March 31, 2008

7 Deadly Sins: Lust

A little while ago, over at Single In The City's place I saw she had taken a little quiz which showed how sinful we are. I thought it was a cool little thing, and decided I should do it too.

I also thought it would be cool to make this a whole new "series" of posts... taking a close look at each of the seven deadly sins, and relating to them on a personal level.

Initially, I meant to do this in order of my own "sinfulness" in each sin... but at the end of the test I was struck by a touch of Wrath... turns out I had to pay $4.95 to get that listing... there's no way I'm paying that for some half assed test that is probably as reliable as the Mitchell Report. At least - what the test result did reveal was which my most prominent sin is... so that gave me a place to start.

LUST!

Am I surprised? No - not at all really... I thought maybe Sloth and/or Gluttony would be up there... but, I would agree that Lust is my most prominent sin indeed... lets take a look at that test result shall we?


Take this test!
Indulging your passions can be a healthy outlet. But those who scored high in Lust should beware of prioritizing sexual experiences and conquests above other things. These kinds of desires may quickly take control of their lives.


There... that shows that I am more sinful than most people. Is it wrong of me to be proud of that? LOL!

Now, as I said - lets take a look at this Deadly Sin on a personal level... Lust! What is lust?, you may ask. Well, lets copy the definition from wikipedia for reference...

Lust (or lechery) is usually thought of as involving obsessive or excessive thoughts or desires of a sexual nature. Unfulfilled lusts sometimes lead to sexual or sociological compulsions and/or transgressions including (but obviously not limited to) sexual addiction, adultery, bestiality, rape, and incest. Dante's criterion was "excessive love of others," which therefore rendered love and devotion to God as secondary. In Purgatorio, the penitent walks within flames to purge himself of lustful/sexual thoughts and feelings.
I am a naughty, naughty boy...

Obsessive or excessive thoughts or desires of a sexual nature: Now, I'm not going to go as far as to say that my sexual desire is either obsessive or excessive. Well, it might be excessive at times... you know - when the testosterone levels reach a critical point. But, I will certainly agree that when compared to the other seven deadly sins - this is the sin that I would most definitely choose to indulge in... excessively. Of course... if I've been deprived of both food and sex for a week... it is likely that I would choose Gluttony over Lust at that point - so it's all relative... I'm sure, however, once I've restocked my nutrient levels - sex will be what is on my mind.

Now, I'm a single guy - so I don't get anywhere near as much sex as I would like to have at the moment. I can't say for sure whether that adds to a sexual need, or if it deprives me of it. All I can say for sure is that... women better watch out, because give me an inch and I'll take all of you in! Every single good looking woman out there on the streets, in the bars, at the gym, behind the counter at the local coffee shop... hell! Even the telemarketer that I can't see, if she has a sexy voice... just say the word and lets get it on!

I don't think this all makes me sinful... no more than the average guy. I believe I am genetically cursed to be this way... because I was born a man!

So... as a man: Do I watch porn?

Come on! What guy does not watch porn? I know of maybe one or two who claim they do not... I don't believe that for one second - of course they watch porn!

I've been around since the 80's watching adult movies. I was there, nervously renting VHS tapes at various back street outlets at the age of 15, as soon as my mom was away for a day or so - so I could sneak home and pop said VHS tape in the VCR. Often one would have friends over and watch it. This was back in the day when we thought Traci Lords, Ginger Lynn and Stacy Donovan were the sexiest things on the planet. Of course they were - we got to see all of their special parts!

Porn today is even better. Not only have the "professional" porn companies discovered the technology behind filming. Making the lighting, coloring and even editing good enough not to ruin the experience. The women in todays porn are so freaking hot it's not even funny any more. And there isn't just the 5 or so major stars around... there are like hundreds (if not thousands) of them that are mindblowingly beautiful.

So... how can a guy NOT watch porn?

But, lets look at the possible compulsions/transgressions which can result from my sexual desires...

Sexual Addiction: Can/Could/Will happen? The question here is how often must one think about sex to become addicted to it? Every day? Then I'm cursed... I think about sex every day. No - I think most everyone thinks about sex on a daily basis. A study I found on the internet says that people (male as well as female) think about sex at least 10 times a day - so even if you think about sex once every hour... I hardly believe it qualifies as an addiction. My take - if you think about sex every minute of the day, you are addicted. I'm sure there are a few minutes during the day when I think about something else...

Adultery: While adultery normally speaks to married people - lets simplify this by calling it "cheating" instead. Have I ever cheated on someone? I hate to admit it... but I have. In fact, I did it once the very same night I got involved with this girl - I ended up screwing her class mate at a party that night. Don't think too badly of me - the girl who was supposed to be my girlfriend stood me up that first night in preference of doing some drugs. There was also the time when I did it to get back at the girl because she had done it to me... fair enough, huh?

Beastiality: In the words of Axel Foley from the Beverly Hills Cop movies: "Get the fuck outta here!" Under no circumstances will I ever have sexual intercourse with any kind of animal. What the hell has that got to do with sexual desire? That is just downright sick and demented. Animals can be cute and all - but for the love of Jeeezah!

Rape: Again - GET REAL! I don't care if I'm so horny I have to carry a needle and some thread to sew the front of my pants back together every 30 seconds - if the woman doesn't consent... it isn't going to please me. Rape is not a sexual desire - studies have shown over and over again that rape is an act of rage and hatred towards women... by no means a love or desire for them. And me? I love me some women... why would I want to hurt them?

Incest: Now, I'm getting angry. These possible "compulsions" from Lust are in no way related to sexual desire in any way as far as I'm concerned. Along with beastiality, incest is the result of a seriously demented mind - and not sexual desire. Family members are OFF LIMIT!

In Purgatorio, the penitent walks within flames to purge himself of lustful/sexual thoughts and feelings: Now... why do I think that sounds HOT!?

ROFL!


Now, in addition to talking a little about the 7 Deadly Sins - in this series I will add a new song to my playlist which represents the sin. And what song could possibly represent Lust more than the old 80's controversial song "Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)" by W.A.S.P.? I became a fan of the band after reading all the commotion surrounding that song, and I loved their first album... yes, the music was actually really good. Now - this song may not be the best one they ever did... but tell me it doesn't represent Sinful Lust, and I'll tell you you're a liar!

I hope you enjoyed this rather different post... and that you'll be looking forward to the other six Deadly Sins!

Tomorrow is WWC day... don't forget - the words are SHINY and ERA!

March 30, 2008

Funday Sunday: "Eddie Murphy"

You know. I'm a huge fan of stand-up comedy. The purest and simplest form of entertainment there is, and it has a way of having me laugh my socks right off. And, the man who introduced the concept to me was Eddie Murphy, back in the 80's.

Yeah, I was subjected to the stand-up art form kind of late... well, I had seen other people on stage being funny - but Eddie back in those days took it a step further. First time I saw Dilerious, I was laughing so hard I thought I was going to die choking. The clip I present to you today comes from his second stage show "Raw". It is called that because that is what his humor is like... raw!

I had trouble deciding which clip to show you guys, and I've been meaning to do the Eddie Murphy thing for quite some Sunday's... finally, I've decided on one that I find quite funny. I hope you enjoy as much as I do.

