text:
Hey guys it's Sam, and remember the last time we had a Game n Vote session? I know…early 2011, right? Or was it 2010? Well, I've decided to revive our beloved segment to kick off the New Year, and if one can do that, they must be very honored. Well, today I'm reviewing another Adventure Time game that's as frustrating as it is fun. Ladies, gentlemen, and magical dogs, I give you Righteous Quest 2.
Righteous Quest 2 is the same Adventure Time-themed 2D platformer that Righteous Quest was, but definitely less fun. This game takes place over five (not including the unlockable Lumpy Space level) destinations: the Candy Kingdom, where you fend off Candy Zombies, the Obstacle Course, where you make your way through traps and Battle Cubes, the Ice Kingdom, where you make your way through snow monsters and slippery land, the Ninja Passage, where you make your way through Marceline-sent ninjas, and finally the ultimate boss battle level, starring Marceline herself.
Thankfully enough, this game is a bit more harder than the first Quest, making it at least a bit more fun. The Ninjas come back and now take several hits to defeat, the Ice Kingdom's snow monsters take 2 hits to destroy, etc. The bad thing about this game is that it takes its responsibilities way too far and turns the game into an impossible 2D version of Sonic Unleashed, literally. The final boss battle is simply the hardest aspect. Marceline's health goes down unbelievably slow, bit by bit, and it won't even help if you unleash your full Wizard Powers on her. The game is confusing, head-hurting, and nonetheless a waste of time, no matter how high you can get your score, but I bet you struggle on the boss battle, too!
"A bit" harder than last time
Very nostalgic music
Wizard Powers are normally very useful.
Difficulty is horribly punishing
Boss battle is merely impossible
Finn's complaints when left idle are annoying
The game has a clear lack of substance
Game-play: B- (3 pts)
Play-Again Ratio: C (2 pts)
Style: B+ (3 pts)
Fun: C- (1.5 pts)
Smarts: C (2 pts)
Entertainment: C- (1.5 pts)
FINAL SCORE: 13 out of 30 (sweet muffins!), 2 stars out of 5, 44% out of 100%
CONSENSUS: What's boring, mind-numbing, impossible, and all together a waste of time? Sadly enough, Righteous Quest 2, that's what.
Well, if you don't believe me, you could always try playing Righteous Quest 2 here. Not-so-happy journeying!
Well, you're back. I predict that you rage quit. You rage quit, didn't you? Yeah, you did. Anyway, let's use our gracious poll to see what you think about the game!
Well, goodbye for now from Sammwak…just kidding! It's the new year, and I gotta start it with something we've never seen before…a Game n Vote double feature! That's right, not one, but two Finn and Jake games are getting reviewed, and I'm finishing up my sealed deal with an actually fun adventure: Jumping Finn.
Jumping Finn may look like just an ordinary Adventure Time game with not a lot of hope going for it. Actually, despite its lack of badges, it's the best Adventure Time game I've played since…probably the Sound Castle games. It just debuted in the final month of summer 2011 at cartoonnetworkla.com before it finally hit primetime. The game is actually about trying to rescue Princess Bubblegum from the Ice King like usual, and the method of this game is to kick Finn's butt (literally) and make him go flying. You can even set the power of Jake's kick, Let's Golf-style. At the end of your run, you receive "money" that sums up and is usable to buy power-ups and boosts, like fans, rainbows, and even Marceline and Lady Rainicorn themselves. The game ends when you rescue the princess after flying through the Ice King's castle. The power-ups are:
- Upgrade Kick (increasing the amount of kicks Jake can use on Finn in the air)
- Upgrade Bounce (increasing the amount of bounces Jake can use on Finn when he leaves the sky)
- Fan (Helps Finn stay airborne)
- Rainbow w/ Cloud (Finn gets launched upon contact)
- Marceline (Finn gets launched after being hit by her Axe bass)
- Birds (Finn gets carried by them)
- Lady Rainicorn (Finn can ride her up, but it requires clicking and holding)
- Meteor (Finn can ride it fast and far)
This game is an absolute prime success in its only job: satisfying anyone who plays it. This game is definitely a fun, engaging, and somewhat hilarious entry into Adventure Time's countless list of games and their sequels. Heck, the game even allows you to continue your previous game! It saves your progress! No other Finn & Jake game can do that! None! Definitely a good way to kill time in a satisfyingly entertaining way. If you don't believe me, check out this red-hot rating!
Very fun and entertaining
Kills time very quickly
Upgrades and power-ups are definitely worth the big air
Reasonable storyline
Great charm.
Lack of badges removes hopes and striving.
Game-play: A+ (5 pts)
Entertainment: A+ (5 pts)
Fun: A+ (5 pts)
Play-Again Ratio: A+ (5 pts)
Style: A (4 pts)
Smarts: A (4 pts)
FINAL SCORE: 28 out of 30 (sweet muffins…again!!), 6 stars out of 5, 92% out of 100%
CONSENSUS: It may have a lack of badges, but Jumping Finn's charm, humor, entertainment, and time-killing strategies definitely move the loss of badges over players' heads and make it one of the best Finn & Jake adventures yet.
Click here. Come on. Hello? Why aren't you clicking? COME ON!!
I'm not even gonna say a word. Just vote.
Well, goodbye from Sammwak, for real this time. 😦 But don't be sad! Come back on the 9th for another red-hot Sammwak post! Make sure to subscribe, like (bloggers only), comment, and rate!
Your friend,
Samuel M. – promoting the cure to boredom since 2010
Hey guys it's Sam, and like I said, "more gaming, more voting, and more gaming and voting today and tomorrow!" And an African doesn't lie, so here I am. So, fans, let's recap. Yesterday I gave you Splash Master, and I'm back with another Cartoon Network game. This game belongs to Adventure Time, and it's one I really enjoy, better than its predecessor, actually. Today's game is the mind-testing castle defense, Sound Castle 2.
As a sequel to the Adventure Time game Sound Castle, this revamped follow-up picks up where the previous game left off, but with a few new tweaks (i.e. playing at night instead of day, new quotes, etc.). The main objective of the first game was that you must protect your castle using nothing but multi-colored sound waves from quotes from these AT characters: Finn, Jake, Ice King, Lumpy Space Princess, and Princess Bubblegum. The enemies sit upon multi-colored clouds, and, for Sound Castle 2, they are changed from the first. The list evolves from simple one-hit evil gnomes, to tree monsters that require three hits of one color, to black-clothed humans that require one hit in each color (as their cloud will change colors upon hit). Then you face the menacing Boss from time to time (just Marceline the Vampire Queen's dad, otherwise. But, the Boss is a more sleek name, and is also used in badges). This worst enemy is most likely to appear in the middle, with a humongous cloud. The routine of how to kill it is pretty easy, but its technique might be like the black-clothed humans, but is different in an important way. You actually need to trigger SEVERAL hits on a color in order to proceed to the next. Then sometimes, it recaps and gives you colors again before defeat.
You can also hit little swords of different colors to unlock an Adventure Time super attack. Unleash this bad boy and every enemy on the screen will be defeated (except the Boss, primarily). Also, little bars at the very bottom will be filling. These are for characters (the bars also bearing quotes), and their other quotes are listed above their bars. When they are full, they can be unleashed to send a giant version of that character flying upwards, defeating the enemies in that lane. Pretty algebraic, huh?
But that's pretty much it from the game. All it is, is new quotes, new enemies, and a new time of day. Nothing else. Same graphics, same characters, same etc. It lacks any real innovation. That's unforgivable! That's one big step for a game, but a pretty darn small jump for an experience. 😦 Hopefully, if they ever do make a Sound Castle 3, they can get a little more innovative this time around.
My final score on this game is an 8.5 out of 10, an 85 out of 100. Smooth play, guys, but it just wasn't perfected. Now it's YOUR turn to defend your Sound Castle! Can you fulfill your destiny to slay all intruders? Or will your castle come crumbling down?
Happy defending!
So that's what I meant by "one big step for a game, but a pretty darn small jump for an experience", hmm? Now I have a couple opinions that must be expressed, capiche?
Check back tomorrow for more gaming, voting, and more gaming and voting! I may have only two games up, but the fun's just beginning!
Yours truly,
Sam M. 😉
March is simply the month of luck, greens, and greens. And especially comes that time where I can FINALLY give you another uproarious edition of joke compilations. That's right, fellow jokesters and/or jokees. March's compilation of Joke Time with yours truly has finally come around! (This is also an apology for my long absence. Think of it as a hiatus.)
Where do fish keep their credit cards?…In the river bank!
How does an egg get to work?…It drives in a Yolkswagen!
What type of car does a cow drive?…A Cattle-ac!
A director is screen testing Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger for a film on composers. Not having figured out who's which composer, he asks Sylvester which composer he'd like to be. Sylvester said he wanted to be Mozart. Then he asked Arnold what HE'D like to be. Arnold replied, "Ah'll be Bach!"
A woman has twins and gives them for adoption. One goes to an Egyptian family and is named "Amal." The other goes to a Spanish family and is named "Juan." Years later, Juan sent a picture of himself to the woman, who said to her husband that she wished for a picture of Amal as well. Her husband said, "But they're twins–if you've seen Juan, you've seen Amal."
YO MAMA – Yo mama's so ______……..
Yo mama's so fat, when she jumped off the Empire State Building, she turned around and gave Jesus a high-five!
Yo mama's so poor, she has the ducks throw bread at HER!
Yo mama's so fat, her BMI is measured in acres!
Yo mama's so fat, when she goes to the movies, she sits next to EVERYBODY!
Yo mama's so stupid, she tried organizing her M&M's in alphabetical order!
Yo mama's so stupid, she put paper on the TV and said it was pay-per-view!
PUNS – Lemons are sour, these jokes aren't! SWEET!
I was aboard a ship with my crew and a bunch of root beer. It was told I was being so cocky they threatened to make me walk the plank. And when I did, before I jumped I asked, "Can I at least have one more mug of root beer?" The pirate said, "Of course!" So I took the mug and JUMPED! And I would've drowned if it hadn't been for one thing…ROOT BEER FLOAT!
It was comedy night. All of the best comedians were attending a shot at the best jokes. The next contestant walks up to the microphone confidently and begins, "Crowd, I have a story to tell you." Next, a voice out of the crowd shouts, "WHY DON'T YOU MAKE IT 10 STORIES AND THEN JUMP?"
Did you hear about the guy whose entire left side was cut off. Don't panic. He's all right now!
