N1WGKblog

2012-01-06T18:05:00.001-08:00

I am very curious...if I make a post, can someone that is NOT a member of this blog make anonymous comments???

WOW...2 in one day...

2009-11-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

I received a phone call to help a friend with her computer. Apparently, someone (or some program) spoofed her e-mail address and sent messages to her address book asking for money, claiming that she was stuck in England with no passport, etc.

Okay, so it's been a while...

2009-11-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

I haven't been a very good "blogger", as I don't really have that much to say.

My truck needed new U-joints...it's only got 60k miles... *sigh* I also noticed a lot of rust on the underside of my truck...apparently it never had the undercoating...and cheapo me didn't want to pay extra for it. *sigh*

A friend's Blog

2009-06-22T06:58:00.000-07:00

http://mamaplays.blogspot.com/

sad situation

2009-01-26T06:57:00.000-08:00

I had a bad call last night. The patient is likely going to make it but it was very hard on me, personally. I want to be especially careful about what I write, due to HIPAA laws, etc.

I just don't like to see kids hurt and this really bothered me. Had a bit of trouble falling asleep. I would have had even more trouble if it hadn't been the second call of the night (the first being a motor vehicle accident/single vehicle rollover, with no patient...must have known I was coming.)

Insurance Claim

2008-12-12T19:18:00.001-08:00

We had a bit of a surprise this week. At approximately 4AM on Monday morning, I awoke to a fire alarm in the house. Of course, I had a brief moment of panic...I went out to the panel and realized that it was the garage.

I went out to the garage through the breezeway, touched the door and found that it was cold. I opened the door and wondered why it was raining on my cars.

As the cobwebs were clearing out of my head, I thought that there was a problem with my roof. I went upstairs in the garage and saw nothing but steam. I found that it was a heating pipe spewing out water onto the floor.

After burning my hand determining that the water was hot, I ran downstairs to the cellar and figured out how to stop the water.

I cut the line going to the garage, allowing it to drain down. I did it to avoid future problems when the pipes froze.

After contacting my insurance company, they told me that I would have to have lots of cleaning done by a professional company because of the threat of mold, etc. Steamatics was the company and they were incredible! My insurance company was also incredible. Even though I can't say it was a joy to work with them, if I have problems, I want them backing me up.

Proliferation of e-mail "stories" make me crazy!

2008-11-24T05:57:00.001-08:00

Lately, I have been inundated with people sending me inspirational stories that are being passed off as Truth. With a simple "Google Search" (don't you just love how Google became a verb? Just "Google it"), more often than not, I find that it's false.

Most recently, I received a message about a mother bird that gave her life to protect 3 chicks during a forest fire. According to SNOPES.COM and TRUTHORFICTION.COM, this story is FALSE.

While this is nothing new, what prompted me to write this blog entry was this: When looking up the story, trying to verify it's authenticity, I came across the exact story PUBLISHED IN REAL BOOKS! I also came across it on line in many blogs, etc. When I wanted to post a comment, I had to "sign up" for the privilege...I have enough logins, etc., to want to create several more, even if they are free.

Please, take the time to verify your messages before sending them on.
http://www.snopes.com/glurge/birdwing.asp
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/m/motherbird.htm

Below, you will find the text as I received it:
God's Wings -A little something to put things in perspective...After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park , forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage.One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhatsickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick.When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother's wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise.She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon herbabies. Then the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small bo dy, the mother had remained steadfast ...because she had been willing to die, so those under the cover of her wings would live.'He will cover you with His feathers,And under His wings you will find refuge.'(Psalm 91:4)Being loved this much should make a difference in your life. Remember the One who loves you, and then be different because of it.

Called in to fix problems with network at ambulance barn

2008-10-20T05:38:00.000-07:00

FYI: to reset the internet connection, do the following:

1) UNPLUG the POWER from the CABLE MODEM
2) UNPLUG the POWER from the WIRELESS ROUTER
3) WAIT APPROXIMATELY 30 SECONDS OR MORE
4) PLUG the POWER into the CABLE MODEM
5) WAIT until the LIGHTS are STABLE on the CABLE MODEM (approximately 2 minutes or so)
6) PLUG the POWER into the WIRELESS ROUTER
7) WAIT until the LIGHTS are STABLE on the WIRELESS ROUTER (approximately 1 minute or so)
8) RESTART the COMPUTERS
9) TRY CONNECTING, using the desktop computer and the wireless computers.
10) If one of the machines can't connect but the rest can, the problem is with that one machine. If multiple machines can't connect, the problem is with the network connection...either hardware or there's a general outage with Comcast.

