I just changed the voicemail on my phone to this message:
"You have reached the voicemail of the Schrodinger's Ian experiment. I am currently unobserved, making me both available and unavailable at the same time. Please leave a message, and once I am observed, collapsing me into an available state, I will return your call."
Gads, I love being a nerd.
Current mood: nerdy
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
A Handyman is Me!
This is my very first home. I have lived in a million different apartments and lived with several different families in their homes. Ergo, I have never had the responsibility/obligation to maintain my own set of tools (aside from basic hammers, wrenches, and screwdrivers) in order to fix things up around my own house.
As a matter of fact, I recall when my dad bought me my own toolbox with tools on my 12th or 13th or 14th birthday. I was quite upset. "These are stupid! Why would I want my own tools? I'll never use them!" I exclaimed, very loudly and ungratefully like an ungrateful teenager would.
The fact that I was partially correct concerning the length of time before I would actually need them is somewhat besides the point. I find myself now wishing I had a toolbox and a set of tools, if for no other reason than to accomplish the tasks at hand without spending the $200 at a single shot in Home Depot to begin my tool collection fresh. What's more, that $200 barely scratched the surface of what I'll need.
We pulled out a malfunctioning kitchen drawer, only to determine that it was the drawer, not the runner, that was malfunctioning, and that the repair was beyond our ability.
We fixed a car with misfiring pistons by replacing the coilpacks. Not too difficult, but more car intensive than I have tried in a long time.
We used wood glue to reattach the support rails that had fallen off our dining room chairs. It was not fun to sit on a hard wooden floor for that long, let me tell you.
And finally, we installed a ceiling fan in the guest bedroom downstairs, the only bedroom without on. I had to borrow a ladder from the neighbor to accomplish the ladder (latter! Get it? Ha ha! Ha... nevermind), but it felt good to improve my new house. My house. Yeah, that still feels strange.
After I get off work today, dad and I will tackle the crib. The joints have been stripped so badly, it is barely holding together. We will have to repair the holes with dowels, drill new holes, and reattach all the pieces. This job required me to purchase my First Power Tool Ever - a drill.
Sheesh, an awful lot of firsts all in one small period of time...
Current mood: handy
As a matter of fact, I recall when my dad bought me my own toolbox with tools on my 12th or 13th or 14th birthday. I was quite upset. "These are stupid! Why would I want my own tools? I'll never use them!" I exclaimed, very loudly and ungratefully like an ungrateful teenager would.
The fact that I was partially correct concerning the length of time before I would actually need them is somewhat besides the point. I find myself now wishing I had a toolbox and a set of tools, if for no other reason than to accomplish the tasks at hand without spending the $200 at a single shot in Home Depot to begin my tool collection fresh. What's more, that $200 barely scratched the surface of what I'll need.
We pulled out a malfunctioning kitchen drawer, only to determine that it was the drawer, not the runner, that was malfunctioning, and that the repair was beyond our ability.
We fixed a car with misfiring pistons by replacing the coilpacks. Not too difficult, but more car intensive than I have tried in a long time.
We used wood glue to reattach the support rails that had fallen off our dining room chairs. It was not fun to sit on a hard wooden floor for that long, let me tell you.
And finally, we installed a ceiling fan in the guest bedroom downstairs, the only bedroom without on. I had to borrow a ladder from the neighbor to accomplish the ladder (latter! Get it? Ha ha! Ha... nevermind), but it felt good to improve my new house. My house. Yeah, that still feels strange.
After I get off work today, dad and I will tackle the crib. The joints have been stripped so badly, it is barely holding together. We will have to repair the holes with dowels, drill new holes, and reattach all the pieces. This job required me to purchase my First Power Tool Ever - a drill.
Sheesh, an awful lot of firsts all in one small period of time...
Current mood: handy
Friday, June 22, 2012
Parental Unit Visit
My folks arrived in Austin yesterday and will be coming down to San Antonio this morning with my wife. I'm very excited since I've taken the day off from work and I have no clients tomorrow, so I get to work with my dad on various projects around the house. We've got a few things that need fixing and installed. He's very handy. Me, not so much. This will be a good learning experience.
They are staying until next Wed, at which point, Jenny's sister will be bringing over her four kids (ranging from 13 to 4) to stay with us for a month. We'll go from 1 kid to 5 kids. It'll be fun! :)
So we will have lots of visitors over the next month in our new house. Makes me very grateful for all the help we've had getting unpacked to the degree we are now. My parents will help us unpack and organize more, but at least we have the guest bedroom almost completely set up.
Now how are we going to cook for 4 more kids? Hmmmmm.... ;)
Current mood: anticipatory
They are staying until next Wed, at which point, Jenny's sister will be bringing over her four kids (ranging from 13 to 4) to stay with us for a month. We'll go from 1 kid to 5 kids. It'll be fun! :)
So we will have lots of visitors over the next month in our new house. Makes me very grateful for all the help we've had getting unpacked to the degree we are now. My parents will help us unpack and organize more, but at least we have the guest bedroom almost completely set up.
