Firefly: Season 2

Hobbit and I have a bit of fan-fiction we hope you will enjoy. Follow the links on the right to read new episodes of Firefly.

Brandy time!

What time is it? Well, if the subject doesn't tell you, let me repeat: It's brandy time! She's beautiful. I love her color. I love her taste. I love her 80% proof!

Get yourself a taste of this delicious drink we call Brandy. Or, if you are not into the hard liquor, I suggest checking out the other Brandy. But be warned: both are known to cause dumb driving.

Smallville good again? In the words of Morgan Freeman:

I hope.

For 3 seasons, and at least through the premier of season 4, I watched this show with the zeal of a geek gone wrong.

Then the stories dropped quality. Clark stopped developing into the Christopher Reeve----err Clark I wanted him to become.

Rarely, we saw images hinting at the Superman Clark was destined to become, such as Clark wearing a blue tee with a red jacket (brilliant!). But then someone realized how much like Supes he looks like in those clothes and decided to put him in the same outfit every show.

The stories, even while at their finest resembled an episode of Scooby Doo, lost integrity in a quick, cheap 40 minutes of weak episodes that contradicted themselves left and right.

But in the upcoming episode, Apocalypse, moments like you see in this picture remind me that despite all that has gone wrong with this show, I hope. I hope for more cheap, crack-ridden thrills like this picture, and as long as Smallville provides, I'll come back like the addict I am.

Let the quest begin!

The quest for publication!

In the 5th grade, I wrote a 2part series featuring a young, dynamic sleuth and his equally young, sexy gal-pal. In part 1, we learned how these two charistmatic cats formed the partnership that would help them solve the evil crime they would soon encounter. In part 2, we saw the sleuth kidnapped by a scientist and given angel's wings, all to be reprogrammed and used in an ultimate plan to take over the world. (Sound like James Patterson's Maximum Ride series? That's not a mistake. How did I then write it a decade before his series hit the stands? I'll tell you as soon as he returns my phone calls...)

This 2part series carried more suspense than the Sixth Sense

How can I be so sure? Because almost every sentence began with the word, "SUDDENLY."

Does that also remind you of James Patterson? If it gets me as many Benjamins as he has, I might live with the comparison.

So years later, after letting writing fall away, picking it back up, and adding several suspensful words to my vocabulary, I am picking this thing up full force. I have a bucket of short stories, a novel, several screenplays, a few plays (two of them produced!), I now begin the quest for publication.

Hobbit and I spent the weekend combing through the Writers Market Guide for Novels and Short Stories 2008. We found several juicy opportunities. Just check out some of these magazine titles.

ANTI-MUSE

ARMCHAIR AESTHETE

ALIEN SKIN MAG (surprisingly not for alien porn)

REJECTED QUARTERLY (they only accept submissions if you have several rejection letters)

Suddenly, the cream of the crop!!!!

TOASTED CHEESE

If there is a god, God, or malevolent demon that wants to convince me it is a force for good, Toasted Cheese will be my gateway to fame.

Cold-reads

Some of us are naturals when it comes to meeting new people. But none of us are not when it comes to developing relationships. Thankfully, Tyler Durden, Real Social Dynamics guru, has done much of the theory work for us. You can view a video montage of his seminars at:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkXDloQ4HWk

One theory he suggests to meet people is to cold-read. This is fun even with people you know. Psychics use this technique often to convince people they really are psychic. You take an obvious fact observed early on about someone and turn it into a broad generalization that could fit anyone but comes across as genuinely insightful.

For example, you meet someone shy. You observe, "You know, I bet a lot of people think you are shy. But they don't realize you have strong opinions and are just waiting to assess the situation before you speak your mind."

Don't be a charlatan. The trick is to be playful. The trick is to be genuine. The trick is to be real.

Listening to one of Tyler Durden's seminars on the long drive back from seeing my fiancee, I got to thinking: could this technique also be used to dissolve a set gone wrong?

You see, several months ago, Stillness and I went to a local bar. After several successful introductions and conversations with total strangers, I came across the final set of the night.

It did not end well.

I caught this girl's outfit from the corner of my eye and turned to comment on it. In retrospect, much of my behavior crosses the line between playful and pompous.

"Hey, I love that dress!"

Smile. "Yeah?"

"Yeah! I've been all over town today and I've seen several girls wearing a dress just like that."

The smile disappears. "Oh..."

"Hey, I'm kidding, it looks great. Where did you get it?"

Smiles again. "Target!"

"Oh yeah? I buy lots of my clothes at Target."

"Yeah, I try not to. Aren't they owned by Russians? I think they're communists."

"Uh... I think they're owned by Jews, actually (can anyone clarify this?), but maybe it's all the same. Here, let me look at your dress."

I extend my hand. She steps out of the booth and takes my hand. I lead her into the bar floor, spin around, and sit in her seat. Immediately, I ignore her and act like I am in midconversation with her friend.

The girl in the dress just stares at me, starts to laugh.

I stop my pseudo-conversation with her friend and look up at her.

"Oh, hello. Is there some reason you came over here?"

We laugh. I scoot over and tell her, "Come on, have your seat back."

Now, to anyone passing by, it looks as though we are indeed a cozy three piece of delightful friendship.

We fly through some fun pieces of conversation, but here I think I missed an integral piece of the interaction. Perhaps you've noticed it.

I did not pay very much attention to the friend.

The friend interupts the conversation by stating, "Listen, I don't know if this is why you came over here, but in case it is, you ought to know she is in a very serious relationship."

