Lots of Literature

Just as a heads-up, Codename: White Knight will be back up very shortly. I'm making some revisions and a major addition to Chapter 3 (which should roughly double its length). Look for the introduction to go up sometime tomorrow, with the first three chapters to follow within 24 hours. I'd get 'em up sooner, but converting from MS Word format to Blogger format takes a fair amount of time, particularly if you've got a lot of material to convert.

I've got some ideas, actually a lot of ideas, for The Hitman Chronicles. Some of them are actually crossovers with the More Than a Job/Codename: White Knight universe. One I know I'm not going to write until the third book in the trilogy is written (yes, there is a trilogy) because it would include a major spoiler. The other I might write as it serves as a teaser of sorts for White Knight and its currently-unnamed sequel. The rest I'm going to write eventually once I decide which one to write first. *sigh* Decisions, decisions.

I also have a pair of book-length stories in the works:

• The first one is a major rewrite of Legacy of the Swan (anyone remeber that one?). Don't worry, only the character names and the (very) basic plotline will remain intact, those annoying flashbacks are a thing of the past.
• The second is a modern Cinderella story that takes place after the ball. Only this time, it isn't the Prince and a fancy shoe that find Cinderella. This time the task is handled by good old-fashoned detective work.

I'm considering giving Ghosts of Sherwood another shot (Robin Hood story I started writing it on my old PC a long time ago), but since I really don't really remeber what I wrote and I have a lot on my plate right now (even more once my internship starts), that's not going to be very likely.

No Random Saber today, as I doubt anyone really likes them anyways. Plus, I don't know if I'm voilating any copyright laws by posting them on my blog. Better safe than sorry...

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Happy Easter, everyone!


... umm... actually, that's all I've got right now, so at the risk of repeatimg myself,

Happy Easter.

Big News from Storybook Land

I have a couple of announcements for y'all:

First, I'm cancelling Star Wars: The Few and The Proud. Honestly, there's no way I can really make it different enough from The Merry Prankster's Enter the Strikers (see FanFiction.Net) to keep it from looking like plagiarism while simultaneously maintaining the level of realism and detail of the Marines that I had planned. So for those of you looking forward to The Few and The Proud, I offer my apologies.

Second, I'm considering bringing Codename: White Knight back to the blog. Since its removal, I've found myself lacking the neccessary motivation to complete it. (In other words, I haven't worked on it since I took it down.) Nothing is set in stone just yet, but keep your eyes open.

Third, I'm cooking up another entry for The Hitman Chronicles. I'm still working out the fine details for this entry, which is tenatively titled Those Oldies but Goodies. Unfortunately, I can't really say anything else without giving away the plot. Look for it to go up later this week.

Lastly, I've got a brand-new story in the works. It's still just a general concept floating around inside my head, not even a title to tantelize you with. I'm not really at liberty to say anything else about it at this point, but I promise to keep you updated on its status.

That's all for now, so feast your eyes on another Random Sabers custom lightsaber (they're ba-ack!")

Swedish Chef ROX!

Okay, this post isn't really about anything, it's just an excuse for me to watch some Swedish Chef.

The Swedish Chef has an uncle?! Who knew?



No, Piggy, not that kind of hot dog!



After this, you'll swear off Turtle Soup too!



Chef give Kobe Bryant a run for his money-and his chicken!



Food Fights Back!




That's all for now. ENJOY!

SHEESH! Ya Happy Now?

Yeesh. There is just no pleasing some people. I put the template back the way it was before. Happy now?

Doesn't look like I'll get to work on The Few and The Proud today, either. Some more unexpected errands have popped up and it looks like I'll be out of the house for most of the day. Sorry.

Also, I'm reconsidering my decision to remove More Than a Job and Codename: White Knight from the blog.

The Esperimentations Continue

As you've no doubt noticed, I changed the blog's color scheme again because some people kept complaining about how it made their eyes bleed.

*mutters obscenities under his breath*

In the words of Bill Cosby is his famous dentist routine: "Ah hobe dat yu awe sthatithfide!"

Okay, onwards and upwards!!!

I have not yet begun writing Star Wars: The Few and The Proud, but I WILL VERY SOON!!! I had planned on starting it today, but my interview for an intership (which I think went very well) and a minor crisis with a college application (someone, I'm not sure who, lost my high school transcript, messing up my application) have put that on hold. Look for the first chapter, or at least the introduction, tomorrow.

I now leave you with the immortal word of Phillip K. Dick:

Sometimes the only appropriate response to reality is to go insane.

Something's Different...

Having grown bored with my blog's original color scheme, I decided to mess around with it a little bit (no duh).

Now that I'm finished, I realize that the color scheme reminds me somehow of blue jeans. I like blue jeans; I almost always wear them all of the time.

I hope that last sentence made sense to you, because having written it, I'm now kinda confused.

I'm gonna start writing Star Wars: The Few and The Proud soon. Two sort-of major changes:

1. The story starts off with rising tensions between China and Taiwan, not Iran and Iraq
2. The pilot the Marines get sent in to rescue is a fellow Marine rather than Air Force (the Marines have their own F/A-18 Hornet and AV-8B Harrier squadrons).

That's all for now.

Wait, no it isn't. I have an interview for an internship tomorrow. Wish me luck!

UPDATE: I've played around with the coloring some more in an effort to make the new layout more eye-friendly. Let me know if this is better.

Another Fallen Author

I must admit, the response to my last post was somewhat underwhelming.

Joepoe, if I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times; YOU NEED TO START YOUR OWN BLOG!!! *pant* *pant* *pant*

Okay, now that that's out of my system...

I'm sorry Ali, but you and Kevin (whoever he is) have lost yet another author to the Dark Side aka Fan Fiction.

The basic premise of my proposed story, tentatively titled Star Wars: The Few and The Proud, is as follows: Following an escalation of tensions between Iran and Iraq, an American F-15 Eagle fighter jet is shot down near the Iran/Iraq border by an Iranian anti-aircraft missile. A Marine Force Recon team is sent in to rescue the downed pilot, but in the midst of the operation, the Marines and the pilot are suddenly transported to the Star Wars universe. More specifically, they wind up on Naboo just before the Trade Federation invades (i.e. just before Episode I begins). I've got the story pretty much figured out until a year or so after Ep. I ends, but I plan on taking it through the end of the prequels and possible into Original Trilogy territory.

As stated in my last post, this story concept has already been tried somewhat successfully (the sequels to Enter the Stalkers dissolved into a mass-crossover that seemed to spiral out of control), I want to take my own shot at the idea. Because quite frankly, it intrigues me. A lot.

Well, dinner's up. Gotta run!

Late Night, Quick Post, Big News

Okay, first off, yes, I do realise I'm posting this at 11:00 PM. Before you ask, no, I don't have anything better to do.

And now that that's all taken care of...

Firstly, I have another installment of The Hitman Chronicles in the works. I have not begun writing it yet because I still need to iron out one major detail (will he fight the cops or more cons?) but once I get that worked out it'll be up real fast.

Secondly, I have another story in the works. It's an idea I came up with a while back and actually started writing, though sadly it was lost when my hard drive conked out. However, two separate stories I discovered on FanFiction.Net, Wolves on the Border and Enter the Stalkers, both written by The Merry Prankster, reminded me of my original plot. The premise of my story is that a group of US Marines are somehow transported into the Star Wars universe right before The Phantom Menace begins. If my memory serves me correctly, I planned to take the story all through the prequels and (possibly) into the original trilogy.

Okay, I know you're asking yourselves why you should care. Simple: because I'm going to post this story on the blog.

Wait... didn't he decide not to do that anymore?

Yeah, I did. But honestly, I really don't care if anyone steals this idea because, as I previously stated, it's already been done before and I'll (hopefully) still devote most of my efforts to finishing Codename: White Knight. Plus, seeing as how Star Wars is owned by George Lucas, no one can attempt to make any money off of it. Well, not without getting sued, anyways.

Okay, now it's like 11:20 and I'm beat. I'm too tired to look for a lightsaber pic tonight. Sorry.

Hmm... so much for this being a quick post...

Bye y'all.

Another Day, Another Hit.

As I promised earlier, The Hitman Chronicles has been updated. This latest post is entitled Judge & Executioner. It's something of a departure from the previous two chronicles in that it focuses more on suspense than action. But (IMHO) it's still very good. Give it a read and tell me what you think.

Also, I forgot to mention this last time, but another reason I pulled down More Than a Job and Codename: Whike Knight is because it looked to me like no one was reading them and they were just taking up cyber-space. However, even if I get a bunch of people commenting in saying that they were reading them, I will not repost. They are down for good. Sorry.

It's time for another lightsaber pic, courtesy of Random Sabers:

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye!

I have made the difficult decision to pull both More Than a Job and Codename: White Knight offline. I have come to realize posting them on the blog had a negative impact on my creativity: I deliberately shortened/cut out multiple ideas in order to keep each post at a reasonable length. Also, and this is probably just me being paranoid, I was afraid someone might steal my ideas, pass them off as their own, and then make a great deal of money off of them.

