MrNepathy's Blog

A few weeks ago an unthinkable crime was committed and I was its victim by proxy. By now you’ve heard the rumors, maybe you’ve seen the shocking photos, but I’ve been asked, warned even, not to go to the police. So I’m going to you.

My terrapin was kidnapped right from my work place. Not even Captain America and Hawkeye could protect him. They were overpowered. Though I did not witness the struggle, knowing those brave Avengers I can only assume they fought valiantly to guard their reptile in arms. Now my terrapin is out there all alone. I’ve been sent proof of life in the form of a photo of Testudo with his limbs bound together and a gag shoved in his mouth. (more…)

I’m a firm believer in the guideline to get to the airport two hours before a flight. It’s a pain and often means a lot of sitting around bored, but I like the peace of mind that comes from everything being handled so I can sit back, enjoy an overpriced coffee and watch something I’ve watched a dozen times before. So I arrived at the airport almost two hours early and got into the short lines for Midwest. Rather than having the long snaked path through retractable straps, Midwest had arranged it into six or seven short lines that each led to a kiosk. It was the Tuesday before Christmas, so naturally they were short staffed and some of the kiosks were broken. The guy behind was on his way to New York and then on to Saudi Arabia. His flight was at 7:25 and mine was at 8:30. Despite being the next person in line for about fifteen minutes, I hadn’t moved due to various problems. (more…)

The ball is about to drop on 2009 to draw this year to a close. For the past few years I’ve written an end-of-the-year wrap up about my life. Last year was a little difficult given the events that transpired so I tried to find the highlights amidst the darkness. While this year did not have anything so life altering it was still not a year without pitfalls. However it was also a year of some great things. So here we go, diving into the year that was 2009. (more…)

Quaydo was growing impatient as he watched the Imperial captain look over the permit.

The Rodian wrapped his long fingers around his elbows as he crossed his arms.

This kept him from drumming the suction cups at his fingertips onto his belt and the pistols holstered there.

“Is there a problem Captain Reeves?” he said in his eerily soothing tones. (more…)

Once again it’s time for me to make picks that hold no meaning for the world, but might possibly make some of you a little irritated. Actually some of these even irritate me because I look back at them and think to myself, “Boy was I stupid.” Mostly this relates to my praise for Gears of War. As I type that I realize something. We don’t italicize the titles of games, which only adds to Roger Ebert’s statement that video games are not art. That is a statement with which I disagree.

At any rate here are my choices, feel free to disagree vehemently but not violently. (more…)

The day that Modern Warfare 2 came out, I was at work eagerly awaiting my time to leave and pick up the game. The whole day the phrase, “Spin them up” kept running through my head. For those that don’t know, it’s a phrase that pertains to mini-guns. A mini-gun is a six-barreled weapon where the barrels rotate as it fires. Because the weapon will not fire immediately upon pulling the trigger, the operators will frequently rotate the barrels with a light squeeze of the trigger prior to needing to fire. It’s a way to warm up the weapon and keep it ready. This process is often referred to as “spinning them up.” (more…)

About a month ago, due to high volume and a surge of demands of our services, my department was told that we would have to move back to a mandatory 45-hour work week. It seems that margins are down and so the upper echelon of the company wanted cost analysis reports for the top twenty accounts for each terminal. Someone thought it would be a good idea to demand all of these at once and make them a rush. We were already busy because of various economic factors. In the bad economy a lot of shippers wanted to reduce rates so they have been out shopping for new carriers. Worse still is the fact that UPS and FedEx both decided to move beyond small packages and get into the freight business. They did this at virtually the same time. Yellow and Roadway also merged, creating a larger company. With so many large companies out there, it has created a freight system that exceeds demand. If there are ten companies that each make ten TV sets per year but there are only ninety people looking to buy one TV each, there’s a problem. Things are not going well for Yellow/Roadway and the freight world seems to be holding its breath that Yellow/Roadway collapses. It would potentially reverse the situation turning it from a shipper’s market into a carrier’s market. But the short version of this entire thing is that I’m working 45 hours per week and as I’m salaried, I get paid the same as when I was working 40. (more…)

It was a blustery morning in the valley. The storm possessed two qualities beyond all others: wrath and patience. But the wind was far too impetuous rushed out to announce the storm’s impending arrival. Leaves, long dead and trampled since the start of autumn months prior, were kicked up into the air and tossed about in seemingly random swirls. (more…)

As the night stretched on, Thatus’s strength waned. When the world was at its darkest, his head slumped forward and his breathing grew more shallow. All the while Celia held onto his hand, sometimes lifting it to kiss the back. The warmth of her lips was usually enough to make his head lift again as he woke. He tried to tell her, and Dalen, that it was the fatigue of the journey and not his injuries that made his eyelids so heavy. The weakness of his voice and the dreary slur of his words showed the truth. (more…)

Pitok stood over Thatus who had just suffered a terrible blow and was now slumped against the wall of the keep. Blood marked the corners of his mouth and the front of his quilt armor. Just as the god of wagers was about to swing, he heard Celia’s prayer end. He tilted his right ear towards the sky, listening for a moment. When he turned back to Thatus, he sneered. The expression on his face was one of smug victory. (more…)