We'd have to narrate novels to avoid making "lies of omission" (Personal Entry)

"I went down the stairs to get to the driveway" is a condensed form of:

"At 2:36:53 PM, I started my right foot down the stairs, turned two lefts down the stairwell, reached the ground floor on my right foot again after climbing down 47 steps, opened the right hydraulically-operated door with both hands, scampered 184 steps with a headwind blowing in my face, passed a Bentley Arnage, a Ford GT, a late-model Range Rover, and a Kawasaki motorcycle before turning left, nearly tripping on the drainage gutter when the edge hit my right ankle at 2:41:25 PM, and finally landing on the driveway with my left foot at 2:42:08 PM."

So if I told you the condensed form, THEN I'D BE LYING!!! *lol* To tell the truth, we'd have to narrate a novel each day!

We'd be more guilty of lying by omission than George Dubya is of lying outright.

(Addendum:) The Bible only touches on lying (outright.) Where does it make any mention of lying by omission? I think we only invented this "lie of omission" concept just so we would be told everything we ask about, though what could result is receiving more information than is needed.

Wonderful view on Arreat Summit! (Personal Gaming Entry)

This entry was copied from my Diablo gaming blog at http://diablo.wikia.com. Original source is http://diablo.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:ENG

I had to learn how to summon [[Fire Golem]]s to help keep me and my party warm. I have managed to endure the abject cold since then. Now I have managed to reach the [[Arreat Summit]]. The view looks quite nice from up here; now the clouds no longer obscure the view of down below and I can see quite the valley down there! Also, there appears to be a series of decrepit forts and battlements. I don't remember their layouts; apparently I never went to that part of the mountain range.

Overall, I must be getting rather close! I had no idea that [[Demonhide Gloves]] would protect better than [[Greaves]]. Whereas I felt like a lanky middle-schooler upon arrival at the [[Rogue Encampment]], I feel like a military colonel now that I'm way up here, far more powerful than I have ever been before!

Soon, I must face [[Baal]] himself and the end of Evil's reign on our world will arrive!!! (At least for the meantime. I have had dreams that [[Diablo III|in 20 years, evil shall lurk the world again!]]. I hope to stay alive during the coming two decades of immense world peace, so that I can defeat more supernatural adversaries and [[Lilith|the one responsible for their inevitable resurrection.]]

Please pray that I do well in the coming final battles ahead. --[[User:ENG|ENG]] 12:08, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

[[The Ancients]]

Those statues animate into real guardians. They decimated my platoon of minions in quite a hurry! Despite resummoning my Fire Golem and trying to take them on manually, my potions ran out (save for a lone [[Super Mana Potion]]) and I had to jump back through the Town Portal. As I cast my escape, the Ancients suddenly became statues again. Apparently they needed a rest as well. When I replenish and repair, I will return mightier than I was the first time. I WILL enter the [[Worldstone Keep]]! --[[User:ENG|ENG]] 12:25, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Some bothersome thoughts keep me awake! (Personal Entry)

1. Meeting new people is like disarming a bomb - I cut the right wire and make a friend, or I cut the wrong wire and make a grudge-holder. No wonder I approach social situations like exams (or job interviews) as I told you that afternoon, Cami.

2. Chapman was like an island in the middle of a sea, with the farmland being the sea. There wasn't much to do; a village of less than 1500 was a pretty awful place to grow up. For God's sakes, Dad worked in Topeka for several years while I grew up; that was a 140-mile commute both ways! I'm sure the money spent on fuel every month probably could've been the money used to make a house payment every month.

2a. He also worked in Fort Riley, then Salina for a while. Manhattan's pretty close to Fort Riley, first of all. I would be in a better point in life right now had I grown up in Manhattan. This town has more resources to help kids along better than Chapman had - more tutors and all.

2b. Salina had similar resources as well. I wish Chapman had been hit by a bigger tornado in the early '90s than the one that hit in '08. We'd have been forced to move to a better town. A village of less than 2000 is no place to grow up in. I wish I'd have lived in Salina or Manhattan instead.

3. Will a Persuasion (COMM 525) class ever help me sweet-talk old enemies into letting go of their grudges? I don't need to sweet-talk everybody into anything, but all I want is to resolve every last grudge I come across for the last time.

4. I'm a man of the 21st Century. I wanted no part in the 20th.

5. About the advice to "be yourself:" It's fine to be myself if I only get one enemy every so often, but if the way I am makes me too many enemies, I'm doing SOMETHING wrong, and had better change it!

6. No matter where I am, there is always somebody who doesn't like me. If I don't notice anyone, at least somebody's polite enough to keep it to themselves. If it's their problem, I'll let it be. If I made an offense, it (most likely) wasn't deliberate, so I'd like to clear up a misconstrual as soon as I know about one. If it's because I'm immature in something, we often don't know our own habits until it's pointed out to us. Point out my immaturities then and I'll see it dissolved.

7. Others try to drink alcohol to drown away their grief. (Really, it only gets washed downstream where it swims ashore and hikes back to you.) I try to drown my grief by making these journals about it.

7a. If anyone specific causes me trouble and any other kind of emotional harm, I'll hide them behind aliases when I write about them. Otherwise, using their real names could cause more trouble than they're worth. (For example: "Melhan Dapponary," "Jeanessa Ryndella DeSpatznio," and "Bimi Martaquifer" are aliases based on real people.)

