There is  alot of work to be done

Watch out for his wonderful reference Jamal al Banna! Ed starts out and says

".....Jamal al Banna, Shiekh al Banna God bless him! His brother is sitting there in a room in Cairo, today 7/7 refuting everything that his brother stood for"

Now Jamal al Banna ,la Jamal lahu! is a notorious heretic that is well known among the Egyptian Ulema. Just for you Ed, we are going to have a special article on this man and his awful beliefs!

Now my concern is with the "naive" Muslims like this Abdul Rehman Malik and others that we shall not mention for the moment.

Isnt it time that certain ulema  have something to say about this? We wait and wait for our Ulema to protect our religion! Abdul Rehman Malik seems to be a  representitive of the Radical Middle Way and thinks that the Quilliam Foundation is good organisation to promote despite its heretical views. It seems (and I emphasis that)  that the Radical Middle Way is on the same route towards our "beloved" "Government Islam". Isnt is shameful that we have major Ulema who are part of this "middle way" yet here we have a  supposed representitive supporting clear Kufr! Of course this needs clarification and we are not accusing this foundation yet.

Abdul Rehman Malik's link to the Radical Middle Way can be found here

http://www.muslimcafe.tv/pages/guests.php?guest=151

We also cannot forget Hamza Yusuf's support of the Radical Middle Way

Now I know Hamza Yusuf and Abdullah Bin Bayyah are innocent of this filth the Quilliam foundation. Now Ulema come out in the open and disown yourself from this Government agenda to make you "Rand Muslims"

In this part I start off by using Jean's ability to by pass a lot of the overworld map and return to hometown in order to free Bow's name from being associated as a thief. After we show the real thief Bow is asked to once again steal......yes we just spent like 3 hours convincing everyone Bow is not a thief and now I have to steal with Bow again. So Ryu and Bow together break into the same house Bow broke into the first time but this time they discover that Trout has being keeping thieves hostage and making them collect money for him. I save Patty the thief who we had to chase all over the world and while doing so Trout finds us and a battle begins. It is after this that we truly realize that something evil is going on. Near the town of Gate where the game started the forest that surrounds the town dies and a large monster has appeared. I of course will investigate so the group heads off for more adventure.

I need to find the plant man who will help us find out what happened to the trees. The thing is the plant man is being held as part of a circus sideshow and the circus is on an island with the town of Tunlan (woo) So I need a way to get to Tunlan so I stop by the famous Whale Caves and find out that the caves are really an old sleeping whale. After I travel through the whale in one of the weirdest dungeons so far I come across an evil doll that is making the whale sleepy. I take out the doll and Grandpa the Whale is awakened and since I helped him awake and get rid of the doll he decides to give me a ride whenever I need one. So its off to Tunlan but once I arrive at the circus I find out the Plant Man is about to be eaten because no one cares about him any more. The only way to save him is by capturing a rare animal or paying a lot of money. Well since I don't have the money I head off to find a monster. In a small cave near Coursair I find the Uparupa which is just the kind of rare animal I need. So after a battle I decide to let it go insted of capturing it and it grants me a prize of a new sword. I go back to the circus tell the guy he will get no creature or money from me and what a shock a battle begins. After a pretty easy battle I have saved the Plant Man who is named Spar and he joins the group.

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But first, a lil' update...

Finally met the roommate, Rebecca, who is truly nice but is leaving rather unexpectedly in a month.  Went for a real shopping for the first time tonight.  Checkers is like a Super Walmart but just not organized as nicely (according to me of course). 

Met one neighbor.  An Afrikaner who was trained in both Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and now works for a mining company.  He offered once to teach Rebecca how to speak Afrikaner.  I might see if the offer is still good with a different student.  I need language skills.  I do know that some view Afrikaans as the language of oppression here but it is also a useful viable tongue.

Rebecca and I have already had some great conversations, in my opinion at least. She is quite brilliant and a few years more experienced in this whole humanitarian aid thing which is wonderful for me as a spongy sort of life learner.

So, by the way, Jacinta Ball and everyone else--I am here:

When I have time to take more pictures I will show you much much more of where I'm at, including my proximity to the UFO, aka: Weird House up the hill from me.

But for the time being, I will leave you with my physical address.  As far as I know if you send cool things to me they will reach my doorstep.  Thus, you should feel free to send interesting books, postcards, letters, safety pins (which I couldn't find at the store last night), money, my facewash I left at home (Mom!) etc, etc, etc.  I don't have any weird cravings for something you can only buy in America yet but if I develop any in the next five months I will let you know and will expect quick deliveries!

