Blog of a Guy named Sean

B----ing

2009-03-07T21:38:00.000-08:00

Hey, I wrote this a few days ago. I feel much better now, but I figured I would share it.

Hi whoever,
I am feeling really out of sorts right now. I will pray about it, but I just need to get this out right now. I am lonely. All around me, I see my friends and people I know pairing up. Like the animals in the ark. Two by two, two by two. The part I really don't like is that I develop feelings for someone, and they find someone else out of the blue. All of a sudden, I am nobody. It hurts to think that someone can be so important to you, but you are so little to them. Do you know how much that hurts? It is like a horse kick to the heart. Try it sometime. Then again. Then again. After a while, it gets old. And for me, it happens every single time. Check it out.
WHY?!?!?!
Goodbye (for now)

THE 15 BEST LOOKING LADIES IN MOVIES AND TV (and 5 Honorable Mentions)

2008-10-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

These are the 15 Ladies in Movies and TV that I think are the best looking. Some are actresses, some are roles that are in one movie. I know that I may have weird tastes, but hey, don’t we all.
Remember, this list is entirely subjective and opinionated, ok. You might not agree with me, that’s fine. Just keep your comments clean and civil. Don’t insult people.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: (In no particular order)
DARIA AND JANE: I know they are animated and therefore not “real” ladies of movies and tv. That’s the reason they’re not on the list. Otherwise, they would probably be (at least) in the Top 5.
EVA GREEN: Watch Casino Royale, you’ll see what I’m talking about
ANNA PAQUIN: Played Rogue in the X-Men movies, can’t wait to see what she does next
JOEY LAUREN ADAMS: Of Mallrats and Chasing Amy fame.
LEA THOMPSON: Back to the Future (all 3 parts), Space Camp, Red Dawn, etc…she’s beautiful in all of them

15 ZOOEY DESCHANEL
First, I will freely admit that Zooey Deschanel is not the greatest of actresses. She plays most of her roles the same way. But, I am not ranking by talent. I first saw Zooey in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” (and I really don’t want to hear any talk about the movie vs the book vs the radio vs the bbc, please). I really liked the way she looked, especially her eyes and her smile, seriously. I think she is cute, and I like that. I like it a lot.

14 CLARICE STARLING from “Silence of the Lambs”
Played to perfection by Jodie Foster, Clarice is a tough FBI Trainee determined to solve the mystery placed before her by both Jack Crawford and Dr. Hannibal Lector. I enjoy watching Clarice go toe to toe with the Doctor. Also working in her favor is the fact that Jodie Foster is too cute for words in the role

13 ALLISON from “The Breakfast Club”
I know a lot of guys would have gone with Claire (played by the stunning Molly Ringwald). I always preferred Allison, or the “Basketcase”. Quirky, unconventional, and funny, Allison transforms through the day from the quietest of the bunch to bagging Emilio Estevez. And when she allows Claire to give her a makeover, we get a lady who is better looking than the Princess.

12 VELMA from “Scooby Doo”
I’m going to come out and say it, I liked the movie Scooby Doo. I love Scooby Doo series. And I have always had a crush on Velma. Especially when played by Linda Cardellini. In the movie, Fred and Daphne were bland, not-well-done, bastardizations of their actual character (Sarah Michelle Geller and Freddie Prinze, Jr OMG). Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby made up for it. Velma in particular. Velma is the brains of the outfit. Besides, (I’ll admit it) I’ve always had a thing for ladies in glasses.

11 KAREN ALLEN
If you are ever asked what Harrison Ford and Bill Murrey have in common (aside from working with Dan Ackroyd), I can give you a great answer right now. They both ended up with Karen Allen in movies from the early 80’s. Murrey starred with her in “Scrooged” where she called him Lumpy. Ford met her as the spunky Marion Ravenwood in “Raiders of the Lost Ark. These are two of my favorite movies of all time. This pair carved out a niche in my psyche that Karen Allen will always inhabit. Also, Indiana Jones met Marion again in the “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” proving that Karen Allen has still got it.

10 DANIELLE HARRIS
Chronically cute, this girl/woman has gone toe to toe with the likes of Micheal Myers (thrice) and Bruce Willis. Really, the only thing holding her back on this list is the fact that she has stayed away from the major limelight.

9 LTCMDR. KATHERINE HITCHCOCK from “SeaQuest DSV”
One of the shows that I grew up watching was SeaQuest. During the first season, the SeaQuest had Lt. Hitchcock as the engineering officer. Hitchcock was tough, fun, and just plain hot. If only they could have done something to make the HR Probe goggles less bulky.

8 DEANNA TROI from “Star Trek: The Next Generation”
Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Star Trek. I grew up on The Next Generation. And for me, like just about every male Trekkie of my generation, Deanna Troi was the first sex symbol. I don’t know how it made Marina Sirtus feel but its true. Every guy wanted to be Commander Riker (or later on Worf) in order to have the chance to be close to Troi. Admit it, you all know it’s true.

7 ROSE TYLER from “Doctor Who”
The Ninth Doctor’s regular companion, Rose embodied the young woman of today for the series and she could stand toe to toe with the Doctor (and any of the other aliens) in so many of their adventures. It didn’t hurt that Billie Piper is a beautiful woman. Rose was also the first companion to break through the Doctor’s barriers to such an extent that the Ninth Doctor sacrifices himself to save her life, and the Tenth actually admits his life (or so the producers tell us)

6 SIGOURNEY WEAVER
It doesn’t matter how you know about Sigourney Weaver. If you are a guy, and you have at least half of movie with Sigourney Weaver in it, there is a 99.999% chance that you think that Sigourney Weaver is a) hot, b) sexy, c) beautiful, d) all of the above, and/or e)way out of your league. Sigourney Weaver has had a career longer than my life. I know that. I don’t care. I thought she was nice in Ghostbusters (I was a really little kid, I didn’t know about sexy or hot yet). When I was older and saw the Alien movies, I thought she was sexy and tough. When I saw Holes and The Village a few years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to see that she is still sexy. Face it, Sigourney Weaver could take any man, and wrap him around her little finger.

5 PRINCESS LEIA from “Star Wars (the first one)”
Smart, sassy, and the best shot of the heros, Princess Leia starts off copping attitude to Darth Vader, who we soon find to be the baddest mo****f***er EVER! Leia spends the rest of the movie badmouthing Tarkin, insulting Chewbacca and the Millenium Falcon, talking down to Han, and outshooting Luke (well, she does). She does all of this in a not too loose white dress with a silver belt and cinnamon rolls over her ears. Much later, in Return of the Jedi, the Princess gave fanboys their ultimate dream, the Metal Bikini (you know you love it, we all love it).

4 NATALIE PORTMAN
Star Wars fans can have endless debates about whether or not the Prequel trilogy was worth the almost ten years it took to make them. One thing that defies debate, though, was the casting of Natalie Portman as Padme Amidala. Natalie has it all. She has great looks, smarts, and is a great actress. She also has a wonderful smile that can endear her to anyone.

