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Good Morning

Good morning all! I am heading off to work in a few minutes, drinking coffee, preparing myself for the day ahead. I still need to decide what to bring for lunch… Hmmm.

I have been meaning to update everyone on a few things. First, I finished a couple books, so prepare yourself for a few book reviews! I have also watched a couple movies that I plan on throwing in my thoughts for your enjoyment. I have undertaken a new project (more on that later) and I have been working on my novel. I think it is going to be great (of course I do, otherwise, I would have trashed it).

The 4th of July was memorable, particularly the part where I lit a firework called the Piñata Buster and tried to guess whether a paper mâché unicorn was going to come out or if it was going to explode into candy… neither happened, but it was pretty.

One more thing, I live in Las Vegas and right now one of our greatest escapes, Mt. Charleston, is sadly on fire. It has been burning for about a week, no injuries are yet reported and no structural damage has occured, but with whole communities up there (all evacuated) and 700 people fighting to increase the 15% containment, it is a very scary and dangerous threat. So send your well wishes, prayers and if you have any extra, please send your rain.

And I’m off to work! Have a great Monday everybody! (Oh shoot, lunch!)

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Comic Con in Las Vegas

In exactly 16 days the Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con will begin their first annual event. I am really, really excited. Not just because Las Vegas is gaining a new and sure to be “amazing” comic con event, but because I get to go! Oh my desire to go to San Diego for the last forever many years has been great! But due to lack of funds and an incredibly long waiting list I have yet to go. Now, however, with Las Vegas hosting its own, at the South Point Hotel and Casino, I have the opportunity to attend. With the generousity of a friend I’ll be in line to watch panels, visit booths, and see amazing artists in the comic industry. Their line up of special guests ain’t too shabby either. With Stan Lee and Jim Lee front running the list it’s immediately impressive. Throw in creator of Deadpool, Rob Liefeld and Greg Capullo from Batman and many others as well, this is not some small thing.

I am really excited to be able to attend this event from the beginning. I can only imagine attending the 10th annual Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con and remembering the first year and how much it has grown, possibly large enough to rival Comic Con San Diego. Eh, well we’ll see haha.

Check it out here.

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2013 Tomb Raider

I have played several of the Tomb Raider games and when I initially heard of the 2013 reboot, I was pretty excited, wary but excited. I was nervous because the last few Tomb Raider games seemed kind of lack luster.

So my roommate and I went in together and bought the game for the house.

Ok I have to warn everyone out there, when you first start the game prepare to be frustrated. The controls are hard to maneuver and your combat level is really low. It feels like a struggle. Which is exactly how I think it was meant to feel.

I have yet to finish the game, but even now a little more than half way through, I have a different outlook on the game.

Seriously, when I first started it, I was dying left and right and there were too many people, the odds were always against me.

But, as you progress, you gain skills, weapons, combat experience and better control of the character.

I was taking on several guys after losing the majority of my weapons and I realized I was doing pretty well. I felt the controls were less spastic, even Lara had a change in attitude. In the beginning she was very hesitant and continually doubted if she could do whatever it was she was about to do. Then, as the adventure grew harder and darker she was changing, now giving herself self affirmations, “I can do this.” At the point of game I am currently playing, Lara’s whole outlook has done a 360. In one moment she actually screams, “That’s right run, I’m coming for you!”

The turn around is great, especially for a reboot. I almost started to not like the game because of the controls starting out, but in retrospect it was a smart decision. To literally feel like your helpless, and you actually doubt Lara builds the story and makes for a more realistic gameplay. At 18, Lara would not start out immediately as this brutal fighter, but develop into one. This game tells THAT story.

So if you started Tomb Raider and abandoned it for reasons I almost did, or if you were too wary to even pick it up, I urge you to give it a chance. The plot is great, the character development is some of the best and the tombs are beautiful. And trust me the controls get better.

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Realization, Writing is Necessary

Hi everyone! Did you guys miss my posts? Of course you did!! Well, I’m very happy to be back. I am hoping that I can post for each day to hit all of my categories, Monday Musings, Top Pick Tuesday, you know the rest, but I am still pretty darn busy at work, so my goal is to post at least 3 times, well to begin with and work up from there.

