Despite my statements to the contrary... this blog has fallen into disuse... that has not been intentional.  I am in a new season of life.  I changed my position at work, the kids are growing older so there are changes there.  Both Thing 1, and Thing 3 are on soccer teams, and Thing 2 we continue to grow with and learn from.  All the while my Beloved and i continue to grow together.  Life never seems to slow down... and my own father says that it just speeds up!  *sigh*  But i don't want it to speed up.  Well, since it has been a 'coons age since my last update, i guess i will just bring things up to date about me...

Let's see - Soccer, or futbol as it is known elsewhere in the world, takes up a lot of my time.  DS1 plays for his High School team and my DD3 plays on a traveling team.  They both love to play, but it is a serious commitment to their parents in getting them to and from practices and games.  Well, not as much for the H.S. level, but the traveling team has 3 practices a week, and some times games on both days of a weekend.  One thing i have noticed is that both of them are not... a part of the "in" clique of their teams, or in school.  I am OK with that personally, but sometimes i worry about them.  I guess that stems from my own experiences at their age.

The driving all over God's creation has been a big contributor to less free time, which directly impacts my writing time.  Not just blog writing, but my short stories as well.  While i have written a few chapters, i am not near as prolific as i used to be, obviously.  I have been able to keep up with some reading though.  I am still in the middle of about 4 different books though.  I finally finished the "Path of the Eldar" series.  Very well done.  I enjoyed each and every page, and i read just this morning that Gav Thorpe is looking in to an Audio book as well.  Very cool.

I am not sure if i mentioned this in the few blog posts i had late last year, and (much) earlier this year, but i am a fan of Cam Newton.  He came on strong last year and set all kind of NFL rookie records, etc.  This year he has struggled some, but i think that is somewhat normal.  He is finding his niche within the game and still feel he will settle in to be the best quarterback the Carolina Panthers have ever had.  Only time will tell.  Despite a 6-10 record last year, and what very well could be worse this season, i think the team is on the right track overall.  Basically, i have been a fan of the Panthers since the league announced the franchise being awarded to Charlotte, i have stayed with the team through a 1-15 season... and i will stay with them through these trying times as well. A side note/observation - no team named after a predatory cat (Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars) has ever won the Super Bowl.  As a matter of fact, only two of them have ever played in the Super Bowl (the Bengals and Panthers), so, while i will remain a die hard Carolina Panthers fan - i will now be rooting for each and everyone of the Big Cat teams!  Unless they are playing the Panthers that is.

With the plethora of time i have, i restarted fallout 3 with a brand new character.  I can't stand not finishing things, and i hate starting things in the middle, so... I am also going to try and journal my 'journey'.  Why?  Well, i really like the game, even after having it for four years now, and i like to write.

Since i last blogged dear reader, i have found two new TV shows that i like, and an "old" one i have finally discovered.  The "old" one is 'The Big Bang Theory'.  I have several people tell me that they couldn't believe i was not already watching it.  But, i did give it a try once and i found it too in my face regarding things about boys and girls "hooking up".  Maybe i am just getting calloused to it, but i really enjoy it now.  I especially like how Stuart is becoming a regular on the show this season.  The two new shows are 'Arrow' on The CW, and 'Revolution' on NBC.  'Arrow' because it is based on the DC Comics character, the Green Arrow.  'Revolution', well, because it was a post-apocalyptic scenario where the power goes out all across the world.  Both of these shows are less than ten episodes on, but i am interested enough to record them and watch them as i can... usually in 10-15 minute intervals.  I am like them both quite a bit.

OK, i am not sure if these are decent updates or not, but it's what i've got for now.  Oh, and i'd like to thank Tulip for her help in making new banners for my blogs.  The one here has been around for a while, but there is a new one for the Fallout 3 blog.  8)  I am slowly trying to spruce things up.

May this find each of you enjoying God's perfect peace and grace as you read this.  No matter how disjointed it comes across.

