Gwaihir

Gwaihir ambles in. He's cleaner than usual and looks as though he may have washed up lately, but he is more inkstained than usual. He is holding a book in one hand and has a paper stuck in his hair. "Hello, Pen! Sorry that I've been so quiet lately. I tried to practice only coming into public when I was neat and proper, but it's not done much for my social life. I did remember to wash my face yesterday though, so maybe I'm improving? Either way, I hope you'll forgive my coming. I have news that excites me. Another half-elf I know is publishing a book of poetry, Advice Column. She's published other stuff before but nothing as cool (or impractical) as poetry. If anyone likes good sonnets or blank verse, you might be interested. Just in case, I'll include a couple links to her published poetry here. Also, I'll include a couple sneak preview poems in The Muse and Quill Cafe (For safety's sake, my apologies to those who can't read it. PM or Email me if you would like information but can't see there.) Here, in Wild Goose Review, the poem "Palm Trees" by Kathryn Jacobs is about half way down: http://www.wildgoosepoetryreview.com/files...ng_08_issue.pdf. Also, on a completely different note, here is my favorite of her really silly poems: "'TWEETING' WITH THE PHOENIX MARTIAN"

Congrats all!

The following piece was inspired by the prompt: ? Read my piece if you like and perhaps add your own response to the prompt below? I'm not surprised that you're puzzled. It does look peculiar. But, if you can believe it, when I went to town I had only a cart to carry the groceries home in. As I started out, my neighbor asked me if I'd let her daughter walk with me, since she was going the same way to a friend's house and was a bit young to be out alone on such a winter day. I said I'd be happy to take her. Then the girl, Melanie, saw a dying rabbit in the road and cried until I promised to take it in to the vet in town. The rabbit wouldn't stop bleeding, so I put it in my old hat. So I had a bloody rabbit in my hat and someone else's child holding my hand. Not so bad. About a minute later, a bird crapped on Melanie's coat. She noticed immediately and shrieked in disgust. Took it off and wouldn't touch it. Couldn't leave it there, her mother can't afford another new coat, so I picked it up. Then gave my coat to the shivering girl. So I had a bird-crap-coat over my arm, a rabbit in my hat and a cart behind me while Melanie wore my coat and held my hand. It’s been worse! Not long afterwards, as I was walking by the side of the road, I stepped on an old rabbit hole. The ground collapsed and I was suddenly wet up to the knee. I was already cold without the coat, so I rolled my pants leg up to avoid hypothermia. We sped up a bit so that we would get to town faster, but as we passed a stump, Melanie just had to stop to see the doggie. Nice doggie bit a nice hole in her arm. Of course she cried, and it bled quite a bit, so I took off my shirt and tied it on her arm. There I was shirtless with a dying rabbit in my hat, a crappy coat on my arm and my right pant leg pulled up to the knee pulling a cart behind me and my neighbor's daughter walking bandaged beside me wearing my coat. So, can I have a ride?

Moving forward is good, but you are welcome here too. Take care of yourself. We have not forgotten you.

While I can confirm that the most recent book in the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, Small Favor, is every bit as good as the others. Excellent writing and great fun. A mix between Raymond Chandler's hard-boiled mystery style* and a classic wizard fantasy book, all sent in modern Chicago. *Less hard-boiled as the series goes on.

Impressive and thought-provoking

diary for 3-28-08 I really must keep t his dairy more rugularly! It's just that I've been so distracted with everything. For one thing, there was a rainbow and I had to find out what all the plans thought. Some of the plants didn't even see it becuase they didn't see color. However, other plants saw it in greyscale and others saw the full color. Some were impressed, but others found the smell of a squished mosquite much more interesting. (Those were the venus Fly Traps.) Jemely is doing better, but I still can't figure out what was wong with her. Must try to find t he racoon and ask what on earth he did. I suspect she'd be healing more quickly if these exploding noises didn't keep bothering her. Are they real? I haven't found any noises in my room, but then my room is pretty empty of things since someone did a surprise cleaning of it. Maybe they got tired of the smell? I really should have done laundry, but the surprise person did laundry and everything else. I don't think there's a speck of dust in my room! Anyway, not sure if Jemely is hallucinating about poppping noises or not. She thinks she smells "cookie powder" too so I have a feeling she may be a bit confused. Never seen a crazy WC though.... Puzzled

dairy for Mar 25 08: Jemely Wiggly Cabbage is still sick. Not sure what's wrong with her, but I wonder if the raccoon that stepped broke open her leaf infected her with something. For today: isolate what in her essence is diferent from the typical WC essence. Needed to work on the "Essence of WC" spell anyway. Stepped on someone's foot while getting food toda and they hissed. I feel really bad, but I can't even send an apoology note becuase I've forgotten the name! Really should wash clothes. Tomorrow?

