Just like in the movies, it ends with a kiss and two people going their separate ways. No tears, no anger, no resentment. Just acceptance.

Why is it that the only time life is like the movies is when something is coming to an end?

I never would have thought the simple receipt of a book in the mail could bring such joy, except for the time when wordcandlemage  sent me a signed Robert Asprin book. But it has.

Why I Carry a Gun

• I don’t carry a gun to kill people. I carry a gun to keep from being killed.
• I don’t carry a gun to scare people. I carry a gun because sometimes this world can be a scary place.
• I don’t carry a gun because I’m paranoid. I carry a gun because there are real threats in the world.
• I don’t carry a gun because I’m evil. I carry a gun because I have lived long enough to see the evil in the world.
• I don’t carry a gun because I hate the government. I carry a gun because I understand the limitations of government.
• I don’t carry a gun because I’m angry. I carry a gun so that I don’t have to spend the rest of my life hating myself for failing to be prepared.
• I don’t carry a gun because I want to shoot someone. I carry a gun because I want to die at a ripe old age in my bed, and not on a sidewalk somewhere tomorrow afternoon.
• I don’t carry a gun because I’m a cowboy. I carry a gun because, when I die and go to Heaven, I want to be a cowboy.
• I don’t carry a gun to make me feel like a man. I carry a gun because men know how to take care of themselves and the ones they love.
• I don’t carry a gun because I feel inadequate. I carry a gun because unarmed and facing three armed thugs, I am inadequate.
• I don’t carry a gun because I love it. I carry a gun because I love life and the people who make it meaningful to me.

Just die already, for the love of all things good and pure. That wasn't directed at anyone in particular, just as a disclaimer.

And, just as they begin, so do they end. The only thing I hate more than my in-born cynicism is the unfortunate fact that I'm usually right.

Believe it or not, this post can be applied to both my personal life and the fact that today was election day.

Okay, I'm standing in line to vote, as we speak. Some wrinkly old WASP behind me had the audacity to say, "This is the longest I've ever had to stand in line to vote in 39 years." I said back to her, "Yeah, I think it's great that all these people have come to vote, too." She just kind of glared at me.

I have three words.

I got the best surprise of my day today. Usually Starbucks music is crap, except for the rare times they play Beck or Radiohead. At any rate, when I turned on the music today, what met my ears? Super Furry Animals. Fucking amazing.

I just had one of those emotional "ouch" moments. Like, something that I know, but really hit me when it was presented point blank. Ouch.

You're on my friends list, I want to know 36 things about you. I don't care if we never talk, or if we already know everything about each other. Short and sweet is fine ... you're on my list, so I want to know you better! Comment here and repost a blank one on your own journal.


01) Are you currently in a serious relationship?
02) What was your dream growing up?
03) What talent do you wish you had?
04) If I bought you a drink what would it be?
05) Favorite vegetable?
06) What was the last book you read?
07) What zodiac sign are you?
08) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where.
09) Worst Habit?
10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?
11) What is your favorite sport?
12) Do you have a Pessimistic or Optimistic attitude?
13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?
15) Tell me one weird fact about you.
16) Do you have any pets?
17) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly?
18) What was your first impression of me?
19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
22) What color eyes do you have?
23) Ever been arrested?
24) Bottle or can soda?
25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?
27) What's your favorite place to hang out?
28) Do you believe in ghosts?
29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
30) Do you swear a lot?
31) Biggest pet peeve?
32) In one word, how would you describe yourself?
33) Do you believe/appreciate romance?
34) Favourite and least favourite food?
35) Do you believe in God?
36) Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?

I'm getting old. As proof that my memory is failing me, I couldn't remember Christian Bale's name today. I could remember Brandon bloody Routh's name, but not Christian Bale. Gods, don't let me live to thirty...

So I found out that I'm getting an iPhone for my birthday, here in a little less than a month. Any of you geeks out there want to give me any pointers?

Does anyone use Twitter? If so, look me up. imprimis5

I've been putting off posting about my trip to Seattle. For once, this wasn't because of procrastination, but because it's hard for me to put in words how the city made me feel.

I've never felt so comfortable, like I belonged, as much as I did there. The people, the food, the atmosphere, everything was just the way I imagined a city should be. But I guess a detailed run-down is in order.