The Hitman Chronicles will remain online, however, and will be updated on a semi-regular basis. In the meantime, I will continue writing White Knight and will clean up and add to MTaJ. If all goes to plan, you might find them in hardback one day...

And now, your daily randomsaber picture:

Stupidity and Sad News

Remember a ways back (early December) when my computer completely died and I said that I lost all of my files? Turns out that's incorrect, but only partly so.

The CDs I mention in this post were some of the ones I used to back up my PC's hard drive, so some of the files were recovered. Unfortunately, because of my stupidity and arrogance in assuming that I'd soon be getting a new computer (my PC was five years old when I inherited it), I only backed up the hard drive once. In June of 2005. Talk about stupid.

So Legacy of the Swan, Ghosts of Sherwood, all the stories that I'd partially written and planned on posting on my blog, and even a few others, well, they're all gone now. In all honesty, they'll probably never get posted. Fortunately, I'm now writing Codename: White Knight directly into the blog, so that won't be affected, nor will its planned (currently untitled) sequel.

However, there may yet be some hope. I was planning on gutting Legacy and starting again from scratch, along with a major, but less intense, revision of Ghosts. So we'll just have to see...

As is my custom, I'm going to leave you with a pic of another Random Saber hilt. This one's called Akula, which is Russian for 'shark.' Fitting, no?

Still Alive?

Okay, I understand that not everyone has enough free time to check blogs each and every day, and I understand that it's only been 2 days since I last posted, but I still have to ask...

WHERE THE HECK IS EVERYONE?????

Sweeney Todd is over! But still, no one seems to check my blog (besides Joepoe. Kudos, buddy.) What the heck is goin' on?!

*pant* *pant* *pant*

Okay, now that I've gotten that out of my system...

Just got Need For Speed: Carbon for the Wii. So far, I like it a lot. My current car in Career Mode is a modified 2004 Lotus Elise, but I'm planning on buying a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T (Dukes of Hazard, anyone?) as soon as I get the cash. Why, you ask? Because the Charger, in its stock form, performs the same as my heavily upgraded Elise.

Gotta go, but not before I leave you with another awesome lightsaber:

Just In Case You Missed It...

Chapter 3 of Codename: White Knight is up and running. Please read and review. I've overcome my case of writer's block, so Chapter 4 will be up by next weekend.

Also, be sure to check out this post from about a week ago. Or, if you're too lazy to read it (BTW, I don't blame you if you are, it's a really long post), just check you this website; www.randomsabers.com.

I've noticed that the amount of attention blog posts recieve appears to be inversely proportional to their lenght, so I'm going to shut up now. But not before leaving you with this awesome picture:

PS. Whoever wrote the comment on my last post that (s)he asked/forced me to delete, please repost it, only without the curse word. I actually really liked it. And Tuco's (The Ugly's) line was actually; "If you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk." Great scene, great movie.

Unforseen Complications

Chapter 3 is up at last. I sincerely apologize for taking so long write it. I guarantee that Chapter 4 will be finished and posted by next Friday.

I must admit that I'm very underwhelmed by the response, or rather lack thereof, to my previous post. I figured that a place that machines custom lightsaber hilts would generate at least a little buzz. And I can't even blame Sweeney Todd for it anymore!

Several dilemmas have arisen for our proposed Star Wars/Doctor Who FanFilm, tentatively titled Doctor Who versus The Sith Lord. While we have a completed script, it still needs to be cleaned up a bit, mainly in making the Doctor's lines sound more, for lack of a better word, Doctor-ish. Fortunately, nerdjedi's got someone who can take care of that. We are also in need of some actors; I will be playing the role of the Sith (I already have some costume ideas), but we still need a Jedi Knight and a Doctor. nerdjedi has someone in mind for the roll of The Doctor, but that still leaves us down one Jedi.

A bigger problem is the lack of props; while we could order a pair of relatively inexpensive ($50-$75 each) lightsaber hilts from Random Sabers (see below for info), they have a waiting list for props that is about three months long. We are also in need of a TARDIS, and while I have found accurate plans for one on the web, nerdjedi doesn't believe we can build one and make it look good. However, seeing as the only full-scale replica that I've been able to locate costs upwards of $5,000, it doesn't look like he has much of a choice. But either way, we still need the wood, a lot of blue paint, and at least one person with serious woodshop skills.

However, our largest problem is the lack of a special effects technician (NOTE: SEE UPDATE BELOW). While nerdjedi is quite capable of creating the lightsaber blades (just look at his blog for proof), he does not want to, and I quote, "spend a year rotoscoping a million frames worth of lightsaber blades." I've tried to convince him that a) there won't be a million frames, and b) even if there were, it still wouldn't take a year. I've calculated that , based on an estimated run time of six minutes and shooting at 30 frames per second, there will be just over 10,000 frames total , approximately 2/3 of which will feature a lightsaber, so only about 6600 frames, which, figuring an average of 300 frames rotoscoped per day (I plan on helping) equates out to just over three weeks worth of video editing. So I really don't see what nerdjedi's complaining about (It took Ryan Wieber and Michael Scott about 4 months to rotoscope the original Ryan vs. Dorkman, and there's a lot more saber action in that one).

Okay, so maybe I'm taking this project seriously and no one else is. But this is the closest I've ever come to actually making a movie. So needless to say, I really want this to work.

UPDATE:

nerdjedi just informed me that he is not unwilling to undertake several weeks/months of rotoscoping, but is rather unable; we don't have Adobe After Effects, and even if we did download it, we don't have the program necessary for it to work (Adobe Premier). And we can't download it, it costs $200+. And nerdjedi has also informed me that my estimates for how long it would take to rotoscope were extremely inaccurate: the movie will be far longer than 6 minutes, and with our current resources, there is no way any single person can rotoscope 300 frames per day (It'll take approximately 50 hours per 300). We think we might just rewrite the script and replace the Jedi and Sith with a ninja and a pirate (or something like that)...

I would like to apologize to nerdjedi for the statements I made earlier in this post. I made wildly outrageous assumptions, both about his abilities and his attitude. For that, I am deeply sorry.

Holy Crap! I Want One Of Those!

No Chapter 3 today (not that anyone seems to care). Moving on...

You are not going to believe what I found while surfing the web last night: a shop that designs and builds custom lightsabers.

Yes, you read that correctly.

The shop is called Random Sabers and was originally started by a group of friends that had ideas for their own custom lightsaber designs and wanted to make them for-real. They now offer over 400 different designs and also custom-build sabers based on designs sent in by customers. They also offer several different "levels," if you will, of sabers, ranging from relatively plain stunt hilts for $50 to intricately-detailed electronic sabers with LED or Electro-Luminescent blades costing upwards of $300. They even name the designs for you (if you haven't done so already). Realistically, the only limit to what these guys will make is your imagination: they can tailor a design to fit almost any budget. (Obviously, there's no way they can make an EL Saber for $50, the electronic components alone cost more than that). Plus, they offer a variety of different blade colors and styles as well as several different belt clips and display stands.

The only think that really stinks-and this has nothing to do with Random Sabers-is that I had created about 2 dozen different designs of my own a long time ago, but since they were saved in a PowerPoint on my old PC (which is now dead), they're gone forever! And I just received a large amount of money (well, not really; I finally cashed the checks I got for Christmas and Birthday). Actually, I may still have them, it depends on if I made the designs before I backed up my hard drive. I'll have to check, hang on...

*some time passes while Jedi_Raptor07 searches his bedroom for the correct CDs*

Hmm... The CD Drive on this computer is making weird noises. I'll hafta tell Dad...

*more time passes while Jedi_Raptor07 explores the contents of the first CD*

Wrong Disc, hang on a minute...

*Even more time passes as Jedi_Raptor07 switches CDs and checks the second one*

YES!!! THEY LIVE! Or at least some of 'em do. Let me see...

*Still more time passes yadda yadda Jedi_raptor yadda yadda sees if they're really there*

Okay, good news, most of my designs are intact. Now it's just a matter of deciding which one(s) I want to submit to Random Saber. Or else I can just ask 'em to remachine one of their old designs...

So this also solves the problem of where nerdjedi and I are gonna find lightsabers for our Star Wars/Doctor Who movie. YAY! Now we just need a location, a TARDIS, some costumes and, most importantly, a budget. Wait-didn't he just say he just got a lot of money? Yes, I did, but since this film is a joint project, i.e. the brainchild of two people, I shouldn't have to finance the whole thing. Unless, of course, nerdjedi and whoever he happens to bring on board agree to give me complete creative control over the film, which isn't going to happen in a million years.

But regardless of whether or not the SW/Dr. Who project gets off the ground (sadly but realistically, it probably won't) I'll most likely order one regardless, be it one of Random Saber's previous models or one of my own designs.

