Now that the plan was set, the prisoners were anxious to put it into action. A pick head was taken off of one of the tools and hidden in a bucket of ore. Weinmar chose to bring the bucket over to the machine, since it was normal for the older elves to carry the buckets, since they did not have the strength to wield the picks and shovels for any great length of time. The buckets were placed in a long line to be thrown into the machine, so he would have lots of time to get back to the group before the machine jammed. Meanwhile, Zaxi sauntered over to the nearest pillar to begin his climb, while Errol prepared to take his shot.
Not long after Weinmar returned to the group, there was a loud screeching sound, and the grinding machine at the center of the cavern came to a halt. All of the goblins became agitated, and Zaxi used this as his signal to begin to climb the pillar. Once he neared the height of the catwalk, Errol let loose his arrow. It was a direct hit! The goblin staggered back with an arrow in his throat. Zaxi quickly caught him and took its armor before it had a chance to get too blood soaked. When he was ready, he threw the goblins bow and quiver down to Errol who handed it back to another elf. Daddy and Dagmar quickly moved to the left side of the stair case nearest Ashleigh, while Cydonia and Elongil took up position on the right-hand side. Slowly, groups of prisoners started walking towards the staircase. The first prisoners were just starting to make their way down the stair case when an alarm was sounded. A particularly ugly goblin had seen what was happening and began to blow on a warning horn. Errol quickly put an arrow through his chest but the damage was already done. Swarms of elves and dwarfs who were only moments ago walking slowly towards the stair case, began screaming and running towards their goal. Hordes of goblins began swarming out of hidden alcoves and began slaughtering the nearest fleeing prisoners, while a second group ran towards the staircase to cut off their escape. As soon as the alarm was sounded, the goblins on the catwalks began raining down arrows on the escaping prisoners. Zaxi sprung into action running up and down the catwalk hewing down the goblin archers nearest the top of the stairs. The goblins were so focused on the fleeing prisoners, that they failed to notice that death had come home to roost among their ranks. As he ran, Zaxi would kick a stray bow or quiver over the side of the catwalk, hoping that one of the elves below would snatch up one of the falling weapons. The first group of goblins to meet Daddy and Dagmar near the top of the stairs nearly overwhelmed them. Outnumbered nearly five to one, Daddy and Dagmar did their best to stay alive. each had taken numerous cuts to their hands and arms, and Daddy had an arrow sticking out of the top of his shoulder. Dagmar had a shaft in his thigh, and another drooping from his arm. Ashleigh screamed and grabbed her sword to go help the pair, but Cydonia quickly grabbed her and said "You can't, your too little!" Ashleigh punched her in the nose, used a quick wrist release she had learned in karate, and rushed to her Daddy's side. The first goblin she met made Ashleigh think that she may have bit off more than she could chew. It quickly knocked Ashleigh's smaller blade aside and smashed her in the ribs with a war hammer, which sent her flying back into the side of the staircase. Daddy heard her gasp and quickly turned and attacked the goblin who had struck Ashleigh. After regaining her breath, Ashleigh decided to sheath her sword and pull out her crossbow. She hid directly behind a pile of bodies directly behind Daddy and Dagmar, and began shooting approaching goblins before they could reach Errol who had fallen back to near the top of the staircase and was frantically shooting goblins who were trying to slay the fleeing prisoners. Meanwhile, Cydonia had taken a position to the left of Ashleigh, and was doing her best to protect the young warrior princess. Cydonia looked upon Ashleigh as a warrior princess because she had learned earlier that while Ashleigh was small and demure, she could use her martial arts training and an element of surprise to keep herself safe. By this time, Daddy and Dagmar were now fighting back to back. There were large piles of goblin bodies laying around them, which new goblins had to climb over to reach them. About two thirds of the prisoners had now rushed past on the staircase and Daddy was beginning to think that the rest of them were either dead or wouldn't make it. He yelled to Dagmar: "we have to drop back and protect the ones that have already escaped or all of this will be for naught!" "Aye" said the dwarf as he screamed for the rest of his kind to fall back and protect the staircase. Cydonia yelled similar orders for the remaining fighting elves. Ashleigh continued to shoot, as the rest of them fell in around her position. She had noticed an interesting thing about her crossbow and quiver. No matter how many bolts she shot (and she had shot many), the amount of bolts in her quiver never diminished. In fact, she was beginning to suspect that she had a magic quiver! Bolt after bolt she shot into the shambling goblin lines, and not once did she run out of bolts! Not only that, but it seemed that the bolts she shot flew truer than she could likely make them do on her own. In fact, she rarely missed a shot... which also kept Cydonia in awe. Once the remainder of the fighting elves and dwarfs assembled into a tight-nit band, they slowly began fighting their way down the bloodied main staircase.
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As they looked out above the top stair, they could see that the elves and dwarfs were being watched by a number of ugly, short, and muscly creatures. The things walked around and whipped people who did not work to their satisfaction. "That's not right!" said Ashleigh. "How can we save them?" Daddy said, "Stay here and stay low so they don't see you. I'll be right back."
