Continuing Work, Fantasy Books

"Links" page is updated. "Projects" page is halfway done. I'm going to start posting and integrating a Picasa album to display photos and crafts. I need to redo the scripts for the old comics too. I'm sure you've also noted my Twitter account on the sidebar as well.

This weekend I'm going to Houston for my birthday/Mother's Day with the Matthews family. I've already selected an audiobook for the journey. See, Jeff has bought a few sets of different fantasy series soley based on reviews and his intentions to read them "one day". Because I cannot bear to have so many novels on display without anyone knowing what's in them, I'm working my way through a few. I already finished The Name of the Wind, which was excellent though it cuts off abruptly. Currently I'm working through The Book of the New Sun, which is also good, but a little more confusing. Once I'm done with that and it's sequels, I'd really like to get into the Malazan series, but there are unfortunately no audiobooks out for it. I do read actual books every day, but I prefer my fiction to be consumed while commuting, cleaning, or shopping. (It's nice to just plug into my headphones whenever I'm doing something that doesn't otherwise require narrative thought.) I'd have to set aside my nightly studies to take up Malazan right now, so it will have to wait. I am, of course, looking forward to the next Wheel of Time Book, Gathering Storm.

Something I'd really like to do with this library sometime soon is scan it into one of those Delicious Library clones for Windows. You just scan a barcode, or even hold the barcode up to a webcam, and it catalogs your stuff. I should really bid on an old CueCat and do this sometime.  ¶ 17:29

New Layout

Well, I'm halfway done with this update. I'll finish sometime next week.  ¶ 17:23

Braid

I don't typically talk about video games here, but I thought I'd share my recent experience with Braid. This is the most beautiful, thought-provoking piece of work I've ever encountered in the gaming medium. There's amazing art, ingenious puzzles, and unusual time-manipulation mechanics, plus a roundabout exploration of various themes such as love, obsession, and the consequences of our actions. This is the kind of game that has the sophistication and appeal that even non-gamers would appreciate. I recommend it to anyone.

Really, you should watch the trailer to see what this game has to offer. Then go buy it on Greenhouse or Steam. It just might be my favorite game of all time, and it's only $15.
  ¶ 11:17

The Cloud of Our Thoughts

Found a neat thing. You put in the RSS feed of your blog, or perhaps paste a section of text, and this little application will find the most common words in that body of letters and make a picture of them. Here is the Wordle for esunasoul.com.
If such a cloud of your thoughts was floating around your head all the time, what would I see?  ¶ 12:45

One of My Perfect Days

We wanted an adventure outdoors.


Something far enough away to be special, but close enough that it would be easily reached. Our lazy and late start meant many of the local state parks were already at capacity. So we struck out into the hills, to the place called the Greenbelt.


Whiskey pulled us through shallow streams and across the dog park, down narrow trails in the woods and under bridges. Aman, Shalini, Jeff, and myself visited Bull Creek, small area of wilderness in the middle of urbana. Sometimes a man-made thing would emerge from the leaves, looking nothing so much like the remnant of a post-apocalyptic world.



After 3.5 hours of hiking, we decided food was in order. A quick stop at the grocery store equipped us with Tex-Mex essentials, and we headed back to Seabrook Manor to grill fajitas on the back porch. I attempted some margaritas in the until-then-unused blender which ended up being more slushie than frozen. Chris brought his skillet to make fresh corn tortillas and Nishat pounded out Chopin on the piano. Arthur came over from next door and we all sat down to a tasty meal; a house full of friends sharing in abundance.

Everyone helped wash the dishes and spray disinfectant on the surfaces, and then we sat on the couches to digest. Conversation gave way to soft, ambient music. First one guitar, then two, then the piano, then then the drum joined in... and not wanting to be excluded, I grabbed my flute and completed the post-hippie ensemble. We played for about 30 minutes, with everyone swapping instruments except myself. Nishat eventually began using everything in his immediate surroundings as an experimental percussion surface, and I almost couldn't contain my laughter when he started singing while gargling a glass of water. Despite the silliness, it still worked. I was pleased to finally get to participate in a jam session, where the music was still alive.

That night, bone-weariness made for deep dreams without words.

I dreamed of tunnels under the World Tree where we met eachother in the dark.

I dreamed of standing together against the open sky.

I dreamed of tangled threads of our various lives.

I dreamed of distance.

Whenever I have a wonderful day, I experience this sense of peace and unity of spirit. It's the same feeling I've always felt with good friends and making good memories. The faces change and the circumstances change but the feeling is the same. I like to think that, in a way, all those moments exists together in the same space and time. I can go forward with confidence knowing that I am carrying those pieces with me, and that nothing and nobody is lost. Sometimes I miss you all so much, and wish our lives weren't diverging. But the knowledge of such days and dreams shows me that words like "sacred" and "eternal" aren't something that happens to us later. It's now.

Blessings on you and yours. I plan to visit Louisiana one of my 4-day weekends in June or July. What days are off-limits, guys? I want to see the maximum people I can.  ¶ 18:45