The revenge of "I can't understand what they're saying!!" returns!

I think David's choice of Japanese music actually was a little better than my choice of German music.



That's right, German.



Here's a 22 meg video of a German hit disco group called something Kahn.



I don't remember how to spell it, because it's in German. I highly recommend you watch the video, unless you're on a dial-up modem. High speeders will have no problem.



Right click this link, and save the file to your harddrive.



It should be watchable in windows media player. If not, you need to update your windows media player, because mpeg encoding is taking over the world. Trust me on this.



For those poor souls that only have 56k modems, I only have the extremely LOW quality audio, and even that is pretty large. It will probably take 2 to 5 minutes to download.



For the audio, right click this link, and save the file to your harddrive.



Anyway, high speeders, get the video. It's worth the extra megs.



Just so you know, I thought they were Russian for a long time, but now I've looked them up a few times and found out that they're German. So if I said Russian anywhere in here, I meant German.



Sorry.



Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and I'll talk more from the road!



L8r A\!&Tr.



John.

This is a rare opportunity!!

There are currently two copies of Pirates of Penzance on eBay.



WARNING: DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THE DVD VERSIONS.



The DVD's are not the Film that we have all come to know and love, but rather a TV play made 2 years before the film. The sound quality is reported to be terrible, and the video quality equally disappointing.



For collectors, the difference is noted in the cast. The Rex Smith and Kevin Kline are lead actors in both, Angela Lansbury is only in the film version. As many know, she plays Ruth, the nurse.



Anyway, the FILM version, is ONLY ON VHS.



The original doesn't seem to be available anywhere but ebay. The problem with the eBay versions? They're expensive. Any true collectable item will be.



However, if I had the money, I'd get the one listed for 27 dollars, and put it on DVD for you when I get back from Disney, the world. Since that would be illegal and expensive, I have decided to present you all with the opportunity to buy either one, by giving you the links.



Pirates of Penzance, listing number one.



Pirates of Penzance, listing number two.



Maybe you already have a COPY (non-original) of Pirates of Penzance on VHS. The original is much higher quality, due to the quality of the tape, and the fact that it is indeed, master tape.



The only thing that would be better than this would be DVD, but it's not available, so until then, VHS will have to do.



I have to go put mudflaps on the suburban now, preparing for our trip. (we leave tomorrow).



Sooooo, I'll be watching Jerad while we're at Disney world, and all of my friends that know me well have essentially said, "Jerad's in for Hell on earth. Poor kid."



Anyway, remember Jerad in your prayers, as well as Pirates of Penzance.



Thank you all for reading, and have a wonderful day!



John.

The end of the world had almost come!

But then I realized that I don't live in a hollywood movie. A quote from an online comedy show:

"Hollywood just doesn't understand apocalypse. They seem to think that just one thing from everyday life goes away and that changes everything. Like in Road Warrior it was gas and in Water World it was land."

Well, in my life, it was my internet connection.

David Heustis informed you of the details, for which I am very thankful. Everyone, salute David.

Now, one error in his post was that I would have 1000 words for yawl. That's wrong. 1000 words is way too much for me to come up with in 3 days. 700 was just about right, but I came up with around 692, just to be safe.

Now, I have watched Pirates of Penzance in it's entirety twice since I last posted on the blog. Once at normal speed, and once at 110 percent speed.

I believe that when I put it on DVD for yawl (if I ever do, because I think it deserves to be on DVD instead of VHS, though it's coming FROM a vhs in the first place, ah whatever.) I'll put two versions, one at normal speed, and one at 105 to 107 percent speed. 110 is my favorite, but it looks a little wacky.

Anyway, now for the 700 words.

This part of the story needs major rewriting, but that's ok. Rewrite I can, rewrite I will.

Derrillynn, I understand that you are a non-detail oriented person, but if you could put aside your behavior long enough to read Peretti, you can read my stuff, which I am one hundred percent POSITIVE, is not nearly as detailed as Peretti.

Peretti, though he has a very strange choice in hair styles, is a genius. By the way, nobody get the Hangman's Curse movie. It's an insult. Hollywood took the final edit away from him when the budget ran out, so they took all the important theological parts of the movie out, leaving it quite dull, and, bluntly, stupid.

