Chapter 47.6: Can You Say Escalation?

Well, anybody expecting a significant number of troops to return from Iraq in time to rally voters in November must be sorely disappointed with the comments made by President Bush, who said he'll be ordering more troops to deal with the "terrible" sectarian violence. While I'm not particularly crazy about the war -- and not a fan of our president's policies in general -- I actually think this is a necessary move. Had the president truly downsized the American presence in Iraq, I think a civil war there would have followed. And that would have been worse for us -- and certainly worse for a region that is having enough problems already. I think President Bush should have listened more closely to Colin Powell a few years ago when he was telling him that more troops would be necessary.

POINTS TO PONDER

MOTU Vahine Necklace™ - $ 495.00 This is a wonderful design that speaks directly of Tahitian pearls and their origin. The sterling silver pendant depicts a motu or an islet much like the small islands that fan out across the Gambier and Tuamotu archipelago where Tahitian black pearls are found. Set within the motu pendant is a solitary 10mm Tahitian pearl. The 17.5” chain length makes this piece ideal for women or men who want a shorter necklace. For those wanting a longer length we offer the same design called MOTU Tane which is on a chain just over 21.5” in length.

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.


TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.


THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.


FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.


FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.


SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.


SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.


EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.


NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.


TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.


ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.


TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.


THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"


FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.


FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.


SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson .


SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.


EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.


NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.


TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.


TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

VAEA Earring™ - $ 245.00 This is one of Soraya’s most dramatic and wonderful earring designs. Dangling on a silver chain from a Cubic Zirconium stone opposite the ear post are three silver rings. One is crusted in CZ stones giving the whole earring an appealing sparkle. Reaching nearly 6.5cm from the ear-post and dangling at the bottom is an 8-9mm Tahitian black pearl. Two of the rings are concentric and the third (top ring) passes through the center of the inside ring. The design is interesting and attractive.

Costumes in 720p

I didn’t get a chance to see the Mass Effect trailer at E3, but you can download it now on Xbox Live Marketplace. The game is looking fantastic so far and the HD presentation (for those with capable TVs) really shows off the space age outfits.

I like how the armor bits look like the suits from Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within movie, although I’m sure Square cribbed the design from somewhere else too.


Body suits also look much more interesting in the HD era since they don’t always have to be some kind of generic vinyl. The high resolution allows you to see the grain of leather, or any other material that has some distinctive “skin” to it.

Chapter 47.2: Diamond Syd

Sad news. Syd is dead. Syd Barrett, one of the founders of Pink Floyd, passed away last week. Though I can't say I listen to them much anymore, I've been a Floyd fan since I was a kid and have nostalgic memories of sitting on my front yard listening to Umma Gumma on my Walkman on a summer night, grooving with a Pict.

Of course, as a lover of elephants, I'm both pleased and horrified by the bouncy Effervescing Elephant tune -- horrified because the sage pachyderm dies at the end. And as I walked home yesterday, I hummed See Emily Play.

She's often inclined to borrow somebody's dreams till tomorrow.

Syd, you're in our dreams and prayers now. Borrow what you need.

Chapter 47: The Second Half

It's been an advenutrous year, and the second half will be more of the same. Actually, it may be more adventurous, but certainly not the same. I'm in the process hiring a new writer; my deputy editor has departed. And my wife and I are embarking on a pleasant adventure of our own -- well, I don't know how pleasant it'll be, but I'll get into that at some other time.

I've also started a new blog about the books I'm reading and have already read this year. I've started to write book reviews as a sideline within my job, and since I've been reading so much anyway, it seems like a good idea to do something with what I'm learning/experiencing. Frankly, I've been disappointed in myself because it's not enough just to read something, one must think about it. That's important, because books can -- and should -- change your life. So, instead of just marking another notch in my bedroom reading list (well...on the train, mostly), I've begun to write about what I'm reading. Ok, I should probably edit what I've just done, but as Anne Lamott says, you're going to write shitty first drafts. The problem with a blog is that most people publish their crap, as I'm doing now.

In looking at my personal goals for the year, I've seen a lot of areas where I can improve. I won't go into too much detail about them here, but let's just say that I've changed a deadline (or two) on the editing of my first novel. I'm still committed to getting a draft ready for an agent this year. And, I will start the second book. This time, however, it might not be a novel. There are some things I need to work out. If I follow through out it, it'll be a baseball book.

Of course, another adventure is what's going on at Shea Stadium and throughout the National League, where my Mets are dominating. Unfortunately, the only game I've seen in person was the one-hitter the Yankees tossed against them on June 30. With the All-Star game happening on Tuesday, I have a few days to rest and plan when I might be able to catch a game at the home of the soon to be NL East Champion Mets. Ok, I don't want to get cocky yet; they've not won anything yet. But they're looking good -- the fourth and fifth starters notwithstanding.

On to the second half.

Legendary Costumes

I was randomly at a Blockbuster over the July 4th weekend and had this urge to play me some Tomb Raider Legends. Unfortunately, the 360 version was rented out, so I made do with the standard Xbox one. Man, there is a huge difference between 480p and 720p. The demo I downloaded of Legends for 360 looks so much nicer.

Anyways, the game is quite good and has a very nice selection of costumes to unlock. It took me a little over two days to beat it and another day on top of that to unlock most of the outfits.


I tried to take some photos with my digital camera, but they came out looking pretty ghetto. Luckily, every outfit is posted on the Tomb Raider forums located here. My two favorites are the winter coat one and this silver number, which is like the one from the second movie.