Decisions, Decisions

I'm sitting here this morning thinking on all the decisions we have to make each and every single day. The decision to get up and go, or hit your snooze button one more time. The decision to eat a healthy breakfast, or to just have coffee. What to wear, how to get where you are going. Endless decisions everyday. Small ones, important ones, life changing ones, meaningless-but-to-you decisions.

I saw in the news yesterday that on May 14th, 2008 the U.S. government made the decision to recognize the polar bear as a "threatened" species, now if I am not mistaken isn't that one step away from "endangered"?

Well, yesterdays news was to inform us that the Bush administration made a decision, they are taking new steps to secure oil for us greedy Americans. The fish and wildlife services auctioned off $2.5 billion worth of contracts to seven oil companies, only Shell and Conoco-Phillips were named specifically. These oil companies are going to search for oil off the NW coast of Alaska. These seven companies were given free reign to 'annoy and potentially harm' the polar bears and pacific walruses in their searches. Over 10% of the polar bears living in the Arctic live in this area. Just when you think we are almost rid of this idiot.

This mornings news was equally disturbing, the first headline I clicked on was 'Police kill man who beat child to death'. Apparently on a stretch of road in CA an elderly couple saw a pick up truck pulled to the side of the road facing the wrong way, as they drove by they stopped. Why? because they were witnessing a man beat a toddler of about 1-2 years of age, brutally beating and stomping were some of the words used in the article. Other people stopped, and soon the police came and had to shoot the man dead to make him quit beating the child. The child was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Now the officer on the scene says that some of the witnesses tried to stop him but their tries were ineffective, he pushed them off and continued. This whole story makes me sick, it is hard to judge sitting here, far from there, but really no one could stop this guy? No one had a plan, hey you grab him and I'll get the kid? really?

Decisions, that how this got started. I could have made the decision to read a different news article, some happy fluff that clogs up 95% of our news channels. But when I read the news I want to hear about the bad stuff. It reminds me that bad shit happens. It's easy to forget that my problems are not the be all end all. It's real easy to forget that I am lucky. That I have it real good. It's easy to forget that I could make a difference. Just by making a decision.

We are all so content to mind our own business, it doesn't affect me type of attitude. But in the end it does affect us all. Yeah, in November we get to pick a new administration but how much damage has the current one caused us? How long before the new administration or the one after it cleans up the messes caused by this one? All of these seemingly endless decisions affect us all. It's time to start caring about them.

What's happening hot stuff?

Lifes been happening. Not too much going on the beginning of this year, here are some bits and pieces.

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moonlight trampoline jumping

paparazzi stalking

mischief and target practice

a hike in the savannas (a natural preserve up the street) where we encountered the ferocious wildlife of a cricket, turtle, and a dog

food, friends, beach, hopefully more of the same come summer.

Just sittin' around

just an ordinary day at the Nichols house.

A mouthful

I have recently begun buying the new earth-friendly cleaners you see hawked everywhere. I was surprised at how well some of them worked, and in the fact that they smell better than the older versions. I realized that I didn't know exactly which chemicals you should seek to avoid, so why was I buying these cleaners, hype? Anyways, I decided to go and find out exactly what I was avoiding and what nasty things would happen to me if I didn't. Avoid it that is.

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(Most of my information comes from a site called organicconsumers.com)

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You should avoid cleaners with ammonia, chlorine, and petroleum-based chemicals. All have been shown to contribute to respiratory irritation and headaches. They should not be used by people with asthma, lung, or heart problems.

Fragrances, one third of the substances used in the industry are toxic. Fragrances in our cleaners, on our bodies, keeping us healthy, clean, and smelling good. How ironic. In the fragrance industry chemical makeup is considered a trade secret and companies are not required to list their ingredients, they simply put fragrance. One third - toxic, poisonous is a synonym.

Diethanolamine (DEA) and triethanolamine (TEA) are sudsing agents found in detergents. These chemicals react with nitrites to form nitrosamines- carcinogen that readily penetrates the skin. They have low acute toxicity, but contribute to long term health effects like cancer and hormone disruption. That sounds like fun.

