Pilgrim Shadows

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:44:39 GMT

I'm sitting at the bar at Bosco's. It wasn't til I chased a Glenlivet neat with a shot of Jameson's that I came to realize just how unfilling my lunch had been. Now I am lightheaded, but it's fading with each glass of water. Once an equilibrium is acheived, I'll probably order a bourbon and sprite (the soda, not the creature from folklore). For those unaware, I'm chatty when buzzed.
Also, the internet on my phone is working again. I'll wait to tell my mom.

Post from mobile portal m.livejournal.com

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:33:30 GMT

I'm about to make breakfast and then get on my bike. Cody and I've decided to enter a charity bike ride in a little less than two months from now. It's from Graceland to Tunica and back, 150 miles split into two days, with accommodations at the Grand Casino and full rest stops every 12 miles. Also, we're using mountain bikes instead of road bikes.
We've been training by doing 12 miles a day everyday, with the occasional 17 thrown in, so far. This week we're jumping to 30 miles a day: 8 miles to work, 8 miles back home, 14 miles to the river and back. We do have to raise money to enter, it's one of the many charity bike rides FedEx sponsors for multiple sclerosis, so if anyone wants to toss some coins in the hat we'd be much obliged.
This is what's taking up most of my attention for now. I know it comes close to being crazy, but when else am I going to do this kind of stuff.

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:07:24 GMT

The year is half spent and I don't have a lot to show for it. I have, however, read a few books this year.

2009.1-2009.6
Small Favor - Jim Butcher
The Zero Game - Brad Meltzer
Paddy Whacked: The Untold Story of the Irish American Gangster - T.J. English
Turn Coat - Jim Butcher
The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible - A.J. Jacobs
Son of Fletch - Gregory MacDonald
Furies of Calderon - Jim Butcher
Wicked - Gregory Maguire
The Somnambulist - Jonathan Barnes

There are some others which I thumbed through such as short story collections and the like, but these are the cover to covers so far for this year.

This is us being silly

Thu, 28 May 2009 16:00:45 GMT

I'm doing this for Question #65

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:38:36 GMT

1. What would you do if your ex just showed up at your house right now?
Best Case Scenario: It's one of the exes that I'm on very good terms with, so much so that we often forget that we dated. They would be welcomed in and we would hang out. Worst Case Scenario: It's an ex I haven't seen since the break-up. I'd be courteous but let them know I have plans.

2. What describes your relationship status?
Single and trying not to look

3. Where are you?
Library

4. What's the last tv show you've seen?
Monk

I don't know what happened to 5.

6. What is your favorite animal?
Polar Bear

7. Who have you thought about most today?
Only been up for three hours, thus there hasn't been enough time to establish a clear winner.

8. Do you carve pumpkins every year?
No

9. Color of your underwear?
I think blue, but can't be certain.

10. Color of your shirt?
Blue

I don't know what happened to 11.

12. Who's on speed dial?
Cody, Lorne, Home, and Mom

13. Honestly, What would you rather be doing right now?
Riding my bicycle.

14. What's your favorite season?
In Arkansas, probably Spring.

15 is missing too.

16. Are you a bad influence?
Depends on who you ask.

This survey must have contained some juicy questions to have so many missing

19. Would you do anything for someone else?
That's too vague for me to answer.

20. Have you ever been called a bitch?
Yes.

21. Have you ever eaten pizza with sour cream?
No.

Maybe I should start making up questions where the blanks are.

24. How big is your room?
I'd guess 12' by 18'.

25. Do you ever think people hate you for filling these things out?
I don't believe anyone feels too strongly about it one way or another.

26. Does your best friend have a myspace?
Yes.

27. Whose page did you visit last?
My friends page on LiveJournal.

28. Last time you went out to dinner?
Saturday night at KFC.

29. Who is your favorite character from friends?
I liked the monkey on the first season.

30. What friend do you miss the most right now?
I haven't seen Sara in a while.

31. What would be your perfect wedding?
I could take this opportunity to either be overtly anti-romance or overly sentimental. Neither would be true.

