Merelas

Mmm... I believe I know them all. Are we supposed to guess in this thread?

Just in time, Walter "Wally" Morrison pulled up in front of the door. 10 years after graduation, he has completed his bachelor's degree as well as medical school as well as an internship. He is currently working in a clinic with several other partners from Medical school, and doing quite well. If only they could see me now, those jerks from high school, he thought as he signed the sheet near the door. Quickly he entered, and felt a twinge of nervousness. He still wasn't the most comfortable in social settings, but he stuttered only rarely. Quickly, he scouted the room for drinks or snacks. There was safety in the corner near the food.

I don't suppose there's any idea for a start date yet?

Aww Salinye, I'm sorry you're having a tough week. If it makes you feel any better, my week wasn't exactly peachy either... and you know everyone here at the Pen is always behind you. If you feel like talking, just hop online and I'm sure there will be plenty of volunteers :S Take care of yourself. -Mere

Hmm... If I were to hazard a guess... Dr. Evil?

Can we nominate more than one? I have 3 I think * Yui Temae * Salinye Celestialgrace * Gyrfalcon no'Dessu (I hope I got the surname right, Gyr!)

Hey! We're very happy to have you back, and I hope your birthday is very memorable!

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I proudly introduce to you the Pen Fashion Display! Here today we have several outfits available for your purchase! Any and all proceeds will go to The Mighty Pen Keep Renovation Fund. Aaaaand now, for your viewing pleasure, the daywear collection!” The announcer boomed over the croud in a magically enhanced voice. “Introducing the saddened spellsinger herself, Alaeha! Alaeha sports a great navy tunic and matching trousers!” Alaeha smiled as she strode confidently down the runway, her model’s strut subtle but still noticeable. Her boots, a very pale tan that was almost off-white, which matched the bag she carried. A loop that formed the drawstring for the pouch, and it curled around her wrist nicely. She reached the end of the runway (which ended in a broad circle,), she strode around the edge of the circle, paused in the middle for a moment, and turned to move again backstage. Appy entered, and smiled at Alaeha as she walked by her. Appy’s most noticible attribute was her long, flowing golden hair, thick and curly. It was an amber mass as it flowed down her back. She wore a charming small loose green dress that made her look cutely childlike. She smiled charmingly at the crowd, as the announcer told everyone what was already obvious about her outfit. “And taking Appy’s place on the stage, we have our very own Elwen! She’s sporting a very elegant though functional white floor-length daydress that is quite charming on her, if I do say so myself!” He was, of course, correct. Elwen took the stage, moving slowly. Her dress flowed over her shoulders and down her torso, narrowing at her waist and flowing around her feet at the floor. It swished and flowed as she moved, and it was almost wispy in color. She fairly floated down the runway, posed for a moment, and then left the stage. “And next, in our ‘shady detective’ style, we have our very own Katzaniel!” And the tigertaur took the stage, padding down the catwalk in a trenchcoat, fedora, and holding a smoldering cigarette. The coat was a sable-brown, and she had her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she gazed around the room, playing up the part. As she got to the circle platform, She nodded knowingly, then pulled a pair of large sunglasses out of one of the coat pockets, and put them on. With one more superior nod, she turned around and padded off the stage. Salinye entered after her then, showing off a pretty blue gown. The announcer directed the attention of the audience to the color, the fabric, and the cut of the piece, and all were entertained with applause from the audience. Salinye’s long blonde hair had been done up in a flawless bun, except for a lock on each side of her face, as well as one stubborn strand that kept seeming to slip out no matter how hard the hairdressers had tried to maintain it. The gown nearly reached the floor, but not quite. It flowed outward from her hips in a bell-shape, and her blue high-heeled slippers were slightly visible under the hem with each step. She also carried a satchel made of blue cloth, but slightly lighter than her dress. For jewelry, she was adorned with a simple heart-shaped locket, and gold ear-rings. As she reached the end of the runway, she gave her characteristic blush, before turning stylishly on her heel and retreating backstage to get changed. As Salinye departed, she threw a smile at the next person to step onto the stage. “And our next model is none other then Gyrfalcon No’Dessu, modeling the latest in ranger fashion!” the announcer said as Gyrfalcon walked down the runway slowly, cloak thrown back over his shoulders so that his clothing could be seen clearly, brown pants with large pockets in convenient locations, and a simple dark green shirt. “Rugged, durable, and coming in a variety of natural colors, you too can walk the forest in comfort and style! Notice the double-stitching on the seams and the soft leather of the pants, insuring a long lifespan in your wardrobe. The soft wool shirt is lightly enchanted to help resist the wear and tear of the forests as well!” Gyrfalcon shrugged the cloak forward, wrapping it around himself as he turned and walked back up the walkway. “To complete the assemble, a sturdy, waterproof cloak adds that final touch while also keeping the rain away from your fine clothes, truly a necessity good folks!” Yui Temae took the runway, in her outfit for the daywear collection. “That’s right folks, you too can now be seen just as the Mistress of Shadows is, by ordering a custom-tailored longvest available in three colors—Black, Midnight Blue, or White!” As the announcer called out the description of Yui’s clothing, she walked to the end of the runway, posed, then spun in a pair of white breeches and a matching tunic with a dark blue overgarment. This overgarment was sleeveless, and hung from her shoulders down to the middle of her calves. There were four slits in the piece, one in the center of the front, one in the center of the back, and one on each side. “Both the black and the midnight blue are embroidered with silver vines that scrawl along the seams of the vest with Victorian Ivy leaves attached. The White version of this classy longvest is also embroidered, but the stitching is black instead of silver!” he continued. “But wait! If you order now, we’ll also provide the durable breeches and tunic which Yui is currently sporting. For a small increase in price you get not one but three pieces of this classy outfit!” At these words, Yui turned, and walked back to the end of the runway and turned right, to put on her elegant item. Following her out onto the stage was Aegon, and as he took the runway there were both cheers of approval (mostly from Tzimfemme and Scarlett O’Harpy), and jeers of disgust that any man alive would be seen in such a thing (mostly from the rest of the crowd). Aegon was wearing exactly one piece of clothing—a Speedo. “Yes, folks, that’s right, you too can be this fashionable when you go for a swim in the lake wearing one of these absolutely wonderful swimming suits that we’ve imported from another realm! Aegon is styling the version we like to call “Purple Passions,” but don’t worry, if violet isn’t your color we’ve got many more! Thanks for showing it off for us, Aegon!” And at that, the man followed his wife off the circular end to the runway, and someone in the crowd shouted, “Take it off, Aeg!” Thankfully, he didn’t. Just as he left view, Tanuchan came onstage wearing a light blue skirt made of silk, patterned with white lilies. It came down barely below her knees, and she walked slowly and shyly. Her hair fell down below her shoulder blades, raven black and swaying a little as she moved. She wore a white blouse with the skirt which matched perfectly the cream-white of the lilies on her skirt. As she reached the end of the runway, she took a practiced turn, and her skirt (which, upon closer examination, hung lower on the right side than the left because of the style) twirled out a little bit. She gave one last nervous smile, before turning and walking off the platform. “And now, for those of you who are in the market for some of those unmentionables, Guido and Nuncio are here to model our collection for you, on behalf of the great Elrond Peredhil himself. The two were happy to volunteer after some... coercion on the part of Elladan, and we present them to you now!” The two mentioned stepped out onto the platform, both wearing toothy, embarrassed smiles and various forms of lingerie. Guido sported a pair of lacey underwear, as well as a leather bra which did an excellent job at “lifting and separating”. Nuncio, on the other hand, was more lucky. He was at least allowed to wear boxer-shorts and a white undershirt. The giant guinea pigs smiled nervously as they gallomphed down the catwalk, stopped for a moment, then fairly ran backstage again. The announcer lost no time in introducing the next models.”Please help me welcome the Master of Time himself, Xaious! Accompanied not by one but two ladies! Twin sisters Shadows and PS! What a way to accessorize!” The crowd applauded as Xaious stepped onto the runway a girl on each arm. Shadows on the Left in a flirty Black circle skirt, a red and black flower print top, and red heels, her long brown hair flowed loosely down her back in waves. PS on the right was wearing black jeans, a red tank top and red walking boots with her hair in a long braid. The light hits them as they walk out onto the stage. Xaious, in the middle, was dressed in all black. His pants were somewhat loose and baggy, trailing on the ground, PS leaned heavily against him so as to know where she is going and Shadows had her arm lightly wrapped around his. “His pants aren’t just for show, Ladies and Gentlemen! Look closely and you will see a dozen or so pockets on those breeches!” Xaious’ shirt was short-sleeved red and black and matched flawlessly with his pants. It created an almost seamless look, with the shirt blending in well. On his feet, he wore combat boots that clicked softly as he trod the platform, turned and posed, and then retired backstage as well. Ayshela followed them, and she wore breeches that were nearly skin tight and mainly green, but with several brown (there could be no other word) splotches. This was in order to camouflage herself should the need arise, in any kind of greenery. Her top was slightly looser fitting—a pullover shirt, of the same green shades and with less of the brown influence. But the most noticeable item was her cloak. It draped over her shoulders and flowed down her back to reach her mid-calf. There were the same green and brown patterns facing out, in order to hide should the need arise. “And here we have the Lady Ayshela of The Mighty Pen, in her camouflage outfit! And, in case you’re more of a city-dweller, the cloak is reversible! See as the model demonstrates the quick-switching action in this magnificent piece!” Ayshela undid the latch at her throat quickly and rapidly flipped the cloak around, throwing her hood up as she did so, and re-latching it. She crouched swiftly, and she nearly disappeared as the stone-colored garment surrounded her and blended into the walls. “Simply magnificent!” the announcer wheezed, out of breath, as she rose and departed the stage. As Ayshela left the stage, the announcer boomed louder than usual. “Thank you ladies and gentlemen, and please give all of our daywear models a huge hand of applause!” There was a roar of approval from the spectators, and soon they were interrupted by his voice yet again. “And now, for the first outfits of our Formalwear