Welcome back, Joat!

An open letter to whoever remodeled our kitchen at work, I never really saw anything wrong with the old kitchen, but I was willing to be positive and was ready to enjoy the remodeled kitchen. After the allotted two weeks, I got a bit impatient, but I understood that sometimes greatness takes time and I accepted that truly amazing changes were in store. After two MORE weeks, you finally let us in to the poisonously smelly kitchen. Truly I am not impressed. Still, I will give you a chance to explain a few of your peculiar decisions. We can start with the easier questions to allow you to warm up. Did it really take two extra weeks to replace an perfectly good tile floor with another tile floor that squeaks under my shoes? Why did you six times try to move our aluminum can recycling center despite the fact that my coworkers put it back every time? I highly approve of your interest in recycling, but why did you get rid of our three non-recycling trash cans and replace one small one? Are you surprised that now the trash overfills the container and makes a mess for the janitor? I am sure she would not have done something so foolish, if you had consulted her. Why didn't you bother to find out about trash volume before deciding we didn't need those containers? Why did you take away the bar-like piece of furniture in the middle of the room and replace it with one half its size? Surely you do not think that our growing size means we need less counter space than we did when we were smaller? On a related note, why do you keep un-fixing the bar so that it is crooked? I know that we keep fixing it, because I have twice helped coworkers to shift this heavy object. Why did you move the paper towel dispenser across the room so that it is far from the sink? Having removed two-thirds of our counter space, why did you think you should supply two extra coffee machines that are of far worse quality than the ones we had (which are completely sufficient for our needs)? How did you manage to break two working microwaves such that after you put them into the new kitchen they stopped working? I used them the day before they moved, so I know they worked. Are you advocating anorexia or why did you install the two water coolers so very close together that a pair of thin ants couldn't use them simultaneously? Surely it occurred to you that if we need two coolers (we do) then we would like them to be both usable at the same time? Was it just a bonus that anyone using either cooler will get in the way of anyone getting coffee? Why did you take our above-sink working cabinets and replace them with fake cabinets that won't open? And having done this odd thing, why do you write snotty notes threatening to discard all dishes that are not in the cabinets? This kitchen remodeling job is truly the best advertisement I have seen for Almost Dragon Remodeling Services*. I am positive they can do a better job! I look forward to your answers on these matters and I hope they are more enlightening than the nice sink-lamp you removed. Thanks, Me *No insult intended at all to the wonderful advertising staff there. Please understand that despite their excellence at selling awful products, this kitchen exceeds the efforts of any intentional advertising.

Ever thought you saw a person from a different world of yours, and then realized that despite your perception, coincidences abound? Ever been very pleased to be kicked? Ever seen your silhouette and blinked at its strangeness?

Damn that was good. That story was far too good to sit all alone. Damn you Patrick, for writing about assassins, my favorite topic. Kudos kudos kudos!

V, yes. Honestly, I don't have a world to map except for my pen places.

Gwaihir would happily bribe a necromancer with living plants* to have the garden area of the keep included in the map *Because clEArly all necromancers need more plants

Ha. I should have told you that I did the same thing for the first or so of your big projects. (Since then I graduated from college and have had a job for a few years--clearly you should write more ; )

Color me impressed again.

Good point, Zool. I had forgotten how many of us had bogus join dates when I voted. I change my vote then. The things can do no good. Either they'll make people feel junior and presume bogus inferiority or they'll misinform.

I must say that I would like to see us cut a few more (like posts number for sure and a few others in my ideal world) just because it's too full down there.

The funny thing is that I remember playing that game, but we were strictly forbidden to do more than touch their shoulders. I tend to trust not at all or very much and if it's worth being in a serious relationship (I don't do any other kind) then it's worth trusting them.

Appy, what a weird conicidence that you resurrected this thread now--I was just looking for it a couple days ago!

I was definitely more active when I was in college and single. Married, with a real life job that makes its demands I'm here regularly but I don't post the way I did, perhaps.

Patrick, Amazing moose and fix-it dude, I don't know how (or why some days ) you make time for us, but your contributions to the pen are great. Thanks for caring, for being around to bounce ideas off, scheme with, and chat with. , Gwaihir

Must run to a meeting but this was great fun to read. Agreed that more about the ending might be nice, but regardless it's an excellent little piece.

Everyone who's volunteered for specialized feedback--great--I'm putting your names up. Anyone who's volunteered but not told me what you're volunteering for, PM me! Anyone else who's happy to be PMd and asked for feedback, PM me.

By the way, I think I'd very much like more about Grimfalk. He seems to be old news to everyone else, but he sounds interesting and relevant.