Saturday, July 2, 2005

   *resisting urge to take sledgehammer to computer*

Friday night and the frustration threshold got crossed.

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Well, yes, I am a bit frustrated right now. How are all of you?

I'm just a bit frustrated with the computer and it's many issues. Especially the one it has with fonts right now. Several fonts have been corrupted. Since there's something like 540 fonts on here, it's nigh impossible to figure out which ones. I had a couple suggestions as to what to do about it, but it didn't work.

I also was having issues with Internet Exploiter... er, Explorer not wanting to go to my Yahoo! email. I've got a few addresses there, and when I tried to get to the email on a couple of them, IE started to freak out and I had to restart the computer! So, to read that email, I had to go to Netscape.

Something must be done to this computer...

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So, please forgive me for not getting to sites tonight. I just have so little patience with the thing tonight.

This is how I feel after the go-rounds with the beast:



Laters!

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Friday, July 1, 2005

   Tin roof rusted!!!!

Thursday night and I'm still out of nautical jokes.

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Well, it was another pretty dull day. More Java. Yay.

It was actually nice enough out for my brother & I to take a walk after supper. No nasty 90º+ temperatures. No nasty high humidity. It was so nice...

And even better: we found vanilla ice cream!!! Combine that with a 2 liter bottle of root beer and we're now set for a couple days of root beer float bliss!!!

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Well, I did break the 3000 hit mark! And as a way of saying 'Thank you,' here's a happy picture.


And I got this one from matt3402! Thanks, Matt!!

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And in closing, I found this while nosing around for things last night. It's an easy quiz to force into giving you the answer you want. *wink wink*

how jedi are you? :: by lawrie malen

Laters!

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Thursday, June 30, 2005

   Basking in the glow of the computer monitor

Wednesday night and I have run out of nautical jokes! Don't all cheer at once now!

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Well, I did a little more Java again today. Yay. Otherwise not much happened. I did decide I want a root beer float. My brother & I went to the grocery store and the local convenience store and both of them were out of vanilla ice cream! So there was no root beer floats for us tonight!

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Well, since nothing exciting happened, I will give you the next part of my story. Feel free to scroll past it and get to the interesting things below it.

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Promises were made that day. Hikaru remembered that much. He was reminded of the promises one day shortly after he had sold the dojo to cover the debts left after his father’s death. Promises were made, and those promises had been broken.

Enough money was made in the sale to take care of the debts as well as allow Takeda to find a modest home for Hikaru. They were both beginning to settle in when a man came to their door. Takeda answered.

The man bowed respectfully. “Forgive the intrusion, please,” he said. “My name is Ikezawa. I served with Nakamura-san in the war. It is my duty to return him to his family. I understand there is a son.”

“Yes, there is a son,” Takeda answered. “He is resting now. He has been ill. Where is Nakamura?”

“At the temple undergoing preparation for the funeral.”

“Thank you, Ikezawa-san. I will inform Hikaru-kun and we will be there shortly.”

Hikaru came into the room behind Takeda. “No need, sensei,” he said. “I heard everything. Let us go to the temple.”

“Of course, Hikaru-kun.”

That had been the day before, and now the wake had begun. Hikaru thought back to the day his father had left. “Promise me you’ll be careful, father,” he had said. “Promise you’ll come back.”

Master Yoshihiro smiled at his son and said, “Of course, my bright boy, I promise I will come back to you. Promise me you’ll run the dojo in my absence.”

“Of course, father.”

That was the last Hikaru had seen his father until the day his remains were returned to Kamakura. Now he thought of those promises. His father had broken both promises and he had broken the one he had made as well. Once again tears came to Hikaru.
***
“There were signs and signals, sir, but I’m afraid I didn’t realize it until it was too late,” Yonaha said. “The dojo was sold in secret and your grandson was moved out during the night. I tried to speak with him, but the servant Takeda intervened.”

Nakamura had arrived in Kamakura the day after Yoshihiro’s body was returned. He had received a cable from Yonaha telling of this. “Have you found where they went?” he asked.

“No, sir, Ashida-san is looking into that himself. However, I think they will be at the temple. The wake was held today.”

“We will not disturb them today, Yonaha-san, but we will attend the funeral rites. Things may not have been right between my son and I these past sixteen years, but he was still my son. I must make amends with what is left of my family.”