---

Ramblin' Fridays

Not sure if this is going to be a recurring theme like my Music Mondays or not, but i think i'd like to use Fridays as a catch all. The day i put out the thoughts i've been thinking all week, but just not posted yet. 8) Last night the Carolina Kittens made another appearance. Ricky Williams ran for over one hundred yards, had two rushing and one receiving touchdown, Jake Delhomme was sacked four (4!) times, and the special teams need to consider riding the short bus to/from games. Ok, that last line was derogatory and really not called for. I know the media is going to be stoking the fires to bench Delhomme and Coach Fox, but seriously this was not a QB issue IMO. Before i go any further... FULL credit needs to go to the Miami Dolphins. They played a great game and took care of the things they needed to, when they needed to. Things are not well in Carolina right now, but a cleaning house is a little much at this juncture. Jerry "Big Cat" Richardson has shown he is not shy about replacing personnel he feels need to be replaced. I only have to look as far as the resignation of not one, but both of his sons this past summer. I just wish the media (read: ESPN and the Charlotte Observer) would stop trying to 'encourage' such change, and let the owner make a clear headed decision. Anyone who knows very much about the corporate world knows that such resignations are more to save face of the outgoing than the company. My Panthers will most likely fail in their bid to have back to back winning seasons this year. C'est la vie - i am still thankful to be able to enjoy football, and last night was fun because i was able to enjoy it with a long time friend. I am officially on the New Orleans Saints bandwagon for this season. They are long over due for a great season. Geaux Saints! I am feeling a little vindicated... not sure if that is the right word or not... anyway, i have been having some discomfort in my right shoulder and arm lately. Stretching... ibuprofen... and alternating hot and cold has not seem to do anything other than provide temporary relief. It's not painful enough to be anything more than an irritant, but it has caused me to wake up a time or two. Anyway, in the past i've complained of such things like neck or knee pain, but so far "they" have never found anything and i've just forced myself to live with whatever it is i am not happy with. I went ahead and requested an MRI (after the insurance mandated x-rays) on it. Today i found out that i have a "slight tear" and some arthritis. The "slight tear" is unspecified so i have a follow up appointment on Monday. This has encouraged me to go ahead and pursue my knee pain more as well... but that will have to wait. Last weekend provided me with a brief window to get on my laptop and "veg" some. I brought up Fallout 3. Ah! Good times. Well, distracting and escapism type good times. A "Game of the Year" edition of the game is now out. I doubt i will buy it, but i found it interesting nonetheless. If i can find a way to download Mothership Zeta i will have the complete game anyway. I've tried to use the Games for Windows marketplace and get completely turned around. I think i've even lost some money by depositing some, but then not knowing how to spend the credits. The one thing that might really sway me... there is a samurai to be found on the mothership! And well... i think you all might be able to deduce my reasons. 8) DS1 and 2 have really gotten into the game as well. I monitor them and their actions as the game really is pretty open (i.e. you can do things that are not very 'moral' so to speak), and the game has given me the opportunity to discuss choices. Why they should do good things versus bad things. Just like the Bible says, "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6, ESV) The last part above reminded me of a conversation i was having with some co-workers the other day. Our job as parents are to train our children. It does not matter if you are a Christian or not, the role of parent is to prepare a child for being a responsible adult in society. Now, i will be presenting my ideas as a Christian of course. The role of being a parent is non-stop. Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year - 366 on leap years. Kids are sponges and they learn without even trying. I confess - i am sometimes lazy, or selfish, and prime opportunities escape me. But we really need to keep our eyes open for those teachable moments. Not just 'this is what you do', but 'this is WHY you do'.

Wacky, Wild, incoherant rambling Wednesday

It has been over a week since my last blog and there are way too many things i want to blog about and not enough time on my hands to coherently type them all out... so crazy ramblings will ensue... My beloved is recovering "well" since her surgery last week. Anytime someone cuts another open and removes and moves so much "material" you are bound to have some pain. She is up and moving around pretty much on her own, but still has some pain when certain things occur. After her follow up visit at the doctor's office yesterday we have been told that things are good. The pain will subside over time. As of this update there are only 5 days, 6 hours, until the Carolina Panthers season officially opens! Summer camp has been a little bit of heartburn for me. The loss of Kemoeatu on the opening day of camp was a pretty big hit IMO to the defense. I think the Panthers can adjust, but only time will tell. Then the panic of the possibility of Steve Smith getting injured the other day was a little disconcerting. I am still very excited for the season to begin though. Looking over the schedule and i see that i will be able to see four games this year! @ Dallas on 9/20, hosting Washington on 10/11, hosting Miami on 11/19, and then hosting the Vikings on 12/20. That is the most i have been able to look forward to in many a year. Geaux Panthers! DS1 has pointed out to me that the next expansion for Fallout 3 is scheduled for store release next Tuesday. I checked my play time on the game... a whopping total of sixteen (16) hours! Granted, i've been able to play Blood Bowl a lot more often, but that's only because i am able to play a complete game in BB in less than an hour (usually). I've been having a lot of fun playing Fallout 3 though. My character has been generating some attention though. Some Talon Company Mercenaries have apparently been hired to wipe me out. I had several worship, and a couple of 'contemporary Christian' songs that really helped me over this past week. There is just something about music that moves a person that cannot adequately be explained in my opinion. Music has the ability to sway emotion. It can influence your mood and even your thought patterns. Maybe not every one would agree with me on this one... but it is a powerful force! I will listen to a rock-n-roll type of music when i am working something hi-tempo, when i am feeling meditative i find classical is good for me. While there was never any choice to not be home to be there for my beloved, i am still a little sad that missed the 2-110th deactivation ceremony this past Saturday. What a solemn time. I trained with men that i will never forget. I grew a lot through the Army National Guard and i miss the time i used to serve. But i am also grateful that i have served, and that i am now home one more weekend a month now. My place was at home with my beloved as she recovered, but that doesn't mean i missed being there with those guys either.

