Monday, December 12, 2011
Getting back into blogging
I'm going to get back into blogging. After all that's happened hear lately, kinda miss it honestly. Updates from last time: I didn't finish the Autumn Friendly, but had a few good battles, so it was all good. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. It's been a little rough, still getting used to some things, but something I added onto the blog here this morning I think should help. Some of you may have notice a new tab up top that says Sugar Levels. It's a chart of my blood sugars, and I figured it would not only help make sure I get on the blog more often, but would help my diabetes doctors keep track of me. I'm still going to do Gamer Thoughts, Penny's Worth, and my story, so if you guys have anything you want me to talk about for the Gamer Thoughts or Penny's Worth, let me know. Other than that, what I'm thinking I might do is sometimes, if I don't feel like typing or something, I'll post a video with what I wanted to type.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
So it's been awhile
Quite a bit has happened since my last post. I was sick that first weekend, most likely from the dust from work, and the following week my great grandma passed away. Work changed some once I got back, and it's a little easier to manage everything, but still has it's difficulties. I've also got a plan for saving up for my college for paleontology. If all goes well, I should be out of the charcoal plant by the end of July, 2013. I've also entered the nintendo wifi tournament, 2011 Autumn Friendly. Hoping I have luck in it.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Warrior Rapter: Legend of a Legend, Chapter 6
Warrior Rapter could feel the darkness he was in letting up. Slowly his body was regaining it's feeling, it's strength. He could start to hear voices. They sounded like they were arguing, but the words were muffled still.
"... creature... danger... killed..." Words had come into focus. He reasoned the words were the mayor's. His mind went back to his last memory he could recall, and he suddenly wished he could see and move.
"... reacted... Jack... You caused... great buffoon." The words were becoming even less faded. Doubtless that was Marg. He wondered how she was holding up after what had happened to Jack.
"I want him... my town, Marg. He is a clear and... present threat to this community. I don't care that he was reacting to my action with Jack, he will never truly be accepted by humans. He is a monster, and monsters must be slain."
He wished those words had stayed faded. True, he was acting in defense of Jack, but he also knew that few humans would accept him for what he was. He tried not to let it bother him most of the time, but it was a fact he could never escape.
"And I want you out of my tavern right now. Mr. Rapter could wake up any moment now by Leiutenant Hutch's figuring, and I don't want any more incidences, least of all in here! So out!"
"Just remember, Marg, I want him gone by sunrise, or I'll come and finish the job. And I won't be alone!"
He heard the tavern door shut rather loudly. He wanted to get up, to say something, but he found he still lacked the strength to move, even though he could clearly hear now. He heard more conversation.
"Have you any news on Jack, Lieutenant?"
"None yet, madam. I had one of my fastest horsemen rush him to a healer I know in a town to the north, with explicit orders to keep us posted on any news."
Jack wasn't dead? Warrior Rapter thought to himself. He felt relief, both for him and for Marg. Maybe the mayor is right. Maybe I am a monster. He quickly disregarded the thought.
"Is there anything you can do for Mr. Rapter, Lieutenant? He's been a friend of mine since I was a little girl, and he's known Jack just as long."
"I'm afraid not. The mayor has the jurisdiction down here. He grew up with you and Jack?"
"Oh, no. It's a funny thing, he hasn't changed a bit in appearance since I was little that I can recall. Jack has mentioned the same before. He's just always been a friend to us. He's been a friend of my families, really. My father told me that when he was little, he helped Mr. Rapter learn how to speak with us."
"He was around when your father was little?! He doesn't look much older than a twenty year old human!"
"I know, but that's just Mr. Rapter for you. He keeps an eye on the children in the forest, even though he says he doesn't. But I know it for true, because for all the bandits in the area, we haven't had one child go into that forest without coming back. I even heard a few saying they were rescued from the bandits, even though that hadn't been gone a day. Some of the parents said that was just childish imagination."
"But you have reason not to believe that?"
"Yes, why, I was one of those children back when I was young!"
"I think I see why you defend him now. He protected you when you were young, and you're returning the favor now."
"Precisely, Leiutenant!"
Warrior Rapter couldn't help but feel a little comforted by those words. Marg was a true friend of his, he would never ask he to do some of the things she does, but she does them anyway, even when most of the rest of the town is against him. He attempted to move again, he managed to tap one of his finger claws on what he was laying on.
"I think he's awake, Marg, or starting to wake up. He's trying to move his hand."
"Mr. Rapter, thank goodness." She rushed to him and propped open his left eye. "He's still a little weak, Leiutenant. Grab me that glass I poured earlier." She closed his eye, and he heard shuffling and the sound of a glass being placed on the table.
"Leiutenant, could you hold his mouth open please? Careful of his teeth, heaven knows they are naturally sharp! Mr. Rapter, this is going to be a little spicy."
Spicy was putting it mildly. As soon as the concoction went down his throat, he felt like he could've been a dragon for all the burning. It jolted his body awake, he could feely move and speak now, but he was focused on trying to get the fiery feeling out of his mouth. Marg handed him another glass, this one with milk, and he drank it hastily, the burn disapating.
"Whatever that was," He said when he could breath again, "I do not want to try it again!" They all laughed a little bit before he continued, "How long was I out?"
"Nearly half a day now Mr. Rapter. The Lieutenant had to knock you out when you were struggling to get to the mayor!"
"You're quite strong, I didn't know how much longer I could've held you."
"What of Jack?" Warrior Rapter inquired.
"Sent him to a healer to the north. His injury was a little short of being mortal, but it needed tending to as soon as possible. I told my man to send word back if anything --"
Suddenly, a man rushed into the tavern, looking out of breath. The Leiutenant sprang up, a glint of recognition in his eyes, and hurried to the man as he was about to fall down.
"What news Diertry?"
"I'm afraid he couldn't make the trip, sir. We were ambushed by bandits on the road. I tried to hurry past them, but by the time I got to the healer, he said it was too late."
The four of them sat in silence, Warrior Rapter and Leiutenant Hutch looking at Marg, both feeling empathic for what she must be feeling now. The soldier, Diertry, stared at Warrior Rapter, as if puzzling whether to draw his sword on his belt or not. Marg just stared, a hint of disbelief in her eyes.
"... creature... danger... killed..." Words had come into focus. He reasoned the words were the mayor's. His mind went back to his last memory he could recall, and he suddenly wished he could see and move.
"... reacted... Jack... You caused... great buffoon." The words were becoming even less faded. Doubtless that was Marg. He wondered how she was holding up after what had happened to Jack.
"I want him... my town, Marg. He is a clear and... present threat to this community. I don't care that he was reacting to my action with Jack, he will never truly be accepted by humans. He is a monster, and monsters must be slain."
He wished those words had stayed faded. True, he was acting in defense of Jack, but he also knew that few humans would accept him for what he was. He tried not to let it bother him most of the time, but it was a fact he could never escape.
"And I want you out of my tavern right now. Mr. Rapter could wake up any moment now by Leiutenant Hutch's figuring, and I don't want any more incidences, least of all in here! So out!"
"Just remember, Marg, I want him gone by sunrise, or I'll come and finish the job. And I won't be alone!"
He heard the tavern door shut rather loudly. He wanted to get up, to say something, but he found he still lacked the strength to move, even though he could clearly hear now. He heard more conversation.
"Have you any news on Jack, Lieutenant?"
"None yet, madam. I had one of my fastest horsemen rush him to a healer I know in a town to the north, with explicit orders to keep us posted on any news."