3 CHRISTINA RICCI
I highly doubt that any guy born between 1980 and 1986 who saw either The Addams Family movie or the movie Casper could watch without getting a crush on Christina Ricci. She gave boys a demonstration of what happens when girls grow up. She continued working in movies, always choosing roles that were not quite conventional. Take Sleepy Hollow for example. She plays Katrina Van Tassel, who is sort of a witch, and she bags Johnny Depp’s Ichabod Crane. Later, in order to avoid the “Sex Symbol” label that Hollywood loves to throw around, Christina had her breasts reduced. I find that intriguing.

2 ROSARIO DAWSON
Rosario Dawson is one of the few ladies in Hollywood that does not need any make-up to look good. I’m serious. Rosario is just beautiful. And she is a very good actress to boot. Watch MIB 2 or Clerks 2 or Sin City or any movie with her. You will see what I mean.

1 LACEY CHABERT
I was fourteen when I first saw Lacey Chabert in the movie Lost in Space. Ever since then I have had a crush on her. One summer while watching my grandparents’ apartment, I would catch Party of Five because of Lacey Chabert. Lacey Chabert claimed the top spot with her good looks and her charming characters. I also really like her eyes.

Writing Project Part Three

2008-07-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

Chapter Two
The reactor shunt valve control in Abernathy’s hand was scrap.
“That’s the reason the reactor’s always losing power.” She said.
Commander Josef Balash took the small piece of equipment. “Any idea how long it has been busted?”
Ensign Abernathy shrugged, “Not really. This is from one of the secondary reactors. Commander Raul and I have been focusing on the Primary reactor.”
“So, it could have been busted during the siege?” Balash asked. He did not like broken parts going unnoticed so long by his engineering crew. “Knew I shouldn’t have left this job to the dock hands.”
The shipyard technicians usually did not bother with a ship’s secondary reactors. However, Dominant’s Reactor Officer, Lieutenant Commander Raul had insisted on tackling the repairs on the Primary. He could fix it, the techs would have insisted on replacing the whole reactor. Balash, on the other hand, had nearly gone mad dealing with the Station Commander, the Repair Crew Chief, his own Repair Crews, and Admiral Cjelli, Head of Fleet Engineering. “Do we have a spare valve control?”
“My team has already replaced it. And we have five in storage.” Five, that meant one per valve.
“Is the Primary reactor ready to go, Ensign?”
“Yes, sir. Ready and the connections have been made to all of the engines. We just finished the testing.”
Balash sighed in relief. It had only taken four months to get the reactors fixed and ready to go. Under normal conditions, Balash would be able to authorize leave for his crews. However, the conditions were not normal, and he and his men were stuck on the ship for the foreseeable future.
‘Damn,’ he thought, ‘Kris isn’t going to like this’
“Ensign, dispose of this, and report to the Captain. Tell him that we are ready to go.”
Abernathy saluted, then left his office.
Josef fell into his chair and turned on the comm terminal on his desk. He dialed the code for home. He hoped he got someone.
After a moment, the screen changed, and a loud noise came out of the speakers. Josef flinched. He still wasn’t used to the new kinds of music. It just hurt his ears.
It was his fifteen year old daughter Julia. She shared her mother’s red-brown hair and dark green eyes. She was jumping around the room, he guessed it was supposed to be dancing. “Who’s there?”
“Julia, is your mother around?”
Julia stopped, and looked surprised, “DAD! What are you doing?”
“Trying to speak to you mother.” He said.
“Um, she’s in the kitchen.” Julia said, “I’ll transfer you, okay?”
“Thanks, Julia.” He said.
The screen went blank for a second, then he got a view of the most beautiful woman in his world. She was smiling, he loved her smile. “Josef, its been awhile.”
“Sorry, honey, I have been busy with the repairs.” He really didn’t want to be having this conversation. “I’m afraid something has come up.”
Her face fell. She turned and walked away from the monitor. He could hear her kick something. She returned to view, and she was not happy. “You promised that you would get some leave after this week. We haven’t seen you in weeks, and we haven’t spent any quality time together in months.”
“I’m sorry, Kris, but-“ he sighed, “There was a Fleet Alert today. Admiral Clark is recalling everyone, and Admiral Stiles is mobilizing the Tenth. I’m sorry, but my hands are tied.”
“Always putting the Navy first, right, Josef.” She said bitterly.
“You know that’s not true, Kris.” He retorted. It was not. Josef, since the Academy had always tried to get a berth closer to home. However, his skills in the Academy had shown that he was the best of his class with Damage Control. He had never shied away from the hard decisions, like sending people into difficult situations. He had always stayed cool in simulations. And when he was told to make repairs, he could fix anything on a battlecruiser faster and better than anyone else. In other words, he had been pegged as a Chief Engineer since before his midshipman cruise. He had also excelled in the elementary tac and nav courses his first year, so he could someday look toward command of a ship.
The summer between his second and third years at the Academy when he had finally built up the courage to marry Kristina, he had hoped that the Admiralty would be kind and assign him to a ship in the Terran Sector Fleet, which never left the Solar System except in times of desparate warfare or major fleet actions, i.e. the siege of Norok-Nor. It didn’t happen. He’d been on his midshipman cruise on the Raptor when Julia was born, and it had broken his heart that he hadn’t been there for Kris. He was the Junior Engineering Officer on Raptor when Henry was born almost two years later. He’d been able to be home for the births of Rebecca and Steven in the fall of ’38 but only because his best friend Henry Terrik had just become Exec on the Raptor, and had expedited his request for leave through the Captain.
Later, after he had been made Lieutenant Commander, Balash had hoped that he could have gotten a transfer to one of the repair yards in the Solar System closer to home and his family, especially since Terrik was Captain and more than willing to sign the transfer orders for him. However, two things happened simultaneously. The Norakens had attacked, kicking off the ten year war, and Raptor had been lost. Balash and the rest of the crew had followed Terrik in taking a Noraken flagship, but the damage was done. Balash was assigned to the Dominant along with everyone else, a reward from Fleet Command for their “Outstanding and Valorous Actions in the face of Overwhelming Adversity”. Balash spent the next ten years fighting Norakens, fighting broken equipment, fighting the growing attrition as he lost more and more of his men, and fighting his wife, who was justifiably mad at the situation.
After the surrender eight months ago, Balash had started trying to get a transfer again, but with all of the casualties, and all of the empty slots on ships of the line, all Balash could hope for was a Ship-to-Ship Transfer and that wouldn’t let him be home.
“Kris, I’m really sorry.” He said, “I was really hoping that we were done, and I could come home, but-“
“Josef, we can’t keep going through this.” She was crying now. She composed herself, then added, “Good luck, and come home safe.”
“Kris, I-“ he wanted to apologize for everything, but he couldn’t, “I love you.”
“I love you.” She said.
It was a long time before either of them could bring themselves to close the channel. Finally, Engineer’s Mate Petty Officer Johnson entered the room, and Josef was forced to cut the transmission.

