Tuesday, May 3, 2005

   One of those days.

Monday. What else can I say about it?

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Well, I did get some studying done today. Yay me! It's official now. I will be taking that test on Friday! I just have a few things in Networking to get engraved into my cerebral cortex and then maybe I'll be able to get a few more of those questions right.

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Not much else happened. I tried to work on my picture, but am having issues with exactly how I want the second person to look. I think I tried three or four different poses before I just gave up on it for the evening. I'll give it a shot again in the morning.

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I did find this freaky little picture in the liner notes of a CD I was listening to.... I'm more than just a little disturbed by it.

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Well... that's about it for tonight.

Laters!

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Edit: Resized the freaky picture. I was getting creeped out by it being so huge! Sorry!!!

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Monday, May 2, 2005

   Welcome to Thrillsville. Population: me.

Sunday...

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Spent the day fighting a headache that finally went away around 9 pm. Had dinner at my sister's house. Didn't study at all. Started another picture. Visited all sites that updated today.

Exciting, isn't it?

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Laters!

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Sunday, May 1, 2005

   Fresh souls in the cornfield... Anthony put them there!

And it's good... real good!

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Well, Saturday ended about an hour ago and I'm finally getting around to posting. I've been having too much fun goofing around with other stuff!

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Not much happened today. My brother left for Wichita on vacation, so it's just the cat & me in the house now. And the cat is not very exciting most of the time.... sleepy kitty!

I went to Sioux City by myself. Whee. Had to do a library run. I actually found a How to Draw Manga type book there!! Of course, I nabbed that thing quickly! Then to the mall for lunch and then grocery shopping. Whee.

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Oh man... now I'm tired. It just hit me like running into a wall. I guess I stayed up too late last night. That and not sleeping well once I got to bed.

Laters!

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Saturday, April 30, 2005

   Yer off the map, lad. Here there be monsters!

Yarr!!! It be Friday and I be a pirate!

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Okay. That was weird. Not really, considering I watched Pirates of the Caribbean tonight. Yarr!!

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Didn't get a lick of studying done today! Whee! I was playing around with the Japanese this morning while starting to watch the aforementioned movie... then my brother got up and we ended up going to Sioux City.

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Went to see Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy today. It's a lot of fun and rather funny. If you've read the book, a lot of stuff has been left out, but there was also stuff added that wasn't in the book. If you are familiar with the original TV series, be on the lookout for a couple of the original characters.

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Hmm... I think that sums things up rather neatly.

Laters!

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Friday, April 29, 2005

   I never could get the hang of Thursdays.

...even though the thing says Friday up there. *sigh*

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Well. My day was filled with more excitement than you can possibly imagine. If you believe that, I have some swampland in Florida to sell you.

Yes, it was yet another in a long series of dull days for me. I didn't get out of bed when I had intended to. Then I played my GBA for an hour. I am so addicted to that thing again! Then in the afternoon, I went to the library and fiddled around with a practice test for the CIW Foundations certification test that I will be taking next week. I hate networking!!! Really. As if I haven't let you all know that before!

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While out for our evening walk, my brother & I stopped over at our sister's house to check up on the brother-in-law. He looks a little out of it yet. The prescriptions he's on are stuff used to treat epilepsy. He doesn't have epilepsy!! So, they're gonna keep an eye on how he reacts to the drugs and will call the doctor if things aren't right. And to answer Miasma-moon's question: He ended up in the hospital the other day after a really bad headache and then losing feeling in the right side of his face. It was a "pain reliever rebound migraine" that hit the nerves in his face and not a stroke like we were afraid it was! Scary stuff. One of these days, we're gonna kick him in the butt real good for scaring us like that!!!

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Well... I think I may wander off pretty soon and do a little more studying of ..... Japanese! Yep, I pulled out the Japanese book the other night and did some work in it. Yay!

Oyasumi!

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Additional: Well, here it is, an hour & a half later... I'm back online and haven't gone to do anything about the Japanese studying. Instead, I chatted with a friend in San Antonio, helped a guy in California with a puzzle, and did another greeting!

Arrgh! Now I'm going to go to bed!

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Thursday, April 28, 2005

   A little knowledge is a dangerous thing!

Wednesday night... wheeeeee!!

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And yes, I have a little knowledge. I finally finished off the Design Methodology & Technology books! I so happy! Now I go back to the Foundations stuff and review it so I can take the test next week.

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Pay no attention to the graphic at the head of my intro... I'm experimenting and need to tweak it further to get it to be legible. Kenshin is nice and clear, but the lettering is awful. I don't do so good with bitmaps sometimes. Oh, how I wish the internet could handle vector graphics!

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Well, my brother-in-law is home from the hospital now. I didn't get a chance to talk to my sister to see for sure how he's doing, but the main thing is that he is HOME!!! Yay!

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Well, since the creative urge hit me (ow! again) and I worked on the graphic tonight, I didn't get to sites. I apologize. Don't hurt me.

Laters!

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Wednesday, April 27, 2005

   Lemon Curry?

Tuesday night and I'm a little less aggravated than last night.