When the nearest guards had their backs turned, Daddy rolled over the top step and crawled towards the nearest group of prisoners. The first person to see him was a small elf woman with a pickax. She waved him into the middle of the group and then stood in front of him so that the nearest guards would not be able to see him. She looked at him closely and said "why you're human! I never thought I'd ever see one of you! What are you doing here?" Daddy was amazed by the beauty of the young elf. Not just her either... all of the elves were either pretty or handsome, depending on their gender. He said, "I came looking for the elves and dwarfs from the castle. I guess I found you!" "My name is Cydonia the elf said. "Now that you have found us what can you really do? The goblins will kill you quickly if you attack without an army." Well, my idea isn't to attack them really" Daddy said. "Instead, I want to divert their attention and get as many of you away as possible." "To do that, we need a diversion, and possibly, more of you to be armed." It was at this point that a goblin shoved Cydonia out of the way and said "Ah ha! An intruder!" Before the goblin could raise the alarm, Daddy lopped off his head with a quick draw and swipe with his left katana. The prisoners stood in stony silence. The slash was so quick, that none of them had expected it. Daddy pointed at the goblin's weapons and said "You, take the sword." as he pointed to a particularly burly dwarf. "Cydonia take his dagger." The dwarf's name was Dagmar, and Daddy had him take up position on his right side. Meanwhile, he told Cydonia that once they reached the stairs, he wanted her to stay close to Ashleigh and help protect her. The elf was surprised that Daddy had brought his young daughter with him on such a dangerous excursion. In hindsight, so was Daddy! Since Daddy had extra weapons with him, he quickly passed a few around so that more of the band was armed. He gave his second katana to an elf named Elongil, and his broad sword to a dwarf named Zaxi. His long bow and quiver were lent to a particularly tall elf named Errol. Errol had trained with a bow for most of his life, and he was extremely happy to get the weapon. Now, all the group needed was a diversion! An ancient elf named Weinmar provided the answer. Weinmar noted that when the large noisy machine had a problem, nearly all of the goblins stopped to watch it get fixed. While the prisoners were still under watch, he noted that they could move around a bit more than usual without being beaten. Weinmar proposed hiding the head of a pick in one of the buckets of ore that the group sent to the machine periodically. When the pick head was thrown into the machine, it would likely jam the machine and provide the distraction the band needed. Word was quickly sent to other groups of prisoners telling them what was about to happen. Prior to the pick head being sent into the machine, Errol was to shoot the nearest goblin who was perched on the catwalk above. Zaxi would climb the pillar nearest the goblin, and rush to take his place so that he wouldn't be missed. He was the dwarf closest in size to the goblin that was targeted, and could easily fit into its armor. He would then pass the goblin's bow down to Errol to pass on to another elf. Dad and Dagmar would rush to the left side of the stairs, nearest to Ashleigh, while Elongil and Cydonia would stand at the other side of the stairs. Once everyone was in position, the rest of the dwarfs and the elves would run to the staircase. The four friends reached the castle shortly. It was a large edifice, with walls that were easily over forty feet high. It was surrounded by a moat, but the drawbridge was down. Upon entering the grounds, Ashleigh noted that the place was eerily quiet. "Where is everybody?" she asked. "We don't know," said Grunge. "This castle used to hold hundreds of people," said Grunge. "Then Morlock and I went away for a trade mission, and when we came back, most of the people were gone, including our families." "The rest disappeared over the past two months. Now there is only Grunge and I left," said Morlock. " What makes it worse, said Morlock is that the last to disappear were all locked in their rooms when they disappeared, and their was no sign of forced entry." "That is weird!" said Daddy, "Can we see the rooms?"
Grunge let them down a corridor to a hallway with many doors. "Here is where the last of them lived before they went away." said Morlock. Daddy and Ashleigh went into a room. All was silent. Immediately, Daddy and Ashleigh began knocking on the walls. "What are you doing?" Grunge asked. "We are looking for hidden doors" said Ashleigh. "You're wasting your time," said Morlock, "We checked magically." Just then, Ashleigh sprang a lever and a door appeared in the wall. Morlock and Grunge looked stunned. "Of course! Someone has hidden the doors from magical interference! Why didn't we think of that!!" said Grunge. The door opened on a stairway heading down. Daddy closed it gently, and said "Let's check some of the other rooms." In all, they checked twenty five rooms. Each one had a hidden door. The next day, Daddy and Ashleigh decided to go through one of the hidden doors and follow the stairs down. The stairs circled down for more than five hundred feet and ended in a long hallway. Hundreds of doors led off of the hallway, and Ashleigh said "I bet all of the hidden doorways lead to this hallway." Daddy agreed, and they slowly began to walk up the hallway. After a while, there were no more doors, only the long hallway leading off into the darkness. The further they went, the louder it became. It started low, almost imperceptible; a low kachung! kachung! sound that got louder as they walked. Ashleigh began to get frightened, but Daddy consoled her. "We must go on to find out what happened to those people," he said. Soon, they reached the bottom of a grand staircase. The noise was coming from the top of the stairs. Slowly, Ashleigh and Daddy crept to the top of the stairs and peaked over the railing. In front of them were hundreds of elves and dwarfs, all swinging picks and hammers at the walls of a huge cavern. The loud noise was coming from a huge machine in the middle of the cavern that the dwarfs were feeding the rock from the walls into. They had found the missing population of the castle! After the battle, Ashleigh and Daddy stayed hunkered down in the crater, since they were worried that the battle could start again at any moment. There was no rhyme or reason to why the battle started or stopped. Soon, they heard the sound of heated discussion coming from in front of the crater in the direction they were heading before the battle started.
Daddy peaked his head over the top of the crater and took a look. What he saw made him scratch his head in puzzlement. Walking towards them down the middle of the battlefield were two strange-looking men. The first was Ashleigh's height, but was much broader and had a long beard. The second man was very skinny and short in stature. His most poignant feature were his ears, which were long and pointed. Ashleigh peaked over the top of the crater and jumped up quickly. "Get in a crater quickly", she yelled "These skeletons come alive and fight!" Both men stopped in their tracks as if struck. They both stared at Ashleigh until one finally said "A human child!" and took a step towards Ashleigh. Thats when Daddy pulled himself out of the crater and stood next to his daughter. "Aieee! A giant!" yelled the little man. Daddy said "No, I'm a human, but I don't think either of you are human, now that I get a closer look at you." Both men froze. With a wiggle of their fingers, ten skeletons got up and surrounded Daddy and Ashleigh. "Ah, treachery!" Daddy yelled as he pulled his broad sword. The little man yelled "drop your weapons! There are too many of my soldiers and you will surely die before you can slay all of them." Daddy said "but you will die first!" "How is that?" said the thin man, "we have you surrounded" With that, Daddy dropped his broad sword and fitted an arrow to his long bow. "My arrow will fly well before they strike me down, and you shall be dead." Daddy said calmly as he pulled back on the bow string. Ashleigh casually pointed her crossbow at the thin man. The skeletons quickly fell back to the ground, lifeless once more. "Let's start again" said the short man, "My name is Grundge, and I am a dwarf." "And I am Morlock, and I am an elf." said the wispy looking fellow. "What are you doing here in the eastern realm of the Middle Earth?" "A hidden door led us here." said Ashleigh. "I thought we hid all of the doors to our realm," said Morlock, "You must be very clever." Ashleigh smiled. "Our castle is just over that hill", said Grundge. "Why don't you join us?" "First, I'd like to know why you had those skeletons battling. "Those? They are our game pieces. We play Battle Chess" Morlock said. He wiggled his fingers to make a skeleton dance. "They are harmless if you don't get in their way, or if we don't direct them at you." With that, the four of them set out for the castle. Ashleigh and Daddy set off into the cave. The floor had a gradual drop so they were walking deeper into the earth with every step. The path seemed well worn and curved away to the right. After about forty-five minutes, the cave opened up into a large cavern which had an eery green glow. Ashleigh switched off the flashlight since they could see what lay about them clearly.
