Remember a long time ago when I went on a tirade against analyzing stuff? Yep. First year of college I really didn't have to do it. A whole year as a break was very good though. Cause we've had 2 analysis assignments so far this semester. And since we're not doing it every other day and only a couple times a semester, I don't loathe it quite as much now. Plus these assignments are a lot easier and less picky than the stuff in high school. And they don't depend as much on making stuff up.
Yeah, thought I should mention that since I got so... passionate about it earlier.
~*~
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
UFO
Another post that I've been putting off.
So, Dad's into astronomy. he was watching this new documentary they did about the first trip to the moon. There were two astronauts that went to the moon. Armstrong was one, obviously. The most famous cause he was the first man to set foot on the moon. The other was named Buzz Aldrin. He recently revealed some information that he was supposed to keep secret. And he's done so for many years. And now he's telling us. When they were on their way to the moon, quite far from Earth, they saw a UFO.
Isn't that AWESOME? It's like that one Star Trek movie-First Contact where the Volcans showed up when humans first discovered light speed. Too bad these guys didn't stick around.
So, Dad's into astronomy. he was watching this new documentary they did about the first trip to the moon. There were two astronauts that went to the moon. Armstrong was one, obviously. The most famous cause he was the first man to set foot on the moon. The other was named Buzz Aldrin. He recently revealed some information that he was supposed to keep secret. And he's done so for many years. And now he's telling us. When they were on their way to the moon, quite far from Earth, they saw a UFO.
Isn't that AWESOME? It's like that one Star Trek movie-First Contact where the Volcans showed up when humans first discovered light speed. Too bad these guys didn't stick around.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Escape From Plato's Cave Song
Here
Escape From Platos Cave - Ohio University Honor Band
I found it!
There's three movements. The middle one is very pretty.
Okay, here;s the notes on the music that inspired me. Some of them sound funny when taken out of context. Well, I'll just put them all up. First of all the names of the three movements:
1: The cave, the struggle, and the man from the light (a long title)
Dark-Mysterious
Back to Darkness
2: Message of the Man (we liked to tease the title of this movement)
SLowly, Carefully, Bravely
w/ pleading
From the heart
in prayer
3: Escape... Into the Light!
SUDDENLY!
With VIOLENCE (He puts a lot of feeling into these notes)
Very slow and mean. Back to Darkness
w/ New Hope
From the Heart
With Impetus and purpose
Huge, Very slow... Into the Light!
Into the Light
You get the idea. Kudos to you if you can figure out where they fit in the music.
Escape From Platos Cave - Ohio University Honor Band
I found it!
There's three movements. The middle one is very pretty.
Okay, here;s the notes on the music that inspired me. Some of them sound funny when taken out of context. Well, I'll just put them all up. First of all the names of the three movements:
1: The cave, the struggle, and the man from the light (a long title)
Dark-Mysterious
Back to Darkness
2: Message of the Man (we liked to tease the title of this movement)
SLowly, Carefully, Bravely
w/ pleading
From the heart
in prayer
3: Escape... Into the Light!
SUDDENLY!
With VIOLENCE (He puts a lot of feeling into these notes)
Very slow and mean. Back to Darkness
w/ New Hope
From the Heart
With Impetus and purpose
Huge, Very slow... Into the Light!
Into the Light
You get the idea. Kudos to you if you can figure out where they fit in the music.
First Chapter of the Cave
Chapter 1: A Light in the Darkness
Deep blackness spread overhead dotted with blurred patches of light, like distant galaxies. The surface of the water shone like a mirror, hardly a ripple crossing its expanse. The flecks of light overhead reflected perfectly in the motionless lake. To anyone else, it would have seemed a motionless night under the open sky, but to Kanya and her friends it was something different altogether. They did not even know whether or not it was night or day, for in their underground city of Palacov, no light ever shone. The dark expanse over them was not the night sky, but the massive cavern that held the water supply of Palacov. And the lights on the ceiling were not stars, but patches of luminescent algae that gave light to the strange underground city.
Kanya’s friend, Mirra, let out a nervous giggle. “I hope we don’t get caught. We’re not really supposed to be out this late. The curfew…”
Jedda gave Mirra a gentle shove. “You worry too much, Mirra. Icon has the curfew so that no one gets lost in the caverns while the electric lights are turned off for the night.”
“We won’t let you get lost,” Dailon said, strutting ahead of the others.
“If you don’t hush up,” Kanya hissed, “We will be caught and out little excursion will be at an end.”
“Is it really this important?” Mirra muttered. “Going out at night like this? We might get in trouble with Icon.”
The four of them made their way around the edge of the underground lake towards one of the infinite tunnels that wove around Palacov. Kanya led the way, carrying one of the lanterns that glowed with a dim light. The lantern light was much different than that of the soft slowing algae. The lantern light was a blue-white color that came from the glowing star worms that lived on the ceilings of some of the caverns. The phospor- algae gave off a greener light that wasn’t quite as harsh. The strange glowing plants lined the ceilings and walls of most of Palacov. And the parts of the caves and tunnels that weren’t coated in algae were carpeted with soft mosses that hung close to what little light there was underground. The phosphor-algae and moss gave oxygen to the citizens of Palacov.
Kanya, Mirra, Jedda, and Dailon crept into one of the main tunnels that branched from the water chamber.
“Yes, it is important,” Kanya said to Mirra after a deliberate pause. “We need to find your moon crystal.”
“Well…” Mirra paused for a moment. “Yes I know that! But I’m saying why can’t we wait until day? We could…”
Jedda cut her off. “You need your crystal for your job. If you don’t have it, you won’t be able to spin the thread…”
“I know that!” Mirra repeated, a small squeaking crack of impatience in her voice. “But why couldn’t we wait until morning?”
“Because, dear Mirra,” Dailon said in his dramatic fatherly voice, “if you have to come all the way out here to get it tomorrow, you’ll fall behind on your work. You’re already behind because you hurt your finger when you jammed it eight nights ago.”
“I’d rather fall behind than to come out at night though,” Mirra said in a half-wail.
