A night to remember...

(Warning, this post was written while very sleep deprived, and is completely unedited. There, now you may proceed with all due caution.)

It all started at the beginning of last week. Well, before that actually. But the awesome started last night. All the crazy awesome extravaganza I could ever wish for...

VGHS season 2 premiere. Awesome.

But first there was a work shift, then marshal arts—karate, german longsword, and a bit of parkour wall spin practice just for fun. We got out after ten, picked up the Bishop, and picked up a third brother for good measure. So our party was four.

But one does not simply gather people for a party. We armed ourselves with energy drinks and provisions. And, I must admit, some small amount of alcohal. Don't worry, we drank responsibly, and none of us got drunk.)

The party started sometime after eleven? I'm not really sure—it doesn't really matter. Much beverage was consumed (cider, mostly monster, red bull, jack, jager, water...) sausages were put in the oven to roast, chips were poured into a bowl, and we sat down to re-watch the first season of VGHS. And it was just as good as I remembered it from my last re-watch two days ago. Yes, a bit campy, but that's part of the fun.

It ended sometime around 1:30am, I think. After which we went looking for season two first ep. But it wasn't out yet, despite promises that it would come on the 25th.

(Yes, I know my sentence structure is haphazard. Lazy. It's gonna get worse. But give me I break, I've been up for almost 24 hours)

Delays. Hardrive problems. Noooooo!!! So ensued shenanigans with Halo split-screen. Much fun. Much frustration. That sorta died off, though, so we moved on to other things. Like stalking Freddie Wong's twitter, the Rocket Jump site, and finally youtube where the video was processing. For ages. I was there from about the time there were six hundred likes (yes, before the video had finished processing. I think we got up to around 3k? don't really remember clearly.) I was part of the comment frenzy, reaching something like 5k comments? Before the upload. (New top comments every ten seconds or so. About a comment every second—atleast.)And I was there watching Jimmy Wong's live feed. Monster and jager were my fuel, working with red bull and anticipation.

It was awesome. Most fun I've had in ages.

Finally, around 6am, the episode launched. Hurrah! It was just as good as I thought it would be. Better, even. (Hat is off to any and all involved.)

By that time, we'd lost one of our number to sleep, and the other had to get ready for work. (Speaking of which, I go into work at 11:30am. Nope, won't be sleeping till after I get out at 8. That's 36h. Not my record, but close. (I know, I'm a lightweight when it comes to sleep dep)) :)

But two remained, and it was still much fun. And it's still much fun now, living in the calm before I have to go to work. I'm the only one here who's awake now, but everything's a-okay. I'm blessed. Thank you God. And thank you to everyone involved in the show and the comment frenzy. It was one wile-of-a-time.

See ya, space cowboy (or cowgirl, as the case may be.) Have fun out there, with lots of sunshine and cool. Yeah. Stuff.... I'm a bit lost right now, just rambling... I should probably end this post about now. Yep.

Go mbeannaí Dia duit, (I hope I spelt that right...)

M. S.

From the Storm (and after)

Powers out, and the internet with it(i'm writing this with the precious little battery i have left inmy iPod.)so I don't know when this'll go up... But, power will probably be back on when it does...

So, if you've read much of this blog, then you probably already know about my atypical feelings towards storms. After a powerful storm, like this one which tore down trees (mostly leaving them strewn across streets) and leaving us without power, I get to thinking about things (Dangerous, I know.), about why I feel the way I do...

Even when I'm out being a wild maniac, or when I'm helping neighbors clear away wreckage from the streets during a calm, I still feel warm. Safe. Protected. Perhaps this is because I've never suffered injury, or perhaps it's because no one I know personally has been hurt, or perhaps it's because i'm young and foolish; but I think it's more than all those, true though they may be.

Storms, in all their fury and power, remind me of God's power, remind me that He is looking out for me, even when I don't realize. It makes me think about how truly blessed I really am. And it gives me energy.

Sometimes though, I stop, I remember others who may or may not be suffering in the storm, who might be in danger, who are out of my reach. For a moment, I forget God, so lost to worry and helplessness am I.

And that is a terrible place to be. Every sound of thunder, every clash between ground and sky, becomes something to fear--not for myself (never for myself), but for others, even and especially for those I don't know as well as I should. Every siren crying in the distance becomes a lucid nightmare, and I feel guilty about the joy of moments before. When that happened, it is hard to trust. Control goes out the window.

Yet even then, God did not abandon me. Somehow I became able to think rationally again, to pray. And after a moment's prayer I gained the strength to once more leave my fears and worries in his hands. And that is a good place to be, one I never want to leave.