"What happened here?" Ashleigh asked in a whisper. "I don't know." Daddy said, "but it looks like it happened a long time ago." spread out in front of them for as far as the eye could see was the remains of an ancient battlefield. It was like a sea of bones! Skeletons in armor were were strewn about in the same positions as they fell, so long ago. What a battle it must have been! To the right were two skeletons that seemed to killed each other with their spears. Hands still wrapped around the hilt of their weapons, both were sagged forward on each other's weapons...as if their hatred was so great that they continued their struggles even in death.arms and legs were lying about as if they were lopped off in the heat of battle and forgotten. Acres and acres of bodies...and none of them buried. "Why didn't anyone bury these bodies?" Ashleigh asked. "The floor is made of stone." Daddy said, "And, maybe, there was no one left to bury them. This battle looked pretty brutal." "Let's see if we can find where both sides were camped." Daddy said. "We might be able to find out why they were fighting...or maybe even some treasure!" "Treasure! Yeah!" Ashleigh said, and they began to walk across the battlefield. A half hour passed and they were still no nearer the end of the battlefield. "There must have been thousands of them." said Ashleigh in a hushed tone. The further they went into the battlefield, the more craters they saw as if something stronger than the stone had come down crashing on the floor. In these areas, there were no bones; as if whatever had struck had hit with such force that the bones were turned to dust. Suddenly, there was a blast of trumpets coming from the right hand side of the battlefield. A second round of trumpeting was heard from the left. On either side of them, the skeletons slowly started to get up and gather their armor, missing appendages and weapons. Some ran to the left while others ran to the right. Presently, two armies formed and faced each other. Ashleigh and Daddy seemed to be caught in the middle, so they quickly jumped down into one of the craters. They poked their heads up and watched as the two armies faced off. The army on the right began to bang their swords and spears against their shields. Meanwhile the army on the left began to stamp their feet. Both sides seemed to be trying to psyche the other side out with their banging and stamping. Suddenly a flight of thousands of arrows was loosed from the army on the left. Although the army on the right raised their shields, some of the arrows still struck home. With a final bang of their swords on shield, the army on the right started to move forward. The battle was truly macabre. The skeletons ran towards each other and began hacking at one another. Action only ceased when one received what would be a mortal blow, if the skeletons were actually alive. A stab to the chest would stop a skeleton, as would decapitation or the loss of a leg. The loss of an arm would not always stop a skeletal warrior though; only if it was high up near the shoulder blade. As scary as it was, none of the skeletons seemed to be able to see Ashleigh and Daddy. For the most part, they were safe in their crater. Only one time did two skeletons fall into the crater with them. Daddy quickly put an end to them with two strokes from his broadsword. "Aren't you glad we decided to wear this stuff?" he said to Ashleigh with a smile on his face. Ashleigh calmed down after seeing her father's nonchalant attitude towards the carnage. In fact, she even pulled her own sword, and slashed at the leg of a passing skeleton. The skeleton stumbled and was impaled on the spear of a skeleton from the other side. Daddy said "Let's not get too crazy!" as he gently pulled Ashleigh back into the safety of the crater. The battle went on for another hour, with skeletons dying on either side. Unexpectedly, trumpets once again blared from both sides, and the remaining skeletons once again fell to the ground lifeless. Well that's different Ashleigh thought as she looked into the inky blackness behind the book case. She could just see a stone staircase leading down, but it was much too dark to go down without some sort of light. Ashleigh left the aisle and walked up to Georgie the librarian to see if she had a flashlight. "Do you have a flashlight?" she said with a smile. "One of the bulbs is out in the aisle back there and I can't read the book titles." Georgie smiled and handed her a flashlight; she said "I have the same problem too!"