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Well, my brother-in-law is still in the hospital. He had lots of tests run and we are all relieved to hear that he did not have another stroke. What my sister said happened was that he had a "pain reliever rebound migraine" and it hit the nerves in the right side of his face. He's been on pain relievers for teeth issues and other things, and he's off them now, so his body reacted by giving him a helluva headache.

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I did actually get some studying done. I have three chapters left in the Web Design Fundamentals book! Yay. Then the next week and a half I will be studying the CIW Foundations stuff again and taking that test on May 6th. Yikes!

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Well, I said I'd post part of my story for you guys tonight, so here you are. It's Sam's turn tonight!

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Blue…the sky is so blue here, Sam thought. I never paid attention to the sky in Boston.

She had spent the night in the inn just off the docks and was now walking through the streets of Yokohama. So many people were moving about. She saw several people from the Athene, but made no attempt to talk to any of them. She wandered into the market district and spent time there listening to people.

Samantha had finally arrived in Japan a little more than a month after the dream last woke her in the night. She knew she had to find the boy, but had no idea where to begin to look for him. Her stomach determined her next move. She needed to find something to eat. Back at the inn, she ordered a quick meal and sat alone to eat.

“O’Riley, there you are,” a voice called from across the room.

Sam looked up to see Doctor Murphy making his way across to her table. “Doctor Murphy, what are you doing here?”

Murphy sat at the table. “You can call me Pat or Uncle Pat now as we’re no longer shipmates.”

“All right,” she said, “Uncle Pat, what are you doing here?”

“Anthony told me you’d been put off the ship. He figured you’d be here. He’s worried about you, you know.”

Sam played with her food. “I know. Tell him not to worry.”

Murphy watched her for a while. “You know he’ll never listen to me, Sam. We’ll both worry. This is a pretty big thing you say you’ve got to do here.”

“I know. I know. I just…” Sam’s voice trailed off and things went black.

“Sam! Sam!” Murphy’s voice seemed to be coming from somewhere far away. “Sam, can you hear me?”

“Blue…blue…” she stammered.

“What’s blue, Sam? Look at me! What’s blue?” Murphy snapped his fingers to get her attention.

Sam’s eyes came back into focus. “Blue sky,” she said. “I saw blue sky over a statue of a man.” She took a drink.

Murphy stared at her. “Anthony said you had the gift like old Esther, but I never knew you went into a trance like that,” he said. “Now, what else can you tell me about the statue of the man?”

Sam thought for a moment. “It’s very large. He looks peaceful, serene. He’s sitting down as if on the floor instead of a chair. I also smelled the sea there. It’s somewhere near the sea. Is there a statue like that here in Yokohama?”

“Not that I know of, but I think I may know someone that can help.” Murphy smiled. “I’ll be back tomorrow, Sam. You stay here again tonight. You have enough money yet?”

“Yes, Anthony gave me some. How is Anthony? He took responsibility for me with Captain Harding. Is he in trouble?”

“Like I said before, he’s worried about you. Harding has him confined to the ship while we’re here. Last night he was allowed to see you safely to shore and then returned right away. He’s also being docked pay for what you would have earned for the voyage.” He caught sight of the look on Sam’s face and added, “Don’t give any of the money back, young lady, he won’t take it.”

“Tell him thank you for me. I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t done that.”

“I will. He’ll appreciate it. Now, I better go see what I can do to help you find more about your peaceful statue. Stay around here and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Murphy got up and Sam walked out with him.

“Thank you, Uncle Pat,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Sam watched as her uncle disappeared into the crowds of the marketplace and then turned her face to the sky and smiled. So blue… the sky here is so blue.
***
“Close your eyes, Sam. Now think about the statue,” Doctor Murphy said. “What can you tell us about the statue?"

Sam closed her eyes to try to picture the statue. It was the day following when she had had the vision of the statue by the sea. Her uncle had brought a local woman with him and had introduced her as Midori, an interpreter. “I’m sorry, Uncle Pat,” Sam said. “I don’t see anything more than yesterday.”

“Have a little patience, girl,” Murphy said.

Midori watched with interest. Murphy had told her about his niece the evening before. She found it a little strange that the girl had visions at such a young age, but did not doubt his word. “Please, Sam-san, tell me about the statue again,” she said.

“All right. It’s a man sitting down. He looks very peaceful. His eyes are closed and his hands are in his lap, like so.” Sam put her hands in her own lap, knuckles touching and palms upward.

Midori thought for a moment and then said, “Daibutsu. That statue could be the Daibutsu in Kamakura.”

Sam opened her eyes. “Where is Kamakura?” she asked. “Is it far?”

“Not at all,” Murphy said. “We can be there within a day if we leave in the morning. Then you can search for your mysterious silver boy.”

“Silver boy? What is that?” Midori asked.

“He is the reason I came here,” Sam explained. “I was having dreams about a ghostly silver boy that somehow needs my help. My grandmother determined that my destiny lies here to help him. She just never told me how or where I was to meet him.”

“Your grandmother is a fortune-teller? A shaman?” Midori asked.