I know, you're asking yourself why I'd ever consider dropping $100 or so on a fake lightsaber. It's a lightsaber. I'm a Star Wars fanatic. Do I need another reason. Plus, by buying a lightsaber instead of an airsoft rifle (by "instead," I mean "before"), my parent's can't argue that I have nowhere to use it and I might accidentally shoot the kids next door. I mean really, how can you shoot someone with a lightsaber?

If you have even a modicum of interest in Star Wars or have a taste for art, particuarly sculpture, I encourage you to check out Random Saber's Saber Gallery. 400+ original saber designs. 'Nuff said.

So, if you'll excuse me, I have a lightsaber that needs designing. Later!

Random Ramble

Okay, first off, I'd like to say "Great Job" to all of those involved with Sweeny Todd. I was going to have a short speech about what a wonderful job everyone did and how excellent the production was, but words fail me at the moment. Sorry.

Next...

Yeah, no Chapter 3 yet. It's 1/2 to 2/3 done, I just can't seem to get in "the zone" and have non-stop creative brainstorms, which is usually how I write. Okay, actually, I've been letting myself get distracted very easily, so it's all my fault.

Speaking of Codename: White Knight, I can seriously see it becoming a major motion picture. I've got a few ideas for actors for some of the roles, but I won't post those until I get at least another chapter or two (or three) up, so that's probably gonna be a while. But based on More Than a Job, who do you think would make a better David Pierce, Matt Damon or Mark Wahlberg?

I love my Wii. The Legend of Zelda: Twilignt Princess ROX!!!!! It's gonna take me a loooooooonng time to beat it. I've been playing for 15 hours and I'm not even 1/3 of the way done (Perspective: it took me 20 hours to beat Wind Waker). I still need more games, though. (stupid college sent my Need for Speed game back to Best Buy instead of forwarding it to me) There's a game based on The Godfather coming out soon, I think I might get it. But it would probably fall into the Do-Not-Play-If-Parents-Are-Home category, right next to Red Steel.

Getting back to movies, I think it's high-time Hollywood made another Robin Hood movie. The last serious film was the one starring Kevin Costner from 1991. (Yes, I realize that Men in Tights was made two years later, but please note the use of the word "serious" in the previous sentence.) And no matter how you look at it, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was by no means an epic film, unlike The Adventures of Robin Hood, the classic film starring Errol Flynn. A good Robin Hood movie must be an epic, and I think it's about time for Hollywood to make one. Personally, I think Ewan McGreggor would make a great Robin Hood.

I was going to type something here, but the phone rang (stupid telemarketers) and now I forgot what I was going to write. Darn it!

Yeah, that stupid telemarketer made me loose focus, so I can't think of anything else to write. Check back later; I may add more to the post.

What Happens When I Get Bored

I shall now attempt to write a conversation using only the American Film Institute's Top 100 Movie Quotes. Wish me luck.

--------------------

"Here's Johnny!"

"Stella! Hey, Stella!"

"Hello, gorgeous."

"Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you? You had me at 'hello.' "

"Snap out of it!"

"My precious."

"Surely you can't be serious."
"Of course I'm serious ... and don't call me Shirley."

"You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am."

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

"Here's looking at you, kid."

"You talking to me?"

"What we've got here is failure to communicate."

"Hasta la vista, baby."

"Say 'hello' to my little friend!"

"Go ahead, make my day."

"You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?"

"Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape."

"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer."

"I want to be alone. I'll be back."

"Shane. Shane. Come back!" I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!"

--------------------

Yeah... that's what happens. Sorry.

RvD2

Whoever said that a sequel can never be as good as the original...



...hasn't seen this yet. After this, they have to make RvD3!

Lucas should've hired these guys to choreograph Episodes II and III. Ray Park (Darth Maul) choreographed Ep. I, which is (I think) on a similar level with RvD2.

What I'd really like to see is Ryan Wieber and Michael Scott make/work on a fanfilm that actually has a decent story. Why? Because the few that do have decent stories (see here) have absolutely horrid lightsaber choreography. And the films that do have good fight choreography are usually just lightsaber duels with little to no (usually the latter) plot whatsoever. I for one would like to see the best of both: a Star Wars FanFilm with a good story and good choreography. But that's probably never going to happen. Actually, it did, sort of. Check out The Formula. Only, that's not a fanfilm so much as it is a film about making a fanfilm, so it doesn't really count. BTW, if you do watch The Formula, make sure you view the Enriched version.

Speaking of which, I finally finished writing the screenplay for my fanfilm. Actually, I should say that nerdjedi and I finished writing the screenplay for our fanfilm. See, I knew that there's no way in H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks that I could write, film, direct, edit, and otherwise produce a film of any kind, much less a Star Wars FanFilm, and unfortunately for me, all of my friends are away at college. And even if they weren't, our first-and hopefully only-attempt at making a movie was a complete disaster *shudders at the memories*, so I'd have to fine somewhere else to turn anyways. (Guys, if you're reading this, I'm sorry, but it is true.) So that left nerdjedi. After some convincing persuasion, he agreed to help me, but only on the condition that the film involve Doctor Who. Since no amount of persuading, coercing, arguing, begging, pleading, or groveling (yes, I was that desperate) would make him change his mind, I had no choice but to go along with it.

So, after several painstaking delays (the vast majority caused by Sweeny Todd), the first draft of what is-to my knowledge-the first and only Star Wars/Doctor Who crossover screenplay ever. It still needs a bit of cleaning up, but now that Sweeny's winding down that shouldn't take to long. And hopefully it can be filmed by the time I head back to school in August/September/Whenever.

Also, I should probably throw this out there (because if I don't he'll hunt me down and torment me), but nerdjedi actually did most of the work on the screenplay. It's five pages long, I wrote about the first page and a half, and with the exception of some dialogue and stage directions, nerdjedi wrote the rest. So many thanks and kudos to him for his hard work in bringing the screenplay to completion.

Movin' Right Along!

Good news to all! I've overcome my writers block, so Chapter 3 is now progressing smoothly and rapidly! With luck, it should be up sometime tomorrow. Now that this hurdle's been jumped, the rest of Codename: White Knight should coast along smoothly.

Now that I think about it, White Knight would translate very well into a screenplay. Actually, now that I think about that, I realize I shouldn't be surprised. White Knight was originally going to be a tribute to the late, great Alistair MacLean, writer of such classics as The Guns of Navarone, Where Eagles Dare, Braekherat Pass, and The Golden Gate. Who knows, maybe one day I might win an Academy Award for Best Screenplay (Adapted or Original, I don't care). Honestly, though, I would enjoy seeing Codename: White Knight up on the silver screen. Maybe, once the story's up, You all could help me with casting ideas. I'm seeing Matt Damon as David Pierce...

A Decison at Last!

Hear ye! Hear ye! I bring forth good news! I've finally decided which airsoft gun I'm going to buy!

*DUM-DUM-DA-DUMMM*

Meet the Tokyo Marui VSR-10!

Okay, first off, no, this is not like those Daisy or GAMO air rifles that fire metal pellets at 1000 fps that you use to hunt squirrels. It shoots 6mm plastic BBs around 300 fps in stock form. I know it doesn't look it, but it really is an airsoft rifle. It's even made by the same company that makes the MP7A1 I considered buying a while back.

Now I know what you're thinking: Why the heck is he buying a bolt-action rifle with a 30-round clip when he could be getting a full-auto electric machine gun that takes a 600-round hi-cap?

1. It's cheap, around $175 stateside. (It's much cheaper in Hong Kong, but high shipping costs and having to deal with US Customs pretty much nullifies any real savings) Plus, no batteries or chargers to add to the original cost
2. I can use it for target shooting in my back yard.
3. For about $50 to $100 in internal upgrades, I can make it a relatively effective sniper rifle. (for another $50-$100, it becomes very accurate and powerful)
4. Using a bolt-action rifle presents a unique challenge when engaging opponents with full-auto weapons.

If I ever take the rifle skirmishing, I know pretty much for a fact that my opponents will only be armed with cheap spring pistols and electric rifles, so my VSR-10, which is relatively high-end, should out-range and out-power them in its stock condition, so any upgrades that I do end up making will probably be a long way down the road.

When (and this time it really is when instead of if) I finally get the rifle, I'll let you know how it preforms. And of course I'll put up pictures. Lots of pictures!

Experiencing Techical Difficulties, Please Stand By

I've fallen into a creative slump. Hopefully this will be a temporary situation. With luck, I'll be back to normal over the weekend and have Chapter 3, as well as a real blog post, up by Monday.

EDIT: I'm actually working on a new installment of The Hitman Chronicles as we speak. It's inspired by the level I'm currently working on in Red Steel. Hopefully that'll be up by tomorrow.

EDIT 2: Forget what I said earlier. After stepping back and examining my planned idea further, I realized that the concept was so outrageously unrealistic that there is no way I can pull it off convincingly. So no, there wont be a new addition to The Hitman Chronicles this weekend. However, you can look for Chapter 3 of Codename: White Knight to be up by Monday.

The Big 100

My 100th Post. Wow. Seems like just yesterday I was being shoved out of my chair while nerdjedi took over setting up the blog... ah, good times.