Another suspected carcinogen comes from ethoxylated alcohols also used in detergents. It has been known to show damage to the brain and nervous system.

For a really great detailed list use this link, kidsorganics.com

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Not only is it dangerous for our health but we our once again polluting our earth, from which we gather all sustenance. We are increasing air pollution, including indoor air pollution. We contaminate rivers, lakes, stream, and oceans. Destroying the delicate balance of the ecosystems. Some people want to say this is evolution, and quite frankly I agree we are evolving. But how do you want to evolve?

After they disappear down our drains most ingredients break down into harmless substances during treatment or soon after, sounds encouraging, right? However some do not. For instance alkyphenol ethoxylates (APE), which are key ingredients in detergent's effectiveness have been shown to mimic the estrogen hormone. Not only are they making the fish act weird, like male salmon producing female egg-yolk proteins, but they have serious side effects for us humans. They are one of those hormone disruptors, which have shown decreased sperm count and male birth defects, but let's not forget us women, they have been shown to make estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells multiply in test tube studies. Back to the delicate balance of the ecosystem, phosphates, used in dish detergents, enter the waterways and act as a fertilizer. Which promotes the overgrowth of algae, which in turn depletes the oxygen supply, which tends to kill off fish and other organisms throwing off the natural balance of things. Which directly relates to us humans.

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I know, I know those environmentally friendly cleaners cost a fortune. You could get away with buying some of them, like me, but not all of them just too damn expensive. Well here are some options,try to find something nontoxic enought to warrant not having the following labels. Is that a double negative?

Danger/Poison- typically most hazardous

Warning- moderately hazardous

Caution- slightly toxic

Also keep in mind that all of this organic, environmentally friendly gibberish is a fairly new market and such claims are not always rigorously monitored. Such as a claim of non-toxic, this has no official definition. Organic in chemistry refers to chemicals that are carbon-based including some volatile organic compounds (VOC) that release harmful fumes and may cause brain damage or cancer. Bio-degradable is almost meaningless as most substances will eventually bio-degrade, try for something with a time limit like bio-degradable in 3-5 days. And there are vague terms like natural or eco-friendly, make them back it up with specific claims such as no phosphates, no solvents or plant-based. Then there is the good old-fashioned suggestion, make your own cleaners. I will admit that I have not tried this, but came across two sites that gave some good info, they are care2 and eartheasy . I can't wait to try them out.

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Here is a little homage to my grandma, whom I miss very much. When we were younger my grandmother used to dry out her plastic ziploc bags and we would always tease her about this. Saying, just throw them away and use a new one. She would always smile this secretive little smile and go about what she was doing. She grew up through the great depression. She remembered very vividly what it was like to not have enough, and was very frugal with things. What I am learning is that soon we will also have to live without some of our creature comforts, how long can we as a society continue to justify our habits? We can continue this way until we have depleted everything, or we can all pitch in a little now and try to conserve something. It may seem like you can never do enough to make a change, but what if everyone did a little, wouldn't that equal a lot?

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To my grandma- I've got a plastic bag drying on my counter, I love you.

"I want to rise up with a full heart"

An amazing quote that comes to me every once in a while.

I was watching the movie Sicko the other day. (It's a Michael Moore documentary on healthcare, or rather our lack of it as a nation. Call me a socialist but I'm all for it.)

Now, I won't go into the details of the movie, watch it, it's worth it.

However, there was this one part that stuck with me. A lady in, I believe, France was talking about how they live in a great country and one of the reasons that it was so great was that the government was afraid of the people. Yes, I said it right, the government was afraid of the people. Isn't that interesting? The reason for this was that in France they protested when things weren't going their way, and the government listened. The government was scared of its people, not the other way around. Isn't that something to think about?