When William joined the military for war, he didn't like the saying, "Fire at will".
Sometimes feet and noses are built backwards: Their feet smell and their noses run.
I relish the fact that you've mustard enough strength to ketchup to me.
Greengrocers earn a meager celery, come home beet and just want to read the pepper, take a leek, turnip the covers endive into bed.
This would've gone on for lots more, but I can't give away all the rest of the volumes. Come back soon for an April edition of Joke Time with yours truly! Lemons are sour, my jokes aren't! SWEET!
– Sam
Hey guys it's Sam and if you've seen Cartoon Network, you've probably heard of this show. I've become a new fan of it. Like, really. I've caught all the episodes on-demand, and I'm willing to catch more off-demand. What time is it? Well, it, my friend, is ADVENTURE TIME.
This is one of the "new" shows introduced to Cartoon Network in September. It was actually based on a short that became an Internet sensation before it was brought to TV in April. If you don't know what it's about, I pity you. It's about this 12-year old human boy named Finn who somewhat enjoys kicking evil forces in their hineys, and is skilled at all types of combat. It is a mystery, but all we know is that he was born from a cabbage. He really has blonde hair, but he wears an 'awesome hat' to conceal it. He'll outburst and strangely exclaim anything he pleases, and is also bad at math, although he can blurt out stuff like, "Mathematical!", "Algebraic!", and "Rhombus!" And here's the thing that makes me jealous for Finn. Since he ate this small computer, whenever he sings, he sings Auto-tune! Yeah, like Ke$ha! And the thing that makes me super-jealous is that he has a 28-year old (in "magical dog years") dog named Jake that has cool magic powers! Not so majesto! (That's what my eldest sister says to mean, "Cool!") Along the way, this dynamic dog-and-dude duo meet characters like:
Princess Bubblegum, the ruler of Candy Kingdom and the love interest of Finn. Yes, Finn does too have a crush on her.
Ice King, the ruler of Ice Kingdom and the kidnapper of princesses, forcing them to marry him. I know, vague and disgusting, right? If you catch him sky high with his beard, flee. Or else he could zap you into a block of ice with his 'frozen lightning bolts'! Fear his population of snow and ice monsters, but when you come in contact with his horrifying Ice-o-pede…nighty-night.
Lady Rainicorn – This creepy unicorn-rainbow crossover unicorn that turns out to be Jake's boyfriend. Her horn can turn things various colors. Oh, and she speaks Korean! Yeah, you heard me. She speaks KOREAN, like "Annyeonghaseyo!" and "Annyeong!"
Lots more crazy stuff happen when it's adventure time. Catch Adventure Time Monday nights on Cartoon Network!
L8trs, Sam
p.s. If anyone asks you, you didn't hear it from me.
Hey guys it's Sam and the second volume of Joke Time has finally arrived! Since I was fortunate enough to get the Captain Underpants Extra Crunchy Book o' Fun 2 for Christmas (thanks again to Eneke, the eldest sister of my family), I have a boatload of new jokes to tell! Let's get jokin'! (Oh, and BTW, the jokes noted with an asterisk (*) come from my Book o' Fun.)
Q&A Jokes:
Q) Why did the cookie cry?
A) Because his mom had been a wafer so long.*
Q) Why was the mushroom always invited to parties?
A) Because he was a fungi!*
Q) Why does Ms. Ribble keep a stick of dynamite in her auto-emergency kit?
A) In case she gets a flat and needs to blow up one of her tires.*
Q) What's the difference between a fish and a piano?
A) You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish!
Q) What do you get when you cross a porcupine with a great white shark?
A) As far away as possible.
Knock-Knock Jokes:
You: Knock-knock.
Friend: Who's there?
You: Olive Toop.
Friend: Olive Toop who?
You: Well, so do I, but you don't hear ME braggin' about it!*
You: Knock-knock.
Friend: Who's there?
You: Acute.
Friend: Acute who?
You: Acute little boy! (from kidsjokes.co.uk)
You: Knock-knock.
Friend: Who's there?
You: Ada.
Friend: Ada who?
You: Ada lot for breakfast! (from kidsjokes.co.uk)
You: Knock-knock.
Friend: Who's there?
You: Ada.
Friend: Ada who?
You: Ada burger for lunch! (from kidsjokes.co.uk)
You: Knock-knock.
Friend: Who's there?
You: Ada.
Friend: Ada who?
You: Ada turkey for dinner!
And now….the grand finale jokes!
George: Excuse me, mister, I'd like to buy some toilet paper.
Grocery store clerk: What color would you like?
George: Just give me white. I'll color it myself!*
Ms. Ribble: Harold, if I gave you two goldfish, and Melvin gave you four goldfish, how many would you have?
Harold: Eleven.
Ms. Ribble: ELEVEN?!!? Hah! You're WRONG, bub!
Harold: No, you're wrong. I already have five goldfish back at home!*
Become the ultimate jokester! Make friends and family laugh! Make yourself laugh, with these dandy jokes from Joke Time with Sam Mwakasisi! Keep your eyes peeled for volume three in 2011!
L8trs, Sam
Hey guys it's Sam and guess WHAT TIME IT IS?!?! It's JOKE TIME!!! That's right, I've started a new segment on Sammwak called "JOKE TIME w/ Sam Mwakasisi", hosted by yours truly! Be the jokester of them all, telling randomly funny jokes or pulling them on unsuspecting victims! Without further ado, let's get to the jokes!:
Knock-Knock Jokes – These aren't temporarily "victim" jokes, but friend jokes…:
You: Knock-knock.
Friend: Who's there?
You: I'm a pile-up.
Friend: I'm a pile-up who?
You: No, you're not! Don't be so hard on yourself, buddy!
(from The Captain Underpants Extra Crunchy Book o' Fun)
You: Knock-knock.
Friend: Who's there?
You: Sadie.
Friend: Sadie who?
You: Sadie Pledge of Allegiance.
(from knock-knock-joke.com)
You: Knock-knock.
Friend: Who's there?
You: Island.
Friend: Island who?
You: Island on your roof with my parachute.
Q&A Jokes – i.e. "Why did the chicken cross the road"…
Q: Why do sharks live in saltwater?
A: Because pepper water makes them sneeze.
(from The Captain Underpants Extra Crunchy Book o' Fun)
Q: Why did Batman cross his legs?
A: He had to go to the batroom.
(from The Captain Underpants Extra Crunchy Book o' Fun)
Q: How do you tell a male chromosome from a female chromosome?
A: You pull down its "genes"!
(from Big Nate in a Class By Himself)
Q: What did the mother buffalo say to the son buffalo when he went to college?
A: Bison.
(from The Captain Underpants Extra Crunchy Book o' Fun)
Yo Mama Jokes – Yo mama's so _____….:
Yo mama's so skinny, she hula-hoops with a Cheerio!
Yo mama's so dirty, she makes mud look clean!
Yo mama's so fat, when she gets on an elevator, she HAS to go down! (from Big Nate in a Class by Himself)
Yo mama's so fat, she fell and made the Grand Canyon!
Yo mama's so ugly, they filmed "Gorillas in the Mist" in her shower!
All of these (well, almost) were powered from funnyjokesmania.com. Read it and lol!
And a special wrapper-upper joke….Ketchup and Liquor!
This is the final joke of volume uno, and yes, it is our first VICTIM JOKE!!! Grab a victim, and read on. And you must tell the victim they have to answer "ketchup and liquor" to every question:
You: What did you have for breakfast today?
Victim: Ketchup and liquor.
You: What did you have for lunch today?
Victim: Ketchup and liquor.
You: What did you have for dinner today?
Victim: Ketchup and liquor.
You: What do you do when you see a pretty girl passing by?
Victim: Ketchup and liquor.
You: You "ketchup" (catch up) with the girl and "liquor" (lick her)? Man, you are NASTY!
Sorry to bust your water bottles, but this is the end of volume one. 😦 But check back for more funny bone-tickling, laugh-rising volumes of JOKE TIME w/ Sam Mwakasisi!
L8trs, Sam
p.s. What jokes do YOU want in the next volume? Comment/email me your best joke(s), and you could be responsible for the next handful of jokes or less!
Hey guys it's Sam, back and in business at Sammwak!
But guess what? I have a fresh new review! No, it still isn't an app (YET) review, but it's even better. It's finally another video game review. And since I got an Xbox 360, I am racking up those reviews! Today's is a little like SEGA Superstars Tennis. If you haven't seen THAT review, click here!
The only major difference is that this game involves RACING, not tennis. That's right…it's Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing with Banjo-Kazooie, or Sonic & Sega Racing for short.
Now, we bought this game at Video Hits Plus, and from my experience with the demo, I absolutely fruit-tootedly LOVE this game, no matter how you slice it. It's practically the only game I'm interested in playing nowadays. I have a couple reasons how this game is fun:
The adrenaline just makes my heart race as fast as the cars in this pedal-to-the-metal crossover. SEGA Superstars Tennis lacked those special ingredients that are somewhat taken for granted: enjoying it. All you do is hit a ball back and forth. What good does that bring? Luckily, in Sonic & Sega Racing, they picked up those ingredients, tossed them into the pot, stirred it up, and served it fresh and warm.
The enjoyment is a new high for Sega crossovers. The power-ups really set that level for games like these. Any crossover could look epic, but really have the most dull enjoyment, if any enjoyment at all. In this game, the enjoyment was set for no mercy. The expectations are so complete and well-organized.
The power-ups! A racing game isn't complete without power-ups! Sure, Mario Kart had cool power-ups, but this is Sega. This is not Nintendo. And speaking of power-ups…:
Mega-Horn: Perfect in those situations where opponents are too close for comfort. Its blare is strong enough to knock at least one opponent away. Its icon is a blaring horn.
Hi-Speed Shoe(s): Perfect in those situations where there's just that "need for speed." This shoe is strong enough for one boost of speed. If you're lucky, you can get three shoes in one power-up! Its icon is a Hi-Speed Shoe, or three Shoes if you get three Hi-Speed Shoes.
Shield: Always mauled by bowling bombs here, rockets there, and boxing gloves everywhere? The Shield is the power-up for you! This artificial orb surrounds you and your car, and takes a hit for you! It only lasts for a hit before it shrinks out, so think before you use it! Its icon is an orb.
