet,and a drop of hot oil *popped* out of the pan and landed right on the top of my foot. After that time, I vowed never to cook whilst barefoot again.
Quite naturally, I was good on my word for all of 2 months before falling back into my old habits!
This time, however, things were a bit different. For one thing, I managed to avoid injuring or burning myself. More importantly, though, was the content of the food. In a lot of ways, I'm true to my roots - I grew up eating lots of meats and breads and potato starches, and so when I actually get myself into the kitchen, it's as natural for me to think "casserole" as just about anything else. Well, my sister is a vegetarian, and at her suggestion I used Morningstar brand "crumbles" (a vegetable-protein-based meat substitute) instead of the lean ground beef I would have normally cooked.
All in all, it was a good choice - the Morningstar defrosted and cooked quicker than the meat would have, and I didn't have to go through the additional step of draining that ground beef usually requires. And whilst the Morningstar did have a noticeable texture difference from regular ground beef, in the context of the casserole, it was hardly a problem at all.
I've not experimented with other Morningstar products, but so far they've received a positive opinion from me. I wouldn't use the crumbles to, say, make burger patties...but I imagine there's another product that's better suited for that purpose.
I am not vegetarian, and have no real intention of adopting a vegetarian diet, but I do try to monitor my meat consumption, especially red meats (this is both easy and difficult for me to do - the menu of the restaurant I work at is very meat-heavy, but we prepare far more poultry than red meat). It's nice to know that there are viable substitutes out there that are both readily available (the Morningstar came from the nearest grocery) and easy enough for a lazy cook like me to prepare.
...Because when one spends all day cooking for other people, the last thing I want to do it come home and have to cook for myself! ;-P
PLUR!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Venture by Night team structure graph, v.2.2.1
This is a social network graph I created with GraphViz to represent the team structure within the Venture by Night Requiem game. This graph is an updated draft. It may contain non-current information, but is close to complete. Click on the image to enlarge it.
blue = team mates
solid blue = reports to
green = upper management
dashed line = no longer works with listed individuals
red box = inactive
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Requiem team structure graph, v.2.1
This is a social network graph I created with GraphViz to represent the team structure within the Venture by Night Requiem game. This graph is an updated draft. It may contain non-current information, but is close to complete. Click on the image to enlarge it.
blue = team mates
solid blue = reports to
green = upper management
dashed line = no longer works with listed individuals
red box = inactive
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Ventrue by Night team structure - draft
This is a social network graph I created with GraphViz to represent the team structure within the Venture by Night Requiem game. This graph is only a draft. It contains non-current information, and is therefore not up-to-date. Click on the image to enlarge it.
blue = team mates
solid blue = reports to
green = upper management
dashed line = no longer member of the listed team
red box = inactive
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
In the beginning...
I'm a storyteller at heart. I may not have the best tales to spin, or the best voice for spinning them, but I love to tell stories and I love to hear them. There's something wonderful about being involved, as audience or storyteller, in a world invented specifically for the excitement, the wonder, and sometimes even the education of the people involved in it.
I reckon that it's this love of story-telling that first drew me to roleplaying, an activity that has at various times led me to associate with actors and with gamers, but that's peripheral to what's been on my mind today, and perhaps that's a topic I'll delve into at another time.
As a child, I can remember deriving no greater pleasure than to become completely engrossed in a story. I was an avid reader (I still adore books, but my rate of consumption has plummeted since I "discovered" the Internet!), even to the extent of tackling some of the modern "classics" (most notably "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth") long before I was able to appreciate their impact, just because the stories that played out between the covers were so exciting to me. And when I first found out about audiobooks, I can remember spending an entire afternoon sitting in my bedroom with a tape recorder reading one of my favorite Pee Wee Scouts books. I only had one cassette, and I remember how disappointed I was that I wasn't able to fit the entire book onto it...I had the entire book except for the last chapter on that tape! There's no stopping a devoted 7 year old, though; I'm pretty sure I remember reading the last few pages out loud to myself.