I think our current administration has never had 'the people' in mind. I've no doubt that they've had 'people' in mind when it came to helping someone out. Just not the regular, average guy. How come we don't hold them accountable for that?

Case in point: another Michael Moore movie, Fahrenheit 911. My favorite part was when he went to Congress and asked all the congressman and Senators if they would enlist their child for the war that they started. He just wanted to make sure they were being fair, the regular guy was going in why not their sons and daughters? If I remember correctly, most of them blew him off, quite rudely even as if that was unfathomable, there was only one guy who actually stood and talked to him about it. He didn't enlist his child either, he just didn't blow him off.

My point, we are supposed to live in one of the wealthiest, forward thinking countries in the world, yet we don't help each other out when in need. Those of us with the means and the time are too busy stockpiling for our own asses. The rest of us are just trying to make it through the day. Why? So we can do today all over again tomorrow?

Believe In Something

My father-in-law loves to send me his ridiculous narrow-minded Republican emails, I can actually here his gleeful chuckles as I read his propaganda. It's all good, don't tell him but I actually like when he sends them to me, it usually leads to some heated debate or such. Recently he actually sent me something useful that I wouldn't be ashamed to share. This website allows you to take a short quiz on where you stand on the issues and how important each one is to you. Then they tally up your responses and show you which candidate, by percent, that you side with. The cool thing is they show you how you rate with each candidate and which issues you agree on or don't. I had been leaning towards Clinton, not because she is a woman, how ridiculous, but because I feel that she and I are on the same page with the issues that mean the most to me. I took the quiz and, lo and behold I was right, both times I took it she came up as my number one. This has not been the case with everyone who has taken it, more than one person was surprised at the outcome, so I urge everyone to take the quiz, just to see. The reason for this is because this quiz inspired me to look up a couple of candidates websites, because while I have been leaning towards Clinton I was not sold on her just yet. She seems shady to me, but which politician isn't right?



I looked up McCain, I know, I know he's Republican but I am registered Independent for a reason. I looked up Clinton and liked what she had to say but I was still not sold on her. Then I looked up Barack Obama. I first saw him last year on a really late night talk show when Chad was out of town and I could not sleep. I really liked what he had to say, it seemed to me he really believed in what he was talking about. Unlike most who just spout what they think the majority wants to hear. The more I heard about him the more I liked but I had my reservations, I mean could he really fulfill these promises? Wasn't he a little naive? Well as I said I looked up his site and read what he had to say about the issues and then I came across this, The Blueprint for Change. It is exactly what it says it is, his blueprint for what he plans on doing with this country if he gets into office. In a regular easy to understand language. He list what he perceives is the problem, then gives the solution that he is proposing, then he also gives you his background on the issue, such as what he has previously voted and stood for.


I guess what I am trying to say here is this. Take a minute and look at all the candidates, someone might just surprise you. I know that what I am looking for is a little inspiration. Honestly, I find that in Obama, but I am still too skeptical of this country to believe that he can just waltz in there and do all the things he is promising. I want to believe though. I want to believe that someone out there can care about everyone and not just his/her own interests.


Can we?

To All the Ones I've Loved

It has been a really long time. Not even sure, really what to write. Well, I guess that's not entirely true, I can give an update on what's been going on around here.

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As you may have guessed we finally got the whole computer thing straightened out. They finally admitted that we had a dud and exchanged it for a new one. Only after replacing the mother board four times, which by the way cost them about $250 a pop, and we only paid $870 for the CPU. You do the math because it seems to me they gypped themselves out of a bit of money seeing as they had to give us a new CPU anyway. Although they would not exchange our CPU for an Apple (even though it was a slight downgrade, a bit less memory) seeing as how their policy is technology for technology and apparently an Apple is not a PC? They did however end up giving us a CPU that was about 8x the computer we did have, go figure. The last thing I am going to say on this subject is, that it seems like we got the better end of the deal, until you factor in that we paid them to back-up our files on our old computer and they say they did, but neither Chad or I can figure out how to retrieve it off the hard drive they gave us. So I get to mourn again the loss of my pictures. Unless by some miracle we are doing something wrong (anyone?) when trying to retrieve our old files. It seems to be easy, (there is a spot to click on that says retrieve files and when we do it tells us we have no files to retrieve) but you never know with this technology stuff.

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Chad and I are doing okay, he's been working, playing a little bit, they last played the weekend before Xmas at a huge skate party, it was cool. I have, as of this Saturday, become unemployed again. Which is cool also, but I am already sweating a tiny bit about the loss of funds. No worries I keep telling myself we will succeed through all of this. Just hasn't been a fun few weeks. Ashton is still doing well homeschooling he improves a little bit everyday. He and I really enjoy our days together, haven't been doing too many field trips though, the price of gas and technically we don't have a car right now. Still having a good time. I have to tell you that last night he was awarded his red belt in Tae Kwon Do, which is an amazing feat. The board breaking technique that he had to perform was called a flying sidekick, which means that he had to run from across the room, jump, and hit the board just right and at the right angle in order to break it. Pretty hard to do. He has two more belts before he hits black belt. Yeah, ASH! Kenan is an amazing child, amazingly frustrating, but amazing still the same. He is still having some problems getting his act together in school, but Chad and I are working on the best possible solutions to help him succeed. He is in 7th grade this year and we keep telling him that it matters, we'll just have to see if he straightens up and decided to believe us or not. He will also be 13 in a little less than a month, my babies, just aren't babies anymore. Genevieve, Genevieve, where do I start with this child. She is cool as hell, fierce, independent, smart. She is doing well back in regular school, she has some friends, and her teachers love her. She was on the A-B honor roll the first grading period, so we are really proud. She is trying hard.

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The holidays came and went without a splash, sometimes I find myself wondering if they even came at all. We chose to do nothing for Thanksgiving this year, at first I was a little bit bummed, but I have to tell you it was really nice, we hung out at the house and did nothing. Xmas and New Year's were just like any other, they came and went. We did get a trampoline so that's been fun. Not too much been happening here.

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Eating Green

So my beautiful sister knows that I am trying to be somewhat responsible in my eating habits. Since my family is not going 'veggie' with me, I try to buy them healthy all natural alternatives. After the soy milk coup d'etat I continue to buy them animal products, I like my head and want to keep it and my family close to heart.

So the beautiful sister sent me this in an email a bit ago and I thought it was worth sharing.

Eating GreenYour guide to organic and other in-the-news terms
When deciding what to feed your family, you're bound to face a bewildering array of food labels claiming that items are organic, natural or free range. Here’s what these labels mean:
Growing Conditions
Organic-If a product bears a "USDA organic" label, you are guaranteed that’s it’s at least 95 free of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and sewage sludge and that it hasn’t been genetically modified or irradiated. No hormones or antibiotics are allowed; animals must be fed organically-grown feed and have access to the outdoors. While some experts have suggested that organic foods are healthier than conventionally-grown, the USDA doesn’t support these claims.
Sustainable-Sustainable agriculture refers to crops that are raised in ways that don’t harm the environment, are humane to animals, and that supports farm workers and farming communities. Not all sustainable foods are organic — most come from small family farms which may not have the time or resources to get organic certification (it is expensive and time-consuming). A related label is "Fair Trade," which certifies that farmers in developing countries have received a fair price for products like coffee that are grown in a sustainable way.
Natural-Natural refers to meat and poultry that contains no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. There is no certification and because a food is called "natural," it doesn’t mean that farm animals were raised organically.
Locally Grown-Locally grown refers to crops produced no more than 250 miles from where they’re purchased. The emphasis is on seasonal, fresh produce, meats and dairy products but these crops may have been raised with pesticides.
If the label does not specify that the food any special growing conditions, you should assume it’s conventional. Crops and cattle are raised using synthetic chemicals, like fertilizers and pesticides to curb insect growth and increase the amount of food produced. Farmers can give their animals antibiotics, growth hormones and other medications. This is the way most crops and livestock have been raised in the U.S. for the past 50 years.
Hormones and Antibiotics
Antibiotic-Free-The term "antibiotic-free" is unregulated but producers can label foods "no antibiotics administered" or "raised without antibiotics," which means animals were raised entirely without the substances. Concerns have been raised that antibiotic use in cattle causes antibiotic resistant bacteria to develop, threatening human health.
Hormone-Free-For pork and chicken, the label "hormone free" is meaningless; these substances are banned when raising pigs and chickens. Beef may carry a "no hormones administered" label but no outside authority currently certifies this claim. Controversy has arisen over the artificial hormone rBGH which increases milk production. The U.S. is one of the few countries to approve its use; others have banned it because of concerns over human and animal health.
Animal Welfare
Free Range-Chickens that aren’t confined to cages and are granted access to the outdoors are called "free range." But the USDA only requires limited outdoor time; conditions can be crowded and dirty and there’s no outside monitoring.
Grass-Fed-Cattle raised largely on grass and hay are referred to as "grass-fed." No government regulations or inspections apply to the term and these cattle may not be organic. Since cows’ stomachs more easily digest grass than grain, it is a more natural, humane and antibiotic-free way to raise cattle.

