Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
played Halo: Reach (360), Gears of War 3 (360), and Homefront (360) in the last 24 hours. http://ping.fm/VLU8L
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
The Captain
“I know you’re here, Miranda,” he shouted, the thick atrium walls magnified his voice. He looked around the small confines of the chamber pulling one of the torches out and wedged it under the door. That should slow them down he thought. He found it increasingly difficult to hold his thoughts together.
* * * *
Only minutes ago, Captain Celen Oberkin walked his nightly rounds. Upon returning to his room, he opened the door and he called out to Miranda as he usually did as of late. He cut himself short as he saw a trail of blood leading out onto the balcony. It was messy. He had seen this before, distinct, linear. Someone dragged a body after having suffered a severe stabbing. Instinctively, he reached for his sword arm and called out for the guards.
“Miranda! Where are you? Are you okay?” His voice betrayed a concern that even he found surprising. It had been a rather quick affair. He met her during the last party the duke held here at the keep. At first he thought it would only be a heated passion that would burn itself out. Only in the last week had he really found himself considering that the relationship could actually blossom into something more.
His room was a disaster. Obviously, someone had been searching for something. But, something was amiss. Were those journey bags packed by the balcony door? It was then that he saw Miranda lying on the ground. He kneeled down next to her and looked her over. He had seen many injuries on the battlefield, but still when he saw her bruised face and swollen eye, he was taken aback. She had definitely put up a fight and paid a heavy price. He checked her breath and was encouraged when she let out a stifled moan.
“You’re gonna be okay Miranda…” he hesitated as he set his sword down and started to fidget with his pockets. He was pulling out a vial when he heard her speak again. Where the hell were the guards? “Guards!” he yelled out once more.
“You…have to…be careful…he’s still…” she muttered and started coughing, blood sputtering at the corner of her mouth. He quickly unstoppered the vial and quickly poured the contents into her mouth. It was one of his emergency vials of healing. It wouldn’t completely heal her injuries but it would stabilize her until he could get help. She pointed weakly towards the open balcony doors. He grabbed his sword again and got into a kneeled defensive stance and scanned the room, eyeing the balcony warily.
He had just begun to make inch his way towards the closet when he felt a sharp burning sensation at the base of his neck. He turned only feel the hot flash of pain from his neck spread out intensely across his body. He swooned and fell back onto the floor barely holding onto his sword. Miranda hovered over him, her arm out and holding something thin and needlelike.
“It’s over Oberkin. The stage is set and we just need to play out the final scenes,” she stated simply, firmly. “Oh, and just on cue…” The door flew open as two guards came bustling inside.
“Help me!....He…I can’t…” Miranda stuttered and threw in a loud sob for good measure.
“It’s gonna be okay Miss. Are you okay? What happened?” started one guard. The other began to assist the Captain.
“No…get away from him…he did this to me and killed the other guard!” pointing out onto the balcony. “He told me we were going to run away from this place. When I refused, he….he just got angry and started….started to beat me,” she turned her head slowly and in a downward gaze, an obvious attempt at trying to hide the bruised and swollen eye.
“I didn’t want this…any of this…” she started again as she dropped a handful of jewels from the duke’s collection. The astounded guards looked at the fallen loot and then turned to the prone Captain, his own eyes wide in shock. As much as he tried, he found that he couldn’t move, couldn’t speak in his defense. Inside, he reeled at the sudden turn of events. For the love of Enderil, what was going on?
He stared in disbelief. Just as he didn’t know where the jewels had come from, a blade suddenly appeared in Miranda’s hand. Quietly, gracefully and in one fluid motion she slit the throat of the guard next to her. In two silent steps, she was upon the second guard as she sapped him unconscious with the hilt of her dagger. It was only as she dropped it by the second guard did he realize that it was his own dagger.
It was all too fast and incredulous to believe.
“This antidote will relieve your paralysis, lover. I’ll be upstairs…think I’ll have a look-see at the ocean. Join me?” she purred.
She pulled out a small waxen bead and burst it in his mouth the lingering sweet-sour taste drawing a strong stringent reaction. And with that, she turned and walked out the door without any notable difficulty. Odd, he thought to himself. The sudden choking sensation broke his concentration and brought him back to his own reality.
Slowly, the paralysis began to wear off. He got up and staggered through the doorway. It made no sense, nothing was making sense and it was hard to think. As he made his way down the corridor towards the southern tower that overlooked the sea, her trail was evident. Another guard lay dead at his post. He tried to pick up his pace. He had to find her. He wanted answers.
* * * *
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Fiesta Arts
Started the day with way too little sleep. Had gone last night to John and Beth's after work and we ended up watching an episode of Legend of the Seeker. It was the one where the legend an old seeker had fallen along with the Mother Confessor. The main theme being that the legend that had passed down was not what actually had happened and now the trouble in the past had come back to haunt them. Hrmmm....wonder if that portends anything....
Today, though, Trisha came by to pick me up as she needed volunteers for her Fiesta thing. I wasn't quite sure what we were doing aside from a First Aid station. I had gone last weekend to the local Red Cross Chapter so that I could get recertified for CPR and First Aid. It has been waaaaaay too long since I've had to have those classes.