Not to mention Elisha (Eleesha, the sister) runs around with less clothes than most of the other public schoolers, and she's supposed to be the Christian. What kind of Godly character is that? If we're truly Christians, our Christianity will affect every area of our lives. Our clothing, our conversations, our thoughts, and the list goes on...

Oh, and Rich Christiano (the director of Time Changer) says that Finding Nemo teaches that life without Christ is fun, that kids should go to public school, and that ladies should wander around with the sharks.

Life without Christ doesn't work, period!

Ashley, Tait's sister, just sent me a picture of her piano recital. It is somewhat depressing that I don't play the piano. Tait and Ashley both play beautifully, and I envy that talent. Of course, it's no accident... Playing a musical instrument marks regimented discipline, not just talent.

All I can do is type at 80 words a minute, but even then I have nothing worth typing. So what do you get? A really, really LONG post about absolutely nothing. I am sorry, I have wasted your time.

Now to waste even more.

Talk about a rabbit trail. That started as a rabbit trail, but soon became a waterfall, then it became a volcano's path, and then it became the destruction of all mankind and target point for a huge nuclear warhead that had the potential to crack the earth in half, and then it got even worse: It became a government project.

Ok, back on-topic. Here's latest 700 words.

(By the way, the major thing I'm taking out of these seven hundred words is the infighting of the church. Can't put it in the movie, so I dont' really want it in the story.)

Tom Russell was a firm believer in biblical happenings in modern times, particularly the idea of angels walking among us. It was rare that he preached a sermon that didn't in some way touch that issue. This morning he was right in the heart of it, talking about how he had many people influence his life that he never saw again, and he believed they were angels. A few members of the church opposed this belief, and claimed that angels were only seen in angelic form, and only in the Old Testament. The scriptural battles could go back and forth for days, but usually they ended in Tom's winning, or Tom's opponent falling asleep about a day and a half into the argument. This mornings message was unusually short though, and ended not with an altar call, but with an earnest plea to the members to reach out to people that they knew.
“We must reach out, and take hold of those poor lost souls. Show them something worth dying for! Show them what you believe, not by ramming it down their throats, but by example! And now, keep this on your hearts and minds for the week, and we'll talk about your experiences next Sunday. Thank you, and I'll see you next week. Let's pray.”
The church joined together in their prayer for the lost, both in and out of the church, that they would “See the sin in their lives, but eternal light of hope in Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ's holy name we pray, Amen.
The Wright family left the church with a desire to reach out and help someone, and though this was not unusual, it was an usually strong desire. After shaking a few hands, they piled into their car and drove homeward.

Michael was still walking slowly, but a little less determined than previously. He was in the process of inventing a story for any questioners, and he figured he'd need it a lot. Gabe still walked alongside of him, listening curiously.

“Gabe, what I don't understand is why I'm so afraid to tell people the truth! There must be a reason, but what?”

About this time they were passing a nicely paved driveway that led far back into nice woody area with a rather large house. The outside was orderly and clean, unlike the surrounding houses where the owners didn't care if the windows were smashed, so long as they had duct tape to fix 'em.
Curious, Michael decided to walk a little way down the driveway. A few cows contentedly chewed the abundant grass in the pasture, even though the bull and donkey seemed to be fighting it out right in the middle of them. Michael noticed that the hedges around the house could use a little trimming, and the gutters needed to be cleaned, but other than a few small issues of this sort, the house was in excellent condition. Around back, a pond was being blown by the wind in such a way that it looked like a river flowing gently along. A close look proved the first impression wrong. Michael felt guilty for having spent this much time snooping, so he turned back down the driveway, towards the main road.
When he reached the gate, he saw Gabe waiting for him. It surprised him, because he never realized that Gabe wasn't with him. Gabe stood in the gateway, as though he were waiting for Michael to try and pass. When he did try, he was again surprised. Gabe barked and growled at him, warning him that coming closer meant getting bit.

“Whoa Gabe, what's up?

Gabe merely stood there wagging his tail. His body language showed good intentions, but his growls showed otherwise. Michael tried one more time to pass. Gabe snapped at him, barely yet precisely missing his hand.