beautiful sister:

So to steal a phrase, I'm not in the mood.

(You really should update, if only for me ;)

I haven't been in the mood for quite a while.

It all started when this goshdarn computer continued breaking on me, week after week.

Now, I don't know, maybe it's just from not using so much? I really have no desire to really get on this contraption, really ever.

Here is my contribution, here are the fun and interesting things that have been going on in our lives lately. Not too much really.

me, I'm still a cheeky brat.

Chad is still super hot, ahem, I mean playing gigs, writing amazing music.

We've had two new members adopt us, although Merlin got caught in the radiator fan one day (obviously a complete accident) and doesn't come around so much anymore.

Merlin

Guiness

HALLOWEEN 2007

Kenan wanted to be something creepy and cool. zombie. He pulls it off well.

Ashton is a character from an anime game/book/cartoon called Naruto. His character is Gaara, he controls sand, so he carries it with him at all times.

No folks this is not the infamous, Jack Sparrow, this is Johnny Depp. "All the girls want to kiss Johnny Depp"- Evie. She was right, I know I got my kiss, I mean how many times do you get the opportunity to kiss Johnny Depp.

*while going through the pictures for the post I realized I have quite a few pics that never got posted. I will be making up various albums through snapfish, if you are interested let me know and I will email them to you.*

maybe I'm biased

but I don't think so. You all know Chad plays music, you all know I think he's amazing. Well here is your chance to let me know what you think. I want your honest opinions. Here is his bands' site MATADOR. I really want your feedback. Please comment. thanks.

Doesn't anyone have anything interesting to say anymore?

Updates

Wow! it's been a while, especially for me, since I've written. Most of you already know but we have been having a bit of computer problem lately. In the past 3-4 months we have had to replace our motherboard in the CPU, going on the third time now. We have spoken with the company that warranties us and we will probably file for their no-lemon policy. That is once they place the computer in the right place and diagnose the problem officially. Let's not talk about it, suffice to say it was a hard lesson for me to learn, as I never backed anything up and have now lost all the things that were important to us.

So with that said there are no pictures for you, I am rarely on this thing anymore, which I've conceded is a good thing. We are using the kids old computer we have for them to play games on, it's really slow and we can't really download most things onto it anyway.

Since then school has gotten under way as well as the thousand and one birthdays that occur at this time of the year.

Evie's birthday was a blast, I can't believe she is 10. We took her camping again, it's what she wanted to do. We went fishing and caught quite a few fish, she caught the first one which was cool. She is back in school and really likes it, she is doing well.

Ash's birthday was yesterday and we took the 14 year old to Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios for the day. Just Chad, Ash, and I went, it was a really nice day. He looks so much like Chad at that age. He is still homeschooling and we are really having fun.