So my love of storytelling runs deep, and it runs early. By accounts I've been told, I was a pretty bright kid, as well, always questioning and wanting to learn more about the world around me. And I love my parents because when I would ask them questions, they'd always try to answer them for me, and as often as not that question would come in the form of a story, a fable, a tall tale...or even sometimes just an invention of pure fancy.
I remember especially a time when I was a youngster, probably also 7 years old, although I might have been 6, when I was in the garage with my dad, and I could see the trees blowing in the wind through the open garage door. I asked my dad what cause the wind, prepared to refute the oft-cited Sneezing Trees Hypothesis with a resounding "nuh-uh!" (even back then I was suspicious of this common explanation. You have to have a nose to sneeze, and I never in my life have seen a tree with a nose). But rather than the expected response, my dad must have noticed what had caught my attention and provoked my question - he gave me a simple "the wind is cause when trees move". Now how much sense does that make when you're 7 years old? You're old enough to know that trees make food from sunlight with their leaves, and the sun moves across the sky. And mom would always turn the houseplants sitting next to the windows because they would always lean toward the sun and she didn't want them to look lopsided. So of course it made sense that trees would move their leaves to follow the sun, thus creating wind. Voilà, the story of wind was created!
It wasn't until some years later I learned more of the details of photosynthesis, and that, although trees do shift to follow the sun, the movements are too slow and too slight to cause any sort of atmospheric interferance, even in a large forested area.
But even after all these years, the impact of the story of photosynthesis and the wind has stayed with me. It's helped me come to appreciate all the stories we hear, we tell, and we come up with every day. A story doesn't have to have unicorns or flying turtles to be fantastic, and oftentimes a plausible story can be far more exciting than the actual facts.
And sometimes, all it takes is a little story to reveal just how mysterious and wonderful the Truth can be.
I reckon that it's this love of story-telling that first drew me to roleplaying, an activity that has at various times led me to associate with actors and with gamers, but that's peripheral to what's been on my mind today, and perhaps that's a topic I'll delve into at another time.
As a child, I can remember deriving no greater pleasure than to become completely engrossed in a story. I was an avid reader (I still adore books, but my rate of consumption has plummeted since I "discovered" the Internet!), even to the extent of tackling some of the modern "classics" (most notably "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth") long before I was able to appreciate their impact, just because the stories that played out between the covers were so exciting to me. And when I first found out about audiobooks, I can remember spending an entire afternoon sitting in my bedroom with a tape recorder reading one of my favorite Pee Wee Scouts books. I only had one cassette, and I remember how disappointed I was that I wasn't able to fit the entire book onto it...I had the entire book except for the last chapter on that tape! There's no stopping a devoted 7 year old, though; I'm pretty sure I remember reading the last few pages out loud to myself.
So my love of storytelling runs deep, and it runs early. By accounts I've been told, I was a pretty bright kid, as well, always questioning and wanting to learn more about the world around me. And I love my parents because when I would ask them questions, they'd always try to answer them for me, and as often as not that question would come in the form of a story, a fable, a tall tale...or even sometimes just an invention of pure fancy.
I remember especially a time when I was a youngster, probably also 7 years old, although I might have been 6, when I was in the garage with my dad, and I could see the trees blowing in the wind through the open garage door. I asked my dad what cause the wind, prepared to refute the oft-cited Sneezing Trees Hypothesis with a resounding "nuh-uh!" (even back then I was suspicious of this common explanation. You have to have a nose to sneeze, and I never in my life have seen a tree with a nose). But rather than the expected response, my dad must have noticed what had caught my attention and provoked my question - he gave me a simple "the wind is cause when trees move". Now how much sense does that make when you're 7 years old? You're old enough to know that trees make food from sunlight with their leaves, and the sun moves across the sky. And mom would always turn the houseplants sitting next to the windows because they would always lean toward the sun and she didn't want them to look lopsided. So of course it made sense that trees would move their leaves to follow the sun, thus creating wind. Voilà, the story of wind was created!
