Memorial Day 2017

I believe the following images speak for themselves.

Old Friends and New Books

I got a rare opportunity to meet with a couple of high school chums today. These friends of mine are aspiring writers, too.

I had the day off, so we got together at Barnes & Noble (the same store I once worked for) and spent the next hour and a half in the cafe. It was me, a guy named Trent and his wife, a guy named Paul and his brother Andrew, and some other nice guy whose name I can't remember.

Trent was nice enough to give me a ride (the rest of my family was out for the evening), and I figured the least I could do was reimburse him for gas money, so I gave him ten dollars. His missus said I didn't have to do this and I cleverly countered that they didn't have to do this for me. I won out.

I'd already had dinner but I still felt like grabbing a snack. We all decided to have a little nibble and so we went Dutch at the cash register. I got myself a yummy "Melted S'more Bundt Cake" and I had a hard time deciding between a strawberry and banana smoothie or a chocolate and banana smoothie. I ended up settling for chocolate and banana.

Trent's wife expressed her surprise that I had such a tiny plate; she needed a much bigger plate for her bundt cake because she was making such a mess. Somehow, I only spilled a few crumbs, and the smoothie was very refreshing.

Our meeting wasn't anything fancy. It's a writing group still in the very early stages, so we discussed how we could make this group a bit more refined and how we can better critique each other's work. I did show a few pictures and a few excerpts through my phone, and Paul and Trent said they remembered Terence's story. I came up with the idea clear back in 2005 (when I was 17) and everyone was amazed that such a project is still going strong.

I was told that I did great with dialogue, which is what I was also told in college. My professors and classmates alike complimented my use of dialogue more than anything else. I also remember being praised for my character development in a piece of writing I submitted to a contest, even though I didn't win. Under "Character Development," the judges gave me an 8 out of 10.

And since we were at Barnes & Noble, it was only natural that we did a bit of shopping before heading home. I meant to purchase only a writing journal but I couldn't help myself and ended up taking home three super-thick hardcover books along with two writing journals, including a "writing prompt" journal.

What were these big hardcovers?

Fortunately, these books weren't too expensive and I opted for a membership card, which gave me a 10% discount. I had some spare cash with me and ended up spending only three dollars on my debit card. The cashier was really impressed with my choices. "You've got some great stuff here!" she said, and she's right.

Then Paul and Andrew offered us all a final treat in the parking lot, "courtesy of our mother."

My family beat me home and I managed to "smuggle" my new books into the house, meaning I got them safely to my room before my mom saw them. She doesn't disapprove of me hoarding books but she is starting to question where I'm gonna put them all.

I can't help it! I don't have too many books; I need a bigger bookshelf! I'll read them all, eventually, one day or another! And there are worse things to be obsessed with, right?

Trent even said there was nothing wrong with being a bookworm.

We also talked about which kinds of books we like best, and I mentioned that what appeals to me the most are fairy tales and mythology. My mates recommended Brandon Mull's Fablehaven and Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, which I intend to check out anyway. I still have my order of the entire Fablehaven collection--still in its plastic wrap!

Paul and Andrew are more of the sci-fi type, and when they rambled for almost twenty minutes about an immortal character (at first, I thought Andrew said "amoral" and that sent everybody into quite a fit of laughter and wisecracks) in space and something about dwarf planets and the sun blowing up and what happens when something gets sucked into a black hole, I couldn't help saying, "Boy, all this science talk is making my brain hurt. This is why I prefer fantasy; you get to make up your own laws of physics!"

Overall, it was a pretty enjoyable night. I don't get to socialize that much and it's always good to hook up with people you used to share a classroom with.

New Bishop

Today turned out to be rather interesting. We have a new bishop in our ward! Brother James McBride, whom I've known for quite some time, is now Bishop James McBride, with Brother Bowman and Brother Baer as his counselors.

Let's see...that makes this the fifth or sixth bishop I've known since my family moved to this area? I know bishops change every five years.

There was Bishop van Tussenbrook, Bishop Milliken, Bishop Skonnard, Bishop Schwartz, and Bishop Kippen.

So yeah, Bishop McBride is #6 for me!

My Greatest Treasure

Too precious not to post.

Same philosophy can apply to really, really good friends. Nobody's perfect but some people just got that irresistible charm about them and you feel their absence keenly.

Tolerance Quotes

In today's so-called "age of tolerance," these quotes hit the nail so hard on the head that you see stars dancing...and I don't mean "Dancing With the Stars."

New Terence Art!

What can I say? I'm a sucker for my own character, and I'm always so tickled to see other people draw him in their unique styles. It's great to see Rhiella get more of the limelight these days, too.

(Finished this just in time for Easter!)

(My most recent commission from my buddy Dolphy, and I can't look at it with a straight face!)

Lizzie's Show

Hard to believe my big niece has already graduated kindergarten. Taking her pictures reminded me of my dad taking MY pictures when I graduated kindergarten, way back.

She's growing up so fast...and getting prettier every day.