We are Mysterium of Borg, you will be linked

Wow. How do you compress 5 days of amazement down into a blog post? Everything was a blast, from the roadtrip, to the amusement park, to heek, to Cyan, to presentation, to talking to caching. I can't even begin.

Wolfie, it was damn good to meet you. Give em hell.
Marten, thanks for enduring me :)
Prof Askew, you are teh roxxor, baby!
Keshwyn, yay for universe shrinkage!
EricL, I love you, bro.
Deg, you are to nifty.
River, you have to SHARE Nicolas Cage, yah hear?
Saphira, thank you for saying hello. Lets keep that going.
Ocelot and Alahmnat, you guys are entirely too cute together.
Ireen, you are fantabulous, especially when wet!
Jean, it's a shpedoinkel day!

I miss you all already, only 363 days to go!

And so it begins...

Here I am at Mysterium, relaxing for a bit in our hotel room before venturing out into the mayhem. Drive over here was good, if long, and the decorated cars got a plethora of funny looks. Yay! Sat up all night talking Myst with people. How nice to be able to geek without eyes glazing over.
So good to see so many people, and Greydragon came by last night to tell us all about what had happened at the mornings Town Hall (squee!) It's going to be a good weekend.

Ayoheek at Mysterium!

Table Top Heek Tournament! Woo!

Echos of the Past

it might be well if you would ask yourself, are you better off than you were four years ago?...Is America as respected throughout the world as it was?

My answer to the first? Yes, and no. Yes, because we have more income and a home, but that has little to do with government economic policies. No, because we struggle with a child with disabilities on a daily basis, going deeper into debt for her care, completely unsupported by society in any way. No social services, no respite, no parent training, nothing.

Are we as respected? Hell no. Most of the world is starting to see America as the bully on the block, thowing its weight around if they don't dance to our tune, and a majority of Americans, in their ethnocentrism, don't care.

Oi

One again, the Guild of Drama Llamas is gunning for my head. I've long since passed being irritated or wounded by anything they say, their opinion matters not a whit to me. And anyone with enough brain cells to rub together can look at the reality, as compared to their cacophany, and form their own judgements as to my worth, so I have no fears that the tide of opinion will suddenly favor them.

Now, I just look at them and think how sad they are, to be so wrapped up in their hatered and delusions, that they focus on little else but taking me down. Down from where? That's what gets me...I'm just a random person in the community, and yet they seem hell-bent to discredit me. *shrug*

I often wonder how they came to the ELERI IS TEH SUXXOR EBIL platform, beyond my telling their leader what I thought of his manners and methods. Evidently disagreeing with the Guildmaster is enough to make me public enemy number one.

'gashi

Sinnish Proverb
lakashim oso barlen odudhiyu

Loosely translated:
God is too big for one religion

Yay Music

Nifty musician Michael Garfield is doing a pacific northwest tour in July, with dates in Spokane, Seattle, Vancouver, Portland and more. Goest thou, and listen. Is good stuff. If you talk to him, tell him a Zaadzster sent you :)

the war against the HPV vaccine

HPV, the human papillomavirus, is the leading cause of cervical cancer in women. You've probably seen the new ads on TV about it. It's highly contagious, and almost completely asymptomatic and unseen unless detected by a pap smear, or cance appears.

The FDA has just approved a vaccine to prevent HPV infection. This is a good thing, right? Evidently the members of the Extreme Religious Right think no. They say that by giving a vaccine against this cancer-causing virus, it'll encourage promiscuity.

That's right folks...the religious wackos maquerading as Christians in this country would rather allow women to risk getting cancer, than do anything that might seem to 'condone' sex.

HERE is a good essay on the subject

PHC is teh Love

You might not have always liked Republicans, but you could count on them to manage the bank. They might be lousy tippers, act snooty, talk through their noses, wear spats and splash mud on you as they race their Pierce-Arrows through the village, but you knew they could do the math. To see them produce a ninny and then follow him loyally into the swamp for five years is disconcerting, like seeing the Rolling Stones take up lite jazz. So here we are at an uneasy point in our history, mired in a costly war and getting nowhere, a supine Congress granting absolute power to a president who seems to get smaller and dimmer, and the best the Republicans can offer is San Franciscophobia? This is beyond pitiful. This is violently stupid.

The rest of Garrison Keillor's bit is HERE

The Three Sorrys

First you feel sorry
Second you say you're sorry
Third you do something to show you're sorry.

Birth rant #782

How did we come to the point that the 'right' way to give birth is on your back, surrounded by bright lights and people bundled up like you're a hazmat spill?

Buhwah?

Ubisoft ditched Live, but funds Orgasm Training Bunnies?!?

Extended discussion

I ask, in all seriousness: Do you really feel safer than you did Sept. 12, 2001? And, if you do, do you feel the cost has been worth it? Do you feel we, as a nation, are doing all right? Is this, the path we're on now, what America is all about?

Much ado...

I wonder if people would be as up in arms if they'd said "pre-diabetic" or "pre-cancerous". "Pre-pregnant" is a medical term, not a social commentary. *sigh*

Music!

That's right kiddos! It's Radio Free D'ni! Coming to you live from D'mala, it's the most eclectic, unexpected radio show ever to hit the underground. And we really mean underground!

Tune your winamp dials to the usual place http://callahans.seanmcpherson.com:10000/listen.pls starting at 5pm Pacific!

Harumph

My ambassadorial radar was twitching...

Sure enough, there's not even BLIP of news on MMORPG.com about the return of live. Not even a mention of the official press release.

This is offensive! An outrage! We need to head over there with pitchforks and blazing torc...eerrr.....

what I mean is, one of the top mmorpg sites really should have the news, we should politely email them and remind them of the fact.

$

Doing Faerie Oracle and Elemental Oracle readings for $15, to help cover Widget's emergency c-section vet bill. (Kitten pics are HERE) Drop me a message.

The mind boggles

The fight against birth control

This just makes me ill. It's one thing to debate abortion, but to argue against the ability for someone to not get pregnant in the first place? Grarrr.

D'ni Filk

From Julian Lapis:

The very model of a Cavern Representative

I am the very model of a Cavern Representative
Most consider me to be all knowing and articulative
I know the kings of D’ni and locations geographical
From Kerath’s Arch to Ae’gura in order typographical

I’ve travelled all the journeys and have studied Yeesha’s lifelong path
And turned the tables on a scary hammer wielding psychopath
I’m capable of solving every riddle D’ni ever had…
Whilst humming all of Ryan’s songs without going completely mad!

(Whilst humming all of Ryan’s songs without going completely mad,
Whilst humming all of Ryan’s songs without going completely mad,
Whilst humming all of Ryan’s songs without going completely-pletly mad!)

I can calibrate and activate the Zero single handedly
And trap a crazy father without getting shot repeatedly
The point is most consider me quite friendly and attentive
This is why I am the very model of a Cavern Representative!

(The point is most consider him quite friendly and attentive
This is why he’s the very model of a Cavern Representative!)

I know precisely what is meant by Shorah and Korfah V’ja
And have tumbled through a fissure made entirely of shiny stars
I did not fall for Sharper’s tricks or Esher’s random mutterings
But watch intently all of Lewin’s monetary flutterings

I’ve trawled a dying world to help a young lass return to her home
And battled wits with Bahro using nothing but a lump of stone
I’ve spun inside a marble, trying to hold on to my sanity…
Not mentioning my conflicts with a brother’s inhumanity!

(Not mentioning his conflicts with a brother’s inhumanity,
Not mentioning his conflicts with a brother’s inhumanity,
Not mentioning his conflicts with a brother’s inhumani-manity!)

In fact it could be said my D’ni knowledge is exemplary
Quite simply put, the very best of this modern century
The point is most consider me quite friendly and attentive
This is why I am the very model of a Cavern Representative!

(The point is most consider him quite friendly and attentive
This is why he is the very model of a Cavern Representative!)

Julian, you are the man.

The Deep City LIVES

It's a DAMN good day to be a Myst fan.

www.urulive.com

now where are my hankies??