It wasn't until some years later I learned more of the details of photosynthesis, and that, although trees do shift to follow the sun, the movements are too slow and too slight to cause any sort of atmospheric interferance, even in a large forested area.
But even after all these years, the impact of the story of photosynthesis and the wind has stayed with me. It's helped me come to appreciate all the stories we hear, we tell, and we come up with every day. A story doesn't have to have unicorns or flying turtles to be fantastic, and oftentimes a plausible story can be far more exciting than the actual facts.
And sometimes, all it takes is a little story to reveal just how mysterious and wonderful the Truth can be.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Today is Memorial Day
Today is Memorial Day in the United States. Today is the day we've set aside to recognize and honor the men and women who've died in military service. But Memorial Day is a federal holiday, and my greatest fear is that as soon as someone implies government to something, that thing becomes immediately politicized.
As a matter of personal philosophy and moral code, I call myself a pacifist and even a conscientious objector. I do not like violence and war, and fundamentally disagree with many of the justifications offered for both. However, even though I'm strong in my convictions, I'm not blinded by them. Although it pains me, I see that violence and war are integral parts of the social fabric not only of our country, but of all the nations on Earth, and while that is true, no matter how much I protest it, I must acknowledge that conflict occurs, militaries are created, and wars waged. And as a result, people die.
Today is Memorial Day in the United States. Today is the day we've set aside to recognize and honor the men and women who've died in military service. No matter one's political leanings, no matter one's convictions about the waging of war (or the reasons for doing so), today is a day of remembrance. Whether wreathed in tragedy or heroism, the death of every man and woman who's had their life cut short while in service to their country has impacted us. Hold the memories of these men and women in the light. Hold their families, friends, and loved ones in the light. Today of all days, I think we should be able to put aside partisan philosophies and vitriolic opinions, and come together with fellow Americans to mourn the lives that have been lost, and celebrate the cause they served - protecting the United States so that this country can work to become the best nation it possibly can.
We still have a long way to go, I think, but some day I hope the men and women who died in service to this country will be proud of us.
As a matter of personal philosophy and moral code, I call myself a pacifist and even a conscientious objector. I do not like violence and war, and fundamentally disagree with many of the justifications offered for both. However, even though I'm strong in my convictions, I'm not blinded by them. Although it pains me, I see that violence and war are integral parts of the social fabric not only of our country, but of all the nations on Earth, and while that is true, no matter how much I protest it, I must acknowledge that conflict occurs, militaries are created, and wars waged. And as a result, people die.
Today is Memorial Day in the United States. Today is the day we've set aside to recognize and honor the men and women who've died in military service. No matter one's political leanings, no matter one's convictions about the waging of war (or the reasons for doing so), today is a day of remembrance. Whether wreathed in tragedy or heroism, the death of every man and woman who's had their life cut short while in service to their country has impacted us. Hold the memories of these men and women in the light. Hold their families, friends, and loved ones in the light. Today of all days, I think we should be able to put aside partisan philosophies and vitriolic opinions, and come together with fellow Americans to mourn the lives that have been lost, and celebrate the cause they served - protecting the United States so that this country can work to become the best nation it possibly can.
We still have a long way to go, I think, but some day I hope the men and women who died in service to this country will be proud of us.
Monday, May 18, 2009
What do all villains have in common?
They monologue right before the protagonist whups the tar out of them!
And on the topic of bad-guy monologues, this may be one of the most "villainous" ones I've ever heard; it rides that beautifully fine line between truly evil, and utterly campy. It's spoken by Galactic Boss Cyrus in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (and probably Platinum as well), so if you'll bear with me please and try not to ridicule me too much for quoting a Pokémon game...
"...I see. You must be the Trainer I've been hearing about. The foolhardy one that's trying to stand up to Team Galactic. Although I'd hardly expected to see that the Trainer is a mere child. I'd heard that our Commanders had a rough time with you..."
((here's where it gets good!))