Jedda shook his head. “Calm down, Mirra. Kanya was right to bring you to get it tonight.”
“But even so…” Mirra whispered, “You two didn’t need to come…”
“You think we’d let two ladies wander off through Palacov on their own at night?” Dailon said, trying to sound chivalrous for offering to accompany. Actually, it had been Jedda who insisted that they accompany Kanya and Mirra. Dailon had grumbled angrily about being dragged from his bed at such an hour. But it seemed that in the excitement of sneaking about at night, he had forgotten his previous reluctance.
“I don’t remember where I dropped it,” Mirra muttered.
“I think I know,” Kanya assured her. “It was where you were trying to get that particularly large velvet mushroom that you couldn’t reach. Remember, you almost fell down into that pit that was hidden behind a patch of mushrooms? It probably fell out of your pocket. Though I wish you would have mentioned it before we got home again.”
“I didn’t realize that it was missing until I was most of the way back,” Mirra muttered, looking a bit ashamed. “But you drove the cart back… so I didn’t need to find my crystal to power it up…”
“Ah, I wish we could use one of the carts,” Dailon muttered. “It will take over an hour to walk all the way to that patch of velvet mushrooms…”
“Yes, but if we tried to use a cart after curfew,” Dailon reminded them, “They’d catch us for sure. Besides, they shut off the carts when they shut off the lights. Everything powered by the crystals shuts off at night unless there’s an emergency. Remember that time…”
“Yes, I remember,” Kaila moaned. How could anyone forget? When someone had misjudged the amount of flash powder needed for a blasting project and caved in one of the tunnels. He was probably still working in the mines as punishment. They’d had to leave the lights on several nights in a row in order to clear out the tunnel and rescue the people trapped behind the block. Everyone pitched in some way or another. Kanya switched between bringing water and mushrooms to the workers.
Kanya quickened the pace in order to discourage conversation. Several strands of gold-brown hair fell into her face. She flicked them out of the way so that her bright blue eyes flashed in the light of the lantern. She gripped the handle of the lantern in her teeth and reached back to redo her ponytail. She never slackened her pace the whole while. Ponytail straightening was something she had to do several times a day because her hair always managed to escape. She didn’t even think about it any more. When she was done, she took the lantern in her hand again. She didn’t mind walking. And going out at night gave her a slight thrill of excitement, though she didn’t let it show.
Her friend, Mirra, had hair as black as the darkness of the cave. Her brother, Jedda, had the same hair and dark eyes as his sister, though he was much taller than her. Dailon was tall also, but not as much as Jedda. His eyes were pale brown and his hair was a shade darker than Kanya’s. Jedda was the oldest, in his early twenties. Kanya was a few years younger than him at nineteen. Mirra and Dailon were both eighteen, and Dailon resented the fact that Mirra was older than him by just a few nights.
All of them wore clothes made from the same creamy gray material. It was in fact made from the silk of the star worms. It was the only yarn-like material the people of Palacov had to work with. Even after sewn into fabric, it retained a faint luminescence.
The four of them continued on through the net of twisted tunnels that would have been an incomprehensible maze to anyone else. But these four had spent their whole life here. They knew these tunnels as well as they knew anything else.
It did indeed take them over an hour to reach their destination. But at last Mirra’s patch of velvet mushrooms came into view. She had started this patch secretly many years before. It was in a far corner of a tunnel that was rarely, if ever, used. Only Kanya, Jedda, and Dailon knew about it. And she’d sworn them to secrecy. Even Dailon managed to keep the secret for fear that Mirra would tell anyone else about the dreaded “worm incident.”
“Finally we made it,” Dailon moaned. “My feet are…”
“Oh, hush,” Kanya snapped. “Let’s see… where were you when you fell over, Mirra?”
Mirra glanced around, trying to figure out where she may have been. “Ah, it was there. See the place where those rocks fell in?”
“Yeah, it’s a miracle you didn’t fall into that hole,” Kanya sighed, shaking her head. “Let’s see…”
She walked over to a small indent at the end of the cavern. Yes, there was the strange pit. She had only noticed it yesterday when Mirra fell and the bottom fell out from under her. Luckily Kanya got there in time to grab her before she fell in. But Mirra had a few cuts and bruises to show for it.
The entrance to the pit was still almost completely hidden. A few rocks were piled around the rim, and some velvet mushrooms grew over the lip of the pit.
Mirra, Jedda and Dylon started searching around for the moon crystal. Kanya went to the part of the pit that had partly collapsed. She peered down into the dark depths. Then she held up her lantern and glanced around Mirra’s mushroom patch. The round white mushrooms grew thick around the edge of the floor and crept up along the walls. The largest was almost as large as Kanya’s head.
The velvet mushrooms were the main part of the diets of the people of Palacov. They had all the nutrients the citizens needed for survival. The moss was also made into food. And the smallest, and last, part of their diet was a jelly made from the phosphor-algae. There was no variety, but it kept them alive. It was all any of them knew.
Kanya went to a patch of algae and peeled a little fleck of the glowing substance from the rock. The others watched her as she went to the small pit and dropped the algae in. She watched as the light fell, and then stopped as it hit solid ground.
“It’s not deep,” Kanya said. “Help me get in there you guys.”
“You can’t go down there Kanya!” Mirra exclaimed. “What if…”
“I think your crystal fell down there,” Kanya persisted. “Come on Jedda, Dailon. Help me.”
She sat down at the edge of the pit. Jedda and Dailon stood behind her to either side. She help up her arms and each of them took one. They slowly lowered her into the darkness. Just when she thought the pit was too deep for her to reach, her feet hit rock.
“Okay, I’m at the bottom.”
Jedda and Dailon let go of her arms. Mirra’s trembling hand passed the lantern down to Kanya. Kanya knelt and peered around. At first she thought that it was what it appeared from the outside: a pit. But as she moved the lantern from side to side, she saw that two rocks overlapped. There might be a passage back there…
She looked back up. The opening above her was just large enough to show the faces of her three friends looking down at her. But if she moved a step in any direction, she couldn’t’ see them any more.
“Do you see it?” Jedda asked.
