The SimCity Effect

Last week, I had the joy and pleasure of being part of video gaming history.  It is rare for any video game event to be so in the media as what happened on March 5th, and the days that followed.  I could site page after page of news story, showing how widespread this was, but instead, I’ll just stick to my own observations.

SimCity is a gaming franchise that goes WAY back in time.  It has always been a favorite of mine, and I’ve enjoyed every incarnation of it.  It had been a decade since the last true SimCity game, and the video game market was dying for the return of the franchise.

(poem) - Emerald & Crimson Duet

As I've mentioned a few times before, Deeya was a character in a video game I once played.  In that game, I had several bard friends, one of which played a 'red' bard, which was a great contrast to Deeya's 'green.'  Once, the other player and I sat down and hashed out a duet for the two characters to perform together.

Karn'Al Jex'Ter is a direct homage to that character, though radically different.  In the Ballad of the Emerald Bard: Making the Band - 3, Karn'Al and Deeya sing a duet.  I rewrote the original duet to suit Karn'Al and Deeya, and wove it into the story in performance format.  Here, though, is rewritten poem outside of the story for anyone who loves sheer poetry to enjoy.

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The Beauty of What I Do

Part of me wants to truly believe that art lives within everyone and that anyone could recognize and appreciate beauty.  Unfortunately I know that just isn’t the case.  The world is an ugly, ugly place, full of violence, hatred, and so many things that should make anyone ponder what everything is all about.

Fact is, beauty is something rare, even if it is all around us, and it should be cherished.  One of the greatest beauties in the world is simply to create.  I’m shocked to say this, but There was a country singer who said something truly amazing the other day as I was watching TV.  He said, “If I couldn’t do this for a living, I’d still do this.”  I thought about that quote and instantly applied it to myself.



The problem is...I don’t do this for a living.  I sure wish I did, but yeah...this is most definitely a hobby.  There’s so much I want to do with writing, so many stories to tell, that I know I am simply enjoying writing, and that I enjoy it enough to do it no matter what.  No one knows how truly blessed I am to be able to do this as much as I do.

Luckily with the wedding over, Lisa and I are finding ourselves a bit more time to get down to what we need to be doing.  In the weeks leading up to the wedding, I got seriously behind on my blogging schedule, and I still have tons to do to catch up, but at least I’m getting the opportunity to.

Writing has always been something I’ve loved to do.  I’ve always had a fantastical imagination, and one of the true joys of such an imagination is to share the stories, share the dreams.  The idea that I can write something, and someone else read it, and it affect their lives is something truly extraordinary, and beautiful.

And I honestly say that from experience at both ends.  I’ve read such wonderful things in my life, that have opened up my heart, soul, and mind to things beyond reality, giving me new dreams and old friends.  I’d like to think I’m working towards that goal of doing the same for someone else.

Beyond all of that, though, is me just having the time to do this, the time to create.  Time that I use to full advantage, and a wife that doesn’t see it as a waste of time.  Even if I never see anything out of it, she is truly appreciative of the art that I make here, and the writing that I do.

I might have just married the perfect woman for me, but I know that deep down, I will always strive to deserve her, because I never feel that I will.  I am humbled and awed by her so many times each and every day.  She believes in me and pushes me in every way, even if she doesn’t understand the vision, simply because she believes in me and trusts me.  And I know, that I will forever be sure that I earn that from her.

Creating is something amazing, and I get to do it on a daily basis, and share it with you, my readers.  Whether or not I succeed in doing it entertainingly enough is in your eyes, but the fact that I get to try is all because of Lisa.  “I don’t do this for a living, but I still do it.”  And that is something truly wonderful.

The Loss of Internet Connection

There’s nothing quite like an internet outage in this day and age.  Wake up, get the computer running, and boom, nothing you can do.  It’s a pretty crazy feeling to feel this kinda helpless.  All the stuff that keeps me connecting to the outside world has fallen silent, and it’s a pretty interesting feeling.

To me, it’s the loss of connectivity.  Most of all I do now is online, this blog for instance.  With an internet outage, I have no way of connecting to it.  I mean, sure, there are things I can do around the house, but as I write this, I’m sitting her in my scheduled blog time.

Wedding Vows

Here is a copy of the wedding vows Lisa and I wrote together, and gave to the preacher to read to us so we could answer "We Do" to them.  This ceremony itself was a total of nine minutes.  Very short and sweet, but encapsulated everything we wanted.

I stood with the preacher, and watched my Best Man and the Maid of Honor walk in, followed by the Groomsman and Bride's Maid (who were a married couple), followed by Lisa who was walked by CJ.  Upon reaching the altar and after the prayer, we had a small ceremony to invite me to be CJ's stepfather: