After my failed attempt yesterday, I figured I'd better come back strong today or Tom might throw me off the site. So, I give you the attached article. Money quote: "Christianity would make no sense for these creatures, unless our understanding of original sin makes no sense."

I am, naturally, reminded of the famed Chewbacca Defense. I hope you all enjoy the read and my lone post for today. --Mike

I just wanted to write a quick hello post to test this out!  Looking forward to giving this a try.

My family went to France when I was 14. I fell in love with the country. I am not sure if my Dad realizes that my traveling is directly related to that experience. He worries when I travel, in the US or abroad. He probably can't make up his mind which is more dangerous. 

Back to to my first love. The food was wonderful. Every bite was bursting with flavor and was intensely what it was supposed to be. Cheese, smooth and creamy; pastry, light flaky and fruity; smoked duck, meaty and smokey. 

The countryside with rolling hills of smallish scale agriculture and the cities full of cafés and stylish people. 

It was familiar but foreign. I have been back a couple times since then and France will always have a place in my heart as first loves do. 

I have started picking up my guitar at the end of the day. Except, it's noisy. So I can't pick it up after nine. Which means I'm in a bit of a mad rush to play my guitar. Which is nice, no?

I have been bashing through easy songs, Bowie, Jackson Browne, Death Cab, They Might Be Giants, whatever floats across my transom.

Obviously I have forgotten a zillion chords since my last attempt at performing music... cough five years ago, and I was rusty then, really more like seven.  I am rusty as hell.

And yet, my sense of rhythm is better. Some things come more naturally.

That probably has something to do with eight (what! When did that happen!) years of dancing.

I'm annoyed at Mass Effect 2 again. It yanked me around yesterday, invoking a rather dramatic plot point after an unrelated mission, with very little foreshadowing and no way back.

That the plot point's semi-interactive cutscene had a bit of the flavour of Dragon's Lair in its demand that I move a character exactly as directed or instantly die didn't endear it to me either. I don't like it when new game mechanics (even fluffy semi-cinematic ones) are introduced mid-title. 

Also it has been rumoured that the mission that narratively follows the plot point is time sensitive (as in, you should do it right away rather than fuck about side quests at your leisure), although no other mission in the game thus far has been time sensitive. If that is true, it will piss me off even more. Because I fucked about on some side quests. Because I only had an hour to spare yesterday. We'll see tonight.

Thus far I have not been particularly impressed with BioWare's games at all. They seem to tell great stories, but then, so do a lot of movies and books. I guess I'm supposed to be grateful that I'm getting a mini-series worth of lovely narrative, but it's interspersed with so much tepid and tedious "go here shoot that" gameplay, I more feel like I'm supposed slog through the interminable gun battles just to earn the right to see the next episode rather than eagerly play a viscerally enjoyable game with a cool story that ennervates it. Matter of perspective, I guess.

I'm thankful I'm playing on hard mode, though. At least I'm dying occasionally, though it's sometimes with a rather baffled WTF shake of the head -- "okay, what the hell was hurting me there?"  

I have some thoughts about the playing perspective differences between ME1 and ME2 that I'd like to talk about but I'll probably save them for after I'm done the game. Maybe even get started on ME3 before I really dig in.

Anyone out there started Dragon Age: Inquisition yet? Is that out?

My band of roughly 30 years has put out a collection of songs that we like to call an album. Available early next year as a vinyl LP, currently available as a CD or download. And, through the magic of the internet, it can be listened to in its entirety on Bandcamp. Give it a listen if you'd like.

I'm deep into Book 3, planning where the load-bearing beams will go and pouring footers.

Character profiles, setting details, plot points and major themes are all mapped out in rough form and I'm going through, putting finer details in here and there, calling out connections and setting up resonating imagery.

The Beeble's latest music obsession: March of the Siamese Children from The King and I.

He calls it "the Prince" because I told him that the Prince comes in when the music gets louder.

I turned it off before the end of the song this morning as we got to daycare and he had a nuclear meltdown.

Showtunes are serious business.