The Secret Cave of the Blue Avenger

Status record

2011-04-04T01:09:00.001-07:00

Three ounces of Jamison's. I'm just saying.

Dawn of Mankind

2009-09-19T15:39:00.009-07:00

Peering back through the mists of time we see two hairy bi-peds with a glimmer of inteligence in their eyes.

It is the Dawn of Mankind........

On of the bi-peds hits the other with a large club.

Eeg - Hey! Why you do that?
Oog - It called "aggression." I just invented it.

The other bi-ped takes his club and with a long sweeping arc hits the first one in the legs knocking him to the ground.

Eeg - Hey! Why you do that?
Oog - It called "humor." I just invented it. It like "aggression" only funnier.

The mists of time close in once again.

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Quotes

2009-09-05T21:23:00.007-07:00

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Origonality is the art of hiding your sources -

Variously ascribed

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Origonality is a genetic mutation -

Me

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I'm such a genious that I often don't understand a word I'm saying -

Oscar Wilde

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I'm back

2009-09-04T18:30:00.002-07:00

I'm back

All for now

Blue Avenger out

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A Story

2009-02-26T04:46:00.002-07:00

Last Writes

The light outside looked strange by the time I finished my studies. I moved to the window to see better. Gray clouds covered the sky and I could sense an electric charge in the air. Weariness was threatening to overcome me but I…

FFFFFFTTT….. He yanked the paper out of the typewriter, crumpled it up and threw it on the floor in the area of the wastebasket. That’s all wrong, he thought. After inserting another piece of paper he folded his hands and stared at its white blankness.

Waves of heat danced across the seemingly endless expanse of sand. The Colonel hitched up his pack, settling it into a more comfortable position. Sweat trickled down the back of his neck. He pulled on his gloves and pulled up his hood, covering up the last of his exposed skin. “It’s going to be a long day,” he thought….

FFFFFFFFFTTTTTT……..Yanking and crumpling viciously, he threw the paper, this time not anywhere near the wastebasket. That won’t do either, he thought. After inserting another piece of paper he cracked his knuckles, took a deep breath then let it out slowly. He stared at the paper. He got up and paced around the room. He thought, I should’ve brought my laptop instead of using this old typewriter. Yeah, but then I’d be tempted to check my e-mail. The reason I came to this cabin all alone was to get away from distractions so that I could really write. He sat down.

It was surprising how quickly he got to the heart of the matter. He saw her eyes widen, just momentarily, at his statement that so casually exposed what she thought was so secret. She quickly recovered her composure. Looking at him through heavily lidded eyes she purred, “Why Detective Bronson, how could you even think such a thing about me. Please give me a chance to show you how wrong you are.”
The implied invitation in her voice was definitely kicking his body heat up a few degrees….

FFFFFFFFTTTTT………Yanking, crumpling and throwing, the motion brought a small amount of catharsis. Crap! That’s still not right, he thought. Getting started is always the plight of the writer. It was like his first book. Once he got started, got into the groove, it just flowed. It was like catching a wave and riding it all the way. First book, yeah, right. Only book is what it was, and I haven’t been able to catch that wave since.

“How oddly appropriate that we should meet here, “said Cavanaugh to his arch enemy Professor Dunlap. The two men stood facing each other in the richly appointed environs of the Adventurers’ Club, wary as rival tigers.
“Yes.” rasped Professor Dunlap, “although it wasn’t mere chance that brought us here together today, “he added as he reached into the deep front pocket of his jacket…..

FFFFFFFFFTTTTTT………Yanking and crumpling with a bit less vehemence, he tossed the wad of paper with others on the floor. He bit his lip in thought. His favorite quote from Pritchard kept running across his mind; “Though the writer’s lot is rough I will always choose to be in the company of those excited by the clever turn of a phrase.” He then got up to get himself some coffee. Sipping a steaming cup of the strong, black brew, he sat down at the typewriter, put another piece of paper in and stared at the blankness.

He was done waiting for her. Just another dame treating me like a patsy, he thought. You were played for quite the fool once again, eh, Billy boy? Well no more, he thought, I’m moving on and from now on it’s looking out for numero uno. That’s right, this guy’s going to have some fun and no woman’s ever going to get her hooks in me again. But even as he blustered to himself he could feel his traitorous heart burning and yearning for that one true love he just knew must be out there……

FFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTT……….He threw it with the others in the growing pile of paper near the wastebasket. He ground his teeth and sucked in another deep breath letting it out slowly. No need to force it he thought, I’ve got lots of time. He inserted another piece of paper, rubbed his eyes, sipped his coffee and leaned back in his chair. I’ve got to focus, he thought. All these ideas but I’ve got to focus on just one or two good concepts. He thought about his one and only published novel. How clear the story and the characters appeared to him as he was writing it. Although he had written a few stories and essays since, nothing seemed as certain and as powerful as that experience.