March 29, 2008

Wordzzle / Dining Table

I almost didn't play the Wordzzle today - because I felt a severe lack of creativity. And, besides - I thought the words were really hard this week.

Well, I pulled myself together, and came up with a little something to post anyway.

For those who are still unfamiliar with the Wordzzle challenge - it is hosted by Raven over at Views from Raven's Nest. She chooses 10 words that we are supposed to write a story from, while incorporating each of those 10 words. There's also a mini challenge, which only consists of 5 words.

So, the words for the "normal" challenge were: arbitration, music, salamanders, frankinsence, trojan horse, balderdash, bottomless pit, fantastic, pugnacious, Trivial Pursuit

And, this is the story I came up with:

When the San Fransisco Salamanders General Manager Tim Weicks realized his star player, Derek Minton, was up for salary arbitration, he knew the team would not be able to keep him. Derek was a fantastic player, and they would need him around to keep from falling into the bottomless pit of yet another losing season.

Mr. Weicks decided to call Minton to his office to try and work out a deal. As the pugnacious star player entered the office the air reeked of frankinsence, and soft music played in the background. The GM suggested they settle their differences with a game of Trivial Pursuit. If Minton wins, they will meet his salary demands, else - he will continue to play on his current salary.

"Deal!", Minton says - and the game begins. After a hard fought battle, Minton lands on the center square. One final question, and if he answers correct, he'll get his desired dollars. Mr. Weicks draws the question from the deck and reads it out to him... his heart pounding nervously in his chest.

"What is the Trojan Horse?"

Minton's smile widens. Victory is near!

"Horse condoms!", he exclaims victoriously.

"HA! No! You lose!", Weick shouts back at him. Minton is furious and starts a balderdash reasoning as to why his answer was the correct one. "Don't even try it, Minton. Your ass is mine, and you're going to help us have a winning season this year... and you'll come cheap for us as well!".

Mr. Weicks lets out an evil laugh, and shows Minton out the door.


For the mini challenge this week, I did the (cheating?) thing of making a single sentence out of them. Not a story, but I enjoy trying to get those five words together in a one liner...

The words were: maniac, video store, telephone pole, flute player, windy day

And my sentence goes like this:

On a windy day, the only surviving witness to the maniac's killing spree at the local video store was a flute player standing by a telephone pole.

I hope you enjoyed this weeks contribution.

**********

I also thought I would join in on another little thing that I've seen around lately. At first I saw Jay do it, and while visiting Freakazojd's blog today, I saw it again - and had the sudden urge to join in.

Apparently it started at the Apathy Lounge, and it asks you to take a picture of your dining table - as is of the moment. I was lucky enough to have my kitchen looking nice and clean as I took out my camera, but I can assure you it doesn't always look as tidy as in that shot. I often leave grocery bags on top, groceries that do not require placement in the fridge or freezer, and ever so often - my left over dinner plate... until I can find the inspiration to do the dishes.


So, what do we see on this picture?
In the window we see four little plants in coffee cups... yeah, I've had them in there to allow them to grow roots, so I can plant them again. The plant had died on me, and I'm trying to resurrect them. They've been ready for re-planting for about a month now... gotta get that done!

There is also my phone...

On the table - my salt and sugar dispensers... always gotta have those ready. I use a lot of pepper, but I don't keep it on the table for some reason... probably because I use a lot of different kinds depending on what I'm eating. Half the table would be full of pepper.

Next to that you see little packets of latte. I bought those because... well, I thought it would be nice to have a cup of latte every now and then... what was I thinking? I like my coffee black. I guess I'll offer it to guests when they come over...

Not much else going on...

Nice and tidy kitchen, huh? ;)

March 28, 2008

PFC #3

Time to put up the pics for the third Picture Fiction Challenge.

Last one saw a few newcomers from the first one, and offered a lot of really interesting and good stories to read. I've enjoyed this little challenge tremendously, and I'm so glad to hear some of you find it both inspiring and challenging. I hope you all continue to play along, and I hope others decide to give it a shot as well.

I'll leave the links to PFC#2 stories on the sidebar - and there is always the archives where you can go back and read stories from past PFC's if you want to. The feedback we get from readers (participating or not) is important, so keep reading and commenting!

Deadline for PFC#3 will be set at April 16th - April 18th.

Ok, lets take a look at the rules (if you're new to this):

THE PICTURES:
Each picture below represents a certain aspect of the story. Analyze each picture and try to interpret what you see into the specific category the picture represents.

Character(s): The main character(s) of your story. This is the person(s) whose perspective the story is told through. You can have any number of additional characters, but the one(s) on this picture are who we will relate to.

Objective: This is the overall objective of the story. That which our main character is trying to achieve - what the MC is trying to reach. This is the objective of the story.

Setting: The place where the story unfolds.

Item: An item of significant* importance to the story.

Random: This could be a picture of anything at all, and what you see on that picture must have a significant* importance in the story you write.

*significant. That means that these things do not simply appear in a fleeting moment in the story. They hold an importance to the events that unfold, and are as such necessary to the outcome and progression of the story.

THE STORY:

All of the picture representations must be present in the final story.

The story you write can be as long or short as you wish.

You can write the story in either first or third person perspective.

The story must be a fictional story.

DEADLINE & POSTING:

The deadline to post the story on your blog will be between 16th - 18th of April. Not sooner - not later! (Ideally, everyone posts on the 16th, but I'm giving you a couple extra days because there are many reasons one may not be able to post on a specific day)

Let me know in a comment when you have posted your contribution, so I can add a link to your blog (and story) in a list of all participants on my sidebar.

Read the other people's stories (only after you've posted your own) and comment on their writing.


Ok. I know you're dying to see the pictures this month. As usual, I am not doing any selection what so ever - it is completely random. The only thing I do is select the first picture that could possibly represent the category... for example, when I draw the Character pic - the first picture with a human being on it is chosen from the random display on Flickr.

The only one that causes a problem, really, is the Objective picture. I keep staring at them, and asking myself - is there an Objective here? I mean - just about anything can be an Objective, so I guess just using whatever picture comes first is what I should do (and, I'm almost sure I've done that so far). I mean - first one we got a close-up of a pretty girls face - yes, there's an Objective. Second time we got the tiger cubs - and Objective indeed. The one present in today's challenge is likely to be more open for interpetration... we'll see.

Any suggestions on how I should work my mind around deciding the Objective for future PFC's? I'd like to know...

Item, Setting and Random are of course real simple. For each category I click for a new random page.

For Item - I use the first *drum roll* item I come across.

Setting - the same, any location will do... so many beach pics on Flickr. Missed out on them this month, but I'm seriously considering ignoring those.

Random - for this one I get a new random page on Flickr. There are 9 pics on a page, and I have a 10 sided dice. 0 means I click for a new page, 1-9 represents the pics left to right, top to bottom.

Just thought I'd clear up the selection process, in case you're wondering.

This is what we get to work with next month:

**********






**********

Remember! You can click the pictures here and go to the Flickr page they came from, so you can see higher resolution versions of them.

Ok. Now get those creative juices flowing, and you have plenty of time to finish this one up. I've been working my way towards the middle of the month with this challenge, where I'll try to keep it. I'll always make it a Wednesday through Friday deadline.

I'm making it mid-month, so as not to be too close to my Monthly Commenter Story, leaving me with plenty of time to do both during the month.