8. Lately, I feel that the more I'm careful with conversing with people, the MORE I'm likely to fail! And yet, every time I fail in however I socialize, I feel compelled to be even MORE careful. Isn't this becoming a positive feedback loop; a snowballing effect?

9. People tell me to relax when I socialize. I suppose if I know the person is older, then I may. Then the younger people assume I am, the less I feel compelled to be "careful." My subconscious keeps telling me that the less careful I am when socializing, the more I'll come off as "immature" when I do.

10. Which is why I've tried to look younger before. I took collagen powder in Japan, and either that was just snake oil (ehh, snake powder); a way to make money through false promises, or I didn't take enough of it. I didn't finish it when I started my 15-day hop back home and I'm sure I took it with me; wouldn't know where it is now.

10a. I've been meaning to get electrolyzing permanent hair-removal products because excess body hair just makes me look older. Why do I need it if it also adds weight to myself? Also, removing hair from certain parts of me forever will make me lower-maintenance (with shaving and all.) Heidi says I look best while clean-shaven anyway. The human body is high enough maintenance as it is.

10b. I don't know when I'll find the right dental insurance I'd need to get $4,000 braces. Consensus is I need them, and I think braces will knock about 3-4 years off of how old I look. If they're typically worn by middle & high schoolers, they'll give a more youthful look when I wear them.

11. I have something to hide, which explains why I can't realize my full self-confidential potential until I overcome whatever it is I'm hiding. I'm starting to know Tansly little-by-little, and I have a feeling that he has what I have, though I'm unsure as of yet. We seem to exhibit similar tendencies and other similarities.

Conclusion (in the meantime): I now feel more relaxed thanks to writing this note. Yet more steam released from my system now. =-]

The majesty of Harrogath! (Personal Gaming Entry)

This entry was copied from my Diablo gaming blog at http://diablo.wikia.com. Original source is http://diablo.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:ENG

The end of the Lord of Terror, in the meantime

'''After many nerve-rending attempts, [[Diablo]]'s reign of terror concluded once and for all!'''

Unfortunately, I could not be bothered to collect his [[soulstone]] once he died! When I remembered and tried to come back to retrieve it, someone had already taken the soulstone! [[Diablo III|Diablo will live on to cast his Reign of Terror upon us again!]] I have wept from this horrific news in the midst of good.

[[Harrogath]]

There were some parallels to [[Lut Gholein]] in Harrogath. It is as if a twin city was built on the foot of the [[Arreat]] Mountain Range. However, the city shines with such majesty. The [[Music|ambience]] elates me into feeling what it's like to [[starwars:Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy|adventure in]] [[Wikipedia:Star Wars|a futuristic saga]]!

However, the prices are as high as the elevations are! In the [[Rogue Encampment|lowlands of my first adventure]], the Town Portal scrolls were 90 gold each. Here, they are now 200 each. I demanded an explanation. Malah told us that supplies are easily run low in the siege, and whatever supplier they CAN find, they must pay dearly for their services. Who is the [[Lord of Greed]]? Someday, I will have to find and finish him, too. The suppliers greedily take advantage of Harrogath's siege situation and proceed to make a killing (a solid profit) out of it.

I wish I could find the suppliers so I could "persuade" them to be fairer. In the meantime, if something I'm looking for is available somewhere cheaper, I will waypoint there instead.

Barbarians were associated with nomadic lives. I never thought they could have a permanent settlement like Harrogath. It is too bad that Harrogath will be no more when Tyrael destroys the [[Worldstone]]. I saw this vision in my dreams. I also know from them that [[Nihlathak]] is a betrayer, but now is too premature to let the rest of Harrogath know; I must back this dream up with evidence.

On a brighter note, I can sell for up to 25,000 gold each now. I have, and must now go and cleanse the lands between the settlement and [[Mount Arreat]]. --[[User:ENG|ENG]] 12:34, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

Prelude to Battle: Hell Itself Shakes!! (Personal Gaming Entry)

This entry was copied from my Diablo gaming blog at http://diablo.wikia.com. Original source is http://diablo.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:ENG

I had opened the 5th [[Seal]]. Out of nowhere, knight-magi show up and we dispatched them quickly as usual. The alpha soldier was [[Lord de Seis]]. After also bringing him to peace quickly, I was picking up his treasure and was about to lay my hand on his golden [[War Scepter]] when the Hell shook! I could not pick it up due from the rumbling force of the quaking, but at least nothing fell from the ceilings and hit my platoon.

An ominous voice boomed: ''Not Even Death Itself Will Save You From Me!''

I knew that had to come from Diablo itself. I could not see him as he was evidently risen from the central star on the floor many yards down the Sanctuary hall. I replied (quietly enough) "Well Diablo, would you please wait until I arrange the treasures in my inventory first? I'll off-load my loot at the Fortress, then we can have a fight."

I do not know how many times I will have to resurrect to return and defeat Diablo, but the first battle has not yet begun!

--[[User:ENG|ENG]] 08:57, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

Sunless Daylight on the Fortress; I am nowhere the maps say! (Personal Gaming Entry)

This entry was copied from my Diablo gaming blog at http://diablo.wikia.com. Original source is http://diablo.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:ENG

The Lord of Hatred has been defeated and now I have moved through a hostile-looking portal. The new castle I'm in may be smaller, but still more luxurious in appearance than the Rogue Monastery.

In my maps, I have not seen the [[Pandemonium Fortress]] appear anywhere. When I went up to the top of the battlements to soak in the view, it sat atop an ominous cliff overlooking an unnaturally calm ocean. I have never seen anything more tranquil in my life! When looking the other way though, I feel a tiny semblance of trembling; I see what I'd believe is the edge of Hell off on the horizon.

