Chromiden's Chronicles

For the Love of Sports

2012-01-16T07:59:00.004-06:00

Yes, I'm a big sports fan. Football first, then baseball. As for basketball, I really don't get into the NBA, but I love college hoops, especially around March Madness. I've gotten into soccer more lately. I don't care very much about hockey.

On Saturday, I watched one of the most exciting games I've seen for quite some time, where my San Francisco 49ers (my favorite sports team overall) defeat the New Orleans Saints 36-32. The last four minutes were crazy, as the teams swapped two touchdowns each, and the 49ers got the winning score with 9 seconds to go. It was very tense, and I was literally on the edge of my seat throughout the last four minutes. They now play the New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game. In the AFC, the New England Patriots (my second favorite NFL team) are playing the Baltimore Ravens. I hope at least one of my two teams gets in, and a 49ers/Patriots Super Bowl would be supremely awesome.

I was thinking about how exciting the 49ers/Saints game was, and that got me thinking about my favorite sports memories. The memories where I was actually watching it live, and the moment is stuck in my head and being a special sports memory. So, thus I present my 8 favorite sports memories, in reverse order of how special or important those memories are to me. There may be others I've forgotten, of course.

8. Baltimore Orioles vs. California Angels, September 6, 1995
Cal Ripken Jr.'s record breaking 2,131st consecutive game. It was a pretty historic moment, where a record fell that was previously thought to be untouchable.

7. New England Patriots vs. St. Louis Rams, February 3, 2002
A great Super Bowl, that saw my second-favorite team, the Patriots, take down the heavily favored Rams. Adam Vinatieri's field goal stopped the greatest show on turf.

6. San Francisco 49ers vs. San Diego Chargers, January 29, 1995
This is the lone 49ers Super Bowl that I have any real memory of. While the game wasn't close (49-26), Steve Young threw a Super Bowl record 6 touchdowns in an impressive rout.

5. Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees, October 20, 2004
Game 7 of the historic comeback of the Red Sox, coming back from a 0-3 hole in the ALCS, en route to their first World Series title in 86 years.

4. Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears, December 20, 2010
This is the only game on this list that I was actually present for. While the Vikings lost horribly (40-14), this is my single favorite sports game ever that I've attended. First, due to the Metrodome's roof collapsing, this game was played at TCF Bank Stadium, home of the University of Minnesota. It was the first professional football game played outside in Minnesota in (I think) 28 years. It was right after a major snowstorm. It also had some of the 50 greatest Vikings in attendance, including many Hall of Famers. And finally it was Brett Favre's last NFL game ever, in which he threw his last ever touchdown.

3. San Francisco 49ers vs. New York Giants, January 5, 2003
This was one of the greatest comebacks in NFL playoff history. The 49ers came back from 24 points down to defeat the Giants 39-38.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Purdue Boilermakers, November 9, 2002
This play, "Holy Buckeye", may just be my favorite single moment in sports history. Watching it still gives me the chills. Craig Krenzel threw the ball 40 yards down the field on fourth-and-one, and in that moment, they risked the game - and their chances on a championship. Michael Jenkins caught the ball, and the Buckeyes went on to be champions.

1. San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints, January 14, 2012
I know this just happened, but this was such an exciting game, with the teams trading blows in the last four minutes. It was intense! (Huzzah!)

NaNoWriMo and Queen of Men

2011-11-10T08:07:00.002-06:00

I have been working on my book for NaNoWriMo, which challenges you to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. I'm a bit behind, but I have come up with an outline for my new as-of-yet unnamed novel. I only have about 450 words of the actual book so far, but I am excited to see where it goes, even if I don't end up hitting 50,000 words by the end of the month.

After working 12 consecutive days due to elections, and due to a need to burn several vacation days, I will be taking all of next week off. This will be the first time I've taken that amount of time off, without having somewhere to go. It'll be pretty great. It is my plan to commit a large portion of time during that week to my novel Queen of Men. I could, of course, spend that time focused on my NaNoWriMo book instead, but it has been my intent for some time to use this week for Queen of Men. That book is completed, and is currently sitting at about 47,000 words. It needs more description, detail, and development, and more explanation of things. Maybe after this coming week, it will be ready for the first person, other than myself, to read it (that would be my better half). I will also likely spend some time during that week on the NaNoWriMo book, as well as some time on other things (cards).

A Chronicle

2011-09-22T06:28:00.002-05:00

You'd think that, after not blogging for over two months, that I'd have a lot of interesting things to say. Well... you would be incorrect. :)

My wife and I have seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 four times in the theater, and we both agree that it is the best film in the series. Looking back at the entirety of the eight-films, and it is really quite impressive what they were able to do. Eight films, made over a ten year period with four different directors and only one noticeable casting change. While not perfect (but what movies are?), I enjoy each of the movies quite a bit now. It was a little sad that Harry Potter's big screen adventures have come to an end, but they ended on quite the high note, with a movie that will do quite well on my overall list of movies. I now enter a time where I don't have too much to look forward to for theatrical viewings; that is, until next year, when two of my most anticipated movies in years come out - The Dark Knight Rises, and most importantly, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

I have finally done something that I should have done years ago: I have read the entire Bible. Up until last year, I had not read chunks of the Old Testament, including most of the minor prophets (except Joel, of course). Nor I had a read Isaiah or the entirety of Job, and several other books. But that has now been rectified. In the end, my favorite book continues to be Revelation.

The driving force behind this (other than simply wanting to read it) was my Bible-based card game, Reclamation. I have read all 66 books of the Bible since last October, and I now have a comprehensive list of card titles from the entire Bible. The list contains 22,063 card titles. I am going to work on that list for a little while, cutting it down and cleaning it up, then will use that list to recreate a set of cards for the game, and then use those cards to playtest the game later this year.

The Boy Who Lived

2011-07-14T12:25:00.002-05:00

Tonight I will be attending the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the eighth and final film of the franchise. I have gotten quite excited for this one, as it has the potential to become my new favorite of the series. Thus, I present the way I order the movies currently, which has recently shifted around a little after my wife and I rewatched all seven in anticipation of the eighth one.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

In other news, I have been becoming a bigger fan of soccer the last couple years. I watched a bit of the Men's World Cup last year, and have watched quite a lot of the Women's World Cup this year. In fact, I have made soccer my third favorite sport, jumping over basketball (but still behind football and baseball). I know some people may find soccer to be boring, but I've found it to be rather exciting, especially when I can root for the USA. The USA's recent games against Brazil and France have been quite entertaining, and I still enjoy rewatching Abby Wambach's goal against Brazil with two minutes left, saving their game. What a great play. I just find it sad that I won't be able to watch all of the championship game against Japan on Sunday. But now I might need to follow professional soccer more in general.

Answers

2011-06-08T08:53:00.002-05:00

I am creating this entry to answer the question posed on my last post by my most vertically-challenged sister-in-law.

We saw lots of neat things. We had several sightings from the boat of humpback whales, and a few killer whales. We also went on a whale sightseeing boat ride, where we got a bit closer to many whales, including one that came right up beside our boat. We also saw seals and sea lions, including several that were sun tanning on a buoy. On that trip, we also got pretty close to a glacier and a good sized waterfall. Pictures are on Facebook. :)
We had four stops along the route. Three in Alaska - Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan, and one in Canada - Victoria, British Columbia. Juneau is where we did the whale and glacier tour. That tour was pretty spendy ($159 a person, for 4 1/2 hours), so we decided to only do one such tour. We just walked around Skagway and Ketchikan, which were neat little tourist towns. In Ketchikan, we saw a guy walking around in a bigfoot suit. We walked a little bit into Victoria as well. Megan had never been to Canada before, so that was neat.
The food was great, and we ate too much of it. Who can complain with a 24/7 pizzeria? They had all sorts of tasty foods. Most of it was buffet style, but we went to the main restaurant a few times. And I drank a lot of chocolate milk.
Like a lot of things in life, Lasik does have its downsides, and being able to now see my face clearly all the time is certainly one of them. I would now like to apologize for forcing all of you to look upon that face for the last twenty-nine years, and will now being wearing a paper bag over my head from now on to ease the suffering. :)

Roughly Visible Icebergs

2011-06-04T11:30:00.004-05:00

I have completed my rough draft of Queen of Men. At current, it is 41 chapters, with 45856 words. I had planned for an epilogue, but decided not to add it, at least not yet. There is a lot that happens in this book, and the rough draft is somewhat bare bones, so there is a lot of room for growth. I see the book finishing up at around 90,000 - 100,000 words in length. I am pretty excited to go back and start working on it more, beefing it up and adding more detail and descriptions.

While I have already talked about this with most people who read the blog, my Lasik surgery on May 6 went well, and I absolutely love being able to see. It is so nice not having to deal with glasses and contacts, and I like being able to read the time on the alarm clock at night without moving closer to it. :) I would definitely recommend it.

My wife and I recently got back from our Alaskan cruise. It was great fun, and the mountains in Alaska are beautiful. I have always loved mountains, which is why Colorado has been, geographically, my favorite state. Alaska may end up topping that. I have now been to 40 states, after getting to Washington and Alaska on this trip. Only ten more to go. :)

Lasers

2011-05-02T10:08:00.002-05:00

The most interesting and exciting revelation of my recent life is that on Tuesday, April 26, I went in to TLC Vision in Edina for a Lasik consultation. While my vision is not good (my contact prescriptions are -7.50 and -8.00), I am still a good candidate for corrective Lasik surgery. Now, I had been planning on doing it sometime over the summer, but then decided to move it up a bit. I thought it would be nice to have it done before my wife and I go on our Alaskan cruise later this month, so my surgery is scheduled for this Friday, May 6, which is 4 days from today. I am certainly quite excited for it. I will be taking Friday off from work, arriving at TLC around 8:30 in the morning, and I should only be there a couple hours. My wife will then drive me home, and I will hopefully be unconscious for the rest of the day while my eyes began the healing process. I would appreciate prayers for the procedure, that all would go well.

In book update news, I have made it through chapter 31 in the Queen of Men rough draft, with the outline currently having 39 chapters. I really am excited for this book, as I feel that I can tell that my writing has improved since writing The Second Shadow. On a side note, I continue to monitor The Second Shadow on Authonomy.com; a month or so ago, it was ranked about #430, and now it sits at #212. Still a long way to go to get into the top 5, but progress is good.

Book Update

2011-04-15T09:07:00.003-05:00

I haven't gotten much work done on Queen of Men recently, but I have now completed 21 chapters of the rough draft. Since my last blog entry, the book's outline has increased from 29 total chapters to 36 chapters, and I wouldn't be surprised if it hits at least 40 by the time the rough draft is completed. I have had 2 people finish reading The Second Shadow since I had manuscripts printed at FedEx Office, and the response has been positive, with some good feedback.

In other news, I have started playing softball, which I am quite excited about. We've only had a couple practices, and games don't start for over a week. It's good fun, and healthy. I have been doing some exercises at home and eating better, and am excited for the warmer weather, as I'd like to try to be more active, riding more bike and playing more tennis.

Queen of Men

2011-03-04T09:04:00.002-06:00

Just an update on my work on the new book. I have reached chapter 14 in the rough draft of Queen of Men. I have added a couple extra chapters to the outline, making there 29 currently, though this will likely expand. By comparison, I think the finished rough draft of The Second Shadow had 15 or 16 chapters, and through lots of lots of edits, it now has 31. It's a bare-bones rough draft, in that there won't be a lot of detail yet, but I'm just getting the storyline in place. Oddly enough, this rough draft will quite possibly have less words than the original rough draft for The Second Shadow, which had 41,000 words, but this story has more storylines and characters, and room for expansion. I enjoy the whole writing process, but this initial writing is my favorite part.

I haven't had many inspirations for things to write about in my other blog, but hopefully I'll come up with something soon, as it's been a little while now since my last entry. I may end up going back and expanding on a couple of the other entries.

Character Creation

2011-02-21T06:57:00.002-06:00

I do love to write. While I certainly enjoy the fantasy setting, and think you can do a lot of neat things with it, the story won't work if the characters are uninteresting, or the characters don't become real enough, or for some reason the reader just doesn't feel invested in them. One of the books we read recently in the Cooper Book Club is Gardens of the Moon. While I did like the book, I didn't like it nearly as much as most other books, because I never really came to care much about the characters, except for a couple small exceptions. Otherwise, it didn't really matter to me what happened to them, and to me, that weakened the entire story. You have to care about what happens to the characters in the story.

This is going to be something that I try to do in my writing. I have no idea whether I have succeeded or not, because I am looking at the characters from a different point of view than the readers. It's very interesting to me to write a character, because for me, once the character is created, they start to take on a life of their own. I can envision each of them in my mind; they become real to me. Yes, I am the one writing them, but once I have designed the character in a certain way, it no longer becomes "What do I want this character to do next?", it becomes "What do I think this character would do next?" It is odd, but I start caring about the characters in a book I'm writing long before the book has even finished a rough draft. Creating a character makes you care about it, and even though I am the one writing it, I am excited to see what happens next in the character's life.

Book Notes

2011-02-18T07:43:00.002-06:00

I have submitted an order to print out several copies of the manuscript for The Second Shadow, that will be shipped to a few family and friends. I will be picking them up from Fedex later today, and hope to have them in the mail Saturday, or at least Monday. I am certainly excited to see what people think of it as it is now.

I have begun writing the rough draft for my newest endeavor, Queen of Men. The outline currently has 27 chapters, and I am now in the middle of writing chapter 6. I will likely finish the rough draft within a few weeks, and then begins the rather long process of editing, expanding, and polishing. I have no long-term timeline for the work on the book, but I certainly hope it takes me less than three and a half years to get the book ready to be submitted, which is how long I have been working on The Second Shadow.

A few random thoughts: While the story should dictate length, in my mind at least, I am aiming to have this book be around 90,000 words (The Second Shadow is 81,000). I am currently planning this to be a standalone book, and not the first of a series. While I sometimes like the idea of writing a longer series, I think I need to work on and improve my writing and story planning a bit before I take on an extended project like that. The Lords of Sargoff series (of which The Second Shadow is book one) is planned as a trilogy, and likely no more, and I think it will be a while before I tackle something longer than that.

Reyin

2011-02-14T14:58:00.002-06:00

Below is the first chapter of my new novel, Queen of Men. It is certainly still a rough draft, but I thought I'd see if I could get some initial reactions to it. I have continued to develop the story, and am quite happy with it at the moment. But it will be a little while before I post more details about it. :)

--------
Reyin

The children ran in circles and screamed in delight. Reyin chased his sister around the yard as their mother smiled. It had felt like an age since the skylords had seen fit to bring sunshine. Fourteen days of grey clouds and harsh rain had preceded this, and only on such a long-awaited day would she allow her children to run about in the mud.
Birds flew about and chirped, but the mother paid no mind, her thoughts returning to times long lost. She enjoyed the moment’s rest, though unaware that they were not alone. There was something nearby that no woman or child had seen: a pair of eyes in the dark of the forest, watching the boy as he ran. The hands reached into a pocket and removed a small glass vial. The green liquid within it bubbled wildly.
The mother had watched for nine years as Reyin had grown from infant to boy, and she sought to not miss a day of his maturing, as it felt only so recently that he breathed his first breath. Yet she frowned upon the memories of his first days, as so often she had thought him lost; his body would convulse and then lie still, only to awaken again. She believed he would not last, yet the days passed by and his heart tread on, and for that, his mother loved him more than all else. He was her marvel.
She had kept his presence silent, for she knew the Queen would not allow him to linger, as no man is able to do. There were underground groups of Men, as she had learned from the mothers of the village, and the time was near that she would send him there, for it is better to be in hiding than to be of the shackles and made to work endless hours. She was glad her second child was a girl, for that one she could keep. Elna was a lasting joy, while Reyin would fade. In her heart, the mother had already begun preparing herself for the day she would no longer have a son.
For the moment, she drowned these thoughts in the sounds of her children as they ran about. She smiled as Reyin approached and took a drink of water from the cup beside her.
“Mother, won’t you come run with us?” he asked, but she smiled and shook her head.
“I have not the vigor of your youth,” she replied. The boy laughed and returned to chasing his sister.
Then the girl screamed, and the woman lurched forward. Her son had fallen into the mud with a splash, his body turning limp. The mother picked him out of the mud and laid him on her lap. His eyes were vacant.

* * *

Reyin saw a darkness around him, and he sought to scream, but there was no voice in his throat. A form appeared before him with the palest of skin and dark dreadlocked hair. He sneered at the boy with a devilish grin and spoke in harsh tones.
“Mordi Thorus a lin orra. You will not escape me this time Thorus,” he said, laughing cruelly. “For this time I found you first. Your blood shall be spilled this day, this very hour, nearly this very moment. And you, Marith, you will not be spared either.”
Reyin suddenly noticed the woman beside him, her face fair and her smile true. She reached her hand down and took his in hers.
“He cannot harm you, my boy,” she said softly, “for his powers are not of your world. You are the hope of humanity, and through you the nations will prosper and endure through the darkness. He fears you and the light you will shine into the night, for he is a night dweller. Do not fear him.”
The man scowled at her and unsheathed a long sword. “Foolish woman,” he said, “his mind has not yet returned to its true self. He may have been the world’s savior before, but in this life, with this mind, he cannot save them. He cannot stop the world from perishing.”
“The hope of the humans is not yet lost,” Marith said.
The man sneered at Reyin. “Mark my words, Thorus. Whether you know that name or not, you will fall this day, and your kingdom will remain a darkened memory. The Soul Keepers will fail.”
“Son, no, please!” came his mother’s screams, and then he saw her once more.

* * *

“Oh, thank the lords!” she said, holding her son to her chest. “I thought I had lost you!”
His sister placed her arms around him, and the three of them sat in a quiet embrace. The mother gentled kissed each of her children on the head, and smiled, wiping tears from her cheeks.
“Perhaps the lords do shine upon us,” she said.
Elna then turned her head toward the forest, and screamed.
A figured walked toward them from the forest; his skin was pale and his hair was dark. He held a sword in his muscular arms. Reyin turned to look, then his body wrenched, holding tightly to his mother.
“Who are you? What do you want?” the mother yelped. He did not answer.
Suddenly, the mother and her children were surrounded on all sides by several figures, both men and women. They held swords in their hands and stood in defensive positions, facing the pale figure as he approached. They moved to stand in front of the mother.
“Protect Thorus,” they said, or chanted, as the man came lunging at them. His sword tore through the first defender with ease. A defender swung at him, and his sword passed through the man as though he were not really there. The man swung his blade and lopped off the defender’s head.
“He has the beacon!” the defenders cried with desperation, but still they stood in defense. One by one they swung their swords in vain, only to be chopped and pierced and laid out upon the grass.
A figure suddenly appeared beside the mother and her children.
“It’s you!” Reyin screeched as he sprang to his feet. Marith smiled gently at him and took his hand.
“Do not worry, love,” she said. “The beacon is not the most powerful of magical artifacts.”
Only four defenders stood before them and the attacker. One by one they fell, and then there were none. “Your time has come, Thorus,” the man said, “for all your shields have cracked!”
“One last shield remains, oh weakened assassin,” Marith said. “You will not touch him.”
“Will I not? My blade thirsts for more, and I cannot now deprive it!”
He lunged forward, but suddenly stopped and stood up straight, his sword dropping to the grass.
“You should listen to me, foolish one,” Marith said. A sword in her hand now protruded from his stomach. “For you have killed your last mark. You have failed.”
The man fell to the side and then was still.
Marith turned and smiled at Reyin, and he couldn’t help but smile back. His mother and sister stared at him, wide-eyed. “There, my boy, you are safe now,” Marith said gently. “Come to me now and I will hold you close, like I did in the days of the last age.”
Reyin could not recall ever being held by such a woman, but at that moment, he did not care to question it. She took him in her arms and vowed never to let go. Reyin turned and gazed upon the lifeless body of his attacker.
“Who was he?” I asked.
“A fool, Thorus, and nothing more. Only the most foolish would dare bring harm to my love.”
She kissed his cheek and looked into his eyes, smiling.
“For, my dear Thorus, it is well known that only I have the right to smite you.”
A blade suddenly passed through him, and he fell to the ground with a painful squeal. Reyin tasted blood and saw only blurs. Dark figures appeared around him, and Marith vanished into the air. The dark figures stooped above Reyin’s fading form and spoke with fearful voices, ignoring the wailing of his mother and sister.
“She was the assassin,” one said. “The other was simply the tool. She has done it. They have once again sent our king away.”
“Indeed. Now we must wait for the final attempt. Only one remains.”
And with that, Reyin breathed his last.