Now how are we going to cook for 4 more kids? Hmmmmm.... ;)
Current mood: anticipatory
Thursday, June 21, 2012
The Cultist Wars, Part 5 - Cultists
War had erupted on the continent. At the center of it were the followers of the Three Betrayers, the cultists themselves. Long before Ista Heera had given them arms and supplies to wage war, they had been preparing. Like a cancer, they had grown up, consuming entire villages so that children were born and raised in the faith only knowing of the Three and their eminent rise to power. Devoted solely to the Three, these cultists had then infiltrated the societies of the nations across the continent, only running into trouble with Hoovastadt - because of their almost eternal state of martial law, very few cultists had been able to gain a long-term foothold there.
When the foolish Istaheeran had begun supplying them, they took full advantage. Many cultists were brought in from the other continents, a centralization of their power and a building of their armies. Under the cover of the Mauwan tribal society and the constant Vekviran chaos, they increased their number of troops to the point where they could wage war, for the first time in remembered history.
Each of the major powers in the area was accounted for, for each of them had a weakness that could be exploited by the cultists to achieve their ultimate victory in this part of the world. Both the Phoenix Kingdom and Ista Heera had been infiltrated in almost every level of society, and they would be cast into chaos when the signal came to strike. To crush Hoovastadt, the cultists had been stirring up the barbarians and orcs in the north to anger, coalescing their armies around a single tribe ruled by the cultists themselves. And Corsuvian, who had avoided the complete infiltration of Ista Heera and the Phoenix Kingdom, but not as successfully as Hoovastadt, a combination of both methods.
The main fighting was in Corsuvian, and predictably, the Phoenix Kingdom sent troops. What the leaders of both countries couldn't have known was how many of those troops and troop commanders were actually cultists.
The trap was set, and it only happened because of one man. Normally fractious, the three cults had unified under a single leader, one who followed all Three rather than just one of the Three. He had overseen all the preparations, and knew that on a single day, the continent would be theirs. After the continent, the world. It had been foreseen.
And on a single day, the trap was sprung.
Every major power was paralyzed, or ready to be crushed, and complete victory was at hand.
Except by the end of the day, their leader was assassinated by an unknown blade. Suddenly blaming each other for the murder, the three cults began fighting each other more than the nations they had set out to conquer, each cult wanting dominance over the other two in order to rule after their victory. But victory slipped from their grasp slowly as the nations struggled to rebuild and defend themselves. If one cult could dominate the others before all advantage was lost, they could still win, but it was now a race against time.
----------------------------------------
This is the day our strategy board game begins. Several characters in the comic fought in the Cultist Wars, and the repercussions of fighting an enemy made up of your neighbors and friends are still echoing through the world today, 20-30 years later.
The game will require each player to choose what side to play, one of the four nations, or one of the three cults, with the game dynamics differing from game to game depending on who is playing what. The four nations can trade and assist each other, all while still striving for dominance over all. The three cults only work together when one of the four nations pulls ahead of the others, otherwise they fight with themselves and the nations.
There's much more, but as I am unsure if my game ideas are automatically trademarked when I post them, better to keep them quiet for now. :)
Current mood: creative
When the foolish Istaheeran had begun supplying them, they took full advantage. Many cultists were brought in from the other continents, a centralization of their power and a building of their armies. Under the cover of the Mauwan tribal society and the constant Vekviran chaos, they increased their number of troops to the point where they could wage war, for the first time in remembered history.
Each of the major powers in the area was accounted for, for each of them had a weakness that could be exploited by the cultists to achieve their ultimate victory in this part of the world. Both the Phoenix Kingdom and Ista Heera had been infiltrated in almost every level of society, and they would be cast into chaos when the signal came to strike. To crush Hoovastadt, the cultists had been stirring up the barbarians and orcs in the north to anger, coalescing their armies around a single tribe ruled by the cultists themselves. And Corsuvian, who had avoided the complete infiltration of Ista Heera and the Phoenix Kingdom, but not as successfully as Hoovastadt, a combination of both methods.
The main fighting was in Corsuvian, and predictably, the Phoenix Kingdom sent troops. What the leaders of both countries couldn't have known was how many of those troops and troop commanders were actually cultists.
The trap was set, and it only happened because of one man. Normally fractious, the three cults had unified under a single leader, one who followed all Three rather than just one of the Three. He had overseen all the preparations, and knew that on a single day, the continent would be theirs. After the continent, the world. It had been foreseen.
And on a single day, the trap was sprung.
Every major power was paralyzed, or ready to be crushed, and complete victory was at hand.