Sunless daylight
Trying to figure out the time from the Sun's position in the sky, was the most baffling discovery of all: THERE IS NO SUN!

I wondered exactly HOW there could be light ANYWHERE without a Sun. I have heard and read of far-off lands around the Sanctuary, but I have never heard of a fortress nor the surrounding area that had daylight WITHOUT A SUN! Where on Sanctuary could this ever be possible?

Apparently there's a magic spell that keeps artificial light shining, but what dark spell does it override??? This is not like the [[Tainted Sun]] in [[Aranoch]], is it?? Do I have to destroy another altar to destroy whatever is attempting to darken the sky and hide the Sun somehow? WHAT IS THE STORY HERE?

Human mice, the two shopkeepers
Nevertheless, after I became familiar with Tyrael and Cain, I started to re-adjust to my new temporary home. Two shopkeepers, [[Jamella]] and [[Halbu]], are not talkative in the least; they only greet. What kind of curse would make them so quiet? Who would put this curse on them and why? Do they have a big secret they mustn't share with outsiders? If I only knew more about their backgrounds. I might get an explanation as to why they remain silent little mice.

Embassy of Heaven on the Hell's Edge
Anyway, from what Tyrael and Cain told me, this Fortress is apparently an Embassy of Heaven in Hell. (Or more accurately, an Embassy of Heaven on the edge of Hell.) They place it here to ensure the minions don't escape to overrun the rest of creation. But what of the spiritually condemned souls who have become repentant since their time in Hell? Do the guards of the Fortress allow them to escape the realm of pain and suffering? Even if they don't, I would hope they have a chance to jump in the ocean; better a calm, tranquil ocean than the fiery furnace of Hell, wouldn't you say?

Dangerous steps
Finally, the steps leading from the fortress '''do not have any GUARDRAILS!''' It may be too easy for anyone to fall of the edges. Moreover, in the more "modern" chapters of the Earth sagas, there is a governmental entity within one of the myths' nation-states called the "[[wikipedia:Occupational Safety and Health Administration|Occupational Safety and Health Administration]]." They reinforce mundane protocols just so people are marginally safer and healthier while at their places of employment. This includes placing guardrails on staircases where falling off the sides would cause certain bodily harm.

I would agree that guardrails on staircases would reduce anxiety, which may hinder our combat abilities. Besides, we do not prefer to let our minions fall beyond their edges and weaken our platoon this way, you see. If OSHA ever came to inspect our Fortress, thanks to the railless staircase, Heaven would have hell to pay in fines!

''Let us see what rewards cleansing Hell will bring us in our journeys ahead!'' --[[User:ENG|ENG]] 13:14, 18 January 2009 (UTC)

The fetid jungles are much worthy of a deforestation! (Personal Gaming Entry)

This entry was copied from my Diablo gaming blog at http://diablo.wikia.com. Original source is http://diablo.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:ENG

Granted, I may be one who likes to restrain civilization from overrunning the beauty of nature, but Mephisto went too far in his ideals of preserving nature.

In my extensive readings of mythical Earth tales, the artful renditions of a "Meso-American" civilization have an uncanny resemblance to the buildings of Kurast. I kept gazing in awe at the architectures around me.

Now, those [[Fetish]]es (what a weird name to call them) are like 5-year-olds straight from Hell, probably because they are! I've believed in the [[wikipedia:Age of Accountability|Age of Accountability]] for a long time, so I would hope to Tyrael, the other Angels and unseen Godhead that these Fetish demons are NOT spiritually condemned children!

To my Paladin buddy Chileth, those range attacks from those blowpipes could be rather annoying to him, but at least with my curses, ranged attacks, Elly's and my necromages' range attacks, we get to respond in kind.

I could almost promise you that I could SEE the jungle trees grow! Clearly it has been Mephisto's magic! When we rebuild Kurast and make Kehjistan stronger than it has been, the jungle's wood must be used for this purpose. Since it reeks of an evil aura, a deforestation is truly in order here. Even whoever the environmentalists may be would agree.

It appeared that Kurast, the city itself, was divided into socioeconomic classes. [[Lower Kurast]] was for the lower-class commoner folk (those huts looked depressing, inadequate, and incomplete. No doors; just open air making the house vulnerable to the elements, and super-drafty as well!)

The Bazaar area appeared to be a giant market where the middle-class probably lived, and the lower-and-upper intermingled when they went to buy and sell.

Then you can get an idea of who lived in the Upper-Class area. Those temples, meetinghouses, and stone homes still didn't meet my standards, but is quite the place for the Kurasteans.

Finally, [[Travincal]] would have to be the creme-de-la-creme sector. Mostly temples, but maybe a few mansions in there. Separated by a causeway and walled in, there appeared to be an analogue of [[wikipedia:Tenochtitlan|Tenochtitlan]] of the tales I read in my youth.

At least Travincal was somehow NOT absorbed by the jungle like how it was slowly digesting Kurast. This would have to be because it was on its own island, so it looked as pristine as it did on the day of the evacuation/slaughter.

Then down in the [[Durance of Hate]], which is some underground sub-temple of the principal temple of the city, this felt as close to [[Hell]] as I've ever gotten; the otherwise ornate spaces filled with tortured blood. I would hope magi clean the blood off with their spells rather than have average workers do it laboriously.