Jack wasn't dead? Warrior Rapter thought to himself. He felt relief, both for him and for Marg. Maybe the mayor is right. Maybe I am a monster. He quickly disregarded the thought.
"Is there anything you can do for Mr. Rapter, Lieutenant? He's been a friend of mine since I was a little girl, and he's known Jack just as long."
"I'm afraid not. The mayor has the jurisdiction down here. He grew up with you and Jack?"
"Oh, no. It's a funny thing, he hasn't changed a bit in appearance since I was little that I can recall. Jack has mentioned the same before. He's just always been a friend to us. He's been a friend of my families, really. My father told me that when he was little, he helped Mr. Rapter learn how to speak with us."
"He was around when your father was little?! He doesn't look much older than a twenty year old human!"
"I know, but that's just Mr. Rapter for you. He keeps an eye on the children in the forest, even though he says he doesn't. But I know it for true, because for all the bandits in the area, we haven't had one child go into that forest without coming back. I even heard a few saying they were rescued from the bandits, even though that hadn't been gone a day. Some of the parents said that was just childish imagination."
"But you have reason not to believe that?"
"Yes, why, I was one of those children back when I was young!"
"I think I see why you defend him now. He protected you when you were young, and you're returning the favor now."
"Precisely, Leiutenant!"
Warrior Rapter couldn't help but feel a little comforted by those words. Marg was a true friend of his, he would never ask he to do some of the things she does, but she does them anyway, even when most of the rest of the town is against him. He attempted to move again, he managed to tap one of his finger claws on what he was laying on.
"I think he's awake, Marg, or starting to wake up. He's trying to move his hand."
"Mr. Rapter, thank goodness." She rushed to him and propped open his left eye. "He's still a little weak, Leiutenant. Grab me that glass I poured earlier." She closed his eye, and he heard shuffling and the sound of a glass being placed on the table.
"Leiutenant, could you hold his mouth open please? Careful of his teeth, heaven knows they are naturally sharp! Mr. Rapter, this is going to be a little spicy."
Spicy was putting it mildly. As soon as the concoction went down his throat, he felt like he could've been a dragon for all the burning. It jolted his body awake, he could feely move and speak now, but he was focused on trying to get the fiery feeling out of his mouth. Marg handed him another glass, this one with milk, and he drank it hastily, the burn disapating.
"Whatever that was," He said when he could breath again, "I do not want to try it again!" They all laughed a little bit before he continued, "How long was I out?"
"Nearly half a day now Mr. Rapter. The Lieutenant had to knock you out when you were struggling to get to the mayor!"
"You're quite strong, I didn't know how much longer I could've held you."
"What of Jack?" Warrior Rapter inquired.
"Sent him to a healer to the north. His injury was a little short of being mortal, but it needed tending to as soon as possible. I told my man to send word back if anything --"
Suddenly, a man rushed into the tavern, looking out of breath. The Leiutenant sprang up, a glint of recognition in his eyes, and hurried to the man as he was about to fall down.
"What news Diertry?"
"I'm afraid he couldn't make the trip, sir. We were ambushed by bandits on the road. I tried to hurry past them, but by the time I got to the healer, he said it was too late."
The four of them sat in silence, Warrior Rapter and Leiutenant Hutch looking at Marg, both feeling empathic for what she must be feeling now. The soldier, Diertry, stared at Warrior Rapter, as if puzzling whether to draw his sword on his belt or not. Marg just stared, a hint of disbelief in her eyes.
Monday, September 26, 2011
September 26, 2011
Seems like quite a few people are swapping shifts at work. Two of the morning people are now on the overnight shift, swapped with the overnight workers, and there's talk of more to be made from what I've heard. Wasn't too bad of a day though, had a few messes because I think the overnight utility guy who went to mornings isn't used to the shift yet.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
September 24, 2011
So, I decided to take a little break from Pokemon Black today, been playing StarCraft 2. I got the full version now, the Terran kinda grew on me with the demo. Playing through the campaign, it's got a real good story. Although, all I can say at the moment: in the mission with the Odin, Tychus is a pain in the ass.
Friday, September 23, 2011
A Penny's Worth of Thoughts Vol. 7
Is originality gone? Sometimes I wonder, especially when it comes methods of going into competition for games. It seems like most people these days want the fast and easy way, even though it may not be the legit way. I see it all the time, mainly in role-playing games. People look for specific builds, use third party programs to generate what they want, pretty much anything that is faster than figuring it out themselves or doing the hard work.
I understand that the meta-game can sometimes be a fierce competitive battleground, and that most players will do what they think they have to in order to get ahead, but I look at it the way most people would look at sports, there's the easy way of doing things, and the way it should be done. It's a concept that starts disputes among gamers, because it is often one not delved into enough so that the rules are set. Instead, they remain phased enough that many feel that, as long as it's within the "legal limitations" of the game, like the maximum distribution of stats, that the method of getting to that point does not matter.
I seek to change that. I have talked about it among friends of mine, and I'm using my Penny's Worth this week as a public declaration. I'm currently working on teams on Pokemon Black with the goal to challenge a site called Smogon University. My teams will be trained the way I have always trained my pokemon: through the process of breeding, effort training, and leveling within the game. Once they are done, I will go to the Smogon site and climb whatever ladder that they deem to challenge me with. Win or lose, my goal is simply to show that just because a player choose to be unique in their ideas and use methods without third party programs doesn't mean that they can't still have a place in the meta-game. Sure, my guys probably won't have the maximum possible stats, or potentially the best movesets. But, I truly believe that for every weakness, there is a strength.
Just a penny's worth of thoughts, for anyone who wishes to read it.
I understand that the meta-game can sometimes be a fierce competitive battleground, and that most players will do what they think they have to in order to get ahead, but I look at it the way most people would look at sports, there's the easy way of doing things, and the way it should be done. It's a concept that starts disputes among gamers, because it is often one not delved into enough so that the rules are set. Instead, they remain phased enough that many feel that, as long as it's within the "legal limitations" of the game, like the maximum distribution of stats, that the method of getting to that point does not matter.
I seek to change that. I have talked about it among friends of mine, and I'm using my Penny's Worth this week as a public declaration. I'm currently working on teams on Pokemon Black with the goal to challenge a site called Smogon University. My teams will be trained the way I have always trained my pokemon: through the process of breeding, effort training, and leveling within the game. Once they are done, I will go to the Smogon site and climb whatever ladder that they deem to challenge me with. Win or lose, my goal is simply to show that just because a player choose to be unique in their ideas and use methods without third party programs doesn't mean that they can't still have a place in the meta-game. Sure, my guys probably won't have the maximum possible stats, or potentially the best movesets. But, I truly believe that for every weakness, there is a strength.
Just a penny's worth of thoughts, for anyone who wishes to read it.
September 22, 2011
Yawn.... ok, so, I've been kinda getting distracted here lately, and by the time I remember to post on the blog, been tired. So here's a short post. Still planning on the Penny's Worth tomorrow.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Warrior Rapter: Legend of a Legend, Chapter 5
Warrior Rapter turned toward the mayor and Jacoby. The mayor handed him a sword, and pointed at the places for Jacoby and him to stand for the start of the duel. He tried to judge the swords weight without losing what grip he had on the sword. It wasn't that it was heavy, but the curvature of his claws made it difficult to find a solid grip without almost scratching his hand.