32. What do you miss doing that you haven't done in a while?
I miss working at the movie theatre, but that's because I miss being younger.

33. Do you have one or more CD's?
I guess I have more.

34. What did you do last night?
I hung out with Lorne & Co.

35. Favorite TV shows?
Lost, Heroes, Scrubs, Arrested Development, Venture Bros, Firefly, Two Guys and a Girl

36. What's your name spelled backwards?
Leinad

37. Do you have a song by Kelly Clarkson in your itunes library?
No.

38. iPod or Zune?
Ipod.

39. Do you watch Family Guy regularly?
Not lately, but I did at one time.

40. How do you feel about reality shows?
They've grown out of control. I liked Road Rules when I was ten. I like Survivor when I was fourteen. I really can't get behind any of the ones on now.

41. Do you read trashy romance novels often?
Only when required for a class.

43. What's the last thing you bought?
History of the Crusades textbook.

45. Whats in your CD player right now?
None. Though the most recent was A Distant Future by Flight of the Conchords.

47. What about you has changed recently?
I shaved a couple of weeks ago. I've been helping around my folks' house more lately.

48. Do you believe everyone has a soulmate?
No.

49. Can you sing?
Not terribly, nor terribly well.

50. Do you play any instruments?
No.

51. Have you ever been to another country?
Yes. I went to Canada and back in 48 hours.

54. Have you ever been to South America or Africa?
No.

55. Do you know how to knit?
No.

56. What do you want to eat right now?
I'd like a rice cake.

57. Have you ever written love song lyrics yourself and put them on MySpace?
No. This would only occur if I was trying to sell love song lyrics.

58. What are you doing right now besides this survey?
Listening to music.

60. Baskin Robbins or Cold Stone?
Baskin Robbins is closer in proximity and carries good sherbet.

61. Math or English?
English, though I miss math.

62. Facebook or MySpace?
Facebook is nice because I get fewer spammers.

63. PG-rated or R-rated movies?
This is a pressing issue. Should the studio add to or take away from a movie to attain a desired rating. The LOTR and Star Wars are great examples of this. They didn't want to exclude children from buying tickets so they utilized "fantasy violence." People ask, "Why did Obi Wan and Yoda disappeared when they died but Qui Gon Jin didn't?" The real answer is that the late seventies and early eighties had stricter regulations on PG movies. Had they shown an actual corpse they would have risked losing the optimal rating. The LOTR would have received an R rating if the orcs' blood was red and not black. Slaughtering thousands that bleed black is acceptable, whereas Kill Bill had to cut to black and white because seeing fifty people spraying red blood would require a NC-17 rating. This also applies to the lewd comedy genre. If a movie's scenarios and jokes aren't enough to get the desired R rating, all they have to do is include one scene with nudity or use the word "fuck" more than once. The habit of fitting a movie into the cookie cutter shape of the ratings system is strangling cinema.

64. Rather fly across the states or drive?
Drive.

65. Batman, Spider man, Superman, Hulk, or silver surfer?
If this question is asking for my preference, then the answer is Batman. If this question is asking who would win in a fight, then it clearly goes to the Hulk. Spider-man and Batman would make for an interesting battle since Spider-man's "spidey-sense" would cancel out Batman's tendency of using traps and sneak attacks. Spider-man is faster and stronger than Batman, but Batman is a better fighter with more experience. Batman is used to taking on more powerful opponents, so I don't believe Spider-man to be too much of a threat. Batman can beat Superman. Batman is the most dangerous when he has time to plan. He's been planning how to beat his best friend for years. Whether it's Frank Miller writing in 1986 or Jeph Loeb writing in 2002, Batman knows what he's doing. But Batman hasn't had the opportunity to plan for the Hulk or Silver Surfer, not that it would matter. Some would argue that Superman wins because he's already encountered both of them. But things have changed recently. A weakened Hulk beat a weakened Silver Surfer in the Planet Hulk storyline, and zombie Hulk defeated a fully powered Silver Surfer in Marvel Zombies, thus I give the advantage to Hulk. Now Hulk against Superman has been done before. The Marvel/DC crossover of the mid-90s saw these two battle and Superman win. But the Hulk from the mid-90s is nowhere near as dangerous as the present Hulk. The most recent storyline involving the Hulk climaxed with a battle between him and the Sentry. The Sentry is a Marvel character purposely designed after Superman. Since Hulk was able to beat the Sentry, the principle of substitution says that the Hulk can beat Superman.

