TGIAF - Thank God its ALMOST FRIDAY!!!

Its just a matter of hours now before we enter that most glorious day of the week. The day who's name I am not worthy to speak!

Yeah ok, so its Friday! *woot!*

I've had a couple of good stories saved up that I want to post either this weekend or next week, so don't give up on me. Things have just been really busy this week. I still feel like that poor girl on the diving board. Nothing a few days starting with S won't fix.

Notice on the right hand side of the screen that I've added links to the blogs that I visit on a regular basis. These are my faves right now and I'm sure the list will continue to grow!

I also wanted to thank everyone for the tremendous feedback to my big 3-part post. It was a labor of love and I'm glad so many of you got something out of it.

To BeckEye: Wanted to thank you again for suggesting the "Cup of Comfort" site. I worked for an hour trying to pare down my tale and couldn't get it to what I considered a readable level that was under the max word count. I've never been good at using less words. :-) I don't think they're currently accepting submissions in this vein anyway, but I'll keep tabs on it and let you all know what happens.

Finally tonight, I wanted to send a big props out to my real life brother, TD3k. He's been inspired to start blogging and I suspect he'll have some good things in store for us both from his massive reservoir of road stories, and his penchant for engaging in thought provoking discussion and debate. TD3k is short for his moniker, The Dave 3000 and it alludes to the fact that my brother, human tho he may seem to you and me, is really an android in disguise!

So check out his blog "TD3k Speaks" and leave him some feedback. His positronic brain craves positive reinforcement. Be sure to note the two tabs along the top of the stie. The second one will be for his longer memory downloads.

Thanks, and until next time remember that "No man is an island, unless he's really, really, really fat."

Have I mentioned that I hate Mondays?

Mondays feel just about the same... but don't worry. She's alright.

"American Diver Injured at Championships"

Suddenly, from the shadows, came a fork in the road... Part III

Be sure and read Parts I & II before reading this post so that you get the whole story...


In the afternoon after my chapel message, I was swamped with questions by teachers and classmates about the finer points of my story. Everyone was unanimous in their dismay at what had happened, but tastefully grateful and gracious to me in stating that if it hadn't I might not ever have gone to school there and made some of the lasting friendships that carry on to this day.

Just before the start of my Government class, "Dennis", one of many hometown faces that had fled the public school after I did came up to me to comment on the story. "Man, that was really something about that rock hitting you.", he said. "How big did you say it was?"

"About this big," I said shaping my hands into the rounded diameter of the stone as I recalled it. As he studied my illustration he pondered for a moment and then said "No, actually it was this big." He formed his hands into a slightly smaller diameter shape and then looked at me... right in the eye. I've never seen anyone actually turn green before, but Dennis did. The shock of his correction and his admission took a good 10 seconds to seep into my brain. In the span of that time, I blew through a dozen different emotions.

"How do you know that?" I asked, with the obvious look of shock still plastered across my face. All Dennis could do was stare...

"Did you throw the rock that hit me that day?!"

Dennis only hung his head and looked at his feet.

"I wasn't trying to hit you in the head. My friend bet me that I couldn't hit you. When I hit you in the head and you fell, we ran away. When I heard you had left school all together after what had happened I felt so bad. I hope you're not mad at me for what I did."

Then it hit me: a flood of cognition that only the human brain can produce. From the first day, four years earlier, when Dennis had walked in and sat right next to me, he knew who I was. He knew what he had done, and he went out of his way to befriend me. To begin to make amends, secretly, for throwing the stone... all the while still harboring a seed of guilt that plagued him until he finally had his chance to confess.

He nearly killed me! But what if he hadn't thrown that rock? Where would I have gone? Who would I be? Not the same person I am today, that much is for certain. The paradoxical nature of his role in my life is still one that I think about from time to time. In the one second of time that he let the stone fly, he was both the epitome of my tormentors and the impetus of my freedom.

What do I do? He hopes that I won't be mad at him? I should be... but... I can't.

Instinctively, I threw my arms around him and gave him the biggest hug I could muster. I think I actually lifted him off the ground. He was surprised by my reaction, to say the least. But what else could I do? Somehow, in that moment I realized that I owed everything to his boneheaded stunt. A crowd quickly gathered in the classroom as my classmates realized what had just happened. I don't actually remember if we had class that day or not. :-)

Soon, we graduated and went on our separate ways, but I will remember, for the rest of my life, the importance he played in helping me become who I am today. Be mindful of your actions; good and bad have a profound and sometimes imperceptible impact on everyone around you.

