Wow, is it really Thursday again...already?! Okay, well for today's daily post, I have a few new pieces to share with you that all fit in the relevant topic, but I'll start with what seems to me as the best bit of news that could be implemented the fastest due to its need in society. We shall see...
It is a bionic/cybernetic arm that is controlled by thoughts alone...almost like the real thing! Anyway, there have been studies done with monkeys, as seen in the picture, where the monkeys were able to feed themselves with the arm simply through the power of thought! That's is awesome! Hey, I wonder if they could graft these things onto people who already have two arms? Wouldn't that be handy (pun intended)?! Anyway, the research and pictures come via the University of Reading and I came across it in the UK's Daily Mail Online news. You should really read the entire article, but one of the most amazing things is the sensor that allows the arm to read the monkey's thoughts. Check out the size of this tiny thing!
So, yeah, that's amazing technology that could really assist the multitudes of people who have lost a limb or both whatever the reason. And this next piece of advanced tech might just get the paraplegic and quadriplegic moving and shaking. It's codename is "HAL" (a bit scary, but okay) which is a Hybrid Control System undergoing development by CYBERDYNE, Inc. of Japan.
"HAL" is a two part system which works together to allow the person to get up and walk around. It is, from the looks of it, a bit further off in the future than the cyber arm, but it will mean that the thousands of bedridden people who have suffered from accident or disease, would again be able to do simple things like getting up and going outside or even just sitting up! This is wonderful and I hope that it really gets off the ground and into mass production quickly. Apparently, I can't offer you any pictures, but use the link to check out how this incredible machine will aid in motorlocation for the body. It's fascinating!
Alright, so the last two pieces of technology are great and fantastic developments designed to aid those persons who have been left at a bit of a detrement in just being able to complete some of the many basic tasks that you or I do on a daily basis, and while many of those individuals have been able to work around their problems, this is a great saving grace for some of them.
This last advancement is purely for improving our entertainment and communications while still looking aesthetically pleasing instead of a jumble or wires. The company of Goldsmiths, in conjunction with TalkTalk (I love the way the guy in the video says "rooter" for router - awesome), have developed a few internet routers with the aim of functionability and improving the aesthetical value of the box that many of us simply tuck away in some corner in order to use the internet. The video is below explaining the routers uses and looks, but I've included a couple of still photos for those of you who may not be able to view the YouTube clip.
And here are the photos(sorry they're a bit grainy, but I had to capture them from the video). This first one is the router clockface which allows the users to view the best time(s) of the day to use the internet via the colors on the face and also simply tells the time of day like any other clock.
This next one is a router that has another function as an end table. It looks pretty great.
The third router they are developing is an energy saving router that holds four sets of keys. When the last set of keys is lifted from the router, the router turns off in order to stop using power. Pretty neat, as long as there are four or less people living in the home.
And the last piece is called the jellyfish because that's what it looks like. It's mainly an art piece that functions as a router and includes ethernet cables for LAN parties or what not. I like this one, but if I were to purchase one, it would probably be the end table. I like that one most due to the dual functionality. So there you have it. Four awesome routers and the end to this segment of Techknow Thursdays!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Techknow Thursday!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Word of the Day: Limn
- Pronunciation: \ˈlim\
- Inflected Form(s): limned; limning \ˈli-miŋ, ˈlim-niŋ\
- Etymology: Middle English limnen to illuminate (a manuscript), probably back-formation from lymnour illuminator, alteration of lumenur, from Anglo-French aluminer, enluminer to illuminate, ultimately from Latin illuminare
- Date: 1592
And before I just post a picture derived from the word of the day, I feel that I should at least explain a little. The heart in the photograph is a sign for the Limn art gallery which consequently explains the connection to the word. So, there you are, Google Images has not failed us yet!
Happy Wednesday!
This Wednesday, I thought I'd allow you to check out Co-Ed's girls for yourself, and I'm bringing you a special sexy school girl session this week. Enjoy!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Movie Guessing Game
Alright, now for a game...what do the following actors and actress share in common?
Give up? Their all starring (or directing in the case of Ridley Scott) in the upcoming new Robin Hood movie starring Russell Crowe as the bowman himself and Cate Blanchett as his Maid Marian. I'm quite excited about this for all of the reasons above! It's truly a star-studded cast and what's great is that the movie is expected to open the Summer of 2010 (mid-May).