“Fine. You win. Now what?”

As if he understood, Gabe layed down on the asphalt and closed his eyes. Michael thought for a few moments, then sat down on a nearby rock, just inside the gate.

“This might be what I'm looking for. I like this place, and you obviously want me to stay right here, so that's just what I'll do.”

Questions? Comments? Anything? Anybody?

Technical Difficulties

Dear everyone,



I have recieved a phone call from ol' Johnny boy, in which he says his internet connection is not working and has not worked for the last day and a half or so. He asked(/demanded somewhat politely) that I update you with this invaluable piece of information, as he would not want anyone to think that he got hit by a train or something of the like. He also says that he has the next 1,000 words of his story written, and will be able to post them when his internet service provider allows him back online, which should be, in theory, sometime tomorrow or the next day. John thanks you for your patience.



- David A. Heustis



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I'm starting to miss John already... *sobs*

Ramble Minute Everyone!!!!!!

Rambling has never been so productive!





Right now is ramble minute. I press the timer and type random things that come to my mind for one minute. I highly encourage people to do this. It really can be interesting.





Ready, Set, Go!





Ok, the first ramble minute has begun, and I'm not going to do anything but ramble for a minute. This seems to have an amazing effect overall. I can hear gloria gaither saying something stupid behind me, and I refuse to listen. That sentence reminded me of Lion King, and I really love Lion King. Lion King is one of my all time favorite movies ever. Pirates of Penzance is better than Lion King despite the skin-tight brown pants.





TIME!!!





Wow.





That was random, yet somehow enjoyable!



When I asked Derek Moreland to do this (a long long time ago, and he was doing it live) he ended up saying something about a chicken. David Heustis said something about a toilet seat, but I won't go there.



I think that I ended up saying something that I'd LOVE to tell all of you, but it's a secret between David Heustis and I. (At least for a few years).





Ok Yawl, it's your turn!

Another 500 words for those rare readers out there.

I wrote a little more onto the story.



The Pastor's sermon is going to be particularly tough, but I'll hack through it in my spare time this week.



And now, Enjoy, then comment.



Though the world was shrouded in darkness, Michael could hear things. He could hear somebody calling, telling him to hurry, and a siren blaring in the background, or was it screaming? Maybe it was both. Then he heard the sound of wind, like he was moving at a high speed, and a loud thump, as if he'd run into something. He sat with his eyes wide open, remembering nothing but this overpowering darkness. Several seconds passed, and all he could do was sit there. Finally Gabe barked at him, and it snapped back into the present. He let the air escape from his lungs, and began breathing very heavily. His hearts pounding nearly matched his rapid breathing, and the shakes in his hands completed the picture of a very frightened fifteen-year-old. Michael didn't know what this memory was, but he didn't want to see it again.

He backed down the steps from the church, trying his best not to run, then he turned, and slowly moved onward, looking back at the church as he walked.



Inside the old church building, the Wright family was listening to the sermon very intently. It was a sermon that had been going on for nearly an hour, and was just coming to a close. Greg and Ben sat next to their father Dan, who was sitting next to his wife Mercy, and his only daughter Molly. Molly was very pretty with her long blond hair, and she looked like she was eleven or twelve, though in reality she was only eight. Greg and Ben were as different as night and day, Greg being dark and thin, Ben being blond haired, blue eyed, and bulky.

Of the church, the layout was pretty standard. Simple pews and an aisle in the center, with the pulpit up front and the projector printing images onto a wrinkled screen behind the pastor. Unlike most pastors though, this Tom Russel was unusually happy. He had a grin on his face during the entire sermon, including the part about burning in hell for eternity. This joyful spirit radiated from him and drew the listeners into the message. At this point in time, he was talking about the love of Jesus Christ and God.

“It completely amazes me,” Tom began, “That Jesus would die for you and for me. But he didn't just die for those with a little bit of sin, he died for the democrats too!” The audience laughed at the joke. Such statements were not uncommon at Tom Russel's church.



Comments?

Ah, Bloopers Snoopers.

After a two and a half hour long conversation with Derek Moreland last night, he finally convinced me to put up a link to the Bloopers reel for the XS commercial.



