I HAVE A NEW BLAG!

You can find it

Here- http://freebornadventures.blogspot.com/

An Ode to Team Fortress 2

Uh...TF2?  You were working yesterday...
and all of last week
though now you quit
while to game, I seek
not on the xBox or fancy Wii
I just want to play on my PC
but the game keeps on crashing
I'm lacking some script
there is no bright flashing
my screen's like a crypt
"Oh, Team Fortress 2!"
I worry and shout
"Is there nothing you can do
to help a girl out?"
And so I sit staring
at my blue screen
with only Facebook and blogging and such
and I know it sound mean
but, guys, the game it isn't a crutch
I just want to play
my eyes all a-gleam
so much for today
thanks SO MUCH, Steam

People are Strange

     I am dead-set on becoming a librarian right now.

Right now, in a world where books made of paper are starting to slowly disappear.

In a world where the only places I really feel at home are having shorter

and shorter

and shorter

hours.

      I want to be the person smiling behind the counter who knows what's in the back room.  I want to be the person who makes sure the covers aren't falling off of books, the person who barcodes all of the fiction works in a matter of weeks(until I worry my hands will fall apart from the copy/pasting).

     I want it so bad.  So terribly bad.  I may never get to have it.  

     Books are disappearing because it is more eco-friendly, easier to carry and easier to purchase novels and typed literature on kindles and eReaders and iPads.  Does nobody care for the scent of a book anymore?  I have nothing excessive against this, but I can't help but feel a bit hurt.  

     A bullied kid on the playground would get beat up for an iPad, but a book?  The little demons find no value in a book.  Trust me.  

     I feel like technology is leaving me behind.  My media is out-of-date.  I should watch the news, or read it online.  I should already have some fancy reading machine.  I should have Marty's hover-board from Back To The Future 2 (okay, the last one's wishful thinking).  

      I still like the newspaper, I am enamored with the ever-shrinking funny pages. I love my books, and have re-bound a few, myself. I really do want the hover-board, though.  

      Last year, I worked in the library after class almost every day.  It was amazing.  I have been working the library this year, too.  I have been teaching the Freshmen how to handle the front desk, how to check books in and out and how it makes life easier to alphabetize the books on the cart before you put them back on the shelves.  

     I found my dream job, the only problem is, it looks like it might be gone by the time I'm able to have it.  

Camping, Goo-Monsters, The Mess and Weird Summer Nostalgia

     First, Camping!  I happen to have a family and large "village" of people who camp, dirtbike, surf, skateboard, be musical, be strange and be there. I went camping for a week with said group of people.  This is where I finished Lamentaion (which I found to be a very worthy endeavor.)

     AG, what did you do on this trip you adventuresome and daring adventurer?

Well, since you asked so kindly...

Most of what I did was read and jump off of rocks.

But, I also
Caught a frog,
Called a river a lake,
Ate S'mores,
Geeked out with my cousin-person,
Took illegal(ish) river showers,
Celebrated my Aunt and Uncle's Anniversary,
Played 'Catchphrase' for the first time,
AND
Last, but definitely not least,
I got to spend time with some of my favorite people. Ever. *

     Something I think Hyperspace would want me to mention is that he has full permit and is close to being able to drive to were I am. This will be a big improvement from our current approxiamtely-once-every-three-months arrangement. I have a standing offer with Addyday for driving lessons in the college parking lot.   


     There is a new Goo Monster in my part of Cali. She is the daughter of the sister of Blondie. Which makes me sort of an Aunt, I guess. She is loud and smelly and has adorable toes. She also has the same largeish head that both of her parents had as Goo Monster/Very  VERY small people. 
     The Mess is nearly clean. Which is nothing short of miraculous. It only took me two months. (NOTE: the sarcasm)
     My summer is nearly over, but I hope to get my summer homework done and at LEAST 

spend at least one more day at the beach. 

*Ammamay is more for "outdoorsing". I don't mind tents.

Love You, Stranger,
AG

The Dollar Tree, Lamentation and Pork Skins

Have you heard of the Dollar Tree?

It's a store where EVERYTHING inside is a dollar.

  That makes it a very useful place for people like me who happen to not have a very large amount of spending money. 