Bowling Bombs: You've heard of bombs and sticks of dynamite, obviously. But have you ever heard of BOWLING BOMBS? These take the most precious aiming to pull off on your moving target. These do not lock on and track to opponents, but if you're lucky, its detonation may be enough to knock your opponent away! Also, like Hi-Speed Shoes, three of these are possible in one item if you're lucky. Its icon is a bomb, or three bombs if you're lucky.
Rockets: Even when Bowling Bombs don't lock on, there are items that DO lock on…Rockets! These also come in threesomes, and you can aim on a target to fire a rocket. These also knock people away. Its icon is a rocket, or three rockets if you're lucky.
Confusing Star: Have bullies been turning your world upside-down? The Star turns your world upside-down, too….LITERALLY! A racer's view is turned upside-down for a few seconds before returning to normal view with this Star. Like rockets, you can aim as well. Its icon is a star. No, these do not come in threesomes.
Boxing Gloves: You've seen WWE, right? Well these gloves are enough to knock a racer away! Boxing Gloves come in threesomes, but like Bowling Bombs, you cannot aim for a particular person. Get a mouthful of glove with one of these bad boys! Its icon is a green boxing glove, or three gloves if you're lucky enough to receive the item.
All-Stars: If you're having a rough time in the race, an All-Star could be enough to get you back in the race. For example, Sonic's is when he transforms into Super Sonic, abandons his car and speeds to the front. Its icon may vary, due to the person using the All-Star (Sonic's icon being Chaos Gems, Knuckles's icon being one emerald, etc.). See what I mean?
Another one of my favorites are THE ANNOUNCER! He will make you lol until your lungs need air. Here are a few of his quotes:
"Food? Water? CLOTHING? Who needs it when you got racing like that?"
"And that's the end of another beautiful friendship, I mean, race."
"Boy, am I glad that race is over! I got sweatin' places that don't even sweat!"
"Hungry for more electrifying race action? Of course you are! Then don't touch that dial!"
"What a show of speed and skill! I can't wait to do it all over again! Until then, take care!"
Oh, and since my other computer has access to YouTube, I'll show you the INTRO to the game!
The characters in this game are:
Sonic the Hedgehog from Sonic the Hedgehog
Miles "Tails" Prower from Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Knuckles the Echidna from Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Shadow the Hedgehog from Sonic Adventure 2
Big the Cat from Sonic Adventure
Amy Rose from Sonic the Hedgehog CD
Dr. Eggman from Sonic the Hedgehog
Amigo from Samba de Amigo
Aiai from Super Monkey Ball
Beat from Jet Set Radio
Ulala from Space Channel 5
B.D. Joe from Crazy Taxi
Chuih, ChuBei, ChuPea and ChuBach from ChuChu Rocket!
Mobo and Robo from Bonanza Bros.
Mii from Wii (Wiis only)
Avatar from Xbox 360 (Xbox 360s only)
Banjo and Kazooie from Diddy Kong Racing (Xbox 360s only)
Ryo Hazuki from Shenmue
A final consensus: Racing isn't all it's cracked up to be, but Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing really includes the ingredients to a successful racing game that are often taken for granted. (9.4, nine and a quarter out of ten)
Here's what critics had to say about it!
Wikipedia: The game has received mostly positive scores. GamesMaster gave the game 83% for the console versions and 70% for the DS version, calling it 'the best kart racer on 360/PS3, but not quite the Mario Kart-beater we hoped for'. Nintendo Power gave the Wii version 8/10 and the DS version 6/10. Official Nintendo Magazine gave both the DS and Wii version 75%. Wiiloveit.com gave the game a 27/30 calling it an "excellent kart racer", praising it's "natural" drifting mechanics, the varied multiplayer modes, as well as the large amount of "fan service" that exists in the game. The online incorporation was praised, however it was also commented that it could've been stronger had there been additional modes, a stronger setup, and some sort of a ranking system. Computer Bild Spiele, a German video game magazine, rated the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions a score of 2.32 out of 3. The Wii version was given a 2.46 out of 3 score. GamesRadar gave the console versions of the game 8/10, praising its pick-up-and-play fun while criticising its uninspired weapons, whereas the DS version got 7/10. IGN gave both the console and DS versions 8.0 each, calling it 'a clone that gets it right.' GameSpot also gave it 8.0, praising its responsive controls and excellent track design. Kotaku calls it a competent racer which evokes fond memories, although laments that the tracks and music selection don't delve as deep into Sega lore as the character roster. GameTrailers gave the game 8.0 as well, praising its track design and addictive gameplay.
By March 2010, Sonic & Sega had sold 1.07 million copies worldwide.
And here are the emblems it received from GameSpot:
Strong Competitive Multiplayer (d^_^b)
Check out the whole review here: http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/driving/sonicandsegaallstarsracing/review.html
This has been another Sammwak video game review. Comment or email me what game you want me to review and you could be responsible for the next review!
– Sam


text:
Province set to double health data breach fines
June 11, 2015 in Medical Technology
Following several "high profile" healthcare data breaches, the health minister of one Canadian providence has promised to make patient privacy more of a priority by doubling the fines for a healthcare breach.
In a Wednesday press conference Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins, MD, said he will again be introducing health privacy legislation in the fall that would effectively double fines for individuals and organizations found to have violated the province's health privacy law, CTV News reported. The fines, Hoskins said, would increase to $100,000 for individuals and $500,000 for organizations.
"Over the course of the past almost year, there have been a number of, perhaps I can call them high profile breaches, that have occurred in hospital environments of Ontarians – all of them completely unacceptable," Hoskins said to the press. "Electronic medical records, health records, are a very positive development, but we need to make sure we're providing the safeguards."
This announcement follows several Ontario health privacy breaches that have made big headlines in recent months, including the compromise of former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's medical record, after two hospital employees inappropriately accessed his files.
Despite the province's health privacy law, Personal Health Information Protection Act, being established back in 2004, there have been no full prosecutions by the government under the law, leading to criticism over lack of action.
Currently, in the U.S., civil penalties for HIPAA privacy and security violations stand at up to $50,000 per violation for breaches involving willful neglect that remain uncorrected.
Most recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights, the division responsible for enforcing HIPAA, hit Cornell Prescription Pharmacy with a $125,000 settlement for violating HIPAA. The Denver-based pharmacy disposed of paper medical records in a unsecured public location on site, without shredding.
Article source: http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/province-set-double-health-data-breach-fines

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Sunday, 13 October 2013
Maneki Neki-NO - Grumpy cat and his buddies
11 comments:
they one with keyboards is so cute <3ReplyDelete
I will buy anything you make with these cuties. What an inspired idea. :)ReplyDelete
Oh my goodness, those fuggin' ADORABLE! I especially love the Grumpy Cat and Nyan Cat. They'd look great on greeting cards and on stickers >^__^<ReplyDelete
Nina // lefancygeek.com
Please yes. One of those cats should be poking out of a box (MARU!). They would make great notecards!ReplyDelete
Super Starling! / http://www.superstarling.com
haha those kittens are adorable. Marcel does faces like these <3ReplyDelete
AGHHHH! So cute. I want to rub all their bellies.ReplyDelete
oh my gosh soo cute :)ReplyDelete
yes they would make such fun stickers and happy cards that would make someone's day :)
so good, I love the lil bub one, eep!ReplyDelete
- Anonymous14 October 2013 at 05:50
These are so perfect, I really hope you make them into cards or prints because I am totally in love :DReplyDelete
Oh goodness. These are ALLLLLLL sorts of adorable.ReplyDelete
e m m a ▼ d e e r
Yes! Make something with these illustrations! They are so perfect!ReplyDelete


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Cleaner cells produce healthy cells.
How Flush Your Body Like In A Hospital
There is a way to flush your body that World Renowned Dr. Shinya prescribes to every single one of his patients as part of their treatment regiment do to cancer and other illnesses.
If you don't know who Dr. Shinya is, he's World Renowned for his invention colonoscopy, it's a procedure where they don't cut you, they go inside of you, cut the palet, and take it out. He wrote several books that sold over half a million copies, this one, The Enzyme Factor sold over two million copies and on the back of the book he tells you how he does it. Kangen Water.
Here are some of the pictures before and after about 3 months of treatment. Picture are a bit graphic, take a look.
This is a 45 year old female with Breast Cancer and Chronic Constipation.
This is a 52 year old male with Prostate Cancer, before and after 3 months of treatment on Kangen Water.
Every picture the right side is black and brown, black and brown. The right side is pink and healthy.
Now take a look what it did for a skin condition eczema after two weeks.
Kangen Water is the highest and the most powerful anti-oxidant in the world. Dr. Shniya travels all around the world to treat celebrities, Presidents, Queens. Here is a clue, Tony Robbins, Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Lopez, many other athletes and celebrities drink Kangen Water.
What the water does when you drink is, it hydrates your brain 30-60 seconds, penetrates you at a cellular level. Within 10 minutes the water reaches every part of your skin. The water has the ability to emulsify oil. In School they teach you water and oil don't mix, they'll always separate. Watch this presentation. When you press a button on the machine it will make water that will kill 99.9% of bacteria. If you have a kitchen top, spray the water, it will out clean the oil better, faster than anything you have in the kitchen.
Keep reading and I'll tell you how to get this machine.
Enagic is a 40 year old company that is Original Equipment Manafacturer, the company started in Japan, and now they're moving into North America. This is the only water ionizer that is licensed as a medical equipment. Most of the Hospitals in Japan carry this machine, and 1 out 6 homes owns one.
Now pay attention this is not a water filter it's a medical device.
Levelluk is the only one that is endorsed by the Japanese association. If you go to Enagic it has all the seals of preventative medicine for disease. The largest and most prestigious group of doctors in Asia 6,500 thats the first ionizer they'd ever endorsed. it has all the credentials , and it's the only one that is licensed as a medical equipment.
This is the top of the line, every unit compares them self to this one, we're the same but half off, we're the same but $1,000 cheaper, no, you're cheaper because your cheaper. What catches the eye is the two IOS award, they give the strictest guidelines in manufacturing and no other ionizer in the market place has these. Enagic is the first one.
There is 3 things that I wanted to talk to you about.
1. Anti-Oxidant
2. Micro-Cluster
3. Alkaline
Living tissue and oxidation equals sickness and aging. If you slow down oxidation you'll slow down sickness and aging faster than anything you can do. The water has anti-aging properties.
Take an avocado on a day, like today, cut it in half, put it on the kitchen table, go to the store shopping, come back and you'll know what oxidation is. If you don't believe the avocado the banana will tell you the same thing. Lettuce turns brown.
