I Got Paid

     I got my first paycheck today, in over 7 months. Well, it's direct deposit, so I didn't physically get it, but you know what I mean. It was a pretty good feeling. I nearly forgot what that felt like. Yes, I did make a very small amount of money with The Patchwork Knight, but it was never enough to really amount to anything. This can actually pay some bills. Once again, it's money coming in, instead of going out. Alas, it will be going out soon though, because it's nearly time to pay the bills.

     I do have some news. It's not official, but it looks like I may be moving to full time with this job, instead of just working part time on the weekends. The woman that is mentoring is moving to another position, so her full time job opened up. She gave me the heads up, and I put in my application for it. Yes, I still have to apply for the position, even though I've been hired to do it part time on the weekends. She brought me in for extra training today, and tomorrow, in the hopes that I will be the one that moves into the weekday full time slot. I'll just have to wait and see. I haven't heard anything yet, but they may be waiting to see how many candidates they get for the job.

     Speaking of the job, it is a lot of work. It isn't real hard, it is just a lot of it. It turns out, that the position that I am in now, was originally taken up by three different positions. They got rid of two of them, and put them all on us. Good news, they are eliminating another position soon, and putting all that work on us as well. Originally my position was only supposed to deal with returns. Returning product back to the manufacturers for refunds for the store, but now, we have to deal with that, as well as buy backs, stop sales, recalls, hazmat, and a few other things. Like I said, it's a lot of work, but I can do it, I just have to stay focus and keep learning the things I need to. It is kind of nice being in air conditioning the entire time. Well for the most part, there are some times that I have to go outside, but that is mainly for the hazmat disposal. That only takes about a half hour, depending on how much there is to do. Could be less time as well.

     Having to go in for the extra training slowed down my plans for this week. I wanted to finish up The Patchwork Knight, but that has to go on hold. Once again, I feel that there are two maybe three more chapters to write at this point. I also had to slow down my progress on the bookcase wand stand. The good news about that though, is that my plan for putting it together without screws or nails, may just work. I have been making the dowel pins and tried them out on one side of the bookcase, and it is working. When I do final assembly I will use wood glue to keep everything together. I can't believe that it actually worked. It does take a little more time than just screwing in a screw, but it will be worth it in the finished product. If I do it right, you won't be able to guess how it is really put together.

     My battery died on my drill yesterday when I was doing it, otherwise I would have finished all of them and had the mock up done. I did etch the outline for the Deathly Hallows on both sides, and I have to go in and get all that extra material out of there, but it is looking good right now. Once I'm done with that, I will use the mock up to get all the sanding done, so that all the seams match up right. I'm going to sand it while it's together, so that I can carve the whole thing as one piece as opposed to trying to do them separately and trying to get them to fit together. That is how I did it to start it out, and it looks pretty good, but there is some overlap that will be correcting by doing it all together. I'm real excited about how this is turning out.

     I don't have any up to date pictures for you, because it really doesn't look much different from Tuesday. Most of the work that I have done since then, is all hidden underneath. I'll try to get some pictures for Sunday of what the connecting points look like. I am working for the next three days, and Saturday will be my first day on my own, without my mentor, so I'm going to be pretty busy and exhausted, but I really want to get back to work on it tomorrow, at the very least.

     That's all I got for tonight. I gots to wake up early tomorrow, so that I can go to work, so it is off to bed for me. Peace in and goodnight.

I Can't Believe I Did It

     I have been writing this week, amongst other things, but writing in order to finish up The Patchwork Knight. I think the chapter I wrote today, may be one of the best one I have written. It is bringing everything together, and getting ready for the culmination of the entire story. The next chapter is going to be filled with action and an event that will be the final turning point in the story. Then it is all a matter of wrapping it up and putting a nice bow on it. I know that I have at the very least, two more chapter to write, but that could turn into three possibly four. I'm not real sure as of right now, so it will all be up to how the story takes me to the end. Nothing is changing from my original thoughts of the ending, it is just a matter of getting exactly where I see it, and that could be 2 chapters or 4. Either way, it is all coming to an end very soon.

     I also worked on the bookcase wand stand, and I'm pretty pleased with what I accomplished today. I of course got all the wood and most of the supplies that I needed yesterday, and began working on it this morning. I cut out all the pieces, then sanded them into shape, and did a mock up of the entire thing. I have to say, that it looks better than I thought it would, and I still have a lot to do to it. I have changed my mind about exactly how I'm putting it together. I was going to use screws, but I decided against that, because it will just take away from the appearance that I want, so I'm going to create dowel pins to put it together, and yes, I'm making them myself. It's not going to be easy, and I have to go out and buy a dowel rod that is the right size for what I want tomorrow, then I have to cut the pins to the right size. A little sanding will be in order to get them to fit right, but once I have them done, I can begin drilling the holes for it, and to a partial assembly of the bookcase wand stand. I say partial, because I don't want final assembly to happen yet, I still have things that I will need to do to it, while it is taken apart. Anyway, I got some pictures of today's progress. See for yourself, and let me know what you think of it.

     I only have the Deathly Hallows symbol drawn on at this point, and that is my next task. I have to begin etching that out. I need to do that will it is unassembled so that it is easier to get to. Once that is done, I can do that partial assembly I talked about. When I do that, that is when I can get to some serious sanding, and get all the lines to match up. Right now it is really close, but it needs to be better. I'm also going to shape those hard edges too. I'm not completely sure how those are going to look when it's done, but I'm going to let the wood talk to me. It will let me know what it needs.

     I am a little shocked that I pulled it off so far. I really wasn't sure I could do this, even after all the test pieces that I did, but it looks pretty good. I even began thinking of how much I would sell a piece like this if people wanted one of their own, and I figured with the cost of the material, and the time I put into it. I could probably sell it for $99. It seems like a lot, but when you consider that Universal is selling a small wand stand that is either made out of metal or plastic for $60, that only holds one wand. I think $99 is a steal. Plus this will hold all the books as well. What better way to show of your fandom than a bookcase that you can display your wand or wands on. Speaking of the actual wand stand part of it. I simplified what I'm going to do for that. I had this idea for a very complicated way of creating my own stand, and I'm still creating my own, I just made it easier, by buying a think piece of dowel rod, that I'm going to sculpt for what I want. It's not just going to be a straight stick going up in the air, I'm going to put some fun curve into it. I even have an idea of adding something else to it, but I'm going to keep that a secret for now. I'll let you know what it is after I've decided whether or not to do it, but it could be fun.

     To give you an idea of what the entire thing will look like when it's fully completed, I clear coated those smaller test pieces, and finally finished them up. Here is what they look like now.

     I learned a lot during this whole process, and I no a few things not to do when I finally get ready to clear coat the bookcase wand stand. I'm going to take my time with that and get it exactly the way I want it before I hand it over to Elie. As for that piece on the left, that will be given to her the next time I see her. I still haven't figured out what I'm going to do with mine yet. It's a little too big to use as a coaster, but it will serve some kind of purpose, once I figure out what that purpose is.

     That's all I got tonight. Peace in and goodnight.

I Dislike Writing These, But It Has To Be Done

Marisol Lopez

Ana Pinon-Williams

Jessica Montague

Debra Cook

Cynthia Watson

     This is the first list of the year. These women were shot execution style in Sebring Florida. Before I even finished writing this, because I wrote the names in as soon as I found them readying myself for tonights post. another mass shooting happened in Louisiana. Those victims are below.