At the lowest level, there was a moat filled with blood. I could not believe the sights, and thought I grew thick skin from all these battles. I refused to let the smells hinder my ability to fight, so I kept casting a micro-spell to numb my nose.

Finally, the [[Lord of Hatred]] himself came down from the top of the steps. I attempted to [[Bone Wall]] him in place so we could fight him with relative ease, but my potions burned through, and I had to portal to the Docks to get new ones. (The regulars as opposed to the Greaters were what they had available; I had to make do.) Also, my minion platoon was decimated, leaving me and my love [[Elly]]. I had to return to Aranoch to find more demons to raise minions from. My [[Iron Golem]] was no problem; I just had to find any metal object not bolted or welded down anywhere.

After his defeat, I took notice of a shimmering evil halo giving me the angriest stare I've ever seen. This portal did not tell me where I was going to go. I had to off-load Mephisto's treasure back at the docks but when I arrived, [[Natalya]] was gone! I don't know what her story was, but perhaps her contract was to protect the Docks until Mephisto was defeated, then she could return from whence she came.

The soulstone I picked up was as blue as Heaven itself, but shimmered with the remnants of his hatred that he left on it. Nevertheless, now that Mephisto has been banished from here, hopefully Hatred will all but be an emotion of the past. --[[User:ENG|ENG]] 12:52, 18 January 2009 (UTC)

The Future of the Sanitation Industry

If I'll ever have anything to do with the Sanitation Industry, it'll probably be in developing androids and autonomous garbage trucks to do the sanitation work for us.

Everyone deserves better than to work such a dirty job!

The self-driving truck ideally will have an "unauthorized waste scanner."

It will look for:

• Mercury-positive refuse (used-up CFL bulbs)
• Arsenic
• Recyclables
• Other pollutants not meant to be disposed of in a landfill
• Suspicious items (guns still in perfectly-working order; a criminal could have disposed of one right after a crime.)
• BODIES
• Much more refuse not permitted to be thrown away the conventional way.

Then the androids sort them accordingly per their programs' instructions.

If the scans turn up weapons (including non-projectile weapons with fresh blood) and bodies in a dumpster, an automatic is sent to a local law enforcement precinct.

When might this arrive?

What else do you have to add on how the sanitation industry will operate in this future?

Some blessings are intangible. They still lead to tangible ones. (Personal Entry)

(Even though privacy settings are set to only allow viewing by church friends and former missionaries, I'm considering posting this testimony to the general public.)

The tithes I donated are good 'til the 15th. Then I asked, "Now, where's my blessing?"

I waited for them. I had some feeling in me that blessings may manifest themselves unexpectedly.

Well, when the current missionaries invited me to watch the CES Fireside at the main Marlatt branch Sunday evening, I said that if dinner was served there, then I'd go. Otherwise, if I was interested in watching it, I'd just watch a live video stream off the Internet. They still insisted, saying it's where I can get together with people.

That didn’t appeal so much because I knew I’m not as fond of meeting people as others are. (When I do, I feel compelled to be careful in what I say because if I'm too comfortable, I could say things and/or give off body language that could off-put. That's why Craig Henry once said I "appear to approach every social situation like a big ... exam." Failing an exam lowers my GPA score, which is hard to undo.. If I fail a social encounter, the resultant enmity/grudge could be hard to resolve.) My feelings are more sensitive than the usual college students’, (that is, I take social failures harder than others,) so that also factors into how I socialize.

At the same time, I don't like turning down the missionaries' requests; they're angelic the way they are, so I made a deal: I'd go only if someone gave me a ride. (Why spend the extra fuel to go to something I could just watch on my laptop?) She got Doug Harrison to take me.

About 6:45 that evening, I heard a truck pull up; I knew that was Doug because I know whether an engine sounds like a tenant’s, or an unfamiliar one. I told him my guess that the engine sounded like a Chevy truck. I was rather close; it was a GMC pickup, still made by the same company so I was practically correct.

The blessings

On the ride up to the church, I told him about how my loan situation may prevent me from becoming a missionary in time, asked him about what he does, and so forth.

Being a commissioned officer will pay off previous loans unlike merely enlisting.

First off, he said that becoming a commissioned Army officer gets my previous loans paid off, and to complete college first, I can set my contract so I don't do any actual officer work until a set # of years after signing it. Atop that, the Army will pay for all my college expenses! (The current ones atop my previous loans.) I was interested in the Navy or the Air Force; Doug said they have similar plans for their officers too.

I haven't had an asthma attack in a long time and they happen less often than in my childhood and teen years. I can get a physical done to determine that I have grown out of it, and then I'd be eligible to join.

Deferring loans while missioning

Doug also said I can get my student loans deferred before going on a mission. I suppose if I can produce documentation proving I'll be missioning, then the lenders may defer. Therefore, it looks like I may mission someday soon after all!

Not having many years left to sign up and train, I can repay my one credit card debt easily enough and start the process.

It looks like I'll pay a visit to Financial Aid and the mall's recruitment center one of these days!

Advice is an intangible blessing, but when they lead to very tangible ones, they may as well be treated accordingly. Let's see what blessings next month's tithes will procure. That is my testimony.

Tithing is a strain on my wallet! I want to donate alternatively! (Personal Entry)

(Privacy settings are set so that only church friends and former missionaries can read this note.)

Since my student loans impart a negative net-worth, the church would technically owe ME money, but that doesn't work this way, so why should I tithe when my outgo outpaces my income?