66. What's your favorite Disney movie?
Either Hercules or the Incredibles.

67. What Cell Phone Service do you have?
AT&T.

68. How many beers get you drunk?
In drivers' ed we plugged our weight into a formula to determine this. I think I was around five beers according to that.

69. Mood?
Restless.

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 22:56:01 GMT

I give you money and send you into the grocery store to pick up 5 items. You can only pick one thing from the following departments.. what is it?

1. Produce --->large Navel Oranges.
2. Bakery ---> Angel Food Cake.
3. Meat ---> Ribeyes.
4. Frozen ---> Popsicles
5. Dry goods ---> Tia Rosa's Megathin Tortilla Chips

* Let's say we're heading out for a weekend getaway. You're only allowed to bring 3 outfits with you. So, what's in your bag?

1. Jeans and T-shirt
2. Khakis and Henley shirt
3. Swimming Trunks

* If I was to listen in on one of your conversations throughout the day, what 5 phrases or words would I be most likely to hear?

1. The way I see it-
2. You might, rabbit, you might.
3. Sorry, what was that?
4. Still didn't catch it.
5. "insert 60's song lyric into conversation"

* So, what 3 things do you find yourself doing every single day, and if you didn't get to do, you'd probably be in a pretty irritable/bad mood?

1. Eat
2. Walk at least 2 miles
3. Listen to music

* What are 3 things that you have in your room that have been with you for the longest amount of time?

1. my first toy - a stuffed polar bear named whitey
2. some silk wall hangings my uncle gave me of Spider-Man and Thor
3. two plastic frogs - tiny and giant (they're the exact same size)

* If you were only allowed to listen to 3 of your CDs for the rest of your life, never adding anything else, which 3 could you listen to & be content with?

1) Scrubs season 1 Soundtrack
2) Barenaked Ladies - All Their Greatest Hits 1991-2001
3) Blues Brothers - Briefcase Full of Blues

* You're driving down the road, and suddenly you're hit with this sense of road rage. What 3 factors probably contributed to it?

1. someone going way under the speed limit
2. someone not signaling
3. someone waiting until the light is yellow to pull out

* Sweet, you just scored a whole afternoon to yourself. We're talking a 3 hour block with nobody around. What 5 activities might we find you doing?

1. cycling
2. running/walking
3. writing
4. catching a matinee
5. drawing

* We're going to the zoo. But, it looks like it could start storming, so it'll have to be a quick visit. What 3 exhibits do we have to get to?
...let's pretend it's the STL Zoo

1. Polar Bears
2. Great Apes
3. Gibbons

* You just scored tickets to the taping of any show of your choice. You can pick between 5, so what are you deciding between?

1. The Academy Awards
2. The Daily Show
3. The Colbert Report
4. Late Night with Conan O'Brien
5. Saturday Night Live

* You're hungry for ice cream. I'll give you a triple dipper ice cream cone. What 3 flavors can I pile on for ya?

1. Orange Sherbert
2. Rainbow Sherbert
3. Any other Sherbert you happen to have in stock

* Somebody stole your purse/wallet…in order to get it back, you have to name 5 things you know are inside to claim it. So, what's in there?

1. Driver's License
2. Red Cross Donor Card
3. Student ID
4. Hastings Card
5. Picture of Rorschach from Watchmen

* You are at a job fair, and asked what areas you are interested in pursuing a career in. Let's pretend you have every talent and ability to be whatever you wanted, so what 4 careers would be fun for you?

1. Comic Book writer
2. Hollywood Stuntman
3. Folklorist
4. Filmmaker

* If you could go back and talk to the old you, when you were in high school and inform yourself of 6 things that you should do, what would it be?