Except by the end of the day, their leader was assassinated by an unknown blade. Suddenly blaming each other for the murder, the three cults began fighting each other more than the nations they had set out to conquer, each cult wanting dominance over the other two in order to rule after their victory. But victory slipped from their grasp slowly as the nations struggled to rebuild and defend themselves. If one cult could dominate the others before all advantage was lost, they could still win, but it was now a race against time.
----------------------------------------
This is the day our strategy board game begins. Several characters in the comic fought in the Cultist Wars, and the repercussions of fighting an enemy made up of your neighbors and friends are still echoing through the world today, 20-30 years later.
The game will require each player to choose what side to play, one of the four nations, or one of the three cults, with the game dynamics differing from game to game depending on who is playing what. The four nations can trade and assist each other, all while still striving for dominance over all. The three cults only work together when one of the four nations pulls ahead of the others, otherwise they fight with themselves and the nations.
There's much more, but as I am unsure if my game ideas are automatically trademarked when I post them, better to keep them quiet for now. :)
Current mood: creative
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
The Cultist Wars, Part 4 - Corsuvian
War had erupted on the continent. The only reason Corsuvian hadn't fallen within the first week of fighting with the cultists was due to their strong navy and the close presence of their ally, the Phoenix Kingdom. When the Cultists boiled out of Vek Viro to the north and Mauwa to the south, it was all they could do to hold off the hordes until both Hoovastadt and the Phoenix Kingdom sent help. Now, with the combined armies of all three nations on Corsuvian ground, the war had taken a different turn.
Until one day.
It had began as a normal day - King Hallaan was sitting in chambers with the representatives of both Hoovastadt and the Phoenix Kingdom, discussing how to use their combined military might to push forward into Vek Viro and crush the center of the Cultist incursion. It was a shock to almost all of them to hear the sound of battle suddenly ringing from the city. As everyone ran to the windows, they saw the unthinkable - many of the battleships in the harbor had turned and were firing on the other ships, all the while troops began pouring from the suddenly hostile ships into the docks, attacking the surprised dockworkers and guards stationed there.
Somehow, the cultists had infiltrated their navy and transported troops to the heart of Corsuvian in one nearly fatal blow. As King Hallaan turned to call for his own guard, he saw the Phoenix Kingdom military representative had cut the throat of his Hoovastadian counterpart and was rushing the King, bloodied dagger in hand, calling on the Unnamed, one of the Three Betrayers, for help. After a short struggle that ended with the traitorous cultist falling out the high window to his own death, the King summoned his own forces.
Stunned by these events, the King began sorting through the reports pouring into his room while the dead body was removed. Previously, the Mauwan forces had been streaming solely through the small land bridge between their countries, but now, the formidable Corsuvian Navy had been compromised. There were also many reports of sabotage throughout the besieged capital city, not to mention that many of the allied troops had begun fighting each other instead of the enemy. Indeed, some of them had been the enemy all along.
Isolated from their allies, and the state of the existing allied troops in question, the new war had come crashing to the front doorstep. Corsuvian was on the verge of being overrun entirely. They needed a miracle.
--------------------------------------
This is the day our strategy board game begins. Stay tuned for the last player perspective in the game!
Current mood: creative
Until one day.
It had began as a normal day - King Hallaan was sitting in chambers with the representatives of both Hoovastadt and the Phoenix Kingdom, discussing how to use their combined military might to push forward into Vek Viro and crush the center of the Cultist incursion. It was a shock to almost all of them to hear the sound of battle suddenly ringing from the city. As everyone ran to the windows, they saw the unthinkable - many of the battleships in the harbor had turned and were firing on the other ships, all the while troops began pouring from the suddenly hostile ships into the docks, attacking the surprised dockworkers and guards stationed there.
Somehow, the cultists had infiltrated their navy and transported troops to the heart of Corsuvian in one nearly fatal blow. As King Hallaan turned to call for his own guard, he saw the Phoenix Kingdom military representative had cut the throat of his Hoovastadian counterpart and was rushing the King, bloodied dagger in hand, calling on the Unnamed, one of the Three Betrayers, for help. After a short struggle that ended with the traitorous cultist falling out the high window to his own death, the King summoned his own forces.
Stunned by these events, the King began sorting through the reports pouring into his room while the dead body was removed. Previously, the Mauwan forces had been streaming solely through the small land bridge between their countries, but now, the formidable Corsuvian Navy had been compromised. There were also many reports of sabotage throughout the besieged capital city, not to mention that many of the allied troops had begun fighting each other instead of the enemy. Indeed, some of them had been the enemy all along.
Isolated from their allies, and the state of the existing allied troops in question, the new war had come crashing to the front doorstep. Corsuvian was on the verge of being overrun entirely. They needed a miracle.
--------------------------------------
This is the day our strategy board game begins. Stay tuned for the last player perspective in the game!
Current mood: creative
Monday, June 18, 2012
Best (and most hilarious) Father's Day *Evah*!
Jenny and Jackson gave me a fantastic Father's Day yesterday.
First off, I came downstairs and found this on our kitchen blinds:
That was super cute, especially Jackson's contribution on the left.