"I know why you're here, I can sense it in you. It's about UXIE, MESPRIT, and AZELF, correct? You want to save them... I no longer have any need for them. I am finished with them. If your heart aches to save them, go right ahead, I could care less. It will save me the trouble of disposing of them. But I must say... You are a remarkable specimen. Those Pokémon have nothing to do with you, do they not? But still you came to rescue them out of pity? Such pitifully useless emotions... It's illogical and irrational. Pity and compassion are products of the weak and lacking human heart. You were compelled to come here by such vacuous sentimentality! I will make you regret paying heed to your heart!"
Not bad for a kid's video game, huh?
PLUR!
And on the topic of bad-guy monologues, this may be one of the most "villainous" ones I've ever heard; it rides that beautifully fine line between truly evil, and utterly campy. It's spoken by Galactic Boss Cyrus in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (and probably Platinum as well), so if you'll bear with me please and try not to ridicule me too much for quoting a Pokémon game...
"...I see. You must be the Trainer I've been hearing about. The foolhardy one that's trying to stand up to Team Galactic. Although I'd hardly expected to see that the Trainer is a mere child. I'd heard that our Commanders had a rough time with you..."
((here's where it gets good!))
"I know why you're here, I can sense it in you. It's about UXIE, MESPRIT, and AZELF, correct? You want to save them... I no longer have any need for them. I am finished with them. If your heart aches to save them, go right ahead, I could care less. It will save me the trouble of disposing of them. But I must say... You are a remarkable specimen. Those Pokémon have nothing to do with you, do they not? But still you came to rescue them out of pity? Such pitifully useless emotions... It's illogical and irrational. Pity and compassion are products of the weak and lacking human heart. You were compelled to come here by such vacuous sentimentality! I will make you regret paying heed to your heart!"
Not bad for a kid's video game, huh?
PLUR!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
GraphViz first run, Daeva draft
Social network "wheel" created using GraphViz for the Daeva clan in Venture by Night game. Image is draft, and has since been updated and edited.
Blue arrow = clan connection
Red arrow = work on the same team
Green arrow = covenant connection
click image to enlarge
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Eden history - London
Although I haven't felt much motivation to do so recently (I recently stopped playing a long-term RPG character who was very word-intensive, and took a lot of my creative energy), I write occasionally. Back a couple years ago, I got a spark of an idea for a "probable future" idea in which many of the world's major urban centers had become, or were becoming Soleri-esque arcologies. I wrote a few short pieces, then got super-busy with coursework and set it down for a while. The idea's never left my head, though. Every once in a while, I go back to it, try to take a fresh perspective, write something new. In my head it's become less of a story than a hypothetical documentary. This is one of the first pieces I wrote, and it takes place in the city of London. Please observe all applicable copyright rulings.
It started in London. When the Labour “dynasty” of the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century finally fell to the increasingly popular Conservative party, things changed. There was no telling whether it was for the better or the worse the way things came together. The middle classes’ xenophobia blossomed, and entwined itself about the heavily promoted Future London conservation movement. Heavy emphasis was put on making Greater London a more sustainable city, and much work was done to make London’s infrastructure more sustainable for its residents. However, immigrants were less than welcome in the city, and many moved north and east, if they chose to come to England at all.
((PLUR!))
It started in London. When the Labour “dynasty” of the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century finally fell to the increasingly popular Conservative party, things changed. There was no telling whether it was for the better or the worse the way things came together. The middle classes’ xenophobia blossomed, and entwined itself about the heavily promoted Future London conservation movement. Heavy emphasis was put on making Greater London a more sustainable city, and much work was done to make London’s infrastructure more sustainable for its residents. However, immigrants were less than welcome in the city, and many moved north and east, if they chose to come to England at all.