1. You should talk with Uncle Thom every chance you get.
2. You should get stories from Grandpa while he still remembers them.
3. You shouldn't get that class ring, get the less expensive one.
4. Buy more of those stickers that prevent windshield cracks from spreading.
5. Don't get to attached to Pluto.
6. Keep doing what you're doing. Nobody knows any better, not even me.

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 23:22:30 GMT

I was on the phone with Cody when I walked through my apartment door last night. I interrupted the conversation to mention that it was cold. This seemed quite peculiar given my preferred climate. I looked at the thermometer on my alarm clock, it read: 58.8. We then discussed the weather in Memphis and other such things while I paced through the rooms. I got a second opinion from him as to whether 58 is cold or not. I continued pacing.
It was 46 degrees and wet outside for most of the day, and I was out in it nearly all day in my shorts and a tee shirt. This made me think that 58 would be comfortable by comparison. Cody disagreed and encouraged me to use the heater. It's early this year.

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 16:25:10 GMT

I found out that the Helena Blues Festival is on the same weekend as my charity bike ride. This shouldn't be too much of a problem, it just means that I have to ride fairly quick and not have flat tires like last time. Most of my time is spent on homework yet I still feel like I'm slacking off too much. There are two classes that I'm rarely doing the reading for and usually just show up. I'm putting a lot of focus into my other three classes and I'm doing fairly well in them.
Yesterday I couldn't sleep because of a sore throat and headache, I missed my classes and slept all morning. I then drank a liter of orange juice and started to take antibiotics and tylenol. Early diagnosis points toward Rockin' Pneumonia or Boogie Woogie Flu, though we're not yet willing to rule out Disco Fever.

I need help with a research project

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 16:17:21 GMT

I am looking for stories and traditions related to bridges and bodies of water. If you or someone you know have any stories of haunted lakes, rituals of going to a certain bridge at a certain time, or anything along this nature please contact me. I can be reached through comments on LiveJournal or email at daniel.felts@smail.astate.edu. I appreciate any help that can be offered.

-Daniel Felts

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 16:51:01 GMT

I had a post written out about what's been going on lately and why I really can't relate what's going on lately. The internet found it unworthy and tossed it out.

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 18:04:35 GMT

mrsduck42 tagged me to post seven random things.

My father told me Greek myths and excerpts from the Odyssey as bedtime stories.

I never ate cafeteria food during school. I brought my lunch everyday until the ninth grade when my parents gave me two dollars to buy snacks from the vending machines. I stopped doing that in the tenth grade because I realized if I skipped lunch everday it was an extra ten dollars at the end of the week.

I bruise easily. This didn't stop me from being physically active during childhood. My parents were afraid they'd be accused of abuse because I was always coated in bumps and bruises.

I haven't had a traditional nightmare in several years. Dreams of violence and horror serve to hold my interest more than disturb me. It would surprise people to know the dreams that bother me.

I've been fencing on an amateur level since I was seven years old.

In kindergarten and pre-school I always took the same role when playing house. The teacher thought it odd that I always insisted on being the dog.

The farthest west I've traveled of the Mississippi River is Dallas, Texas.

Reinforcements

Sat, 14 Apr 2007 18:42:55 GMT

I have come to plea on behalf of my good friend Cody Barnhill. He is currently taking part in an online competition for illustrators. At first it was an honor just to compete with these professionals. Then winning the first round was all that they were hoping for anyways. Then winning the second round was going to be their only goal. Needless to say the taste of victory has proven quite sweet.
His tag team is now in the final eight. He and Derek want to win this round but they're beginning to fall behind. They would like some more votes. If anyone has a blogger account, or would be willing to set one up*, please visit the fist-a-cuffs art blog at:
http://www.fistacuffs.blogspot.com/
Once there please post a comment on West-Third Round-Match 2. Cody and Derek created Team De-Nile. It features a suped-up hungry hungry hippo being driven by a pyramid obsessed madman. Please vote for them to win this round. Voting for this round ends today.

*Anyone with a Gmail account is already set up for blogger, simply login using your Gmail username and password and set your blog features.

Please help two college students win a fight against professionals.