“Hang on. There’s a lot of rocks. It might take a while. to get a good look…”
She stepped out of their sight on the pretext of searching for the crystal.
“There isn’t much space… but give me a minute,” she called back, her voice echoing around her.
She crept to the overlap of stones and peeked through. Yes, it was just large enough to let her squeeze through. She glanced back to make sure the others didn’t see her, and then she slipped through the passage.
She set her lantern down mid-way through so that her friends wouldn’t notice the absence of the light. Then she stood up and looked around.
She was in a tunnel. A very old, worn tunnel. No feet had trod here for a very long time. The ground was not smooth, but jagged. Kanya’s boots protected her feet, but too long in this tunnel would wear even these tough shoes. The lantern lit the way for a short distance, but a few scattered patches of phosphor-algae clung to the craggy walls.
An abandoned tunnel. There were a few of them scattered about Palacov. But most of them were completely sealed off for protection. They were too dangerous to be kept open because of cave-ins and such. Could this be one of them?
Kanya glanced back at the dim glow from the lantern, and then she stepped feather-light and swift along the tunnel to where it hit a bend. She peered around the corner and froze.
She had ever seen anything like it. It was far away. So far that a human would seem no bigger than a star worm. There was a light. Not like the soft green of the algae or the bright blue of the glow worms. It wasn’t even like the harsh white of the electric lights. It was bright, warm, and yellow. But it was so far away. As distant as a star.
Kanya stared at it. When a voice called out to her, she almost jumped out of her skin.
“Are you okay, Kanya?” Mirra called.
Kanya fled back to the little passage and ducked through it.
“Sorry,” she said once she was back in the little pit. “I wasn’t paying attention. There was just a little cleft there and I went to look into it.”
Her eyes fell on Mirra’s crystal that was nestled against the wall of the pit. She scooped it up and stuck her head out of the hole.
“I found it! See?” She held up Mirra’s crystal.
Mirra sighed in relief. “Oh, thanks. Thanks Kanya.”
“It rolled down into that little cleft there,” Kanya lied. For a moment her eyes met Jedda’s. He looked stern, as though he knew she wasn’t telling the truth.
Kanya looked away. “Come on! Get me out of here!”
She held up her arms and Jedda and Dailon hauled her out.
The four of them headed back to the city with a considerably relieved Mirra.
But Kanya’s mind was elsewhere. What was that strange light at the end of the tunnel?
Deep blackness spread overhead dotted with blurred patches of light, like distant galaxies. The surface of the water shone like a mirror, hardly a ripple crossing its expanse. The flecks of light overhead reflected perfectly in the motionless lake. To anyone else, it would have seemed a motionless night under the open sky, but to Kanya and her friends it was something different altogether. They did not even know whether or not it was night or day, for in their underground city of Palacov, no light ever shone. The dark expanse over them was not the night sky, but the massive cavern that held the water supply of Palacov. And the lights on the ceiling were not stars, but patches of luminescent algae that gave light to the strange underground city.
Kanya’s friend, Mirra, let out a nervous giggle. “I hope we don’t get caught. We’re not really supposed to be out this late. The curfew…”
Jedda gave Mirra a gentle shove. “You worry too much, Mirra. Icon has the curfew so that no one gets lost in the caverns while the electric lights are turned off for the night.”
“We won’t let you get lost,” Dailon said, strutting ahead of the others.
“If you don’t hush up,” Kanya hissed, “We will be caught and out little excursion will be at an end.”
“Is it really this important?” Mirra muttered. “Going out at night like this? We might get in trouble with Icon.”
The four of them made their way around the edge of the underground lake towards one of the infinite tunnels that wove around Palacov. Kanya led the way, carrying one of the lanterns that glowed with a dim light. The lantern light was much different than that of the soft slowing algae. The lantern light was a blue-white color that came from the glowing star worms that lived on the ceilings of some of the caverns. The phospor- algae gave off a greener light that wasn’t quite as harsh. The strange glowing plants lined the ceilings and walls of most of Palacov. And the parts of the caves and tunnels that weren’t coated in algae were carpeted with soft mosses that hung close to what little light there was underground. The phosphor-algae and moss gave oxygen to the citizens of Palacov.
Kanya, Mirra, Jedda, and Dailon crept into one of the main tunnels that branched from the water chamber.
“Yes, it is important,” Kanya said to Mirra after a deliberate pause. “We need to find your moon crystal.”
“Well…” Mirra paused for a moment. “Yes I know that! But I’m saying why can’t we wait until day? We could…”
Jedda cut her off. “You need your crystal for your job. If you don’t have it, you won’t be able to spin the thread…”
“I know that!” Mirra repeated, a small squeaking crack of impatience in her voice. “But why couldn’t we wait until morning?”
“Because, dear Mirra,” Dailon said in his dramatic fatherly voice, “if you have to come all the way out here to get it tomorrow, you’ll fall behind on your work. You’re already behind because you hurt your finger when you jammed it eight nights ago.”
“I’d rather fall behind than to come out at night though,” Mirra said in a half-wail.
Jedda shook his head. “Calm down, Mirra. Kanya was right to bring you to get it tonight.”
“But even so…” Mirra whispered, “You two didn’t need to come…”
“You think we’d let two ladies wander off through Palacov on their own at night?” Dailon said, trying to sound chivalrous for offering to accompany. Actually, it had been Jedda who insisted that they accompany Kanya and Mirra. Dailon had grumbled angrily about being dragged from his bed at such an hour. But it seemed that in the excitement of sneaking about at night, he had forgotten his previous reluctance.
“I don’t remember where I dropped it,” Mirra muttered.
“I think I know,” Kanya assured her. “It was where you were trying to get that particularly large velvet mushroom that you couldn’t reach. Remember, you almost fell down into that pit that was hidden behind a patch of mushrooms? It probably fell out of your pocket. Though I wish you would have mentioned it before we got home again.”