That's about it, hope all is well with you and yours. Will talk to you eventually.

Keep buying Hummers, yeehaw!

So I was reading the newspaper on Sunday and I was heartened to see the headline-"House Oks $16 billion in taxes on oil companies"

I read the first few paragraphs out loud to Chad so we could discuss, this is the gist of it. Basically, the democratic-led House, while declaring a new direction in energy policy, approved $16 billion in taxes on oil companies while providing tax breaks and incentives for renewable energy and conservation efforts. Republican opponents said the legislation ignored the need to provide more domestic oil, natural gas, and coal. One Republican was quoted as saying..."the pure venom.. against the oil and gas industry."

Well, duh... yeah, there is venom against this particular industry, not because of what they produce , because let's face it we all use and depend on it, but instead the fact that they vehemently deny and even encourage distortion of the facts that this is one of the lead causes of global warming. And in denying, allow themselves no out to try and come up with a plausible solution. Instead they push aside their conscience, choose to fatten their wallets, and thicken our air.

I thought what a great thing, they are going to hit them where it hurts, until Chad brought up the very good point that it won't hurt the oil companies they'll just raise the price of gas again. Oh shite, he's right, then I said well that's when it is our turn to do our part and choose wiser, more fuel efficient products. We got into a discussion about how everyone would have to do this in order to make any kind of difference. I think these changes are inevitable, who can afford a $45 gas fill up twice a week?

I decided to finish the article.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi said " We are turning to the future." My heart excited I read on. Part of the bill calls for more stringent efficiency standards for appliances and lighting and incentives for building more 'green' buildings. I was thrilled, this is something that I have been looking at lately for our home, and different options and ideas for that 'dream home' Chad and I are always constructing.

Then I read on and quickly remembered this is politics that we are dealing with. One back does not get scratched on it's own.

" Democrats avoided a nasty fight by ignoring.... calls for automakers to make vehicles more fuel efficient."

Aha, we have come to the real story. Yes, the democratic house won a victory, but not against the oil companies. What is really happening , is the everyday person, you know you and I, we are getting screwed, royally. We are the ones, who, if we have the heart and the want to change , can't afford a major overhaul all at once. We can only change a little at a time, while still having to pay outrageous prices for oil which we are 'almost' forced to use. I say 'almost' because we can get radical and hippie-like, but for the most part that is not a realistic option . For the people who have the means to negotiate a major overhaul of fuel-efficiency, well let's just say that most of them are not so motivated to do this.

So the rest of us, the regular guy, can just bend over, take a deep breath, and relax, while the guys who make all the decisions insert the gas nozzle and smile.

music: Modest Mouse- The Lonesome Crowded West

300

So Tuesday morning I ran out and bought 2 copies of 300, when I say ran I mean it. I gave one to my in-laws for their birthday and the other one is sitting in a prize position on my desk. I am getting ready to sit back and enjoy the movie, but I thought I'd take one more second out and encourage everyone to see this movie, again even, if you've already seen it.

I can't pinpoint exactly why this movie turns me on so much, but it does, and I champion it at every turn. Yeah sure, there are a couple of hotbodied guys running around in speedo-type loincloths throughout the whole movie, and yes a hotblooded 30 something female such as myself thoroughly, let me say that again, thoroughly, appreciates that, but that is not the whole reason I watch. The movie really struck something in me, it really inspired me to take stock of what's missing lately. The Spartans stood in the face of opposition and did not bend their morals, not an inch. That is what lacks in so many of us today in these times. The willingness to trade what you know to be true in your heart for the sake of others, for the feeling of going with the crowd.

Never back down from your heart.

In the end it's all you own.

Another good title along these same lines:

Happy Feet

no, but really.