Captain Terrik stood flanked by Commander Hovell and Lieutenant Commander Novait. Two companies stood behind them. On the left was an Army company from the troops stationed on Dominant, all wearing their gray berets. The company on the right wore the red sashes of the Marines.
The shuttle docked with no difficulties, and as soon as the landing ramp and the door opened, Admiral Benjamin Stiles strode down the ramp with Major Pierce beside him.
“Permission to come aboard, Captain?” Stiles asked Terrik.
Terrik smiled, then answered, “Permission granted, Admiral. It is good to have you aboard, sir.”
Behind the captain’s uniform, Stiles could still see the young midshipman he had met at the Academy. Then Commander Stiles had just started teaching Astrogation. Then the instructor for Basic Tactics, Commander Schnell, had been forced to leave, he’d been diagnosed with a spinal tumor, and it had already started to affect his motor control. Stiles had been asked to take over the position, and it was in that classroom that he had met Midshipman First Year Henry Terrik. The young man was brilliant. He had passed Tactics with flying colors. He had also gotten through the Basic Astrogation course all midshipmen had to take with no problems. He had failed Introduction to Engineering, but Terrik was born to fight, not fix.
Stiles smiled back, “It’s good to be aboard, Captain. How is the fleet?”
“Admiral, most of the Second, the Third, and the rest of my division are already gathered at the Inner Defense Zone. We will be underway in forty-two minutes, and rendezvous with the rest of the fleet two hours and fifty-six minutes after that, according to Commander Novait here.” He said gesturing to the Astrogator and third-in-command.
“We’ll be cutting it a little close to one of the gas giants won’t we, Commander?”
Novait blushed. Standard time from Earth to the Inner Defense Zone was three hours and twenty-two minutes at full military speed, but by sling-shoting around Jupiter or Saturn, one could use the boost of speed to cut twenty minutes from the trip. Novait’s course would work if they dipped further into the planet’s gravity well than the Navy regs felt was comfortable.
Stiles turned back to Terrik, “What do you mean, most of Second Division?”
“Admiral, the Falcon, the ship to replace the Turnabout, arrived in system two hours ago. They are on their way to the rendezvous now.”
“Falcon was supposed to meet up with Allen’s division two days ago.” Stiles said. The Turnabout had been scrapped by Command after the Battle of Triton over a year ago, and Falcon’s division had been decimated during the Siege. Therefore, Falcon was being reassigned to fill Turnabout’s berth while the Fourteenth Battle Fleet got a brand new second division.
“Apparently, Sirius Control told Captain Francis that Bill had been dispatched to Centauri. Falcon got to Centauri two days ago, then got sent back here.”
“It took them two days to go four light years?”
“No sir, it took them a day and a half to find out we were here.”
“How long until they reach the rendezvous?” Stiles asked.
“Best estimate is they will arrive an hour before we do.”
“So, my fleet will be together by mid-afternoon, correct?”
“By the ship’s clocks, sir.”
“Good. Major Pierce tells me that Angelic left a few men behind.”
Hovell spoke up, he had handled the Angelic’s personnel problem, “Forty-seven, Admiral. Their Exec will be boarding in a few minutes, she’s the last of them.”
“Very good.” Stiles said, as he turned to the exit, then he paused, turning back to Terrik, “Henry, send command to the fleet. Since, we will all be gathered before supper, I want to have the-“
“Falcon’s welcome dinner tonight, Admiral.” Terrik finished for him with a smile. “We’re already on it. Major Pierce anticipated your whim, and I have already sent the invitations. Chief Berber, my steward, has already begun preparations.”
‘Pierce, of course.’ Stiles thought to himself. He could not prove it, but he was sure that Major Roland Pierce could read his mind. His aide wasn’t Navy personnel, Stiles had pulled him from the Marines when he had found a young Second Lieutenant following him around on his first command, the Defiant. It had been during the hellish Battle of Kooran when Stiles had noticed Pierce, fresh out of the Academy, trying to get up the nerve to talk to the Captain. Stiles had just assumed command of the ship after the Serian fleet had killed the CO, and driven most of the Second Battle Fleet to retreat. Defiant and five other ships had been unable to make the jump, and Stiles had been forced to command the makeshift division as he was senior officer. Pierce, knowing that a Navy Commodore required an aide, had come to volunteer since no Navy officers were free to fill the post. Stiles had agreed on a temporary basis. Afterwards, when the Second BF had returned with the Sixteenth and driven the Serians out of the system, Stiles had been surprised with a promotion to Commodore and the command of the Second Division of the Tenth Battle Fleet. The normally quiet Second Lieutenant Roland Pierce had raised holy hell in order to be allowed to continue as Stiles’ aide. The Navy could not turn him down when he got Commandant Sayre to okay the assignment. After ten years, Pierce seemed to know Stiles better than he knew himself.
“So, that’s why you insisted on polishing my sword during the flight.”
Pierce merely grinned, “I can’t have the Admiral looking anything less than his best, sir.”
“Nursemaid.” Stiles muttered as he finally left the shuttlebay. This got a chuckle from the others.
He pretended not to notice that Terrik wasn’t leaving.