Write On!

March 27, 2008

Quirks About Me

A little while ago I ran a poll suggesting a few topics that I could write for blog posts. I almost forgot all about that until just a few days ago.

I was a little surprised to see that the topic "Quirks About Me" won the poll... and I'm even more surprised I included it as an option. Well, I had it in that .txt file I keep and store ideas for my blog in - and I do remember reading a blog (don't remember which) where this person talked about quirks, and I thought it would be fun to write about my own quirks...

...only right now I can't seem to think of too many. Well, the one's that I do have might scare you away... so thank you blog - it was nice while it lasted... my reader's will be gone forever now. It's been nice knowing you all!

Anyway - just for your information, here are the poll results:

Quirks about me... 11 (42%)
Being Half'n'Half (American/Swedish) 8 (30%)
Supernatural Experiences 7 (26%)
The Car Wreck 5 (19%)
Where have all the years gone? 2 (7%)
The Unfinished Short Horror Film 1 (3%)
Fitness/Fatness Report 1 (3%)


It is quite likely that all of the above will be blogged about at some point, and since I ran the poll I've decided that you guys polled for the pecking order. So next time I'm short on ideas - I will write about being Half'n'Half...

QUIRKS ABOUT ME:
I'll present three types of quirks. In no particular order.

A Touch of OCD: That picture up there... that's me checking that the door is locked. Every single night - the last thing that I do is check on the door. I believe a lot of people do this, and it's not really quirky at all... but don't think for a second that I settle there. As I said... it is the LAST thing that I do - has to be! If I routinely check the locks and then as I walk past the living room headed for the bedroom and notice the monitor still on or something, after which I proceed to turn off said monitor... then I have to walk back to the door and redo the lock checking procedure. It's not that I have forgotten that it is indeed locked - it's just that I'm not comfortable going to bed unless it is the last thing I've done (save undressing and setting the alarm or whatever else goes on in the bedroom...)

The locks seem to have a thing with me. The other thing about them is that I constantly forget (or rather doubt myself) if I did lock it. I live on the third floor in my apartment building - no elevator - and it does happen quite often that I walk the five flights of stairs back up to the apartment to make sure I locked the front door. I've even made it all the way to the car, when that uncertainty hits... it doesn't matter if I'm late for work or whatever - I have to return to my door. How could I possibly be away for 10 hours or so with a nagging feeling that my door is left unlocked. I need to make a very strong mental note when it's locked, so I can refer back to that and be certain...

Of course... I've never ever found that I, in fact, did forget. It's just one of those natural things to do when you leave, right?

I did wake up one morning, searching high and low for my keys before going to work. I finally found them... still in the lock on the outside of my front door. Not good - certainly not since I have a next door neighbor whom I'm pretty sure is selling drugs - with all the traffic going on there at night...

Doesn't do much good to lock the door from the inside, if you leave the keys in on the outside, does it?

Nervous Ticks: Whenever I meet new people, or find myself in new situations I get nervous ticks. Do not mistake this for me actually being nervous however. Inside I can feel very comfortable about the situation, but if our eyes meet the muscles in my neck and entire face will freeze up and begin to twitch.

This is something which pisses me off. It's not easy to walk up to a girl I don't know, asking her out on a date when you look like you're having a seizure. And, it doesn't matter one bit how much I tell myself that I've got nothing to worry about. The ticks will be there, even when I feel all calm and relaxed - even when I don't give a crap about the outcome of the situation. This is of course present in job interviews and the like too... and even if I go to a party and meet new people.

From what I've heard - this is not noticable to others though, so I might be imagining the whole thing. I can get that feeling something bad, and afterwards tell a friend who was with me at the time that, "Damn, I was so nervous... I fucked that up completely, didn't I?"

And they'll go something like: "What? I thought you handled that really well. I was thinking I could never do that, because I'd be too nervous"

This is the truth... and I cannot believe why they say things like that. I feel like my knees are going to buckle, that my face turns red and that my voice fails me... still others claim I looked calm and collected.

I've met people when I'm flat out drunk too, who won't believe me when I tell them I'm plastered. Maybe that is a similar situation?

Solo Conversations: A lot of people talk to themselves, I'm sure - even if few people would admit it. When you are alone and no one can hear, don't you sometimes say stuff out loud? Nothing quirky about that...

Me? I take it a step further. I do whole conversation pieces with myself. I don't settle for an outspoken sentence like "Meeh... I better do the dishes", before I make myself go out in the kitchen and take care of them. I'll go all schizo on myself instead - like:

"Dude. You better go on out there and do them dishes now, boy", with a deep southern accent.

"I don't want to. Dishes no fun", sounding like a doofus.

And it goes on... while I walk on out to the kitchen. I always mentally create a couple of characters that speak very differently from one another... sometimes they're even female, and I will distort my voice to make it all feminine - and yes, my body language changes to the characters as I speak with their voices. For example - if I do a gay character, you better believe I become very animated, gesturing with my arms and hands, with my pinky fingers pointing in a completely different direction than the rest of my fingers. And, usually, I adopt a french accent in honor of the "Serge" character from Beverly Hills Cop.

I think this all started back in the day when I wanted to be an actor. I would play out scenes with myself, as a sort of practice. I've found that it's quite enjoyable - and I do it to this day still to ...ahem... entertain myself ;) Quite often, these conversation pieces end up really funny... at least, I think I'm being funny.

I would never, ever do this if someone's watching though... this is for my eyes and ears only!

Are you ready to phone the syringe wielding men in white coats on me yet?

March 26, 2008

Dull Day

Winter just won't let go around here. In fact, we've got more winter now that we've had all friggin' year! Why is that? Why does it do this to me... give me 3-4 weeks worth of reasonably nice weather... no snow, sunshine, almost warm enough to put on a nice cool spring jacket... some rain - ok, fine. Birds start chirping away - everything appears as if spring is drawing near.

And, then... BOOM!

Just like that - one night you get up in the middle of night to wee-wee and you look out the window, only to see a massive downfall of giant white flakes, like Godzilla with a severe case of dandruff has walked into town. And, then it is freezing cold, snow damn near every day, and even more ice.

If I don't get me some warm weather soon, it comes down to two options for me - either way I'll end up in a small confined space with guards keeping a close eye on me.

Option 1: Go out on the town with a sawed off shotgun in my hand, shooting everything in sight while cussing the hell out of winter... resulting in a life sentence to prison.

Option 2: Completely lose whatever is left of my sanity and sit curled up in a corner, mumbling to myself about the impending doom and how the aliens, disguised as snowmen, are coming to take over the world... which will get me committed to the local funny farm.

I'm still fighting against both of these options.

Yesterday - traditionally in Sweden - was the national Waffle Day. Swedish waffles are quite different from the one's you're used to in the States. They are more like a dessert (which is why Swedes raise an eyebrow when you mention waffles for breakfast). You serve them up with whipped cream and jam of your choice - personally I want them with raspberry jam. I had gotten hold of some fresh (imported) strawberries, so I added those as well.

Yes, that's what I'm trying to say here. I gave myself a treat yesterday. I made me some waffles, and a cup of latte (I bought some little packets - just add water). I also popped a movie into the DVD and took a look at the Asian version of Dark Water, from 2002. Not a bad movie at all.

Below is a pic of the Swedish waffles I served up for myself.