Next, Ashleigh went to get her Dad. If she was going to walk blindly into the unknown, there was no one better to go with than her Dad. He would protect her. She walked up to Daddy and whispered in his ear and told him the situation. Daddy's eyes sparkled as he heard what Ashleigh had in mind. "I always like to explore spooky places" he said as he grabbed Ashleigh's hand. "Let's go!" Soon, the two of them were standing in front of the opening in the wall. The stairs were dusty and unused by anything but small animals in a very long time. They started forward into the darkness. When they stepped onto the fourth step, one of the stones sank about three inches and the bookcase above slowly slid back into place. "No place to go but down" Daddy said and they continued down the stair case. At the bottom, they were in a roughly hewn chamber about 20 feet in diameter. In one corner was a pile of armor and ancient weapons. On the opposite wall was a cave entrance slanting downward. Although the room was filled with dust and cobwebs, the armor looked new, as if the dust and insects were afraid to touch it. Daddy thought the armor was cool, and immediately started sorting through it looking for stuff that would fit him and Ashleigh. Soon, each of them were decked out in armor. Daddy chose a lightweight chain mail that fit over his clothes like a slip. He buckled on a long razor-sharp broad sword which he wore on his right side, and two katana that he slung cross ways over each shoulder. The katana were light, and unbelievably sharp. To finish off his "look" Dad wore three sais, two in front and one behind his back. A long bow and a quiver of arrows were also thrown casually across his shoulder. Ashleigh was dressed as a warrior princess. Her armor was a light-weight scale mail, which moved with her body like a second skin. She carried a smaller sword on her left hip. and two throwing daggers strapped to each forearm. Not visible, but still there, was a third throwing dagger hidden behind the nape of her neck. For long distances, she carried a small crossbow and a quiver of bolts. If you were going to play a game, then you means well dress the part! And right now, Ashleigh and Daddy were playing a game. They were playing at being adventurous explorers and the "basement" of this old library was their playground. And besides, who knew what would be waiting for them at the end of the cave they were just about to explore? A good weapon might come in handy, if they had to fight a giant earthworm or a large vole. Neither knew just how wrong they would be! Below is chapter one of a story I began writing for Ashleigh. I started to write the story in 2016, but I only finished five chapters before I put it aside. I returned to the story early last week and wrote chapters six and seven, and I thought maybe some of you would like to read it. All seven of the current chapters can be found under the button on the right hand side of the page above called Ashleigh's Adventures. If you would rather read the story in serial format, I will be posting the chapters once each day here until I have caught up to the current chapter. These stories got their start about 12 years ago, while we were still looking for a house in New Hampshire. During the long trips I would tell Maddie stories to keep her occupied while we were in the car. For Maddie, I told her stories about her Barbie dolls since she didn't like to be part of the adventures. Maddie had tons of dolls, and names for each of them. Unfortunately, I never wrote these stories down. They likely could have made an easy forty-chapter book. When Ashleigh heard about the stories I used to tell Maddie, she wanted me to tell her stories, as well. Ashleigh wanted to be part of the adventure, though, and she wanted me to join her in her journeys. Ashleigh's Adventures are the result. At this point, I am making the story up as we go along...similar as to what I did with Maddie. While you will see references to places you may know or heard of (The Rindge Public Library, and Middle Earth, for starters), I assure you that both the places and the characters are all a bit different than you may know in real life or fiction (For instance, who would guess that Ashleigh turns into a warrior princess? (Chapter Seven)). Looking ahead, these stories will go on until Ashleigh no longer has an interest in the stories. When that happens, we will just have to move on with our journeys in the real World. Chapter One: The Aisle Of FrightOne cold morning in February Ashleigh and Daddy decided to go to the library. Ashleigh liked the library because she always found nice books to read there. There was just one row in the library that Ashleigh was afraid of. Whenever she walked up that aisle, a cool breeze hit her, as if a ghost was embracing her heart.
"I'm going to do it this time", Ashleigh thought. I am going to walk up that aisle, and not get afraid...and I am going to find out why I get chilled whenever I go there. As soon as they got into the children's section, Daddy let go of her hand and went off to find books to use for Ashleigh's schoolwork. Ashleigh was home schooled, and all of her reading and writing assignments were based off of books that Daddy chose at the library on the weekend. Once she was alone, Ashleigh's sense of foreboding began to rise as she headed towards her aisle of fright. The aisle was dim, as usual, since there always seemed to be a bulb out somewhere along the length of the row. It seemed quieter in the aisle, too since many children seemed to avoid this part of the library. Ashleigh suspected she was not the only person who felt the cold grip of fear when they walked down that aisle. Slowly Ashleigh began to walk down the aisle. The cool breeze started about five feet from the beginning of the row. She steeled herself and kept walking. Slowly, she moved forward. By the time she reached the end of the row, she could actually feel her hair lifting on a breeze. In front of her was an old wooden bookshelf with musty looking books on it. She could feel the breeze on her face, and she started moving books on the shelf looking for where the breeze was coming from. On the fourth shelf, there was a slight hole in the back of the cabinet, and that is where the breeze was coming from. Ashleigh felt around on the back of the shelf and found a nail head that protruded from the back of the cabinet. When she pressed it, the cabinet trembled and noiselessly slid to the side exposing an inky black opening in the wall behind the cabinet. I was reading a blog post the other day on www.tesseraguild.com. The post was entitled. 10 questions to mess with your mind. Below, are the ten questions and my answers to them. If any of you would like to give your answers, I will post them as a guest post. Remember, your answers should not be an outright arguement against mine... just your answers to the ten questions. Question One: Revenge Algebra Complete the following equation. Use no more than three words per blank. ______________________________ + ______________________________ = A suitable punishment for a serial killer. My Answer: The death penalty. I am a firm believer in an eye for an eye, but I don't believe the number of people the serial killer has killed should play a factor in his punishment. If they kill one, then it is already too many. I find that killing the killer and then distributing his assets among the families of the known victims would be the fairest solution. Question Two: Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall In your own words, define what you believe the difference is between a terrorist and a normal soldier. My answer: There is very little difference. Both are driven by either money or ideology. Governments would have you believe that there is something noble about killing someone for them, and that the soldiers are protecting your way of life. A lot of soldiers like to think that way too. Meanwhile, the same can, and likely does hold true for the terrorists. They are fighting for an ideology and they believe they are furthering their ideals. Soldiers are state sanctioned, while terrorists are not always state sanctioned...but can be. Question Three: On a Scale of 0-10……in which 0 is ‘not at all’, 5 is average, and 10 means ‘highly’: How intelligent are you? How physically attractive are you? How charming? How artistic? How generous? And how narcissistic? My answer: How intelligent? 7 How physically attractive? 4 How charming? 4 How artistic? 5 How generous? 6 How narcissistic? 