So oxidation and living tissue equal sickness and aging. The unit, when the water goes through it, it filters it, charges it, splits it and it makes the highest anti-oxidant liquid that's been able to find. Also it's anti-inflammatory, that's why it helps with gout, and that's why it helps with inflammation.
The water has the ability to slow down aging. Because you'll see in number 2. has the ability to get to your cells and has the ability to clean them. And healthy cells produce healthy cells. The water has a very high Oxidation Reduction Potential. I'll tell you about it.
This is what was found. The worst one that was found is soda. For the thing we ingest, that's the worst one, it has (+400) in Oxidation Reduction Potential.
It's one of the fastest things to oxidize. You want to get old faster, drink a lot of soda. You'll get there first, you win. Sport drinks and some of the tap water we were led to believe it was good for us. If you take the meter and go —> here it goes to plus.
If you go to Vitamin C it goes to (-50) in Oxidation Reduction Potential. Green tea is right there about (-80) approximately in anti-oxidants . Then we have all the berries, and the highest that was found was cod live oil. You know if you drink a pitcher of cod liver oil every day, it's very good for you. You'll probably slip and slide everywhere but it's good for you.
Now take a look at Kangen Water, it goes from (-300), (-400), as high as (-700) and (-800) in anti-oxidant. That's the highest that is found. There is nothing higher than that.
The second property it has, hydration, the water is micro-cluster in other words you're drinking tiny water. There is big water and tiny water. You've made small water before. Have you ever boiled a pan of water, left the room, forgot about it, came back and you were cooking nothing but a pan. Where do you think the water went, as you heat the water it get's smaller and smaller then becomes something called steam and steam will disappear.
When you're drinking micro-cluster water it has the ability to penetrate you at a cellular level. Let me tell you what happens when you drink the water, it hydrates your brain approximately 30-60 seconds. Some people think they have a head ache, they have a head rush. Second it has the ability to touch every part of your skin in approximately 10 minutes or so. You should see what it will do to your friends and kids if they have bad acne.
You should see the skin 30-60 days, it's because of the water, it has the ability.
Anything you flush will be cleaner. Question, what are you flushing this with? and by the way, it is the most important thing in your body. Our body is 72% water, and how you flush this machine will determine how it ages, what is get's and how it will perform.
Here is the thing about Alkaline, you can Google it, all the information will come back the same, you can go to the library, all the information will come back the same, you can ask Doctors, basically they'll tell you the same thing. Alkaline in your body always equal health. Acid in your body always equal sickness. Because that's where they thrive, that's what activates them.
Here is something that you should know. Human disease cannot survive in an Alkaline state. It's like trying to plant an orchid in the North Pole, It ain't gone happen. Here is another thing. When a child is born they're Alkaline, here is why. Because moms ambianic fluid is Alkaline, pure Alkaline. And the baby is in there for 9 months. When they come out they're Alkaline.
When a human being dies they're acidic. Now let me say this again. When you're born. When you die. That is called a clue.
What is the worst thing happening in the United States, several decades ago they called it a hear attack. Today it's something called Cancer. Number 1 problem in North America. Now here is the thing, not 80%, not 90%, not 99%, 100% of all Cancer patients are over loaded with acid.
Dr. Otto Warburg received the Nobel Prize for advancing human kind in medicine. That's the highest award an individual can get on the planet. He received it for Medicine, he found the root cause of Cancer. What is say's all over his report, over and over again, how to handle it "Alkaline".
See we were told that our body has a temperature of 98.6, if you wake up and it's higher, you have to do something about it. We also have a normal PH Balance, what some didn't know, it's 7.365 and it keeps moving up as we get older, but it doesn't warn you like a temperature.
The company sells the machine directly, if it was retailed it would cost 2 to 3 times more, retail mark up. The company does it's own financing, zero turndown credit, it's affordable. Watch this presentation and get started with us. if you have any questions, comment or e-mail me.
Change your water, change your life, change your life, change your finances, be a part of the movement.
See you inside,
e-mail: email@example.com


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Welcome back love! Happy new month in advance!! I can't believe 2017 will be ending soon. It feels like it was just yesterday we were celebrating the new year! Just a thoughtful reminder to seize every moment and make them memorable even though it's quite appalling to know that issues like slavery still exist in our contemporary world. Before you continue reading, please take a minute to pray for our brothers/sisters in Libya. The future is really uncertain. Done? Thank you! ❤
Today's post is a tutorial on how to achieve the reverse smokey eyeshadow look. Yes, it's different from your conventional smokey eyeshadow look and no, it's not new. You probably have seen this look on celebrities like KKW. In the reverse look, the "smokiness" is on the lower lash lines rather than on the eye lids.
In my opinion, the reverse look is quite easier to achieve because less blending is involved which is perfect especially for newbies.
If your mirror and magic tools (because, apparently, MUAs are witches) are ready, here are the steps!
- First of all, prep your eye lids using a primer or concealer set with a translucent powder.
- Next, blend in your transitional colours focusing on the outer v of your eyes.
- Apply your eye lid colour using a brush and while doing so, carve out your crease. This gives your eyes a more defined shape especially if you have a hooded eye shape.
- Line your lash line next using a liquid or gel eyeliner.
- Time for the fun part! Using a small brush, line your lower lash line using a gel/pencil eyeliner. Remember, a little goes a long way!
- Using the same brush or a small blending brush, blend out the line using a black eyeshadow (or any colour of your choice!)
- Please be sure not to use a lot of eyeshadow at once, start little and then increase as you desire. (We do not want to look like a raccoon!)
- Apply some of the black eyeshadow on your outer v also and blend outwards to give that feline eye makeup look.
- Apply some mascara to your top and bottom lashes. Fix your false eyelashes if you can (this is optional)
- For a cleaner edge, use a foundation or concealer and voila! You're done!
- Naked 4 two-in-one eye brow kit
- L.A girl concealer in warm honey to clean up brows
- L.A girl concealer set with black opal finishing powder in 03 as base
- Transitional colours (orange and brown) from Morphe 35o eyeshadow palette
- Lid colour and black eyeshadow from Classic makeup 24 eyeshadow palette
- Naked 4 two-in-one eye brow kit- black base
- Kiss beauty eye liner
- False eyelashes in style 690
- Pond's oil control cream as primer
- Maybelline fit me foundation in shade 338 (read review HERE )
- L.A girl pro concealer in fawn and sacha buttercup setting powder to highlight
- L.A girl pro concealer in dark cocoa and Zaron face definer in shade pz15 for contour
- L.A pride finishing powder
- A.B.H glow kit- golden bronze and dripping in gold
- Rose water as finishing spray
Random pink lip liner from local market
This is my first attempt at this and I must say, I did good 😀 (feel free to leave your ratings below) I really love this eye makeup look because of it's intensity and how it just screams bold! It is perfect for a first date or outing with the girls! With a look like this, I advise you pair it with a nude lip colour so all attention goes to your eyes! Still unsure on how to achieve this look? Watch Jackie Aina's tutorial HERE!
If you ever recreate this look, please do not forget to tag me (@anniejaai) I would love to see your trials too! Till next time, bye loves!
Have you ever tried the reverse smokey eyeshadow look before? Or have you been inspired by mine? I would love to know your thoughts, please leave a comment below, thanks!


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I just finished creating my first Squidoo Lens! With this lens I compiled the 'Self-Healing from Trauma" Series that I did here on the blog into one convenient location. I also added some books that would be helpful to you in your healing journey.
So, go check it out!
Leave me some comments, tell me what you think; so that I can make this a useful tool for YOU!! Because YOU are what this is all about!
Go Empower Yourself!


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Here is the latest MIUI 8 custom rom lashed with all features and functionality for your Lenovo A6000 and A6000plus. This rom is completely bug free with weekly updates.
In this post I am going to tell you how to flash MIUI 8 custom rom in your Lenovo A6000 or A6000plus. I have tested this rom in my lenovo A6000plus and it is working smoothly without having any bug.
Refer this post to install twrp recovery:
HOW TO INSTALL TWRP RECOVERY IN LENOVO A6000/A6000plus
- MIUI 8 custom rom(download here)
- Drivers should be installed.
- TWRP recovery installed.
NOTE: Rooting or installing firmware voids your warranty and even bricks your device.So,before following the below procedure follow it step by step.I am not responsible for any kind of damage to your device.Do it at your own risk.
- Download MIUI 8 rom from above link.
- Move it to your device external storage
- Open your lenovo phone in twrp recovery mode.
- Wipe data and cache.
- Install MIUI 8
- If it shows any error try again after wiping data and cache.
- After successful intallation you will get message as "successful".
- Now wipe cache
- Reboot your device.
You have successfully Installed MIUI 8 in your Lenovo device. Hope you will enjoy this ROM. 🙂
If you stuck anywhere, feel free to ask me in comment.


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Hellbastard To Release "Eco-War" Mini-CD And "The Need To Kill" Full Album
U.K. metallers Hellbastard have announced they will be releasing both the "Eco-War" mini-CD and the full album "The Need to Kill" tomorrow, October 26th 2009. Hellbastard recently finished a string of U.S. tour dates, and samples of their music can be found at this location.
What's Next?
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beitrag von AUGENZUPPLER … reloaded
Simon Rattle and Berlin
I was a lucky guy in Berlin. Till yesterday we had two famous and encouraged conductors in this city. Daniel Barenboim and Sir Simon Rattle. Yesterday Simon Rattle gave his farewell-performance from the Berlin Philharmiker (2002 – 2018) in the Waldbühne at Charlottenburg. Together with his wife the soprano singer Magdalena Kožená from Prague. He gave his last concert as the head of this famous orchestra in the capital of germany.


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Despite superstitious warnings, an angry and embittered man seeks solace from a strange woman he encounters in the woods.
E.M. Bryant
Forty year-old Sebastian Sterling sat on the makeshift cot in the shabby cottage he shared with his mother. Of course, to call the place a cottage was a disgusting error. It scarcely passed as livable. The windows—all three of them—were riddled with spider cracks. The big one that framed the front of the cottage had duct tape at the base. On windy days, the bottom would snap up and out and slam back down against the window sill, creating a dismal sound that echoed through the two room shack.
Behind the cottage was a heavily wooded area that enveloped a bright blue lake. It was only a ten minute walk from the cottage, but Sebastian hardly had time to walk around.