You know, I never imagined that I'd ever have 100 posts up on the blog. Honestly, after two weeks I'd run out of ideas for stuff to write, so I honestly considered abandoning the blog. I'm glad I didn't, otherwise I wouldn't have a creative outlet and all of my stories would be sitting unfinished on my computer's hard drive. So, if nothing else, blogging has given me the motivation I need to actually finish the stories I start writing.

That actually brings up a point I've been meaning to address. Since I've started writing More Than a Job and Codename: White Knight, *Insert Title Here* has become little more than a bulletin board letting everyone know that yes, I finished another chapter or no, no chapter today. In the future, I'm going to make a sincere effort to put up a greater variety of posts, even if it's just asking you, the reader, what kind of airsoft gun I should get. Though I don't think I'll have to worry you with that issue anymore (I'm leaning towards an AK-47).

I'm guessing you're all getting pretty tired of all this sentimental crap, so I'm going to sign off for now. Here's to one hundred great posts, and the hope of one hundred more.

The Hitman Chronicles

Okay, first off, no Chapter 3 today, expect it up within the next two or three days.

Anyone remember Reservoir Mutts or Just Another Day at the Office, the two one-shot action scenes that I wrote back in October of last year? Anyone? Well, for those of you who don't (and those who do), I've decided to compile both stories together and give them their own blog, which I have entitled The Hitman Chronicles. Both posts are up and have been cleaned up a little bit, though they are not radically different; just a word here, a misspelling there, that kind of thing.

I know, I know, you're thinking why the heck did he waste time making a blog for two lousy action scenes? Well, to tell you the truth, I've been toying with an idea for a third one, and possibly a fourth. They probably won't be up for some time as I a directing the majority of my creative effort to completing Codename: White Knight. Which reminds me...

Having received some flak from my choice of a title *cough* *cough* nerdjedi *cough* Chapter 3 will explain exactly where the title comes from. And no, despite what nerdjedi might claim, it's not a ripoff of the opening sequence from Tomorrow Never Dies.

And if you haven't already, be sure to check out the rawkin' awesome lightsaber duels from my last post.

Ryan vs. Dorkman

Otherwise known as the best fanfilm lightsaber duel ever! Ryan Wieber and Michael Scott are absolute geniuses when it comes to choreography. But don't take my word for it, see for yourself:





Cool, no? Want more? Well, you're in luck, because Wieber and Scott are making a sequel! It's supposed to be released early next month, but for now you can check out the sneak preview here and check out the films' official website.

When I saw this a long time ago on TheForce.Net FanFilm pages, I realized that it'd be pretty cool to make a fanfilm of my own, and since then it's been an on-again off-again dream of mine to do just that. And now that I'm going to be home from college for six months with little to do (besides a still-undetermined part-time job), this is probably the opportune time to do so. But, as you probably realize, I can't do it alone. So I was thinking that maybe (if they'd agree to help me) Sam and I could write it and the legendary combination of Spartan and nerdjedi could film it and I'd work with them editing it. Of course, as I said, that's only if they're willing to help (nudge nudge, wink wink).

In the meantime (while you consider my offer), check out another of Ryan Wieber's works, Wieber vs. Flyte:

Back Burner Bummer

Okay, before I get started, I'd like to inform everyone that Chapter 2 of Codename: White Knight is complete. Unlike in Chapter 1, there is a significan amount of action taking place (most of the chapter is one huge shootout). And yes, to some of my readers' displeasure, there is a fair amount of "gun jargon" as it's become known. Fortunately for those of you who despise "gun jargon," there will be significantly less of it as the story progresses. I know for a fact that there will be some in Chapters 3 and 4, but aside from the names and maybe the basic specs of weapons, that should be just about it.

Now, onto the meat of the post.

In light of recent events, i.e. the fact that my life had just one a complete 540, I find that my needs, and therefore my financial priorities, have shifted significantly. Because I'll likely be commuting to college next semester, and since I no longer have a functioning PC, those have become my two new financial priorities, though not exactly in that order. Here's what the list looks like now:

1. New Computer (Dell XPS M2010 Notebook with Intel Core 2 Duo processor, Windows Vista operating system, 4GB Dual Channel DDR2 Memory, 256MB ATI Mobility RADEON X1800 Graphics Card, 8.1 surround sound, and 240GB of hard drive space! Yeah, right.)
2. Car (2007 Chevorlet Corvette Z06, LeMans Blue with Arcitc White Racing Stripes. 505 horsepower, 470 ft/lbs of torque, 0-60mph in 3.4 seconds, 200mph top speed! Not gonna happen!)
3. Wii Games (Zelda, Excite Truck, and Call of Duty, baby! These might actually become reality.)
4. Airsoft gun (with battery, charger, spare magazines, and extra BBs).

The worst part is that I just got a ton of birthday money and figured out the perfect gun to spend it on: the brand-new Tokyo Marui M14 SOCOM. Full-metal construction, textured stock, working bolt, 70-round magazine, built-on scope mout, all it needs is a silencer and a red-dot sight, and then it'd be perfect. *sigh* Major bummer. I think some of nerdjedi's practicalitly may be rubbing off on me.

Nah.

Wii Update 'n' Other Stuff

After playing on my Wii for a goodly portion of the last 24 hours, I'm still in love with the system, though I cannot for the life of me win at bowling! Both of my parents, neither of whom are remotely interested in video games and never play, have creamed me in it. Oh, well. Maybe that's because I stink at bowling in real life too...

However, I've also discovered the Wii's one flaw, which also happens to be its greatest achievement: the Wiimote. While it is amazing, it does have one major annoyance that really bugs me; it tracks slow. There's a one to two second delay from the time you swing the remote or press a button until the Wii registers your action. Not a very big deal in Wii Sports, but I imagine this could cause some serious headaches in other games.

Okay, moving in from Wii goodness...

Chapter 2 of Codename: White Knight is about 1/3 to 1/2 completed. It should be up sometime tomorrow, by the weekend at the very latest.

I would please ask you to take nerdjedi's comments about my stories with a healthy dose of skepticism, or preferably disregard them altogether. In addition, I ask nerdjedi to refrain from making any further degrading comments about my stories as they are all highly exagerated and untrue; the "two whole pages of gun jargon" are in fact several sentences, no more than a paragraph, and likewise the "paragraphs extolling hand-packed ammo." is a single, short, succinct explanation two to three sentences in length.

I will not say that Codename: White Knight is a great story, simply because beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I will say, however, that both White Knight and its prequel, More Than a Job, are worth taking the time to read. Obviously, since the book draws heavily from action movies and thriller/adventure novels, it will not appeal to everyone. I do not expect it to. If you enjoy thrillers, I would highly encourage you to read it. If not, then you don't have to. I would ask, however, that you do not slander and libel my works simply because you do not enjoy them. It is impolite, immature, but above all, it is ver hurtful to the author.

WII AT LAST!

IT'S HERE!!! IT'S HERE!!! IT'S HERE!!! IT'S HE... I think you get the idea.

I spent pretty much all morning on the Fed-Ex website, constantly refreshing the Track page to see if it got delivered yet (It was shipped to my grandmother's house). At just after 1:00, I got back online (had to stop for lunch) and saw a change: It had been dropped off ten minutes ago! Excited beyond belief, I called up my grandmother and told her the good news. She wasn't sure; the guy hadn't knocked (turns out he just left it at her front door), but she went down to check and viola! There it was!

Okay, long story short, Mom drove out to get it, brought it back (longest ten minutes of my life :-) jk), nerdjedi and I set it up, and we started playing Wii sports. No, check that, first we each made our own Mii, then we started playing Wii sports. It may be little more than a glorified demo disk, but man that game's addictive! There are five sports: Golf, Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, and Boxing. I've played every one except golf (which I can't stand). They're all really neat, but I have to say the Boxing and Bowling tie as my personal favorites.

I actually alread have another game for it... well, kinda. Dad bought me Need for Speed: Carbon about a week ago, only he had it shipped out to Grove City (the guys across the hall from me had a Wii). So my Wii's here at home, and NFSC is at Grove City, which is clear on the other side of the state. However, since at this point it looks like I won't be returning to Grove City (no fault of the college), they'll forward it back home, so say in another week I'll let you all know how it is. But to sum it up for now...

WII ROCKS!!!

THE BUILDING'S ON FIRE!!!

Okay, now that I've got your attention...

I actually have a couple of requests pertaining to my blogs

First, when you read Codename: White Knight (or any of my stories for that matter) and wish to comment/critique/whatever, please leave a comment on *Insert Title Here*. I'm more than willing to listen to your feedback, but to do that I have to actually receive some feedback. So far, the only criticism I've gotten for White Knight has come secondhand through nerdjedi.

