F3 Sin City

            Jack and I found Jeff surfing into the heart of the thunderstorm. Like most monsoon thunderstorms in the desert, the storm was intense and would probably be short-lived. But then those short, intense storms had a way of rupturing reality in a hurry.

Summer Cleaning

            I’ve been trying to go through my stuff to get rid of what really isn’t needed any more. I just have too much stuff. But there’s a problem. A big one. Yes I have time to do that cleaning since the semester is over, but the ability to clean is curtailed by the weather.

            When the mercury regularly hits between 115-118, you really have to be careful about doing anything outside. The work tends to come in fits and stages simply because the health risks are too great, and it’s not like I want to be out in the heat, anyway.

            I guess this is why most places do the cleaning in the spring.

Bible: Creation: Method

            Those expecting more about vampires, well, I’m taking a short break. Most of the remaining weaknesses are tied directly to Christianity, so I thought we’d take a foray into the Bible.

            Okay, this is it. The big one. The Biblical creation is one of the most well-known stories of all time. Or is it? Maybe there are some nuggets of information we can get out of this previously untapped.

F3 Reunion

            “Commander Peter Flynn, I’m assigned to the Vienna to be the new XO,” Flynn explained to the duty officer.

            The lieutenant checked his data slate, then nodded. “Yes, sir, everything appears to be in order.”

            “Where can I find Captain Powell?” he asked.

Resurrection of Reading

            I don’t read much anymore. I know, I know. This is like a cardinal sin for a writer. But I do have a good excuse. Recreation reading was replaced by grading. And grading saps brain power. It saps attention span. It saps the will. I still love the idea of stories. I want to read. I want to immerse myself in new worlds and characters and escape.

M3 Vampire Weaknesses: Running Water

            Like garlic, running water is more universally applicable than to just vampires. Running water is believed to be a barrier to the supernatural. The origins of this idea come from many different cultures.

The Greeks widely held that rivers such as the Styx served as the passageway from the land of the living to the underworld. Most Greek myths that have a hero traversing to the underworld (Odysseus, Hercules, Orpheus, etc.) have them traveling the Styx. The ferryman Charon takes spirits to the land of the dead via his boat on the Styx. So rivers, not unlike crossroads (but that’s another post) were often seen as powerful passages.

F3 Sultry Nights

            A heatwave had come to Belport. The mercury climbed nearly to 100 degrees; combined with the humidity from the ocean, this mean life was miserable for all involved. Everyone tried to use their air conditioners at the same time, which the power grid wasn’t prepared to handle, so the utilities instituted brownouts.

Slipping by

            It’s the middle of July. It’s hot, unbearably so. But of more concern is the fact that the summer is more than half over, and it doesn’t feel like it should be. It’s yet another one of the weird time compression things that are all too common to teachers. Parts of the semester crawl by, others fly. The same things happen during off times. Sometimes the time is sufficient, and goes by at a leisurely pace. Other times it feels like we don’t have a chance to even catch our breaths.

            I guess the only thing to do is make the most of the time that’s left. It’s time to start crossing projects off my list. I’ve been working on a lot of them simultaneously, so I haven’t been idle. Maybe completing a few will make the time better spent.

M3 Vampire Weaknesses: Mirrors

            The mirror idea goes back to the idea that a reflection reveals a person’s soul, which is why many indigenous people believed that cameras would steal a person’s sole, also. So the idea is that vampires possess no souls for the mirror to reflect. Unlike the other apotropaics, mirrors do not actually ward vampires away. There is nothing preventing a vampire from standing in a hall of mirrors and attacking someone. Vampires avoid mirrors simply because they would stand revealed to the people.

F3 Four Words

            “Come on, say it,” Natalie pressed.

            “What? No. Come on,” I said.

            “If you don’t say it, you’re not getting any.” She folded her arms, looking sternly at me.

Summer of Myth

            This is an interesting summer, one in which I’ve been pouring on some extra mythology work, a good part because of a former student emailing me asking some detailed and interesting questions. Since I’m a sucker for mythology, of course I’m going to answer and get into a very detailed conversation about myths.

M3 Vampire Weaknesses: Garlic

            Garlic has long been held as a universal ward against evil. There is plenty of information about how it purifies the blood, keeps away blood sucking insects, gives strength, courage, and bestows other attributes.

F3 Halls of Montezuma

            Flynn huffed and puffed, trying to catch his breath as he leaned against the bulkhead. His muscles felt watery, and he could swear that the gravity had been increased to almost twice what was standard for all that he wanted to sink to the deck.

            Beside him, Lt. Stephanie Kimball, whom he usually referred to as Eltie, jogged in place beside him. She hardly broke a sweat, and had that infuriating grin on her face.

Questions, Not Answers

            The more I teach, write, research, and learn, the more I come to understand about myself during these processes. And what I’ve come to understand is that I’m not interested in answers as I am in questions. Sure, answers come into it, eventually, but that’s not what drives me. I’m not content to simply be told an answer or even to find an answer.