3 Question Four: Monopoly Money You’ve just received three GET-OUT-OF-DEATH-FREE cards. Anyone who has one of these avoids the next time they would die. Once a death is avoided, the card vanishes. So… Keeping all three for yourself? Giving any away? Distribute your cards and explain. My answer: I would give one to my daughter Maddie, and one to my daughter Ashleigh. I would keep the third to give to whichever daughter died through no fault of her own and lost her card first. If she was partially responsible for her own death (through drug use or drinking), then I would not give them the extra card, but give it to the other to use as she chooses if the other dies again. Question Five: Picket Fences You’re madly in love. Tomorrow you’ll have the chance to marry the love of your life. You’ll have a huge house full of beautiful things. Your children will be smart and loving. On the surface, your marriage will appear ideal. But here’s the thing: You’ve glimpsed the future and have seen that while your marriage will be stable and polite, it will ultimately become passionless and empty. Knowing what you know, are you still walking down the aisle tomorrow? My answer: This is more of a question for a younger person. I have already had the chance to marry the woman I love. We had two wonderful children, who I love dearly. We have a house filled with beautiful things. My wife had a mental condition, though, and she was deemed dangerous for the children to be alone with. Then she died. I know what happened. Yet if you asked me if I had the chance to marry her again, my answer would be yes. I loved my wife. And although our marriage became very rocky, we had two beautiful girls, who make me very happy. No matter what happened in my marriage, I would do everything again for my daughters. The house and beautiful things mean nothing. The house seems empty to me and the things have lost their luster now that my wife is gone. My girls, though, are everything to me. Question Six: Angel of Death You lucky bastard. Or maybe not. You’ve just acquired a new ability. From now on, you can wish anyone in the world dead. If you use this power, not only will the person die instantly and painlessly, but you’ll also gain a million dollars for each person you use it on. How many times (if any) do you think you’ll use this power? On whom? What would you do with all that money? My answer: I would like to think that I would use the power wisely. To start, I would use the power to kill anyone who has been caught absolutely red handed killing someone. If they have been convicted of murdering someone, and there is absolutely no question that they did it. then I would use my power to kill that person and then give 80% of the money I receive to the victim's family. Doctors who kill someone accidentally, while under the influence of drugs or alcohol would also be killed, as well as drunk drivers who kill someone while driving drunk. Political leaders who accept bribes to sway legislation would also be fair game. Question Seven: Little Bang Theory Some people have theories about how the world began. And how it will end. And maybe even theories about what it all means. But… What if you— yes you—could decide how it all began, what it all means, and how you’d like it to end?Play god for a moment: How would you like for the universe to have begun? How do you want it to end? What do you want it all to mean? My answer: Okay here is what happened - The universe started with a flick of a switch in a dark room. Little Johnny was excited to play his new game... "Model of the Universe". The game was important for Johnny because if he showed he could create a working universe that did not collapse in on itself after 50,000 cycles, he would be allowed to study to help terraform the next set of planets they found in the real world. Johnny achieved that goal about 10 billion cycles ago. Lucky for us, he forgot to turn off the gaming program he was using, and our civilization was able to develop and prosper. So far, no one had bothered to check in with Johnny to see if the simulation he had running in his room still needed to be kept on. His mom looked in on it every once in a while, and saw that there were many tiny civilizations developing. Every once in a while, she would add an element of surprise for one of the civilizations to discover... just for laughs. She hopes that Johnny won't notice, or won't mind if he does. In reality, the end will come when Johnny returns and realizes that he left his gaming console on. If he does, and he doesn't bother to check to see what is running, the universe will end as all of the power in the universe is sucked out with the throwing of a switch. If he does check to see what is running... well then we will experience Armageddon! Because Johnny has a mean streak, and what better way to stoke it than to destroy some artificial civilizations that have been running amok on his computer. Question Eight: Dying Stars and Sabertooth Tigers Name something that is both beautiful AND terrifying. My answer: The ocean. Question Nine: Hard Scales of JusticeImagine the following scenarios. In which of these (if any) would you support the death penalty?
My answer: In the first scenario, I would invoke the death penalty. If her motivation was purely money, then I think that would be fair. In the second scenario, I would also apply the death penalty, if I could not find an apparent reason for their murder. If I could find out why they did it, then I might be a little more lenient depending what their reason was. At eleven years old, they are very young, but they seem to be old enough to know right from wrong. In the third scenario, I would again want to know the reason for his killing spree. No matter what the reason, I would likely recommend the death penalty here as well. In case number four, I would only hold the politician responsible if he had absolutely no reason for bombing that village. The one combatant killed may have had the codes for a nuclear bomb, thus large quantities of people might have been saved. While it is a shame that 200 people died... millions may have been saved by his actions. Question Ten: Behind the VeilThroughout history, many millions of people have reported seeing ghosts, apparitions, aliens, monsters, and other strange, unexplainable phenomena. Which of the following do you believe probably exist? Ghosts Aliens Angels Demons ESP (extra-sensory perception) Alternate Dimensions Got any proof? My answers:
Ghosts - The ones that haunt my dreams come from my mind and my experiences. Aliens - Yes. I was in Phoenix when a very famous UFO sighting occurred there. I do not know if what I saw was created by aliens. What I do know is that what I saw was there for a very long time (I was smoking a cigar on the deck off of my hotel room). And I know I could not tell you what it was. I also saw a space craft flying over New Jersey that was miles long and wide ad was in the shape of a gigantic black triangle. Again, I do not know what it was, but this one scared the hell out of me as it passed over our heads... And it took a long time to go over us. Angels and Demons - If these exist, then it is likely they are aliens in my opinion. I have met people who were like angels... and I have met others who seemed like demons. They were people, though, no wings or anything. It is just how I perceived their actions. ESP - I would guess there could be some forms of it. Alternate dimensions - Physicists seem to think that they exist. Thus, I think it could be a possibility. Do I have proof? - No. Just my best guesses. As for the aliens. I saw what I saw. Whether or not they were aliens... I don't know. I just could not identify what I saw! If any of you would like to write a guest post telling your answers... Feel free! I will be happy to post any responses as a guest post. I close my eyes, Only for a moment, And the moment's gone... All my dreams, Pass before my eyes, a curiosity. Dust in the wind, All they are is dust in the wind. Same old song, Just a drop of water, In an endless sea. All we do, Crumbles to the ground Though we refuse to see. Dust in the wind, All we are is dust in the wind... Now, don't hang on, Nothing lasts forever but the immense sky. It slips away, And all your money won't another minute buy. Dust in the wind, All we are is dust in the wind. Dust in the wind, Everything is dust in the wind. That song by the band Kansas always reminds me how fleeting our lives are. Always remember to tell the people you love that you love them, because you never know when the last time you see them will be. If you love someone, let them know it... not just through your words, but through your actions as well. Call them up to say hello, or stop by and take them to lunch. Treat people as you want yourself to be treated and you will get through life with few regrets in that regard, Because in the end, all we are IS dust in the wind. "Be comfortable with being uncomfortable." I am not sure who wrote this gem, but I think it is a great quote; if you look below the surface. My youngest daughter looked at this quote and told me: "See this is why I don 't read your posts. I never know what you are talking about!" Ashleigh is seven, and still takes everything she reads literally. I know some adults that do that too!