His company suffered several downsizings in the past decade. The last, which slashed his salary by two-thirds, sent him packing from a modest one bedroom apartment in Meadow Heights to the pathetic cottage in the outskirts of civilization.
Beverly Sterling, Sebastian's mother and only surviving relative, had suffered a major breakdown nearly thirty years ago. It left her unable to work and unable to live on the small disability checks that she received. As Sebastian's job downsized, so was his ability to pay for her studio apartment. With great pain and bitterness, he moved both of them to the cottage.
Huxey's Plot—that was the name of the area. Meadow Heights hadn't even bothered to annex the area. The only piece of the five thousand acres worth anything was that bright blue lake. But the locals of Huxey's Plot were superstitious of the location, and because the area was scattered with the same dilapidated cottages as Sebastian inhabited, it remained desolate and mostly unlivable. A simple post office and general store were the only luxuries that reminded Sebastian that he hadn't completely been forgotten by society.
"Sebby, we need milk." Beverly's voice pulled Sebastian out of his daily torment of re-evaluating the situation. It was his daily habit of regrets and dismay. He let them play over and over in his head like a possessed tape recorder.
The rickety door to her bedroom—the only room besides the bathroom with a door—jerked open. She teetered out in a fluffy white robe. She had a pair of jeweled high heels on, and a not-very-well hidden negligee underneath.
He rolled his eyes without fully facing her.
"Did you hear me? We need milk. And I'm out of cigarettes."
He shrugged his shoulders and stood up. He had slept in his work pants from the day before, and instead of changing, he simply threw on a fresh shirt. His hair was dirty, and his face looked supremely rough. He walked to the bathroom and splashed cold water around. There was time to shave before work. There was even time to shower. Instead, he slathered on another layer of deodorant, tucked in his shirt, and flicked a few ounces of what was left of his cologne around his neck.
"Sebby? Do you hear me? Milk and cigarettes. Can you get them after work? Or can you leave me money?"
He caught his own smirk in the mirror. With little care, he snapped the light off and returned to the little cot.
"It might be nice if we had something different for dinner, don't you think? Instead of that damn bologna you like so much, why don't we roast a chicken?" Beverly followed her son to the front room. The sun was blinding through the large window, and she had to fan her eyes with her hands before reaching for Sebastian.
"Do you remember when you were little how I would roast a chicken? I would cut up the onions, the potatoes, and the beans. You would sprinkle lemon juice and butter. It was before your father would come home and…"
Her voice trailed off. He looked up at her and saw her frozen face. That's what it all came back to, after all. The disappearing father. The disappearing income. The mother with no skills trying to find a job. And the realization that her very nature absconded from such things. Working for money. Working for anything that wasn't handed to her. THAT had been her trauma—being forced to meet the real world and never understanding why no one would just give her a hand.
And why would she learn when eventually people WOULD just give her a hand. Grocery money. Free babysitting. Hospital bill write-offs. Even her own son, who struggled somewhere between hating her and pitying her, had housed her since he reached adulthood.
"Chicken is a lot of work." That's all he could say. He pulled a few dollar bills from his wallet and placed them on the table.
She picked up her conversation as if it never ended. "I'll get some onions and potatoes. I'll take care of everything, Sebby! And the milk and the cigarettes."
He shut the door behind him, but her voice still traveled on after him.
It was a solid hour walk to the office from the shabby cottage in Huxey's Plot. Sebastian knew he could walk a few minutes to the bus stop, but he preferred the walk. It was the only two hours a day of peace he had—the walk to and from work.
The view of the post office caught his attention—a line of people were standing in front of its gated parking lot. As he walked closer, he saw that the gate was open and an ambulance and police car were parked. Lights on both vehicles threatened to outshine the piercing sunlight.
Normally, he wouldn't have cared about any community action. Today was different. Jake Foster—the old man that had discounted Sebastian's rent more than once on the cottage—was standing in the rear of the crowd. His eyes were on Sebastian. His face looked terrified.
He didn't bother quickening his pace to get to Jake. He didn't really care other than the old man had cut him a break, and clearly something had happened.
"You aren't taking walks alone at night, are you?" Jake's tone was even dire. But his question was so ominously overly dramatic that Sebastian nearly laughed.
"Just to and from work."
"But you don't walk alone at night? You don't walk back to the lake?"
"I haven't gone back to the lake."
"Just mind yourself that you don't. Terry Bonnie's son was found floating this morning." He pointed toward the police. "They say he must have been doing night fishing. Got drunk or fell in the water."
"A bad way to go." Sebastian started walking away. After all, he had to go to work. He had to keep supplying the small amount of money that was barely keeping himself and Beverly alive.
But the old man grabbed his shirt until Sebastian faced him. "It ain't the water that killed that boy. It's what lives in that water. It's what lives in those woods."
"Jake, I appreciate the warning."
"Nah, you say you do. Terry Bonnie's son said he got the warning. And now he's dead." Sebastian jerked himself free and began walking away. "There have been others, Sebastian. Be sure and mind my warning—stay AWAY from the woods and don't go near that lake!"
Sebastian thought of the old man's words on and off throughout the day. The area was rustic and encumbered with old folklore drivel that irritated him to the core. He preferred logic and realism to ghost stories and curses. He preferred tangible process rather than faith. Mostly, though, he preferred to be left alone.
The journey home proved to be just as discourteous.
"Hi there, Sebastian." The dainty voice of Jake's daughter sent chills up his spine. She was a long-talker.
"Hello, Veda." As if the two words were a serenade, the young woman danced up beside him.
"Did you hear about Terry Bonnie's son?"
"Your father told me this morning."
"The fancy coroner from the city said he drowned."
"Then I suppose he must have."
"Papa doesn't think so. Neither do I. I think it was that witch in the woods." He paused long enough to face her.
Big, dimpled cheeks and a pair of shorts far too high on the thighs for a woman her age.
If Sebastian himself didn't live there, he'd have laughed. He'd have laughed at the dress of this woman, at her father's superstitions, and at the inability of the town to believe a man could simply drown. But he couldn't laugh. Not with Beverly at his house. And not with thinking that nasty cottage was even a house.
"I'm too urban for witches to frighten me, Veda."
"It's Huxey's witch, Sebastian. And she's as real as you and me." The certainty of her words would have charmed him if he weren't so annoyed.
"I guess you better take care not to bother her, then." He wished she would leave. Instead, her footsteps increased to keep up with his pace.
"I don't go near the lake. That's her special place. Some of the boys say the fishing is good, but it's dangerous to go there after dark. Or at all probably. And you shouldn't go there, either."
"Your father told me as much this morning. I'll remember."
"I ain't trying to scare you, but it would be a shame if that fancy coroner came back for you." He looked at her perplexed. It was profound worry in the simple girl's voice.
"Veda, I'm going to mind the warnings. Thank you." He left her in the middle of the makeshift path home. He was relieved she didn't follow. But less relieved to see her father's beat up truck parked in front of the cottage.
As quietly as possible, he opened the front door. Remnants of half-eaten chicken were on the table. A carton of cigarettes had been ripped open. And from beyond the bathroom and inside Beverly's tightly shut door were sounds he wished he'd never heard before.
But their grunting and moaning only cemented what he knew. The hell he was living was his own.
Peace. All Sebastian desired was peace.
He walked into the woods. He walked with a slow pace. Why rush? His mother would be in no hurry to remedy her saturated bedroom or massacred chicken mess.
Further into the woods, he could hear the sound of water splashing. He wiped the thin line of sweat from his forehead and followed the sound. From where he was standing, the view of the woods was completely different. As they bordered the rundown homes, the trees were scattered and broken, but with a giant thicket of weeds that made it difficult to walk through.
But now the trees were bright and green. The ugly thicket was replaced with lush grass that tickled his calves. Instead of being prickly, it was soft. And he pushed his pants up to his knees so he could feel the sensation fully.
There were no voices. No footsteps. No signs of any humans. And when he reached the forbidden lake, he knew why. It was a vision within a wall of decrepitness.
The water was blue and calm. A narrow creek supplied a gentle flow of water that cascaded down and made that blissful splashing sound. Only chirping birds, the water, and some swaying tree branches echoed in his ears.
Huxey's witch be damned. He felt too alive suddenly to care about warnings.
He looked at his reflection in the blue water. He was beyond scruffy. And the dirt in his hair was more than obvious. He thought for a few seconds if he could remember the last distinct time he had a shower. Four day ago, perhaps?
He peeled off yesterday's pants and today's shirt, flung his shoes and socks on the grass, and stripped off his briefs without any concern. Without even bothering to test the water's temperature, he dove in.
The water was warm, clear, and seemed to scrub his body clean effortlessly. It was perfect. The entire scene was perfect.
He swam from one end of the bank toward the middle, where it looked very deep. He dove under, amazed at how clean and suddenly alive he felt. When he broke the surface for air, he laughed. He laughed heartily and sincerely. Never in the time he'd been at Huxey's Plot had he imagined he would find a measure of solitude and peace. Even if it was only in the evening, he would relish this.
The sun was setting. He floated in the water, letting the last remaining rays stroke his body. The cascade of light was disappearing quickly, but the giant moon above offered a lovely contrast. He remarked it as an oddity—as if the sun was actually kissing the moon goodnight.
He never wore a watch, but knew it was close to eight o'clock now. He wondered if Beverly cared that he wasn't home. Then he stopped wondering. It didn't matter as long as she had some cash now and then. He reminded himself of the nights he worked a double-shift and she hadn't noticed.
As long as there were cigarettes and some cash, she'd never notice.
The skin on his fingers had plumped and wrinkled. He reluctantly pulled himself out of the water. The grass still felt soft and wonderful, and for a moment he thought about stretching out on top of it and drying under the moonlight. Then he realized his clothes were gone.
He eyes gazed to the other side of the lake. Had he swam to the wrong side? He spied one lonely sock resting on the grass and knew he wasn't wrong. He looked around again—hearing and seeing no one.
And suddenly there was a giggle. A small, delighted giggle. He peered toward the trees…and at a particular shape that seemed to resemble human.
"Veda?" He called out. He would be annoyed with her, but he would try to mask it with politeness. It wasn't unheard of for an unlucky urbanite like himself to be targeted by a witless dolt. But Veda was far from what he wanted.
The giggling stopped, but the form by the tree remained. Sebastian was given no answer.