Wherever you are, and whoever you are, I pray that you stay safe against whatever chaos or uncertainty you might be facing; and I pray that you, too, might know the comfort and joy that I'm feeling now.

Go mbeannaí Dia duit,

M. S.

Update: Yes, it's roughly ten o'clock the night after the storm, and power is back. Yippee skippee! Alleluia! And everyone who still has no power, hold in there. I'm praying for you, and the women and men of the power company are surely working their hardest.

P.S. Please excuse all the tense shifting and clunky prose. It's not my best work, but I don't think I'm going to edit this post. Just cause. Also, I'm very thankful I live in a neighborhood where people go out and help each other the same night the storm came through. I talked to people I don't think I've ever talked to before, it was very cool. So I'm very thankful. I'm just thankful for everything right now.

Whooppee! skibberoo! Life is good! (Darkness really is only for light to shine in.)

And now I'm just drawling on. Sorry. Goodnight all. :)  ... ... ... (I just used an emoticon? Ah, must be the caffeine kicking in... Caffeine, another thing I'm thankful for...

Seriously, goodnight. I mean it this time. I think. Night night!

Mickel out.

Let it rain

It stormed last night and, as always, it brought excitement with it.

There is a standing tradition in my house that, when it rains, people go outside. Now, I'm not talking about sitting on the porch like sane people (why would we, any of us, be sane?), no, my siblings and I go where the wind batters us and we can feel the water sliding past our feet.

Sometimes, we put on felt fedoras and trenchcoats, we walk and talk like we think it's the '40s and Chandler wrote us. Other times, we race outside at the first crash of thunder, not bothering with silly things such as coats or shoes. We run and howl with the wind, finding within the storm a kindred spirit... Actually I think it's just me that does that last—the bare feet thing, I mean.

I don't know what it is about storms, but I love them, I love being in them. Perhaps it's their wild, rampant energy. Perhaps they make me feel more alive... I don't really know, and maybe if I did I wouldn't be drawn to them so much (unlikely).

There's just something about being in the wet, where I can feel the thunder—when I'm there, I don't feel fear. Storms, it seems, are made for me, and I thank God for every one. Lightning might strike me one day, but the thought doesn't bother me. It hasn't turned on me yet. 

What about you, unidentified reader, how do you feel about storms? Do you think about them as blessings, or do you see them as inconveniences? Are they things to marvel at from safety, or things to experience firsthand, close up, from within?

Go mbeannaí Dia duit,
M.S.

Why am I awake?

Actually, the title of this post is a rhetorical question. I now exactly why I'm awake. I think. Mostly... Let me explain.

I'm still up now because my cinnamon bread is about to go in the oven. I was still up before because, at about 2:30, I decided: hey, since I'm up, why don't I make bread for bible study and puppets? (puppeteers, actually, but whatever) Before that, though? I'm not really sure. I was probably up because everyone one else was, but I don't think that's really reason enough. Is it?

Lately, this has been happening alarmingly often. It's like I have second hand insomnia, which I must say is quite annoying. It's one thing to stay up when no one else is awake, to listen to the house creak and the wind blow, to let my imagination run wild. On nights like those, I write like a madmen; although, sometimes I clean and brood. But when EVERYONE stays up late... Then I end up sitting around eavesdropping, or listening to music by myself; either way, I'm not doing much productive. (I think I may be over using semi-colons here? I don't even know anymore. It seems the tireder (Is that even a word?) I get, the sloppier my sentence structuring becomes. Or maybe that's just my imagination.) This actually how I seem to be whenever I'm in the presence of people: I lurk in the background—doing general lurky things—whilst trying not to be noticed. At times, it's extremely frustrating. Especially when I'm actually trying to interact, but failing…

And that paragraph got away from me. It should probably be broken up. Or cut up. My internal editor isn't on the clock this late—probably one of the reasons writing is so productive when I'm up by myself.

Anyway, the fact is I am awake, and I am baking. In fact, if you'll excuse me one scend… There, bread is in the oven! Mmmm, if only you could smell what I'm smelling.

What else? 3 more hours and church starts!

Is there even a point to this post?

Methinks not.

Good morning—or night, as the case may be.

Go mbeannaí Dia duit,
M. S.

Awesomeness

Gaelic Storm Concert. Too Awesome for words. So much fun I nearly passed out when it was over. I can't think right now.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!
Yay life!

Go mbeannaí Dia duit,
M. S.