Question Answered

2011-02-09T12:34:00.002-06:00

I have decided on what my next big writing project will be. I had thought about continuing with books two and three for The Lords of Sargoff, as I would like to do some day, but I also know that continuing an unpublished series isn't really going to help me get published. It will be more likely to catch a publisher's eye with multiple completed projects, as opposed to a completed trilogy. Thus, I have begun notes on a new novel.

I have taken the basic idea of my previously posted short short Thorus and expanded upon it greatly. The book, tentatively titled Queen of Men, is a fantasy novel that will be a bit more complicated than The Second Shadow, and should also be longer. After finishing The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, I decided that is the kind of books I would like to write. It is about the reading level and detail level that I would like to write at. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing The Second Shadow and would love to see it published, but I would like to now try writing at a more detailed level. The Second Shadow's storyline is pretty straightforward and there aren't really too many characters, and really only one plot line to follow.

The outline for the new book already has several groups of characters traveling different story paths, though they are all connected. I have the rough draft of the first chapter done, but that is based on the short story Thorus, with some significant changes. So I may post the first chapter here at some point, just to see what people think of it.

TEC, Manuscripts, and Catwoman

2011-01-24T08:03:00.002-06:00

This coming Thursday marks the start of the next TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) weekend. This time, I am serving as AC (Adult Coordinator), which is much more front-and-center than I am used to, and a big step out of my comfort zone. But I think it will go well. I am excited and nervous.

I have requested that my wife read the manuscript for The Second Shadow, and assuming that it meets her approval, I will then send out paper manuscripts to some family and friends. Anyone who would like to read it is more than welcome to - I can provide a digital copy, or I can send out a printed copy.

In movie news, it has been reportedly confirmed that Anne Hathaway will play Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises. This is an interesting choice, but one that I must wait to see before passing judgment. Considering that I was leery of Heath Ledger playing the Joker, and that instantly became one of my favorite movie villains, I have faith in the choice. The film's predecessor, The Dark Knight, is my favorite non-Star Wars, non-Lord of the Rings movie, so my excitement for the film will be very high. If this one and The Hobbit are both released in 2012, it could make for a very exciting movie year.

What's Next?

2011-01-12T06:11:00.002-06:00

I think I may send out printed manuscripts to certain people earlier than expected, likely in February (or even late January) instead of April, assuming that I am pleased with the book after my current read-through. I will be interested to see what these readers think of it, and whether they think it is ready to submit to publishers.

On a side note, as (hopefully) my editing on The Second Shadow is coming to a close, I must now decide what my next major writing project should be. Here are some of my current options.

Books two and three of the Lords of Sargoff trilogy. I have outlines and a couple chapters written for both books. While I will likely write these eventually, even if The Second Shadow never gets published, I do wonder whether it would be better working on something else first, since if book one never gets published, the rest of the series won't either.
I have ideas on expanding Thorus into something novel-length.
The Case for Death.

I have a few other story ideas that I either have a few notes of, or are just ideas floating around in my head, as well as a few other short stories that I could likely expand into something longer.

But we shall see.

Manuscripts

2011-01-04T10:58:00.004-06:00

This is going to be the year that I submit The Second Shadow to publishers. I have had ambitions of submitting it in previous years, but there was still work to be done. It just wasn't ready yet. But I now feel like it is getting close. I have a little more work to be done on it, including adding some extra character descriptions. My plan is to finish up those additions and then do one or two read-throughs, and then it will (hopefully) be at the point that I feel it is *almost* ready to be submitted, where I will then hope to get a few people to read or reread the manuscript. I have been working on the formatting of the pages, and when I send it to a few friends and family to read, I will possibly have it nicely printed, so those people can mark errors and make notes. I hope to be able to do this sometime in the spring, perhaps around April. Then perhaps I can make edits based on those rereads, and be ready to submit it sometime in the fall. That, of course, depends on the feedback I get from those rereads, as if the suggestions are that the book requires a bit more work, then that will obviously delay submitting it, which would be fine. The manuscript needs to be quite shiny and perfect when I submit it. I will be very excited when I am able to submit it.

Eighty K

2010-12-13T08:00:00.003-06:00

I have completed another round of edits on The Second Shadow. Only a few weeks ago, the book sat around 74,000 words. Now I have added a small section from The Anarchist Chronicles (see previous entry) to the start of each of the 31 chapters, and I have added a short (2 page) epilogue, that would sort of set up something that happens in the next book. The book now sits at 80,031 words, which I find to be pretty neat, and I think it is a sufficient length. If anyone will be reading (or re-reading) the book in the near future, I can send them the updated version.

In other news, I have been chosen to be the AC (adult coordinator) at the upcoming TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) weekend. It is exciting and yet a little scary, and will be a good step out of my comfort zone. But stepping out of my comfort zone is something I have been trying to do more of lately, so I am hoping it will be good for me.

The Anarchist Chronicles

2010-11-22T10:59:00.002-06:00

I've been posting more to Don't Feed the Hypocrite, so feel free to check out my second (and more serious natured) blog. I've reposted a few things there that I've posted here, so there may be some repeats, but I'm trying to get all my writing like that in one place.

As for The Lords of Sargoff, I'm considering adding something new. In the book, one of the main characters (Cymor) has a book - The Anarchist Chronicles - that contains writings from a dark wizard, though they are not readable except through magical means. I'm considering adding in segments of those writings throughout the book at the beginning of chapters (maybe 10 of the chapters, not really sure what). I thought it might add some clues, or just add some mystery, or maybe just be interesting. Anyway, each one would only be a paragraph, most likely. Here's one I've written that I thought may go at the very beginning of the book, to kick off chapter one. Its exact meaning wouldn't be understood until later in the book. I'm still trying to determine whether or not this is a good idea.

I saw it rush by, as though loosed from a hunter’s bow. Too close to me it came for the good of the one who sent it and the ones he protects, but the Maker should cast blame upon no one but himself and his kind, for it was them who kept me aware and alive. I knew I needed it as it approached, I could not let it pass, and so I reached out from myself, flinging the power from my fingers and capturing it, and it became mine. The sin of the Dissenter will doom the fate of men.

The Anarchist Chronicles, page one-hundred forty-nine

Thorus

2010-11-18T16:28:00.004-06:00

[ Newly written Short Story. Rough draft. No guarantees that the story makes sense, is well written, interesting, mistake-free, or anything of the like. ]

The line was moving slower than my sister’s brain. I mean, I had stood in long lines more times than I could count, but this took the cake, and made me think that I should have brought some cake. I was in line to begin paperwork of some great importance, the details of which I will keep to myself, as I honestly can’t remember them. I’ll leave that up to my mother and the person behind the counter. Anyway, this must have been the day for such paperwork, as the line weaved out of the building’s doors and around the block. I had been here for over an hour and had moved a matter of yards. My mind yawned.
When I became overly bored of counting the cars as they passed by, I began to let my eyes wander through the plaid patterns of the fellow’s shirt in front of me. People hustled by me but I paid them no mind, as my vision began to fade into a world of flannel. My mind somehow was aware enough to take a step forward now and then to keep the line moving, but my consciousness knew nothing of it.
The plaid lines became three-dimensional and formed a room with four hideously brown walls and no door. I stood there in the room stupidly until a form appeared before me with the palest of skin and the darkest dreadlocked hair I’d ever seen. He sneered at me with a devilish grin and spoke in harsh tones, his voice deep dripping with a hatred I had never before seen formed from the yarns of flannel.
“You will not escape me this time Thorus,” he said, laughing cruelly, which was odd, since my name was Luke. “Your blood shall be spilled this day, this very hour, nearly this very moment. And you, Marith, you will not be spared either.”
I suddenly noticed the woman beside me, her face fair and her smile true. She reached her hand down and took mine in hers.
“He cannot harm you, love,” she said softly, “for his powers are not of your world. You are the hope of humanity, and through you the nations will prosper and endure through the darkness. He fears you and the light you will shine into the night, for his is a night dweller. Do not fear him.”
The man scowled at her and unsheathed a long sword. “Foolish woman,” he said, “his mind has not yet returned to its true self. He may have been Earth’s savior before, but in this life, with this mind, he cannot save them. He cannot stop the world from perishing.”
“The hope of the humans is not yet lost,” Marith said.
The man sneered at me. “Mark my words, Thorus. Whether you know that name or not, you will fall this day, and the world will be cast into darkness without you. The sentinel has traced you, and will unleash the legion once your lifeblood has become unrecoverable.”
“Son?” came the voice of a woman behind me, shaking me awake. She pointed forward to the man ahead of me the in flannel shirt who now stood several paces forward. I nodded and moved onward, yawning into the warm morning air.
A thud came from the street and vibrated the sidewalk. My eyes followed the sound, and there stood the figure from my daydream, but fully manifested physically, his muscles hulking and his sword shining in the sunlight. Several of the normal-looking people around me suddenly held swords in their hands, all watching him and standing in defensive positions. They came in front of me, between myself and the man in the street.
“Protect Thorus,” they said, or chanted, as the man came lunging at them from the street. His sword tore through the first defender, but then the strangest of things happened: a defender swung at him, and his sword simply passed through the man as though it were not really there. The man swung his blade and lopped off the defender’s head.
“He has the beacon!” the defenders cried in desperation, but still they stood in defense. Screams erupted around me, and people ran away quickly from the area, but I couldn’t move. One by one the men swung their swords in vain, only to be chopped and pierced and laid out upon the street.
A figure suddenly appeared beside me. Marith smiled gently at me and took my hand.
“Do not worry, love, the beacon is not the most powerful of magical artifacts.”
Only four defenders stood before me and the attacker. One by one they fell, and then there were none. “Your time has come, Thorus, for all your shields have cracked!”
“One last shield remains, oh weakened assassin,” Marith said. “You will not touch him.”
“Will I not? My blade thirsts for more, and I cannot now deprive it!”
He lunged forward, but suddenly stopped and stood up straight, his sword clanging to the sidewalk.
“You should listen to me, foolish one,” Marith said. “For you have killed your last mark. You have failed.”
She pointed at his legs and they seemed to fuse together. Her finger’s target moved up his body and caused his hands to snap to his sides. Marith lifted her hand and he floated into the air. She pointed into the street and his body flung toward it, landing in the roadway. He moaned loudly for a moment, before looking to the side and cringing. An eighteen-wheeler sped upon him and crushed him, littering the street with blood and mutilated flesh.
Marith turned and smiled at me, and I couldn’t help but smile back. “There, my love, you are safe now. Come to me now and hold me close, like you used to.”
I didn’t remember ever holding her close, but at that moment, I couldn’t care less. I took her in my arms and vowed never to let her go. I gazed at the body parts littering the street.
“Who was he?” I asked.
“A fool, Thorus, and nothing more. Only the most foolish would dare bring harm to my love.”
She kissed my cheek and looked into my eyes, smiling.
“For, my dear Thorus, it is well known that only I have the right to smite you.”
A blade suddenly passed through me, and I fell to the ground with a terrible pain. I tasted blood and saw only blurs. Dark figures appeared around me, and Marith vanished into thin air. The dark figures stooped above me and spoke with fearful voices.
“She was the assassin,” one said. “The other was simply the tool. She has done it. The legion will be arriving quickly.”
“Indeed. Now we must wait and watch as the world falls.”
And with that, I breathed my last.

Goodbye, Elections

2010-11-09T10:11:00.003-06:00

So the election cycle is done, and I have been able to return to a more normal schedule. While I don't feel like this year was as busy or hectic as other election years, it was still quite a bump in workload and hours, and I worked between 12-15 hours a day for the two weeks leading up to election day. I had started coming in at 6:00 in the morning a couple months before the election, and now my normal schedule is 6:00 - 3:00. 6:00 is early, but heading home at 3:00 is wonderful. Now we just have to wait and see whether the governor recount will cause more work for us, as the senate recount did a couple years ago.

The Cooper Book Club has started reading The Way of Kings, which will become at longest book I've ever read (just over 1000 pages). I've barely started it, but I like it so far. It is written by Brandon Sanderson, and will be the first book I've read of his. His Mistborn trilogy is also on my to-read-at-some-point list.

In uninteresting news, my last post mentioned that I will be reading through the Bible to come up with card names for my Reclamation card game. I admit that this activity has a second purpose, as I must confess that there are still parts of the Bible that I've never read. I hadn't read all the minor prophets (except for my namesake's book, which I had read); these I have now gone through and made card titles for. There are then a few other Old Testament books I haven't read, and I am looking forward to going through those.

In Authonomy news, the redid the formula for calculating a book's ranking, so now The Second Shadow has slid from around 170 down to around 300. They've added a star rating as part of the mix. I do have one request, if anybody wants to be really nice (I know some of you already have) - anyone who is willing to sign up for an Authonomy account can "back" the book and give it a star rating, which would help me out. And of course, I'd also appreciate anyone who has "backed" the book before logging back in and giving it a star rating. No pressure, of course. :)

Hello

2010-10-15T10:04:00.002-05:00

Here's one of my Life Update blog posts, as its been a while since I've blogged. I'm blogging now even though I have nothing interesting to say, but I have to keep up the visage that I have a life.

A couple months back, I read Wizard's First Rule, the first book in the Sword of Truth fantasy series by Terry Goodkind. It was the first book read by our very exclusing Cooper Book Club. I rather enjoyed the book, and it would likely be very high on my (admittedly short) list of favorite books. Since then I've read Ender's Game and The Children of Hurin, and then recently finished up Gardens of the Moon. Our next book is The Way of Kings. I also plan on re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows before the first movie comes out in November.
Election season at work is in full swing. I have been working 11-13 hour days. Overall, this election doesn't seem as crazy as past elections, which is nice. That being said, I'm still looking forward to it being over with (18 days left).
My wife and I have been discussing a vacation next year, and we are pretty sure we would like to go on another cruise, probably an Alaskan one. It should be pretty fun.
This one is about Reclamation, my card game, so if you don't care about that, feel free to skip it. :) Anyway, a few years ago I had gone through the book of Genesis and came up with a set's worth of cards for it (300+ cards) from the book, and have used those cards to make the decks from which the game has been playtested. Recently, I decided to create a more extensive list of card names, a Master list, from which all future cards and sets could be pulled from. So I have set myself this project: go through the entire Bible and create a massive list of potential card names. So I started with Genesis again and created a much more extensive list, and Genesis itself had over 1900 card titles. I've also now gone through the entire New Testament, and along with Genesis, have over 9000 card titles. So, that is a little crazy, but when it's done, I will have quite a list from which to take card titles from.
I currently have a few people reading through The Second Shadow, my fantasy novel, and I've taken a little break from working on it while I'm waiting for their feedback. I know I will be getting at least 2 well-critiqued returns, so I am excited to get those and see where I can make improvements to the book. Authonomy update: in August, the book was at #243, and is currently at #174. Progress is good. On a side note, I did something the other day that I haven't done in a couple years - I wrote short story. It's only a couple pages long and currently has no title. I'll probably post it here after I do some more editing.

The Lords of Sargoff Trilogy

2010-08-12T15:14:00.002-05:00

I have developed a somewhat detailed outline for books two and three in my Lords of Sargoff fantasy series. Each book's outline currently has 17 chapters. In contrast, the original outline for the first book, back a few years ago, had 7 chapters, and the book itself now has 31. The outlines for books two and three are more detailed and the story is more developed, and I currently have no idea how long the books may end up being in comparison.

Developing the outline for the rest of the series (which I currently think will be limited to 3 books) has allowed me to go back into book one, and add some things to help tie the entire series together. I've actually already written a few chapters for book two. Last year, I think, I had written chapter one for book two, and that chapter will now become chapter one for book three. Currently, book two is titled The Blood of the Queen, and book three is title Myridium. But that may certainly change as the books get written.

One of my goals while writing the first book was not to use too many fantasy cliches. While I know you can't really escape them completely, I really tried not to have the book be just like every fantasy novel ever written. I've now tried to come up with other things that will make the story interesting for books two and three, and not just be a rehashing of book one. I think it will work pretty well, but those of you who will read those books will be the judge of that.

But that'll be a while. :)

On a side note, at my last report, my Authonomy ranking for The Second Shadow was 491, and over the last couple months it has gone down to 243. Who knows if it will ever get into the top 5, but at least it's making progress.

If You Can't Find One, Make One

2010-06-17T16:56:00.005-05:00

So as most of you know, I have created collectible card game called Reclamation, based on the Bible. My brother and I have playtested it several times, and it has come a long way. One of the issues I've dealt with in playtesting is the printing of cards. I've used Access forms and ASP web pages to loop through the database before, but now I've come up with something even better (I think, anyway).

[ geekspeak ]

I've created a VB.NET Windows application that connects to the database and creates the images for each card. I used the images I created in Photoshop and pieced the images together like a jigsaw puzzle. So now, all I need to do is run the program and it'll create all 300-something images in the first set. I've added a few to this post. While they don't look as great as they would straight from Photoshop, they still look more like actual cards than I've had before.

[ end geekspeak ]

So, the next time we test the game, it'll be prettier.

Even if it'll still be in black and white.

Well, it's a start.

Biking, Steak, Shadows, and Photoshop

2010-06-09T14:14:00.004-05:00

I have brought my bike to work (a new Schwinn that I bought last summer) and am now riding over my lunch break a couple times a week. There is a residential area nearby that has some good ups and downs, and I ride about 5 miles. I'm going to keep it up, as it is part of my continuing attempt to lose weight. I lost 22 pounds earlier in the year, and have gained a little of that back, but am now back on the right track with my eating and exercise.

On a side note related to eating (and not in an entirely healthy way), I have determined that Texas Roadhouse is my favorite steakhouse, recently defeating Timberlodge Steakhouse. Though, I do have to admit, the only other steakhouse I've ever been to is Outback, which while still good, loses easily to both the other two. Oddly enough, I wasn't always a big fan of steak, until one day a few years ago I decided to order one at Applebee's. And now... yum. And I love any steak with A1 Bold & Spicy.