“I didn’t realize that it was missing until I was most of the way back,” Mirra muttered, looking a bit ashamed. “But you drove the cart back… so I didn’t need to find my crystal to power it up…”
“Ah, I wish we could use one of the carts,” Dailon muttered. “It will take over an hour to walk all the way to that patch of velvet mushrooms…”
“Yes, but if we tried to use a cart after curfew,” Dailon reminded them, “They’d catch us for sure. Besides, they shut off the carts when they shut off the lights. Everything powered by the crystals shuts off at night unless there’s an emergency. Remember that time…”
“Yes, I remember,” Kaila moaned. How could anyone forget? When someone had misjudged the amount of flash powder needed for a blasting project and caved in one of the tunnels. He was probably still working in the mines as punishment. They’d had to leave the lights on several nights in a row in order to clear out the tunnel and rescue the people trapped behind the block. Everyone pitched in some way or another. Kanya switched between bringing water and mushrooms to the workers.
Kanya quickened the pace in order to discourage conversation. Several strands of gold-brown hair fell into her face. She flicked them out of the way so that her bright blue eyes flashed in the light of the lantern. She gripped the handle of the lantern in her teeth and reached back to redo her ponytail. She never slackened her pace the whole while. Ponytail straightening was something she had to do several times a day because her hair always managed to escape. She didn’t even think about it any more. When she was done, she took the lantern in her hand again. She didn’t mind walking. And going out at night gave her a slight thrill of excitement, though she didn’t let it show.
Her friend, Mirra, had hair as black as the darkness of the cave. Her brother, Jedda, had the same hair and dark eyes as his sister, though he was much taller than her. Dailon was tall also, but not as much as Jedda. His eyes were pale brown and his hair was a shade darker than Kanya’s. Jedda was the oldest, in his early twenties. Kanya was a few years younger than him at nineteen. Mirra and Dailon were both eighteen, and Dailon resented the fact that Mirra was older than him by just a few nights.
All of them wore clothes made from the same creamy gray material. It was in fact made from the silk of the star worms. It was the only yarn-like material the people of Palacov had to work with. Even after sewn into fabric, it retained a faint luminescence.
The four of them continued on through the net of twisted tunnels that would have been an incomprehensible maze to anyone else. But these four had spent their whole life here. They knew these tunnels as well as they knew anything else.
It did indeed take them over an hour to reach their destination. But at last Mirra’s patch of velvet mushrooms came into view. She had started this patch secretly many years before. It was in a far corner of a tunnel that was rarely, if ever, used. Only Kanya, Jedda, and Dailon knew about it. And she’d sworn them to secrecy. Even Dailon managed to keep the secret for fear that Mirra would tell anyone else about the dreaded “worm incident.”
“Finally we made it,” Dailon moaned. “My feet are…”
“Oh, hush,” Kanya snapped. “Let’s see… where were you when you fell over, Mirra?”
Mirra glanced around, trying to figure out where she may have been. “Ah, it was there. See the place where those rocks fell in?”
“Yeah, it’s a miracle you didn’t fall into that hole,” Kanya sighed, shaking her head. “Let’s see…”
She walked over to a small indent at the end of the cavern. Yes, there was the strange pit. She had only noticed it yesterday when Mirra fell and the bottom fell out from under her. Luckily Kanya got there in time to grab her before she fell in. But Mirra had a few cuts and bruises to show for it.
The entrance to the pit was still almost completely hidden. A few rocks were piled around the rim, and some velvet mushrooms grew over the lip of the pit.
Mirra, Jedda and Dylon started searching around for the moon crystal. Kanya went to the part of the pit that had partly collapsed. She peered down into the dark depths. Then she held up her lantern and glanced around Mirra’s mushroom patch. The round white mushrooms grew thick around the edge of the floor and crept up along the walls. The largest was almost as large as Kanya’s head.
The velvet mushrooms were the main part of the diets of the people of Palacov. They had all the nutrients the citizens needed for survival. The moss was also made into food. And the smallest, and last, part of their diet was a jelly made from the phosphor-algae. There was no variety, but it kept them alive. It was all any of them knew.
Kanya went to a patch of algae and peeled a little fleck of the glowing substance from the rock. The others watched her as she went to the small pit and dropped the algae in. She watched as the light fell, and then stopped as it hit solid ground.
“It’s not deep,” Kanya said. “Help me get in there you guys.”
“You can’t go down there Kanya!” Mirra exclaimed. “What if…”
“I think your crystal fell down there,” Kanya persisted. “Come on Jedda, Dailon. Help me.”
She sat down at the edge of the pit. Jedda and Dailon stood behind her to either side. She help up her arms and each of them took one. They slowly lowered her into the darkness. Just when she thought the pit was too deep for her to reach, her feet hit rock.
“Okay, I’m at the bottom.”
Jedda and Dailon let go of her arms. Mirra’s trembling hand passed the lantern down to Kanya. Kanya knelt and peered around. At first she thought that it was what it appeared from the outside: a pit. But as she moved the lantern from side to side, she saw that two rocks overlapped. There might be a passage back there…
She looked back up. The opening above her was just large enough to show the faces of her three friends looking down at her. But if she moved a step in any direction, she couldn’t’ see them any more.
“Do you see it?” Jedda asked.
“Hang on. There’s a lot of rocks. It might take a while. to get a good look…”
She stepped out of their sight on the pretext of searching for the crystal.
“There isn’t much space… but give me a minute,” she called back, her voice echoing around her.
She crept to the overlap of stones and peeked through. Yes, it was just large enough to let her squeeze through. She glanced back to make sure the others didn’t see her, and then she slipped through the passage.
She set her lantern down mid-way through so that her friends wouldn’t notice the absence of the light. Then she stood up and looked around.
She was in a tunnel. A very old, worn tunnel. No feet had trod here for a very long time. The ground was not smooth, but jagged. Kanya’s boots protected her feet, but too long in this tunnel would wear even these tough shoes. The lantern lit the way for a short distance, but a few scattered patches of phosphor-algae clung to the craggy walls.
An abandoned tunnel. There were a few of them scattered about Palacov. But most of them were completely sealed off for protection. They were too dangerous to be kept open because of cave-ins and such. Could this be one of them?