---

Epilogue:

Last year I had a chance to catch up with Dennis at my 10 year high school reunion...

God has it been 10 years?

I jokingly frisked him for rocks when he arrived at the party :-) lest he pummel me again and set my life down some new, unforseeable path. He joined the Marine Corps after high school and upon completing his time he got married and had a young son. His wife had recently left him and the boy to go out on her own wild adventures. Both he and his son live in our old home town today, where he works in a Paint and Body shop.

God bless you and yours Dennis, and your bad aim... :-)

Suddenly, from the shadows, came a fork in the road... Part II

Please be sure and read Part I of this post before hand...

Obviously, my parents and I were deeply disturbed by what basically amounted to an attempt on my life. My parents gave it some deep consideration and actually asked me what I wanted to do. We mutually agreed that I would leave public school and begin attending a private school nearby. I remember it was just before the beginning of the last six weeks of school and I went to school one last week and very unceremoniously took my last round of tests and bid farewell to public school forever.

The difference between the two schools was night and day. The work was college-preparatory, and so was more challenging and engaging. Class sizes were much smaller, which provided more interaction with the teacher, and best of all, the other kids were nothing like their public school counterparts. For the first time in years, I was in an environment that accepted me for who I was, embraced and encouraged that. I remember how timid I had been on my first day, and how my classmates really had to coax me out of my shell.

As time went by in my new school, we continued to grow in size and every year would bring new faces to our class, though it never was large by any means. When I finally graduated in 1994, our class was the largest in school history... 30 kids. I still love to tell people that I graduated 13th in my high school class and listen to them go "Wowww that's great." and smile to myself since I know I barely cleared the 50th percentile. Not that I was a bad student. I just went to school with a bunch of friggin' geniuses.

But I digress, every once in a while I'd see a new face at school that I had seen in my old public school days. I remember very clearly the first day of 9th grade. The Vice Principal brought in a new kid whom I immediately recognized from my old school. He was a goofy kid, and he recognized me. We'll call him "Dennis." As soon as Dennis hit the door he saw me, grinned really big and took the empty seat next to me. He told me how bad things had gotten at the old schools and he didn't want to be a part of it anymore. I certainly didn't blame him. Dennis and I didn't really like the same kinds of things, so we didn't hang out all that much. I did consider him a friend though, especially since he's from my old hometown.

And, like it tends to do in all good stories, time passes...

Senior Year. In 5 years I'd gone from a shell of my former self to being active in all kinds of programs at school. Drama, Choir, scholastic competitions, and others. The gratification of entertaining people is something I've always enjoyed and I really started to cultivate that at my private school where I was allowed to be myself.

I've neglected to point out up to this point that this was a Christian school. I don't want to build that up as any big deal. I am a Christian, but I do not subscribe to any particular denomination (neither did the school itself) and I don't want to make the school sound like its special just because of its religious underpinnings.

That being said, as seniors, we were expected to be moral leaders to the rest of the student body which was comprised of kids in grades K through 12. Chapel services were held weekly on Wednesday afternoon and we were encouraged, as seniors, to get up and speak about whatever we felt lead to before the student body. One Wednesday, as I was reflecting upon the long, winding road, that had gotten me to that point in my life, I decided to share the story that I've just shared with you.

It had occurred to me that a key lesson in my experience is to be mindful of the things we say because the words that come out of our mouths can be just as hurtful as the rock that nearly killed me that spring day. I had a captive audience for my tale, and they listened and responded well to what I had to say, I was very pleased. But I had no idea what I was in for that afternoon.

The winding road was about to come full circle in a way that I could've never imagined.

The conclusion... later today.

Suddenly, from the shadows, came a fork in the road... Part I

Before I begin relating what was, to this point, the most pivotal event in my life, I want to take a moment to thank BlackOps over at Sojourner Browny for inspiring me to share these events with anyone who will stop and read them. Sometimes there is value in the sharing, even if only a few receive it.

---

I've always been a big guy. I remember Mom ordering school clothes for me when I was young and the size was "Husky." Speaks volumes doesn't it? One of the most difficult lessons that I had to learn growing up is that people can be just downright mean when they choose to be... especially kids. Elementary school wasn't so bad (though the part of one year that I had to wear an eye patch was pretty bad... I'll save that one for another post.) As I progressed through middle school and then on into junior high, I was increasingly the butt of the jokes of my classmates. In my early youth, I had been almost a precociously outgoing child, and as the weight of my peers ridicule pressed down on me, I began a slow, irrevocable slide; descending inside of myself and only opening up to my closest friends and family.