The tithes I made are good until January 15th (This note was written and saved as a draft on January 9th) and I was told that blessings will come my way if I tithe.

So far, I've been given advice to earn money (appear on Dr. Phil about a "personality shaper" that I'm hiding, and other TV talk shows; Mom says I'd get paid a lot doing that.) and someone at the main Branch church promised he could get me a job with the Department of Defense.

Are these advices the only blessings I've gotten? Classes starts again next Thursday, so how could I possibly squeeze in a Fort Riley job, appearances on talk shows, and classes together and remain in the loops? God can show/tell me unexpected solutions, so I'm all ears! (And all eyes!)

I was expecting something concrete. Oh, wait! I have the lucky numbers behind the fortune cookie slips! I need to find lotto tickets and use those numbers on them. They may be the blessings I've waited for!

Pastor Mike Wangsgaard will NOT let me tithe money-saving lights!

I have been in tight financial waters for a while and I would love to tithe, honestly, but knowing my money's already tight as it is, I'd be more able to afford giving the church one to four of those new CFL bulbs every month.

I suggested this to B.P. Wangsgaard, but he said the Institute's accountants would have to go through too much trouble to "keep track of the money saved from these bulbs." He even suggested that I return them to Home Depot and get the money back; I took that as a piercing insult (but kept those feelings to myself of course. Oh, and they were from Wal-Mart, with some from Aldi's too.)

WHY CAN'T THEY JUST GO OFF THE PACKAGING?

Virtually ALL packages and boxes of CFL lights say things like "Save $## over the life of one bulb!" Then the fine print says, "Estimated savings based on ##¢ per kilowatt-hour at an average of # hours of use per day."

I remember a bulb packaging saying, "Save $74 over the life of the bulb." I think that assumed 10¢/KWh. Therefore, if the Institute is indeed paying 10¢/KWh, then that would even exceed my monthly tithing minimum (if considering my income before loans and other outgo), and from the kindness of my heart, I could donate 2 or more of these bulbs a month, with the other money saved earmarked towards the various programs, charities and causes in the LDS, I would get imparted an even bigger blessing than by just donating the minimum tithes.

Giving "begrudgingly," and being a cheerful giver

Somewhere the Bible states that God only appreciates a cheerful giver. If I could only donate raw cash and/or check for the tithing amount, I would hesitate heavily over it. Some say do not tithe at all in this case, or only tithe the amount you would not give a moment's hesitation to, so some only tithe up to a certain amount, knowing they'd feel hesitant to donate more.

I would not feel hesitant in the slightest to donate the energy-saving bulbs. Maybe if I can't convince Wangsgaard to let me (after showing him the package's statistics), maybe I could speak with another Branch President from the Marlatt Avenue branch and see if he'll think different.

If blessings do come from the tithes I've already given, and they satisfy enough needs, then I'll not mind tithing the traditional way again.

Three years to pay off $60k to start missionary training and tithing isn't helping the case so far. *sigh*

The Telkio Tales 2: The loss of my love (Personal Gaming Entry)

This entry was copied from my Diablo gaming blog at http://diablo.wikia.com. Original source is http://diablo.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:ENG

Prelude and Reflections on Subterranean Warrens

Now that my old roomie Chileth has introduced me, I will write about myself from now, under The Telkio Tales.

The Monastery must have been the biggest complex I have ever seen! It is unknown whether there were any male employees at such a colossal place before Diablo's minions took it over, but I would have loved working there; the vast, extensive labyrinths filled me with awe. Someday, if I ever get wealthy off of the mightiest demons' plunder, I may build myself a mansion that looks like a nondescript cottage from the surface, but a gleaming, expansive palace underneath. I have been fond of labyrinthine expanses since I was about as tall as a [[Fallen Shaman]]. I could have gotten lost under the Monastery and its Cathedral had it not been for a spell that makes a self-motile [[map]] appear in my thoughts.

Chileth, a student of mystical Terran lore, once told me of extremely powerful weapons of legendary Earth that could vaporize Diablo, Baal, and the other head Evils in one fell swoop. In fact, he once said that "maybe five of them could destroy all Hell and its minions once and for all!" He referred to them as "[[wikipedia:nuclear|new clear]]" weapons that could project a fiery cloud of a ferocious mushroom up to several mountains' heights into the air. I have only paid attention to Earth Lore up to their "[[wikipedia:Renaissance|Ren a-sans]]" period because when I started reading of [[wikipedia:handgun|handheld barrels that fire pellets at the pull of a switch]], I decided I had to stop because futuristics would be something I would need a LOT more spare time to study, and I was too busy with bigger priorities. Nevertheless, Chileth once said that the only way to survive a "new clear" blast would be to [[wikipedia:bomb shelter|hide in a labyrinth deep underground]]; no amount of protective magic could EVER keep anybody alive in such a vituperative firestorm!

That is why I will also build an underground lodge to accommodate many refugees; the weather and other elements of nature will never touch this dungeon, therefore it will remain in a similar condition about 700 [[year]]s hence, when Chileth alleges that these mythic "new clear" weapons will exist. My name and statues dedicated to me will be inscribed and sculpted in the grand hallways of my subterranean palace, so all future occupants, "new clear" refugees or otherwise, will know who built these chambers!