Kanya glanced back at the dim glow from the lantern, and then she stepped feather-light and swift along the tunnel to where it hit a bend. She peered around the corner and froze.
She had ever seen anything like it. It was far away. So far that a human would seem no bigger than a star worm. There was a light. Not like the soft green of the algae or the bright blue of the glow worms. It wasn’t even like the harsh white of the electric lights. It was bright, warm, and yellow. But it was so far away. As distant as a star.
Kanya stared at it. When a voice called out to her, she almost jumped out of her skin.
“Are you okay, Kanya?” Mirra called.
Kanya fled back to the little passage and ducked through it.
“Sorry,” she said once she was back in the little pit. “I wasn’t paying attention. There was just a little cleft there and I went to look into it.”
Her eyes fell on Mirra’s crystal that was nestled against the wall of the pit. She scooped it up and stuck her head out of the hole.
“I found it! See?” She held up Mirra’s crystal.
Mirra sighed in relief. “Oh, thanks. Thanks Kanya.”
“It rolled down into that little cleft there,” Kanya lied. For a moment her eyes met Jedda’s. He looked stern, as though he knew she wasn’t telling the truth.
Kanya looked away. “Come on! Get me out of here!”
She held up her arms and Jedda and Dailon hauled her out.
The four of them headed back to the city with a considerably relieved Mirra.
But Kanya’s mind was elsewhere. What was that strange light at the end of the tunnel?
Escape From Plato's Cave
So, "Escape from Plato's Cave" is a song we played in band for our last concert. (On a side note, I haven't been REALLY connected to any of the songs we've gotten so far in college Symphonic Band. I guess I have different tastes from our conductor. I mean, some of the pieces are cool. But we don't have anything pretty. Maybe one movement of a piece, or a few lines in a larger piece.)
Either way, that song is based off of Plato's Allegory of a Cave which I had to learn twice-once in high school and once in college. The story is about what would happen if people who had lived in a cave all their life were suddenly exposed to the outside world (more or less). But the margin notes on our music didn't sound too much like Plato's version. They did sound very cool however. It sounded like it would make a good story.
So there's this girl in Symphonic Band named Arianna. She's a few years older than me. She played flute last year, and now she's doing oboe. But she writes stories too and she wanted to write on with me. So we eventually settled on writing this story. So, she told me to write the first chapter. So I did. I sent it to her a few weeks ago. And I have yet to hear anything about it. Sigh. We'll see if anything ever comes of it. If not, I have my first chapter and I can do something with it later. I only have one or two ideas about what should come later on. About the roles the friends play in the whole thing. That's about it... Ooh, I should post some of those notes so you can get the idea. I wonder if I can find a recording of the song...
Hey, I think I'll post the first chapter! Just cause I should post some of my work and I never do.
So, a warning, to people reading this. Don't steal my stuff or my dragon will get you.
(The name of the underground city is basically a rather bad mismatch of letters from "Plato's Cave")
Either way, that song is based off of Plato's Allegory of a Cave which I had to learn twice-once in high school and once in college. The story is about what would happen if people who had lived in a cave all their life were suddenly exposed to the outside world (more or less). But the margin notes on our music didn't sound too much like Plato's version. They did sound very cool however. It sounded like it would make a good story.
So there's this girl in Symphonic Band named Arianna. She's a few years older than me. She played flute last year, and now she's doing oboe. But she writes stories too and she wanted to write on with me. So we eventually settled on writing this story. So, she told me to write the first chapter. So I did. I sent it to her a few weeks ago. And I have yet to hear anything about it. Sigh. We'll see if anything ever comes of it. If not, I have my first chapter and I can do something with it later. I only have one or two ideas about what should come later on. About the roles the friends play in the whole thing. That's about it... Ooh, I should post some of those notes so you can get the idea. I wonder if I can find a recording of the song...
Hey, I think I'll post the first chapter! Just cause I should post some of my work and I never do.
So, a warning, to people reading this. Don't steal my stuff or my dragon will get you.
(The name of the underground city is basically a rather bad mismatch of letters from "Plato's Cave")
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Laws
I don't understand the world sometimes. There are so many stupid things going on...
You know, every time someone is elected into an important political position, they feel like they need to make laws. So they make laws that are stupid and make life more complicated and stupid than it is already. One bad example is that they recently made the train whistles much louder. So though that may benefit a few people who would walk into the railroad tracks because they can't hear a train, it hurts everyone else because noises that are that horribly loud damage ears. So instead of a few people being hard of hearing, then everyone will go deaf... Laws that benefit one or two people and hurt everyone else aren't needed. We don't want them. Not that the minority isn't important. And there are good laws of course. But there shouldn't be laws that only help a couple people and screw everyone else.
For example about a week ago, I heard a story where a little boy in elementary school was going to go on a camping trip, so he was really excited. He brought a sort of pocket mess kit thing to school that included a fork and a knife. and because he brought a knife to school, this little kid is going to be sent to several weeks of correctional learning or some other sort of @#&$!#*$&!#^*!#$%*!#$%&!#$% like that! How is that justice? What is WRONG with our society that we need to do that with a little boy who didn't even know better in the first place!?!?! I swear... if I ever get my hands on people like that... huff huff huff...
And then you hear things about a guy at a theme park who lost his hat so he he climbed up under the rollercoaster to get it and he got killed by the rollercoaster. So his family sued the theme park even though there were signs that stated the obvious :DO NOT CROSS! They sued the theme park because that guy was STUPID enough to walk under a moving rollercoaster! I'm not saying he deserved to die, but something like that would NOT be the fault of the theme park who put up signs. The excuse was that there weren't enough signs or that the signs weren't in enough languages or anything. But that's still so stupid! It's obvious that you shouldn't step over a fence that's clearly there to protect you...
And there were those two freaks who went to the San Francisco Zoo and tormented the tiger enough that it got out and killed one of them. They were throwing rocks and stuff and I heard (though I'm not sure) that one of them climbed over the first fence, which is the reason why the tiger was able to get out. And they had to kill the poor tiger and they sued the zoo even though those freaks were clearly harassing the animals. That was their fault, not the zoos.