I think it is a great quote because it pertains to a fulfilled life. We don't grow if we remain in our comfort zone. In fact, we stagnate. The problem is, we all want to be comfortable. We like to avoid change which could involve second guessing ourselves in the future. Nearly everyone I know says they want to be happy. And yet, many of them don't take the steps to change things so that they are happy. Instead, they continue to do the things they have always done and complain about it instead. There are certain things that need to be done to bring about change... and that is true whether it is the pursuit of happiness, the pursuit of a relationship, or a new job. In fact, it is true for everything. First, you need to know what you want to do. By knowing what you want, I don't mean that in a vague sort of way. I mean you really need to picture it in great detail. You then need to start thinking about what it will entail to reach that goal. Make a road map so to speak. Put down every little detail of what you would have to do to accomplish your goal. For instance, if you wanted to be able to give your car a tune up, there are certain things you would have to do. First, you would need to know what supplies you would need to do it. Secondly, it would help if you actually knew how to do it. If you don't then you may have to watch someone do one first, or take a class, or even watch a you tube video. Third, you would want to make sure you have all of the tools that you will need. Next you'll need to set aside time to accomplish your task. Etc. Etc. Once you have your detailed plan, the next step is the most crucial part. You actually have to start your endeavor. So many people will make plans and then wait for the perfect moment to start their plan. Unfortunately for many, that moment never arrives. The best time to start, once you know what you want is now. Not next month, not next year, but now. Part of the beauty of have a plan with the steps necessary plainly written out is that you have broken down what you need to do in smaller steps. You have already set it in your mind that there are a number of things to be done to reach your goal, and you can start by attacking one of those small things. Starting a new thing is half of the battle! By starting small two things are accomplished. First it allows you to get comfortable with the changes you are initiating. Secondly, you see some progress right away, and hopefully that will give you enough incentive to continue. Third, you have to keep going! Don't stop until you see your plan through. Get comfortable with working towards your goal. You are moving out of your comfort zone, there will be times when you are uncertain, or tired, or scared. Keep going! If something that you are doing isn't working as expected, then modify it a bit until it does work for you! As a side note, if you are working towards a life changing event, then try to surround yourself with like-minded people. Look for people who have accomplished something similar to what you are attempting. Ask them questions. Get to know them. The worst thing you can do is surround yourself with people who tell you that you can't. If you want to do something, you usually can. There will be a trade off though. You need to be willing to give up something in exchange for the new thing. I find that the things you may need to give up come down to three categories: Time, Money, People, or a combination of the three. To write this post, I am giving up about an hour of my time. Although I am writing it during the day, I know exactly what I am cutting out to write it. I will work an hour later this evening so that my work load doesn't suffer, and I will still do karate with my daughters. Instead, I will read a few less articles on stumble upon tonight and I will keep off of Facebook and Stumble upon. All said, if you embrace change and try to effect the changes you want to see, I think you will find you will begin to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. 1972... I was just turning six and I was in the first grade at Holy Family school in Union City, New Jersey. I was a narrator for the class play, along with Michelle Burke, probably because we were the best readers in the class. Sister Moira was our teacher, and I remember we had to wear ties and uniforms to school. It was the early 1970's and I was oblivious to all of the social changes taking place, and all of the really cool cars that were being made in Detroit. My Dad, I remember, had a Galaxy 500. It was teal, and a vast improvement over the 1950's era Ford Fairlane he had owned just the year before. He got rid of it after the back door flew open around a turn and I nearly fell out. My sister saved me that day by grabbing a hold of me as I slowly slid toward the open door. There were no seat belts in those old cars! By the way, Thanks Michelle! A little late, but better late than never! Anyway, I bring that up to tell you what I was doing at that time. Half a continent a way, in Detroit, a new Buick Centurion convertible was rolling off of the production line. It was one of only 2,396 Centurion convertibles produced that year. Over the years, the car has had three owners and racked up about 89,000 miles on its odometer. I am now its fourth owner.
All in all, the car has been taken care of very well over the years. The last owner had the interior redone in leather (an option that was not available for the car in 1972) and also did work on the brakes and exhaust. New tires and rims have also been placed on the car, and the convertible top had been replaced within the last ten years or so. Currently, I am changing out the exhaust manifolds and the battery cables. The exhaust manifolds had a hole that made the engine louder than it should be. Given the age of the engine, they do not make replacement parts for the vehicle, so I had to hunt down used parts through eBay and classic car sites. The parts were available and I am currently waiting for them to arrive by UPS.
In the Spring, I am planning to have the car repainted, and possibly change the convertible top from its current black to white to match the interior. I have always wanted a classic car, and I am thinking of having this one painted like a Hot Wheel! We have a local car show that runs every Wednesday night during the summer, and I am looking forward to showing off my treasure next season. All said, I am really excited about my classic muscle car. Looking ahead, I will update you on my progress with the car from time to time. Today I am going to keep the topic very lite. I have been very interested in photography lately, and I have started adding filters to some of my photos to make computer generated are. Below, are some of the pictures I have run through filters. Let me know if you like them. The pictures below are not the same as the picture above. I have done some filters with the picture above, though, so if you like what you see, and want to see the picture above through the filters, let me know and I will post those pictures next week. The above pictures are of a sunset over Mt. Monadnock in New Hampshire in early July. The original picture is the first picture in the second column. The rest are all run through filters.