Teaching EMS folks computers is a challenge

2008-10-08T06:04:00.000-07:00

Last night, I attempted to teach our new computerized patient care system to our EMS personnel. To say it was a challenge is an understatement. EMS folks aren't necessarily computer people and if I had any doubt of that, last night cured it.

This product was designed to handle the largest audience possible and is highly configurable. Being as non-biased as this package is, there are a great deal of "tweaks" that are possible, such as hiding certain fields, etc. Unfortunately, not every field as a Hide/Show button and I can't make it look like our paper form. This, coupled with the fact that the interface isn't consistent makes it very important that you look at every aspect of the screen, to make sure you aren't missing something vital.

Since this is a very complex product, I was hoping to explain the web portion of the product and have the EMS folks "play with it", getting a handle on how the software looked and felt. I would then expose them to the "mobile" version of the product which looks different (WHY? I don't know) and have them learn that layer...unfortunately, this was not to be.

Almost from the beginning, people started asking questions. Intellectually, I realize that it's because people are nervous about being left behind and confused but the constant barrage of questions derailed the presentation and left me extremely frustrated. They also insisted on seeing the mobile product, even though I knew that it would simply cause more confusion. After being asked to show it by several people, I abandoned my original plan and started showing them the mobile product. BIG MISTAKE #1. I should have "stuck to my guns" and showed them the web product because they had even more questions than before, if that was possible. There was also a rather heated discussion about whether or not to use our real SSN with the software. There were also many other extremely valid questions regarding the package. I attempted to answer as many as I could to the best of my ability. I realized I was getting rather angry at my lack of control of the situation and very nearly walked out. My professionalism kicked in and I stayed the course as best I could.

After the "official" presentation, several people left and those that stayed behind got a bit more careful instruction...I was able to help them along farther in 20 minutes than the entire 2 hours previously...*sigh*

It's happening...(story attempt)

2008-09-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

I know I'm right...and nobody believes me. The facts have been written, for all to see, for over 2000 years. All that was needed was the key, which came to me in a VERY strange dream. In the dream, I was given information that allowed me to research the Bible as well as other sources and help to unlock its secrets...It allowed me to figure out the time frame of the Bible. Apparently, I am the only one to have cracked the code.

The Bible has many references to fantastic things, such as flying rolls, angels coming out of the sky and people living for hundreds of years. in Zechariah, chapter 5, there's a reference to a "Flying Roll". in Genesis, chapter 17, Abraham was 100 years old and his wife Sarah was 90 when they had their son Isaac. In many entries, both in the Old and New Testaments, Angels come out of Heaven to teach us or to warn us.

In every culture I had ever heard of or studied, there are stories of "little people", the Fae, Brownies, Elves, Dwarves, Goblins and the like. In 1917, there is a documented case of a Gnome photographed in England and to this day, people in Argentina are convinced that Gnomes are real.

Based upon my research of the Bible and other sources, coupled with the information gleaned from my strange dream, I am convinced that the Elves (and the other creatures from mythology) exist...and they lived for THOUSANDS of years, rather than hundreds. They appear to have bred with human stock in the hopes of creating in their image but with the resistance to common ailments that humans have been able to survive. This would explain the way that some people have what can only be described as "Elven features", "Dwarvish features" or "Troll-like features". They also apparently had space travel, which was written in the Bible as well, in the book of Ezekiel. In doing my research, I was able to determine that there would be signs of the return of Jesus, who I am convinced was the King of the Elves. I did a lot of calculating and think I have come up with the very hour that Jesus will return. At 10PM tonight, the King of the Elves will be returning "to judge the living and the dead". Looking at the current events, there can only be one thought through my mind. We're screwed.

Of course, knowing that the end of the world was coming didn't keep me from heading to the University where I work...I guess it really didn't hit me. On the way in, I let Rene drive, as usual. She was so busy with the radio and singing off-key that she hardly listened to my fears that an Elven Jesus was about to pop into our lives...

After trying to say something out loud, I realized how nutty it sounded, so I gave up and read my book...after all, it's not like I can get everyone in the world ship-shape in just a few hours!