Henry Terrik escorted Angelic’s Executive Officer to quarters. She would be representing Commander Torres’ ship at the dinner since she was already aboard and Torres had other things to take care of.
“These aren’t guest quarters, Henry.” Lieutenant Commander Andrea Roth said.
He opened the doors, “I know.”
They were his quarters. He stepped in.
“You said I could change in one of the quarters.”
“You can. These are quarters.”
“You’re a bad dog, Henry Terrik.” She said, putting her case down, and grabbing her dress uniform out of it.
“Andrea, I thought we could talk. You’re going to be on board for a few hours.”
“No funny business, got it.”
“Cross my heart.” He replied.
Andrea sat down, and he joined her. She was beautiful. She had a cherubic face framed by dark hair tied back in a ponytail, but he always preferred when she let it out. She was about a head shorter than he, but she held her small frame with confidence and self-assuredness.
Henry had first met Andrea during the few days midshipmen have at the Academy before they start. They had first helped each other study for their classes. However, soon after the spring series started, they had started dating. They had stayed together through their second and third years, but they had broken up just before they shipped out on their Midshipmen cruises. During the fourth year, Midshipmen are assigned to a ship and spend eight months getting experience in the Navy. Henry had gone to the Raptor, Andrea went on the Rex. They had not been able to keep in touch as much as they had hoped. The last month back at the Academy, they had barely talked to one another, then they graduated, and went their separate ways.
Henry was assigned to the Raptor as a Junior Weapons Officer. He remained with the Raptor until she went down, and he took over Dominant. Andrea had been assigned to the aide of then-Commodore Robert Clark until the Battle of Kooran. Clark had been forced to retreat, and Andrea had been left on the Defiant where she had regained her skills as a tactical officer. After that, she was with Angelic as a weapon’s officer, until she had worked her way up to Exec.
After the war started with the Norakens, they both found themselves serving in the First Division of the Tenth. The proximity had allowed them to rekindle their relationship.
“What did you want to talk about?” Andrea asked.
“I was wondering why you didn’t join me.” He had invited her to stay with him at his estate on Luna, he had even helped get her some leave time, but she had not.
“I had to visit my family.” She said. Andrea did not have good relations with her family.
“How was it?” he asked cautiously.
“I’d rather not talk about it.” She said
“Of course.” He could only imagine what had happened. Andrea came from one of the oldest, wealthiest families in the Confederation of America. She had been raised to be married to an aristocratic man, birth the next generation, and act the loving caring wife like her mother.
She had not wanted that life, and at the age of seventeen, she entered the Consortium Naval Academy. Her parents had been furious, and almost disowned her on the spot. It had been her father who insisted she be assigned as an aide, rather than a line officer. When she had convinced Clark to make her the Angelic’s Weapons Officer, her parents did disown her. Since then, they had refused to speak to her. Andrea had stayed in touch with her oldest brother, James, but that was the only one she had any relations with.
“I take it you stayed with your brother.”
“I said I didn’t want to talk about it.”
“So why didn’t you come with me. I’d have shown you a time to remember. We could have gone sailing on Lake Diana.” He said.
“I think I would have liked that better than arguing with my sisters.” She said. Andrea had one sister and six half-sisters. “I had to attend my niece’s betrothal ceremony and my nephew’s wedding.”
“Had to?”
“They are both children of my brother.” She said, “He invited me, otherwise I would never have known.”
“Would you have come to see me?”
“Of course, Henry. I would have come up after the ceremonies were over.”
“What were you doing when the recall came in?”
“Dealing with Theodore, and four of my half-sisters, and three of my half-brothers. Needless to say, I was very relieved when I had a valid excuse to leave them all.”
Henry hugged her, “Well, it’s over, and you are back with the sane people.”
She smiled, “Glad to be here.”
Henry held her, praying he wouldn’t have to let go. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
After a long time in silence, he let her go so she could change and prepare for the dinner.

Writing Project Part Two

2008-07-17T09:18:00.000-07:00

The page woke Henry Terrik up. The comm screen flashed the Admiral’s seal. ‘Wonderful,’ he thought, ‘just when I was getting comfortable.’
Henry had been spending the last two weeks at his family’s estate on the shore of Lake Diana. He had taken a month leave while Dominant had been in dock for repairs to the hull shielding and the reactors. He hadn’t gotten a proper leave in over two years.
He got out of the bed, put on his robe and took a seat in front of the comm screen sitting on his desk. He keyed in his access code, and Admiral Stiles appeared on the screen.
Stiles looked grim. “Sorry to wake you, Henry, but we have a problem. The Commander-in-Chief just called for a full alert. The Admiralty is having a meeting in a few minutes, and I am going to represent Admiral Von Bach for the Octrant Fleet.”
Henry did not like this, but he remained neutral, “What do you want me to do, sir?”
“I am not sure what happened, but I anticipate the Tenth being mobilized. I need you to get back to Dominant and muster your division. Allen and Renan are being contacted by Major Pierce.”
“Aye, sir.” Henry answered.
“Henry, I just want you to know that I’m sorry.” Stiles said.
“Don’t be sorry, sir. It is not your fault, Admiral.”
Something off camera caught Stiles’ attention. The Admiral stood up as his image was replaced with the Seal of the Tenth Battle Fleet.

Six hours later, Captain Henry Terrik stepped off his shuttle onto the deck of the CSS Dominant’s shuttlebay. Lieutenant Commander Janelle Novait, Ship’s Astrogator and his Third-in-Command, snapped to attention before him, saluted, and shouted, “Captain on deck!”
Everyone on the deck snapped to attention as well.
“As you were.” He quickly replied after returning Novait’s salute. “Where’s Commander Hovell?”
Novait filled him on the status of his Executive Office while they traveled to the Conn. Hovell had been planetside securing their new personnel when Terrik’s call had come for all hands to return to the ship. Hovell had then gone to speak with the Dock Master about speeding up the repairs for the hull shielding. He was expected back on board within the hour. Commander Balash, the Chief Engineer, was also speeding his crews to get the secondary reactors back up to prime condition.
When they finally reached the Command Center, Terrik finished with the last bit of ceremony by taking the conn from the Officer of the Watch, Lt. Ilich. Ilich quickly took his position back at the communications hub. Novait also positioned herself at the astrogation table.
Terrik sat down in the Command chair and finally allowed himself to relax.
He had spent the last six hours issuing orders to his officers, communicating with the Dock Master, calling up the other ships in the Division, and getting in contact with Captains William Allen and Lillian Renan who “commanded” the other two Divisions of the Tenth Battle Fleet.
Terrik, Allen, and Renan did not actually hold the rank for Division Command, but they were the senior captains of the respective Divisions, and in the chaos of the last war, they had taken on those responsibilities. The War with the Noraken Empire had lasted nine years and had ravaged both fleets, leaving holes to be filled. Lieutenants commanded ships; Captains took on the responsibilities of Commodores. One of the most extreme examples had taken place during the Battle of Hasilthorpe. Ensign Rachel Thorne had gone from junior weapons officer to Commanding Officer of a battlecruiser in the space of thirty seconds. It had only been seven months since the military surrender, and only three since the signing of the peace treaty. The Navy still had not worked out all of the kinks.
Terrik was not sure what had caused the full alert, but he knew that whatever it was, The Navy would have its hands full for the foreseeable future.
“Captain,” Ilich said from his comm station, “incoming transmission from Angelic.”
“Patch it through here.” Terrik replied. A small pedestal stood in front of his chair. It housed a small holographic projector and transmitter. A small image appeared on it. It was a miniature of the Angelic’s commander in her chair.
“Commander Torres, how is your ship?”
“Angelic is short some personnel, but otherwise, we are fully operational.” Torres said, “We are at the rendezvous coordinates in Jupiter orbit. Dauntless and Crusher have also joined us. Avenger is enroute with another three hours before they arrive.”
Terrik was pleased to hear this, his division would be together, and all he had to wait for was the Admiral and his orders, then they could move out.
He had not heard from the Admiral since the message that woke him up. Even Pierce, the Admiral’s aide, was not able to tell him anything other than that the Admiral was still in the Brass meeting.
“Thank you, Commander. I’m sorry to do this, but I think that it would be best if you all rendezvous with Second and Third Divisions in the Inner Defense Zone. We will join you as soon as we are finished with repairs. It should only be another day. And we will bring your stray personnel as well.”
“Aye, sir,” came the response. Torres disappeared after a moment.
Terrik turned to Ilich, and told him to make arrangements for the Angelic’s crewmembers.