He looked over to Marg and Jack. They looked as nervous as he did. He could tell they wanted to tell him that he didn't have to do this, but that they also knew that he had no choice. He wasn't going to let them be victimized on his behalf.
"I want a clean duel," the mayor intoned, "No dirt throwing, no claws, no biting." Jacoby and Warrior Rapter nodded before the mayor continued. "You are to make your opponent yield, that's it. Start on my mark."
Warrior Rapter could feel his senses heightening, his adrenaline starting to flow. Time seemed to slow down as he focused his gaze on Jacoby. He shifted his grip on his sword, managing to hide that he almost lost it when he did, and went into a defensive stance, right foot forward, body tilted back to the left, sword in both hands in front of him held straight.
"Mark."
He looked over to Marg and Jack. They looked as nervous as he did. He could tell they wanted to tell him that he didn't have to do this, but that they also knew that he had no choice. He wasn't going to let them be victimized on his behalf.
"I want a clean duel," the mayor intoned, "No dirt throwing, no claws, no biting." Jacoby and Warrior Rapter nodded before the mayor continued. "You are to make your opponent yield, that's it. Start on my mark."
Warrior Rapter could feel his senses heightening, his adrenaline starting to flow. Time seemed to slow down as he focused his gaze on Jacoby. He shifted his grip on his sword, managing to hide that he almost lost it when he did, and went into a defensive stance, right foot forward, body tilted back to the left, sword in both hands in front of him held straight.
"Mark."
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
September 20, 2011
Usual work day today. Wet shaker overflowing, dust collection clogging, press overflowing. Just another day. Working on my Pokemon Black game at the moment. I'm training a couple of teams for a high competition plan I've got brewing in my head. Hope it works out.
Monday, September 19, 2011
September 19, 2011
Well, today was pretty dull at work. We were down all day while waiting on the baggers to empty the silos a bit, so only had clean up to do today. Oh well, job is a job.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
September 18, 2011
Well, the broadcast was a bust, but maybe when the blog is a little more popular. Anyway, pretty good day today, played games like I usually do. Going to be back to work tomorrow, so, I'm enjoying things for now.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
September 17, 2011
So, my birthday today! I'll be honest, I completely forgot about the additional posts I was talking about last night, but on the flip side of that, I think I may have found a way to broadcast Gamer Thoughts. Still working out some kinks, but I think I'm going to do it through Ustream. I know that means advertisements could interrupt the broadcast, but the integration of not only facebook but also my youtube makes it a pretty good choice. For those interested, I'll have a post up tomorrow for the first broadcast, just to see what people think, at probably around 6 or 7pm Central Standard (GMT -6) time. If you guys like it, let me know, because if enough of you do, that could end up being the regular time for the broadcast. See you then.
Friday, September 16, 2011
September 16, 2011
Well, today was a pretty laid back day. I was allowed to stay home from work means they were probably going to stop running by the time my shift started, just going to be eight hours short on my next check. My birthday is tomorrow, so I'm planning a special set of posts for my blog. That's pretty much it for now
Thursday, September 15, 2011
A Penny's Worth of Thoughts Vol. 6
Music. One way or another, most of us can relate to a song or be inspired by an arrangement of instruments. We use music to dance to, escape from reality for a little bit, or distract ourselves from what we are doing. Like most other things, different aspects of it appeal to different people.
Me personally, I prefer the background music of games I play, not only because they are from some of my favorite games, but it never seems to surprise me when my mind thinks of a song to fit a situation I'm in, or which ones come to mind while I'm just sitting around. Sometimes at work, after I've eaten my lunch and still have around fifteen minutes of break left, I find myself using one of the wooden tables outside to keep to the beat of a song I have playing in my head, most often seems to be one from Donkey Kong Country Returns.
The reason I bring this up in a Penny's Worth is because sometimes we tie thoughts or visualizations to songs as well, even without realizing it, and sometimes that can be influenced. Here's how easy it is, using a song from OverClocked Remix: ChronoTrigger - Fight For Our Future. On first listen, it's a battle song, you can see two enemies dueling it out throughout the song. By the end, one of them has won. And it's a remix of a battle song, so why not right?
Me personally, I prefer the background music of games I play, not only because they are from some of my favorite games, but it never seems to surprise me when my mind thinks of a song to fit a situation I'm in, or which ones come to mind while I'm just sitting around. Sometimes at work, after I've eaten my lunch and still have around fifteen minutes of break left, I find myself using one of the wooden tables outside to keep to the beat of a song I have playing in my head, most often seems to be one from Donkey Kong Country Returns.
The reason I bring this up in a Penny's Worth is because sometimes we tie thoughts or visualizations to songs as well, even without realizing it, and sometimes that can be influenced. Here's how easy it is, using a song from OverClocked Remix: ChronoTrigger - Fight For Our Future. On first listen, it's a battle song, you can see two enemies dueling it out throughout the song. By the end, one of them has won. And it's a remix of a battle song, so why not right?
Now listen to it again. Do you hear the countdown timer to a long foot race at the start? You can probably see two people ducking, jumping, and dodging around obstacles this time, am I right? If I am, your mind was influenced by what I told you to listen for in the song. If not, perhaps you were envisioning something else at the time. Point is, sometimes a different perspective, even if it's just written words for a song, changes not only how you see things, but how you hear them.
Just a penny's worth of thoughts, for anyone who wants to read them.
September 15, 2011
Well, today was fun. The wet shaker and the press decided to be a pain today. A couple of the guys were also trying to unplug a drainage ditch we have in the back. Hopefully it'll help a flooding problem we have back by the hoppers. Got to thinking a little more today too, but I'm still working things out in my head. Which reminds me, no I'm not skipping Penny's Worth today, just doing it after the daily post this time.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
September 14, 2011
Well, we finally got off of yellow starch. Also got a couple of new wheelbarrows, which really helps. Today wasn't too bad, although the wet shaker was being a pain today. Probably didn't help that the material was so steamy that, by the time I left, it actually started raining inside the building in some spots. Also been thinking quite a bit about ideas I have. I'll explain that later, maybe.
Warrior Rapter: Legend of a Legend, Chapter 4
"If you don't mind me asking, Marg, who was that soldier inside the Feather?" asked Warrior Rapter as he was pulling the last of the wood from the barrow.
"He's Leiutenant Gregory Hutch from the King's army. Says he's down here looking for recruits to aid in the war with the north. Funny thing is, I don't recall ever hearing about a war before now."
"I have, me dear, and I'm not fond of it, I aint. I hear tale that they do be battling renegades and gypsies. Mr. Hutch asked me if I'd join, he did, but I told him I'd have none of it. Besides, if I did, who would watch the lumber yard?" Jack added.
"Why would they need more recruits against renegade?" Warrior Rapter inquired.
"Story is they have some sort of powerful mage as their leader, someone who has allies with other creatures, he does. I don't believe such a word, but it's what I hear."
"Whatever the reason, I do know that Jacoby signed up with him," Marg added.
"That'll be a problem and a half for the King! If Jacoby gets part of the army, he be the one starting the wars, he would. Anyway, enough talk about wars, Marg, what say we get Mr. Rapter back to the Feather, eh?"
As they three of them walked back to the tavern, however, Jacoby met them on the road. He had the mayor of the town, Arnold Niles, with him. Warrior Rapter couldn't help but wonder why Jacoby had his father with him.
"I heard tell that you were in town, Mr. Rapter. I also heard that my son gave you a little difficulty at the gate today. Well, I say good on him --"
"You would," Marg muttered.