Therapeutic Tuesdays!
This idea also comes from the wonderful mind of my wife! To start this topic off right, and since I've begun reading The 60-Second Shrink (by Lazarus & Lazarus), I decided that everyone needs to know how to de-stress their lives. If not, one might explode! So, now it's a good idea to go through this process at least twice a day if not every few hours.
1.) Sit in a relaxed position, preferably leaning back at least a bit.
2.) Close your eyes.
3.) Breathe slowly and regulate your breathing.
4.) One by one, loosen your muscles from feet to head to fully relax and release the tension.
5.) Imagine some sort of pleasant, peaceful scene (essentially a daydream).
This simple process can take just a few minutes, but it allows you to just forget about those around you, especially the extra annoying persons you can't seem to escape. So, the next time you feel like exploding, don't. Simply go and sit back and relax a little. This will make your work environment an easier place to be.
Word of the Day: Lothario
- Pronunciation: \lō-ˈther-ē-ˌō, -ˈthär-\
- Inflected Form(s): plural lotharios
- Usage: often capitalized
- Etymology: Lothario, seducer in the play The Fair Penitent (1703) by Nicholas Rowe
- Date: 1756
This word came via freerice.com where you can answer vocabulary questions to gain free rice which correlates to rice donated to the United Nations Food Program (so go play it often). What's even better about this though is the photo that Google Images delivered (and many others were really NSFW - try it when you're at home...Wow). This guy is a bit whacky.
Belated Word of the Day (Monday): Velleity
- Pronunciation: \ve-ˈlē-ə-tē, və-\
-
- Inflected Form(s): plural velleities
- Etymology: New Latin velleitas, from Latin velle to wish, will
- Date: 1618
This word choice is actually from my wife yesterday. In fact, if you wish to know the whole of it (which, if you're even reading this, I assume you do), the entire "Word of the Day" post decision came via the wife as she always has some random word for each day. As she says, " Good words like when you show them off and introduce them to new friends." As for the Google Images version of velleity, I happened to find this jewel from someone in or at least visiting Toronto in Canada (just in case there are other Torontos out there - don't want to confuse anyone).
Leia Mais…
Update for this Tuesday Early-ish Morning
So, I was just checking my e-mail and reading some of the blog updates to which I have subscribed when I check the updates from Geeks Are Sexy. The video below was included in the update. This girl is amazingly fascinated with the AR-15 rifle she is field stripping and then reassembling. It's great to watch, and short at only one minute long. And who said American kids weren't talented?
Monday, July 13, 2009
Manly Mondays: Versus Mode
For today, I thought I'd just do a small photo exercise comparing various ways men have captured the essence of manliness and how others just failed miserably. To start off, while they are not homo sapiens, I think that starting with these gorillas is still appropriate, and whoever captured this moment did so superbly.
Not Quite There, Maybe Another Spray?
The Epic Grill of Manliness
There's just something missing here
Crazy Tough Manliness
Failure to Achieve
Just Some Old-Fashioned, Presidential Manliness
Sorry, but This Doesn't Cut It
Manliness in the Female Form
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Word of the Day: Higgledy-Piggledy
- Pronunciation: \ˌhi-gəl-dē-ˈpi-gəl-dē\
-
- Etymology: origin unknown
- Date: 1598
So, the main reason I chose this word for today is because it's just one of those words that remind you of your childhood, or at least it reminded me of my childhood days reading lots of Dr. Seuss. Ah...the good ol' doc! Lastly, as usual a short time on Google Images brought forth the wonderfully strange art concoction below.
Leia Mais…
Belated Word of the Day (Saturday): Ostensible
- Pronunciation: \ä-ˈsten(t)-sə-bəl, ə-\
- Etymology: French, from Latin ostensus, past participle of ostendere to show, from obs-, ob- in the way + tendere to stretch — more at ob-, thin
- Date: circa 1771
And, although I'm not sure how this photo exactly incorporates the word ostensible, it was the first to show itself on Google Images. Perhaps it is that the fun of the activity shown is quite apparent or ostensible?
Leia Mais…
Stately Sundays
I recently was able to view for the umpteenth time the film The Dark Knight which I think is a spectacular movie, and it saddens me to think that Heath Ledger has died because he brought a lot to this and many other films. But since I was on the bat theme, I thought that today's Stately topic would be Devil's Den State Park which is located in Northwest Arkansas outside of Winslow and the Ozark National Forest off I-540. I remember visiting there a few years ago with my father and siblings to go spelunking in some of the caves. It was a great time, and the bats were sometimes close enough to reach out and grasp (we didn't though thanks to my father's scare stories of rabies, etc.).
In light of some constructive criticism, I realize that my last Sunday post was a bit wordy and lengthy, so I'll try to cut this one back a bit and highlight some of the better points. In that case, first I would like to mention the update on their site detailing that the Farmer's Cave and Big Ear Cave are both off limits due to fungus infestations which are detected by the white noses as shown in the picture below. Yuck, but fungi can be tasty!
Aside from the caves though, there are wonderful cabins, a park cafe, and a swimming pool overlooking a gorgeous lake (who would want a pool when there's a lake though, I don't know). Additionally, they offer bike trails, canoeing and kayaking, and best of all, there is a horse camp for all you equine enthusiasts! This truly is a great park, and if I hope to visit it again soon to explore more of it's secrets which you'll only find by visiting first hand!
Lastly, although most of the park's history is somewhat vague on the various sites I visited, it was formed in the 1930s as part of a CCC (Civilian Construction Corp - part of the New Deal) construction project where they handcrafted much of the rustic wooden structures still in use today. Additionally, the CCC created some stone dams to create the 8-acre Lake Devil on which the park sits, and the dams, while upgraded and maintained for safety, still use many of the same stones that were first placed in the 1930s. A wonderful site to see indeed! So, go...visit...enjoy!!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Super Sports Saturday: Shoot a Handgun
I came across this article detailing some great pointers on how to use a handgun and shoot well. I thought I would detail a few of the high points here, but you should definitely read Massad Ayoob's full article which is not very long.
In short, to successfully fire a handgun fairly well and accurately, one should follow these guidelines:
1.) Use the proper stance which Mr. Ayoob calls the "Power Stance."
2.) Use a high hand grasp.
3.) Use a firm grip to hold the handgun.
4.) After identifying your target, focus on the gun's front sight.
5.) Finally, squeeze or "roll" the trigger.
That's it in five simple steps. After all, it's champion of the combat pistol, Ray Chapman, who said, "shooting well is simple; it just isn't easy."
And to go with this article, I thought that this video would be appropriate. It's a husband/wife tactical pistol team. They're pretty good. Enjoy.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Word of the Day: Panoply
- panoply
- Pronunciation: \ˈpa-nə-plē\
- Inflected Form(s): plural - panoplies
- Etymology: Greek panoplia, from pan- + hopla arms, armor, plural of hoplon meaning tool, weapon
- Date: 1632
And as I did yesterday, below is the first picture I happened upon after attempting to shed more light on the word panoply through Google Images.
WTF Fridays!
Wow, this artwork by Sheharzad Arshad is both creepy and hilarious! It is truly something worth your time to check out, especially for a Friday! Below I have included a couple of examples that are quite unusual, but the artist has a great imagination for other fairy tales as well!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Men: Extinct in 100 Years?
Now, I know that men everywhere might look at this article and cringe a bit, but I don't worry much (if at all). For starters, I know that this is only the beginning of even being able to extract and manipulate stem cells in a conversion process towards creating sperm via lab methods. I also know that there will be a large fight against even allowing this (due to the ethics, naturally), but I honestly see no reason to worry. I mean, many men now, at this very moment, already prove their worth minute by minute.
In fact, the article includes a wonderful quote from Rowan Pelling, reporter for The Daily Telegraph:
"Yet I feel compelled - and not just as the mother of two small boys - to make a spirited defence of the weaker sex. Where would I be without my husband to read 80 pages of a car manual, in French, to find out how the back windscreen-wiper works? Who would tug the dried lumps of excrement from our cat's backside? Who would explain the rules of cricket to an American? Who would clear a blocked drain of unspeakable clotted matter? Who would take hours to demonstrate the dreadnought manoeuvres at the Battle of Jutland, armed only with salt cellars and jam jars? Without men, there would be no one to read Joseph Conrad or Norman Mailer, to remove spiders from the bath, or (important one, this) to tell women they're pretty."Yes, isn't that great?! We can still be of use to society, and feel good about it. Now, don't ever forget to tell a woman she's beautiful, but be sincere or it won't mean anything.