The Admiralty had gone over everything they knew about the Kubal. Information gathered mostly from a Noraken defector, a Praetorean named Cassius Brutus. Brutus had told them that the Kubal had struck both The Empire and the Serian League from within the Orion Expanse. They had reviewed the importance of the Takris system, and the dutrimium it supplied.
The only course of action that they had been able to discuss involved sending a single Battle Fleet to Takris to take out the small force reported in the system. The single Kubal battlecruiser had been joined by several smaller craft. The Battle Fleet would resecure the system, then it could joined by a Octrant Fleet which would hold the system. Then they would be in a better situation for a strike into the Orion Expanse.
However, the C-in-C had yet to return from the Emergency Senate Meeting he was in and Admiral Clark did not want to act without Paxtor’s or the Senate’s okay. Stiles knew that the Army and the Wet Navy commanders would be similarly stalled for now. The Marines were probably the only group who weren’t. Anosh Paxtor, the Commander in Chief had formerly been the Commandant of the Marines, and Commandant Sayre still deferred to him.
However, despite the absence of any word from Paxtor or the Senate, Stiles knew that the Takris situation was only a first strike. He was sure that fighting would begin. Unfortunately, his Battle Fleet was one of the few that were fully operational. That was the reason he had mobilized his Division Commanders before coming to the meeting.
At the moment, a door in the back opened, and a man Stiles recognized as Paxtor’s aide entered. He strode right to Clark, handed him a note, saluted, and left. From the look on Clark’s face, Stiles knew what it meant.
Clark stood up, “Admirals, The Senate has just voted. We have authorization to retake the Takris system and start operations in Sector 145.”
Sector Admiral Hitchcock spoke up from her position. “Admiral, as I was saying, I do not feel comfortable with the current status of any of our Battle Fleets. After the siege, ninety percent of the Fleet is still in the repair yards.”
Stiles stood up, “Admiral Hitchcock, if I may, Tenth Battle Fleet is at full strength. Dominant is finishing repairs as we speak. I am volunteering my Battle Fleet for this mission. We can be in system by the end of the week.”
Hitchcock seemed satisfied with this, but she spoke up again. “How long do we have until other fleets are ready?”
Each of the Admirals reported the status of their fleets. Again, it fell on Stiles. Admiral Von Bach’s Octrant Fleet had the most operational ships ready for occupation. The Tenth was fully operational. The Third was finishing repairs, they needed another two weeks, and could be in Takris within a month. The Twenty-Third had two divisions ready, but the third was decimated. They needed new ships to be complete, but those two divisions could be in Takris soon after the Third.
Stiles hoped that Admiral Von Bach would understand the situation when she returned to duty. Stiles did not like making decisions for the other Battle Fleets, but he didn’t have a choice.
With the details worked out, Clarks called an end to the meeting, and Stiles stood to leave for his shuttle.

Writing Project Part One

2008-07-17T09:17:00.000-07:00

Colonel Tyler watched the battle unfold on the monitor screen. Battle, no. Massacre was more like it. The Kubal battlecruiser had only been in system for two hours, but it had already destroyed half of the Destroyers.
Tyler watched as the Kubal belched wave after wave of fire at the Destroyers. He did not relish having to fight these guys on the ground, which would be his job in less than five hours.
“General Cutler picked a hell of a time to go off-planet.” Lieutenant Colonel Anderson said behind him.
Tyler agreed with her. Division General Cutler, the commander of the Planetary Army assigned to Takris had taken the First and Third Divisions of the Army to the Third Moon because of a crash two days earlier. They were searching for survivors. He was stuck here on the Fourth Moon with Second Division and the Miners.
Takris Four was one of the Consortium’s main sources of dutrimium ore. Dutrimium was a major resource in the building of interstellar vessels. It effectively shielded the microwaves and cosmic radiation that permeated the universe, and kept the people inside from frying.
Tyler shielded his eyes as another Destroyer exploded on the screen.
“That was the Fairchild, sir.” Anderson sounded worried. The Christin Fairchild had been the lead ship of the picket, and had been commanded by Captain Hans Singer, a close friend of Tyler’s. There were now two Destroyers left, and both were already badly damaged.
“How are preparations here, Anderson?” Tyler said, turning from the screen, determined to prepare a nasty surprise for the Kubal infantry. He trusted that the Destroyers would delay the Kubal as long as they could, but he knew that they were fighting so he could evacuate the Miners and fight for the moon.
“Vincent’s Second Regiment is still en route to the Carth Mountains. As far as First Regiment goes, Bravo and Charlie companies are already in position, and Alpha Company is almost finished laying the charges at the mine entrances.” Anderson said, pointing out positions on a digital map-table. “First Platoon, Alpha Company has reported that the miner evacuation is ahead of schedule. All miners should be enroute to Gilgamesh within the hour. Second Platoon doesn’t like leaving, but they don’t want to leave the transport defenseless.”
“Tell Captain Higgins that I appreciate his feelings. But if he and his men are not on that transport when it leaves, I will shoot him myself.”
“Yes, sir,” said Anderson, “also, Major Hauser says that we have supplies for six months, and weapons to hold off a regiment.”
“Good, tell Hauser that I want his troops to stay in reserve and protect the supply depot.”
“He’s not going to like-“
“I don’t care.” Tyler snapped.
“Right.” Anderson walked off to call Hauser.
Tyler turned back to the viewscreen. He saw the Kubal battlecruiser fire a beam that hulled the Cortez. The small ship listed away, and only the Ramirez remained.
Tyler turned to his communications sergeant, “Hunter, call Ramirez, tell her to break off and help Cortez. We’ll get the Kubal here on the ground.”
“Yes, sir.” Sergeant Hunter went to work.
Colonel Heth, commander of another of Tyler’s Brigades, came to the table and stood at attention across from Tyler.
“How’s your Brigade?”
“Colonel, Ibanez’s Regiment are secure in Fort Ticonderoga, and Hill’s Regiment has secured Fort Pierce”
“Very good, Colonel.” Tyler said. “Dismissed.”
Heth turned and left, preparing for battle.
“Colonel,” Hunter called from the communications hub, “message from the Ramirez: they have broken off the attack. Cortez and Fairchild are lost. Ramirez will pick up any survivors, then they will make best time to Gilgamesh.
“Also, we have received a message from General Carter. First and Third Divisions are held down by inclement weather. They will attempt to return ASAP.”
“Survivors from the crash?” Tyler asked.
Hunter frowned, “Unfortunately, they all froze to death.”
“Thank you, Sergeant. Tell the General, I feel he would be better off going to Gilgamesh rather than return to base. I will hold them off.”
“Yes, Colonel.” Hunter said.
Anderson returned, “Colonel, Mackenzie’s Brigade has secured the Rana Plains.”
“Excellent. Anything else?”
“No, sir.”
“Anderson,” Tyler said solemnly, “send message through Gilgamesh. I am enacting Code Omega.”

Writing Project

2008-07-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

I am writing a science fiction story.

I will be posting parts of it here. Please tell me what you think. Be honest. Give Constructive Criticism. Don't be rude. Say something more than "This is good" or "This sucks". That doesn't help me very well.

Also, each part is not the whole, so don't complain about not having everything in a single post, please. It's too big for a single post.