It is one of those things that I don't like about being single. That's a hell of a lot of work to go through only for yourself. At times like this it would be nice to have a cute girl I could serve this stuff up to, and who would reward me with some wild and rough sex a big hearty smile.

I was gonna do the "Quirks About Me" post today, which won the poll I had up a while ago - but I'm really not in the mood. My team lost game 2 of the ice hockey semi finals and are now down 0-2, not looking good.

The thing that pisses me off is that they don't even appear to be trying to win any games right now... guys - it's not fucking Sunday league we're playing here!

March 25, 2008

WWC / Excellent Award

Well, now that the Easter holiday has come to an end - let's get back to blogging a bit, shall we? And, what better way to do so than play a little Weekly Words Challenge?

As always - the booby trapping, Tink of Pickled Beef is the one to select a couple of words for us to take pictures of... and this week we got TREASURE and JUNK to play with.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter, and that you weren't assaulted by the Easter Bunny. I hope you all got the opportunity to eat bucket loads of colorful eggs and truck loads of delicious foods. I know I did. I think I've finished up about a week's worth of food rations during the past three days. Believe me - that won't keep me from eating the rest of the week either.

And, I've been given another award! This time it is the awesome, soon-to-be famous(?), actress ~Angela~ of ~Angelaboration~ who's been kind enough to honor me with this Excellent Award!

Thank you! I will cherish this thing, and proudly display it in my Trophy Case.

I have decided on three bloggers that I will pass this thing on to. As always - so many more are deserving of it. The reason I settle for three is because I have a thing about "three's". Farmer's Wife will understand that particular obsession as she shares that one with me ;)

Cardiogirl of Cardiogirl: 19% body fat 100% fun
Writing about her struggles with depression, and her outlook on life in general - the Cardiogirl is always a very interesting read. Few bloggers I've come across are so open and honest about what they write, and you really feel like you get to take part of her daily life. That is what makes her blog Excellent!

Jo of Whatever...
Artsy and wonderfully creative. Jo offers Excellent writing, photography and interesting blog posts that always entertain. She's wonderfully warm and loving, and always puts a smile on my face. I always look forward to reading her when she updates... and she lives out in sunny California - which makes me jealous ;)

Single In The City of You Say Tomato ~ I Say Tomahto
Now here's a girl who always makes me feel good. Her innocent charmful teasing, and daily updates over at her blog is something I always look forward to. She has a way of spreading the love and the "feel good" wherever she is. And for that she is Excellent!

For those of you who didn't get an award from me this time... don't fret - You might me next!

Now, on to this weeks WWC:



Hope you enjoyed!

Tink is on vacation, but hopefully she will post her WWC today anyway - and announce the words for next week. I will update this post once she provides the words.

UPDATE: Ok, Tink has returned and the words for next week will be SHINY and ERA. That should prove interesting! Until then...

March 23, 2008

Funday Sunday: "Funny Bunny"

Well, I hope you all are enjoying your Easter holiday!

I gotta jump in real quick today to post my Funday Sunday. I'm off to eat me some eggs, so I guess I won't be around much today to reply or read y'all's blogs - but I'll check in with you tonight.

What I got for you today is sort of a "panic post", as I wanted something funny and related to Easter... well I found this clip "Is that a rabbit in your pocket?" Very short... but it made me laugh! I hope you enjoy!

Beware the bunnies!

March 22, 2008

Wordzzle / Game 7

I'm getting ready to watch the game tonight. After being robbed of the equalizer in the very last second of yesterday's game, I am still outraged, and my team better win!

Besides. I read today that a "specialist" team of technicians have been looking at the time board, and they have come to the conclusion that there is NOTHING wrong with it... which means some asshole decided to push the button on purpose to start the buzzer just as FBK got hold of the puck in the corner. I'm sure there will be repercussions, but the result will stand.

Game 7 - winner goes to the semi finals, loser ends the season. I am jacked up for this event tonight! Wish me (and my team) good luck!

Anyway. Quickly threw together Raven's Saturday Wordzzle Challenge, and I hope you'll enjoy reading these really short little stories. The idea behind Wordzzle is to write a story, and you need to use the words she has chosen for us. It's a little tricky at times, but a fun little challenge. Check her blog out to see who else played.

Here are the words we had to use this week: horse shoe, antique chest, marigold, lunatic, science fiction, Oregon, previously, 10 billion, google, tree hugger

And here's my story:

Marigold ran for her life.

She felt like a character in a bad science fiction movie. The odds must've been 10 billion to one that the lunatic chasing her would google her name in his quest to murder every tree hugger on the planet.

She had previously put an ad on e-bay, selling her old horse shoe and an old antique chest, and while speaking to a man from Oregon who was interested in bying, she had told him of her love of mother earth.

And now she was chased down the streets by this raving madman.

Marigold ran for her life.


Short and (?)sweet(?). There was a mini challenge too. Only five words to use in that one, and for some reason I found that one harder to do.

These are the five words: pardon me, feather duster, gathering storm, furthermore, magnolia blossoms

And the story:

"Pardon me."

The hispanic maid at the Magnolia Blossoms hotel put her feather duster down and looked at the man who spoke to her.

"Sir?", she felt uneasy about his presence. Didn't really want to speak to him. He looked like a homeless man to her.

"There's a gathering storm out there. I need a room for the night."

"I no have room. Room is in lobby, speak to man in desk, yes." Her english was not the best, and furthermore she needed to finish cleaning up. She wanted the man to go away from her.

"I'll do that. I'll speak to the man at the desk".

As he turned to walk away, she noticed something in the mirror... he wasn't really there at all.


I'll get back to you all with Funday Sunday tomorrow... I hope I'll be in the right mood to do it after tonights game!

Oh, and yes! Have a happy Easter!


March 21, 2008

An Outrage!

5 seconds is all it takes! Or is it 3? What the hell just happened last night is beyond me... all I can say is that it is an absolute outrage and totally scandalous. How this can happen at the top level of sports is simply not acceptable.

Lets start by telling you the basics. The play offs in the Swedish hockey league are in progress. Quarter finals are being played out - best of seven. Hockey is the number one sport in this country (close second would be soccer).

I am a huge fan of FBK, and they are currently battling it out with Frölunda for a semi-final spot. FBK lead the series 3-2, and went on the road to hopefully finish them off.

Game 6 was an absolute thriller - and a tremendous game to watch. At the start of the 3rd period, FBK seemed to have done enough, taking the lead 4-2. Then, with two men in the penalty box Frölunda get back in the game. 4-3 scores... they go crazy, playing hockey like mad. The equalizer and the go-ahead goal are scored in rapid succession, and FBK have completely lost control of the game.

This is when things start going crazy in this memorable hockey match.

Frustrated, an FBK player tackles a Frölunda player in the back - the supporters go berzerk. Security at their home stadium - which by the way is a secondary, much smaller stadium than their regular one, and certainly not equipped for play-off ice hockey - has failed and a glass bottle end up on the ice, shattering. Apparently it was thrown right at the player, but thankfully missed him.

Ok. So these things happen - and they are scandalous enough. This was just the beginning of the craziest night in sports I've ever witnessed.

They redo the ice, to make sure there is no glass left on it - so we have about a 10 minute break with five minutes on the clock. This actually gave FBK a chance to regroup and try to get back into the game.