In spite of slowed immigration into the city London’s population was at its highest point in history, but Londoners stoically resisted plans to expand of the city. Ecological consciousness had been so ingrained into the minds of the people they consistently voted down proposals to “sprawl” into productive arable land. Petitions were created to limit urban growth and protect the surrounding environs. By June of 2012, London’s preparations for the Olympic games were complete. The city had never before been so clean, efficient, or state-of-the-art. The city’s infrastructure was sufficient for its burgeoning population, there were factors city planners had failed to consider. The 2009 capture and execution of Osama bin Ladin and the United States’ subsequent relaxation of their vigilante War on Terror sparked overwhelming expressions of international goodwill and a tremendous increase in international travel. The addition of several million more Olympic spectators than expected taxed London’s systems to their limit and beyond, quickly causing tensions to mount.
The riots started on 2nd August, 2012. The summer heat ignited tensions that were already smoldering from severe overcrowding and delays on the Tube (in spite of the London Underground’s decision to operate their trains 24 hours a day), the Central London congestion charge, rolling blackouts, and food shortages in supermarkets and restaurants. Several local organizations banded together to protest the unexpected large Olympic crowds, but angry demonstrations flared into violence between protestors and police as one protestor was shot dead by an unknown killer, and a car bomb exploded mid-afternoon outside the BBC. The bomb hurt no one directly, but it smashed open the floodgates for citywide chaos. The riots lasted for most of two days and resulted in over £8.6 million in property damage – much of it in upscale Central London – but were getting less severe, and almost died out entirely. Then on 4th August, a water main in Greenwich burst, depriving a large section of eastern London of running water. Fueled by this tragedy, the riots redoubled their intensity and raged on for another three days.
For the first time since their inception in 1896, the Olympic games had to be ended early because of the violent civil unrest. England was outraged, and accused several known terrorist groups of inciting the riots and blowing up the water main. Security measures were tightened, and severe restrictions were placed on immigration. Many of England’s critics, including some former sympathizers from the European Union, countered that London’s infrastructure had simply not been sufficient. Whether the critics were correct or not, London had been crippled by the Olympic riots. With billions of pounds of aid from the sympathetic nations, largely the United States and Israel, England began a massive campaign to restore its capitol’s infrastructure. During the reconstruction project the pendulum of political opinion began to swing back in favor of the Labour party, and soon the cry for “restoration” became one of “improvement.”
London had limited her options for improvement, however. Past conservation petitions had become current law, and the city could not expand its boundaries without great turmoil. Expanding the Underground was feasible, but was terribly expensive, and could only be developed so far before threatening the integrity of the aboveground city. In a controversial decision, the boroughs of Inner London decided to build upward rather than out. Foundations and lower stories of the undamaged and restored buildings were reinforced, while many damaged buildings and roadways were simply removed, and converted to service and transport lines to augment those underground. “Conspiracy theory” headlines ran almost weekly in The Sun, and declared that London was moving the Underground onto the surface. The true purpose was revealed when the first of the Great Braces were erected in Hammersmith. Soon huge metal pylons and struts were being erected throughout all the boroughs, and the spaces between were filled in and paved over. The headlines were right: the Underground had been raised to ground level. However, a new ground level had been raised above it. The boroughs had come together and agreed to cooperatively rebuild their boroughs as arcologies, massive structures containing the entire necessary infrastructure for urban life, but didn’t infringe too much on the natural world. Some people, largely fans of science fiction, began to call the new arcologies the London Hive – referencing the multi-storied mega cities in some novels – and the name caught on.
Although weakened by the Olympic riots, it wasn’t long before the London Hive regained its status as a major financial and commercial center. Because of the new construction that was going on, London Hive saw a revival in heavy industries as well. The new infrastructure required constant maintenance, and the demand for unskilled and semi-skilled laborers skyrocketed. Paradoxically to England’s new xenophobic culture, many immigrants were assimilated by London into low-level maintenance jobs…and low-level lifestyles. The wealthier sectors of London’s population moved “up top” to the new construction on top of the Braces, leaving lots of space below the Surface for the service workers to fill up. In less than 15 years London’s population density more than doubled, and crime rates skyrocketed – especially drug and arms trading, and racketeering. The Metropolitan Police Service first partnered with then absorbed the Terrestrial Army, and police presence doubled on the Surface and quintupled below it.