Look at below!

I am so looking forward to this evening...why? Because it is the first time since my beloved and i have had kids that we can take a vacation in the month of June. Until last year my annual training was almost always scheduled in June so we would not be able to take off until July or August. I am so looking forward to taking off and leaving my work behind for the next week. I am hoping to get some writing done, and some Fallout 3 played. 8) I've been having the desire to get some of the whirlwind of ideas and characters down and organized within the outline i have been working on. I've started a prologue, a sort of near beginning chapter and some character defining lines - so that i can picture the characters in my mind while i'm writing. In the meantime i am not sure how much, if any, blogging i will get done. If i play Fallout 3, then i will take some notes for my gaming blog for when i get back. I am still waiting to hear how i did on my writing contest entry that was supposed to be over mid May. There have been some technical issues delaying the results, but even then another moderator said that the results were to be posted yesterday... which i've not heard anything on that yet. Hopefully soon. Before i dash out the door... i saw the miniature pictured to the right and i immediately thought of a way to write in a new character for my book. *lol* That's all i have for this week. See y'all when i get back, 5 pounds heavier and a little more tan. May God richly bless each of you until we "meet" again.

Ramblin' along

It has been a whole week since i updated this blog. For the most part it could not be helped. Last Wednesday night i began a really rough 24 hour period, and Friday i was still recovering from the Thursday. Yesterday i finished up a blog entry for one of my other secondary blogs and was trying to catch up from the over 200 e-mails i missed from last week, so... I still haven't heard back from my writing contest submission. Which is a bummer, but i have gotten a little bit more on my "novel" done. I am wondering if my personal deadline of next summer is actually going to happen. While i was sick i did get to play some more Fallout 3 (which i blogged about here). I am enjoying the short times i get to play this game. By God's grace it is not becoming all consuming. I believe i have already mentioned this, but i have learned about another game that is supposed to be coming out in June: Bloodbowl. I am really excited about that game as well. It is sort of a fantasy combat game based on American Football. I used to own two copies of this game, but i couldn't get my friends to play it consistently. They played it some, but eventually it sat on my shelf long enough i sold it (for practically nothing). I love American Football sims like Madden football. I just don't have the skills like most kids have these days with these kinds of games. I need the turn based system so i can keep up. While Fallout 3 is a long drawn out adventure, Bloodbowl will be one off games in a campaign like setting. I am going to wrap this up or else it will really ramble on. Music Monday should return 1-June... God willing.