Arnold gave her a glare before continuing. "As I was saying, means Jacoby is to be recruited into the King's army, I feel it best if any disputes he has here be ended before he leaves. So, I want you and him to duel, Mr. Rapter, match swords against each other in the middle of town until one of you yields --"
"I don't want to fight." Warrior Rapter started to walk toward the tavern, shoving past Arnold and his son.
"Mr. Rapter, I'm afraid this is an offer you can't refuse. If you do, I'll not only kick you out of my city, but your friends, Margarette and Jack Willard, as well."
Warrior Rapter stopped in his tracks and paused a moment.
"You would really steep that low as to kick the owners of your lumber yard and tavern out?"
"If it would keep you out of this city once and for all, I'd not only do it, but tell all the city guards to treat them the same way they treat you if they try to come back for any reason."
Warrior Rapter started to look around the block now. He noticed a crowd was forming, some of them looking pleased at the mayor's words, others shaking their heads. But they all seemed to be waiting on his response.
"I assume there's to be stakes on this duel as well then?"
"Quite simply put, if you beat my son, I want you gone forever." Warrior Rapter looked around at the ground again, the one's who had looked pleased before now had mischievious grins on their faces.
"And if I win?"
"I'll put it this way. You can keep your life the next time you are seen in town."
Warrior Rapter took one last look at the crowd, noticing that the majority of them were smiling now. They wanted to see him fight, to see him lose. And he knew he probably would. Even with his practice sword at home, his claws were cumbersome around an actual blade longer than his dagger. Sometimes he even had trouble with his practice sword. He noticed that the soldier, Lieutenant Hutch, was also in the crowd, but unlike the others, he leaned against the corner of a building smoking a pipe, seeming uninterested with what was going on.
Finally, he gave a sigh. "I'll do it."
"He's Leiutenant Gregory Hutch from the King's army. Says he's down here looking for recruits to aid in the war with the north. Funny thing is, I don't recall ever hearing about a war before now."
"I have, me dear, and I'm not fond of it, I aint. I hear tale that they do be battling renegades and gypsies. Mr. Hutch asked me if I'd join, he did, but I told him I'd have none of it. Besides, if I did, who would watch the lumber yard?" Jack added.
"Why would they need more recruits against renegade?" Warrior Rapter inquired.
"Story is they have some sort of powerful mage as their leader, someone who has allies with other creatures, he does. I don't believe such a word, but it's what I hear."
"Whatever the reason, I do know that Jacoby signed up with him," Marg added.
"That'll be a problem and a half for the King! If Jacoby gets part of the army, he be the one starting the wars, he would. Anyway, enough talk about wars, Marg, what say we get Mr. Rapter back to the Feather, eh?"
As they three of them walked back to the tavern, however, Jacoby met them on the road. He had the mayor of the town, Arnold Niles, with him. Warrior Rapter couldn't help but wonder why Jacoby had his father with him.
"I heard tell that you were in town, Mr. Rapter. I also heard that my son gave you a little difficulty at the gate today. Well, I say good on him --"
"You would," Marg muttered.
Arnold gave her a glare before continuing. "As I was saying, means Jacoby is to be recruited into the King's army, I feel it best if any disputes he has here be ended before he leaves. So, I want you and him to duel, Mr. Rapter, match swords against each other in the middle of town until one of you yields --"
"I don't want to fight." Warrior Rapter started to walk toward the tavern, shoving past Arnold and his son.
"Mr. Rapter, I'm afraid this is an offer you can't refuse. If you do, I'll not only kick you out of my city, but your friends, Margarette and Jack Willard, as well."
Warrior Rapter stopped in his tracks and paused a moment.
"You would really steep that low as to kick the owners of your lumber yard and tavern out?"
"If it would keep you out of this city once and for all, I'd not only do it, but tell all the city guards to treat them the same way they treat you if they try to come back for any reason."
Warrior Rapter started to look around the block now. He noticed a crowd was forming, some of them looking pleased at the mayor's words, others shaking their heads. But they all seemed to be waiting on his response.
"I assume there's to be stakes on this duel as well then?"
"Quite simply put, if you beat my son, I want you gone forever." Warrior Rapter looked around at the ground again, the one's who had looked pleased before now had mischievious grins on their faces.
"And if I win?"
"I'll put it this way. You can keep your life the next time you are seen in town."
Warrior Rapter took one last look at the crowd, noticing that the majority of them were smiling now. They wanted to see him fight, to see him lose. And he knew he probably would. Even with his practice sword at home, his claws were cumbersome around an actual blade longer than his dagger. Sometimes he even had trouble with his practice sword. He noticed that the soldier, Lieutenant Hutch, was also in the crowd, but unlike the others, he leaned against the corner of a building smoking a pipe, seeming uninterested with what was going on.
Finally, he gave a sigh. "I'll do it."
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
September 13, 2011
I hate stone arm days, I really do. Doesn't make it much better when one of the newer co-workers doesn't really do anything. He's been working for almost two weeks, has already had three complaints about him doing nothing sent in, that I know of, wanders around back to ask a loader driver if there's anything he can do when the press is overflowing, disappears quite often, and, when I was taking one of the dumpsters of starch bags to the trash compactor, he takes the pallet board I had on top of it, to keep the back from falling out, off and then when I tossed it back on by hand, he goes and tells the supervisor, who I had just told that I was going to bale the bags, that I'm taking the dumpster outside.
Sorry about the vent post.
Monday, September 12, 2011
September 12, 2011
So today at work was just a bunch of messes. Press overflowed, dust collection plugged up. It was almost as bad as a smoker day, except without the smokers. I did another catch up episode for Gamer Thoughts too, played Dungeon Lords this time.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
September 11, 2011
Ten years since the towers fell. It's a memory that most of us will never forget. I did a little commentary about what I remembered on that day in the Gamer Thoughts episode, which is currently in the process of uploading. Not really much of a memory, but, it was back when I was still in grade school after all. I'll update the blog with the episode for today as soon as it's uploaded, and I hope 9/11 this year has been good to all my readers.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
September 10, 2011
Not too bad of a day, except that I'm still feeling lazy today. Got the free version of StarCraft 2 installed today, and being having fun with it, so it's probably what I will use for the next Gamer Thoughts episode. Also been watching mom play Lego Pirates of the Caribbean. That's pretty much it today.
Friday, September 9, 2011
September 9, 2011
It's been a really slow day. You know, one of those that not only is slow, but makes you feel lazy because it is so slow. Hence the lack of an episode of Gamer Thoughts, Penny's Worth, and the near lack of even posting this. Long story short, we were going to run a little at work today to fill up the smaller silos, but turns out that not only did the maintenance personnel not quite finish putting the hammer mill back together, they left it locked out. Kinda hard to run a machine if you can't turn it on. So, today was just clean up. I'll make up for the laziness tomorrow...
Procrastination.... nasty habit.
Procrastination.... nasty habit.
Gamer Thoughts episode 2
Finally got it uploaded. Figured out I couldn't upload it directly, I have to go through Windows Movie Maker to post my videos on youtube, least the ones I record with Xfire. Anyway, here's the episode.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
September 8, 2011
So, the reason the Gamer Thoughts episode for yesterday still isn't up is because I'm having issues with the upload to youtube. I'm working on getting it caught up, but for now, no episode tonight. Other than that, I'm just glad we stopped running smokers. Today was a rough day...