Next, if you're reading this post right now, please comment when you finish. I'd like to get an idea of how many people actually visit my blog on a regular basis. I know for a fact it's more than just the half-dozen or so people who leave comments; there is no way I could get 616 profile views (as of this morning) just from them. I don't care what you say (so long as it complies with my next request), whether it's a long-winded speech or just a quick "hello," please leave a comment

Lastly, and this is just a reiteration of what I requested the other day, please refrain from using any foul or crude language on the comment boards. I really don't appreciate it, and I will delete comments that contain such language immediately upon discovery.

----------

Okay, this has absolutely nothing to do with what I just said. Actually, scratch that, it does. Apparently, there was some confusion about the first chapter of Codename: White Knight, specifically about John Callahan's hand-loaded ammunition. I was told that someone didn't understand, that it was a difference of "just a millimeter." Firstly, the designations are not in millimeters, but in hundredths of an inch. Secondly, it's more than just the diameter of the bullet. The .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) round is designed to be fired from automatic pistols and some special revolvers. The .44 Magnum, the type of round that Dirty Harry uses, is a revolver cartridge. To my knowledge, the only automatic pistol that can fire the .44 Magnum is the Desert Eagle. The Magnum, as it's name suggests, is much more powerful than the .45 Automatic:

• The .45 ACP fires a 180-grain bullet at 950 feet per second with 371 ft/lbs of energy
• The .44 Magnum fires a 180-grain bullet at 1610 fps with 1036 ft/lbs of energy

The .44 Magnum is also much longer than a .45 Automatic. I've found a suitable picture to illustrate this, but Blogger's being uncooperative. I'll try to get it up later.

Speaking of Codename: White Knight, I can't believe no one spotted a glaring inconsistency in the middle of Chapter 1. Yes, before anyone asks, it's there on purpose, and it's actually pretty important. Go back and reread the chapter, and pay particularly close attention when Callahan's talking about his departure from the SEALs.

Chapter 2 is on the way.

Wow. This is the longest post I've written in a long time. Brings back a lot of old memories... no, not really.

Remember, if you're reading this, please comment. I don't care who you are or what you say, just comment. AND GIVE ME FEEDBACK ON CODENAME: WHITE KNIGHT ALREADY!

Mending... Again

The good news is that I'm feeling a lot better. The vomiting and, uh, other stuff stopped a few days ago, now it's just a matter of getting my stamina back, which-if history is any indicator-will probably take a couple of days. I'm still waiting to hear back from the doctors about some bloodwork I had done (needles. *shudders*), but right now it looks like I'm gonna be a-okay.

When I have enough energy to think creatively, I'm going to start on Codename: White Knight Chapter 2. I remember pretty much what I had written before (started writing it in Word on my old PC, which is now dead) and either way I've got the story almost completely planned out, so it shouldn't take too long to write. Tenatively say by the end of this week it'll be up.

More good news: I've got a Wii on the way! My uncle found one and ordered it for me. It should be here by Tuesday. And, I've already got a game for it. Well, sort-of, anyways. One of the guys in my dorm had had a Wii, but only one multiplayer game for it (Wii Sports), so my Dad bought Need for Speed: Carbon and had it shipped up to college. I'm going to have to get my mail forwarded... I'll let you know when Wii arrives and hopefully post a review of it and any other games I get for it shortly thereafter.

Later, my firends.

PS. I thought you guys'd get a kick outta this quote:

I do not have a psychiatrist and I do not want one, for the simple reason that if he listened to me long enough, he might become disturbed.
-James Thurber

Yeesh! Not Again!

Well, actually, it did happen again: I'm back home from college, at least temporarily. The reason; looks like the same as before: food poisoning.

This is just not working out for me! Maybe God's trying to send me a message...

Anyways, I'll be seeing the doctors within the next few days and we'll figure out where to go from there.

Later.

Watch Your Language

Okay, this is important, so I'm going to bold/caps it so everyone catches it.

DO NOT POST COMMENTS WITH FOUL, CRUDE, LEWD OR OTHERWISE INAPPROPRIATE LANGUAGE ANY AND ALL COMMENTS CONTAINING SAID LANGUAGE WILL BE DELETED BY THE BLOG ADMINISTRATOR IMMEDIATELY UPON DISCOVERY. REPEAT VIOLATORS WILL BE BANNED INDEFININITELY FROM COMMENTING.

This goes for everyone, so consider yourselved warned. By "repeat violators," I mean the three-strikes-you're-out concept, which should be self-explanitory.

Also, before any wise guys out there say that I'm infringing on your 1st Ammendment rights, let me remind you that this blog is not a public place; it is my property which I can impose my own rules upon.

Took Me Long Enough!

Chapter 1 of Codename White Knight is finally up. That took me entirely too long to write. Though this time I did have a number of valid excuses to draw upon to explain myself: being sick, starting college, not sleeping, etc., but I'm not going to make lame excuses now.

No idea when Chapter 2 will be finished. Hopefully by next week, but realistically I can't make any promises.

College is going okay so far, I guess. I only have one class Tuesday/Thursday, so those are the days I use to do all of my homework. That means I'm going to busy for a goodly portion of the afternoon. Well, at least I won't be bored...

Settled In

Well, it's been quite a while since I updated, but that's just because I've been really busy. I was sick pretty much all of last week (my first week on campus), so I've been playing catch-up with all of my profs. But that's all taken care of, now, so I should be updating more often now.

I've got a lot of really good classes (My favorite's 20th Century Russian History, the prof's a hoot!) The only one I really don't enjoy that much is Foundations of Economics, just because I find economic's in general to be a bore. The prof does keep the class interesting, though...

Now that I'm settled in and all, I'm going to start writing Codename: White Knight again. I'd like to get Chapter 1 completed and posted by the end of the weekend, but my folks are coming up to celebrate my birthday (it's tomorrow), so I'm not exactly sure how the timing's going to work out. Plus, I've got some homework for my humanities class, which I should probably do right now in case I have to buy more books (the bookstore closes in an hour), so I'd better go.

Later.

...sleep...need...sleep...

Oy. Let me tell you, dorm life is not all it's cracked up to be. I haven't gotten more than 5 hours of sleep total any night for the last two weeks. Honestly, I have no idea how I've stayed awake long enough to write this, much less make it through class. I'm gonna go now, too tired to think of anything else to write.

On The Mend

Sheesh! I have not had good luck moving into Grove City! Last time it was extreme food poisoning, now it was the stomach flu! Fortunately, as the post title states, I'm on the mend and getting better by the hour.

Anyway, according to my schedule, Monday's really crazy, Wednesday slightly less so, Friday's not too bad, and Tuesday + Thursday are pretty easy. So look for new updates Tues, Thurs, over the weekend, Friday, and occasionally Wednesday and Monday (rarely). This next week's going to be kinda nuts 'cause I've got a ton of make-up work to do, but after that I should be back to semi-normal.

Thanks to all for thinking of me during this time of transition.

Farewell for Now

Well, this is it. My last day before shipping off to college. This is probably going to be my last blog post for a while too. I know pretty much for a fact that I'm not going to have ready access to a computer with Internet access until Tuesday. I've got a lot of classes scheduled Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so Tuesdays and Thursdays will probably be the days I do all of my homework. Basically, what this means is that future updates, both to *Insert Title Here* and Codename: White Knight, will be few and far-between, most likely only on weekends.

So, for what it's worth, it's been a good run and I appreciate all those who've read and commented on my blog for the last few months. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to posting in a few months.

Your Host and Blogmaster,

Jedi_Raptor07

Fin

Chapter 16 and the Epilogue are finished and posted, and with that final note, More Than a Job is finally complete. As luck would have it, this comes exactly four months to the day after the first chapter was published on *Insert Title Here*. No, I didn't plan it that way, it just happened. (If my schedule had gone to plan, the story would have been finished in mid-November.)

Now that More Than a Job is finished, I've begun writing its sequel, Codename: White Night. Look for the first chapter sometime tomorrow.

That's really all I have for now. I think I'm going to have to start putting a little bit of my creativity back into the blog rather than spending it all on my stories...

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
---Benjamin Franklin

A New Chapter and a New Story Too!

We're in the home stretch now, folkies. Chapter 15 is up and ready to go. All that's left to write is Chapter 16 and the Epilogue, and then More Than a Job will at last be complete! Everything will definitely finished by Friday, but since 16 and the Epilogue go hand-in-hand, I might write both of them tomorrow. Or, since it's still kinda early, I might write 16 tonight, maybe the Epilogue too, so keep checking back.

In addition, I've posted the introduction the More Than a Job's sequel, Codename: White Knight. The intro's basically a teaser for the rest of the story, but I still encourage you to check it out and let me know what you think. Unlike last time, White Knight's been pretty much planned out to the letter, so it should go up rather quickly, especially when compared to MTaJ. On the other hand, most of White Knight's going to be written when I'm at college, so we'll just have to see how long it takes me to write.

Another Day, Another Chapter

As you probably guessed from reading the title, Chapter 14 is finished and posted. Check it out here. And no, before anyone says anything, the story isn't over yet. Also, if anyone's wondering about the equine references, they're talking about PALE HORSE.