"Veda? Is that you?" He began to approach the form and quickly remembered that he was completely naked. He turned his body sharply toward the lake, suddenly feeling less annoyed and more…anxious. From behind, he heard footsteps. He knew the form—whatever it was—meant to approach HIM now. And damn it to hell if it was Veda after all.
"Missing something?" The most sensual voice beckoned to him. He turned halfway to see exactly WHO had been stalking him.
It definitely was not Veda.
She didn't look particularly tall, but maybe a head lower than Sebastian. Her hair shined like gold in the moonlight, and it hung in thick waves below her shoulders. Her dress was knee-length and looked either white or beige. She wore no shoes. No jewelry. She carried no purse or bag. But her warm smile eased any worry he might have had about her.
He returned the smile.
"Do you often steal other people's clothes when they're in the water?"
"Only if the view is desirable." Her words were solid enough that he didn't want to turn completely around and face her.
"Who are you?"
She closed the gap between them but did not shy away from gazing at his lower region. "My name is Lorena."
"Lorena." He tried the name on his lips. Her smile returned. "I'm Sebastian Sterling."
"Do you want your clothes back, Sebastian Sterling?"
She was so close that he could smell a faint lavender scent. Her face was very beautiful, very feminine. And her eyes flashed cornflower blue.
"You don't belong here." He uttered the words before thinking. But in earnest, she was possibly the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. And her voice—it lured him in as if he were a fly in her web. Yet, he felt no fear.
He flushed red. "Sorry, I think I've been out here too long to remember manners."
"Or clothing." He watched her gaze follow his body again. He was fighting an urge he hadn't felt in several months. And he was doing it completely naked.
"Clothing would be nice. It seems like you've gotten a good enough look."
She flung her arms in the air. "I'm the only one that ever comes out here at night. And in my defense, this is my safe haven from the world. You intruded. Taking your clothes is hardly a crime considering your infraction."
He cracked a laugh. "Fair enough. I was looking for my own escape. For all the damn superstitions of the town, I figured this place would be my refuge. I'm sorry that it's taken."
Her face was puzzled. "Do you want to go swimming?"
Before he could respond, she pushed him back first into the water. He bobbed up at the surface. "That was a bit unfair."
"Sometimes being impulsive is the best course of action." She grinned at him wickedly.
"So it was an impulse to take my clothes?"
"Are you really still stuck on that? Would it make you feel better if I took mine off?"
He didn't answer. She did. His eyes studied her as she slipped her arms out of the simple dress and let it fall to the ground.
"Oh, sure." He answered sarcastically. He was glad his lower region was at least under the water.
She slipped into the water and swam in a circle around him. She leaned back and stared at the moon. She showed no care that her breasts were completely exposed above the water. "Why are you so hard?"
He stopped staring her breasts and locked eyes with her instead. "What?"
"You, Sebastian Sterling, are a hard man. You smile like it's painful. If I'd have been a man that tossed you in the water, you'd have struck me."
"Then I suppose you're lucky to not be a man. But if you don't produce my clothes at some point, I might be forced into action." He was teasing, of course.
"The action you're craving is hardly violent, though." She was NOT teasing.
They didn't speak for several minutes. His heart was thundering beneath his chest. His lower region, well, spoke volumes.
Finally, he broke the agonizing silence. "Lorena, I should get home." She reached out and slid a finger along his cheek. Desire broke out through his body like a virus. She put both arms around his neck, rubbing her breasts against his chest. Her legs enveloped around his waist. The tip of his member lightly dabbed at her lower lips.
"Sebastian, just let go." Her voice was hoarse with need. "Stay here with me."
He could barely put any words together. And soon, there would nothing to say. He'd pin her on top of that lush grass and take her like a savage animal. "Lorena…" She shushed him with a kiss that deafened the world. His hands fell to her bottom and squeezed, then moved to her breasts.
But as quickly as the dance began, she ended it. She withdrew her arms and pushed herself away from him. He was breathless. He was confused. He was…unsatisfied.
She drug herself out of the water and pulled her dress over her sopping wet body.
"Wait," he called to her. Pulling himself out of the water, he no longer cared how obvious his need looked. He wanted to talk to her. He wanted to make sure he hadn't done something wrong. Mostly, he wanted to know that he'd see her again.
She made no motion to him, but walked behind the tree she had been hovering in front of earlier. When she returned, she had his clothes folded in a pile for him.
"Lorena, if I came on too strong…" She laughed at his remark.
"I'm the one who stripped FOR you. After all, I stole your clothes."
"Then why did you stop?"
"Because you have work tomorrow. And your mother will be worried."
He took his clothes at of her arms. "How do you know my mother lives with me?"
"HA! There are no secrets in Huxey's Plot! Besides, you're not so hard to figure out. City boy forced to move to this rural ghetto… He brings his mother along because, well, I guess because she's got nowhere else to go."
"That about sums it up. What about YOUR story?"
"I don't have one. I've lived here all my life. No excitement. No family."
"Then why stay here?"
She shrugged at him. "I guess for the same reason your mother is with you. The world outside of this place is alien to me. I'm home here."
He shook his head. "You are nothing like my mother. She is incapable of fending for herself."
"So she must rely on her son?"
"For EVERYTHING."
She put her hand on his arm and stroked him gently. "Is that why you're here? In Huxey's Plot? Because you couldn't support the two of you in the city? Had it just been YOU…"
"Had it just been me, I would be fine. I'd manage. Hell, I'm fine now."
"You're not. You're an angry man."
"I'd prefer to be back in Meadow Heights, yes. But that isn't an option."
"Because of your mother."
"My company downsized…" But he heard the old excuses and knew that was exactly what they were.
Her continued stroking of his arm was setting off more fire than the nasty truth about Beverly.
"Lorena, if you don't stop touching me, I'm going to lose it."
He pushed away from her and began seeking out the trail he'd taken from home.
"Sebastian, it doesn't have to be this way." He smirked at her and immediately hated himself for doing it. "I'm serious. You could stay here with me."
He looked at her incredulously. "I JUST met you tonight!"
"And how many more days will you walk to work and then walk home to your mother? How many more days will you hand over most of your paycheck to her? How many more days will you bear her daily activities while you're working just to keep BOTH of you alive?"
"Who are you to know all of this?" His voice was nearly trembling out of anger and shock. No one had ever hit him with so much truth—especially not a stranger. And it was the same truth he played over and over in his head all day. The same truth that he was sure everyone already knew but never bothered to point out. And here was this woman who so brazenly threw it in his face.
"Is it so hard to believe that maybe we were meant to meet tonight? For no other reason than for you to see that there is another way."
"So I should just quit my job? Tell my mother to have a good life? Then what? Hang out in the blue lagoon with you?"
She reached up to touch his face. "I can give you everything you need and everything you want. I'm giving you the opportunity to change your fortune, Sebastian. All you have to do is come to me."
Sebastian sat on his cot. His mother had gone to bed before he'd come home. There were chicken remnants wrapped up in the fridge from her. It was mostly bones, which agitated him. There was a note next to the chicken that read "Out of detergent and milk."
He pulled the last $5 from his wallet and flung it on the table.
How could he go from peace and serenity back to this hell so quickly?
Yet, Lorena was clearly insane. He'd only just met her and she was offering herself and whatever home she had to him. But, God, the memory of her body taunted him. And she had shown no judgment at his situation, but understanding. And she had even offered a solution.
He tried to sleep. He knew daylight was edging nearer and nearer, and again he'd have to listen to his mother's morning annoyances. Then he'd have to walk back to work.
And after work?
The morning sun was blazing through the windows, but Sebastian hurried to leave before Beverly awoke. He succeeded, for once, and felt nearly giddy that the morning had gone far smoother without her nagging voice.
The work day bordered on eternity, as it had been doing for months, but when the clock chimed five o'clock, he gladly took his leave and walked back to Huxey's Plot.
No, he didn't walk. He nearly ran the entire way. And he didn't stop at the dreadful cottage. And he didn't let the weeded thicket of the woods slow him down either. He didn't stop until he reached the water. And when he reached it, sublime bliss hit him like a high. He pulled his clothes off again and dove into the water. When he broke the surface again, he was hoping to see her.
She wasn't at the tree. She certainly wasn't in the water, either. But he remembered it had been nightfall before she emerged, so he would wait. He would wait so he could speak with her again. And while he waited, he would replay the previous night's events in his head again.
Her creamy and seductive voice. The way she stripped right in front of him. Her arms around him. Her body pressed against him. Her sweet words. If Lorena was a drug, he was hooked.
He stretched out on top of the grass and let the gentle wind dry his body. The enormous moon was reflecting off the stillness of the water. If he remained feeling so drunk on life, he'd be permanently unaware if he was upside down, and permanently uncertain if the water was above or below him.
He waited for a considerably long time—until he was sure the early dawn hours were creeping in. Then he reluctantly dressed and walked home.
Where had she been?
He thought of Lorena for the solid hour of quiet before he heard Beverly clamoring about in her bedroom. He ached to skip work and go back to the woods and swim in the lake. And, if he was completely honest, the lake wasn't the only reason.
Where had she been?
"Sebby, I'm out of cigarettes. Do you have any?"
He pulled himself off the cot and stumbled to the bathroom. He splashed water around his face, but it wasn't the same. It didn't smell fresh and clean like the lake water. It smelled like tainted water. And drowning.
"Sebby, do you hear me?" Beverly crooned an old song while shoving stale bread into the toaster. "Mr. Foster paid me a visit yesterday. He talked about that poor Terry Bonnie's son that drowned." She toddled to the bathroom door, tapping on it. "I hope you aren't swimming in that horrible lake at night, Sebby. I hope you aren't getting yourself into trouble." He rubbed his temples. The sound of her voice was bringing on nausea. "Mother needs you, Sebby. If anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do or where I'd go."
He stood completely frozen, afraid to make a noise lest she try to open the door and continue her pointless conversation face to face. He was relieved when her footsteps returned to the kitchen and her mindless chatter began again at a distance.
"Terry Bonnie's son did drown. Mr. Foster says it was Huxey's witch. Do you know about Huxey's witch, Sebby? Do you know the story?"
He didn't answer. He didn't need to.
"She lures men to their death by promising them a life of riches. Then she drowns them in the lake."
He caught the look of shock in his own face in the mirror, and he laughed maniacally. A move he should have avoided when the footsteps returned to the bathroom door.
"Are you alright, Sebby? Son?"
"Fine." He spat out.
"I don't want you walking back to those woods. Not with what happened to Terry Bonnie's son. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you. I'd be lost in this world. Do you hear me, Sebby?"