By the time we got off of the exit, I woke up from my doze, like usual...apparently this whole "end of the world" thing didn't affect me like I thought it would. My work day started off pretty much on par...except for the fact that it was Judgment Day. I attempted to talk to Dave and the rest of my co-workers but they weren't even as kind as Rene was...they simply came out with it and said I was nuts...and Dave said I should go home, thinking that maybe I had some sort of reaction to my stomach meds or something...who knows, maybe he's right.

No, I KNOW I am right...I have checked and double checked my notes. I even threw them into my home PC and ran the calculations, even allowing for the Gregorian Calendar changes...we should be right on time tonight...at 10PM. Now, I am getting a bit nervous and have Rene come get me...of course, it takes me 3 tries to actually catch her at her desk. She finally realized what I was trying to tell her this morning and rushed over to pick me up and we headed home...irrationally, we wanted to get the lawn mowed and the house picked up...like Jesus really cared what our house looked like. I guess it was just our way of coping...set everything out as if we were having a very important guest over for dinner, which I guess is kinda true.

After finishing the mowing, I went over and took care of my sister's house and then checked on Mom's. Stress is starting to get to me, now...could I have been a better person? Will it really be like in the Bible where people disappear and planes go crashing? I read that in the "Left Behind" series and it kinda freaked me out.

I called Mom, my sister and brother and asked them all over to the house for 8PM. I told them that it was critically important but wouldn't tell them what it was all about. It's now about 5PM, so they are going to stress for about 3 hours...not very nice but I didn't think it could be helped.

In the meantime, I helped Rene clean the house and did the trim...then, because Rene doesn't know what else to do, she baked. She does that a lot to help relieve stress. If anyone saw her around Christmas, you would think she was the most stressed person on the planet! I must have told Rene I loved her a hundred times over the last several hours...she was so concerned, she didn't even respond with her normal "No, you don't." I think that is what worries me more than anything else...at this point, the house was as clean as possible and we still had a bit of time before Mom and the others were due to show up. With anything else happening, I would love to use that time to fool around but the stress of what's to come is a tremendous libido killer.

Instead, Rene and I sat in the sun room on the futon and held hands. Neither of us felt like talking much and the looks we gave each other were of fear. Fear of the unknown. We know we have been good people, working hard, volunteering for the ambulance corp., donating time and money to various charities and becoming more involved in our local church. Being so new to "the Faith", we still weren't overly comfortable with the praying thing, though we did the best we could under the circumstances.

The sun went down outside and it became rather dark. We didn't want to put on the lights but knew that it was necessary to let Mom and the others know that we were home.

"Ding Dong!", we jumped. We weren't expecting anyone for at least another hour...of course with the little bomb I dropped on them, I should have expected them to come over as soon as they could get away. With a final nervous look at Rene, I headed to the breezeway to let everyone in.

Durham Fair woodcarving entry...

2008-09-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

I submitted one of my woodcarvings to the Durham Fair this year, just to see how I would do. I had done it in 2006 with "Skip" and received a 1st place and Judge's Special rosette. This year, I put in my Santa christmas ornament and to my joy and surprise, I took a 1st AND a special memorial award...

Cheryle M. King Memorial
Crafters Award
A special award will be given for a craft voted on
by the Craft and Collections Committee.
In Memory of Cheryle M. King, Assistant Superintendent
The award will be a Special Ribbon and a Plaque with the winners name permanently displayed in the departments “Best of the Best”

This was TOTALLY cool...the ribbon looks incredible and I even got my photo taken with the plaque and ribbon (though with the rain, I probably looked awful!) :-)

The Durham Fair is an incredible time here in Connecticut and the folks that work it are just wonderful (Rain or Shine!). It's going on all this weekend...check out the website for more information: http://www.durhamfair.org

I do have some pictures of my woodcarvings at http://picasaweb.google.com/n1wgkpics, including the Santa ornament and "Skip" the handyman. I am already planning on a better carving for next year...we shall see... :-)

Holy Cats! Yesterday, everything seemed to go wrong!

2008-09-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, so yesterday was one for the memory books...er, blog...