As well, the Monastery would serve as the best "new clear" bunker in the region! If the tales' "[[wikipedia:nuclear winter|new clear winter]]" and "[[wikipedia:radiation|Ray-deAsian]]" hold true on Sanctuary centuries hence, the vast halls beneath the Monastery could serve as an underground city/fortress. To accommodate more people, laborers there could just dig away new extensions. (I don't know how "Ray-de'''Asian'''" has anything to do with the people of the largest Earth continent of Asia.)

I hope to find many more labyrinths in my journeys ahead; somehow I thrive better down there; something to do with making sure I haven't missed any rooms, whereas I could forget to explore a tract of land where demonic stragglers still hold out. Let us hope the lands around [[Lut Gholein]] will have more dungeons and other underground spaces in store for me. I am about to embark on my journey now that [[Andariel]] has been destroyed.

The loss of dear [[Elly]]

My platoon was decimated fast upon encountering Andariel. Elly and I was the last ones to fight her. I had to heal, especially with the poison eating me alive, so while Elly fought valiantly, she was taking heavy hits. I tried to telekinese the potions to her, but she took a while to start healing. My second potion couldn't heal her fast enough; another of Andariel's volleys struck her down. I recalled something about resurrecting my hireling and love, then I had to ask [[Kashya]] how it could be done. She was able to [[resurrection|resurrect]] Elly for a price of 1260 gold. No price is ever too expensive to bring my love back to life.

I asked her how she was able to revive Elly and teleport her back to camp. Kashya's secret is well-guarded, but left instructions to some colleagues to decipher the secret should anything tragic or incapacitating ever happen to her, so that this precious secret never dies with her. This is for the sake for not letting this spell's knowledge fall to the wrong hands! I appreciated her deed and went back in to finish Andariel off.

I told Elly that I had to replenish our platoon with more skeletons and golems so I told her to run while we went to find more corpses. While running, Elly shot back to Andariel with two arrows, and just before we hit the stairs, the ground shook! I knew that Andariel had just been defeated. I asked Elly how she managed it all on her own.

"I was filled with rage and fury against Andariel, and so I overloaded my arrows with elementalities several times the potency as usual, and made sure I struck her in the eyes and mouth. My inundating vengeance toward Andariel enhanced my aim and caused my murderer to fall in two fell swoops! This is what adrenaline does to you - you finish something sooner with it, buddy."

We could not find any more corpses to raise new skeletal soldiers from, but decided we'll find more after our journey to LG. The fallen debris from Andariel's deathquake must have buried them all.

After grabbing Andariel's and her minions' plunder, we portaled back to camp, made out to wind down from our battles, and have now prepared for our journey East! --[[User:ENG|ENG]] 08:58, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

The Telkio Tales 1: A Roommate from Academy (Personal Gaming Entry)

This entry was copied from my Diablo gaming blog at http://diablo.wikia.com. Original source is http://diablo.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:ENG

Recently, an old roommate of mine from academy decided to join in the cause. Sure, he may have had some nefarious tendencies before, but after a swarm of Diablo's minions killed and cursed one of his good friends unto the [[undead|unlife]], he decided to join our righteous noble cause, and turn his otherwise evil powers AGAINST evil.

Introducing Telkio Kayolara.

This [[necromancer]] is one hopeless necromantic. He knows how to summon and lead; I've known him as a natural-born leader since the day we first met.

Last I saw, he has built himself a necromanned platoon of 8 others: 3 Skeleton Warriors, 3 Skeleton Mages, 1 Clay Golem, and a Rogue named [[Elly]]. (She is of course the co-leader, lead-sidekick, or lead-assistant (however they're called,) being the only other fully flesh-and-blood being on Telkio's team. She has stuck beside him since the first day [[Kashya]] decided to hire her out to him. Word is they're drifting closer to one another and may soon fall in love! Whereas my contracts with them ended as soon as I traveled to my other adventures, it appears that their contracts have been amended to have them stay together no matter where they go, as long as the hireling stays alive and Telkio doesn't decide to change them up.

I can't believe he's able to get abundant extra help; Kayolara truly has the charisma and magic spells they need. I envy my former roommate; his platoon can attack-and-slash away the evil minions while he picks up gold and garbage and supplies his new lover extra potions to keep her in the fight. More than that, he can even distance-kill the demons with his [[Teeth]] spell.

Why did I have to major in the [[Paladin]] concentration? Why couldn't I have realized that [[Necromancy]] could also be used for heavenly causes and choose the path of the student [[Necromancer]] along with him??? In retrospect, being a Paladin sure is harder work! I hardly have time for rest while in the heat of battle, while Telkio can more or less sit back and watch his skeletal squad fight!

If only I had reconsidered from eating the enchanted Paladin Peach - a mystical fruit that academy graduates eat at their ceremony banquet that attunes them to Paladinship forever from that bite forward. When I think about it, the Necronectarine would have done me better - taste, quench and all.

I don't know if his skeleton-raising spells can raise more than three at a time, but as he learns new summoning spells, his postmortem platoon could soon become a bone-troop battalion.

I believe he will dispel evil from the world far better and faster than I can. Telkio has way too many blessings working for him! --[[User:ENG|ENG]] 23:56, 8 January 2009 (UTC)

Why I'm putting off Graduation (short version) (Personal Entry)

(This note is under 250 words long.)

I'd like to take college slow and mellow. I could take 15, or even 18 credit-hours, but I'll just stick with 12 for now. I'd hate to be a burnout disenchanted with my original goals, you know.

From this point, if I took 12 credit-hours each semester without intersessions in between, I'd have until Winter 2012 to finish my major. (I may take intersessions however.) The Mayan Calendar ends on 12-21-2012. The apocalypse may erase all debts while I survive in a bomb shelter somewhere, but I'll not bank on that. Many predictions turn out false.