For the first decade or so, London Hive was unique, but as the Hive’s construction neared completion, the model was adapted to New York, Chicago, Seattle, and Atlanta at the encouragement of the FDA, big agricultural lobbies, and a hodgepodge of conservation groups. Shortly following the announcement of Atlanta’s conversion, Paris and Prague announced their own plans, and a BBC documentary revealed that several large cities in the People’s Republic of China had already started their own Hive conversion projects.
Encouraged by the success of the Hive model into existing cities, plans were made for the creation of the first purpose-built hive city on Akilia Island, an island off the coast of Greenland with some of the oldest geological formations in the world. When the UN announced that it planned to move it’s headquarters to Akilia, international support for the city went through the roof. In the midst of the international celebration, Dr. Rhodes of Oxford University and Dr. Shope of Princeton University released a joint report, the Hive Under-Surface Report, detailing some of the gang activity and human atrocities taking place beneath the Surface in London Hive and the newly completed Queens Hive.
By then, however, it was too late; construction of Eden had already begun.
((PLUR!))
I pitched this to some of my gaming buddies last night
I think it'd be funny to play a D&D game where one of the characters comes from the Internet. He'd worship the G0d of In7ern3tz, who would have sent him on a noble quest that, if he achieves epic win, will allow him to become a mini-god (a "mod", you see) who can wield the power of the mighty artifact, the Banhammer, against his enemies. He'd be a multiclass character, a sorcerer that specializes in flame spells, and a ranger who's favoured enemy is "troll".
The most hilarious thing about it is that the character, both in mechanics and tropes, exhibits almost no deviation from the "standard" character types you see in D&D games, so if there was ever a DM demented enough to allow this ridiculous character, it would be completely internally consistent!
PLUR!
The most hilarious thing about it is that the character, both in mechanics and tropes, exhibits almost no deviation from the "standard" character types you see in D&D games, so if there was ever a DM demented enough to allow this ridiculous character, it would be completely internally consistent!
PLUR!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Is it contagious?
British pop star Sophie Ellis-Bextor has "the skin of a killer". And if not for Stephanie Meyer, I never would have known.
Beware, friends! Vampires walk among us, and not just in the American Pacific Northwest any longer!
PLUR!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
I found God at a red light on New Market this morning on my way to work
Ok, so my title is more of an attention-grabber than strictly accurate, but bear with me; it'll come back up.
So, it's probably pretty apparent that I'm not the church-iest of people. While I'm generally sympathetic toward the core teachings of mainstream Christianity, I'm also highly opinionated...including a lot of opinions that essentially boil down to "I don't know." I absolutely and unquestionably grew up in the Church, though, and that's had an indelible mark on how I view and interact with the world. In spite of that, there are still a lot of things that I have trouble reconciling, and those are the things I either tend to ignore, or hold in suspension until some sort of enlightening moment occurs.
And, for me, those enlightening moments can occur at the most unexpected times. In the tradition of the American transcendentalists, some of my most powerful experiences of "worship" have occurred while held in the grips of nature (I don't think I'd ever felt so close to the sublime than the time a couple summers back I was hiking at Grandfather Mountain, and while I was on the bridge leading up to the peak, and I walked into a cloud bank. It took me a few moments to realize it wasn't just a patch of fog or anything, and that I was actually becoming one with the sky, held aloft several hundred feet above the valley by nothing but a few tons of steel beams and cables, and the grace of God not to have them released from their anchor-points). When I came back down I was shaking, and definitely not from fear of heights (which I don't have).
Music is another channel through which I tend to "experience" the divine. Even though they're a socially active folk-rock duo, and (as far as I know) completely removed from the Contemporary Christian Music industry, the Indigo Girls have always been a powerful catalyst for me. In the past, I feel that I've come to a greater understanding of ideas like peace and joy and separation and redemption than I may ever have otherwise. For some reason, this duo resonates with the higher aspects of my self in a way that few other preachers/teachers/musicians/poets/visionaries ever have. I like to listen and re-listen to their music mostly because I think it's good listenin', but sometimes something just jumps out at me.