By the time I had reached 7th grade, I was not the same person that I used to be. I endured a daily ritual at school of being laughed at, called names, tripped and spit on. In retrospect, I think now that I should've taken matters into my own hands. I was bigger than most of my tormentors. If I had decided to hurt someone to make them stop, then this story might be drastically different than it is. But that's not the kind of person I am. As I've matured, I know that conflict is necessary and sometimes positive, but back then, conflict... fighting... that was not what I wanted to be a part of at all, so I endured as much as I could.

The pivotal day came in early spring, 1988. Recess wasn't what it used to be. The after lunch ritual of playtime was the only time I had to myself away from the harassment of my classmates. I did have a few friends and on this particular day, I was enjoying talking with one of them under a tree at the bottom of a hill. At the top of the hill sat my school building. The junior high had been there for ages, and still churns out teenagers to high school every year back in my hometown. If you haven't ascertained it by this point, I was a misfit in school. Most definitely a nerd and still am to this day (though now I can wear the label with pride.) I enjoyed learning stuff in school, loved science and computers, wore big ugly glasses, and dressed with all the style of big kid who let his Mom pick his clothes for him. On this particular day, my friend and I were engaged in a heady discussion on the merits of warp drive and the potential of actually propelling starships through space by means of controlled matter/anti-matter reactions. (I know... it kinda makes you want to beat me up even now doesn't it? What a dufus I was! :-) )

The school was probably 20-30 yards from me, and up the hill... probably a 10 foot difference in elevation from the covered walkway outside the school to the bottom of the hill where I stood. The conversation was moving fast, and I believe we had almost worked out how to make dilithium crystals when suddenly, from the shadows, came a fork in the road. It took the form of rock... approximately 3 inches in diameter. Said rock had just squarely impacted me in the side of the head, and I now found myself heaped on the ground from the force of the blow. Feeling a knot already starting to rise on the side of my head, I scanned around me to see what had happened. With my friend quickly at my side he told me that the rock had come from the shadowy, covered walkway of the school. The perpetrators were long gone, no doubt laughing about their successful sneak attack.

I did the only thing I could do, continue the rest of my day. I wasn't bleeding, but I had a tightness in the temple of my forehead from the knot where the stone had hit me. It was a distraction but I finished my day and went home to recount what had happened to my parents. Needless to say they were furious that something like this would happen and concerned about me. Then, we made the most startling discovery of this event. My father asked me to take off my glasses so he could see the still hurting knot on my head. When I did take off my metal framed spectacles, the pain in the side of my head went away. Then I saw my Dad gasp and take my glasses in his hand. The earpiece on the right-hand side of my glasses was bent at a startling angle. The bend of the metal was pressing into the temple of my forehead, and I had mistaken it for a knot from the impact.

The next day I missed school and went to the doctor to be checked out (I did have a slight bruise) and we showed him my glasses. He was dumbfounded. These were heavy, metal frame glasses, bent at least to a 10-15 degree angle. The rock must've been moving at quite a speed to achieve this. The doctor grew solemn and handed the glasses back to me. "If you hadn't been wearing these glasses yesterday, you would probably be dead. The rock impacted exactly on the right temple. These glasses saved your life."

But that was only the beginning of the story...

A Golden Achievment

I just wanted to take a few seconds and post a congratulatory note out to my Mom & Dad. Today they are celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary, and with each passing day (as I was always told would be the case) I discover new ways in which the lessons they taught me ring true in the life I now lead on my own.

Congrats, Mom & Dad and thank you both for everything you've done to see me through!

The A.I. Fortune Cookie Quote of the Day

"The function of science fiction is not always to predict the future but sometimes to prevent it."

-Frank Herbert
Science Fiction Novelist, author of Dune

Wednesday Weirdness

Yeah so its almost Thursday as I post this, but I found this link I had stashed away and I knew this was primo blog material. So enjoy...

As a rule of thumb, I'm not really big into techno or dance music, but I've heard my fair share and even have a few favorite artists; one of whom is Fatboy Slim.

So that being said, you have to check out the link to the music video for one of the songs from an album he realesed in 2000. The song is called "Weapon of Choice" and the video stars the one and only Christopher Walken. That's really all the description I feel comfortable in relating so as not to give it away


Just click the picture on the right and remember; "If you walk without rhythm, you won't attract the worm."