Checking out

So I mentioned in a post a bit ago that this surfer girl had not been to the beach. *gasp, shock* I know! Well, I made it a point to just start going. Waves or not, I just feel better at the beach, the sand on my feet, the salt on my skin, it's a complete healing process for me. I brought out some of the smaller boards so the kids could get their feet wet, so to say. Believe it or not we found a perfect spot, all the reports called for flat, lake like conditions, but this particular spot had a small bump to it.( I have found my secret surf spot, I think, as the hurricanes wiped out our last semi-secret spot.) So the tikes and I got out there, and caught a few. Now my feet are itching to be wet everyday. Surfing is so awesome, you really feel the power of nature out there, you have to have total respect for her, or she will bitch slap you into oblivion. It's good for the soul. Hope everyone tries it, I'm available to give free lessons. "wish you were here?"

My Picks

Stardust is a story by Neil Gaiman that I read some time ago. This one comes out, I think, 8-10-07.


The Dark Materials Trilogy is one the kids and I stumbled upon last summer, we listened to the first two on CD, when we couldn't get the third one right away I went ahead and read the book myself, amd later listened with the kids. Philip Pullman is the author, this is the first story The Golden Compass. I think this one comes out 12-7-07

Gorgeous, there are no other words, well maybe cheeky.

The Evil Villain and the Life Rafts

There was a girl with fair red hair and freckles on her nose.

She had a way about her that had you on your toes.

She swam into town one day, all giggly and excited.

She marked her prey, swam right in, and recited,

"I'll take you away from here" she said to her mark.

"We can roam these waters, anywhere you like, even well after dark."

The two of them took off like a flash, best friends you've never seen.

But somewhere watching in the town there was a jealous gleen.

The Evil Villain lurked in the doorway, quiet as a mouse.

When the two went off like that he ran into his house.

He murmured to himself, "they never invite me,

I'll get to them this time, they can't leave me here, you'll see."

He searched his rooms, behind his door, underneath his bed.

He ran around that house looking until he turned beet red.

"I know they are here somewhere," he scratched his head in wonder

"Aha," he thought, then took off like a bolt and flash of thunder.

As he ran to where the two were playing he had something in his coat.

He jumped on in, then thought better of it, and went to his boat.

He rowed along the town, until he saw the two.

He went to them and asked to play, and do the things you do.

They laughed and said "We'd never keep up you silly man, are you daft?"

He said to them, "You silly girls, that's why I brought these life rafts."

As they hopped on, held on, and began to enjoy the ride.

They realized very quickly, they no longer had the ability to glide.

They could not swim in the water they loved so much.

The rafts had taken this from them at the slightest touch.

They held on for dear life, no longer having fun,

as the Evil Villain laughed and laughed and took them on a run.

"Ha, Ha," he said no longer an outsider.

"You thought to keep me out, but now I am the better."

They looked at him confused, and said to him,

"Why did you do this, I thought we could be friends?"

He replied right back, "My dears
you always left me out and never cared for my tears.

it is my turn now to see you cry and shout, and wiggle on my hook."

They said to him, "We never meant to hurt you Evil Villain, we never saw your hurt looks.

You lurked inside the doorways, never seeming to care

if we had known how much you wanted to join in our affairs

we would have asked you to come and play with us."

He cut them off with a shout of rage and started a big fuss.

"You never noticed how I sulked and pouted.

It was because you never cared to notice," he shouted.

Furious and in a rage, the Evil Villain shook and screamed

"I'll teach you to ignore me, watch this, I can be mean!"

He stole the life rafts from the two, as they floundered and kicked.

He watched them struggle, his mind gone sick.

All at once he had a shock, one of the two turned to him, looked at him,

and said helplessly, "Please, the light is going dim."

With that she went under, you see she could no longer swim.

The Evil Villains heart turned soft as dough,

he realized that he could no longer carry on with the show.

He dove straight down, grabbed the girl around her waist

went to the top, straightaway for now it was a race.

She struggled to regain her life, and looked with wonder at the villain

he looked so cool, calm, collected, he was just chillin'

"You saved me, when you meant for something else

what happened to your black heart, did it melt?"

The Evil Villain looked at her and said,

"I finally realized my soul is clear as well as my head.