Then I saw this shirt:
Jackson has surprisingly good handwriting for a 2 year old.
And finally, I opened up a package and found this apron, purchased here:
And we ended the day with ribeyes and mashed potatoes! Yum!
How awesome is that? I have a new favorite shirt, and I am quite excited to wear that fantastic apron this Friday after I get my new grill.
Happy Father's Day to me and other dad's out there!
Current mood: loved
First off, I came downstairs and found this on our kitchen blinds:
That was super cute, especially Jackson's contribution on the left.
Then I saw this shirt:
Jackson has surprisingly good handwriting for a 2 year old.
And finally, I opened up a package and found this apron, purchased here:
And we ended the day with ribeyes and mashed potatoes! Yum!
How awesome is that? I have a new favorite shirt, and I am quite excited to wear that fantastic apron this Friday after I get my new grill.
Happy Father's Day to me and other dad's out there!
Current mood: loved
Thursday, June 14, 2012
The Cultist Wars, Part 3 - Hoovastadt
War had erupted on the continent. With the armies of the cultists boiling out of Vek Viro to the west and the constant threat of the Istaheeram on the east, Hoovastadt struggled to keep their armies from being overrun. Though the Istaheeram had been strangely quiet during the war, King Keldon suspected foul play and kept his troops at full strength on that border. In order to do that, though, he had to pull armies from the northern border to support the war against the cultists. The barbarians and orcs living in the glacial wastes had not launched a major offensive in some time, and he hoped it stayed that way just long enough to survive this current conflict.
He was proved wrong on one fateful day.
It had started as a normal day. The King met with his generals and mage advisers in the Hall of Battle to discuss new strategies. Cultists had been caught trying to sabotage some of the local mage guilds, and they had been swiftly put to death. No stranger to war, Hoovastadt had been protecting themselves and the independent Merchant City from aggressors for a long time. The laws were strict, the punishments were stricter, but the populace was happy and devoted to their cause. Cultists had a difficult time infiltrating their infrastructure, despite trying for a long time. While a few may have escaped notice, King Keldon had confidence that most of them had been dealt with along the way.
Suddenly, one of the mages looked up with a startled look on his face. In short bursts, he began relaying the messages sent from his compatriots in the north - a massive army of orcs and barbarians had gathered and begun a march towards the center of the country. Fighting had begun, but the troops stationed there were so outnumbered that they could only slow the horde for a small time before they would be utterly destroyed.
Caught between the hammer of the barbarians and the anvil of the cultists, and knowing the war had just spread, the beleaguered kingdom began plotting how to survive. If the Istaheeram attacked now, they would fall. Might they need to make an ally of them? It was only a matter of time before the barbarian army rolled inexorably south, destroying everything in its path. But knowing that if they could fend off the new invaders, the rich mineral deposits of the north would then be there for the taking, making them potentially even more powerful than Ista Heera and the Phoenix Kingdom combined. Even in these dire straits, there was potential.
-------------------------
This is the day the strategy board game we are designing begins. Our intent is to release the game with full comic stories to lay out the backstory of each side. This is a very rough overview, and will be trimmed up as we progress along. ;)
Stay tuned for the perspectives of the other players in the game.
Current mood: creative
He was proved wrong on one fateful day.
It had started as a normal day. The King met with his generals and mage advisers in the Hall of Battle to discuss new strategies. Cultists had been caught trying to sabotage some of the local mage guilds, and they had been swiftly put to death. No stranger to war, Hoovastadt had been protecting themselves and the independent Merchant City from aggressors for a long time. The laws were strict, the punishments were stricter, but the populace was happy and devoted to their cause. Cultists had a difficult time infiltrating their infrastructure, despite trying for a long time. While a few may have escaped notice, King Keldon had confidence that most of them had been dealt with along the way.
Suddenly, one of the mages looked up with a startled look on his face. In short bursts, he began relaying the messages sent from his compatriots in the north - a massive army of orcs and barbarians had gathered and begun a march towards the center of the country. Fighting had begun, but the troops stationed there were so outnumbered that they could only slow the horde for a small time before they would be utterly destroyed.
Caught between the hammer of the barbarians and the anvil of the cultists, and knowing the war had just spread, the beleaguered kingdom began plotting how to survive. If the Istaheeram attacked now, they would fall. Might they need to make an ally of them? It was only a matter of time before the barbarian army rolled inexorably south, destroying everything in its path. But knowing that if they could fend off the new invaders, the rich mineral deposits of the north would then be there for the taking, making them potentially even more powerful than Ista Heera and the Phoenix Kingdom combined. Even in these dire straits, there was potential.
-------------------------
This is the day the strategy board game we are designing begins. Our intent is to release the game with full comic stories to lay out the backstory of each side. This is a very rough overview, and will be trimmed up as we progress along. ;)
Stay tuned for the perspectives of the other players in the game.