Life expectancy rises every year. Why rush into so much at once? There’s plenty of time for many things.

I believe my stress tolerance is lower than most students', so that's why I don't wish to involve myself in too much at once. This is also why I’m taking the slow road to graduation.

Some suspect that job recruiters are more reluctant to hire candidates who took long to finish college, but I could cite financial reasons, and they may sympathize in that regard.

I believe my social and emotional intelligence cannot possibly be any older than 17. I think when it’s on par with a college senior’s, I’ll finally graduate.

Finally, Collegehood (or late adolescence) is hard enough; adulthood only gets harder. I grow too old too fast already. I want to stay young forever. This is also why I put off graduation.

The Defeat of Duriel! (Personal Gaming Entry)

This entry was copied from my Diablo gaming blog at http://diablo.wikia.com. Original source is http://diablo.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:ENG

Several times I was defeated by Duriel. Had it not been for a pact with an [[Angel]] early in life, I would have passed on in a [[hardcore]] manner. Regardless, I keep coming back thanks to the angel's everlasting resurrective spell.

However, a very evil magic is at work here: Every time I resurrect and return to the field of fighting, new demons and adversaries appear again! I thought I had killed them off! Even [[The Summoner]] and other lead monsters have resurrected as well. However, this only occurs when I need to resurrect. I don't know why, but I hypothesize that demons have exploited a loophole in my resurrection spell that somehow allows all the demons I've killed to resurrect as well.

The beauty about this loophole however, is that all gold and treasures are replicated on them as well. Mercenary work could be the most lucrative job in all the land if someone kept resurrecting just so they could recreate monsters for us all.

Now onto the tale at hand - Duriel resembled an Olthoi Queen (of Dereth, Auberean) but had a very masculine voice. Perhaps on Auberean, he would be known as an Olthoi King? His eviscerations packed quite a wallop; I had to spend over 1,000 gold to get all of my used items repaired afterwards. My new [[War Scepter]] cast a 3rd level [[Holy Freeze]] spell that makes him colder than the frozen northern wastes so that helped my cause a little bit.

Once I defeated him all without a mercenary's help, his death caused the chamber to shake. Rocks fell all around me but miraculously only sand grains hit myself. He dropped several Unique items, but they all weren't so impressive. A swarm of hot-dog-sized maggots diverged from Duriel's carcass and I could step on many of them, but they were too numerous to bother dealing with.

Meeting of Tyrael

Next, I was told in my quest book to go explore the rest of Tal Rasha's chamber. There were no more creatures to fight (that I had to do more than just step on) and I happened upon a huge PIT that led over a mile down to a lava pit of Hell. Archangel [[Tyrael]] was where [[Baal]] was tied to a post and possessed by Tal Shiar. Diablo trapped Tyrael in Baal's place and I was the one who freed him.

He was such a superimposing, prominent ENIGMA that moved me and made me feel remarkably at peace! I have never felt such inner calm and solace since sometime in my childhood! (Even if the childhood was an abbreviated one.) His heavenly aura had such an unspeakable wonderful power about him that could really turn many mortals from evil tendencies for the last time in their lives!

I hope to meet Tyrael again; I must feel his emotion-changing power as often as humanly possible!

Kurastian Trip

After I tied up some remaining loose ends with the townsfolk of LG, I met with Meshif to set sail for Kurast. The docks were all in disrepair; had I not have gambled so heavily with [[Elzix]] for marginally better items, I would have the money to hire repairmen and lumber supplies to repair the creaking and rotted floorbloards! Some docks have holes, termite damage, and missing boards that could cause people to fall through, and file lawsuits in a futuristic civilization at least 700 years hence!

The shacks and docks looked [[Khanduran]] and [[Westmarchesque]], but the stone structures looked remarkably foreign; the only times I remember seeing structures of resemblance were in the old Earth tales of medieval "Meso-America" - the Mayan and Aztec civilizations had castles and temples that had steep steps up along their pyramidal walls. Kurast is quite possibly the "America of Sanctuary." Too bad there are no "Native Kurastians" that I have found so far, because either they have been killed off, turned into [[Undead]], or now work for the minions of the Prime Evils.

The merchants aren't much of an improvement in these parts; I had thought their trade price limit for the items I sell would double to 20,000! (It doubled last time.) Alas, they only buy for merely 5,000 more. It doesn't matter if an item is worth over 150,000; they'll buy for no more than 15,000. If only I knew what spell to cast to persuade them otherwise! --[[User:ENG|ENG]] 05:00, 3 January 2009 (UTC)

Reflections on the Humanity of Sanctuary (Personal Gaming Entry)

This entry was copied from my Diablo gaming blog at http://diablo.wikia.com. Original source is http://diablo.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:ENG

On a calendar of a far-off, mythical land, the New Year has begun! I wish any of the observers of the mysterious Gregorian Calendar a blessed New Year.

I observe this calendar too, even though it's of a land which, in legend, we originated from in ancient prehistory. The mythical land of "Earth" has such a mystique, its tales are known and read by a majority of Sanctuarians.

Wars in a mythical land based on skepticisms

On "Earth," humankind has been at war with each other since time immemorial. On that land are mythical parallels: They believe demons and angels are a myth - those who fervently believe their existence are "religious adherents." Those adherents have many names - Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, Sikhs, Shintoists, and many more individual religions that probably derive from the same set of angels, Gods, and Goddesses from the same Heaven. (Some religions, like Christianity, believe there is only one God.) Those who only will believe if they see irrefutable proof are "atheists," "agnostics," and other kinds of secular humanists.

Often, war is about beliefs of demons and angels that will not show themselves there like they do here. Bloodshed has been needless and in vain because of the inherent skepticism that has plagued their humanity for millennia. Some wars are about resources, landspace, and the overthrow of brutal and adversarial governments, but that's beside the point.

United Humanity

Here on Sanctuary, there is no such thing as Atheism; angels and demons are just as real as you and I, and have been showing themselves regularly all over the planet. The closest parallel to the tales' Christianity is [[Zakarum]]. If it had not been for the ever-presence of super-worldly forces of [[Heaven]] and [[Hell]], there would be far fewer adherents to our religion than there are now. Only their presence removes all doubt that otherwise plagues the humans of legendary Earth.

Unless our fellow man has been possessed by Hell's minions, we do not war against one another on Sanctuary. (The [[Battle of Westmarch]] comes from [[Leoric]] being corrupted by Diablo, and his armies corrupted by his minions.) Especially since the attacks on our civilization have intensified, we have all united against a very common and universal foe - all led by [[Diablo]] and the other [[Evils]]. In times like these, we put aside all of our petty differences to focus our efforts on defeating the biggest threats first!

What would it take for the same unity to happen on Earth? I believe nothing short of an extraterrestrial invasion could make this possible! Furthermore, in times of global unity, otherwise improbable relationships are born! --[[User:ENG|ENG]] 03:18, 3 January 2009 (UTC)

Mom threatened to disown me for being LDS. Now I have to hide it. (Personal Entry)

(Foreword: This note is 749 words long for your reading ease. Privacy Settings are set so only church friends & former missionaries see this.)

Mom read my “Religious Views” on my profile recently. (It read “LDS in Manhattan; other kinds of Christian elsewhere.")

Mom doesn’t use Facebook; I asked how she saw this. She beat around the bush but I figured she must've looked over my sisters' shoulder when they used Facebook.

She got enraged, threatened to disown me and not welcome me at home ever again. I tricked her into thinking she must've seen something else that APPEARED I was now LDS, but was different from what she thought.

A hurried change to save a familial relationship

Mom demanded me to show her my profile. I took the laptop into the bathroom with the excuse that in her rage, she could've damaged my PC. I changed my Religious Views quickly and removed any allusions that suggested being with the LDS. After, I showed her my (updated) profile. That calmed her somewhat in the meantime; she got more amicable and loving that same evening.

I have to hide my Mormonism from family now. Mom apparently harbors bigoted tendencies; she doesn't want my sisters to date or marry black men. (It's okay to befriend them though.) Now she’s also shown her religious bigotry. When will Mom ever widen her mind like the world demands??

Eligibility for Missionary Training: Goals to Reach

I don't have many years to start missionary training; all student loans must be repaid before enrolling at a Missionary Training Center. I could forge a fake birth certificate and pretend to be born later, but I wouldn’t know where to turn for that and this would be dishonest to a church!

After calculating my situation, I’d have to pay $1,667/month (ONLY for student loans) starting now, in order to finish paying by the latest possible time to start missionary training.

Assuming I'd need another $1,000/month to live reasonably, at $2,667/month, I'd have start earning $32,000 annually THIS MONTH without any vacations. What jobs will pay currently enrolled college students $32,000?

My hope is selling Dad's supply of army surplus on Amazon and other selling sites. (He recently asked me to.) To make $32k annually in sales would be a huge commitment atop my 12 credit-hours per semester. (I'd have to take time off from K-State or get paid better to pay more tuition.)

What a monumental undertaking! IS BECOMING A MISSIONARY REALLY WORTH ALL THIS??

The Missionaries told me the age limit pertained to focusing on marriage and starting a family. Knowing myself, I don’t expect becoming marriage-worthy until after missioning! Many men gain that worthiness while still in college (and a few even in high school!) I have something to hide that various women wouldn't like me for (that I'll reveal on another post when ready) so I know I'll become marriage-worthy sometime after college.

Whether I’m able to marry that soon, the deadline still stands. (At first, I wanted to rush life too, but with life expectancy rising yearly, I decided to mellow through more smoothly. Apparently some antiquated Mormon rules stipulate otherwise.)

I had dreamed for several years to mission in foreign countries. But if I can't repay those loans by this deadline, this now-or-never ship won’t return until AFTER I RETIRE!!!

Gee, what if World War III happens long before retirement?? What if I never get to go mission because the world ends before my retirement!?

Assuming the Apocalypse doesn't happen by retirement, the missionaries told me about being restricted to listen to century-old music or older while missioning. Not that I'd mind this, but I'd be allowed to listen to ELVIS when I get to mission! That should give you an idea of when MY retirement age arrives.

My future as a Mormon

I'll ask Pastor Wangsgaard for an eligibility extension soon; see if he’ll lift my upper age limit so I can enroll in the MTC even after age 27.

If he won't, and I can't miraculously repay $60,000 by then, then I'll entirely drop the Mormon faith and return to my old mainstream Christian ways. I’d feel no further incentive to stay with the Mormons. Other churches will let me mission at whatever age I’ll be, and with less restrictions. Mom wouldn’t mind; she’d feel delighted from my leaving the LDS anyway. If LDS is indeed THE True Church, then God ought to provide the means to keep me there!