Halloween-ness

Here are the Jack-o-lanterns we carved this year. I have to say that we're pretty cool.


Here's mine



James's pump-a-kin



Conor's handiwork

Watch these videos

So OK Go is my new favorite band. These videos demonstrate why.

Not so much

So it's pretty much been three weeks since I've updated this. Maybe that's because...oh, who cares, there were lots of reasons. Probably. Anyway, a friend reminded me that I needed to update, so here I am, updating. Although she's basically the only one who reads this (at the moment) so maybe she wants something AMAZING from this blog post. Sorry, babe, probably not gonna happen. Um, so yeah, I guess I've not updated because NOTHING exciting happens to me, at all. Ever. In my life. I don't even play my Xbox that much anymore, which is odd, since I used to consider that my favorite pasttime, next to listening to music and sleeping (not at the same time...well, maybe). Maybe that's because I'm using in advance all the time I'll be devoting to Gears of War once it comes out in about a month. So...yeah.

While I'm in a talkative mood...I just finished a couple AMAZING books. Whoa. Maybe cool things DO happen to me. Vicariously. Nevermind. They're both by a new author named Brandon Sanderson. Elantris was a great, great book. One nice thing is that it was a complete story in just ONE VOLUME. So many fantasy writers think they have to write this huge, epic story that spans ten novels, each 700+ pages. That isn't to say that there's no room for a sequel, because there is. ANYWAY. The novel does use some genre cliches, but they're so well-drawn you don't really notice. Also, the magic system is pretty cool. It's not COMPLETELY original, but what really is these days? Very briefly, it consists of drawing symbols, called Aons, in the air--which leaves a visible trail--adding specific details for localization or specific effects, then touching the center of the symbol to activate the magic. Anyway, there's a lot more to it, so go read it. The other novel is Mistborn. I actually liked Mistborn more than Elantris. The magic system in this book is pretty clever and actually pretty original, too. Called Allomancy, the user ingests trace amounts of different metals in a liquid solution. He then proceeds to "burn" the different metals, each having a different result. For example, Burning tin enhances one's senses, while Burning pewter increases one's strength and speed. There are six other basic metals, with a few others that have interesting effects. Mistborn is a lot more fast-paced than Elantris, which I think is in part due to the quickness with which one can use Allomancy as opposed to Aons. At its roots, Mistborn's story is the same rebellion story told countless times in myriad other works, but the details that flesh out the story are what set it apart and make it especially entertaining.

Wow, that was a lot more than I planned on writing. But it was kind of therapeutic. So maybe next time I'll follow suit. Oh, and I'm going to get some pictures of my job. Maybe some of me actually working. But probably mostly of things I've done. I'm proud of the masonry I've put together. And before you make any jokes about my last name being Mason and the fact that my job is masonry, let me tell you that I've heard them all before. But thanks for trying. Until next time.