“Of course, Nakamura-san. I understand.”

“Leave me now. I need to think.” Nakamura dismissed Yonaha.

Yonaha bowed and left the room. Ashida was waiting outside. “Well?” he asked.

“We’re doing nothing today,” Yonaha said. “He wants to be alone.”

“He’s not going to attend the wake? Why not? It’s his son.”

“Yes, it’s his son. It’s also a time for the close family and friends to pay their respects. I don’t know if you remember this but Nakamura-sama did not speak to his son for sixteen years. He does not feel it would be right for him to intrude.”

Ashida was not happy at the inaction of his superior. He felt it was his duty to contact the boy and bring him to his grandfather. He did not like this sitting back and doing nothing. With a slight expression of disappointment, he left the inn.

Yonaha followed. “Where are you going? Nakamura-san said not to disturb them today.”

“I’m going for a walk by the shore,” Ashida lied and headed toward the shore leaving Yonaha behind outside the inn. He walked partway to the shore and turned toward the temple.

The wake service was already ended and only the servant Takeda was visible. Ashida paid his respects, fully aware of Takeda’s eyes upon him. As he left he offered his condolences at the loss of his friend.

Takeda politely accepted the sentiment and said, “I know Nakamura-san is here. I will not object to his presence at the funeral, but please tell him not to approach Hikaru-kun. Not at the funeral.”

Ashida was taken aback at this request. “Of course, I understand. I will tell him.”

“Thank you. I will leave it up to Hikaru to make contact. If he does not wish to speak to him, I hope Nakamura-san will honor that wish.”

“Yes, I will tell him that as well.” Ashida bowed and left the temple to return to the inn.
***
On the eve of the funeral, strangers arrived at the Nakamura dojo. A man opened the gate and asked after their business.
Midori stepped forward and said, “Good evening. Please forgive the intrusion, but we are seeking a young boy that may live here.”

The man eyed Midori and her companions with suspicion. “There is no boy here. He has left. This dojo is mine now.”

“May I ask where he has gone?”

“I don’t know where he is living now. Even if I did, I would not tell you. Master Yoshihiro’s body was returned and the wake was held today. Good evening.” The man slid the gate closed.

Midori turned and explained what she had learned to Samantha and Doctor Murphy.

“Well, Sam,” Murphy said, “what do we do now? You were so sure this was the place we’d find your boy.”

Sam was looking at the large statue of the Buddha. “This is the place,” she said. “The statue is in the right spot from how I saw it. I know he’s here somewhere.” A look of frustration crossed her face.

“Well, we probably won’t get anywhere tonight, so let’s see if there’s an inn. All right, ladies?”
Sam and Midori agreed, and they walked to the main part of town. They soon found an inn where they found rooms. As they sat in the main dining area, Sam and Murphy drew many curious glances from both patrons and the staff.

Murphy watched a large boy working around the dining room. “Is that him?”

Sam looked at the boy and shook her head. “Uh uh…He’s too big and he’s not silver. Also, his hair is too short. The silver boy has a braid.”

“Braid. Got it,” Murphy said. The large boy brought their food to the table and bowed before he continued working. Murphy picked up the chopsticks. “Oh, this is going to be interesting.”

Midori smiled and showed both Murphy and Sam how to use chopsticks. “It’s really quite easy,” she said.

Sam and Murphy looked at each other and laughed. The rest of the meal was rather entertaining as the two Americans struggled with their chopsticks.

---

It's about time Sam was back in the story, right? Yep, things are starting to come together. More to follow one of these days...

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Okay, here's the interesting stuff after the story. I'm almost to another milestone here. I will hit that milestone sometime during the next 24 hours. Yes, I have almost broken 3000 hits! Woohoo! I'll have to come up with something as a thank you.

Well, that's about it for excitement tonight, so I leave you to your own devices.

Laters!

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Wednesday, June 29, 2005

   Why couldn't the eleven-year old get into the pirate movie?

It was rated "Rrrrrr"!

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Tuesday night and I'm running out of nautical jokes! Yeah, I got that one off of Spongebob Squarepants!

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Well, I'm glad you guys enjoyed the enhanced Star Wars lines. I guess that could be called the Twisted Return of Kitsune's Movie Quotes. I still may have to bring back the movie quotes. It was fun having those up.