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 02:43:39 GMT

I'm trudging away through midterms. I have two paragraphs left and I'll be done with the paper I'm working on right now. I then need to start the one that's due Thursday. Thankfully the latter is rather open ended and is ripe for BSing.
The paper I'm working on right now deals with the writings of Matthew Arnold. I'm trying to do a paragraph about his poem "The Forsaken Merman". It's a beautiful piece of fantasy that is a metaphor between the world of the senses and civilization. I'm having difficulty with this because whenever I read it I picture Mer-Man from "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe". This makes the tale of a lovelorn mythical ruler of the sea a lot harder to take seriously.

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:00:04 GMT

On Monday I turned 21. This is the major milestone that so many of my age group look forward to. Personally, I'm looking forward to 38 so that I can start my mid-life crisis.

Last night I left my apartment and headed to the library to work on some French homework. A lady failed to stop at a light while I was going through an intersection. I saw to it that she did come to a stop, by God. I slammed on my breaks but still managed to hit her on the driver's side. Union Street speed limit is 25mph so the impact wasn't too bad. Her SUV is banged up on the side; my front is warped, missing a headlight, and unable to start at the moment. We emptied out my truck, which is a feat in and of itself, and it was towed. I'm glad the officer stayed in her patrol vehicle and worked on paperwork, I don't know how I would explain everything that was in my cab.
I should have a rental soon.

Tue, 30 Jan 2007 02:18:51 GMT

I'm receiving some bad vibes from this semester. I believe I'll do well in three courses, the other two have me worried. Victorian literature is a subject which I enjoy and have a decent familiarity with. The professor, however, strikes fear into the hearts of the stoutest of men and women. I don't know how her tests are yet, but I've heard some discouraging things. The other course is Women Writers. I chose this with the hopes of getting into some contemporary literature focusing on issues of gender in society as well as the women's liberation movement. Turns out we'll only be studying medieval and renaissance women writers. This has done nothing but further any of the few chauvanistic ideas I maintain. We've spent one day looking at the medieval remedies used by Hildegard of Bingen. I can't get into the material. I hope that this changes as the course goes on but I doubt it. I've tried to take really detailed notes in order to make up for the lack of reading, but Dr. Malpezzi has a monotone voice and mainly reads selections from the text. Thus there have been some very detailed doodles created during this time.

I'm not even working toward my degree anymore. I'm only working to keep my scholarship with no actual goal in sight.

Sat, 13 Jan 2007 18:39:42 GMT

I was mistaken in my last entry. The last passage in the story of Samson says that he judged for 20 years. Hebrew culture acknowledges adulthood at age 13, so presuming that the story begin upon the ascension to manhood, that would make Samson 33 at the age of his death. This was also the age at which Christ died. This then led to finding other parralells in the stories. An angel comes to the parents of each child before their birth. Both were betrayed for the sake of silver (though Delilah seems to be the better at business; she was paid 1100 pieces of silver from each of the Philistine lords compared to Judas's 30 pieces). The stories each contain three denials (Samson deceives Delilah three times before revealing his weakness; Peter claims to not know Christ three times). Samson dies between two pillars; Jesus dies between two thieves. Both men are said to have accompished more in their deaths than in their lives, though with Jesus this is debatable.
These related motifs are of interest to me not only because of my love of stories, but because Samson was what the people of Israel were expecting out of Jesus. They were waiting for a warrior king to come and lay waste to their enemies.