Now tell me-is this a just society that you're pleased with? When people with cases like this actually win? And it happens OFTEN.
The people who allow this kind of stuff need to be sent to an intense mental facility. There are certain things where it's just to sue someone. It's not always wrong to sue soemone when some guy drives a car through your front door or soemthing then yeah, make him pay for repairs. For example, up near Nevada City, some arson set the forest on fire and it almost burnt down the Ananda community-a peaceful church community. But luckily nothing was seriously damaged (though it came damn close-you can see the burnt trees right across the street from one of the temples). And Ananda decided NOT to sue the guy.
Ok... I'd better stop cause thinking about this kinda stuff makes me mad if you can't tell. (Yes, another post I've been putting off which is why it's about an event that took place over a week ago).
You know, every time someone is elected into an important political position, they feel like they need to make laws. So they make laws that are stupid and make life more complicated and stupid than it is already. One bad example is that they recently made the train whistles much louder. So though that may benefit a few people who would walk into the railroad tracks because they can't hear a train, it hurts everyone else because noises that are that horribly loud damage ears. So instead of a few people being hard of hearing, then everyone will go deaf... Laws that benefit one or two people and hurt everyone else aren't needed. We don't want them. Not that the minority isn't important. And there are good laws of course. But there shouldn't be laws that only help a couple people and screw everyone else.
For example about a week ago, I heard a story where a little boy in elementary school was going to go on a camping trip, so he was really excited. He brought a sort of pocket mess kit thing to school that included a fork and a knife. and because he brought a knife to school, this little kid is going to be sent to several weeks of correctional learning or some other sort of @#&$!#*$&!#^*!#$%*!#$%&!#$% like that! How is that justice? What is WRONG with our society that we need to do that with a little boy who didn't even know better in the first place!?!?! I swear... if I ever get my hands on people like that... huff huff huff...
And then you hear things about a guy at a theme park who lost his hat so he he climbed up under the rollercoaster to get it and he got killed by the rollercoaster. So his family sued the theme park even though there were signs that stated the obvious :DO NOT CROSS! They sued the theme park because that guy was STUPID enough to walk under a moving rollercoaster! I'm not saying he deserved to die, but something like that would NOT be the fault of the theme park who put up signs. The excuse was that there weren't enough signs or that the signs weren't in enough languages or anything. But that's still so stupid! It's obvious that you shouldn't step over a fence that's clearly there to protect you...
And there were those two freaks who went to the San Francisco Zoo and tormented the tiger enough that it got out and killed one of them. They were throwing rocks and stuff and I heard (though I'm not sure) that one of them climbed over the first fence, which is the reason why the tiger was able to get out. And they had to kill the poor tiger and they sued the zoo even though those freaks were clearly harassing the animals. That was their fault, not the zoos.
Now tell me-is this a just society that you're pleased with? When people with cases like this actually win? And it happens OFTEN.
The people who allow this kind of stuff need to be sent to an intense mental facility. There are certain things where it's just to sue someone. It's not always wrong to sue soemone when some guy drives a car through your front door or soemthing then yeah, make him pay for repairs. For example, up near Nevada City, some arson set the forest on fire and it almost burnt down the Ananda community-a peaceful church community. But luckily nothing was seriously damaged (though it came damn close-you can see the burnt trees right across the street from one of the temples). And Ananda decided NOT to sue the guy.
Ok... I'd better stop cause thinking about this kinda stuff makes me mad if you can't tell. (Yes, another post I've been putting off which is why it's about an event that took place over a week ago).
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Wolves
Thanks Stephanie! That helps cause I'm literally just about to have the character meet a fisher-a real one, not one that looks like a fisher but is mean... yeah. So, now I can keep writing. I'm been working on this kinda slowly.
Writing in general has been a bit sluggish for a few weeks. A page or so here and there, writing my fanfic, adding some to this story. I just got a lot to do. Our lives are so strange. They seem to be scheduled on the fact that there's never enough time to do anything... And then there all these things designed to help eat time. Like video games ^o^ Seriously, they really do eat time...
Like I said, I have a lot I really want to write about on the blog but I've been neglecting that too. Again, a lot to do. (Only partly because I got a new game ^3^'' (Yes, experimenting with guilty-looking computer faces).
I lost my train of thought... seriously, I forgot what I was going to say. Oh, I'm so glad tomorrow's my last day before the weekend... thank goodness for no friday classes... Well, maybe I'll remember later. For now, I should explain about the title of the post-wolves. Yes, I love wolves, though that's not what this is about. Another belated post since I actually finished this a week ago. I may have mentioned that Nicole and Ellen gave me a list of anime and manga to get through to "improve my meager repertoire." So, I agree to get through them if there's nothing in them to make me wanna stop.
So, Nicole had me watch "Spice and Wolf." It was pretty good. I wasn't completely wild about it, but it was interesting. (though a warning if you want to watch it, the wolf girl often doesn't wear clothes, though it's drawn in a way to not be too... detailed if ya know what I mean. So not too bad).
Anime really seem to like wolves. There was that other one I saw over a year ago, and I posted on it when it finished because the end was so devastating! Wolf's Rain. I don't remember how much I posted about it. Bu I really loved the wolves and Cheza. The plot in general was pretty dark, but I kept watching because I expected to end with them finding paradise. But (SPOILERS) it ended by everyone-and I mean everyone-dying. And apparently paradise was screwed up too... So yeah. Not a fun way to end the series...
Ooh, I remembered what I was gonna say earlier.
So, a lot of my posts recently haven't been too closely tied to my writing. I want you to know that I realize this. There's just lots of cool stuff to share! And Like I said, my writing's been a bit sluggish since I finished "Of Spirits and Demons." And about that, I still have to but up my silly "tidbits" so I'll be doing that once I get around to it...
Writing in general has been a bit sluggish for a few weeks. A page or so here and there, writing my fanfic, adding some to this story. I just got a lot to do. Our lives are so strange. They seem to be scheduled on the fact that there's never enough time to do anything... And then there all these things designed to help eat time. Like video games ^o^ Seriously, they really do eat time...