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I actually did a little studying on Java today! Yay me!!! It's funny, I have not done any serious programming since about 1989, but I am slowly getting back into that mindset. There are things that leave me rather confused at times, but the basic concepts of the language seem to be slowing sinking in.

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Well, since nothing else exciting happened, I'm going to leave you with a couple quizzes I took in the past few days. I found the one on Panda's site, but I don't remember where I saw the other one. Oh well!

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This is the one I can't remember where I found. It's really kind of cool.

What Icons are for you? by ladyallie
Username
Favourite Colour
Sex	MaleFemaleYES PLEASE!UndecidedBothNeither
Your Love icon is...
Your Sad Icon is...
Your Happy Icon is...
Your Angry Icon is...
Your Food Icon is...
Your Animal Icon is...
Your Random Icon is...
Your Cartoon Icon is...
Your Sexy Icon is...
Quiz created with MemeGen!

This is the one I found on Panda's site. I don't know anything about this particular anime/manga, but the result made me laugh right out loud!


Which Saiyuki character would sleep with you?

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Well, I guess I am gonna wander off now.

Laters!

---

Additional: There's new artwork up. Well, actually, it's just a quick doodle....

Comments (8) | Permalink

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

   Did you hear about the ship carrying red paint colliding with a ship carrying purple paint?

The survivors were marooned!

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Monday night and time to explain yesterday's joke.

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Yesterday's joke: Did you hear about the ship that left Hong Kong with a cargo full of yo-yos?
It sank 285 times.

Explanation: What do yo-yos do? They go up & down. Now think about that and the joke.

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Since my day was occupied by laundry, nothing happened worth mentioning. So I'm gonna torture you all with this.

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Lines in Star Wars movies that can be improved by substituting the word 'Pants'

• "At last we will reveal our pants to the Jedi." --Darth Maul


• "This is where Chancellor Valorum's pants will disappear." --Senator Palpatine


• "I saw your pants. Only a Jedi carries that kind of weapon." --Anakin


• "My pants will be the entry fee. They're in good order, except for the parts I need." --Qui Gon


• "I care for you too...only I...miss...." --Anakin "Your pants?" --Padme


• "Everything revolves around those awful pants." --Shmi


• "Pants are very, very dangerous." --Anakin


• "TK-421. . . Why aren't you in your pants? TK-421, do you copy?" --Gantry Officer


• "No! Alderaan is peaceful, we have no pants!" --Leia


• "A tremor in the pants. The last time I felt this was in the presence of my old master." --Vader


• "She must have hidden the plans in her pants. Send a detachment down to retrieve them. See to it personally Commander." --Vader


• "Uh... we had a slight, uh, pants malfunction." --Han


• "Look sir, pants." --Stormtrooper


• "Don't seem to remember ever owning pants." --Obi Wan


• "Something just moved past my leg." --Luke "It's just your pants." --Han


• "All right, men. Load your pants!" --Stormtrooper


• "Jabba's through with you. He has no time for smugglers who drop their pants at the first sign of an Imperial Cruiser." --Greedo


• "Your pants, you'll have to leave them outside." --Wuher the Bartender


• "Search your pants. You know it to be true." --Darth Vader


• "Don't worry. Chewie and I have gotten into pants a lot more heavily guarded than this." --Han


• "You are unwise to lower your pants." --Vader


• "That blast came from the pants! That thing's operational!" --Lando


• "Han . . . Can you reach my pants?" --Luke


• "Break off the attack! Their pants are still up!" --Lando

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Well... I hope you enjoyed those! I sure did.

Laters!

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Monday, June 27, 2005

   Did you hear about the ship that left Hong Kong with a cargo full of yo-yos?

It sank 285 times!

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Sunday & the ship jokes continue...

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Well, today was uneventful as usual. Tomorrow will probably be the same, but with laundry.

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I did have fun with the cat today. I was sitting on the floor and playing with her. Her favorite toys include a multi-colored belt and a tennis ball. I decided to get one of her other toys... the catnip mouse!!!! As soon as it was within her reach, she had a grip on the thing and was rubbing it on her face. She also licked and chewed on it, so within a minute or two of getting ahold of it, it was wet! Very silly cat!

She's sleeping on the spare chair next to me right now. Seriously unconscious kitty! I just lifted her tail and it's limp!

So, my question to you guys tonight is: Do you have any pets and what do they like to play with?

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I believe it's time to shuffle off now.

Laters!

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Sunday, June 26, 2005

   What do you get when you cross the Atlantic with the Titanic?

Halfway!!!!

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Saturday night and I apologize for that tacky little riddle up there... maybe.

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Well, it rained pretty much all night at us last night. It's a good thing that I got offline when I did. About 10 minutes later the power flickered off! There were a couple good thunderstorms during the night and one this morning. It was actually nice enough for us to open up the front door and a window in the kitchen to let the air flow through! Then the sun came out later in the afternoon and it got hot & sticky. Blah.

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The excitement of the day was cleaning the house this morning. Woohoo! My brother vacuumed & I dusted. Then we actually didn't do much of anything the rest of the day. We actually stayed home and didn't go to Sioux City.

As there was nothing on TV this evening worth watching, my brother went down to the basement and found an old game of his and we sat on the living room floor and played "Dungeon." It's a sort of combination between a board game and D&D. We hadn't played it in years and ended up laughing so hard we had tears in our eyes. We also had to keep the cat from sitting in the middle of it.

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I have a correction to make on part of my rant from yesterday. I said the younger brother of the soldier had committed suicide. Well, in today's paper the coroner said it was an accident and not suicide. He had been saying it was suicide before. I guess we'll never know for sure. But either way, it doesn't change the fact that it's a tragedy that the family lost two sons in such a short amount of time.

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I'm glad you guys are liking the story. I've got two more parts that can be posted here then I have to do some more writing. It's funny, but in my head I'm way ahead of what's on paper! I just have to search my memory for what's gone on between what's on paper & in my head. Whee!

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Well, I think I may wander off now.

Laters!

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Saturday, June 25, 2005

   This is an ex-parrot!

Friday night and I'm truly not wound up, but I am long-winded.

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Well... not much happened today. I didn't do anything on Java again. Still not able to think straight. And I can blame that on a serious lack of sleep the past couple of nights. Wednesday night was due to almost 2 hours of being uncomfortable because of how warm it was in my room. Thursday night was because I stayed up until 2:00 a.m. typing on my story! Out of the 6 sections I have written, five of them are typed and will be the next 2 parts posted. And just for grins, one of them will be posted tonight!

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But before I get to the story part, I have something I want to get off my chest. It's a bit of a rant.

I'm somewhat of a pacifist. I don't particularly feel that the war in Iraq should be going on. I just would be happier if it wasn't going on, but I accept that it's happening and that people are losing their lives over there. Recently a young man from the Siouxland area was killed when something exploded under the Hummer he was riding in. His funeral was the other day and something happened at the funeral that really was uncalled for. It seems a group of people from a church somewhere in Kansas decided to protest outside of the funeral. They were holding signs that said America is doomed and were yelling things. What they were yelling was totally uncalled for. They were yelling that the young man was homosexual and deserved to die. They claimed God was killing all the soldiers on purpose because they're all gay. Now, I don't know and I don't care whether the young man was gay or not, but I don't think they should have been there in the first place. All I can do is hope that a member of one of their families dies and people disrespect their sorrow by yelling obsenities during their funeral. Show a little respect!

The truly sad thing about this is, the younger brother of the soldier killed committed suicide a day or so after his brother was killed. The brother was also in the National Guard and was going to be shipped out to Iraq in the Fall.

What a shame.

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Well, now it's time for story part. For those that don't read it, just scroll down past it all and leave a comment or question or whatever, okay? Thanks!

---

Takeda walked through the main training hall of the dojo toward the wall where the names of the students were listed. The sound of laughter came in from out in the garden where Hikaru and Satsuo were sharing some joke.

The sale of the dojo had been finalized a day earlier and now it was time to leave. The challenge was getting things out without arousing the suspicions of Nakamura’s men. That was where Satsuo’s help was needed. The boy filled the role of spy and smuggler. He would report the actions of the men and take some of the smaller things out to the new house where Takeda and Hikaru would live.