Sun, 07 Jan 2007 21:45:23 GMT

     During a study of the story of Samson, a question came up that's led me to look at our world today. The question was regarding Samson's age. The story never specifies how old Samson was when things started or how many years passed during it all. We do know that he was old enough to leave his father's house and marry; that means he was at least thirteen years old. Samson is usually depicted as a brutish and burly man in his late twenties or possibly early thirties. I, however, picture Samson as being either 16 or 17 years old. He has been raised from birth knowing that he is a nazarite and has an oath to God; he breaks it regularly. When he feels he's been wronged he takes it out on as many people as possible, always using the same response of "I'm only doing to them what they did to me". He'll do anything when pressured by a pretty girl. All of these characteristics scream teenage boy.
     This subject made me think of our own society. Leaving the house to join the workforce and get married at age 13 is no longer the social norm. Medical science has given us greater longevity; society banks on this fact and no longer worries about growing up in a hurry. One is legally considered an adult at age 18 in the United States of America, but many don't look at themselves as adults until they're well into their twenties. As generations pass, responsibility is pushed further and further back. I've read articles referring to my age as the boomerang generation, we go off to the real world and in a few years return home.
     Thinking further on this line made me look to the future. It's not that far-fetched to see the average person not leaving home until their mid-twenties. In a few hundred years the average lifespan could pass into the triple digits. Should this occur then people could live at home for three decades due to the lack of rush. This seems only natural; it keeps the population in balance. The greater the average life expectancy, the greater the average age of marriage and childbirth. This directly proportional relationship is what keeps the population from surging out of control as people live longer.

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 06:07:53 GMT

When making New Year's Resolutions I made a list of things that I felt needed accomplishing. Upon further inspection I realized that they were all things I needed to do over the course of this week. I suppose one has to start somewhere.

My predictions for 2007:

Polar bears will consider traveling inland for food since their frozen hunting grounds are melting sooner.
Another natural disaster will strike a populated area within the continental United States.
I will fall for a girl who is also attracted to me, but I won't do anything about it.
Stories will emerge about Saddam's body being stolen and sent to carnivals around the world for display.
Russia will be considered the leader in scientific discoveries; mainly due to all other countries focusing on war or entertainment technologies.
I will shave when met with warmer weather.
Inspired by the Euro, the U.S. will try to convince Mexico and Canada to convert to NADs (North American Dollars).
Hollywood will get tired of celebrities supporting different causes and reinstate blacklisting.
I will be left worse for wear after my survival skills prove lacking during a camping trip.
Dan Brown will become a singer/songwriter.
I will miss my beard.

I'm ready for classes to start back even if I'm necessarily prepared for them.

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 18:34:45 GMT

Yesterday as my 9:30 class ended I rose from my seat, as I normally do. My right knee then gave out, I don't know how or why, and I caught myself on the table before I fell. The rest of the day consisted of either limping quickly or walking slowly. Whenever I straightened my leg it was the most painful, it felt as if my knee cap was confused and trying to go the wrong way. It was a dull pain for the rest of the day.
Last night I was sitting on a couch and turned to speak to someone, there was then an astounding pop issuing forth from my pantleg. The knee decided to rearrange itself, it really smarted. Whenever I left the couch I noticed that it no longer hurt when I walked.
It's really neat having self-repairing bodies. It seems like something that is taken for granted by a lot of people, myself included, but it's nice to have many people suggesting a visit to the doctor and then my leg simply corrects itself.
At some point I may post something which has some relevant context, but for now I enjoy babbling nonsensically.

Thu, 23 Nov 2006 19:45:39 GMT

     Sometimes I have mixed feelings about the shift in comic books from being aimed at children to being aimed at adults. But today I'm in favor of the shift because of an issue I read. X-Factor is one of the many X books, it's more character driven than the others and seems to work on a smaller scale. The latest issue dealt with the group seeing a counselor. I've liked every issue of the series, but this one resonates with me.
     I seem to take more comfort in a fictional character having problems similar to mine than I do if an actual person does. I suppose this is because I know that characters are made to be approachable by many people, so I know that many people are having the same difficulties. Though with an actual person I could have someone to talk to and we could help each other along; I still find the idea of it being common more comforting.
     I guess that means I'm thankful for comic books.