He opened the bathroom door and grabbed the last clean shirt that was hanging off the edge of the counter.
"Veda Foster is a nice girl. Mr. Foster says she has eyes for you." He ignored her and bent down to put his shoes on. "Veda knew the Bonnie son. Horrible death. Don't you think so, Sebby? To drown like that?"
He shut the door behind him and began his walk to work again. He wondered if there was any merit to what his mother had said about Huxey's witch. He wondered if Lorena had ever encountered Terry Bonnie's son.
Where is Lorena? Why wasn't she at the lake last night?
The work day flew by—a small gesture from some god he hadn't mocked throughout the years, no doubt. He nearly ran the entire way to Huxey's Plot, not daring a stop at the cottage to endure more of Beverly's mindless conversation.
NO—he wanted to see that lake again. He wanted to feel the grass on his feet.
He wanted to see Lorena. And if he had to search the woods for her all night, he would.
The blue lake was majestic—each time he saw it, it looked so completely untouched and magnificent. Each time he swam in it, the water cleansed his body of the entire world's weight. Of his job. Of his home life. Of Beverly. He climbed out of the water renewed and revived. It was a peace he had never experienced.
But there was an aching void that was beginning to fill that peaceful spot. It was a void that he never felt before but was conscious of always. It was loneliness. It was what he felt Lorena wanted to fill that first night.
Drying off in the grass, he grabbed his pants and zipped them up quickly. He would find her today. He HAD to find her today. There were so many questions. His heart had become hungry for dreams again.
And hungry for companionship.
"Lorena?!" His bare feet were tickled as the grass became less soft and more course further into the woods. But he didn't care. In the span of two days, his entire world was untangled. In one night, he felt alive again. In one night, a perfect stranger offered him the world and herself… And he had laughed at that gesture. He belittled it as he did everything. And now, with an urgency he had never felt, he was compelled to find her again.
He was compelled to keep walking the woods.
"Lorena?! LORENA?!" He knew he sounded like a madman. And he half expected some irritating neighbor to find him and lecture him about the woods and Huxey's witch.
Huxey's witch!
For a moment, he wondered if that was what Lorena was—a beautiful and seductive witch who had sunk her claws into him like a siren. And she HAD! Sebastian would not be combing the woods all night for Veda Foster. Or his mother, for that matter. But for Lorena… He would search every night if he had to. He knew that in his gut. And like the logical bastard he was, he tried to tell himself to go home. There was work in the morning. If he didn't get any sleep, Beverly would be especially annoying. But something other than logic was at work. He couldn't name it. And he was more than a little afraid of it. But he had to find Lorena. He had to see her again. Desire that surged through his veins was now turning into worry.
The sun was scorching his face. He put his hands up to shield his eyes and rolled over clumsily in the grass. He had searched most of the night for her before returning to the lake sometime before dawn. By the position of the sun, it was surely after nine o'clock. He was more than late for work.
But he didn't care.
Looking up toward the woods, he saw her. She stood frozen for a moment staring right back at him. The dress she wore was a pale pink that was knee level, as the other had been. She wore a tan scarf around her hair. Her feet were bare.
"Lorena," he whispered. As if merely speaking her name had broken a spell, she fled. He was on his feet in an instant in pursuit. "Lorena, stop!" But she had the advantage—he knew that. She knew the woods and the land far better than he.
In moments, she was out of sight. And he laughed at how ridiculous it all was.
But she was alive. She was safe. And he would live off that knowledge until nightfall.
Feeling hopeful, he walked home…
Beverly's bedroom door was shut tightly. Jake Foster's truck was parked in the front again. Sebastian heard the familiar moaning as soon as he opened the door. Only sitting on the cot—his cot—was Veda Foster.
He nodded politely and pulled off his shoes at the doorway. "Your mother called papa. She said you didn't come home last night. They thought to go and search for you."
He glared at the closed bedroom door. "They sound exhausted from the overnight searching."
He couldn't decide if the woman didn't hear the very obvious sounds coming from his mother's bedroom, or if she chose to ignore them since Jake WAS her father.
"There were screams in the woods last night. We were afraid."
Aww, yes. His screams for Lorena.
"Well, I'm safe. You can go home. You can take your father with you."
The woman grabbed his arm as he was headed for the bathroom. "Please," she pleaded, "stay out of the woods!"
He jerked his arm out of her clutch. "I'll go where I like."
"That witch—she'll drown you!"
He stared at himself in the mirror. His hair had grown shaggy. He hadn't shaved in over a week and what had been stubble was quickly taking the shape of an unkempt beard. He looked wild. Worse, he looked like he belonged in Huxey's Plot.
Sebastian poked his head out of the doorway when he heard his mother's voice. "You didn't come home last night."
"Yes, Veda and I already went over that."
"I was worried." He rolled his eyes at her and tried not to notice the barely-there nightgown that clung to her small frame.
"I told him we were going to organize a search party. But then we heard all those screams."
Jake Foster stumbled out of the bedroom, still struggling to buckle his pants. Sebastian stifled a laugh looking at the three of them—a hungry woman and her hungry father and Beverly, oblivious to everything but her own needs.
"You doing something you shouldn't be, son?"
Sebastian regarded the room coldly. "I'm late for work."
He left the cottage. But instead of walking toward the main road, he walked back into the woods. He couldn't walk through the rundown town. He couldn't waste nine hours of his day knowing that he'd take the same route home and encounter the same people, the same scenery, the same lifelessness.
He knew he'd never take that road again.
The journey back to the lake was heavy. But what was he leaving behind? A life with no promise. A life with no surprises. A life that carried no heavier value than mundane chatter and cigarettes.
As he approached the lake, he thought he heard a voice calling out to him—telling him to stop. Instead of turning around, he remained focused on reaching the lake. What was behind had to stay behind. And what was coming could be nothing but more empty promises. Or death—if there was any truth to Huxey's witch.
Or hope.
The heaviness lifted as soon as he sat down near the lake. The air that had been so humid and damp seemed lighter and fresher. Sebastian pulled his shirt off and tossed his shoes to the side. He curled up in the lush grass and went to sleep.
The late afternoon sun woke him. His mouth was dry and his skin felt hot. He was hungry and achy and desperately thirsty.
The idea of walking back to the cottage was out of the question, so he scooped some water in his hands and splashed it on his face. Years of unhappiness and struggle hadn't prepared him for this.
More out of habit than sense, he rolled himself into the lake. The cool water soothed his skin, but his level of weariness took him by surprise. He forgot for a heartbeat that he was under water. And he opened his mouth to take a breath.
Water surged inside him, and he succumbed to the hideous reflex of trying to breathe through his nose. He felt the water pressing on and he looked up and saw himself falling deeper and deeper away from that sunlight.
He was drowning. He was drowning in the majestic blue lake that had seduced him and brought Lorena to him. He was drowning like that damn Terry Bonnie's son. And tomorrow, there would be a crowd of people at the post office as the coroner would examine his body. Jake and Veda Foster would tell Beverly that they had warned him about the witch. They had warned him about walking alone in the woods. He hadn't listened.
And now he was drowning.
The battle of his life was becoming strained. Instead of the blue lake, a black mist began clouding his eyes. In mere seconds, it would be done.
"GAH!!!" He was vomiting. He was vomiting and screaming. When he opened his eyes, he swore he had already expelled buckets of water from his lungs.
He felt a hand beating on his back and realized he was sitting upright, but resting against someone. He smelled lavender and saw a very feminine hand with long fingers anchored to his shoulder.
Cautiously, he reached up and stroked that hand. He was alive—albeit, he was still gasping for air.
Before he could object, that lovely hand moved from his shoulder. But she hadn't left him like before. She didn't flee. Instead, she kneeled in front of him and looked worried and nervous for him.
"I thought I was dead," he panted.
She said nothing. With that same hand, she pushed his hair out of his face and stroked his cheek.
"Why didn't you answer me when I called you? Why weren't you here?"
She continued to stroke his cheek and stare into his eyes. She was so attentive and looked so very beautiful—more beautiful than he'd remembered. Her hair was wet and her dress clung against her skin. She had saved him. He knew she had.
And he matched that look of longing and fear in her eyes with his own. Suddenly time had no meaning. Suddenly his heartbeat was quaking against his chest. Suddenly the only sound he could hear was his own breathing.
"Lorena…" He was murmuring her name. Murmuring more to himself than to her. Without thought and without fear, he touched his lips to hers.
It was a kiss of confirmation. A kiss that proved he was still alive. And very quickly, it wasn't enough. A new craving—a life affirming craving—took over. He grabbed Lorena by the shoulders and kissed her harder, increasing the pressure, softening her reserve and igniting more heat than that blasted sun.
Grabbing the straps of her dress that clung unevenly to her shoulders, he pushed them both down her arms. Still kissing her, his fingers traced the flimsy material that was still damp and molded against her skin. His urgency was growing—her own fingers were struggling to unbuckle his pants.
It was too heated. Too impulsive. Too irrational. It was the opposite of everything Sebastian had ever believed in. In his head, he was abandoning his lackluster life. He was abandoning responsibilities and bills. The moan of the woman he was clutching as he jerked her dress down to her hips brought him out of that guilty cluster. So warm, so lovely, so beautiful… SHE was real.
His lips slid down her throat. He kissed her bare shoulders, savoring every inch, and suckling at the droplets of water on her skin. He pressed his head between her breasts, still kissing hungrily and desperately. Each nipple quaking under his thumb; her moaning soaring into his pants as he suckled her.
There was more—so much more—to this wretched life.
Kicking his pants off into the grass, he pulled her below him. "I want you, Lorena. I need you."
She only answered by putting her arms around his neck and pulling him closer against her. His erection burned against her thighs, and he knew full well there would be no time for gentle or teasing foreplay.
Not THIS time.
His back was against that soft grass. He was smiling remembering what had only just happened. He had buried his head in her chest, thrusting like a madman. Her fingernails cut into his back as she tried to ease into his rhythm.
His rhythm! It was a rhythm of madness and desperation! And freedom!
But when she finally cried out after being so silent, he finished them both. Finished them both until they were gasping and shaking. Finished them both until they had forgotten reality and fear.
He turned on his side to watch her. She was still naked, but her eyes were closed. Her breathing was deep and steady. He nearly laughed at himself for being so sentimental that he would want to WATCH his lover resting.
Her eyes fluttered open. She looked down at her own nakedness and then to his.