Enjoy! "The best thing that a father can give his daughter is his time." For those of you who don't know, my Dad's birthday was yesterday. He turned 51, and my unprepared self had neither card nor gift ready for him... so before I even get into this post a little bit, I'd like to apologize for that because honestly, my Dad deserves a f*cking island and currently I have enough money in my pocket to maybe buy him a coffee... and honestly, nothing is harder than that because I care a LOT about my Dad. He's one of my favorite people of all time and honestly one of the best friends I could ever ask for, and I couldn't even begin to imagine what my life would be like without him in it. To get back to the quote, I fully agree with it- the best thing a Dad can give to his daughter IS indeed, his time... and my Dad does such an amazing job devoting as much time as he can not only to me, but to my sister as well. He always has, honestly. He's raised me essentially single-handed since I was 7, and my sister has always grown up with him. He's managed to raise us both to be respectful and thoughtful young ladies all while keeping a steady job, keeping us in karate, training with us, helping us learn... and that's BEFORE we get into all the times he's taken us out shopping, hiking, to the park, to museums, to tournaments, and all our little outings in between. As I said earlier, my Dad is my best friend. This shouldn't be news to any readers of this blog; as I've written many posts describing the awesome relationship I have with him and all the ways he's such a great Dad. I won't waste my time here and repeat what's already been said- I'll just re-instate that I truly enjoy his company and all of our trips for coffee, concerts, time spent gaming, shared sense of music, shared sense of humor, time spent watching anime, and even his memes. Instead of finishing up this post with more repetition... here is a slideshow to sum things up. Today is Daddy's birthday. He is 51. I have said Happy birthday 3 times now. I gave him a piece of paper that had 3 hearts on it. I also got to wear a ponytail.
This is the first time I will get to wear one of my new hair styles. I am having a party for Dad today. I waited far too long for this. Just like I did for my birthday. Happy birthday Daddy. Ashleigh "Happiness comes from your own actions." That is a quote inspired by the Dalai Lama. I say inspired because the original quote was a bit longer. I shortened it a bit to say what I wanted it to say. The actual quote was, "Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions." I guess you can say that it made me happy to cut it down a little bit!
All kidding aside, I think you can tell which people make their own happiness, and which ones wait fro others to make them happy. It comes out in their attitudes. I know one lady who meets everyone with a smile and is constantly doing things. She doesn't wait for people to come over and make her happy. She goes out and meets them! I will not say who this woman is, but since I have known her she has been continuously involved with at least three to four social activities that I know of, and has travelled regularly. Not just in the states either. In sum, she knows what makes her happy and she pursues it! Meanwhile, I have met others who do nothing but create drama and make others miserable in their own unique way. Let me ask you, "Who would you rather be around? The person that is happy and does things to make themself happy, or someone that makes others miserable?" Hands down, I know my answer! So, how do you make yourself happy? That is totally up to you. Avoiding stress and being around other people that are happy are good starts. For me, I like to look for the little things that make me happy each day and pile them up one after the other. Morning hugs from my daughters, coffee, eggs, a good workout, the beautiful scenery in my area, joking with friends, and doing fun things with my daughters are ways that I stay happy each day. Hikes, canoe trips, and picture-taking trips are also high on my list. In the end, don't rely on your friends to make you happy. Instead, set up each day so that the only one responsible for making you happy is you. "You must be the change that you wish to see in the world." That is a quote by Mahatma Gandhi. It's a nice thought, but not really realistic. For example, I would like the world to change so that there are no wars. All of my life, I have not become a soldier, have not supported any of the war efforts and certainly haven't clamored for war, and yet, there is war, In fact, the only thing that has kept me from getting caught up in a war is the luck of having been born in North America, which has basically been war free over the past 100 years or so. In fact, to get to a war zone, I would actually have to travel to another continent.
On a very personal level, I guess his phrase could be true in some instances. Dieting comes to mind. Looking for a new job... that sort of thing. But certainly not anything that involves the world at large. So how do we affect change in the world around us? I think it is by realizing that nothing happens on a worldwide scale instantaneously. Little by little, things can change. It may take decades, however! Think, if each person who truly wants peace teaches their children that peace does not mean war elsewhere, and encourages them to not choose the military as an option, at some point the idea may gain traction. Instead of glorifying war through movies and books and dehumanizing our political enemies, we should show our children the true costs of war. Show them the children who have lost their fathers. The men and women who have lost limbs or their mental stability. Introduce them to people who are different than they are. Allow them to experience new cultures by meeting recent immigrants. Change on a global scale is slow, but it can be accomplished And, in the end, it does really start with the individual. So, was Gandhi wrong when he said that you must be the change you want to see in the world? No, he was correct. He just failed to mention that the change you want to see just may not happen during your lifetime. "Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance." That's a quote by George Bernard Shaw. I have written about George before, so I won't bore you with a paragraph about who he is. If you don't know who he is, a quick google of his name will give you more info on him than I would have wrote here anyway.
I have thought about this quote for quite a bit, and all I will say is that it is correct more than its wrong. If you don't know something, it can hurt you. You may not know that it is hurting you, but it ultimately can. Even so, false knowledge is worse because you fully believe that it is correct and actively work towards using that knowledge for your own benefit. That is where the problem lies. Because the knowledge is false, you do not realize that you are working your way closer and closer to a fall, and putting more and more of your time and effort into a losing proposition. I find that when I am uncertain about something, I go more slowly and look for pitfalls. Meanwhile, when I believe I know how to do something correctly, I work more quickly and more or less just look for the positive outcome. This is probably a poor example, but think about driving your car down the roadway. The road may be wet, but has not turned icy where you are, so you expect that it will also not be icy ahead. The air just isn't cold enough to make or icy spots, you believe. Meanwhile, up ahead, the road goes up in elevation and the roadway crosses a short bridge over a small stream or river. The wind has been blowing water up onto the roadway slowly and the wind is passing both over and under the roadway. Black ice develops, and all of a sudden your knowledge of a wet but not icy road is incorrect. Your speed, which was fine on the wet but warm roadway is now much too fast to be safe. With any luck, you will make it over the black ice without losing control. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to react to a slippery roadway. Think about the massive pile ups you see on TV about the people who live in the south when it gets below freezing down there. It doesn't happen often, so they are not used to driving in slippery conditions. Then bang! All of a sudden they are seeing thirty-car pile ups. Their lack of experience on an icy roadway leads to property damage and injuries. Now that I think of it, this is likely an example of both false knowledge and ignorance! A better example might be when a boy who gets an "A" on a test in an earlier class, gives his answer to his friend who is taking the class later in the day. Since he has what he believes are the right answers, he doesn't bother to do any last minute studying. Meanwhile, the teacher has also changed the order of the questions on the test so that the boys answers are no longer valid. Without the friends help, the boy might have passed the test. Instead, he relies on his friend's answers and fails the test. His false knowledge of his friend's good result, and list of correct answers ended up being worse for him, than if he jut relied on his own answers. His ignorance may have been enough to get him a passing grade. Meanwhile, his false knowledge led to his failure. At any rate, I guess the moral of this story is to always do your best to verify the knowledge you are given, and always be open to learning. Ignorance is not bliss, and knowledge that is assumed rather than investigated can be dangerous. Use your brains and do your best to verify the knowledge you are given. "The mind is everything. What you think, you become." That's a quote by Buddha. To a certain extent, he is right. You do have the potential to become whatever you think. It takes more than thinking, though. The thinking needs to be followed up with concise actions toward your goals.