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
September 7, 2011
I have the Gamer Thoughts video recorded, currently uploading the youtube, but its a long upload. I'll have it posted as soon as it's done. Other than that, today was a pretty easy day. Filled up the silos and had some down time for a bit. Only bad thing is we are starting smokers tomorrow.... Ugh.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
September 6, 2011
Work was what I'm officially calling a day from hell. Messes everywhere: dust collection clogged, press overflowed, brokens from the dryer. Yea, not a fun day. Also, decided to get a few test recordings on Guild Wars a little bit ago. Aside from probably not speaking loud enough, the recording went pretty well except for a glitch. I don't know if this is just Xfire reacting to Guild Wars or something, but when I watched the test videos, everything was upside down. Going to look into fixing it but, just a heads up, means I'm going to start on the catch ups tomorrow.
Monday, September 5, 2011
September 4 and 5, 2011
So I completely lost track of time yesterday. Completely sorry about that, but I still plan on catching up on my Gamer Thoughts videos this week, so look forward to that. Actually going to make this post a short one today, even though it's for two days. Going to be back at work tomorrow.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
September 3, 2011
So, first day with the laptop, and I have to say, I am loving it. Still in the process of getting my games on it, but what's left over is the ones I downloaded. Pretty much all the CD games are installed and ready to go. Planning out the episode catch up for the Gamer Thoughts tomorrow as I'm typing this, and might have a co-commentator, so that is really going to be fun. Everything is going good today.
Friday, September 2, 2011
September 2, 2011
Going to postpone the Penny's Worth this week, working on getting things installed and transferred to the new laptop. So, sorry for short post today.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
September 1, 2011
Wow... what a day. Dust collection plugged up, had some overflow on both the press and the wet shaker.... and that all was before my friend's shift started today! The messes got cleaned up though, let Mitch keep an eye on the starch for his first day. He was having some difficulty at first, but, he got better as things started to cool off. Only other thing that happened today was, as I was taking a bin out to the material piles to dump, got the forklift stuck on a soft spot. Had to get the loader drive to pull it out. Wonderful end to the day there.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
August 31, 2011
Not too bad of a day today at work. We were running mesquite briquettes all day, and other than a few messes, the only major thing that really happened today was filling the silos. A friend of mine starts his first full shift tomorrow at the plant, so that's going to be fun.
Warrior Rapter: Legend of a Legend, Chapter 3
Warrior Rapter wheeled his barrow toward the northeastern town gate, trying to be cautious with the wound on his back. He knew how the guards of the town would react to him arriving, even if he had returned with wood supplies for years. The two he noticed at the gate this time were Jacoby Niles and Ricard Loles. He prepared himself for the worst.
“Yo, Jacoby, look who 'tis. The great beast of the forest. Yer early this month, creature.”
“I had some bandits attack me earlier today,” Warrior Rapter calmly replied, “I came early to get some stitching.”
“You hear that, Ricard? He was attacked by bandits! Tell me, beastie, was it the same bandits from the place by the tree?” Jacoby smugly replied.
“I waited for you guys by that willow tree for several hours, and you never showed,” Warrior Rapter said, a little riled.
“Oh, did ye now?” Ricard said, “Well, we waited by that there tree ye pointed at when ye were explaining it to us, and we never seen ye.” Ricard pointed the same direction Warrior Rapter had pointed to at the time.
“Although, I have to say, that is the oddest willow tree I e'er did see, looks just like a pine tree to me, but, you can call it what you want” Jacoby added, looking at the tree just outside the gate.
“That is a pine tree, you buffoons, where you not listening to me when I was explaining how to find the bandit camp?” Warrior Rapter's voice was heated.
“Not our fault a beast like ye can't give proper directions,” Ricard intoned.
Warrior Rapter sighed, “Can I just get through the gate to deliver the wood and get some stitching, please?”
“Let a beastie like you terrorize the town? I think he's forgotten himself again, Ricard, what do you think?”
“Aye, that he has. Let's remind him who he is to us.” The both pulled out their clubs and walked toward Warrior Rapter.
“I don't want any trouble,” Warrior Rapter said, backing away from the thugs.
“Well, ain't that a shame, because just being who ye are is trouble, beast!” Ricard replied before he rushed at Warrior Rapter. He clocked Warrior Rapter on the side of the head with his club, which knocked Warrior Rapter to the ground. The two closed in on him.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
August 30, 2011
A bit of a hectic day today, several messes. I can honestly say I probably dislike broken briquettes from the dryer about as much as I do smoker briquettes. Everything went better towards the end of the shift though, other than my supervisor's wife had to go to the hospital because she hurt her back. Hoping things are going well there.
Monday, August 29, 2011
August 29, 2011
Well, today was a rather interesting and yet confusing day. We are on a new kind of white starch that, the best way I can describe it is..... salt. I'm serious, it looks like I'm dumping fifty pound bags of salt. Other than that, our things to do today were to fill up the blue and silver silos, then when the silver got close to empty, switch formulas so by the time it did go empty, the new formula should be coming out of the dryer so we can run it to silver. It takes about two and a half hours for briquettes to get through the dryer, and the silver silo holds about eighteen feet of briquettes when it's full. Here's the confusing part, we continued to run to silver, after we had filled it up, and were still running the formula we were running. Kinda hard for Bagging to empty a silo we are still running to.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
August 28, 2011
Played some more Unreal Championship 2 today, and looking forward to the laptop this weekend. I remembered that when I got on Guild Wars for a little bit, this week is going to be my over-time payday on Friday. It'll be about time too. I'm thinking when I get it, going to catch up on the Gamer Thought episodes. Also went through the "Find Friends" thing on facebook, added a few of the ones I knew. Probably going to head to bed after I post this though. I get the feeling it's going to be an interesting day tomorrow.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
August 26 and 27, 2011
Completely sorry about missing the daily post yesterday, got caught up in unlocking things on Unreal Championship 2. It came in the mail yesterday, so I was having fun last night. Not much to say, yesterday at work we were down for maintenance so it was just cleaning, and today, just played some more games.
Friday, August 26, 2011
A Penny's Worth of Thoughts, Vol. 5
People don't tend to like things that are new. We all are like that for something, simply because when we get used to a way of doing things, and a new way comes out, it takes us a moment to change over. That moment lasts longer for some than others, and that sometimes causes us to have a moment of frustration. But, something I think gets quite a bit of heat when something new comes out is entertainment media.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
August 25, 2011
This was a rather dull day actually. We filled up the silos we were suppose to run to about 7:30. That's about the most interesting thing today. Oh well, gave me more time to think about tomorrows Penny's Worth. I have a feeling this one is going to end up being more opinion oriented than the others have been, but, I hope that like the others, it makes you think and has a point.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
August 24, 2011
Today hasn't been too bad of a day back at work. We're on white starch, but we were trying out some new kind of crop coal. The wet shaker overflowed a bit too, but overall a good day, although I have a new injury. While I was trying to clean off the scraper we use for the wet shaker with a little hand scraper, it slipped and cut my finger. It kind of feels and looks like a paper cut now, except not quite as painful as a paper cut.
Warrior Rapter: Legend of a Legend, Chapter 2
The Velociraptor woke with the hint of sunlight coming through his bedroom window. He put on his brown shirt, belted on his dagger, and grabbed his ax before he headed outside to the barrow. He picked up a handle with one hand and started to walk his way back to the downed tree. He hoped today would be the last day for gathering the wood from that particular tree, as his memory told him there wasn't much left, especially after the week's worth of rot.
As he neared the tree, he took note of singing birds he could hear. Blue jays and Cardinals he thought some of them sounded like. He paused, trying to recall the last time he had seen or heard either bird in the forest. He came to the conclusion that he either couldn't remember or never had. He sniffed the air, trying to catch a scent he hoped he would not find. Unfortunately, he did find it. The stench of bandits.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
August 23, 2011
Well, I enjoyed my time off today. Pretty much have everything unlocked on Mario Party 8 now, and mom has beat the Lego Pirates of the Caribbean story. Going to back on the 2-10 tomorrow, plus going to post the next chapter of Warrior Rapter: Legend of a Legend, so keep an eye out for it. I'm going to head to bed for the night.
Monday, August 22, 2011
August 21 and 22, 2011
I'm going to hold off on the Gamer Thoughts episodes until I get the new laptop. I got to thinking about it, and probably would be better that way.
So, the past couple of nights at work were fun. After doing everything I needed to do, I was mainly on fire watch and patrolling the plant. Through patrolling, I found out one thing. I'm not an animal wrangler, that's for dang sure.
See, while I was patrolling, I seen two different little critters inside the plant on two different nights. First was a little white kitten I happened to see in the warehouse, the other was a frog that kind of surprised me in manufacturing. The kitten I seen leaving the plant with a couple of other cats later that night, but, I never seen the frog again. Other than that, wasn't really that bad at the plant. The thing that got to me the most was the lack of something to do for much of the twelve hours.
So, the past couple of nights at work were fun. After doing everything I needed to do, I was mainly on fire watch and patrolling the plant. Through patrolling, I found out one thing. I'm not an animal wrangler, that's for dang sure.
See, while I was patrolling, I seen two different little critters inside the plant on two different nights. First was a little white kitten I happened to see in the warehouse, the other was a frog that kind of surprised me in manufacturing. The kitten I seen leaving the plant with a couple of other cats later that night, but, I never seen the frog again. Other than that, wasn't really that bad at the plant. The thing that got to me the most was the lack of something to do for much of the twelve hours.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
A Penny's Worth of Thoughts, Vol. 4
Something I think people sometimes obsess over is normalcy and perfection. Let me start off by saying that neither one of them exist, they are simply a perception, not an actuality. Consider this: take a person who seeks perfection, someone who gets nervous when their grade in school drops below 95. I'm sure some of you guys know someone like that. What we see as perfection, to them, is normal, because it is a habit of theirs. Now take someone who wants to be normal. They seek so much to change themselves to fit in with others. In their minds, the normal people they want to be seem perfect.
August 19 and 20, 2011
So, I got caught up in a Mario Party game yesterday, by the time I finished, had to head to work. So what I'm going to do while I'm on the twelve hour shift is do a double post + any of the events of those days both today and Monday after I get home, if I don't fall straight to sleep on Monday. So, update on things: Walmart was out of stock on the laptop I was looking at, which means another probably low quality Gamer Thoughts video with a glitch Monday. Also, going to be heading back to work on my usual shift next Wednesday because my dentist appointment had to be canceled. Ah well, things will work out. I'll post Penny's Worth next.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
August 18, 2011
So, we're back on yellow starch. Yippee. Press overflowed, so, had a bit of a mess. Also had a bit of an accident when the forklift was dieing on me. As if the thing wasn't jumpy enough. Went to grab a starch pallet on the third level, ended up grabbing a bag on the second and pulled a couple off. Yea, wasn't a good day for me with the forklift. What a day, huh?
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
August 17, 2011
Wasn't too bad of a day at work today, the mix was a bit wet, so the main issues were the press and the wet shaker. Apparently some of the loads of char we have been getting have been pretty wet. Also had a plus of filling up the blue silo. Speaking of which, guess while I'm on it, should explain about the silos we fill up at the plant. There are three of them: blue, silver, and big. I'm not kidding, those are our identifiers for them. Blue is the smallest of the three, and the big, to me, almost looks like one of the silos you'd see at a grain farm. Anyway, wasn't too bad of a day today.
Today, I also got to thinking about a couple of things to do on the blog, some of which I'd like readers opinions on. For starters, to help make the daily posts a little interesting, I had an idea of a "Song of the Day" at the end of each post, where I post a song that has been going through my head at work that day, if I can find it on youtube. An example being the one below, an OverClocked Remix song: Skies of Arcadia 'Dungeon Cave (Buried Alive Mix)'. OCR songs generally have the game they came from within the title. Also got to thinking about having pages on the site for finding the Penny's Worth/Gamer Thoughts faster than looking through the archive, and one for fanart for the story, just in case any of you guys have any. Not going to lie, I'm good at writing, not so good at drawing. I'm also thinking about, if we do the live broadcast for the Gamer Thoughts, whether or not to implement the feed of the chat, means I could probably just as easy read the message of interest aloud. I don't know, just some thing I got to thinking about. Leave a comment with your opinions on any of it. Now, for the Song of the Day example:
Today, I also got to thinking about a couple of things to do on the blog, some of which I'd like readers opinions on. For starters, to help make the daily posts a little interesting, I had an idea of a "Song of the Day" at the end of each post, where I post a song that has been going through my head at work that day, if I can find it on youtube. An example being the one below, an OverClocked Remix song: Skies of Arcadia 'Dungeon Cave (Buried Alive Mix)'. OCR songs generally have the game they came from within the title. Also got to thinking about having pages on the site for finding the Penny's Worth/Gamer Thoughts faster than looking through the archive, and one for fanart for the story, just in case any of you guys have any. Not going to lie, I'm good at writing, not so good at drawing. I'm also thinking about, if we do the live broadcast for the Gamer Thoughts, whether or not to implement the feed of the chat, means I could probably just as easy read the message of interest aloud. I don't know, just some thing I got to thinking about. Leave a comment with your opinions on any of it. Now, for the Song of the Day example:
Warrior Rapter: Legend of a Legend, Chapter 1
The sun's glow upon the leaves of the forest mixed well with the cool autumn breeze flowing between the trees. The colors were a vibrant mixture of reds, greens, oranges, and yellows among the branches of the tall brown oaks, and even the shades seemed to provide their own palette of colors to the mix. A lone worker within the shade was chopping away wood from a tree he had downed near a week past.
He was a Velociraptor, unlike the humans that lived around the forest, his dark green scales and the long jagged black stripe down his back gave a sense of camouflage, but it was counteracted by the brown of his cloth shirt and the leather strap on his waist that held his dagger. He swung the woodsman's ax, splitting the wood it had hit into two halves. He put the two halves onto a pile of his other gatherings for the day, and as he gazed up at the sun between the leaves, decided to head home with is workload. He shouldered his ax, picked up a handle of the barrow, and wheeled it on to his forest home.