Like I said, I have a lot I really want to write about on the blog but I've been neglecting that too. Again, a lot to do. (Only partly because I got a new game ^3^'' (Yes, experimenting with guilty-looking computer faces).
I lost my train of thought... seriously, I forgot what I was going to say. Oh, I'm so glad tomorrow's my last day before the weekend... thank goodness for no friday classes... Well, maybe I'll remember later. For now, I should explain about the title of the post-wolves. Yes, I love wolves, though that's not what this is about. Another belated post since I actually finished this a week ago. I may have mentioned that Nicole and Ellen gave me a list of anime and manga to get through to "improve my meager repertoire." So, I agree to get through them if there's nothing in them to make me wanna stop.
So, Nicole had me watch "Spice and Wolf." It was pretty good. I wasn't completely wild about it, but it was interesting. (though a warning if you want to watch it, the wolf girl often doesn't wear clothes, though it's drawn in a way to not be too... detailed if ya know what I mean. So not too bad).
Anime really seem to like wolves. There was that other one I saw over a year ago, and I posted on it when it finished because the end was so devastating! Wolf's Rain. I don't remember how much I posted about it. Bu I really loved the wolves and Cheza. The plot in general was pretty dark, but I kept watching because I expected to end with them finding paradise. But (SPOILERS) it ended by everyone-and I mean everyone-dying. And apparently paradise was screwed up too... So yeah. Not a fun way to end the series...
Ooh, I remembered what I was gonna say earlier.
So, a lot of my posts recently haven't been too closely tied to my writing. I want you to know that I realize this. There's just lots of cool stuff to share! And Like I said, my writing's been a bit sluggish since I finished "Of Spirits and Demons." And about that, I still have to but up my silly "tidbits" so I'll be doing that once I get around to it...
:/ No, I hadn't checked my email until just now. I'll sent ya a reply.
Fishers are largely solitary creatures, and usually only gather for important events, like the yearly moon viewing or more serious matters. I sort of see them almost like angels, only in more of a mythical creature sense. They seen mostly at night and if they decide to keep a home, they prefer something like a large enclosed nest hidden in large and old trees. As a species they are supposed to be wise and help keep balance or serve as judges and are avid stargazers.
I don't really remember what the Sorai are like in the context of the story though. D: Sorry.
Fishers are largely solitary creatures, and usually only gather for important events, like the yearly moon viewing or more serious matters. I sort of see them almost like angels, only in more of a mythical creature sense. They seen mostly at night and if they decide to keep a home, they prefer something like a large enclosed nest hidden in large and old trees. As a species they are supposed to be wise and help keep balance or serve as judges and are avid stargazers.
I don't really remember what the Sorai are like in the context of the story though. D: Sorry.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Floods
Ah, I've been neglecting some posts I want to do.
By the way, thanks for the picture Steph. Did you get my email a couple days ago?
Hey, about your Fishers and the Sorai, I'm curious. Is there any information about their behavior/societies that you have in mind? And where do they live? What are their houses like ,ex. For the story we started writing together? Cause you said I could use those 2 species...
Sooo, here's one of the posts. On tuesday this week, there was a big storm. Now, I live on a hill, but somehow our basement got flooded. Don't ask me how. So we spent a lot of time bailing water out of our basement and pulling stuff out of the way. It was only a few inches in one corner, but it was enough to be a big hassle. There was a cardboard portfolio that Mom kept that had some of my older drawings from when I was younger. Some of them got a bit soaked so we had to let them dry. Anyway, I found a couple of my old stories in that portfolio. As usual, they're only part completed. And they're pretty bad. Heheh. I think I actually mentioned them earlier in the blog.
One was about a group of kids getting lost in the woods and trying to survive. Very random...
Then there are a few chapters about a group of girls that are on a volleyball team. I was in the volleyball team in 6th grade, which is probably when I wrote this.
And the last one was sort of interesting. It was the dinosaur one where people live with dinosaurs. I guess it was like my own version of Dinotopia. Parts of it were so bad that they were funy. Actually, some of the names in it were kind of interesting. And the layout for the city was interesting too. Hmm.
By the way, thanks for the picture Steph. Did you get my email a couple days ago?
Hey, about your Fishers and the Sorai, I'm curious. Is there any information about their behavior/societies that you have in mind? And where do they live? What are their houses like ,ex. For the story we started writing together? Cause you said I could use those 2 species...
Sooo, here's one of the posts. On tuesday this week, there was a big storm. Now, I live on a hill, but somehow our basement got flooded. Don't ask me how. So we spent a lot of time bailing water out of our basement and pulling stuff out of the way. It was only a few inches in one corner, but it was enough to be a big hassle. There was a cardboard portfolio that Mom kept that had some of my older drawings from when I was younger. Some of them got a bit soaked so we had to let them dry. Anyway, I found a couple of my old stories in that portfolio. As usual, they're only part completed. And they're pretty bad. Heheh. I think I actually mentioned them earlier in the blog.
One was about a group of kids getting lost in the woods and trying to survive. Very random...
Then there are a few chapters about a group of girls that are on a volleyball team. I was in the volleyball team in 6th grade, which is probably when I wrote this.
And the last one was sort of interesting. It was the dinosaur one where people live with dinosaurs. I guess it was like my own version of Dinotopia. Parts of it were so bad that they were funy. Actually, some of the names in it were kind of interesting. And the layout for the city was interesting too. Hmm.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
TARA!! You were looking for a picture of San's dagger? I found a picture on flickr for ya!
It's not much but it's something. I'm sure there are more pictures of it out on the internet. Try looking under Mononoke hime and just surf the pictures.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chimplytoycollectibles/3969657446/
It's not much but it's something. I'm sure there are more pictures of it out on the internet. Try looking under Mononoke hime and just surf the pictures.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chimplytoycollectibles/3969657446/
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Crystal Dagger
Well, I was trying to find a picture of San's dagger on the internet, and I couldn't find one so I made my own. I've discovered how to do that! Wahahah! So I might make more pictures some time when my computer "issues" are solved. Hopefully tomorrow cause John's coming over (the computer guy-I still call him the computer guy but I think his name's John.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Frost Dragon Redone
So, I redrew a frost dragon. Still long and swirly, but I suppose the proportions are closer to what I have in mind.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Plot Holes
Moan... Computers... make... my... brain... fry.............