Friday Ramblings

A few new, fun, things have been occupying my fleeting Facebook time of late. Aside from flair (which i've already talked about some) and keeping up with friends and family, i have two new interests there. One is Yoville, and the other is these personality tests. Yoville is sort of a Sims like application where you explore a really small town filled with other players from all around the world. Other than the socialization aspects (i am not going to debate virtual socialization here) the main objective seems to be to decorate your house/apartment and/or your self. This application is passively fun. I don't sweat worry having the latest or greatest rugs or whatnot, but i did recently "purchase" my first house - a tree house. It goes with my elvish tendencies. 8) I know the personality tests are subjective and only as accurate as the interpretations of the creators of the questionares ~ but they are still fun. Several have been kind of surprising. One was "What is the purpose in life?" - Healer. Really? I don't publish all of the results i take, just ones that are fun and i don't mind the results of... :) I was really happy with the result from one i took today: "What type of Warrior are you?" My result was Jonas Blane. I was pretty happy with that result because i have really enjoyed CBS's show, The Unit. I was devastated when Molly called in a debt by asking Jonas to make a choice between her and The Unit while he was in the middle of a very delicate mission. And then to see Jonas sitting alone at "Betty Blue's" wedding... it broke my heart. I am so hoping that there will be a season 5 for this show (i think i will know around 20-May), if for nothing else than to see this relationship restored! I have a couple Google alerts set up so that i get occasional e-mail updates on "important" news articles. You know, things about "The Hobbit" movie, "Tron 2.0", etc. Well, one item recently was a 'related' thing but it drew my attention to the new trailer for "The Road". At first i was really pumped about this movie because of my interest in 'post apocalyptic' genre. After i saw the trailer i am nervous that it will be more of a "Dawn of the Dead" type of deal. While i could live with that, i am thinking that my beloved may not want to go see it with me. As a matter of fact... i am positive this will be the case. Still... i have moved to a 'wait and see' mode. Speaking about the "Post Apocalyptic" genre... i have not even finished my first run through of Fallout 3 yet! I really do enjoy playing this game, i just don't have enough time to do it! After all, the game is NOT a priority in my life, and when i sit down to play i really want a minimum of two to three hours to dive into it, which as anyone who is married and/or has children is extremely hard to come by. That's ok though. Bethesda Softworks has released three aftermarket files (also known as DLC) to expand the game even more. Which of course has my curiosity peaked. So in the OCD part of my personality i amn reluctant to play and work towards finishing the game until i can have the complete game... Now, since the only way (until recently) to get this DLC has been through GamesforWindows (Microsoft)... and since i have made a consious choice to NOT connect my personal laptop to the internet for ANY reason... this has not been a viable option. However, i am told that Bethesda usually releases another copy of their games that include the DLC, or the DLC by itself... i just need to be patient... But in the meantime i have been considering starting over. Not because i don't like the file i have going currently, but because it is a file that is running on an incomplete version of the game. And now i am hearing of another computer game that i would really like to have... recently i learned of a French software company known as Cyanide Studio is making a game called "Bloodbowl". Now this is a computer version of a Games Workshop game that i LOVED to play way back when. It has several elements that i enjoy... 1) It was a table top miniature game, 2) You could play Elves in it, 3) it played a LOT like American Football. One problem i did run into though, despite a lot of my friends also owning the game - it was not the first thing they would want to play should the occasion come up. A few times they would humor me, but for the most part i was the only one with the desire to play. Well, now i will be able to play (probably just as often as i get to play Fallout 3 now) by myself! All of this rambling has brought to mind my favorite memory of when i did play AD&D. (Bear with me... this sort of ties some things together.) We had a favorite quote from a comic book series, "Rain was the healer, and he was the first to die". This was because the one person/character you always needed in tight situations was the one who was the healer type, and inevitably it would seem like this character was the first to go down. Well. i had often favored playing fighter types, but i wanted the challenge of playing a Paladin. This is a character that played by a very high moral code, and was generally considered a very tough one to role play. We were very early on in what is called a "campaign". We were all still very low level, but what we did have was numbers. I believe we had eight or more people playing (which was very rare for us). Anyway, we came into a small town that was being harassed by something up in the hills. You know the drill, running off with live stock, and recently one of the elders children had disappeared. My Paladin of course wanted to help... it was a moral obligation to help those poor people, and it took a long time for me to convince the others the back me up on this one. When we arrived at the beast's layer we learned that it was a young White Dragon (which was the weakest of such monsters in the game), and it was sleeping! The whole party was besides themselves on this opportunity, but my Paladin would have none of this. It is not fair to ambush a sleeping foe - no matter what they had done. I was alone on this one... finally i told the guy running the game, "I walk up to the sleeping dragon. draw my sword and tap it on the nose and declare, 'awake foul beast!'" The battle was over in two rounds. After it turned our thief and several others into Popsicles, it batted my Paladin across the cave leaving him barely consious. The only survivors were a mage who had refused to even enter the cave, and my Paladin. The pair sulked back to town licking their wounds. My friends absolutely refused to let me continue to play that character. So, despite my only playing that character in two adventure, he remains my all time favorite.

I need help

How many of you out there have seen the movie Office Space? Raise your hand... come on, don't be shy. Ok, hands down. How many of you remember the scene where Joanna (Jennifer Aniston) is getting chewed out for not taking to heart the "Flair" concept?

Joanna: You know what, Stan, if you want me to wear 37 pieces of flair, like your pretty boy over there, Brian, why don't you just make the minimum 37 pieces of flair? Stan, Chotchkie's Manager: Well, I thought I remembered you saying that you wanted to express yourself.

Well, way back somewhere my friend "Big Mama" sent me my very first piece of flair, and it has been all down hill since. That was March of last year. It was slow at first. I was able to control myself. I'd add one or two pieces of Flair, maybe share a piece or two. Then the "makers" of the flair app on Facebook added a second flair board to display your flair. So, all of a sudden i didn't need to pick and choose which pieces i could put up. Now i had enough room and i could expand my collection. Later on, i found out i could not just collect other people's flair, i could create my own! WHAT! So far i have created 28 different pieces of flair. Some i have shared with my fellow Facebook addicts, some i haven't. My most popular creation has a mere 70 adds, while the least popular (and still listed in the search engine) have just 1 add - mine. But that has not stopped me from searching for new pieces of flair from time to time. For example, i took some "which ____ are you most like test" for fun. Afterward i thought the result funny enough i searched out a piece of flair that matched the result and added it. Other times i will just search through the top 10-20 pages of flair for that day. If something reminds me of one of my Facebook friends, i send it to them wether they have the flair app or not. *snicker* Or, if i spot one that strikes my fancy i just add it to my collection. Here is a peek of some of my favorites... Each one of them has some meaning to me. Counting from left to right (1-5), top to bottom (A-D)... A1 - DS2 struggles with Aspergers. I love him so dearly, and he tries so hard. A2 - I love music and if i am doing any kind of project i HAVE to have some kind of music playing. So much so that it is fairly common for me to have a song pop into my mind first thing in the morning, and throughout the day. This is sort of my incentive behind my Music Monday entries. A3 - I enjoy Celtic 'weaves', and i am also fond of the 'trinity' symbol. A4 - Come on, you chuckled when you saw this one too. Admit it. A5 - This one just made me smile. I don't really have voices in my head. Yes you do! No I don't! Now be quiet! B1 - There is just something about the rain. I love being out in it, i love running in it. I enjoy doing almost anything out in it. B2 - Fallout 3, enough said. B3 - This piece says it all. Jesus is my Lord. B4 - I LOVE flute music, and my most favorite music from when i was in my late teens and early twenties, was Jethro Tull. B5 - This piece of flair is a picture of the passion i feel for my beloved. C1 - This is a rune symbol combining Tolkien's initials. I love his books so... C2 - Love Kanji - again, it expressing my love for my beloved. C3 - This was the first piece of flair to represent my beloved. She loves Monet. C4 - In the Artillery we had a saying, "Once you pull the lanyard you can't get the bullet back". This is true with the words that come out of the mouth. C5 - I love to write, and when i really get going my fingers fly as fast as they can, but of course mistakes occur and i've found that i've even left out whole sentences/ideas. D1 - Have you ever just gone for a walk with no destination in mind? I love those kinds of walks. D2 - This is a snapshot of one of the statues outside the Carolina Panthers stadium. I love those statues, and i love the Panthers. D3 - This was made from a snapshot of my Honorable Order of St. Barbara award. D4 - I love music... like i said before... and this represents my desire to actually learn how to play the irish whistle D5 - This one was one of the first pieces of flair given to me... also given to me by "Big Mama", and it makes me smile. I am a little concerned... the application's developer is working on even more flair boards! So, then i will have even more room to display my flair!