When things really started going crazy is when there was 5 seconds to go on the clock. A face-off in Frölunda's defensive zone, and FBK still down by the one goal. Now, try to follow this crazy shit:

5 seconds left: The ref drops the puck. Frölunda wins the face-off, and the puck goes down in the corner behind their goal.

4 seconds left: Four players, two from each team, battle it out in the corner - trying to get possession of the puck.

3 seconds left: Still a jumble of players trying to get the puck out of the corner. It's a total brawl... AND THEN THE FUCKING BUZZER GOES OFF! The one that signals the end of the game!!!

2 seconds left: The puck comes loose. A pass out to FBK's Mikael Johansson in front of the goal. Frölunda's goalie is just standing there not understanding what the hell is going on... but the game is NOT over!

1 second left: Mikael Johansson shoots and scores, quite easily, and FBK players celebrate like mad for another second... all the while the buzzer is sounding.

Then, the ref signals something - FBK players point to the scoreboard where the clock reads 19:59... they scored the goal before time was up. Fighting among players behind the goal ensue. Others are hunting down the referee demanding to know what's going on.

Mind you, this is a very important game too.

Fifteen minutes later, it is decided there will be a face-off in the Frölunda defensive zone again - with (now hear this out) 3 seconds to go??? No goal!

How can it not be a goal? How can there only be 3 seconds to go if they want to replay the face-off because the Gawd damned buzzer went off too soon? How can that fucking buzzer go off before the time on the clock is up, unless someone manually pushes the son-of-a-bitchin' button?

I'm telling you... this is absolutely crazy.

A decisive 7th game will be played tomorrow, and I sure hope we kick their asses then. I was furious last night! How can something like this happen in professional sports? I've never seen anything like it!

If you want to see a clip of the craziness - click the picture below... unless you understand the Swedish language you won't understand what they're saying... but you'll see the crazyness in pictures.

March 19, 2008

PFC #2: "The Money Shot"

Finally, I was able to put together... something... for the Picture Fiction Challenge this month.

I struggled something bad with this one. But, it wasn't an easy collection of pictures to work on. Especially seeing as I don't know the first thing about tigers, really. And, did I have time to do any research? Nope - not any at all, so bear with me if this story comes off a little unrealistic. Heck, we're just doing this for fun, right?

Anyway. Hope you enjoy reading it. I'm off to read yours, and I think that part is going to be a lot of fun indeed.

Lets get on with the story.



********** THE MONEY SHOT **********

”You been out here all night?”

Clara Taylor was sitting on a rock overlooking the ocean, her knees brought up under her chin as she had her arms wrapped around them. She looked like she was freezing despite the warm, breezy air – but it got cold at night. Really cold. Next to her, on the ground, was her camera on top of its case, ready to go at any time.

“Yes”. She didn’t have to turn around to know who was standing behind her. She was too tired to turn. Doug Feinstein was a well renowned wild life photographer, just like Clara. They had always worked close together. Doug was getting ready to retire, having celebrated his 60th birthday just two weeks earlier.

Doug had pretty much lost the passion, while Clara had lost the respect she once had. It was a long time since she brought in any “A” class photos.

He took off his jacket and wrapped it around Clara before he sat down next to her. Her gaze remained fixed out over the ocean, as if she was paralyzed. She had large bags under her eyes, a clear sign of her lack of sleep.

“You ok?”

“Yeah, I’m ok”, she says as she reaches for a Starbucks coffee cup standing next to the camera.

“So you’ve been keeping awake drinking coffee all night…”

She shakes the coffee cup which has a plastic lid on. It makes a sound like that of a home made rhumba shaker. She pops the lid open, and reveals a half full cup of green candies.

“M&M’s. Can’t live without my sugar high you know.” She holds out the cup toward him and gives him a tired look for the first time since he arrived. “Want one?”

“I think it’s better you keep those for yourself.” He looks at her, concerned at what he sees. “Maybe you should get back to the hotel tonight. Get a good night’s sleep.”

“I need these pictures, Doug.” She pops a green candy into her mouth and puts the lid back on.

“It might just be hear say, Clara. You don’t know for sure they even exist. And, even if they do… maybe they’ve moved on. Maybe they’re not around here any more.”

“They’re here”, she looks back out to the ocean.

“Oh, for God’s sake, Clara! You’ve been out here for four days straight. There hasn’t been a sign of them this whole time”.

A little startled by his sudden outburst, Clara wearily looks back at Doug.

“Tiger cubs, Doug”, she looks him over. “You, of all people, should know what it means to capture tiger cubs out here by the ocean side. Look around.” She motions with her hand to shed light on the scenery. “Right here, how beautiful it is. Those pictures could be the best I ever took… probably the best pictures I’ll ever take. Every wild life magazine in the world would want these pictures, Doug. This is a money shot if ever there was one.”

She falls quiet. Her tired eyes remain fixed on the vast ocean in front of them.

“I’m just worried about you, is all. You don’t look well.”

“They’re here”, she states absently.

“I hope, for your sake, that they are.”

Doug gets up. He takes a look around, and deep inside him, where that part of him that once shared the passion for wild life photography that Clara still possesses, told him that this was a money shot indeed. Maybe years ago, he too would sit here day and night waiting for those tiger cubs to show up, just so he could get that one shot. That one shot that everyone would envy.

“I guess you wouldn’t accept my offer of driving you into town.” He says to her. She doesn’t reply. Just keeps staring out to the horizon. He turns and starts walking back to the car.

“Doug…”, she turns around to look after him. He stops. “Your jacket.”

“Keep it. You’ll need it when the sun goes down.”

“Thank you”, she says. Her fingers play with the collar, as her tired eyes fall to her feet. “I mean, for everything… for caring.”

“I’ll be back to check on you in the morning”.

And, just like that, Doug hopped into the car and drove off. She watched as the trail of dust settled behind the vehicle, and then reached into her backpack bringing out a wrapped up half of a sandwich.

“And food… bring me some food, Doug”, she mumbles to herself as she takes a large bite out of the ham and cheese sandwich. She swallowed it down with some bottled water she kept in that backpack, and realized she was running low on water as well. After eating, she took another green M&M from her Starbucks cup and was thankful she was well stocked on those at least.

She wondered when was the last time she got up to move around a little. She had been sitting on that rock much too long, and her butt cheeks were numb. Deciding that she needs to get her blood circulation going she stood up and began walking down to the beach. Her legs barely held her as she staggered the forty feet or so down to the small stretch of sand. She almost felt like stripping down and go for a swim in that blue water. She hadn’t had a shower for four days.

Right, I should be in the water if the tiger cubs show up. That’s gonna make it real easy to get the pictures. No, I have to be ready every second. No time for swimming… or sleeping.

And, could she use some sleep? Yes, indeed. She had averaged at most one hour each night out here. She was so tired right now she could feel her pulse in her temples. And, if she closed her eyes and laid down, she was certain she would fall asleep in two seconds flat. She began to realize that she was barely thinking at all any more.

What if I’m too tired to react when they show up?, she wondered to herself. I can’t take quality pictures if I’m totally exhausted.