Also, over my lunch breaks, on days that it is raining or I just don't feel like biking, I can now take advantage of a small lunch room area where I can take the laptop and work on the book, or whatever else I feel like working on, without being at my desk and risking having to do work. Talking about the book, it now sits at 73,000 words, and really, I feel pretty good about how it is at the moment. I have posted part of it on Authonomy.com, a website run by the publisher Harper Collins. It is an online writing community where you can get feedback on your book. Also, while I am not holding out a hope that this will lead to anything for me, every month, the 5 most popular books get sent to the editor's desk Harper Collins for review. While the chance of getting that high is slim, I did start ranking around #3500 in March, and am now ranked #491. You never know. But either way, it is neat place and I have gotten some good feedback on the book. For Authonomy, you have to provide a cover (or use a generic image provided by the site). I designed this cover from a couple images I found online. It doesn't look as good at full size, but Authonomy only displays it as a small thumbnail-sized image. Feel free to read the pitch on the book's Authonomy page.

Don't Feed the Hypocrite

2010-06-03T13:02:00.003-05:00

In my attempt to further my writing, I have started another blog, titled Don't Feed the Hypocrite. This will remain my personal blog, but I will use the new one for writings about life, such as The Case for Death I had posted here previously. The first entry explains the name (which may or may not make sense, but I tried to come up with something catchy and unique).

Now, here is a warning and a confession. The first post on the new blog does reveal a little bit from my past that I've not shared with most of my readers. It came from a period of time around twelve years ago, when I allowed sin into my life much more than I should. However, I believe it is good to share such things, especially as I think that pulling from my own personal experiences may help me become a better writer.

Top Ten Bible Verses

2010-04-28T10:00:00.005-05:00

As I've read through the Bible over the last several years, I've underlined key verses. Over the last few weeks, I then skimmed through the New Testament, and Psalms and Proverbs, and compiled a list of my favorite verses. I also did a little online searching (including reading through Gina's favorite verses), and came up with 128 good verses to consider for my top ten. Below are my top ten Bible verses (I'll probably order the top 25 at some point, but that's for another day). I've added a few comments following some of the verses in italics.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
- Galations 2:20
[ When I was around 10 years old, and living in Ironton, a singer named Thom Shumate came and sang at our church, and he was around (I think) for a couple weeks. I bought a cassette tape of his and asked him to sign it, which he did, but he said he would do it only if I promised to go memorize Galations 2:20, which I proceeded to do, and recite it back to him the next week. It's been my favorite verse ever since. ]
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Romans 8:38-39
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
- Psalm 23:4
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
- Revelation 7:17
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
- Psalm 18:2
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
- John 3:16
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
- Philippians 4:13
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
- Romans 8:31
[ Answer: no one. ]
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
- John 8:32
[ This was the weekend verse when I first went through Teens Encounter Christ, back in 1998. ]
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
- Romans 10:9

The Second Shadow

2010-03-26T14:30:00.003-05:00

I've once again gone too long without blogging, so I will give a quick life update here. Nothing all too exciting, but nothing too complain about.

I have been working on my fantasy novel, The Second Shadow, and have added about 3,000 more words, making it over 71,000 total. Good progress, but there is more to do.
I finished reading the first book of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, and then went and saw the movie with my wife. I did enjoy it, but would rank it below both Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl when it comes to those kinds of books. That being said, I need to read more adult fantasy, and perhaps the Mistborn series is a good place to start, as that has been recently recommended to me.
I have been creating a list of my favorite Bible verses. This has been quite a slow process, but I hope to post my top 10 (or top X) list of favorite verses in the near future.
On April 7, my wife and I will be traveling down to Ohio to visit my family. I am quite excited, for many reasons (other than seeing my family), including playtesting Reclamation, going to Graeter's and maybe Damon's, seeing Scruffles, and playing all sorts of other fun games. It should be great fun. We are saving a few hundred bucks and driving down instead of flying.
I am currently having just about my worst year ever when it comes to my NCAA basketball tournament bracket. I will have no more than 3 of the elite 8 and 2 of the final four. But alas, it's great fun, and there have been some very exciting games this tournament. Darn you Northern Iowa for knocking off my champion.
I made it through my first winter of rear wheel driving with no problems whatsoever, deciding that it really wasn't a big deal at all. I added some extra weight in the back and took things slow, and had basically no problems. And now, spring is here, and it's been warm enough (for me, anyway) to drive with the top down. It's swell.

This Will Likely Push Back the Movie's Release Date

2010-01-28T14:02:00.002-06:00

While I would love to be able to submitting my novel, The Lords of Sargoff, to publishers right now, I've been thinking lately that it would be best to increase the book's length by continuing to add more details and descriptions, and also by adding in more story. It currently sits at approximately 68,000 words, and from what I've read online, it should probably be at least 80,000, if not 100,000 or more. My initial hopes are to get it in the 80-90K range. So.... I am going to push back any tentative plans I had to submit it for publication and get back to writing. I have notes on what would happen in the second book in the series, and some of those events will instead happen in book one, though the book's ending will remain basically the same.

That's not the only thing I've been up to over the last month or more since I've last posted, of course. But that's for another entry.

Movie Music

2009-12-18T13:25:00.002-06:00

I thoroughly enjoy the music of movies. Here I'm talking about background soundtrack music. A great movie score can add so much to a film. Here is a list of my 25 favorite such songs; no surprise that the list is dominated by music from Star Wars (8) and Lord of the Rings (7). I've included links to YouTube videos of each song. This may, of course, be updated as I watch (and rewatch) movies.

Duel of the Fates (Star Wars). I struggled with putting this song ahead of the Imperial March. But this song is just an amazing piece of music, both instrumentally and vocally. This song actually gives me the chills.
Imperial March (Star Wars). Classic.
Battle of the Heroes (Star Wars). Music during the duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan in Episode III. More great vocals and instrumentation.
The Black Riders (Lord of the Rings).
Swords Crossed (Pirates of the Caribbean).
The Battle (Gladiator).
Emperor's Theme (Star Wars). Shares a bit with the Imperial March, but used more when the Emperor is on screen; dark and ominous. It's great.
Highway Chase Theme (The Matrix: Reloaded).
The Bridge of Khazad-dum (Lord of the Rings).
The Destruction of the Ring (Lord of the Rings). Good short tune with good vocals.
Lobby Shooting Spree Theme (The Matrix).
He's a Pirate (Pirates of the Caribbean).
Star Wars Main Theme (Star Wars). Includes lots of great music, including the opening crawl theme and the music during the most suspenseful parts of the attack in the Death Star in A New Hope.
Isengard (Lord of the Rings).
The Fellowship (Lord of the Rings).
Driving With the Top Down (Iron Man).
The Lighting of the Beacons (Lord of the Rings). From Return of the King.
Funeral Theme (Star Wars). Great little ominous tune from the prequels with a hint of the original trilogy.
Jaws Theme (Jaws).
Professor Umbridge (Harry Potter).
The Dark Knight Theme (The Dark Knight).
Smeagol's Theme (Lord of the Rings).
Hedwig's Theme (Harry Potter).
Yoda's Theme (Star Wars). Soft and slow music, very good.
General Grievous' Theme (Star Wars). A nice piece of music from Episode III.

The Myths

2009-12-15T15:20:00.003-06:00

I feel like I'm coming to the end of editing on The Lords of Sargoff. My wife has started to reread it. If I feel okay with it after another read-through or two, I do believe that I'll look into submitting it somewhere over the next few months. No matter what happens, it's been great fun, and I look forward to writing the second book in the series (which I will be doing at some point, whether or not book one ever gets published). I currently envision there being 3-5 books in the series. I know I've mentioned this before, but I've decided that The Lords of Sargoff is the name of the series, and the name of the first book is currently The Second Shadow, but that is not final. (A lot of novels that get published get renamed by the publisher anyway.)

In other writing news, as I have mentioned I may do, I have started expanding on my previously posted article, The Case for Death. The idea is to expand it into something book-length. I have 7 myths that humans often believe about death, and each chapter will be discussing why each myth is incorrect. Below are the seven myths and a quick summary. Let me know if you have any thoughts about any of them. This project is, of course, only in the beginning stages, and I need to flesh out the ideas a lot more. And I need to do a lot of reading.

A Good Life is a Long Life. A lot of the times, our focus is on keeping ourselves healthy and living a good, long life. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but that shouldn't be our focus. The point of life is not to live as long as possible, but to fulfill God's plan for your life in the time you are given, whether that's twenty years or a hundred years.
A Good Life is a Wealthy Life. Same general idea as the previous one; life is not about building up treasures on Earth, but about building up treasures in Heaven. We should be more generous and use our resources for good, instead of simply building up our assets.
We Deserve Tomorrow. I think this is one of the toughest for us to understand. As we all know, we're all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. The Bible says that we all deserve death. However, it's not that we deserve death in fifty years; we all deserve it now. This may seem like a morbid thought, but we must realize that each day we have is truly a gift from God, and not a right we have. We should be thankful for every day, because for all of us, tomorrow is not guaranteed.
Life is Fair. It, of course, is not fair. Some good people die young, and evil people live long. Some lives are tougher, and some are easier. Life isn't fair, and in reality, it doesn't need to be. Life should not be about complaining that things aren't fair, life is about doing what you can with what you have.
Our Life is But Our Own. America is a very individualistic country, with the whole "look out for number one" mentality. We're not on this Earth to live as we like; we should be mindful of the needs of others, and more importantly, surrender to the will of God in our lives. It's about His plan, not ours. For each of us, that plan includes different purposes, different places, different times, and different life spans.
Good People Go To Heaven. This is also a tough one to understand, but the Bible clearly teaches that salvation is earned through faith in Christ and not through being a "good" person.
Death is the End. We all fear death, but that's due to a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to die. It is not the end, but merely the beginning of the next (and final) phase in our lives. We must not hold on to our lives so tightly in our fear of death that we never step out of our comfort zones in faith.

Top 10 Restaurants

2009-11-20T13:29:00.004-06:00

I've decided to make (or remake) some top ten lists that I do not currently have posted on my website. They will likely end up there in time. So today I present to you my updated list of favorite restaurants. (My wife and I went to #2 very recently, for her birthday. It was wonderful.) The next list will likely be Bible verses. Let me know of any list requests! :)

Yes, Actually I Am Still Alive

2009-11-02T12:01:00.002-06:00

Haven't blogged in a while. Here's a typical what-I've-been-up-to rundown.

The last couple weeks have been busy at work, as it is election season. While odd numbered years are certainly not as busy as even numbered years, there's still a decent bump in workload, causing us to work longer shifts and weekends. But, tomorrow is election day, then it'll be back to work as normal, if there is such a thing.
I am thoroughly enjoying the Mustang. It's always a fun car, but I enjoy it most while the top is down. Which, being my normally warm self, happens much more than with most people. I will usually drive around with the top down when the temperature is at least 45 degrees, except on the interstate. I'll drive with the top down on the interstate when it's at least 50 or 55 degrees, but slower speeds allow for a lower temperature without freezing. I'm looking forward to next spring and summer. Especially during the summer, I'll have the top down pretty much all the time, weather permitting.
I have finally gotten back into doing work on The Lords of Sargoff. I am nearly finished another read-through, continuing to work on making the language more fantasy-like. I'm starting to think I may not be too far away from considering submitting it somewhere, but who knows. Maybe a couple more rounds of edits and I'll decide what to do.

The Pony Car

2009-09-28T15:20:00.002-05:00

I know most of you have seen pictures of my new car on Facebook, but I thought I'd post them here, along with a little more info on it. On September 20, we acquired a 2003 Ford Mustang convertible, with 64,000 miles. It is white, with a white top, white seats, and black interior. It is the 3.8 liter V6 engine. It has alloy wheels, a 6 disc CD changer, and a nice Mach stereo system.

I have thoroughly enjoyed it so far, especially with the top down. The convertible top goes up or down in about seven seconds. Mustangs have been one of my favorite cars for quite a long time, since high school or before, and in fact, this model of Mustang in convertible form was my #1 car for a while.

The trunk is a little small, but still good enough for me. Though, it will become rather useless over the winter, as it will be more or less full of bags of salt, so there will be a little more weight over the driving rear wheels in the winter. But that's okay.

So now my wife and I purchased 2 cars within about a 2 month period, and had saved up enough to buy both with cash. Hopefully they both end up being good cars and last a long while.

What Happens in Vegas

2009-09-21T13:36:00.001-05:00

... ends up on my blog.

On Saturday, we got back from a five night vacation in Las Vegas, which was good fun. It was my first time there, and Megan's second. We stayed at the Excalibur, which looks like a castle. It was pretty neat. We walked around a lot, saw a couple shows, and had some very good food. Here's the overview.

Oddly enough, the very first thing we did was go on a timeshare tour, where they were trying to get us to buy a timeshare in Vegas, which we had absolutely no interest in. But, we got a good discount on tickets for The Lion King play at the Mandalay Bay hotel. We paid $25 a ticket, instead of the normal $75, so we saved around $100 total. The play itself was on Wednesday night, and was rather good. (I enjoyed the Phantom of the Opera play we went to earlier this year, because it was darker, but this was still good.)
On Thursday night, we went to see magician David Copperfield perform at the MGM Grand, which was a great show, and to me, the highlight of the trip. He did a lot of neat and crazy tricks. It was a lot of fun.
On Friday, we went to the Palazzo hotel and walked through the Lamborghini Las Vegas showroom. They had several very nice cars there, but unfortunately, their Lamborghini was not there, as it was rented out. I don't have any idea how much it costs to rent a Lamborghini in Vegas, but it can't be cheap. However, they had 5 Ferraris (I had seen 3 total before, so now I've seen 8), and a few other nice cars. It was very cool. (I have seen 3 Lamborghinis in the past, so that's okay.) Another neat car-related sighting was that, sitting outside one of the hotels, we walked by an Aston Martin Vanquish. Not only had I never actually seen an Aston Martin before, but the Vanquish currently tops my favorite cars list. So that was awesome. Unfortunately, I failed and did not take a picture of it. What was I thinking? There was also the added bonus of it being parked right next to a Dodge Viper. How slick.
We walked around many of the hotels along the Strip, and saw the neat fountain shows in front of the Bellagio and the Mirage.
We ate a lot of food, including several buffets, which were quite tasty. We also went to a nice Italian place in the Excalibur, and I had swordfish for the first time, which was pretty good. We also ate at the Hard Rock Cafe, which was the first time I'd been there.

It was a fun trip, but as always, I'm happy to get back home and back to normal life.

That, and on Sunday I drove down to Jack's and picked up my Mustang, which is very exciting. It's good fun. It was a bummer to wave goodbye to the Cavalier, but I am very happy with my new ride. I'll post more about the Mustang, and more pictures, in an upcoming entry.

The Workless Week

2009-09-03T09:20:00.003-05:00

My wife and I are going to Las Vegas during the week of September 14-19. It should be lots of fun, and will, of course, be nice not to have to go to work for a week. We can both use the vacation. I've never been to Vegas myself, but Megan has, and she rather enjoyed it. We will be entertaining ourselves with activities that do not include gambling, as there are lots of shows to go to (none of which include showgirls), and the hotels themselves are interesting to look at and walk through. We are staying at the Excalibur, a hotel that looks like a castle. It should be a good time.

And then, on September 20th, I get to drive down and trade my Cavalier in for the Mustang. I'm super pumped. In case you hadn't seen it on Facebook, I've included a picture of my Cavalier's odometer on August 29. It's been an excellent car, as I've had it for almost 7 years. But, time came to get something different. Only 17 more days until The Age of the Mustang begins... :)

My New Ride

2009-08-23T15:45:00.004-05:00

Well, this is technically a little premature, but alas. I have one more month of driving my Cavalier (giving it enough time to easily hit 200,000 miles), and then I will trade it in for my new ride: a 2003 Ford Mustang convertible. I am buying it from Jack, who has provided multiple different vehicles to our family over the years (by my count, this will be at least the ninth car we've gotten from him). Jack provided this picture to me before I was able to go see it.

I drove down on Sunday to see it and test drive it. It is great fun to drive, especially with the top down. It drives great and is all around in quite good condition. I had been searching for such a car for a while at dealerships around the Twin Cities, and a few weeks ago had emailed Jack to ask him questions about Mustangs regarding reliability, and he told me that they had this car, and had had it for a few years, and rather enjoyed it, and that it was a "great car." Then last week, he emailed me and said that he was going to be selling it, and asked it I was interesting. Which of course, I most certainly was. So it ended up working out rather nicely. We're paying $8900 for the car, but will also be getting $500 in trade-in for my Cavalier. Sweet.

The only thing I wish was different about it is the color, as white is actually one of my least favorite car colors. But that's something I can live with, considering that I think this quite a good car, and should be reliable. I trust Jack more than dealerships, and the fact that it has been his car for around 5 years means that he's been keeping very good care of it. It also has never been driven in a Minnesota winter, so there's no winter damage.

I am rather pumped. But, of course, it will be until the weekend of September 20th that I'll be able to get it. Booyah.

Crushed Beyond Repair

2009-08-13T14:49:00.002-05:00

Every so often, words of a poetic nature pop into my head. I wrote this one just yesterday, and it's the first one I've written since March (I posted that one as well - This Question Haunts Me Still).

Crushed Beyond Repair

Somebody come and rescue me, I'm crushed beyond repair
Someone come and take my hand and let me know you're there
Come and sit beside me, place your hand upon my heart
Pull me close and hold me tight, in case I fall apart

I once had joy and dreams and hopes, but now my heart is grim
I once saw a bright horizon, but now my view is dim
I felt the love around and through, I never hid nor fled
But now I have nowhere to run, and I've been left for dead

Where are they hopes that once felt so true?
Why am I abandoned by all I once knew?
Who can I blame for where I am and where I've been?
When can my eyes shut and not open again?

Somebody come and rescue me, I'm crushed beyond repair
Someone come and take my hand and let me know you're there
Every hand I've found to hold has failed me in the end
Another painful memory, another wound to mend

What in this world can bring me peace?
What hand can make the anguish cease?
What path is there for me to tread
That brings me views of light instead?

From deep within, I feel a love I haven't known before
I can't explain but now I know this hand holds something more
Blood drips from the shattered palm, my world is torn in two
The old life is washed away, I'm left with something new

Our New Ride

2009-07-28T07:37:00.006-05:00

Last week, my wife's 1997 Pontiac Grand Am was in the shop, and the issues with it were so bad, that we ended up just getting rid of it. We had actually accumulated quite a bill for the repair, but the shop just took the car off our hands and we didn't owe anything else. That did, of course, leave us with a gaping hole in transportation. So on Saturday, we went car shopping.

We went to four different dealerships and test drove 4 different cars (a 2000 Grand Prix, a 2004 Dodge Neon, a 2005 Ford Focus, and a 2004 Chevrolet Aveo) before test driving and ultimately purchasing a 2004 Dodge Stratus (our new-to-us car is pictured). We went a little over what we were planning on spending, but I think it was a good deal for a good car with low mileage (35,000). There were a couple small things they were going to do to it, most notably being the removal of the tinting on the windows. We didn't know if there would be any issues with it being too dark, legally, so we just decided to have them remove it (since they offered to do it at no additional charge). We've gone a couple days with only one car, but we'll be picking up the Stratus tonight after work.

At dealerships, we did see 2 Dodge Vipers and one Prowler (previously my favorite car, since replaced by the Aston Martin Vanquish). The Vipers and Prowler were around six or seven times our automotive budget.

