A Vital Read

Dear Citizens,

Now, more than ever, we are grateful for those who can take our thoughts, feelings, and emotions and put them into words.  Some of those words are found at the link below:

http://www.aynrand.org/site/DocServer/ARC_Health_Care_Is_Not_A_Right_2009.pdf?docID=2161

Thanks for Your Time,

Blessings,
Matthew


--
May Your Days Be Long and Bright.
May You Always See That Light
Beyond the Darkness Waits

http://www.google.com/profiles/msplanchard

A Venture

The mist lay heavily upon the lake.  John’s eyes struggled to see the shore as he steadily dipped his paddle into the water, rowing the canoe closer and closer to what had to be the dock.  Hadn’t he turned a light on before he left?  He shook his head, his eyes squinting in the darkness.  Suddenly, there was a bump on the bottom of the canoe.  The motion of the paddle ceased as John’s muscles tensed in preparation of the sudden jolt as the canoe beached itself, but it never came.  The canoe continued to glide along the smooth, black water, completely silent except for the occasional chirp of a cricket.  Then, even that ceased.

The darkness that had been nearly absolute began to fade.  John looked up, expecting to see the moon peaking from behind a cloud, but the sky was just as blank as it had been before.  He looked back down and saw that the light seemed to be coming from the water itself.  The black ripples shimmered as though exposed to some light, but there was nothing that could be causing the reflection.  The canoe continued to glide forward through the still water, as if some unseen force was pulling it through the still water.  In this strange light, John once again looked forward, searching in vain for the shore, and seeing nothing.  It seemed as though the light emanating from the water was only in the area right around the canoe, and farther off faded out again to an inky blackness.

John felt a tightness in his throat as his hands grasped the paddle convulsively.  His breath caught in his chest as he fought to control his fear.

It’s just some trick of the light, he thought, or some kind of glowing algae.

He vaguely remembered having learned in school about a luminescent bacteria that collected in the wake of ships, causing the water to glow as the ship passed through it.  He grimly hoped that that was all it was as he clenched his jaw and began to once again dip his paddle into the water, determined to clear himself of this strange glowing bacteria or whatever it was.

 

As soon as the paddle hit the water, the light went out, leaving John again in nothing but absolute darkness.  A gasp escaped his lips.  Slowly, his breath coming in thin streams through his unnaturally tight throat, he edged his gaze over the side of the boat.  There was nothing but blackness.  But wait, there! Somewhere deep beneath the water, he saw the faintest of lights.  He bit his lip and stared as hard as he could, rubbing his eyes with one hand, trying to dislodge the illusion, but it remained.  In fact, it seemed to be growing brighter.  And bigger.  He shook his head and looked again, but there it was, and it was definitely getting larger.  It was now at least the size of the boat, and getting bigger every second.

Panic seized John’s muscles and he dropped his oar.  Without even a splash, it sunk down into the murky depths.  He barely noticed.  His eyes were still fixed on whatever it was coming up underneath the canoe.  It was impossibly large now, stretching from horizon to horizon in every direction.  With a shock, John realized this could not possibly be the same lake he set out on.  It simply was not this big.  His mind raced, trying to think of possible explanations, but he came up empty.  It didn’t matter.  At this rate, he was bound to find out in a matter of seconds.  He looked around, searching desperately for some means of escape, but he was alone on an infinity of water, under which an infinitely large something was rising faster and faster.

In the distance, John saw something break through the water and rise into the air, higher and higher.  It was jagged and huge.  With a start, he realized it was a mountain, and it was glowing. 

It can’t be, he thought to himself, and yet what else could it be?

The mountain rose higher and higher into the sky, until it seemed like it would pierce the clouds.  Suddenly, there was a massive jolt and he was thrown from the canoe, catapulting forward into the air, his limbs searching desperately for purchase as he plummeted.  He seemed to fall for a long time.  He hit his head, and there was darkness.

Testing Windows Live Writer

Does this work?  We will see.

Blessings!

The One Handed Typist

Hi everyone! Peace be with you!

Have you ever tried typing with only your non-dominant hand?  I'm surprisingly good at it.  It's a good opportunity to increase the right brain's presence in the natural world.

Very nice.

I hope you're well!

Blessings.

Beyond Good and Evil

I don't know if there is any inherent significance in the title of this post, but it is the first thing I thought of when I saw the title post.

Anyway, there isn't much to say today.  I am enjoying a lazy holiday, allowing mind and body to rest for the upcoming year.  I hope that everyone else is also enjoying a time as lazy as they possibly can.

Blessings!

Powered by ScribeFire.

Getting Ready to Write

Alright.

Here I am, getting ready to write an English paper.  It is essentially our final exam, and it is due a week from today.  I am hoping to finish it by Sunday, though, that way when I finish up with the rest of my exams, I can go home.  The rest of my exams end on Wednesday.

Today has been a good day so far.  It is a dead day, which means we have no classes and no exams.  I got to sleep a little bit late and then go to a new instructor's audition at our recreation center.  Then I went to lunch.  It was a combination of delicious and not so delicious.  I then went to the Barnes & Noble to get some Shampoo and some lip balm and a couple of other little things.

I then made a trip to the post office.

I got two types of lip balm, because I could not decide what kind looked better.  I got Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm and Blistex Medicated Lip Balm.  Regardless, I am glad my lips no longer feel dry.

I really am tired, but I need to work on this paper instead of taking another nap.  I take a lot of naps, because I usually wake up really early.

I have a couple of books here that I am meaning to read eventually.  I will probably do that.

Oh, our newspaper also came out with their official "Top 10 Records of 2008" list.  I am going to try to get all ten by next December.  The first one on my list is Fleet Foxes, by Fleet Foxes.

Here's the total list, in reverse order:

10. Lil'Wayne - The Carter III
9.  The Andronicus - The Airing of Grievances
8.  Max Tundra - Parallax Error Beheads You
7.  TV On The Radio - Dear Science
6.  Man Man - Rabbit Habits
5.  Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
4.  The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
3.  Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now Youngster
2.  Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
1.  Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping

So, that all sounds good.  So if I get one record per month, that will take ten months.  That leaves me two months to get other records.  For one of those months, I'm going to get Electric Arguments by The Fireman.  I have yet to decide for the other month.

Anyway, it's time to get writing.  I will talk to everyone later!

Blessings and Love to You and Yours

Powered by ScribeFire.

Politics and the English Language

George Orwell, "Politics and the English Language," 1946
I like this essay.  It clarifies many things that I often do unconsciously.

Powered by ScribeFire.