Thursday, February 14, 2008, 04:11 PM - Dumb Happenings
Well... I suppose this is going to be the final update on a person who had once been my friend but is no longer. To set the story up, let me say that Dana had written a really bad novel that he self-published on his website. It's so awful that it is truely unreadable. Unfortunately, he kept demanding that I read it. I really tried. I got to page 60 about five times, but the characters are so shallow, the plot so implausable, and the dialogue so stilted that it just plain can't be read. So there was a day six months ago when he sent me an email that essentially stated that he was only going to speak to friends who read his book and all others would be relegated to text/email. I had been a damned good friend to him for 15 years, and that decision hurt. It hurt quite a bit!
So last month, I wrote to him and asked him if the incommunicato was going to end anytime soon. Well, he wrote back yesterday and decided to list every fault he thinks I have (some faults are real, some exist only in his mind.)
I decided to tell him that I really don't need anyone in my life who uses as his sole benchmark whether or not I like his novel. There is a difference between a fan and a friend. I wasn't the former, but I was certainly the latter.
He used to have an allied spirit named Amberle that was bound to him -- she was a kind spirit. She was to him was Thistle is to me. But I wonder if she abandoned him, since his behavior changed so *drastically* six months ago. Literally, he became a different person over the course of a few days. He had certainly never been cruel before. So be it. I just can't have someone like that in my life.
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( 3 / 1649 )Thursday, February 14, 2008, 07:47 AM - Stupid Criminals
Ok... sometimes my job is fruestrating (since the commissioners don't know how to assign a proper bail), but other times it's totally awesome. I got THREE outstanding warrants served this week on villans who really needed warrants served on them.
Thug#1: He had beat up his girlfriend, so his current case was a domestic violence charge. But there was a brand new warrant for him from when he had apparently beat up his OTHER girlfriend. So I got him off the street. Maryland law may take certain crimes pretty casually, but they're deadly serious about domestic violence. He'll probably get a $100,000 bail if he gets bail at all.
Thug#2: He had a FTA warrant. Granted, it's not the most exciting warrant you can get served, but trespassing is annyoying and he really should pay the fine.
Thug#3: His current charge was carjacking (w/ $25,000 bail). But apparently he thanked his girlfriend for bailing him out by punching her out. Again, Maryland law takes a dim view on domestic violence. So I imagine that not only will he not be given bail on the new charge, but his current bail will be revoked.
It's good to get the villans off the streets. There really are days when the job is totally worth it!
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( 2.9 / 1837 )Wednesday, February 13, 2008, 08:32 PM - Cool Stuff
I've found excercise is really good for fixing depression. The body had a flu last week so I couldn't excercise. But the crap is finally cleared out of my lungs enough that I could do a decent workout.
Well... If I *must* exist as a changeling spirit stuck inside an inherited human body, at least it's a good body! I was able to do 6.1 miles and burn 801 calories. I am grateful for having a healthy body, so I try to keep it in good shape.
So, I guess a changeling life-force must be somewhat more powerful than a human's since I can get the body's heart rate up to 195 for extended periods of time without getting out of breath. Goody! I never feel exhausted after a workout. I like doing excercise, since it makes me feel like I am shining. I can't fly like Thistle can, but there are times that I can at least shine like he does. :)
I also came to the conclusion tonight that I am simply not going to allow Halo to hurt this body anymore. Even though it is a human body, it is a gift nonetheless. It is an obedient body and worthy of respect. I won't be made to feel shame for being a changeling. Being different isn't the same as being bad. I will honor the gifts I've been given.
And that's what I did! :)
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( 3 / 1168 )Wednesday, February 13, 2008, 07:46 AM
Well... one of the differences between being a human and being a changeling is the ability to know souls. Jewell's spirit came to me for a brief time and it felt like a ray of sun from the Summerland itself. There were no words in this communion, and yet I knew it was her and I knew she had sensed my love even from far away. The spirit realm does not seem to need words to express ideas.
She imparted to me the certain knowledge that where she goes, she is loved and she is whole. It's okay to let her begin her new life in the Summerland. It was a goodbye, but not a forever-goodbye. The spirit world is timeless, and I knew then that she would wait for the people who loved her in this world even as she begins companionship in hers. The spirit is forever.
I will do nothing to hasten my departure from this life, but I no longer fear the beginning of the next.
God loves changelings as well as humans, otherwise He would not have given me life. I will remeber jewell and cherish her spirit. but I will also let her live her new life in joy, wholeness, and peace. I will see her again. I can be patient.
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( 3 / 1034 )Tuesday, February 12, 2008, 06:10 PM
I have some really nice friends on Second Life who are Wiccan. And my friend who died recently was also Wiccan (well, she still *is* a Wiccan# except now she's living in the Summerland). So i got curious as to what it's all about.