But seriously now, there has been shown through various science fiction works that worlds ruled and dominated on the whole by either singular sex is destined for failure. In fact, while these works are indeed works of fiction, if one were to meditate on the underlying themes, one might find that it would be better to have equality with both sexes than to have one rule the other. Additionally, in my private life while observing the interactions between loving couples there is always a certain tendency--it is there in nature too--for one to become the more dominant figure of the two and for the other to take a more submissive role.
I don't speak merely of those couples where the private life at home is riddled with abuse and strife. No, if you were to observe every couple, be it heterosexual or homosexual, there is a placement of sorts which happens as the couple settles into their own nest. It need not matter the sex of the two for this happens in almost every couple I have seen. In fact, I would admit that when a couple tries to do things "equally" is when things turn for the worse. Indeed, I would liken it to dancing: one must lead and the other follow. If not, both are left with an incomplete act.
Getting back to the heart of the article though, there are a great number of benefits to being able to produce sperm--and eggs--from stem cells. Think of the couple unable to have children due to a lack of producing sperm. With this new technology, the doctors could take some of the father's frozen stem cells and produce sperm from his loins so to speak. I know that this may not be a great improvement on the quality of life and it isn't a life saving invention, but for that couple, whether it be the man's sperm or the female's egg, there is a certain hope that you can only imagine if you are not those individuals. So yes, continue the work Dr. Karim Nayernia. I for one look forward to even more developments in the area of stem cell research for, properly implemented, it can lead to cures, surgical improvements, and most importantly, the improvement of individuals' psyches. Leia Mais…
Word of the Day: Bivouac
- Pronunciation: \ˈbi-və-ˌwak, ˈbiv-ˌwak\
- Etymology: French, from Low German biwacht, from bi by + wacht guard
- Date: 1819
So, I was talking about favorite poems today with some friends when read his which contained the word 'bivouac' in one of the stanzas. Since I did not know the word, I looked it up via Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary. As we were chatting, another friend suggested looking for a picture to help in visualizing the definition. This was the first picture, and it is definitely not a bivouac where I would want to sleep. Looks fun though!
World's Largest RC Helicopter!
Another great video from the fine folks at LiveLeak.com. This time, it's a RC helicopter that's roughly 6 feet in length which estimates it to be a 1:5 working scale model of the real "Russian MI-24 chopper, a monstrous beast that's 55 feet long" (quote via Gizmodo). As you can see in the video below though, this thing not only works, it's amazing! I'd love to fly it at least once!
Audi: Now with Pianos!
I can picture the wife now because I know she's laughing at me, especially after this post.
I really, really more-than-you-know am enchanted by most of Audi's cars! In fact, I usually make it a habit to point to any I see on the road to show the other passengers the beauty of Audi's automobiles. Either way, not only are they still making these wonderful driving machines, but the company has now decided to create equally beautiful pianos! I love them, but they are quite pricey! $140, 000!!
from Gizmodo via Autoevolution via NewlaunchesTechknow Thursday!
Bear with me here, this post really does pertain to today's topic. There is an actual relevance, and if you make it through the first part, I'll make up for it in the second half. Thanks.
Okay, so when I was quite a bit younger and first learned that bananas grow "upside down," I didn't really think much of it, but a few years later, when I began learning about biology and nature and how there is a certain order to nature, I began to wonder again about the growth of bananas. This led me (yes I ponder some of the strangest questions sometimes) to wonder why we, as a society in general, eat bananas from the opposite "top" than how they grow, but this question was just a hypothetical that I quickly blew off.
versus 
Fast forward to yesterday, when I found the video below which made complete sense of this ridiculous and very miniscule predicament. Of course, I should have just paid attention to the monkeys earlier! Oh, well...now I know, right? And on a funny note, if you have ever watched Aladdin (version a la Disney), you'll notice that when Abu, as an elephant, is trying to eat bananas, he does so like in the video below using the correct top of the banana, but he ends up just squishing them into his face. At least Disney gets some things right in their movies!