Selections!” Yui returned, this time accompanied by her husband Aegon. The crowd held their collective breath for a moment. Aegon preceded Yui, dressed in a black formal robe which matched perfectly his wife’s outfit.At his waist, he wore a silver sash which gathered the robe in and allowed it to flow down about his feet at the floor. On his wrists, he wore twin bracelets that shone silver, accenting the sash he wore. The robe had a low-necked cut, and underneath the black robe he wore a shirt that was a grey that almost matched the silver of his sash and bracelets, and a lacey collar looked less than comfortable snug up against his neck. As he reached the circular end to the runway, Their own huntress was stunning. Her gown was floor-length, and swept flawlessly along as she walked. There was a small slit up her right leg, and she displayed shoes that matched her dress through this opening. But that dress. It was magnificent, and no one had ever seen anything like it. It was black, and jeweled with diamonds that shone like hundreds of stars scattered across the material in the spotlight. The gown made a “v” from her shoulders down to just above her bosom—provocative, yet modest in some manner that no one quite understood. From there, it flowed down and hugged the huntress’ waist, before flowing out again to sweep along the floor behind her. At her neck, Yui wore a silver chain that drew down into a single, large diamond. The announcer went wild, nearly screaming his approval at the dress, but no one was listening—their attention was on Yui, and only Yui. As she came down to the circle which made the end of the runway, she spun, and her hair swished as she did so. It had been parted so that there was a golden swath that trailed down her back. This part had been curled, and were formed into tubes as they cascaded over the black evening gown. On the back of her head, the dresser had drawn the rest back into a messy bun, which seemed common, yet beautiful all the same. As the pair finally turned to exit the stage, the crowd cheered, eager to see what was coming next. “Returning in splendor reminiscint of another plane, we have the everyone’s favorite guinea pigs, Guido and Nuncio! Each of them sports a black-and-white patterned suit with matching fedora, showcane, and trombone case! Let’s have a round of applause for our only entirely-non human presenters!” The two bodyguards of Elrond wore the same nervous smile as the walked down the platform, and finally backstage again. Gyrfalcon entered on the heels of Guido and Nuncio, his own eveningwear providing an contrast to their formal clothing. The half-elf was dressed simply in black pants and a pure white shirt with golden embroidery around the collar and cuffs as well as curling around the buttons down the front. A red sash was wrapped around his waist, adding a splash of color to the starkness of the black and white outfit. “And let us welcome back Gyrfalcon, this time modeling a wonderful outfit for semi-formal occasions! If you look closely, you can see the fine material and fine embroidery that went into his outfit. The trim forms a patter of roses and vines, definitely appropriate for a ranger. In addition, this costume easily transitions to a formal dinner by simply adding a black coat. Truly a wonderful costume!” Gyrfalcon smiled slightly at the scattered applause he received before sweeping off stage once more. “And now, please help me welcome back Xaious, with his lovely escorts!’ Xaious stepped onstage, and paused at the entrance as the announcer described his attire. “Xaious is wearing a stylish navy-blue pinstripe, three-piece suit with a white shirt and black tie underneath the vest and jacket. For footwear, he couples a pear of polished combat boots that shine and enhance the look. ” Shadows and PS step out and join him, one on each arm. “Get a load of those ladies folks! PS is wearing a stunning brocaded corset in beige with loose tan pants and a matching fitted trench coat. For shoes she has a pair of lovely beige sandals. On Shadows we have a berry colored corset with a floor-length shirt in a slightly lighter hue and strappy berry heels.” The three walk the runway and struck a pose, PS almost loosing her balance due to sudden lack of support, but Xaious catches her before she falls and they walk back up the runway. Alaeha stepped onto the stage as they stepped off, wearing an attractive blue gown that flowed over one shoulder and down nearly to the floor. Blue sequins sparkled in the spotlight as she made her way down the catwalk. The hem was diagonally cut from her mid-thigh down to the ankle of the other leg, and the slit revealed a pair of blue glass slippers that clicked with every step. She had a blue satchel that matched her gown and slippers. Her hair shimmered and swayed as she stepped down the stage, before turning and sidling off again. Tanuchan took Alaeha’s place, striding out onto the runway far more confidently than she had the first time. She wore a sea-green cocktail dress that hemmed across her knees and had a strapless neckline just at the top of her chest. The fabric was of silk and it swirled with different shades of green in different places. Her feet were enclosed in green slippers, and as she crossed the stage people took note of the small, modest necklace that had a single emerald in a classy setting. Tanuchan smiled far less nervously this time as she reached the circle, striking a couple poses before she strode off the stage. Ayshela was next to enter, and the announcer commented on her dress. It was a deep crimson, modestly cut, and nearly floor length. Anyone looking closely would have noticed a slight bulge in the thigh region on both sides of the dress--it was obvious that she was wearing her knives in their sheathes under the gown. Her hair was amazingly done, curled and let down in a showy fashion that was extremely becoming on Ayshela. Her accessories included a purse that she wore over her shoulder. The straps were somewhat long, allowing her to rest the actual bag on her hip where it blended in nicely with the fabric of her gown. Her shoes were matching as well, the same deep mahogany of the other two pieces. Finally, a choker at her neck completed the outfit, as the announcer informed the crowd. “And here we have a wedding gown formal, modeled for us by Katzaniel! The white chiffon is heavily embroidered with roses in white thread, representing the white rose and purity. The exquisite train and flowing skirts are trademark of this type of gown, and are done perfectly in this piece. Katzaniel is wearing a small, round cap that is connected to a veil that contains several miniature pearls in the design. “Add a bouquet of white roses, greenery, and baby’s breath. And for clients who may need them, the fashion company is prepared to add a pair of white slippers to the set. Ladies, if you’re ready to tie the knot, this gown is simply divine! Startle your guests with the beauty of your outfit and your self! Custom tailoring available, offer void where prohibited.” This last part was said so quickly that few picked it up--it was a voice that Wyvern would have been proud of. As she left, Appy stepped out, in a gown that made her look far more sophisticated than her green dress had. This one was a shade between gold and bronze, glittering with gold thread at the seams. The straps were an inch or two wide, and they narrowed down to form the skirt at the small of her back. The neckline was curved, but stopped modestly high above her chest. But even more prominent than the dress was her jewelry. She wore a necklace of a gold chain that was set with several diamonds and rubies in an astounding sight. A solid gold bracelet gleamed from her left wrist, and a ruby ring adorned her right hand. The “crowning” piece, however, was a golden circlet that crowned her (although less metalic) no less golden hair, which was still flowing down her back. Several women from the crowd were seen to be pointing at the circlet, bracelet, and necklace desirably from the crowd, and a huge cheer rose up as she departed from the catwalk. Meeting their cheers was yet another amazing sight. Salinye Celestialgrace stepped onto stage, and a hush fell over the crowd. Her gown was absolutely breathtaking. It was a pure white, nearly diamondlike silk of the finest quality. It was strapless, and fit her torso well before fanning out in a layered skirt about her legs... but that wasn’t the beautiful part. Shimmering on the fabric were millions of tiny, ice-blue snowflakes that slowly made their way down the fabric to the floor at her feet, where they dissolved. Her shoes were a pale, pale blue that was somewhere in between the color of the snowflakes and the white of the dress. At her throat, she wore a string of pearls that were nearly identical to the white of her dress. As she reached the platform at the end of the catwalk, she paused for a moment longer than in her previous piece. The crowd watched the snowflakes sift down the silk and dissolve on the lfoor for a moment. Even the announcer was silent as Salinye turned around and swept gracefully from the runway. After another moment of silence, the announcer sputtered to life, calling for a round of applause from the rest of the spectators for the willingness of the models to donate their time (and in some cases, become embarrassed), and congratulate everyone on a successful fashion show. OOC: *Uses a hypnotizing voice* This is not a week late... this is not a week late... this is on time... this is on time... Ok, I would like to apologize for the actual lateness of this post... work attempted an assassination on my life, and nearly succeeded, and I’m not looking forward to going back again tomorrow. This was actually finished on the evening of the 20th, I just ran out of gas before I could post it that night. I also wanted to have a run-through of it while I was awake to make sure it was at least somewhat coherent. On another note, to the participants: If you didn’t get your participation in because you were writing it yourself and you didn’t send it to me, you can still be in it. If you PM it to me sometime soon I will edit the post to include your participation. Please use characteristics similar to what I have done with the above when writing your participation. I sent out a couple PM’s last night and this morning to explain special circumstances to some people who wanted to be in it but weren’t entirely in it or weren’t in it at all. Those people (I hope) understand, and may complete (or begin) their participation, if they wish. If I wrote you something and you are absolutely outraged because I didn’t give you enough exposure or I gave you too much or I misrepresented your character, send me an angry PM and I will edit it according to your wishes also. Also, if you said that you were going to give me more information and then you didn’t, I went with what I had on your character. I apologize in advance (a phrase I’ve been coining quite often lately), to any hard feelings that people may harbor against me. I tried to make each of the formals strikingly beautiful in their own ways, and I apologize if your own way wasn’t quite what you had in mind. If this was redundant, it’s because I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to incorporate around 10 participants twice. I used as many different words for catwalk, stage, platform, runway, and that as I could... I tried to shake it up a little with the announcer thingy, but that might have failed miserably as well. Overall, I wanted the emphasis to be the descriptive abilities that I used in the clothing of people, which always seems to be overlooked somehow. Any comments or critique may be posted on this thread, since further modifications to the show itself will simply be edits to this initial post. Thank you all for reading. This is my Quill Quest. It has been a long time in the making, and I hope that you can all see the work I put into it.

Oh, and by the way... is it possible to get myself on the list for a modding of a game? My theme is the Salem Witch-Trials, as some of you know.

Walter Morrison, nerdy High-school kid.

Fighting the fear of fear itself, Sending emotions to sit on a shelf. Hiding your heart is hard to do, But well worth the work it requires of you. (those were the sentences with 3 alliterations) Try to find the time to take a break-- Being busy means business is booming they say While waiting will leave wounds in your wake. Prioritize time, but put plenty of play in your day! (those were the sentences with four alliterations) I hope I did them right!

Huzzah for Ayshela!! Yay! Have a very wonderful day!

I will also throw my hat into the running. I won't declare my character yet because I didn't really understand the setting, but I'm in, whoever decides to mod!

The sweet feel of love Racing quickly through my veins As I speak to her And when we're apart I think of her and I smile Because of her beauty So much in common So much time spent together So much love we share ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ I didn't know if it was all right to do more than one verse... and I just did this for my happiness haiku because love is happiness in my opinion, so that's that! It's my first one, so don't make fun of me, lol.

Hmm... and I wonder if I could have one, after Ayshela is finished?

I have here the results! Everyone recieves 5 geld for entering, and it should be entered onto your acounts shortly! And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! It was a very difficult decision, and you can be assured that if you did not place you were very close. I had an amazingly difficult time narrowing it down to three, and an even more difficult time placing those three. So, without further ado, I give you your results. In third place, recieving 10 geld is Gyrfalcon! I liked the way your story flowed, and the end was great. Well done! In second place and recieving 15 geld is Salinye! You did a great job and stepped outside the box with your essay which was awesome to see! And finally, in first place with the essay that I personally thought the most hillarious (and rediculous... Merelas isn't portly!) is Wyvern! We all decided you needed a lot of geld for your addictions, and so you will recieve 20. Congratulations to everyone! May you use your geld wisely in buying bachelors for your own purposes

Merelas' Quiz is right here.