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 16:14:24 GMT

     This past Tuesday evening is one that I shan't be forgetting, at least not until I'm old enough to forget most things. Cody arrived in Jonesboro around 4:10, he got out of his Dakota and into the passenger seat of mine, then we left. Two and a half hours later we were in Conway on the campus of UCA. There was already a line outside of the event hall, the doors wouldn't be opened for another twenty minutes. When the doors did open we piled in with all the others and sat next to the aisle, ten rows from the stage. We waited as the concert hall filled with more voices and bodies. A man came to the podium and the voices began to soften and stop all together. He gave his announcements and listed the achievements of the man he was introducing. The lights dimmed further as he came to the close of his speech, he then deffered his position at the podium to the man we had come to see. Neil Gaiman walked onto the stage.
     He made opening remarks, read a poem, gave a speech relating the power and omnipresence of myth, read a short-story that has yet to be published, and then took questions from the audience. I went to the front of the auditorium because I couldn't pass up the chance. I waited as those before me nervously approached the microphone and asked their questions, all the while trying to find the proper wording for mine. I asked him a question that I was fairly certain I already knew the answer to, and he responded with wonderful anecdotes like he had with most other questions. I returned to my seat, still bubbling with excitement, and watched the rest of the program. The man who gave the introduction eventually came out and put a stop to the questions so that there would be time for book signing. We were asked to make a calm, orderly line to the left side of the stage. By the time I was in line I noticed something peculiar. There was one line but it somehow had five ends. After waiting in the hydra line for a while I decided that it wasn't necessary. I got to speak with one of my heroes and look him in the eye, an autograph wasn't terribly important. Besides, half of what was signed that night is probably already on eBay if I really wanted an autograph.
     Cody and I left UCA and ate before leaving Conway. Seeing my favorite author and one of the people I would wish to emulate isn't the only reason this night will be remembered. The drive to and from Conway with Cody is also important. We're both very busy and haven't had a great deal of time to hang out like we once had. Talking with him and sharing stories also made Tuesday very important.

Sat, 04 Nov 2006 18:39:03 GMT

I've made it safely to Maryland. I made the sixteen hour trip with the help of a Rock Star energy drink, a bag of corn chips, and my iPod. The energy drink tasted like a blend of every flavor children's cough medicine I've ever tasted. I bought a new fm transmitter for my iPod, it works wonderfully when driving through the Tennessee mountains due to low interference. I also learned that if I touch my fingers to the transmitter it increases the signal by using me as a conductor.

It's nice to see the sun go down on an Arkansas plain and then later watch it rise over the Smoky Mountains.

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 13:45:48 GMT

Last Friday my alma mater was closed down. My little brother informed me that it was because of a staph outbreak. I immediately presumed that the faculty had finally had enough and took military action, turns out I was wrong.

Last night I flipped on the bathroom lightswitch, not only did the light come on but also a fire engine across the street began to blare its siren. After several attempts I have yet to recreate the incident.

Elementary French

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 16:13:35 GMT

This semester I've been taking Elementary French I. I enjoy the class and I have a pretty good grasp on everything so far. But there is still some small confusions.

Professor: Brooke, est-ce que ta mere a une fille?

Brooke: ...Oui.

Professor: Okay, now let's put it into a sentence.

Brooke: I don't know how to say it.

Professor: Okay. Daniel, est-ce que sa mere a une fille?

Me: Oui, sa mere est une fille.

Professor: No no no no.

Me: Non?

Professor: No, you just accused her mother of being a prostitute.

Me: Oh.

Star Wars

Wed, 11 Oct 2006 16:23:27 GMT

Many people find the kisses shared between Luke and Leia to be somewhat disturbing, and rightfully so seeing as how it is revealed that they are siblings. Of course they were unaware of it at the time, but what do we know of the views toward incest from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away? I ask this because I believe that incest was fairly common throughout the known galaxy at the time.

Episode II introduces us to the clone soldiers. Thousands of men who are genetically identical. For the next several years these men were deployed in battles across the galaxy. Nobody seems to think of the consequences of this. Imagine that you've never been exposed to the outside world, you grew up quickly, and you've always been surrounded by your brothers. Even in the battles that you fight you're only exposed to robots. You're bound to be a little curious about the worlds around you. Then comes shore leave.

The point I'm getting at is that there were probably enough of the clones' offspring to people an entire world. Tons of kids with very similar features spread all around the galaxy. What are the odds that some kids end up getting together without ever realizing who their fathers' are. I'd be willing to bet that incest happened, unknowingly, quite often a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.