Well, Like I said, I got a new computer. Yesterday, the guy who sold it came over to help with a few little things and we updated the computer, ex. And literally just after he left, I restarted it and everything was all screwed up. All my music and photos were gone (luckily I keep everything saved elsewhere so nothing's lost permanently) and I'd spent the past two weeks slowly going through my music and organizing it (which IS gone and I'm gonna have to redo).
And the internet's a bit screwed up...
So I don't know if it was the update or if I did something to screw it up...
So, I am using that computer now, so it works to an extent... but...
Yeah, the guy came over again today to help fix it. I feel kinda bad cause he doesn't live too close and he has to come back a third time cause we're gonna have to reinstall some stuff to make it work and everything...
Groan... I wish I could move to Magic-Earth or Soreina where they didn't have computer problems or wacky governments and laws and societies and people...
OK, changing the subject. Plot Holes. Always weird in a story. Of course everyone knows this. Oh well. One strange one I always notice in movies like Indiana Jones when someone takes a horse or something, and then they jump from the horse to the car, ex, and the horse kinda vanished into oblivion. Or when someone's holding something one minute and it's gone the next. When random things sort of vanish in the folds of the story... Make sure nothing any of you write sort of evaporates. Tell everyone what happened to it.
Yeah, I know I had a LOT of good examples of plot holes but I forgot them a few weeks ago and I don't know what they were. Maybe some time I'll remember them and put them up...
Bla. Sorry I'm cranky today. Yesterday and today=computer flop. Now I understand that picture I drew with me and Briena...
And tomorrow I got a midterm. But I took this class in high school so it should be easy. Despite the fact that I haven't studied yet and I really need to practice flute cause our concert's this thursday and I feel really lousy now and I wanna go to sleep....
Bottom line... don't bug me when I'm cranky. Luckily it doesn't happen too often...
Well, Like I said, I got a new computer. Yesterday, the guy who sold it came over to help with a few little things and we updated the computer, ex. And literally just after he left, I restarted it and everything was all screwed up. All my music and photos were gone (luckily I keep everything saved elsewhere so nothing's lost permanently) and I'd spent the past two weeks slowly going through my music and organizing it (which IS gone and I'm gonna have to redo).
And the internet's a bit screwed up...
So I don't know if it was the update or if I did something to screw it up...
So, I am using that computer now, so it works to an extent... but...
Yeah, the guy came over again today to help fix it. I feel kinda bad cause he doesn't live too close and he has to come back a third time cause we're gonna have to reinstall some stuff to make it work and everything...
Groan... I wish I could move to Magic-Earth or Soreina where they didn't have computer problems or wacky governments and laws and societies and people...
OK, changing the subject. Plot Holes. Always weird in a story. Of course everyone knows this. Oh well. One strange one I always notice in movies like Indiana Jones when someone takes a horse or something, and then they jump from the horse to the car, ex, and the horse kinda vanished into oblivion. Or when someone's holding something one minute and it's gone the next. When random things sort of vanish in the folds of the story... Make sure nothing any of you write sort of evaporates. Tell everyone what happened to it.
Yeah, I know I had a LOT of good examples of plot holes but I forgot them a few weeks ago and I don't know what they were. Maybe some time I'll remember them and put them up...
Bla. Sorry I'm cranky today. Yesterday and today=computer flop. Now I understand that picture I drew with me and Briena...
And tomorrow I got a midterm. But I took this class in high school so it should be easy. Despite the fact that I haven't studied yet and I really need to practice flute cause our concert's this thursday and I feel really lousy now and I wanna go to sleep....
Bottom line... don't bug me when I'm cranky. Luckily it doesn't happen too often...
Monday, October 5, 2009
PONYO!!
WAHAHAHAH! My first attempt at actually coloring a picture in photo shop! It took me forever to figure it out. Drew it, scanned it, and then colored it. I'm sure there's an easier way to color it than what I did, but I guess I don't have a fully updated program or something. I remember it working better on Mom's computer (yes, the computer in my room finally has internet! Before it was just my laptop and mom's computer).
HAAAMM!!
HAAAMM!!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
La Corda D'Oro
Ah, Ellen and Nicole gave me this big list of anime to watch and manga to read. So I've been slowly looking at a few of them. Actually, come to think of it, Angeles told me about this one. It's pretty good. I just saw the last episode a few minutes ago: La Corda D'oro.
I shall try to do a basic summary... and just sos ya know, any anime/manga I talk about here (like I've mentioned, I've only seen a few of them) will be on the tamer end of the range. I know that there are some REALLY strange ones out there.
So this takes place at a school that is spilt between music students and normal students. They have this competition where some of the best music students compete over the course of four selections. And this one girl, Kahoko, knows nothing about music. But she's chosen to participate, and she's given a magic violin that plays according to how she feels.
Now, you may know that I play flute. The flute guy seemed nice at first... but there were a couple episodes where he freaked me out. It never goes overboard though. And Nicole was right in that it does bog down a bit in the end.
Ah, and after watching this, I always want to go and play flute! Ah, if I were that good...
So, I approve. Go watch it.
I shall try to do a basic summary... and just sos ya know, any anime/manga I talk about here (like I've mentioned, I've only seen a few of them) will be on the tamer end of the range. I know that there are some REALLY strange ones out there.
So this takes place at a school that is spilt between music students and normal students. They have this competition where some of the best music students compete over the course of four selections. And this one girl, Kahoko, knows nothing about music. But she's chosen to participate, and she's given a magic violin that plays according to how she feels.
Now, you may know that I play flute. The flute guy seemed nice at first... but there were a couple episodes where he freaked me out. It never goes overboard though. And Nicole was right in that it does bog down a bit in the end.
Ah, and after watching this, I always want to go and play flute! Ah, if I were that good...
So, I approve. Go watch it.
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