On a recent trip to this wondrous place I made two very important purchases. 

1)Pork Skins

and

2)Lamentation

Ok. so, why would pork skins be an important purchase?

     Porks skins are something I have wanted to try for about two years.  It has taken two years because I was very wary about buying them.  The most common argument against being “what if I don’t like the snacky foodstuffs contained in this bag? what if it tastes terrible?”

     The Truth, which I find not hard to admit whatsoever - is that I absolutely, unashamedly, through-and-through find pork skins to be disgusting.  That is one dollar I am never getting back.  

I regret nothing.  

  The other VIP I am talking about is a book.  It is by Ken Scholes.  The advance praise on the cover is from Orson Scott Card!  To those of you familiar with the iconic science fiction work Ender’s Game, that’s a pretty big deal.  

  So, I’m sifting through these books and none of them look particularly interesting for a light read.  There’s some political books, about a bajillion romance/detective books, a book on natural aphrodisiacs and a few “self-help” books.  

     When my friend who was just about through with being checked out pointed out Lamentation “This one looks a bit interesting” and walked out the door.  

This one looks a bit interesting, indeed

I pick up the book, complete my purchase and after consuming five-and-a-half pork skins, dumping the rest, making my way home and finding a nice soft spot to read, I’m hooked.  

One thing before I go- I have a habit of finding mistakes in published works.  Not out of spite, but because I like details.  

On page 71 of Lamentation Lady Jin Li Tam has “Piercing blue eyes”, but on page 121 her eyes are “blazing green”. 

-AG

I have been busy...

...and so, I haven't had a chance to write as often as I like.  Finals came and went, along with several birthdays.  I have dabbled in vlogging a little bit, y'know, to test the waters.   I didn't do as well in school as I normally do, but I'd rather not go through the terrifying experience of reliving THAT.  Let's just say I'm retaking history this summer and I'll be glad when I'm done with that.  There's been some movies I'd like to review and books I'd like to recommend.  I'm not sure when I will update next, but I hope to do so soon.

-AG

Oh, Ruby, you shall have greatness...

...not that you really want it, my dear child with eyes that flame strange colors and an immeasruable sense of justice.


I got these questions off of my friend Nitz's blog*

1.) How do you feel about Ruby Nation thus far?

     I am really enjoying it, thank-you for asking.  I know that Ruby didn't do any brain-washy-stuff, so I am kind of curious to find out how THAT happened.(PTSD, anyone?)

2.) How do you feel about the ending of Chapter 2?

     Oh. Oh hey. Still curious about the amnesia stuff.  I really hope Elise is ok, 'cause those Apex people don't look really nice.  I am very interested to hear what happened to her as she was with them, because we know her way-back-story, but not any of the more recent stuff.

3.) How do you feel about the existence of the Ruby Nation Wiki/About Page?

     Oh, you vain, silly man.  I like your wiki(even the "NEW, EGOTISTICAL WIKI ENTRY").  I have found it to be a very handy reference guide.

4.) Do you have a favorite character so far? Why?

I still have a silly fan-crush on Jiro(Hyperspace, if you read this, be glad, all of your competition are fictional men who are notavailableanywaysoyeah) but I would prefer to be a girl-Jiro than date the guy-Jiro.  Maybe be a twin sister or something with all the same powers(I already have a lot of similarities defect-wise along with a lot of the personality "ups").  Ok, enough obsessing.  I also really like Alexis, but I liked her in Ruby's World.  She hasn't really been around as much here, yet, but I'm really looking forward to that.

5.) Do you have a least favorite character? Why?

Ratel.  She scares me more than Moray.  I guess that would make her more of a "most scary" rather than "least favourite".  I don't really know how else to answer that question.

6.) What would you like to see in the coming strips?

I want to see Elise's more recent history before the rescue.  I also want to see her smart her way out of this to prove that kindness and compassion do not equal stupidity or compliance(rar, Moray, I will wreck you like that guy who stole my pudding cup).

*Found here: Handi-CAPEable  

Ruby's World

The first Book in Nitz's series.  Begin here, new readers. 

Ruby Nation

The Sequel to Ruby's World and the topic of this post. 

-AG