She walked back up to her hiding place and that rock, which over the past couple of days had started to feel quite comfortable. To her, right now, it was as good as any recliner, and the view of the ocean was as good as any television program. The excitement of the show was to see when the tiger cubs would come strolling out of that small grove of woods to the right. Maybe if they didn’t come out soon, she would go in there and look for them. It wouldn’t make for the same quality shots, but at least it might give her some pictures, right?

I’m waiting for them right here. This is the money shot.

She sat down in her rock recliner again, leaned over sideways so that she was almost laid down on there. She was barely aware that she closed her eyes.

I just have to rest my eyes a little while…

And then she was asleep. The sound of the waves breaking onto the beach, the distant rustling of leaves in the breeze, and the soothing warm wind in her hair, made her feel more comfortable than ever in her life. Sleep was as welcome as anything. She drifted off into dreamland, and there wasn’t a worry in the world.

She didn’t even worry about missing out on the tigers. In her dreams she was back in her comfy, albeit small, New York apartment. Malaysia was millions of miles away, and she was developing photos she’d taken of beautiful birds. She was holding them up in the dim red light, in awe of her own beautiful pictures. Behind her, she heard footsteps. She turned around.

“Twiggy…”

Twiggy was the name of her dog, a rottweiler she kept for protection. She bent down and patted the dog on its head.

“Hey… what’s wrong?”

Her stomach protested… something was wrong with Twiggy. The dog sniffed at her, and its eyes seemed wild and distant somehow. Clara started to feel very afraid indeed, but she continued to pet the dog. It’s nose brushed up against her cheeks, cold and a little moist. It pushed at her face a little harder… too hard. It was hurting her.

“Cut it out, Twiggy”, she waved the dog away from her face… and it began to snarl. A deep growl that didn’t sound doglike at all. It took its paw and jabbed it against her shoulder – much too powerful it seemed. It hurt like hell.

“What’s the matter with you?”, she blurts out half asleep, half awake. She puts her hands out to push the…
the dog?... away, as her eyes slowly open.

The orange and black stripes of a giant tiger standing right there, only inches from her face, looking at her. Head lowered, bent down, the muscular shoulders pointing upward.

Clara stifled a scream of terror in her throat. Screaming now would certainly aggravate the large cat, and it would attack her – tearing her apart like an old Raggedy Ann doll.

She quickly came to understand that it was the mother of the two cubs who was sniffing at her, poking at her… assessing the possible danger to the cubs she may propose. Moving slowly, breathing slowly… that was her only way of getting out of here alive.

Where’s my camera?, she wondered. Very slowly, she reached behind her and traced her fingers along the rock, looking for the camera case. The large cat moved, threw a glance at her arm and took a step forward, making a grunting sound. Clara stopped dead, just as her index finger reached the strap of the case. She tried to look to the side, down towards the beach, to see if the cubs were there.

They were. Engaged in a playful fight they hissed and clawed at each other. The sun was coming down, creating a magnificent red sky backdrop over the blue sea and the two cubs. Oh, my god, this is a one in a million photo opportunity, her brain was screaming at her.

But, there was a problem. A very large problem! And it had an attitude.

Its large front paw came toward her again, hitting her shoulder and pinned her down with her back on the rock. The tiger moved in closer, the large head – a beautiful, yet ultimately horrifying, head – almost touched hers. It had a foul breath, and a slobber of saliva dangled from one side.

Quietly. Slowly, she began moving her hand again – fighting against the pain inflicted by the giant paw on her shoulder. Her fingers grabbed something… it wasn’t her camera, she could tell.

The cats eyes seemed to focus on her neck, and her terror escalated. She came to realize that the feline beast in front of her was very likely to strike out at her any second now, and sink those large fangs into her neck like a four legged monster of a vampire… only it wouldn’t suck her blood – it would tear her neck wide open and start chewing, feasting on her long before her brain would have time to shut down, and save her from the horrors of being eaten alive.

Her fingers were wrapped around her Starbucks coffee cup. The one filled with green M&M’s.

Oh, how I wish I could have my sugar high right now, her mind said incoherently. Another part of her brain was telling her, urgently, that she must do something. Really quick, because she was going to die very, very soon if she didn’t.

That subconscious part of her brain made her flick the lid off with her thumb. There was no rational thought going on – it was the only thing she could do… and if you have to do something, and there’s only one thing to do… what do you do? Yes, you do what you can in order to survive.

She tipped the cup over once the lid was off, and M&M’s spilled out on the rock. It made a rattling, scattering sound as green M&M’s rolled and bounced down the short slant of the rock.

Unbelievably, it seemed to work. The tiger’s eyes moved from her neck and to the side – watching the green little candies scattering down the rock. The large paw that held her pinned to her back eased, and the cat went around her and started sniffing at the candies.

Still dazed and confused, and scared out of her mind, Clara operated on instinct. She quickly seized her camera, and slowly slid herself away from the predator. The tiger seemed very puzzled and watched the green M&M’s with great interest, sniffing them, putting its large tongue out licking at them. Clara was no longer of any interest to it… as long as she moved very slowly, she thought.

She looked back down toward the stretch of beach, and saw the two cubs still playing with each other, uninterested in Clara and their mother. The view was simply perfect right where she was… of course – that’s why she’d chosen to sit by this rock those four nights that she’d been out here hoping to see them. She unscrewed the cap in front of the lens, and slowly raised the camera to her eyes. What she saw through the viewfinder was simply astounding.

This is not just “a” money shot… this is “the” money shot, she thought to herself, as she snapped a number of shots in rapid succession. The sound of the shutter opening and closing momentarily drew the attention of the large cat to her again, and her heart was racing. She was almost immediately, somewhat, relieved as the tiger resumed his interest in eating the candies.

Oh, my god. It’s eating the M&M’s, she thought. I need pictures of that as well – no one’s going to believe me if I tell them.

She turns the camera towards the mother of the cubs, and starts snapping pictures. The sun had quickly fallen behind the horizon, and there was little light… so she snapped the flash on. Even with her super sensitive camera, these shots would come out too dark. She waited for the little red indicator lamp to tell her that the flash was ready, and when it came on she turned it towards the large cat. She scooted back a little, slowly – what if the flash would startle it?

She needed the picture.

The flash went off. Looking through the viewfinder she immediately knew she nailed the shot perfectly. Green M&M’s, and a tiger licking them up off the ground. Perfect shot.

The sudden flash of light did startle the cat. It must’ve scared it really bad, as it suddenly turned and darted into the woods again. The two cubs were quick to run after their mother, as if they sensed the fear of their protector.

Clara just sat there, paralyzed with fear, with the camera held in a firm grip in her hands.

It’s gonna come back. It’s gonna come back for me and kill me, she thought. She had no place to go – the nearest village was over 50 miles away. And, to even attempt walking through the dense jungle between her and the nearest town would surely be even more dangerous than staying put. Doug was going to be here in the morning to check up on her.

“I got my money shot”, she said it out loud – just to hear the sound of it. Even if I don’t live through the night, Doug will find the camera and know I got my shot.

She remained sitting right where she was, holding on to her camera for dear life. It was going to be a very long night, and sleep would not have the mercy to guide her through it.

It’s gonna come back. It got scared of the flash, but it might just be hiding there in the bushes looking at me… waiting for the right time to attack.

She holds on to her camera a little tighter.

When it attacks, I’ll flash it again, she told herself. Hoping that would be enough.