“Yes, something like that. She has more skills than I do, however. But she doesn’t always reveal everything she sees.”

“I understand, Sam-san,” Midori said with a slight smile. “There are fortune-tellers in Japan, too. One told me when I was a little girl that I would help a boy that was not a boy and the boy would have yellow hair. At the time I did not believe her, but here you are. A boy at first glance, yet not a boy at all. It is my honor to be able to help.”

Sam looked from Midori to her uncle. “Is this true? Is Midori-san supposed to help?”

Murphy shrugged and said, “Who knows for sure? All I know is that Midori here speaks English very well and will teach you to speak Japanese. And just maybe you’ll be able to talk to your silver boy when you meet him. The important thing is, you’ll have someone with you that knows the language and the customs, so you won’t be too lost. And besides, this will get Anthony off my back about you. I haven’t had a moment’s peace on board since you were put to shore. That boy is a bloody nuisance!”

Sam laughed. “I agree. He may not have been around when I was growing up, and I don’t really know him that well, but he sure is over-protective at times. Tell him I’ll be fine. I’m made of sterner stuff than he realizes. I am an O’Riley, after all. We don’t know when to quit.”

“Aye,” Murphy said. “You’re all too stubborn to know any better.”

There was laughter at the table and the trio spent the rest of the day talking and seeing the sights around Yokohama. Kamakura would wait another day and Sam would be another step closer to her destiny.

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There ya go! A little happier than the last installment... which I need to get put up on the site one of these days.

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And finally, I realized I haven't bored you with hockey news lately. Well, the second round of the USHL playoffs are over and the final round teams have been set! It's the Sioux City Musketeers (w00t! w00t!) against the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders. Go Musketeers!!!

Laters!

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Tuesday, April 26, 2005

   Gaaaaa!!!!!!!!

Monday...

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It started out as one of those days where I had all sorts of things planned. After lunch things sort of fell apart on my plans.

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I was going to get some serious studying done today. I got about 20 minutes done! One stinking little chapter on XML! The phone rang and was some guy from some state policeman's organization wanting money. Fine...I've got no money to give them. All right... try to study again. My brother wakes up about 2 hours earlier than expected! (He works nights) He gets going for the day and then decides he's got to try to fix the drain in the bathtub and keeps making noises at me to help him with stuff. Then the phone rings again. My sister's calling to let us know that her husband (the one with that cool dragon tattoo) is being taken to the hospital by ambulance. Hang up the phone... it rings again!! This time it's the guy that my Dad talked to about some repairs that need to be done around the house. Hopefully some of the repairs will actually get done! Brother finally finishes the bathtub stuff. It's around 3:30 and we go downstairs and I do dishes quick 'cause at 4:00 Angel is on and I have to watch that!!! Then we go to Pizza Hut for supper and for a quick walk afterwards. Kind of cold out, but invigorating. Back to the house to await any word of brother-in-law... no word. Around 8:30 I came back up here to type up some of my story for potential posting. Phone rings again....not the sister, but the Best Bud letting me know he's in the eastern end of Nebraska for a while, and I will get to see him & his family next week. Ended up talking to him for about a half hour, getting nowhere on typing on the story. End the phone call around 9:20 and go try to get ahold of the sister to check on brother-in-law & leave message on cell phone voice mail. Then go online & finish typing up story section...around 10:30 when I got that done. So... needless to say, I didn't get very much done today, nor did I get to many sites. I think I may just get offline and do some more typing. It's rather relaxing to type like that. I'll probably post story section tomorrow. I've done quite a bit on the story the past few days, so things are moving along slightly.

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My eyes are starting to get fuzzy feeling....

Laters!

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Monday, April 25, 2005

   I wanna be sedated....

Sunday night.

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Well, I don't really want to be sedated. I was just listening to the Ramones and that song stuck in my mind.

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It was a nice, sunny day here in northwestern Iowa. I didn't want to stay in the house, so I conned my brother into going somewhere. We ended up in Cherokee, Iowa. There's a little museum with a planetarium there. They run the show on the last Sunday of the month. Guess what today was! Yep, the last Sunday of the month. We got to see the little program that they have there. It was fun. That's what really counts, right? I did take the camera along and got some cool pictures of some stuff in Cherokee. I haven't downloaded them off the camera yet, but will do that sometime tomorrow.

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Well, tomorrow will be study day again! I need to get my head around Networking one of these days!!!

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As I am a bit on the mellow side tonight, I will leave you with this. One of the tulips in front of the house.


Laters!

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Additional: Inspiration hit me the other night (ow!) and I finally acted on it. There's a new greeting up from me!

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Sunday, April 24, 2005

   Stupid computers....

Saturday? Yeah...Saturday!

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Stupid computer froze up twice in an hour on me tonight. I really would like to take a hammer to the thing sometimes.

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Well... my brother and I went to see Sahara today. It was good and fun: a nice adventure movie, very little swearing, no sex, lots of explosions! Plus Matthew McConaughey isn't that bad to look at for a couple hours!! For you guys, there's Penelope Cruz.

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I have just run out of things to say here..... Oh well.

Laters!

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