My 2000 Chevy Cavalier is still running, but I don't know how long I'm going to keep it. Just last week it hit 198,000 miles. I know I want to drive it to 200,000 (and get a picture of that number), but then I almost would like to replace it sometime in the fall. It's starting and running rougher, and I have worries of taking it through another Minnesota winter. But we'll see.

When I do go shopping, I believe I'm going to be a bit pickier as to what kind of car I'll get. I'll probably look up cars online (mostly on Carsoup) and then have a list of cars and dealerships I'd like to visit. But who knows. I have a certain amount of hope that I can find a decent Mustang, Camaro, Firebird, or Eclipse in our price range. If not, I'll look at some other cars I like, like a Grand Prix. I would really like another two door car, at least something like a Cobalt or even another Cavalier. Part of me also wouldn't mind a pickup. (All these linked cars are ones I might put on my list to go test drive. That linked Grand Prix is actually the exact car we test drove on Saturday.)

The Month of Wordlessness

2009-07-09T10:43:00.004-05:00

So yes, it has, in fact, been a month since I've posted. Crazy huh. Here's what I've been up to.

In June (the day after my last posting, in fact), I went to Ohio and hung out with the family. We had a good time. I got to eat my favorite ice cream in the world (Graeter's) and go to one of my favorite restaurants (Damon's), neither of which is present in Minnesota.
Erik and I also played a test round of my Reclamation card game. I do think that, each time we've played it, it's been improved, and I left with a bunch of notes for additional changes, most of which I've already made in the rules (but haven't had a chance to play test yet). I'll bring updated decks and rules when I'm back in the Eastern time zone around Thanksgiving.
For my birthday, Erik and Gina gave me the book The Game Inventor's Guidebook: How to Invent and Sell Board Games, Card Games, Role-Playing Games, & Everything in Between! It is interesting and should be useful. I had done some work on a board game called Myridia last year, and wouldn't mind picking that up again and perhaps playtesting it in November as well. I do enjoy designing games.
I have been considering expanding a previous piece of writing (The Case for Death) into something more book-length. I already have a couple pages of notes, and have come up with the basic concept - 7 myths about death and why they are incorrect. But I may want to finish up my work on The Lords of Sargoff and get that submitted around for publication before I start on that too much, unless I decide to start work on the next Lords of Sargoff book instead.
Over the 4th of July weekend, my parents and David and Becca were around. We had a good time, including a Twins game and the fireworks. They left on Monday.
A couple weeks ago, I had a dentist appointment, and found out that for the first time in my life, I had a cavity. So yesterday I went in to get the cavity filled. It was a small cavity, and they did not numb me at all. This is what I get for not eating as well, and for not going to the dentist last year. Whoops.

Here's hoping it's not another month until the next posting.

The Hunt for the Canine

2009-06-09T10:46:00.003-05:00

My wife and I have been keeping our eyes open for a dog. A few weeks ago, we put to sleep Ruffles, her 14 year old Maltese that she had had since it was a puppy. We are now looking for another dog, but one that is more a compromise dog, and one that will do fine in an apartment. The apartment technically has a 20 pound limit on dogs, but we've certainly seen may others that are over that limit, and think we could probably stretch it to 30 or 35 pounds.

We have found a few that we thought might work, but a couple of them (Pia the cattle dog and Speckles the blue heeler) are probably too energetic to be in an apartment. We've also considered Sasha the chow chow / keeshond mix.

But we're unlikely to get one of those. One of the breeds of dogs we've found that we think would work is a Shiba Inu (pictured). They've had a few at the humane societies, so we're hoping they get another one at some point.

On a future note, I am looking forward to getting a house and (hopefully) a big outside dog. My two favorite types of dogs are the St. Bernard and Siberian Husky. The humane societies also currently have a very cool Alaskan Malamute.

I am, of course, still a cat person, but my wife is allergic. I have hopes of either a future hypoallergenic cat (when they're not $4000) and/or an outside cat, when we get a house.

Disc Golf

2009-05-19T09:00:00.003-05:00

I have picked up a new little hobby recently: Frisbee Golf. It's good fun. There are tons of free courses to play at (I've been playing at Lakewood Hills in White Bear Lake), the only expense is buying the discs (mine cost around $9 and earns me extra geek points by having an Orc on it). I'm not particularly good at it, but I am getting better.

It's both lots of fun and something to keep me active. The Lakewood Hills course is about 8 miles from where I work, and I will sometimes play some over my lunch break. There are 14 holes on the course, and I can usually get through at least half in about 40 minutes. I actually have a spreadsheet of my scores (Gina should be proud), showing how I've been doing.

So if anyone reading this (who lives in the area) :) wants to ever play a round, let me know.

More With Names

2009-05-07T11:03:00.002-05:00

Thanks for the replies to my last post. The jury is still out on the fate of the name of Arien. Now today, I have more thoughts on names. Previously, I had posted how I will quite possibly use The Lords of Sargoff as the name of the book series, and thus will have to come up with a new name for the first book. Here's a list of possible names I've come up with. Let me know if any of them sound like a good title, especially for those who have read it. :) Or, of course, any other ideas or thoughts on book titles would be helpful. I have a few that I like more than others, but I'm curious as to what any of you think.

The Light of Fear
The Light of Magic
The Light of Mystery
The Stone of Fear
The Stone of Magic
The Essence of Fear
The Essence of Magic
The Essence of Light
The Light of War
The Essence of Chaos
The Source of Light
The Curse of the Light
The Illumination
The Glorious War
The Beauty of Chaos
The Glorious Chaos
The Second Shadow
The Power of Magic
The Rise of Fear
The Magic of Fear
The Rise of Chaos
The Essence of War
The Power of War
The Malumar
The Second Shadow of the Malumar
The Successor
The Successor of Chaos

Evidently, My Book is Nazi Propaganda

2009-05-01T09:32:00.003-05:00

.......well, not really. But I have recently been made aware of something that I had previously not considered when it comes to my fantasy novel, The Lords of Sargoff.

In the book, there is a dark wizard named Lord Arien (pronounced like "Ariel" from The Little Mermaid). It is also pronounced like "Aryan," which is what the Nazis referred to as the "master race." It has been commented that keeping the character with this name may bring up negative connotations and turn off some of the readers, perhaps especially those that are of races targeted by Aryan racism.

So, I'm hoping to get some input on whether you think this is actually an issue, especially from those who have read the book (which is most of you). It seems there are two possible actions to take.

I can, of course, rename the character. On the other hand, part of me sees the similarities between Lord Arien and the Aryan master race. The character is one bent on dominance and power, with very little regard for the lives of others. I could keep the name, because the connection almost fits.

What do you think? Does it even matter?

Vacationing

2009-04-07T16:43:00.002-05:00

I will be visiting my family in Ohio in June, which I am very excited about, but that is not the only little vacation I'll be taking. My wife and I are planning a little trip sometime during the summer or fall, probably July or September. We've talked about New York City or California (would likely be around San Francisco). More likely, however, is that we've talking about going to Las Vegas. I've never been there, but Megan has. She said it was great fun, and that there's lots of fun things to do that don't include gambling. (Or showgirls.) Lots of shows and that kind of thing. So that could be interesting, and it's another state to remove from my states-I've-never-been-to list (currently includes 13 states).

On a related note, I've gotten a bump up in how much vacation days I'm receiving at work, and so now I'm actually earning around an extra 4 days of vacation per year. Which is really rather exciting, as I've been rather low on that lately. Now, I will not only have days for the Ohio trip, the trip with Megan, and going to Ohio for Thanksgiving, but I am hoping to be able to start working TECs again (I need 1 or 1.5 days of vacation each time I work one). Those are great fun and great experiences, and I had worked 3 as an adult, but now haven't worked one for a year, which is no good at all.

In other news, I've just about completed another round of edits on The Lords of Sargoff. I'm pretty happy with it right now, even though I know that there's certainly more work to go. If anyone would like the current version to read (or re-read), let me know and I'll send it over (it's currently just over 67,000 words, or approximately 269 pages).

Anticipation, Cinematically Speaking

2009-03-31T16:48:00.007-05:00

Here are my most anticipated movies of 2009, in order of my excitement:

Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince (7/17) - This was also my #1 looked forward to movie of 2008, but it got pushed back from a November release to July. The trailers look good. I've found each movie in the series to get better, so I have high hopes for this one. I will be rereading the book before going to see the movie.

Star Trek (5/8) - This will only be the second Star Trek movie I've seen in the theater (after First Contact). At that time, that was the only Trek movie I had seen, and I had only seen a few episodes. Now, I've seen quite a few episodes, all the movies, and I play the card game. Suffice it to say I'm now officially a Trek fan.

Terminator Salvation (5/21) - Even though this is an Arnold-less Terminator, I've found the trailers to look good, and the addition of Christian Bale is a big plus. And it comes out on my birthday. Nothing like apocalyptic-type storyline to celebrate my birth.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (5/1) - The trailers look more promising than I originally thought they would. So this movie has potential.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (6/24) - While I've never been much into Transformers myself, I did rather like the first movie. Let's hope this one doesn't go the typical sequel route and be utterly terrible.

Public Enemies (7/1) - How can you go wrong when you pair my two favorite actors (Johnny Depp and Christian Bale)? Plus, of course, the movie looks interesting.

I expect theatrical viewings for at least the first five, and hopefully the sixth. There are some other movies that I have interest in, but these are certainly at the top.

Hacking, Biting, Cleaning, Knowing

2009-03-30T10:03:00.002-05:00

(Just like Treebeard said.)

Well, it's been an interesting last twenty four hours. Here's a quick recap, for those of who you love to know what I've been up to.

Yesterday, my Everquest II character Chromiden (a healer), reached level 80, which is the highest level currently attainable in the game. It was very exciting. :) I have another character, Vython (a necromancer), who is rather close behind him at leve 77, and will reach 80 in the near future. Then a bit of my time will be spent with Athennemarr, my level 52 brigand (a scout), and I'm looking forward to having him level up higher.
In the last week, our apartment complex has decided that it will start charging us $15 a month for storage units that we previously were allowed to use for free. We've had two of them, and we are currently doing a bit of spring cleaning, getting rid of things we no longer need (I've gotten rid of a bunch of stuff), in order to reduce our storage needs, hopefully so we don't need either of those storage units any more. Not that we couldn't afford the $15 month, but, we just don't want to. :) We stayed up pretty late working on that stuff, which is good we stayed up later than usual, because...
Last night, after midnight, someone hacked into my Facebook account and wrote some rather inappropriate and racist things on my profile and to some of my friends, including profanity, Satanic and homosexual references, and racist slurs. They also changed my profile picture to a pornographic image. Fortunately, we noticed it within ten minutes of it happening, so I quickly removed all such changes and also changed my password. I don't know who this person was, but that was just weird, and rather disturbing that people would do that.
Yesterday, my wife and I went to see the movie Knowing. Overall I did like it, though I don't think it all came together as well as it should have. I'm not going to give anything away, in case any of you see it. But I did like it. Soon I am going to post my list of 2009 movies I'm looking forward to, as there actually are quite a few, the first of which comes out in just about a month.
Over the weekend, my wife and I also went out to Buffalo Wild Wings, which has become one of my favorite places to eat. They have great chicken and sauces. I always get boneless chicken wings. They have around 14 different sauces, on a scale of how hot they are. Yesterday, I tried the Wild sauce, which is the second hottest sauce they have, and it was rather good. One of the next times, I'll try their hottest, which is Blazin'. It will be wonderful, and will possibly cause my tongue to light on fire.

The Return of the Poet

2009-03-24T09:18:00.003-05:00

Here's something I wrote a couple days ago; it's been a while since I've written anything poetic.
--
This Question Haunts Me Still

The foolish man I see, through my years and history,
All the flaws and errored ways, the regretted yesterdays,
My attempts at turning round, hopes of landing on solid ground,
Longing to forget that past, believing I can change at last.

I leave my former days behind, buried in the depths of mind,
Looking forward, not looking back, grasping what I used to lack,
The blood drips upon my soul, the broken body is here to hold,
My life was once in disarray, but You have made it new today.

Yet this question haunts me still, if I am a city on a hill,
If forgiveness covers me, if I'm dead to sin and forever free,
If my past is gone and my future bright, if I'm walking in the light,
Why do I turn and thus allow, sin to yet control me now?

These evil ways that thrive within, bring shame upon my heart again,
For I was saved and I was clean, my eyes shown with sights unseen,
Drowned in forgiveness and bathed in the light, sin was defeated and gone was the night,
Despite my attempts to live life as I should, I fell into darkness as You knew that I would.

I do what I hate and I hate what I do, my life is a lie that I'm trying to prove,
Though I've given my life to grace, I fall and I stumble every step of the race,
Each time I'm shamed and I look back to You, Your hand is outstretched and the forgiveness is true,
You remind me we've fallen short of the glory, but this side of Heaven's not the end of the story.

Cars, Pounds, Cards, Words, and Brackets

2009-03-20T19:29:00.003-05:00

I continue to blog less often than I have in the past. I really should improve that. Anyway, here's some (un-) interesting tidbits from my recent life.

I have created a lot of images for my Reclamation card game, and will now be able to easily print out cards for playtesting. For those interested, you can view the cards or print for deck making.
My car has hit 190,000 miles, and is less than 100 miles from 191,000. Not too long until it hits the impressive 200,000 milestone. Assuming it makes it that long.
I had posted on here at some point about me wanting to lose weight. Well, I am happy to say that I have been eating much better (in general), and so far.... have dropped 18 pounds. I still have a bit more to lose though for my target weight.
I love the NCAA basketball tournament. It's just good fun. At the time of writing this blog, I had correctly picked 20 of 24 games, and am tied for first place in both bracket groups I am entered in (one with family, one at work). That, obviously, could all change rather quickly.
I am starting to work more on Lords of Sargoff again. One of my friends just finished reading it, and gave me some good tips. I have done a lot of little edits with wording, and also some bigger changes, including making significant changes to one particular section. That particular section may also end up being moved to a different part of the book, but that is still under consideration. The current version contains 65,500 words and 27 chapters.
In other thoughts on the book, I can see myself writing more books and turning this story into a series, which makes me think about book names. Currently The Lords of Sargoff is the name of the first book, but it is quite possible that I would make that the name of the series instead. I have come up with a short list of possible names for book one, should I do things that way. Such potential book one titles include The Light of Fear and The Light of Magic. Book two (which I already have quite a bit of plot notes for) would quite possibly be titled The Blood of the Queen. Let me know if you have any thoughts on titles for the first book (for those of who who have read it).

Slow It Down

2009-03-09T17:26:00.002-05:00

I often do things quickly. When working on different tasks, I like to finish them quickly and move onto what's next, or perhaps have some extra time in between. I don't like to take much time on things.

This certainly has its advantages. At work, I am very fast at what I do. I do our day-to-day projects quicker than anyone else. I am often the go-to guy for high priority projects, because I will complete it quickly. This, however, leads to a certain problem, that affects things both at work and in other aspects of my life.

The faster you push yourself to complete a task, the more prone you are to mistakes. I have always understood this, and yet have continued to complete things as fast as possible. I have realized recently, however, that I need to change this habit and attempt to slow things down.

At work, mistakes lead to the redoing of projects, and can cost additional time. Recently, I made a couple mistakes that will cause us headaches for a few weeks, and also cost the company some revenue. I need to slow down my work and do a better job of double checking my work. I need to pay more attention to what I am doing to make sure I am doing it correctly.

Oddly enough, the other aspect of my life that I am seeing this problem is in playing games. I love gaming. I play three different collectible card games, and it is my favorite hobby. However, in those games, I often make my strategic decisions too quickly and don't allow myself to fully think through each situation. This has lead to hasty and poor decisions, and has caused me to lose many more games than I think I should have. (We have been tracking our games recently, and since we started doing so, I have a 19-40 record. Ick.)

I think I'm a pretty smart person. Not that I'm a super genius, but I think I'm fairly intelligent. However, I think I sometimes rush through decisions and strategies and make myself appear less intelligent than I really am, when the problem is really that I simply didn't stop long enough to apply myself cognitively to the problem. In gaming, I lose games due to a poorly executed maneuver or ill conceived strategy, because I didn't fully think out all the different possible results. If I would slow down and allow my mind to fully wrap itself around the situation and consider what else could happen in the game, I think I would make less bad decisions and, ultimately, win more games.

The same is true of work. If I slow myself down and fully think out each project, double checking my work and fully thinking through each step, making sure not to miss anything, I would make less mistakes, which would make me look better as an employee and would ultimately allow me to go farther within the company (and in my career).

So, I am going to try my very best to slow down and think things through more. I don't want to miss things because I was too busy speeding through everything I'm doing. Speed is good, but it is less useful if it causes you to do things twice.

A Place of Rest

2009-02-16T09:46:00.003-06:00

My wife and I recently purchased a new couch from Ashley Furniture. We looked around at many places, and finally chose this one. It is comfy and, most importantly, my wife likes it. We have also now bought an area rug for the middle of the living room, and will be getting some type of coffee table or footrest. We have a couple other items we'd like to get for the living room as well. Then hopefully we can stop buying things. :)

For those who care about my Reclamation card game: I have no created a printout page for the Genesis set, for playtesting purposes. I will be working on the images (right now they all have a 'No Image' placeholder, but all I need to do is upload the image for a card and the programming will use it). So I will be working on the images. However, the cards should work for playtesting purposes, and should print out okay. In theory.

LotD: Melon Mouth.

So Much to Do, So Little Time

2009-02-03T16:31:00.003-06:00

One quick update on things that I am currently working on. Aren't you excited? :)

I have not worked very much on The Lords of Sargoff for a little while, but I am hoping to return to it shortly, as there is still a lot of work left on it. The story is pretty much in place, and most of the remaining work is in wording and tone, but there will certainly be some changes (mostly small) to story and plot.

A few weeks ago, I posted an article I had written called The Case for Death. I feel strongly about this subject and am considering delving into it deeper and expanding that article into something longer. I am just starting to take additional notes, but will certainly keep my blog audience updated on how much farther I take it.

And finally, I have done a significant amount of tweaking to the rules of my Reclamation card game, and will be looking forward to doing some playtesting. I have changed how characters enter play and are set up, and I have also made changes to battles. It should be interesting.

LotD: Floating Islands.

Fifty Random Cooper Facts

2009-01-22T14:21:00.003-06:00

Here are fifty random things about me, that you may or may not have known, and may or may not have wanted to know.