Current mood: creative
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Mormons and homosexuality
I read this beautiful blog post about a practicing Mormon coming out as gay, and I was struck by several things.
Note how his family and his future wife (long before she ever considered the possibility) loved him and accepted him. This is what we believe. We get accused of being haters, but I see zero evidence of hate in that post. What I *do* see are people who loved Josh, supported him, and basically lived their religion.
The fact that he decided to get married and live as a practicing Mormon is almost completely besides the point, because none of those decisions had been made when he first came out. All of those people loved him anyways.
While I cannot say the majority of Mormons do act this way, I will say that 100% of them should act this way. Anyone who has these types of issues don't need excoriations from anyone else -- it's hard enough as it is. Our job is to love them and help them in the ways that we can.
Note how many people came out and supported him in the comments sections of this post! Then note how many of them are Mormon.
Anyone who claims that all Mormons are bigots do not know the truth. Some Mormons are bigots, just like some LGBT people are bigots. Bigots are found in every walk of life, but any Mormon bigots are not living their religion, period. Josh's story illustrates how we really feel about those that live in the LGBT space.
Note: I am explicitly not looking to discuss Prop 8 here. It is a separate issue. While I welcome comments, anyone who brings up Prop 8 will have their comments deleted.
Current mood: proud to be LDS
Note how his family and his future wife (long before she ever considered the possibility) loved him and accepted him. This is what we believe. We get accused of being haters, but I see zero evidence of hate in that post. What I *do* see are people who loved Josh, supported him, and basically lived their religion.
The fact that he decided to get married and live as a practicing Mormon is almost completely besides the point, because none of those decisions had been made when he first came out. All of those people loved him anyways.
While I cannot say the majority of Mormons do act this way, I will say that 100% of them should act this way. Anyone who has these types of issues don't need excoriations from anyone else -- it's hard enough as it is. Our job is to love them and help them in the ways that we can.
Note how many people came out and supported him in the comments sections of this post! Then note how many of them are Mormon.
Anyone who claims that all Mormons are bigots do not know the truth. Some Mormons are bigots, just like some LGBT people are bigots. Bigots are found in every walk of life, but any Mormon bigots are not living their religion, period. Josh's story illustrates how we really feel about those that live in the LGBT space.
Note: I am explicitly not looking to discuss Prop 8 here. It is a separate issue. While I welcome comments, anyone who brings up Prop 8 will have their comments deleted.
Current mood: proud to be LDS
Monday, June 11, 2012
My Pandora Station
I've been working on this station for some time, and I'm pretty happy with it. It all began because I remembered how when I was a kid in the 80s, we could hear LL Cool J's "Momma Gonna Knock You Out" and Poison's "Don't Need Nuthin' But A Good Time" on the same radio station, and I missed that kind of drastic variety in my music. I created this station to represent a huge variety of tastes.
I started with a seed of Will Smith and Def Leppard, then added in other 80s bands, The Muppets, Weird Al, Jonathon Coulton, and other stuff. I even added in some Phineas and Ferb (from the Disney Channel). Every song that has come up got a direct Yes or No vote, so if it hasn't been marked as Yes, I haven't heard it yet. :)
I've learned a lot about myself:
1) I don't like Van Halen or Depeche Mode very much. I thought I did, but when I heard more of their stuff outside of their standard radio plays, I discovered they just bug me.
2) I really like Boston!
3) There are some really cool cool artists out there!
Anyhow, here you go - enjoy the great mix of 80s and other eclectic tastes:
http://www.pandora.com/station/play/3614
Current mood: rocking out
I started with a seed of Will Smith and Def Leppard, then added in other 80s bands, The Muppets, Weird Al, Jonathon Coulton, and other stuff. I even added in some Phineas and Ferb (from the Disney Channel). Every song that has come up got a direct Yes or No vote, so if it hasn't been marked as Yes, I haven't heard it yet. :)
I've learned a lot about myself:
1) I don't like Van Halen or Depeche Mode very much. I thought I did, but when I heard more of their stuff outside of their standard radio plays, I discovered they just bug me.
2) I really like Boston!
3) There are some really cool cool artists out there!
Anyhow, here you go - enjoy the great mix of 80s and other eclectic tastes:
http://www.pandora.com/station/play/3614
Current mood: rocking out
Home at last
We are successfully moved in, with tons of unpacking in front of us, but we are making progress.
It has been a very strange experience. If I include my 2 year mission for my church in Sacramento, California, I have moved around 43 times since I left home at age 18 (I am not military). I have never found a place to really stay - every single spot was just a waystation to something else. However, now that we are in this house, we plan to stay for as long as possible. Raise our kids here, invest in the neighborhood, heck, we'll actually register to vote finally!
But with all the moving, it hadn't really sunk in that we are home home. Here to stay. Not moving again for the foreseeable future. It wasn't until we were unpacking Jenny's dishes, and I asked her where she wanted to keep the boxes they had shipped in, that I was struck by our permanency here. She responded, "I don't need them any more. We aren't going to move again for a long time."
I sat down, suddenly struck by what she was saying. I literally couldn't wrap my brain around it. What? We don't need any of these boxes any more?
I am not ashamed to admit that I teared up as the reality started to sink in.
I am still trying to process that I am really Home, and there have been a few more misty moments. No more vagabonds, us!
Now to write another blog post and back to unpacking!
Current mood: profoundly grateful
It has been a very strange experience. If I include my 2 year mission for my church in Sacramento, California, I have moved around 43 times since I left home at age 18 (I am not military). I have never found a place to really stay - every single spot was just a waystation to something else. However, now that we are in this house, we plan to stay for as long as possible. Raise our kids here, invest in the neighborhood, heck, we'll actually register to vote finally!
But with all the moving, it hadn't really sunk in that we are home home. Here to stay. Not moving again for the foreseeable future. It wasn't until we were unpacking Jenny's dishes, and I asked her where she wanted to keep the boxes they had shipped in, that I was struck by our permanency here. She responded, "I don't need them any more. We aren't going to move again for a long time."
I sat down, suddenly struck by what she was saying. I literally couldn't wrap my brain around it. What? We don't need any of these boxes any more?
I am not ashamed to admit that I teared up as the reality started to sink in.
I am still trying to process that I am really Home, and there have been a few more misty moments. No more vagabonds, us!
Now to write another blog post and back to unpacking!
Current mood: profoundly grateful
Friday, June 8, 2012
The Cultist Wars, Part 2 - Ista Heera
War had erupted on the continent. Long time enemies of the Phoenix Kingdom, the Istaheeran had been funneling resources, weapons, and money to the Cultists so they would attack and weaken the Phoenix Kingdom and their allies. Using the war with the cultists as a catalyst to gain greater power in the area, the Istaheeran would then start the process of eliminating their adversaries one by one. However, the collection of cabal leaders that made up the ruling class of the Istaheeran had deeply underestimated the intent and ability of the cultists.
They learned this on one single day.
It had started as a normal day - Seenjah Khul, cabal leader of the Wind Assassins, one of the most powerful (and feared) groups in Ista Heera, had just finished his breakfast of fresh fruit. The cultists were doing their job quite well, and he foresaw the destruction of Hoovastadt within 6 months. Once they had been eliminated, the Istaheeran would control the Merchant City with all its wealth, and no one could stop them from blanketing the entire continent with their power and influence.
A breeze blew the cloth covering the wide window aside, and he could smell the magic. Another mage likely would not have recognized it in time, but this was the spell that aided his own assassins, and he knew it well. He had not even attempted to open his mouth for the guards - they would likely be in on this attempt on his life. As a cabal leader, he ruled until someone killed him or he suddenly vanished with sufficient wealth to live elsewhere in safety. This was how it was done, and a cabal went through a period of chaos until they found a new leader.
No cabal leader ever kept a second in command, for that would guarantee the direction from which his life would end.
Seenjah had dodged multiple previous attempts, but this was the first from the hand of his own group of assassins. He had never ruled it out completely, but it was still unexpected enough that he almost lost his life before we could react. The knife narrowly missed him as he threw himself to the side. One graze from that blade would end him completely due to the potent venom it carried, the trademark of the Wind Assassins.
Pure luck helped him survive and slay the assassin, who died with the name of Kun, one of the Betrayers, on his lips. Cultists! Within his own hand-picked assassins! And that's when he heard the fighting in the rest of the city.
The reports came in quickly from his own cabal - almost every single leader in the city had been assassinated on the same day, and nearly every cabal was fighting with itself and the others. The city was in chaos.
In spite of the grim situation, Seenjah found himself smiling. Yes, the cultists had suddenly become a much greater threat, but he had the chance to become the most powerful man in the entire Istaheeran. Now he just needed to mobilize his cabal, gather the country around him, and destroy these cultists that dared to turn his own people against him. And he was the man to do it.
--------
This is the day the strategy board game we are designing begins. Our intent is to release the game with full comic stories to lay out the backstory of each side. This is a very rough overview, and will be trimmed up as we progress along. ;)
Stay tuned for the perspectives of the other players in the game.
Current mood: creative
They learned this on one single day.
It had started as a normal day - Seenjah Khul, cabal leader of the Wind Assassins, one of the most powerful (and feared) groups in Ista Heera, had just finished his breakfast of fresh fruit. The cultists were doing their job quite well, and he foresaw the destruction of Hoovastadt within 6 months. Once they had been eliminated, the Istaheeran would control the Merchant City with all its wealth, and no one could stop them from blanketing the entire continent with their power and influence.