I listen to my mp3 player when I'm in the car (cassette converter; I feel weird about wearing headphones while I'm driving), because I'm generally ambivalent about music I hear on the radio, and I always listen on shuffle, because there's something kind of cool about not knowing what you're going to hear next. Today, while I was waiting for a stoplight to turn (I told you I'd get back to it!) and the song "Shame on You" came on. It's a cool song, and it's actually got a pretty good dance beat for the genre it's in, but it's the lyrics that actually grabbed my attention today.
"My friends Tanner she says, "you know/Me and Jesus were of the same heart/The only thing that keeps us distant/Is that I keep fucking up"
In a few seconds of colloquial (and slightly vulgar) lyrics, a whole bunch of things kind of clicked in my mind. Being made in the image of God. Human imperfection. Christ's love. And even a bit about grace (although my favorite American meditation on grace is still probably Jonathan Edwards' essay "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" It gives me goosebumps to read it).
But, yeah...God seems to be present almost any place, any time, and inspiration can strike even when you're not looking for it. Maybe even especially when you're not looking for it.
Peace, love understanding, and respect!
So, it's probably pretty apparent that I'm not the church-iest of people. While I'm generally sympathetic toward the core teachings of mainstream Christianity, I'm also highly opinionated...including a lot of opinions that essentially boil down to "I don't know." I absolutely and unquestionably grew up in the Church, though, and that's had an indelible mark on how I view and interact with the world. In spite of that, there are still a lot of things that I have trouble reconciling, and those are the things I either tend to ignore, or hold in suspension until some sort of enlightening moment occurs.
And, for me, those enlightening moments can occur at the most unexpected times. In the tradition of the American transcendentalists, some of my most powerful experiences of "worship" have occurred while held in the grips of nature (I don't think I'd ever felt so close to the sublime than the time a couple summers back I was hiking at Grandfather Mountain, and while I was on the bridge leading up to the peak, and I walked into a cloud bank. It took me a few moments to realize it wasn't just a patch of fog or anything, and that I was actually becoming one with the sky, held aloft several hundred feet above the valley by nothing but a few tons of steel beams and cables, and the grace of God not to have them released from their anchor-points). When I came back down I was shaking, and definitely not from fear of heights (which I don't have).
Music is another channel through which I tend to "experience" the divine. Even though they're a socially active folk-rock duo, and (as far as I know) completely removed from the Contemporary Christian Music industry, the Indigo Girls have always been a powerful catalyst for me. In the past, I feel that I've come to a greater understanding of ideas like peace and joy and separation and redemption than I may ever have otherwise. For some reason, this duo resonates with the higher aspects of my self in a way that few other preachers/teachers/musicians/poets/visionaries ever have. I like to listen and re-listen to their music mostly because I think it's good listenin', but sometimes something just jumps out at me.
I listen to my mp3 player when I'm in the car (cassette converter; I feel weird about wearing headphones while I'm driving), because I'm generally ambivalent about music I hear on the radio, and I always listen on shuffle, because there's something kind of cool about not knowing what you're going to hear next. Today, while I was waiting for a stoplight to turn (I told you I'd get back to it!) and the song "Shame on You" came on. It's a cool song, and it's actually got a pretty good dance beat for the genre it's in, but it's the lyrics that actually grabbed my attention today.
"My friends Tanner she says, "you know/Me and Jesus were of the same heart/The only thing that keeps us distant/Is that I keep fucking up"
In a few seconds of colloquial (and slightly vulgar) lyrics, a whole bunch of things kind of clicked in my mind. Being made in the image of God. Human imperfection. Christ's love. And even a bit about grace (although my favorite American meditation on grace is still probably Jonathan Edwards' essay "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" It gives me goosebumps to read it).
But, yeah...God seems to be present almost any place, any time, and inspiration can strike even when you're not looking for it. Maybe even especially when you're not looking for it.
Peace, love understanding, and respect!
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