When I was a child, I wanted to be an archeologist. I found the past very interesting and always though that digging up a treasure or a dinasaur would be really cool. As I grew older, I didn't think that there would be enough money in archeology, though, to raise a family or do other things away from archeology, so I looked for a career where I could make good money and have the time to raise a family. I decided on a career in finance, and the rest is history. I never pursued classes in history or hobbies where I could go on archeological digs. I did take classes in finance, and look for jobs where I could gain experience to work as a stock analyst. And so as I thought and acted, so I became. Even so, I think Buddha was talking at a deeper level. I really don't think he had careers in mind when he threw out that quote. I think he was talking about the full human experieince. Think peaceful thoughts, and you would inevitably become a peaceful person. Think evil thoughts, and you had a greater chance of becoming evil. What mattered to Buddha is what you are as a person and what you become... Not careerwise, possibly not even in this lifetime... but for all time. Buddha was concerned with Nirvana. Nirvana is "a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth." It represents the final goal of Buddhism. I don't know about you, but I am far from a state of Nirvana. Pleasure, pain, happiness, sadness... I expereince all of those emotions, and more, on a nearly daily basis. I want happiness for my children, and I want the end of sorrows. Not just my own, but everyones. Although I have meditated in the past, I meditated to explore my mind. If I had reached Nirvana, it would have been to marvel at it and the incredible feeling it must (in my mind back then) bring about. By thinking that Nirvana was a buzz or a trip, I nearly guaranteed that I would never experience true Nirvana, no matter how much I meditated! Now, although I know what Nirvana is truly supposed to be, I don't try to attain it. I am not ready for it. Instead, I want my girls to experience life, and enjoy it. I want them to be happy and avoid as many pains as I can help them to avoid. I want them to learn ... and love learning. Instead, of wishing Nirvana for them, I want them to be, and experieince all that life has to offer them. I want them to live on their own terms. The mind IS a beautiful thing. Think and you will become. I thought, I think, and I became. I shouldn't ask for anything else. But I do! “Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be?” That's a quote by Charles Bukowski. I thought of it when I saw the picture of the sculpture that was at one of the Burning Man festivals. Although the quote isn't an exact match for the image, it is what I thought of.
Bukowski, by the way, was an American author and poet. He had a long career, and had a lot of his poetry published during his lifetime. I can't point to any one work that he is best known for. I guess Post Office would be it though. Meanwhile, the sculpture is by Aleksandr Milov from the Ukraine. At least that is what the picture credit says... that might be the photographer for all I know. Either way, I think the sculpture is very expressive. When I was young, I looked at things as a child. All my thoughts and dreams were idylic. I saw the good without the bad, and the how of a matter never entered my mind. Imagining my future as a house with a white picket fence, a beautiful wife greeting me at the door and a huge smile on my face, wasn't too far from how I was picturing my future. As I grew, the picture expanded to include a job I actually enjoyed and a train ride daily that was pleasant and allowed me to look at beautiful scenery. It didn't phase me that the scenery outside the train window was already bleak, and that I would later be riding right by that same scenery. My mind never made the leap. As I got older, the reality of life started to sink in. I had a nice house, but I had to work hard and spend lots to get it how I wanted. I had a beautiful wife, but she had problems that affected our relationship. To say that my life wasn't going exactly as planned was an understatement. I remembered who I was before the world changed me, though, and began to make changes to make myself become whole. We moved to another nice house in a beautiful state. My wife continued to try and battle her demons. When I stepped outside the house, I had the beauty that I always dreamed of. For a few minutes each day, I had the dream! A lot happened in the next eight years that changed my life forever. A divorce, a failed business, and my wife's early demise all hammered at me. Meanwhile, my daughters and I were making do and slowly recovering from the negatives. My life is slowly merging back towards who I was. I now remember who I was, and I am working my way back towards him. My honor is intact, and I am doing my best to be who I need to be. The world will just have to accept me for who I am. So who am I? I am a loving father for my daughters. I am a martial artist. I am a thinker, and a lover of beauty. Time is a precious gift, and I am looking to give my time to my daughters. What I write on this blog is for them. Hopefully, they can learn something from my thoughts, and never forget who they are, or what they want to be. Stay true to yourselves, and you will be happier. "Turn your face toward the sun, and the shadows will fall behind you." This is a Maori proverb about staying optimistic. I think Rihanna may have used it in one of her songs as well, but I think it was a proverb long before she sang about it.
Evil is said to lurk in the shadows, and many people seem to have a superstitious dread of them. As the proverb says, if you are facing the sun, you will never see the shadows. They are still there, you just won't see them. I don't think optimists are not aware of the problems around them. Instead, I think they just choose to focus on the positives that surround them. Oftentimes, by focusing on the positives in any situation, you can sometimes find the solution for the negatives. I guess the easiest way to explain it is thatt if you are constantly looking at why something won't work, you are less likely to see how it can work. For me, I like to look at both. Any time I see something that isn't working for me, I try to look for the solution, instead of complaining about the problem. If the solution I choose doesn't work, I then try to find out if it needs modifying or if I need to scrap it altogether. All said, I think looking towards the sun is a great way to say stay optimistic. Life can be beautiful. If you are always focused on the sad or the bad, it makes it very hard to see the good. Step out into the light and let the shadows fall behind you. |
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