And as I promised, for being such great sports and reading my insane drivel, here's a more intriguing entry for Techknow Thursday! I actually just found out fairly recently that my dad is restoring/modifying a 1990 Ford Mustang for drag racing, and when I found this article/video, it made me think of him and really anyone else looking for outdated car parts. The video below is from Popular Mechanics and Jay Leno's Garage (he's got a massive and wonderfully diverse collection of cars). It basically describes and demonstrates the re-engineering of obsolete car parts via a 3D scanner and 3D printer which forms the part in hard plastic.
Now I've heard of 3D printers before that do 3D renderings using glue and paper dust, but this is amazing. Not only are there uses for recreating obsolete car and machine parts, but it can save tons of time machining working models of new products! It's great, and now I'll leave you with the video!
Leia Mais…
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Happy Wednesday!
The good ol' EvilDM posted a few goodies here and here. In fact, they were so wonderful, for my Happy Wednesday, I'm using one of them! The picture is below...I love America!
Additionally, I thought I should include a little something extra so here are a couple of beautiful Brazilians (I think?) for you!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Threats and a MMA Fighter: Manly Monday!
Antoni Hardonk, MMA fighter, seen on the leftIn life, whether you are an honest and reputable person or not, there are some things you should never attempt. One of those is detailed in the following story I found through Five Ounces Of Pain. It involves armed robbery, a bit of MMA, and a large dose of stupidity.
First, let me ask a question: if you were looking to thieve a quick buck would you attempt to do so by approaching a guy who stands at 6'4" and looks to hit the scale at about 250? Of course not! Even if there are three of you, it'd be much easier to find just some average Joe walking about than someone like Antoni Hardonk, but the three misguided miscreants decide that they would approach Hardonk asking for money. When Hardonk came up empty handed, one of the three pulled out a homemade, two-inch shank. Really?! And right in front of the Los Angeles airport!
Mr. Hardonk obviously questioned the hardiness and guts of the three assailants and when they demanded his billfold, he simply said, "Come get it." They then went running like rats! Hardonk, thinking that to be the end, entered a car with his attorney, but as they started to pull away, he noticed the trio holding up another gentleman and then steal a purse from a woman. Wrong move guys, but then you don't think much do you?
The first two harassing the man never saw Hardonk as he bullrushed them and knocked them to the concrete, and Hardonk continued after the third, escaping with the purse, until the assailant wisely dropped the loot to escape Hardonk. For once, a smart choice. Hardonk retrieved the purse and returned it to the woman. While the trio eventually escaped by hopping a fence, they are lucky to escape with so few injuries. Perhaps they will be more cautious next time. I mean, wouldn't you rather just accept minimum wage now rather than risk running into another someone like Antoni Hardonk?
And, as I finish this post, I have come up with Monday's topic: Manly Mondays! Where I'll do my best to bring stories about random acts of manliness! Belch, swear, and drink a cold one or two: it's Monday! Leia Mais…
The One-Minute Writer (Monday)
The prompt:
"Imagine you will be sitting down a week from today to describe how your week
went. What do you hope you'll be writing?"
My response:
Hmmm...that is indeed a great question. Well, I hope that my entry would go something like this: I woke up Monday morning to find myself blindfolded and gagged as my captors drag me out the doors tied up in a blanket. They drug me to a vehicle, most likely a pickup truck, where the four of them threw me into the truck bed where I promptly whacked my head and was knocked out. I woke to a hard slap the next day in a small airplane hanger outside of Fayetteville as a tall fellow wearing a Marilyn Monroe mask faced me. He then picked up a small electronic device to mask his voice. He showed me a picture of my wife and said if I ever wanted to see her again, I would have to complete a couple of jobs. Then, all the men and women in the room piled into three pickup trucks and sped away.
Shortly thereafter, two police cars pulled in and the officers, saying nothing, cut me lose, handed me a manilla envelope, and then left just as quick as they arrived. I opened the envelope dispursing its contents onto a small metal desk. There was a photo, a small slip of paper which read 02 - 24 - 35, a Ford car key, and a hotel keycard for a Marriott hotel. Taped to the keycard was another small slip of paper which read 428.
A phone rang. It was the University of Arkansas fight song. My cell phone, so I reached into my pocket and answered. It was my wife although she sounded mechanical and a bit frightened. She said, "you have four days to complete the tasks they have for you or I will never see you again," and then a male spoke, "four days. Call the police, and we'll know. Do what we need and you and your pretty Mrs. B---- will be together and free again."
"Why me?" I asked.