I have been to 37 of the 50 states, missing Alaska, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Washington. I have also been to Washington, DC.
From the ages of 9 to 14, I had the same shoe size as age.
In the sixth grade lunch line, a girl elbowed me in the stomach and I fainted. For another thirty minutes or so, my vision then seemed like a television receiving a static-filled signal.
Around the age of twelve, I gave into peer pressure and jumped off a high ledge into the Ohio River. I gashed my foot open on a rock and scratched up my back.
I have a dream of becoming a published author. I would actually love to be able to write full time instead of work in computers. I also think it would be great to be a songwriter.
My contacts have a prescription of approximately -8.00.
I've been pulled over for speeding 14 times and have been given 4 tickets. I was pulled over a 15th time for a burnt out headlight.
I eat macaroni and cheese with ketchup.
I was an underachiever in high school, and slacked my way to a 2.513 GPA. I did better in college.
I hate all fruit except bananas, tomatoes, and olives. I hate apples and yet like applesauce; oranges are one of my least favorite, and yet I drink orange juice, but not if it has much pulp.
I have moved residences 7 times and lived in 4 different states. Time totaled, I have lived in Minnesota the most (Minnesota: 10 total years, Ohio: 8, Pennsylvania: 4.5, Maine: 4).
My biggest pet peeve is smoking. I also rather dislike long hallways.
I fit into each of the categories of dork, geek, and nerd.
I am an optimist.
I am pigeon toed.
Related to the last one, every pair of shoes I’ve bought for the past decade has been a Nike from one of their outlet stores. My body is somehow a little screwed up and my feet need good support, and I find Nike to have better support in their sneakers than most others. Also, it is not always easy to find size 14 shoes in other shoe stores.
I took a year of piano lessons when I was younger. I also played baritone in the school band from 6th – 12th grade. I was never very good.
I’ve never had a drink of alcohol. Nor have I had a cigarette or any type of drug that was not in a medication or a carbonated beverage.
I’ve never had a broken bone.
I’ve never had a cavity.
I can count on one hand the number of times in my life I’ve slipped a profanity.
I have purchased and played several collectible card games included Magic: The Gathering, Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Young Jedi, Jedi Knights, Rage, and Austin Powers. I have also played at least one game of Pokemon, X-Men, and Middle Earth. (I am also working on creating my own such card game, currently called Reclamation, based on the Bible.) I also love to play poker.
One day, my ten year old self and my fifteen year old brother decided to stack our small trampoline on the top of several wooden blocks, in an attempt to dunk the basketball hoop. He tried it first, and proceeded to break his wrist.
I’ve been to a doctor a total of two times (not including normal checkups): once for an ear infection and once for a 104 degree temperature.
I am a cat person, though my wife is allergic.
My favorite animals are large cats and sharks.
I almost never buy into conspiracy theories.
My best Scrabble word ever was “Gyration” – crossing over 2 triple words for 149 points. My best Scrabble game ever was 522 points.
I have only dated one woman, and I married her.
To clarify, I did have a “girlfriend” in high school for 3 weeks, but we never went on a date or saw each other outside of school. I was exceptionally nervous and shy.
By that time, I had become completely convinced that I was never going to get married.
Years later, I proposed to my then-girlfriend at a gazebo next to the lake in Albert Lea. The gazebo was decorated with roses and candles, and I read her a poem I am written for her.
I had taken out an additional student loan to pay for the ring.
My favorite pizza is from Pizza Hut. I love the stuffed crust.
I have only been to 2 other countries – Canada (which barely counts) and the Bahamas, for our honeymoon in 2006.
I have now built 2 of my computers instead of buying it as a system.
I did not vote for Barack Obama.
My favorite NFL team is the San Francisco 49ers, even though I’ve never been to California. My favorite ever football player is Joe Montana.
Geographically speaking, my favorite state is Colorado.
I once had a pedal snap off my bike and dig into my leg, and I still have scars from it. I have other scars from box knives and chisels, and the grill from McDonald’s.
I was picked on terribly in grade school. I was also punched in the face once before a little league baseball game.
During all of high school, I ate one cafeteria lunch. I usually had a sack lunch. I even brought a sack lunch into McDonald’s once.
I am somewhat lactose intolerant, yet I love milk, ice cream, and cheese. A stomach ache is worth a good bowl of ice cream.
When I was around 8 years old, I fell off my bike and knocked my mouth into the corner of a wooden picnic table. My two front teeth were knocked out because of it.
Concerning Star Wars and Lord of the Rings movies: I have gone to see them in the theater a total of 27 times.
The first R rated movie I saw in the theater was Air Force One.
I love (non-alcoholic) egg nog.
The first CD I ever purchased was Michael W. Smith: The First Decade.
The highest profile person I’ve ever met is Senator Norm Coleman, from Minnesota. Also, my father attended the University of Maine at the same time as Stephen King, and one of my former coworkers was a college roommate with Tony Romo, current quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.
I worked for two months as a nursing assistant at a nursing home, working with sufferers of Alzheimers. They let me go, and several months later I started working at McDonald’s, where I met a girl named Megan. Oh, and then I married her.

More than a Sound

2009-01-15T13:15:00.005-06:00

Music is one of my favorite things in the world. I rather enjoy cranking up the volume and listening to some good hard rock. But music doesn't stop there. Music is not simply the sounds of the instruments. The words of music can hold great value; they can bring you messages of joy and peace and hope.

I listen only to Christian music, with the sole exception being Weird Al Yankovic. I listen only to Christian music because I want the messages of the songs I listen to to be positive and not tainted by a secular worldview. The lyrics of a lot of today's mainstream music flies completely in the face of what we know to be Biblical truth, and yet these are the songs we are choosing to play on the radio so our young children can listen and repeat over and over in their heads. I honestly feel that such music (along with movies and TV) all play into warping our beliefs about morality and Godliness.

Of course, probably due to a desire for success, many Christian bands use lyrics that, while they may not be morally irrehensible, are not always openly and obviously Christian. Their message is buried in analogies and subtleties, and it is not always obvious up front that it is a Christian band. They seem to be in the music business solely to provide entertainment, and not to use their talents to further the kingdom of God. While I understand that being "overly Christian" in your lyrics may turn off nonbelievers from listening, I really enjoy it and appreciate it when I hear a song that I really like that I can easily tell the beliefs and message of the band. We should not allow our choice of music to be swayed by the world and what they consider to be popular and true; for the music we listen to should be aligned with the absolute truth of Christ.

I recently purchased my first CD in many years. It is the Fireflight: Unbre akable album, and it is pretty much wonderful. The music is great (rock, but not too hard; no screaming), and the lyrics are obvious in their message. They have quickly become one of my favorite bands, and Unbreakable has become one of my favorite songs.

To finish, here are some pieces of lyrics from the Fireflight album. At some point, I might post some of my more favorite lyrics in general, but for the moment, I'm just really appreciating this album and its message.

God, I want to dream again
Take me where I’ve never been
I want to go there
This time I’m not scared
Now I am unbreakable, it’s unmistakable
No one can touch me
Nothing can stop me
- Unbreakable

Your love, it burns
Away my darkness
You guide me when I’m blind
You are the light
That shines inside me
Showing me I’m
So much more
When I’ve been on a losing streak
Hit so hard I couldn’t speak
But when I hear Your voice it fades away
- Brand New Day

And you want Him, and you need Him
But you act like He’s not there
Yeah, you know that you’re hollow
And something’s missing here
So you push and you pull the hole in your soul
But you can’t make the hunger disappear
- The Hunger

Yesterday I heard Your voice
Whispering through all the noise
I pretended I couldn’t hear You
But You kept on pursuing me
And You began to move in me
And I just couldn’t hide any more
- Go Ahead

And I’m here to stay
Nothing can separate us
And I know, I’m ok
You cradle me gently
Wrapped in your arms.... I’m home
- Wrapped in Your Arms

Making Less of Me

2009-01-08T09:31:00.002-06:00

No, this is not a lesson in humility. Perhaps in a future post. :)

As I've talked about before, I am going to try to lose some weight. I have become more serious about it over the last few months, and am making a New Year's resolution (the first one I've ever made) to crack down on it and stick to it. Here are some steps I am and will be taking, most of which are obvious, but alas:

Eat less. This includes, when going out to eat, eating half my meal and saving the other half. I do love leftovers. This also includes not overeating on snacks, as I have often done.
Eat better. I have already been eating vegetable-type soups for lunch at work, and I will be making sure my suppers are healthier.
Exercise. I will be using the treadmill 3 times each week. I have also started playing volleyball each week, which is a good workout. Trying to add extra walking to my day is also a good thing.
Drink more water. I also need to drink less pop. We rarely have pop at home, but I sometimes overdo it when going out to eat or at game and card nights. At home, I drink mostly juice and milk.
Get more fiber. I've been eating cereal for breakfast everyday for a year or more, but I've gotten some healthier cereals that are stuffed full of fiber.

I have small goals first, of losing 5 and 10 pounds, but my long term goal is to lose at least 40 pounds, hopefully 50. This will take sticking to a plan and not overeating. If anyone has any other weight loss tips, I'd love to hear them.

LotD: T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. Project. Tests With Inorganic Noxious Kakes In Extreme Situations.

Yes, I Saw A Ferrari

2008-12-30T11:17:00.003-06:00

We had a good Christmas, as always. For Christmas dinner, we made a glazed stuffed ham and Au Gratin potatoes. Later in the day we had meat and cheese, and kielbasa sausages (I've made them before). It was all yummy.

I received many things that I was happy to get on Christmas day. Listing everything would be silly, but two of the happiest gifts (all the presents were happy) were MarioKart for the Wii, and The Dark Knight on DVD (which we watched on Christmas day).

In other news, Megan's nephew Tony has been here for a couple days. On Sunday, we went to the Mall of America, and sitting on the bottom floor was the most wonderful thing I've ever come across in a mall: a Ferrari. Yeah, that's right. The picture I have here is one I grabbed online, but that's what it looked like, only silver. I should have reached out and touched it. It was most definitely the closest I've ever been to such a car. (I've seen two others in my life, on the roads of Columbus.) According to my estimations and the help of Kelley Blue Book, that Ferrari is worth more than seventy-one 2000 Chevy Cavaliers.

(And I think the value it assigned to my Cavalier was a bit high...)

We are in the middle of the college football bowl season - a wonderful time. Each year, us Coopers pick the winners of each game and see who can do the best. Our picks and progress can be seen on the Cooper Bowl page. As of this posting, my mother and myself are winning with 9 correct picks (after 14 games).

LotD: Colorful Poodles. Some dog owners are really weird.

Music to My Ears

2008-12-23T14:21:00.004-06:00

I really do love music, even though I haven't bought a CD for several years. Now, my main source of music is to listen online to Columbus' station RadioU, and also their music television station, TVU. My tastes have certainly gotten a little louder than when I was younger, and I currently have no band that stands out as an obvious #1. There are just so many that I thoroughly enjoy. Here are links to some of my more favorite songs, just in case you're at all curious. There are 20 songs here, listed alphabetically. These are mostly newer songs, and so I did not include my all-time favorite song on this list. Okay, well, here it is.

12 Stones: Far Away
Blindside: Pitiful
Demon Hunter: Carry Me Down
Family Force 5: Earthquake
Family Force 5: Replace Me
Fireflight: Unbreakable
Fireflight: You Decide
Flyleaf: All Around Me
Flyleaf: Cassie
Hawk Nelson: The One Thing I Have Left
House of Heroes: In The Valley of the Dying Sun
Krystal Meyers: Make Some Noise
Project 86: The Spy Hunter
Red: Already Over
Red: Breathe Into Me
Seabird: Rescue
Showbread: Mouth Like a Magazine
Since October: Disaster
Thousand Foot Krutch: Favorite Disease

And to go along with one of Gina's recent posts, my favorite Christmas song is Carol of the Bells.

LotD: What, the 24 links above aren't enough? Well, okay, here you go: The Viking Axe.

The Case for Death

2008-12-19T21:21:00.002-06:00

I am considering trying to write some more serious entries, on different issues, starting with this one. I both think it will be interesting for me to put more thought into issues I haven't thought about much before, and I also think it would be wonderful it I could write something good and interesting enough that it could be submitted to some type of magazine. This comes from my thinking that my purpose includes writing. We'll see where this all goes.

So, first, if you have any suggestions for issues for me to write about, please let me know. And now, here's this. I have just written this within the last hour, and it is 606 words.

---
The Case for Death

One of the undeniable truths about our human lives is that, eventually, they end. Each of us was born of a woman, our bodies knitted together in her womb. Someday, each of our bodies will lose its vibrancy; blood will no longer flow through our veins, and life will no longer pour out from within our physical selves. Death is simply an inevitability that we must accept.

Even as we accept and understand that our future includes death, it is true that we often fear it, holding on to our lives and our remaining years with all our might. Humans fear their death like nothing else, and that fear stems from the fact that we simply do not fully comprehend the part that death plays in lives. We miss God’s plan for us; His plan for the end and the beginning of each human life. For all things, good or bad in the sight of men, work together for the goodness of God.

Just as a student’s graduation marks the end of a time of schooling, the death of a human marks the end of their time on this Earth. It is a transition; the end of one era, and the beginning of another. A student attends school to learn and ready him or herself for a future career. Those students who do not walk the path of learning will find themselves ill-equipped for a future. Humans who do not walk the path of Christ will find themselves at the end of their life without a savior.

The scriptures tell us not to fear. Once Jesus has become our lord, there is nothing to separate us from Him and the salvation that we now have. Nothing in this world, no powers in the spiritual realms, and not the eventual death that leads from this life into the next.

We must change the way we view death, for it is not the end, but merely a time of change. It is not something to be feared, but something to be understood. As strange a thought as this might be, death is something to look forward to. Not in any depressive or suicidal manner, but in such a way that we long to be with Christ in the world to come. For this world is not our home; we are as aliens in a foreign land, and Heaven is our true home. Our father waits there for us, and we should wait patiently and yet with excitement for the day when we walk those streets of gold. We will no longer be strapped with the problems of this world, but will have all of eternity to be with Christ.

Our time on this Earth is precious, and even while we are young and the years seem to stretch our before us, death is coming for each human, some long before they expect it. We know not what day will be our last, but that is not for us to choose. God has planned each day of our lives, and He knows what day He will call you away from your body and into His presence. Do not fear that hour, for a greater glory awaits us than we could ever experience in these bodies. Live each day as though death was around the corner, for it truly is, even if we do not see it.

God holds your life in His hands, and His timing is perfect. Trust in Him and do not fear the future, and do not fear death, for on the other side of our last day is the first day of a beautiful beginning.

A Diversion (They All Come Falling Down)

2008-12-11T16:28:00.003-06:00

So, here's an entry in the not-really-that-important-but-amusing anyway type entries. I recently discovered the website Drawminos, where you can set up dominoes and then knock them all down. You can also save them and then send them to your friends so they can see your masterful creations. So, if you're bored, it's something to waste a little time. Also, if you're bored, here are links to a few of my Drawmino creations.

The First One
The Construction of Smiley
Coming Together
Snake Pole

The only other news of interest is that my wife and I are planning a weekend viewing of The Day the Earth Stood Still (which rumors have it will carry the trailer to the upcoming Wolverine movie). She also has interest in the movie Doubt.

LotD: Stealing the Empire State Building. Who knew it could be so easy?

Cooproductions

2008-12-03T15:39:00.002-06:00

It has finally happened.

My updated website is now up and running. I know you've been excited for it for a while, of course. :) So, if you're bored, head over to www.cooproductions.com and check it out. I now have a bit more of my writing online - mainly a few other stories I have written (or only started), that I figured I'd post. I've also updated my top ten lists, though I only have 7 lists posted. More might be coming, I'm not sure yet. This blog is also now imbedded into a page on the site, so you can view it as normal, or on the website. Or on Facebook, of course. Whatever brings you joy.

While I have uploaded the site, I still have work to do on it, including adding a random link feature (whenever I see something online that I find interesting, or strange, or funny, I will add the link to my random link database). It'll be a diversion for if you're bored.

I'm happy to have it hosted on GoDaddy, where I can more freely use ASP, which will be helpful when working more on the Reclamation card game, and other such things.

Let me know if you see anything on the site that doesn't look right.

LotD: Cooproductions. Of course.

Insert Blog Title Here

2008-11-20T09:08:00.003-06:00

I really need to keep up with my blogging better. The last few weeks haven't been all too exciting, but alas. Here's another bullet-point summary.

I have started to read Eragon. I decided to read some more of the shorter books and series before tackling The Wheel of Time. My wife will soon be finishing up her second reading of The Lords of Sargoff before (probably) starting The Lightning Thief, which is the first book of the series Percy Jackson & The Olympians.
My wife and I did see the movie Changeling, which wasn't too bad. My wife really liked it. A viewing of Twilight is scheduled for this weekend. We also watched the movie 13 Going on 30, which was on TV the other day, and was a little funnier and not as bad as I had thought.
I bought a new pair of Nike sneakers yesterday. Isn't that the most exciting thing ever? Did you know that finding size 14 shoes is not the easiest thing in the world?
We found out on Tuesday that my company is planning a company meeting in January. This one is more exciting though, as it is in Marco Island, Florida, right on the ocean (or, I suppose, right on the Gulf of Mexico). We will be there for 4 days and 3 nights, and will be staying at a Hilton.
I really would like to drop some weight. I had lost about 30 pounds after moving back to Minnesota in 2005, but I have gained that back, plus a couple extra. I have wanted to for a while, but I have gotten more serious about it over the last couple months. I did actually lose 9 pounds in September, but then gained most of that back over the election season (lots of catered in meals). So I will be trying to cut down my meal portions, drink lots more water, and use the treadmill that we bought earlier this year on a regular basis. I think one of my bigger problems is overindulging on snacks, so I will have to stop doing that. :) All in all, I could stand losing a good 50 pounds, I would think.

LotD: The Nintendo Choir. Classic.

Return to Normal

2008-11-06T10:57:00.003-06:00

Well, the election is over.

Hallelujah.

Here's some highlights and otherwise random information that you may or may not care to know. :)

On the Thursday before the election, I started work at 10 in the morning and went home at midnight. I then continued to work until 6. That's pretty much a 20 hour shift with a small break for driving. So the next day, I worked about 14 hours (10 - midnight) on a little less than 3 hours sleep.
My company has been mentioned in the national news on a couple different issues over the past few weeks, or more, even if the company name wasn't always said. It all culminates with the fact that my boss (part owner of the company) now has his very own Wikipedia entry.
Over a 7 day period (ending with election day), I worked approximately 93 hours. This was down over 2006, where I worked about 102 hours over a 7 day period.
Ending Friday, I will have worked 19 consecutive days. I am looking forward to Saturday and a day off.
I am looking forward to getting back to some major work on The Lords of Sargoff. I also need to figure out what I am going to read next.
This weekend, my wife and I will likely go to the movie Changeling, likely followed a couple weeks later by the movie Twilight. These are movies that Megan has interest in, that I am going to because I like my wife. :) Personally, I am hoping for a viewing of The Day the Earth Stood Still.

While I wish John McCain had pulled off some miracle victory (though I rather doubted it), there is fair hope that Republicans will not have fallen as far as some people thought, as some believed the Democrats would increase their Senate majority up to 60 seats. My company has a fair stake in the recounts that will occur between Norm Coleman and Al Franken, as we do a fair amount of business with Senator Coleman.

One thing, though, that while many congressional Republicans did lose to Democrats, those Republican candidates that we worked for did comparatively much better, which makes us look good as a company, and may help us bring in more business.

LotD: CSI New York: The GUI Interface. Who knows if any of you have seen this. It's only like 15 seconds long. This will make sense to the computer geeks out there. Basically, there is a criminal who is using his website either to commit crimes, or to record or discuss the crimes he is committing (I haven't actually seen the entire episode). So, the police need to try to track him through the Web. Listen to what the last woman will do in an attempt to do that, and wonder how in the world this made it onto a major TV show. (My apologies for the little "thought bubble" that might pop up on the video... I couldn't find the clip without it.)