I never recovered after this. I told them I also am in a serious relationship. Hell, Stillness and I had just come from the mall where I had the engagement ring inspected for warranty renewal. The ring was still in my pocket!

I have asked several friends if they think it is even possible to recover from this. The almost unanimous opinion is you often must walk away. There is no recovery.

But hearing about cold-reading, I think I may have hit on a solution.

In response to her comment, make a powerful observation about her personality.

"You know, I bet a lot of people think you're cold and a little bit of a bitch. But I bet you really care about your friend and just want to protect her. You don't care what anyone thinks about you if it means protecting the people you care about."

I intend to field test this technique asap.

Old rule: Look but don't touch. New rule: Sit but you better not *#$@ing look!

An Italian man boarded a train for 2 days in a row. Both times, he sat next to the same woman. The two never spoke. He is now sitting in jail and may have to pay 40 euro because she claims the first time he sat too close to her, the second time he stared. He is currently considering an appeal. At the time the below article was written, the court claimed no comment on its verdict, stating it would explain its decision at a later time.

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN1845257120080418

Give your cat the care it deserves: A guide by 2 unknown engineers

Cats deserve the best care we can give them.

Proper nutrition.

A few toys to play with.

The occasional game.

And martial arts lessons.

Don't believe me? Watch this internet sensation, created by two engineers enjoying recent celebrity thanks to their candid cat care video.

http://video.yahoo.com/network/100284668/3774740?v=2369949

Man will give birth! NOT A HOAX!

Science breaks barriers all the time. The bright minds of tomorrow want to make our lives better. What's the latest way they plan to do just that?

Ladies of the world, have you ever longed to have a child but cringed at the thought child-birth?

Well, for you ladies from the 1800s, I am here to tell you science has broken through and given you a couple of options.

You can yell for the doctor to just give you the damn drugs!

Or, you can do what Thomas Beatie and his wife did.

Thomas Beatie, born a woman, now lives as a legally transgendered married man. Thomas opted to retain his internal reproductive organs while having his outer appearance altered to resemble a man. He takes hormones and lives with his wife as a man indistinguishable by many from any other man. He even has the bulging belly! Except Thomas' belly, through the gift of artificial insemination, has for the last 5 months housed a growing baby.

Astonished? Dumbfounded? Read more at http://news.opb.org/article/bend-transgendered-man-says-he-will-give-birth/.

The Food Network

If you like humorous, insightful musing on the Food Network, AMEX, and the joys of flying first class thanks to world-class screwups by world-class airlines, check out Chichobbit's Hobbit Ramblings blog.

She also has a blog entry on her side of the recent events cementing the change in my relationship with Stillness. Her musings on psychology and relationships are almost as entertaining as her musings on the evil incarnate that is Rachael Ray.

Transcripts

Currently listening to: Leona Lewis.

Waiting on my school transcripts. UGA offers a generous program (hope it stays in place!) that would allow me to take 6 hours of classes a semester for free. Otherwise, I will take classes at a community college to complete my associates and bachelors degree, and to raise my GPA so when I apply to complete my Masters I am eligible for significant scholarships.

Also, there are juicy options available afterwards. More jobs are now available to someone with a Masters in Social Work rather than Psychology. I must investigate the pros and cons of each.

In addition, the U.K. has a demand for psychologists that they are unable to fulfill. Their students simply are not graduating fast enough to fill the job market. So Hobbit and I are considering moving to the U.K. once I have my MA, where she will pursue her PHD.

Drama Bombs

I may write in more detail later the events leading to my more or less forced eviction, but at this time I feel it would just be a drama bomb in an already sad experience.

I am sad at the shift in a relationship very dear to me. More than any disagreement I have with this person's lifestyle, my biggest pain is that I feel we are unable to discuss the issue. (Or pretty much any issue about this person's character/identity that does not validate him) I can agree to disagree about many things unless I feel the other person is causing others pain by their actions. Here, I am frustrated on both fronts. In this case I think this person IS causing others pain, and after the results of attempting several discussions over the last few years, I do not believe any discussion will do much more than cement the rift between us.

A dear friend, call him Scooby, said he disagrees, he thinks this person's actions are honorable. I disagree.

But I must refer to the biggest problem I have with our relationship. I could be entirely wrong about my opinion about this person. Perhaps clarification is all it needs. But if I feel I can not disagree with someone without them doing what pick-up artists refer to as AMOGING (steam-rolling), well, I don't think it's healthy to even attempt clarification. Our values, even if they are called the same thing, seem too be defined too diferently for us to get along.

And if nothing else, let's be clear. Evicting and cursing me would be deal-breakers ending the relationship if it were anyone else.

But! Maybe, as my pappy says, we will one day have a reconciliation. Maybe, for now, we just need some time apart. Maybe, as my pappy says, eviction and other deal-breaking actions aside, we are initiating a separation that in a couple of months time will happen on its own.

Which brings me to! I am searching for a frickin' job in GA! Started applying last week as it seems I may not be able to transfer to a different location for the current company I work for. I'll move as soon as I find a job. Could be a couple of weeks. Could be a couple of months. Until then I am taking Scooby's suggestion and chilling at friends houses, taking advantage of the opportunity to hang out with them often. Soon I will live far away and won't be able to see them for long stretches. So if any of them hint I am wearing out my welcome, all I have to do is remind them, "But this is our last chance to hang out before I move!" :D