The tempest tossed the tiny craft as torrents drenched the lone occupant. He clutched the boat with frantic strength as it was flung first one way and then the other. The desire for revenge that burned within him matched the fury of the storm that raged around him. On and on he held with grim determination and though the wind and rain abated, his hatred only grew stronger and it sustained him. He must survive, he would survive and one day those who had betrayed him would pay……..

FFFFFFFTTTTTT………Yanking and crumpling the paper he flung it away from himself with little regard for direction. Rats! He thought. That’s still doesn’t feel right.
But I can get this, I know I can. I’ve done this before and I know I’m not just a one hit wonder. To be honest, hit might not be the right word. The book was modestly successful but never quite what he had hoped for. Still, it had found an audience and he recalled fondly how his nephew was excited and impressed by it. Never having had kids of his own it was quite something for him to be such a hero in his nephew’s eyes.

The day the circus came to town was the worst day of Milton’s life. One minute he was enjoying himself along with the rest of the audience, and the next he was running in panic and terror as several rogue elephants went on a rampage. But things really went down hill when he sought refuge in one of the performer’s tents and came upon a most surprising scene: one of the circus clowns was holding a large bloody knife and standing over a bloody, lifeless body….

FFFFFFFFFTTTTTT………..He yanked the paper and crumpled it, pausing a moment in thought before tossing it carelessly over his shoulder. It’s coming to me, he thought. It’s right there at the edge of my awareness. He sat very still trying to latch onto the elusive idea that was percolating in his brain. After a few minutes he decided that he needed another cup of coffee. Returning with a fresh cup he sat sipping it and thinking. He then inserted another clean sheet of paper in the old machine. An idea was slowly forming in his head. He sipped and thought, sipped and thought. Then the mental clouds started clearing away and the idea emerged like the sun after a storm illuminating a beautiful countryside. The more he examined the scene the more excited he got. He thought, yes, this is it, I’ve got it!

He then began to type. It started to flow out of him like water. His vision was clear and vibrant. He started to fill page after page and even though he sometimes stumbled, sometimes backtracked and rewrote, the vision energized and sustained him. He found that wave and it carried him along. For days he wrote barely remembering to eat and sleep. He told the story, remaining true to his vision and it felt exhilarating. When he finished the last page he was tired but content.

* * *

When he hadn’t returned from the cabin they went to check on him. They found him seated at his typewriter, his heart had stopped. He had no family but his nephew and his nephew’s wife and they came to the cabin to dispose of his property.
“I suppose we’re going to have to sell this place,” said the nephew.
“Well, it’s too far for us to come to make use of it,” said his wife, “and besides this building isn’t much more than a shack that’s about to fall down. We couldn’t afford to rebuild anything here.” The wife spied the manuscript sitting on the desk. She picked it up and began to read through it.
“What’s that?” asked the nephew
She put the manuscript back down. “It’s just more of that overwrought drivel that he liked to write.” she answered. ‘It’s a lot like that other book he wrote, the one you used to think was so cool when you were a kid. I think he should’ve concentrated more on his insurance business instead of always trying to be a writer.”
“Maybe,” said the nephew,” but all his life he wanted to be a writer. I think it’s good that he died doing something he loved.”
“I suppose,” sniffed his wife.

...

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Last Weekend

2009-02-06T02:21:00.007-07:00

Last weekend Angel and I went to San Diego for a couple of days. Initially we went for a surprise birthday party for Angel's brother's wife who is turning 50. While we were there we went out on a boat to go whale watching. We only saw one whale and never got closer than about forty yards. Still it was interesting and we saw a lot of sea lions and a few dolphins who came up close to the boat just briefly. Seeing the one whale let the tour company off the hook because they have a gaurantee that if you don't see any whales you get to go again for no charge. We'd liked to try again sometime and hopefully get a better look.

Also while we were there we found a restaurant that we both quite liked. It's called "Urban Solice" and the menu is unique. You can look at it here. It's a little pricey but we both thought the food was great. I had duckaroni, which is macaroni and cheese with duck meat and a crunchy topping. I really liked it. Angel got the braised beef cheeks with smoked tomato jam. We also had the warm cheese biscuits with honey butter. We took some pictures but since we didn't take them with our digital camera I haven't got them scanned in yet so I'll post them at a later date.

All for now

Blue Avenger out

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About Time

2009-01-30T08:06:00.002-07:00

I had a slightly surreal experience this morning. I have a clock that besides showing a digital readout on its face projects the time on to the ceiling. I just have to turn my head, look at the ceiling and see the time. I did that this morning and saw that it was 5:99. Hmmm. This somehow intrigued me though in my half awake state I wasn't exactly sure why. I even watched a few seconds wanting to see it turn 5:100. When I realized that there was something wrong I rolled all the way over and looked at the clock proper. It read 5:59. Looking back at the ceiling I confirmed that it definitely said 5:99. I then remembered that that second digit had taken to having a mind all its own, sometimes not even bothering to show up at all. So life settled back into its mostly understandable framework of reality. But even after I explained the mystery I still had a nagging little disappointment that I never got to see 5:100.

*Sigh*

Blue Avenger out

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Ho Ho Ho It's Magic

2009-01-29T03:40:00.005-07:00

I've recently realized what I think is an interesting correlation between some of the ancient ideas about how magic works and elements of our modern technology.

The first idea is that names have power and that you can have power over something if you know its true name. This is corresponds to two elements of computer technology. The first is the password (true name) that gets you access to computer files. Passwords most definitely can give you power over many things. The second element is the true name and identity of that user at the other end of the keyboard connected to the world wide web. Anonymity gives people power to be whoever they say they are for whatever reason they want. Some of the reasons are innocuous but some are malevolent. Finding out their real identity dissipates their power and gives you the power to hold them accountable.

The second idea is that you can have power over somebody if you have a piece of them such as blood, hair or nail clippings. This sounds to me a lot like DNA testing. Although this isn't totally like a wizard casting a spell on you, in the near future DNA testing may allow doctors, using gene therapy, to cure conditions or even improve the human body.

The third idea is the ancient alchemists goal of changing lead into gold. With the advent of atomic theory and the standard model we have been able to a small degree turn one element into another. Though not done on a large scale, it is theoretically possible.

So, how do we account for what seems like correlations between some of the ideas of ancient magic and elements of our modern technology? Coincidence? Possibly. Keen insight by the minds of ancient people? Maybe. Or could it be that these represent archetypal concepts inherent in the structure of human thought? Beats me.

Something to think about.

Blue Avenger out

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Fixed

2009-01-15T14:24:00.003-07:00

In my last post the hyperlink I set up for super duper games wasn't working right but I managed to fix it. (YAY for me!)

This is just for FYI. Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

Blue Avenger out.

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Super Duper New Year

2009-01-11T09:47:00.011-07:00

I know that we are well under way in the new year with almost a dozen days gone by so I'm going to have to run a little to catch up. This is in part due to how I spent the first few days of this year which is to say that I was sick. I worked New Years Eve as I generally do after going out to dinner earlier in the evening with family. Then for the next three days I felt like a rabid camel with nails in it's tongue was licking the inside of my guts. Ah, sweet memories.

Anywho, enuf of that and on to this. I have a couple of small gifts for the blogoverse to celebrate the new year. First, there is a website that I'm regularly on called super duper games and I'm giving out the link right here. It is a website where you can play many abstract games against real people but not in real time. You make your move and then later they make their move and so on and so on. This can be done over several hours, days or even weeks. All the games are abstract type (think checkers and chess, although these aren't available there) and most are full info games though there are a few with some random elements. They also have tournaments (some even have prizes) and ladders. It's a nice community of players and you can find me there under the name BlueAvenger.

Second, Angel and I went to the Dodge theater on the 9th to see the Smothers Brothers. We really enjoyed it. One surprise was the opening act, a guy by the name of Chris Bliss. This guy was no kid and although he had obviously been around a while, I had never heard of him. He did a stand up routine that was very funny and very edgy. But the thing that I realy liked was that at the end of his act he did a juggling routine, which, although it used only three balls, was quite something. And now, if I can do this right I present to you a video of him from YouTube.

Makes me want to get back in practice my self.

Ya'all have a good new year and keep a positive outlook.

Blue Avenger out

Tir Gan

2008-12-10T02:39:00.003-07:00

In my study of Ascabol I've managed to work out the meaning of an often used phrase. The phrase is Tir Gan (Tire Gain) and it appears to mean something on the order of "it pleases me to do so." It is probably idiomatic as I can't work out a grammatical rule that fits this with the rest of the text. Of course my study is still in the begining stages. Anywho, it is fitting that I should find this at this time because it fits well with my feelings on the reason for and content of this blog. Tir Gan, most definitely Tir Gan.