The Lords of Querying

2008-10-27T17:10:00.002-05:00

Yes, I am a database analyst, and my job includes a lot of querying (structurally), but that is not what I will be talking about here. I'm talking about a query letter for a manuscript. I am hoping, after the election is over, to spend a good chunk of my free time for a few weeks editing The Lords of Sargoff to get it into pristine submission condition. This will likely include at least 3 -4 thorough read-throughs. I still have hopes of submitting it somewhere before the end of the year. I have found 2 literary agents online, that both accept manuscript submissions and a have a blog that discusses helpful topics, such as writing a query letter. I have written the rough draft of such a letter, but will work more on that as well. Here is a snippet of it: a brief description of the book's plot.

For decades, the land of Sargoff has been blanketed by a fear of the unknown powers that once dropped the society into chaos. Dark forces are once more at work, renewing fears and threatening the country as it rebuilds. Then, deep in a cave, the orb of a forgotten lord is found, and the hands of evil once more glow with the powers of dark magic. The Lords of Sargoff is a 70,000 word adult fantasy novel that explores the effects of fear on a society, and questions whether the agents of evil are, in fact, as powerful than the very fear they create.

If anyone would like to read the full manuscript of The Lords of Sargoff (for the first or second time), please let me know and I will send you an (electronic) copy. I would love to have any type of comments or suggestions than anyone has.

LotD: Anatomy of a Good Query Letter. Written by a likely receiver of a future query letter from yours truly.

Til Death

2008-10-14T07:52:00.002-05:00

So we have returned from the Green Mountain state of Vermont, where we were for my brother's wedding. It was a good time. Here's a quick recap.

Megan and I flew to Burlington, VT (with a connection in Detroit) on Wednesday night, which went fine. We had reserved a rental car at Avis. We had selected the standard car, which was described as a "Chevy Monte Carlo" or similar. What we ended up with was a Chevy Trailblazer, which seems to be very much non-similar to a Monte Carlo. Oh, those silly people at Avis. But anyway, we enjoyed driving it around.

We then went to our hotel, Quality Inn, which happened to be directly next to where my parents were staying at the Motel 6. We met them in the morning for breakfast at McDonald's (also right next door). Then some of us went up to Mount Philo, where the wedding was. It had a great view of the surrounding area (I have some pictures that are still on the camera). The ceremony went well. Other people were in the area during the ceremony (it was a public area), and at one point a dog ran through the front and urinated on a nearby tree. But, alas. Everything was nice and went well.

We then went to the Kitchen Table Bistro for the wedding dinner, which was very good. The next morning, we all met and toured the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory and, of course, had some ice cream (yum). After that, Megan and I went off on our own, and had a nice couple days together vacationing around Burlington. We went on a small tour of the Lake Champlain Chocolate Factory (more yum), with lots of free samples. We also walked around a pedestrian streek marketplace area, which was interesting. That night, we went to Junior's Italian restaurant.

On Saturday, we drove up close to Canada, and then down over some islands. The whole area is very pretty at this time of year, as the leaves are turning to their fall colors. We stopped at a couple places and took some pictures. We stopped at a little shop that had a large frog standing outside. We then went to one of my favorite places to get ice cream - Friendly's, and had lunch (mmm.... buffalo chicken...).

After lunch, we went back to Mount Philo, where the wedding was, and did some hiking down and up the sides of the mountain. It was good fun but rather tiring. After that, we went to a Chinese buffet for supper, and then flew back to Minnesota early Sunday morning. We continued our unhealthy eating by picking up Chipotle on the way home and going to Old Chicago for supper.

And now, it's back to work. Today is day 2 of 26 consecutive days in the office. Yehaw. :)

LotD: 36 World of Warcraft Accounts. Ack.

Manly Points

2008-10-06T13:48:00.003-05:00

So, twelve years ago, at the age of fourteen, I sent my brother Erik an email about manly points, which was a little running joke at the time. I found his response to be great, and thus printed out the email and saved it. I have scanned it in and felt it worth posting here, because I still think it's rather funny. Also of note is the apparent low quality of my parent's printer, and the fact that, it seems, at this time I did not have my own email address. Ah, the dark times.

Time has been short, and blogging has suffered, very sadly of course! :) But, alas. Only 29 days to the election.

As the workload begins to ramp up even more, I will be able to be gone for two days this week, as my brother Dave is getting married on Thursday in Vermont. So my wife and I are flying out Wednesday night and will be returning Sunday. While there, we will also be driving around and enjoying a mini-vacation. This will (probably) include a tour of the Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory. We'll be sure to take pictures of our time out yonder, and I will certainly report on it here in a future blog entry.

LotD: Expensive Meow. That cat better grow gold instead of fur.

Blog Title of Some Sort

2008-09-24T09:44:00.002-05:00

So I've gone two weeks without blogging. Ah, dear. And work hasn't even gotten that busy yet. We're still busy, but I'm expecting that October will bring more jumps in workload. Come and go quickly, Mr. Election Day!

Anyway, here are some projects that I'm working on, since I know that you really want to know. You do, don't you?

CCGTracker - An ASP site so my friends and I can track the games we play for our card games. It will also have the ability to randomly create games (which is useful, considering the number of decks that some of us have). We'll be able to see what decks we've played recently and what decks we haven't played in a while, and will see how our decks are doing, and how our decks are doing against certain other types of decks. It could be interesting, anyway. We'll see.

Reclamation Printout Page - Another ASP page. When it's finished, in theory, for playtesting, we'll be able to create a deck list and print out exactly the cards we need (with card design and iamge included). I've gotten some good work on this done, but there is more to do. I have been image searching lately for good images to use for the cards.

Cooproductions - All I really need to do is finish updating my top ten lists. There are several other things I'd like to do with it, but if I wait until everything to be done, it'll be forever. It's already been long enough. I'll get the lists done and then the site will continue to be a work in progress.

The Lords of Sargoff - While I am not currently working on this, I know there are at least a few people currently reading it. If you'd like to read it, please email me (or comment here) and I'll send you the file. (It's a 250 page fantasy novel, for those who may not know.) I am very much looking forward to hearing the response from the readings. I have written the rough draft for the first chapter in book two, and I think it's a pretty neat opening chapter.

In other news, I am now reading The Lost Colony, which is book five of the Artemis Fowl series. There are currently six books in the series. I have definitely enjoyed the series. I am not yet sure what I will be reading next, but I'm sure it will stay in the fantasy realm. Perhaps Eragon or The Chronicles of Narnia. I do plan on soon tackling The Wheel of Time, but that is a much bigger undertaking, and I may read a few of the small, faster series first.

I Am A Fan Of Food

2008-09-10T11:23:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday, my wife and I had date night. We each made part of the meal, with the other not knowing what the other made. I was assigned the part of making the main dish and the appetizer, while my wife made dessert. For the appetizer, I made Kielbasa Appetizers, which were rather good, I'd say. I even included the beer, though at first I wasn't going to. The main course was Teriyaki Marinated Chicken, which I marinated in the teriyaki sauce for 48 hours. It was also rather good. My wife made chocolate candies which were delicious.

One of the unfortunate consequences of increased busyness at work is that I will be blogging less during the next couple months. Sad, isn't it? I know. But, alas. We are already feeling the increase in workload due to the election. We have been placed on a rotation for being on-call at night, and will be in the office on Saturday for the third weekend in the last month. Not for doing the work itself, but for preparing for the election cycle. It's very exciting. But... alas. One of the other unfortunate consequences of the increased workload and later hours means I get less time to read and write, and work on other things that I am excited to work on (Reclamation, and the decks for the card games I play).

I am happy that I have people reading Lords of Sargoff. While there is still more work to do on that book, I find myself often thinking about starting writing on the second book. I already have the opening scene in my head, and I've already taken notes on many of the key plot points throughout the book. At some point, I'll probably start working on it, but I have other things on my to-do list first.

LotD: Fences. I'd like the roller coaster fence, though it seems rather nonfunctional. :)

The King Has Returned

2008-08-30T10:52:00.002-05:00

And Bill Ferny has been sent away.

This week, I finished reading Return of the King, thus finally completing the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which I thoroughly enjoyed (of course). I order them differently than the movies, according to my preference. The movies I enjoyed in this order: Return of the King, The Fellowship of the Ring, and then The Two Towers. For the books however, it was ordered as Towers, RotK, then Fellowship. It was interesting to see some of the differences between the books and the movies. I knew some already though, like the Elves at Helm's Deep. I'm happy to finally have read them.

Moving forward, I have begun reading the Artemis Fowl series, which my wife very much enjoys. I read about half the first book yesterday. It is, of course, much faster reading than Lord of the Rings. Even though the first Artemis book is 390 pages, about the same page counts as the Rings books, its word count is less than half. Even The Lords of Sargoff has a higherword count. Anyway, I like the book so far. So far there are 6 books in the series, and I don't think it'll take me that long to get through the whole thing (though it will be slower as I head into election season - less free reading time).

On Sunday, I am going to the Minnesota State Fair. Lots of overpriced, unhealthy, but rather tasty food. They have deep friend candy bars (which are some of the most delicious things ever), and some other unique things, including chocolate covered bacon. I will probably be trying things at the fair that I can't usually get or make myself - like they have alligator, which I may try this year. It'll be interesting, at any rate.

I am currently happy with the state of The Lords of Sargoff, and am very interested to see what people say about it after reading. I may put my attention now to finishing off my website, and then maybe look more at Reclamation, for the time being.

LotD: Catwoman. I don't know if this is real news, but it's an interesting thought. If it really is the "absolute opposite," as described, it could work. If you've seen The Dark Knight, just click the link already.

The Lord of Blog Entries

2008-08-21T09:14:00.002-05:00

As I have been counseled to do, and makes sense now that the novel is in its later stages, I have removed all downloadable files of The Lords of Sargoff from my online storage. It is best at this point to not allow the full text to be freely distributed online, as that is something publishers would likely frown upon. So, anyone who reads this blog can send me an email if they wish to read the full text. I will still likely post some of it on my website (maybe the first third, I'm not sure yet), but certainly not all of it.

Though I only recently posted the full version, I am already undergoing another read through and round of edits (it'll be a work in progress until a publisher hits the print button). I have continued to work on the dialog to make it more fantasy-like. I have also added another chapter to further develop one of the characters (Lord Arien). It is currently nearing 61,000 words (3,000 more words than when I posted the last version just a couple weeks ago), and I'd like to have it over 62,500 words, which shouldn't be a problem. That is the number at which, with 250 words per page, The Lords of Sargoff would be a 250 page novel, which I think is pretty good, even if it is on the shorter end of novels.

I am very excited to start sending it off to publishers, should the response from anyone who should read it tell me that they feel it to be ready. After this next round of edits is over with, I know my wife will be re-reading it and critiquing it for me. In addition to traditional publishers and literary agents, I have considered submitting it to Tate Publishing. They are a Christian publisher that will take care of pretty much the whole publishing process, but they require an investment (over $4,000, I believe). Authors who sell enough books through them (5,000 copies, I believe) get their investment back. While I am not currently in a position to drop four grand on a book investment, I may submit the manuscript to them anyway, just to get their feedback on whether they liked the story. I will only consider going through them if I am not able to find a traditional publisher or literary agent (who require no investment) to publish it. But any feedback I can get from Tate would most likely be helpful.

LotD: Death Star Over San Francisco. And you thought Star Wars was a myth. It was, of course, a documentary! I found this video while at work, and just watch a few moments of it, without the sound, assuming there is sound. So I have no idea what they're saying, but the video itself was pretty nifty.

My Jedi Training

2008-08-18T10:45:00.003-05:00

On Friday night, I went to see Star Wars: The Clone Wars, since it would be crazy for there to be a Star Wars film in existence that I haven't seen. The reviews of it had been rather grim, so I went with rather low expectations. Which, in the end, meant that the movie was about as good as I was expecting. The animation was pretty good for the most part, but the story wasn't too impressive, as they rehashed old plot points, even lifting quotes from other Star Wars movies and seeming to duplicate scenes from the other movies, with different characters. Overall, I thought the movie to basically be a glorified Saturday morning cartoon, and not too much more.

To continue the Star Wars theme, on Saturday, a large group of us (10 adults, 2 children) went to the Star Wars exhibit, which was rather excellent. They had tons of original props from the movies, including ships, costumes and weapons that were actually used in the movies. The had a large model of the Millennium Falcon, probably a good six feet wide, maybe. That ship, along with several others, had amazing levels of detail. My other favorite parts were the original Yoda puppet, (of course) Darth Vader's costume, and the original lightsabers. They had costumes and models for just about all the main characters, minus a few. It was excellent.

LotD: Star Wars TV Series. I'd heard about this around the time Episode III came out, I think. It's live action, but who knows if it'll be any good once it comes out in 2009 or 2010.

Ah, Stuff

2008-08-08T21:18:00.002-05:00

Welcome to another exciting edition of Chromiden's Chronicles. Last week, as I stated in a previous entry, I took my wife on a secret date. She had no idea where we were going. Everything ended up going well. We drove from the Twin Cities to Rochester (about an hour and a half drive) and ate at a place called The Canadian Honker, as recommended to me by the newly-blogging Mrs. Marlin. It was rather good. The appetizer we got - onion rings - were deemed by my wife to be the best onion rings she'd ever had. Pretty impressive. She had a burger for the main course, and I had (as is rather usual for me at almost any restaurant) chicken strips, which were rather yummy. It was a wonderful meal. We then went to the second surprise of the night, in Stewartville (about 10 minutes from Rochester) - where we were entertained by the Stewartville Community Theater's production of Beauty and the Beast. It was a pretty good show and, most importantly, my wife liked it. So it was a good day.

We are now planning something that we haven't done in a while, which is a fancy-type dinner at home where each of us makes part of the meal, but where we surprise each other with what we're making. Unlike the first two times we did this, it has been decided that I will be making the main course. I need to start figuring out what to make, though I do have some ideas. I have other a month to plan, but I better think about it, so I don't forget. Whoops.

Here, using the rapid-fire approach, are some other random updates from my life.

I finished The Two Towers today, and will be beginning Return of the King very shortly. Unlike with the movies, I enjoyed this book more than Fellowship of the Ring. Who knows why. But I am amused that the orcs around Cirith Ungol said hello to each other by saying "Hola!" I didn't realize that Mordor was that close to Spain.
On the secret date trip described previously, my car hit the fun number of 180,000 miles. Another year or so and it'll hit the sweet number of 200,000 miles. Who knows if it'll make it. But we're prepared to pay cash for a car once either one of our cars kicks the bucket (her car is around 150,000 miles; so both are nearing the end, most likely). While I will miss my car, I am rather looking forward to car (or truck) shopping.
I have done a bit of work on my new Cooproductions website. As I've stated before, I'm most excited to have a better place to post Lords of Sargoff updates and images and other game information from Reclamation and Myridia.
We are going to ValleyFair tomorrow. How sweet is that?

LotD: Stefan Didak's Home Office Desktop. I think he needs more monitors.

Fifty-Eight Thousand Words, Just For You

2008-08-05T10:03:00.002-05:00

I have uploaded the newest version of The Lords of Sargoff. For those interested in reading it, you can download it in the following formats:

For those up to the challenge of reading it, I hope you will give me honest and brutal feedback on what you thought of it. I am looking for any and all such things:

Grammar and spelling errors
Plot holes (things don't make sense storywise - big or small)
Sections that don't flow, or don't seem to fit - sections of bad writing :)
People and places that have dumb names (or names that don't fit)
Things that are not explained enough, or explained too much
Words that are overused
Parts of the story that are too similar to "fantasy cliches"
Anything that you think may improve the story

If this it to be someday accepted for publication, it needs to be as without flaws as possible, so hold nothing back. :)

LotD: Periodic Table of Awesoments. I'm amused that #11 doesn't have an abbreviation.

Myridia

2008-08-04T11:36:00.003-05:00

So, as some who read this know and also play, one of my favorite board games is Carcassonne. It is a strategy game where players place tiles on the table, creating a geographical area and score points based on parts of that area (cities, roads, fields, or forests, river, and meadows, depending on your version of the game, though there are other versions).

Within the last few months, I've had the idea pop into my head for creating a game with the similarity of tiles making up a geographical area, and yet, rather different. So, I have written up several pages worth of rules for this game - Myridia - which is (I think) a bit more complicated than Carcassonne.

One major difference is that the game is in space. So each tile can include one of (or a combination of) planets, moons, asteroids, black holes, wormholes, stars, and empty space, and other little things (like treasures, space merchants and space raiders).

In Carcassonne, you claim things (cities, roads, and so on), trying to score points off of them. In Myridia, the main part of the game is delivering goods from planet to planet. There will be 5 different types of resources, some scarcer, some more common. Planets usually only provide certain types of resources and only want to by others. So you must build outposts and ships in order to pick up and deliver goods from planet to planet, trying to maximize your earnings. The purpose of the game is to earn more credits than your opponents (this is what determines the winner at the end of the game). Credits are also how you buy things. You can also earn credits by completing missions (they will show up on certain tiles).

Oh, Myridia is the name of the central star ("the sun") in this little galaxy that gets created during the game, thus, the name of the game.

LotD: Christian the Lion. It's kind of a cheesy video, but funky nonetheless.

Goodness is Coming

2008-08-01T08:56:00.002-05:00

It is true that I have seen The Dark Knight twice already, but is that nearly enough for such an amazing piece of cinema? Heck no. Thus, quite possibly, the third time's a charm tonight. I'm pretty excited. I do love this movie. It current sits at #10 on my list, just behind Gladiator and The Matrix, but it is threatening to move up and overtake at least one of them.

In other news, I am taking my wife on a secret date night on Saturday night. I'll tell you more what it consists of in an entry next week, but I think she'll like it.

I have been increasing my work on The Lords of Sargoff, and have nearly read through the whole thing in the last few days. I then have a list of changes or additions to make. I have also made quite a bit of notes concerning plot lines for the second book, which I have preliminarily titled The Second War, though who knows what the heck it'll be in the end. I have a bit of work left on book one. I should be posting a new version of it within the next two weeks, for anyone who feels up to rereading it. I am then hoping to start sending it to literary agents and publishers by the end of the year. I feel, at 60,000 words (approximately 250 pages), that the story is mostly complete; most of the work on it now is minor tweaking.

LotD: Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince Teaser Trailer. About time, huh?

The Top Fifty

2008-07-29T13:38:00.003-05:00

Here is the top fifty of my newly-redone movies list (which currently has a total of 402 movies). This is by far the longest of the lists that I will be redoing for my website. Numbers 10, 16, 17, and 19 are all brand new to my top 20. Originally, when I had first gone to see #17 and had reported it in this blog, I had thought I would place it below the series that started with #20 on this list. But then I saw it again, and it moved up. Good job Mr. Stark.

1 Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The
2 Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The
3 Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
4 Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The
5 Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
6 Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
7 Star Wars: A New Hope
8 Matrix, The
9 Gladiator
10 Dark Knight, The
11 Serenity
12 Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
13 Chronicles of Narnia: Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, The
14 Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
15 Braveheart
16 Batman Begins
17 Iron Man
18 Terminator II: Judgment Day
19 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
20 X-Men
21 Shrek
22 Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
23 Minority Report
24 Juno
25 300 (2007)
26 King Kong (2005)
27 Princess Bride, The
28 Signs
29 Se7en
30 Matrix: Reloaded, The
31 Fight Club
32 V For Vendetta
33 Cars
34 Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
35 Toy Story II
36 X-Men: The Last Stand
37 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
38 I, Robot
39 I Am Legend
40 Office Space
41 Bourne Ultimatum, The
42 Saving Private Ryan
43 Shawshank Redemption, The
44 Bourne Supremacy, The
45 Toy Story
46 Terminator III: Rise of the Machines
47 X2: X-Men United
48 Terminator
49 Transformers
50 Troy

LotD: Tilted Twister. It's a Lego robot that solves a Rubik's Cube.