As he walked through the training hall, Takeda smiled and reminisced about many of the events that had taken place there. He recalled the day the first class started. Yoshihiro was so excited he did not sleep or eat the day before, but once the class started everything went well.

With a touch of sadness, Takeda began taking names down from the wall. Each plaque held memories of the student named. He would have Satsuo take the plaques to those named. At last, he was to the last three plaques – one for Master Yoshihiro, one for Hikaru, and one for himself. Another smile came to him as he recalled the day Hikaru became an instructor. It was shortly before his 13th birthday, almost two years ago. Takeda was so proud of Hikaru that day. The boy handled the responsibility with maturity far beyond his age and quickly became respected by the students. Takeda took the last three plaques down quietly, lost in his memories.

Once again, the sound of laughter reached Takeda’s ears. He turned to see the boys waiting outside. “Hikaru, what are you doing?” Takeda exclaimed. “You know you can’t come in here.” He was pleased to see Hikaru having fun with his friend, but was concerned that he’d want to come into the dojo.

“I know that,” Hikaru said. “We were just wondering what was taking you so long. Satsuo has to get back home.” Satsuo nodded in agreement.

“Of course,” Takeda said. “Satsuo, here are the name plaques. You’ll make sure they get to the right people?”

“Yes, sensei,” Satsuo said, and he entered the dojo to get the plaques. “Ah! My sandals,” he said and went back to where Hikaru was standing. He grabbed his shoes and carried them into the dojo, where he gathered up the names. “See you, Hikaru!” he called as he went out the other door.

Hikaru sat outside the dojo and watched Takeda as he cleaned. “It’s sad, isn’t it, sensei?”

“Hmm?” Takeda was sweeping out a corner.

“Leaving the dojo. It’s a little sad.”

Takeda stopped sweeping and looked at his young master. “Yes, it is a little sad,” he said. “But it is also a new beginning. Perhaps in the future, you can start your own dojo.” He started sweeping again.

Hikaru thought about the idea of opening his own dojo. “I don’t know, Takeda-sensei,” he said. “It wouldn’t be the same as before.”

“Of course not. Nothing is the same as before. That’s the way of things. Now, move, or get covered in dust.” He had swept his way to the open door.

Hikaru laughed as he got up. “All right, I’ll move.”

After he had swept the dust out of the dojo, Takeda stopped cleaning. “Time to get something to eat and get some rest,” he said. “Tonight we get you out of here.”

“Why at night?”

“So your grandfather’s men can’t follow us. I don’t want them to know just yet.” They were walking back to the guesthouse. “Not until we know how much of your demon side is going to show.”

“Ah, yes, that,” Hikaru said. “Look, I’ve been practicing.” He quickly turned silver and back. “It’s getting easier.”

Takeda shook his head. “Despite whatever I thought earlier, you’re still just a boy and still act like one.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Takeda just smiled.
***
Satsuo took a look outside the dojo. The man that had been watching had finally left. He went back to the guesthouse. “He is gone, sensei. I think we can leave now.”

“Thank you, Satsuo-kun,” Takeda said. “I wish we did not have to do it this way, but I feel it would be better if the old man did not find out that we sold the dojo just yet.”

“Yes, sensei.”

The deal to sell the dojo had been finalized a couple days earlier and their main agenda at this point was to get everything out without Nakamura’s men being aware of what was happening. Thus far everything had been going well. Satsuo had been taking out some of the smaller items and personal items as he left after his visits. Now that the man was no longer watching, the larger things could be removed. Satsuo and Takeda had that part under control. They took the last of the large items out, leaving a rather nervous Hikaru behind in the now empty guesthouse.

Night had begun to fall just as Takeda and Satsuo put the last items into the cottage that was to be home for Hikaru. They were walking back to the dojo when they spotted one of Nakamura’s men. He seemed to be making his way to the dojo.

Takeda took action. “Satsuo-kun, you go to the dojo. Go over the back wall by the large tree. Get Hikaru-kun out that way. I will meet with this man and try to get rid of him.”

“Yes, sensei,” Satsuo said and ran off to the back wall of the dojo compound. He quickly climbed over the wall and ran to the guesthouse. “Hikaru-kun, where are you?” he whispered into the now dark guesthouse.

A pair of glowing green eyes appeared in the darkness. “Here,” Hikaru whispered. “Where is Takeda-sensei?”