So, today is Thursday, but do I feel like throwing a virtual tantrum at you guys? Nope! I feel like being slightly philosophical.

Recently, I stopped by GameStop to meet up with my friend, David. We chatted, he traded in his Kinect, Justin bought Professor Layton and the Magical Mask and then we headed to Del Taco. While We all ate and David’s son demanded french fries that were way too hot for him, David asked me why I was not writing posts. I explained my work situation and he countered with, “but what about after work or on weekends?” I told him how drained I felt and again he countered. “There will always be things that get in the way of doing what you want to do, you just have to do it.”

And I thought about that.

David is right.

There will ALWAYS be reasons to not write.

So, the answer lies with how bad do I want it? And really, for a lot of writers it’s, “how bad do I need it?”

Writing needs to be apart of my life. I feel better when I write. I need to suck it up, because as crucial as my job is for money and stability, writing is as crucial for my well being, my soul.

So, I must change my outlook on writing.

Writing is not what I want to do.

It is what I must do.

Writing is not a hobby.

It is a lifestyle.

It is my dream, my passion, my key to a happy and fulfilled life. It is just as essential as eating, breathing.

Not writing is not an option.

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Gasp! Some Air, Some Time, and a Post on Where the Heck I’ve Been

Alright guys, what has it been… closing in on 3 weeks with no posts? Yep, today marks 3 weeks exactly. I’m sure by now I seem like the every-writer-ever stereotype of high energy enthusiasm followed immediately by the typical depressed crash, resulting in weeks of shuttered windows, alcohol abusing, and dark writing that only ever ends crumpled or possibly on fire. Though I do consider myself slightly disturbed, very occasionally known for the abuse of alcohol, and certainly a drifter into near depression none of the above are a reason for my long absence. (I really wish any of those were, in that case I may have at least come out with something on paper). The truth of the matter, I have not written a sad single line.

So if depression, alcoholism, or other writer blocking woes are not the cause, what is?

Work. The day job. My legal assistant and file clerk position, now including fire fighter extraordinaire, superhero, and the trades master.

Here are some highlights of the past weeks. Our computer system went down. Upon restoring the servers, we encountered other issues. Our accounting and data program lost a years worth of information. Now, we back up everything hard copy, so it’s a matter of restoring the past years worth of data – a complicated process, but we are making progress.

But imagine trying to send out bills or explain to others how the accounting data is a year behind and we need to look things up manually, or how the balance forward is not an accurate depiction of the account. In this day, when people are accustomed to producing this info in a click or two, its extremely frustrating and fairly unnerving.

Throw in a few (very) heated office meetings, upset coworkers, and a robbery (just to spice it up) and I’ve got hell on the 16th floor.

My silver lining? I was praised for my contribution when it came to getting the system back in order (not that it’s all in order yet) but like I said, progress. The whole project could take a couple months.

So, I’ve spent my normal writing time either working or exhausted and trying to sleep and I’ve produced nada.

Hopefully, now that I can see the light and things are slightly slowing, I can pick back up and start writing more. I might give myself another week to just feel out the “could this really be true” emotion I’m feeling, but I’ll be posting on any day I have the time.

Glad to be out from under my rock :)

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Homonyms Action

Ok, you all know homonyms (words with multiple meanings) – like suit – that suits you or the black tie suit. Now, take the same idea, but apply it to actions. Waving, for example can mean hello or goodbye.

Stevie Smith, a British poet, uses this idea in her poem, Not Waving but Drowning.

“Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.

Poor chap, he always loved larking
And now he’s dead
It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way, They said.

Oh, no no no, it was too cold always
(Still the dead one lay moaning)
I was much too far out all my life
And not waving but drowning.”

While the action of waving can look like a greeting, an attention getter, something welcoming, it actually also could be a goodbye or a drowning, an attempt to get help.

Thinking along these lines, are there any other actions that could have multiple meanings? Maybe, try to come with a time you did something that someone else misinterpreted.

Comments open for any thoughts, examples or whether you liked Stevie Smith’s poem.

It’s not one of my favorite poems, but I like it, and for some reason I find it funny.