We arrived about 1030 local time. A quick drive from SeaTac to our downtown hotel was followed by immediately leaving the hotel to go explore Pike Place Market. Lunch was fish and chips from a stall in the market. We explored the market superficially, saw the Pike Place Starbucks, and then my father retired to the hotel. I, however, had just begun. I walked all over that city. Down to the pier, up and down the streets, into coffee shops, you name it. Then dinner at Steelhead Diner. My dad had fresh-caught local salmon, and I had Oregon rabbit. After dinner, we explored a bit more, then I found a coffee shop in Capitol Hill in which I could sit and read for a while. It was an early night because I was incredibly tired and three hours ahead of local time.

The next day, I woke up fairly early, went and got breakfast at Le Panier, and then explored the market in more detail. The place is amazing. It's gigantic and packed full of people. Anything you could possibly want is sold there, most likely by someone who grew/caught/made it themself. You could spend hours there (which I did) and never see everything (which I didn't). Lunch time arrived, and I was still in the market. So it was off to get some bao at Mee Sum Pastries. Curry beef hum bao is possibly one of the best things in existence. We drove up to Anacortes after lunch to take in ocean for a little while, then it was back down to Seattle to have a delicious dinner at Chez Shea. My dad had duck confit and I had Hokkaido scallops. Again, delicious. I headed back up to Capitol Hill to enjoy some more coffee and a book. After a while, I decided I wanted a beer and some conversation, so I started looking around for such an establishment. In the end, one of the people I asked turned out to be interesting enough that we just stood and talked for a while, then I ended up not getting a beer at all. My macchiavellian urges almost took me into a place called Macchiavelli Ristorante, but I wasn't in the mood to fight my way up to a completely packed bar only to have nowhere to sit when I actually got my beer. Anyway, several blocks walked later, I was back at the hotel and ready to sleep.

The last day in Seattle. Breakfast this day was from The Crumpet Shop which, you guessed it, sold crumpets. Now, if you've never had a crumpet, you're missing out. Think something like an english muffin, only much lighter and fluffier. My crumpet had cream cheese, egg, and ham, and it was fresh made by someone who clearly was passionate about making them. After breakfast, I took one last trip to Capitol Hill to get coffee and enjoy the city. I met my dad for lunch at Beecher's Handmade Cheeses in the market. A sandwich of fresh Dungeness crab, remoulade, and their flagship cheese and some mac-n-cheese, then we had to hit the road back to SeaTac. Then, like magic, we were home.

I loved this city. I'll be going back. And if I have my way, I'll be living there in the next few years.

Today is a good day. I got off work early, I'm officially on vacation for over a week, and I'm going to GenCon with a good friend. The only thing that would make it better is if the guy I'm dating wasn't off canoeing with his family so he could come along.

You know what I hate? When Hollywood rumours leak out, or information about a movie is released, and it's something like, "So there's this movie we want to make, and yeah, we're sure gonna try."

Basically, this is me being bitter that we've known about a movie based on Michael Moorcock's Elric saga since 2003, and there's still not much more done on it other than the Weitz brothers seem to be doing jack shit about actually making it. Eternal Champion? Let's talk Eternal Production.

The cycle is complete. May the gods have mercy on the souls of those involved.

The Dark Knight dishes up treats nonstop, both visually and otherwise. See it.

I can't find my camouflage t-shirt. Does anyone else find that funny?

I'm in a total get-healthy-and-balanced mode right now. I haven't chewed my nails since Sunday morning, I've been doing yoga since Monday, I'm drinking plenty of water, and I've even set a date to quit smoking. Now the biggest hurdle at the moment is getting my eating a bit more healthy. I either eat a lot of junk, or I go an entire day on a package of Pop-Tarts.

Even just these small steps have been amazing. I have more energy, I feel just generally "better," and stress is almost a non-issue at the moment.

I also managed to pick up Wii Fit today, thanks to my good friend at GameStop holding it for me. I haven't had much opportunity to use it, but I've done enough to know I have some work to do. So, the current goal is to change that status of "Overweight" to "Normal" in the next three months, which means losing just a hair over twenty pounds. This is definitely a goal I know that I'm capable of reaching, since I've done it before.

Wish me, not luck, but strong willpower!