Catching up on my TV watching

For the next forty eight hours my work schedule is going to be shifting slightly. Due to coverage needed at my place of employment i will work my normal schedule today, and then burn the midnight oil tonight and again tomorrow. Not a big deal, but it messes with your sleep schedule s last night my beloved encouraged me to stay up (much) later than usual so that when i get home this afternoon i can take a nap until i have to go back in. While it messes with my family time i was able to catch up on the TV shows i like to watch but never seem to have time for. So, after my beloved fell asleep i scooted back to the "computer room" (really just a converted "formal" dining room that is much to small to be formal for anything) to check up on how my last minute preparations for April Fool's day were going. All scans and updates were complete so i went over to CBS and Fox's websites to watch my shows. For whatever reason the past two weeks CBS has allowed their Sunday schedule to slide some - probably because of the NCAA tournament - and the last half of The Unit was cut off early. I didn't even bother to start watching the DVR session i have set up to record the shows. During the NFL season i got used to CBS doing this so i just recorded the shows after the time slot too. Anyway, with time to waste i watched both 'Flesh and Blood' and 'Best Laid Plans'. I have to say... i am not liking the newest member of the team: SSG Sam "Whiplash" McBride. He gives me the creeps. And then the little reveal i saw last night, his apparent infatuation with WO Bridgette "Red Cap" Sullivan. Not endearing himself to me. I think there's going to be something in the story line real soon about him. Look, i like this show... i know it's not in prime TV real estate being parked at 2200 on Sunday nights, but it has a good on-going story line and the characters are well along the path. CBS - in the unlikely event someone from your staff reads this - please keep this show going (I'll send along a more official plead later). I am curious as to how the new woman in SFC Charles "Betty Blue" Grey's life plays out... but i am more interested in watching how they get all of those "leaked" passports back. Then, once i was all caught up their i realized that i was not very tired, and just a little bit hungry. So after grabbing some animal crackers and some milk (that just sounds so odd in this context...) i pulled up the latest episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. This show really has been getting better and better every week. The episode starts with Cromartie playing with Savannah Weaver. An interesting display of the A.I. of what could become the future Skynet learning and adapting... a computer program learning that it does not have to "play by the rules". Then he gets hacked! Which terrifies poor Savannah. This little story line presents some interesting plot twists because of the influence James Ellison appears to be having on both Cromartie and maybe even Catherine Weaver as well. The writers did a good job when they split up the core of Sarah, John, Cameron, and Derek. It helped further the story lines regarding the tension and relationship between Derek and Cameron. In a way i think it helped deepen the trust - which is tenacious at best. I also enjoyed getting to see Sarah's relationship with John expand beyond the earlier series set up of primary protector. John is definitely getting beginning to stand on his own. This show has never skirted around the possibility of characters being killed off, and this week saw it executed (pardon the pun) very well. The trailer below elaborates how this show is using it and not in a gratuitous way. This show has only two new episodes left... and i am on the edge of my seat wanting to see where they all go from here. Fox, just like i pleaded with the other network above... keep this show! At least for one more season. Friday night is not the best night (IMO, and definitely not for me), but perhaps it is good for the demographic you are shooting for. I am encouraged by the number of post air night replays on-line i've heard about. This show is getting much better and needs at least another season to flesh out the story line. If you must... pick it up for a set number of shows and tell the writers that it needs to be wrapped up by such-n-such episode. Last but not least, i would like to congratulate Bethsoft's Fallout 3 for winning yet another game of the year award. In this case they've won the Game Critics Award for game of the year. This fills me with hope that they just might release a "game of the year" edition that will include all of the DLC - since i am not willing to use my laptop on the WWW i am unable to use Microsoft Live. But that's ok, even if Bethsoft does not release a special edition. I am enjoying the game so far as is.

Ramblin' along

Today has been very crazy. So, since i am not able to come up with one continuous and concise train of thought i am going to ramble for today... these are in no particular order. Normally this time of year i get kind of overwhelmed. The school year is winding down, there are field trips, end of year testing, IEP's, soccer, gymnastics, social skills and Autism support group meetings. You get the idea... and i am sure many of you all out there in cyberville are in similar situations. Anyway, i am finding it helpful in that i am now getting a handful of hours to sit and write the story i've been working on. I have a starting paragraph for what i hope will become a novel... Well, i also have a short piece that i wrote up to help me "see" the main characters, and a decent outline written up. It's not a bad start really. I figure it will probably take me at least eighteen months, maybe more... assuming i can stay focused on one project long enough. I just read that Fallout 3 just won game of the year. Congratulations to them. Since i am not a really big video game player i could not give a fair comparison, but this award comes from the Game Developer's Choice awards, where they also won the award for writing - which is becoming a bigger deal in the gaming industry evidently. For my fellow Christian readers, Plugged In on-line has a review of the game. Their summarization quotes an IGN.com review, "...this is not a game for kids or anybody with a developing moral compass." While i am enjoying the game immensely, i am also using some of the examples to teach my oldest the consequences of making some moral choices. The game is designed as an "open world" system in that it does not dictate how you respond to situations, nor does it corral you through choices to move the game along. (It is finite, but it is much more "wide open" than most other games out there.) The world in which we live in, and the one in which our children live in, is much more wide open than this game - and yet as parents we are tasked to teach them and help them become ready to live in such a world. While i agree with the review i also want to say that we as parents, must be involved with every aspect of our children's lives to prepare them. It is impossible to shield our children from everything, and while overly exposing them to things can be bad, we should not expect to 'protect' them from everything. Each child is different, and we as parents must be 'different' to each of our children. Use any and all tools available as they come into your children's lives. No matter if it from a video game, the school, or the Bible. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is starting to get pretty good IMO. There have been a lot of internet speculation that this series is a long shot to be picked up for a 3rd season. To me that would be a shame since there is a lot of potential in regards to story telling left on the table, but then the entertainment industry is not so much about story telling as it is a business and they have to look at their "bottom line", and i understand that. There is just so much going on in regards to morals and robotics, how decisions we make affect both our future and those around us and their futures. It's not all about cyborgs running around killing humans and vice-versa, nor is about beautiful "babes" running around with guns. It would be a shame for this story to get canned before there is a chance to wrap some of it up. It has really whetted my appetite for Terminator: Salvation coming out on May 22. The NFL draft is right around the corner. While there is a lot of speculation as to what the Carolina Panthers will be doing with disgruntled Julius Peppers (see below) i am still trying to keep up with a man from last years draft. Caleb Campbell, who was drafted by the Detroit Lions, had reported to training camp before the United States Army did an about face and required him to return to active duty. Personally i think they blew an excellent recruiting opportunity with having (then) 2nd LT Campbell not being in the NFL and playing. I feel that they cowed to "peer" pressure from the Military Academies, when similar things already take place for sports such as basketball and baseball. To me that is a double standard. Well, as it stands there is a chance that this young man will be given the opportunity to play next season (2010 - Reference EPSN.com article). What i admire about this young man is he did not bad mouth the academy and he returned as ordered. Now, there is a chance he will not apply to be released which i would admire about him as well. It just gives me something to look forward to next season. If he does go to training camp in 2010... it is very possible that i will have two favorite teams. Recently the Carolina Panthers have sought to extend QB Jake Delhomme's contract in order to get some cap room. To me this is a great thing because i like this guy, but it also shows just how much the NFL is a business. There are a lot of people who are fans of College Football because of the business side of things with the NFL. I hope it gets worked out. Now, in regards to Julius Peppers this has the potential of becoming really ugly. If a man does not want to be on your team, is it really such a good idea to keep him around? I know that he is a good physically talented football player, and the Panthers have the chance to get something out of the whole deal... but he is still a human being. Having served in the Army National Guard i know what it feels like to be treated like a piece of equipment, but he is still a man. I respect Coach Fox and Jerry "Big Cat" Richardson, and i think they will do what is best for the team while not forgeting that Mr. Peppers is a fellow Carolinian and respected member of the Panthers. I think i agree with the "professional" sports writers in that this will probably not be done until close to, or in the middle of, this years draft. As i look forward to the 2009 NFL season, i am excited - as always. I am praying for Mr. Richardon's continued improvement after his recent heart transplant, but i am also hopeful for the first back-to-back winning season for my Panthers. All i ask for is 9-7. Another NFC South title would be nice, a second trip to the Super Bowl even better, but all it would take for me to be a very happy Panthers fan would be the first consecutive winning season record. For the first time since i retired i found myself missing the National Guard. Just a little. I got up a little bit earlier than usual this morning to help my son get out the door for school. As i watched him head out to the buss stop i took in the morning. It was foggy. Cool and damp. The son was just beginning to light up the world and air was fresh. It was the kind of morning that would make your joints ache and your body shiver to get enough warmth to keep the blood flowing, but it was also a morning that thrust fond memories of my guard experiences to fore. There was something about enjoying that time of day. Enjoying the camaraderie of my fellow soldiers as we mutually complained about... well, pretty much anything. Someone would heat up a small camp stove and get real coffee brewing, we'd crack open whatever "pogey bait" we had stashed around, and we'd "chew the fat". My beloved laughs at me and often says, "I thought you were a morning person", and i am. I just also like to take brief cat naps latter on in the day which is not normally possible in a civilian life style. Not that it was always possible in the military because we usually had somewhere to be and something to do... but soldiers learn that they need to take power naps and eat snacks whenever the opportunity presents itself. In the movie "Gettysburg" there is a scene where General Lee is talking with General Longstreet and he says, "I love this time of day, just before dawn. I will miss it after all this." That is where i am at now...