Somehow, I get the feeling that I'm going to get a lot of flak for the ending of this chapter, probably criticism that I'm taking a few pages out of Sam's book. Just to clarify on that last point, I had the ending planned out long before Anonymous came to be.

Chapter 14 actually came out to be longer than I had originally planned, so what would have been the second half of 14 had turned into Chapter 15, which will be up tomorrow. I've set the goal for at least one chapter per day, so the story will be complete by Friday (hopefully sooner), and I can start Codename: White Knight on Saturday.

On another note, for those of you interested in international politics, take a look at this article from the Houston Chronicle. Looks like Fidel Castro might be setting up a move to transition the power of the Cuban government to someone else. Personally, I think he's been dead for months and his brother Raul's been secretly running things. But that's just me. Still, it's worth a read whether or not you think ol' Fidel's croaked.

And last but not least, for your viewing (dis)pleasure:

The Lincoln MKR Concept Car. Lincoln calls it darn-sexy. I call it butt-ugly.

The End is Nigh!

Chapter 13 is finished and posted! Only 3 more chapters, and More Than a Job will be complete! And since I have the last three chapters planned out almost completely, the story will be wrapped up by the end of the week!

Also, the Legacy of the Swan blog has been canned, partly to make room for More Than a Job's sequel, Codename: White Knight, but mainly because no one reads or cares about it, so it's just a big waste of cyberspace. Maybe, maybe, when I'm finished with MTaJ and it's sequels I'll come back to Legacy, but for now it's history.

So, one week from today I'll be starting classes at college. This will most likely prevent me from posting every day (not like I do that anyway) but I'll still try to put a new one up whenever I can.

Well, that's all I've got for now. Chapter 14 will be up tomorrow, possibly even later tonight (though that's doubtful). Stay tuned.

It's Here (Finally!)

Chapter 12 is finally finished. *whew!* That took entirely too long, thanks mainly as I said to a serious case of writer's block. Fortunately, again as I've said, the rest of the story is pretty much planned out and should be finished within the next week. If it's not, then I really have no idea when it will be completed, as I'm leaving for college this coming Sunday, and needless to say my life will become much busier after that. But don't worry; More Than a Job and it's sequals will eventually be completed, on this you have my word of honor.

Maybe eventually, once the sequals are finished, I'll come back and add a bit more to MTaJ. I really wanted to get the story finished before college, and to do that I had to really cut down on building the relationship between David and Elizabeth. Oh well. Maybe someday...

Well, it's getting pretty late, so I'm going to shut down for the night. Later, all.

Beginning of the End

MY WRITER'S BLOCK IS FINALLY GONE!

Chapter 12 should be up tomorrow, if not later tonight. I'll keep you posted (no pun intended).

Like I said before, Chapter 12 is the last chapter I haven't really thought out all the way, so 13-16 (I think there'll only be 4 more) will come fairly quickly. Definitely by the end of next week.

So, yeah, I'll definitely be writing a sequal. I've gotten some complaints that More Than a Job didn't/doesn't have enough action in it. But, as I've said before, Codename: White Knight, which is the sequal's tenative (though probably ultimate) title, will be pretty much non-stop action. By that, I mean that there will be a good action scene roughly once per chapter. For lack of a better description, think of a cross between The Transporter and either The Terminatior or maybe more appropriately The Gauntlet.

Yep, You Guessed It...

...I have writer's block. Again. I don't think I've ever had a case quite this bad before. My problem is that I know pretty much what I want to happen in Chapter 12, I'm just at a loss on how to start the chapter. What's even worse is that I had a great idea earlier, but I had to take care of something else first and by the time I'd finished, I'd forgotten my idea! Talk about bad luck. And before anyone says anything, I know it was a great idea (all my ideas are great).

I'm still going to try and get the story finished before I head off to college (a week from Monday). Every effort will be made to get Chapter 12 finished by tomorrow. Since I know pretty much exactly what I'm going to have happen in the last three chapters, it shouldn't take too long to get that all finished.

Gotta go; idea just popped up. Don't want to loose it!

UPDATE 8:17 PM: Good news, I've broken the ice and figured out how to start Chapter 12. It'll definitely be up by tomorrow. So you can basically forget about the rest of this post.

Finally Finished

Chapter 11 is, as the post title said, finally finished. It took a while 'cause it's one of the longest chapters I've written yet. (these babies keep getting longer and longer!)

From now on, the time between each chapter is going to expand chronologically. In other words, instead of taking place a day or two apart, each chapter is going to take place a few weeks, or even months, after the previous one. Two reasons for this:

1. If I wrote a chapter for each day, it would be incredibly long and most of the chapters would be incredibly boring.
2. I want to finish the story before I leave for college. Once there, I doubt I'll have much time to write more chapters and I really hate to leave readers hanging like that.

Also, I can pretty much guarantee that there won't be a new chapter over the weekend, seeing as how I'm going to be out of town Sunday and Monday. I'll try to get Chapter 12 done tomorrow, but judging by my past history that won't be very likely.

I just heard that the weatherman on the news says it's going to be 71 degrees tomorrow. 71 degrees! In January! I can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe Al Gore is onto something. Though I personally value having a warm house and a car that goes from 0-60 in less than a minute than the knowledge that I'm saving penguins...

*UPDATE* I've made a few minor revisions to Chapter 11. Unfortunately, this apparently un-formatted the last 1/2 to 1/3 of the chapter. While I think I fixed it, let me know if it crops up again.

Delays and Setbacks

Unfortunately, it looks like I will not get Chapter 11 finished tonight. For unknown reasons, my creativity has abandoned me today. I'm definitely going to get it finished before Sunday, though. Hopefully the entire story will be completed before I go back to college, but don't hold your breath.

Also, I'm temporarily abandoning my efforts to get an airsoft gun. This time, it's not a question of getting permission (I'm old enough to get one myself) or finances (I got a ton of money for Christmas), but rather about timing. I'm going to be leaving for college in just over two weeks. It'll take about a week to get the gun shipped, so that leaves me with one brief week to enjoy my long-sought prize before I have to leave (I can't take it with me as per the school's rules), and somehow I get the feeling that between the end of January and the beginning of May (when the semester ends) my airsoft gun will have, how can I put this, "gone to that big shooting range in the sky." So I'm gonna hold of on getting one until the semester ends.

I'm gonna try and work more on Chapter 11 now. Stay tuned, 'cause I might, might, actually get it completed and up tonight. I'll keep you posted on that.

HAPPY 2007, EVERYONE!

Well, I think the title says it all. Can't be any more direct than that.

Please disregard my last post; I can get a better airsoft gun with battery + charger for cheaper than the MP7 package mentioned below. Now my only question; MP5 or M16? I'm kinda leaning towards the M16VN (see here), but the MP5 is a mite bit cheaper... but enough about that. I know you really don't care about my airsoft obsession. And no, I am not going to shoot squirrels with it. That's not what you use airsoft for. Let me repeat this for the uninitiated, airsoft is like paintball only we use replicas of real guns that shoot little plastic pellets instead of plumbing nightmares that shoot big paint-filled gel packets.

Chapter 11 is well underway, maybe halfway completed. It's more than likely going to be finished tomorrow, but definitely by Saturday (I'm going to be out of town Sunday + Monday and want it done before then). I haven't gotten all of the fine details worked out quite yet, but I think the story should be wrapped up within about five more chapters, not including Chapter 11. I'm definitely going to be writing the sequel, Codename: White Knight. That one will be shorter than More Than a Job, 10-12 chapters or so. It'll also be a lot more action-packed than More Than a Job; kinda along the lines of The Bourne Identity or an Alistair MacLean novel. If you haven't read More Than a Job don't worry; it can be a stand-alone, though parts of it will make marginally more sense if you have read MTaJ. I think I might post a sneak peek in a week or so to see if anyone's interested.

That's all for this post. Again, Happy New Year to all.

Doubts

It's finally happened. After over three years of researching, begging, pleading, arguing, and deciding, I'm finally allowed to buy an airsoft gun, and I've also decided which one I'm going to get:

It's a replica of the new Heckler & Koch MP7A1, a small submachine gun that fires special 4.6mm armor-piercing ammunition. It's relatively cheap for an airsoft gun (~$200), but the price also includes the battery and charger, items that are normally not included with an AEG. I can get the gun, a spare battery, a spare magazine, a holster, a large bag of BBs, and a BB loader for around $300 shipped from Hong Kong. (Airsoft is really big over in Asia, especially Japan, so a lot of folks buy from overseas b/c that's where you get the best stuff. The clear plastic "soft-air" guns you see in Dick's Sporting Goods stores aren't worth the $15 you pay for them.)

Now the only problem is, now that I've all but bought my dream prize, I'm not totally sure I want it! I've kind of worked it up in my mind over the last couple years (trying to prove to my parents that they're not real guns and they're not the same thing as those air rifles you hunt squirrels with), and now that I've finally gotten the OK, it's kind of gone all anti-climactic on me. Even having recently found out my cousins skirmish in the woods behind their house and would like me to join them, the perceived thrill of finally owning a decent airsoft gun just isn't there anymore. I'm really not sure if I should go through with the purchase. Do you think I should? I'm going to ignore nerdjedi 'cause I know he's going to say not to get it. (You should too. Ignore nerdjedi, I mean.)