It started with my heading to work on the motorcycle...late. It was 147 degrees below zero.
En route, I got caught in traffic...twice, then I realized I NEEDED gas...
I stopped and tanked up ($15 for gas on a MOTORCYCLE?)
I was still cold, since I don't have a windshield yet on my new bike...so I went inside to...
BUY A COFFEE...(idiot move, did I mention I was on a motorcycle?)
I figured I was close to work, so I could balance it in my lap on one of those trays. I was wrong. The darned thing tipped over just as I got onto the road again...so I had to pull over. I poured out the entire thing on the side of the road, put the cap back on and drove to the next gas station. I then proceeded to clean up the bike as well as I could with paper towels.
Finally, I made it to work, though I still didn't clean up all of the coffee...
I get in the door and all Hell breaks loose...I had a webserver that wasn't responding, I had a fileserver that took 20 hours to copy a single 20GB file as well as issues with our Police Department. I can't even remember all of the problems I had all day...
I was supposed to leave at 12:00PM and ended up staying until 5PM, so much for my getting out early to wash the bike and go to the gym...
I do have to say, the ride home ALMOST made up for my awful day...

Spec out laptop notes

2008-09-21T16:26:00.001-07:00

Spec out Laptop
There are lots of options, as I am sure you are well aware, if you have been looking at machines lately. I realize this is long but this is exactly what I go through whenever I spec out a machine for someone. Of course, this is MY opinion and what I say may not apply to everyone.

In order to be able to make a more accurate solution, I would need to have some parameters, such as dollar amount, screen size, etc.

In order to help you maybe make your own decision, I would suggest the following, assuming the user doesn't want to go to a Macintosh:

Screen size: If the user's going to have this laptop as a "desktop replacement"
and not really carry the machine around all day long, a 17" screen would be great. A 15" screen is a good all around machine, if you want to carry it around a lot. The 12" screen is awesome for carrying around but you would probably go nuts if it were your only machine and you didn't have an external monitor to hook up to it.

Memory: Minimum, 1GB RAM, 2GB strongly recommended. Remember, upgrading a laptop is typically more expensive because you usually have to throw out both memory sticks, so get as much as you can afford for the machine. Even go down on the processor speed and increase the memory, if you have to.

Going from a 1.8GHZ processor to a 1.5GHZ isn't a huge difference but going from 1GB to 2GB makes a big difference since software and operating systems are becoming more memory intensive.

Processor: Dual core processors (also known as Core Duo) are better (and Quad Core are better yet), since the computer thinks it has 2 processors rather than one (and 4, for the Quad Core). The speed of the single core processors will be higher but that's okay...I would suggest a dual (quad?) core at least 1.5GHZ but I would go as high as you can afford, of course...as long as it doesn't take away from the memory you purchase.

Hard Drive: If this is going to be the only machine, I would suggest a larger hard drive. Drives are getting larger but not so much in the laptops.

The 60-80GB drives are still around. If you can afford it, get a 120GB or larger. Another option would be to go with a 60-80GB drive and purchase an external USB 120+GB drive for backup and extra files. I would recommend an external drive in any event because hard drives sometimes fail and if there's a backup of the documents, it would be very helpful. This having been said, however, it's critical that the user actually back up the critical documents, such as papers.

Removable drive: DVD-RW, no question. Once again, I would recommend an external USB drive, 120GB or larger, for backup and to store large files.

Operating System: I would suggest Windows Vista Home Premium or Vista Ultimate (as opposed to Windows XP or Vista Home Basic). Vista Home Premium and Ultimate includes Aero, which is the "Vista interface experience", which Basic doesn't support.

Network connector built in:
RJ45 100 megabit connector minimum, 1 gb connector becoming more common.
Wireless: 802.11g minimum. 802.11n is the newest standard but still quite costly.

Productivity pack: Microsoft Office 2007, student edition if it's available, otherwise whatever includes Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel.

Other: These items aren't critical and can be purchased afterward but if the user will be doing a lot of papers, they might want to consider this:

External 17" monitor - If you go with the 12" screen for portability and there's not a desktop machine, consider having an external monitor.

External USB keyboard - Same reason...it would help with typing.
Upgrade: wireless keyboard.
External USB mouse - Same reason...it would help with manipulation.
Upgrade: Wireless mouse.
USB Hub - Usually, laptops only have one or two USB ports and it's common to need three or more with all the devices out there.

USB Headset - For running the sound up but not disturbing the neighbors.
Also includes a microphone for being able to talk such as through Skype or playing games. Upgrade: Wireless headset.

OTHER HINTS:
Look at www.dealsofamerica.com for some wonderful deals including for Dell.
Keep in mind my suggestions above when determining which machine to go with.

If you decide to go with a Macintosh computer, I would suggest talking with someone from the Apple Store and remember many of my suggestions will still apply.

To carry around the laptop, most companies offer suitcase looking cases with a shoulder strap. I have found (through LOTS of experimentation) that I prefer a laptop backpack for comfort (and I also use it for all my paperwork and books, too). Make sure you get one designed for a laptop because it usually has a "shock resistant" pocket for the laptop or at least a foam container to hold onto it.

Woodcarving competition

2008-09-19T19:39:00.000-07:00

I am entering one of my woodcarvings into the Durham Fair this year...it's the Santa ornament. Total carving time, approximately 19 hours...total painting time, approximately 4 1/2 hours. Obviously, too slow to actually make any money at this... :-)

picasaweb.google.com/n1wgkpics and you can check out my carvings...the Santa carving is in there.

I saw a friend at Mohegan Sun tonight

2008-08-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

I hadn't seen him in a couple years but he gave me a card with his website. Check it out!!! The pics of the old cars are really neat

http://100PercentKulture.com

It was great seeing you, Ian.

Mohegan Sun Summer Wednesday

2008-08-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

My wife and I brought a friend to Mohegan Sun this evening to check out the cars and the wacky Wednesday. To say that we were disappointed would be an understatement. Not with the cars! I enjoyed the cars tremendously. It was the lack of interesting foodstuffs to try at the Farmer's Market. It seemed tiny. We then went to the Season's Buffet for dinner (since the food didn't look very appetizing on the roof of the garage)...my wife and I go to brunch several times a year but this was the first time in a long time that we had dinner. We were all severely disappointed in the variety of foods available...and the few items that looked interesting, were too bland for words. I was embarrassed to bring our friend to Mohegan Sun...and that has NEVER happened before.

The pizza reminded me of the sheet pizza that our grammar school used to serve as part of hot lunch Fridays...the "Fettuccini Alfredo" had no taste and how can you mess up Turkey Breast?

I think I will have to stick with brunch...dinner was a waste of money.

My pictures, including woodcarvings

2008-07-26T19:47:00.000-07:00

I have some pictures on the web...check out my wood carvings. Tell me what you think...

picasaweb.google.com/n1wgkpics

Check them out!

Looking for Ice Cream

2008-07-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

I live in Connecticut but and I am an admitted ice cream addict. Please let me know of your favorite ice cream places and where they are. Don't limit it to Connecticut only, since I enjoy traveling and if I get to your area, I would like someplace worthwhile to check out.

In order to get things going, I will mention several I am already aware of:

We Li Kit, in Abbington, CT
The Sweet Shop, Deep River, CT
Hill Side Sweet House, East Haddam, CT

Motorcycle Ride Etiquette

2008-07-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

I was looking on line for some common hand signals for group riding. I assumed there must be something of the sort, since it's obvious that you can't yell from bike to bike at speed. In looking for these hand signals, I found quite a few web sites that showed the various hand signals. Some of them were similar to the hand signals we all learned as kids (left, right, slow/stop). There were many others as well, including pointing at the tank which means that you need to stop as soon as possible. The reason for stopping could be anything including a "bio break" or needing fuel. In doing a quick search for such tidbits of information, I found this to be the most complete:

http://njmc.org/etiquette/

A couple of CT Motorcycle Events coming up

2008-07-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

Middletown Motorcycle Mania 2008
http://www.midtownmcmania.com/

Wednesday, August 13th, 5PM-9PM, Main Street, Middletown, CT 06457

********

Kids-At-Heart ride information
http://www.cwscrop.org/tristate/news/#a000781
flyer
http://www.cwscrop.org/tristate/pdf_files/kidsheartflyer.pdf

76 mile ride over the scenic back roads of south central Connecticut to benefit children in need and at risk, locally and AIDS orphans in Africa

My stepfather and I developed the route for last year's ride and it was a lot of fun...well worth the effort and for a wonderful cause.

Fun evening out

2008-07-21T18:20:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful evening out with my wife this evening. We went to a free outdoor concert featuring a group called "The Basically Blues Band", http://www.basicallyblues.com/. They were playing at the Goodspeed Opera House lawn. We went over and brought our fold-up chairs...and completely enjoyed ourselves right next to the Connecticut River.

These guys were GREAT! Being an amateur harmonica player, I could really appreciate the skill that went into ripping out those awesome riffs! Anyway, I would highly recommend them to anyone if you want to see a great band.

I also met up with my old martial arts instructor. I hadn't seen him in years but he still looks great. I found out that he started dancing with his wife several years ago and decided to set up a website, mainly because everyone started asking him where to get shoes, etc. I thought I would help him get the word out by putting his website up on my blog...

http://www.danceambassador.com
His name is Lee Lowery and his wife is Ginger Blume...what an awesome couple...

Anyway, that's enough for now...

R-

Today is my birthday!

2008-06-16T07:21:00.000-07:00

I am officially 40 years old as of 11:31PM tonight... *sigh*

Actually, given the alternative, I will continue to enjoy my birthdays for as long as possible. Not quite ready for a dirt nap... :-)

Welcome back to work!

2008-06-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

This morning, a co-worker from Facilities called and told us that he went into our secondary server node room and it was very hot. Apparently both CRACs failed (Computer Room Air Conditioner). It appears that we never received notification because the company that installed the software neglected to configure that room alarm. The sensors were working fine. *sigh*

My surprise 40th Birthday Party...

2008-06-08T15:57:00.000-07:00

GOOD NEWS! (Well, maybe not quite so good)...I had a surprise birthday party (the good part) for my 40th (the not-so-good part).

My wife put together a surprise birthday party for me...I was pretty surprised...I thought I was going to my Mom's for Shepherd's Pie... :-)

A bunch of my friends were there and there were gifts galore...of course, I had the mandatory "Over the Hill" stuff...it was a great time and I really enjoyed it.

My wife said that she could not have done it without my sister and mother's help...my family (and friends, of course) are awesome...

Story background, attempt 2

2008-06-06T05:42:00.000-07:00

Falgarth Wilderscotch was born and raised outside the town of Therrel, located in the Xian woods. His father, Plourde, was a hunter/guide who would take adventurous people from Therrel and its surrounding areas to the ruins of Saklesh on hunting trips. Here it was that young Falgarth learned to respect the wild beasts and other creatures that stayed in the woods around his home. Since the woods were fraught with peril, his father taught him to use the sling and avoid traps and pitfalls. Falgarth got quite good a trap and beast avoidance but never became very proficient with the sling.
Falgarth learned herb lore and healing at the knee of his mother, Illyan, who was skilled in healing. Though it was never confirmed, some believed she had magical abilities. She was even called "hedge witch" by the town children, though never to her face!
On one trip to the ruins, his father was gored in the leg by a wild boar. Plourde was able to kill the boar with the help of the group he was leading but unable to continue the journey. After some argument about leaving Plourde behind at camp or returning home, Falgarth successfully toke over the group, leading them in and out of the ruins without further incident. Unfortunately, Plourde never fully recovered from the goring and later died from infection. Illyan was distraught as she was unable to cure her husband, though she tried valiantly. She sent Falgarth to her ancient uncle in town to learn more about healing and herbs so that something like this would never happen again.
"Uncle", as he was known to Falgarth, was a very old and wise man, skilled in healing and arcane arts. He owned a well-known apothecary. Noticing the skills that Falgarth held, he was suitably impressed. He put Falgarth to work in the apothecary, working with customers as well as gathering and preparing herbs and poultices. Seeing the lack of arcane knowledge, he decided to fill that gap.
The political climate changed in town as people that were against the use of magic came into power, and magic came into disfavor as the "Devil's Work". Aware of this, Uncle hired a young fighter to train Falgarth in the use of the staff and dagger. Falgarth quickly became proficient at these weapons, though his sling was still a very weak area.
Soon after, while Falgarth was out in the forest getting replacement herbs (which sometimes took as long as a month), Uncle was taken in, tried and convicted of knowledge arcane by a kangaroo court. The penalty was death and all his lands and apothecary were taken and sold. When Falgarth returned, he realized he was living the life of a criminal in the eyes of the Elders of the town. He had to flee or be killed. When he went back home to his mother, he realized that she, too, was taken and murdered as a hedge witch. He decided to leave town and return when he became more powerful. He was going to challenge the Elders…someday.