I haven't put the links on the actual page yet, but I will. For now, you blog readers are a priveledged few that get a sneak peek at the bloopers, and the alternate music mix.



Also, I'll be taking the version that doesn't have legal music off the site, so no issues come up. For those who want to save a copy, better do it now.



The original is here.



The Alternate (read, Legal) version is here.



And Finally, the Bloopers Reel.



Someday, we'll put it on a DVD with another production. We hope to do more XS commercials in the future. Our next one will hopefully (probably) be Robin Hood vs. Zorro. That has some awesome opportunities.



If you have any suggestions or things you like to see in the Robin H. vs. Zorro, let me know with a comment. I always have loved input!



And in other news, Derek Moreland says he'd like to be raptured before he's an adult, so he'll never have to pay any bills. I think this is the most genius thing somebody younger than me said that I heard.



If you figured out what I said, you too are genius.



And.... I don't have any other news. Somebody said we need to release the XS commercial in full resolution. I think I might do that. Your thoughts?



Have fun!

*sigh*.

Well folks, I'm not very satisfied with this one. It's almost a thousand words long, and its a portion of the story that's required, but I'm not sure that I like it.



Something feels very.... strange. As if it were a movie with very poor acting. It feels very..... fake.



Anyway, tell me what you think, and perhaps show me how to correct it remember, if it feels like it's traveling very fast, remember that the finished product is gonna be a film. That's what I'm shooting for, and it's probably what we will end up with.



I've included the last few sentences from the last one, so you'll know where we left off, and again, my blog software ruined the formatting, so it's pretty screwed up.



Enjoy, if you can.



He scratched the dogs ears slowly. Then his brain began to function, and he thought about the sentence he'd just spoken. He began looking through his pockets for any form of identification.

He was, unfortunately, disappointed. He had nothing in his pockets but a little scrap of paper with the word “Shadow” nearly blurred to the point of unreadability by his wet jeans. He wasn't willing to give up though, so he pulled off his jean overshirt, and read the tag in the neck. Nothing but wash machine instructions.

As he was pulling his shirt back on though, he saw an inner pocket that he hadn't seen before. He reached in and pulled out a business card. Every word and letter was blurred out, except for the name “Michael”, which was almost miraculously clear.

He looked toward Gabe and said “Why would I have such a stupid name as Michael? That can't be my name!” He sat down kneeled down and leaned against a tree, while Gabe merely cocked his head. Micheal sighed, then stated resolutely, “At least it's not Dwight. I've never liked Dwight. Wait, maybe I did!” Then Michael stood up, laughing, and continued down the road.



At the edge of town, an old warehouse looked as though it were about to crumble. The windows were all boarded up, the roof was rotting, and it seemed to be leaning slightly to the left. The automatic gate out front looked to be out of order, but it's actions proved otherwise. A freshly washed, silver sports car drove up, and the gate opened as solidly and smoothly as it did when it was new. The car quickly made its way in, skillfully avoiding the puddles scattered throughout the drive. The car pulled around to the back of the warehouse, where some juvenile had painted “Hell” in orange and black. A white van was already parked and a tall man, well over six feet tall, was unloading some computer equipment and hauling it inside. He wore a black muscle shirt, and big baggy black jeans, as well as a pair of clunky combat boots, which were also black. His clothing was almost exactly opposite of Chase's, other than the color. Chase wore black slacks, a black polo shirt, and black, freshly polished dress shoes.

Farrel saw the tension on Chase's face. It was obviously that he was having difficulty in forcing himself to stay under control. Farrel was surprised Chase could do it at all, considering the circumstances. A casual observer might think that Farrel held the advantage physically, but the one time it had come to fists in the past, Chase had proved otherwise.

Chase looked at the van a few moments before saying “Fair, should we paint this thing black?”

Farrel was just coming back out for some more equipment when he responded “White's been fine, but black would give us a lot more options.”

“That's about what I was thinking. I had something planned for tonight, but we might as well wait. Lets get it painted this week.”

“Sounds good.”

Chase leaned back against his car and slid his hands into his pockets. After a moment of thinking he looked up at Farrel, who was just about to grab some more equipment, and said “Hey Fair, you want to get something to eat?” Farrel stopped and looked at his watch. “Sure. Timmy and Jake will be here in an hour, they can take care of this stuff. Lemme grab a coat.”