Yep, That's just about what Mondays are like...

A Shot in the Dark...

Been enjoying BlackOps' blog, Sojourner Browny recently. He's got a great 3 part post over there reminiscing about the great New York City Blackout of 1977. Its an epic tale of darkness, insufferable heat, looting, pillaging and other crazed mob activities. My only complaint is that its all one paragraph! :-) DUDE! Hit the Enter key every 1000 words or so! LOL

Go check it out and leave BlackOps some good feedback!

An Evening Well Spent...

Well, I just sent Jef home after a great supper and chance to visit and catch up with him. You can catch up with his blog Thunderfish (formerly known as Quizzicles) to get the latest update on the procedure that he recently had done. Ouch, brother.

I was treated to a fine birthday banquet at my choice of Golden Corral. There's just something right about all you can eat home cooking. And we took a look at some photos taken by our mutual friends at the Mega-Evil Insurance Conglomerate who recently got to travel to Europe on business.

It reminded me of the good lunches he and I used to have and the meaningful talks. Jef, I know you'll be reading this on your aggregator. :-) You're a good friend and thanks so much for everything! Especially on a day when I was upset with the state of the world.

I got plenty of good birthday comments from those of you visiting his site. I encourage you to head over to Thunderfish and thank him for being a good buddy!

London - 07-07-05

It gnaws at me to watch the footage on television. The people weeping, dazed, covered with blood and debris. How can anyone feel justified in doing this to innocent people? What level of fanaticism must one have to murder scores of people and think that any God would want that to happen?

If I could only send one message to those responsible it would be this:

The burning resolve to expunge this world of you, and people like you, is not extinguished by the blood of the innocent. It is fueled by it.

Keep the families of those lost in London today at the forefront of your thoughts and prayers.

"The stars show an exciting change in your life!"

Yes that's right, friends. Playing a game of interstellar pool with a comet is a heinous crime against the balancing forces of the universe. Read on and see why everyone's horoscope is now condemned to be highly generalized and woefully inaccurate.

Hey wait a minute...

Astrologer Sues NASA Over Comet Mission - Yahoo! News

New Site Format

Dear devoted readers... yes, both of you;

We've got a yummy new look and feel to the site that I hope you'll enjoy.
Great new look! Same vapid content!

Eat hearty, brothers...

-A.I.

The Ageless Language of Freedom

"WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness..."

- The Declaration of Independence
July 4, 1776

To Me, on my 29th Birthday

So here it is. Another year gone by, and quite a milestone this year will be. The end of the 20s! The predawn of Middle Age. The twilight of Youth. An epoch of time that shall not be seen again.

What a bunch of melodramatic crap...

But as I sit here at work, deep in the bowels of the mega-evil Insurance Conglomerate, I feel compelled to indulge in a moment of pensive introspection. Twenty-nine years is not a terribly long time in the grand temporal scheme of things, but I'll ramble off a few of the tremendous things that have happened during my life:

• The American Bicentennial - July 4, 1976 (ok so I don't actually remember this one)
• Pope John Paul II was elected Pope
• President Ronald Reagan was shot
• Pope John Paul II was shot
• John Lennon was shot and killed
• The Space Shuttle program began
• The first American woman astronaut flew into space (Sally Ride)
• Personal computers became a common household item
• VCRs hit the mainstream
• CDs were invented
• Space Shuttle Challenger exploded just after liftoff
• Cell phones were invented
• Digital cameras were invented
• Digital watches became popular (LOL)
• The Branch Davidian Compound in Waco, TX - David Koresh
• The Oklahoma City Bombing - Timothy McVeigh
• September 11, 2001 - Osama Bin Ladden
• Two wars in Iraq - Saddam Hussein
• The explosion of the World Wide Web
• The .COM era of business
• Space Shuttle Columbia destroyed during reentry
• MP3s & iPods
• Ronald Reagan died
• Pope John Paul II died
• I graduated from college
• Got a job
• Got laid off
• Got another job
• Started a blog
• Wrote about meaningless stuff for your amusement.

That just about sums it up I think. Except for one big caveat. In the paltry amount of time that I've muddled through on this tiny blue-green planet, I wouldn't have had nearly as much success as I have had it not been for the support of my family and friends. So on this auspicious day, I'm sending out a big birthday Thank You! to the four corners of the world and all points in between. To the cherished people in my life, on my 29th birthday... I wouldn't be here without you.

Now let's get this whole Youth thing out of the way and get onto the main course.