Thanks

Why I don't say "Easter"

2008-03-23T06:16:00.001-07:00

Recently, a friend asked me why I say “Happy Resurrection Sunday” and not “Happy Easter”. I have been asked this question a lot, and so I decided to write a short entry on this subject, given what today is.
The word “Easter” is derived from the pagan goddess Ishtar. Ishtar was a fertility goddess, and she was worshipped in ancient times by the Assyrians and the Babylonians. She was also called Astarte, Anunit, Atarsamain, and Esther, and she was also identified with the Sumerian Inanna, and the planet Venus. The people celebrated a spring fertility celebration in her honor in order to elicit good weather and a good harvest.
When the Christians of the early 3rd Century were trying to make converts, one of the groups that they found were the Cult of Isis, who was the Egyptian equivalent of Ishtar. The Christians, in order to facilitate the conversion of the pagans created both the Cult of Mary, and the Easter celebration. The Cult of Mary is the reason why Roman Catholics venerate Mary, the mother of Jesus. And they used it to take Ishtar down and replace her with a new “goddess”. The Easter celebration was to replace the pagan’s spring fertility celebration.
Christ was crucified and resurrected during the Jewish celebration of Passover. Therefore, to keep with the actual timing of his death and resurrection, we, as Christians, should choose to celebrate at the Passover. In 2008, this is not happening. “Easter” is being celebrated on March 23. Passover, when Christ would have been resurrected, is in April this year.
Why is there a discrepancy? Simple, the Church, when it chose to venerate the Lord’s resurrection with “Easter” and not Passover, chose the dates of the Ishtar celebrations, which coincided with the Vernal Equinox, not the Jewish calendar.
Want proof? Why do we have the Easter Bunny? There are no rabbits or bunnies in the story of Christ’s death and resurrection. The Easter Bunny is a remnant of the worship of rabbits as symbols of fertility. The Easter Bunny exists because rabbits love to make more rabbits, and they make a lot of them.
I do not like the word “Easter”. I choose to celebrate Christ. Not some pagan goddess who has corrupted the church.

You are entitled to your own view, and I leave it to you whether you want to agree with me or not. I have simply stated the facts. In my opinion, Easter is not Christian.

Happy Resurrection Sunday.

Sean Ireland Deer Hunter

2008-03-23T06:15:00.000-07:00

I know that may shock a lot of you who have met me, but I am a Deer Hunter. I have gone hunting in my life. I have neither held nor fired a pistol, rifle, semi-automatic rifle, etc. You may be wondering ‘How are you a Deer Hunter?’ The answer is simple. I hunt deer with my Cavalier.
That is, my Chevrolet Cavalier.
This story starts in May of 2003. It was around the time of Finals, and my family had gone to Becky’s Drive-In to catch their double feature. I don’t recall what the first movie was, I just remember that the second movie was Matrix Reloaded because we spent the drive home talking about the movie. I was driving, my mom had shotgun, and my brother was in the backseat.
As we were driving down 145, (the part of MacArthur Rd north of the Wal-Mart, for those who want to know specifics, and we had just passed the Sheetz heading south toward the Weis) two deer leaped across the road right in front of our car. The first one got across safely. The second did not. The Cavalier smashed into its hindquarters. As we passed the deer took a moment to look directly into my Mom’s eyes. She was terrified. I was a little shocked myself. I pulled into the Weis parking lot, and took a few moments to calm down. A story was started.
Later, in August 2006, I was working at an Arby’s on Schadt Ave in Whitehall, right next to the Wal-Mart and down the street from the Post Office. One of my co-workers, Helen cut herself, and as I was the only spare team member with a car, everyone at the store at that was either a Manager or used public transportation to get to work, I was volunteered to take Helen to the doctor, and drive her to the drug test center. Well, on our way from the doctor to the test center, we found ourselves at the end of Ceder Crest Boulevard where it meets Lehigh St, or is it Emmaus Ave, I don’t recall exactly. As we are turning onto Ceder Crest Boulevard, three deer jump across the street in front of us. Luckily, I did not hit any of them, but it was still a very weird thing to see. Let me put this into perspective for you. The first deer I saw was in the middle of the night, and on a mostly empty stretch of road surrounded by forest, a prime area to meet (and smash into) a deer. This second encounter was in the afternoon, with the sun shining. On a fairly major thoroughfare, with a lot of traffic. And there were no forests anywhere. I had one question: Where the heck did the deer come from?
The third encounter of note took place in May 2007. Lubov, my friend, had just finished her graduation party, and it was about 2 am. I was driving down Interstate 78, and I was merging onto Rte 309. Suddenly, (are you seeing a pattern, yet) a deer appears in my headlights running along the median. Thankfully, the damage was less than my first encounter. The deer and I barely nicked each other, and he was gone. I have no idea what happened to him.
Why does this keep happening to me? I don’t want to be hitting Deer with my car, and I could really do without the constant ribbing I get from my family. If anyone could explain why deer seem to like jumping in front of automobiles that I am driving, I would really like to know.
Regardless, here I am.
Sean Ireland, Deer Hunter. I hunt deer with a Cavalier.

Have you ever heard your mother squeal like a little girl?

2008-03-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard you mother squeal like a little girl? That’s what happened this morning when I brought in the mail. There were five letters from my father, and when I handed them to her, she squealed. It was rather amusing. Needless to say, she was very happy to hear from him.

A little background for those who don't know. My father is in Iraq right now. He is not a soldier, he is a civilian contractor working in Iraq. He has been away from home since mid-January and we are hoping that he will return in July, but we don't know for sure.

My parents have been together for over 25 years. This is the first time in that 25 years that they have been this far apart for this long. Thankfully, my Dad is usually able to get access to a phone for about a half-hour and call my Mom.

My mother has spent the last two months writing and sending cards to my Dad just about every single day because she misses him so much. I don't know how many my Dad has recieved yet. I don't know how many letters or cards he has sent.

Today, we got five of them, hence my mother's squealing. Dad, if you read this, Mom really misses you.

(Oh, and if I hear anyone saying that they do not support our troops, I will delete you comment. It doesn't matter to me how you feel about the war, or the President, or McCain, or Hilary, or Obama. In fact, it doesn't matter to me how you feel on just about anything. I am a really understanding guy. I will not stand and let you say anything bad about the men and women who are over there right now serving our country. I am not saying that this is a just or unjust war. That does not matter for what I am talking about. The men and women in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines are risking their lives every day. They have earned your respect. And you will respect them on my Blog, or I will kick you out.)

Response to Holy Blood, Holy Grail and the Magdelene/Merovingian Dynasty

2008-03-01T16:14:00.000-08:00

I wrote this at the end of January with the intention of sharing it with people. Then I forgot about it. I found it this morning, and I am sharing it with you.