A breeze blew the cloth covering the wide window aside, and he could smell the magic. Another mage likely would not have recognized it in time, but this was the spell that aided his own assassins, and he knew it well. He had not even attempted to open his mouth for the guards - they would likely be in on this attempt on his life. As a cabal leader, he ruled until someone killed him or he suddenly vanished with sufficient wealth to live elsewhere in safety. This was how it was done, and a cabal went through a period of chaos until they found a new leader.
No cabal leader ever kept a second in command, for that would guarantee the direction from which his life would end.
Seenjah had dodged multiple previous attempts, but this was the first from the hand of his own group of assassins. He had never ruled it out completely, but it was still unexpected enough that he almost lost his life before we could react. The knife narrowly missed him as he threw himself to the side. One graze from that blade would end him completely due to the potent venom it carried, the trademark of the Wind Assassins.
Pure luck helped him survive and slay the assassin, who died with the name of Kun, one of the Betrayers, on his lips. Cultists! Within his own hand-picked assassins! And that's when he heard the fighting in the rest of the city.
The reports came in quickly from his own cabal - almost every single leader in the city had been assassinated on the same day, and nearly every cabal was fighting with itself and the others. The city was in chaos.
In spite of the grim situation, Seenjah found himself smiling. Yes, the cultists had suddenly become a much greater threat, but he had the chance to become the most powerful man in the entire Istaheeran. Now he just needed to mobilize his cabal, gather the country around him, and destroy these cultists that dared to turn his own people against him. And he was the man to do it.
--------
This is the day the strategy board game we are designing begins. Our intent is to release the game with full comic stories to lay out the backstory of each side. This is a very rough overview, and will be trimmed up as we progress along. ;)
Stay tuned for the perspectives of the other players in the game.
Current mood: creative
Thursday, June 7, 2012
The Cultist Wars, Part 1 - Phoenix Kingdom
War had erupted on the continent. The Cultists that worshiped the Three Betrayers had gathered armies and so the Phoenix Kingdom had sent troops to help fight them off in their neighboring country of Corsuvian, a long-time ally. Because of the war effort, the kingdom had pulled together to send supplies and troops to the front lines.
Until one day.
It had started as a normal day - Lord Malkorn had gone to the War Room as usual, awaiting the King and his other advisers. As the most powerful noble, next to the King himself, he was deep in the strategy of the war effort, both military and economically. He had known for some time that the King was hiding something, and he knew that if he had noticed it, so had the Right Hand. And if the Right Hand was watching, the King had to know he was under close scrutiny. The whole situation was tense; something was going to break, and soon.
The room suddenly shook - startled, Lord Malkorn looked out the window overlooking the capital city and saw fires and explosions raging across the city. The bridge to the Tyrestor University of Rune Magic collapsed, as did several of the towers, the debris dropping straight into the river below.
Over the next few hours, the reports came pouring in - every mage guild had suffered damage, fighting had erupted on the streets, and all communication with the rest of the nation and the front lines of the war had been lost. With the mages dead or busy, there was no one left to relay messages. Chaos had exploded onto the city.
Plus, the King was gone. Cursing the King's name, Lord Malkorn began rallying his personal guard, only to have one of them attempt to assassinate him in the name of Velsann, one of the Betrayers. He luckily avoided the strike, and killed the guard himself. Cultists in his own trusted forces! How could this have happened? He knew that with the King missing, he was the only one who could try to get the city back together before the cultists did even more damage. They had been infiltrated and betrayed by cultists from within. The war was no longer just in Corsuvian.
-----------------------
This is the day the game we are designing begins. Our intent is to release the game with full comic stories to lay out the backstory of each side. This is a very rough overview, and will be trimmed up as we progress along. ;)
Stay tuned for the perspectives of the other players in the game.
Current mood: creative
Until one day.
It had started as a normal day - Lord Malkorn had gone to the War Room as usual, awaiting the King and his other advisers. As the most powerful noble, next to the King himself, he was deep in the strategy of the war effort, both military and economically. He had known for some time that the King was hiding something, and he knew that if he had noticed it, so had the Right Hand. And if the Right Hand was watching, the King had to know he was under close scrutiny. The whole situation was tense; something was going to break, and soon.
The room suddenly shook - startled, Lord Malkorn looked out the window overlooking the capital city and saw fires and explosions raging across the city. The bridge to the Tyrestor University of Rune Magic collapsed, as did several of the towers, the debris dropping straight into the river below.
Over the next few hours, the reports came pouring in - every mage guild had suffered damage, fighting had erupted on the streets, and all communication with the rest of the nation and the front lines of the war had been lost. With the mages dead or busy, there was no one left to relay messages. Chaos had exploded onto the city.
Plus, the King was gone. Cursing the King's name, Lord Malkorn began rallying his personal guard, only to have one of them attempt to assassinate him in the name of Velsann, one of the Betrayers. He luckily avoided the strike, and killed the guard himself. Cultists in his own trusted forces! How could this have happened? He knew that with the King missing, he was the only one who could try to get the city back together before the cultists did even more damage. They had been infiltrated and betrayed by cultists from within. The war was no longer just in Corsuvian.