When he pulled his collection next to the side of his house, he looked over the clearing on that side, some of which he had cleared himself, and smirked. He had much of the clearing for practicing combat, using combat dummies he made out of some of the extra wood he harvested. He also had a large boulder with a flat top that he would lay on to bask in the sun. He looked back up at the sun through the oval shape sky above the clearing, and decided against basking at the time. He unloaded the barrow, placing the wood neatly piled next to his house. He put the ax leaning against the pile with the blade up off the ground to help prevent rust and bug juices. He went inside to grab his wooden practice sword and practiced his attacks, defenses, and stances until his scaly skin glistened with sweat. He looked back up the sun and decided to use the rest of the time before it hid behind the trees to bask before heading into the house to sleep for the night.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
August 16, 2011
Today was a pretty good day. No major messes, nothing that really broke down, although one of the outside belts tripped a couple of times. The mix was a little wet sometimes, but nothing major. It's good to be back on white starch, though. Lot less sticky at work. Also, my posts for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are going to be earlier than usual. Jesse Blundell, the overnight rotating shift guy, is going to be going to a family reunion, and I'm going to be substituting for him. The time is going to make up for the time I'm going to lose next week, due to me having surgery on some problematic wisdom teeth on Tuesday. Should be fun working 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Anyway, other than that, not much new today, other than I think I have an idea for these week's Penny's Worth, but that's for Friday.
Monday, August 15, 2011
August 15, 2011
So today we had a lot of issues at work. The oscillator belt motor burned out, hammer mill got jammed up, and we ran smokers, which means there were quite a few messes on the ground. Smokers are essentially a briquette where all we run is lime, sawdust, starch, and, today, borax. The good thing is, before the shift was over, we were back on regular briquettes, so tomorrow should be better.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
August 14, 2011 + Gamer Thoughts
I'm combining both the video and the daily post today, simply means other than technical difficulties, nothing much really happened today.
So, long story short, the laptop I have at the moment apparently hates recording videos. I try to record Guild Wars, it lags about two minutes in. I start to record the video that I used today, the fan kicks on about eight and a half minutes in and the computer lags, causing an interesting distortion effect and a shorter video than I planned for. But, you know, what the heck. Probably wasn't going to get it perfect the first time anyway, and at least now, I can honestly say, every other video should go better than the first one did. This coming Saturday, planning on getting a new laptop, which is much needed means this one is a five year old from Walmart computer. If I have a little extra, might look at the webcams too, because the quality of the video with the Logitech I have isn't the best anyway.
Anyway, here's the video, and for anyone who's curious, that Umbreon completely stalled me.
So, long story short, the laptop I have at the moment apparently hates recording videos. I try to record Guild Wars, it lags about two minutes in. I start to record the video that I used today, the fan kicks on about eight and a half minutes in and the computer lags, causing an interesting distortion effect and a shorter video than I planned for. But, you know, what the heck. Probably wasn't going to get it perfect the first time anyway, and at least now, I can honestly say, every other video should go better than the first one did. This coming Saturday, planning on getting a new laptop, which is much needed means this one is a five year old from Walmart computer. If I have a little extra, might look at the webcams too, because the quality of the video with the Logitech I have isn't the best anyway.
Anyway, here's the video, and for anyone who's curious, that Umbreon completely stalled me.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
August 13, 2011
It was good to see my uncle this morning and visit with family. Helped a little on a front deck that my grandpa is building on my great grandpa's house. I missed a few screws... but I swear they looked straight with the beam when I was putting them in. My aunt and uncle from Oklahoma came up too, with one of my cousins. Apparently he has glasses now. I told him, "You know, you're suppose to move your eyes when your playing games right?" Not that I can say much, myself, but I figured I'd give him a little bit of a hard time. Also showed him a few tricks of mine in the Battle Factory on his Pokemon Platinum he brought.
Friday, August 12, 2011
August 12, 2011
Well, today was another yellow starch day at work. Highlights of the day were that some shaft on one of the gears outside snapped apparently, seen four more Black Widows on one pallet of starch, and the power was going off around 9:30 I'll say.
I filled out a safety sheet about the widows, because that's a safety hazard for the people filling the starch hopper if they don't know to keep an eye out for them.
My uncle is in town too, going to be visiting with him tomorrow.
That's pretty much it for today.
I filled out a safety sheet about the widows, because that's a safety hazard for the people filling the starch hopper if they don't know to keep an eye out for them.
My uncle is in town too, going to be visiting with him tomorrow.
That's pretty much it for today.
A Penny's Worth of Thoughts, Vol. 3
Heroes. When people hear the term, some think of fictional icons. Spider-man. Hulk. Wolverine. Thor. Maybe someone thinks of the hero of their favorite book or movie. War veterans are also on peoples mind when it comes to heroes I'm sure. But what about the everyday heroes that are around us? Some of you probably started thinking firemen, policemen, or the EMT's in the ambulance, am I right? While, yes, those people are heroes, it doesn't have to take a death defying or life saving feat to be a hero.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
August 11, 2011
So yea, I decided to just put the date for the daily blog posts instead of counting the days. Figure it'll be easier to keep track of that way, means my daily posts will probably be at the end of the day like they have been.
Now, I figure some of my readers, like most of the people I know in real life, are probably curious about what I do at the charcoal plant. They want to know what my typical day is like at work. Well, this is how my typical day goes:
Now, I figure some of my readers, like most of the people I know in real life, are probably curious about what I do at the charcoal plant. They want to know what my typical day is like at work. Well, this is how my typical day goes:
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
The End of Day 1
So it's the end of day one for the blog. Work today was about the usual, working at the charcoal plant. About the only highlight there is I think I seen a Black Widow on the cardboard of one of the starch palettes after I had already put it in the dumpster. That made me a little more wary of the starch bags for the night.
So yea, started blog and seen widow, some highlights for today, eh?
Anyway, means I'm rather new to this, maybe I should properly introduce myself to those of you who don't know me. My name is Jesse Crocker, but my usual screen names online are Warrior Rapter or JakDragon, depending on whether or not Warrior Rapter is already taken or can't be used on the site. I'll be twenty years old in September, and as some of you may have seen with my earlier posts for today, I can be a bit of an oddball when it comes to some things. Not exactly sure what all you guys want to know, but, I know my blogging profile probably doesn't have too much. I work at a charcoal plant, like I mentioned earlier, and it's pretty routine most of the time. Something I've found out for working, both when I used to have a paper route and here at the plant, it helps me to keep my mind off my work once I have my routine down. Just makes the days not seem as long. Besides, these days, a job is a job, so really can't complain.
I hope you guys enjoy the blog, and please feel free to comment on any of the posts.
So yea, started blog and seen widow, some highlights for today, eh?
Anyway, means I'm rather new to this, maybe I should properly introduce myself to those of you who don't know me. My name is Jesse Crocker, but my usual screen names online are Warrior Rapter or JakDragon, depending on whether or not Warrior Rapter is already taken or can't be used on the site. I'll be twenty years old in September, and as some of you may have seen with my earlier posts for today, I can be a bit of an oddball when it comes to some things. Not exactly sure what all you guys want to know, but, I know my blogging profile probably doesn't have too much. I work at a charcoal plant, like I mentioned earlier, and it's pretty routine most of the time. Something I've found out for working, both when I used to have a paper route and here at the plant, it helps me to keep my mind off my work once I have my routine down. Just makes the days not seem as long. Besides, these days, a job is a job, so really can't complain.
I hope you guys enjoy the blog, and please feel free to comment on any of the posts.
A Penny's Worth of Thoughts, Vol. 2
I am an observer. Always have been, probably always will be, but what can I say, when your growing up getting picked on, it's helpful to have a source of entertainment. I may not be much on what some people call "common sense", but I truly believe you can learn quite a bit about other people by watching them.
Sometimes, though, even for someone who's observed others for years, you can still run into things that just make you ask "Why?" Why do people think they have to have bulging muscles, a thought that often crosses my mind. People often seem to see "strength" as a physical attribute, something you can lift weights in order to improve. Not too many seem to think about other strengths, least not where I live. Endurance is one that I can think of off the top of my head.
Usually, when I got picked on, it's because someone took one look at me and pretty much thought they could break me like a twig. I think what few of them realized is just how much my body could take. I've walked a paper route after an ice storm because there were some power lines on the road and I didn't trust riding a bicycle on the ice. I've lost part of a toe due to a lawnmower without hardly feeling any pain..... least until time to change the dressing on the stitches after the fact. When I was little, I used to love jumping off of things: tree branches, swings while I was swinging, even down stairs. All that is before the bumps, bruises, and cuts of just everyday life and bullying. So the thought has always puzzled me, why do people think they need to have bulging muscles for strength?
The most I can think of as an answer is that it's just an association people have. "If you want to be strong, you have to have muscles this big" or something like that. If you are reading this and happen to be one of those people that want to have big muscles, sorry, but, there's other ways to be strong. You can be strong charismatically, have strong leadership abilities, a good endurance, even just be really clever at figuring things out. And if you are someone who has picked on someone before because of their lack of muscles, I'd ask you to stop. You might be surprised what us little guys are capable of.
Just a penny's worth of thoughts, for anyone who wants to read them.
Sometimes, though, even for someone who's observed others for years, you can still run into things that just make you ask "Why?" Why do people think they have to have bulging muscles, a thought that often crosses my mind. People often seem to see "strength" as a physical attribute, something you can lift weights in order to improve. Not too many seem to think about other strengths, least not where I live. Endurance is one that I can think of off the top of my head.
Usually, when I got picked on, it's because someone took one look at me and pretty much thought they could break me like a twig. I think what few of them realized is just how much my body could take. I've walked a paper route after an ice storm because there were some power lines on the road and I didn't trust riding a bicycle on the ice. I've lost part of a toe due to a lawnmower without hardly feeling any pain..... least until time to change the dressing on the stitches after the fact. When I was little, I used to love jumping off of things: tree branches, swings while I was swinging, even down stairs. All that is before the bumps, bruises, and cuts of just everyday life and bullying. So the thought has always puzzled me, why do people think they need to have bulging muscles for strength?
The most I can think of as an answer is that it's just an association people have. "If you want to be strong, you have to have muscles this big" or something like that. If you are reading this and happen to be one of those people that want to have big muscles, sorry, but, there's other ways to be strong. You can be strong charismatically, have strong leadership abilities, a good endurance, even just be really clever at figuring things out. And if you are someone who has picked on someone before because of their lack of muscles, I'd ask you to stop. You might be surprised what us little guys are capable of.
Just a penny's worth of thoughts, for anyone who wants to read them.
A Penny's Worth of Thoughts, Vol. 1
For many years, people have asked me why I like to just watch people, and my response has always been, "You'd be surprised what you learn just watching and listening." Through observation, you learn that it's not uncommon for things to seem different than what they are, even things that are right in front of us, yet there can be similarities, and to a silent observer, these can be kind of puzzling. Two friends playing a game against each other can seem to be the worst of enemies at each others throats, two people who are just having trouble understanding each other can seem like two people in a heated argument, each trying to prove their own point.
I had a similar experience today at work between my supervisor and one of the loader drivers, both people I know like to joke with each other. I don't know exactly what went on, but while I was sweeping by one of the conveyor belts, I heard what sound like my supervisor yelling, and not too happily. I looked up to see him walking to get a sample off another conveyor, and to me, things pointed to him being upset: His pace was a little faster, shoulders seemed a little rigid, and his hands in his gloves seemed clenched. I then look at the loader driver, heading up to the press controls not too far behind, and I see him laughing. I didn't know if it was another joke with them or if something might have been said that my supervisor didn't like.
I stepped carefully around him for a few minutes, just to be safe. After my fifteen minute break not too long after, it seemed nothing was different, which, although I didn't ask to see what had happened, lead me to believe either it was another joke, or whatever was said wasn't very major.
I mention this because it raised a thought in my mind: If someone were to see or hear something between you and one of your friends, whatever it is, how might they misinterpret it? Sure, to some, this may seem trivial, and everyone has certain ways of acting or joking around friends, but, to an outsider looking in, could it seem different than what it is?
Just a penny's worth of thoughts for anyone who wants to read it.
I had a similar experience today at work between my supervisor and one of the loader drivers, both people I know like to joke with each other. I don't know exactly what went on, but while I was sweeping by one of the conveyor belts, I heard what sound like my supervisor yelling, and not too happily. I looked up to see him walking to get a sample off another conveyor, and to me, things pointed to him being upset: His pace was a little faster, shoulders seemed a little rigid, and his hands in his gloves seemed clenched. I then look at the loader driver, heading up to the press controls not too far behind, and I see him laughing. I didn't know if it was another joke with them or if something might have been said that my supervisor didn't like.
I stepped carefully around him for a few minutes, just to be safe. After my fifteen minute break not too long after, it seemed nothing was different, which, although I didn't ask to see what had happened, lead me to believe either it was another joke, or whatever was said wasn't very major.
I mention this because it raised a thought in my mind: If someone were to see or hear something between you and one of your friends, whatever it is, how might they misinterpret it? Sure, to some, this may seem trivial, and everyone has certain ways of acting or joking around friends, but, to an outsider looking in, could it seem different than what it is?
Just a penny's worth of thoughts for anyone who wants to read it.
The start of the Blog
Well.... Hardest part is here, I'm going to kick off this blog. Here's the plan, means I find it sometimes helps to have a plan at the start, even if something changes later on:
Wednesdays - Posting a chapter a week of a story I'm writing called Warrior Rapter: Legend of a Legend for you guys to read. No, the "Rapter" part isn't misspelled, that's how I put the name, both for the story and when I use it as a screen name.
Fridays - Penny's Worth of Thoughts. Essentially, like my notes on my facebook, going to type about observations I have, and my thoughts on it. The title is suppose to be a twist of how, when people see you thinking, something they might ask is, "Penny for your thoughts?"
Sundays - Gamer Thoughts. If someone has a better title, feel free, it's just an idea for now, but what it is, using youtube and the video add-on on the blog, going to post a video of playing a game while commentating on things like I would in Penny's Worth. Might also have co-commentators sometimes, if people want.
Everyday - Posts about anything new that day, whether at work, at home, or on games. Probably going to be mostly on games, means not much else happens most of the time XD.
First thing I'm going to do though is repost my Penny's Worth notes here, so today is going to be a multi-post day. Hope you guys enjoy the blog.
Wednesdays - Posting a chapter a week of a story I'm writing called Warrior Rapter: Legend of a Legend for you guys to read. No, the "Rapter" part isn't misspelled, that's how I put the name, both for the story and when I use it as a screen name.
Fridays - Penny's Worth of Thoughts. Essentially, like my notes on my facebook, going to type about observations I have, and my thoughts on it. The title is suppose to be a twist of how, when people see you thinking, something they might ask is, "Penny for your thoughts?"
Sundays - Gamer Thoughts. If someone has a better title, feel free, it's just an idea for now, but what it is, using youtube and the video add-on on the blog, going to post a video of playing a game while commentating on things like I would in Penny's Worth. Might also have co-commentators sometimes, if people want.
Everyday - Posts about anything new that day, whether at work, at home, or on games. Probably going to be mostly on games, means not much else happens most of the time XD.
First thing I'm going to do though is repost my Penny's Worth notes here, so today is going to be a multi-post day. Hope you guys enjoy the blog.
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