As I was reading the book Holy Blood, Holy Grail, I was impressed by the amount of information and research that had been done by Leigh, Baigent, and Lincoln. However, I did not like their conclusions, and I had already known what their conclusion having heard about the book from my mother, and I had watched the DaVinci Code starring Tom Hanks. I, being a Bible-believing Protestant Christian, did not find their conclusions to be the only conclusion. I fact I believed that another scenario was equally likely. Given the knowledge that Kings in Europe believed in what was called ‘The Divine Right of Kings’, is it not likely that one or more of those monarchs may have chosen to claim the lineage of Jesus as their birthright. According to Baigent (I will refer to the collective trio using Baigent’s name for sake of brevity and because his is the first name on the book) and the source the Dossiers secrets, the Priory of Sion (Prieure de Sion) gave that claim to the Merovingian Kings of France of the 4th through 8th centuries. They claimed that the Merovingian line was still extant through the son of Dagobert II and presently Pierre Plantard. Baigent felt that the claim was genuine given the connections made by the Priory’s documents, and Baigent tied together several threads that got woven into the idea that Jesus, married to Mary Magdalene, had children who intermarried with the Frank Kings and led to the Merovingian bloodline.
I feel that the more likely story is that the Merovingians and the Priory, in order to establish their own means claimed, and created a forgery, that through this spurious bloodline, they could put one of their “Merovingians” on the throne. Baigent even goes so far as to say the Pierre Plantard has a rightful claim to the throne given his Merovingian ancestry; an ancestry that can only be confirmed through the Priory Documents.
Tell me, is it not possible that the Priory of Sion is nothing more than a group of people trying to bring about their own political goals, the establishment of their own King, a head of state that can do their bidding and legitimize their own belief structure. Can you think of a better way to do this than by claiming descent from Christ Jesus, the “King of the Jews”?
I can understand the standpoint of Beigent and the others when they “dissect” the Gospels and point out the “inconsistancies”. I can even buy their argument about Jesus and his marriage to Mary Magdalene, who they equate with the “woman who was a sinner” and Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus. Their argument that Jesus would have crucified because of crimes against Rome, and that the Gospels are playing nice for Rome is also plausible. However, consider a few things.
Pontius Pilate is known to have been a cruel man who was also corrupt. Why would he be portrayed in the Gospels as a “nice guy”? The answer is simple, fear. Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea from 26-36 AD. In 31 AD, the Commander of the Praetorian Guard, Lucius Aelius Sejanus, tried to depose Tiberius Caesar Augustus. Sejanus and all of his followers, were executed by It is possible that Pilate may have been someone who supported Sejanus. Pilate, if he had been found to be a supporter, would have been killed immediately like all of the others. It is possible that Pilate was not a supporter of Sejanus. However, whether or not he was, Pilate knew that the Emperor Tiberius did not like trouble. It is known that Tiberius had had to intervene in Pilate’s actions before, and if the Jews had been unhappy with Pilate’s decision, they may have taken their claim to the Emperor, and Tiberius would have had no problem removing Pilate and then crucifying Jesus.
The idea that Mary Magdalene can be identified with the other two women comes from a Catholic Pope who decided to equate these women himself. In Protestant belief, the three women are separate. This is a possibility, but it is based on highly questionable evidence. The idea that Jesus was married to Magdalene is one of great mystery and the debate will probably never be resolved adequately.
On January 31, 2008, I also found an article on Wikipedia stating that the Priory of Sion was a hoax perpetuated by Pierre Plantard in order to legitimize his own claim to the throne, and that all of the documents in the Dossiers Secrets were in fact a fraud and a hoax. Needless to say, I am not surprised.

The Three Loves

2008-02-29T16:24:00.000-08:00

(Parts of this blog may gross you out or be offensive. You have been warned. Don’t come bitching to me. I am giving you fair warning. Read at your risk.)

Wednesday night, I had the pleasure of doing the A/V for David Coleman when he came to Moravian. For those who don’t know who David Coleman is, he is the Dating Doctor aka “America’s Real Life Hitch”. I really enjoyed his presentation, and believe me I was not the only one. Everyone had a blast. At least, that is how it seemed to me. And he was a really great and nice guy. Completely friendly and personable.

For part of the presentation, he spoke about the three types of love. I found this a very good subject to talk about. However, he went through it too quickly, and I decided to expand upon it. I do not claim to be a “Dating Doctor”. Anyone who knows me knows that I do not have, nor have I ever really had, a girlfriend. So, I don’t really go out on dates. However, I do know a few things about love, and the different kinds of love that exist. With my parents, you can’t avoid lessons in love, all three types of love.

So, what are the three types of love? The answer is Eros, Phileo, Agape (David used Philio, I use Phileo, they are the same thing). These three names come from the Greek. The Greeks believed that they were the only kinds of love around, and that everyone had circles of lovers depending on which type, or combination of types, of love they felt for the person.

Eros love is the simplest to feel and the simplest to explain. Eros love is the raw physical attraction that one feels for another human being. It is the root of the word erotic. Eros, for the Greeks, was the god of physical attraction, and also lust. Eros is the shallowest part of the ocean of love. If you feel Eros love for someone, you love them for their body. They are pleasing to the eyes. Ladies, Eros love is what most men start with. The reason, and I say this as a guy, is that we tend to think with our penises when it come to relations of any kind with a woman. I know that I am saying something most people don’t want to discuss, but it is the truth, like it or not. However, Eros love will not sustain a lasting relationship. For that, you need something deeper. Eros love is not a bad thing, though, it helps people want to break the ice with others or the opposite (or same) sex. I also want to crystal clear on one thing. Eros love is not sex. Sex, and sex alone, is sex. Too many people equate Eros love with sex. Even the Greeks did. It is not. Lust is not sex. I know that in the Gospels (I am a Christian, remember) Jesus tells us that men who look at a woman or man with lust has commited adultery in his heart. This is the Truth. However, if I look at you with lust, it means I want to have sex with you, not that I am having sex with you.

Oh, and please note: EVERYONE FEELS THIS AT SOME TIME IN THEIR LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (enough exclamation points?)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is perfectly normal for a human being to feel lust and be physically attracted to someone. Hollywood has made a lot of money because of this. Ladies and Gentlemen, you may wish to deny it, but everyone has a Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Angelina Jolie (bleck!), Milla Jovovich, Lacey Chabert, etc that they have found physically attractive in a movie. I know it is true. You know it is true.

Phileo is the next level of love. It the friendly or brotherly love, this is the word which gave us the name of the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia. Phileo usually comes after you have met someone and gotten to know them. Phileo is what you feel for a friend. It is the underlying base for the relationships built between two friends. The more love there is, the deeper the friendship. Where Eros is defined by the passions, Phileo is more about trust and respect. It is also about Intimacy. I really liked that David Coleman made a point to distinguish between Intimacy and Passion. Passion is physical desire. Intimacy is the non-physical and it is tied to the faith you have in the other individual. Phileo is actually the most difficult love for me to explain. So, I will sum up with an example. Take your best friend, the one you trust most, the one to whom you can tell anything. How do you feel about them? That is Phileo. (If this is your spouse, then you are truly a blessed individual.)

