Hey folks! I'm back in Cali for a few weeks! Gonna go to Blizzcon, and then next Monday to Sea World. Anyone going to either?

Hey folks! I'm back in Cali for a few weeks! Gonna go to Blizzcon, and then next Monday to Sea World. Anyone going to either?

Hey folks! I'm back in Cali for a few weeks! Gonna go to Blizzcon, and then next Monday to Sea World. Anyone going to either?

Hey folks! I'm back in Cali for a few weeks! Gonna go to Blizzcon, and then next Monday to Sea World. Anyone going to either?

I stand fully clad in thick, plate maille armor, emblazoned with gold highlights on metal so dark of red it's almost black. My full velvet red cloak billows behind me, barely lit by a hundred candles as I look about the church. My sword is drawn and my shield is clasped tightly against my arm. Shadows twist and turn around every corner as I walk deliberately forward. My heavy footfalls are loud and demand attention. I signal the beginning of the fight by clanging my sword against my shield with a heavy blow, ringing clearly the precious tang of metal echoing through the stone walls. The clarity of this note narrows my focus, and time seems to slow down. Shadows come into focus, wretched creatures, twisted forms lunging at me. My motions match the speed of this slowed time, but theirs do not. They strike with unnatural speed, and only my technique and focus give me the advantage I need to slide a sword under a guard, through a side, turning just in time to deflect a blow with my shield and thrust backwards to take down a third, a fourth in a tight arc... They shatter into a thousand sparks caught in dispersing black mist. Time quickly returns to normal, blurred shapes flying through the air at me at terrifying speed, unearthly shrieks that once chilled my bones and stopped my heart in my throat now simply indicate the direction of an attack. Their motions are wild, fully committed, predictable from the moment they leap at me. A misstep of but an instant will cost me this battle, but my motions are quick and clean, and my sword finds its target with each passing second. I rely heavily on my shield and armor, and they serve me well in deflecting blows intended to rip me apart. I stand to catch my breath as the shadows withdraw, off to bring their masters, someone who might be able to deal with me. It is why I'm here, to face these dark masters, and to bring righteous fury upon them...

Now that was an awesome dream. ^.^

Been a while since I've posted anything on my own page, but I'm thinking of switching things around a bit. I like to make contacts and meet people on here, but I'll admit I'm a little embarassed by my own gallery. I'd rather not have potential new friends take a look and think it's all I'm about. Don't get me wrong, the stuff I've posted is right up my alley, but it's not what I want for a first impression, y'know? Long story short, I'm considering making a new account, and putting my vorey and pawy stuff up on there, and letting this one be for writing. I've gone way too long between writing a good story, and I'd like that to be what this account is about. But never fear! Those'll probably be all vorey and pawy, too. I'm a panther of simple tastes and fixated mind, what can I say.

My family is going through some very tough times right now. My sister and niece really need thoughts, prayers, meditations, whatever it is you do when the only help you can really call on is a higher power. They need peace, understanding, patience, and most of all, healing. If you're the praying sort, I beg of you to say a prayer on their behalf.

It's interesting the way life works out sometimes. Unemployed for 3 years, unemployment checks ran out, trying to survive as long as that $100 in my account would last me, a job interview for Sea World that goes perfectly... But still I was wary of hope, didn't want to put all my faith in getting that job. Subconsciously, I did anyways. I wrote in my journal beside my bed for the first time in months, contemplating the idea of hope, and trying to find it in a 3 year job hunt. Realizing that I needed to find a new source of hope, to keep my mind alive and try as hard as I could. Then I went out to the mailbox to get a letter of "Thank you for your interest, but we're currently looking at other applicants". That, and a note on my car saying it was going to be towed as a non-operating vehicle. Really a shitty day. Pretty much shattered any feelings of hope I might've had. I realized that, even though I had no faith in myself and no belief that I was going to be anything but a burden on my friends and family, I had to keep on going and keep looking for a job and trying to survive. What else could I do?