"You're nobody, and you love her enough to do it," he answered and then the phone went dead.
Right, so four days to do what exactly? I looked at the photo and laughed. It was Kevin Smith, you know, Silent Bob? So, what did this have to do with my wife and me? I decided to call the Marriott hotels in the area. I eventually found two that had more than three floors and visited the first. Room 428 was vacant. Twenty minutes later, I was at the other. Room 428? Rented to a Mr. Johnson. I thanked the front desk clerk, and took an elevator up. The keycard fit, and I entered half expecting someone to either shriek or club me. Nothing. The television was on Fox News. "Hello?" I asked. No answer.
After shutting the door and quickly checking the room, I found myself alone. There was a mini-fridge on the squatty dresser and a small safe in the closet. I tried the safe: locked. I fumbled for the slip of paper and entered the combination. It worked, and upon opening the safe, I found another manilla envelope with my name across the front. I spilled it out onto a bed and found a plane ticket, a car rental reservation, and $500. The ticket and reservation were to New York and for a silver Ford Taurus at the Hertz counter. That must be what the key was for. Maybe?
On the back of the envelope were a few instructions:
Get on the plane leaving Little Rock tomorrow morning, fly to New York, get the car and drive to 12269 N. Johnson Ave in Trenton, NJ. Knock twice on the door and wait for Miles to answer. Tell him your there about Mr. Smith's appointment. He'll detail your assignment from there. Burn this envelope.
Halfway to New York, after a brief stop in Chicago, it had dawned on me that I had not once thought to call the police or FBI. How stupid? Who knows, but as the plane touched down, I began to sweat. I pulled out the carry-on and exited. I went to the rental desk and showed the bleach-blonde twiggy woman my reservation. She handed me a key, and pointed to a door as she simply said, "thank you for choosing Hertz. Enjoy the city!"
I stopped at an information desk to pick up a map of the area so I could get to Trenton. The traffic wasn't nearly as horrible as one might think, and except for a couple of stops, it was smooth driving the major part of the way. I pulled up in front of the address: a small deli that seemed closed. I thought twice about it before knocking, but upon ending the second tap, a squatty, plump and balding man answered. "Miles? I'm here about Mr. Smith," I told the man, half whispering.
"Come in," he grumbled as he yanked on my collar.
I entered and smiled as I took in the savory-sweet aroma of what smelled like spaghetti. I tried to open a conversation: "Cooking something?"
He didn't answer but pointed toward a table and chairs, motioning me to sit. As I did so, he ventured off into another room behind the large glass counters which were dark and empty.
A few minutes later, he returned with two large plates of fettucine with chicken covered in a red sauce. "Might as well eat while we're waiting," he huffed before he began inhaling his own pasta.
Twenty minutes later, three men entered the front door carrying briefcases. No, not those metal "spy" cases, just regular briefcases of fake leather. They joined us at the table and one of them spoke, saying with a small chuckle, "no dinner for us Miles? For shame, you don't have any manners do you, old buddy?"
Miles just smiled, exited to the kitchen, and returned with three more heaping plates.
--I can't mention any more of these three. Just suffice it to say that I received a generous compensation from them along with some documents which aided in my task which was to kidnap Kevin Smith. Yes, I know, this is the stuff of movies, but it did happen. Perhaps you heard of the car which flew from the 42nd level of a parking deck in New York into a hotel? Yes, that was part of the scheme. It allowed me to "escort" Mr. Smith from the Hilton where he was doing an interview about a new movie.
Don't worry, he's not hurt nor dead. Just "borrowed" as they put it. The wife and I are back in Fayetteville, and we never take for granted the time we have together. Other than that, we still go out; we still plan on traveling although it may be in a car or train instead of by air, but we enjoy ourselves. Overall, it was a bit gruelling and definitely not something I wish to do again. Either way, I was able to fly a helicopter, steal loads of cash, and kidnap Kevin Smith. Not bad for one week!
And then I woke. The cat was licking my toes again. Yep, all a dream, but what a dream it was! Leia Mais…
The One-Minute Writer: Sacrifice
Today, on The One-Minute Writer, the topic was too important for me to pass up, so here's today's writing prompt:
What is the greatest sacrifice anyone has ever made for you?The answer to this prompt hit me literally the moment I read it. Hands down the single greatest sacrifice anyone has ever made for me was when my wife agreed to marry me. Okay, ha-ha, I know that I've joked about it being horrible to live with me, but at the time we were to be wed, I was a special case indeed.
First, there was the age: I was 22, and she was 19.
Second, and more importantly, I was (am?) Mormon. And not just a Sunday, church-going Mormon. I had just recently, like a year before, returned from a two-year mission for the church and was really feeling those Mormon oats. The reason this was especially hard for the wife was that while she had become Mormon, her parents hadn't. This meant that they were not even able to give their daughter away at the ceremony. In fact, the only person at the ceremony close to either of us was my mother.
Why did we do this? I don't fully know. Because it was expected? Partly. Because of faith that blessings would spring forth eternally and that we would benefit because of it? Maybe. But the main reason we did it was because Mormons believe that all who are sealed (read: married) in a temple will be together forever, and more than anything, the wife and I truly love each other and desire to always be with one another. If that meant going down this path, then so be it. She followed me through it all, and the worst thing is I never gave any of it a second thought. I knew I loved her, I wanted to be married, but I never questioned the religion itself. I will forever be grateful for her sacrifice and now think twice before venturing into any decision.
So, four years, no children, and a lot of meditation and tears later, we indeed feel much differently. First of all, we are truly happy to be together and we always have fun. Secondly, we know that as we now look back we realize that we were young and headstrong. Third, I am grateful to her parents for sacrificing their happiness and joy so that the wife and I could make our decisions based on our desires (however different or sideways they may be sometimes).
Lastly though, and most importantly, I'm most thankful that the wife still said yes to me and to us (and still does daily!). Her heart still breaks thinking back on our ceremony and the utter loneliness there was in that room. She wanted it to be different, more familial, but she followed me wherever I was to lead. I'm sorry that I never gave her that walk down the aisle with her father giving her away to me. I'm sorry that I was the cause of so much heartache, but I'm not sorry that we are married. I'm forever grateful for my wonderful partner and love! She truly is my fountain of joy, pleasure, and happiness. Her smile and laugh can drag me out of the deepest, darkest pits, and her tears, though few, rip me through and through every time.
We have since made many different and more thoughtful decisions regarding our joint spirituality and although it most definitely isn't "what mother wants," it is what we want. And that, my friends, is the seat of a happy and successful marriage. I'm sure that we will continue to grow and as we do, the topic of spirituality will always swirl in and out and around our lives, but of one thing I am confident: life is what we choose it to be, always.
*Edit: We've since talked about the marriage and parents issue several times and have decided to do a renewal of vows so that her parents can be there and so that her father can give her away if she wishes. I love that woman! Leia Mais…
Miscellaneous Thoughts on Reading
Lately I've been extremely interested in a series of books by John Norman entitled the Gor series. It's a series detailing the various accounts of a people who inhabit a Counter Earth: a planet extremely similar to Earth in almost every way except that it orbits the sun in the position exactly opposite our Earth (i.e. a mirror to Earth's orbit).
This series has been extremely interesting, but as I was reading the fourth of the series, Nomads of Gor, and a friend of mine lent me his electronic copy. I opened it in Microsoft Word, and as I got to page nine or ten, a message popped up from Word: This document contains too many spelling and grammatical errors for Microsoft Word to continue processing. Click "OK" to continue. That actually made me laugh, and granted some of the words were fictional characters, creatures, and implements, it still had a plethora of legitimate spelling and grammatical mistakes. I thought it was just hilarious that Microsoft Word not only confirmed that in its own small way, but Word actually gave up trying to help me fix those mistakes!
In other news, though, I was listening to Bill Maher the other day on YouTube and on his show (via HBO) he runs a segment entitled New Rules where he mentions ironic "new" rules we should set up in the country based on idiotic or illogical precidents that have been showcased recently by the media-at-large. Well, New Rule: We don't need any new electronic devices to simply hold a novel or multitude of novels.
If I don't have time to buy the book and bring it with me or it isn't available electronically to read on a computer. Who cares?! Don't sell us another useless piece of technojunk that will be outdated the minute it reaches us! If you want to sell electronic copies of books/newspapers, then do so through current technological means. We have enough gadgets, gizmos, and thingamajigs to give us cancer (okay, really just a headache). We don't need another one! Especially if it resembles anything like this:
