Is UNICEF still for children?
Imagine waking up to a strange noise and knowing that something isn't right. As you get up in alarm, you awake your cat who had been sleeping next to you, and then she too clues into the sense of danger in the same direction. Then, imagine going in that direction only to discover a flag burning in your yard.
Paul didn't have to imagine that this morning, that's how he ended up having to call Crimestop at three this morning. Luckily, they caught the kid and the whole family is being evicted from the park. Aparently he's just come out of the service and he was so sickened by US flags flying in the neighborhood that he started burning them all throughout the park early this morning. Luckily, I don't keep my flag out at night, but I don't like having my grass burned. It'll take forever for it to grow back there.
Anyway, Friday night Rusty ran his Shadowrun campaign while Jen and Trav supplied a chicken pasta and garlic bread dinner with relishless deviled eggs supplied by Kitty. There was some slight complaints about mixing gummy worms in with the pasta, but considering how no one else tried it we'll just ignore their complaints. After all, the sweetness added to the flavour of the dish in a way that was good enough to have seconds.
In game, Kage called upon an ancestor spirit for guidance in reguards to the dream he had and discovered that the people he saw in the dream would come together to combat something, but not exactly as we saw in the dream. If we wanted to be prepared for the event, we were supposed to investigate toxic spills.
So, going to sleep with that information in mind, in the morning Kage went to his neighbors and interupted thier breakfast with the news. Some of them had had the same dream, while others that didn't remember it did remember waking up disturbed in a cold sweat. After some investigation, it was discovered that toxic spills were currently at an unheard of low. The local streetgang reported that the doorstoppers had cleared out this week, which always is a herald of something bad about to come down.
Well, eventually we discovered that a corporation had instituted a new head of disposal a few months back and that since then the number of toxic spills had dropped citywide. He had won several awards and promotions. We decided to investigate; one team as potential investors impressed with the good press, the other as students of mine impressed with their ecological new image on a field trip.
Meanwhile, two of the neighborhood streetworkers were refusing to work due to a new entertainment chip they had bought that they were much more interested in. They bought the chips for twenty-five new yen, much cheaper than any chip has the right to cost to produce. Most interestingly, the girls just lay in their beds swaying back and forth, ignoring the outside world unless the chips are popped out of their heads. Assumably, they might even starve to death if allowed.
Saturday night, Monte decided to run
Feng Shui:
Star Fleet Academy at the park at College and Cury while we ate Rally's chilidogs. Rusty was playing a Klingon Engineering Cadet (Techie), Kitty a Vulcan Medical Cadet (Medic), and Paul a Betazed Security Cadet (Bodyguard, a template from
Seal of the Wheel). After a session in Starfleet ethics, we were informed that it was time to go on our planetary surival expedition. For one week we were to be trapped on an undeveloped planet with nothing but our communicator, tricorder, phaser, medical kit, and one personal item each. On our particular mission were the three player characters, two more security cadets, and an officer cadet.
A runabout delivered us to a jungle planet, and we were told that if we wanted to wash out of teh exercise we could contact the two onboard and they would beam the student up until the end of the exercise. We quickly built a shelter, gathered food, and lost our officer cadet to a snake bite for a couple of days. When the staff of the runabout contacted him after he recovered conscienceness to see if he wanted to wash out, the communication was suddenly jammed.
The engineer was able to rig a couple of tricorders to monitor communication between a Romulan and our runabout. They were discussing Romulan ale for trade, but teh betazed could sence deception from both parties. So, a quick message in Moorse code using the jamming static warned our crew. Eventually talks broke down, the Romulan declared that not all Romulans were happy with the peace (since teh events of Nemesis), and that the runabout crew had six hours to surrender or die. We quickly broke camp and headed for a nearby cave network in which to hideout, but not before we saw the remnants of the runabout streak through the sky.
After a few days survival underground, the two gmc security cadets went to explore outside and were ambushed by transported lifesigns speaking Klingon. Once our teammates' lifesigns no longer regestered, we retreated further into the caves until we stumbled upon a gnarled horror. Once it was dispatched, the ground above began being hit with explosions. Eventually, we could sense fresh air down there when the bombing stopped, so we went to the surface to see what was up.
The USS Nautilus had rescued us. After a debriefing with the vulcan captain, we discovered that they had scared off the Romulan ship which was crewed by Orion Pirates. The pirates had gathered disenfranchised people of all races to their banner, and were trying to start a war because greater profits could tehn be made. The captain let the cadets be on the bridge when he confronted the pirates and demanded back the hostages. We were sent in a shuttle to go retrieve our two cadets and two runabout chaparones!
When we returned to the academy, we were informed that the Nautilus had rescued us before the week of our exercise was completed, and thus were washed out of teh exercise. However, the headmistress mentioned that the captain had highly recommended us and suggested that we would have places on the Nautilus when we graduated if we wanted. So she was going to count our extra amount of survival that we had to do during the exercise make up for the shorter duration and let us pass anyway!
My father called Sunday morning, and we chatted for a few hours. I guess his ankle that was injured in the Superstitions is still in pain when he walks. I guess they had to wait a month before they could do an MRI. He's already back to climbing 5.10s, but is wary of trying 5.11s again so soon. Hopefully, this won't be a lifetime injury.
My maternal grandmother also called. So I talked with her, her husband, her son, and my cousin Jess. I guess the Diamondbacks narrowly lost the game my grandfather and uncle attended for Fathers' Day. My uncle had never heard of the carrot-raisin salad my grandmother had asked me to make again. So, at his request I explained the ingredients and he seemed interested. He mentioned that he knew that I liked bizarre food combinations, so he wasn't sure what to think until he heard what it comprises. Of course, he complains about chocolate bar on a sandwhich despite never trying it.
You'll notice this is a common thread throughout life. People don't like it if you try something they never thought of trying before. The only regular exception to this rule is if several people at once exert peer pressure. Its not like the food isn't all digestible. Nor is it like people weren't intending to eat these foods during the same meal. They just don't like having their whole meal at once. Bizarre, what can I say?
Father Milt's homily asked us if we wanted to know what other people think of us. "Who do you think I am?" On one hand, its good to have critical feedback, to have another fresh viewpoint, while on the other its scarey to hear things about us that we don't want to know or accept. It's very applicable to us all, really.
You already know how my morning went, and then I came here to update (had it disappear and had to restart it), and will now get ready for teh family picnic. Chow.
My elvish name is Dínendal Telrúnya and my hobbit name is Hambut Gamgee-Took of Bywater. Thanks to talonfire for the links.
"All roads lead to Rome; which is one reason why many people never get there." -G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy
Nothing like a split weekend to make it seem like you didn't get one. Of course, it could be worse. I could be unemployed. Always remember that there are people worse off than you. 
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