Farrel went inside, and returned in a few moments wearing a leather jacket and carrying a briefcase. He opened the car door and climbed in, while Chase did the same. Chase started the car, and it hummed smoothly. As carefully as he drove in, he backed out, opened the electric gate, and drove away.

“Now, lets start at the beginning.” Chase said. “What happened?”

Farrel took a deep breath, then let it out. “I'm surprised you waited this long to ask.” The car almost instantly stopped, and Farrel was slammed against the dash. Chase didn't even turn his head as he said flatly, “Don't get smart. A person can get hurt when he gets smart.”

Farrel responded while rubbing his forehead “Yeah. Ok.”

Chase resumed his driving and said “Now, lets start over. What happened?”



Michael had become used to his own name, and that of the dog. He was now starting to see a few houses here and there, and a lot of cattle. Every once in a while, a horse would run up to the fence and watch him. Donkeys would bray and warn all the other animals of this strange impostor. Gabe would meet another dog every once in a while that just happened to be an old acquaintance, and they'd play for a few minutes. Gabe would always stop playing as soon as Michael passed him. Michael would talk to Gabe since there was nobody else around, but the conversation usually ended very quickly due to its one-sidedness. This time though, Michael was going on and on, rambling about how he wasn't going to tell anybody about his situation.

“I'm not going to go crying on anybodies shoulder. I wouldn't want anybody doing that to me, so I certainly won't do it to them. My only problem is, I don't know what I would tell them.” Gabe walked beside him, looking at him. Michael continued, “I'd better make something up now, rather than later. I'd hate to have to make it up on the fly.”

He continued to ponder the situation, while looking down at his worn-out tennis shoes that might have been white at one point in there life. When he looked up again they were nearing a church. Maybe the pastor could give him some information that would be useful. He practically ran up the steps to the door, and he was about to open it, but he could hear the pastor preaching inside. The yelling stirred up something within his memory, and he tried to remember. It was pulling at him, and he was pulling at it. He sat dazed, trying to recall this painful experience. Then, the world went black.

Maybe it's time to start a "Links" page.

I don't normally recommend somebody elses website, and I seldom visit them unless the maker is somebody that I know pretty well.



I make an acception this once. One semi-finalist family from the Film Festival put up a page with their experiences. It is my christian duty to link to them, due to the quality of their site, and the quality of their, *cough* photography.



It's a quick read. Their site is well put together, so I hope you do indeed look at it.



Check it out.



Hope you enjoy yourself, and I want you to know, I was NOT posing, and I did not have anything to do with the making of that site.

Wahoo. My blog hasn't yet gone down the tubes of disgrace!

I got a few comments, and now it is time to celebrate! I don't know why, but I always get hyped over comments (Almost always -- Depends on who they're from).



After church yesterday, we came home to find a little black lab puppy with a white spot on his chest and no tail. The no tail part was really scary for me. /kidding.



Anyway, I added a little more onto the story. As before, comment to your hearts delight.



Oh, and Esther pointed out that the 'Author' didn't seem to know the boys age, and that I was portraying the character as me. Then Ashley said that she thought the same thing.



Nobody else has commented yet, so I'll just deal with those two things right now.



First, the Author did know the boys age, but the dog did not. He was merely guessing.



Second, this book is a concept script for a film that I'd like to do. I play the kid. Therefore, I should look like the kid, so nobody will be disappointed when the movie comes out!



I still am not totally certain of the story. Oh, and just so you know, in part 1 when he hits his head on the tree, I'm taking it out. It has absolutely nothing to do with the story, and it will be extremely confusing later on. Just pretend it NEVER happened.



Poof.



Very good.



Now, for part 2.



Enjoy!





A freshly washed silver sports car rolled down the highway with the precision of an ink jet printer. A twenty-seven year-old man named Chase Collins sat in the driver seat, maneuvering the vehicle with such a graceful skill that it appeared to be dancing.

But though the car was floating in it's charming ballet, the driver was in a battle of wits with a man named Farrel at the opposite end of the cellphone connection.