First... I've NEVER had a Wiccan defendant at work. That tells me that they are a law-abiding people (I've also never had a buddhist or a Unitarian, and I've had exactly one Jew in 2 years at Pretrial).
They have a very simple moral code, yet it encompasses every aspect of daily life. Their ethos is "And Ye Harm None, Do As Thou Will". It is both great freedom and great responsibility. They also believ that any harm they cause to others will be repaid to them three-fold. Their other command is to have love and give love.
They understand that nature has two parts: the physical world and the spiritual world, and people can only be whole by embracing both.
They believe in a higher power.
They revere ecology and want the ecosystem to not just survive but to thrive.
They believe gays are just as morally good as straights.
Overall, I can understand why people who practice this faith have been good and honest people that I have been proud to know.
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( 3 / 1055 )Tuesday, February 12, 2008, 07:45 AM
If you're ever curious as to why the crime rate in Baltimore is so freakin' high, I'll tell ya: the commissioners and judges don't know how to do their jobs! I had to process a defendant yesterday that really highlighted the problems with Baltimore's judicial system.
This guy's RAP sheet was close to 300 pages long and he was also a multistate offender. He was on welfare, hadn't worked a day in six years, and was basically mooching off his older brother for room and board. He had over 75 *convictions* for various misdemeanors and a handful of felonies. He was on two different active probations (drugs and burglary). He did heroin and cocain every day (and sold it too).
he had also failed to appear for trial over a dozen times in the past. Every prior probation ended with revocation.
So... you just have to ask yourself... Why was this guy offered release on his personal reognizance?! Geeeez!!! The guy's a career criminal who never shows up for court unless he's dragged there in chains!
And his 75 convictions? He never served more than 60 days for crimes worth 5-10 years.
I wish this guy was an exception, but in Baltimore, it's business as usual for the commissioners and judges. Aaaarrrrgggg!!!!
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( 3 / 1041 )Monday, February 11, 2008, 08:44 AM - Random Thoughts
Thistle can travel outside my body, but he cannot fly as far as the Summerland. I was hoping that he could, but he cannot. In the spirit world, he is tethered to me by a shining filament of some sort. He flew as far as he could, but he could not reach my friend who died.
Still, I wish her well. I pray that she at least knows that I tried. Perhaps, in the life-to-come, I will see her again.
It is sunny today and when Thistle flew, he shone bright silver. I have energy. I am glad that he is my allied spirit even though his powers are limited.
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( 2.9 / 1106 )Sunday, February 10, 2008, 06:15 PM
I only knew her from Second Life, and I did not know her very long. But i can say that it was a privilidge to have known Jewellfire Ember. She had the kind of spirit that seemed to just shine. She was a loving person and made so many people happy. She played the flute. She was a young woman of faith.
She died last night at age 20 of a very aggressive brain tumor. Her life was just beginning. It just seems like a cosmic injustice of irreconcilable magnitude.
She was a Wiccan and now her spirit has crossed the Veil into the Summerland. The time of sickness and disease is finally over for her. I pray that she will have light, warmth, love, and compnionship in the Summerland.
I will remember her.
I miss her.
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( 3 / 1082 )Sunday, February 10, 2008, 11:08 AM
The funny thing about handbell choir is that my ringing station is next to three gigantic organ pipes. These pipes are about 30' tall and make the most delightful rumbling sound when played. I can feel little blasts of wind coming out of the pipes sometimes. The sound and vibration seems to really make Thistle happy. He likes the music service a lot and most of my ability to play hand bells comes from him. Nancy's closing processional today made those three pipes play a lot and it was quite delightful.
It's hard for Thistle to speak, so I guess his mind is more aligned with non-verbal things like music. It certainly makes him happy at least!
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( 3 / 997 )Saturday, February 9, 2008, 05:19 PM
Doug and I did a day trip to New York and it was so much fun! We take a bus up and back since it's cheaper than trying to find parking and paying all the tolls. Today, we saw the American Museum of Folk Art and it was very informative. They had three full floors of Jewish art. It was really neat. There were a lot of Arcs of Torah and other religious art. There is a type of artform called a "papercut" where the artist designs intricate knot patters by cutting things out of paper and adhering it to a contrasting background. There was also a floor filled with carosel horses that were carved by Jewish craftsmen. It was really cool!
Then Doug and I saw "Curtains", a murder-mystery musical. It was funny and fast-paced. Basically, people get mowed down while trying to make a play called .Robin Hood of the Old West""
Now we're getting ready to eat dinner at a restaraunt that actually features a mechanical bull! How exciting!! The food was pretty good and I got to eat one of my favorite deserts -- bannanna pudding!
I wrote about a thousand words on Chapter 52 of "I, Construct" on the bus ride back. They also played some dreadful political drama movie at really high volume. UGH!
The only negative aspect today was that it is overcast AGAIN! I so desperately need some sunlight and I haven't been getting it.
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