eXtreme everything

Do not feel betrayed my dears for my lack of communication once arriving at my final destination in Seaview. I'm afraid my cell phone was inoperable and I couldn't get ahold of you, neither you me. Oh well, our hosts had us swamped with activity nonetheless. There was no "rest and relaxation" day as was promised, instead my time was taken with such "natural" activities as fishing and kayaking and such. I'm very sorry I couldn't get ahold of you to get you all down there, I'm sure our plesant hosts wouldn't have minded a few more people. And you could have had so much fun kayaking with us --
on spits of water surrounded by tall grass, seeding us for later growth. Oh and my kayak was tweaked so that when I paddled forward it dragged right to such an extreme that with only a few strokes I had done a 180.
Actually in true smkr form I enjoyed the brush paddling better than the open water. Maybe something in me subconciously likened it to Lewis and Clark or some other ridiculous pioneer story and nostalgia took over from there.
Our host (whom I mentioned previously) needs to be inducted into the smkr hall of fame. I have never seen a grown man with so much insane energy. It was like "everything...to the max" or something. His games of (what I have dubbed) eXtreme ping-pong lasted for hours without scoring but a lot of belly diving onto the table as well as use of the rafters. Turn on music and suddenly there was a dancing percussionist, tapping on children's music sticks or sandblocks or the kazoo. And speaking of dancing, he greeted us with a giant scar on his head: any care to guess what from? Oh and it was he who chose the "river" for us to paddl- sorry forge our way through.
But really? You all probably would have loved him. Just like I did. Which is why we are all smkrs.
When me mum's bf develops his pictures I'll scan a few in and link to them. There's one story that I will need the picture to prove or I'm sure you won't believe me. Until then,
/span

*snicker*

Being all on msn messenger, you probably saw this anyway. Oh well - now we can discuss it/laugh at Avi!

America's 10 Most Overpriced Cities

Seattle is the most expensive place to live? Get outta here! It's not even a very big city!

And Daphne, Portland isn't very far behind. Neither is Chicago, Widge. And even LA made an appearance! But I still can't get over Seattle being the worst. What the crap?

webmaster business

I have all the coding entered -- and now I just need the okay:

I'm going to add a section for "Contact", however I didn't want to do this without consent from other members of the blog. If you do NOT want your email available as a link (without your name attached to it), then tell me asap. Also, if you aren't using the email I have for you -- also let me know.

I hope to work on this once I return from the mission field and vaca. So let me know ;)

And yeah, I realize this is a cheese post. But hey, at least you can see me working behind the scenes. I hope y'all also like that I've cleaned up the links sec's. They looked pretty rubbish. If you've got ideas, throw 'em mah way. Sanks!

-RK

The Backstroke of the West

Sorry for the third post in a row, but you guys REALLY need to read this, especially Widge:
Episode III: The Backstroke of the West

Well, at least...

At least everyone else is as much a slacker as I am. No one else has updated their blogs recently so you all can't give me any flak over not updating mine. Fwa!

Although I have been pretty good about keeping up with the Smoke Zone, haven't I? It's kind of funny, though - I'll start a post on my blog and then realize it really just fits better here - this very one being a prime example. This place is just better suited to the sorts of ramblings and inanities I've been coming up with - or maybe, since my recent posts have all been explaining myself, I feel that I ought to explain myself to the people who will actually care. (Well, maybe...)

My Gosh I miss you all! September CANNOT come soon enough!

Anyway, on to more interesting matters. Belara, that perfume Widge always raves about, came today. I ordered two bottles since I could get 'em half price. My verdict:

Actually, I had one all posted here and everything but then I thought it might be a better idea not to post my opinion and instead to let you guys try it for yourselves, so I erased it. I'm bringing the bottles with me to California so you ladies can try it (and have a bottle if you wish).

If you WANT my verdict, I'll go ahead and post it... so, whatever.

Work Sucks.

No, literally. It sucks the life out of me - my will, my energy. I leave work at 4:30 and proceed to do a whole lot of nothing for the rest of the day, displaying a definite listlessness for anything other than reading and a casual internet-surfing - as evidenced by my sadly neglected blog. And here is the ultimate proof of my job's life-absorbing capabilities: I haven't done any new art in ages, while at Newbold - well, you guys know better than anyone how much time I MADE for that when I should have been studying. Now I have the whole evening and I can't even bring myself to dig out the ol' drawing pad. Pity me. Work is the ultimate Killjoy. Look: it even sucks the creativity out of my blogging!