“You're not getting the point dammit! He shouldn't have even been there, let alone the breaker! He's too inexperienced!”

“Hey man, YOU were the one who said he could do it, and he wanted to try! I had no reason to stop him. Your problem is a guilty conscience!”

Chase's eyes narrowed, and he spoke through gritted teeth as he said, “I have no conscience. Farrel, you WILL find him, and if he's in jail, YOU will pay his way out. Got it?”

Farrel cursed. “I marvel that you can sell insurance. Your personality isn't anywhere near pleasing, and I certainly wouldn't buy anything from you.”

“That's because you have a hint of intelligence.”

Both men were silent, as if each was waiting for the other to make a move. It was a tough situation due to the nature of both men. Chase was hard, and a genius. Farrel had the same genius, but he wasn't quite so hard as Chase. He was, in fact, so methodical and logical in everything that he did, that he had no choice but to be extremely fair with people. After time this gained him the nickname “Fair”. He actually liked the term.

Finally, Farrel gave in.

“Alright. We'll keep lookin'.”

“Good.”

“But Chase,”

“Yes?”

“Go to Hell.”

“Sure thing Fair. I'll see you there.”



Chase closed up his cell and floored the gas, speeding through several cars that were deemed “too slow”. In other words, they were only going seventy in a sixty-five zone.



Meanwhile, the dog and the boy were still walking slowly down the old country road. The boy had washed his muddy face in the creek, as well as his hair and shirt. The Texas heat took care of the drying process. This boy though, was in an unusual situation. Though he could think freely, and had a good lot of common sense about him, he couldn't remember a thing. His past had been erased, but he wasn't sure how. He didn't even know who this dog was, or if he belonged to him. Strange thoughts rolled through his open mind. Did he have parents? If not, why? Would people in the neighborhood recognize him? If so, he didn't want to be seen. He felt handicapped. How old was he? What was his name? What was this strange dogs name?

He stopped and called the dog to him. The dog walked up and sat down slowly, though obediently, as if to say “Hey pal, do this on your own time!”. The boy looked at the dogs collar. The tag read 'Gabe', and nothing more. Though his voice was still slightly stiff, the boy muttered “Too bad dogs don't carry a wallet, right Gabe?”

He scratched the dogs ears slowly. Then his brain began to function, and he thought about the sentence he'd just spoken. He began looking through his pockets for any form of identification.

So, comments, questions, or rants?

Wow. It's so quiet at my blog, I can almost hear crickets!

Dang, my blogging must have really gone down the tubes when Derrillynn doesn't even comment!!

And I know yawl have been reading this too. I.P.'s and statistics and stuff told me so. I.P. tracking is an absolute blast! Wow, that's really geeky sounding, but I'm a geek and proud of it!

I'm so geeky, that I was going to get a watch with 512 megs of integrated USB storage from ThinkGeek.com. That would have been extremely useful, but for 200 dollars, I don't think it's on my list of priorities.

But anyway, on to more important things. After much consideration, I've come to the conclusion that my brother Jordan and Amy Psalter must somehow meet.

I'm only kidding a little bit. Of course, if he doesn't like her, I have a whole long line of backup options that consists of.... *checks list* four people.

Can't tell ya who they are, because gossip chains are a nasty thing. In fact, a gossip chain is about like red bull. Absolutely disgusting.

Soooo..... In other news, I have a treat for you. An opening. An opening, for a story, which may eventually become a movie.

The story will unfold, slowly, since we'll be busy, but you can help it unfold.

Here's your job: After reading what I've written, comment on it. Tell me what you think is going to happen, what you WANT to happen, if it keeps you entertained or if you have to force your way through it, etc.

Basically, share your thoughts and feelings about what you read. I thank you in advance, noble readers!

And now, Enjoy the Story! (By the way, the formatting was all screwed up when I copied and pasted, so if the paragraphs are all wacky, it ain't my fault. Just remember that.)


Early morning sunlight beamed down through the trees, highlighting streaks of steam that had risen from the light rain on hot asphalt. The trees were grown together at the top, creating a romantic atmosphere of natural protection over the little county road. The only sounds that could be heard were the drip-drops of the rain falling from the trees, and the pit pat of a dogs feet, as he trotted along the road.
He was a medium sized dog with golden fur, tinted by black streaks here and there, as well as a black tipped tail. He held his head and tail high in the air as he walked, and he walked at a strange, almost cocky angle, as if he considered himself the king of canines. He continued like this for a hundred yards or so, but then stopped suddenly, and looked backward over his shoulder. He smelled something unusual in the trees behind him. Slowly walking toward the smell, he wasn't sure if it was time to run, or time to follow his curiosity. He chose the latter, but hunched down as if waiting for a tiger to attack. Instead of a Tiger, he found a teenage boy who appeared to be sleeping.
Moving slowly, the dog crept closer, all the time ready to run, and sniffing at the still form. After satisfying himself that there wasn't a major threat, the dog began licking the boys face. The boy opened his eyes and looked around frantically, but his vision was too distorted. As things gradually came into focus, he saw the dog in front of him. He jumped backward quickly, but hit a tree with his head, knocking small droplets of water down from the leaves above.
The dog simply sat staring. Staring, at a fifteen to sixteen year old boy, with a relatively fresh scar on his forehead, and damp, clean-cut brown hair. Though probably handsome when cleaned up, this boy was frightened, uncertain, and untrusting. The dog barked as if demonstrating his peacefulness. The boy slowly let his head fall into his hands. He sat this way for a moment, then he pulled his head up and attempted to rest it on the tree behind him. Upon contact however, he instantly pulled away, then reached up and touched the painful bruise that was now steadily throbbing. The boy once again looked toward the dog uncertainly. He started to speak, but his voice cracked from lack of use. He cleared his throat and began again.

“Who-- Who are you? Are you my dog?”

The dog stared back, without any apparent comprehension of what was said. The boy rose slowly, stiffly. He was probably six feet tall, maybe more. He hunched his shoulders slightly, sighed, then popped his neck. He took a step forward but his knee gave out a little and he cursed. He felt his knee which was evidently hurt, but after finding only a large sore spot, he continued on.
He subtly limped up onto the little road, and walked along the pavement, walking toward an unknown future.

Ok, now it's time for you, the reader, to comment. Was this interesting, or too boring? What do you think of the characters? What do you think will happen to them? What do you WANT to happen to them?

Come on!! Tell me!!

Shall we blow them to pieces, shoot them repeatedly, or give them flowers?

It occurred to me the other day while chatting with friends around the world, that I am one of a few people who actually have diversity in the movies they watch.

Some people watch a movie for special effects, some for romance, some for plot, some simply for the mental stimulation of watching a story unfold.

I don't really know why I watch movies, but my range of favorites is quite diverse. Now, an example, with just a few of my favorites.

Band of Brothers: Television miniseries about E Company in World War 2. Way too much cussing, and watch out for part 9, it has a "scene" (as my Mom calls them) in it.

Rio Bravo: A John Wayne movie with Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson. You just can't beat Ricky Nelson throwing dynamite to John Wayne.

Actually, you can, but it has to be Lion King.

Lion King 1 & 2: For some completely unexplainable reason, these are two of my all-time favorite movies.

While we're at cartoons, one of my other all-time favorites is The Swan Princess.

The Swan Princess 1: I loved it. When we originally got it, we got the special edition with the 30 minute "Making of" documentary. Wonderful movie, but the sequel was terrible.

Sense and Sensability: This movie is one of the best I've ever seen, and I'm inspired every time I watch it.

Anne of Green Gables: This movie had terrible acting, but the rest of it was awesome. This is probably the only movie I'm ashamed for having enjoyed. I haven't seen the sequel(s?), but Kelly Reins tells me it is equally enjoyable.

Conspiracy Theory: Starring Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts. This movie's absolute incredibleness cannot be described in human words!! I LOVE this movie. I have watched it only twice, but it is AWESOME!!

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Great Story, Enough Said.

Terminator 2: Very strange addiction. I don't really recommend it though, due to the unreasonably high amounts of cussing. The soundtrack was excellent though.

That is just a very brief list, and I'll eventually get more detailed, but right now it's as good as it's gonna get.

What are your favorite movies?

Enjoy!