We're back!! I'm just waiting to hear from all my dear Sammeeeee friends before I can feel completely happy. We did not fail. We will mourn some dear friends now, but we will also rejoice that light has triumphed over darkness. The Eidolon will never haunt us again.

And I have never seen a more beautiful sunset as I saw today. Mithras, you are great. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

For when we celebrate:



Don't get pink frosting all over the limo! No cupcake fights!!

Ego adveho per verum quod lux lucis.

We've all been so worried, trying to figure out what Higgs was trying to tell us with his myspace... happyrogers, oppmer, you'll want to know that we found a blog: http://helpfivetimes.blogspot.com.

On it, there's a poem by Edgar Allan Poe, broken into stanzas that spell out FIND TM.

I've uploaded a screenshot of the blog, just in case your browser doesn't display the poem correctly. Click to see the larger version...

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I'm here at the house by myself for the next few nights. Normally, I would be ecstatic at having the house and the cats all to myself for a bit, but instead I'm jumping at shadows and getting irritated because the cats keep making funny noises. The wind in the trees sounds all wrong, and the branches tap against my windows in a not-friendly way.

I should be asleep, but I'm wide awake, and not even the Hashkiveinu has any comfort for me tonight.

It probably doesn't help that I just watched four episodes of Twin Peaks. >.>

It's raining again.

I still haven't seen Pirates *frowny*, but I've been having a good time reading 1000daysatsea.blogspot.com. Can you imagine you and only one other person alone on a sailing vessel, sailing continuously with no ports of call for over three years? Trust me, it's good reading.

I want a sailing ship, now. Pooh.

Hashem Elokeinu l'shalom, v'ha-amideynu malkeinu l'chayim, ufros aleinu sukat sh'lomecha, v'tak'neinu b'eitzah tovah mil'fanecha, v'hoshieinu l'ma-an sh'mecha

V'hagen ba-adeinu, v'haser me'aleinu oyev, dever v'cherev v'ra-av v'yagon, v'haseir satan mil'faneinu u-mei-achareinu, uvtzel k'nafecha tastireinu, ki El shom'reinu u-matzileinu atah, ki Kel melech chanun v'rachum atah

Ushmor tzeyteinu u-vo-einu, l'chayim ulshalom mei-atah v'ad olam.

Lay us down to sleep, Hashem our G-d, in peace, raise us erect, our King, to life; and spread over us the shelter of Your peace. Set us aright with good counsel from before Your Presence, and save us for Your Name's sake.

Shield us, remove from us foe, plague, sword, famine, and woe; and remove spiritual impediment from before us and behind us and in the shadow of Your wings shelter us - for G-d who protects and rescues us are You; for G-d, the Gracious and Compassionate King, are You.

Safeguard our going and coming - for life and for peace from now to eternity.

I'm not Jewish (yet), but I find that this prayer brings me comfort. The Hamsa is also a Jewish symbol.

It rained all day, but the sun came out for just a little bit.  Tuesday night, I'm going to go see Pirates of the Caribbean.  :D

I finished Pattern Recognition this weekend as well (I've done nothing but read).  Now, I have to find another engrossing book to lose myself in.  I'm in a "difficult" phase with reading right now.  Nothing fiction holds my attention very long, and I can't seem to focus well on non-fiction, either.  But I get antsy if I'm not reading something.

I've got Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe off the shelf, so... maybe I'll try that.

Oh, and... I finally got the first two disks of "Twin Peaks: Season Two" from Netflix - yay!  And watched both of them yesterday.  I read, watched Twin Peaks, and read some more.  It was the best lazy day ever.  I hope the rumors are true that a full DVD set for Twin Peaks, including the pilot episode and the movie, will be released later this year.

Sanity is a madness put to good use. - George Santayana

I'd like to just stay home and stay quiet today, but I think my supervisor's hair would fall out if I don't get to the office at some point today. 

We're going on a big ol' weekend trip with a bunch of friends.  I love my friends, but I'm almost too tired to make the effort.  I've got to go to Target (evil, but better than Wal-Mart) and get a six-pack size cooler and a twin air mattress to take along.  I hate that they've restricted coolers on the Comal River.  Do they really think it's going to keep down alcohol consumption to allow only small, personal coolers?  Seriously.  People are creative.  They will find a way to get drunk and annoying on the river, no matter how many rules you put in place.  And those of us who don't get drunk and obnoxious have to put up with the rules made for people who are going to do what they want, anyway...

Ok, never mind me, I'm just being grumpy.  I'm sort of looking forward to the Guadelupe float on Saturday. I've never been on that river before. Shai said it's "hardcore".  I hope that doesn't mean it has lots of rocks. :( 

Stories told too well
With heartless greed and malice
Give no one solace.

A new Sammeeeee. :)