The Contest is now CLOSED! Thank you to all who have submitted entries, and I will have the placings shortly. Good luck!

Have a wonderful Birthing Day!

My muse is a siren of mythology, luring you close with her beautiful song and then killing you by refuisng to continue the words. OOC: Is this right?

Hmm. I suppose I'll give it a go: The waves battered the cliff, slowly eating away at it. The wind watched over all, driving the ocean onwards in its pursuit of destruction. Nearby, an eagle soared, and cried out in joy at life, and living it, before diving down and catching its dinner. ¿Was that right?

At the sight of Wyvern up on the platform, and the slightly small red dot which was connected to a lever that would send everyone's favorite near-dragon for a swim, Merelas sauntered into the tent. It was an honor to be the first to try and send Wyvie for a dip, and he would do his darndest to get three out of three. Clunking the 5 geld into a jar, Ayshela handed him three balls to chuck at the red dot. Merelas winked slightly at Wyvern before winding up, and throwing. He was dissapointed (although Wyvern was relieved) to see that it missed entirely, ending up in the pool where Wyvern was supposed to be. "Oh, you're not out of trouble yet, you greasy lizard," hollered Merelas cheerfully as he wound up again. This time, the ball tweaked the edge of the target, but didn't activate the drop. Wyvern gulped. Merelas was so pleased that he successfully dunked the lizard on the last try that he jumped in and helped the Elder of Initiates back up on the platform for the next participant.

Perhaps it's just me, perhaps I've missed it among the other reviews here, but I never did see one for The Passion. Since I am one who constantly loves to put his foot in his mouth, I will go ahead and do my review now. I can honestly say that I will never think of the crucifiction the same way again. I saw the beginning of the movie with relative indifference, not really liking the beginning and the way that Jesus dealt with Satan... then again, I'm one who ignores the old saying, "Discretion is the better part of valor." When the beating scene began, I was at first horrorstruck, but relatively unmoved. However, it was when they began afresh, using whips with claws to beat Jesus that I started bawling my eyes out. As one caught in his skin, and then was jerked out with a sickening rip and spray of blood, I found my hand covering my mouth, and my eyes began leaking embarrassing tears, since I was right next to both my girlfriend (who didn't cry a single tear) and my best friend (who looked at me in what I can only assume was a mixture of awe and disgust). I cried more in those three hours than I had in the previous year combined. I must say that this movie, regardless of religious affiliations (or lack thereof), is a moving film. I believe that everyone should give Mel Gibson some money and either buy it or see it. (And just out of curiosity, does anyone know if he is actually keeping the money or if he's donating it to charity? I never heard, it was a question I had.) 9/10 for the shady beginning, but still probably the most moving film I've ever seen.

It was quiet with the sort of pregnant, expectant silence that came just before or after a performance that promised to be truly great. In this case, it was the former. The man was known simply among the patrons of this inn as the storyteller. Some of the more pompous might refer to him as a “historian” or a “scholar”, but to those who knew him best knew that he was simply a spinner of yards; a weaver of threads. Whether his tales ever held any truth to them or not was debatable. No one could say if he had ever heard them from someone else or if they had simply lodged in his mind one night. But all things considered, one fact remained: his stories were amazing. And here they were, listening to the crackle of the fire and creak of floorboards as they waited for him to begin. He didn’t have to require silence. They provided it without his asking. Eventually, after the silence had become uncomfortable and many people had begun to wonder if the tale was really worth the wait, he began. His voice was rusty and grainy at first. His age had made it so. Beating time is a losing fight, and the man was clear evidence of this. Eventually, though, as he continued the story, it softened. The harshness of age fell away as the words worked their magic. For, as the storyteller spoke, he enchanted not only those who listened, but himself. The prophecy that he gave forth was his own ambrosia… he lived for these nights when people gave him respect and he gave them a reason to respect him. Purely and simply, all anyone could say was that it was magic.

Praise Lord indeed. We are truly blessed to be born in this country rather than some other where we wouldn't be as free or as fortunate... and even more blessed because, if we so choose, we can leave if we don't like it here. Have a happy 4th, all... for a few more hours.