I'm Illiterate

2008-07-22T16:41:00.002-05:00

Well, not really. However, the amount of books I've read is relatively low. How many, you ask? Since I know you really want to know, I shall tell you. As far as I can recall, the number of novels I have thus far read in my life is 25. This includes 12 Left Behind books and 7 Harry Potter books. The other six are: The Hobbit; The Fellowship of the Ring (I'm currently halfway through The Two Towers); The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe; To Kill a Mockingbird; Jaws; and Sounder. This list does not include my reading of my own novel-in-progress. :)

My mother urged me to read more as a child, but I rebelliously declined. This was the time she managed to make me get through Jaws. Well, better late than never to start reading a lot.

But, alas. This shall be increasing more in the future. If anyone has any recommendations for me, let me know. Here's a quick recap of my current to-be-read list: Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time, Eragon, Chronicles of Narnia, and Artemis Fowl.

LotD: Terminator Salvation Teaser Trailer. Now, you would have seen this already had you gone to see The Dark Knight. Tisk-tisk. Christian Bale's involvement in the new Terminator movies has me more interested in them.

Kill The Bat Man

2008-07-21T09:40:00.004-05:00

Batman Begins was an excellently entertaining, dark, very well done reboot to the Batman franchise. I have memory of only seeing Batman Forever - with Val Kilmer - which I thought was pretty good, but that - and any pieces of the other movies I've seen - can't hold a candle to what director Christopher Nolan did with Batman Begins. Christian Bale was the perfect choice to play Batman, and all the other pieces of the film fit together nearly perfectly. This was the movie that the franchise deserved.

And then came the sequel, The Dark Knight.

Which, by nearly every aspect, is one of the very best sequels that has ever been produced. It is not only better than its predecessor, and the best film of the year, but to me, it is the best film to hit theaters since Return of the King in December 2003. I am currently in the process of redoing my top movies list, and it debuted at #10. Not too bad. There were only 2 movies that were not from Star Wars or Lord of the Rings that ranked higher. Twenty points goes to anyone who can guess what those are.

[Just to clarify; while I think it is the best movie of the last 5 years, that does not mean it is my favorite - that title goes to Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. What I find the most entertaining and what I find to be the best movie are not necessarily the same thing.]

The story was dark - darker than the first - and the action was great, but The Dark Knight's greatest asset is the late Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker. This Joker is unlike any movie villain to I can remember, and one of the best. He is not a happy Joker, but a dark and menacing figure that steals each scene. There is talk of Ledger's performance earning him a posthumous Oscar nomination, which I most definitely think this performance is worthy of.

So, in short: go see this movie. If you haven't seen Batman Begins, borrow it or rent it, and then go see this movie. There is a definite chance that my wife and I will be making a return viewing.

LotD: Star Trek Images. Just some little teaser poster images from the next Star Trek movie.

The Thickening Dark

2008-07-03T15:35:00.002-05:00

Sounds like a good chapter title for The Lords of Sargoff. Anyway, I've gotten some good work done on the story over the last week or so. It's now sitting at about 54,000 words (216+ pages) and growing. I'm adding in some new adventures and stories. Hopefully for the better. :)

Through my own thinking and reading The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy, I'm going to be making a couple changes to how the story is written. First off, I'm trying to use language that is more fantasy-like; this goes both with my narration and the dialog. I'm also working on making the language darker, especially as the story moves forward.

Next involves the narrator. The way I'd be writing so far is that the narrator basically only tells what he sees, but doesn't necessarily know a lot himself. Another way to do it is to have an all-knowing, who can explain anything in the universe (I see Tolkien's work as being mostly like this). I'm going to shoot for something in the middle; a narration that knows more than I've written it as so far, but doesn't know everything. Hopefully that didn't completely not make sense. :)

LotD: History of Bad Keyboards. Yikes.

Sixteen Days

2008-07-02T13:18:00.003-05:00

Crazy. It has been sixteen days since I last blogged. That's just crazy. What have I been up to? Uhh.. not too much. Just work and the usual.

I have been to two movies in the last five days. First off, on Saturday, the wife and I went to go see Wall-E, which I would definitely recommend to anyone else who pretty much loves everything put out by Disney and Pixar. I would put it squarely in the middle in my rankings of Pixar films, not as high as Cars and Toy Story II, but higher than Monsters, Inc. It was pretty fun and very enjoyable.

Then, last night, Megan and I went to see Hancock, which I also liked. It was a funny and interesting story, and I am a fan of Will Smith's acting. It's certainly not a perfect movie, but it was still entertaining.

At both movies, we saw previews for the movie Bolt, which I think could be really rather funny - an animated movie about a dog that comes out around Thanksgiving. However, the next movie on the radar for us is The Dark Knight - a guaranteed see-it-as-soon-as-it-comes-out type movie, with the added bonus of possibly starting off with a trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince. But we'll see.

I've been working more on Lords of Sargoff, adding some more plotlines and possibly changing some other things about how I'm writing the story. But more on that on a future blog entry, which will be much sooner than sixteen days.

LotD: Fantasy Fine Art Gallery. Good place to look for pictures of dragons and other such fantasy images. Also is a decent place for me to find Reclamation images.

Home Sweet Home

2008-06-16T08:19:00.002-05:00

Most people reading this already know about my switch at work, but here's a recap for those who don't. For the past few months, I have been doing ASP.NET (website programming), learning a lot. However, last week, I was moved back to "Data Requests", which is what I was doing at FLS before I left to go work at Priority Publications. It is a very database oriented job, which I am liking more and more in comparison with web stuff. That being said, all of our database stuff is in Visual FoxPro - a Microsoft product (that Microsoft purchased from another company) that they are no longer supporting, and is "behind the times." We are now in the process of transitioning everything over to Microsoft SQL Server - a much more up-to-date, and powerful database system, and a technology that experience with is much more valuable than FoxPro. So this will both be good for the company - things will run faster - and good for me, as a bit of good SQL experience will look good on the resume.

So, I am now in the process of taking the programming we had in Fox Pro and rewriting it in SQL Server, so we can fully move into that and away from Fox Pro. The whole transition will take quite a while (at least weeks).

On another home-sweet-home note, I have been accepted to work the next TEC weekend, back on the Support team. I am very excited! Meetings start the last weekend in June.

And now for a small update on my personal projects.

For Reclamation, I have decided to look ahead, making lists of possible card titles for the next couple sets. Some books of the Bible are full of things to use; others... not so much. Leviticus especially will not have a lot (in such cases, multiple books will be combined into one set).

For Lords of Sargoff, I am doing deeper character definitions, following the Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy's suggestion. This includes developing timelines, deeper back stories, and character profiles for each character (more detailed for the more "main" characters). I have about 20-25 characters that I want to develop deeper.

LotD: Beautiful Cloud Image Gallery. The first one looks like a nuclear blast. Neato.

Cooproductions and Reclamation

2008-06-10T08:19:00.005-05:00

My GoDaddy account has been setup! I am excited, and look forward to getting a chance to work on the site. For now, I have a graphic sitting there at cooproductions.com, as a place holder. I still have to figure out how I'm going to design it, and how I'm going to store the top ten lists (database driven vs. plain text).

I have also been working on a new design for the Reclamation cards. I have done a lot of work on the Hell design; see the Satan card image, and let me know what you think. I went with more of a fire theme. The Heaven cards will probably have a lot of light, like sunlight. And I may do something with parchments or scrolls for the neutral cards. But we shall see. Oh, and the image is bigger than I have previously had for cards. I picked a new font that I thought worked better. The sword icon in the upper right also now designates of that character is a fighter (a non-fighter has a book), so that is no longer written out.

On a side note, after grabbing the image I used for the Satan card, I began to think that it was, in fact, the Balrog from Lord of the Rings. But alas, it looks cool and works (though its supposed to be Satan as a serpent - so the actual card would have a different image, but it works for now).

LotD: The Dangers of a Transformers T-Shirt. Evidently, if a t-shirt represents something that could be dangerous, then it, itself, is too dangerous for the air.

New Chapter, New Site

2008-06-05T10:52:00.002-05:00

I have added a segment to the beginning of the first chapter of Lords of Sargoff and shortened the rest of the chapter. You can find the updated version here. I will be making more edits to the rest of the story shortly, as this change affects other things. But I wanted to post the first chapter, to see if anyone thinks it is a better or worse way to start off the book.

I get to have some web design fun shortly. :) I am transferring (from Microsoft Office Live, which I didn't particularly like) the domain name cooproductions.com to GoDaddy, and will then set up hosting there. This is the same name I have used for previous sites, and other things I have created. I am looking forward to having a much more reliable host than I have now, and will be integrating the Lords of Sargoff page and a Reclamation page along with updated top ten lists and whatever else I feel like putting up there. It'll be interesting. :)

On a side note, here's an interesting story. I went to the high school graduation for my niece Ashley, who graduated from NRHEG. [New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva, for those not in "the know"]. It was a fine graduation. The odd thing was this: a man sitting a couple rows ahead of us had an iguana sitting on his shoulder. It was very much alive and he had it on a leash. What's with that? :)

LotD: 30 Sequels You Didn't Know About. Plus a link to 28 more.

Indiana Caspian's Ghost

2008-06-02T09:50:00.003-05:00

Thus explains the last week or so of my life, cinematically speaking.

My wife and I went to see The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian last week. There was more action, and (after the beginning setup) was rather fast paced, bringing the end credits faster than I expected. While it was rather entertaining, I would have to put it a little below The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, though it's been a couple years since I've seen that one. I felt the ending battle wasn't as grand or epic as it should have been. That being said, if you liked the first one, you should like the second one.

The day after that, we went to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which I also thoroughly enjoyed. I am not sure where it ranks among the first three, but it certainly would not be far behind. [Ranking may be decided shortly, when I redo my top movies list.] I left the theater thinking that I had enjoyed this movie more than Prince Caspian.

Then, we watched a movie that Megan had borrowed from a coworker - Ghost Rider, which was an impressive step down from the previously mentioned two movies. The graphics were good - the whole flaming motorcycle and rider - but I felt the storyline, writing, and acting were off. Nicolas Cage did an okay job, but some of the rest weren't so good. When it comes to comic book / superhero movies, this will battle for my least favorite, along with Daredevil.

LotD: More Terminator Movies. The addition of Christian Bale increases my interest in Arnold-less Terminator movies. Looks like they're already doing some serious planning: three sequels.

Writing About Reading and Reading About Writing

2008-05-28T10:02:00.002-05:00

Both my body and my brain need exercise. So, I am going to start biking and reading on a regular basis.

I had been reading Angels and Demons, but found it rather uninteresting, and thus am stopping halfway through. I was then told the details of how it ended by my wife. Now, I will be picking up The Lord of the Rings, finally. About five years ago, I had read The Fellowship of the Ring and about half of The Two Towers, but never finished the series. And, considering I am a big geek and a huge LotR fan, this will soon be rectified. (I will probably read The Hobbit again before the movie comes out in a couple years.) I also might throw in a second reading of Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince before that movie comes out in November.

After Lord of the Rings, I will have a few options, including re-reading Chronicles of Narnia. A few other books on my reading list include Eragon, Wheel of Time, Artemis Fowl, the prequel books for the Left Behind series, and other Lord of the Rings readings (including Children of Hurin, The Silmarillion, among others).

While reading such books, I will continue to go through my Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy and working on Lords of Sargoff. Reading will both be entertaining, and helpful for me when it comes to my own writing.

I will also be biking. I have put on a few extra pounds, and wouldn't mind losing them and then quite a few more. The combination of regular exercise and eating less and healthier should help with that. There is a little trail through the woods near our apartment that I will be biking through. I am hoping to bike a few miles, a few times a week. That's where I'm starting anyway. I also am probably going to combine these two activities (sort of... this does not mean I will be biking and reading at the same time.) :) I can bike the 1.5 or so miles of a loop and end up at a park next to a lake, where I can sit and read for a while, and then take the loop backwards and head home. I think it will be fun. I also know that part of the reason I've been reading less is that I am easily distracted by my computer. :)

LotD: Record Road Trip. Forty-eight states in five days. Impressive.

Adventures in Buckeyeland: Part Two

2008-05-27T12:14:00.002-05:00

My trip to Ohio was good fun. It is always good to see the family, and to eat Graeter's ice cream. :) The best ice cream in the world.

While I was there, I celebrated my twenty-sixth birthday. My mother and sister-in-law made a chocolate peanut butter cheesecake which was absolutely delicious. And of course, I got presents. :) This included Transformers on DVD (which we then watched about 20 minutes of on my brother's projector screen), and a couple of writing-related books: Christian Writers' Market Guide, which will be more useful when I get closer to looking for a publisher for Lords of Sargoff, and a book which I think will be rather useful right now - The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy (or some title close to that). It talks about developing fantasy worlds and characters, and magic, and all sorts of other things. I've read the first chapter - a quick history of fantasy, with a list of recommended readings - and will soon be entering the chapter on characters. It should be rather handy.

And, here's some more big birthday news: when I returned from Ohio, my wife gave me my birthday gift, which was actually a birthday + anniversary gift (our two year anniversary is today). And... it was a Nintendo Wii! We'd talked about getting one later in the summer, but I was most pleased to get it now. We don't yet have any games for it (outside of Wii Sports, which is wonderful), but shortly we will be each getting a game we want (for her - Dance Dance Revolution; for me - MarioKart). It's tons of fun! :)

On an anniversary-related note, we are going to the most wonderful restaurant in the world tonight to celebrate: The Cheesecake Factory. And before that, Megan will get her present from me, which, while much less exciting than a Wii, I think she will rather like it - it's a good stack of books (8 of them I think) that she wants to read. (Her favorite genre of novel is becoming fantasy. Ah, geekdom is expanding.)

LotD: The Best of Google Street View. Street View allows you to see street-level images of roads in major cities. It's pretty sweet. This is a small collection of unique images that people have found on it, including a car fire and an airplane flying above the road.

Adventures in Buckeyeland: Part One

2008-05-23T10:28:00.002-05:00

Well, I am back to Minnesota after an excellent 5 day stay at Erik and Gina's house in Columbus. The only thing that didn't go well was one of the very first things that happened - and ended up being rather humorous. Well, here we go.

My wife dropped me off at the airport in Minneapolis, then headed down to her mom's house for the weekend. After I was dropped off, I started to go through the security checkpoint with my bag and my laptop. The man at the x-ray had another security personnel take my bag and look through it. She opened it up and I saw something I did not expect - shall we say... "feminine products." Yes, I was about to trek halfway across the country, and I had grabbed my wife's bag out of the car, leaving her with mine. (The reason they wanted to look through it was because of the bottles of shampoo and conditioner, which they then threw away.)

I tried desperately to call my wife, hoping she could turn around and swap the bags, but she did not answer her cell phone. So, with a certain amount of self-annoyance, I boarded the plane with a bag full of female clothing, thus leaving me with only the clothes on my back for things to wear for the next five days. Whoops.

The clothes thing didn't bother me too much, but my bag swap meant I did not have my Lord of the Rings cards with me, which was too bad, nor did I have the CD's of my wedding pictures which I was bringing for my parents and brothers (those cds will, instead, be mailed out shortly). I also did not bring the decks I had made for playtesting of my Reclamation card game. However, we printed some out there (I was able to connect from my laptop to my work computer at FLS, which conveniently, had my flash drive, where the game files were stored). We played a game of it and came up with some more good improvements (in theory).

Anyway, shortly after arriving in Columbus, I went shopping at Meijer [like a Super Target] and picked up a pair of jeans and other necessities, and borrowed shirts from Erik during the week. So it was just a minor annoyance in the end, but still rather funny.

More to come on the trip.

LotD: 107 Years and Counting. This light bulb has been shining for 107 years.

Iron Man

2008-05-06T08:38:00.003-05:00

I went to the earliest possible showing of the movie Iron Man - last Thursday at 8:00 p.m. I rather enjoyed the movie, though for superhero movies, I'd put it just below X-Men and Batman Begins, but a good step up from most other series, including Spider-Man. The Iron Man series has a lot going for it and has the potential to become much better. The action scenes were great and the there were some very funny moments to it. The special effects were done perfectly and fit in just right. It's very smart for an superhero movie. So go see it. :)

Next on the list: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. I'm pumped.

In really much more important information, I attended a little party over the weekend. Oh, yeah, it was a wedding of the Mac Man, Mr. Anderson: my sixth time as a groomsman. Oh, how my feet hurt. :) But everything seemed to go off without a hitch, and the newlywed couple is now in Florida. Lucky! :)

LotD: Real Life Iron Man. Well, not exactly, but it seems this company is trying to get some cheap big-time publicity for their "exoskeleton robotic suit."

A Look Back

2008-05-01T07:24:00.001-05:00

December 26, 2007, was one of the hardest days I've ever had. The day before had been a wonderful Christmas day at home with my wife. I got up in the morning and went to work at Priority Publications, where I had been employed as a Web Programmer since September, after leaving my 2 1/2 year job at FLS Connect as a Database Analyst.

After arriving to my desk, my boss asked me to follow him into the office of the company's HR person. As soon as she said "These types of meetings are never easy," I knew what was coming. They had decided to terminate employment with me, effective immediately.

I sat there and listened while my boss listed the reasons why I was let go. I wasn't the right fit. Perhaps there were some things that I wasn't doing properly. I wasn't proactive enough. I then went back to my desk, put my belongings in a box, and left.

From the moment I knew I was getting let go, I felt my emotions rising up inside of me. I held them in until I got in my car, then proceeded to sit there and cry for several minutes. I even cried a bit of the drive home. Which is rather odd for me, as those people who know me well know that I don't cry often or easily. But this hit me hard - not because I would not be making money. It wasn't merely the fact that I would no longer have a job, but it was how I lost it.

I felt like I had failed. I was in a position that I felt comfortable in, right where I thought God wanted me to be at this point in my career, and I failed. And yet, at the same time, I know that none of those things that my boss had brought up as reasons for my termination had been previously brought to my attention. I didn't see the point in God bringing me to this company, only to have me let go after 3 1/2 months, before I was really able to further develop my skills.

Priority had just bought a new company that included four web developers - each of which had much more experience than I did. It seems to me that they simply decided that they didn't need me anymore. They had a lot more experience now. Which brings me quickly to the concept of company loyalty. I am a loyal employee, even after being at a place a relatively short time. After about 2 or 2 1/2 months at Priority, a former FLS coworker of mine told me about a job at his company. I went to the interview, but was very hesitant about it - because I had only been at Priority a couple months and didn't feel right leaving so soon, and this came across in the interview. I was merely there to see the opportunity, but I didn't really feel right about it, because I had a good job at a company. A company that I felt a part of and felt at home with. I was not offered the job - one of the main reasons being, basically, that they didn't think my heart was in it, which it wasn't.

