Balladeer

You may laugh, but we will attempt it anyway. You're right that they will always change, but not by much. I did have to update #18 because it gave you as an example for never getting a custom title. But Huzzah, no more, maybe there is hope for the masses. Does anyone remember who #35 is supposed to be comparing TM to? I have Synergy at 4035 or Ben at 4027, Didn't look before 4000. Edit: Then if we delete the obsolete rules, I'd like to have at least three replacement ones so I don't have to mess with the numbering. We can come up with three more, can't we?

Yeah, but I'm pretty sure if I exchanged my name for JV's somebody would notice. Something to keep in mind for next month, though... >:oK Edit:Seriously, though. Looks like profile URL's now contain the user's current PDN so I'll just have to take out all of those links to member profiles... maybe replace them with a link to a post they've made, if any survive? Might have to update at every purge for that though. Edit 2: Or maybe not. I guess it will redirect to the current PDN no matter what you have after the number and a dash. Now just to find their current member #'s.

Updated the front page info for November if anyone is interested.

As I was updating the layout of our CoCommunity I noticed some obsolete rules and incorrect member numbers and defunct links to vanished profiles. It has been six years since we created it and I wondered if the Community felt it was time to update it. Out with the old, in with the new to make it all blend nicer with the shiny coat of paint, as it were. Thoughts, comments, suggestions welcome. http://www.truesite4blades.com/coc.html

The gate had not been opened when Jewels floated past. The cold steel sent a patchwork of shivers through her... essence. She had gazed up at the towering turrets as if in a trance until someone passed through her from behind. She had gasped, but only a papery sound reached her ears. It was different from the steel gate; warm and throbbing as if she could feel their heartbeat. The sensation was not altogether unpleasant but still she shuddered from the thought of it. Nikki: Oh, brr! That was a cold breeze... Nikki rubbed his arms and kept on walking; the back of his head retreating from her vision. Oh the innuendo she could muster if she were in the mood... Instead she stepped back and watched as the rest of the members on the bus filed past over the bridge. While few showed extreme transformations such as hers, many were being carried by other members, refusing to be roused. Mysterious Man looked blatantly comatose, but that may have been from his drink of choice. Most interesting was a gazer that bumped along, eye stalks turning every which way and battering each other in the process. For a moment it seemed as if it could see her. One eye rotated to stay fixed on the place where she was hovering, but soon enough it had passed without slowing. Who had that been? Who else bore the effects of the RP era? Were there any other spirits like herself? Soon enough everyone seemed to get situated in the courtyard, those who wouldn't wake up were laid out and made comfortable while the rest were mingling with each other and the SW members who had not gone on the trip. Jewels floated from group to group just for something to do, listening to their theories and concerns. Nothing substantial kept her focus until she heard her name. Jewels swung around at Sylae's voice and floated in close to listen to her conversation with Actaeon. Jewels: Sylae, I'm here!. Actaeon, can you hear me? Neither turned their heads in her direction. It was rather frustrating. With the din of those gathered, she could barely hear herself let alone project her voice to be heard by anyone else. She had to figure out a way to communicate with them. She deigned that the best option was to follow them around waiting for inspiration to hit and an opportunity to use it.

I tend to keep my writing and Spanish stuff but I've tossed more and more each time I go through it. Threw out all my math and spelling last time. Just didn't seem worth keeping around. I foresee eventually the writings will not seem worth it either.

I have played the viola since 4th grade. I tinker on the piano and tend to sing harmony. I have written one song sung in public, though not to a large audience.