No 17 Villa la Montagne, Wilhelmina Ave, Allens Nek, Roodepoort, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

It's a mouthful but it should take you less  than 15 seconds maximum to write it out on your letter or package to me.  I measured and it only took me 9 seconds but I budgeted a bit extra for you so you could slip some Rand in the envelope too!

Hey, I was also wondering...for you who read this...how does the page look?  Is the text color hurting your eyes?  Are my paragraphs too long?  Do you want more pictures?  I am writing this to be read and read often by people I love so I want to make it as comfortable as possible.  Comment with your thoughts dearies!

See, the problem that happens with most trilogies is that the first book is never part of the trilogy.
i mean, it is, but it never ACTUALLY is.
the first book of almost any trilogy, or even any series, is a package deal.
you can read it, finish it, and not feel any immediate need to get the next book.
It has a beginning, middle, and a real end, not one of those awful cliff-hangers that make you want to stalk the author just to find out what happens next.
Then, the 2nd one is excruciating. it has that cliff hanger at the end, and you're hanging by a fishing hook off an unsteady rock ledge, ready to collapse and fall at any second, taking you with it.
the 3rd book (if its the last one in the series) is usually pretty good, tying up all the loose ends into one little happy package, finishing everything and leaving you how you felt after the first one.

why?

simple.

when the author writes the first book of a trilogy/series, they don't want to be tied down by that series, should it choose to fail.
if they write a first book that has cliff-hangers and whatnot, the general reading public may not go and read the second book, being so disgusted and unhappy with the first book.
authors are never sure that they're going to complete the series until after they finish the first book.
and then they go and have all the fun they want, leaving us readers tearing our hair out, screaming obsceneties at an object that will never give us a satisfying response to our anger.

the first book of a series is the authors one-night-stand with that story.
they aren't tied to it in any way.
if the public doesn't like it, well fine. no need to write the second and 3rd ones, which no one will read.
its a guarantee that you aren't screwing yourself over if you do write the rest of the trilogy.
its testing the waters.

take Sabriel for instance, the first book in the Old Kingdom trilogy (or series, since i guess there are companion novels for it?).
It is a fantastic story about a young girl (well, young woman. she's 18.) who sets out on a quest (hah. it sounds so terribly cliche, doesn't it) to save her father, who she believes to have died. I'm sure the majority of you (who haven't read this book) are thinking "wowww....because I haven't read/heard/seen anything like THAT before. That is a completely ORIGINAL STORY."
and you're right.
however. the twist?
Sabriel is able to control a type of power called "Charter Magic."
the Charter is basically a form of religion, and also a very powerful force in her world.
Using this Charter Magic, she can enter the realm of the dead, and using several types of special bells (which command the listener of the bell's tone to do certain things), can control almost all manner of the dead.
the dead, which keep breaking the bonds of death, and attacking the living.
the dead, which her father is sworn to control.
the dead, one of which is her father's archenemy, who may or may not have finally succeeded in his life...no...existance-long task.

i hesitate to give any more information other then that, because I'm always afraid that i'm going to ruin the book for someone who hasn't read it already.
but basically....everything gets solved in the end.
loose ends get tied up, leaving only the faintest trace of what may be the subject of the rest of the books.
but at the end, you're satisfied.
you finished a story, and theres nothing left that you need to get from that branch of the story.
you are free of commitment to that series.

so then you pick up the second book.
Lirael.
and let me tell you, it starts off promising.
and then it turns just plain good.
and then you get to the awesome plan of action that you know will take the heroes into the depths of hell and back and will probably kill someone important because theres no way a battle that big and insane could be contained without someone dying for the cause, and theres so many things you want to know...

and you turn the page.
and nothing is there.

let me tell you, i normally notice when i'm coming in for the home stretch of a book.
it gives me a sense of accomplishment when i round that final 50 pages left mark, when you know you're about to finish.
the ending of this book completely blindsided me.
i actually went back and reread the last 5 or 10 pages a few times to make sure it was actually the end and i hadn't missed some crucial point in the book.
NOPE.
Garth Nix wrote it to torture us. to make us squirm in delightful frustration that only comes from a completely amazing story, the kind that drags you in and pins you down, forcing you to turn pages almost faster than your eyes can read, just because you have to know, you NEED to know what happens to these characters, these people who you know better than your family.