-----------------------
This is the day the game we are designing begins. Our intent is to release the game with full comic stories to lay out the backstory of each side. This is a very rough overview, and will be trimmed up as we progress along. ;)
Stay tuned for the perspectives of the other players in the game.
Current mood: creative
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
IT IS OFFICIAL
We are homeowners.
Moving in on Saturday.
can I hear a "w00t w00t"?
w00t w00t!
Current mood: homeownerriffic
Moving in on Saturday.
can I hear a "w00t w00t"?
w00t w00t!
Current mood: homeownerriffic
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Mormons "most prosocial members of American society"
My mom sent me a link to a study done by a non-Mormon at the University of Pennsylvania that showed how Mormons donate more time and money than anyone else. This is not a close race, either:
"An average Latter-day Saint provides 427.9 hours of volunteer labor annually (35.6 hours monthly or 8.2 hours weekly). In comparison, an average American volunteer (excluding nonvolunteers) provides about four hours of volunteering per month."
Yes, that 4 hours/month is not the average for Americans, it's the average for Americans who are active volunteers. We Mormons lap those people a whopping eight+ times. My mom told me she attended an event where the researcher spoke about his findings, and he was completely baffled what motivated us to do it. He attended many meetings and said our speakers are boring, our music is boring, we don't have Charismatic leaders, and yet we consistently out-give every single group in America in time and money. He noted that he had no clue what we do differently that he could implement with other groups, and yet there is a massive distinction between us and all other volunteer groups.
Only 4-7% of the adult population of America tithe, but 88% of active Mormons tithe. We don't stop there - we give to non-profits and to the fast offerings portion of the church. We beat all other giving organizations because 100% of our fast offerings go to help those in need. Because we volunteer our time, we have 0% overhead in administration costs.
This leads him to call us the "most prosocial members of American society".
In my mind, this is the power of religion. Those that would call for the banishment of religion all together miss the fact that all the evil committed by those who misuse religion is overwhelmed by the good performed by those who are religious. And according to this study, we Mormons outperform all other groups in our generosity.
I agree that selflessness is not the sole possession of the religious, but I will claim that the selflessness of those who take their religion seriously (especially active Mormons) is unmatched by any non-religious group, bar none. Without God, you are only willing to sacrifice so much. Like I noted in this post, the strength of a community is directly related to the willingness of the members to sacrifice for each other. Anyone can form a community, but no other community (except perhaps the Amish?) sacrifices like ours does, and therein lies our strength and virtue.
Yes, that 4 hours/month is not the average for Americans, it's the average for Americans who are active volunteers. We Mormons lap those people a whopping eight+ times. My mom told me she attended an event where the researcher spoke about his findings, and he was completely baffled what motivated us to do it. He attended many meetings and said our speakers are boring, our music is boring, we don't have Charismatic leaders, and yet we consistently out-give every single group in America in time and money. He noted that he had no clue what we do differently that he could implement with other groups, and yet there is a massive distinction between us and all other volunteer groups.
Only 4-7% of the adult population of America tithe, but 88% of active Mormons tithe. We don't stop there - we give to non-profits and to the fast offerings portion of the church. We beat all other giving organizations because 100% of our fast offerings go to help those in need. Because we volunteer our time, we have 0% overhead in administration costs.
This leads him to call us the "most prosocial members of American society".
In my mind, this is the power of religion. Those that would call for the banishment of religion all together miss the fact that all the evil committed by those who misuse religion is overwhelmed by the good performed by those who are religious. And according to this study, we Mormons outperform all other groups in our generosity.
I agree that selflessness is not the sole possession of the religious, but I will claim that the selflessness of those who take their religion seriously (especially active Mormons) is unmatched by any non-religious group, bar none. Without God, you are only willing to sacrifice so much. Like I noted in this post, the strength of a community is directly related to the willingness of the members to sacrifice for each other. Anyone can form a community, but no other community (except perhaps the Amish?) sacrifices like ours does, and therein lies our strength and virtue.
Current mood: charitable
Monday, June 4, 2012
On Star Wars and the house
On Saturday, Jenny and I went to Costco to do some shopping. When we were done, we waited in a very long line, until one of the guys off to the side opened up a lane and told us to come over so he could take care of us. "Someone with such a cool shirt shouldn't need to wait in such a long line!" he remarked to me.
Well, here is the shirt I was wearing!
See? There are advantages to being an open nerd. :D
Also, we will be closing this week! No solid word on when exactly, but within 8-9 days, we will be in our new place. Yippey-ki-yay!
Current mood: smugly Star Wars-esque
Well, here is the shirt I was wearing!
See? There are advantages to being an open nerd. :D
Also, we will be closing this week! No solid word on when exactly, but within 8-9 days, we will be in our new place. Yippey-ki-yay!
Current mood: smugly Star Wars-esque
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)