The deepest level of love is the Agape love. This is the love of the romantics strive for. This is the deep heartfelt love. “I love you with all my heart”-type love. This is the love that you feel and you just want to let everyone know about it. It is usually Agape love that leads the way to commitment. In a way, Agape is a combination of Eros and Phileo. It takes both the passion and the intimacy and the trust, mixes it all together, and it makes you want to commit to the other human being. If you are married, this is love you need to feel, because it the commitment, not the feeling, that counts with Agape. I want to repeat that, Agape is about the commitment, not the feeling, of love. As I stated before, I am a Christian. Since I have provided examples for both Eros and Phileo, I will be consistent and show you an example of Agape love. God’s gift to us of Jesus’s sacrifice is Agape love. He’d loved us so much that he committed his life to us. When Jesus says that “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13), he is speaking of Agape love.

You do not need to go through a linear progression from Eros to Phileo to Agape. You can start with either Eros or Phileo. You could start with Agape but this is rare, but this is the usual starting between parents and children in their relationships. Eros does not need to precede Phileo or Agape. I will admit that it helps, but it is not necessary. I also want to say that Phileo can be the starting point and it can lead to Eros. I guess Agape could lead to Eros, but it strikes me as counter-intuitive.

I hope that everyone who read this enjoyed the experience. However, if in some way you have been offended, I will apologize. However, I did warn you at the beginning.

An "essay" The Stones of John

2008-02-06T08:21:00.000-08:00

Hey People,
I just wanted to share this with you all. I wrote this about a year and a half ago. I know that it is very raw, so I ask that you forgive me for that. I simply found this and felt the need to share it with you all.
Have a great day.

The Stones of John
One of the problems that I have with the Bible teachers and Theologians of today is the business with the book of Revelation. Most people have a problem with the final book of the Bible. Quite a few people usually hide behind the thoughtless belief that John, the man who wrote the book, wrote using code so that the Romans would not know what he was writing about. They say that John didn’t want the Romans to read his Revelation for fear that they would misinterpret the images as politically inciting.

My answer for this is that John is commonly believed to be the same as John the Apostle, the Discipline. This is the same John who was brother to James and a son of Zebedee. James and John were the two disciples whom Jesus called the “Sons of Thunder”. These were the two men who went to their mother and got her to ask Jesus if they could sit on his right and his left in the Kingdom. Are you trying to tell me that the same man who had balls enough to ask God, “Can I sit next to you in Heaven?” In other words, “Can I be your Number One guy?” This is JOHN. You mean to tell me that this guy was worried about what the Romans thought of his ideas.

We have Paul, who wrote all his letters in Greek, a language understood by many at the time, and he wrote about the same things. He wrote several letters while in Jail. A Roman jail, no less. Peter, also, wrote without care of what Nero thought. There is a story that Peter, while being nailed to a cross was still preaching the gospel. How can you think that John, cut from the same cloth as Peter and Paul would try to hide his message. Why?

Another thing, John was part of the group given the Great Commission by Jesus. Go out, and make disciples of the World. Why would he try to hide anything from a group of people. That would have gone against the Commission. And as much trouble John could cause and cook up, he would not have betrayed his commission. He was made of sterner stuff than we are.

I am sorry, people. John would not have worried about what the Romans thought. John used plain language. He spoke about what his saw. And what he saw was horrific. We know that God used symbols in his revelations to men. Read Daniel, who interpreted dreams and had visions that needed to be interpreted by no less a figure than Gabriel. John told us what he saw. He saw symbols that were used by God, and these symbols have been misinterpreted for centuries.

Another point I want to make is this. Revelation is not a book for solitary study. It should studied in groups because of the images that God showed John, and the ease with which we can misinterpret the message.

Revelation is the book describing the End of THIS World. It is the end of the Bible. And John was not being cryptic in his relating the Revelation. John didn’t need to be.

A Short Story I Wrote

2008-02-02T14:47:00.000-08:00

A Conversation with Lunch
John walked into the diner. He saw Tory sitting already with her back to him.
‘Damn,’ he thought, ‘Late again.’
He quickly indicated to the greeter that he was sitting with her and he rushed to the table. He was glad when she smiled as he sat down.
“Sorry, got held up in traffic,” he said. The waitress stopped, and he told her he’d take a Coke.
“Don’t worry.” She said with the smile that warmed his soul. “I just got here myself."
She quickly filled him in on all of the things she had going on. Work was tough, and her roommate was out of town for two weeks.
He quickly told her about the crazy things going on at work.
The small talk went on until their food arrived. He had ordered a ham sandwich with fries, and she had tuna salad wrap with chips. He was able to wrangle the pickle from her.
Halfway through the food, he decided to end the tension and broach the subject he was most uncomfortable with.
“How is Steve?” Steve was Tory’s boyfriend. John didn’t like him, but never told her so. They had only met once four years earlier. John and Tory had just met and she had brought Steve to see their college. Steve had been cold meeting John, as if meeting a competitor not a friend. John, on the other hand, had disliked how possessive Steve seemed with Tory. In the years since, John and Tory had graduated, Steve and Tory had been engaged, and John had been worried, for reasons he was unsure of.
John did not like talking about Steve, but the man was part of Tory’s life, and he had to get used to it.
“We broke up.” Tory said quietly.
To say that John was stunned would be saying the Atlantic was a puddle.
Part of him was overjoyed. He wanted to celebrate. To jump up and down. Scream his joy from mountaintops kind of joy. He didn’t.
The thing that stopped him wasn’t his modesty. Or his reserve. No, nor his nature.
It was her eyes. The hurt and pain behind her eyes stopped him cold. It was something unnatural.
Her eyes were supposed to be joyous and full of laughter, even if she wasn’t laughing.
The hurt in her eyes told him volumes. She had not been dumped by Steve. She had been the one to “kick him out”. Steve had done something to hurt her, and she had left him. John could tell. And it had happened recently. The pain was fresh.
John was filled with anger. How could someone do this to Tory?
John forced himself to calm down. “Sorry I brought it up. Is there anything I can do?”
“Not right now.” She said. She was still quiet, the subject obviously hitting a very sensitive nerve.
John decided to change the subject. “How is your family?”
Tory told him. Her parents were fine. Her brother was seeing someone, but he was trying, and failing, to keep it from their parents. John chuckled at that.
Soon, they were finished with the food, and John grabbed the check before Tory could. The last time they had gone out for lunch, she had grabbed it and paid for her part of the bill. He didn’t mind, but he felt that this time, he should pay the whole thing. If only to apologize for bringing up the touchy subject.
He stood up, and she stood up. He grabbed her and gave her a hug. He wanted to say something, but he didn’t tell her. He never did. Instead he said, “Always glad to see you. Hope you feel better.”
“Thanks,” she said, “you are a great friend.”
“I do my best.” He replied. He pays the bill, and leaves two dollars for the tip.
He escorted her to the door, opened it for her, walked her to her car, and let her go. She drove away, and he mentally kicked himself once again.
I love you. He always thinks it, but he never says it. I love you.