So, my brother and I have been bouncing this idea around for a few months. It started with a family talk/debate about Grimm's fairy tales versus the Disney versions that most people grow up hearing. The question we put to ourselves was: who is Prince Charming? Where does he come from? You don't really hear about him. He just shows up (deus ex machina?) and saves the day and all is well.

We ran with it. We bounced questions off of each other about what it takes to be Prince Charming. Do you go to school for it? Do you have to be a prince? We discussed things that Prince Charming ought to be able to do, i.e. take care of his noble steed on the road. He never travels with a squire or servants. The idea settled down until this long three-day weekend. And, with _yggdrasil's recent encouragement, I decided to put up a piece of scribble for comments, critique, questions, input, etc. I think the idea has some merit.

Enjoy!
( I am Prince Charming... )

Venom has a nice smiley face. Spider-man 3, though liberal in its story weaving and thus a little too off-kilter to be a two thumbs' up movie for me, did at least do the symbiote's face right. The teeth make Venom. When all you see are crazy white eyes on a black face, then you see his mouth twisted in that fangy grin ... It matters. And, given the arrogance they put into Eddie Brock, it matched perfectly.

I think I've about got Vince convinced to make me a buddy icon with Venom's head on it saying "I'll eat your face." He came up with the idea after we got back from the movies last night. I wholeheartedly agreed to it. When he and I are joking around, taking playful jibes at each other, I'll sometimes pull that out -- "I'll eat your face." You can't really counter that in a battle of chuckles unless you want to stoop to the Honda Element crab's "I pinch."

But, face eating and symboites aside, Spider-man 3 is worth seeing. It's not the best of the trilogy like the critics would say, in my opinion. With all of the previews and clips they ran pre-release, you end up knowing about 80% of the story beforehand, so there aren't that many surprises plot-wise. But a few of the scenes are gems. See it in your local theater or rent it when it's out if only to see the wonderful dynamic between Peter, Mary Jane, and Harry Osborn. Priceless. They really could've made (almost) a whole separate Spider-man movie just by focusing on their scenes and leaving Sandman to Spider-man 4.

Spider-man 3 gets a B for emo-pimp Peter Parker, Venom, and the Peter-MJ-Harry story thread that they did their best to weave into a plot packed with too many ideas.

* * *

Speaking of smiley faces, if you haven't heard Gnarls Barkley's Smiley Faces song, you should check it out on his MySpace page. Very catchy. The whole St. Elsewhere album is pretty good, in fact. Check it out.

* * *

Life has been peculiar the past month or so. Not bad peculiar, but peculiar in lending revelations that I've known for a while and just putting them in the spotlight so that I'll actually act on them. Things and people have fallen away with very little being added back on. The end result is a strange balance only because there's not much going on in my life anymore. Work is going well - very well, in fact. But socially? Nothing.

I'm undecided if this is worth changing right now or not. I want to say that I don't feel committed enough to making a change, but that's not right because I know me. I just don't adjust to sudden change well. I fall into routines and I get very comfortable in them, so a big change to that routine sometimes takes a while to really settle. I've gone through one big upheaval in the past month, and, now that I'm finally settled again, I think I'm just cautious about changing routine again.

I think it boils down to availability of the following: ninjutsu/bujinkan, kendo, akido, tai chi, or something different. I've been away from martial studies for a while now, and I feel I should continue. If I don't resume now, I'm not sure if I ever will. But I find myself unsure what style to take. I don't want to settle - I want to pick the style that really is me, and, past that, is one I can find a dojo close enough where I can make the lessons on time. This is a part of me I've not fed in a while, and I want to keep feeding it more than tidbits.

More must be thought on that.

Does anyone by chance know any good web sites or books on meditation and chi/chakra/ki control/manipulation?

The wolf sits on the hill and waits. He brushes a paw against earth that he's brushed over ten thousand times. He doesn't even notice the soil against his pads now; he's far too used to the texture. He's been on that hill so long that he barely notices the passage of time. Snow and rain and summer sun have beat down on his pelt and dulled its color, but he hasn't moved from the hill. He knew the hill, you see. It was his hill. He was safe on his hill.

With tired eyes he scans the horizon. Trees to all sides, mountains breaking through as purple shadows in the distance. He can smell other animals out there. He used to hear the howls of other wolves, but they were so far off, and it's been so long since he's heard them again.

There's life out in the forest, he thinks. It must be nice in there.

He's ventured down into the woods, skirting the border, never going out of sight of his hill. Food and water could be found in there. And sometimes a bit of shelter if the weather gets too bad. He'd even thought himself making friends with a few other animals. But he hasn't seen them since leaving the forest and going back to his hill. And now he can't even smell them on the wind.

And now he sits on his hill and waits. His whole body trembles from ears to tail at the thought of venturing back into the woods. He doesn't know why he hesitates - why he hesitates to go, why he hesitates not to go. Fear? Anger? Loneliness? He isn't sure.

Familiar scents are growing fainter by the day. Strain his ears as he might, he can very faintly hear another wolf out in the misty mountains. But it's so far away, and he fears his ears are just playing tricks. Or is he playing tricks on himself by thinking they're tricks? He doesn't know, he just doesn't know.

The wolf sits on his hill and waits for something to change.

This is what our government ponders doing on off days when important items of the agenda like oil, unemployment, and war are just too bothersome. Virtual worlds beware.

And, for those of you who still believe in the Easter Bunny, you beware too!

Vince and I took an outing tonight after dinner to deliver pictures to our godmother/aunt Lisa. She had given a bunch of pictures to my brother, and he used his considerable talent with Photoshop to scan and make some lovely duplications. We were going to drop them off, then head back in. Very simple intentions.

I complicated it at first by suggesting we go to Target. They were having a sale on DVD players, and Vince wanted one for his room. Since the graphics tablet I ordered for his birthday was (and still is) on backorder, I vouched for getting him a DVD player and setting the tablet (if it comes) for Christmas. We found a good player that would work both with his TV and any future gaming console he's carjoled into buying.

I also spotted two Christmas gifts for Candice and Bella. Heehee.

So then we get to Aunt Lisa's house and deliver the photos. In the course of just chatting and laughing, Vince mentions that he has Photoshop on his portable MP3 player/drive. He proceeds to install that on her computer.

In the course of him then showing off what can be done with Photoshop, helpful cousin Justin points out that the computer has no sound.

Say what? No sound. Pfft. Vince and I are all over the computer and, in about ten seconds of scanning the drive, we clearly see that it has sound capabilities. So why is there no sound?

The answer: the monitor's sound plug (the speakers are built into the monitor) was not plugged in. It has not been plugged in for the four years that they've had the computer. FOUR YEARS without sound. And they just had to plug one thing in. You can imagine how much we laughed about that!

But it got better. There was no antivirus program on there either! And Justin and Morgan download a lot of stuff, so we were quick to put an antivirus on there, too. It was so funny.

But the best part was in telling Justin how dated technically we are. We were born back when Windows 3.1 was out. Heck, back when you ran things off of DOS! We were born before there was an Internet. We were born back when the top game you had on the computer was Oregon Trail. We were there when Tetris made adults worldwide addicted to slacking off on their jobs just to beat their own high score. And we survived through the original Super Mario Bros on the NES ... and that damnable laughing dog in Duck Hunt that you couldn't shoot no matter how much you wanted to.

The look on a 14-year-old's face when he tries to comprehend a world without the Internet, where research papers in school involved long hours in the library: priceless.

Every few years, my birthday coincides with Thanksgiving. This year was one of those times, which meant that I expected very little actual acknowledgement of my birthday. As I haven't had a big party in years, I never do expect much anymore. But I did expect a long, long day this year as the Scott children (my grandmother and her sisters and brothers) decided to hold a big family Thanksgiving this year. Said family included as many relations in the South Jersey and Philadelphia area as could be encouraged to come over.

I think the total number of invites ranged near 300. About 190 showed up.

Seven turkeys, one giant of a ham, a huge roast beef, and oodles upon oodles of macaroni and cheese, candied yams, greens, cornbread, corn, peas ... the menu was staggering. And, by the night's end, there was still so much food leftover. My Aunt Sweetie said it best when she said, "People just don't eat like they used to." Which is true. But I figure we would have had much less if everybody showed up.

The most interesting turnabout in the evening was the dancing. My Philly relatives and my older aunts love line dancing, especially the Electric Slide, and one of my uncles DJ'd the event. Vince encourages me up there to do one dance ... and then the DJ says that both of us have to stay out on the dance floor. He announces to everyone that we're celebrating our 25th birthday today, and, in Philly tradition (since when?), all of the ladies in the house had to dance with us.

Vince laughs. I cringe and chuckle. I can not dance to save my life. In my wee youth I could - there are videos to prove it - but I haven't danced in years. I can only imagine how silly I looked being passed off amongst aunts and female cousins while some dancing "Happy Birthday" song was played. I was so worn out after that dance.

I will say that it was fun. It made me want to learn how to dance a little better so I don't look completely bumbling on next occassion dancing is called for. And it did remind many of my relatives that today was my birthday, so I got more "Happy Birthday" wishes than I usually do a year.

Dancing and food aside, it was really nice. Thanksgiving is a lot about getting family together, and I got to reacquaint with cousins I haven't seen in years, most of them of the Philadelphia sect. You would think a couple hundred miles spanned the South Jersey family and the Philly family from how little we all actually get together. But, then again, there are very few places that can contain us all if we do get together. Hence why we had to rent a lodge to host the big Thanksgiving in.

So, with the evening now winding down, and five (yes, FIVE) sweet potato pies claimed by myself amongst the fridged leftovers downstairs, I am going to enjoy a cup of coffee and r-e-l-a-x.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

In lieu of my upcoming birthday, my aunt and godmother decided to get my brother and I an early gift: tickets to Cirque du Soleil's Delirium tour. At the Wachovia Center. Tonight.

I just got back and I find myself almost at a loss for words as to how to describe the show. It's good. Really good. It's motion, music, and color from multiple cultures all thrown into this amazingly beautiful chaos. And it works so very well. It's a lot to take in at first -- people on the stage moving, images being projected on film screens, and music going -- but soon your eyes settle and it all blends. I highly recommend it. It is definitely an experience.

In other news, how 'bout that Playstation 3? As of approximately ten minutes to 8 this morning, there was a mile long line outside of a Delaware mall for the PS3. I dare not think of what it is now. The more I read on the PS3 specs, the more I think it is a reasonable purchase for its $599 price tag. But, at the same time, it is $599 - you're essentially buying a computer (handy, since the PS3 supports USB keyboards) that plugs into your TV. As nifty as it would be to have one, I think I'll wait a little bit before grabbing one. I'm in no rush.

I leave you now to wind down and rest because I think I bruised the muscles along a rib from coughing tonight. Not fun to drive with that discomfort, let me tell you.

Are you looking closely? - The Prestige

I suspect the writer in me is on hiatus. I haven't written anything substantial in the past few months, reduced to journal entries and occasional notes scribbled on paper. Other notes have been on giant post-its on the wall at work, but those are with purpose. That I haven't updated my journal recently is a clear sign that I should put some more effort into writing again. Now that life is regaining a healthy and happy balance, I need to start writing again.

Hence, I must put a letter in the mail this week to Tor Books. It's been over six months since I sent in my manuscript. I should check that it even got there.

But, that aside, life is good. Really good. I've found myself in a job that I enjoy very much. I find myself in the mood to sing to the radio when I leave work, which is silly due to my limited singing talent nowadays. But it shows how happy I am. I really understand now how people can go to work every day and enjoy what they do. I don't think I've ever had that before in a job.

My love life is in order, too. Very happy there. My last journal entry came during a hostile point that is thankfully resolved. And, as I know she'll read this soon enough: Candice, get well soon!

I put a good day together, too. I saw The Prestige which was absolutely brilliant. I dare not say a word about its story. I think Michael Caine put it best in a HBO clip when he said that the movie itself is a magic trick. The director, Christopher Nolan, will keep your eyes on the magicians and their tricks so closely that you won't see his magic trick until the very end, right when he wants you to. I highly recommend it.

Also, for anyone with a Playstation 2, I recommend Okami. The art style of the game is a delightful mix of cell shading and Japanese ink paintings, many of which are shown throughout the game. It's really a beautiful game just to play. Nevermind being a god reincarnated as a wolf, nor the wonder of battling amazing enemies, but it has a lot of Zen moments in just going around feeding animals. Really, it's true. You can earn the praises of many a flock of birds by feeding them seeds. It's worth it.

I think that about covers things. So I stop here with a random note: chocolate mint tea takes more like mint than chocolate mint. But it's still good.

Love shouldn't hurt like this.

A good life, a good future, may be gone forever now.

I want to still be here when she returns. If she returns.

But maybe that's just a foolish and broken heart hoping against hope.

An interesting first day at the new job:

I arrive at the office to find a sick pigeon sitting by the door. Jason, the IT guy, said it was on its last legs and no doubt about to die. His wife is a vet, so we all trusted him on that. It was strange to see, though, and kind of sad.

My work station made me envious. I have two flatscreen monitors to work off of. To preserve my dignity, I just smiled and nodded my approval when asked if they worked for me. On the inside, I was hooting and hollaring and constantly thinking, "This is so cool! I have two monitors! Yeaaaahhh!" The geek in me rejoiced. I hope I get to keep both of them when we move to the new building. It really is handy to have them when programming and looking up stuff at the same time.

Of course, my day was not all about fun. (Double monitors!) This is the first job I've had in a while (ever) where I had to do a lot of time sitting and thinking. Programming is something I can do. But being dropped in the middle of a small project with a lot of advanced code in three languages I've not used hands' on yet was a bit daunting. But I think I've gotten a good handle on everything already. I think I can really enjoy myself here.

And, with that said, now ... it is dinner time.