Two days later, a phone call, "So about that position, we actually have another one just open. Do you want-" "YES I DO GIMME A JOB NAO PLS!" It was really more of a reaction than anything. Even during training I still wasn't totally convinced that I'd been hired. The realization of "I have a job" didn't settle in right a way, even if I did dance around the apartment saying it repeatedly. So away I went, training, working, first job in 3 years. Three occasionally grueling weeks later, I got my first paycheck. I worked 8am to noon that day, and spent the rest of the day in the park, reminding myself of where I was working and why it was a good place. Got a backstage tour, saw the training/rehabilitation areas for the animals, and got to stare into the eyes of a few very curious and playful dolphins. Got to kick back and watch the killer whales relax and play between shows. Got to attend all the shows I wanted to. Ended the day with a spectacular "Shamu Rocks" show and fireworks. And to top it all off, I found my hope again. To see these spectacular, intelligent, majestic creatures interact and perform, it felt wonderful. I wanted to see more of what the natural world had to offer, and do what I can to protect it, clearly the point of the entire park. Also, I got to pet a shark for the first time in my life, which was awesome.

To top it off, tonight was the first chance I had to go fencing since the end of May, and I got to play with/learn from a fine and friendly master from New Orleans who was visiting. Good workout, and I've learned a lot about lateral movement from him. Got a few more fights and put on a good show, again learning a lot and feeling good about what I've learned. And on the way home, I got to see the tail end of the Sea World fireworks as I was driving home on the empty freeway.

Starting to remember what it's like to enjoy life, rather than just escaping from the pain of the hard parts by playing video games. Enjoying life is a good feeling.

Stay in school, kids, or one day you'll look at yourself and you'll be 30, working in the back of a kitchen somewhere cutting the stems off strawberries for just above minimum wage. Might even be the first job you've landed in 3 years.

What the hell did I do with my life?

I just took a look up there recently. Nearly 1000 page views? Goodness! I feel honored.

Might as well give a brief update. My niece is doing better. She had the wonderful gift of being able to go to the Ronald McDonald house for some sessions in a hyperbaric chamber, which have considerably reduced her ticks. She was also asked, with her entire family, to participate in the "The Princess and the Frog" show in Disneyworld with her family and visiting grandma(my mother)! Good times. I appreciate all your well-wishing and prayers.

On a somewhat... Bad note? It's hard to call this really bad the way it's been going, but we've still been having a difficult time lately as my father has been diagnosed with leukemia. It's chronic, and a long time coming, but it explains several health issues over the past decade and a half. The silver lining is that his chemo is working brilliantly to get his blood levels stabilized, and he's had virtually no side effects from it. He's feeling better than he has in years, and while it's still a fight and he has to get a lot of blood transfusions to keep some of his levels up, his blood counts are steadily rising, and several are remaining higher on their own for longer periods of time each time. We feel incredibly blessed by these results. It gives us hope, not only for my father, but for the future of cancer victims in our world.

That'll be about it for now. Hope things are going well in your lives!

Thoughts, prayers, and well wishing requested. As a bit of news, my father has been diagnosed with Leukemia a few months back. The bad news is that his blood isn't producing what it should, he's lost a significant amount of weight, and he's now on chemotherapy. The good news is that the chemo has been working incredibly well! His blood levels are climbing, he's got more energy than he has in a decade, he's gaining back the weight he'd lost, and it's wonderful to see. This is the kind of thing people hope and pray for in a chemo treatment. Just a bit of indigestion and an annoyingly runny nose for side effects. But the fight isn't over, he's not in remission yet, and he still needs regular transfusions what with his hemoglobin levels and platelet count being so low. Still, it's a blessing to see Dad start to recover.

On a not so happy note, my niece's PANDAS has continued to deteriorate. For those unfamiliar with it, it's a strep throat infection that has produced antibodies that are attacking her brain. She's forgetting things like math how to walk from time to time, and regresses back a year and a half developmentally. She also has developed anorexia, where her mind simply doesn't tell her to eat. On top of that, she has about 9 tourrette's-like ticks that can manifest at any time. She's on a diet to help control her symptoms, but the high fat and protein foods tend to bring about the symptoms even worse, so it's a careful balancing act between keeping her healthy and helping her be comfortable. PANDAS is still a very strange thing, not well documented and controversially over diagnosed, but she's seeing a specialist about it. Thoughts and prayers for her, her autistic younger brother, and their poor mother(my sister) who is having such a hard time dealing with it all.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

So thoughts and prayers would be appreciated. Turns out my young neice has recently been admitted to the hospital due to jerking and spasms that seem to be getting worse. Unsure of the cause of it, but it's definitely progressing. I'll keep updates on here as I learn more.