Story background, attempt 1

2008-06-06T05:41:00.000-07:00

Lymri Oakenstone was a Dwarf, born and raised in the town of Sildran, located in the Theelzeeb woods. His father, Thyme, was a carver with a flair for indulgence. Thyme was well known locally, both for his wood and stone carvings as well as his "other appetites". Here it was that young Lymri learned about wood, stone, wine, women and song. Since the woods around their home were dangerous, by necessity his father taught him to use the sling and axe, as well as a few other weapons, including weaponless fighting skills. "You never know when you will be caught with your pants down", he used to say to Lymri…in fact, several times his father mock-attacked him while he was in the Loo! Needless to say, constipation wasn't a problem in this household; you did your business and got outta there!
Lymri doesn't remember his mother, except that she was a very beautiful woman. He asked his father about her once, when he was in his tweens, and his father cuffed him and said that she was "gone". Lymri never forgot that day, nor did he ever ask again, for this one time he saw real pain in his father's eyes…where merriment was the norm.
One morning, after a very rowdy evening down at the local tavern, a bleary eyed Lymri was awakened by the town's only constable rapping at the heavy oaken door. At the same time, there was a light tapping on the glass window by his lifelong Halfling friend, Elway. He rapped on the window again, and to make sure that he got Lymri's attention, he turned around and dropped drawers; this worked. It's not every hung-over morning that you see a full moon before noon. Going over to the window instead of answering the door, he opened it and yanked Elway inside.
"You need to get out of here! The constable is downstairs to arrest you for murder!", Elway said with whispered alarm.
"What are you talking about?!?", Lymri half whispered, half moaned. He held his head and tried to remember last night. When would he learn not to try and out-drink the Forsythe twins? They always cheated by switching places and only having half as much to drink. "I didn't kill anybody!"
"I know that! It was those idiot Jameson brothers that did it. They raped and murdered the Judge's daughter. Everyone pointed to you, since they saw you get spurned by her last night. You liked right mad at that. You know if it came down to your or my word against the Jameson brothers who would win, don't you? Your father is downstairs now, covering for you. If you don't get moving, the constable will get suspicious and haul your Da in for obstruction of justice. You and I both know what that would do to him!", Elway pleaded. "He won't last a week in that dungeon".
That got Lymri's attention right quick! He got his bag of stuff that he always kept ready (remember the Loo incident?) and snuck out the window right behind Elway and away from the center of Sildran and out through the woods. He would have to return to clear his name, if he wanted to see his father again.
To make ends meet, his skills as a carver and mason were quite useful in the various monasteries in surrounding towns and villages. With skills like his and the low rate he charged, the monasteries never asked too many questions, figuring that everyone had crosses to bear.
Lymri lived in this manner about 10 years or so, learning new skills with the hammer and chisel. Yet he was his father's son; he still missed the carousing and adventuring of his youth. Deciding to do some exploring back home, he arrived discovering his father had died because he confessed to the murder, trying to save his son. He also found out that the Jameson brothers soon after departed for parts unknown and his friend Elway was missing. To make restitution to the Judge, the property of his father was seized and sold, so Lymri had nothing but what was on his back. Turning his back on the town, he decided to go into the world and see what he could find and to see if he could find any traces of thos eJameson brothers to exact revenge for the murder of the girl, trashing of his name and the death of his father. He suspected the disappearance of his friend was also somehow tied into this. This revenge was going to take a while - a loooong while.

work can be hectic

2005-04-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I spent the better part of a day trying to get VBScript working correctly for removing drive letters that come up as "unavailable". I finally figured out what I needed to do AFTER work, on the way home. I had to run an external "net use" rather than the more elegant objnetwork.removenetworkdrive *sigh*

New godparents...

2005-04-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

My wife and I recently became godparents to our niece, Hailey. She is really a wonderful little girl. She was Christened 4/17/05. What a wonderful day...

For part of her gift, I purchased a plain wooden cross and took a piece of basswood and carved a couple of dogwood flowers, which I painted and mounted to the cross. In case you aren't familiar with the legend of the dogwood, look it up on line and perhaps you will understand my reasoning for choosing that particular subject for carving...that coupled with the fact that a caricature of Jesus probably wouldn't fly too well with a lot of people I know (but others would LOVE it, if it were funny enough).

Unfortunately, while everyone else who saw this carving loved it, the mother's reaction was a lot more "subdued". I have to admit, it hurt a bit, since I did a lot of work to get this carving done on time. *sigh* The important thing is that I had it blessed and Hailey will have it. Can you tell that I am taking this "godfather" thing seriously? Prior to this, I was never a "bible thumper" but now I am looking into this religion thing more...I have to say, what I have found so far is pretty interesting.

Anyway, more later...

Rick