Ah, what the heck. I'm gonna do it. Not right away (need to deposit all the checks relatives gave me first), but pretty soon I'm gonna buy it.

Well It's About Time!

At (incredibly) long last, it's finally finished; Chapter 10 of More Than a Job is up and ready for your reading pleasure!

I know it took forever. Between the holiday madness and my computer freaking out again (I think the hard drive wore out. Thankfully I'm getting a new one if a few weeks), I havn't had much time to write.

The story's probably not going to be completed before I go back to college, but given my current class schedule, You can probably expect about one new chapter per week (only 1 class on Tuesday!).

I'm not exactly sure where I want Chapter 11 to go, but it should be up within the next week or two.

Well, that's all I've got for now, so goodbye, and in case I don't get on again before Sunday, Happy New Year!

A Belated Merry Christmas To All!

Merry Christmas! Yes, I know I'm a day late. Didn't get around to blogging yesterday, I was real busy. Season 2 of Hogan's Heroes (I love that show!) on DVD will do that. That and helping with the big Christmas Dinner.

I bet some of you are panicking that I'm about to tell you everything I got for Christmas. Well stop; I'm not. Nothing much to list anyways, 'cause I didn't really want anything. Heck, I only made a list because my parents wouldn't leave me alone until I did. That's almost scary.

No Chapter 10 of More Than a Job yet. I know I said I'd have it up for Christmas, I'm so sorry I couldn't come through. I can't think creatively when I don't get a decent night's sleep. (Actually more like a whole week's sleep. Yeesh.) I'm going to make a sincere effort to get it written by New Year's Eve.

Well, I'm all out of ideas for things to write down, so I'm going to go. Again, Happy Holidays to all!

My Favorite Super Bowl Commercial

That second caveman must've been the prehistoric world's Donald Trump! Ha!

Actually, I take it back. This isn't my favorite Super Bowl Commerical. My favorite is a really old Budwieser (sp?) ad with the frogs. One frog gets his tounge stuck to a Bud truck and is towed behind it. I love it 'cause my mom freaks out ever time she watches it. If I find it, I'll post it.

Ah Hobe Dad Yu Ar Sthatithfide.

Yeah, that clip gets me everytime.

No new chapter for More Than a Job yet. My computer is still messed up, so now I have to share a PC, so I don't have as much time to write. I don't think that I'll have Chapter 10 up by Friday, but I'm going to try to have it done by Christmas.

Well, one month from today and I'll be back at college. I can't wait! I won't be bored anymore!

At The Dentist

Before I get into the meat of this post, I regret to inform you that my computer has had another stroke. It boots up, I can sign into Windows, but that's about it. It's in a sort-of perpetual safe-mode and it either doesn't detect, doesn't recognize, or doesn't care about the mouse, so I can't really use it. Plus it only recognizes 16 colors and a 640x480 resolution. Hopefully I can get this fixed soon. If not, well, I get a new one when I go to college in a month.

Okay, now that I'm done griping, to business.

I saw this video clip a couple of years ago when I rented the movie Bill Cosby: Himself. It's a stand-up routine that Mr. Cosby did in Canada in the mid-70s (I think). The section below deals with dentists:



Personally, I think he's right on. Except my orthodontist is a sadist. Like the one from Little Shop of Horrors, only more subtle.

What the Heck's a Code Monkey?

I was cruising around ThinkGeek when I came across these shirts:

This one says "Code Monkey,"

And this one says "Killer Coding Ninja Monkeys Do Exist."

My question is, like the title says, WHAT THE **** IS A CODE MONKEY?!?!? Also, what's the difference between a Code Monkey and a Killer Coding Ninja Monkey? Any info you could provide would be much appreciated.

On another note, now that I've discovered that I can use Blogger Beta Spell-Check without fear of my posts being un-formatted, I've gone back and Spell-Checked all the chapters of More Than a Job. I also did a bit of minor editing while I was at it, so feel free to check that out. *nudge* *nudge* *wink* *wink*

A New Chapter and 2 New Records!

Believe it or not, Chapter 9 is acutally up! I know I originally said this coming Friday, but since I finished reading this incredibly long book entitled Once an Eagle, I've found myself with more time to devote towards writing.

This has got to be a record for the shortest time between chapter updates! I'm going to say to look for Chapter 10 by Friday, but I expect to have it up much sooner than that.

Also, before anyone says anything, PALE HORSE comes from the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, so the name works.

On a different note, this is also a record for the latest I've ever posted. Acutally wait, I'm not sure, hang on a sec. *checks first post* Yep, this is the latest. (First Post was at 8:49, this one's at around 10:45.)

Well, like I said, it's late, and I have to be up rather early tomorrow, so caio!

The Ultimate Weapon

While browsing through my usual haunts on the Web, I came across a link to a rather unusual and (in my humble opinion) entertaining website; The Death Star Designer.

It's a promo site for the upcoming Star Wars: Lethal Alliance videogame, but despite its (rather rampant) self-advertizing, the design game is still entertaining. If you're interested, click the above link to go to the site, then click on one of the Login buttons in the upper-right of the page, Try it and let me know what you think.

For those of you who didn't catch my last post, Chapter 8 is out. I'm going to start writing Chapter 9 tonight, so look for that by the end of next week. Like I said earlier, I'm aiming for one chapter a week right now and hope to have More Than a Job completed by the time I head back to college in late January.

Also, be sure to check out yesterday's first post, entitled Don't Mess with Billy Bob! And whatever you do, don't take his parking space!!!

A New Chapter Unfolds

Good News! At long last, Chapter 8 has been published! Again, it's a really long chapter, probably the longest I've written so far. It also gets pretty dark, compaired to the rest of the story anyways, so on both points consider yourself warned.

I'm aiming for one chapter per week at this point, so expect Chapter 9 by the end of next week. The good part is that I've finally cleared up the issues I'd been having with inserting this one element into the story, so things should go much smoother from here on out. I'm figuring a rough guestimate here, but I think that More Than a Job will be completed in another six or seven chapters or so. I just have to work out one minor detail with timing at the end.

Also, I'm pretty sure I'm going to can the Legacy of the Swan blog. Any objections?

That's all for now. Later.

Don't Mess With Billy Bob!

or "2002 Toyota Prius Hybrid vs. Armed and Angry Hillbilly"




Next time I'm out in the boondocks, I'm going to give this dude a wide berth!

Although, to be honest, I really can't think of a better use for a Prius than this...

I Can't Keep Doing This

I did it again; I stayed up past midnight watching TV. This time it was a special CSI presentation on SPIKE TV; Cross Jurisdiction. Three episodes back to back that are crossovers between the three CSI franchises. Vegas guys in Miami, Miami guys in NYC, that kinda thing. Now I'm paying the price for watching TV past midnight for two days in a row; I'm so dirt tired that I can barely get this typed out. Oy.

Chapter 8's coming along pretty well, considering my lack of sleep over the last two days. It should be up by Friday or so. I'm going to try, try to get one chapter up per week. That way, I can hopefully get this done before I head off to college in January.

Yeah, I'm pretty beat, so I'm gonna go crash or something. Later.

Late Nite Movie

Ordinarilly, I make a point never to stay up past midnight watching a movie. However, there are rare times where I'll make an exception if the film is worth it. And let me tell you, Murder on the Orient Express was definitely worth it. Agatha Christie's legendary classic definitely makes for great movie material, and with an all-star cast, including Albert Finney, Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, and Lauren Bacall, it's hard to go wrong. The story is such that I can't say anything without giving away much of the plot, but I definitely reccomend either reading the book or watching the film-which is extremely faithful to the book-if you enjoy a great murder mystery, particuarly one with an ending that you'll never see coming!

On another note, I've decided to slightly alter the plotline of More Than a Job. I thought about it, and what I have written thus far for Chapter 8 will serve as an impetus to really get the story moving. What I have planned for Chapter 9 would then serve to disruprupt the momentum that the previous chapter created. So, what exactly? Simple, I've decided to flip-flop Chapters 8 and 9. Unfortunately, this means that I've gotten about half of Chapter 9 written but no Chapter 8 to preceed it. So my update schedule has been altered; Exptect to see the new Chapter 8 by Friday and Chapter 9 by the end of next week.
**UPDATE** I've now just decided to scrap my proposed idea for a new Chapter 8, reason being that it was just a pointless action scene that wouldn't further the plot and was out of place in the story. Look for the original Chapter 8 to be up by the end of the week.

Also, I'm sticking with my "traditional" Blog layout (how it was before I upgraded to Beta) for now. So the whole "When in Doubt..." thing is gone. I am still going to play around with the layout, but expect to see the traditional setup for most of the time.

Be sure to stop over to Multimeda of the Mind and say a quick "feel better" to nerdjedi. He's real sick; looks like a stomach virus or something.

Blogger Beta Is Cool

Like I said yesterday, I upgraded to Blogger Beta (finally!) So far, it seems pretty sweet. Loads faster (on and off, but that's just my **** computer), looks cooler, more features, and I get a Google Account to boot!

One thing I did that was stupid was I accidentally typed my password into the username box when nerdjedi was helping me set up my Google Account. Fortunately for me, he was-uh-nice and pointed this out, so I changed my password as soon as we got the account set up. Sorry for spoiling your fun, nerdjedi. And NO, I'm NOT going to tell you what my old password was, so DON'T ASK!

I'm thinking about changing around my template. I'm probably going to be messing around with it for a while, so bear with me if I make any major screwups. Likewise, I'm considering canning my Legacy of the Swan blog. If anyone objects to this (which I doubt), let me know before it's too late.

*EDIT* I'm actively experimenting with the new drag-and-drop layout tools. The layout's going to change a lot in the next few days. Please bear with me.

Chapter 8 is coming along nicely. It's actually going a lot quicker than I thought, so it will probably be up by Wednesday, with Friday as my fallback deadline, just in case I get a bout of the lazies.

News For Y'all

First off, I'd like to apologize if my last post offended anyone. Honestly, I have no idea how I let it get so out of hand. The whole "non-denominational-winter-religious-holiday" thing was a joke my AP Lit class made up last year. My intent was to sarcastically mock political correctness, but the post quickly got way out of control. Again, my apologies.

Blogger's going gaga again. This time, it doesn't remember me. By that, I mean that whenever I start up Blogger, it takes me to the sign-in page, even though I click the "Remember Me" box every time I log in. I need to upgrade to Blogger Beta, but I don't have a Google account... yet.
*EDIT* I acutally just upgraded to Blogger Beta. Much thanks to nerdjedi for his help.

Chapter 8's coming along, but it's not quite finished yet. It'll defintely be up by Friday. I'm not going to give anything major away, but I will say that there's a major revelation in this chapter, so be sure to stay tuned.

Good news: I've finally decided which airsoft gun I'm going to get!


It's a Tokyo Marui M16VN, (VN standing for Vietnam) a replica of the first M16 variant adopted by the US Army. Actually, the weapon's correct designation is the XM16E1. I for one am glad they shortened it.

If I ever get into Airsoft Skirmishing, I'm going to try to eventually build a Vietnam-era Special-Forces loadout, with a Colt M1911A1-replica as my sidearm and plenty of tiger-stripe camoflague (think John Wayne in The Green Brets). Maybe I could eventually get an M14 and go for the ARVN advisor look...

HAPPY NON-DENOMINATIONAL-WINTER-RELIGIOUS-HOLIDAY EVERYONE!!!

Well, it's official. The Christmas Season... excuse me, I mean the non-demominational winter religious holiday season, has officially begun. Christmas-whoop, I did it again, I mean non-demominational winter religious holiday-sales are starting up in retail stores again, Holiday carols are being sung almost non-stop on my favorite radio stations, Winter Festival decorations are springing up all over the place, my family's getting on my case for me to make my Annual-Season-of-Giving Wish List, and the US Postal Service has mailed out flyers letting everyone know when to mail their gifts so they arrive in time for the non-demominational winter religious holidays.

Being politically correct is a pain in the @$$.

Seriously, what's the big deal with political correctness? Okay, I agree that calling someone with Down Syndrome "retarded" is rude and inappropriate, but some of the crap out there is just plain ridiculous! My family and I celebrate Christmas, okay? You don't like it, then don't come over for dinner on December 25. But don't tell me I can't set up a Nativity Scene or sing Christmas carols on my front yard. Again, if you don't like it, then don't look at it. I don't have a problem if you're Jewish and you put a Menorah on your front lawn. Do unto others, remember?

I think that Bill O'Reilly and John Gibson are right: there is a war against Christmas. Don't believe me? Think about it; how come we get of for other religions' holidays, but Christmas gets called "Winter Break?" How come many towns have passed ordinances banning the display of Christian holiday symbols in public places but have not done the same for other religions?

Okay, before I go any further, DO NOT use the commenting board to blast Bill O'Reilly or John Gibson. You can voice your disagreement with our views, that's fine, but any name-calling, insults, or other forms of flaming will get your comments deleted. You've been warned.

Most of the excuses I've heard for getting rid of Christmas symbols, the religious ones at least, is because "we don't want to offend people who practice other religions." Really? Well, in my experience, there are two kinds of religious people: those who genuinely practice religion and those who profess that they practice. It's the latter category, and they're not really being religious, that take offense at Christian symbols so that they can try and prove that they're Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, or whatever. And it's those people who really get me steamed.

Bottom line:

You don't like Christmas? That's fine and dandy with me. Just don't try and keep me from celebrating it.

Pearl Harbor Day

65 years ago today, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, causing the deaths of amlost 2,500 Americans and forcing the US to enter World War II.

Never forget the ultimate sacrifice these young men paid to their country.

Remember Pearl Harbor.

Clarification on Chapter 7

Firstly, this is an MP5:

It is a 9mm submachine gun designed by the German company Heckler & Koch in the mid 1960s

This is an MP3 Player:

MP3 is a file format for encoding music developed by a team of multinational scientists in the early 1990s.

Second:

The continued questioning by the police about the cheese omelet is a standard tactic used by law enforcement to see if the subject being questioned is lying. If over the course of the questioning the subject's story changes, that's a pretty good indicator that the subject is lying.

Third:

Yes, Elizabeth told the police her "real" name. However, seeing as no one (besides David and Cheryl Watkins) knows Elizabeth exists, and Ms. Watkins did not file a Missing Person Report (reason for not doing so explained next chapter. DO NOT ASK ME NOW!), she was not giving anything away by doing so.

Okay, now that that's out my system, I've decided to reverse the orders of Chapters 8 and 9. This means that there won't be an update for at least a week, but on the flip side the plot will be advanced much faster. Reason being I'd like to complete the story before the end of January (before I go back to college). After that, I won't have a lot of spare time on my hands so it will be unlikely that I get it finished (before summer anyway).

I Made It! and The Contest Results

Chapter 7 is up! And it's on time too! Wow! Be advised, it's a long chapter, so plan your time accordingly.

I've got Chapters 8 and 9 pretty much planned up, so they should both go up within the next two weeks or so. 8 is going to be relatively short, so it should be up pretty quick, but 9 is going to be pretty large, hence the 2 weeks.

Now, to change the subject;

Nerdjedi won my "cast a Legend of Zelda movie contest. His cast list is thus:

• Link would be played by Humphrey Bogart
• Princess Zelda would be played by Miss Piggy
• Ganondorf would be played by Sean Connery

Sam came in 2nd, with the idea to make the film with puppets animated by Martin Robinson.

And those were my only two entried. *sigh* Now I remember why I vowed to give up contests in the first place.

And on a different note...

I've scored a great victory in my quest to get an airsoft gun! Mom's finally decided that I can get one (over nerdjedi's vehement protests) since I'm an adult now and I have my own money. Now all I have to do is convince Dad...

Since I'm new to the hobby (despite 3 years of exhaustive research) I'm going to go with an electric-powered rifle or submachine gun, since their less maintenance-intensive than a gas-powered pistol. Plus, I only need to buy one battery as opposed to many, many cans of gas.

Now I just need to decide which one to get. I've already settled on a manufacturer, but they make dozens of models. M16s, AK47s, Tommy Guns, MP5s, the list goes on and on. They all cost about the same and have roughly the same performace, so it's all about looks. Hmm, maybe another contest...

The Method To My Madness

Okay, apparently my last post caused a but of confusion. Allow me to clear things up.

While I have posted Legacy of the Swan (which needs a better title *nudge* *nudge*) and may post Ghosts of Sherwood, I will not devote much effort to finishing these until More Than a Job is completed. Mainly, I posted Legacy because I like it but need some incentive to finish it eventually. Like I said, I hate starting a story only to abandon it when it's only partway completed. Actually, that's one reason why I posted More Than a Job- so I wouldn't stop writing it halfway through and never pick it back up.

Actually, I have a confession to make: I don't think I've ever finished writing a story. Seriously. I've come close in one case, but never actually completed a story. In fact, I usually don't get past 10 pages in MS Word. The farthest along I ever got (22 pages) was with a mystery I was writing and planning to publish on FanFiction.Net, but then I decided to rewrite it because it wasn't coming out the way I planned, i.e. everything kept coming back to the same clue (a mysterious Ferrari Testarossa) which really wasn't much of a clue, so the story was pretty dull and monotenous. Then the rewrite died because I found a similar story that had already been partially posted on FanFiction.Net. It hadn't been finished yet, but my story was similar enough to it that if I posted, I'd probably be accused of plagerism and be forced to remove the story. So that fell through.

So now you know the whole sad story about why I'm posting all these stories on Blogger.

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Chapter 7 is almost done (about 70%-ish). It'll definitely be up by Monday at the latest.