Fill in the blank!

Yes for Awesomeness Points. But only those in my Comp. II class will be able to answer this one, unless you're a *very* good guesser. :) In order to get all of these right you'll have to look at one of my recent Flash Forum posts. 

Poor, unfortunate _____! Who could have know that when his ____ built the two ____ of ____ he made one with slightly less ___ then the other? Who could have foreseen that _____, desperate for _____, would betray his own son to a _____ grave? For when did any man see the crafty _____ scheming deep within the ______?  Did any here see the vile _____ enter his ___ as he realized that only ____ would escape more _____ then ____? Who knew that the pressure of _____ would eventually cause the gruesome ____ of such a _____, bright ___? No ____, ___ one, no one. No one but the debase ____ that could conceive such a ____ plan, then fain such ____ when it came to _____.  


;)

"Opportunity" [by Edward Rowland Sill] Rewrite

There is a great battle in the desolate midst of the Desert of Doom. The two mighty nations arrange themselves for battle, with teeth gritted, eyes squinting in the brightness and the hatred. The ruthless sun glares down on the glittering metal that covers the soldier’s bodies. And then there is the mindless slashing, slicing, and stabbing of the two nations as they kick up a sand cloud that is seen for miles round in the Land of Doom. I am the sword that a soldier splintered and threw down. I lay broken in the sandy dust as the battle raged around me, now silently I watch the blood spray, the swords ring, and the lives severed. My slivers lay sparkling about me in the midst of the chaos. My eyes grow dark and my limbs grow cold. Never more would a soldier grasp my solid hilt again, never more would I dance in the sun, cutting short the lives of mortal men, never more would I be placed quietly to rest after a long day’s slaughter in my sheath of soft leather. Now I lay in naught but death’s numb embrace, and the sanguine sands in the Land of Doom. But then I feel a strong hand reach for me. I throw open my eyes and behold the glorious face of the king’s son. He regards me with a solemn eye, and then a smile leaps to his lips. He lifts my shattered form high above his head, giving a rousing battle-cry! Ah, the warriors fall like stalks of grass before the might of the prince that day, he rouses his men, and routes the enemy, sending them fleeing off into the very withering heart of the Land of Doom.

I love folding papers and things. ^_^

Anyone who has sat by me at a seminar, play, or Bible study will probably notice that I folded up my paper pretty quickly. If I don't desperately need a flier, agenda, or hand-out then it will soon become either a water balloon or one of various kinds of airplanes. Here's one example of some major-scale page folding:

It's just an abstract shape, nothing too impressive.. And I hope nobody needs that book on Constitutional Law for a while...

I would love to be able to do some of this later on:

The Post About Awesomeness Points..

As of today I am instituting the Official D.C. Salmon Awesomeness Points System! This system applies to all the people who know me. There are a few ways to get points:

-Answer questions (You will find little questions around my blog--and elsewhere *hint,hint*-- if you look carefully enough. When you send me an e-mail with the answer, you will receive points. Please go out of your way to find and answer questions.)

 -Advertise my organizations (Mainly this blog, by mentioning it on Facebook, Google+, your blog or any other place where people will find out about it. This is the other one where I would LOVE for you to go out of your way to get points.)

-Acts of service. (Pretty much just doing things for me. Like helping me edit something I wrote, or taking me to the EOTYG. ;) Almost any sized act will get points. I'll make it more fair by not counting most of the acts done for me by people that I've actually met.)

 -Be funny (Pretty much just in the way you act, things you say, things you post.. Don't change your habits or go out of your way to be extra funny though.. I'll just find that annoying..)

-Show talent (If you can prove that you can do something that I can't do then I'll give more points. You also get points for doing something I didn't expect you to be able to do. If it has to do with some of my interests, then even more points.)

-Writing! (This is actually mostly about my writing.. If you can prove that you think my writing is good you get points. I love it when people like my writing. So this doesn't mean say "Oh Cooper I love your writing soo much!" It means actually posting something that I wrote or something like that. Also if you get me to help you write something.. I like that. Re-working a sentence and stuff like that.)

-Other (Some other things that don't fit in any of those categories.. :P)


                                            Here's the way I envision Awesomeness Points:

By the end of the year some of your collections should look like this:

:)

I'm not actually going to tell you all the opportunities you have to get points. Sometimes you'll just have to guess. The things like when I ask questions are the easy ones. If you have an answer to a question you must send the answer in an e-mail. I will not except it if you post it as your status or send me a chat with the answer. In the e-mail please include the question that you answered, and "Bonus Points" in the subject. Also-if I probably won't give points for intentionally going out of your way to fulfill these, except for Answering Questions and Advertising My Organizations. Please feel free to do those as often as you can!

If you posted about my blog please e-mail me and include a link showing me when you did so. :)

Allie Presley is the first person to get bonus points for answering a question (Huzzah!!!), and Katie Montgomery and Meridian Paulton are currently tied for the lead, for taking me to the EOTYG and commenting a lot on my blog respectively.

Did I mention that the winner will get a prize? Point gathering for this year closes Dec. 15th, 2012. I'm gonna make it very worth your while. :) Keep competing!

Water.. In the sky?

Have you ever thought about clouds in depth? Apart from the obvious "Oh no there are a whole bunch of clouds- it's going to rain"? Think about it. There is water. Clumped together into a giant marshmallow. In the sky. What in the world is it doing up there?

Did someone try to pull a practical joke? Was water cursed by some ancient god who wanted to separate it from it's precious earth for a little while? Did some alchemist make a dreadful error while trying to turn water into gold?  Out of all the random places to put water: Why the sky? Yes, yes, because of evaporation, condensation, vituperation, and so on and so forth. But really.. Water is slippery. You can't even just put water on a table and expect it to stay together in one clump, much less throw it in the sky. Water is also heavy. I've carried packs of water bottles and I've found the it's not the lightest thing. Certainly not light enough to just hang in the sky.

But it does. Most of the water we see in this dry climate is in the sky, yet I have never been worried about walking under a cloud for fear that the whole thing would fall down and crush me like a giant, watery cinder block. And this whole post does not result from a lack of General Science course- I know that it has to do with which phase the water is in. But really-If you think about it- Why can water float just because the molecules aren't close together?

Why? Because that's the kind of God we have. Because He made his creation so that it's perfectly ordered, but still wondrous. Because He can do things like that. He's all powerful after all. We modern (High and mighty look upon the rustic ancients) humans may glory in our science, we may revel in our knowledge and we may put our faith in our own brainy-ness. But all of that is just us playing by God's rules.

"And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do."

Top 5ness-Highest Songs

I'm sure it doesn't surprise the people who know me that all 5 of my top 5ness songs are from the mighty Blind Guardian.. They're the bestestest (Notice the triple superlative) because they have incredible talent and amazing subjects to sing of, for they sing songs of The Cantebury Tales, The Iliad, King Arthur, Greek mythology and Norse mythology and many other things of olden times. Does any other band hold a candle to such amazingness?

1. And Then There Was Silence- It's hands down, no other can surpass it, you'd have to brain-wash me *twice* to get me to forget it, the best song in existence. Across all genres. The raw power shines through the incredible lyrics. It's about the Trojan War, and it's too amazing to be cut down to the normal size of a song. I get shivers ever single time I listen to it. I should have put this song as all 5 of my Top 5ness Highest Songs. It just shows the desperate spirit of the Trojans, the claustrophobia as the Greeks press inward, the unbridled emotions of both sides. This is *the* amazing song. 

Here are the lyrics  if you care to actually know what these tongues of gold are singing.

"In the end, Raise my hands and praise the day, Break the spell show me the way in decay the flame of Troy will shine bright."

2. The Maiden and the Minstrel Knight- This tells the story of two lovers, of the immense pain in separation, and of the intense, passionate, deep-seated feelings of love. I haven't read the book this story is from, so I don't know if this was a legitimate marriage or not. Either way this is a great song. 

"Forever it stands until the world ends, the victorious banner of love!"

3. The Bard's Song- Is a wonderfully written, masterfully played piece of almost classical guitar playing. It's a moving and yet calming song. Sadly I know not from whence it comes. :( I think it has something to do with LOTR, because it mentions Hobbits, Elves and Men. 

 "And you're not alone, so don't be afraid in the dark and cold, cuz the Bard's Songs will remain, they all will remain, in my thoughts and in my dreams they're always in my mind."

4. Battlefield- This is a really energetic song that demonstrates the fervor in the midst of battle. It reminds me of when Gandalf faces off with the Balrog because of the 

"I challenge thee: Do not cross this bridge!", 

"I will not move yet. I stand still instead.", 

"There on the battlefield he stands, down on the battlefield he's lost" 

lines. 

"Let's pray that heaven's on our side, through violence and horror now honor arise!"

5. In The Forest-The Hobbit- I love this song mostly just because I've read The Hobbit and know the story well enough to really get the references made to it. 

"I'll take the mighty stone, and leave the dwarves behind."

Honorable mentions: The Curse Of Feanor, Valhalla, Nightfall, A Past And Future Secret.

Nota Bene- To Mr. Davis: I give you hearty and deep-felt thanks. You introduced me to Blind Guardian, and my life has never been the same since. :)