Garth Nix, like so many other authors, wrote the final two books in the trilogy as one book.
Lirael and Abhorsen are simply one book, one story, one set of complex problems to fix, but stretched out into two books.
I suppose the wait makes the 3rd book better, like how that cheeseburger tastes after you've been starving in a desert for a week.
plus, from experience, cliff hangers are SO FUN to write.
half of it is because you know that if people feel that intense of an emotion from your book, it means you did your job. you made them feel something.
and the other half is just because it is damn fun to watch people squirm.

now, Why shouldn't you take these books on Vacation?
well, i made that mistake.
i'm in florida right now, as we speak, and as part of my expansive travelling book collection (to guard against running out of reading material) I have Sabriel, and Lirael.
I hadn't had room for Abhorsen, and in a moment of stupidity, I decided that bringing the first two would be sufficient, because I was halfway through Sabriel already, and it seemed pretty much one complete story, and for some unknown reason I decided that the rest of the books would be like that.
because, you know, THAT decision makes COMPLETE sense.

idiot. idiot. idiot.

i was practically in tears of despair upon finishing Lirael.
I couldn't bear starting another book, at the risk of forgetting the feelings i was feeling due to Sabriel and Lirael.
So instead i took a nap.
and then woke up, and started Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand.

but those feelings haven't gone away. just talking about it now is enough to stir within me the compulsion to find the nearest bookstore and buy Abhorsen, whatever the cost.
but i won't.
because reading two books at once would be disasterous, and somehow I would end up confusing Hank Rearden of Atlas Shrugged, and Touchstone, of the Old Kingdom trilogy, and just have the entire thing completely backwards.

My words if advice: If you're going somewhere where you won't have access to a supply of new reading material, bring only the first book of any trilogy, unless you are prepared to bring all three.
otherwise, the effects could be disasterous.

Note: I had forgotten how hard it is to read one of Ayn Rand's books at my normal pace of a book a day (unless its particularly long, or slow, which then it takes 2 or 3, depending on time constraints).
This is Day 3 of reading Atlas Shrugged, and while it is fantastic on so many levels....damn is it long.
i'm on page 481 out of 1069.
hopefully tomorrow will be a good day of reading, because i've still got 5 other books that I plan to read while i'm in florida, and i've only got until the 22nd to do so.
normally i skim through books, which allows me to read quickly, while still getting all of the main points and about 98% of the details.
in anything written by Ayn Rand, if i skip so much as 3 words, i may not understand the next 100 pages.
however, i know its worth it. the fountainhead sure was.

well, kids, i'll be back tomorrow....or maybe later tonight, if you're lucky.
...you'd think my vacation wouldn't be spent blogging about reading, but you'd be wrong.

The Great Hunt is an excellent sequel, and while I may have my problems with him later, I'm glad we get to spend so much time in Rand's head.  It is both sad and exciting watching him trade his shepard's life for the sword and grow up become a  man who can lead a nation(s).   I think it is because of the regret and emotion that I remember from him in this second book that I still can't hate him even when he deserves it later on in the series.  

To a lesser extent, Perrin's also plods down the road to self-acceptance on this trip, being forced into a situation where he has to call on the wolves after Hurrin's dissapearance.  The difference being that at the end of the second book, Perrin backtracks and continues on ignoring the wolves and blocking them out of his head until Jarra in The Dragon Reborn.  

I sometimes get to thinking of Perrin as Rand's shadow.  There are so many parrellels between the two, where as Matt has always seemed more off on his own.  Both have been described by women as both big and gentle.  Both are physically marked in some way that they can't hide underneath a necktie like Matt, what with Perrin's golden eyes and Rand's Aiel heritage that sets them apart from normal Westland society. Both their weapons were pretty much given from someone who was near kin.  Struggling with madness is more of an active struggle for them, than the creeping disease Matt suffered from the taint of Shadar Logoth.  And lastly, the reader is often brought into the dreams of Rand and Perrin, whereas Matt's are always  closed to us.

I believe that the best, most successful relationships are the ones in which your partner is also your friend. Now, nothing ever takes the place of your girlfriends, and I have plenty of amazing ones...but Rand and I have a deep, powerful friendship that is the basis for our life together. We enjoy being romantic, but we also enjoy being silly. We share everything, little things and big things. He's the first person I want to talk to when I'm having a good day or a bad one. We just make sense.

I know this is going to sound corny and cliche, but Rand truly understands that love is a verb. Every day, he makes a conscious decision to show his love for me, in a million little ways. While I have nothing against flowers every now and then (hey, what girl doesn't like flowers?), it's those everyday small things that make the biggest difference.