“One of the men that has been watching is coming here. Sensei went to speak to him. Let’s go. We have to go over the back wall so he doesn’t see.”

“All right,” Hikaru said as he stepped out of the shadows. He was silver again. “It’s probably better to do that. I seem to have… umm…”

Satsuo smiled. “Right. Let’s go,” he said as he led Hikaru to the back wall and helped him over.

The two boys snuck down the street toward the cottage. Fortunately it was dark enough that they were not seen, but there were still times when they would hide just to be safe. “Satsuo, where are we?” Hikaru asked. “I don’t recognize this part of town.”

“We’re over by the marketplace. Shh… I think someone saw us.” Satsuo pulled Hikaru behind a stall.

A voice called out, “Hey! Who’s out there? Show yourself!” The man moved closer. “I know you’re there. Come out.”

Satsuo whispered, “We’re going to have to run. Head toward the beach, all right?”

Hikaru agreed. The boys took off running toward the beach. The man shouted something after them, but neither heard what it was. They were too busy running. A few minutes later they collapsed on the beach, breathless. “Did he follow?” Hikaru asked.

Satsuo looked up. “No, it doesn’t look like it. We got away.” He looked over at Hikaru and was surprised to see him laughing. “What’s so funny?”

“Us. This. When was the last time we did anything like this?”

Satsuo started to laugh as well. “You’re right. We haven’t done anything like this in a long time.”

They lay there on the beach laughing for a while, until Hikaru said, “We better get to the cottage. Sensei is probably wondering where we are.”

Satsuo agreed and they made their way to the cottage as quickly and quietly as possible. Once at the cottage, they were greeted by a rather impatient Takeda. “Where have you two been?” he asked. “And you! Look at you. Someone could have seen you like that.” He pulled the boys inside and shut the door. “Why are you like that?”

Hikaru suddenly felt like a small child again. He looked at his feet. “I don’t know. It just happened,” he said quietly. “We were careful, sensei. No one saw us.”

“That’s not the point. I don’t want you taking such chances. Now go to bed, you two. It’s late.”

“Yes, sensei,” the boys both said and went off to what was now Hikaru’s room. As they prepared for bed, they discussed they night’s events and wondered what Takeda had said to the man. Soon Satsuo was sound asleep, and Hikaru found that he was not tired. He quietly got up and went to the back garden to watch the stars for the rest of the night.

---

Well... there you go. They've finally snuck out of the dojo into the new house. The next part will be the beginning of a convergence. Sounds impressive, eh?

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As it seems to be thundering outside, and I did get kicked offline a little bit ago, I may have to call it quits here. Before I really make up my mind, I must consult the online version of Texas Hold'em Mega Super Hyper Doppler 4000, version 2.0, to see how many colors are splatted over where I live.

Laters!

Comments (12) | Permalink

Friday, June 24, 2005

   Watch for rocks!

Thursday... *falls over*

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Well, once again it has been hot outside and truly dull inside my head.

I made a half-assed attempt at Java today. Turned on the computer this afternoon and ended up playing games for almost an hour instead of even trying to think Java. Also tried to fall asleep during that time. So, I turned the computer off and went downstairs and finished reading a Clive Cussler book.

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Well... since boredom has officially set in now, I may go and type up some more of my story. I've got six more sections done that need to be typed up. Some will probably be put together into related compositions and end up as three posts.

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Hopefully one of these days I will have something exciting to report to you guys. So, until then....

Laters!

Comments (14) | Permalink

Thursday, June 23, 2005

   Zootlewurdle... zootlewurdle... zootlewurdle...

Wednesday...Another exciting day comes to a close.

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Well, I did finally figure out what was wrong with my Java application. It's amazing what a misplaced } can do to a program. Now I want to figure out why part of it produces nothing but zeros.

It's been nasty hot out again. The temperature was 83°F with a heat index of 87°F at 10:30 this morning. I don't know what the temp/heat index was at the hottest part of the day, though. The Weather Channel predicted temperatures near 100° with heat index of 110° for tomorrow. The local weather guy said only 97°. Big difference... HA!

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Well, since it's been rather quiet and slightly boring online tonight, I'm gonna find something else to do.

Laters!

Comments (10) | Permalink