"Huxey's witch," Sebastian whispered.
"What?" Her eyes looked big.
"Isn't that what you are?"
She smiled lightly. "If you say so."
Her tone was glib. So he added, half facetiously, "I suppose Huxey's hero would be more appropriate."
She merely shrugged. "No such thing. There are no more heroes."
"Saving me was pretty heroic, Lorena."
"Lots of men drown here. They get lost in the serenity as it's the only serenity they know."
That gave him a chill. "Did you know a lot of these men who drowned?"
She sat up and wrung out her dress. "Is that what you really want to ask me, Sebastian?"
He sat up and reached for his pants. "I didn't mean it that way."
"Did you mean it when you made love?"
He smiled—a REAL smile. "I think that's the only thing I've meant in years."
He watched her pull her dress back on and immediately wished she hadn't. "I can't go back home now."
"No, I suppose you can't." She held out her hand to him. The way she said those words…so matter of fact…
"I don't know where to go from here, Lorena."
"I do." He put his hand in hers and let her lead them both into the woods beyond the lake. The sun was warm and from behind, he still heard the water. But the warmth that was calling to him now was far more powerful.
Blindly, foolishly, but determinately, he did not look back.
Huxey's Plot remained the unmentionable blight that sat against the bustling Meadow Heights. The residents of Huxey's Plot knew this as well as anyone. Outsiders didn't dare come inside the border—lest they fell upon desperate times.
Even in desperate times, there was a price that was paid. Cheap rent, cheap buildings, and a relentless reminder that one was not QUITE in present-day civilization.
Then there were the superstitions and folklore…
"Did you hear about Beverly Sterling's son?" A voice within the shabby post office whispered.
"The city boy? Yes, I heard." Another voice answered.
Outside, two police cars parked within the gated entrance of the post office. A crowd of locals gathered while one young policeman asked questions.
"It sounds like another accidental drowning," the young deputy stated.
Veda Foster gripped the deputy's arm. "Oh, no! Just like Terry Bonnie's son!"
"What was the man's name again?"
"Sebastian Sterling!" Veda shouted. "Oh, his poor mama! My father is with her now. She is SO distraught."
Another voice from the crowd chimed in. "Where's the body?"
"There isn't one, but judging from the length of time the man's been missing, and his last known whereabouts around the lake area, it's only a matter of time before the body surfaces. Just like the others." The deputy put away his pad of paper and stepped away from the crowd. "We'll be back as soon as it does."
When the two squad cars departed, the crowd of locals began to fizzle out. Veda Foster looked on as a postal worker began closing and locking the gate. "No ambulance this time," she said.
The postal worker responded, even though Veda was mostly talking to herself. "That's a first, indeed. Sterling's been missing long enough that it's weird he ain't floating yet."
"Maybe he escaped." Her tone was oddly hopeful.
"Sure, sweetheart. Maybe he did."
For current works, click HERE.
For current works, click HERE.


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Okay, so I want to clear this up from the get-go… its the thread that is antique, not the box. 🙂
I mentioned a post ago or so, that I had been a lucky recipient of a massive CraigsList haul of fabric. Pieces that ranged from scraps to full bolts of cotton and upholstery fabrics. Stuff that clearly ranged as far back as the seventies – lots of gold/orange/avocado green/brown combinations and newer. Such great stuff! I've already put some of it to use after spending nearly a week to sort through it all.
Well, in that load, there was also some other accessories. Thread, zippers, bias tape and ribbons. The thread is what I wanted to talk about.
These few spools of thread came from an era where the spools themselves were made of wood. To be perfectly honest – and I had a mother who sewed – I don't recall the last time I saw a wooden spool. I've not really researched it, but I think there is some history there. And they are cool looking.
So, I wanted to be able to display them in my sewing room. I searched eBay for an antique or vintage thread holder, and one not too large, as I didn't want this to be another one of those collections that I went out and bought a few hundred spools! (Trust me, I have been known to do dumb stuff like that!)
Well, I never did find one that I really liked, but seeing all of those on eBay and other Google searches, I had an idea of what I wanted.
Out came my trusty paint stir sticks. It is a simple enough design and I think I had everything measured and cut and the clamped to allow the glue to dry in less than an hour. I added the back, gave it a good sanding and then painted it.
Cute, huh? I love the simplicity of the design and there is some room to add a few spools. Down the road. 🙂
I've been working on my other projects as well, there is something about working with red paint that lies just this side of aggravating. It takes many coats to get the right color. The back and bottom were painted first and I finally got it back on its feet today. Now three or four coats to the front and sides and we should be in business!
The long dresser and the two nightstands are just about ready for their final touch-ups and hardware. Cross your fingers for me that maybe someone will be looking for a last minute Christmas gift! I've ordered the most darling flower petal drawer pulls for both pieces. Adorable!
We've still had no snow, thank heavens, and I desperately trying to get everything completed and out of the garage before A) snow comes and my little sports car can be safely tucked away and B) its time for my surgeries.


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Lets start by using the vision system to make your bot recognize colored cards (and display the color name).
Begin by selecting 'Vision' from the CBC top-level display screen. (If using the Link controller, go to The Link Camera and follow definitions and directions there. )
For the CBC controller:
– Using the 'Camera Parameters' screen & arrows, turn on for a couple seconds (select) the 'auto exposure',then turn it off (this sets exposure to your lighting). Set other parameters to 'default'
– Using the vision 'Tracking' screen, train two channels for the color models 'pink' and 'green' (or similar colors that are on two cards or other objects),
Now write a program to print "pink card" or "green card" if the card color, in front of the camera, is seen as greater than a minimum and is mostly pink or green respectively. If card color is not in view print "hold up colored card".
Hint: One method -use a while "forever" loop to update the color models and select the model color based upon the size of the largest blob greater than 20 (minimum size) of the two color models, using an if branch; else, if neither size is greater than 20 pixels, prompt for a card to view.
If color model training is not good, the program will be unable to identify either color; then go back to Vision-Tracking and re-adjust the two color selection channels.
Here is an example of the C code:
/***************** Vision Excercise#1 - recognizing colored cards **************** //assumes color select channel 0 set for 'pink' and channel 1 set for 'green' */ int main() { cbc_display_clear(); // just <display_clear() > under KISS IDE for'Link' printf("Card Color Recognition\n"); sleep(2); while(1){//keep checking the vision frames forever track_update(); if((track_count(0)>0)&&track_size(0,0)>20&& (track_size(0,0)>track_size(1,0))) {printf("pinkcard\n");} else{ if((track_count(1)>0)&&track_size(1,0)>20&& (track_size(1,0)>track_size(0,0))) {printf("green card\n");} else{printf("hold up colored card\n");} } msleep(150); // wait for display print out } //end while }


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NodeJS Hacking Challenge
Posted on Fri 22 January 2016 in posts
I really like to play CTFs (hacking games), because I always learn something new. But sometimes it's also fun to create a challenge yourself. A couple of days ago a nice NodeJS issue surfaced on my twitter feed and because I didn't have a lot of experience with NodeJS, I thought it would be a cool idea to learn more about it, by creating a challenge around it.
At the time of writing this blog post, I still host the challenge on a disposable VM at http://184.108.40.206:3000/. The source code is available for download here.
This website has a restricted area
/admin that requires a password to login.
The goal is to successfully gain access to the restricted area and find the
secret_password. The source code contains a dummy password and keys, which are obviously different on the actual challenge server. But they are easy identifiable because they follow the same format
ALLES{...}. So you know when you got it.
If you stumble across this post at some point in the future and my VM is probably not running anymore, you can just host it locally.
Make sure you have NodeJS and
npm installed. In case something changes in the future, I am running following versions:
$ cd nodejs_chall
$ node -v
$ npm -v
$ npm install # install dependencies
$ npm start # start server on http://127.0.0.1:3000
If you want to give it a try yourself, you should stop reading now!
If you already tried everything (ALLES!), but you couldn't find the issue, read the follow up article.


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A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces. The term is also often used colloquially to refer to people who are not members of a particular profession or occupation, especially by law enforcement agencies, which often use rank structures similar to those of military units.
The International Committee of the Red Cross 1958 Commentary on IV Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War Article 4.4 states that "[e]very person in enemy hands must have some status under international law: he is either a prisoner of war and, as such, covered by the Third Convention, a civilian covered by the Fourth Convention, or again, a member of the medical personnel of the armed forces who is covered by the First Convention. There is no intermediate status; nobody in enemy hands can be outside the law. We feel that this is a satisfactory solution – not only satisfying to the mind, but also, and above all, satisfactory from the humanitarian point of view."[1] The ICRC has expressed the opinion that "If civilians directly engage in hostilities, they are considered 'unlawful' or 'unprivileged' combatants or belligerents (the treaties of humanitarian law do not expressly contain these terms). They may be prosecuted under the domestic law of the detaining state for such action".[2]
Article 50 in Chapter II: "Civilians and Civilian Population" of Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions defines that a civilian is not a privileged combatant. Article 51 describes the protection that must be given to civilians (unless they are unprivileged combatants) and civilian populations. Chapter III of Protocol I regulates the targeting of civilian objects. Article 8(2)(b)(i) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court also prohibits attacks directed against civilians. Not all states have ratified Protocol I or the Rome Statute, but it is an accepted principle of international humanitarian law that the direct targeting of civilians is a breach of the customary laws of war and is binding on all belligerents.
Under international maritime law and aviation law a distinction is made between crew and passengers that is similar to that of combatants and civilians under the laws of war. Under their own municipal law governments may extend the definition of who is a civilian to exclude those who work for the emergency services, because members of the emergency services may from time to time need additional legal powers over and above those usually available to ordinary citizens.


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If you suffer injuries due to a medical malpractice in Michigan, you need the best injury lawyers on your side to represent you and your family. Choosing an attorney after your Michigan medical malpractice may seem to be an overwhelming decision, but it is important to carefully choose the highest rated lawyer for your case.
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- I chose Larry Buckfire as my medical malpractice lawyer for a wrongful death lawsuit against the VA Hospital relating to my father's death. I give him the top rating for a Michigan medical malpractice attorney. He is the best! –Sharon A., Ann Arbor, MI
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In addition to our numerous client reviews, we also have top ratings and reviews from AVVO, the top Internet lawyer rating service. We have also won awards from other lawyer organizations, including Best Michigan Personal Injury Lawyer from the American Lawyer Academy.
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