I could no longer continue with my plan.

I wanted to be friends and talk, like a regular man.

Their is no evil lurking here.

I want to run and play, my dears."

The two and him went off like nothing you have seen.

It was as if all that had happened before was just a dream.

The Monster at the Shallow End

Three tired travelers, hit an unexpected snag in their travel plans. They seem to be lost on a river in the jungles far away from any known civilization. As they decide to try and get to shore they absentmindedly let themselves drift toward the shallow end. Which is the first of many mistakes they are about to make. As they get closer something is lurking in the depths so quietly and unobtrusively that no one seems to notice until BAM!!! a hand-like appendage reaches out for each of them. A roar, and a grab, a shake, and then very low, a chuckle. The monster has gotten his slimy hands on each of them, they are all shaken and wondering, but there is no time to wonder, he is reaching for them again. One of the travelers, the male of the group, is so frightened that he races for the shore, not knowing that this has led him to certain doom. He runs for the shore and amazingly enough, the monster doesn't even give him a second glance, his appetite is on the two juicy women travelers. The monster, however glances at the man and makes a sound like a deep belly laugh, and he lunges for the women again. They quickly move out of his reach and realize that he will not venture far from the shore. As they try to stay out of the monsters grasp, they are also frantically trying to talk some sense into their friend who has left them. He is looking odd and they are worried about him. He suddenly takes off for the farthest point, crouches and dives into the deepest, blackest part of the river. The two women are immensely relieved and travel down to him. They approach him cautiously as he is looking unwell. As quick as an instant their friend is reaching and grabbing for them, looking mighty hungry indeed.

All the while the monster at the shallow end is laughing hysterically, "How do you think I came about?" he muses. "I too, once ventured upon that cursed shore, but there is no coming back from it. Now my friend we will rule these waters together, you in the deep, me in the shallow, and we shall never be hungry."

The two women look at each other, frightened and scared, whatever shall they do? As they are pondering their fate, the monster from the deep jumps onto the shore once more. The women are unsure of what is happening. They watch in awe as their former friend strolls down to the monster. He says in a gravelly, subdued voice, "These two morsels of flesh will not be your dinner, monster. You shall let them pass and drift to their safety, or you will answer to me. And I will drag you to your death in the deep waters of this river."

The monster looks at him baffled. He is confused, he remembers the gnawing hunger that consumed him when he first turned. He also remembers, barely, the love he could feel as a human, and assumes this is what drives the newly turned monster. He allows the women to pass, not for the love, but for the fear of the deep end.

The two women, still weary and now afraid, look at their former friend with gratitude as they slowly creep toward the deep end and safety. They can see just beyond the pass that there is a different kind of light down there, one that looks optimistically normal. As they go to wish their friend farewell and love, he looks at them with a glint in his eye. "You did not think I was going to let that monster eat you, did you? I am far too hungry to share, this day." He leaps on them and all you can hear above the strange twitterings of the insects that live in this place, are the crunching of the women travelers bones.

The Impish Faerie with Pink Gossamer Wings

The beautiful faerie captures the lady of the water, and says to her "You will do my bidding or else."



The lady of the water looks at her amused, and with a small grin on her face, inquires "What exactly does 'or else' entail?"



The faerie stares her down and says nothing more. She lightly, oh so lightly, presses her shining pink gossamer wings into the lady of the water's face. Slightly, ever so slightly, presses harder and harder until the lady is forced under the water as the faerie giggles maniacally.



The lady of the water has now decided it is time to show who rules the depths of this water. She says in a loud and roaring voice, " I am Queen here, who do you think you are? I rule these waters and you will do as I say, and I demand one request."



The faerie seems to shrink and says with a shaky voice "Which is?"



"I ask for one kiss from the beautiful impish faerie with the pink gossamer wings," demands the lady of the water.



Which the clever faerie gives to her without the slightest hesitation. All is made well in the murky waters of the kingdom which the lady rules.