Elizabeth Theriot

Keith Theriot

Summer Ernest

Billy Ernest

Tanner Ernest

     Those victims were from a more than common domestic violence shooting. I wish I could say that these were the first two mass shootings of the year, but sadly, I can't. There have been many others, these are just the first ones that I could find the names of the victims. As I have mentioned in the past, when I can find those names, I will always post them here for you to see them. They need to be seen, they need to be read, and they need to be remembered. You can find the viles that committed these horrible acts on several media sources, but the names are much harder and sometimes impossible to find, which is why I do this. When the media stops naming the viles that commit these acts, and only mention the victims, I will continue to do this. I hope that there will be a day when I don't have to, but the media loves sensationalism, and victims aren't sensational, they are sad.

     Since I have woken up at 4 in the morning during the work week, I was waking up before the crack of dawn on my days off, and I expect that to continue on during this week that I will have off until I start officially on Saturday at the job. I'm a little worried about screwing up, since this will be the first time I will be doing it by myself with no one to ask questions to. If I get in over my head, I have the number of my mentor and she will be available for questions, but I can always do the things I feel the most comfortable with first, and worry about the more difficult tasks until later in the day. She also said that I could always leave certain things for her if I forget. I'm going to try my best not to do that, but it is an option.

      I have not bought the wood for the bookcase wand stand yet. It has been raining most of the weekend, and I was worried about the wood getting wet and damaged. Tomorrow is supposed to be rain free, so I will be able to get that and the last few remaining things on my list that will help with this whole project. I will pick them up from my new employer with my employee discount. It's not a whole lot, but every little bit helps. I'm going to use a much more expensive wood for the final piece, so that little bit may just add up pretty fast to help out quite a bit. I have to go back over the measurements that I figured out and then like an idiot, didn't write down, but that may be a good thing, because I do think I'm going to have to change things as I go, but having a rough idea is better than no idea. I need to make sure I have enough wood for the job. I don't want to have to go back out for a single small piece.

     I'm also going to pick up the clear coat for the other two smaller pieces I made so that I can finally get those out of the way. Where I had them sitting earlier this week put them where my garage door dripped water on them. Fortunately I saw it happening and wiped them off immediately and got them in a safer location. I put a lot of work into those little pieces, and it would have killed me to ruin them just by having them sitting in the wrong place.

     Just in case you forgot, these are the two pieces I'm talking about. The left is mine, and the right goes to Elie as a small preview of what's to come.

     I'm keeping it short and sweet tonight, I hope to have some pictures of some progress on the bookcase wand stand on Tuesday, until then, peace in and goodnight.

The Patchwork Knight (Chapter 63)

     I was using my extended sight when I saw the next band of Raiders. They weren't heading for the Kingdom, they were heading for me. I stowed my horse in the forest away from harm and waited in the center of the trail.

     As the band got closer, I drew my swords and stood my ground. They stopped a dozen yards from me.

     "Ah, so it is true. The Patchwork Knight is alive and well, and coming to the Kingdom. We will be your escort."

     "Don't you mean prisoner?"

     "Call it as you like. We were told to bring you to the Kingdom. I suggest you throw your swords down, and climb into our cage here. We will take good care of you."

     "I have another suggestion."

     "What would that be?"

     "I don't throw down my swords, I walk over there, and kill you all."

     A large chorus of laughter erupted from the band of what appeared to be 50 men.

     "The rumors are true then. You really think you can kill all of us? We are the most skilled of all Raiders. We were sent here to take you alive. I don't understand it myself considering how many you have murdered, but those are our orders."

     "I don't think I can kill you at all. I know that I can. I gave your man a chance, so that he could tell you I was coming and for you all to leave the Realm. You didn't heed his warning, so I must do as I said I would."

     I entered the Euphoria and gathered the aether from the stone.

     "Yes, he told us the nonsense that you wanted him to pass along, and then we killed him for leaving his men like a coward. If you insi...."

     I had heard enough, and didn't allow him to finish. I ran at full speed added by the Euphoria and the aether. I was cutting through his throat before he could finish what would be his final word. I cut through the band that were standing two by two along the trail. I was half way through them before any of them know what was happening, and by the time the did, it was already too late for them. Some tried to fight back, while others tried to run. I gave them their headstart and finished off those that had the courage to stand and die with their weapons in their hands, then I ran each man down one by one. I made sure to spin them to face me, so that they could die with my face being the last thing that they saw. Even though it was too good for them, I gave them all an honorable death.

     I piled all the bodies up in the center of the trail. I counted 75 men in all. The horses had all run at the start of the battle but one cart had been destroyed in the as the horses began their frantic run to safety. I took the wood from the cart and placed it around the pile of bodies, to add kindling to the bonfire that soon would be.

     I lit the pyre and watched it burn until the sun went down. The thick black smoke rose into the air and would be a warning to all those who would come for me. The Mudwood was now sending war bands to hunt me down. It appears that the fight was now coming to me, instead of the other way around.

***

     The Mudwood did just that. They sent war band after war band my way. Blocking me from my final destination. No matter how many men they sent, it didn't matter. I cut each and everyone of them down, but it slowed my progress to the Kingdom. Some days I wouldn't even have a chance to move from my location. When one hourde was gone, another would be right on its heels. 

     This went on for longer than I care to remember, but I do remember. What should have taken a few months at the most, took decades. I was beginning to be an old man from this war, but I would see it through.

     The war bands began thinning in numbers. At first it would be 75-100 men per warband, then it was 50, then 20. The herd was thinning, but it still seemed that the Mudwood had an infinite number of bodies to throw at me. While the numbers of men began to dwindle, so did the frequency at which they would attack.When this all started. I was seeing nearly a war band a day for months at a time, but now, I had only seen one war band within the past week, and there were none on the horizon. 

     It was finally time for my final march to the Kingdom. It was too long in coming, but it had truly finally begun.

I'm Exhausted

     My week of training is almost over. Yeah, we added two extra days, and it's a good thing, there is one part of the job, that I just haven't gotten a hold of yet. I'm getting there, but it is all about remembering codes, and screens and prompts, that go by so fast that I don't really get a chance to see them as I'm doing it.

     Today we worked on the most difficult part of the job, and the part that my mentor held off until now. For good reason to, there is a lot to it, and it takes a good amount of time to really learn it. I think that by tomorrow, I will be fully ready, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have my concerns. There is so much to learn, and one of those things is the story layout. I still don't know where all the departments are and where everything is. This is the second largest store in the state, and I found out, just how much money it makes a year today, and it's a lot. I was also told that it's the toughest store to start out in, because it does so much volume. My mentor used to be at a much smaller store in the area, and she said it was a breeze there, with plenty of time to get all the work done, and then even have time to get extra things in, like cleaning our area, which is constantly dirty, since we are in the back warehouse area, where the compactor is, so there is dust everywhere, that accumulates fast.

     I have one last test to take before I will be official, and that is due on the 31st, but I'm not scheduled to be in there on that day, so I'm going to try and take it tomorrow, and hope that I pass it. It's a must pass test. Oh yeah, I didn't mention that there are constant online learning quotas that you have to meet, and they come with knowledge assessment tests from time to time. Like I said, a lot of work.

     I'm going to try to pick up the wood I need for the bookcase wand stand tomorrow. I get a discount now, so I get a few bucks off of it. I'm going to have this whole weekend and next week off. I already have my allotment of hours, so I can't really start the weekend position until next weekend. That gives me a lot of free time to see how much I can get done of the bookcase wand stand. That and finally finish the final chapters of The Patchwork Knight. I've been so exhausted that I haven't been able to write those final chapters, but they are coming, and they are coming soon.

     It's every other Thursday, so I have a TPR video for you to watch. This is the one where my partner straight up lies on camera. I stayed honest, but when he says he would go back and try this place again, he literally told me that he would never go back there right after we cut the camera. That really bothers me. This is supposed to be our honest opinions, and he seems to be worried about offending someone. Here is the way that I look at it. We aren't going to be jerks about it when we find a place that is bad. We are going to be constructive and try to help them get better. If they listen to what we say. They don't have to, they probably truly believe in their product and think we are a couple of hacks, but I think if a place listens to what we say is wrong with their pizza, they could fix it and make it better. This pizza is a good example of that. There is one thing that brings this pizza down, and if they changed that, it could be a top notch pizza, but since they are opening their third location, I doubt they will change anything. Anyway, here is the video.



     I have to say, that I really like the way I put this video together, and since I've been adding a little clip at the end of each one, my partner keeps trying to make stuff happen, so from time to time, you will see what I put at the end of this one, which is straight up nonsense, and that is what he is pretty much doing the entire time we are filming these. I'm moving cameras, taking pictures, taking notes, really putting my all into tasting the pizza to figure out flavors and what not, and he is on his phone. I guess I should explain "make stuff happen". He didn't something organic in one video and I put it at the end, and it worked really well. Since that time, he tries to steam shovel that in to every video. I won't add it when it sounds fake, and the past couple of times, it has sounded fake. Don't forget, we have a few videos loaded up and ready to go, so we are good for another month.

     I need sleep, and I'm going to attempt to get it. Morty has been waking me in the middle of the night the past few days, and it is just killing me in the morning when I get up, so I'm hoping that he sleeps through the night. Peace in and goodnight.

Come Along Catch A Heffalump

     It has been a long couple of days. That isn't a bad thing though. I'm leaning a ton of things about my new job, and there is a lot to it. I have to memorize codes, and screen details, so that I can get the things done that need to be done. I can see why someone with retail experience, is more likely to succeed in this position. I'm getting it, but I still have a lot more to learn. My mentor told me that she only had 3 days of training, and she really wishes that she had more time. The good thing is that I will be allowed to have more time if needed, and I'm going to go on her recommendation. If she says it would be better for me to have more, than that is what I'm going to do. The more I know the less likely I will run into a situation that I won't know what to do. I had a moment today where I did something wrong, but she gave me credit for catching it quickly and not just letting things go forward. That is a plus. I noticed my mistake and then fixed it, and I learned from it. Too often people see mistakes as terrible things, but don't take them for the small gifts that they are, but they are only gifts if you learn from them. Always learn from your mistakes.

     I can't believe I forgot on Sunday to tell you just how good season 2 of The Punisher was. I finished it on Saturday night, and was blown away. Once again, one of the Marvel/Netflix shows was outstanding, but I do fear, that the word will come down soon, that it is cancelled, like all the other Marvel shows. After that one is gone, there is only one left to go, and that is a favorite of mine, Jessica Jones. I honestly thought last season was it's last, but it got one more season tacked on, but with the fight between Netflix and Marvel still ongoing, I expect it to be the last Marvel show to air. Here is the story about all that. Netflix wants to monetize the shows that they call originals. Marvel owns the Marvel shows, and so Netflix can't monetize it by selling merchandise or selling physical copies of the show. They say there are too expensive to make, and cancel them on those grounds. The deal with Marvel states, that none of the shows can be renewed or created on another platform for two years from the release date of the final season. That means, that even with Disney + coming online soon, they won't be able to make new shows, since the contract is holding, and Netflix doesn't seem to be willing to let Disney buy them out. Oh, had I forgotten to mention that Disney owns Marvel, and that they are creating their own new streaming service? They are, and it would be a great fit for DareDevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Punisher, and maybe even a side shot at The Defenders.

     That is probably the reason why Netflix won't sellout the contract. If Disney + had the rights, people would flock to the service and possibly dump Netflix. They want to hang on as long as they can. I do know of two shows that are already prepped for Disney +. One is a show based on the character Loki. You know, Thor's somewhat evil adopted brother. It is going to star Tom Hiddleston, so for a first time, you will have a character with a show, that shows up in the MCU movieverse. So far with Netflix, Marvel has kept those two separate but have made mentions of the two universes.

     The second show is called The Mandalorian. A show that is based on one of the most loved Star Wars villains, Boba Fett. That should be a pretty big draw, there are tons of canon stories about Fett, so they have a lot of area that they can cover. Those two shows could bring in a lot of subscribers, but if they had those other Marvel shows, that have a rabid fan base, it would be a done deal. Anyway, that is my TED talk on the landscape of the Marvel streaming shows.

     I don't know who it is that picks the songs for the Apple advertisements, but they are geniuses. I don't think I have watched on of their commercials and not been allured by the song choice, to look it up and find out what it is, and who it is by. That has led me to Favorite Song of the Week. This is in the new iPhone XR commercial, with all the people running around in different color sweats. The song is just downright catchy, and it is even better when you hear the whole thing, and guess what? You are going to hear the whole thing, because that is FSOTW. It is by an artist named Cosmo Sheldrake. He is a Brit with remarkable talent. He plays several instruments and finds away to get them all in his songs. This song is no exception. It sounds as if the Mad Hatter could play a bunch of instruments. There is also the fact that he mentions Heffalumps. If you have been reading for a while you know of my childhood love of Winnie the Pooh, and should know where Heffalumps come from. The only thing that would make this song better, is if he slipped a "Woozels" in there. You can't have it all. Anyway, the Favorite Song of the Week is Cosmo Sheldrake with "Come Along".



    My favorite part of the song; Come come come come come along now, run away from the hum-drum. We'll go to a place that is safe from the greed, anger, and boredom. How great are those lyrics?

     I'm hitting the sack early tonight, because I'm exhausted, and I need some sleep. I've needed sleep since 3:30 this morning when I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep, but duty called, and I had to go to work. Peace in and Goodnight.

I'm Back On A Schedule

     It has been a wild and exhausting week, but in a great way. I of course started the training for the new job, and got to experience it first hand on Friday, and an experience it was. There is a lot to learn in a short time, but the woman that is my mentor, is amazing. She is fantastic at her job, an is actually the person that all the local stores send their trainees to for learning, the ropes. She also filled me in on the fact that the Indian Harbor Beach location is looking for people to do the job I'm doing here for both full and part time. She told my I should apply for the full time position and I did. I'm already in training for it, and I have my week days free, so I'm a natural fit for it, but it's all up to the HR department there to decide that. I'm hoping to hear from someone there on Monday, but they may have already closed the position. I guess I'll see.

     I have to go in for my old hours tomorrow, that means waking up at 4 in the morning again, which shouldn't be difficult. I woke up at 6 for the last two days I worked, and this weekend I woke up before the crack of dawn, so 4 is just a little less sleep.

     Yesterday I worked on the bookcase wand stand and finished the final test piece. I did a few different paint jobs on it, and took pictures of each one for Elie. I'll put them in order so you can see them as I sent them.

     I was surprised that I liked how the blue came out, but that wasn't the winner. I did the black and then got the idea to paint the border with the yellow ochre, and that is the clear winner. I'll buy the wood within the next couple of weeks and then get started on it in what free time I have. If I don't get a week day job soon, then I will have plenty of free time. I'm going to make that gap for the border a bit bigger and also the space between the border and the symbol a little bigger as well, just to make things a bit easier for painting, but I did learn a few things during this process that will help out tremendously when I do the final piece. I still need to clear coat the other two small pieces but I have them touched up and finished up to the final point, so there are nearly ready to go. I'll buy the clear coat when I get the other wood. I got a discount card now, for that kind of stuff.

     Today was dedicated to the TPR. I hadn't done the video or wrote the blog post for the place we went on Wednesday. This was a tough one. We disagreed big time on the taste of this pie, and I made sure that that is evident in both the video and the blog post.

     We have been getting people trying to call us out on our reviews lately. Saying that we never post anything negative, and they do have a point, but we aren't going to lie about the way we feel when it comes to this. Do you want our honest opinion, or do you want us to just hammer a place to hammer it? I choose the honest opinion, but I fear that my partner won't give a true assessment of what he is experiencing. It happened when we did the place in Orlando, and he caved in order to be nice, and he did it again in a recent one that isn't up yet. He gave a glowing review and then told me personally that he would never go back to that place. It's a little upsetting to me, that he won't be honest and he will cave if a manager or someone on the staff is simply nice to him. I'm just going to do me though, and I'll keep saying exactly how I feel about what it is I'm trying. This latest review will be out on Feb. 21st, so keep an eye out for that one. You'll see just what I'm talking about.

     I have cloths to get in the dryer, and then I'm going to sit back and relax while I wait for tomorrow to happen. It's a little weird being back on a real schedule, but that isn't a bad thing. Peace in and goodnight.

   

The Patchwork Knight (Chapter 62)

     The trail was long and desolate. I rode for several days before I came across the band of Raiders that I believed were the ones that I was told about. I followed behind them for the rest of the day until they made camp for the night. It was the normal Raider procedure. The prisoners were kept by the road side and guarded by a few men, while the rest of the camp was tucked in a clearing near a source of water. I wouldn't have the benefit of anyone else to help save the villagers, so I would have to draw all attention towards me and away from them.

     I tied off my horse in the forest a mile from the camp and quietly made my way to observe the camp before full nightfall. This was a large band of 50 men with 5 of them guarding the villagers. It seems that Mudwood had been busy in my absence. This appeared to be an area made for rest. There were built structures that the men were staying in, instead of tents. They weren't the typical huts and cottages that the people of the Targen Realm would build, but there seemed sturdy and would protect the inhabitants from weather. Even with that, they kept the imprisoned villagers outside in what looked like a corral for cattle. That caused my anger to rise, but I had to keep it under control.

     I waited until a few hours after nightfall. Enough time for all those that weren't on guard duty to fall asleep. It appears that they still hadn't learned from their past, and only left the 5 guards at the corral. I snuck into the camp and went straight to the fire pits. I pulled a long limb that was still lit and threw it under the nearest hutch. It was engulfed in flames within seconds. I threw another limb under another, and the same occurred. The came came to life with the sounds of screams from men and their fear of the licking flames that surrounded them. The other hutches began to empty and confusion and panic was inscribed on their faces. I stood in the middle of the camp with both swords drawn, waiting for them to notice. They didn't.

     Men began running around wildly, most of them heading for the stream and right past me. I was dumbstruck for a moment, and then began cutting them down as they ran past me. That created more panic and chaos. The Raiders were more focused not the fires than they were on me. I simply ran through them without even notice. I methodically made my way to the stream and let them all come to me, I would strike without remorse as each man came to meet his end. It wasn't until a pile of bodies lay around me that the steady stream of victims stopped. Men began approaching slowly with weapons in hand. I entered the Euphoria and gathered as much aether as I could, and ran at them. With my speed they didn't even see where my blades came from. Thy just stood their with their mouths agape and then screams of pain came from them as my blade cut through their guts. A few men managed to raise their swords to try and block my own, but they still weren't fast enough. I deftly maneuvered around them and opened them up.

     I didn't keep track of how many I had killed, but it had to be near the number of men in the camp. I saw the guards running towards me. They were they only ones that still had armor of any kind on. I waited for their arrival. I stood with my left foot forward and both my blades out to the side. When the first man got to me. I simply side stepped his attack and took his hand at the wrist. His blade fell to the ground still gripped tightly by that hand. The second man hadn't seen what happened and ran directly in the back of his fellow Raider who had stopped suddenly from the loss of his hand. I dropped and spun sweeping both their legs out from under them. the toppled to the ground as I stood up and stabbed my father's blade through both of them. I let my father's sword rest there for a moment as I quickly readied myself for an attack by the remaining three guards.

     They slid to a stop and spread out. The slowly began to encircle me. I looked from man to man, and I didn't see confidence in any of their eyes. What I did see was fear.

     "Do you know who I am?"

     "Are you The Patchwork Knight?"

     "Indeed I am. You know what is about to happen next?

     "We are going to kill you and become heroes."

     "That is not likely. Take a good look around you. You are the only three that remain of what? 50 men. I'm going to do something I've never done before. I'm going to give you an opportunity to live. Would you like that?"

     "You are outnumbered, you don't make the deals, we do."

     "Clearly you didn't hear me. Take a look around you. Your brethren are gone. They are no more. You are the only three left, and you are clearly not the best of this group otherwise you wouldn't be on guard duty at the first of the night. I will give you my offer only one more time. Would you like to live?"

     "I would. I would like to live."

     "Good for you. Throw down your weapon and I will let you walk out of here, better yet, I will let you ride out of here. On one condition."

     "Anything, just say it."

     "I want you to tell you superiors what happened here. I want you to tell them that the offer I'm giving to you, is the only offer that the Mudwood will get from me. Tell them, that The Patchwork Knight is coming for them. Can you do that?"

     "I I I I I I, Can."

     "Good, throw down your weapon, get a horse and ride out of here as fast as you can. Do not look back and remember what I told you to say. If you don't want to die later, I would also add that you should leave the Realm as soon as you are finished telling them your tale. Now go."

     The Raider threw down his small ax and ran towards the horses. The other two stood in astonishment of what had just happened. I saw a pulse of the golden light that surrounded the man standing in front of me, and heard the shuffle of feet from behind. The brief negotiation period had ended and the men were set to attack.

     I stepped forward and slashed my blade at the man in front of me. He raised his small rusty sword to meet mine, but it was for naught. It shattered with the impact from my blade. I let my momentum carry me over and I leapt into the leg swinging my back leg over my head and coming down on top of his. I could hear his skull crunch under the impact of my boot. I turned to see him still standing with a crevice in his forehead with a small line of blood trickling from it. His nose began pouring blood just before he fell to his knees and then flat on his face. I quickly turned to see the other man trying to pull my father's sword from the two bodies it was buried in. He was struggling and began moving franticly in a panicked way. I had stabbed the two men with such force that the sword was also buried into the ground and it had a good hold on the old blade. I slowly walked over watching as the man screamed and strained to pull the blade from the bodies. He screamed one more time before losing his grip and falling backwards sprawling on the ground.

     I slowly walked to the sword. I sheathed my own sword and reached down without looking, and pulled my father's sword free.

     "Where you going to attack me with my own weapon?"

     "No no no no. I want to live. I was only trying to retrieve it for you. I will ride off now and you will see no more of me. I will tell everyone that you are coming and tell them what I saw here."

     "I'm afraid that offer expired. You will not tell anyone anything. I will do one thing however."

     "Yes."

     The man looked up at me with hope in his eyes.

     "I will give you this sword, since you want it so badly."

     I thrust the blade through his chest. He grabbed the blade and stared at it before the life drained out of him.

     After pulling the sword from his limp body, I walked to the corral and freed the villagers.

     "You are The Patchwork Knight. We had hoped that the stories were true."

     "You are free to leave. I would suggest that you return the way you came. When you get to a fork in the trail, go to the right. The end of that trail is my old home I gave a man that was with you and escaped directions to it, and how to care for the gardens that I had for food. Make a new home there, or try to return to your own villages. When this war is over, the King will send men to help you rebuild. Take the horses with you and whatever supplies you can carry. I'm sure you will make good use of it all."

     "You will not come with us?"

     "No, I have an appointment with the Mudwood at the Kingdom, and I plan on keeping it. You should be save. I haven't seen any Raiders in my area for months. I cleared miles around it from any Raiders long ago."

     "May this world see you to your appointment. We will tell everyone that we met The Patchwork Knight and that he saved us from sure slavery and probably death."

      "Go and get what you need, once you are ready to go, I will torch what is left of this camp, so that none can use it again."

     The villagers began their slow ride back to freedom as I walked through camp and lit every hutch on fire. I stayed until they were all ash on the ground before I walked to my own horse and rode onward towards the Kingdom.

My Brain Is Melting

     Yep, you read that right. It feels like my brain is melting. Today was orientation for the new job, and it went well, but I took in so much information, that I need to decompress for a few days, but I have to go back tomorrow, and get a whole new metric ton of information crammed into my head.

     The information from the orientation, and then in the early stages of training, is all videos and little quizzes. It isn't difficult stuff, but it is just a matter of getting 10 lbs of information in a 5 lbs bag. Yeah, I cleaned that old saying up quite a bit for this comparison. The practical training doesn't start until Monday, and then it should be a little more smooth. I can take quizzes and simulations for days, but that will never beat practical training, any day for me. The simulations tell you everything that you are doing, so you really can't see what is going on. You just follow the prompts and do what it tells you, but I'm more of a hands on person. I can get an understanding, but it really won't sink in until I actually have to do it.

     That's the whole reason that I have done so many test pieces for the book case wand stand. I have to figure out how to do it. I know the theory behind all of it, but until I actually do it, it doesn't sink in as to what I really need to do, to pull it off. That reminds me. I have a picture for you, of the two little pieces that I'm making for whatever. One of course is going to Elie, and I'm keeping the other. They aren't done yet. I need to do one last pass with touchups, and then I'm going to clear coat them, to give them a little shine, but this will give you and idea of what the finished product will look like on the bookcase wand stand.

     Not bad for just messing around with wood. I did think about getting in there and smoothing out the interior portions of it, but I like the rough distressed look of the wood in there. It gives it a little more texture. Anyway, I went with white for mine, and an ochre for Elie. I'm still not sure if that is the way I'm going to go. I may try another color on the final test piece. I did get it stained yesterday, but I did no work on it today, because of the melting brain thing. I'll get to painting it on Saturday. I have two ideas for colors to try out, but only one can go on at a time. I'll just have to get one on there, take a photo of it, and then try the other color, then send the photos off to Elie for her final approval of color.

     Oh, I haven't heard back about the photography job, so I'm almost assured that I didn't get it. The person that did the interviews, mentioned that training was planned to start on Monday for that job, and since I haven't had that follow up phone interview, I'm out of the picture. You never know though, I could get the call tomorrow, and all that could change.

     I know this one is brief, but I refer you back to the title again. I need to go get some nice, deep, recovery type of sleep. Peace in and goodnight.

So Much To Talk About

     I got a lot to discuss, so I may as well, just jump right in. I had that interview yesterday for the photographers job. It went well, but there are only two openings, and there were 5 of us there. Myself and 4 young women. I do believe that I am at a disadvantage for this job, so my hopes aren't very high for getting it at this point. I'm waiting for a follow up phone interview, which is supposed to happen some time this week. I will have a little more information on my chances after that, if it happens.

     I'm supposed to have my orientation for the other job on Thursday, but I haven't gotten the information on where and when it is going to be. Since this is a large company store, they like to combine all their orientations on one location, and that location changes from week to week. I thought I would know where it is by now, but if I don't hear anything by noon tomorrow, I'm going to call and see if they know where I'm supposed to go.

     The interview yesterday wasn't the only excitement that I had. I woke up to this weird hissing sound, so I wandered around the house until I found where it was coming from. As I walked into the kitchen where I thought it was, I found that it was in the utility room. I opened the door, and stepped into a pool of water. My first thought was that the hot water heater blew, because it was incredibly humid and steamy from hot water. A quick investigation found that it was the hot water line on the washing machine. It had blew right through the line and was spilling water all over the place. I got the valves turned off and began laying down towels to collect the water. I walked into the garage, and it was partially flooded as well. This was all before the interview, by the way. I still need to air out the garage, but I replaced the lines with much better steel braided and insulated ones, so they should be good for the next 100 years. I bought them from my new employer. It's too bad that I didn't have my new employee discount card. I could have used it.

     Yesterday and today, I was also working on the wand stand, which I don't remember if I told you, I am now making it into a box case wand stand. It just came to me, that this could serve two purposes, and house all the Harry Potter books, and display the two wands that Elie is going to get. I measured everything out, for the right dimensions to fit the books, and I can make this look really cool. It's not going to be a traditional book case, that's a box with an open side. It will be open on both front and back, and it will of course have the wands on top as a display. I cut the final test shape out today, and got it sanded down and shaped the way I want it. It's a bit rough because the wood had some bad spots that made the cutting and engraving difficult, but the basic shape is there, and I am going to finish it as if it is the final piece, even though it won't be. It will give Elie and I an example of what it could look like.

     Since I was done with the original test pieces, I decided to cut them up and make some fun shapes out of them. I stained both of them, and I painted the one I'm keeping. I wanted to see how it would take acrylic paint, and it took it really well. I'm giving one of them, (the one that Elie liked the engraving on) to Elie. It is about the size of a coaster, so she could use it for that, or, she could just display it on her desk near her HP books, until she gets the book case wand stand. I did get a picture of mine. It's not finished, but it is pretty much complete. I still need to do a few touchups to it, and then see if I can edge or distress it somehow. The paint I used is just too bright, and I want to tone it down through some kind of aging process. I just need to research ways to do that. I'm thinking tea, to naturally stain it, but I don't know if that will work.

     Remember that Elie's will be the negative of that one. All the engraved areas will be raised and vice versa. I did a test with painting a small patch of the wood, and then staining over that, but it just turned the white paint a little pinkish. I think it is coming out ok so far, but I want the final piece that will go to Elie, to be perfect, so that is why I'm doing all these tests. I have to teach myself how to do this with the tools that I have, and I think I finally have the right way to get it done right. I'm also going to be upgrading the wood that I use for the finished piece as well. This has all been with pine plywood, and I'm going to get red oak for the final piece. It should be less grainy, and a lot less knots in it. The knots cause a lot of my problems with the grinding down for the engraving and the cutting itself.

     I'm going to have to cut the side pieces out, and then put them side by side, to draw the Deathly Hallows symbol on them, so that they will match up properly. I'm going to measure everything out, and make sure they are positioned, and placed in the right place. The good news is, that since this is becoming a book case now, it is going to be larger than originally planned, which means the Deathly Hallow symbol is going to be larger as well. That makes it a little easier to do, so that is a bonus.

     I will of course keep you up to date on how it is progressing, and I will take pictures when I think of it to share the progress visually to you.

     I can say, that readership for The Patchwork Knight has gotten really weird. I'm getting the normal numbers on here for the rough draft, but the polished story on Medium is hitting an all time low. The last chapter I posted before this week had no readers at all. This weeks has had 3 views and 1 read. The oddest part of it, was that someone clapped for it, that didn't even read it. I know that claps are part of how the decide if you get paid or not, but I don't want claps when it wasn't read, that just sucks. Anyway, I'm nearing the end of the story. I think I have only 4 more chapters to write. I could draw it out, but that is exactly what it would be. Me drawing it out, and I don't want to do that to the people that have been reading it this entire time. I want it to end as powerfully as it began, and not whimper into an ending. I plan on writing those 4 chapters in the coming days, and it is a little depressing and exciting at the same time. I get to see this story come all the way to it's ending, but I get to see this story come all the way to it's ending. No, that wasn't a misprint, I wrote that sentence twice. The reason, is that that sentence is both good and bad to me. I'm happy to see it end, but I'm sad to see those characters finally leave my brain and reside in that story. I will no longer have full ownership of them. That is also a good and bad thing. I lose ownership of them, but everyone that is reading gains ownership of them and that is a fulfilling thought.

     If you are up to date on reading The Patchwork Knight on here, then you will only have 6 more chapters to go. I have two ready and waiting, and then those final 4 chapters, that I need to write. If you are only reading it on Medium, you will have a couple of months to go, since I'm posting a new chapter every week. I really do hope that you are enjoying it. Once It has been up on Medium for a few months after it has finished, I will take it down. In that time, I will get the manuscript together, and try to submit it to a publisher and get it printed. I have to have cover art for it though. I asked one person to do it, but they are far too busy to get it done. Although I really think there style would be perfect for the cover of the book. I'm going to have to find someone else to do it.

     I know what you are thinking. Why don't you do it? I could, but I want to share this with someone else, so that they can get recognition for what they do artistically. Maybe it could open a door for them into doing more cover art for other people. I can hope that any success I might get from this story could be passed on to someone else. I will be looking around for an artist to do this piece for that reason. Just throwing this out there. If you are an artist and would like to do some cover art for The Patchwork Knight, email me, and I will tell you what I see as the cover and then it is up to your creativity and free idea to see what you come up with.

     It's time for Favorite Song of the Week, and I'm going back for this one. Back in the 80's the coolest avant-garde goth, even before goth was a thing, was Siouxsie Sioux. Her look always consisted of dark as night hair and her trademark black over abundant eyeshadow. She was and still is incredible. Siouxsie and the Banshees had a ton of hits like "Peek-A-Boo", which was their break through hit in the U.S. and "Kiss Them For Me", but they also did a lot of great covers, like: "Strange Fruit", "Dear Prudence", and the song I'm sharing with you tonight. This is a remake of an old Iggy Pop song from the 1977 "Lust for Life" album. Siouxsie and the Banshees took their shot at it in 1987, and it is more than likely the version of this song that you have heard. I give you Siouxsie and the Banshees doing the Iggy Pop classic "The Passenger".



     How great are they? I really wish they would get back together and at least tour again, although I would love to hear new music. You can't always get what you want, so just listen to that song above, and all their other great songs, and remember the good ol' days.

     I'm out, peace in and goodnight.

I Can Fix What I Break.

     I have an interview tomorrow, which is for that photography job, and then I should have my orientation this Thursday for the new job that I actually have. After that, I have about 5 days or so of trainman, and hopefully officially start in my new position the following weekend. This is going to be a blast. 

     Speaking of photography. Like how I made that segue into this whole thing. I have been working on photos all week from the skateboard shoot, and I'm still not fully done with them, but I'm getting close. I did one today, that I'm pretty proud of, and I'm going to post that on CSP on Wednesday, but I'm going to give you the free preview right here, and right now.

     A little bit about this photo. When I started making adjustments to it, I began to see certain little details going wrong, but the overall effect was looking good. The main problem was in the details of her face. When I toned the luminance of the orange in the picture, it created dark blotches on her face, and that was a definite no go, but as I said before, the overall effect was really good. Once I was done adjusting color, tint, detail, and all that good stuff, I broke out the paintbrush. I only masked out areas on her face that were only skin tone. The eyes, features of the nose, and mouth were all left out, then I simply adjusted the dehaze and clarity. Bringing them both done, and got the effect that is above. It smoothed out the blotches and brought the proper color back into her face. I'm really happy that it all came together, because I really wanted to get this picture right.

     I completed my other test piece on the, let's call it, The Deathly Hallows wand stand. I do believe that I will do one more test piece before I call it a go. If the next test piece comes out right, then I'm going to make that one side of the stand and start on the other one. Then I only will have 8 more pieces of that puzzle to put together. Yeah, this is going to be a complicated piece, but when it is done, it is going to look great. Anyway, here are the side by side comparison of the different ways I can go with the piece.

     Ok, you have to ignore the shape of the piece on the left. That is only a piece of wood that I could carve out the symbol on. the next piece will be the final test piece on shape and design. The one on the right is a great deal easier to do, and I truly believe I can recreate that again and again. the piece on the left, is super complicated, and I'm not quite as sure about recreating that one as readily. Guess which one Elie chose to do on the piece. If you were going with insanely complicated one on the left, then you are correct. I will have to refine it a little more. I did still make some mistakes on it, with width of certain border lines and what not, but I do like the overall look of it. 

     We are going to stain it the same color red as my wand stand, and then I'm going to hand paint the inlay. We haven't settled on a color for that yet, but it is all about making the symbol pop. This is going to take a long time to complete, so don't expect to see the finished product anytime soon. Especially if I get the photography job. I will only be able to work on this in the evenings and light will be an issue. Even though the lounge is extremely well lit, when the door is open, it blocks a lot of the light, and I like doing all the carving and sanding by the entrance to the lounge. It's kind of like I'm that old man whittling wood on the front porch. It's really fun and relaxing working with you hands in this way. A little dangerous too. I get really intimate with the Dremel and have my bare fingers really close to where it is taking material away from the area of the symbol. A sane person would clamp it to a table and move around it, but what is the fun and sense of adventure in that. Before you ask, yes, I have ground down parts of my fingers on a few occasions. None on the last piece though. So, I'm getting much better at it.

     One last note, before I call it a night (or day, which is what it is). I got to have lunch with one of the best people I know yesterday. She is one of the three. If you have been reading this for any length of time, you know of the three women that saved my life when I was at my lowest point, and hours from calling it on this thing called life. She has a new baby that is absolutely precious. It is always great to catch up with here. She is one of those friends where there is no beginning or end to a conversation, it simply picks up where it left off when we see each other. She is currently having some health concerns right now, that doctors don't quite have a grasp on. It is affecting her diet and how she has to eat. As of right now, she is in no danger, but as long as they don't know what is going on, she still has to watch very closely what she eats. It would mean a great deal to me, if you just simply send some positive vibes her way, so that she can get clear off all this, and live the stress free and happy life she so deserves.

     That's it for me. I need to wash some clothes, and then sit back and watch some tv. I got an interview tomorrow, and I want to be fully relaxed and ready for it. Peace in and goodnight.

The Patchwork Knight (Chapter 61)

     I began my slow march towards the Kingdom. I wouldn't be sneaking in or trying to make my way inside under cover. I would march loudly through the Realm destroying any Raider I would come across.

     I had cleared every village within the vicinity of where I made my camp for the last few years. It was a long journey before I came across a single person let alone a Raider. A lone wanderer was traveling the trail in tatters that could barely be called clothing. He was too tired to even raise his head or run off the trail to avoid me. He was broken.

    "Where is it you are coming from?"

     "Please Sir, do you have any food or water you can spare?"

     "I do, but I need you to answer my question first."

     "I was a captive of the Mudwood. I managed to escape when they were allowing us to relieve ourselves. I ran as far and fast as I could."

     "How far away are they now?" I threw the man a water skin as I asked the question.

     "I don't know. I have been walking for days. They must have decided that I would simply die and left me to my own demise."

      "Have you altered your direction since leaving them? Have you stayed on this trail the whole time?"

     "No, I turned off the trail I was on a day ago. It was leading towards the Kingdom."

     "Where were you heading towards?" I tossed him some dried berries and vegetables to eat. "Make sure you eat that slowly otherwise you will get yourself sick and have to start all over again."

     "I am from a village near the desert lands. I was hoping I could find my way back there."

     "You are heading in the right direction, but there is little there for you. The Raiders destroyed everything, before I could destroy them. There is one small area that you could go. If you follow this trail, you will run into the area I was camped. I lived there for several years as I rid this area of the Mudwood. There is a small hut and a garden, with some horses roaming free. There is no live stock but there is a steam of clear water. It offers little in protection of the Raiders return, but I'm going to do my best to see that they don't do that."

     "Thank you, I promise I will keep it in good order until you return."

     "I will not be returning, but maybe someday, the people will return to their homes. Consider that your home for as long as you want it."

     "Thank you again. Did you say that you rid this area of Raiders?"

     "I did."

     "Are you...are you The Patchwork Knight?"

     "That is a name I have been called."

     "You are a hero to the people. Your name is spoken in quiet by us, but we have shared your tales. The Raiders speak your name loudly, and with pure hatred. You have made a mess of the Mudwood's plans."

     "How do you hear these tales?"

     "The villagers that you have saved, not all of them have made it to the Palace. The ones who have been captured along the trail have told of how you saved them and defeated entire armies with your twin blades."

     "They aren't twins?"

     "What?"

     "The blades, they aren't twins."

     "Oh. The Raiders get reports from their scouts of areas that were supposed to be occupied but have been empty of everyone and everything. May I ride at your side? I can handle myself with a weapon, not as well as Knight, but well enough to keep myself alive. I would be honored to help you rid the Realm of the Mudwood."

     "I believe every word you say, but I do not ride with others anymore. I would much rather you rest in that small hut and regain all of your strength. Live your life as free as you can without having to fight. Be there to help the people reclaim their lives when they return. If you can handle a weapon, you can handle tools, and you can build s new village. There are several villages within a few miles of that hut, you can explore them for tools and supplies."

     "But, you can't take on the whole of the Mudwood by yourself."

     "I don't plan on it. It is my hope that by the time I reach the Kingdom, that they rest of the Targen Knights will meet me there as well, and we will all rid the Realm of the Mudwood once and for all."

     "We have heard no word of the Knights or the King. It is only tales of what you have done to save the Realm. I think the King is happy living in his hidden Palace."

     "Watch your mouth. I know the King, and it pains him every day that he is there and not in The Kingdom. It pains him every day that his people are in peril and not all safe. I have been to the Crystal Palace, and have seen how it is overcrowded with the people of the Realm that the King has given sanctuary to. The King wants nothing more than to ride from that hidden palace and drive his blade through the ruler of the Raiders. He would fight through every one of them if his men didn't stop him on a daily basis from trying to do just that. It may seem like he is sitting pretty, but believe me, he is in turmoil over the loss of life in the Realm, not the loss of his Kingdom."

     "I'm sorry. I never heard it told like that. The people ask constantly what has the King done for us, but since we don't see the action we don't, well we don't know what actions are being taken. The people know what you have done, and since they don't hear of the Knights anymore, they believe that the King has given up on us."

     "He hasn't. He is desperately trying to build his army larger, and training the Knights better, and adding to their number as well. The Mudwood greatly outnumber the King and all his men, but they aren't trained as well as the King's army and his Targen Knights. This will end by the King's hand, it will just take time. The King is on his way, and I will meet him at the walls of the Kingdom to help take back all that is ours."

    "I hope that is so. I would still ask you if I could ride along with you?"

    "I would still deny you that death sentence. Take care of that hut, and those horses. They were not wild from the start, so they will need care from time to time."

    "Here, take this extra water skin and small bag of food. I can find more along the trial as I ride. You only have a day maybe two of a walk ahead of you to get to the hut. It is at the end of this trail."

     "Thank you Sir Patchwork Knight. I will do as you ask, and I will tell the tale of how I met The Patchwork Knight when he was on his way to free the Realm of the Mudwood."

     "See you well sir. I will tell the tale of the lost wanderer who told me the way to go, so that I could fight for the Realm."

     "I turned on my horse and rode off at a gallop. I had some Raiders that I just needed to meet, and they were a few days away.

I Passed

     I am officially employed. I filled out all the online stuff like setting up my direct deposit, and tax information. Unfortunately they can't get me into an orientation until next Thursday, so that is my official start day. They like to do orientation with all new employees in the area, so the orientation location roams from store to store. They have to get back to me once they know where I'll be going.
I'm really happy and excited about this. I'm going to be learning a whole new set of skills, and a new area. I'll be working in retail, but on a different end than sales. It's going to be a great deal different than what I was doing before, but the skills I learned there are going to help me out at the new place.

     I also got a response back from a photography job that I applied for. I have an interview with them on Monday. This is also going to be fun, if I get it. It will be with a difficult subject though. I'll basically be a school photographer. Remember when you had class picture. Something like that, but with much younger kids. There in lies the challenge. This is going to help me out a lot with my portrait photography. I think I'm pretty decent with portraits, but I need, and want to get a lot better. They do offer some training, since I will be using their equipment, which may be better than what I'm using, so the chance to use better cameras, is a definitely plus. It won't pay very much, and the schedules goes along with the school year, but it is a chance to do something I really love and get paid for it, so I'm all for the adventure.

     I'll have to keep my belt tightened down, but I've been doing that for 6 months now, and have gotten quite used to it, so that shouldn't be a problem at all. I'll work my way up the ladder, the way I know I can. People always seem to always want to start at the top of things, but I want to start at the start. I want to learn everything about what I'll be doing, and then apply that knowledge to help me succeed and prosper. Things are worth working for. You don't always have to get it all at once. It isn't rewarding when you get things like that. At least not for me. This is about peace of mind and doing something that I really like doing. I think both jobs are going to be fun new adventures that are in a much better work environment than I was in before. That alone is worth the cut in pay.

     Enough of the job talk, let's talk about something creative. I did get a photo of that piece that I was working on as a test for the new wand stand I plan on making for a friend. You can see what I did, and where I went wrong. I haven't had a chance to work anymore on it, but this is the basis for the whole design.

     I may play around a little with the overall shape, but where I went wrong was at the top of the Deathly Hallows symbol. I got a little to grind happy and cut through where it was supposed to be solid. I leaned form that mistake, to slow it down, and take more time. I'm still going to try another option where the areas that are raised in that will be the cut out, just so I can see if it looks better than that. I do think that looks pretty cool, and would look great if done right and completed. Oh, back to that overall shape. What I'm talking about, is adding more roundness to that back side, or I may just take that extra concave bend out of it there, and take it all the way up to the arch in the area that looks like a handle. I'm not sure, when I sketch it out on the wood. I'll put lines for both ways, and see what looks best and then begin cutting. I'm going to try to work on that other test with the symbol tomorrow. If it looks decent, I'll put a picture up and you can tell me which version of the symbol you like best. It will still come down to the final opinion of my friend on what she wants, but I'll take all opinions and criticism about it, so I can do a better job with each piece that I make.

     Today was the launch of a new TPR review, so you know I have a video for you. This was a place that did a Napoli style of pizza. If you don't know what that style is, you definitely need to watch the video and maybe check out the blog. This is the style that started all pizza, and this one was really good. One of my favorite pizzas that we have tried, so far.



     Yes, we are a couple of nitwits, that don't speak Italian, and it is evident in this video. We screwed up the name of the restaurant more times then I could count. It is Mangia and Bevi Pizzeria Napoletana. Mangia is pronounced like manja. For some reason that was nearly impossible for us, but we got the video down, and I thought it came off pretty good. Let me know what you think.

     I'm off to bed, so that I can wake up and start working on that Deathly Hallows symbol. I hope to have a picture of it for you on Sunday, but no promises. Peace in and goodnight.

And A New Journey Begins, Maybe

     I took the drug test yesterday, and it was a whole new experience. They had an oral test, where you had to place a swab in your mouth for ten minutes for it to soak up moisture or something like that. They want me to begin work right away, but the test has to clear first. The absolute earliest possible could be Wednesday night, but it is more than likely Thursday or Friday. I will have to go through orientation and then some online training as well as practical training before I officially start, but it is pretty much a done deal. Since yesterday was also the 2nd anniversary of the last time I had a drink, the only thing I take, is a low doze aspirin every morning, and that's not going to trip a drug test. I'm looking forward to this new adventure in life, and see where it takes me. Now I just have to find another job to make up the difference. I can't live off a weekend part time job, but at least it's something.

     I have been going through photos like a mad man, and playing around with them until they look like something that I want to really see, and I have a new favorite, and I can't explain why. I think because it has a sense of vulnerability to it, but I'm not even sure about that. I got this in a moment when Snow was putting her hair up for a different look, and it was just the nature of the movements and how they were just so candid. I have a series of three shots in all of this, but this one, is just so perfect to me. I'm going to once again share it here first, but don't expect this to be a normal thing. I got to have some exclusivity to the CSP.

     I just like how the whole thing came together, and it just seems to perfect to me. I'm sure I'm alone in this, but that is part of being a photographer. You do your best to capture the images that are given to you, and hope that people feel the same way about what you have done as you.

     I just finished the video and the write up for the latest TPR and we are doing another one tomorrow. This is going to be our first chain. It is a local chain and it's origins are in Orlando, but a chain none the less. Technically the last one we ddid could be considered a chain, but all their locations are owned by the same ownership, so not a franchise. I believe this next one is a franchise, with independent owners, buying the name and rights to sell the product of the parent company. We have stayed away from National chains despite people asking us to do some of the lesser known ones. That is most likely because they don't realize that they are chains. I do my research, and have turned down a couple of them so far. Yes, I know my partner is supposed to be on top of that stuff, but well, you know how that goes. Anyway, I'll let you know how it goes on Thursday, and you will definitely see how it goes when it comes out in February.

     It's time for Favorite Song of the Week. This is a cover of a great Queen song, and it is by someone that I actually know. I haven't spoken to him in years, because he is busy doing the music thing, and I don't like to bother people, but you may know this person from the band he used to front. They were pretty big in the 90's and early 2000's. The band still tours under the name but with a new singer now, but really, his voice was the band and when he left, they are simply a cover band of themselves at this point. Oh, did I mention that he was also the main song writer of the band? Anyway, here is J.R. Richards with the Queen classic "I Want to be Free".

     If you want to here the rest of the songs, they are on the album Under The Cover. Oh, I nearly forgot to mention his original band. J.R. used to sing for the band Dishwalla. You know them, "Counting Blue Cars"? I knew you did, J.R. is a quality person. I got the chance to get to know him when he was living here in the area. He built a studio to record, and did and album here while he was learning Kung Fu at the school I was an instructor at. He was humble and genuine, so I got along with him rather well. We pretty much fell out of touch when Myspace imploded, but I still keep loose tabs on how things are going with him. Check out his stuff. He really is a talented singer and songwriter.

     That's it for me. I'm off to bed so I will bright eyed and bushy tailed to eat pizza tomorrow. Peace in and goodnight,

I Got The Job

     The title says it all. That interview I went on earlier this week, was a success. I was called back on Wednesday, but when I returned the call, the HR person had already left for the day. I called back the next morning and got the word. They gave me an offer for pay, and I jumped on it. It isn't what I was making, and it won't pay the bills, but it is something coming in, instead of everything going out. It's only part-time and on the weekends, so I still have to find either another part-time job or a full-time for during the week, in order to truly survive, but I'm happy in the direction things are going.

     It turns out that my experience with a fork lift and in shipping and receiving that I did at my last job, gave me the edge. It's going to be a whole new experience, and I'm going to have a lot to learn, but I'm ready for a new adventure. I do have to pass a drug screening tomorrow, which should be no problem at all, since the only thing I do, is take a low dose aspirin every morning with breakfast. Tomorrow of course will be the anniversary of my last drink as well, so they wouldn't even be able to find trace amounts of alcohol in my system.

     I have already received the preliminary background check, and I'm approved through that part, there are two other parts that take a little longer to get the checks, but I'm not worried about those in the least. The only thing in my past, is an expired tag when I was in my early twenties and I took care of that the very same week.

     That is a small weight lifted off my shoulders, but there is still more weighing heavy on me, but I'm going to just brush it off for now, and focus on the training that is about to come. Once that is over, I can focus back on getting another job to make up for the financial difference, or at least come close. I had no expectations of making as much as I was, so I'm truly coming in with an empty cup to anything that comes at me. This is going to all work out.

     I got some other good news, I had my skateboard photoshoot yesterday, and it was a lot of fun. I still have a ton of pictures to go through, but I'm going to share two of them with you here, since the CSP still doesn't see all that much traffic. These are my two current favorites form the shoot, and I'm sure that may change as I continue going through there rest of the pictures.

     I was given 244 pictures that day, and I pulled 128. I may put the SD card back in and pull others later, but for now, those are the ones I'm working with. I have about 8 finished and saved to the computer, and these next two are my favorites right now.

     I'm torn on which of those I like the best. The top one took a lot of work to get it to look like that, which is the same with the bottom, one, but I like how the bottom one has a soft focus, and some motion blur. It reminds me a little of those Francesca Woodman photos. This is of course in color and not black & white or sepia, but it has a similar effect to it, and I love it. The top,  I love because it is just bold and powerful, and I like taking photos that have that type of representation, especially if it's a woman. People tend to focus on beauty and daintiness, but I like that I can get a shot that has both beauty and power. The misconception that all woman are soft is just that, a misconception, and one of the things I hope my photography does, it shows that power that women have.

     Ok, I'm stepping down from my soap box now. I'm posting this early, because I really have nothing to do today, except make something to eat, and then watch TV. I'll leave you to the rest of your day, and finish this like I normally do, even though it's the middle of the day. Peace in and goodnight.