Jewels floated off the Spiderbus amid the initial chaos but for the most part unconcerned. The damage was minimal, if you could even call it damage. They had arrived with their lives and that was the most important. She caught snatches of conversations from the awakening SWers as she passed by unnoticed. Most were wondering about what happened. Only one seemed to venture a guess. Actaeon: "... It's a good thing the course was already set..." Jewels shook her head... it felt like stirring the wind. The bus had run out of community spirit, yes, but it had not been on course for the present time; they had been bound for the RP era. And it was not the cold between time that had lulled them to sleep, but the RP era itself and the death that had surrounded them when they arrived. The date set had not been during the vibrant, active time of the RolePlay's but actually just afterwards when they all floundered and sputtered for life by the barest of threads. They were predators surrounding the bus, sensing the activity, seeking it out and pulling it to themselves with conscious will. Like a vacuume, the once vivacious, now starving threads sucked the life right out of them. Jewels glanced down at herself, barely a specter left, and shivered from the memory of it. Those who had been asleep when they arrived had been better protected; their dormant minds not offering much potential they were passed over. Sylae, however, had been driving. The RP's had latched onto her and drug her from the bus almost immediately. Aran had jumped out the door after her, one hand clasping an ankle and one the bus door. When Student of Trinity tried to help, he lost his footing and was swept away by the pull. Sylae reached for him as he passed but an unseen whirlwind changed his course and he disappeared behind the bus. Jewels herself had clung to the steering wheel, feet horizontal in the air. She could feel the years draining away from her, the spark of life ebbing. As other SWers started to stir from the commotion, their fates as equally in danger, she did the only thing she could think of... Jewels: "Next stop, present time!" The bus responded. It lurched and took off leaving the ravenous RP era behind. The pull subsided and Jewels had fallen to the bus floor. Aran managed to pull Sylae back inside the bus where they huddled on the floor together. Only Student of Trinity had been lost... only one... Only? The sacrifice had been too much. How could she have left him behind? What else could she have done? The rest of the trip was a blank. If she had done anything more, she could not remember. The damage that the incident had caused was seemingly random. Why was she a ghost while Sylae and Aran had turned into ponies? All she could think of was that her last thoughts had been of dying. Maybe she was dead. Doomed to haunt SW... perhaps as penance. She drifted off towards the forum proper leaving the bus and its inhabitants behind her. She did not see the bus's emergency exit door ajar, nor the lone eye stalk that followed her passage.

Mesmerizing, VCH.

Interesting, off-color, and unique. It'd something I'd never think to write about... something I've never thought about period. So add thought-provoking to the list. Perhaps not many thoughts but some. But it doesn't rhyme so, meh. Just a personal preference.

@ADoS No, it's not about Ender game. I've never played an Ender game... it was just a random throwing together of syllables to form a random name. Also: A Poem for Vincent The apples that don't grow on trees Are falling down in autumn. Be careful if you walk behind Don't be the one who caught'em The pies that bake out in the sun Are rising up in the spring. Be careful when you watch the sky Don't misstep on anything. Those chocolate buttons? Pass them by. Those raisins? Don't you eat'em. The jellybeans might be okay But only if E.B. made'em. Was or wasn't, I don't know. Did or didn't go with the flow. A picture now can only show A dark and dreary haze. Could or couldn't. Oh, for woe. Should or shouldn't make it so. There is no sign now high or low Caught lonely in the gaze.

I have written a bit of poetry in my day as the need arises. Did a lot of poetry writing in HS and college English. Wrote a couple song lyrics round then too. Wrote a Little Cesar Pizza jingle for a radio ad most recently but it disappeared when my HD crashed. Other than that there have been bits and pieces incorporated into larger RP writings. Yeah, I like to rhyme... Edit: I like writing poetry spontaneously. Give me a topic, any topic.

...can we have them in plain English this time? For 8th grade reading level, max.

Way too confusing for my taste... I'm just glad I feel no urge to smoke anything. Don't have to worry one way or the other. I expect when enough states are able to pass measures to legalize marijuana they'll call for a federal change too.

There is a checkbox for marking whether to include the Edit By line but no text box for typing in a reason. Another Mod Only feature perhaps? So totally not fair.

I am not against medical marijuana personally. In fact I'm probably more against alcohol than I am against marijuana in the sense that I feel alcohol can be more damaging both physically and relationally.

Except the procedures in question are not life threatening. Maybe if there is only one hospital in a community it shouldn't be Catholic, but here if the medical care you want is not available at Sacred Heart, you can go across the street to Marshfield (literally 3 blocks away) and get it done without a problem. If you want to be sterilized or get on the pill or terminate an unwanted pregnancy nothing is going to be harmed by having to travel to the next non-catholic hospital or clinic to do it at. Now if a woman is bleeding out and a choice must be made between saving the mother's life and terminating a pregnancy, THAT I can support as being required of hospitals to do. I'm not sure how time sensitive abortion inducing drugs are to the time of conception but there should at least be provisions that a hospital must only refer the patient to a doctor and facility that can offer what they need/request within the needed time. No harm is done. I find it ridiculous that catholic hospitals are being forced to do vasectomies when those who want a vasectomy can easily find a facility that is not a catholic hospital to do it. As ridiculous as telling a toy store they must carry 'adult' toys. That's how I see it, utterly ridiculous, because the procedures in question are completely optional based on the patient's desire. The only harm being done is forcing faith-based medical personnel to violate their core beliefs and taking away their jobs if they refuse.

The referendum was spawned because of the Citizens United decision, so I read. They want the decision taken out of the the supreme court's hands and put into the hands of the people, I guess.. Not sure on the details. @Aran: ... Yes there could be benefits to limiting businesses free speech but it is a very slippery slope. Who gets to decide what businesses can say or not? When the country is so split on political views, which half gets to tell the other half their businesses have to shut up? People have a right to be abrasive and say unpopular things and not be thrown in jail for it, right? They can have their opinions and their perceptions and share them for the most part without legal fear. (Yes I know there are exceptions. Tell the gov't you have a bomb at your own risk.) You take away the corporation's freedom of speech and you open the door to them being legally penalized for saying something or endorsing something that the people or the government doesn't want to hear about. I really don't want to go back down the religious road but its the best example I have. Without free speech the issue with Chick-fil-A would have been over before it started. Businesses that are faith-based may be forbidden to say they are faith-based or forbidden to have a bible verse up on their wall as a decoration or forbidden to make a charitable donation to another faith-based organization. Catholic hospitals are already being forced to choose between serving only professing Catholics; staying open to the public and providing contraceptives, sterilization procedures, and abortion inducing drugs against their religion; or closing their doors. Next step, if they did stay open to the public (which they wouldn't be able to and still claim to be Catholic) they wouldn't be able to encourage patients to not use these procedures. In fact, they could be forced to offer them as options. Down the road they may be forced to offer abortions themselves and what about the individuals working there? Could they be forced to choose between performing the procedure and losing their profession? Potentially it threatens faith-based radio and television as well, even the pulpit. It may look like I'm stretching - looking at the worst case scenario, but Catholic hospitals being forced to provide services against their faith already proves that freedom of religion is being chipped away at. One step at a time the burner is being turned up and taking freedom of speech away from businesses is just one notch.

wikipedia says - "A heath or heathland is a shrubland habitat found mainly on low quality acidic soils, and is characterized by open, low growing woody vegetation." So your landscape has withered shrubs, I guess. I like your word painting. It fits nicely into the books I've been reading of late.

Ah, good to know. Politico.com should update their reporting software then so that the 'winner' check mark is not on the yes once it passes 50% for that type of amendment.

Was bored one day so I browsed available movies to watch instantly on Netflix and came across this gem. Saw David was in it and gave it a go. I loved it, though I cannot say I would have loved it as much without David. He did a brilliant job (as in my bias he always does) but I think the writing was good enough for other actors to do a brilliant job of it, too. Maybe a little too much awkwardness on the part of the leading lady and the shop owner's interest in her was just plain creepy. All in all I recommend it to anyone who likes a wee love story now and again.

So, I followed this entry but I didn't actually get any notifications when it was commented on. What's up with that?

For windows, it's ctrl+PrtSc that puts the image onto your clipboard then ctrl+v while in Paint to paste it.

Right, well, once they take away the freedom of speech for corporations you know it's not going to stop at only their right to give donations to campaigns.

The results I'm looking at says it did pass at 57% yes. But, yeah, I figured. I was going for mischievousness. ... *nicks something from Tyran's tardis collection* >:oK