After a quick breakfast at Cracker Barrel, we showed up and set up our area. Day went by quickly and we had about four documented incidents and a few minor ones. All in all, fairly uneventful. Thank goodness!
We walked about and I spotted quite a bit of family walking around the area. It was definitely a great clear day and there were plenty of great vendors with AMAZING artwork. Oh, if only I had disposable income to decorate the house.
Night was fairly uneventful and will see what tomorrow brings.
Friday, April 8, 2011
@target It will take more than a PR campaign to clean up your image. Please try again. http://ping.fm/nG2X4
Children And Homosexuality (Behaviour & Communication)
Children And Homosexuality (Behaviour & Communication)
At What Age
...do you think it's age appropriate to start discussing homosexuality?
Doing my daily reads on the interwebs, I came across the following youtube clip in the news:
I wasn't sure how to react to this video. The first reaction leaned towards thinking that the parent was grossly overreacting to the situation. I can understand and agree the school's efforts to be inclusive of the communities that make San Francisco the diverse city that it is.
Does one have to equate actual sex when discussing sexuality? Can you have one without the other. Sometimes, being gay just isn't about the sex. It's a mindset and a culture, a rather unique perspective that takes some understanding and compassion to truly understand when you are an outsider.
It starts with curiosity and fear. Just like the primary video discusses, many individuals will realize from an relatively early age what their sexuality is about. Sometimes, the lines aren't quite so clear cut for everyone. Maybe this is where the whole "phase" thing comes from. But, it's all part of the natural order of things to reach out and mimic and relate to other identities. Like trying on clothes, we try to find something that fits and that we are comfortable in. Is it all learned or is some of it innate? That, I do not really know. I'm one of those believers that it takes both and that the overall experiences help build that character and personality.
A key focus on experience. When these feelings first come into practice, it is hard to stand out against the grain of common practical moires and traditions. Family stresses, social pressures and expectations and other fears compound against the self. These things can affect the overall self-image and self-esteem. Add to this the common bullying many perceived gay youths endure at an early age and you have a whole set of universals that bind the gay community.
So, touring the Castro district isn't going to automatically teach your kids about sex, it is important to start discussing the topic of two people of the same sex sharing lives together. The counter question to this would be at what age do you start talking about husband/wife roles with your children?
Children are very perceptive. While we may choose to hide much from them from our own perceived phobias that we do not think they can handle and process, it is important that we teach them from an early age. Ignorance is one thing. To expect them to learn from their peers is another.
Teach them. They are our future. If they fail, it is because we, as adults, have failed them.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Rent Your Wife
So, it's getting to that point in my life that I note that I haven't started my own nuclear family. I'm knocking on the birthday door in a few months and will be pushing that big 4-0. While I've never been to disconcerted with age, I think that I will begin to assess things...again.
Mom and Dad are doing ok. And, I'm really grateful that despite their hardships, they still maintain a positive outlook on things. Heard that dad is going to be heading back to Weslaco for a bit of work. Though I'm not thrilled at the prospect of him stressing out, it is his choice and burden to take. I know that I'll be pretty stubborn when I get to be that age so I have things to look forward to. Wish I could help them out a bit more than I could.
The newest nephew finally went home yesterday. Bit of a scare when he was born a premie last month, but all seems well. Need to catch up with the nephew and neices. Time goes by so quickly. My sister is now 24, as I recalled when I saw the 20th anniversary for the Sonic game that I saw in Gamestop the other day!
I have an extended family here in San Antonio. My family here has been forged from years of friendship. Jen and Chris take care of me. John and Beth's family love me beyond words. When we sit down for dinner, we pray and thank God for our blessings.
So, I may not have that significant other every night. But, I don't have to rent a wife. There's plenty of love and kids around....and I'm just fine.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Badlees Flashbacks
For some odd reason I thought of George today. As I jot this down, I remember...it was an old Badlees song that brought back those memories from college. He had won the tickets to the concert at some bar from a radio contest...he had to recite a quote from the Wizard of Oz. Guess who got prodded awake in the early AM to answer that one.
I miss his friendship. College has that way of taking ordinary life and making it surreal. Back when you could go in at 7AM to teach a laboratory class, go to your own classes, go out for lunch with friends, then head back to the university, more class, work in the lab and then head home for some classic WarCraft.
As far as I can tell, he has a decent career in the South with the good ol US of A. No specs on the private life. But, that was just a brief scan from the interwebs.
Been awhile since I visited Planet Geog.
Wonder what's changed.
I miss his friendship. College has that way of taking ordinary life and making it surreal. Back when you could go in at 7AM to teach a laboratory class, go to your own classes, go out for lunch with friends, then head back to the university, more class, work in the lab and then head home for some classic WarCraft.
As far as I can tell, he has a decent career in the South with the good ol US of A. No specs on the private life. But, that was just a brief scan from the interwebs.
Been awhile since I visited Planet Geog.
Wonder what's changed.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Whispers
When you speak to me,
I don't understand passive droning.
Dulls my head, abuzz.
Remember back then
when I used to care?
Sunday, April 3, 2011
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