Hoping the batteries on the flash would last her through the night.



********** THE END **********



Well, that's my story this month. A little shorter than the one I offered up last month... and a little less structured.

Anyway. As is my intention - I will offer you the little notes I make about each picture before I start writing, which may or may not explain how the story I wrote came to life, looking at the pictures we had to work with. Here goes:

**********

I see a woman. From her clothes, sunglasses and the wind in her hair I get the feeling she's an adventurous woman. She's fit... but she might be lonely.

**********

Tigers. Are they cubs? Anyway... it should work well with the adventurous woman's nature. Her objective is to encounter these tigers in some way.

**********

Thanks a lot. A beach setting. Ok, did minimalistic research... there's a Malaysian tiger - it could possibly be found in the coastal areas right? Possibly down by the beach? Let's work on that... we'll be in Malaysia for this one.

**********

A Starbucks coffee cup filled with green M&M's. Okay! Can they be some other kind of pills? Green ones? Does she have a condition which requires her to eat medication... why? Or, maybe she simply has a sweet tooth and carries the M&M's in a Starbucks cup because she can fit more in there than the one pack?

**********

A camera... this is easy. She's looking for the tigers to take pictures of them.

**********

So there you have it. Keep checking the sidebar here where I'll add links to the other contributions to the PFC, so you can read up on them all. It's fun to see how people interpret the pictures we got to work with.

And, check back next Friday - the 28th - when I will present the pictures for next months PFC.

PFC #2... Running Late

I'm just quickly throwing this post together, because I'm running awful late posting my own PFC.

Right now, I'm cursing the hell out of myself for not having written the thing earlier... one should learn from ones own mistakes, right? Well, let's hope so.

Anyway. I probably won't be ready to post until later tonight, but I thought I should give you all a post where you can announce your own contributions, and that way you all can start blog hopping and reading up on what everyone else has written.

I will update the link list once I get my own story posted.

Sorry, guys - I'll be sure to have my PFC ready to go as soon as I get out of bed on deadline day in the future...

March 18, 2008

WWC / Award / PFC

Time for the Weekly Words Challenge again!

This week we are playing with the words DOMESTIC and FOREIGN, and as always it is the tire-less fix-it-all Tink of Pickled Beef who comes up with the words for us shoot pictures of.

Well, you're not going to be surprised when I say I have an announcement or two to make before I move on to the pictures... that is just the way I do this every single Tuesday.

Am I a man of habit or what? (Just a bonus pointer to some random old post of mine...)

HoosierGirl5 over at The Coffee Table has honored me with this here award. Thanks, babe. Now, I do rock - but not only that - she thinks that I'm a HUNK too! Now that is sure to warm a guys heart up, right there!

You're a BABE, darlin'!

This was actually the first award I was ever given too (back then it was Guilty Secret who gave it to me), so I've now got two names under this one in my Trophy Case.

Second of all - let me remind you that tomorrow is the deadline for the latest Picture Fiction Challenge. You still have until the 21st to post your stories if you're running a little late...

As usual (if anything can be "usual" the second time around) I'll be looking forward to reading what you all come up with for this one. I've got a feeling we'll be presented with quite different stories from those who participate.

Even if you're not into writing fiction yourself, be sure to step by and read them all... it's better than any John Grisham novel (right?)

So... without further ado I now present this weeks WWC:



There you have it. My contribution this week!

Next week, the words will be TREASURE and JUNK. Junk should be easy... I'll just have to take some pictures of my personal belongings (LOL!).

March 17, 2008

Still Hung Over Ramblings

Yeah, I'm still alive... barely ;)

No, don't worry. Nothing serious - I just suffered the worst hang-over in the history of [recent] times yesterday. That's why you didn't get any "Funday Sunday" from me.

Let me give you a break-down of yesterday's events... Woke up at around noon with a mean headache, feeling like I've been run over by - not one truck, but a whole caravan of trucks. Crawled out of bed and sat down in front of the computer looking for something to post for "Funday Sunday"... Nothing was funny - not even remotely funny.

Popped a movie into the DVD and crashed into the couch meaning to watch the film. Lasted for all of 30 minutes before I realized I could not enjoy the movie at all. Stopped the DVD and crawled back into bed and tossed and turned, massaging my head - pretty sure it was going to explode soon enough.

Now, I'm not one to take any form of pills the day after, but yesterday I pulled myself back out of bed, popped a couple of aspirin, and slipped back under the covers. 45 minutes later I fell back into blissful sleep. Woke up again at 8:30PM, after which I proceeded to crash out in that couch again finishing the movie I'd started... Silent Hill, by the way - which I had yet to see. Good enough, but I'd expected more from it... or maybe I couldn't fully appreciate it in my current state.

Flipped some channels after that, and then went to sleep around 1AM again.

How does that sound for an exciting Sunday?

I'm not much of a drinker... I rarely drink, but Saturday night I downed about 15 beers - which is twice as much as I'd normally do when I drink... Never again! (Ever heard that one before?)

Anyway... that'll teach me to have some "Funday Sunday" post prepared before I go out on some Saturday shenanigans again.

The Ireland trip is up in the balance at the moment. Seems the two single ladies who we were going to travel with are a little... uhm... unflexible. I really didn't like the way the trip was scheduled. It would consist mostly of riding a bus through Europe, meaning we'd only get about three days in Ireland. So, me and my friend suggested we book a flight, and spend 7 days in Ireland, with a rental car so we could go around checking out some of the beautiful sights. End result was a much cheaper alternative which offered more quality time.

The ladies were not happy, it turns out. They actually looked forward to the bus rides. Ok... we're still discussing the matter - but it's now more likely me and him put something else together. We'll see what happens.

Still a little under the weather today - so I'll leave you all with another song on my playlist. Another Finnish based band for you that you may or may not have heard of. They're called Stratovarius and make some really good music. Couldn't find my favorite song "Infinity" on that playlist thing (irritating... so many songs I've thought of posting can't be found on that thing - does anyone know if you can add your own mp3's to that thing somehow?). Anyway - I decided on "Destiny", which is another one of those rather long songs in which a lot "goes on". I love the intro... gives me goosbumps. As with all music I listen to:

Crank it up!

March 15, 2008

Wordzzle Challenge

Thought I'd do something new today.

A while ago, Dianne made me aware of Raven's Saturday Wordzzle Challenge, which is somewhat similar to my own Picture Fiction Challenge. Except in this case you come up with a short story based on a number of words she has chosen, which must be used in the story. So, it is also a little like the Monthly Commenter Story that I write as well.

I've been meaning to get in on the action for a couple of weeks now, but I've forgotten about it come Saturday. Not this week. Now I'm playing along. I'm not sure I'm going to do this every Saturday, but it will make for a perfect blog post when I don't have anything to blog about, or when I'm badly hung over (in which case I'll have this story prepared for posting come Saturday).

Well... these were the words we had to incorporate: Bolivia, Green Goddess, virtual reality, laundry, ample evidence, matches, your mamma don't dance, sugar, saucy, sofa cushions.

And here's my really short "story":

Standing there in the laundromat, bored out of her mind doing the laundry while singing ”Your mamma don’t dance, and your daddy don’t rock’n’roll”, an elderly man walks by and gives her a saucy comment:

“Lovely singing there, sugar. Could you please tone it down a bit?”