So within a few days of losing my job at Priority, I started my job search, which mostly returned no results from potential employers. The job at my former coworker's new company had already been filled. After about a month, I started a temporary stint back at FLS Connect, doing the same type of Database Analyst thing I was doing before, but it was only for a week, as it was a busier time and they needed the help. On my last day, I was brought into my boss' office and he asked if I was interested in coming back to FLS full time, but in a different position, which brings me to my current state of employment. I am a Junior .NET Programmer - I do programming for their web site and web applications. Which is rather similar to the job I had at Priority Publications.

Maybe it's just something about this company. FLS was my first job right out of college, and the way that all game together was right from God. Within the last few months before graduating from college, I had my resume online and had had practically no bites on it. Then, about two weeks before, I got a call from FLS, and we set up an interview. I graduated from DeVry (in Columbus, Ohio) on a Sunday, drove up to Minnesota on a Monday, had the interview on Tuesday, and was called and offered the job on Wednesday. It was perfect.

But I had to leave the company, get let go, and be unemployed for a month in order to get the job I really wanted at my original company. It's weird how things work out sometimes. I am so thankful that I left FLS on excellent terms. I had even come back one other time for about 2 weeks in October/November to help them out prior to election time. If I didn't have that great relationship with this company, I may still be out of a job.

That being said, I still don't like to think about Priority. If I let myself think about it too much, it brings back those same feelings of failure. I know everything always works out the way it should through the will of God, but this hurt. It made me question my quality as an employee, as well as my choice of a career path.

Oddly enough, not having a job for a month did give me a significant amount of time to work on writing my novel, which is what I'd rather be doing anyway. I don't know exactly what God's ultimate plan is in all of this, but I know that He has one, and I'm trusting Him in every step.

Undebtification Part One

2008-04-30T08:13:00.004-05:00

My wife and I hit a good financial milestone over the weekend when it comes to my student loans. I had both private and federal loans; the federal loans made up about 20% of the total. And we managed to pay it off, which is most excellent. We had only starting paying up on it in the fall, and before then had mostly been doing the minimum payments. We estimate that, should we be able to continue paying up on the private loans at the same rate (which shouldn't be a problem), that we will be out of debt in less than two years, which is very exciting. Then, of course, soon after would come the much bigger debt of a mortgage, but first things first. And hopefully we can get a house before the housing market improves. :)

I found out a little bit of sad news last week at work. Jay, my boss, is leaving the company in early May. He hired me back in 2005, and was mainly responsible for rehiring me in January after I left and was subsequently let go from Priority Publications after a few months. He has been an excellent boss to work for, and he will be missed around here. I can only hope that his replacement (I believe they're hiring from outside the company) is as good, and doesn't have a completely different management style. Jay is rather laid back, and maintains the type of work environment that I feel comfortable with. But alas, we'll see.

LotD: R2D2 Projector. I may have linked to such a product before, but this link is for a video that really shows it off. It is pretty sweet. :)

Yes, I Am A Nerd

2008-04-29T10:04:00.002-05:00

I have gone a couple weeks without working on The Lords of Sargoff. But this will be changing soon. I posted the first chapter on an online fiction critique message board and got some good comments on passive voice versus active voice, which I will be able to apply throughout the story.

In the meantime, I have been doing some thinking about my card game, Reclamation, partially because I am looking forward to some playtesting while in Columbus in May. There have been several changes to gameplay since I last playtested with the Columbus Coopers, and more changes may be in order. Here are some thoughts I have been considering. Those who care not about this game may skip to the bottom for the LotD, which is a double, since I missed yesterday. :)

1. Multiplayer. One of the advantages of having each deck have both Heaven and Hell cards is that having any number of players (even or odd) shouldn't be a problem. At the same time, I see the advantages of designing the game so each player either has a Heaven or a Hell deck. This, however, creates some problems when it comes to odd-numbered multiplayer games.

2. Wounds. I currently have wounds represented by cards placed under the character. I also have the characters arranged in a grid. The problem starts out when the grid is empty, and being able to determine exactly what spot in the grid a character is played to. I have considered having cards under a character to act as placeholders and help define the grid, by it would be messy for the placeholder and wound cards to coexist.

3. I have considering restructuring how the grid works. I designed the grid to emulate a battle formation. However, in the game, non-warriors and animals are in the grid. In theory, I could change it from a grid to a battle line, and have one line of warriors who actually do the fighting, and behind them (in the 'trench', where order or placement doesn't matter). In theory, I could then both do placeholder cards and wound cards for the warriors (wounds underneath, placeholders behind them on the playing surface).

If I do this, then each conflict will be between two characters, instead of a whole row. I see advantages and disadvantages to doing it this way. An advantage is that it makes it harder for an army to be mercilessly better than an opponent's, forcing that opponent to rebuild for a long time (less warriors). A disadvantages is that battle conflicts become limited to one character per side, taking away the fun of full column vs. column. That being said, there may still be other ways to initiate conflicts between larger groups. So, maybe it's not so bad.

It would simplify things, so characters are now simply 'adjacent' to each other, as opposed to also being 'surrounding,' not to mention diagonally, vertically, and horizontally adjacent. If I did this, I would also quite possibly raise the numbers when it comes to might (when most characters are might 2 or 3, a +2 might bonus is massive; if they are usually between 6 and 10, a +2 bonus is not as overpowerful).

That being said, the battle line and numbers change do cause similarities to Lord of the Rings, which I am trying to prevent.

LotD: Programatical Proposal. This guy tweaked a game to propose to his girlfriend.

LotD2: Geekiest Pants Ever. Yeah, that's a keyboard on his pants.

Sarah Marshall, Forgotten

2008-04-28T09:41:00.004-05:00

I haven't really had a post about movies in a little while. So, here goes - a recap of some recent movies I've seen and a look forward to this year's cinematic offerings. Over the weekend, my wife and I went to see the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall. It was good and funny, though a step below the much funnier and more interesting Knocked Up. That being said, by far, the best new movie I've seen within the past six months, at least, is Juno - while not as uproariously funny as Knocked Up, is still very humorous, more genuine, and better written and acted. It is also quite a bit cleaner, as Knocked Up is one of the biggest fans of the f-word that I've ever seen; Juno is also the only one of these three that does not include someone removing their clothing.

Looking forward, here are nine of the movies that I have interest in that are coming out in 2008, ranked in order (from highest to lowest) of my interest in them. Includes the release date. It is practically guaranteed that I will be seeing at least the first five of these in the theater.

Harry Potter And The Half-blood Prince (11/21)
- Each one has gotten better so far, in my opinion. This will only the third time ever (after Order of the Phoenix and The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe) that I read the book prior to seeing the movie.
The Dark Knight (7/18)
- Batman Begins was an excellent reboot to the Batman franchise (that being said, I believe I've only seen one other Batman movie - Batman Forever). I am very excited to see this one, especially for the Joker.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (5/16)
- While not up to the same level in fantasy as Lord of the Rings, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was an excellently entertaining film, and has me wanting to go back and reread the books.
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (5/22)
- More Indiana. How can this be a bad thing?
Iron Man (5/2)
- I had never heard of the character of Iron Man before a year or two ago. But the trailers look good.
Wall-E (6/27)
- More from Pixar = Good.
Get Smart (6/20)
- I watched the series a good bit when I was younger.
The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor (8/1)
- While I haven't really seen all of The Mummy Returns, the first movie was great.
The Incredible Hulk (6/13)
- I thought the first Hulk from a few years ago was rather good, but this is a completely fresh and new reboot of the series. Could be better, could be worse.

Ye Olde Rustbucket

2008-04-24T11:41:00.002-05:00

First off, I have submitted my application for TEC 72, and I ordered the teams as Support, Wheat, and Kitchen. I am already excited, though the application deadline isn't for over a month. :)

My automobile is getting old. For those not in "the know" of my car, it is a 2000 Chevy Cavalier that is coming dangerously close to 175,000 miles. While it is still running just fine, at that mileage, who knows how much it has left in it. And a big repair would finish it off, because the car is simply not worth putting any fair amount of money into.

The newest sign of the car's age is a growing rust spot on the side underneath the passenger door (see image), which had me a little concerned, as I didn't know if that was all of the rust. I looked underneath and I didn't see any other big rusting, so that's good. Next time I take it in for an oil change, I may request that they take a quick look and tell me if there's any serious rust anywhere on the undercarriage. Cause that'd be a bummer. It's been a good car (I've had it for 5 1/2 years and thus far put nearly 127,000 miles on it), and it shall be sad when it goes away. But then again, I (we) get to buy another one then. :)

Double LotD: Warcraft Movie, and rumors concerning a possible Everquest movie. Ah, crazy times we live in. :)

Wheated

2008-04-21T20:59:00.002-05:00

Well, here I am, back from the wonderful weekend that was TEC 71. Working on the Wheat team was definitely a different experience that working Support, but both are amazing. It was rather interesting, being at a TEC weekend, and yet not doing the normal Support things. This is the part of the blog entry where I make fun of the Kitchen team for not providing plates for Thursday night's meal. And here are a few highlights (of which there were many).

Talks - It was interesting to actually watch the talks, as opposed to only hearing them during the team meetings. I noticed as the weekenders become more and more interested in the talks as the weekend went on. The talks were all very good; the most powerful being (in my opinion) one that described in detail the crucifixion of Christ. It was similar in effect to watching The Passion of the Christ.

The Champion - It had been nine years since I'd seen it last, and being there during practice and the actual performance was amazing. The weekenders cheered and booed as the battle happened. It was perfect.

Table Commissioning - First experience with table commissioning since I was a candidate ten years ago. It was rather interesting to see the differences in the tables, and watch the tables do a little guessing on YTL.

And of course, I always enjoy the activities of Saturday night.

Now, the main question is: What am I going to apply for for the next TEC? Whatever it is, they should have my application by the end of the week.

LotD: Star Wars Urban Photography. Star Wars characters in modern day urban locations. Pretty well done too, but click on the image to get one that's bigger for best results.

The Art of Bowling Badly

2008-04-16T08:40:00.002-05:00

Last night, my wife and I went out to eat at The Hunan Restaurant in Bloomington. It was a new place, and we had a coupon. :) It was pretty good, and I did enjoy my shrimp in lobster sauce. Neither of us finished our meals, and took some home as leftovers. From there, we went bowling, which was the first time I'd gone bowling in nearly two years, since the night before the wedding. So, how did I do bowling for the first time as a married man? Not so good. :) We bowled three games, and my scores were 90, 90, and 72 respectively. I started off the first game with four straight gutter balls. Yeah, that's right. I then switched to a different ball - one that was lighter - and went with the spin-the-ball approach, which worked better. But, alas. We both love to bowl, and it is a pity that it has been so long (though Megan beat me in 2 of the games. She has bowled a few times with her crazy kids at work.) :) Good fun anyway. I shall do better next time, assuming we don't wait until 2010. :)

Anywho, I brought my leftover shrimp in lobster sauce to work for lunch. As I was getting out of the car this morning, I evidently tipped the box a little, and proceeded to pour lobster sauce onto my pant leg. It was a good way to start off the morning. :) Ah, well.

Well, here we are. The TEC weekend starts tomorrow, and I am very excited, and of course, a little nervous. We seem to have a great Wheat team, and I look forward to working with them and getting to know them better. And of course, most importantly, to be part of making a difference in the lives of the candidates (errr.... weekenders).

LotD: Robot Sommelier. Can "taste" wines (without opening the bottle) to determine its ingredients and what would go well with it. Since I don't drink, this would be of no use to me, but I think the technology is impressive.

The Big Two-O-O

2008-04-11T13:49:00.003-05:00

This is my 200th blog entry. Very exciting. I suppose this should be accompanied by some big celebration, but then again, that would just be silly.

Anyways, my big excitement for the day is all food-related. First off, I get to eat ice cream cake here shortly (thank goodness for other peoples' birthdays). And tomorrow, I'm ordering myself a pizza and, in doing so, am being rather adventurous - the pizza will be half anchovies. I may not like that half, but we shall see. I've never had anchovies before, so this will be interesting.

The second and last TEC meeting is on Sunday, and I am pretty excited. Then I will be off to the weekend itself next Thursday - six days from today. Holy cow. Where does the time fly to? I am excited for the weekend and being a Wheatie. On a side note, I bought some Wheaties the other day in preparation. Yeah, I'm good to go now. :)

And, just to clarify a previous post, I have not lost my job a second time. :)

LotD: Massive 20 Sided Die. In memory of Gary Gygax, the creator of Dungeons & Dragons, who died in March. This tribute is on the campus of MIT, no less.

Fifty Grand

2008-04-08T13:13:00.002-05:00

So, The Lords of Sargoff hit 50,000 words today, which I find to be rather exciting. Through extras and chapter splitting, it now has 20 chapters. And yet, I need more. :) Like, 20-30,000 more words. I need more description, detail, characters, and events. One thing I've noticed (I think this is right, anyway), is that the story is pretty tight, as in, the characters zip around from place to place and there's little room to add other events. But alas, I will see what I can do. :)

LotD: The Star Destroyer Project. I want one.

Version 2

2008-04-03T08:15:00.002-05:00

I have uploaded to the LoS site the newest version of The Lords of Sargoff. This version is just over 48,000 words, by my count making it approximately 200 novel pages in length. I would still like to add more. I have fixed several wording errors (thanks to everyone who has given input!), as well as plot holes. This doesn't, of course, mean there are no more errors or plot holes (or that the plot holes I've tried to fix are 100% perfectly fixed). If you happen to read it again (or for the first time, depending on who you are), please feel free to send me any comments or suggestions, or criticisms. I'd love to hear them.

Skip the next paragraph if you don't care about the names of characters in the book. :)

There are some names that will likely be changed. This includes the names Inevidens and Vidricks. I have considered renaming Lord Hamrin and/or Lord Arien, as I'm not sure they are "dark" enough names for dark lords. I had been considering renaming Jothan, but that name has grown on me. His father, Nothan, will certainly be renamed. Then I have the issue of having a character named Vylon and one named Vython; the names are rather close, and one of them will likely be changed. Finally is Cymor, who I like the name, but may change the spelling (Symor, Psymor; can also add an e to the end - Cymore, Symore, Psymore). I kind of like Psymore, maybe.

I have accumulated quite a list of link of the days. You get an extra one today because I didn't include one in my last post.

LotD: Flying Saucer House. It's certainly unique.

LotD2: Starfleet Bridge Illustrations. See into the bridge of a wide variety of ships from the Star Trek universe.

Verbally Speaking

2008-03-30T19:21:00.003-05:00

I just got home from the first full-team meeting for TEC 71, and it went just fine. I am rather looking forward to the next meeting and the weekend itself, but today's meeting reminded me of one of my major weaknesses that I deal with on almost a daily basis.

I am incredibly bad at talking. It's amazing that I can still get rather nervous over simple conversation. While meeting as a Wheat team, the youth leadership would ask questions, and despite the fact that I usually think of perfectly good and interesting things to say, my shyness and nervousness kicks in, and I have a hard time transferring that from my brain to my mouth. I often end up dismissing my thoughts and instead saying something stupidly sarcastic (see my old blog entry - written two years ago today, oddly enough - The Shell, for more insight on that).

It's really rather obnoxious. I'm actually pretty good with words. I rather enjoy them. I am writing a novel that currently has nearly 50,000 words. I've been writing stories and poetry for nearly 15 years. And yet, a simple verbal sentence is often difficult, depending on the situation. If I'm with people I don't know very well, or in a situation I am otherwise uncomfortable with, I clam up and can barely spout anything meaningful. It's silly, but most of my deeper and more serious conversations have occurred online over email or chat. On a similar note, in high school and college, I would always rather write a five page paper than give a very short speech. Goofy.

The thing that bothers me the most is that I know this little issue of mine keeps me from getting as close to people as I'd like to, since it's hard for me to have real discussions with people. I know my mind is full of good things to share, but getting them from point A to point B in a verbal form is the trick. That being said, I am better at it than I used to be (sounds crazy), and this is one of the (many) reasons I'm looking forward to the rest of the TEC 71 experience. I think it will be good for me as I continue to grow as a person, into the man that God made me to be.

I may have another semi-serious entry in another few days, about that whole losing-my-job thing.

A Few Unrelated Tidbits

2008-03-27T07:59:00.004-05:00

At some point, I'm considering posting to the Lords of Sargoff page a list of the issues I'm currently dealing with when it comes to plot holes, to see if anyone has thoughts on how a certain thing should happen. I may throw that together over the next couple weeks.

I have purchased plane tickets for going to Ohio in May. I will be there from approximately the 17th - 22nd. It should be good fun. Sadly, my wife is not able to join me, as she doesn't have enough vacation days. But alas.

I am rather looking forward to this weekend - card and computer day on Saturday, and the first full team TEC meeting on Sunday. It'll be pretty much wonderful.

LotD: Life in 2008. An article written in 1968, predicting what life will be like in 2008. A few things I thought were interesting - though it predicts technologies and other changes that are nowhere near being in place (cities encapsulated in domes for climate control, automatically controlled cars that safely drive up to 250 MPH, no physical money, average work day of 4 hours, rocket rides to a hotel in space, the "intelligence pill"), it still refers to the concept of the "housewife" being responsible for cooking, and that "not every family has its private computer." Granted, I wouldn't do any better predicting what life will be like in 2048.

Publishing

2008-03-21T13:36:00.002-05:00

I'm rather enjoying the continuing work on Lords of Sargoff. Right in the middle of a few bigger plothole-fixing changes right now. Then I'll put together the notes I've received from those who have read through it and fix any errors they pointed out. Then its time for a thorough read-through and edit session, adding detail and further description.

I would absolutely love it if I could publish the book (or anything else I've written or will write). It'll be interesting when I get to the point where I may actually be submitting in places. I've done some basic research, and have this understanding of my options. I have considered Tate Publishing, a company that (if they accept your manuscript) will do everything in-house (editing, illustrations, selling, and will market it). Would cost a good $4000 to get started, but after that investment, everything is covered. And if the book sells a certain amount of copies, you get your investment back.

One of the cool things about Tate, I think, is that they accept unsolicited manuscripts. A lot of the big traditional publishing houses (Random House, Tyndale, for example) only accept manuscripts that are solicited by literary agents (and that costs an extra chunk of change). So who knows. There is also self publishing, but that may be a little crazy, not sure. Tate is also a Christian-based company, which is good.

Still a lot of work to do on the story, of course, before I get to that point (though Tate does allow you to submit unfinished manuscripts, so they can get an idea of your story and your writing style).

LotD: Fear the Gnome. Just read it.

Happy Pi Day

2008-03-14T08:23:00.004-05:00

Yes, today is March 14th: Pi Day. I wish I could celebrate this day by partaking in a large piece of pie, but alas. Whatever you do today, make sure to do it 3.14159265358979323846 times. I seem to remember my sister (unless it was a brother) having to memorize the first 100 digits of pi in high school. My two thoughts from that are: Wow, that's impressive; and, Why in the world would a teacher make you do that? :)

Megan's cousin will be up for the weekend, which is always fun. I have my first TEC meeting on Sunday - the initial leadership meeting. Thus begins the TEC 71 experience, and my induction into the Wheatie fraternity. Well, maybe not quite like that, but it'll be good fun.

LotD: Pi Day. Schedule your Pi Day celebration, and memorize pi to a trillion digits.