We are friends because, if for no other reason, you share in my complete awe of the intricate beauty of the world around us.



The sky calls to us
And if we do not destroy ourselves
we will one day venture to the stars

Thanks for talking again. It helps to know I'm not the only one.

This summer I read The Hobbit for the first time, and just last night I finished The Fellowship of the Ring. Reading the books makes me appreciate what they were up against when they made the movies. It also reminded me of this very old and very funny gif. Enjoy.

Ninja Wizards

I've never been one for quoting the Bible, but of all the stories we discussed in our Religion classes, one stuck with me- if only because it always confused me. Forgive any misquotes, for it has been a very long time..
The story went something like this: a father had two sons. The older one was always faithful to the father and stayed with him, working for him; the younger one left and wasted all his money living it up, gambling or w/e. The one who left quickly ran out of money and was forced to work really bad jobs to get by. Finally he returned to the father and, humbled, asked for forgiveness. The father welcomed him back and loved him more than the son who had stayed. Annoyed, the older son asked why the father favored the one who abandoned him, when the older one had always been faithful. The father replied: because the one who left came back; he was tested and he returned.

I didn't understand this story for years, until I realized I was looking at it all wrong. It was never about the result; it was about the journey getting there.

One week of worry, two days of stress, and 6 hours of frustrated work, all solved in 10 seconds of clarity.

When things fall into place, life is beautiful.

California will always be my heart, but Texas has worked its way into my soul.
Now, Arizona is my outlook: sunny, with a chance of some killer storms.

I pulled out my colored pencils, all ready to work on the first in a series of studies leading up to the drawing I want to do, and... the charcoal called out to me. This was supposed to be a study of blonde hair, and I ended up spending the least amount of time on the hair itself (actually, I was just starting the shading when the sun dipped below the horizon and my room got dark.. damn sun only staying out until 6pm in AZ.. and have you tried to shade by artifical light? Yeah. It sucks.)... Hopefully more to come.

Finger-food fine dining began our evening ("the best Ethiopian food in town!," you laughed), and sipping tea in the jazz club/art studio turned restaurant while nibbling the exotic flatbread and spices set the mood beautifully. As the dusk rose we walked, through the adorned stone courtyard past crowds gathered around dozens of performers. Music of every kind floated past: haunting pan pipes, joyful chanting in Hebrew, rhythmic, soulful Creole. So many gathered at one stage that we were pressed close in the swaying crowd, our bodies moving with the dancing. We escaped to the quieter halls of the museum and searched the traveling displays for the ancient volumes you seeked ("our own quest," I smiled). Too short it was.
You drove us back from the mountains, the top rolled down with cool air and light jazz floating from your car as you sped up to 90. The wind whipped my hair around as I turned my head back to watch the stars, slowly disappearing behind the fog as we raced through the night. You looked at me and laughed, elated, reckless and carefree, as we shared that moment beneath the stars.

Was checking out at Target today, and the cashier sees me bring up a cat litter box, litter, and a big bag of cat food.

Cashier: *gleefully smiles* "Awwww, you must have a new kitten!"
Me: "No... just have a really fat cat who eats and poops a lot."
Cashier: >.> "Oooookkk......................." *goes quiet*

Hey, there's just more of him to love.

An oldie but goodie, here's for old times Jim. Still brings a smile and a tear. :)