She falls quiet. God, she hates the laundromat… she starts thinking about when she gets home. She’ll break out the matches, light up some candles, turn on her X-Box 360 and cuddle up in her sofa cushions. Then she’ll enter the virtual reality world and seek ample evidence of the existence of the Green Goddess of Bolivia.

Yes, she’ll take gaming over laundry any time of the day.


There was also a mini-challenge, consisting of only five words. In this one, I decided to incorporate all five into one single sentence. These were the words: olive groves, paraphernalia, sausages, moose droppings, store front.

And this is the sentence/short story:

After a hard days work in the olive groves, hungry for some sausages, he stopped by a store front where moose droppings seemed to be required paraphernalia.

“Uh-uh. I’m not buying any food in this place”.


To see some more stories made up from these words - visit Raven's blog and find out who else played this little game.

March 14, 2008

Twelve Little Bullets

  • I've got nothing lately. Nothing to blog about, nothing to say. So I present twelve little bullets today with little things that come to mind. I sure hope that my blogging inspiration returns quickly.
  • The first week of freedom/unemployment has not been spent wisely. Ok, I kind of intended to do nothing this first week, but I didn't really take advantage of nothingness either. Starting next week I'll have to get busy trying to figure out what's next...
  • Coffee shop girl seems to be no more. Been there twice this week, and she wasn't there. Well, no loss really. I think one of the reasons I was a little hot for her is that she physically reminded me of The One. They had similar looks, although no one would confuse one for the other. She didn't appear too bright, which would've been a turn off after a while.
  • The One's birthday was yesterday. And I missed it! What is wrong with me? Sent her birthday wishes today, and a virtual birthday cake on Facebook... was that the right thing to do? I'm not even sure I should put myself in a situation where heartbreak is the likely outcome... I haven't kept myself updated on her where abouts or what she's up to over there (in Asia)... I'm not sure I want to know too much.
  • I need a casual relationship. Nothing serious... just some random hot chick to have some fun with and not put that Rubicon Heart of mine at risk. I am certainly not ready to deal with heartbreak at this time... I guess coffee girl would have been a decent choice, right? But, what if the girl for some reason was to really fall for me? It would have to be a mutual decision that we are not exclusive...
  • There is this girl who works (out) at the gym I frequent. She's a short one (I have a thing for short girls... not too short, though) with a body to die for. She works out really hard, and I almost want to tell her not to overdo it - her body is simply perfect, but the way she goes at it lifting weights she may be on her way to becoming a little too muscular for my tastes. Right now she is - oh My God! I think my chances are slim, to say the least...
  • I've noticed I've started to gain weight again... I've been eating too much of the good stuff, and not enough fibre. I have to watch it so I don't become fat again. I found a picture the other day that will serve as a good reminder of what I used to look like. I should make that my desktop background so I don't forget...
  • I've still not made a decision on the Ireland trip. I really want to go, but I'm not so sure I can afford it. I mean - the money is there if I want to spend it, but I can't quite decide whether I should save it so I can move back across the pond sooner. I could still relocate, but it would be postponed to a later date... although - no date has been set. I've pretty much decided it will happen though.
  • Single In The City gave me this award a few days ago. The One In A Million Friend award. That's so sweet of her, and it touches my heart. You, my dear friend, are truly one in a million yourself. I don't think this award was meant to be passed on, as it was hers to give - so I'll just keep this one for myself! Thanks, Sweetie!

  • Because of my lack of blogging inspiration of late, I have put up a poll on the site, where you can vote for a blog topic that I should do. There are a couple of things I've been meaning to write, but the time hasn't seemed to be right. So, vote on what you want to read about... I'm not even sure any of them are that interesting.
  • The Picture Fiction Challenge is due next week. Wednesday March 19th. I've still not written my own, and I hope I will find the inspiration to do it. I'll put something together either way, but it would be nice if there was some quality to it, right? I hope you all are ready to play!
  • Finally. I'm giving you some music to listen to. I've chosen White Lion's "When The Children Cry", because that song speaks to my mindset these last few days. Yes, I've been feeling a little down, a little depressed. This is one of those ballads that really washes over you and makes you almost want to cry. It certainly is one of the best ballads of all time, in my opinion.

March 12, 2008

Ramen Noodles...

Well, I got nothing to say today.

Ramen Noodles, dude. If you talk to any kind of fitness instructor I'm pretty sure they are going to tell you Ramen Noodles is not a recommended pick-me-up after a rough outing at the gym. Well, I don't give a hoot about that... for me - some Ramen Noodles, a couple of toasts (yes, white bread even) with cheese is just what the doctor ordered. Add to that a glass of milk and I have my energy levels fully restored... almost.

Yeah - those noodles on that pic there have just been eaten... they are no more. The next time they see the light of day - they will look a lot less appetizing... I promise not to post a picture of that...

Well, I learned something new at the gym today. I mean, it should have been obvious but I've never really thought of it like that.

See... I like to do 12 repetitions, 3 times on each station. I put on all the weight that I can muster... and today my cousin tells me to put on some more, because he thought it looked a little too easy for me. So I tell him:

"Yeah, I could. But, I can't do 12 with the added weight."

"Well, do eight or ten then."

"But, I want to do twelve."

"You know, less repetitions with more weight will give you bigger muscles."

This I knew from before... but I figured if I max my 12, it should have the same effect. That is when the revolutionary news were spoken out.

"Do eight with more weight. Then, when you can push that up to twelve, add some more"

Now... how freakin' simple is that? Why didn't this unbelievably simple equation exist in my head before. I would pump the same weight over and over again... try once with some more on, and if I couldn't do twelve, I would revert back to the old weight.

Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid R.E.H. This new way should make it a lot faster to add more kilos, pounds, whatever.

Poker...

Now, I like my live poker games. With actual people sitting around a green felt table pushing chips and shufflin' real plastic coated cards. It was a long time since I played any internet poker. But, since it is becoming quite rare to actually gather enough people for a live poker session, the other day I decided to log onto my old PartyPoker account.

Should I e-mail them about this? I mean, I knew I had over $100 on my account - yes I play with little money... I do it for fun, not to become rich... still. As I logged on I read $66 on my account.

No friggin' way, guys!

So I check out my cashflow history, and realize they've charged me $7-something each month because of my "inactive account". Yes, I haven't logged on since october or something last year - but where and when was I informed it would cost me money not to play? I'm not happy about it.

Well, I sat down at a cash table and won my money back... $35 in about an hour of play. I won $18 in a matter of minutes at the first table, and then everyone logged off. Did I frighten them? I would've been $60 up, had I not wasted $46 on one single hand. The guy HAD to have pocket aces to beat me, nothing else could win the pot... I thought the odds were on my side - the dude DID HAVE the friggin' pocket aces! Here you go, buddy - here's my hard earned $46... spend them wisely, schmuck - and they never do!

Played a single table $11 tournament this morning... won another $20. Maybe I should think about a professional poker career? Wouldn't that be sweet? Hanging out in Las Vegas all the time in the casinos with all the hot [Playboy bunnies] chicks and the sound of slot machines spilling coins all over the floors... the occasional "YEAH, BABY, YEAH!"... and the frequent "FUCK! My life is OVER!" and "My wife's gonna KILL ME!".

I would enjoy life in Vegas!