Blue Avenger out

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Artist

2008-12-06T15:32:00.004-07:00

There is a youg man by the name of Alex and he is an artist. The picture in this post is an example of his work. He is, in my humble opinion, quite good, particularly for one so young. I don't know Alex very well but I know his parents and they are intelligent and creative people so his talent is not a big surprise. I hope as he grows into adulthood he continues to express himself creatively for it would make the world a richer place. To see more of Alex's art go to Immortal Lands .

Every day

2008-12-05T17:10:00.007-07:00

In my never ending fight against entropy I like to learn something new every day. This blog is (hopefully) a manifestation of that. The picture that accompanies this post is another one. This picture is one I took at Temp Town Lakes where Angel and I went to go kayaking. I learned both about kayaking and how to use our camera to take this picture. I took this picture because I liked the pairing of two large objects, one man-made and one natural.

I'm awarding my first no-prize to Shanon who taught me several things today.

All for now

Blue Avenger out

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Back in the USA

2008-12-04T18:00:00.005-07:00

A few days ago Punkin returned from a trip to London where she had gone with her boyfriend where he was a GOH (guest of honor) at a gaming con. She said she had a lotta fun. They went several places like the Tower of London and the Sherlock Holmes Museum. She's an Anglophile so London was one of the places she had really wanted to see. She also brought back some crisps (potato chips) with flavors that you don't often see here across the pond. These included roast chicken and shrimp, which tasted exactly like what they purported to be, only crispier! MMM..good. I swear by the shade of Marco Polo travel is more than it's own reward.

Blue Avenger over and out

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Project

2008-12-04T02:54:00.004-07:00

While I was looking through the warehouse I found an interesting discovery among the boxes of no-prizes. It was a box of books with strange writings. The top book I set aside as it was only a companion volume to the Voynich Manuscript written by Roger's brother Egsan. The other books were in what I believe to be a currently unknown language. This I found very interesting and I have perused them muchly. I'm working on translating these works and I currently call this language Ascabol (Ehs-Kay-Bowl). I've not gotten very far but the languge seems to be very self centered and has developed from an "I" point of view. As far as pronunciations I've decided to simplify things by assuming all vowels are long sounds, which seems to work within the linguistic structures I've seen so far. The first words I've worked out are the word for "I" which is used a lot. It is eg (Eeg). A word for "good" is pa (Pay) but it means "good" as in "good for me" or as "I like." Anyway, it should be an interesting project about which I say "pa eg"

Blue Avenger out

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Ground Rules

2008-11-29T00:48:00.005-07:00

Okay, there's some ground rules you all are going to need to know to stay up to speed.

Code names: Since I've my own code name you can tell I'm into them. Here are others that'll be
used.

Mrs. Blue avenger will be Angel
Daughter the eldest will be Punkin
Daughter the younger will be Sweetheart
Oldest son will be The Boy
Second oldest son will be MG
Youngest son will be Mkey

As this blog progresses abbreviations will probably develop. Here is one of the first ones: GR - stands for ground rules. Knowing these will make you part of an elite group. Isn't that special. You betcha Red Rider.

All for now

Blue Avenger out

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Attention

2008-11-28T04:34:00.004-07:00

Hey, I'm excited. Ya wanta know why? Well I'll tell ya. I just got a great deal on a warehouse full of no-prizes. I think that they may be a bit irregular but I looked at a few and they seemed fine and I just couldn't beat the price. This guy, Stan, was a real nice guy and he assured me that nobody would ever be able to tell the difference. What this means to you all is that from time to time I will be awarding no-prizes for any outstanding contributions or heck, even when I just feel like it. So percolate on that until next time. 'Nuff said.

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To Blog

2008-11-27T07:41:00.004-07:00

Well I'm going to start a blog

A bog? You mean like a swamp or somthing?

No, no, no, not bog, BLOG! Although it certainly might be a morass of stuff.

Oh! a blog! Hmm, that sounds like a big log.

Yes, I guess it does but it actually is derived from web log.

A log with webs on it, like from spiders and such? It's sounding more like a swamp again.

Oh good grief! You're not getting it at all. Look, I can talk to myself until I'm blue in the face and you still won't get it so why don't you just read along and I think you'll pick up the general drift of things as you go.

Hmm, okay, though I still think it sounds like a swamp.

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