An interesting fact I disovered recently on msn: people can get fired for blogging unfavorably about their jobs, and for blogging during work hours. Funny, huh?

This started out as a comment

I'm late in on this one. Being at work and all -- but I have heard. Just like I found out about 9-11, in fact. Halfway between awake and dead when suddenly the door springs open to hear -- there's been an attack! Suddenly, things don't really make much sense. But it takes until the end of the day for it to sink it. Takes the tiredness and surreality of it to shake off before you comprehend. Before you understand. Before you start to think...

Thank God.

What mourning would have come should our director be harmed by such...brutality? Such ignorant, blatant disregard for life. Such intentional malice. I mourn for those gone, for those families shattered - wounded - scarred. But I rejoice that we should not be the ones. As selfish as it is, we have to rejoice. Have a right to rejoice. Have a responsibility to rejoice. Don't we?

And yet, the horrendous selfishness of the attackers - the blind evil that some people can do in the name of some cause they choose seriously impares the ability, the capacity, the reverie needed to rejoice. The inborn ability to praise God's provisions - despite.

Humans can be such evil, vile, horrible little creatures. When thinking they're right, good, planning out how the world will get better - how they'll get senior high teachers back for the damage done to them. But they don't see it. They're just being ugly. They're just playing the role they were conditioned to play, built to re-enact when on display. They're just twisted little pawns, and they're playing the game just right.

And it isn't fair to those who have to die. Those who have to suffer - to hurt - to mourn. It isn't fair, but more - it isn't right. They ought to learn some other way. Ought to go about seeking causes - in other ways. Ought to value life. Ought to value others. Ought to value themselves.

But we all can do it, you know. Armies and soldiers and children with playground rules. We all have done it; all will do it. Unless we watch - we'll be ugly and twisted too. Selfish, ugly creatures being ugly pawns this world built us to be. And we'll have the world look at us and call us ugly and blind. And they'll be right.

But for now, it's them. And it's we who are left with the debris, the rubble, the shattered faith in fragile things that's got to heal before we go on. The stopped city streets - the numb slumber in a city that was built to never sleep, never stop. The empty tube stations where there's still marks from the blast. The ripped up shreds of a bus where probably, some little girl breathed her last. The fear in the hearts of her parents, her cousins, her countrymen.

The proud. The brave. The strong. All left with this. Debris. Rubble. Black veils over caskets we'll never bury in ground that's still too warm. Echoes of footfalls that fell their last in fear, in wide-eyed despair, only hoping or some praying that it wasn't the end. In shock, dismay, unbelief.

All the country - left to clean up. All the world, left to sit there and wonder. Whose next? To be terrorized, to be the fallen angel igniting supermarkets to fire just in search of your meaning.

And who will be next. To be left behind - to clean it all up.

And mourn.

-RK

London, fair city, we weep with thee

For those of you still simply rejoicing over the choice of London for the 2012 Olympic games this joyeous occation has taken on a sour face. In the past 24 hrs there have been 4 bombings, 3 in subways and 1 on a bus. With the connection that we smkrs have developed to that city over the past year this tragedy hits harder than it normally would an american. We need to pray for our friends and the country which gave us such great memories.

I am still waiting to hear back from our bald director to see if there is anyone specific we should be praying for.

When your greatest friend is your greatest enemy

Have you heard the latest news?
Marriage is terrorizing the countryside. No longer is it safe to go outside your door. Even staying indoors is relatively dangerous.
The religious right was reported as being distressed and conflicted. "We must protect the sanctity of marriage!...but...but the war on terror is according to divine plan...and if marriage is terrorizing..."

Shaw.

George Bernard Shaw!!!

He wrote Major Barbara and Mrs. Warren's Profession and Pygmalion. I knew it would come to me.

I have Brandy to thank for the revelation. She has a Shaw quote at the bottom of her page. Yeay. Major kudos. But anyway. I finally got it. *whew* That was annoying.

Ok. I'm done. Over and out =0D

-RK

PS. Hope y'all love my highly insignificant posts. I try ;0D

::squee::

I just have to say how glad I am that everyone decided to join me here again.

Oorah!

Wow. This totally could have been a comment. I totally rock =0|

-RK