No, not the "I have PMS and I haven't eaten lunch, and OH MY GOD why does the universe hate me so" kind of crying, but the "watching that episode of Futurama about Fry's dog that is the saddest thing ever" kind of crying. (Disney movies and the occasional Hallmark commercial also do the trick.) Rand not only does not find this ridiculous, but rather endearing.

I love that this is something that he loves about me.

While we may go back and forth (and back and forth) about having our own, nothing quite melts my heart like watching the little ones interact with Rand. Whether they're his nephews, or the kids of friends, they seem to take to Rand instantly. It's utterly adorable.

(I wrote this last night, and forgot to click "publish"...that's like the third time I've done that!)

Anyway, the #6 thing I love about Rand is his openness.

Rand has always been completely honest and forthright with me, from the very beginning. It set the tone for our whole relationship. I never feel like he's hiding anything from me, or that I have to hide anything from him.  There's never been any sense of game playing or anything like that...just 100% open communication.

It looks like changes need to be made at the ballot box in November. The "Do Nothing" legislature has given us another example as to why they need to be removed from power. We need to "Take Back Our State" from the entrenched corruption that is running rampant.

Will Rep. Dan Blue and Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue do anything to pressure Rep. Hackney and Senator Rand to do the right thing on Jessica's Law? I call upon the Democrats in North Carolina's legislature to get off their collective derrieres and pass Jessica's Law NOW!

It's been a long, exhausting day, so I'm going to make this quick...before I do, though, I'm happy to report that my gown is safely in hand, alterations finished, woo-freaking-hoo. ;) Moving on.

#7 is...the way he understands and uses language.

We're both word nerds. I think I've covered that fairly well. ;) I love listening to Rand talk about the way he and Adam crafted a particular lyric. I love the way he can get me to (grudgingly) appreciate Eminem. I love reading poetry with him. I'm thankful to have found a partner who loves words so much!

In this part I start off in a small forest where I meet Jean who has been turned into a giant frog. I decide to help him out and have to go to the witches tower near by. So after resting up I head off to the witches tower. Everyone else who went to the tower seems to be turned into stone. So I make my way up to the top and meet with Nimufu the witch who has a thing for turning men into stone. After a small conversation a fight begins and afterwards she tells us that Jean just needs a kiss from a young girl to free him. So I head back to the forest and have Nina kiss him even though she isn't quite sure she wants to lol. Jean turns back into normal form which is a anthropomorphic frog. He is the prince of Sima Fort which is our next destination.

When arriving in Simafort we find out that the Jean we met is the real prince but there is a imposter acting as prince and throws the Jean we met into Jail. Jean's sister asks us to help her out and of course we do since she destroyed the boat we were going to take back to shore. The first step is getting back the royal ring which Jean gave to Nimufu. So we head to the Wild Cat Inn a resturant where the weak are cooked and fed to the strong. They are having a witch party and Nimufu is there.  We find her in the bathroom and she tells us the ring fell into the toilet so we go after it. After returning the ring to Jean we find out that the imposter has a royal ring as well so that didn't work. It is then decided that a cooking contest we take place with Jean versus the Imposter.  So it is up to Ryu and the team to get the ingridients. Once going to the basement we see the Gold Fly Jean needs to make his famous Gold Fly Pudding. The fly beats up a soilder and we follow it. While chasing after it we meet a giant worm and do battle. After killing it we get a piece of the worm which is another item we needed for the cooking contest. After the battle I go back and heal up and buy some new equipment then head back to the basement. In the other direction we find a lot of cockroaches ending with a giant one that is item number two for the contest. After the giant roach its time for the Gold Fly itself and after a rather tough battle we return the items to Jean. The contest goes in favor of the imposter since the judges were being forced to vote for the imposter or else they would be killed. Afterward Jean's sister runs to the basement where a self destruct button is located. Down there we finally do battle with the imposter and find out there is not self destruct button but insted was a legendary sword. After this Jean is reinstated as prince and joins the party full time.

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In every area of my life, Rand is my constant cheerleader and supporter. I always feel like he's on "my side," and that makes for a very happy Erin.

Rand is one of the kindest, gentlest people I know. I think that's part of what attracts so many people to him. I know it's one of the things that attracts me to him!

Rand's eyes are a truly lovely shade of blue, and they're framed by lashes so nice they almost make me jealous. I just know that when he was little, older female relatives lamented the fact that those lashes were wasted on a boy.

I could talk about the glasses, too, but maybe I'll save that for another day. ;)

First up: Alex Abella's history of the Rand corporation, titled Soldiers of Reason: The RAND Corporation and the Rise of the American Empire.

It's not wonderfully engaging, but the subject matter is interesting enough to warrant a read. Sadly, the most interesting part of the book is the very last pages, when Abella tells us what he really thinks of RAND and numbers-based systems analysis. His views pretty much squared with my own, but throughout the whole book he presents the history of RAND much like the corporation itself: amorally. He presents a strong narrative of the think tank, but often fails to take it to task for its numerous failings.

What it means for Obama: Stay away from RAND people. If you want to know foreign policy, talk to people who know history, sociology, and psychology. Foreign affairs and diplomacy is not science, but rather a high art.

Being with someone who nurtures his creativity on a regular basis makes me happy. I love being able to talk about creative things with him, and I love that he surrounds himself with intelligent, creative, interesting people.

Even early on in our relationship, when our busy schedules sometimes made it difficult to coordinate times for dates and whatnot, Rand always made sure that I knew he wanted to be with me. He still does.

(sorry for the late posting again!)

I love that Rand, for all his intelligence and education, enjoys being silly. No matter what we're doing, I always, always have fun with him. I think too many people forget how important it is to have fun and not take yourself too seriously, and so I feel lucky to have that sense of fun in our relationship.

His love of food.

I was never, shall we say, the most adventurous of eaters. Being with Rand has seriously widened my food horizons. I love that there are so many things we can enjoy together. He's brought some interesting dining into my life, and I appreciate that so much. For example, I would never have experienced the Korean barbecue if it weren't for him!

I also love that he likes Indian food, because I had no one to go to the Indian restaurant with...actually, one of our early dates was for Indian food! And even there, he's gotten me to step out of my comfort zone and try some new dishes. Some of the things I've tried are now my favorites.

Rand also likes to cook, and who doesn't love a man who likes to cook? :)

Not only that, but he never hesitates to tell me how beautiful he thinks I am. It's pretty hard to feel bad about yourself when you've got a constant source of reassurance. ;)

In this part I start off by helping Nina who is being assaulted by the Joker Gang. I do this by taking out some gang members and then a fight ensues with the head of the Gang Joker himself. After a long battle and a new party member in Nina I head to Windia. Inside the town we find out Nina has been disowned and even though she saved her sister from a evil gang the Queen still wants nothing to do with her. So we are thrown out the the castle. Thats when we meet Sten who is preforming a magic show. Ryu somehow gets dragged into it and is put in a box and Sten makes it disappear. After some time and Nina and Katt getting impatient Ryu pops out from under the ground and Katt proceeds to attack Sten with her weapon. After that Sten is forgiven and joins the team. It is now off to Captain but first I have to do some training

I do not do to much but I did enough to gain a level and buy some new armor. Then its time to head to captain where the towns water has run dry. Also a random kid went down into the well and even worst yet the townsfolk who went looking for the kid have not returned ether. So its up to the team to go save the day. I run into Ray in the well who informs us about monsters being down there and then one attacks. After the battle we follow Ray who is attacked by another monster and I am left by myself. After proceeding a little farther I find the kid but am attacked by a very large mean turtle Terapin. After a long hard battle the kid is saved but the well is filling back up with water. Ray blocks the flow of water while I save the towns folk who are still down in the well. After saving everyone Ray thanks us and makes us take him to our home. So its back off to the ruins which is now a rather nice looking place. Ray then grants me the renew spell and leaves. I then go back to Captain and meet the first Shaman who after a failed fusion causes Ryu to realize his Dragon Powers. This experiment also leaves the Shaman and the old woman who joins the Shamans with my team, without a place to live. So I take them to Township formerly known as the ruins. They move in and I once again head to Captain. I hire a carpenter then head onto a boat to the other side of the continent before calling it a day.

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He's a big nerd.

This is a guy who writes songs about Star Trek. He goes to his friendly neighborhood comic book store every week to buy his comics. He goes to filk conventions (and takes me with him). I love it...I think it's adorable, and I appreciate all of the cool comics/graphic novels/music/people I've come into contact with because of it!

Here's a YouTube video someone created to "Super Skrull," Ookla's song about the Fantastic Four's greatest nemesis. Enjoy!

He really, truly does appreciate ALL of me, even the parts I sometimes don't like. What's more, he never lets a day go by where he doesn't show me how much he appreciates me, with his words and his actions.